Novel ecosystems resulting from landscape transformation create dilemmas for modern conservation practice

Abstract

Introduction: Novel ecosystems occur when new combinations of species appear within a particular biome due to human activity, environmental change, or impacts of introduced species. Background: Managing the trajectory of ecosystems toward desired outcomes requires an understanding of the means by which they developed. To facilitate this understanding, we present evidence for the development of a novel ecosystem from a natural experiment focusing on 52 woodland remnants surrounded by maturing stands of exotic radiata pine. Results: Bird community composition changed through time resulting in a unique blend of tall closed forest and open-woodland birds that previously did not occur in the study area, nor in the region's tall closed forest or open-woodland biomes. Conclusion: Novel ecosystems will become increasingly common due to climate change, raising complex management and ethical dilemmas for policy makers and resource managers.

Using modeling tools for implementing feasible land use and nature conservation governance systems in small islands – The Pico Island (Azores) case-study

“…While this situation has been addressed by proposing alternative strategies (e.g. Lindenmayer et al, 2008;Seastedt et al, 2008;Hobbs et al, 2009), a dichotomy between natural areas and places more or less disturbed (or "degraded") persists, making it difficult to implement an integrated approach to conservation planning and management.…”

Resilience, Regime Shifts, and Guided Transition under Climate Change: Examining the Practical Difficulties of Managing Continually Changing Systems

“…Specifically, changes in temperature, precipitation, and frequency of extreme events will have significant effects on thresholds, which will affect ecosystem extent and composition, and there may be few options for interventional management (Harris et al 2006, Williams and Jackson 2007, Lindenmayer et al 2008. As a slow, persistent stressor, climate change will cause unidirectional changes within a system, and uncertainty remains as to how systems will respond.…”

Novel ecosystems and the emergence of cultural ecosystem services

“…Regardless of specificities, it is expected that novel ecosystems will become increasingly relevant in policy and practice, as social and environmental stress changes over time (Lindenmayer et al, 2008), necessitating a new approach to landscape management (Seastedt et al, 2008). This will necessitate a deeper understanding of ecological and cultural services in altered and/or abandoned spaces.…”