1
|
Pillay R, Watson JEM, Hansen AJ, Jantz PA, Aragon-Osejo J, Armenteras D, Atkinson SC, Burns P, Ervin J, Goetz SJ, González-Del-Pliego P, Robinson NP, Supples C, Virnig ALS, Williams BA, Venter O. Humid tropical vertebrates are at lower risk of extinction and population decline in forests with higher structural integrity. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1840-1849. [PMID: 36329351 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01915-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Reducing deforestation underpins global biodiversity conservation efforts. However, this focus on retaining forest cover overlooks the multitude of anthropogenic pressures that can degrade forest quality and imperil biodiversity. We use remotely sensed indices of tropical rainforest structural condition and associated human pressures to quantify the relative importance of forest cover, structural condition and integrity (the cumulative effect of condition and pressures) on vertebrate species extinction risk and population trends across the global humid tropics. We found that tropical rainforests of high integrity (structurally intact and under low pressures) were associated with lower likelihood of species being threatened and having declining populations, compared with forest cover alone (without consideration of condition and pressures). Further, species were more likely to be threatened or have declining populations if their geographic ranges contained high proportions of degraded forest than if their ranges contained lower proportions of forest cover but of high quality. Our work suggests that biodiversity conservation policies to preserve forest integrity are now urgently required alongside ongoing efforts to halt deforestation in the hyperdiverse humid tropics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rajeev Pillay
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Andrew J Hansen
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Patrick A Jantz
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Jose Aragon-Osejo
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Dolors Armenteras
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Patrick Burns
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Jamison Ervin
- United Nations Development Programme, New York, NY, USA
| | - Scott J Goetz
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Brooke A Williams
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Asamoah EF, Di Marco M, Watson JEM, Beaumont LJ, Venter O, Maina JM. Land-use and climate risk assessment for Earth's remaining wilderness. Curr Biol 2022; 32:4890-4899.e4. [PMID: 36323323 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Earth's wilderness areas are reservoirs of genetic information and carbon storage systems, and are vital to reducing extinction risks. Retaining the conservation value of these areas is fundamental to achieving global biodiversity conservation goals; however, climate and land-use risk can undermine their ability to provide these functions. The extent to which wilderness areas are likely to be impacted by these drivers has not previously been quantified. Using climate and land-use change during baseline (1971-2005) and future (2016-2050) periods, we estimate that these stressors within wilderness areas will increase by ca. 60% and 39%, respectively, under a scenario of high emission and land-use change (SSP5-RCP8.5). Nearly half (49%) of all wilderness areas could experience substantial climate change by 2050 under this scenario, potentially limiting their capacity to shelter biodiversity. Notable climate (>5 km year-1) and land-use (>0.25 km year-1) changes are expected to occur more rapidly in the unprotected wilderness, including the edges of the Amazonian wilderness, Northern Russia, and Central Africa, which support unique assemblages of species and are critical for the preservation of biodiversity. However, an alternative scenario of sustainable development (SSP1-RCP2.6) would attenuate the projected climate velocity and land-use instability by 54% and 6%, respectively. Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and preserving the remaining intact natural ecosystems can help fortify these bastions of biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ernest F Asamoah
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, 2109 Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Moreno Di Marco
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, QLD, Australia; Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, QLD, Australia
| | - Linda J Beaumont
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, 2109 Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada
| | - Joseph M Maina
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, 2109 Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Williams BA, Watson JEM, Beyer HL, Klein CJ, Montgomery J, Runting RK, Roberson LA, Halpern BS, Grantham HS, Kuempel CD, Frazier M, Venter O, Wenger A. Global rarity of intact coastal regions. Conservation Biology 2022; 36:e13874. [PMID: 34907590 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Management of the land-sea interface is essential for global conservation and sustainability objectives because coastal regions maintain natural processes that support biodiversity and the livelihood of billions of people. However, assessments of coastal regions have focused strictly on either the terrestrial or marine realm. Consequently, understanding of the overall state of Earth's coastal regions is poor. We integrated the terrestrial human footprint and marine cumulative human impact maps in a global assessment of the anthropogenic pressures affecting coastal regions. Of coastal regions globally, 15.5% had low anthropogenic pressure, mostly in Canada, Russia, and Greenland. Conversely, 47.9% of coastal regions were heavily affected by humanity, and in most countries (84.1%) >50% of their coastal regions were degraded. Nearly half (43.3%) of protected areas across coastal regions were exposed to high human pressures. To meet global sustainability objectives, all nations must undertake greater actions to preserve and restore the coastal regions within their borders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brooke A Williams
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Hawthorne L Beyer
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Carissa J Klein
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jamie Montgomery
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Rebecca K Runting
- School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Leslie A Roberson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Benjamin S Halpern
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Hedley S Grantham
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, New York, New York, USA
| | - Caitlin D Kuempel
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Melanie Frazier
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Amelia Wenger
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Marine Program, New York, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Pérez-Hämmerle KV, Moon K, Venegas-Li R, Maxwell S, Simmonds JS, Venter O, Garnett ST, Possingham HP, Watson JEM. Wilderness forms and their implications for global environmental policy and conservation. Conserv Biol 2022; 36:e13875. [PMID: 34961974 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
With the intention of securing industry-free land and seascapes, protecting wilderness entered international policy as a formal target for the first time in the zero draft of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Given this increased prominence in international policy, it is timely to consider the extent to which the construct of wilderness supports global conservation objectives. We evaluated the construct by overlaying recently updated cumulative human pressure maps that offer a global-scale delineation of industry-free land as wilderness with maps of carbon stock, species richness, and ground travel time from urban centers. Wilderness areas took variable forms in relation to carbon stock, species richness, and proximity to urban centers, where 10% of wilderness areas represented high carbon and species richness, 20% low carbon and species richness, and 3% high levels of remoteness (>48 h), carbon, and species richness. Approximately 35% of all remaining wilderness in 2013 was accessible in <24 h of travel time from urban centers. Although the construct of wilderness can be used to secure benefits in specific contexts, its application in conservation must account for contextual and social implications. The diverse characterization of wilderness under a global environmental conservation lens shows that a nuanced framing and application of the construct is needed to improve understanding, communication, and retention of its variable forms as industry-free places.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katharina-Victoria Pérez-Hämmerle
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Katie Moon
- School of Business, University of New South Wales, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Rubén Venegas-Li
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sean Maxwell
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jeremy S Simmonds
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Stephen T Garnett
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Hugh P Possingham
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Pillay R, Venter M, Aragon‐Osejo J, González‐del‐Pliego P, Hansen AJ, Watson JEM, Venter O. Tropical forests are home to over half of the world's vertebrate species. Front Ecol Environ 2022; 20:10-15. [PMID: 35873358 PMCID: PMC9293027 DOI: 10.1002/fee.2420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Tropical forests are renowned for their astonishing diversity of life, but the fundamental question of how many species occur in tropical forests remains unanswered. Using geographic range maps and data on species habitat associations, we determined that tropical forests harbor 62% of global terrestrial vertebrate species, more than twice the number found in any other terrestrial biome on Earth. Up to 29% of global vertebrate species are endemic to tropical forests, with more than 20% of these species at risk of extinction. Humid tropical forests (also known as tropical rainforests) and the Neotropics dominate as centers of species diversity, harboring more than 90% and nearly half of all tropical forest vertebrates, respectively. To maintain the biodiversity that underpins the ecosystem functions and services essential for human well-being, we emphasize the critical importance of environmental policies aimed at reducing tropical deforestation and mitigating deleterious anthropogenic pressures on these imperiled ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rajeev Pillay
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies InstituteUniversity of Northern British ColumbiaPrince GeorgeCanada
| | - Michelle Venter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies InstituteUniversity of Northern British ColumbiaPrince GeorgeCanada
| | - Jose Aragon‐Osejo
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies InstituteUniversity of Northern British ColumbiaPrince GeorgeCanada
| | | | | | - James EM Watson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation ScienceThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
- School of Earth and Environmental SciencesThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies InstituteUniversity of Northern British ColumbiaPrince GeorgeCanada
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ramírez-Delgado JP, Di Marco M, Watson JEM, Johnson CJ, Rondinini C, Corredor Llano X, Arias M, Venter O. Matrix condition mediates the effects of habitat fragmentation on species extinction risk. Nat Commun 2022; 13:595. [PMID: 35105881 PMCID: PMC8807630 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28270-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat loss is the leading cause of the global decline in biodiversity, but the influence of human pressure within the matrix surrounding habitat fragments remains poorly understood. Here, we measure the relationship between fragmentation (the degree of fragmentation and the degree of patch isolation), matrix condition (measured as the extent of high human footprint levels), and the change in extinction risk of 4,426 terrestrial mammals. We find that the degree of fragmentation is strongly associated with changes in extinction risk, with higher predictive importance than life-history traits and human pressure variables. Importantly, we discover that fragmentation and the matrix condition are stronger predictors of risk than habitat loss and habitat amount. Moreover, the importance of fragmentation increases with an increasing deterioration of the matrix condition. These findings suggest that restoration of the habitat matrix may be an important conservation action for mitigating the negative effects of fragmentation on biodiversity. The influence of human pressure within the matrix surrounding habitat fragments remains poorly understood. This study measures the relationship between habitat fragmentation, matrix condition and the change in extinction risk of 4,426 terrestrial mammals, finding that fragmentation and matrix condition are stronger predictors of risk than habitat loss and habitat amount.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan Pablo Ramírez-Delgado
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, V2N 4Z9, Canada.
| | - Moreno Di Marco
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia.,Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, QLD, Australia
| | - Chris J Johnson
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Carlo Rondinini
- Global Mammal Assessment Program, Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00185, Italy
| | - Xavier Corredor Llano
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Miguel Arias
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, V2N 4Z9, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Hirsh-Pearson K, Johnson CJ, Schuster R, Wheate RD, Venter O. Canada’s human footprint reveals large intact areas juxtaposed against areas under immense anthropogenic pressure. Facets (Ott) 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2021-0063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Efforts are underway in Canada to set aside terrestrial lands for conservation, thereby protecting them from anthropogenic pressures. Here we produce the first Canadian human footprint map by combining 12 different anthropogenic pressures and identifying intact and modified lands and ecosystems across the country. Our results showed strong spatial variation in pressures across the country, with just 18% of Canada experiencing measurable human pressure. However, some ecosystems are experiencing very high pressure, such as the Great Lakes Plains and Prairies national ecological areas that have over 75% and 56% of their areas, respectively, with a high human footprint. In contrast, the Arctic and Northern Mountains have less than 0.02% and 0.2%, respectively, of their extent under high human footprint. A validation of the final map, using random statistical sampling, resulted in a Cohen Kappa statistic of 0.91, signifying an “almost perfect” agreement between the human footprint and the validation data set. By increasing the number and accuracy of mapped pressures, our map demonstrates much more widespread pressures in Canada than were indicated by previous global mapping efforts, demonstrating the value in specific national data applications. Ecological areas with immense anthropogenic pressure highlight challenges that may arise when planning for ecologically representative protected areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristen Hirsh-Pearson
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Chris J. Johnson
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Richard Schuster
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Roger D. Wheate
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
James Watson and Oscar Venter introduce the concept of wilderness and its role in conservation efforts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Hansen AJ, Noble BP, Veneros J, East A, Goetz SJ, Supples C, Watson JEM, Jantz PA, Pillay R, Jetz W, Ferrier S, Grantham HS, Evans TD, Ervin J, Venter O, Virnig ALS. Toward monitoring forest ecosystem integrity within the post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Conserv Lett 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jaris Veneros
- Ecology Department Montana State University Bozeman Montana USA
| | - Alyson East
- Ecology Department Montana State University Bozeman Montana USA
| | - Scott J. Goetz
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems Northern Arizona University Flagstaff Arizona USA
| | | | - James E. M. Watson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Patrick A. Jantz
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems Northern Arizona University Flagstaff Arizona USA
| | - Rajeev Pillay
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute University of Northern British Columbia Prince George British Columbia Canada
| | - Walter Jetz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
| | - Simon Ferrier
- CSIRO Land and Water Canberra New South Wales Australia
| | - Hedley S. Grantham
- Wildlife Conservation Society Global Conservation Program Bronx New York USA
| | - Thomas D. Evans
- Wildlife Conservation Society Global Conservation Program Bronx New York USA
| | - Jamison Ervin
- United Nations Development Programme New York New York USA
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute University of Northern British Columbia Prince George British Columbia Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
O'Bryan CJ, Garnett ST, Fa JE, Leiper I, Rehbein JA, Fernández‐Llamazares Á, Jackson MV, Jonas HD, Brondizio ES, Burgess ND, Robinson CJ, Zander KK, Molnár Z, Venter O, Watson JEM. The importance of Indigenous Peoples' lands for the conservation of terrestrial mammals. Conserv Biol 2021; 35:1002-1008. [PMID: 32852067 PMCID: PMC8247428 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Indigenous Peoples' lands cover over one-quarter of Earth's surface, a significant proportion of which is still free from industrial-level human impacts. As a result, Indigenous Peoples and their lands are crucial for the long-term persistence of Earth's biodiversity and ecosystem services. Yet, information on species composition on these lands globally remains largely unknown. We conducted the first comprehensive analysis of terrestrial mammal composition across mapped Indigenous lands based on data on area of habitat (AOH) for 4460 mammal species assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. We overlaid each species' AOH on a current map of Indigenous lands and found that 2695 species (60% of assessed mammals) had ≥10% of their ranges on Indigenous Peoples' lands and 1009 species (23%) had >50% of their ranges on these lands. For threatened species, 473 (47%) occurred on Indigenous lands with 26% having >50% of their habitat on these lands. We also found that 935 mammal species (131 categorized as threatened) had ≥ 10% of their range on Indigenous Peoples' lands that had low human pressure. Our results show how important Indigenous Peoples' lands are to the successful implementation of conservation and sustainable development agendas worldwide.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. O'Bryan
- School of Earth and Environmental SciencesThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQLD4072Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation ScienceThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQLD4072Australia
| | - Stephen T. Garnett
- Research Institute for the Environment and LivelihoodsCharles Darwin UniversityDarwinNT0909Australia
| | - Julia E. Fa
- Division of Biology and Conservation EcologySchool of Science and the EnvironmentManchester Metropolitan UniversityManchesterM15 5RNU.K.
- Center for International Forestry ResearchSitu GedeBogor16115Indonesia
| | - Ian Leiper
- Research Institute for the Environment and LivelihoodsCharles Darwin UniversityDarwinNT0909Australia
| | - Jose A. Rehbein
- Environment, Natural Resources, & the Blue Economy Global PracticeThe World BankWashingtonDC20433U.S.A.
| | | | - Micha V. Jackson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation ScienceThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQLD4072Australia
| | | | | | - Neil D. Burgess
- Center for MacroecologyEvolution and ClimateUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDK‐2100Denmark
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP‐WCMC)CambridgeCB3 0DLU.K.
| | - Catherine J. Robinson
- Commonwealth Science & Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)BrisbaneQLD4102Australia
| | | | - Zsolt Molnár
- Centre for Ecological ResearchInstitute of Ecology and BotanyVácrátót2163Hungary
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies InstituteUniversity of Northern British Columbia3333 University WayPrince GeorgeBCV2N 4Z9Canada
| | - James E. M. Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental SciencesThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQLD4072Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation ScienceThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQLD4072Australia
- Global Conservation ProgramWildlife Conservation Society2300 Southern BoulevardBronxNY10460U.S.A.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Nagy‐Reis M, Dickie M, Calvert AM, Hebblewhite M, Hervieux D, Seip DR, Gilbert SL, Venter O, DeMars C, Boutin S, Serrouya R. Habitat loss accelerates for the endangered woodland caribou in western Canada. Conservat Sci and Prac 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Nagy‐Reis
- Caribou Monitoring Unit Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI), University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Melanie Dickie
- Caribou Monitoring Unit Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI), University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Anna M. Calvert
- Landscape Science & Technology Division Environment & Climate Change Canada Ottawa Ontario Canada
| | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana Missoula Montana USA
| | - Dave Hervieux
- Alberta Environment and Parks Grande Prairie Alberta Canada
| | | | - Sophie L. Gilbert
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences University of Idaho Moscow Idaho USA
| | - Oscar Venter
- University of Northern British Columbia Prince George British Columbia Canada
| | - Craig DeMars
- Caribou Monitoring Unit Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI), University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Robert Serrouya
- Caribou Monitoring Unit Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI), University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Maxwell SL, Cazalis V, Dudley N, Hoffmann M, Rodrigues ASL, Stolton S, Visconti P, Woodley S, Kingston N, Lewis E, Maron M, Strassburg BBN, Wenger A, Jonas HD, Venter O, Watson JEM. Author Correction: Area-based conservation in the twenty-first century. Nature 2020; 588:E14. [PMID: 33204035 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2952-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sean L Maxwell
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Victor Cazalis
- CEFE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ. Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Nigel Dudley
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.,Equilibrium Research, Bristol, UK
| | - Michael Hoffmann
- Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
| | - Ana S L Rodrigues
- CEFE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ. Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Piero Visconti
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK.,Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK.,International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Stephen Woodley
- World Commission on Protected Areas, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Gland, Switzerland
| | - Naomi Kingston
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), Cambridge, UK
| | - Edward Lewis
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), Cambridge, UK
| | - Martine Maron
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Bernardo B N Strassburg
- Rio Conservation and Sustainability Science Centre, Department of Geography and the Environment, Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,International Institute for Sustainability, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Programa de Pós Graduacão em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Amelia Wenger
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.,Global Marine Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY, USA
| | - Harry D Jonas
- World Commission on Protected Areas, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Gland, Switzerland.,Future Law, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Oscar Venter
- Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - James E M Watson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.,Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Maxwell SL, Cazalis V, Dudley N, Hoffmann M, Rodrigues ASL, Stolton S, Visconti P, Woodley S, Kingston N, Lewis E, Maron M, Strassburg BBN, Wenger A, Jonas HD, Venter O, Watson JEM. Area-based conservation in the twenty-first century. Nature 2020; 586:217-227. [PMID: 33028996 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2773-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Humanity will soon define a new era for nature-one that seeks to transform decades of underwhelming responses to the global biodiversity crisis. Area-based conservation efforts, which include both protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, are likely to extend and diversify. However, persistent shortfalls in ecological representation and management effectiveness diminish the potential role of area-based conservation in stemming biodiversity loss. Here we show how the expansion of protected areas by national governments since 2010 has had limited success in increasing the coverage across different elements of biodiversity (ecoregions, 12,056 threatened species, 'Key Biodiversity Areas' and wilderness areas) and ecosystem services (productive fisheries, and carbon services on land and sea). To be more successful after 2020, area-based conservation must contribute more effectively to meeting global biodiversity goals-ranging from preventing extinctions to retaining the most-intact ecosystems-and must better collaborate with the many Indigenous peoples, community groups and private initiatives that are central to the successful conservation of biodiversity. The long-term success of area-based conservation requires parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to secure adequate financing, plan for climate change and make biodiversity conservation a far stronger part of land, water and sea management policies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sean L Maxwell
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Victor Cazalis
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Nigel Dudley
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.,Equilibrium Research, Bristol, UK
| | - Michael Hoffmann
- Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
| | - Ana S L Rodrigues
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Piero Visconti
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK.,Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK.,International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Stephen Woodley
- World Commission on Protected Areas, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Gland, Switzerland
| | - Naomi Kingston
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), Cambridge, UK
| | - Edward Lewis
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), Cambridge, UK
| | - Martine Maron
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Bernardo B N Strassburg
- Rio Conservation and Sustainability Science Centre, Department of Geography and the Environment, Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,International Institute for Sustainability, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Programa de Pós Graduacão em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Amelia Wenger
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.,Global Marine Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY, USA
| | - Harry D Jonas
- World Commission on Protected Areas, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Gland, Switzerland.,Future Law, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Oscar Venter
- Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - James E M Watson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.,Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Hansen AJ, Burns P, Ervin J, Goetz SJ, Hansen M, Venter O, Watson JEM, Jantz PA, Virnig ALS, Barnett K, Pillay R, Atkinson S, Supples C, Rodríguez-Buritica S, Armenteras D. A policy-driven framework for conserving the best of Earth's remaining moist tropical forests. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:1377-1384. [PMID: 32778752 PMCID: PMC7529876 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1274-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Tropical forests vary in composition, structure and function such that not all forests have similar ecological value. This variability is caused by natural and anthropogenic disturbance regimes, which influence the ability of forests to support biodiversity, store carbon, mediate water yield and facilitate human well-being. While international environmental agreements mandate protecting and restoring forests, only forest extent is typically considered, while forest quality is ignored. Consequently, the locations and loss rates of forests of high ecological value are unknown and coordinated strategies for conserving these forests remain undeveloped. Here, we map locations high in forest structural integrity as a measure of ecological quality on the basis of recently developed fine-resolution maps of three-dimensional forest structure, integrated with human pressure across the global moist tropics. Our analyses reveal that tall forests with closed canopies and low human pressure typical of natural conditions comprise half of the global humid or moist tropical forest estate, largely limited to the Amazon and Congo basins. Most of these forests have no formal protection and, given recent rates of loss, are at substantial risk. With the rapid disappearance of these 'best of the last' forests at stake, we provide a policy-driven framework for their conservation and restoration, and recommend locations to maintain protections, add new protections, mitigate deleterious human impacts and restore forest structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Hansen
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
| | - Patrick Burns
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Jamison Ervin
- United Nations Development Programme, New York, NY, USA
| | - Scott J Goetz
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Matthew Hansen
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - James E M Watson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY, USA
| | - Patrick A Jantz
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | | | - Kevin Barnett
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Rajeev Pillay
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Dolors Armenteras
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Ward M, Saura S, Williams B, Ramírez-Delgado JP, Arafeh-Dalmau N, Allan JR, Venter O, Dubois G, Watson JEM. Just ten percent of the global terrestrial protected area network is structurally connected via intact land. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4563. [PMID: 32917882 PMCID: PMC7486388 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18457-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Land free of direct anthropogenic disturbance is considered essential for achieving biodiversity conservation outcomes but is rapidly eroding. In response, many nations are increasing their protected area (PA) estates, but little consideration is given to the context of the surrounding landscape. This is despite the fact that structural connectivity between PAs is critical in a changing climate and mandated by international conservation targets. Using a high-resolution assessment of human pressure, we show that while ~40% of the terrestrial planet is intact, only 9.7% of Earth's terrestrial protected network can be considered structurally connected. On average, 11% of each country or territory's PA estate can be considered connected. As the global community commits to bolder action on abating biodiversity loss, placement of future PAs will be critical, as will an increased focus on landscape-scale habitat retention and restoration efforts to ensure those important areas set aside for conservation outcomes will remain (or become) connected.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Ward
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| | - Santiago Saura
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Via E. Fermi 2749, I-21027, Ispra, VA, Italy
- ETSI Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Brooke Williams
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Juan Pablo Ramírez-Delgado
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada
| | - Nur Arafeh-Dalmau
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - James R Allan
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94240, 1090 GE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada
| | - Grégoire Dubois
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Via E. Fermi 2749, I-21027, Ispra, VA, Italy
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY, 20460, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Williams BA, Venter O, Allan JR, Atkinson SC, Rehbein JA, Ward M, Di Marco M, Grantham HS, Ervin J, Goetz SJ, Hansen AJ, Jantz P, Pillay R, Rodríguez-Buriticá S, Supples C, Virnig AL, Watson JE. Change in Terrestrial Human Footprint Drives Continued Loss of Intact Ecosystems. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2020.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
|
17
|
Riggio J, Baillie JEM, Brumby S, Ellis E, Kennedy CM, Oakleaf JR, Tait A, Tepe T, Theobald DM, Venter O, Watson JEM, Jacobson AP. Global human influence maps reveal clear opportunities in conserving Earth's remaining intact terrestrial ecosystems. Glob Chang Biol 2020; 26:4344-4356. [PMID: 32500604 PMCID: PMC7383735 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Leading up to the Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties 15, there is momentum around setting bold conservation targets. Yet, it remains unclear how much of Earth's land area remains without significant human influence and where this land is located. We compare four recent global maps of human influences across Earth's land, Anthromes, Global Human Modification, Human Footprint and Low Impact Areas, to answer these questions. Despite using various methodologies and data, these different spatial assessments independently estimate similar percentages of the Earth's terrestrial surface as having very low (20%-34%) and low (48%-56%) human influence. Three out of four spatial assessments agree on 46% of the non-permanent ice- or snow-covered land as having low human influence. However, much of the very low and low influence portions of the planet are comprised of cold (e.g., boreal forests, montane grasslands and tundra) or arid (e.g., deserts) landscapes. Only four biomes (boreal forests, deserts, temperate coniferous forests and tundra) have a majority of datasets agreeing that at least half of their area has very low human influence. More concerning, <1% of temperate grasslands, tropical coniferous forests and tropical dry forests have very low human influence across most datasets, and tropical grasslands, mangroves and montane grasslands also have <1% of land identified as very low influence across all datasets. These findings suggest that about half of Earth's terrestrial surface has relatively low human influence and offers opportunities for proactive conservation actions to retain the last intact ecosystems on the planet. However, though the relative abundance of ecosystem areas with low human influence varies widely by biome, conserving these last intact areas should be a high priority before they are completely lost.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jason Riggio
- National Geographic SocietyWashingtonDCUSA
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation BiologyMuseum of Wildlife and Fish BiologyUniversity of California, DavisDavisCAUSA
| | | | | | - Erle Ellis
- Department of Geography and Environmental SystemsUniversity of MarylandBaltimore CountyMDUSA
| | | | | | - Alex Tait
- National Geographic SocietyWashingtonDCUSA
| | | | | | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies InstituteUniversity of Northern British ColumbiaPrince GeorgeBCCanada
| | - James E. M. Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental ScienceThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQldAustralia
- Global ConservationWildlife Conservation SocietyBronxNYUSA
| | - Andrew P. Jacobson
- National Geographic SocietyWashingtonDCUSA
- Department of Environment and SustainabilityCatawba CollegeSalisburyNCUSA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
|
19
|
Mokany K, Ferrier S, Harwood TD, Ware C, Di Marco M, Grantham HS, Venter O, Hoskins AJ, Watson JEM. Reconciling global priorities for conserving biodiversity habitat. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:9906-9911. [PMID: 32317385 PMCID: PMC7211919 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1918373117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Degradation and loss of natural habitat is the major driver of the current global biodiversity crisis. Most habitat conservation efforts to date have targeted small areas of highly threatened habitat, but emerging debate suggests that retaining large intact natural systems may be just as important. We reconcile these perspectives by integrating fine-resolution global data on habitat condition and species assemblage turnover to identify Earth's high-value biodiversity habitat. These are areas in better condition than most other locations predicted to have once supported a similar assemblage of species and are found within both intact regions and human-dominated landscapes. However, only 18.6% of this high-value habitat is currently protected globally. Averting permanent biodiversity loss requires clear, spatially explicit targets for retaining these unprotected high-value habitats.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karel Mokany
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia;
| | - Simon Ferrier
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Thomas D Harwood
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Chris Ware
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Moreno Di Marco
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Hedley S Grantham
- Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY 10460
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Andrew J Hoskins
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - James E M Watson
- Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY 10460
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Rehbein JA, Watson JEM, Lane JL, Sonter LJ, Venter O, Atkinson SC, Allan JR. Renewable energy development threatens many globally important biodiversity areas. Glob Chang Biol 2020; 26:3040-3051. [PMID: 32133726 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy is fundamental for halting anthropogenic climate change. However, renewable energy facilities can be land-use intensive and impact conservation areas, and little attention has been given to whether the aggregated effect of energy transitions poses a substantial threat to global biodiversity. Here, we assess the extent of current and likely future renewable energy infrastructure associated with onshore wind, hydropower and solar photovoltaic generation, within three important conservation areas: protected areas (PAs), Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) and Earth's remaining wilderness. We identified 2,206 fully operational renewable energy facilities within the boundaries of these conservation areas, with another 922 facilities under development. Combined, these facilities span and are degrading 886 PAs, 749 KBAs and 40 distinct wilderness areas. Two trends are particularly concerning. First, while the majority of historical overlap occurs in Western Europe, the renewable electricity facilities under development increasingly overlap with conservation areas in Southeast Asia, a globally important region for biodiversity. Second, this next wave of renewable energy infrastructure represents a ~30% increase in the number of PAs and KBAs impacted and could increase the number of compromised wilderness areas by ~60%. If the world continues to rapidly transition towards renewable energy these areas will face increasing pressure to allow infrastructure expansion. Coordinated planning of renewable energy expansion and biodiversity conservation is essential to avoid conflicts that compromise their respective objectives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jose A Rehbein
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science (CBCS), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia
- Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld, Australia
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science (CBCS), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Joe L Lane
- Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld, Australia
- Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Laura J Sonter
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science (CBCS), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada
| | | | - James R Allan
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science (CBCS), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Venter O, Possingham HP, Watson JEM. The human footprint represents observable human pressures: Reply to Kennedy et al. Glob Chang Biol 2020; 26:330-332. [PMID: 31578793 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The Human Modification map differs in important ways from the map of the human footprint, such as its mapping of widespread direct modification of much of the world's polar regions. An extensive validation reveals large inaccuracies in the Human Modification map, and that the human footprint tends to better represent actual observable human pressures on the ground. This article is a commentary on Kennedy et al., 25, 811-826; See also the Commentary on this article by Kennedy et al., 26, 333-336.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Venter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada
| | - Hugh P Possingham
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld, Australia
- The Nature Conservancy, South Brisbane, Qld, Australia
| | - James E M Watson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld, Australia
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
- Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Verma M, Symes WS, Watson JEM, Jones KR, Allan JR, Venter O, Rheindt FE, Edwards DP, Carrasco LR. Severe human pressures in the Sundaland biodiversity hotspot. Conservat Sci and Prac 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Megha Verma
- Department of Biological SciencesNational University of Singapore Singapore
| | - William S. Symes
- Department of Biological SciencesNational University of Singapore Singapore
| | - James E. M. Watson
- Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity ScienceThe University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Global Conservation ProgramWildlife Conservation Society New York City New York
| | - Kendall R. Jones
- Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity ScienceThe University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - James R. Allan
- Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity ScienceThe University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED)University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies InstituteUniversity of Northern British Columbia Prince George British Columbia Canada
| | - Frank E. Rheindt
- Department of Biological SciencesNational University of Singapore Singapore
| | - David P. Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Luis R. Carrasco
- Department of Biological SciencesNational University of Singapore Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Allan JR, Watson JEM, Marco MD, O'Bryan CJ, Possingham HP, Atkinson SC, Venter O. Correction: Hotspots of human impact on threatened terrestrial vertebrates. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000598. [PMID: 31841524 PMCID: PMC6913904 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
|
24
|
Johnson CJ, Venter O, Ray JC, Watson JEM. Growth‐inducing infrastructure represents transformative yet ignored keystone environmental decisions. Conserv Lett 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Chris J. Johnson
- Ecosystem Science and Management ProgramUniversity of Northern British Columbia British Columbia Canada
| | - Oscar Venter
- Ecosystem Science and Management ProgramUniversity of Northern British Columbia British Columbia Canada
| | | | - James E. M. Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Wildlife Conservation SocietyGlobal Conservation Program New York New York
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Beyer HL, Venter O, Grantham HS, Watson JE. Substantial losses in ecoregion intactness highlight urgency of globally coordinated action. Conserv Lett 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hawthorne L. Beyer
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of QueenslandSt. Lucia Queensland Australia
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies InstituteUniversity of Northern British ColumbiaPrince George British Columbia Canada
| | - Hedley S. Grantham
- Wildlife Conservation SocietyGlobal Conservation ProgramNew York New York USA
| | - James E.M. Watson
- Wildlife Conservation SocietyGlobal Conservation ProgramNew York New York USA
- School of Environmental and Earth SciencesUniversity of QueenslandSt. Lucia Queensland Australia
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Hansen A, Barnett K, Jantz P, Phillips L, Goetz SJ, Hansen M, Venter O, Watson JEM, Burns P, Atkinson S, Rodríguez-Buritica S, Ervin J, Virnig A, Supples C, De Camargo R. Global humid tropics forest structural condition and forest structural integrity maps. Sci Data 2019; 6:232. [PMID: 31653863 PMCID: PMC6814722 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-019-0214-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Remotely sensed maps of global forest extent are widely used for conservation assessment and planning. Yet, there is increasing recognition that these efforts must now include elements of forest quality for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Such data are not yet available globally. Here we introduce two data products, the Forest Structural Condition Index (SCI) and the Forest Structural Integrity Index (FSII), to meet this need for the humid tropics. The SCI integrates canopy height, tree cover, and time since disturbance to distinguish short, open-canopy, or recently deforested stands from tall, closed-canopy, older stands typical of primary forest. The SCI was validated against estimates of foliage height diversity derived from airborne lidar. The FSII overlays a global index of human pressure on SCI to identify structurally complex forests with low human pressure, likely the most valuable for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services. These products represent an important step in maturation from conservation focus on forest extent to forest stands that should be considered "best of the last" in international policy settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Hansen
- Landscape Biodiversity Lab, Ecology Department, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA.
| | - Kevin Barnett
- Landscape Biodiversity Lab, Ecology Department, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - Patrick Jantz
- Global Earth Observation & Dynamics of Ecosystems Lab, School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
| | - Linda Phillips
- Landscape Biodiversity Lab, Ecology Department, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - Scott J Goetz
- Global Earth Observation & Dynamics of Ecosystems Lab, School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
| | - Matt Hansen
- Global Land Analysis and Discovery, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20740, USA
| | - Oscar Venter
- Conservation Solutions Lab, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY, 10460, USA
| | - Patrick Burns
- Global Earth Observation & Dynamics of Ecosystems Lab, School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
| | - Scott Atkinson
- United Nations Development Programme, One United Nations Plaza, New York, NY, 10017, USA
| | | | - Jamison Ervin
- United Nations Development Programme, One United Nations Plaza, New York, NY, 10017, USA
| | - Anne Virnig
- United Nations Development Programme, One United Nations Plaza, New York, NY, 10017, USA
| | - Christina Supples
- United Nations Development Programme, One United Nations Plaza, New York, NY, 10017, USA
| | - Rafael De Camargo
- Conservation Solutions Lab, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada
- LCE - Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, Université Franche-Comté, UMR 6249 - CNRS-UFC, Besançon, 25000, France
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Maxwell SL, Evans T, Watson JEM, Morel A, Grantham H, Duncan A, Harris N, Potapov P, Runting RK, Venter O, Wang S, Malhi Y. Degradation and forgone removals increase the carbon impact of intact forest loss by 626. Sci Adv 2019; 5:eaax2546. [PMID: 31692892 PMCID: PMC6821461 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax2546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Intact tropical forests, free from substantial anthropogenic influence, store and sequester large amounts of atmospheric carbon but are currently neglected in international climate policy. We show that between 2000 and 2013, direct clearance of intact tropical forest areas accounted for 3.2% of gross carbon emissions from all deforestation across the pantropics. However, full carbon accounting requires the consideration of forgone carbon sequestration, selective logging, edge effects, and defaunation. When these factors were considered, the net carbon impact resulting from intact tropical forest loss between 2000 and 2013 increased by a factor of 6 (626%), from 0.34 (0.37 to 0.21) to 2.12 (2.85 to 1.00) petagrams of carbon (equivalent to approximately 2 years of global land use change emissions). The climate mitigation value of conserving the 549 million ha of tropical forest that remains intact is therefore significant but will soon dwindle if their rate of loss continues to accelerate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sean L. Maxwell
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY 10460, USA
- Corresponding author.
| | - Tom Evans
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY 10460, USA
| | - James E. M. Watson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY 10460, USA
| | - Alexandra Morel
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
- Zoological Society of London, Regent Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Hedley Grantham
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY 10460, USA
| | - Adam Duncan
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY 10460, USA
| | - Nancy Harris
- World Resources Institute, 10 G Street NE Suite 800, Washington, DC 20002, USA
| | - Peter Potapov
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Rebecca K. Runting
- School of Geography, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Oscar Venter
- Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, Canada
| | - Stephanie Wang
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY 10460, USA
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Coristine LE, Colla S, Bennett N, Carlsson AM, Davy C, Davies KTA, Favaro B, Flockhart DTT, Fraser K, Orihel D, Otto SP, Palen W, Polfus JL, Venter O, Ford AT. National contributions to global ecosystem values. Conserv Biol 2019; 33:1219-1223. [PMID: 30672033 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Current conservation templates prioritize biogeographic regions with high intensity ecosystem values, such as exceptional species richness or threat. Intensity-based targets are an important consideration in global efforts, but they do not capture all available opportunities to conserve ecosystem values, including those that accrue in low intensity over large areas. We assess six globally-significant ecosystem values-intact wilderness, freshwater availability, productive marine environments, breeding habitat for migratory wildlife, soil carbon storage, and latitudinal potential for range shift in the face of climate change-to highlight opportunities for high-impact broadly-distributed contributions to global conservation. Nations can serve as a cohesive block of policy that can profoundly influence conservation outcomes. Contributions to global ecosystem values that exceed what is predicted by a nation's area alone, can give rise to countries with the capacity to act as 'conservation superpowers', such as Canada and Russia. For these conservation superpowers, a relatively small number of national policies can have environmental repercussions for the rest of the world.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Coristine
- Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Sheila Colla
- Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Nathan Bennett
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Anja M Carlsson
- Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department of Environmental Research and Monitoring, P.O. Box 50007, 104 05, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, T3R 1J3, Canada
| | - Christina Davy
- Wildlife Research & Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, K9L 1Z8, Canada
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, 1600 W Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 0G2, Canada
| | | | - Brett Favaro
- School of Fisheries, Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, 155 Ridge Road, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1C 5R3, Canada
| | - D T Tyler Flockhart
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Appalachian Laboratory, 301 Braddock Road, Frostburg, MD, 21532, U.S.A
| | - Kevin Fraser
- Department of Biological Science, University of Manitoba, 50 Sifton Road, Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Diane Orihel
- School of Environmental Studies and Department of Biology, Queen's University, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Sarah P Otto
- Biodiversity Research Centre & Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Wendy Palen
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Jean L Polfus
- Department of Biological Science, University of Manitoba, 50 Sifton Road, Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, British Columbia, V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Adam T Ford
- Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 1V7, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Locke H, Ellis EC, Venter O, Schuster R, Ma K, Shen X, Woodley S, Kingston N, Bhola N, Strassburg BBN, Paulsch A, Williams B, Watson JEM. Three global conditions for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use: an implementation framework. Natl Sci Rev 2019; 6:1080-1082. [PMID: 34691979 PMCID: PMC8291457 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwz136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Harvey Locke
- Beyond the Aichi Targets Task Force IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, Canada
| | - Erle C Ellis
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, USA
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Keping Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Xiaoli Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
| | | | - Naomi Kingston
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), UK
| | - Nina Bhola
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), UK
| | - Bernardo B N Strassburg
- Conservation and Sustainability Science Centre, Department of Geography and the Environment, Pontifícia Universidade Católica and International Institute for Sustainability, Brazil
| | | | - Brooke Williams
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia
- Wildlife Conservation Society, USA
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Mappin B, Chauvenet AL, Adams VM, Di Marco M, Beyer HL, Venter O, Halpern BS, Possingham HP, Watson JE. Restoration priorities to achieve the global protected area target. Conserv Lett 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Bonnie Mappin
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
- School of Earth Environmental SciencesUniversity of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
| | - Alienor L.M. Chauvenet
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
| | - Vanessa M. Adams
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
- School of Technology, Environments & DesignUniversity of Tasmania Hobart Tasmania Australia
| | - Moreno Di Marco
- School of Earth Environmental SciencesUniversity of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
- CSIRO Land & WaterEcoSciences Precinct Dutton Park, Queensland Australia
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Charles Darwin”Sapienza University of Rome Rome Italy
| | - Hawthorne L. Beyer
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies InstituteThe University of Northern British Columbia Prince George Canada
| | - Benjamin S. Halpern
- Bren School of Environmental Science and ManagementUniversity of California Santa Barbara California
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and SynthesisUniversity of California Santa Barbara California
| | - Hugh P. Possingham
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
- The Nature Conservancy South Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - James E.M. Watson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
- School of Earth Environmental SciencesUniversity of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
- Wildlife Conservation SocietyGlobal Conservation Bronx New York
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
|
32
|
Allan JR, Watson JEM, Di Marco M, O’Bryan CJ, Possingham HP, Atkinson SC, Venter O. Hotspots of human impact on threatened terrestrial vertebrates. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000158. [PMID: 30860989 PMCID: PMC6413901 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Conserving threatened species requires identifying where across their range they are being impacted by threats, yet this remains unresolved across most of Earth. Here, we present a global analysis of cumulative human impacts on threatened species by using a spatial framework that jointly considers the co-occurrence of eight threatening processes and the distribution of 5,457 terrestrial vertebrates. We show that impacts to species are widespread, occurring across 84% of Earth's surface, and identify hotspots of impacted species richness and coolspots of unimpacted species richness. Almost one-quarter of assessed species are impacted across >90% of their distribution, and approximately 7% are impacted across their entire range. These results foreshadow localised extirpations and potential extinctions without conservation action. The spatial framework developed here offers a tool for defining strategies to directly mitigate the threats driving species' declines, providing essential information for future national and global conservation agendas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James R. Allan
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - James E. M. Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Moreno Di Marco
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- CSIRO Land & Water, EcoSciences Precinct, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Christopher J. O’Bryan
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Hugh P. Possingham
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Scott C. Atkinson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
|
34
|
Coristine LE, Jacob AL, Schuster R, Otto SP, Baron NE, Bennett NJ, Bittick SJ, Dey C, Favaro B, Ford A, Nowlan L, Orihel D, Palen WJ, Polfus JL, Shiffman DS, Venter O, Woodley S. Informing Canada’s commitment to biodiversity conservation: A science-based framework to help guide protected areas designation through Target 1 and beyond. Facets (Ott) 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2017-0102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity is intrinsically linked to the health of our planet—and its people. Yet, increasingly, human activities are causing the extinction of species, degrading ecosystems, and reducing nature’s resilience to climate change and other threats. As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Canada has a legal responsibility to protect 17% of land and freshwater by 2020. Currently, Canada has protected ∼10% of its terrestrial lands, requiring a marked increase in the pace and focus of protection over the next three years. Given the distribution, extent, and geography of Canada’s current protected areas, systematic conservation planning would provide decision-makers with a ranking of the potential for new protected area sites to stem biodiversity loss and preserve functioning ecosystems. Here, we identify five key principles for identifying lands that are likely to make the greatest contribution to reversing biodiversity declines and ensuring biodiversity persistence into the future. We identify current gaps and integrate principles of protecting ( i) species at risk, ( ii) representative ecosystems, ( iii) intact wilderness, ( iv) connectivity, and ( v) climate refugia. This spatially explicit assessment is intended as an ecological foundation that, when integrated with social, economic and governance considerations, would support evidence-based protected area decision-making in Canada.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura E. Coristine
- Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Aerin L. Jacob
- Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, 200-1350 Railway Ave., Canmore, AB T1W 1P6, Canada
| | - Richard Schuster
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Sarah P. Otto
- Biodiversity Research Centre & Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Nancy E. Baron
- COMPASS, National Center of Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, 735 State St. Santa Barbara, CA 93103, USA
| | - Nathan J. Bennett
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Sarah Joy Bittick
- Biodiversity Research Centre & Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Cody Dey
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Drive, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Brett Favaro
- School of Fisheries, Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, 155 Ridge Road, St. John’s, NL A1C 5R3, Canada
| | - Adam Ford
- Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Linda Nowlan
- West Coast Environmental Law, 200-2006 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 2B3, Canada
| | - Diane Orihel
- School of Environmental Studies and Department of Biology, Queen’s University, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Wendy J. Palen
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr., Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Jean L. Polfus
- Biology Department, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - David S. Shiffman
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr., Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Stephen Woodley
- IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, 64 Chemin Juniper, Chelsea, QC J9B 1T3, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Affiliation(s)
- Kendall R Jones
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. .,Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Oscar Venter
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Richard A Fuller
- Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - James R Allan
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.,Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Sean L Maxwell
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.,Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Pablo Jose Negret
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.,Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.,Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.,Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY 10460, USA
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Jones KR, Klein CJ, Halpern BS, Venter O, Grantham H, Kuempel CD, Shumway N, Friedlander AM, Possingham HP, Watson JE. The Location and Protection Status of Earth’s Diminishing Marine Wilderness. Curr Biol 2018; 28:2683. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.07.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
|
37
|
Jones KR, Klein CJ, Halpern BS, Venter O, Grantham H, Kuempel CD, Shumway N, Friedlander AM, Possingham HP, Watson JEM. The Location and Protection Status of Earth's Diminishing Marine Wilderness. Curr Biol 2018; 28:2506-2512.e3. [PMID: 30057308 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Revised: 03/30/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
As human activities increasingly threaten biodiversity [1, 2], areas devoid of intense human impacts are vital refugia [3]. These wilderness areas contain high genetic diversity, unique functional traits, and endemic species [4-7]; maintain high levels of ecological and evolutionary connectivity [8-10]; and may be well placed to resist and recover from the impacts of climate change [11-13]. On land, rapid declines in wilderness [3] have led to urgent calls for its protection [3, 14]. In contrast, little is known about the extent and protection of marine wilderness [4, 5]. Here we systematically map marine wilderness globally by identifying areas that have both very little impact (lowest 10%) from 15 anthropogenic stressors and also a very low combined cumulative impact from these stressors. We discover that ∼13% of the ocean meets this definition of global wilderness, with most being located in the high seas. Recognizing that human influence differs across ocean regions, we repeat the analysis within each of the 16 ocean realms [15]. Realm-specific wilderness extent varies considerably, with >16 million km2 (8.6%) in the Warm Indo-Pacific, down to <2,000 km2 (0.5%) in Temperate Southern Africa. We also show that the marine protected area estate holds only 4.9% of global wilderness and 4.1% of realm-specific wilderness, very little of which is in biodiverse ecosystems such as coral reefs. Proactive retention of marine wilderness should now be incorporated into global strategies aimed at conserving biodiversity and ensuring that large-scale ecological and evolutionary processes continue. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kendall R Jones
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY 10460, USA; School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Carissa J Klein
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Benjamin S Halpern
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, 735 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-5504, USA; Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA; Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Burkhurst Road, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Hedley Grantham
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY 10460, USA
| | - Caitlin D Kuempel
- Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Nicole Shumway
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Alan M Friedlander
- Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society, Washington, DC, USA; Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Hugh P Possingham
- Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; The Nature Conservancy, 4245 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203, USA
| | - James E M Watson
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY 10460, USA; School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Jones KR, Venter O, Fuller RA, Allan JR, Maxwell SL, Negret PJ, Watson JEM. One-third of global protected land is under intense human pressure. Science 2018; 360:788-791. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aap9565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 389] [Impact Index Per Article: 64.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
|
39
|
Allan JR, Kormos C, Jaeger T, Venter O, Bertzky B, Shi Y, Mackey B, van Merm R, Osipova E, Watson JEM. Gaps and opportunities for the World Heritage Convention to contribute to global wilderness conservation. Conserv Biol 2018; 32:116-126. [PMID: 28664996 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Revised: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Wilderness areas are ecologically intact landscapes predominantly free of human uses, especially industrial-scale activities that result in substantial biophysical disturbance. This definition does not exclude land and resource use by local communities who depend on such areas for subsistence and bio-cultural connections. Wilderness areas are important for biodiversity conservation and sustain key ecological processes and ecosystem services that underpin planetary life-support systems. Despite these widely recognized benefits and values of wilderness, they are insufficiently protected and are consequently being rapidly eroded. There are increasing calls for multilateral environmental agreements to make a greater and more systematic contribution to wilderness conservation before it is too late. We created a global map of remaining terrestrial wilderness following the established last-of-the-wild method, which identifies the 10% of areas with the lowest human pressure within each of Earth's 62 biogeographic realms and identifies the 10 largest contiguous areas and all contiguous areas >10,000 km2 . We used our map to assess wilderness coverage by the World Heritage Convention and to identify gaps in coverage. We then identified large nationally designated protected areas with good wilderness coverage within these gaps. One-quarter of natural and mixed (i.e., sites of both natural and cultural value) World Heritage Sites (WHS) contained wilderness (total of 545,307 km2 ), which is approximately 1.8% of the world's wilderness extent. Many WHS had excellent wilderness coverage, for example, the Okavango Delta in Botswana (11,914 km2 ) and the Central Suriname Nature Reserve (16,029 km2 ). However, 22 (35%) of the world's terrestrial biorealms had no wilderness representation within WHS. We identified 840 protected areas of >500 km2 that were predominantly wilderness (>50% of their area) and represented 18 of the 22 missing biorealms. These areas offer a starting point for assessing the potential for the designation of new WHSs that could help increase wilderness representation on the World Heritage list. We urge the World Heritage Convention to ensure that the ecological integrity and outstanding universal value of existing WHS with wilderness values are preserved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James R Allan
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Cyril Kormos
- WILD Foundation, 717 Poplar Avenue, Boulder, CO 80304, U.S.A
| | - Tilman Jaeger
- World Commission on Protected Areas, IUCN Headquarters, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
| | - Oscar Venter
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC V2N4M7, Canada
| | - Bastian Bertzky
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Via Enrico Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy
| | - Yichuan Shi
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (IUCN and UNEP-WCMC), 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
| | - Brendan Mackey
- Climate Change Response Program, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queeensland 4221, Australia
| | - Remco van Merm
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
| | - Elena Osipova
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY 10460, U.S.A
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Di Marco M, Watson JEM, Currie DJ, Possingham HP, Venter O. The extent and predictability of the biodiversity-carbon correlation. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:365-375. [PMID: 29314473 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Protecting biomass carbon stocks to mitigate climate change has direct implications for biodiversity conservation. Yet, evidence that a positive association exists between carbon density and species richness is contrasting. Here, we test how this association varies (1) across spatial extents and (2) as a function of how strongly carbon and species richness depend on environmental variables. We found the correlation weakens when moving from larger extents, e.g. realms, to narrower extents, e.g. ecoregions. For ecoregions, a positive correlation emerges when both species richness and carbon density vary as functions of the same environmental variables (climate, soil, elevation). In 20% of tropical ecoregions, there are opportunities to pursue carbon conservation with direct biodiversity co-benefits, while other ecoregions require careful planning for both species and carbon to avoid potentially perverse outcomes. The broad assumption of a linear relationship between carbon and biodiversity can lead to undesired outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Moreno Di Marco
- CSIRO Land & Water, EcoSciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park Qld, 4102, Australia.,Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Qld., Australia
| | - James E M Watson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Qld., Australia.,Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY, 10460, USA
| | - David J Currie
- Biology Department, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie Priv. Ottawa, ON, K1N6N5, Canada
| | - Hugh P Possingham
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Qld., Australia.,The Nature Conservancy, 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100 Arlington, VA, 22203-1606, USA
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, V2N 4Z9, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Allan JR, Venter O, Watson JE. Temporally inter-comparable maps of terrestrial wilderness and the Last of the Wild. Sci Data 2017; 4:170187. [PMID: 29231923 PMCID: PMC5726312 DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2017.187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Wilderness areas, defined as areas free of industrial scale activities and other human pressures which result in significant biophysical disturbance, are important for biodiversity conservation and sustaining the key ecological processes underpinning planetary life-support systems. Despite their importance, wilderness areas are being rapidly eroded in extent and fragmented. Here we present the most up-to-date temporally inter-comparable maps of global terrestrial wilderness areas, which are essential for monitoring changes in their extent, and for proactively planning conservation interventions to ensure their preservation. Using maps of human pressure on the natural environment for 1993 and 2009, we identified wilderness as all 'pressure free' lands with a contiguous area >10,000 km2. These places are likely operating in a natural state and represent the most intact habitats globally. We then created a regionally representative map of wilderness following the well-established 'Last of the Wild' methodology; which identifies the 10% area with the lowest human pressure within each of Earth's 60 biogeographic realms, and identifies the ten largest contiguous areas, along with all contiguous areas >10,000 km2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James R. Allan
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, Canada 2M74Z9
| | - James E.M. Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY 10460, USA
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Di Marco M, Chapman S, Althor G, Kearney S, Besancon C, Butt N, Maina JM, Possingham HP, Rogalla von Bieberstein K, Venter O, Watson JE. Changing trends and persisting biases in three decades of conservation science. Glob Ecol Conserv 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2017.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
|
43
|
Affiliation(s)
- Moreno Di Marco
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science The University of Queensland 4072 Brisbane QLD Australia
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management The University of Queensland 4072 Brisbane QLD Australia
| | - James E.M. Watson
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management The University of Queensland 4072 Brisbane QLD Australia
- Global Conservation Program Wildlife Conservation Society 2300 Southern Boulevard Bronx NY 10460 USA
| | - Oscar Venter
- Ecosystem Science and Management University of Northern British Columbia Prince George BC V2N 4Z9 Canada
| | - Hugh P. Possingham
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science The University of Queensland 4072 Brisbane QLD Australia
- Department of Life Sciences Imperial College London Buckhurst Road Ascot Berkshire SL5 7PY UK
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Watson J, Shanahan D, Di Marco M, Allan J, Laurance W, Sanderson E, Mackey B, Venter O. Catastrophic Declines in Wilderness Areas Undermine Global Environment Targets. Curr Biol 2016; 26:2929-2934. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.08.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 282] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Revised: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
45
|
Watson JE, Jones KR, Fuller RA, Marco MD, Segan DB, Butchart SH, Allan JR, McDonald‐Madden E, Venter O. Persistent Disparities between Recent Rates of Habitat Conversion and Protection and Implications for Future Global Conservation Targets. Conserv Lett 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- James E.M. Watson
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
- Global Conservation Program Wildlife Conservation Society 2300 Southern Boulevard Bronx NY 10460 USA
| | - Kendall R. Jones
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Richard A. Fuller
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Moreno Di Marco
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Daniel B. Segan
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Stuart H.M. Butchart
- BirdLife International David Attenborough Building Pembroke Street Cambridge CB23QZ UK
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Downing Street Cambridge CB23EJ UK
| | - James R. Allan
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Eve McDonald‐Madden
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Oscar Venter
- Ecosystem Science and Management University of Northern British Columbia BC V2N 2M7, British Colombia Prince George Canada
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Di Marco M, Watson JEM, Possingham HP, Venter O. Limitations and trade-offs in the use of species distribution maps for protected area planning. J Appl Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Moreno Di Marco
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions; Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science; The University of Queensland; Brisbane 4072 Qld Australia
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management; The University of Queensland; Brisbane 4072 Qld Australia
| | - James E. M. Watson
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management; The University of Queensland; Brisbane 4072 Qld Australia
- Global Conservation Program; Wildlife Conservation Society; 2300 Southern Boulevard Bronx NY 10460 USA
| | - Hugh P. Possingham
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions; Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science; The University of Queensland; Brisbane 4072 Qld Australia
- Department of Life Sciences; Imperial College London; Buckhurst Road Ascot Berkshire SL5 7PY UK
| | - Oscar Venter
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions; Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science; The University of Queensland; Brisbane 4072 Qld Australia
- Ecosystem Science and Management; University of Northern British Columbia; Prince George BC V2N 4Z9 Canada
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Venter O, Sanderson EW, Magrach A, Allan JR, Beher J, Jones KR, Possingham HP, Laurance WF, Wood P, Fekete BM, Levy MA, Watson JEM. Sixteen years of change in the global terrestrial human footprint and implications for biodiversity conservation. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12558. [PMID: 27552116 PMCID: PMC4996975 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 518] [Impact Index Per Article: 64.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Human pressures on the environment are changing spatially and temporally, with profound implications for the planet's biodiversity and human economies. Here we use recently available data on infrastructure, land cover and human access into natural areas to construct a globally standardized measure of the cumulative human footprint on the terrestrial environment at 1 km2 resolution from 1993 to 2009. We note that while the human population has increased by 23% and the world economy has grown 153%, the human footprint has increased by just 9%. Still, 75% the planet's land surface is experiencing measurable human pressures. Moreover, pressures are perversely intense, widespread and rapidly intensifying in places with high biodiversity. Encouragingly, we discover decreases in environmental pressures in the wealthiest countries and those with strong control of corruption. Clearly the human footprint on Earth is changing, yet there are still opportunities for conservation gains. Habitat loss and urbanization are primary components of human impact on the environment. Here, Venter et al. use global data on infrastructure, agriculture, and urbanization to show that the human footprint is growing slower than the human population, but footprints are increasing in biodiverse regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Venter
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada V2N 4Z9.,Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia Queensland 4072, Australia.,Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia
| | - Eric W Sanderson
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx New York 10460, USA
| | - Ainhoa Magrach
- Ecosystem Management, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.,Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Américo Vespucio s/n, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - James R Allan
- Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia Queensland 4072, Australia.,School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, University of Queensland, St Lucia Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jutta Beher
- Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Kendall R Jones
- Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia Queensland 4072, Australia.,School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, University of Queensland, St Lucia Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Hugh P Possingham
- Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia Queensland 4072, Australia.,Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK
| | - William F Laurance
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia
| | - Peter Wood
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia
| | - Balázs M Fekete
- Department of Civil Engineering, The City College of New York, CUNY Environmental CrossRoads Initiative, City University of New York, New York, New York 10007, USA
| | - Marc A Levy
- Center for International Earth Science Information Network, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA
| | - James E M Watson
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx New York 10460, USA.,School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, University of Queensland, St Lucia Queensland 4072, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Venter O, Sanderson EW, Magrach A, Allan JR, Beher J, Jones KR, Possingham HP, Laurance WF, Wood P, Fekete BM, Levy MA, Watson JEM. Global terrestrial Human Footprint maps for 1993 and 2009. Sci Data 2016; 3:160067. [PMID: 27552448 PMCID: PMC5127486 DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2016.67] [Citation(s) in RCA: 261] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Remotely-sensed and bottom-up survey information were compiled on eight variables measuring the direct and indirect human pressures on the environment globally in 1993 and 2009. This represents not only the most current information of its type, but also the first temporally-consistent set of Human Footprint maps. Data on human pressures were acquired or developed for: 1) built environments, 2) population density, 3) electric infrastructure, 4) crop lands, 5) pasture lands, 6) roads, 7) railways, and 8) navigable waterways. Pressures were then overlaid to create the standardized Human Footprint maps for all non-Antarctic land areas. A validation analysis using scored pressures from 3114×1 km2 random sample plots revealed strong agreement with the Human Footprint maps. We anticipate that the Human Footprint maps will find a range of uses as proxies for human disturbance of natural systems. The updated maps should provide an increased understanding of the human pressures that drive macro-ecological patterns, as well as for tracking environmental change and informing conservation science and application.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Venter
- Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada V2N 4Z9.,Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions and the School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.,Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia
| | - Eric W Sanderson
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, New York 10460, USA
| | - Ainhoa Magrach
- Ecosystem Management, ETH Zurich, Zuerich 8092, Switzerland.,Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Américo Vespucio s/n, Isla de la Cartuja, Sevilla 41092, Spain
| | - James R Allan
- Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions and the School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.,School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jutta Beher
- Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions and the School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Kendall R Jones
- Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions and the School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.,School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Hugh P Possingham
- Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions and the School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.,Imperial College London, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Ascot SL5 7PY, Berkshire, UK
| | - William F Laurance
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia
| | - Peter Wood
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia
| | - Balázs M Fekete
- Department of Civil Engineering, The City College of New York, New York 10007, USA
| | - Marc A Levy
- Center for International Earth Science Information Network, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA
| | - James E M Watson
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, New York 10460, USA.,School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Watson JEM, Darling ES, Venter O, Maron M, Walston J, Possingham HP, Dudley N, Hockings M, Barnes M, Brooks TM. Bolder science needed now for protected areas. Conserv Biol 2016; 30:243-8. [PMID: 26486683 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Accepted: 10/07/2015] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Recognizing that protected areas (PAs) are essential for effective biodiversity conservation action, the Convention on Biological Diversity established ambitious PA targets as part of the 2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity. Under the strategic goal to "improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity," Target 11 aims to put 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine regions under PA status by 2020. Additionally and crucially, these areas are required to be of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative, and well-connected and to include "other effective area-based conservation measures" (OECMs). Whereas the area-based targets are explicit and measurable, the lack of guidance for what constitutes important and representative; effective; and OECMs is affecting how nations are implementing the target. There is a real risk that Target 11 may be achieved in terms of area while failing the overall strategic goal for which it is established because the areas are poorly located, inadequately managed, or based on unjustifiable inclusion of OECMs. We argue that the conservation science community can help establish ecologically sensible PA targets to help prioritize important biodiversity areas and achieve ecological representation; identify clear, comparable performance metrics of ecological effectiveness so progress toward these targets can be assessed; and identify metrics and report on the contribution OECMs make toward the target. By providing ecologically sensible targets and new performance metrics for measuring the effectiveness of both PAs and OECMs, the science community can actively ensure that the achievement of the required area in Target 11 is not simply an end in itself but generates genuine benefits for biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James E M Watson
- Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, 10460, U.S.A
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Emily S Darling
- Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, 10460, U.S.A
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, U.S.A
| | - Oscar Venter
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Martine Maron
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Joe Walston
- Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, 10460, U.S.A
| | - Hugh P Possingham
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Nigel Dudley
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- University of Northern British Columbia, School of Ecosystem Sciences and Management, Prince George, Canada
- Equilibrium Research, 47 The Quays, Cumberland Road, Bristol, BS1 6UQ, United Kingdom
| | - Marc Hockings
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Megan Barnes
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Thomas M Brooks
- International Union for Conservation of Nature, Gland, Switzerland
- World Agroforestry Center, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines
- School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Maxwell SL, Venter O, Jones KR, Watson JEM. Integrating human responses to climate change into conservation vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2016; 1355:98-116. [PMID: 26555860 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The impact of climate change on biodiversity is now evident, with the direct impacts of changing temperature and rainfall patterns and increases in the magnitude and frequency of extreme events on species distribution, populations, and overall ecosystem function being increasingly publicized. Changes in the climate system are also affecting human communities, and a range of human responses across terrestrial and marine realms have been witnessed, including altered agricultural activities, shifting fishing efforts, and human migration. Failing to account for the human responses to climate change is likely to compromise climate-smart conservation efforts. Here, we use a well-established conservation planning framework to show how integrating human responses to climate change into both species- and site-based vulnerability assessments and adaptation plans is possible. By explicitly taking into account human responses, conservation practitioners will improve their evaluation of species and ecosystem vulnerability, and will be better able to deliver win-wins for human- and biodiversity-focused climate adaptation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sean L Maxwell
- School of Geography, Planning, and Environmental Management.,ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Oscar Venter
- University of Northern British Columbia, Ecosystem Science and Management, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - James E M Watson
- School of Geography, Planning, and Environmental Management.,Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, New York
| |
Collapse
|