This month I’ve decided to focus on a more conservation
orientated article to really sink my teeth into. The article I’ve chosen is titled: “Conservation
successes at micro-, meso- and macroscales” (2011 TREE 26(11):585-594).
This article from the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution reviews the success stories in
conservation around the world. It tries
to lay a platform of past successes at different scales to promote future
conservation triumphs. Focus is placed
on the different scales at which conservation efforts are focused. The three scales used in this article are
micro-, meso- and macro-scale.
MICRO-SCALE
Micro-scale conservation projects are emphasised by the
preservation of habitat and species.
Protected Areas (PAs) are the keystone behind these conservation
initiatives, where vulnerable habitats and endangered species can be
preserved. This scale of conservation is
the launching point of localised efforts and has obtained success around the
globe. Unfortunately, a lot of
responsibility falls onto the PAs and often the conservation of habitats and
species are not realised, due to ineffective management, lack of funding and
many other reasons. However, it isn’t
all doom and gloom. In Brazilian
Amazonia, the largest remaining area of tropical rainforest, PAs have
significantly reduced habitat loss by deforestation, with an estimated 37% of
the decline in yearly deforestation rates in Brazil between 2002 and 2009
attributed to the preservation of forest in newly established PAs.
The figure above shows how the rate of deforestation in Brazilian
Amazon has greatly decreased between 2002, where it was at a decadal peak, to
2009 where it is at a 20-year low. This
has been largely attributed to the establishment of new PAs. (Source: 2011 TREE 26(11):585-594)
Habitat protection via the use of PAs is not the
be-all-and-end-all of conservation at the micro-scale. Often, major interventions are required to
properly conserve habitat and species.
These interventions include rehabilitation, reforestation,
reintroduction, population augmentation and the eradication of invasive
species.
A further conservation method at the micro-scale is to
maintain ecosystem services. This is
something that I’m particularly interested in, as I often get disillusioned with
conservation efforts that focus on a single species for mostly sentimental
reasons, such as large cats. I feel
efforts to conserve should be at the ecosystem-level, because habitat and species
fall within this scope. Once an
ecosystem is conserved, its services as an ecosystem, such as carbon
sequestration or water filtering, can be maintained. The ecosystem can then support the habitats
and species within it.
Luckily, awareness is growing that human’s livelihood and
welfare is strongly linked to the health of our ecosystems. In Madagascar, deforestation of upland
forests caused stream siltation and lowered water yields required by lowland
farmers. The potential consequences of
further deforestation and effects on the hydrology cycle of the forest was
enough to convince the locals and Malagasy Government to commit to tripling the
area of protected forests in the country.
I often grapple with the complexities of trying to sell an
idea to someone. However, in the case of
micro-scale conservation, I feel the method is clear. In the Madagascar example, instead of trying
to convince the locals or government of the importance of conserving the habitat
(forest) and species (trees, lemurs, etc.), an ultimatum of sorts can be
presented. Without the ecosystem
services that the forest and plants and animals within it provide, the
livelihoods and welfare of the people of the region and country are at risk. Once persons feel threatened, they are more
likely to respond.
A slightly different approach at the micro-scale is to
commoditise the specie or species at risk.
In the Western Cape of South Africa, fynbos (the predominant vegetation
type of the region) flowers are sustainably harvested to subsidise conservation
costs.
In short, conservation at the micro-scale relies heavily on
support from local residents. This can
be done by creating an incentive, instead of a barrier for the conservation of
a habitat or species.
MESO-SCALE
At the meso-scale, efforts that primarily include trans-boundary
conservation agreements and the international regulation of illegal wildlife
trade are required to protect biodiversity at the regional-level.
Animals with expansive ranges that often extend beyond the
arbitrary boundaries of country borders are in particular need of collaborative
efforts between countries. PAs in
different countries can be joined with migration corridors for large-bodied
animals, such as elephants and gorillas.
A major threat to biodiversity in the world is the
international trade in wildlife.
Meso-scale conservation efforts can prove to be a major thwarter of this
illegal trade. An example of this is
evident in the illegal trade of tiger body parts that are used in Asian
medicine. A regional agreement by the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Wildlife Enforcement Network
which aims at sharing information on wildlife crime is reducing the smuggling
of tigers across borders.
Bald eagles (a) and golden lion tamarins (b) - 2 iconic species rescued from the brink of extinction. (Source: 2011 TREE 26(11):585-594)
MACRO-SCALE
Macro-scale conservation aims at limiting unsustainable
business practices that negatively affect biodiversity. Because it is at the macro-scale,
multinational corporations are the major culprits. Multinationals, such as Nike and Walmart, are
now the major drivers of habitat loss and overharvesting in many developing countries. The solution to this often comes in the form
of public pressure (via boycotts of products) by consumers in developed
countries, to force a change in the multinational’s practise in the developing
world.
Global organisations such as the UN Climate Change Summit
set up goals. For example in Cancun,
Mexico, the Board of Consumer Goods announced a goal to achieve zero
deforestation in products such as beef, palm oil, paper and soya by 2020. With technological advances, such as the use
of satellite imagery, these goals can be monitored and verified by independent
bodies.
The use of laws is also essential to macro-scale
conservation. For example, multinational
banks, such as Citigroup, have decided not to sanction loans to dodgy forestry
projects and to require rigorous verification of eco-certification. I personally have quite a radical view on the
relationship between law and nature. I
feel anything that is part of the Earth: animals, plants, mountains and rivers
and the ecosystems they form part of should be given juristic rights in much
the same way that multinational corporations are given rights. In this way, their unhindered exploitation
would be deemed unlawful. I strongly
recommend reading Wild Law written by
Cormac Cullinan, a South African environmental lawyer, for more on this topic.
Although this article focusses on the success stories of
conservation, as the authors point out, more conservation projects fail than succeed. The beauty of this article is the inspiring
and optimistic outlook of the authors; they hope to engender hope in
conservationists to continue their hard-fought work. I am certainly optimistic that the tide is
changing. The battle between
conservation and exploitation will slowly become a level-footed playing field. With further awareness and education of the perils
of unhindered exploitation, conservation’s hard, sustainably-farmed-and-crafted, leather boot will be firmly
jammed in the door.
