L3 In-Situ Conservation 2 Flashcards
Is the majority of the world’s land and sea area protected or unprotected?
Unprotect, more than 70% is unprotected
Why might endangered species spend part or all of their lives outside protected areas?
-May be attracted to resources outside protected areas
-May migrate between protected areas
What is a pro and a con of military training areas for conservation?
-Pro- much of the land is not intensively used and human access is heavily restricted
-Con- military practices can be environmentally damaging, polluting habitats and threatening wildlife
How much land does the US Department of Defense manage?
8.8 million ha
How many threatened and endangered species reside within the US military ranges?
450 threatened and endangered species
What does NR programme stand for?
Natural Resources programme.
How much money was invested in the NR programme in 2017?
$340 Million dollars
What research and conversation programmes have taken place on US military land?
-Installation of nest boxes for endangered birds
-Hawaii: management of 63 endangered plant species
-Modification of abandoned bunkers for nesting bats
-Monitoring of butterfly populations
-Habitat restoration projects
Describe the Irish Defence forces in the Curragh.
-One of few locations in Ireland with extensive species rich grasslands
-Managed by the Department of Defence partly for conservation purposes
What role can managed forests provide?
-Even logged forests can contain much of their original biota
-Forested lands manage by neighborhood councils in Spain known as juntas vecinales had the same or higher levels of plant diversity as those inside the adjacent national park Picos de Europa
Describe how unprotected waters affect species.
-Native species may remain in areas managed for commerical fish
-Aquatic species migrate across great distances, including non-protected areas
-eg. voluntary turtle sanctuaries such as this one based in France
What % of global land surface is agricultural?
38%
1/3 is cropland
2/3 grazing livestock
What have been the impacts of agriculture?
-Appeared 10,000 years ago
-Clearing of woodland and scrub for crops
-Livestock in new grassland habitats
-Changes in agricultural practice’s have been linked to declines in farmland biodiversity
By how much has European farmland birds declined between 1970s and 2010 (Birdwatch Ireland)?
40%
What are Payments for Ecosystem Services?
-Direct payments to individuals or communities
-Compensation for improving ecosystem services
-Landowners could be paid to allow large predators on their land
What are examples of ecosystem services?
-Flood mitigation
-Water purification
-Carbon sequestration
-Planting of native species to increase biodiversity
What does AES stand for?
Agri-environment schemes
When did AES become compulsory?
Compulsory since 1994.
How many farms were supported by agri-environment payments in the EU between 2007-2013?
3 million farms - 39 million hectares
27 EU member states
€34 billion in payments
What was the AES scheme in Ireland between 1994 - 2009?
Rural environmental protection scheme, (REPS, 1,2,3,4)
What was the AES scheme in Ireland between 2010-2015?
Agri-Environment options scheme (AEOS,1,2,3)
What AES programme ran in Ireland between 2014 - 2020?
Green Low Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS) part of the rural development programme
What % of Irish farms received REPS payments in 2008?
45% (Connolly, et al 2009)
What does REPS stand for?
Rural Environmental Protection Scheme
When did ACRES start?
November 2022
What years did the GLAS scheme run?
2014-2020
How much money could farmers earn from GLAS?
-€5,000
€7,000 possible with Priority Environmental Access
Describe GLAS
-Options based scheme (not whole farm), with no limit on the number of options being chosen
-Involves training and a Nutrient Management Plan
-Farmers undertaking Priority Actions get priority access
What are examples of actions that earn money through GLAS?
-Riparian margins 3m -10m
-Protection of watercourses from Bovines
-Traditional hay meadow
-Low input permanent pasture
-Low emission slurry spreading
-Wild bird cover (Priority action)
How much do farmers get paid for providing wild bird cover through GLAS?
€900 per hectare, must have minimum of 0.25ha and max 3 ha.
What are five species of protected farmland birds?
-Corncrake
-Hen Harrier
-Grey Partridge
-Chough
-Swans and geese
When do corncrakes arrive in Ireland?
Arrive from Africa in April to breed
When does the corncrake breeding season last?
April - September
When do corncrakes lay eggs and how many?
-Nests in long grass
-Two broods, in May and July
How many breeding pairs of corncrakes was there in 1993 in Ireland?
Less than 200 breeding pairs (Birdwatch Ireland/RSPB Corncrake Census)
Why was the corncrake declining in Ireland and Europe?
-Loss of nesting habitat
-Linked to intensification of agriculture
What managements programmes are in place for corncrakes?
-REPS 3 and 4 (DAFM)
-Corncrake grant scheme (NPWS and BirdWatch Ireland)
-Corncrake Option under GLAS
What are examples of Corncrake friendly farming practices?
-Delayed mowing until August and September to allow for fledging of two broods
-Corncrake friendly methods, mowing from centre of field to allow birds to escape to field margins
-Provision of alternative long grass habitats for corncrakes
Are corncrake numbers increasing?
-Numbers fluctuate annually
2013-2014 increase
2014-2017 decrease
How much funding has been allocated to corncrake in 2019?
Awarded 5.9 m under EU Life funding for a 4 year project
What are examples of RBPS schemes in Ireland?
-The Burren Programme (2010-2021)
-Pearl Mussel (2018-2023)
-Hen Harrier (2017-2022)
Blackstairs Farming Future (2018-2022)
Biodiversity Regeneration in a Dairy Environment (2018-2022)
What does RBPS stand for?
Results based payment schemes
What % of native Irish plant species are found in the Burren?
70% of Irelands native 900 species
How many of Ireland’s native orchid species are found in the Burren?
22 out of 27 native orchid species are found in the Burren.
Why is the Burren important biologically?
-Species rich grassland habitat
-Huge diversity of flowering plants
-Arctic /Alpine varieties are found alongside plants more common in Mediterranean regions as well as Burren specialities which are rare outside the region
Describe the traditional agricultural practices that take place in the Burren
-Small labour intensive farms
-Mix of dairying, sheep, pigs, fowl and tillage
-Winterage was the most important aspect
Describe winterage in the Burren
Grazing animals taken up to upland areas in October - April
-During the summer, grazing pressure was removed and plants had a chance to flower
How has farming practices changed in the Burren?
-Wetland reclamation
-Increased use of chemical fertiliser and slurry
-Increased stocking densities
-Increased mechanisation
-Switch to continental breeds instead of natives
-Housing of animals during winter
When did the Burren Life programme run?
2004 - 2009
When did the Burren Farming for Conservation Programme run?
2010 - 2015
€2.2 million
When did the Burren programme run?
2016 - 2021
What are the objectives of the Burren Programme?
-To ensure the sustainable agricultural management of high nature value farmland in the Burren
-To contribute to the positive management of the Burren’s landscape and cultural heritage
-To contribute to improvements in water quality and water usage efficiency in the Burren region
How are fields graded in the Burren programme?
-10 point scoring system per field
-Fields with a score of over 6 receive payment
-Higher score, higher payment
How much was the budget for the Burren programme?
2014 - 2020
€12.9 million
How many farmers were involved in the Burren programme?
350 farmers
25,000 ha
What have been the benefits of the Burren programme?
-Improved water quality
-Protection of limestone springs
-Protection of rare flora
-Over 163 km of animal paths reopened
-Provides livestock access to under-grazed grasslands which facilitates restoration of grasslands
-Field score system acts as a monitoring system
What is the summary of this lecture?
-Protected areas are insufficient
-Management outside protected areas
-Other effective area-based conservation measures (OECM’s)
-Ex-situ conservation
-Species re-introductions
-Education / awareness
