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11/12/12
Reserve Design
Role of Reserves
The basic role of reserves is to separate elements of
biodiversity from processes that threaten their
existence in the wild
Specific goals:
1. Protect one or more focal species
- umbrella species (one whose protection will benefit
many others)
2. Preserve biodiversity
- species richness, endemism
3. Maintain ecosystem processes, often across large areas
- e.g., Everglades hydrology
Limitations of Reserves
Most reserves are located on unproductive and
remote lands
- historically, placed in areas deemed as having low
economic value to humans
Often, new reserves don’t contribute to the
representation of biodiversity
- we tend to protect the same thing over and
over
Prioritizing what to protect in reserves is
challenging, often socially/politically controversial
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•  Historically, reserve
designation has been at
scale of ecoregions,
biodiversity hotspots
–  Limitation: inappropriate for
fine-scale conservation
actions (i.e. protected area
selection)
Objectives of Reserves
Reserves must meet two objectives to fulfill their
role:
Representativeness
Reserves need to represent, or sample, the full
variety of biodiversity in an area; ideally at all levels
of organization.
Objectives of Reserves
Persistence
Reserves should promote the long-term survival of
the species and other elements of biodiversity they
contain by maintaining natural processes and viable
populations and by excluding threats.
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Reserve Design Issues: SLOSS
(Single Large or Several Small)
•  “single large reserves should be preferred to
several small reserves for nature conservation”
- J. Diamond 1975
•  agree or disagree?
•  advantages / disadvantages to both approaches?
vs.
Single Large
•  Species-area relationship
–  large patches tend to have more species and lower
extinction rates
•  Large reserves protect
–  patch interior species (small reserves are mostly
edge)
–  high trophic level species (e.g., top predators)
–  communities / ecosystems
–  poor dispersers
Case Study: Consequences of
Reserve Size in Africa
Large reserves are
associated with lower
human density
What does this mean
for species that clash
with humans?
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Harcourt et al. (2001) Biodiversity and Cons
Several Small
•  Small reserves can better preserve diversity…
why?
–  across landscapes, species aren’t always in
the same place
–  endemics often found in small, isolated
patches
–  A series of small reserves can target and
protect multiple, localized species
hotspots
Case Study: Small Patches and Bird
Conservation in Australia
75% of bird species found in patches < 10 ha
Large patches
Small patches (< 10 ha)
Brown Falcon Falco berigora
Fischer and Lindenmayer (2001) Biol Cons
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Single Large (SL) or Several Small (SS)?
•  The answer is contingent on what you are
trying to protect
–  species richness (SL if in one area)
–  rare species (SS if in small pockets such as endemics)
–  diversity (SS if small hotspots exist)
–  ecological / system processes (small-scale and
disparate or large-scale?)
–  These goals are not necessarily concordant, so
compromise is often necessary
Reserve Design Issues: Complementarity
Complementarity: the number of unrepresented
species (or other biodiversity feature) that a new
reserve adds.
D A
C
M
A M
O
Only 1 new species
or
N C
T
2 new species!!
Reserve Design Issues: Irreplaceability
Irreplaceability: areas that cannot be replaced in
order to achieve the conservation goal.
D A
C
M
A M
O
1 new species
A M
D
N C
T
No new
species
2 new species!!
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Reserve Design Issues: Shape
Shape of reserve
(i) circular is ideal to minimize edge effect
(ii) irregular borders increase edge
(iii) elongated shapes protect
–  migrations
–  elevation or land-cover gradients
ii
i
iii
Principles of Reserve Design
Generally Worse
Generally Better
Degree of protection
Size
Fragmentation
Number
Generally Worse
Generally Better
Connectivity –
corridors
Connectivity stepping stones
Habitat diversity
Shape
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Generally Worse
Generally Better
reserve
composition
management
human presence
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Model
•  UNESCO
–  founded in 1945
–  aim: “forge a culture of peace by fostering the generation
and exchange of knowledge, including scientific
knowledge, through international cooperation, capacity
building and technical assistance to its Member States.”*
•  Natural Sciences Sector
–  uses “science to build peace, to eradicate poverty”*
–  one mechanism: establish biosphere reserves
*http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/about-us/how-we-work/mission-strategy/
Biosphere Reserves
•  Historically, nature reserves have excluded humans
•  Idea to include humans via biosphere reserves
conceived in 1968
•  Reserves with 3 complementary functions
–  Conservation: to contribute to the conservation of landscapes,
ecosystems, species and genetic variation
–  Development: to foster economic and human development which is
socio-culturally and ecologically sustainable
–  Logistic: to provide support for research, monitoring, education and
information exchange related to local, national and global issues of
conservation and development.
http://www.unesco.org/mab/doc/faq/brs.pdf
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Biosphere Reserves
•  3 concentric zones
–  Core (full protection; no
humans; monitoring)
–  Buffer (some restrictions;
human presence allowed;
education and training;
research; tourism)
–  Transition (minimal
restrictions; research;
tourism
http://www.unesco.org/mab/doc/faq/brs.pdf
Case Study: Panda Conservation in
Wolong Biosphere Reserve, China
•  Home to approximately 150 giant pandas
(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
•  Local human population ~ 5000 (as of 1997)
•  Biosphere reserve designated in 1979
–  roughly 200,000 hectares
•  Training and development program encouraged
ecotourism instead of forestry
-  reduced panda habitat loss
-  helped to ensure viability of
panda population
Climate Change and Reserve Design
•  Traditional reserve design assumes a static world
-  if we set aside protected areas, those areas will
preserve species in perpetuity
•  But, the world is changing, in particular because of
climate change
•  Thus, some key reserves today may be ineffective
in the future
•  Big question: how to we design reserves and
reserve networks that buffer against climate
change?
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Case Study: Effects of Climate
Change on Mammal Protection
•  On average, 8% of
mammals in western
hemisphere will lose
protection because of
climate-induced range
shifts (next 110 years)
•  Some protected areas,
especially in the tropics,
will lose all of their
species (dark orange
circles). Why?
Schloss (2011) Masters Thesis (UW)
Case Study: Effects of Climate
Change on Mammal Protection
•  On average, 8% of
mammals in western
hemisphere will lose
protection because of
climate-induced range
shifts (next 110 years)
•  Some protected areas,
especially in the tropics,
will lose all of their
species (dark orange
circles). Why?
•  Other areas will gain
species (green circles).
Why at higher latitudes?
Schloss (2011) Masters Thesis (UW)
Climate Change and Reserve Design
•  One solution: allow species to shift ranges in response to
climate change (corridors)
•  Are all species likely (i.e., able) to use the same corridor?
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Climate Change and Reserve Design
•  One solution: allow species to shift ranges in response to
climate change (corridors)
e.g., designing corridors that contain dominant landscape features of the natural
landscape blocks to be connected. (A) high diversity of landscape types; (B)
steep slopes; (C) low elevation, gentle canyons; (D) gentle ridges; (E) river
Beier and Brost (2010) Cons Biology
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