Local Conservation Initiatives Research Articles

Unveiling poaching patterns and threat sources for informed conservation in southeast Angola

Poaching poses a significant threat to wildlife and ecosystems in southeast Angola, yet comprehensive studies to inform effective conservation strategies have been lacking. This novel study systematically assesses the spatial distribution and influencing factors of poaching activities in the region. Utilizing data from extensive patrolling efforts and predictive modeling, the hotspots and risk zones for wire-snares, gin traps, elephant poaching, and poaching camps are delineated. Our findings reveal distinctive socio-political and geo-ecological patterns governing each type of illegal activity. Wire-snares and gin traps display clear socio-political correlates, with proximity to towns and villages influencing their prevalence. These findings advocate for strategic placement of patrol stations and underscore the need for expanded law enforcement efforts to mitigate these threats. Conversely, elephant poaching for ivory exhibits transboundary influences, with heightened risk zones along international borders. This highlights the urgency of collaborative, transboundary management strategies to counteract external drivers of elephant poaching. Geo-ecologically, closed habitats dominated by woody vegetation, such as shrublands and closed woodlands, are favored for wire-snares and gin traps, likely due to reduced detection risk. Riparian habitats emerge as high-risk areas for elephant poaching and fishing camps, highlighting their importance for targeted conservation interventions. The fine-scale spatial analysis guides resource allocation and law enforcement strategies, while the identification of distinct threat sources informs proactive measures. To curb local demand-driven poaching, community-based conservation and alternative livelihood initiatives are recommended.

Modeling the Wintering Habitat Distribution of the Black Stork in Shaanxi, China: A Hierarchical Integration of Climate and Land Use/Land Cover Data.

Species distribution models (SDMs) are effective tools for wildlife conservation and management, as they employ the quantification of habitat suitability and environmental niches to evaluate the patterns of species distribution. The utilization of SDMs at various scales in a hierarchical approach can provide additional and complementary information, significantly improving decision-making in local wildlife conservation initiatives. In this study, we considered the appropriate spatial scale and data resolution to execute species distribution modeling, as these factors greatly influence the modeling procedures. We developed SDMs for wintering black storks at both the regional and local scales. At the regional scale, we used climatic and climate-driven land use/land cover (LULC) variables, along with wintering occurrence points, to develop models for mainland China. At the local scale, we used local environmental variables and locally gathered wintering site data to develop models for Shaanxi province. The predictions from both the regional and local models were then combined at the provincial level by overlapping suitable areas based on climatic and local conditions. We compared and evaluated the resulting predictions using seven statistical metrics. The national models provide information on the appropriate climatic conditions for the black stork during the wintering period throughout China, while the provincial SDMs capture the important local ecological factors that influence the suitability of habitats at a finer scale. As anticipated, the national SDMs predict a larger extent of suitable areas compared to the provincial SDMs. The hierarchical prediction approach is considered trustworthy and, on average, yields better outcomes than non-hierarchical methods. Our findings indicate that human-driven LULC changes have a significant and immediate impact on the wintering habitat of the black stork. However, the effects of climate change seem to be reducing the severity of this impact. The majority of suitable wintering habitats lie outside the boundaries of protected areas, highlighting the need for future conservation and management efforts to prioritize addressing these conservation gaps and focusing on the protection of climate refuges.

Understanding How the Unique Context of the Minnesota Zoo Shapes Our Local Conservation Initiatives

The field of wildlife conservation is comprised of a variety of players with different contexts and approaches. Zoos and aquariums, historically largely focused on public entertainment, are shifting more towards conservation-minded missions and can play a unique role in wildlife conservation by leveraging their distinct assets. The Minnesota Zoo is an AZA-accredited institution and an agency of the State of Minnesota that has been conducting wildlife conservation for over 40 years. Here, we review our current portfolio of local field projects, including initiatives targeting pollinators, native mussels, turtles, and bison, using several considerations to structure and better understand how our unique context has shaped our work. Our designation as a state agency has impacted our initiatives by necessitating a focus on local efforts and has facilitated many partnerships with other government agencies. Indeed, partnerships have been vital to our success and have shaped our programs significantly since their inception. All of the Zoo’s conservation initiatives are built on a bedrock of sound science, and we continue to contribute to the field through research, utilizing the expertise of department staff. In addition, the various funding streams that support our programs have dramatically shaped our work and have created some siloing of staff within the department. However, grant funding can serve as a buffer against the impacts of economic uncertainty, as evidenced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, our programs have expanded and our objectives have pivoted over the years in response to changing needs and opportunities; such flexibility—and increased flexibility for our staff—is imperative to the future success of these efforts. The Minnesota Zoo’s narrative is unique and helps us understand how we can continue to most effectively carry out local conservation efforts. As we work to protect habitats and save species from extinction, it is important to utilize the distinct assets that each organization can contribute in order to have the greatest collective impact.

Uncovering spatial patterns of ecosystem services and biodiversity through local communities' preferences and perceptions

Tropical agricultural frontiers are rapidly changing and present unique opportunities to reconcile ecosystem services (ES) provision, biodiversity conservation, and livelihood maintenance of rural communities. To understand the dynamics of these frontiers, we analyzed preferences, reasons associated with importance, and spatial perceptions of ES and biodiversity in Mexico at two scales. In seven workshops and 42 interviews, participants ranked preferred ES and expressed reasons for their importance. They identified the relevant areas for ES and biodiversity. We used this data to create an index to obtain maps of perceived spatial patterns and perform a cluster analysis to identify ES bundles. A redundancy analysis highlighted the factors that help explain the spatial patterns and qualitative and quantitative methods were used to explore the reasons behind participants’ rankings of relative importance. We found two contrasting bundles at the regional scale: the natural protected area, where biodiversity is highest, and the agricultural frontier, where agricultural services were highest. At the ejido scale, ejidos whose livelihoods are mainly centered on agriculture and those that develop diverse activities were grouped. Socio-ecological factors (e.g., ejido area, PES program, and indigenous population) further distinguished ejidos focused on agricultural expansion, those dominated by marginalized local inhabitants, and those focused on forest management. The most dominant reasons underlying ES rankings include having sufficient nutritious food and economic support linked to agricultural services. We discuss the role of conservation strategies, historical government decisions, and biophysical characteristics in shaping strong trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and agriculture—and the role of voluntary local conservation initiatives and a national PES scheme in supporting opportunities to reconcile some of these trade-offs. This study demonstrates the importance of integrating local community preferences and perceptions into spatially explicit products that can be used in inclusive conservation and landscape planning approaches for tropical landscapes worldwide.

First characterization of seagrasses at Sámara Bay, Pacific coast of Costa Rica

Seagrasses are found at limited locations in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). Here, we provide the first characterization of seagrasses at Sámara Bay, on the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Sampling was carried out in August 2018 and March 2019. We measured seagrass biomass, shoot density, leaf area, stable isotope composition (δ13C, δ15N), carbon content, bulk density, and grain size. We also measured water clarity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and nutrient concentrations. Two seagrass species were found, Halophila baillonii and Halodule beaudettei, which are commonly found in the ETP. Sediment grain size at Sámara was mostly composed of fine and very fine sand. Total seagrass biomass was 31.9 ± 28.7 g DW m−2 and density was 2136 ± 1576 shoots m−2. Halophila bailloni leaf blade length (1.1 ± 0.3 cm) and width (0.5 ± 0.1 cm) were within ranges for the sizes reported for this species, and were similar to other locations. Halodule beaudettei leaf length (5.0 ± 3.8 cm) and width (0.09 ± 0.02 cm), were larger than at other seagrass meadows on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica yet smaller than in Brazil. Seagrass biomass and density at Sámara were higher in the sampling during the dry season, a pattern also found on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and in Brazil. We recommend further study of seagrasses at this site and the ETP, including temporal and spatial variability and associated environmental factors. Seagrass presence at Sámara should be considered in local management and conservation initiatives.

RECURSOS PESQUEIROS UTILIZADOS PELA COMUNIDADE LOCAL DO ARQUIPÉLAGO DE FERNANDO DE NORONHA (PE, BRASIL): PREFERÊNCIAS, TABUS ALIMENTARES E USO MEDICINAL

The archipelago of Fernando de Noronha is divided into a National Marine Park, intended for the protection of natural resources and an Environmental Protection Area, where human occupation is permitted. Tourist use has caused changes in the island lifestyle, mainly in relation to economic activities and contact with nature. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze the local knowledge and eating habits of the people of Noronha, their preferences and aversions regarding the consumption of fish in the Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha/PE. Data collection was carried out through individual interviews using a script and these were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. It was found, in the research carried out with 81 interviewees, that the preferred fish for consumption are black syrup (Caranx lugubris), piraúna (Cepholopholis fulva), yellowfin (Thunnus albacares), barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), anchovy (Pomatomus saltatrix), red snapper (Lutjanus spp.) and mackerel (Acantocybium solandri). The relationship between popular knowledge and consumed food resources indicates an important contribution to regional and local conservation initiatives, which are essential to reduce environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and socioeconomic consequences for local communities. Aversion to reymosed fish was confirmed, such as cangulo (Melichthys niger) and barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), corroborating with the knowledge found in the literature. Thus, the use of fish in the diet of the residents of Fernando de Noronha showed patterns already indicated in research with other fishing communities where preference, taboos and medicinal use are the main purposes and indicate the knowledge they have about the environment and the available resources

Understanding Public Willingness to Participate in Local Conservation Initiatives of Urban Trees in Benin City, Nigeria

As global populations become increasingly urban, public participation has emerged as a new and more direct initiative for the conservation of urban trees and ecosystem services (ES). However, little effort has been made to understand the willingness of residents to participate in conservation programs for trees and ES in Benin City, Nigeria. To fill this gap, a survey to understand residents’ knowledge of ES and their perceptions around ES conservation, i.e., personal willingness to participate in voluntary conservation initiatives (VCIs), was conducted. Unlike the general misconception that trees are not appreciated in African cities, this study showed that most residents had a positive appreciation for the ES provided by urban trees in Benin City. Additionally, irrespective of respondents’ demographics, the findings from this study indicated a growing importance of the ES that trees provide, such as regulation of excess heat, scenic beauty, flooding and erosion control, and provision of shade. Hence, willingness to participate in VCIs was related to the growing importance of ES in the study area. Respondents’ knowledge of ES, education, and years of residency increased the probability of an individual’s participation in VCIs in the city. Other sociodemographic factors commonly related to urban forest participation (e.g., gender, marital status, income, profession, and residential location) did not significantly influence the willingness to participate in the conservation programs. Findings from this seminal study could assist future planning and emphasize to city developers, government (at all levels), resource managers, and decision makers the need to consider public values and perceptions towards enhancing conservation initiatives for urban trees in Benin City.

Soybean expansion and the challenge of the coexistence of agribusiness with local production and conservation initiatives: pesticides in a Ramsar site in Uruguay

SummarySoybean has undergone the greatest expansion of any global crop, fuelled by the emergence of herbicide-resistant crops. In Uruguay, soybean croplands have increased from virtually zero to more than 1 million ha in 20 years. Uruguay is also implementing its system of protected areas. Here, we assess the presence of pesticides within a Ramsar site and protected area, in a basin dominated by croplands. We consider pesticides as surrogates of the subtle impacts of agribusiness on conservation initiatives and other productions. Pesticides were found in soils, fishes and beehives, both within and around the protected area. Endosulfan was found in all matrices analysed (23 of 80 samples), while glyphosate (0–2.31 mg/kg) and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA; 0–0.61 mg/kg) were found in all soil classes. The study also allowed for a retrospective evaluation of a recent policy banning endosulfan in Uruguay, suggesting that while the protected area has not been immune to the impacts of agribusiness on human health or biodiversity, limiting the use of pesticides reduces or avoids some of them. This has implications for the design of multifunctional landscapes and for the debate on land sharing versus land sparing.

Different approaches to assess the local invasion risk on a threatened species: Opportunities of using high-resolution species distribution models by selecting the optimal model complexity

Species distribution models (SDMs) are potential tools for the evaluation of the risk of biological invasions to threatened plant species and to prioritize areas for local conservation initiatives. This study seeks to analyze if the use of predictions of less overfit high-resolution SDMs can be highly accurate and can provide a spatial criterion on where the management actions for this local conservation initiatives can be focused, even when being calibrated with sub-optimal datasets of the species distribution ranges. We developed this approach in the Galician massif of Monte Pindo (NW Spain) with a small disjunct isolated population of Quercus lusitanica, which could be threatened by the expansion of Paraserianthes lophantha, a recently detected potentially invasive species from Australia. We compared the predictions of Maxent SDMs calibrated in different geographic extensions of the species distribution range, fitted with different variables, resolutions and levels of complexity. Two different extensions, a small local area restricted to Monte Pindo for both species and a greater regional area extended to the Galician invaded range for P. lophantha, were selected to fit SDMs using bioclimatic, topographic and land cover variables at fine-grain 25 × 25 m spatial resolution. They were compared there with those of SDMs fitted in the whole native ranges of each species with climate (WORLDCLIM datasets) and bioclimatic variables coarse-grain 1 × 1 km spatial resolution. The native models of P. lophantha were projected onto the invasive range environmental variables. Tuning experiments of Maxent regularization multiplier setting were applied to minimize the overfitting. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations were used to select the optimal SDMs of each species, which were combined to build Risk Models (RMs) in the small local area. RMs enabled the assessment of the invasive potential risk of P. lophantha on the population of Q. lusitanica. Results show that the use of high-resolution models, either less overfit or large-scale, can be highly accurate and provide a better spatial criterion of where the conservation management actions can be focused than the models calibrated with all the available data on the geographical native range of the species. This comes in useful to prioritize areas for local conservation initiatives, being especially effectual with early-stage biological invasions. SDMs and RMs generated using the approach of this study could be a good starting point to take action against P. lophantha, which may be a threat to the Monte Pindo disjunct population of Q. lusitanica.

Storing and sharing: A review of indigenous and local knowledge conservation initiatives.

Despite its relative adaptive capacity and its many values, indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) is rapidly eroding. Over the past decades a myriad of efforts have emerged to prevent this erosion. In this work, we reviewed and systematically coded 138 ILK conservation initiatives published in academic papers in order to explore trends in participation, digitalization, timing, location, and approach of the initiatives. We also explored factors influencing initiative inclusiveness. Our findings reveal that ILK holders are generally absent from most phases of the studied initiatives, although IT-based and in situ initiatives (i.e., education and community based conservation) appear as the exceptions. We also found that ex situ initiatives (i.e., research/documentation and policy/legislation efforts) are predominant, despite the challenges they reportedly face. These findings call for re-formulating the ways in which ex situ ILK conservation is done and for supporting in situ and IT based initiatives, as they offer the potential to lead the participatory turn.

The feasibility of national parks in South Africa endorsing a community development agenda: The case of Mokala National Park and two neighbouring rural communities

This article explores the feasibility of South African National Parks (SANParks) endorsing a community development agenda, using Mokala National Park (MNP) and two neighbouring rural communities as case study. A three-phase sequential exploratory, mixed-methods approach was followed: an initial exploratory qualitative phase aimed at identifying the development needs of the two communities; a quantitative phase aimed at verifying and quantifying the identified needs; and a final qualitative phase (with a minor quantitative component) to determine what parks can reasonably achieve in terms of community development based on their available resources, capacity and expertise. Qualitative data were collected via semi-structured interviews (Phase 1: n = 22; Phase 3: n = 6), which were thematically analysed. Quantitative data were collected via a structured questionnaire (Phase 2: n = 484; Phase 3: n = 6) and analysed using SPSS 23. Findings revealed that the communities’ most significant needs centred on employment opportunities; improved healthcare, service delivery and waste management; and education. Community members also expressed the need for improved community policing, safety and security; social services; agricultural support and training; general skills development and training; local leadership; recreational facilities; local economic development and conservation initiatives. Results from the third phase of the study suggest that parks such as MNP can realistically only address some of the identified community needs significantly; primarily job creation (via temporary employment), skills development, local economic development, support of local conservation (especially via environmental education) and, to a lesser extent, agricultural support and training and permanent job creation.Conservation implications: The findings could be of practical use to SANParks to steer its community development initiatives towards attaining a more optimal balance between actual community needs and what the organisation can realistically offer, thus rendering SANParks’ efforts more efficient and effective in supporting the establishment of equitable and sustainable rural communities.

Can Multifunctional Landscapes Become Effective Conservation Strategies? Challenges and Opportunities From a Mexican Case Study

Protected Areas (PA) are the main strategy for nature conservation. However, PA are not always efficient for ecological conservation and social wellbeing. A possible alternative for conservation in human-dominated landscapes are Multifunctional Landscapes (ML), which allow the coexistence of multiple objectives, such as nature conservation and resource use. Using the activity system framework, we analyzed whether the ML concept was an operative alternative to PA within an area of interest for conservation in Veracruz, Mexico. Activity systems refer to the set of productive strategies that result from the mobilization of resources and which, within particular environmental governance contexts, shape the landscape. To understand the challenges and opportunities of our case study, we: (1) delimited the landscape according to local conservation interests; and (2) analyzed the role of stakeholders in shaping this landscape. The delimited landscape included areas considered wildlife reservoirs and water provisioning zones. Our results suggested that the existence of local conservation areas (private and communal), combined with shaded-coffee agroforestry practices, made this region an example of ML. Although local conservation initiatives are perceived as more legitimate than top-down approaches, agreements amongst stakeholders are essential to strengthen environmental governance. In specific socio-ecological contexts, ML can be effective strategies for conservation through agroecosystems that maintain a high-quality landscape matrix, allowing nature preservation and delivering economic benefits.

Controlling the impact of the managed honeybee on wild bees in protected areas

In recent years, conservation biologists have raised awareness about the risk of ecological interference between massively introduced managed honeybees and the native wild bee fauna in protected natural areas. In this study, we surveyed wild bees and quantified their nectar and pollen foraging success in a rosemary Mediterranean scrubland in southern France, under different conditions of apiary size and proximity. We found that high-density beekeeping triggers foraging competition which depresses not only the occurrence (−55%) and nectar foraging success (−50%) of local wild bees but also nectar (−44%) and pollen (−36%) harvesting by the honeybees themselves. Overall, those competition effects spanned distances of 600–1.100 m around apiaries, i.e. covering 1.1–3.8km2 areas. Regardless the considered competition criterion, setting distance thresholds among apiaries appeared more tractable than setting colony density thresholds for beekeeping regulation. Moreover, the intraspecific competition among the honeybees has practical implications for beekeepers. It shows that the local carrying capacity has been exceeded and raises concerns for honey yields and colony sustainability. It also offers an effective ecological criterion for pragmatic decision-making whenever conservation practitioners envision progressively reducing beekeeping in protected areas. Although specific to the studied area, the recommendations provided here may help raise consciousness about the threat high-density beekeeping may pose to local nature conservation initiatives, especially in areas with sensitive or endangered plant or bee species such as small oceanic islands with high levels of endemism.

Marine Conservation Outcomes are More Likely when Fishers Participate as Citizen Scientists: Case Studies from the Mexican Mesoamerican Reef

Small-scale fishers on Caribbean coral reefs have exploited fish spawning aggregations (FSAs) for generations, but intense fishing has led to the loss of traditional aggregation sites. In many areas, the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of fishers has contributed greatly to the characterization of spawning aggregations and implementation of local conservation initiatives. TEK has identified more than 40 potential FSA sites along the coast of the Mexican Mesoamerican Reef. These sites have been characterised and scientifically validated, in some cases with traditional western science and in others, with a participatory citizen-science approach. The objective of this work is to compare the science and conservation outcomes at these FSA sites. We report that those FSA sites where scientific surveys were conducted without community participation remain unprotected. By contrast, the FSAs where local fishers were engaged in characterization and subsequent monitoring are now protected at the behest of the fishers themselves. Conservation initiatives to protect FSAs can be more effective through a combination of TEK, western science, and participatory citizen science involving local fishers.

10. The influence Kingston feral cat populations have on local biodiversity

Focus: Kingston Feral Cat (Felis catus) PopulationLocation: Greater Kingston AreaIssue: Released domesticated cats have established feral populations within the Kingston area. Predation by the feral cats has caused damage to the local bird and small mammal populations. The cats also displace other mammals that have previously occupied the same ecological niche. Furthermore, the increased cat population has led to an increase in the flea and disease count. Overall they decrease biodiversity in the Kingston area. Objective: We aim to promote and inform the general public of this occurrence, so that the communitycan be involved with helping manage and decrease the damaging effects of the feral population. Methods:1. Survey a local colony of feral cats to further understand the extent of the problem.2. Work with local conservation initiatives (ex. Kingston Spay and Neuter Initiative) to gain hands onexperience in dealing with the feral cats.3. To raise awareness by utilizing social media (creating images people want to share on Facebook,Twitter, Tumblr etc.)Ultimate goal: With this project we hope to alter the problem of feral cats with a two-fold solution. By increasing public awareness we hope to decrease the release of domesticated cats into the wild, promote owners spaying and neutering their pets and encourage others to perform further work. We hope to utilize our own skills and gain experience by working on the ground with local initiatives to learn the best methods to tackle this issue.

Detecting, mapping and classifying wetland fragments at a landscape scale

Small valley-bottom wetlands (<5km2) are often overlooked in conservation and restoration efforts due to the difficulty to discriminate them in large regions. However due to their position in the landscape they are both critical for ecosystem service provision as well as highly threatened. Therefore there is a need to detect and map the extent of small valley-bottom wetlands to aid conservation and restoration efforts. We investigated five research questions concerning small, valley-bottom palmiet wetlands in the Cape Floristic Region (CFR), South Africa: (1) What is the best technique to detect palmiet wetlands?, (2) what is the best approach to map their extent?, (3) how best to analyse their potential extent and historical changes?, (4) what is their current extent and distribution and how has this changed historically?, and (5) what are the main drivers of this change? We used three different approaches to answer the various questions: multispectral imagery (the Landsat series) combined with Support Vector Machine classification, aerial photograph analysis with photographs from three time-steps and predictive modelling of wetland habitat suitability (using the MaxEnt model). Our main findings suggest that (1) multispectral classification using Landsat8 was best for palmiet wetland detection (76% accuracy), whereas (2) aerial photographs were the most useful in mapping extent. (3) Analysing changes in extent over time was best achieved using aerial photography, due to their high resolution and long historical record in South Africa (1940 compared to 1970 in the Landsat series). (4) South African palmiet wetlands are in decline, having decreased by on average 31% in area since the 1940/50s (overall loss of 6.36km2). Palmiet wetlands have also become increasingly fragmented, with weighted wetland perimeter increasing by 29% over the same period. (5) The major driver of this appears to be gully erosion triggered by land-use change. The wider implication of these findings is that it is possible to detect small wetlands using freely available Landsat8 data which could be useful to support local or regional conservation and restoration initiatives.

Integrating Community-Based Family Planning Services with Local Marine Conservation Initiatives in Southwest Madagascar: Changes in Contraceptive Use and Fertility.

This study assessed changes in contraceptive use and fertility between 2009 and 2013 in the Velondriake locally managed marine area of southwest Madagascar where marine conservation organization Blue Ventures began implementing an integrated health-environment program in 2007. The proportion of sexually active women aged 15 to 49 years using hormonal contraception and/or condoms during last intercourse increased more than twofold from 25percent in 2009 to 59 percent in 2013. The number of births in the last 12months per 1,000 women of reproductive age declined by 20 percent over the same period from 178 in 2009 to 143 in 2013. This program increased access to family planning for previously under-served communities, leading to uptake of modern contraceptives with an associated decline in fertility. These results suggest that this program has enabled couples to avoid unintended pregnancies, thereby bolstering local marine conservation initiatives.

Changes in the distribution of reports of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) after 16 years of local conservation initiatives at Gunnedah, north-west New South Wales, Australia

In the early 1990s the koala became the mascot for a revegetation program to control salinity on agricultural land around Gunnedah in New South Wales, and a snapshot of the koala’s distribution in the shire was collected at that time, mainly via a mail survey. After the success of tree plantings in the 1990s, the koala population of the Liverpool Plains became a focus of increasing local conservation efforts, as well as research to explain koala population dynamics. This included a repeat mail survey conducted in 2006, which enabled the comparison of the reported distributions to be undertaken. These two citizen science surveys had different response rates but both produced extensive datasets. By 2006, koalas were reported from a wider extent than in 1990, particularly to the north and east of the town, and in more developed agricultural areas, but with highest densities in areas with more than 25% wooded vegetation. In 1990, koalas were reported mostly from locations that were surrounded by more than 40% wooded vegetation with the core of the distribution being on the basalt hills south of the town of Gunnedah. Koalas were also reported with increased relative frequency in the town, and this formed the core of the reported sightings at that time. There were still no reports from many of the vegetated hilly margins of the shire. The observed changes in the pattern of reporting reflects the actual distribution of koalas intersected with the likelihood of observation and the willingness of people to report koalas, and also identify the areas that may be under-sampled to determine the true habitat breath of koalas in the area.

Multipurpose habitat networks for short‐range and long‐range connectivity: a new method combining graph and circuit connectivity

Summary Biodiversity conservation in landscapes undergoing climate and land‐use changes requires designing multipurpose habitat networks that connect the movements of organisms at multiple spatial scales. Short‐range connectivity within habitat networks provides organisms access to spatially distributed resources, reduces local extinctions and increases recolonization of habitat fragments. Long‐range connectivity across habitat networks facilitates annual migrations and climate‐driven range shifts. We present a method for identifying a multipurpose network of forest patches that promotes both short‐ and long‐range connectivity. Our method uses both graph‐theoretic analyses that quantify network connectedness and circuit‐based analyses that quantify network traversability as the basis for identifying spatial conservation priorities on the landscape. We illustrate our approach in the agroecosystem, bordered by the Laurentian and Appalachian mountain ranges, that surrounds the metropolis of Montreal, Canada. We established forest conservation priorities for the ovenbird, a Neotropical migrant, sensitive to habitat fragmentation that breeds in our study area. All connectivity analyses were based on the same empirically informed resistance surface for ovenbird, but habitat pixels that facilitated short‐ and long‐range connectivity requirements had low spatial correlation. The trade‐off between connectivity requirements in the final ranking of conservation priorities showed a pattern of diminishing returns such that beyond a threshold, additional conservation of long‐range connectivity had decreased effectiveness on the conservation of short‐range connectivity. Highest conservation priority was assigned to a series of stepping stone forest patches across the study area that promote traversability between the bordering mountain ranges and to a collection of small forest fragments scattered throughout the study area that provide connectivity within the agroecosystem. Landscape connectivity is important for the ecology and genetics of populations threatened by climate change and habitat fragmentation. Our method has been illustrated as a means to conserve two critical dimensions of connectivity for a single species, but it is designed to incorporate a variety of connectivity requirements for many species. Our approach can be tailored to local, regional and continental conservation initiatives to protect essential species movements that will allow biodiversity to persist in a changing climate.

Monitoring landed seahorse catch in a changing policy environment

ESR Endangered Species Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials ESR 27:95-111 (2015) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00643 Monitoring landed seahorse catch in a changing policy environment M. Yasué1,*, A. Nellas2, H. Panes2, A. C. J. Vincent3 1Quest University Canada, 3200 University Blvd., Squamish, BC V8B 0N8, Canada 2Project Seahorse Foundation for Marine Conservation, Gaviola Compound, Maria Theresa Village II, Barangay Guadalupe 6000, Philippines 3Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada *Corresponding author: maiyasue@gmail.com ABSTRACT: For many small-scale, tropical reef fisheries, landed catch may be the only data that can be monitored to assess the impacts of management. This is true for seahorses Hippocampus comes that are obtained as part of a multi-species fishery in the Philippines. Here, because seahorses are locally rare and depleted, it is difficult to attain large enough sample sizes to detect changes over time using underwater surveys. We assessed changes in seahorse sales at 2 sites, from 1996 and 2005 respectively to 2010. The study period covered local and national conservation initiatives that could affect seahorses and dependent fisheries: establishment of marine reserves (1998 onwards), a community-led minimum size limit (MSL: 2002 to 2004) and a national ban on seahorse fishing (from 2004). The MSL appeared to lead to increased sizes of seahorses in trade, as hoped, while the national ban led, perversely, to more fishers selling seahorses. Declines in overall take after 2004 or 2007 (depending on the site) is likely linked to declining seahorse populations rather than reduced effort, especially when one considers the increased number of fishers and the price per seahorse. It is notable that communities decided on the MSL, whereas the government imposed the ban on capturing seahorses. In this small-scale, multi-species fishery, monitoring a wide range of variables intensively over a relatively long time scale allowed us to identify key differences between small-scale and industrial fisheries management, and also to document the biological and social consequences of management action for a depleted, threatened species. KEY WORDS: CITES · MPAs · Marine reserve · Exploitation · Fishing ban · Philippines · Size distribution · Minimum size limits Full text in pdf format Supplementary material NextCite this article as: Yasué M, Nellas A, Panes H, Vincent ACJ (2015) Monitoring landed seahorse catch in a changing policy environment. Endang Species Res 27:95-111. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00643 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in ESR Vol. 27, No. 2. Online publication date: February 18, 2015 Print ISSN: 1863-5407; Online ISSN: 1613-4796 Copyright © 2015 Inter-Research.