Using bioregional variation in fire history and fire response attributes as a basis for managing threatened flora in a fire-prone Mediterranean climate biodiversity hotspot

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica Shedley ◽  
Neil Burrows ◽  
Colin J. Yates ◽  
David J. Coates
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspot ◽  
Fire Response ◽  
Relative Level ◽  
Threatened Plant ◽  
Threatened Plant Species ◽  
In Fire

Inappropriate fire-regimes brought about by patterns of human settlement and land-use threaten plant diversity in Mediterranean-type climate (MTC) regions. In south-west Western Australia (SWWA), where there are many threatened plant species distributed across a range of human-modified landscapes, there is a need for approaches to identify where the threat is greatest. This requires knowledge of contemporary fire regimes, how they vary across landscapes, and the sensitivity of threatened species to these regimes. Currently, this information is lacking, and this limits strategic fire management. In this study we compiled fire response information for SWWA’s threatened plant species and undertook a bioregional assessment of variation in fire interval over the last 40 years. We determined the fire response traits of 242 (60%) of the region’s 401 extant threatened species. Over half of the 242 species were obligate seeders and will therefore have population dynamics particularly sensitive to fire interval. Our study highlights large differences in fire interval across nine bioregions in SWWA. The differences were greatest for the heavily cleared and fragmented bioregions compared with more continuously vegetated bioregions. We discuss how variations in the frequency of fire life-history traits and fire interval interact to determine the nature and relative level of threat posed by fire in these landscapes. Survival of many populations of threatened flora in this biodiversity hotspot will depend on developing appropriate fire regimes that match the regeneration requirements of each species.

Are listed threatened plant species actually at risk?

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Burgman
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
The State ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Threatened Plant ◽  
Threatened Plant Species ◽  
Legal Mandates ◽  
State Of The Environment

Despite the fact that the most changes in lists of threatened species reflect changes in knowledge rather than changes in conservation status, the lists continue to provide social and legal mandates for conservation; they are used to report on the state of the environment and to guide the allocation of scarce resources. There is a substantial under-representation of non-vascular species in threatened plant lists, reflected in an absence of documented extinctions among fungi and algae. Turnover in the composition of extinct flora lists in Australia suggests that the lists of threatened species may not be sufficiently reliable to form the basis for reporting on the state of the environment. They are of limited use in distinguishing between levels of threat and may not be a reliable guide for the allocation of scarce conservation resources among plant species. Systems for listing threatened species create a feedback loop, responsive to the subjective preferences of scientists, largely unresponsive to underlying true threats, self-perpetuating and accentuating bias with each iteration. Other tools, including formal decision approaches and the acquisition of new kinds of data, are needed to fill the roles.

scholarly journals The role of the Francisco Javier Clavijero Botanic Garden (Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico) in the conservation of the Mexican flora

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milton Díaz-Toribio ◽  
Victor Luna ◽  
Andrew Vovides
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Plant Conservation ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Botanic Gardens ◽  
Botanic Garden ◽  
Threatened Plant ◽  
Threatened Plant Species

Background and Aims: There are approximately 3000 botanic gardens in the world. These institutions cultivate approximately six million plant species, representing around 100,000 taxa in cultivation. Botanic gardens make an important contribution to ex situ conservation with a high number of threatened plant species represented in their collections. To show how the Francisco Javier Clavijero Botanic Garden (JBC) contributes to the conservation of Mexican flora, we asked the following questions: 1) How is vascular plant diversity currently conserved in the JBC?, 2) How well is this garden performing with respect to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) and the Mexican Strategy for Plant Conservation (MSPC)?, and 3) How has the garden’s scientific collection contributed to the creation of new knowledge (description of new plant species)?Methods: We used data from the JBC scientific living collection stored in BG-BASE. We gathered information on species names, endemism, and endangered status, according to national and international policies, and field data associated with each species. Key results: We found that 12% of the species in the JBC collection is under some risk category by international and Mexican laws. Plant families with the highest numbers of threatened species were Zamiaceae, Orchidaceae, Arecaceae, and Asparagaceae. We also found that Ostrya mexicana, Tapirira mexicana, Oreopanax capitatus, O. echinops, and O. xalapensis are highly threatened species representative of cloud forest currently in the collection. Conclusions: The conservation and scientific utility of the JBC collection is reflected in the exceptional accession data and the description of 24 new plant species. Having a significant number of threatened plant species in its ex situ collection, the JBC contributes to the implementation of the GSPC, particularly Target 8, as well as the implementation of the MSPC.

Corrigendum to: TURNER REVIEW No. 5: Are listed threatened plant species actually at risk?

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 275
Author(s):  
Mark A. Burgman
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
The State ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Threatened Plant ◽  
Threatened Plant Species ◽  
Legal Mandates ◽  
State Of The Environment

Despite the fact that the most changes in lists of threatened species reflect changes in knowledge rather than changes in conservation status, the lists continue to provide social and legal mandates for conservation; they are used to report on the state of the environment and to guide the allocation of scarce resources. There is a substantial under-representation of non-vascular species in threatened plant lists, reflected in an absence of documented extinctions among fungi and algae. Turnover in the composition of extinct flora lists in Australia suggests that the lists of threatened species may not be sufficiently reliable to form the basis for reporting on the state of the environment. They are of limited use in distinguishing between levels of threat and may not be a reliable guide for the allocation of scarce conservation resources among plant species. Systems for listing threatened species create a feedback loop, responsive to the subjective preferences of scientists, largely unresponsive to underlying true threats, self-perpetuating and accentuating bias with each iteration. Other tools, including formal decision approaches and the acquisition of new kinds of data, are needed to fill the roles.

scholarly journals An analysis of Species Conservation Action Plans in Guinea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Couch ◽  
Denise Molmou ◽  
Sékou Magassouba ◽  
Saïdou Doumbouya ◽  
Mamadou Diawara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Action Plans ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Threatened Plant ◽  
Threatened Plant Species

AbstractTo achieve conservation success, we need to support the recovery of threatened species. Yet, <5% of plant species listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List have Species Conservation Action Plans (CAPs). If we are to move from a Red List to a Green List for threatened plant species, CAPs need to be devised and implemented. Guinea is one of the most botanically diverse countries in West Africa. Recent research found that nearly 4000 vascular plants occur in Guinea, a 30% increase from previous estimates. 273 of these plant species are now assessed as threatened with global extinction. There is increasing pressure on the environment from the extractive industry and a growing population. In parallel with implementation of an Important Plant Area programme in Guinea, CAPs were developed for 20 threatened plant species. These plans elaborate conservation efforts needed first to safeguard threatened species both in situ and ex situ and then to support their recovery. We document the approach used to assemble the Species Conservation Action Plans, and we discuss the importance of having up to date field information, IUCN Red List assessments, and use of a collaborative approach. The need for these plans is increasingly important with recent calculations suggesting a third of African plants are threatened with extinction. This paper outlines initial detailed plant conservation planning in Guinea and offers a template for conservation practitioners in other tropical African countries to follow.

The role of plant traits in shaping fire regimes in different ecosystems across the world

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mara Baudena ◽  
Rubén Diaz-Sierra ◽  
Antonello Provenzale ◽  
Luke Sweeney ◽  
Marta Magnani
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fuel Load ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Mediterranean Forests ◽  
Fire Response ◽  
The World ◽  
In Fire

&lt;p&gt;Fire is an important disturbance process, having significant socio-economic consequences on the one hand, while fulfilling a vital ecological role on the other. Across fire-prone ecosystems, different fire regimes can be found, reflecting a combination of climatic factors and of different plant species characteristics. Ecosystem flammability and fuel load are the most evident and well-studied aspects of fire regime, with only recently attention being devoted to plant traits associated with fire adaptation and post-fire response. The aim of this research is to understand the role that plant traits have in driving fire regimes in different fire-prone ecosystems across the world. A mathematical, mechanistic model was developed representing vegetation dynamics, including stochastic fires and different plant fire-responses. We observe that differences in combinations of plant traits are an important factor in determining alternative ecological states. This is driven by differences in how plants determine fire occurrence and in relation to competition between plant species. Differing plant communities under the same climatic conditions can occur when the most competitive plant types do not have a strong resistance to fires, leading to different ecological and fire regime states for example in some tropical savannas and forests, or in Boreal forests. Conversely, when the dominant plant type has a very strong, post-fire response (at individual level), as e.g. in Mediterranean forests, only one ecological state is possible. This research can help improving understanding of changes in fire regime in the future to assist in fire management efforts, and underlines the importance of including plant fire-responses when modelling fire ecosystems under climate-change scenarios.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Threatened Flora of Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Hoehnea ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo D. M. Vianna Filho ◽  
Carla Y G. Manão ◽  
Marcos Bastos ◽  
Catia H. Callado
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
The State ◽  
Threatened Plant ◽  
Iucn Red List Categories ◽  
Threatened Plant Species ◽  
Ombrophilous Forest ◽  
Janeiro State

ABSTRACT This study documents the occurrence of threatened plant species on Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. This survey acquired data from herbaria, living collections and field sampling. A total of 49 threatened species distributed among 27 families and 38 genera were recorded in the scientific collections, of which 43 are cited on official lists of threatened plant species for the State of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. Twelve species recorded on the island are on an international list of endangered species, 30 on the national list for Brazil, and 11 on the State List of Rio de Janeiro. The IUCN Red List categories of Vulnerable and Endangered were the predominant categories for the plant species of Ilha Grande, with the main historical threat factors being deforestation and logging. Most of the threatened species of the island are arboreous. The families with the greatest number of threatened species are also among the richest in Dense Ombrophilous Forest: Melastomataceae, Myrtaceae, Meliaceae, Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae. Four species registered on the island also appear on the list of endemic species in the State of Rio de Janeiro.

scholarly journals Recovery of threatened plant species and their habitats in the biodiversity hotspot of the Southwest Australian Floristic Region

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonie Monks ◽  
Sarah Barrett ◽  
Brett Beecham ◽  
Margaret Byrne ◽  
Alanna Chant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspot ◽  
Threatened Plant ◽  
Threatened Plant Species

Fire regime shift linked to increased forest density in a piñon–juniper savanna landscape

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellis Q. Margolis
Keyword(s):  
Regime Shift ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Tree Density ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
In Fire

Piñon–juniper (PJ) fire regimes are generally characterised as infrequent high-severity. However, PJ ecosystems vary across a large geographic and bio-climatic range and little is known about one of the principal PJ functional types, PJ savannas. It is logical that (1) grass in PJ savannas could support frequent, low-severity fire and (2) exclusion of frequent fire could explain increased tree density in PJ savannas. To assess these hypotheses I used dendroecological methods to reconstruct fire history and forest structure in a PJ-dominated savanna. Evidence of high-severity fire was not observed. From 112 fire-scarred trees I reconstructed 87 fire years (1547–1899). Mean fire interval was 7.8 years for fires recorded at ≥2 sites. Tree establishment was negatively correlated with fire frequency (r=–0.74) and peak PJ establishment was synchronous with dry (unfavourable) conditions and a regime shift (decline) in fire frequency in the late 1800s. The collapse of the grass-fuelled, frequent, surface fire regime in this PJ savanna was likely the primary driver of current high tree density (mean=881treesha–1) that is >600% of the historical estimate. Variability in bio-climatic conditions likely drive variability in fire regimes across the wide range of PJ ecosystems.

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