The effects of ecology and climate change on the conservation of eastern Himalayan avifauna

The existence of biodiversity is central to all biological sciences, and especially ecology. Without it, an entire branch of knowledge would cease to exist. Despite this centrality, there is considerable debate on the mechanisms that create and maintain diversity. This is especially true of high-diversity areas. There is also considerable debate on how we can best protect biodiversity, in order to allow the science of biology to flourish into the future. Here, I present an investigation of the processes that allow biodiversity to be maintained in the Eastern Himalayas, a critically understudied high-diversity region, as well as a systematic analysis of the conservation priorities there. I focus on birds as a charismatic, speciose and conspicuous set of taxa. I spent several months gathering fine-scale occurrence data for the breeding bird community in Arunachal Pradesh, a state in Northeast India that is at the heart of the Eastern Himalayan ecoregion. Using this data, I first show that bird species on the steep elevational gradient present in the region segregate into narrow elevational bands. I also show that this segregation can best be explained by evolutionary processes resulting from interspecies competition in the long term, and by continued interspecies competition in the short term. I then go on to demonstrate that these narrow ranges of climate tolerance will be greatly affected by climate change, with species’ ranges shifting and contracting over the next 50 years. Moreover, when interspecies competition is taken to account, these extent of these predicted changes is intensified. Finally, I use these predicted distributions to create a spatially explicit map of conservation priorities. I present alternatives based on different conservation goals, as well as different projections of the extent of global climate change. I also present an idealized map of areas most in need of protection, and compare that to the existing set of formally protected areas. Taken in their entirety, these studies present a cogent explanation for the existence of high biodiversity in one of the most special regions of the planet, as well as a roadmap toward protecting that diversity for future generations.Ecology, Evolution and Behavio

Towards more sustainable infrastructure: challenges and opportunities in ape range states of Africa and Asia

[Extract] We are living in one of the most dramatic eras of infrastructure expansion in human history. By 2050, an additional 25 million kilometers of paved roads are expected to crisscross the earth—enough to encircle the planet more than 600 times. In addition to the growth in road networks, work on other infrastructure projects—such as railroads, hydroelectric dams, power lines, gas lines and industrial mines—is expected to increase sharply over the next few decades (Laurance and Balmford, 2013; Laurance and Peres, 2006)

Apes, protected areas and infrastructure in Africa

[Extract] Equatorial Africa sustains the continent's highest levels of biodiversity, especially in the wet and humid tropical forests that harbor Africa's apes. This equatorial region, like much of sub-Saharan Africa, is facing dramatic changes in the extent, number and environmental impact of large-scale infrastructure projects. A key concern is how such projects and the broader land use changes they promote will affect protected areas—a cornerstone of wildlife conservation efforts. This chapter assesses the potential impact of new and planned infrastructure projects on protected areas in tropical Africa, particularly those harboring critical ape habitats. It focuses on Africa not because tropical Asia is any less important, but because analyses of comparable detail are available only for certain parts of the Asian tropics (Clements et al., 2014; Meijaard and Wich, 2014; Wich et al., 2016). Such knowledge gaps underscore the importance of future work on infrastructure impacts in Asia

Developing a conservation evidence-base for the Critically Endangered Hainan gibbon ('Nomascus hainanus')

The Critically Endangered Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) is the world’s rarest ape, with a single population of an estimated 25 individuals surviving in approximately 15 km² of suboptimal forest within Bawangling National Nature Reserve, Hainan, China. The existing biological evidence-base for the species is inadequate for conservation planning, precluding evaluation of appropriate recovery actions. I derived comprehensive new baseline data on Hainan gibbon ecology, behaviour and genetics to clarify the species’ biology and population status, and inform urgently required conservation management for the species. Rigorous re-evaluation of Hainan gibbon spatial requirements indicated the species’ home range is much smaller than previously estimated (c. 1.5 km²) and in line with closely related Nomascus species in similar ecological conditions. Molecular assessment of the genetic status of the surviving population within the context of the species’ historical genetic diversity revealed that the Hainan gibbon has suffered a significant decline in genetic diversity following its past population bottleneck. The current population also shows a high level of relatedness and male-biased offspring sex ratio. Predictive models examining reportedly ‘anomalous’ Hainan gibbon ecological and behavioural traits within a phylogenetic framework indicated that large, polygynous groups may be evolutionarily characteristic for the species, but home range requirements are influenced by both intrinsic factors and current extrinsic conditions. Finally, Population Viability Analysis demonstrated that the species is highly likely to become extinct in the near future without active management, and that multiple actions mitigating extrinsic threats, enhancing habitat carrying capacity and improving survivorship will be required to reduce extinction risk. Together, these findings suggest that landscape-level management actions and intensive manipulation of the population may be necessary to safeguard the future of the Hainan gibbon. This research also has wider implications for improved understanding of gibbon ecology and conservation of species of extreme rarity