Conservation Biogeography
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In the last 40 years, conservation from gone from the idea of trying to protect species almost just by making sure they are there to a specific area of science (conservation biology) and now, conservation biogeography is adding a spatial dimension to the ecological one. This is one of the first texts to actually locate this new discipline within the corpus of conservation knowledge and so much of it will be new or have a different focus for the general reader. Normally, biogeography focusses on the analysis of the distribution of plants and animals i.e. the spatial side with, often, ecological and biological explanations for this (especially when we consider abundance as well as distribution).
The 10 chapters are divided into three parts. The first outlines the boundaries of the subject and discusses the use that such a perspective can bring to the broader discipline. We start with a very useful overview of the development of conservation generally and a discussion of some key concepts such as diversity and scale. Unlike conventional biogeography texts the next chapter goes straight to the heart of the discipline – that it is geography with a social edge (one could argue that it is a normative biogeography in distinction to the positivistic conventional one). There is a brief but excellent overview of the types of conservation areas and the purposes for their existence. A final chapter looks at the range of goals set by conservationists – goals that must be assisted by biogeography if the discipline is to succeed. The division posited between functionalist and compositionalist conservationists makes for an interesting dialogue but they both need data and so the discussion soon turns to the use of baseline information. If the first part is largely philosophical and theoretical, the second part dives into the actual use of biogeography. It starts with an evaluation of the quality of our knowledge and the current pressing issues we need to face in terms of incomplete data. It also compares a wide range of mapping techniques and criteria highlighting relative merits and deficiencies. This is followed by a more descriptive chapter outlining the different conservation mapping units and the parameters by which they are delimited. Finally, we return to the theoretical where the discussion centres around the key concepts we should use before declaring an area as a reserve – representitiveness, persistence, efficiency, etc. Part three focusses on the challenges facing conservation biogeography starting with how we might conserve species in a world of rapid change. This is not just an issue of design but of finding sufficient measures to determine reasonable courses of action – the response of species to global warming is the most obvious, but by no means only, case. The next chapter takes a critical review on one of the most persistent ideas in conservation – the equilibrium theory of island biogeography. It looks at some of the basics but then extends them by adding some studies aimed at better understanding species interactions. Finally, there’s an attempt to examine one of the biggest problems facing biogeography todaya – the “homogenisation” of ecosystems due to species invasions. There’s been much research on this of late with ideas showing the effects are not all negative. However, this doesn’t help reserve design! A final part/chapter argues for the continued existence of the sub-discipline and charts some ways forward.
Overall, this is an excellent text. It contains some excellent syntheses of current basic ideas (which would help the beginner) as well as some robust discussions of the parameters of key design concepts. It’s aimed at the educator/undergraduate but it provides one of the best current reviews of the subject in one book. It is to be highly recommended to all working in conservation education.
