An Overview of the Biological Features, Distribution, and Conservation of a Critically Endangered Riverine Catfish, Bagarius bagarius (Hamilton, 1822), in the Natural Waters of Bangladesh

Bagarius bagarius (Hamilton, 1822) is widely distributed in South and Southeast Asian countries, including Bangladesh. This species is economically important as a game and food fish. The abundance of this fish is declining around the world, especially in Bangladesh, due to a variety of meteorological and mostly anthropogenic factors, which is potentially generating concern among the conservationists. Therefore, this species has already been declared a critically endangered species by IUCN Bangladesh. Although there is no specific conservation initiative for B. bagarius in Bangladesh, various measures are there to conserve fisheries resources, which may have an impact on conserving B. bagarius in this country. This study reviews the biology and ecology with its distribution throughout the country as well as the world, threats, conservation measures, and finds out the gaps in research on this fish. Moreover, this review suggests a suitable conservation framework to improve the conservation strategy for this critically endangered fish that can be replicated in other countries for the same purpose.

ILLUSORY RESTITUTION OF NOT PRESERVED ARCHITECTURAL OBJECTS – AN ANALYSIS OF METHODS AND A CASE STUDY

The article concerns the illusory presentation of non-existent architectural objects directly in the place of their original location. This specific conservation method is considered as a tool for disseminating knowledge about the original architectural landscape of places where it has undergone transformations. The authors believe that its implementation may contribute to the growth of the identity of cities and their inhabitants. The concept refers to augmented reality, but the authors use only optical means to create a virtual component, The article presents the results of theoretical analysis and practical experiments, pointing to the advantages and disadvantages of the method.

What Are the Keys to the Adaptive Success of European Wild Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in the Iberian Peninsula?

The European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) plays an important ecological role in the ecosystems of the Iberian Peninsula. Recently, rabbit populations have drastically reduced, so the species is now considered endangered. However, in some places, this animal is considered a pest. This is the conservation paradox of the 21st century: the wild rabbit is both an invasive alien and an endangered native species. The authors of this review aimed to understand the keys to the adaptive success of European rabbits, addressing all aspects of their biology in order to provide the keys to the ecological management of this species. Aspects including nutrition, genetics, immunity interactions with the environment, behaviour, and conflict with human activities were reviewed. Ultimately, rabbits are resilient and adaptable. The main adaptations that explain the rabbit’s adaptive success are its nutrition (wide adaptation to food and good nutritional use of caecotrophy), immune system (powerful and developed), and other aspects related to genetics and behaviour. Rabbits’ relationship with humans has led them to colonise other places where they have become pests. Despite these adaptations, populations in native places have been drastically reduced in recent years. Since it serves as a bastion of the Mediterranean ecosystem, a specific conservation program for this species must be carried out. Therefore, a study of the rabbit’s response to diseases and nutrition (especially protein), as well as the interaction between them, is of special interest.

First record of the endemic anthozoan Spinimuricea klavereni (Carpine & Grasshoff 1975) (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Plexauridae) in the Adriatic Sea

We present the first record of the endemic Mediterranean anthozoan Spinimuricea klavereni (Carpine & Grasshoff 1975) (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Plexauridae) for the Adriatic Sea (Boka Kotorska bay, Montenegro). A density of 0.72 colonies m-2 could be measured in the area, which was com-pared with the scant available data in the literature. Having in mind that this species is very rare and endemic for the Mediterranean, it is important to increase our knowledge on its distribution and biology in order to better assess its ecological role, the pending threats and the need for specific conservation measures.

Quantifying Threats to Biodiversity and Prioritizing Responses: An Example from Papua New Guinea

Accurately identifying threats to global biodiversity is the first step towards effectively countering or ameliorating them. However, such threats are usually only qualitatively categorized, without any comparative quantitative assessment of threat levels either within or across ecosystems. As part of recent efforts in Papua New Guinea to develop a long-term strategic plan for reducing threats to biodiversity at the national level, we developed a novel and quantitative method for not only assessing relative effects of specific biodiversity threats across multiple ecosystems, but also identifying and prioritizing conservation actions best suited for countering identified threats. To do so, we used an abbreviated quantitative SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis and multivariate cluster analysis to identify the most significant threats to biodiversity in Papua New Guinea. Of 27 specific threats identified, there were nine major threats (each >5% of total) which accounted for approximately 72% of the total quantified biodiversity threat in Papua New Guinea. We then used the information to identify underlying crosscutting threat drivers and specific conservation actions that would have the greatest probability of reducing biodiversity threats across multiple ecosystem realms. We categorized recommended actions within three strategic categories; with actions within each category targeting two different spatial scales. Our integrated quantitative approach to identifying and addressing biodiversity threats is intuitive, comprehensive, repeatable and computationally simple. Analyses of this nature can be invaluable for avoiding not only wasted resources, but also ineffective measures for conserving biodiversity.

A mathematical framework for dissecting the normative foundations of conservation decisions

Perspectives in conservation are based on a variety of value systems and normative postulates. Such differences in how people value nature and its components lead to different perceptions of the morality of conservation goals and approaches, and often underlie disagreements in the formulation and implementation of environmental management policies. Specifically, whether a specific conservation decision (e.g. killing feral cats to save birds threatened with extinction) is viewed as appropriate or not can vary among people with different value systems. Here, we present a conceptual framework that mathematically formalises the interplay of value systems. This framework is intended to serve as a heuristic tool to clarify normative postulates in conservation approaches, and it highlights how different value systems can lead to different prioritizations of available management options. We compare how management decisions would likely be viewed under three different idealised value systems (ecocentric conservation, new conservation, and sentientist conservation). We illustrate the utility of the framework by applying it to case studies involving invasive alien species, rewilding, and trophy hunting. By making value systems and their consequences in practice explicit, the framework facilitates debates on contested conservation issues. Finally, we believe dissecting the normative postulates of conservation decisions will facilitate understanding and addressing conservation conflicts.

Effects of habitat degradation on fish production in a mangrove estuary

The main problems tropical estuaries face are mangrove deforestation and eutrophication that is a result of land development and agriculture fertilization. While these habitat modifications can significantly reduce the fish diversity and production of mangrove ecosystems, the specific mechanisms are not well understood. It is difficult to quantify the fish production in tropical estuaries, because many fish use estuaries at high tide and migrate to other habitats at low tide. Dr Kusuto Nanjo, based at the Department of Applied Aquabiology, National Fisheries University in Japan, focused on resident fish, which utilize estuaries for a certain period of their life history without tidal migration and account for a large proportion of the fish assemblages, as good indicators in assessing the secondary production of mangrove ecosystems. It is hoped that by elucidating this, his team will be able to establish specific conservation measures that protect biodiversity and life within mangrove ecosystems.