Preservation Vs Restoration

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PAs

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o Nearly half of terrestrial eco-regions fall below 10% protection, many of critical sites for biodiversity lie outside protected areas. Of the PAs where effectiveness of mgmt. has been assessed, 13% were judged to be clearly inadequate, 1/5 demonstrated sound mgmt., remainder classed as basic. Important Bird Areas- only 26% protected.

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Alliance for zero extinction

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o Alliance for Zero Extinction- 595 sites worldwide containing the entire global population of 794 critically endangered or endangered spp. These spp will become extinct unless action is taken at these sites. Most are surrounded by intense human development, all are small. Only about 1/3 contained in gazetted PAs.

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fragmentation

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o Terrestrial habitats have become highly fragmented. In S. American Atlantic Forest- largely composed of fragments less than 1km2 in size. More than 50% lies within 100m of forest edge. Can be too small for animals to establish breeding territory, force plants and animals to breed with close relatives- reduces genetic diversity. Forest fragments of less than 1km2 in Brazil lost half their bird spp in less than 15 years. Isolated fragments= increases vulnerability to climate change, ability to migrate limited.

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degradation

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o ¼ of world’s land area is being degraded. 1.5 billion people depend directly on ecosystem services provided by these areas. Decline in fixation of carbon from atmosphere associated w this degradation- nearly a billion tonnes from 1980-2003.

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preservation and rural poor/ logging

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hasn’t necessarily improved quality of living or economic opportunities for rural poor, nor deterred forest clearing by illegal loggers- 80% wood from Bolivia illegally logged. Corruption worsened situation. Doesn’t generate economic incentives.

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preservation important

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need parks that will preserve key features of legacy inherited from evolutionary past into future. Need to offer explicit protection for endangered spp and evolutionary distinctive ecosystems.

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Holl 2013

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Restoration not sub 4 conservation- need to focus on conserving intact tropical forests, maintain ecosystem services. Restoration- reduce carbon emissions, increase carbon stocks. Past land use history strongly affects recovery- areas used for pasture or industrial scale agriculture for many years recover more slowly than those used for shifting agriculture and shorter periods of time. In intensively used sites, few/ no seeds in soil, resprouting lower, limit regeneration within site. Compacted and nutrient poor soils and stressful microclimatic conditions limit seedling establishment and growth in heavily used sites. In former pasture sites, grasses inhibit survival and growth of forest seedlings. Surrounding land use matrix influences availability of seeds- need to be nearby remnant forest- provide seeds of some tree spp, facilitates animal movement. 2ry tropical forests have a lower biomass and species richness than intact tropical forest. 1st priority, conserve intact area

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fragmentation

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o Land area left in Brazil that is forest: 99,944km2- largest fragment 1.1m ha. 83% less than 50ha. Only 77 over 10,000ha. Fragmentation leads to reduction in forest habitats, isolation of remaining forest blocks, edge effects. Isolated fragments smaller than 100ha lose half their forest dependent birds within 15 years. Larger fragments lose spp at a slower rate. Insectivorous birds- mixed spp flocks disintegrate following isolation, can recover if birds able to move btw fragments- poor dispersal ability, ltd adaptability to modified habitats. Edge effects- changes in moisture, light increase and temperature can result in increased mortality of drought sensitive trees- can extend up to 300m into forest. Many trees lose leaves or die standing. Pollination processes affected when fragmentation reduces pollinator abundance and subdivides formerly continuous plant pops to extent that pollinators no longer able to bridge gaps btw isolated subpops.

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restoring only useful

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if the future use of the restored rainforest can be guaranteed to be sustainable and protected- needs to compensate those displaced- by providing them with long term income possibilities etc.

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secondary forest

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ES are recovered relatively quickly. Estimates for return to levels of spp richness similar to reference rainforest= 60-several hundred years. Spp composition may still be different to old growth forest

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Caterall 2012

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forest will need over 150 years to return to average level of bird spp in old growth forest. Beta-diversity lower in secondary. More common pioneer spp.