Lecture 8

Question 1

The SLOSS debate

Answer 1

1970s
‘Single large or several small’
Two different approaches to land conservation
Either one sizeable, contiguous land reserve or multiple smaller reserves of land whose total areas equal that of a large reserve

Question 2

Jared Diamond’s view on SLOSS debate

Answer 2

1975

One big area is better - based on island biography theory

Question 3

The UK State of Nature Report 2016

Answer 3

Abundance index for 213 priority species
Occupancy index for 111 priority species
Since 1979 abundance has fallen by 67% and occupancy by 35%

Question 4

Insect losses reported in Germany

Answer 4

Krefield Entomological Society
75% loss of insects between 1989 and 2013
2017

Question 5

How many nature reserves are there and how much area do they cover?

Answer 5

Over 100,000 sites

Covering about 12% of the area of countries and their territorial waters worldwide

Question 6

What percent of coral reefs occur within effective protected areas?

Answer 6

0.01%

Fuller et al. 2010

Question 7

What percentage of the world’s threatened bird species do not overlap at all with protected areas?

Answer 7

20%

Fuller et al. 2010

Question 8

What was the Lawton report?

Answer 8

• Establishing coherent and resilient ecological network
• Improving the ability of the natural environment to provide for people’s needs
• Call for more ecological networks and for then to become ‘bigger, better and more joined up’

Question 9

What does the Lawton Report encourage Wildlife Trusts to do?

Answer 9

Set up Local Living Landscapes e.g. The Great Fen - wetland

Question 10

What is land sharing?

Answer 10

Involves integrating biodiversity conservation and food production on the same land, using wildlife-friendly farming methods

Question 11

What is land sparing?

Answer 11

Separating land for conservation from land for crops, with high-yield farming facilitating the protection of remaining natural habitats from agricultural expansion

Question 12

Land sharing vs. land sparing

Answer 12

• Most species would have higher populations under land sparing than under land sharing or intermediate yield farming
• Result consistent across taxa and countries
• Australia and USA (land sparing) vs. UK and continental Europe (land sharing)

Question 13

Maximising returns on conservation: Australia

Answer 13

8% of Australia’s land in nature reserves
Too country for having properly designed protected area systems
Replaced the least cost-effective 1% of reserves with the most cost-effective
Cost neutral - cost of selling land used to buy new reserves