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Impact of agriculture on conservation biology discussed at Brazilia conference Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology July 26, 2005 Below are papers discussing the impact of agriculture on conservation submitted for the conference. All descriptions are excepts from the official "Book of Abstracts" from the meeting. More abstracts. BUCHANAN, JOHN T.; Barroso, Mario; Prado, Paulo Gustavo; Caldas, Eduardo; Prickett, Glenn. The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business, Conservation International M St. NW Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036, USA, j.buchanan((AT))celb.org (JTB, GP). Conservation International - Brazil, SAUS Qd. 3 - Lote 2 - Bl. C - Ed. Business Point - Salas 715-722, Brasília 70.070-934, DF, Brazil (MB, PGP, EC). Expansion of agricultural activities such as ranching and soy production in the Brazilian Cerrado has resulted in habitat loss and fragmentation that threaten biodiversity. Landscape-scale strategies to conserve biodiversity in the Cerrado overlap with significant areas of private agriculture. Farmer engagement is therefore essential to implementing conservation strategies that integrate protected areas of natural habitat within the agricultural landscape. Conservation International and Bunge Limited initiated a pilot project in October 2003 to engage soy farmers in creation of the Emas Taquari Biodiversity Conservation Corridor. The project is creating a Private Reserve Network within the Corridor by assisting farmers to create private reserves on their properties as required by Brazil's Forestry Code. The emphasis is on identifi- cation of reserves that minimize opportunity costs and maximize the biological value of reserves to create connectivity within theABSTRACTS Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, July 2005 Corridor. As of September 2004, 13 farms representing 24 distinct properties and more than 65,000 hectares of farmland had been mapped and integrated into the Corridor design. The ongoing project has created an important precedent in involving agribusiness companies and farmers in conservation activities. Future project activities will focus on expansion of the Private Reserve Network and adapting the model for agricultural frontier areas CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY IN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES: A MULTI-TAXA ASSESSMENT OF THE CONSERVATION VALUE OF DIFFERENT AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST HABITATS. HARVEY, CELIA A.; Saenz, Joel C.; Montero, Jorge; Medina, Arnulfo; Sánchez, Dalia; Vílchez, Sergio; Hernández, Blas; González, Jorge; Sinclair, Ferg L. Department of Agriculture and Agroforestry, CATIE, Turrialba, Costa Rica, charvey((AT))catie.ac.cr (CH), Programa Regional en Manejo de Vida Silvestre para Mesoamérica y el Caribe, Universidad Nacional, jsaenz((AT))una.ac.cr (JS, JM, JG), Fundacion Cocibolca, Managua, Nicaragua dsanchez((AT))catie.ac.cr (DS, AM, SV, BS), University of Wales, Bangor, Wales (FLS). Most landscapes within Central America consist of complex mosaics of small forest patches, pastures, crops and other land uses. Although these highly modified landscapes are commonly viewed as biological wastelands, they often retain a conspicuous on-farm tree cover which may provide habitats, resources, and landscape connectivity for both plant and animal communities and thereby help maintain biodiversity. We explored the importance of six types of on-farm tree cover (forest patches, riparian forests, fallows, live fences, and pastures with different densities of trees) for the conservation of birds, bats, dung beetles and butterflies in 4 agricultural landscapes (two in Nicaragua and two in Costa Rica). Identical methods were employed in each landscape to allow cross-site comparisons. In total more than 50,000 dung beetles, 14,000 trees, 12,000 birds, 9,000 bats, and nearly 3,000 butterflies were registered. Individual types of tree cover varied in their ability to conserve biodiversity, but these patterns varied both across taxa and across the four landscapes studied. Our study suggests that on-farm tree cover can play an important role in conservation of biodiversity, but that the value of this tree cover will depend on the particular taxa of interest and in the way that farmers manage this tree cover DO PARKS DEPRIVE TROPICAL COUNTRIES OF GOOD AGRICULTURAL LAND? BRANDON, KATRINA; Gorenflo, Larry J. Center for Applied Biodiversity Science, Conservation International, 1919 M Street, N.W. Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20036, USA, k.brandon((AT))conservation.org. At the World Parks Congress, conservationists affirmed the need to substantially expand the global protected area (PA) system. Yet critics argue that even existing PAs are depriving tropical countries of agricultural lands and limiting agricultural productivity and that in the face of increasing global foods demands, such expansion is unacceptable. This paper addresses these critics, examines agricultural suitability in 34 recently redefined biodiversity hotspots and for land in and around protected areas in these regions. Analyses use georeferenced estimates of agricultural capacity, based on soil, terrain, and climate data, matched to 154 cropping scenarios. These were overlaid with data from the World Database on Protected Areas. The analysis compared protected are as to 10-km buffers around them, and to the hotspots they were found within. Findings reveal generally low suitability for most crop categories under intermediate and high input cropping scenarios, with some exceptions, for the areas examined. Results indicate that conservation in biodiversity hotspots usually does not compromise agricultural productivity, particularly in and around protected areas. Implications of these findings for tropical land use planning are summarized IMPACTS OF THE RECENT SOYBEAN BOOM ON THE CERRADOS OF BRAZIL'S CENTER-WEST REGION. MUELLER, CHARLES CURT. Departamento de Economia, FACE, Universidade de Brasília. Brasília, DF, Brazil, 70910 ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION OF MATO GROSSO CATTLE RANCHES. CARTER, JOHN. Aliança da Terra. Brazilian legislation requires that 50 to 80% of private properties in the Amazon forest region be maintained as forest reserves, restricting the area of land that is available for conversion to cattle pasture or agricultural fields. Many cattle ranchers are reluctant to comply with this legislation, and enforcement is dif- ficult across the vast agricultural frontier of the region. A new non-governmental organization, the "Alianca da Terra" (Land Alliance), is helping cattle ranchers come into compliance with the law. The goal is to develop a system of environmental certification by which the beef produced by ranchers that are good stewards of natural resources has greater access to markets and, perhaps, higher beef prices CONSERVATION IN AGRO-INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPES: THE CASE OF GRUPO AMAGGI IN MATO GROSSO. VILLELA, OCIMAR DE CAMARGO. Grupo Andre Maggi, Av. Presidente Medici 4269, Rondonopolis, Mato Grosso, CEP 78705-000, Brazil. Grupo Amaggi, one of the world's largest producers of soybeans, has implemented an ambitious program of natural resource conservation on the soy farms that it owns and finances in the southeastern Amazon state of Mato Grosso. On five farms owned by Grupo Amaggi and 490 farms financed by our company through a loan from the International Finance Corporation, we require full compliance with the law and the adoption of "best practices". Compliance with environmental regulations includes the protection or restoration of riparian zone vegetation and of private forest reserves comprising 35 to 80% of each property's area (varying by biome). "Best practices" includes the use of only certified fertilizers and defensive agents, correct disposal of chemical packaging, reduced impact chemical application techniques, no till cultivation, and erosion terracing. Student interns conducted on-farm surveys to assess each farm's progress in fulfilling these requirements PASTURE DEGRADATION AND LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY OF BEEF CATTLE SYSTEMS IN THE BRAZILIAN CERRADO. VILELA, LOURIVAL; Martha Júnior, Geraldo B.; Barioni, Luis Gustavo; Barcellos, Alexandre O.; Andrade, Ronaldo P. Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina, DF, 73.310-970, Brazil, lvilela((AT))cpac.embrapa.br. The Cerrado is the most important beef production region in Brazil with a pastoral land area of around 60 million ha. Recent surveys indicated that 50% to 60% of this area shows some degree of degradation. Pasture degradation is an evolutionary processes initiated by the loss of herbage quality and production, leading to a reduction of liveweight gain and/or calf crops. Consequently, the economic output of the system is jeopardized. In order to maintain the business' profitability, farmers usually recover degraded pastures or open new areas of Cerrado for establishing improved pastures. The conversion of the Cerrado into pastures contributes to the loss of biodiversity. Additionally, as pasture degradation advances, there is a loss of ground cover and soil organic matter. As a result, unfavorable changes in soil structure are observed and problems associated with soil compaction, reduced water infiltration rates and soil erosion are magnified. Finally, it has been emphasized that the intensification of grassland systems is a powerful mean of generating economic and labor benefits in an environmentally sound way. However, intensive grassland systems should also be sustainable, implying that there is a need to balance the oftenABSTRACTS Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, July 2005 conflicting goals of profitable production and environmental protection THE FUTURE OF AGRO-INDUSTRY: MODELING SOYBEAN YIELD IN THE AMAZON BASIN. VERA-DIAZ, MARIA DEL CARMEN; Kaufmann, Robert; Nepstad, Daniel. Geography Department, Boston University, 675 Commonwealth Av. Room 141, Boston, MA, 02215, USA, mcarmen((AT))bu.edu. Industrial agriculture has become one of the main economic forces driving the expansion of the agricultural frontier in the Brazilian Amazon, led by soybean production. Between 1990 and 2003, soybean production grew from 3 to 14 million tons/year and the area planted increased from 16,000 to 47,000 km2. This expansion has been stimulated by several factors, including growing international demand, money devaluation, and improvements in infrastructure. The future expansion of soybean production into the Amazon is still unknown. Here, we present a model of soybean yield that integrates the major climatic, ecological, economic, and spatial determinants in the Amazon Basin. Yield is modeled as a function of: Soybean Physiological Model that captures the effects of climate and physical attributes on the development of soybean plant; fertilizer applications; transport costs; and latitude. The results indicate that these parameters can account for about 45 percent of the spatial variation in yield. We estimated that 20% of Amazon Region has potential to develop soybean crops. The hybrid model provides a mathematical and cartographic framework that the scientific community and policymakers can use in their efforts to maximize the benefits from soybean economic activity while minimizing its negative externalities for Amazon economies and ecosystems.ABSTRACTS Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, July 200 ALTERNATIVE LANDSCAPES ALONG THE AMAZON'S AGRICULTURAL FRONTIER: LAND USE POLICY SCENARIOS FOR THE XINGU RIVER HEADWATERS REGION. STICKLER, CLAUDIA M.; Alencar, Ane; Almeida, Oriana T. University of Florida, PO Box 110760, Gainesville, FL 32611-0760 USA, cstickle((AT))ufl.edu (CMS). Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, Avenida Nazaré 669, 66.035-170, Belém, PA, Brazil (AA, OTA). Along the Amazon's agricultural frontier in Brazil, environmental legislation designed to regulate the impact of explosive growth in the agro-industrial sector has met with limited success. To begin identifying regulatory schemes that better accomodate both economic and environmental goals, we developed alternative scenarios describing future landscape trajectories for the Xingu River headwaters region (northeastern Mato Grosso state) in response to proposed changes to current Brazilian land use legislation. The scenarios were developed by constructing a transition probability model derived from satellite image-based land cover classi- fications and data related to the location and neighborhood context of land use classes. Static (e. g., soils, slope) and dynamic (e. g., distance to paved roads) spatial data layers were input to the transition matrix to generate future land cover maps. The maps were used to compare the ecological and economic tradeoffs of adopting regulatory changes by evaluating each scenario's impact on ecological (e. g., habitat fragmentation, water quality) and economic (e. g., rent) indicators. Finally, we also assess the value of policy-sensitive simulation models to enhance regional planning processes, describing techniques for incorporating stakeholder goals into scenario development and modification PERMACULTURE AS A STRATEGY FOR CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY OF NATURAL SYSTEMS IN THE BRAZILIAN CERRADO. SOARES, ANDRE. Instituto de Permacultura e Ecovilas do Cerrado, Km 03 Rodovia GO 225 Pirenópolis, Goiás, Brazil, andre((AT))ecocentro.org. Permaculture is defined by Mollison (1988) as a design system for sustainable human communities that emulates the resilience and diversity of natural systems. In 1999 a parcel of land was acquired to develop a reference centre in the Brazilian Cerrado to demonstrate the viability of Permaculture as a solution to revitalize rural communities suffering from the effects of excessive use of pastures and economic depression. Ecocentre IPEC has been working with a local community of 200 families developing technologies of organic and permanent food production, water care, renewable energy, reforestation and sustainable housing models. After 5 years of work in an abandoned pasture of 2 hectares, the effects of permaculture as a community development strategy for restoration of natural cycles and the revitalization of the local economy can be noticed from several viewpoints. Several technologies have been implemented by the community, including annual replanting of forests, ecological toilets, rain water collection for human consumption, housing from natural and local materials and the rescuing of traditional methods of land and water care. The technologies and participatory methods of Ecocentre IPEC are now in demand for reproduction in several developing countries including Ethiopia, Haiti and Mexico. Ecocentro IPEC has won several awards for sustainability and is one of the leading ecocentres in the world THE EXPANSION OF AGRICULTURE IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON. SIMON, MARCELO F.; Garagorry, Fernando L. Secretaria de Gestão e Estratégia, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA), Parque Estação Biológica s/n, Brasília, DF, 70770-901, Brazil. Recent increase in deforestation rate in the Brazilian Amazon has inflamed discussion about the causes of forest loss, with a special focus on agriculture. We studied the expansion of agriculture in the Brazilian Amazon from 1976 to 2001 based on the eight most important items: cattle, bananas, beans, cassava, coffee, maize, rice and soybeans. A biological delimitation for the Amazon based on the map of Brazil's biomes was used, in order to avoid inclusion of non-forested areas in the analysis. Intense spatial changes in Brazilian agriculture have occurred, with the emergence of new production centers located nearby or inside the Amazon's limits. Livestock and soybean cropping in Brazil are consistently moving north. The contribution of the Amazon to Brazilian agriculture rose significantly during the last decades, reaching 28.8% of cassava, 20.2% of banana, 14.2% of rice and 20.0% of cattle production in Brazil in 2001 (three-year average). Cropped area and production in the Amazon have grown at higher annual rates than in the rest of the country for almost all items analyzed, supporting the view that the region is a new frontier of Brazilian agriculture. Stronger conservation measures are needed in order to slow down agricultural expansion in the Amazon IMPACTS OF CATTLE AND WATER BUFFALO RANCHING ON FLOODPLAIN FORESTS OF THE LOWER AMAZON, BRAZIL. SHEIKH, PERVAZE A.; Lucas, Christine. Congressional Research Service, 101 Independence Ave. SE, Washington, DC, USA, 20540, psheikh((AT))crs.loc.gov; Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department, University of Florida, 303 Newins-Ziegler Hall, P.O. Box 110430, Gainesville, Florida, USA, 32611-0430, chlucas((AT))ufl.edu. Cattle and water buffalo herds roam freely through floodplain forests and grasslands in the Lower Amazon. This activity may cause changes in forest structure and species composition. We studied 23 floodplain forests to see if livestock activity was related to forest structure, tree species composition, and soil properties. We classified each site by its level of livestock activity (light, moderate, or heavy). We randomly established three 1000- m2 plots in each forest and surveyed tree stems, saplings, and seedlings. We also measured soil compaction and light penetration. Forests with heavy livestock activity had significantly fewer seedlings and saplings, and a lower basal area in comparison to forests with light activity. Species richness and seedling density were significantly higher in forests with moderate livestock activity than those with heavy activity. We observed a positive relationship between livestock activity and soil compaction as well as soil bulk density. These results suggest that heavy livestock activity may reduce regeneration potential and species richness in floodplain forests. This may lead to increased light penetration and forest conversion to grassland. A second inventory is underway to measure changes over time. Improving livestock management will contribute towards the conservation of floodplain forests in the Lower Amazon CONSERVATION OF ATLANTIC FOREST SPECIES IN THE CACAO PLANTATIONS OF SOUTHERN BAHIA, BRAZIL. SAMBUICHI, REGINA H. R.; Haridasan, Mundayatan. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, 45650-000, Brazil, sambuich((AT)) uesc.br (RHRS). Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70818-900, Brazil (MH). The Atlantic Forests of southern Bahia, with its high plant biodiversity and a great degree of endemism, has suffered intense deforestation over the last four decades with less than 10% of its original area remaining today mostly in fragments. A large part of these forests was converted into cacao plantations beginning the nineteenth century. Forests were thinned and cacao planted under the shade of remaining trees. Such plantations, known as cabrucas, still conserve many of the native species. We surveyed the tree species in 3 ha each of five such cabrucas of different ages to determine the extent of conservation of the original forest species. A total of 293 species were encountered among the 2514 individuals surveyed in a total of 15 ha. The number of individuals varied from 142 to 355 and the number of species from 46 to 180 among the cabrucas, with the Shannon diversity index ranging from 3.31 to 4.22. The differences in species richness and plant diversity were influenced by tree density, management practices and the time of implantation of the cabrucas THE AMAZON IN AN AGE OF AGRO-INDUSTRIAL EXPLOSION: RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR LARGE-SCALE CONSERVATION. NEPSTAD, DANIEL. Woods Hole Research Center, PO Box 296, Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA IPAM, Av. Nazare 669, Belém, Pará, 66.035-170, Brazil UFPa/NAEA, Campus do Guama, Belém, Pará, Brazil. The Amazon Basin has entered a new era of natural resource destruction as the principle industries driving deforestation (cattle ranching and soybean farming) are strengthened by expanding world markets for open-range beef and grain through complex economic "teleconnections". The paving of highways into the heart of the region will facilitate the export of Amazon products to world markets as it creates new corridors for explosive frontier expansion. These mounting threats to the Amazon require large-scale, integrated approaches to conservation that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. The success of these approaches will depend upon (1) conservation analyses that describe the complex interactions among ecosystems, economies, and climate that will unfold into the future, (2) regional conservation planning processes that diminish the environmental destruction of frontier expansion along emerging highway corridors, and (3) the transformation of grain and beef production industries into proponents of Amazon conservation using a combination of market-based instruments and improved government regulation. These three components of large-scale conservation are emerging in the region COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL (DISK PLOWING) TILLING VS. THE TRADITIONAL METHOD FOR CREATION OF NEW PASTURE-LAND IN THE TROPICS. Hoogesteijn, Almira L.; MONTEIRO, JOSE LEMOS.Wildlife Conservation Society, Jaguar Conservation Program, Ranchers Outreach Program, Rua Cayova 353, Barrio Chacara Vendas, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul 79003-150, ahoogesteyn((AT))wcs.org (AH) Fazenda Bandeirantes, Aquidauana, MS, Brazil (JLM). The costs and benefits associated with traditional and ecological tilling in the tropics was compared in one Brazilian ranch in Pantanal. Production data of the same ranch, before and after introduction of disk plowing that conserves original flora, allowed the gathering of data on pastureland formation costs, flora conservation, livestock production and cattle predation. Traditional tillage resulted in: 1) 29% additional tractor hours/hectare (ha) of soil preparation, 2) additional half hour/ha for planting, 2) increase of 1.75 - 2.5 kg/ha of seeds needed, 3) loss of soil nutrients, and 4) non-significant (5%) increased in cattle carrying capacity (kg/ha). Ecological practices resulted in: 1) 25% increased parturition, 2) over 3-fold increased number of finished heads sent to the slaughter house, 3) conservation of the original flora and fauna, and 5) absence of cattle mortality due to predators. Ecological tilling is compatible with flora and fauna conservation as well as increased economic livestock benefits GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS IN THE CERRADO - EFFECTS ON LAND USE AND AGROBIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION. FONTES, ELIANA; Sujii, Edison; Pires, Carmen; Schmidt, F.; Lauman, R.; Faria, M.; Vieira, P.; Portilho, T.; Pereira, F.; Ortiz, G.; Ciampi, Ana Y.; Barroso, Paulo. Núcleo de Controle Biológico, Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, Caixa Postal 02372, Brasília, DF, 70.049 Brazil, eliana((AT))cenargen.embrapa.br. Agricultural crops grown in the Cerrado result from the selection of hundreds of landraces, and the development of new varieties of introduced plants. This high genetic diversity and variability of genotypes have been colonized by arthropods, weeds and microorganisms present in the surrounding natural vegetation. Other species present include annelids, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. It is expected that GM crops may be soon commercialized in Brazil, bringing benefits to farmers and the environment, as they may facilitate farm management and reduce pesticide usage. Before GM crops are introduced for commercial use the potential negative impact on the conservation of biodiversity must be assessed. The large number of arthropods, weeds and microbes found in agricultural fields raises the question of adverse effects on non-target organisms. Some crop species have wild, feral, and dooryard relatives and landraces in Brazil. Some of these are sexually compatible with the cultivated type and gene flow from new conventional or transgenic varieties may pose a threat to the longterm conservation of the crop species' genetic diversity. We will present information on species diversity on cotton cultivated in the Cerrado and discuss the potencial effects on the dynamics and conservation of species diversity in agroecosystems EXPANSION OF THE SOYA FRONTIER IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON: TRENDS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY. Ferraz, Silvio F.B.; Perez, Carlos A.; AMARAL, WEBER A. N.; Smeraldi, Roberto. Departamento de Ciências Florestais, ESALQ, USP, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, 13418-900, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil, wamaral((AT)) esalq.usp.br (SFBF, CAP, WANA). Amigos da Terra, R. Bento de Andrade, 85, 04503-010, São Paulo, SP, Brazil (WANA, RS), International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Roma, Italy (WANA). This paper focuses on the cyclical fluctuation of soya expansion in the Amazon region, exploring the main driving forces and directions and their linkages and how they affect the conservation of biodiversity. Modelling simulations were performed to address the above issues using a series of data sets and tools such as: forest cover and land use datasets (PRODES / INPE), maps of the distribution of conservation units, data and maps of spatial distribution of infrastructure and logistical transportation and soya-processing hubs, edaphic-climatic zoning and suitability index for soya plantations. They were displayed in geographic information systems. The main assumption of these models was the forecast of an increased area of 20,000,000 ha for soya plantations in the entire country, assuming that two thirds of this area would be located in the central western and northern regions of Brazil. The results indicated the likely geographic locations of these plantations in that area by State and the socio-economic impacts and consequences on biodiversity conservation in each identified location. Proper land use planning policies, taking into account the demonstrated patterns of distribution of biodiversity and assessment of current levels of the degree of habitat fragmentation will be critical for minimizing the impacts of this expansion.ABSTRACTS Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, July 200 BAT AND BIRD ASSEMBLAGES FROM FORESTS AND SHADE CACAO PLANTATIONS IN TWO CONTRASTING LANDSCAPES IN THE ATLANTIC FOREST OF SOUTHERN BAHIA, BRAZIL. FARIA, DEBORAH; Laps, Rudi R.; Baumgarten, Julio. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Ilhéus Itabuna, Km 16, CEP 45650-000, Ilhéus-BA, Brazil, deborah((AT))uesc.br (DF, JB). Departamento de Ciências Naturais, Universidade Regional de Blumenau - FURB, Cx. Postal 1507, CEP 89010-971, Blumenau-SC, Brazil (RRL). In the southern Bahia state, Brazil, the bulk of the forest cover comprises shade cacao plantations, most under the so-called "cabrucas", a system in which the cacao is grown under the shade of a thinned forest. We investigated the potential of these cabrucas to harbor birds and bats species in two close municipalities - Una and Uruçuca - with contrasting landscapes. At Una, shade plantations are small and surrounded by large tracts of forest, whereas in Uruçuca these cabrucas are the dominant element of the landscape. A comparison of small fragments and cabrucas from both areas showed that the conversion of forest to cabrucas impacted the dominance pattern of species and guilds differently regarding birds and bats, but species assemblages in cabrucas generally reflect those observed in nearby forests. Species richness and composition were different in these landscapes, and both habitatsXIX Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology ABSTRACTS from Uruçuca showed losses of forest-dwelling species compared with those habitats from Una. Our study has shown that, although cabrucas can be permeable matrices for many species from the local biota, they are not forest surrogates. A landscape dominated by cabrucas with a minor portion of native forests is unlikely to assure an adequate conservation of many forest species COUNTRYSIDE BIOGEOGRAPHY OF NEOTROPICAL MAMMALS: CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES IN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES OF COSTA RICA. CEBALLOS, GERARDO; Daily, Gretchen; Pacheco, Jesús; Suzán, Gerardo; Sánchez-Azofeifa, Arturo. Instituto de Ecologia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A. P. 70-275, México, D. F. 04510, México (GC, JP, GZ). Center for Conservation Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, U. S. A. (GD, ASA). The future of mammal diversity in the tropics depends largely on the conservation value of human-dominated lands. We investigated the distribution of non-flying mammals in five habitats of southern Costa Rica: relatively extensive forest, coffee plantation, pasture, coffee with adjacent forest remnant, and pasture with adjacent forest remnant. Twenty six native species recorded in our study plots. Species richness and composition varied signifi- cantly with habitat type but not with distance from the extensive forest. Interestingly, small forest remnants (<35 ha) contiguous with coffee plantations did not differ from more extensive forest in species richness and were richer than other agricultural habitat types. Small remnants contiguous with pasture were species-poor. When clearing started, the study region likely supported circa 60 species. Since then, at least 6 species (10%), 1 family (4%), and 1 order (11%) have gone extinct locally. Although there is no substitute for native forest habitat, the majority of native, non- flying mammals use countryside habitats. Moreover, if hunting ceased, we expect that at least one of the extirpated species could be reestablished in this landscape, maintaining and restoring diversity in the ecosystem A COMPARISON OF THE BIODIVERSITY IN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES AND PROTECTED AREAS IN CENTRAL AMERICA. SAENZ, JOEL C.; Harvey, Celia A.; Montero, Jorge; Medina, Arnulfo; Sánchez, Dalia; Vílchez, Sergio; Hernández, Blas; Taylor, Rachel; Carvajal, José. Programa Regional en Manejo de Vida Silvestre paraMesoamérica y el Caribe, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica, jsaenz((AT))una.ac.cr (JS, JM, JC); Department of Agriculture and Agroforestry, CATIE, Apdo. 7170, Turrialba, Costa Rica (CH); Fundacion Cocibolca, Managua, Nicaragua, dsanchez((AT))catie.ac.cr(AM, DS, SV, BH), and School of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, University ofWales, Bangor, Gwyneedd, LL57 SUW, UK (RT, FLS). Efforts to conserve biodiversity have traditionally focused on retaining large tracts of intact habitat, establishing protected areas, and attempting to minimize human impact on these areas. In contrast, relatively little attention has been paid to the potential of agricultural landscapes to help maintain local and regional biodiversity, despite the fact that these human-modified landscapes cover most of the world's surface. We evaluated the importance of agricultural landscapes for biodiversity conservation by conducting detailed assessments of multiple taxa (trees, bird, bat, dung beetles, butterfly and mammal) in four sites in Central America and comparing their diversity to those of protected areas. Despite being highly deforested and impacted by cattle production, the four agricultural landscapes were much more diverse than expected and contained a high proportion of the biodiversity present in protected areas (56-91% of the bat species, 37-52% of the bird species, 60-74% of the dung beetle species, and 48% of the butterfly species). There were important differences in species composition across the agricultural and protected areas for some, but not all, of the taxa studied. We argue that agricultural landscapes hold considerable potential for biodiversity conservation and that additional attention should be paid to understanding their role in conservation strategies IMPORTANCE OF COLOMBIAN SHADED COFFEE PLANTATIONS FOR CONSERVATION OF ANT BIODIVERSITY. ARMBRECHT, INGE. Universidad del Valle, Departamento de Biología, Apartado Aéreo 25360 Cali, Colombia, inge((AT))univalle.edu.co. Colombia is a megadiverse country and amongst the most important coffee producers in the world. Coffee plantations were traditionally shaded but now are mostly unshaded, which negatively impacts biodiversity. During 2001-2002, two field studies were carried out in order to test the importance of shaded coffee plantations for biodiversity conservation. This was conducted along a gradient of intensification of coffee production in the Colombian Andes. I studied the presence of ants in four coffee management systems: forest (no agriculture), polygeneric shaded coffee, monogeneric shaded coffee, and sun coffee (unshaded) plantations. Leaf litter-soil ants were sampled from 320 one squaremeter plots in 16 farms and, in another experiment, a total of 2400 artificial bamboo twig nests were offered to nesting ants. Organic polygeneric shaded coffee plantations contained signifi- cantly higher ant species richness and their ant assemblages resembled forest patches more than other management types. Ant species in forests were at higher proportions in shaded coffee than in sun coffee. There were, however, a subset of ant species located only in the forests. Shaded coffee plantations are better at preserving litter ant species found in forest patches. However no coffee agroecosystem replaces the ant assemblages of forest habitats. Society for Conservation Biology - Brasilia 2005 News index | RSS | Add to MyYahoo! Advertisements: Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing |
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