scholarly journals Electronic commerce of the endemic plants of northern Morocco (Mediterranean coast-Rif) and Tunisia over the internet

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelmajid Khabbach ◽  
Mohamed Libiad ◽  
Mohamed El Haissoufi ◽  
Soumaya Bourgou ◽  
Wided Megdiche-Ksouri ◽  
...  

Background: Internet trade popularize the ornamental interest of plants but can also threaten species’ wild populations, if this activity is performed in uncontrolled and unauthorised ways. Questions: What endemic plants of Morocco and Tunisia are traded over the Internet by whom and at what prices? Studied species: 94 endemic plants of northern Morocco and 83 of Tunisia. Study site and dates: Tunisia and northern Morocco (Mediterranean coast and Rif region); internet survey between September 2018 and December 2019. Methods: To understand the extent of this new form of trade, We recorded the type of plant material sold over the Internet for the studied taxa, their prices and suppliers using online platforms. Results: Four northern Moroccan taxa (4.25 % of the total local endemics) were found as marketed by 18 nurseries in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, while no marketing activity was detected for Tunisian endemic plants. The nurseries involved offer for sale and distribution living individuals of Abies marocana at €12.00-259.50, Rhodanthemum hosmariense at €0.35-19.5, Salvia interrupta subsp. paui at €6.23-8.90, and bulbs of Acis tangitana at €1.05-3.95. Although these taxa are classified as endangered, they are traded worldwide without permit of the Moroccan authorities. The source and origin of the plant material are not clearly indicated, and only some nurseries report that their marketed material comes from own cultivated stocks. Conclusions: The implementation of protection laws/regulations and the monitoring of nurseries’ websites are recommended to control the illegal trade of wild plant material.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seigo Mitsutake ◽  
Ai Shibata ◽  
Kaori Ishii ◽  
Rina Miyawaki ◽  
Koichiro Oka

BACKGROUND To develop websites that enhance Internet users’ health knowledge, it is important to identify relevant factors associated with obtaining health knowledge via the Internet. Although an association between eHealth literacy (eHL) and knowledge of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been reported, little is known whether eHL is associated with obtaining knowledge of CRC via the Internet. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to compare the results obtained from Internet users with high or low eHL in searching and using a reputable cancer website to gain CRC knowledge. METHODS This study used respondents to Internet based pre-and post-surveys conducted in 2012. Potential respondents (n = 3,307) were identified from registered individuals aged 40–59 years (n = 461,160) in a Japanese Internet survey company. A total of 1,069 participants responded (response rate: 32.3%), and these pre-survey responders were then divided into high or low eHL groups using the Japanese eHealth Literacy Scale median score (23.5 points). From each group, 130 randomly selected individuals were invited to review the contents of a reputable CRC website, the Cancer Information Service managed by the National Cancer Center, and to respond to a post-survey via e-mail; responses were obtained from 107 individuals from each group. Twenty responses to knowledge statements regarding the definition, risk factors, screening prevention and symptoms of CRC were obtained at pre- and post-surveys, and differences in the correct responses between high and low eHL groups compared using the McNemar test. RESULTS The mean age of the participants was 49.1 (5.5) years. Four statements showed a significant increase in correct responses in both eHL groups pre- and post-survey: “S4. The risk of CRC is greater as a person gets older” (high eHL: P = 0.039, low eHL: P = 0.012), “S8. Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for CRC” (high eHL: P < 0.001, low eHL: P = 0.020), “S11. Obesity is a risk factor for CRC” (high eHL: P = 0.030, low eHL: P = 0.047), and “S12. Excess alcohol consumption is a risk factor for CRC” (high eHL: P = 0.002, low eHL: P = 0.003). Three statements showed a statistically significant increase in correct responses in the high eHL group only: “S1. CRC is cancer of the colon or rectum” (P = 0.003), “S5. The risk of CRC is the same between men and women” (P = 0.041), and “S9. Red meat intake is a risk factor for CRC” (P = 0.002), whereas only one response did in the low eHL group: “S17. Bloody stools are a symptom of CRC” (P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS Low eHL Internet users appeared less capable of obtaining knowledge of CRC through searching and understanding information from a reputable cancer website than high eHL Internet users.


BMC Zoology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Padilla-Jacobo ◽  
Tiberio C. Monterrubio-Rico ◽  
Horacio Cano-Camacho ◽  
María Guadalupe Zavala-Páramo

Abstract Background The Orange-fronted Parakeet (Eupsittula canicularis) is the Mexican psittacine that is most captured for the illegal pet trade. However, as for most wildlife exploited by illegal trade, the genetic diversity that is extracted from species and areas of intensive poaching is unknown. In this study, we analyzed the genetic diversity of 80 E. canicularis parakeets confiscated from the illegal trade and estimated the level of extraction of genetic diversity by poaching using the mitochondrial DNA sequences of cytochrome b (Cytb). In addition, we analyzed the genealogical and haplotypic relationships of the poached parakeets and sampled wild populations in Mexico, as a strategy for identifying the places of origin of poached parakeets. Results Poached parakeets showed high haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.842) and low nucleotide diversity (Pi = 0.00182). Among 22 haplotypes identified, 18 were found exclusively in 37 individuals, while four were detected in the remaining 43 individuals and shared with the wild populations. A rarefaction and extrapolation curve revealed that 240 poached individuals can include up to 47 haplotypes and suggested that the actual haplotype richness of poached parakeets is higher than our analyses indicate. The geographic locations of the four haplotypes shared between poached and wild parakeets ranged from Michoacan to Sinaloa, Mexico. However, the rare haplotypes detected in poached parakeets were derived from a recent genetic expansion of the species that has occurred between the northwest of Michoacan and the coastal region of Colima, Jalisco and southern Nayarit, Mexico. Conclusions Poached parakeets showed high genetic diversity, suggesting high extraction of the genetic pool of the species in central Mexico. Rarefaction and extrapolation analyses suggest that the actual haplotype richness in poached parakeets is higher than reflected by our analyses. The poached parakeets belong mainly to a very diverse genetic group of the species, and their most likely origin is between northern Michoacan and southern Nayarit, Mexico. We found no evidence that poachers included individuals from Central American international trafficking with individuals from Mexico in the sample.


2014 ◽  
Vol 687-691 ◽  
pp. 1908-1911
Author(s):  
Wei Zhong Huang

The universal search engine, which is widely used now, has significantly improved the efficiency of retrieving information. According to CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center) 26th Internet survey, the search takes up 76.30% for absolute advantage as a major way for users to obtain information from the Internet. Among almost all the surveys of using on the Internet in the world, search engine is second only to e-mail service. But with the growth of a wide range of information, these universal search engines can not meet people's needs either in retrieval precision or in retrieval efficiency when retrieving information on a subject or topic. That's because as long as the user enters the same keywords, the feedbacks of universal search engine are just the same. Universal search engine does not take the differences in interests and needs between different users, which often exist, into account. For example, dentists and ceramics enthusiasts would hold different concerns about the term "ceramic". In order to be more rapid, accurate and efficient in retrieving information on particular subject or theme, it is essential to develop information retrieval systems on specific areas, that is, the domain-specific search engine.


2002 ◽  
Vol 1804 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Adler ◽  
Leslie Rimmer ◽  
David Carpenter

The results of an application of Internet survey methods to a household travel diary project are described. The project included a full field application of an Internet-based household travel diary instrument in a split sample design with conventional telephone or mail administration. The effects of this type of administration on survey response and on survey data are described. The work described demonstrates how Internet-based travel diary instruments can be used to complement other, more traditional survey approaches. The Internet household travel diary instrument used included several features that take advantage of the computational power provided by modern servers and the graphical user interface provided by web browsers. Among these, the most important are detailed internal consistency checks that test the continuity and completeness of the activity and trip logs and interactive geocoding of trip ends. The response rates in the split sample conducted for the Las Cruces application indicate that providing an Internet option had a small positive effect. However, there are more pronounced effects on reported trip making—more trips reported in the Internet instrument—and on item nonresponse—lower rates with the Internet instrument. Overall, respondents who used the Internet instrument found it easy to use and appreciated having the option to complete the questionnaire at their convenience. There are clear areas for further research, but it is equally clear that Internet-based household diary surveys can provide an important, cost-effective complement to computer-assisted telephone interview and mail methods.


2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 524-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRIS R. SHEPHERD ◽  
JAMES A. EATON ◽  
SERENE C. L. CHNG

SummaryIn ad hoc survey inventories of eight major bird markets in Java in 2014 and 2015, 615 individuals from nine species of the Garrulax genus were found for sale. The most numerous species was Sunda Laughingthrush Garrulax palliatus (215 individuals), followed by Chinese Hwamei G. canorus and Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush G. mitratus. Prices collected in Jakarta revealed that non-native species were the most expensive. Information from these and previous surveys indicate that prices for Sumatran Laughingthrush Garrulax bicolor appeared to have soared since 2007, suggesting increasing rarity of the species. We urge the Indonesian Government to take action against the illegal trade in laughingthrushes under existing laws, especially for the Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush Garrulax rufifrons which is listed on the national protected species list. We also recommend that the Sumatran Laughingthrush Garrulax bicolor be listed as a protected species under Indonesian law. As wild populations of Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush and Sumatran Laughingthrush are threatened by trade, we recommend an urgent review of the conservation status of both species on the IUCN Red List.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2371
Author(s):  
Elinor Breman ◽  
Daniel Ballesteros ◽  
Elena Castillo-Lorenzo ◽  
Christopher Cockel ◽  
John Dickie ◽  
...  

There is a pressing need to conserve plant diversity to prevent extinctions and to enable sustainable use of plant material by current and future generations. Here, we review the contribution that living collections and seed banks based in botanic gardens around the world make to wild plant conservation and to tackling global challenges. We focus in particular on the work of Botanic Gardens Conservation International and the Millennium Seed Bank of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, with its associated global Partnership. The advantages and limitations of conservation of plant diversity as both living material and seed collections are reviewed, and the need for additional research and conservation measures, such as cryopreservation, to enable the long-term conservation of ‘exceptional species’ is discussed. We highlight the importance of networks and sharing access to data and plant material. The skill sets found within botanic gardens and seed banks complement each other and enable the development of integrated conservation (linking in situ and ex situ efforts). Using a number of case studies we demonstrate how botanic gardens and seed banks support integrated conservation and research for agriculture and food security, restoration and reforestation, as well as supporting local livelihoods.


Author(s):  
José Tonatiuh Gutiérrez Zavala ◽  
Irebe Ávila Díaz ◽  
Rosa Elia Magaña Lemus

Background and Aims: Orchids in Mexico are mainly threatened by deforestation, changes in land use, illegal trade, deficiencies in environmental policy and legislation, and a lack of community participation in the conservation of their forests. Erycina hyalinobulbon is an endemic twig epiphyte orchid with a short life cycle and with large flowers in relation to its size, for which it has been harvested from its wild populations. The objectives of this work were to evaluate the in vitro development of E. hyalinobulbon in culture media with organic supplements, to compare sucrose vs. N’Joy Stevia® as a carbon source for its initial stages of development, and to evaluate the development of its seedlings in media enriched with plant growth regulators (PGR).Methods: For the sowing of seeds, PhytamaxTM and MS medium at 30% of its basal salts were used in combination with organic supplement (coconut milk, pineapple puree and banana puree), along with the Phy medium used as control. In order to measure the effect of sucrose vs. N´Joy Stevia® as a carbon source, these two treatments were used, with the PhytamaxTM medium. To evaluate the development of seedlings with PGR, three treatments were tested: the 100% PhytamaxTM control, 30% PhytamaxTM with 1.166 ml/l of Maxi-grow and the medium Chiu.Key results: PhytamaxTM medium added with banana promoted germination by 9.3%, being a low cost and easy production option. Ninety days after sowing, N´Joy Stevia® as a carbon source promoted germination by 8%. The best development of the seedlings was registered in the medium PhytamaxTM without PGR.Conclusions: With this study, it was possible to develop an accessible in vitro propagation system for E. hyalinobulbon, in order to sustainably manage it and favor its conservation.


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