Bat fauna of the Holosiivskyi National Nature Park, Northern part

Introduction. Holosiivskyi National Nature Park is a unique, by its location, protected area. Parts of the park are located within the administrative boundaries of the city of Kyiv and include extensive, by area, forest plots. The park consists of three parts: Central (Holosiivskyi forest and other tracts), Southern (Lisnyky), and, since 2014, Northern (Svyatoshyn-Bilychi). The latter has the largest area – 6462.62 ha. Data on the chiropterofauna of this massif were incomplete. Bats are an essential element of terrestrial ecosystems. All bat species in Ukraine have a protection status, according to the Red Book of Ukraine and three international treaties. For effective conservation measures for species of this group, it is necessary to own data on their distribution, number, status, etc. As well, the study and monitoring of fauna are one of the primary tasks of national nature parks. Серія «Біологічні науки», 202125Purpose. The aim of the work was to describe the bat fauna of the Svyatoshyn-Bilychi massif of the Holosiivskyi National Nature Park, based on results of the field research conducted in 2019–2020, with the involvement of data collected in 2000–2005.Methods. Catching was carried out with mist nets. Bats were examined by the standard scheme, immediately after their capture. The study was done without removing animals from the wild; bats were released immediately after their examination at the place of their capture. Ultrasonic detectors were used for acoustic observations. The search of roosts was done by social vocalization of bats, presence of feces, night and morning swarming; as well structures which might be potential shelters for bats were inspected.Results. During 2000–2020, at the territory of the Svyatoshyn-Bilychi massif, nine bat species were recorded: Eptesicus serotinus, Myotis dasycneme, M. daubentonii, Nyctalus leisleri, N. noctula,Plecotus auritus, Pipistrellus kuhlii, P. nathusii, P. pygmaeus. Thus, today the list of bat fauna of the Svyatoshyn-Bilychi massif includes 10 species: 9, recorded; 1 species, Nyctalus lasiopterus, known by the record of the first half of the 20th century, was not revealed. According to the results of the survey in 2019–2020, four species were found to be dominants, in terms of the number of record points and their representation in catches: P. nathusii, P. pygmaeus, N. noctula, N. leisleri. During the survey, six species were confirmed to breed at the study area. 11 bat roosts were found; most of them, in trees.Originality. A comprehensive inventory of the chiropterofauna of the large protected area of the Svyatoshyn-Bilychimassif of the Holosiivskyi National Park was carried out for the first time. The first and the only one known Myotis dasycneme maternity colony in Kyiv region was found.Conclusion. The initial description of the chiropterofauna of the Svyatoshyn-Bilychi massif of the Holosiivskyi National Nature Park is presented. The obtained data can be used in the development and further implementation of practical measures for the conservation of bats within the territory of the Holosiivskyi National Nature Park and represent the basis for bat monitoring in the future. Key words: bats, fauna, Holosiivskyi National Nature Park, Kyiv City, Central Ukraine.

Checklist of the ichthyofauna of Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve, Middle Solimões, Amazonas, Brazil: high richness in a large protected area of Western-Central Amazonia

The present study reviews the records of occurrences of fish species found in the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve (MSDR). The reserve is located in a large section of the middle Solimões River basin, in its interflow with Japurá River. For the elaboration of the list of fish species occurring in Mamirauá Reserve, we used a database of different studies on fish communities carried out in the area over the last three decades, in addition to the material deposited in the ichthyological collections of three scientific institutions, the National Institute for Amazon Research - INPA, the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Institute - IDSM and the Science and Technology Museum of the Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul - PUCRS. The ichthyofauna of the MSDR is composed of 541 species, encompassing 45 families and 15 orders. These correspond to 20% of all valid species known for the entire Amazonia so far. As observed in other studies in the Neotropical Region, the more represented orders were Siluriformes (209 species) and Characiformes (185 species), followed by the Gymnotiformes (78 species). The results presented here demonstrate a considerable increase (86%) in the knowledge about the fish diversity found in Mamirauá Reserve, in relation to its first list of fish species, published in the 90's. This increase reflects not only the growth in number of studies on fish diversity in the area, with new surveys, but also the continuous taxonomic work on the collections, and descriptions of twenty-eight new species, with one hundred and ten type series. Further surveys are expected to take place in the Northwestern, more isolated areas of the Reserve, and will allow the identification of new occurrences, and may even unveil new fish species yet to be described to Science..

A proposal for practical and effective biological corridors to connect protected areas in northwest Costa Rica

Habitat loss and increases in habitat isolation are causing animal population reductions and extirpations in forested areas of the world. This problem extends to protected areas, which, while often well-conserved, can be too small and isolated to maintain species that exist at low densities and require large contiguous areas of habitat (e.g. some large mammals). Costa Rica has been at the forefront of tropical forest conservation and a large proportion of the country’s land area is currently under some form of protection. One such area is the northwest portion of Costa Rica, which is an extremely biodiverse region with several noteworthy national and privately-owned protected areas. However, each protected area is an isolated island in a sea of deforestation. Within Costa Rica’s existing framework of biological corridors, we propose four sub-corridors as targets for restoration and full protection. These sub-corridors would link five major protected areas in northwest Costa Rica, with all of them linking to larger protected areas in the central portion of the country, while impacting a small number of people who reside within the corridors. After natural or active reforestation of the corridors, the result would be a contiguous protected area of 348,000 ha. The proposed sub-corridors would represent a 3.7% increase in protected area size in the region and only 0.2% of Costa Rica’s total land area. Using the jaguar (Panthera onca) as a model umbrella species, we estimated that each current isolated protected area could support between 8–104 individuals. Assuming lack of dispersal between protected areas (distance between each ranges from 8.1 to 24.9 km), these population sizes are unlikely to be viable in the long term. However, the combined protected areas, connected by biological sub-corridors, could support about 250 jaguars, a population size with a higher probability of surviving. Our study shows that focusing conservation efforts on a relatively small area of Costa Rica could create a large protected area derived from numerous small isolated preserves.

Groundwater stable isotope profile of the Etosha National Park, Namibia

The Etosha National Park (ENP) is a large protected area in northern Namibia. While the ENP has received a lot of research attention in terms of terrestrial ecosystem process understanding in recent decades, aquatic and hydrological research has to date been limited to a descriptive form. This study provides a baseline hydrological data set of the spatial representation of Oand H-isotope ratios in the groundwater at a park scale, with a focus on three water point types utilised by game, namely natural artesian and contact springs as well as artificial boreholes. The data are used to infer broad-scale hydrological process from groundwater recharge mechanisms dominated by direct rainfall recharge in the west of the ENP to evaporative controls on surface water recharge pathways in the east of the ENP close to Fishers Pan. The findings are used to recommend further targeted research and monitoring to aid management of water resources in the ENP.Conservation implications: The terrestrial ecosystem, particularly large game, are tightly coupled to the distribution of available surface water in the ENP, notably contact and artesian springs. Within the ENP there is a perceived desiccation of these springs. This study provides a baseline upon which more comprehensive studies should be undertaken to differentiate natural from anthropogenic causes for this phenomenon.

The Fight over the Forest

Since the fall of the authoritarian Suharto regime in Indonesia, the role of local communities in managing forest resources has been the subject of intense debate. Though the State has long asserted its authority over the country’s forest estate, local communities contend that they are the rightful owners of millions of hectares of forests, which they say has been true for centuries according to the customary rules of use, or adat. This article describes the evolution of the concept of adat beginning in the colonial era and continuing through to the present day, describing how adat has been manipulated by centralizing forces to facilitate central government control over natural resources. This discussion takes place in the context of Kerinci Seblat National Park, a large protected area on the island of Sumatra, and describes the various systems of adat found in the communities surrounding the park. The article describes how these systems have been affected by various centralizing regimes, as well as how the central government has attempted to impose resource management policies and priorities on local communities. The interaction between the central government and adat communities has in many cases led to increased environmental degradation.

Conservation issues and priorities in the Mikea Forest of south-west Madagascar

The dry forests constitute one of the most distinct, yet least protected, ecosystems in Madagascar, an island renowned for high levels of endemism. They have generally been considered one of the most intact of Madagascar's climax vegetation types and accordingly have received little conservation effort. In particular, the Mikea Forest, a unique area between the Mangoky and Fiherenana rivers, currently receives negligible formal protection. It contains remarkably diverse plant and reptile assemblages, including several taxa that are found nowhere else, plus the only populations of two threatened bird species: the subdesert mesite Monias benschi and long-tailed ground-roller Uratelornis chimaera. From satellite imagery we estimate that primary forest cover declined by 15.6 per cent from 1962 to 1999, and that the rate of deforestation has increased from 0.35 per cent per annum in 1962–94 to 0.93 per cent per annum over the past 5 years. The most important factors underlying this process are slash-and-burn maize cultivation in the northern Mikea Forest and charcoal production at its southern fringe. Given these alarming circumstances, we suggest that combinations of conservation measures are required to safeguard the biological diversity of the area. Specifically, we recommend the establishment of a large protected area to the north of Manombo, a co-ordinated network of community-based conservation areas throughout the Mikea Forest, development projects to improve agriculture, and a regional research and education centre.