Integrating a participatory process with a GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis for protected area zoning in China

Current management plans for nature reserves in China are ineffective and do not meet their intended goals of balancing conservation and development. Protected area zoning is an approach that can reduce conflict by partitioning the landscape into various land use units that are managed for different levels of human activity. In this paper, we present a systematic methodology that integrates a participatory process with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) using a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) technique to guide a zoning scheme for the Meili Snow Mountain National Park (MSMNP), Yunnan. A participatory process involving multiple stakeholders and technical experts was used to establish park management objectives: nature conservation; tourism and recreation; and, community development. To meet these three objectives, criteria and impact factors for each objective were identified and weighted through a participatory process, and a GIS fuzzy set membership function was then used to generate gradient effects of each criterion. Three suitability maps of conservation, eco-tourism, and community development were generated. The three suitability maps were overlaid to generate a final combined suitability map, and five management zones (strict protected zone, ecosystem conservation zone, eco-tourism zone or buffer zone, park service zone, and traditional land use zone) were identified and mapped that corresponded to different protection and management strategies. Conservation targets (endangered species, alpine and forest ecosystems) and development zones were spatially segregated across the landscape, and the final zoning scheme was found to be acceptable by the various stakeholders.     

论保护区的管理体制

一个国家保护区管理体制是否合理和完善与该国保护区发展的速度和管理的有效程度有密切关系。世界各国保护区的管理体制很不相同,各有长处和不足。本文对保护区的主管部门和管理系统、管理现况、存在问题和发展趋势以及我国保护区管理体制的改革等作一些粗略的评论,期待引起有关方面的关注并进一步开展研究。     

The community resource management area mechanism: a strategy to manage African forest resources for REDD+

Climate change poses a significant threat to Africa, and deforestation rates have increased in recent years. Mitigation initiatives such as REDD+ are widely considered as potentially efficient ways to generate emission reductions (or removals), conserve or sustainably manage forests, and bring benefits to communities, but effective implementation models are lacking. This paper presents the case of Ghana''s Community Resource Management Area (CREMA) mechanism, an innovative natural resource governance and landscape-level planning tool that authorizes communities to manage their natural resources for economic and livelihood benefits. This paper argues that while the CREMA was originally developed to facilitate community-based wildlife management and habitat protection, it offers a promising community-based structure and process for managing African forest resources for REDD+. At a theoretical level, it conforms to the ecological, socio-cultural and economic factors that drive resource-users’ decision process and practices. And from a practical mitigation standpoint, the CREMA has the potential to help solve many of the key challenges for REDD+ in Africa, including definition of boundaries, smallholder aggregation, free prior and informed consent, ensuring permanence, preventing leakage, clarifying land tenure and carbon rights, as well as enabling equitable benefit-sharing arrangements. Ultimately, CREMA''s potential as a forest management and climate change mitigation strategy that generates livelihood benefits for smallholder farmers and forest users will depend upon the willingness of African governments to support the mechanism and give it full legislative backing, and the motivation of communities to adopt the CREMA and integrate democratic decision-making and planning with their traditional values and natural resource management systems.     

The role of protected area zoning in invasive plant management

As anthropogenic pressure on the landscape increases, invasive alien species (IAS) pose a growing threat to areas designed to protect high biodiversity habitats. In order to assess the present danger of IAS spread, we examined 23 Czech sites of community importance (SCI) within Natura 2000 protected areas (PA) over 2015 and mapped the occurrence of four IAS: Solidago spp. (goldenrod), Impatiens glandulifera (Himalayan balsam), Heracleum mantegazzianum (giant hogweed) and Fallopia spp. (Japanese knotweed). The model areas were divided into five monitoring zones, graded by conservation importance and habitat disturbance level (core area [A], broader core area [B], semi-natural habitat [C], anthropogenically affected habitat [D], anthropogenically degraded habitat [E]). Despite a high number of IAS occurrences (3222 localities), habitats of European importance (zone A) showed a relatively low level of invasion (< 0.3% total area). Highest IAS occurrence number was in SCI border areas and disturbed habitats (zones C and E). There was a significant positive correlation between level of invasion inside and outside SCIs, related to human activities such as logging and urbanisation. A strong effect for watercourse vicinity was noted for the occurrence of I. glandulifera and Fallopia spp.; but not for H. mantegazzianum and Solidago spp. A stratified management approach, employing zones delimitation to assess what threat pose IAS to the PA objects of conservation, can be useful to prioritize control measures in IAS local action plans.     

Defining freshwater as a natural resource: a framework linking water use to the area of protection natural resources

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment - While many examples have shown unsustainable use of freshwater resources, existing LCIA methods for water use do not comprehensively address...     

Characteristics of participatory monitoring projects and their relationship to decision-making in biological resource management: a review

The main objective of participatory monitoring is to enable the local population, though lacking formal training, to participate in the systematic collection of information. Participatory monitoring has been increasingly adopted in recent decades as a way of devolving the power to make decisions about natural resource management from the government to more local institutions. However, participatory monitoring efforts are not always successful at translating the information obtained into management or conservation actions. Based on a review of the current literature, we selected 111 cases that applied participatory monitoring of biological resources, to determine the factors that influence the translation of information into decision-making for management. For this, we categorize the cases into two approaches based on their differences regarding conceptual lines: collaborative-learning and evidence-based, and then assessed which one is more successful in the use of information. According to the cases reviewed, information derived from the collaborative-learning approach was more often used in management decision-making. The use of information is also influenced by the degree of local decision-making power, meaning that in those cases where there are initiatives of decentralization for decision-making besides participatory monitoring, it is more possible that the information derived from monitoring is used to strengthen the local initiatives of management and conservation.     

Explaining the saproxylic beetle diversity of a protected Mediterranean area

Saproxylic beetle diversity is high at the Cabañeros National Park (central Spain), where woodland habitats exhibit remarkable heterogeneity. Our aim was to explain the diversity of saproxylic beetles, focusing on species turnover among mature woodland types. We surveyed five woodland types that represented the heterogeneity of the park’s woodland habitats. Beetles were collected using window traps over a period of 20 months. The Jaccard Similarity Index was used as indirect value of beta diversity among woodlands and to test the relation between species turnover and geographical distance. We also identified the contribution of species turnover to landscape diversity by using a partitioning model. Moreover, the presence of mixed woodlands (more than one tree species) allowed us to attempt to valorise the effect of tree species (coupled with their historical management) on species turnover among woodlands. Finally, we looked for different saproxylic beetle preferences for habitat and tree species using an indicator value method. We found that saproxylic beetle species composition varied significantly among the studied woodlands. The variation in species turnover was independent from the distance among woodlands, which suggested that beetle dispersal abilities could not explain this high turnover. Tree species within woodlands were a key factor that increased diversity turnover in woodlands and, consequently, the diversity of the park. Moreover, we found saproxylic beetle species that had different habitat and tree species preferences. We conclude that woodland heterogeneity (highly affected by woodland composition) seems to be the driving force for saproxylic beetle diversity in this protected area.     

Community based natural resource management in Zimbabwe: the experience of CAMPFIRE

Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) is a long-term programmatic approach to rural development that uses wildlife and other natural resources as a mechanism for promoting devolved rural institutions and improved governance and livelihoods. The cornerstone of CAMPFIRE is the right to manage, use, dispose of, and benefit from these resources. Between 1989 and 2006, CAMPFIRE income, mostly from high valued safari hunting, totalled nearly USD 30 million, of which 52 allocated to sub-district wards and villages for community projects and household benefits. Whilst a number of assumptions underlying the success of CAMPFIRE as an innovative model for CBNRM have yet to be met, CAMPFIRE confirms the concept that devolving responsibility and accountability for natural resource management can be highly effective for the collective and participatory management of such resources. Elephant numbers in CAMPFIRE areas have increased and buffalo numbers are either stable or decreased slightly during the life of the programme. However, offtake quotas for these two species have increased with a concomitant decline in trophy quality. Although the amount of wildlife habitat diminished after 1980, following the commencement of CAMPFIRE the rate of habitat loss slowed down and in some specific instances was even reversed. More recently there has been increased pressure on habitats and other natural resources as a consequence of deteriora

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30 million, of which 52% was allocated to sub-district wards and villages for community projects and household benefits. Whilst a number of assumptions underlying the success of CAMPFIRE as an innovative model for CBNRM have yet to be met, CAMPFIRE confirms the concept that devolving responsibility and accountability for natural resource management can be highly effective for the collective and participatory management of such resources. Elephant numbers in CAMPFIRE areas have increased and buffalo numbers are either stable or decreased slightly during the life of the programme. However, offtake quotas for these two species have increased with a concomitant decline in trophy quality. Although the amount of wildlife habitat diminished after 1980, following the commencement of CAMPFIRE the rate of habitat loss slowed down and in some specific instances was even reversed. More recently there has been increased pressure on habitats and other natural resources as a consequence of deteriorating socio-economic conditions in the country. Where devolution has been successful, promising results have been achieved and the recent acceptance and implementation of direct payments to communities is probably the most significant development since 2000. That this has happened can be attributed to CAMPFIRE enabling communities to maximize their roles within the existing set of rules, and by so doing, allowing these rules to be challenged. Donor (73%) and government (27%) investments into the programme amounted to 35 million during the period 1989 to 2003. Since 2003 however, donor funding has been reduced to <$600,000 over the past 5 years.     

Impacts of land-use on West African savanna vegetation: a comparison between protected and communal area in Burkina Faso

Biodiversity matters in many aspects for human well-being by providing timber and non-timber products. The most important ecosystems providing these products in West Africa are savannas. In the context of land-use changes, there is an urgent need to understand the impact of land-use on savanna vegetation and biodiversity. This study assesses the impact of land-use on savannas by comparing protected and communal areas. Vegetation relevés were performed in the W National Park and its surrounding communal area in Burkina Faso. Vegetation types were established using ordination and clustering methods. We analyzed to find which environmental factors determine the occurrence of the vegetation types and whether land-use has a specific effect on diversity of vegetation types occurring in both areas. Furthermore, we tested the effect of land-use on vegetation structure and the occurrence of life forms and highly valued tree species. Our results reveal five vegetation types occurring in both areas. Elevation and soil characteristics played the most important role for the occurrence of the vegetation types. Land-use had an effect on vegetation structure, diversity, and the occurrence of life form and highly valued species. Our findings suggest that traditional human land-use does not automatically lead to loss of species and degradation of savanna habitats and that combination of communal and protected areas may be of great importance for the conservation of broad spectrum of biodiversity. Our study demonstrates the complexity of land-use impact on biodiversity patterns and provides insights on what kind of management activities may be most appropriate in both areas.     

The strategic pillars of communal natural resource management: benefit, empowerment and conservation

Originally prepared as a keynote address for the 2008 La Tapoa Workshop on Natural Resource Management (NRM) and Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM), this paper examines the Southern African experience in CBNRM over the past 20 years. From this experience the paper draws lessons on when and where CBNRM is appropriate, what can make it work, and what can make it work better. These lessons are discussed under the three categories of benefit, conservation and empowerment. Benefit is usually conceptualized in terms of financial revenue, and using a Zimbabwean case study the paper shows how in unusual circumstances this can be substantial. Normally, however, natural resource production can only supplement inputs from agriculture and other modes of production, and the paper warns against regarding CBNRM as a panacea for rural poverty. Benefit should also be understood in non-pecuniary terms, and when economic benefit is linked with authority and responsibility large increments in social capital can result. The conservation interests of donors are often perceived as being at odds with local perspectives, a perception which fails to take into consideration means-end-sequencing. A socially constructed stalemate often occurs when external agencies impose their agendas upon local populations, a stalemate which can be broken when communities are given the authority and responsibility necessary to create internally legitimate regimes. A new science which combines professional and civil inputs is required to achieve CBNRM’s goal—empowered and dynamic local regimes integrated into larger scale systems of conservation and development.     

The effects of natural and anthropogenic environmental changes on ecosystem processes at the catchment scale

The catchment is the smallest natural unit of the landscape that combines linked terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The fluxes of water and elements through the catchment link the various components of the system; biotic and abiotic, terrestrial and aquatic, plants and soils, atmosphere and vegetation, soils and waters. A large amount of empirical evidence now demonstrates that the impacts of natural and anthropogenic changes on the various components of catchment ecosystems are tightly connected.     

The impact of natural resource use on bird and reptile communities within multiple-use protected areas: evidence from sub-arid Southern Madagascar

Multiple-use protected areas, in which sustainable levels of extractive livelihood activities are permitted, play an increasingly important role in the global protected area estate, and are expected to rise in prevalence. However, we know little about their effectiveness at conserving biodiversity. We surveyed bird and reptile communities in three areas across a forest disturbance gradient resulting from charcoal production and shifting cultivation within a multiple-use protected area in Madagascar’s sub-arid spiny forest. We scored individual species using a Conservation Value Index (CVI; a simple metric based on rarity, threat and distinctiveness), and estimated the total conservation value of each treatment by calculating the sum of frequency-weighted CVI scores across all present species. Bird and reptile community responses to forest disturbance were idiosyncratic. Bird richness was greatest in the moderate-disturbance treatment, but the low-disturbance treatment had the superior conservation value due to higher frequencies of locally-endemic species. Reptile richness was the same in low- and moderate-disturbance treatments, but the conservation value of the latter was greater. The high-disturbance areas had lowest richness and conservation value for both groups. For birds, increasing disturbance levels were accompanied by community turnover from high-value to low-value species, a pattern highlighted by CVI that is masked by assessing species richness alone. Although some endemic species appear to be resilient to degradation, multiple-use protected areas in Madagascar may lose biodiversity since most endemic species are forest-dependent. Stricter protected area models may be more appropriate in areas where much of the high-value biodiversity is sensitive to habitat degradation.     

基于服务功能的昆虫生态调控理论

鉴于昆虫在植物传粉授精、害虫生物控制、土壤有机物分解中提供多种生态系统服务功能,本文在害虫生态调控、区域性害虫生态调控与生境管理的基础上,进一步提出基于多种生态服务功能的农田景观昆虫生态调控理论、方法与实践。认为:昆虫管理不仅仅是害虫的管理,还应包括有益昆虫(如传粉昆虫、天敌昆虫、分解昆虫)的管理,这种管理应从单一农田生态系统扩展到农田景观生态系统,充分考虑农田景观中昆虫的传粉功能、生物控害功能和分解功能,通过对功能植物、作物与非作物生境的空间布局以及时间序列上的生态设计,从空间上明确昆虫(包括害虫、天敌、传粉昆虫、分解昆虫)在不同生境中的转移扩散动态,从时间上掌握昆虫在不同寄主植物与非作物生境上的演替过程,从技术上着重发挥有利于昆虫的传粉功能、生物控害功能和分解功能的综合措施,在研究方法上突出使用稳定同位素、生态能量学、化学生态学等定量分析手段,研究景观区域内中"植物-昆虫"互作过程及其生态调控措施的作用,寻求不同时空条件下控害保益的关键措施,设计和组装出维持多功能的农田景观昆虫生态调控技术体系,创造有利于天敌控害、蜜蜂传粉、土壤分解的环境条件,以发挥昆虫类群在农田景观中最大的生态服务功能。     

Assessing the potential of a protected area for fish conservation in a neotropical wetland

Freshwater habitats are among the most impacted ecosystem on Earth. Consequently, reserves have been implemented in an attempt to reduce the threat to freshwater biodiversity. However, few studies have evaluated how effective these protected areas (PA) are for the conservation of freshwater organisms. In the present study, we compared species richness, community composition and density of small-bodied fishes between lagoons within an eight-year-old reserve (i.e. protected lagoons) with those outside the reserve (i.e. unprotected lagoons) in a river-floodplain system that is exposed to seasonal flooding. The unprotected lagoons have been submitted to a light fishing pressure mainly targeting small-sized fishes for sale as baits. Our results showed no differences between the lagoons inside the reserve with those outside in any of the community properties measured. However, we registered an overall tendency of abundance reduction among the species used as baits in unprotected lagoons. Considering the high degree of oversight in the PA and the low fishing pressure among unprotected lagoons, it is possible that the positive effects promoted by the reserve on fish assemblages are being exported towards unprotected lagoons and thus offsetting a portion of the anthropogenic impacts. We conclude that the protection provided by the reserve is very efficient in river-floodplain systems, because not only it protects the biota inside the reserve but also act as a source of propagules to unprotected areas during the rainy season when all the aquatic subsystems are connected by the flood.     

The challenge of assessing whether the OSPAR network of marine protected areas is ecologically coherent

As MPA networks continue to grow worldwide, decision makers and the public will need to be kept informed regarding progress made in meeting the underlying ecological goals of the networks. The twelve coastal European nations of the OSPAR Commission have agreed to establish within the waters of the Northeast Atlantic an “ecologically coherent” network of marine protected areas by 2010. An initial set of 81 MPAs in the Northeast Atlantic was accepted by the OSPAR Commission in June 2006, and as of 31 December 2006 six additional sites have been put forward. They amount to approximately 26,500 km², submitted by six of the twelve coastal nations. The job of assessing their ecological coherence has proven to be a difficult issue, and one that has not been attempted before. Assessment techniques that can cope with data-poor situations will prove most helpful, and with this in mind, three general approaches that can be used in data-poor situations and four specific examples of assessment techniques, are presented in this paper. Additionally, a brief summary of the current status of the OSPAR MPA network is provided. Guest editors: J. Davenport, G. Burnell, T. Cross, M. Emmerson, R. McAllen, R. Ramsay & E. Rogan Challenges to Marine Ecosystems     

Differential long-term impacts of a management control program of axis deer and wild boar in a protected area of north-eastern Argentina

Exotic ungulates are among the top global invasive mammals and a threat to biodiversity. Axis deer (Axis axis) and wild boar (Sus scrofa) are of increasing concern in multiple regions. A management program reduced wild boar abundance and soil damage below target levels through controlled still shooting from watchtowers and dog-hunting performed by recreational hunters at El Palmar National Park, Argentina. Here we assess program impacts on axis deer over a 10-year period in which 2380 deer were dispatched, and document two largely unexpected outcomes: increasing axis deer abundance toward a plateau, and a strong inverse correlation between deer and wild boar numbers. Unlike the initial steep decline and subsequent stabilization of wild boar, deer abundance indexed by standardized catch-per-unit-effort increased at 37.6% per year over 0–5 years post-intervention (YPI) and stabilized from 7 YPI on when still-shooting effort averaged 948 hunting party-hours per quarter. Deer catch was non-linearly related to still-shooting effort. Timing of deer and boar catches did not differ significantly regardless of sex, season and YPI. Catch-per-unit-effort indices and nightly spotlight deer counts showed similarly increasing trends. The fraction of older adult deer declined over 0–4 YPI and remained stable thereafter. Sex ratios were consistently skewed toward males only among older adults. Failure to reduce deer abundance may be explained by several major processes: protracted exponential growth of the deer population after park invasion; deer regional expansion with increasing immigration; insufficient sex- and stage-biased hunting mortality, and competitor (and perhaps predator) release from wild boar.