Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation最新文献

Brazilian forests critical are for climate, water, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. The Atlantic Forest and the Amazon are among the most important tropical forests of the world but have different conservation status. The first is below its minimum threshold for biodiversity conservation while the Amazon is approaching its dieback threshold. Aiming to examine policy lessons from the Atlantic Forest which could be applied to the conservation of the Amazon, we first analysed the forest cover of basins of the Amazon compared to the reality of the Atlantic Forest. We found that regions of the Amazon already have forest cover similar to the Atlantic Forest and that 34% of them are below the dieback threshold. We propose policy lessons to avoid that the Amazon follow the same route of the Atlantic Forest and concluded that they need to be implemented urgently in a precautionary approach.

Identifying and mapping strategic areas for conservation and restoration actions are essential initiatives to reduce human impact on biodiversity. However, most spatial prioritization does not involve decision-makers and stakeholders, generating a science-application gap. Here, we describe a participatory framework to map strategic areas for conservation of 27 species and their ecosystems (SASC), and strategic areas for ecosystem restoration (SAER) in a highly diverse region of Bahia, Brazil. We had eleven participatory meetings where scientists, decision-makers and stakeholders discussed and agreed with the project and methodology. The participants chose five prioritization criteria: habitat amount, environmental suitability, fire frequency, permanently protected area amount and diversity of phytophysiognomies, in this order of relevance. We generated technical maps based on these criteria, which were adjusted to 11 SASC and 12 SAER, according to participants’ perspectives. Many decisions taken during this process would hardly be taken in a conventional academic prioritization process, as some demands arose from participants. These maps are the first step for many posterior conservation actions (e.g. reducing agricultural impacts and species trade), therefore, the results were made accessible to the general public. This process provided participants a sense of ownership of the knowledge, as they became active agents in the process.

Official reports and academic studies call for profound and immediate transformations in how businesses relate to biodiversity. The urgency is such that the first draft of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) of the Convention of Biological Diversity has a specific target aimed at full sustainability in biodiversity practices in businesses by 2030. Brazil—a country with the greatest reservoir of biodiversity and the 12th largest economy on the planet —should be fertile ground for new developments and innovations on this front. However, the shortage of academic engagement with businesses in the country may impede this path. We propose six biodiversity-related innovation fronts and opportunities for engagement between high education institutions and companies in Brazil. We reviewed the literature regarding two sets of practices: pressing issues (including environmental licensing, biodiversity offsets, and conservation in private reserves), and new business opportunities (sustainable bioeconomy, access and benefit sharing – ABS, and environmental and social governance – ESG). Such themes have direct relevance to the Post-2020 GBF business sustainability target and potential national impact. There is plenty of room for academic engagement with businesses in all cases. Examples include supporting definition of metrics and standards, providing information systems to increase transparency, among others. In conclusion, we argue that an innovative mindset from corporations and academics will be necessary before Brazilian businesses can move on to develop innovative and sustainable processes and products related to biodiversity.

Strengthening participation of Global South researchers in tropical ecology and conservation is a target of our scientific community, but strategies for fostering increased engagement are mostly directed at Global North institutions and researchers. Whereas such approaches are crucial, there are unique challenges to addressing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the Global South given its socio-economic, cultural and scientific contexts. Sustainable solutions protecting biodiversity in the tropics depend on the leadership of Global South communities, and therefore DEI improvements in the Global South are paramount in our field. Here, we propose ten key actions towards equitable international collaborations in tropical ecology, which, led by Global South researchers, may improve DEI at institutional, national and international levels. At an institutional level, we recommend (1) becoming role models for DEI, (2) co-developing research with local stakeholders, and (3) promoting transparent funding management favouring local scientists. At a national level, we encourage (4) engagement in political actions protecting scientists and their research in tropical countries, (5) participation in improving biodiversity research policies, and (6) devising research that reaches society. At an international level, we encourage Global South researchers in international collaborations to (7) lead and direct funding applications, (8) ensure equitable workloads, and (9) procure equal benefits among national and foreign collaborators. Finally, (10) we propose that Global South leadership in DEI efforts has the most potential for worldwide improvements, supporting positive long-lasting changes in our entire scientific community. Supplementary materials provide this abstract in 18 other languages spoken in the Global South.

Eight percent of all land surface has been designated as “Key Biodiversity Areas” (KBAs). Since these areas were established based on two percent of all terrestrial species estimated to exist, we ask what would happen if we used all species on Earth to identify additional KBAs. We explore this question at a global scale by using data from 64,110 species of animals and plants to identify how many areas could qualify as KBAs under current criteria. We find that between 26% and 68% of the world’s terrestrial areas can be classified as KBAs, depending on the spatial resolution. The total area from potential KBAs increases drastically as more species are assessed, suggesting that if all species were included, all land surface could eventually meet the biological requirements for becoming a KBA. KBAs are intended to be areas that are both of biological importance and manageable, but since they lack a data-driven ranking system, the current framework largely sidesteps the biological component. We, therefore, make an urgent call for stricter criteria in the KBA methodology or alternative methodologies that allow for biologically robust area prioritization, help secure evidence-based investments, and support progress toward the targets under the new Global Biodiversity Framework.

Restoration and conservation are linked by the fact that restoration can help improving, expanding, or connecting protected areas. Here, we argue that conservation can play a critical role for restoration by targeting optimal references, i.e., areas representative of the spectrum of different habitats to be restored. In view of high rates of habitat loss in parallel with recently established ambitious restoration goals, the availability of adequate references is of high importance to restoration. However, not always the best possible references are being used, nor are they prioritized in conservation. We discuss the need for defining, prioritizing, and protecting optimal references as a strategic approach thus we would be better equipped to tackle current and forthcoming challenges in conservation and restoration.

Power lines endanger birds around the world, as a large number of them are killed every year through electrocutions and collisions. This problem can have severe consequences at population level, particularly for threatened species. While this threat has been widely studied in different parts of the world, information from South America is scarce. Here, we review information from scientific and grey literature on the collision and electrocution of birds on power lines from this sub-continent. We complement this information with novel data provided by a citizen science project, electrical companies and field monitoring records. Our results show that although in South America scientific and anecdotal information on this topic is scarce, data suggests that this threat is present in many areas of this sub-continent and affects several species, some of which are seriously threatened. However, information on the most affected species, the number of individuals impacted, the most dangerous geographical areas and the effectiveness of mitigation action is scarce and mainly anecdotal. This is worrying, because South America is a hot spot of biodiversity with many threatened and endemic bird species. We urge conservationists to evaluate this problem in more detail, define areas where it is important to avoid power line installation and establish priority areas for implementation of effective mitigation actions. Scientific evidence shows that dangerous power lines require retrofitting, but this knowledge should also be applied to the new energy facilities and the establishment of national regulations, which would undoubtedly reduce the impact of this infrastructure on wildlife.

Identifying strategies that offer co-benefits for biodiversity protection, forest restoration and human well-being are important for successful conservation outcomes. In this study, we identified opportunities where forest restoration and rehabilitation programs in Colombia also align with priority areas for the conservation of Neotropical migratory birds. We used citizen science eBird-based abundance estimates to define regions with the highest richness of Neotropical migratory birds of conservation concern at montane elevations in Colombia and aligned these high richness areas with domestic initiatives for forest protection (Forest Areas), restoration (Restoration Areas) and rehabilitation (Rehabilitation Areas). We quantified the location and amounts of these three areas as well as the type of land protection and designation within them, specifically, National Protected Areas, Indigenous Reserves, Afro-descendent territories, and regions affected by poverty and violence that are prioritized for rural development by the Colombian government in Post-conflict Territorially Focused Development Programs (PDET). Almost half of Forest Areas overlapped with PDETs where goals for economic development present a risk of forest loss if not done sustainably. There was a 20% overlap between Forest Areas and Afro-descendant territories and indigenous reserves; most of this overlap was outside of established protected areas thus presenting an opportunity for community forest conservation that benefits migratory birds. We found an alignment of less than 6% between migrant bird focal areas and the priority Restoration and Rehabilitation Areas identified by the Colombian National Restoration Plan indicating less opportunity for these programs to simultaneously benefit Neotropical migrant species. Our approach highlights that timely and efficient conservation of declining migrants depends on identifying the regions and strategies that incorporate local communities as part of the solution to forest loss and degradation in Colombia.

Species have been lost at unprecedented rates. Because only a small fraction of the threatened taxa have been managed under human care, contrasting the characteristics of taxa that have, and have not been targeted to ex situ conservation can reveal the reach of this conservation strategy, and can indicate its main challenges. Here we investigated whether the level of threat, diet, body mass, phylogeny, and previous presence in captivity due to non-conservation purposes could be potential parameters accounting for the occurrence of Brazilian threatened avian species and subspecies in ex situ conservation facilities and for their eligibility to organized ex situ conservation plans. Using Bayesian phylogenetic comparative models we found positive effects of body mass and phylogeny, and a negative effect of insectivorous diet in the occurrence of the taxa in non-conservation facilities. The previous presence in non-conservation facilities, together with phylogeny, diet, and body mass were the main parameters accounting for the occurrence of the threatened taxa in ex situ conservation facilities, and the previous presence in non-conservation facilities and phylogeny explained the existence of organized ex situ conservation plans. This is evidence that conservation breeding facilities have mostly harbored threatened confiscated birds than choosing them based on scientific criteria. We suggest that investing in the development of husbandry techniques, especially for insectivorous passerines, and choosing taxa based on scientific criteria are important challenges that should be on the agenda of conservation managers.

It is imperative that decision-makers recognize when the intensity of human interference in regard to forest losses may result in adverse conditions for water ecosystem services. Several studies have indicated that defining thresholds is appropriate for indicating the ideal relationship between natural ecosystems and land uses in such a way as to ensure ecosystem service supply, but this knowledge is not readily available for different water services. To predict tipping points of change in the availability of seven water-related services, we assessed 11 catchments with different proportions of natural forests (Brazilian cerradão) and eucalyptus plantations. We analyzed water samples for 13 physical–chemical–biological parameters, which by specific aggregation functions define indices for each water service. We applied the piecewise model to evaluate the relationships between water service indices and natural forest cover. The results indicated that the highest potential gains occurred above 45% of forest. Landscapes with less than 20% natural forests tended to become unsustainable in maintaining services. Erosion control had a higher correlation with the decrease in natural forests.