Terrestrial Biodiversity Adaptation Research Network

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Home Publications Adaptation Novel Ecosystems Novel ecosystems resulting from landscape transformation create dilemmas for modern conservation practice
Novel ecosystems resulting from landscape transformation create dilemmas for modern conservation practice PDF Print E-mail
Adaptation, Novel Ecosystems
Tuesday, 07 June 2011 10:50

“Introduction: Novel ecosystems occur when new combinations of species appear within a particular biome due to human activity, environmental change, or impacts of introduced species. Background: Managing the trajectory of ecosystems toward desired outcomes requires an understanding of the means by which they developed. To facilitate this understanding, we present evidence for the development of a novel ecosystem from a natural experiment focusing on 52 woodland remnants surrounded by maturing stands of exotic radiate pine. Results: Bird community composition changed through time resulting in a unique blend of tall closed forest and open-woodland birds that previously did not occur in the study area, nor in the region’s tall closed forest or open-woodland biomes. Conclusion: Novel ecosystems will become increasingly common due to climate change, raising complex management and ethical dilemmas for policy makers and resource managers...”

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2008.00021.x

Lindenmayer, D.B., et al. (2008) Novel ecosystems resulting from landscape transformation create dilemmas for modern conservation practice. Conservation Letters 1(2008): 129–135