Conserving landscape dynamics, not just landscapes

BioScience, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Март 24, 2025

Abstract Protected areas form the backbone of modern conservation. However, current policies and practices in protected reinforce a static view nature. This is further enabled by cultural resistance to change, including efforts mitigate or exclude keystone ecosystem processes (e.g., characteristic wildfire) that create maintain desired conditions. protectionist model conservation undervalues human role generating landscape dynamics will be ineffective over long term increasingly short term. Under climatic resisting natural backfire heighten vulnerability transformation through large-scale disturbance megafires megadroughts). Within areas, there an urgent need rethink what we are protecting: conditions generate those Cast different light, could cornerstones for new era conserving across broader geographies.

Язык: Английский

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Transdisciplinary pathways for wildlife conservation: A method for navigating socio‐ecological systems on private lands

People and Nature, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Фев. 10, 2025

Abstract The decline of wildlife on private land is accelerating around the world. Resulting efforts to conserve lands are characterised by a complex socio‐ecological interplay between human practices and wildlife. Central these dynamics contradiction fixed property boundaries mobility wildlife, necessitating conservation strategies that transcend individual parcels. Relevant include uses such as agriculture, forestry housing, but also underlying economic, political cultural relationships involved in land. We focus here capitalist market societies. argue addressing social‐ecological complexity context ownership societies requires new that, more effectively than existing approaches, foster collaboration across at an ecologically relevant landscape scale. While transdisciplinary have had some application conservation, there opportunity extend mainstream approaches integrating social science insights into relations with innovations citizen community conservation. most initiatives yet take full advantage opportunities provided contract for landscape‐scale landholder collaboration. Drawing participatory projects pioneered Tasmania, Australia, we describe ‘transdisciplinary pathways’: methodology navigating complexities seemingly intractable problems, theoretical applied local ecological knowledge. This knowledge integration grounded relationship building researchers, professionals neighbourhood clusters landowners. resulting cohesive adaptive networks actors create pathways specific contexts while contributing broader scientific learning. Read free Plain Language Summary this article Journal blog.

Язык: Английский

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The effects of conservation easements on bird biodiversity in the Shenandoah and Piedmont regions of Virginia

Conservation Science and Practice, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Март 25, 2025

Abstract Conservation easements—voluntary legal agreements in which a landowner forfeits some development rights exchange for tax incentives—have become central part of efforts to limit the US. Given importance biodiversity conservation on private lands and rapid growth easements, they are often celebrated as win‐win scenario. However, there also increasing questions about ecological benefits easements. The kinds studies necessary better understand this issue challenging several reasons, is special need more field studies. We draw unique cooperative study bird conducted by Virginia Working Landscapes, program Smithsonian Institution. compared species abundance farmland protected easement not easement. estimated probability 0.90 that was weak positive effect easements at full community level but found no smaller subset grassland‐obligate birds. relationship varied highly across species, with individual showing or negative associations argue (a) these results support recent calls promote mandate specific practices eased properties; (b) limitations publicly available data present significant challenges assessing impacts easements; (c) given limitations, researchers should exercise caution when making generalized claims effects biodiversity.

Язык: Английский

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Evaluating ecological efficiency of voluntary conservation policy in boreal forest conservation

Conservation Science and Practice, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Апрель 12, 2025

Abstract There is a global call for more efficient voluntary conservation practices. Voluntary requires landowner participation, which may limit efficiency. Here, we evaluated the ecological costs and benefits of policy relative to obligatory conservation, two hypothetical scenarios randomly distributed area networks, ecologically optimized networks. The study was based on spatial prioritization maps reflecting priority forest in Central Finland. Our results suggest that networks can be relatively cost‐efficient with higher nature values better connectivity compared selected network. scored slightly than network but suffered from lower smaller size. Quality differences between were minor. analysis showed neither achieved its full potential when an Thus, our indicate societal pursuit landowner's acceptance, hence rejection systematic planning, has come cost reduced current

Язык: Английский

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Meeting European Union biodiversity targets under future land-use demands

Nature Ecology & Evolution, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Апрель 28, 2025

Язык: Английский

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Do private land conservation policies and programs adequately consider climate change?

Biological Conservation, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown, С. 111187 - 111187

Опубликована: Май 1, 2025

Язык: Английский

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The potential of collaborative solutions to improve management of California (United States) wildlands

Restoration Ecology, Год журнала: 2024, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Ноя. 13, 2024

Across the western United States and elsewhere, frequency intensity of wildland fires are projected to increase, posing a challenge natural‐resource management. While collaborative, multi‐benefit partnerships can provide opportunities overcome barriers effective management, in many cases these collaborations have been slow form. To investigate this issue, we surveyed professionals California identify management potential solutions form collaborations. Analyzing our data using social network analysis, results show that limited financial human capital were most salient sample, while lack public support less common concerns. Collaboration networks dominated by land‐management other agencies, as they frequently mentioned collaborators. Tribes, universities, private‐sector organizations, watershed‐service providers actors collaborators more often than collaborators, opposite was true for agencies. Universities, land managers, providers, organizations displayed strong desire establish new collaborations, agencies tribes do so. Overall, study highlights insufficient confronting California. It also shows with capacity capability help mitigate shortcomings, such private sector among those positive toward additional Our findings suggest initiatives expand regional collaborative could increase effectiveness

Язык: Английский

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Wildlife Conservation on Private Land: A Social-Ecological Systems Study

Environmental Management, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 73(5), С. 1049 - 1071

Опубликована: Март 23, 2024

As human activity accelerates the global crisis facing wildlife populations, private land conservation provides an example of management challenges in social-ecological systems. This study reports on research phase 'WildTracker' - a co-created citizen science project, involving 160 landholders across three Tasmanian regions. was transdisciplinary collaboration between environmental organisation, university researchers, and local landholders. Focusing mammal bird species, project integrated diverse data types technologies: social surveys, quantitative ecology, motion sensor cameras, acoustic recorders, advanced machine-learning analytics. An iterative analytical methodology encompassed Pearson point-biserial correlation for interrelationships, Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) clustering, Random Forest machine learning variable importance prediction. Taken together, these analyses revealed complex relationships populations suite ecological, socio-economic, variables. Both site-scale habitat characteristics landscape-scale vegetation patterns were useful predictors activity, but different mammals birds. Four focal species showed variation their response to ecological drivers. Unexpectedly, threatened such as eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus), favoured locations where substantially modified by activities. The actionable insights landowners, highlights 'messy,' ecologically heterogeneous, mixed agricultural landscapes conservation. identification thresholds fragmentation reinforced landscapes. Participatory models WildTracker can complement efforts address wicked problem Anthropocene.

Язык: Английский

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Systematic conservation planning for private working lands: Identifying agricultural protection areas for climate solutions, biodiversity habitat, and ecosystem services

Biological Conservation, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 297, С. 110735 - 110735

Опубликована: Авг. 2, 2024

Язык: Английский

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America the Beautiful: Meeting “30 × 30” Conservation Goals Through Connected Protected Areas

Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Год журнала: 2024, Номер unknown, С. 1 - 17

Опубликована: Окт. 24, 2024

Protected areas are a primary instrument for biodiversity conservation, and area-based targets have become hallmark of global efforts with the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biological Framework recommending at least 30 percent land water be protected by 2030. In parallel, United States has implemented "America Beautiful," call local, state, regionally led to conserve, connect, restore U.S. lands waters Achieving these goals is complicated, however, multiple policy scales which conservation decisions made governed limited guidance provided on how gains connected should evaluated. We assess connectedness find that less than 3 connected. Connectedness increases when area under investigation partitioned into smaller units (e.g., counties), product modifiable areal unit problem. Similarly, values increase an order magnitude assessed relative network rather considering all area. Both findings support need standardized reporting frameworks highlight challenges in coordinating across administrative units.

Язык: Английский

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