Abstracts available here - Society for Conservation Biology

25th International Congress for Conservation Biology • Auckland, New Zealand • 5-9 December 2011
liverworts. As liverworts are extremely sensitive to changes in microclimate,
other species such as vascular plants and amphibians can probably also survive
in hydroriparian buffers. These results suggest that hydroriparian buffers are
an effective management strategy for a range of species, particularly those
that are sensitive to microclimate, and should be kept as a policy.
2011-12-08 11:45 Climate Change and Food Security: Robust Solutions
from Nature.
Hills, T*, Conservation International;
With acknowledgment within the scientific community that reliable climate
predictions are beyond the capacity of current climate modeling exercises,
there is an increasing interest in adaptation solutions to climate change that
buffer development from the widest range of likely climate futures. The
capacity of ecosystems to contribute to these robust solutions in the food
security context will be explored in this discussion, with examples from
across a range of developing countries in the tropics using cost-benefit and
other impact-relevant tools.
2011-12-06 11:15 North African Houbara Bustard restoration program:
restocking and maintaining species ecological and behavioural functions
Hingrat, Y*, RENECO WILDLIFE CONSULTANTS; Hardouin,
L, EMIRATES CENTER FOR WILDLIFE PROPAGATION;
Robet, A, MNHN, PARIS; Lacroix, F, RENECO WILDLIFE
CONSULTANTS;
The supportive breeding program run in Morocco by the Emirates Center
for Wildlife Propagation aims to restore populations of Houbara Bustard
(Chlamydotis undulata) in North Africa. Houbaras are artificially bred
by equalizing founder representation, maximizing genetic diversity and
avoiding inbreeding. Since 1998 about 42 000 houbaras have been released,
with survival rates upon 50% one year after the release and above 80%
in subsequent years. Long term population monitoring confirmed the
ability of captive bred released (CBR) houbaras to reproduce in the wild
with breeding success similar to wild houbaras. Based on these parameters
PVA models revealed that protected reinforced or reintroduced populations
are intrinsically increasing and viable. However, these models rely on the
assumption that ecological and behavioural functions are maintained
in CBR houbaras. Alteration of these functions can affect the effective
population size through at least three mechanisms: reducing the population
size; reducing the population growth rate, and/or by increasing reproductive
skew. To verify this assumption, we used a multidisciplinary approach with
sound ecological (habitat use and diet) and behavioural studies (mating
system, post-fledging, natal and breeding dispersal) conducted on wild and
CBR houbaras. Our results confirm the preservation of the species ecological
and behavioural functions, and emphasize the reliability of our projected
viability models
2011-12-06 14:52 Significance of recovery experiment for morphological
variables in some fresh water algae
Hit Kishore Goswami, Rtd Professor,24, Kaushalnagar, Misrod,
Bhopal MP India; Dushma Das Guru*, Department of Botany,
Ranchi Women’s College, Ranchi Jharkhand , India;
We have been examining samples from different fresh water bodies in order
to identify algal composition with greater emphasis on members of some blue
green algae viz. Gleotrichia and Rivularia (cyanobacteria) and a few members
of chlorophyceae, mainly Scendesmus, Oedogonium and Sirocladium.
We had realized that some or the other changes in morphological features
and or measurements within the same species may be due to differences
in pollution grades of the water bodies within the same ecological niche.
Since species identification of algal species is greatly influenced by such
measurements of cells and specific structures simple recovery experiments
were conducted to transfer 1 ml water sample containing abnormal algae in
to sterilized conical flasks containing 200 ml 50% Knop’s solution. The same
procedure was followed every time after two weeks. Abnormal phenotypic
expressions of the same species underwent a genomic stress- test and features
which did not change even after six repeats were considered genetic changes;
recovered features revealed ecophenes( environmentally induced temporary
changes). We have been able to establish two new species after the recovery
experiments.
2011-12-07 17:00 Do population indicators work? Investigating
correlated responses of bird populations in relation to predator
management
Hoare, JM*, New Zealand Department of Conservation; Monks, A,
Landcare Research; O’Donnell, CFJ, New Zealand Department of
Conservation;
Using population indicators to evaluate conservation achievements is widely
practised, yet seldom empirically tested. If populations are consistently
correlated in response to a shared ecological driver, the indicator species
approach can be used as a cost-effective, ecologically-based shortcut to
measuring the effects of conservation management. Long-term monitoring
of forest bird populations associated with mammalian pest control
programmes in New Zealand provides a useful framework for testing the
population indicator species concept. We evaluated population trends in
21 bird species vulnerable to predation by introduced mammals (primarily
mustelids and rodents) at managed and unmanaged beech (Nothofagus)
forest sites. Correlated population trends between species pairs were
detected at individual sites. However, neither positive nor negative
correlations in species trends could be predicted by life history traits and
predator management did not produce consistent, correlated population
trends among sites. We therefore provide evidence that in a situation where
a threat is reduced, but not eliminated, the use of a population indicator
approach to management and reporting is not supported. Relationships
between purported indicator taxa and the suite of taxa need to be understood
for various management scenarios before population indicators can be
confidently applied to measuring conservation achievement.
2011-12-09 11:15 Designing sampling strategies for conservation
genetics studies: a simulation tool for conservation managers
Hoban, Sean*, Laboratoire d’ Ecologie Alpine, Universite Joseph
Fourier; Gaggiotti, Oscar, Laboratoire d’ Ecologie Alpine, Universite
Joseph Fourier; Bertorelle, Giorgio, Department of Biology and
Evolution, University of Ferrara;
Genetic data for threatened species is commonly incorporated into
conservation activities (e.g., choosing source populations for stocking,
detecting poaching, assessing admixture, or identifying populations of high
conservation value). A major issue in planning a conservation genetic study
is the number of genetic markers, samples, and populations to incorporate.
Unfortunately, many studies are undertaken without clear knowledge of
the type and statistical power of the data they can expect, often leading to
post-hoc and ambiguous interpretation of non-significant results. There
is currently no tool available for estimating power of sampling under a
variety of complex demographic and management scenarios. We present a
prototype of a web-based, highly user-friendly software package developed
to fill this gap. The simulation-based tool includes several modules (e.g.,
bottlenecks, connectivity, assignment) that are customizable for speciesspecific
genetic and demographic parameters. For each module, using case
studies, we discuss the balance between markers and samples in achieving
a desired power threshold. Our tool can be used by conservation managers
without specific expertise in genetics. Further, its simple and flexible
architecture allows incorporation of future conservation genetic methods.
This package is a deliverable of ConGRESS (www.congressgenetics.eu), a
FP7 EU project to produce tools to incorporate genetic biodiversity into
policy and management activities.
2011-12-09 11:30 Achieving positive ecological and social outcomes
through a participatory wildlife conservation project in a deprived
urban area
Hobbs, SJ, University of York; White, PCL*, University of York;
Achieving effective biodiversity conservation is increasingly dependent on an
actively-engaged society. For certain charismatic species and habitats, specific
stakeholder groups can serve as a platform for conservation efforts. However,
for most species and habitats, it is a considerable challenge to engage people
to assist voluntarily in their conservation. Ongoing engagement is promoted
by combining positive ecological outcomes with positive social outcomes
at the individual and community levels. We describe the ecological and
social outcomes of a participatory wildlife conservation project, monitoring
native hedgehogs Erinaceus europaeus in a deprived urban area in the UK.
The project is part of a UK-wide research programme (OPAL) seeking to
encourage greater public engagement in biodiversity monitoring. The
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