Size of protected areas is the main determinant of species diversity in orchids

Determinants of orchid species diversity in world islands

“…For orchids, species–area relationships are exceptionally strong worldwide (Schödelbauerová et al ., ), and among Caribbean islands they are even stronger when using altitude of the highest point on the island as a predictor (Ackerman et al ., ). While archipelagos worldwide have unique geological, climatological and biological histories, we sought to determine whether the general patterns seen in the Caribbean, a complex region comprising three archipelagos (Bahamian Archipelago, Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles), are applicable globally.…”

Distribution and conservation of orchid species richness in China

“…Recent studies suggested that distribution of orchids were limited by the joint effect of habitat availability and pollination limitation (McCormick and Jacquemyn, 2014). Specifically, patterns of orchid richness are regulated by habitat size and elevation range at large scales (Jacquemyn et al, 2005;Schödelbauerová et al, 2009;Acharya et al, 2011), while by light availability, soil moisture, canopy height and area (especially for the epiphytic orchids) at fine scales (Gravendeel et al, 2004;Huang et al, 2008;McCormick and Jacquemyn, 2014). However, compared to the large number of orchid species, knowledge on the large-scale patterns and controls of orchid richness is limited (Chapman and Wang, 2002;Chen et al, 2009).…”

Protected Area Systems in South American Countries

“…Although the effective Brazilian protected area is larger than other countries, smaller countries with high protection percentages, such as French Guyana (57%) and Venezuela (36.3%) show a clear conservationist tendency by giving up their territory of extensive agriculture and industrial development. Even tough, it is noted that protection is effective when there are areas with adequate size and management (Schodelbauerova et al, 2009;Armsworth et al, 2011). The Amazon has large forest cover and incorporates large protected areas (Joppa et al, 2008), but in other South American biomes the areas are small and it was found that the average size is not related to the territorial dimension of the country.…”

“…Conservation efforts should be directed to maximize the size of areas in each country (Schodelbauerova et al, 2009). Small areas, mostly, do not fulfill the functions for which they are created, not guaranteeing the conservation of local biodiversity, as in Colombia and Uruguay.…”