Villagers’ Perception and Attitude Toward Wetland Values and Conservation in Vietnam: A Case Study of Xuan Thuy Ramsar National Park

Perception and attitude toward wetland values and conservation are essential to the sustainable management and wise use of this resource. This study examined the attitudes of local communities towards the values and management of Xuan Thuy National Park (XTNP) in Vietnam. The study also explores factors affecting conservation attitudes in the study area. A survey was implemented to 677 households randomly selected in five communes adjacent to XTNP. In addition, focus group discussions, and interviews with selected key informants were conducted. The study shows that local villagers generally hold positive attitudes towards wetland conservation. However, awareness of the threats to wetlands and the national park rules are not high. People are willing to sacrifice part of their income to preserve wetlands for future generations. Age, length of residency, and schooling year are observed to be significantly impacting attitudes towards wetland conservation. It is critical to connect management agencies and people to propagate conservation regulations and XTNP zoning for sustainable wetland management and conservation. Social networks and the internet are potential vehicles for increasing understanding and connection.

Resilience and Adaptive Capacity of the Swan Coastal Plain Wetlands

An estimated 90% of the Swan Coastal Plain (SCP) wetlands, located in southwestern Australia, have been lost because of infilling or drainage. This loss continues despite the well-known causes, which include nutrient enrichment; the invasion of exotic flora and fauna; loss of fringing vegetation; and altered hydrological regimes caused by groundwater abstraction; urbanization; and a drying climate. Further loss is expected with climate change exacerbating the undesirable ecosystem changes of remaining wetlands. In this study, we consider these wetlands as examples of social-ecological systems (SES) which are characterized by a close interaction of the ecosystem with the social system. We take the theory of resilient SES as a starting point to identify the adaptive capacity and resilience of the wetlands. We argue that resilience provides a useful framework to analyze adaptation processes and to identify appropriate policy responses. We explore incremental adjustments and transformative action and demonstrate that policy responses arise across multiple scales and levels of jurisdiction and institution. By applying the theoretical framework of resilience to the SCP wetlands, we identified (un)desired ecosystem states of wetlands (hydrology and ecology) through different set of policy actions. Our results show that current wetland management is inadequate to maintain the ecosystem's functioning. We recommend cross-jurisdictional collaboration and the use of conceptual eco-hydrological models to depict gradual ecological change and types of regime shifts (thresholds, hysteresis, and irreversible changes). The different adaption options inform decision-makers to adequately adapt wetland management practices when uncertainty in ecosystem responses exist. Empirical data on how multiple jurisdictions operate and decide could help to further support decision-making. With this research we aim to narrow the science-policy interface which depends on corresponding cross-jurisdictional and institutional responses to coordinate wetland management policies and actions.

Censo de aves acuáticas y conservación de humedales en las vertientes altoandinas del Perú

Bird censuses in Peru began in the early twentieth century with seabird censuses carried out by the Compañía Peruana del Guano and later by IMARPE. Between 1992 and 2016 annual censuses were carried out, in 61 wetlands, in 12 departments of Peru, recording a total of 151 species between resident and migratory. The censuses constitute a great contribution to the knowledge of waterbird species and to the synergies between institutions and ornithologists who, through volunteering, compile important information for species conservation and wetland management in the Andean slopes. The taxonomic composition of the species, the importance of censuses, the migration routes of birds from the Nearctic, southern and high Andean regions, and the protected areas in the conservation of wetlands and biodiversity are analyzed. The aim of this paper is to carry out a historical analysis of the censuses and their contribution to the knowledge of waterbirds carried out in the last three decades with special reference to the conservation of wetlands in the Andean slopes in Peru.

Estimating residents' willingness to pay for wetland conservation using contingent valuation: the case of Van Long Ramsar Protected Area, Vietnam

Truong DD. 2021. Estimating residents' willingness to pay for wetland conservation using contingent valuation: the case of Van Long Ramsar Protected Area, Vietnam. Biodiversitas 22: 4784-4793. Willingness to pay (WTP) for wetland conservation is an important basis for designing market-based wetland protection strategies and sustainable wetland management. The main objective of this study is to estimate villagers' WTP for wetland conservation in Van Long Wetland Protected Area, Vietnam, and analyze factors influencing WTP. A questionnaire survey based on the dichotomous contingent valuation method (CVM) was conducted at seven communes surrounding Van Long Ramsar Protected Area (VLPA). The results showed that the local people in the studied area appreciate the roles of the wetland in preserving landscape values, supporting livelihoods, and transmitting values ??to future generations. The value of biodiversity conservation and the value of water filtration and regulation are perceived to a lesser extent in terms of the importance of conservation. Of the 384 respondents, 96% are WTP for wetland conservation at different levels. With the parametric model, the average value of WTP ranges from 300,000 to VND 328,000 VND /family/year. In the non-parametric model, the average of WTP is from 338,000 to 359,000 VND/family/year. The probability of environmental response' that willing to pay for conservation is closely related to their awareness, family income and payment amount. The results also showed optimistic points that the local people are willing to contribute to improving wetland quality. In a general sense, the results of this study make good contributions to the literature related to WTP for wetland conservation in developing countries.

Application of Korean Framework of Wetland Management Effectiveness Evaluation

This study applies the Korean framework of wetland management effectiveness evaluation for national wetland protected areas to obtain key insights into developing national wetland management policy. The quantitative evaluation framework was based on the basic evaluation framework of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, reflecting the characteristics of South Korea's wetland management policy. The framework comprises a total of 29 evaluation and 21 detailed items. Through the first quantitative evaluation of the entire target sites, a statistical analysis of the evaluation results was performed in line with management characteristics. The second and third qualitative evaluations, conducted by external research teams, were conducted after selecting a pilot target site for each group. After evaluation, the sites were divided into three groups: Group B showed the highest average values in all sectors of design, appropriateness, and delivery. The management effects in the pilot sites were, 43.9% in Yongneup of Mt. Daeam, 37.4% in Damyang riverine wetlands, and 58.9% in Upo wetlands, compared to the ideal management level. As a result, four important suggestions are derived. First, management effectiveness evaluation should consider national environmental and management policy characteristics based on an international framework. Second, an integrated management system should be established. Third, stakeholders should participate in building governance. Fourth, the participation of external experts is essential.

Morphological, calorific and nutritive characteristics of 656 freshwater invertebrates taxa

The Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment (FADA) project estimated that freshwater animal species represent 9.5% of the 1.2 million species described. Knowing that freshwater represents only 0.01% of the earth's surface, these wetlands are suitable habitats for a great part of the world's total biodiversity. However, it has been shown that there is a lack of knowledge on these species, including freshwater invertebrates. Nevertheless, they play a key role in the majority of freshwater ecosystems and in their foodweb networks. Freshwater invertebrates are the food resource of many species, such as fish and birds. The knowledge of their morphological, energetic and nutritive characteristics allows a better understanding of their selection by predators (size, energy intake etc.), but also leads to the improvement of wetland management. Although information about freshwater invertebrates exists in literature, they are generally heterogeneous, dispersed and difficult to collect. To facilitate the accessibility of these data and, thus, optimise and accelerate research projects including freshwater invertebrates, we propose a literature review describing 14 morphological and nutritive characteristics (size, dry weight, gross energy, crude protein etc.) for 656 taxa of freshwater invertebrates. This dataset is a review from 104 publications from 1935 to 2020, compiling 14 characteristics when available (size, dry weight, gross energy, crude protein etc.) for 656 taxa of freshwater invertebrates.