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.     

赤水河流域生物多样性保护现状和对策

基于对赤水河流域生物多样性的综合调研,分析了赤水河流域生物多样性的主要特征、流域生物多样性保护的现状、面临的机遇和潜在的压力,探讨了赤水河流域生物多样性保护的基本对策。提出赤水河流域生物多样性保护应在国家政策框架内,在流域综合管理理念指导下兼顾重点区域保护和生态廊道建设,探索流域尺度上生物多样性保护与流域社会经济协调有序发展的新型管理模式。     

崇西湿地冬季潮滩鱼类种类组成及多样性分析

根据2006年冬季在崇西湿地进行的光滩和草滩插网渔获调查,首次对冬季长江口潮滩鱼类种类组成、多样性及相关环境因子作了分析。结果表明：冬季崇西湿地潮滩鱼类主要由淡水小型鱼类组成,共23种,隶属7科,20属。光滩和草滩插网的最大优势种皆为油,两种网具的渔获种类组成具一定的相似性。在一个潮周期内,3种多样性指数D、H′ 和J值波动范围较大,小汛潮时多样性指数比其它潮汛低。白天和晚上潮水的鱼类种类数无显著变化（P>0.5）,但在个体数和生物量上白天较晚上潮水高（P<0.5）。水温、潮汐大小对潮滩鱼类丰度影响较大,而与盐度相关较小。此外,天气状况也是影响潮滩鱼类的一个重要因子。总之,潮滩鱼类的种类组成和多样性受到各种环境因子的综合影响。     

彭水电站蓄水前后鱼类群落多样性特征

根据2006-2008年9-10月渔业资源动态监测资料,分析研究了彭水电站蓄水前后坝上和坝下江段鱼类群落结构变化及其生物多样性变化特征.研究结果表明:3次监测中,调查江段出现的鱼类共有9科44属63种,其中长江上游特有鱼类22种;渔获物中,群体数量主要由体重＜50 g的小型鱼类和幼鱼组成,而群体重量主要由＜500g的中...     

浅谈德宏州生物多样性及保护

德宏州具有得天独厚的自然环境,是云南省生物多样性保护的重点地区之一,保护和可持续地利用生物多样性显得十分重要。从德宏州生物多样性的基本现状、区域经济发展与生物多样性保护面临的问题等方面展开了讨论,提出了保护德宏州生物多样性的对策措施。     

生物物种信息平台建设进展研究

信息技术的突飞猛进和互联网的迅速扩张,为生物多样性信息的收集、存储、提交、检索、分析、传播和使用带来了革命性的发展。生物多样性数据和信息服务的内容逐步从单一的名录数据库建设转向为多学科交叉的综合信息服务平台。本文结合国家生物多样性保护专项,在介绍国内外主流生物多样性信息平台建设现状的基础上,分析了我国现有平台存在的问题,并对下一步如何完善和推进平台应用进行探讨。