Abstracts available here - Society for Conservation Biology

25th International Congress for Conservation Biology • Auckland, New Zealand • 5-9 December 2011
suggest that a return to a more scientifically rigorous approach is now
warranted. We therefore suggest a paradigm-shift by revisiting but also
further developing a three-component approach to biodiversity-assessment
originally put forward more than two decades ago by Noss (1990, Conserv.
Biol. 4(4):355-364). This reworked framework comprehensively evaluates
three components of biodiversity (function, structure, and composition;
or biodiversity processes, patterns, and species, respectively) and remains
scientifically rigorous by accounting for the ecological and biophysical
mechanisms that drive the status of components and by targeting specific
biodiversity processes and patterns.
attacks and disease. The results show that constraints limit the ability of
achieving a certain target population growth rate. However, the overall
management strategy for investing in various management actions remains
the same. For low target population growth rate, the optimal strategy is to
invest predominantly in reducing vehicle collisions and dog attacks. For
high target population growth rate, a substantial investment in habitat
restoration is required. This framework is important in planning the
recovery of declining species exposed to multiple threats that is becoming
critically important for many species.
2011-12-08 18:30 Co-Management Approach for Pygmy Seahorse
Conservation: A Case Study for Recreational Diving Industry in
Semporna, Malaysia
Choo, C.K.*, Department of Marine Science, Universiti Malaysia
Terengganu; Yeong, Y.L., Department of Marine Science, Universiti
Malaysia Terengganu; Orosco, C.O., Department of Marine Science,
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu; Maidin, N., nasrulhm@gmail.com;
Two species of pygmy seahorses (Hippocampus bargibanti and H. denise)
were popular attractions among divers in the Semporna waters, Sabah.
However, a consultation workshop involving multiple stakeholders (dive
guides, dive center managers, professional underwater photographer,
resource managers, NGOs and researchers) revealed that intense
photography flashlight, direct physical disturbance to, and relocation
of, pygmy seahorses and seafan hosts, had threatened the populations.
Through an iterative process of selection, the stakeholders developed
management protocols for pygmy seahorses by identifying threats to
pygmy seahorses and suggested the corresponding management options.
Nine management protocols were established following an open discussion
on the tangibility of implementation strategy. These are: 1) improved
education and awareness among divers, 2) prohibition on touching pygmy
seahorse and seafan, 3) prohibition of novice divers from visiting pygmy
seahorse site, 4) prohibition on the use of octopus as a searching technique,
5) improved enforcement, 6) imposing quota on the number of divers, 7)
minimizing the use of flashlight and reducing flashlight intensity, 8) using
magnifying glass as a viewing tool, and 9) facilitate coordination among
dive centers through self-regulatory practice. The management protocols
were subsequently translated into poster materials distributed at each dive
centers. An assessment of the effectiveness of the developed protocols is
necessary and should be supplemented by adaptive management plans.
2011-12-09 12:00 Accounting for constraints in optimal resource
allocation for mitigating multiple threats
Chooi Fei Ng*, The University of Queensland, School of Mathematics,
Brisbane, Queensland, QLD 4072, Australia; Hugh P. Possingham,
The University of Queensland, The Ecology Center, Brisbane, QLD
4072, Australia; Deidré L. de Villiers, Queensland Department of
Environment and Resource Management, P. O. Box 15155, City East,
QLD 4000, Australia; , Harriet J. Preece, Queensland Department
of Environment and Resource Management, P. O. Box 15155, City
East, QLD 4000, Australia; Clive A. McAlpine, The University of
Queensland, Center for Spatial Environmental Research, School
of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, Brisbane,
QLD 4072, Australia; Jonathan R. Rhodes, The University of
Queensland, Center for Spatial Environmental Research, School
of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, Brisbane,
QLD 4072, Australia;
Finding cost-effective management strategies for the recovery of species
declining due to multiple threats is a major challenge for decision makers
with the limited resources available. Although the implications of costs
among multiple conservation actions were reasonably well understood,
the consequences of multiple constraints and opportunities are unknown.
By integrating the population growth rate with return on investment
curves that take into account of multiple constraints in a decision theory
framework, we examine how these constraints affect the optimal allocation
of resources among various conservation actions. We demonstrated this
using a rapidly declining koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) population in
eastern Australia that is threatened by habitat loss, vehicle collisions, dog
2011-12-08 18:30 Habitat selection of the endangered Hawaiian
goose: a multi-scale approach
Christina Cornett*, Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental
Science, University of Hawai`i, Hilo; Steven C. Hess, Pacific Island
Ecosystems Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Kīlauea Field
Station, Hawai`i National Park, HI;
While much is known about the endangered Hawaiian goose or Nēnē
(Branta sandvicensis) during the breeding season, very little is understood
about movements and habitat use in the non-breeding season. This habitat
selection study identifies preferred Nēnē habitats and how preference shifts
seasonally. Because habitat selection modeling may yield different results
when measured at different scales, we measured habitat characteristics at
both broad and fine scales. In 2009-2010, we outfitted eight Nēnē ganders
on Hawai`i Island with 40-45 gram satellite transmitters. Nēnē accepted
the transmitters and provided us with over 3,500 GPS locations in near
real-time. Broad scale habitat modeling revealed that Nēnē prefer humanmodified
landscapes during the breeding season and higher elevation
locations dominated by native shrubland during the non-breeding season.
Despite the lack of natural sources of standing water on Hawai`i Island
and the terrestrial nature of Nēnē, all of our subjects have centered clusters
of locations seasonally around water features, reflecting the notes of
early naturalists. Two subjects revealed roosting areas within a subalpine
shrubland known as Kīpuka Nēnē surrounded by rugged a`ā lava flows,
where Nēnē had not been observed since 1949. Hawai`i Island Nēnē appear
to be recovering some traditional movement patterns lost during their
severe population reduction of the 20th century.
2011-12-06 16:45 Interacting effects between climate change and
habitat loss on biodiversity: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Chrystal S. Mantyka-Pringle*, University of Queensland, Centre
for Spatial Environmental Research, School of Geography, Planning
and Environmental Management, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia;
University of Queensland, Australian Research Council Centre of
Excellence for Environmental De; Tara G. Martin, University of
Queensland, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for
Environmental Decisions, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia; CSIRO
Ecosystem Sciences, Brisbane, Qld 4102, Australia; Jonathan R.
Rhodes, University of Queensland, Centre for Spatial Environmental
Research, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental
Management, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia; University of
Queensland, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for
Environmental De;
One of the most pressing questions of the twenty-first-century in ecology
and conservation is how do multiple stressors interact and cumulatively
impact ecosystems and their biodiversity. In this paper we present a metaanalysis
of studies that quantify the effect of habitat loss on biological
populations and examine whether the magnitude of these effects depends
on current climatic conditions and historical rates of climate change.
The main findings are first, that climate change exacerbates the negative
effects of habitat loss on species density and/or diversity. Second, the most
important determinant of habitat loss and fragmentation effects, averaged
across species and geographic regions, was max temperature, with mean
precipitation change over the last 100 years of secondary importance.
Fragmentation effects were greatest in areas with high temperatures.
Conversely, fragmentation effects were lowest in areas where average
rainfall has increased over time. This is the first study to conduct a global
analysis of existing data to quantify and test for interacting effects between
climate and habitat loss on biological populations. Thus, our results
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