Conservation value of small reserves

Conservation of Mammals in Eastern North American Wildlife Reserves: How Small Is Too Small?

A common objective of methods of systematic reserve selection has been to maximize conservation benefits—frequently current species richness—while reducing the costs of acquiring and maintaining reserves. But the probability that a reserve will lose species in the future is frequently not known because the minimum area requirements for most species have not been estimated empirically. For reser...

Are Private Reserves Effective for Jaguar Conservation?

We present the first study of density and apparent survival for a jaguar (Panthera onca) population in northern Mexico using 13 years of camera trap data from 2000 to 2012. We used the Barker robust design model which combines data from closed sampling periods and resight data between these periods to estimate apparent survival and abundance. We identified 467 jaguar pictures that corresponded ...

Choosing the Appropriate Scale of Reserves for Conservation

■ Abstract Over the past ten years the scientific basis for reserve selection and design have rapidly developed. This period has also been characterized by a shift in emphasis toward large spatial and organizational scales of conservation efforts. I discuss the evidence in support of this shift toward larger scale conservation by contrasting the success of fine-filter (genes, populations, speci...

Reviewing Biosphere Reserves globally: effective conservation action or bureaucratic label?

The Biosphere Reserve (BR) model of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme reflects a shift towards more accountable conservation. Biosphere Reserves attempt to reconcile environmental protection with sustainable development; they explicitly acknowledge humans, and human interests in the conservation landscape while still maintaining the ecological values of existing protected areas. Conceptu...

Commentary: Anthropogenic disturbances jeopardize biodiversity conservation within tropical rainforest reserves