Abstracts available here - Society for Conservation Biology

25th International Congress for Conservation Biology • Auckland, New Zealand • 5-9 December 2011
members. Our results indicate that levels of community involvement in
conservation management varied across different management stages in
the PNCAZ. We conclude that to achieve a more effective conservation
management, long-term adaptive management approaches are needed that
clearly define local participation, and monitor levels of participation across
all stages of project management.
2011-12-09 11:00 Conservation Status of the Terrestrial Ecosystems
of Venezuela
Rodriguez, JP*, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas
and Provita; Oliveira-Miranda, M A, Provita; Huber, O,
Fundacion Instituto Botanico de Venezuela; De Oliveira-Miranda,
R, Provita; Rodriguez-Clark, KM, Instituto Venezolano de
Investigaciones Cientificas; Zambrano-Martinez, S, Instituto
Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas; Rojas-Suarez, F, Provita;
Giraldo-Hernandez, D, Provita
Building on the success of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently launched
the development of the Red List of Ecosystems. In the first major test of
this system, we applied proposed categories and criteria to the terrestrial
ecosystems of Venezuela, by analyzing 1:2,000,000 maps of the 18 major
vegetation types (published in 1988 and 2010), and by using these data
to project their remaining extent in 2038 (to satisfy the requirement of a
50-yr window). We also combined the 2010 vegetation map with a map of
perturbation intensity due to human activities. These metrics allowed us to
apply the categories and criteria to the 18 vegetation types at the national
and state level, and to examine 10 case studies in greater detail, using
primarily temporal series of satellite images. Declines in extent >90% were
predicted nationally for deciduous forests and ~70% for open savannas,
leading to their classification as Critically Endangered and Endangered,
respectively, but when the degree of perturbation was also considered,
all other major forest and savanna types were threatened as well. Because
human populations are concentrated along the northern coast, vegetation
types restricted to the south are relatively safe, but effective conservation
priority setting will need to combine risk assessment with other variables
such as degree of endemicity, protected areas status, and provision of
ecosystem services.
2011-12-06 16:45 Predicting wildlife friendly landscaping preferences
among urban residents
Rodriguez, S. L.*, North Carolina State University; Peterson, M.
N., North Carolina State University; Thurmond, B., North Carolina
State University; McHale, M., North Carolina State University;
Cook, M., North Carolina State University; Grove, M., USDA
Forest Service;
Sprawl and urbanization mean residential landscaping choices can influence
vast areas of wildlife habitat. However, little research has addressed how
residents make landscaping decisions. While turf grass landscaping
provides poor wildlife habitat, alternatives using native plants can provide
high quality habitat for many wildlife species. Most previous research
on landscaping preferences has focused on socio-economics in contexts
of park landscaping, but emerging work has addressed how ethnicity,
neighborhood norms and lifestyle influence residential landscaping
preferences. We report on a case study of landscaping preferences in
Raleigh, NC. We use a multivariate approach to evaluate the influence
of socio-economics, ethnicity and neighborhood norms on residential
preferences for native plant landscaping. Respondents (n = 179) preferred
50% native plant landscaping over 100% turf grass or 75% and 100%
native plants, and significantly overestimated their neighbors’ preference
for 100% turf grass. These results suggest that correcting erroneous
assumptions about neighborhood preferences may alleviate normative
pressure against adopting native plant landscaping. Although landscaping
choices were best predicted by residents’ perceptions of neighbors’
preferences, ethnicity, income, and home ownership were also related to
preferences. African American ethnicity and income were negatively related
to preference for native plant landscaping coverage. Environmental justice
concerns linked to urban vegetation should be considered given the finding
that African Americans preferred turf grass dominated landscaping. These
results suggest middle income neighborhoods may be the most receptive
to initiatives aimed at increasing the use of native plant landscaping, and
therefore may be the key to increasing wildlife habitat in residential areas.
2011-12-08 18:30 Population Genetic Structure of Liparis loeselii
(Orchidaceae) in the Coastal Wetland of the Dutch Wadden Sea Islands
Rohani Shahrudin*, Centre for Energy and Environmental
Studies (IVEM), University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG,
Groningen, The Netherlands; Sascha van der Meer, Institue for
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), P.O.Box 94248, 1090
GE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Gerard Oostermeijer, Institue for
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), P.O.Box 94248, 1090
GE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
Liparis loeselii is a self-pollinating orchid of early successional wet dune
slacks that has very short-lived populations. The species has a relatively large
geographic range covering Europe and the Northeastern United States.
However, it has declined considerably all over Europe and therefore is a
high priority species in the European Union conservation program. The
aim of this study was to infer the spatial genetic structure of this orchid
in its highly dynamic ecosystem. Genetic variation was assessed for 569
individuals representing 23 dune slack populations of Dutch Wadden
Sea islands using AFLP markers. AMOVA showed that 51% of the total
genetic diversity was found within populations, 20% among populations
and 29% among islands. Genetic differentiation between populations was
large (PhiPT = 0.490), and positively correlated with geographical distance.
Given that L. loeselii is a selfing species, the amount of genetic variation
within populations is considerable. This could result from colonization
of new dune slacks from multiple source populations. A Mantel test
showed an isolation-by-distance structure, suggesting that colonization
events mainly occur from the closest source populations. We suggest that
to maintain the existing level of genetic diversity, formation of new dune
slacks should be promoted. Management practices such as mowing are also
helpful to prolong population life span. This will facilitate stepping-stone
gene exchange among populations.
2011-12-08 14:00 Estimating the value of two Marine Reserves in New
Zealand via public Willingness To Pay
Rojas-Nazar, UA*, Centre for Marine Environmental and Economic
Research, Victoria University of Wellington; Cullen, R, Department of
Accounting, Economics and Finance, Lincoln University ; Gardner,
JPA, Centre for Marine Environmental and Economic Research,
Victoria University of Wellington; Bell, JJ, Victoria University of
Wellington;
Marine reserves (MRs) are an important spatial management tool for
biodiversity protection in New Zealand. Currently, MRs protect over 10 %
of New Zealand’s territorial seas. Despite the importance of MRs, little is
known about their perceived value to the public. The aim of this study was
to estimate the value of two marine reserves based on the public’s willingness
to pay to maintain the MR via an environmental levy. The study focused on
two MRs in New Zealand; Taputeranga MR (TMR), on Wellington’s south
coast and Kapiti MR (KMR), on the Kapiti coast. In order to estimate the
monetary value of the MRs two surveys were carried out using contingent
valuation. Respondents, all from the Wellington region, were asked to fill
out questionnaires via e-mail. From the responses we calculated the mean
and median amounts a household was willing to pay to maintain each
marine reserve. To identify the reasons for differing willingness to pay, we
correlated the responses with socio-demographic information, such as sex,
age, household income, and recreational interests. Results indicate that
more than 50% of the respondents are willing to pay to maintain each MR.
The average amount that people were willing to pay was higher for TMR
than for KMR. This study provides information that will improve public
policies in marine conservation and inform government about management
of MRs in NZ.
2011-12-08 18:30 Marine Reserve effects on Catch Per Unit Effort
(CPUE) of rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii)
Rojas-Nazar, UA*, Centre for Marine Environmental and Economic
Research, Victoria University of Wellington; Gardner, JPA, Centre for
Marine Environmental and Economic Research, Victoria University of
Wellington; Bell, JJ, Victoria University of Wellington;
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