The spatial scale of conservation necessary to avoid species extinctions is one of the most vigorous debates in conservation biology. One approach holds that protecting sites should be the primary level for action on the ground, the other that conservation action targeting broader seascapes and landscapes is more important. We address this debate systematically by assessing the appropriate spatial scales of conservation for all 4,239 threatened mammals, birds, tortoises and turtles, and amphibians. We find that, in the short- to medium term, 20% of these species are dependent on conservation at single sites, 62% on multiple sites, 18% on both sites and sea- or landscape-scale efforts, and <1% on broad-scale actions alone (where sites are variably sized units that are actually or could potentially be managed for conservation, and "broad scale" refers to sea- or landscape-scale and is determined by the needs of the species in question). Calls for broad-scale conservation action have generally focused on terrestrial birds and mammals, and we confirm that a fifth and a tenth of these, respectively, require conservation action at the landscape scale. However, we also find that two-fifths of threatened freshwater turtles and one-fifth of threatened amphibians depend on broad-scale conservation action to address changes in freshwater processes. Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of threatened marine mammals, birds, and turtles require urgent conservation action at the seascape scale. Our key conclusion is that neither site-scale nor broad-scale approaches alone can prevent mass extinction. Although site protection should remain the cornerstone for almost all threatened species, we demonstrate that a substantial proportion and unexpected diversity of threatened species will be lost in the absence of urgent conservation interventions at the sea- or landscape scale.
Tag: conservation
A revealed preference approach to estimating supply curves for ecosystem services: use of auctions to set payments for soil erosion control in Indonesia
To supply ecosystem services, private landholders incur costs. Knowledge of these costs is critical for the design of conservation-payment programs. Estimating these costs accurately is difficult because the minimum acceptable payment to a potential supplier is private information. We describe how an auction of payment contracts can be designed to elicit this information during the design phase of a conservation-payment program. With an estimate of the ecosystem-service supply curve from a pilot auction, conservation planners can explore the financial, ecological, and socioeconomic consequences of alternative scaled-up programs. We demonstrate the potential of our approach in Indonesia, where soil erosion on coffee farms generates downstream ecological and economic costs. Bid data from a small-scale, uniform-price auction for soil-conservation contracts allowed estimates of the costs of a scaled-up program, the gain from integrating biophysical and economic data to target contracts, and the trade-offs between poverty alleviation and supply of ecosystem services. Our study illustrates an auction-based approach to revealing private information about the costs of supplying ecosystem services. Such information can improve the design of programs devised to protect and enhance ecosystem services.
Warfare in biodiversity hotspots
Conservation efforts are only as sustainable as the social and political context within which they take place. The weakening or collapse of sociopolitical frameworks during wartime can lead to habitat destruction and the erosion of conservation policies, but in some cases, may also confer ecological benefits through altered settlement patterns and reduced resource exploitation. Over 90% of the major armed conflicts between 1950 and 2000 occurred within countries containing biodiversity hotspots, and more than 80% took place directly within hotspot areas. Less than one-third of the 34 recognized hotspots escaped significant conflict during this period, and most suffered repeated episodes of violence. This pattern was remarkably consistent over these 5 decades. Evidence from the war-torn Eastern Afromontane hotspot suggests that biodiversity conservation is improved when international nongovernmental organizations support local protected area staff and remain engaged throughout the conflict. With biodiversity hotspots concentrated in politically volatile regions, the conservation community must maintain continuous involvement during periods of war, and biodiversity conservation should be incorporated into military, reconstruction, and humanitarian programs in the world’s conflict zones.
Origins and genetic conservation of tropical trees in agroforestry systems: a case study from the Peruvian Amazon
Hundreds of native tree species are currently found in extensive agroforestry ecosystems in the Peruvian Amazon, forming an important reservoir of biodiversity. To further promote conservation, farmers are encouraged to supplement intra-specific genetic diversity in these populations with seed collected from local forests. For some tree species, however, this approach may be inappropriate, as stands of these taxa already found on-farm may not be of local origin. Despite this issue being of importance for conservation, little information is available on the history of cultivated trees in the region, a situation that we here rectify for the important fruit tree Inga edulis. Based on nuclear SSR and chloroplast DHPLC analyses of closely geographically matched natural and planted stands at five sites, it appears that cultivated material of I. edulis is primarily of non-local origin, indicating that conservation based on new wide-scale infusions from local wild stands into farms may be inappropriate in the region. Although nuclear and chloroplast diversity were both lower in planted stands, values were still relatively high (~80 and 70% of natural stands, respectively), indicating that when farmers plant trees, good collection practice of seed from already cultivated I. edulis should be an effective means for ensuring long-term conservation on farms.
ANNEX VI Interim narrative report Tana Kipini Laga Badana Bush-Bush land and seascapes (4th November 2015 – 4th November 2016)
ANNEX VI Interim narrative report Tana Kipini Laga Badana Bush-Bush land and seascapes (4th November 2014 – 4th November 2015)
ANNEX VI Interim narrative report Tana Kipini Laga Badana Bush-Bush land and seascapes (8 th November 2013 – 7 th November 2014)
Conserving Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems in the Tana – Kipini (Kenya) and Laga Badana (Somalia) landscape. An Inception Workshop Report
The objective of the inception meeting was therefore to share knowledge, review and fine tune the project strategy to meet the specific project objective viz; ‘Conservation and sustainable management of ecosystems in the Tana-Kipini-Laga Badana Bush Land and Seascape in order to contribute to lasting goods and services.
Land Use Planning, Cross Border Stakeholder Dialogue Platform and Trans Boundary Steering Committee. Meetings Report
This report describes a series of meetings which were organized by World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). The first meeting on Land Use Planning (LUP) was aimed at gathering key national, project site level stakeholders on LUP and network on current initiatives on LUP to ensure that biodiversity conservation is mainstreamed to the Lamu spatial plan. The second meeting was on Cross Border Steering Dialogue Platform (CBSDP) aimed at fostering dialogue on cross border biodiversity management and conservation issues between Somali and Kenyan stakeholders in the BMP cross border pilot area and the third meeting on Trans Boundary Steering Committee was organized to establish a committee to monitor progress in the pilot areas.
LUWES: Land use planning for Low Emission Development Strategy. Selected Cases from Indonesia
Land Use Planning for Low Emission Development Strategy (LUWES) is a platform for developing a multiple stakeholder decision-making process to establish land use plans for sustainable development, which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from land-based activity while simultaneously maintaining economic growth. It can simulate emissions reduction scenarios within specific zones of a landscape, or across an entire landscape, in order to produce ex ante emissions reduction and opportunity cost forecasts. It also recognizes the impact of land use allocation policies and distribution on tenure and livelihood. LUWES can accommodate the integration process between multiple modalities of land-based emission reductions (such as REDD+; Locally Appropriate Mitigation Action (LAMA); and the voluntary carbon market) at the planning stage across a common landscape.