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Svenning JC, McGeoch MA, Normand S, Ordonez A, Riede F. Navigating ecological novelty towards planetary stewardship: challenges and opportunities in biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230008. [PMID: 38583480 PMCID: PMC10999270 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Human-induced global changes, including anthropogenic climate change, biotic globalization, trophic downgrading and pervasive land-use intensification, are transforming Earth's biosphere, placing biodiversity and ecosystems at the forefront of unprecedented challenges. The Anthropocene, characterized by the importance of Homo sapiens in shaping the Earth system, necessitates a re-evaluation of our understanding and stewardship of ecosystems. This theme issue delves into the multifaceted challenges posed by the ongoing ecological planetary transformation and explores potential solutions across four key subthemes. Firstly, it investigates the functioning and stewardship of emerging novel ecosystems, emphasizing the urgent need to comprehend the dynamics of ecosystems under uncharted conditions. The second subtheme focuses on biodiversity projections under global change, recognizing the necessity of predicting ecological shifts in the Anthropocene. Importantly, the inherent uncertainties and the complexity of ecological responses to environmental stressors pose challenges for societal responses and for accurate projections of ecological change. The RAD framework (resist-accept-direct) is highlighted as a flexible yet nuanced decision-making tool that recognizes the need for adaptive approaches, providing insights for directing and adapting to Anthropocene dynamics while minimizing negative impacts. The imperative to extend our temporal perspective beyond 2100 is emphasized, given the irreversible changes already set in motion. Advancing methods to study ecosystem dynamics under rising biosphere novelty is the subject of the third subtheme. The fourth subtheme emphasizes the importance of integrating human perspectives into understanding, forecasting and managing novel ecosystems. Cultural diversity and biological diversity are intertwined, and the evolving relationship between humans and ecosystems offers lessons for future stewardship. Achieving planetary stewardship in the Anthropocene demands collaboration across scales and integration of ecological and societal perspectives, scalable approaches fit to changing, novel ecological conditions, as well as cultural innovation. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Sustainable Landscapes under Global Change (SustainScapes), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Melodie A. McGeoch
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, 3800 Victoria, Australia
| | - Signe Normand
- Center for Sustainable Landscapes under Global Change (SustainScapes), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Landscape Research in Sustainable Agricultural Futures (Land-CRAFT), Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Alejandro Ordonez
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Sustainable Landscapes under Global Change (SustainScapes), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Felix Riede
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Moesgård Allé 20, 8270 Højbjerg, Denmark
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Vogel SM, Pasgaard M, Svenning J. Joining forces toward proactive elephant and rhinoceros conservation. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2022; 36:e13726. [PMID: 33634491 PMCID: PMC9290625 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Proactive approaches that anticipate the long-term effects of current and future conservation threats could increase the effectiveness and efficiency of biodiversity conservation. However, such approaches can be obstructed by a lack of knowledge of habitat requirements for wildlife. To aggregate and assess the suitability of current information available on habitat requirements needed for proactive conservation, we conducted a systematic review of the literature on elephant and rhinoceros habitat requirements and synthesized data by combining a vote counting assessment with bibliometric and term maps. We contextualized these numeric and terminological results with a narrative review. We mapped current methods, results, terminology, and collaborations of 693 studies. Quantitative evidence for factors that influence the suitability of an area for elephants and rhinoceros was biased toward African savanna elephants and ecological variables. Less than one third of holistic approaches considered equal amounts of ecological and anthropogenic variables in their assessments. There was a general lack of quantitative evidence for direct proxies of anthropogenic variables that were expected to play an important role based on qualitative evidence and policy documents. However, there was evidence for a segregation in conceptual frameworks among countries and species and between science versus policy literature. There was also evidence of unused potential for collaborations among southern hemisphere researchers. Our results indicated that the success of proactive conservation interventions can be increased if ecological and anthropogenic dimensions are integrated into holistic habitat assessments and holistic carrying capacities and quantitative evidence for anthropogenic variables is improved. To avoid wasting limited resources, it is necessary to form inclusive collaborations within and across networks of researchers studying different species across regional and continental borders and in the science-policy realm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Marieke Vogel
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of BiologyAarhus UniversityAarhus CDenmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of BiologyAarhus UniversityAarhus CDenmark
| | - Maya Pasgaard
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of BiologyAarhus UniversityAarhus CDenmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of BiologyAarhus UniversityAarhus CDenmark
- Section for Geography, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource ManagementUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Jens‐Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of BiologyAarhus UniversityAarhus CDenmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of BiologyAarhus UniversityAarhus CDenmark
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Nogué S, Santos AMC, Birks HJB, Björck S, Castilla-Beltrán A, Connor S, de Boer EJ, de Nascimento L, Felde VA, Fernández-Palacios JM, Froyd CA, Haberle SG, Hooghiemstra H, Ljung K, Norder SJ, Peñuelas J, Prebble M, Stevenson J, Whittaker RJ, Willis KJ, Wilmshurst JM, Steinbauer MJ. The human dimension of biodiversity changes on islands. Science 2021; 372:488-491. [PMID: 33926949 DOI: 10.1126/science.abd6706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Islands are among the last regions on Earth settled and transformed by human activities, and they provide replicated model systems for analysis of how people affect ecological functions. By analyzing 27 representative fossil pollen sequences encompassing the past 5000 years from islands globally, we quantified the rates of vegetation compositional change before and after human arrival. After human arrival, rates of turnover accelerate by a median factor of 11, with faster rates on islands colonized in the past 1500 years than for those colonized earlier. This global anthropogenic acceleration in turnover suggests that islands are on trajectories of continuing change. Strategies for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration must acknowledge the long duration of human impacts and the degree to which ecological changes today differ from prehuman dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Nogué
- School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
| | - Ana M C Santos
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal/Azores Biodiversity Group and Universidade dos Açores, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, Portugal.,Global Change Ecology and Evolution Group (GloCEE), Department of Life Sciences, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.,Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG-UAM), Departamento de Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - H John B Birks
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen, Norway.,Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Svante Björck
- Department of Geology, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Alvaro Castilla-Beltrán
- School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Simon Connor
- School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.,Australian Research Center (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Erik J de Boer
- Departament d'Estratigrafia, Paleontologia i Geociències Marines, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Lea de Nascimento
- Island Ecology and Biogeography Group, Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUETSPC), Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), 38200 La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain.,Long-term Ecology Laboratory, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, 7640 Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Vivian A Felde
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - José María Fernández-Palacios
- Island Ecology and Biogeography Group, Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUETSPC), Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), 38200 La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Cynthia A Froyd
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Simon G Haberle
- School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.,Australian Research Center (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Henry Hooghiemstra
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, 1098XH Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Karl Ljung
- Department of Geology, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Sietze J Norder
- Leiden University Centre for Linguistics. 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Matthew Prebble
- School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.,School of Earth and Environment, College of Science, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Janelle Stevenson
- School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.,Australian Research Center (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Robert J Whittaker
- School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK.,Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Kathy J Willis
- Oxford Long-Term Ecology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Janet M Wilmshurst
- Long-term Ecology Laboratory, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, 7640 Lincoln, New Zealand.,School of Environment, University of Auckland, 1142 Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Manuel J Steinbauer
- Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER) and Department of Sport Science, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany. .,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen, Norway
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Londe V, de Sousa HC, Messias MCTB. Monitoring of forest components reveals that exotic tree species are not always invasive in areas under ecological restoration. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2020; 192:618. [PMID: 32880735 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-020-08583-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Exotic species are known to become invasive in several ecosystems, including areas undergoing restoration. But does that always happen? We monitored the tree layer, seed rain, and regenerating layer of 10-year and 20-year-old forests under restoration in southeast Brazil to verify if planted exotic trees were behaving as invasive; if they were influencing the species richness and abundance of regenerating native plants; and the probabilities of exotic trees perpetuating over time. Data from the three forest components (trees, seed rain, and regenerating) were collected in 12 permanent plots of 100 m2 each in each study area. Collected data were analyzed through generalized linear models (GLM) and Markov chains. We verified that exotic species were not behaving as invasive species. Of the five species planted, Acacia mangium, Syzygium cumini, and Psidium guajava were dispersing seeds but recruiting only six new individuals. In general, the species richness and abundance of exotic trees were not related to the richness and abundance of regenerating native plants. In addition, the chances of individuals' transition between forest components were in most cases nil, so that exotic species should continue not to spread in the 10- and 20-year-old forests. We assume that biotic resistance was occurring in the assembled communities and this prevented exotic trees from behaving as invaders. Monitoring of forest components helped to better understand the role of non-native species in the dynamics of these novel ecosystems. Monitoring also indicated that not all recovering forests need management actions against exotic trees after a decade or two of restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinícius Londe
- Technical Support Fellow, Department of Biodiversity, Evolution and Environment, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil.
| | - Hildeberto Caldas de Sousa
- Department of Biodiversity, Evolution and Environment, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil
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Monsarrat S, Jarvie S, Svenning JC. Anthropocene refugia: integrating history and predictive modelling to assess the space available for biodiversity in a human-dominated world. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20190219. [PMID: 31679484 PMCID: PMC6863493 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
During periods of strong environmental change, some areas may serve as refugia, where components of biodiversity can find protection, persist and potentially expand from should conditions again become favourable. The refugia concept has previously been used in the context of climatic change, to describe climatically stable areas in which taxa survived past Quaternary glacial-interglacial oscillations, or where they might persist in the future under anthropogenic climate change. However, with the recognition that Earth has entered the Anthropocene, an era in which human activities are the dominant driving force on ecosystems, it is critical to also consider human pressures on the environment as factors limiting species distributions. Here, we present a novel concept, Anthropocene refugia, to refer to areas that provide spatial and temporal protection from human activities and that will remain suitable for a given taxonomic unit in the long-term. It integrates a deep-time perspective on species biogeography that provides information on the natural rather than current-day relictual distribution of species, with spatial information on modern and future anthropogenic threats. We define the concept and propose a methodology to effectively identify and map realized and potential current and future refugia, using examples for two megafaunal species as a proof of concept. We argue that identifying Anthropocene refugia will improve biodiversity conservation and restoration by allowing better prediction of key areas for conservation and potential for re-expansions today and in the future. More generally, it forms a new conceptual framework to assess and manage the impact of anthropogenic activities on past, current and future patterns of species distributions. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The past is a foreign country: how much can the fossil record actually inform conservation?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Monsarrat
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Scott Jarvie
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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