Integrating agricultural expansion into conservation biogeography: conflicts and priorities

Ricardo Dobrovolski

doi:10.21425/f5fbg19439

Abstract

Increasing food production without compromising biodiversity is one of the great challenges for humanity. The aims of my thesis were to define spatial priorities for biodiversity conservation and to evaluate conservation conflicts considering agricultural expansion in the 21st century. I also tested the effect of globalizing conservation efforts on both food production and biodiversity conservation. I found spatial conflicts between biodiversity conservation and agricultural expansion. However, incorporating agricultural expansion data into the spatial prioritization process can significantly alleviate conservation conflicts, by reducing spatial correlation between the areas under high impact of agriculture and the priority areas for conservation. Moreover, developing conservation blueprints at the global scale, instead of the usual approach based on national boundaries, can benefit both food production and biodiversity. Based on these findings I conclude that the incorporation of agricultural expansion as a key component for defining global conservation strategies should be added to the list of solutions for our cultivated planet.

Highlights

Both biodiversity and the human activities that threaten it are unevenly distributed around the globe. Evaluating whether they are spatially congruent and choosing the best areas for conservation actions given the distribution of these conflicts are central problems in conservation biogeography (Ladle and Whittaker 2011)
The percentage of protected areas affected is predicted to increase from 11% to 30%, with no difference between integral protection protected areas (IPPA) and sustainable use protected areas (SUPA) (Dobrovolski et al 2011b)
Conservation actions in the different areas of the world should be planned according to the expected agricultural expansion in the 21st century

Summary

Introduction

Both biodiversity and the human activities that threaten it are unevenly distributed around the globe Evaluating whether they are spatially congruent (i.e., whether there are conservation conflicts sensu Balmford et al 2001) and choosing the best areas for conservation actions given the distribution of these conflicts (i.e., developing spatial prioritization analysis sensu Moilanen et al 2009) are central problems in conservation biogeography (Ladle and Whittaker 2011). Spatial prioritization seeks to identify the areas that are likely to yield the best benefits for biodiversity given a particular conservation investment. It may be applied at a variety of scales, including global (Ceballos et al 2005), regional (Moilanen et al 2013), national (Kremen et al 2008) and sub-national (Faleiro et al 2012) levels. Prioritization analyses can include socioeconomic variables that represent threats to biodiversity or opportunities for conservation, such as human population density, land cost and land use (e.g., Faleiro et al 2013)

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Conclusion