Yet Another Empty Forest: Considering the Conservation Value of a Recently Established Tropical Nature Reserve

Abstract

The primary approach used to conserve tropical biodiversity is in the establishment of protected areas. However, many tropical nature reserves are performing poorly and interventions in the broader landscape may be essential for conserving biodiversity both within reserves and at large. Between October 2010 and 2012, we conducted bird surveys in and around a recently established nature reserve in Xishuangbanna, China. We constructed a checklist of observed species, previously recorded species, and species inferred to have occurred in the area from their distributions and habitat requirements. In addition, we assessed variation in community composition and habitat specificity at a landscape-scale. Despite the fact that the landscape supports a large area of natural forest habitat (~50,000 ha), we estimate that >40% of the bird fauna has been extirpated and abundant evidence suggests hunting is the primary cause. A large proportion (52%) of the bigger birds (>20 cm) were extirpated and for large birds there was a U-shaped relationship between habitat breadth and extirpation probability. Habitat specificity was low and bird communities were dominated by widespread species of limited conservation concern. We question whether extending tropical protected area networks will deliver desired conservation gains, unless much greater effort is channeled into addressing the hunting problem both within existing protected areas and in the broader landscape.

Effectiveness of protected areas in preventing rubber expansion and deforestation in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China

“…Xishuangbanna has experienced a recent widespread reduction of wildlife populations. Several species of critical conservation concern are now considered locally extinct (Sreekar, Zhang, Xu, & Harrison, ). Therefore, there is also an urgent need to integrate PA management with the protection of endangered species across the broader landscape (Harrison et al, ).…”

Effects of law enforcement and community outreach on mammal diversity in a biodiversity hotspot

“…Among the 3 subreserves in XNR, Mangao and Mengla have moderate law enforcement (Sreekar et al. ), whereas Menglun (112 km 2 ), the smallest forest patch among the reserves, has weak enforcement (Sreekar et al. ).…”

“…), whereas Menglun (112 km 2 ), the smallest forest patch among the reserves, has weak enforcement (Sreekar et al. ). The NNR has a reputation for cooperating with local communities and having strict enforcement of regulations (C.C.…”

“…Residents of Bulangshan and Mengsong were mostly Bulang and Hani people, respectively (Supporting Information). Among the 3 subreserves in XNR, Mangao and Mengla have moderate law enforcement (Sreekar et al 2015), whereas Menglun (112 km 2 ), the smallest forest patch among the reserves, has weak enforcement (Sreekar et al 2015). The NNR has a reputation for cooperating with local communities and having strict enforcement of regulations (C.C.…”

Moving beyond the concept of “primary forest” as a metric of forest environment quality

“…As a result, its unqualified use can lead to poorly informed landscape planning decisions or procurement policies (Thiffault et al. ). In this paper, we flag issues with the operational application of the “primary forest” concept as currently defined by FAO and used in the FRA.…”