Life Sciences Commons^™

Beyond Yellowstone? Conservation And Indigenous Rights In Australia And Sweden, Michael Adams

Michael Adams

Faced with the paradox of a large global increase in conservation reserves and a simultaneous global decrease in actual effective protection for biodiversity, conservation scientists and others are questioning established conservation theory and practice. Conservation is largely a ‘residual’ landuse, which often conflicts with another residual landuse, the remaining lands owned or accessed by Indigenous peoples. I argue that the Western conservation model has created this situation, and that engaging with Indigenous ways of relating to ‘nature’ could lead to improved outcomes. From the basis that environmental problems are fundamentally social problems, and using case studies from Australia and Sweden, …

Ec96-142 Crp Land Use Guide (Conservation Reserve Program), Douglas Anderson

Douglas Anderson

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts held by Nebraska producers will begin to expire in 1996. Thousands of acres of grassland will be eligible for haying, grazing or to be returned to other uses. Land-use decisions made by owners and operators will impact the economic viability and long-term productivity of individual farms, as well as the region as a whole. The intent of the CRP Land Use Guide is not to provide all the asnwers - in many instances we don't even know the questions. It is however, intended to provide an outline of the key issues you will face when …

Ec96-142 Conservation Reserve Program: Crp Land Use Guide, Douglas Anderson

Douglas Anderson

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts held by Nebraska producers will begin to expire in 1996. Thousands of acres of grassland will be eligible for haying, grazing or to be returned to other uses. Land-use decisions made by owners and operators will impact the economic viability and long-term productivity of individual farms, as well as the region as a whole. The intent of the CRP Land Use Guide is not to provide all of the answers, in many instances we don't even know the questions. It is, however, intended to provide an outline of the key issues you will face when …

Conservation Genetics Of The Endangered Eastern Freshwater Cod, Maccullochella Ikei, Catherine Jane Nock

Dr Catherine J Nock

Fragmentation over evolutionary time scales following vicariant and dispersal events has long been recognised as a dominant process in biological diversification and speciation; while anthropogenic habitat fragmentation in recent times is considered a threat to the long-term persistence of species and ecosystems. The eastern freshwater cod Maccullochella ikei is Australia’s largest endangered freshwater fish species. Abundant in the Clarence and Richmond River systems at the time of European settlement, populations crashed in the early 1900s causing local extinctions and range reduction. Recovery efforts, including a prohibition on fishing for M. ikei and hatchery breeding programs, were initiated in an attempt …

Genetic Variation In Past And Current Landscapes: Conservation Implications Based On Six Endemic Florida Scrub Plants, Eric S. Menges, Rebecca W. Dolan, Robert Pickert, Rebecca Yahr, Doria R. Gordon

Rebecca W. Dolan

If genetic variation is often positively correlated with population sizes and the presence of nearby populations and suitable habitats, landscape proxies could inform conservation decisions without genetic analyses. For six Florida scrub endemic plants (Dicerandra frutescens, Eryngium cuneifolium, Hypericum cumulicola, Liatris ohlingerae, Nolina brittoniana, and Warea carteri), we relate two measures of genetic variation, expected heterozygosity and alleles per polymorphic locus (APL), to population size and landscape variables. Presettlement areas were estimated based on soil preferences and GIS soils maps. Four species showed no genetic patterns related to population or landscape factors. The other two species showed significant but inconsistent …

Conservation Implications Of Genetic Variation In Three Rare Species Endemic To Florida Rosemary Scrub, Rebecca W. Dolan, Rebecca Yahr, Eric S. Menges, Matthew Halfhill

Rebecca W. Dolan

Habitat conversion and fire suppression during the last 50 yr have greatly reduced and altered Florida scrub vegetation, resulting in threats to the persistence of its unique flora. As part of a larger conservation project, we investigated patterns of isozyme variation in three rare perennial scrub plants with overlapping ranges endemic to Florida rosemary scrub on the Lake Wales Ridge. All three species have low levels of genetic variation, comparable to or lower than those generally reported for rare plants with restricted geographic ranges. Liatris ohlingerae has more than twice the expected heterozygosity of the other two species, with little …

Conservation Implications Of Genetic Variation In Three Rare Species Endemic To Florida Rosemary Scrub, Rebecca W. Dolan, Rebecca Yahr, Eric S. Menges, Matthew Halfhill

Rebecca W. Dolan

Habitat conversion and fire suppression during the last 50 yr have greatly reduced and altered Florida scrub vegetation, resulting in threats to the persistence of its unique flora. As part of a larger conservation project, we investigated patterns of isozyme variation in three rare perennial scrub plants with overlapping ranges endemic to Florida rosemary scrub on the Lake Wales Ridge. All three species have low levels of genetic variation, comparable to or lower than those generally reported for rare plants with restricted geographic ranges. Liatris ohlingerae has more than twice the expected heterozygosity of the other two species, with little …

The Evaluation Of Conservation Practice Placement In The Little River Experimental Watershed Using Geographic Information Systems, J Settimi, Dana Sullivan, Timothy Strickland

John R. Settimi

The Conservation Effects Assessment Program Watershed Assessment Study is a joint effort between the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the USDA Agricultural Research Service to evaluate the effectiveness of federally funded conservation programs. In response to this initiative, a 26-year history of NRCS conservation practice placement (1980 to 2006) was evaluated for the Little River Experimental Watershed (LREW) in the southeastern coastal plain of Georgia. To accomplish this task, currently available geographic databases were integrated and queried to assess levels of commonly adopted practices and to evaluate factors affecting practice placement. Databases included (1) USDA NRCS Conservation Practice …

Where The Tiger Survives, Biodiversity Thrives, Philip J. Nyhus, Ronald Tilson

Philip J. Nyhus

No abstract provided.

Identifying Conservation-Priority Areas In The Tropics: A Land-Use Change Modeling Approach, Shaily Menon, R. Gil Pontius Jr., Joseph Rose, M. Khan, Kamaljit Bawa

Shaily Menon

Most quantitative methods for identifying conservation-priority areas require more detailed knowledge about the extent and distribution of biodiversity than is currently available. Accelerated and irreversible losses of biodiversity call for the development of alternative methods to identify priority sites for biodiversity inventory and protection. We focused on the state of Arunachal Pradesh, a biodiversity-rich region in northeast India. We used a geographic information system and spatially explicit modeling to examine the correlation of land-cover and land-use patterns with biogeophysical characteristics and to project future patterns of land-use change. In 1988, 70% of Arunachal Pradesh was covered by forest. We project …

Grassland In The Borderlands: Understanding Coupled Natural Human Systems And Transboundary Conservation, Ed Frederickson, G. Ceballos, R. List, A. Davidson, Sierra Corona, L. Martinez, J.E. Herrick, J. Pacheco

Ed L. Frederickson

As conservationists well know, political borders rarely coincide with natural ecological boundaries. International borders such as that between the United States and Mexico traverse numerous ecosystems and watersheds. Many species of animals, birds, and insects regularly migrate between habitats across international borders. Conservation of Shared Environments collects works that take on the environmental issues along the U.S.-Mexico border. Covering topics as diverse as wildlife preservation, grassland ecology, water rights, indigenous peoples, and the ecological consequences of border security, the contributors to this volume offer not only scientific analysis but also insight on how to bridge the gaps between scientists, policy …

Fundamentals For Using Geographic Information Science To Measure The Effectiveness Of Land Conservation Projects, Robert G. Pontius Jr., Shaily Menon, Joseph Duncan, Shalini Gupta

Shaily Menon

Some humans spend a tremendous amount of effort to change landscapes from a “natural” state to a “developed” state for a variety of desirable economic uses, such as urban, agriculture, transportation, and mining. Others spend a tremendous amount of effort to prevent such development in order to conserve the landscapes for a variety of important environmental uses, such as biodiversity maintenance, carbon storage, water filtration, and landslide prevention. It would be efficient in theory if a society were to focus its development efforts at locations that give the largest economic utility per area developed, and to focus its conservation efforts …

Ecological Services To And From Rangelands Of The United States, Ed Frederickson, Kris Havstad, Debra Peters, Rhonda Skaggs, Joel Brown, Brandon Bestelmeyer, Jeffrey Herrick, Jack Wright

Ed L. Frederickson

The over 300 million ha of public and private rangelands in the United States are characterized by low and variable precipitation, nutrient-poor soils, and high spatial and temporal variability in plant production. This land type has provided a variety of goods and services, with the provisioning of food and fiber dominating through much of the 20th century. More recently, food production from a rangeland-based livestock industry is often pressured for a variety of reasons, including poor economic returns, increased regulations, an aging rural population, and increasingly diverse interests of land owners. A shift to other provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting …

A Multidimensional Approach For Detecting Species Patterns In Malagasy Vertebrates, Anne D. Yoder, Link E. Olson, Carol Hanley, Kellie L. Heckman, Rodin Rasoloarison, Amy L. Russell, Julie Ranivo, Voahangy Soarimalala, K. Praveen Karanth, Achille P. Raselimanana, Steven M. Goodman

Amy L. Russell

Conservation And Development Interventions At The Wildlife-Livestock Interface, Steven A. Osofsky, Sarah Cleaveland, William B. Karesh, Michael D. Kock, Philip J. Nyhus, Lisa Starr, Angela Yang

Philip J. Nyhus

No abstract provided.

Agroforestry, Elephants, And Tigers: Balancing Conservation Theory And Practice In Human-Dominated Landscapes Of Southeast Asia, Philip J. Nyhus, R L. Tilson

Philip J. Nyhus

Large mammal populations theoretically are best conserved in landscapes where large protected areas are surrounded by buffer zones, connected by corridors, and integrated into a greater ecosystem. Multi-use buffer zones, including those containing complex agroforestry systems, are promoted as one strategy to provide both economic benefits to people and conservation benefits to wildlife. We use the island of Sumatra, Indonesia to explore the benefits and limitations of this strategy. We conclude that conservation benefits are accrued by expanding the habitat available for large mammals but more attention needs to be focused on how to reduce and respond to human–wildlife conflict …

Tiger Restoration In Asia: Ecological Theory Vs. Sociological Reality, Ronald Tilson, Philip J. Nyhus, Neil Franklin

Philip J. Nyhus

No abstract provided.

A Vegetation Based Approach To Biodiversity Gap Analysis In The Agastyamalai Region, Western Ghats, India, B. R. Ramesh, Shaily Menon, Kamaljit S. Bawa

Shaily Menon

Protected areas in India have historically been established on an ad hoc basis with little attention to the conservation value of an area. This study focuses on a set of protected areas in the Agastyamalai region of the Western Ghats (WG), India. We examine forest loss and land-use changes in the study area from the early 1900s to 1960 and from 1960 to 1990. We use GIS to perform a biodiversity gap analysis of the protected areas in the study site. We produce a detailed map of existing floristic types and use it to generate layers corresponding to floristic species …

Cloning And Conservation Of Biological Diversity: Paradox, Panacea, Or Pandora's Box?, Shaily Menon, Kamaljit Bawa, Leah Gorman

Shaily Menon

The success of a Scottish team in cloning a mammal from an adult tissue cell has generated considerable speculation in the popular press about potential applications to conservation biology. Possibilities that have been mentioned include cloning endangered species and creating gene banks for the germplasm of rare species. Sensational or inaccurate reports might encourage the mistaken notion that cloning technology is more advanced or reliable than it actually is. More important, such reports might foster the myth that there is no longer an urgency to conserve endangered species or their habitats as long as we have frozen germplasm and cloning …

Effectiveness Of The Protected Area Network In Biodiversity Conservation: A Case-Study Of Meghalaya State, M. Latif Khan, Shaily Menon, Kamaljit Bawa

Shaily Menon

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 …