scholarly journals Recovery of the Northern Plains Grassland Community – an overview

2010 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Paul Warrick Foreman
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Management ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Advisory Group ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Partial Recovery ◽  
Stock Management ◽  
Northern Plains ◽  
Grassland Community ◽  
Sustainable Conservation ◽  
Key Functional Groups

The grasslands of the northern plains of Victoria have long been recognised to be among the most threatened and poorly-reserved ecosystems in Victoria and Australia with only an estimated 3.8% remaining. As the protected area network (PAN) has greatly expanded in the last decade, there has been a commensurate loss of unprotected grasslands due to legal and illegal clearing. Whether or not the PAN continues to grow, there is now a significant on-going conservation management liability that must be underpinned by an improved understanding of ecosystem function and the role of disturbance. Some encouraging progress has been made by recent research. For instance, only partial recovery from cultivation is possible with long (cultivation) resting and that further improvement requires intervention to overcome the limits in seed dispersal of key functional groups. And although more has been learnt about how patterns in productivity/species-richness interactions can be managed/influenced by biomass manipulation, the use of stock grazing as a sustainable conservation management tool has still not been demonstrated. The interim regime of ‘status quo’ (stock) management persists despite the fact that it has failed to: (a) differentiate itself from standard pastoral practices, and (b) define the pathway to discovering better alternatives. A new technical advisory group has been established to oversee recovery strategy and has chosen the development of a ‘conceptual model of how the system works’, as a key priority. A further priority will be to pursue the renomination of the community under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 following the recent publication of research suggesting these grasslands are naturally treeless, floristically unique and geographically confined to the southern Riverina.

scholarly journals Grazing as a conservation management tool: Responses of voles to grazer species and densities

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 36-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.D.G. Lagendijk ◽  
R.A. Howison ◽  
P. Esselink ◽  
C. Smit
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Management ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Grazer Species

scholarly journals No evidence that horn trimming affects white rhinoceros horn use during comfort behaviour and resource access

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Samuel G. Penny ◽  
Rachel L. White ◽  
Dawn M. Scott ◽  
Lynne MacTavish ◽  
Angelo P. Pernetta
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Biological Impact ◽  
Resource Access ◽  
Behavioural Effects ◽  
White Rhinoceros ◽  
Ceratotherium Simum Simum ◽  
Species Ecology

Abstract Rhino species use their horns in social interactions but also when accessing resources, rubbing and in interspecific defence. The current poaching crisis has seen southern white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum simum) increasingly dehorned as a conservation management practise, but few studies have evaluated whether the procedure has any behavioural effects. This study sought to document and describe horn-contingent behaviours during resource access, wallowing and rubbing in freeranging white rhinos and establish whether dehorning, also known as horn trimming, impacts on their frequency or function. Data were collected through camera trapping and field observations at two sites in South Africa. The results provide no evidence that dehorning disrupts digging behaviours during mineral consumption or wallowing and suggests that dehorning is unlikely to have a strong biological impact on resource access. Furthermore, the frequency of horn-rubbing behaviours did not appear to be influenced by levels of horn growth. This suggests the procedure has a limited impact on these aspects of the species’ ecology and provides support that dehorning can be employed as a management tool to reduce poaching in freeranging populations of white rhino.

scholarly journals Hybridization as a conservation management tool

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wing Yan Chan ◽  
Ary A. Hoffmann ◽  
Madeleine J. H. Oppen
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Management ◽  
Management Tool

Patterns of grassland productivity, composition and seed abundance, and the diet of the flock bronzewing pigeon Phaps histrionica at one site in northern Australia over a period of marked seasonal change

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 343 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. L. Dostine ◽  
J. C. Z. Woinarski ◽  
B. Mackey ◽  
H. Nix
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Food Plant ◽  
Seed Density ◽  
Grassland Community

Context Multiple scales of research are needed to understand the ecology and conservation requirements of species whose ecology is characterised by marked spatial and temporal dynamism. The flock bronzewing pigeon may provide a model for the conservation management of species with similar dispersive ecologies. Aims This study aimed to document the species composition and its variability in seeds consumed by flock bronzewing pigeons across a period of contrasting seasonal conditions, and to relate this diet to variation in food resource availability. Methods The diet of the flock bronzewing pigeon was described by analysis of the crop contents of samples collected over the period from June 2006 to September 2007 at one pastoral property on the Barkly Tablelands, Northern Territory. Variation in food resource availability was assessed using data from remote sensing, grassland community structure, and direct measurement of soil seed density. Multivariate statistical methods were used to test variation in plant community structure between years and among land units; generalised linear modelling was used to examine inter-annual variation in the abundance of key food plant species and seasonal variation in seed abundance. Key results Across the period of this study, the diet of flock bronzewing pigeons on the Barkly Tableland was largely restricted to seeds of a small number of plant species within Mitchell grasslands. Dietary patterns varied between years; evidence from remote sensing, grassland community structure, and seed density was consistent with these dietary patterns. Conclusions Flock bronzewing pigeons appear to be adapted to exploiting rare, episodic events, leading to high seed production by the ephemeral or annual component of perennial tussock grasslands. Key food plant species include the forbs Wedelia asperrima, Trichodesma zeylanicum and Phyllanthus lacerosus and the large-seeded annual grass Chionachne hubbardiana. These species may not be those that provide critical resources during unfavourable periods. Implications Conservation management of flock bronzewing pigeons will entail strategies to maintain key food species in grazed landscapes, and to ensure replenishment of seed reserves of annual and ephemeral plant species. Management practices to achieve these goals may include rotational wet season spelling of paddocks. More information is required on the focal areas for persistence within these black-soil grassland landscapes.

scholarly journals Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination and Artificial Incubation of Tuatara, Sphenodon Punctatus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Nicola J Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Incubation Temperature ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Relative Fitness ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Sphenodon Punctatus ◽  
Artificial Incubation

<p>Juveniles resulting from artificially induced and incubated eggs are often used to found or augment populations of rare reptiles, but both procedures may compromise the health of hatchlings or their fitness in natural environments. I aimed to test whether these procedures affected size or performance of juvenile tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus, New Zealand reptiles with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). Size and performance are phenotypic traits likely to influence fitness and eventual lifetime reproductive success, and are thus important measures of the suitability of artificial induction and incubation techniques for conservation management. I incubated 320 tuatara eggs artificially at 18, 21 and 22ºC; 52% of these were obtained by induction, the remainder were collected from natural nests. An additional 25 natural nests were left intact for investigation of TSD and effects of incubation temperature in nature. Juveniles from all incubation regimes were kept for ten months post-hatching in similar rearing conditions and sexed by laparoscopy. Induced eggs were significantly smaller than naturally laid eggs, and resulted in significantly smaller hatchlings, even when variation among clutches was accounted for. Incubation temperature did not greatly influence size at hatching, but was an important determinant of size by ten months of age; initial egg mass was the most important factor affecting size of hatchlings. Data indicate that TSD occurs in nature. The sex of hatchlings from 21 nests was investigated: 10 nests produced 100% male hatchlings, 4 nests produced 100% female hatchlings, and only 7 nests produced mixed sex ratios which ranged from 11% to 88% males. Sex of juveniles was related to temperature with a larger proportion of males produced in warmer nests. The overall percentage of male hatchlings in natural nests was 64%. Hatching success was 65% from natural nests during the 1998/99 season. Incubation temperatures throughout the year ranged from 2.9 to 34.4ºC. Global warming is likely to skew the hatchling sex ratio towards males if female tuatara are unable to select nest sites according to environmental cues. Evidence from size patterns of tuatara incubated in natural nests supports differential fitness models for the adaptive significance of TSD. The evaluation of artificial incubation as a conservation management tool demonstrated that it is a procedure that benefits conservation as it can be used reliably to produce founders; hatching success was 94% during this study. The sex ratio of artificially incubated juveniles can be easily manipulated; the pivotal temperature lies between 21 and 22ºC. Constant artificial incubation conditions resulted in larger juveniles by ten months of age than those from natural incubation. Naturally incubated juvenile tuatara, however, were faster for their size, their reaction norm to predator stimuli was to run, and they were possibly more aggressive, suggesting naturally incubated juveniles could survive better in nature. No firm conclusions can be reached on the quality of artificially incubated juvenile tuatara because further research will be required to establish the relevance of performance test results in nature and consequences of incubation regimes in the longer term with respect to relative fitness of individuals.</p>

Spatially explicit analysis of poaching activity as a conservation management tool

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 685-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron M. Haines ◽  
David Elledge ◽  
Lucas K. Wilsing ◽  
Matt Grabe ◽  
Michael D. Barske ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Management ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Explicit Analysis

scholarly journals Developing an Online Tool for Sales Representatives of Cosmetic Products

10.28945/3285 ◽  
2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manzarany Kadell ◽  
Sameer Sunhaloo ◽  
Jeetendre Narsoo
Keyword(s):  
Initial Study ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Cosmetic Products ◽  
Stock Management ◽  
Sales Representatives ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Online Tool ◽  
The Web

We present the initial study based on the development of an online tool for sales representatives of cosmetic products in Mauritius. The management tool to be developed is expected to help the sales representatives to better manage their business. Virtually all the sales representatives in Mauritius are currently using a manual system and hereby face lots difficulties to optimize their business. We expect that the web-based stock management tool for the sales representatives will help to solve this problem in an effective way by providing an online means to manage the system which they can securely access from anywhere via the Internet. In this article, we analyze the various problems that the representatives are currently facing and we provide considerable solutions to these problems. We also describe the various functionalities and features that the system will cater for.

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