Abstracts available here - Society for Conservation Biology

25th International Congress for Conservation Biology • Auckland, New Zealand • 5-9 December 2011
2011-12-08 10:46 Conserving a critical landscape connectivity in
south India
Jones, S*, LORIS-The Biodiversity Conservation Society;
The hill ranges of the semi arid lower Eastern Ghats in Chittoor district of
Andhra Pradesh, India are part of its larger landscape connectivity with the
Western Ghats, a Biodiversity Hotspot. The Eastern Ghats is an important
bio-geographic region much valued for its floral diversity, endemism and
complex geology. Conservation of this connectivity is critical for the recolonization
of the remnant isolated populations of many species of
global conservation significance. Situated between two National Parks
within the district, these lesser-known dry-deciduous forests are also part
of an elephant corridor. The protection of this connectivity between these
isolated habitats is extremely important to overcome the barriers for the
distribution of various other species, to ensure their genetic interchange
and facilitate seasonal movement. For the local village communities,
traditionally, these forests have been a major source for subsistence. Some
of these forest patches in the past were conserved as ‘Sacred Groves’ by
these communities and are island gene pools of many threatened species.
Involving the communities in protection of habitat corridors and stepping
stones by improving contiguity and habitat quality could be an important
part of an overall regional landscape conservation framework.
2011-12-07 14:00 History and Land Use Effects on Biodiversity in
European Boreal Systems
Jonsson, BG*, Dept of Natural Sciences, Mid Sweden University;
The European boreal forest covers more than 700 million ha. Its industrial
utilization started in the early 1800s in the southern parts of Fennoscandia
and has since gradually moved to the northeast and during the late 1900s
finally reached the Ural Mountains. This timber frontier was a first wave
of extraction focused on the most valuable trees. During the 1900s, large
scale clear-cutting has been introduced and is now the major harvesting
method. In Fennoscandia, and increasingly in Russia, this has led to large
landscape transformation, with major changes in natural disturbances,
tree species composition and age structure. Only Russia harbor larger
landscape of pristine forests, while only scattered fragments of natural
forests remain in other countries. This transition has caused major decline
in forest biodiversity and for example, the Fennoscandian redlists include
more than 2000 species. This contrast with the FAO status description,
that show increasing forest cover in northern Europe – while failing to
acknowledge the sever situation for biodiversity due to the loss of natural
forests. To provide a better knowledge basis, the Barents Protected Area
Network (BPAN) has been established. Taking its starting point in the
CBD Program of Work for Protected Areas, it supports the establishment
of a representative network of protected areas that has a high potential in
safeguarding the biodiversity, functional natural ecosystems and related
ecosystem services in the region.
2011-12-08 14:45 How SCB Can Help IPBES Make International
Agreements Affecting Conservation More Effective In Conserving and
Restoring Biodiversity?
Jonsson, BG*, Dept of Natural Sciences, Mid Sweden University;
IPBES has the potential to become an important process, linking best
available knowledge to political processes forming conservation policy. In
order to fulfill its vision, SCB as a leading learned society in the area of
conservation therefore needs to seriously consider its role and contribution.
A first step was taken when the ad-hoc committee on IPBES was formed
in 2009. With representatives from all sections it has followed the process
and participated in recent meetings, including the first IPBES plenary two
months ago. The current challenge for IPBES is to get the best science
onboard and creating a sense of common ownership with the scientific
community. This is an ongoing process that SCB need to support by; -
Monitor the formal process and participate in upcoming meetings -
Make strong links to the regional sections and support their involvement -
Seek representation in the IPBES plenary and its executive body -Develop
and update its expert of rooster with the needs of IPBES in focus - Provide
updated information to our membership and the scientific community at
large on IPBES and its needs This suggest that the ad-hoc committee need
to continue its work, that IPBES should be a focal issue for both global and
regional policy committees and that the EO needs to make a strong effort
in developing rooster of experts.
2011-12-09 11:15 Wild thing, I’m just not that into you: Examining
exotic pet owner’s preference for captive-bred or wild-caught animals
JOSEPH, LIANA*, Wildlife Conservation Society; Courchamp,
Franck , Université Paris Sud; Redford, Kent, Wildlife Conservation
Society;
Commercial farming of endangered species is promoted as a mechanism for
protecting wild populations from over-exploitation. In theory, by flooding
the market with a farmed alternative, the demand for wild-caught varieties
will be reduced. Despite some successes, there are strong arguments
against farming. One such argument is that wild-caught varieties are often
preferred to the farmed alternatives. If this is true then farming will fail
to protect wild populations as poaching will continue and may, in some
cases, be exacerbated by the presence of a legal product on the market.
Here we examined consumer preference for wild and farmed varieties of
exotic pets. First, we used a market survey to examine the volumes sold
and prices paid for wild and farmed varieties. Second, we used an internetquestionnaire
to examine acquisition criteria. We discovered that source
is one of the main choice criteria for acquisition by pet owners: farmed
varieties are valued more than the wild-caught varieties. This is the first
time a preference for farmed products has been demonstrated empirically;
other studies have demonstrated a preference for wild-caught varieties of
food and traditional medicines. This result is important when compared
to these other studies as it may help to explain why commercial farming
may sometimes successfully reduce the pressure on wild populations of
species that are used in the pet-trade but may not benefit the conservation
of species used for other purposes.
2011-12-09 17:15 Genetic Structure and Connectivity of Tiger
(Panthera tigris tigris) Populations in Central Indian Forests
Joshi A*, Post-Graduate Programme in Wildlife Biology and
Conservation, Bangalore; Ramakrishnan U, National Centre for
Biological Sciences, bangalore ; Edgaonkar A, Indian Institute of
Forest Management , Bhopal;
Over the last century there has been a massive reduction in the size of tiger
habitats in India. One of the important areas supporting tiger populations
in India is the Central Indian forested landscape; facing the serious problem
of habitat fragmentation. While the focus of the current conservation
efforts is few protected areas (PAs), this study attempts to evaluate the
importance of forest patches in between, based on their effect on the genetic
structure of tiger population in this landscape. Non-invasive sampling of
tiger DNA in six protected areas was carried out by collecting scats. The
identification of different populations, genetic structure and assignment
tests were conducted based on 10 polymorphic microsatellite marker data
for 47 individuals. The results reveal presence of 5 different populations
in the sampled region. FST values suggest high historical connectivity in
the Central Indian landscape. The assignment tests shows evidence for
present long distance migration of individuals. The Least Cost Path analyses
designated routes in the landscape, which could possibly be facilitating
movement of tigers. This study provides an insight to the importance of the
forest connectivity and the potential dispersal of large carnivore like tigers.
2011-12-06 11:15 Complementing Community-Based Marine
Management Initiatives With Strategic Planning to Meet Local- And
National-Scale Objectives In Fiji
Jupiter, SD*, Wildlife Conservation Society Fiji Country Program;
Mills, M, ARC Centre for Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James
Cook University; Pressey, RL, ARC Centre for Excellence for Coral
Reef Studies, James Cook University;
Most marine protected area networks are generally initiated in an ad hoc
manner, with reserves that are often located in places that do not contribute
to the full representation of biodiversity targets. In Fiji, locally marine
managed areas (LMMAs) have grown rapidly in number from 1 site in
1997 to approximately 150 LMMAs in 2009, with at least 216 separate
customary closures. While the main objective for establishment of LMMAs
is to improve food security, as a large collection of management actions, the
network can also support the Fiji Government commitment to effectively
protect at least 30% of Fiji’s inshore areas. To determine how much the Fiji
LMMA network contributes to national objectives, we used an innovative
approach to gap analysis that considered the size of the managed areas
and the potential effectiveness of the management actions, as defined by
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