Conserving Biodiversity A Research Agenda for Development Agencies (1992) / Chapter Skim
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2 BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CONSERVATION
2 BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CONSERVATION
Pages 35-75
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From page 35... ...
In general, however, the required inflation can be gathered and disseminated only through systematic efforts to strengthen the entire research process. Development agencies need to know which kinds of research are of greatest relevance as they assist client governments and develop the rationale to secure funding for this research.
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From page 36... ...
The specific recommendations offered flow from the general conviction that the comprehension and conservation of biodiversity in developing nations represent a challenge of such magnitude that all links in the chain of research and application must be strengthened to ensure success. These recommendations have been formulated with the understanding that many development agencies have central (global or worldwide)
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From page 37... ...
National biological inventories provide a finer-grained view of biological diversity and can be used to establish national conservation programs and policies, whereas a global survey will provide much needed information on the extent, distribution, status, and fate of biodiversity worldwide. These efforts can serve not only to tell us the status of biodiversity, but to identify valuable biological resources, some of which are unknown, while others are locally known but have potential for much wider use.
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From page 38... ...
This should be the top priority for development agencies in biodiversity research. National inventories offer exceptional possibilities for professional linkages and community development and provide the thorough knowledge of organisms necessary for intelligent management of biological diversity to solve any number of practical problems.
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From page 39... ...
By developing the commercial potential of its biotic resources through partnerships with industry, Costa Rica can ensure that conservation activities support themselves, as well as the people of Costa Rica (Tangley, 19901. training of specialists, links with agencies and universities in the developed countries will be important.
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From page 40... ...
· Conduct initial surveys of aquatic flora and fauna to serve as baseline data for management, long-term monitoring, and project impact assessment. · Monitor changes in species diversity in project sites during and after the project for a period of 10 years.
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From page 41... ...
Global Biological Survey A strategy for gauging the magnitude and patterns of distribution of biological diversity on Earth should be coordinated and implemented. A global survey, drawing on the work of national biological inventories and supplemented by extensive surveys of particular localities, should be undertaken immediately.
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From page 42... ...
Coordination with national biological inventories Is critical. These surveys, conducted at selected study sites, could begin to provide a sound basis for estimating the abundance and diversity of organisms on Earth.
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From page 43... ...
National biological inventories should provide screening opportunities for new natural products and rational methods for using materials derived from them. The tropics alone contain more than 170,000 species of flowering plants.
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From page 44... ...
Screening research is essential in this endeavor. For what qualities and products should organisms be screened, and how should this type of research be integrated into the activities of development agencies?
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From page 45... ...
If possible, screening teams should be composed of local scientists. If this is not possible, the teams should work closely with local scientists and establish partnerships with local universities, agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and other institutions.
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From page 46... ...
. National biological inventories and a global-scale survey will provide basic information about the degree and distribution of species diversity, while screening allows us to determine more systematically the current and potential uses of organisms for human needs.
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From page 47... ...
. Most research projects involving the application of conservation biology principles for example, the design of reserves, the biology of rare and declining species, and the role of keystone species should involve monitoring as a part of the research methodology.
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From page 48... ...
In supporting enhanced monitoring programs, international development agencies should coordinate their work with that of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) , and other organizations.
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From page 49... ...
Development agencies are able to provide the institutional and financial support necessary for both immediate and long-term research. They have access to expertise in the wide range of relevant fields and disciplines that must take part in the research.
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From page 50... ...
To advance our understanding of successful conservation strategies and methods, the following actions are needed. Site-Specific Research To advance the understanding of ecosystem composition, structure, andfunction; to use this knowledge to link basic and applied research, sustainable land use and development, and the conservation of biological diversity; and to provide baseline data for environmental monitoring, support should be given to long-term ecological research at selected sites in developing nations.
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From page 51... ...
The international development community must play a leading role in supporting this type of research. As experience has shown, international development agencies can no longer afford not to have information on the long-term environmental consequences of development projects.
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From page 52... ...
So that local scientists can apply their training in the implementation of national conservation programs, it will be essential to strengthen the capacity of their national institutions to support and conduct long-term research, particularly in the areas of ecosystem analysis, meteorology, soil science, conservation biology, and resource management. Goals and Guidelines The overall goal of site-specific research, as described in Research Priorities in Tropical Biology, is to understand "how natural systems operate in processing and controlling resource flows, and .
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From page 53... ...
Sites recommended for selection included areas representative of biomes that are highly diverse, in immediate danger of extirpation, located in countries with a history of support for activities of this sort, and logistically convenient. The following locations were recommended: Central Brazilian Amazonia; ~ La Selva site of the Organization for Tropical Studies in Costa Rica; Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia; Estacion de Biologia at Chamela, Jalisco, Mexico; Puerto Rico and Hawaii;
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From page 54... ...
These include, prominently, Guanacaste National Park in Costa Rica, which was not envisaged a decade ago, and Manu Park Preserve in Peru, to which it was then more difficult to gain access. Abramovitz (1991)
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From page 55... ...
, this would allow research to continue far into the future and to focus on the examination and application of principles in conservation biology (see the following recommendation)
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From page 56... ...
In a sense, the governments in developing nations are already performing large experiments with biological diversity, often with funding provided by international development and lending agencies. The building of a road or dam, the installation of an irrigation project, the implementation of a resettlement program, the expansion of agriculture, or the intensification of resource extraction all are experi
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From page 57... ...
Development agencies, recognizing the importance of conserved areas as a source of future development options, have become involved in helping national governments and private voluntary organizations to establish and manage conservation areas. They have increased support for local involvement in the training of conservation and wildland managers, the formation of conservation strategies, the search for economic uses of conserved areas, and the development of substitutes for products now obtained from endangered species and habitats.
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From page 58... ...
; The Sustainable Biosphere Initiative: An Ecological Research Agenda (ESA, 19911; Funding Priorities for Research Towards Effective Sustainable Management of Biodiversity Resources in Tropical Asia (Ashton, 1989~; and From Genes to Ecosystems: A Research Agenda for Biodiversity (Solbrig, 19911. Development agencies can provide an important service by making these documents more readily available to scientists, resource managers, agencies, and other institutions in developing countries.
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From page 59... ...
A second strategy with great potential is the so-called debt-for-nature arrangement, in which portions of the international debts owed by developing countries are purchased by intermediary groups-in practice, private conservation groups have served in this role and exchanged for other equity, usually funds in the currency of the debtor government. Under these arrangements, debtor governments agree to devote land and funds to in-country conservation activities.
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From page 60... ...
. Research Priorities · Determine the capacity of minimally disturbed forest to provide useful and valuable products on a sustained basis; · Develop the means to secure income for local people and communities through local processing, the protection of intellectual property rights, commercial agreements and investments, and incentives for the adoption of sustainable land uses.
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From page 61... ...
These endeavors, as evidenced by the recommendations in this report, must continue and must expand. At the same time, the restoration of degraded lands and ecosystems should assume a more prominent position in the spectrum of conservation activities.
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From page 62... ...
Development agencies must play a larger role in encouraging these efforts and applying restoration techniques more widely. As knowledge builds with experience, it will become possible to derive generalized principles of restoration ecology and management, including identification of the constraints on and opportunities for restoration under different ecological conditions and circumstances; the purposes and benefits of different restoration "regimes"; the impact of site size on potential restoration strategies; and the coordination of restoration with other conservation activities.
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From page 63... ...
This is especially important in developing nations, where inadequate infrastructure, information technologies, and networks can be primary constraints on research and effective conservation activities. Because of their extensive experience and institutional structures, international development agencies can play a vital role in overcoming these constraints.
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From page 64... ...
A modest field guide or parataxonomist training manual, properly designed and distributed, may be more effective in terms of real needs and real results than a new computer program or satellite image. Deter relining and coordinating local, national, and regional inflation needs represent major challenges for development agencies.
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From page 65... ...
The development of computer data bases and inventories would be a major factor in overcoming this constraint. National biological institutes can provide a central location for these data bases, inventories, and information networks and promote the interinstitutional coordination necessary to their success.
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From page 66... ...
Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems Additional research and technical development are needed to advance the utility of remotely sensed data for ecosystem monitoring in developing countries. The data from remote sensing techniques, coupled with the data management capacity of geographic information systems (GIS)
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From page 67... ...
The benefits of geographical information system technology go far beyond its ability to maintain information in a geographically referenced format. Information on soils, topography, climate, distribution of organisms, land use, and protected areas can both clarify and augment the measurements provided by remotely sensed data (Green, 1981~.
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From page 68... ...
Scientific networks will play a leading role in refining these methods, coordinating research efforts, and improving the channels of communicat~on from the field to the international level. Development agencies can best support this work by backing existing networks, such as the Latin American Plant Sciences Network (see sidebar)
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From page 69... ...
In these centers, Latin American academic institutions collaborate to provide graduate level twirling in the plant sciences to students from throughout in the region. The centers also organize binational research projects, regional graduate courses, and scientific meetings.
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From page 70... ...
In turn, both the fostering of a strong corps of local trained conservation personnel and the strengthening of institutions that guide, support, and coordinate their work, are necessary. In this context, the role of international networks is particularly important, including, for example, the Latin American Plant Sciences Network; the programs of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU)
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From page 71... ...
To strengthen the human resources necessary to survey, research, monitor, and manage biological diversity in developing nations, the following actions are needed. Developing Taxonomic Expertise International development agencies should sponsor and support the development of taxonomic expertise, both paraprofessional and professional, as an increasingly important part of their conservation programs.
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From page 72... ...
Systematists are indispensable for progress in all fields of basic and applied biology, including ecology, fisheries biology, range management, forestry, agriculture, horticulture, and the veterinary and medical sciences (NSB, 19891. To promote awareness of the basic importance of taxonomic work internally, international development agencies should develop and conduct crash courses in taxonomy and conservation, using approaches similar to those employed in plant breeding programs.
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From page 73... ...
Whether they exist in universities or government ministries, or as public institutions, museums should receive special assistance from development agencies as baseline institutions for the collection and classification of organisms. Botanical gardens, arboreta, herbaria, aquaria, seed banks, and zoos, although generally uncommon in the developing world, are to be encouraged as essential for the documentation of local biological knowledge, and as locations for ex situ conservation efforts.
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From page 74... ...
National and international development agencies need to support the involvement of NGOs as intermediaries between government agencies, universities, and local communities in support of the methods and goals of biodiversity conservation. Such investments can have profound consequences.
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From page 75... ...
Put more positively, great opportunities exist for constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation between scientists working on the conservation of biological diversity and scientists in other fields of land use, resource management, and rural development. Development agencies should encourage this cooperation-not just as a new aspect of research, but as a new and increasingly necessary way to perform research.
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