13 research outputs found

    The Report of the Ecological Society of America Committee on the Scientific Basis for Ecosystem Management

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    Ecosystem management is management driven by explicit goals, executed by policies, protocols, and practices, and made adaptable by monitoring and research based on our best understanding of the ecological interactions and processes necessary to sustain ecosystem composition, structure, and function

    The IPBES Conceptual Framework - connecting nature and people

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    The first public product of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is its Conceptual Framework. This conceptual and analytical tool, presented here in detail, will underpin all IPBES functions and provide structure and comparability to the syntheses that IPBES will produce at different spatial scales, on different themes, and in different regions. Salient innovative aspects of the IPBES Conceptual Framework are its transparent and participatory construction process and its explicit consideration of diverse scientific disciplines, stakeholders, and knowledge systems, including indigenous and local knowledge. Because the focus on co-construction of integrative knowledge is shared by an increasing number of initiatives worldwide, this framework should be useful beyond IPBES, for the wider research and knowledge-policy communities working on the links between nature and people, such as natural, social and engineering scientists, policy-makers at different levels, and decision-makers in different sectors of society

    Beyond desertification

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    The Nature Conservancy's Conservation Accomplishments at Risk: Abating the Threat of Invasive Species

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    Whether in the coral reefs of the South Pacific, in native grasslands of the western U.S., in Brazil's Pantanal wetlands, in the hardwood hammocks of the Florida Keys, in coastal and tropical forests in the Caribbean, or across Mexican deserts, invasive species have been identified as one of the most serious and pervasive threats across all of The Nature Conservancy's Conservation Areas, threatening all our conservation accomplishments to date. Invasive species have been identified as one of the top two threats to global biodiversity, and this threat has economic consequences -estimated at $137 billion annually in the U.S. alone. In the long term, conservation success will depend greatly on the ability to prevent new invasions, and to manage "invaded" native systems for maximum benefit to native biodiversity and intact, functioning ecosystems. The prevention and early detection of new invasive species is not only important to natural systems, but can also save millions of dollars in control measures for agricultural systems. The Conservancy is actively promoting the implementation and scientific improvement of new prevention programs and methods, through capacity building and through the influence on policy. The steps for a comprehensive strategy include assessment and risk analysis, prevention, early detection, rapid response and eradication, control and management, restoration, and public education and awareness. The foundation for all these steps is science but much more is needed and our ability to incorporate new information into management decisions in a timely fashion continues to be limited

    Science Priorities for Reducing the Threat of Invasive Species to Sustainable Forestry

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    Invasive species pose a major, yet poorly addressed, threat to sustainable forestry. Here we set forth an interdisciplinary science strategy of research, development, and applications to reduce this threat. To spur action by public and private entities that too often are slow, reluctant, or unable to act, we recommend (a) better integrating invasive species into sustainable forestry frameworks such as the Montréal Process and forest certification programs; (b) developing improved cost estimates to inform choices about international trade and pest suppression efforts; and (c) building distributed information systems that deliver information on risks, identification, and response strategies. To enhance the success of prevention and management actions, we recommend (a) advancing technologies for molecular identification, expert systems, and remote sensing; (b) evolving approaches for ecosystem and landscape management; and (c) better anticipating interactions between species invasions and other global change processes

    Climate-driven risks to the climate mitigation potential of forests

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    International audienceForests have considerable potential to help mitigate human-caused climate change and provide society with many cobenefits. However, climate-driven risks may fundamentally compromise forest carbon sinks in the 21st century. Here, we synthesize the current understanding of climate-driven risks to forest stability from fire, drought, biotic agents, and other disturbances. We review how efforts to use forests as natural climate solutions presently consider and could more fully embrace current scientific knowledge to account for these climate-driven risks. Recent advances in vegetation physiology, disturbance ecology, mechanistic vegetation modeling, large-scale ecological observation networks, and remote sensing are improving current estimates and forecasts of the risks to forest stability. A more holistic understanding and quantification of such risks will help policy-makers and other stakeholders effectively use forests as natural climate solutions. Copyrigh
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