scholarly journals Just beautiful?! What determines butterfly species for nature conservation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Christian Habel ◽  
Martin M. Gossner ◽  
Thomas Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Butterfly Species ◽  
Conservation Priority ◽  
Ecological Criteria ◽  
Eu Habitats Directive ◽  
Selection Of Species ◽  
Species Being ◽  
Trait Space ◽  
The Eu

AbstractPrioritization is crucial in nature conservation, as land and financial resources are limited. Selection procedures must follow objective criteria, and not primarily subjective aspects, such as charisma. In this study, we assessed the level of charisma for all European butterflies. Based on these data, we analysed the charisma values of the species listed on the annexes of the EU Habitats Directive and of the species being of conservation priority according to criteria derived by three objective criteria: Species ecological specialisation, distribution, and threat. The mean level of charisma was higher for species of the EU Habitats Directive than for species of conservation priority and for not-listed species. Five of the twenty most charismatic species were also listed on the EU Habitats Directive, but none occurred on the list of species being of conservation priority. A trait space analysis revealed remarkable differences between the different species assortments: The species listed on the EU Habitats Directive covered a large trait space and included many species with high charismatic value, but low ecological and biogeographical relevance, while species of high conservation priority covered a restricted trait space and did not overlap with charismatic species. According to our findings, the selection of species for nature conservation still follows a mix of being aesthetic combined with some ecological criteria.

Rethinking European Nature Conservation Legislation: Towards Sustainable Development

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.H. Kistenkas
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Conservation Law ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Ecological Criteria ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
The Eu

European nature conservation law with its habitats assessment as demanded by Article 6 of the 1992 Habitats Directive is recently being regarded as rigid, rather static and not fully updated with modern sustainability and climate change demands. As a consequence nature conservation law is said to be not always capable to facilitate sustainable development. A balancing of both ecology and socio-economic interests rather than a singular ecological criteria assessment might give way to sustainable combinations of land use in or nearby nature reserves. While previous authors call for updating and restructuring the Habitats Directive, this paper argues that the EU legislative framework, consisting of European treaty law with its environmental law principles as well as the wording of Article 6 itself, already offers adequate opportunities to re-interpret the EU nature conservation directives within the context of sustainable land use, thus giving way to a less dogmatic approach entirely in line with modern sustainable development demands.

scholarly journals Foraging Behavior of Bottlenose Dolphins in the Shannon Estuary, Ireland as Determined through Static Acoustic Monitoring

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 275
Author(s):  
Mathijs Carmen ◽  
Simon D. Berrow ◽  
Joanne M. O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Acoustic Monitoring ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Foraging Area ◽  
Special Area ◽  
High Conservation ◽  
Eu Habitats Directive ◽  
The Eu

The Shannon Estuary in Ireland is home to a resident population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and is designated as a Special Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive. It is an important industrial area, with numerous deep-water berths for shipping. Despite its high conservation value, there are few published studies on habitat use or foraging behavior of the Shannon dolphins throughout the year. The present study assessed the year-round presence and foraging activity of bottlenose dolphins at different locations in the middle and inner estuary using static acoustic monitoring. Dolphin presence was found to decrease with increased distance from the estuary mouth, i.e., where the estuary meets the Atlantic Ocean, while at the same time, foraging was found to be considerably higher in the upriver areas, suggesting the inner estuary was an important foraging area. Model predictions for seasonal, tidal and diel foraging were highly variable across locations, indicating that changes in dolphin behavior occurred over relatively small geographical scales. These results indicate that conservation efforts should consider the Shannon Estuary as a dynamic aggregation of habitats and future development initiatives should attempt to mitigate disturbance to the dolphins during important foraging periods on seasonal and diel scales.

scholarly journals Sporophytes of the rare liverwort Cephalozia macounii

2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 491-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanna Laaka-Lindberg ◽  
Kimmo Syrjänen
Keyword(s):  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Reproductive Capacity ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Eu Habitats Directive ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Entire Distribution

Abstract The dioicous epixylic liverwort Cephalozia macounii (Aust.) Aust. is rare over its entire distribution area in the Northern Hemisphere. It is protected under the EU Habitats Directive and classified as critically endangered in Finland and Sweden. One reason cited for its rareness and the declining trend in its distribution its poor reproductive capacity. It does not produce asexual gemmae, which in general is common among liverworts. Although female plants with perianths are quite common, the male plants of the species have rarely been seen and sporophytes have not been described until now. In this paper we describe and illustrate the sporophytes of C. macounii on the basis of an old specimen collected in Southern Finland in the 1800s.

scholarly journals New woodland beetle species (Coleoptera) in Estonian fauna

2009 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilmar Süda
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Bark Beetles ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
Fruiting Bodies ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
New Type ◽  
Northern Edge ◽  
Eu Habitats Directive ◽  
The Eu

Metsamardikate (Coleoptera) uued liigid Eestis The article presents faunistic data on 85 species of Coleoptera new to the Estonian fauna. Most of the material has been collected within the framework of various research and monitoring projects carried out in Estonian nature reserves (1998-2009). A new type of trunk window trap, designed by the author in 2004 mainly for monitoring purposes, has been successfully used. 17 of the 85 species are new for the fauna of whole Baltic region: Pseudeuglenes pentatomus (Ths.) (Aderidae), Caenocara subglobosum (Muls. & Rey), Xyletinus tremulicola Y. Kangas (Anobiidae), Choragus sheppardi Kirby (Anthribidae), Cryptocephalus saliceti Zebe (Chrysomelidae), Dirrhagofarsus attenuatus (Mäklin), Hylis cariniceps (Rtt.), Microrhagus emyi (Rouget) (Eucnemidae), Gnathoncus communis (Marseul) (Histeridae), Notolaemus unifasciatus (Latr.) (Laemophloeidae), Agathidium discoideum Er. (Leiodidae), Anisoxya fuscula (Ill.) (Melandryidae), Mordellistena neuwaldeggiana (Pz.) (Mordellidae), Ripidius quadriceps Abeille de Perrin (Rhipiphoridae), Lissodema cursor (Gyll.) (Salpingidae), Aphodius quadrimaculatus (L.) (Scarabaeidae) and Eutheia schaumii Kiesw. (Scydmaenidae). One of the species, Caenocara subglobosum (Muls. & Rey) (Anobiidae), is new for the whole Northern Europe. Specimens of this species were collected from eastern and southern Estonia: most were caught in window traps but some also emerged from the collected fruiting bodies of Common Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum). For 21 new species, Estonia lies on the northern edge of their range. Three of these, Triphyllus bicolor (F.), Mycetophagus ater (Rtt.) and Glischrochilus grandis (Tournier) that were collected from 6-10 sites, have a wider distribution in Estonia. Two species, Xyletinus tremulicola Y. Kangas (Anobiidae) and Stephanopachys linearis (Kug.) (Bostrichidae), have been listed on Annex II of the EU Habitats Directive. Two new species (Lymantor aceris (Lindemann) and Xyleborinus saxesenii (Ratz.)) were also added to the list of Estonian bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae).

scholarly journals Taking the Pulse of Environmental and Fisheries Law: The Common Fisheries Policy, the Habitats Directive, and Brexit

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 443-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Appleby ◽  
James Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Conservation Law ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Member States ◽  
Progressive Reform ◽  
Fishing Vessels ◽  
Fisheries Policy ◽  
The Common ◽  
Fisheries Law ◽  
The Eu

Abstract There has long been a tension between environmental regulation and the European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which has been addressed over time through progressive reform of the CFP. It is now recognised that Member States may comply with their obligations under EU nature conservation law by taking unilateral non-discriminatory measures within their territorial seas to protect the marine environment from threats posed by fishing. Nevertheless, fundamental uncertainties remain when it comes to the application of these obligations to offshore waters. This article explores the options available to coastal states in this context and the weaknesses of the procedures introduced to the reformed CFP in 2013. It is argued that compliance with nature conservation law in the context of fisheries is not discretionary and that in the absence of measures agreed at the EU level, Member States must comply with their obligations under the Habitats Directive in their capacity as a flag state. Finally, the article addresses the implications of Brexit for the protection of European Marine Sites in UK waters, suggesting that Brexit offers opportunities to strengthen the protection of marine ecosystems by making future access arrangements for foreign fishing vessels conditional upon compliance with nature conservation laws.

Protected lepidopteran species (Insecta: Lepidoptera) in North-East of Romania

2011 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-123
Author(s):  
Constantin Corduneanu
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Natural Protected Areas ◽  
North East ◽  
Lepidopteran Species ◽  
The Government ◽  
Eu Habitats Directive ◽  
The Eu

Protected lepidopteran species (Insecta: Lepidoptera) in North-East of Romania In the present paper references on the lepidopteran species in need of protection, specified in the EU Habitats Directive, as well as the species included in the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 57/2007 on the regime of the natural protected areas, the conservation of the natural habitats of flora and fauna have been made. Information is provided on the distribution and status of the protected population of Lepidoptera from Botoşani county (North-East of Romania).

scholarly journals Robust monitoring of the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx in the Slovak Carpathians reveals lower numbers than officially reported

Oryx ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 548-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakub Kubala ◽  
Peter Smolko ◽  
Fridolin Zimmermann ◽  
Robin Rigg ◽  
Branislav Tám ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Eurasian Lynx ◽  
Favourable Conservation Status ◽  
Scientific Approach ◽  
Capture Recapture ◽  
Eu Habitats Directive ◽  
The Eu

AbstractThe Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx population in the Carpathian Mountains is considered to be one of the best preserved and largest in Europe and hence is a source for past and current reintroduction projects in central Europe. However, its status in Slovakia has been reported to the European Commission on the basis of hunters´ reports and expert estimates that have never been validated by a robust scientific approach. We conducted the first camera-trapping surveys to estimate the density of Eurasian lynx in Slovakia by means of spatial capture–recapture models in two reference areas during 2011–2015. We estimated population density per 100 km2 of suitable lynx habitat (posterior SD) as 0.58 ± SD 0.13 independent individuals (adults and subadults) in the Štiavnica Mountains and 0.81 ± SD 0.29 in Veľká Fatra National Park and surroundings. These are the lowest densities estimated using spatial capture–recapture models so far reported for the species, suggesting the lynx population in Slovakia is below carrying capacity. We suspect that low densities may be attributable to undetected human-caused mortality. Our results imply that official game statistics are substantially overestimated. Moreover, the lynx population in Slovakia may not be at favourable conservation status as required by the EU Habitats Directive. We therefore call for a thorough assessment of the density and trend of the Slovak Carpathian lynx population, and the establishment of a scientifically robust monitoring system.

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