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1
Čihař, Martin. "Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection in the Czech Republic." Geografie 101, no. 2 (1996): 180–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.37040/geografie1996101020180.
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The article deals with the historical aspects and current trends in nature conservation and landscape protection in the Czech Republic. The internal structure of this branch is described as are some societal and economic contexts. The legal framework of environmental protection and basic legal terms are mentioned. The current trends are shown on four sub-branches: protection of species, protection of dispersed greenery, regional protection, and geological protection. The analysis of concrete data allows to judge the state environmental policy and its negative and positive impacts on the nature conservation and landscape protection.
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Serrano-Montes, José L., Emilio Martínez-Ibarra, and Jonatan Arias-García. "How Does the Presence of Livestock Influence Landscape Preferences? An Image-Based Approach." Landscape Online 71 (July 1, 2019): 1–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.3097/lo.201971.
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The European Landscape Convention (ELC) emphasises that the public should be extensively involved in the processes of landscape protection, planning and management. In spite of the emerging interest in the relationship between animals and landscapes in the study of animal geography, little is known about the influence of the landscape-animal component on public aspirations and the values attributed to landscape. We conducted a survey in the form of an image-based questionnaire in order to evaluate the influence of certain animal species, in this case livestock, on landscape preferences. The results show that all grazing animals have a positive impact on landscape preferences, although some species seem more popular than others. The preference for scenes with animals decreases, however, when compared with scenes with other landscape features (vegetation, traditional buildings or water). Significant differences in preferences for scenes with animals were observed according to certain sociodemographic variables such as gender, familiarity with the landscape and direct involvement in livestock farming. Of the groups surveyed, livestock farmers showed the strongest preferences for the scenes with animals. The findings of this study can be applied within the citizen participation policies encouraged by the ELC, as well as in the protection, management and planning of rural landscapes in which livestock is an appreciable feature.
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Yeatman, Georgina J., Adrian F. Wayne, Harriet R. Mills, and Jane Prince. "It’s not all about the creeks: protection of multiple habitats will improve biodiversity conservation in a eucalypt forest." Australian Journal of Zoology 64, no. 4 (2016): 292. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo16007.
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Understanding patterns in the distribution and abundance of wildlife across the landscape can aid in identifying the relative importance of habitats for biodiversity conservation. We aimed to identify whether riparian habitats were more important than other areas in the landscape to small terrestrial vertebrates. The study site was surveyed using 450 pit traps distributed across riparian, midslope and ridge top habitat. Riparian sites had the greatest abundance of small vertebrates of the three habitats. During some months of the year, there was a significant difference in the composition of the faunal assemblage between habitats. Unsurprisingly, riparian habitats were particularly important for frog species and it was these species that accounted for the greater abundance in this habitat. Riparian habitat was less important for other taxonomic groups and the more floristically rich midslope and ridge habitats, which had a greater abundance of leaf litter, fallen logs and rock cover, were favoured by mammal and reptile species. The conservation of riparian sites, without the protection of other habitats, overlooks a substantial proportion of the biodiversity in the landscape. This study may help inform management decisions in the Upper Warren region and other similar forested landscapes, regarding the location and timing of fauna monitoring and the frequency of fuel reduction burns.
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Travers, Thomas J. P., Jamie Alison, Sarah D. Taylor, Humphrey Q. P. Crick, and Jenny A. Hodgson. "Habitat patches providing south–north connectivity are under-protected in a fragmented landscape." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 288, no. 1957 (August 25, 2021): 20211010. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.1010.
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As species’ ranges shift to track climate change, conservationists increasingly recognize the need to consider connectivity when designating protected areas (PAs). In fragmented landscapes, some habitat patches are more important than others in maintaining connectivity, and methods are needed for their identification. Here, using the Condatis methodology, we model range expansion through an adaptation of circuit theory. Specifically, we map ‘flow’ through 16 conservation priority habitat networks in England, quantifying how patches contribute to functional South–North connectivity. We also explore how much additional connectivity could be protected via a connectivity-led protection procedure. We find high-flow patches are often left out of existing PAs; across 12 of 16 habitat networks, connectivity protection falls short of area protection by 13.6% on average. We conclude that the legacy of past protection decisions has left habitat-specialist species vulnerable to climate change. This situation may be mirrored in many countries which have similar habitat protection principles. Addressing this requires specific planning tools that can account for the directions species may shift. Our connectivity-led reserve selection procedure efficiently identifies additional PAs that prioritize connectivity, protecting a median of 40.9% more connectivity in these landscapes with just a 10% increase in area.
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Forrest, J. L., B. Bomhard, A. Budiman, L. Coad, N. Cox, E. Dinerstein, D. Hammer, et al. "Single-species conservation in a multiple-use landscape: current protection of the tiger range." Animal Conservation 14, no. 3 (January 12, 2011): 283–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-1795.2010.00428.x.
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Cullen, R., G. A. Fairburn, and K. F. D. Hughey. "COPY: A new technique for evaluation of biodiversity protection projects." Pacific Conservation Biology 5, no. 2 (1999): 115. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc990115.
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New Zealand, like many other countries, is troubled by introduced animal and plant species which attack, damage, or displace indigenous species. Considerable amounts of taxpayer funds are spent each year attempting to combat these invasive species and some research has been conducted into the "cost effectiveness" and the efficiency of various conservation activities. Research into the cost effectiveness of biodiversity protection projects is hindered by the absence of satisfactory measures of output. A new output measure, Conservation Output Protection Years (COPY) is proposed for use in a cost utility evaluation of biodiversity protection projects. This paper outlines this approach and reports on the use of COPY in evaluation of six New Zealand biodiversity protection projects. The paper demonstrates that COPY provides a practical output measure, and reports on the comparative output per dollar spent on each biodiversity protection project.
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Diaz-Maroto, I. J., and M. C. Diaz-Maroto. "Changes in forest landscape due to agricultural activities and their influence on natural ecosystems: the eastern Galician mountains." Change and Adaptation in Socio-Ecological Systems 4, no. 1 (March 1, 2018): 1–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/cass-2018-0001.
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Abstract Forest and agricultural landscapes are vital in relation to biodiversity. Protection policies in such areas should include incentives to enable the common landuse practices. Conservation cannot be addressed in the short term because these landscapes have evolved as socio-ecological systems and provide optimal conditions for biodiversity maintenance. They occur in areas where agriculture has not changed significantly as in the eastern Galician mountains. The landscape dynamics has been shaped by human involvement during centuries. We analyzed how the landscape has evolved according to environmental, socioeconomic and historical changes with the aim of proposing actions for its conservation. The study focused on the recovery of natural hardwood forests which have been intensively exploited since ancient times. Over the past few centuries, these forests have been transformed to agricultural land, felled for use in the naval, metallurgical and railway industries, expropriated from the Church, and affected by wildfire; more recently, have been replaced by fast growing species. Today, broadleaved forests cover small areas of rugged land where the topography often precludes other land uses. In conclusion, although the landscape in the study area has undergone a major transformation, now this land is a priority for biodiversity conservation.
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Pankeeva, T. V., E. S. Kashirina, S. A. Svirin, N. V. Mironova, and E. I. Golubeva. "SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP OF PROTECTED PLANT SPECIES WITH THE LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE OF THE MAXIMOV’S DACHA NATURAL PARK." Ekosistemy, no. 22 (2020): 39–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.37279/2414-4738-2020-22-39-52.
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The distribution of protected plant species was analyzed on the basis of the landscape approach for the first time in the Maximov’s Dacha Nature Park (Sevastopol, Crimea). The territory of the Nature Park is characterized by high biological and landscape diversity. Thirty-eight species of vascular plants included in various Red Lists of Threatened Species and nature conservation conventions are registered in the Park. Five endemic species of Crimea are identified there. It is noted that the largest number of protected plant species belong to the families Orchidaceae, Poaceae, and Iridaceae. A landscape map was made at the level of terrain types. It is revealed that the modern landscapes of the Nature Park were formed under the influence of natural and anthropogenic processes. It is shown that the number and species composition of protected plants differ in the selected landscape complexes due to natural features and the degree of anthropogenic transformation. Description of the locations of protected plant species in the Maximov’s Dacha Nature Park enables providing long-term species observation in condition of nature protection regime. The obtained data can be used for optimization of environmental management and functional zoning of the Nature Park.
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McLennan, Matthew R., David Hyeroba, Caroline Asiimwe, Vernon Reynolds, and Janette Wallis. "Chimpanzees in mantraps: lethal crop protection and conservation in Uganda." Oryx 46, no. 4 (October 2012): 598–603. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0030605312000592.
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AbstractA main concern of farmers worldwide is how to reduce crop losses to wildlife. Some potentially lethal crop protection methods are non-selective. It is important to understand the impact of such methods on species of conservation concern. Uganda has important populations of Endangered eastern chimpanzees Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii. Farmers sometimes use large metal mantraps to guard their fields against crop-raiding wildlife, particularly baboons Papio anubis and wild pigs Potamochoerus sp.. Chimpanzees that range onto farmland also step in these illegal devices and without rapid veterinary invention face severe injury or eventual death. Unlike inadvertent snaring of great apes in African forests, the problem of mantraps in forest–farm ecotones has received little attention. We report 10 cases of entrapped chimpanzees in the cultivated landscape surrounding Uganda's Budongo Forest during 2007–2011, undoubtedly only a portion of the actual number of cases. Mantraps currently present a substantial threat to ape populations in this important conservation landscape. Our data underscore the need for conservation programmes to consider the techniques used by rural farmers to protect their livelihoods from wild animals.
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Merlin, M. D., and J. O. Juvik. "Bird protection in Western Samoa." Oryx 19, no. 2 (April 1985): 97–103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0030605300019803.
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In a study supported by the FFPS Oryx 100% Fund, the authors investigated the impact of traditional hunting practices on native land birds in Samoa. Hunting and habitat modification have contributed to the near extinction of several endemic species. Through new hunting regulations, conservation education programmes and the development of a national park system, the Government of Western Samoa has moved to strengthen its commitment to the conservation of a unique insular biota.
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D'Amen, Manuela, Biancamaria Pietrangeli, and Marco A. Bologna. "Human-provoked amphibian decline in central Italy and the efficacy of protected areas." Wildlife Research 37, no. 7 (2010): 547. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr09167.
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Context Today, more than 32% of amphibian species are threatened and more than 43% face a steep decline in numbers. Most species are being affected simultaneously by multiple stressors and habitat protection is often inadequate to prevent declines. Aims The main goal of the present research was to understand the consequences of alternative human land use in producing landscape disturbance for amphibians. At the same time, we also evaluated the effect of changing climatic conditions as additional potential drivers of population decline. Another goal was to determine whether and to what extent the existing nature reserves have been effective in protecting species in recent decades. Methods We used generalised additive models (GAMs) to investigate the association between the state (stable/decline) of amphibian populations in 5 × 5 km cells in central Italy and proxies of different typology of anthropogenic stressors, climatic variables and protection measures. Key results We found a significant association between anthropogenic landscape modifications and species decline. This negative relationship was revealed with agricultural predictors for the majority of the species, whereas urban fabrics had a slightly smaller impact. We found significant associations between amphibian declines and climatic variation, particularly the increasing number of dry days. Protected areas protected declines of two species only. Conclusions Our results showed that the status of amphibians in this region warrants greater attention than has been given previously. The detrimental effect of agricultural practices, combined with increasing aridity, makes amphibian populations particularly susceptible to extinction, and the conservation measures applied till now are inadequate for species protection in this region. Implications Our results should stimulate the implementation of environmental policies that focus not only on the protection of single habitats, but also on ensuring the environmental quality of the surrounding landscapes. Moreover, an adaptive management approach should be applied to take into account future modification of hydrology and climate.
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Fu, Wei, Qi Ding, Zhe Sun, and Tao Xu. "Spatial conservation prioritization considering socioeconomic costs and degradation conditions in the Southwest China Biodiversity Hotspot." Environmental Conservation 48, no. 3 (April 5, 2021): 143–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0376892921000138.
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SummaryThere have been calls for the expansion of protected areas (PAs) to tackle the ongoing biodiversity loss, yet it is unclear where future PAs might help to protect biodiversity in degraded landscapes under the conservation planning principles of complementarity, connectivity and cost-effectiveness. Our conservation goal is to increase the PA network coverage to up to 30% of the landscape of the Zhangjiang River Basin for target species in the karst area of southwest China, a global biodiversity hotspot. Zonation 4GUI was used to evaluate the adequacy of current PAs and to strategically expand PAs while maximizing the coverage of target species and considering ecological integrity and socioeconomic activities. The results show that significant habitat degradation has occurred across 77.9% of the basin. The current PAs cover 6.3% of the site and represent 8.7% of the total distribution of key species. With regards to the threshold of protection of 30% of the area, protecting an additional 27.2% of the site under an ecological integrity prioritization scenario and a scenario of the socioeconomic costs involved in iteration would cover 93.5% and 80.4% of the ranges of the key species, respectively. Our results can be used to inform the upcoming actions associated with karst area conservation-related policies.
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Denac, Katarina, Primož Kmecl, Gregor Domanjko, and Damijan Denac. "Population trends of Goričko agricultural landscape birds." Acrocephalus 38, no. 174-175 (December 1, 2017): 127–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/acro-2017-0009.
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AbstractDue to numerous bird surveys in the past 20 years, the avifauna of Goričko is relatively well known. For some species, the very first national ecological researches were conducted in this area. The article summarizes all bird surveys so far. It presents population trends of farmland species which is one of the most threatened bird groups in Europe. Most of the qualifying species of this habitat that are protected within the Natura 2000 network have suffered a decline at Goričko, specifically QuailCoturnix coturnix, Scops OwlOtus scops, HoopoeUpupa epops, WoodlarkLullula arboreaand White StorkCiconia ciconia. The number of breeding pairs of the latter has not changed, but its fecundity has decreased. Furthermore, populations of other farmland bird species have decreased, for example SkylarkAlauda arvensis, StonechatSaxicola rubicola, SerinSerinus serinusand Common LinnetLinaria cannabina, as well as butterfly populations and tracts of grassland habitat types. National agricultural and nature conservation policies are evidently inefficient in protecting the biodiversity of Goričko. The most probable cause for bird population decline is agricultural intensification, which manifests itself at Goričko as disappearance and intensification of meadows, land consolidation, degradation of traditional orchards and use of pesticides. As a result of land consolidation hedges, uncultivated strips between fields, individual trees and bushes and minority habitat types are disappearing, whereas the surface of arable fields is increasing. Nature conservation measures performed by the Public Institute Goričko Nature Park with the support of DOPPS – BirdLife Slovenia volunteers seem to be efficient, but are spatially and temporally constrained. For this reason, they cannot serve as a substitute for insufficient systemic financing which could be improved by substantive and financial reform of the agri-environmental scheme. Currently, a negligible percentage (1% in 2016) of Goričko is covered by agrienvironmental scheme measures with positive influence on qualifying species and habitat types. As a consequence, only an insignificant share of subsidies from the Rural Development Plan is used for nature protection at Goričko. If the system of agricultural subsidies remains unaltered, no improvement of the conditions for bird conservation at Goričko can be expected.
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Consorte-McCrea, Adriana, Ana Fernandez, Alan Bainbridge, Andrew Moss, Anne-Caroline Prévot, Susan Clayton, Jenny Anne Glikman, et al. "Large carnivores and zoos as catalysts for engaging the public in the protection of biodiversity." Nature Conservation 37 (December 16, 2019): 133–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.37.39501.
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Addressing the biodiversity crisis requires renewed collaborative approaches. Large carnivores are ambassador species, and as such they can aid the protection of a wide range of species, including evolutionarily distinct and threatened ones, while being popular for conservation marketing. However, conflicts between carnivores and people present a considerable challenge to biodiversity conservation. Our cross disciplinary essay brings together original research to discuss key issues in the conservation of large carnivores as keystone species for biodiversity rich, healthy ecosystems. Our findings suggest the need to promote coexistence through challenging ‘wilderness’ myths; to consider coexistence/conflict as a continuum; to include varied interest groups in decision making; to address fear through positive mediated experiences, and to explore further partnerships with zoos. As wide-reaching institutions visited by over 700 million people/year worldwide, zoos combine knowledge, emotion and social context creating ideal conditions for the development of care towards nature, pro-environmental behaviors and long-term connections between visitors and carnivores. Based on current research, we provide evidence that large carnivores and zoos are both powerful catalysts for public engagement with biodiversity conservation, recognizing barriers and suggesting future ways to collaborate to address biodiversity loss.
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Ibbett, Harriet, Chansetha Lay, Ponlork Phlai, Det Song, Chamnan Hong, Simon P. Mahood, and E. J. Milner-Gulland. "Conserving a globally threatened species in a semi-natural, agrarian landscape." Oryx 53, no. 1 (May 29, 2017): 181–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0030605316001708.
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AbstractAgriculture threatens biodiversity across the tropics, particularly in semi-natural grassland landscapes, where human populations are high, habitat is easily converted and agriculture is prone to intensification. Over the last 20 years intensive, commercial dry season rice cultivation has emerged as the dominant threat to the Bengal florican Houbaropsis bengalensis, a globally threatened bustard that breeds in the seasonally inundated grasslands of central Cambodia. Although floricans have been extensively monitored for 10 years, no socioeconomic research has been undertaken to examine how local livelihood activities interact with the florican. We conducted household questionnaires and focus groups in 21 villages in the Northern Tonle Sap Conservation Landscape to gather information on household demographics, rice farming and bird hunting in protected and unprotected areas of florican breeding habitat. We identified a significant increase in dry season rice adoption by local communities since 2005. Dry season rice cultivation was strongly associated with agrochemical use and rice fields directly overlapped with florican breeding habitat, reducing habitat availability throughout the breeding season. We identified a low but significant level of bird hunting in grassland households (8%) and revealed a demand for wild bird meat amongst local communities. Our findings suggest an urgent need for conservation interventions in unprotected farmland and emphasize the role of enforcement and community engagement in improving protection within protected areas. We highlight the potential of private sector initiatives such as the Sustainable Rice Platform in reconciling conservation and development for impoverished rural communities.
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Hopkins, John. "Exploring Incentives in Species Protection." Conservation Biology 21, no. 6 (December 18, 2007): 1656–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2007.00839.x.
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Szigeti, Nóra, Imre Berki, Andrea Vityi, and Leonid Rasran. "Shelterbelts Planted on Cultivated Fields Are Not Solutions for the Recovery of Former Forest-Related Herbaceous Vegetation." Land 10, no. 9 (September 3, 2021): 930. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land10090930.
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Establishing shelterbelts for field protection is one of the rediscovered agroforestry practices in Europe and Hungary. Several studies have focused on the effects of these plantations on agricultural production. Prior scholarship reveals that shelterbelts enhance the diversity of bird and insect communities but generally fail to consider herbaceous cover. Our study aimed to describe the herbaceous vegetation in shelterbelts of different origins, tree species composition, and land management. We investigated surveys in four agricultural landscapes of North West Hungary, where the intensity of the landscape transformation is different. The diversity and species composition of the herbaceous vegetation were analyzed, including plant sociology and forest affinity. Our results highlight the importance of landscape history in herbaceous flora. Shelterbelts planted on cultivated without an immediate connection to former woody vegetation soil are not appropriate for the appearance of forest-related herbaceous species, regardless of tree species composition or the extent of the shelterbelt. On the contrary, the remnants of former woody vegetation are refuges for those herbaceous species that are very slow at colonizing new plantations. These findings expose that protecting existing woody areas is an essential task of agricultural land management.
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Winter, Maiken, Douglas H. Johnson, and Jill A. Shaffer. "Does Body Size Affect a Bird's Sensitivity to Patch Size and Landscape Structure?" Condor 108, no. 4 (November 1, 2006): 808–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/108.4.808.
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Abstract Abstract Larger birds are generally more strongly affected by habitat loss and fragmentation than are smaller ones because they require more resources and thus larger habitat patches. Consequently, conservation actions often favor the creation or protection of larger over smaller patches. However, in grassland systems the boundaries between a patch and the surrounding landscape, and thus the perceived size of a patch, can be indistinct. We investigated whether eight grassland bird species with different body sizes perceived variation in patch size and landscape structure in a consistent manner. Data were collected from surveys conducted in 44 patches of northern tallgrass prairie during 1998–2001. The response to patch size was very similar among species regardless of body size (density was little affected by patch size), except in the Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido), which showed a threshold effect and was not found in patches smaller than 140 ha. In landscapes containing 0%–30% woody vegetation, smaller species responded more negatively to increases in the percentage of woody vegetation than larger species, but above an apparent threshold of 30%, larger species were not detected. Further analyses revealed that the observed variation in responses to patch size and landscape structure among species was not solely due to body size per se, but to other differences among species. These results indicate that a stringent application of concepts requiring larger habitat patches for larger species appears to limit the number of grassland habitats that can be protected and may not always be the most effective conservation strategy.
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Luo, Jinhong, Tinglei Jiang, Guanjun Lu, Lei Wang, Jing Wang, and Jiang Feng. "Bat conservation in China: should protection of subterranean habitats be a priority?" Oryx 47, no. 4 (July 17, 2013): 526–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0030605311001505.
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AbstractSubterranean environments are essential for the survival of many bat species and other cave fauna but these places are subject to increasing human disturbance. To examine the significance of subterranean habitats for the conservation of bats in China we surveyed bat species in 225 underground sites during 2003–2011. Our results show that 77% of bat species in China, including 30 nationally Endangered or Vulnerable species and nine endemic species, roost in caves and other subterranean habitats. The number of species in occupied roosts was 1–15. Almost 90% of the roosts surveyed contained signs of human disturbance, most of which was from recreational activities. One hundred and twenty-one roosts merit special concern because they harbour ≥ 6 species or > 1,000 individuals, or species of special concern (threatened or endemic species). Generally, larger roosts support more species and a greater abundance of bats than smaller roosts but there is no direct correlation between the presence of species of special concern and roost size. Disused tourist caves have significantly more bat species than other types of roosts. Our data demonstrate that roost disturbance by recreational activities has pronounced detrimental effects on the number of bat species and the presence of species of special concern. We discuss the social, economic and political issues that could adversely affect bat conservation in caves in China, and we recommend that protection of subterranean habitats should be a high priority for bat conservation.
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Naulak, Thangsuanlian, and Sunita Pradhan. "A checklist of mammals with historical records from Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya landscape, India." Journal of Threatened Taxa 12, no. 11 (August 26, 2020): 16434–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/jott.6062.12.11.16434-16459.
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A region-specific species checklist is an important resource for biodiversity documentation and conservation. This review provides an updated mammal species checklist for the biodiversity hotspots of the Darjeeling-Sikkim landscape in Eastern Himalaya. The list was compiled by systematically reviewing 94 available publications spanning 178 years from 1841 to 2019, for mammals from the region. The species checklist is envisioned to aid in understanding the current status of mammal records, historical distribution, ranked conservation status of mammals, and research gaps. A total of 173 mammal species under 11 orders and 33 families, including the recently upgraded taxon, Sikkim Pika Ochotona sikimaria was enlisted. There are 25 species included in the IUCN threatened categories, 58 species listed in the CITES Appendices, and 112 species included in the schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 in India. Although mammals receive the maximum research attention in the landscape, small mammals and bats have rarely been subjected to systematic studies in recent years.
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Bennett, Andrew F. "Eucalypts, wildlife and nature conservation: from individual trees to landscape patterns." Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 128, no. 1 (2016): 71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rs16007.
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Eucalypts — gums, stringybarks, box, ironbarks and mallees — are key elements of ecosystems occupied by much of Australia’s distinctive and unique wildlife. Individual eucalypts provide an array of food resources (e.g. foliage, seeds, nectar, sap) for animals, while shelter, refuge and breeding sites for many species are associated with the physical structures of eucalypts (e.g. dense foliage, bark crevices, hollows) and fallen material (logs, leaf litter). Stands of eucalypts make up patches of habitat that sustain populations and communities of animals. The size and shape of a patch, its tree-species composition and age structure, and the context of the patch (isolation, topographic position) influence the species that occur and the structure of animal communities. At a landscape scale, the extent and spatial pattern of eucalypt forests and woodlands and the types of land uses and disturbance regimes they experience (e.g. logging, grazing, fire) shape the distribution and conservation status of animal species across extensive areas. Eucalypts form a distinctive part of the natural and cultural heritage of Australia, yet too often they are taken for granted. The value that Australians place on the protection, management and restoration of eucalypts, from individual trees to ecosystems, will have a critical role in determining the future of Australian wildlife.
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Macdonald, David W., Luca Chiaverini, Helen M. Bothwell, Żaneta Kaszta, Eric Ash, Gilmoore Bolongon, Özgün Emre Can, et al. "Predicting biodiversity richness in rapidly changing landscapes: climate, low human pressure or protection as salvation?" Biodiversity and Conservation 29, no. 14 (October 9, 2020): 4035–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10531-020-02062-x.
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Abstract Rates of biodiversity loss in Southeast Asia are among the highest in the world, and the Indo-Burma and South-Central China Biodiversity Hotspots rank among the world’s most threatened. Developing robust multi-species conservation models is critical for stemming biodiversity loss both here and globally. We used a large and geographically extensive remote-camera survey and multi-scale, multivariate optimization species distribution modelling to investigate the factors driving biodiversity across these two adjoining biodiversity hotspots. Four major findings emerged from the work. (i) We identified clear spatial patterns of species richness, with two main biodiverse centres in the Thai-Malay Peninsula and in the mountainous region of Southwest China. (ii) Carnivores in particular, and large ungulates to a lesser degree, were the strongest indicators of species richness. (iii) Climate had the largest effect on biodiversity, followed by protected status and human footprint. (iv) Gap analysis between the biodiversity model and the current system of protected areas revealed that the majority of areas supporting the highest predicted biodiversity are not protected. Our results highlighted several key locations that should be prioritized for expanding the protected area network to maximize conservation effectiveness. We demonstrated the importance of switching from single-species to multi-species approaches to highlight areas of high priority for biodiversity conservation. In addition, since these areas mostly occur over multiple countries, we also advocate for a paradigmatic focus on transboundary conservation planning.
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Schippers, Peter, Euridice Leyequien Abarca, Jana Verboom, G. W. Wieger Wamelink, Claire C. Vos, Willem F. de Boer, Jeffrey A. Harvey, et al. "Biodiversity conservation in climate change driven transient communities." Biodiversity and Conservation 30, no. 11 (July 13, 2021): 2885–906. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10531-021-02241-4.
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Abstract Species responding differently to climate change form ‘transient communities’, communities with constantly changing species composition due to colonization and extinction events. Our goal is to disentangle the mechanisms of response to climate change for terrestrial species in these transient communities and explore the consequences for biodiversity conservation. We review spatial escape and local adaptation of species dealing with climate change from evolutionary and ecological perspectives. From these we derive species vulnerability and management options to mitigate effects of climate change. From the perspective of transient communities, conservation management should scale up static single species approaches and focus on community dynamics and species interdependency, while considering species vulnerability and their importance for the community. Spatially explicit and frequent monitoring is vital for assessing the change in communities and distribution of species. We review management options such as: increasing connectivity and landscape resilience, assisted colonization, and species protection priority in the context of transient communities.
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Baranovski, B. А., L. А. Karmyzova, N. O. Roshchyna, I. A. Ivanko, and O. G. Karas. "Ecological-climatic characteristics of the flora of a floodplain landscape in Southeastern Europe." Biosystems Diversity 28, no. 1 (February 28, 2020): 98–112. http://dx.doi.org/10.15421/012014.
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Floodplain ecosystems take on the role of active areas of biodiversity and provide many “ecosystem services”, as evidenced by a number of European scientific references. A biodiversity analysis of river floodplains in six European countries within the temperate zone has shown that the floodplains are habitats with a high-level of structural and functional dynamics. The level of their conservation reflects the floristic diversity of forest territories, which is especially important for subarid areas. Recently, a comparison of bioecological characteristics of flora in floodplain forest areas and treeless territories was conducted on the floodplain landscapes of a subarid region of Europe. The valley-terraced landscape of the Samara River, a tributary of the Dnieper can serve as a reference site of native plant complexes of subarid territory in Eastern Europe. Despite long-term anthropogenic transformation, the landscape has retained a significant phytodiversity level. The flora of the Samara River area includes 887 plant species. Of these, 177 species belonging to the rare and endangered categories. The floodplain landscape is the richest in species and most diverse part of this complex. The flora of the Samara floodplain includes 728 species (including 132 rare ones), of which 631 grow in forest communities, and 487 – in anthropogenically transformed, treeless floodplain areas. As part of the forest flora, the number of tree and shrubby species, scyophytes, hygrophytes, and megatrophs significantly increases compared to treeless sites, and the number of ruderal plant species decreases. The floristic composition of the floodplain forests of the subarid region is much richer and more diverse than the flora of the treeless floodplain areas, and this should encourage measures for their protection and restoration. Afforestation of floodplain territories within the steppe zone of Ukraine should be a priority in comparison with other landscapes. For the protection of the flora studied, a scientific justification for creating the National Park "Samara Bor" was prepared. Under the conditions of anthropogenic and climatic impact, this article is of great global importance for attracting the attention of specialists, authorities and society to the protection and restoration of biodiversity in the most valuable landscapes.
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Qin, Huang, Liu, Chen, Zhang, Qiu, Tan, and Wen. "The Landscape Patterns of the Giant Panda Protection Area in Sichuan Province and Their Impact on Giant Pandas." Sustainability 11, no. 21 (October 28, 2019): 5993. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11215993.
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As the flagship species of biodiversity conservation in China, the giant panda has significant ecological protection value and plays an important demonstrative role for conservation. Sichuan Province has the largest area of giant panda habitat, making its protected areas the most important for the conservation of this species. However, the habitats of the giant panda are shrinking due to human disturbance through land encroachment for agriculture and other forms of resource exploitation. Reducing these pressures requires assessing current land use and the causes of fragmenting giant panda habitats. This paper reports on changes in land-use patterns and socio-economic development in typical counties with giant panda habitats in Sichuan in 2003 and 2015, with a focus on giant panda protection areas and human pressures in the surrounding lands. We found that road construction, industrial infrastructure, and other forms of economic development have led to increases in human populations and fragmentation of the giant panda habitats, such that that the population of this species has been significantly reduced in some counties. Improving the protection of giant panda requires designing regional economic development activities based on scientific principles to provide benefits to both the local people and the giant pandas. For example, when making land use plans, the local government should consider the impact of the development of the communities surrounding the giant panda areas on the giant pandas’ habitat.
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Machar, Ivo, Karel Poprach, Jaromir Harmacek, and Jitka Fialova. "Bird Diversity as a Support Decision Tool for Sustainable Management in Temperate Forested Floodplain Landscapes." Sustainability 11, no. 6 (March 13, 2019): 1527. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11061527.
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Sustainably managed forests provide multiple ecosystem services in cultural landscapes, including maintaining biodiversity. Better understanding of the benefits regarding the biodiversity of different silvicultural practices is important for sustainable landscape management. Conservation targets in forested landscapes should be determined by land managers and policy-makers, based on serious ecological research. This study deals with response of bird diversity to three different habitat types of temperate hardwood floodplain forests, which reflect specific forms of forest management. Research was based on long-term field bird census in the years 1998 to 2002 applying the point count method. Data was analysed using regression analysis with dummy variables. The results of the study indicate that hardwood floodplain forest heterogeneity, supported by different types of forest management (old-growth forest protection, group-selection harvesting and forest edge protection), provides large-scale habitat mosaic conditions suitable for many breeding bird species with different ecological niches. This result suggests that comparison of bird diversity response to different forest management types can be used as a decision support tool for sustainable landscape management strategy and local management practices in forested cultural lowland landscapes. Improvements in both regional and local ecological knowledge are generally needed in order to control floodplain land use decisions, which are typically made on the scale of landscape management.
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Wade, Joy, Craig Stephen, and Colin Robertson. "Mapping Rocky Mountain ridged mussel beds with preliminary identification of overlapping Eurasian watermilfoil within the Canadian range." Nature Conservation 42 (September 23, 2020): 19–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.42.51081.
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The Rocky Mountain ridged mussel (Gonidea angulata) is a bivalve species whose Canadian range is limited to the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. In 2019, conflicts between habitat protection for the mussel and potential habitat alteration to control the invasive Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) (milfoil), led to a decision to maintain the status of the mussels as Special Concern under Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA) rather than classify it as Endangered. Milfoil control can cause direct mortality and/or burial of the mussels, but there had been no systematic study of the impacts of milfoil control on mussel beds. The purpose of this study was to address knowledge gaps by delineating known mussel beds and potential overlap with milfoil to provide information for management decisions that balance the needs of native species protection and invasive species control. Rocky Mountain ridged mussels in three reference locations were enumerated using snorkel surveys. The presence and distribution of milfoil was documented in relation to five sites within these three locations. Milfoil was encroaching on one site, causing some changes to the substrate. At other sites, the differences in the depth and distribution of the mussel and the milfoil could allow milfoil control without damaging the mussel beds. It is recommended that, before milfoil removal near known mussel beds be undertaken, a detailed site evaluation be conducted to determine potential impacts. This study suggests presumed impediments to co-managing the mussels and controlling an invasive species should not preclude classifying the mussels as Endangered and affording protections under SARA.
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Johnson, Rex R., Diane A. Granfors, Neal D. Niemuth, Michael E. Estey, and Ronald E. Reynolds. "Delineating Grassland Bird Conservation Areas in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region." Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 1, no. 1 (June 1, 2010): 38–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.3996/jfwm-022.
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Abstract Conservation of birds is increasingly focused on the importance of landscape characteristics to sustain populations. Implementing conservation on a landscape scale requires reliable spatial models that provide biological context for conservation actions. Before species-specific models relating grassland birds to their habitat at landscape scales existed, we created a conceptual model and applied it to spatial data to identify priority grassland habitats for the protection and restoration of populations of area sensitive grassland birds in the Prairie Pothole Region. Since that time, these Grassland Bird Conservation Areas have been widely used to guide conservation, and variations of these models have been adopted in other regions; however, the process used to delineate them (i.e., the conceptual models) is poorly understood by many users. We describe that process here and offer perspectives on the utility and limitations of conceptual models, especially on the value of making assumptions that commonly underlie management decisions explicitly, thereby making the assumptions testable, and hopefully increasing management transparency, credibility, and efficiency.
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Churko, Gregory, Felix Kienast, and Janine Bolliger. "A Multispecies Assessment to Identify the Functional Connectivity of Amphibians in a Human-Dominated Landscape." ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 9, no. 5 (April 28, 2020): 287. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9050287.
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Preserving functional connectivity is a key goal of conservation management. However, the spatially confined conservation areas may not allow for dispersal and gene flow for the intended long-term persistence of populations in fragmented landscapes. We provide a regional multi-species assessment to quantify functional connectivity for five amphibian species in a human dominated landscape in the Swiss lowlands. A set of resistance maps were derived based on expert opinion and a sensitivity analysis was conducted to compare the effect of each resistance scenario on modelled connectivity. Deriving multi-species corridors is a robust way to identify movement hotspots that provide valuable baseline information to reinforce protective measures and green infrastructure.
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Kling, Matthew M., Brent D. Mishler, Andrew H. Thornhill, Bruce G. Baldwin, and David D. Ackerly. "Facets of phylodiversity: evolutionary diversification, divergence and survival as conservation targets." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 374, no. 1763 (November 19, 2018): 20170397. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0397.
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Biodiversity is often described as having multiple facets, including species richness, functional diversity and phylogenetic diversity. In this paper, we argue that phylogenetic diversity itself has three distinct facets—lineage diversification, character divergence and survival time—that can be quantified using distinct branch length metrics on an evolutionary tree. Each dimension is related to different processes of macroevolution, has different spatial patterns and is tied to distinct goals for conserving biodiversity and protecting its future resilience and evolutionary potential. We compared the landscapes identified as top conservation priorities by each of these three metrics in a conservation gap analysis for California, a world biodiversity hotspot, using herbarium data on the biogeography and evolutionary relationships of more than 5000 native plant species. Our analysis incorporated a novel continuous metric of current land protection status, fine-scale data on landscape intactness and an optimization algorithm used to identify complementary priority sites containing concentrations of taxa that are evolutionarily unique, vulnerable due to small range size and/or poorly protected across their ranges. Top conservation priorities included pockets of coastal and northern California that ranked highly for all three phylodiversity dimensions and for species richness, as well as sites uniquely identified by each metric whose value may depend on whether properties such as genetic divergence, high net diversification or independent survival experience are most desirable in an Anthropocene flora. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Biological collections for understanding biodiversity in the Anthropocene’.
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Kolobov, R. Yu, and Ya B. Ditsevich. "International Legal Potential for Solving Environmental Problems in the Baikal Natural Territory." Siberian Law Herald 1 (2021): 93–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.26516/2071-8136.2021.1.93.
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It is determined that the task of improving the legal protection of the ecosystem of Lake Baikal presupposes a comprehensive analysis of the existing legal regimes of both national and international origin. It is noted that various international treaties have already played a positive role in solving acute problems of lake protection, however, the potential of international law in this area is far from being exhausted, since, on the one hand, the existing international legal mechanisms are often not fully used, with the other is that there are a significantpact Assessment in a Transboundary Context”, reflecting leading international and foreign practice of solving environmental issues. A separate block is allocated to the conventions on the protection of flora, fauna and its individual species:“on the protection of wild fauna and flora and natural habitats in Europe” and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. It was noted that the analysis of the European Convention on Landscapes, whose provisions can contribute to the formation of landscape policy in the Central Ecological Zone of the Baikal Natural Territory, is promising.
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Dimopoulos, Panayotis, and Ioannis P. Kokkoris. "Protection and Management of Species, Habitats, Ecosystems and Landscapes: Current Trends and Global Needs." Forests 11, no. 12 (November 25, 2020): 1244. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f11121244.
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Human well-being and the prerequisite sustainable environmental management are currently at stake, reaching a bottleneck when trying to cope with (i) the ever-growing world population, (ii) the constantly increasing need for natural resources (and the subsequent overexploitation of species, habitats, ecosystems, and landscapes) and (iii) the documented and on-going impacts of climate change. In developed societies, the concern about environmental protection is set high in the public dialogue, as well as to management and policy agendas. The recently constituted Intergovernmental Science—Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) urges transformative changes for technological, economic, and social factors aiming to tackle both direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity loss. By this, the role of conservation and management practices for the environment is characterized as a crucial and top issue and should deal with (a) promoting best practices from the local to the global level, (b) identifying spatial and temporal knowledge gaps, (c) multidisciplinary aspects for sustainable management practices, (d) identifying and interpreting the role of stakeholders and socio-economic parameters in the decision-making process, and (e) methods and practices to integrate the concept of ecosystem services into natural capital assessment and accounting, conservation and management strategies. Modern literature highlights that land-use change and prioritization, restoration of natural areas, cultural landscape identification and maintenance, should be considered to the top of the scientific and policy agenda, as well as to the epicenter of novel awareness-raising strategies for the environment in the near future.
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Greenwald, D. Noah, and Curtis Bradley. "Assessing protection for imperiled species of nevada, U.S.A.: are species slipping through the cracks of existing protections?" Biodiversity and Conservation 17, no. 12 (May 28, 2008): 2951–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9407-3.
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Harvey, Mark S., Michael G. Rix, Volker W. Framenau, Zoë R. Hamilton, Michael S. Johnson, Roy J. Teale, Garth Humphreys, and William F. Humphreys. "Protecting the innocent: studying short-range endemic taxa enhances conservation outcomes." Invertebrate Systematics 25, no. 1 (2011): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/is11011.
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A major challenge confronting many contemporary systematists is how to integrate standard taxonomic research with conservation outcomes. With a biodiversity crisis looming and ongoing impediments to taxonomy, how can systematic research continue to document species and infer the ‘Tree of Life’, and still maintain its significance to conservation science and to protecting the very species it strives to understand? Here we advocate a systematic research program dedicated to documenting short-range endemic taxa, which are species with naturally small distributions and, by their very nature, most likely to be threatened by habitat loss, habitat degradation and climate change. This research can dovetail with the needs of industry and government to obtain high-quality data to inform the assessment of impacts of major development projects that affect landscapes and their biological heritage. We highlight how these projects are assessed using criteria mandated by Western Australian legislation and informed by guidance statements issued by the Environmental Protection Authority (Western Australia). To illustrate slightly different biological scenarios, we also provide three case studies from the Pilbara region of Western Australia, which include examples demonstrating a rapid rise in the collection and documentation of diverse and previously unknown subterranean and surface faunas, as well as how biological surveys can clarify the status of species thought to be rare or potentially threatened. We argue that ‘whole of biota’ surveys (that include all invertebrates) are rarely fundable and are logistically impossible, and that concentrated research on some of the most vulnerable elements in the landscape – short-range endemics, including troglofauna and stygofauna – can help to enhance conservation and research outcomes.
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Kearney, Stephen G., Josie Carwardine, April E. Reside, Diana O. Fisher, Martine Maron, Tim S. Doherty, Sarah Legge, et al. "Corrigendum to: The threats to Australia’s imperilled species and implications for a national conservation response." Pacific Conservation Biology 25, no. 3 (2019): 328. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc18024_co.
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Since European occupation of Australia, human activities have caused the dramatic decline and sometimes extinction of many of the continent's unique species. Here we provide a comprehensive review of threats to species listed as threatened under Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Following accepted global categories of threat, we find that invasive species affect the largest number of listed species (1257 species, or 82% of all threatened species); ecosystem modifications (e.g. fire) (74% of listed species) and agricultural activity (57%) are also important. The ranking of threats was largely consistent across taxonomic groups and the degree of species' endangerment. These results were significantly different (P
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Duckworth, Gregory Duncan, and Res Altwegg. "Why a landscape view is important: nearby urban and agricultural land affects bird abundances in protected areas." PeerJ 9 (July 28, 2021): e10719. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10719.
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Protected areas are one of the primary conservation tools used worldwide. However, they are often embedded in a landscape that is intensely used by people, such as for agriculture or urban development. The proximity of these land-use types to protected areas can potentially affect the ecological effectiveness (or conservation effectiveness) of protected areas. In this article, we examine to what degree adjacent agricultural and urban land uses affect the ecological effectiveness of protected areas over the greater Gauteng region of South Africa. We selected 198 common, resident bird species, and analysed detection/non-detection data for these species collected over regular grid cells (approximately 61 km2 in area). For each species, we estimated abundance per grid cell with the Royle-Nichols model in relation to the proportion of protected area as a covariate. Our study focused on how this relationship between proportion of protected area and abundance (which we term the ‘protection–abundance relationship’) changed as a function of other land-use types in the grid cell. Specifically, we examined the interaction effects between protected area and both urban and agricultural land-use type per grid cell on bird abundance. We assigned each species to one of seven guilds, namely: frugivores, gleaners, granivores, ground-feeders, hawkers, predators and vegivores, and examined how the protection–abundance relationship varied across guilds in relation to agriculture and urban area. As urban area within a grid cell increased, the protection–abundance relationship became more positive for 58% of all species. At the level of guilds, the protection–abundance relationship became more positive for two guilds (granivores and ground-feeders), more negative for frugivores, and remained unchanged for the other four guilds (gleaners, hawkers, predators and vegivores). As agricultural area within a grid cell increased, the protection–abundance relationship became more positive for 49% of all species. At the guild level, the protection–abundance relationship became more positive for six guilds (frugivores, gleaners, ground-feeders, hawkers, predators and vegivores) and remained unchanged for the granivores. Our results show land-use type near protected areas modified the effect protected areas had on bird abundances, and hence the ecological effectiveness of protected areas. Our results suggest that protected areas should be viewed as constituents within the landscape, rather than islands of protection.
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Deák, Balázs, Csaba Albert Tóth, Ádám Bede, Iva Apostolova, Tatyana M. Bragina, Ferenc Báthori, and Miklós Bán. "Eurasian Kurgan Database – a citizen science tool for conserving grasslands on historical sites." Hacquetia 18, no. 2 (December 1, 2019): 179–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/hacq-2019-0007.
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Abstract Eurasian steppes have an essential role in conserving biodiversity, but due to the huge habitat loss in the past centuries they are often preserved only in small refuges. Among such refuges are the ancient steppic burial mounds (the so called ‘kurgans’) which have a high cultural and historical importance and are also essential sites of nature conservation. Despite their high number (approximately half million) and conservational importance there is a huge lack of knowledge on the locality and conservational state of the kurgans in most regions of Eurasia. To fill this knowledge gap, we built a public database which allows to record and query basic information on their cultural values and factors (such as land cover type, threatening factors, cover of woody species) that might serve as a basis for their effective conservation. The database provides a transparent, public and easy-to-use source for conservation managers and landscape planners focussed on grassland conservation. In addition, it also provides background information for other associate disciplines and public agencies dealing with the protection of cultural heritage.
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Mustafa, Behxhet, Avni Hajdari, Valmir Mustafa, and Bledar Pulaj. "Natural Heritage in the Republic of Kosovo: Looking for Potential UNESCO Sites." Landscape Online 63 (October 19, 2018): 1–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.3097/lo.201863.
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In addition to cultural heritage values, Kosovo is characterised by natural heritage values; these values identify different areas in Kosovo as potential sites for protection under UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MAB) program and the Convention Concerning the Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage. These natural values (i.e. geomorphological, hydrological, biodiversity- and ecosystem-related) are found mainly in the massifs of Kosovo’s four mountain ranges, i.e. the Sharr Mountains, the Bjeshket e Nemuna (Albanian Alps), the Koritnik Mountains, and the Pashtrik Mountains. These regions provide the largest number of potential sites for nomination to the World Heritage List or the MAB program.Of the natural heritage values, 19 geomorphological areas of international importance were identified; additionally, 3 areas had regional (Balkan) importance, and 19 sites were caves. Furthermore, 152 glacial and nival lakes and a bifurcation (i.e. hydrological values), approximately 200 species and subspecies that are endemic to the Balkans, 8 locally endemic, 9 endemic and endemic-relict plant associations and 1 endemic animal species (i.e. biodiversity values), and ancient Beech forests (i.e. ecosystem values) were considered for conservation.Consideration of the above mentioned areas for protection under UNESCO would provide a legal framework for the protection of natural and cultural values in Kosovo as well as support their sustainable development.Additionally, protecting these areas would promote the development of environmental and educational projects and training as well as the research and monitoring of issues related to nature conservation and sustainable development at local, regional and international levels.
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Penjor, Ugyen, Żaneta Kaszta, David W. Macdonald, and Samuel A. Cushman. "Prioritizing areas for conservation outside the existing protected area network in Bhutan: the use of multi-species, multi-scale habitat suitability models." Landscape Ecology 36, no. 5 (March 15, 2021): 1281–309. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10980-021-01225-7.
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Abstract Context Understanding the environmental and anthropogenic factors influencing habitat selection of multiple species is a foundation for quantifying human impacts on biodiversity and developing effective conservation measures. Objectives To determine the effect of multiple scales of environmental/topographic and anthropogenic variables and landscape patterns on habitat suitability of terrestrial mammals in Bhutan, assess the effectiveness of the current protected area network, identify areas of high species richness outside of the existing protected area, and evaluate the potential effectiveness of indicator and umbrella species for conservation planning. Methods We modelled multi-scale habitat selection of sixteen species of terrestrial mammals across Bhutan using data from a nation-wide camera trap survey. We used the predicted species distribution maps to assess the multi-species conservation effectiveness of the existing protected area network. We performed simulations to identify high priority areas for multiple species based on their habitat suitability, proximity to existing protected areas and overall connectivity within the predicted distribution of species. We used correlation analysis among predicted occurrence maps and multivariate cluster analysis to identify potential indicator species. We evaluated the potential utility of each species as umbrella species by assessing how well optimal protected areas for that species would protect suitable habitat for all 16 species simultaneously. Results Protected areas and forest cover were strongly associated with habitat use of most modelled species. Additionally, topographical features, like terrain roughness and slope position, contributed to habitat selection of multiple species, but often in different ways. Environmental and topographical variables were mostly selected at medium to broad scales. Anthropogenic variables (agriculture and built-up areas) were negatively associated with habitat suitability of most species at both fine and broad scales. Conservation effectiveness assessment of existing protected areas found protected areas in south-central Bhutan have high effectiveness in terms of both mean and total richness protected. Similarly, biological corridors in the south-central region offered high mean richness protection. Our simulation of optimal areas for additional protection found areas abutting protected areas in southern Bhutan offered high relative species richness protection. Our umbrella species analysis found muntjac, wild pig, serow, sambar and Asian golden cat are the most effective umbrella species for broader biodiversity protection. Our indicator species analysis found tiger, gaur, dhole, clouded leopard, Asian black bear and common leopard as effective indicator species. Conclusions This study highlights the need to protect optimally located species-rich areas outside the current protected areas. This kind of multi-species habitat assessment provides important information to optimize future conservation and development plans at national and regional scales.
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SIDLE, JOHN G., and DAVID B. BOWMAN. "Habitat Protection Under the Endangered Species Act." Conservation Biology 2, no. 1 (March 1988): 116–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.1988.tb00340.x.
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Shogren, Jason F., John Tschirhart, Terry Anderson, Amy Whritenour Ando, Steven R. Beissinger, David Brookshire, Gardner M. Brown, et al. "Why Economics Matters for Endangered Species Protection." Conservation Biology 13, no. 6 (December 1999): 1257–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.1999.98414.x.
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Honeck, Erica, Atte Moilanen, Benjamin Guinaudeau, Nicolas Wyler, Martin Schlaepfer, Pascal Martin, Arthur Sanguet, et al. "Implementing Green Infrastructure for the Spatial Planning of Peri-Urban Areas in Geneva, Switzerland." Sustainability 12, no. 4 (February 13, 2020): 1387. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12041387.
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The concept of green infrastructure (GI) seeks to identify and prioritize areas of high ecological value for wildlife and people, to improve the integration of natural values in landscape planning decisions. In 2018, the canton of Geneva, Switzerland, established a roadmap for biodiversity conservation, which includes the operationalization of GI covering 30% of the territory by 2030. In this paper, we demonstrate a GI mapping framework in the canton of Geneva. Our approach is based on the combined assessment of three ‘pillars’, namely species’ distribution, landscape structure and connectivity, and ecosystem services, to optimize the allocation of conservation actions using the spatial prioritization software, Zonation. The identified priority conservation areas closely overlap existing natural reserves. Including the three pillars in the landscape prioritization should also improve adhesion to the GI idea, without undermining the protection of threatened species. With regards to land use planning, public and private land parcels with high values for GI may require specific incentives to maintain their desirable characteristics, as they are more likely to be degraded than areas with more building restrictions. Visualizing priority conservation areas in a spatially explicit manner will support decision-makers in Geneva to optimally allocate limited resources for ecosystem preservation.
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Penman, Trent D., Frank L. Lemckert, and Michael J. Mahony. "Spatial ecology of the giant burrowing frog (Heleioporus australiacus): implications for conservation prescriptions." Australian Journal of Zoology 56, no. 3 (2008): 179. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo08077.
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Management of threatened anurans requires an understanding of a species’ behaviour and habitat requirements in both the breeding and non-breeding environments. The giant burrowing frog (Heleioporus australiacus) is a threatened species in south-eastern Australia. Little is known about its habitat requirements, creating difficulties in developing management strategies for the species. We radio-tracked 33 individual H. australiacus in order to determine their habitat use and behaviour. Data from 33 frogs followed for between 5 and 599 days show that individuals spend little time near (<15 m) their breeding sites (mean 4.7 days for males and 6.3 days for females annually). Most time is spent in distinct non-breeding activity areas 20–250 m from the breeding sites. Activity areas of females were further from the breeding site (mean 143 m) than those of males (mean 99 m), but were not significantly different in size (overall mean 500 m2; males 553 m2; females 307 m2). Within activity areas, each frog used 1–14 burrows repeatedly, which we term home burrows. Existing prescriptions are inappropriate for this species and we propose protection of key populations in the landscape as a more appropriate means of protecting this species.
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Costa, Cristiane, Victor Hugo F. Oliveira, Rafaella Maciel, Wallace Beiroz, Vanesca Korasaki, and Julio Louzada. "Variegated tropical landscapes conserve diverse dung beetle communities." PeerJ 5 (April 4, 2017): e3125. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3125.
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BackgroundConserving biodiversity in tropical landscapes is a major challenge to scientists and conservationists. Current rates of deforestation, fragmentation, and land use intensification are producing variegated landscapes with undetermined values for the conservation of biological communities and ecosystem functioning. Here, we investigate the importance of tropical variegated landscapes to biodiversity conservation, using dung beetle as focal taxa.MethodsThe study was carried out in 12 variegated landscapes where dung beetles were sampled using six pitfall traps, 30 m apart from each other, along a transect in each studied landscape use and cover classes—LUCC (forest fragment and corridor, coffee plantation, and pasture). We baited each pitfall trap with 30 g of human feces and left open for a 48 h period. We also measured three environmental variables reflecting structural differences among the studied classes: canopy cover, local vegetation heterogeneity and soil sand content.ResultsWe collected 52 species and 2,695 individuals of dung beetles. We observed significant differences in the mean species richness, abundance and biomass among classes, with forest fragments presenting the highest values, forest corridors and coffee plantations presenting intermediate values, and pastures the lowest values. Regarding community structure, we also found significant differences among classes. Canopy cover was the only variable explaining variation in dung beetle species richness, abundance, biomass, and community structure. The relative importance of spatial turnover was greater than nestedness-resultant component in all studied landscapes.DiscussionThis study evaluated the ecological patterns of dung beetle communities in variegated tropical landscapes highlighting the importance of these landscapes for conservation of tropical biodiversity. However, we encourage variegation for the management of landscapes that have already been fragmented or as a complementary initiative of current conservation practices (e.g., protection of natural habitats and establishment of reserves).
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Grbić, Gordana, Ambros Hänggi, and Slobodan Krnjajić. "Spiders (Araneae) of Subotica Sandland (Serbia): additional arguments in environmental protection." Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 67, no. 1 (February 22, 2021): 15–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.17109/azh.67.1.15.2021.
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Good environmental management needs evidence-based conservation measures, and those measures need both faunistical and ecological information. Following this path, for the first time in Serbia, a faunistical research of spiders at Subotica Sandland was organised in 2014 as a base for ecological arguments in landscape management of the area. The spiders were collected at ten different habitats on sandy soil, in the period from 27th April till 30th October by pitfall trapping and sweep netting. A total of 16304 adult and 7246 juvenile individuals were captured, and 225 species from 27 families were determined. Thirty species represent new records for Serbia. Diversity and species compositions provided an insight into the quality of the habitats and the influence of the conservation and development measures that were already applied. The main endangerment factors are outlined. Conclusions and suggestions according to the analysis of the spider fauna, are mostly in correlation with those made earlier based on other groups of organisms. Within the scope of nature protection, wet and sandy meadows are prioritised over the woods. For future monitoring, two flagship and umbrella species are suggested: Argiope lobata (Pallas, 1772) for the sandy area and Dolomedes plantarius (Clerck, 1757) for the wetlands.
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Peterson, Everett B., N. Merle Peterson, and Douglas F. W. Pollard. "Some principles and criteria to make Canada's protected area systems representative of the nation's forest diversity." Forestry Chronicle 71, no. 4 (August 1, 1995): 497–507. http://dx.doi.org/10.5558/tfc71497-4.
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The current network of protected areas in Canada, numbering almost 3000, owes much to initiatives taken under the International Biological Program (IBP-CT) beginning in the 1960's, and maintained by member agencies of the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA). Several criteria for the selection of areas were identified under IBP-CT. The first of these concerned representation of the diversity of the world's ecosystems. Recently, the need for protected areas has gained prominence at all levels of government. In its 1992 National Strategy, the forest sector committed itself to protecting the diversity of forest ecosystems in Canada.In this review we advocate that representativeness is more than a criterion by which areas are selected for protection: it is a fundamental principle. We examine how this principle can be applied and suggest that features of the landscape define the scale on which a comprehensive system of protected areas is built. Also discussed is the role for forest ecosystems that have been disturbed by human activity in such a system.Our main recommendation is that landscape should be accepted as the basic stratification by which representation is to be judged. On the assumption that species and species assemblages associated with landscapes are not in jeopardy, and that a representative range of the nation's landscapes will contain a representative range of Canada's biotic diversity, this article suggests that a comprehensive system of protected landscapes will, in large measure, represent the nation's diversity of animal and plant communities. Until it is clearly evident that timber management can accommodate the broad array of conservation needs, forest managers should consider designating areas for protection in which the integrity of ecosystem functions and dynamics can be assured for both managed and natural forest types under their control.
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Margelienė, Jolanta, and Aušra Budrienė. "The System of Lithuanian Protected Territories from Environment Conservation Point of View." Environment. Technology. Resources. Proceedings of the International Scientific and Practical Conference 1 (August 6, 2015): 46. http://dx.doi.org/10.17770/etr2013vol1.817.
Full textAbstract:
The article analyses the system of Lithuanian protected territories as well as their types form environment conservation point of view. The system of protected territories of LR includes the following types of areas: 6 state reserves, 1 biosphere reserve, 396 strict reserves, 5 national parks, 30 regional parks, 29 biosphere polygons and 3 recuperation plots. The system of protected territories, the order of establishment, management and the legal basics of protection of protected territories is determined by the law of protected areas of LR that was approved in 1993. The purpose of reserves is to preserve unique landscape complexes, their biota gene pool, to organize scientific research and observation, to promote natural and cultural values. The aims of the establishment of Lithuanian national and regional parks are not only to preserve naturally and culturally valuable landscape but also to support ethno cultural traditions of Lithuanian regions and to provide conditions for recreation. The purpose of strict reserves is to preserve the complexes of natural and cultural heritage or separate landscape elements, plant and animal species, to secure landscape diversity and ecological balance. Live and inanimate natural monuments are preserved naturally for scientific, cultural, educational and aesthetic needs. The purpose of biosphere polygons is to preserve bird species by assuring favorable conditions, to perform the monitoring of protected species, scientific research, etc. The aim of the recuperation plots is to restore natural resources. The system of Lithuanian legal acts allows applying such limitations that are necessary to preserve existing values in every protected territory.
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Scotts, David, Graham R. Fulton, and Michael Drielsma. "Developing landscape frameworks for regional conservation planning; an approach integrating fauna spatial distributions and ecological principles." Pacific Conservation Biology 8, no. 4 (2002): 235. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc030235.
Full textAbstract:
Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation are heavily implicated in the decline of biodiversity throughout the world. Numerous conservation programmes have emerged in the attempt to deal with these primary threats but they are often isolated and disparate, foregoing opportunities for integrated, cumulative approaches and benefits. This paper describes an approach that, through the integration of species' modelled distributions, and the application of landscape ecology principles, systematically considers the spatial requirements of priority forest fauna as surrogates for biodiversity across the landscape. With the aid of innovative Geographic Information System analysis tools, key habitats and corridors for priority faunal assemblages are delineated across north-east New South Wales. The mapped outputs from this study provide spatially complete, data-driven, systematically derived conservation frameworks for the region. The frameworks provide an explicit basis for regional protected area networks and a landscape context for regional conservation planning. As predicted high conservation value habitats, the mapped key habitats and corridors are also focus areas for the protection, enhancement and restoration of native vegetation. The Geographic Information System-referenced key habitats and corridors conservation frameworks have been adopted for conservation planning in north-east New South Wales, including "off-reserve" planning (e.g., government and community-based programmes at regional, catchment and local levels), and "on-reserve" planning (e.g., national park and nature reserve management planning). The approach is applicable to other regions, wherever Geographic Information System-based spatial mapping, describing habitat quality for fauna species, can be collated.
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Romanin, Louise M., Lynda D. Prior, and David J. M. S. Bowman. "The legacy of pasture improvement causes recruitment failure in grassy eucalypt woodland conservation reserves in the Midlands of Tasmania." Australian Journal of Botany 67, no. 7 (2019): 558. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt18222.
Full textAbstract:
Australia’s most fragmented and least reserved landscapes are the grassy eucalypt woodlands of the south-east. Two hundred years of agricultural disruption have transformed these landscapes, and agricultural enterprises continue to expand and develop, meaning the threats to these landscapes have not abated. The Tasmanian Midlands is primarily privately owned, with very little area devoted to conservation of biodiversity. In this landscape, conservation covenants have been enacted on many private properties with the intention of encouraging tree recruitment and conservation of threatened plant communities and rare species. Evidence of the effectiveness of these covenants in protecting overstorey tree population health is lacking. This study compared the demographic structures of overstorey Eucalyptus species and midstorey tree genera on public and private properties with contrasting land use histories. Reserves on private lands had little tree recruitment, probably because exotic pasture species were common, whereas tree recruitment was abundant in public reserves, where pasture improvement has not occurred. Active measures are needed to restore ecological structure and function in grassy woodland conservation reserves on private land by encouraging regeneration of Eucalyptus and Acacia species as well as returning the ground layer to a functionally native state. This will entail reinstating fire disturbance, reducing exotic pasture species cover and managing domesticated, feral and native herbivores.
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Vashchyshyn, Mariya. "Carpathian Ecological Network: International Legal Basis and Ukrainian Experience." Journal of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University 5, no. 2 (August 23, 2018): 170–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.15330/jpnu.5.2.170-177.
Full textAbstract:
The article analyzes the importance of the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians of 2003 (Carpathian Convention). Carpathian Convention created favourable conditions for the conservation of landscapes and biological diversity of mountain ecosystems of the Carpathian region. Carpathian Convention is a framework instrument, in other words, it determines the general principles concerning the solution of environmental, social and economic problems of the region. The Protocol on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological and Landscape Diversity to the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians has been analyzed. The advantages of international cooperation of the countries of the Carpathian region in achieving a common comprehensive result – conservation of biodiversity and improvement of social and economic level of the region and its inhabitants on the grounds of sustainable development have been defined. Carpathian Convention coordinates the economic needs with the social and environmental protection, promotes the conservation of the unique and authentic cultural and natural heritage of the Carpathian ecoregion for present and future generations. Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians provides the creation of the Carpathian ecological network as a type of ecological networks at the sub-regional level, which is a part of the Pan-European ecological network. Ukraine consistently follows the bilateral and multilateral agreements, concluded with neighboring countries, concerning the protection of the environment and is involved in the creation of cross-border elements of the national ecological network. The peculiarities of the Carpathian network of protected areas have been considered. The Carpathian network of protected areas is a special form of international cooperation in environmental protection, which consists in determining by the Conference of the Parties to the Carpathian Convention the list of protected areas and in approving of regulations about them. The Conference of the Parties to the Carpathian Convention encourages the administrations of these protected areas to participate actively in international cooperation and exchange of experience in the field of the conservation of the unique biological and landscape diversity, and to reduce the negative impact on the environment of the region of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The author proves that the Carpathian Convention, except the traditional approaches concerning the protection of separate areas and species, recognizes the necessity of a broader approach to the conservation of nature. Parties to the Carpathian Convention are obliged to improve the conservation and sustainable management on the areas that are outside of protected areas, with the help of the ecosystem approach. Such an ecosystem approach to the sustainable management is applied to the spatial planning, integrated water management, agriculture, forestry, transport, infrastructure, industry, energy, tourism and cultural heritage conservation. Herewith, the interests of environmental protection shall be taken into account during the development and implementation of the economic and social policies