1
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Enríquez-de-Salamanca Á. Environmental and social impacts of carbon sequestration. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2024. [PMID: 38651985 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Climate change requires major mitigation efforts, mainly emission reduction. Carbon sequestration and avoided deforestation are complementary mitigation strategies that can promote nature conservation and local development but may also have undesirable impacts. We reviewed 246 articles citing impacts, risks, or concerns from carbon projects, and 78 others related to this topic. Most of the impacts cited focus on biodiversity, especially in afforestation projects, and on social effects related to avoided deforestation projects. Concerns were raised about project effectiveness, the permanence of carbon stored, and leakage. Recommendations include accounting for uncertainty, assessing both mitigation and contribution to climate change, defining permanence, creating contingency plans, promoting local projects, proposing alternative livelihoods, ensuring a fair distribution of benefits, combining timber production and carbon sequestration, ensuring sustainable development and minimizing leakage. A holistic approach that combines carbon sequestration, nature conservation, and poverty alleviation must be applied. The potential occurrence of negative impacts does not invalidate carbon projects but makes it advisable to conduct proper environmental impact assessments, considering direct and indirect impacts, minimizing the negative effects while maximizing the positive ones, and weighing the trade-offs between them to guide decision-making. Public participation and transparency are essential. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;00:1-27. © 2024 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro Enríquez-de-Salamanca
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Draba Ingeniería y Consultoría Medioambiental, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain
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2
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Mwambala AN, Nyundo BA, Kalumanga E. Tree biomass, carbon stock characteristics and ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) diversity in the Uzungwa Scarp Forest Nature Reserve, Tanzania. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 71:190-200. [PMID: 36264374 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-022-01733-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Reducing carbon emission from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) has drawn attention and remain one of the main options for climate change mitigation. However, the extent to which conservation for carbon may enhance biodiversity conservation in both disturbed and relatively undisturbed (control) environment remain unclear in most forest types. The extent to which anthropogenic disturbances affect carbon stock and ground beetle diversity is also far from clear. This paper addressed these knowledge gaps using data based on ground beetles, carbon stock in live trees and tree species sampled in Uzungwa Scarp Nature Forest Reserve (USNFR). All trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 5 cm were measured for height and DBH in twelve clusters of 1 ha in size. In the same clusters, ground beetles were sampled using pitfall traps, active night search and active day search. The species diversity of ground beetles differed significantly between control sites and disturbed sites (p < 0.05). The mean total biomass and carbon stock in live trees were high in disturbed sites (323.72 t/ha) when compared to control sites (289.72 t/ha) but the difference was not statistically significant (U = 14, p > 0.05). Carbon in live trees and ground beetle diversity showed a weak positive correlation, while richness and abundance showed weak negative in control sites. Results show that REDD+ related activities in a tropical forest may enhance ground beetle diversity and carbon stock if ground beetles conservation is explicitly taken into account. Thus forest conservation planning that pursues both carbon storage and ground-dwelling invertebrate diversity is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna N Mwambala
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam, Mkwawa University College of Education, P.O. Box Private Bag, Iringa, Tanzania.
| | - Bruno A Nyundo
- Department of Zoology and Wildlife Conservation, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35064, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Elikana Kalumanga
- Department of Zoology and Wildlife Conservation, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35064, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
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3
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Johnson CA, Drever CR, Kirby P, Neave E, Martin AE. Protecting boreal caribou habitat can help conserve biodiversity and safeguard large quantities of soil carbon in Canada. Sci Rep 2022; 12:17067. [PMID: 36224283 PMCID: PMC9556649 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21476-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Boreal caribou require large areas of undisturbed habitat for persistence. They are listed as threatened with the risk of extinction in Canada because of landscape changes induced by human activities and resource extraction. Here we ask: Can the protection of habitat for boreal caribou help Canada meet its commitments under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change? We identified hotspots of high conservation value within the distribution of boreal caribou based on: (1) three measures of biodiversity for at risk species (species richness, unique species and taxonomic diversity); (2) climate refugia or areas forecasted to remain unchanged under climate change; and, (3) areas of high soil carbon that could add to Canada's greenhouse gas emissions if released into the atmosphere. We evaluated the overlap among hotspot types and how well hotspots were represented in Canada's protected and conserved areas network. While hotspots are widely distributed across the boreal caribou distribution, with nearly 80% of the area falling within at least one hotspot type, only 3% of the distribution overlaps three or more hotspots. Moreover, the protected and conserved areas network only captures about 10% of all hotspots within the boreal caribou distribution. While the protected and conserved areas network adequately represents hotspots with high numbers of at risk species, areas occupied by unique species, as well as the full spectrum of areas occupied by different taxa, are underrepresented. Climate refugia and soil carbon hotspots also occur at lower percentages than expected. These findings illustrate the potential co-benefits of habitat protection for caribou to biodiversity and ecosystem services and suggest caribou may be a good proxy for future protected areas planning and for developing effective conservation strategies in regional assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl A. Johnson
- grid.34428.390000 0004 1936 893XEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 Canada ,grid.86715.3d0000 0000 9064 6198Department of Applied Geomatics, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1 Canada
| | | | - Patrick Kirby
- grid.34428.390000 0004 1936 893XEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 Canada
| | - Erin Neave
- grid.34428.390000 0004 1936 893XEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 Canada
| | - Amanda E. Martin
- grid.34428.390000 0004 1936 893XEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 Canada ,grid.34428.390000 0004 1936 893XDepartment of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6 Canada
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4
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Littlefield CE, D'Amato AW. Identifying trade‐offs and opportunities for forest carbon and wildlife using a climate change adaptation lens. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Anthony W. D'Amato
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Vermont Burlington Vermont USA
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5
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Gillerot L, Grussu G, Condor-Golec R, Tavani R, Dargush P, Attorre F. Progress on incorporating biodiversity monitoring in REDD+ through national forest inventories. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
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6
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New records and modelling the impacts of climate change on the black-tailed marmosets. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256270. [PMID: 34492030 PMCID: PMC8423304 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change represents an unprecedented threat to global biodiversity and, for many species, gaps in our knowledge of their biology remain acute. Gaps in baseline knowledge, such as confirmed identifications (Linnean shortfalls) and adequate collections (Wallacean shortfalls), need to be minimized with new studies, since this is often critical for effective conservation. Despite the increase in scientific research on primates in the southwest of the Brazilian Amazon, little is known about the species Mico nigriceps (Ferrari & Lopes, 1992) Primates, Platirryni. In the current study, we sought to reduce the extent of the Wallacean shortfall for M. nigriceps, understand whether climate change represents a threat to the distribution of the species, and identify priority areas for its conservation. Accordingly, we provide 121 new records in 14 locations, obtained directly from the field, and five from the literature. Using this, we carried out ecological niche modeling, to better understand how environmental suitability might limit the area occupied by the species. We then projected a distribution for 2070 with the SSP2-4.5 (more optimistic) and SSP5-8.5 (more pessimistic) scenarios. Our data confirmed the geographic distribution of the species as being restricted to headwaters of the Ji-Paraná/Machado river, but with a 400 km extension to the south. Under the modeled climate change scenarios, the area suitable for the species declines by 21% under the most optimistic, and by 27% in the pessimistic, scenario across the projected 50-year period. Although we have expanded the area of known occurrence for this species, we point out that climate change threatens the stability of this newly-discovered population strongly, and that this danger is intensified by deforestation, fire and hunting. We recommend that further studies be carried out to confirm the presence of the species in adjacent areas, those indicated by generated models as being potential environmentally suitable. In addition, we recommend intensifying forest restoration in currently pastured areas, and protection of the areas forming the current and future habitat of this species through such measures as protected area creation.
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Gorczynski D, Hsieh C, Luciano JT, Ahumada J, Espinosa S, Johnson S, Rovero F, Santos F, Andrianarisoa MH, Astaiza JH, Jansen PA, Kayijamahe C, Moreira Lima MG, Salvador J, Beaudrot L. Tropical mammal functional diversity increases with productivity but decreases with anthropogenic disturbance. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202098. [PMID: 33593187 PMCID: PMC7934904 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A variety of factors can affect the biodiversity of tropical mammal communities, but their relative importance and directionality remain uncertain. Previous global investigations of mammal functional diversity have relied on range maps instead of observational data to determine community composition. We test the effects of species pools, habitat heterogeneity, primary productivity and human disturbance on the functional diversity (dispersion and richness) of mammal communities using the largest standardized tropical forest camera trap monitoring system, the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Network. We use occupancy values derived from the camera trap data to calculate occupancy-weighted functional diversity and use Bayesian generalized linear regression to determine the effects of multiple predictors. Mammal community functional dispersion increased with primary productivity, while functional richness decreased with human-induced local extinctions and was significantly lower in Madagascar than other tropical regions. The significant positive relationship between functional dispersion and productivity was evident only when functional dispersion was weighted by species' occupancies. Thus, observational data from standardized monitoring can reveal the drivers of mammal communities in ways that are not readily apparent from range map-based studies. The positive association between occupancy-weighted functional dispersion of tropical forest mammal communities and primary productivity suggests that unique functional traits may be more beneficial in more productive ecosystems and may allow species to persist at higher abundances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Gorczynski
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.,Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Chia Hsieh
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.,Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jadelys Tonos Luciano
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.,Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jorge Ahumada
- Moore Center for Science, Conservation International, Arlington, VA, USA
| | - Santiago Espinosa
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, SLP, México.,Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Steig Johnson
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Francesco Rovero
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,Tropical Biodiversity Section, MUSE-Museo delle Scienze, Trento, Italy
| | - Fernanda Santos
- Biogeography of Conservation and Macroecology Laboratory, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal do Pará, Pará, Brazil
| | | | | | - Patrick A Jansen
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama.,Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Marcela Guimarães Moreira Lima
- Laboratório de Biogeografia da Conservação e Macroecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Pará, Brazil
| | - Julia Salvador
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Mariana de Jesús E7-248 y Pradera, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Lydia Beaudrot
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.,Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
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8
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Breuer T, Breuer‐Ndoundou Hockemba M, Opepa CK, Yoga S, Mavinga FB. High abundance and large proportion of medium and large duikers in an intact and unhunted afrotropical protected area: Insights into monitoring methods. Afr J Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Breuer
- Wildlife Conservation Society Global Conservation Program Bronx NY USA
- Mbeli Bai Study Wildlife Conservation Society – Congo Program Brazzaville Congo
| | - Mireille Breuer‐Ndoundou Hockemba
- Mbeli Bai Study Wildlife Conservation Society – Congo Program Brazzaville Congo
- Wildlife Conservation Society ‐ Congo Program Brazzaville Congo
| | | | - Sarah Yoga
- Wildlife Conservation Society ‐ Congo Program Brazzaville Congo
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9
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Gorczynski D, Beaudrot L. Functional diversity and redundancy of tropical forest mammals over time. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Gorczynski
- Program in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology BioSciences Department Rice University Houston TX USA
| | - Lydia Beaudrot
- Program in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology BioSciences Department Rice University Houston TX USA
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10
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Soto-Navarro C, Ravilious C, Arnell A, de Lamo X, Harfoot M, Hill SLL, Wearn OR, Santoro M, Bouvet A, Mermoz S, Le Toan T, Xia J, Liu S, Yuan W, Spawn SA, Gibbs HK, Ferrier S, Harwood T, Alkemade R, Schipper AM, Schmidt-Traub G, Strassburg B, Miles L, Burgess ND, Kapos V. Mapping co-benefits for carbon storage and biodiversity to inform conservation policy and action. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190128. [PMID: 31983334 PMCID: PMC7017768 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Integrated high-resolution maps of carbon stocks and biodiversity that identify areas of potential co-benefits for climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation can help facilitate the implementation of global climate and biodiversity commitments at local levels. However, the multi-dimensional nature of biodiversity presents a major challenge for understanding, mapping and communicating where and how biodiversity benefits coincide with climate benefits. A new integrated approach to biodiversity is therefore needed. Here, we (a) present a new high-resolution map of global above- and below-ground carbon stored in biomass and soil, (b) quantify biodiversity values using two complementary indices (BIp and BIr) representing proactive and reactive approaches to conservation, and (c) examine patterns of carbon-biodiversity overlap by identifying 'hotspots' (20% highest values for both aspects). Our indices integrate local diversity and ecosystem intactness, as well as regional ecosystem intactness across the broader area supporting a similar natural assemblage of species to the location of interest. The western Amazon Basin, Central Africa and Southeast Asia capture the last strongholds of highest local biodiversity and ecosystem intactness worldwide, while the last refuges for unique biological communities whose habitats have been greatly reduced are mostly found in the tropical Andes and central Sundaland. There is 38 and 5% overlap in carbon and biodiversity hotspots, for proactive and reactive conservation, respectively. Alarmingly, only around 12 and 21% of these proactive and reactive hotspot areas, respectively, are formally protected. This highlights that a coupled approach is urgently needed to help achieve both climate and biodiversity global targets. This would involve (1) restoring and conserving unprotected, degraded ecosystems, particularly in the Neotropics and Indomalaya, and (2) retaining the remaining strongholds of intactness. This article is part of the theme issue 'Climate change and ecosystems: threats, opportunities and solutions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Soto-Navarro
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
- Luc Hoffmann Institute, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
| | - C. Ravilious
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
| | - A. Arnell
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
| | - X. de Lamo
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
| | - M. Harfoot
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
| | - S. L. L. Hill
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - O. R. Wearn
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - M. Santoro
- Gamma Remote Sensing, Worbstrasse 225, 3073 Gümligen, Switzerland
| | - A. Bouvet
- CESBIO, Edouard Belin, 31401 Toulouse, France
| | - S. Mermoz
- GlobEO, Avenue Saint-Exupery, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - T. Le Toan
- CESBIO, Edouard Belin, 31401 Toulouse, France
| | - J. Xia
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Environment, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, People's Republic of China
| | - S. Liu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry and Ecology in Southern China, College of Biological Science and Technology, Central South University of Forest and Technology, Changsha 410004, People's Republic of China
| | - W. Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - S. A. Spawn
- Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Centre for Sustainability and the Global Environment, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - H. K. Gibbs
- Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Centre for Sustainability and the Global Environment, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - S. Ferrier
- CSIRO, GPO BOX 1700, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - T. Harwood
- CSIRO, GPO BOX 1700, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - R. Alkemade
- PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, PO Box 30314, 2500 GH The Hague, The Netherlands
| | - A. M. Schipper
- PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, PO Box 30314, 2500 GH The Hague, The Netherlands
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud University, PO Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - G. Schmidt-Traub
- UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, 75009 Paris, France
| | - B. Strassburg
- International Institute for Sustainability (IIS), CEP: 22460-320, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - L. Miles
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
| | - N. D. Burgess
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
- Centre for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, The Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - V. Kapos
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
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11
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Scriven SA, Williams SH, Ghani MA, Agama AL, Benedick S, Brodie JF, Hamer KC, McClean CJ, Reynolds G, Hill JK. Assessing the effectiveness of protected areas for conserving range‐restricted rain forest butterflies in Sabah, Borneo. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara H. Williams
- Division of Biological Sciences and Wildlife Biology Program University of Montana Missoula MT USA
| | - Mazidi A. Ghani
- Department of Biology University of York York UK
- WWF‐Malaysia Sabah Office Kota Kinabalu Malaysia
| | - Agnes L. Agama
- South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP) Lahad Datu Malaysia
| | - Suzan Benedick
- Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture Universiti Malaysia Sabah Sandakan Malaysia
| | - Jedediah F. Brodie
- Division of Biological Sciences and Wildlife Biology Program University of Montana Missoula MT USA
| | - Keith C. Hamer
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences University of Leeds Leeds UK
| | - Colin J. McClean
- Department of Environment and Geography University of York York UK
| | - Glen Reynolds
- South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP) Lahad Datu Malaysia
| | - Jane K. Hill
- Department of Biology University of York York UK
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12
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Osuri AM, Machado S, Ratnam J, Sankaran M, Ayyappan N, Muthuramkumar S, Parthasarathy N, Pélissier R, Ramesh BR, DeFries R, Naeem S. Tree diversity and carbon storage cobenefits in tropical human‐dominated landscapes. Conserv Lett 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anand M. Osuri
- The Earth InstituteColumbia University New York New York
- The Nature Conservancy Arlington Virginia
| | - Siddarth Machado
- School of Forest Resources and ConservationUniversity of Florida Gainesville Florida
- National Centre for Biological SciencesTata Institute of Fundamental Research Bangalore Karnataka India
| | - Jayashree Ratnam
- National Centre for Biological SciencesTata Institute of Fundamental Research Bangalore Karnataka India
| | - Mahesh Sankaran
- National Centre for Biological SciencesTata Institute of Fundamental Research Bangalore Karnataka India
- School of BiologyUniversity of Leeds Leeds UK
| | - N. Ayyappan
- Department of EcologyFrench Institute of Pondicherry Puducherry India
| | - S. Muthuramkumar
- Department of BotanyV. H. N. S. N. College (Autonomous) Virudhunagar Tamil Nadu India
| | - N. Parthasarathy
- Department of Ecology and Environmental SciencesPondicherry University Puducherry India
| | - Raphaël Pélissier
- Department of EcologyFrench Institute of Pondicherry Puducherry India
- AMAP Lab, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAUniversity of Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - B. R. Ramesh
- Department of EcologyFrench Institute of Pondicherry Puducherry India
| | - Ruth DeFries
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental BiologyColumbia University New York New York
| | - Shahid Naeem
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental BiologyColumbia University New York New York
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13
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Sabatini FM, de Andrade RB, Paillet Y, Ódor P, Bouget C, Campagnaro T, Gosselin F, Janssen P, Mattioli W, Nascimbene J, Sitzia T, Kuemmerle T, Burrascano S. Trade-offs between carbon stocks and biodiversity in European temperate forests. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:536-548. [PMID: 30565806 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Revised: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Policies to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss often assume that protecting carbon-rich forests provides co-benefits in terms of biodiversity, due to the spatial congruence of carbon stocks and biodiversity at biogeographic scales. However, it remains unclear whether this holds at the scales relevant for management, and particularly large knowledge gaps exist for temperate forests and for taxa other than trees. We built a comprehensive dataset of Central European temperate forest structure and multi-taxonomic diversity (beetles, birds, bryophytes, fungi, lichens, and plants) across 352 plots. We used Boosted Regression Trees (BRTs) to assess the relationship between above-ground live carbon stocks and (a) taxon-specific richness, (b) a unified multidiversity index. We used Threshold Indicator Taxa ANalysis to explore individual species' responses to changing above-ground carbon stocks and to detect change-points in species composition along the carbon-stock gradient. Our results reveal an overall weak and highly variable relationship between richness and carbon stock at the stand scale, both for individual taxonomic groups and for multidiversity. Similarly, the proportion of win-win and trade-off species (i.e., species favored or disadvantaged by increasing carbon stock, respectively) varied substantially across taxa. Win-win species gradually replaced trade-off species with increasing carbon, without clear thresholds along the above-ground carbon gradient, suggesting that community-level surrogates (e.g., richness) might fail to detect critical changes in biodiversity. Collectively, our analyses highlight that leveraging co-benefits between carbon and biodiversity in temperate forest may require stand-scale management that prioritizes either biodiversity or carbon in order to maximize co-benefits at broader scales. Importantly, this contrasts with tropical forests, where climate and biodiversity objectives can be integrated at the stand scale, thus highlighting the need for context-specificity when managing for multiple objectives. Accounting for critical change-points of target taxa can help to deal with this specificity, by defining a safe operating space to manipulate carbon while avoiding biodiversity losses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Maria Sabatini
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) - Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther-Universität, Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | | | | | - Péter Ódor
- MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | | | - Thomas Campagnaro
- Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, Università degli Studi di Padova, Legnaro, Italy
| | | | - Philippe Janssen
- Université Grenoble-Alpes, Irstea, UR LESSEM, Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France
| | - Walter Mattioli
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood (CREA-FL), Arezzo, Italy
| | - Juri Nascimbene
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Tommaso Sitzia
- Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, Università degli Studi di Padova, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Tobias Kuemmerle
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Integrative Research Institute for Human Environment Transformation (IRI THESys), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sabina Burrascano
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza, University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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14
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Dybala KE, Steger K, Walsh RG, Smart DR, Gardali T, Seavy NE. Optimizing carbon storage and biodiversity co‐benefits in reforested riparian zones. J Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kristin Steger
- College of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesDepartment of Viticulture and EnologyUniversity of California, Davis Davis California
| | | | - David R. Smart
- College of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesDepartment of Viticulture and EnologyUniversity of California, Davis Davis California
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15
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Van de Perre F, Willig MR, Presley SJ, Bapeamoni Andemwana F, Beeckman H, Boeckx P, Cooleman S, de Haan M, De Kesel A, Dessein S, Grootaert P, Huygens D, Janssens SB, Kearsley E, Kabeya PM, Leponce M, Van den Broeck D, Verbeeck H, Würsten B, Leirs H, Verheyen E. Reconciling biodiversity and carbon stock conservation in an Afrotropical forest landscape. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaar6603. [PMID: 29670947 PMCID: PMC5903881 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aar6603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 02/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Protecting aboveground carbon stocks in tropical forests is essential for mitigating global climate change and is assumed to simultaneously conserve biodiversity. Although the relationship between tree diversity and carbon stocks is generally positive, the relationship remains unclear for consumers or decomposers. We assessed this relationship for multiple trophic levels across the tree of life (10 organismal groups, 3 kingdoms) in lowland rainforests of the Congo Basin. Comparisons across regrowth and old-growth forests evinced the expected positive relationship for trees, but not for other organismal groups. Moreover, differences in species composition between forests increased with difference in carbon stock. These variable associations across the tree of life contradict the implicit assumption that maximum co-benefits to biodiversity are associated with conservation of forests with the highest carbon storage. Initiatives targeting climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation should include both old-growth and regenerating forests to optimally benefit biodiversity and carbon storage.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael R. Willig
- Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269–4210, USA
| | - Steven J. Presley
- Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269–4210, USA
| | | | - Hans Beeckman
- Royal Museum for Central Africa, 3080 Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Pascal Boeckx
- ISOFYS Isotope Bioscience Laboratory, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Dries Huygens
- ISOFYS Isotope Bioscience Laboratory, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Elizabeth Kearsley
- CAVElab Computational and Applied Vegetation Ecology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Patrick Mutombo Kabeya
- Centre de Surveillance de la Biodiversité, University of Kisangani, Kisangani, D.R. Congo
| | - Maurice Leponce
- Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Hans Verbeeck
- CAVElab Computational and Applied Vegetation Ecology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Herwig Leirs
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Erik Verheyen
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
- Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
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16
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Di Marco M, Watson JEM, Currie DJ, Possingham HP, Venter O. The extent and predictability of the biodiversity-carbon correlation. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:365-375. [PMID: 29314473 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Protecting biomass carbon stocks to mitigate climate change has direct implications for biodiversity conservation. Yet, evidence that a positive association exists between carbon density and species richness is contrasting. Here, we test how this association varies (1) across spatial extents and (2) as a function of how strongly carbon and species richness depend on environmental variables. We found the correlation weakens when moving from larger extents, e.g. realms, to narrower extents, e.g. ecoregions. For ecoregions, a positive correlation emerges when both species richness and carbon density vary as functions of the same environmental variables (climate, soil, elevation). In 20% of tropical ecoregions, there are opportunities to pursue carbon conservation with direct biodiversity co-benefits, while other ecoregions require careful planning for both species and carbon to avoid potentially perverse outcomes. The broad assumption of a linear relationship between carbon and biodiversity can lead to undesired outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moreno Di Marco
- CSIRO Land & Water, EcoSciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park Qld, 4102, Australia.,Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Qld., Australia
| | - James E M Watson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Qld., Australia.,Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY, 10460, USA
| | - David J Currie
- Biology Department, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie Priv. Ottawa, ON, K1N6N5, Canada
| | - Hugh P Possingham
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Qld., Australia.,The Nature Conservancy, 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100 Arlington, VA, 22203-1606, USA
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, V2N 4Z9, Canada
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17
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Singh M, Friess DA, Vilela B, Alban JDTD, Monzon AKV, Veridiano RKA, Tumaneng RD. Spatial relationships between above-ground biomass and bird species biodiversity in Palawan, Philippines. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0186742. [PMID: 29206228 PMCID: PMC5714345 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2016] [Accepted: 10/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
This study maps distribution and spatial congruence between Above-Ground Biomass (AGB) and species richness of IUCN listed conservation-dependent and endemic avian fauna in Palawan, Philippines. Grey Level Co-Occurrence Texture Matrices (GLCMs) extracted from Landsat and ALOS-PALSAR were used in conjunction with local field data to model and map local-scale field AGB using the Random Forest algorithm (r = 0.92 and RMSE = 31.33 Mg·ha-1). A support vector regression (SVR) model was used to identify the factors influencing variation in avian species richness at a 1km scale. AGB is one of the most important determinants of avian species richness for the study area. Topographic factors and anthropogenic factors such as distance from the roads were also found to strongly influence avian species richness. Hotspots of high AGB and high species richness concentration were mapped using hotspot analysis and the overlaps between areas of high AGB and avian species richness was calculated. Results show that the overlaps between areas of high AGB with high IUCN red listed avian species richness and endemic avian species richness were fairly limited at 13% and 8% at the 1-km scale. The overlap between 1) low AGB and low IUCN richness, and 2) low AGB and low endemic avian species richness was higher at 36% and 12% respectively. The enhanced capacity to spatially map the correlation between AGB and avian species richness distribution will further assist the conservation and protection of forest areas and threatened avian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minerva Singh
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel A. Friess
- Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, 1Arts Link, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Bruno Vilela
- Department of Biology, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Jose Don T. De Alban
- Fauna & Flora International, Philippines Programme, Tagaytay City, Cavite, Philippines
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Angelica Kristina V. Monzon
- Fauna & Flora International, Philippines Programme, Tagaytay City, Cavite, Philippines
- Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Rizza Karen A. Veridiano
- Fauna & Flora International, Philippines Programme, Tagaytay City, Cavite, Philippines
- Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute for International Forestry and Forest Economics, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Roven D. Tumaneng
- Fauna & Flora International, Philippines Programme, Tagaytay City, Cavite, Philippines
- Emerging Technology Development Division, Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development, Department of Science and Technology, Taguig City, Philippines
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18
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Deere NJ, Guillera‐Arroita G, Baking EL, Bernard H, Pfeifer M, Reynolds G, Wearn OR, Davies ZG, Struebig MJ. High Carbon Stock forests provide co‐benefits for tropical biodiversity. J Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas J. Deere
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) School of Anthropology and Conservation University of Kent Canterbury UK
| | | | - Esther L. Baking
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation Universiti Malaysia Sabah Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia
| | - Henry Bernard
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation Universiti Malaysia Sabah Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia
| | - Marion Pfeifer
- School of Biology Newcastle University Newcastle Upon Tyne UK
| | - Glen Reynolds
- South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP) Danum Valley Field Centre Lahad Datu Sabah Malaysia
| | | | - Zoe G. Davies
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) School of Anthropology and Conservation University of Kent Canterbury UK
| | - Matthew J. Struebig
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) School of Anthropology and Conservation University of Kent Canterbury UK
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19
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Diversity and carbon storage across the tropical forest biome. Sci Rep 2017; 7:39102. [PMID: 28094794 PMCID: PMC5240619 DOI: 10.1038/srep39102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 10/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropical forests are global centres of biodiversity and carbon storage. Many tropical countries aspire to protect forest to fulfil biodiversity and climate mitigation policy targets, but the conservation strategies needed to achieve these two functions depend critically on the tropical forest tree diversity-carbon storage relationship. Assessing this relationship is challenging due to the scarcity of inventories where carbon stocks in aboveground biomass and species identifications have been simultaneously and robustly quantified. Here, we compile a unique pan-tropical dataset of 360 plots located in structurally intact old-growth closed-canopy forest, surveyed using standardised methods, allowing a multi-scale evaluation of diversity-carbon relationships in tropical forests. Diversity-carbon relationships among all plots at 1 ha scale across the tropics are absent, and within continents are either weak (Asia) or absent (Amazonia, Africa). A weak positive relationship is detectable within 1 ha plots, indicating that diversity effects in tropical forests may be scale dependent. The absence of clear diversity-carbon relationships at scales relevant to conservation planning means that carbon-centred conservation strategies will inevitably miss many high diversity ecosystems. As tropical forests can have any combination of tree diversity and carbon stocks both require explicit consideration when optimising policies to manage tropical carbon and biodiversity.
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20
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Sollmann R, Mohamed A, Niedballa J, Bender J, Ambu L, Lagan P, Mannan S, Ong RC, Langner A, Gardner B, Wilting A. Quantifying mammal biodiversity co-benefits in certified tropical forests. DIVERS DISTRIB 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rahel Sollmann
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources; North Carolina State University; Raleigh NC USA
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17 10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Azlan Mohamed
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17 10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Jürgen Niedballa
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17 10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Johannes Bender
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17 10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Laurentius Ambu
- Sabah Wildlife Department; 5th Floor, B Block, Wisma MUIS 88100 Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia
| | - Peter Lagan
- Sabah Forestry Department; Locked Bag 68 90009 Sandakan Sabah Malaysia
| | - Sam Mannan
- Sabah Forestry Department; Locked Bag 68 90009 Sandakan Sabah Malaysia
| | - Robert C. Ong
- Forest Research Centre; Sabah Forestry Department; P.O. Box 1407 90715 Sandakan Sabah Malaysia
| | - Andreas Langner
- European Commission; Joint Research Centre; Institute for Environment and Sustainability; Via Enrico Fermi 2749 I - 21027 Ispra Italy
| | - Beth Gardner
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources; North Carolina State University; Raleigh NC USA
| | - Andreas Wilting
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17 10315 Berlin Germany
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21
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Rovero F, Ahumada J. The Tropical Ecology, Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Network: An early warning system for tropical rain forests. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 574:914-923. [PMID: 27665451 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2016] [Revised: 09/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/17/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
While there are well established early warning systems for a number of natural phenomena (e.g. earthquakes, catastrophic fires, tsunamis), we do not have an early warning system for biodiversity. Yet, we are losing species at an unprecedented rate, and this especially occurs in tropical rainforests, the biologically richest but most eroded biome on earth. Unfortunately, there is a chronic gap in standardized and pan-tropical data in tropical forests, affecting our capacity to monitor changes and anticipate future scenarios. The Tropical Ecology, Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Network was established to contribute addressing this issue, as it generates real time data to monitor long-term trends in tropical biodiversity and guide conservation practice. We present the Network and focus primarily on the Terrestrial Vertebrates protocol, that uses systematic camera trapping to detect forest mammals and birds, and secondarily on the Zone of Interaction protocol, that measures changes in the anthroposphere around the core monitoring area. With over 3 million images so far recorded, and managed using advanced information technology, TEAM has created the most important data set on tropical forest mammals globally. We provide examples of site-specific and global analyses that, combined with data on anthropogenic disturbance collected in the larger ecosystem where monitoring sites are, allowed us to understand the drivers of changes of target species and communities in space and time. We discuss the potential of this system as a candidate model towards setting up an early warning system that can effectively anticipate changes in coupled human-natural system, trigger management actions, and hence decrease the gap between research and management responses. In turn, TEAM produces robust biodiversity indicators that meet the requirements set by global policies such as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Standardization in data collection and public sharing of data in near real time are essential features of such system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Rovero
- Sezione di Biodiversità Tropicale, MUSE-Museo delle Scienze, Trento, Italy.
| | - Jorge Ahumada
- Moore Center for Science, Conservation International, Washington DC, USA
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22
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Beaudrot L, Ahumada JA, O'Brien T, Alvarez-Loayza P, Boekee K, Campos-Arceiz A, Eichberg D, Espinosa S, Fegraus E, Fletcher C, Gajapersad K, Hallam C, Hurtado J, Jansen PA, Kumar A, Larney E, Lima MGM, Mahony C, Martin EH, McWilliam A, Mugerwa B, Ndoundou-Hockemba M, Razafimahaimodison JC, Romero-Saltos H, Rovero F, Salvador J, Santos F, Sheil D, Spironello WR, Willig MR, Winarni NL, Zvoleff A, Andelman SJ. Standardized Assessment of Biodiversity Trends in Tropical Forest Protected Areas: The End Is Not in Sight. PLoS Biol 2016; 14:e1002357. [PMID: 26785119 PMCID: PMC4718630 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2015] [Accepted: 12/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Extinction rates in the Anthropocene are three orders of magnitude higher than background and disproportionately occur in the tropics, home of half the world’s species. Despite global efforts to combat tropical species extinctions, lack of high-quality, objective information on tropical biodiversity has hampered quantitative evaluation of conservation strategies. In particular, the scarcity of population-level monitoring in tropical forests has stymied assessment of biodiversity outcomes, such as the status and trends of animal populations in protected areas. Here, we evaluate occupancy trends for 511 populations of terrestrial mammals and birds, representing 244 species from 15 tropical forest protected areas on three continents. For the first time to our knowledge, we use annual surveys from tropical forests worldwide that employ a standardized camera trapping protocol, and we compute data analytics that correct for imperfect detection. We found that occupancy declined in 22%, increased in 17%, and exhibited no change in 22% of populations during the last 3–8 years, while 39% of populations were detected too infrequently to assess occupancy changes. Despite extensive variability in occupancy trends, these 15 tropical protected areas have not exhibited systematic declines in biodiversity (i.e., occupancy, richness, or evenness) at the community level. Our results differ from reports of widespread biodiversity declines based on aggregated secondary data and expert opinion and suggest less extreme deterioration in tropical forest protected areas. We simultaneously fill an important conservation data gap and demonstrate the value of large-scale monitoring infrastructure and powerful analytics, which can be scaled to incorporate additional sites, ecosystems, and monitoring methods. In an era of catastrophic biodiversity loss, robust indicators produced from standardized monitoring infrastructure are critical to accurately assess population outcomes and identify conservation strategies that can avert biodiversity collapse. In contrast to other reports, inaugural results from a pan-tropical camera trap network suggest that tropical forest protected areas maintain their biodiversity of large and medium ground-dwelling mammals and birds. Humans are currently driving numerous animal species toward extinction. Species loss is especially high in tropical regions where most species live and where biodiversity threats are severe. Protected areas such as national parks are the cornerstone of species conservation, but whether protected areas really sustain animal populations and prevent extinction has been debated. This applies particularly to understudied areas such as tropical forests, for which high-quality data are usually not available. We used camera traps to monitor populations of ground-dwelling mammals and birds in 15 protected tropical forests around the world and then used powerful analytics to determine their population trends. We found that some animal populations increased while others decreased. However, the number and distribution of species in these areas did not decline during the 3–8 years we examined. These results are more optimistic about the success of protected areas than were previous studies. Our study demonstrates the importance of standardized monitoring for conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Beaudrot
- Moore Center for Science, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
- * E-mail: (LB); (JAA)
| | - Jorge A. Ahumada
- Moore Center for Science, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
- * E-mail: (LB); (JAA)
| | - Timothy O'Brien
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York, United States of America
| | - Patricia Alvarez-Loayza
- Center for Tropical Conservation, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kelly Boekee
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz
- School of Geography, Mindset Interdisciplinary Centre for Tropical Environmental Studies, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - David Eichberg
- HP Sustainability, HP Inc., Palo Alto, California, United States of America
| | - Santiago Espinosa
- Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Eric Fegraus
- Moore Center for Science, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
| | | | | | - Chris Hallam
- Wildlife Conservation Society—Lao PDR Program, Vientiane, Lao PDR
| | - Johanna Hurtado
- Organization for Tropical Studies, La Selva Biological Station, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, Costa Rica
| | - Patrick A. Jansen
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Center for Tropical Forest Science, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Republic of Panama
| | - Amit Kumar
- Enterprise Services, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
| | - Eileen Larney
- Centre ValBio, Ranomafana, Madagascar
- Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | | | - Colin Mahony
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise Big Data, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
| | - Emanuel H. Martin
- Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Centre, Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania
- Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Alex McWilliam
- Wildlife Conservation Society—Lao PDR Program, Vientiane, Lao PDR
| | - Badru Mugerwa
- Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation (ITFC), Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Mbarara, Uganda
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Hugo Romero-Saltos
- Department of Biology, Yachay Tech University, Urcuquí, Imbabura, Ecuador
| | - Francesco Rovero
- Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Centre, Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania
- Tropical Biodiversity, MUSE—Museo delle Scienze, Trento, Italy
| | - Julia Salvador
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Fernanda Santos
- Universidade Federal do Pará, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Pará, Brasil
| | - Douglas Sheil
- Department of Ecology and Natural (INA) Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway
- Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor, Indonesia
| | | | - Michael R. Willig
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Center for Environmental Sciences & Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Nurul L. Winarni
- Research Center for Climate Change, University of Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
| | - Alex Zvoleff
- Moore Center for Science, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Sandy J. Andelman
- Moore Center for Science, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
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