Biodiversity and Conservation Science News: October 2017

26 October 2017

Reductions in Global Biodiversity Loss Predicted from Conservation Spending

Country-scale Rate of Biodiversity Decline (BDS) Depends on Conservation Spending Levels:

Abstract:

"Halting global biodiversity loss is central to the Convention on Biological Diversity and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, but success to date has been very limited. A critical determinant of success in achieving these goals is the financing that is committed to maintaining biodiversity; however, financing decisions are hindered by considerable uncertainty over the likely impact of any conservation investment. For greater effectiveness, we need an evidence-based model that shows how conservation spending quantitatively reduces the rate of biodiversity loss. Here we demonstrate such a model, and empirically quantify how conservation investment between 1996 and 2008 reduced biodiversity loss in 109 countries (signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity and Sustainable Development Goals), by a median average of 29% per country. We also show that biodiversity changes in signatory countries can be predicted with high accuracy, using a dual model that balances the effects of conservation investment against those of economic, agricultural and population growth (human development pressures). Decision-makers can use this model to forecast the improvement that any proposed biodiversity budget would achieve under various scenarios of human development pressure, and then compare these forecasts to any chosen policy target. We find that the impact of spending decreases as human development pressures grow, which implies that funding may need to increase over time. The model offers a flexible tool for balancing the Sustainable Development Goals of human development and maintaining biodiversity, by predicting the dynamic changes in conservation finance that will be needed as human development proceeds."

24 October 2017

Half-Earth Day Celebrated on 23 October 2017

Monday, October 23, marked the first-ever Half-Earth Day. The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and National Geographic timed the event to occur exactly half a year after Earth Day (April 22). But Half-Earth Day also gets its name from the biodiversity conservation initiative spearheaded by renowned biologist and conservationist Edward O. Wilson, discussed in his 2016 book, Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life. Wilson’s idea, which is backed up by research, is that we can protect 85 percent of Earth’s biodiversity by conserving half of the world’s land and seas.

“The Half-Earth approach is not only science-based, but it will also expand fundamental science into new directions,” Wilson, who is a research professor emeritus at Harvard, said in a statement. “The goal of discovering and mapping all biodiversity, and especially at the level of species, will lead to immense new knowledge in basic and applied biology.”

“Our planet is at a crossroads, and there is both an opportunity and a critical need to act now, and to do so boldly,” Gary E. Knell, president and CEO of the National Geographic Society, said in a statement. “National Geographic is proud to convene the first-ever Half-Earth Day to inspire people everywhere to understand and care for our world, furthering our progress toward a healthier and more sustainable future for generations to come.”

20 October 2017

New analysis suggests that preserving rare species is vital to tropical forests

tropical forest

In a paper published Oct. 18 in the journal Science Advances, scientists report that a new method allows us to understand both how fragile the biodiversity is and how many species we should be focusing on with conservation efforts. “As caretakers of this planet, we want to nurture the species that we have, and we want to preserve life for the next generation.”

16 October 2017

More Sightings Of An Endangered Species Do Not Always Mean It Is Recovering

More sightings of an endangered species don't always mean it's recovering

Increased sightings are not always a reliable measure of endangered species' viability. Often, an increase in sightings can be attributed to two things: either more people are trying to spot the animal in question; or new work that has used different parameters to previous studies.

14 October 2017

Climate Change & Anthropocene Extinction 23: Amazon ‘tipping point’ is a sliding process, from +1C

carbon climate feedbacks prompting 2015 CO2 emissions record

The Amazon rainforest is seriously threatened by climate change. The Amazon is referred to as a climate tipping point because research shows following a 21^st century global average temperature rise most of the Amazon basin may dry out, leading to a massive biome shift – accompanied by many gigatonnes of extra CO2 emissions and almost unimaginable biodiversity loss, placing the cascading Anthropocene Extinction in top gear.

Diversity of Large animals Plays an Important Role in Carbon Cycle

Trees in tropical forests are well known for removing carbon dioxide from the air and storing the potent greenhouse gas as carbon in their leafy branches and extensive roots. But a new analysis led by Stanford University researchers finds that large forest animals are also an important part of the carbon cycle.

The findings are based on more than a million records of animal sightings and activity collected by 340 indigenous technicians in the Amazon during more than three years of environmental surveys, coordinated by ecologist Jose Fragoso and supported by biologist Rodolfo Dirzo, who were working together at Stanford at the time. The team found that places where animals are most diverse correlate with places that have the most carbon sequestered in the soil.

Business Owners in Top Belize Destination Want Increased Mangrove Protections

Loss of mangroves on land is a threat to clean water and healthy reefs. A number of business owners would like to see better mangrove protections and planning documents developed. Up to one third of Belize citizens work in the tourism sector, more than agriculture.

06 October 2017

Biodiversity of Indian Sunderbans Recorded for the First time

Zoological Survey of India has, for the first time, published a detailed record of the animal and protozoa species of the Sunderban of West Bengal. Sunderbans forests, locally known as Badabon, are one of the richest biodiversity hotspots in India. This UNESCO World Heritage site is known for its mangroves, coastal forests that serve as a biological buffer between the land and sea. This unique ecosystem is famous for the royal Bengal tiger, Gangetic dolphin, and estuarine crocodile.

05 October 2017

Quantifying the Evidence for Co-Benefits Between Species Conservation and Climate Change Mitigation in Giant Panda Habitats

Abstract: "Conservationists strive for practical, cost-effective management solutions to forest-based species conservation and climate change mitigation. However, this is compromised by insufficient information about the effectiveness of protected areas in increasing carbon storage, and the co-benefits of species and carbon conservation remain poorly understood. Here, we present the first rigorous quantitative assessment of the roles of giant panda nature reserves (NRs) in carbon sequestration, and explore the co-benefits of habitat conservation and climate change mitigation. Results show that more than 90% of the studied panda NRs are effective in increasing carbon storage, with the mean biomass carbon density of the whole NRs exhibiting a 4.2% higher growth rate compared with lands not declared as NRs over the period 1988–2012, while this effectiveness in carbon storage masks important patterns of spatial heterogeneity across the giant panda habitats. Moreover, the significant associations have been identified between biomass carbon density and panda’s habitat suitability in ~85% NRs and at the NR level. These findings suggest that the planning for carbon and species conservation co-benefits would enhance the greatest return on limited conservation investments, which is a critical need for the giant panda after its conservation status has been downgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable”.

"Spatial variation of biomass carbon density (t C ha⁻¹) in giant panda reserves and the matched sites outside of the reserves in (a) 1988 and (b) 2012. (c) Pairwise comparisons of mean biomass carbon density inside and outside the reserves (Error bars represent standard errors). (d) Relative change rate of mean biomass carbon density between 1988 and 2012 inside and outside of nature reserves for the lands covered by forest and all land types."

02 October 2017

Ecology: A Global Plan for Nature Conservation

The journal Nature reports that an international movement is calling for at least half of the Earth to be allocated for conservation. A global study now reveals that, in many ecoregions, enough habitat exists to reach this goal, and ideas are proposed by the E.W. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation for the next steps needed.

Earth May Be Close to 'Threshold of Catastrophe'

A new study reported by the Convention on Biological Diversity indicates that the amount of carbon dioxide that humans will have released into the atmosphere by 2100 may be enough to trigger a sixth mass extinction. The huge spike in CO2 levels over the past century may put the world dangerously close to a "threshold of catastrophe," after which environmental instability and mass die-offs become inevitable, the new mathematical analysis finds.

New research suggests tropical forests are now a net source of carbon emissions

Research suggests that due to deforestation and forest degradation and disturbance, tropical forests in Africa, the Americas, and Asia now emit more carbon into the atmosphere than they sequester on an annual basis, according to scientists with the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) and Boston University. Over the study period, the rainforests of Africa, the Americas, and Asia were found to have gained approximately 437 teragrams of carbon every year, but to have lost about 862 teragrams of carbon. That means they were a net source of some 425 teragrams of carbon annually.