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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2018) | Viewed by 45108

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Prof. Dr. Jo Anne Smith-Flueck

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Laboratorio de Teriogenología, “Dr. Héctor H. Morello”, Facultad Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Comahue, Cinco Saltos, Río Negro, Argentina
Interests: wildlife management and conservation; deer biology
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Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will comprise selected papers on “Sustainable Wildlife Ecology and Conservation”, including original research and reviews. At one time, the term sustainable, in the field of wildlife management, pertained simply to optimal “sustainable” harvest, based on population recruitment of a game animal, and taking into account biological and ecological factors. Today, out of necessity to protect the environment, its meaning has broadened to encompass a wider range of constituents managed through environmental, economic and social policy objectives. Given the significance of conservation biology in today’s environment as indicated by the growing number of threatened wildlife species, sustainability for wildlife biologists, scientists, and managers in current times involves comprehension of an array of integral ecological components and the mechanisms by which they function cohesively and hierarchically to maintain an ecosystem intact, while keeping manipulation of natural resources to a minimum. Topics to cover in this Special Issue might include: Case examples of practices that maintain or improve environmental quality in order to satisfy habitat and nutritional requirements of wildlife species; investigative studies evaluating the impact of human activities on macro- and micro-mineral cycles and on ecosystem biodiversity; case studies of impacts from invasive fauna and flora or wildlife poaching on native wildlife species and results obtained after control of these negative factors; evaluating the influence of climate change on wildlife species and the means by which to reduce any negative outcomes; and studies involving local community involvement to improve wildlife population numbers and biodiversity, to name a few. The role of adaptive management as a means to achieve a sustainable wildlife population makes this a challenging field of science that will continue to grow, not to mention the challenges introduced by political, cultural and biophysical barriers, including the impending shortages of cheap energy, key natural elements, and funding sources, and the ever-shrinking prime habitat leading to more fragmented wildlife populations. Contributing papers are encouraged to address their findings within the context of the projected nine billion people or more by 2050, and the continued failure to reach a steady-state human population. The objective of this Special Issue is to collectively bring under one umbrella the myriad components that interact in this diverse field of sustainable wildlife management and conservation as a means to help wildlife professionals decipher the factors that play an important role in the particular environment that they are managing.

Prof. Dr. Jo Anne Smith-Flueck
Guest Editor

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Keywords

wildlife management
conservation
sustainable management
biodiversity
population dynamics
nutrition
natural resource management
resource utilization
disturbance
human pressure
mineral cycles
adaptive management
habitat requirements
fragmentation
population size
climate change
community

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 221 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Towards a More Sustainable Human–Animal Relationship: The Legal Protection of Wildlife in China

by Lu Feng, Wenjie Liao and Junhua Hu

Sustainability 2019, 11(11), 3112; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11113112 - 2 Jun 2019

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5124

Abstract

Problems of the human–animal relationship in China are associated with imperfect legal protection. Few recent studies in English have focused on the entire legislation framework for wildlife protection, or paid sufficient attention to revision of the Wildlife Protection Law of China. This study aims to provide a review of the legislation pertinent to the overall framework of wildlife protection in China, thus making the legislative framework understood by a broader audience. We present various legal documents of national, local, and international level—including the Constitution, national laws, national administrative regulations and departmental rules, and local regulations and rules, all selected for their direct and close relation to wildlife protection. We then discuss the challenges of internal defects in the legislation for wildlife protection and problems of coordination between the laws—including the lack of stipulation on the definition of wildlife, the narrow scope of the legal protection of wildlife, the incomplete stipulation on the property rights of wildlife, the imperfect stipulation on wildlife utilization, the relatively limited protection system of wildlife habitats, and the relatively vague damage compensation caused by wildlife protection, with an emphasis on revisions of the Wildlife Protection Law of China in 2016. In conclusion, we draw wider implications for the legal protection of wildlife in China, arguing for a more sustainable human–animal relationship. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wildlife Ecology and Conservation)

15 pages, 561 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Most Irreplaceable Protected Areas for the Conservation of Mammals in the Atlantic Forest: Lessons for the Governance of Mosaics

by Leandro Macedo, Adrian Monjeau and Aline Neves

Sustainability 2019, 11(11), 3029; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11113029 - 29 May 2019

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3229

Abstract

We have gathered 21,353 records of 40 different medium- and large-sized species of mammals existing in the Atlantic Forest conservation units of Brazil, including full protection and sustainable use types of management. We have classified the conservation units by their irreplaceability in terms of their role in the protection of mammalian species. Most irreplaceable conservation units are concentrated in the southern and southeastern regions of Brazil, mainly in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Paraná. Our data show that over and above the area of the conservation unit or its type of use, protection of its surroundings appears to be of most consequence. Therefore, it is essential to develop effective mosaic governance mechanisms that include protected areas and different types of land use. However, it is also necessary to establish common ground that allows the coexistence of human economic demands and wildlife preservation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wildlife Ecology and Conservation)

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12 pages, 2361 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fragmented Riverine Habitats in Taiwan Have Spatio-Temporal Consequences, Re-Distributing Caprimulgus affinis into Urban Areas Leading to a Human–Wildlife Conflict

by Bai-You Cheng, Guey-Shin Shyu, Shi-Ching Wu, Hsiao-Hsien Lin, Chia-Hsuan Hsu, Ben A. LePage and Wei-Ta Fang

Sustainability 2019, 11(6), 1778; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061778 - 25 Mar 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4578

Abstract

Caprimulgus affinis is an endemic species commonly known as the Taiwan nighthawk, forest nighthawk, or South Asian nighthawk. In recent years, the C. affinis population has gradually moved outward from river habitats into the metropolitan areas of Taiwan. Because male birds’ booming sounds at night can reach up to 90 dB or higher and they can be intermittently tweeting for more than 10 hours, they often disturb the sleep of urban residents and can even cause nightmares. In this study, we analyzed long-term survey data to assess the distribution history of C. affinis in Taiwan. By using 1738 entries of observation data collected from 1999 to 2014, a model of C. affinis distribution was constructed, and a geostatistical method was used to improve the accuracy of the model estimate. In addition, the Mann–Kendall trend test was applied to predict future C. affinis distribution. Based on the results, four variables were selected to construct the C. affinis distribution matrix. Urban population, coastal proximity, and distance to upstream river location represented positive driving forces, whereas city elevation was a negative driving force. C. affinis is currently distributed on the plains of central and southern Taiwan and in eastern Taiwan. The C. affinis emergence trend diagram was plotted using the time–space trend diagram, which showed yearly increases in the C. affinis populations in urban and settled areas including central, western, northeastern, and southeastern Taiwan and yearly decreases in the populations in rural areas including northern and southern Taiwan, especially in fragmented riverine habitats. Regression kriging can correctly describe the distribution of the entire C. affinis population, which leads to the correct understanding of the biological corridor of C. affinis in their migration through the graphical contours in GIS. The analytic model in this study contributes to the establishment of the time–space trend diagram. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wildlife Ecology and Conservation)

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15 pages, 3574 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changing Abundance and Distribution of the Wintering Swan Goose Anser cygnoides in the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Floodplain: An Investigation Combining a Field Survey with Satellite Telemetry

by An An, Lei Cao, Qiang Jia, Xin Wang, Qin Zhu, Junjian Zhang, Xueqin Ye and Dali Gao

Sustainability 2019, 11(5), 1398; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11051398 - 6 Mar 2019

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3569

Abstract

Migratory waterbird communities are quick to respond to ecosystem degradation, and they are widely considered to be important bioindicators of complex environmental changes. The swan goose (Anser cygnoides) has been listed as a globally vulnerable species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This species currently winters almost exclusively in China and is mostly concentrated on lakes in the middle and lower catchment of the Yangtze River floodplain, especially in Poyang Lake, Jiangxi province and some sites in Anhui province. In the past few years, the population of A. cygnoides has fluctuated. To protect this fragile Anatidae species, long-term and accurate population estimation is both necessary and urgent. In this study, we evaluated the change in numbers and distribution of A. cygnoides by comparing surveys conducted in 2004 and 2005 with more recent ones conducted in 2015 and 2016. A reduction in the count number of this species occurred in the survey sites. After a statistical Mann-Whitney U test, the count numbers of A. cygnoides decreased significantly at the survey sites in Anhui province and the abundance decrease at the survey sites in Poyang Lake was only marginally significant. The inaccessibility of the new sites revealed by satellite tracking impeded a more prudent and comprehensive estimate of the population change. Satellite tracking technology may be a tool to consider for increasing the efficiency of data acquisition. Information transmitted from satellite tracking devices can help us to better understand the species’ behavior and wintering habitat. This technology has the potential to substitute costly and time-consuming field surveys. Conservation designs and management plans must be created for specific national nature reserves and key wintering sites. A more efficient long-term species monitoring system with improved spatial coverage should be conducted to safeguard wintering A. cygnoides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wildlife Ecology and Conservation)

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25 pages, 9452 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Climate on Food Security in Mainland China: A New Perspective Based on Characteristics of Major Agricultural Natural Disasters and Grain Loss

by Jingpeng Guo, Kebiao Mao, Yinghui Zhao, Zhong Lu and Xiaoping Lu

Sustainability 2019, 11(3), 869; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11030869 - 7 Feb 2019

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5518

Abstract

Under the background of global warming, China has experienced frequent natural disasters that have seriously affected grain production in recent decades. Based on historical documents from 1978–2014, we explored the spatio-temporal variation of five major kinds of natural disasters and grain losses in China using statistical techniques: the Mann-Kendall (MK) test, social network analysis (SNA), and geographic information system (GIS) tools. The disaster intensity index (Q) clearly showed the variation of natural disasters; all of China experienced a significant increasing trend at an annual scale, reaching its peak (27.77%) in 2000. The step change points in floods, droughts, hail, and low-temperature events began to occur in 1983, 1988, 1988, 1992, respectively, while no obvious trend was detected for typhoon activity from 2001 to 2014. Drought and flood were the most serious types of disaster over the last four decades, accounting for more than 50% of total grain losses. Eight major provinces were identified with severe grain losses: Heilongjiang, Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Anhui, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Hunan, and Hubei. Five studied natural disaster types were identified throughout the seven physical geographical regions. Spatial distribution for the different disaster types showed significant geographical distribution characteristics. Natural disasters gradually became more diverse from north to south. Droughts, hail, and low-temperature disasters were randomly distributed throughout China; flood and typhoon disasters exhibited significant spatial auto-correlation and clustering patterns. Finally, in accordance with the intensity of natural disaster, the annual grain losses at the provincial scale initially increased (ranging from 0.14 million to 3.26 million tonnes in 1978–2000), and then decreased after 2000 (ranging from 3.26 million to 1.58 million tonnes in 2000–2014). The center of gravity of grain losses gradually moved northward. These results emphasize that developing different strategies for disaster prevention and mitigation programs in the major grain producing areas (e.g., Heilongjiang, Shandong, and Henan) are critical and important to China’s food security. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wildlife Ecology and Conservation)

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12 pages, 3523 KiB

Open AccessArticle

What Is Left for Our Next Generation? Integrating Ecosystem Services into Regional Policy Planning in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of China

by Yang Xiao, Qinli Xiong and Kaiwen Pan

Sustainability 2019, 11(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010003 - 20 Dec 2018

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4444

Abstract

Land use/Land cover (LULC) changes as a result of policy planning influence ecosystem structures, processes, and functions, which are the basis for providing a wide range of ecosystem services (ES). There is an increasing consensus about the importance of integrating ES into ecological policy but quantifying the potential impacts of different policy on ES has proven difficult. We designed a remote sensing, geographic information system and scenario analysis-based approach to estimate and analyze the relationship between ES (soil conservation and carbon sequestration) and ecological policy designed to improve human welfare in the Chongqing municipality in the upper reaches of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China; a densely populated, highly modified watershed with serious soil erosion and flood hazard. Three alternative scenarios in 2050 were modeled for the Three Gorges Reservoir Area watershed. The model GEOMOD was used to predict future LULC changes due to policy planning. The ES models (Universal Soil Loss Equation model and Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach model) were designed to inform decisions, with an aim to align economic forces with conservation. We examine policy effectiveness by comparing scenarios for 2050 (Scenario1: Maintain current policy with no considerations of ES; Scenario2: Integrate ES into policy planning; Scenario3: Integrate ES into policy planning in view of the need of local people). Scenario-based LULC change analysis revealed that if the current afforestation policy continues (scenario 1), total ES would be further increased in 2050 due to expansion of forest cover. However, by targeting policy to improve ES provision (scenarios 2 and 3), ecological risks of soil loss can be significantly reduced and carbon sequestration enhanced. Scenario 3, thus, provided the best future environmental development scenario considering the need of local people in each region for ES. This scenario will theoretically help the Three Gorges Dam to harvest more ecological benefits through improvements in soil conservation and carbon sequestration. This study highlights the observation that including ES in policy planning and has a great potential to generate opportunities to maximize ES. This study highlights that including ES in policy planning has a great potential to generate opportunities to maximize ES. Hence, there is a need to encourage proper implementation of ecological policy to maintain and improve ES. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wildlife Ecology and Conservation)

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25 pages, 2935 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Impact of the Wildlife Management Units Policy on the Conservation of Species and Ecosystems of Southeastern Mexico

by Carolina Álvarez-Peredo, Armando Contreras-Hernández, Sonia Gallina-Tessaro, Mariana Pineda-Vázquez, Alejandro Ortega-Argueta, Carlos Tejeda-Cruz and Rosario Landgrave

Sustainability 2018, 10(12), 4415; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10124415 - 26 Nov 2018

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4895

Abstract

Wildlife in Latin America is subject to enormous pressures and, as in most countries, has been negatively impacted in Mexico. In 1997, the Mexican government implemented a policy of conservation and sustainable use of wildlife units (called UMAs, by their Spanish acronym) that comprises intensive and free-living management. Since then, no national or regional assessments have been conducted to estimate impacts and benefits even with 5529 registered UMAs now covering almost 20% of the national territory. The objective of this study was to characterize the SUMA (UMAs System) in a regional context in three states of southeastern Mexico. The impact of UMAs was studied in depth through a selection of representative case studies: three species of mangrove (Avicennia germinans, Laguncularia racemosa and Rhizophora mangle), ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata), red cedar (Cedrela odorata) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and a connectivity analysis, in order to evaluate the contribution of the UMAs to the conservation of species and ecosystems. The number of active UMAs at regional scale was 834, managing 273 species; 7.1% of the UMAs manage nationally-prioritized species, while 8.3% and 94.3% manage endemic and native species, respectively. Conservation of ecosystems has been successfully achieved through the UMAs that manage mangrove and white-tailed deer. We propose to promote the establishment of free-living UMAs that would contribute to increase the conservation areas. Finally, we highlight the relevance of regional-scale spatial analysis as an important tool for improving environmental policy and conservation strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wildlife Ecology and Conservation)

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8 pages, 228 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Public Assessment of Releasing a Captive Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin into the Wild in South Korea

by Hyo-Jin Kim, Se-Jun Jin and Seung-Hoon Yoo

Sustainability 2018, 10(9), 3199; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093199 - 7 Sep 2018

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2799

Abstract

A captive Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin named “Jedol” was released from a zoo into the wild, in Jeju Island Sea off South Korea, in July 2013 to improve his welfare. Since he was illegally captured off the coast of Juju Island in May 2009, he had been performing in dolphin shows at Seoul Zoo, which is owned and operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The release demanded considerable public expenditure, of which the source was local taxes gathered from the residents of Seoul. This paper seeks to conduct an ex-post evaluation of the release, employing the contingent valuation (CV) technique. A total of 500 households living in Seoul in 2013 participated in the CV survey to report their willingness to pay (WTP) for the release. Fifty-two percent were willing to accept an increase in local taxes over the next five years to carry out the release. The mean household WTP estimate was obtained as KRW 4880 (USD 4.56) per annum. The present values of the total WTP and the cost of the release are KRW 79.82 billion (USD 74.53 million) and KRW 751 million (USD 701,000), respectively, in 2013. Interestingly, the former is much more than the latter. We can conclude that the release was desirable from the point of view of Seoul residents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wildlife Ecology and Conservation)

10 pages, 2798 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mapping Spring Ephemeral Plants in Northern Xinjiang, China

by Yuan Qiu, Tong Liu, Chi Zhang, Bin Liu, Borong Pan, Shixin Wu and Xi Chen

Sustainability 2018, 10(3), 804; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10030804 - 14 Mar 2018

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4075

Abstract

Spring ephemeral plants (SEP) are a particular component of flora that take full advantage of water resources and temperature conditions to rapidly complete their life cycle in about two months. In China, they are mainly distributed in northern Xinjiang. They play important roles in dune stability and are precious food for the livestock and wild animals in the early spring. Northern Xinjiang is under dramatic climate changes and land-use/land-cover changes, which can affect the growth of SEP in this region. To explore how the distribution of SEP have varied under these changes, Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrodiometer (MODIS) Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) time series of two years (2000 and 2014) were applied to detect SEP in each period. The TIMESAT software was used to extract the seasonality information from the EVI data. The results show that SEP in northern Xinjiang are mainly located in the south of the Gurbantunggut desert and along the Ili Valley and piedmont hills of the mountains. In 2000, its total area was 3.83 × 10⁴ km², accounting for 10% of the entire region. By 2014, the total area was about 2.74 × 10⁴ km², with a decrease of 28.5% relative to 2000. Land-use/land-cover datasets can be used to determine whether changes in SEP over time are caused by human activities or natural factors. Combing the SEP maps with the synchronous land-use/land-cover datasets indicates that the decrease is mainly caused by natural factors, which are possibly related with the temperature and precipitation changes in this region. Human activities only contributed 4% to the decrease, with most SEP areas being replaced by croplands. The observed SEP dynamics and changes pertain only to the years with below-average precipitation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wildlife Ecology and Conservation)

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18 pages, 16823 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Large Wild Herbivore Populations on the Forage-Livestock Balance in the Source Region of the Yellow River

by Fan Yang, Quanqin Shao, Xingjian Guo, Yuzhi Tang, Yuzhe Li, Dongliang Wang, Yangchun Wang and Jiangwen Fan

Sustainability 2018, 10(2), 340; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10020340 - 29 Jan 2018

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4922

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicle surveys were conducted in the summer season of 2016 and the winter season of 2017 to investigate the large wild herbivore population, including kiangs, Tibetan gazelles and bharals, in Madoi County; the source region of the Yellow River. The study generated forage grass production data in 30 m spatial resolution in Madoi County in 2016 using a downscaling algorithm; estimated a forage-livestock balance including wild animals and domestic animals; and analyzed the effect of the large wild herbivore population on the balance between forage grass and herbivory in Madoi County. The large wild herbivore population was estimated based on the density of the animals in the survey sample strip and compared and verified with available statistical data and the two survey results from the summer season of 2016 and winter season of 2017. The results showed that: (1) in the winter season of 2017, the populations of kiang, Tibetan gazelle and bharal were 17,100, 16,000 and 9300, respectively, while the populations of domestic yak, Tibetan sheep and horse were 70,800, 102,200 and 1200, respectively. The total population of large wild herbivores and domestic animals was 475,000 (sheep units). The ratio (in sheep units) between large wild herbivores and domestic animals was 1:4.5; (2) When only considering domestic animals, the grazing pressure index was 1.13, indicating slight overloading of the grassland. When considering domestic animals and large wild herbivores (kiang, Tibetan gazelle and bharal), the grazing pressure index was 1.38, suggesting moderate overloading of the grassland; (3) If large wild herbivores are not taken into consideration when the forage-livestock balance is calculated, the grazing pressure will be under-estimated by 22%. Overgrazing is the major cause of grassland degradation in Madoi County. An additional 79,000 tons of hay or a 30% reduction in domestic animals is required to maintain a forage-livestock balance in Madoi County. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wildlife Ecology and Conservation)

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