Forest cover outside protected areas plays an important role in the conservation of the Vulnerable guiña Leopardus guigna

AbstractHabitat loss and fragmentation are affecting populations of forest dwelling mammalian carnivores worldwide. In southern Chile, a biodiversity hotspot, anthropogenic activities have resulted in high loss of native forest cover. The guiña, or kodkod cat, Leopardus guigna is a small forest-dwelling felid with a narrow range in the temperate forest of southern Chile. The few existing studies of the species have suggested that it is almost exclusively restricted to large tracts of native forest. This paper reports a study in the temperate forest within a fragmented Andean piedmont landscape which demonstrates that smaller forest fragments in the farmland matrix are playing a key role in the persistence of the guiña. We estimated occupancy in both continuous native forest and remnant forest fragments and, with single-species/single-season models, evaluated the extent to which forest cover, habitat type and proximity to protected areas have a modulating effect on occupancy. A continuous survey during 2008–2009, in three seasons of 90–100 days each, accumulated 6,200 camera trap days and returned 47 photographs of guiña. Total detection in fragments was higher than in continuous forests, with detection confirmed in almost 70% of studied fragments. We found that probability of a site being occupied significantly increased with forest cover (adult/secondary forest, scrubland) and probability was low (< 0.2) in sites with < 50% of surrounding forest cover. Our study highlights the importance of remnant forest fragments in the mosaic of extensive agriculture for the spatial dynamics of a guiña population and hence for the future conservation of the species.

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Forest quality mitigates extinction risk in humid tropical vertebrates

10.21203/rs.3.rs-199037/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rajeev Pillay ◽

James Watson ◽

Andrew Hansen ◽

Jose Aragon-Osejo ◽

Dolors Armenteras ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Cover ◽

Extinction Risk ◽

Structural Condition ◽

Humid Tropics ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Anthropogenic Pressures ◽

Geographic Ranges ◽

Global Environmental Policy ◽

Remnant Forest

Abstract Reducing deforestation underpins efforts to conserve global biodiversity. However, this focus on retaining forest cover overlooks the multitude of anthropogenic pressures that can degrade forest quality in ways that may imperil biodiversity. Here we use the latest remotely-sensed measures of forest structural condition and associated human pressures across the global humid tropics to provide the first estimates of the importance of forest quality, relative to forest cover, in mitigating extinction risk for rainforest vertebrates worldwide. We found tropical rainforests of intact structural condition and minimal human pressures played an outsized role in reducing the odds of species being threatened or having a declining population. Further, the effects of forest quality in mitigating extinction risk were stronger when small amounts of high quality forest remained within species geographic ranges, as opposed to when large extents were forested but of low quality. Our research underscores a critical need to focus global environmental policy and conservation strategies toward the targeted protection of the last remaining undisturbed forest landscapes, in concert with strategies aimed at preserving, restoring and reconnecting remnant forest fragments across the hyperdiverse humid tropics.

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Priority contribution. The rediscovery of Gurney's Pitta Pitta gurneyi in Myanmar and an estimate of its population size based on remaining forest cover

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s095927090500002x ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 3-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

JONATHAN C. EAMES ◽

HTIN HLA ◽

PETER LEIMGRUBER ◽

DANIEL S. KELLY ◽

SEIN MYO AUNG ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Secondary Forest ◽

Forest Edge ◽

Forest Conversion ◽

Lowland Forest ◽

Lowland Forests ◽

Landsat Satellite ◽

Global Population ◽

Historical Range

A preliminary survey for Gurney's Pitta Pitta gurneyi was undertaken at five sites within the species' historical range in the Tanintharyi (Tenasserim) Division of Myanmar from 14 to 24 May 2003. During the surveys, Gurney's Pittas were heard and/or observed at four sites with a maximum of 10–12 pairs recorded at one site. Birds were encountered in logged primary and secondary forest below 100 m on flat ground, sometimes less than 10 m from forest edge. All encounters were within 2 km of the main trans-Tanintharyi highway. Landsat satellite imagery was used to map remaining lowland forests and Gurney's Pitta habitat in the Tanintharyi Division. Our analysis demonstrated that only 4,705 km2 of lowland forest remain with about 3,496 km2 in flat areas with slopes < 10°. On the basis of previously reported population densities, these habitats may support a population of 5,152–8,586 pairs. Much of the remaining habitat is restricted to small and fragmented patches < 1 km2 in area. The five largest patches have a total area of 1,431 km2 and range in size from 137 to 467 km2. This survey demonstrated that Gurney's Pitta still occurs within its historical range in Myanmar, although probably not at any of the historical collecting localities visited. The global population of Gurney's Pitta is at least 100% greater than the latest published estimate. This survey has also shown that the Gurney's Pitta population in southern Tanintharyi Division is under pressure from forest conversion to oil palm. Contrary to the situation in neighbouring Thailand, sufficient forest remains to establish landscape level protected areas covering a broad ecological continuum. Securing populations of Gurney's Pitta within either expanded or entirely new protected areas must be the best chance for the species and the Sundaic flora and fauna of which it is part.

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Relief influence on tree species richness in secondary forest fragments of Atlantic Forest, SE, Brazil

Acta Botanica Brasilica ◽

10.1590/s0102-33062008000200026 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 589-598 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

William Goulart da Silva ◽

Jean Paul Metzger ◽

Luis Carlos Bernacci ◽

Eduardo Luís Martins Catharino ◽

Giselda Durigan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Tree Species ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Secondary Forest ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Forest Site ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Tree Species Richness ◽

Se Brazil

The aim of this work was to explore the relationship between tree species richness and morphological characteristics of relief at the Ibiúna Plateau (SE Brazil). We sampled 61 plots of 0.30 ha, systematically established in 20 fragments of secondary forest (2-274 ha) and in three areas within a continuous secondary forest site, Morro Grande Reserve (9,400 ha). At each plot, 100 trees with diameter at breast height > 5 cm were sampled by the point centered quarter method, and total richness and richness per dispersal and succession class were obtained. The relief was characterized by the mean and variance of slope, elevation, aspect and slope location. There was no significant relationship between relief heterogeneity and tree species richness. Relief parameters generally did not affect tree richness, but elevation was particularly important especially in the continuous forest. Despite the limited range of altitudinal variation (150 m), species richness increases with elevation. The highest areas were also those with the largest forest cover and the lowest disturbance degree, which should contribute to the greater richness of those sites. Our results suggest an indirect influence of relief, due to the fact that deforestation is less intense in higher regions, rather than a direct influence of abiotic factors related to the altitudinal gradient.

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Trap-nesting Bees Communities from Protected Areas of Atlantic Forest, Southeastern Brazil

Sociobiology ◽

10.13102/sociobiology.v66i2.3448 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 66 (2) ◽

pp. 306

Author(s):

Guaraci Cordeiro ◽

Samuel Boff ◽

Isabel Alves-dos-Santos

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Landscape Composition ◽

Solitary Bees ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Native Forest ◽

Nesting Biology ◽

Trap Nests ◽

Accumulated Rainfall

The solitary bees that use preexisting cavities can be captured in trap-nests allowing to collect data on nesting biology and associated organisms. This man-made trap-nest facilitates the understanding of environmental components and landscape composition in the fauna of solitary bees. Here, we aimed to increase the knowledge about trap-nesting bee species from four protected areas Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil and to test how abiotic local environmental components (temperature and rainfall) and forest cover affects the trap-nesting bee fauna. We recorded occupants from 847 nests founded by 17 bee species and seven cleptoparasite bees, associated to their host, summing 24 bee species sampled. The family with highest species richness was Megachilidae, and the species with the largest number of founded nests was Tetrapedia diversipes Klug (Apidae). Diptera, coleoptera, and hymenoptera parasitized 15.2% of the founded nests. The period of highest nest occupation occurred between November and February, which correspond to the warmest and most humid months in the region. We found significant positive correlation between the number of nests and monthly accumulated rainfall. We verified that Boraceia and Ilhabela have the best status conservation based on native forest cover and we sampled the highest diversity of species in these areas. We improved the knowledge on trap-nesting bees communities from Atlantic Forest on new species sampled in this biome with their nesting biology and highlighted that rainfall influences positively the nest founding throughout the year and native forest cover influences diversity of species.

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Habitat use of remnant forest habitats by the threatened arboreal marsupial Dromiciops gliroides (Microbiotheria) in a rural landscape of southern Chile

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr09050 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 249 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Cecilia Smith-Ramirez ◽

Juan L. Celis-Diez ◽

Erik von Jenstchyk ◽

Jaime E. Jimenez ◽

Juan J. Armesto

Keyword(s):

Riparian Vegetation ◽

Riparian Forest ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Rural Landscape ◽

Riparian Forests ◽

Southern Chile ◽

Forest Patches ◽

Rural Landscapes ◽

Remnant Forest ◽

Forest Habitats

Context. Remnant forest patches in rural landscapes may be important sites for maintaining viable populations of restricted forest species, especially when these remnant habitats maintain some connectivity, for instance through riparian vegetation strips and other forest patches. Aims. We assessed the use of remnant forest habitats in a rural landscape of southern Chile (40°S) by the ‘near threatened’ arboreal marsupial Dromiciops gliroides (Microbiotheria), in relation to habitat type (riparian strips, forest fragments and continuous forests), width of the riparian forests, and the presence and abundance of the hemiparasite Tristerix corymbosus, whose fruits are readily eaten by D. gliroides. Methods. In two summers, 2004 and 2008, we set up grids of 96 live traps for three consecutive nights at each of 16 sites along two riparian forest strips, four additional sites in remnant, non-riparian forest patches, and four more within continuous pre-Andean forest. We counted hemiparasites on trees in the trapping grid area, and estimated their individual volumes. Key results . In total, 48 individuals of D. gliroides were captured at all sites during the 2 years. We documented a significant positive relationship between the width of riparian vegetation and the number of individuals captured (r s = 0.78, P = 0.02, n = 8) for one riparian strip, but not for the second one. Neither habitat type nor the frequency of hemiparasites related statistically to D. gliroides abundance. Key conclusions. We conclude that in the rural landscape of the Chilean Lake District, narrow riparian forest strips, in a highly inter-connected mosaic of remnant forest patches may be as important as large patches and continuous Andean forests to sustain viable populations of this threatened, strictly arboreal, marsupial. Implications. The present study reports, for the first time, the presence in narrow riparian forests immersed in a pasture-dominated agricultural matrix of this forest-specialist marsupial, which was previously known only from continuous pre-Andean forests.

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Effectiveness of Protected Areas in Conserving the Highly Hunted Mammal Species as Bushmeat in Southern Benin

The Open Ecology Journal ◽

10.2174/1874213001811010014 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 14-24

Author(s):

Chabi A.M.S. Djagoun ◽

Etotépé A. Sogbohossou ◽

Barthélémy Kassa ◽

Christian B. Ahouandjinou ◽

Hugues A. Akpona ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Habitat Degradation ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Cell System ◽

Anthropogenic Factors ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Occupancy Model ◽

Habitat Occupancy ◽

Anthropogenic Habitat ◽

Lama Forest

Background: The habitat degradation together with fragmentation and illegal hunting represent a major threat for biodiversity conservation in Lama protected areas. Method: We used a combination of questionnaire survey with local communities for ranking the hunted mammal species as bushmeat and track surveys in gridded-cell system of 500x500 m2 (n=268) to assess at what extend the management design, the anthropogenic factors and habitat type affect the occupancy model of those mammal species. Results: Twenty mammal species have been predominantly reported by the local inhabitants to consume bushmeat species and 5 of them have been identified as the most preferable as hunted game mammals. The selection of the preferred habitat among the swampy forest, the dense forest, the tree plantations and cropland for the prioritized game species varies between species but looks similar when grouping in different orders. Some bushmeat species were found to select the more secure habitat (natural forest); suggesting the zoning system in the Lama forest can passively protect those species. However, some species such as T. swinderianus although highly hunted showed preference to anthropogenic habitat, avoiding the well secured core zone in Lama Forest. Conclusion: Our findings highlighted the importance of the zoning system with different management objectives in the habitat occupancy model of the highly hunted wildlife species.

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Challenging the State: Devolutionary Tenure Transitions for Saving and Expanding Forests

Human Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10745-021-00231-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Liz Alden Wily

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Property Rights ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Convention On Biological Diversity ◽

Property Relations ◽

The Will ◽

Customary Land

AbstractI address a contentious element in forest property relations to illustrate the role of ownership in protecting and expanding of forest cover by examining the extent to which rural communities may legally own forests. The premise is that whilst state-owned protected areas have contributed enormously to forest survival, this has been insufficiently successful to justify the mass dispossession of customary land-owning communities this has entailed. Further, I argue that state co-option of community lands is unwarranted. Rural communities on all continents ably demonstrate the will and capacity to conserve forests – provided their customary ownership is legally recognized. I explore the property rights reforms now enabling this. The replication potential of community protected forestlands is great enough to deserve flagship status in global commitments to expand forest including in the upcoming new Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

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The Role of Recent (1985–2014) Patterns of Land Abandonment and Environmental Factors in the Establishment and Growth of Secondary Forests in the Iberian Peninsula

Land ◽

10.3390/land10080817 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 817

Author(s):

Marina Palmero-Iniesta ◽

Josep Maria Espelta ◽

Mario Padial-Iglesias ◽

Òscar Gonzàlez-Guerrero ◽

Lluís Pesquer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Iberian Peninsula ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Secondary Forest ◽

Forest Growth ◽

Deciduous Forests ◽

Secondary Forests ◽

Study Region ◽

Leaf Habit ◽

Forest Establishment

Farmland abandonment has been a widespread land-use change in the Iberian Peninsula since the second half of the 20th century, leading to the establishment of secondary forests across the region. In this study, we aimed to address changes in the recent (1985–2014) emergence patterns of these forests and examine how environmental factors affected their growth by considering differences in leaf-habit types. We used a combination of Landsat-derived land-cover maps and aboveground biomass (AGB) maps from the European Space Agency to assess the secondary forest establishment and growth, respectively, in the study region. We also obtained a set of topographic, climatic and landscape variables from diverse GIS layers and used them for determining changes over time in the environmental drivers of forest establishment and AGB using general linear models. The results highlight that secondary forest cover was still increasing in the Iberian Peninsula at a rate above the European average. Yet, they also indicate a directional change in the emergence of secondary forests towards lower and less steep regions with higher water availability (mean rainfall and SPEI) and less forest cover but are subjected to greater drought events. In addition, these environmental factors differentially affect the growth of forests with different leaf-habit types: i.e., needleleaf secondary forests being less favoured by high temperature and precipitation, and broadleaf deciduous forests being most negatively affected by drought. Finally, these spatial patterns of forest emergence and the contrasting responses of forest leaf-habits to environmental factors explained the major development of broadleaf evergreen compared to broadleaf deciduous forests and, especially, needleleaf secondary forests. These results will improve the knowledge of forest dynamics that have occurred in the Iberian Peninsula in recent decades and provide an essential tool for understanding the potential effects of climate warming on secondary forest growth.

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Effectiveness of Protected Areas in the Pan-Tropics and International Aid for Conservation

Geomatics ◽

10.3390/geomatics1030019 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 335-346

Author(s):

Do-Hyung Kim ◽

Anupam Anand

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Forest Conservation ◽

Forest Cover ◽

International Aid ◽

Asian Countries ◽

Forest Cover Change ◽

Average Effect ◽

Tropical Countries ◽

Conservation Policies ◽

The Tropics

Evaluation of the effectiveness of protected areas is critical for forest conservation policies and priorities. We used 30 m resolution forest cover change data from 1990 to 2010 for ~4000 protected areas to evaluate their effectiveness. Our results show that protected areas in the tropics avoided 83,500 ± 21,200 km2 of deforestation during the 2000s. Brazil’s protected areas have the largest amount of avoided deforestation at 50,000 km2. We also show the amount of international aid received by tropical countries compared to the effectiveness of protected areas. Thirty-four tropical countries received USD 42 billion during the 1990s and USD 62 billion during the 2000s in international aid for biodiversity conservation. The effectiveness of international aid was highest in Latin America, with 4.3 m2/USD, led by Brazil, while tropical Asian countries showed the lowest average effect of international aid, reaching only 0.17 m2/USD.

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