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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Using ecological thresholds to evaluate the costs and benefits of set-asides in a biodiversity hotspot

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Author(s):
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Banks-Leite, Cristina [1, 2] ; Pardini, Renata [3] ; Tambosi, Leandro R. [1] ; Pearse, William D. [4] ; Bueno, Adriana A. [5] ; Bruscagin, Roberta T. [1] ; Condez, Thais H. [6] ; Dixo, Marianna [1] ; Igari, Alexandre T. [7] ; Martensen, Alexandre C. [8] ; Metzger, Jean Paul [1]
Total Authors: 11
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Ecol, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[2] Univ London Imperial Coll Sci Technol & Med, Dept Life Sci, Ascot SL5 7PY, Berks - England
[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[4] Univ Minnesota, Dept Ecol Evolut & Behav, St Paul, MN 55108 - USA
[5] Fundacao Florestal, BR-02377000 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[6] Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil
[7] Univ Sao Paulo, Escola Artes Ciencias & Humanidades, Curso Gestao Ambiental, BR-03828000 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[8] Univ Toronto, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2 - Canada
Total Affiliations: 8
Document type: Journal article
Source: Science; v. 345, n. 6200, p. 1041-1045, AUG 29 2014.
Web of Science Citations: 139
Abstract

Ecological set-asides are a promising strategy for conserving biodiversity in human-modified landscapes; however, landowner participation is often precluded by financial constraints. We assessed the ecological benefits and economic costs of paying landowners to set aside private land for restoration. Benefits were calculated from data on nearly 25,000 captures of Brazilian Atlantic Forest vertebrates, and economic costs were estimated for several restoration scenarios and values of payment for ecosystem services. We show that an annual investment equivalent to 6.5% of what Brazil spends on agricultural subsidies would revert species composition and ecological functions across farmlands to levels found inside protected areas, thereby benefiting local people. Hence, efforts to secure the future of this and other biodiversity hotspots may be cost-effective. (AU)