Abstracts available here - Society for Conservation Biology

25th International Congress for Conservation Biology • Auckland, New Zealand • 5-9 December 2011
an expert group. We found that the current FLMMA network effectively
protected approximately 10-25% of each target habitat (mangroves,
intertidal mudflats, reefs), though the amount of protection varies
substantially by province. We used these results to begin a dialogue with
provincial administrators and members of the Fiji Locally Managed Marine
Area network to identify candidate sites for protection and management to
fill the gaps.
2011-12-08 14:45 Conservation of Highly Migratory Ichthyofauna
Using Ecosystem-Based Management Principles at Local and National
Scales in Fiji
Jupiter, SD*, Wildlife Conservation Society Fiji Country Program;
Jenkins, AP, Wetlands International-Oceania; Qauqau, I, Wildlife
Conservation Society Fiji Country Program; Weeks, R, Wildlife
Conservation Society Fiji Country Program; Mailautoka, K, Wildlife
Conservation Society Fiji Country Program;
The freshwater and estuarine ichthyofauna of tropical high island ecosystems
are highly migratory with a high proportion of endemic, amphidromous
fishes that move across multiple habitats during their lifecycle. Our research
from Fiji has demonstrated that three variables, percent catchment forest
cover, presence of non-native tilapias, and presence of hanging culverts, exert
strong negative influence over freshwater fish species richness and abundance.
We present two examples of how we incorporated these scientific findings
into development of priorities for catchment management at the national
and provincial scale. At the national scale, we used a set of decision rules
in GIS that considered habitat intactness and complexity, hydrology, and
sensitivity to erosion. Each combined catchment-fishing ground mapping
unit (n = 76) was scored for relative erosion potential, extent of road network,
number of creek crossings, presence/absence of non-native freshwater fish,
mangrove area relative to catchment size, mangrove habitat complexity, reef
area relative to fishing ground size, and reef habitat complexity. The results
indicated areas to target investment for preservation versus restoration. At
the provincial scale, we defined targets in Marxan software for the amount
of forests and major creeks/rivers protected in order to identify which local
landowners should be targeted for consultations to establish new community
forest parks and riparian buffers. These parks and managed areas will be
embedded in a broader ecosystem-based management system that considers
both community and national rules governing activities inside and outside
of protected areas.
2011-12-07 18:00 The Satoyama Index: A biodiversity indicator for
agricultural landscapes
Kadoya, T*, National Institute for Environmental Studies; Washitani,
I, The University of Tokyo;
Agricultural development to meet rapidly growing demands for food
and biofuel and the abandonment of traditional land use have had major
impacts on biodiversity. Habitat diversity is one of the most important
factors influencing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. In this study we
propose an ecological index of ecosystem or habitat diversity in agricultural
landscapes – the Satoyama Index (SI) – that is discernible under appropriate
spatial units (e.g., 6 km×6 km) from 1 km×1 km gridded land-cover data
available from an open-access web site. A high SI value is an indicator of
high habitat diversity, which is characteristic of traditional agricultural
systems, including Japanese satoyama landscapes, while a low value indicates
a monotonic habitat condition typical of extensive monoculture landscapes.
The index correlated well with the spatial patterns of occurrence of a bird of
prey (Butastur indicus) and species richness of amphibians and damselflies
in Japan. The values of the SI also corresponded well to the spatial patterns
of typical traditional agricultural landscapes with high conservation value in
other countries, for example, the dehesas of the Iberian Peninsula and shade
coffee landscapes in Central America. Globally, the pattern of East/South-
East Asian paddy belts with their high index values contrasts markedly with
the low values of the Eurasian, American, and Australian wheat or corn belts.
The SI, which correlates landscapes with biodiversity through potential
habitat availability, is highly promising for assessing and monitoring the
status of biodiversity irrespective of scale.
2011-12-09 14:04 Predicting ecosystem function from ecosystem
structure: Implications for valuation of ecosystem services and
development of policy instruments
KADYKALO, ANDREW N.*, Department of Biology, University of
Ottawa; Findlay, C. Scott, Department of Biology & Institute of the
Environment, University of Ottawa ;
Ecosystem services are simply ecological functions that demonstrably
contribute to human welfare. Assessing the level of a given service in an
ecosystem requires assessing the level of the associated functions. But direct
measurement/estimation of ecosystem functions (e.g. primary production,
pollination; nutrient cycling, etc.) is often technically demanding, not
possible or resource-intensive. Consequently, ecosystem functions are
often estimated via (a) estimates of ecosystem structure; (b) inference
from ecosystem structure to function based on assumed structure-function
relationships (e.g. Inference about primary productivity (a function) from
NDVI (a structural attribute). The validity of this inference determines the
predictive value of ecosystem structure with respect to ecosystem function,
and hence, the uncertainty and biases associated with the estimation of
the level of associated ecosystem services. For several wetland services
accumulation curves were constructed by measuring studies, which fulfill
selection criteria vs. effort spent searching and using the service with the
highest asymptote (presumed most data meeting selection criteria and
predictive value data) a meta-analysis was performed. We conclude that the
predictive value of ecosystem function with respect to ecosystem structure
is relatively poor and therefore presents concern for ecosystem valuation
studies and development of environmental policy instruments.
2011-12-08 11:15 ‘Conservation’ among animist beliefs of the Ikundiku
of Papua New Guinea
Kagl, John*, Wildlife Conservation Society, Papua New Guinea
Programme;
Many indigenous peoples do not distinguish conservation from broader
knowledge and belief systems. This is the case for the Ikundi-ku, who live
in one of the most remote and least developed parts of Papua New Guinea
(PNG). For 35 years the Ikundi-ku have resisted the efforts of missionaries
to covert them to Christianity and have strong animist beliefs where
everything is related to everything else. I worked with these people to see if
their approach to harvesting and forest management is compatible with the
goals of the conservation organization I work for. There appears to be much
common ground. The Ikundi-ku want to retain large areas of forest because
they say “… it is our mother, the source of our life and existence. She
provides for everything we need. ”. They also revere many sacred sites that
resemble conservation areas in being clearly demarcated with restrictions on
entering or taking plants and animals. Species that decline rapidly when over
harvested in PNG (e.g. cassowaries), are still abundant in Ikundi, suggesting
hunting at present levels is sustainable. As the human population grows and
missionaries colonise the area, however, the pressure to abandoned scared
sites and harvest will grow. Research is therefore needed into the relative
impacts of sacred sites, low human population densities and traditional
harvest methods on sustainability. Initiatives are also needed to ensure the
Ikundi-ku retain their ‘mother forest’ without falling into a ‘poverty trap’.
2011-12-07 11:30 Integrating wildllife and community health to
promote conservation and sustainable livelihoods
Kalema-Zikusoka, Gladys*, Conservation Through Public Health;
Rubanga, Steven, Conservation Through Public Health; Byonanebye,
Joseph, Conservation Through Public Health; Gaffikin, Lynne,
Evaluation and Research Technologies for Health;
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to approximately half of the
world’s estimated population of 780 critically endangered mountain gorillas,
and is also surrounded by very high population densities of 300 people per
square kilometer amongst the poorest in Africa, who are stakeholders in
gorilla ecotourism and yet have limited access to modern health services.
Two scabies skin disease outbreaks in two Bwindi mountain gorilla groups
in 1996 and 2000/1, resulting in the death of an infant and sickness in
the rest of the group, were eventually traced to surrounding communities,
possibly through contact with scabies mite infested clothing when gorillas
left the park to forage on community land. Subsequent community health
education workshops and research on the risks of TB disease transmission
at the human/wildlife/livestock interface further emphasized the linkages.
80