Private Conservation Research Articles

EVIDENCE OF EPIZOOTIC HEMORRHAGIC DISEASE VIRUS AND BLUETONGUE VIRUS EXPOSURE IN NONNATIVE RUMINANT SPECIES IN NORTHERN FLORIDA.

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) and bluetongue virus (BTV) are vector-borne viruses of ruminants nearly worldwide. They can affect white-tailed deer (WTD; Odocoileus virginianus), the ranching industry, and nonindigenous hoof stock species managed for conservation. One potential risk factor for ranched WTD is commingling with nonindigenous species on high-fenced properties. Nonindigenous species provide novel viewing and hunting opportunities; however, their presence may create disease hazards. Furthermore, animals within conservation properties may be at a risk from commingling exotics and adjacent wild WTD. Currently, knowledge about EHDV and BTV seroprevalence and transmission is limited in nonindigenous populations in the southeastern United States. The authors conducted a serological survey of 10 Bovidae and 5 Cervidae species residing within two properties in northern Florida. The first site was a conservation property breeding threatened nonindigenous species for conservation. The second property was a private high-fenced game preserve managing WTD and nonindigenous species for breeding, sale, and harvest. Blood samples were tested for titers to three EHDV serotypes (1, 2, and 6) and active circulating viral EHDV and BTV. The private ranch had evidence of EHDV or BTV in one of three (33.3%) Bovidae species and four of five (80%) Cervidae species sampled. At the conservation property, evidence of EHDV infection was found in four of seven (57.1%) Bovidae and one of one (100%) Cervidae species sampled. The presence of antibodies in many nonindigenous species sampled might indicate these species are potential viral hosts and may be a risk to ranched WTD and other species within the same property. Nonindigenous species within the private ranch and conservation properties are at risk of contracting EHDV and BTV, and herd managers should reduce vector-host interactions and consider increased biosecurity measures when translocating animals.

Farm size and its impact on land use: The case of the South African private wildlife industry

Abstract This study briefly discusses the relatively young private wildlife industry of South Africa which surfaced in the late 1990s, early 2000s. The industry has unique conservation management models and land uses that include hunting, breeding and game sales and ecotourism and by-products as well as mixed farming practices that include stock and crop farming. The research found that breeding and game sales are the most productive land-use form. Since this research was conducted, the market for live game sales collapsed and the authors believe that other wildlife-related land uses, such as ecotourism and by-products, will gain popularity in the future to replace breeding which is now less favourable. Furthermore, it was also found that different farm sizes influence the land uses, and a combination of land uses was chosen to be incorporated on a private wildlife establishment. A qualitative research approach was followed, and 223 privately owned wildlife establishment owners and managers were interviewed at fourteen auctions across South Africa. This research also concludes that since most wildlife are found on private conservation land, this research is a must for the industry as it can guide private wildlife establishment owners and managers to manage their private wildlife establishments most productively. Since this research was conducted, the market for live game sales collapsed, and the results show that fewer wildlife establishments are now breeding with game. These game farmers or wildlife establishment owners are now looking for different options on their land. If they cannot find an alternative in the wildlife industry, they will divert to other farming activities such as cattle farming. This will lead to a decrease in land for wildlife, which can impact wildlife numbers in South Africa. The authors believe that land use such as ecotourism and by-products will gain popularity in the future to replace breeding. This research also shows where there are opportunities in the wildlife industry.

Catálogo de Solanaceae de la región La Libertad, Perú

We provide a catalogue of the Solanaceae family of La Libertad region, Peru. The study was based on new collections made by the authors in recent years, on the reviews of a significant number of herbarium specimens and specialized bibliography. A total of 22 genera, 173 species and 8 varieties were registered; including 20 cultivated species and 78 endemic taxa. Browallia, Iochroma, Jaltomata and Solanum present the highest number of species of the total family (119 sps.; 68,79%) and the highest number of endemisms (64 sps.; 82,05%). Endemic taxa according to their degree of threat are categorized: Critically Endangered (CR) (30), Endangered (EN) (8), Vulnerable (VU) (16), Near Threatened (NT) (9), Least Concern (LC) (3), Data Deficient (DD) (7), Not Evaluated (NE) (5). Browallia, Iochroma and Jaltomata are the genera whose species present the highest degree of threat (CR). 13 endemic species are found in protection areas [Calipuy National Reserve and Lomas Cerro Campana Private Conservation Area (PCA)]. The material examined for each species includes the geographical distribution according to the provinces and altitudes, the common name if it existed, the type specimen only of the material described for the La Libertad region, marked by the name and number of the main collector, followed by the acronym for the herbarium where it is deposited; as well as the current state of conservation of the taxon only in the case of endemic taxa. The threats and destruction of the species’ habitats are due to anthropic action. The information presented will serve to continue research in taxonomic, ecological, environmental, molecular aspects, obtaining bioactive compounds and innovation.

Brazil's Amazon Soy Moratorium reduced deforestation.

Between 2004 and 2012, multiple policies contributed to one of the great conservation successes of the twenty-first century-an 84% decrease in the rate of Brazilian Amazon deforestation. Among the most prominent of these policies is the Amazon Soy Moratorium (ASM), an agreement by grain traders not to purchase soy grown on recently deforested land. The ASM inspired widespread adoption of similar zero-deforestation commitments, but its impact is poorly understood due to its overlap with other conservation policies. Here, we apply an econometric triple-differences model to remotely sensed deforestation data to isolate the ASM's impact within Brazil's Arc of Deforestation. We show that the ASM reduced deforestation in soy-suitable locations in the Amazon by 0.66 ± 0.32 percentage points relative to a counterfactual control, preventing 18,000 ± 9,000 km2 of deforestation over its first decade (2006-2016). Although these results highlight potential benefits of private conservation policies, the ASM's success was dependent on complementarities with public property registries and deforestation monitoring.

Conserving what? Conservation easements and environmental justice in the coastal US South

Conservation easements, voluntary legal agreements whereby a landowner forfeits some of his or her land development rights in exchange for tax benefits, are an increasingly common strategy for protecting land from development in the United States today. For instance, from 2005 to 2015, private land under conservation easement in the United States increased by 175%, growing to more than 16 million acres held by land trusts, which are collectively endowed with more than $2.2 billion in funding. Recent critical analyses of this trend conceptualize conservation easements as a tool of neoliberal environmental governance, whereby nature is increasingly individuated and conservation is (at least partially) privatized. Conservation easements grew rapidly in the 1980s as the result of a compromise between mainstream environmental organizations and the Reagan administration’s anti-public lands agenda; thus, one interpretation is that they are the pragmatic “roll-out” of conservation efforts from a handcuffed liberal environmental movement. Yet, our historical and qualitative analysis of the politics of conservation easements in the coastal US South suggests that they were actually an elite white class project from the start, rather than a reaction to constraints on public lands protection. Thus, we argue that the environmental justice implications of conservation easements deserve more attention. Our efforts to develop a spatial-statistical assessment of the ways that their ecological benefits are distributed beyond parcel boundaries were limited by the privatization of data on conservation easements. Instead, we assess the distribution of easements themselves across the region, finding limited differences, but ones that we interpret as meaningful, between public and private conservation lands regarding racial composition and incomes of nearby populations. Importantly, this kind of mixed-methods analysis indicates how the exclusive control of data undergirds the exclusive control of land. Most broadly, we argue that Cheryl Harris’s theorization of “whiteness as property” remains an important resource for political ecologists because it helps specify the relationship between race, class, and nature under capitalism.

Forest landowner harvest decisions in a new era of conservation stewardship and changing markets in Maine, USA

Forest managers and policymakers across the globe are continually exploring ways to better understand how various socio-economic conditions and shocks can influence timber supply. In this paper, we develop a statistical harvest choice model for the state of Maine, a historically important timber supply region in North America. Landowner-level timber harvest choices were estimated using a multinomial logit model of two products (sawlogs and pulplogs), under varying management intensities (partial harvest, clearcut), and ownership classifications (public, private, conservation) across varying market conditions. Results indicate that stumpage prices have a significant effect on forest landowners' harvest decisions, regardless of the ownership classification or harvest intensity. Timber supply is positive and inelastic with respect to stumpage price, with state-level own-price elasticities ranging from 0.27–0.31 for sawlogs and 0.43–0.73 for pulplogs, with elasticities increasing with harvest intensity. Simulations that increase the proportion of forest designated as private conservation estimated that doing so could reduce Maine's total timber supply by 2%, although the level of sawlog harvests could increase by 0.5% as conservation landowners supplement their non-timber objectives with higher value wood. Our approach to modeling the complex timber harvesting patterns across a diverse array of both private, public, and conservation owners can be leveraged to inform policies focused on sustainable timber flows. Furthermore, it indicates that increases in conservation forestland area does not necessarily lead to large reductions in timber harvests, particularly in a state like Maine where most conservation land is still managed as working forest.

Rare Bearded Capuchin (Sapajus libidinosus) Tool-Use Culture is Threatened by Land use Changes in Northeastern Brazil

Animal traditions are increasingly threatened by human impact on natural habitats, posing a challenge to conservation policies. In northeastern Brazil, bearded capuchins (Sapajus libidinosus) inhabiting the Cerrado–Caatinga biome of Fazenda Boa Vista use stone hammers and anvils to crack open palm nuts and other encased foods. The same species inhabiting the mangroves of Morro do Boi ambush crabs and process them using wooden hammers and anvils. These traditions are gradually acquired by young capuchins exposed to the tool using activity of skilled older group members. Changes in land cover have threatened the persistence of this species, where these rare tool-use traditions occur. To assess land cover changes over the past 30 years, we analyzed a time series of remotely sensed imagery and quantified trends in land cover and agriculture across both study sites. We also developed a predictive model to forecast future changes in land cover by 2034. Our results show that agriculture increased by more than 300% in both sites from 1987 to 2017. If current trends continue in Morro do Boi, only 42% of forest (0.15 km2) will remain, which is insufficient to support the resident population of capuchins. In Fazenda Boa Vista, most of the land suitable for agriculture has already been used for that purpose. If private conservation efforts at Fazenda Boa Vista are to be effective through 2034, agricultural use should not be expanded any further. Imminent erosion and loss of natural vegetation will exacerbate the current situation, even if agriculture is not expanded. Our study is an example of the need for conservation to take behavioral traditions into account, as they are not widespread across the species distribution.

Conserving African Ungulates Under Climate Change: Do Communal and Private Conservancies Fill Gaps in the Protected Area Network Effectively?

Throughout Africa, conservancies under community and private management are becoming increasingly important as a complement to the protection offered by the established core network of protected areas, which are largely under national management. However, opportunities for creating new conservation areas are restricted by increasing demand on land use by growing human populations, and it is unclear how effectively the current protected area network captures spatial priorities for conservation. Taking into account climate-induced range-shifts, we first identified spatial priorities for antelope conservation in Africa by gap analysis of the network of protected areas listed with an IUCN category in the World Database for Protected Areas. For three countries from which information were available, we then assessed to what extent the gaps identified were covered by protected areas not listed with an IUCN category, for the latter making a distinction between whether management was referred to as community-based or not. The results showed limited overlap, indicating that the success of community-based and privately managed protected areas in covering spatial priorities from a continent-wide perspective could be increased by more strategic land use planning at the national level.

Epidemiological Investigation of a Mortality Event in a Translocated Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) Population in Northwest Florida.

Nokuse Plantation, a 22,055 ha private conservation preserve in northwest Florida, is a recipient site for gopher tortoises translocated from development sites in Florida. Since 2006, Nokuse has received over 5,000 tortoises from multiple development sites. During 2013–2015, 52 tortoises were found sick (n = 14) or dead (n = 38) in multiple soft-release enclosures in which tortoises consistently exhibited clinical signs, with additional sick (n = 5) and dead (n = 5) tortoises presenting similarly during 2016–2017. When found alive, tortoises behaved abnormally (e.g., frequently out of burrows during cold weather, pacing along enclosure fencing), appeared emaciated, were lethargic, and had developed redness under plastron scutes. Similar numbers of male (n = 28) and female (n = 32) tortoises were recovered along with two of unidentified sex, including mainly adults (n = 59) and three subadults. Physical examination, blood analysis, and other diagnostics were indicative of starvation and dehydration. Most sick tortoises provided with supportive care recovered. Necropsy findings generally confirmed starvation, with no evidence of infectious pathogens or contaminants. There were no apparent differences in quality of habitat, plant community, or soil or water among affected and unaffected enclosures. Botanical surveys indicated adequate forage quality and quantity, with no poisonous exotic or native plants detected. No land management practices changed prior to this event. Analysis of epidemiological data and demographic factors from before and during this mortality event identified initial density of tortoises in the enclosures as exerting the strongest influence on detection of tortoise morbidity and mortality. We believe that the stress associated with mixing tortoises from different populations and at higher densities during translocation impacted an individual tortoise's ability to obtain or absorb adequate nutrients from foraging, ultimately leading to a wasting condition consistent with starvation. Based on our findings, we recommend a maximum of 3 gopher tortoises per ha in soft-release enclosures for translocation, but further research is warranted to investigate the complexity of stress and social pressures associated with translocation.

An interdisciplinary assessment of private conservation areas in the Western United States

Conservation easements are the fastest growing private conservation strategy in the United States. However, mechanisms to assess private land conservation as well as their support by the general public are not well understood. This study uses the ecosystem services framework for assessing existing private lands in Idaho and identifies areas for future conservation easements. Using conservation targets of the land trust as a guide for selecting ecosystem services, we (a) mapped the spatial delivery of conservation targets across public and private lands, (b) explored public awareness in terms of social importance and vulnerability, and (c) mapped future priority areas by characterizing conservation bundles. We found that public lands provided the highest levels of conservation targets, and we found no difference in conservation target provision between private areas and conservation easements. The spatial characterization of conservation target bundles identified potential future priority areas for conservation easements, which can guide planning of land trust conservation efforts.

A ESPACIALIDADE RURAL DAS RESERVAS PARTICULARES DO PATRIMÔNIO NATURAL (RPPN) NO ESTADO DO RIO DE JANEIRO

Desde a Eco-92, diferentes dispositivos regulatórios, alinhados a emergentes diretrizes de ordenamento territorial e ambiental, foram elaborados para disciplinar os usos da terra no espaço rural nacional, com repercussões específicas em cada unidade da federação. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho analisou as dinâmicas territoriais responsáveis pela expansão de Reservas Particulares do Patrimônio Natural (RPPN) no estado do Rio de Janeiro. As redefinições paisagísticas derivaram de práticas espaciais indicativas de novas territorialidades, (re)funcionalizações e ressignificações do espaço rural fluminense. Enfoques metodológicos qualitativo e misto foram adotados para a interpretação de dados secundários e primários, estes últimos recolhidos em campo a partir de uma amostra de cinquenta proprietários rurais. Os resultados desenrolaram uma trama de intencionalidades e compensações responsáveis por mudanças nos mosaicos regionais de uso e cobertura da terra, tais como: o incremento de áreas florestais para preservação, apreciação paisagística e remuneração por serviços ambientais. O crescimento de unidades de conservação privadas foi favorecido por conjunturas sócio-políticas a partir das quais identificamos uma particular densidade institucional de processos territorializantes, representados pela permeabilidade de projetos, programas – ICMS Verde, Produtor de Águas e Florestas, Conexão Mata Atlântica, Rio Rural, Programa de Incentivo às RPPNs – e agentes institucionais direta ou indiretamente envolvidos – APN/RJ, SERPPN, ICMBio, AMLD e outros – na difusão da referida categoria de área protegida, incentivando, portanto, novos caminhos para o desenvolvimento e a sustentabilidade rural.

Estimating the Potential for Conservation and Farming in the Amazon and Cerrado under Four Policy Scenarios

Since 2013, clearing rates have rapidly increased in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes. This acceleration has raised questions about the efficacy of current regional public and private conservation policies that seek to promote agricultural production while conserving remnants of natural vegetation. In this study, we assessed conservation and agricultural outcomes of four potential policy scenarios that represent perfect adherence to private sector, zero-deforestation commitments (i.e., the Amazon soy moratorium—ASM and the Amazon cattle agreements—CA) and to varying levels of implementation of the Brazilian Forest Code (FC). Under a zero-clearing scenario, we find that the extent of croplands as of 2017 within the two biomes (31 MHa) could double without further clearing if agriculture were to expand on all previously cleared land that is suitable for crops. Moreover, at least 47 MHa of land that is already cleared but unsuitable for crops would remain available for pasture. Under scenarios in which only legal clearing under the FC could occur, 51 MHa of additional natural vegetation could be cleared. This includes as many as 1 MHa of nonforest vegetation that could be cleared in the Amazon biome without triggering the ASM and CA monitoring systems. Two-thirds of the total vegetation vulnerable to legal clearing is located within the Cerrado biome, and 19 MHa of this land is suitable for cropland expansion. Legal clearing of all of these areas could reduce biodiversity persistence by 4% within the two biomes, when compared with the zero-clearing scenario, and release up to 9 PgCO2e, with the majority (75%) coming from the Cerrado biome. However, when we considered the potential outcomes of full implementation of the FC, we found that 22% (11 MHa) of the 51 MHa of vegetation subject to legal clearing could be protected through the environmental quotas market, while an additional 1 MHa should be replanted across the two biomes, predominantly in the Amazon biome (73% of the area subject to replanting). Together, quotas and replanting could prevent the release of 2 PgCO2e that would otherwise be emitted if all legal clearing occurred. Based on our results, we conclude that ongoing legal clearing could create additional space for cropland and cattle production beyond the substantial existing stocks of cleared areas but would significantly impair local carbon and biodiversity stocks.

Competition for Resources as a Predictor of Grazing Conflicts in Northern Kenya

Competition for grazing resources has been speculated to cause grazing conflicts in Northern Kenya. This study evaluated how pastoral communities compete for seasonal resources leading to grazing conflicts in the region. It was anchored on the theory that competition for limited resources led to livestock movements within and out of conservancies thus triggering conflicts on grazing resources. The study used mixed methods of ecological, remote sensing and social survey design. Purposive sampling was used to select four conservancies out of a population of fifteen, where three of them were community-managed while the fourth was privately owned. Lists of grazing committees were obtained, and systematic sampling used to select a population of 106 respondents. Self-administered questionnaires, focused group discussions and content analysis of literature were used to collect social data. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. Ecological and bio-physical data on land-use trends were obtained using remote sensing and analyzed using Quantum GIS. The results established that competition accounted for about 45% of variability of grazing conflicts (R2=0.449). It was found that community conservancies had the greatest effects of competition for forage compared to private conservancies. The results were modelled to determine how competition can predict grazing conflicts in the region. The study recommended further investigations on the effects of other factors contributing to grazing conflicts that were not considered, while building capacity to pastoral communities to adhere to grazing plans in order to stem over-grazing and migrations.

Private Land Conservation and Public Policy: Land Trusts, Land Owners, and Conservation Easements

We highlight the extraordinary growth in private conservation via land trusts and conservation easements and describe the problems arising from the interplay of public finance and private decisions. We offer a framework for understanding the popularity of easements and land trusts and for evaluating policy reforms aimed at improving their performance. The framework, grounded in institutional and organizational economics in the tradition of Ronald Coase, Oliver Williamson, and Yoram Barzel, focuses on the measurement and monitoring costs faced by public and private stakeholders under current and prospective policy arrangements. We illustrate how the framework can be applied to contemporary debates about the appropriate tax treatment of donated easements, requirements that they be held in perpetuity, and the extent to which government should regulate private land trusts.

Redescription of Procyrnea uncinipenis (Molin, 1860) (Nematoda: Habronematidae) based on material from Rhea americana (L.) (Aves: Rheidae).

A detailed description of Procyrnea uncinipenis (Molin, 1860) (Habronematidae) is provided based on light- and scanning electron microscopy of newly collected material ex Rhea americana (L.) from a private conservation breeding park located in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim (State of Espírito Santo, Brazil). Of the four host specimens analysed, two were infected with P. uncinipenis; a total of 441 nematodes were collected in the proventriculus and gizzard. The specimens represented large nematodes, sexually dimorphic, with females larger than males, reddish in vivo, with two well developed lateral pseudolabia and two interlabia, one dorsal and one ventral, long oesophagus, divided into a muscular and glandular portion, didelphic ovaries, opisthodelphic uteri, two phasmids and a rounded chitinous structure near the caudal end. Males possess posterior extremity curved in spiral ventrally, with bilateral caudal alae and unequal in size and shape spicules. This study adds new morphological data, thus contributing to the knowledge on P. uncinipenis, a common parasite of R. americana.

Case studies of scalable wildlife conservation in working landscapes

ABSTRACTLandscape‐scale conservation initiatives have become more common in the past few decades. Many factors led to these increases including a broadening of conservation strategies, technology, and threats to many ecological systems; species’ population declines; and a growing understanding of the need for cooperative conservation. Population and habitat threats and declines often occur on privately owned farms, ranches, and forests, sometimes referred to as ‘working lands,’ which presents a host of challenges and opportunities for conservation. A key challenge of emerging initiatives is funding for conservation. We explore 2 landscape‐scale initiatives that have become loosely linked by the Working Lands for Wildlife partnership. Both have benefited from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding that resulted from an agreement between the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (USDA 2012). We describe a few national cooperative conservation developments to demonstrate their importance to our 2 case studies and the ecosystem of private lands wildlife conservation. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

A state assessment of private lands wildlife conservation in the United States

ABSTRACTWildlife habitat in the United States is largely owned by private entities. Threatened and endangered species conservation and game‐species hunting interests occur predominately on private lands. Our wildlife conservation history was characterized by eras of exploitation followed by conservation reactions. State wildlife agencies evolved through those eras as well. We sought to assess state wildlife agency investments in private lands conservation. We used a short survey to construct an index score designed to measure the state agency manpower commitment (%) as it relates to the composition of the state's private ownership (%). During 2019, we collected data about state wildlife agency participation in private lands program activities including cost‐share, equipment loans, or free supplies (seed or herbicide). Our survey metrics showed Kansas, USA, was the national leader in its commitment to private land management. Several midwestern and western states were notably well‐positioned to deliver private lands conservation relative to the nation. Our data show states are trending toward more effort on privately owned lands, but they continue to focus disproportionately more manpower on publicly owned lands or other priorities. Development of state wildlife agency commitments to private lands is a process characterized well by the Missouri Department of Conservation, USA. Expansion in conservation efforts on private lands will likely be linked to funding expansion that includes nonconsumptive users. We charge professionals to meet the conservation challenges of the 21st Century, they must invest significantly greater resources in private lands management through state wildlife agencies. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

The regulation of private conservation legal tools in Catalonia: an inspiring precedent for the Roman law jurisdictions

In the first decade of the XXI century, Catalonia has successfully received Land Stewardship as a strategy for nature conservation. As a result, many efforts have been taken to regulate Land Stewardship agreements in the Catalan civil law given the great opportunity of the Catalan private law codification that has taken place in Catalonia during the present and previous decade. For this purposes, all features of these agreements, such as duration, effects and nature have been thoroughly studied giving place to specific provisions in the Civil Code of Catalonia. This unique experience is studied in this article, extracting the key elements, learning and suggestions leading to some guidelines for a European common roadmap to the regulation of land Stewardship agreements.

Landscape-level naturalness of conservation easements in a mixed-use matrix

ContextWith underrepresentation of habitats in publicly protected areas, attention has focused on the function of alternative land conservation mechanisms. Private conservation easements (CEs) have proliferated in the United States, yet assessing landscape-level function is confounded by varying extent, resolution, and temporal scale.ObjectivesWe developed and tested an assessment tool to evaluate interacting spatial, social, and environmental attributes of easements relative to the degree of human modification (HM). We hypothesized that on both private and public conservation properties HM would be lower than on non-conserved parcels, and that for fine-scale features (most CEs), the level of HM would be driven by the variables used to create the coarser scale HM measure.MethodsVariation in HM between private, public, and non-conserved was tested via pairwise parcel sampling. Composition was evaluated using multiple geographic bounds and edge characteristics. We assessed both environmental and social predictors using multinomial logistic regression.ResultsPrivately conserved lands did not differ significantly from non-conserved lands. Publicly conserved lands had lower HM than both privately conserved and non-conserved lands. Edge contrast was similar between private and matched non-conserved patches. The level of HM was not driven by distance to roads, or by elevation in this mixed-use setting.ConclusionsVariation in tests for differences, land characteristics, and HM variables confirmed the significantly lower HM of publicly protected lands, and opens the question as to naturalness of easements in some contexts. CEs in this location may be representative of the mixed rural-forested landscape instead of more natural land cover.

Degradation of Ecosystem Services and Deforestation in Landscapes With and Without Incentive-Based Forest Conservation in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Anthropogenic activities such as logging or forest conversion into agricultural lands are affecting Ecuadorian Amazon forests. To foster private and communal conservation activities an economic incentive-based conservation program (IFC) called Socio Bosque was established. Existing analyses related to conservation strategies are mainly focused on deforestation; while degradation and the role of IFC to safeguard ecosystem services are still scarce. Further on, there is a lack of landscape-level studies taking into account potential side effects of IFC on different forest types. Therefore we assessed ecosystem services (carbon stocks, timber volume) and species richness in landscapes with and without IFC. Additionally, we evaluated potential side-effects of IFC in adjacent forest types; hypothesizing potential leakage effects of IFC. Finally, we tested if deforestation rates decreased after IFC implementation. Forest inventories were conducted in 72 plots across eight landscapes in the Ecuadorian Central Amazon with and without IFC. Plots were randomly selected within three forest types (old-growth, logged and successional forests). In each plot all individuals with a diameter at breast height greater than 10 cm were measured. Old-growth forests in general showed higher carbon stocks, timber volume and species richness, and no significant differences between old-growth forests in IFC and non-IFC landscapes were found. Logged forests had 32% less above-ground carbon (AGC) and timber volume in comparison to old-growth forests. Surprisingly, logged forests near IFC presented higher AGC stocks than logged forests in non-IFC landscapes, indicating positive side-effects of IFC. Successional forests contain 56% to 64% of AGC, total carbon and timber volume, in comparison to old-growth forests, and 82% to 87% in comparison to logged forests. Therefore, successional forests could play an important role for restoration and should receive more attention in national climate change policies. Finally, after IFC implementation deforestation rate decreased on parish level. Our study presents scientific evidence of IFC contribution to conserving ecosystem services and species richness. In addition IFC could help indirectly to reduce degradation effects attributed to logging, indicating potential compatibility of conservation aims with forest activities at a landscape level.