Raymond E. Gullison

Financial Costs and Shortfalls of Managing and Expanding Protected-Area Systems in Developing Countries

Abstract Underfunding jeopardizes the ability of protected areas to safeguard biodiversity and the benefits that intact nature provides to society. In this article, we evaluate the cost of effectively managing all existing protected areas in developing countries, as well as the cost of expansion into high-priority new areas. We find that recent studies converge on a funding shortfall of

Impacts of Unsustainable Mahogany Logging in Bolivia and Peru

1 billion to

Poor regulatory capacity limits the ability of science to influence the management of mahogany

1.7 billion per year to manage all existing areas. The costs of establishing and managing an expanded protected-area system would total at least

'Marketing' species conservation Financial incentives can be found to conserve a species threatened by trade.

4 billion per year over the next decade, an amount that far exceeds current spending but is well within the reach of the international community. These findings indicate the need for rapid action to mobilize significant new resources for the developing worlds protected areas. In particular, this will require (a) the use of a range of tools to generate funds and improve efficiency of management; (b) greater precision and better communication of the costs and benefits of protected areas, both locally and globally; and (c) increased, stable support from developed countries for on-the-ground management of protected-area systems in developing countries.

Forest baseline and deforestation map of the Dominican Republic through the analysis of time series of MODIS data.

Although bigleaf mahogany [Swietenia macrophylla King (Meliaceae)] is the premier timber species of Latin America, its exploitation is unsustainable because of a pattern of local depletion and shifting supply. We surveyed experts on the status of mahogany in Bolivia and Peru, the worlds past and present largest exporters. Bolivia no longer has commercially viable mahogany (trees > 60 cm diameter at breast height) across 79% of its range. In Peru, mahoganys range has shrunk by 50%, and, within a decade, a further 28% will be logged out. Approximately 15% of the mahogany range in these two countries is protected, but low densities and illegal logging mean that this overestimates the extent of mahogany under protection. The international community can support mahogany conservation by funding park management and by encouraging independent verification of the legality of mahogany in trade. Our findings demonstrate that a systematic expert survey can generate reliable and cost-effective information on the status of widespread species of concern and help to inform appropriate management policy. Recommended citation: Kometter, R. F., M. Martinez, A. G. Blundell, R. E. Gullison, M. K. Steininger, and R. E. Rice. 2004. Impacts of unsustainable mahogany logging in Bolivia and Peru. Ecology and Society 9(1): 12. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol9/iss1/art12

Progress and challenges in consolidating the management of Amazonian protected areas and indigenous territories: Amazon Protected Areas

Decades of research have had virtually no impact on harvesting rates or harvesting practices for mahogany (Swietenia spp.), among the most valuable timber species of Latin America.Despite the existence of science-based regulations, mahogany is rapidly and often illegally harvested to the point where its density is so depleted that logging is no longer commercially viable.The lack of influence of science on forest management is not a result of scientific deficiency; rather, it is a political and economic failure to implement existing forest management policies. Until political will and regulatory capacity for enforcement exist or until buyers insist on meaningful verification that shipments were legally obtained, there is little incentive for reform and policies regulating the use of mahogany will not be implemented.Thus, under present conditions, there is little opportunity for science to influence the fate of mahogany.The case study of mahogany provides an excellent example not only of the difficulty for research to inform forest management, but also of demonstrating the key elements necessary for effective implementation of any forest policy. 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of parks in protecting tropical biodiversity.

Financial incentives can be found to conserve a species threatened by trade.

Tropical Forests and Climate Policy

Deforestation is one of the major threats to habitats in the Dominican Republic. In this work we present a forest baseline for the year 2000 and a deforestation map for the year 2011. Maps were derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Radiometer (MODIS) products at 250 m resolution. The vegetation continuous fields product (MOD44B) for the year 2000 was used to produce the forest baseline, while the vegetation indices product (MOD13Q1) was used to detect change between 2000 and 2011. Major findings based on the data presented here are reported in the manuscript “Habitat suitability and protection status of four species of amphibians in the Dominican Republic” (Sangermano et al., Appl. Geogr.,) [7].63, 2015, 55–65

CAN SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT SAVE TROPICAL FORESTS

Effective management refers to the ability of a protected area or indigenous territory to meet its objectives, particularly as they relate to the protection of biodiversity and forest cover. Effective management is achieved through a process of consolidation, which among other things requires legally protecting sites, integrating sites into land-use planning, developing and implementing management and resource-use plans, and securing long-term funding to pay for recurrent costs. Effectively managing all protected areas and indigenous territories in the Amazon may be needed to avoid a deforestation tipping point beyond which regional climatic feedbacks and global climate change interact to catalyze irreversible drying and savannization of large areas. At present, protected areas and indigenous territories cover 45.5% (3.55 million km2 ) of the Amazon, most of the 60-70% forest cover required to maintain hydrologic and climatic function. Three independent evaluations of a long-term large-scale philanthropic initiative in the Amazon yielded insights into the challenges and advances toward achieving effective management of protected areas and indigenous territories. Over the life of the initiative, management of sites has improved considerably, particularly with respect to management planning and capacity building, but few sites are effectively managed and many lack sufficient long-term financing, adequate governance, support of nongovernmental organizations, and the means to withstand economic pressures. The time and money required to complete consolidation is still poorly understood, but it is clear that philanthropic funding is critical so long as essential funding needs are not met by governments and other sources, which could be on the order of decades. Despite challenges, it is encouraging that legal protection has expanded greatly and management of sites is improving steadily. Management of protected areas in other developing countries could be informed by improvements that have occurred in Amazonian countries.