Just as quantitative criteria associated with the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species provide a benchmark of relative species extinction risk, criteria that identify ‘key biodiversity areas’ (KBAs, Eken et al., 2004) allow consistent recognition of sites with global significance for biodiversity conservation. Clearly, with habitat change ranking as the major threat worldwide (Baillie et al., 2004), site conservation approaches are urgently needed to stem the current extinction crisis (Boyd et al., 2008). This is articulated in the recently agreed 2020 strategic plan for the Conservation of Biological Diversity (http://www.cbd.int/decision/cop/id=12268), which sets explicit targets to stop extinction (Target #12) and to protect sites of particular significance for biodiversity (Target #11). Global recognition of sites of high biodiversity value assists managers when planning protected area networks, increases local ownership of and pride in natural heritage, and allows conservation and intergovernmental organizations to direct funding and focus activities at sites where needed most. The identification of KBAs and related critical areas for conservation has accelerated greatly in recent years through initiatives from civil society [e.g. the Alliance for Zero Extinction (http://www.zeroextinction.org)], international collaborations [e.g. the Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative (http://openoceansdeepseas.org)] and the private sector [e.g. the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (https://www.ibatforbusiness.org)].The complex task of developing appropriate KBA criteria requires many tradeoffs (Bennun et al., 2007; Knight et al., 2007). First, a scale mismatch exists between the need to develop criteria through topdown decisions in order to allow repeatable assessment of patterns worldwide, and the bottomup need for criteria to be accepted and applied by local stakeholders who are responsible for onground actions. Second, criteria appropriate for one taxon may not be as appropriate for others, particularly if lifehistory traits are quite different. Third, quantitative thresholds associated with KBA criteria need to be established such that sites with real importance for global biodiversity conservation are not overlooked but at the same time the number of sites identified is not so excessive that the KBA currency devalues. The challenge of balancing these requirements has been mandated to a taskforce on ‘biodiversity and protected areas’, convened jointly by the IUCN Species Survival Commission and World Commission on Protected Areas (http://www.iucn.org/biodiversity_and_protected_areas_taskforce).
Tag: biodiversity conservation
China shakes the world – and then what?
As conservation biologists from around the globe travel to Beijing for the 2009 annual meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, they bring with them basic knowledge about biodiversity and environmental issues in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). China is a megadiversity country, harboring about 12% of the flowering plants, 10% of mammals, and 14% of birds living on Earth. The PRC is one of the few countries that contain two global biodiversity hotspots; many species in these hotspots and throughout the country are Chinese endemics. China is also the homeland for rice and soybeans, agricultural staples on which billions of humans depend. Since 1956 the central government has acted on behalf of China’s natural ecosystems, designating over 2500 protected areas across 15% of the country’s land. In comparison with the United States, China has reserved more lands in considerably less time.
Facing the challenge of biodiversity conservation and climate change in Southeast Asia
One of the biggest meetings in Southeast Asia for managers, scientists and policymakers in biodiversity – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Conference on Biodiversity – was held in Singapore from 21 to 23 October 2009. The main sponsors of the event were the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and the National Parks Board of Singapore. The Southeast Asian region has one of the richest biodiversity resources in the world. Although it occupies just 3 per cent of the world’s total surface, 20 per cent of the all know species live in its mountains, jungles, rivers, lakes and seas. For example, its tropical forests harbor 10 per cent of the world’s floral diversity (Gitay et al., 2002). Three of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries are in the region, namely Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Southeast Asia also has seven of the world’s 25 recognised biodiversity hotspots – areas that are known to be biologically rich areas but are under great threat of destruction. Biodiversity resources provide crucial goods and services for the people of the region and the world.
Hot moments for biodiversity conservation
Biodiversity conservation requires prioritization to be effective. Biodiversity hotspots and conservation planning identify where to focus conservation efforts, but it is unclear when conservation is most successful. Our goals were to: (a) investigate if hot moments for conservation occur, (b) calculate how important and prevalent they are, and (c) discuss what may catalyze hot moments for conservation. We analyzed the worldwide network of protected areas since inception, analyzing both all countries, and those 35 countries that contained at least 1% of either the total count or the total area protected globally. The evidence for hot moments for conservation was very strong. Among all countries, 44% protected more than half of their protected area in 1 year, and 61% did so in one 5year period. The 35 countries that contain most of the protected area globally (77%) protected 23% and 49%, respectively, within 1 or 5 years. Hot moments often coincided with societal upheaval such as the collapse of the USSR or the end of colonialism. Conservationists need to account for hot moments for conservation to be most effective.
A Case Study on Interventions to enhance biodiversity conservation
In its third year of implementation, the IGAD BMP project implemented by ICRAF in KenyaSomalia cross border area has recorded significant progress towards promoting alternative livelihoods for biodiversity conservation.
Coverage provided by the global protected-area system: is it enough?
Protected-area targets of 10% of a biome, of a country, or of the planet have often been used in conservation planning. The new World Database on Protected Areas shows that terrestrial protected-area coverage now approaches 12% worldwide. Does this mean that the establishment of new protected areas can cease This was the core question of the “Building Comprehensive Protected Area Systems” stream of the Fifth World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa, in 2003. To answer it requires global gap analysis, the subject of the special section of BioScience for which this article serves as an introduction. We also provide an overview of the extraordinary data sets now available to allow global gap analysis and, based on these, an assessment of the degree to which existing protected-area systems represent biodiversity. Coverage varies geographically, but is less than 2% for some bioregions, and more than 12% of 11,633 bird, mammal, amphibian, and turtle species are wholly unrepresented. The global protected-area systems are far from complete.
Same but Different: Intersexual and Age-Related Habitat Use of the Threatened West African Trionyx triunguis Clade—A Four-Country Comparative Study
Biological communities are structured by a variety of biotic and abiotic relationships, whose understanding forms the basis for effective conservation. Among the myriad factors influencing community dynamics, resource partitioning stands out, potentially enriching ecosystem complexity but also carrying risks for conservation if disregarded. In this study, we investigated intersexual and ontogenetic niche differences among populations of the West African softshell turtle Trionyx triunguis in Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. We observed that these distinct populations exhibited similar habitat preferences, favouring large rivers with abundant riverbank and aquatic vegetation, and muddy substrates. Disparities in habitat preferences were evident among populations and across various life stages, indicating the adaptability of the species. We found that the species was active throughout the year, but most of our sightings and captures occurred during the wet season. In light of the species’ vulnerability to overhunting, our research findings provide important data on the ecology of this species that can assist in its effective conservation across all life stages.
Living With Hyraxes: Biogeography and Comparative Ecology of West African Fornasinius Beetles
Among the flower beetles (Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae), the Goliathini comprise several genera of medium- and large-sized beetles widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. In this tribe, the genus Fornasinius Bertoloni, 1853, includes two species found in West Africa: F. higginsi (Westwood) and F. klingbeili Zöller, Fiebig,and Schulze. In this study, we present new data on the comparative ecology and biogeography of these two species, including sex ratio, population structure by size, monthly activity patterns and habitat features at two different spatial scales. These observations were conducted, mostly opportunistically, over a 20-year period in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo. Both species exhibited similar overall population structure and morphometrics. They were characterised by a male-skewed adult sex ratio (with possible bias), male-larger sexual size dimorphism and consistent population structure by size; the two species are seemingly parapatric (with the potential contact zone being separated in eastern Ghana by the Volta River and Volta Lake). Both are primarily found in the vicinity of trees that contained middens of hyraxes, such as Dendrohyrax dorsalis (F. higginsi), Dendrohyrax interfluvialis (F. klingbeili) and Procavia capensis (F. klingbeili). F. higginsi has been primarily observed in forest habitat, while F. klingbeili was found in both forests and Guinea savannahs. Occurrence sites of F. higginsi were predominantly characterised by higher tree cover, less bare areas and built-up zones. Although these beetles may be locally abundant within hyrax middens, they typically occur in only a relatively small number of sites within their preferred habitat. Monthly activity patterns differed between the two species. Although adults of both species were observed throughout the year, sightings of F. higginsi were more common during the wet season, whereas F. klingbeili sightings were more frequent in the dry season. The observed differences in monthly activity patterns between these ecologically and morphologically similar species may help to minimise interspecific competition in potential—yet unknown—sites of syntopy. Although some Fornasinius populations might be locally threatened by deforestation or overhunting of hyraxes, the careful management of hyrax populations should adequately ensure the conservation of these two beetle species.
Restoring Forests and Trees for Sustainable Development: Policies, Practices, Impacts, and Ways Forward
This book takes a multidisciplinary perspective to analyze and discuss the various opportunities and challenges of restoring tree and forest cover to address regional and global environmental challenges that threaten human well-being and compromise sustainable development. It examines forest restoration commitments, policies and programs, and their planning and implementation at different scales and contexts, and how forest restoration helps to mitigate environmental, societal, and cultural challenges. The chapters explore the concept of forest restoration, how it can restitute forest ecosystem services, contribute to biodiversity conservation, and generate benefits and synergies, while recognizing the considerable costs, trade-offs, and variable feasibility of its implementation. The chapters review historic and contemporary forest restoration practice and governance, variations in approaches and implementation across the globe, and relevant technological advances. Using the insights from the ten topic-focused chapters, the book reflects on the possibility of sustainable and just approaches to meet the challenges that lie ahead to achieve ambitious international forest restoration targets and commitments.
Introduction: Restoring forests and trees for sustainable development
The introductory chapter presents the aims of the book and situates forest restoration within the discourse on sustainable development. It presents the global and regional restoration goals, agreements, and commitments, and discusses different understandings and modalities of forest restoration. It discusses the linkages between forest restoration and ecosystem services and considers forest restoration and its potential in the context of deforestation and forest degradation. It emphasizes the crucial importance of the socioecological and political contexts where restoration is implemented in shaping restoration goals, policies, and approaches and the related outcomes. The chapter positions the various chapters of the book within the discussions on forest restoration including potential social and ecological benefits, synergies, and trade-offs.