building capacity on protected areas law & governance module 8 connectivity conservation - intro

Building Capacity on Protected Areas Law & Governance

Module 8

Connectivity Conservation - Intro

Ecosystem degradation and habitat fragmentation and loss are the primary threats to biodiversity.

Connectivity conservation connects and re-connects natural ecosystems and habitats.

Scientific theory and management practice of connectivity conservation emerged in the 1960s and is still evolving.

Connectivity conservation principles and concepts need to be supported in law to secure the connectivity needs of PA sites and systems.

Connectivity conservation law is early stages of development and primarily uses existing legal tools.



Overview of the Seminar

International, regional & supra-national law & connectivity conservation

Governance for connectivity conservation

Benefits of connectivity conservation

Connectivity conservation – what is it?

Objectives

Provide an overview of international, regional and supra-nationallaw that supports connectivity conservation

Provide an overview of options for governance for connectivity conservation areas

Explain the range & relationships of the benefits of connectivity conservation

Introduce the concepts and tasks involved in managing connectivity conservation

Introduce the scientific foundation of connectivity conservation

Outcomes

Understanding of the scientific basis for connectivity conservation

Awareness of the influence of connectivity conservation science on management concepts and tasks

Awareness of the benefits of connectivity conservation and of the relationships among benefits

Understanding of the factors that influence governance for connectivity conservation and of options for governance

Awareness of international, regional, and supra-national legal instruments related to connectivity conservation





What connectivity conservation is

Acknowledging Diversity

differences

legal tradition legal process

legal hierarchy inst’al framework

socio/eco concerns conserv priorities

What is it?

Connectivity conservation science

Managing connectivity conservation

Types of connectivity conservation

Scale of connectivity conservation

Ecological processes include biological, physical, and chemical processes that sustain

ecological systems and life as we know it.

Species population is a group of individualsof the same species that live in the same

geographical area.

Metapopulation is a population of the same species that survives in a series of disconnected

habitat patches.

Definitions…

Habitat is an area which provides the combination of resources and environmental

conditions that promotes occupancy by individuals of a given species and allows

those individuals to survive and reproduce.

Habitat fragmentation is the reduction and isolation of patches of natural ecosystems,

including landscape and seascape transformations,that break large habitat into smaller patches.

Definitions…

Components Maintains functional integrity

of natural ecosystems and their processes

Two Main Components

Functional – the natural function

that needs to be maintained

Spatial – the physical space

required for that function

to occur

Patch is a relatively homogeneous area that differs from its surroundings.

Matrix is the background ecosystem of land-use or sea-use type in which patches and corridors

are located.

Mosaic is the broader landscape or seascape in which matrices are located.

Definitions…

Landscape/seascape corridor is a mosaic of contiguous natural cover that allows movement

between habitat patches or protected areas.

Linear corridor is a strip of land, often narrow, that provides connectivity between

habitat fragments for target species.

Stepping stone corridor is one or more separate patches between core protected areas.

Definitions

Linear, stepping stone and landscape/seascape corridors linking core areas

What is it?

What is it?

© Landesbetrieb Straßenbau NRW

What is it?

Type of connectivity Description

Habitat connectivity Connectedness between patches of habitat suitable for a particular species; localized, regional, continental or evenglobal in scope for migratory species

Landscape/seascape connectivity Human perspective of connectedness of patterns of vegetation and environmental flows within a landscape

Ecological connectivity Connectedness of ecological processes across many scales of air, water, and land, including trophic relationships, disturbance processes and hydro-ecological flows.

Evolutionary process connectivity Natural evolutionary processes that need suitable habitat on a large scale andconnectivity to permit gene flow and range expansion

Types of connectivity

Scale of connectivityLandscape/seascape configurations

Local scale (1 km) Landscape scale (1-99 km)

Regional/biogeographic scale (100-1000s of km)

Habitat corridor (linear linkage)

Hedgerows, streams, roadsides, underpasses, overpasses

Rivers & riparian vegetation, coastlines

Major river systems, mountain ranges coastal zones

Stepping stone corridor

Patches of small woods, plantations, chains of small wetlands

Woodland patches in farmland, urban parks, series of small reserves

Chains of islands, wetlands along waterfowl flight paths; seagrass patches connecting reef patches

Habitat mosaic/landscape corridors

Patchily cleared vegetation in farmland, mosaics of gardens

Mosaics of old-growth & regenerating forest

Ocean ecosystems supporting migratory marine animals

Regional scale connectivity

Patch, corridor, matrix connectivity

Management

4 management functions

Leading

Planning Evaluating

Implementing

Nature People

Management

Connectivity conservation management

Management functions…Leading

Encourage individual

“champions”

Build capacity to

implement vision

Create vision

Achieve

government support

Achieve community

support

Facilitate international

partnerships

Planning

Develop strategic plan

Integrate vision into national strategies

Develop cooperative task plans

Facilitate individual project plans

Establish transboundary plan & MoU

Management functions…

Implementing

Achieve capacity to operate

Respond to critical threats

Implement responses to national issues

Implement multiple cooperative tasks

Support individual projects

Management functions…

Evaluating

Identify needs and establish systems

Evaluate performance of national actions

Evaluate performance of cooperative tasks

Evaluate project management against objectives

Identify international needs

Management functions

Benefits…

Biodiversity

Co-benefits for biodiversity & climate change

Climate change adaptation

Climate mitigation

Climate change adaptation

Climate change mitigation

Biodiversity

Create links between carbon sinks

Reduce impact of habitat fragmentation

Maintain ecosystem services

Build resilience

Buffernatural disasters

Benefits

Co-benefits

Co-benefits biodiversity & climate change

Capture additional carbon

Reduce carbon emissions

Support human well-being

Governance

Type

Things to take into account

Quality

Options

Two dimensions

Type

Who

Quality

How

Type – who

Instruments/tools

Levels of decision-making

Who makes

decisions

Who participates in decision-making

processes

Powers/authority

Quality – how

Participation

Transparency

Accountability

Social equity & justice

Options

Type – a continuum of options

state-owned

state-controlled

shared

private

indigenous & local communities

IUCN Governance Types

nationalsub-national

govt-delegated

transboundary

collaborative

joint

individuals

corporations

NGOs

indigenous peoples

local communities

Things to take into account…

Bottom-up/Top-down

Scale

Tenure

Role of NGOs

Choosing instruments

Potential conflicts of laws

Governance of a connectivity conservation area is the result of processes of developing and exercising authority over time.

Connectivity conservation area governance involves clarifying which actors have rights, responsibilities and accountabilities.

A dynamic and mutually supportive balance among multiple actors and institutions should be sought through powers and instruments exercised at different levels.

Governance systems should be dependable but also adaptable, capable of responding to the ever-changing needs of in-situ conservation in the connectivity conservation area.

Things to take into account

International law

Global agreements

Regional agreements

Supra-national agreements

Global agreements

Climate Change Convention

Convention on Biological Diversity

Ramsar Convention

Convention on Migratory Species

World Heritage Convention

Other instruments

Convention on Biological Diversity

Manage areas where special measures need to be taken to conserve biological diversity

Regulate or manage biological resources outside protected areas Promote the protection of ecosystems, natural habitats and the

maintenance of viable populations of species in natural surroundings

Promote environmentally sound and sustainable development in areas adjacent to protected areas

Rehabilitate and restore degraded ecosystems and promote the recovery of threatened species

Regulate or manage processes and categories of activities that cause a significant adverse effect on biological diversity

International law

Climate Change

Convention

Migratory Species

Convention

Conserve and restore habitats

World Heritage

Convention

Remove obstacles to migration

Reduce threats to species

Other instruments

Ramsar

Convention

Facilitate adequate adaptation

to climate change

REDD+

Conserve wetlands

Ensure wise use of wetlandsIntegrate natural heritage

into planning processes

Regional law

Migratory Species

Agreements

Protect areas that

migratory species need

Conserve habitats

Ensure conservation of all species

African Convention Bern Convention

Other agreements

Gorillas

Conserve habitats

African-Eurasian Waterbirds

Western Hemisphere Convention

Central America Convention

Supra-national law

European Union

EU Directives & initiatives

Effective EU enforcement

National connectivity policies

National spatial planning law

No binding EU connectivity policy

European Union

Natura 2000

EU Birds Directive EU Habitats Directive

Maintain or restore favourable conservation statusfor listed species and habitats

EU Member States designate, restore & maintain sites


International, regional, and supra-national law & connectivity conservation



What is connectivity conservation?

Objectives

Provide an overview of international, regional and supra-national law related to connectivity conservation

Provide an overview of governance for connectivity conservation

Explain the range & relationships of the benefits of connectivity conservation

Introduce the concepts and tasks involved in managing connectivity conservation

Introduce the scientific foundation of connectivity conservation

Outcomes

Understanding of the scientific basis for connectivity conservation

Awareness of the challenges involved in managing connectivity conservation

Understanding of the benefits of connectivity conservation

Understanding of the factors that influence governance for connectivity conservation

Awareness of international, regional, and supra-national legal instruments that support connectivity conservation

Core Texts



Module 8

SeminarPresentation

knowledge transfer

Exercises

skills development

building capacity on protected areas law & governance module 8 connectivity conservation - intro

Documents

connectivity conservation

marine connectivity

biodiversity conservation

pa law

governance concepts

pa sites

yellowstone national

scientific theory