Amazonian biodiversity: assessing conservation priorities with taxonomic data

Data from 3991 records of museum collections representing 421 species of plants, arthropods, amphibians, fish, and primates were analyzed with GIS to identify areas of high species diversity and endemism in Amazonia. Of the 472 1 × 1° grid cells in Amazonia, only nine cells are included in the highest species diversity category (43–67 total species) and nine in the highest endemic species diversity category (4–13 endemic species). Over one quarter of the grid cells have no museum records of any of the organisms in our study. Little correspondence exists between the centers of species diversity identified by our collections-based data and those areas recommended for conservation in an earlier qualitative study of Amazonian biodiversity. Museum collections can play a vital role in identifying species-rich areas for potential conservation in Amazonia, but a concerted and structured effort to increase the number and distribution of collections is needed to take maximum advantage of the information they contain.     

Sustainable biodiversity conservation in the Niger Delta: a practical approach to conservation site selection

The rich biodiversity repository of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is under severe threat from diverse sources such as deforestation, inadequate farming practices, invasive alien species, urbanization and oil and gas exploration and development activities. This biodiversity “hot spot” is the second most sensitive environment in Africa. The over 70 Protected Areas (PAs) here have lost substantial portions of their area which translates to loss of biodiversity. The need to select representative sites within each of the ecological zones of the region for effective and sustainable biodiversity conservation is, therefore, essential. Vital site criteria that have ecological, socio-economic and cultural dimensions were selected and assessed through a combination of relevant scientific information, indigenous traditional knowledge and participatory rural appraisal (PRA) to yield Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs).They are significantly different from the site selection criteria and principles used in the UK and to a large extent adopt the critical factors that underscore biodiversity conservation in a largely primary production based economy such as in much of the developing world. The three sites selected for biodiversity conservation through this process yielded not only community buy-in but also participatory action and ownership, which are critical for the sustainability of the biodiversity conservation efforts. Shell Nigeria and World Wide Fund (WWF) representatives are already concluding plans to commence effective conservation projects in the selected sites. This approach is hereby advocated for consideration and adoption for the preservation of the remaining stock of the unique biodiversity in developing countries.     

Making a better case for biodiversity conservation: the BESAFE project

This Editorial to the BESAFE special issue introduces the project and its approach and case studies. The BESAFE (EC 7th Framework programme) project investigated how the effectiveness of different types of arguments for biodiversity conservation depends on the context in which they are used. Our results show that tailoring of argumentation to audience within the course of decision processes is the main factor determining effectiveness. We consistently found arguments linked to intrinsic value (e.g. moral or ethical obligation arguments) as shared and supported widely, and thus offering common ground between parties. Economic arguments are effective as additional ones, but not as replacements. Next generation biodiversity conservation strategies can probably improve their effectiveness by emphasizing and better explaining the synergies between traditional conservation and especially regulating and cultural services.     

AFLP: a useful tool for biodiversity conservation and management

The access to new molecular markers is not always possible for all researchers, due to limited laboratory and economical resources. A new technique, called AFLP, seems to be a simple and robust method to obtain a large number of variable molecular markers. In this article I show the results of AFLP analysis in three different conservation projects requiring different level of genetic variability. I also compare the multi-locus AFLP results with single-locus markers (microsatellites) and haploid organellar marker (mtDNA) sequences. The results suggest that the AFLP technique could be very useful in a wide range of conservation studies.     

Ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation: concepts and a glossary

The RUBICODE project draws on expertise from a range of disciplines to develop and integrate frameworks for assessing the impacts of environmental change on ecosystem service provision, and for rationalising biodiversity conservation in that light. With such diverse expertise and concepts involved, interested parties will not be familiar with all the key terminology. This paper defines the terms as used within the project and, where useful, discusses some reasoning behind the definitions. Terms are grouped by concept rather than being listed alphabetically.     

Sacred natural sites and biodiversity conservation: a systematic review

Biodiversity and Conservation - Sacred natural sites (SNS) have gained recognition from conservationists, and are regarded as the oldest form of habitat protection in human history. Many case...     

IUCN and perspectives on biodiversity conservation in a changing world

Biodiversity conservation is not a clear-cut practice and there is no blueprint solution to the question how to best halt the loss of biological diversity. Various conservation approaches are surrounded by a variety of basic assumptions about the world, nature and the human-nature relationship. These assumptions are more often implicitly hidden in practices and discourse than purposefully produced and deployed at a conscious level. The aim of our paper is to contribute to the on-going discussion on how to halt the loss of biodiversity in a dynamic global socio-ecological system. We will present an analysis of the worldview(s) and management style(s) of the oldest and largest global conservation organization: the International Union of Nature Conservation (IUCN). Popular in many conservation organisations is the strategy of integrating conservation in policy, business and society. Our discourse analysis demonstrates that although IUCN employs a strongly pluralistic practice of conservation, it is difficult to speak of a truly integrative approach yet.     

Evolutionary ecology and the conservation of biodiversity

Studies on evolving interactions among species and the coevolutionary process have suggested that the conservation of biodiversity requires a broad geographic perspective, if the `interaction biodiversity' of the earth is to be conserved with its species diversity. Continued maintenance of the geographic mosaic of specialization, defense and population structure appears to be crucial to the coevolutionary process and the long-term persistence of some interspecific interactions.     

Elasmobranchs of the Mexican Caribbean: biodiversity and conservation status

Environmental Biology of Fishes - The present study includes a list of elasmobranch species present in the Mexican Caribbean and the conservation status of each species with recommendations to...     

Planning for biodiversity conservation based on the knowledge of biologists

To conserve biodiversity, complementary approaches are necessary. Besides using museum data from sightings and specimens, the knowledge of experts can also be employed. Often such valuable information is lost on retirement or death. To investigate the value of this knowledge for nature conservation planning, we sent questionnaires to 124 professional conservationists in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Fifty-two replies illustrated that the historical context biases our concepts of nature and the conservation of biodiversity. Despite an awareness of all the spatial scales, complexities and dynamics of nature, there is still a strong focus on large-sized animals and visibly discrete ecosystems, such as wetlands. Nevertheless, the respondents illustrated that an awareness of infrequently-seen and less well known organisms is increasing. Harnessing this expert knowledge was valuable for conservation planning, but had the weakness that many taxa and localities were neglected. Similar problems arose with data from museum specimens. However, both these approaches were synergistic and highlighted the geographical areas that need far more exploration of their biodiversity. Such information gathering is an important ethical and practical exercise for conserving biodiversity.     

Safeguarding marine life: conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries - Marine ecosystems and their associated biodiversity sustain life on Earth and hold intrinsic value. Critical marine ecosystem services include maintenance of...     

Priority caves for biodiversity conservation in a key karst area of Brazil: comparing the applicability of cave conservation indices

Landscapes in tropical regions have been greatly altered by human activities, as a product of growing demands for mineral and agricultural production, as well as those related to the generation of energy (e.g., hydroelectric, wind). In this scenario, caves have suffered several impacts, sometimes irreversible, as they are generally associated with rocks of high economic value and are closely related to epigean systems. Several indices have been proposed to guide conservation policies for the world’s speleological heritage, although few of them consider cave biodiversity as a criterion. To address this knowledge gap, we tested the applicability of four newly proposed indices to assist researchers and policy-makers select priority areas for global cave biodiversity conservation. To compare indices, we used data from 48 caves of the largest carbonate region of South America (Bambui geological group), all found within the Cerrado, a global biodiversity hotspot. Each of the four indices considered cave biodiversity as a criterion, although only three adequately evaluated this attribute. Based on results of Simões index and CCPi, which were the most appropriate in relation to indicate priority caves for biodiversity conservation in regions where the fauna and its distribution are not fully known, 15 of the 48 caves were identified as conservation priorities.     

Effectiveness of the protected area network in biodiversity conservation: a case-study of Meghalaya state

The North-Eastern region of India is significant for biodiversity conservation because of its floristic richness and high levels of endemism. Deforestation levels are high in the region due to anthropogenic pressures. We accessed various literature sources to create a database for Meghalaya state containing information on plant species, habit, altitudinal distribution, endemism, and endangered status. Information on the existing protected area network (type, extent, and altitudinal representation) was added to the database. The database was used to assess the effectiveness of the existing protected area network in conserving the floristic biodiversity of the state. Of a total of 3331 plant species, 1236 (37.11%) are endemic of Meghalaya and 133 (4%) are confined to 'sacred forests'. However, 'sacred forests' are not legally protected areas. Only 32 220 ha (1.43% of the state's geographical area) is protected under the category of National Park or Sanctuary. Although 212 species (17.15% of the state's endemic species) occur only in Meghalaya at altitudes above 1500 m, none of the forests at these altitudes are protected as National Parks or Sanctuaries. We conclude that the existing protected area network does not effectively conserve the state's unique biodiversity and suggest measures by which its effectiveness might be increased.     

Integrating phylogenetic and functional biodiversity facets to guide conservation: a case study using anurans in a global biodiversity hotspot

The Cerrado is one of the most threatened biomes in Brazil, with little spatial representation within the Protected Area network. Recently, proposed conservation plans worldwide have advocated for the use of multiple biodiversity facets to protect unique evolutionary and functional processes. Our aim was to identify areas with high biodiversity representativeness applying this multifaceted perspective, and propose conservation plans based on the joint analysis of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity. We used a database of the Brazilian National Program for Research in Biodiversity, which employs a standard protocol for sampling tadpoles. The Cerrado database includes samples from 165 water bodies spread over 15 localities, covering most of the Central Brazilian Cerrado. We selected four morphological traits to calculate functional diversity and used a dated phylogeny available in the literature to compute phylogenetic diversity. Our approach selected five priority areas for conservation, one of which is already protected. Our results highlighted the importance of four new areas which show high values of diversity, including original lineages and traits, and urgently need conservation prioritization. Furthermore, unlike the current protected network, our approach performs significantly better than random at protecting sites with high phylogenetic and functional diversity. We therefore discuss how the multifaceted indices considered can help protect key ecosystem functions and evolutionary legacy in anuran communities of the Brazilian Cerrado.