See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257363146 Module 2. Site Conservation Planning for Protected Areas in Lao PDR (Background, Presentation and Exercises) Book · January 2008 CITATIONS READS 2 64 4 authors , including: Madhu Rao Arlyne A.H. Johnson Wildlife Conservation Society Foundations of Success 75 PUBLICATIONS 2,747 CITATIONS 124 PUBLICATIONS 1,379 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Kelly Spence University of Tasmania 5 PUBLICATIONS 31 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Nam Et Phou Louey National Protected Area Management View project Demand Reduction for Songbird View project All content following this page was uploaded by Arlyne A.H. Johnson on 21 May 2014. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 2 STAGE 1 DEFINE PROJECT SITE AND THE GOAL 3 How to define the site 3 How to set a Conservation Goal for the site 4 How to select Conservation Targets 4 Using ‘Landscape Species’ as Conservation Targets 4 STAGE 2 DESIGN APPROACH AND RANK THREATS 7 How to develop a conceptual model for the site 7 Step 1 - Goal 7 Step 2 – Conservation Objectives 8 Step 3 – Direct and Indirect Threats 9 How to Rank and Map Threats 12 Threat Reduction Assessment 12 Mapping Threats 13 STAGE 3 IMPLEMENT ACTIONS AND MEASURE EFFECTIVENESS 15 a) Prioritizing and Implementing Conservation Activities 15 Choosing Where and How to Intervene 16 b) Developing monitoring frameworks 17 STAGE 4 REVIEW PROGRESS AND REVISE APPROACH 20 APPENDIX 1 22 APPENDIX 2 26 REFERENCES 30 1.
Site Conservation Planning for National Protected Areas in Lao PDR Introduction Globally, protected areas are considered to play a critical role in the conservation of biological diversity. The effectiveness of protected areas in conserving biological diversity depends on how they are managed and the extent to which planned interventions are successful in reducing threats to biodiversity in the protected area. This module focuses on providing protected area managers with planning tools to reduce threats in their protected areas. To illustrate these concepts the Elephant ( Elephas maximus ) and White-Cheeked Crested Gibbon ( Nomascus leucogenys ) will be used as examples throughout the module. The process of site conservation planning and implementation comprises 4 distinct stages as depicted in Figure (1) i ii . Each of the 4 stages is described below as part of a conservation management cycle . This is a step-by-step process for planning and implementing includes the following (see Figure 4): Figure 1. The Wildlife Conservation Society’s interpretation of the conservation management cycle as developed by the Living Landscapes Program 1 . Site-based project and/or umbrella role of species confirmed 1. Define the Context Landscape Set Conservation Goal Species Select Conservation Target Selection Rank and Map Threats 2. Design Approach and Measures of Success 4. Review Progress and Build a Conceptual Model Revise Approach Set Desired state of Targets Spatial priorities are 3. Implement Actions not well known and Measure Effectiveness Prioritize Interventions Spatial Build Monitoring Modeling 1 Living Landscapes – is an innovative concept to look through the eyes of wildlife and an endeavor to develop better ways for people and wildlife to share the earths living landscapes. 2.
Stage 1 Define project site and the goal How to define the site The first step in the site conservation management cycle is very important as it defines the overall context for the project activities. At this step, you and your team select the site , based on the results of global, regional and national conservation priority setting efforts (e.g., global and regional: species ranges, ecoregions 2 , hotspots 3 ). In Lao PDR, NPAs are recognized as national priorities for biodiversity conservation. Therefore, NPAs and their surrounding area is a logical target for the conservation planning process. For example, the Nam Kading NPA and its immediate surrounding area within the Bolikhamxay Province are considered as a ‘site’ by the Integrated Ecosystem and Wildlife Management Project (IEWMP) being implemented by Bolikhamxay Province and the WCS (Figure 2). Figure 2. Map of Nam Kading NPA in Bolikhamxay Province iii 2 Ecoregions: a relatively large unit of land or water containing a geographically distinct assemblage of species, natural communities, and environmental conditions. The ecosystems within an ecoregion have certain distinct characters in common 3 Hotspots: in general terms these are areas that have high levels of endemism (and hence diversity) but which are also experiencing a high rate of loss of ecosystems. A terrestrial biodiversity hotspot is an area that has at least 0.5%, or 1,500 of the world’s ca. 300,000 species of green plants (Viridiplantae), and that has lost at least 70% of its primary vegetation iv . 3.
How to set a Conservation Goal for the site A goal is a general summary of the desired state that a project is working to achieve. A good goal meets the following criteria iv v : • Visionary : The goal is inspirational in outlining the desired state toward which the project is working • Relatively General : Broadly defined to encompass all project activities • Brief : Simple and succinct so that all project participants can remember it • Measurable : Defined so that changes in the target condition upon which the goal is based can be accurately assessed. Example: Conserve the wildlife and habitats in the Nam Kading National Protected Area How to select Conservation Targets These are specific statements defining the state or condition of species or habitat types that the project wants to influence through some intervention i . Conservation targets are representatives for all the flora, fauna and ecological functions within a landscape. They help focus interventions. Conservation of a target or a suite of targets should help achieve the conservation goal of the project. Though there is no absolute upper limit to how many conservation targets are chosen, experience suggests that 3-5 is reasonable and that 10 may be too many. It is useful to remember that conservation targets are those attributes of the biodiversity that you are explicitly promising to conserve, and what others will use to assess whether or not the project, over the long-term, has been successful. Conservation targets can include species (for example Tiger, gibbon or hornbill), or ecosystem processes (such as Asian Redtail Catfish spawning to the tributaries of the Nam Kading river). This module will only focus on landscape species as conservation targets acknowledging that conservation targets can also include habitats and other ecological processes. Using ‘Landscape Species’ as Conservation Targets At a given site, species referred to as landscape species can be used as conservation targets. Landscape species are defined as species that use large, diverse areas and have significant impacts on the structure and function of natural ecosystems vi vii . Their habitat requirements in time and space make them particularly vulnerable to the land-use and resource harvesting practices of people. 4.
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