New vistas in monitoring and evaluating large-scale, ‘open-ended’ habitat creation projects

Monitoring and evaluating large-scale, ‘open-ended’ habitat creation projects: A journey rather than a destination
Francine M.R. Hughes, Peter A. Stroh,William M. Adams, Keith J. Kirby, J. Owen. Mountford, Stuart Warrington
Journal for Nature Conservation
Volume 19, Issue 4, September 2011, Pages 245-253

This paper opens up new vistas in monitoring and evaluating large-scale, ‘open-ended’ habitat creation projects and makes interesting reading.

Eco-restoration involves setting a target of species or habitat that has to be achieved by prescribed restoration activities or through natural processes. The researchers say where no reference systems exist for defining outcomes or where restoration is planned on a large spatial scale, a more ‘open-ended’ approach to defining outcomes may be much more germane.

This ‘open-ended’ approach suggested by the researchers needs changes to the definition of goals and the design of monitoring and evaluation programmes. The researchers suggest that in open-ended projects restoration goals should be framed in terms of promoting natural processes, mobile landscape mosaics and improved ecosystem services. They contend that this kind of monitoring can then focus on the biophysical processes that underpin the development of habitat mosaics and the provision of ecosystem services, on the way habitat mosaics change through time and on species that can indicate the changing landscape attributes of connectivity and scale.

Stakeholder response is paramount since an open-ended restoration approach is unusual and can encounter institutional and societal antagonism. The authors signs off saying “Evaluation should focus on reporting changing restoration impacts and benefits rather than on achieving a pre-defined concept of ecological success”.

Eavesdropping to learn to hunt

A team of researchers from the University of Maryland, US, have found that Big brown bats learn to hunt by eavesdropping on the sonar of other bats,

Many bat species are gregarious. Their capacity for learning from conspecifics has not been fully investigated. Here the researchers tested whether big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) can learn a novel foraging task by interacting with knowledgeable conspecifics.

Young bats that flew with "experienced" bats that had been trained to find the worm were very quick to find the treat alone.

In experimental trials, 11 naïve bats (7 juveniles, 4 adults) interacted with trained bats that were trained to capture tethered mealworms. In control trials, 11 naïve bats (7 juveniles, 4 adults) flew with untrained bats. Naïve bats were then assessed for their ability to capture tethered mealworms.  No bat in the control group learned the task. Against this a significant number of experimental bats, including juveniles with little or no experience foraging, showed evidence of learning. Eighty-two per cent of experimental bats and 27% of control bats directed feeding buzzes at the mealworm. Seven experimental bats (64%) showed evidence of learning by attacking and/or capturing the mealworm, while no bat in the control group attacked or captured the prey.

The team filmed the bats as they flew and then examined the bats' movements from successive frames of the footage. They found that whenever an experienced bat found the worm and let out a "feeding buzz” the naive bat flew very close to the demonstrator.

The researchers say their results amply demonstrate that social interaction with experienced bats, and listening to feeding buzzes in particular, may play an integral role in development of foraging skills in bats.

Journal Reference

Social learning of a novel foraging task by big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus

Genevieve Spanjer Wright, Gerald S. Wilkinson, and Cynthia F. Moss

Animal Behaviour

Presence and absence of some species can be easily assessed using freely available satellite imagery

The use of Google Earth(TM) satellite imagery to detect the nests of masked boobies Sula dactylatra

B. John Hughes & Graham R. Martin

Volumes / 2011 - Volume 17 / 2 /

In this paper the researchers show that freely available   satellite imageries like Google Earth can be put to use to establish Presence and absence of some species.

Masked boobies ( Sula dactylatra) like many species of Sulidae do not construct elaborate nests. But they do produce characteristic ‘nest signature’. The researchers found that this signature can be very easily seen in “Google Earth”. Nest signature found from satellite imagery was verified with field reports of occupied nests. Data from satellite imageries closely agreed with field coordinates. The researchers used the information to obtain data on previously unrecorded booby colony.

The researchers have established that if suitable signature in satellite imageries  can be found, presence and absence of some species can be established with freely available satellite imagery.

Mountain goats are constrained to give birth in a short birth season synchronised with forage productivity.

Birthdate, mass and survival in mountain goat kids: effects of maternal characteristics and forage quality

Steve D. Côté and Marco Fest-Bianchet

Oecologia

Volume 127, Number 2

The other day I was discussing with my friend Ramesh, the productivity of grasslands and its impact on birth of Nilgiri tahr. The paper referred to above came in handy during the discussion.

Even though the paper lays stress on temperate environment it proved useful in our discussion. In temperate environments, early-born ungulates may enjoy a longer growth period before winter. This gives them a chance to attain a higher body mass and an increased probability of survival compared to late-born ones.

The researchers assessed the effects of maternal characteristics, forage quality and population density on kid birth date, mass and survival in a population of marked mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) in Alberta.

The duration and timing of the birth season were similar in all years. Births were much synchronised: 80% of kids were born within 2 weeks of the first birth. Maternal age, maternal social rank and density did not affect kid birth date or mass. Kids born to pluriparous mothers were heavier during summer than kids born to primiparous mothers.

Male and female kids had similar mass and accumulated mass linearly during summer. Early-born kids were heavier than late-born kids.

Faecal crude protein (FCP) in late spring and maternal mass were positively related to kid mass. Survival to weaning appeared higher for males (90%) than for females (78%), but survival to 1 year was 65% for both sexes. FCP in late spring, density, birthdate and mass did not affect kid survival to weaning in either sex. Survival to 1 year increased with FCP in late spring for females, but not for males. Survival to 1 year was independent of birthdate for both sexes, but heavy females survived better than light ones. Multiple logistic regressions revealed a positive effect of mass on survival to 1 year when the sexes were pooled.

The researchers say their results suggest that mountain goats are constrained to give birth in a short birth season synchronised with forage productivity.

More on human disturbance to wildlife

Responses of red deer (Cervus elaphus) to regular disturbance by hill walkers

Angela Margaret Sibbald, Russell J. Hooper, James E. McLeod and Iain J. Gordon

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH

Volume 57, Number 4, 817-825, DOI: 10.1007/s10344-011-0493-2

Yesterday we were discussing the effects of human disturbance on the diet composition of free ranging animals. Here is another paper that deals with identical theme.

The researchers used Global Positioning System tracking collars to monitor the movements of red deer (Cervus elaphus) stags (n=8) in a herd whose feeding grounds lie close to a popular walking track in the Highlands of Scotland. This track is used by around 20,000 walkers per year. It is very busy in summer and at weekends.

 

In a 2-year study, the locations of collared deer were recorded at 2-h intervals on typically busy days (Sundays: mean number of walkers (=204) and quiet days (Wednesdays: mean number of walkers (=49) during May and June.

 

The deer were consistently further from the track on Sundays than Wednesdays (371 vs 286 m) and moved greater distances between fixes (365 vs 308 m).

 

The amount of time spent in the small area of grassland closest to the track was lower on Sundays than Wednesdays (6% vs 13%). Although 97% of walkers use the track during the day (between 0800 and 2000 h), there was no evidence of compensatory use of grassland at night.The results demonstrate that animals which appear to be habituated to regular disturbance within their home territory may nevertheless alter their behaviour and potentially diet composition, as a result of that disturbance.

Effects of human disturbance on the diet composition of free ranging animals

Effects of human disturbance on the diet composition of wild red deer (Cervus elaphus)

Sevvandi Jayakody, Angela M. Sibbald, Robert W. Mayes, Russell J. Hooper, Iain J. Gordon and Xavier Lambin

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH

Volume 57, Number 4, 939-948, 

 

Increasing disturbance in wilderness areas in the form of tourism related activities is a cause of concern.

 In this paper the authors analyze human recreational activities and its effect on the nutrition of free-ranging herbivores due to trade-offs between feeding in preferred habitats and perceived predation risk.

The researchers estimated diet composition for red deer in the Scottish highlands in spring, when recreational activity is high, and in winter when it is at lower level. Faecal samples from three habitat types, grassland, heather moorland and woodland, were collected at sites close to a busy track . Samples were also collected from less disturbed areas also.

The diet consisted of 39% grasses, sedges, herbs and rushes (GSHR) and 58% Calluna vulgaris and Erica spp.  in spring, against 14% grasses and 77% heather in winter, with small quantities of Vaccinium spp and Pinus sylvestris (tree) in both seasons.

In spring, faeces from disturbed grass and woodland sites indicated a diet with less GSHR and more heather and tree than faeces from less-disturbed sites. The authors say this could be due to an increased need for vigilance in exposed grassland and the need to seek cover. Faeces from all disturbed sites in winter indicated a diet with more GSHR and less heather than faeces from less-disturbed sites. It is presumed that this could be due to a seasonal decline in recreation and increase in hunting activity reversing the disturbance levels at the different sites. Hunting is not normally carried out in areas used by the public for recreation.

The authors conclude that nutritional benefits may accrue to deer if disturbance near open grassland are brought down.

Depredations caused by human nitrogen additions

Latest research has come up with the finding that human nitrogen additions to terrestrial ecosystems increase the terrestrial carbon dioxide uptake from the atmosphere. Nitrogen inputs to biosphere have more than doubled since the 1860s.  Fossil fuel burning and the application of fertilizers in agriculture are the villains.

When added to nitrogen-limited ecosystems, more nitrogen inputs can stimulate plant growth and/or suppress soil respiration. This in turn leads to increased ecosystem carbon storage.

The researchers used a process-based model of the terrestrial biosphere to evaluate the overall impact of anthropogenic nitrogen inputs on terrestrial ecosystem carbon and nitrous oxide fluxes between 1700 and 2005. They show that anthropogenic nitrogen inputs account for about a fifth of the carbon sequestered by terrestrial ecosystems between 1996 and 2005, and for most of the increase in global nitrous oxide emissions in recent decades. Nitrous oxide emissions   are largely due to intensive agricultural practices. The researchers estimate that carbon sequestration due to nitrogen deposition has reduced current carbon dioxide radiative forcing by 96±14 mW m⁻². However, this effect has been offset by the increase in radiative forcing resulting from nitrous oxide emissions, which amounts to 125±20 mW m⁻².

Journal Reference:

Sönke Zaehle, Philippe Ciais, Andrew D. Friend, Vincent Prieur. Carbon benefits of anthropogenic reactive nitrogen offset by nitrous oxide emissions. Nature Geoscience, 

A rapid assessment tool for locating habitat extension areas in a changing landscape

A rapid ecological network assessment tool and its use in locating habitat extension areas in a changing landscape

Journal for Nature Conservation (September 2011), 19 (4), pg. 236-244 

Nicola McHugh; Stewart Thompson

This paper deals with spatial targeting of habitat extension area in the South Midlands of the UK. Even though the focus is on UK the  ideas discussed in this paper has relevance in other areas also. It could kick start similar projects in other countries.

Habitat fragmentation, habitat loss, isolation of habitat patches and reduced connectivity are hampering the way our landscapes function. Built development is a big villain. The authors of this paper say a conservation planning tool which considers these vexatious issues in tandem with planned landscape level change, whilst incorporating species and habitat specific details, is necessary if we are to ameliorate the ecological impact of built development.

The researchers developed a landscape scale modelling for a case study area in the South Midlands of the UK. The aim was to investigate spatial targeting of habitat extension areas. Ecological networks and ecoprofiles were employed to guide the location of these extension areas. The ability of extension areas to contribute to landscape functionality was determined spatially.

Habitat extension areas identified by the approach increased the existing ecological network size by a factor of over 2.7:1. The extended areas were able to deliver the majority of habitat creation targets set out in regional Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs).The authors say 100% of wetland, unimproved grassland and broadleaf and mixed woodland creation targets were met, whilst 75% of the lowland heath target could be achieved.

The researchers signs off with the following words “Semi-natural habitat mosaic areas of over 3700 ha which incorporated habitat of more than one type were identified, with such areas determined to be of importance in achieving landscape improvements for a wide range of species. We conclude that rapid assessment tools such as that employed in this research will have increased utility in conservation planning as the British landscape continues to experience both sustained and elevated levels of built development pressure.”

New Shark Species Found on way to dinner table

Here is a big surprise. Fish taxonomists found a previously unknown shark,   Squalus formosus n. sp, at a fish market in Taiwan. It belongs to the ‘highfin megalops group.  Members of this group have a short snout, high dorsal fins, robust dorsal spines, tricuspid denticles and a white posterior caudal margin. 

The new species is a one-meter-long short-nosed dogfish. It's distinguished from other dogfish species in the Squalus genus by a particularly upright first fin on its back, a strong spine, and a very short, rounded head.

The new species is described in August 26 issue of Journal of Fish Biology.

Squalus formosus, a new species of spurdog shark (Squaliformes: Squalidae), from the western North Pacific Ocean

W. T. White and S. P. Iglésias

Protecting wild species may require growing more food on less land

According to a new study published in the journal Science separating natural habitats from high-yielding farmland could be a more effective way to conserve wild species than trying to grow crops and conserve nature on the same land

The authors describe the pros and cons of land sharing and land sparing. Land sharing integrates both objectives on the same land. Land sparing aims for high yield farming combined with strategies for protecting natural habitats from conversion to agriculture

The research was done by researchers at the University of Cambridge and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. They collected information on more than 600 species in southwest Ghana and northern India. In these two areas demand for agricultural land is putting increasing pressure on wild species. 

The researchers evaluated current and future scenarios of food demand. They found that most species would have larger total populations if farming was restricted to the smallest area feasible along with protecting as much natural forest as possible. This is applicable to not only rare species but for common species as well.

Journal reference 

Reconciling Food Production and Biodiversity Conservation: Land Sharing and Land Sparing Compared

Ben Phalan,Malvika Oniall,Andrew Balmfordd,Rhys E. Green

Science 2 September 2011: Vol. 333 no. 6047 pp. 1289-1291 

Scientists it is time to dance

Science and TEDxBrussels present The “Dance Your Ph.D.” Contest

Turn your Ph.D. thesis into a dance. You can win $1000, achieve immortal geek fame on the Internet, and be recognized by Science for your effort.

The creator of the best Ph.D. dance gets a free trip and hotel stay in Brussels to be crowned the winner at the TEDx conference on 22 November 2011.

How to enter:

Turn your Ph.D. thesis into a dance.

Make yourself an account at www.vimeo.com.

Post the video at Vimeo.com.

Send the link by 10 October 2011.

The rules:

1. you must have a Ph.D., or be working on one as a Ph.D. student.
2. Your Ph.D. must be in a science-related field.
3. You must be part of the dance 

Better indicators of persistence in gap-analysis frameworks needed

Misleading results from conventional gap analysis – Messages from the warming north

Heini Kujala, Miguel B. Araújo, Wilfried Thuiller and Mar Cabeza

Biological Conservation
Volume 144, Issue 10, October 2011, Pages 2450-2458

Gap analysis is a widely used method for assessing the representation of species in protected area (PA) networks. The process consists of mapping three data layers

1) Land cover

2) Predicted distributions of vertebrate species

3) Stewardship layer. 

This data is then assessed to determine how much of a target species’ habitat is in protected areas.  From this assessment, planning decisions can be made about whether further protection is needed.

There is a rider here. Representation does not imply persistence. In this paper the researchers investigated whether gap analysis may result in misleading conservation guidelines by comparing the representation to two indicators of persistence.

The analysis was done with Finnish breeding birds and identified conservation priorities based on current distribution patterns. The levels of representation identified by gap analysis were very good. The researchers then compared the gap analysis results with recent population trends and projected changes in potential suitable climate under different climate change scenarios for the year 2050. The results show that that although high latitude species are well represented in PAs, they are currently declining and are projected to lose climatic suitability in the near future. Low latitude species with poor representation in PAs have increasing population trends and are generally expected to expand their ranges into protected areas in the near future.

The researchers sign off with the following words “This study demonstrates with empirical data a mismatch between representation in PAs and population trends, resulting in misleading understanding of current PA effectiveness. The mismatch is linked to the latitude of species distributions and corresponds to expected future changes, indicating that the patterns are potentially driven by climate change. We therefore urge practitioners and researchers to include better indicators of persistence in gap-analysis frameworks even for short term assessments.”

Combinations of inexpensive methods can reduce monitoring costs substantially while yielding an equal or an increased performance.

Survey method choice for wildlife management: the case of moose Alces alces in Sweden

Johan Månsson, Cindy E. Hauser, Henrik Andrén & Hugh P. Possingham

Volumes / 2011 - Volume 17 / 2 / Wildlife Biology

Monitoring wildlife populations is sine qua non to determine whether management goals are achieved and to improve future decisions. Cost and accuracy of monitoring strategies weighs heavily while determining survey methods.

Here the researchers tested the relative performance of three survey methods: aerial survey, pellet-group counts and hunters’ observations, to get an idea about the management of Swedish moose Alces alces populations. 

Annual aerial survey was the most costly monitoring method (27,000€) and maintained the population within the desired range 72% of the time. The least expensive monitoring strategy (hunters’ observations; 1,600€) maintained the population within a desired range of 66% of the time. A combination of two relatively inexpensive survey methods (i.e. pellet-group counts and hunters’ observations; at an expense of 10,000€) maintained the population within the desired range in 76% of the simulated years.

A combination of annual pellet-group counts and hunters’ observations performed better than annual aerial surveys, but was considerably less expensive. 

The authors sign off with the following words” In wildlife management systems, where a variety of monitoring methods are used, the overall performance generally improves with monitoring expenditure, but very few studies explicitly account for expenditure. However, our study shows that combinations of inexpensive methods can reduce monitoring costs substantially while yielding an equal or an increased performance.”

Exciting news from UK

Here is some exciting news that I have just got from my contacts in UK.

On Wednesday July 27th at 14.22, the first of the three Dyfi osprey chicks fledged the nest at their Cors Dyfi reserve near Machynlleth. This is the first time that ospreys have successfully bred on the Dyfi since 1604. Untrammeled persecution over centuries led to the extinction of the osprey as a species in the UK

Have a look at the YouTube video