Existing Conservation Areas Research Articles

MONITORING OF LIGHT POLLUTION IN THE TRANSCARPATHIAN REGION

Light pollution first gained attention when people realized they could no longer see the night sky as they once did due to excess visible and ultraviolet light from cities. However, in recent years, it has become clear that artificial night lighting worries not only astronomers. Studies have shown that artificial night lighting harms a variety of animals. To preserve the natural darkness of the sky in the world, parks of the dark (or starry) sky are created, which are the areas of a unique natural environment that protect the natural night darkness from pollution by artificial light. They are the equivalent of nature reserves — territories with exceptional natural value. They perform protective functions for the darkest corners of our planet, where the night environment is not dis- turbed by artificial light. These parks perform not only ecological but also educational functions. Darkness protection is slowly being incorporated into existing conservation areas such as national parks. Darkness is a natural resource that needs protection. In 2016, Transcarpathian Dark Sky Park was created. For its registration and entry into the International Association of Dark Sky Parks, the brightness of the night sky was measured in different places in this park to determine the state of light pollution in this area. The results of the measurements fully satisfied the requirements for dark sky parks. In all places of the Transcarpath- ian Dark Sky Park where we performed measurements, the average value of the background of the night sky was ~21.50 mag/ arcsec 2 . In 2021, an application for registration of Transcarpathian Dark Sky Park in the International Association of Dark Sky Parks was accepted. Research into the state of light pollution on the outskirts of the Dark Sky Park is also ongoing, namely at two optical observation stations — Uzhhorod and Derenivka. The results of changes in the background of the night sky in these places over a 40-year time interval are presented.

Spotting what's important: Priority areas, connectivity, and conservation of the Northern Tiger Cat (Leopardus tigrinus) in Colombia.

Leopardus tigrinus is among the least known carnivore species in the Neotropics, including considerable taxonomic uncertainty. Here we model the distribution, connectivity and overlap with existing conservation areas for the species in Colombia. Using a Species Distribution Modeling approach, we estimated current potential range of the species in Colombia and identified potential habitat blocks remaining in the country. In addition, we designed a connectivity network across the available cores, using a circuit theory approach, to evaluate habitat linkage. Finally, we defined a prioritization scheme for the remaining habitat cores and assessed the level of coverage of protected areas for the country. L. tigrinus is potentially present across the three Andean branches of Colombia, with still considerable continuous habitat cores, mostly located on the eastern and central Andean ranges. Most habitat cores are theoretically connected, but nearly 15% are isolated. Priority areas were located across the eastern and central ranges, but with very significant and promising cores in the northern eastern and western ranges. Current level of protection indicates nearly 30% of the range is "protected", but only about 25% is under national strict protected areas. Evolution of this coverage showed some periods of significant increase but interestingly the number of cores grew at a faster rate than overall proportion protected, likely indicating numerous discontinuous fragments, and not contiguous functional landscapes. This represents the most updated assessment of the distribution and conservation status for the species in Colombia, and indicates the numerous conservation opportunities, especially in most populated areas of the country. We found unique business environmental passive's opportunities, including compensation and development potential, which are becoming more available in the country.

Karst as an abiotic driver of François’ langur distribution, with predictions for biological communities on karst under climate change

Ecological niche models (ENMs) can project changes in species’ distributions under climate change and thus inform conservation efforts and further our understanding of patterns of change. Predictions of species’ distribution shifts under climate change in topographically and geologically complex landscapes, such as karst landforms, should be improved by better integration of non-climate abiotic variables, such as karst geology or habitat structure, into model projections. We built ENMs for one of the limestone langurs, a group of leaf monkeys adapted to forests on the Sino-Vietnamese limestone karst landform. We collected occurrence localities for François’ leaf monkeys (Trachypithecus francoisi) and thinned them to avoid sampling bias. We included as environmental parameters a global dataset for karst geology and 19 bioclimatic variables derived from monthly temperature and precipitation at 30 arc-second resolution. ENMs including karst geology and climatic variables outperformed and differed spatially from climate-only models. Across six future-climate scenario projections, the optimal karst+climate model differed from the best climate-only model and predicted more spatial overlap with karst in the future, a contraction in total area of suitable habitat by the 2070s, and a small loss in the amount of suitable habitat in existing conservation areas. This study shows the importance of considering other abiotic factors beyond climate in projections of suitable habitat under climate change for species in complex landscapes. Because our results show that karst and climate interact to explain the distribution of a karst-adapted species, the results also suggest that, under climate change, these interactions are likely to produce altered networks of species into novel biological communities. Finally, our results support the need for conservation of limestone habitats and cross-border collaboration to maintain refuges and movement connectivity for endangered species in the face of climate change.

Over 80% of Africa's savannah conservation land is failing or deteriorating according to lions as an indicator species

AbstractCalls to increase the global area under protection for conservation assume existing conservation areas are effective but, without adequate investment, they may not be. We collected survey data from expert respondents on perceived budgets, management, and threats for 516 protected areas and community conservation areas in savannah Africa to create a Conservation Area Performance Index. Combining this index with an indicative biodiversity outcome—population status of African lion, Panthera leo—we found that 82% of the sampled area was in a state of failure or deterioration, with only 10% in a state of success or recovery. A large proportion of succeeding or recovering conservation areas received external support through collaborative management partnerships. That Africa's current conservation area network—the foundation of conservation efforts—is crumbling complicates proposed strategies to protect additional land. We contend that investing in the effective management of existing conservation areas—potentially through well‐structured collaborative management partnerships—should be prioritized urgently.

Penerapan Pengawasan Konservasi Satwa Kelelawar Secara Mandiri

Supervision of the conservation of bat animals in ensuring the preservation of bat animals and economic stability for the beneficiary groups. The purpose of the service is to implement independent supervision of bat conservation. Conservation monitoring activities are carried out in the Bat Conservation area in Olibu Village, Paguyaman Pantai District, Boalemo Regency. The target group is the Bat Utilization Group and the community. Service activities are focused on increasing group and community understanding of supervisory understanding (1). Designing an independent conservation monitoring model focused on monitoring the fishing process and monitoring conservation areas (2). Monitoring line (3). The initial assessment illustrates that the group's understanding of the importance of supervision is still low at 9.95% before receiving material delivery. The final assessment illustrates that there is an increased understanding of knowledge about the self-monitoring model that will be applied in conservation areas by 82.93%. Supervision activities on the management of bat animal capture are comprehensive supervision, starting from the time the catching is carried out until the bats are marketed. Supervision during capture is needed in order to stabilize the protection and survival of captured bats, especially for animals that are not fit to be caught and traded. Supervision of Conservation Areas is the right step to take in preserving bat animals and economic stability for groups using bats, in addition to existing conservation areas, they can develop into tourist areas. There are 2 bat control lines and a conservation area, namely land and sea routes. The monitoring model for bat conservation independently can be realized by involving groups of users, the village community as the object of supervision over the activities of monitoring the capture management process and supervision of conservation areas, while the Olibu village government as a supervisory control through implementation.

Habitat suitability and connectivity implications for the conservation of the Persian leopard along the Iran-Iraq border.

Habitat fragmentation has major negative impacts on wildlife populations, and the connectivity could reduce these negative impacts. This study was conducted to assess habitat suitability and structural connectivity of the Persian leopard along the Iran–Iraq border (i.e., the Zagros Mountains) and compare the situation of identified core habitats and connectivity with existing conservation areas (CAs). An ensemble modeling approach resulting from five models was used to predict habitat suitability. To identify core habitats and corridors along the Iran–Iraq border, factorial least‐cost path analyses were applied. The results revealed that topographic roughness, distance to CAs, annual precipitation, vegetation/cropland density, and distance to rivers were the most influential variables for predicting the occurrence of the Persian leopard in the study area. By an estimated dispersal distance of 82 km (suggested by previous studies), three core habitats were identified (two cores in Iran and one core in Iraq). The largest cores were located in the south and the center of the study area, which had the highest connectivity priorities. The connectivity from these cores was maintained to the core within the Iraqi side. Only about one‐fifth of detected core habitats and relative corridors were protected by CAs in the study area. Detected core habitats and connectivity areas in this study could be an appropriate road map to accomplish the CAs network along the Iran–Iraq border regarding Persian leopard conservation. Establishing transboundary CAs, particularly in the core habitat located in the center of the study area, is strongly recommended to conserve existing large carnivores, including the Persian leopard.

A Win-Win for Deep-Sea Corals and Fishing: Increasing Seafloor Protections While Restoring Fishing Opportunities Off the United States West Coast

On January 1, 2020, the United States (U.S.) government implemented new regulations increasing total closed areas to bottom trawl fishing by 363,513 km2, including a net increase of 44,498 km2 in essential fish habitat conservation areas at fishable depths (<1,280 m) along the West Coast continental shelf and upper slope. At the same time, the government reopened certain bottom trawl fishing grounds originally established to rebuild overfished groundfish. In combination with previously existing conservation areas, the result of these regulations is that bottom trawl fishing is now prohibited in 90% (739,491 km2) of ocean waters in the United States West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone, including 32.6% of shelf (<200 m) depth zones and 56.0% of upper slope depth zones (200-1,280 m), with a disproportionate focus on priority habitat features that are proxies for fish habitat, sensitivity to bottom trawling, and biodiversity. The final spatial management measures include 53 new or modified habitat conservation areas closed to bottom trawling in fishable depths (<1,280 m) and a precautionary prohibition on all bottom contact fishing gears at depths greater than 3,500 m. Together the final set of habitat conservation area closures and openings result in an overall increase in coastwide protections for hard, mixed, and soft substrates; seamounts; submarine canyons; and known and predicted coral, sponge, and pennatulid locations. Finer scale analyses indicate net increases or no change in coral and sponge observations inside protected areas across all regions and depth zones, despite some reductions in total area and hard substrate protected in certain regions. Based on historic bottom trawl effort data, we estimate that the opening of previously closed areas restores 24.6% of fishing effort that was displaced by bottom trawl closures implemented prior to 2020. Here we describe the involvement and approach of the conservation organization, Oceana, to protect seafloor habitats off the United States West Coast, which included a coastwide proposal to modify conservation areas, geospatial analyses, grassroots organizing, media stories, and scientific expeditions using remotely operated vehicles. Our comparison of the new versus previous assemblage of habitat conservation areas demonstrates increased overall habitat protection and fishing opportunities throughout depths and bioregions off the United States West Coast.

A regional approach to Nordic crop wild relativein situconservation planning

AbstractCrop wild relatives (CWR) can provide one solution to future challenges on food security, sustainable agriculture and adaptation to climate change. Diversity found in CWR can be essential for adapting crops to these new demands. Since the need to improvein situconservation of CWR has been recognized by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (2010) and the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (2011–2020), it is important to develop ways to safeguard these important genetic resources. The Nordic flora includes many species related to food, forage and other crop groups, but little has been done to systematically secure these important wild resources. A Nordic regional approach to CWR conservation planning provided opportunities to network, find synergies, share knowledge, plan the conservation and give policy inputs on a regional level. A comprehensive CWR checklist for the Nordic region was generated and then prioritized by socio-economic value and utilization potential. Nordic CWR checklist was formed of 2553 taxa related to crop plants. Out of these, 114 taxa including 83 species were prioritized representing vegetable, cereal, fruit, berry, nut and forage crop groups. Thein situconservation planning of the priority CWR included ecogeographic and complementarity analyses to identify a potential network of genetic reserve sites in the region. Altogether 971,633 occurrence records of the priority species were analysed. A minimum number of sites within and outside existing conservation areas were identified that had the potential to support a maximum number of target species of maximum intraspecific diversity.

Distribution and protection of climatic refugia in North America.

As evidenced by past climatic refugia, locations projected to harbor remnants of present-day climates may serve as critical refugia for current biodiversity in the face of modern climate change. We mapped potential climatic refugia in the future across North America, defined as locations with increasingly rare climatic conditions. We identified these locations by tracking projected changes in the size and distribution of climate analogs over time. We used biologically derived thresholds to define analogs and tested the impacts of dispersal limitation with 4 distances to limit analog searches. We identified at most 12% of North America as potential climatic refugia. Refugia extent varied depending on the analog threshold, dispersal distance, and climate projection. However, in all cases refugia were concentrated at high elevations and in topographically complex regions. Refugia identified using different climate projections were largely nested, suggesting that identified refugia were relatively robust to climate-projection selection. Existing conservation areas cover approximately 10% of North America and yet protected up to 25% of identified refugia, indicating that protected areas disproportionately include refugia. Refugia located at lower latitudes (≤40°N) and slightly lower elevations (approximately 2500 m) were more likely to be unprotected. Based on our results, a 23% expansion of the protected-area network would be sufficient to protect the refugia present under all 3 climate projections we explored. We believe these refugia are high conservation priorities due to their potential to harbor rare species in the future. However, these locations are simultaneously highly vulnerable to climate change over the long term. These refugia contracted substantially between the 2050s and the 2080s, which supports the idea that the pace of climate change will strongly determine the availability and effectiveness of refugia for protecting today's biodiversity.

Habitat suitability and connectivity for an endangered brown bear population in the Iranian Caucasus

Context The identification of suitable habitats and the assessment of connectivity are important to preserve key areas for small isolated, endangered populations. The brown bear, Ursus arctos, needs connectivity to supply the primary habitat requirements including food, water, shelter and space and to provide gene flow among all populations in the Iranian Caucasus. Aims In the present study, we investigated the status and habitat requirements of an endangered brown bear population within the Iranian Caucasus. Methods We applied an approach of consensus species distribution modelling to estimate the distribution of suitable habitats for brown bears using uncorrelated environmental variables. We then used the concept of circuit theory on resultant breeding patches to evaluate regional patterns of connectivity among these patches. Key results We predicted that ~9.10% of the study area is suitable for the brown bear at present. Ten patches (7.95% of the study area) were detected as suitable for breeding populations, where some populations are not able to survive without connectivity. The results indicated that habitat connectivity is sometimes widely affected by a high concentration of human activities such as roads, settlements and mining activities. Our findings showed that existing conservation areas could not safeguard the connectivity of brown bear habitats across the Iranian Caucasus. Conclusions Our results can help target fine-scaled planning approaches for the maintenance of bear meta-population structure, as well as facilitate the movement of individuals by protecting different landscape features. Implications The populations of brown bear are among the first to be harmed by the loss of habitat and connectivity, and, thus, this species is an appropriate focal species for linkage design that is beneficial for threatened populations of other co-existing species such as Persian leopard, grey wolf and Eurasian lynx. Moreover, the brown bear is among the most popular flagship species for conservation planning, which might increase public support for the restoration of habitat and linkages.

Identifying Important Atlantic Areas for the conservation of Balearic shearwaters: Spatial overlap with conservation areas

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are considered one of the main tools in both fisheries and conservation management to protect threatened species and their habitats around the globe. However, MPAs are underrepresented in marine environments compared to terrestrial environments. Within this context, we studied the Atlantic non-breeding distribution of the southern population of Balearic shearwaters (Puffinus mauretanicus) breeding in Eivissa during the 2011-2012 period based on global location sensing (GLS) devices. Our objectives were (1) to identify overall Important Atlantic Areas (IAAs) from a southern population, (2) to describe spatio-temporal patterns of oceanographic habitat use, and (3) to assess whether existing conservation areas (Natura 2000 sites and marine Important Bird Areas (IBAs)) cover the main IAAs of Balearic shearwaters. Our results highlighted that the Atlantic staging (from June to October in 2011) dynamic of the southern population was driven by individual segregation at both spatial and temporal scales. Individuals ranged in the North-East Atlantic over four main IAAs (Bay of Biscay: BoB, Western Iberian shelf: WIS, Gulf of Cadiz: GoC, West of Morocco: WoM). While most individuals spent more time on the WIS or in the GoC, a small number of birds visited IAAs at the extremes of their Atlantic distribution range (i.e., BoB and WoM). The chronology of the arrivals to the IAAs showed a latitudinal gradient with northern areas reached earlier during the Atlantic staging. The IAAs coincided with the most productive areas (higher chlorophyll a values) in the NE Atlantic between July and October. The spatial overlap between IAAs and conservation areas was higher for Natura 2000 sites than marine IBAs (areas with and without legal protection, respectively). Concerning the use of these areas, a slightly higher proportion of estimated positions fell within marine IBAs compared to designated Natura 2000 sites, with Spanish and Portuguese conservation areas being the most visited. Our results support the current design of conservation areas in Spain and Portugal regarding the protection of adult breeders of this highly mobile species.

基于系统保护规划的三江平原湿地保护网络体系优化

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 基于系统保护规划的三江平原湿地保护网络体系优化 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201402180281 作者: 作者单位: 黑龙江省科学院自然与生态研究所,黑龙江省林业设计研究院,北京林业大学自然保护区学院,黑龙江省科学院自然与生态研究所,黑龙江省科学院自然与生态研究所,黑龙江省科学院自然与生态研究所 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: Q143 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金(C030801);黑龙江省基础青年基金项目(JC03-09) SCP (systematic conservation planning) optimization for a wetland conservation network system on Sanjiang Plain, China Author: Affiliation: Heilongjiang Academy of sciences-Institute of Natural Resources,,,,, Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:综合三江平原湿地不同层次、不同维度的生物多样性特征,在系统保护规划方法(Systematic Conservation Planning, SCP)框架下,以集水区为规划单元,计算研究区域不可替代性指数,确定高保护价值网络体系,通过保护空缺分析对现有保护网络进行优化,并评估优化体系的有效性。结果表明:三江平原湿地高保护价值区域的分布呈现沿河流分布的特点;现有保护区中湖泊和目标物种的保护状态比较好;保护网络体系优化后,沼泽湿地在保护网络中的比重由22.88%重增加到50%以上;河流湿地由16.20%增加到33.92%;地下水资源在现有保护网络中的比重非常低,仅为2.01%,优化后保护网络中保护比重增加到12.05%,因此在今后的保护区规划中,应该重视对地下水资源的保护和管理。另外本研究结合生态脆弱性对高保护价值的空缺设计3个情景方案,并根据生态威胁的种类和强度提出各优先保护方案的保护建议,为保护管理决策提供依据。 Abstract:This study optimized an existing conservation network system using SCP and gap analysis while evaluating the effectiveness of the new system. The process of establishing high-value conservation networks took into account biodiversity features of different levels and dimensions in the Sanjiang Plain. The process also accounted for the irreplaceability of catchments, since these planning units fall under the framework of SCP. In the horizontal dimension, we had two conservation level objectives, one for the ecosystem level and one for the species level. Eight types of marsh wetland systems, all lake ecosystems, and high conservation value river wetland systems were selected as ecosystem level conservation surrogates. Thirteen endangered birds and four endangered mammals were selected as species level conservation surrogates. In the vertical dimension, we chose 3 effective underground water distribution areas. Ecosystem conservation targets were set based on ecological function value, rarity and threat trends. Species conservation targets were set based on level of endangerment, scope for survival, and population growth/decline trends. Protection targets were set for water resources according to their runoff modulus and recharge modulus. SCP utilizes the key concept of irreplaceability, which is a measure, varying from zero to one, indicating the importance of an area (planning unit) for the achievement of regional conservation targets. A map of irreplaceability values is therefore a base map of conservation planning. Finally, we combined irreplaceability values with vulnerability factors (factors threatening the ecology of the region) to design different planning options. Results were as follows:(1) High conservation value areas accounted for about 16% of the whole region and were generally distributed along river and lake ecosystems. Specifically, at headwater intersections, such as the intersection of the Heilongjiang and Wusulijiang, the junction of the Tongjiang and Fuyuan, the marsh wetlands between Fujin and Baoqing, the waterfront in Hulin, and the middle part of Luobei, the northeast Hegang, northeast of Yilan, and the south Muling.(2) Lake ecosystems and target species were well-protected in existing conservation areas. They accounted for 83.90% and 81.25% of the whole conservation network respectively. After the prioritization, these percentages increased only slightly to 86.65% and 100%.(3) Marsh, riverine and wetland ecosystem protection by the existing conservation network was less effective. Prioritization would afford an increase in marsh wetlands (from 22.88% to more than 50%), riverine wetlands (from 16.20% to 33.92%), and underground water resources (from just 2.01% to 12.05%).(4) Vulnerability analysis showed high vulnerability areas on the Sanjiang Plain were mainly distributed in Jiamusi, south of Hegang, north of Shuangyashan and Jixi, the middle of Huanan and Luobei, and the intersection of the Fujin and Suibin.The work detailed above indicates that future conservation planning must continue to preserve well-protected ecosystems and species and emphasizes the need for protection and management of marsh, riverine and wetland ecosystems, especially underground water resources. Quantification of resource irreplaceability and vulnerability were evaluated as a supplement to this future conservation planning. The authors combined irreplaceability and vulnerability indexes to propose three scenarios (the ecological value prioritized scenario, the rescue prioritized scenario and the economic avoidance prioritized scenario), and provide recommendations for decision-makers under each scenario in terms of ecological threats.This irreplaceability-based biodiversity conservation planning method integrates protected objects, conservation targets and contributions into one framework and expresses the information in a quantified form. Quantifications enables conservation planning and prioritizing work to be more scientific and better visualized, providing a feasible and effective framework for natural reserve network establishment and prioritization. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Prioritising in situ conservation of crop resources: a case study of African cowpea (Vigna unguiculata).

Conserving crop wild relatives (CWR) is critical for maintaining food security. However, CWR-focused conservation plans are lacking, and are often based on the entire genus, even though only a few taxa are useful for crop improvement. We used taxonomic and geographic prioritisation to identify the best locations for in situ conservation of the most important (priority) CWR, using African cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) as a case study. Cowpea is an important crop for subsistence farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, yet its CWR are under-collected, under-conserved and under-utilised in breeding. We identified the most efficient sites to focus in situ cowpea CWR conservation and assessed whether priority CWR would be adequately represented in a genus-based conservation plan. We also investigated whether priority cowpea CWR are likely to be found in existing conservation areas and in areas important for mammal conservation. The genus-based method captured most priority CWR, and the distributions of many priority CWR overlapped with established conservation reserves and targets. These results suggest that priority cowpea CWR can be conserved by building on conservation initiatives established for other species.

Modelling the distribution of Aspalathus linearis (Rooibos tea): implications of climate change for livelihoods dependent on both cultivation and harvesting from the wild.

Aspalathus linearis (Burm. f.) R. Dahlgren (rooibos) is endemic to the Fynbos Biome of South Africa, which is an internationally recognized biodiversity hot spot. Rooibos is both an invaluable wild resource and commercially cultivated crop in suitable areas. Climate change predictions for the region indicate a significant warming scenario coupled with a decline in winter rainfall. First estimates of possible consequences for biodiversity point to species extinctions of 23% in the long term in the Fynbos Biome. Bioclimatic modelling using the maximum entropy method was used to develop an estimate of the realized niche of wild rooibos and the current geographic distribution of areas suitable for commercially production. The distribution modelling provided a good match to the known distribution and production area of A. linearis. An ensemble of global climate models that assume the A2 emissions scenario of high energy requirements was applied to develop possible scenarios of range/suitability shift under future climate conditions. When these were extrapolated to a future climate (2041–2070) both wild and cultivated tea exhibited substantial range contraction with some range shifts southeastwards and upslope. Most of the areas where range expansion was indicated are located in existing conservation areas or include conservation worthy vegetation. These findings will be critical in directing conservation efforts as well as developing strategies for farmers to cope with and adapt to climate change.

Patterns of Deep-Sea Genetic Connectivity in the New Zealand Region: Implications for Management of Benthic Ecosystems

Patterns of genetic connectivity are increasingly considered in the design of marine protected areas (MPAs) in both shallow and deep water. In the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), deep-sea communities at upper bathyal depths (<2000 m) are vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance from fishing and potential mining operations. Currently, patterns of genetic connectivity among deep-sea populations throughout New Zealand’s EEZ are not well understood. Using the mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I and 16S rRNA genes as genetic markers, this study aimed to elucidate patterns of genetic connectivity among populations of two common benthic invertebrates with contrasting life history strategies. Populations of the squat lobster Munida gracilis and the polychaete Hyalinoecia longibranchiata were sampled from continental slope, seamount, and offshore rise habitats on the Chatham Rise, Hikurangi Margin, and Challenger Plateau. For the polychaete, significant population structure was detected among distinct populations on the Chatham Rise, the Hikurangi Margin, and the Challenger Plateau. Significant genetic differences existed between slope and seamount populations on the Hikurangi Margin, as did evidence of population differentiation between the northeast and southwest parts of the Chatham Rise. In contrast, no significant population structure was detected across the study area for the squat lobster. Patterns of genetic connectivity in Hyalinoecia longibranchiata are likely influenced by a number of factors including current regimes that operate on varying spatial and temporal scales to produce potential barriers to dispersal. The striking difference in population structure between species can be attributed to differences in life history strategies. The results of this study are discussed in the context of existing conservation areas that are intended to manage anthropogenic threats to deep-sea benthic communities in the New Zealand region.

Integrating environmental gap analysis with spatial conservation prioritization: A case study from Victoria, Australia

Gap analysis is used to analyse reserve networks and their coverage of biodiversity, thus identifying gaps in biodiversity representation that may be filled by additional conservation measures. Gap analysis has been used to identify priorities for species and habitat types. When it is applied to identify gaps in the coverage of environmental variables, it embodies the assumption that combinations of environmental variables are effective surrogates for biodiversity attributes. The question remains of how to fill gaps in conservation systems efficiently. Conservation prioritization software can identify those areas outside existing conservation areas that contribute to the efficient covering of gaps in biodiversity features. We show how environmental gap analysis can be implemented using high-resolution information about environmental variables and ecosystem condition with the publicly available conservation prioritization software, Zonation. Our method is based on the conversion of combinations of environmental variables into biodiversity features. We also replicated the analysis by using Species Distribution Models (SDMs) as biodiversity features to evaluate the robustness and utility of our environment-based analysis. We apply the technique to a planning case study of the state of Victoria, Australia.

Can Cape Town's unique biodiversity be saved? Balancing conservation imperatives and development needs

Holmes, P. M., A. G. Rebelo, C. Dorse, and J. Wood. 2012. Can Cape Town’s unique biodiversity be saved? Balancing conservation imperatives and development needs. Ecology and Society 17(2): 28. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-04552-170228

基于C-Plan规划软件的生物多样性就地保护优先区规划——以中国东北地区为例

Based on the study of biodiversity features of forested areas,the irreplaceability values of conservation planning units can be calculated using the Systematic Conservation Planning(SCP) approach and C-Plan conservation planning software(C-plan).This approach selects representative endangered species as indicator species and their spatial distributions are then estimated using C-Plan.To analyze biodiversity hotspots in northeast China we used the planning function of C-Plan.According to existing conservation areas and the priority ratings of the area under study,a GAP analysis of biodiversity was performed.Depending on the irreplaceability value of each conservation planning unit,we divided areas into three levels of conservation priority,mandatory reservd areas(MR),negotiated Reserved areas(NR) and partially reserved areas(PR).The result shows that areas for MR priority,most of which lie in the core areas of Changbai Mountain and the virgin forests of the northern Great Khingan Mountains,accounts for 8.17% of the entire area under study;the NR areas,which mainly lie in the southeast of Great Khingan Mountains and the Songnen Plain wetland,accounts for 7.51%;and Partially reserved areas account for 9%.Results of GAP analysis show there are some evident protection gaps between priority planning areas and existing national nature reserves in northeastern China.Those are Changbai mountain area,north Great Khingan Mountains,the transitional area between western grassland and north Great Khingan Mountains area.In addition we studied the contribution existing nature reserves make to achieve the target of protection in different periods by using C-Plan,the results of which show the contribution value of the existing conservation areas to be 17.5% by the year 2000.By comparing contribution values of existing and planned nature reserves,we can decide the level of protection,guide the systematic planning of conservation areas,and support further development and strategies for conservation accordingly.Our research created a new approach to SCP for planning units,using natural polygons,such as vegetation types and landforms,instead of the traditional method using symmetrical shapes vastly improving the accuracy of the distribution range of species.

Conservation planning of vertebrate diversity in a Mediterranean agricultural-dominant landscape

To improve effectiveness of protected areas, selection of priority areas should include consideration of three main components, namely special conservation elements, focal species and representation. We present a three-track approach related to these components for vertebrate conservation planning in Castilla-La Mancha, central Spain. As special conservation elements, we identified Priority Areas for Conservation of species using five criteria: species richness, geographic rarity, species vulnerability, a Combined Index of these three criteria, and a Standardised Biodiversity Index (SBI) that integrate the three criteria and four studied taxa. The Natura 2000 Network was used to include conservation areas for focal species. We evaluated the representation of every landscape type in the existing conservation areas. To delineate the spatial configuration for vertebrate conservation, we combined the identified Priority Areas for Conservation, existing conservation areas and connectivity areas by cost–distance analysis. The Combined Index was the most efficient criterion analyzed to identify Priority Areas for Conservation. The Natura 2000 Network showed a high percentage of coincidence with identified Priority Areas for Conservation, whereas the natural protected areas network had a low percentage of coincidence. Six agricultural landscapes were inadequately represented in the current conservation network. According to our multi-track approach, ∼29% of study area was required to capture 100% of vertebrate species and all landscape types. Our results show that the existing conservation areas are insufficient to guarantee the conservation of biodiversity in the study region. Additional areas with outstanding features of diversity, connectivity areas, and establishment of targets for off-reserve conservation are of fundamental importance for strengthening biodiversity conservation.

Vascular plant and bryophytes species representation in the protected areas network on the national scale

The complexity of nature conservation raises questions about biodiversity protection at the level of species as well as their spatial distribution between differently designated nature conservation areas. We have concentrated on comparison of the existing protected areas and recently established conservation initiative areas—Important Plant Areas. We have estimated how well these areas support the protection of two plant groups—bryophytes and vascular plants. We sought answers to the following questions: (a) are there any trends in the distribution of protected bryophyte and vascular plant species in the protected areas network, and (b) does the Important Plant Areas network promote better protection of bryophyte species compared with the existing protected areas network. Our results demonstrated that bryophytes need special care in nature conservation decisions to reach the reasonable conservation target. Important Plant Areas that were targeted to vascular plants have less importance in preserving bryophyte diversity than already existing conservation areas system. Conservation programs like IBA, IPA etc. have their specific tool and outcome to add conservation values to the existing protected areas system.