scholarly journals Determinants of Distribution of Large Mammals in Seti River Basin, Tanahun District of Western Nepal

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jagan Nath Adhikari ◽  
Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai ◽  
Tej Bahadur Thapa
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Scientific Management ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Human Disturbances ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Community Forests

Forest landscape in Seti River basin of Western Nepal is not conserved within the protected area network. Wildlife habitats in Seti River basin are more vulnerable due to high anthropogenic disturbance and habitat fragmentation. Present study mainly focused to evaluate the major factors that determine the distribution of large mammals in Seti River basin by walking through 34 line transects that covered a total of 59.89 km. The distribution of large mammals was greatly affected by habitat types, human disturbances, topography and altitude. Himalayan gorals were recorded in the steep grass covered areas where as Muntjacs were found in most of the habitats and slopes. There was low occurrence of all species nearer to the settlements and roads. Besides, water sources played a vital role in distribution of wildlife, as there were more occurrences of signs of large mammals nearby water resources. In the study area, community forests played a major role in the conservation of viable population of large mammals. However, habitat fragmentation due to scattered human settlements and degradation of foraging grounds such as grasslands by succession and invasion of alien plant species added more threats to the survival of large mammals. Therefore, such situation can be improved through the protection of connecting forest patches and scientific management of forests and grasslands.

scholarly journals Determinants of abundance and habitat association of mammals in Barandabhar Corridor Forest, Chitwan, Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-109
Author(s):  
Jagan Nath Adhikari ◽  
Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai ◽  
Tej Bahadur Thapa
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Scientific Management ◽  
Encounter Rate ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Alien Plant Species ◽  
Human Disturbances ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Linear Distance ◽  
The Status ◽  
Line Transects

Abstract Barandabhar Corridor Forest (BCF), the biologically functional corridor, is surrounded by the large human settlements that exploit the corridor where large mammals such as tigers, leopards and their prey such as ungulates, primates, and rhinoceros occur. This study aimed to evaluate major determinants that affect the distribution of large mammals in BCF, Chitwan, Nepal that connects the biologically significant Chitwan National Park with the Mahabharat range. The status and distribution of large mammals along the habitat and disturbance gradients were determined by using 29 line transects (mean length = 4.59 ± 0.38 km) that covered a linear distance of 133.13 km. The chital were the most abundant mammals (density per km2 (D) = 8.9095 ± 1.4570 and encounter rate per km (ER) = 1.49) followed by rhesus monkey (D = 38.896 ± 16.013, ER = 0.28), wild boar (D = 14.814 ± 3.57, ER = 0.62), northern red muntjac (D = 9.6566 ± 2.9514, ER = 0.62) and sambar (D = 5.392 ± 2.319, ER = 0.38). Similarly, the sign encounter rate of tiger and leopard was 0.435 and 0.503 respectively. Habitat types, human disturbances, and coverage of invasive and alien plant species (IAPs) played a key role in the distribution of large mammals. The occurrence of mammals was low nearer to the settlements and roads and coverage of IAPs and more nearer to the water resources. However, degradation of foraging grounds such as grasslands by succession and invasion of alien plant species added more threats to the survival of large mammals. Therefore, such a situation can be improved through the scientific management of forests and grasslands.

scholarly journals Hydro-Geophysical Study for Well Design in Lower Reaches of Kasai River Basin, Eastern India

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranjan Sinha ◽  
Shalivahan Shrivastava
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Saline Water ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Scientific Management ◽  
Water Interface ◽  
Eastern India ◽  
Groundwater Abstraction ◽  
Well Design ◽  
Water Wells

Abstract Saltwater intrusion and up coning in coastal aquifer is a common phenomenon brought either due to flow of seawater into freshwater aquifer originally caused by groundwater abstraction near the coast or due to wrong casing design of water wells. This necessitates a study of aquifer disposition along with demarcation of fresh water saline water interface of Kasai River basin, Eastern India to determine the depth to freshwater and recommend the borehole design. In this study geophysical and hydrogeological techniques were employed to map to demarcate fresh and saline water interface. The phenomenon of saline water up coning is also noticed and accordingly water wells have been designed. For the said study, twenty two geophysical logs, sixty five lithological logs and hydrogeological data of eighty eight sites spread across Kasai River basin were utilized. The study shows that there are three regional aquifers exist in the area. It is recommended that water wells in the study area is to be constructed with artificial gravel packing of size 2-3mm and screen slot size is suggested to be 1.2mm. Since the sites are affected with saline water, hence isolation of zone is mandatory with proper cementing material or packer. This research work is able to develop a design model for the boreholes located in the area. The work as a whole will serve as a vital role in scientific management of groundwater resource and enable the rational planning in coastal aquifers so as to avoid fresh and saline water intermixing and up-coning.

scholarly journals Human encroachment into wildlife gut microbiomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria Fackelmann ◽  
Mark A. F. Gillingham ◽  
Julian Schmid ◽  
Alexander Christoph Heni ◽  
Kerstin Wilhelm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Anthropogenic Disturbances ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Domesticated Animals ◽  
Generalist Species ◽  
Fragmented Forest ◽  
Catch Up ◽  
Per Se ◽  
The One

AbstractIn the Anthropocene, humans, domesticated animals, wildlife, and their environments are interconnected, especially as humans advance further into wildlife habitats. Wildlife gut microbiomes play a vital role in host health. Changes to wildlife gut microbiomes due to anthropogenic disturbances, such as habitat fragmentation, can disrupt natural gut microbiota homeostasis and make animals vulnerable to infections that may become zoonotic. However, it remains unclear whether the disruption to wildlife gut microbiomes is caused by habitat fragmentation per se or the combination of habitat fragmentation with additional anthropogenic disturbances, such as contact with humans, domesticated animals, invasive species, and their pathogens. Here, we show that habitat fragmentation per se does not impact the gut microbiome of a generalist rodent species native to Central America, Tome’s spiny rat Proechimys semispinosus, but additional anthropogenic disturbances do. Indeed, compared to protected continuous and fragmented forest landscapes that are largely untouched by other human activities, the gut microbiomes of spiny rats inhabiting human-disturbed fragmented landscapes revealed a reduced alpha diversity and a shifted and more dispersed beta diversity. Their microbiomes contained more taxa associated with domesticated animals and their potential pathogens, suggesting a shift in potential metagenome functions. On the one hand, the compositional shift could indicate a degree of gut microbial adaption known as metagenomic plasticity. On the other hand, the greater variation in community structure and reduced alpha diversity may signal a decline in beneficial microbial functions and illustrate that gut adaption may not catch up with anthropogenic disturbances, even in a generalist species with large phenotypic plasticity, with potentially harmful consequences to both wildlife and human health.

scholarly journals Łęgi jesionowo-wiązowe w dolinie środkowej Wisły – stan ekosystemów pozbawionych zalewów i wytyczne do działań ochronnych = Riparian hardwood forests in the valley of the middle Vistula – ecosystem condition in the absence of flooding, and guidelines for protection

2019 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kowalska ◽  
Andrzej Affek ◽  
Edyta Regulska ◽  
Jacek Wolski ◽  
Bogusława Kruczkowska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Hardwood Forests ◽  
Rural Landscape ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Moisture Conditions

Riparian hardwood forests of Quercus robur, Ulmus spp and Fraxinus spp that are present along major rivers are valuable communities protected by the EU Habitat Directive and recommended for monitoring. Part of the reason for that is relative rarity on the scale of Europe as a whole, and also in Poland. This in turn reflects the way in which fertile habitats were, in their majority, deforested long ago, drained and changed into grasslands or arable land. Additionally, the greater part of these habitats have lost their specific features, as a result of river engineering and – primarily – the construction of the river embankments that have acted to limit flooding and alluvial processes, in that way also initiating change in the composition of both soils and plant communities. Specifically, this article presents selected results of the research project: Riparian hardwood forest services in the middle Vistula river valley. One of the main objectives thereof was to assess the condition of forest ecosystems from which flooding has now been absent for at least 50 years, as well as to prepare guidelines for actions necessary to maintain or restore their diversity, and proper ecological and biological functions. Our research questions therefore revolved around components of riparian hardwood forest ecosystems have been most changed … and why? The research was conducted in six riparian hardwood forests (to date unmonitored) located in the valley of the middle Vistula (in Mazowieckie voivodship). Relevant work was carried out using the standard monitoring guidelines – as primarily based on an assessment of vegetation composition and structure together with water conditions. However, in the work in question, these were augmented by additional analyses allowing for detailed characterisations of soil, the topoclimate, and the species diversity achieved by selected groups of invertebrate (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus and Haplotaxida: Lumbricidae). The communities selected represent multi-functional, species-rich forests. Extensive use of the studied riparian mixed forests ensures that deadwood resources are quite considerable. Moreover, the studied forests exert a strong impact when it comes to mitigation of climate locally. The observed soil types indicate fertile and biologically-active habitats, as well as to soil development largely determined by the height of the groundwater table causing the gleyic process in the lower parts of profiles. However, in some forest patches it is possible to note transformations related to habitat drying, with significant canopy gaps and disturbances of topsoil and the undergrowth. There was a great abundance of invasive alien plant species (mainly Impatiens parviflora) in the undergrowth. Moisture conditions have an impact on the occasional occurrence of Lumbricidae associated with wet and flooded areas. In turn, the domination by Bombus of open-habitat species indicates a transformation of forest structure, and the patchy nature of riparian forests located in a rural landscape. The obtained results demonstrate that protective actions should focus on ensuring adequate soil-moisture conditions, and on restoring the natural structure of vegetation with a view to invasions of alien species being hampered. Another important issue is the proper use of land adjacent to forest patches, as fallows prove to be invaded quickly by the kenophytes preferring abandoned and disturbed places.

scholarly journals Análise comparativa da fragilidade ambiental da bacia do rio Piracicaba a partir da aplicação de dois modelos metodológicos: suporte para o estabelecimento e proposição de Corredores Ecológicos.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3060
Author(s):  
Suelen Crispim Sutil ◽  
José Augusto Costa Gonçalves ◽  
Eliane Maria Vieira
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Forest Fragmentation ◽  
Riparian Forests ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Biological Corridors ◽  
Gradual Development ◽  
History Of ◽  
Piracicaba River

A avaliação da fragilidade ambiental das bacias hidrográficas vem se tornando cada vez mais importante no cenário ambiental, devido ao desenvolvimento gradativo da sociedade e a expansão tecnológica e econômica ao longo dos anos. Uma estratégia adotada para amenizar a degradação e restabelecer o equilíbrio, é a formação de corredores ecológicos (CEs), que auxilia na ligação entre remanescentes naturais. A bacia do rio Piracicaba passa por um longo histórico de degradação e de fragmentação florestal, principalmente próximo às cidades devido ao desmatamento de matas ciliares. Em vista disso, este trabalho analisou e comparou a aplicação de dois diferentes modelos de fragilidade ambiental, aplicada a esta bacia e, a partir de seus produtos identificou a melhor metodologia base para a proposição de corredores ecológicos na região. Com os resultados obtidos, foi possível inferir que, além de grande parte da bacia apresentar grau de fragilidade entre fraco e médio, as áreas mais vulneráveis são aquelas mais próximas à cabeceira da bacia. O estabelecimento dos corredores ecológicos abrangeu, prioritariamente, as áreas de maior fragilidade entre a conexão dos fragmentos de vegetação e as Áreas de Preservação Permanentes (APPs), assim, verificou-se que é necessário o reflorestamento de cerca de 342,24 km² das APPs da bacia para que seja possível a conexão entre as remanescentes e 2,0 km²  de áreas de ligação. Comparative analysis of the environmental fragility of the Piracicaba river basin using two methodological models: support for the application and proposition of Biological Corridors A B S T R A C TThe assessment of a river basin’s environmental fragility has become even more important on the environmental scenery due to society’s gradual development and technological and economic expansion over the years. An adopted strategy to ease the degradation and restore the ecological balance is the establishment of biological corridors that can assist the connection between natural forest patches. The Piracicaba river basin has been going through a long history of degradation and forest fragmentation, especially near the cities because of the deforestation of riparian forests. Therefore, this paper analyzed and compared the application of two adapted environmental fragility models in this river basin and identified from their products the best base methodology for the proposition of ecological corridors. From the results, it was possible to infer that, in addition to a big part of the basin present poor and average fragility level, the most vulnerable areas are the ones close to the source of the main rivers. The biological corridors establishment covered, primarily, the most vulnerable areas between the fragments of remaining forests and the Permanent Preservation Areas (PPAs) and, from this, it was possible to verify that the reforestation of around 132,14 mi² of PPAs is necessary for the connection of patches of remaining forests and 0,77 mi² of connections areas.Keywords: environmental vulnerability, geoprocessing, environmental management.

scholarly journals MULTI-SPATIOTEMPORAL SIMULATION OF EDGE EFFECT ON FOREST PATCHES IN THE BARRA SECA RIVER BASIN, ES

FLORESTA ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1864
Author(s):  
Letícia Guarnier ◽  
Fabricia Benda Oliveira ◽  
Carlos Henrique Rodrigues de Oliveira ◽  
Vicente Sombra da Fonseca
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Edge Effect ◽  
Landscape Metrics ◽  
Supervised Classification ◽  
Remote Sensing Images ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Forest Remnants ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Spatiotemporal Simulation ◽  
Transition Areas

The Atlantic Forest is intensely fragmented and this fragmentation process has caused an expressive increase of forest remnants and, consequently, increased edge effect with different physical-biological intensities in the transition areas between the patch and the matrix. This study used landscape metrics to understand and analyze how different edge effect distances affect the structure of the forest landscape in the Barra Seca River basin (ES), in 1985, 1996, 2006 and 2016. Remote sensing images were processed and using the Bhattacharya algorithm with supervised classification, the forest patches of the study area were classified and isolated. Landscape ecology metrics were computed with Patch Analyst and V-Late 2 Beta extensions. The forest patches were divided into four size classes as follows smaller than 5 ha (C1); between 5 and 10 ha (C2); between 10 and 100 ha (C3); and over 100 ha (C4). The edge effect simulation using landscape metrics was performed using the edge effect distances of 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 140, and 200 m. Forest fragmentation increased between 1985 and 2016 while the number of patches greater than 100 ha decreased. Currently, the basin landscape consists mainly of small patches, which have larger relative areas affected by edge effect while many patches smaller than 10 ha are completely dominated by edge effect for distances greater than 60 meters. The edge effect simulation for different distances allowed verifying the intensification of the edge effect on the forest patches of the Barra Seca River basin.

scholarly journals Estimation of groundwater recharge using multiple climate models in Bayesian frameworks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin O. Achieng ◽  
Jianting Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Empirical Bayes ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Regional Climate Models ◽  
Bayesian Framework ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Bias Error ◽  
Bayesian Priors

Abstract Groundwater recharge plays a vital role in replenishing aquifers, sustaining demand, and reducing adverse effects (e.g. land subsidence). In order to manage climate change-induced effects on groundwater dynamics, climate models are increasingly being used to predict current and future recharges. Even though there has been a number of hydrological studies that have averaged climate models’ predictions in a Bayesian framework, few studies have been related to the groundwater recharge. In this study, groundwater recharge estimates from 10 regional climate models (RCMs) are averaged in 12 different Bayesian frameworks with variations of priors. A recession-curve-displacement method was used to compute recharge from measured streamflow data. Two basins of different sizes located in the same water resource region in the USA, the Cedar River Basin and the Rainy River Basin, are selected to illustrate the approach and conduct quantitative analysis. It has been shown that groundwater recharge prediction is affected by the Bayesian priors. The non-Empirical Bayes g-Local-based Bayesian priors result in posterior inclusion probability values that are consistent with the performance of the climate models outside the Bayesian framework. With the proper choice of priors, the Bayesian frameworks can produce good results of groundwater recharge with R2, percent bias error, and Willmott's index of agreement of >0.97, <2%, and >0.97, respectively, in the two basins. The Bayesian framework with an appropriate prior provides opportunity to estimate recharge from multiple climate models.

scholarly journals Impact of cost distance and habitat fragmentation on the daily path length of Rhinopithecus bieti

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9165
Author(s):  
Cong Li ◽  
Xumao Zhao ◽  
Dayong Li ◽  
Paul Alan Garber ◽  
Zuofu Xiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Path Length ◽  
Landscape Heterogeneity ◽  
Landscape Configuration ◽  
Ranging Behavior ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Daily Path Length ◽  
Statistical Tool ◽  
Rhinopithecus Bieti ◽  
Cost Distance

An understanding of primate movement patterns in response to natural and anthropogenically induced changes in habitat heterogeneity, food availability, and plant species distribution is essential for developing effective management and conservation programs. Therefore, from July 2013 to June 2014, we examined the effects of landscape configuration on the ranging behavior (daily path length, DPL) of the Endangered Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) in the Baimaxueshan National Nature Reserve (27°34′N, 99°17′E) in Gehuaqing, China. Given the extreme difficulties in following the study group across high altitude mountainous terrain across an elevation of 2,500–4,000 m, we were only able to collect DPL using 3-4 GPS points per day on 21 individual days. We found that R. bieti traveled the shortest DPL in winter (1,141.31 m), followed by spring (2,034.06 m) and autumn (2,131.19 m). The cost distance, a statistical tool designed to estimate the difficulty of a species moving across its distributional range, was lowest in autumn (205.47), followed by spring (225.93) and winter (432.59) (one-way ANOVA: F = 3.852, P = 0.026, df = 2). The habitat fragmentation index (HFI), which measures the density of forest patches, indicated areas visited in the winter were more fragmented (HFI = 2.16) compared to spring (HFI = 1.83) or autumn (HFI = 1.3). Although our results should be considered preliminary, they suggest that both the availability of suitable travel routes and habitat fragmentation, driven by high-intensity human disturbance, constrain the movement of R. bieti. We found that undisturbed areas of the bands’ range contained a high density of lichens, which represent a nutritious and abundant and year-round food source for Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys. In order to protect this Endangered species, we recommend that researchers construct detailed maps of landscape heterogeneity, particularly habitat connectivity, forest fragmentation, and seasonal variation in the location of major food patches in order to better understand and mitigate the effects of seasonal habitat change on patterns of R. bieti habitat utilization and population viability.

scholarly journals Financial Assessment of Forest Management Systems in the Community Forests: A Case Study from the Midhills of Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Bijendra Basnyat
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Scientific Management ◽  
Cost Ratio ◽  
Community Forests ◽  
Benefit Cost Ratio ◽  
Conventional Management ◽  
User Groups ◽  
Forest User Groups ◽  
Benefit Cost ◽  
Forest User

In Nepal, forest management priority is shifting to scientific management from conventional management. Though, the forest officials claims that scientific management is beneficial to the forest user groups, comparative financial assessment with conventional management remains unexplored. Following a case study approach, this study compares financial efficiency of two forest management systems in the community forests, focusing on benefit-cost ratio. The study conducted documents review, focus group discussions, and rapid survey to quantify costs and benefits from each forest management system. Conventional management gave a higher benefit-cost ratio to the forest user groups, irrespective of whether forest products are sold at a subsidized price or par with the market price. However, scientific management required high forest management costs and thus had a lower benefit-cost ratio. Sensitivity analysis between two systems revealed that conventional management gave a higher benefit-cost ratio in all cases. The study concludes that forest user groups would bear financial loss if they do not fix the price of the timber at par with the market in scientific management, and in such a case, the tagged price will be beyond affordability of the forest users. Furthermore, scientific management has discouraged kind contribution of users in managing forest. Besides, social and environmental consequences of scientific management cannot be ignored. Hence, the study argues for reconsidering current scientific management considering likely economic and social consequences to the forest user groups.

scholarly journals The Namba mountains: new hope for Afromontane forest birds in Angola

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHAEL S. L. MILLS ◽  
MARTIM MELO ◽  
ALEXANDRE VAZ
Keyword(s):  
Human Impacts ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Afromontane Forest ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
High Conservation ◽  
Threatened Habitat

SummaryAfromontane forest is the most localised and threatened habitat type in Angola. For the past 40 years the estimate of the area covered by this habitat in Angola has been c.200 ha. At present, 85 ha remain at Mt Moco, the most important known site to date. This habitat holds 20 bird taxa of conservation significance but some are now rare or absent at Mt Moco. Given the small extent of forest, its high conservation value and the severe human impacts on it, finding new areas of Afromontane forest is a high conservation priority. With this objective, we visited the Namba mountains in July 2010, where c.100 ha was thought to remain in the 1970s, to establish the extent and condition of forest there and to conduct bird surveys. We found closed-canopy Afromontane forest with an abundance of Podocarpus latifolius and little human disturbance. We recorded 89 bird species, 56 in or adjacent to forest and including all 20 priority taxa and a significant population of the Endangered Swierstra’s Francolin Pternistis swierstrai. On-screen digitising of forest patches using Google Earth indicates that the larger patches are an order of magnitude larger than at Mt Moco and that there is currently > 590 ha of forest in the Namba mountains, more than trebling the previous national estimate. The site qualifies as a new Important Bird Area and is a high priority for inclusion in Angola’s protected area network.

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