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.     

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     

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。     

秦岭保护区群生物多样性及其保护与发展研究

根据秦岭保护区群的生物多样性和保护管理现状 ,提出了加强保护区群生物多样性保护和促进保护区发展的对策 ,其主要措施为 :一、合理划分和调整功能区 ;二、强化内部管理 ,加强对自然资源的巡护、监测 ;三、协调周边社区关系 ,积极开展社区共管工作 ;四、加强对外合作 ,积极开展科学研究 ;五、开展环境教育 ,提高全民保护意识 ;六、开展资源适度开发利用 ,增强自养能力。