bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Role of Management in Wilderness and Natural-area Preservation
Authors: Stankey George H. 
Published: August 2009

It is argued that, while designation (i.e. allocation) of an area to wilderness or related nature conservation purposes is an important action, it is merely a necessary but insufficient step in the long-term preservation and protection of such areas. Although one can argue that areas designated for preservation objectives require little or no management, the persistent pressures stemming from their continued use, as well as external pressures stemming from increasing (and/or increasingly mobile) human populations, make the issue of management not one of whether but rather of how.Wilderness management is an inherently difficult task. Generally low levels of information foster great uncertainly with which managers must contend. The difficulty is further promoted by the relative scarcity of the wilderness resource, and by potentially irreversible consequences stemming from decisions made in the face of uncertainty.The difficult nature of the job of wilderness management could be made less so by improvements in the following areas:1. Development of accurate baseline information about the wilderness resource and its use;2. Development of a hierarchical management framework that specified goals, objectives, and actions;3. Improved understanding of the consequences of alternative management actions;4. Resolution of the underlying philosophical basis for management; and5. Development of a broad spectrum of areas with varying levels of importance placed on Nature conservation, so that some areas are provided with relatively high levels of human presence and impact, while others are managed so as to provide the highest degree of protection to Nature and conservation values.
Desertification Maps of Falcon State, Venezuela
Authors: Matteucci Silvia D. , Colma Aída , Pla Laura 
Published: August 2009

Maps are presented of the desertification status and degree of hazard in Falcon State, Venezuela, comprising 24,750 sq. km of land, and the criteria employed for their compilation are described.The information used for the compilation of the maps was obtained from the results of a regional survey recently conducted by the Authors. Degree of slope, landform, and soil texture, were employed to assess the physical fragility of the different landscapes, which were expressed as classes of inherent vulnerability. The classes of desertification hazard were obtained from the combination of degrees of plant cover and of inherent vulnerability.The results show that more than 42% of the area of Falcon State has already undergone deterioration, and that 41% is under severe or very severe desertification hazard. The subhumid climatic zone is more critical than the semiarid, both because of inherent vulnerability and of its human occupation pattern.The aim of the present paper is to get Falcon State incorporated in the world inventory of land under desertification hazard, and to call public and governmental attention to the seriousness and extent of the desertification threat—in Venezuela and also in other countries that face similar problems, whether or not they realize their danger.
Restoration of Heather Moorland and Lowland Heathland, with Special Reference to Pipelines
Authors: Putwain P. D. , Gillham D. A. , Holliday R. J. 
Published: August 2009

Reafforestation, reclamation to agriculture, urbanization, and a variety of industrial activities—such as mineral extraction and the laying of gas and oil pipelines—cause loss or severe degradation of heather moorland and lowland heathland in Britain. In recent years the expansion of the gas and oil industries has involved installation of many major pipelines, some of which traverse areas of heather moorland. Heathland vegetation is very sensitive to disturbance, and natural regeneration of its plant communities is relatively slow. Three detailed examples are given of severe disturbance caused by the laying of pipelines, where the original heathland vegetation has not recovered. There have been irreversible changes in the vegetation, to grassland with Juncus spp., and these have been associated with considerable changes in soil properties across the pipeline easement.Improved techniques have been developed for reinstatement of heather moorland and lowland heathland after pipeline installation. The techniques are based on fundamental ecological principles and have been tested during the installation of a pipeline for Scottish Gas (across the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh) and during the installation of an oil pipeline in Dorset. In both cases recovery of the heathland vegetation was satisfactory. Based on these experiences, recommendations are given for the alleviation of problems associated with the laying of pipelines through heather moorland and lowland heathland.
Oil Pollution, Seabirds, and Operational Consequences, around the Northern Isles of Scotland
Authors: Richardson Michael G. , Heubeck Martin , Lea David , Reynolds Peter 
Published: August 2009

Large numbers of seabirds were killed by both acute and chronic oil pollution in the waters around the Northern Isles of Scotland in 1979. These mortalities closely coincided with the opening of the Sullom Voe Terminal in Shetland, the largest of Britain's North Sea oil-ports, and appeared to stem largely from the illegal discharge of ballast water or tank slops from tankers trading to Sullom Voe. By the middle of 1979, the seabird deaths around Orkney and Shetland had accounted for 85% of the British total of that year.Public and political concern at these events forced the introduction of a number of non-statutory measures designed to eliminate or reduce chronic pollution offshore. In rapid and novel fashion the local authority and oil industry between them achieved a far greater degree of control than formerly over tanker traffic—through the introduction of such schemes as tanker routing, ‘areas of avoidance’, unscheduled aerial surveillance of all tankers, rigorous inspection of ballast quality and quantity, and the introduction through chartering contracts of the necessity for vessels to carry at least 35% ballast on arrival at the port (so providing a strong disincentive to deballast at sea).Since the introduction of these measures, pollution, in the form of oil and oiled birds coming ashore, has decreased dramatically, and is now at a level which is tolerable, considering the scale of oil-related developments in and around Orkney and Shetland.
Attempted Understorey Characterization Using Aerial Photography in Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India
Authors: Porwal Mahesh C. , Roy Parth S. 
Published: August 2009

Remote sensing is being widely used in the fields of resource management, planning, and wildlife habitat evaluation. Canopy cover-type mapping has been done in most of the bioclimatic zones of India and widely abroad, using aerial photointerpretation techniques. In the present study an attempt has been made to develop a methodology for mapping understorey vegetation in part of Kanha National Park, using 1:10,000-scale black-and-white aerial photographs.The Park, one of the best for Tiger (Felis tigris) visibility and observation of other large carnivores and herbivores, has been mapped, with subdivision into 11 vegetation cover-classes and four density-classes, using aerial photographs, and each class has been visited in the field for understorey information concerning different physiographic units. Each category of canopy-cover was sampled in the field, and tree base-cover per hectare has been estimated.Vertical profiles have also been drawn in the main vegetation classes in order to understand the occurrence of understorey vegetation. It was found that a physiographic analysis coupled with canopy-cover type and density, with appropriate sampling in the individual vegetation strata, have together proved indicative of understorey vegetationtype. When the relationship between understorey vegetation and canopy-cover type is established, one can directly depict understorey limits spatially in conjunction with the main vegetation cover. Such an approach of mapping understorey vegetation using aerial photographs could be of immense value for wildlife habitat evaluation and park management.
Effects of Alien Plant Invasions on Native Vegetation Remnants on La Réunion (Mascarene Islands, Indian Ocean)
Authors: Macdonald Ian A.W. , Thébaud Christophe , Strahm Wendy A. , Strasberg Dominique 
Published: August 2009

Although most of the lowland endemic forests of the mountainous Indian Ocean island of La Réunion have been converted by Man to other land-uses, relatively intact ecosystems still survive at higher elevations. Given the particular conservational value of these remnants of primary forest, detailed knowledge of the threats faced by these native ecosystems was urgently needed. Accordingly we conducted field surveys through the various plant communities on the island in order to answer particular questions regarding the vulnerability of native vegetation remnants to invasive, introduced plant species.Our results indicated that most invaders colonize human-disturbed sites most successfully. However, such alien plants are also frequent in the Réunion primary forest remnants, with at least 62 species penetrating into areas which have experienced no or little human disturbance. Nevertheless, the forest remnants were still mainly dominated by indigenous or endemic plant species and maintain what is, presumably, their original vegetational structure.The most threatening plant invaders are the trees Psidium cattleianum and Ligustrum robustwn, the bramble Rubus alceifolius, the shrubs Fuchsia magellanica and Lantana camara, and the herbaceous Hedychium gardnerianum, Boehmeria macrophylla, and Boehmeria penduliflora.We found the early stages of primary succession on young volcanic sites to be dominated by aggressively expanding populations of alien species. It appears very unlikely that native species will replace the invaders as the succession proceeds, and furthermore the survival of many indigenous species probably hinges on the active control of alien species.In order for alien plant management efforts to be successful, we propose a priority ranking based on the current and potential future extent of specific infestation, the rate of spread, the difficulty with which a species can be controlled, and its ecological impact on the areas invaded.Finally, the long-term survival of the Réunion ecosystems depends largely upon the drawing up and implementation of an adequate overall conservation policy regarding human-caused invasions by alien plants in the native vegetation.
Fisheries Development and Resource-usage Conflict: A Case-study of Deforestation Associated with the Lake Chad Fishery in Nigeria
Authors: Neiland Arthur E. , Verinumbe I. 
Published: August 2009

A predicted rejuvenation of the Lake Chad fisheries in central Africa, associated with the passing of severe drought conditions in its Sahel environs, is likely to increase significantly the pressure placed on other local resources. In the case of the tree resources, it can be demonstrated that the concentration of population and fish-processing activity along the western lakeshore, will further exacerbate the existing local deficit between demand and supply, leading to increased tree-loss with ultimately devastating results culminating in desertification.The problem is outlined and discussed in the context of both local and national economic considerations. Particular attention is given to the relationship between increasing demand for fish products in Nigeria as a whole, associated with expansion of population and rapid urbanization, and the commercialization of fisheries production in the Chad Basin leading to much-increased fuel-wood usage. It is clear that Government must play an active, much-expanded role in regulating this situation if severe resource depletion and environmental degradation is not to occur in the foreseeable future.
Use and Non-use Values in the Conservation of Ichkeul National Park, Tunisia
Authors: Thomas David H.L. , Ayache Fethi , Hollis G. Edward 
Published: August 2009

Non-use existence values are now widely considered to be an important justification for conservation in developed countries. Using the same approach to promote conservation in less-developed and developing countries, with their normally severe economic and social problems, is often wholly inappropriate, as existence values in less-developed and developing countries are usually very small. Conservation on grounds of ethics and aesthetics is a luxury which many of those latter countries do not feel able to afford, or often genuinely cannot.The establishment of the Ichkeul National Park in northern Tunisia was based primarily on non-use, existence values, but the survival of its wetlands is now threatened by a programme of dam construction. However, the Lake and marshes of Ichkeul have a number of important values and functions. These include livestock grazing on the marshes, the Lake's fisheries, the existing and potential value of the Park as a tourist resource, the role of the rivers in water-table recharge, and the function of the marshes in the ‘free’ treatment of sewage and purification of water. It can be shown that the economic gains from taking measures to prevent degradation of the wetland, namely by releases of water from the dams to maintain the marshes, would outweigh the economic benefits from the use of water in agricultural irrigation, and effectively maintain much of the international significance of the National Park and its surroundings.It is suggested that promotion of conservation in lessdeveloped countries is likely to meet with much greater success if economic arguments, based on a site's usevalues, are given priority in the approach of conservation organizations from developed countries. The significance of non-use values to nationals of the less-developed and many developing countries is still very minor, although, as their living standards improve, such prospects are likely to improve also. In many instances at least, by raising due awareness of the economic use-values of natural systems, it will be possible to provide a good case for a site's conservation.
Human Distance and Birds: Tolerance and Response Distances of Resident and Migrant Species in India
Authors: Burger Joanna , Gochfeld Michael 
Published: August 2009

In this report we describe a method of examining the tolerance of birds to humans, namely by measuring the distance to which birds will allow a person to approach them before flying off (flush distance). We studied the tolerance of Indian birds to approaching people by recording the flush distance for 925 individuals of 138 species of residents (birds breeding in India) and migrants (birds that are not known to breed in India). Over 20% of the variance in flush distance was accounted for by the number of people situated within 50 m, the distance to the closest person, the bird's migratory status, the number of people approaching, the time of day, and the bird's total body-length (including tail).For migratory species, 43% of the variability in flush distance was accounted for by distance to the closest other person, time of day, number of people originally within 50 m, number of people approaching, flock size, and species size. For resident species, only 18% of the variance was accounted for by distance to the closest other person, number of people within 50 m, and number of people approaching. Migrants were thus more responsive to the effect of humans, and their response was also influenced by their own size (body length) and flock size. Migratory species were less tolerant of people, flushing sooner than residents, and being more sensitive to the number of approaching people.We suggest that resident birds in North India have become habituated to the non-violent protective behaviour of the Hindu people towards birds, whereas migrants from farther north are more wary. Alternatively migrants, being less familiar than residents with the local predators and hiding places, may be more wary than residents on their home territory. Enhanced wariness results in more time spent alert or fleeing, with resultant greater energy-demand and decreased time for feeding.
Tourism, Environment, and Sustainable Development
Authors: Butler Richard W. 
Published: August 2009

In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the effects of tourism and related developments upon the environment of ‘destination areas’. The increasing popularity of the concept of sustainable development has resulted in tourism being viewed as an activity which could easily be developed along those appropriate lines. It is argued, however, that such a viewpoint is often simplistic and naïve, because of a lack of understanding of the complex nature of tourism. While tourism is dependent upon the environment for much of its well-being, the prevailing lack of knowledge, responsibility, and long-term planning, has often resulted in development which is neither environmentally nor culturally sympathetic to the host area and community.A broad definition of environment is necessary in this context, encompassing both the physical and human realms and also Nature's, as is an equally wide view of human leisure activities, which needs to include far more than tourism. It is necessary to take a critical view of some alternative approaches to mass-tourism, which have been suggested as appropriate for environmentally significant areas; for at least some of the problems resulting from tourism-related developments are more profound, and less easily solved, than has often been suggested. Solutions are inevitably a combination of compromise and positive planning and management, and successful examples are difficult to find. Improved understanding of the complex nature of tourism, and of its linkages to the environment, is crucial if a symbiotic relationship is to be attained and maintained.It is necessary to appreciate that tourist destination areas evolve and change over time, both responding to, and being altered by, changes in tourism. They are not static environments, and need responsible and pro-active planning and management. Reliance upon local initiatives, uncoordinated planning, and self-regulation in a situation of ill-defined responsibility, will not result in a secure long-term future for either the tourist industry or the environment of the destination area. Coordination of policies, pro-active planning, acceptance of limitations on growth, education of all parties involved, and commitment to a long-term viewpoint, are prerequisites to the successful linking of tourism and sustainable development.
A Methodology for Assessment of External Issues Facing National Parks, with an Application in Costa Rica
Authors: Schelhas John 
Published: August 2009

Effective implementation of conservation and development strategies, such as buffer zones adjacent to national parks, requires tailoring these strategies to a park's individual external situation. A methodology is presented for conducting an assessment of adjacent land and local population issues for national parks. The methodology covers three principal subjects: (1) biological conservation issues, (2) the relationship between the park and local people, and (3) the socioeconomic situation of park neighbours.The methodology was applied to lands adjacent to Braulio Carrillo National Park, Costa Rica. The application provides a brief summary of the Park's external situation, for use in management and planning, and identifies the most effective types of conservation and development strategies for the region. In this case, the methodology identified the principal issue facing the Park as being the rapid conversion of lowland forest to pasture on lands adjacent to the Park. Solutions to this problem include stopping the cycles of migration and colonization that drive people to settle forested lands, and increasing the importance of forest in local land-use systems.
Competing for Water on the Indus Plain: Is There a Future for Pakistan's River Dolphins?
Authors: Reeves Randall R. , Chaudhry Abdul Aleem , Khalid Umeed 
Published: August 2009

The total population of Indus Dolphins, numbering perhaps 500 individuals, is subdivided by barrages into five or six subpopulations. At least two of these are so small (fewer than 20 animals) that they have little chance of survival past the next few decades. If dispersal occurs at all, because of barrages it will apparently only be downstream, causing a net loss to upstream subpopulations. The subpopulation in Sindh Dolphin Reserve, between Sukkur and Guddu barrages, is relatively large and apparently well-protected. However, the small size of the Reserve, its geographical position near the downstream end of the species range, and the political and economic instability of the area, taken together, mean that this subpopulation is at considerable risk. The need for additional reserves upstream of Guddu Barrage, to improve the prospects of the species' survival, is clear.The subpopulation downstream of Taunsa and Panjnad barrages is unquestionably the largest in Punjab, and its protection should be a high priority of the Punjab Government. Apart from the obvious need to prevent both direct capturing and accidental killing, the Dolphins' aquatic habitat must be carefully safeguarded. Any additional withdrawal of water from the Indus and its tributaries, whether for agriculture or industry, would be inimical to Dolphin conservation. Moreover, any project involving changes to the river system's hydrography and water-quality, even if expected to have no net effect on discharge levels in the main channels, should be evaluated critically for the potential impact on Dolphins.It is important to emphasize that responsibility for the fate of Indus Dolphins and the many other organisms affected by major water-development schemes, is shared by a number of countries in addition to Pakistan. We hope that foreign governments, in their efforts to support Pakistan's economic development and relieve poverty in the subcontinent by assisting in the planning and financing of water megaprojects, do not in the process contribute to the impoverishment of the client country's, and in turn the world's, ecological heritage.
The Saint Lawrence Beluga: A Concerted Effort to Save an Endangered Isolated Population
Authors: Prescott Jacques 
Published: August 2009

In September 1988, more than 300 participants attended the First International Forum on the Future of the Beluga, held in Tadoussac, Quebec, Canada. This Forum, organized by the ‘Fondation pour la Sauvegarde des Espèces Menacées’ (FOSEM), was intended to contribute to the development and the implementation of a survival strategy for the endangered St Lawrence population of the White Whale or Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) by bringing together representatives of all the parties concerned. Exceeding all expectations, this event caught the attention of the press and the general public in such a way that the White Whale of the St Lawrence became a prominent symbol of our growing concern for environment in eastern Canada.This paper is intended to present an overview of the facts and efforts that contributed to the success of the First International Forum on the Future of the Beluga as a casestudy showing how contributions from NGOs and the general public can help to improve the situation of an endangered species and the prospect of stabilization of that part of the human environment of which it has formed a prominent feature from time immemorial.