Community-scale biodiversity conservation in cities

Ethiopia had practiced Judaism before Christianity. This church is unique in the continent of Africa and glob in holding judo-Christian sect. In the church tradition forests are considered as shelter of the earth crust which provides enormous scenery to the world. Most of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church and monasteries are built on hills, mountains and high places which are covered with densely forests. This practice and tradition was comes from Eden, the place had all the best and choicest trees and plant, God a tender Father, provide not only for Adam’s needs, but also his pleasure. The church on the earth signifies the new heaven, the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, Adam. Therefore, gardening was the first kind of employment on record in which man was engaged. Though trees and plants produced the necessary flower and fruits by the will of God, dressing and keeping are necessary to maintain in their perfection. The greenery in Eden is the underlying principles on which Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church dwell to conserve nature. Existing literatures on the nature conservation role of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church is not the detail. Therefore, published articles and Holy Scriptures were reviewed and presented in a more coherent manner. The main objective of the paper is to explore past and present work on sacred grove role in general, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church in particular in mountain ecology management and biodiversity conservation. The result shows that unreplaceable role of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church in conserving forest and mountain biodiversity in Ethiopia by indicating large scale forests and ecosystem is currently under the custodianship of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido church and its role on carbon emission reduction in the changing world. Therefore, recognizing the indigenous knowledge in biodiversity and mountain conservation and customizing the best practice from it would help global efforts on remnant resource conservation. It is a win-win scenario for diversity management and mountain conservation policy formulation effort too.

We apply a land-use approach to biodiversity conservation (BC) by assuming that the global public good ‘biodiversity’ is positively correlated with the share of land protected by land-use restrictions against the deterioration of habitats, ecosystems, and biodiversity. The willingness to pay for BC is positive in developed countries (North), but very low in developing countries (South). Taking the no-policy regime as our point of departure, we analyze two concepts of BC: the northern countries’ financial support of BC in the South, and the coordination of northern countries’ BC efforts. In each regime, governments may either take prices as given or may act strategically by seeking to manipulate the terms of trade in their favor. Our numerical analysis yields results with unexpected policy implications. If northern countries support BC financially in the South without coordinating their actions, the protected land, biodiversity and welfare increase so slightly that this BC policy is almost ineffective. The BC concept with a Coaseian flavor—in which northern countries support BC financially in the South and coordinate their action—is efficient if governments act non-strategically. Otherwise, the concept is an ineffective BC policy instrument, because the incentives for expanding the protected land the BC policy creates are so strong that biodiversity actually becomes excessive.

This paper aims to analyze the effects of biodiversity conservation on sustainable livelihood diversification of rural communities in South Africa. Global evidence demonstrated a nuanced connection between biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihood diversification. Biodiversity conservation is flourishing, and its industry has grown to a point where it accounts for a big part of South Africa's Gross Domestic Product. However, it remains a concern that the poverty levels in rural communities continue to rise, and there is no improvement brought by biodiversity conservation towards sustainable livelihood diversification. This is a theoretical paper that adopted the qualitative research method. The data for the paper was compiled through a desktop study wherein newspapers, scholarly journal articles, and government documents related to the effects of biodiversity conservation on sustainable livelihood diversification of rural communities in South Africa. Therefore, Document analysis was appropriate and selected to analyze the data. The paper found that balancing biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihood diversification remains challenging in South Africa. This makes it difficult for rural communities to have sustainable livelihood diversification. This paper concludes that biodiversity conservation needs to do more justice to ensuring sustainable livelihood diversification for rural communities in the country. Therefore, it recommends the government delegate candidates or departments to continuously monitor and ensure that nature reserves practicing biodiversity conservation give back to nearby rural communities. Biodiversity conservation policies and legislations in line with the development of rural communities should be reviewed, adjusted, and ensured that they have operated accordingly.

Tanzania is one of the African countries endowed with diverse rangeland’s biological resources hosting 6 out of 25 globally known biodiversity hotspots. Despite, government efforts on biodiversity conservation, the pressures on rangelands’ biodiversity utilization are growing in line with increasing human population. With little recognition of contribution of local knowledge in biodiversity conservation, the current paper reviewed the potential of available indigenous knowledge in Tanzania and challenges limiting adoption of this vital knowledge on rangeland’s biodiversity conservation. This review established that, the country has rich indigenous knowledge potential for rangeland management and biodiversity conservation. Traditional enclosures and pastoral mobility are among the important indigenous practices used for rehabilitation of degraded rangelands and conservation of fragile ecosystems. The coexistence of local communities with complex ecosystems offers them excellent experiences on rangelands’ biodiversity conservation. However, increasingly loss of rangelands’ biodiversity in the country is attributed to ignoring the contribution of local communities which are rich in indigenous knowledge and skills on rangelands management. Among of the challenges hindering the adoption and involvement of indigenous knowledge to conservation are; scientific bias toward pastoral communities, loss of local expertise, poor knowledge inheritance systems, poverty, conflicts and emergence of pandemic diseases. For effective and sustainable utilisation of indigenous knowledge, the following are recommended; fully engagement of local communities in conservation process, empowering local communities to reduce poverty and conflicts, mainstreaming the indigenous knowledge to conservation education, emphasising on livelihoods diversification to reduce reliance on biological resources and promoting studies to document existing indigenous knowledge.

Conservation planning using a species approach involves the prioritization and selection of conservation areas based on biological criteria. Therefore, there is a need to adopt appropriate criteria for forest conservation planning. We propose that forest conservation planning refers to globally accepted criteria and indicators (i.e. C&I) for sustainable forest management. Criteria related to 'biodiversity conservation' and 'soil and water conservation' are two functions adopted and applied to forest conservation planning using a geographic information system (GIS)-based multiple-criteria decision-making approach (MCDM). The biodiversity conservation criterion comprises indicators of ecosystem diversity and species diversity, whereas the soil and water conservation criterion consists of indicators related to landslide, flood and drought prevention functions. In addition, a criterion containing indicators for potential timber species distribution, proximity to settlements and roads is used as a measure of potential forest threats. The application of C&I to the GIS-based MCDM approach has enabled forest conservation priorities to be considered in terms of the important forest functions. It also integrated two decision-making processes (i.e. 'biodiversity conservation' and 'soil and water conservation') into a single process.

BackgroundThis article presents, from an ethnoecological perspective, the worldviews, traditional knowledge, and cultural practices of Amazonian riverine people involved in the extraction of miriti fruits (Mauritia flexuosa L.f.), in a context of increasing market demand for miriti fruits and of pressure for the intensification of açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) production on the Sirituba island, in Abaetetuba, Brazil.MethodsMethods used were participant observation and non-directive interviews with 22 extractive families of miriti from the Santa Maria and Costa Sirituba communities, on Sirituba Island, in Abaetetuba, Pará, Brazil. Non-structured interviews were used to analyze the knowledge about the species, history of miriti extraction, the traditions, and innovations related to this activity over time. Participant observation took place when riverine individuals were working with miriti fruits, in order to grasp the “codes” that permeate the human-nature relationships embedded in this production system.ResultsIt was verified that the riverine peoples have a great knowledge about the palm tree, which is reflected in their own classification systems and management practices that allow the sustainable extraction of the fruits, avoiding, for example, cutting the miriti palms. In addition, a reciprocity relationship was observed between riverine peoples and miriti palm that are personified and preserved, contributing to the conservation of the species in the floodplain, even with the intensification of açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) production. Another important aspect is the collective work involving all the members of the family, which allows the appropriation of the knowledge about the extraction of miriti by the young, allowing the resistance of the tradition that remains strong, contributing to the sustainability of the practice and conservation of biodiversity in the Amazonian floodplain.ConclusionThe k-c-p complex inherent to the riverine universe allows, even in face of the growing commercial demand for miriti fruits and the unchallenged increase in the extraction of this product, the conservation of floodplain biodiversity. Thus, we emphasize the importance of traditional knowledge and practices for biodiversity preservation, and they use them to guide public policies and natural resource management systems, aiming for sustainable ways to manage and use biodiversity.

Freshwater biodiversity is the over-riding conservation priority during the International Decade for Action - 'Water for Life' - 2005 to 2015. Fresh water makes up only 0.01% of the World's water and approximately 0.8% of the Earth's surface, yet this tiny fraction of global water supports at least 100000 species out of approximately 1.8 million - almost 6% of all described species. Inland waters and freshwater biodiversity constitute a valuable natural resource, in economic, cultural, aesthetic, scientific and educational terms. Their conservation and management are critical to the interests of all humans, nations and governments. Yet this precious heritage is in crisis. Fresh waters are experiencing declines in biodiversity far greater than those in the most affected terrestrial ecosystems, and if trends in human demands for water remain unaltered and species losses continue at current rates, the opportunity to conserve much of the remaining biodiversity in fresh water will vanish before the 'Water for Life' decade ends in 2015. Why is this so, and what is being done about it? This article explores the special features of freshwater habitats and the biodiversity they support that makes them especially vulnerable to human activities. We document threats to global freshwater biodiversity under five headings: overexploitation; water pollution; flow modification; destruction or degradation of habitat; and invasion by exotic species. Their combined and interacting influences have resulted in population declines and range reduction of freshwater biodiversity worldwide. Conservation of biodiversity is complicated by the landscape position of rivers and wetlands as 'receivers' of land-use effluents, and the problems posed by endemism and thus non-substitutability. In addition, in many parts of the world, fresh water is subject to severe competition among multiple human stakeholders. Protection of freshwater biodiversity is perhaps the ultimate conservation challenge because it is influenced by the upstream drainage network, the surrounding land, the riparian zone, and - in the case of migrating aquatic fauna - downstream reaches. Such prerequisites are hardly ever met. Immediate action is needed where opportunities exist to set aside intact lake and river ecosystems within large protected areas. For most of the global land surface, trade-offs between conservation of freshwater biodiversity and human use of ecosystem goods and services are necessary. We advocate continuing attempts to check species loss but, in many situations, urge adoption of a compromise position of management for biodiversity conservation, ecosystem functioning and resilience, and human livelihoods in order to provide a viable long-term basis for freshwater conservation. Recognition of this need will require adoption of a new paradigm for biodiversity protection and freshwater ecosystem management - one that has been appropriately termed 'reconciliation ecology'.

Among the challenges to sustainable development, two primary obstacles stand out: poverty and biodiversity loss. Despite the acknowledged significance of the link between poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation, this relationship remains underexplored due to its complex nature, a lack of integrated data, and the tendency to address poverty and biodiversity separately in research and policy. This study aims to explore the complex relationship between biodiversity conservation and poverty in semi-arid ecosystems in Iran, focusing on the natural, social, economic, and governmental drivers involved. The results revealed a spatially varied relationship between biodiversity conservation and poverty, with both positive and negative outcomes. The structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that nature (p < 0.001), economy (p < 0.01), society (p < 0.01), and government (p < 0.01), with poverty serving as a mediating factor, significantly influence biodiversity conservation. Further analysis of the SEM revealed that specific factors play key roles: ecosystem production was identified as the most important natural driver (p < 0.001), income as the primary economic driver (p < 0.001), population as the most influential social driver (p < 0.001), and government services as the leading governmental driver (p < 0.01) of biodiversity conservation. Results revealed that ecosystem production and government services positively correlate with biodiversity conservation, while population negatively impacts it. The relationship between income and biodiversity conservation, however, is more complex. This study offers a novel approach for the spatial assessment of both poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation, using key drivers to inform policy and management decisions.

Indonesia, as a megadiverse country, carries a significant responsibility to ensure the sustainability of biodiversity conservation. This conservation effort requires strategic regulation and adaptive governance within the context of local government administration. This study aims to explore the theoretical concepts and policy frameworks for implementing biodiversity conservation in the context of sustainable development, and to examine the strategies for regulating and governing biodiversity conservation at the regional level. The research employs a normative juridical method with a legislative, analytical, and conceptual approach. Data for this study is sourced from primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials, including laws and regulations, expert doctrines, and supporting literature, to analyze biodiversity conservation regulation within local governance.The study finds that biodiversity conservation at the regional level requires the integration of sustainability principles into local government planning and program implementation. Key challenges identified include a lack of synergy among relevant authorities, limited local government capacity, and low participation from local communities. These issues need to be continually evaluated and analyzed to map out the appropriate policy solutions for effective governance of biodiversity conservation, particularly at the regional level. The study recommends strategic approaches such as strengthening an inclusive policy framework, establishing collaborative mechanisms between the government and local communities, and developing programs based on local needs and regional potential. Furthermore, the research suggests the development of data-driven policies to support sustainable biodiversity conservation governance at the regional level. This will ensure that conservation efforts become an integral part of effective local government administration, aligned with the needs of sustainable development.

How to reconcile wood production and biodiversity conservation? The Pan-European boreal forest history gradient as an “experiment”

This chapter explores how that imperative for ‘biodiversity conservation’ relates to fisheries. It reviews the types of interaction between fisheries and endangered aquatic species. The chapter looks at the state of decision-making in the fishery and in the biodiversity conservation field. Despite continuing tensions, and some setbacks, there are indications of expanding common ground between the biodiversity conservation and fisheries management streams. The opportunities for linking the two streams of fisheries and biodiversity conservation, for each scale or level of decision-making, from global to local, and progress towards common ground, is apparent across multiple governance levels. Some key incentives and opportunities help to link fisheries and biodiversity conservation. The chapter concludes with a focus on two major international institutions, since these have been instrumental in creating international frameworks for linking natural resource use and biodiversity conservation. These are the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

Biodiversity conservation outside designated protected areas remains challenging in South Africa, where 80% of the biodiversity resources occur on private and communal lands. This applies to the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, which is the focus of this study. Landholders logically choose agricultural production ahead of conservation, which they often perform using non-ecological methods. Extension is well positioned to promote ecological agriculture, but its current contribution is unknown. This study examined the role of extension in ecological agriculture in KZN by investigating extension’s promotion of ecological agriculture among smallholder farmers and the factors impacting their employment of ecologically compatible practices. Data was collected through semistructured interviews with 44 respondents, comprising 5 provincial biodiversity conservation practitioners, 1 national biodiversity conservation manager, and 1 national and 4 provincial agricultural extension managers, selected by purposive sampling; as well as 25 extension officers and 8 farmers, selected by convenience sampling. The study found that extension mainly engages in technology transfer and distribution of production inputs, which poses challenges to biodiversity conservation. Extension shows little concern for biodiversity, and effectively promotes its degradation. Four sets of factors impacting extension’s capacity to promote ecological agriculture emerged: household/community-level, governmental, extension management, and ecological factors. Key among these were inadequate involvement of youth and men in agriculture; inadequate household production resources; poor collaboration and coordination between extension and biodiversity conservation institutions; top-down extension intervention; poor extension management and delivery capacities; and irregular and inadequate rainfall, as well as droughts and flooding. The study concluded that there is a need for a clearly articulated extension and biodiversity conservation policy supporting appropriate linkages and better coordination and integration of services among extension and biodiversity agencies within the National and Provincial Departments of Agriculture and with farmers; more effective agricultural education in schools; strengthening extension support systems; and creating conducive atmospheres for effective extension.

Forest ecosystems provide several goods and services, but strategies for the conservation of biodiversity are missing in traditional forest management schemes. In this paper we develope a decision support system to optimize the conservation of biodiversity in managed forests, taking Dadia National Park as a case study area, a local Mediterranean hotspot of biodiversity in northeastern Greece. Using environmental niche factor analysis, we produced a series of spatially explicit habitat suitability models for vascular plants, amphibians, small birds and raptors and an overall model for total biodiversity. Further, we produced maps related to timber production and investigated potential conflicts between conservation of biodiversity and wood production. A decision support system based on a conflict assessment was created using three management scenarios. It enables the establishment of integrated management strategies and the assessment of their effects on biodiversity and timber production. Habitat suitability models for selected groups of organisms were found very effective to investigate the impact of the management on forests and wildlife. Further evaluation of key indicator taxa on these models could improve decision support systems and the sustainable management of forests.

The juggernaut of globalization and the forces of hyper competition have kept Indian corporations busy pushing growth and profits. The Companies Act and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) rules in India mandate certain categories of businesses to fulfill their social and environmental responsibilities. Twelve activities are listed where CSR funds can be employed. However, most companies choose to spend their funds on healthcare and sanitation, education, rural improvement, and arts and culture. This is hardly surprising, as it can potentially improve the company’s image in the eyes of its customers. On the other hand, the natural environment is a distant seventh preference of the top 100 companies. This prompts a question—does nature conservation, specifically biodiversity, matter to companies? Even as increasing production and consumption have impacted natural systems, the answer to this question is hardly encouraging. In this chapter, we discuss the findings from our study of CSR spending of corporations in India. We examined the CSR expenditure data of select companies, from their 2017 annual reports, National CSR India portal data, and CSR surveys such as KPMG CSR Reporting Surveys of N100 (ranked on National Stock Exchange on the basis of market capital) companies. From this study, we try to understand the motivations behind nature conservation, expected outcomes from this expenditure, and challenges in biodiversity and nature conservation as a CSR goal. This chapter concludes by arguing why biodiversity conservation should matter to businesses and what could be the possible policy measure to enhance this funding.

6 - Biodiversity conservation policies of China