Trade-offs in the design of cost-effective habitat networks when conservation costs are variable in space and time

The consideration of economic costs can dramatically influence the cost-effective allocation of resources spent on the conservation of biodiversity. In the face of ecological and economic data scarcity, simple rules are needed for the design of cost-effective habitat networks. A conceptual semi-analytical ecological-economic model is developed that is based on metapopulation theory and takes into account that the costs of conservation may be spatially heterogeneous and changing in time. The model is used to study trade-offs between amount, spatial connectivity and temporal continuity of habitat. The cost-effective levels of habitat connectivity and continuity are determined as functions of species attributes and economic parameters like the distribution of conservation costs. The results are relevant for the design of cost-effective conservation instruments.     

Comparison of three methods for the detection of Potato virus Y in seed potato certification

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Potato virus Y (PVY) is becoming increasingly important in potato growing regions worldwide. The main reason for this is an increase in the incidence of...     

Smart spatial incentives for market-based conservation

Market-based instruments such as payments, auctions or tradable permits have been proposed as flexible and cost-effective instruments for biodiversity conservation on private lands. Trading the service of conservation requires one to define a metric that determines the extent to which a conserved site adds to the regional conservation objective. Yet, while markets for conservation are widely discussed and increasingly applied, little research has been conducted on explicitly accounting for spatial ecological processes in the trading. In this paper, we use a coupled ecological-economic simulation model to examine how spatial connectivity may be considered in the financial incentives created by a market-based conservation scheme. Land use decisions, driven by changing conservation costs and the conservation market, are simulated by an agent-based model of land users. On top of that, a metapopulation model evaluates the conservational success of the market. We find that optimal spatial incentives for agents correlate with species characteristics such as the dispersal distance, but they also depend on the spatio-temporal distribution of conservation costs. We conclude that a combined analysis of ecological and socio-economic conditions should be applied when designing market instruments to protect biodiversity.     

The role of effluent monitoring in environmental control

Using effluent data from a British Columbia pulp mill, the authors demonstrate certain critical deficiencies associated with currently emplaced monitoring systems. The principal ingredient in effective environmental control is information, and current monitoring regimes entail an unacceptable level of information loss. Composite sampling systems fail to provide the two key types of information required for effective environmental control: (i) a high representational accuracy of the effluent profile; and (ii) the detection of most or all pollutant releases with potentially serious environmental consequences. In light of these conclusions, the authors make several recommendations concerning current and alternative sampling regimes.     

The time horizon and its role in multiple species conservation planning

Survival probability within a certain time horizon T is a common measure of population viability. The choice of T implicitly involves a time preference, similar to economic discounting: conservation success is evaluated at the time horizon T, while all effects that occur later than T are not considered. Despite the obvious relevance of the time horizon, ecological studies seldom analyze its impact on the evaluation of conservation options. In this paper, we show that, while the choice of T does not change the ranking of conservation options for single species under stationary conditions, it may substantially change conservation decisions for multiple species. We conclude that it is of crucial importance to investigate the sensitivity of model results to the choice of the time horizon or other measures of time preference when prioritizing biodiversity conservation efforts.