Search

One of the major drivers of amphibian population declines is Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). We sought to identify the major environmental drivers of Bd prevalence in Texas, USA, by drawing results from museum specimens. We sampled one of the largest museum collections in Texas, the Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections at Texas A&M University. Our sampling focused on the 9 amphibian species with the widest geographical distribution within the state, where we sub-sampled 30% of each species per decade from 1930 to present via skin swabs, totaling 1501 independent sampling events, and used quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) to detect pathogen presence. We analyzed several geo-referenced variables describing climatic conditions to identify potential factors influencing the likelihood of presence of Bd using boosted regression trees. Our final model suggests the most influential variables are mean temperature of driest quarter, annual mean temperature, temperature annual range, and mean diurnal range. The most likely suitable range for Bd is currently found in the Blackland Prairie and Cross Timbers ecoregions. Results of our future (to the year 2040) projections suggest that Bd could expand its current distribution. Our model could play an important role when developing an integrated conservation plan through (1) focusing future field work on locations with a high likelihood of presence, (2) assisting in the choice of locations for restoration, and (3) developing future research plans including those necessary for projecting reactions to climate change. Our model also could integrate new presence data of Bd when they become available to enhance prediction precision.

The paper presents the generation of an interactive cataloging system for the Courthouse of Milan (Palazzo di Giustizia) and more than one hundred artworks stored in the building. The courthouse is an “unknown museum” in the city and represents a masterpiece of the architectural and figurative culture in the '30s. The online system developed in the project aims at solving a twofold task. First, it must present the "unknown museum" to citizens through a simple and effective online website. Second, it must serve as a repository for technical information not available to the public and only limited to the specialists in conservation. This second section includes catalog forms produced according to specific national standards for artworks, which require a variety of information such as size, material, artist, state of conservation, and description of previous restorations and interventions. The catalog, supported by the development of a preventive conservation plan, meets the need to identify all artworks and their conditions, planning interventions, and keeping a record of restoration activities.

PurposeThis paper presents a conceptual design process for developing a maintenance-focused heritage conservation model. Currently, there are several intervention approaches that can be applied in conservation from reconstruction, restoration and repairs to a “do-nothing” approach. This paper examines whether a maintenance solution is more than just an option or a necessity. The aim of the paper is to study the challenges and opportunities when putting more emphasis on the maintenance approach in conservation.Design/methodology/approachThis research was conducted in an Australian context, where many major buildings were constructed from the 19th and 20th centuries and are now categorised as “modern heritage”. three case studies were undertaken to inform this paper and others. In addition, 17 global heritage conservation experts were interviewed, and their responses were analysed. Also, comparative field observations and archival records were examined and used to develop the initial framework model. Finally, using focus group discussions amongst 7 experts, the framework was reviewed and formally validated in order to ensure the development of a useful model for use in devising an effective maintenance management plan and monitoring conditions in heritage buildings.FindingsThis paper supports others in a series that have already been accepted by this journal, focussing the research on heritage building conservation being conducted in Australia, the homeland of the Burra Charter. The other papers are entitled (1) model for the maintenance-focused heritage building conservation and (2) engineering in heritage conservation.Originality/valueThe paper examines contemporary issues in heritage building maintenance and conservation in Australia and focusses specifically on the lack of focus on maintenance as a conservation intervention for heritage buildings.

PurposeThis paper aims to set out the role of engineers in heritage conservation and investigates and evaluates the proposed available tools, technology and innovations that are currently available in the civil engineering sector that can be applied in heritage conservation.Design/methodology/approachAs society has become more aware of the grandeur of heritage spaces and structures, there is increasing pressure to preserve historic buildings. But, it is the economic cost of maintaining this important heritage legacy that has become the prime consideration of every state in Australia. Dedicated intelligent monitoring systems supplementing the traditional building inspections will enable the involved and interested stakeholders to carry out not only timely reactive response, but also to plan the maintenance of such buildings in a more vigilant and systematic manner. This will, in future, help to prevent further degradation of heritage buildings, which is very costly, often difficult and sometimes impossible to address if neglected. Savings in time and resources can be achieved, but only if a building's pathological monitoring and inspection results are on hand for use to guide major decisions to be made on how to best prevent further decay, or to save an important historical structure or building fabric.FindingsThe emergence of technological tools will enable the realization of a maintenance-focused conservation model. However, aside from the cost, these tools are still experimental in nature. These technologies are yet to be applied within the conservation industry with hopes of creating an easier and economically effective systematic method of heritage conservation.Originality/valueThe paper discusses the emerging tools and technologies in easing the monitoring aspect of a maintenance-focused conservation model.

PurposeThis paper presents and illustrates the model of a maintenance-focussed conservation plan developed in the thesis. It proposes a framework which puts more emphasis on maintenance in conservation than reconstruction, restorations, repairs or even a “do-nothing” approach.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted in an Australian context, where many major buildings are categorised as being “modern heritage”. However, the main problem with modern heritage is that although it has become more celebrated within the architectural historical sector, maintenance is still only in the background of most facility management (FM) operations, and its critical importance has yet to become accepted as a potential solution to greatly facilitate the proper preservation of the nation's architectural legacy. Challenges and barriers to this approach were evaluated, whilst opportunities were identified to improve a failing current situation that has resulted in the loss of many existing heritage structures. The paper makes a strong case in order to highlight the necessity of embedding a maintenance approach in preserving the historical fabric of buildings in the heritage conservation sector.FindingsThis research examines the key strategies for a maintenance-focussed conservation system.Originality/valueThe paper tackles experiences and issues in Australia about a lack of focus on maintenance as a conservation intervention.

Guwahati, a city of 2 million residents is the largest city in northeastern part of India. Situated by the side of River Brahmaputra, the city is of an undulated topography with some hillocks and wetlands. The considerable area of the city is still forested and seven reserve forests are located within the city. The forested topography of the city offers a good habitat for the Common Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca), a Scheduled 1 species under Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. Over the years, there have been growing casualties on human-leopard conflicts in the region. Indian common leopard (Panthera pardus fusca), is a highly adaptive species and do inhabit in human proximity, which creates conflicts resulting in a loss on both sides. The present study has found that there is a rise in the incidence of human-leopard conflict in Maligaon Gaushala farmland, located in 26o08′48.5″N and 91°41′39.2″E, covering land areas of 34.82 Hectare. The study has been conducted in this area from the last five years i.e. 2015-2019 and recorded 16 number of human-leopard conflicts. It is also found that the area is used for feeding and breeding ground of cattle, for keeping old unproductive cows and dumping ground for dead cattle’s carcass. The area is covered with thick elephant grasses (Pennisetum purpureum), and it is used as chief fodder for cows inside the Gaushala farmland, which is a good foraging for high yielding of milk production from Gaushala farmland and optimum hiding ground for leopard. Due to expansion and high escalations of encroachment to the habitat of leopard a total of 90 incidences of human-leopard conflicts occurs since 1995, which include 13 human causalities, 3 leopards’ mortality and 29 livestock predation. The present study investigates detail movements of the species, their habitat based on camera trapping, Scat analysis, GPS records and field interviews. The data thus gathered not only helped to record the nature of conflicts in the area but also to design a conservation plan for the species. The suggestions recorded in the study are intended to reduce the incidences human-leopard conflicts in the area.

Conservation planning is the primary tool the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) uses to help farmers manage and protect the nation’s soil, water, air, plant, animal, energy, and human natural resources on privately owned lands. While research studies have investigated a multitude of factors that could possibly influence farmer adoption of conservation practices, no recent research exists examining the relationship between having an NRCS conservation plan and the likelihood of applying conservation practices on the ground. This is surprising given that conservation planning is considered to be the foundation for USDA’s technical and financial assistance to agricultural landowners, and recently both the updated NRCS Strategic Plan and the National Conservation Planning Partnership emphasized the need to enhance and expand conservation planning. In this study we analyzed data from 792 respondents of the 2015 and 2016 collection periods of a panel survey of Iowa farmers to examine the relationship between having an NRCS conservation plan and farmers’ implementation of 10 soil and water conservation practices in four categories: (1) soil health, (2) nitrogen (N) management, (3) structural practices, and (4) cropland converted to perennial crops. The results indicate that farmers who reported having an NRCS conservation plan are significantly more likely to have implemented two conservation practices: no-till and terraces. In addition, there was a significant relationship between the number of times a farmer visited a USDA Service Center for conservation and the likelihood they implemented 5 of the 10 selected practices, particularly in the soil health and structural practice categories. These results suggest that it is not the plan itself, but rather the sustained interaction with natural resource professionals, that makes a difference in the use of conservation practices. Implications of the study results for NRCS conservation planning moving forward in the future are discussed.

The restoration or rejuvenation of freshwater ecosystem is being performed through formulation and implementation of conservation plans by the administrative authorities. However, it is essential to examine the performance of conservation plan for addressing the success of work done. The present study aims to develop a novel scoring methodology that could be widely used to assess the performance of a lake conservation plan. Scoring methodology is based on four major characteristics of conservation plan as: ecological lake characteristics, lake catchment characteristics, threat to the lake ecosystem, conservation and management policy. These characteristic terms are given a weightage and score values, which are used to evaluate an overall score of lake that represent the cumulative performance of conservation plan. This scoring methodology is used to assess the performance of conservation plan for four Indian lakes, namely Dal Lake, Nainital Lake, Anasagar Lake, and Rankala Lake. The results reveal that the conservation plans for Dal and Nainital lakes exhibit average performance with overall score values of 138, and 121, respectively. The water quality index of Anasagar Lake is evaluated as 25 that exhibit very poor water quality, while those of other lakes are obtained in poor quality range 50–70. The overall score

Digital technologies are more and more needed to give access to Cultural Heritage (CH) and to allow for their curation and re-use. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the knowledge on the ...

The Bathroom area in Qena city is suffering from urban, social and economic problems, which affects negatively on one of the most important Islamic buildings (the Ottoman Bathroom). In the present study, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technique has been chosen for evaluating the current state of the Ottoman Bathroom and its urban surrounding that is situated within Qena city. Three categories of the evaluating were carried out, the urban, economic, and social status of the environment urban of the Bathroom. Monitoring and analysis of spatial and descriptive data were carried on the surrounding of the Bathroom through design the spatial database; the results of the study indicated that the residential buildings have been suffering from severe damage. The samples were collected from different places of the Bathroom, investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with EDX analytical methods, and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The previous results were indicated that there is a crystallized salt in bricks pores, micro-cracks, and loss in the internal structure of the building materials. The conservation plan included on many steps: 1) documentation of the building and its urban surrounding; 2) monitoring of deterioration symptoms of the building, urban deterioration symptoms of the surrounding; 3) the conservation plan and adaptive reuse of the Ottoman Bathroom.

Irreplaceability is a concept used to describe how close a site is to being essential for achieving conservation targets. Current methods for measuring irreplaceability are based on representative combinations of sites, giving them an extrinsic nature and exponential computational requirements. Surrogate measures based on efficiency (complementarity) are often used as alternatives, but they were never intended for this purpose and do not measure irreplaceability. Current approaches used to estimate irreplaceability have key limitations. Some of these are a result of the tools used, but some are due to the nature of the current definition of irreplaceability. For irreplaceability to be stable and useful for conservation purposes and to resolve limitations, irreplaceability measures should adhere to five axioms; baseline coherence, monotonic responsiveness, proportional responsiveness, intrinsic stability, and bounded outputs. We designed a robust method for measuring a site's proximity to irreplaceability that adheres to these requirements and used it to develop the first systematic global map of irreplaceability based on data for terrestrial vertebrates (n = 29,837 species,1 million grid cells). At least 3.5% of land surface was highly irreplaceable, and 47.6% of highly irreplaceable cells were contained in 12 countries. More generous thresholds of irreplaceability flag greater portions of land surface that would still be realistic to protect under current global objectives. Irreplaceable sites should form a critical component of any global conservation plan and should be part of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity's post2020 Global Biodiversity Framework strategy, forming part of the 30% protection by 2030 target that is gaining support. The reliable identification of irreplaceable sites will be crucial to halting extinctions.Redefinición y Mapeo de la Irremplazabilidad Global Resumen El irremplazabilidad es un concepto utilizado para describir cuán cerca está un sitio de ser esencial para lograr los objetivos de conservación. Los métodos actuales para medir la irremplazabilidad están basados en las combinaciones representativas de sitios, proporcionándoles una naturaleza extrínseca y requerimientos computacionales exponenciales. Comúnmente se usan medidas sustitutas basadas en la eficiencia (complementariedad) como alternativas, pero nunca se pensó que se usaron con este propósito y no miden el carácter irremplazable. Las estrategias actuales para estimar la irremplazabilidad tienen limitantes importantes. Algunas de estas son el resultado de las herramientas utilizadas, pero otras surgen debido a la naturaleza de la actual definición de irremplazabilidad. Para que este concepto sea estable y útil para los propósitos de conservación y para resolver las limitantes, las medidas de la irremplazabilidad deberían adherirse a cinco axiomas: coherencia de la línea base, receptividad monotónica, receptividad proporcional, estabilidad intrínseca y resultados delimitados. Diseñamos un método robusto para medir la aproximación de un sitio a la irremplazabilidad que se adhiere a estos requerimientos y lo usamos para desarrollar el primer mapa mundial sistemático de irremplazabilidad basado en datos de vertebrados terrestres (n = 29,837 especies,1 millón de celdas de cuadrícula). Al menos el 3.5% de la superficie terrestre es altamente irremplazable, y el 47.6% de las celdas altamente irremplazables estuvieron contenidas en doce países. Unos umbrales más generosos de la irremplazabilidad marcan porciones más grandes de superficie terrestre que todavía podría ser realista proteger bajo los objetivos mundiales actuales. Los sitios irremplazables deberían ser un componente crítico de cualquier plan de conservación global y deberían formar parte de la estrategia del Marco para la Biodiversidad Global post-2020 de la Convención sobre la Diversidad Biológica de la ONU, constituyendo una parte del objetivo de 30% de protección para el 2030 que está ganando apoyo. La identificación confiable de los sitios irremplazables será de suma importancia para detener las extinciones.不可替代性是用于描述一个地点对于实现保护目标的必要性的概念。目前衡量不可替代性的方法都基于具有代表性的位点组合, 并赋予它们外在属性和指数计算要求。此外, 基于效益 (互补性) 的替代测量方法也常被用作备选方法, 但这些方法并不是为了这一目的而设计的, 也没有衡量不可替代性。因此, 目前用于评估不可替代性的方法仍存在重大局限。其中一部分是使用的工具造成的, 但也有部分是当前“不可替代性”定义的本质造成的。为了使不可替代性可以更稳定和有效地用于保护, 同时克服当前的局限, 我们提出不可替代性的衡量应遵循五条原理:基线一致性、单调响应性、比例响应性、内在稳定性和有界输出。本研究设计了一种遵循以上要求来衡量一个位点不可替代程度的稳健方法, 并用该方法根据陆生脊椎动物的数据 (29,837 个物种,100 万个网格单元) 绘制了第一张系统性的不可替代性全球地图。结果显示, 至少有3.5%的陆地表面是高度不可替代的, 且 47.6% 的高度不可替代性网格分布在 12 个国家之中。采用更宽松的不可替代性阈值得到的结果还表明了在当前全球目标下仍有较大比例的陆地表面可以纳入保护。我们认为, 不可替代性位点应作为所有全球保护计划的关键组成部分, 应纳入联合国生物多样性公约《2020年后全球生物多样性框架战略》, 并成为正获得越来越多支持的 “至 2030 年保护 30%地球” 目标的一部分。总而言之, 可靠地确定不可替代位点对于阻止物种灭绝至关重要。【翻译 :胡怡思;审校 :聂永刚】.

Species distribution models (SDMs) are increasingly used in conservation and land-use planning as inputs to describe biodiversity patterns. These models can be built in different ways, and decisions about data preparation, selection of predictor variables, model fitting, and evaluation all alter the resulting predictions. Commonly, the true distribution of species is unknown and independent data to verify which SDM variant to choose are lacking. Such model uncertainty is of concern to planners. We analyzed how 11 routine decisions about model complexity, predictors, bias treatment, and setting thresholds for predicted values altered conservation priority patterns across 25 species. Models were created with MaxEnt and run through Zonation to determine the priority rank of sites. Although all SDM variants performed well (area under the curve0.7), they produced spatially different predictions for species and different conservation priority solutions. Priorities were most strongly altered by decisions to not address bias or to apply binary thresholds to predicted values; on average 40% and 35%, respectively, of all grid cells received an opposite priority ranking. Forcing high model complexity altered conservation solutions less than forcing simplicity (14% and 24% of cells with opposite rank values, respectively). Use of fewer species records to build models or choosing alternative bias treatments had intermediate effects (25% and 23%, respectively). Depending on modeling choices, priority areas overlapped as little as 10-20% with the baseline solution, affecting top and bottom priorities differently. Our results demonstrate the extent of model-based uncertainty and quantify the relative impacts of SDM building decisions. When it is uncertain what the best SDM approach and conservation plan is, solving uncertainty or considering alterative options is most important for those decisions that change plans the most.Efecto de las Decisiones sobre Modelos Adecuados de Distribución de Especies sobre los Resultados de Conservación Resumen Los modelos de distribución de especies (MDEs) se usan cada vez más en la planeación de la conservación y del uso de suelo como contribuciones para describir los patrones de la biodiversidad. Estos modelos pueden construirse de maneras diferentes y las decisiones sobre la preparación de datos, selección de las variables de pronóstico y la adecuación y evaluación del modelo alteran las predicciones resultantes. Generalmente, la verdadera distribución de las especies se desconoce y se carece de los datos independientes para verificar cuál variante de MDE elegir. Dicha incertidumbre con los modelos es preocupante para los planificadores. Analizamos cómo once decisiones rutinarias sobre el modelo, su complejidad, los predictores, el tratamiento del sesgo y el establecimiento de umbrales para los valores pronosticados alteraron los patrones de prioridades de conservación para 25 especies. Creamos los modelos con MaxEnt y los corrimos en Zonation para determinar el rango de prioridad de los sitios. Aunque todas las variantes de los MDE tuvieron un buen desempeño (área bajo la curva0.7), todos produjeron predicciones espaciales diferentes para las especies y diferentes soluciones prioritarias de conservación. Las prioridades tuvieron la alteración más fuerte cuando se decidió no considerar el sesgo o aplicar umbrales binarios a los valores pronosticados; en promedio, el 40% y 35%, respectivamente, de todas las celdas de la cuadrícula recibieron una clasificación opuesta de prioridad. Cuando se forzó una complejidad alta para el modelo, se alteraron menos las soluciones de conservación que cuando se forzó la simplicidad (14% y 24% de las celdas con valores opuestos de clasificación, respectivamente). El uso de menos registros de especies para construir modelos o elegir tratamientos alternativos para el sesgo tuvo efectos intermedios (25% y 23%, respectivamente). Según la elección del modelo, las áreas prioritarias se traslaparon mínimamente en 10-20% con la solución de la línea base, afectando a las prioridades de arriba y abajo de maneras diferentes. Nuestros resultados demuestran el alcance de la incertidumbre basada en los modelos y cuantifican el impacto relativo de las decisiones al construir los MDE. Cuando no es seguro cuál es el mejor plan de conservación ni la mejor estrategia de MDE, es de suma importancia solucionar la incertidumbre o considerar soluciones alternativas para aquellas decisiones que más cambian los planes.

The Monument of History in Gdynia encompasses the part of the City Centre shaped in the interwar period, whose important part is the establishment of the South Pier together with the Yacht Harbour and John Paul II Avenue. The spatial idea of this complex was presented in 1938, in the project of the so-called Representative District, which is a very original realization of the scenic opening of the city to the port and the sea. Since this urban development was not completed in the interwar period, it is now under strong investment pressure, especially in the area of the sailing center. The current local plan (2009, amended in 2015) unfortunately allows for a compact way of development, contrary to the historical concept of a loose and open sea system. Although the establishment of the South Pier has been included in the register of monuments since 2007, the procedures for its protection have failed, as evidenced by the results of the architectural competition held in 2014. The solution that could protect us from planning errors should be a "conservation plan for the management of the Monument of History", modelled on similar plans for the management of objects included in the World Heritage List and preceding granting the status of the Monument of History.

Conservation planning plays an important role in the protection and development of historic villages. A conservation plan evaluation is helpful to discover problems that might exist in the work of ...

Long-lived avian scavengers are threatened worldwide and thus, are common targets of conservation plans. However, scientific evidence of both the factors limiting populations and effectiveness of management actions are greatly needed in order to develop more efficient and successful conservation strategies. We assessed the effectiveness of conservation actions applied within a LIFE-Nature project aimed at improving the long-term survival of the critically endangered Canarian Egyptian vulture: including education campaigns for public awareness and control of illegal poisoning and the modification of power lines to reduce the risk of accidents. We formulated a multievent capture–mark–recapture model to obtain estimates of survival for juvenile, subadult and adult birds accounting for probabilities of resight, recovery and losses of metal and colour rings. Models supported a substantial enhancement in survival for subadult and adult birds and a moderate improvement for juveniles after the implementation of LIFE actions. Ring loss probabilities became notably high in the middle to long term. Poisoning events became very rare after LIFE was implemented, suggesting a positive effect of environmental education and awareness campaigns. Entanglements and collisions in power lines were also efficiently mitigated. Instead, electrocutions became the most identified cause of death in the post-LIFE stage. Synthesis and applications. Our results highlight the improvement of survival in a threatened island vulture population after the implementation of a European LIFE conservation project. On small islands, with small human populations and few stakeholders, education and awareness campaigns can be especially effective for biodiversity conservation. We also demonstrate the need to complement conservation programmes with long-term monitoring, which is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of actions, especially for long-lived species.

Questions Species distribution models (SDMs) based on habitat suitability and niche quantification are powerful tools in vegetation science. Recent findings suggest that they could be applied at the landscape scale as vegetation conservation tools, but that some environmental dimensions (e.g., climate) need to be considered at larger scales. What is the importance of applying hierarchical SDMs combining information from different scales to ensure consistent local vegetation management decisions? Study Site Mainland Spain and Biosphere Reserve of Sierra del Rincon (central Spain). Methods We generated SDMs for five tree species at the regional scale (mainland Spain) using climatic variables plus presence/absence data from the Spanish National Forest Inventory; and at the landscape scale (Sierra del Rincon Biosphere Reserve) using local environmental variables plus locally gathered vegetation presence/absence data. Predictions of both regional and landscape models were combined at the landscape scale following two different hierarchical approaches. The four resulting predictions were compared with correlation coefficients and independently evaluated with the AUC statistic and data collected in the study area. Results The regional SDMs depict suitable climatic conditions for the tree species, while the landscape SDMs capture important local ecological drivers that influence habitat suitability at finer scales. Expectedly, the regional SDMs predict larger suitable areas than the landscape SDMs. The predictions from the hierarchical approaches are reliable and provide on average better results than non-hierarchical ones. Conclusions SDMs can be valuable tools for local plant conservation programs. We present examples of the applicability of a hierarchical modeling approach and conceptual and methodological solutions related to the use of these tools in local vegetation conservation programs. For example, we show that landscape SDMs could be used to determine the current distribution of endangered plant species, while a hierarchical approach would be better suited to define areas to re-vegetate within a local restoration program.

Recent development and implementation of crop cryopreservation protocols has increased the capacity to maintain recalcitrant seeded germplasm collections via cryopreserved in vitro material. To preserve the greatest possible plant genetic resources globally for future food security and breeding programs, it is essential to integrate in situ and ex situ conservation methods into a cohesive conservation plan. In vitro storage using tissue culture and cryopreservation techniques offers promising complementary tools that can be used to promote this approach. These techniques can be employed for crops difficult or impossible to maintain in seed banks for long-term conservation. This includes woody perennial plants, recalcitrant seed crops or crops with no seeds at all and vegetatively or clonally propagated crops where seeds are not true-to-type. Many of the world’s most important crops for food, nutrition and livelihoods, are vegetatively propagated or have recalcitrant seeds. This review will look at ex situ conservation, namely field repositories and in vitro storage for some of these economically important crops, focusing on conservation strategies for avocado. To date, cultivar-specific multiplication protocols have been established for maintaining multiple avocado cultivars in tissue culture. Cryopreservation of avocado somatic embryos and somatic embryogenesis have been successful. In addition, a shoot-tip cryopreservation protocol has been developed for cryo-storage and regeneration of true-to-type clonal avocado plants.

The Brazilian Palace of Congress designed by Oscar Niemeyer is a relevant cultural heritage in the scenario of modern Brazilian and South American architecture. Its 29-story towers coated with white marble are a representative example of the high-rise buildings. 60 years after the building inauguration, arises an urgent need to monitor the aging of the marble cladding system and plan its conservation. This article presents a study with an integrated approach, considering the cladding system related to the architecture and constructive solutions, with the aim to investigate how the building is aging. The documentary and field surveys made it possible to carry out statistical studies of the cladding system state of conservation, its damage, criticality and exposure conditions. The behavior of building in height was verified, which was aging evenly, given that the statistical tests showed no difference between the analyzed sections. Likewise, it was possible to prove how decisive is the solar orientation for the system degradation. When comparing the correlation maps of the two facades, the Northwest one showed a strong correlation between moist area and biological colonization by microorganisms, which in turn had an intense correlation also with efflorescence. The greater criticality of damage noticed on the Northwest gable indicated that this solar orientation is subject to the most severe exposure conditions. State of Conservation Scenarios pointed out that architectural solutions and construction practices favored the system's durability. As a future scenario, the importance of planned monitoring actions is highlighted, within the scope of a Conservation Plan.

This work illustrates the contribution of flood risk assessment and adaptation to set up a conservation management plan for a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture. Case study is the iconic complex, internationally known as the National Art Schools of Cuba. It consists of five buildings built in the early 1960s within a park of Habana next to the Caribbean Sea. The path of the river (Rio Quibù) crossing the estate was modified to fit the landscape design. The complex has then been exposed to the risk of flooding. The School of Ballet, located in a narrow meander of the river, slightly upstream of a bridge and partially obstructing the flow, is particularly subject to frequent flash floods from the Rio Quibù, and it needs urgent restoration. Keeping ISA Modern is a project aimed at preserving the Schools complex. Based upon in situ surveys on the Rio Quibù and local area measurements during 2019, numerical modelling, and previous work by the Cuban National Institute of Hydraulic Resources, we pursued a flood risk analysis for the area, and a preliminary analysis of available risk reduction strategies. Using HEC-RAS 2D software for hydraulic modelling, we evaluated the flooded area and the hydraulic conditions (flow depth, velocity) for floods with given return periods. Our results show that SB is a building most subject to flooding, with high levels of risk. Defense strategies as designed by Cuban authorities may include a (new) wall around the School of Ballet and widening of the river channel, with high impact and cost, although not definitive. Temporary, light, permanent, and low cost/impact flood proofing structures may be used with similar effectiveness. We demonstrate that relatively little expensive hydraulic investigation may aid flood modelling and risk assessment in support of conservation projects for historically valuable sites. This may support brainstorming and the selection of (low to high cost) adaptation and risk reduction measures in the coastal areas of Cuba in response to ever increasing extreme storms and sea level rise controlling flood dynamics under transient climate change.

Sundarban, a single largest mangroves block in the world, shared by India and Bangladesh, has a rich biodiversity that provides staggering ecosystem services to local inhabitants for livelihood. Poor agriculture in one way and rich bio-resources in other have compelled local inhabitants to depend upon forest resources from time immortal. Mangroves are diverse and highly productive ecological communities, but the pristine Sundarban forest had been dwindled during the last two centuries because of committed destruction. The present study assesses the status of coastal communities who exclusively depend on the Sundarban forest for subsistence and livelihoods. For identifying the livelihood pattern of these communities a household survey (n = 1079) and in-depth interviewing (n = 157) were done in three villages of the Sundarban, such as Rajatjubille in Gosaba, Samsernagar in Hingalganj, and Kisorimohanpur in Kultali block. A Relative Livelihood Index (RLI) was developed among major occupant groups (n = 14), for assessing the degree of strength among primary occupations. The strength of fishing and crab collection as a major primary occupation is observed in Samsernagar and Rajatjubille, whereas in Kisorimohanpur agricultural labour dominates others. According to RLI, the primary occupation like honey collection, fishing, and carpentry scores negatives which justify these occupations were alone robust to support the occupants continuing livelihood. So the category of forest users and the type of resource collected from the forest should be considered as the main criteria for designing any conservation plan as well as a sustainable livelihood programme in Sundarban.

[EN] Casa Batlló is a building focus of worldwide recognition due to its status as a work of the architect Antoni Gaudi. The Conservation Plan for Casa Batlló establishes this fact as fundamental to all the decisions that must be taken in order to establish the intervention criteria. The study not only of the actual building, but also of the documents led to define the criteria for the intervention of the restoration project. Thearticle shows the analysis of the building and its architectural spaces, that allowes to establish the clear limit between the previous building and the modifications, done after Gaudí’s project., [ES] La Casa Batlló es un edificio con reconocimiento mundial por ser una obra del arquitecto Antoni Gaudí. El Plan Director de la Casa Batlló establece este hecho como capital en el conjunto de las decisiones que deben adoptarse con el fin de establecer los criterios de intervención. El estudio no solo del edificio sino también de los documentos ha permitido establecer los criterios de intervención en el proyecto de restauración. El artículo recoge el análisis del edificio y sus espacios arquitectónicos resultantes, lo que permite establecer una frontera clara entre el edificio previo y las modificaciones posteriores al proyecto de Gaudí.

Biodiversity conservation relies heavily on protected areas (PAs). However, in locations that are desirable for agriculture, industry, or human habitation (e.g., lowland habitats on fertile soils, coastal zones), land is often privately owned and state-owned PAs tend to be under-represented. Despite the potentially disproportionate contribution that privately protected areas (PPAs) could make to representing biodiversity and supporting its persistence across regional PA estates, this contribution is poorly understood. We assessed the capacity of PPAs to contribute to the persistence of 38 large- and medium-sized mammals in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa, based on a previously published conservation plan that used species population requirements to identify areas of importance for mammal conservation. We hypothesized that, relative to state-owned PAs, PPAs would be disproportionately located in areas important to the regional persistence of the mammal assemblage, given: (a) historic biases in the distribution of private- and state-owned land across high and low productivity landscapes, respectively; (b) private landholders' recent focus on wildlife-orientated enterprises; and (c) the conservation trade-offs influencing expansions of the state-owned PA estate. As a result of the high numbers of PPAs and their bias towards areas of importance for mammal conservation, the potential mammal species diversity and richness that could persist within a PA increased more rapidly with PA size on PPAs than on state-owned PAs. These PPAs therefore have the potential to significantly increase both the regional-scale diversity of protected mammals and the number of viable populations. Furthermore, PPAs could make the greatest absolute contribution to the conservation of protected species when adjoining, and thus expanding, state-owned PAs (i.e., mixed-ownership PAs). Regional conservation targets for a quarter of the species were only met due to the inclusion of private- and/or mixed-ownership PAs in the estate. Policy implications. Our findings show that privately protected areas (PPAs) could play a substantial role in the long-term conservation of terrestrial megafauna within a multi-tenure protected area (PA) estate, due to their prevalence in high-productivity landscapes. The significant gains from augmenting state-owned PAs with PPAs emphasize the value of systematic conservation planning and implementation across tenure types.

The synergy between Mantua Diocese, Direzione Regionale per i beni culturali e paesaggistici della Lombardia and Politecnico di Milano enabled the elaboration of a strategic conservation plan for some Mantova buildings of great significance to the city and to the owners: the planning of monitoring activities necessary to the conservation has experienced a further development as regards the structural aspects, after the earthquake, to improve performances vis-a-vis the updated seismic risk level. The collaboration between stakeholder bodies made it possible to systematise the resources needed to access available funds for scheduled conservation and innovative diagnostics over the last decade. The aim is to bring about the necessary conditions for an in depth examination of case studies pretty much representative of local building materials and techniques, for which to identify the best practices for conservation. The networks the bodies belong to permit the dissemination of the results achieved to a vast number of observers, stakeholders, owners, and other local bodies. The paper relates to the diagnostics part, including the innovative techniques employed alongside the more traditional and standardised ones, with a view to drawing up a program of checks and a plan of preventive actions, despite of a limited number of interventions. The monitoring measures and the inspections aim to mitigate some risk factors, among them the (up to now) advanced state of decay of some elements in the oldest buildings, whose maintenance would aggravate the conservation conditions, especially as regards decorated surfaces. Out of the analysed buildings, the case study herein described concerns the Basilica Concattedrale di Sant’Andrea Apostolo in Mantova, a mankind architectural heritage and, obviously, a city monument.

Preventive conservation plans must include the collaboration of all the different departments within an institution to be able to diagnose the situation, provide proper maintenance, and allocate a ...

Purpose The paper will present the case study of preventive and planned conservation applied to the Royal Villa and Park of Monza, which is one of the pilot projects within the general framework of Monza and Brianza Cultural District. Starting from an in-depth analysis of the Royal Villa, which represents a recent conservation and valorisation intervention developed by both public and private subjects, the purpose of this paper is to define an operative model for the management of complex properties, at communicating good practices for the maintenance of the built heritage and at identifying the priorities for the interventions. Design/methodology/approach The research project foresaw a first collection of data and information related to the previous conservation activities executed upon the case study, the design of a conservation plan in all its parts (technical handbook, conservation programme, economic budget, user handbook) through an information system dedicated to the conservation of built cultural heritage, and its fulfilment. In the meantime, a context analysis of the Royal Villa and Park of Monza was developed, with a specific attention to the diversified historical buildings located in the park. Findings The action research carried out has been evaluated in the framework of upstream perspective theories. This enabled to highlight the importance of an integrated approach; of the need of sharing the collection of data in order to set up evidence-based policies; and of the need to enhance the skills of involved professionals and decision makers. Originality/value A progress in protection measures, the understanding of conservation and valorisation as preventive activities, effectiveness of private business models for maintenance, dissemination of good practices, and creation of a network of local stakeholders.

Conservation management is of increasing importance in ecology as most ecosystems nowadays are essentially managed ecosystems. Conservation managers work within a political-ecological system when they develop and attempt to implement a conservation plan that is designed to meet particular conservation goals. In this article, we develop a decision support tool that can identify a conservation policy for a managed wildlife population that is both sustainable and politically feasible. Part of our tool consists of a simulation model composed of interacting influence diagrams. We build, fit, and use our tool on the case of rhino horn trafficking between South Africa and Asia. Using these diagrams, we show how a rhino poacher's belief system can be modified by such a policy and locate it in a perceived risks-benefits space before and after policy implementation. We statistically fit our model to observations on group actions and rhino abundance. We then use this fitted model to compute a politically feasible conservation policy.

Climate change and human activities cause uncertain changes to species biodiversity by altering their habitat. The uncertainty of climate change requires planners to balance the benefit and cost of making conservation plan. Here optimal protection approach for Lesser White-fronted Goose (LWfG) by coupling Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) and Marxan selection were proposed. MPT was used to provide suggested weights of investment for protected area (PA) and reduce the influence of climatic uncertainty, while Marxan was utilized to choose a series of specific locations for PA. We argued that through combining these two commonly used techniques with the conservation plan, including assets allocation and PA chosing, the efficiency of rare bird’s protection would be enhanced. In MPT analyses, the uncertainty of conservation-outcome can be reduced while conservation effort was allocated in Hunan, Jiangxi and Yangtze River delta. In Marxan model, the optimal location for habitat restorations based on existing nature reserve was identified. Clear priorities for the location and allocation of assets could be provided based on this research, and it could help decision makers to build conservation strategy for LWfG.

Mountaintop rupestrian grasslands or campos rupestres are unique ecosystems with high plant biodiversity. The southern Espinhaco mountains in Brazil are particularly important because they currently harbor 255 threatened plant species at risk of extinction owing to overspread farming, mining and uncontrolled fire in the region. Using the best available data on the distribution of these threatened species, distribution of farming and mining activities, and up-to-date data on fire frequency, here we developed a systematic conservation plan for all these species and pinpointed priority regions for taking different conservation actions. We found that it is possible to protect, on average, more than 25% of the threatened species ranges, avoiding sites with extensive use for farming and mining and favoring areas with intensive fire frequency while constraining the management to a relatively small area of only 17% of the region. The analysis accounts for what is already protected within protected areas in the region and is, therefore, complementary to the work already held by the actors and environmental organizations of the region. We offer maps of priority areas with their respective level of protection and suggest conservation actions at different levels of engagement to be implemented in the priority areas. These priority areas are part of a national species recovery plan for the region in Brazil and will likely support stakeholders and decision makers in its application in the forthcoming years.

Systematic conservation planning is a scientific method of prioritising scarce resources to minimise the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The approach aims to consider social, economic and political imperatives, and may be used by municipalities to designate their (predominantly) natural open space systems, in the form of a conservation plan. However, the multidimensional outcomes of implementing these conservation plans — in terms of both positive and negative ecological, social, and institutional dimensions — are rarely critically evaluated. We present a practical approach to assess the outcomes of implementing natural open space plans in urban areas, especially for the local (municipal) level where resource challenges may hinder assessment. The approach, drawn from comparisons of existing conservation assessment frameworks, considers the following outcome categories: ecological/natural; social/human; financial (institutional); and management (institutional). The approach is tested on a South African case study, and factors (challenges and opportunities) affecting the outcomes of implementing natural open space plans are identified. The results underscore how ecological outcomes are negatively affected by habitat transformation attributed to urbanisation and inappropriate land use management; and transgressions such as illegal, exploitive land uses. In respect of the social/human outcomes, collaborative partnerships with civil society, and the involvement of champions, are pivotal to implementation success. We found that financial and management institutional constraints contribute to inadequate investment in natural open space planning exacerbated by budget alignment to short and medium-term socio-economic and political priorities. The inter-dependence of the different outcomes emphasises the complexity of social-ecological systems and the need for a holistic assessment. Understanding the factors affecting the outcomes of implementing natural open space plans allows local government to respond to the emerging knowledge of changing ecological and socio-economic conditions, facilitating the institutionalisation of adaptive management approaches, which appreciate the intertwined nature of social-ecological systems. This can, in turn, enhance decision-making processes, and advance conservation outcomes, ecosystem resilience and resulting flows of ecosystem services provided by nature, which are essential for human well-being.

Spatial prioritization, based on the biogeographical identification of priority areas for conservation actions, is an important aspect of conservation planning. Although the influence of factors such as costs, threats or use of surrogates on the resulting priorities has been studied extensively, relatively little is known about how the spatial characteristics of species distributions drive the spatial pattern of priorities in multi-species conservation plans. Using datasets from Australia and Finland, we explore how excluding or including a given species changes spatial priorities in a multi-species prioritization. We develop three metrics to quantify changes in priorities, and explore how these changes depend on the total number of species used in the prioritization, the spatial characteristics of the given species distribution, and how species share their space with other species used in the prioritization. We randomly selected 12 set of 10 species from each dataset, and explore the influence of each of these species in prioritizations done for a total of 10, 20, 50 or 100 species. We show that spatial priorities become increasingly stable as the number of species is increased, and that the stability of highest and lowest priority areas behave differently. When less than 50 species were used in a prioritization, intermediately rare species that occupy mostly species-poor habitats tend to have the greatest influence on priorities, whereas very rare and common species that co-occur with many other species tend to have a small influence. Our results present a systematic method to explore the stability of spatial priorities to changes in the species pool used for a conservation plan. Although the analysed two datasets differed in data type, location, scale and species composition, they both showed how using a small number of species leads to unstable spatial solutions, where the choice to include or exclude an individual species can strongly influence the conservation outcome. Our results also show that conservation planners should carefully assess the use of spatial prioritizations for identifying least important areas (e.g. for development) as these can be particularly unstable when the prioritization is based on a small number of species.

Jordan is blessed with valuable archaeological vestiges that date back to several significant decades. The uncontrolled rapid urban sprawl due to different political, social and economic reasons and the absence of a well-articulated conservation plan that ensures the effective integration of archaeological treasure in the planning process has led to the irreversible deterioration of the physical fabric harmony leaving a deep negative impact on the archaeological sites and their surroundings. The aim of this paper is to formulate a supporting organic management model that guides the conservation of archaeological sites setting in urban contexts in Jordan, in a harmonious holistic way that combines heritage conservation and urban development, archaeological site and its surrounding, theory and practice, international attitude with the local cases qualifications’ based on international ethics and guidelines. The resultant model provides a structure for approaching any complex situation and for designing appropriate solutions intended to conserve the site's cultural significance. Moreover, the model enables moving through different disciplines to reach the goal of preservation and can be easily broken into subsystems to tolerate the interdisciplinary nature of the research problem.

This paper presents a research to balance building conservation, users’ comfort and energy efficiency of a masterpiece of XX century architecture. The Urbino University Colleges were designed by architect Giancarlo de Carlo and built since 1962 to 1983 beside the Renaissance city. They host more than 1,000 students within 5 dormitories and 62,000 m 2 surface. Authors discuss some outcomes from the “Keeping it modern” research program financed by the Getty Foundation in 2016, which aims at providing the Colleges with a sustainable conservation plan. The goal is to lower heating and operational costs to allow funds in conservation activities. Specific issues regard: the striking dimensions of the complex, the constructive features (brickwork walls, exposed concrete structures, single-glazed windows) and the lack of data about the hygrothermal performances. The research thus includes a hygrothermal analysis, a proposal for the energy retrofitting, a building-HVAC model, a test on a pilot site. Authors have monitored surface temperatures, indoor air temperature and humidity for one year, even mapping their distribution through a digital psychrometer. Thermal imaging has been used to detect heat losses, thermal bridges and heat gains due to the solar radiation. Data have fed a building-HVAC model, which was a reference to design an appropriate strategy for retrofitting and improving the energy efficiency of the complex. Some solutions are being implemented on a pilot site. The building performances before and after retrofitting are compared. Results provide indications to merge conservation and sustainability of a XX century heritage building. In conclusion, the solid knowledge of each case confirms being required to support a retrofit proposal of a heritage building, moreover in case of a XX century building, as the cultural value of such a huge heritage is often disregarded to improve its energy performance.

Wind energy development has expanded rapidly in the past decade, becoming a significant source of electricity, and a major element in a global strategy to reduce carbon emissions and the effects of climate change. Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) can collide with wind turbines, adding to the existing and substantial mortality from other anthropogenic sources. These collisions are a conservation concern, and they pose a legal risk to wind energy companies and potentially hamper development in areas where the range of Golden Eagle overlaps areas of high wind energy potential. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, through the revised Eagle Rule and the Eagle Conservation Plan Guidance, has designed a mitigation strategy for eagle conservation that allows wind energy companies to obtain incidental take permits. However, the strategy is challenged by a lack of data supporting scientifically rigorous strategies to mitigate eagle take, where mitigation is defined as efforts to avoid and minimize take, an...

The present study explores how people perceive the conservation of an olive agro-ecosystem within a natural reserve, in Andalusia (southern Spain). Using the contingent and the inferred valuation methods, we performed a field survey to identify the socio-economic factors that affect willingness to pay for conservation of the olive groves, and to specify the priority people give to ecosystem services. Results showed that respondents who gave a high score to cultural and regulating ecosystem services were more likely to pay for a conservation plan. This would indicate that factors linked to the historic presence and ecological functionality of the olive groves prevail over their economic aspect in respondents’ willingness to pay. Willingness to pay is found to be positively correlated to appreciation of ecosystem services. The contingent method revealed that mean willingness to pay ranges from 31 to 43 €/year/respondent, whereas the inferred method pointed to a slightly higher range of willingness to pay, from 37€ to 44 €/year/respondent. Different alternative policies (for example, payment for ecosystem services) should be considered according to the outcome of our study within a sustainable management plan to attenuate the trends of intensification or abandonment of olive groves and to ensure rural development in the region.

The increased number of human activities within the marine environment and the demand for maritime space has increased to a point where in some parts of the globe the demand for maritime space has exceeded the available area. The overlapping objectives and activities have caused severe conflicts among users and with the natural marine environment itself. For that reason, holistic strategies such as Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) and Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) have been evolved and developed to sustainably manage the marine environment, avoiding conflicts and creating synergies. Spatial analysis tools like Marxan have been used for several years as decision support tools mostly for conservation plans, such as design and establishment of protected areas. In this study we approach the potential of this tool with a different purpose in mind: instead of using the available information of the region for the development of a conservation plan, we used this tool and the available information to select areas to establish Aquaculture Management Areas (AMAs). We also intended to analyse how the existing features of the region would affect the final result of a spatial plan aimed to establish areas for economic and development purposes. We conclude that the use of Marxan can be advantageous to support the planning and development of coastal regions, not only in a conservationist point of view (as it has been mostly used), but also into a developing and economic driven approach. This tool can be particularly useful in regions or situations where there is a large number of stakeholders, ecological and geographical features that could potentially conflict with the establishment, the management and the success of the proposed management areas. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Administracao da Regiao Hidrografica do Algarve - Agencia Portuguesa do Ambiente [POVT-03-0133- FCOES-000013] EU - DG MARE (Project TPEA) [MARE/2012/08]

Surveying a monumental building damaged by the earthquake means to analyse its geometries, the structural elements, the connection still exist between the different parts, in order to define its state of conservation, to make structural analysis and to plan a proper project of restoration, consolidation, seismic improvement or addition of new elements. The survey of structural geometry represents the first necessary moment of building’ knowledge investigation, to be performed after the securing of the building by the Firefighters or Civil Protection. How and by which instruments the geometric analysis are conducted depends on many factors, not always exclusively on the will of the experts involved in the restoration project, but more often dictated by political, technical, social or economic needs. The accurate geometrical survey is referred as fundamental operation even by national Directive for evaluation and earthquake risk reduction of cultural heritage (GU n. 24 – 29/01/2008 and 2011 updates), which defines guidelines for preventive interventions on built heritage in order to make the structures less vulnerable in case of earthquake. Nowadays, the wide use of tools and accurate surveying techniques makes it possible to achieve an adequate level of accuracy of information related to the buildings, overcoming the difficulties due to accessibility of the damaged structures. The geometrical survey of the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L'Aquila, was made by Politecnico di Milano starting from 2013, within the project "Ripartire da Collemaggio" (http://www.ungiornoacollemaggio.it/content/2027), financed by Eniservizi. The basilica, an important symbol for the community of L'Aquila, was gravely damaged by the earthquake of 6th April 2009. The objective of Eni was to turn the restoration of the building in a re-birth moment for all the community. The knowledge step was aimed to plan a restoration project able of returning the basilica to a safe and full use. In the two years knowledge investigation steps (geometric survey, historical and stratigraphic analysis, materials investigation, structures and soils examination, in situ tests and numerical elaborations) was involved an interdisciplinary group of researchers from various Italian universities, Politecnico di Milano, Università La Sapienza in Rome and the University of L'Aquila, called to provide a scientific advice to the Soprintendenza ai Beni Architettonici e Paesaggistici per l’Abruzzo, project manager of the restoration step. In early 2016 the yard of restoration was opened and it is still on-going. The geometrical survey of the basilica was aim to investigate, measure and represent the exact geometry of the damaged structures and their three-dimensional complexity; the survey was planned choosing the tools and methods most appropriate in relation with the accessibility and safety of the structures, the operating ranges of acquisition and the level of detail required by the analysis and the project. This meant to integrate global and local surveying techniques, in order to cross relate data derived by different tools and to make the graphical restitution of the entire monumental complex: topography, laser scanning, photogrammetry, but also hands on instruments, at a scale of representation from 1 : 1 to 1 : 50. The laser scanner survey, registered in the accurate geomatics network, responded to the need to punctually investigate and interpret the geometrical configuration of different spaces of the Basilica, as well as its structural articulation, enabling a series of horizontal and vertical profiles, as requested by various experts involved in the diagnostic steps. HBIM model (Historical Building Information Modeling) of the entire basilica was primarily intended as a tool for stereotomic description of the building and its parts, following the constructive logic of each structural element; then it was used as a support tool for the restoration simulation, project, management and yard. To perform the division of the building in its constructive elements, sometimes it has been used stratigraphic methodologies and instruments of analysis. The entirety of the geometric and structural complexity of the basilica, was guarantee using sophisticated 3D software and drawing complex entities, integrated and stored in the parametric BIM logic. This process has allowed to accurately and timely represent the geometry of the structural elements, of the areas characterized by crushing, empties, variations of the masonry sections and out of plumbs. It is on the pillars of the nave that was focused the attention of survey: the will to preserve as much as possible the existing structures, in their material authenticity, required a careful analysis of each individual stone element of each pillar, investigated in its geometry, texture and state of conservation. The aim of the project was to ward a complete replacement of the pillars, preferring instead a removing and replacing intervention of only of the stone ashlars completely deteriorated and no longer recoverable, considering the question of structural safety as fundamental. The HBIM of the basilica had the primary function of connecting into one virtual space all the available data; that model has also been made as a tool for managing the restoration yard, supporting the computation of stone to buy, quarry and grossly slot, saving time on site. Different and complementary skills were used in every knowledge and restoration steps; the accurate analysis of the structures made it possible to plan a consolidation and restoration project as close as possible to the structural conception of the existing building, adding only the new structural elements necessary to increase the resistance and to guarantee the safety of the structures, also in case of new earthquake. The Italian Codice dei Beni culturali e del paesaggio (DL n.42/2004), at paragraph 4 of art. 29, states that the restoration includes structural improvements. For the restoration of Collemaggio the solutions chosen were the ones able to be more effective and, at the same time, less invasive, more respectful as possible of the sacredness of the architecture, its highest historical significance, the authenticity of the material and its cultural significance. The main principles and criteria of restoration were: maximum correspondence of conservation doctrine, with a focus on improving the structural characteristics compared to the seismic risk; exemplarity of the management practices of the restoration process; exemplarity of innovative techniques; transparency of all processes and accurate communication of cultural and scientific content. Despite of some inevitable compromises, the detailed knowledge of the building allowed to design punctual interventions, inserting new structures where the oldest were collapsed and consolidating damaged elements, in order to improve the global safety of the building but without modifying substantially the structural conception of the stratified basilica.

Systematic conservation planning, a widely used approach to identify priority lands and waters, uses efficient, defensible, and transparent methods aimed at conserving biodiversity and ecological systems. Limited financial resources and competing land uses can be major impediments to conservation; therefore, participation of diverse stakeholders in the planning process is advantageous to help address broad-scale threats and challenges of the 21st century. Although a broad extent is needed to identify core areas and corridors for fish and wildlife populations, a fine-scale resolution is needed to manage for multiple, interconnected ecosystems. Here, we developed a conservation plan using a systematic approach to promote landscape-level conservation within the extent of the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative. Our objective was to identify the highest-ranked 30% of lands and waters within the South Atlantic deemed necessary to conserve ecological and cultural integrity for the 10 primary ecosystems of the southeastern United States. These environments varied from terrestrial, freshwater aquatic, and marine. The planning process was driven by indicators of ecosystem integrity at a 4-ha resolution. We used the program Zonation and 28 indicators to optimize the identification of lands and waters to meet the stated objective. A novel part of our study was the prioritization of multiple ecosystems, and we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this approach. The evaluation of indicator representation within prioritizations was a useful method to show where improvements could be made; some indicators dictated hotspots, some had a limited extent and were well represented, and others had a limited effect. Overall, we demonstrate that a broad-scale (408,276 km2 of terrestrial and 411,239 km2 of marine environments) conservation plan can be realized at a fine-scale resolution, which will allow implementation of the regional plan at a local level relevant to decision making.

The terrestrial protected areas of Antarctica are generally small, unrepresentative of the continent's biodiversity, and at risk from a range of pressures. While some consider the whole Antarctic region as a protected area, we demonstrate that the evidence does not support this view. The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty recognizes that a systematic environmental-geographical framework provides a quantitative approach to inform expansion of the current Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) network. We review the progress thus far and challenges facing the establishment of protected areas in terrestrial Antarctica when adopting best practice approaches, an assessment that is lacking for the region to date. Encouragingly, because of the historical investment in Antarctic biodiversity science, and the existence and implementation of defined processes to identify and designate ASPAs, the opportunity exists to rapidly expand the current ASPA network. However, challenges remain. Foremost amongst these is the adoption of a comprehensive systematic conservation plan by stakeholders. We outline a strategy for the Antarctic Treaty Parties to provide the equitable, effective, transparent and scientifically founded expansion of protected areas that Antarctica urgently requires. We also highlight where opportunities for co-learning may lie in conservation planning and policy development in the Antarctic and other commons or commons-like areas. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Summary The conservation of freshwater ecosystems has lagged behind that of marine and terrestrial ecosystems and often requires the integration of large-scale approaches and transboundary considerations. This study aims to set the foundations of a spatial conservation strategy by identifying the most important catchments for the conservation of freshwater biodiversity in Europe. Using data on 1296 species of fish, mollusc, odonate and aquatic plant, and the key biodiversity area criteria (species Red List status, range restriction and uniqueness of species assemblages), we identified a network of Critical Catchments for the conservation of freshwater biodiversity. Applying spatial prioritisation, we show how the prioritised network differs from the ideal case of protecting all Critical Catchments and how it changes when protected areas are included, and we also identify gaps between the prioritised network and existing protected areas. Critical Catchments (n = 8423) covered 45% of the area of Europe, with 766 qualifying (‘trigger’) species located primarily in southern Europe. The prioritised network, limited to 17% of the area of Europe, comprised 3492 catchments mostly in southern and eastern Europe and species targets were met for at least 96% of the trigger species. We found the majority of Critical Catchments to be inadequately covered by protected areas. However, our prioritised network presents a possible solution to augment protected areas to meet policy targets while also achieving good species coverage. Policy implications. While Critical Catchments cover almost half of Europe, priority catchments are mostly in southern and eastern Europe where the current level of protection is not sufficient. This study presents a foundation for a Europe-wide systematic conservation plan to ensure the persistence of freshwater biodiversity. Our study provides a powerful new tool for optimising investment on the conservation of freshwater biodiversity and for meeting targets set forth in international biodiversity policies, conventions and strategies.

The forests of Polylepis (queñoales) is one of the most important Andean forest ecosystems and with the greatest impact due to human activities. The objectives of the study were to determine the distribution and diversity of queñoa forests in the Andean region of Tacna, Peru. With this information, We propose the restoration and conservation plan for the Polylepis spp. For this purpose plots of 500 m2 were established. The sampling was simple random, taking a population census in each of the sample units in the 4 provinces (Jorge Basadre, Tacna, Tarata and Candarave). The total evaluation area was 27,491 hectares. The presence of two Polylepis species was identified. Polylepis rugulosa Bitter was registered in 9 districts with an altitudinal range of 3050 to 4226 m.a.s.l. in 6 life zones. Polylepis tarapacana Phil is distributed in the provinces of Tarata and Tacna within 3 districts. P. tarapacana occurs in an altitudinal range between 4230 and 4750 m.a.s.l. in 5 life zones. The tall and diameter of tree were variable for two species. The human impact for P. rugulosa was recorded: Not Intervented (76%), Semi Intervening (21%) and Intervened (3%). For P. tarapacana it was: Not Intervented (77%), Semi Interventions (21%) and Intervened (2%). According to the data gathered, the conservation plan is proposed, consisting of 5 guidelines: 1) education, 2) communication and capacity building, 3) conservation and sustainable management, 4) policies and regulations, and 5) research and monitoring.

Anthropogenic activity threatens biodiversity worldwide, with the species and ecosystems of even the most remote and largest remaining wilderness at risk. In Antarctica, human activity is growing, barriers to invasive species establishment are being lowered, pollution is pervasive, and climate change directly and indirectly threatens taxa across the region. This has the potential to impact some of the world’s most unusual, isolated, and highly-adapted species. Evolving in isolation for long periods, a number of specialised lower plants and invertebrates dominate Antarctic ecosystems, with mosses, lichens, microbes, arthropods and soil microfauna present across the continent. Seals and seabirds breed in coastal regions and two flowering plants survive in the milder conditions of the Antarctic Peninsula. In this thesis I provide crucial impact assessments for some of the key processes threatening Antarctic biodiversity, and produce the first inclusive, continent-wide prioritisation of management strategies for conserving Antarctic biodiversity in the face of multiple threats, which will help to inform decision makers in identifying cost-effective conservation strategies.The vast majority of Antarctic life survives only in the less than 1% of the Antarctic continent that is permanently ice-free, where soils and rocks areas emerge as nunataks, dry valleys, cliffs, fellfields, and coastal oases. Despite being crucial habitat, we have limited understanding of how ice-free areas will be impacted by climate change. In Chapter 2 I use temperature-index melt modelling to determine the potential impacts of climate change on Antarctic biodiversity habitat. I found the distribution and extent of ice-free areas may rapidly change in the future, with up to 25% more ice-free area potentially available by the end of the century. The increasing habitat availability and increasing connectivity is likely to benefit some native taxa, yet will also provide opportunities to non-native species, who pose one of the greatest threats to Antarctic biodiversity. Spread of both native and non-native species into isolated regions could result in increased genetic homogenisation and reduced diversity.The milder coastal ice-free areas are home to great numbers of Antarctic taxa, as well as most sites of human activity, taking the form of scientific research facilities and tourist landing sites. Many of these low-lying sites may be impacted by sea-level change, yet there have been no comprehensive assessments of potential impacts for the Antarctic continent. In Chapter 3 I use three sea-level rise (0.5 m, 1 m, 2 m) and two sea-level fall (0.5 m, 1 m) scenarios to consider potential impacts of sea-level change on Antarctic biodiversity and human activity. I found sea-level rise could inundate prime coastal ice-free area, placing numerous research facilities, tourist landing sites, breeding penguin colonies and biodiversity hotspots at risk. Sea-level fall could further expose new ice-free areas and increase the distance to the coast for biodiversity and human activity. The consequent movement of humans and biodiversity could result in human-biodiversity conflict as competition for space increases beyond current levels. High-resolution, regional assessments are urgently needed for key at-risk sites across the continent to facilitate inclusion of conservation priorities in management plans.Antarctic tourism emerged in the 1950s and has grown steadily ever since. It is predicted that visitor numbers will continue to increase, and concerns have arisen over the potential environmental impacts of the industry. In Chapter 4 I assemble long term tourist records from the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators and use them to analyse trends across the continent. I then make projections for changes in tourist landing site distribution and intensity under future climate, providing the first quantitative assessment of how the Antarctic tourist industry may change into the future. I found the intensity of landing sites in the Antarctic Peninsula may increase substantially and that new suitable sites may emerge around the rarely-visited and more isolated coast of East Antarctica. Increasing visitation to remote regions will provide new opportunities for non-native species transfer and greater numbers of sites will lead to increased likelihood of human impact on the environment beyond minor or transitory effects.With the growing number and intensity of threats predicted for Antarctic biodiversity into the future it is essential that policymakers have access to evidence-based conservation strategies. In Chapter 5 I use a decision support framework, based on expert elicitation, to prioritise conservation actions for terrestrial Antarctic biodiversity across the entire continent and produce the first threat-targeted, inclusive conservation plan. I found that influencing global policy to mitigate climate change would provide the greatest benefit to Antarctic biodiversity, followed by managing non-native species and managing and protecting individual species. Cost-benefit analysis further revealed that influencing global policy, modifying human behaviour on the ground, and managing transportation were highly cost-effective and require greater representation in the policy forum.Together these chapters form some of the first continental assessments of threats to terrestrial Antarctic biodiversity and culminate in the first cost-effective prioritisation of conservation strategies at the continental scale.

BackgroundConserving both biodiversity and ecosystem services is a major goal of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Hotspots for biodiversity in the Andes significantly overlap with areas with dense human populations that sustain their economy through agricultural production. Therefore, developing management forms that reconcile food provisioning services—such as agriculture—with biodiversity conservation must be addressed to avoid social conflicts and to improve conservation in areas where biodiversity co-occurs with other ecosystem services. Here, we present a high-resolution conservation plan for vascular plants and agriculture in the Ecuadorian Dry Inter-Andean Valleys (DIAV) hotspot. Trade-offs in conserving important areas for both biodiversity and agriculture were explored.MethodsWe used a dataset containing 5,685 presence records for 95 plant species occurring in DIAVs, of which 14 species were endemic. We developed habitat suitability maps for the 95 species using Maxent. Prioritization analyses were carried out using a conservation planning framework. We developed three conservation scenarios that selected important areas for: biodiversity only, agriculture only, and for both biodiversity and agriculture combined.ResultsOur conservation planning analyses, capture 33.5% of biodiversity and 11% of agriculture under a scenario solely focused on the conservation ofbiodiversity. On the other hand, the top 17% fraction of theagriculture onlyscenario captures 10% of biodiversity and 28% of agriculture. When biodiversity and agriculture were considered in combination, their representation varied according to the importance given to agriculture. The most balanced solution that gives a nearly equal representation of both biodiversity and agriculture, was obtained when agriculture was given a slightly higher importance over biodiversity during the selection process.DiscussionThis is the first evaluation of trade-offs between important areas for biodiversity and agriculture in Ecuadorian DIAV. Our results showed that areas with high agricultural productivity and high biodiversity partly overlapped. Our study suggests that a land-sharing strategy would be appropriate for conserving plant diversity and agriculture in the DIAV. Overall, our study reinforces the idea that friendly practices in agriculture can contribute to biodiversity conservation.

Many migratory shorebird species are undergoing severe population declines due to habitat loss. Selecting sites for protection along migratory shorebird flyways requires accounting for connectivity between sites and representing all migratory cycle stages within a protected area network. Site protection decisions often additionally account for the economic value of habitat-related ecosystem services, as shorebird habitats often provide services such as fisheries and recreational opportunities. In this study, we develop a new approach which combines graph theory, decision science, and stochastic dynamic optimization, to investigate whether habitat protection strategies aimed at safeguarding ecosystem services can also deliver efficient protection for migratory shorebirds. We use graph theory to empirically model migration routes for two shorebird species, the Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) and Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis), linking their migratory networks with data on habitat-related ecosystem services within the East Asian - Australasian Flyway (EAAF). Using dynamic optimization, we calculate the optimal habitat protection strategy for both ecosystem services and shorebird conservation objectives for both species. We further investigate if, and how, these two strategies can converge to achieve both objectives, and whether there is a trade-off between strategies. Our results show that the biodiversity outcome from strategies maximizing ecosystem services provided by shorebird habitat could align closely with a species-focused conservation plan. More specifically, the optimal ecosystem services oriented strategy maintains a similar level of shorebird populations as the optimal conservation strategy, while protecting an additional 45% (Curlew Sandpiper) and 42% (Eastern Curlew) of ecosystem services throughout the network. Conservation budget also matters, as small budgets would lead to inefficient protection for biodiversity. Our research shows that conservation planning can simultaneously achieve conservation and ecosystem services objectives for migratory species. By accounting for the value of ecosystem services within shorebird habitats, we provide quantitative evidence of a win-win scenario in which both shorebird conservation and ecosystem service provision can be achieved. Our model could be applied to other migratory species to improve spatially explicit planning for both biodiversity and ecosystem service targets.