scholarly journals The status and conservation of Jamaica's threatened and endemic forest avifauna and their habitats following Hurricane Gilbert

1991 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Varty

SummaryDespite serious and widespread hurricane damage to the natural forests of Jamaica (43% of trees either toppled or with crowns broken in the John Crow Mountains, for instance), the populations of the endemic Ring-tailed Pigeon Columba caribaea, Crested Quail-dove Geotrygon versicolor, Black-billed Parrot Amazona agilis, Yellow-billed Parrot A. collaria, Blue Mountain Vireo Vireo osburni and Jamaican Blackbird Nesopsar nigerrimus appear to have survived Hurricane Gilbert well. However, the expected reduction in food supplies, notably for the frugivores, caused by the severe damage to many trees, coupled with continuing and in some cases increasing human destruction and disturbance of the forests, puts the longer-term survival of these species in some doubt. The establishment of functioning protected areas encompassing the key forest regions for these birds; upgrading and more rigorous enforcement of the legislation governing conservation and management of wildlife and the natural forests; and the control and improvement of agricultural practices around forest areas, would greatly help to ensure the preservation of the forest avifauna and are recommended.

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 261
Author(s):  
Alexander Cotrina Sánchez ◽  
Nilton B. Rojas Briceño ◽  
Subhajit Bandopadhyay ◽  
Subhasis Ghosh ◽  
Cristóbal Torres Guzmán ◽  
...  

The increasing demand for tropical timber from natural forests has reduced the population sizes of native species such as Cedrela spp. because of their high economic value. To prevent the decline of population sizes of the species, all Cedrela species have been incorporated into Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The study presents information about the modeled distribution of the genus Cedrela in Peru that aims to identify potential habitat distribution of the genus, its availability in areas protected by national service of protected areas, and highlighted some areas because of their conservation relevance and the potential need for restoration. We modeled the distribution of the genus Cedrela in Peru using 947 occurrence records that included 10 species (C. odorata, C. montana, C. fissilis, C. longipetiolulata, C. angustifolia, C. nebulosa, C. kuelapensis, C. saltensis, C. weberbaueri, and C. molinensis). We aim to identify areas environmentally suitable for the occurrence of Cedrela that are legally protected by the National Service of Protected Areas (PAs) and those that are ideal for research and restoration projects. We used various environmental variables (19 bioclimatic variables, 3 topographic factors, 9 edaphic factors, solar radiation, and relative humidity) and the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) to predict the probability of occurrence. We observed that 6.7% (86,916.2 km2) of Peru presents a high distribution probability of occurrence of Cedrela, distributed in 17 departments, with 4.4% (10,171.03 km2) of the area protected by PAs mainly under the category of protection forests. Another 11.65% (21,345.16 km2) of distribution covers areas highly prone to degradation, distributed mainly in the departments Ucayali, Loreto, and Madre de Dios, and needs immediate attention for its protection and restoration. We believe that the study will contribute significantly to conserve Cedrela and other endangered species, as well as to promote the sustainable use and management of timber species as a whole.


Author(s):  
Jérôme FOURNIER ◽  
Andrea De CASTRO PANIZZA

Este artigo apresenta os diferentes aspectos da proteção do ambiente litorâneo abordando três pontos essenciais. O primeiro evoca a instalação de áreas marinhas protegidas (AMP) em um contexto socioeconômico e político, destacando seu funcionamento e a noção de “ efeito reserva”. O segundo mostra a importância das AMP na proteção da biodiversidade marinha. Finalmente, o terceiro ponto exemplifica a avaliação do meio natural e aborda, de maneira geral, o valor econômico das espécies e da “Natureza” na ocorrência de degradação. Contributions of the marine protected areas for the conservation and management of the marine environment Abstract This article presents the various aspects of the littoral environmental protection by approaching three important points. The first evokes the installation of the marine surfaces protected in a socio-economic and political context. The operation of the reserves and the concept of “ reserve effect “ are explained. The second explains the interest of MPA to protect the marine biodiversity. Lastly, the third point shows the evaluation of the natural environment and more generally of the economic value of the species and “Nature” in the event of degradation.


Author(s):  
П.А. Котяк

Представлены результаты исследования уровня общей токсичности и микробного токсикоза дерново-подзолистой глееватой почвы при антропогенной нагрузке. Изучение токсичности почвы особенно актуально в агроценозах, где человек в значительной мере регулирует условия произрастания растений. Использование показателей токсичности при оценке агротехнических приёмов позволяет усовершенствовать существующие технологии, чтобы избежать нежелательных сопутствующих эффектов при агрогенном воздействии на агроэкосистемы. Сравнительный анализ полученных результатов показал, что почва опытного участка в начале вегетации имела класс средней и низкой токсичности (индекс токсичности фактора (ИТФ) от 0,63 до 0,82), а в конце вегетации – класс высокой и средней токсичности (ИТФ от 0,35 до 0,55). Оценка микробиологической токсичности почвы исследуемых вариантов опыта по всхожести семян тест-культуры показала в основном средний уровень микробного токсикоза: 69,75% – на индуцированных образцах, 60,97% – на контрольных образцах. Урожайность зелёной массы ярового рапса находилась на невысоком уровне, что могло быть связано с неблагоприятными погодными условиями вегетационного периода и варьировала в пределах от 76 до 218 ц/га. Проведённые исследования по установлению влияния антропогенной нагрузки на токсический статус дерново-подзолистой почвы в условиях Ярославской области показали, что лучшими характеристиками обладают варианты: система отвальной обработки почвы, фон «Органо-минеральный субстрат + NPK» как с внесением гербицида, так и без его применения при возделывании ярового рапса. В этих условиях снижается общая токсичность почвы, статус микробного токсикоза не меняется, что позволяет сохранять почвенное плодородие, иметь оптимальное фитосанитарное состояние и получать качественный урожай выращиваемых культур. The results of the research of general toxicity level and microbial toxicosis of soddy podzolic gleyic soil at man-caused load are presented. The study of soil toxicity is especially important in agrocenoses, where a person largely regulates the conditions of plant growth. The use of toxicity indicators in assessing agricultural practices allows improving existing technologies in order to avoid undesirable concomitant effects during agrogenic effects on agroecosystems. A comparative analysis of the obtained results showed that the soil of the test area at the beginning of the growing season had a medium and low toxicity class (factor toxicity index (FTI) from 0.63 to 0.82) and at the end of the growing season it had a high and medium toxicity class (FTI from 0.35 to 0.55). Assessment of the microbiological toxicity of the soil of test variants under investigation by seed germination of the test-crop showed mainly the average level of microbial toxicosis: 69.75% on the induced samples, 60.97% on the control samples. The yield of green mass of spring rape was at a low level, which could be associated with unfavorable weather conditions of the growing season and varied from 76 to 218 hkg / ha. Researches conducted to establish influence of man's activities on the toxic status of soddy podzolic soil in the conditions of the Yaroslavl region showed that the best characteristics are options: a system of moldboard tillage, background "Organic-mineral substrate + NPK" both with the herbicide application and without its use in the cultivation of spring rape. Under these conditions the general toxicity of the soil decreases, the status of microbial toxicosis does not change which allows maintaining soil fertility, having an optimal phytosanitary condition and obtaining a quality yield of crops grown.


Oryx ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily K. Madsen ◽  
Femke Broekhuis

AbstractAlthough protected areas are the basis for many conservation efforts they are rarely of an adequate size for the long-term survival of populations of large, wide-roaming mammals. In the Maasai Mara, Kenya, communally owned wildlife conservancies have been developed to expand the area available for wildlife. As these continue to develop it is important to ensure that the areas chosen are beneficial to wildlife. Using presence data for cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus, elephants Loxodonta africana, spotted hyaenas Crocuta crocuta, leopards Panthera pardus, lions Panthera leo and wild dogs Lycaon pictus, collected through interviews with 648 people living outside protected areas, we identify key wildlife areas using false positive site-occupancy modelling. The probabilities of site use were first determined per species based on habitat, distance to protected area, human presence and rivers, and these probabilities were then combined to create a map to highlight key wildlife areas. All species, except hyaenas, preferred sites closer to the protected areas but site use varied by species depending on habitat type. All six species avoided human presence. Leopards, elephants, lions and wild dogs preferred sites closer to rivers. The resulting combined map highlights areas that could potentially benefit from conservation efforts, including the expansion of wildlife areas, and areas where human development, such as a newly tarmacked road, could have an impact on wildlife.


Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Arjun Subedi ◽  
Achyut Luitel ◽  
Manisha Baskota ◽  
Tri Dev Acharya

In Nepal, most of the farmers depend upon traditional agricultural practices. Adapting modern agricultural technology plays an important role in improving overall efficiency as well as the productivity of their yields. In modern agriculture, the Internet of Things (IoT) connects farmers to their farm via sensors so that they can easily monitor the real-time conditions of their farm from anywhere. The White Button Mushroom is a widely cultivated crop among Nepalese farmers. Although being the most consumed and cultivated crop, it is still overshadowed by the traditional cultivation approach, which is resulting in low productivity, high manpower efficiency, and more effort and cost. This work aims to develop a monitoring system to monitor the environmental conditions of a mushroom farm. It enables a user to monitor crucial factors such as temperature, humidity, moisture, and light intensity on a mushroom farm through the end devices. White Button Mushroom requires an optimum temperature ranging from 22 to 25 °C and humidity from 70% to 90%. Sensors are placed at fixed locations and spots of the farm. Then, the sensors measure the status of parameters, which are transmitted to the remote monitoring station via a low power Node MCU (micro-controller unit). Thus, obtained data are stored in a cloud platform. The codes for the controller are written in the Arduino programming language, debugged, compiled, and burnt into the microcontroller using the Arduino integrated development environment. The result shows successful monitoring of environmental conditions accessing the Internet from anywhere. It minimizes human efforts and automates production, which could be beneficial to Nepalese farmers.


BMC Neurology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Preben Aukland ◽  
Martin Lando ◽  
Ole Vilholm ◽  
Elsebeth Bruun Christiansen ◽  
Christoph Patrick Beier

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