The fine-scale spatial structure of plant communities is a key component for understanding the dynamics in vegetation following changes in land management but needs to be assessed at an appropriate scale. We studied the response of plant diversity and spatial variability of species and trait composition to grazing vs. non-grazing (>20 years) using different grain sizes of sampling in three subalpine plant communities.

The loss of habitat and biodiversity worldwide has led to considerable resources being spent on conservation interventions. Prioritising these actions is challenging due to the complexity of the problem and because there can be multiple actors undertaking conservation actions, often with divergent or partially overlapping objectives. We explore this issue with a simulation study involving two agents sequentially purchasing land for the conservation of multiple species using three scenarios comprising either divergent or partially overlapping objectives between the agents.

AIM: Setting realistic population targets and identifying actions for site and landscape‐level recovery plans are critical for achieving the global target of doubling wild tiger numbers by 2022. Here, we estimate the spatially explicit densities of wild ungulate prey across a gradient of disturbances in two disjunct tiger habitat blocks (THBs) covering 5212� km², to evaluate landscape‐wide conditions for tigers and identify opportunities and specific actions for recovery. LOCATION: Western Terai Arc Landscape, India.

Hydrologic and water quality models are increasingly used to determine the environmental impacts of climate variability and land management. Due to differing model objectives and differences in monitored data, there are currently no universally accepted procedures for calibration and validation in the literature. In an effort to develop accepted model calibration and validation procedures or guidelines, a special collection of 22 research articles that present and discuss calibration strategies for 25 hydrologic and water quality models was previously assembled.

Increasing land degradation and concomitant low agricultural productivity are important determinants of rural poverty in the hillside areas of Honduras. Using data at the levels of the farm household, parcel and plot, we develop an econometric modeling framework to analyze land management decisions and their impact on crop productivity. Our econometric model allows for endogenous household decisions regarding livelihood strategy choice, use of labor and external inputs, and participation in organizations.

In the light of the Japanese government's intensive efforts to decontaminate areas affected by radioactive Caesium from Fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant, I create a framework for assessing the merits of management options. In particular I consider delayed intervention as a possible policy. Delay can be optimal because allowing the natural decay of radiation can lower significantly the costs of achieving targets for exposure. Using some benchmark data for Japan I estimate that optimal delay is positive for most reasonable parameter values.

Astragalus microcymbus (Fabaceae) is a rare forb endemic to Gunnison County, Colorado. For 17 years, Denver Botanic Gardens and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (Colorado State Office) have monitored four populations of this candidate species under the ESA in the South Beaver Creek Natural Area. Large, statistically significant population declines have been documented, as have prolonged dormancy, episodic fruit production, and herbivory.

The European forest carbon balance studied by various methods shows different results. We compared the regional and national net primary production (NPP) estimated by the forest inventory-based model EFISCEN and the climate-based terrestrial ecosystem models (TEMs: BIOME-BGC, ORCHIDEE, and JULES), and single forests NPP derived from the international network of eddy-covariance towers (FLUXNET). In addition, the paper presents the net ecosystem production (NEP) and the net biome production (NBP) calculated with EFISCEN and discusses the influence of forest management onto carbon fluxes.