Case study of building of conservation coalitions to conserve ecological interactions |
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| Authors: | Gao Chen Shihong Luo Nianshu Mei Dingfang Shen Weibang Sun |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Kunming Botanical Garden, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China;2. State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China;3. Kunming Association of Environmental Protection and Public Education, Kunming, Yunnan, China;4. Partnerships for Community Development, Chi Wo Commercial Building, Jordan, Kowloon, Hong Kong |
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| Abstract: | We engaged experts in various fields of study (pollination ecology, chemical ecology, and ethnobotany), invited community participation, and provided environmental education in an effort to conserve an endangered birthwort (Aristolochia delavayi) and a vulnerable pipevine swallowtail (Byasa daemonius). Scientists studied the uptake and sequestration of the secondary metabolites aristolochic acids from A. delavayi leaves by different stages of pipevine swallowtail as a defense mechanism; low fruit set of the myophilous A. delavayi due to pollinator limitation; and the emission of chemical signals that attract parasitic wasps by the prepupae of B. daemonius. The results of these studies were part of an education program delivered by personnel of non‐governmental organizations. The program was devised to deliver information to the public about the health risks of consuming A. delavayi individuals (aristolochic‐acid‐associated cancers) and to establish a bridge between the public and scientific research. Following delivery of the program, the behavior of residents changed considerably. Community residents were involved in management activities, including participation in a program to promote understanding of ecological interactions between A. delavayi and B. daemonius; designing an in situ conservation site; monitoring A. delavayi and B. daemonius individuals; and promoting the natural fruit set of A. delavayi by scattering animal excrement to attract fly pollinators. The integration of scientific information and community participation appears to have resulted in an increase in abundance of threatened A. delavayi and B. daemonius populations. We believe the involvement of local people in conservation is necessary for successful species conservation. |
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| Keywords: | aristolochic acid Aristolochia delavayi Byasa daemonius environmental education in situ conservation NGOs pollination á cido aristoló quico Aristolochia delavayi Byasa daemonius conservació n in situ educació n ambiental ONGs polinizació n |
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