Biology is (almost) irrelevant. Governance is (almost) everything for successful biodiversity...
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Transcript of Biology is (almost) irrelevant. Governance is (almost) everything for successful biodiversity...
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Biology is (almost) irrelevant. Governance is
(almost) everything.
For successful biodiversity conservation outcomes in Africa.
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Examples from the Miombo Biome
• Dry Tropical Forests cover 70%-80% of forested land in Africa
• About 50% of Africa’s population live in areas where the forests occur
• The forests are essential for rural livelihoods
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Zambia is at the heart of the Miombo
Biome
One of the highest rates of deforestation
in the world
Charcoal is the main fuel for urban poor
Examples from a 5 year study of land use
change over 30 years
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Scale of Environmental Change (time/area) is
staggering• This is a major crisis. No time for decade long studies or just adding to the literature - IF the aim is conservation
• Social, economic and political (Governance) factors are driving this faster - not slower
• What role is there for biological research?
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Location of the study area
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An aerial view
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Kalahari Woodland Zambezi Teak Forest
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Zambezi Teak Forests
1975
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Zambezi Teak Forests
2005 - 53% reduction in area
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What role for
biological/ecological research?
• Fire? - already important -may increase with climate change
• Phenology? - important for predicting effects of climate change
• Modelling landcover change?
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Fire Frequency 2000-2005Data from MODIS FIRMS (Davies et al., 2009; Giglio et al.,
2003)
There is justification for fire study – will it help?
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A General Drying Trend
From www.climatewizard.orgbased on data from Mitchell et al. (2004)
Could phenological studies assist with conservation?
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A General Warming Trend
From www.climatewizard.orgbased on data from Mitchell et al. (2004)
Could phenological studies assist with conservation?
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In the Midst of Destruction
• What new biological knowledge will help to conserve forested landscapes in the Miombo ecoregion?
• What new ecological model, methodology, or mapping technique will prevent large scale destruction?
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I Don’t KnowDo you?
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New Conceptual Approaches
Resilience Approach• Maintain Diversity and Redundancy• Manage Connectivity• Manage slow variables and
feedbacks• Complex Adaptive Systems thinking• Encourage learning• Broaden participation• Promote poly-centric governance• Caveats - context is important
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New Conceptual Approaches
Sustainability Science• Multi, Inter and Trans - Disciplinary
approaches• Focus on interactions between ecology,
society• Problem driven research agenda• Context, Context, Context - there are
few universal solutions - unfortunately• Bridge the gap between theory, practice
and policy
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Governance and Interactions
How does biological research fit in?
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Scale and Governance
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Zambezi TeakForests
Past / Current Logging
Control Fire opens forest to fire
ConservationNGO’s
enhance
Honey Harvest
cause of fires
CulturalPracticeTraditional
Governance
regulatesaccess
demands
Elected LocalGovernment conflict
rival claimsto authority
regulates
Timber companyHunting safaris
enhance
increases
Corruptioncauses
New ecological research contributesvery little to these interactions
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Biology/Ecology is important for
conservation, but…• Only if biologists/ecologists take on the challenge of new conceptual frameworks
• You’re not alone - Anthropologists, Political Scientists, etc. are having to learn biology too
• Scale, Local Context, and Interactions mediated through Governance must determine the type of biological/ecological studies. Biologists must not drive the agenda.
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Future Change• Sometimes we know enough biology for conservation purposes. Stop and consider other factors
• Wider scientific community must value context based studies that do not necessarily have wider significance
• Stop trying to be physicists and discover a theory of everything
• Open up to include humans in an ecological role (esp. in Africa) in structuring past habitats - it will help with their future role
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This is how we should be doing conservation in Africa