Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Conservation Biogeography
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Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Conservation biogeography / edited by R. J. Ladle and R. J. Whittaker.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-4443-3503-3 (cloth) – ISBN 978-1-4443-3504-0 (pbk.)
1. Conservation biology. 2. Biodiversity conservation. 3. Protected areas. 4. Biogeography. I. Ladle, Richard J. II. Whittaker, Robert J.
QH75.C657 2011
333.95′16–dc22
2010037700
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This book is published in the following electronic formats: eBook ISBN: 9781444390018; Wiley Online Library ISBN: 9781444390001; ePub ISBN: 9781444390025
Preface
Most scientists would agree that life on Earth is currently experiencing a rapid and dramatic transformation and re-sorting, reminiscent of some of the most dramatic events in the planet’s history, such as the switches in and out of ice ages, biotic interchanges driven by the collision of continents, or the handful of massive and geologically abrupt past biodiversity collapses termed mass extinctions. All over the globe natural habitats are being transformed to suit the needs of the local human population or those of distant markets. Sometimes these changes are dramatic, such as the clearing of lowland rain forest to make way for pasture or crops. Other changes are more subtle but nonetheless have severe ramifications for the native ecology, such as the introduction of non-native species from widely distant land masses or water bodies. Moreover, these changes are taking place against a backdrop of global climate change, which has the potential to re-draw the geographic boundaries of many ecosystems.
The full consequences of the contemporary human-induced revolution in the Earth’s biota remain to be seen, although many aspects of anthropogenic impacts are already on record and many further responses to these drivers seem inevitable. Numerous species have already become extinct and, in the absence of concerted efforts to prevent this, many more seem destined to follow them into oblivion.
Another seemingly inexorable process is the convergence of communities (especially where habitats have been disturbed) caused by the assisted transport of generalist species. Known as ‘biotic homogenization’, this process overwrites the local and particular species with, very often, the same sets of successful commensal species, many of which present very significant negative impacts on ecosystems and economies. Other consequences are harder to predict, such as the impact of climate change on the make-up of communities, or even its influence on the geographic distribution of a particular species.
Ultimately, the degree to which human transformation of landscapes and ecosystems impacts on the diversity and distribution of life on Earth will be determined by the response of societies, organizations and individuals. However, to make rational informed decisions about where to invest conservation’s limited resources (both taxonomically and geographically) requires an understanding of the principles, concepts and techniques of biogeography. Although the application of biogeographical theory to conservation problems has a long history, most notably in the design of island nature reserves, we have for some time felt that there was insufficient attention being paid to exploiting biogeographical information and knowledge in the practice of conservation and in the education and training of those intent on contributing to conservation policy and practice. The goal to develop teaching material with this focus was, therefore, an integral part of our plans for a new Master’s programme in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management, taught in the University of Oxford, and in which several of our colleagues – contributing authors to this book – have also been involved over the last six years or so.
Encouraged by the interest in conservation biogeography evident within the mission statement (below) and membership of the recently formed International Biogeography Society, we set out to outline the aspirations, applications and limitations of the field in a prospective review paper published in 2005 in the journal Diversity and Distributions – A Journal of Conservation Biogeography. This paper, however, only gave the bare bones of a cohesive set of concepts and criticisms that define an important new perspective on global conservation.
Our aim in this book is therefore to expand the scope and agenda of conservation biogeography, to identify critical gaps and weaknesses, and to provide an introduction to the toolbox of concepts and methods – and thereby to produce a broad-based text for university courses and programmes. To this end, we have tried to provide a strong pedagogic structure, starting with the values and imperatives underpinning conservation that determine where and how biogeography can be used. Subsequently we develop the key concepts and frameworks before concluding with the application of biogeography to real world conservation problems.
To ensure adequate coverage of all of the most important areas of contemporary research and practice, we invited a number of colleagues, based at other universities around the world, to join with us in developing the first comprehensive textbook on conservation biogeography. Edited textbooks can often appear bitty and may lack cohesion, but it has been our great good fortune as editors that our colleagues in this venture have accepted with good grace – and, indeed, enthusiasm – our efforts to avoid such an outcome. Working within a pre-set structure, the author teams have developed, collaboratively, a text which we hope you, the reader, will find to be readable, coherent, insightful and comprehensive.
Biogeography is entering a period of innovation, growth and expansion, and it has been reinvigorated by its fusion with the younger, crisis-driven agenda of conservation science. We hope this book will contribute in a small way to attracting more students and established scientists to work in this newly emerging field, and we look forward with great interest and expectation to tracking the practical and conceptual development of the discipline in the coming years.
Finally, in furtherance of this goal, and together with our fellow contributing authors, we have pledged to donate the royalties from the present work to the International Biogeography Society, which was founded as a non-profit organization in 2000 with the following mission:
For further information on the IBS visit .
Richard J. Ladle
Viçosa, Brazil
Robert J. Whittaker
Oxford, UK
July 2010
Richard Ladle was the founding course director of the MSc Biodiversity Conservation and Management, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford. He is currently a Senior Research Associate of the School and a Visiting Professor in the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil.
Robert Whittaker is the current Academic Director of the MSc Biodiversity Conservation and Management, and holds the title of Professor of Biogeography in the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford. He was a founding member of the International Biogeography Society and is currently editor-in-chief of the Journal of Biogeography.
Acknowledgements
First and foremost we wish to thank our students (especially from the MSc Biodiversity, Conservation and Management course, University of Oxford) for discussion in class of many of the topics covered in this book. As in any such project, many individuals have contributed to shaping the content of this book by engaging with members of the author team in discussion, by supplying artwork and permission to use it, and by providing feedback on draft chapters.
We particularly wish to thank in these regards: Natalie Ban, Peter Baxter, Josie Carwardine, Megan C. Evans, Mat Gilfedder, Carissa J. Klein, Vincent Devictor, Lincoln Fishpool, Helen Fox, Richard Grenyer, Steve Jennings, Liana N. Joseph, Mike Hopkins, Andrew T. Knight, Mark V. Lomolino, Jeffrey D. Lozier, Mikko Piirainen, Thomas K. Pool, Timoth Rayden, Carsten Rahbek, David M. Richardson, Robert J. Smith, Christopher Stewart, Jens-Christian Svenning, Sebastian Troeng, and Katherine J. Willis. Carissa J. Klein and Robert J. Smith kindly contributed to two boxes within Chapter 6.
We thank Ailsa Allen for redrafting several of the figures. We thank the commissioning editor Ward Cooper, copy-editor Brian Asbury, and the production team at Wiley-Blackwell, in particular Kelvin Matthews and Camille Poire.
We thank the authors, publishers, and other institutions who have kindly given us their permission to reproduce or re-draw artwork originally published elsewhere. We apologize if any permissions requests have been overlooked in error.
Contributing authors to the book wish to recognize support received, as follows:
Miguel Araújo thanks Delta Cafés for supporting the Rui Nabeiro Biodiversity Chair at the University of Évora. His research is also funded through the EC FP6 ECOCHANGE project (Challenges in Assessing and Forecasting Biodiversity and Ecosystem Changes in Europe, contract no. 036866-GOCE).
James Watson, Richard Fuller and Hedley Grantham are supported by the Applied Environmental Decision Analysis research hub, funded through the Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities programme, Australia.
Lindsey Gillson is funded by the National Research Foundation (South Africa) and the African Climate and Development Initiative (UCT).
Catherine Parr is supported by the Trapnell Fund and the Higgins-Trapnell Family Foundation.
Hugh Possingham is an ARC Federation Fellow and his work is supported by The Australian Research Council and an Australian Commonwealth Environmental Research Facility grant.
Kostas Triantis is supported by a FCT Fellowship (SFRH/BPD/44306/2008).
Kerrie Wilson is an ARC Research Fellow and her work is supported by The Australian Research Council.
Contributing Authors
Miguel B. Araújo
National Museum of Natural Sciences, CSIC, Madrid, Spain and University of Évora, CIBIO, Évora, Portugal
Shonil A. Bhagwat
School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Richard A. Fuller
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia and CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship and CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Brisbane, Australia
Lindsey Gillson
Plant Conservation Unit, Botany Department, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Hedley S. Grantham
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Paul Jepson
School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Richard J. Ladle
School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK and Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil
Julie L. Lockwood
Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
Sara A. Lourie
Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Julian D. Olden
School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
Catherine L. Parr
Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Hugh P. Possingham
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Brett R. Riddle
School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA
Kostas A. Triantis
Azorean Biodiversity Group, University of Azores, Terceira, Portugal and School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
James E.M. Watson
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Robert J. Whittaker
School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Kerrie A. Wilson
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia