Making the most of the data: challenges of collaborative NGO data management and analysis for impact evaluation in a remote MPA network in Indonesia

Extensive collaborative efforts have resulted in a network of MPAs in the vast Bird’s Head Seascape (BHS), Indonesia, which covers over 13,000 square miles. To understand the effectiveness of these conservation interventions, a comprehensive impact evaluation needs to be conducted. Three separate NGOs have been conducting ecological monitoring, which presents three major challenges in synthesizing the data and setting the framework for impact evaluation. First, to address biological and technical issues associated with the current coral reef monitoring protocol we analyzed the variability in the data to select short term and long term ecological indicators for coral reef health. Second, we made several efforts to improve data management, including creation of a database for the BHS, creation of an online storage database, and exploration into using mobile phones as a means of data collection. Finally, we addressed a lack of control sites outside of the MPAs by recently conducting an expedition to monitor potential control reef sites. We further analyzed these data in order to develop criteria for matching control sites with MPAs based on similarity of certain reef attributes. This has ultimately led to baseline ecological data to use in combination with social data for future impact evaluation in the BHS.

The Convention on Biological Diversity, proposed a plan in 2010 to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2020 by monitoring progress of 20 targets (Aichi Biodiversity Targets). Measuring progress towards these targets depends on the availability of data to be synthesized under several dozen indicators. The simple question of whether a species is increasing, decreasing or stable, a vital component of many of these indicators, can be hindered by quality and consistency problems in the data that goes into them. We demonstrate the use of annual camera trap deployments as a cost-effective way to monitor terrestrial mammal species and community diversity that can feed directly into indicators for many Aichi targets. As part of a global monitoring system for tropical forests, 60 camera trap points were deployed annually along the Volcan Barva transect, Costa Rica between 2008-12. From these data we estimated annual occupancy rates for 14 species of mammals of interest. Four of these species showed declines in occupancy that were statistically significant. We calculated trends in species richness and the Wildlife Picture Index -a synthetic indicator of community diversity, developed specifically for camera trap data. Both showed a modest decline through time. We discuss the possible causes for this decline, and ways this information can feed back into park management authorities to enhance effectiveness in conservation and help reach biodiversity conservation targets.

We integrated social-science interviews on people's perceptions of wild canids with comparative ecological research on canid movement behavior to better understand how canid ecology influences perception by local people. Villagers living in proximity of Thailand's protected areas generally see wild canids as pests threatening their livestock. However, in interview surveys they frequently confuse photographs of endangered dholes (Cuon alpinus) with sympatric golden jackals (Canis aureus). We used GPS tracking and advanced statistical tools to analyze the movement ecology of both species to assess how they use habitats in and around protected areas, and to determine how frequently they may come into contact with local people. Our research demonstrates that dholes are forest specialists with relatively restricted territories and home ranges, while golden jackals are habitat generalists living mostly in agricultural landscape mosaics with occasional forays into forests. Based on habitat choice and movement characteristics, jackal are more likely to be encountered by people and probably also represent a greater threat to livestock. Data from this research is being used for environmental education to raise awareness for dhole conservation in and around Thailand's protected areas.

Urbanization and management of coastal erosion has resulted in the proliferation of marine infrastructures, such as breakwaters, ports, seawalls and offshore installations. These artificial habitats tend to be very poor compared to natural habitats, and are one of the leading causes for biodiversity loss in coastal waters. This calls for new strategies aimed at elevating the ecological value of coastal infrastructures. We explored the feasibility of preserving native biodiversity in marine urban environments by promoting the growth of ecologically valuable, canopy-forming algae on coastal artificial structures. Canopy algae form diverse, structurally complex and highly productive habitats along many temperate rocky coasts, but are rapidly retracting in urban areas. We demonstrated experimentally that canopy algae could be transplanted, survive and grow on purpose designed artificial surfaces. However, recruitment was limited by biotic disturbance (primarily grazing), which was greater on coastal structures compared to natural reefs. The observed different ecological functioning of artificial vs natural habitats was consistent across urban catchments hundreds of km apart, possibly providing an additional explanation to the ongoing global retraction of canopy forming habitats. We conclude that to preserve native biodiversity in urban areas it is necessary that the unique functioning of artificial habitats is understood and incorporated into green infrastrutture design

Whether a species' distribution is included in protected areas (PAs) is an important criterion for species prioritization. Particularly, species of which distribution area is not conserved (gap species) often receives high priority when planning new PAs. The gap between distribution of PAs and that of species can be minimized when PAs are allocated based on complementarity analysis. However, due to practical limitations, such allocation is often unavailable, and PAs are located rather randomly regarding areas that should be conserved. In such case, narrow-range species might become gap species easily than wide-range species. Using distribution records of 1889 red-listed vascular plant taxa in Japan, we empirically examined whether conservation priority should be set to narrow-range species. Narrow-range species were more likely to become gap species than wide-range species. Furthermore, proportion of species of which red-list category had deteriorated between 2007 and 2012 was twice as high as in the gap species than conserved ones. This trend is supported by double in the rate of local extinction in non-conserved mesh than in conserved mesh. Our results suggest a positive feedback -that is, narrow range species is prone to become gap species, which accelerates the local extinction of the species, and which further narrows the range of the species. Therefore these species should be conserved preferentially.

How current methods of categorizing threatened species (such as IUCN Red List) will perform in identifying species threatened with climate change has been an unresolved debate. Addressing this question requires analyzing extinction risks under climate change, but most methods used for this are inadequate. Inferring species vulnerability to climate change from projected shifts in their habitat--based on predictions of ecological niche models, ENM-- ignores the effect of demographic or life history traits. Correlative approaches to determine the effect of life history traits on vulnerability to extinction often leads to circularity in analysis when the data on extinction risk is based in part on these life history traits. To address these shortcomings, we developed a novel modeling approach, linking downscaled climate model ensembles, ENMs, and generic life history models that predict extinction probability. Analysis of simulation results reveals interacting effects of life history traits and range shifts on the vulnerability of species to climate change. The results also allow calculating the time between red-listing of a species and its extinction (assuming no conservation action), giving an estimate of the time that would be available for conservation measures to prevent the extinction of climate-impacted species. This approach is demonstrated by using distributional and demographic data on 36 species of North American herps to analyze their vulnerability to climate change.

Heavy metal pollution from the industrial sector constitutes a threat to aquatic biodiversity in the western side of Lagos Lagoon in the south western Nigeria. A survey was carried out at three stations: UNILAG front, Iddo and Oko Baba on the Lagoon between the wet and dry season of 2011 to determine heavy metal pollution using the crab Callinectes amnicola (De Rochebourne) as a bioindicator . Five priority heavy metals namely Nickel (Ni), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn) were analysed in water and crab tissues(muscle and hepatopancreas) The mean concentration of heavy metals (mg/kg) in water and crab tissues varied significantly (p Pb > Cr, > Zn > Cu across the study sites. The metal level in water samples from these stations also increased in the order Ni> Cr> Pb> Cu>Zn. The study concluded that western side of Lagos lagoon is highly polluted with these heavy metals, thus recommending ways by which further pollution can be averted. Keywords: Heavy metals, bio-accumulation, bio-concentration, swimming crab

ABSTRACT This paper investigated the monetary value placed on ecotourism potentials of Olumo Rock, Abeokuta, Nigeria as perceived by visiting tourists. Questionnaires were administered to collect primary data. Information harnessed includes, mode and cost incurred for transportation and visitation, purpose of visitation, perception about the recreational status, staff-visitors' relationship and problem encountered during visit. Descriptive statistics, multiple regression analysis and travel-cost model were parts of the statistical tools used for data analysis. The result showed that the majority of the visitors were male (54%); residents of Lagos State, Nigeria (60%); students (38%); having tertiary education (44%); visiting for recreational purposes (72%); encountered hill climbing as a problem (26%); fairly satisfied with staff-visitor relationship (74%) but satisfied with the site resources and facilities and wishing to call again (90%); come mostly with their private vehicles (68%) . With respect to travel cost analysis, it was discovered that visitors using private transportation incurred more expensive than those using public transport. The reduced model of the multiple linear regression revealed that the following variables: income, distance to site, and travel cost significantly influenced the visitation rate to Olumo rock site. Effective management of park resources and facilities with improvement in staff welfare packages were parts of suggested recommendations.

Sweetpotato is an economic and food security crop in Nigeria. Non availability of healthy and high yielding planting materials at the beginning of the growing season has been noted to be major constraints to cultivation of the crop by many household in Nigeria with the consequence of genetic erosion of landraces and cultivars. Germplasm collection of the sweetpotato vines and roots were carried across the production zones of the Nigeria, with the county divided into six zones .Vines cuttings of 164 accessions were transferred to the Research Plot of NACGRAB Ibadan (7o 22'N, 3 o50E') and planted on ridges at 3m x I m ,3 replicate per accession . Roots were harvested at the age of 5-6 months. Morphological data and yield data were taken and analyzed appropriately. There was high variability in the yield and vegetative data thus indicating genetic diversity of the crop in Nigeria There was increase in the number of accession conserved and it also arrest the genetic erosion of the crop in Nigeria. The study recommends increase in the accessibility of farmers to materials of important traits eg. high yielding, pro - vitamin A contents , disease and pest resistance. While information and knowledge sharing through interactions among farmers and Scientists should be sustained towards conservation of plant genetic resources

The Hindu Kush Mountains of Central Afghanistan contain some of Afghanistan's most intact ecosystems. Since 2006, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has been working in conservation planning, wildlife and range surveys, environmental legislation and community involvement in the area. Findings from surveys conducted in safe portion of in-conflict Afghanistan suggests the 7000 km2 high altitude plateau to the north of Bamyan province continues to harbour significant populations of urial (Ovis orientalis) and Siberian ibex (Capra siberica) and recent camera trap images have revealed a surprise: a Persian leopard, an apex predator long thought to have disappeared from the region. This pocket of rich biodiversity, also a natural corridor for wildlife seasonal movements between western Hindukosh to the south and northern plains of Afghanistan, extended northward from the only national park of Afghanistan; is proposed for a diverse, community-based, landscape scale conservation program. Currently 16 local game guards from the 4 community clusters distributed geographically around the plateau game the area and dependent on funding, providing assistance to the government and local communities in developing and training Community Conservation Councils (CCCs) and based on advice from the CCCs, a spectrum of protection measures to be employed to protect natural values while enhancing the livelihoods of local people.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has begun the process of revising the California Wildlife Action Plan with a goal of better integrating the impacts of climate change. The CDFW recognizes that climate change is a major challenge to the conservation of California's natural resources and is taking an active role in planning for and responding to the challenges posed by a changing climate. As part of this effort, CDFW worked with partners to develop a methodology that explicitly integrates climate change into the threat assessment and ratings described in the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation and will be using this framework to update the California Wildlife Action Plan. This integrated threat assessment provides a basis for identifying climate adaptation strategies that minimize the impacts of climate change on wildlife and habitat. The process has been conducted by teams at the ecoregional level and will be rolled up into a state-wide strategy. A separate climate stakeholder group was convened to help gather the necessary climate data for this exercise and to support the ecoregional teams as they worked through this process. Stakeholder involvement will be discussed in addition to describing how the Open Standards integrated threat assessment is being utilized in the context of the California State Wildlife Action Plan revision.

Ecologically linked MPA networks are required to effectively address the impacts of marine resource exploitation and climate change. However, recognizing MPAs as social networks is also crucial to understanding their success and potential for conservation effectiveness. Formal and informal social networks are central to multi-actor governance arrangements (e.g., co-managed MPAs) and have been repeatedly cited as a key attribute in the broader natural resource management literature. However, not all networks are structurally equal with research suggesting that different patterns of social relations contribute to different conservation outcomes. Here, we outline the opportunity and need to further develop and apply a social network perspective to MPAs and MPA systems. Drawing upon concepts from relational sociology and social network analysis we outline the theoretical assumptions that serve as a foundation for a social-relational network perspective, including the role of social structure and individual agency. We then draw on cases from the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean to illustrate the analytical utility and application of a social-relational network perspective for examining attributes and processes (e.g., trust, knowledge exchange) already identified as central to the design, planning and management of MPAs and MPA networks. Future research directions are highlighted, including the need to better understand multi-level and temporal dynamics of social networks.

Concern about climate change and its implications for human and natural systems have motivated many efforts to assess climate impacts and develop conservation and adaptation strategies. Scientists, resource managers and decision makers are increasingly expected to use climate information in assessment and planning, but may struggle with the uncertainty associated with this information. Much of the uncertainty stems from how to best use output from global climate models. There are three major sources of uncertainty in climate projections: i) model error, ii) how anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions will change in the future, often addressed by different "scenarios" and iii) natural variability. The latter, as identified by a large ensemble of simulations with slightly different initial conditions, can have a surprisingly large impact on short term variability and long-term trends on physical quantities, including temperature, precipitation and winds. Here, we identify and address a number of common misperceptions about the ability of climate models to project future conditions relevant to ecological systems. We focus on how natural climate variability can complicate using climate projections in understanding and projecting changes in marine ecosystems. We discuss how climate projections can be useful in ecological applications including providing strategic management advice despite these uncertainties.

Poaching for the illegal wildlife trade is a criminal industry that has increased in frequency and sophistication with devastating impacts to wildlife populations, ecosystem health and function and local community stability. Patrols on the ground may detect and deter poaching incidents, but patrols that lack intelligence on illegal incursions and poaching activity are expensive, dangerous, and increasingly insufficient to combat the rapidly advancing skills, technology and intensity of perpetrators servicing illicit global markets. WWF has been awarded a Google Global Impact Award to implement an innovative project that incorporates integrated technology for anti-poaching efforts in Africa and Asia. This project integrates three core technologies: aerial surveillance systems; SMART, a wildlife law enforcement efficiency and monitoring system; and new affordable GSM-based wildlife tags as animal tracking units. These technologies will help enforcement units respond more rapidly and effectively to detect poaching activity and identify animal location information so as to improve patrolling systems when integrated into SMART. This project will be implemented in pilot geographies over a three-year period, and is expected to yield essential lessons and technological advancements that will inform conservation practitioners around the world. The talk will explore the challenges and opportunities this project has presented to-date, and the need for collaborative approaches.