Applications of behavioral science to biodiversity management in agricultural landscapes: conceptual mapping and a California case study

A tri-trophic network of domesticated grasses (host), various aphids (vector) and barley yellow dwarf virus (pathogen) species has been spread by humans from Eurasia to the rest of the world. Understanding how climate, natural and agricultural landscapes challenge pathogens, vectors, and their natural enemies and shape their dynamics is the key to managing this pathosystem. This chapter provides an overview of this complex system and its evolution. The chapter includes a case study of biological control of aphids causing wheat BYDV in Brazil. The current challenge is to create tools that integrate knowledge of this complex pathosystem and facilitate monitoring and decision making for rational management to reduce the burden of disease.

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Social Organization and Agricultural Strategies to Face Climate Variability: A Case Study in Guaraciaba, Southern Brazil

Sustainable Agriculture Research ◽

10.5539/sar.v2n3p118 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 118 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michelle Bonatti ◽

Sandro L. Schlindwein ◽

Ana Carolina F. De Vasconcelos ◽

Stefan Sieber ◽

Luiz Renato D Agostini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Social Organization ◽

Management Practices ◽

Local Development ◽

Adaptation Strategy ◽

Support Network ◽

Southern Brazil ◽

Biodiversity Management ◽

Crop Species

<p>Climate scenarios and projections have suggested that the impacts of climate change on land use will be noticed particularly by the communities that depend on natural resources for their subsistence. The climate vulnerability of poor communities varies greatly, but in general, climate change combines with other threats and becomes superimposed on existing vulnerabilities. This paper presents a case study that strives to understand the social organization in a vulnerable community of Guaraciaba, in southern Brazil, to investigate aspects of an adaptation strategy to climate change based on the local development and conservation of landraces of a set of crop species. Landraces are varieties better adapted to adversities, especially drought, which is an important threat to the famers in the region. Every farmer receives annually a “kit of biodiversity”, a set of local varieties with the amount of seeds necessary to be cultivated in order to produce enough food for the family. The study had a qualitative approach and was carried out through semi-structured interviews with technicians and 30% of the rural families who farm with landraces. The study concludes that the factors that make this adaptation strategy sustainable are: the ability to undertake actions strongly based on local socio-cultural needs (a social support network), biodiversity management practices designed to reduce external economic dependence, self management of genetic resources, the establishment of priorities based on locally available resources, a work plan for community participation (field days, a community based festival), the establishment of the roles of community in the planning and implementation of programs for biodiversity management.</p>

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The feasibility of applying a cost-effective approach for assigning priorities for threatened species recovery with a case study from New South Wales, Australia

Pacific Conservation Biology ◽

10.1071/pc090238 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 238 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Judit K. Szabo ◽

Sue V. Briggs ◽

Rachel Lonie ◽

Linda Bell ◽

Richard Maloney ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Threatened Species ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Limited Time ◽

Biodiversity Management ◽

South Wales ◽

Cost Effective Approach ◽

Key Terms

May (2002) estimated that the current rate of extinction of species globally is 100?1000 times background rates. Hence a primary goal of biodiversity management is to bring the rate of extinction back to normal levels. Conservation managers face two interrelated problems: limited time and money, and how to allocate the finite available resources (Bottrill et al. 2008, 2009). In this paper we tackle the second of these problems. Definitions of key terms are in Appendix 1.

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The importance of non-forest tree stand features for protection of the Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus in agricultural landscape: a case study from South-Eastern Poland

Agroforestry Systems ◽

10.1007/s10457-020-00498-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 94 (5) ◽

pp. 1825-1835

Author(s):

Jerzy Michalczuk

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Agricultural Landscape ◽

Habitat Preferences ◽

Fruit Trees ◽

Forest Tree ◽

Health Condition ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

South Eastern ◽

Dendrocopos Syriacus

Abstract Non-forest tree stands are important habitats for many species of birds in the agricultural landscape. They are also the main habitat of the Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus, whose numbers have been decreasing in recent years in some parts of Europe. Recognition of the habitat requirements of this species may help better planning of its protection in the context of the treed agricultural landscapes. During this study, the habitat preferences of the Syrian Woodpecker were determined in the agricultural landscape of South-Eastern Poland. A set of 12 habitat parameters of tree stands located in the breeding territories of the Syrian Woodpecker (n = 122) and in randomly chosen control areas (n = 122) located outside the range of the breeding territories of this species were characterized. The number and species diversity of trees was significantly higher in stands located in Syrian Woodpecker territories than in the random control areas. Stands occupied by breeding pairs also had trees of worse health condition and a larger proportion of fruit trees. The model best explaining the probability of the occurrence of the species indicates that the Syrian Woodpecker requires mainly the presence of tree stands with a greater species diversity of trees, as well as tree stands in worse health condition. When planning the protection of this species’ habitats in the agricultural landscape, the characteristics of non-forest tree stands noted above should be taken into account.

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Relevance of Intermittent Rivers and Streams in Agricultural Landscape and Their Impact on Provided Ecosystem Services—A Mediterranean Case Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16152693 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (15) ◽

pp. 2693 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Tatiana Kaletová ◽

Luis Loures ◽

Rui Alexandre Castanho ◽

Elena Aydin ◽

José Telo da Gama ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Agricultural Landscape ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Intermittent Rivers ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

Classification Tool ◽

The Impact

Ecosystem services (ES), as an interconnection of the landscape mosaic pieces, along with temporal rivers (IRES) are an object of research for environmental planners and ecological economists, among other specialists. This study presents (i) a review on the importance of IRES and the services they can provide to agricultural landscapes; (ii) a classification tool to assess the impact of IRES to provide ES by agricultural landscapes; (iii) the application of the proposed classification to the Caia River in order to identify the importance of this intermittent river for its surrounding agricultural landscape. The classification of the ES follows the Common International Classification of Ecosystem (CICES) classification that was adapted for the purposes of this study. Firstly, the list of ES provided by agricultural landscape was elaborated. In the next step, we assessed the potential of IRES to provide ES. Next, IRES impacts to ES within the agricultural landscape were evaluated according to observations from the conducted field monitoring in the study area. This study focuses on the relevance of the intermittent Caia River—a transboundary river in Spain and Portugal—and its ephemeral tributaries in the agricultural landscape. Our study estimates that each hydrological phase of IRES increases the ES provided by the agricultural landscape. However, the dry phase can potentially have negative impacts on several services. The intensification of the agricultural sector is the main provision of the water resource within the Caia River basin, but we were able to identify several other ES that were positively impacted. The present study is in line with the conclusions of other authors who state that IRES constitute a valuable resource which should not be underestimated by society.

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