scholarly journals Desirable Effects from Disturbance Ecology—A Paradox within Conservation Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7049
Author(s):  
Åsa Davidsson ◽  
Magnus Johansson ◽  
Carl Bonander
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Disturbance Ecology ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Natural Disturbances ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Negative Perceptions

The importance of natural disturbances for biodiversity is well-documented in the disturbance ecology literature. Natural disturbances such as fire, wind, and flooding strongly influence ecosystems by creating short and long-term ecological processes. Conservation management of protected areas should consider the importance of natural disturbances since natural shifts in ecosystems are, in a long-term perspective, necessary to maintain high biodiversity. The purpose of this study is to explore how and if natural disturbances are incorporated in the management of Swedish national parks and to identify possible examples of barriers for this incorporation. The design of the study is a multiple comparative case study based on a document study and completed with qualitative interviews. The cases consist of propositions and management plans for 15 Swedish national parks established between 1962 and 2018. The document analysis generated four main categories: historic/future and positive/negative perceptions of natural disturbances. The results indicate that there are positive perceptions concerning the inclusion of disturbance ecology in the management of national parks. However, there are also obstacles and challenges around natural disturbances within Swedish national parks. These obstacles are, in some cases, explained by practical implications such as the closeness to surrounding societies and in others explained by paradoxes such as visitors’ perceptions of national parks and the wilderness.

scholarly journals A floristic description of the Afromontane fynbos communities on Platberg, Eastern Free State, South Africa

Koedoe ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert F. Brand ◽  
Pieter J. Du Preez ◽  
Leslie R. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Alien Invasive Species ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
The North ◽  
Shrub Community ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Twinspan Classification

Within the Platberg area and the wider Drakensberg region, the shrinking natural resources and the threat posed to biodiversity are of concern to conservation management and require an understanding of long-term ecological processes. The vegetation of Platberg was investigated as part of an ecological survey to establish Afromontane floristic links to the Drakensberg as well as for the management of natural resources. From a TWINSPAN classification, refined by the Braun-Blanquet method, four main plant communities were identified, which were subdivided into fynbos, wetland, a woody/shrub community and grassland. A classification and description of the fynbos are presented in this article.The analysis showed the fynbos divided into two communities comprising four sub-communities and seven variants. The fynbos community had an average of 28.34 species per relevé, ranging from 14 to 54 species per sample plot. Twenty-four endemic or near-endemic Drakensberg Alpine Centre (DAC) species and 22 exotic (alien-invasive) species were recorded. Numerous floristic links with the DAC, Cape flora fynbos and grassland bioregions to the north and west were also found. The description of the fynbos plant communities can serve as a basis for the formulation of management plans for the area.

scholarly journals Long-term changes in the plant ecology of an African savanna landscape and the implications for ecosystem theory and conservation management

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Western ◽  
Victor N. Mose ◽  
David Maitumo ◽  
Caroline Mburu
Keyword(s):  
Human Impact ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Plant Ecology ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Ecosystem Theory ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Studies of the African savannas have used national parks to test ecological theories of natural ecosystems, including equilibrium, non-equilibrium, complex adaptive systems, and the role of top-down and bottom-up physical and biotic forces. Most such studies have excluded the impact of pastoralists in shaping grassland ecosystems and, over the last half century, the growing human impact on the world’s rangelands. The mounting human impact calls for selecting indicators and integrated monitoring methods able to track ecosystem changes and the role of natural and human agencies. Our study draws on five decades of monitoring the Amboseli landscape in southern Kenya to document the declining role of natural agencies in shaping plant ecology with rising human impact. Results We show that plant diversity and productivity have declined, biomass turnover has increased in response to a downsizing of mean plant size, and that ecological resilience has declined with the rising probability of extreme shortfalls in pasture production. The signature of rainfall and physical agencies in driving ecosystem properties has decreased sharply with growing human impact. We compare the Amboseli findings to the long-term studies of Kruger and Serengeti national parks to show that the human influence, whether by design or default, is increasingly shaping the ecology of savanna ecosystems. We look at the findings in the larger perspective of human impact on African grasslands and the world rangelands, in general, and discuss the implications for ecosystem theory and conservation policy and management. Conclusions The Amboseli study shows the value of using long-term integrated ecological monitoring to track the spatial and temporal changes in the species composition, structure, and function of rangeland ecosystems and the role of natural and human agencies in the process of change. The study echoes the widespread changes underway across African savannas and world’s rangelands, concluding that some level of ecosystem management is needed to prevent land degradation and the erosion of ecological function, services, and resilience. Despite the weak application of ecological theory to conservation management, a plant trait-based approach is shown to be useful in explaining the macroecological changes underway.

scholarly journals A vegetation description and floristic analyses of the springs on the Kammanassie Mountain, Western Cape

Koedoe ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Cleaver ◽  
L.R. Brown ◽  
G.J. Bredenkamp
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Mountain Catchment ◽  
Habitat Factors ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Twinspan Classification ◽  
Geological Origin ◽  
The Difference

The Kammanassie Mountain is a declared mountain catchment area and a Cape mountain zebra Equus zebra zebra population is preserved on the mountain. The high number of springs on the mountain not only provides water for the animal species but also contributes to overall ecosystem functioning. Long-term conservation of viable ecosystems requires a broader understanding of the ecological processes involved. It was therefore decided that a classification, description and mapping of the spring vegetation of the Kammanassie Mountain be undertaken. A TWINSPAN classification, refined by Braun-Blanquet procedures, revealed 11 major plant communities that could be related to geological origin. Habitat factors associated with differences in vegetation include topography, soil type and grazing. Descriptions of the plant communities include diagnostic species as well as prominent and less conspicuous species of the tree, shrub and herbaceous layers. The results also indicate a high species richness compared to similar regions and the difference between plant communities of wet and dry springs. This data is important for long-term monitoring of the spring ecosystems as well as for the compilation of management plans.

Hydrogeological responses in tropical mountainous springs

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Sánchez-Murillo
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
Distribution Functions ◽  
Geochemical Composition ◽  
Transit Times ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Best Fit ◽  
Term Data

This study presents a hydrogeochemical analysis of spring responses (2013-2017) in the tropical mountainous region of the Central Valley of Costa Rica. The isotopic distribution of δ18O and δ2H in rainfall resulted in a highly significant meteoric water line: δ2H = 7.93×δ18O + 10.37 (r2=0.97). Rainfall isotope composition exhibited a strong dependent seasonality. The isotopic variation (δ18O) of two springs within the Barva aquifer was simulated using the FlowPC program to determine mean transit times (MTTs). Exponential-piston and dispersion distribution functions provided the best-fit to the observed isotopic composition at Flores and Sacramento springs, respectively. MTTs corresponded to 1.23±0.03 (Sacramento) and 1.42±0.04 (Flores) years. The greater MTT was represented by a homogeneous geochemical composition at Flores, whereas the smaller MTT at Sacramento is reflected in a more variable geochemical response. The results may be used to enhance modelling efforts in central Costa Rica, whereby scarcity of long-term data limits water resources management plans.

scholarly journals Long-term condition management for prisoners: improving the processes between community and prison

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
NMJ Wright ◽  
F Hankins ◽  
P Hearty
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Electronic Record ◽  
Medicines Management ◽  
Long Term Conditions ◽  
Police Custody ◽  
Barriers To Screening ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Facilitators And Barriers ◽  
Ongoing Monitoring

Abstract Background Prisoner populations have a disproportionately high prevalence of risk factors for long-term conditions (LTCs), and movement between community and prisons is a period of potential disruption in the ongoing monitoring and management of LTCs. Method Nineteen qualitative interviews with staff, recruited by purposive sampling for professional background, were conducted to explore facilitators and barriers to screening, monitoring and medicines management for LTCs. Results There is variability in prisoner behaviours regarding bringing community GP-prescribed medication to prison following arrest and detention in police custody, which affects service ability regarding seamless continuation of community prescribing actions. Systems for actively inputting clinical data into existing, nationally agreed, electronic record templates for QOF monitoring are under-developed in prisons and such activity is dependent upon individual “enthusiast(s)”. Conclusion There is a pressing need to embed standardised QOF monitoring systems within an integrated community/prison commissioning framework, supported by connectivity between prison and community primary care records, including all activity related to QOF compliance.

scholarly journals Attitudes Toward Sexual Behaviors in Long-Term Care: Development of an Assessment Tool

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 602-603
Author(s):  
Rachael Spalding ◽  
Emma Katz ◽  
Barry Edelstein
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Development

Abstract Most older adults living in long-term care settings (LTCs) indicate that expressing their sexuality is important to them (Doll, 2013). Little is known about the general public’s attitudes towards sexual behaviors in LTCs. Attitudes of LTC residents’ family members are particularly important, as family members are most likely to visit residents and to care about their quality of life. Family members’ attitudes could in turn inform facility policies and management. We will present preliminary data from a series of qualitative interviews with community-dwelling adults regarding their attitudes. We will discuss how these data are being used to inform current work on a measure of attitudes toward sexual behavior in LTCs.

From Ossau and Iraty to PDO Ossau-Iraty

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (12) ◽  
pp. 3062-3075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgane Millet
Keyword(s):  
Local Development ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Farm Production ◽  
Protected Designation Of Origin ◽  
Summer Pasture ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Term Analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand how a geographical indication (GI) is built through time and how its (non)appropriation by local producers shapes it. The reciprocity of such process is also considered: how the creation of a GI changes local relationships between producers, within the GI and out of it? The case of Ossau-Iraty is relevant: in south-west of France, this protected designation of origin (PDO) has been based on two distinct regions: Bearn (Ossau) and Pays Basque (Iraty). Since then, most producers of Bearn have rejected this PDO. Design/methodology/approach The author adopts a diachronic perspective: the trajectory of the local dairy ewe sector is described, focusing on the trajectory of on-farm cheese makers from Bearn and Pays Basque and the trajectory of Ossau-Iraty. Based on different methods (qualitative interviews and archive research), this paper aims at analyzing the interactions within such heterogeneous networks. Findings When the PDO was created (1980), the opposition between producers of Bearn and Pays Basque was based on strong senses of place, which would be translated in a different perception of tradition: to Bearn producers, PDO Ossau-Iraty would be an industrial cheese, in which they did not recognize their product and themselves. With time, the producers who have been involved in the PDO worked on its specifications. The recognition of symbolic practices such as on-farm production or Summer pasture production, the recognition of differences between Basque cheese and Bearn cheese are changes that contribute to the evolution of perceptions within the local producers’ community. The author observes a recent convergence between Basque producers and Bearn producers, as their distinct products share common and strong qualifications within PDO Ossau-Iraty that contribute to their respective valorization. However, it seems to occur at an institutional level and the adhesion of the local producers might still be at stakes. Research limitations/implications A statistical study could reinforce the author’s exploratory and historical research. Furthermore, it would have been relevant to take local inhabitants and local consumers into account, as they have participated in the products’ qualifications as well. Originality/value A long-term analysis (40 years) contributes to better understand how cheeses are valorized and how such process is based on controversial processes. It contributes to root GIs into local histories, which are nor as consensual neither as uniform as we would primarily think, and to identity levers for sustainable local development.

scholarly journals Urban Ecological Restoration

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul H. Gobster
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Restoration ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Reference Sites ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Fixed Set ◽  
Natural Diversity ◽  
Urban Ecological Restoration

What does ecological restoration mean in an urban context? More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and in response to the dynamic patterns of urbanization, a growing number of ecologists, land managers, and volunteers are focusing their efforts in and around cities to restore remnants of natural diversity (Ingram 2008). Ecological restoration is still a quite youthful field, yet many scientists and practitioners hold a relatively fixed set of criteria for what defines a successful restoration project, irrespective of where sites are located. Among the criteria commonly stated, sites should be composed of indigenous species, have a structure and diversity characteristic of currently undisturbed or historically documented “reference” sites, and be maintained through ecological processes such as fire that ensure long-term sustainability with minimal human assistance (Ruiz-Jaén and Aide 2005; SER International 2004). Application of these criteria has led to many ecologically successful restorations, but some ecologists in the field have begun to question whether the same standards can be realistically applied to sites such as those within urban areas that have been radically altered by past human activity (e.g., Martínez and López-Barerra 2008) or are being influenced by novel conditions that result in unpredictable trajectories (Choi 2007). Perhaps more significantly, it is becoming increasingly recognized that the broader viability of restoration projects, especially those in urban areas, hinges on how socially successful they are in gaining public acceptance for restoration activities and practices, building constituencies to assist with implementation and maintenance, and addressing a broader set of sustainability goals that reach beyond the protection of native biodiversity (e.g., Choi et al. 2008; Hobbs 2007; Rosenzweig 2003).

scholarly journals Long-term UVB exposure promotes predator-inspection behaviour in a fish

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 20170497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Vitt ◽  
Janina E. Zierul ◽  
Theo C. M. Bakker ◽  
Ingolf P. Rick
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Stratospheric Ozone ◽  
Ultraviolet B ◽  
Antipredator Behaviour ◽  
Uvb Radiation ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Natural Sunlight ◽  
Predator Inspection

Ultraviolet-B radiation (UVB) reaching the earth's surface has increased due to human-caused stratospheric ozone depletion. Whereas the harmful effects of UVB on aquatic organisms are well studied at the molecular and cellular level, recent studies have also begun to address behavioural changes caused by sublethal amounts of UVB. However, the behavioural consequences of long-term exposure to ecologically relevant UVB levels over several life stages are virtually unknown, particularly with regard to predator–prey behaviour. We found increased predator-inspection behaviour together with a smaller body length in three-spined sticklebacks ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ) after fish were exposed for about seven months to natural sunlight conditions with enhanced UVB, compared with full siblings exposed to natural sunlight only. The observed change in antipredator behaviour may reflect a direct behavioural response mediated through UVB-induced oxidative stress during development. Alternatively, the smaller body size in UVB-exposed fish may result in an increased inspection effort allowing them to spend more time foraging. Our findings suggest that, within the scope of environmental change, UVB radiation constitutes an important stress factor by eliciting behavioural responses that influence crucial ecological processes, such as predator–prey interactions.

scholarly journals Boundary Spanning Roles and Power in Educational Partnerships

AERA Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233285842110168
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Wegemer ◽  
Jennifer R. Renick
Keyword(s):  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Boundary Spanning ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Task Orientation ◽  
Boundary Spanners ◽  
Educational Partnerships ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
Reflexive Analysis

Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) offer promising approaches to improve educational outcomes. Navigating boundaries between contexts is essential for RPP effectiveness, yet much work remains to establish a conceptual framework of boundary spanning in partnerships. Our longitudinal comparative case study draws from our experiences as graduate student boundary spanners in three long-term partnerships to examine boundary spanning roles in RPPs, with particular attention to the ways in which power permeates partnership work. Using qualitative, critically reflexive analysis of meeting artifacts and field notes, we found that our boundary spanning roles varied along five spectrums: institutional focus, task orientation, expertise, partnership disposition, and agency. Our roles were shaped by the organizational, cultural, relational, and historical features of the partnerships and contexts of interaction. We aim to promote the development of effective RPP strategies by leveraging the perspectives and positionality of graduate students in order to advance understanding of boundary spanning roles.

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