scholarly journals Drivers of Predator Killing by Rural Residents and Recommendations for Fostering Coexistence in Agricultural Landscapes

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolás Gálvez ◽  
Freya A. V. St. John ◽  
Zoe G. Davies
Keyword(s):  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Forced Response ◽  
Domestic Dog ◽  
Household Economy ◽  
Rural Residents ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Encounter Rates ◽  
Livestock Predation

Predators inhabiting human-dominated landscapes are vulnerable to various anthropogenic actions, including people killing them. We assess potential drivers of predator killing in an agricultural landscape in southern Chile, and discuss the implications for policies and interventions to promote coexistence. We evaluate five different types of motivation: (i) sociodemographics and household economy; (ii) livestock loss; (iii) predator encounter rates; (iv) knowledge of legal protection (all native predators are currently protected); and, (v) tolerance to livestock predation. As the killing of native predators is illegal, the prevalence of this behavior by rural residents was estimated using a symmetrical forced-response randomized response technique (RRT), a method designed to ask sensitive questions. A total of 233 rural residents from randomly assigned sample units (4 km2) across the study region completed our questionnaire. More conspicuous species, such as hawks (Falconiformes sp), foxes (Lycalopex sp) and free-roaming domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), were killed by a higher proportion of farmers than more cryptic species, like the felid güiña (Leopardus guigna), skunk (Conepatus chinga) and pumas (Puma concolor). The proportion of respondents admitting to killing predators was highest for hawks (mean = 0.46, SE = 0.08), foxes (mean = 0.29, SE = 0.08) and dogs (mean = 0.30, SE = 0.08) and lowest for güiña (mean = 0.10, SE = 0.09), which is the only species of conservation concern we examine (considered Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). From our five motivation categories, past killing of predators was associated with higher reported predator encounter rates (guina, hawks), lower tolerance to livestock predation (hawks, dogs), higher reported livestock loss (dogs) and sociodemographics and household economy (foxes). Our results demonstrate that a one-size-fits-all approach to predator persecution is unlikely to reduce or eliminate illegal killings for the suite of species we examined. We identify and describe two main types of intervention that could foster coexistence, improvement of livestock management and domestic dog management in rural areas, as well as discussing the potential for social marketing.

Effect of plantation clearcutting on carnivore presence in industrial forest landscapes in south-central Chile

Mammalia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-124
Author(s):  
Sandra P. Escudero-Páez ◽  
Esteban Botero-Delgadillo ◽  
Cristián F. Estades
Keyword(s):  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Pine Plantations ◽  
Domestic Dog ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Canis Lupus Familiaris ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
South Central ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Information on how wildlife is affected by pine plantation clearcutting is relevant for designing management strategies to promote biodiversity conservation in productive systems. By comparing the number of records of carnivores in a mosaic of pine plantations and native forest remnants before and after pine harvesting, we assessed the effect of plantation clearcutting on carnivore presence in ten sampling areas in Central Chile. We also included a number of covariates to account for their potential confounding effects, for example, the distance between each site and the nearesting human settlement and vegetation cover. A total of 10 species were observed, but no negative effect of clearcutting on carnivore presence was detected. Only the culpeo fox (Lycalopex culpaeus) responded positively to the harvesting of pine plantations. The threatened kodkod (Leopardus guigna) was absent in clearcut areas and the number of records increased in forests or plantations with a dense understorey. The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) responded positively to human settlements and seems to prefer more open areas. The number of records for the Puma (Puma concolor) and the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) was too few, and hence, we could not make any inference regarding these two species. The other species recorded showed different responses to one or more of the included covariates. Although our results showed that the recording of some species could change in the short term after pine harvesting, future studies should assess the impact of clearcutting at a much higher scale, both in terms of space and time.

scholarly journals Legal Protection of Tobacco Farmers in Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-297
Author(s):  
Agus Dono Wibawanto
Keyword(s):  
Research Method ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Household Economy ◽  
Legal Research ◽  
Main Research ◽  
State Revenue ◽  
Strategic Trading ◽  
The Republic

Tobacco and processed tobacco products is not only being an important part in the culture of the Indonesian nation. But they are also natural biological resources which have contributed greatly to the prosperity and welfare of the Indonesian people. Basically entrepreneurs or farmers of the Tobacco Industry as a very strategic trading eye have a very big role on the country's economy and the household economy of the Indonesian people specifically tobacco farmers. The cigarette and tobacco industry is one of the national industries that is still quite strong to date, in addition to material contributions in the form of state revenue from excise and employment, this tobacco-based industry is recognized as being part of the Indonesian community. This industry involves directly or indirectly. Nicotine in cigarettes is a group of legal addictive substances such as cigarettes, cigars, nicotine pieces which are stimulants, which increase dopamine and adrenaline. The main research question in this research is how is legal protection for tobacco farmers in the perspective of the Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 36 of 2009 concerning Health? The research method used is normative legal research, using analysis of various legal materials. By using normative legal research methods because to produce new arguments, theories or concepts as a prescription in solving the problems faced, namely Legal Protection against Tobacco Farmers. The conclusions of this study are efforts to protect against the dangers of smoking, among others, by raising the price of cigarettes, prohibiting the sale of cigarettes to children less than 18 years and prohibiting the sale of cigarette bars and not ratifying the Framework Convention on Tobaco Control (FCTC).

scholarly journals Marine fog inputs appear to increase methylmercury bioaccumulation in a coastal terrestrial food web

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter S. Weiss-Penzias ◽  
Michael S. Bank ◽  
Deana L. Clifford ◽  
Alicia Torregrosa ◽  
Belle Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Deposition ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Odocoileus Hemionus ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Central California ◽  
Toxicological Effects ◽  
Coastal Marine

AbstractCoastal marine atmospheric fog has recently been implicated as a potential source of ocean-derived monomethylmercury (MMHg) to coastal terrestrial ecosystems through the process of sea-to-land advection of foggy air masses followed by wet deposition. This study examined whether pumas (Puma concolor) in coastal central California, USA, and their associated food web, have elevated concentrations of MMHg, which could be indicative of their habitat being in a region that is regularly inundated with marine fog. We found that adult puma fur and fur-normalized whiskers in our marine fog-influenced study region had a mean (±SE) total Hg (THg) (a convenient surrogate for MMHg) concentration of 1544 ± 151 ng g−1 (N = 94), which was three times higher (P < 0.01) than mean THg in comparable samples from inland areas of California (492 ± 119 ng g−1, N = 18). Pumas in California eat primarily black-tailed and/or mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and THg in deer fur from the two regions was also significantly different (coastal 28.1 ± 2.9, N = 55, vs. inland 15.5 ± 1.5 ng g−1, N = 40). We suggest that atmospheric deposition of MMHg through fog may be contributing to this pattern, as we also observed significantly higher MMHg concentrations in lace lichen (Ramalina menziesii), a deer food and a bioindicator of atmospheric deposition, at sites with the highest fog frequencies. At these ocean-facing sites, deer samples had significantly higher THg concentrations compared to those from more inland bay-facing sites. Our results suggest that fog-borne MMHg, while likely a small fraction of Hg in all atmospheric deposition, may contribute, disproportionately, to the bioaccumulation of Hg to levels that approach toxicological thresholds in at least one apex predator. As global mercury levels increase, coastal food webs may be at risk to the toxicological effects of increased methylmercury burdens.

scholarly journals Habitat use of grey partridge in agricultural landscapes (the case of Ukrainian forest steppe)

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. P. Novytskyi ◽  
I. S. Mitay ◽  
S. M. Grishchenko
Keyword(s):  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
Left Bank ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Grey Partridge

<p><em>We investigated the influence of habitat and climatic parameters on Grey partridge populations in natural and agricultural landscapes of Ukrainian f</em><em>orest steppe</em><em>. In all the studied provinces, the general population trends of Grey partridge did not have the concerted correlation with climatic factors, though in </em>Steppe left bank natural-agricultural province, <em>LS-3 there was registered negative correlation between the number of birds and average rainfall in June; in </em>Steppe Right bank natural-agricultural province, <em>LS-2 we fixed positive correlation with average annual humidity.</em> We also r<em>evealed the persistent negative relationship between the density of roads and partridge abundance in hunting lands of study area. We also founded that number of agriculture variables which limited the number of grey partridges, was higher, then in central and left-bank forest-steppe of Ukraine. Thus, we registered strong negative correlation between the square of sown lands and cultivated crop area (namely with corn, sunflower, and soy), dwelling space, norms of mineral fertilizers/pesticides and the number of birds. The same variables had low and medium positive correlation coefficients with bird abundance in western part of study regions. This could indirectly indicate the forced usage of arable land by birds as the reduction of mediocrity and natural mosaic of agricultural landscapes along the gradient from the west to the east of Ukrainian steppe. This should be considered in the hunting management of agricultural landscapes in study region, like identifying of the plots for the introduction of artificially reared birds, selection of reproductive areas and other ecological and economic measures for the protection and rational exploitation of grey partridge.</em><em></em></p>

Conservation agriculture in Laos: Diffusion and determinants for adoption of direct seeding mulch-based cropping systems in smallholder agriculture

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Lestrelin ◽  
Hoa Tran Quoc ◽  
Frédéric Jullien ◽  
Bounmy Rattanatray ◽  
Chantasone Khamxaykhay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Tenure ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Main Research

AbstractOver the past half-century, major efforts have been made worldwide to develop sustainable alternatives to agricultural tillage. In line with these efforts, two main research development initiatives have supported the experimentation and dissemination of conservation agriculture (CA) in Laos. Here we present the results of a 4-year monitoring and evaluation study conducted in 21 villages targeted for dissemination. In a context of rapid transition to intensive commercial agriculture in Laos, CA has become an important constituent of agricultural landscapes. However, there are significant variations in adoption rates across the study region. Statistical and qualitative evidence suggests that experimentation and adoption are not contingent upon farm-level variables such as capital, labor, age and education. While access to land helps shape local decision-making, the land tenure threshold under which farmers are not willing to experiment with alternative cropping systems is relatively low and highly variable in both space and time. Rather, experience and awareness of land degradation, production costs, social cohesion and leadership appear to be key factors in explaining most variations in local adoption rates. These results indicate that the practice of CA is not necessarily incompatible with smallholder farming. However, while complex crop associations and rotations are necessary for integrated weed control and reduced chemical use, their diffusion would require a broader transformation of the agricultural industry and the current market demand.

Perceptions of ranchers towards livestock predation by large felids in the Brazilian Pantanal

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 356 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. P. Boulhosa ◽  
F. C. C. Azevedo
Keyword(s):  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Total Mortality ◽  
Income Loss ◽  
Livestock Predation ◽  
Husbandry Practices ◽  
Cattle Management ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Brazilian Pantanal ◽  
People’S Perceptions

Context Human–wildlife competition is a worldwide problem. In the Brazilian Pantanal, the competition is between livestock and large cats, such as the jaguar (Panthera onca) and the puma (Puma concolor). Only a few studies have been conducted in the region and have indicated low levels of cattle predation. In addition to the paucity of information on livestock predation levels, information on the local ranchers’ understanding of cattle predation is limited. Aims To investigate local people’s perceptions of large cats and husbandry practices in order to understand some of the causes and extent of jaguar–livestock interaction in the Brazilian Pantanal. Methods We present comprehensive surveys of the local people’s perceptions towards large cats using a 5-point Likert scale evaluated using non-parametric tests in order to reach a better understanding of the causes of jaguar–livestock interaction and its extent in the Brazilian Pantanal. Key results In general, total mortality rate due to cat predation was 2.7 ± 4.9% of total cattle holdings. However, jaguars were reported as a real menace to cattle and cattle predation by large cats was a real concern for ranch operations. The majority of ranchers who implemented cattle management accept the risk of losing cattle to predation by large cats, but only a minority of respondents reported that they would rather live without jaguars. Conclusions The majority of the ranches surveyed had limited husbandry practices and the intensity of cattle management did influence respondents’ perceptions of predation by large cats. Implications We suggest that the focus of conservation actions be on cattle management aimed at minimising other sources of income loss caused by poor husbandry practices.

Livestock Predation by Puma (Puma concolor) in the Highlands of a Southeastern Brazilian Atlantic Forest

2015 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 903-915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Belem Lopes Palmeira ◽  
Cristiano Trapé Trinca ◽  
Claudio Maluf Haddad
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Livestock Predation

Quantitative Shedding of Multiple Genotypes of Cryptosporidium and Giardia by Deer Mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) in a Major Agricultural Region on the California Central Coast

2017 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 819-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Kilonzo ◽  
Xunde Li ◽  
Tamara Vodoz ◽  
Chengling Xiao ◽  
Jennifer A. Chase ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peromyscus Maniculatus ◽  
Small Subunit ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Small Subunit Rrna ◽  
Central Coast ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Produce Contamination ◽  
On Farm

ABSTRACT Deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) are abundant and widely distributed rodents in North America that occupy diverse habitats, including agricultural landscapes. Giardia and Cryptosporidium are common parasites in wildlife including deer mice, which may play a role in on-farm contamination of produce. An important step in assessing the risk of produce contamination by Cryptosporidium and Giardia shed by deer mice is to determine the prevalence, levels, and genotypes of (oo)cysts in mouse feces. A total of 63 (30.3%) and 53 (25.5%) of 208 deer mice trapped on 12 farms on the California Central Coast were positive for Cryptosporidium and Giardia, respectively. Of these mice, 41 (19.7%) contained both parasites. The odds of Cryptosporidium shedding were 2.5 to 5 times higher for mice trapped in autumn than for mice trapped in summer or spring. Female mice had a higher prevalence and two- to threefold higher levels of Cryptosporidium and Giardia compared with male mice. Female adults and female juveniles had the highest rates of contamination of the environment with Cryptosporidium and Giardia, respectively. We estimated that 20 infected deer mice inhabiting 1 ha of a typical leafy green produce farm in the study region could shed approximately 5.3 × 108 Cryptosporidium and 10.5 × 108 Giardia, respectively, per day into the environment. The small-subunit rRNA gene loci from a subset of protozoan isolates were sequenced and compared with existing sequences in GenBank. Multiple genotypes of Cryptosporidium and Giardia were found, and BLAST analyses suggest that Giardia and the majority of Cryptosporidium genotypes in deer mice circulate within various rodent populations, but some Cryptosporidium isolates possess zoonotic potential.

scholarly journals Effects of Agricultural Use on Endangered Plant Taxa in Spain

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1097
Author(s):  
José Luis Molina-Pardo ◽  
Emilio Rodríguez-Caballero ◽  
Miguel Cueto ◽  
Pablo Barranco ◽  
Manuel Sánchez-Robles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Land Use Dynamics ◽  
Agricultural Use

Agriculture is one of the most widespread human activities and has the greatest impact on terrestrial ecosystems, as it transforms natural ecosystems into artificial landscapes using, in many cases, large amounts of pesticides as well as overexploiting natural resources. Therefore, for effective biodiversity conservation, it is necessary to include agricultural systems in conservation programs. In this work, the 50 plant taxa described for Spain as threatened by agricultural use were selected. These were divided according to the type of threat into those affected by crop extension, intensification, or abandonment. In addition, information was obtained concerning their conservation status, level of protection and functional traits (life form, pollination, and dispersal). Finally, the evolution of land use, in the areas near the populations of the selected species, was identified. The selected taxa belong to 21 families and present different life forms and modes of dispersal or pollination. Forty-six percent are endangered (EN) and most are included in legal protection lists. Nearly three-quarters are threatened by crop expansion and land use dynamics, reflecting an expansion of cultivated areas, which adds further pressure to these species. In addition to agricultural expansion, taxa are also at risk, due to important rates of agricultural land abandonment, and mention agricultural intensification. Nevertheless, conservation measures do exist to promote biodiversity in agricultural landscapes that may help to reverse the negative effect of land use dynamics on selected species, but few are specific to threatened flora. Therefore, if threatened plants are to be conserved in agricultural areas, it is necessary to promote a profound transformation of our socioecological systems. One of these transformative changes could come from the human-nature reconnection.

scholarly journals Marine mammal distribution in Ecuador: surveys aboard a ship of opportunity as a means of monitoring relative abundance

10.5597/00235 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 28-39
Author(s):  
Julia Elizabeth O'Hern ◽  
Michelle Sculley ◽  
Kerri Jean-Smith ◽  
Douglas Biggs ◽  
Niall Slowey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammal ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Encounter Rate ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Stenella Coeruleoalba ◽  
Encounter Rates ◽  
Common Dolphins

Five marine mammal surveys between 2008 and 2011 were conducted aboard the Buque de Investigación Orion (the research vessel for the Oceanographic Institute of the Ecuadorian Navy) within oceanic waters adjacent to mainland Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands. The surveys dedicated extensive time in deep, offshore waters where cetaceans were not densely present. Sightings of 12 species were compared with an earlier survey aboard the B/I Orion in 2001 as well as with a subset of published data from three NOAA STAR (Stenella Abundance Research) surveys between 1999 and 2003. Additionally, a small boat, near-shore survey, was conducted during June 2010 among andnear the Galápagos Islands. Encounter rates ranged annually from 0.012 cetacean/km to 0.027 cetacean/km. The highest encounter rate aboard the B/I Orion took place during the April 2009 survey. In order to compare sightingrates between the B/I Orion and NOAA platforms, the average effective half-strip widths were used to determine encounter rates per area effectively searched. A zonation within the study region was observed between odontocete andbalaenopterid cetaceans as well as between striped (Stenella coeruleoalba) and short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis). Several methodological aspects of surveys and geographical features that may influence encounter rates and subsequent abundance estimates are discussed. This study demonstrates that vessels of opportunity provide a valuable means of studying open-ocean and coastal distributions of marine mammals. Possible methodological improvements, such as the use of high-power binoculars, that could increase the absolute number of sightings, the efficiency of these opportunistic surveys, and improve the sighting rates of more evasive species are discussed.

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