Conservation biology final

Lovich and Ennen (2011) suggest there are 4 primary areas or questions in need of research concerning the potential impact of utility-scale facilities on wildlife, describe each of these?

Consistent design across studies: BACI Design- Before, After, Control, Impact Assessment of cumulative effects: long term assessment needed to see cumulative effects.

What is CITES and what is it intended to do?

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Aims to ensure trade of wild animals and plants doesn't threaten survival in the wild.

Provide a brief definition of the following under the ESA: endangered, threatened, critical habitat.

Endangered: Species that are likely to become extinct throughout all or a large portion of their range. Threatened: Species that are likely to become endangered in the near future. Critical Habitat: vital to the survival of endangered or threatened species.

Provide a definition for the fields of environmental and natural resource economics.

Environmental and natural resource economics- the application of the principles of economics to the study of how environmental and natural resources are developed and managed.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIS), by 2020, what will be the 5 types of renewables (including hydropower) from which we will obtain energy? Rank them from smallest to largest.

Geothermal, biomass, solar, wind, hydropower

Penrod et al (2012) recently proposed a linkage network for the California deserts. What were at least three of their overall goals for the linkage network? Describe their approach, or list the 5 steps they used, to generate this linkage map.

Goals- provide live-in and move-through habitat for multiple species, support metapopulations of smaller specie, and ensure availability of key resources, buffer against edge effects. 5 Steps- 1: start with largest landscape blocks; 2: choose focal species; 3: generate habitat suitability maps; 4: quantify least-cost paths; 5: compile across species and targeted landscape features.

Can these impacts be mitigated? How?

Programmatic environmental impact statement, asses how they would plan deployment of large scale development, asses near term utility location, minimize impacts, provide flexibility, optimize transmission corridors, streamline authorization process for utility scale development on public land, identify areas of minimal impact, called solar energy zones.

Provide an example of 'command and control' regulation. Describe one benefit and one drawback of such approaches.

Regulations- emission standards, such as in smokestacks, and technology standards, such as scrubber technology. Benefits is that there is a clear outcome that benefits all, and a drawback is that there is no incentive to do the best possible to reduce emissions.

Describe three possible direct or indirect effects of a utility-scale solar facility on a population of plants or animals.

Road/access/transmission disturbance- cutting up the landscape. Water use/impact on surface- have to clean the mirrors almost daily and there is not a lot of water in the desert. Direct impact/thermal shifts- can look like a lake to birds flying overhead and they crash into them. Also creates a large heat wave above the facility and the birds or insects flying over get cooked.

What was/is the SLOSS debate? Name three points that proponents of each side of this debate might highlight as the benefit of their approach.

SLOSS debate is the idea that reserves should be either be one large chunk of land, versus several small pieces of land. Single large: smaller surface area to edge ratio; less risky migration between populations; easier to fence off. Several small: it could be cheaper to buy small pieces of land; you don't have idiots upset about land grabs; if one population fails, there are several others as a redundancy.

In their 'climate aware' approach to reserve design, what do Pearson and Dawson (2005) suggest in terms of general reserve shape/layout and with regards to corridors?

Several small reserves as some of them may be able to sustain populations. Reserves are thought about linearly to allow species to adjust with climate change. Set up reserves across gradients. Climate envelopes are moving so quickly, and do corridors move the species fast enough or will it be worth it to just move the species?

Describe what is meant by 'the tragedy of the commons'.

Since the public can all benefit from the land, if some exploit the land more than others, it can ruin the land for everybody. One example is grazing on public land.

What design and density maximizes energy while minimizing land and wildlife impact?

Solar related planning at multiple scales. Local small scale project- Tonopah Solar and large scale policy development.

Name four criticisms of CITES. Suggest approaches or new perspectives that would alleviate these criticisms.

Species focused- include subspecies and ecosystem protection as well Expensive membership; conflict of interest (have to blow the whistle on ourselves too)- have both countries pay the fine. The country the species is brought into as well as the country that allowed the species to leave to ensure adequate checking/regulation on both ends. No provision to promote sustainable use- there can be no market/trade of the species if the species is extinct. Add in 5 year species assessments for those listed in appendixes 1-3. Does not identify critical habitat or recovery- Species listed in appendixes 1-3 should have a recovery plan that includes critical habitat protection and ecosystem maintenance plans.

Identifying stakeholders and cultivating partnerships are seen as the top two general principles of the Open Standards approach. Who are "stakeholders"? Briefly describe the scope of a conservation project you would like to develop, who are the pertinent stakeholders you would try to partner with and why?

Stakeholders are people who will be affected by a certain policy, and should be given a voice in developing this policy. No

Who has regulatory oversight of fish and wildlife on federal lands, State or Federal agencies?

State?

What experimental design did Damschen et al. (2006) use to test the impact of corridors on species richness? What did they find?

They created plant corridors, and large patches within a forest. There was a greater number of plant migrations throughout the connected corridor, with increased colonization, pollen movement, and herbivore movement. Invasive species stayed low in all environments.

Describe how a wildlife or conservation credit/banking system works.

This works similar to a carbon emission cap and trade. A company can be allotted a certain amount of habitat degradation without facing fines. This credit can be bought or sold to other companies based on their habitat degradation needs. Credits can also be earned by protecting other various habitats.

What approach did Amy Vandergast and her colleagues use to establish areas of high conservation priority in the Mojave Desert?

Whole series of genetic studies, with a map of species with high genetic variation. Also includes diversity hotspots, divergences. Overlay of transmission, planned corridors, and renewable project sites. Areas with high connectivity and pinch points indicate the best location for corridors to go.

In the face of dramatic expected changes with a warming climate, how might agencies proceed with conservation or restoration planning?

1: Target ecosystems, not just individual species, focus on a range of systems and function; 2: Protected area networks that incorporate corridors and refugia to help species adapt or acclimate to change; 3: Minimize non-climate stressors to impart greater resistance and resilience; 4: Restoration to past states may not be feasible; 5: Goals must include change; frequent reassessment of conditions and refinement of goals.

Name 4 of the 9 Red List categories.

1. Extinct in the wild 2. Critically endangered 3. Endangered 4. Vulnerable

List at least three questions/requirements that must characterize a species or DPS if it is to be considered for listing under ESA.

1. Has a large percentage of the species vital habitat been degraded or destroyed? 2. Has the species been over consumed by commercial, recreational, scientific or educational uses? 3. Is the species threatened by disease or predation? 4. Do current regulations or legislations inadequately protect the species?

The Red List category in which a species is placed is based on what four types of population/species information.

1. Population size reduction > than or equal to 80% projected within the next 10 years. 2. Extent of occurrence 3. Population size estimated of number fewer than 250 mature individuals 4. Probability of extinction in the wild is at least 50% within 10 years.

Where does Nevada rank in terms of total species diversity? Where does it rank in proportion of at-risk species?

11th in total species diversity. 3rd in number of at risk species.

What are the 5 main steps of the Open Standards project management cycle?

1: Conceptualize; 2: Plan actions and monitoring; 3: Implement actions and monitoring; 4: analyze, use, and adapt; 5: Capture, share learning.

The Nevada Wildlife Action Plan focuses on species designated as "species of greatest conservation need". Name four of the criteria used for inclusion in this group.

1: Federal, state endangered threatened sensitive species; 2: Declining trends; 3: restricted ranges; 4: management priorities.

K. Holsinger has suggested 5 basic steps or principles to reserve design, list or briefly describe these steps.

1: What are the elements of concern?; 2: Where are the elements of concern found?; 3: How large must the preserve be to serve its purpose; 4: What features of the preserve must be protected/managed to allow the elements to persist in the area. 5: How large a buffer zone is required to prevent/reverse degradation of the primary habitat

What is adaptive management?

Adaptive management is a structured, iterative process of robust decision making in the face of uncertainty, with an aim to reducing uncertainty over time via system monitoring.

The Devil's Hole pupfish was part of a landmark decision concerning the maintenance of its habitat. What was the source of the conflict between this species and other uses of natural resources from Ash Meadows? And what did the Supreme Court decide concerning this issue in 1976?

Agriculture development in the Ash Meadows area led to depletion of the water level. Pupfish in this small hole were limited to a 6x13 area of the shelf that all breeding and spawning for the entire species occurs. Capper vs. United States determined that the pupfish have original water rights, in this small location.

What categories can species fall into under CITES? Provide a brief description of each.

Appendix 1: species threatened with extinction. Maybe effected by trade, need CITES permit. Tightest constrained. Appendix 2: Not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival. Appendix 3: protected in at least one country. Seeks cooperation from others to control trade.

Lovich and Ennen (2011) call for a consistent research design across studies to maximize what we can learn about the impact of utility-scale facilities on wildlife. What is the acronym that we discussed in class for the most robust approach to such studies? Describe the approach and provide the rationale for each component of the design.

BACI Design- Before, After, Control, Impact. Get before surveys of surrounding species, land condition, and how the species there are using the land. Take after surveys of species in the area, land condition, and if land use has changed for those species. Have a control area to compare the "treatment" groups to. Assess the impact of the utility scale facility.

Linking reserves with corridors has been controversial at various points in the history of Conservation Biology. Describe two potential benefits and two potential drawbacks of linking reserves with corridors.

Benefits: Exchange of migrants to maintain diversity. Increased gene flow between populations. Drawbacks: As gene flow increases, so does parasitism. As migration increases, so does the potential for invasiveness.

California and Nevada has set renewable energy goals within their Renewable Standards Portfolios, what are those goals for each state?

California: 33% by 2020 and 50% by 2030 Nevada: 25% by 2025

What are two common approaches to dealing with externalities? Provide an example of each.

Command and control of markets, such as in emissions standards. Market based systems, such as cap and trade for emissions.

Describe two ways that wind facilities may have impacts on birds or bats that are distinct from those of other renewable sources of energy.

Direct impact- the blades move to fast for birds to see them and avoid them so they fly into them. Air pressure shifts- air pressure increases near wind mills and causes bat lungs to explode.

'Total economic value" of environmental goods and services can be subdivided into various categories, what are these and provide an example of each.

Direct use values: recreation benefits. Indirect use value: ecosystem functional benefits. Option value: safeguard use of benefits. Bequest value: legacy benefits. Existence value: existence/intrinsic benefits.

What are the two general 'models' of energy capture/generation and in what critical way do they differ in terms of land use/conversion?

Distributed model: Solar, wind. Capture and use at same point. Rooftops or cities. Distributed and fine scale, don't need large tracks of land. Utility-scale generation: Solar, wind, geothermal. Lots of power captured far from where its going to be used- must be transmitted. Large tracks of land and substantial transmission in infrastructure.

Appleton (2002) notes two critical lessons learned from the New York City Watershed Protection Program that can be applied to other situations, what are they?

Ecosystem services should be maintained. The public is willing to assist with conservation efforts if they can get help if their input is accepted, and if their needs can be met.

Describe two general methods of assigning a value to an environmental good or service, describe one example of each.

Hedonic pricing, to figure out value of open space, you could look at housing prices, a house that is adjacent to open space is worth more. Non market valuation is interview based, because there is no standard market value.

What are the two primary goals of the IUCN Red List?

Identify and document those species most in need of conservation attention if global extinction rates are to be reduced. Provide a global index of the state of change of biodiversity.

Taking the USFWS decision support system, what type of mitigation efforts might offset the impacts of a utility-scale solar development on Desert Tortoise? What mitigation efforts would you suggest, how much does each 'weigh' in your model in terms of benefit of tortoises?

Increase law enforcement: decreases risk to tortoise by 18,000. Removing grazing in Ord Rodman- 8200. Install and maintain tortoise fencing at state route and interstate-6000. Restoration of 100 miles of closed routes- 2400. Install and maintain human barrier fencing- 1700. Install and maintain route signs-1300. Install and maintain educational kiosks at Ord Rodman access points- 1000. Mine closure-100. For a total of 38700 decrease risk for tortoises.

Name three ways that 'irreplaceability' might be defined. Plot irreplaceability against threat level and which areas might be your highest priority? What rationale are you using to identify your priority area?

Irreplaceability is defined with high endemism and threat, lots of friction on landscapes, and a hard place to do conservation stuff. There is a dual strategy to prioritize high priorities, and place some investment in non-threatened species.

Is the opportunity to capture solar energy equivalent across the US? That is, what is the spatial distribution of insolation or direct normal solar radiation in the US? Based on the distribution of this resource, what regions of the US will receive the most pressure for solar facility development?

It is not equivalent across the US., eastern US has little potential and potential increases the further you go west. The western US will receive the most pressure for solar facility development.

What are the two main goals of the Nevada Wildlife Action Plan?

Keep common species common, and keep rare species abundant. Also, push for federal funding for non-game regulation.

Name two U.S. laws through which CITES can be implemented.

Lacey act of 1900 and the Endangered Species Act

What is a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances? In general, what does the public get out of such agreements and what does the landowner get?

Landowners get permission for a specified take. At some point, they may harm an endangered species, but the government won't break their knees if they do so.

Where does the Department of Wildlife currently get most of its funding? What is a potential new source of funding identified by a Blue Ribbon Panel?

Most funding comes from federal grants, and from selling hunting and fishing shit. There is a possible federal funding from energy/mineral royalties, which the state would have to match.

Briefly describe the New York City Watershed Protection Program and how this case provides an important example of valuation of ecosystem services.

NYC drinking water is filtered by upstate wetlands. The wetland was declining, so it was thought that a water treatment plant could be built. This was too expensive, so they tried to maintain wetland. Farmers would degrade wetland by shipping manure around, so farmers were given assistance with various farm help, and the wetland health improved. This was more cost effective than building a treatment plant.

Conservation banks targeted at ESA-listed or candidate species are a relatively new and potentially powerful conservation tool. Describe two potential benefits and two potential drawbacks of such approaches. How could at least one of the drawbacks you list be overcome?

No

What parts of an economy do most people generally consider? What roles does nature play in this? Are these roles typically considered? Use a simple diagram to support your answer.

Nobody really considers nature, and the residuals from production or consumption. People mostly consider the supply of goods and services, the demand of resources, markets and households.

When originally established, what was one of the primary goals of protected areas (that is, what were they protecting?). According to Conservation International's recent gap analysis, how much of their 'biodiversity hotspots' do these areas capture?

Often established for scenic beauty, not plants and animal protection. Only 5% of hotspots are protected.

When a petition to list a species under ESA is received, list the 3-4 main step of what happens next. Describe this in words or with a simple schematic.

Once the petition is received it is either deemed substantial or not substantial. If substantial it goes into a status review and reports the 12 month findings. From this is it can be deemed: Warranted but not precluded, warranted, or not warranted. If it is warranted but not precluded the candidates get assessed and conserved and then goes into the same steps as if it were deemed warranted which consist of publishing a proposed rule, a 60 day comment period, and holding a hearing if one is requested. Then there is a final rule or the rule is withdrawn. If not substantial or not warranted the petition dies.

To conduct Desert Tortoise impact analyses, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is developing a spatial decision support system. What are the main steps in this linked set of computer models that go from threat to population change. Provide an example of a threat and how such a threat would translate into each of these model steps and ultimately impact population change.

Threat, Indirect threats, stresses to the population, demographic change factors, population change. Ex. Threat: Invasive plants, indirect threats: fire, Stresses to the population: burning/smoke inhalation or loss of shelter and breeding sites, demographic change factors: increase in death rates/decrease in birth rates. Population change: decrease.

Taking the USFWS decision support system, how do you expect a utility-scale solar development might impact Desert Tortoise? Develop your answer using the sequence of steps from threat through population change as implemented in their set of linked models.

Threat: energy development Indirect threats: roads, surface disturbance, utility lines and corridors, small-scale/dispersed development. Stresses to the population: Habitat loss, drowning, burial, crushing, nutritional compromise, habitat degradation, population fragmentation. Demographic change factors: Increase in death rates, decrease in birth rates, change in immigration/emigration. Population change: decrease.

List and describe two examples of incentive based market approaches.

Transferable quotas- quota is established, and catch in distributed among those who use fisheries. Cap and trade- allocated credits.

What agency (or agencies) oversee the Endangered Species Act?

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service

What is an umbrella species? Name two benefits and two drawbacks of using such a tactic in reserve design?

Umbrella species protects a habitat for one specie, so it protects all members of that habitat by proxy. Easier to protect multiple species than listing each one individually. One drawback is that it doesn't technically protect species, and can be exploited. Doesn't carry the same penalties as if each species was listed by itself. People can still come along and **** with the land.

In 2010, the Greater sage grouse was found to "warranted" for listing under the endangered species act. What two reasons did the US Fish and Wildlife Service give for this listing?

Warranted because there was a 80-90% decline in population versus before human settlement in the area. There was large loss of habitat, due to energy development, cheat grass, and shit. Also warranted because of a lack of regulatory framework to protect this species.

What does the finding 'warranted but precluded' mean, provide an example of a species that received this listing in the recent past.

Warranted but not precluded means the taxon should be listed but that listing other species takes priority because they are in more need of protection. Ex: Greater Sage Grouse. Warranted because of loss of habitat and fragmentation of habitat and lack of adequate regulatory mechanisms to stem habitat loss.

What are "externalities"? Provide an example.

When all costs or benefits are not accounted for. An example is when the market fails to allocate resources for the greater social good.