Canadian private protected areas are located in regions of higher vertebrate species richness than government protected areas

Nongovernmental organizations contribute to the securement and management of protected areas, but it is not well known how their lands compare to government protected areas or the effectiveness of different land acquisition strategies. Using data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and BirdLife International, we estimated total and at-risk terrestrial native vertebrate species richness in southern Canada among ( i) private protected areas secured by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), government protected areas, and randomly sampled land; ( ii) conservation agreements and fee simple (directly acquired) NCC properties; and ( iii) purchased or donated fee simple properties. Controlling for property size and ecoregion, NCC protected areas were predicted to be in areas with 6% and 13% more total and at-risk species than randomly sampled land and 4% and 6% more total and at-risk species than government protected areas. Within NCC protected areas, conservation agreements were predicted to be in areas with 2% and 4% more total and at-risk species than fee simple properties, but purchased properties had similar numbers of total and at-risk species as donated properties. Although we caution that diversity estimates were based on course-grained range maps, our findings suggest that private protected areas are important in conserving biodiversity.

Download Full-text

Determinants of orchid species diversity in Latin America

Lankesteriana ◽

10.15517/lank.v16i2.26013 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zuzana Štípková ◽

Iva Traxmandlová ◽

Pavel Kindlmann

Keyword(s):

Latin America ◽

Species Richness ◽

Species Diversity ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Habitat Diversity ◽

Orchid Species ◽

Two Factors ◽

Using Data ◽

The Tropics ◽

Reserve Size

Area and latitude are thought to be the most important determinants of species richness. The relative importance of these two factors was recently tested, using data on orchid species diversity in various countries in the world and it was found that size of the country (or of the protected areas within the country) is a better determinant of species diversity in orchids than latitude. On the other hand, literature data indicate that in many groups species richness is also heavily dependent on habitat diversity as expressed by the range of altitudes in the region considered. Here we analyze the species richness data for various countries in Latin America, using the above-mentioned altitudinal amplitude as a proxy. Habitat diversity played a role in tropical, but not in temperate countries. The reason may indicate that in the temperate countries only few orchid species grow in higher elevations, so an increase of altitudinal range of habitats there does not entail a corresponding increase of species richness there. Thus, especially in the tropics, efforts should be directed to preservation of protected areas in all altitudes, rather than to increase of existing reserve size only in areas that are not attractive for human development.

Download Full-text

Flora of Espírito Santo: Psidium (Myrtaceae)

Rodriguésia ◽

10.1590/2175-7860201768515 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 68 (5) ◽

pp. 1791-1805 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Amélia C. Tuler ◽

Tatiana T. Carrijo ◽

Márcia F.S. Ferreria ◽

Ariane L. Peixoto

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Sea Level ◽

The State ◽

Agricultural Expansion ◽

Herbarium Specimens ◽

Espírito Santo ◽

Lowland Forests ◽

Atlantic Rainforest Biome ◽

Espirito Santo

Abstract This study presents a floristic-taxonomic treatment of Psidium in the state of Espírito Santo, and is a result of fieldwork combined with analyses of herbarium specimens. Fourteen species of the genus were recognized in Espírito Santo state (P. brownianum, P. cattleianum, P. cauliflorum, P. guajava, P. guineense, P. longipetiolatum, P. myrtoides, P. oblongatum, P. oligospermum, P. ovale, P. rhombeum, P. rufum P. sartorianum, and Psidium sp.), accounting for about 34% of the species richness estimated for the genus in the Atlantic Rainforest biome. The species occur predominantly in lowland forests up to 700 meters above sea level. These areas are highly threatened due to urbanization of coastal areas and agricultural expansion in the state Espírito Santo. Therefore, the conservation of Psidium species in this state requires the creation of more lowland protected areas.

Download Full-text

Children in Custody: 20-Year Trends in Juvenile Detention, Correctional, and Shelter Facilities

Crime & Delinquency ◽

10.1177/0011128798044004004 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 44 (4) ◽

pp. 526-543 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Bradford Smith

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Violent Offenders ◽

Juvenile Detention ◽

Correctional Facilities ◽

Residential Placement ◽

Statistical Series ◽

Juvenile Population ◽

Juvenile Correctional Facilities ◽

Using Data

Using data drawn from the Children in Custody (CIC) statistical series, this article presents 20-year trends (1) in the number and characteristics of juvenile correctional facilities, (2) in the number and characteristics of youth held in juvenile correctional facilities, and (3) in the costs of confinement of youth held in juvenile correctional facilities. A brief history and some of the limitations of the CIC data are presented. The new Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement that replaced CIC in 1997 is briefly described. The article concludes that, even after controlling for the size of the at-risk juvenile population and inflation, there were more juveniles, more males, more minorities, and more violent offenders in more crowded, secure, and costly juvenile correctional facilities in 1995 than there were in the preceding years.

Download Full-text

Congruence between breeding and wintering biodiversity hotspots: A case study in farmlands of Western Poland

European Journal of Ecology ◽

10.2478/eje-2018-0014 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 75-83

Author(s):

Federico Morelli ◽

Zbigniew Kwieciński ◽

Piotr Indykiewicz ◽

Łukasz Jankowiak ◽

Paweł Szymański ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Bird Species ◽

Bird Community ◽

Bird Diversity ◽

Human Beings ◽

Complete Representation ◽

Evolutionary Distinctiveness

Abstract Farmland landscapes are recognized as important ecosystems, not only for their rich biodiversity but equally so for the human beings who live and work in these places. However, biodiversity varies among sites (spatial change) and among seasons (temporal change). In this work, we tested the hypothesis that bird diversity hotspots distribution for breeding is congruent with bird diversity hotspots for wintering season, focusing also the representation of protected areas for the conservation of local hotspots. We proposed a framework based on the use of species richness, functional diversity, and evolutionary distinctiveness to characterize avian communities. Although our findings show that the spatial distribution of local bird hotspots differed slightly between seasons, the protected areas’ representation was similar in both seasons. Protected areas covered 65% of the most important zones for breeding and 71% for the wintering season in the farmland studied. Functional diversity showed similar patterns as did bird species richness, but this measure can be most effective for highlighting differences on bird community composition. Evolutionary distinctiveness was less congruent with species richness and functional diversity, among seasons. Our findings suggest that inter-seasonal spatial congruence of local hotspots can be considered as suitable areas upon which to concentrate greater conservation efforts. However, even considering the relative congruence of avian diversity metrics at a local spatial scale, simultaneous analysis of protected areas while inter-seasonally considering hotspots, can provide a more complete representation of ecosystems for assessing the conservation status and designating priority areas.

Download Full-text

New findings on protected and strictly protected species confirm the value of the prime hoverfly area network

Zbornik Matice srpske za prirodne nauke ◽

10.2298/zmspn1835063j ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 63-71

Author(s):

Marina Jankovic ◽

Marija Milicic ◽

Dimitrije Radisic ◽

Dubravka Milic ◽

Ante Vujic

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Species Distribution ◽

Species Distribution Models ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

Small Sample ◽

Area Network ◽

Distribution Models ◽

Environmental Pressures ◽

New Findings ◽

Using Data

With environmental pressures on the rise, the establishment of pro?tected areas is a key strategy for preserving biodiversity. The fact that many species are losing their battle against extinction despite being within protected areas raises the question of their effectiveness. The aim of this study was to evaluate established Priority Hoverfly Areas (PHAs) and areas that are not yet but could potentially be included in the PHA network, using data from new field surveys. Additionally, species distribution models have been created for two new species recognized as important and added to the list of key hoverfly species. Maps of potential distribution of these species were superimposed on maps of protected areas and PHAs to quantify percentages of overlap. The results of this study are not statisti?cally significant, which could be influenced by a small sample size. However, the results of species distribution models and the extent of overlap with PHAs confirm the utility of these expert-generated designations.

Download Full-text

Estimating the indirect prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Switzerland

10.21203/rs.3.rs-100859/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sara Cottler-Casanova ◽

Jasmine Abdulcadir

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Female Genital Mutilation ◽

Prevalence Data ◽

Genital Mutilation ◽

The Past ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Prevalence Estimates ◽

Women And Girls ◽

Using Data ◽

Female Genital

Abstract ObjectiveTo update the indirect prevalence estimates for women and girls living with Female Genital Mutilation Cutting (FGM/C) in Switzerland, using data from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office of migrant women and girls born in one of the 30 high-prevalence FGM/C countries that are currently living in Switzerland. MethodsWe used Yoder and Van Baelen’s “Extrapolation of FGM/C Countries’ Prevalence Data” method, where we applied DHS and MICS prevalence figures from the 30 countries when FGM/C is practiced, and applied them to the immigrant women and girls living in Switzerland from the same 30 countries.ResultsIn 2010, the estimated indirect prevalence was 9,059 whereas in 2018, the estimated indirect prevalence was 21,706 women and girls living with or at risk of FGM/C.ConclusionOver the past decade, there have been significant increases in the number of estimated women and girls living with or at risk of FGM/C in Switzerland due to the increase in the total number of women and girls originally coming form the countries where the practice of FGM/C is traditional.

Download Full-text