The field of Landscape Architecture can further develop a niche for the design of sustainable productive landscapes. This study attempts to understand a major stakeholders’ perceptions and use of riparian buffers and other conservation practices for water quality in an agricultural watershed of Mississippi. A survey was distributed to agricultural producers in the Big Sunflower Watershed of the MS Delta. The survey informs the interested parties of producers’ perceptions and uses of riparian forested buffers, perceptions and uses of conservation practices that restore water quality, perceptions of their environment, perceptions of surface water quality, enrollment of governmental incentive programs, and utilization of digital technology. Analysis of this data could lead to a better understanding of the knowledge and attitudes farmers have of the riparian systems and watershed processes at work within the region and factors that influence the farmers’ decisions of implementing conservation plans.

The savanna is an important biome, which is under threat from land transformation, and it is therefore a focus for conservation planning. Yet, the invertebrate fauna of this biome is poorly documented and hence there is a need to provide baseline data for this component of biodiversity. This project aimed to provide relevant information that can be used by conservation planners and ecologists, by recommending a sampling strategy for the collection of specific taxa for savanna invertebrate surveys. The effectiveness and efficiency of a sampling strategy using passive and active sampling methods was assessed to provide recommendations for a multi-taxa approach to sampling invertebrates in a savanna ecosystem. In the collection of data, volunteers assisted and they were evaluated in comparison with experienced researchers to assess the effectiveness, efficiency and benefits of using volunteers to carry out multi-taxa invertebrate surveys. In addition, cross-taxon congruency and congruency across taxonomic levels were assessed between nine invertebrate taxa, to select potential surrogates to reduce biodiversity survey costs for conservation planning. Fieldwork was carried out in the Mkhuze Game Reserve (27.67°S:32.27°E, 400km2 ), Phinda Private Game Reserve (27.78°S:32.35°E, 140km2 ) and False Bay Park (27.94°S:32.38°E, 25km2 ) in north-eastern Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. Forty-three different sites were sampled between November 2002 and March 2005 (summer months). Twenty of these sites were re-sampled across years and in different months during the summer season, giving 77 sampling events. Fifty-four volunteers recruited by the Earthwatch Institute assisted in the collection of data. Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera (Apoidea), Diptera (Asilidae, Bombyliidae), Neuroptera, Odonata, Hemiptera (Cicadellidae), Coleoptera (Cetoniinae, Scarabaeinae), Orthoptera, Blattodea, Isoptera, Araneae (Araneidae, Thomisidae, Oxyopidae), Scorpionida, Myriapoda (Diplopoda, Chilopoda), Mollusca and Annelida were sampled using four active searching methods (transects, tree beating, leaf litter and sweep sampling) and two passive methods (pan traps and baited traps). In its entirety, this project sampled 50 558 individuals from 797 invertebrate species and an extensive database consisting of 33 257 records now exists. A standardised sampling protocol is described for the effective sampling of multiple invertebrate taxa in a savanna biome and recommendations are made for improving the efficacy and completeness of invertebrate surveys based on the application of species accumulation models. Restrictive active searching methods (quadrats) were found to be more effective for sampling epigaeic invertebrates and should be used in conjunction with leaf litter samples. Flying and plant-dwelling invertebrates should be sampled using a range of sampling methods which include baited, malaise and pan traps, active searching along transects and vacuum sampling. I suggest over 75% of the Lovel/, s.1. - MSc. Thesis i ii total estimated fauna to be a satisfactory and realistic level of inventory completeness for making valid comparisons between regions and across sites. Volunteers sampled lower rates of species accumulation, species richness and unique species when using timed, active search methods. Nevertheless, volunteers and researchers were shown to perform equally well when using un-timed, active searching methods. Previous experience or knowledge of scientific method was beneficial when researchers assessed the perceived usefulness of volunteers to researchers for carrying out fieldwork. The project experience raised the volunteers' environmental awareness, knowledge about biodiversity, invertebrates and conservation research, and enabled volunteers to participate in or design locally relevant conservation based projects on their return home. Cross-taxon congruencies were observed. However, relationships were weak and potential surrogates could not be selected. The use of higher taxonomic levels to represent species shows good potential as a surrogate but only in species-poor genera or families. The use of species density to determine congruency and select surrogates is likely to produce different results to those produced by community similarity. Furthermore, when selecting surrogates from congruency assessments an optimal p-value greater than 0.75 should be required. Below this value, the relationship is likely to be weak and if used as a surrogate misinterpretation may occur. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Protected area site selection is generally carried out using biodiversity data as surrogates. However, reliable and complete biodiversity data is rarely available due to limited resources, time and equipment. Instead of drawing on inadequate biodiversity data, an alternative is to use environmental diversity (ED) as a surrogate in conservation planning. However, there are few studies that use environmental diversity for site selection or that evaluates its efficiency / unfortunately, no such example exists for Turkey, where biodiversity is high but our knowledge about it is unsatisfactory. Hence, this study was carried out to investigate the efficiency of environmental surrogates and the utility of different biological taxa in conservation planning. The objective was to find out the most efficient surrogates, either environmental or biological, for conservation planning, so that limited resources can be used more efficiently to establish an effective protected areas network. The study was carried out in northeastern Turkey, within the Lesser Caucasus ecoregion. The taxonomic groups considered include large mammals, breeding birds, globally threatened reptiles and amphibians, butterflies, highly threatened plants, and ecological communities. The distribution data was taken from a previous study, while climate and topographical data were obtained from various sources and produced through spatio-statistical techniques. Complementarity-based site selection was carried out with Marxan software, where the planning unit was the 100 sq.km. UTM grid square. Various statistical methods, including geographically weighted regression, principal components analysis, and p-median algorithm, were used to determine ED across the units. Performance of different approaches and different sets of surrogates were tested by comparing them to a random null model as well as representation success. Results indicate that endemic or non-endemic highly threatened plant species, butterfly species and ecological communities represent biodiversity better than other taxa in the study area. As such, they can be used on their own as efficient biodiversity surrogates in conservation area planning. Another finding is that highly threatened plant species are required to be used in the site selection process if they need to be represented well / in other words, they are their own surrogates. It was demonstrated that while ED alone can be used as a surrogate to represent biodiversity of an area, they are not as good as biodiversity surrogates themselves. It is also suggested that using species taxa with smaller distributional ranges or taxa that complement each other due to ecological differences as surrogates provide better results. On the other hand, ED might be a more suitable surrogate if resources are very limited or field work is impossible. In such cases, using ED in conjunction with one of the better biodiversity surrogates is probably the best solution.

Dry forest is one of the most threatened tropical forests in the world. Human impact has caused its massive transformation but conservation of dry forest has often been neglected across Latin America. In Colombia, less than 10% of the original extension of dry forest remains. This thesis studies the phytogeography of neotropical dry forest and its relevance for conservation using data from 1602 tree species inventories made in dry forests across Latin America and the Caribbean synthesised by The Latin American Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest Floristic Network (DRYFLOR). Clustering and ordination analyses were used to explore the floristic relationships of dry forest across the entire Neotropics, revealing distinctive regional clusters defined by their tree species composition. Colombian dry forests are shown to be part of two wider clusters, one including neighbouring forests in Venezuela and southern Central America, and the second including the inter-Andean dry forests. The high turnover of floristic diversity and endemism within and amongst the main floristic groups demonstrates that to conserve the full species diversity in dry forests across Latin America and the Caribbean will require protecting it simultaneously across multiple regions. A regionally focused study of floristic relationships in the Central American and northern South American dry tropical forest group, using quantitative approaches to conservation prioritization, including a new Conservation Priority Index (CPI), suggests that conservation priority should be placed on the South American Caribbean Coast in the cross-border area of Colombia and Venezuela. This emphasises the need for a biogeographical approach to conservation that cannot be restricted by political borders. Within Colombia, new quantitative floristic data were used to investigate controls of floristic composition in dry forests. Multivariate analyses showed that space related variables explain a larger fraction of the variance of the floristic composition than climatic or edaphic variables. The importance of spatial variables implies that biogeography is a key element in understanding the structure of communities, and that the Andean cordilleras might be acting as geographical barriers isolating these seasonally dry formations. The value of floristic inventory data for assessing the conservation status of tree species using IUCN criteria was assessed in a case of study of the Andean Piedmont dry forest. By combining inventory data from the DRYFLOR database and herbarium records, the number of species for which we have sufficient information to make conservation assessments increases by 16% and the accuracy of predictive species distribution improves for 84% of the species. Together, these results reveal the importance of ecological inventory data as a complementary data source in conservation assessment for dry forest trees in the Neotropics. Finally, the conclusions chapter places these results in the context of conservation planning for Colombian dry forests, including some suggestions for research, policies and actions. These actions include restoration programmes focusing on sustainable harvesting of native dry forest tree species, for example for firewood and other forest resources such as fruits, fibres and medicines. A land use mosaic, including forest fallows and strict conservation areas, may help to guarantee the long-term maintenance dry forest species in Colombia.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:28:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseJEMT.pdf: 4324242 bytes, checksum: 3170e43381b7a36396c6fe92028b41ab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-06-05 / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / In this thesis a diagnosis of the conditions the watershed of the Middle Tocantins river was carried out with the objective to develop a management plan for the area of influence of the reservoir of the hydroelectric power plant, Luiz Eduardo Magalhães. The power plant started its operation in 2002. The diagnosis of the water quality of the reservoir and its tributaries was made with the objective to understand the relationships quality of the watershed / water quality as a response of impacts and conservation areas. The Middle Tocantins watershed has 13 sub-basins. In this work 4 sub-basins were selected, two heavily impacted (Ribeirão da Água Fria e Córrego São João) and two with low impacts (Rio Lajeado and Ribeirão São João). The quality of the sub-basins was obtained evaluating the condition and vulnerability of the watershed. To characterize the watershed condition the indicator used was the state of conservation (percentage of original vegetation cover, agricultural areas, urbanization, wetlands preserved). Limnological, physical, chemical and biological analysis of the reservoir, both in short periods of time with real time monitoring and seasonally was performed in order to analyses the dynamics of the system and its response to external and internal inputs. Hydrodynamics of the reservoir was analyzed in order to understand processes of vertical and horizontal circulation and their interaction with the eutrophication of the reservoir. Nutrient enrichment due to agricultural and urban wastes is one of the main problems of the degradation of water quality. The results show that from the four sub-basins analyzed, the two heavily impacted, Ribeirão da Água Fria and Córrego São João, have the greatest percentage of areas of human activity (56- 61%) with 36-41% of preserved original vegetation and wetlands. The two less impacted watersheds, (Ribeirão do Lajeado e Ribeirão São João) presented another percentage: 54-56% of preserved areas and 41-44% of impacted areas. Demographic expansion, urbanization and intensive soil use is the main cause of the increase of eutrophication of the reservoir. The trophic state index applied to the reservoir showed that its trophic states ranges from oligotrophy to mesotrophy. This could be probably due to the short retention time of the reservoir (25 days) and the less intensive use and occupation of the watersheds. A management plan was prepared considering the risk areas and the environmental zoning altogether with the reservoir dynamics. The aim of this plan (risk analysis for eutrophication and sediment transport and input) is to provide a tool for decision makers to develop a process of integrated, predictive and the watershed level of management in order to optimize multiple uses. / O presente trabalho teve como propósito diagnosticar as condições da bacia hidrográfica do Médio Tocantins onde foi construída a Usina hidrelétrica Luiz Eduardo Magalhães ou represa do Lajeado, recentemente entrou em operação em 2002, a qualidade da água tanto da represa como dos seus afluentes e apontar os indicadores que condicionam a qualidade da bacia hidrográfica e que podem influir tanto na qualidade como na quantidade dos recursos hídricos, servindo de ferramenta para o gerenciamento integrado da bacia e dos sistemas hídricos. A bacia do médio Rio Tocantins é composta de 13 sub-bacias. Foram selecionadas 4 sub-bacias: sendo, duas de alto impacto por atividades humanas ( sub bacias do Ribeirão da Água Fria e do Córrego São João ) e duas de baixo impacto ( sub bacias do Rio Lajeado e do Ribeirão São João). A qualidade das sub bacias foi avaliada por meio da condição e da vulnerabilidade da bacia hidrográfica. Para caracterizar a condição da bacia foi utilizado como indicador o seu estado de conservação (percentual de áreas de vegetação primitiva, áreas de culturas, urbanização, preservação de áreas alagadas). Análise limnológica química, física e biológica das águas do reservatório em escala de tempo real e estacional foi realizada a fim de verificar a dinâmica do sistema. Foi investigada também a hidrodinâmica ou seja a circulação das massas de água do reservatório e o processo de eutrofização aplicando modelos matemáticos e índice de estado trófico. Os resultados revelam que das quatro sub bacias analisadas, as duas fortemente impactadas (Ribeirão da Água Fria e Córrego São João) apresentam maior percentual de áreas ocupadas pela atividade humana, (56% a 61%) contra 36% a 41% de áreas de vegetação primitiva e preservação de áreas alagadas. Por outro lado as duas sub-bacias pouco impactadas ( Ribeirão do Lajeado e Ribeirão do São João) apresentaram um percentual inverso: 54 a 56% de áreas de vegetação primitiva e preservação de áreas alagadas e 41 a 44% de áreas ocupadas por atividades humanas. A expansão demográfica constitui-se no principal indicador da redução da qualidade da bacia e conseqüente aumento do processo de eutrofização. A qualidade de água do reservatório na sua intensidade pode ser considerada boa de acordo com base nos dados limnológicos analisados sendo seu estado trófico caracterizado por uma oligotrofia com tendência à mesotrofia (estado de transição entre oligotrofia e mesotrofia). A bacia do Médio Tocantins ainda é uma bacia ainda pouco explorada por atividades humanas, porém se não houver um plano bem elaborado de conservação e de gestão ambiental e dos seus recursos hídricos, em pouco tempo poderá sofrer uma degradação ambiental e dos seus recursos hídricos de forma irreversível, como tem sido observado em muitas outras bacias hidrográficas de outros Estados do Brasil. Com base na análise dos dados da dinâmica do reservatório (circulação vertical e horizontal) e de suas relações com as bacias hidrográficas, desenvolveu-se um plano de gerenciamento enfatizando análises de risco, eutrofização e transporte de sedimentos. Finalmente foi proposto um projeto de zoneamento ambiental na tentativa de embasar-se e com a possibilidade de tornarse permanente ao gerenciamento da bacia.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:17:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 5064930 bytes, checksum: 247e078f9d93df87f7340f0cb0801116 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-12 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The conservation of the biodiversity is intimately dependent on the human appreciation of the facts relating to the changes in usage of the area. The scale of the details of this study defines the size of the geossistemas which are areas determined by a relative uniformity of physical characteristics. A 62.143 hectares geossistema were defined around the Paraiba river estuary and this area was studied with a view of conservation of the biodiversity. The Paraiba river estuary geossistemas is located within the Atlantic Forest area which is one of the world s most biodiverse systems and, as it happens, one of the most degraded. The area studied was given, by the Portaria No 9/2007 of the Ministry of the Environment, a high priority for the conservation of the biodiversity in nine categories, and is one of the most populated areas of the Paraiba state, and one which retains important vestiges of the Atlantic Forest and its associated ecosystems. For the analysis of the changes which led to the loss of the biodiversity of the geossistema, were employed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques, remote sensing and landscape ecology. The use of the land was mapped for two historic dates, 1970 and 2010, and through the interpretation of metrics of landscape ecology it was possible to learn the high degree of vulnerability of the natural environment in the studied area. It was discovered that more than two thirds of the natural vegetation was substituted for human land uses. On the left bank of the river Paraiba estuary the increase of the coconut and sugar cane monocultures and on the right bank the increase of the urban areas of João Pessoa, Cabedelo, Bayeux and Santa Rita have transformed the countryside over the last 36 years. The geossistema landscape was characterized by different types of vegetation mosaic with mean patch size of 70 hectares. Actually the fragments of vegetation have become only small patches distributed mainly in protected areas around the ditches, with mean patch area of 50 hectares. The conservation of the remaining vegetation will be compromised if the connections between the fragments are not re-established. Thus it is important to identify not only priority areas for conservation but also areas suitable for the reestablishment of communication between the fragments. In this treatise the method of Systematic Conservation Planning was used to create scenarios to select the areas which are most in need of forest recovery action. / A conservação da biodiversidade está intimamente ligada ao estudo das transformações do espaço a uma escala adequada à compreensão humana dos fatos. Esta escala caracteriza a dimensão dos geossistemas, que são áreas delimitadas segundo uma relativa uniformidade de aspectos físicos. Foi identificado um geossistema com uma área de 62.143 hectares no entorno do estuário do rio Paraíba PB e o mesmo foi estudado a partir da perspectiva da conservação dos ambientes naturais. O geossistema do estuário do rio Paraíba está localizado no domínio da Mata Atlântica, um dos biomas mais biodiversos do mundo, e, no entanto, também um dos mais degradados. A área de estudo foi considerada prioritária para a conservação da biodiversidade pela Portaria Nº 9/2007 do Ministério do Meio Ambiente (MMA) em nove categorias, e é uma das regiões mais populosas do Estado da Paraíba, e que resguarda importantes remanescentes de vegetação de Mata Atlântica Setentrional e ecossistemas associados. Para a análise das transformações que levaram a perda da biodiversidade no geossistema, foram empregadas técnicas de geoprocessamento, sensoriamento remoto e ecologia da paisagem. além disto, foi testada a metodologia do Planejamento Sistemático da Conservação aplicado na elaboração de cenários que indiquem as áreas mais prioritárias para o estabelecimento de ações de recuperação ambiental. O uso do solo foi mapeado em dois momentos históricos, 1970 e 2010 e através da interpretação das métricas de ecologia da paisagem foi possível compreender o alto grau de vulnerabilidade dos ambientes naturais da área estudada. Foi detectado que mais de dois terços da vegetação natural foi substituída por ocupações humanas apenas no período estudado. Na margem esquerda do estuário do rio Paraíba a ampliação de monoculturas de coco e cana-de-açúcar, e na margem direita, o crescimento das áreas urbanas dos municípios de João Pessoa, Cabedelo, Bayeux e Santa Rita transformaram a paisagem do geossistema. A paisagem do geossistema era caracterizada por um mosaico de tipos diferentes de vegetação com média de tamanho dos fragmentos de 70 ha. Atualmente, os fragmentos de vegetação resumem-se a pequenas manchas distribuídas principalmente em unidades de conservação e ao redor dos corpos d água e a média do tamanho dos fragmentos aproxima-se a 50 ha. A conservação dos remanescentes vegetacionais estará comprometida caso não seja restabelecida a conectividade entre os fragmentos. Desta forma é importante que se identifiquem áreas que sejam prioritárias não apenas para a conservação, mas também áreas adequadas ao estabelecimento de medidas que melhorem a comunicação entre os fragmentos, como a recuperação florestal.

Orientadores: Thomas Michael Lewinsohn, Lucia da Costa Ferreira / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-16T08:52:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Kinouchi_MarceloRodrigues_D.pdf: 4287299 bytes, checksum: 7a96e6b1a74453cff2a885e96bc7ce42 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: Esta tese examina a conceituação, delineamento espacial e gestão das zonas de amortecimento (ZA) das unidades de conservação (UC) brasileiras. Inicialmente, são analisados os principais documentos técnicos e legais utilizados para orientar o planejamento e a gestão ambiental na proximidade das UCs. O estudo revelou que a definição formal da ZA é dúbia, e a do Entorno da unidade, inadequada. O primeiro problema pode ser reduzido se considerarmos o zoneamento como produto de uma dupla territorialidade, baseada na identificação de sítios ambientais específicos e suscetíveis a pressões particulares, conjugados sob a abrangência de um sistema socioecológico mais amplo, no qual se definem os instrumentos reguladores das atividades humanas impactantes. Considerando as recomendações técnicas governamentais para o desenho e manejo das UCs, estimei a extensão territorial total para as ZAs e para o entorno das unidades no Brasil. De acordo com tais estimativas, somente as zonas de amortecimento podem vir a representar 6,6% do território nacional. Analisei também esses dois tipos de áreas especiais quanto à ocorrência de focos de calor e desflorestamentos na Região Amazônica, identificados por sensoriamento remoto orbital nos anos de 2004 a 2006 (focos de calor) e de 1997 a 2006 (desflorestamentos). Em relação a estes dois indicadores de distúrbio antropogênico, nas UCs amazônicas localizadas em áreas sob intensa ocupação humana, as ZAs exibiram uma incidência relativamente menor de pressões que as outras áreas mais afastadas da UC, sugerindo a existência de um possível caráter protetor diferenciado nesse zoneamento. Analisando os Planos de Manejo de doze UCs federais (seis Parques Nacionais e seis Reservas Biológicas), procurei categorizar para esse conjunto de unidades: (1) o modo como comumente é estabelecido o desenho espacial de suas ZAs, (2) quais são as atividades e práticas humanas consideradas como mais ameaçadoras para as áreas protegidas e (3) que estratégias de intervenção são sugeridas para reduzir os impactos dessas ações humanas. Em geral, o delineamento das zonas de amortecimento permaneceu vinculado à largura padrão de 10 km, sugerida como dimensão referencial, e mesmo nas situações em que ocorreu algum refinamento no traçado desse zoneamento, não se notou um procedimento padrão para estabelecer tais ajustes territoriais. Entre as pressões observadas na proximidade dessas UCs, a poluição e a contaminação dos corpos hídricos circunvizinhos; a exploração excessiva dos recursos da fauna e flora; a ocorrência de queimadas sem controle, e o assoreamento dos corpos d'água foram as que mais concentraram a atenção dos gestores das unidades. A preocupação com tais pressões parece refletir o receio de que uma intensificação desses fenômenos resulte em ameaças diretas a área protegida, através da degradação de seus ambientes aquáticos, do comprometimento de sua conectividade regional, do incremento da extração clandestina de recursos e da propagação de incêndios para o seu interior, entre outros. Considerando as medidas propostas nos planejamento das UCs avaliadas, a ação governamental na proximidade das unidades foi delineada sob uma perspectiva ampla o bastante para abrigar tanto iniciativas protetoras da biodiversidade e dos processos ecológicos essenciais para a UC, como para promover condições potencialmente benéficas para as comunidades locais, por meio, especialmente, do estímulo ao desenvolvimento de atividades socioeconômicas de baixo impacto ambiental. Esse perfil da intervenção variou entre as unidades, mas, em geral, as ações sugeridas nos Planos de Manejo para reduzir as pressões externas ressaltam a intensificação do controle e da fiscalização ao redor das áreas protegidas. Por sua vez, a formulação de normas regulando ou restringindo as atividades humanas ameaçadoras nas ZAs não foi um procedimento comumente observado, apesar de ser o principal objetivo legal do zoneamento. Como estudo de caso, investiguei detalhadamente as pressões ambientais geradas pelas atividades humanas na proximidade da Estação Ecológica de Maracá (Estado de Roraima, Brasil), por meio de um modelo heurístico onde são representadas as principais conexões observadas entre os agentes locais, suas demandas, o modo específico como usam os recursos, os processos ecológicos associados a cada pressão e seus prováveis impactos no ecossistema regional. O modelo incorporou informações sobre a formação histórica e social dos diferentes grupos locais, visando identificar com maior precisão onde as intervenções são mais necessárias e em que condições elas são mais efetivas. As pressões da ocupação humana na proximidade da área protegida, e suas possíveis medidas mitigadoras, foram também identificadas pelos agentes locais, numa reunião participativa do Plano de Manejo da UC. Os dois diagnósticos se mostraram complementares, apontando a importância do uso de estratégias e instrumentos diversificados na identificação das medidas mais apropriadas para a ZA dessa unidade. Ao final, os resultados do trabalho são consolidados como recomendações para o desenho e gestão das zonas de amortecimento, tendo por princípio o reconhecimento da ZA como um território em que se desenvolvem dinâmicas sociais e ambientais particulares, que deve ser entendido como um espaço de ação e compromisso conjunto entre os gestores das UCs e os residentes da região, um lugar de vizinhança, de mútua identificação, de interdependência e de futuro comum / Abstract: The thesis examines the conceptualization, design and management of buffer zones (BZ) of Protected Areas (PA) in Brazil. Initially, I analyze the key technical and legal documents that guide the design and environmental management of buffer zones of protected areas. The formal definition of buffer zones is dubious and therefore inappropriate to guide their design. This problem can be reduced by considering BZs as a dual territoriality: the ensemble of localities susceptible to social pressures that engender risks to the enclosed PAs, combined with an socio-ecological territory in which threatening human activities are to be regulated. According to current guidelines, I estimate buffer zones alone to represent up to 6.6% of the Brazilian national territory. The occurrence of hot spots and deforestation in BZs in the Amazon region was analysed from 2004 to 2006 (fires) and 1997 to 2006 (deforestation), based on satellite images. The BZs in Amazon areas under higher human pressure showed a smaller incidence of those two kinds of events compared to areas more distant from their PAs, suggesting a protective effect of these zones. Next, in analysing the approved management plans of twelve Brazilian federal protected areas (six National Parks and six Biological Reserves), we examine: (1) the criteria for establishing the boundaries of their BZs, (2) which human activities and practices are identified as more threatening to the Pas, (3) which main intervention strategies are proposed to reduce the impacts of human actions. In general, the boundaries of BZs follow the general reference width of 10 km recommended for the buffer belt, and even in situations in which the area of the BZ was then refined, no standard procedure for these territorial adjustments. Human pressures highlighted in management plans as problems in the proximity of these twelve PAs included pollution and contamination of surrounding water bodies, overexploitation of natural resources, bush fires and siltation of water bodies. There is a manifest concern that an intensification of these phenomena can directly threaten the Protected Areas through the degradation of their environment, reduction of their ecological connectivity, increase in illegal extraction of resources and the spread of fires into the PAs. Proposed actions for BZs encompassed actions to protect biodiversity and ecological processes essential for reserves, as well as other actions meant to benefit local communities, through encouraging socioeconomic activities of low environmental impact. Intervention strategies varied among management plans but, in general, they proposed to reduce external pressures mainly through the intensification of control and surveillance around the reserve. The formulation of rules regulating or restricting human activities was not common to most management plans, though, according to law, this is the main goal of the establishment of the BZs themselves. As a case study, I examined in detail the human pressures in the proximity of Maraca Ecological Station (ESEC Maracá, State of Roraima, Brazil), through a heuristic model representing the connections between local actors, their demands, their modes of acquiring and employing resources, the ecological processes associated with those pressures and their likely impacts on the regional ecosystem. The model sought to incorporate information about the social and historical origins of various local groups, to identify more precisely where interventions are most needed and under what conditions they are expected to be most effective. I then describe the pressures of human occupation in the vicinity of the reserve and possible mitigation measures as identified by local actors that participated in a planning meeting held to assist the development of the Management Plan of the reserve. Both diagnoses proved to be complementary, showing the importance of using diverse strategies and instruments to identify the most appropriate proposals for the Buffer Zone of this reserve. In conclusion, results are presented with recommendations for planning and management of buffer zones, based on the recognition of the BZ as a territory in which both social and environmental dynamics unfold, and that therefore should be understood as an area of action and joint commitment of PA managers and local residents, a place of neighborliness, mutual identification and interdependence for a common future / Doutorado / Ambiente e Sociedade / Doutor em Ambiente e Sociedade

This thesis investigates how seven communities in a subregion of the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca are conserving high forest cover in the absence of national protected areas. To conduct this study I relied on archival research and the review of community documents, focus group interviews and land use transects to explore historical and current land use. I found that communities have conserved 88.34% of the subregion as forest cover, or 58,596 hectares out of a total territory of 66,264 hectares. Analysis suggests that the communities have undergone a historical transition from more passive conservation to more active, conscious conservation particularly in the last decade. This thesis further contends that communities deserve additional financial compensation for this active conservation of globally important forests for biodiversity conservation and that exercises in systematic conservation planning ignore the reality that existing biodiversity conservation in the subregion is associated with community ownership.

The Important Bird Areas (IBAs) network of BirdLife International aims to identify sites that are essential for the long-term conservation of the world’s avifauna. A number of global change events have the potential to negatively affect, either directly or indirectly, most bird species, biodiversity in general and associated ecological processes in these areas identified as IBAs. To assist conservation decisions, I assessed a suite of ten landscape scale anthropogenic pressures to 115 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in South Africa, both those currently placing pressures on IBAs and those that constitute likely future vulnerability to transformation. These threats are combined with irreplaceability, a frequently used measure of conservation importance, to identify the suite of IBAs which are high priority sites for conservation interventions: those with high irreplaceability and are highly vulnerable to anthropogenic threats. A total of 22 (19%) of the South African IBAs are highly irreplaceable and are highly vulnerable to at least some of the pressures assessed. Afforestation, current and potential future patterns of alien plant invasions affect the largest number of highly irreplaceable IBAs. Only 9% of the area of highly irreplaceable IBAs is formally protected. A total of 81 IBAs (71%) are less than 5% degraded or transformed. This result, together with seven highly irreplaceable IBAs found outside of formally protected areas with lower human densities than expected by chance provides an ideal opportunity for conservation interventions. However, all the pressures assessed vary geographically, with no discernible systematic pattern that might assist conservation managers to design effective regional interventions. Furthermore, I used the newly emerging technique of ensemble forecasting to assess the impact of climate change on endemic birds in relation to the IBAs network. I used 50 endemic species, eight bioclimatic envelope models, four climate change models and two methods of transformation to presence or absence, which essentially creates 2400 projections for the years 2070-2100. The consensual projection shows that climate change impacts are very likely to be severe. The majority of species (62%) lose climatically suitable space and 99% of grid cells show species turnover. Five species lose at least 85% of climatically suitable space. The current locations of the South African Important Bird Areas network is very likely ineffective to conserve endemic birds under climate change along a “business a usual” emissions scenario. Many IBAs show species loss (41%; 47 IBAs) and species turnover (77%; 95 IBAs). However, an irreplaceability analysis identified mountainous regions in South Africa as irreplaceable refugia for endemic species, and some of these regions are existing IBAs. These IBAs should receive renewed conservation attention, as they have the potential to substantially contribute to a flexible conservation network under realistic scenarios of climate change. Considering all the global change threats assessed in this study, the Amersfoort-Bethal-Carolina District and the Grassland Biosphere Reserve (IBA codes: SA018; SA020) are the key IBAs in South Africa for conservation prioritisation. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

Orientador: Célio F.B. Haddad / Resumo: Na última década houve um grande desenvolvimento nos Modelos de Distribuição de Espécies (MDE), com diversas aplicações na conservação da biodiversidade. No entanto, apesar dos avanços recentes, a seleção de variáveis preditoras tem sido relativamente negligenciada na construção dos MDE. Este procedimento deveria ser um dos passos cruciais do processo de modelagem, já que as variáveis preditoras estão relacionadas diretamente à capacidade dos modelos de capturar os requisitos ambientais das espécies. Neste contexto, os anfíbios são excelentes organismos modelo para avaliar a importância da seleção de variáveis preditoras ecologicamente significativas no MDE. Isto pode trazer avanços para a biogeografia e biologia da conservação, uma vez que os anfíbios são usados como bioindicadores da qualidade ambiental e da integridade de hábitat. A presente tese de doutorado teve como objetivo principal verificar o efeito da utilização de variáveis preditoras ecologicamente significativas no processo de modelagem dos anfíbios e posteriormente aplicar parte deste conhecimento na comunidade de anfíbios do Estado de São Paulo, visando verificar o potencial desta metodologia para identificar áreas de alto valor de riqueza de anfíbios e verificar também o potencial de invasão de Eleutherodactylus jonhstonei, uma espécie de anfíbio invasora registrada para o Estado de São Paulo. No primeiro capítulo avaliamos a importância da seleção de variáveis essenciais ao MDE usando os anfíbios como estudo... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: In the last decade there has been a great development in the Species Distribution Models (SDM), with several applications in conservation planning. However, despite recent advances, the selection of predictor variables has been relatively neglected in the construction of SDM. This methodological approach should be one of the critical steps of the modeling process, as the predictor variables are directly related to the ability of models to capture the environmental requirements of the species. In this context, amphibians are excellent model for assessing the importance of selecting ecologically meaningful variables in the SDM. This methodology may lead to advances in biogeography and conservation biology, since amphibians are used as bioindicators of environmental quality and habitat integrity. The aim of the work was to verify the effect of the use of ecologically meaningful variables in the amphibian modeling process and to apply part of this knowledge to the amphibian community of São Paulo state, checking the potential of this methodology to identify areas of high amphibian richness value and to verify the potential invasion of Eleutherodactylus jonhstonei, an invasive amphibian species registered in São Paulo state. In the first chapter we evaluated the importance of selecting essential variables in SDM using amphibians as a case study. The second chapter deals specifically with the amphibian modeling protocol of São Paulo state. The central focus of this chapter has been... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor