Conservation Biology An Introduction for Southern Australia

by New, T. R.

• ISBN13: 9780195507157
• ISBN10: 0195507150
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-11-02
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This is the first introductory text on conservation biology to focus clearly on southern Australia and the problems that face its native animals and plants and their habitats as a result of human interference. Beginning with a comprehensive discussion of the broad principles of conservationbiology and its importance in Australia, Conservation Biology covers: the development of conservation practive and theory in Australia, using local examples to provide a framework for understanding; the extent and nature of the need for conservation in southern Australia; extinction and itssignificance; the meanings, levels, and interpretation of the concept of biodiversity; the notion of rarity, and its evaluation in terms of establishing he conservation status of flora and fauna; approaches to species and ecosystem conservation, including reserve design and setting priorities forconservation management, conservation beyond reserves, and ex situ conservation (encompassing captive breeding and reintroduction); the considerable number of threats to species and ecosystems; Australia's conservation responsibilities in a global context. Conservation Biology features a series of topical case histories that highlight management issues and some of the successes and disappointments that have occurred, and each chapter includes suggestions for further reading.

Table of Contents

List of Tables, Figures, and Plates	x
Preface	xvi
Acknowledgments	xviii
Introduction	1	(21)
What is conservation biology	2	(1)
Approaches to conservation	3	(2)
Focal levels	4	(1)
Quality of science in conservation biology	5	(2)
Evaluating scientific quality	6	(1)
Central questions in conservation biology	7	(1)
Scientific method in conservation biology	7	(9)
Experiments and testing hypotheses	10	(2)
Scientific process	12	(1)
Science and small populations	13	(3)
Issues of scale	16	(2)
Biological integrity	18	(2)
Parameters and postulates	20	(1)
Further reading	21	(1)
Australia and conservation need	22	(18)
Australia's conservation significance	23	(3)
Features of change in Australian environments	26	(11)
Lowland native grasslands	29	(2)
Eucalypt woodlands	31	(1)
The Murray-Darling Basin	32	(3)
Tasmanian seamounts	35	(1)
Australia's coastal zone	36	(1)
Implications	37	(1)
Further reading	38	(2)
Extinction	40	(16)
What is extinction and why does it occur?	41	(1)
Accelerated extinctions	42	(3)
Extinctions and habitat loss	45	(2)
Amphibian declines	47	(1)
Deterministic and stochastic events	47	(1)
Proving extinction	48	(4)
Paths to extinction	52	(3)
Extinction vortices	52	(1)
Extinction trajectories	53	(2)
Further reading	55	(1)
Biodiversity	56	(39)
What does `biodiversity' mean?	57	(1)
Genetic variability	58	(2)
The species approach to biodiversity	60	(4)
Why is biodiversity important?	64	(1)
Studying biodiversity	65	(29)
How many species?	68	(11)
What are the species?	79	(4)
Which are the important species?	83	(6)
Is the site unusual, and how does it compare with others?	89	(4)
How unusual is the site?	93	(1)
Further reading	94	(1)
Rarity, vulnerability and conservation status	95	(35)
Rarity	96	(3)
Status definition and evaluation	99	(1)
Categories for conservation status	100	(3)
Categories and schemes for status allocation	103	(8)
Databases for conservation evaluation	111	(1)
Populations and conservation status	112	(4)
Population dynamics and change	116	(4)
Minimum viable populations	120	(3)
Types of stochasticity	121	(2)
Population viability analysis	123	(6)
Further reading	129	(1)
Species in conservation	130	(24)
Introduction: species as conservation targets	131	(1)
Need and process	131	(4)
Species triage	135	(2)
Limitations of species selection	137	(2)
Species management	139	(1)
Monitoring	140	(5)
Species as targets	140	(1)
Species as tools	141	(4)
Other environmental indicators	145	(3)
Examples of use of indicator groups	146	(2)
Planning for species conservation	148	(5)
Recovery plans	148	(5)
Further reading	153	(1)
Conservation in protected areas	154	(47)
Introduction: needs for protected areas	155	(5)
Australian reserves	160	(1)
Reserve design	161	(3)
Integrity of reserves	164	(14)
Buffers	164	(2)
Connectivity	166	(9)
Edge effects	175	(3)
Priority areas for reserves	178	(5)
Some approaches	183	(12)
Broader environmental features	183	(1)
Gap analysis	184	(1)
Plants as a basic index	184	(2)
Critical faunas	186	(3)
Algorithms and reserve selection	189	(3)
Relative or absolute priority?	192	(1)
Representativeness of protected areas	192	(3)
Reserves for the future	195	(5)
Further reading	200	(1)
Conservation beyond reserves	201	(17)
Introduction	202	(1)
The matrix	203	(1)
Agricultural land	204	(4)
Species on private lands	208	(2)
Restoration	210	(7)
Further reading	217	(1)
Threats	218	(48)
Introduction	219	(1)
Habitat change	220	(11)
Loss of habitat	221	(1)
Fragmentation	222	(1)
Consequences	223	(2)
Remnant habitats	225	(3)
A complex change: rural dieback	228	(3)
Fire and habitats	231	(4)
The ground parrot	232	(1)
The mallee fowl	232	(3)
Invasive species	235	(16)
Invasion	237	(9)
Native invasions	246	(2)
Predicting spread	248	(2)
Predicting effects	250	(1)
Controversial introductions: classical biological control	251	(2)
Examples of invasive species and the threats they pose	253	(9)
Invasive diseases	262	(1)
Genetically modified organisms	263	(1)
Further reading	264	(2)
More threats	266	(31)
Introduction	267	(1)
Exploiting species	267	(13)
Strategies for control	270	(1)
Reasons for exploitation	271	(3)
Conservation problems	274	(1)
Selection and its consequences	274	(1)
Bycatch	275	(4)
Exploitation without take	279	(1)
Pollution and pesticides	280	(4)
Pesticides	281	(1)
Pollution	282	(1)
Salinisation	283	(1)
Climate change	284	(3)
Threat evaluation	287	(6)
Threats to a group: Australian freshwater fish	288	(2)
Threats to a habitat: Australia's wetlands	290	(2)
Assessing a particular threat: industrialisation	292	(1)
Threat abatement	293	(2)
Further reading	295	(2)
Conservation in captivity	297	(23)
Introduction	298	(2)
Problems of captive breeding for conservation	300	(3)
Genetic adaptions to captivity	303	(1)
Conservation genetics	304	(8)
Effective population size	306	(1)
Small populations	307	(1)
Domestication and genetics	308	(1)
Genetics and conservation analysis	309	(2)
Hybridisation	311	(1)
Re-introduction and release	312	(4)
Community translocations	316	(3)
Further reading	319	(1)
Conservation in practice: overviews of some cases in species conservation	320	(27)
Introduction	321	(1)
Controversial species	321	(4)
The koala, Phascolarctos cinereus	321	(3)
Kangaroos	324	(1)
Species cases	325	(21)
Invertebrates	325	(3)
Fish	328	(2)
Amphibians	330	(1)
Reptiles	331	(1)
Birds	332	(4)
Mammals	336	(5)
Plants	341	(5)
Further reading	346	(1)
The regulatory framework for conservation biology	347	(21)
Introduction	348	(1)
Australia's national legislative framework	349	(2)
The listing process	351	(3)
Listing species	351	(1)
Listing communities	352	(1)
Listing threats	353	(1)
Australia's international obligations in conservation	354	(6)
Convention on Biological Diversity (the Rio Convention)	355	(2)
Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA)	357	(1)
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention)	357	(1)
Convention on Wetlands of International importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitats (the Ramsar Convention)	357	(1)
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)	358	(2)
Coasts and oceans	360	(1)
International non-governmental organisations	360	(2)
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN, known also as the World Conservation Union)	361	(1)
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) (formerly, World Wildlife Fund)	361	(1)
Cooperative mechanisms	362	(2)
Priorities for the future	364	(3)
Further reading	367	(1)
Glossary	368	(9)
References	377	(38)
Index	415