Natural and Anthropogenic Impacts on Forest Structure: A Case Study of Uttarakhand State

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaspal S. Chauhan ◽  
Alok S. Gautam ◽  
R.S. Negi

Forests are among the most important natural resources in Uttarakhand as they occupy 71% of the geographic area and contribute a good share in state economy. They are rich repositories of biodiversity and are providers of ecosystem goods and services to both regional and global community. People are dependent on forests for fuel wood, grass and other biomass. But unfortunately recent trend of data shows a huge degradation of forestland due to natural and anthropogenic activities. Variations in climatic condition and natural disasters are triggering rate of degradation of forests in Uttarakhand. The present paper reviews the status of forest in Uttarakhand and discusses the major natural and anthropogenic factors responsible for its degradation.

Our Nature ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-169
Author(s):  
K. Bagra ◽  
D.N. Das

Arunachal Pradesh being rich in fishery resources biophysically, the status of the fish diversity is not known from all the water bodies. A case study was undertaken in the river Siyom (28°11′25′′-28°10′52′′N and 94°45′17′′-97°47′51′′E) of West Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh from 2002 to 2004 with the fragmentary work till 2007. For the purpose, sampling of fish was done from the river time to time using local contraption along with modern nets. A total of 44 species of fishes belongs to 9 families were identified. Fishes of family Cyprinidae were found to be dominant followed by Balitoridae. Some of the fish species were found very rare in the river, which may be due to various anthropogenic factors. Therefore, in addition to social restriction on community fishing some awareness measures need to be taken to prevent the destructive fishing activities in the river.DOI: 10.3126/on.v8i1.4324


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Botter ◽  
Paolo Burlando ◽  
Simone Fatichi

Abstract. The hydrological and biogeochemical response of rivers carries information about solute sources, pathways, and transformations in the catchment. We investigate long-term water quality data of eleven Swiss catchments with the objective to discern the influence of catchment characteristics and anthropogenic activities on delivery of solutes in stream water. Magnitude, trends and seasonality of water quality samplings of different solutes are evaluated and compared across catchments. Subsequently, the empirical dependence between concentration and discharge is used to classify different solute behaviors. Although the influence of catchment geology, morphology and size is sometime visible on in-stream solute concentrations, anthropogenic impacts are much more evident. Solute variability is generally smaller than discharge variability. The majority of solutes shows dilution with increasing discharge, especially geogenic species, while sediment-related solutes (e.g. Total Phosphorous and Organic Carbon species) show higher concentrations with increasing discharge. Both natural and anthropogenic factors impact the biogeochemical response of streams and, while the majority of solutes show identifiable behaviors in individual catchments, only a minority of behaviors can be generalized across catchments that exhibit different natural, climatic and anthropogenic features.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mert Kükrer ◽  
Meral Kence ◽  
Aykut Kence

Intense admixture of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) populations is mostly attributed to migratory beekeeping practices and replacement of queens and colonies with non-native races or hybrids of different subspecies. These two practices are also heavily carried out in Anatolia and Thrace where 5 subspecies reside naturally.Here, we carried out an analysis of population structure of honey bees sampled from six different regions (n = 250) in order to test the genetic impacts of migratory beekeeping, queen and colony trade and conservation efficacy of isolated regions. A total of 30 microsatellite markers were used in four multiplex reactions.Direct genetic impact of migratory beekeeping was demonstrated first time based on a comparison of assignment of individuals to their geographically native populations where migratory colonies showed less fidelity. We found genetic evidence for them acting as a hybrid zone mobile in space and time, becoming vectors of otherwise local gene combinations.The effects of honey bee trade were revealed by the presence of very high introgression levels from the highly commercial Caucasian bees naturally limited to a narrow range. We also measured the direction and magnitude of this gene flow connected with bee trade.Comparison between regions that are either open to migratory beekeeping or not let us evaluate the status of isolated regions as centers of limited gene flow and showed the importance of establishing such regions.Despite signs of gene flow, our findings confirm high levels of geographically structured genetic diversity of four subspecies of honey bees in Turkey and emphasize the need to develop policies to maintain this diversity.Our overall results might potentially bear a wider interest to the community since they constitute an important attempt to quantify the effects of anthropogenic impacts on established patterns of honey bee diversity. Our measurable and justified findings on migratory beekeeping, queen and colony replacements as well as conservation implications will hopefully be of use for the decision makers and other stakeholders.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-106
Author(s):  
Hong Le Vu ◽  
Ron Johnstone

Estuaries play an invaluable role in the transformation and cycling of materials as they move between land and sea; including anthropogenic materials. Increasingly, human land use is delivering material loads that risk overwhelming the normal functions that these ecosystems provide. In this context, the objective of this study is to assess key biogeochemical processes to understand the connections of anthropogenic activities on ecosystem performance in a tropical estuarine lagoon system. This research focuses on a case study area, Dong Ho lagoon in Vietnam, which exemplifies the anthropogenic impacts and management issues facing most of the Mekong coastline and other similar areas in Vietnam. Located at the south-western edge of the Mekong delta, the Dong Ho estuary is subject to material inputs from both local and more remote sources; making it vulnerable to degradation and functional loss. This paper summarises the key findings from an assessment of the Dong Ho estuarine functions and highlights potential risks it is currently facing.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mert Kükrer ◽  
Meral Kence ◽  
Aykut Kence

AbstractIntense admixture of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) populations is mostly attributed to migratory beekeeping practices and replacement of queens and colonies with non-native races or hybrids of different subspecies. These two practices are also heavily carried out in Anatolia and Thrace where 5 subspecies reside naturally.Here, we carried out an analysis of population structure of honey bees sampled from six different regions (n = 250) in order to test the genetic impacts of migratory beekeeping, queen and colony trade and conservation efficacy of isolated regions. A total of 30 microsatellite markers were used in four multiplex reactions.Direct genetic impact of migratory beekeeping was demonstrated first time based on a comparison of assignment of individuals to their geographically native populations where migratory colonies showed less fidelity. We found genetic evidence for them acting as a hybrid zone mobile in space and time, becoming vectors of otherwise local gene combinations.The effects of honey bee trade were revealed by the presence of very high introgression levels from the highly commercial Caucasian bees naturally limited to a narrow range. We also measured the direction and magnitude of this gene flow connected with bee trade.Comparison between regions that are either open to migratory beekeeping or not let us evaluate the status of isolated regions as centers of limited gene flow and showed the importance of establishing such regions.Despite signs of gene flow, our findings confirm high levels of geographically structured genetic diversity of four subspecies of honey bees in Turkey and emphasize the need to develop policies to maintain this diversity.Our overall results might potentially bear a wider interest to the community since they constitute an important attempt to quantify the effects of anthropogenic impacts on established patterns of honey bee diversity. Our measurable and justified findings on migratory beekeeping, queen and colony replacements as well as conservation implications will hopefully be of use for the decision makers and other stakeholders.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Sarmistha R. Majumdar

Fracking has helped to usher in an era of energy abundance in the United States. This advanced drilling procedure has helped the nation to attain the status of the largest producer of crude oil and natural gas in the world, but some of its negative externalities, such as human-induced seismicity, can no longer be ignored. The occurrence of earthquakes in communities located at proximity to disposal wells with no prior history of seismicity has shocked residents and have caused damages to properties. It has evoked individuals’ resentment against the practice of injection of fracking’s wastewater under pressure into underground disposal wells. Though the oil and gas companies have denied the existence of a link between such a practice and earthquakes and the local and state governments have delayed their responses to the unforeseen seismic events, the issue has gained in prominence among researchers, affected community residents, and the media. This case study has offered a glimpse into the varied responses of stakeholders to human-induced seismicity in a small city in the state of Texas. It is evident from this case study that although individuals’ complaints and protests from a small community may not be successful in bringing about statewide changes in regulatory policies on disposal of fracking’s wastewater, they can add to the public pressure on the state government to do something to address the problem in a state that supports fracking.


Author(s):  
M. I. Dzhalalova ◽  
A. B. Biarslanov ◽  
D. B. Asgerova

The state of plant communities in areas located in the Tersko-Sulak lowland was studied by assessing phytocenotic indicators: the structure of vegetation cover, projective cover, species diversity, species abundance and elevated production, as well as automated decoding methods. There are almost no virgin soils and natural phytocenoses here; all of them have been transformed into agrocenoses (irrigated arable lands and hayfields, rice-trees and pastures). The long-term impact on pasture ecosystems of natural and anthropogenic factors leads to significant changes in the indigenous communities of this region. Phytocenoses are formed mainly by dry-steppe types of cereals with the participation of feather grass, forbs and ephemera, a semi-desert haloxerophytic shrub - Taurida wormwood. At the base of the grass stand is common coastal wormwood and Taurida wormwood - species resistant to anthropogenic influences. Anthropogenic impacts have led to a decrease in the number of species of feed-rich grain crops and a decrease in the overall productivity of pastures. Plant communities in all areas are littered with ruderal species. The seasonal dynamics of the land cover of the sites was estimated by the methods of automatic decoding of satellite images of the Landsat8 OLI series satellite for 2015, dated by the periods: spring - May 20, summer - July 23, autumn - October 20. Satellite imagery data obtained by Landsat satellite with a resolution in the multispectral image of 30 m per pixel, and in the panchromatic image - 10 m per pixel, which correspond to the requirements for satellite imagery to assess the dynamics of soil and vegetation cover. Lower resolution data, for example, NDVI MODIS, does not provide a reliable reflection of the state of soil and vegetation cover under arid conditions. In this regard, remote sensing data obtained from the Internet resource https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/ was used.


Author(s):  
Viktoriya Bondarenko

The level of economic development of entrepreneurship in any country in the world is crucial in increasing the competitiveness of the national economy in the world market of goods and services. The activities of economic entities are the driving force for the sustainable development of regions and their suburban areas, and they also impact the welfare of population. The article dwells on the analysis of scientific approaches to the regulation of economic development of enterprises in suburban areas of the region. The article analyzes the scientific approaches to the regulation of economic development of enterprises in suburban areas of the region. According to the well-known classics of the fundamental economic theory of entrepreneurship development (A. Smith, D. Ricardo, V. Laungard, A. Loria) the peculiarities of economic development of entrepreneurship in suburban territories of the region are determined by the possibility of distribution of surplus production, minimum production costs per unit of production, availability of labor resources. In modern economic theory (M. Weber, A. Pre, S.M. Kimelberg, E. Williams, C. Vlachou, O. Iakovidou, J. van Dijk, P. Pellenbarg) the development of entrepreneurship in suburban areas of the region can be determined by institutional, innovation, technological, social, ecological and other features of the economy at the regional, state or world levels. The complex and comprehensive generalization of the features of economic development of entrepreneurship in suburban areas is proposed. There are (1) the type of decision taken by an enterprise to carry out business activities in the relevant suburban area of the region, and (2) the influence of internal and external factors on economic activity. The article argues that large enterprises are guided by more objective decision-making reasons, attaching the most importance to the physical and innovative environment. Medium and small enterprises are mainly focused on getting benefits for the entrepreneur in the short-term time period and location in the nearest geographic area. The attention was paid to the tools of ensuring economic development of entrepreneurship in suburban areas of the region, taking into account institutional changes in the national economy and the experience of developed countries of the world.


2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (8) ◽  
pp. 1744-1748
Author(s):  
Catalina Stoica ◽  
Gabriela Geanina Vasile ◽  
Alina Banciu ◽  
Daniela Niculescu ◽  
Irina Lucaciu ◽  
...  

During the past few decades, the anthropogenic activities induced worldwide changes in the ecological systems, including the aquatic systems. This work analysed the contamination level of groundwater resources from a rural agglomeration (Central-Western part of Prahova County) by biological and physico-chemical approaches. The study was performed during the autumn of 2016 on several sampling sites (four drilling wells, depth higher than 100 m supplying three villages; two wells lower than 10 m depth and one spring). The water quality was evaluated by comparison with the limit values of the drinking water quality legislation (Law no.458/2002) and the Order 621/2014 (applicable to all groundwater bodies of Romania). The results showed that phenols and metals (iron and manganese) exceeded the threshold values in all sampling sites. Moreover, the anthropogenic factors including agriculture, use of fertilizers, manures, animal husbandry led to an increase of the bacterial load, particularly at wells sites.


1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nandini Chatterjee

Social Forestry (SF) schemes have been implemented in India since the 1980s to combat deforestation, increase the supply of fuel-wood and fodder, and provide minor forest products for the rural populaton. The relevance of such Schemes in the Mayurakshi River Basin is basically due to its environmentally degraded state. Latterly the Basin has been brought under the Mayurakshi River Valley Project, but unless measures are undertaken to mitigate problems of soil erosion, the efficiency of the Project will be hampered.


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