Martine Maron

Best-practice biodiversity safeguards for Belt and Road Initiative’s financiers

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 11-05-2020

DOI: 10.1038/S41893-020-0528-3

A composite measure of habitat loss for entire assemblages of species

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 24-06-2019

DOI: 10.1111/COBI.13331

Abstract: Habitat destruction is among the greatest threats facing bio ersity, and it affects common and threatened species alike. However, metrics for communicating its impacts typically overlook the nonthreatened component of assemblages. This risks the loss of habitat going unreported for species that comprise the majority of assemblages. We adapted a widely used measure for summarizing researcher output (the h index) to provide a metric that describes natural habitat loss for entire assemblages, inclusive of threatened and nonthreatened species. For each of 447 Australian native terrestrial bird species, we combined information on their association with broad vegetation groups with distributional range maps to identify the difference between the estimated pre-European and current extents of potential habitat, defined as vegetation groups most closely associated with each species. From this, we calculated the loss index (LI), which revealed that 30% of native birds have each lost at least 30% of their potential natural habitat (LI = 30). At the subcontinental scale, LIs ranged from 15 in arid Australia to 61 in the highly transformed southeastern part of the country. Different subcomponents of the assemblage had different LI values. For ex le, Australia's parrots (n = 52 species) had an LI of 38, whereas raptors (n = 32 species) had an LI of 25. The LI is simple to calculate and can be determined using readily available spatial information on species distributions, native vegetation associations, and human impacts on natural land cover. This metric, including the curves used to deduce it, could complement other bio ersity indices if it is used for regional and global bio ersity assessments that compare the status of natural habitat extent for assemblages within and among nations, monitor changes through time, and forecast future changes to guide strategic land-use planning. The LI is an intuitive tool that can be used to summarize and communicate how human actions affect whole assemblages, not just threatened species.

Relative influence of habitat modification and interspecific competition on woodland bird assemblages in eastern Australia

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 03-2011

DOI: 10.1071/MU09108

Calculating the benefit of conservation actions

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 15-02-2013

DOI: 10.1111/CONL.12007

Can the biotic nestedness matrix be used predictively?

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 16-07-2004

DOI: 10.1111/J.0030-1299.2004.13199.X

Agricultural intensification and loss of matrix habitat over 23 years in the West Wimmera, south-eastern Australia

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 04-2007

DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOCON.2006.10.051

Scientific foundations for an ecosystem goal, milestones and indicators for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 16-08-2021

DOI: 10.1038/S41559-021-01538-5

MANAGING TRADE‐OFFS IN LANDSCAPE RESTORATION AND REVEGETATION PROJECTS

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 12-2008

DOI: 10.1890/07-1328.1

Abstract: Landscape restoration projects often have multiple and disparate conservation, resource enhancement, and sometimes economic objectives, since projects that seek to meet more than one objective tend to be viewed more positively by funding agencies and the community. The degree to which there are trade-offs among desired objectives is an important variable for decision makers, yet this is rarely explicitly considered. In particular, the existence of ecological thresholds has important implications for decision-making at both the project level and the regional level. We develop a model of the possibilities and choices for an agency seeking to achieve two environmental objectives in a region through revegetation of a number of sites. A graphical model of the production possibilities sets for a single revegetation project is developed, and different trade-off relationships are discussed and illustrated. Then the model is used to demonstrate the possibilities for managing all such projects within a region. We show that, where there are thresholds in the trade-off relationship between two objectives, specialization (single- or dominant-objective projects) should be considered. This is illustrated using a case study in which revegetation is used to meet avian bio ersity and salinity mitigation objectives. We conclude that where there are sufficient scientific data, explicit consideration of different types of trade-offs can assist in making decisions about the most efficient mix and type of projects to better achieve a range of objectives within a region.

Taiwan's Breeding Bird Survey reveals very few declining species

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 02-2023

DOI: 10.1016/J.ECOLIND.2022.109839

Bolder science needed now for protected areas

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 14-01-2016

DOI: 10.1111/COBI.12645

Abstract: Recognizing that protected areas (PAs) are essential for effective bio ersity conservation action, the Convention on Biological Diversity established ambitious PA targets as part of the 2020 Strategic Plan for Bio ersity. Under the strategic goal to "improve the status of bio ersity by safeguarding ecosystems, species, and genetic ersity," Target 11 aims to put 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine regions under PA status by 2020. Additionally and crucially, these areas are required to be of particular importance for bio ersity and ecosystem services, effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative, and well-connected and to include "other effective area-based conservation measures" (OECMs). Whereas the area-based targets are explicit and measurable, the lack of guidance for what constitutes important and representative effective and OECMs is affecting how nations are implementing the target. There is a real risk that Target 11 may be achieved in terms of area while failing the overall strategic goal for which it is established because the areas are poorly located, inadequately managed, or based on unjustifiable inclusion of OECMs. We argue that the conservation science community can help establish ecologically sensible PA targets to help prioritize important bio ersity areas and achieve ecological representation identify clear, comparable performance metrics of ecological effectiveness so progress toward these targets can be assessed and identify metrics and report on the contribution OECMs make toward the target. By providing ecologically sensible targets and new performance metrics for measuring the effectiveness of both PAs and OECMs, the science community can actively ensure that the achievement of the required area in Target 11 is not simply an end in itself but generates genuine benefits for bio ersity.

Evidence for increasing human‐wildlife conflict despite a financial compensation scheme on the edge of a Ugandan National Park

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 11-11-2020

DOI: 10.1111/CSP2.309

Landscape‐specific thresholds in the relationship between species richness and natural land cover

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 25-01-2019

DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13320

The minimum land area requiring conservation attention to safeguard biodiversity.

Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Date: 03-06-2022

DOI: 10.1126/SCIENCE.ABL9127

Abstract: Ambitious conservation efforts are needed to stop the global bio ersity crisis. In this study, we estimate the minimum land area to secure important bio ersity areas, ecologically intact areas, and optimal locations for representation of species ranges and ecoregions. We discover that at least 64 million square kilometers (44% of terrestrial area) would require conservation attention (ranging from protected areas to land-use policies) to meet this goal. More than 1.8 billion people live on these lands, so responses that promote autonomy, self-determination, equity, and sustainable management for safeguarding bio ersity are essential. Spatially explicit land-use scenarios suggest that 1.3 million square kilometers of this land is at risk of being converted for intensive human land uses by 2030, which requires immediate attention. However, a sevenfold difference exists between the amount of habitat converted in optimistic and pessimistic land-use scenarios, highlighting an opportunity to avert this crisis. Appropriate targets in the Post-2020 Global Bio ersity Framework to encourage conservation of the identified land would contribute substantially to safeguarding bio ersity.

Matrix Intensification Affects Body and Physiological Condition of Tropical Forest-Dependent Passerines

Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)

Date: 24-06-2015

DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0128521

Faustian bargains? Restoration realities in the context of biodiversity offset policies

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 10-2012

DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOCON.2012.06.003

Eight things you should never do in a monitoring program: an Australian perspective

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 22-08-2022

DOI: 10.1007/S10661-022-10348-6

Abstract: Monitoring is critical to gauge the effect of environmental management interventions as well as to measure the effects of human disturbances such as climate change. Recognition of the critical need for monitoring means that, at irregular intervals, recommendations are made for new government-instigated programs or to rev existing ones. Using insights from past well-intentioned (but sadly also often failed) attempts to establish and maintain government-instigated monitoring programs in Australia, we outline eight things that should never be done in environmental monitoring programs (if they aim to be useful). These are the following: (1) Never commence a new environmental management initiative without also committing to a monitoring program. (2) Never start a monitoring program without clear questions. (3) Never implement a monitoring program without first doing a proper experimental design. (4) Never ignore the importance of matching the purpose and objectives of a monitoring program to the design of that program. (5) Never change the way you monitor something without ensuring new methods can be calibrated with the old ones. (6) Never try to monitor everything. (7) Never collect data without planning to curate and report on it. (8) If possible, avoid starting a monitoring program without the necessary resources secured. To balance our “nevers”, we provide a checklist of actions that will increase the chances a monitoring program will actually measure the effectiveness of environmental management. Scientists and resource management practitioners need to be part of a stronger narrative for, and key participants in, well-designed, implemented, and maintained government-led monitoring programs. We argue that monitoring programs should be mandated in threatened species conservation programs and all new environmental management initiatives.

Does it matter why we do restoration? Volunteers, offset markets and the need for full disclosure

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 08-2018

DOI: 10.1111/EMR.12330

Exploring the risks and benefits of flexibility in biodiversity offset location in a case study of migratory shorebirds

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 15-12-2023

DOI: 10.1111/COBI.14031

Abstract: Bio ersity offsets aim to counterbalance the residual impacts of development on species and ecosystems. Guidance documents explicitly recommend that bio ersity offset actions be located close to the location of impact because of higher potential for similar ecological conditions, but allowing greater spatial flexibility has been proposed. We examined the circumstances under which offsets distant from the impact location could be more likely to achieve no net loss or provide better ecological outcomes than offsets close to the impact area. We applied a graphical model for migratory shorebirds in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway as a case study to explore the problems that arise when incorporating spatial flexibility into offset planning. Spatially flexible offsets may alleviate impacts more effectively than local offsets however, the risks involved can be substantial. For our case study, there were inadequate data to make robust conclusions about the effectiveness and equivalence of distant habitat‐based offsets for migratory shorebirds. Decisions around offset placement should be driven by the potential to achieve equivalent ecological outcomes however, when considering more distant offsets, there is a need to evaluate the likely increased risks alongside the potential benefits. Although spatially flexible offsets have the potential to provide more cost‐effective bio ersity outcomes and more cobenefits, our case study showed the difficulty of demonstrating these benefits in practice and the potential risks that need to be considered to ensure effective offset placement.

Author Correction: Area-based conservation in the twenty-first century (Nature, (2020), 586, 7828, (217-227), 10.1038/s41586-020-2773-z)

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 18-11-2020

DOI: 10.1038/S41586-020-2952-Y

Metrics of progress in the understanding and management of threats to Australian birds.

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 22-11-2019

DOI: 10.1111/COBI.13220

Abstract: Although evidence-based approaches have become commonplace for determining the success of conservation measures for the management of threatened taxa, there are no standard metrics for assessing progress in research or management. We developed 5 metrics to meet this need for threatened taxa and to quantify the need for further action and effective alleviation of threats. These metrics (research need, research achievement, management need, management achievement, and percent threat reduction) can be aggregated to examine trends for an in idual taxon or for threats across multiple taxa. We tested the utility of these metrics by applying them to Australian threatened birds, which appears to be the first time that progress in research and management of threats has been assessed for all threatened taxa in a faunal group at a continental scale. Some research has been conducted on nearly three-quarters of known threats to taxa, and there is a clear understanding of how to alleviate nearly half of the threats with the highest impact. Some management has been attempted on nearly half the threats. Management outcomes ranged from successful trials to complete mitigation of the threat, including for one-third of high-impact threats. Progress in both research and management tended to be greater for taxa that were monitored or occurred on oceanic islands. Predation by cats had the highest potential threat score. However, there has been some success reducing the impact of cat predation, so climate change (particularly drought), now poses the greatest threat to Australian threatened birds. Our results demonstrate the potential for the proposed metrics to encapsulate the major trends in research and management of both threats and threatened taxa and provide a basis for international comparisons of evidence-based conservation science.

Local conditions and policy design determine whether ecological compensation can achieve No Net Loss goals

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 29-04-2020

DOI: 10.1038/S41467-020-15861-1

Abstract: Many nations use ecological compensation policies to address negative impacts of development projects and achieve No Net Loss (NNL) of bio ersity and ecosystem services. Yet, failures are widely reported. We use spatial simulation models to quantify potential net impacts of alternative compensation policies on bio ersity (indicated by native vegetation) and two ecosystem services (carbon storage, sediment retention) across four case studies (in Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Mozambique). No policy achieves NNL of bio ersity in any case study. Two factors limit their potential success: the land available for compensation (existing vegetation to protect or cleared land to restore), and expected counterfactual bio ersity losses (unregulated vegetation clearing). Compensation also fails to slow regional bio ersity declines because policies regulate only a subset of sectors, and expanding policy scope requires more land than is available for compensation activities. Avoidance of impacts remains essential in achieving NNL goals, particularly once opportunities for compensation are exhausted.

The consequences of coastal offsets for fisheries

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 04-02-2022

DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14129

Abstract: Bio ersity offsetting is increasingly used to mitigate bio ersity impacts from development, but the practice of offsetting rarely considers how to also mitigate losses of ecosystem services. Offset rules, such as how near an offset must be to an impact site, may help ensure bio ersity offsets also counterbalance losses of ecosystem services but this has not yet well understood. We explored how different rules for siting coastal offsets could change net impacts to a provisioning ecosystem service: fishery resources in Queensland, Australia. A spatially explicit model incorporating supply, flow and demand of fishery resources was developed to simulate contributions of offset sites to commercial fisheries in Queensland, Australia. We simulated offsets for losses due to 63 real projects that damaged mangroves and 14 projects damaging seagrasses. We found that the percentage of species suffering net negative outcomes for the whole commercial fishery increased from about 68% when offsets were located close to impact sites to % when there were no restrictions on offset location. All fisheries for seagrass offsets suffered net economic losses under both scenarios, but these were worse when offsets were not required to be near to impact sites. Offsetting outcomes varied substantially across species. Species with shorter maximum dispersal distance and higher dispersal decay parameters suffered greater net losses. Synthesis and applications . Our model quantified impacts of fishery habitat depletion and offsets on fishery resources and the approach can be applied to assess impacts of losses of fishery habitats globally. The findings suggest that to minimize losses of fishery resources caused by habitat depletion, offset policy should generally locate offset sites at the locations available for restoration that are nearest to impact sites, unless specific information about the relative contributions of sites to impacted fisheries is available to guide offset location.

Use of citizen science datasets to test effects of grazing exclusion and replanting on Australian woodland birds

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 10-12-2021

DOI: 10.1111/REC.13610

Abstract: Around the world, woodlands have been cleared for agricultural production and their bird communities are in decline. To reverse these declines and foster bird community resilience, government agencies, non‐government organizations, and private landholders have implemented restoration actions, commonly including grazing exclusion and replanting. These actions are rarely implemented in an experimental framework, making it difficult to measure their effectiveness. However, ecological monitoring datasets, and citizen science datasets in particular, can provide useful opportunities for measuring effects of restoration actions and act as a baseline upon which adaptive management can be built. We examined the effect of revegetation actions on the terrestrial bird community in Australia's south‐eastern temperate woodlands using long‐term, community‐collected monitoring datasets. We explored the response of bird abundance, species richness, and a newly developed index of ecological community condition, to grazing exclusion and replanting over a 20‐year period using an uneven control‐impact study design. Grazing exclusion plus replanting had strong positive effects on all three bird community metrics, which increased with time, compared to control sites where neither action occurred. Bird abundance, but not species richness or community condition, increased over time with grazing exclusion alone, while control sites with continued grazing and no replanting showed no change in all three measures. We demonstrate that citizen science datasets with imperfect study designs can be used to gain insights on conservation action effectiveness and highlight the value of metrics that capture information about community condition more precisely than just abundance or species richness.

Bayesian Networks and Adaptive Management of Wildlife Habitat

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 15-07-2010

DOI: 10.1111/J.1523-1739.2010.01451.X

Abstract: Adaptive management is an iterative process of gathering new knowledge regarding a system's behavior and monitoring the ecological consequences of management actions to improve management decisions. Although the concept originated in the 1970s, it is rarely actively incorporated into ecological restoration. Bayesian networks (BNs) are emerging as efficient ecological decision-support tools well suited to adaptive management, but ex les of their application in this capacity are few. We developed a BN within an adaptive-management framework that focuses on managing the effects of feral grazing and prescribed burning regimes on avian ersity within woodlands of subtropical eastern Australia. We constructed the BN with baseline data to predict bird abundance as a function of habitat structure, grazing pressure, and prescribed burning. Results of sensitivity analyses suggested that grazing pressure increased the abundance of aggressive honeyeaters, which in turn had a strong negative effect on small passerines. Management interventions to reduce pressure of feral grazing and prescribed burning were then conducted, after which we collected a second set of field data to test the response of small passerines to these measures. We used these data, which incorporated ecological changes that may have resulted from the management interventions, to validate and update the BN. The network predictions of small passerine abundance under the new habitat and management conditions were very accurate. The updated BN concluded the first iteration of adaptive management and will be used in planning the next round of management interventions. The unique belief-updating feature of BNs provides land managers with the flexibility to predict outcomes and evaluate the effectiveness of management interventions.

Need for conservation planning in postconflict Colombia

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 09-05-2201

DOI: 10.1111/COBI.12935

Set ambitious goals for biodiversity and sustainability

Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Date: 23-10-2020

DOI: 10.1126/SCIENCE.ABE1530

Abstract: Multiple, coordinated goals and holistic actions are critical

MODIS time series as a tool for monitoring fires and their effects on savanna bird diversity

Publisher: CSIRO Publishing

Date: 2012

DOI: 10.1071/WF11031

Abstract: In this study, we aimed to explore the effect of fires on bird ersity in Australia’s tropical savannas. Bird surveys were conducted at 69 sites between 2005 and 2007 to estimate bird species richness and abundance within the Mornington Sanctuary, the Kimberley, north-west Australia. We used MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and Landsat satellite imagery to map fire scars and to quantify vegetation cover parameters, and QuickBird imagery to map the percentage tree cover. Bird species richness and abundance were higher in areas exhibiting minimum seasonal and interannual changes, e.g. in riparian areas, near water and where tree cover was high. We found a significant negative effect of fire on bird ersity following the extensive late dry-season fires of 2006. These findings support the view that intense and large fires are threatening bio ersity and reinforce the importance of reducing the occurrence of late dry-season fires, which are the most severe and extensive. MODIS satellite imagery was found to provide a cost-effective approach to monitoring savanna landscapes, assessing the state of vegetation and monitoring fire dynamics.

Setting robust biodiversity goals

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 31-05-2021

DOI: 10.1111/CONL.12816

Abstract: The new global bio ersity framework (GBF) being developed under the Convention on Biological Diversity must drive action to reverse the ongoing decline of the Earth's bio ersity. Explicit, measurable goals that specify the outcomes we want to achieve are needed to set the course for this action. However, the current draft goals and targets fail to set out these clear outcomes. We argue that distinct outcome goals for species, ecosystems, and genetic ersity are essential and should specify net outcomes required for each. Net outcome goals such as “no net loss” do, however, have a controversial history, and loose specification can lead to perverse outcomes. We outline seven general principles to underpin net outcome goal setting that minimize risk of such perverse outcomes. Finally, we recommend inclusion of statements of impact in action targets that support bio ersity goals, and we illustrate the importance of this with an ex le from the draft GBF action targets. These modifications would help reveal the specific contribution each action would make to achieving the outcome goals and provide clarity on whether the successful achievement of action targets would be adequate to achieve the outcome goals and, in turn, the 2050 vision: living in harmony with nature .

Landscape structure influences urban vegetation vertical structure

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 27-07-2016

DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12741

Mining matrix effects on West African rainforest birds

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 2014

DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOCON.2013.11.030

Performance of habitat offsets for species conservation in dynamic human‐modified landscapes

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 09-07-2023

DOI: 10.1002/PAN3.10494

Abstract: Bio ersity offsets are a popular policy tool for mitigating the impact of development on bio ersity, but the ecological success of offsets arise from complex interactions among socio‐economic, ecological and policy processes, making outcomes challenging to assess. Many offset policies use habitat surrogates to determine offset requirements, rather than using direct measures of impacted biota, and this can lead to poor outcomes for species. One potential solution to this is for offsets to be delivered by a public agency (agency‐led) rather than by developers (developer‐led). This is because agencies may be able to strategically choose offset sites that maximise outcomes for species (e.g. abundance), while there may be little reason for developers to act strategically in this way when offset requirements are based purely on habitat surrogates. Yet, the success of a strategic agency‐led approach is likely to depend on patterns of development and offset site availability. To examine this, we developed a novel integrated spatially explicit model of land‐use change, habitat, species abundance and offset regulation. We apply the model to the Queensland Government's Environmental Offsets Policy for koalas Phascolarctos cinereus in South East Queensland, Australia, and test how patterns of development and offset site availability influence the performance of agency‐led versus developer‐led offsets. When potential offset sites were plentiful, agency‐led offsets tended to outperform developer‐led offset delivery for maximising koala abundance while achieving similar or better outcomes for habitat area. Yet, when potential offset sites were rare, the relative performance of agency‐led offset was often poor, and offset requirements for habitat area were less likely to be met. Different spatial patterns of development had little effect on the relative performance of agency‐led versus developer‐led offsets. Our analysis shows that agency‐led offsets with strategic choices of offset sites can improve species' outcomes for habitat‐based offsets but can also risk failing to meet habitat area requirements when the availability of offset sites is low. Importantly, our integrated spatial model provides a holistic approach to assessing policy options for bio ersity offsets in dynamic human‐modified landscapes. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Bird conservation values of off-reserve forests in lowland Nepal

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 07-2014

DOI: 10.1016/J.FORECO.2014.03.033

Towards a Threat Assessment Framework for Ecosystem Services

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 04-2017

DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2016.12.011

Abstract: How can we tell if the ecosystem services upon which we rely are at risk of being lost, potentially permanently? Ecosystem services underpin human well-being, but we lack a consistent approach for categorizing the extent to which they are threatened. We present an assessment framework for assessing the degree to which the adequate and sustainable provision of a given ecosystem service is threatened. Our framework combines information on the states and trends of both ecosystem service supply and demand, with reference to two critical thresholds: demand exceeding supply and ecosystem service 'extinction'. This framework can provide a basis for global, national, and regional assessments of threat to ecosystem services, and accompany existing assessments of threat to species and ecosystems.

Influence of landscape structure on invasive predators: feral cats and red foxes in the brigalow landscapes, Queensland, Australia

Publisher: CSIRO Publishing

Date: 2012

DOI: 10.1071/WR12008

Abstract: Context Invasive mammalian predators are often associated with fragmented landscapes, and can compound the impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation on native fauna. Knowledge of how invasive predators are influenced by different landscape structures can assist in the mitigation of their impacts. Aims The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of landscape structure and site-scale habitat attributes on the frequency of feral-cat and red-fox detections in fragmented agricultural landscapes. Methods Field surveys of the frequency of red-fox and feral-cat visitation at a site scale were stratified for six different habitat types in six study subregions. The habitat types were large remnant patch interior, large remnant patch edge, small remnant patch, roadside verge, regrowth patch and open agricultural land adjacent to a remnant patch. Sites were centred in a 1-km buffer area from which landscape composition and configuration were calculated. We applied a generalised linear model and an information-theoretic approach to determine the effect size and importance and rank of the explanatory variables on red-fox, feral-cat and pooled cat and fox detection rates. Key results The most important factors influencing detection rates had a positive effect and included: the dominance of cropping in the landscape (cat, fox, pooled cat and fox) and the density of vegetation at a site scale (fox, pooled cat and fox). The number of native habitat patches was also an important factor in the models of red foxes and pooled invasive predators. Conclusion Spatially heterogeneous cropping landscapes incur higher rates of invasive-predator detections than do intact native-woodland and pasture landscapes at the 1-km scale. At a site scale, elevated invasive-predator detections occurred at sites with dense vegetation, characteristic of narrow woodland and the edges of large woodland patches. Implications The research findings highlight that vertebrate pest management needs to target highly fragmented agricultural landscapes that are more likely to have elevated levels of invasive-predator activity. Landscape restoration efforts need to consider the redesign of landscapes to make them less suitable for predators and more hospitable for native wildlife.

The Risks and Opportunities of Translating Terrestrial Biodiversity Offsets to the Marine Realm

Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

Date: 17-01-2018

DOI: 10.1093/BIOSCI/BIX150

Grassy patch size and structure are important for northern eastern bristlebird persistence in a dynamic ecosystem

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 07-02-2018

DOI: 10.1080/01584197.2018.1425628

Identification of fine scale and landscape scale drivers of urban aboveground carbon stocks using high-resolution modeling and mapping

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 05-2018

DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2017.11.255

Abstract: Urban areas are sources of land use change and CO

The threats to Australia's imperilled species and implications for a national conservation response

Publisher: CSIRO Publishing

Date: 2018

DOI: 10.1071/PC18024

Abstract: Since European occupation of Australia, human activities have caused the dramatic decline and sometimes extinction of many of the continent’s unique species. Here we provide a comprehensive review of threats to species listed as threatened under Australia’s Environment Protection and Bio ersity Conservation Act 1999. Following accepted global categories of threat, we find that invasive species affect the largest number of listed species (1257 species, or 82% of all threatened species) ecosystem modifications (e.g. fire) (74% of listed species) and agricultural activity (57%) are also important. The ranking of threats was largely consistent across taxonomic groups and the degree of species’ endangerment. These results were significantly different (P& .01) from recent analyses of threats to threatened species globally, which highlighted overexploitation, agriculture and urban development as major causes of decline. Australia is distinct not only in the bio ersity it contains but also in the extent and mixture of processes that threaten the survival of these species. Notably, the IUCN threat classification scheme separates the numerous threats (e.g. urban development, agriculture, mining) that cause habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, hence further research is required to quantify the net impact of these types of habitat change. We provide feasible suggestions for a more coordinated national approach to threatened species conservation, which could provide decision makers and managers at all levels with improved resources and information on threats and management. Adequate policy, legislative support and funding are critical for ensuring that on-ground management is successful in halting the decline of Australia’s threatened species.

The influence of a variable fire regime on woodland structure and composition

Publisher: CSIRO Publishing

Date: 2015

DOI: 10.1071/WF14052

Abstract: The post-fire response of vegetation reflects not only a single fire event but is the result of cumulative effects of previous fires in the landscape. For effective ecological fire management there is a need to better understand the relationship between different fire regimes and vegetation structure. The study investigated how different fire regimes affect stand structure and composition in subtropical eucalypt woodlands of central Queensland. We found that fire history category (i.e. specific combinations of time since fire, fire frequency and season of last burn) strongly influenced richness and abundance of species categorised as mid-storey trees and those in iduals currently in the mid-level strata. Time since fire and fire frequency appeared to have the strongest influence. A longer time since fire ( years since last burn), combined with infrequent fires ( fires in 12 year period) appeared to promote a dense mid-storey with the opposite conditions ( years since last burn fires in 12 year period) promoting more-open woodlands. Consideration of these combined fire regime attributes will allow fire managers to plan for a particular range of fire-mediated patches to maintain the desired ersity of vegetation structures.

Relationships between male giraffes’ colour, age and sociability

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 11-2019

DOI: 10.1016/J.ANBEHAV.2019.08.003

Avifaunal disarray: Quantifying models of the occurrence and ecological effects of a despotic bird species

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 14-01-2015

DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12294

Reptile abundance, but not species richness, increases with regrowth age and spatial extent in fragmented agricultural landscapes of eastern Australia

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 04-2015

DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOCON.2015.01.010

Biogeographical and Taxonomic Biases in Tropical Forest Fragmentation Research

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 26-07-2014

DOI: 10.1111/COBI.12348

Abstract: Despite several decades of research on the effects of fragmentation and habitat change on bio ersity, there remain strong biases in the geographical regions and taxonomic species studied. The knowledge gaps resulting from these biases are of particular concern if the forests most threatened with modification are also those for which the effects of such change are most poorly understood. To quantify the nature and magnitude of such biases, we conducted a systematic review of the published literature on forest fragmentation in the tropics for the period 1980-2012. Studies included focused on any type of response of single species, communities, or assemblages of any taxonomic group to tropical forest fragmentation and on fragmentation-related changes to forests. Of the 853 studies we found in the SCOPUS database, 64% were conducted in the Neotropics, 13% in Asia, 10% in the Afrotropics, and 5% in Australasia. Thus, although the Afrotropics is subject to the highest rates of deforestation globally, it was the most disproportionately poorly studied biome. Significant taxonomic biases were identified. Of the taxonomic groups considered, herpetofauna was the least studied in the tropics, particularly in Africa. Research examining patterns of species distribution was by far the most common type (72%), and work focused on ecological processes (28%) was rare in all biomes, but particularly in the Afrotropics and for fauna. We suggest research efforts be directed toward less-studied biogeographic regions, particularly where the threat of forest fragmentation continues to be high. Increased research investment in the Afrotropics will be important to build knowledge of threats and inform responses in a region where almost no efforts to restore its fragmented landscapes have yet begun and forest protection is arguably most tenuous.

Incidence of competitors and landscape structure as predictors of woodland-dependent birds

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 24-08-2013

DOI: 10.1007/S10980-013-9934-5

The development of the Australian environmental offsets policy: from theory to practice

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Date: 14-01-2015

DOI: 10.1017/S037689291400040X

Abstract: Environmental offsetting involves compensating for the residual adverse impacts of an action on the environment by generating an equivalent benefit elsewhere. As the prevalence of environmental offsetting grows, so does the challenge of translating no-net-loss goals to workable policy. From 2011–2012, the Australian Government developed an Environmental Offsets Policy and an accompanying metric (the Offsets Assessment Guide) to support decision making about offset requirements under the Environment Protection and Bio ersity Conservation Act 1999. Through extensive stakeholder consultation and in collaboration with academic researchers, the Guide was developed with the aim of accounting appropriately for ecological equivalence in a transparent and flexible manner. This paper outlines the Australian Government's environmental offset policy development process, and describes the approach adopted for evaluating the suitability of proposed offsets in meeting the policy goals. The Guide explicitly estimates the extent to which an offset will improve the target biota and/or avert future losses, the degree of confidence that the offset will be implemented successfully, and the time it will take to deliver a conservation benefit. Since implementation of the Environmental Offsets Policy and the Guide, there has been a shift in focus from estimating offset requirements based on simplistic area ratios, toward directly evaluating the components of an offset action that determine its environmental performance. Achieving a balance between scientific robustness and policy workability is an ongoing challenge. The Environmental Offsets Policy and Guide represent an important step towards consistency and transparency in environmental offset decision-making.

Consequences of impediments to animal movements at different scales: A conceptual framework and review

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 18-12-2018

DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12699

Climate-induced resource bottlenecks exacerbate species vulnerability: a review

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 18-05-2015

DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12339

The hidden biodiversity risks of increasing flexibility in biodiversity offset trades

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 12-2020

DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOCON.2020.108861

Bioacoustic monitoring of animal vocal behavior for conservation

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 11-06-2019

DOI: 10.1111/CSP2.72

Disentangling direct and indirect effects of landscape structure on urban bird richness and functional diversity

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 04-10-2022

DOI: 10.1002/EAP.2713

Abstract: As fragmented landscapes become increasingly common around the world, managing the spatial arrangement of landscape elements (i.e., landscape configuration) may help to promote the conservation of bio ersity. However, the relative effects of landscape configuration on different dimensions of bio ersity across species assemblages are largely unknown. Thus, a key challenge consists in understanding when it is necessary to focus on landscape configuration, in addition to landscape composition, to achieve multifunctional landscapes. We tested the effects of landscape composition (the percentage of tree cover and built infrastructure) and landscape configuration (degree of fragmentation) on landscape‐level species richness and different metrics of functional ersity of urban birds. We collected data on different bird guilds (nectarivores/frugivores, insectivores) from Brisbane, Australia. Using structural equation models, we found that landscape structure (landscape composition and configuration) affected functional ersity via two main pathways: (1) through effects of landscape composition, mediated by landscape configuration (indirect effects), and (2) through direct (“independent”) effects of landscape composition and configuration, filtering species with extreme trait values. Our results show that landscape‐level species richness declined with the extent of built infrastructure, but patterns of trait ersity did not necessarily correlate with this variable. Landscape configuration had a stronger mediating effect on some metrics of the functional ersity of insectivores than on the functional ersity of frugivores/nectarivores. In addition, fragmentation increased the effects of built infrastructure for some traits (body size and dispersal capacity), but not for others (habitat plasticity and foraging behavior). These results suggest that differential approaches to managing landscape structure are needed depending on whether the focus is on protecting functional ersity or species richness and what the target guild is. Managing landscape fragmentation in areas with high levels of built infrastructure is important if the objective is to protect insectivore species with uncommon traits, even if it is not possible to preserve high levels of species richness. However, if the target is to enhance both functional ersity and species richness of multiple guilds, the focus should be on improving composition through the reduction of negative effects of built infrastructure, rather than promoting specific landscape configurations in growing cities.

Offsetting impacts of development on biodiversity and ecosystem services

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 10-09-2020

DOI: 10.1007/S13280-019-01245-3

Spatial variation in the importance of different prey types in the diet of red foxes

Publisher: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales

Date: 2017

DOI: 10.7882/AZ.2017.025

Erratum: Protected areas and the future of insect conservation: (Trends in Ecology & Evolution 38(1), p:85–95; 2023) (Trends in Ecology & Evolution (2023) 38(1) (85–95), (S0169534722002245), (10.1016/j.tree.2022.09.004))

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 07-2023

DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2023.04.006

Using empirical data analysis and expert opinion to identify farmland‐associated bird species from their habitat associations

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 03-01-2023

DOI: 10.1111/IBI.13179

Abstract: Agricultural expansion is a pervasive threat to bio ersity, and intensification of farming activities can reduce the ersity and abundance of farmland‐associated species. Tracking these changes to monitor and manage the bio ersity impacts of farming requires identification of farmland‐associated species – a well‐established category in Europe and North America, but little‐documented elsewhere. Here we develop an integrated approach using empirical data analysis and expert opinion to delineate farmland‐associated bird species in Taiwan. We investigated the relationship between land use variables and the abundance of 129 bird species from the Taiwan Breeding Bird Survey. We also administered a questionnaire to 24 expert birdwatchers as an alternative method for estimating the habitat associations of the 129 bird species. The classifications of 104 species into habitat association classes using the two methods were well aligned, with 75 species (72.1%) classified consistently. Only two species (1.9%) were discordantly classified. We could not confidently assign 25 species to any category through empirical data analysis, but expert opinion allowed a qualitative identification of their habitat associations. The two different approaches enabled us to identify farmland‐associated species in a consistent way, increasing confidence that where empirical data were insufficient, expert opinion might suffice. Identifying Taiwan's farmland‐associated species using expert opinion, validated by the empirical analysis, paves the way for exploring the status of the group, how agricultural intensification affects it, and the effectiveness of conservation interventions in rapidly changing agricultural landscapes.

Regrowth woodlands are valuable habitat for reptile communities

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 09-2013

DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOCON.2013.05.018

Seeking convergence on the key concepts in ‘no net loss’ policy

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 14-07-2016

DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12726

The control of rank-abundance distributions by a competitive despotic species

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 04-09-2014

DOI: 10.1007/S00442-014-3060-1

Abstract: Accounting for differences in abundances among species remains a high priority for community ecology. While there has been more than 80 years of work on trying to explain the characteristic S shape of rank-abundance distributions (RADs), there has been recent conjecture that the form may not depend on ecological processes per se but may be a general phenomenon arising in many unrelated disciplines. We show that the RAD shape can be influenced by an ecological process, namely, interference competition. The noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala) is a hyperaggressive, 'despotic' bird that occurs over much of eastern Australia (>10(6) km(2)). We compiled data for bird communities from 350 locations within its range, which were collected using standard avian survey methods. We used hierarchical Bayesian models to show that the RAD shape was much altered when the abundance of the strong interactor exceeded a threshold density RADs consistently were steeper when the density of the noisy miner ≥2.5 birds ha(-1). The structure of bird communities at sites where the noisy miner exceeded this density was very different from that at sites where the densities fell below the threshold: species richness and Shannon ersity were much reduced, but mean abundances and mean avian biomass per site did not differ substantially.

Estimating species response to management using an integrated process: A case study from New South Wales, Australia

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 13-10-2020

DOI: 10.1111/CSP2.269

Bold nature retention targets are essential for the global environment agenda

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 18-06-2018

DOI: 10.1038/S41559-018-0595-2

An ecological paradox: More woodland predators and less artificial nest predation in landscapes colonized by noisy miners

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 07-08-2013

DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12074

Evaluating the evidence of culling a native species for conservation benefits

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 05-10-2021

DOI: 10.1111/CSP2.549

Abstract: Controlling problem species for conservation can be fraught, particularly when native species are subject to lethal control. The noisy miner ( Manorina melanocephala ), has been the target of numerous lethal control efforts. Outcomes of these noisy miner removals have varied substantially, so identifying the circumstances under which they are effective is essential for ethical and effective management. We compiled data for all identified noisy miner removals ( n = 45), including both permit‐based and unofficial removals. We investigated whether methodological and ecological factors explained the effectiveness of removals in reducing noisy miner density or increasing woodland bird richness and abundance. The only predictor of any measure of success was time between first and final culls which was positively related to reduction in noisy miner density. Surprisingly, despite removals mainly failing to reduce noisy miner density to below a threshold above which noisy miners impact smaller birds, woodland birds usually still increased. Disrupted social structure as noisy miners recolonized may have led to less effective aggressive exclusion of small birds. Further removals may not need to reduce noisy miner density to below this threshold to benefit woodland birds, but consistent monitoring and reporting would support better evaluation of effectiveness and correlates of success.

Testing the relevance of binary, mosaic and continuous landscape conceptualisations to reptiles in regenerating dryland landscapes

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 04-02-2015

DOI: 10.1007/S10980-015-0157-9

Using individual-condition measures to predict the long-term importance of habitat extent for population persistence.

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 15-05-2017

DOI: 10.1111/COBI.12903

Breaking the deadlock on ivory

Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Date: 15-12-2017

DOI: 10.1126/SCIENCE.AAN5215

Abstract: An iterative process that recognizes different value systems may help to protect elephants

Including loss minimisation in conservation representation: expansion of the protected area network in Colombia to maximise habitat retention

Publisher: Research Square Platform LLC

Date: 28-09-2022

DOI: 10.21203/RS.3.RS-2090760/V1

Abstract: Most protected area (PA) planning aims to improve biota representation within the PA system, but this does not necessarily achieve the best outcomes for biota retention across regions when we also consider areas outside the PA system. Here we assess the implications that different PA expansion strategies can have on the retention of species habitat across an entire region. Using retention of forest habitat for Colombia’s 550 forest-dependent bird species as our outcome variable, we found that when a minimum of 30% of each species’ habitat was included in the PA system, a pattern of PA expansion targeting areas at highest deforestation risk (risk-prevention) led to the retention, on average, of 7.2% more forest habitat per species by 2050 than did a pattern that targeted areas at lowest risk (risk-avoidance). The risk-prevention approach cost more per km² of land conserved, but it was more cost-effective in retaining habitat (50 – 69% lower cost per km2 of avoided deforestation). To have the same effectiveness preventing habitat loss in Colombia, the risk-avoidance approach required 234% more area and 306% higher cost. PA expansion should focus on the contributions of PAs to outcomes not only within PA systems themselves, but across regions and jurisdictions.

Four steps for the Earth: mainstreaming the post-2020 global biodiversity framework

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 2021

DOI: 10.1016/J.ONEEAR.2020.12.011

Improving averted loss estimates for better biodiversity outcomes from offset exchanges

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Date: 10-02-2020

DOI: 10.1017/S0030605319000528

Abstract: Bio ersity offsetting aims to achieve at least no net loss of bio ersity by fully compensating for residual development-induced bio ersity losses after the mitigation hierarchy (avoid, minimize, remediate) has been applied. Actions used to generate offsets can include securing site protection, or maintaining or enhancing the condition of targeted bio ersity at an offset site. Protection and maintenance actions aim to prevent future bio ersity loss, so such offsets are referred to as averted loss offsets. However, the benefits of such approaches can be highly uncertain and opaque, because assumptions about the change in likelihood of loss as a result of the offset action are often implicit. As a result, the gain generated by averting losses can be intentionally or inadvertently overestimated, leading to offset outcomes that are insufficient for achieving no net loss of bio ersity. We present a method and decision tree to guide consistent and credible estimation of the likelihood of bio ersity loss for a proposed offset site with and without protection, for use when calculating the amount of benefit associated with the protection component of averted loss offsets. In circumstances such as when a jurisdictional offset policy applies to most impacts, plausible estimates of averted loss can be very low. Averting further loss of bio ersity is desirable, and averted loss offsets can be a valid approach for generating tangible gains. However, overestimation of averted loss benefits poses a major risk to bio ersity.

Protected areas and the future of insect conservation

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 2023

DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2022.09.004

Abstract: Anthropogenic pressures are driving insect declines across the world. Although protected areas (PAs) play a prominent role in safeguarding many vertebrate species from human-induced threats, insects are not widely considered when designing PA systems or building strategies for PA management. We review the effectiveness of PAs for insect conservation and find substantial taxonomic and geographic gaps in knowledge. Most research focuses on the representation of species, and few studies assess threats to insects or the role that effective PA management can play in insect conservation. We propose a four-step research agenda to help ensure that insects are central in efforts to expand the global PA network under the Post-2020 Global Bio ersity Framework.

Global assessment of the biodiversity safeguards of development banks that finance infrastructure

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 27-04-2023

DOI: 10.1111/COBI.14095

Abstract: Infrastructure development is a major driver of bio ersity loss globally. With upward of US$2.5 trillion in annual investments in infrastructure, the financial sector indirectly drives this bio ersity loss. At the same time, bio ersity safeguards (project‐level bio ersity impact mitigation requirements) of infrastructure financiers can help limit this damage. The coverage and harmonization of bio ersity safeguards are important factors in their effectiveness and therefore warrant scrutiny. It is equally important to examine the extent to which these safeguards align with best‐practice principles for bio ersity impact mitigation outlined in international policies, such as that of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. We assessed the bio ersity safeguards of public development banks and development finance institutions for coverage, harmonization, and alignment with best practice. We used Institute of New Structural Economics and Agence Française de Développement's global database to identify development banks that invest in high‐bio ersity‐footprint infrastructure and have over US$500 million in assets. Of the 155 banks, 42% ( n = 65) had bio ersity safeguards. Of the existing safeguards, 86% (56 of 65) were harmonized with International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standard 6 (PS6). The IFC PS6 (and by extension the 56 safeguard policies harmonized with it) had high alignment with international best practice in bio ersity impact mitigation, whereas the remaining 8 exhibited partial alignment, incorporating few principles that clarify the conditions for effective bio ersity offsetting. Given their dual role in setting benchmarks and leveraging private finance, infrastructure financiers in development finance need to adopt best‐practice bio ersity safeguards if the tide of global bio ersity loss is to be stemmed. The IFC PS6, if strengthened, can act as a useful template for other financier safeguards. The high degree of harmonization among safeguards is promising, pointing to a potential for diffusion of practices.

Integrating landscape ecology and conservation physiology

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 08-11-2012

DOI: 10.1007/S10980-011-9671-6

Landscape Fragmentation and Ecosystem Services: A Reply to Andrieu et al.

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 11-2015

DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2015.09.002

How to fuel an energy transition with ecologically responsible mining

Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Date: 25-08-2023

DOI: 10.1073/PNAS.2307006120

Foraging guild perturbations and ecological homogenization driven by a despotic native bird species

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 17-03-2014

DOI: 10.1111/IBI.12136

Matrix Intensification Alters Avian Functional Group Composition in Adjacent Rainforest Fragments

Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)

Date: 13-09-2013

DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0074852

Reach and messages of the world's largest ivory burn

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 16-08-2019

DOI: 10.1111/COBI.13097

Abstract: Recent increases in ivory poaching have depressed African elephant populations. Successful enforcement has led to ivory stockpiling. Stockpile destruction is becoming increasingly popular, and most destruction has occurred in the last 5 years. Ivory destruction is intended to send a strong message against ivory consumption, both in promoting a taboo on ivory use and catalyzing policy change. However, there has been no effort to establish the distribution and extent of media reporting on ivory destruction events globally. We analyzed media coverage of the largest ivory destruction event in history (Kenya, 30 April 2016) across 11 nation states connected to ivory trade. We used an online-media crawling tool to search online media outlets and subjected 5 of the largest print newspapers (by circulation) in 5 nations of interest to content analysis. Most online news on the ivory burn came from the United States (81% of 1944 articles), whereas most of the print news articles came from Kenya (61% of 157 articles). Eighty-six to 97% of all online articles reported the burn as a positive conservation action, whereas 4-50% discussed ivory burning as having a negative impact on elephant conservation. Most articles discussed law enforcement and trade bans as effective for elephant conservation. There was more relative search interest globally in the 2016 Kenyan ivory burn than any other burn in 5 years. Ours is the first attempt to track the reach of media coverage relative to an ivory burn and provides a case study in tracking the effects of a conservation-marketing event.

The many meanings of no net loss in environmental policy

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 08-01-2018

DOI: 10.1038/S41893-017-0007-7

Emerging evidence that armed conflict and coca cultivation influence deforestation patterns

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 11-2019

DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOCON.2019.07.021

FORUM: Perverse incentives risk undermining biodiversity offset policies

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 20-02-2015

DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12398

Systematic definition of threatened fauna communities is critical to their conservation

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 27-12-2018

DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12875

A quantitative framework for evaluating the impact of biodiversity offset policies

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 08-2018

DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOCON.2018.05.005

The relative importance of habitat quality and landscape context for reptiles in regenerating landscapes

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 2016

DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOCON.2015.11.004

Taming a Wicked Problem: Resolving Controversies in Biodiversity Offsetting

Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

Date: 13-04-2016

DOI: 10.1093/BIOSCI/BIW038

Conservation implications of ecological responses to extreme weather and climate events

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 11-12-2018

DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12878

Defending the scientific integrity of conservation‐policy processes

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 25-07-2017

DOI: 10.1111/COBI.12958

Abstract: Government agencies faced with politically controversial decisions often discount or ignore scientific information, whether from agency staff or nongovernmental scientists. Recent developments in scientific integrity (the ability to perform, use, communicate, and publish science free from censorship or political interference) in Canada, Australia, and the United States demonstrate a similar trajectory. A perceived increase in scientific-integrity abuses provokes concerted pressure by the scientific community, leading to efforts to improve scientific-integrity protections under a new administration. However, protections are often inconsistently applied and are at risk of reversal under administrations publicly hostile to evidence-based policy. We compared recent challenges to scientific integrity to determine what aspects of scientific input into conservation policy are most at risk of political distortion and what can be done to strengthen safeguards against such abuses. To ensure the integrity of outbound communications from government scientists to the public, we suggest governments strengthen scientific integrity policies, include scientists' right to speak freely in collective-bargaining agreements, guarantee public access to scientific information, and strengthen agency culture supporting scientific integrity. To ensure the transparency and integrity with which information from nongovernmental scientists (e.g., submitted comments or formal policy reviews) informs the policy process, we suggest governments broaden the scope of independent reviews, ensure greater ersity of expert input and transparency regarding conflicts of interest, require a substantive response to input from agencies, and engage proactively with scientific societies. For their part, scientists and scientific societies have a responsibility to engage with the public to affirm that science is a crucial resource for developing evidence-based policy and regulations in the public interest.

Remote and local threats are associated with population change in Taiwanese migratory waterbirds

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 04-2023

DOI: 10.1016/J.GECCO.2023.E02402

Communication: Science censorship is a global issue

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 09-02-2017

DOI: 10.1038/542165B

Correlations and variance among species traits explain contrasting impacts of fragmentation and habitat loss on functional diversity

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 10-09-2020

DOI: 10.1007/S10980-020-01098-2

Despotic, high‐impact species and the subcontinental scale control of avian assemblage structure

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 03-2012

DOI: 10.1890/10-2340.1

Abstract: Some species have disproportionate influence on assemblage structure, given their numbers or biomass. Most ex les of such "strong interactors" come from small-scale experiments or from observations of the effects of invasive species. There is evidence that entire avian assemblages in open woodlands can be influenced strongly by in idual species over very large areas in eastern Australia, with small-bodied species ( 2000 km). A series of linked Bayesian models was used to identify large-bodied (> or = 50 g) bird species that were associated with changes in occurrence and abundance of small-bodied species. One native species, the Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala family Meliphagidae), was objectively identified as the sole large-bodied species having similar detrimental effects in all districts, depressing occurrence of 57 of 71 small-bodied species. Adverse effects on abundances of small-bodied species were profound when the Noisy Miner occurred with mean site abundances > or = 1.6 birds/2 ha. The Noisy Miner may be the first species to have been shown to influence whole-of-avifauna assemblage structure through despotic aggressiveness over subcontinental scales. These substantial shifts in occurrence rates and abundances of small-bodied species flow on to alter species abundance distributions of entire assemblages over much of eastern Australia.

Restoring Africa's Lions: Start With Good Counts

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Date: 29-05-2020

DOI: 10.3389/FEVO.2020.00138

Fanning the flames of Australian wildfires

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 30-03-2016

DOI: 10.1038/531580B

Ecological consequences of land clearing and policy reform in Queensland

Publisher: CSIRO Publishing

Date: 2017

DOI: 10.1071/PC17001

Abstract: Land clearing threatens bio ersity, impairs the functioning of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, and is a key contributor to human-induced climate change. The rates of land clearing in the State of Queensland, Australia, are at globally significant levels, and have been the subject of intense and polarised political debate. In 2016, a legislative bill that aimed to restore stronger controls over land clearing failed to pass in the Queensland Parliament, despite the clear scientific basis for policy reform. Here, we provide a short history of the recent policy debate over land clearing in Queensland, in the context of its global and national ecological significance. Land clearing affects regional climates, leading to hotter, drier climates that will impact on the Queensland economy and local communities. Loss of habitat from land clearing is a key threatening process for many endangered animals and plants. Runoff from land clearing results in sediment and nutrient enrichment, which threatens the health of the Great Barrier Reef. Australia has made national and international commitments to conserve bio ersity and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, but current land clearing policies are not consistent with these commitments. Stronger regulation is needed to reduce vegetation loss, such as target-based regulation, which sets a cap on land clearing and could effectively halt vegetation loss over the long term. Lasting policy reform is required, and we recommend an effective policy mix that restricts clearing, provides economic opportunities for vegetation retention, and informs the Australian community about the value of native vegetation.

Reframing landscape fragmentation's effects on ecosystem services

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 04-2015

DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2015.01.011

Abstract: Landscape structure and fragmentation have important effects on ecosystem services, with a common assumption being that fragmentation reduces service provision. This is based on fragmentation's expected effects on ecosystem service supply, but ignores how fragmentation influences the flow of services to people. Here we develop a new conceptual framework that explicitly considers the links between landscape fragmentation, the supply of services, and the flow of services to people. We argue that fragmentation's effects on ecosystem service flow can be positive or negative, and use our framework to construct testable hypotheses about the effects of fragmentation on final ecosystem service provision. Empirical efforts to apply and test this framework are critical to improving landscape management for multiple ecosystem services.

Ivory crisis: Role of bioprinting technology Response

Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Date: 20-04-2018

DOI: 10.1126/SCIENCE.AAT1596

Towards effective management of an overabundant native bird: The noisy miner

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 27-12-2022

DOI: 10.1111/CSP2.12875

Abstract: Addressing threats to bio ersity from pest species is a global challenge. One such challenge is to mitigate the impact of an overabundant Australian songbird, the noisy miner Manorina melanocephala, on woodland birds. The overabundance of noisy miners is listed as a key threatening process under federal bio ersity legislation, but current understanding of where and how noisy miner populations can be managed to yield conservation benefits is unclear. We evaluated the effectiveness of noisy miner removal across 12 treatment areas totaling 3913 ha and nine control areas totaling 1487 ha important for the critically endangered regent honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia . Removal of noisy miners significantly reduced their densities in all but one of the treatment areas. In 10 of the 12 treatment areas, noisy miner densities remained below an impact threshold of 0.65–0.83 birds ha −1 for at least 3 to more than 12 months. The percentage of suitable noisy miner habitat in the surrounding landscape was not a strong predictor of noisy miner management success. Regent honeyeaters occupied six treatment areas, nesting successfully in four. The abundance of other songbirds increased post‐miner removal in seven areas, decreased in three, and was mixed in two. Data from the control areas showed some variation in songbird numbers was independent of noisy miner management. We conclude that noisy miners can be managed in areas of high conservation value for a minimum cost of AUD $10 ha −1 . Larger treatment areas may be more important than the broader landscape context in maintaining long‐term noisy miner suppression. Standardized, long‐term monitoring is crucial to identify not only the drivers of pest species recolonization but also locations where threats from pests on endangered species can be addressed effectively while minimizing animal welfare and financial costs.

Spending to save: What will it cost to halt Australia's extinction crisis?

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 11-2019

DOI: 10.1111/CONL.12682

Spurious thresholds in the relationship between species richness and vegetation cover

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 11-08-2012

DOI: 10.1111/J.1466-8238.2011.00706.X

Credible biodiversity offsetting needs public national registers to confirm no net loss

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 06-2022

DOI: 10.1016/J.ONEEAR.2022.05.011

Can offsets really compensate for habitat removal? The case of the endangered red-tailed black-cockatoo

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 04-2010

DOI: 10.1111/J.1365-2664.2010.01787.X

Ecosystem services at risk: integrating spatiotemporal dynamics of supply and demand to promote long-term provision

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 12-2020

DOI: 10.1016/J.ONEEAR.2020.11.003

Non-random patterns of vegetation clearing and potential biases in studies of habitat area effects

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 03-01-2017

DOI: 10.1007/S10980-016-0482-7

Avifaunal disarray due to a single despotic species

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 11-09-2013

DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12128

Global no net loss of natural ecosystems.

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 16-12-2020

DOI: 10.1038/S41559-019-1067-Z

Abstract: A global goal of no net loss of natural ecosystems or better has recently been proposed, but such a goal would require equitable translation to country-level contributions. Given the wide variation in ecosystem depletion, these could vary from net gain (for countries where restoration is needed), to managed net loss (in rare circumstances where natural ecosystems remain extensive and human development imperative is greatest). National contributions and international support for implementation also must consider non-area targets (for ex le, for threatened species) and socioeconomic factors such as the capacity to conserve and the imperative for human development.

Connecting governance interventions to ecosystem services provision: A social‐ecological network approach

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 06-12-2021

DOI: 10.1002/PAN3.10172

Assessing the effectiveness of regulation to protect threatened forests

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 12-2017

DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOCON.2017.09.020

Guidelines for selecting an appropriate currency in biodiversity offset transactions

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 11-2022

DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2022.116060

Abstract: When designing bio ersity offset transactions, selecting the appropriate currency for measuring losses and gains to bio ersity is crucial. Poorly designed currencies reduce the likelihood that the proposed offset will sufficiently compensate for the development impact on the affected biota. We present a framework for identifying appropriate offset currencies for terrestrial bio ersity features, either vegetation communities or particular species. The guidelines were developed based on a review of issues and solutions presented in the existing literature, including government policies and guidance. We assert that while benchmark-based condition scores provide a suitable offset transaction currency for vegetation communities, this approach is also commonly applied to in idual species based on the often-unproven assumption that vegetation quality is a proxy for the value of a site to that species. We argue that species are better served by species-specific currencies based on either species abundance, or the suitability and amount of the habitat available. For species where it is practical and meaningful to measure the abundance on site, an abundance-based currency using either directly observable or proxy indicators is the most representative measure of the net impact on the species. In other instances, such as when species are difficult to locate, or not reliably present on site, a currency based on the quality and amount of habitat is preferable. The habitat-quality component should be measured relative to its value for the species, with the most important attributes weighted accordingly. Ensuring the currency used in bio ersity offset transactions is practical to measure, and relevant to the species or vegetation community is an important step in minimising the net bio ersity losses from unavoidable impacts.

Effectiveness of conservation interventions for Australian woodland birds: A systematic review

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 06-2023

DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOCON.2023.110030

Nest‐associated vocal behaviours of the south‐eastern red‐tailed black cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus banksii graptogyne, and the Kangaroo Island glossy black cockatoo, C. lathami halmaturinus

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 14-06-2020

DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12921