Effective Conservation Actions Research Articles

Compensatory conservation measures for an endangered caribou population under climate change

Future human land use and climate change may disrupt movement behaviors of terrestrial animals, thereby altering the ability of individuals to move across a landscape. Some of the expected changes result from processes whose effects will be difficult to alter, such as global climate change. We present a novel framework in which we use models to (1) identify the ecological changes from these difficult-to-alter processes, as well as (2) the potential conservation measures that are best able to compensate for these changes. We illustrated this framework with the case of an endangered caribou population in Québec, Canada. We coupled a spatially explicit individual-based movement model with a range of landscape scenarios to assess the impacts of varying degrees of climate change, and the ability of conservation actions to compensate for such impacts on caribou movement behaviors. We found that (1) climate change impacts reduced movement potential, and that (2) the complete restoration of secondary roads inside protected areas was able to fully offset this reduction, suggesting that road restoration would be an effective compensatory conservation action. By evaluating conservation actions via landscape use simulated by an individual-based model, we were able to identify compensatory conservation options for an endangered species facing climate change.

Sustentabilidad en el área turística Estero San José del Cabo, México

La Reserva Ecológica Estatal Estero de San José del Cabo (REEESJC) es un área natural protegida (ANP) en el municipio de Los Cabos, un destino turístico importante de México. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar la percepción y opinión de las autoridades que administran el área, así como los grupos de interés (Líderes comunitarios y empresarios) sobre la sustentabilidad del ANP. Durante 2016 se aplicó una encuesta con variables cualitativas y cuantitativas. Los encuestados perciben como principal problema la falta de conocimiento del plan de manejo, por parte de los actores locales. Opinan que las estrategias prioritarias de manejo deben ser la conservación y vigilancia. Las autoridades y grupos de interés que se encargan de la planeación de las actividades turísticas en el área de estudio muestran un desconocimiento sistemático de información que les permitiría proponer acciones de conservación eficaces frente al reto de la sustentabilidad del ANP.

Correcting common misconceptions to inspire conservation action in urban environments.

Despite repeated calls to action, proposals for urban conservation are often met with surprise or scepticism. There remains a pervasive narrative in policy, practice, and the public psyche that urban environments, although useful for engaging people with nature or providing ecosystem services, are of little conservation value. We argue that the tendency to overlook the conservation value of urban environments stems from misconceptions about the ability of native species to persist within cities and towns and that this, in turn, hinders effective conservation action. However, recent scientific evidence shows that these assumptions do not always hold. Although it is generally true that increasing the size, quality, and connectivity of habitat patches will improve the probability that a species can persist, the inverse is not that small, degraded, or fragmented habitats found in urban environments are worthless. In light of these findings we propose updated messages that guide and inspire researchers, practitioners, and decision makers to undertake conservation action in urban environments: consider small spaces, recognize unconventional habitats, test creative solutions, and use science to minimize the impacts of future urban development.

Over-winter ecology and relative density of Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis in Colombia: the basis for defining conservation priorities for a sharply declining long-distance migrant

SummaryThe Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis is a steeply declining Neotropical migratory bird and > 50% of its non-breeding range is within the Colombian Andes. Despite being an abundant migrant in Andean forests, the species’ elevational distribution and non-breeding ecology have yet to be studied, thereby precluding the design of effective conservation actions. During four non-breeding periods (2012–2016), we surveyed Colombia’s three Andean ranges, carrying out passive 5-minute point counts between 700 and 3,150 m asl in five habitats (mature forest, secondary growth, forest edges/riparian forest, shade coffee, sun coffee), recording the perpendicular distance, sex, foraging height, and association with mixed species flocks of Canada Warbler. Habitat variables were recorded at each point. Based on 819 passive point counts, Canada Warblers occupied elevations between 750 and 2,300 m, being more abundant between 1,000 and 2,200 m. Relative densities were higher in mature forest compared to shade coffee and secondary forest, and accordingly abundance increased with canopy height. There was no evidence for a difference in elevation or habitat use by males and females. Within forests, birds foraged at mid-levels, 5–15 m above the ground, and the probability of Canada Warblers occurring in mixed species flocks increased with elevation. Models of variation in relative density throughout the Eastern Andes showed a positive relation with cloud cover and above-ground forest biomass, implying a preference for humid, forested regions. Of the areas in the Eastern Andes with high predicted relative density, ∼ 14% overlapped with protected areas and we identify priority areas where protective measures could benefit the conservation status of the species. For maximum effectiveness, conservation actions should focus on protecting forest fragments and initiating reforestation projects at mid-elevations (1,000–2,200 m), as well as supporting agroforestry practices in humid regions of the Colombian Andes.

Crowdfunding biodiversity conservation.

Raising funds is critical for conserving biodiversity and hence so is scrutinizing emerging financial mechanisms that may help achieve this goal. Anecdotal evidence indicates crowdfunding is being used to support activities needed for biodiversity conservation, yet its magnitude and allocation remain largely unknown. To help address this knowledge gap, we conducted a global analysis based on conservation-focused projects extracted from crowdfunding platforms. For each project, we determined the funds raised, date, country of implementation, proponent characteristics, activity type, biodiversity realm, and target taxa. We identified 72 relevant platforms and 577 conservation-focused projects that raised $4,790,634 since 2009. Although proponents were based in 38 countries, projects were delivered across 80 countries, indicating a potential mechanism of resource mobilization. Proponents were affiliated with nongovernmental organizations (35%) or universities (30%) or were freelancers (26%). Most projects were for research (40%), persuasion (31%), and on-the-ground actions (21%). Projects were more focused on species (57.7%) and terrestrial ecosystems (20.3%), and less focused on marine (8.8%) and freshwater ecosystems (3.6%). Projects focused on 208 species, including a disproportionate number of threatened birds and mammals. Crowdfunding for biodiversity conservation is a global phenomenon and there is potential for expansion, despite possible pitfalls (e.g., uncertainty about effectiveness). Opportunities to advance conservation through crowdfunding arise from its capacity to mobilize funds spatially and increase steadily over time, inclusion of overlooked species, adoption by multiple actors, and funding of activities beyond research. Our findings pave the way for further research on key questions, such as campaign success rates, effectiveness of conservation actions, and drivers of crowdfunding adoption. Even though crowdfunding capital raised has been modest relative to other conservation-finance mechanisms, its contribution goes beyond funding research and providing capital. Embraced with due care, crowdfunding could become an important financial mechanism for biodiversity conservation.

How survival curves affect populations' vulnerability to climate change.

Human activities are exposing organisms not only to direct threats (e.g. habitat loss) but also to indirect environmental pressures such as climate change, which involves not just directional global warming but also increasing climatic variability. Such changes will impact whole communities of organisms and the possible effects on population dynamics have raised concerns about increased extinction rates. Conservation-minded approaches to extinction risk vary from range shifts predicted by climate envelope models with no population dynamics to population viability analyses that ignore environmental variability altogether. Our modelling study shows that these extremes are modelling responses to a spectrum of environmental sensitivity that organisms may exhibit. We show how the survival curve plays a major role in how environmental variability leads to population fluctuations. While it is often supposed that low-fecundity organisms (those with high parental investment) will be the most vulnerable to climate change, it is those with high fecundity (low parental investment) that are likely to be more sensitive to such changes. We also find that abundance variations in high fecundity populations is driven primarily by fluctuations in the survival of early life stages, the more so if those environmental changes are autocorrelated in time. We show which types of conservation actions are most appropriate for a number of real populations. While the most effective conservation actions for organisms of low fecundity is to avoid killing them, for populations with high fecundity (and low parental investment), our study suggests conservation should focus more on protecting early life stages from hostile environments.

The Conservation Status of Two Endangered Mariana Butterflies, Hypolimnas octocula marianensis and Vagrans egistina (Nymphalidae)

The Mariana eight-spot butterfly (Hypolimnas octocula marianensis) and the Mariana wandering butterfly (Vagrans egistina) are endemic to the Mariana Islands and both have recently been listed as federally protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. We conducted both targeted surveys and grid transect searches on Guam and targeted surveys across the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota to locate native hostplants, eggs, caterpillars and adults of these rare insects. Despite having a relatively common hostplant, V. egistina was not found during this study, even in places it had last been found. Although various life stages of H. o. marianensis were documented, the hostplants of this species were heavily impacted by grazing of introduced ungulates; only in native limestone forest with jagged tower karst topography, did hostplants persist, and the butterfly with them. The reasons for the disappearance of V. egistina are not clear, but do not appear to be related to hostplant availability. Our surveys suggest that control of invasive ungulates on Guam will be the single most effective conservation action for Mariana eight-spot recovery, and is essential to any chance of long-term persistence for the species there. H. o. marianensis has significant, unoccupied, hostplant patches on the three northern islands (Rota, Tinian, and Saipan) which might be considered as sites for future translocation and reintroduction efforts, in order to reduce the risk of extinction.

Plastid phylogenomic study of grape species and its implications for evolutionary study and conservation of Vitis

Because of rapid diversification and frequent interspecific gene flow within the genus and inappropriate molecular markers used for phylogenetic studies, phylogeny and evolution of the economically significant crop genus Vitis are poorly resolved and understood, and species delimitation of Vitis remain disputable. In order to better understand of relationships within Vitis, phylogenomic analysis of chloroplast genomes were performed based on extensive sampling scheme. Well resolved phylogenetic tree and clear divergence pattern of Vitis were obtained in the present study. The results shows that subg. Vitis was constituted by three strongly supported monophyletic clades whose species are distributed in North America, Europe and Asia, respectively. Nine molecular markers are provided as potential markers for DNA barcoding and phylogenetic study of Vitis. Furthermore, taxonomic position of the critically endangered species endemic to Northern China, V. baihuashanensis, is investigated and suggested to be a separate species based on phylogenomic analysis and morphological comparisons, and effective conservation actions is badly needed. Molecular resources reported in this study could also be used for genetic engineering studies of Vitis, and will potentially promote genomic exploration of crop wild relatives and conservation of the germplasm.

Management priorities for exotic plants in an urban Atlantic Forest reserve

ABSTRACT Biological diversity is directly affected by alien species, even though the diagnosed impacts vary with scale. Early identification of the invasion of natural patches is essential for effective conservation actions. We aimed to determine the exotic plant species present inside Fontes do Ipiranga State Park (PEFI), an urban protected area located in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and their relative proportions of occurrence in the native forest. Our goal was to use these data to assess their invasion status according to specific literature and to define management priorities for them. Therefore, we surveyed the presence of exotic plants within the canopy layer and understory of three native forest areas with different levels of disturbance. We found ten exotic plant species. The species found in both strata (60 %) were considered non-dominant ruderal. We assessed the density:coverage ratio to try to distinguish groups of priority, and found Livistona chinensis, Archontophoenix cunninghamiana, and Syzygium jambos to be classified as high priority for management. The early stage of the invasion process at PEFI indicates it is an area of high conservation value, and so we provide recommendations for management priorities prior to severe changes in the composition of the natural plant community.

Basin-scale distribution of harbour porpoises in the Baltic Sea provides basis for effective conservation actions

Knowledge on spatial and seasonal distribution of species is crucial when designing protected areas and implementing management actions. The Baltic Proper harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) population is critically endangered, and its distribution is virtually unknown. Here, we used passive acoustic monitoring and species distribution models to describe the spatial and seasonal distribution of harbour porpoises in the Baltic Proper. Porpoise click detectors were deployed over a systematic grid of 297 stations in eight countries from April 2011 through July 2013. Generalized additive models were used to describe the monthly probability of detecting porpoise clicks as a function of spatially-referenced covariates and time. During the reproductive season, two main areas of high probability of porpoise detection were identified. One of those areas, situated on and around the offshore banks in the Baltic Proper, is clearly separated from the known distribution range of the Belt Sea population during breeding season, suggesting this is an important breeding ground for the Baltic Proper population. We commend the designation of this area as a marine protected area and recommend Baltic Sea countries to also protect areas in the southern Baltic Sea and the Hanö Bight where additional important harbour porpoise habitats were identified. Further conservation measures should be carried out based on analyses of overlap between harbour porpoise distribution and potentially harmful anthropogenic activities. Our study shows that large-scale systematic monitoring using novel techniques can give important insights on the distribution of low-density populations, and that international cooperation is pivotal when studying transnationally migratory species.

Environmental governance: A practical framework to guide design, evaluation, and analysis

AbstractGovernance is one of the most important factors for ensuring effective environmental management and conservation actions. Yet, there is still a relative paucity of comprehensive and practicable guidance that can be used to frame the evaluation, design, and analysis of systems of environmental governance. This conceptual review and synthesis article seeks to addresses this problem through resituating the broad body of governance literature into a practical framework for environmental governance. Our framework builds on a rich history of governance scholarship to propose that environmental governance has four general aims or objectives – to be effective, to be equitable, to be responsive, and to be robust. Each of these four objectives need to be considered simultaneously across the institutional, structural, and procedural elements of environmental governance. Through a review of the literature, we developed a set of attributes for each of these objectives and relate these to the overall capacity, functioning, and performance of environmental governance. Our aim is to provide a practical and adaptable framework that can be applied to the design, evaluation, and analysis of environmental governance in different social and political contexts, to diverse environmental problems and modes of governance, and at a range of scales.

Tracking Global Population Trends: Population Time-Series Data and a Living Planet Index for Reptiles

Abstract Effective conservation action relies on access to the best-available species data. Reptiles have often been overlooked in conservation prioritization, especially because of a paucity of population data. Using data for 549 reptile populations representing 194 species from the Living Planet database, we provide the first detailed analysis of this database for a specific taxonomic group. We estimated an average global decline in reptile populations of 54–55% between 1970 and 2012. Disaggregated indices at taxonomic, system, and biogeographical levels showed trends of decline, often with wide confidence intervals because of a prevalence of short time series. We assessed gaps in our reptile time-series data and examined what types of publication they primarily originated from to provide an overview of the range of data sources captured in the Living Planet database. Data were biased toward crocodilians and chelonians, with only 1% and 2% of known lizard and snake species represented, respectively. Pop...

Using genetic markers to unravel the origin of birds converging towards pre-migratory sites

Identifying patterns of individual movements in spatial and temporal scales can provide valuable insight into the structure of populations and the dynamics of communities and ecosystems. Especially for migrating birds, that can face a variety of unfavorable conditions along their journey, resolving movements of individuals across their annual cycle is necessary in order to design better targeted conservation strategies. Here, we studied the movements of a small migratory falcon, the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni), by genetically assigning feathers from individuals of unknown origin that concentrate in large roosts during the pre-migratory period. Our findings suggest that birds from multiple breeding populations in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean region move towards two pre-migratory sites in the Balkans, some of them detouring greatly from their expected flyways, travelling more than 500 km to reach these sites and prepare for the post-nuptial migration. By identifying the origin of individuals using the pre-migratory sites, not only we provide a better understanding of the possible impact of local threats at these sites on multiple breeding populations but also inform the design of effective conservation actions for the species.

Vulnerabilidad de las especies de Dytiscidae (Coleoptera) en Cuba

Vulnerability of Dytiscidae species (Coleoptera) in Cuba. Cuba has one of the richest diving beetles species diversity in the Caribbean islands. However, Cuban Dytiscidae remain scarcely studied, and there is need to identify those species and habitats that urgently require effective conservation actions. Here we aim to identify the threatened taxa of the family Dytiscidae in Cuba according to their degree of vulnerability. For that, we compiled distributional data on the Cuban fauna, including data from literature, collections and own samplings carried out between the period 2000 and 2014. In addition, the vulnerability of the species was evaluated using a methodology that combines six criteria regarding both species and habitat attributes. This analysis of vulnerability was completed to 50 (94 %) out of 53 Cuban species. Five species (9 %) were identified as highly vulnerable, 20 (38 %) moderately and 25 (48 %) as having low conservation status. The five most threatened species were Laccodytes cobrinae, Laccophilus alariei, Copelatus barbouri, C. darlingtoni, and Desmopachria glabella. These species are endemic to Cuba and characterized by highly localized populations and low abundance as well as high habitat specificity. Thus, we propose the inclusion of these five species in both the red list of Cuban fauna and the IUCN Red List (under the category of “Vulnerable”). In addition, not all areas where these species were found belong to the National System of Protected Areas of Cuba. Thus, we suggest the inclusion of the Laguna Base Julio A. Mella and the North of Imías, and to develop effective management measures to prevent the alteration of these aquatic ecosystems. Rev. Biol. Trop. 66(2): 709-721. Epub 2018 June 01. Key words:

Integrating climate change and human impacts into marine spatial planning: A case study of threatened starfish species in Brazil

Network expansion of marine protected areas in a changing world is a difficult task for conservation planners. Brazil experiences a combination of low and uneven protection of marine environmets, increasing anthropogenic pressures, climate change, and gaps in information regarding the geographical distribution of many species (Wallacean shortfall). Here, we addressed these issues and present a strategy for identifying priority marine areas for conservation in Brazil that would contribute to increasing species representation and achievement of conservation targets. Within this strategy, we accounted for (i) species range shifts due to climate change and their influence on species distribution, (ii) the lack of species geographical distribution data, and (iii) anthropic pressures on oceans. First, we built ecological niche models (ENMs) for 12 threatened starfish species in both present and future (2100) times using Maxent. We also quantified and mapped species range shifts. Second, we developed three conservation spatial solutions and compared the 10% top-ranked areas. The results showed that ENMs had a good performance in representing the distribution of species, even those that had few occurrence records. Our models forecasted a significant range expansion for the majority of species (10 out 12) by 2100. We found that the priority sites covering the top-ranked 10% in the study area identified in ours conservation spatial solutions would protect between 10.41% and 15.88%, on average, of suitable areas for the starfish species. Our results indicated priority sites for conservation less affected by anthropic pressures (~2%) when data on human impacts on oceans were incorporated into the spatial prioritization process. We identified a network of priority marine sites for conservation that minimized human influence and considered the effects of climate change on species distribution. We used threatened starfish species as a case study for illustrating our approach; however, such an approach could be applied to any taxonomic group, which supports the development of more effective conservation actions that represent biodiversity under such threats.

Are available vegetation data suitable for assessing plant diversity? A study case in the Foreste Casentinesi National Park (Italy)

This paper aimed to analyze potentials and shortcomings of existing vegetation data collected in an Italian National Park (Foreste Casentinesi NP) to: (1) assess coarse scale patterns of species diversity, and (2) set up a habitat monitoring system. We generated a specifically designed georeferenced dataset by assembling all available forest vegetation data, and then we analyzed spatial and temporal patterns of data by sample-based accumulation and rarefaction curves. The analyses were performed on data gathered from the year 1934 to 2007. This broad temporal range may provide valuable information about processes occurring over a longer period than the majority of the published resurvey studies. Our study revealed an uneven distribution of the records both in time and space, corroborating the view that this type of data is inappropriate to analyze trends of plant diversity at coarse scale. However, especially the oldest records of the dataset represent a valuable source of information about long-term plant diversity changes, if used in resurvey studies designed with proper techniques. Detecting the directions of vegetation, or habitat, dynamics is crucial for addressing effective conservation actions.

Combining biological and socio‐political criteria to set spatial conservation priorities for the endangered African wild dog

AbstractThe effectiveness of biodiversity conservation projects is influenced by socio‐political context, a reality overlooked by traditional prioritization schemes that use only measures of biological value and threat when deciding where to invest limited conservation resources. We combined ecological and socio‐political criteria to illuminate options for prioritizing investment in African wild dog Lycaon pictus conservation among countries and subpopulations. Countries and subpopulations were assigned scores for conservation priority (based on their wild dog populations) and conservation likelihood (based on their governance quality and other indicators of the likelihood of effective conservation action for wild dogs). Seven of the 19 wild dog countries scored above the median value for both priority and likelihood and supported 74% of the total wild dog population. Investment in these ‘higher priority, higher likelihood’ countries may offer the greatest returns on conservation investment. The intention of this study is not, however, to be prescriptive, nor to suggest abandoning disadvantaged countries, but to provide a tool for understanding and managing trade‐offs between where conservation is most needed for wild dogs and where it is most feasible. The prioritization framework presented in this paper may easily and profitably be applied to other taxa, extending the scope of our results.

Global importance of vertebrate pollinators for plant reproductive success: a meta‐analysis

Vertebrate pollinators are increasingly threatened worldwide, but little is known about the potential consequences of declining pollinator populations on plants and ecosystems. Here, we present the first global assessment of the importance of vertebrate pollinators in the reproductive success of selected flowering plants. Our meta‐analysis of 126 experiments on animal‐pollinated plants revealed that excluding vertebrate pollinators – but not insect pollinators – reduced fruit and/or seed production by 63% on average. We found bat‐pollinated plants to be more dependent on their respective vertebrate pollinators than bird‐pollinated plants (an average 83% reduction in fruit/seed production when bats were excluded, as compared to a 46% reduction when birds were excluded). Plant dependence on vertebrate pollinators for fruit/seed production was greater in the tropics than at higher latitudes. Given the potential for substantial negative impacts associated with the loss of vertebrate pollinators, there is a clear need for prompt, effective conservation action for threatened flower‐visiting vertebrate species. Additional research on how such changes might affect wider ecosystems is also required.

Macrophysiology as a powerful tool for evaluating metapopulation stress and the effectiveness of conservation actions

Macrophysiology as a powerful tool for evaluating metapopulation stress and the effectiveness of conservation actions

The entrepreneurial Sunshine State: Neoliberalism, growth management and environmental conservation in Florida

ABSTRACTThe severity of anthropogenic environmental change demands swift and effective conservation action in order to maintain the Earth’s essential life support systems. In particular, long-standing best practice in conservation sciences suggests that integrated action both within and between levels of social organization is necessary to ensure coordinated efforts capable of dealing with the cross-boundary nature of environmental challenges. The increasingly hegemonic influence of neoliberal policy reform, broadly aimed at promoting competition and individual autonomy in governance arrangements, however, has been cast by environmental and social critics as running counter to those efforts aimed at conserving the collective environment for the public good. Focusing on the case of multistage restructuring of Florida’s famed Growth Management Act (GMA), I articulate how the compounding effects of neoliberalization reform efforts have led to the complete transformation of the GMA’s potential to facilitate adequate large-scale environmental management, precluding the possibility of achieving needed conservation results. From this, I conclude with reflections on the major challenges facing advocates of conservation in the coming decades, in particular the need to resist the dismantling of existing and promote the establishment of new mechanisms capable of facilitating coordinated and collaborative conservation in line with scientific best practice.