Abstracts available here - Society for Conservation Biology

25th International Congress for Conservation Biology • Auckland, New Zealand • 5-9 December 2011
Biology, University of Western Australia;
Habitat loss is often the primary factor contributing to a decline in the
range or abundance of threatened species. Management of threatened or
endangered species is often focused on acquisition of remnant habitat, with
minimal focus on habitat quality, in terms of resource provisioning. We
investigated the influence of time since last fire on food resources in banksia
woodlands for the endangered Carnaby’s black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus
latirostris) in southwest Western Australia. We measured tree density and
fruit productivity of two dominant banksia species (Banksia attenuata
and B. menziesii) in 38 sites with varying fire ages. Using pre-existing
information on the calorific content of banksia seeds and the field
metabolic rate of Carnaby’s black-cockatoo, we estimated the number of
birds per hectare of habitat of different fire ages (0-5, 6-10, 11-19, 20-
29 and ≥ 30 years since last fire) could support. Time since fire strongly
influenced the fruit productivity of both banksia species. Recently burnt
habitat (< 6 years since last fire) could support the least number of birds (~
50 birds/ha) as opposed to habitat that was 20 – 29 years since last fire (~
300 birds/ha). Fire is a management tool often used in conservation reserves
and appropriate fire management will be important for ensuring adequate
food resources for the endangered Carnaby’s black-cockatoo.
2011-12-07 18:15 Regional and species-specific variation in long-term
habitat-occupancy relationships
Van der Hoek, Yntze*, City University of New York/College of Staten
Island; Manne, Lisa, City Univeristy of New York/College of Staten
Island;
The minimum amount of habitat needed in a landscape for a species to
persist has been a widely recognized conservation target. Several studies
have identified habitat thresholds below which persistence rapidly declines,
but as yet we know little of the extent to which thresholds vary spatially
and between species. This information is necessary for establishing whether
we can apply the same conservation targets across broad geographical
regions. We used repeated state-wide breeding bird atlases of several
U.S. states to investigate long-term occupancy dynamics. Our objectives
were to determine: (1) whether threshold models were always the best
models to describe a species’ habitat occupancy relationship, (2) to what
extent threshold curves varied regionally within species, and (3) if species
characteristics could explain variation in threshold curves across species.
We used threshold (segmented regression) and non-threshold (logistic
regression) models to describe the relationship between forest cover and
occupancy dynamics. Estimates between species and between regions vary
significantly, supporting the notion that previous studies on this topic are
case-specific and difficult to extrapolate. Threshold estimates vary regionally
due to variation in the overall availability of suitable habitat on a landscapewide
scale. We argue that our approach can be repeated for species or
regions that are of particular conservation interest, therefore providing
a valuable methodology to be included in environmental planning and
ecosystem management.
2011-12-09 10:50 The Asian Crocodile Crisis
van der Ploeg, J*, Leiden University; van Weerd, M, Leiden
University;
Crocodiles are a conservation success-story. In most parts of the world
crocodilian populations have rapidly recovered in response to regulation
of harvesting, captive breeding and the creation of protected areas. But not
in Asia. Of the seven endangered crocodilians in the world, five occur in
the Oriental zoogeographical region: the Philippine crocodile Crocodylus
mindorensis, the Indian Gharial Gavialis gangeticus, the Chinese alligator
Alligator chinensis, the Siamese crocodile Crocodylus siamensis, and the
Malay Gharial Tomistoma schlegelii. Crocodile populations in tropical Asia
continue to decline in the wild as a result of hunting, the use of destructive
fishing methods and the degradation of freshwater wetland habitat. Asia
poses a specific set of challenges that demand innovative solutions. The
classic conservation model focused on sustainable use and protected areas,
which has been successful in other parts of the world, is clearly failing. An
alternative community-based approach to conserve crocodiles in humandominated
landscapes is beginning to take shape in several countries in
Southeast Asia, most notably in the Philippines and Cambodia. These
grassroots initiatives actively engage rural communities in conservation
through education and public awareness campaigns. These small-scale
conservation projects counter ‘the use it or lose it’ narrative that has shaped
crocodile conservation policy and practices, and provide hope for the
survival of Asia’s dragons.
2011-12-08 12:00 Experimenting with roads: Learning how to improve
mitigation for wildlife
VAN DER REE, R*, Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology;
Jaeger, J, Concordia University, Canada; Fahrig, L, Carleton
University, Canada; Madrinan, F, Concordia University, Canada;
Houlahan, J, University of New Brunswick at St john; Findlay,
S, 4Institute of the Environment, & Ottawa-Carleton Institute of
Biology;
Roads and traffic affect wildlife by increasing rates of mortality, creating
barriers to movement and reducing habitat quality. Road agencies around
the world routinely include mitigation measures (under and overpasses,
fencing) in road projects to minimize their negative effects, often at
significant cost. Research to quantify the effectiveness of mitigation is also
underway. Now and into the future, road agencies will need to address
the following scenario: If this mitigation is not fully effective, what and
by how much does it need to be modified? An experimental approach
to the mitigation should be adopted now so that the modifications made
in 10 or 20 years time are based on rigorous science and offer the best
value for money. Numerous changes to the current system is required,
including i) support for the role of science in road agencies; ii) ability to
spend money across project, state or national borders; iii) a willingness to
delay mitigation at some locations; iv) development of an international
database of mitigation measures; v) prioritization of parameters to be
tested; vi) improved reporting and data sharing; and vi) establishment of an
“experimental mitigation area”. In this paper we will demonstrate the need
for this approach and outline the necessary steps to design and implement
the experiments. Importantly, road and conservation agencies must take
this next step to ensure the maximum benefit for conservation is obtained
from the funds spent.
2011-12-06 14:45 Urban ecology in New Zealand: challenges and
opportunities
van Heezik, Y.M.*, University of Otago;
Studies of birds in urban New Zealand (NZ) are rare and recent, reflecting
environmental management that continues to follow a largely preservationist
model involving the protection of endangered species in wilderness areas,
with little value being accorded modified habitats. NZ’s human population
is small compared with that of other developed countries, however, for the
>86% of people that live in NZ urban areas, encounters within the city will
shape their knowledge, appreciation, and awareness of biodiversity. While
NZ urban areas are small and apparently green on a global scale, there is
a very high degree of homogenization, with exotic birds comprising >40%
of bird species. NZ natives have evolved in the absence of mammalian
predators, and urban areas contain dense concentrations of predators
such as domestic cats, the control of which is complex and contentious.
Community-led restoration projects involving the creation of predator free
areas, so called mainland islands, when located close to urban areas (e.g.
Zealandia in Wellington and Orokonui in Dunedin) have the potential to
act as source populations provided there is adequate connectivity.
2011-12-06 12:15 Gender, Pregnancy and Individual Identification
in Giant Panda Populations using Fecal Near Infrared Reflectance
Spectroscopy (FNIRS).
Vance, CK*, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and
Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University, MS USA; Kouba,
AJ, Memphis Zoological Society, Memphis, TN USA; Holtvoigt, A,
Memphis Zoological Society, Memphis, TN USA; Nei, YG, Institute
of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Wei, FW,
Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;
Willard, ST, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant
Pathology, Mississippi State University, MS USA;
Fecal Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (FNIRS) is a remote sensing
approach we are applying to the study of giant pandas and other wildlife
in the field with the aim of developing rapid methods to identify gender,
reproductive state, and possibly individual identity for population surveys.
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