2010 Conference - Talk abstracts
For PowerPoint copies of the talk presentations, please contact the presenter directly.
Download the entire 2010 Book of Abstracts here.
The smallest Malagasy fruit bat and people; managing conservation and conflict in the Madagascar hotspot.
Andrianaivoarivelo Andoniaina Radosoa
Madagasikara Voakajy Lot IIF 14P Bis A Andraisoro, Antananarivo (101), Madagascar
Email: aniainodna@yahoo.fr
My talk focuses on the population, movement and predation of cash crops by Rousettus madagascariensis, the smallest fruit bat in Madagascar. This species feeds on native and commercially important introduced fruits, and reduction in the humid forest may be reducing natural food supplies and increasing predation on litchis in the east. It is hunted by people inside caves but the meat appears not to be considered tasty when compared to domestic animal meat or other bushmeat. The conservation of this species should focus on the existing cave roosts involving the participation of stakeholders.
Interactions between a protected area and the movements and conservation of a rare bird (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax).
Charlie Bell
University of Sheffield, Department of Animal and Plant Science, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN Email:charlotte.bell@sheffield.ac.uk
A major conservation challenge is protecting mobile species via static reserves. Interactions between reserves and climate change induced range shifts have received significant attention. However, these shifts are only part of a broader spectrum of movements, including daily movements, dispersal and migration. Interactions between these other movements and protected areas have been little studied, despite their obvious conservation implications. I examine the movements of a threatened bird population in relation to a Special Protection Area designated for that species. My study system is the population of chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) on Anglesey, North Wales.
Bengal Florican Conservation and Research initiative in the north bank of Brahmaputra in Assam, India.
Namita Brahma
Aaranyak, 50, Samanwoy Path, Survey P.O. Beltola. Guwahati- 781028 Assam, India
Email: namita@aaranyak.org
In Assam, there had no information on current status of Bengal Florican since late eighties. Hence this study has been conducted to fill the gap of information of this critically endangered bird. Field surveys were carried out to locate as many territorial males as possible during morning and evening when Floricans are more active. Quadrat sampling method was done for quantitative study of vegetation in its habitat. Out of the five protected areas surveyed Floricans were sighted only in Manas National Park (n=24) and in Orang National Park (n=6). Significantly more number of individual plants were higher inside territory than outside (χ2 = 27.74 df = 5, p<0.01).
Lion conservation in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania: a case study in sustainable resource utilization?
Henry Brink
DICE (Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology) School of Anthropology and Conservation,University of Kent, Canterbury,CT2 7NR, UK. Email:hb58@kent.ac.uk
At 47,500km ², the Selous Game Reserve is Africa’s largest protected area and has developed a considerable reputation as a premium trophy hunting destination. Six percent of the Selous has been set aside for photographic tourism. An intensively studied 800km² in the photographic area supports a lion population density of 0.14 lions per km². This population has remained relatively stable since 1997. Studies from other areas of the Selous suggest much lower lion densities. The Selous supports between 3800-6650 lions. However, lion trophy hunting data from 1995-2008 shows lion off-take peaked in 1998, declining by half since then.
Past, present and future conservation of the endangered lesser kestrel
Inês Catry
Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, U.K Email:inescatry@yahoo.com
Recent dramatic decreases in lesser kestrel populations have led to increased conservation efforts in its European breeding grounds. Nonetheless, its situation in wintering quarters in Africa have received few attention. In Portugal, a massive provisioning of artificial nest-sites was implemented alongside a marking programm using geolocators to track the species’ migratory journey. Provisioning of artificial nests positively affected colony growth, by increasing nest-site availability, reducing predation rate and reducing interspecific competition, showing its effectiveness in mitigating the lack of traditional sites. All tracked birds wintered in western Africa, in areas potentially threatened by future land use and climate change.
Using the ecosystem service value of habitat areas for wildlife conservation: Implications for orangutans of high carbon value peat swamp forests in Kalimantan, Indonesia
Megan E. Cattau
Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Levine Science Research Center,308 Research Drive, Durham, NC 27708 USA. Email: megan.cattau@duke.edu
Fragmentation of carbon-rich peat swamp forests in Indonesia poses a threat to orangutan viability; isolated populations need to be connected and new conservation areas established. I surveyed an area in Kalimantan to produce orangutan density and distribution estimates. Then, I conducted connectivity and geometry analyses to identify which existing patches are most suitable as orangutan habitat and vital for habitat connectivity, and potential corridor paths between habitat patches through areas with high carbon sequestration benefits. These results demonstrate how carbon financing can make possible peat swamp forest and orangutan conservation, and suggests how emerging ecosystem markets might facilitate unique approaches to conservation.
Searching for threat-specific patterns of population decline: do they exist?
Martina Di Fonzo
Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY and Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, Nuffield building, London NW1 4RY. Email: martina.di-fonzo06@imperial.ac.uk
When threat-type is unknown, attributing causation to population declines is complex, since populations are unlikely to respond equally. I analyse whether specific threat-types create characteristic signatures in population trends of different mammal species. Specifically, I fit functions to population declines from a broad range of populations to determine whether populations affected by the same threat-type are categorised by similar best-fit models. I find that overall, contrary to Mace et al. (2008)’s hypothesis that threatening processes cause characteristic declines, species-level idiosyncrasies prevent easy identification of one best-fit function per threat-type. Analysing abundance is not enough to determine the cause of declines.
Implications of population viability, habitat management and environmental stochasticity in designing conservation strategies for the great Indian bustard (GIB) Ardeotis nigriceps
Sutirtha Dutta
Wildlife Institute of India Post box # 18, Chandrabani Dehradun 248001 Uttarakhand, India. Email: sutirthadutta@gmail.com
The endemic Ardeotis nigriceps is globally represented by <350 birds, fragmented into 8 populations. The largest population (~150), in Western India, seasonally migrating to Pakistan, faces heavy poaching. Prevalent GIB conservation strategies challenged with ecological limitations need revision. Our findings suggest that populations can persist only under unrealistically low juvenile mortality (<40%) and no human caused adult loss. Un-grazed grasslands ~3km from villages are preferred nest-sites. GIB can respond to local rainfall variations by shifting breeding areas. A landscape conservation strategy including traditional landuses, GIB-friendly infrastructure, and measures to minimize adult poaching seems viable, if supported by conservation breeding program.
Marine biodiversity in the Caribbean UK Overseas Territories: perceived threats and constraints on environment management
Johanna Forster
School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ
Email: j.forster@uea.ac.uk
The Caribbean UKOTs support high levels of biodiversity and are threatened by numerous environmental threats. Capacity to conserve biodiversity may be influenced by political alliances, through the ‘overseas territory’ status, which may provide access to resources and support mechanisms. This study investigated perceptions of threats, and constraints on environmental management for marine biodiversity conservation, using semi-structured interviews with UKOT and UK officials. Climate change was perceived the greatest future threat to the islands’ marine biodiversity. Conservation efforts are constrained by insufficient personnel, limited funding and environmental legislation. Policy responses to prevent further marine biodiversity loss for these islands are proposed.
Do human-wildlife conflicts in China arise from wildlife population increase?
Gao Yufang
School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
Email: yufanggao@yahoo.com.cn
Human-wildlife Conflict (HWC) is reported to be increasing in China while its cause is obscure in most cases. Currently a voice is spreading that HWC arises from wildlife population increase from which is dissented by most of the scientists. Systematic review of news report was adopted to assess mass media’s perception on HWC, while community surveys (structure and semi-structure interviews) were carried out to assess the attitude of local residents in three HWC areas (Amur tiger, brown bear and Chinese alligator respectively). The results are presented and their implications are discussed. Recommendations on conservation education in HWC areas are proposed.
Marine predators, projections, and global conservation targets
Autumn-Lynn Harrison
University of California, Santa Cruz Long Marine Laboratory, University of California Santa Cruz, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 USA. Email: harrison@biology.ucsc.edu
High seas marine conservation planning is coming of age. Traditional conservation strategies focus on where biodiversity is. Incorporating variability and estimating effects of climate change on species distributions are now important steps in conservation planning. The efficacy of traditional place-based approaches to open ocean conservation will depend on species-environmental relationships. Electronic tracking data from Pacific Ocean top predators (2004-2008, 10 species) were processed with state-space models. I described species distribution and identified hotspots with weighted density plots, kernel density and Moran’s I statistics, modelled species-environment relationships using Environmental Niche Factor Analysis, and estimated distributions and hotspot occurrence under IPCC scenarios. I identified seasonally dynamic multi-species hotspots in the North Pacific Transition Zone; sea surface temperature was a primary correlate. Species distribution and hotspot occurrence and timing shifted under climate change scenarios. The Convention on Biological Diversity in 2004 catalyzed a major conservation planning exercise to establish an ecologically representative network of marine protected areas by 2012. Incorporating variability in marine conservation planning will be one of the major challenges in establishing a “representative network,” particularly with respect to wide-ranging marine predators.
Seaweed farming: how can we use it to reduce fishing pressure on coral reefs?
Nick Hill
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK and Imperial College London Email:nickaohill@gmail.com
Alternative livelihoods (ALs) are frequently promoted to tackle huge and rapidly increasing fishing pressure on coral reefs in developing countries. However, quantitative assessments of ALs’ efficacy are rare and there are concerns that ALs may subsidise fishing. We used household surveys and reconstruction of fisher numbers to determine the interaction between seaweed farming and fishing in the central Philippines. Results are mixed and suggest that whilst ALs may reduce some household and community-level fishing effort, there may be issues scaling this up to overall fishing pressure. Appropriate ALs may be most effective in combination with tighter fishing restrictions.
Conservation of the critically endangered palm Medemia argun in the extremely arid Sahara in Egypt
Haitham Ibrahim Mossad
Nature Conservation Sector, Egyptian environment Affairs agency Elsadat Road, Aswan 81111, Egypt Email:haythamibra@yahoo.com
Medemia is one of the most mysterious little known palm genus. It has been discovered in Ancient tombs. It is critically endangered by IUCN red list. It’s habitats in the Nubian Desert Oases (south of Egypt and north of Sudan) represent the last remains of the vegetation which covered desert during wet periods. These habitats are endangered due to habitat degradation, human activities and climate change. Information on distribution and uses of Medemia were collected from Bedouins and literature; the reported sites were explored. The main population in Egypt, Dungul Oases, had been monitored. New populations of the palm were discovered. An ex_situ conservation garden was established. These habitats need an urgent protection action.
Aliens in wonderland: exotic fish invasion in Western Ghats Hotspot, India
Krishnakumar K
Community Environmental Resource Centre (CERC), Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment ( ATREE) : Ammankovil Street, Mullakkal, Alappuzha, Kerala, South India. Email: kkaqua@gmail.com
Invasive Alien Species (IAS) is posing a serious threat to the native ichthyofauna of the Western Ghats Hotspot. Primary data were collected by routine sampling at various sites based on the knowledge of local fishers. The impact of these IAS on native ichthyofauna was further assessed by determining life history traits where possible and also by referring to the available literatures. The study has recorded the occurrence and distribution of thirteen species of exotic fishes in the rivers and lakes in the Southern Western Ghats. Most of these are potential pests and impact native fauna by competition and predation.
Misleading results from conventional gap analysis – messages from the warming North
Heini Kujala
Metapopulation Research Group, Department of Biosciences, P.O. Box 65, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland Email:heini.kujala@helsinki.fi
Gap analyses are frequently used in conservation planning as a “quick-and-easy” method for assessing reserve networks. Using Finnish reserve network and breeding birds, we compared the results of a conventional gap analysis to population trends and to projected, climate change induced distribution shifts. We found contradicting patterns, where the winner species of gap analysis are actually declining, and the losers are becoming more abundant. As the trends correlate with latitude and expected distribution shifts, we suspect climate change to play a role in this discrepancy. We therefore call for caution when using conventional gap analyses in the rapidly warming world.
Finding the way from Manu to Madidi National Park: feasibility study of a conservation corridor to mitigate the impacts of the Interoceanic Highway in Amazonia
Daniela Laínez
Asociación para la Conservación de la Cuenca Amazónica - ACCA Jr. Cusco 499, Tambopata, Madre de Dios, Peru Email:dlainez@gmail.com
The paving of the Interoceanic highway across Peru and Brazil threatens to lead to extensive deforestation and forest fragmentation at levels that will sever ecological connectivity across Amazonia. The talk presents the feasibility study of a conservation corridor to mitigate the impacts of the highway in protected area connectivity. Biodiversity surveys were done to assess areas of high conservation priority and identify areas of potential connectivity. Interviews with local people and stakeholders were conducted to evaluate the prospective for the creation of the corridor. Results were assessed using GIS methods to design the geographical and land-use orientation of the corridor.
Time lags in birds and small mammals response to landscape change in the Brazilian Atlantic forest
Paula Koeler Lira
University of São Paulo, Department of Ecology, Rua do Matão 321,travessa 14, 05508-900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Email:pklira@hotmail.com
Our goal was to verify if there is a time lag in bird and small mammal response to landscape change. To detect if is there a delay in species response to landscape change we investigated the effects of past and current landscape structure on birds and small mammals. Some species respond immediately to landscape change while others present a delayed response, indicating that extinctions might occur in near future even if the landscape structure remains exactly the same. Conservation actions such as forest restoration should be carried out in the region to revert the negative effects of past landscape change.
Effects of anthropogenic changes to nesting beaches of Olive ridley sea turtles in Rushikulya, Orissa, India
Muralidharan. M
Wildlife Institute of India Post box # 18, Chandrabani Dehradun 248001 Uttarakhand, India. Email: muralim86@gmail.com
Anthropogenic changes to natural beachscapes are known for its varied impacts on associated fauna. Using track plots & orientation arenas laid across the sea turtle nesting beach, we found that areas with Casuarina plantations immediately flanking the beach had minimum hatchling disorientation but, also were the areas which supported the maximum nest predator numbers through the olive ridley nesting season at the Rushikulya rookery, India. Thus, a more active predator control mechanism needs to be practiced in order to maintain plantations as light barriers to reduce hatchling disorientation.
Estimating the resource potential of Amazonian extractive reserves: the NTFP Copaifera oil
Peter Newton
University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences,University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ Email:peter.newton@uea.ac.uk
Extractive Reserves account for a significant proportion of protected primary forest in the Brazilian Amazon, yet the potential of non-timber plant resources to contribute to these reserves’ extractive economies remains uncertain. This study combined line-transect censuses and harvest-monitoring of Copaifera species, the oil from which is an economically-important NTFP. The density, distribution and population structure of Copaifera trees varies predictably across the landscape. Oil production varies according to species and habitat type (flooded or unflooded forest). These data will be used to make predictions about resource abundance on a reserve scale, which will inform the development of extractive activities.
Modelling the spatial impact of natural resource use in the Maputaland centre of endemism.
Bruno Alberto Nhancale
Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, Marlowe Building, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NR Email:ban5@kent.ac.uk
Medicinal plant extraction and charcoal production are important subsistence activities for local communities living in the Maputaland Centre of Endemism, Southern Africa. However, some of this harvesting may be unsustainable and has important implications for the design of conservation landscapes in the region. Therefore, in this study we modelled the spatial distribution of resource use, based on bark-stripping and charcoal kiln data. We then used these models to investigate whether recently identified priority conservation areas are likely to be affected by over-harvesting. The results suggest that resource use is currently high but the spatial pattern is significantly dependent on accessibility.
Parks and people: biodiversity and socio-economic factors in Amazonian Kichwa communities in Ecuador.
Johan Oldekop
Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Michael Smith Building Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT UK Email:johan.oldekop-2@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk
The negative social impacts and limited conservation success of many protected areas have inspired initiatives that attempt to integrate the improvement of local economic and social dependence on natural resources (development) with local conservation goals. Development and conservation, however, remain rooted in distinct disciplinary approaches and projects successfully fusing conservation with development are rare. I use an interdisciplinary approach to investigate how the dynamics of socio-economic and political factors affect forest health in indigenous Kichwa communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon and contribute to the current protectionist debate by comparing biodiversity inside the communities with that of an adjacent protected area.
Determinants of trophy economic value in hunted ungulates : an alert for rare species
Palazy
Université Claude Bernard, Lyon 1, UMR CNRS 5558, Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, 43 boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne, Cedex FRANCE
Email: lucille.palazy@u-psud.fr
Trophy hunting practice has soared up with the colonial period and is still a thriving market nowadays. Fees are paid by hunters for each trophy. Despite the frequent claim of trophy value being based solely on its size, we found that the rarity of the species plays a major role in its success among hunters. Due to the colossal amounts of money investigated by purchasers to kill one rare animal, many protected species are still exploited. Trophy hunting is a serious threat for the survival of these rare species. Several solutions exist to well-balance trophy hunting practice and species conservation.
Conservation value of natural and human-modified habitats to the avian diversity of a biological corridor, Costa Rica
Alvaro Redondo-Brenes
Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 195 Prospect Street New Haven, CT 06511 USA Email:alvaro.redondo@yale.edu
I assessed the conservation value of two natural and eight human-modified land uses for birds in a biological corridor in Costa Rica. Using point counts over a two-year period 44,917 individuals and 334 species were identified. Forested land-use types had the highest number of bird species found (81%). However, 77% of birds registered were found in the human-modified landscape. It is concluded that forested habitats should be the priority areas for conservation at the landscape level. Moreover, in human-modified landscapes, forest fallows, agroforestry systems, and native tree plantations can be incorporated in land-use planning strategies to connect the forest fragments.
The Access and Benefit-Sharing regime and the preservation of traditional knowledge: benefits for the conservation of biodiversity? A study in Khomani and #Khwe San communities.
Giulia Sajeva
Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Richmond,Surrey TW9 3AE, UK
Email: giulia.sajeva08@imperial.ac.uk
The international regime on access and benefit sharing of genetic resources and traditional knowledge of indigenous people is currently being negotiated under the umbrella of the Convention on Biological Diversity. From a biocultural prospective – that sees indigenous cultural systems are inextricably linked to their ecosystems – the presentation questions the ability of the regime to contribute to the conservation of biodiversity through the protection of traditional knowledge. It explores the experience of Southern African San communities - the Khwe and the #Khomani – and proposes conditions for the implementation of the regime and the application of a new instrument, the Biocultural Community Protocols.
Carnivore conservation in West Africa: local communities’ perceptions and attitudes towards conservation and human-carnivores conflicts in Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, Benin.
Sogbohossou Etotépé A.
Laboratory of Applied Ecology Faculty of Agronomy, University of Abomey-Calavi 01 BP 526 Cotonou, Benin Email:etotepe@yahoo.com
The assessment of the social dimension of human-carnivores conflicts is necessary for a better management of the threatened carnivores’ populations of West Africa. We investigated trough questionnaire survey the perceptions and attitudes of local people towards conservation, carnivores and conflicts around Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, Benin. Local populations support conservation and consider negatively carnivores while they are tolerant toward livestock predation. Factors like their activity, age, sex and knowledge of species affect their perceptions and attitudes. The development of education programs and an increased participation of communities to conservation will help to better protect carnivores in the region.
Investigating the socio-economic impact of REDD scheme implemented in the Nhambita community carbon project, Mozambique
Jovanka Spiric
NGO Endemit Obilicev venac 4, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. Email: vankajo@yahoo.com
This talk address the socio-economic impact of the REDD scheme implementation in the Nhambita community carbon project, Mozambique. A cost benefit analysis and different social criterion were used to compare two alternative land-uses: shifting cultivation and REDD payment. The result suggests that even at a lowest predicted carbon price, the REDD activities implemented in Nhambita project have the potential to improve rural livelihoods and the local community well-being, as well as to enhance the mainstream forest conservation.
Reintroduced red-billed curassows Crax blumenbachii (Galliformes, Cracidae) in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest
Christine Steiner São Bernardo
Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP Avenida 24-A, n.1515, Bela Vista, cep 13506-900, Rio Claro, SP, Brasil Email:christinesteiner@yahoo.com
The red-billed curassow is an endemic cracid of southeastern Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. It is endangered due to hunting and habitat loss, and nowadays there are about only 250 individuals, distributed in eight fragment forests. Forty eight birds from Crax Brasil breeding center were tagged with VHF backpack transmitters and reintroduced at Reserva Ecológica Guapiaçu (RJ, Brazil) during 2006-2008. Survival was higher than recorded in other galliformes’ studies. Home range size was similar to other cracid’s home ranges and comprised mainly forest habitat. The post-release monitoring provided important information for guiding future reintroductions of this species in Brazil.
Valuation for Conservation: are people willing to pay to reduce the impacts of a forest’s electricity posts? A study of the Sho’llet Forest, Peru.
Gabriella Torres Alva
London School of Economics (MSc Environment & Development Student) Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK Email:gabriella.torres@gmail.com
Presentation of a study that uses the contingent valuation method to calculate the social benefits of minimizing the impacts of the placement of electricity towers in a protected forest in the Central Jungle in Peru. It finds that even in this low-income area people value environmental ecosystems and are willing to look for ways to avoid environmental damage. Furthermore, finding that people value even this type ecosystem in a way that can surpass the costs of conserving it, casts a positive outlook for economic valuations as a promising method to follow to increase environmental conservation.
Effects of tea plantations on stream invertebrates in a global biodiversity hotspot in Tanzania
Oliver van Biervliet
d’Overbroeck’s College,The Swan Building,111 Banbury Road,Oxford, OX2 6JX United Kingdom. Email: vbolly@hotmail.com
Globally, agriculture represents both an essential human activity and a major threat to biodiversity. In montane habitats of the wet tropics, large scale tea cultivation can represent an important source of income at local and national scales. In this study we examined stream macroinvertebrate assemblages in a biodiversity hotspot in the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. We found that streams surrounded by tea had significantly lower dissolved oxygen, lower total estimated species richness and number of families. Our results suggest that tea cultivation reduces stream habitat quality and biodiversity in the East Usambaras. Avenues for future investigation should include longer time scale evaluations and mitigation studies.
Predation, parental care behaviour and habitat fragmentation: implications for Andean bird conservation
Renzo Vargas Rodríguez
Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Universidad de Chile Casilla 653; Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa Santiago - Chile Email:renzo_vr@gmx.net
Nest predation is the main cause of reproductive failure in birds that shape both behavioural and life history traits. Habitat fragmentation reduces nest predation by modifying the abundance of local bird nest predators. We test how habitat
fragmentation modifies the antipredator behaviours of Leptasthenura yanacensis, an Andean threatened Furnariidae and Polylepis forest specialist of Bolivia. We performed natural and field experiments to compare visitation rate, incubation and foraging time by means of video recording in large and small fragments. Visitation rate and incubation time were smaller and foraging time was higher when predators were near the nest. Although predators are less in the small fragments, there were no differences in parental care behaviours when compared to large fragments. Furthermore, there were no differences in nest predation among fragments. Populations may fail to respond to environmental changes or conservation management, and the capacity of response may be related to their behavioural and evolutionary potential. My work provides information about reproductive behaviour of the threatened forest specialist L. yanacensis facing a fragmented landscape with variable predation risk.
Tipping landuse change towards forest recovery via eco-compensation schemes in Xishuangbanna, China
Yi Zhuangfang
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Science Menglun, Mengla, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province, China. Email: yi.zhuangfang@gmail.com
The shift in landuse from natural forest to rubber plantations in Xishuangbanna, China has been dramatic over the last thirty years and little natural forest remains. Two spatial-explicit maps of the net present value (NPV) of rubber plantations and forest ecosystem service value (ESV) were obtained using twenty years of government rubber yield records, economic modelling, remote sensing and geographical information system analysis. Using the maps of rubber NPV and forest ESV, I identified regions that are practical targets for forest recovery and assess the effectiveness of different eco-compensation schemes in each location to support decision makers in landuse planning.
Impact of fencing on the survival of Przewalski’s gazelle
Lu Zhang
Center for Nature and Society, School of Life Sciences, Peking University Conservation Building, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China 100871
Email: zhanglu726@gmail.com
The highly-endangered Przewalski's gazelle (Procapra przewalskii) endured severe habitat loss and population decline over the last century. Hunting of gazelles was banned, so fencing and competition with livestock have since been highlighted as the species’ main threats. Our study indicated that highly-fenced areas in the gazelle’s habitat were associated with less gazelle activity, but a higher Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and more livestock. Higher fence density did not track with young gazelle mortality, but tracked with fawning rate. Ten-year EVI trends showed that fencing did not help to improve the condition of grassland, especially in high livestock-density areas.
