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Neugarten RA, Chaplin-Kramer R, Sharp RP, Schuster R, Strimas-Mackey M, Roehrdanz PR, Mulligan M, van Soesbergen A, Hole D, Kennedy CM, Oakleaf JR, Johnson JA, Kiesecker J, Polasky S, Hanson JO, Rodewald AD. Mapping the planet's critical areas for biodiversity and nature's contributions to people. Nat Commun 2024; 15:261. [PMID: 38199986 PMCID: PMC10781687 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43832-9] [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: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Meeting global commitments to conservation, climate, and sustainable development requires consideration of synergies and tradeoffs among targets. We evaluate the spatial congruence of ecosystems providing globally high levels of nature's contributions to people, biodiversity, and areas with high development potential across several sectors. We find that conserving approximately half of global land area through protection or sustainable management could provide 90% of the current levels of ten of nature's contributions to people and meet minimum representation targets for 26,709 terrestrial vertebrate species. This finding supports recent commitments by national governments under the Global Biodiversity Framework to conserve at least 30% of global lands and waters, and proposals to conserve half of the Earth. More than one-third of areas required for conserving nature's contributions to people and species are also highly suitable for agriculture, renewable energy, oil and gas, mining, or urban expansion. This indicates potential conflicts among conservation, climate and development goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A Neugarten
- Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Cornell University, 226 Mann Drive, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
- Conservation International, 2100 Crystal Drive #600, Arlington, VA, 22202, USA.
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA.
| | - Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer
- Global Science, WWF, 131 Steuart St, San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA
- Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, 1954 Buford Ave, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Richard P Sharp
- Global Science, WWF, 131 Steuart St, San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA
- SPRING, 5455 Shafter Ave, Oakland, CA, 94618, USA
| | - Richard Schuster
- Nature Conservancy of Canada, 245 Eglinton Ave East, Suite 410, Toronto, ON, M4P 3J1, Canada
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Matthew Strimas-Mackey
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Patrick R Roehrdanz
- Conservation International, 2100 Crystal Drive #600, Arlington, VA, 22202, USA
| | - Mark Mulligan
- Department of Geography, King's College London, Bush House, North East Wing, 40 Aldwych, London, WC2B 4BG, UK
| | - Arnout van Soesbergen
- Department of Geography, King's College London, Bush House, North East Wing, 40 Aldwych, London, WC2B 4BG, UK
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, UK
| | - David Hole
- Conservation International, 2100 Crystal Drive #600, Arlington, VA, 22202, USA
| | | | - James R Oakleaf
- Global Protect Oceans, Lands and Waters Program, The Nature Conservancy, Fort Collins, CO, 80524, USA
| | - Justin A Johnson
- Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Natural Capital Project, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Joseph Kiesecker
- Global Protect Oceans, Lands and Waters Program, The Nature Conservancy, Fort Collins, CO, 80524, USA
| | - Stephen Polasky
- Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Natural Capital Project, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | | | - Amanda D Rodewald
- Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Cornell University, 226 Mann Drive, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
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Huang RM, Maré C, Guldemond RAR, Pimm SL, van Aarde RJ. Protecting and connecting landscapes stabilizes populations of the Endangered savannah elephant. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadk2896. [PMID: 38181078 PMCID: PMC10776014 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk2896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
The influence of protected areas on the growth of African savannah elephant populations is inadequately known. Across southern Africa, elephant numbers grew at 0.16% annually for the past quarter century. Locally, much depends on metapopulation dynamics-the size and connections of individual populations. Population numbers in large, connected, and strictly protected areas typically increased, were less variable from year to year, and suffered less from poaching. Conversely, populations in buffer areas that are less protected but still connected have more variation in growth from year to year. Buffer areas also differed more in their growth rates, likely due to more threats and dispersal opportunities in the face of such dangers. Isolated populations showed consistently high growth due to a lack of emigration. This suggests that "fortress" conservation generally maintains high growth, while anthropogenic-driven source-sink dynamics within connected conservation clusters drive stability in core areas and variability in buffers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan M. Huang
- Conservation Ecology Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
| | - Celesté Maré
- Conservation Ecology Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
| | - Robert A. R. Guldemond
- Conservation Ecology Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
| | - Stuart L. Pimm
- Conservation Ecology Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Rudi J. van Aarde
- Conservation Ecology Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
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Matar DA, Anthony BP. BREMi-A New Tool for the Evaluation of UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Management Effectiveness: Case-study in the Arab Man and Biosphere (ArabMAB) Regional Network. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 70:730-745. [PMID: 36087145 PMCID: PMC9519677 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-022-01711-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Scholars and practitioners have been striving to develop straightforward and effective tools to measure protected area management effectiveness (PAME). UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR), with their unique functional and zonation schemes are monitored according to their compulsory 10-year Periodic Review (PR), which is useful for UNESCO's evaluation purposes but lacks comprehensiveness and utility for adaptive management. Based on existing PAME methodologies, we develop and propose the first quantitative tool for the evaluation of BR management effectiveness, that would enhance and complement the currently used qualitative PR report, and serve the rapid evaluation needed for BR managers to monitor, evaluate, and adapt their management approach to achieve the three functions of BRs. The tool consists of 65 indicators, embodied within the 6 elements of the World Commission on Protected Areas Framework. We then tested this tool, named Biosphere Reserve Effectiveness of Management index (BREMi) to evaluate management effectiveness across the Arab Man and the Biosphere Reserve network involving 17 BRs spanning 8 countries of the Middle East and North Africa. BREMi scores ranged from 4.43 to 8.65 (on a scale between 0 and 10), with a mean of 6.31 ± 1.040. All indicators were considered valuable measures of progress by our respondents, as well as by independent experts. We discuss our findings in light of available literature concerning the Arab region and through the conceptual frames of adaptive management and resilience. Finally, we discuss where the BREMi tool would be most useful for BR management authorities in the iterative process of evaluation and adaptive management.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brandon P Anthony
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Central European University, Vienna, Austria.
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4
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Wauchope HS, Jones JPG, Geldmann J, Simmons BI, Amano T, Blanco DE, Fuller RA, Johnston A, Langendoen T, Mundkur T, Nagy S, Sutherland WJ. Protected areas have a mixed impact on waterbirds, but management helps. Nature 2022; 605:103-107. [PMID: 35444280 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04617-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
International policy is focused on increasing the proportion of the Earth's surface that is protected for nature1,2. Although studies show that protected areas prevent habitat loss3-6, there is a lack of evidence for their effect on species' populations: existing studies are at local scale or use simple designs that lack appropriate controls7-13. Here we explore how 1,506 protected areas have affected the trajectories of 27,055 waterbird populations across the globe using a robust before-after control-intervention study design, which compares protected and unprotected populations in the years before and after protection. We show that the simpler study designs typically used to assess protected area effectiveness (before-after or control-intervention) incorrectly estimate effects for 37-50% of populations-for instance misclassifying positively impacted populations as negatively impacted, and vice versa. Using our robust study design, we find that protected areas have a mixed impact on waterbirds, with a strong signal that areas managed for waterbirds or their habitat are more likely to benefit populations, and a weak signal that larger areas are more beneficial than smaller ones. Calls to conserve 30% of the Earth's surface by 2030 are gathering pace14, but we show that protection alone does not guarantee good biodiversity outcomes. As countries gather to agree the new Global Biodiversity Framework, targets must focus on creating and supporting well-managed protected and conserved areas that measurably benefit populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah S Wauchope
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. .,Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK.
| | - Julia P G Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, College of Engineering and Environmental Science, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Jonas Geldmann
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Benno I Simmons
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - Tatsuya Amano
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Daniel E Blanco
- Wetlands International LAC Argentina Office, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Richard A Fuller
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alison Johnston
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, US.,Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | | | | | | | - William J Sutherland
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Cusens J, Barraclough AMD, Måren IE. Participatory mapping reveals biocultural and nature values in the shared landscape of a Nordic UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jarrod Cusens
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Bergen Bergen Norway
- Centre for Sustainable Area Management (CeSAM) University of Bergen Bergen Norway
| | - Alicia M. D. Barraclough
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Bergen Bergen Norway
- Centre for Sustainable Area Management (CeSAM) University of Bergen Bergen Norway
- UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Heritage and Environmental Management University of Bergen Bergen Norway
| | - Inger Elisabeth Måren
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Bergen Bergen Norway
- Centre for Sustainable Area Management (CeSAM) University of Bergen Bergen Norway
- UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Heritage and Environmental Management University of Bergen Bergen Norway
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6
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Starnes T, Beresford AE, Buchanan GM, Lewis M, Hughes A, Gregory RD. The extent and effectiveness of protected areas in the UK. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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Zhu L, Hughes AC, Zhao XQ, Zhou LJ, Ma KP, Shen XL, Li S, Liu MZ, Xu WB, Watson JEM. Regional scalable priorities for national biodiversity and carbon conservation planning in Asia. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabe4261. [PMID: 34446433 PMCID: PMC8388611 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe4261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
To achieve the goals of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, we must identify representative targets that effectively protect biodiversity and can be implemented at a national level. We developed a framework to identify synergies between biodiversity and carbon across the Asian region and proposed a stepwise approach based on scalable priorities at regional, biome, and national levels that can complement potential Convention on Biological Diversity targets of protecting 30% land in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Our targets show that 30% of Asian land could effectively protect over 70% of all assessed species relative to only 11% now (based on analysis of 8932 terrestrial vertebrates), in addition to 2.3 to 3.6 hundred billion metric tons of carbon. Funding mechanisms are needed to ensure such targets to support biodiversity-carbon mutually beneficial solutions at the national level while reflecting broader priorities, especially in hyperdiverse countries where priorities exceed 30% of land.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Alice C Hughes
- Centre for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan 666303, China
| | - Xiao-Qian Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Li-Jing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ke-Ping Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiao-Li Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Sheng Li
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ming-Zhang Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wu-Bing Xu
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE) and Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - James E M Watson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA
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8
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9
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Morelli F, Benedetti Y, Hanson JO, Fuller RA. Global distribution and conservation of avian diet specialization. Conserv Lett 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Federico Morelli
- Community Ecology and Conservation, Faculty of Environmental Sciences Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Prague Czech Republic
- Institute of Biological Sciences University of Zielona Gora Zielona Gora Poland
| | - Yanina Benedetti
- Community Ecology and Conservation, Faculty of Environmental Sciences Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Prague Czech Republic
| | - Jeffrey O. Hanson
- CIBIO/InBIO Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do Porto Vairão Portugal
| | - Richard A. Fuller
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia Queensland Australia
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10
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Exploring the Potential and Contribution of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves for Landscape Governance and Management in Africa. LAND 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/land9080237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserves strive for a harmonious interaction between humans and nature. As landscapes provide suitable units to mutually address matters of conservation and sustainable development, this study aims to explore the potential and realized contribution of biosphere reserves for landscape governance and management. We emphasize the role of stakeholder participation and cooperation as an overarching condition for integrated landscape approaches. The regional focus is on Africa, where multiple drivers of global and local change currently significantly impact the landscape. The study’s results are based on a literature review, which is complemented by four case studies from the biosphere reserves in Ghana, Malawi, South Africa, and Benin/Togo. Findings show that in biosphere reserves, stakeholder engagement is crucial to gain community acceptance, foster intersectoral cooperation, and provide management with more legitimacy. To strengthen stakeholders’ capacities to mutually achieve conservation and development outcomes, international partnerships and research and education efforts proved to be successful. The flexible biosphere reserve approach to governance, which allows for integration with other land-management approaches, offers a suitable governance model for a landscape. Moreover, the biosphere reserve zonation concept can provide orientation to manage the “multifunctionality” of a landscape and address the associated trade-offs between different stakeholders’ aspirations.
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11
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Jauro TI, Tesfamichael SG, Rampedi IT. Tracking conservation effectiveness in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve in South Africa using Landsat imagery. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2020; 192:469. [PMID: 32601765 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-020-08416-w] [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: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Biosphere reserves (BRs) seek to reconcile a sustainable relationship between human welfare and environmental integrity by adopting a landscape model that distinguishes between three interdependent management zones (core, buffer, transition). Considering the increasing human influence on landscapes in BRs, the tracking land use-land cover (LULC) dynamics is crucial for the development and planning of efficient management strategies for specific management zone. This study aimed at (i) assessing biodiversity protection around the core zones to highlight the threats facing the core zones and (ii) tracking the effect of the proclamation of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve (VBR) on the LULC dynamics in the management zones through spatio-temporal analysis using Landsat imagery acquired from1999 to 2018. Six LULC categories (water body, forest/bush, shrubs/grass, agricultural land, bare soil, and built-up/mines) were identified and mapped using the support vector machine (SVM) classification to address both objectives. Assessment of threats around the core zones using artificial buffers (0-5, 10-15, and 15-20 km radius) created around them showed agricultural activities in the most immediate buffers (0-5 km radius). The LULC dynamics showed vegetation increase in all the management zones evidenced by the reduction of bare soil as well shrub/grass lands, and by the corresponding increase in foliage-richer forest/bush lands since the proclamation of the reserve in 2009. The findings might signify a positive outcome of vegetation increase as a consequence of the proclamation of the VBR. However, firmer conservation measures must be adopted and priority must be given to the arrangement of the management zones to strengthen biodiversity protection in the core zone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanre I Jauro
- Department of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, 2006, South Africa.
| | - Solomon G Tesfamichael
- Department of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, 2006, South Africa.
| | - Isaac T Rampedi
- Department of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, 2006, South Africa
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The Contours of State Retreat from Collaborative Environmental Governance under Austerity. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12072761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Although the effects of public austerity have been the subject of a significant literature in recent years, the changing role of the state as a partner in collaborative environmental governance under austerity has received less attention. By employing theories of collaborative governance and state retreat, this paper used a qualitative research design comprised of thirty-two semi-structured interviews within the case study UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the United Kingdom to address this lacuna. Participants perceived that the austerity period has precipitated negative changes to their extant state-orientated funding regime, which had compelled changes to their organisational structure. Austerity damaged their relationships with the state and perceptions of state legitimacy whilst simultaneously strengthening and straining the relationships between intra-partnership non-state governance actors. This case offers a critical contemporary reflection on normative collaborative environmental governance theory under austerity programmes. These open up questions about the role of the state in wider sustainability transitions.
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Abstract
Environmental change is rapidly accelerating, and many species will need to adapt to survive1. Ensuring that protected areas cover populations across a broad range of environmental conditions could safeguard the processes that lead to such adaptations1-3. However, international conservation policies have largely neglected these considerations when setting targets for the expansion of protected areas4. Here we show that-of 19,937 vertebrate species globally5-8-the representation of environmental conditions across their habitats in protected areas (hereafter, niche representation) is inadequate for 4,836 (93.1%) amphibian, 8,653 (89.5%) bird and 4,608 (90.9%) terrestrial mammal species. Expanding existing protected areas to cover these gaps would encompass 33.8% of the total land surface-exceeding the current target of 17% that has been adopted by governments. Priority locations for expanding the system of protected areas to improve niche representation occur in global biodiversity hotspots9, including Colombia, Papua New Guinea, South Africa and southwest China, as well as across most of the major land masses of the Earth. Conversely, we also show that planning for the expansion of protected areas without explicitly considering environmental conditions would marginally reduce the land area required to 30.7%, but that this would lead to inadequate niche representation for 7,798 (39.1%) species. As the governments of the world prepare to renegotiate global conservation targets, policymakers have the opportunity to help to maintain the adaptive potential of species by considering niche representation within protected areas1,2.
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Van Cuong C, Dart P, Dudley N, Hockings M. Building Stakeholder Awareness and Engagement Strategy to Enhance Biosphere Reserve Performance and Sustainability: The Case of Kien Giang, Vietnam. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2018; 62:877-891. [PMID: 30135978 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-018-1094-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Local application of the biosphere reserve concept in Kien Giang, Vietnam was examined to see how it compared with other biosphere reserves both in Vietnam and internationally and from that to assess the level of adoption and what could be limiting processes. This was undertaken mainly through qualitative document analysis, field surveys, and extensive interviews of stakeholders. While the designation the Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve and establishment of the management regulation conformed with the conceptual model and criteria outlined by UNESCO, the practical implementation has been inadequate to achieve the desired outcomes of the biosphere reserve concept. There was limited public awareness and understanding of the biosphere reserve approach because of poorly developed communication channels. Top-down, state-control based on a strong sectoral approach to biosphere reserve planning and management hindered stakeholder and community participation. Weak engagement from the Province as the designated lead agency in biosphere reserve governance limited cross-sectoral collaboration in the delivery of the biosphere reserve mandated functions. External projects were perceived by community stakeholders to have only a temporary impact on biosphere reserve operation because of their small, short-term scale with the project maintaining control over funding and design of individual activities. Without proper investment in public awareness and improvement of Biosphere Reserve governance leadership, the desire for development of strategic public-private partnerships to support implementation remains unfulfilled and the Biosphere Reserve model will, as a consequence, contribute little to the long-term biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chu Van Cuong
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
- Tam Dao National Park, Tam Dao, Vietnam.
| | - Peter Dart
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Nigel Dudley
- Equilibrium Research, Bristol, UK
- Industry Fellow, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Marc Hockings
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
- UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK
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15
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Thomsen JM. An Investigation of the Critical Events and Influential Factors to the Evolution of the U.S. Man and the Biosphere Program. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2018; 61:545-562. [PMID: 29353305 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-017-0988-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/29/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The UNESCO Man and the Biosphere program has operated for 45 years as an international program that started in the 1970s to conserve biotic communities and provide areas for research, education, and training. The program later evolved in the 1990s to address social and environmental issues in a sustainable manner across a landscape. This program was one of the first efforts that recognized the importance of working beyond park and protected area boundaries and the need to sustain livelihoods as much as the resources. In the MAB program's infancy, the United States (U.S.) was a major advocate and leader with more than 45 biosphere reserves, most of them established in or around 1976. Yet, many political, economic, and other external factors influenced the U.S. MAB involvement in subsequent years. Consequently, the U.S. has remained largely inactive in the international MAB network for the past fifteen years until a recent push to revive the program under the leadership of the State Department and the National Park Service. Through in-depth research on two longterm U.S. biosphere reserves, this paper provides a description of the key events impacting the U.S. MAB program over the past several decades and discusses the influential role of politics, a public image, and the perceptions of international designations. Through the lessons presented in this paper, recommendations are provided to support the revival of the MAB program in the U.S.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Thomsen
- Department of Society and Conservation, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA.
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16
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Wauchope HS, Shaw JD, Varpe Ø, Lappo EG, Boertmann D, Lanctot RB, Fuller RA. Rapid climate-driven loss of breeding habitat for Arctic migratory birds. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:1085-1094. [PMID: 27362976 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Millions of birds migrate to and from the Arctic each year, but rapid climate change in the High North could strongly affect where species are able to breed, disrupting migratory connections globally. We modelled the climatically suitable breeding conditions of 24 Arctic specialist shorebirds and projected them to 2070 and to the mid-Holocene climatic optimum, the world's last major warming event ~6000 years ago. We show that climatically suitable breeding conditions could shift, contract and decline over the next 70 years, with 66-83% of species losing the majority of currently suitable area. This exceeds, in rate and magnitude, the impact of the mid-Holocene climatic optimum. Suitable climatic conditions are predicted to decline acutely in the most species rich region, Beringia (western Alaska and eastern Russia), and become concentrated in the Eurasian and Canadian Arctic islands. These predicted spatial shifts of breeding grounds could affect the species composition of the world's major flyways. Encouragingly, protected area coverage of current and future climatically suitable breeding conditions generally meets target levels; however, there is a lack of protected areas within the Canadian Arctic where resource exploitation is a growing threat. Given that already there are rapid declines of many populations of Arctic migratory birds, our results emphasize the urgency of mitigating climate change and protecting Arctic biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah S Wauchope
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072, Australia
| | - Justine D Shaw
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072, Australia
| | - Øystein Varpe
- University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), 9171, Longyearbyen, Norway
- Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Elena G Lappo
- Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Staromonetny pereulok 29, Moscow, 119017, Russia
| | - David Boertmann
- Institute of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Richard B Lanctot
- Migratory Bird Management Division, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | - Richard A Fuller
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072, Australia
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Runge CA, Watson JEM, Butchart SHM, Hanson JO, Possingham HP, Fuller RA. Protected areas and global conservation of migratory birds. Science 2016; 350:1255-8. [PMID: 26785490 DOI: 10.1126/science.aac9180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Migratory species depend on a suite of interconnected sites. Threats to unprotected links in these chains of sites are driving rapid population declines of migrants around the world, yet the extent to which different parts of the annual cycle are protected remains unknown. We show that just 9% of 1451 migratory birds are adequately covered by protected areas across all stages of their annual cycle, in comparison with 45% of nonmigratory birds. This discrepancy is driven by protected area placement that does not cover the full annual cycle of migratory species, indicating that global efforts toward coordinated conservation planning for migrants are yet to bear fruit. Better-targeted investment and enhanced coordination among countries are needed to conserve migratory species throughout their migratory cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire A Runge
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia. National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA.
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia. Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Jeffrey O Hanson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Hugh P Possingham
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia. Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, England, UK
| | - Richard A Fuller
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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Baker DJ, Hartley AJ, Burgess ND, Butchart SHM, Carr JA, Smith RJ, Belle E, Willis SG. Assessing climate change impacts for vertebrate fauna across the West African protected area network using regionally appropriate climate projections. DIVERS DISTRIB 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- D. J. Baker
- School of Biological & Biomedical Sciences; Durham University; Mountjoy Site Durham DH1 3LE UK
| | - A. J. Hartley
- Met Office Hadley Centre; FitzRoy Road Exeter Devon EX1 3PB UK
| | - N. D. Burgess
- UNEP-WCMC; 219 Huntington Road Cambridge UK
- Center for Macroecology; Evolution and Climate; Natural History Museum; University of Copenhagen; Copenhagen Denmark
| | | | - J. A. Carr
- IUCN Global Species Programme; 219c Huntingdon Road Cambridge UK
| | - R. J. Smith
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology; School of Anthropology and Conservation; University of Kent; Canterbury Kent CT2 7NR UK
| | - E. Belle
- UNEP-WCMC; 219 Huntington Road Cambridge UK
| | - S. G. Willis
- School of Biological & Biomedical Sciences; Durham University; Mountjoy Site Durham DH1 3LE UK
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20
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Coetzer KL, Erasmus BFN, Witkowski ETF, Reyers B. The race for space: tracking land-cover transformation in a socio-ecological landscape, South Africa. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2013; 52:595-611. [PMID: 23811775 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-013-0094-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2012] [Accepted: 05/24/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Biosphere Reserves attempt to align existing biodiversity conservation with sustainable resource use, specifically for improving socio-economic circumstances of resident communities. Typically, the Biosphere Reserve model is applied to an established landscape mosaic of existing land uses; these are often socio-ecological systems where strict environmental protection and community livelihoods are in conflict, and environmental degradation frequently accompanies "use". This raises challenges for successful implementation of the model, as the reality of the existing land-use mosaic undermines the theoretical aspirations of the Biosphere concept. This study focuses on the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve (K2C), South Africa; a socio-ecological landscape where formal conservation is juxtaposed against extensive impoverished rural communities. We focus on land-cover changes of the existing land-use mosaic (1993-2006), specifically selected land-cover classes identified as important for biodiversity conservation and local-level resource utilization. We discuss the implications of transformation for conservation, sustainable resource-use, and K2C's functioning as a "Biosphere Reserve". Spatially, changes radiated outward from the settlement expanse, with little regard for the theoretical land-use zonation of the Biosphere Reserve. Settlement growth tracked transport routes, transforming cohesive areas of communal-use rangelands. Given the interdependencies between the settlement population and local environmental resources, the Impacted Vegetation class expanded accordingly, fragmenting the Intact Vegetation class, and merging rangelands. This has serious implications for sustainability of communal harvesting areas, and further transformation of intact habitat. The distribution and magnitude of Intact Vegetation losses raise concerns around connectivity and edge effects, with long-term consequences for ecological integrity of remnant habitat, and K2C's existing network of protected areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaera L Coetzer
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits, Johannesburg, Gauteng 2050, South Africa.
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