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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Notes From The Field: Lessons Learned From Using Ecosystem Service Approaches To Inform Real-World Decisions, Mary Ruckelshaus, Emily Mckenzie, Heather Tallis, Anne Guerry, Gretchen Daily, Peter Kareiva, Stephen Polasky, Taylor Ricketts, Nirmal Bhagabati, Spencer A. Wood, Joanna Bernhardt Jul 2015

Notes From The Field: Lessons Learned From Using Ecosystem Service Approaches To Inform Real-World Decisions, Mary Ruckelshaus, Emily Mckenzie, Heather Tallis, Anne Guerry, Gretchen Daily, Peter Kareiva, Stephen Polasky, Taylor Ricketts, Nirmal Bhagabati, Spencer A. Wood, Joanna Bernhardt

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

While there have been rapid advances in assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES), a critical remaining challenge is how to move from scientific knowledge to real-world decision making. We offer 6 lessons from our experiences applying new approaches and tools for quantifying BES in 20 pilot demonstrations: (1) Applying a BES approach is most effective in leading to policy change as part of an iterative science-policy process; (2) simple ecological production function models have been useful in a diverse set of decision contexts, across a broad range of biophysical, social, and governance systems. Key limitations of simple models arise …


Will Passive Protection Save Congo Forests?, Gillian L. Galford, Britaldo S. Soares-Filho, Laura J. Sonter, Nadine Laporte Jun 2015

Will Passive Protection Save Congo Forests?, Gillian L. Galford, Britaldo S. Soares-Filho, Laura J. Sonter, Nadine Laporte

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Central Africa's tropical forests are among the world's largest carbon reserves. Historically, they have experienced low rates of deforestation. Pressures to clear land are increasing due to development of infrastructure and livelihoods, foreign investment in agriculture, and shifting land use management, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC contains the greatest area of intact African forests. These store approximately 22 billion tons of carbon in aboveground live biomass, yet only 10% are protected. Can the status quo of passive protection - forest management that is low or nonexistent - ensure the preservation of this forest and its …


Are Conservation Organizations Configured For Effective Adaptation To Global Change?, Paul R. Armsworth, Eric R. Larson, Stephen T. Jackson, Dov F. Sax, Paul Simonin, Bernd Blossey, Nancy Green, Mary L. Klein, Liza Lester, Taylor H. Ricketts, Michael C. Runge, M. Rebecca Shaw Jan 2015

Are Conservation Organizations Configured For Effective Adaptation To Global Change?, Paul R. Armsworth, Eric R. Larson, Stephen T. Jackson, Dov F. Sax, Paul Simonin, Bernd Blossey, Nancy Green, Mary L. Klein, Liza Lester, Taylor H. Ricketts, Michael C. Runge, M. Rebecca Shaw

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

© The Ecological Society of America. Conservation organizations must adapt to respond to the ecological impacts of global change. Numerous changes to conservation actions (eg facilitated ecological transitions, managed relocations, or increased corridor development) have been recommended, but some institutional restructuring within organizations may also be needed. Here we discuss the capacity of conservation organizations to adapt to changing environmental conditions, focusing primarily on public agencies and nonprofits active in land protection and management in the US. After first reviewing how these organizations anticipate and detect impacts affecting target species and ecosystems, we then discuss whether they are sufficiently flexible …


A Framework To Assess The Health Of Rocky Reefs Linking Geomorphology, Community Assemblage, And Fish Biomass, Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, Exequiel Ezcurra, Jerry Moxley, Alexandra Sánchez-Rodríguez, Ismael Mascareñas-Osorio, Carlos Sánchez-Ortiz, Brad Erisman, Taylor Ricketts Jan 2015

A Framework To Assess The Health Of Rocky Reefs Linking Geomorphology, Community Assemblage, And Fish Biomass, Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, Exequiel Ezcurra, Jerry Moxley, Alexandra Sánchez-Rodríguez, Ismael Mascareñas-Osorio, Carlos Sánchez-Ortiz, Brad Erisman, Taylor Ricketts

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

The recovery of historic community assemblages on reefs is a primary objective for the management of marine ecosystems. Working under the overall hypothesis that, as fishing pressure increases, the abundance in upper trophic levels decreases followed by intermediate levels, we develop an index that characterizes the comparative health of rocky reefs. Using underwater visual transects to sample rocky reefs in the Gulf of California, Mexico, we sampled 147 reefs across 1200 km to test this reef health index (IRH). Five-indicators described 88% of the variation among the reefs along this fishing-intensity gradient: the biomass of piscivores and carnivores were positively …