scholarly journals Developing biodiversity indicators for African birds

Oryx ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.R. Wotton ◽  
M.A. Eaton ◽  
D. Sheehan ◽  
F. Barasa Munyekenye ◽  
I.J. Burfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Population Monitoring ◽  
Strong Increase ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Biodiversity Indicators ◽  
Widespread Species ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Environmental Goals

AbstractBiodiversity indicators are essential for monitoring the impacts of pressures on the state of nature, determining the effectiveness of policy responses, and tracking progress towards biodiversity targets and sustainable development goals. Indicators based on trends in the abundance of birds are widely used for these purposes in Europe and have been identified as priorities for development elsewhere. To facilitate this we established bird population monitoring schemes in three African countries, based on citizen science approaches used in Europe, aiming to monitor population trends in common and widespread species. We recorded > 500 bird species from c. 450 2-km transects in Botswana, > 750 species from c. 120 transects in Uganda, and > 630 species from c. 90 transects in Kenya. Provisional Wild Bird Indices indicate a strong increase in bird populations in Botswana and a small decrease in Uganda. We also provide comparisons between trends of habitat generalists and specialists, of birds within and outside protected areas, and between Afro-Palearctic migrants and resident birds. Challenges encountered included recruiting, training and retaining volunteer surveyors, and securing long-term funding. However, we show that with technical support and modest investment (c. USD 30,000 per scheme per year), meaningful biodiversity indicators can be generated and used in African countries. Sustained resourcing for the existing schemes, and replication elsewhere, would be a cost-effective way to improve our understanding of biodiversity trends globally, and measure progress towards environmental goals.

scholarly journals Cost Effective Acoustic Monitoring of Biodiversity and Bird Populations in Kenya

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciira wa Maina ◽  
David Muchiri ◽  
Peter Njoroge
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Automatic Monitoring ◽  
Raspberry Pi ◽  
Biodiversity Monitoring ◽  
Time Saving ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Audio Recordings

AbstractWith the increasing need to effectively monitor a growing number of ecosystems of interest due to risks posed to these ecosystems by human activity and climate change, novel approaches to biodiversity monitoring are needed. In this work we demonstrate the application of low cost acoustic recorders based on the Raspberry Pi microprocessor to biodiversity monitoring. The recorders are capable of capturing audio recordings from which we can compute acoustic indices of biodiversity and identify bird species of interest. We compare the acoustic indices of biodiversity and results of point counts aimed at determining bird species presence and find that the acoustic complexity index has a significant positive correlation to point count results. In addition, we show that the presence of the Hartlaub’s Turaco, a ubiquitous species in montane forests in Kenya with a distinct call, can be automatically determined using recordings obtained using our setup. Montane species are of interest for long-term automatic monitoring since they are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Our system is able to deal with the large amounts of data generated by the acoustic recorders. The automatic screening of approximately five hours of recordings for presence of the Hartlaub’s Turaco call is achieved in approximately three minutes representing a large time saving that makes use of audio recordings for species identification feasible.

scholarly journals Migratory bird species in young tropical forest restoration sites: effects of vegetation height, planting design, and season

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
CATHERINE A. LINDELL ◽  
REBECCA J. COLE ◽  
KAREN D. HOLL ◽  
RAKAN A. ZAHAWI
Keyword(s):  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Entire Area ◽  
Planting Design ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Vegetation Height

SummaryTropical land cover change has negatively affected numerous migratory bird populations. Forest restoration can augment migrant wintering habitat. However, almost no information exists about factors that influence migrant use of tropical restoration sites. We sampled migrant birds in young restoration sites in Costa Rica from February 2006 to April 2008 to determine how vegetation height, planting design, season, and landscape forest cover influenced capture rates of four declining species. We also documented total numbers of migratory species and individuals captured in each planting design treatment; each site had a control treatment where seedlings were not planted, an island treatment where seedlings were planted in patches, and a plantation treatment where seedlings were planted to cover the entire area. Sites varied in landscape forest cover within 500 m buffers. Three out of four focal species were captured significantly more often in plantation treatments than island or control treatments. Two of the four species showed seasonal patterns and one species was captured more often in high-vegetation sites. Greater numbers of species and individuals were captured in plantation treatments compared to island and control treatments. The plantation planting design increased migrant use more quickly than the island planting design. When resources are available, we recommend planting plantation-style to rapidly increase the value of restoration sites to a range of species, particularly those that use woody vegetation. When resources are more limited, planting islands may be a cost-effective, although not as ecologically effective, alternative that supports a diversity of migrant species compared to unplanted controls.

scholarly journals Radio as a Tool for National Development

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Ibikunle Olayiwola Ajisafe
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
One Health ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
National Development ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Community Radio ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Government

The significant role radio plays in the development of any nation can never be overemphasized, most especially community radio. The general opinion about community radio is favorable; it has been identified as a powerful medium capable of promoting rapid change among various communities across the globe. Community radio is a cost-effective, non-formal learning medium, which can be used to reach many hitherto unreached and uneducated across vast geographic distances, communities in the most remote and isolated regions. CR has also been identified as vital in the delivery of vital developmental information to all members of the community irrespective of age, gender, or beliefs. Uninformed individuals are subjected to the tyranny of those who are informed because, without a voice, they cannot participate in the management of their land, their region, and their country, until they can understand precisely what the issues are and how they could contribute their quota to the attainment of the set goals in their environment. The transition of the "voiceless" to alert and active communities, most especially as one-health informed persons begins with community enlightenment of the benefits of both sustainable development goals and the one health policy. Community radio is identified in this work as vital to disseminating information on health and SDGs education, most especially in African communities where oral customs and indigenous languages are still distinct signatures. The work will examine the importance of community radio which its credo is information and education and the valuable contribution it can give to the attainment of sustainable development goals and its vital place in the promotion of animal-human health in African hard-to-reach communities. It will also serve as a proposal to the government on the need to implement community radio considering its impacts on the health and wellbeing of rural people in other African countries where it is in use.

Towards a new, ecologically targeted approach to monitoring wild bird populations for avian influenza viruses

2012 ◽  
Vol 141 (5) ◽  
pp. 1050-1060 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. U. R. SCHOENE ◽  
C. STAUBACH ◽  
C. GRUND ◽  
A. GLOBIG ◽  
M. KRAMER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Avian Influenza ◽  
Indicator Species ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Wild Bird ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Monitoring Method ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus

SUMMARYPrevalence monitoring of avian influenza in wild bird populations is important to estimate risks for the occurrence of potentially zoonotic and economically disastrous outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (AIV) in poultry worldwide. A targeted, cost-effective monitoring method for AIV in wild birds was developed, which is based on monitoring results for AIV in Germany and information on the distribution and abundance of wild bird species in selected habitat types. Spatial data were combined with virological and outbreak data for the period of 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2010. Using Germany as an example, we identified 11 indicator species. By concentrating monitoring efforts on these species in spatially confined locations, we propose a targeted and more cost-effective risk-based AIV monitoring approach that can be adapted universally for the identification of wild bird indicator species worldwide with the perspective of reducing sample sizes (and costs) without impairing the validity of the results.

National Human Rights Institutions and Sustainable Development with Specific Reference to Selected African Examples

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Mubangizi
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
National Human ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
National Human Rights Institutions

That National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) play an important role in the protection and promotion of human rights is a well-known fact. This has been widely acknowledged by the United Nations (UN). Also well-known is the fact that several African countries have enacted new constitutions during the last two to three decades. One of the most salient features of those new constitutions is that they establish NHRIs, among other things. Given their unique role and mandate, these NHRIs can and do play an important role in the realisation of the sustainable development goals contained in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Adopting a case study approach, this article explores the role NHRIs have played in the promotion and protection of human rights in selected African countries and implications for sustainable development in those countries. The main argument is that there are several lessons African countries can learn from each other on how their NHRIs can more meaningfully play that role. Accordingly, best practice and comparative lessons are identified and it is recommended that NHRIs can contribute to sustainable development more meaningfully if they can make themselves more relevant, credible, legitimate, efficient and effective.

Ghana: the State of Agriculture and Prospects for Food Security in the Context of Achieving SDGs

2018 ◽  
pp. 16-31
Author(s):  
Tatyana Denisova
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The State ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Careful Study ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Government

For the first time in Russian African studies, the author examines the current state of agriculture, challenges and prospects for food security in Ghana, which belongs to the group of African countries that have made the most progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals adopted by UN member states in 2015 with a view of achieving them by 2030. The SDGs include: ending poverty in all its forms everywhere (Goal 1); ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture (2); ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages (3), etc. These goals are considered fundamental because the achievement of a number of other SDGs – for example, ensuring quality education (4), achieving gender equality (5), ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns (12), etc. – largely depends on their implementation. Ghana was commended by the world community for the significant reduction in poverty, hunger and malnutrition between 2000 and 2014, i.e. for the relatively successful implementation of the first of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs, 2000–2015) – the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. However, SDGs require more careful study and planning of implementation measures. In order to achieve the SDGs, the Government of Ghana has adopted a number of programs, plans and projects, the successful implementation of which often stumbles upon the lack of funding and lack of coordination between state bodies, private and public organizations, foreign partners – donors and creditors, etc., which are involved in the processes of socioeconomic development of Ghana. The author determines the reasons for the lack of food security in Ghana, gives an assessment of the state of the agricultural sector, the effective development of which is a prerequisite for the reduction of poverty and hunger, primarily due to the engagement of a significant share (45%) of the economically active population in this sector. The study shows that the limited growth in food production is largely due to the absence of domestic markets and necessary roads, means of transportation, irrigation and storage infrastructure, as well as insufficient investment in the agricultural sector, rather than to a shortage of fertile land or labor.

scholarly journals Developing indicators for European birds

2005 ◽  
Vol 360 (1454) ◽  
pp. 269-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard D Gregory ◽  
Arco van Strien ◽  
Petr Vorisek ◽  
Adriaan W Gmelig Meyling ◽  
David G Noble ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Farmland Birds ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Field Methods ◽  
Biodiversity Indicators ◽  
Farmland Bird

The global pledge to deliver ‘a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010’ is echoed in a number of regional and national level targets. There is broad consensus, however, that in the absence of conservation action, biodiversity will continue to be lost at a rate unprecedented in the recent era. Remarkably, we lack a basic system to measure progress towards these targets and, in particular, we lack standard measures of biodiversity and procedures to construct and assess summary statistics. Here, we develop a simple classification of biodiversity indicators to assist their development and clarify purpose. We use European birds, as example taxa, to show how robust indicators can be constructed and how they can be interpreted. We have developed statistical methods to calculate supranational, multi-species indices using population data from national annual breeding bird surveys in Europe. Skilled volunteers using standardized field methods undertake data collection where methods and survey designs differ slightly across countries. Survey plots tend to be widely distributed at a national level, covering many bird species and habitats with reasonable representation. National species' indices are calculated using log-linear regression, which allows for plot turnover. Supranational species' indices are constructed by combining the national species' indices weighted by national population sizes of each species. Supranational, multi-species indicators are calculated by averaging the resulting indices. We show that common farmland birds in Europe have declined steeply over the last two decades, whereas woodland birds have not. Evidence elsewhere shows that the main driver of farmland bird declines is increased agricultural intensification. We argue that the farmland bird indicator is a useful surrogate for trends in other elements of biodiversity in this habitat.

scholarly journals Natural language processing and network analysis provide novel insights on policy and scientific discourse around Sustainable Development Goals

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Bryan Smith ◽  
Raffaele Vacca ◽  
Luca Mantegazza ◽  
Ilaria Capua
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Natural Language Processing ◽  
Natural Language ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Scientific Discourse ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Related Science ◽  
Environmental Goals

AbstractThe United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are heterogeneous and interdependent, comprising 169 targets and 231 indicators of sustainable development in such diverse areas as health, the environment, and human rights. Existing efforts to map relationships among SDGs are either theoretical investigations of sustainability concepts, or empirical analyses of development indicators and policy simulations. We present an alternative approach, which describes and quantifies the complex network of SDG interdependencies by applying computational methods to policy and scientific documents. Methods of Natural Language Processing are used to measure overlaps in international policy discourse around SDGs, as represented by the corpus of all existing UN progress reports about each goal (N = 85 reports). We then examine if SDG interdependencies emerging from UN discourse are reflected in patterns of integration and collaboration in SDG-related science, by analyzing data on all scientific articles addressing relevant SDGs in the past two decades (N = 779,901 articles). Results identify a strong discursive divide between environmental goals and all other SDGs, and unexpected interdependencies between SDGs in different areas. While UN discourse partially aligns with integration patterns in SDG-related science, important differences are also observed between priorities emerging in UN and global scientific discourse. We discuss implications and insights for scientific research and policy on sustainable development after COVID-19.

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