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Society for Conservation Biology 16th Annual Meeting July 14-July 19 2002
co-hosted by DICE and the British Ecological Society
Abstracts for Ecosystem Management
Thursday 18th
July, 15.30 - 17.30, Eliot Lecture Theatre 2
Chair: Lou Ann Dietz
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Conference Home Page | Session
timetable
(BLOCK CAPITALS indicate the presenting author)
15.30 - 15.45
BRUMLEY, TERRY D. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, 333 SW First
Avenue, PO Box 3623, Portland, OR 97208-3623, US, (tbrumley@fs.fed.us)
A BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF EXCEPTIONAL MAGNITUDE TO MANAGE RARE SPECIES OVER LARGE TRACTS
OF FOREST
The traditional challenge of bringing science and management together is often complex,
particularly when this involves working over large scales and to short time frames.
Such challenges are well illustrated by a program to survey nearly 350 species within
seven taxa, across 600,000 sq km of forested habitat in western Washington, Oregon
and northern California. The overall aim of the program is to collect sufficient
data to formulate management prescriptions that ensure the persistence of these 350
uncommon and rare species of lichens, fungi, bryophytes, mollusks, vascular plants,
vertebrates and arthropod guilds that still remain poorly understood. The challenges
of the program are magnified at a biological scale because of the rarity of some
species and the difficulty of surveying them over this large area of forested habitat.
Furthermore, at an administrative scale, the program is complex because the land
falls under several agencies that have formed an administrative body to oversee management
of the area. Furthermore, the program must exhibit substantial progress within a
relatively short time frame of two years, to ensure the necessary funding and political
commitment remains in place.
15.45 - 16.00
STEWART, ALAN. Graduate School of the Environment, Macquarie University, Sydney,
New South Wales 2109, Australia, <afton@bigpond.net.au>, and Native Vegetation
Advisory Council of New South Wales.
REGIONAL VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLANS: CULTURAL VALUES, ADAPTABLE ASSESSMENT AND DISPUTE
RESOLUTION
Regional vegetation committees in New South Wales were established under the Native
Vegetation Conservation Act 1997. This innovative legislation aims to control
the clearing of vegetation on agricultural land by requiring development consent
as part of the statewide planning system. Such controls stem from public concern
about greenhouse emissions, dryland salination, and loss of biodiversity. They also
involve property rights and duty of care issues. Regional vegetation management plans
require an integration of biological, economic and social parameters. Ecologists
sit on the committees among a wide range of stakeholders--including farmers, conservationists,
aboriginals and bureaucrats. This leads to ethical and practical problems. The committees
spend much time discussing exemptions, offsets and incentives. Little attention has
been given to assessment procedures and dispute resolution. After four years of consultation
and deliberation, 18 committees are in operation but only two plans have been completed.
Experience with the Riverina Highlands Regional Vegetation Committee illustrates
the difficulty of achieving a workable solution while taking into account disparate
cultural values. An adaptable assessment model and an alternative dispute resolution
mechanism are proposed.
16.00 - 16.15
GILCHRIST, PETER and Mike Nicholls. Ecology Research Group, Canterbury Christ
Church University College, Canterbury, CT1 1QU, UK, <pjg7@cant.ac.uk> (PG,
MN).
THE THREE METER TALL "LICHEN": AN ECOLOGICAL PARADOX RESOLVED
"Text book" succession models often have emphasised the importance of lichen
communities in colonisation of terrestrial habitats with tree-dominated vegetation
occurring at or near climax. If left undisturbed East Kent colliery waste is capable
of supporting complex, species rich communities, presumably the product of succession.
However, field observations suggest that it is trees, in particular Betula pendula,
and not lichens which are the primary colonisers and also components of the climax
vegetation: hence the paradox. We present field data and experimental evidence from
vegetation on colliery waste in East Kent which suggests that symbiotic systems,
but in this case between mycorrhizal fungi and higher plants which are important
for primary colonisation and subsequent succession. Thus, we suggest that it is symbiotic
partnership, and not the presence of lichens which is the key to ecological succession
in terrestrial systems.
16.15 - 16.30
PRÉVOSTO, BERNARD, Étienne Dambrine, Thomas Curt, and Concha Moares.
Cemagref, 24 Avenue des Landais, B.P. 50085, 63172 Aubière cedex, France,
<bernard.prevosto@cemagref.fr> (BP, TC) and INRA,
équipe Cycles Biogéochimiques, 54280 Seichamps, France, (ED, CM).
VEGETATION AND SOILS OF NATURAL WOODLANDS IN A VOLCANIC MOUNTAIN : IMPACT OF TEPHRAS
CHEMISTRY AND PAST LAND USE.
Mid-elevation mountains of the French Massif Central were largely submitted to tree
colonisation due to rural abandonment these past five decades. Silver birch and Scots
pine natural stands are a frequent occurrence in the range of volcanic mountains
of the Chaîne des Puys. They established respectively in the northern part
of the massif on trachytic ash fall deposits and in the southern part on basaltic
deposits. Vegetation surveys (58 plots), soil analysis at two depths (31 plots) and
dendrometric measurements (25 plots) were carried out in both areas within natural
woodlands established on former croplands, pastures or heathlands. Florisitic composition
of the two areas differed and soil analysis confirmed large differences in pH value,
organic matter content, Fe-Al organic complexes and allophane accumulation. Clear
differences in vegetation composition were also found according to previous land
use mostly related to nitrogen availability. Finally woodlands on former heathlands
and pastures were more dense and less mature than stands on former croplands. Volcanic
ash chemistry and the intensity of former agricultural use were shown to be key factors
in understanding present soil fertility, present plant composition and stand characteristics
in secondary woodlands of volcanic areas.
16.30 - 16.45
ORSCHEG, CORINNA. Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, University
of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia. <c.orscheg@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au>.
REINTRODUCING FIRE TO REGENERATED BOX-IRONBARK EUCALYPT FOREST IN SOUTHEASTERN AUSTRALIA
Applying disturbance-based management to threatened systems is often met with hesitancy
associated with lacking ecological knowledge. Understandable, as exotics can dominate
post-disturbance flora of regenerated-communities previously denied disturbance.
In Australian ecosystems fire plays an important role in plant-regeneration processes
and land-managers have begun incorporating it into ecosystem-management. Yet how
do current fire-ecology concepts apply to extensively disturbed systems? Using the
threatened Box-Ironbark system, ecological burns were applied to dry-sclerophyll
eucalypt-forest regenerated following clearance during 1860's gold-mining, topsoil
removal, fire-suppression, sheep-grazing and silvicultural-management. Pre- and post-burn
data were collected to examine: regeneration processes; whether disturbance compromises
diversity; and if fire-season influences plant-regeneration and community-composition.
Species’ frequency and density were recorded over three-years following summer- and
autumn-burns. Species were allocated to plant-functional-groups (PFGs) defined by
life-form, life-history, regeneration and disturbance response. Results found regeneration
follows Initial-Floristic-Composition, with community-similarity of PFGs between
98.5%-100% (species community-similarity 86.5%-90.9%). No fire-ephemerals were recorded.
While 57% of species were resprouters, community-dynamic was largely associated with
obligate-seeders. Obligate-seeding-annuals formed 63% of new species (26% of which
were exotic). Obligate-seeding-perennial-shrubs exhibited the greatest post-fire
increase. Seasonal response of obligate-seeding-exotic-annual-grasses varied, with
summer-burns suppressing Briza maxima but enhancing Aira spp. and Vulpia
spp., where the reverse was true of autumn-burns.
16.45 - 17.00
CARVALHO, MARIANA & Susana Dias. Departamento de Zoologia e Antropologia,
Faculdade de Ciências de Lisboa <colibri@netcabo.pt>,
Centro de Ecologia Aplicada Prof. Baeta Neves, Inst. Superior de Agronomia, Tapada
da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa
BAG RECORD ANALYSIS OF THE COLUMBIDAE IN CAPÉ, GUINEA-BISSAU — CONTRIBUTION
FOR ITS GAME MANAGEMENT
It was conducted a study in a Guinea-Bissau tourist game reserve aiming to identify
the hunting situation and pressure on several species of Columbidae present in the
region (north-east part of the country), during the hunting season (between February
and April), 2001. In the study period 6910 Columbidae were hunted, belonging to 12
species (genus Oena (1), Turtur (2), Treron (2), Columba (1) e Streptopelia (6)),
some considered rare in this area and one not previously described for the country
(Streptopelia hypopyrra). Vinaceous Dove, Streptopelia vinacea was
the most abundant and widespread, in spite of differences in the proportion of species
throughout the season. In this communication we also present the temporal variation
of eto-physiological status for the most abundant species, obtained with the analysis
of bag records and parameters such as moult, breeding activity, etc. of 475 specimens,
which suggest the adequacy of the hunting season in the species annual cycles. Though,
problems due to overexploitation and lack of management of the area and species were
also identified. We discuss in this presentation the importance of this data for
a better knowledge of the species of Columbidae and the need of a correct management
plan that allows its conservation.
17.00 - 17.15
DIETZ, LOU ANN, Aida Luz Aquino, Mario Di Bitetti, Guillermo Placci and Helena
Maria Maltez. World Wildlife Fund, 1250 Twenty —Fourth St. NW, Washington DC 20037,
USA, <louann.dietz@wwfus.org> (LAD), WWF, Calle Cañada del Carmen 2780,
entre Cap. José Domingo Jara y Cap. Arturo Scario, apto. 8, Asunción,
Paraguay (ALA), Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina, Av. Cordoba 370, Puerto
Iguazú, 3370 Misiones, Argentina (MDB, GP), WWF-Brazil, SHIS EQ QL6/8 — Conjunto
E 2 andar, 71620-430 Brasília DF, Brazil (HMM).
FROM VISION TO REALITY, IMPLEMENTING A TRI-NATIONAL ATLANTIC FOREST BIODIVERSITY
CORRIDOR
The Atlantic Forest Global 200 Ecoregion Complex (15 ecoregions) of Brazil, Argentina,
and Paraguay is among the most endangered tropical rainforests in the world, with
just 7.4 percent of its original 1,713,535 square kilometers of forest cover intact.
In spite of its highly fragmented condition, the Atlantic Forest remains one of Earth’s
most biologically diverse ecosystems. As the first part of Brazil to be colonised,
the Atlantic Forest has developed into the country’s population hub. The resulting
habitat destruction, coupled with the high endemism, make conservation action particularly
urgent. In contrast, the isolation from human population centres of the Argentine
and Paraguayan portions of the Atlantic Forest has allowed the preservation of the
largest piece of Atlantic Forest in Misiones in Argentina and eastern Paraguay. During
the last three years, we have coordinated a process involving more than 40 stakeholder
organisations to develop a long term vision and mobilise strategic actions for the
conservation of biodiversity of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest ecoregion,
which extends across the borders of the three countries. We report on lessons learned
and challenges encountered in implementing trans-border multi-scale strategic actions
to conserve biodiversity and ecological processes.
17.15 - 17.30
RUSSELL, VANCE. Wild Farm Alliance, 1316 Cypress Ln., Davis, CA 95616, USA, <Vance.Russell@kleinschmidtusa.com>.
RECONNECTING ECOSYSTEMS WITH FARM SYSTEMS: WILD FARMING AS A TOOL FOR ECOREGION CONSERVATION
Throughout the world, designated protected areas are often used for agriculture.
In the United States, where farming and ranching dominate the landscape, listing
of the majority of threatened and endangered species are due to adverse agricultural
impacts. Recent studies illustrate that attempts to reduce threats to nature reserves
by agricultural intensification do not necessarily mitigate habitat threats. Wild
farming attempts to address these problems by providing functional connectivity between
fragmented habitats to link farms to the larger landscape in which they function
as well as serving as a buffer between wildlands and intense development. Wild farming
involves monitoring of local species and utilising GIS technologies to create wildlife
corridors. Reconnecting food systems with ecosystems may involve creating hedgerows,
restoring riparian vegetation, producing predator friendly wool and beef products,
retiring marginal farmlands and promoting conservation incentive programs. Several
promising examples of wild farms will be presented from both the United Kingdom and
the United States. Efforts are underway to test the efficacy of wild farming to best
learn how this technique may reduce threats to habitat and enhance ecoregional level
conservation.
The SCB2002 pages are maintained by Christine Eagle
email: C.M.Eagle@ukc.ac.uk
Conference email: scb2002@ukc.ac.uk
Last updated: 30.06.02