Serendipity and the mind’s buffer zone

I briefly discuss about the information of serendipity in the Mindsponge framework's buffer zone.

Short-Term Abandonment versus Mowing in a Mediterranean-Temperate Meadow: Effects on Floristic Composition, Plant Functionality, and Soil Properties—A Case Study

Hay meadows are secondary grasslands maintained by mowing, and their ecological importance resides in the inherent biodiversity and carbon stocking. We investigated the plant community and soil properties of a sub humid acid grassland near the Fucecchio marshes (Italy), managed as a hay meadow, mowed once a year, and not fertilized. Part of the meadow had been abandoned for three years. We analysed the soil properties (i.e., organic carbon and total nitrogen content, available phosphorus, pH, cation-exchange capacity, texture, and conductibility) and the plant community structure (composition, functionality, and species richness) of the two sides of the meadow (mowed and abandoned). Our aim was to highlight the changes in soil properties and vegetation community, and to find out to what extent abandonment can affect those dynamics. Our results showed that after short-term abandonment, soil pH, C and N increased; litter biomass and perennial forbs increased; and annual forbs decreased. New species colonising after abandonment, thus enriching the flora, may keep spreading and eventually hinder the growth of the specialists if mowing is not resumed. Certain valuable meadow habitats need constant human intervention to maintain their peculiar vegetation, most especially if they are a buffer zone in the proximity of natural protected areas.

Baikalsky State Nature Biosphere Reserve and its buffer zone: floristic data

Baikalsky State Nature Biosphere Reserve is situated in the central part of the Khamar-Daban Range (Southern Baikal, Siberia), in three administrative districts of Republic of Buryatia (i.e. Kabansky District, Dzhidinsky District and Selenginsky District), Russia. In general, this territory has been relatively well studied by botanists, but until now there was no detailed information about the flora of the Reserve with precise geographic localities. Moreover, some records in the Baikalsky Reserve's flora were published without references to documenting herbarium specimens. The dataset contains 39,238 unique occurrences of 875 taxa (854 species, 14 subspecies, five varieties and two species aggregates) from the Baikalsky Reserve and its buffer zone. All the data were acquired during the field studies by the author in 2009–2021, when 152 taxa (17.3% of all the taxa included into the dataset) were first recorded by the author from the study area. Herbarium vouchers are preserved in the Moscow University Herbarium (MW). This dataset is the first attempt at creating a database of vascular plants of the Baikalsky Reserve and its buffer zone, based on modern research. These data will provide the background for the updated check-list of the Baikalsky Reserve's flora.

Occurrence of bats in protected areas of Nepal: An update on species richness and distribution records

Bat surveys in 20 Protected Areas (PAs) of Nepal are sporadic and/or had targeted purposively a few localities, therefore, bat diversity from the PAs is yet to be explored. Bat species richness in PAs from two reviews until 2011 are inconsistent. In total, seven surveys have been undertaken in six PAs since 2011. Hence, an update and revision on chiropteran account from the PAs of Nepal is warranted. We reviewed available literatures and museum collection records, and further collated and plotted bat occurrence coordinates into the country and mapped them. In total, 44 of 53 bat species in Nepal have been recorded from 12 PAs. Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) reports highest species richness (22) followed by Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park and Buffer Zone (SNNP & BZ) (15), Makalu Barun National Park and Buffer Zone (MBNP & BZ) (14) and Chitwan National Park and Buffer Zone (CNP & BZ) (13). In contrast, survey localities are more in CNP & BZ (12), ACA and SNNP & BZ (equally 11) and MBNP & BZ (10). Species richness increased proportionately with higher survey efforts and including more habitat types in respective PAs. Three species: Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Rh. pearsonii and Rh. sinicus are recorded from six out of 12 PAs. Pipistrellus javanicus (12), Hipposideros armiger (10), Cynopterus sphinx (9) and Rh. sinicus (9) are recorded from maximum number of surveyed localities in the PAs. All the PAs have limited occurrence records. Therefore, intensive surveys are recommended for understanding actual chiropteran diversity to the PAs of Nepal.

The Mercury Content in the Upper Layers of Soils in the Selected Area of the Masovian Landscape Park

Due to the high toxicity of the element itself and its compounds, mercury poses a significant threat to the human natural environment, in particular to the soil and water environment. An additional risk is the possibility of mercury accumulation in various elements of the environment. Soil is one of the most important elements of the natural environment and is the main link in the mercury cycle. The cycle of this element is related to both the natural processes taking place in the environment and human activity. The presence of mercury in the natural environment poses a particularly high risk of its re-accumulation as a result of its re-emission. The aim of the research was to determine the mercury content in the upper layers of soils collected from the area and buffer zone of the Mazowiecki Landscape Park as a potential source of this element’s re-emission to the environment. The paper presents the results of research on mercury content in the upper soil layer from the areas adjacent to the communication routes running through the area of the Mazowiecki Landscape Park and its buffer zone. The mercury content in the analyzed soil samples collected from the area of the Mazowiecki Landscape Park ranged from 0.082 mgHg·kg−1 dm to 0.183 mgHg·kg−1 dm, and in the soils from the cover, these values were slightly higher and ranged from 0.125 mgHg·kg−1 dm up to 0.362 mgHg·kg−1 dm. In order to avoid uncontrolled re-emission and, consequently, possible accumulation of this element in the environment, it is necessary to continue monitoring the level of mercury contamination, among others, in soil.

Species Diversity and Carbon Stock Assessments in Mangrove dan Buffer Zone Conservation Areas, West Papua, Indonesia

Global warming is the foremost natural issue nowadays. the number of community or companies that are beginning to not consider natural standards is accelerating global warming. PT Pertamina Refinery Unit VII Kasim with a mangrove conservation area and buffer zone has a role in reducing the impact of global warming. This can be a potential for carbon stock and absorption in conservation areas. Carbon research can also be linked to world carbon trading, as a form of commitment from a country that does not have forests. This study aims to determine the results of carbon stock and absorption in the mangrove area and buffer zone. This research was conducted in July 2021 in the company's conservation area. The diversity of species mangrove with 5 results and 13 species in bufferzone areas. The carbon results obtained, that the two conservation areas have great potential in absorbing and storing carbon. The result of carbon stock in the mangrove area is 32.93 tons/ha and in the buffer zone area is 588.86 tons/ha. While the carbon absorption in the mangrove ecosystem is 8.97 tons/ha and in the buffer zone area is 160.45 tons/ha. In carbon trading, the Pertamina RU VII Program has the potential to contribute to the country as much as (1.6 billion).

The socioeconomic determinants of timber use in the buffer zone of the Sumaco Napo Galeras National Park, Ecuadorian Amazon

Este trabajo evalúa las determinantes socioeconómicas del uso forestal maderable, tipos de ingresos económicos y la dependencia del aprovechamiento de madera a nivel de hogares en poblaciones indígenas kichwas y colonas/mestizas asentadas en la Región Amazónica Ecuatoriana (RAE). Los datos se obtuvieron a través de una encuesta socioeconómica en 180 hogares, realizada en siete comunidades de la parroquia Hatun Sumaku. Los resultados indicaron que, en promedio, los ingresos económicos son un 12% mayor para los hogares colonos/mestizos (USD 2787.68) que para los hogares kichwa (USD 2445.45), para quienes en esta zona su principal ingreso económico es el aprovechamiento de madera (33%), mientras que para los colonos/mestizos el 3% dado que sus ingresos principales provienen de actividades fuera de la finca (43%) a diferencia de los Kichwa (17%). El modelo de regresión Probit mostró que el área en bosques secundarios y el acceso a comunicación celular influyen positivamente en el aprovechamiento maderero, mientras que las áreas en cultivos influyen negativamente en la probabilidad de que un hogar decida aprovechar madera del bosque.

Border-Crossings and Migration in the Croatian and Slavonian Military Frontiers in the Early Modern Period

Significant geographical discoveries and the emergence of modern cartography, when combined with the concept of a territorial state, brought meaningful changes how borders were conceived during the early modern period. A diffuse image that had prevailed from antiquity to the late Middle Ages was replaced by a clear idea of a fixed border (Baramova, 2010). The role of the Military Frontier as a wider borderland was two-fold: It served as a buffer zone against the Ottoman Empire for the Habsburg hereditary lands and the still unconquered Croatian territories, and it was also an area of intense migration, especially for the Vlach population from the southeastern Dinaric region. After the suppression of the Ottomans and the first international demarcation of the Croatian territories in 1699/1700, migration to the Military Frontier increased, both from the central European area and from the southern and southwestern parts of the Balkan Peninsula. This paper discusses the role and perception of this borderland and especially of Croatia’s Military Frontier. Through interpretation and explanation of several typical examples of border crossings in this area, both before and after the first official demarcation in 1699, the paper will attempt to answer the question of how the migration processes influence the development and strengthening of the early modern state and its institutions.