Maintain Ecosystem Resilience Research Articles

The curious case of small mammal community in a rice-Pantanal agroecosystem of Brazil: A tale of multiple diversity metrics

To understand how certain types of agroecosystem management provide resources for biodiversity and conservation opportunities beyond protected areas, it is necessary to consider the cumulative effects on a local scale. Our study focuses on a rice-Pantanal wetland agricultural system within Brazil, where our goals were: i) to quantify the impact of rice paddies on taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity metrics of small mammals as biodiversity indicators, ii) to compare diversity indices based on incidence and abundance data. We carried out a thorough assessment to sample small mammal species in both the rice paddy and the adjacent legal reserve by employing a multiple diversity metrics approach. We captured the small mammals until reaching saturation on the species accumulation curve over 12,774 trap nights, resulting in 447 individuals, 10 species, including seven rodents and three marsupial species. Abundance-based beta-diversity between rice-paddy and forest reserve were higher (0.95) than incidence-based estimate (0.33). The species composition differed between the legal reserve (8 spp.) and the rice paddy (7 spp.), with the reserve exhibiting higher taxonomic diversity values compared to the rice paddy. In terms of functional and phylogenetic diversity, overall, the rice paddy exhibited higher values for the incidence-based metrics and the abundance-based metrics indicated that the reserve was more diverse. We conclude that Neotropical Pantanal rice fields retain substantial functional and phylogenetic diversities, providing suitable habitats for species thriving in open and semi-aquatic environments. Simultaneously, the legal reserve retains an essential aspect of functional diversity, when considering abundance, needed to maintain ecosystem resilience and stability. Proper abundance estimation is thus a key parameter for accurately evaluating the role of agricultural landscapes as biodiversity conservation opportunities beyond protected areas. Abundance-based indices should be used to correctly evaluate the contribution of each habitat to agroecosystem sustainability, especially in seasonal or extreme event-prone environments.

Restoring soil biodiversity

Soil health is crucial for all terrestrial life, supporting, among other processes, food production, water purification and carbon sequestration. Soil biodiversity - the variety of life within soils - is key to these processes and thus key to soil restoration. Human activities that degrade ecosystems threaten soil biodiversity and associated ecosystem processes. Indeed, 75% of the world's soils are affected by degradation - a figure that could rise to 90% by 2050 if deforestation, overgrazing, urbanisation and other harmful practices persist. Restoring soil biodiversity is a prerequisite for planetary health, and it comes with many challenges and opportunities. Soil directly supports around 60% of all species on Earth, and land degradation poses a major problem for this biodiversity and the ecosystem services that sustain human populations. Indeed, 98% of human calories come from soil, and earthworms alone underpin 6.5% of the world's grain production. Moreover, the total carbon in terrestrial ecosystems is around 3,170 gigatons (1 gigaton (Gt) = 1 billion metric tons), of which approximately 80% (2,500 Gt) is found in soil. Therefore, restoring soil biodiversity is not just a human need but an ecological and Earth-system imperative. It is pivotal for maintaining ecosystem resilience, sustaining agricultural productivity and mitigating climate change impacts.

Unraveling the Sensitivity and Response of Ecosystems to Rising Moisture Stress in India

Moisture stress has increased substantially across the globe with significant impact on terrestrial ecosystems. Therefore, we examine the sensitivity and response of terrestrial ecosystems to rising moisture stress in India during recent decades (2000 to 2019). The Random Forest approach reveals that soil moisture (SM) is the major driver (31%) of ecosystem functioning and its health in India. Moisture availability in the atmosphere (Vapor Pressure Deficit [VPD], 25.8%) and on land (Climatic Water Deficit [CWD], 24.6%) also have major control on the ecosystem functioning. Terrestrial warming (1.8%) increases evapotranspiration (ET, 10.76%), depletes SM (2.45%), and rises CWD (3.37%) and VPD (1.8%), despite the increase in precipitation (P, 2.54%) in recent decade (2010 to 2019) as compared to previous decade (2000 to 2009). In response to the rising moisture stress, the Water Use Efficiency (WUE) is increasing in the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), Southern India (SI), and eastern Himalaya, but the Carbon Use Efficiency (CUE) is decreasing in these regions. The Resilience method reveals that IGP and Northwest are nonresilient to moisture stress in terms of CUE, whereas SI, the western Central India, eastern Himalaya, and Northeast are nonresilient in terms of WUE. Our results reveal that ecosystem functioning factors (CUE and WUE) are increasing (decreasing) in regions where they are nonresilient (resilient) to moisture stress. Therefore, there is a need of proper ecosystem planning, climate risk management and policies to mitigate the threats of climate change and food security by maintaining ecosystem resilience to moisture stress across the regions.

“From Decomposers to Superheroes”: Unleashing the Hidden Powers of Fungi to Save Our Planet

Fungi, often overlooked but omnipresent, hold remarkable potential to address some of the most pressing environmental challenges facing our planet. This article explores the multifaceted roles of fungi, transcending their conventional image as decomposers, and showcases how they emerge as unsung superheroes in the battle for environmental sustainability. From mycorrhizal symbiosis enhancing plant growth to bioremediation activities cleansing polluted environments, fungi play pivotal roles in diverse ecological processes. This article examines the promising applications of fungi in sustainable agriculture, food production, waste decomposition, and the production of biofuels, highlighting their capacity to revolutionise these fields. Furthermore, the medicinal and biotechnological contributions of fungi are also explored, revealing a rich source of bioactive compounds with potential pharmaceutical applications. The role of fungi in the production of various fermented foods and their capacity to combat pests biologically underscore their significance in sustainable food production. Fungi also proves vital in carbon sequestration, erosion control, and soil stabilisation, contributing to global efforts in mitigating climate change and preserving ecosystems. By delving into the world of fungal biodiversity, the paper emphasises the importance of conservation efforts in maintaining ecosystem resilience and preventing the loss of critical ecological functions. This article sheds light on the transformative potential of fungi, urging a paradigm shift in how we perceive and harness these organisms. As our understanding of fungal biology deepens, recognising the vast number of undescribed and unexplored species becomes increasingly important. With their remarkable adaptations and ecological significance, Fungi continue to captivate the scientific community and underscore the need for sustained exploration and conservation efforts in this diverse and understudied kingdom. Recognising fungi as environmental superheroes provides a novel perspective that could inspire innovative solutions for sustainable development and the preservation of our planet's health.

Implementation Framework for Transformation of Peat Ecosystems to Support Food Security

The development of food estates, including peatland ecosystems, is expected to support food security in all regions equally. Technically, the widespread clearing of peatlands for cultivating a specific food crop has multiple environmental effects. The need for more attention to non-technical aspects related to the socioeconomic life of the surrounding community is also an obstacle to the sustainability of the food estate program. In support of food security and sovereignty, this study aimed to develop an implementation framework for sustainably utilizing peat ecosystems as arable land-producing food commodities. A systematic literature review in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines and field observations were used to develop ecosystem concepts by focusing on maintaining an ecosystem’s social, economic, and ecological aspects. This paper describes the history of peat ecosystem utilization, evaluates previous errors in peatland clearing for food, and analyzes the data using the perspective of peat hydrological unit to better understand the livelihood preferences of existing communities. The previous literature’s key findings served as the guidelines for constructing the implementation framework. First, this method identifies people’s natural resource-based livelihoods and describes peatland ecosystems. Second, it evaluates the long-term viability of livelihoods and identifies improvement levers. Finally, it facilitates increasing the scale of food commodities produced from sustainable livelihoods to meet market demand while maintaining ecosystem resilience.

To burn or not to burn: An empirical assessment of the impacts of wildfires and prescribed fires on trace element concentrations in Western US streams

The use of low-severity prescribed fires has been increasingly promoted to reduce the impacts from high-severity wildfires and maintain ecosystem resilience. However, the effects of prescribed fires on water quality have rarely been evaluated relative to the effects of wildfires. In this study, we assessed the effects of 54 wildfires and 11 prescribed fires on trace element (arsenic, selenium, and cadmium) concentrations of streams draining burned watersheds in the western US. To obtain results independent of the choice of method, we employed three independent analytical approaches to evaluate fire effects on water quality for the first three post-fire years. In general, we observed significant increases in trace element concentrations in streams burned by large, high-severity wildfires, despite substantial variability across sites. Comparatively, we did not observe increases in the spring mean concentration of arsenic, selenium, and cadmium in watersheds burned by prescribed fires. Our analysis indicated that the post-fire trace element response in streams was primarily influenced by burn area, burn severity, post-fire weather, surface lithology, watershed physiography, and land cover. This study's results demonstrate that prescribed burns could lessen the post-fire trace element loads in downstream waters if prescribed fires reduce subsequent high severity fires in the landscape.

Fisheries as ecosystem services: A case study of the Cauvery river basin, India

Habitat alterations and fragmentation caused by anthropogenic modifications of the riverine landscape have affected fish biodiversity by reducing the number of fish species. Fish are a major element of the aquatic environment, and they play an important role in maintaining ecosystem resilience. However, an incomplete understanding of links between river ecosystem functions and processes with fisheries is one of the major reasons for the alarming rate of decline of fish species. Recognizing the ecosystem services generated by fish populations is essential and is one step toward comprehensive, ecosystem-based management of riverine fisheries. Therefore, this paper is motivated by the need to explore the dimensions of fisheries as an ecosystem service. The data was collected from primary field observations and checklist-based key informant interviews at the seventeen fishing sites selected across an 800 km river stretch of the river. In addition, two focused group discussions with fishers at two sampling sites were held to provide first-hand knowledge of ecosystem services generated by fisheries. At first, the role of fisheries in generating ecosystem services for riverine ecosystem functioning and human demands is outlined using the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment approach. Then, the findings of a survey carried out from the headwaters to the delta of the Cauvery river are presented detailing the fisheries provisioning services, livelihoods, and other ecosystem services. The findings showed that the provisioning and cultural services are highly represented among the four categories of ecosystem services identified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. However, in the literature reviewed, supporting, and regulating services are not well-represented. Based on these findings, the applicability of the ecosystem service concept can be elaborated to inform researchers and policymakers to enhance conservation efforts for fisheries.

The Role of Biodiversity in Ecosystem Resilience

In the context of global environmental change ecosystem resilience becomes critical for long term survival of species and consistent delivery of ecosystem services. Concerns however exist on whether managing ecosystems for resilience would actually support biodiversity conservation. Current focus of empirical studies on species richness as the main measure of biodiversity may result in underestimation of the link between biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. A closer look at different levels of biodiversity, namely interspecific, intraspecific and ecosystem diversity allow better understanding of how biodiversity underpins resilience. Thus, a holistic approach to biodiversity research and management is needed to maintain ecosystem resilience in the context of global environmental change. All three level of biodiversity need to be considered. Landscape Approach is likely to be the most effective strategy in conservation, because preserving biodiversity at a landscape level is likely to simultaneously ensure metapopulation genetic diversity, secure high functional redundancy and response diversity, and preserve ecological memory, which ultimately ensure ecosystem resilience and consistent flow of ecosystem services.

Street Tree Planning to Improve Public Health and Ecosystem Resilience in Urban Areas: A Scenario Analysis Using a System Dynamics Model.

Increases in particulate matter in cities threaten both public health and ecosystems. Street trees, which are a corridor-type green infrastructure capable of absorbing particulate matter, have been promoted as one possible solution to this problem. However, planting selected trees solely with the goal of reducing particulate matter may adversely affect street tree ecosystem resilience by inhibiting species diversity. This study aims to investigate urban street tree planting strategies that reduce particulate matter while maintaining ecosystem resilience. To this end, a study site in Suwon, South Korea was selected, and street tree planting scenarios were developed based on the selected site information. A scenario analysis was conducted using a system dynamics model. The model simulated the long-term trends under each scenario regarding the amount of particulate matter absorbed by the trees and the changes in species diversity. The analysis results clearly show that strategic planting of street trees while focusing on only a specific purpose—reducing particulate matter—can adversely affect ecosystem resilience. The scenario analysis also revealed that increasing the number of street trees while maintaining a balance among various species is the best option for reducing particulate matter without degrading species diversity. Additionally, the results support the need to plant evergreen species to consider the winter season.

Practical implementation of cumulative‐effects management of marine ecosystems in western North America

Globally, ecosystem structure and function have been degraded by the cumulative effects (CE) of multiple stressors. To maintain ecosystem resilience, there is an urgent need to better account for CE in management decision‐making at various scales. Current laws and regulations are supported by a multitude of frameworks and strategies that vary in application and terminology use across management agencies and geopolitical boundaries. We synthesized management frameworks that accounted for CE in marine ecosystems at the regional and national levels across western North America (Canada, United States, Mexico) to identify similarities and shared challenges to successful implementation. We examined examples of solutions to the identified challenges (e.g., interagency and cross‐border partnerships to overcome challenges of managing for ecologically relevant spatial scales). Management frameworks in general consisted of 3 phases: scoping and structuring the system; characterizing relationships; and evaluating management options. Challenges in the robust implementation of these phases included lack of interagency coordination, minimal incorporation of diverse perspectives, and data deficiencies. Cases that provided solutions to these challenges encouraged coordination at ecological rather than jurisdictional scales, enhanced involvement of stakeholders and Indigenous groups, and used nontraditional data sources for decision‐making. Broader implementation of these approaches, combined with increased interagency and international coordination and collaboration, should facilitate the rapid advancement of more effective CE assessment and ecosystem management in North America and elsewhere.

Homogenization of reservoir eukaryotic algal and cyanobacterial communities is accelerated by dam construction and eutrophication

Extensive construction of dams and increased human activities have greatly accelerated the homogenization of regional biotic communities. The cumulative effects caused by dams and anthropogenic nutrient loading on the temporal turnover of phytoplankton communities are largely unexplored, but of critical conservation importance for understanding reservoir ecosystem functioning. Here, biodiversity patterns in eukaryotic algal and cyanobacterial communities were investigated in a large reservoir over the last ~80 years by sequencing DNA preserved in sediment cores. The succession of eukaryotic algal and cyanobacterial communities recovered by sequencing of rRNA gene markers exhibited a high degree of consistency, with both showing evidence for significant changes in the 1970’s and 2000’s based on univariate and multivariate analyses. Temporal turnover indicated a marked loss of the taxonomic and phylogenetic structures of communities, which became more similar through time due to the homogenous reservoir environment and concomitant ecological pressures from human activities. Specifically, temporal homogenization of algal communities could be attributed to the damming of the reservoir in the 1960s that then affected the hydrological conditions of the reservoir and nutrient retention, with increased anthropogenic nutrient loading favoring the growth of specific taxa like Microcystis, as evidenced from Random Forest machine learning and ecological network analyses. Thus, these results demonstrate accelerated homogenization of algal communities in the reservoir due to the impacts of damming and nutrient enrichment. These observations also call for a need to develop conservation strategies to maintain ecosystem resilience and prevent harmful blooms in reservoir systems.

Assessing the long-term effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions under different climate change scenarios

Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) have been gaining importance in many European cities to reduce floods' impacts. However, evidence of their effectiveness in reducing the impacts of droughts in rural areas are scarce. Besides, ignoring future climate conditions or the specific socio-economic context in which NBS is applied could decrease their long-term effectiveness. This study aims to stress the importance of developing scientifically-based and customised information on climate change impacts as a precondition for designing and implementing NBS. For that, a System Dynamic model was developed to analyse and understand the dynamic behaviour of NBS responding to different scenarios of climate change and socio-economic contexts. This article recognises the proactive involvement at all societal levels as an essential component to enhance and maintain ecosystem resilience and, therefore, NBS11MGWB: Medina del Campo Groundwater BodySD: System DynamicsRCP: Representative Concentration PathwaysGW: GroundwaterQSDM: Qualitative System Dynamics ModelGM: Group modelGMB: Group Model BuildingSC: Soil conservationETP: Potential EvapotranspirationEQ: Environmental QualityNJEO: New Jobs and economic opportunitiesSDM: System Dynamics ModelBAU: Business as usual scenarioNBS-NCA: Nature Based Solutions without citizens awareness scenarioeffectiveness. Thus, participatory modelling activities were carried out to engage stakeholders in the model development process to obtain relevant bottom-up information and organise stakeholders' collective knowledge in a graphical structure that captures the system's main dynamics. The Medina del Campo Groundwater Body was used as a frame for the analysis. The study results highlight the need for developing scientifically-based and customised information on the impacts of climate change on NBS as an essential precondition to maintain their long-term effectiveness.

Conflicting portrayals of remaining old growth: the British Columbia case

Old growth is disappearing globally, with implications for biodiversity, forest resilience, and carbon storage; yet uncertainty remains about how much exists, partly because assessments stratify ecosystems differently, sometimes obscuring relevant patterns. This paper compares portrayals of British Columbia’s (BC) old-growth forest stratified in two ways: by biogeoclimatic variant, as per policy, and by relative site productivity. Our analyses confirm provincial government claims that about a quarter of BC’s forests are old growth but find that most of this area has low realized productivity, including subalpine and bog forests, and that less than 1% is highly productive old growth, growing large trees. Within biogeoclimatic variant, nearly half of high-productivity forest landscapes have less than 1% of the expected area of old forest. Low-productivity ecosystems are over-represented in protected forest. We suggest that the experiment of managing old growth solely by biogeoclimatic variant has failed and that current forest policy, in combination with timber harvesting priorities, does not maintain representative ecosystems, counter to the intent of both policy and international conventions. Stratifying old growth by relative productivity within biogeoclimatic variant seems an appropriate method to portray ecosystem representation, potentially increasing the probability of maintaining ecosystem resilience.

Re-evaluating pattern and process to understand resilience in transitional mixed conifer forests.

A key challenge to maintaining resilient landscapes is adapting to and maintaining dynamic ecological processes. In fire-dependent ecosystems, this includes identifying and defining mechanisms through which fire influences forest structure and functionality. Interpretations of tree patterns via land survey records in the Lake States have often highlighted the importance of infrequent moderate to extreme disturbance events. However, historical survey methods are limited to observing higher severity disturbances and over large landscapes, thus it is not clear if the origin, structure, and forcing factors for either patterns or processes are adequately quantified by these methods. We used dendrochronological methods to determine how fire history and stand structure, including cohort structure, tree density, and spatial patterning, are linked within Lake States mixed conifer forests in Wisconsin. We found relatively short mean fire return intervals (MFRIs) ranging from 6 to 13yr with little variation in fire frequency among sites. Current densities of red-pine-dominated forests are 4-37 times historical (ca. 1860) densities (mean12×) and almost entirely spatially random, whereas historically forests were spatially aggregated at stand scales. Stands also contained multiple and/or loosely defined cohort structures suggesting very different controls operating historically than currently. Heterogeneity that helped maintain ecosystem resilience in these ecosystems historically came from frequent fire disturbance processes that affected stand-scale forest resistance. This was likely the historical dynamic across fire-adapted transitional pine forests of the Lake States.

Seasonal interactions of pastoralists and wildlife in relation to pasture in an African savanna ecosystem

Wildlife and livestock have coexisted across East African rangelands for millennia, tracking seasonal forage availability across large landscapes. More recently however, free-ranging movements have been increasingly restricted by land use changes, reducing the ability of livestock and wildlife to access necessary grazing resources, leading to both homogenization and degradation of the rangeland. This in turn has led to losses in productivity of both livestock and wildlife. This study describes wildlife and livestock interactions in response to pasture in one of the few remaining areas of mixed wildlife-livestock use with unrestricted movements. We ask if pastoral management systems can create and maintain spatial and temporal heterogeneity of pasture, through the seasonal movement of livestock. Furthermore, does this heterogeneity create a diverse, productive and resilient assemblage of both domestic and wild ungulates? Our results provide evidence to support the notion that traditional pastoral systems which continue to manage for heterogeneity of pasture can still support not only livestock but also substantial numbers of wildlife. The results highlight the need for wildlife and livestock to retain both mobility and access to both wet and dry season areas to maintain ecosystem resilience and promote coexistence in mixed livestock-wildlife landscapes.

Maintaining ecosystem resilience: functional responses of tree cavity nesters to logging in temperate forests of the Americas

Logging often reduces taxonomic diversity in forest communities, but little is known about how this biodiversity loss affects the resilience of ecosystem functions. We examined how partial logging and clearcutting of temperate forests influenced functional diversity of birds that nest in tree cavities. We used point-counts in a before-after-control-impact design to examine the effects of logging on the value, range, and density of functional traits in bird communities in Canada (21 species) and Chile (16 species). Clearcutting, but not partial logging, reduced diversity in both systems. The effect was much more pronounced in Chile, where logging operations removed critical nesting resources (large decaying trees), than in Canada, where decaying aspen Populus tremuloides were retained on site. In Chile, logging was accompanied by declines in species richness, functional richness (amount of functional niche occupied by species), community-weighted body mass (average mass, weighted by species densities), and functional divergence (degree of maximization of divergence in occupied functional niche). In Canada, clearcutting did not affect species richness but nevertheless reduced functional richness and community-weighted body mass. Although some cavity-nesting birds can persist under intensive logging operations, their ecosystem functions may be severely compromised unless future nest trees can be retained on logged sites.

The path back: oaks (Quercus spp.) facilitate longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) seedling establishment in xeric sites

AbstractUnderstanding plant–plant facilitation is critical for predicting how plant community function will respond to changing disturbance and climate. In longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) ecosystems of the southeastern United States, understanding processes that affect pine reproduction is imperative for conservation efforts that aim to maintain ecosystem resilience across its wide geographic range and edaphic gradients. Variation in wildland fire and plant–plant interactions may be overlooked in “coarse filter” restoration management, where actions are often prescribed over a variety of ecological conditions with an assumed outcome. For example, hardwood reduction techniques are commonly deemed necessary for ecological restoration of longleaf pine ecosystems, as hardwoods are presumed competitors with longleaf pine seedlings. Natural regeneration dynamics are difficult to test experimentally given the infrequent and irregular mast seed events of the longleaf pine. Using a long‐term, large‐scale restoration experiment and a long‐term monitoring data site at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (USA), this study explores the influence of native fire‐intolerant oaks on longleaf regeneration. We test for historical observations of hardwood facilitation against the null hypothesis of competitive exclusion. Our results provide evidence of hardwood facilitation on newly germinated longleaf pine seedlings (<2 yr old) after two mast seeding events (1996, 2011). Using regression‐tree and Kaplan–Meier survival analyses, we found that deciduous oak midstory density was the most significant variable associated with longleaf pine seedling survival rates in the first 2 yr after germination. We found that as few as 43 oak midstory stems ha−1 were sufficient to facilitate seedling survival, but as many as 1400 stems ha−1 maintained facilitation without competitive exclusion of seedlings. We found that 1.5‐yr‐old pine seedlings were more moisture stressed under more open canopy conditions when compared to those immediately adjacent to a midstory oak canopy. Recognition that deciduous oaks are important facilitators of longleaf seedling establishment on xeric sites represents a significant departure from conventional wisdom and current management practices that has largely focused on competitive exclusion. This points to a critical role of a deciduous oak midstory of moderate densities for long‐term ecosystem resilience in xeric longleaf pine ecosystems in light of climate uncertainty.

A multiscale analysis of the effects of alternative silvicultural treatments on windthrow within balsam fir dominated stands

Boreal ecosystem functioning is largely controlled by disturbance dynamics. There have been efforts at adapting forest management approaches to emulate natural disturbance effects, as this is expected to maintain ecosystem resilience. In many instances, this involves resorting to partial cutting strategies that are likely to increase windthrow losses. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of alternative silvicultural practices on windthrow damage and how these effects vary with the scale of treatment. The study was conducted in the Quebec North Shore region (Canada), an area dominated by balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and accompanied by black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill) B.S.P.). Four different silvicultural treatments (overstory removal, heavy partial cutting, and two patterns of selection cutting) and control areas were implemented in 2004 and 2005. The experiment used a nested approach where treatment at the plot level was independent and yet nested within the block-level treatment. At the block level, treatments were applied over 10–20 ha units, leaving a small portion of the block for a smaller application of each treatment (plot scale, 2500 m2). Inventory was carried out before harvesting and monitoring was done yearly after harvesting, with the aim to better understand the plot- and block-level factors that drive windthrow damage levels and the effects of alternative silvicultural treatments. Results after 6–7 years show that basal area proportion windthrown differs substantially between treatments, as well as between treated sites and control sites. Windthrow levels were higher under heavy cuts relative to selection cuts and also increased with balsam fir proportion. Windthrow proportions were better correlated to block-level treatment than plot-level treatment, showing that the environment surrounding the treated plot can have an important effect on windthrow losses. Overall, the selection cutting system, particularly SC2, retains the most green-tree basal area and thus best meets the management objective of retaining old-growth attributes. A simple empirical model was calibrated that could aid in hazard rating.

Giant trevally spawning aggregation highlights importance of community fisheries management no-take zone

Location and timing of spawning aggregations for large teleost predators either remain elusive or constitute core-fishing sites in developing countries, limiting or confounding management actions for sustainable harvesting. In the Quirimbas Archipelago in northern Mozambique, limited artisanal fisheries catch data are available, and only emerging management plans are in place in scattered isolated locations. Artisanal fisheries, however, are the dominant fisheries sector in the region, employing a large proportion of the local population and contributing the main food source for consumption. Giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis) is a highly valued fish and consumed locally but data on giant trevally spawning locations is limited (Westernhagen 1974). This is a concern, given spawning aggregations are extremely susceptible to over fishing, but their functional role is imperative for maintaining ecosystem resilience. Within a community declared no-take zone on the eastern point of Vamizi island, a large aggregation of giant trevally were observed by scuba divers on December 15, 2013, two days prior to the full moon. The fish entered the shelf edge at ∼15–20 m depth from the adjacent deep-water reef channel during daylight hours (15:00) and two hours after high tide. The aggregation numbered >1,000 fish that were estimated to be approximately 80–100 cm total length and larger (Fig. 1a). Individuals were observed pair chasing and displaying color changes (silver to black; Fig. 1b). The fish remained in aggregation formation on the shelf for 1–2 min surrounding the divers before returning to the deep-water channel. Although the physical release of gametes was not observed, indirect evidence commonly used to infer spawning activity, indicate these fish were in the process of spawning

Eye on the Taiga: Removing Global Policy Impediments to Safeguard the Boreal Forest

AbstractThe absence of boreal forests from global policy agendas on sustainable development and climate change mitigation represents a massive missed opportunity for environmental protection. The boreal zone contains some of the world's largest pools of terrestrial carbon that, if not safeguarded from a conversion to a net source of greenhouse gases, could seriously exacerbate global climate change. At the same time, boreal countries have a strong tradition of forest management—expertise that could be effectively leveraged toward global and national carbon mitigation targets and sustainable development. Current obstacles against such contributions include weak incentives for carbon sequestration and a reluctance to embrace change by forest managers and policy makers. We discuss possible solutions to overcome these obstacles, including the improvement of ineffective incentives, the development of alternative forest management strategies, and the need to maintain ecosystem resilience through the pursuit of policy and management options.