Incorporating climate change into habitat suitability assessments for species reintroductions

Reintroductions into suitable sites are powerful conservation tools. While current conditions are critical to reintroduction success, future conditions in the face of global climate change also play an important role. We assess the potential of the Sierra Nevada to sustain a reintroduced wolverine population through the 21st century under differing assumptions of climate change and wolverine ecology. Wolverines were lost from California in the early 1900s, likely due to trapping and poisoning programs no longer practiced in the state. The potential suitability of the Sierra Nevada depends on how spring snowpack is impacted by ongoing climate change. We used down-scaled climate models incorporating cold-air pooling and wolverine demographic models to estimate the number of potential female home ranges available in the Sierra Nevada through the 21st century. We find that there is currently sufficient habitat to support ~170 adult female home ranges in the Sierra Nevada, declining to ~125 home ranges by mid-century and ~70 home ranges by 2100. There was a wide range of predicted changes in suitable habitat, ranging from increases to a >60% loss by mid-century with an 11% to >90% loss by 2100 depending on the climate model and female home range size assumed. While the Sierra Nevada is expected to lose wolverine habitat in the next 50-100 years, it will remain one of the largest habitat blocks and potentially important refuge for wolverines in the southern extent of their range.

Land use planning (LUP) is a tool to organize multiple demands for land while minimizing competition and conflict. Congo Basin countries lack land-use planning and inter-sectorial coordination to ensure sustainable development at the local and national level. Numerous conflicts have arisen between and among conservation priorities, mining and logging concessions, infrastructure development projects, agro-industry and local livelihoods. Comprehensive LUP (which must include assessments of current land use, areas of high biodiversity, and development opportunities, e.g. potential mining sites and transportation corridors) can be challenging and unpredictable, . Countries must collect and analyze a substantial amount of information, must have significant-inter institutional collaboration and transparency, strong political commitment, sufficient technical and financial resources. Some interesting lessons can be learned from similar exercises in resource-rich countries in Latin America. This presentation will look at current overlapping and conflicting land use in Central Africa with a focus on mining and conservation in Gabon, Cameroun and the Democratic Republic of Congo and will identify recommendations to improve planning and coordination to find a balance between conservation and sustainable economic development.

Biogeographic analyses have the potential to guide conservation of the ecological and evolutionary processes underlying endemism and the distribution of biodiversity. We analyzed Indochina's > 600 amphibian and reptile species in a spatially explicit framework to identify ecological correlates of endemism and species richness and identify areas of unique biodiversity. Species richness is highest in amphibians and snakes and peaks in upland, forested areas. Endemic species are more ecologically restricted than non-endemic ones; however, the ecological correlates of endemism differ among amphibians, snakes, lizards, and turtles. We identify two centers of endemism: one spanning the northern Indochina-south China border and one centered on the Annamite Mountains. However, cluster analyses reveal strong divergence in the composition of the Annamitese, suggesting at least three distinct units. Southern Chinese species are an important component of northern Indochina's herpetofauna whereas few purely Sundaic species are present and likely representing relict populations. Overall, species composition reflects a unique evolutionary trajectory influenced by the region's complex geological and climatic history. Conservation priorities include: (1) protecting unique areas of evolutionary novelty; (2) incorporating lineage-specific ecological correlates of endemism into conservation planning; (3) clarifying endemic status; and (4) increasing cross-border taxonomic exchange.

Contemporary biodiversity conservation prioritizes spending on actions that provide the most protection for the money spent. However, it largely ignores strategic interactions between actors (donors, local conservation agencies). In practice, agencies jockey with each other and with donors to enact a conservation outcome. The determination of this outcome can be thought of as a game where each actor maximizes their own objective while considering the strategy of the others. We developed a game theoretic framework to examine biodiversity conservation outcomes in a multiplayer context. Using a model system of a donor and two agencies, we ask, "how do funding decision strategies influence the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation?" Here, the objectives of the conservation agencies overlap to some extent with those of the other agencies and the donor, but there is rarely an exact match. An agency produces a conservation outcome by balancing actions that pursue its own objectives with the need to provide the donor's desired outcome (necessary if the donor is to provide funding). The result can be a conservation outcome somewhere between the pure objectives of the two actors, but often, no amount of actor strategy or additional funding can counteract inefficiencies due to objective mismatch. This outcome supports the idea that mission drift can undermine agency effectiveness, and also suggests that top-down control from a donor is unlikely to improve conservation outcomes.

A systematic approach to mapping and assessing the conservation status of roadless and low-traffic areas is generated by the creation of a Road Disturbance Index. This index takes into account various types of information on road fragmentation as well as traffic intensity and is designed to inform conservation planning and environmental policy making. The quality of the final mapping results is then tested against index measures for a range of proxy indicators not directly related to road data, such as population density or presence of cities. The spatial distribution of the identified roadless areas is assessed according to ecosystem functionality, biodiversity patterns, protected area coverage and selected socioeconomic parameters. Socioeconomic and environmental information, such as population, economic growth or primary production, is used in a risk assessment describing the probability of roadless areas to be disturbed or eliminated by road development.

The raccoon already naturalized all over Japan and has various impacts on native species and ecosystems. The Invasive alien Species Act, enacted in 2005, designated the raccoon as invasive alien species, and countermeasures were promoted since then. Intensive trapping campaigns have begun to exert effect in some regions, but there are a number of remaining problems for raccoon control in Japan. Almost Japanese people pay attention only to agricultural damage and tend to trap only in raccoon high-density areas. In addition, many local governments conduct countermeasures freely and they lack any information sharing systems. We developed a new comprehensive raccoon control project to overcome the current situation. We started information sharing network with all prefectural governments and share valuable information such as successful and failure examples. Then we developed efficient and effective devices under raccoon low-density condition, raccoon detection dog and nest-box trap. Raccoon detection dog can sniff out only raccoon odor and not react to odors of other animals, and this dog could detect radio-collared raccoon precisely in the field. Nest-box trap is based on raccoon's cavity-nesting habit and don't need baits, so we can use this trap at residential area where dangerous brown bear lives. Furthermore we started trap campaign near the shore where sea turtles lay eggs, and this campaign succeeded to create potential interest in conservation for native species.

The world conservation community has become increasingly aware that their activities and actions can have major, and sometimes unforeseen, impacts on Indigenous peoples. Some conservation organizations and governments have now realized that support of Indigenous rights to manage and control the use of their lands is a social and ethical imperative. Not surprisingly, conservation outcomes that start with the acknowledgement of this premise often greatly exceed the original expectations of conservation organizations. We report here on several Indigenous-led land-use management and planning initiatives in Australia and Canada including Australia’s Indigenous Ranger Program that now employs over 650 Indigenous rangers to manage 360,000 km2 (89 million acres) of Indigenous Protected Areas.

Mauritius is an oceanic island and has a population density of 631/km2. In pre-settlement times, rapid evolution of the island's biota saw its ecosystems develop high rates of endemism (e.g. nearly 40% of the island's angiosperms are single island endemics). In last 4 decades the country saw rapid growth based on agriculture, exports and tourism. Rising population and expansion of human induced land use changes led to a growing environmental concerns, including loss of native habitats and species. Good quality native forest cover (≥ 50% native canopy) has reduced to less than 2% of the island's surface area. Introduction of invasive alien species worsened native habitat degradation, affecting quality and quantity of ecosystem services. Systematic analysis of the island's conservation policies suggests prominence of top-down approach in setting up protected areas and species-centric investments e.g. on Falco punctatus. Fenced and actively-weeded "conservation management areas" were set up with proven success e.g. reappearance of previously "extinct" plant species. However, conservation efforts in privately owned forest lands are limited; mostly due to high initial costs and poor returns. Fragmented forest patches, limited community participation, gaps between planned restoration and actual implementation, incoherence between different government bodies, and inadequate research are resulting in piecemeal conservation policies with limited improvement in ecosystem health.

Gentle slopes, rich light soil, a congenial climate and abundant rainfall have made Sylhet Hill Tracts one of the largest rubber producing areas in the world. Rubber seed samples of three different clones viz. PRIM-600, GT-1, and PB-255 were collected from the Sylhet Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The morphological and phonological characteristics of the seeds were studied for each clone. Oils were then extracted from the seed samples by solvent extraction method. It was then purified by a standard method for each of the samples. The total oil contents of each of the clones were found to be 32.50% (PRIM-600), 29.80 (PB-255), and 41.90% (GT-1) respectively. Physical and chemical properties of the three rubber seed oil samples were studied and compared with those of standard oils. Fatty acid compositions of the oil samples were studied by gas liquid chromatography. Rubber seed oils of the three clones were found to contain the fatty acids viz. arachidic acid, lauric acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, myristic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid. The seed oil samples of PRIM-600, GT-1, and PB-255 showed the unsaturated fatty acids of 89.03%, 81.59%, and 83.91% respectively. Microbial activities of the oils were also studied against six human pathogenic bacteria and six plant pathogenic fungi.

Wetlands provide habitat, food, and nursery areas for wildlife and have been drained historically to convert saturated soils into farmland. Restoration projects are frequently undertaken to restore the ecological functioning of destroyed or degraded wetland landscapes, but examinations of post restoration function are limited. In 2003, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) restored a 75 ha parcel of farmland within a 255 ha preserve in Caroline County, Maryland. The preserve currently supports more than 40 wetlands that differ in physical features and hydrology, thereby having the potential to support a diverse assemblage of amphibian species. We operated drift fence arrays and pitfall traps around 13 of the wetlands to estimate the relative production of amphibian metamorphosis and evaluate the degree to which the landscape of restored wetlands supported a diversity of amphibian life histories. Preliminary results indicate hydrologic variability is correlated with metamorph production. This study will provide TNC with a ten-year post-restoration amphibian inventory and evaluate the suitability of the restoration as amphibian habitat.

Indigenous people impacts surrounding ecosystem through bushmeat hunting and agriculture, yet they are also dependent on the natural resources in their environment as well. Understanding the complex feedbacks between human and ecosystem is essential to understand the active and passive role of indigenous people, especially when their lifestyles have been influenced more and more by forces outside of their historical boundary. Our research aims to find when traditional hunter-gatherer communities intensify the agricultural effort and increase deforestation. We collected the information on Makushi and Wapishana, indigenous hunter-gatherers in Rupunini region of Guyanan Amazon. Our survey covers all of the 9,900 residents in 23 communities with 47,000 animal observations and 8,000 hunting records. Along with the multiple time series landcover map based on satellite images, we developed a spatially explicit model by using Agent-Based Modeling approach. Our results reveal that the timing of agricultural intensification not only depends on human population but also the availability of animal population. Our simulation can also evaluate conservation impacts of various policy interventions to indigenous communities which affect the sustainability of the ecosystem. We found that the land management for the area surrounding indigenous territory is crucial to maintain balance between human and nature inside of the territory.

In recent years, the application of road salt as a deicing agent has increased extensively and the impact it has on stream salamanders has yet to be investigated. Modern stormwater management practices are designed to mitigate the impacts of pollutants associated with roads on stream systems and therefore, should affect the delivery of ions associated with road salts to aquatic systems. We used bioassays and field-deployed data loggers to investigate potential road salt toxicity to two widespread species in the eastern United States, the Northern Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus fuscus) and Northern Two-Lined Salamander (Eurycea bislineata), in streams draining watersheds with and without modern stormwater management practices (primarily stormwater management ponds). Streams draining stormwater ponds force chloride ions into the groundwater, yielding elevated conductivity levels throughout the year. Unmanaged streams did not have increased conductivity peaks during the winter. Stream salamanders were relatively tolerant of road salts, not exhibiting any lethal effects until conductivity levels exceeded 14 mS/cm and conductivity peaks in all streams did not exceed these levels during the winter of 2011-2012. Our results suggest road salts are not having acute lethal effects on salamanders in the streams we studied. However, chronic and indirect effects require further study.

We utilized a conservation genomics approach to address the question of whether Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) spawning aggregations should be managed as genetically distinct units. Spawning aggregations are reproductive gatherings of conspecific fish, whose spatial and temporal predictability makes them vulnerable to overfishing. Assessment of genome-wide levels of genetic variation in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) will be used to supplement more traditional datasets based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellites, to estimate important metrics for assessing the vulnerability of threatened species and delineate fisheries management units. We collected a total of 700 tissue samples from 17 localities throughout the Caribbean Sea between 1999 and 2013. Each sample was genotyped for two mitochondrial markers (ATPase and Cytochrome b), nine microsatellite loci and approximately 2,000 SNPs. While some spawning aggregations were shown to be genetically distinct, significant regional genetic subdivision was observed (Φ-CT, mtDNA = 0.3147; Φ-CT, microsatellites = 0.0140). Regional genetic clusters identified - 1) Belize, 2) The Bahamas, 3) Central Caribbean and 4) Eastern Caribbean - reflect broad-scale oceanographic patterns and regions of high larval retention in the Caribbean Sea. Results are being used to implement marine policy and designate the four fisheries management units identified for Nassau grouper.

Healthy forests provide human communities with a host of important ecosystem services including the provision of food, clean water, fuel, and natural medicines. Globally, about 13 million hectares of forests are lost yearly, with the biggest losses occurring in Africa and South America. As biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation due to deforestation continue at unprecedented rates, with concomitant loss of ecosystem services, impacts on human health remain poorly understood. Using 2010 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey data and NASA's satellite remote-sensing data, we show that forest cover is associated with improved health and nutrition outcomes among children in Malawi. Children living in areas with net decadal forest cover loss experienced decreased odds of having a diverse diet and consuming vitamin A-rich foods (19% and 29% reductions, respectively). Children living in communities with higher percentages of forest cover had increased odds of consuming vitamin A-rich foods and decreased odds of experiencing diarrhea. Net gain in decadal forest cover was associated with a 34% decrease in the odds of experiencing diarrhea. These findings raise concerns about the potential short and long-term impacts of ongoing deforestation and ecosystem degradation on community health in Malawi, and support the position that preventing forest loss and maintaining the ecosystems services that forests provide are important factors in improving human health and nutrition outcomes.