Conserving Biodiversity in Arid Regions: Best Practices in Developing Nations

495 Pages·2003·29.41 MB·English

by  John Lemons

CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY
IN ARID REGIONS
Best Practices in Developing Nations
Cover Photography (as pictured clockwise)
1. "Village in arid mountains of Oman" by John Lemons
2. "Llama pack train in Peru" by Eurgenio Araza-Llona
3. "People in the Gobi, Mongolia" by Ch. Dugarjav
4. "Research workers in Kenya," by Nathan Gichuki
CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY
IN ARID REGIONS
Best Practices in Developing Nations
edited by
John Lemons
University of New England
Biddeford, ME, U.S.A..
Reginald Victor
Centre for Environmental Studies and Research
Sultan Qaboos University
Sultanate of Oman
Daniel Schaffer
Third World Academy of Sciences
Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics
Trieste, Italy
SPRINGER SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, LLC
ISBN 978-1-4613-5045-3 ISBN 978-1-4615-0375-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4615-0375-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available
from the Library of Congress.
Conserving Biodiversity in Arid Regions: best practices in developing nations
Edited by: John Lemons, Reginald Victor, Daniel Schaffer
Copyright 2003
Copyright © 2003 by Springer Science+Business Media New York
Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 2003
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2003
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieva l
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo-copying,
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executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work .
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Printed on acid-free paper.
Contents
About the Editors IX
Preface xi
About TWNSO and TWAS xv
Chapter 1 Case Studies on Conserving and Sustainably Using
Biodiversity in Arid and Semiarid Regions of Southern Nations
John Lemons and Reginald Victor
AFRICA
Chapter 2 The Domestication ofIndigenous Trees as the
Basis of Sustainable Land Use in Africa 27
R.R.B. Leakey
Chapter 3 Conservation Farming With Biodiversity in
South Africa: A Preliminary Evaluation of Ecosystem Goods
and Services in the Bokkeveld Plateau 41
J.S Donaldson, A. Mills, P. 0 'Farrell, S Todd, A. Skowno
and 1. Nanni
Chapter 4 Strategies for In Situ Conservation of Crop
Genetic Resources in DryJand Areas of Africa 55
M Grum, V Guerette, B. Kone, A. Sidibe, M Kouressy,
T Huvio, A. Mafa, C. Mujaju, A. Bretaudeau, M Vaxmann,
M Ouatara, 1. Traore, B. Butaumocho, F. Zinanga and 0. Mamadou
Chapter 5 A Participatory Approach for Conservation of
Forest Genetic Resources 63
Lambert G. Ouedraogo, Haoua Sary, Christiane SYameogo-Gamene,
and Oble Neya
Chapter 6 Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation in Africa
Through Indigenous Knowledge 73
MB.K. Dakoh
Chapter 7 Participation of Local Communities in the
Management of Wetlands in Magadi Area, Kenya 87
Nathan N Gichuki and Jane M Macharia
Chapter 8 The Value of Local and Indigenous Knowledge
for the Development of Information Systems for
Conservation Management 105
K Kellner and OJH. Bosch
Chapter 9 Best Practices in the World's Oldest Desert 119
MK Seely and JR Henschel
Chapter 10 A Commentary on Strategies and Incentives to
Improve Biodiversity in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones 129
Hassan M Hassan
ASIA
Chapter 11 Conservation and Sustainable Use of
Biodiversity in the Trans-Altai Gobi Desert of Mongolia 137
Ch. Dugarjav and B. Tsetseg
Chapter 12 Ecological Assessment of Degradation Processes
in the Mongolian Part of Baikal Basin 157
P.D. Gunin and S.N Bazha
Chapter 13 Plant Diversity and Succession of Artificial
Vegetation Types and Environment in an Arid Desert Region
of China 179
Li Xin-Rong, Zhang Jing-Guang, Liu Li-Chao,
Chen Huai-Shun, Shi Qing-Hui
Chapter 14 Plant Production and Diversity at Desertification
Stages in Horqin Sand Grassland Region, China 189
Chang Xueli and Zhao Halin
Chapter 15 Aquatic Biodiversity in Arid and Semi-Arid
Zones of Asia and Water Management 199
Brij Gopal
Chapter 16 Traditional Management of Biodiversity in
India's Cold Desert 217
K Chandrasekhar, R. Gavali, KS. Rao, R.K Maikhuri,
and KG. Saxena
Chapter 17 Conserving Biodiversity in Arid Regions:
Experiences with Protected Areas in India 231
Malavika Chauhan
Chapter 18 Co-Management Processes to Maintain
Livestock Mobility and Biodiversity in Alpine Rangelands
of the Tibetan Plateau 249
Camille E. Richard
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Chapter 19 Theoretical Models for Regeneration of Medicinal
Plants and Their Application in Sustainable Wild-Harvesting 275
Gloria Montenegro, Miguel Gomez, Ana Maria Mujica,
and Barbara N. Timmermann
Chapter 20 Plants of Northeaste m Brazil: A Programme in
Sustainable Use of Plant Resources 291
Ghillean T. Prance
Chapter 21 Choice of Species for Recovering a Degraded
Mining Area in the Semiarid Zone of Brasil 299
Paulo Cesar Fernandes Lima, Adriano Quadros Lima,
Marcos Antonio Drumond
Chapter 22 Use of Creeping Fog Water as a Non-Traditional
Water Resource in Chile 315
Jorge Araya-Valenzuela and Roberto Espejo-Guasp
Chapter 23 Genetic Diversity and Management Implications
for Vicuna Populations in Peru 327
Jc. Wheeler, M Fernandez, R. Rosadio, D. Hoces,
M Kadwell and M W. Buford
Chapter 24 Sustainable Use of the Vicuna: A Critical Analysis
and the MACS Project 345
Cristian Bonacic and Jessica Gimpel
Chapter 25 Sustainable Use of Andean Wildlife and
Local Development of Rural Communities in Dry Areas of
Latin America: A Commentary 355
Bernardo Pereda Videa
Chapter 26 Conflicts and Dilemmas Between Poverty
and Biodiversity in the Semi-Arid Serid6 of Northeast Brazil 361
Eleonora Tinoco Beaugrand
Chapter 27 Latin American Plant Sciences Network:
A Program for the Development of Plant Sciences and Conservation
of Biodiversity in Latin America 373
Susan Maldonado, Osvaldo Sala, and Gloria Montenegro
Chapter 28 The Brazilian Biodiversity Virtual Institute 381
Erica Speglich and Carlos Alfredo Joly
Chapter 29 Capacity Building to Sustainably Use Biodiversity
in Dryland Regions of Latin America and the Caribbean 387
Leonard Berry
NORTH AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Chapter 30 The Importance of Native Trees in Sustaining
Biodiversity in Arid Lands 395
Michael D. Robinson
Chapter 31 Site Selection Criteria for Mangrove Afforestation
Projects in Oman 413
Peter Cookson and Tomoo Shoju
Chapter 32 The Globally Threatened Corncrake Crex crex (Egypt) 423
Andrew Grieve and Waheed Salama
Chapter 33 Conservation of Fig (Ficus Carica L.) and Pomegranate
(Punica Granatum L.) Varieties in Tunisia 433
Massaoud Mars
Chapter 34 A Sociological Perspective on In Situ
Conservation of On-Farm Crop Genetic Diversity in Morocco 443
F. Nassif and A. Birouk
Chapter 35 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development:
A Case Study of Oman's National Biodiversity Strategy and
Action Plan 461
Reginald Victor
REGIONWIDE
Chapter 36 Achieving Institutional Cooperation for Implementation
of Sustainable Development Plans and Strategies 481
Donald A. Brown
Index 495
ABOUT THE EDITORS
Dr. John Lemons is professor of biology and environmental science in
the Department of Environmental Studies at the University of New England,
Biddeford, Maine. Dr. Lemons has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles
and has produced seven scholarly books focusing on issues of science and
sustainable development, ecological integrity, and scientific uncertainty and
environmental problem solving. He also served as editor-in-chief of The
Environmental Professional, the official journal of the National Association
of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) from 1990 through 1995. Dr.
Lemons is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science for his contributions to science and public policy.
Dr. Reginald Victor is professor of biology and Director of the Centre for
Environmental Studies and Research (CESAR) at Sultan Qaboos University,
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Dr. Victor has over 80 international publications
in areas of freshwater ecology and environmental issues concerning
sustainability and management in arid lands. Dr. Victor is a member of
several professional organizations in the fields of limnology and
environmental science. He advises the Ministry of Regional Municipalities,
Environment and Water Resources (Oman) on environmental issues. He was
chair of the Terrestrial and Freshwater Biodiversity Committee (Oman) and
a member of the Final Drafting Committee for National Biodiversity
Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), Oman.
Dr. Daniel Schaffer is the public information officer for the Third World
Academy of Sciences and the Abdus Salam International Centre for
Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy. He has written on science and technology
issues both in the developed and developing world for more than 15 years
and was the editor-in-chief of Forum, a science policy journal published
jointly by the University of Tennessee, Tennessee Valley Authority and Oak
Ridge National Laboratory. He has published scholarly books with Johns
Hopkins University Press, Temple University Press and the University of
Tennessee Press, and has written and produced television documentaries on
science and public health issues that have aired on public television stations
across the United States.
PREFACE
On the eve of the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD),
held in autumn 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa, United Nations
Secretary General Kofi Annan recommended five specific areas as focal
points of discussion for the global forum: Water, energy, health, agriculture
and biodiversity. In his address, "Towards a Sustainable Future," delivered
just four months before the WSSD, Secretary General Annan contended that
concrete progress in each of these areas, often referred to by their acronym
WEHAB, would be key to improving the quality of life not only in the
developing world but across the globe.
For most people, I think it is fair to say that the inclusion of biodiversity
in a list that focuses on basic human needs may not be self-evident. Water,
energy, health and agriculture, yes. But why biodiversity?
The truth is that biodiversity is just as critical to global well-being as
water, energy, agriculture and health. This is because biodiversity both
drives and shapes nature's intricate and dynamic structure in an enduring
form and force that enables both current and future generations to enjoy its
bounty.
Biodiversity provides the basis for the treasure trove of natural products
and services that allow us to live our lives and that will enable our children
to live theirs. It is the direct source of employment and sustenance for
hundreds of millions of people, especially in the developing world. It also
serves as a "shock absorber" for environmental assaults and provides a firm
backdrop for nature's aesthetic diversity that is a source of pleasure,
recreation, inspiration and indeed spirituality for all of us. In the words of
internationally renowned ecologist Sir Ghillean T. Prance, biodiversity is the
"green glue" that holds nature together.
The case studies contained in this volume are part of a project that began
with a series of discussions between officials from the Third World Network
of Scientific Organizations (TWNSO) and the Global Environment Facility
(GEF) in the late 1990s. The dissemination of the case studies is designed to
help give biodiversity the recognition that it deserves. But more than that, it
is designed to examine numerous examples of efforts to wisely use and
conserve biodiversity based on the knowledge and skills of people,
especially people working at the local and regional levels whose labours
have often been neglected and ignored.
The project is unique in two aspects. First, the case studies are dedicated
exclusively to activities in the developing world. Second, the studies