A Rocha 2005-2007 Conservation Science Review

This web page only shows the Foreword and Contents of the Review. You may download the full report in PDF format (application/pdf, 1.4 MB, info) - or order a printed copy from the International office.

Foreword

This is the second published overview of A Rocha’s conservation science. The report highlights a broad spectrum of activity in the period 2005-2007, reflecting the diversity of natural and cultural contexts in which we work. Since the last edition, A Rocha has grown from 16 to 18 organisations worldwide, but, as importantly, it has been consolidating within each country, opening up new possibilities to make significant inroads for conservation.

As a snapshot of progress, therefore, we hope that you will be encouraged by this Review and the advances made by A Rocha and its partners. At the same time, the snapshot of biodiversity status provided by the 2007 IUCN Red List underlines the increasing size of the task at hand. There are now 41,415 species on the Red List including 16,306 threatened with extinction. One in four mammals, one in eight birds and one third of all amphibians are in jeopardy. As IUCN’s Director General Julia Marton-Lefèvre points out, the invaluable efforts to protect species are not enough. And the result is not just an impoverished biosphere, but also the undermining of human livelihoods. Head of IUCN’s Species Programme, Jane Smart, comments: “Our lives are inextricably linked with biodiversity and ultimately its protection is essential for our very survival. As the world begins to respond to the current crisis of biodiversity loss, the information from the IUCN Red List is needed to design and implement effective conservation strategies – for the benefit of people and nature.” Such inextricable links show themselves in physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing, from the drylands of sub-Saharan Africa (see page 26) to the urban parks of the UK (page 24). A recently published study from Sheffield indicates how increased biodiversity enhances still further the already positive psychological benefits of greenspaces. A Rocha has always believed in and promoted the ‘joy of biodiversity’, but we would want to go further in stating the moral imperative of restoring the ecosystems that support the poor, and fulfilling much better the Godgiven mandate of creation care.

Where does the Red List news leave A Rocha and its many conservation partners? It is clear that if the conservation endeavour is shouldered by conservation practitioners alone, progress will be measured, at best, by a moderated rate of species decline. A Rocha has signed up to the more ambitious Countdown 2010 target to halt the loss of biodiversity by that year, a commitment reinforced by 51 Governments at Kiev, Ukraine in 2003, but neither does this look feasible without more wholesale change. A Rocha’s own stated vision is for Communities world-wide mobilised to restore ecosystems and recognise the relevance of Christian belief for environmental action. This implies a number of approaches.

Ambitious programmes of environmental education and outreach to schools, youth groups, churches and whole communities, providing tools to facilitate lifestyle changes and personal responses. No more clearly can the link between irresponsible overconsumption of resources in the developed parts of our global village and the plight of the poor be seen than in the area of carbon emissions and climate change. A Rocha’s Climate Stewards initiative (page 25) provides the reasons why we should all care, and a mechanism for a personal and practical response that makes a real difference for climate, communities and biodiversity.
Translating lessons from the ground into different and more effective policies favouring the natural environment. Based on foundations laid by its European Policy officer, A Rocha International has been accepted as a member of the European Habitats Forum, a working group of the region’s conservation NGOs, bringing to Brussels realworld examples to inform the development and implementation of environmental legislation and policies.
Holding on to hope. In April 2007 A Rocha leaders gathered in Watamu, Kenya, for a conference on the theme of Conservation, Poverty and Hope. With facilitation and Bible exposition from Bishop Zac Niringye of the Church of Uganda, A Rocha was encouraged in its mission to renew hope in apparently hopeless situations around the world.
Developing models, and sharing stories. As A Rocha finds itself more active in the policy arena, its grassroots experience becomes more, not less, important. We can only speak with authority if we speak from experience, and our growing portfolio of projects becomes one of our most important assets. Story telling continues to be one of the most effective agents for encouragement and change in the right direction.

The articles that follow describe projects that give rise to some of those stories and illustrate the range of research and monitoring tracks that together arrive at the desired end-goal: practical measures to restore habitats and their wildlife. We hope you enjoy this Review and thank you for your support of this vital work of our times.

Will Simonson, Scientific Director
Marie Connett Porceddu, Chief Executive Officer

A Rocha International
October 2007

Priority Species

Monitoring Little Owls at Quinta da Rocha
Searching for the first nests of Clarke’s Weaver
Roller studies in the Vallée des Baux
Study of two peony species
Roosting harriers in the Aammiq Wetland
Bats on Quinta da Rocha

Species Survey and Monitoring

Amphibian research in the Bekaa Valley
Ringing as a contribution to bird conservation and research
Ageing Afrotropical birds in the hand: a revised new system
Bird monitoring of the Orlické Záhoří Special Protected Area
Identification and conservation of new Important Bird Areas in Lebanon
Monitoring migratory raptors in Manitoba’s Pembina Valley
Aquatic invertebrate diversity and distribution at the Aammiq Wetland

Ecosystems

Bioassessment of the Little Campbell River
The impact of fire on the habitats of the Serra de Monchique
Integrated study of the Sabaki River Mouth
Vegetation mapping of the Guadiana Estuary
Shorekeeping on Semiahmoo Bay

Conservation Action

Maturing of London’s Minet Country Park
Climate Stewards plantations
Demonstration garden of Provençal habitats
Community conservation progress at Mole National Park
Controlling disturbance of Kentish Plovers at the Alvor Estuary
Invasive species control on the Msunduzi River
Helping to conserve threatened birds in Junin Lake
Vallée des Baux wetland restoration
Damage assessment within the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest
Human-elephant conflicts at Bannerghatta National Park

Reference Information

Publications and presentations
A Rocha teams and contacts

This web page only shows the Foreword and Contents of the Review. You may download the full report in PDF format (application/pdf, 1.4 MB, info) (1.4 MB in size) - or order a printed copy from the International office.