Rio de Janeiro Earth SummitSignatories pledged to establish a system of protected areas

Reserves should be ComprehensiveRepresentativeAdequateFlexible and Efficient

consider IrreplaceabilityShapeConnectivityRisk spreading

The Goal:A reserve system that includes and sustains all biodiversity and ecosystem processes of the region

RESERVE DESIGN

HOW?

STAGES IN SYSTEMATIC CONSERVATION PLANNING

1. Compile data on biodiversity2. Identify conservation goals

3. Review existing conservation areas4. Select additional areas

5. Implement conservation actions6. Maintain the required values of selected areas

HOW

CHOOSING A SURROGATE FOR BIODiVERISTY

Margules and Pressey 2000

Designing a reserve system

MINIMAL SET- minimize the resources expended while meeting all conservation objectives---> efficient baseline reserve system for minimal cost

MAXIMAL COVERAGE - maximise the level of representation for each feature given a fixed amount of resources---> system with best bang for the buck

Designing a reserve system

Mathematical algorithms are used to solve the minimal set or maximal coverage problem

-iterative process that selects best site at any given step given a set of explicit rules

Greedy algorithmSelect site that adds most unprotected sppRarity algorithmSelect sites that represent rare species firstSelect site that adds most unprotected spp

Designing a reserve system

Common Approach with Large Datasets Simulated annealing

Start with random reserve systemAdd/remove one siteEvaluate change to system +ve/-veInitially accept good and bad changesGradually reduce chance accepting a bad changeEventually only accept good changes

---> reliable and flexible decision making

What features can be used as surrogates for overall biodiversity?

Flagship Species charismatic speciesUmbrella Species

Species requiring massive areasBiodiversity Indicators -

Sets of spp that indicate areas of high species richness

Land types -land systems or vegetation classes

Flagship and Umbrella Species

Evaluating Flagship and Umbrella Species

Columbia Plateau - 1241 sites 211 species

9 charismatic species

Evaluating Flagship and Umbrella Species

Columbia Plateau - 1241 sites 211 species

9 charismatic spp --> protect all sites where found

% spp protected 50%

% sites required 40%

10 random spp

% spp protected 40%

% sites required 12%

Umbrellas and flagships are expensive

Evaluating Flagship and Umbrella Species

Columbia plateau - 1241 sites 211 species

Number of times each charismatic spp represented

Per

cent

age Spp protected

Sites required

Umbrellas and flagships are not representative

Andelman and Fagan 2000 PNAS 97: 5954-5959

Biodiversity indicators

Evaluating biodiversity indicators

Prendergast et al. 1993 Nature 365: 335-7

Are hotspots for one taxa hotspots for all taxa?

Do hotspots help protect rare species?

DATA - UK

- birds butterflies dragonflies

- liverworts and aquatic plants

Evaluating biodiversity indicators

Prendergast et al. 1993 Nature 365: 335-7

Are hotspots for one taxa hotspots for all taxa?

NO

Evaluating biodiversity indicators

Do hotspots help protect rare species?

Rare butterflies

10x10 km squares

NO - 25% or more of rare species are not found in hotspots

Evaluating biodiversity indicators

Uganda - 15,000 km2 of forest reserve - 3,000 km2 slated to be strict reserve

Evaluating biodiversity indicators

Uganda - 15,000 km2 of forest reserve - 3,000 km2 slated to be strict reserve

Data - 5 yr inventory of 50 forests- woody plants, large moths, butterflies birds and small mammals- 2452 spp

Does spp richness of one taxa predict others?Q. How would you test this?

Evaluating biodiversity indicators

Correlations

Correlations after controlling for forest size and sampling effort

Spp richness of one taxa does not predict overall biodiversity very well

Howard et al 1998 Nature 394: 472-5

Evaluating biodiversity indicators

But reserves selected based on birds or butterflies are as good as reserves based on all taxa

Evaluating biodiversity indicators

Van Jaarsveld et al. 1998 Science 279: 2106

South Africa - Transvaal

Data - 25x25km grid squares (n=474) - mammals, birds, butterflies- vascular plants- termites, ant-lions, beetles

Selected minimum set to represent all spp of each taxa Measured overlap in minimum sets selected (number sq’s shared/number additional sq’s)

Evaluating biodiversity indicators

Van Jaarsveld et al. 1998 Science 279: 2106

Comparison of species sets

Mean overlap 10%Min overlap 0 % - mammals/birds + termitesMax overlap 21%- butterflies + beetles

Different conservation areas are required to conserve different taxa

Additional limitations of species data

Spatial biases in databasesrecords typically reflect accessfalse negatives

Taxonomic bias in information qualityundescribed spplimited resourceslimited taxonomic training

Evaluating use of landtypes in reserve design

Venetia-Limpopo Nature Reserve, SA350 km2

Evaluating use of landtypes in reserve design

Venetia-Limpopo Nature Reserve, SA350 km2

9 Land Facets - based on geology, soil profile and topography

Reserve selection1 km2 grid sq % representation of each landtypeadjacency constraint

Wessels et al 1999 Biol Cons 89: 21-38

Evaluating use of landtypes in reserve design

How representative are the “selected” reserves?

Tested by assessing diversity of BirdsDung beetles

Assemblages vary with landtypeLandtype reserves represent bird/beetle diversity

Evaluating use of landtypes in reserve design

Cape Floristic Region, SA122,000 km2 - > 6000 endemic plant speciesUNESCO World heritage site

Evaluating use of landtypes in reserve design

Cape Floristic Region, SA122,000 km2

102 broad habitat units (untransformed land)vegetationclimate geologytopography

Reserve selection -current reserve selected+ minimum set to achieve conservation

target (%) by BHU

Evaluating use of landtypes in reserve design

Cape Floristic Region, SAHow representative are the reserves?

Proteas - well sampled Vertebrates - fish, amphibians, reptiles

BHU minimum set represented79% of unreserved proteas35% of unreserved vertebrates

BHUs are a good surrogate for SOME Species

Summary Surrogates for overall biodiversity?

Flagships NOBiodiversity Indicators NOLandtypes NO

So what features should be used?

Combine inexpensive land type infoWith other surrogates

NEXT

Two contrasting case studies

ISSUES TO CONSIDER

Surrogates for:

Ecological processesPromoting the persistence of biodiversity