Threats and Strategies for Global Biodiversity Conservation

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Mopping-up after a prescribed burn by students in a FAO Instructors’ Course on Community-based Fire Management in Mpumalanga National Park,South Africa. © Ronald MyersThis ReportThe Global Fire Partnership, launched in 2004, includesThe Nature Conservancy, World Conservation Union(IUCN), University of California, Berkeley’s Centerfor Fire Research and Outreach, and WWF. The GFPrecognizes the need to assess the state of the world’s fireregimes, craft effective conservation strategies, and builda global constituency of partners to address fire as aconservation issue. This report summarizes new findingson the current role and status of fire around the globe, anddiscusses related consequences for people and ecosystems.We review the main causes of “altered fire regimes” aswell as some similarities and differences among the majorregions of the globe, also known as “realms.”The Global Fire Partnership released its original reporton the role and status of fire, Fire Ecosystems and People:A Preliminary Assessment, at the World ConservationCongress in 2004. It made a compelling case that alteredfire regimes represent a high-priority, global conservationissue. This second report is a more in-depth synthesis ofmore recent findings. It includes results for many areasnot assessed in the original report, as well as new andexpanded information on the causes of altered fire ecology,and recommendations for needed actions. This reportdescribes some specific steps countries and organizationscan take today to improve human safety and health, whileallowing fire to play its natural role where appropriate. Anumber of callout boxes included throughout illustrate keypoints, such as the changing role of fire in wet tropicalforests, and present more detailed information on assessmentmethods and specific conservation strategies.The first section of the report discusses fire in the contextof environmental sustainability and explains fire’s complexrelationships with other issues such as climate change,land use change and invasive species. The second sectionexplains the various roles that fire can play in ecosystems,including how human-caused ignitions fit into the picture.After the methods chapter we present the key findings ofthe assessment and then discuss the top five threats tomaintaining the ecological role of fire. Case studies fromsouthern Chile and Indonesia illustrate how these threatsappear to be manifesting similarly and differently indifferent places. The final section discusses the benefitsof Integrated Fire Management and calls for a number ofspecific actions based on the assessment findings.ii
ContentsFire is a Global Conservation Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1Fire Plays a Role in Ecosystems and Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Assessment Methods:Scientific Collaboration Leads to Understanding Fire Ecology, Threats and Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Assessment Results:Healthy Fire Regimes are a Component of Environmental Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Analysis:Fire’s Ecological Role is Threatened by Human Land Uses, Climate Change and Public Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Urban Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Livestock Farming, Ranching and Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Fire and Fire Suppression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Resource Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Climate Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Other Threats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Case Studies:Regional Differences in Fire Regimes and Threats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Neotropic Realm: The Valdivian Ecoregion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Indo-Malay: Palm Oil, Peat and Climate Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Recommendations:Strategies for Global Biodiversity Conservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18iii
Page 2 and 3: Citation:(see inside back cover for
Page 6 and 7: This area in Sepang, Selangor, Mala
Page 8 and 9: There are a variety of ways invasiv
Page 10 and 11: In order to craft effective strateg
Page 12 and 13: Box 4. Global Fire Assessment WebGI
Page 14 and 15: very degraded—often repeat themse
Page 16 and 17: ecological restoration or community
Page 18 and 19: Cattle grazing and browsing in Mall
Page 20 and 21: eptiles. However, fire from these g
Page 22 and 23: Box 5. Needs for Integrated Fire Ma
Page 24 and 25: Notes:1. Ecoregions share similar e
Page 26 and 27: ReferencesOlson, D.M., E. Dinerstei
Page 28: The mission of The Nature Conservan

Threats and Strategies for Global Biodiversity Conservation

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