Showing papers by "International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources published in 2007"

Managing change toward adaptive water management through social learning

Abstract: The management of water resources is currently undergoing a paradigm shift toward a more integrated and participatory management style. This paper highlights the need to fully take into account the complexity of the systems to be managed and to give more attention to uncertainties. Achieving this requires adaptive management approaches that can more generally be defined as systematic strategies for improving management policies and practices by learning from the outcomes of previous management actions. This paper describes how the principles of adaptive water management might improve the conceptual and methodological base for sustainable and integrated water management in an uncertain and complex world. Critical debate is structured around four questions: (1) What types of uncertainty need to be taken into account in water management? (2) How does adaptive management account for uncertainty? (3) What are the characteristics of adaptive management regimes? (4) What is the role of social learning in managing change? Major transformation processes are needed because, in many cases, the structural requirements, e.g., adaptive institutions and a flexible technical infrastructure, for adaptive management are not available. In conclusion, we itemize a number of research needs and summarize practical recommendations based on the current state of knowledge.

Ecological and socioeconomic impacts of invasive alien species in island ecosystems.

Abstract: Minimizing the impact of invasive alien species (IAS) on islands and elsewhere requires researchers to provide cogent information on the environmental and socioeconomic consequences of IAS to the public and policy makers. Unfortunately, this information has not been readily available owing to a paucity of scientific research and the failure of the scientific community to make their findings readily available to decision makers. This review explores the vulnerability of islands to biological invasion, reports on environmental and socioeconomic impacts of IAS on islands and provides guidance and information on technical resources that can help minimize the effects of IAS in island ecosystems. This assessment is intended to provide a holistic perspective on island-IAS dynamics, enable biologists and social scientists to identify information gaps that warrant further research and serve as a primer for policy makers seeking to minimize the impact of IAS on island systems. Case studies have been selected to reflect the most scientifically-reliable information on the impacts of IAS on islands. Sufficient evidence has emerged to conclude that IAS are the most significant drivers of population declines and species extinctions in island ecosystems worldwide. Clearly, IAS can also have significant socioeconomic impacts directly (for example human health) and indirectly through their effects on ecosystem goods and services. These impacts are manifest at all ecological levels and affect the poorest, as well as richest, island nations. The measures needed to prevent and minimize the impacts of IAS on island ecosystems are generally known. However, many island nations and territories lack the scientific and technical information, infrastructure and human and financial resources necessary to adequately address the problems caused by IAS. Because every nation is an exporter and importer of goods and services, every nation is also a facilitator and victim of the invasion of alien species. Wealthy nations therefore need to help raise the capacity of island nations and territories to minimize the spread and impact of IAS.

Improvements to the Red List Index.

Abstract: The Red List Index uses information from the IUCN Red List to track trends in the projected overall extinction risk of sets of species. It has been widely recognised as an important component of the suite of indicators needed to measure progress towards the international target of significantly reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. However, further application of the RLI (to non-avian taxa in particular) has revealed some shortcomings in the original formula and approach: It performs inappropriately when a value of zero is reached; RLI values are affected by the frequency of assessments; and newly evaluated species may introduce bias. Here we propose a revision to the formula, and recommend how it should be applied in order to overcome these shortcomings. Two additional advantages of the revisions are that assessment errors are not propagated through time, and the overall level extinction risk can be determined as well as trends in this over time.

Parasite species richness in carnivores: effects of host body mass, latitude, geographical range and population density

Abstract: Aim Comparative studies have revealed strong links between ecological factors and the number of parasite species harboured by different hosts, but studies of different taxonomic host groups have produced inconsistent results. As a step towards understanding the general patterns of parasite species richness, we present results from a new comprehensive data base of over 7000 host‐parasite combinations representing 146 species of carnivores (Mammalia: Carnivora) and 980 species of parasites. Methods We used both phylogenetic and non-phylogenetic comparative methods while controlling for unequal sampling effort within a multivariate framework to ascertain the main determinants of parasite species richness in carnivores. Results We found that body mass, population density, geographical range size and distance from the equator are correlated with overall parasite species richness in fissiped carnivores. When parasites are classified by transmission mode, body mass and home range area are the main determinants of the richness of parasites spread by close contact between hosts, and population density, geographical range size and distance from the equator account for the diversity of parasites that are not dependent on close contact. For generalist parasites, population density, geographical range size and latitude are the primary predictors of parasite species richness. We found no significant ecological correlates for the richness of specialist or vector-borne parasites. Main conclusions Although we found that parasite species richness increases instead of decreases with distance from the equator, other comparative patterns in carnivores support previous findings in primates, suggesting that similar ecological factors operate in both these independent evolutionary lineages.

National Threatened Species Listing Based on IUCN Criteria and Regional Guidelines: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Abstract: As countries worldwide become increasingly interested in conserving biodiversity, the profile of national threatened species lists expands and these lists become more influential in determining conserva- tion priorities. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Categories and Criteria for evaluating extinction risk, originally intended for use at the global level, are increasingly being used at the national level. To facilitate this process, the IUCN recently published guidelines for the application of the criteria at subglobal levels. We evaluated the application of these guidelines, focusing on the opinions and experience of the global community of national assessors. To assess the extent to which IUCN criteria have been used in official national listing efforts, we sent a survey to 180 Convention on Biological Diversity national focal points designated by gov- ernments. Of the respondents, 77% had developed national threatened species lists. Of these, 78% applied a version of the IUCN criteria, and 88% plan to produce future threatened species lists. The majority of this last group (83%) will use IUCN criteria. Of the countries that have or will develop a threatened species list, 82% incorporated their list or the IUCN criteria into national conservation strategies. We further explored the issues highlighted by the survey results by integrating the experience of assessors that have produced national lists. Most of the problems national assessors faced when applying the IUCN criteria arose when the criteria were applied at the regional level without the IUCN Regional Guidelines and when assessors were confused about the purpose of the IUCN criteria and lacked training in their proper use. To improve their clarity and increase their repeatability, we recommend that the IUCN increase communication and information exchange among countries and between regional and global assessors, potentially through an interactive Web site, to facilitate the development of national red lists and to improve their conservation value within and between countries.

Using adaptive management to determine requirements of re-introduced populations: the case of the New Zealand hihi

Abstract: Summary 1 Adaptive management involves the development of predictive models, strategic manipulation of management actions to gain information, and subsequent updating of the models and management. The paradigm has several characteristics that make it an effective approach for determining requirements of re-introduced populations. 2 Adaptive management was applied to the re-introduction of hihi Notiomystis cincta, a New Zealand forest bird that had been reduced to a single island population. Following three previous failed re-introductions, we initiated an 8-year series of management manipulations when hihi were re-introduced to Mokoia Island in 1994. 3 We developed a population model for projecting outcomes under potential management scenarios, and updated it on an annual basis. The population model combined submodels for survival and reproduction that were selected from sets of candidate models using an information-theoretic approach. All projections incorporated demographic stochasticity, and later projections incorporated uncertainty associated with model selection and parameter estimation. 4 The programme showed that some actions (e.g. the provision of sugar water during breeding season and mite control) substantially increased the population's growth rate, but that persistence was uncertain under any management scenario. The population growth rate was shown to be constrained by a low adult survival rate that was unaffected by supplementary feeding, and was associated with a feature of the island (high density of Aspergillus fumigatus spores) that could not be remedied by management. Hihi were therefore removed from Mokoia. However, the management actions shown to be effective on Mokoia have now been used to produce sustained growth in three other re-introduced hihi populations. 6 Synthesis and applications. The results illustrate how adaptive management can facilitate successful species recovery. Without manipulation of management treatments, the Mokoia hihi re-introduction would have just been another failure that provided no useful information. Instead, our manipulations allowed us to identify effective management actions that were successfully applied to other re-introduced populations, and allowed us to identify a limiting factor that had not been previously considered. We have illustrated how other characteristics of the adaptive management approach (flexible treatments, ongoing monitoring, early model development, quantitative projections and incorporation of uncertainty) were essential to the programme.

Forests and forest management practices in Bangladesh: the question of sustainability 1

Abstract: SUMMARY As a relatively new country, the forests of Bangladesh have only been managed for 34 years under current management authority. During this period, forest management practices have been changed and revised from time to time in accordance with Government policy and legal regimes. The status of forest ecosystems has also changed. This paper reviews and analyzes the past 34 years of forest management practices in Bangladesh and identifies the effects of management practices on the forest ecosystem. The paper also discusses sustainability issues in addition to constraints and opportunities of the forests and forest management practices in Bangladesh.

Efficacy of alternative low-cost approaches to mangrove restoration, American Samoa

Abstract: Three mangrove restoration methods were tested at Nu’uuli, Tutuila Island, American Samoa. Since clearing 27 years ago converted the mangrove into a mudflat, the ecosystem was sufficiently altered that it could not self-correct; the ecosystem showed no natural regrowth despite an ample supply of propagules. While several years of monitoring may ultimately be required to determine the project’s success, and several decades could be required to fully return the full suite of functions, the project’s low-cost, nontechnical restoration techniques, using readily available materials, have proven to be modestly successful, with 38% sapling survival after six months. Several years of monitoring will be necessary to determine if the restoration site’s small elevation deficit relative to a reference site ultimately requires modifying the site’s physical structure to correct the hydrology. Direct community participation in the project was critical to reduce the risk of human disturbance of the restoration site. One year project costs were about USD $2,150 or USD $13,030 ha−1. Labor comprised 84% of expenses; replicating the restoration project in developing countries would cost less due to lower wage levels. Six months after initial restoration activities, there was a highly significant difference betweenBruguiera gymnorrhiza andRhizophora mangle sapling survival, with 21% and 45% of the original 42R. mangle and 95B. gymnorrhiza saplings remaining, respectively. The lowerR. mangle survival may have resulted from an unavoidable need to source saplings from an area with different environmental conditions than the restoration site. Saplings were transplanted into tires filled with sediment as a simple, low-cost method to raise the elevation of the sediment surface. Saplings were also transplanted adjacent to rebar and without any support mechanism. There was no significant difference in sapling survival by treatment for individual or combined species. The restoration project is a model for the community-based, simple, low-cost approaches to ecological restoration needed in the region. Pilot projects using similar techniques may be worth pursuing at the other 15 Pacific Island countries and territories where mangroves are indigenous.

Potential Cost-Effectiveness of Incentive Payment Programs for the Protection of Non-Industrial Private Forests

Abstract: This study assesses the potential cost-effectiveness of incentive payment programs relative to traditional top-down regulatory programs for biological conservation. We develop site-level estimates of the opportunity cost and the nonmonetized biological benefits of protecting biodiversity hotspots in Finnish nonindustrial private forests. We then use these estimates to compare and contrast the cost-effectiveness of alternative conservation programs. Our results suggest that incentive payment programs, which tacitly capitalize on landowners' private knowledge about the opportunity costs of conservation, may be considerably more cost-effective than traditional top-down regulatory programs.

A multi-level perspective on conserving with communities: Experiences from upper tributary watersheds in montane mainland Southeast Asia

Abstract: Mountains provide habitat for human and non-human life as well as many ecosystem goods and services useful to society at multiple spatial levels. In this paper we show that adopting a multi-level perspective allows for a more nuanced understanding of the governance challenges arising in the management of upper tributary watersheds for conservation purposes. Rather than assuming that the correct and best levels are known we look at how discourses privilege certain levels over others and how decisions about levels are made. Social groups, resources, places and institutions have scale-like characteristics which can confound simplistic models for conserving with communities. Communities are heterogeneous, vaguely bounded and shift levels. People belong to multiple communities. Resources are used-up and services valued at different spatial levels from those at which they may be ruled and managed. Areas of jurisdictions, resource characteristics and capacities of authority at particular levels may not coincide very well. Integration and segregation of use and conservation is, in part, an issue of resolution and frequency with which a landscape is viewed. The multi-level perspective on conserving with communities described in this paper helps better understand why the expectations of different actors are hard to satisfy and projects are perceived as failures. Some of the differences are a result of looking at the system from different levels and others the failure to acknowledge important cross-level interactions. It suggests that there is no a priori reason to privilege one level to the exclusion of consideration of all others in setting conservation objectives, nor in finding ways to meet them. The burdens and benefits of conservation should not be borne by, or accrue to, just one level.

Who benefits from irrigation development in India? Implication of irrigation multipliers for irrigation financing

Abstract: Who benefits from irrigation development and who should pay the cost? To answer this question we need to know, in addition to the information on farmers' level benefits, the total irrigation benefits derived by the farm and non-farm sectors in the economy. This question is not well addressed in the literature, therefore, we have estimated both direct benefits (farm-level benefits) and total benefits (rural economy-wide benefits) of irrigation in India. Then we compute irrigation multiplier values, which range from 3 to 4.5. This suggests that about two-thirds or more of the benefits from irrigation development have been accrued to the non-farm sector in the Indian economy, a factor that should be considered in developing a rational cost recovery and irrigation financing policy. But so far the discussions on irrigation financing are mostly farmer-centric, neglecting the total benefits and the semi-public good characteristics of irrigation systems. The empirical information on irrigation multipliers derived here has large implications for public policies such as poverty alleviation and food security in the tropics, where rural livelihoods still largely rely on the productivity and performance of irrigated agriculture. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Qui beneficie du developpement de l'irrigation en Inde et qui en supporte les couts? Pour repondre a cette question il nous faut analyser non seulement les benefices au niveau des exploitants agricoles mais aussi l'ampleur de tous les benefices derives de l'irrigation, tant agricoles que non-agricoles. Cette question est insuffisamment traitee dans la litterature et nous avons estime ici les benefices marginaux a la fois directs (au niveau du paysan) et indirects (economie rurale nationale). Nous en deduisons que les coefficients multiplicateurs en Inde varient entre 3.5 et 4. Ceci signifie que plus des deux tiers des benefices de l'irrigation ont beneficie a d'autres acteurs que les producteurs, un resultat qu'il s'agit de considerer quand on elabore des politiques de taxation, recouvrement ou de financement de l'irrigation. Bien que les analyses se concentrent le plus souvent sur la valeur ajoutee au niveau du producteur, il est essentiel de considerer les dimensions economiques distributives et leurs cruciales implications quant a la mise au point de politiques portant sur la securite alimentaire ou la reduction de la pauvrete sous les tropiques. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Nesting and Nest Success of the Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) in Suriname, 1999–2005

Abstract: Suriname beaches support a major nesting colony of leatherback turtles. During the 1999–2005 nesting seasons, we collected data on nesting ecology and identified individual turtles that nested at Babunsanti (Galibi Nature Reserve), Samsambo, Kolukumbo, and Matapica. We observed 8462 leatherback females, 6933 of which we PIT-tagged. The remaining 1529 females carried PIT tags of a non-Surinamese origin. Because complete coverage of all nesting beaches was not possible over the study period, estimations of minimum annual nesting colony size were made, which ranged from 1545 to 5500 females in Suriname alone. Of the 7394 turtles observed during 1999–2004, 14.8% were seen renesting by 2005. Annual mean internesting period ranged between 9.4 ± 1.0 to 9.6 ± 1.0 days. Annual mean observed clutch frequency was between 1.6 ± 1.0 to 3.1 ± 1.4 and annual minimum estimated clutch frequency between 4.1 ± 1.6 to 4.9 ± 1.8 clutches. Annual mean standard curved carapace length ranged from 154.1 ± 6.7 to 155.6 ± ...

The potential role of swift foxes (Vulpes velox) and their fleas in plague outbreaks in prairie dogs.

Abstract: Swift foxes (Vulpes velox) have been proposed as potential carriers of fleas infected with the bacterium Yersinia pestis between areas of epizootics in black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). We examined antibody prevalence rates of a population of swift foxes in Colorado, USA, and used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to examine their flea biota for evidence of Y. pestis. Fifteen of 61 (24%) captured foxes were seropositive, and antibody prevalence was spatially correlated with epizootic plague activity in prairie dog colonies in the year of, and previous to, the study. Foxes commonly harbored the flea Pulex simulans, though none of the fleas was positive for Y. pestis.

Accountability and Rights in Right-based Approaches for Local Water Governance

Abstract: This paper explores local rights and accountability in local water resource management. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government agencies have an important role and responsibility to create an environment in which people can assume accountability and have a greater chance to get their rights to water fulfilled. A framework of research questions is proposed within a Right-based Approaches (RBA) framework. Answers to these questions could contribute to the policy responses necessary to ensure that rights of the underprivileged groups in particular in local communities are fulfilled and that they can assume their own share of accountability for the good use of available water resources.

Review of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Sauria: Gekkonidae) in Sri Lanka with the description of five new species

Abstract: Five new species of geckos are described from Sri Lanka by morphological comparison and morphometric analysis leading to review the genus Cnemaspis in the country. The type series of these species were identified from following localities: C. alwisi and C. kumarasinghei from the intermediate zone, C. retigalensis from the dry zone, C. molligodai from the lowland wet zone and C. samanalensis from the mountain region of the wet zone in the country. The high degree of endemicity (90%) shown by Cnemaspis in Sri Lanka could be attributed to geographical isolation. In addition, the taxonomic issue of C. jerdonii scalpensis is discussed and the species C. scalpensis is errected.

Leatherback, Dermochelys coriacea, Nesting Along the Atlantic Coast of Africa

Abstract: Leatherback nesting along the Atlantic coast of Africa extends from Mauritania in the north to Angola in the south, with a globally important nesting concentration located in Gabon in Central Africa. Provisional estimates of nesting numbers from Gabon indicate that this nesting population may be among the largest in the world.

Marine Protected Areas in Sri Lanka: A Review

Abstract: Despite the popularity of marine protected areas (MPAs) as a management tool, increasing evidence shows that many fail to achieve conservation objectives. Although several MPAs exist in Sri Lanka, most are not managed, and resource extraction and habitat degradation continue unabated. At present, the declaration and management of MPAs is carried out without adequate consideration of the ecology, socioeconomic realities, or long-term management sustainability. Managers have focused more toward the creation of new legislation and protected areas rather than ensuring the implementation of existing regulations and management of existing protected areas. Poor coordination and a lack of serious political will have also hindered successful resource management. As in other developing countries, MPA managers have to contend with coastal communities that are directly dependant on marine resources for their subsistence. This often makes it unfeasible to exclude resource users, and MPAs have failed to attract necessary government support because many politicians are partial toward the immediate needs of local communities for both economic and political reasons. A more integrated approach, and decisions based on the analysis of all relevant criteria combined with a concerted and genuine effort toward implementing strategies and achieving predetermined targets, is needed for effective management of MPAs and the sustainable use of marine resources in Sri Lanka.

Tools and techniques for disease risk assessment in threatened wildlife conservation programmes

Abstract: Disease plays a significant role as a risk factor in wildlife conservation programmes involving animal movements, such as translocation, transportation among zoos or reintroduction. However, the traditional ‘zero-risk tolerance’ approach to the assessment of disease risk in these programmes is unattainable and unmanageable, often leading to an excessively cautious attitude towards the risks that are involved. It is therefore critically important to develop a comprehensive, unified and broadly applicable set of descriptive and analytical tools that can more realistically and accurately assess disease-based risks in conservation-based animal-movement programmes. The Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, of the IUCN – World Conservation Union, has brought together an international team of wildlife medicine professionals to construct a set of qualitative and quantitative tools to assess disease risk. The tools are flexible, intuitive and span a broad range of complexities. These tools are designed to enable professionals to incorporate not only published, statistically valid data but also to make reasonable decisions under conditions of uncertainty, and to capture valuable information from more basic field or clinical experience. Selected tools from the larger ‘toolkit’ are described here, with examples from actual case studies where available.

The conservation status of West Indian palms (Arecaceae)

Abstract: The conservation status of 134 species, sub- species and varieties of West Indian palms (Arecaceae) is assessed and reviewed, based on field studies and current literature. We find that 90% of the palm taxa of the West Indies are endemic. Using the IUCN Red List categories one species is categorized as Extinct, 11 taxa as Critically Endangered, 19 as Endangered, and 21 as Vulnerable. Fifty-seven taxa are classified as Least Concern. Twenty-five taxa are Data Deficient, an indica- tion that additional field studies are urgently needed. The 11 Critically Endangered taxa warrant immediate conservation action; some are currently the subject of ex situ and in situ conservation projects in the region's botanical gardens. We recommend that preliminary conservation assessments be made of the 25 Data Deficient taxa so that conservation measures can be implemented for those facing imminent threats.

African Rhino Specialist Group report/Rapport du Groupe Spécialiste des Rhinos d’Afrique

Abstract: A recent survey within the last known range of the West African black rhino Diceros bicornis longipes in northern Cameroon has failed to locate any sign of their continued presence although many signs of poaching activity were recorded. Drs Isabelle and Jean-Francois Lagrot spent four months in early 2006 patrolling 2500 km between Faro National Park and Bouba N’Djida National Park without success. Enquiry among 21 hunting guides also drew a blank. While Paul Bour of Association Symbiose will be in the field until the end of 2006 checking reports from the field, the outlook for this subspecies does not look good.

Los servicios ambientales de los bosques

Abstract: The environmental services of forests. The way society relates with forests and the services they offer has changed in the course of History. The inclusion in mainstream Forestry of total value concepts derived from Economics, together with the enlargement of its focus of interest to other disciplines has opened the door to a renewed appreciation of forest ecosystem services. There is an attempt to develop mechanisms to capture part of this value as a way to conserve and sustainably manage forests. In the present article we review the valuation and marketing of forest environmental services. We conclude analyzing some limitations experienced while implementing these methods in practice and discussing the role that environmental services may play in the future of forests.

Comparison of structural diversity of tree-crop associations in Peripheral and Buffer zones of Gachabari Sal forest area, Bangladesh.

Abstract: The structural diversity of different tree-crop associations were studied at Gachabari Sal forest area of Madhupur Garh on Buffer and Peripheral Zone during 2006. The total density, basal area of trees in the Buffer and Peripheral Zone were 155.5 trees·hm−2, 795.4 trees·hm−2 and 3.9 m2·hm−2, 5.8 m2·hm−2, respectively. No regeneration and natural trees were found in Peripheral Zone and the Zone is totally occupied by exotic species where the Buffer Zone comprised of both natural and exotic trees. The Peripheral Zone belonged to younger and smaller trees whereas the Buffer Zone belonged to mixture of smaller, taller, younger and mature trees simultaneously. For the practicing of different agroforestry systems both Zones have lost their original characters of Sal forest.

Water as a Human Right: Towards Civil Society Globalization

Abstract: This paper aims to shed some light on the meaning and implications of the notion of water as a human right. The transformations of how water was viewed and acknowledged in the 20th century are addressed in light of globalization and the emergence of the concept of water as a social good with an economic value. The relevance of ‘water as a human right’ to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be discussed. Water governance and its implications on human rights are discussed to demonstrate the necessity for strengthening water governance models and set-ups to ensure the appropriate implementation of water as a human right. Conclusions and recommendations are outlined with an emphasis on the value of seeing the synergies in the three-global visions which are water for people, food and nature.