Conservation

Paleontology in Ecology and Conservation: an Introduction

by Julien Louys

The Future of Mammals in Southeast Asia: Conservation Insights from the Fossil Record

by Julien Louys

Paleoecology and Conservation Paleobiology: Future Directions

by Julien Louys

Community Based Conservation in the Buffer Zone of the Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary, Cameroon (2005)

by Mark Purdon

Full Reference:
Akumsi, A., Purdon, M., Zebedee, F., Nuesiri, E., Mor-Achankap, B., Lingondo, P., Ntube, G. (2005) Community Based Conservation in the Buffer Zone of the Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary, Cameroon. Regional Centre for Development and Conservation: Limbe, Cameroon.

This report summarizes preliminary results of a project designed to build community based conservation capacity (CBC)... more This report summarizes preliminary results of a project designed to build community based conservation capacity (CBC) by asssisting local communities in the buffer zone of the Bayang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary (BMWS) to obtain legal tenure over their forest resources through the establishment of a community forest. The area proposed for the community forest is located in Upper Banyang subdivision (9° 30' E, 5° 10' N) and is part of the Cameroon Highlands ecoregion (see Maps 1 & 2). This ecoregion is a recognized biodiversity hotspot (WWF, 2003) and is home to a number of endangered species including the Elephant Loxodonta africana cyclotis), Chimpanzee (Pan troglodyte), Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus) and Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) (IUCN, 2003). Cameroon's Forestry Law of 1994 allows for community-based conservation (CBC) in the form of co-management of protected areas, joint management of wildlife sanctuaries as well as community forests. In reponse to a request from the communities involved, this project aims to build the biodiversity conservation capacity of the Tali and Bara communities located in the forested gap between the BMWS and the Upper Banyang Forest Concession (UBFC) through the establishment there of a community forest. The forest area concerned favours the CBC ethos because it is not only rich in biodiversity but contributes substantially to the livelihood of the communities in the forest area.

The project itself was initiated in 2003 when the chief of the Ebensuk community of Upper Banyang Sub-division put forward a request to the present team on behalf of his community and the adjacent Mambo community for technical assistance in setting up a community forest. Our response to this specific request and subsequent findings from our research efforts in the region is the subject of this report. Briefly, it was learned that the entirety of Ebensuk-Mambo’s communal lands had been granted, without their knowledge or consent, to the forest concession. These circumstances led us to re-orientate the project to the adjacent Tali and Bara communities, who expressed interest in community forestry upon learning about our activities in Ebensuk-Mambo. It will be managed to generate alternative sources of income that will reduce pressures on forest resources and ease conflicts between community development priorities and conservation.

The report itself is organized into 4 sections presenting the research results and a final concluding section with future directions. The 4 sections are:
Section 1: Community Sensitizations and Initial Formation of Ad-hoc forest management committee
o Provides a log of team efforts to sensitize the communities involved, including an discussion of village politics that might affect the project.

Section 2: Socio-economic Surveys
o Presents preliminary results of forest use in the Ebensuk-Mambo and Tali-Bara communities.

Section 3: Community Forest Management Inventory
o This report is divided into two section, botanical and wildlife surveys, which point to the rich biodiversity in the Tali-Bara communal lands. This includes direct observation of
Elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis).

Section 4: Stakeholder Discussions
o Summarizes the complex issues the project is presented with as it tries to implement a community forest in a stretch of forest that is also of interest to major stakeholders such as Wijma Forest Company, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and government.

Native Trees Forage Alternative Protein Feed for Cattle in Tropical “Mexico”

by Arturo Serrano

Co-authored with: Amalia Cabrera-Núñez, Pablo Elorza-Martínez, Arturo Serrano, Iliana Daniel-Renteria, and Miguel Angel Lammoglia-Villagómez

Abstract: The objective of this study was to find highly nutritious native plants to feed cattle in northern Veracruz... more Abstract: The objective of this study was to find highly nutritious native plants to feed cattle in northern Veracruz (Mexico) as an
alternative to avoid deforestation for pasture establishment. Six fodder tree species (Leucaena, Leucaenaleucocephala, Morera,
Morus alba, Chacloco, rubiHamelia patents, Guácima, Guasumaulmifolia, Pichoco-bunting, Erythrinaamericana, Cocuite, Gliricidiasepium) were selected for their leave production, rapid growth and high nutritional quality. The plants were evaluated in the bud stage of senescence and flowering, restricting the fraction of mature foliage in the samples located under 2 meters height. Samples were collected from five plants per specie that were randomly selected. The nutritious parameters were evaluated through proximate analysis with the Van Soest technique. This study used a completely randomized design with five replicates. The nutritious composition showed PC (protein content) differences (P < 0.05) among species indicating that Leucaenaleucocephala (20%) had the lowest, Gliricidiasepium was (21%) intermediate and Morus alba (23%) had the highest. The FDN (neutral detergent fiber) and FDA
(acid detergent) were lowest for Guasumaulmifolia (23.4%) and the other five species exceeded 40%. In conclusion, native foliage of fodder trees in northern, Veracruz are highly nutritious for cattle feeding and could alternative to avoid deforestation for pasture establishment to continue.

Key words: Fodder trees, nutritional value, cattle, deforestation.

Trends in Caspian Tern Nesting and Diet in San Francisco Bay: Conservation Implications for Terns and Salmonids

by Keith Larson

Collis, K., D. D. Roby, K. W. Larson, L. J. Adrean, S. K. Nelson, A. F. Evans, N. Hostetter, D. Battaglia, D. E. Lyons, T. Marcella, and A. Patterson. 2012. Trends in Caspian Tern Nesting and Diet in San Francisco Bay: Conservation Implications for Terns and Salmonids. Waterbirds 35:25–34. doi: 10.1675/063.035.0103.

Colony size, nesting ecology and diet of Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) were investigated in the San Francisco Bay... more Colony size, nesting ecology and diet of Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) were investigated in the San Francisco Bay area (SFBA) during 2003-2009 to assess the potential for conservation of the tern breeding population and possible negative effects of predation on survival of juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.). Numbers of breeding Caspian Terns declined 36% from 2003 to 2009, mostly due to abandonment of the Knight Island colony and decline of the Brooks Island colony, the two largest colonies in the SFBA. Concurrently, nesting success declined 69% associated with colony site characteristics such as (a) quality and quantity of nesting substrate, (b) vulnerability to nest predators, (c) displacement by other colonial waterbirds and (d) human disturbance. Marine fishes were the predominant prey in tern diets from the SFBA; however, diet composition varied among colonies. Juvenile salmonids comprised 22.9% of the diet of terns nesting in the North Bay, 5.3% of diet of terns nesting in the Central Bay, and 0.1% in the South Bay. Construction or restoration of nesting islands in the South Bay may help maintain and restore breeding Caspian Terns without enhancing mortality of salmonid stocks of conservation concern.

Sinning Saints and Saintly Sinners: The Paradox of Moral Self-Regulation

by Sonya Sachdeva

With Rumen Iliev and Doug Medin

The question of why people are motivated to act altruistically has been an important one for centuries across various... more The question of why people are motivated to act altruistically has been an important one for centuries across various disciplines. Drawing on previous research on moral regulation, we propose a framework suggesting that moral (or immoral) behavior can result from an internal balancing of moral self-worth and the cost inherent in altruistic behavior. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to write a self-relevant story containing a set of either positive or negative traits. Participants who were asked to write a story with positive traits donated one fifth as much as those who wrote a story with negative traits. In Experiment 2, we showed that this effect was due specifically to a change in the self-concept.  In Experiment 3, we replicated and extended these findings to cooperative behavior in environmental decision-making. We suggest that affirming a moral identity leads people to feel licensed to act immorally. However, when moral identity is threatened, moral behavior is a means to regain some lost self-worth.

Sustaining conservation values in selectively logged tropical forests: The attained and the attainable.

by Jerome Vanclay

Putz, F.E., P.A. Zuidema, T. Synnott, M. Peña-Claros, M.A. Pinard, D. Sheil, J.K. Vanclay, P. Sist, S. Gourlet-Fleury, B. Griscom, J. Palmer and R. Zagt, 2012. Sustaining conservation values in selectively logged tropical forests: The attained and the attainable. Conservation Letters, in press.

Most tropical forests outside protected areas have been or will be selectively logged so it is essential to maximize... more Most tropical forests outside protected areas have been or will be selectively logged so it is essential to maximize the conservation values of partially harvested areas. Here we examine the extent to which these forests sustain timber production, retain species, and conserve carbon stocks. We then describe some improvements in tropical forestry and how their implementation can be promoted.

A simple meta-analysis based on >100 publications revealed substantial variability but that: timber yields decline by about 46% after the first harvest but are subsequently sustained at that level; 76% of carbon is retained in once-logged forests; and, 85–100% of species of mammals, birds, invertebrates, and plants remain after logging. Timber stocks will not regain primary-forest levels within current harvest cycles, but yields increase if collateral damage is reduced and silvicultural treatments are applied.

Given that selectively logged forests retain substantial biodiversity, carbon, and timber stocks, this “middle way” between deforestation and total protection deserves more attention from researchers, conservation organizations, and policy-makers. Improvements in forest management are now likely if synergies are enhanced among initiatives to retain forest carbon stocks (REDD+), assure the legality of forest products, certify responsible management, and devolve control over forests to empowered local communities.

Description of a new species of Liaghinella (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae) from the Colombian Andes, with notes on its feeding habits and conservation status

by Dimitri Forero

Published in: Zootaxa 1502: 55-68. (2007)

Liaghinella andina sp. nov. is described from the eastern Colombian Andes. Until now, the genus Liaghinella... more Liaghinella andina sp. nov. is described from the eastern Colombian Andes. Until now, the genus Liaghinella Wygodzinsky, 1966 included only L. farri Wygodzinsky, 1966, described from Jamaica. To find this new species for the first time in continental South America and at so high an altitude is remarkable. The new species is close to L. farri, but differs in color pattern, and in the structure of the head, male genitalia, and fore leg armature. For the first time a female of Liaghinella is described and sexual differences are highlighted. Keys to separate the related genera and the two known species of Liaghinella are provided. Biological information on the new species’ feeding habits on spiders is presented and discussed. Dorsal habitus photographs, in addition to photographs and illustrations of other morphological structures, are provided. Finding this new species in the remnants of an Andean montane forest adjacent to urban areas highlights the necessity of local conservation efforts in the Colombian Andes.

La non-restauration des statues antiques berlinoises à Paris, dans: La restauration des oeuvres d'art en Europe entre 1789 et 1815: pratiques, transferts, enjeux, CeROArt (en ligne), 2012. URL: http://ceroart.revues.org/2409

by Astrid Fendt

Social and Political Theory; From the perspective of the Caucasian, Moderate, Male

by Mark Bound

Sustaining conservation values in selectively logged tropical forests: The attained and the attainable

by Jerome Vanclay

Conservation Letters, DOI 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2012.00242.x

Most tropical forests outside protected areas have been or will be selectively logged so it is essential to maximize... more Most tropical forests outside protected areas have been or will be selectively logged so it is essential to maximize the conservation values of partially harvested areas. Here we examine the extent to which these forests sustain timber production, retain species, and conserve carbon stocks. We then describe some improvements in tropical forestry and how their implementation can be promoted.
A simple meta-analysis based on >100 publications revealed substantial variability but that: timber yields decline by about 46% after the first harvest but are subsequently sustained at that level; 76% of carbon is retained in once-logged forests; and, 85-100% of species of mammals, birds, invertebrates, and plants remain after logging. Timber stocks will not regain primary-forest levels within current harvest cycles, but yields increase if collateral damage is reduced and silvicultural treatments are applied.
Given that selectively logged forests retain substantial biodiversity, carbon, and timber stocks, this “middle way” between deforestation and total protection deserves more attention from researchers, conservation organizations, and policy-makers. Improvements in forest management are now likely if synergies are enhanced among initiatives to retain forest carbon stocks (REDD+), assure the legality of forest products, certify responsible management, and devolve control over forests to empowered local
communities.

Impacts of grassland farming on the Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra): appropriate conservation measures for a threatened grassland bird in the Goms valley, Switzerland

by Gavino Strebel

MSc Dissertation, University College London

The Whinchat, a meadow-breeding passerine, is a typical example of a farmland bird that has strongly declined in the... more The Whinchat, a meadow-breeding passerine, is a typical example of a farmland bird that has strongly declined in the last decades in many parts of Europe. The main reason for its decline has been ascribed to an onset of the mowing period, which leads to nest loss and has made the bird disappear from most lowland areas in Europe. In Switzerland, a population stronghold remains in the Goms valley, which, however, is increasingly threatened by earlier mowing. In this study, the conflict between the breeding phenology and the mowing schedule has been established for seven sites on different expositions in the Goms valley. Detailed records of areas mown were compared with key data collected on breeding phenology and Whinchat territories in order to quantify the magnitude of this conflict, which strongly affects the survival of Whinchat populations. The conflict was most pronounced in the intensively farmed, early mown valley bottoms while being less distinctive for meadows mown on the slopes. Differences were also found between sites. Based on the analysis of the conflict, recommendations for the conservation of the important inneralpine population in the Goms valley were made. The findings show that in order to halt the decline of Whinchats in the Goms valley, it is necessary to postpone mowing until the 7th of July at the least.

Dealing with non-native species: what makes the difference in South America?

by Karina L. Speziale

Searching for resilience in sustainable develoment

by Daniella Tilbury

Balsas de riego y fauna silvestre en Álava. Medidas para favorecer su naturalización

by Jorge Echegaray

"Fenêtre ou miroir ? Quand le vernis définit le tableau (1750-1800)" dans La restauration des peintures et des sculptures. Connaissance et reconnaissance de l'oeuvre, Paris, Armand Colin, 2012, p. 43-52.

by Noémie Etienne

Supporting wild pollinators in a temperate agricultural landscape: maintaining mosaics of natural features and production.

by Pia Lentini

Lentini, PE, Martin, TG, Gibbons, P, Fischer, J and Cunningham, SA (2012) Supporting wild pollinators in a temperate agricultural landscape: maintaining mosaics of natural features and production. Biological Conservation 149, 84-92.

Pollination has received attention recently due to reported sharp declines of Apis mellifera in several locations, and... more Pollination has received attention recently due to reported sharp declines of Apis mellifera in several locations, and it has been proposed that diverse native bee communities may be key for continued pollination of economically important crops. However, there is some inconsistency in the literature as to how these communities should best be managed. To address this issue, we collected bees from an intensively managed agricultural region in eastern Australia using blue vane traps. Both linear remnants of vegetation, which form part of a larger corridor network, and adjacent fields of native and exotic pastures, wheat, canola, and lucerne were sampled. A total of 3 249 individual bees, representing four families and 36 species were collected. Highly modified environments of nectar-bearing crop supported the most species-rich bee assemblages, and the highest abundance of individual bee species. Distance from the remnants did not limit the body size of species occupying fields (up to 400m). However, richness of bee assemblages also responded positively to the presence of conservation land in nearby areas, or the number of remnant native trees surrounding traps. Linear remnants of native vegetation contributed to assemblage heterogeneity by adding unique species to the regional pool. Our findings indicate that agricultural industries that currently rely on pollination by A. mellifera should ensure that intensive land use is complemented by untilled areas in the form of conservation land, or farm dams and scattered trees in fields, to support wild pollinators that may act as insurance against further future losses of managed hives.

Assessing the potential of historic archaeological collections: a pilot study of the British Museum’s Swiss lake village textiles.

by Susanna Harris

Co-authored with Higgitt, C., Harris, S., Cartwright, C., Cruickshank, P., The British Museum Technical Research Bulletin. 2011, Vol.5. pp.81-94.

The online paper will be available Autumn 2012: http://www.britishmuseum.org/system_pages/holding_area/technical_research_bulletin.aspx

Summary: The British Museum houses a significant collection of organic material from prehistoric Swiss lake dwellings... more Summary: The British Museum houses a significant collection of organic material from prehistoric Swiss lake dwellings (c.4000 to 500 bc) excavated in the late nineteenth century. The waterlogged, anaerobic, alkaline burial environment provided conditions suitable for the preservation of a range of organic materials including many textiles. The textiles, which represent a range of techniques and include fine complex weaves, netting and skeins, largely remain as treated at the time of excavation. Recent assessment of the condition of this textile collection, with a view to improving the storage and display of these rare survivals, has allowed nineteenth-century approaches to the recovery, treatment, mounting and display of archaeological materials to be documented. The collection has been rehoused in a suitable standardized storage system, preserving the original and highly informative historic mounts. Some of the textiles remain, however, at risk due to acidic mounting materials, broken glass or the fragments being insecure in their frames. The opportunity was also taken to assess the potential of this historic textile collection for detailed investigation, including fibre identification, technological study and dye analysis. A range of analytical techniques was employed, including macroscopic analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Weave analysis and technological classification of the textiles was possible, even for textiles still in their original mounts. Many of the textiles showed signs of early consolidation and the presence of detrital material but, using SEM, fibre identification was possible in every sample examined. This demonstrated the use of flax fibres (Linum usitatissimum), lime/ linden (Tilia sp.) bast fibres and lime/linden bark showing various degrees of processing. The majority of the fibres examined showed evidence for low temperature or incomplete charring. Using FTIR a range of consolidants has been identified, including natural resins and a carbohydrate material, possibly a gum or sugar solution. The chemical condition of some of the fibres, determined by Raman spectroscopy, and the presence of consolidants and other detrital material, suggests that potential dye analysis and other forms of (bio)molecular analysis could be compromised for some of the collection. The results of this pilot study will guide the future conservation strategy for this historic collection and allow informed decisions to be made regarding future access for technical and scientific study.

Use of ‘‘entertainment’’ chimpanzees in commercials distorts public perception regarding their conservation status

by Alexandra Rosati

Schroepfer, K.K., Rosati, A.G., Chartrand, T., & Hare, B. (2011) PLoS One

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are often used in movies, commercials and print advertisements with the intention of... more Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are often used in movies, commercials and print advertisements with the intention of eliciting a humorous response from audiences. The portrayal of chimpanzees in unnatural, human-like situations may have a negative effect on the public’s understanding of their endangered status in the wild while making them appear as suitable pets. Alternatively, media content that elicits a positive emotional response toward chimpanzees may increase the public’s commitment to chimpanzee conservation. To test these competing hypotheses, participants (n = 165) watched a series of commercials in an experiment framed as a marketing study. Imbedded within the same series of commercials was one of three chimpanzee videos. Participants either watched 1) a chimpanzee conservation commercial, 2) commercials containing ‘‘entertainment’’ chimpanzees or 3) control footage of the natural behavior of wild chimpanzees. Results from a post- viewing questionnaire reveal that participants who watched the conservation message understood that chimpanzees were endangered and unsuitable as pets at higher levels than those viewing the control footage. Meanwhile participants watching commercials with entertainment chimpanzees showed a decrease in understanding relative to those watching the control footage. In addition, when participants were given the opportunity to donate part of their earnings from the experiment to a conservation charity, donations were least frequent in the group watching commercials with entertainment chimpanzees. Control questions show that participants did not detect the purpose of the study. These results firmly support the hypothesis that use of entertainment chimpanzees in the popular media negatively distorts the public’s perception and hinders chimpanzee conservation efforts.