Abbott, Rachael, Victoria University of Wellington; Ben Bell

Urban environments are generally comprised of impermeable surface and often lack suitable stopover and breeding bird habitat. For example, 34% of Manhattan's surface is rooftop, while only 13% is green space. This study examined if green roofs can be a viable bird conservation tool in an otherwise depauperate urban environment. A green roof is a roof covered with a waterproof membrane and growing medium, and planted with vegetation. Green roofs reduce the cooling and heating needs of buildings, minimize stormwater impacts, and reduce urban heat island effects. However, no study to date has evaluated avian use of multiple green roofs in a highly urbanized area. I compared bird and arthropod diversity on green roofs in New York City with nearby non-green roofs. To document the presence of birds, I used direct observations and deployed acoustic recorders to monitor bird vocalizations. I collected arthropods with bowl and sticky traps. I identified over 35 bird species using green roofs in New York City and have found that arthropods are more than 6 times more abundant on green roofs than non-green roofs. This is the first study to examine the role of green roofs as stopover habitat for migrating birds. The number of green roofs in New York City is increasing, yet the amount of unused available roof space remains high. This research demonstrates that green roofs can provide valuable wildlife habitat in heavily urbanized environments, and can be a successful conservation tool.

Across Asia 'development' is rapidly changing the landscapes occupied by elephants. However, data on elephant ecology and behavior in this dynamic environment is lacking, resulting in ineffective management and conservation. We tracked 22 female and 13 male elephants in Sri Lanka with GPS-satellite collars, and obtained data on demographic and health indicators. On average each elephant walked 2-6 km per day. Elephants showed restricted movements from 0930 to 1330 and were most active nocturnally, especially from 1730 to 2130. Some had little variation in the daily distance walked through the year while a few had very seasonal movement patterns. Elephant home ranges extended from 44.9 km2 to 755.3 km2. Females on average occupied larger areas than males. Most elephant home ranges encompassed multiple landholders including the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Forest Department, other state agencies and private lands. Landuses within home ranges extended from relatively undisturbed forest to secondary forest and scrublands to agriculture and human settlements. Elephants in low conflict and high resource areas had the best demographic and health indices while those restricted to undisturbed forests under the DWC had relatively poor indices. We conclude that elephants are adapting to the changing landscapes but that their conservation in Sri Lanka and possibly the rest of Asia requires the coordination and integration of multiple agencies and stakeholders.

The Mekong River hosts well over 850 fishes, with the second highest species diversity and the most productive inland fishery of any river on Earth. The aquatic resources of the lower basin support over 60 million people with food and income. The region is undergoing rapid change, associated with concerns over impacts on fisheries and related food security. With increased development there is also growing pressure on rare terrestrial wildlife that has historically been part of the local diet. We have worked with villagers in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to establish community-based participatory research on fisheries and sustainable livelihoods. Teams from four villages were trained to monitor the fishing catch, household food consumption, and fish sales at local markets. Despite targeted conservation efforts such as outreach and establishment of National Protected Areas, food consumption surveys have shown that rare or endangered terrestrial wildlife continues to be present in diets. Here we discuss the relationships between fisheries harvests and the consumption of rare terrestrial animals. We conclude that in remote areas of the Mekong Basin, conservation of fishes and rare terrestrial animals are inherently linked.

Populations of the cold-adapted mink frog, Lithobates septentrionalis, are likely to be highly threatened by climate change, but little is known about this species. Our research goal was to evaluate the effects of climate change on the range and persistence of the mink frog. Objectives included: (1) understanding how changes in water temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) influenced larval survival; (2) establishing the current occurrence of this species in the Adirondack Park, NY; and (3) predicting the effects of climate change on the range and persistence of the species. We initially employed a combination of laboratory studies and artificial mesocosms to determine relationships between aquatic conditions and growth and survival of larvae, and field studies at ~80 wetlands to evaluate the current occurrence of the species. Our results indicated that species occurrence was not solely a function of abiotic conditions in the aquatic environment, but likely driven by indirect effects of climate change. Based on these results we evaluated the role of climate-induced shifts in competition and predation using similar controlled experimentation. The results of these studies indicated that temperature-induced shifts in predator communities have the potential to dramatically influence survival of the focal species. Our results show that changes in amphibian populations as a result of shifts in global climate are likely to be driven by complex indirect effects across trophic levels.

We show the first implementation of the Jaguar Corridor Initiative in Colombia that seeks long term jaguar (Panthera onca) conservation at a continental scale. A tenuous link between Andes and the eastern llanos jaguar population shown in a least cost corridor, model was chosen as project site. The area, a livestock and agricultural landscape on the foothills of the eastern Andes, was validated for jaguar and key prey presence through ground truthing surveys (75 grids; 5km x 5km) and by occupancy analysis (5 covariables). Six pilot farms where chosen by means of a participatory method and the inclusion of key biological criteria for intervention: livestock intensification (rotation methods, silvpastoral techniques [4,400 planted trees]), antipredator strategies (solar powered predator resistance electric fencing design) and restoration (10,000 native trees). The local community contributed labor and the project provided materials. These benefits enabled zoning and fencing off of the conservation riparian areas along a connecting river totaling 8.2 km dedicated to the jaguar corridor. Participants signed a conservation agreement where they adhere to no jaguar hunting and the application of learnt methods. This project represents the first stretch of implemented jaguar corridor in Colombia and an example for Latin America in applied conservation: reducing jaguar hunting, connecting associated wildlife, benefiting local stakeholders and improving sustainable development

The American beaver was considered an important fur-trading item in the late 1800's, which resulted in the near eradication of the species. Efforts to restore beaver populations began in early 1900's, but almost no attention to the genetics or biology of the beaver was considered. After populations recovered, their management changed, ranging from lethal control to conservation. The purpose of this study was to assess if there was an impact of overexploitation and different management actions on the genetic diversity of the beaver in seven areas across North America. We used nine microsatellite loci, control region and cytochrome b mitochondrial gene fragments, to assess genetic diversity measures of 153 individuals from seven areas in the U.S. At the microsatellite loci, results across populations show high genetic diversity (HO = 0.613, HE = 0.740), and high genetic differentiation (FST =0.128, RST =0.199, P

Due to long-distance natal dispersal, recent advances in quantifying survival rates have largely focused on adults and ignored the first annual cycle. Many PVA's, including by the authors, estimate first-year survival (1st) as 50% of adult survival (a), and find high sensitivity to variation in first-year survival. In 2002-12 we studied a and 1st of two species of migratory grassland songbirds, bobolinks and Savannah sparrows, breeding in an agricultural region of Vermont. With Cormack Jolly-Seber models in Program MARK, we improved our accuracy by increasing detection rates by searching for natal dispersers within 1.5 km of our study fields, and applying molecular sex identification to the nestling data set. Both species and sexes showed low natal dispersal (BOBO = 1275m ± 1354 SD, n=94; SAVS = 1401m ± 4037 SD, n=71). Across all years, and for both species and sexes, 1st and adult differed by only 34.7%; 1st averaged 0.412 (range 0.322-0.577) while adult averaged 0.633 (range 0.518-0.812). Adult survival was negatively affected by total reproductive effort, but positively affected by reproductive success. 1st was higher for heavier nestlings that fledged earlier in the breeding season. Adults that lived longer had higher fitness by successfully fledging heavy offspring early in the breeding season. The processes that affected 1st and adult differed, and failure to account for these differences has the potential to severely bias population projections.

Governance issues are central to much empirical conservation research and policy action, particularly in the context of decentralized strategies which ostensibly aim to use governance changes to deliver improved conservation and livelihoods. Governance failures anywhere on the institutional spectrum can serve as enduring barriers to effective conservation, and good governance - particularly at local levels - is seen as crucial for improved equity and sustainability around livelihoods and resource use. But the elements which underpin these broad generalizations are poorly understood. For instance: 1) Under what conditions and by what mechanisms does decentralization successfully promote more effective resource governance? 2) What are the income and equity impacts of improved governance across households in terms of resource-based livelihoods and altered conservation and use dynamics? I draw on preliminary data from an ongoing impact evaluation of Tanzania’s forest sector decentralization to examine how variation in two governance components (strength of participation in local forest institutions by forest users; institutional nestedness) relate to key social and ecological objectives: contribution of forest products to livelihoods, harvest intensity and legality, and forest sustainability. Analyses draw on data from households, local governance institutions, and forest plots collected from some 50 villages and forests and 1500 households across 10 districts in Tanzania.

Caribbean coral reefs are extremely important to the region's tourism, fishing industries, and coastal protection, yet reef degradation continues due to a variety of threats. In the region many actors are involved in or related to reef use, research, management, and decision-making. Organisations that can bridge among these diverse actors have been associated with enhancing adaptive capacity and achieving better management outcomes. This study uses social network analysis (SNA) to investigate the bridging roles of organisations in communication and information-sharing networks. Representatives (n=262) from multiple actor groups, including local and national government, NGOs, community organizations, and resource user groups from 12 communities across four Caribbean countries (Barbados, Belize, Honduras, and St Kitts and Nevis) were interviewed to determine their roles in reef governance. Networks show bridging organisations, the bridging properties of these organisations, and the role these organisations have in coral reef management. This information can help further the understanding of the roles and effectiveness of these organisations and can lead to better support of bridging organisations in facilitating enhanced reef management outcomes.

The use of wildlife corridors to maintain landscape connectivity has become increasingly relevant to the conservation of wide-ranging species, including the jaguar Panthera onca. Jaguars are particularly threatened in Mexico, where corridor linkages are tenuous due to habitat fragmentation. Our study assessed a section of potential corridor south of the Sierra Madre Oriental in eastern Mexico. We conducted 245 interviews with local inhabitants in 140 36 km2 sampling units and compiled detection histories for jaguar and five prey species: the collared peccary Tayassu tajacu, red brocket deer Mazama americana, white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus, spotted paca Agouti paca, and armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus. These detection histories were then analyzed via site occupancy modeling. Each sampling unit was assigned a probability of habitat use based on (1) both smaller prey species (paca, armadillo) and (2) at least two of the larger prey species (collared peccary and two deer species) using habitat in that unit. This probability estimate was considered a proxy of each sampling unit's prey base and therefore its suitability as a jaguar corridor. Though the prey base in some areas appears adequate to support a jaguar population, the paucity of jaguar sign over the past year and presence of large-scale development projects are major roadblocks to this region's potential. We suggest that the eastern coast of Mexico may not be a priority area for range-wide jaguar conservation.

Global biodiversity is under increasing threat from anthropogenic impacts, and the unprecedented rate of species loss is a major concern to ecologists and wildlife managers. To counteract current and projected levels of species loss, human intervention, in the form of reintroductions, may be a solution. Reintroductions however tend to have a low success rate, with one of the most acknowledged impediments to reintroduction success being inadequate planning. Habitat evaluation is considered an essential step for assessing the potential for an area to support a viable reintroduced population. Remote sensing techniques can support such investigations, by greatly enhancing the temporal and spatial coverage of habitat assessments. Using the planned reintroduction of the Scimitar-horned oryx in the Ouadi Rime-Ouadi Achim Game Reserve in central Chad, we demonstrate how such an integrated approach to conservation can support the effective restoration of local biodiversity, by showing how satellite based information can provide a preliminary insight into the nature of ecosystem functioning within the considered area and offers a starting point to discuss future implications for the reintroduction of the species.

We model federal versus state location of protected areas in Brazilian Amazonia then empirically examine impacts on 2000-2004 deforestation. States are hypothesized to weight local costs more, relative to external forest benefits, than the federal government. We examine the differences in decisions empirically for two types of protected areas, the Integral (strict) and the Sustainable Use (permitting some deforestation by people who were already resident), while comparing them both to more exogenously determined Indigenous protected lands. In doing our comparisons, we control explicitly for different land characteristics between protected and not. Including those controls halves the estimates of deforestation reduction, since protection tends to locations with low deforestation threat. Federal and Indigenous areas reduced deforestation but State areas did not, due to a lack of enforcement plus cost-avoiding location for Sustainable Use. Within Federal areas, Sustainable Use areas significantly block deforestation. They are oriented around people and thus deforestation pressure, which gives them something that can be blocked. The more isolated Integral locations are much more likely to be forested even without protection. As global funds may compensate REDD, these results inform domestic policy design given local tradeoffs. Global actors may heed differences across local actors when agreeing to an institution.

Tropical evergreen forests in East Africa are highly biodiverse carbon sinks and provide natural capital to millions of people. They represent c. 6% of the terrestrial surface, being found mainly in Eastern Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. However, the forests are declining due to increased demand for land and resources. Many forests are gazetted as locally managed, mixed-use or strictly enforced protected areas (PAs). Using remotely sensed data spanning 2001-2009, we evaluate the success of East Africa’s PA network in abating forest loss. We account for forest trends within PAs of increasing protection status, separating parks into ‘effective’ and ‘non-effective’ based on their ability to maintain forest cover. To account for ‘leakage’ (displacement of forest loss to surrounding landscapes), we also quantified forest trends in buffer zones (1 km, 1–5 km, 5–10 km) around park edges. PAs in East Africa lost little of their forest cover (-378 km 2 , -0.6%) compared to unprotected land (-17,167 km2 , -9.3%). However, spatial and temporal variability in PA effectiveness was high; leakage was detected near effective parks, especially in areas of high human population density. Forest accessibility, controlled by protection status and topography, is an essential component of forest conservation. Since buffer zones suffer elevated forest loss, management must do more to address local people’s continued resource needs and links between livelihoods, natural capital and poverty.

Within natural resource management, conservation outcomes are conceived on a variety of levels, but typically measured directly through habitat and species assessments (Kapos et al. 2008). Citizen science, however, tends to affect conservation indirectly through application of research findings, education of stakeholders, and individual and community-level actions. Despite the increased pressure by funders and other stakeholders to influence conservation outcomes, few citizen science projects have been able to demonstrate conservation outcomes at the socio-ecological level (Jordan, Ballard, and Phillips, 2012). One reason for this is that project leaders and practitioners have not adequately articulated what those conservation outcomes are and how they align to project activities. Moreover, few project leaders have identified how they would measure success. During this session I will define the challenges and opportunities for evaluating conservation outcomes of citizen science across different models of engagement and describe how using approaches from evaluation and conservation biology can help professionals articulate their conservation outcomes for social ecological systems. I will also highlight a few case study examples demonstrating how evaluation can be used in the design and implementation of a project to provide context specific strategies for articulating and measuring conservation outcomes in citizen science.