Conservation Success Flashcards

1
Q

1980-2012: ≈154 Mha forest converted

A

77x Wales

Gibbs et al. 2010 PNAS + Hansen et al. 2013 Science

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2
Q

State of biodiversity is decreasing

Stuart Butchart 2010

A
Pressure is increasing
ecological footprint
nitrogen deposition
alien species
proportion of fish stocks overexploited
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3
Q

Conservation costs too much

A

Cost of downlisting bird species
$0.85 million

Total ~$1 billion/yr
Current spend = 12%
McCarthy et al. 2012 Science

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4
Q

Plus site protection…

A
Compensation costs (all IBAs) = $50.7 bn/year
Management costs (all IBAs) = $7.1 bn/year
Species (all) = $18.3 bn/year

Total = $76.1 bn/year

of which «10% is currently being met….

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5
Q

Protected areas

A

Currently cover ~13% of world’s terrestrial environment
CBD Aichi Target 11: increase this to 17% by 2020
One of the main pillars in global conservation - but do they actually work?

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6
Q

More spent on soft drinks than conservation (400 billion dollars per year)

A

Global military expenditure 1700 billion dollars

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7
Q

Do PAs work?

Match PAs to unprotected sites

Use satellite imagery to compare rates of habitat loss

Compare rates in buffer areas outside sites

A

Many PAs are “rock and ice” sites with low levels of threat

PAs may displace habitat loss to other areas (leakage)

Little systematic PA monitoring in place for habitats or species

Success of PAs likely to vary by habitat, altitude, region, human population density, governance, etc.

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8
Q
>1000 IBAs in Africa.
Match protected and unprotected important Bird Areas on:
Area
Altitude
Dominant land cover
Accessibility (roads)
Human population density
Analysis inside IBA & in 20-km buffer zone
A

Beresford et al. 2013 PLOS One

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9
Q

Remote monitoring

A
Satellite images: 
Increasingly freely available
Have extensive coverage
Can be analysed remotely
Spatial, temporal and thematic resolution can be tailored
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10
Q

Inside IBA Here for KE031, where land cover was stable, we found an increase in agric surrounding the park

A

(suggesting increased pressure on the park vegetation outside)

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11
Q

If we look at rates of only forest loss (which most studies of PA effectiveness have considered), we find that they are twice as high in PAs and buffers than loss of all land cover together.
Protection reduces forest loss

A

Suggests that the results of studies on forest loss can be used to make a relative assessment of PA efgfectiveness, but the absolute estimates will not be comaprable as rates of loss twice as high.

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12
Q

The EU Birds Directive

A

Strengths of the Directive

Binding law with an ultimate authority
Increasingly science-based
International approach
Provides a level playing-field across the EU
Covers all species
Links with Habitats Directive (Natura 2000)

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13
Q

Annex I species did significantly better in the EU after the introduction of the Birds Directive

A

The results showed that the populations of Annex I species increased rapidly after the BD was brought in, but that non-Annex I species did not respond much, being on average about stable in both periods

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14
Q

Why are we observing these ‘big scale’ successes?Mauritius: extinction crisis
Mauritius Kestrel
1979: Jones took over recovery project
Implemented:
‘double-clutching’
dietary supplements for parents
hacking of captive-reared birds
fostering of captive-reared young to wild pairs
1983-1993: 333 birds reared
Late 1990s 350-500 individuals
Downlisted to Endangered (1994) & Vulnerable (2000)

A

Echo parakeet + Mauritius pink pigeon

Echo parakeet
Mid-1990’s = 50-60 individuals; 2000 = >100 birds
343 birds in 2007 downlisted to Endangered
2015 = 650 birds

Mauritius pink pigeon
Downlisted to Endangered in 2000
2015 = ~400 wild birds

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15
Q

Union of concerned scientists

Translating Complex Science into Plain English (Spanish, Portuguese, etc.)

A
Science-based advocacy organization
Founded in 1969 at M.I.T.
About 160 staff in four US-based offices
About 450,000 members
No government or business funding
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16
Q

UCS Activities with Scientists

A
Reports
Books
Journal papers
Lobbying
Advocacy at International climate negotiations
Interviews
Social media
Blogging
17
Q

Policymakers aren’t stupid, but they are busy
What You Say is not the same thing as What They Hear
What you Know the Best, is not the same as what they Need the Most

A

You have a Theory of Change – make it clear
Publication is not nearly enough
Don’t be totally negative - Keep Hope Alive

18
Q

Daniel Katz was instrumental in initiating the rainforest conservation movement when he co-founded the Rainforest Alliance in 1986 at the age of 24. The Rainforest Alliance is a non-governmental organization that focuses on environmental conservation throughout the world. Under Katz’s leadership, the Rainforest Alliance became the first nonprofit organization to create a global program to monitor, evaluate, certify and audit forests. The Rainforest Alliance is known world-wide for creating independent third-party certification in forestry, agriculture and tourism. He was the Executive Director of the Rainforest Alliance from its inception until 2000; today he serves as the Chairman of the Rainforest Alliance board.

A

The Rainforest Alliance is not an advocacy group or a think tank. We work with people: from farm workers in the field, to corporate CEO’s and business owners to everyday people trying to buy a sustainably produced product.

International nonprofit conservation and development organisation

Land use, business, consumer behaviour going towards protecting biodiversity and livelihoods

19
Q

Value chain

Training and support for producers

Auditing / certification / verification

Chain of custody - traceability

Corporate engagement

Marketing support and brand awareness

A

Capacity Building
&
Technical Assistance

Certification
&
Sustainability Standards

Market development
&
Corporate engagement

producers - buyers - distributors - consumers

20
Q

Mountain gorillas

A

Dian Fossey

Born 1932 in California. She self-funded her degree in occupational therapy in 1954. In 1963 she borrowed $8000 (a years salary), spent her life savings and went to Africa for 7-week tour from Kenya to DRC. She met Leakey (human evolution), and ended up encountering gorillas for a few days. Three years later in Louisville (repay debts) she met Leakey again. He suggested that she take up a long-term study of Mountain Gorillas similar to that of Jane Goodall on Chimpanzees in Tanzania. She emigrated to Africa. She went to the Virunga Mountains in the DRC. She lived in tents for 1 month, then trek down the mountain and drive 2 hours to local town for provisions.

She habituated three groups, but civil war meant she had to move to the Rwandan side of the Virungas.

21
Q

Protecting mountain gorillas

A

1967 founded the Karisoke Research Center
Nyiramacyibili: “Woman who lives alone on the mountain”
Digit killed by poachers in 1977, then other study gorillas
Created Digit Fund (now Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Intl.)
Anti-poaching patrols
Park boundary lowered 3,000 > 2,500 masl
Later, managed sustainable ecotourism
Wrote Gorillas in the Mist, 1983
Film in 1988, Warner Bros.

22
Q

Protecting mountain gorillas

A

Since 1996, 140 Virunga rangers have been killed
Two populations – Virungas & Bwindi – both increasing
Virungas: 1981 = 254 &raquo_space; 2010 = 480 individuals
Total ~880 individuals in 2015
Habituated groups for research/ecotourism high growth rates
$750 per person per visit (social projects, bodyguards, etc.)

23
Q

Bonn Challenge

A

To restore 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded lands by 2020

24
Q

Why conservation will succeed

A

Passionate people about conserving wildlife
Not in it for the money
aka rubbish salaries for most, but not all
Human capital makes up for a lot of the conservation financial shortfall
Massive array of ways to effect conservation
What is going to be your role?