fishingvillage

Sustaining Amazon floodplain biodiversity and fisheries under climate change

by NEW PROJECTSNEWSPROJECTS

Working and learning with stakeholders to preserve Amazon River floodplain biodiversity and fisheries in the face of climate change

Our new project — funded by BNP Paribas — will combine remote sensing, hydrologic modeling, fisheries and habitat modeling, and participatory work with local riverine communities to develop policies and strategies to preserve Amazonian biodiversity and fisheries in the face of climate change. Involving researches from Brazil, France, UK, Canada, US, our lab’s contribution to this project will be developing empirical models of fish catch for all key commercial taxa, to project the effects on fisheries catch of altered river hydrology induced by potential future impacts of climate change.

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New paper on “blind spots” on Amazon conservation

by NEWS

Energy development reveals blind spots for ecosystem conservation in the Amazon Basin

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Energy development – as manifested by the proliferation of hydroelectric dams and increased oil and gas exploration – is a driver of change in Amazonian ecosystems. However, prevailing approaches to Amazonian ecosystem conservation that focus on terrestrial protected areas and Indigenous territories do not offer sufficient insurance against the risks associated with energy development. Here, we explore three related areas of concern: the exclusion of subsurface rights on Indigenous lands; the absence of frameworks for freshwater ecosystem conservation; and downgrading, downsizing, degazettement (loss of protection), and reclassification of protected areas. We consider these issues from the perspectives of multiple countries across the Amazon Basin, and link them directly to energy development. Finally, we offer suggestions for addressing the challenges of energy development for Amazon ecosystem conservation through existing policies, new approaches, and international collaboration.

Anderson, E., Osborne, T., Maldonado-Ocampo, J. Mills-Novoa, M., Castello, L., Montoya, M., Encalada, A., Jenkins, C. 2019. Energy development reveals blind spots for Amazon ecosystem conservation. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. pdf

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BONDS “Balancing BiOdiversity CoNservation with Development in Amazonian WetlandS”

by NEW PROJECTSNEWSPROJECTS

Funded by NSF, this project involving six countries will develop scenarios of biodiversity and ecosystem services for selected “whitewater” river floodplains of the lowland Amazon. Seasonally inundated by nutrient-rich sediments, these floodplains have historically been centers for human settlements practicing subsistence agriculture supplemented by fishing and hunting; whitewater floodplain districts are thus the most densely populated rural areas in central Amazonia. Over the past several decades, commercial jute cultivation, commercial fisheries, and the expansion of cattle ranching have disrupted traditional patterns of resource use. These impacts have been felt most heavily on the lower Amazon, where about half the floodplain forest cover was lost since the late 1970s. This reduced floodplain forest cover threatens both biodiversity and ecosystem services, since fish biodiversity and fisheries yields are strongly associated with floodplain forest cover. Our project group will assess the dependency of fishery yields by local fishing communities on floodplain hydrological connectivity and habitat structure.

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Large-scale degradation of Amazonian freshwater ecosystems

by NEWSSLIDER

 

Hydrological connectivity regulates the structure and function of Amazonian freshwater ecosystems and the provisioning of services that sustain local populations. This hydrological connectivity of Amazonian freshwater ecosystems is increasingly disrupted by construction of dams, mining, land-cover changes, and global climate change. This review analyzes these drivers of degradation; evaluates their impacts on hydrological connectivity; and identifies policy deficiencies that hinder freshwater ecosystem protection.

There are 155 large there will be only three free-flowing tributaries if all 277 planned dams for the Basin are built. Land-cover changes driven by mining, dam and road construction, and agriculture and cattle ranching have already affected ~20% of the Basin and up to ~50% of riparian forests in some regions. Global climate change will likely exacerbate these impacts by creating warmer and dryer conditions, with less predictable rainfall and more extreme events (e.g. droughts and floods).

The resulting hydrological alterations are rapidly degrading freshwater ecosystems both independently and via complex feedbacks and synergistic interactions. The ecosystem impacts include biodiversity loss, warmer stream temperatures, stronger and more frequent floodplain fires, and changes to biogeochemical cycles, transport of organic and inorganic materials, and freshwater community structure and function. The impacts also include reductions in water quality, fish yields, and availability of water for navigation, power generation, and human use.

This degradation of Amazonian freshwater ecosystems cannot be curbed presently because existing policies are inconsistent across the Basin, ignore cumulative effects, and do not consider the hydrological connectivity of freshwater ecosystems. Maintaining the integrity of these freshwater ecosystems requires a basin-wide research and policy framework to understand and manage hydrological connectivity across multiple spatial scales and jurisdictional boundaries.

More information:

Castello, L., Macedo, M.N. 2016. Large-scale degradation of Amazonian freshwater ecosystems. Global Change Biology. doi: 10.1111/gcb.13173 pdf

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State of the Amazon: New WWF report by Leandro Castello and Marcia Macedo

by NEWS

​From WWF Global

In November 2014, the World Wildlife Fund Living Amazon Initiative launched the series, “State of the Amazon”, presenting the first report, “State of the Amazon: Ecological Representation, Protected Areas and Indigenous Territories”.

Amazon reportIn April 2015, the second report was released: “State of the Amazon: Freshwater Connectivity and Ecosystem Health”. Prominent researchers Marcia Macedo and Leandro Castello wrote the core scientific assessment which provides a comprehensive assessment of the current state of Amazon freshwater ecosystems and highlights the importance of hydrological connectivity and land-water interactions in maintaining the ecological functions that support water, food and energy security.

Citation:

Macedo, M. and L. Castello. 2015. State of the Amazon: Freshwater Connectivity and Ecosystem Health; edited by D. Oliveira, C. C. Maretti and S. Charity. Brasília, Brazil: WWF Living Amazon Initiative. 136pp.

Read the report here.

The freshwater ecosystems in the Amazon region are under threat by deforestation and especially by connectivity interruption.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPEceTxt6KM]

Listen to Dr. Castello’s presentation at the book launch in Korea in April 2015:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve-SwgJVtl0]

fishingvillage

NEW GRADUATE COURSE

by NEWS

NEW GRADUATE COURSE FOR SPRING 2015

FIW 5984 : Systems Conservation of Animal Populations

This course adopts an integrative approach to understanding problems of sustainable management and conservation of animals in natural landscapes. The course is founded on the idea that effective conservation of animal populations can only be achieved through consideration and management of broader, multifaceted factors related to natural ecosystems and human societies. The course seeks to help students conceptualize and articulate their own problems of study within an interdisciplinary framework.

The course introduces students to approaches to understanding biological conservation problems as integrated systems by reviewing the literature of Systems Ecology and Social-Ecological Systems. It reviews key concepts and papers on ecosystem-based management, resource economics, user participation, policy, and governance. Attention is paid to the diversity of social-ecological settings across the globe and the role of rural communities in animal management and conservation. The course concludes with presentations and discussions led by the students of research projects analyzing animal conservations problems from a systems perspective.

Classes are based on discussions of readings led jointly by students and instructor.

See attached file for more details, or contact

Leandro Castello (leandro@vt.edu)
148 Cheatham Hall
Phone: 540-231-5046