DOCSLIB.ORG

About Population Action International

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
About Population Action International RICHARD P. CINCOTTA & ROBERT ENGELMAN About Population Action International Population Action International (PAI) is a research-based advocacy organi- zation that works to increase global political and financial support for effective population policies and programs grounded in individual rights. The organization seeks to make clear the linkages between population, reproductive health, the environment and development. At the heart of PAI’s mission is its commitment to the expansion of volun- tary family planning, other reproductive health services, and educational and economic opportunities for girls and women. Together these strategies promise to improve the lives of individual women and their families while also slowing the world’s population growth. PAI fosters the development of U.S. and international policy on urgent population issues through an integrated program of policy research, public education and political advocacy. PAI reaches out to government leaders and opinion makers through the dissemination of strategic, action-oriented publications, broader efforts to inform public opinion, and coalitions with other development, reproductive health and environmental organizations. Before January 31, 2000: 1120 19th Street, NW Suite 550 Washington, DC 20036 USA © Population Action International, 2000 After January 31, 2000: Material from this publication may be reproduced provided Population Action 1300 19th Street, NW International and the authors are acknowledged as the source. Second Floor ISBN: 1-889735-04-3 Washington, DC 20036 USA Library of Congress Number: 99-64886 Website: http://www.populationaction.org Photography: Front cover, Orang-utan, Jessie Cohen, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution. Back cover, ©Rebecca Janes. Acknowledgments 2 Population Action International Action Population This publication represents Population Action International’s first effort to work with geographic information systems, and in this endeavor the authors were greatly assisted by Kate Sebastian, Margret Bartels, Onyango Okello and Uwe Deichmann. We would also like to thank Lee Hannah and Ned Horning at Conservation International (CI) for their assistance with human disturbance data, Jorgen Thomsen, Tania Tarrar, Lata Iyer and Russell Mittermeier (also of CI) for their assistance with aspects of the biodiversity hotspots, and Aun Ling Lim at Population Reference Bureau for her assistance with national demographic infor- mation. Bruce Byers provided research assistance, and valuable reviews were offered by David Blockstein, Alan Bornbusch, Frederick Meyerson, Norman Myers and David Pimentel. We thank Dan Sperling for his edits to style and con- tent and Anne Marie Amantia and Victoria Stubbs for their assistance in tracking literature. Responsibility for the analysis and any views expressed in this publica- tion rest with the authors alone. Geographic Information Systems Analysis: Jennifer Wisnewski Research Assistance: Bonnie Dye and Akia Talbot ContentsContents The Earth’s Biodiversity and Human Population ...................................................................... 4 Key Terms and Definitions ......................................................................................................5 Summary .............................................................................................................................. 6 Box: Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 9 Box: Sylphion: A Natural Contraceptive and Its Loss .......................................................... 10 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 11 Box: Relative Scarcity: Apes on the Edge ............................................................................ 12 I. Biodiversity In Brief .......................................................................................................... 15 Box: Relating Habitat Area to Species Numbers .................................................................. 19 Box: The Red Queen’s Dowry ............................................................................................ 20 Box: Banking on Genes to Feed the Future ......................................................................... 22 II. Four Waves of Human Influence ...................................................................................... 24 Box: The Nature of Islands ................................................................................................ 27 Box: An Epoch in the Making ............................................................................................ 30 III. Nature Replaced: Prospects for Our Species .................................................................... 33 3 Box: Human Fertility Change in the Highly Biodiverse Countries ......................................... 35 Place Nature’s Box: Bordering on Uncertainty: Considering the United Nations Population Projections ........ 36 Box: Population Momentum .............................................................................................. 39 IV. The Role of Population Growth ........................................................................................ 40 Box: Places Apart: Military Tensions and Biodiversity ......................................................... 44 Box: Suburban Predators ................................................................................................... 49 Box: Biodiversity, Property Rights and Population Growth .................................................. 52 V. Population Growth and the Global Biodiversity Hotspots .................................................. 56 Box: Key to the Global Biodiversity Hotspots and Major Tropical Wilderness Areas .............. 58 Box: Hotspot Population Profile – Madagascar .................................................................... 65 Box: Hotspot Population Profile – California ....................................................................... 68 VI. Strategies ........................................................................................................................ 69 Box: Learning from Biosphere 2 ......................................................................................... 73 Centerpiece Map: People and Biological Diversity: Population in the Global Biodiversity Hotspots, 1995 Appendices Appendix 1: Data Sources and Methodology ...................................................................... 75 Appendix 2: List of Figures and Their Sources .................................................................... 79 Earth’s Biological Diversity and Human Population Existing Species Probably between 7 million and 15 million species Human Population World population, 1900: ~1.6 billion1 World population, 1950: 2.5 billion2 World population, 1999: 6.0 billion2 Threatened Species Assessed Species Proportion Listed as Threatened3 of total Vascular plants 33,798 12.5 percent Mammals 1,096 25 percent Birds 970 11 percent Reptiles 253 20 percent Amphibians 124 25 percent Fishes 734 34 percent 4 The 25 Global Biodiversity Hotspots Population Action International Action Population World land area (minus ice, bare rock): 134.9 million square kilometers4 Original extent of the 25 hotspots: 17.5 million square kilometers5 Area in hotspots remaining in natural vegetation: 2.1 million square kilometers5 World population, 1995: 5.7 billion people2 Population in the 25 hotspots, 1995: 1.1 billion people6 World population density, 1995: 42 people per square kilometer2 Population density in the 25 hotspots, 1995: 73 people per square kilometer6 2 World population growth rate, 1995 to 2000: 1.3 percent References Population growth rate in the 25 hotspots, 1995 to 2000: 1.8 percent6 1. J-N. Biraben, Population (Paris) 34,1 (1979):13. 2. UN Population Division, 1998. Units of Measurement 3. IUCN-World Conservation Union, 1996 1 kilometer = 0.621 miles (animals) & 1998 (plants). 4. UN Food and Agriculture 1 hectare = 2.47 acres Organization, 1998. 1 square kilometer = 100 hectares = 0.39 square miles 5. Conservation International, 1999. 6. Population data estimated by 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds Population Action International. Key Terms and Definitions Ecological Terms Extinction: in this report, the complete, Threatened species: species that have been Biodiversity (or Biological diversity): the permanent loss of a species to the planet assigned to one of three IUCN Red List diversity of living organisms and all the as a whole. categories—either vulnerable, endan- gered or critically endangered. interconnections that support life on Earth. Habitat: the particular environment in which a species or breeding population lives. Biological invasion: processes by which Demographic Terms Local biodiversity loss: in this report, the species become established in ecosys- Population growth rate: the percentage of loss of local breeding populations and/or tems to which they are not native. These the present population by which a popu- their habitat, and thus the likely loss of species are commonly called biological lation increases or decreases annually. invaders, invasive species or invading genetic variation and reserve individuals. Annual growth increment: the number of species. They are often weeds, pests and Protected area: a geographically defined disease-causing organisms. people added to a population or subtract- area
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Conservation Biology Fisheries and Wildlife Program
    SCHOOL OF NATURAL RESOURCES Conservation Biology Fisheries and Wildlife Program From helping preserve habitat while improving economic opportunities to designing nature reserves, you can realize your career goals helping theatened and engangered species through our conservation biology option. Make an appointment to learn more about options in our fisheries and wildlife major. Contact Information Career Path Dr. Mark Pegg Conservation Geneticist, Research Biologist, Restoration Ecologist, Refuge Manager, Undergraduate Coordinator Endangered Species Manager, Park Ranger, Environmental Education, Zoo Animal Keeper 402 Hardin Hall School of Natural Resources Special Emphasis Courses University of Nebraska Lincoln, NE 68583-0974 Conservation Biology, Genetics, Wildlife Ecology and Management, Fishereis Biology, Phone: 402-472-6824 Wildlife Management Techniques, Biology of Wildlife Populations, Tropical Ecology, Ecology email: [email protected] of Southern Africa Elyse Watson Internships Available Recruitment Coordinator 102A Hardin Hall Our students have enjoyed internships with the Nature Conservancy, the National Park School of Natural Resources Service, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, the Tern and Plover Conservation University of Nebraska Partnership, the Platte River Whooping Crane Trust and other state and federal agencies. Lincoln, NE 68583-0981 Phone: 402-472-7472 email: [email protected] COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND NATURAL RESOURCES UNL does not discriminate based upon any protected status. See go.unl.edu/nondiscrimination. | snr.unl.edu | © 2015, The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. All rights reserved. 1503.054 Fisheries and Wildlife Major Requirements CONSERVATION BIOLOGY OPTION 2017-2018 Required Courses UNL College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Bolded credit hours indicate the number of credits needed for that subject area.
    [Show full text]
  • Land-Use, Land-Cover Changes and Biodiversity Loss - Helena Freitas
    LAND USE, LAND COVER AND SOIL SCIENCES – Vol. I - Land-Use, Land-Cover Changes and Biodiversity Loss - Helena Freitas LAND-USE, LAND-COVER CHANGES AND BIODIVERSITY LOSS Helena Freitas University of Coimbra, Portugal Keywords: land use; habitat fragmentation; biodiversity loss Contents 1. Introduction 2. Primary Causes of Biodiversity Loss 2.1. Habitat Degradation and Destruction 2.2. Habitat Fragmentation 2.3. Global Climate Change 3. Strategies for Biodiversity Conservation 3.1. General 3.2. The European Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 4. Conclusions Glossary Bibliography Biographical Sketch Summary During Earth's history, species extinction has probably been caused by modifications of the physical environment after impacts such as meteorites or volcanic activity. On the contrary, the actual extinction of species is mainly a result of human activities, namely any form of land use that causes the conversion of vast areas to settlement, agriculture, and forestry, resulting in habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation, which are among the most important causes of species decline and extinction. The loss of biodiversity is unique among the major anthropogenic changes because it is irreversible. The importance of preserving biodiversity has increased in recent times. The global recognition of the alarming loss of biodiversity and the acceptance of its value resultedUNESCO in the Convention on Biologi – calEOLSS Diversity. In addition, in Europe, the challenge is also the implementation of the European strategy for biodiversity conservation and agricultural policies, though it is increasingly recognized that the strategy is limitedSAMPLE by a lack of basic ecological CHAPTERS information and indicators available to decision makers and end users. We have reached a point where we can save biodiversity only by saving the biosphere.
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Overfishing and the Recent Collapse of Coastal Ecosystems
    E COLOGY T HROUGH T IME REVIEW Historical Overfishing and the Recent Collapse of Coastal Ecosystems Jeremy B. C. Jackson,1,2* Michael X. Kirby,3 Wolfgang H. Berger,1 Karen A. Bjorndal,4 Louis W. Botsford,5 Bruce J. Bourque,6 Roger H. Bradbury,7 Richard Cooke,2 Jon Erlandson,8 James A. Estes,9 Terence P. Hughes,10 Susan Kidwell,11 Carina B. Lange,1 Hunter S. Lenihan,12 John M. Pandolfi,13 Charles H. Peterson,12 Robert S. Steneck,14 Mia J. Tegner,1† Robert R. Warner15 Ecological extinction caused by overfishing precedes all other pervasive longer term cycles or shifts in oceanographic human disturbance to coastal ecosystems, including pollution, degrada- regimes and productivity (15–17). To help ad- tion of water quality, and anthropogenic climate change. Historical abun- dress this problem, we describe ecosystem dances of large consumer species were fantastically large in comparison structure predating modern ecological studies with recent observations. Paleoecological, archaeological, and historical using well-dated time series based on biological data show that time lags of decades to centuries occurred between the (18, 19), biogeochemical (20, 21), physical onset of overfishing and consequent changes in ecological communities, (22), and historical (23) proxies that are infor- because unfished species of similar trophic level assumed the ecological mative over a variety of spatial scales and bio- roles of overfished species until they too were overfished or died of geographic realms (24). Although proxies vary epidemic diseases related to overcrowding. Retrospective data not only in precision and clarity of the signals they mea- help to clarify underlying causes and rates of ecological change, but they sure, the use of multiple proxies that give the also demonstrate achievable goals for restoration and management of same ecological signal greatly increases confi- coastal ecosystems that could not even be contemplated based on the dence in results.
    [Show full text]
  • Effects of Human Disturbance on Terrestrial Apex Predators
    diversity Review Effects of Human Disturbance on Terrestrial Apex Predators Andrés Ordiz 1,2,* , Malin Aronsson 1,3, Jens Persson 1 , Ole-Gunnar Støen 4, Jon E. Swenson 2 and Jonas Kindberg 4,5 1 Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-730 91 Riddarhyttan, Sweden; [email protected] (M.A.); [email protected] (J.P.) 2 Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Postbox 5003, NO-1432 Ås, Norway; [email protected] 3 Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden 4 Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway; [email protected] (O.-G.S.); [email protected] (J.K.) 5 Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: The effects of human disturbance spread over virtually all ecosystems and ecological communities on Earth. In this review, we focus on the effects of human disturbance on terrestrial apex predators. We summarize their ecological role in nature and how they respond to different sources of human disturbance. Apex predators control their prey and smaller predators numerically and via behavioral changes to avoid predation risk, which in turn can affect lower trophic levels. Crucially, reducing population numbers and triggering behavioral responses are also the effects that human disturbance causes to apex predators, which may in turn influence their ecological role. Some populations continue to be at the brink of extinction, but others are partially recovering former ranges, via natural recolonization and through reintroductions.
    [Show full text]
  • Russia's Boreal Forests
    Forest Area Key Facts & Carbon Emissions Russia’s Boreal Forests from Deforestation Forest location and brief description Russia is home to more than one-fifth of the world’s forest areas (approximately 763.5 million hectares). The Russian landscape is highly diverse, including polar deserts, arctic and sub-arctic tundra, boreal and semi-tundra larch forests, boreal and temperate coniferous forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, forest-steppe and steppe (temperate grasslands, savannahs, and shrub-lands), semi-deserts and deserts. Russian boreal forests (known in Russia as the taiga) represent the largest forested region on Earth (approximately 12 million km2), larger than the Amazon. These forests have relatively few tree species, and are composed mainly of birch, pine, spruce, fir, with some deciduous species. Mixed in among the forests are bogs, fens, marshes, shallow lakes, rivers and wetlands, which hold vast amounts of water. They contain more than 55 per cent of the world’s conifers, and 11 per cent of the world’s biomass. Unique qualities of forest area Russia’s boreal region includes several important Global 200 ecoregions - a science-based global ranking of the Earth’s most biologically outstanding habitats. Among these is the Eastern-Siberian Taiga, which contains the largest expanse of untouched boreal forest in the world. Russia’s largest populations of brown bear, moose, wolf, red fox, reindeer, and wolverine can be found in this region. Bird species include: the Golden eagle, Black- billed capercaillie, Siberian Spruce grouse, Siberian accentor, Great gray owl, and Naumann’s thrush. Russia’s forests are also home to the Siberian tiger and Far Eastern leopard.
    [Show full text]
  • Potential Invasive Plant Expansion in Global Ecoregions Under Climate Change
    Potential invasive plant expansion in global ecoregions under climate change Chun-Jing Wang1,2, Qiang-Feng Li2 and Ji-Zhong Wan1 1 State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, China 2 College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining, China ABSTRACT Climate change is increasing the risk of invasive plant expansion worldwide. However, few studies have specified the relationship between invasive plant expansion and ecoregions at the global scale under climate change. To address this gap, we provide risk maps highlighting the response of invasive plant species (IPS), with a focus on terrestrial and freshwater ecoregions to climate change, and further explore the climatic features of ecosystems with a high potential for invasive plant expansion under climate change. We use species distribution modelling to predict the suitable habitats of IPS with records at the global scale. Hotspots with a potential risk of IPS (such as aquatic plants, trees, and herbs) expanding in global ecoregions were distributed in Northern Europe, the UK, South America, North America, southwest China, and New Zealand. Temperature changes were related to the potential of IPS expansion in global ecoregions under climate change. Coastal and high latitude ecoregions, such as temperate forests, alpine vegetation, and coastal rivers, were severely infiltrated by IPS under climate change. Monitoring strategies should be defined for climate change for IPS, particularly for aquatic plants, trees, and herbs in the biomes of regions with coastal or high latitudes. The role of climate change on the potential for IPS expansion should be taken into consideration for biological conservation and risk evaluation of IPS at ecoregional scales.
    [Show full text]
  • Fire Exclusion Forest Service in Rocky Mountain Ecosystems: Rocky Mountain Research Station
    United States Department of Agriculture Cascading Effects of Fire Exclusion Forest Service in Rocky Mountain Ecosystems: Rocky Mountain Research Station General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-91 A Literature Review May 2002 Robert E. Keane, Kevin C. Ryan Tom T. Veblen, Craig D. Allen Jesse Logan, Brad Hawkes Abstract Keane, Robert E.; Ryan, Kevin C.; Veblen, Tom T.; Allen, Craig D.; Logan, Jessie; Hawkes, Brad. 2002. Cascading effects of fire exclusion in the Rocky Mountain ecosystems: a literature review. General Technical Report. RMRS- GTR-91. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 24 p. The health of many Rocky Mountain ecosystems is in decline because of the policy of excluding fire in the management of these ecosystems. Fire exclusion has actually made it more difficult to fight fires, and this poses greater risks to the people who fight fires and for those who live in and around Rocky Mountain forests and rangelands. This paper discusses the extent of fire exclusion in the Rocky Mountains, then details the diverse and cascading effects of suppressing fires in the Rocky Mountain landscape by spatial scale, ecosystem characteristic, and vegetation type. Also discussed are the varied effects of fire exclusion on some important, keystone ecosystems and human concerns. Keywords: wildland fire, fire exclusion, fire effects, landscape ecology Research Summary Since the early 1930s, fire suppression programs in the United States and Canada successfully reduced wildland fires in many Rocky Mountain ecosystems. This lack of fires has created forest and range landscapes with atypical accumulations of fuels that pose a hazard to many ecosystem characteristics.
    [Show full text]
  • Controlled Animals
    Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Fish and Wildlife Policy Division Controlled Animals Wildlife Regulation, Schedule 5, Part 1-4: Controlled Animals Subject to the Wildlife Act, a person must not be in possession of a wildlife or controlled animal unless authorized by a permit to do so, the animal was lawfully acquired, was lawfully exported from a jurisdiction outside of Alberta and was lawfully imported into Alberta. NOTES: 1 Animals listed in this Schedule, as a general rule, are described in the left hand column by reference to common or descriptive names and in the right hand column by reference to scientific names. But, in the event of any conflict as to the kind of animals that are listed, a scientific name in the right hand column prevails over the corresponding common or descriptive name in the left hand column. 2 Also included in this Schedule is any animal that is the hybrid offspring resulting from the crossing, whether before or after the commencement of this Schedule, of 2 animals at least one of which is or was an animal of a kind that is a controlled animal by virtue of this Schedule. 3 This Schedule excludes all wildlife animals, and therefore if a wildlife animal would, but for this Note, be included in this Schedule, it is hereby excluded from being a controlled animal. Part 1 Mammals (Class Mammalia) 1. AMERICAN OPOSSUMS (Family Didelphidae) Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana 2. SHREWS (Family Soricidae) Long-tailed Shrews Genus Sorex Arboreal Brown-toothed Shrew Episoriculus macrurus North American Least Shrew Cryptotis parva Old World Water Shrews Genus Neomys Ussuri White-toothed Shrew Crocidura lasiura Greater White-toothed Shrew Crocidura russula Siberian Shrew Crocidura sibirica Piebald Shrew Diplomesodon pulchellum 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Red List of Endemic IUCN Red CITES Bern Bonn Georgia Species of the List Conventi Convention Caucasus on (CMS) 1
    Latin name Georgian Name English name Red List of Endemic IUCN Red CITES Bern Bonn Georgia species of the list Conventi Convention Caucasus on (CMS) 1. Capra aegagrus niamori Wild Goat, Bezoar CR VU II Erxleben. Goat 2. Capra caucasica dasavleTkavkasiuri West Caucasian EN + EN Güldenstädt & jixvi Tur Pallas. 3. Capra aRmosavleTkavkasiuri East Caucasian VU + NT cylindricornis Blyth. jixvi Tur, Dagestan Tur 4. Capreolus capreolus evropuli Sveli European Roe LC Linnaeus. Deer 5. Gazella qurciki, jeirani Goitered Gazelle RE VU II subgutturosa Güldenstädt. 6. Rupicapra arCvi, fsiti Northern Chamois EN LC II rupicapra Linnaeus. 7. Cervus elaphus keTilSobili iremi Red Deer CR LC II I Linnaeus. 8. Sus scrofa gareuli Rori, taxi Eurasian Wild LC Linnaeus. Boar 9. Canis aureus tura Golden Jackal LC III Linnaeus. 10. Canis lupus mgeli Grey Wolf LC II II Linnaeus. 11. Nyctereutes enotisebri ZaRli Racoon Dog LC procyonoides Gray. 12. Vulpes vulpes mela Red Fox LC III Linnaeus. 13. Felis chaus lelianis kata Jungle Cat VU LC II Schreber. 14. Felis silvestris tyis kata Wild Cat LC II II Shreber. 15. Felis libyca Forster. velis kata Steppe Cat 16. Lynx lynx Linnaeus. focxveri Eurasian Lynx CR LC II 17. Panthera pardus jiqi Leopard CR NT I II Linnaeus. 18. Hyaena hyaena afTari Striped Hyaena CR NT Linnaeus. 19. Lutra lutra wavi Eurasian Otter, VU NT I II Linnaeus. Common Otter 20. Martes foina kldis kverna Stone Marten, LC III Erxleben. Beech Marten 21. Martes martes tyis kverna European Pine LC Linnaeus. Marten 22. Meles meles maCvi Eurasian Badger LC Linnaeus. 23. Mustela lutreola waula European Mink EN II Linnaeus.
    [Show full text]
  • Fossil Lemur from Northern Madagascar (Palaeopropithecidae/Primate Evolution/Postcranium) WILLIAM L
    Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 88, pp. 9082-9086, October 1991 Evolution Phylogenetic and functional affinities of Babakotia (Primates), a fossil lemur from northern Madagascar (Palaeopropithecidae/primate evolution/postcranium) WILLIAM L. JUNGERSt, LAURIE R. GODFREYt, ELWYN L. SIMONS§, PRITHUJIT S. CHATRATH§, AND BERTHE RAKOTOSAMIMANANA$ tDepartment of Anatomical Sciences, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 117948081; tDepartment of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003; §Department of Biological Anatomy and Anthropology and Primate Center, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705; and IService de Paldontologie, Universit6 d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar Contributed by Elwyn L. Simons, July 2, 1991 ABSTRACT Recent paleontological expeditions to the An- Craniodental Anatomy and Tooth Shape karana range of northern Madagascar have recovered the partial remains offour individuals ofa newly recognized extinct With an estimated body mass ofjust over 15 kg, Babakotia lemur, Babakoda radofia. Craniodental and postcranial ma- is a medium-sized indroid somewhat larger than the largest terial serve to identify Babakota as a member of the palae- living indrid (Indri) but similar in size to several of the opropithecids (also including the extinct genera Palaeopropith- smallest extinct lemurs, Mesopropithecus and Pachylemur ecus, Archaeoindris, and Mesopropithecus). Living indrids (4). A detailed description of the maxillary dentition of form the sister group to this fossil lade. The postcranial Babakotia exists
    [Show full text]
  • Dynamics of Biodiversity Change After Deforestation
    Rev. Cient. Cien. Nat. Ambien. 11(1):28-36 Gilbert • Dinámica de cambios de diversidad después Junio 2017 ISSN: 1390-8413 de deforestación Dynamics of biodiversity change after deforestation Dinámica de cambios de diversidad después de deforestación Guillermo Javier Gilbert-Jaramillo Postgraduate student. Imperial College London. London, SW7 2AZ, UK. Tel: +44(0)207589511 Recibido 5 de mayo 2017; recibido en forma revisada 26 de mayo 2017, aceptado 5 de junio 2017 Disponible en línea 26 de junio 2017 Abstract The many changes that forests have suffered over the last century have led to biodiversity loss around the planet. In order to understand these processes and try to predict future biological diversity loss, spatial comparisons have commonly been used. This research uses spatial and temporal data aiming to understand better the dynamics of these changes caused by deforestation. A meta-Analysis was conducted compiling information from 13 studies using before-after-control- impact design (BACI) to examine abundance response to deforestation. The results show clearly that biodiversity tends to decline in the five years after forest loss, though losses are not significant within the first two years. It was also found that the effects of deforestation on species abundance varied significantly among taxonomic groups, physical level species occupy in the ecosystem, type of disturbance, type of perturbation, and constancy in the surveys. The outcome of this research agrees with results of studies with spatial comparisons, though it is not yet possible to conclude which is best to predict biodiversity changes. However, these findings deepen our understanding of the complexity of biodiversity change and deforestation and emphasize importance of generating more studies that include temporal data.
    [Show full text]
  • Atlantic Halibut of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Divisions 4RST)
    Fisheries and Oceans Pêches et Océans Canada Canada Science Sciences DFO Science Laurentian Region Stock Status Report A4-02 (2000) 52 3K Québec 50 4S 4R Terre-Neuve Québec 48 4T 3L Nouveau-Brunswick 3Pn 4Vn 3Ps Atlantic Halibut of the Gulf of 46 St. Lawrence (Divisions 4RST) 44 Background The Atlantic halibut of divisions 4RST can be found 4X 4W 4Vs 3O 42 throughout the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. In the 70 68 66 64 62 60 58 56 54 52 northern Gulf, they are more abundant in the Esquiman, Laurentian and Anticosti channels, at depths of 200 m and over. In the southern Gulf, the highest concentrations are Figure 1. Map of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and found in shallower water (less than 100 m) near the Miscou adjacent regions showing NAFO divisions 4RST. Bank, north of Prince Edward Island, northwest of Cape Breton Island and around the Magdalen Islands. This species grows fast and continuously, at a mean rate of Summary about 7.5–8.5 cm per year (Figure 2). The growth rate for • Since 1995, mean annual landings of males and females is comparable, although female halibut reach a larger maximum size than males. Based on Atlantic halibut have been around 275 t, observations made during scientific trawl surveys twice the mean annual landings for conducted in January and May, it appears that the Gulf 1992–95 (135 t), but comparable to those halibut is able to spawn during those periods. of the late 1980s. They are still well The high landings of Atlantic halibut made during the first below the values of 1000 t and over half of the 20th century indicate that the Gulf stock was regularly recorded during the first half of under very strong fishing pressure at the time.
    [Show full text]