Riverine flow and spawning requirements of Macquaria ambigua oriens: implications for conservation and management

Understanding the life-history attributes of aquatic species is integral to the development of environmental-flow strategies in regulated river systems. This is particularly important when species are under continual and increasing pressure from water-resource development. In this study, the water temperature and flow requirements for spawning of the Fitzroy River golden perch (Macquaria ambigua oriens) were investigated over 4 years at 22 sites in the Fitzroy River catchment. Eggs, larvae and young-of-year (YOY) M. ambigua oriens were sampled on a variety of flow events to determine the environmental requirements for spawning. Eggs and larvae of M. ambigua oriens were detected during natural flow events generally with a minimum of 1.5 m river rise and duration of 7 days. Spawning was associated with the peak and/or recession of the first or second post-winter flow event where water temperatures exceeded 248 degrees C. Our data suggests that it is important to protect a range of flows, not just flood flows, as previously documented for this species. The interaction of spawning flows with existing and future water-resource development should be considered to ensure maintenance of the population viability of M. ambigua oriens.

The potential of certification for conservation and management of wild MAP resources

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are an integral part of our biodiversity. In majority of MAP rich countries, wild collection practices are the livelihood options for a large number of rural peoples and MAPs play a significant role in socio-economic development of their communities. Recent concern over the alarming situation of the status of wild MAP resources, raw material quality, as well as social exploitation of rural communities, leads to the idea of certification for MAP resource conservation and management. On one hand, while MAP certification addresses environmental, social and economic perspectives of MAP resources, on the other hand, it ensures multi-stakeholder participation in improvement of the MAP sector. This paper presents an overview of MAP certification encompassing its different parameters, current scenario (Indian background), implementation strategies as well as stakeholders’ role in MAP conservation. It also highlights Indian initiatives in this direction.

Using RIVPACS for studies on conservation and biodiversity

Invertebrate conservation relies not only on public support and political will, but also on possessing an adequate understanding of the distribution and ecology of invertebrate species and communities. In the UK, RIVPACS is making an important contribution to assessing the conservation importance of river invertebrate assemblages. So far, work has largely centred on using RIVPACS as an integral part of SERCON (System for Evaluating Rivers for Conservation), in which data collected using the standard RIVPACS method are interpreted with reference to conservation criteria such as species richness and representativeness. Applications of RIVPACS to other areas of conservation - whether providing information on the ecological requirements of rare species, monitoring the success of river restoration projects, or making broader assessments of sustainability - are probably more limited, but merit further examination. It is important to develop closer links between RIVPACS and techniques such as SERCON and RHS (River Habitat Survey) in order to maximise the benefit each can bring tostudies on conservation and biodiversity. It should also be recognised that there are limitations in transferring such systems to other countries where approaches to nature conservation may be very different.

Production and conservation of nutrient-rich small fish (SIS) in ponds and wetlands for nutrition security and livelihoods in South Asia: Proceedings of a World Bank/SAFANSI funded regional workshop on small fish and nutrition, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1st - 2nd March 2014

Small indigenous fish species (SIS) are an important source of essential macro- and micronutrients that can play an important role in the elimination of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in the populations of many South and Southeast Asian countries. Of the 260 freshwater fish species in Bangladesh, more than 140 are classified as SIS and are an integral part of the rural Bangladeshi diet. As many SIS are eaten whole, with organs and bones, they contain high amounts of vitamins and minerals, including calcium, and iron and zinc. Some SIS, such as mola, are also rich in vitamin A. SIS are often cooked with vegetables and a little oil, so they contribute to the food diversity of the rural poor.SIS are recognized as a major animal-source food group, contributing to improved food and nutrition security and livelihoods of the people of South and Southeast Asia. The purpose of this workshop is to bring together policy makers, extension agents, researchers, non-governmental and development organizations to share knowledge about small fish, their contribution to better nutrition, production technologies, and strategies for wider dissemination of pond culture and wetland based-production and conservation technologies. The workshop is expected to generate ideas for further research and development of sustainable technologies for production, management and conservation of SIS for the benefit of the people of Bangladesh as well as the South and Southeast Asian region.

Unified expressions of all integral variational principles

In terms of the quantitative causal principle, this paper obtains a general variational principle, gives unified expressions of the general, Hamilton, Voss, Holder, Maupertuis-Lagrange variational principles of integral style, the invariant quantities of the general, Voss, Holder, Maupertuis-Lagrange variational principles are given, finally the Noether conservation charges of the general, Voss, Holder, Maupertuis-Lagrange variational principles axe deduced, and the intrinsic relations among the invariant quantities and the Noether conservation charges of all the integral variational principles axe achieved.

A moored underwater energy conservation system for profiling measurement

There is a need to obtain the hydrologic data including ocean current, wave, temperature and so on in the South China Sea. A new profiling instrument which does not suffer from the damage due to nature forces or incidents caused by passing ships, is under development to acquire data from this area. This device is based on a taut single point mid-water mooring system. It incorporates a small, instrumented vertically profiling float attached via an electromechanical cable to a winch integral with the main subsurface flotation. On a pre-set schedule, the instrument float with sensors is winched up to the surface if there is no strip passing by, which is defined by an on-board miniature sonar. And it can be immediately winched down to a certain depth if the sonar sensor finds something is coming. Since, because Of logistics, the area can only be visited once for a long time and a minimum of 10 times per day profiles are desired, energy demands are severe. To respond to these concerns, the system has been designed to conserve a substantial portion of the potential energy lost during the ascent phase of each profile and subsequently use this energy to pull the instrument down. Compared with the previous single-point layered measuring mode, it is advanced and economical. At last the paper introduces the test in the South China Sea.

Sub-fossil Insects and ecosystem dynamics in wetlands; implications for biodiversity and conservation.

We review the uses of fossil insects, particularly Coleoptera (beetles) and Chironomidae (non-biting midges) from ancient deposits to inform the study of wetland ecosystems and their ecological and restoration processes. In particular, we focus on two contrasting ecosystems, drawing upon research undertaken by us on British raised mire peats and shallow lake systems, one an essentially terrestrial ecosystem, the other aquatic, but in which wetland insects play an important and integral part. The study of raised mire peats suggests that faunal stability is a characteristic of these wetland systems, over what appear to be extensive periods of time (up to several millennia), whilst studies of shallow lake ecosystems over recent timescales indicates that faunal instability appears to be more common, usually driven by increasing eutrophication. Drawing upon a series of fossil Coleoptera records spanning several thousand years from Hatfield Moors, south Yorkshire, we reconstruct in some detail the mire’s ontogeny and fluctuations in site hydrology and vegetation cover, illustrating the intimate association between substrate, topography and peat development. A comparison between fossil and modern beetle populations indicates that the faunal characteristics of this mire and its adjacent neighbour, Thorne Moors, become established during the early phases of peat development, including its rare endemics, and that the faunal biodiversity on the sites today is dictated by complex site histories. The over-riding characteristic of these faunas is of stability over several thousand years, which has important implications for the restoration of degraded sites, especially those where refugial areas are limited. In contrast, analyses of fossil Chironomidae from shallow lakes allow researchers to track changes in limnological status and while attempts have been made to reconstruct changes in nutrient levels quantitatively, the chironomids respond indirectly to such changes, typically mediated through complex ecosystem dynamics such as changes in fish and/or macrophyte communities. These changes are illustrated via historic chironomid stratigraphies and diversity indices from a range of shallow lakes located across Britain: Slapton Ley, Frensham Great Pond, Fleet Pond, Kyre Pool and Barnes Loch. These sites have shown varying degrees of eutrophication over recent timescales which tends to be associated with a decline in chironomid diversity. While complex functional processes exist within these ecosystems, our evidence suggests that one of the key drivers in the loss of shallow lake chironomid diversity appears to be the loss of aquatic macrophytes. Overall, while chironomids do show a clear response to altered nutrient regimes, multi-proxy reconstructions are recommended for a clear interpretation of past change. We conclude that if we are to have a better understanding of biota at the ecosystem level we need to know more of the complex interactions between different insect groups as well as with other animal and plant communities. A palaeoecological approach is thus crucial in order to assess the role of insect groups in ecosystem processes, both in the recent past and over long time scales, and is essential for wetland managers and conservation organisations involved in long term management and restoration of wetland systems.

Residency and spatial use by reef sharks of an isolated seamount and its implications for conservation

Although marine protected areas (MPAs) are a common conservation strategy, these areas are often designed with little prior knowledge of the spatial behaviour of the species they are designed to protect. Currently, the Coral Sea area and its seamounts (north-east Australia) are under review to determine if MPAs are warranted. The protection of sharks at these seamounts should be an integral component of conservation plans. Therefore, knowledge on the spatial ecology of sharks at the Coral Sea seamounts is essential for the appropriate implementation of management and conservation plans. Acoustic telemetry was used to determine residency, site fidelity and spatial use of three shark species at Osprey Reef: whitetip reef sharks Triaenodon obesus, grey reef sharks Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos and silvertip sharks Carcharhinus albimarginatus. Most individuals showed year round residency at Osprey Reef, although five of the 49 individuals tagged moved to the neighbouring Shark Reef (∼14 km away) and one grey reef shark completed a round trip of ∼250 km to the Great Barrier Reef. Additionally, individuals of white tip and grey reef sharks showed strong site fidelity to the areas they were tagged, and there was low spatial overlap between groups of sharks tagged at different locations. Spatial use at Osprey Reef by adult sharks is generally restricted to the north-west corner. The high residency and limited spatial use of Osprey Reef suggests that reef sharks would be highly vulnerable to targeted fishing pressure and that MPAs incorporating no-take of sharks would be effective in protecting reef shark populations at Osprey and Shark Reef.

Creative conservation and Balinese traditional landscape : scenarios for eco city concepts and culturally sensitive tourism development

Bali is internationally recognized as an island possessing a beautiful natural landscape as well as a unique culture. The natural qualities of its mountains, lakes, rivers, rice terrace fields with subak irrigation make Bali an important tourism destination. Cultural Tourism is integral in Bali’s tourism industry providing the basic capital for development1. The social condition of this society that is strongly characterized by religious beliefs, and its nature and ecology also supports this. The conservation and maintenance of this traditional landscape is often forgotten because of government agendas to implement cultural city programs aimed at encouraging tourism development. Despite this, the government is now supporting the program of ‘Bali toward Garden Island’, which aims to sustain the physical and cultural environment of the island towards conservation of its landscape. The implementation of this program includes attention to universal, societal and cultural values as unity indicators, of which the landscape planning of the Balinese characteristics and traditions cannot be separated. Landscape planning is integral in this initiative of character defining the region.

Globalisation is increasingly becoming one of the most important discussions amongst the Balinese people. It has become a national concern about the changes implicating Bali’s environment. Urbanisation, population growth, ribbon development, migration and consumption of energy are important imperatives and necessary evils for growing cities. These imperatives are creating the sprawl of building planning, development information, loss of open spaces, as well as the decline of the identity of cities. Places such as Denpasar City are struggling with increasing population at a rate of 1.94% per year that is causing increase in housing and public facilities demanded by both residents and ex-patriates. Thus land associated with the city has been lost to the rapid development of this cultural landscape.

This paper examines the Balinese traditional landscape and its role in encouraging tourism development that based on the Balinese culture and its ecology. The paper focuses on the planning of city landscape appearance characteristics and seeks to test and adopt the terms ‘creative conservation’ and ‘eco city concept’. By conserving the most important philosophy of the Balinese Tri Hita Karana Concept will better inform all aspects of city development in Bali. This study seeks to offer guidance for the legitimate use of landscape planning especially for city development in Bali.

Anchor Areas to Improve Conservation and Increase Connectivity within the Brazilian "Mesopotamia of Biodiversity"

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Presença humana em unidades de conservação de proteção integral em área rural e urbana: uma análise principiológica

O Sistema Nacional de Unidades de Conservação (SNUC), instituído pela Lei 9985/00, prevê a criação de cinco categorias de unidades de conservação de proteção integral (UCPI) e de sete de uso sustentável. Dentre as categorias do grupo de proteção integral encontra-se a categoria Parque, podendo ser Nacional, Estadual ou Natural Municipal, conforme o ente instituidor. Esta categoria pode ser criada tanto em área rural como em área urbana, indistintamente. É muito comum se deparar com a presença humana nos limites dos Parques, seja por populações tradicionais, em áreas rurais, ou ocupações desordenadas, em áreas urbanas. A lei não faz a distinção rural/urbana, mas prevê o realocamento das populações tradicionais, cuja presença não se revela prejudicial à área protegida. De forma oposta, as concentrações humanas residentes em Parques localizados em áreas urbanas tornam-se prejudiciais à proteção da área especialmente protegida, visto que apresentam elevado grau de impactação ambiental, não se preocupando com a preservação ou conservação como as populações tradicionais, estas extremamente dependentes dos recursos naturais para sua subsistência. A partir da hipótese de que a mesma categoria de UCPI, em especial os Parques, pode abrigar grupamentos humanos diferenciados (populações tradicionais, em área rural, e pessoas invasoras, em área urbana), buscou-se analisar os princípios colidentes que permeiam a situação, no sentido de ponderá-los, aplicando o que tiver maior peso. Diante da dimensão axiológica no tratamento das populações tradicionais, conclui-se que seja razoável sua permanência em UCPI localizadas em áreas rurais, porém, inadmissível a presença humana nas situadas em regiões urbanas.

Determinação de áreas prioritárias para conservação na zona de amortecimento de UC de proteção integral: o caso da Estação Ecológica de Ribeirão Preto, SP

Observa-se como estratégia mundial para a conservação da biodiversidade a criação de unidades de conservação. No Brasil, especificamente no Estado de São Paulo, devido a intensa degradação da Mata Atlântica, verifica-se a criação de unidades de proteção integral, a fim de se preservar de modo restrito os recursos naturais que ainda lhe restam. Na cidade de Ribeirão Preto, uma região com alto desempenho agrícola e intensa expansão urbana, constata-se a presença de uma Estação Ecológica (EERP), fragmento florestal de 154,16 ha, altamente isolado e fragmentado. Assim, a EERP e sua zona de amortecimento (ZA) vêm sendo fortemente pressionada pela expansão urbana e agrícola da região, comprometendo a sua integridade ecossistêmica. Dentre os impactos negativos gerados destacam-se: alta especulação imobiliária e o intenso cultivo de monoculturas, que contribuem para a degradação do solo nas regiões do entorno. A fim de se reduzir tais impactos, o presente trabalho buscou apresentar um prognóstico de planejamento ambiental para a ZA da EERP, a qual se encontra altamente impactada, segundo os critérios definidos por Ranieri (2004). Desse modo, criou-se cenários ideais para a preservação dos recursos naturais do local

Planeamiento y análisis integral del paisaje de la cuenca hidrográfica del río buenavista provincia de Manabí-Ecuador para la implementación de políticas de incentivos a la restauración de ecosistemas con fines de conservación (programa socio Bosque-Ecuador)

Pós-graduação em Geografia - FCT

Soil Erosion and Conservation in Global Agriculture

About one-sixth of the world’s land area, that is, about one-third of the land used for agriculture, has been affected by soil degradation in the historic past. While most of this damage was caused by water and wind erosion, other forms of soil degradation are induced by biological, chemical, and physical processes. Since the 1950s, pressure on agricultural land has increased considerably owing to population growth and agricultural modernization. Small-scale farming is the largest occupation in the world, involving over 2.5 billion people, over 70% of whom live below the poverty line. Soil erosion, along with other environmental threats, particularly affects these farmers by diminishing yields that are primarily used for subsistence. Soil and water conservation measures have been developed and applied on many farms. Local and science-based innovations are available for most agroecological conditions and land management and farming types. Principles and measures developed for small-scale as well as modern agricultural systems have begun to show positive impacts in most regions of the world, particularly in wealthier states and modern systems. Much more emphasis still needs to be given to small-scale farming, which requires external support for investment in sustainable land management technologies as an indispensable and integral component of farm activities.