Conservation Challenges in Reserve Design: ETIB & Species-Area Relationship

1. SLOSS • Original habitat contains 100 species. 50% of this area can be maintained in a single large or two smaller reserves.

2. SLOSS • Original habitat contains 100 species. 50% of this area can be maintained in a single large or two smaller reserves. • Based on the species-area relationship (S = cAz where z = 0.25), the single large habitat will contain 85 species and each of the two smaller habitats will contain 70 species.

3. Fundamental Problems w/ ETIB? • Alternative explanations for species-area relationship • Sampling • Habitat diversity • How do we define TURNOVER? Species Area (Samples)

4. ETIB and Forest Reserves Pimm, S. L. 1998. Ecology: The forest fragment classic. Nature 393:23-24.

5. ETIB and Forest Reserves • Spp. lost in small fragments • Top predators • Primates • Army ants and company • What about frogs? • Limited by breeding sites • Peccaries

6. Reserve Rules vs. Reality • Reserve design will be species specific. • Reserve design will be site specific. • The idea of “optimal” reserve design may miss the point entirely. • We are rarely faced with these alternatives. • ETIB is considered by many to be a “false start” in Conservation Biology

7. Application of ETIB • Application of ETIB to reserve design has been widely criticized • “Faunal collapse” refers to the loss of species following insularization. • Broadly accepted • Basis for many estimates of extinction rates • Caveats • Considerable error when used for prediction

8. Extinctions of large mammals in parks and reserves Newmark, W. D. 1995. Extinction of mammal populations in western North American national parks. Conservation Biology 5: 67-78.

9. Application of ETIB McDonald, K. A., and J. H. Brown. 1992. Using montane mammals to model extinctions due to global change. Conservation Biology 6: 409-415.

10. Application of ETIB McDonald, K. A., and J. H. Brown. 1992. Using montane mammals to model extinctions due to global change. Conservation Biology 6: 409-415.

11. Application of ETIB McDonald, K. A., and J. H. Brown. 1992. Using montane mammals to model extinctions due to global change. Conservation Biology 6: 409-415.

12. Community Ecology and Conservation: Nested Communities

13. Outline • Biodiversity Management • Equilibrium Theory of Island Biogeography • Modern Approaches • ESA • Keystone Species • Hotspots • GAP • Human Conflicts

14. HCP (A Preliminary Review) • Graduate seminars (106 students, 8 Universities) • Are data sufficient to support actions outlined in plan? • Data collected for 208 HCPs, Intensive analysis of 43 HCPs • species biology • threats to the species • prescribed management actions, • monitoring and plan administration • the criteria against which recovery would be measured

15. HCP Effectiveness

16. HCP & Cons. Biol. (97 spp.)

17. ESA • Backlog of unaddressed listing petitions • Failure to develop and implement recovery plans in a timely fashion • Lack of adequate funding to meet objectives • Inefficient, expensive, and biased toward “charismatic megafauna” having broad public appeal