scholarly journals The price of conserving avian phylogenetic diversity: a global prioritization approach

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1662) ◽  
pp. 20140004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Nunes ◽  
Samuel T. Turvey ◽  
James Rosindell
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Optimization Problems ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Current Conservation ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Financial Optimization ◽  
Spending Patterns ◽  
Global Concern

The combination of rapid biodiversity loss and limited funds available for conservation represents a major global concern. While there are many approaches for conservation prioritization, few are framed as financial optimization problems. We use recently published avian data to conduct a global analysis of the financial resources required to conserve different quantities of phylogenetic diversity (PD). We introduce a new prioritization metric (ADEPD) that After Downlisting a species gives the Expected Phylogenetic Diversity at some future time. Unlike other metrics, ADEPD considers the benefits to future PD associated with downlisting a species (e.g. moving from Endangered to Vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List). Combining ADEPD scores with data on the financial cost of downlisting different species provides a cost–benefit prioritization approach for conservation. We find that under worst-case spending $3915 can save 1 year of PD, while under optimal spending $1 can preserve over 16.7 years of PD. We find that current conservation spending patterns are only expected to preserve one quarter of the PD that optimal spending could achieve with the same total budget. Maximizing PD is only one approach within the wider goal of biodiversity conservation, but our analysis highlights more generally the danger involved in uninformed spending of limited resources.

scholarly journals Microbes: Food for the Future

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 971
Author(s):  
Matilde Ciani ◽  
Antonio Lippolis ◽  
Federico Fava ◽  
Liliana Rodolfi ◽  
Alberto Niccolai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Negative Externalities ◽  
Agriculture Soil ◽  
Global Concern ◽  
Food Commodities ◽  
Hydrogen Oxidizing Bacteria

Current projections estimate that in 2050 about 10 billion people will inhabit the earth and food production will need to increase by more than 60%. Food security will therefore represent a matter of global concern not easily tackled with current agriculture practices and curbed by the increasing scarcity of natural resources and climate change. Disrupting technologies are urgently needed to improve the efficiency of the food production system and to reduce the negative externalities of agriculture (soil erosion, desertification, air pollution, water and soil contamination, biodiversity loss, etc.). Among the most innovative technologies, the production of microbial protein (MP) in controlled and intensive systems called “bioreactors” is receiving increasing attention from research and industry. MP has low arable land requirements, does not directly compete with crop-based food commodities, and uses fertilizers with an almost 100% efficiency. This review considers the potential and limitations of four MP sources currently tested at pilot level or sold as food or feed ingredients: hydrogen oxidizing bacteria (HOB), methanotrophs, fungi, and microalgae (cyanobacteria). The environmental impacts (energy, land, water use, and GHG emissions) of these MP sources are compared with those of plant, animal, insect, and cultured meat-based proteins. Prices are reported to address whether MP may compete with traditional protein sources. Microalgae cultivation under artificial light is discussed as a strategy to ensure independence from weather conditions, continuous operation over the year, as well as high-quality biomass. The main challenges to the spreading of MP use are discussed.

scholarly journals Cumulative human threats on fish biodiversity components in Tunisian waters

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 190 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. BEN RAIS LASRAM ◽  
T. HATTAB ◽  
G. HALOUANI ◽  
M.S. ROMDHANE ◽  
F. LE LOC'H ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Activities ◽  
Quantitative Method ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Cumulative Impacts ◽  
Current Conservation ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Management Context ◽  
First Time ◽  
Country Specific ◽  
Future Management

Human activities are increasingly impacting biodiversity. To improve conservation planning measures in an ecosystem-based management context, we need to explore how the effects of these activities interact with different biodiversity components. In this study, we used a semi-quantitative method to assess the cumulative impacts of human activities on three biodiversity components (species richness, phylogenetic diversity, and functional diversity) in Tunisia’s exclusive economic zone. For each of the nine activities considered, we developed an understanding of their effects from local studies and the expert opinion of stakeholders with country-specific experience. We mapped the cumulative effects and the three biodiversity components and then assessed the degree to which these elements overlapped using an overlap index. This is the first time such an assessment has been made for Tunisia’s marine ecosystems and our assessment highlight the inappropriateness of current conservation measures. The results of this study have specific application for the prioritization of future management actions.

Biodiversity: Increasing the Political Clout of Nature Conservation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yrjö Haila
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Global Environmental Problems ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Political Clout ◽  
Human Modification ◽  
Local Contexts ◽  
Global Concern ◽  
Living Nature

The term biodiversity was introduced in the 1980s as a novel framing for the human dependence on the Earth's biosphere. 'Biodiversity loss' became the way to capture a major dimension of global environmental problems. The chapter describes stages of this process. The first phase of the spread of the term was its enthusiastic reception among environmentalists. Second, concern was integrated into international environmental policy at the Rio Conference in 1992 through the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Efforts to implement the convention have created an environmental regime both internationally and within different countries. However, due to its broad coverage of processes of living nature and its huge ambition to regulate human modification of nature and exploitation of natural resources, there have been major difficulties with implementation. In particular, how to integrate specific issues manifested in local contexts, and the global concern, has proved problematic.

A New Deterministic Approach Using Sensitivity Region Measures for Multi-Objective Robust and Feasibility Robust Design Optimization

2005 ◽  
Vol 128 (4) ◽  
pp. 874-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mian Li ◽  
Shapour Azarm ◽  
Art Boyars
Keyword(s):  
Pareto Front ◽  
Optimization Problems ◽  
Continuous Functions ◽  
Robust Design Optimization ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Tolerance Region ◽  
Parameter Variations ◽  
Gradient Based

We present a deterministic non-gradient based approach that uses robustness measures in multi-objective optimization problems where uncontrollable parameter variations cause variation in the objective and constraint values. The approach is applicable for cases that have discontinuous objective and constraint functions with respect to uncontrollable parameters, and can be used for objective or feasibility robust optimization, or both together. In our approach, the known parameter tolerance region maps into sensitivity regions in the objective and constraint spaces. The robustness measures are indices calculated, using an optimizer, from the sizes of the acceptable objective and constraint variation regions and from worst-case estimates of the sensitivity regions’ sizes, resulting in an outer-inner structure. Two examples provide comparisons of the new approach with a similar published approach that is applicable only with continuous functions. Both approaches work well with continuous functions. For discontinuous functions the new approach gives solutions near the nominal Pareto front; the earlier approach does not.

Integrity inspection planning updated with cost of risk

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 647
Author(s):  
Yury Sokolov
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Plant Management ◽  
Inspection Planning ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Integrity Management ◽  
Inspection Data ◽  
New Generation

The industry expenditure savings motive requires a cost/benefit analysis to optimise Integrity Management budgets. The challenge of estimating precise risk costs requires that numeric Probabilities of Failure (PoF) be known at the highest possible level of confidence, as equipment items specific PoFs govern the actual probability of financial losses and safety implications. The first-hand information on the equipment actual integrity condition is contained in numeric results of integrity inspections. In practice, these results are seldom analysed statistically, being collapsed into single ‘worst case’ values. This simplification prevents assessing of equipment specific actual PoFs and from quantifying failure risks when using traditional methods. We developed a new-generation inspection planning and assessment strategy applied to oil and gas pressure equipment. Evaluating equipment PoFs enables assessing risk costs and optimising the budgets, as well as setting justified internal inspection coverage and frequency objectives. This is achieved by a statistical analysis of numeric inspection data. Existing inspection data (such as ultrasonic testing spot-checks) can be used for a first-pass analysis. Statistical plotting of such data automatically visualises the data quality, and the relevant recommendations for improving inspection coverage or tools are drawn where necessary. We found that two criteria drive integrity decision making: failure total costs and annual fatality expectancies. These criteria are mutually complementary. Both need to be considered for a safe and profitable plant operation. Equipment individual risk control strategy is then developed from safety compliance and budget savings maximising standpoints, thereby also enabling confident design and procurement decisions. This is a new-generation strategy suitable for bringing together all branches of plant management and for improving confidence of the parties. We see it as an evolutionary update to Risk Based Inspection and Maintenance practice, which is now in high demand due to cost pressures.

Feasibility Robust Optimization via Scenario Generation and Reduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliot Rudnick-Cohen ◽  
Jeffrey W. Herrmann ◽  
Shapour Azarm
Keyword(s):  
Robust Optimization ◽  
Optimization Problems ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Optimization Techniques ◽  
Scenario Generation ◽  
Test Problems ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Uncertain Parameters ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Robust Solution

Feasibility robust optimization techniques solve optimization problems with uncertain parameters that appear only in their constraint functions. Solving such problems requires finding an optimal solution that is feasible for all realizations of the uncertain parameters. This paper presents a new feasibility robust optimization approach involving uncertain parameters defined on continuous domains without any known probability distributions. The proposed approach integrates a new sampling-based scenario generation scheme with a new scenario reduction approach in order to solve feasibility robust optimization problems. An analysis of the computational cost of the proposed approach was performed to provide worst case bounds on its computational cost. The new proposed approach was applied to three test problems and compared against other scenario-based robust optimization approaches. A test was conducted on one of the test problems to demonstrate that the computational cost of the proposed approach does not significantly increase as additional uncertain parameters are introduced. The results show that the proposed approach converges to a robust solution faster than conventional robust optimization approaches that discretize the uncertain parameters.

scholarly journals New Safe Approximation of Ambiguous Probabilistic Constraints for Financial Optimization Problem

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
NingNing Du ◽  
Yan-Kui Liu ◽  
Ying Liu
Keyword(s):  
Value At Risk ◽  
Optimization Problem ◽  
Optimization Problems ◽  
Random Perturbation ◽  
Probabilistic Constraints ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Chinese Stock Market ◽  
Robust Solution ◽  
Return Rates ◽  
Financial Optimization

In financial optimization problem, the optimal portfolios usually depend heavily on the distributions of uncertain return rates. When the distributional information about uncertain return rates is partially available, it is important for investors to find a robust solution for immunization against the distribution uncertainty. The main contribution of this paper is to develop an ambiguous value-at-risk (VaR) optimization framework for portfolio selection problems, where the distributions of uncertain return rates are partially available. For tractability consideration, we deal with new safe approximations of ambiguous probabilistic constraints under two types of random perturbation sets and obtain two equivalent tractable formulations of the ambiguous probabilistic constraints. Finally, to demonstrate the potential for solving portfolio optimization problems, we provide a practical example about the Chinese stock market. The advantage of the proposed robust optimization method is also illustrated by comparing it with the existing optimization approach via numerical experiments.

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