Distribution of threatened-unprotected vertebrates as a basis for conservation planning

2009 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Doleva ◽  
Yohayay Carmel
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Conservation Planning ◽  
Rift Valley ◽  
Distribution Range ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Degree Of Protection ◽  
Reserve Network ◽  
Conservation Decisions

The distribution of threatened species often serves to drive conservation decisions. Much of the distribution of many threatened species is already protected. These species may need fostering, but not necessarily further protected areas. We propose a simple and generic means of assessing the degree of protection presently offered to a threatened species, namely, the proportion of its distribution that is unprotected. This index classifies threatened species into two classes: most of their distribution range is either (1) inside protected areas (protected), or (2) outside of protected areas (unprotected). We propose that evaluation of land for planning and conservation should be based chiefly on the distribution of those threatened species that are not yet protected by the current reserve network. Our approach is exemplified in a case study of vertebrate species in Israel. We constructed a "hotspots map" using only the threatened species that have more than 60% of their distribution unprotected (n = 57), and compared it to a similar map with all threatened vertebrates (n = 118). This latter map had all hotspots around the Rift Valley in the eastern part of the country, while the former map had some hotspots in the western parts of the country as well. This study highlights the importance of a clear decision regarding which species should be used in prioritizing areas for conservation.

scholarly journals INVESTIGATING CROSS CONGRUENCE BETWEEN BUTTERFLY TAXA AND ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF SYSTEMATIC CONSERVATION PLANNING: A CASE STUDY FROM LESSER CAUCASUS ECOREGION OF TURKEY

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Banu Kaya özdemirel
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Conservation Planning ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Systematic Conservation Planning ◽  
Ecological Community ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Lesser Caucasus

Cross taxa congruence was investigated between butterfly taxa and ecological community for fine spatial scale (10 × 10 km² UTM grids) in north-eastern part of Turkey. The study area was evaluated within the scope of systematic conservation planning, and analyses were performed for sets of priority protected areas composed using complementarity-based site selection software Marxan. Cross taxa congruence was subsequently examined both in species richness and ecologic complementarity. Accordingly, it has been observed that the cross-taxon congruence between butterfly taxa and ecological community was relatively better than the results of previous studies. Another remarkable finding is that ecological community was a more robust surrogate than butterfly taxa. Although the results are valuable for conservation studies, they highlight the fact that a simple surrogate-based site selection would be inadequate to represent overall biodiversity.  The weakness of congruence patterns among surrogates would also lead to gaps in biodiversity conservation. These findings therefore draw attention to the necessities of incorporating surrogates of distinct ecology or some other surrogates like environmental parameters into conservation planning. Otherwise, there may be mistakes regarding species representation and the vast majority of species may be misrepresented in protected areas and protected area plans. At this point, it should be emphasized that understating cross taxa congruence and/or relationships is a key component for efficient biodiversity conservation.

scholarly journals Assessing the efficiency of protected areas to represent biodiversity: a small island case study

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARTA VERGÍLIO ◽  
CATARINA FONSECA ◽  
HELENA CALADO ◽  
PAULO A.V. BORGES ◽  
RUI BENTO ELIAS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Conservation Planning ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
Current Conservation ◽  
Distribution Modelling ◽  
Spatial Conservation Planning ◽  
Species Groups

SUMMARYProtected areas (PAs) have been selected using either subjective or objective criteria applied to an extremely limited subset of biodiversity. Improved availability of species distribution data, better statistical tools to predict species distributions and algorithms to optimize spatial conservation planning allow many impediments to be overcome, particularly on small islands. This study analyses whether 219 species are adequately protected by PAs on Pico Island (the Azores, Portugal), and if they are as efficient as possible, maximizing species protection while minimizing costs. We performed distribution modelling of species’ potential distributions, proposed individual conservation targets (considering the context of each species in the archipelago and their current conservation status) to determine the efficiency of current PAs in meeting such targets and identify alternative or complementary areas relevant for conservation. Results showed that current PAs do not cover all taxa, leaving out important areas for conservation. We demonstrate that by using optimization algorithms it is possible to include most species groups in spatial conservation planning in the Azores with the current resources. With increasing availability of data and methods, this approach could be readily extended to other islands and regions with high endemism levels.

Integrating habitat suitability modelling and assessment of the conservation gaps of nature reserves for the threatened Reeves’s Pheasant

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
SHAN TIAN ◽  
SHUAI LU ◽  
JUNQIN HUA ◽  
JIANG CHANG ◽  
JIANQIANG LI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Gap Analysis ◽  
Central China ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Reserve Network ◽  
Habitat Suitability Modelling ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Multiple Species

Summary As threats to biodiversity proliferate, establishment and expansion of protected areas have increasingly been advocated in recent decades. In establishing a network of protected areas, recurrent assessments of the biodiversity conservation actually afforded by these areas is required. Gap analysis has been useful to evaluate the sufficiency and performance of protected areas. We surveyed Reeves’s Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii populations in 2018–2019 across its distribution range in central China to quantify the distribution of habitat suitable for this species. Our goal was to ascertain the current distribution of Reeves’s Pheasant and then identify the gaps in protecting Reeves’s Pheasant of the existing national nature reserve (NNR) network to provide suggestions for improving the conservation of this important species. The existing NNR network encompassed only 17.0% of the habitat suitable for Reeves’s Pheasant. Based on the current distributions of both suitable habitat and NNRs for Reeves’s Pheasant, we suggest most currently unprotected areas comprised moderately suitable habitat for species and should be prioritized in the future. A multiple species approach using Reeves’s Pheasant as a flagship species should be considered to understand the extent of mismatch between the distributions of protected areas and suitable habitat to improve the management effectiveness of NNRs. This case study provides an example of how the development of a conservation reserve network may be based on species distribution and habitat assessments and is useful to conservation efforts in other regions and for other species.

The role of the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) as an umbrella species for Andean ecoregions

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofía Crespo-Gascón ◽  
José Guerrero-Casado
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Geographical Information Systems ◽  
Distribution Range ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Umbrella Species ◽  
Present Distribution

Context The concept of umbrella species has been proposed as a surrogate for the conservation of a wider range of species and ecosystems. This concept has, however, frequently been questioned by researchers because of the lack of empirical evidence to support it. Aims The aim of the present study was to test the role of the spectacled bear, Tremarctos ornatus (FG Cuvier, 1825), also known as Andean bear, as a putative umbrella species for the 12 Andean ecoregions it inhabits. Methods The number of threatened vertebrates, as well as the total number of vertebrate species (mammals and birds) existing in areas where the spectacled bear is present (distribution range) and absent, were compared within each ecoregion to assess the role of spectacled bear as an umbrella species, using geographical information systems. Key results In absolute terms, the spectacled bear could be considered an umbrella species, because 20.6% of the area of the 12 ecoregions was covered by the bear’s distribution range, and the total numbers of both vertebrate species richness and threatened species were higher in areas where the bears were present than in those where they were absent. However, the results showed that the differences with regard to the number of species in areas in which the bears were present and absent depended on the ecoregion and the targeted taxa. Conclusions These results suggest that the effectiveness of the spectacled bear as an umbrella species is not widespread, because conserving the areas in which bears are present may not always equate to greater conservation benefits (higher species richness) in all the ecoregions for all the taxa. Implications If spectacled bear is used as an umbrella species, it is necessary to consider both the ecoregions and the targeted taxa whose conservation would be improved as a result of the preservation of the spectacled bear’s distribution range.

scholarly journals Ionic Runoff as a Way to Determine the Degree of Karst Denudation (Case Study Jasov Plateau, Slovak Karst, Slovakia)

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1449
Author(s):  
Alena Gessert ◽  
Imrich Sládek ◽  
Veronika Straková ◽  
Mihály Braun ◽  
Enikő Heim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Rain ◽  
Similar Amount ◽  
Karst Water ◽  
Karst Spring ◽  
Snow Melting ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Karst Springs ◽  
Degree Of Protection ◽  
Episodic Events

Estimation of the catchment area of a karst spring is not possible in all areas for various reasons. The Slovak Karst is protected by the highest degree of protection and karst springs are used as a source of drinking water for the second largest city in Slovakia, Košice. From this reason, no results on ionic runoff or chemical denudation have been published from this area and the most appropriate way to obtain information about the denudation rate is to determine the ionic runoff. This paper provides an overview of ionic runoff results based on sampling and analysis of karst water from six springs in the period November 2013–October 2016 (three hydrological years) and periodic measurements. Springs have significantly fluctuated flow rates from 0 L/s in summer and autumn up to 192 L/s, and episodic events during the snow melting and heavy rain in the spring of 2013 are also known (more than 380 L/s). The total value of ionic runoff for the area of 40,847 m3/y.km2 is comparable with the Vracanska Plateau in Bulgaria, which lies at a similar altitude and with a similar amount of precipitation.

scholarly journals Mammal conservation in Amazonia’s protected areas: A case study of Peru’s Ichigkat Muja - Cordillera del Cóndor National Park

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. e01451
Author(s):  
Jason J. Scullion ◽  
Jacqueline Fahrenholz ◽  
Victor Huaytalla ◽  
Edgardo M. Rengifo ◽  
Elisabeth Lang
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Park ◽  
Mammal Conservation

scholarly journals Rights of Nature Versus Nature Conservation Rights of Nature Versus Conventional Nature Conservation: International Lessons from Australia’s Tarkine Wilderness

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Benjamin Richardson ◽  
Nina Hamaski
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Important Research ◽  
Rights Of Nature ◽  
Conceptual Shift ◽  
Important Research Question

The rights-of-nature model is gaining traction as an innovative legal approach for nature conservation. Although adopted in several countries, it remains in its infancy, including in Australia. An important research question is whether rights of nature will offer superior environmental outcomes compared to traditional nature conservation techniques including creation of protected areas. This article investigates that question through a case study of the Tarkine wilderness, in the Australia state of Tasmania. It first identifies key lessons from existing international experience with affirmation of rights of nature, such as in New Zealand and Ecuador. The article then explores how rights of nature could apply in Australia’s Tarkine region and their value compared to existing or potential protected areas and other nature conservation measures under Australian or Tasmanian law. Affirming rights of nature represents a major conceptual shift in how people via the law relate to the natural world, but whether the model offers practical benefits for nature conservation depends on a variety of conditions, in addition to the need to address broader societal drivers of environmentaldegradation.

scholarly journals The ecological effectiveness of protected areas: a case study for South African birds

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Greve ◽  
S. L. Chown ◽  
B. J. van Rensburg ◽  
M. Dallimer ◽  
K. J. Gaston
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
South African

THE POLITICAL ECOLOGY OF ‘INCURSIONS’: LIVESTOCK, PROTECTED AREAS AND SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS IN THE MARA REGION OF KENYA

Africa ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 614-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bilal Butt
Keyword(s):  
Political Ecology ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Management Policies ◽  
Material Conditions ◽  
Dominant Narratives ◽  
Mara Region

ABSTRACTAcross the world, the presence of domestic animals in protected areas (PAs) is considered an ‘incursion’ that threatens the economic and ecological viability of these areas. Dominant narratives about incursions inaccurately describe the relationships between people and PAs because they lack adequate contextualization. In this paper, I rely on a political-ecological framework to argue for an alternative narrative. Through a case study from a PA in southern Kenya, I demonstrate how incursions are instead modern co-productions that arise from the intersections between changing political geographies of resource control and variable animal geographies of resource utilization – thus clarifying a long-standing debate about the presence of domestic animals in PAs. I rely on direct empirical and supporting evidence from place-based studies to illustrate the spatial and temporal differences in resource access strategies of wildlife and livestock within and outside the PA. I contrast these against changing land tenure and resource management policies to highlight how livestock movements into PAs are patterned in ways that reflect the changing nature of PA management, the material conditions of the landscape, and the agency of animals. Through these investigations, this paper provides a more accurate and nuanced explanation for livestock movements into PAs.

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