habitat and species management Flashcards
1
Q
habitat management
A
- nature reserves
- may contain ‘pristine’ natural habitat
- may contain habitat produced by interaction between culture and landscape e.g. low intensity agriculture, requirement of human activity to continue to maintain habitat
2
Q
habitat management in Europe
A
- little natural habitat remains
- most terrestrial nature reserves aim to conserve historical landscapes produced by pre-mechanised agriculture
3
Q
compositionalist approach to conservation
A
- more traditional approach
- focuses on identities of species present
- identify species of conservation importance that are present e.g. lapwings, curlews
- aims to restore site to favourable environmental conditions for those species, often resembling past environment
- allows targets and indicators to be specified, success measured by success of particular species e.g. number of wading bird species
4
Q
conserving relic habitat patches
A
- patches of habitat that still remain from pre-industrial land management
- low-intensity farming
- extensive and seasonal cropping
- extensive grazing, requires old breed cattle that can graze year round, also often in need of conserving
- organic fertilisers
- hedge laying
- reed cutting
- clearing ditches and dykes
- labour intensive, often performed by volunteer teams
- can sometimes be mimicked mechanically
5
Q
cultural landscapes, heathland
A
- transitional/disturbed community between grassland and woodland
- human activity halts succession by intensively grazing uplands, creating large areas of heath
- heathland animals and plants e.g. smooth snake, Dartford warbler (naturally occur in forest clearings, cliffs, etc)
- will develop into woodland if not managed
- can maintain heath by employing cow herds (often too selective, need to move herd around, labour intensive)
- can also use controlled burning and heath bashing (labour intensive, relies on volunteers)
6
Q
restoring agricultural land
A
- now abandoned marginal land used for agriculture post WW2, not efficient, chemical fertilisers and pesticides used, degrading the land
- compacted soil from machinery, livestock, elimination of earthworms
- high nutrient levels from heavy chemical fertiliser use
- altered hydrology, land often drained
- leaves land vulnerable to invasion by undesirable species
- process of land restoration very difficult and lengthy
7
Q
functionalist approach to management
A
- aims to restore ecosystem functions like water and nutrient cycling
- outcome not necessarily the same as historical ecosystem
- provides places wild species can live in a functioning ecosystem, either arrive naturally or are introduced
-can provide ecosystem services for humans, recharging of aquifers, pollination of crop plants, erosion and flood control
8
Q
limitations of reserves for species management
A
- reserve may be too small to contain viable population
- environmental conditions may change (climate change), reserve may no longer be suitable for certain species (makes compositionalist approach difficult)
- poachers may enter reserve
- animals may wander outside boundary reserve, outside area may be hostile
9
Q
landscape-scale conservation
A
- important in a functionalist conservation approach as ecosystem services operate at a landscape level
- creating wildlife rich areas by restoring ecosystem functions
- requires restoration of the wider landscape beyond the reserve area
- approaches include strategic land purchasing, influencing planning systems (partnerships with or restrictions on surrounding landowners), working with government to influence policy
10
Q
the wider environment
A
- nature reserves exist within a matrix of agricultural land
- can be connected by making matrix less hostile
- creating corridors and stepping stones between reserves
- approaches include campaigning for changes in agricultural practice, buying more land for conservation
11
Q
great fens project
A
- bought and restored farmland between two fen reserves
- created partnerships with local landowners
- reserve management could work at a landscape level
12
Q
landscape and climate change
A
- climate corridors connect habitat paths, enabling wildlife to track their ecological niche
- moving to a higher altitude or latitude in response to climate change
- enhancing permeability of wildlife by increasing habitat connectivity will help species adapt to climate change
e.g. restoring hedgerows, riparian vegetation (along water courses) etc - increasing uncertainty due to climate change, difficult to predict species resilience, behaviour, interactions
- favours functionalist approach, focuses on processes rather than outcomes
13
Q
captive breeding for reintroduction
A
- last resort when threats to wild populations cannot be reduce sufficiently
- translocation more effectively, animals brought up in captivity tend to be less successful but there may not be a healthy wild population to supplement from
- genetic issues include inbreeding, genetic drift, adaptation to captivity
- behavioural issues include loss of survival skills, loss of social skills (no successful reintroductions of captive-bred great apes)
14
Q
effective examples of captive breeding for reintroduction
A
- black footed ferret, hawaiian goose, california condor
- last remaining individuals taken into captivity and progeny released and reestablished in the wild
- also effective in supplementing wild populations e.g, water voles in the Uk
15
Q
off-site preservation
A
- last resort
- where threats within native range cannot be reduced successfully
- introduce species to an area where it is not native
- can have negative effects on ecosystems in new range
- e.g. Himalayan Tahr, vulnerable to extinction within native range, introduced successfully to New Zealand, negative impact on native vegetation, considered to be a pest
16
Q
strict enforcement
A
- undercover investigation of wildlife crimes
- patrols by armed wardens and wildlife rangers
- surveillance from watchtowers, common in protected areas in North America, Africa and India
- can be effective, may be necessary short term e.g. African black rhino
- costly, ineffective for wide-ranging species, alienates local communities
17
Q
market based approaches
A
- promote sustainable use of wildlife
- favoured strategy at an international level
- e.g. project seahorse, Philippines, promotes sustainable harvesting of seahorses for Chinese medicine
- local communities have an incentive to protect species if they have a long term benefit
- requires cohesive community (won’t compete for profits) willing to take risks on new venture, a flexible market and talented entrepreneurial people
18
Q
managing human wildlife conflicts
A
- increased conflict between humans and wildlife
- expansion of towns and villages into wild areas
- expansion of species ranges from conservation success e.g. large carnivores in Europe
- climate change e.g. polar bears
- situations must be managed or local communities will kill wildife
19
Q
approaches to managing human wildlife conflicts
A
- barriers
- deterrents
- compensation schemes
- education
- reserves/ corridors
- changing agricultural practice
20
Q
elephants in India
A
- range over large areas
- very large appetites, can destroy large areas of crops
- powerful, can easily kill people
- intelligent, find ways to overcome obstacles
- compensation involves time consuming bureaucracy, disliked by farmers
- early warning systems allow farmers to mobilise against elephants and employ deterrents
21
Q
species action plans
A
- produced through consultation with stakeholders
- identify threats and remedial actions
- enable conservation efforts to be coordinated
- enable resources to be allocated effectively
- UK Biodiversity action plan include species action plans, habitat action plans, local biodiversity action plans
