Browsing by Subject "conservation"
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- ItemOpen AccessA horizon scan of future threats and opportunities for pollinators and pollination(2016) Brown, Mark JF; Dicks, Lynn V; Paxton, Robert J; Baldock, Katherine CR; Barron, Andrew B; Chauzat, Marie-Pierre; Freitas, Breno M; Goulson, Dave; Jepsen, Sarina; Kremen, Claire; Li, Jilian; Neumann, Peter; Pattemore, David E; Potts, Simon G; Schweiger, Oliver; Seymour, Colleen L; Stout, Jane CBackground. Pollinators, which provide the agriculturally and ecologically essential service of pollination, are under threat at a global scale. Habitat loss and homogenisation, pesticides, parasites and pathogens, invasive species, and climate change have been identified as past and current threats to pollinators. Actions to mitigate these threats, e.g., agri-environment schemes and pesticide-use moratoriums, exist, but have largely been applied post-hoc. However, future sustainability of pollinators and the service they provide requires anticipation of potential threats and opportunities before they occur, enabling timely implementation of policy and practice to prevent, rather than mitigate, further pollinator declines. Methods. Using a horizon scanning approach we identified issues that are likely to impact pollinators, either positively or negatively, over the coming three decades. Results. Our analysis highlights six high priority, and nine secondary issues. High priorities are: (1) corporate control of global agriculture, (2) novel systemic pesticides, (3) novel RNA viruses, (4) the development of new managed pollinators, (5) more frequent heatwaves and drought under climate change, and (6) the potential positive impact of reduced chemical use on pollinators in non-agricultural settings. Discussion. While current pollinator management approaches are largely driven by mitigating past impacts, we present opportunities for pre-emptive practice, legislation, and policy to sustainably manage pollinators for future generations.
- ItemOpen AccessA systematic study of the genus Pseudopentameris (Arundinoideae: Poaceae)(1995) Barker, N PThe genus Pseudopentameris Conert is examined morphologically and anatomically. A phenetic study of the morphologica ly variable species P. macrantha indicates that two taxa should be recognised. One of these. P. caespitosa N.P. Barker, is described as new. In addition, the study supports the inclusion of Pentameris obtusifolia in Pseudopentameris. The genus Pseudopentameris is re-delimited to accommodate the new taxa, and a key to species is provided. Details of the cytology, phylogeny and conservation status of taxa in the genus are also discussed.
- ItemOpen AccessBeyond just species: is Africa the most taxonomically diverse bird continent?(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2013) Lotz, Chris N; Caddick, John A; Forner, Monika; Cherry, Michael IWe analysed avian diversity in 8 similar-sized regions of Africa, and in an additional 16 regions spread across the world; half of these 24 regions were tropical and the other half were temperate. For each region, counts of species, genus, family and order were recorded rather than only a species count. We assert that this approach gives more accurate insights into diversity patterns, as we show that in relatively species-rich parts of the world species are on average taxonomically more similar to each other than in species-poor areas. Northwestern South America is the world's most species-rich region for birds, but we show that sub-Saharan Africa has greater diversity at higher taxonomic levels and is thus arguably the richest corner of the world for birds: the Mozambique–Zimbabwe region displays the highest diversity at the order level (with 30 orders), with all other sub-Saharan regions having between 27 and 29 orders each. Northern India is also extremely diverse (surprisingly so for a marginally temperate region) at all taxonomic levels below that of order. We hope that our study might generate further analyses of avian diversity beyond the species level.
- ItemOpen AccessCitizen Science - Mammal Map(2014-09-12) Hoffman, Tali; Neary, TimIn this radio broadcast, Tali Hoffman explains the purpose and scope of MammalMAP - an online platform which aims to update the distribution records of all African mammal species - and how citizens all over Africa can contribute by sending in photos of animals in conjunction with their location. Tali discusses capacity and services offered by the platform, the ways in which this information is being used, and the ethical considerations required and the measures taken to prevent abuse of such a resource, such as poaching. Image provided courtesy of Johan Taljaard under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike 3.0 Unported license.
- ItemOpen AccessCitizen Science - Special Days(2014-09-12) Loftie-Eaton, Megan; Neary, TimIn this radio broadcast, Tim Neary interviews Megan Loftie-Eaton about the Animal Demography Unit's citizen science programme 'Special Days' - Mad Mammal Monday, Tree Tuesday, Weaver Wednesday, Threat Thursday, Frog Friday, Scorpion Saturday and Snake Sunday. Megan discusses strategies to engage citizens in science, including the use of social media and potential strategies for more productive strategies for mainstream media, and the valuable contributions citizens can make to scientific knowledge and wildlife conservation in South Africa. This resource introduces some of the basic citizen science initiatives undertaken by UCT and offers guidance for members of the public interested in getting involved. Image supplied courtesy of the Animal Demography Unit under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commerical Share-Alike 3.0 Unported license.
- ItemOpen AccessExtinctions: Past and Present Week 4 - A window in time(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya; Haarhoff, PippaIn this video, Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan interviews Pippa Haarhoff, manager of the West Coast Fossil Park. They discuss the fossils found at the park and how they reveal a different habitat from today. They discuss how the fossil site was discovered and role of local people in conservation efforts.
- ItemOpen AccessExtinctions: Past and Present Week 5 - Ecosystem pressures(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya; Gillson, LindseyIn this video, Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan interviews Professor Lindsey Gillson, an ecologist studying the long-term conservation of ecosystems, about her concerns regarding the Anthropocene. She explains that extinctions of modern biota are being caused by many different factors.
- ItemOpen AccessExtinctions: Past and Present Week 5 - Our world today: facing a sixth extinction?(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, AnusuyaIn this video, Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan introduces the topic of the current biodiversity crisis. She discusses how the previous five extinctions allow us to see how our planet and biodiversity responded to environmental crises in the past. She introduces the guests she will interview about the topic: Peter Ryan, Muthama Muasya, Timm Hoffman, Denham Parker, and Lindsey Gillson.
- ItemOpen AccessExtinctions: Past and Present Week 5 - Threats to plants(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya; Muasya, MuthamaIn this video, Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan interviews Professor Muthama Muasya, a plant scientist, about the threats facing plants from humans' impact on their habitats. He discusses how plants show up in the fossil record, and some of the existing threat to the plant species in the Western Cape region of South Africa. This is video 3 in Week 5 of the Extinctions: Past and Present MOOC.
- ItemOpen AccessExtinctions: Past and Present Week 5 - Threats to sea birds(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya; Ryan, PeterIn this video, Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan interviews Professor Peter Ryan, an ornithologist who describes the threats to birds from human activity as being different in terrestrial and marine environments. He explains why and how conservation efforts have to take an ecosystem approach, and emphasises the need for legislative frameworks and individual behavioural change.
- ItemOpen AccessHolocene vegetation history and environmental change in the forest-grassland mosaic of the Central Highlands of Madagascar(2022) Razafimanantsoa, Andriantsilavo Hery Isandratana; Gillson, Lindsey; Bond, William JohnThe origin and classification of open and mosaic ecosystems, particularly in the tropics and subtropics, have led to controversy worldwide. This has affected biodiversity conservation and, in some cases, promoted the establishment of afforestation projects based on the assumption that open and mosaic ecosystems are degraded forests. Although this initiative can have benefits in terms of carbon storage and climate mitigation if carefully planned and managed, it can also cause biodiversity loss and degradation when afforestation takes place in areas that were previously open ecosystems, or where unsuitable species are used. Madagascar, a world biodiversity hotspot, is one of the countries targeted for the implementation of afforestation projects. The Central Highlands of Madagascar, dominated by grassland matrix with forest patches, is the main region targeted. The nature and origin of the landscape are hotly debated, however, and it is not clear whether these open ecosystems are ancient or anthropogenically derived. Understanding of landscape history is therefore required to identify and conserve ancient open ecosystems, and to distinguish them from areas that have been deforested by people. This research aims to reconstruct the vegetation history and environmental change in the Central Highlands of Madagascar during the Holocene using palaeoecological methods, in order to inform appropriate conservation and management plans. We provide new records of vegetation, hydrological change, fire and herbivory activities by using a multiproxy approach, which includes fossil pollen, stable carbon isotopes, diatoms, charcoal and coprophilous spores, that allows for a comprehensive investigation into the history and drivers of vegetation change. Sediment cores were collected from two sites, Tampoketsa-Ankazobe wetland and Lake Dangovavy, located in the eastern and western slopes of the highlands, respectively. Results indicated that the surrounding area of both sites was composed of mosaic ecosystems, comprising of forest patches of variable extent in a matrix of open grassland and ericoid shrubland vegetation, at least from the Early and Mid-Holocene to ca. 1000 cal years BP, driven mainly by climate variability and fire occurrence. In Tampoketsa-Ankazobe wetland (eastern slopes), the vegetation was characterised by a mosaic of ericoid shrubland and mid-elevation forest taxa, between ca. 11 200 and 8300 cal years BP, under warm/wet period and low fire occurrence. The vegetation in the area changed to a mosaic of ericoid shrubland with more dominance of high-elevation forest from ca. 8300 to 1000 cal years BP under a drier climate and consistent low fire occurrence. The abundance of shrubs and trees during those two periods were confirmed by the dominance of C3 plants as reflected by the stable carbon isotopes results, and coincided with low herbivory activities in the TampoketsaAnkazobe site from ca. 11 200 to 1000 cal years BP. In parallel, the pollen record from Lake Dangovavy (western slopes), between ca. 6200 and 5400 cal years BP, suggests a mosaic ecosystem, dominated by more C3 montane grass, ericoid shrubland and high elevation forest patches promoted by cool/dry climate with low fire occurrence and herbivory activities. Between ca. 5400 and 4200 cal years BP, vegetation in the area was dominated by a mosaic of ericoid shrubland and mid-elevation forest under a wetter period, moderate fire occurrence, and herbivory activities. This mosaic was controlled by climate, fire refugia and herbivory feedbacks. The vegetation changed into a forest-savanna mosaic with an abundance of grassland and pioneer/fire-resistant trees between ca. 4200 and 3000 cal years BP. The period was characterised by an initial increase of local fire followed by a regional drought event. This suggests that a threshold might have been reached, with a resulting shift in vegetation composition. Between ca. 3000 and 1000 cal years BP, reoccurrence of ericoid shrubland with woodland savanna taxa was recorded in the area. The vegetation was conditioned by variation of climate from wet (until ca. 2000 cal years BP) to dry period (ca. 2000–1000 cal years BP) with moderate fire occurrence and herbivory activities. In addition, stable carbon isotope results show that between ca. 6200 to 1000 cal years BP, the site was characterised by C3 plants. During the last ca.1000 cal years BP, pollen records from both sites in the Central Highlands of Madagascar showed a shift to a more open landscape dominated by grassland. Trees and shrubland in the highlands experienced a massive decrease and this correlated with an abundance of C4 plants associated with reduced diversity. The shift of vegetation during this period was likely a result of a centennial severe drought period at ca. 950 cal years BP, as recorded in the literature and confirmed by the peak in aerophilous taxa in our diatom record. The drought was followed by a dramatic increase of fire occurrence and herbivory activities in the region, as recorded in the charcoal and spore records from both sites, indicating human activities at ca. 700 and 500 cal years BP for Lake Dangovavy and Tampoketsa-Ankazobe wetland, respectively. Though the vegetation at both sites in Central Highlands of Madagascar was very dynamic until ca. 1000 cal years BP, complex interactions between climate and fire allowed the forest and ericoid elements to persist, consistent with a heterogeneous mosaic landscape. This changed from 1000 years ago with the occurrence of a regional severe drought event followed by an increase in human activities leading to an increase of grass, a decline in forest and ericoid elements. Our findings suggest that although, the eastern and western slopes in Madagascar might have different vegetation histories over time as a response to the complex climatic-fire drivers at least until ca. 1000 cal years BP, they both: a) Contained ancient open ecosystems such as grasslands and/or ericoid shrubland, and a mosaic landscape which should be considered typical of the highland region. b) Experienced a loss of forest, woodland and mosaic elements, a trend that is consistent with the anthropogenic conversion of some forests to grasslands since ca. 1000 cal years BP. Such findings have implications in terms of conservation, fire management and afforestation projects in the Central Highlands, and provide additional knowledge that contributes to the understanding of its ecological processes and history prior to human arrival on the island. Indeed: 1) Ancient grasslands and ericoid shrubland need to be identified and conserved because of their antiquity and unique biodiversity. To date, there has been some focus on ancient grasslands, but the presence of ancient heathlands has not been discussed. 2) It is important to distinguish ancient from derived grasslands and to target the latter for reforestation, using species that are typical of the remaining forest patches. 3) Fire management should be conducted at a local scale and should incorporate the landscape fire history, considering, for example, the differences between two slopes in the Central Highlands.
- ItemOpen AccessPeninsula Paddle(2014-09-12) Winters, Kevin; Neary, TimIn this radio broadcast, Kevin Winters speaks about the Peninsula Paddle and how the event generates interest for the preservation and conservation of waterways and rivers. Urban rivers are at risk from pollution and eutrophication due to waste run off, but river clean-up projects can provide employment as well as beautification and urban renewal. The socio-politics of conservation of waterways is highlighted as one of the more important and difficult parts of conservation. This resource is valuable for members of the public interested in getting involved in local community ecological preservation initiatives.
- ItemOpen AccessPotential multi-project baselines in the power sector in South Africa(2000) Winkler, Harald; Spalding-Fecher, Randall; Afrane-okese, Yaw; Davidson, Ogunlade
- ItemOpen AccessProtected areas as social-ecological systems: perspectives from resilience and social-ecological systems theory(2017) Cumming, Graeme S; Allen, Craig RConservation biology and applied ecology increasingly recognize that natural resource management is both an outcome and a driver of social, economic, and ecological dynamics. Protected areas offer a fundamental approach to conserving ecosystems, but they are also social-ecological systems whose ecological management and sustainability are heavily influenced by people. This editorial, and the papers in the invited feature that it introduces, discuss three emerging themes in social-ecological systems approaches to understanding protected areas: (1) the resilience and sustainability of protected areas, including analyses of their internal dynamics, their effectiveness, and the resilience of the landscapes within which they occur; (2) the relevance of spatial context and scale for protected areas, including such factors as geographic connectivity, context, exchanges between protected areas and their surrounding landscapes, and scale dependency in the provision of ecosystem services; and (3) efforts to reframe what protected areas are and how they both define and are defined by the relationships of people and nature. These emerging themes have the potential to transform management and policy approaches for protected areas and have important implications for conservation, in both theory and practice.
- ItemOpen AccessSeabird mortality from longline fishing in the Meditarranean Sea and Macaronesian waters: A review and a way forward(Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 2003) Cooper, John; Baccetti, Nicola; Belda, Eduardo J; Borg, John J; Oro, Daniel; Papaconstantinou, Costas; Sánchez, AntonioA country-by-country review of seabird mortality from longline fishing in the Mediterranean Sea and in Macaronesian waters shows a paucity of data. Of 12 Mediterranean countries known to undertake longlining, seabird mortality is only reported for six: France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain and Tunisia. Seabird mortality from longlining has been reported from the Azores (Portugal) but not from the other Macaronesian Islands. Only for one country, Spain, is information on the levels of mortality available, suggesting that 4-6% of the local breeding population of Cory´s shearwater Calonectris diomedea may be killed annually, a level considered unsustainable for the long-term persistence of colonies. Cory´s shearwater is the most commonly affected species, although a number of Larus gull species are also being caught. There is insufficient knowledge to conclude whether any seabird species is at conservation risk within the region, but concern is expressed for Cory´s shearwater. It is recommended that Mediterranean and Macaronesian countries conduct assessments of their longline fisheries and seabird mortality in terms of the Food and Agriculture Organization´s International Plan of Action - Seabirds. Regional fishery organisations, such as ICCAT and GFCM, should commence the collection of seabird mortality data. A longline action plan for the affected seabird species should be produced.
- ItemOpen AccessUnderstanding philanthrocapitalism and its impact on private nature reserves: A case study of Gorongosa, Mozambique(2022) Ochs, Tobias; Mbatha, PhilileAn increasing body of literature reveals that powerful businesspeople have a long history of using their wealth for the benefit of the greater common good. With philanthrocapitalism, a new generation of hands-on donors that have made incredible fortunes within business sectors like information technology or finance, are taking on the world's most pressuring social and environmental problem, willing to change the way of giving and enhancing traditional philanthropy. The rich entrepreneurs turned philanthropists are applying their skills and talents that have made them successful in business and infusing the charity sector with corporate tools and strategies and are getting personally engaged and using political and social networks to leverage their efforts. Driven to find solutions to the world's most severe problems, philanthrocapitalists tend to target problems that cut across national boundaries, such as AIDS, Malaria, illiteracy, and population growth. Next to these familiar fields such as health and education, philanthropists are also increasingly engaging in nature conservation. By establishing private nature reserves or taking over failed state-run nature reserves, elite donors are increasingly featuring neoliberal conservation and intervene in political ecology particularly in biodiversity hotspots in the global South. Notwithstanding philanthrocapitalism growing prominence and significance, broader public debates and academic literature is just emerging in recent years and the impact on nature conservation has received little scholarly attention. By examining the case of the Gorongosa Project (GP), a transnational nature conservation project that was established by U.S. multimillionaire Greg Carr in Mozambique, this thesis seeks to illustrate: a) how philanthrocapitalism influences nature conservation, b) how philanthrocapitalistic conservation projects work in practice and, c) enhance understanding about the implications of philanthrocapitalism in conservation governance, recognising its advantages and limitations. The thesis further seeks to contribute to the academic discourse as the far-reaching ventures of Western philanthrocapitalists have provoked a controversial debate. Advocates such as economists, journalists and political organisations argue that the financial power, unique business skills, resources and networks enable philanthrocapitalists to contribute to solving global issues more efficiently than other stakeholders. In contrast, critics from political or social sciences or conservation point out the increasing influence that wealthy philanthropists have on global policymaking as well as social and political agendas and have raised concerns about democratic values and power and wealth inequalities.
- ItemOpen AccessUnderstanding protected area resilience: a multi-scale, social-ecological approach(2015) Cumming, Graeme S; Allen, Craig R; Ban, Natalie C; Biggs, Duan; Biggs, Harry C; Cumming, David H M; De Vos, Alta; Epstein, Graham; Etienne, Michel; Maciejewski, Kristine; Mathevet, Raphaël; Moore, Christine; Nenadovic, Mateja; Schoon, MichaelProtected areas (PAs) remain central to the conservation of biodiversity. Classical PAs were conceived as areas that would be set aside to maintain a natural state with minimal human influence. However, global environmental change and growing cross-scale anthropogenic influences mean that PAs can no longer be thought of as ecological islands that function independently of the broader social-ecological system in which they are located. For PAs to be resilient (and to contribute to broader social-ecological resilience), they must be able to adapt to changing social and ecological conditions over time in a way that supports the long-term persistence of populations, communities, and ecosystems of conservation concern. We extend Ostrom's social-ecological systems framework to consider the long-term persistence of PAs, as a form of land use embedded in social-ecological systems, with important cross-scale feedbacks. Most notably, we highlight the cross-scale influences and feedbacks on PAs that exist from the local to the global scale, contextualizing PAs within multi-scale social-ecological functional landscapes. Such functional landscapes are integral to understand and manage individual PAs for long-term sustainability. We illustrate our conceptual contribution with three case studies that highlight cross-scale feedbacks and social-ecological interactions in the functioning of PAs and in relation to regional resilience. Our analysis suggests that while ecologi