Abstracts available here - Society for Conservation Biology

25th International Congress for Conservation Biology • Auckland, New Zealand • 5-9 December 2011
2011-12-06 14:45 Improving multicriteria rating systems for setting
conservation priorities
Maguire, LA*, Nicholas School, Duke University;
Rating systems that combine multiple factors to prioritize which species or
areas to protect first are ubiquitous in conservation science and practice.
Even the most thoughtfully developed and widely used systems exhibit
flaws that violate principles of multicriteria analysis. These flaws can lead
to misguided recommendations for action and compromise the use of
these systems to coordinate action among conservation institutions. Some
common flaws include (1) omitting important factors that are hard to
measure; (2) defining performance categories too vaguely for different
users to produce consistent ratings; and (3) losing control over the weight
accorded to each factor in composing the overall rating by (a) including
multiple, overlapping metrics for factors where data are readily available, (b)
assigning arbitrary maximum numbers of points to individual factors, and
(c) using idiosyncratic algorithms for combining scores on individual factors
to create an overall rating. An additional flaw common to many GIS-based
rating systems is re-classifying results into equally populated categories (e.g.,
each containing one-tenth of the items rated), which precludes comparing
ratings from different applications of the same system. Fortunately, many
of these flaws can be corrected, or at least mitigated, with modest changes.
This is important because many of these rating systems are deeply embedded
in the cultures of conservation institutions and wholesale changes could be
disruptive.
2011-12-08 11:02 A Compairing of two Different Population of [
Branchiopoda; Chirocephalus sp.] with Conservative Approach within
Soulukli & Arneh Temporary Wetland NE Iran
Mahmoud soufi*, Department of Environment and Energy Science
and research Branch Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. ; Bahram
Zehzad, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran; Haji Gholi Kami,
Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Golestan, P.
O. Box 49165, Gorgan, Iran.; Ali Turk Qashqae, Department of
Environment and Energy Science and research Branch Islamic Azad
University, Tehran, Iran; Mosa Ghorbani Orjanli, 4Department of
Geological Sciences research of Iran;
The worldwide loss of temporary waters threatens many branchiopod
crustacean species. In many areas of the world, the diversity, species
composition, and conservation status of large branchiopods remain largely
unknown. Wetlands, currently covering less than 6% of the earth’s land
surface, are being destroyed at an alarming rate worldwide although less
well studied. fairy shrimp and other crustacean populations inhabiting
temporary waters are declining worldwide Abiotic factors are often
implicated in speciation events, a tentative compairing investigation was
conducted on (march-june 2011) within Soulukli (1357m altitude) &
Arneh (790m altitude) temporary wetland in the Golestan National Park
northeast of Iran. Indeed we finde a new localities in Hyrcanian forest for the
Genus of Chirocephalus sp. (specimens is now describing) these temporary
habitats have an obviously differences in composition of invertebrate and
macrophyte communities, particularly on populations, proportion of
sexual rate and number of eggs in ovisac. But the actual impact of both
abiotic and biotic factors on species diversity is not well understood. Given
the large within pool population sizes, the biggest threats are likely to be
due to habitat degradation and loss. Such temporary habitats before being
discovered are locally destroyed.
2011-12-07 11:30 Empowering Citizens to Promote Conservation: The
Florida Master Naturalist Program
Main, MB*, University of Florida;
Conservation goals cannot be achieved without public support, but people
are unlikely to support efforts they don’t understand. Attempts to engage
the public often take the form of dire warnings and requests for monetary
support. Conservation education programs provide an additional strategy,
one which educates public audiences about the environment around them,
the plants and animals therein, and the ecological processes that support
these while also providing important services to people. The Florida
Master Naturalist Program (FMNP; www.MasterNaturalist.org) is a highly
successful and self-supporting program that was developed to educate,
inspire, and prepare public audiences to engage in conservation efforts and
to educate and inspire others we may otherwise never reach. The FMNP
operates on a collaborative strategy that currently includes 170 certified
instructors from 90 organizations that issued 948 graduate certificates
during 2010 and more than 6,000 since the program’s inception. The FMNP
curriculum includes both natural history/conservation education and
technique-oriented courses that prepare individuals to participate in citizenscientist
monitoring programs. This presentation will describe the FMNP,
strategies for curricula and instructor network development, administration
of the program, and some examples of impacts and success stories associated
with FMNP graduates. Attendees of this presentation will gain ideas and
insights on how to develop public education programming that motivates
and empowers graduates to engage in conservation and education efforts in
their local communities and assist us to promote a stronger conservation
ethic among the citizenry at large.
2011-12-07 15:15 Conservation Sucess, Communities and the Private
Sector
Mainka, Sue.*, IUCN; Carbone, Giulia, IUCN; Asante-owusu,
Rachel, IUCN;
The private sector is a major player in drivers of biodiversity change and also
increasingly engaged with local communities to identify optimum means by
which to achieve business results that still support biodiversity conservation.
IUCN has engaged with several multinational businesses at several levels and
using several different mechanisms to support better conservation outcomes.
This presentation will summarize the sorts of engagements employed and
the lessons learned from those efforts.
2011-12-08 15:00 Analysis of Climate Change Impacts to Marine
Species Under the United States of America (US) Endangered Species
Act (ESA)
Maison, KA*, JIMAR/NOAA Fisheries; Opay, P, NOAA Fisheries ;
The Protected Resources Division (PRD) of the Pacific Islands Regional
Office (PIRO) of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is the lead
for management and recovery of ESA-listed marine species in the Pacific
Islands Region. Under multiple Sections of the ESA, PIRO PRD analyzes
past, present, and future impacts of anthropogenic activities on listed species,
including those related to climate change. Multiple levels of uncertainty
in climate predictions, ecosystem impacts, and species adaptability make
this challenging. PIRO PRD has recently analyzed potential impacts of
climate change on sea turtles in Biological Opinions that analyze proposed
government actions under Section 7 of the ESA. Additionally, we are
evaluating global efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in connection
with our review of a petition under Section 4 of the ESA to list 82 species
of coral. Different levels of certainty exist in the literature as to currently
observed and potential future impacts of climate change on different species.
Our challenges and responses associated with incorporating climate change
impacts into marine species management are presented.
2011-12-08 18:30 Monitoring Source Population of Tigers (Panther
tigris tigris) in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh of Central Indian
Landscape
Majumder, A*, Wildlife Institute of India; Sankar, K, Wildlife
Institute of India; Qureshi, Q, Wildlife Institute of India; Jhala,Y.V,
Wildlife Institute of India;
Monitoring large carnivore in a small reserve is really a challenging task
for any manager. Between June 2006 and March 2011, thirty six pairs self
triggered camera traps were deployed (area 200 km ²) to monitor source
populations of tiger in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh,India. The
estimated over all survivor rate (Robust design) was 0.64 (standard error or
SE 0.07) and growth rate (Pradel model) was (-) 0.07 where as population of
tigers (Mark Recapture method) for successive five years were 14 (SE 0.01),
13 (SE 0.04), 11.4 (SE 1.4), 10 (SE 0.6) and 12 (SE 0.5). Though estimated
wild prey biomass (using line transect method) for tigers in this natural
reserve, 6013 kg/km², is one of the highest in Indian sub-continent, the
poor emigration rate (0.23±SE 0.09) and high cub-mortality (0.47±SE 0.01)
might have governed the source population towards decline (as no poaching
was so far recorded during the study period). One adult female, one adult
male and two sub adult male tigers were radio-collared to understand their
ranging pattern in this small reserve and estimated home ranges (Minimum
Convex Polygon method) were 34 km², 30.4 km², 55 km² and 12.3 km²
respectively during this period. The corridor connecting other major source
populations with Pench, therefore need to be monitored for the long term
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