scholarly journals A rapid biodiversity assessment of Lesotho’s first proposed Biosphere Reserve: a case study of Bokong Nature Reserve and Tšehlanyane National Park

Bothalia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lerato Seleteng-Kose ◽  
Khotso Kobisi ◽  
Ruida Pool-Stanvliet ◽  
Khotso Mohapi
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Park ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Amphibian Species ◽  
The Core ◽  
Baseline Information

Background: Two of Lesotho’s protected areas, namely Bokong Nature Reserve and Tšehlanyane National Park, form the core area of the country’s first proposed Biosphere Reserve. Biodiversity is a key aspect needed to justify nomination of a Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme. Previously documented biodiversity of the two protected areas is limited in terms of coverage and scope as well as being outdated. The aim of the current study was to conduct a rapid assessment of the biodiversity, including endemism, of the proposed Biosphere Reserve to inform the formal nomination process.Methods: A field survey was undertaken over 112 033 ha in the core, buffer and transition zones of the proposed Biosphere Reserve during which species of both flora and fauna were documented. Purposeful recordings were made during different seasons to incorporate various flowering seasons of the plants, as well as faunal species that may hibernate or migrate seasonally.Results: A total of 380 plant species was recorded, 30 of which are legally protected in the country, 60 endemic to the Drakensberg Mountain Centre, and two species (Aloe polyphylla and Glumicalyx lesuticus) are endemic to Lesotho. The former is the national flower of Lesotho and is under threat due to illegal trade. Sixteen mammal species were recorded, seven of which are legally protected in the country, as well as 53 bird species (including the IUCN Red Listed vulture species, Gyps coprotheres and Gypaetus barbatus). Two fish species were also recorded including Pseudobarbus quathlambae, which is Lesotho’s only known endemic vertebrate species, as well as seven reptile and three amphibian species (two of which are near endemic namely Amietia delalandii and A. vertebralis).Conclusion: This survey has provided valuable baseline information on the biodiversity (particularly regarding the flora and avifauna) of the proposed Biosphere Reserve, which includes two protected areas namely Bokong Nature Reserve and Tšehlanyane National Park. The findings reflect the biodiversity value of the area and will contribute towards its nomination as Lesotho’s first Biosphere Reserve.

scholarly journals Faunistic review of amphibians in protected areas of Ukrainian Roztochia

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 49-58
Author(s):  
B. O. Andriishyn ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Park ◽  
Rana Temporaria ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Zoological Museum ◽  
Tree Frog ◽  
Common Toad ◽  
Rana Arvalis ◽  
Amphibian Species ◽  
Marsh Frog

Background. Study of amphibian fauna as a necessary component of ecosystems is always relevant and requires a regular renewal of information, especially in protected areas. We conducted a field investigation of amphibians, a literature review and an inventory of the collections of herpetological funds in relation to three protected areas: the Roztochia Biosphere Reserve, the Yavorivskyi National Park, and the Cholgini Ornithological Reserve. Materials and Methods. The field study was performed by classical methods: route method with manual catching and with herpetological nets, vocalization method, sampling of amphibians crushed on the road, and catching individuals with frog fences. We also analyzed the literature and amphibian collections in the Zoological Museum of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. Results. According to the available literature, the amphibian fauna of these three areas under protection is similar and typical of this region. The results of our field research slightly differ from the literature data, thus, there is a need for further studies. On the study areas, we found 12 species of amphibians, which is more than half of the number of amphibian species in Ukraine, in particular: Smooth Newt Lissotriton vulgaris, Great Cres­ted Newt Triturus cristatus, Fire-bellied Toad Bombina bombina, Eastern Tree Frog Hyla orientalis, Common Spadefoot Toad Pelobates fuscus, Common Toad Bufo bufo, Green Toad Bufotes viridis, Common Frog Rana temporaria, Moor Frog Rana arvalis, Marsh Frog Pelophylax ridibundus, Edible Frog Pelophylax esculentus and Pool Frog Pelophylax lessonae. We detected 2 species of Caudata and 10 species of Anura. 10 species of amphibians were found in the Roztochia Biosphere Reserve, 5 species – in the Yavorivskyi National Park, and 9 species – in the Cholgini Ornithological Reserve. Conclusions. According to the field results, 4 species inhabit all three protected areas – Common Toad, Eastern Tree Frog, Marsh Frog and Edible Frog. A relatively small variety of amphibians found in the Yavorivskyi National Park can be due to the homogeneity of habitats and a proximity of one of the largest military proving grounds in Europe, which limits amphibians in choice of the reproductive and trophic habitats. These habitats deserve special attention because of their fast degradation for the last 10 years. Keywords: amphibians, fauna, protected areas, Ukrainian Roztochia, the Roztochia Biosphere Reserve, the Yavorivskyi National Park, the Cholgini Ornithological Reserve

scholarly journals Landscape transformation and wildlife: road mortality in Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 879 (1) ◽  
pp. 012037
Author(s):  
T Purnomo ◽  
M D Kusrini ◽  
A Mardiastuti
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Vehicle Speed ◽  
Road Mortality ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Amphibian Species ◽  
Landscape Transformation ◽  
Traffic Volumes ◽  
Varanus Salvator

Abstract The development of high way that crosses wildlife habitat will inevitably cause wildlife casualties. The purpose of this study was to identify wildlife road mortality in Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park, Southeast Sulawesi (mostly consisted of savanna). Road kill data was collected by driving along the 22.4 km highway in February and March 2020 (n=28). Traffic volumes were recorded by taking traffic samples in 5 different times of the day, an hour duration each (totaling 70 h). There were 37 species being killed (totaling 529 individuals, of which 49.3% happened along km 0-10), consisted of 19 bird species, 3 small mammal species, 10 reptile species, and 5 amphibian species. Based on taxa, the highest number of road mortality was amphibians (dominated by Ingerophrynus biporcatus), followed by birds (mostly Lonchura malacca), mammals (dominated by Rattus argentiventer), and reptiles (dominated by Varanus salvator). Among mammals, no big mammal (booted macaque Macaca ochreata, wild boar Sus scrofa) was killed. Landscape transformation clearly has impacted wildlife in the study area. To reduce the occurrence of road kills, it is recommended to create corridors for wildlife crossings, limiting vehicle speed in the hot spots locations, create speed bumps, as well as adding more signage and road signs along the highway.

The importance of Vu Quang Nature Reserve, Vietnam, for bird conservation, in the context of the Annamese Lowlands Endemic Bird Area

2001 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 247-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Eames ◽  
R. Eve ◽  
A. W. Tordoff
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Present Species ◽  
Bird Conservation ◽  
Conservation Priority ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Species Lists ◽  
Complementarity Analysis

Vu Quang Nature Reserve, Vietnam, was brought to the attention of the world scientific community following the discovery of two previously undescribed large mammal species in the early 1990s. In light of the identification of other sites of high biodiversity value in the Annamite mountains of Vietnam and Laos, the relative importance for biodiversity conservation of Vu Quang needs to be reassessed. In this paper we evaluate the importance of the site for bird conservation, in relation to 13 other protected areas in the Annamese Lowlands Endemic Bird Area (EBA) and present species lists for all 14 sites. Whilst Vu Quang supports one of the highest numbers of recorded bird species of all 14 protected areas, a complementarity analysis revealed that Vu Quang does not fall within the critical subset of sites necessary to conserve 95% of the avifaunal diversity of the EBA. The site should not, therefore, be considered a regional bird conservation priority. Furthermore, of the nine restricted-range species known from the Annamese Lowlands EBA, only three are known from Vu Quang, which is not, therefore, a priority site for the conservation of endemic bird species. We also evaluate the conservation status of the avifauna of Vu Quang, and propose potential conservation measures to enhance its importance for bird conservation.

scholarly journals Long-term challenge to mangrove in the National park Xuanthuy – data released from shallow subsidence monitoring

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Xuan Thuyen
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
National Park ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
The United States ◽  
Red River ◽  
United States Geological Survey ◽  
The Core

A small mangrove colony growing for several decades on a mud flat on the left side of Balat River mouth has become today a large and healthy forest, containing a high ecosystem service value in the core of the Red River biosphere reserve. As a pioneer ecosystem located at land– water interface in the tropic, there exist always risks to mangroves, especially due to climate change and sea level rise. Sea level rise is a worldwide process, but subsidence is a local problem that can exacerbate these geo-hazards. A monitoring of shallow subsidence has been carried out by using SET-MH technique (developed by the United States Geological Survey) to track the both accretion and land sinking in the core zone of the National Park. The measurement shows the average sedimentation rate of 2.9 cm / yr and the sinking rate of 3.4 cm / yr, since Dec. 30th 2012. This is the first ground-based observation of shallow subsidence under mangroves in the Tonkin Gulf. As a simple and low cost method, so further expansion of this monitoring could provide more useful information to help identify the generally sinking trend of coastal areas in the Red River Delta and also to protect its own biosphere reserve.

scholarly journals Unfenced Borders Cause Differences in Vegetation and Fauna Between Protected and Unprotected Areas in a Tropical Savanna

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 194008291987037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonia Nyamukuru ◽  
John-Arvid Grytnes ◽  
John R. S. Tabuti ◽  
Ørjan Totland
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
National Park ◽  
Woody Vegetation ◽  
Land Use Type ◽  
Tropical Savanna ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Species Composition Of Vegetation ◽  
Trees And Shrubs

Protected areas generally occur within a matrix of intensively human-modified landscapes. As a way to maintain the biodiversity in these areas, enclosure by fencing is often preferred. This strategy, however, is costly and little is known about the effectiveness of the alternative of unfenced borders on the vegetation and fauna. The objectives of this study are to assess whether there is a distinct difference in biodiversity and composition of plants and mammals between the protected Lake Mburo National Park and the adjacent ranchlands across an unfenced border and to determine the associations between vegetation and faunal species over the same border. We recorded herbaceous vegetation, woody vegetation, and mammal species composition in plots 300 to 500 m away from the border both inside the protected area and in the adjacent ranchlands. The species composition of herbs and mammals in the protected area differ from the adjacent ranchlands, but there is no difference for trees and shrubs. After accounting for land-use type, distance from the border did not significantly account for any additional variation. We also find a correlation between the species composition of vegetation and fauna. Our results suggest that unfenced borders around protected areas create a clear effect.

scholarly journals Fish composition in Dong Nai biosphere reserve in Vietnam

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (06) ◽  
pp. 30-37
Author(s):  
Tam T. Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Red List ◽  
Amphibian Species ◽  
Endangered Fish ◽  
Rare And Endangered ◽  
High Level

Dong Nai biosphere reserve (DNBR) is well known for its high level of biodiversity and of global meaningful ecosystem. The fauna includes 84 species of mammals belonging to 28 families, 10 orders; 407 bird species; 141 reptile and amphibian species; 175 fish species; 2,017 insect species. The fish fauna of DNBR maintains many rare and endangered fish species recorded in the Vietnam red book and international union for conservation of nature red list (IUCN's red list) such as Scleropages formosus and many other rare fish species, such as Morulius chrysophekadion, Chitala ornata, Probarbus jullieni, Cyclocheilichthys enoplos… This study was aimed to identify fish composition distributed in DNBR. After the sampling period (01/2019 to 08/2019), a total of 114 fish species belonging to 11 orders and 28 families were recorded in DNBR. There were 09 species of fish on the list of rare and endangered fish species of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, 3 species (Chitala ornata, Cosmochilus harmandi and Hemibagus filamentus) on the Vietnam red list book; 01 species (Ompok bimaculatus) on the IUCN's red list, 11 exotic species, 78 commercial species and 13 species having potential as aquarium fish. In addition, the study also found the first presence of a species of phallostethid, Phenacostethus smithi in DNBR

scholarly journals Evaluation of ecotourism potential of protected areasin the Murmansk region.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4/2020) ◽  
pp. 5-13
Author(s):  
O. V. Petrova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Park ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Botanical Garden ◽  
Murmansk Region ◽  
State Nature Reserve ◽  
Nature Park ◽  
Potential Evaluation ◽  
Nature Parks ◽  
State Nature

The methodology of ecotourism potential evaluation in protected areas has been presented, the Mur-mansk region as a case study.The attractive protected areas for tourismtrade have been defined at the first stage. Among areas with the maximal scores are: National Park«Khibiny», Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute, Nature Parks «Poluostrova Rybachy i Sredny» and «Korablekk», Zakaznik «Kutsa», the Lapland State Nature Reserve and Nature Monuments «AstrophyllityGoryEveslogchorr», «Kriptogram-movoyeUshchelye», «Ushchelye Aikuaivenchorr», «Vodopad na Reke Shuoniyoki » and «Amethysts of Ship Cape». Whether it’s possibleto combine the tourism and nature conservation, we have evaluated at the next stage. National Park «Khibiny», Nature Park «Poluostrova Rybachy i Sredny», Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Instituteand Zakaznik «Kutsa» have got the highest scores. The recommendations for tourist trade have been offered for each group of protected areas.

scholarly journals Fauna of the Land Habitats of the Pivka Lakes

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Slavko Polak
Keyword(s):  
Animal Species ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Active Management ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Amphibian Species ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
Extensive Farming ◽  
Management And Conservation

V prispevku je podan pregled trenutnega poznavanja favne kopenskih habitatov Pivških jezer. Doslej je bilo na območju ugotovljenih 20 vrst sesalcev in 127 vrst ptic. Od ptic jih 75 vrst tu tudi gnezdi. Izpostavljene so vrst evropske ohranitvene pozornosti kot so kosec, hribski škrjanec, podhujka in pisana penica. Pisana penica, poljski škrjanec, rjavi srakoper in velik strnad imajo na Pivških jezerih ene največjih gnezditvenih gostot v državi. Na območju Pivških jezer je bilo doslej ugotovljenih 8 vrst plazilcev in 9 vrst dvoživk. Večina vrst je uvrščena na rdeči seznam ogroženih živali. Metulji dnevniki so relativno dobro raziskani. Za območje je znanih 106 vrst kar znaša 57% vseh v Sloveniji živečih vrst metuljev. Tudi med metulji je veliko ogroženih in ranljivih vrst. Doslej je znanih prek 210 vrst hroščev. Ocenjeno je, da tu živi med 4000 do 6000 vrst hroščev. Veliko ogroženih vrst je vezanih na močvirne travnike jezer, suha kraška travišča ter kamnite griže. Za gozdove in grmišča je značilnih manj ogroženih vrst živali. Naravovarstveno so pomembni ostanki starih hrastovih gozdov. Na območju Pivških jezer je zaradi opuščanja človekove rabe opaziti hitro zaraščanje travišč, kar vodi v zmanjševanje biotske pestrosti. Poleg pravnega zavarovanja Pivških jezer je zato predlagano aktivno upravljanje, ohranjanje in usmerjanje ter spodbujanje dosedanje ekstenzivne kmetijske rabe.  The paper gives an overview of the current knowledge of the fauna of the land habitats around the Pivka lakes. So far 20 mammal species and 127 bird species have been identified. Of the bird species, 75 also nest here. Special attention is paid to European conservation species such as the corn crake, woodlark, nightjar and barred warbler. The nesting density of the barred warbler, skylark, red-backed shrike and corn bunting at the Pivka lakes is among the highest in the country. In the area of the Pivka lakes 8 reptile species and 9 amphibian species have been identified. The majority of these species are on the Red List of Threatened Animals. The butterflies have been relatively well researched. 106 species have been identified in the area, which amounts to 57% of all species of butterflies living in Slovenia. Many of them are threatened and vulnerable species. To the present, 210 species of beetles have been identified, live here. Many of the threatened species are connected with the marshy grasslands of the lakes, dry karst grasslands and barren rocky outcrops. There are fewer threatened animal species in the forests and brush. The remains of old oak forests are scientifically important. Due to the abandonment of land use by humans in the area of the Pivka lakes we can observe the rapid overgrowth of pasturelands, which leads to decreased biodiversity. In addition to legal protection of the Pivka lakes it is therefore also recommend active management and conservation as well as preserving and encouragement of the formerly extensive farming practices. 

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