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Proceedings of International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the Sustainable Development Goals : Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016 at the Sirindhorn International Environmental Park, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand

context  of  raising  sea  levels;  one  of  the  outcomes  of  climate  change:  the  hybrid  outgrows  its  parental  types  in  biomass  formation,  including  prop  root  production.  Mangrove  biodiversity  such  as  this  present  candidate  species  for  coastal  protection  at  sites  where  rapid,  vigorous  growth  is  needed. The  issue  of  biodiversity  is  never  simple.  There  are  those  who  look  upon  single  species  stands  as  undesirable.  Such  observers  may  decry  a  coastal  protection  or  eco-repair  site  using  one  mangrove  species,  such  as  the  vigorous  Rhizophora  hybrid.  But  as  Maxwell  contends  in  his  perspectives  on  mangrove  biodiversity  paper,  this  issue  is  far  from  simple.  Even  a  single  species  mangrove  ecosystem  as  exists  with  Avicennia  marina  in  New  Zealand  or  Kandelia  candel  in  Japan,  mangroves  provide  habitat  biodiversity  for  mangy  non-mangrove  species.  From  this  habitat  diversity  flows  ecological  opportunity  for  a  rich  animal  biodiversity.  Thus  low  mangrove  tree  diversity  is  merely  the  beginning of  the  full  story;  in  time  the  developing  ecosystem  can  mature  to  offer  an  impressive  range  of  ‘goods  and  services’.  As  indicated  above  within  the  Baba  et  al.  paper,  this  dimension  of  habitat  biodiversity  is  an  essential part  of  a  holistic  philosophy  of  biodiversity. Nirunrut  Pomoim  et  al.  used  an  innovative maximum  entropy  (MaxEnt)  model  to  forecast  the  expected  and  potential  distribution  of  the  commercially  valued  hydrophyte,  the Water  Onion  (Crinum  thaianum)  in  Thailand.  They  clearly  demonstrated  that  the  conservation  status  of  this  much  desired  endemic  species  was  close  to  that  of  critically  endangered.  The  most  important  abiotic  factors  favouring  this  sediment-loving  aquatic  species  were  annual  precipitation  and  waterlogged,  fresh  water  sediment.  Sadly,  excessive  dredging  –  the  core  negative  factor  in  Crinum  thaianum’s  demise  – was  contributing  to  a  conservation  threshold  challenge  where  propagation  by  ecologically  sound  farming  must  urgently  replace  water  onion  collection  from  its  vanishing  natural  habitats. Amita  Kanaujia  provides  a  colourful,  illustrated  case  study  of  active,  down  to  earth,  positive  whole  community  mass  awareness  biodiversity  building  in  India’s  Uttar  Pradesh  province.  Biodiversity  conservation  was  presented  as  happy  activity  in  which  young  people  of  all  ages  and  educational  stages  contribute  their  active  conservation  to  adults.  In  short,  the  classroom  moved  out  to  embrace  the  community.  The  need  for  science  to  get  directly  involved  with  community  conservation action,  rather  than  retain  distance  from  society  was  evident  throughout  Amita  Kanaujia’s  case  study.  Such  an  approach  gave  new  realism  and life  to  such  ‘Green  Calendar”  events  as World  Sparrow  Day,  Vulture  Awareness  Day  and  Biodiversity  Festivals.  The  account  of  a  Nature (‘Prakriti’  in  Hindi)  bus  and  its  17,000  km  journey  of  biodiversity  promotion  is  inspirational. The  bus  drove  home  its  mobile  message:  conservation  on  wheels. Wande  Gongba  takes  us  to  the  Tibetan  Plateau  and  reports  how  Buddhist  people  of  the  Bazhu  Village  on  the  edge  of  the  diverse  yet  fragile  biodiversity  hot  spot  are  working  to sustain  the  ecosystems  which  underpin  their  life  style.  Despite  the  sometimes  negative  attractions  of  globalization  and  its  demands  for exotic  precious  plants  like  the  Chinese  yew  (Taxus  sp.)  and  market  driven  secularization  and  materialism,  the  Bazhu  community  are  showing  signs  of  resisting  these  outside  influences.  As  was  the  case  with  some  other  studies  reported  in  this  Conference  book,  such  as  Noparat  Bamroongrugsa  in  southern  Thailand, finding  how  to  generate  a  money  incentive  within  the  ecological  activity  greatly  enhances  success  in  biodiversity  wise  use.  The  southern  Thai  model  advocated  a  ‘Bio-rights’  model  348 Proceedings of the International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand


Proceedings of International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the Sustainable Development Goals : Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016 at the Sirindhorn International Environmental Park, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand
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