Data Descriptor: Global terrestrial Human Footprint maps for 1993 and 2009

Remotely-sensed and bottom-up survey information were compiled on eight variables measuring the direct and indirect human pressures on the environment globally in 1993 and 2009. This represents not only the most current information of its type, but also the first temporally-consistent set of Human Footprint maps. Data on human pressures were acquired or developed for: 1) built environments, 2) population density, 3) electric infrastructure, 4) crop lands, 5) pasture lands, 6) roads, 7) railways, and 8) navigable waterways. Pressures were then overlaid to create the standardized Human Footprint maps for all non-Antarctic land areas. A validation analysis using scored pressures from 3114 × 1 km2 random sample plots revealed strong agreement with the Human Footprint maps.We anticipate that the Human Footprint maps will find a range of uses as proxies for human disturbance of natural systems. The updated maps should provide an increased understanding of the human pressures that drive macro-ecological patterns, as well as for tracking environmental change and informing conservation science and application

Planning for conservation in the Mediterranean Sea : an ecoregional approach

Our study demonstrates that setting conservation targets for each Mediterranean ecoregion, can lead to outcomes more comprehensive in the representation of the Mediterranean biodiversity overcoming the great variability in availability of biodiversity and socioeconomic data among countries.peer-reviewe

Simple rules can guide whether land or ocean based conservation will best benefit marine ecosystems

Coastal marine ecosystems can be managed by actions undertaken both on the land and in the ocean. Quantifying and comparing the costs and benefits of actions in both realms is therefore necessary for efficient management. Here, we quantify the link between terrestrial sediment run-off and a downstream coastal marine ecosystem, and contrast the cost-effectiveness of marine and land-based conservation actions. We use a dynamic land- and sea-scape model to determine whether limited funds should be directed to one of four alternative conservation actions – protection on land, protection in the ocean, restoration on land, or restoration in the ocean – to maximise the extent of light-dependent marine benthic habitats, across decadal time-scales. We apply the model to a case study seagrass meadow in Australia. We find that marine restoration is the most cost-effective action over decadal time-scales in this system, based on a conservative estimate of the rate at which seagrass can expand into new habitat. The optimal decision will vary in different social-ecological contexts, but some basic information can guide optimal investments to counteract land and ocean based stressors: (1) marine restoration should be prioritised if the rates of marine ecosystem decline and expansion are similar and low; (2) marine protection should take precedence if the rate of marine ecosystem decline is high, or if the adjacent catchment is relatively intact and has a low rate of vegetation decline; (3) land-based actions are optimal when the ratio of marine ecosystem expansion to decline is >1.4, with terrestrial restoration typically the most cost effective; and (4) land protection should be prioritised if the catchment is relatively intact, but the rate of vegetation decline is high. These rules-of-thumb illustrate how cost-effective conservation outcomes for connected land-ocean systems can proceed without complex modelling

Pasture Characteristics in Three Different Ecotypes at Khovd Aimag, Western Mongolia

<div><p>The transition of nomadic pastoralism to more sessile forms of rangeland utilization and increased stocking rates can result in the degradation of pasture. After political changes in the 1990s in Mongolia, population growth and missing alternative livelihoods intensified the grazing pressure on pastures, and further decreased the condition of the fragile arid ecosystems. To learn more about the productivity and quality of pasture land in Khovd Aimag in the western region of Mongolia, standing biomass was measured in the alpine region, mountain steppe and semi-desert. Plant samples were analyzed for nitrogen and fiber contents by wet chemistry and Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS). Results show clear differences in distribution of biomass with reduced biomass in the vicinity of temporary settlements. From July to early September plant nitrogen contents decreased in the alpine region, remained unchanged in the mountain steppe and increased in the semi-desert. Nitrogen concentrations were elevated in vegetation close to temporary settlements. For fiber contents (ADF) no clear patterns were found. Neither biomass/m² nor vegetation cover were appropriate indicators for food quality.</p></div

Mean cover of vegetation and particle size of the ground at study sites of alpine region, mountain steppe and semi-desert.

<p>Mean cover of vegetation and particle size of the ground at study sites of alpine region, mountain steppe and semi-desert.</p

Effects of the ecotype, seasonality and distance to the river on the biomass, nitrogen, ADF and food quality in the alpine meadow and the mountain steppe according to ANOVA.

<p>Effects of the ecotype, seasonality and distance to the river on the biomass, nitrogen, ADF and food quality in the alpine meadow and the mountain steppe according to ANOVA.</p

Sampling design: 20 plots of 1 m² were sampled per month and distance class in the alpine region and the mountain steppe; and 20 plots were sampled per month in the semi-desert.

<p>Sampling design: 20 plots of 1 m² were sampled per month and distance class in the alpine region and the mountain steppe; and 20 plots were sampled per month in the semi-desert.</p

Mean amount of rainfall at Khovd Region from 1983 to 2004 [47].

<p>Mean amount of rainfall at Khovd Region from 1983 to 2004 <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0102892#pone.0102892-Institute1" target="_blank">[47]</a>.</p

Single factor analyses for the main factors ecotype, seasonality and distance class in the alpine meadow (alpine) and mountain steppe (steppe).

<p>Single factor analyses for the main factors ecotype, seasonality and distance class in the alpine meadow (alpine) and mountain steppe (steppe).</p

Pearson’s correlation analysis between food quality (measured as the ratio of nitrogen/ADF) and DOM for pooled data, single pooled ecotypes and each distance class per ecotype.

<p>Pearson’s correlation analysis between food quality (measured as the ratio of nitrogen/ADF) and DOM for pooled data, single pooled ecotypes and each distance class per ecotype.</p