Case Study Sanchez, Corina A.; Brussee, Brianne E.; Coates, Peter S. ...
Human-wildlife interactions,
12/2021, Letnik:
15, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Expansion of human enterprise across western North America has resulted in an increase in availability of anthropogenic resource subsidies for generalist species. This has led to increases in ...generalists’ population numbers across landscapes that were previously less suitable for their current demographic rates. Of particular concern are growing populations of common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens), because predation by ravens is linked to population declines of sensitive species. Ecosystem managers seek management options for mitigating the adverse effects of raven predation where unsustainable predator–prey conflicts exist. We present 3 case studies examining how manipulating reproductive success of ravens influences demographic rates of 2 sensitive prey species. Two case studies examine impacts of removing raven nests or oiling raven eggs on nest survival of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) within Wyoming and the Great Basin of California and Nevada, USA, respectively. The third case study uses Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii; tortoise) decoys to examine effects of oiling raven eggs on depredation rates of juvenile tortoises in the Mojave Desert in California. Initial trial years from all 3 case studies were consistent in finding improved vital rates associated with the application of strategies for reducing reproductive success of ravens. Specifically, removal of raven nests resulted in increased nest survival of sage-grouse within treatment areas where predation by ravens was the primary cause of nest failure. In addition, nest survival of sage-grouse and survival of juvenile tortoise decoys was higher following a treatment of oiling the eggs of ravens in their nests at 2 sites within the Great Basin and 4 tortoise conservation areas in the Mojave Desert in California. Along with specialized technologies that can make techniques such as egg-oiling more feasible, these findings support these management practices as important tools for managing ravens, especially in areas where breeding ravens have negative impacts on sensitive prey species.
Case Study Strong, Cheryl; Neuman, Kriss K.; Hutchinson, Jenny L. ...
Human-wildlife interactions,
12/2021, Letnik:
15, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The U.S. Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus; plover) has declined due to loss and degradation of coastal habitats, predation, and anthropogenic ...disturbance. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the subspecies in 1993 as threatened under the Endangered Species Act due to the population declines and habitat loss. Predation of nests and chicks has been identified as an important cause of historic population declines, and thus, most predator management actions for this subspecies are focused on reducing this pressure. In recent years, common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens) have become the most common and pervasive predators of plover nests and chicks, especially in areas with subsidized food sources for ravens and sites without predator management. We compiled data from a variety of sources to document the impact of raven predation on plover nesting success. We discuss current raven management and suggest several tools and strategies to increase plover nesting success, including multi-state approval for the use of the avicide DRC-1339, the use of lures and new trap types, and an increase in funding for predator management. The lack of coordinated and integrated management continues to impede the recovery of the Pacific coast plover population.
Landscape components are essential in the design and fruition of any urban green space (UGS). This is particularly relevant considering the growth rate of the urban population worldwide, the increase ...in the number and intensity of severe weather episodes due to climate change, and the relevance of UGSs for global human well-being, as highlighted by the United Nations in their Sustainable Development Goals. This study examines users’ perceptions of UGSs regarding the importance of landscape components, which can influence users’ preferences for UGS use. The research was conducted in a major urban park subdivided into 10 landscape units in Oporto, Portugal. The paper uses information gathered through face-to-face surveys from stationary park users (n = 500) engaged in diverse activities, through which 13 landscape elements were assessed for their relevance in determining choice of location. The results show significant differences between the assessed landscape units at the user level for all socio-demographic variables, with the exception of the gender variable. Significant differences between landscape units were also identified in terms of the relevance attributed to the different landscape components. Exploratory factor analysis identified five main factors influencing user preferences: comfort and security (including vegetation density, tranquillity of space, availability of shade, good maintenance, and forest coverage), landscape diversity (diversity of open spaces, diversity of flora and fauna, and presence of shrubs), water presence, recreational facilities, and open spaces for activities. The results also highlight an issue related to distributional justice regarding the assessed study area. Our results have relevant implications for the design and management of UGSs. We propose diverse actions, addressing issues related to the balance between open spaces and rich greenery, multifunctional design, shade coverage, maintenance, forest coverage, vegetation diversity, the incorporation of water features, and the provision of recreational facilities.
Managing invasive alien species is particularly challenging in the ocean mainly because marine ecosystems are highly connected across broad spatial scales. Eradication of marine invasive species has ...only been achieved when species were detected early, and management responded rapidly. Generalized approaches, transferable across marine regions, for prioritizing actions to control invasive populations are currently lacking. Here, expert knowledge was elicited to prioritize 11 management actions for controlling 12 model species, distinguished by differences in dispersion capacity, distribution in the area to be managed, and taxonomic identity. Each action was assessed using five criteria (effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, impacts on native communities, and cost), which were combined in an ‘applicability’ metric. Raising public awareness and encouraging the commercial use of invasive species were highly prioritized, whereas biological control actions were considered the least applicable. Our findings can guide rapid decision-making on prioritizing management options for the control of invasive species especially at early stages of invasion, when reducing managers' response time is critical.
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•None of the actions was considered ideal for the management of invasive species.•Public awareness and commercial use of invasive species were highly prioritized.•Biological control actions were considered the least applicable.•“Doing nothing” ranked high but should be considered with great caution.
This article discusses microlevel actions undertaken by owner-managers, and how such actions affect stakeholders in enhancing the sustainability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the knowledge ...on which is lacking in the extant literature. The paper, by adopting an inductive analytical approach, draws key insights from the literature on microfoundations and sustainability and evidence from representatives of 5 Cultural and Creative Industry SMEs in Italy and of 5 in the United Kingdom. The findings suggest that owner-managers play a crucial role when engaging in sustainability activities jointly with employees and other stakeholders, through which individual-level actions enhance collective organizational-level sustainability practices. The U.K. and Italian cases highlight 2 contrasting approaches to dealing with sustainability; thus, the paper contributes to the emerging literature on SME microfoundations and sustainability.
Making decisions for managing ecosystem services Martinez-Harms, Maria Jose; Bryan, Brett A.; Balvanera, Patricia ...
Biological conservation,
April 2015, 2015-04-00, Letnik:
184
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
•It is unknown how ecosystem service assessments could inform environmental decisions.•We review the components of a decision making process that have been included to date.•We find that stakeholders ...need to be more engaged in setting objectives and actions.•User-related measures of service delivery are required.
Numerous assessments have quantified, mapped, and valued the services provided by ecosystems that are important for human wellbeing. However, much of the literature does not clarify how the information gathered in such assessments could be used to inform decisions that will impact ecosystem services. We propose that the process of making management decisions for ecosystem services comprises five core steps: identification of the problem and its social–ecological context; specification of objectives and associated performance measures; defining alternative management actions and evaluating the consequences of these actions; assessment of trade-offs and prioritization of alternative management actions; and making management decisions. We synthesize the degree to which the peer-reviewed ecosystem services literature has captured these steps. For the ecosystem service paradigm to gain traction in science and policy arenas, future ecosystem service assessments should have clearly articulated objectives, seek to evaluate the consequences of alternative management actions, and facilitate closer engagement between scientists and stakeholders.
The conservation of biodiversity from the genetic to the community levels is fundamental for the continual provision of ecosystem services (ES), the benefits that ecosystems provide to people. ...Genetic and genomic diversity enhance the resilience of populations and communities that underpin the provision of ecosystem functions and services. We show that genomics applications are mostly limited to flagship species and that their benefits for biodiversity conservation and ES management are underachieved. We propose a framework on how genomics applications can guide management for biodiversity conservation and sustainable ES to bridge this genomics-ES management ‘application gap’. We review how genomic knowledge in single species (relatedness, potentially adaptive variants) or in interacting species (host-microorganism coevolution, hybridization) can guide effective management actions. These include population supplementation, assisted migration or hybridization to promote climate-adapted variants or adaptive potential, control of invasives, delimitation of conservation or management areas, provenancing strategies for restoration, managing microbial function and solving conservation and ES trade-offs. Genomics-informed management actions for improved conservation and ES outcomes are supported through synergies between scientists and ES managers at local, regional and international levels, through the development of standardized genomic workflows, training to ES managers and incorporation of local information. Such actions facilitate the implementation of biodiversity conservation and ES policies such as the UN 2030 sustainable development goals and the EU Biodiversity strategy for 2030, and support the inclusion of ambitious biodiversity conservation goals in the development of new policies such as the CBD post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework or conservation policies on hybrids.
•Genomic knowledge can benefit biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES) management.•Genomics benefits are underachieved: there is an application gap in ES management.•We propose a framework for genomics-informed biodiversity and ES management actions.•Actions tackle conservation, adaptation, productivity, invasives, restoration.•Policy developments and scientists-managers synergies are needed to bridge the gap.
Three anadromous lamprey species support important commercial fisheries in the northern hemisphere, sea lamprey in the Iberian Peninsula and France, European river lamprey in the Baltic Sea countries ...and Russia, and Arctic lamprey in Russia. Pacific lamprey, Caspian lamprey, Korean lamprey and pouched lamprey are harvested for subsistence and local commerce on the Pacific coast of North America, and in Russia, China and Oceania, respectively. Habitat loss caused by human activities in rivers have reduced lamprey populations and collapsed most commercial fisheries worldwide. Overfishing is a concern because traditional fishing gears (e.g., pots, fyke nets) target lampreys during their upstream migration, usually in physical bottlenecks, which can result in exceedingly high fishing mortality. The reduction in catches has inflated lamprey prices and encouraged illegal fishing in certain countries (e.g., Portugal, Russia). The success of management actions for lamprey fisheries could be at risk due to knowledge gaps that still exist regarding stock structure, estimates of stage-specific mortality, distribution at sea, preferred hosts, and climate change impacts to the distribution and availability of adequate hosts. There is an urgent need for good-quality data from reported commercial landings and also from monitoring studies regarding the efficacy of mitigation and restoration efforts (e.g., habitat restoration, fishing regulations, artificial rearing and stocking). Involving the general public and stakeholders in the management and conservation of lampreys through outreach actions is crucial to promote the protection of the ecological and cultural values of lampreys and the understanding of their vulnerability.
Small-scale and subsistence fisheries play an important role in the livelihoods and food security of several local communities worldwide. However, the status and dynamics of many fishing practices ...are unknown, particularly regarding destructive fishing practices such as blast fishing. The main goals of this research were to provide an analysis of trends of the blast fishing in the Brazilian central coast, specifically in the Todos os Santos Bay (TSB), as well as to offer alternative sources of information that could be used to eradicate this harmful and illegal activity. Several sources of data were explored, including time-series analysis of complaints and surveillance reports from environmental and police agencies, web-based available data, and fisher interviews, which were used together to understand the status of blast fishing. Our data indicated sharp explosions occurring near urban centers and productive fishing villages chiefly targeting valuable pelagic schooling fish, such as mullets and pilchards. A significant number of species have been identified as by-catch resulting from blasts, indicating harmful effects on aquatic biota, which remains underemphasized since the onset of blasting (i.e., since the 1930s). The results of the spatial model (kernel density estimates) demonstrated that the sum of all current destructive blasting fishing occupies an extensive area in the TSB (approximately 32% of territory) and can be sufficient to continue causing loss of diversity and fishery resources coupled with other more recent damages (i.e., habitat loss, coastal development, overfishing, industrial and urban pollution). This study can be used to improve blast fishing maps frequently, and its diagnostic nature is likely to assist policy and surveillance makers in designing better interventions for the eradication this destructive practice.
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