Woodland Extraction Rate Estimation in the Savanna Ecosystem (Case Study of Foley and Makomoto in Central-East Botswana)

Savanna woodlands make a significant contribution to rural households’ livelihoods, providing a wide range of resources as well as generating income. However, the sustainability of the woodland ecosystem is generally affected by the human harvesting intensities. This study aimed at quantifying the woodland resource extraction rates and its effects on woodland structure and density. Data were collected from households using a semi-structured questionnaire, key informant interviews, and from 128 rectangular plots measuring 30 m × 30 m. Vegetation parameters, such as tree density, tree height, diameter at breast height, species, stump density, and stump diameter, were recorded. The results of the study revealed that a total of 649 woody stumps were recorded, with an average of 56 trees removed per hectare. The findings showed that the intensities of stumps varied widely, with a high number of stumps recorded at a distance of 10–15 km from the settlements, where major land-use activities are fuelwood extraction, cultivation, and livestock farming. The results also showed that the increased commercial fuelwood production led to cutting of large mopane trees, which is an indicator of unsustainable harvesting. Based on the harvest rates provided by the respondents, results showed that large quantities of fuelwood were harvested for trading, which could put pressure on the woodland ecosystem, consequently resulting in woodland degradation. This study provides forest and range resource managers with valuable information on the quantities of stumps as an indication of tree removals and could be useful in developing effective monitoring strategies and promoting sustainable forest and woodland management.

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Participatory Mapping in Browns Canyon National Monument, Colorado (USA)

Case Studies in the Environment ◽

10.1525/cse.2017.000661 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

John Harner ◽

Lee Cerveny ◽

Rebecca Gronewold

Keyword(s):

Land Management ◽

Planning Process ◽

Management Plan ◽

Bureau Of Land Management ◽

National Monument ◽

Resource Managers ◽

Different Types ◽

Us Forest Service ◽

Natural Resource Managers

Natural resource managers need up-to-date information about how people interact with public lands and the meanings these places hold for use in planning and decision-making. This case study explains the use of public participatory Geographic Information System (GIS) to generate and analyze spatial patterns of the uses and values people hold for the Browns Canyon National Monument in Colorado. Participants drew on maps and answered questions at both live community meetings and online sessions to develop a series of maps showing detailed responses to different types of resource uses and landscape values. Results can be disaggregated by interaction types, different meaningful values, respondent characteristics, seasonality, or frequency of visit. The study was a test for the Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service, who jointly manage the monument as they prepare their land management plan. If the information generated is as helpful throughout the entire planning process as initial responses seem, this protocol could become a component of the Bureau’s planning tool kit.

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Professional Stress among Junior Commissioned Officers and Non Commissioned Officers of Indian Military Intelligence – A Case Study

GIS Business ◽

10.26643/gis.v14i6.11689 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 133-145

Author(s):

Dr. S. S. Nirmala ◽

Dr. N. Kogila ◽

T. Porkodi

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Correlation Matrix ◽

Null Hypothesis ◽

Primary Data ◽

Questionnaire Data ◽

Military Intelligence ◽

Sphericity Test ◽

Professional Stress ◽

Structured Questionnaire

The present study is focusing on the professional stress on organisation among the Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) of Indian Military Intelligence. 384 samples of Military Intelligence personnel will be taken for this study. Sources of data is Primary data include a structured questionnaire. Data was collected through structured questionnaire and measure through Likert’s scale, using KMO measure of sampling adequacy, Cronbach’s alpha for checking internal consistency, Bartlett sphericity test for testing the null hypothesis and various factor analysis including Eigenvalues, Extract square Sum loading, variance percent and Accumulation percent values relative comparison and Correlation matrix will be used as tools to arrive at desired results and statistical interpretations. The hypotheses put for test and the resultant values at 0.01 and 0.05 (for different factors) clearly indicated that there is an existence of association between different level of cadres and professional stress among personnel of Indian Military Intelligence. The authority who can formulate the rules and regulations and binding them on the lower cadres and professions to accept and adopt.

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Site specific agricultural soil management with the use of new technologies

Global NEST Journal ◽

10.30955/gnj.001203 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 59-67

Keyword(s):

New Technologies ◽

Digital Interface ◽

Appropriate Treatment ◽

Wide Range ◽

Soil Variation ◽

Soil Information ◽

Remote Sensing Techniques ◽

Agricultural Areas

<p>The Soil Science Institute of Thessaloniki produces new digitized Soil Maps that provide a useful electronic database for the spatial representation of the soil variation within a region, based on in situ soil sampling, laboratory analyses, GIS techniques and plant nutrition mathematical models, coupled with the local land cadastre. The novelty of these studies is that local agronomists have immediate access to a wide range of soil information by clicking on a field parcel shown in this digital interface and, therefore, can suggest an appropriate treatment (e.g. liming, manure incorporation, desalination, application of proper type and quantity of fertilizer) depending on the field conditions and cultivated crops. A specific case study is presented in the current work with regards to the construction of the digitized Soil Map of the regional unit of Kastoria. The potential of this map can easily be realized by the fact that the mapping of the physicochemical properties of the soils in this region provided delineation zones for differential fertilization management. An experiment was also conducted using remote sensing techniques for the enhancement of the fertilization advisory software database, which is a component of the digitized map, and the optimization of nitrogen management in agricultural areas.</p>

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Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy, Volume 55

10.1093/oso/9780198836339.001.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Keyword(s):

Middle Ages ◽

Ancient Philosophy ◽

Recent Book ◽

Loss Of Control ◽

Ancient Greek ◽

Original Essays ◽

Constant Change ◽

Wide Range ◽

Metaphysical Principle

Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy provides, twice each year, a collection of the best current work in the field of ancient philosophy. Each volume features original essays that contribute to an understanding of a wide range of themes and problems in all periods of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, from the beginnings to the threshold of the Middle Ages. From its first volume in 1983, OSAP has been a highly influential venue for work in the field, and has often featured essays of substantial length as well as critical essays on books of distinctive importance. Volume LV contains: a methodological examination on how the evidence for Presocratic thought is shaped through its reception by later thinkers, using discussions of a world soul as a case study; an article on Plato’s conception of flux and the way in which sensible particulars maintain a kind of continuity while undergoing constant change; a discussion of J. L. Austin’s unpublished lecture notes on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and his treatment of loss of control (akrasia); an article on the Stoics’ theory of time and in particular Chrysippus’ conception of the present and of events; and two articles on Plotinus, one that identifies a distinct argument to show that there is a single, ultimate metaphysical principle; and a review essay discussing E. K. Emilsson’s recent book, Plotinus.

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A protocol for sampling vascular epiphyte richness and abundance

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467408005786 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 107-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Jan H. D. Wolf ◽

S. Robbert Gradstein ◽

Nalini M. Nadkarni

Keyword(s):

Tree Height ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Mantel Test ◽

Tree Size ◽

Tree Level ◽

Trunk Diameter ◽

Host Trees ◽

Epiphyte Communities ◽

Vascular Epiphyte

Abstract:The sampling of epiphytes is fraught with methodological difficulties. We present a protocol to sample and analyse vascular epiphyte richness and abundance in forests of different structure (SVERA). Epiphyte abundance is estimated as biomass by recording the number of plant components in a range of size cohorts. Epiphyte species biomass is estimated on 35 sample-trees, evenly distributed over six trunk diameter-size cohorts (10 trees with dbh > 30 cm). Tree height, dbh and number of forks (diameter > 5 cm) yield a dimensionless estimate of the size of the tree. Epiphyte dry weight and species richness between forests is compared with ANCOVA that controls for tree size. SChao1 is used as an estimate of the total number of species at the sites. The relative dependence of the distribution of the epiphyte communities on environmental and spatial variables may be assessed using multivariate analysis and Mantel test. In a case study, we compared epiphyte vegetation of six Mexican oak forests and one Colombian oak forest at similar elevation. We found a strongly significant positive correlation between tree size and epiphyte richness or biomass at all sites. In forests with a higher diversity of host trees, more trees must be sampled. Epiphyte biomass at the Colombian site was lower than in any of the Mexican sites; without correction for tree size no significant differences in terms of epiphyte biomass could be detected. The occurrence of spatial dependence, at both the landscape level and at the tree level, shows that the inclusion of spatial descriptors in SVERA is justified.

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Effects of habitat edges on vegetation structure and the vulnerable golden-brown mouse lemur (Microcebus ravelobensis) in northwestern Madagascar

BMC Ecology ◽

10.1186/s12898-020-00337-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Bertrand Andriatsitohaina ◽

Daniel Romero-Mujalli ◽

Malcolm S. Ramsay ◽

Frederik Kiene ◽

Solofonirina Rasoloharijaona ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Edge Effects ◽

Vegetation Structure ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Tree Height ◽

Logistic Function ◽

Study Region ◽

Large Trees ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Vegetation Parameters

Abstract Background Edge effects can influence species composition and community structure as a result of changes in microenvironment and edaphic variables. We investigated effects of habitat edges on vegetation structure, abundance and body mass of one vulnerable Microcebus species in northwestern Madagascar. We trapped mouse lemurs along four 1000-m transects (total of 2424 trap nights) that ran perpendicular to the forest edge. We installed 16 pairs of 20 m2 vegetation plots along each transect and measured nine vegetation parameters. To determine the responses of the vegetation and animals to an increasing distance to the edge, we tested the fit of four alternative mathematical functions (linear, power, logistic and unimodal) to the data and derived the depth of edge influence (DEI) for all parameters. Results Logistic and unimodal functions best explained edge responses of vegetation parameters, and the logistic function performed best for abundance and body mass of M. ravelobensis. The DEI varied between 50 m (no. of seedlings, no. of liana, dbh of large trees [dbh ≥ 10 cm]) and 460 m (tree height of large trees) for the vegetation parameters, whereas it was 340 m for M. ravelobensis abundance and 390 m for body mass, corresponding best to the DEI of small tree [dbh < 10 cm] density (360 m). Small trees were significantly taller and the density of seedlings was higher in the interior than in the edge habitat. However, there was no significant difference in M. ravelobensis abundance and body mass between interior and edge habitats, suggesting that M. ravelobensis did not show a strong edge response in the study region. Finally, regression analyses revealed three negative (species abundance and three vegetation parameters) and two positive relationships (body mass and two vegetation parameters), suggesting an impact of vegetation structure on M. ravelobensis which may be partly independent of edge effects. Conclusions A comparison of our results with previous findings reveals that edge effects are variable in space in a small nocturnal primate from Madagascar. Such an ecological plasticity could be extremely relevant for mitigating species responses to habitat loss and anthropogenic disturbances.

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Assessment of ecosystem services provided by livestock agroecosystems in the tropics: a case study of tropical island environment of Guadeloupe

Tropical Animal Health and Production ◽

10.1007/s11250-021-02880-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 53 (4) ◽

Author(s):

J.-L. Gourdine ◽

A. Fourcot ◽

C. Lefloch ◽

M. Naves ◽

G. Alexandre

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Farming System ◽

Livestock Farming ◽

Tropical Island ◽

Cultural Aspects ◽

Livestock Farming System ◽

Agroecological Zones ◽

The Tropics ◽

Cluster 2

AbstractThe present study aims to assess (1) the ecosystem services (ES) provided by LFS and (2) the differential ES between local (Creole) and exotic breeds from pig, cattle and goat. The ES are defined as the benefits that humans derive from LFS. They were summarized in 12 ES indicators that cover services related to provisioning, ecological and socio-cultural aspects and territorial vitality. A total of 106 LFS units that covers the five agroecological zones of Guadeloupe were analysed. Functional typologies of LFS per species were created from surveys. The effect of breed on the ES indicators was tested. Results showed that the 40 pig LFS units were separated into 3 clusters that were differentiated in ES according to provisioning ES (cluster 1), cultural use and sale to the neighborhood (cluster 2) and pork self-consumption (cluster 3). The typology of the 57 farms with cattle distinguished 4 clusters with differences in ES provided in self-consumption (cluster1), ecological ES (cluster 2), socio-cultural ES for racing or draught oxen (cluster 3) and ES associated with territory vitality (cluster 4). The 66 goat LFS units were classified into 3 clusters different in ES concerning self-consumption (cluster 1), cultural aspects (cluster 2) and provisioning ES (cluster 3). Our study highlights that ES indicators are not breed dependent (P > 0.10) but rather livestock farming system dependent. The ES rely more on the rearing management than on the breed type, and up to now, there are no specifications in Guadeloupe to differentiate management between breeds.

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Assessing the Relation between Mud Components and Rheology for Loss Circulation Prevention Using Polymeric Gels: A Machine Learning Approach

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14051377 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (5) ◽

pp. 1377

Author(s):

Musaab I. Magzoub ◽

Raj Kiran ◽

Saeed Salehi ◽

Ibnelwaleed A. Hussein ◽

Mustafa S. Nasser

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Rheological Properties ◽

Nearest Neighbor ◽

Drilling Fluid ◽

Gradient Boosting ◽

K Nearest Neighbor ◽

Wide Range ◽

Machine Learning Approach ◽

Drilling Operations

The traditional way to mitigate loss circulation in drilling operations is to use preventative and curative materials. However, it is difficult to quantify the amount of materials from every possible combination to produce customized rheological properties. In this study, machine learning (ML) is used to develop a framework to identify material composition for loss circulation applications based on the desired rheological characteristics. The relation between the rheological properties and the mud components for polyacrylamide/polyethyleneimine (PAM/PEI)-based mud is assessed experimentally. Four different ML algorithms were implemented to model the rheological data for various mud components at different concentrations and testing conditions. These four algorithms include (a) k-Nearest Neighbor, (b) Random Forest, (c) Gradient Boosting, and (d) AdaBoosting. The Gradient Boosting model showed the highest accuracy (91 and 74% for plastic and apparent viscosity, respectively), which can be further used for hydraulic calculations. Overall, the experimental study presented in this paper, together with the proposed ML-based framework, adds valuable information to the design of PAM/PEI-based mud. The ML models allowed a wide range of rheology assessments for various drilling fluid formulations with a mean accuracy of up to 91%. The case study has shown that with the appropriate combination of materials, reasonable rheological properties could be achieved to prevent loss circulation by managing the equivalent circulating density (ECD).

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Using citizen science data to monitor the Sustainable Development Goals: a bottom-up analysis

Sustainability Science ◽

10.1007/s11625-021-01001-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Laura Ballerini ◽

Sylvia I. Bergh

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Citizen Science ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Comparative Case Study ◽

Science Data ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Case Study Analysis ◽

Wide Range ◽

Development Goals

AbstractOfficial data are not sufficient for monitoring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): they do not reach remote locations or marginalized populations and can be manipulated by governments. Citizen science data (CSD), defined as data that citizens voluntarily gather by employing a wide range of technologies and methodologies, could help to tackle these problems and ultimately improve SDG monitoring. However, the link between CSD and the SDGs is still understudied. This article aims to develop an empirical understanding of the CSD-SDG link by focusing on the perspective of projects which employ CSD. Specifically, the article presents primary and secondary qualitative data collected on 30 of these projects and an explorative comparative case study analysis. It finds that projects which use CSD recognize that the SDGs can provide a valuable framework and legitimacy, as well as attract funding, visibility, and partnerships. But, at the same time, the article reveals that these projects also encounter several barriers with respect to the SDGs: a widespread lack of knowledge of the goals, combined with frustration and political resistance towards the UN, may deter these projects from contributing their data to the SDG monitoring apparatus.

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Breeding Strategies to Improve Miscanthus as a Sustainable Source of Biomass for Bioenergy and Biorenewable Products

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy9110673 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 673 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

John Clifton-Brown ◽

Kai-Uwe Schwarz ◽

Danny Awty-Carroll ◽

Antonella Iurato ◽

Heike Meyer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Significant Contribution ◽

Perennial Grass ◽

Time Frame ◽

Eastern Asia ◽

Germplasm Collections ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Wide Range ◽

Yield Quality ◽

Short Time ◽

Commercial Expansion

Miscanthus, a C4 perennial grass native to Eastern Asia, is being bred to provide biomass for bioenergy and biorenewable products. Commercial expansion with the clonal hybrid M. × giganteus is limited by low multiplication rates, high establishment costs and drought sensitivity. These limitations can be overcome by breeding more resilient Miscanthus hybrids propagated by seed. Naturally occurring fast growing indigenous Miscanthus species are found in diverse environments across Eastern Asia. The natural diversity provides for plant breeders, the genetic resources to improve yield, quality, and resilience for a wide range of climates and adverse abiotic stresses. The challenge for Miscanthus breeding is to harness the diversity through selections of outstanding wild types, parents, and progenies over a short time frame to deploy hybrids that make a significant contribution to a world less dependent on fossil resources. Here are described the strategies taken by the Miscanthus breeding programme at Aberystwyth, UK and its partners. The programme built up one of the largest Miscanthus germplasm collections outside Asia. We describe the initial strategies to exploit the available genetic diversity to develop varieties. We illustrate the success of combining diverse Miscanthus germplasm and the selection criteria applied across different environments to identify promising hybrids and to develop these into commercial varieties. We discuss the potential for molecular selections to streamline the breeding process.

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