For the Cockpit Country Parks-in-Peril proposal submitted to USAID, we developed a draft list of Conservation Targets using the "Top-down" approach. We first identified the large-scale ecological systems and communities of Cockpit Country:
Target 1: Wet Limestone Forest Target 2: Freshwater Systems Target 3: Cave Communities To develop this list, we also thought about the ecological and functional processes that need to be maintained for the Cockpit Country ecosystem, such as Aquifer Recharge and Forest Succession (see end of document for additional examples). The question we continually asked was, if these Conservation Targets are viable, will these processes be maintained. Otherwise, what other system that we have neglected contributes to the functional processes? We also, for example, discussed whether there were sufficiently different ecological processes/microhabitats for cockpit bottom, hillslope, and hilltop communities to warrant inclusion as separate Conservation Targets. We would be particularly interested in this if threats differed among these "targets." In the end, we decided that if we protect the wet limestone forest, these topographic gradients would be subsumed by this umbrella Target.
Following the same line of reasoning, we identified a fourth target:
Target 4: Liana and epiphytic communities. We recognized that epiphytes are a major component of the Cockpit Country ecosystem and have different ecological properties compared to terrestrial herbaceous and woody tree species. Additionally, we recognized a possible threat to individual species within this ecological community from orchid collectors. Again we asked the question: if we protect the forest and subterranean ecosystems, are there still species which are vulnerable? Target 5: Herpetofauna We pooled amphibians and reptiles for this target because of two primary concerns. First, we would like to maintain predator-prey dynamics in the ecosystem but recognized that there is considerable persecution of Yellow Boas Epicrates subflavus, which would require targeted education and management efforts. Second, we were concerned about the effects of introduced amphibians, particularly the Marine Toad Bufo marinus, on our native species. As I review our list of Conservation Targets, I wonder if it would be more appropriate to have the Yellow Boa as a distinct target. The sixth and final target we identified:
Target 6: Landsnails
We reasoned:
...one conservation target might be the land snails that are so abundant and astonishingly diverse in Cockpit Country. Little is known about their natural history or the ecological processes that maintain their diversity. Most are extremely local in distribution suggesting processes with equally-local spatial variation. Similarly, little information exists about the critical threats this conservation target faces. It is likely that one is loss of habitat from causes already mentioned. But there may be critical threats disrupting processes more specifically associated with land snails. However, I now wonder whether landsnails would be better classified as an Indicator and subsumed under our Target 1: Wet Limestone Forest. Can we identify specific threats to landsnails other than loss and degradation of forest cover?
Additional Conservation Targets might include:
Forest-dependent birds: will protecting the Wet Limestone Forest protect this assemblage of birds? Is the present size of the Wet Limestone Forest large enough to maintain viable populations if natural catastrophic events occurred (e.g,. hurricanes two years in a row)? Migrant bird species (includes Neotropical migrants and resident altitudinal migrants): what is the importance of Cockpit Country in the landscape matrix for these species? Sapodilla Manilkera excisa, White Olive Terminalia arbuscala: examples of trees endemic to Cockpit Country which are preferred in the timber and furniture industry. Giant Swallowtail Butterfly Pterourus homerus: IUCN-listed endangered species. The Cockpit Country population is one of only two populations remaining of this endemic butterfly. There is local concern that the second population in the Blue Mountains may no longer be viable because of high rates of egg parasitism.
The identification or selection of focal Conservation Targets will be an iterative process for Cockpit Country. We will continue to re-evaluate the Targets over the short term as we proceed through the planning process and over the long term as we learn more about the ecological patterns and processes and what threatens them. In addition, the Conservation Targets may change over time as strategies are implemented and threats abated, or if the conservation situation changes significantly.
See also examples of Conservation Targets chosen for other sites
KEY TERMS & CONCEPTS
Species that may be selected include:
Imperiled or endangered native species Species of special concern due to vulnerability, declining trends, or disjunct distributions Focal species, such as keystone or umbrella species Major groupings of species that share common natural processes or have similar conservation requirements Ecological communities are groupings of co-occurring species that will have direct and indirect interactions.
Ecological systems are aggregations of communities that (1) occur together on the landscape and (2) are linked by ecological processes, underlying environmental features (e.g., soils, geology, topography), or environmental gradients (e.g., elevation, precipitation, temperature). Ecological systems can be terrestrial, subterranean, freshwater aquatic, marine, or some combination.
Examples of ecological and functional processes:
Nutrient recycling Forest succession (including seed dispersal and seedling establishment) Competition for limiting resources Predator-prey dynamics Trophic interactions Migration (including Neotropical migrants and resident altitudinal migrations) Aquifer recharge Please close window to go back to Home Page