Abstracts available here - Society for Conservation Biology

25th International Congress for Conservation Biology • Auckland, New Zealand • 5-9 December 2011
and the invasive ship-rat (Rattus rattus) are now regular flower-visitors, and
the experimental exclusion of these novel pollinators led to high pollenlimitation
for all three species. When managing invaded ecosystems, it is
important recognize the compensatory role that invasive species may be
playing. The critical role of native birds and bats as pollinators in New
Zealand may have been underestimated because of the compensatory role
of novel species, and reintroductions of these native species should be a
priority at sites where invasive novel species are being actively controlled
or eradicated.
2011-12-07 17:30 De-stocking seral grassland/shrubland ecosystems
leads to biodiversity gains but alters suites of invasive mammals
PECH, R*, Landcare Research, PO Box 40, Lincoln 7640, New
Zealand; Byrom, A, Landcare Research, PO Box 40, Lincoln
7640, New Zealand; Whitehead, A, Landcare Research, PO Box
40, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand; Clayton, R, Landcare Research,
PO Box 40, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand; Norbury, G, Landcare
Research, PO Box 282, Alexandra 9340, New Zealand; Wilson, D,
Landcare Research, Private Bag 1930, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand;
Abandonment of traditional pastoralism is occurring in many alpine and
sub-alpine ecosystems throughout the world. In the eastern high country
of the South Island of New Zealand large areas of seral non-forest grazing
land are being de-stocked and returned to the conservation estate. We
compared sites where livestock grazing ceased 10-30 yr ago with paired
sites where grazing has continued. Ungrazed sites had significantly higher
native vegetation richness and lower exotic richness than grazed sites.
Ungrazed sites also had significantly more native shrubs than grazed sites,
and higher shrub cover. These differences were reflected in the invasive
mammal community; grazed sites were typically associated with higher
abundances of European rabbits and European hedgehogs whereas brown
hares, brushtail possums and house mice were dominant in ungrazed sites.
The low abundance of weed species following de-stocking indicates little
need for active weed management. However, invasive mammals found
on conservation land, especially re-generating shrubland, were often
generalist species attracted to structurally complex and diverse habitats.
Thus, seral transitions following de-stocking resulted in positive outcomes
for conserving native plant communities. But these benefits may be
compromised by increased abundance of some invasive mammal species,
such as rodents, that are known to have serious adverse impacts on native
invertebrate and reptile fauna.
2011-12-08 11:30 Improving MPA management efficiency through
collaboration between managers and scientists: the PAMPA project
Pelletier, D.*, IFREMER;
Marine Protected Areas (MPA) are a key instrument for biodiversity
conservation. MPA management goals include conservation of marine
biodiversity, and of corresponding ecosystem services such as provision
of fish resources and livelihood for coastal human populations. MPA
management must maintain or restore biodiversity, while ensuring
social acceptance and benefits for local human populations. The MPA
performance to attain each of these goals must be rigorously assessed, so
that trade-offs can be safely evaluated by managers. This may be achieved
through the construction and validation of operational indicators for
orienting management actions. This requires that a) scientists and managers
collaborate actively throughout the process; and b) scientists from several
disciplines work together on issues related to biodiversity, resources, uses
and governance. I present the approach and findings of the PAMPA project
for selecting, testing and validating indicators of MPA performance. The
project involves eight case studies from the Mediterranean and from French
coral reef areas in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Results show
that it is possible to implement the same scientifically rigorous approach
in contrasted contexts with several disciplines, while being committed to
account for MPA managers needs and constraints.
2011-12-08 18:30 The application of infrared camera in monitoring
animal biodiversity in Guanyinshan Nature Reserve, Shaanxi
Pengfeng WU, College of Biological Science, China Agricultural
University, Beijing 100193, China; Xuehua LIU*, School of
Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China;
Xiaoming SHAO, College of Biological Science, China Agricultural
University, Beijing 100193, China;
Biodiversity has always been one of the hot topics of ecology. Guanyinshan
Nature Reserve (GNR) is located in the middle of the Qinling Mountains
in Shaanxi Province. In this paper, 18 spots were carefully chosen for
setting up infrared cameras across the two hotspot area of the whole reserve,
namely Liangfengya area and Xigou area. We discussed the daily activity
pattern by dividing the time period with 2 hour intervals, and thus activity
level of a species was measured by the percentage of the total processed
photograph data. After 19 months of continuous photographing, twentyfour
species of animals are detected and the top six by photographic rate are
takin (Budorcas taxicolor), common goral (Naemorhedus goral), tufteddeer
(Elaphodus cephalophus), golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus), wild
boar (Sus scrofa), mainland serow (Capricornis sumatraensis). The activity
patterns of the six species are not the same, which mostly exhibit two peaks.
For takin, common goral and tufteddeer, the two peaks arrive at 6:00-
8:00a.m and 18:00-20:00p.m; for wild boar, it goes to the peak at noon;
for golden pheasant, records more concentrating during the daytime and
for mainland serow, during the night. Further, the method proposed by
Carbone et al. (2001) was attempted to estimate the population density
of takin, which mainly consider the relationship between photographic
rate and population density. In the future, it should be highlighted to
strengthen conservation and to promote the restoration of forest, in order
to rehabilitate a better area for pandas and other animals and to increase
effectively the biodiversity of the reserve.
2011-12-08 11:45 Moving Beyond the CBD’S 2010 Target - A Review
on the Effectiveness of Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance in
Protected Area Establishment in Sri Lanka
Perera, Nishanthi*, PhD Candidate,, Department of Zoology,
University of Colombo, Sri Lanka; Kotagama, S.W, Proffessor
of Environmental Science, Dpeartment of Zoology, University of
Colombo, Sri Lanka;
This paper present the results of a review undertaken with the objective of
evaluating the effectiveness of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance
No 2 of 1937 (FFPO) and its amendments, as a framework legislation for
Protected Area (PA) establishment in Sri Lanka. Over the years, FFPOs
emphasis has shifted from that of the preservation of wildlife to protection
of biodiversity for the benefit of present and future generations. It has
introduced eleven categories of PAs, of which five are in existence on
ground. 93 PAs covering 943,595 ha has been established, representing
14% of land cover and 0.63% of the EEZ. 62% of the PAs are below
5,000 ha in size, an indication to increasing human-animal conflicts. FFPO
is presently being supplemented by several other sectoral enactments in
PA establishment. As the demand for development are underpinning the
establishment of new PAs and maintaining the existing ones, it is now vital
to look at the possibility of consolidating relevant enactments under single
legislation, or to develop a coordination mechanism under one institution,
which is specifically designed for PA establishment and management.
Further a long-term scientific plan that includes a significant role for civil
society and private sector is needed.
2011-12-08 18:30 Effects of pond and landscape characteristics on
amphibian abundance in the context of an invasive plant species
Perez Amélie*, Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale,
Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal,
Montréal, QC, Canada; Mazerolle Marc.J., Centre d’étude de la
forêt et Département des sciences appliquées, Université du Québec
en Abitibi-Témiscaminque, Rouyn-Noranda, QC, Canada; Brisson
Jacques, Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale, Département de
Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada;
The implication of alien animal species in the context of declining
amphibian populations is well studied. Nevertheless, invasive plants may
also substantially modify wetland structure and animal patterns. We
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