scholarly journals Conservation attention necessary across at least 44% of Earth’s terrestrial area to safeguard biodiversity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Allan ◽  
Hugh P. Possingham ◽  
Scott C. Atkinson ◽  
Anthony Waldron ◽  
Moreno Di Marco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Human Land Use ◽  
Land Use Scenarios ◽  
Land Use Policies ◽  
Adequate Representation

More ambitious conservation efforts are needed to stop the global degradation of ecosystems and the extinction of the species that comprise them. Here, we estimate the minimum amount of land needed to secure known important sites for biodiversity, Earth’s remaining wilderness, and the optimal locations for adequate representation of terrestrial species distributions and ecoregions. We discover that at least 64 million km2 (43.6% of Earth’s terrestrial area) requires conservation attention either through site-scale interventions (e.g. protected areas) or landscape-scale responses (e.g. land-use policies). Spatially explicit land-use scenarios show that 1.2 million km2 of land requiring conservation attention is projected to be lost to intensive human land-use by 2030 and therefore requires immediate protection. Nations, local communities and industry are urged to implement the actions necessary to safeguard the land areas critical for conserving biodiversity.

scholarly journals Applied science facilitates the large-scale expansion of protected areas in an Amazonian hot spot

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (31) ◽  
pp. eabe2998
Author(s):  
Nigel C.A. Pitman ◽  
Corine F. Vriesendorp ◽  
Diana Alvira Reyes ◽  
Debra K. Moskovits ◽  
Nicholas Kotlinski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
International Commitments

Meeting international commitments to protect 17% of terrestrial ecosystems worldwide will require >3 million square kilometers of new protected areas and strategies to create those areas in a way that respects local communities and land use. In 2000–2016, biological and social scientists worked to increase the protected proportion of Peru’s largest department via 14 interdisciplinary inventories covering >9 million hectares of this megadiverse corner of the Amazon basin. In each landscape, the strategy was the same: convene diverse partners, identify biological and sociocultural assets, document residents’ use of natural resources, and tailor the findings to the needs of decision-makers. Nine of the 14 landscapes have since been protected (5.7 million hectares of new protected areas), contributing to a quadrupling of conservation coverage in Loreto (from 6 to 23%). We outline the methods and enabling conditions most crucial for successfully applying similar campaigns elsewhere on Earth.

Assessing potential effects of land use and climate change on mammal distributions in northern Thailand

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongyut Trisurat ◽  
Budsabong Kanchanasaka ◽  
Holger Kreft
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Effects Of Land Use

Context Tropical ecosystems are widely recognised for their high species richness and outstanding concentrations of rare and endemic species. Previous studies either focussed on the effects of deforestation or climate change, whereas studies on the combined effects of these two major threats are limited. Aims This research aimed to model current and future distributions of medium- to large-sized mammal species on the basis of different land-use and climate-change scenarios in 2050 and to assess whether the predicted effects of land-use change are greater than those of climate change and whether the combined effects of these drivers are greater than those of either individual driver. Methods The present article demonstrates a method for combining nationwide wildlife-inventory data, spatially explicit species-distribution models, current and predicted future bioclimatic variables, other biophysical factors and human disturbance to map distributions of mammal species on the basis of different land-use and climate-change scenarios and to assess the role of protected areas in conservation planning. Key results Seventeen medium- to large-sized mammal species were selected for modelling. Most selected species were predicted to lose suitable habitat if the remaining forest cover declines from the current level of 57% to 50% in 2050. The predicted effects of deforestation were stronger than the effects of climate change. When climate and land-use change were combined, the predicted impacts were more severe. Most species would lose suitable habitat and the average shift in species distribution was greater than 40%. Conclusions The predicted effects were positive for only a few species and negative for most species. Current and future centres of mammal-species richness were predicted in large and contiguous protected forests and the average contribution of existing and proposed protected areas in protecting the focal species will increase from 73% to 80% across all scenarios. Implications The present research advances the current understanding of the ecology of 17 medium- to large-sized mammal species with conservation relevance and the factors that affect their distributions at the landscape scale. In addition, the research demonstrated that spatially explicit models and protected areas are effective means to contribute to protection of mammal species in current and future land-use and climate-change scenarios.

Influence of climate and human land use on the distribution of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the western boreal forest

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 353-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.L. Dawe ◽  
E.M. Bayne ◽  
S. Boutin
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Odocoileus Virginianus ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Individual Factor ◽  
Human Land Use ◽  
Boreal Ecosystem ◽  
Western Boreal Forest ◽  
Use Factors ◽  
The Impact

Understanding the factors that drive species distributions is emerging as an important tool in wildlife management, under unprecedented changes in species ranges. While invasion ecologists have long studied the impact of human land use on species’ distributions, and models developed more recently to explain changes in species range boundaries have been largely parameterized by climate variables, few authors have considered climate and land-use factors together to explain species distribution. The purpose of this study was to test two main competing hypotheses involving human land use and climate effects on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)) distribution, which has expanded into the boreal ecosystem in recent decades. Using a species distribution modeling approach with data from boreal Alberta, we found that climate, as measured by an index of winter severity, was the most important individual factor determining current white-tailed deer distribution in boreal Alberta. Human land use (as measured by total land-use footprint) acted to substantially increase white-tailed deer presence but only in areas with more severe winter conditions. We use our findings to recommend where limiting or reclaiming the industrial footprint may be most beneficial to limiting white-tailed deer distribution.

scholarly journals Teatime in the Serengeti: macrodetritivores sustain recalcitrant plant litter decomposition across human-modified tropical savannahs

2020 ◽  
Vol 456 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 241-258
Author(s):  
Anders Sundsdal ◽  
Bente J. Graae ◽  
James D. M. Speed ◽  
John Bukombe ◽  
Philipo Jacob Mtweve ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Ecological Awareness ◽  
Human Land Use ◽  
Plant Litter Decomposition ◽  
Rooibos Tea

Abstract Background and aims Intensification of savannah land-use is predicted to negatively influence soil biodiversity and functioning such as litter decomposition by detritivores. Loss of macrodetritivores, particularly termites, may be problematic in drier savannahs due to the capacity of macrodetritivores to sustain litter decomposition. Here we investigate how human land-use and spatiotemporal rainfall influence the contribution of macrodetritivores to plant litter decomposition. Methods We measured decomposition using globally standardized litter: labile green and recalcitrant rooibos tea litter. The contribution of macrodetritivores to litter decomposition was determined through exclusion using meshed litterbags. Litter decomposition was determined in agricultural land, pastureland and wildlife protected areas during both wet and dry seasons and in mesic and wet rainfall regions across the borders of the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Results Macrodetritivores consumed recalcitrant rooibos and mainly avoided labile green tea litter. On average macrodetritivores enhanced recalcitrant litter decomposition by 22%, but litter mass loss varied across land-uses, typically being higher on agricultural and pastureland compared to wildlife protected areas, and was sustained during periods of water scarcity. However, we observed instances of higher decomposition of recalcitrant litter by macrodetritivores in wildlife protected areas. In contrast, litter decomposition by microbes and microdetritivores was more constrained by seasonal and regional water availability with a minor influence of land-use. Conclusion We found that moderate human-modification of savannahs is compatible with macrodetritivore litter decomposition. As savannahs become more intensely used by humans, raising ecological awareness among agropastoralist is required to ensure continued contribution of macrodetritivores to litter decomposition.

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