Cultivated lands have undergone a shift towards intensification and increased productivity, favoring provisioning services at the expense of regulating and cultural services. Cultivated lands have rarely been researched as a provider of cultural services.
ObjectivesThe overarching goal of this study is to assess sense of place across cultivated lands. To do so, we used participatory mapping to elicit public knowledge of the past and present coverage of agricultural areas, as well as to reveal the public sense of place attached to cultivated lands and perceptions about future land-use pathways.
MethodsThis study was conducted in an agrarian and rural region of SE Madrid (Spain), where we did ecosystem service participatory mapping workshops with key stakeholders related to the agrarian sector: farming professionals, land-use decision-makers and planners and other local actors.
ResultsWe identified linkages between cultivated lands and sense of place as a key cultural service. The locations most pinpointed for its sense of place overlapped with cultivated lands. The future land-use pathways that showed the highest agreement between the likelihood and interest in their promotion were the increases in green and/or protected areas and orchards. Extensive crops and urban areas the land-use pathways with the highest dissonance.
ConclusionsThe results encourage land planners and researchers to approach landscape values in relation to the sense of place. We concluded that cultivated lands present a sense of place, and this link has the possible to root society in agricultural landscape through the establishment of belongingness, stewardship and care connections.
相似文献Human appropriation of net primary productivity (HANPP) is employed as a measure of human pressures on biodiversity, though largely at global and national scales rather than landscape to regional scales where many conservation decisions take place. Though gaining in familiarity, HANPP is not widely utilized by conservation professionals.
ObjectivesThis study, encompassing the US side of the Great Lakes basin, examines how regional distributions of HANPP relate to landscape-based biodiversity proxy metrics used by conservation professionals. Our objectives were (1) to quantify the HANPP of managed lands at the county scale; and (2) to assess spatial patterns of HANPP in comparison to landscape diversity and local habitat connectedness to determine if the metric can provide useful information to conservation professionals.
MethodsWe aggregated forest and cropland NPP data between 2005 and 2015 and coupled it with previously published potential vegetation maps to quantify the HANPP of each county in the study region. We mapped the outputs at 500 m resolution to analyze spatial relationships between HANPP and landscape metrics of biodiversity potential.
ResultsArea-weighted HANPP across our study region averaged 45% of NPP, down to 4.9% in forest-dominated counties. Greater HANPP correlated with reduced landscape diversity (p?<?0.001, r2?=?0.28) and reduced local habitat connectedness (p?<?0.001, r2?=?0.36).
ConclusionHANPP could be used as an additional tool for conservation professionals during regional-scale land use planning or conservation decision-making, particularly in mixed-use landscapes that both support important biodiversity and have high levels of primary production harvest.
相似文献National borders remain an impediment to efficient preservation of biodiversity and ecosystems. For transboundary water resources, conservation planning becomes more challenging, as competitive interests make these sensitive and productive systems focal points of interstate conflicts.
ObjectivesThis global study aims to explore the patterns of protection coverage for transnational lakes and their catchments, highlighting gaps and inconsistencies at the protection observed among countries sharing the same lake.
MethodsIdentifying 793 transnational lakes globally, we initially investigated protection coverage at their water bodies. Next, we explored protection coverage patterns across each lake’s catchment, in which we also quantified human pressures’ extent and intensity. Socio-economic and political parameters were examined as potential predictors of the observed patterns.
ResultsOnly half of the world’s transnational lakes are fully or partly covered by existing protected areas. Our analysis demonstrated that in only 37% of the protected transnational lakes, the extent of protection coverage was similar in the neighboring counties sharing the same lake. Protection patterns were not driven by the relative area of the transnational lakes found in the neighboring countries. Moreover, protection cover focuses mainly on lakes’ water surface ignoring the terrestrial surroundings, while more than 75% of the catchments are subjected to intense human pressures.
ConclusionsProviding the first overview of the protection gaps of transnational lakes globally, we highlight a failure of policy responses to cross-border conservation of sensitive freshwater ecosystems. Consequently, such limitations are likely to loom risks for human well‐being and for the initiation of intense conflicts.
相似文献Modifications in natural landcover generally result in a loss of habitat availability for wildlife and it’s persistence will depend largely on their spatial configuration and functional connections. Argenteohyla siemersi is a threatened and endemic amphibian whose habitat is composed of forest patches near rivers and water bodies edges.
ObjectivesThis study aimed to analyse the accessible habitat for this species and identify key elements to maintain its ecological network in two different types of land uses: an anthropized area with extensive cattle raising and a protected area.
MethodsThe structural and functional characteristics of both landscapes were analyzed. The connectivity at landscape level and the contribution of each habitat patch were evaluated through simulation models with different dispersion distances in the context of the graph theory.
ResultsIn both landscapes, nine types of landcover were identified with different compositions. Remarkable differences were found in habitat connectivity for this amphibian species between both landscapes. As the percentage of dispersion distance increases, reachable habitat increases as well, although with higher percentages in the protected area. Two corridors were identified in the protected landscape and one in the rangeland one; patches and key links constituted all of them.
ConclusionsThe present work provides spatially explicit results with a quantitative basis. It could be useful as a tool for the development of management plans aimed at guaranteeing the functionality of the ecological network for this endangered species and, therefore, contribute to its long-term conservation.
相似文献Context
Protected areas are a cornerstone of the global strategy for conserving biodiversity, and yet their efficacy in comparison to unprotected areas is rarely tested. In the highly fragmented forests of temperate regions, landscape context and forest history may be more important than protection status for plant species diversity.Objectives
To determine whether there are differences in plant diversity between protected areas and private lands while controlling for landscape context, forest age, and other important factors.Methods
We used a database of 156 one-hectare forest plots distributed over 120,000 km2 in the fragmented forests of southern Ontario to test whether protected areas and private forests differed in native species richness, relative abundance of exotic species, and the probability of finding species of conservation concern.Results
Plots with more forest on the surrounding landscape had higher native species richness, lower abundance of exotic species, and greater probability of supporting at least one species of conservation concern. Young forests tended to have higher abundance of exotics, and were less likely to support species of conservation concern. Surprisingly, privately owned forests had greater native species richness and were more likely to support species of conservation concern once these other factors were accounted for. In addition, there were significant interactions between ownership type, forest history, and landscape context.Conclusions
Our results highlight the importance of privately owned forests in this region, and the need to consider forest history and landscape context when comparing the efficacy of protected areas versus private land for sustaining biodiversity.In the Andalusia region (Spain), olive grove agro-systems cover a wide area, forming social-ecological landscapes. Recent socioeconomic changes have increased the vulnerability of these landscapes, resulting in the abandonment and intensification of farms. The provision of the main ecosystem services of these landscapes have thus been degraded.
ObjectivesTo analyse the sustainability of an olive grove social-ecological landscape in Andalusia. Specifically, to develop a quantitative model proposing land planning and management scenarios, considering abandonment, production and economic benefits of olive crops in different conditions of erosion and management.
MethodsWe applied a dynamic model using agronomic and economic data, to evaluate different types of olive management. We considered different levels of erosion, the loss of production related to this erosion, and useful life spans for each type of management. We simulated scenarios for the long-term assessment of dynamics of crops, abandonment rate, production and benefits.
Results(a) There was a loss of productive lands and benefits in the medium term in the more intensive crops. (b) Scenarios that partially incorporated ecological management proved to be more sustainable without economic subsidies. (c) The spatial combination of integrated, intensive and ecological plots was sustainable, and was well balanced from an economic, productive and ecological point of view.
ConclusionsScenarios that partially incorporate ecological management allowed the best economic and environmental balance. However, to ensure the sustainability of olive landscapes, farmers should be financially rewarded for their role in the conservation of ecosystem services through landscape stewardship and direct environmental payments.
相似文献We describe how large landscape-scale conservation initiatives involving local communities, NGOs and resource managers have engaged with landscape scientists with the goal of achieving landscape sustainability. We focus on two landscapes where local people, practitioners and landscape ecologists have co-produced knowledge to design conservation interventions.
ObjectiveWe seek to understand how landscape ecology can engage with practical landscape management to contribute to managing landscapes sustainably.
MethodsWe focus on two large tropical landscapes: the Sangha Tri-National landscape (Cameroon, Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic) and the Batéké-Léfini Landscape (Gabon and Republic of Congo). We evaluate (1) a participatory method used in the Sangha Tri-National landscape that embeds interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners within a landscape to apply transdisciplinary learning to landscape conservation and (2) a participatory landscape zoning method where interdisciplinary teams of conservation practitioners analyse local land and resource use in the Batéké-Léfini landscape.
ResultsWe find that landscape ecology’s tradition of understanding the historical context of resource use can inform landscape conservation practice and natural resource mapping. We also find that the Sangha Group provides an example for landscape ecology on how to integrate local people and their knowledge to better understand and influence landscape processes.
ConclusionsPlace-based engagement as well as the uptake of co-produced knowledge by policy makers are key in enabling sustainable landscapes. Success occurs when researchers, local communities and resource managers engage directly with landscape processes.
相似文献Global pollinator decline has motivated much research to understand the underlying mechanisms. Among the multiple pressures threatening pollinators, habitat loss has been suggested as a key-contributing factor. While habitat destruction is often associated with immediate negative impacts, pollinators can also exhibit delayed responses over time.
ObjectivesWe used a trait-based approach to investigate how past and current land use at both local and landscape levels impact plant and wild bee communities in grasslands through a functional lens.
MethodsWe measured flower and bee morphological traits that mediate plant–bee trophic linkage in 66 grasslands. Using an extensive database of 20 years of land-use records, we tested the legacy effects of the landscape-level conversion of grassland to crop on flower and bee trait diversity.
ResultsLand-use history was a strong driver of flower and bee trait diversity in grasslands. Particularly, bee trait diversity was lower in landscapes where much of the land was converted from grassland to crop long ago. Bee trait diversity was also strongly driven by plant trait diversity computed with flower traits. However, this relationship was not observed in landscapes with a long history of grassland-to-crop conversion. The effects of land-use history on bee communities were as strong as those of current land use, such as grassland or mass-flowering crop cover in the landscape.
ConclusionsHabitat loss that occurred long ago in agricultural landscapes alters the relationship between plants and bees over time. The retention of permanent grassland sanctuaries within intensive agricultural landscapes can offset bee decline.
相似文献Habitat edges are integral features of conservation corridors and can influence corridor function and effectiveness. Edge orientation is linked to corridor design and can shape edge responses by changing habitat conditions along edges as well as contrast between conserved habitats and transformed areas.
ObjectivesWe assess whether corridor orientation affects butterfly assemblages in conservation corridors. To do this, we investigate how edge orientation influences butterfly diversity and abundance along forestry plantation edges, and compare this to another important design variable, corridor width.
MethodsButterflies were recorded along the sunny austral north- and shady austral south-orientated edges in grassland conservation corridors that dissect forestry plantations, as well as corridor interior sites. Species richness, abundance and similarity to interior sites were modelled using local habitat variables (ambient temperature, floral resources, and time of day), as well as corridor design variables (corridor width, orientation and an estimate of edge contrast influenced by orientation).
ResultsBoth edge orientation and corridor width were important for butterfly diversity along corridor edges. Wider corridors enhanced overall species richness and promoted similarity between edge and interior habitats. Concurrently, grassland specialist species preferred the sunnier edges (i.e., north facing in the southern hemisphere) while forest- specialists showed a preference for the shadier edges (south facing edges). Edge orientation influenced resident butterflies more strongly than transient butterflies and influenced specialists more strongly than generalists.
ConclusionsCorridor orientation and width are complementary design variables for butterfly conservation. Wide corridors at a variety of orientations benefit different subsets of the butterfly assemblage, and the whole corridor (including both edges) is important to consider in conservation planning to capture all biodiversity.
相似文献One approach to maintain the resilience of biotic communities is to protect the variability of abiotic characteristics of Earth’s surface, i.e. geodiversity. In terrestrial environments, the relationship between geodiversity and biodiversity is well recognized. In streams, the abiotic properties of upstream catchments influence stream communities, but the relationships between catchment geodiversity and aquatic biodiversity have not been previously tested.
ObjectivesThe aim was to compare the effects of local environmental and catchment variables on stream biodiversity. We specifically explored the usefulness of catchment geodiversity in explaining the species richness on stream macroinvertebrate, diatom and bacterial communities.
MethodsWe used 3 geodiversity variables, 2 land use variables and 4 local habitat variables to examine species richness variation across 88 stream sites in western Finland. We used boosted regression trees to explore the effects of geodiversity and other variables on biodiversity.
ResultsWe detected a clear effect of catchment geodiversity on species richness, although the traditional local habitat and land use variables were the strongest predictors. Especially soil-type richness appeared as an important factor for species richness. While variables related to stream size were the most important for macroinvertebrate richness and partly for bacterial richness, the importance of water chemistry and land use for diatom richness was notable.
ConclusionsIn addition to traditional environmental variables, geodiversity may affect species richness variation in streams, for example through changes in water chemistry. Geodiversity information could be used as a proxy for predicting stream species richness and offers a supplementary tool for conservation efforts.
相似文献We address understanding of whole-system and landscape-based approaches to the ecosystem services framework by considering the supply of provisioning services and the dynamics of agricultural land use in Scotland between 1940 and 2016.
ObjectivesTo characterise and understand the dynamics of change in provisioning services from agriculture in Scotland over the period 1940–2016. To identify ways in which funds of capitals and flows of inputs and output ecosystem goods are linked to land management practices and policies at a national scale.
MethodsData describing agricultural land use, production, financial and energy inputs and outputs, and drivers of change in land use in Scotland are analysed with an accounting framework that links funds of natural, human, physical and financial capital, with flows of goods and services. Flow–fund ratios are used as benchmarks of system performance and dynamics.
ResultsScotland’s agriculture has modernised since 1940 and become more efficient in conversion of resources, with a consequent increase in delivery of provisioning goods and services. Although the energy ratio, and flow of goods per unit hectare and per unit labour have increased, the inputs necessary to maintain those flows of ecosystem goods are also increasing, even as their relative economic costs decrease. Increases in use of fertiliser suggests that production from the soil, as a natural capital fund, is not being conserved without a large, and increasing, input. Analysis of the complexity of the coupled agricultural land system also suggests that land management rather than biodiversity is a necessary subject for evaluation of provisioning services from agriculture. Understanding of ecosystem services based on accounts that integrate inputs, outputs and flows from funds of natural, human, social, financial and physical capitals, provides a process-based foundation for improved understanding of ecosystem services and human–environmental relationships.
ConclusionsAdopting an accounting approach for understanding the role of agricultural land use for supply of provisioning services, and particularly examining a long time-series of accounts, enables understanding of land changes and underlying drivers, as well as the contribution of cultural and other aspects of human systems coupled with environment systems. Accounting for ecosystem services using costs as well as benefits, and use of metrics beyond financial benefit, supports debate and evaluation of trade-offs between services and has direct relevance for decision- and policy-making.
相似文献Graph-theoretic evaluations of habitat connectivity often rely upon least-cost path analyses to evaluate connectedness of habitat patches, based on an underlying cost surface. We present two improvements upon these methods.
ObjectivesAs a case study to test these methods, we evaluated habitat connectivity for the endangered San Martin titi monkey (Plecturocebus oenanthe) in north-central Peru, to prioritize habitat patches for conservation.
MethodsFirst, rather than using a single least-cost path between habitat patches, we analyzed multigraphs made up of multiple low-cost paths. This allows us to differentiate between patches connected through a single narrow corridor, and patches connected by a wide swath of traversable land. We evaluate potential movement pathways by iteratively removing paths and recomputing connectivity metrics. Second, instead of performing a sensitivity analysis by varying costs uniformly across the landscape, we generated landscapes with spatially varying costs.
ResultsThis approach produced a more informative assessment of connectivity than standard graph analyses. Of the 4340 habitat patches considered across the landscape, we identified the most important 100, those frequently ranked highly through repeated network modifications, for multiple metrics and cost surfaces.
ConclusionsThese methods represent a novel approach for assessing connectivity, better accounting for spatial configurations of habitat patches and uncertainty in cost surfaces. The ability to identify habitat patches with more possible routes to other patches is of interest for resiliency planning and prioritization in the face of continued habitat loss and climate change. These methods should be broadly applicable to conservation planning for other wildlife species.
相似文献Remote sensing has been a foundation of landscape ecology. The spatial resolution (pixel size) of remotely sensed land cover products has improved since the introduction of landscape ecology in the United States. Because patterns depend on spatial resolution, emerging improvements in the spatial resolution of land cover may lead to new insights about the scaling of landscape patterns.
ObjectiveWe compared forest fragmentation measures derived from very high resolution (1 m2) data with the same measures derived from the commonly used (30 m?×??30 m; 900 m2) Landsat-based data.
MethodsWe applied area-density scaling to binary (forest; non-forest) maps for both sources to derive source-specific estimates of dominant (density ≥?60%), interior (≥?90%), and intact (100%) forest.
ResultsSwitching from low- to high-resolution data produced statistical and geographic shifts in forest spatial patterns. Forest and non-forest features that were “invisible” at low resolution but identifiable at high resolution resulted in higher estimates of dominant and interior forest but lower estimates of intact forest from the high-resolution source. Overall, the high-resolution data detected more forest that was more contagiously distributed even at larger spatial scales.
ConclusionWe anticipate that improvements in the spatial resolution of remotely sensed land cover products will advance landscape ecology through re-interpretations of patterns and scaling, by fostering new landscape pattern measurements, and by testing new spatial pattern-ecological process hypotheses.
相似文献Urbanization can affect the density of hosts, altering patterns of infection risk in wildlife. Most studies examining associations between urbanization and host-parasite interactions have focused on vertebrate wildlife that carry zoonotic pathogens, and less is known about responses of other host taxa, including insects.
ObjectivesHere we ask whether urban development predicts infection by a protozoan, Ophyrocystis elektroscirrha, in three populations of monarchs (Danaus plexippus): migratory monarchs in northeastern U.S., non-migratory monarchs in southeastern coastal U.S., and non-migratory monarchs in Hawaii.
MethodsWe used impervious surface and developed land cover classes from the National Land Cover Database to derive proportional measures of urban development and an index of land cover aggregation at two spatial scales. Parasite data were from previous field sampling (Hawaii) and a citizen science project focused on monarch infection in North America.
ResultsProportional measures of urban development predicted greater infection prevalence for non-migratory monarchs sampled in the southern coastal U.S. and Hawaii, but not in the northern U.S. Aggregations of low intensity development, dominated by single-family housing, predicted greater infection prevalence in monarchs from the northern and southern coastal U.S. populations, but predicted lower infection prevalence in Hawaii.
ConclusionsBecause natural habitats have been reduced by land-use change, plantings for monarchs in residential areas and urban gardens has become popular among the public. Mechanisms that underlie higher infection prevalence in urban landscapes remain unknown. Further monitoring and experimental studies are needed to inform strategies for habitat management to lower infection risk for monarchs.
相似文献Organisations acting to conserve and protect species across large spatial scales prioritise to optimise use of resources. Spatial conservation prioritization tools typically focus on identifying areas containing species groups of interest, with few tools used to identify the best areas for single-species conservation, in particular, to conserve currently widespread but declining species.
ObjectiveA single-species prioritization framework, based on temporal and spatial patterns of occupancy and abundance, was developed to spatially prioritize conservation action for widespread species by identifying smaller areas to work within to achieve predefined conservation objectives.
MethodsWe demonstrate our approach for 29 widespread bird species in the UK, using breeding bird atlas data from two periods to define distribution, relative abundance and change in relative abundance. We selected occupied 10-km squares with abundance trends that matched species conservation objectives relating to maintaining or increasing population size or range, and then identified spatial clusters of squares for each objective using a Getis-Ord-Gi* or near neighbour analysis.
ResultsFor each species, the framework identified clusters of 20-km squares that enabled us to identify small areas in which species recovery action could be prioritized.
ConclusionsOur approach identified a proportion of species’ ranges to prioritize for species recovery. This approach is a relatively quick process that can be used to inform single-species conservation for any taxa if sufficiently fine-scale occupancy and abundance information is available for two or more time periods. This is a relatively simple first step for planning single-species focussed conservation to help optimise resource use.
相似文献Climate change has imposed tremendous impacts on ecosystem services. Recent attempts to quantify such impacts mainly focused on a basin or larger scale, or used limited time periods that largely ignore observations of long-term trends at a fine resolution, thereby affecting the recognition of climate change’s effect on ecosystem services.
ObjectivesThis study conducts a detailed and spatially explicit recognition of climate change’s effect on ecosystem services and provides an intuitive map for decision-making and climate change adaptation planning.
MethodsWe used long-term time series of ecosystem service assessments and various future climate scenarios to quantify the sensitivity and future exposure of ecosystem services to climate change on the Tibetan Plateau.
ResultsCarbon sequestration (CS) and habitat quality experience significant growth, while water retention did not show any trend. Sensitivity patterns of these ecosystem services vary largely. For CS, more than half of the pixels showed a positive sensitivity to climate change, even though the degree of sensitivity is not high. There is substantial spatial heterogeneity in the exposure of ecosystem services to future climate changes, and high levels of future climate change increase the intensity of exposure.
ConclusionsThis study illustrates the complex spatial association between ecosystem services and climatic drivers, and these findings can help optimize local response strategies in the context of global warming. For example, the existing protected areas have notable conservation gaps for disturbance of future climate change on ecosystem services, especially in the southeastern part of the study area.
相似文献Coastal landscapes evolve in response to sea-level rise (SLR) through a variety of geologic processes and ecological feedbacks. When the SLR rate surpasses the rate at which these processes build elevation and drive lateral migration, inundation is likely.
ObjectivesTo examine the role of land cover diversity and composition in landscape response to SLR across the northeastern United States.
MethodsUsing an existing probabilistic framework, we quantify the probability of inundation, a measure of vulnerability, under different SLR scenarios on the coastal landscape. Resistant areas—wherein a dynamic response is anticipated—are defined as unlikely (p < 0.33) to inundate. Results are assessed regionally for different land cover types and at 26 sites representing varying levels of land cover diversity.
ResultsModeling results suggest that by the 2050s, 44% of low-lying, habitable land in the region is unlikely to inundate, further declining to 36% by the 2080s. In addition to a decrease in SLR resistance with time, these results show an increasing uncertainty that the coastal landscape will continue to evolve in response to SLR as it has in the past. We also find that resistance to SLR is correlated with land cover composition, wherein sites containing land cover types adaptable to SLR impacts show greater potential to undergo biogeomorphic state shifts rather than inundating with time.
ConclusionsOur findings support other studies that have highlighted the importance of ecological composition and diversity in stabilizing the physical landscape and suggest that flexible planning strategies, such as adaptive management, are particularly well suited for SLR preparation in diverse coastal settings.
相似文献Pattern-based spatial analysis provides methods to describe and quantitatively compare spatial patterns for categorical raster datasets. It allows for spatial search, change detection, and clustering of areas with similar patterns.
ObjectivesWe developed an R package motif as a set of open-source tools for pattern-based spatial analysis.
MethodsThis package provides most of the functionality of existing software (except spatial segmentation), but also extends the existing ideas through support for multi-layer raster datasets. It accepts larger-than-RAM datasets and works across all of the major operating systems.
ResultsIn this study, we describe the software design of the tool, its capabilities, and present four case studies. They include calculation of spatial signatures based on land cover data for regular and irregular areas, search for regions with similar patterns of geomorphons, detection of changes in land cover patterns, and clustering of areas with similar spatial patterns of land cover and landforms.
ConclusionsThe methods implemented in motif should be useful in a wide range of applications, including land management, sustainable development, environmental protection, forest cover change and urban growth monitoring, and agriculture expansion studies. The motif package homepage is https://nowosad.github.io/motif.
相似文献