A tradition of change: the dynamic relationship between biodiversity and society in sector Muyuy,Peru

The theme of biodiversity and society provides an opportunity to look beyond skewed environmental ideologies that impel biodiversity researchers to ignore land “tarnished” by humans in search of “pristine” ecosystems. Data reported and analyzed in this paper test and draw conclusions based on a non-partisan stance that recognizes biodiversity as a product of complex natural and anthropogenic interactions. The data in this paper describes this process in the Amazon floodplain of sector Muyuy, Peru. A smallholder tradition of adaptive change in this highly precarious and unstable landscape provides a dynamic foundation upon which biodiversity is produced, managed and conserved. To examine this tradition of appropriate response to change, data was collected on land-cover dynamics using Landsat images and biodiversity inventories and household surveys of resource use technologies and conservation practices were carried out. Through complex agricultural technologies, sector Muyuy smallholders, known as ribereños, use a highly differentiated and dynamic environment to produce a great diversity of crops while creating habitats for endangered and over-exploited species of fish and river turtles, plants, and other species. Ribereños are smallholder farmers, fishermen and forest managers. They are the descendents of several indigenous groups as well as migrants from Europe, Asia and Africa. Most of the rural inhabitants of Peruvian Amazonia are ribereños. In Muyuy, we found that ribereños manage an average of 76 tree species per ha, including tropical cedar and other over-exploited timber species. We conclude that meaningful attempts at biodiversity conservation must begin at the interface between ecological and social processes and incorporate locally developed knowledge and practice.     

The Nature Conservancy's approach to prioritizing conservation action

Like many conservation organizations and federal and state agencies, The Nature Conservancy is in the process of large-scale planning and prioritization efforts. To improve the efficiency of these planning efforts, the Conservancy has developed a methodology for these efforts. The results of these planning efforts will be a conservation blueprint which identifies the conservation areas necessary for conserving biodiversity and a subset of those areas where the Conservancy will focus its immediate efforts over the next 10 years. The subset of all the conservation areas identified in the planning process help The Nature Conservancy determine where it will work. This subset of areas (referred to as action sites) is selected using a tool which ranks key criteria for each conservation area. These criteria include the current conservation status of each area, complementarity to other areas selected, the diversity and viability of targets at the area, the urgency and degree of threats to the targets, the feasibility or opportunity to abate the threats at the area and the leverage potential of working at a conservation area. Taken together, these criteria help planners to select the areas where they will focus their conservation efforts.     

四川省维管植物和脊椎动物空间分布格局研究

四川省地理位置独特,位于青藏高原的最东端和长江、黄河上游,横跨五大地貌单元,包括6个气候梯度,是全球生物多样性保护热点地区之一和中国重要的物种基因库. 因此,研究四川省生物类群分布特征,识别狭域分布及环境脆弱带生物类群,可服务于生物多样性保护网络优化及保护策略制定,支撑生物多样性遥感监测开展. 基于四川省183个县(区)13 845个物种分布数据,对维管植物及脊椎动物,以及被子植物门、裸子植物门、蕨类植物门和哺乳纲、鸟纲、硬骨鱼纲、两栖纲、爬行纲的目特征区和科特征区进行分析,并统计目特征区的物种组成. 结果表明:四川省有维管植物12 378种,涵盖3门12纲72目268科,脊椎动物1 467种,涵盖5纲43目158科. 四川省维管植物和脊椎动物的目、科特征区总体可分为两大特征类群团,基本与四川省东部中亚热带和四川省西部高原气候区分布相吻合. 基于物种大数据划分的目、科特征区分布规律与植被区划成果具有较高的一致性,表明可以从大数据中推断出类群分布的详细特征. 因此,以大数据为基础精准识别生物多样性保护空缺区、物种交流廊道等关键区域具有可行性. 该研究还揭示了另一个重要的模式——小分类阶元的分布模式比大分类阶元受到更广泛、更复杂的因子组合的影响. 在此基础上,提出了生物类群保护孤小易危原则,建议优先考虑孤小分类群的生物多样性保护,并以此为基础制定区域性生物多样性保护计划.      

Threatened species listing as a trigger for conservation action

Legislative listing schemes, under which the listing of a species as threatened automatically triggers command regulation and/or recovery planning, raise significant issues for policy makers. In this paper, we explore strategies for factoring considerations beyond the empirical assessment of a species’ conservation status into the resource allocation decisions that flow from listing. Even in threatened species legislation that appears to prioritise species conservation over socio-economic considerations by creating an automatic nexus between listing and conservation response, there are significant pressure valves that allow the latter to exercise a significant influence on decisions in practice. We critically examine two other techniques currently used in legislation that allow a broader range of considerations to be factored into resource allocation decisions: abandoning the automatic triggering of resource allocation by listing; and taking into account a broader range of considerations in the listing decision itself. We conclude by outlining the framework for a strategic approach to the allocation of conservation resources. This has three limbs to it: recovery plans that identify what needs to be done to bring about recovery, in addition to what available resources will allow us to do; a system for prioritising between the implementation of recovery plans; and the integration of threatened species conservation into strategic land use planning processes.     

Effects of bioenergy policies and targets on European wetland restoration options

The EU is committed to combat climate change and to increase security of its energy supply. Bioenergy from forestry and agriculture plays a key role for both. Concurrently, the EU agreed to halt the loss of biodiversity within its member states. To fulfil the biodiversity target more nature conservation and restoration sites need to be designated. There are arising concerns that an increased cultivation of bioenergy crops will decrease the land available for nature reserves and for “traditional” agriculture and forestry. To assess the role of bioenergy in light of possible negative impacts on ecosystems, the European Forest and Agricultural Sector Optimization Model (EUFASOM) assesses simultaneously economic and environmental aspects of land use. This study contributes to the assessment by analyzing the effect of bioenergy production on European wetland allocations by incorporating the spatial wetland distribution model SWEDI into EUFASOM. Results show that bioenergy targets increase land competition and thus marginal costs of wetland preservation but also of food prices. The designation of national wetland conservation targets, on the other hand, stimulates land use intensification in countries without these targets and here only a transfer of environmental stresses takes place. The model is able to illustrate regional differences of results.     

An assessment of conservation alternatives of Laelia albida (Orchidaceae) in Zapotitlan Salinas,Puebla, through the Mexican Wild Species Extinction Risk Evaluation Method (MER): Culture and uses of the biological resource

Defining conservation-liable species is one of the main issues that conservation biology faces. Elucidating species selection criteria through institutional regulations and management system settlement are among the challenges that correct biodiversity use presents. In this work, we evaluate a Laelia albida (“white little nun”) orchid population, in the Zapotitlán Salinas Valley, Mexico, through the Mexican Wild Species Extinction Risk Evaluation Method (MER) criteria in order to obtain data that could support the proposal of its being included in a Mexican official norm. On the other hand, we present experiences that help establish other alternatives, which include ex situ and in situ conservation, as well as the inhabitants instruction for the integral development of the resource, specially because this is an ethnobotanically important species embedded in the valley inhabitants cultural life. L. albida is one of the characteristic elements of the “Día de Muertos” festivities altars, a worldwide recognized traditional religious celebration, and one of the most rooted among the Mexican mestizo population.     

县域国土空间主体功能区土地资源空间配置效率及管制策略——以江苏赣榆为例

从县域出发,深化主体功能区概念应用,探究土地资源空间配置效率及其管制策略对深化我国国土空间治理体系具有重要意义。通过梳理主体功能区与土地资源空间配置理论关系,借助C-D生产函数考察江苏赣榆主体功能区土地资源空间配置效率,并差别化提出管制策略。研究表明,主体功能区建设实质是“以地为本”,功能区划理念下土地资源空间配置应遵循边际净收益相等的转化度,具有增进用地效率、减少自发优势竞争效率损失的可能。对赣榆区研究发现,不同主体功能区农用地转为建设用地数量存在过量配置,具有帕累托改进空间,其根源在于现行土地计划管理缺乏弹性机制调节指标,造成实际落地中的空间错配。因此,赣榆区应从全区统筹主体功能定位,协调国土空间发展格局,其中优化开发区“革新土地空间结构,转变经济与产业发展方式”、重点开发区“助力城镇工业化进程,确保土地资源利用效益”、限制开发区“着力粮经产品安全,创新农业生产用地经营模式”、禁止开发区“划定生态空间红线,探索农旅生态用地结构布局”。     

重庆市重要生态功能区生态系统服务动态变化

借助遥感数据和GIS空间分析技术,选取生物多样性维持、土壤保持、水源涵养和固碳4种生态系统服务建立评估模型,对2000—2010年重庆市域内3个重要生态功能区——三峡库区水源涵养重要区(下称三峡重要区)、秦巴山区水源涵养重要区(下称秦巴重要区)和都市区“四山”生态屏障重要区(下称“四山”重要区)生态系统服务的时空变异特征进行综合研究. 结果表明:①2000—2010年,三峡重要区4种生态系统服务均呈增强趋势. ②秦巴重要区内,生物多样性维持和水源涵养功能总体较好,并且持续增强;固碳功能有所减弱,该时段内固碳功能高等级面积减少了931.90 km2. ③“四山”重要区土壤保持和水源涵养功能有所增强,生物多样性维持和固碳功能略有减弱. ④重庆市重要生态功能区生态系统服务以中和较高等级分布为主,空间差异较大,异质性明显. 生态系统服务较好区域主要分布在渝东北秦巴山区以及中西部植被覆盖较好的山脊;市域中部长寿、垫江、涪陵等区县生态系统服务相对较弱. 10 a间,重庆市重要生态功能区生态系统服务总体呈变好趋势,但局部地区有所减弱,主要表现为秦巴和“四山”重要区固碳功能的降低.      

Within and surrounding the Morro do Diabo State Park: biological value,conflicts, mitigation and sustainable development alternatives

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest in the State of São Paulo is one of the world most threatened ecosystems, as only 1.8% of its original coverage is left. With a biodiversity that includes endemic species, such as the black lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) a seriously endangered primate, the conservation of forest remnants has become a priority. The non-profit organization Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (Institute for Ecological Research (IPÊ)) has studied the forest in Pontal do Paranapanema and undertaken conservation initiatives such as environmental education, community involvement, habitat restoration and the promotion of policies that protect natural areas while simultaneously empowering people to improve their conditions of living. Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) a movement of the landless, has pressed local landowners and the government to distribute land for landless families, creating conflicts and diminishing the priority of nature conservation. Through transparent and participatory approaches IPÊ has succeeded in bringing the conservationists and the landless to work together in the planting of trees. Trees protect water, improve the soil and shield the settlers from environmental damages, while they form corridors for wildlife, buffer zones to protect forest fragments and “stepping stones” to propitiate seed dispersal. This innovative approach to conservation is already seen as an example to be followed in other contexts.     

Non-market values of forest biodiversity and the impact of informing the general public: Insights from generalized multinomial logit estimations

Apart from the ethical argument around trade-off that individuals have to make between monetary and non-monetary value, application of stated preference method was exposed to another criticism related to the complexity of biodiversity issue and the capacity of the general public to provide accurate responses to willingness to pay elicitation survey. This paper tests how providing information about the ecological processes underlying forest management scenarios affects public preferences and their valuation of biodiversity in publicly owned forest land in France. The generalized multinomial logit models applied to choice experiment data suggests that all respondents adopt the same heuristics based on easily visible aspects of forest landscape, to reveal their use and nonuse values of biodiversity. However, when they receive additional ecological information, only those who are familiar with the biodiversity concept, have awareness of issues at stake, and have a regular use of forest tend to attach higher values to less known biodiversity component (fallen deadwood in this case). The paper concludes that “mass media campaign” has to be completed by environmental literacy programs, to improve people’s awareness and understanding of what biodiversity means from ecological functioning, then making economic valuation a useful tool from a conservation perspective.     

Is climate-smart conservation feasible in Europe? Spatial relations of protected areas,soil carbon,and land values

The expectations on protected areas to deliver not only biodiversity conservation but also to provide an array of different ecosystem services rise. Sequestration and storage of carbon are promising services that protected areas may provide. This study integrates spatially explicit data on terrestrial Natura 2000 sites, soil organic carbon, and agricultural land values to estimate the potential for climate-smart conservation planning in the European Union. The objectives of this study are to analyse spatial relations between protected areas soil carbon content, and land values on the European Union's land area as well as to locate and quantify the proportion of land with high carbon and low economic value within and outside protected areas. We apply a unique interdisciplinary framework with methods ranging from analyses based on geographical information systems, agricultural economics to statistics. Findings indicate that there is a significant overlap between Natura 2000 sites and regions with high carbon content across Europe. Statistical analyses show that carbon-rich regions have significantly lower land values than other areas. Our results suggest that biodiversity protection and mitigation of climate change through conservation of soil carbon could be simultaneously achieved in Europe's protected areas and beyond. We conclude that there is a notable potential for climate-smart conservation in Europe that needs further investigation.     

The social dimension of biodiversity policy in the European Union: Valuing the benefits to vulnerable communities

This paper uses GIS-based mapping tools and economic valuation of ecosystem goods and services to explore the social dimension of biodiversity policy. We investigate the linkages between biodiversity, ecosystem service values, and socio-economic vulnerability indicators in a spatially explicit framework and at different geographic scales. Our focus is on Europe, where biodiversity and ecosystem benefits have been well studied for many ecosystems, such as forests, coastal ecosystems and freshwater wetlands. The analysis focuses in particular on rural agricultural areas and remote mountainous regions accounting for the differences across various income groups, both at national and regional levels. The results of the study provide useful insights for EU policymakers in designing policy instruments that can promote biodiversity conservation and prevent natural resource degradation, on the one hand, while contributing to social stability and human livelihoods, on the other hand.     

基于遥感技术的青海省玛多县生物多样性监测与评估

高效快速评价县域生物多样性空间分布格局对制定和实施生物多样性保护措施具有重要意义.以青海省玛多县为例,结合InVEST模型和遥感、GIS技术,以景观结构、物种多样性、生态系统质量三方面的6个指标构建生物多样性遥感监测和评估指标体系,实现县域生物多样性快速监测和评估,并为玛多县生物多样性保护与可持续利用提供理论支撑和决策依据.结果表明:玛多县生物多样性指数整体呈东南高、西北低的变化趋势,高值区域主要分布在南部沼泽草甸和高覆盖草地区,低值区域主要分布在西北山地、稀疏草地区.2000年、2010年和2015年玛多县生物多样性指数值域范围分别为0.113 8~0.805 8、0.141 6~0.807 3和0.154 6~0.793 9,值域最低值呈上升趋势、最高值有所下降.2000-2015年玛多县生物多样性降低区域占其陆域总面积的59.85%,增加区域占40.15%;明显增加区域主要分布在冬春牧场,明显降低区域主要分布在冬春牧场与夏秋牧场交界处及玛查理镇城区.实例分析表明,基于遥感技术构建的生物多样性评估指标体系能够监测玛多县生物多样性现状及其时空变异特征,相对于传统生物多样性调查方法,基于遥感技术的生物多样性评估具有时效性强、操作便捷高效等优势,可应用于县域生物多样性遥感监测与评估.      

云南棕榈藤资源及发展策略

云南省具有丰富的棕榈藤种质资源,棕榈藤作为一种重要的非木材植物,不仅在全球生物多样性保护、经济贡献和生态重建等方面起着重要的作用,而且,与当地居民有着密切的联系,为各少数民族创造了财富。然而,随着经济的发展,森林资源减少,环境条件退化,棕榈藤资源日益减少,特别是有些优良棕榈藤种类处于濒危状态。因此,优良棕榈藤的引入、繁殖和栽培,不仅将满足棕榈藤发展的需要,而且亦将扩大良种藤的遗传基因库,为未来棕榈藤资源的进一步开发利用打下坚实的基础。论文基于云南棕榈藤资源发展的要求,对棕榈藤资源现状、利用、发展潜力和策略进行探讨。     

长江流域重要保护物种分布格局与优先区评价

开展大尺度重要物种的保护优先区研究对于提高生物多样性保护效率十分重要. 选取1 020个物种(包括植物568种、哺乳动物142种、鸟类168种、两栖动物57种、爬行动物85种)为长江流域重要保护物种. 在分析重要保护物种类群分布格局的基础上,利用系统保护规划与专家参与的方法,提出了长江流域物种保护的27个保护优先区.保护优先区总面积占流域面积的41.8%,涵盖了重要保护物种973种,占全部重要保护物种数目的95.4%.建议以保护优先区为基本单元,开展有关生物多样性保护研究及保护区群的建设.      

流域水质目标管理的AIZ量化分配技术

“分配影响区”（AIZ）概念是对传统混合区概念及其应用的一次重要补充和修正.它以保持水生态完整性为目的,将分配的概念引入对混合区的管理.AIZ过程涉及的“相对环境价值”、“保护水平”和“毒性质量”等重要概念需要多学科共同研究确定,也是分配过程的关键.在详细介绍了AIZ制定过程的基础上,以大宁河为例说明分配计算过程.采用基于毒性质量的分配方法,结合相关文献资料确定水体用途区和有关参数,计算出各用途区内AIZ的允许面积,该面积即为水体中各排放允许的影响区域.最后给出计算结果说明和管理应用,认为该分配结果要严于一般的“混合区”规定.同时认为该方法是对水体进行综合、量化管理的一个有效手段.      

Decline of ‘biodiversity’ in conservation policy discourse in Australia

Market-based instruments along with conceptualizing the environment as a collection of ‘ecosystem services’ has become increasingly common within environmental and conservation policy. This kind of thinking is also increasingly prominent in the public discourse surrounding environment and conservation policy, particularly in the context of communicating the importance of policy measures. Language used in public discourse can have a powerful influence on how people engage with policy issues, and changes within the biodiversity and conservation discourse may have consequences for public engagement in conservation. We explored how these factors are changing with time by documenting the use of the terms ‘bio’ and the prevalence of economic language in the text of 3553 media releases between 2003 and 2014 from the Australian Government environment portfolio, and 1064 media releases from the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF). Results show that in the last decade, the term ‘biodiversity’ has become less prevalent whilst economic language has increased in both Australian Government and ACF communication. A further content analysis in a subsample of 745 media releases explored the prevalence of ecosystem services framing, results indicating that it has become a mainstream concept. While this may reflect a strategic response by these agencies to better engage with both the general public and decision makers within what is an increasingly dominant neoliberal paradigm, we argue it may also have unintended (possibly adverse) impacts on how people think about and engage with biodiversity conservation.     

The LIFE certification methodology as a diagnostic tool of the environmental management system of the automotive industry

We conducted a diagnosis of the environmental management system of the Brazilian auto parts industry, using the LIFE certification methodology (lasting initiative for earth) as a diagnostic tool. This certification recognizes enterprises that develop conservation actions for biodiversity for the purpose of minimizing and/or mitigating their own negative impact on the environment. Through this method, it was possible to quantify and qualify the environmental impact and investigate the existence of conservation actions, as well as evaluate them quantitatively and qualitatively. Therefore, we used this methodology to demonstrate its potential as an economic instrument of environmental management through its application within an EMS certified to the ISO 14001 series. It was shown that there are many benefits of using sustainable environmental resources (possibility to return to ISE-Corporate Sustainability Index-Bovespa) and for the final disposal of waste from production. The main results indicated that the LIFE methodology allows companies to incorporate actions to biodiversity conservation transversally into their EMSs, which can increase the efficiency of enterprise management. We believe that the use of this management model by other companies will enable the intensification of conservation actions in protected areas in their regions.     

协议保护：调和自然保护区保护与发展矛盾的新模式

中国是最早批准生物多样性公约的国家之一,自然保护区制度建立对我国生物多样性保护起到了重要作用。经过几十年的发展,中国已经建立起了种类较齐全,覆盖面较广,功能体制较健全的自然保护区网络,使得建立自然保护区成为中国多样性保护的重要途径之一。但保护区发展和经营过程中的一些难以用现有手段解决的问题也日益凸显。尤其是自然保护区生物多样性保护的基本要求与当地经济发展的急切需求之间的矛盾难以调和。而协议保护的出现为解决这些问题提供了新思路,协议保护在中国的初期应用也收到了良好的效果。本文就中国目前自然保护区中因经济开发造成的保护困境和协议保护的特点及范例分析,阐述在中国自然保护区及其周边实施协议保护的必要性与可行性。     

香港灌丛植被的数量分类与环境关系分析

灌丛是香港植被的主要组成部分,2005年1—3月在香港地区(包括香港岛、九龙、新界和大屿山岛)设置样地,利用组平均法(UPGMA)和除趋势对应分析法(DCA)对香港灌丛群落进行聚类和排序分析. 结果表明,灌丛植被可划分为7个群落类型:桃金娘、米碎花、岗松、苏铁蕨、大头茶、山油柑和细齿柃. DCA排序揭示了灌丛群落的分布格局与环境因子的生态关系,DCA排序第1轴反映了灌丛群落所在环境的湿度梯度,排序图的对角线指示出海拔梯度,也反映了温度的变化. 结合物种多样性分析发现,物种多样性指数随海拔的升高而减少,说明水热条件和海拔是制约灌丛植被分布格局的主要因素.