Scientists’ responsibilities towards evidence‐based conservation in a <scp>S</scp>mall <scp>I</scp>sland <scp>D</scp>eveloping <scp>S</scp>tate

Kaiser‐Bunbury, Christopher N.; Fleischer‐Dogley, Frauke; Dogley, Didier; Bunbury, Nancy

doi:10.1111/1365-2664.12346

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…On Curieuse and elsewhere on Praslin, the species persists as mainly small clusters and isolated individuals, with poor natural regeneration. Lodoicea kernel is CITES‐listed and protected from illegal exploitation (Kaiser‐Bunbury, Fleischer‐Dogley, Dogley, & Bunbury, ), although many nuts are poached due to their high value in the black market (Rist et al., ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing coco de mer's reproductive history: Pollen and nutrient limitations reduce fecundity

Morgan

Kaiser‐Bunbury

Edwards³

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Habitat degradation can reduce or even prevent the reproduction of previously abundant plant species. To develop appropriate management strategies, we need to understand the reasons for reduced recruitment in degraded ecosystems. The dioecious coco de mer palm (Lodoicea maldivica) produces by far the largest seeds of any plant. It is a keystone species in an ancient palm forest that occurs only on two small islands in the Seychelles, yet contemporary rates of seed production are low, especially in fragmented populations. We developed a method to infer the recent reproductive history of female trees from morphological evidence present on their inflorescences. We then applied this method to investigate the effects of habitat disturbance and soil nutrient conditions on flower and fruit production. The 57 female trees in our sample showed a 19.5‐fold variation in flower production among individuals over a seven‐year period. Only 77.2% of trees bore developing fruits (or had recently shed fruits), with the number per tree ranging from zero to 43. Flower production was positively correlated with concentrations of available soil nitrogen and potassium and did not differ significantly between closed and degraded habitat. Fruiting success was positively correlated with pollen availability, as measured by numbers and distance of neighboring male trees. Fruit set was lower in degraded habitat than in closed forest, while the proportion of abnormal fruits that failed to develop was higher in degraded habitat. Seed size recorded for a large sample of seeds collected by forest wardens varied widely, with fresh weights ranging from 1 to 18 kg. Synthesis: Shortages of both nutrients and pollen appear to limit seed production of Lodoicea in its natural habitat, with these factors affecting different stages of the reproductive process. Flower production varies widely amongst trees, while seed production is especially low in degraded habitat. The size of seeds is also very variable. We discuss the implications of these findings for managing this ecologically and economically important species.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing coco de mer's reproductive history: Pollen and nutrient limitations reduce fecundity

Morgan

Kaiser‐Bunbury

Edwards³

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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“…However, this may be indicative that despite a recent increase in the number of universities in the English-speaking Caribbean, the culture of research remains weak (Lewis and Simmons 2010;Onyefulu and Ogunrinade 2005). Although much of the research on Caribbean forest-dependent endemic birds is driven by externally-based researchers (Devenish-Nelson et al 2017), the geographic variation may also be influenced by the limited availability of local collaborators, support from national government agencies and ease of logistical arrangements, as observed in other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) (Hind et al 2015;Kaiser-Bunbury et al 2015;Weeks and Adams 2018). As others have highlighted (Levy 2008;Mendez et al 2007), enabling Caribbean-based university-level education is a critical step towards developing self-sustaining research programmes in the region.…”

Section: Where Are Species Studied?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns in island endemic forest-dependent bird research: the Caribbean as a case-study

Devenish‐Nelson

Weidemann²,

Townsend

et al. 2019

Biodivers Conserv

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Unequal patterns in research effort can result in inaccurate assessments of species extinction risk or ineffective management. A group of notable conservation concern are tropical island endemic birds, many of which are also forest-dependent, which increases their vulnerability to extinction. Yet, island bird species have received limited research attention compared to their continental congeners, despite this taxon being globally regarded as well-studied. We used the insular Caribbean, a globally important endemism hotspot with high rates of deforestation, to explore research bias of island and regional endemic forest-dependent birds. A review of the published literature (n = 992) found no significant increase in the number of studies over the search period. Research effort was significantly higher among species with threatened status, long generation time, wide habitat breadth and low to intermediate elevational distributions. Among family groups, the Psittacidae received the highest research effort, while the Cuculidae were the most underrepresented family (30-fold higher and six-fold less than expected, respectively). We found geographic biases in effort, with Jamaica having six-fold less and Puerto Rico eight times more research than expected for their level of endemism. These patterns likely reflect individual interests and limited capacity and funding, typical of Small Island Developing States. With over 50% of species in this review having declining population trends, we recommend prioritizing research that emphasises conservation-and management-relevant data across underrepresented families and islands, by fostering greater collaboration between researchers, practitioners and the existing local amateur ornithological community.

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“…A highly successful approach to conservation planning can be found in well-conceived conservation efforts of the Seychelles [70]. In this case, the government conservation employees who were empowered to plan and implement the conservation agenda initiated the conservation efforts of the coco de mer palm (Lodoicea maldivica Gmelin) by including accomplished scientists as a beginning step, enabling the scientists to implement adaptive management research, allowing them to publish the results in the primary literature, then culminating the process by crafting conservation decisions based on the scientific publications [71]. The approach has resulted in the generation of informative multi-year data sets that have greatly improved conservation decisions [72,73].…”

Section: Success Is Available If Empowered Individuals Desire Itmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This history does not conform to recommendations for managing species at risk within military installations, which calls for scientifically-based management that focuses on the greatest threats [78]. Employing conservation practitioners with the proven skills of contributing to the primary literature as an initial step of adaptive management, in accordance with the Seychelles example [71], would point the trajectory of Mariana Islands tree conservation toward conformity with the recommendations of the Center for Plant Conservation [49].…”

Section: Practitioner Qualificationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree conservation can be constrained by agents from conservation permitting and funding agencies

Marler

2019

Communicative & Integrative Biology

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Recent conservation actions for Serianthes nelsonii Merr. and Cycas micronesica K.D. Hill in the Mariana Islands have illuminated some negative consequences associated with ill-informed agents representing permitting and funding agencies. Several cases from the islands of Guam and Tinian are discussed as ineffective conservation examples, and these are countered with two examples of successful conservation approaches. When biologists that act as points of contact for federal permitting and funding agencies do not possess education, knowledge, and experience that is germane to federally listed species, sound science may be marginalized from the conservation agenda. When rapid turnover of federal conservation agents introduces dysfunction, discontinuities in collaborations may thwart success. When lapses in conservation contracts are allowed, short-term extemporary contracting approaches are utilized, and conservation practitioners that lack the ability to include an experimental approach to conservation actions are employed, the co-production of new knowledge to enable decision support tools for future decision-makers may be hindered.

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Scientists’ responsibilities towards evidence‐based conservation in a Small Island Developing State

Cited by 16 publications

References 21 publications

Tracing coco de mer's reproductive history: Pollen and nutrient limitations reduce fecundity

Tracing coco de mer's reproductive history: Pollen and nutrient limitations reduce fecundity

Patterns in island endemic forest-dependent bird research: the Caribbean as a case-study

Tree conservation can be constrained by agents from conservation permitting and funding agencies

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