How to Manage Landscapes

Published by the Conservation & Environmental Management Division (CEMD) of the Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment. Copyright © NRE 2008. NRE would like to thank agencies and individuals who have offered their comments and support. Design, layout and text by Micael Junkov. Translation to Bahasa Malaysia by Peregrine Services. This poster is published as part

of the Biodiversity Component implemented by the Governments of Malaysia and Denmark under the Environmental Cooperation Programme. The Component took off in November 2006 and runs until December 2009. Funding for this publication has been provided by the Danish International Development Assistance – Danida.

Notes: For more information on the subjects dealt with see A Common Vision on Biodiversity in Government and the Development Process and supporting guidelines which can be downloaded from www.nre.gov.my Untuk maklumat tambahan berkenaan tajuk-tajuk yang dibincangkan, lihat A Common Vision on Biodiversity in Government and the Development Process dan garis panduan sokongan yang boleh dimuat turun dari www.nre.gov.my1 Drawings by Yew Kiang Teh. 2 Bohnet, I. 2004. Agricultural landscapes in the wet tropics. Future visions balancing environmental, social and economic needs. Tropical Landscapes Program. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems. Tropical Forest Research Centre. Atherton, Queensland, Australia.

We cannot manage every individual species and every single ecological process. However, a useful approach is to mitigate the negative impacts of our landscape modifications by managing landscape patterns in a way that will benefit many species simultaneously.

In the absence of detailed ecological knowledge, the following five principles and pattern-based management interventions are likely to support biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Bagaimana Menguruskan Landskap

Kita tidak boleh menguruskan setiap satu spesies dan proses ekologi. Bagaimanapun, satu pendekatan yang berguna adalah dengan mengurangkan impak negatif

pengubahsuaian landskap kita dengan menguruskan corak landskap dalam cara yang akan menguntung-

kan banyak spesies sekaligus.

Dalam ketiadaan pengetahuan ekologi yang mendalam, lima prinsip berikut dan campur tangan

pengurusan berdasarkan corak mungkin dapat menyo-kong biodiversiti dan perkhidmatan ekosistem.

No. 10

5 Manage disturbances

Managing disturbances is a risk-spreading approach which aims at ensuring that strate-gies are varied in the landscapes and across multiple scales (i.e. “do not do the same thing everywhere”).

4 Maintain landscape heterogeneity

Ecosystems are naturally diverse and land-scape heterogeneity is a feature reflecting environmental differences such as topogra-phy, climate, soils, drainage, and so forth. Maintaining appropriate levels of spatial com-plexity – or landscape diversity – is an essen-tial principle for conserving biodiversity and valuable ecosystem services.

3 Maintain habitat structural complexity

Structural complexity is a common feature of natural habitat throughout the world and it is commonly associated with greater species richness than simpler systems. However, it is important that also in man-made systems it applies that the more structural complex the production system the more scope exists for the five critical roles of the landscape in supporting biodiversity (see Poster No. 9).

2 Maintain the integrity of aquatic systems

A central goal of matrix management is to preserve the integrity of the aquatic ecosystem and the hydrologic processes upon which much biodiversity depends. The degree to which the integrity of aquatic ecosystems and associated processes is maintained is largely determined by conditions in the matrix. Forests have powerful influences on hydrological processes such as the interception ofrainfall, and the condensation, evapotranspiration,and infiltration of moisture. Forest conditions also strongly affect nutrient retention and soil stability, especially on slopes. Riparian vege-tation stabilises riverbanks against erosion;filters sediments, nutrients, pesticides and microbes; provides aquatic and wildlife habitat; and mitigates floods.

1 Maintain connectivity

Connectivity is the linkage of habitats, interacting organisms and ecological processes at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Connectivity influences essential processes such as population survival and recovery after disturbance, the exchange of individuals and genes in a population, and the occupancy of habitat patches. Connectivity may be achieved by strips of retained (or rehabilitated) habitat also called “biological corridors” or “wildlife corridors” (Figure to the right).

A: A present day tropical landscape dominated by sugar-cane. B and C: How local people would like their landscape to appear. In both cases higher landscape heterogeneity better protect biodiversity and ecosystem services, thus balancing environmental, social and economic needs.2

Envisioning the future

Complex Simple

Ver

tica

lHor

izon

tal

Other land use systems

Patch Patch

Natural Human made

Structurally complex production systems and management of the matrix-to-buffer edges can substantially increase the effective area for biodiversity within the matrix.

Differences in structure and edge1

Runoff velocity reduced; contaminants retained

High evaporation and absorption of nutrients

Water and dissolved nutrients taken up by riparian vegetation

Riparian vegetation is part of river ecology1

How to get connectivity

Fragments with no

connectivity

Stepping stones

A cluster of stepping stones is better

A corridor provides movement also for

interior species

Riparian vegetation may also be a corridor

for some species

1 Kekalkan kesalinghubungan

Kesalinghubungan adalah rantaian habitat-habitat, organisma yang berinteraksi dan proses-proses ekologi

di pelbagai skala ruang dan masa. Kesalinghubungan mempengaruhi proses-proses penting seperti

kemandirian populasi dan pemulihan selepas gangguan, pertukaran individu dan gen dalam suatu populasi, dan penghunian tompok habitat. Kesalinghubungan mampu dicapai dengan jaluran habitat yang dikekalkan (atau

dipulihkan), juga digelar „koridor biologi‟ atau „koridor hidupan liar‟ (Rajah di kiri).

2 Kekalkan keutuhan sistem-sistem akuatik

Matlamat utama pengurusan matriks adalah untuk mengekalkan keutuhan ekosistem akuatik dan proses-

proses hidrologi di mana kebanyakan biodiversiti bergantung. Darjah di mana keutuhan ekosistem

akuatik proses-proses berkaitan dikekalkan banyak ditentukan oleh keadaan di dalam matriks. Hutan

mempunyai pengaruh yang kuat ke atas proses-proses hidrologi seperti pintasan jatuhan hujan, dan pemeluapan, evapotranspirasi, serta penyu-

supan lembapan. Keadaan hutan juga sangat mempengaruhi pegangan nutrien dan kestabilan tanah, terutamanya di cerun-cerun. Tumbuhan riparia menstabilkan tebing-tebing sungai dari

hakisan; menapis kelodak, nutrien, racun perosak dan mengawal banjir.

3 Kekalkan kerumitan struktur habitat

Kerumitan struktur adalah ciri biasa habitat semula jadi di serata dunia dan seringkali

dikaitkan dengan kekayaan spesies yang lebih besar berbanding sistem yang lebih mudah.

Bagaimanapun, adalah penting diingatkan yang dalam sistem buatan manusia, sistem

pengeluaran yang lebih kompleks strukturnya mewujudkan lebih banyak skop untuk lima

peranan kritikal landskap untuk menyokong biodiversiti (lihat Poster 9).

4 Kekalkan keheterogenan landskap

Ekosistem dengan semulajadinya adalah pelbagai dan keheterogenan landskap adalah

ciri yang mencerminkan perbezaan alam sekitar seperti topografi, iklim, tanah, saliran, dan seterusnya. Mengekalkan tahap kerumitan

ruang yang bersesuaian – atau kepelbagaian landskap – adalah prinsip yang penting untuk memulihara biodiversiti dan perkhidmatan-

perkhidmatan ekosistem yang berharga. 5 Kawal gangguan

Menguruskan gangguan adalah pendekatan perluasan risiko yang bertujuan memastikan

yang strategi berbeza dalam landskap-landskap dan merentasi banyak skala (iaitu „jangan

lakukan perkara yang sama di semua tempat‟).