@phdthesis{Schoettker2020, author = {Sch{\"o}ttker, Oliver}, title = {Make-or-Buy: Should nature conservation agencies buy land and perform conservation activities on their own behalves, or should they pay farmers for voluntarily performing conservation activities?}, doi = {10.26127/BTUOpen-5271}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:co1-opus4-52713}, school = {BTU Cottbus - Senftenberg}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Anthropogenic threat for the world's environment and ecosystems and financial constraints necessitate a wise use of resources for the implementation of biodiversity conservation measures. A cost-effective planning and governance of biodiversity conservation has to be done to achieve maximal ecological outcomes with given financial resources. A better understanding of available modes of governance can help to improve the cost-effectiveness of biodiversity conservation planning and implementation. This thesis investigates the influence of governance mode choice on the cost-effectiveness for biodiversity conservation measure implementation in selected conceptual and empirical settings, and identifies ecological, economic and climatic factors of influence. Linking the cost-effectiveness analysis for biodiversity conservation measures to the make-or-buy decision enables a novel perspective on cost-effective biodiversity conservation. In this context, conservation agencies are assumed to have two main options to implement biodiversity conservation measures in principle: (1) the buy alternative in which land is purchased for the purpose of biodiversity conservation measure implementation, and (2) the compensation alternative where a conservation agency compensates landowner's opportunity costs to incentivise voluntary conservation measure implementation by landowners. Two conceptual ecological-economic models were developed to analyse the cost-effective governance mode choice and their sensitivity to changing ecological, economic and climatic parameters. Two empirical case studies were conducted to address the question of cost-effective governance mode choice for a conservation project in Schleswig-Holstein (Germany) and a federal state wide comparison of conservation activities in California (USA). It was found that the buy alternative is more cost-effective than the compensation alternative if conservation budgets and interest are high. In addition, not only the choice of governance mode is relevant with respect to cost-effectiveness, but also the mechanism to spatially select conservation sites chosen within a selected governance mode. Changing climate change speed - among other factors - influences the cost-effectiveness of governance modes and site selection strategies. The cost-effective governance mode choice also crucially depends on the intended timeframe of a conservation project. For shorter timeframes, compensating landowners is the cost-effective governance mode, however for longer durations the buy alternative becomes more cost-effective. This effect arises specifically due high one-off costs for buying land, which however amortize over time, compared to high recurring costs for compensating landowners. Based on these findings, the policy recommendations are provided which aim to improve the cost-effectiveness of governance modes available for biodiversity conservation.}, subject = {Biodiversity conservation; Cost-effectiveness; Ecological-economic modelling; Make-or-buy decision; Mode of governance; Biodiversit{\"a}tsschutz; Eigenfertigung-oder-Fremdbezug; Kosten-Effizienz; {\"O}kologisch-{\"o}konomische Modellierung; Steuerungsmodus; Naturschutzorganisation; Biodiversit{\"a}t; Effizienz; Make or buy; Naturschutz}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Fotang2023, author = {Fotang, Chefor}, title = {Conservation status and ecology of the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve, North-West Region, Cameroon}, doi = {10.26127/BTUOpen-6579}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:co1-opus4-65797}, school = {BTU Cottbus - Senftenberg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Increased human activity, such as deforestation, is a major driver of biodiversity loss worldwide. In Cameroon, these activities could ultimately threaten the survival of the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, but knowledge of their abundance and ecology in the Kom - Wum Forest Reserve in Cameroon is still lacking. This research aimed to estimate the population size of this chimpanzee subspecies and assess threats, investigate nesting behaviour, identify suitable habitats, determine feeding habits and document the tools used for food acquisition. Research was conducted using line transects during two seasons: wet (May-September 2018) and dry (November 2019-March 2020). Population size and threats were assessed by georeferencing signs of chimpanzees and human activity along line transects. Nesting behaviour was investigated by recording the characteristics of nesting trees along line transects and mapping their distribution in ArcGIS. Suitable habitat was identified by relating chimpanzee presence signs to local environmental variables related to relief, vegetation and human impact using the Maximum Entropy Species Distribution Model (MaxEnt). Feeding habits were investigated by direct examination of chimpanzee faeces, and tool use was documented by observation and measurement of tools in situ. The reserve is home to up to 83 chimpanzees. Signs of chimpanzee activity were significantly higher in mature forest than in secondary forest, and above 1000 m than below 1000 m. Hunting was the main threat to chimpanzees, and the occurrence of chimpanzee signs decreased significantly with increasing human activity. Chimpanzees preferred tall, mature forest trees at higher elevations with slopes for nesting, and avoided areas near villages and bare land. Only 8\% of the study area was suitable chimpanzee habitat. Fruit dominated the chimpanzees' diet, but they also consumed leaves and fruit pith, especially during the dry season. There was also indirect evidence that chimpanzees used tools to consume driver ants (genus Dorylus). Seasonality significantly affected the size of tools used by chimpanzees for driver ant predation. They preferred to use thicker and shorter tools for driver ant predation during the rainy season, whereas longer and thinner tools were used during the dry season. The results of this research highlight the need to reduce poaching and deforestation to protect the remaining chimpanzee population and suitable habitat in the reserve and surrounding unprotected forest. High-elevation and mature forests are critical for chimpanzee conservation and should be a high priority for protection. This research has filled the knowledge gap on what little was known about the abundance and ecology of Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees.}, subject = {Chimpanzee abundance; Feeding ecology; Human disturbance; Habitat preferences; Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee; Schimpansenvorkommen; F{\"u}tterungs{\"o}kologie; Menschenverursachte St{\"o}rungen; Lebensraumpr{\"a}ferenzen; Nigeria-Kamerun-Schimpanse; Pan troglodytes elliotii; Reservat; Lebensraum; Ern{\"a}hrungsgewohnheit; St{\"o}rung; Verhaltensforschung}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Yang2019, author = {Yang, Xueyan}, title = {Participatory management of community-based ecotourism at Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve, China}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:co1-opus4-48469}, school = {BTU Cottbus - Senftenberg}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Community-based ecotourism (CBET) is promoted in protected areas of developing countries as a strategy for biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation. The success of CBET initiatives relies on effective participatory management programs that can build up collaborative relationships between key stakeholders - protected area administrative staff and local communities - and foster community empowerment. The performance of CBET participatory management programs, relationships between administrative staff and local community, and the level of community empowerment were previously assessed from the perspective of local communities. This study addresses both the perspectives of local community members and administrative staff, through an interview survey in Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve, China. This reserve is a key protected area for the conservation of giant panda and other endangered species in China, and is therefore of high priority for the national biodiversity strategy. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to survey 200 local Tibetan villagers and 80 administrative staff members. The results indicate that both staff members and locals support the existing participatory management program - ecotourism development plan (EDP), but locals criticized the sustainable management policy (SMP). Younger, better educated and higher income interviewees were generally most supportive of the EDP and SMP. The relationship between staff members and locals was expressed as problematic with a lack of trust being mentioned as a key issue. The local community is empowered to some extent in economic and environmental dimensions, but not in social, psychological and political dimensions. The CBET generates economic income, but creates problems like inequality of benefit distribution, insufficient social infrastructure, loss of cultural identity, ecological degradation and participation as tokenism. Key factors that hinder the success of CBET from protected area governance and management aspects are a prevalent top-down approach, a mixture of property and operation rights, single sources of funding creating dependencies, a lack of efficient administrative structure and management capacity, and a lack of capacity building programs for the local community. This thesis provides empirical evidence for issues and limitations of policy implications under CBET participatory management programs in a protected area and offers recommendations on how to improve programs in the future.}, subject = {Protected areas; Participatory management; Tibet; Administrative staff; Community empowerment; Naturschutzgebiete; Partizipationsmanagement; Naturschutzgebietsverwaltung; St{\"a}rkung der Eigenst{\"a}ndigkeit der lokalen Bev{\"o}lkerung; Jiuzhaigou; Naturschutzgebiet; Umweltbezogenes Management; {\"O}kotourismus; B{\"u}rgerbeteiligung}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Damptey2023, author = {Damptey, Frederick Gyasi}, title = {Effects of forest restoration on ecosystem attributes in a post-mining area in Ghana}, doi = {10.26127/BTUOpen-6258}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:co1-opus4-62580}, school = {BTU Cottbus - Senftenberg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Approaches to restore post-mining areas should provide sustainable solutions for recovering biodiversity and ecosystem services in regions experiencing massive deforestation. Key components that are impacted by surface mining activities and that restoration intervention should therefore target are biodiversity attributes and ecosystem service provisioning. The consequences of restoration decisions in post-mining areas in the Afrotropical region (here Ghana) remain understudied. To this end, l assessed levels of soil properties, biodiversity and ecosystem service in a post-mining area after two decades of active forest restoration by comparing them to attributes of the surrounding dominant land-use types. l hypothesized that (i) the interventions applied to restore and manage a post-mining area improve ecosystem attributes beyond conditions observed in the alternative dominant land-use types and even reaching levels comparable to reference forest (Chapter III), (ii) soil conditions and the functional structure of tree communities drive ecosystem functions and multifunctionality, with highest multifunctionality levels in the restored and natural forests (Chapter IV), (iii) the structure of tree communities coupled with pronounced climatic seasonality support a higher number of arthropods and arthropod functional groups particularly in the wet season and in structurally heterogeneous land-use types (Chapter V), and (iv) active forest restoration enhances the levels of ecosystem service provision similar to the reference forest with possible trade-offs or synergies among individual ecosystem services across forest types (Chapter VI). Chapter I provides an introduction to deforestation, and further highlights global and national initiatives, including active forest restoration, to reverse or minimize the impacts of tropical deforestation. Chapter II details the methodological approaches applied for sampling. Chapter III focussed on soil properties in addition to below and above-ground biomass of trees. The characteristic soil attributes for the restored forest were not significantly different from those in the reference forest, except for bulk density and base saturation, but differed significantly from attributes in all other land-use types. Chapter IV focussed on how the functional structure of tree communities affects the provision of ecosystem services. For functional composition, both the leaf economic spectrum and the seed mass dimensions separated different land-use types. Chapter V addresses the research question on how post-mining restoration affects arthropod communities. Communities of ground-active arthropods differed significantly between land-use types depending on the season. By quantifying the various ecosystem attributes in the field and transforming them into ecosystem service proxies, l could primarily identify synergies with no apparent trade-off between ecosystem services across the forest land-use types (Chapter VI).}, subject = {Arthropods; Biodiversity; Ecosystem services; Ghana; Post-mining restoration; Gliederf{\"u}ßer; Biodiversit{\"a}t; {\"O}kosysteme; Ghana; Rekultivierung; Physikochemische Bodeneigenschaft; Biodiversit{\"a}t; {\"O}kosystemdienstleistung}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Tluste2023, author = {Tluste, Claudia}, title = {Population ecology of the Roman snail (Helix pomatia L. 1758) in Cottbus, Brandenburg}, doi = {10.26127/BTUOpen-6650}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:co1-opus4-66506}, school = {BTU Cottbus - Senftenberg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {By the year 2539 almost 75\% of all freshwater mollusc species within Europe will be lost. The transformation of natural ecosystems, the extension of infrastructure, as well as agriculture are the main threats. The Roman snail (Helix pomatia L. 1758) has been part of human culture for centuries and is protected by law as an endangered species in several regions, and at the same time regarded and treated as a pest, making the conservation of this species difficult. The aim of this thesis was to create a better understanding of H. pomatia and its functional role within the ecosystem. Eight subpopulations were studied regarding its role within the food web, the use of empty shells as a mircohabitat and its influence on vegetation by showing food preferences. The latter, due to the fact, that a strong predation pressure can minimize habitats, which leads to higher pressure on the local vegetation and a limited possibility of shells being used as a microhabitat. First, the relationships between H. pomatia individuals, subpopulations and their predators were analysed. The total number and percentage of shells that showed external attack marks by predators (32\%) and internal utilization marks by Diptera pupae (45\%) were analysed and correlated to morphometric traits of shells. Signs of external attack and internal utilization marks were positively correlated (R = 0.79; P = 0.020). External attacks were more regular in larger shells and internal utilization was more frequent in shells with higher body density. The second chapter focuses on the shells of H. pomatia and their value as microhabitat for shell adopters in different vegetation forms and during two sample periods. Out of 618 collected shells, 91.4 \% were inhabited and the average was 1.5 time higher in summer, than in autumn. The number of shell adopters per shell was 1.5 times higher in herbaceous vegetation, than in areas dominated by trees. Shell width (P = 0.008), but not shell height (P = 0.078) had a significant higher influence. Finally, food preferences of H. pomatia were analysed, showing a pronounced preference for Urtica dioica (35\% of all 697 feeding interactions) and plant litter (44\%). Only 27 out of 143 available plant species were eaten and a literature review confirmed U. dioica as a food plant for 19 other terrestrial snail species. The width and height of the snail shells were related to the feeding height as smaller, juvenile snails fed higher in vegetation (384mm ± 327mm) compared to adult individuals (68mm ± 194mm) (P<0.001). These results highlight the importance of H. pomatia in the studied ecosystem. H. pomatia is an important food source for predators and host for parasitoids, the shells offer habitat and refuge for soil organisms and as a relatively specialized herbivore and decomposer H. pomatia contributes to herbivory and nutrient cycling in ecosystems. Hopefully this study may help to motivate future conservation efforts.}, subject = {Helix pomatia; Food web; Ecology; Soil; Malacology; Weinbergschnecke; Nahrungskette; {\"O}kologie; Boden; Malakologie; Weinbergschnecke; Weichtierkunde; {\"O}kosystemforschung}, language = {en} }