Wild Ungulate Decision-Making and the Role of Tiny Refuges in Human-Dominated Landscapes

Wildlife conservation in human-dominated landscapes requires that we understand how animals, when making habitat-use decisions, obtain diverse and dynamically occurring resources while avoiding risks, induced by both natural predators and anthropogenic threats. Little is known about the underlying processes that enable wild animals to persist in densely populated human-dominated landscapes, particularly in developing countries. In a complex, semi-arid, fragmented, human-dominated agricultural landscape, we analyzed the habitat-use of blackbuck, a large herbivore endemic to the Indian sub-continent. We hypothesized that blackbuck would show flexible habitat-use behaviour and be risk averse when resource quality in the landscape is high, and less sensitive to risk otherwise. Overall, blackbuck appeared to be strongly influenced by human activity and they offset risks by using small protected patches (similar to 3 km(2)) when they could afford to do so. Blackbuck habitat use varied dynamically corresponding with seasonally-changing levels of resources and risks, with protected habitats registering maximum use. The findings show that human activities can strongly influence and perhaps limit ungulate habitat-use and behaviour, but spatial heterogeneity in risk, particularly the presence of refuges, can allow ungulates to persist in landscapes with high human and livestock densities.

Aplicación del derecho público extranjero

Resumen: El uso jurídico como método de resolución de los conflictos de normas en el Derecho Internacional Privado reclama al Derecho Público extranjero con la única limitante del orden público aplicado a posteriori y como conjunto de principios. Si asumimos el problema de la adaptación de la norma desde el uso jurídico, puede hablarse de una teoría del “envío pleno” al derecho extranjero y a partir de allí todo el ordenamiento extranjero debe ser tenido en cuenta y no solo el Derecho Civil o una parte de él. Se debe rescatar la concepción sistémica del Derecho en un mundo jurídico donde la distinción clásica entre el Derecho Público y el Derecho Privado ha perdido su sentido y vigencia.

La teoría aristotélica de la abstracción y su olvido moderno

Resumen: Este estudio analiza la teoría aristotélica de la abstracción, tratando de rescatar su sentido originario a partir de los textos del autor, así como los aportes de los aristotélicos medievales más relevantes, especialmente Tomás de Aquino. Y luego se pasa a describir algunos hitos fundamentales de la evolución posterior de dicha teoría en la historia de la Filosofía, como son: 1) La contraposición entre abstracción e intuición en Duns Escoto y Guillermo de Ockham. 2) el intuicionismo de Descartes 3) La reinterpretación empirista de la abstracción en J. Locke 4) La ausencia de la abstracción en el Espinoza, Leibniz y Kant, así como su sustitución por la “aufhebung” en Hegel. 5) La peculiar aproximación husserliana a la abstracción a partir de su método fenomenológico y 6) la relación de la teoría de la abstracción con el pensamiento de algunos autores contemporáneos como Zubiri, Polo y, especialmente, Heidegger.

A experiência anarquista no Brasil : algumas anotações sobre as greves de 1917 e suas repercussões na Câmara dos Deputados

Resgata pequena parte da história do anarquismo, que praticamente desapareceu do cenário político brasileiro. Utilizando o método de análise historiográfica, e compulsando os registros de sessões ocorridas, analisa a participação da Câmara dos Deputados nas políticas relacionadas à repressão dos anarquistas nas greves ocorridas em 1917. Ao final da pesquisa, chega-se à conclusão da existência de razoáveis indícios de participação da Câmara dos Deputados nas ações de repressão ao movimento anarquista.

Adam Smith on labour and value: challenging the standard interpretation

This paper was presented at the Seminars of the Department of Foundations of Economic Analysis I, University of the Basque Country in September 2004.

Use of aerial survey and aerophotogrammetry methods in monitoring manatee populations

We evaluated the use of strip-transect survey methods for manatees through a series of replicate aerial surveys in the Banana River, Brevard County, Florida, during summer 1993 and summer 1994. Transect methods sample a representative portion of the total study area, thus allowing for statistical extrapolation to the total area. Other advantages of transect methods are less flight time and less cost than total coverage, ease of navigation, and reduced likelihood of double-counting. Our objectives were: (1) to identify visibility biases associated with the transect survey method and to adjust the counts accordingly; (2) to derive a population estimate with known variance for the Banana River during summer; and (3) to evaluate the potential value of this survey method for monitoring trends in manatee population size over time. (51 page document)

Status survey of two Florida seaside sparrows and taxonomic review of the Seaside Sparrow assemblage

The original primary intent of this project was to determine the population status of two relatively obscure subspecies of Seaside Sparrows in Florida, the Smyrna Seaside Sparrow Cammodramus maritimus Eelonota) and the Wakulla Seaside Sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus juncicola) distinctiveness of these little known birds. As explained in the following section, a third and major objective appended to the project was to perform a taxonomic review of the entire Seaside Sparrow complex of nine subspecies. (170 page document)

Photographic analysis of natural and impounded salt marsh in the vicinity of Merritt Island, Florida

Qualitative analyses of available photographs and maps of Merritt Island, Florida provide a large-scale, historical perspective of ecological changes of the marshes in the vicinity. Sites that deserve closer scrutiny can be identified. Secondarily, such an analysis provides a geographical orientation essential for communication not only between newcomers and those familiar with the area, but also among those familiar with the area but who refer to sites by differing methods. Photographs and maps from various sources were examined. Below are listed what we consider to be the most useful subset of these for ecological and geographical assessment of salt marsh impoundments on Merritt Island, Florida. (Document has 25 pages.)

Saving Coquille Point: a year of citizen action in Bandon

This article gives a detailed account of the 1989 grassroots campaign which preserved the scenic Coquille Point headland from commercial development and led to its acquisition by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as part of its national wildlife refuge system. For source material, I have relied heavily on local newspaper and city hall archives, supplemented by interviews with some of the local people who participated in the controversy. The article preserves the events of 1989 as a record for future historians and/or environmental activists. (Document has 33 pages - from references issue date assumed to be 2008))

The Carr Lake Project: Potential Biophysical Benefits of Conversion to a Multiple-Use Park

The Carr Lake Project aims to convert Carr Lake’s 450 acres of agriculture fields into a regional multi-use park that will benefit flood protection, water quality, and wildlife habitat, while also providing additional recreational areas for the local community. The Project is represented by an informal consortium of interested parties including the Watershed Institute of California State University Monterey Bay, The City of Salinas, 1000 Friends of Carr Lake, and the Big Sur Land Trust. (Document contains 54 pages)

Categorized bibliography for a conceptual model of salt marsh management on Merritt Island, Florida

Enclosed is a bibliography of 556 published articles, technical reports, theses, dissertations, and books that form the basis for a conceptual model of salt marsh management on Merritt Island, Florida (Section 1). A copy of each item is available on file at the Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Gainesville. Some relevant proprietary items and unpublished drafts have not been included pending permission of the authors. We will continue to add pertinent references to our bibliography and files. Currently, some topics are represented by very few items. As our synthesis develops, we will be able to indicate a subset of papers most pertinent to an understanding of the ecology and management of Merritt Island salt marshes. (98 page document)

Issues and options related to management of Silver Springs rhesus macaques

Management options for the Silver Springs free-ranging rhesus macaque population range from removal to active maintenance of the population in situ. Selection of a management option is dependent upon which issues are perceived to be true problems. Management options are presented along with their effectiveness in dealing with issues previously described.(31 page document)

1998 warmwater fish survey of Vancouver Lake, Clark County

The Vancouver Lake warmwater fish population was sampled during the fall of 1998. Vancouver Lake is a large lake, connected directly to the Columbia River through the Lake River to the north and the constructed flushing channel on the eastern shore. A total of 16 species of fish were encountered, mostly warmwater game fish with a few seasonal visitors. The lake has suffered from water quality problems, and during the 1970s, it was dredged, and a channel was created to aid in increasing the water turnover rate, effectively connecting both ends of the lake to the Columbia River. As there is direct access to the Columbia River, managing this lake as a closed system may prove difficult. It is of our opinion that it may be a more effective use of resources to increase the anglers access to the available resources through providing improved boat launch access, and fish habitat structure throughout the lake. Additionally, educating the public about the how-to's of common carp angling could possibly open up additional resources not commonly utilized by the public. (Document pdf contains 38 pages)

Summary report on water quantity and quality studies of Vancouver Lake, Washington

Vancouver Lake, located adjacent to the Columbia River and just north of the Vancouver-Portland metropolitan area, is a "dying" lake. Although all lakes die naturally in geologic time through the process of eutrophication,* Vancouver Lake is dying more rapidly due to man's activities and due to the resultant increased accumulation of sediment, chemicals, and wastes. Natural eutrophication takes thousands of years, whereas man-made modifications can cause the death of a lake in decades. Vancouver Lake does, however, have the potential of becoming a valuable water resource asset for the area, due particularly to its location near the Columbia River which can be used as a source of "flushing" water to improve the quality of Vancouver Lake. (Document pdf contains 59 pages) Community interest in Vancouver Lake has waxed and waned. Prior to World War II, there were relatively few plans for discussions about the Lake and its surrounding land area. A plan to drain the Lake for farming was prohibited by the city council and county commissioners. Interest increased in 1945 when the federal government considered developing the Lake as a berthing harbor for deactivated ships at which time a preliminary proposal was prepared by the City. The only surface water connection between Vancouver Lake and the Columbia River, except during floods, is Lake River. The Lake now serves as a receiving body of water for Lake River tidal flow and surface flow from creeks and nearby land areas. Seasonally, these flows are heavily laden with sediment, septic tank drainage, fertilizers and drainage from cattle yards. Construction and gravel pit operations increase the sediment loads entering the Lake from Burnt Bridge Creek and Salmon Creek (via Lake River by tidal action). The tidal flats at the north end of Vancouver Lake are evidence of this accumulation. Since 1945, the buildup of sediment and nutrients created by man's activities has accelerated the growth of the large water plants and algae which contribute to the degeneration of the Lake. Flooding from the Columbia River, as in 1968, has added to the deposition in Vancouver Lake. The combined effect of these human and natural activities has changed Vancouver Lake into a relatively useless body of shallow water supporting some wildlife, rough fish, and shallow draft boats. It is still pleasant to view from the hills to the east. Because precipitation and streamflow are the lowest during the summer and early fall, water quantity and quality conditions are at their worst when the potential of the Lake for water-based recreation is the highest. Increased pollution of the Lake has caused a larger segment of the community to become concerned. Land use and planning studies were undertaken on the Columbia River lowlands and a wide variety of ideas were proposed for improving the quality of the water-land environment in order to enhance the usefulness of the area. In 1966, the College of Engineering Research Division at Washington State University (WSU0 in Pullman, Washington, was contacted by the Port of Vancouver to determine possible alternatives for restoring Vancouver Lake. Various proposals were prepared between 1966 and 1969. During the summer and fall of 1967, a study was made by WSU on the existing water quality in the Lake. In 1969, the current studies were funded to establish a data base for considering a broad range of alternative solutions for improving the quantity and quality of Vancouver Lake. Until these studies were undertaken, practically no data on a continuous nature were available on Vancouver Lake, Lake River, or their tributaries. (Document pdf contains 59 pages)

Marine protected areas in India

This study on marine protected areas (MPAs) in India analyzes the legal and institutional framework for their establishment, and uses two case studies – the Gulf of Mannar National Park and Biosphere Reserve, and the Malvan (Marine) Wildlife Sanctuary – to document and understand the experiences and views of local communities, particularly fishing communities, with respect to the various aspects of design and implementation of protected areas. Stressing the need for fishing communities to be equal partners in all aspects of MPA design, implementation and monitoring, the study concludes with specific recommendations. (68 pp.)