scholarly journals Varietal Threat Index for Monitoring Crop Diversity on Farms in Five Agro-Ecological Regions in India

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 514
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ehsan Dulloo ◽  
Natalia Estrada Carmona ◽  
Jai C. Rana ◽  
Rashmi Yadav ◽  
Francesca Grazioli
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Genetic Erosion ◽  
Varietal Diversity ◽  
Crop Genetic Diversity ◽  
The Status ◽  
Threat Index ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Term Monitoring ◽  
Conservation Interventions

Our knowledge about the status of agrobiodiversity on farms is still very limited. While several studies to assess the crop genetic diversity on farms have been undertaken, there are no systematic documentation and monitoring practices for varietal diversity in space and time. Achievement of the agrobiodiversity Aichi Target 13, established under the Biodiversity Strategy Plan 2011–2020, have failed due to the lack of existing data on varietal diversity at country, regional and global levels. Here, we propose a method for calculating the Varietal Threat Index using the four-cell analysis (FCA) participatory methodology at different geographical scales to monitor changes in the varietal diversity on farms and to compare between areas. We tested the method with datasets collected from the UN-Environment GEF project implemented in India, in which data on crop and varietal diversity were collected across seven states in India, covering five agroecological regions. Results showed that landraces are still commonly grown in the study sites, especially in the central and western regions, and that more than 50% of landraces are considered threatened, suggesting that conservation interventions are required to prevent large-scale genetic erosion. A long-term monitoring framework for varietal diversity in India is proposed.

scholarly journals ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION BY WASTEWATER FROM BROWN COAL PROCESSING ¬ A REMEDIATION CASE STUDY IN GERMANY

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arndt Wiessner ◽  
Jochen A. Müller ◽  
Peter Kuschk ◽  
Uwe Kappelmeyer ◽  
Matthias Kästner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Wastewater Disposal ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approaches ◽  
Phenolic Wastewater ◽  
Term Monitoring

The large scale of the contamination by the former carbo-chemical industry in Germany requires new and often interdisciplinary approaches for performing an economically sustainable remediation. For example, a highly toxic and dark-colored phenolic wastewater from a lignite pyrolysis factory was filled into a former open-cast pit, forming a large wastewater disposal pond. This caused an extensive environmental pollution, calling for an ecologically and economically acceptable strategy for remediation. Laboratory-scale investigations and pilot-scale tests were carried out. The result was the development of a strategy for an implementation of full-scale enhanced in situ natural attenuation on the basis of separate habitats in a meromictic pond. Long-term monitoring of the chemical and biological dynamics of the pond demonstrates the metamorphosis of a former highly polluted industrial waste deposition into a nature-integrated ecosystem with reduced danger for the environment, and confirmed the strategy for the chosen remediation management.

Long-Term Monitoring and Research in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 16-21
Author(s):  
Laurence P. Madin
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Climate Science ◽  
Polymetallic Nodules ◽  
Continuous Presence ◽  
Offshore Oil Industry ◽  
Offshore Oil ◽  
Term Monitoring

Abstract The widely recognized need for large-scale transition from fossil to renewable energy sources has led to renewed effort to obtain metals needed for battery-based electric transportation and other functions. A potential source of some of these metals is the deposits of polymetallic nodules on the deep seafloor. If mining of these deposits proceeds in the coming decade, the enterprise creates an opportunity for extensive, long-term oceanographic research in the mining locations. The need to monitor environmental effects of mining activity can best be met with a near-continuous presence of a research platform in the vicinity. The platform could be a ship or potentially a semi-submersible platform like those used in the offshore oil industry. Such a facility might be supported by a consortium of mining companies and also provide opportunities for academic research in ocean and climate science.

Temporal changes in an alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) population

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitchell B. East ◽  
J. Daren Riedle ◽  
Day B. Ligon
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Macrochelys Temminckii ◽  
The Status ◽  
Management Recommendations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Term Monitoring ◽  
Term Data

Context Monitoring populations of long-lived species requires continuous long-term efforts. This is especially applicable for species that have experienced declines range-wide. Aims Our study assessed the current status of a population of wild Macrochelys temminckii and compared the present results to those from a survey conducted nearly a decade ago. Methods Trapping in 2010–2011 was conducted on two creeks within the refuge, during the months of May–July. Capture data were compared with data collected by similar methods in 1997–2001. Key results The population structure of M. temminckii was dominated by juveniles, with few large adults or small juveniles detected and a missing size class was evident. Retrospective analysis of 1997–2001 data revealed that the population was likely to be in decline even then, despite high capture rates. Conclusions The M. temminckii population showed significant declines that indicated that the population had experienced stressors of unknown origin. The status of M. temminckii at the refuge is concerning, given the protection afforded this remnant population. Implications Short-term data from 1997–2001 indicated a healthy M. temminckii population, whereas longer-term data showed that the population has declined, resulting in significant demographic changes. Continued monitoring will be necessary to develop management recommendations and track the impact of implemented management practices. Longer-term monitoring of long-lived vertebrates is required to identify population trends.

Monitoring the effect of habitat loss on life-cycle aspects of the Masked Owl Tyto novaehollandiae in a semi-urban landscape

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 565-574
Author(s):  
Chris N. Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Breeding Activity ◽  
Breeding Territory ◽  
Term Monitoring

Long-term monitoring of the Masked Owl Tyto novaehollandiae in a semi-urban landscape before, during and after large-scale habitat removal identified a positive response in breeding activity in the short-term and a change in prey selectivity. Over the longer term, the loss in habitat had a negative impact on site fidelity. A pair of Masked Owls exhibited high fidelity to a particular breeding territory before and during the removal of large areas of habitat within this territory. Breeding success occurred over two consecutive seasons during the removal of known habitat and other disturbance events at which time the pair and their offspring were observed to exploit disturbed habitat and newly created forest edges in search of prey. Breeding activity was supported by an increased dietary focus on introduced rodents and other mammals displaced during habitat clearing. Fidelity to the breeding territory became more irregular post-disturbance and after two years the territory appeared to be abandoned. This response may suggest that the cumulative loss of habitat for established pairs as a result of urban expansion is likely to adversely affect reproductive success and site fidelity in the longer term.

Depauperate seed banks in urban tropical seagrass meadows

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (8) ◽  
pp. 935
Author(s):  
Glendon Hong Ming Ong ◽  
Samantha Lai ◽  
Siti Maryam Yaakub ◽  
Peter Todd
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Seed Viability ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Dormant Seed ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Halophila Ovalis ◽  
The Status ◽  
Cymodocea Rotundata

Seagrasses need to be resilient if they are to persist in the long term. Being able to build up a dormant seed bank in sediments is a key strategy that some species employ to regenerate from large-scale degradation. Much of the research on seed banks has focussed on temperate species, and little is known regarding the status of seed banks in tropical meadows. In the present study, we examined the seed bank status of three common seagrass species at six sites in Singapore and attempted to identify potential drivers of seed abundance. Our results indicated depauperate seed banks with few species setting viable seed and low seed densities. Halophila ovalis seeds were found at four sites and Halodule uninervis seeds at two sites, but Cymodocea rotundata seeds were absent from all six sites. Whereas H. ovalis seed viability ranged from 20% to 68.8%, none of the H. uninervis seeds was viable. Halophila ovalis seed densities (33–334m–2) were much higher than those of H. uninervis (9–21m–2). Of the variables examined, only H. ovalis cover was positively correlated with the number of seeds. Our study has highlighted the vulnerability of seagrass meadows in Singapore’s urban waters to future disturbances.

scholarly journals Long-term monitoring of the endemic Rana latastei: suggestions for after-LIFE management

Oryx ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 709-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Canova ◽  
Alessandro Balestrieri
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Community Interest ◽  
The Status ◽  
Yearly Change ◽  
A Site ◽  
Term Monitoring ◽  
Rana Latastei

AbstractWe monitored egg clutch numbers of a population of the endemic Italian agile frog Rana latastei in a Site of Community Interest in northern Italy (SCI IT 209000) during 1997–2017 with the aim of assessing the long-term variation in its abundance. We walked along the banks of canals and small ponds (n = 22) 1–3 times per week between early February and mid-April each year to detect egg clutches. The relationships between the start of the breeding season, yearly egg mass counts, rate of yearly change in the number of recorded egg masses and 15 climatic and environmental variables were assessed by multiple regression. The first deposition of eggs occurred progressively later in the year throughout the study period and mean air temperature during the breeding season decreased over this period. Agile frogs showed high deposition site-fidelity. Despite large variations in the number of egg clutches detected from year to year, the population size remained stable in the long term. Peaks in the number of egg clutches occurred 2 years after the dredging of canals, carried out every 4–6 years to improve water availability, starting in 2004 as part of a LIFE Nature Project. This was the only predictor of the number of egg clutches deposited, suggesting that periodical management is needed to support the agile frog population. Our results reinforce the need for multi-year monitoring to determine both the long-term success of habitat restoration projects and the status of residual populations.

Large-scale, long-term monitoring of Caribbean coral reefs: Simple, quick, inexpensive techniques

1994 ◽  
Vol 421 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard B. Aronson ◽  
P. J. Edmunds ◽  
W. F. Precht ◽  
D. W. Swanson ◽  
D. R. Levitan
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Caribbean Coral ◽  
Caribbean Coral Reefs ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring

scholarly journals Simple modelling for a large-scale assessment of total phosphorus retention in the floodplains of large rivers

Wetlands ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Schulz-Zunkel ◽  
Martina Baborowski ◽  
Thomas Ehlert ◽  
Hans D. Kasperidus ◽  
Frank Krüger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Hydrological Connectivity ◽  
Main Process ◽  
River Rhine ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Large Scale Assessment ◽  
River Elbe ◽  
Term Monitoring

AbstractFloodplains provide a multitude of ecosystem functions and services with water purification being one of them. For this study we modelled the retention of total phosphorous (TP) in the floodplains of the river Rhine and the river Elbe, looking at sediment deposition as the main process responsible for removing TP from rivers during inundation events. We applied two different approaches: a proxy-based approach (PBA) and a one-dimensional model based approach (MBA). We used both to calculate the yearly TP retention and compared it with the annual TP load in the rivers. Compared to the transported river load the Elbe floodplains investigated retained approx. 4.9% TP resp. 1.4% (PBA vs. MBA) while in the floodplains of the river Rhine about 1.8% vs. 0.3% TP was retained. We found that the greatest difficulty in quantifying TP retention in floodplains is due to the lack of spatial detail on the hydrological connectivity between rivers and their adjacent floodplains and that a sound validation of the results is absolutely necessary. Long-term monitoring data for floodplains, especially on hydrological connectivity, are of crucial importance in this respect.

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