Effectiveness of biodiversity-conservation marketing

Conservation marketing holds potential as a means to engage audiences with biodiversity conservation and help to address the human dimensions of biodiversity loss. Empirical evaluations of conservation marketing indicatives are growing, so we reviewed the literature on this research to inform future directions in the field. We used a systematic search strategy to identify studies that evaluated the effects of conservation marketing interventions (techniques and campaigns) on psychosocial outcomes, categorized as cognitive, affective, or behavioral. Six academic databases (Business Source Complete, Communication & Mass Media Complete, Greenfile, Proquest, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collections), 3 gray-literature databases (BASE, Zenodo, and Google Scholar), and 2 websites (Rare and WildAid) were searched. Articles were subjected to critical appraisal to assess their methodological quality, and data were extracted from each article and analyzed using narrative synthesis. Altogether 28 studies from 26 articles were included in the review. Twenty-five studies were conducted from 2014 through 2016. Methodological quality of most studies was weak (n = 16, 57%) (moderate quality n = 8, 29%; high quality n = 4, 14%). The proportion of studies that evaluated a conservation-marketing technique (e.g., variants of texts, images, or videos) versus a campaign (e.g., community-based campaigns targeting locally relevant issues, such as unsustainable palm oil agriculture, light pollution, or wood fuel fire use) was relatively balanced. Although many studies reported statistically significant results in the intended direction, the utility of findings was limited by persistent methodological limitations, such as a lack of a comparator group, use of non-validated assessment tools, and a focus on self-reported data and subjective outcomes. Conservation marketing is clearly a nascent field of scientific enquiry that warrants further, high-quality research investigations.     

Applying network theory to prioritize multispecies habitat networks that are robust to climate and land‐use change

Designing connected landscapes is among the most widespread strategies for achieving biodiversity conservation targets. The challenge lies in simultaneously satisfying the connectivity needs of multiple species at multiple spatial scales under uncertain climate and land‐use change. To evaluate the contribution of remnant habitat fragments to the connectivity of regional habitat networks, we developed a method to integrate uncertainty in climate and land‐use change projections with the latest developments in network‐connectivity research and spatial, multipurpose conservation prioritization. We used land‐use change simulations to explore robustness of species’ habitat networks to alternative development scenarios. We applied our method to 14 vertebrate focal species of periurban Montreal, Canada. Accounting for connectivity in spatial prioritization strongly modified conservation priorities and the modified priorities were robust to uncertain climate change. Setting conservation priorities based on habitat quality and connectivity maintained a large proportion of the region's connectivity, despite anticipated habitat loss due to climate and land‐use change. The application of connectivity criteria alongside habitat‐quality criteria for protected‐area design was efficient with respect to the amount of area that needs protection and did not necessarily amplify trade‐offs among conservation criteria. Our approach and results are being applied in and around Montreal and are well suited to the design of ecological networks and green infrastructure for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in other regions, in particular regions around large cities, where connectivity is critically low.     

Exploring the risks and benefits of flexibility in biodiversity offset location in a case study of migratory shorebirds

Biodiversity offsets aim to counterbalance the residual impacts of development on species and ecosystems. Guidance documents explicitly recommend that biodiversity offset actions be located close to the location of impact because of higher potential for similar ecological conditions, but allowing greater spatial flexibility has been proposed. We examined the circumstances under which offsets distant from the impact location could be more likely to achieve no net loss or provide better ecological outcomes than offsets close to the impact area. We applied a graphical model for migratory shorebirds in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway as a case study to explore the problems that arise when incorporating spatial flexibility into offset planning. Spatially flexible offsets may alleviate impacts more effectively than local offsets; however, the risks involved can be substantial. For our case study, there were inadequate data to make robust conclusions about the effectiveness and equivalence of distant habitat-based offsets for migratory shorebirds. Decisions around offset placement should be driven by the potential to achieve equivalent ecological outcomes; however, when considering more distant offsets, there is a need to evaluate the likely increased risks alongside the potential benefits. Although spatially flexible offsets have the potential to provide more cost-effective biodiversity outcomes and more cobenefits, our case study showed the difficulty of demonstrating these benefits in practice and the potential risks that need to be considered to ensure effective offset placement.     

Interactions between Carbon Sequestration and Shade Tree Diversity in a Smallholder Coffee Cooperative in El Salvador

Agroforestry systems have substantial potential to conserve native biodiversity and provide ecosystem services. In particular, agroforestry systems have the potential to conserve native tree diversity and sequester carbon for climate change mitigation. However, little research has been conducted on the temporal stability of species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in these systems or the relation between species diversity and aboveground carbon sequestration. We measured changes in shade‐tree diversity and shade‐tree carbon stocks in 14 plots of a 35‐ha coffee cooperative over 9 years and analyzed relations between species diversity and carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration was positively correlated with initial species richness of shade trees. Species diversity of shade trees did not change significantly over the study period, but carbon stocks increased due to tree growth. Our results show a potential for carbon sequestration and long‐term biodiversity conservation in smallholder coffee agroforestry systems and illustrate the opportunity for synergies between biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. Interacciones entre el Secuestro de Carbono y la Diversidad de Árboles de Sombra en una Cooperativa de Café de Pequeños Agricultores en El Salvador     

Reorienting Systematic Conservation Assessment for Effective Conservation Planning

Abstract: Systematic conservation assessment (an information‐gathering and prioritization process used to select the spatial foci of conservation initiatives) is often considered vital to conservation‐planning efforts, yet published assessments have rarely resulted in conservation action. Conservation assessments may lead more directly to effective conservation action if they are reoriented to inform conservation decisions. Toward this goal, we evaluated the relative priority for conservation of 7 sites proposed for the first forest reserves in the Union of the Comoros, an area with high levels of endemism and rapidly changing land uses in the western Indian Ocean. Through the analysis of 30 indicator variables measured at forest sites and nearby villages, we assessed 3 prioritization criteria at each site: conservation value, threat to loss of biological diversity from human activity, and feasibility of reserve establishment. Our results indicated 2 sites, Yiméré and Hassera‐Ndrengé, were priorities for conservation action. Our approach also informed the development of an implementation strategy and enabled an evaluation of previously unexplored relations among prioritization criteria. Our experience suggests that steps taken to ensure the closer involvement of practitioners, include a broader range of social data, encourage stakeholder participation, and consider the feasibility of conservation action can improve the relevance of assessments for conservation planning, strengthen the scientific basis for conservation decisions, and result in a more realistic evaluation of conservation alternatives.     

Priorities for Improving the Scientific Foundation of Conservation Policy in North America

Abstract:  The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) can enhance conservation of biodiversity in North America by increasing its engagement in public policy. Toward this end, the North America Section of SCB is establishing partnerships with other professional organizations in order to speak more powerfully to decision makers and taking other actions—such as increasing interaction with chapters—geared to engage members more substantively in science-policy issues. Additionally, the section is developing a North American Biodiversity Blueprint, which spans the continental United States and Canada and is informed by natural and social science. This blueprint is intended to clarify the policy challenges for protecting continental biodiversity, to foster bilateral collaboration to resolve common problems, and to suggest rational alternative policies and practices that are more likely than current practices to sustain North America's natural heritage. Conservation scientists and practitioners can play a key role by drawing policy makers' attention to ultimate, as well as proximate, causes of biodiversity decline and to the ecological and economic consequences of not addressing these threats.     

水环境中典型纳米颗粒对菲的吸附特征

以典型三环多环芳烃菲为代表,选取11种典型纳米颗粒对水中不同浓度的菲进行吸附实验,探究水体中的纳米颗粒对菲的吸附特征.结果表明,Freundlich模型对所有样品的拟合结果最好.logKFr值显示,有机膨润土及3种炭黑对菲的吸附作用最强,且远远大于其他纳米颗粒.有机膨润土对菲的吸附表现为线性吸附(n=1.08),而3种炭黑均表现出显著的非线性特征(n＜0.5),且非线性特征随吸附能力的增强而增强,其他几种纳米颗粒均表现出非线性吸附特征(n＜0.9).水中所有的纳米颗粒在与菲作用的过程中,吸附的强弱与颗粒表面电位、粒径及比表面积均无显著相关性,即对于所有纳米颗粒来说,这几种性质并不是决定吸附作用的最主要因素,而吸附剂的化学组成及结构特性可能是引起吸附作用差异的主要原因.     

北运河下游典型河网区水体中氮磷分布与富营养化评价

选择北运河下游典型河网区(闸坝多、水流慢和湖库化)为研究对象,通过为期1 a的水质监控,阐述了河网区氮、磷的时空变化特征,并利用对数型幂函数普适指数公式对其水体营养状态进行了评价.结果表明,河网区水体中TN平均质量浓度为12.50 mg.L-1(NH4+-N占67.41%),TP为1.45 mg.L-1(SRP占80.81%).河网区水体中氮、磷的时空分布特征明显,TN和NO 3--N质量浓度随季节变化特征趋于一致,NH 4+-N稍有不同;TP和SRP质量浓度随季节变化特征基本一致.从河网区进水带至出水带,水体中氮、磷质量浓度均呈逐渐下降趋势,其中TN、NH4+-N和NO3--N平均质量浓度分别从19.30、13.22和2.19mg.L-1降至7.98、4.45和1.50 mg.L-1;TP和SRP分别从1.95和1.59 mg.L-1降至1.11和0.91 mg.L-1.富营养化评价综合指数表明,河网区水体在时空尺度上均处于"极富"营养状态.     

湖滨湿地恢复方案研究综述

在查阅国内外湖滨湿地恢复资料的基础上,以恢复湿地水质净化和野生动物栖息地功能为双重目的,整理形成了适用于我国富营养湖泊湖滨湿地的恢复方案,从恢复湿地的设计、恢复的前期处理、恢复过程中的植物种植与管理、恢复后的维护管理和生态监测等5个阶段进行了恢复技术的综述与探讨。     

水产品中甲氰菊酯残留的ELISA快速检测

为快速检测水产品中甲氰菊酯的残留,应用水溶性碳化二亚胺(EDC)法将甲氰菊酸与牛血清白蛋白(BSA)和卵清蛋白(OVA)偶联,合成了甲氰菊酯的人工免疫抗原和包被抗原.免疫抗原经紫外扫描和聚丙烯酰胺电泳验证构建成功,用此抗原免疫试验兔子,获得了甲氰菊酯的多克隆抗体.经检测,抗体对甲氰菊酯具有较好的特异性和灵敏性.在此基础上建立了水产品中甲氰菊酯残留的间接ELISA检测法.理想的甲氰菊酯-OVA包被抗原质量浓度为1.6 mg/L,酶标二抗(羊抗兔IgG-HRP)的稀释度为1∶1000,多抗的稀释度为1∶3 200,最适检测范围为20～200 μg/kg,在实际样品检测时的最低检出限为20 μg/kg,接近或达到气相色谱法的测定水平,但检测速度大大提高,可在3 h内完成近百个样品的分析,适合甲氰菊酯的快速检测.