An Overview of the Determination of Biodiversity of Wetlands

Wetland ecosystems support rich and unique biodiversity. Biodiversity of a given ecosystem in general and wetlands in particular provide important insights to the ecological health of an area. The Ramsar Convention 1971 identified nine criteria for identifying wetlands of international importance. Out of the nine criteria, eight are linked to biodiversity of which three are based on sites of international importance for conserving biological diversity, two are specific for water birds, two are specific for fish, and one criterion for other taxa. Hence, determination of biodiversity of wetlands is of utmost importance. In order to understand that birds, fishes, amphibians, odonates, mammals, and aquatic plants were particularly selected as indicators of wetland biodiversity, the chapter discusses the different methodologies about determination of each of these taxa under different criteria as mentioned above. These methodologies will help various stakeholders in appropriate determination of biodiversity of wetlands of a particular area.

Охота на куликов на Камчатке и ее влияние на популяции видов, внесенных в Красную книгу России.

The first in Russia large-scale study on the impact of hunting on wader populations was carried out in Kamchatka in 2019. The main research method was anonymous hunters questioning. In Kamchatka Krai, about 3.400 hunters take part in the wader hunt. Of the 402 hunters, who participated in the anonymous questioning, 55 % were hunting Whimbrels in the current season; 9 %, other large and medium-size wader species; 14 %, smaller waders. The total of about 45.000 waders are shot annually in Kamchatka, including 37.000 Whimbrels 1.600 waders of other large species, and 6 thousand waders of smaller species. From the species listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation, up to 20 Oystercatchers, 100 Far Eastern Curlews, 200 Bar-tailed Godwits, 300 Grater Knots, and 100 Red Knots are shot. Hunting smaller waders is not popular, but it causes the death of up to 12.000 thousand smaller waders, with Spoon-billed Sandpiper also occasionally killed. Special educational activities for hunters and hunting officers are required for conservation of wader populations included in the Red Data Books of the Russian Federation; first, a special field guide of waders in the Far East should be published. It is also necessary to restore the Moroshechnaya River sanctuary reserve, liquidated in 2009 yet included in the official list of areas of international importance for waders on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

Modelling Dynamic Hydrological Connectivity in the Zoigê Area (China) Based on Multi-Temporal Surface Water Observation

The sustainability of wetlands is threatened by the past and present land use practices. Hydrological connectivity is one of the most important aspects to consider for wetland rehabilitation planning purposes. Circuit theory and connectivity indices can be used to model and assess hydrological connectivity. The aim of this study was to assess spatiotemporal variation in the hydrological connectivity of the Zoigê area from 2000–2019 using both methods. The study area contains a Ramsar wetland of international importance, namely the Sichuan Ruoergai Wetland National Nature Reserve. We used a global surface water observation product as the major input for both methods, and then analyzed the temporal and spatial characteristics, in terms of important components and patches. We found that the overall connectivity has increased slightly in the last 20 years, while the probability of connection between patches of surface water has increased significantly. Important components and patches represent steppingstone habitat for the dispersal of organisms in the landscape. The main determinants of hydrological connectivity are mostly human oriented, predominantly a decrease in large livestock population size and population increase.

A Study of Forest Swamp Mapping in Hani Wetland Integrating Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 Satellite Images

As a unique wetland type, forest swamps play an important role in regional carbon cycling and biodiversity conservation. Taking Hani wetland in Jilin province as the research object, we integrated the application of Sentinel-1 radar and Sentinel-2 multispectral images, fully exploited the potential of Sentinel-1 multi-polarization band features and Sentinel-2 red edge index for forest swamp remote sensing identification, and applied the random forest method to realize the extraction of forest swamp distribution information of Hani wetland. The results show that when the optimal number of decision trees for forest swamp information extraction is 1200, the fusion of Sentinel-1VV and VH backscattering coefficient radar band features and Sentinel-2 red-edge band features can significantly improve the extraction accuracy of forest swamp distribution information, and the overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient of forest swamp information extraction in protected areas are as high as 89% and 0.85, respectively. The overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient of forest swamp information extraction in the protected area were 89% and 0.85, respectively. The landscape types of Hani Wetlands of International Importance are diversified, with natural wetlands, artificial wetlands and non-wetland landscape types co-existing. Among the natural wetland types, the forest swamp has the largest area of 27.1 km2, accounting for 11.2% of the total area of the reserve; the river has the smallest area of 0.7 km2, accounting for 0.3% of the total area of the reserve. The forest swamp extraction method provides data support for the sustainable management of Hani wetlands and case guidance for forest swamp mapping in other regions.

Velimir Šonje i Kristijan Kotarski: Korona ekonomika: pet jahača apokalipse

Relatively fast due to the large number infected and killed in a pandemic COVID-19, the World Health Organization, pointed out that this is an extraordinary event situation for public health of international importance, which certainly has an impact on society and social policy. Numerous countries around the world are implementing diverse measures to stop the spread of the virus. This inevitably affects a number of constraints in much of society and has very adverse economic consequences. The situation is so much more complex and demanding that in fact and a year after the outbreak of the pandemic yet not all the determinants of hers are always known and how to determine and implement measures to save human lives, but also to preserve the economy as much as possible. ON the complexity of this relationship is extremely interesting the book was prepared by Velimir Šonje and Kristijan Kotarski and published in 2020 by Arhivanalitika from Zagreb. On the whole, the authors very argumentatively and clearly state the economic and health costs of lockdown that may also be measurable and the loss of human lives.

Improvement of the procedure for issuing a permit for sailing vessels under a foreign flag by inland waterways of the Russian Federation

The article deals with the organization of navigation of vessels under the flags of foreign countries on the inland waterways of the Russian Federation. The article considers the relevance and problems of international shipping on inland waterways of the Russian Federation. Eurasian economic integration, international cargo flow "North-South". The most important inland waterways of international importance (IWWP), E-50 main waterways. It is proposed to improve the procedure for obtaining permission for navigation of vessels under the flags of foreign countries on inland waterways of the Russian Federation. A set of measures for the development of this type of activity is recommended. The analysis of receiving revenues from passage of vessels under flags of foreign states on inland waterways of the Russian Federation is carried out.

Marine Mammals Occurring in the Negros Occidental Coastal Wetlands Conservation Area, Philippines

The Negros Occidental Coastal Wetlands Conservation Area (NOCWCA) is the Philippines’ 7th Ramsar Site of Wetlands of International Importance. It spans 89,607 ha comprising the municipal waters of 10 adjacent towns and municipalities. Its waters are part of the Guimaras Strait in the north and the Panay Gulf in the south. This research aimed to assess marine mammal diversity in these coastal wetlands. Marine mammal species here were documented through strandings, interview surveys, and boat surveys. Ten species of marine mammals, including the dugong (Dugong dugon), have stranded in the NOCWCA for the past ten years. Three species were encountered in the boat surveys: Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus), Long-snouted spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris longirostris), and Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris). All species were encountered in close proximity to fishing boats, indicating possible interactions. The presence of these marine mammals here highlights the importance of these areas as essential habitats.

The Concept and Functions of a Universal Language of Law

The subject of the article is the concept of a universal language and a reflection on its importance for law. The starting point is a presentation of the history of the concept of a common language for all mankind, a concept that has always accompanied man – it is present in the Bible, in the ancient writings of Near Eastern peoples, it was alive in the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance, and it experienced its particular heyday – among other reasons because of the gradual abandonment of Latin as the language of science – in the seventeenth century, an age that was reformist by definition. Since its inception, the concept of a universal language has been inextricably linked with the idea of world peace and universal happiness for all people. It is significant that in most universal language designs, regardless of the era, there were, to a greater or lesser extent, references to the utility of such languages for law. The author, tracing the development of the concept of a universal language, focuses on its fullest contemporary development: Esperanto. Esperanto, like previous universal language designs, places particular emphasis on ideas linked to the concept of a universal language, especially the idea of peaceful coexistence and understanding between peoples. In this context, it is reasonable to ask what role Esperanto can play in the development of certain branches of law, especially international law. Given the position of English as the language of legal acts of international importance, the answer to this question is currently not clear.

Algae and Cyanobacteria Diversity and Bioindication of Long-Term Changes in the Hula Nature Reserve, Israel

Lake Hula, the core of one of the most extensive wetland complexes in the Eastern Mediterranean, was drained in 1951–1958. However, about 350 hectares of papyrus marshes were allocated in the southwestern part of the previous lake and became the Hula Nature Reserve status, the first of two wetlands in Israel included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. The list of algae and cyanobacteria species of Lake Hula was compiled by us for the first time based on data from publications of 1938–1958, as well as our research in the Hula Nature Reserve, obtained within the framework of the monitoring program for 2007–2013. The list includes 225 species and intraspecies of algae and cyanobacteria belonging to eight phyla. The dynamics of the species richness of algae and cyanobacteria flora for 1938–2013 are shown. Species-bioindicators of water quality have been identified, and the change in their composition by ecological groups for a period of about a hundred years has been shown. Based on the species richness of algae communities, water quality indices were calculated with particular attention to changes in trophic status during the study period. The algae flora of Lake Hula and Hula Nature Reserve was found to be similar, but bioindication has revealed an increase in salinity and organic pollution in recent years.