Reserve Networks

Question 1

What is the purpose of conservation reserves existing as a part of a network of protected areas?

Answer 1

The purpose of conservation reserves existing as a part of a network of protected areas is to improve the effectiveness of conservation efforts. It is often difficult to conserve a species adequately at a single site, and a network of reserves can provide a more robust and interconnected system of protection.

Question 2

Why is it often difficult or impossible to adequately conserve a species at a single site?

Answer 2

It is often difficult or impossible to adequately conserve a species at a single site because of factors such as habitat fragmentation, climate change, and other threats that can affect a single location.

Question 3

What is the global goal for increasing protected areas and what is the target date for achieving this goal?

Answer 3

The global goal is to increase protected areas to 17% of land and 10% of oceans by 2020, as outlined in the CBD Aichi Target 11.

Question 4

How can reserve networks be made more effective than they might otherwise be?

Answer 4

Conservation scientists are exploring ways to make reserve networks more effective by adhering to key principles, such as representativeness, resilience, and redundancy.

Question 5

What are the key principles that any system of reserves should ideally adhere to?

Answer 5

The key principles that any system of reserves should ideally adhere to are representativeness, resilience, and redundancy. These principles help ensure that a reserve system is capable of providing effective protection into the future.

Question 6

Why should a reserve system be representative of the region in which it occurs?

Answer 6

A reserve system should be representative of the region in which it occurs because it should attempt to protect some of everything in order to provide effective conservation.

Question 7

What does it mean for a reserve system to be resilient to change and why is this important?

Answer 7

Resilience in a reserve system means that it should be capable of providing effective protection into the future, despite changes in the environment or other factors that may affect the reserves.

Question 8

What is redundancy in the context of reserve systems and why is it important?

Answer 8

Redundancy in a reserve system means that each characteristic that warrants protecting should be present at multiple sites as a back-up in case something bad happens in a particular place. This is important because it provides a safety net for species and ecosystems in case of unforeseen events.

Question 9

What is faunal relaxation, and how does it affect the number of species in a reserve over time?

Answer 9

Faunal relaxation is a phenomenon where the number of species in a reserve declines over time. This occurs due to local extinctions, which are more common than recolonization. This leads to a net loss of species in the reserve.

Question 10

How common is faunal relaxation in reserves, and what factors contribute to this phenomenon?

Answer 10

Faunal relaxation is a common phenomenon in reserves. The number of extinctions varies among parks, and more extinctions occur in small parks than large. The oldest parks have the greatest number of extinctions. Factors contributing to faunal relaxation include habitat fragmentation, succession, and dynamic changes in habitat.

Question 11

How does the size of a reserve affect the number of extinctions that occur within it?

Answer 11

The size of a reserve affects the number of extinctions that occur within it. Larger reserves have fewer extinctions than smaller ones. Only the largest park had basically no extinctions, except for the loss of wolves due to hunting.

Question 12

Why were there no extinctions in the largest park, except for the loss of wolves, and how does this relate to the concept of faunal relaxation?

Answer 12

The largest park had no extinctions except for the loss of wolves. This relates to the concept of faunal relaxation because larger reserves can support a larger number of species and are more resilient to change.

Question 13

What factors make certain species more vulnerable to disappearing from a reserve during faunal relaxation, and why are these species at a greater risk than others?

Answer 13

Species that are vulnerable to disappearing from a reserve during faunal relaxation are typically uncommon, “k-selected”, and have low reproductive rates. Poor dispersers also become especially vulnerable.

Question 14

What role does habitat fragmentation and succession play in the process of faunal relaxation?

Answer 14

Habitat fragmentation and succession play a significant role in the process of faunal relaxation. Dynamic changes in habitat make it difficult for some species to adapt and survive.

Question 15

Can species eventually go extinct in reserves due to faunal relaxation, and how long would this process take?

Answer 15

Yes, species can go extinct in reserves due to faunal relaxation. However, this process could take hundreds of years or longer.

Question 16

What measures can be taken to mitigate the effects of faunal relaxation in reserves, and how effective are these measures?

Answer 16

Measures that can be taken to mitigate the effects of faunal relaxation include increasing reserve size, creating reserve networks, and enhancing connectivity between reserves. These measures can be effective, but they require careful planning and management.

Question 17

What are the advantages of having a big reserve, and how do they contribute to conservation efforts?

Answer 17

The advantages of having a big reserve include the ability to support larger population sizes, increased species diversity, greater variety of habitats, less edge habitat, and the ability to encompass entire ecosystems. These advantages contribute to conservation efforts by providing a larger and more diverse area for species to live, reducing the risk of extinction, and allowing ecological processes to proceed unhindered.

Question 18

What are some disadvantages of having a big reserve, and how do they affect conservation efforts?

Answer 18

Some disadvantages of having a big reserve include the vulnerability to catastrophes, such as disease, invasive species, and fires, reducing the total number of reserves, and the inability to protect all habitats/species within a region. These disadvantages affect conservation efforts by posing practical and ecological challenges to the management and protection of large reserves.

Question 19

What is the SLOSS debate, and what are the arguments for and against creating a single large reserve or several small reserves?

Answer 19

The SLOSS debate is centered on the question of whether it is better to create a single large reserve or several small reserves. Arguments for a single large reserve include the ability to support larger population sizes, increased species diversity, and the ability to encompass entire ecosystems. Arguments against a single large reserve include the vulnerability to catastrophes and the inability to protect all habitats/species within a region. Arguments for several small reserves include the ability to reduce the risk of catastrophes and the ability to protect a greater number of habitats/species within a region.

Question 20

How does reserve size impact the number of species that can be supported, and why is this important for conservation efforts?

Answer 20

Reserve size impacts the number of species that can be supported by providing a larger area for species to live, reducing the risk of extinction, and allowing ecological processes to proceed unhindered. This is important for conservation efforts because it allows for the protection and preservation of a greater number of species.

Question 21

How does reserve size impact habitat diversity, and why is this important for conservation efforts?

Answer 21

Reserve size impacts habitat diversity by increasing the variety of habitats included in the reserve, allowing for the protection and preservation of more ecosystems. This is important for conservation efforts because it allows for the protection and preservation of a greater variety of habitats and the species that live within them.

Question 22

What is the role of management in maintaining large reserves, and how does reserve size impact the need for management?

Answer 22

The role of management in maintaining large reserves is to accommodate the needs of all the conservation targets. Reserve size impacts the need for management because larger reserves may require less management than smaller reserves, which may become necessary to manage actively in order to accommodate the needs of all the conservation targets.

Question 23

How does fragmentation of a reserve impact species richness, and what are the implications of this for conservation efforts?

Answer 23

Fragmentation of a reserve impacts species richness by often resulting in the loss of important species. This has implications for conservation efforts because it poses practical and ecological challenges to the management and protection of fragmented reserves.

Question 24

What is Island Biogeography Theory, and how does it relate to the SLOSS debate?

Answer 24

Island Biogeography Theory is a theory that explains how the number of species found on an island is related to island size, distance from the mainland, and immigration and extinction rates. It relates to the SLOSS debate because it provides insights into the trade-offs between single large reserves and several small reserves and their impacts on species richness and extinction rates.

Question 25

What are some reasons why creating big reserves is often not an option?

Answer 25

creating big reserves is often not an option due to practical constraints such as limited available land or resources. Therefore, reserve design theory focuses on making the most of relatively small sites.

Question 26

What is the edge:core ratio in reserve design theory and why is it important to minimize it?

Answer 26

The edge:core ratio refers to the proportion of the reserve that is affected by edge effects, which can be detrimental to the species within the reserve. It is important to minimize this ratio by creating reserves with as low an edge:core ratio as possible.

Question 27

What is buffer habitat and how does it contribute to the effectiveness of a reserve?

Answer 27

Buffer habitat refers to the land surrounding a reserve that is not as well protected as the land within the reserve, but still has some level of protection. Creating reserves surrounded by buffer habitat can contribute to their effectiveness by providing additional protection to the species within the reserve.

Question 28

How can creating corridors between reserves help to increase the effective size of a reserve?

Answer 28

Creating corridors between reserves can help to increase the effective size of a reserve by facilitating movements of species between different reserves. Corridors can allow for gene flow between segments of a population, enable seasonal migration, and increase the potential home ranges of the largest, most mobile species.

Question 29

What are some potential disadvantages of corridors in reserve design?

Answer 29

Some potential disadvantages of corridors in reserve design include the spread of disease or invasive species throughout a population, increased vulnerability of dispersers to predators and other threats associated with edge habitat, and the creation of sink habitats by drawing individuals into suboptimal edge habitats.

Question 30

What are some of the specific reserve design rules proposed by Primack and why are they generally thought to be better?

Answer 30

Some specific reserve design rules proposed by Primack include protecting complete ecosystems, having larger and unfragmented reserves, having more and diverse reserves connected by corridors, using stepping stones to facilitate movement, having reserves with an approximately round shape, and managing reserves regionally and integrating human use. These rules are generally thought to be better because they contribute to the protection and conservation of species within the reserves.

Question 31

Why is it important to have reserves managed regionally and integrate human use?

Answer 31

Having reserves managed regionally and integrating human use is important because it can lead to better conservation outcomes. Regional management can facilitate cooperation and coordination between different reserves, while integrating human use can help to reduce conflicts between conservation goals and human needs, as well as promote support and involvement from local communities.