Multi-scale waterfowl habitat conservation planning in Wisconsin, USA

Context The North American Waterfowl Management Plan and the Upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes Joint Venture waterfowl habitat conservation strategy provide continental and regional guidance, respectively, for waterfowl habitat conservation planning. They were not designed to guide watershed- scale waterfowl habitat delivery. Objective Our goal was to develop a waterfowl habitat decision support framework for the state of Wisconsin using biological and social criteria to guide state and local-scale practitioners with an explicit link to larger scale objectives. Methods We engaged a core group of wetland and waterfowl experts to decide upon decision support layers relevant to biological and social objectives, evaluate variables, establish weights, and review model outputs for reasonableness and accuracy. We used spatial analyst tools, kernel density estimators, and weighted sums to create spatially explicit models to identify landscapes and watersheds important for waterfowl. We identified habitat resources that exist currently (Conservation Capital) and considered potential resources (Conservation Opportunities) which could enhance wetland restoration efforts. Results We developed a transparent framework to identify and prioritize landscapes for conserving waterfowl habitat at the Hydrologic Unit Code 12 watershed scale in Wisconsin, by maintaining continental and regional priorities, and including local landscape characteristics, biological criteria, and researcher, manager, and biologist expertise. Conclusions Local detail is critical for implementing waterfowl habitat delivery and making efficient use of limited funds for conservation but can be more abstract in larger regional or continental conservation planning. Our models are science-based, transparent, defensible, and can be modified as social, political, biological, and environmental forces change.

Sources and dynamics of international funding for waterfowl conservation in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America

ContextFunding for habitat-management programs to maintain population viability is critical for conservation of migratory species; however, such financial resources are limited and can vary greatly over time. The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America is an excellent system for examining spatiotemporal patterns of funding for waterfowl conservation, because this transboundary region is crucial for reproduction and migration of many duck species. AimsWe examine large-scale spatiotemporal variation in funding for waterfowl habitat conservation in the PPR during 2007–2016. Specifically, we quantify major sources of funding and how funds were directed towards particular geographies within Canada and the USA. We further examine how sources and magnitude of funding changed over time and in relation to numbers of hunters. MethodsWe assembled data from multiple sources to quantify funding (in US$, 2016 values) from (1) USA states and non-government organisations (NGOs), (2) Canadian government and NGOs, and (3) major USA-based federal funding sources to the Canadian and US portions of the PPR between 2007 and 2016. We fit linear regressions to examine spatiotemporal variation in funding and in numbers of active waterfowl hunters in the USA. Key resultsWhereas annual funding for the Canadian portion was comparatively stable throughout the 10 years (range: US$25–41 million), funding for the US portion was dynamic and increased between the first (range: US$36–48 million) and second (range: US$43–117 million) 5-year intervals, despite concurrent declines in the number of active waterfowl hunters in the USA. ConclusionsWe discovered contrasting trends and dynamics in multiple streams of funding for habitat conservation on each side of the border bisecting the PPR. These findings and approaches warrant closer attention by wildlife professionals. Work is needed to analyse past and future funding for habitat conservation, which can then be used to refine plans for maintaining or recovering populations of migratory species. ImplicationsAlthough funding for waterfowl habitat conservation in the PPR increased over the past decade, trends were inconsistent among subregions and uncertain for some major funding sources. Better understanding of the complexities in funding will help inform more efficient long-term planning efforts for conservation of waterfowl and other migratory species.

«MONITORING OF SPRINGS OF THE CARPATHIAN NATIONAL NATURE PARK» (2019) – THE FIRST MONOGRAPH ON SPRINGS IN UKRAINE

The monograph “Monitoring of springs of the Carpathian National Natural Park” is presented and analyzed in the article (authors R.L. Kravchynskyi, V.K. Khilchevskyi, M.V. Korchemlyuk, O. M. Stefurak / Ed. by V.K. Khilchevskyi), published in 2019. This is the first such monographic study of of springs in Ukraine. It presents the results of monitoring studies of natural of springs in the territory of the Carpathian National Natural Park (field surveys, studies of the hydrological regime, chemical composition of water). Inventory and accounting of springs is included in the plan of annual nature conservation activities held in the park. There are all the necessary conditions for a comprehensive study of natural groundwater output to the surface – scientific, logistical and informational base. In 2019, after the grant of two wetlands in the Carpathian National Park (Prut and Pogorelets) international status and their inclusion in the list of wetlands protected by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Imports of International Imports especially as Waterfowl Habitat, 1971 – the study of environmental components, including springs, becomes more relevant and practical. About 40 expeditions were conducted to investigate springs in three major natural complexes in the Carpathian National Nature Park: Skibov Gorgany, Yasin-Verkhovyna Inter-Mountain Basin, and the Chernogorsky Massif. In the hydrological aspect, these are the basins of the Prut River. About 300 objects were covered by the monitoring studies. As a result of the analysis of literary sources, summarization of the information obtained in the expeditions, laboratory conditions and during the camera processing of materials, a considerable amount of data has been formed for writing the first monographic study in Ukraine on this subject, structurally consisting of eight sections. The methods used in the study of of springs and interpretation of data are presented. The book notes that in our time the multifaceted structure of the ecological and functional significance of natural of springs can be the subject of interdisciplinary research, including natural, technical, economic, often medical, and sometimes humanities. The necessity of increasing attention to the monitoring of natural of springs from environmental experts – geographers, hydrogeologists, hydrologists, ecologists, is justified.

Influenza A Virus Detected in Native Bivalves in Waterfowl Habitat of the Delmarva Peninsula, USA

We evaluated the prevalence of influenza A virus (IAV) in different species of bivalves inhabiting natural water bodies in waterfowl habitat along the Delmarva Peninsula and Chesapeake Bay in eastern Maryland. Bivalve tissue from clam and mussel specimens (Macoma balthica, Macoma phenax, Mulinia sp., Rangia cuneata, Mya arenaria, Guekensia demissa, and an undetermined mussel species) from five collection sites was analyzed for the presence of type A influenza virus by qPCR targeting the matrix gene. Of the 300 tissue samples analyzed, 13 samples (4.3%) tested positive for presence of influenza virus A matrix gene. To our knowledge, this is the first report of detection of IAV in the tissue of any bivalve mollusk from a natural water body.