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25th International Congress for Conservation Biology • Auckland, New Zealand • 5-9 December 2011 Anishaanabe) and Hirini Moko-Mead (Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi, Ngati Awa). Sharing Power as a theme, explored de-centralisation in the governance and management of bio-cultural resources. Speakers looked at how to enable indigenous peoples and local communities to have greater rights and responsibilities in governance and management of the landscapes and ecosystems they live in and near. What are some of the successful models of indigenous and community managed natural resources? How can all people better exercise their citizenship responsibilities to the environment? A New Vision for Development assumed the current capital based model has flaws that have created social and economic inequities, and lead to large scale environmental damage. Speakers tackled questions such as; what other development models exist? What are the key components of shared responsibility in conservation management and governance change necessary to ensure a sustainable future? How can local and indigenous visions of development with sustainable conservation be nurtured? This presentation will provide highlights on the outcomes of this highly successful Sharing Power Conference. 2011-12-07 11:45 Conservation, sustainable use, and economic development: land owners, academia, and government working together in Mexico Medellin, RA*, Institute of Ecology, UNAM/Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; It is now more than clear that conservation can only be achieved with the resolute support of the land owners and other stake holders. It is our duty as conservation professionals to make this a reality. Over the past 15 years, Mexico has expanded collaborative programs with land owners to engage them in biodiversity management and conservation. A program created in the Federal Government in 1995, now contains well over 15% of the Mexican territory. The UMA program (Units of Management for Wildlife Conservation for its Spanish acronym) promotes sustainable uses of wildlife (plants and animals) in areas actively protected by the land owners. This relatively new program can only make progress with the active, decisive participation of University-based biologists who provide management plans, expertise, and orientation to improve conservation. A tripod approach (government, land owners, academia) is having a significant impact in biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and economic development. Some examples illustrate the great potential and significant impact that programs like this one can have. 2011-12-08 18:30 Molecular biodiversity inventory of the ichthyofauna of the Czech Republic Mendel, J*, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, v.v.i., Czech Republic ; Papousek, I, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, v.v.i., Czech Republic ; Vetesník, L, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, v.v.i., Czech Republic ; Halacka, K, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, v.v.i., Czech Republic ; Bartonova, E, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, v.v.i., Czech Republic ; Sanda, R, National Museum, Czech Republic; Urbankova, S, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, v.v.i., Czech Republic ; Konickova, M, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, v.v.i., Czech Republic The Czech Republic lies in the centre of Europe and from the point of view of hydrology its territory belongs to three drainage areas – those of the North Sea, Black Sea and Baltic Sea. This fact has an important influence on abundant species diversity of its ichthyofauna. The occurrence of 94 species of lampreys and fish of 13 orders and 23 families was historically confirmed here both in natural waters and fish cultures. Some of them are already extinct. Other 24 species face various levels of endangerment. The Czech-Canadian project within the iBOL initiative analyzed about 1500 individuals from about 200 locations. Using a comprehensive approach (morphology, DNA barcoding, nDNA analysis) the haplotype variability was identified and pure species from hybrids were differentiated. At least in 5 genera, higher species variability than that described in literature was identified. DNA barcodes for about 72 recent indigenous and non-indigenous species were prepared. A new reference collection of all fish species of the Czech Republic for the National Museum was assembled. Efficiency of a new identification method, S7indel diagnostics, for taxonomic and biodiversity purposes was evaluated. The study was carried out within the framework of the research project no. M200930901 supported by the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and no. 206/09/P608 supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic. 2011-12-09 16:30 Improving the Robustness of Approaches for Setting Habitat Targets based on the Species-area Relationship: An example from the English Channel. Metcalfe, K*, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NR, United Kingdom; Garcia, C, The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, United Kingdom; Foveau, A, Institut Francais de Recherche pour l’exploitation de la Mer (Ifremer), Laboratoire Resources Halieutiques, Boulognesur-Mer, France; Dauvin, JC, Universite de Caen Basse Normandie, Laboratoire Morphodynamique Continentale et Cotiere, UMR CNRS 6143 M2C, 2-4 rue des Tilleuls, F-14000 Caen, France; Coggan, R, The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, United Kingdom; Vaz, S, Institut Francais de Recherche pour l’exploitation de la Mer (Ifremer), Laboratoire Resources Halieutiques, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France; Harrop, SR, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NR, United Kingdom; Smith, RJ, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NR, United Kingdom Conservation practitioners are increasingly using approaches based on the species-area relationship to set conservation targets for terrestrial and marine habitats. Although this method is transparent and scientifically defensible, there has been little research on how robust it is under different sampling conditions. Here we investigate how targets developed for marine habitats are influenced by changes in: (1) the number of samples used to generate estimates of species richness; (2) the non-parametric estimator used to derive estimates of species richness; and, (3) the level of habitat classification for which targets are developed. We show that targets are affected by each of these factors but sample size has the greatest impact, so that targets grow by up to 40% when sample sizes are increased from 50 to 300. Nonetheless, this still remains the best approach for setting habitat targets, so we suggest practitioners can improve current practice by: (1) using the Jackknife2 estimator, which like the Bootstrap estimator requires fewer samples to reach stable estimates but is less sensitive to sample size issues, and (2) developing calibration rules that can be used to increase targets for under-sampled habitat types. 2011-12-07 11:15 A Greenprint for Re-building a Biodiverse Garden City: Post 2010/2011 Earthquake Meurk, C*, Landcare Research; Stewart, G, Lincoln University; Christchurch (NZ) was crippled by earthquakes in September 2010 and February 2011. Life is resilient and regeneration is occurring, neighbours helped neighbours in their shattered homes, and commercial, civil and political life responded rapidly to the emergency. Around 100 community groups formed to meet local needs and a Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Authority (with citizen representation) has been established by government to fast-track rebuilding of the city. Essential services need to be restored quickly, but configuration and quality of emergent spaces requires careful consideration and buy-in from sometimes antagonistic factions – identifying with an English Garden City image versus a nouveaux, sustainable multicity. A New Garden City must avoid building on land prone to liquefaction and sea level rise; provide wider floodplain exclusion; and make safe green space accessible to all residents. Greenspace should accommodate a greater diversity of native and non-invasive exotic species with half of large trees being indigenous to provide quality resources for native wildlife. A nested arrangement of habitat stepping stones with linkages along streams and cycleways will achieve ecological viability and a citizenry able to experience nature within walking or cycling distance of their homes. Threatened herbaceous species will find niches in lawns, walls, roofs, pathways and earthquake rubble. 2011-12-08 18:30 Spider responses to grazing in an African savannah Mgobozi, M.P., Centre for Wildlife Management, Centre for Invasion Biology, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Somers, M.J.*, Centre for Wildlife Management, Centre for Invasion Biology, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S., National Collection of Arachnida, Biosystematics Division, Agricultural Research 110
25th International Congress for Conservation Biology • Auckland, New Zealand • 5-9 December 2011 Council, Plant Protection Research Institute, South Africa/Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, South Africa; In African savannas heavy grazing of tussock/bunch grassland results in a compositional shift of grass species to form grazing lawns. Grazing lawns have been thought to be an undesirable outcome of over grazing. However, they could be their own stable state grassland community and thus important and significant contributors to savanna biodiversity. To investigate the effects of grazing on spiders we used pitfall traps and sweep netting to sample spiders along 1) a grazing intensity gradient, and 2) grazing lawns versus tall bunch grasses. Higher species richness was observed in moderately and intensely grazed sites in comparison to ungrazed sites. Intensely grazed sites consistently illustrated low diversity and species richness for pitfall trap data. No significant differences were observed between moderately grazed and intensely grazed sites and this may be a consequence of structural heterogeneity. A distinct spider assemblage pattern on grazing lawns was observed, indicating that grazing lawns are not just depauperate tall-grass systems. On the contrary, higher abundance, diversity and species richness of spiders was observed on grazing lawns than in tall, bunch grassland. A loss of grazing lawns may have cascading effects, at least in some taxa. 2011-12-09 11:00 Genomic information reveals threatened species isolated before European settlement: implications for reintroduction efforts. Michael K. Schwartz*, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station; Brian Knaus, USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station; Aaron Liston, Department of Botany & Plant Pathology, Oregon State University; Kristy Pilgrim , USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station; Richard Cronn, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station; Conservation decisions increasingly rely upon molecular information to define population connectivity, identify units for conservation, and date population divergence events. Central to these studies is mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genotyping, as most mammalian mtDNA studies examine hypervariable sites within the displacement loop (D-loop). However, in some situations the D-loop can show minimal divergence. Conversely, hypervariable positions can evolve so rapidly that multiple, superimposed substitutions can obscure evolutionary histories providing misleading results. Multiplexed massively parallel sequencing enables genome comparisons at a reasonable expense. The increased information from complete genomes strengthens inferences of relationships and narrows divergence time estimates. In this talk we report on complete mtDNA genome sequences from fisher (Martes pennanti), a threatened North American carnivore that exhibits low D-loop diversity. In California, fishers are found in the northern portion of the state and in the Sierra Nevada in the South, with a 430 km “gap” between populations. Earlier D-loop data suggested that the common haplotype was shared among the populations, information which has been used to justify reintroduction into this gap. Here we show with complete mitochondrial genome sequences that this common haplotype is actually two distinct haplotypes. Furthermore, the time of divergence from genome sequences suggest that these populations have been isolated prior to European colonization. These results reveal the dangers of making conservation decisions with less-than-genomic information. 2011-12-09 11:45 Bryophyte contribution to ecosystem services in New Zealand indigenous tussock grasslands Michel, P*, Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research; Lee, WG, Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research; In New Zealand montane tussock grasslands, bryophytes are an important component of the vegetation, contributing ca 3.1 % of the total vegetative biomass and 71% of the ground cover. The bryophytic biomass is predominantly mosses, Hypnum cupressiforme and Leptotheca gaudichaudii (ca. 79.5%). Bryophyte composition and accumulation in indigenous grasslands can influence catchment-scale hydrological processes by intercepting rainfall, dew and fog, and absorbing up to 14 times their dry mass in water. The inter-tussock bryophyte carpet contributes to a mean additional water storage capacity of 0.2mm. Anthropogenic disturbances (e.g. fire) modify the bryophytic communities favouring the establishment of species adapted to survive in dry and exposed environment (e.g. Polytrichum and Campylopus species). The reduced bryophytic biomass and cover of modified communities result in a mean loss of 90% in the potential water storage. Bryophytes also play a great role in the decomposition processes of native tussock grasses (e.g. Chionochloa rigida), with decomposition rate under dense cushion of moss species improving by up to 73%. Mosses appear to alter microbial biomass and these interactions are species dependent. Alterations in the bryophytic landscape thus can have critical consequences on the ecological processes of indigenous tussock grasslands and potentially on associated global ecosystems functions and dynamics. 2011-12-07 15:30 Trading off short-term and long-term risk: minimizing the threat of island extinctions from catastrophes and sealevel rise MICHELLE REYNOLDS*, Pacific Island Ecosystem Rearch Center, US Geological Survey; Brady Mattsson, USGS; Conor McGowan, USGS; Andrew McClung, USGS; Sarah Converse, USGS; Designated as Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, the remote atolls of the Hawaii provide crucial habitat for endangered endemic birds and millions of seabirds. Despite their protected status, many species are faced with the threat of extinction due to random catastrophes such as diseases, and tsunamis. To reduce the risk that a catastrophe would lead to extinction, managers propose to restore multiple “insurance” populations on appropriate islands, currently unoccupied to increase their ranges. A longer term threat to low island species is sea level rise associated with global climate change. Unfortunately, establishment of populations on multiple low-lying islands is unlikely to provide long-term species viability since, climate change scenarios predict islands may be inundated by rising sea levels. To maintain viable populations of endemic endangered island species, managers must design and implement a strategy that considers both the longer-term sea level rise as well as the immediate stochastic threats while integrating uncertainty, budget limitations, complex logistics, and public opinion of management actions needed to establish species on higher elevation islands. We examine endangered Laysan teal (Anas laysanensis) as a case study and apply state-dependent decision-making to explore optimal adaptive management actions to protect species facing climate change. 2011-12-07 11:10 Which religion has most potential to save biodiversity? Mikusinski, G.*, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Ecology, Grimsö Wildlife Research Station; Blicharska, M., Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, School for Forest Management; Numerous solutions have been proposed lately to face the accelerating global decline of biodiversity. However, what seems to be missing is a greater effort to incorporate biodiversity-oriented thinking in everyday actions of individuals and nations. We need a complementary strategy that shapes ethical attitudes and strive for a more pro-environmental thinking and lifestyles of individuals and nations. Religions that are carriers of basic beliefs, ethics and worldviews may specifically influence people’s behaviour should therefore be seriously considered in biodiversity conservationoriented discourse. We conducted analysis of spatial overlap between major global religions (Christianity with Roman Catholic Church, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism) and several biodiversity templates indicating the most important areas from the global conservation perspective. Our analysis clearly indicated that the majority of these areas are situated in countries dominated by Christianity, and more specifically Catholicism. We concluded that the greatest potential to influence biodiversity discourse seems to rest on the Roman Catholic Church, which not only “rules” over millions of believers in countries important for global biodiversity, but also has a centralised structure enabling spreading pro-environmental preaching world-wide. 2011-12-08 14:45 From co-existence to exclusion: mechanisms behind the generalist replacement of specialists in the face of disturbance. MILDENSTEIN, TAMMY L.*, Wildlife Biology Program, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA; Ecological specialists are disappearing globally relative to generalists across a wide range of taxa. Anthropogenic disturbance is hypothesized to be the 111
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Index Benini, Rubens 42 Beniston, M
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Index DeWan, Amielle 14 Dianne Brun
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Index Hilborn, Ray 27 Hill, CM 176
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Index Loutit, R. 116 Louwe Kooijman
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Index Ottewell, K 81 Overton, J 61,
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Index Sequeira, Ana 151 Serebryakov
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Index Winandy, L 181 Winner, J. 112
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