ECOPOTENTIAL Storylines: a whole system approach to Protected Area ecosystems

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonello Provenzale ◽  
Carl Beierkuhnlein ◽  
Silvia Giamberini ◽  
Simona Imperio ◽  
Carmela Marangi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Community Activities ◽  
In Situ Data ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Life Issues

<p>The EU H2020 ECOPOTENTIAL project was devoted to make best use of Earth observations to improve ecosystem benefits and support conservation strategies. The project followed a whole-ecosystem approach, with special attention to geosphere-biosphere interactions. The project, started in 2015 and ended in 2019, focused its activities on a set of more than 20 protected areas of international relevance in Europe and beyond, many of which are also eLTER and ILTER sites, covering a wide array of biogeographic regions and ecosystems (www.ecopotential-project.eu). The site/sites – specific research activities have been developed within a comprehensive framework (called the project’s “Storylines”) where real-life issues of broad conservation relevance for Protected Areas are linked with research questions. The Storylines specify the needs for remote sensing and in-situ data for ecosystem modelling, ecosystem service assessment, cross-scale interaction estimates, demands for future protections, policy and capacity building. Each storyline has been focused within at least one protected area and has sets the basis for further operational work in the field, adding specifics, defining a work plan and assigning tasks. Storylines have been conceived as iterative processes whose flow of activity and practical implementation evolved with the increase of knowledge and the demands by the users of the scientific findings. After a general introduction to the Storyline approach, here we focus on the case of the Gran Paradiso National Park, considering population dynamics of wild ungulates, biodiversity assessments and Critical Zone exploration. The Storyline concept is now left as a legacy of the ECOPOTENTIAL project to eLTER RI and to the GEO ECO community activities.</p>

scholarly journals ANALYZING TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL TRENDS IN MANAGEMENT PLANS OF FEDERAL PROTECTED AREAS IN BRAZIL

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (04) ◽  
pp. 846-854
Author(s):  
Alessandro Ribeiro Morais ◽  
◽  
Mariana Nascimento Siqueira ◽  
Roniel Freitas-Oliveira ◽  
Daniel Brito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Group A ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Group B

Protected areas are the most frequently used tool for the mitigation of threats to biodiversity. However, without effective management, the creation of new protected areas may be ineffective. In Brazil, protected areas must have both a governing body (consultative or deliberative council) and an official management plan. Here, we analyzed general trends and patterns in the approval of the management plans for Brazilian federal protected areas. We considered all federal protected areas, and compiled data on (i) the year the area was created, (ii) the type of protected area (integral protection vs. sustainable use), (iii) year its management plan was approved, (iv) year in which the management plan was revised after its approval, (v) total area (in hectares), and (vi) the biome in which the area is located. We stablished three groups of protected area: 1) Group A: protected areas created prior to 1979, 2) Group B: protected areas created between 1979 and 1999, and 3) Group C: protected areas created between 2000 to the present time. Finally, we tested whether time for the approval of the management plan suffered a simultaneous effect of the type of biome and type of categories of protected area (strictly protected vs. sustainable use areas). We found 211 (63.17% of the 334) protected areas with management plan. On average, the time taken for the creation and approval of a management plan far exceeds the deadlines (5 yrs.) defined under current Brazilian law. All Brazilian biomes are poorly covered by protected areas with effective management plans, with the highest and lowest value observed in the Pantanal (100%) and Caatinga (46.42%), respectively. Our results suggest that the effectiveness of many federal protected areas in Brazil can be reduced considerably by the lack of a management plan, with deleterious consequences for the country’s principal conservation strategies.

scholarly journals Good governance and tourism development in protected areas: The case of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, central Vietnam

Koedoe ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Hübner ◽  
Lý T. Phong ◽  
Trương S.H. Châu
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
National Park ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Benefit Sharing ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Central Vietnam

Protected areas are increasingly expected to serve as a natural income-producing resource via the exploitation of recreational and touristic activities. Whilst tourism is often considered a viable option for generating income which benefits the conservation of a protected area, there are many cases in which insufficient and opaque planning hinder sustainable development, thereby reducing local benefit sharing and, ultimately, nature conservation. This article delineated and examined factors in governance which may underlie tourism development in protected areas. Based on Graham, Amos and Plumptre’s five good governance principles, a specific analysis was made of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in central Vietnam, which highlighted challenges in the practical implementation of governing principles arising for nature conservation, sustainable tourism development and complex stakeholder environments. Despite the limited opportunity of this study to examine the wider national and international context, the discussion facilitated an overview of the factors necessary to understand governance principles and tourism development. This article could serve as a basis for future research, especially with respect to comparative analyses of different management structures existing in Vietnam and in other contested centrally steered protected area spaces. Conservation implications: This research has shown that tourism and its development, despite a more market-oriented and decentralised policymaking, is a fragmented concept impacted by bureaucratic burden, lack of institutional capacities, top-down processes and little benefit-sharing. There is urgent need for stakeholders – public and private – to reconcile the means of protected areas for the ends (conservation) by clarifying responsibilities as well as structures and processes which determine decision-making.

scholarly journals Identifying priority areas for the conservation of antelopes in the Republic of Guinea, West Africa, using the complementarity approach

Oryx ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Brugière
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Protected Area Network ◽  
Republic Of Guinea ◽  
Complementarity Approach ◽  
The Republic

AbstractThe Republic of Guinea has one of the highest diversities of mammal species in West Africa. However, its protected area network is poorly developed and little quantitative information has been available to help guide national conservation strategies. I therefore examined the distribution of antelopes and related species (families Bovidae and Tragulidae) across 17 sites, including four protected areas, to determine how the existing protected area network contributes to the conservation of antelope species and where action should best be focused for the conservation of this group. A total of 21 species of antelope have been recorded in the 17 sites; four of these species are absent from the four protected areas. An iterative heuristic complementarity approach was used to determine an irreplaceability index, which accounts for both species richness and species rarity, for each of the sites. The Kankan Faunal Reserve and Nimba Strict Nature Reserve have the second and fourth highest irreplaceability indices, respectively. The two other protected areas have moderate to very low irreplaceability indices, showing that they protect species widespread throughout the 17 sites. The Ziama Forest has the highest index (because it contains a high number of species and of globally threatened species), highlighting the significance of this site. I discuss the importance of the other sites and the threats affecting antelopes in Guinea, and make recommendations to improve the study and conservation of antelope species in the country.

scholarly journals OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES ON CONSERVATION OF AMBATARA PROTECTED AREA, SEDE MUJA DISTRICT, ETHIOPIA

2020 ◽  
pp. 120-130
Author(s):  
Haile Zerfu Munaw
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Country Level

Protected areas (PAs) are designated areas that are protected because of their environmental, cultural, or other worth. It plays a vital role in biodiversity conservation. Ethiopia has more many PAs, which cover 17.1% of the nation, protected to gain benefits for livelihoods at the local, regional and country level but the value obtained from the protected areas is very low. An effective conservation of management practice for protected areas is one of the selected approach to make the harmony relationship between PAs and the local community in a given ecosystem. However, its practical implementation in protected areas through community method is the major challenge in Ethiopia. This study described the main opportunities and challenges of Ambatara protected Area (APA), Sede Muja District, Ethiopia. Data were collected and organized by the household survey, key informant interview, field observation and focused group discussion (FGD) methods using both primary and secondary data sources in the form of qualitative, quantitative, or both from July 2019 to September 2019. The results were explained the socioeconomic, opportunities and challenges. The establishment of community-based PA management in Ethiopia, proclamation and regulations of wildlife managements of Ethiopia, and natural recovery ability of the area were its potential opportunities whereas, local community -wildlife conflict, conflicting between the APA management & local community, inadequate coordination among stakeholders, and challenges & threats of APA were the main challenges of APA conservation. KEYWORDS: APA, opportunities and challenges, local community, PA

scholarly journals Non-protected areas demanding equitable conservation strategies as of protected areas in the Central Himalayan region

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0255082
Author(s):  
Avantika Thapa ◽  
Pujan Kumar Pradhan ◽  
Bheem Dutt Joshi ◽  
Tanoy Mukherjee ◽  
Mukesh Thakur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Capture Rate ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Manis Pentadactyla

The present study aims to explore the mammalian diversity of Darjeeling district using camera traps along with questionnaire survey in protected area (PA) and non- protected area (Non-PA). We also attempted to understand the influence of habitat variables on mammalian species richness using the generalized linear mixed models (GLMM). A total of 30 mammal species were recorded of which 21 species were detected through camera trapping with the most abundant records of barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak) and least of the elusive Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) and red panda (Ailurus fulgens). Additionally, melanistic forms of four mammals were also recorded. The mammalian species richness, their capture rate and naïve occupancy did not differ significantly among the PA and Non-PA. The GLMM revealed that the proportions of oak and bamboo in the forest, percentage canopy cover and camera trap operational days (wAICc = 0.145, wBIC = 0.603) were significant predictors of species richness in the study. We suggest Non-PA forest of Darjeeling should be given equal conservation importance as to the PA. Landscape based conservation planning will be imperative for achieving long term conservation goals in the study area.

Stakeholder attitudes towards wildlife policy and the Bénoué Wildlife Conservation Area, North Cameroon

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 334-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert B. Weladji ◽  
Stein R. Moe ◽  
Pål Vedeld
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Local Variation ◽  
Local People ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Resource Exploitation ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Wildlife Policy

In recent years, wildlife policies that consider the participation of stakeholders have been promoted. An understanding of the stakeholders' attitudes towards conservation and existing policies are critical in designing new policies or sustainable conservation strategies. This paper examines stakeholders' (local people, park staff and professional hunter guides) attitudes, towards the Bénoué Wildlife Conservation Area (BWCA) and towards Cameroonian wildlife policy. The BWCA encompasses the Bénoué National Park and its surrounding hunting concessions that also include some villages. Both the Park and the hunting concessions are two categories of protected areas. Data were collected using informal interviews and questionnaires administered to 114 households from three communities, 17 park staff and seven professional hunter guides. Local people's attitudes towards protected areas depended on the management category of the particular protected area. Local people were positive towards the existence of the Park, but negative towards the system of hunting concession areas. There was local variation between communities concerning these attitudes. Local people were generally positive to maintaining the present Park area, but preferred a reduction in the size of the hunting concessions. Both Park staff and professional hunter guides expressed concern about present management strategies and the extent of illegal resource exploitation. Despite having poor knowledge of the current Cameroonian wildlife policy, most of the local households expressed support for it, but called for increased local involvement in management, off-take and the harvesting of benefits from both Park and hunting concession activities. The Park staff were sceptical about local participation in this context and saw such endeavours as a threat to a sound biodiversity management scheme. The findings indicate the need to strengthen current wildlife policy, promote the involvement of local people and empower the Park staff, both in terms of resources and in terms of skills in interacting with local people. The revised policy should be designed so as to vary according to the category of protected area and allow site-specific adaptations. Local people must experience reduced incurred costs and increased incomes from the Park. An environmental education programme is recommended to extensively disseminate the policy to user groups in the area.

Descriptive bioregionalisation and conservation biogeography: what is the true bioregional representativeness of protected areas?

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro R. Giraudo ◽  
Vanesa Arzamendia
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Conservation Biogeography ◽  
Set Constraints ◽  
Area Efficiency ◽  
Areas Of Endemism ◽  
Conservation Actions

Conservation biogeography involves the application of biogeographical principles and methods to conservation issues, including the design of protected areas. Bioregionalisation has been central in the implementation of main global conservation strategies, providing the basis for prioritising protected areas and evaluating their representativeness and effectiveness in conservation actions. Traditionally, experts established these bioregionalisations without repeatable methodologies and using only qualitative evidence, which has set constraints in their usefulness. We compared three descriptive bioregionalisations commonly used for conservation decision-making, with a regionalisation produced using quantitative methods (endemicity analysis), so as to assess biases and differences in the representativeness of the existing protected-area system of Argentina. Areas of endemism were detected using NDM/VNDM quantitative methodology on a database consisting of 19250 distribution records of 116 taxa of snakes, and the results were compared with previous descriptive regionalisations. We recovered 9 quantitative bioregionalisation units (QBU) v. 6–8 descriptive bioregionalisation units (DBU) proposed by previous authors. From this comparison, the following was found: (1) we discovered three new QBU not considered by any previous DBU; (2) other three areas proposed by DBU are not supported by our endemicity analysis; (3) we detected differences comparing the representativeness of protected areas between descriptive v. quantitative bioregionalisations, leaving the first, some areas of conservation relevance largely unprotected. Moreover, DBU were characterised by a high degree of uncertainty and biases, such as the consideration of probably artificial units, the non-recognition of some natural units and mistakes in the representativeness of protected areas. We emphasise the importance of applying quantitative biogeographic methods to identify bioregionalisation units and its fundamental role in conservation biogeography so as to optimise protected-area efficiency and other territorial conservation strategies.

Evaluating the utility of protected area status and conservation legislation in tropical forest conservation using satellite data: a case study of the great hornbill in Thailand

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Naparat Suttidate
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Wildlife Sanctuary ◽  
Logging Ban

Abstract Preserving wildlife and their environment from anthropogenic activities requires identification and establishment of protected areas, and monitoring of their long-term effects on wildlife and habitat. Tropical forests are one of the most at-risk habitats and many tropical species have become extinct recently due to human activity. It is imperative to monitor habitat in protected areas and without in order to identify strategies and legislative policies that optimize conservation outcomes. To this end, I quantified habitat fragmentation for the great hornbill (Buceros bicornis) in Om Koi Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand, pre- and post-establishment, within and outside the protected area, from 1973, 1985, and 1992, to assess the effectiveness of the protected area status, established in 1978, and a national logging ban, established in 1989, in preserving and restoring hornbill habitat. The results demonstrate that the establishment of Om Koi Wildlife Sanctuary did not decrease the rate of hornbill habitat fragmentation relative to areas outside the protected area. While the protected area had less fragmentation to begin with, protection status did not affect the rate of loss. Fragmentation increased significantly both inside and outside the protected area between the first and second time points (p < 0.05), after the protected area was first established. However, the national logging ban policy implemented in 1985 seems to have successfully halted the fragmentation of habitat within the protected area and surrounding unprotected areas, with all areas showing no significant change (p > 0.05). While not significant, the rate of fragmentation outside the protected area was greater. This suggests that the establishment of a protected area alone may not be sufficient to stop or reverse anthropogenic damage to endangered habitat and the species that utilize these environments. The incorporation of multiple strategies for management is likely needed to increase the ability of protected areas to preserve tropical forest species and habitats. The assessment of protected areas via satellite and ground-level data is an essential tool for evaluating the effectiveness of conservation strategies and improving outcomes.

scholarly journals Bat assemblages of protected areas in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana M. Costa ◽  
Helena G. Bergallo ◽  
Júlia L. Luz ◽  
Carlos E. L. Esbérard
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Geographic Distance ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
The State ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
The Relationship

ABSTRACT We analyzed the bat assemblages found in protected areas in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is the best-sampled region of the Atlantic Forest. We selected 24 strict nature reserves and nine sustainable-use protected areas. We used data from inventories and complemented with data from the literature. We compared strict and sustainable-use protected areas, and tested whether the bat assemblages varied between habitat types. We tested the effect of geographic distance on the dissimilarity between bat assemblages, as well as the relationship between species composition and the size, mean altitude of the protected area, and capture effort. We compiled a total of 34,443 capture records, involving 67 species. Three species were captured only once, which raises cause for concern. Bat assemblages did not vary between protected area categories, but did vary among habitats with less than 1,000 captures. Assemblages were more similar to one another in geographically proximate areas. The size of the protected area and capture effort did not affect the composition of the bat assemblages, but altitude did influence this parameter. The Atlantic Forest is a priority biome for research and conservation, and reliable data on species distributions are essential for the development of conservation strategies.

New data on aphyllophoraceous fungi (Basidiomycota) of the protected areas of the Leningrad Region. X. State Nature Reserve «Kurgalsky»

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. M. Kotkova
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Leningrad Region ◽  
State Nature Reserve ◽  
X State ◽  
First Time ◽  
Aphyllophoroid Fungi ◽  
State Nature

The paper provides the data on aphyllophoroid fungi of the State Nature Reserve «Kurgalsky» situated in the Kingisepp District of the Leningrad Region. The list includes 285 species annotated by data on their habitats, substrates and frequency. In total 25 species protected in the Leningrad Region and 3 species protected in Russian Federation were found in the protected area. Chaetodermella luna, Phlebia subochracea and Trechispora stevensonii are published for the first time for the Leningrad Region. The specimens of selected species are kept in the Mycological Herbarium of the Komarov Botanical Institute RAS (LE).

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