Lars Briggs - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Lars Briggs

Climate change impacts are affecting and will continue to widely affect particul... more Climate change impacts are affecting and will continue to widely affect particularly urban areas and their dwellers. These impacts not only come with economic losses, but also directly threaten the health of urban dwellers, as well as the functionality of urban ecosystems in terms of providing ecosystem services (EES) and ensuring habitats for threatened biodiversity. Nature-based Solutions (NBS) are approaches that can tackle many of these impacts by mimicking natural processes.In this case, the euPOLIS project, aims at creating cities-for-healthy-people by introducing NBS as a common practice in the urban planning methodologies, to locally improve thermal comfort, enhance biodiversity, mitigate pollution, improve climate resilience, provide open areas that stimulate social exchange and inclusivity, and much more, all contributing to enhancing public health and wellbeing (PH&WB) of citizens. By selecting 4 front-runner cities acting as demo-cases in different biogeographical and climatic regions, NBS are designed and tailored to each urban environment characteristics and problems. An innovative urban planning methodology that actively engage citizens is firstly developed, then tested and finally put into practice in all FR cities and resulting into a set of NBS interventions which aim to enhance the outdoor environmental conditions of the sites, supporting and promoting increased physical activity of citizens (as a precursor for health and well-being enhancements) and providing ground for socio-cultural and business improvements. These NBSs are then, implemented and constructed on each site, and carefully monitored before, under and after construction in order to measure their expected impacts.The monitoring phase is based on an exhaustive data collection approach of different variables (environmental, social, public health and well-being, urban), which together with the posterior data analysis are expected to be important research tools and methodologies allowing to withdraw evidence-based conclusions of the NBS impacts. Different approaches to monitor NBS will be used, such as biodiversity surveys and environmental modelling, that in combination with in-situ sensors and satellite imagery and will provide insights about the environmental status of the site. In addition, the use of wearables together with health apps will help to determine the effects on PH & WB of citizens. Finally, questionaries on-site along with other qualitative methods will help to shed light on the enhanced social and economic conditions. NBS implemented in the project sites will therefore cover a multi-disciplinary consortium, actively engage citizens for consultation in all phases of the project and have a strong focus on PH & WB with the assessment of multiple co-benefits the solutions can provide. The enhanced EES by the newly introduced NBS, are expected to revitalize the urban ecosystems, protect local biodiversity and by doing so, regenerate the economic, social, cultural aspects of the site. Finally, this process is expected to directly/indirectly improve PH & WB in the demonstration sites.The euPOLIS Project is on-going and expected to finish by August 2024, when the results and conclusions of the developed urban planning methodologies and NBS impacts on PH&WB will be shared, discussed and potentially scaled-up in other urban environments impacted by climate change.&#160;

Hydrobiologia, 2009

Large-scale restoration of quality habitats is often considered essential for the recovery of thr... more Large-scale restoration of quality habitats is often considered essential for the recovery of threatened pond-breeding amphibians but only a few successful cases are documented, so far. We describe a landscape-scale restoration project targeted at two declining species-the crested newt (Triturus cristatus Laur.) and the common spadefoot toad (Pelobates fuscus Wagler)-in six protected areas in southern and southeastern Estonia. The ponds were restored or created in clusters to (i) increase the density and number of breeding sites at local and landscape levels; (ii) provide adjacent ponds with differing depths, hydroperiods and littoral zones and (iii) restore an array of wetlands connected to appropriate terrestrial habitat. In only 3 years, where 22 of the 405 existing ponds (5%) were restored and 208 new ponds (51%) created, the number of ponds occupied by the common spadefoot toad increased 6.5 times. Concerning the crested newt and the moor frog (Rana arvalis Nilsson), the increase was 2.3 and 2.5 times, respectively. The target species had breeding attempts in most of the colonised ponds-even more frequently than common species. Also, the amphibian species richness was higher in the restored than in the untreated ponds. The crested newt preferably colonised ponds that had some submerged vegetation and were surrounded by forest or a mosaic of forest and open habitats. The common spadefoot toad favoured ponds having clear and transparent water. Our study reveals that habitat restoration for threatened pond-breeding amphibians can rapidly increase their numbers if the restoration is implemented at the landscape scale, taking into account the habitat requirements of target species and the ecological connectivity of populations. When the remnant populations are strong enough, translocation of individuals may not be necessary.

Anthropogenic habitat loss and degradation are often cited as the primary causes of the recent de... more Anthropogenic habitat loss and degradation are often cited as the primary causes of the recent decline or extinction of many species. The restoration of degraded habitats is therefore vital. Successful habitat restoration, however, requires proper identification of critical habitat characteristics and recognition of the factors that threaten the species. In this study, we describe the geographic variation of habitat characteristics for a widely distributed species with a declining population trend in Europe, the Common Spadefoot Toad (Pelobates fuscus). We examined 407 water bodies and their surrounding habitats in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Estonia by measuring 23 habitat characteristics and evaluating their effects on the species using canonical discriminant, logistic regression, and Spearman correlation analysis. We demonstrate that while the habitat features related to the selection of a breeding site by the species (based on presence/absence of larvae) were generally similar...

“Protection of Triturus cristatus in the Eastern Baltic region”

Hoffmann, Birgitte; Laustsen, Anne; Jensen, Inge H.; Jeppesen, Jan; Briggs, Lars; Bonnerup, Arne;... more Hoffmann, Birgitte; Laustsen, Anne; Jensen, Inge H.; Jeppesen, Jan; Briggs, Lars; Bonnerup, Arne; Hansen, Louise; Sommer Lindsay, Rene; Rasmussen, Jan; Andersen, Ulla Rose; Rungø, Morten; Uggerby, Mads; Bay, Henrik; Quist Rasmussen, Søren; Vester, Martin; Riise, Jens Christian; Krag Strømberg, Christine; Dreiseitl, Herbert; Astrup, Rasmus; Jacobsen, Tanya; Arnbjerg-Nielsen, Karsten; Baker Norden, Helle; Jensen, Marina Bergen; Juul Monberg, Rikke; Møller Christensen, Søren; Eckhoff Rønnest, Henrik; Milert, Thomas

For the monitoring of the great crested newt Triturus cristatus, as well as amphibians in general... more For the monitoring of the great crested newt Triturus cristatus, as well as amphibians in general, the experts in separate countries currently employ different monitoring

, as well as amphibians in general, the experts in separate countries currently employ different ... more , as well as amphibians in general, the experts in separate countries currently employ different monitoring methods. Therefore, the results gained are often not suitable for comparison. For example, Estonia has applied mainly two monitoring methods – egg searching and dip netting of larvae, which is an efficient way to gain an overview of the species’ existence (eggs, larvae) and breeding success (larvae), while not providing information concerning the number of individuals in a particular water body. In addition to the methods mentioned, Denmark also has made use of the nocturnal counting of adult individuals in a water body. The primary monitoring method in Finland has consisted in live trapping and nocturnal counting of the individuals in a water body, which gives a chance to estimate the number of adult individuals in a water body, but does not provide any information on the species’ breeding success. In Latvia and Lithuania, the method of visually establishing the presence of adult newts has mainly been employed. In order to be able to compare the population estimates and find out the status and trends of the populations in different countries and larger regions, it became necessary to work out a common monitoring methodology for the great crested newt. Thus, in the frame of LIFE-Nature project „Protection of

The European natterjack toad (Bufo calamita) has declined rapidly in recent years, primarily due ... more The European natterjack toad (Bufo calamita) has declined rapidly in recent years, primarily due to loss of habitat, and in Denmark it is estimated that 50% of the isolated populations are lost each decade. To efficiently manage and conserve this species and its genetic diversity, knowledge of the genetic structure is crucial. Based on nine polymorphic microsatellite loci, the genetic diversity, genetic structure and gene flow were investigated at 12 sites representing 5-10% of the natterjack toad localities presently known in Denmark. The expected heterozygosity (H E) within each locality was generally low (range: 0.18-0.43). Further analyses failed to significantly correlate genetic diversity with population size, degree of isolation and increasing northern latitude, indicating a more complex combination of factors in determining the present genetic profile. Genetic differentiation was high (overall θ = 0.29) and analyses based on a Bayesian clustering method revealed that the dataset constituted 11 genetic clusters, defining nearly all sampling sites as distinct populations. Contemporary gene flow among populations was undetectable in nearly all cases, and the failure to detect a pattern of isolation by distance within major regions supported this apparent lack of a gene flow continuum. Indications of a genetic bottleneck were found in three populations. The analyses suggest that the remaining Bufo calamita populations in Denmark are genetically isolated, and represent independent units in a highly fragmented gene pool. Future conservation management of this species is discussed in light of these results.

More than 4000 ponds have been created or restored in Denmark since 1985 as part of a large-scale... more More than 4000 ponds have been created or restored in Denmark since 1985 as part of a large-scale pond-digging programme to protect endangered amphibians in particular and pond flora and fauna in general. Most ponds are created on private land with public financing. The programme was triggered by, among other factors, a drastic decline in amphibian populations in Denmark between 1940 and 1980. However, in recent years there has been an increased awareness in Denmark that temporary ponds are important for the conservation of some of the most rare amphibian species, such as fire-bellied toad Bombina bombina, natterjack toad Bufo calamita and green toad Bufo viridis. Other rare species such as moor frog Rana arvalis and European tree frog Hyla arborea also benefit from temporary ponds. The last 15 years of work on the conservation of endangered species and their habitats has resulted in a last-minute rescue and a subsequent growth in the size of most Danish populations of fire-bellied ...

Ecology and evolution, Feb 1, 2017

Variation in the ability to fly or not is a key mechanism for differences in local species occurr... more Variation in the ability to fly or not is a key mechanism for differences in local species occurrences. It is increasingly acknowledged that physiological or behavioral mechanisms rather than morphological differences may drive flight abilities. However, our knowledge on the seasonal variability and stressors creating nonmorphological differences in flight abilities and how it scales to local and regional occurrences is very limited particularly for small, short-lived species such as insects. Here, we examine how flight ability might vary across seasons and between two closely related genera of freshwater beetles with similar geographical ranges, life histories, and dispersal-related morphology. By combining flight experiments of >1,100 specimens with colonization rates in a metacommunity of 54 ponds in northern and eastern Europe, we have analyzed the relationship between flight ability and spatio-environmental distribution of the study genera. We find profound differences in fl...

Freshwater Forum, May 14, 2010