On the coattails of climate? Opportunities and threats of a warming Earth for biodiversity conservation

The relationship between climate change and biodiversity was a central issue at the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). In this paper we draw from participant observation data collected at COP 10, and related policy documentation, to examine how concerns about climate change are shaping the conservation policy landscape – in terms of the knowledge and rationales used as inputs, networks of actors involved, objectives sought, and actions proposed. We find that debates at the intersection of climate and biodiversity were overwhelmingly framed in relation to, or through the lens of carbon. Through a discussion of four core Climate-Motivated Responses, we illustrate how “carbon-logic”, and the initiatives that it generates, simultaneously creates threats to the objectives sought by some actors, and opportunities for the objectives sought by others. We situate our observations in the context of some of the historical dilemmas that have faced conservation, and discuss this current moment in the dynamic trajectory of conservation governance: a moment when decisions about conserving biodiversity are becoming entangled with carbon-logic and the market. In this case, while some actors seek opportunities for biodiversity ends by riding the coattails of the climate agenda, the threats of doing so may undermine the biological and social objectives of the CBD convention itself.     

The destruction of the past: Nonrenewable cultural resources

Destruction of cultural resources has increased dramatically in the last quarter of the 20th century as a result of two forces: first, development and construction, and second, the astonishing explosion of demand for primitive and prehistoric art. On the cover: Rock art of the Mimbres Culture at the Pony Hills site in south-west New Mexico. Similar rock art nearby has been destroyed by pistol shots or chipped out and illegally sold. Photo by Andrew Gulliford, Public History Program, Middle Tennessee State University.For the purposes of Legacy, the term cultural resource refers to both archeological and architectural resources. For archaeology, it includes, but is not limited to, traditions, lifeways, cultural and religious practices, and other institutions to which a community, neighborhood, Native American tribe, or other group ascribes cultural significance, together with any artifacts and real property associated with such elements. For architecture, it includes, but is not limited to, buildings, sites, districts, structures, or objects, landscapes, and vistas. In addition, the term encompasses historic documents and relics.     

The sediment-fill of Pago Pago Bay (Tutuila Island,American Samoa): New insights on the sediment record of past tsunamis

Extensive bathymetric and two-dimensional seismic surveys have been carried out and cores collected in Pago Pago Bay (Tutuila, American Samoa) in order to describe and gain a better understanding of the sediment fill of the bay, which was affected by the 2009 South Pacific Tsunami. Eight sedimentary units were identified over the volcanic bedrock. The basal transgressive unit displays retrograding onlaps towards the shore, whereas the overlying seven aggradational layers alternate between four draping units and three pinching out seaward units. ‘Core to seismic’ correlation reveals that draping units are composed of homogeneous silts, while pinching out units are dominated by very coarse coral fragments showing fresh cuts, mixed with Halimeda plates. The basal unit is attributed to transgressive sedimentation in response to flooding of the bay after the last glacial maximum, followed by the upper aggradational units corresponding to highstand sedimentation. The changeovers in these upper units indicate an alternation between low-energy silt units and high-energy coral debris units interpreted as tsunami-induced deposits. The ¹⁴C dating reveals that high-energy sedimentation units can last up to approximately 2000 years while low-energy sedimentation units can last up to approximately 1000 years. This alternation, deposited during the last highstand, may be explained by cycles of tectonic activity and quiescence of the Tonga Trench subduction, which is the main source of tsunamigenic earthquakes impacting the Samoan archipelago. In the uppermost silt unit, only the geochemical signature of the terrestrial input of the 2009 SPT backwash deposits was detected between 7 cm and 9 cm depth. Hence, Pago Pago Bay offers a unique sediment record of Holocene bay-fill under the impact of past tsunamis intermittently during the last 7000 years.     

Ascent and eruption of a lunar high-titanium magma as inferred from the petrology of the 74001/2 drill core

Abstract— An analysis of the orange glasses and crystallized beads from the 68 cm deep 74001/2 core has been conducted to understand the processes occurring during ascent and eruption of the Apollo 17 orange glass magma. Equilibrium between melt and metal blebs (Fe₈₅Ni₁₄Co₁) within the core, along with Cr contents in olivine phenocrysts, suggest there was an oxidation of C and a reduction of the melt at an O fugacity of IW-1.3 and 1320 °C to form CO gas at 200 bars or ～4 km depth. This was followed by development of more oxidized conditions during ascent. Also during ascent, there was formation of euhedral, homogeneous Fo₈₁ olivine crystals and spinel crystals with higher Al and Mg contents than the smaller spinels in the crystallized beads. Both the metal blebs and Al-rich spinels were trapped inside the Fo₈₁ olivine phenocrysts as they grew prior to eruption. The composition of the orange glasses are homogeneous throughout the core, except for a few distinct glasses at the top that appear to have been mixed in by micrometeorite reworking. A few glassy melt inclusions of orange glass composition trapped in the Fo₈₁ phenocrysts contain 600 ± 100 ppm S and ～50 ppm Cl compared to the 200 ppm S and 50 ppm Cl in the orange glass melt when quenched. These inclusions therefore document the addition of 400 ppm S to the CO-rich volcanic gas during the eruption. The size and distribution of different volcanic beads in the Apollo 17 deposit indicate a mode of eruption in which the orange glasses and partially crystallized beads formed further away from the volcanic vent where cooling rates were faster. Progressively larger and more numerous crystals in the black beads reflect slower cooling rates at higher optical densities in the volcanic plume. The development of a brown texture in the orange glasses at the bottom of the core, where the black beads dominate, is interpreted to result from devitrification by subsolidus heating either as the orange glasses fell back through the hot plume or after deposition on the surface. The change from domination by orange glasses to black beads in the core probably reflects a decrease in gas content over time, which consequently would increase the plume optical density and favor slower cooling rates.     

The northwestern Ethiopian Plateau flood basalts: Classification and spatial distribution of magma types

The extensive, complex, continental flood basalt (CFB) province which occurs in Ethiopia and Yemen consists of Oligocene prerift volcanism related to the Africa–Arabia continental break-up. Basalts from the northwestern Ethiopian Plateau exhibit a particularly large range of compositions and, for the first time in the Afro-Arabian CFB province, low-Ti basalts have been encountered. Major and some trace element data have been used to identify distinct geochemical groups and evaluate the role of differentiation processes. Three magma types have been distinguished: two high-Ti groups (HT1 and HT2) and one low-Ti group (LT). The transitional to tholeiitic LT suite exhibits low TiO₂ (1–2.6%), Fe₂O₃^* (10.5–14.8%), CaO/Al₂O₃ (0.4–0.75), Nb/La (0.55–0.85) and high SiO₂ (47–51%). In contrast, the HT2 suite exhibits high TiO₂ (2.6–5%), Fe₂O₃^* (13.1–14.7%), CaO/Al₂O₃ (0.9–1.43), Nb/La (1.1–1.4) and low SiO₂ (44–48.3%). The HT1 series is intermediate between the LT and HT2 groups. These three groups of lavas originated from different parental magmas. They display distinct differentiation trends, either controlled by the removal of a shallow level gabbroic (Pl+Ol+Cpx) assemblage (LT and HT1 suites) or by deeper Ol+Cpx fractionation (HT2 suite). Most of this thick continental flood lava pile was emplaced over a short time interval (about 1–2 Ma). The three contrasted magma types do not reflect a temporal evolution of their sources but rather a strong spatial control. Indeed, the northwestern Plateau may be subdivided into two different subprovinces as all the low-Ti basalts are located in the northern part of the plateau, and the high-Ti basalts are exposed in the eastern and southern parts. The LT and HT1 basalts display compositional ranges similar to those of the low- and high-Ti groups from other main CFB provinces (e.g. Parana, Deccan, Karoo, Siberia, …). However, the HT2 group exhibits extreme OIB-like compositions. This unusual geochemical signature suggests the involvement of deep mantle in the genesis of the HT2 magmas. The LT compositions rather reflect the participation of the continental lithosphere, through mantle derived melts and/or crustal contamination.     

Tectonic implications of new single zircon Pb-Pb evaporation data in the Lossogonoi and Longido ruby-districts,Mozambican metamorphic Belt of north-eastern Tanzania

Three single zircon Pb-Pb evaporation dating studies were performed on felsic orthogneisses and migmatites from the Longido and Lossogonoi ruby districts, Mozambique Belt of north-eastern Tanzania, in order to better constrain the geological setting of gemstone mineralizations. Igneous emplacement ages of protoliths ranging between 2636 and 2448 Ma document for the first time the presence of a Neoarchean to Lower Paleoproterozoic (Siderian) basement reworked in the Late Neoproterozoic Mozambique Belt of north-eastern Tanzania. This ancient crust of unknown dimension is well documented farther south, but also in south-eastern Kenya. A shearing event under high-grade amphibolite facies conditions, postdating the Pan-African metamorphic peak at 640 Ma and following nappes emplacement is demonstrated at ca. 610 Ma from metamorphic zircons of Lossogonoi district. In Lossogonoi district, ruby crystallizes during this last stage of deformation.     

Constraints and deception in the isotopic record; the crustal evolution of the west Musgrave Province,central Australia

The Hf and Nd isotopic evolution of the Musgrave Province, central Australia, is used to constrain the timing of crust formation and lithospheric organisation of Proterozoic Australia. The dataset from this region challenges two widely held tenets of Hf and Nd isotope systematics, namely; that crust formation events can only be identified as periods when crystallisation ages correspond to model ages, and that linear Hf evolution arrays away from depleted mantle (along crustal Lu/Hf or Sm/Nd slopes) reflect reworking of the same source.Hf isotopes in Musgrave Province zircon crystals indicate two major crust formation events at c. 1900 Ma and at 1600–1550 Ma. Although no juvenile rocks or crystals are known from c. 1900 Ma, radiogenic addition into the crust at this time is required to account for consistent Nd and Hf evolution patterns, which show no indication of an initially heterogeneous source. Oxygen isotopes in zircon grains confirm that much of the c. 1900 Ma Hf isotopic signal is not compromised by mixtures. Furthermore, the correspondence between mantle extraction and the commencement of reworking of Archean material supports new crust generation at c. 1900 Ma and a coupling between lower and upper crustal processes. The c. 1900 Ma timing of juvenile addition is dissimilar to that in the Albany–Fraser and Arunta Orogens and may reflect continental arc development on the margin of a southern continent.The general Hf isotopic evolution trend of the Musgrave Province apparently reflects reworking from a dominant c. 1900 Ma source with some additional unradiogenic and radiogenic input through time. However, in the 1220–1050 Ma interval this apparent isotopic evolution contrasts with geological observations that indicate input of voluminous mantle-derived material. Intracontinental rifts and other regions with sustained very-high temperature crustal recycling processes generate magmatic provinces with extreme HFSE-enrichment. This can have a profound influence on isotopic evolution trends, suppressing typical juvenile addition patterns. Isotopic mixture modelling indicates that a significant volume of mantle derived material can be accommodated within HFSE enriched magmas without diverging isotopic signatures from apparent reworking trends. In the Musgrave Province, the crust had become so HFSE enriched during the prolonged Musgrave Orogeny (1220–1150 Ma) that it was insensitive to mantle input, which is estimated to have been as much as 85% during this event.     

Nitrogenase activity and estimates of nitrogen fixation by freshwater benthic blue‐green algae

The sandy substrate of Lake Taharoa (west coast, North Island, New Zealand ‐ 35°50'S, 173°41'E) is covered by communities of filamentous algae that extend from the exposed beach down to 21 m depth. The algae bind the sand to form crusts and mats which may break off as discrete plates. The dominant species are the blue‐greens Microcoleus, Nostoc, Phormidium, Lyngbya, Oscillatoria, Scytonema, Stigonema, Shizothrix, Calothrix, Dichothrix, Tolypothrix, and Anabaena, with occasional high concentrations of the desmid Cylindrocystis. Nitrogenase activity, measured by acetylene reduction, showed a wide range of rates (4–150 μmol C₂H₄ m^‐2h^‐1). Estimates of annual rates of nitrogen fixation by the Taharoa communities are comparable with those for periphytic blue‐green algae‐dominated systems reported elsewhere.     

Migration in a transitional economy: Beyond the planned and spontaneous dichotomy in Vietnam

Migration is frequently portrayed as a negative force in its relationship with economic and social development. This negative perception is exhibited through describing population movements as either ‘forced’ (e.g. political and environmental refugees) or ‘voluntary’ movements (e.g. economic and uninhibited relocation). This paper examines the limitations of this conceptual dualism. It points out that the dualistic approach, widely used in the context of developing countries, simplifies a highly complex phenomenon by ignoring its essential heterogeneity and spatial and temporal dynamics. As such, it is limited in explaining and understanding the globally diversified, historically and politically contextualised situations. Focusing on the migratory experiences of contemporary Vietnam, the study identifies major patterns and trends of population mobility in the country in the past fifty years. It shows that despite the state’s continued attempts to reshape the spatial distribution of population over recent historical periods, the policy outcomes with respect to population mobility have been swayed as much by individuals and their families in pursuit of their own aspirations and livelihoods as by state plans. The Vietnam case has provided evidence of a much more complicated relationship between migration and livelihoods than the conceptual dichotomy assumes, and the opportunity for a richer set of policy options. We argue that the evidence from Vietnam, and elsewhere, warrants an integrated approach to studying migration, combining analysis at the macro- and micro-levels with the nexus lying at the critical decision-making point of the individual or household.     

An alternative measure of discharge effectiveness

Since 1960, geomorphic effectiveness has been quantified by analytically combining measures of the frequency and the magnitude of geomorphic processes, most often for the case of sediment yield in rivers via the calculation of effective discharge, Q_eff. Here we leverage the Q_eff analysis approach to develop an alternative metric, the functional‐equivalent discharge Q_fed, which is the discharge that will reproduce the magnitude of the sediment load generated by the full hydrologic distribution. Q_fed is intended to be a more representative metric of hydrologic variability than Q_eff: whereas Q_eff provides a measure of the effectiveness of individual flow rates, Q_fed incorporates a measure of the average effectiveness of the entire flow distribution. We develop an analytical approximation of Q_fed based on relatively few parameters, apply the approach to a set of suspended sediment load data and describe how Q_fed varies broadly with sediment and hydrologic conditions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.