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25th International Congress for Conservation Biology • Auckland, New Zealand • 5-9 December 2011 protection, the Crown leases have retained significantly more indigenous vegetation (mainly grasslands), and hence more residual indigenous species habitat, than private land in the same environments. Over this period purchases of pastoral grazing rights by the Crown has created more grassland conservation areas in the high country. However, tenure review has also privatised the majority of indigenous grasslands in the locations most vulnerable to conversion for intensive agricultural use. This has increased risk to low elevation grassland biodiversity, and is resulting in direct extirpation of species through loss of critical habitat and long-term extinction debt as indigenous grassland remnants become increasingly isolated in an exotic matrix. The highly modified inland Mackenzie Basin is an example of where ongoing leasehold land privatisation through tenure review is plainly combining with increasing development pressure, and weak constraints on vegetation clearance in District Plans, to accelerate removal of vulnerable residual habitats of threatened indigenous species. 2011-12-06 15:00 Analysing spatial behaviour to understand the costs of protected areas to artisanal fishers at Lake Alaotra, Madagascar Wallace, APC*, Centre for Environmental Policy & Division of Biology, Imperial College London, UK; Jones, JPG, Bangor University, Wales; Milner-Gulland, EJ, Centre for Environmental Policy & Division of Biology, Imperial College London, UK; Young, RP, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Jersey, Channel Islands; Nicholson, E, Centre for Environmental Policy & Division of Biology, Imperial College London, UK; Fisheries are a key source of food and income for many subsistence communities. However, excessive or unmanaged fishing activity can compromise biodiversity and lead to declining returns for fishing effort as well as livelihood insecurity. Management interventions such as protected areas and no-take zones may reduce environmental degradation and improve fishery sustainability, but carry short-term costs to fishers. Applying marine spatial planning concepts to a freshwater fishery, we conducted systematic catch monitoring, follows, and interviews with more than 700 artisanal fishers at Lake Alaotra, Madagascar. Spatially-explicit analyses at individual fisher and group level confirm that a series of proposed protected area interventions would generate direct costs in terms of increased effort and reduced catch sizes. Using generalized linear mixed effects models we clarify relationships between catches, effort, and spatial restrictions to identify the drivers of fisher behaviour and quantify how no-take zones affect livelihoods. This information can be used in conjunction with fisher feedback to propose alternative designs for protected areas, allowing conservation planning to minimise the adverse impacts of interventions and increase fisher support and compliance. We demonstrate that it is critical to engage fishers and understand their spatial behaviour in order to manage fisheries sustainably and promote effective long-term conservation of freshwater ecosystems. 2011-12-09 10:46 Quantifying the parameters of primate crop-raiding behaviour to mitigate farmer-wildlife conflict in Uganda Wallace, GE*, Anthropology Centre for Conservation, Environment and Development, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK; Hill, CM, Anthropology Centre for Conservation, Environment and Development, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK; Understanding and addressing conflict between subsistence farmers and wildlife due to crop-raiding is an increasingly crucial conservation issue. Farmers often use lethal methods when attempting to protect their crops; losses compromise local food security, reduce tolerance of wildlife, and undermine conservation efforts. On-farm wildlife behaviour must be understood to develop effective deterrents to raiding, yet there are few quantitative accounts of this behaviour, and therefore a lack of appropriate mitigation methods. We worked in partnership with farmers adjacent to Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda, to quantify key parameters of primate raiding behaviour and farmer-primate interactions using systematic observational techniques. Data for crop-raiding dynamics during the baseline growing season identified factors that determine the patterns and amount of crop loss. These data were then used in conjunction with interviews and focus groups with farmers to develop, implement, and evaluate a series of locally-appropriate deterrents over the next season. Techniques trialled were alarms to improve early detection, barriers, border crops, natural repellents, systematic guarding, and alternative crop locations. Benefits, costs, and limitations were specified for each deterrent; in almost all cases raid frequency and damage were reduced. The research provides methods to quantify wildlife crop-raiding behaviour and inform intervention strategies to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. 2011-12-07 17:45 Investigating the feasibility of managing an alien marine species through the combined efforts of central government and local communities. Walls, K*, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ); Pyura praeputialis (“Pyura”) is an Australian ascidian that was first recorded in the Far North of New Zealand in 2007. In Chile, where Pyura was probably introduced by ship hull fouling or ballast water over 80 years ago, it displays invasive characteristics in rocky intertidal habitats. In New Zealand, Pyura could displace native species and also impact on economic, environmental and social and cultural values. A survey showed that Pyura is widespread in the Far North and that eradication from New Zealand is not possible. However, local elimination of relatively small, isolated populations from sites with high values to local communities may be feasible. A pilot programme is underway to investigate the feasibility of local elimination of Pyura. Central government and local communities are working together to clear Pyura from two sites in the Far North. A key part of the programme is the provision of field skills training. Initial results suggest that it is feasible to manage populations of Pyura at specific sites by clearing them at regular intervals. The role of communities is critical to the successful management of this species in protecting high value sites over the long term. 2011-12-08 11:00 Understanding evolving resource governance in Gabon: lessons for community-based conservation Walters, G., University College London; Coad, L.*, University of Oxford; Schleicher, J., University of Cambridge; Hymas, O., Zoological Society of London; Kialo, P., Institut de Pharmacopee et Medicines Traditionelles, Gabon; Improving natural resource governance has become an important focus of many conservation projects. Recent work indicates that integrating local perspectives into conservation project frameworks and incorporating understandings of community complexity, local beliefs and land history is fundamental to project success. Between 2005 – 2010 we used semistructured interviews, community mapping and historical archives to examine the history of land-use governance among the Pouvi and Bateke ethnic groups in Gabon, Central Africa, investigating how and why village governance laws and structures have changed in the last 100 years. In both communities, village governance has undergone significant changes, moving from a closed-access, tribe or family-based division and use of forest resources with strict penalties for trespass, to a more open-access system. Changes have occurred in part due to a system of merging villages, or ‘regroupement’, initiated by the colonial government, and a shift from village to government ‘ownership’ of the forest. Despite similarities between the communities, important differences warn against generalisation. Current governance structures are based on a mixture of state, colonial and traditional influences and results suggest that community-based projects aiming to work alongside or strengthen ‘traditional’ village governance structures must first gain an understanding of the history of the communities they wish to engage with. 2011-12-06 11:15 Estimating resistance to gene flow for multiple habitat types Wang, Ian*, Harvard University; Understanding how environments affect population size and functional connectivity among populations is a major goal of modern conservation biology. In this study, I describe a method for inferring the resistance to dispersal of different habitat classes and for identifying the environmental factors influencing effective population size. This approach utilizes high resolution GIS layers, molecular data, and a landscape genetics framework to link patterns of genetic and environmental variation. I performed the analysis on three distinct breeding pond networks of the federally endangered (USA) California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense), sampling a total of 1600 individuals from 39 populations across multiple years and the entire species range, and using between 10 and 15 microsatellite loci to assess genetic variation. To test the accuracy and repeatability of the inferences, I compared results between study sites, across years from the same study 176
25th International Congress for Conservation Biology • Auckland, New Zealand • 5-9 December 2011 site, and between molecular and field-based estimates of dispersal from the same study site. The results reveal that the inferences made from these landscape genetic methods are highly consistent and accurate across space and time, providing strong confidence for the efficacy of these methods for population management, the detection of dispersal corridors, and identifying the importance of preserving specific landscape features. 2011-12-08 15:30 Environmental ethics: meeting the ethical challenges from opponents of lethal control of invasive animals Warburton, B*, Landcare Research; Norton, B, Georgia Institute of Technology; Since early humans started to migrate, natural barriers to plant and animal dispersal have been broken down and species have been translocated (“introduced”) deliberately or accidentally to new ecosystems. When released from their native predators, competitors, and diseases, some species become well established and abundant, and have a significant impact on natural environments, agriculture, and human health and infrastructure. Often these invasive species have to be managed (often killed), but in dealing with a sentient species, conflict can arise between those (one part of the community) wanting to protect the indigenous species and ecosystems threatened, and those (individuals in the wider community) wanting to protect individuals of the pest species. Such conflicts often lead to opponents of control believing they have the ethical high ground and those involved in the killing often at a loss on how to deal with the philosophical arguments posed by the opposition. When the target species are sentient, there is never universal agreement on whether control is necessary or, when it is, how it should be implemented. The extent to which an introduced species is characterized as good or bad is a value judgment, and such judgments often lead to conflicts. Some philosophers have suggested that an invasive species policy based on aesthetic, ethical, or spiritual values might be legitimate, but when based on nebulous concepts of biodiversity, harm, and impact, such policy can be challenged. There are two major philosophical positions: one focusing on individuals (animal rights and animal liberation) and the other on communities and ecosystems (holistic eco- or biocentric ethics). We will expand the arguments for these two positions and then suggest an adaptive management approach as a possible pragmatic solution as a way of addressing the ethical concerns posed by the wider community. 2011-12-08 11:15 Climate change impacts on the terrestrial biodiversity and carbon stocks of Oceania Wardell-Johnson, GW*, Curtin Institute for Biodiversity and Climate; Keppel, G, Curtin Institute for Biodiversity and Climate; Sander, J, Curtin Institute for Biodiversity and Climate; We review the threats from anthropogenic climate change to the terrestrial biodiversity of Oceania, and quantify decline in carbon stocks. Oceania’s rich terrestrial biodiversity is facing unprecedented threats through the interaction of pervasive environmental threats (deforestation and degradation; introduced and invasive species; fragmentation) and the effects of anthropogenic climate change (sea level rise; altered rainfall patterns and increased fire frequency; temperature rises and increased storm severity, extreme weather events and abrupt system changes). All nine of Oceania’s terrestrial biomes harbour ecosystems and habitat types that are highly vulnerable under climate change, posing an immense conservation challenge. Current policies and management practices are inadequate and the need for new legislation and economic mechanisms is clear, despite powerful interests committed to limiting progress. Mitigation can be achieved by increasing the effectiveness of the protected area network, by maintaining and effectively managing existing carbon stocks and biodiversity, and by reforestation to sequester atmospheric carbon. A price on carbon emissions may encourage less carbon-intensive energy use while simultaneously encouraging reforestation on long-cleared land, and reducing degradation of native forests. However, realising these changes will require societal change, and depend on input and collaboration from multiple stakeholders to devise and engage in shared, responsible management. 2011-12-06 10:30 Mongoose management and recoveries of endemic vertebrates on Amami-oshima Island, Japan Watari, Y*, Japan Forest Technology Association; Nagumo, S, The International University of Kagoshima; Kubo, S, The International University of Kagoshima; Yamada, F, Forestry and Forest Product Research Institute; Abe, S, Ministry of the Environment; Fukasawa, M, The University of Tokyo; Assessing conservation outcomes is crucial for validating/improving management strategy, testing scientific hypothesis, and consensus development in the society. This is especially important for the invasive mammal managements, which are usually conducted under high cost, complex species interactions, and issue of ethics. However, there are not so many programs that incorporate the assessment program.Amami-oshima Island (712km2) is located on the Nansei Islands, southern Japan, which harbors numbers of endemic species. In 1979, the mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) was introduced to this island, causing destructions of native species populations. Japanese governments begun to control mongoose population since early 00’s, and recently density of the mongoose has dramatically reduced. We have conducted monitoring program for native vertebrates since 2003, when the density of the mongoose was highest. The results suggest that four species, including Amami Rabbit and three frog species increased in their abundance, three of which also expanded their distribution. In contrast, native ground-dwelling bird did not show recovery. Differences for each species in potential habitat distribution, effects of other invasives, and dispersal abilities might cause these different responses to the mongoose reduction. This study is the first example to show the recoveries of native species after mongoose management on massive island. 2011-12-08 11:00 What is needed to increase the capacity of Australia’s protected area system to represent thfreatened species? Watson, J*, Wildlife Conservation Society; Evans, M., University of Queensland; Carwardine, J., CSIRO; Fuller, R., University of Queensland; Joseph, L., Widlife Conservation Society; Segan, D., University of Queensland; Taylor, M., WWF-Australia; Possingham, H., University of Queensland Protected areas are an important tool in threatened species conservation, buffering populations from many types of threatening processes. Here, we assess how effectively Australia’s protected areas (89 million ha, 11.6% of the continent) overlap with the geographic distributions of terrestrial threatened species and compare this against both a random solution and a spatially ‘efficient’ solution created with the spatial prioritization tool Marxan. We define minimum area targets for each species based on range size and level of vulnerability. While the current configuration of protected areas performs better than a random solution, 166 (12.6%) threatened species occur entirely outside protected areas and only 259 (19.6%) species achieve target levels of protection. Critically Endangered species were among those most under-represented, with 12 (21.1%) species occurring entirely outside protected areas. Reptiles and plants were the most poorly represented taxonomic groups, and amphibians the best represented. Spatial prioritization analysis revealed that an efficient protected area system of the same size (11.6% of Australia) could meet representation targets for 1272 (93.3%) of threatened species. Moreover, we show that by protecting 17.8% of Australia, all threatened species could achieve target levels of representation, assuming all current protected areas are retained. While this is theoretically achievable, existing land uses and the finite resources available for conservation mean that land acquisition may not always be possible or even effective for the recovery of threatened species. 2011-12-08 14:00 What does connectivity conservation actually mean for terrestrial conservation planning in a time of climate change? Watson, J.EM*, Wildlife Conservation Society; Mackey, B., Australian National University; The reality of human-forced rapid climate change presents an unprecedented challenge to the conservation of biodiversity. However, that the current approach to conservation planning based on accumulating small amounts of protected lands across Earth, using a set of arbitrary conservation ‘targets’, will not be effective in mitigating the impacts of human-forced climate change on biodiversity. We argue that regional and continental wide ‘connectivity conservation’ strategies are needed that incorporates a larger adaptation agenda- one that recognizes the importance of protecting and 177
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Page 177: 25th International Congress for Con
Page 189 and 190: Index Benini, Rubens 42 Beniston, M
Page 191 and 192: Index DeWan, Amielle 14 Dianne Brun
Page 193 and 194: Index Hilborn, Ray 27 Hill, CM 176
Page 195 and 196: Index Loutit, R. 116 Louwe Kooijman
Page 197 and 198: Index Ottewell, K 81 Overton, J 61,
Page 199 and 200: Index Sequeira, Ana 151 Serebryakov
Page 201 and 202: Index Winandy, L 181 Winner, J. 112
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