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We investigated what students learnt about biodiversity, a broad and multi-dimensional concept, challenging to understand, following a visit to a nature reserve. Acknowledging the individual nature of informal learning, we explore Personal Meaning Maps (PMMs) coupled with semi-structured interviews to investigate learning among 13 scouts aged 13–15 years as they participated in a single guided tour to a nature reserve in Mauritius. PMMs were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Adopting a constructivist approach, biodiversity learning was framed along three lenses, namely, 'ecological literacy', 'biodiversity and society' and 'nature and self', recognising that biodiversity is a socio-scientific concept. Following the visit, there was an increase in ecological literacy through an understanding of the importance of biodiversity, conservation measures and endemic species. Participants retained a species-centred view of biodiversity. Students could better critique biodiversity and society issues and displayed a higher appreciation for nature and the intrinsic value of biodiversity. The visit contributed to an enrichment in biodiversity-related vocabulary especially regarding local endemic and extinct species. Prior knowledge determined vocabulary enrichment but not conceptual additions among individual students. We suggest a wider explo ration of PMMs to investigate prior knowledge and subsequent learning during nature reserve visits which can powerfully enhance biodiversity education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on exploring and mapping Ankara's urban points of interest and their values on different urban infrastructure types using geolocated data from Flickr. All publicly available data dated between 2005 and 2021 from Flickr were obtained through application programming interface and the infrastructure types were reclassified as green, blue, grey, and yellow, using the land use and land cover data based on Corine 2018. Spatial patterns for cultural service flow of landscape features and/or landscapes on different urban infrastructure types were mapped using Kernel density estimation in QGIS 3.21. The hotspots were assessed in terms of the cultural services they offered based on the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) framework, site visits, and observations. The findings showed that the city core mostly provided cultural heritage, identity, and recreational values. Results for the rural and peri-urban areas indicated that natural landscapes and protected areas stood out for their provision of cultural services, particularly for their recreational values. Our research identified user-intensive geographical clusters and hotspots that could benefit from interventions and enhancement for a more sustainable urban environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential oils isolated from leaves, twigs, fruit bark and seeds of Michelia tonkinensis collected in Muong Nhe Nature Reserve, Dien Bien province were obtained by hydrodistillation with yields of 1.5, 0.42, 0.16 and 4.6% respectively (v/w on dry weight basis). After analysis through GC, GC-MS and 13C NMR, 30, 34, 31 and 13 compounds (representing 96.4%, 96.8%, 97.1% and 99.9% of the whole composition, respectively) were identified in the leave, twig, fruit bark and seed essential oils. The main components were limonene (43.2%) and germacrene D (32.7%) in the leaf oil; limonene (67.1%) and germacrene D (10.4%) in the twig oil; limonene (66%) in the fruit bark oil; and safrole (90%) in the seed oil. Essential oils from the leaves and twigs showed strong inhibition against Staphyloccocus aureus. The fruit bark essential oil exhibited greater antibacterial potential against all 3 tested microorganisms (S. aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans). The essential oil from seed displayed weak antibacterial activity against the three tested microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife-related recreation is popular throughout the world with Americans spending over $150 billion dollars (U.S.) annually. I have conducted educational workshops (>200 events) to train U.S. landowners in natural resource enterprise management and operations offering recreational hunting, angling, and nature tourism excursions along with conservation management practices to enhance wildlife habitats on their lands. To measure impacts from these workshops, I conducted a comprehensive mail survey study with participants since 2010. Study findings revealed that private landowners who initiated wildlife-related recreational enterprises earned annual incomes and implemented conservation practices on their lands. More targeted training for landowners is recommended to enhance income diversification on privately owned lands and to increase conservation of wildlife habitats, land stewardship, and ecosystem services (i.e., clean water, biodiversity, and conservation zones) beneficial to society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleeping behavior is one of the most important components of primate socio-ecology, which can provide valuable insight for social relationships and their influencing factors. In this study, we observed the sleeping behavior of wild François' langur (Trachypithecus francoisi) from July 2011 to June 2012 in Mayanghe Nature Reserve, China. The results indicated that the langurs spent most of the time sleeping, with an annual average of 670.25 min. The average sleeping time in summer was the shortest with a duration of 580.50 min on average, and sleeping time has the longest duration in winter with an average of 770.53 min. This indicates that there was a significant difference in the sleeping time in different seasons. In addition, temperature and weather condition play a role on the sleeping behavior of T. francoisi. T. francoisi allocated significantly less time for sleeping and leaving sleeping site, and more time for entering the sleeping site and pre-sleeping in sunny days than they did in rainy days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first description of the nest and egg of the Long-billed Forest-warbler Artisornis moreaui recently discovered in Nilo Nature Forest Reserve, Tanzania. Two subspecies are recognised: the nominate one, endemic to East Usambara Mountains in northeastern Tanzania, and sousae, endemic to the Njesi Highlands in northern Mozambique. Both are treated as distinct species by BirdLife International, which has classified the first as Critically Endangered, and the second as Endangered. Before this discovery, breeding information had been limited to observations of fledglings. Because in the East Usambaras A. moreaui shares habitat with its putative sisterspecies, Red-capped Forest-warbler A. metopias, we also provide additional information on the nesting of this species. Although the nests of the two species can be difficult to differentiate, their eggs are distinct. The markings on the egg of A. metopias are spread over the entire surface, while on the egg of A. moreaui the markings are concentrated at the broad end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The invasion and expansion of Spartina alterniflora have led to a certain degree of degradation in the ecological environment of coastal wetlands. To discuss the impacts of Spartina alterniflora expansion on the tidal channels, we took the third core area of the Dafeng Elk National Nature Reserve in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province as the study area, retrieved the spatial distribution of Spartina alterniflora by random forest algorithm based on long time series of Landsat and Sentinel-2 images, analysed the expansion models. The tidal channels were obtained by the image segmentation based on MSAVI and visual interpretation and the spatiotemporal evolution traits were finally analysed. The results revealed that the area and perimeter of Spartina alterniflora are continuously increasing, with a wide-ranging invasion. The coverage area peaks at 13.4%, making it the dominant species in the study area. When excluding the influence of human activities, a significant negative correlation emerges between the invasion rate and compactness of Spartina alterniflora and the spatio-temporal evolution of tidal channels. Faster invasion rates and greater compactness correspond to a deceleration in tidal channel morphology development. Additionally, we also found that the growth of Spartina alterniflora has a positive influence on the growth and reproduction of elk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey for the Critically Endangered Durban Dwarf Burrowing Skink Scelotes inornatus (Smith 1849) was conducted in two protected areas in Durban, South Africa, in August and September 2021. Twelve sites, each encompassing a combination of vegetation type, elevation, slope and aspect, were sampled for S. inornatus using dug quadrats, pitfall-and funnel-trap arrays, and coverboard arrays. Seven S. inornatus were recorded, at least one by each sampling method. Individuals were captured at the forest edge and in the grassland part of the forest-grassland ecotone and none were captured in the interior of the forest. None of the sampling methods were suitable for the long-term monitoring of S. inornatus, although a modification of the coverboard array using terracotta tiles instead of corru-board tiles should be tested. Five S. inornatus captured were introduced to the Johannesburg Zoo's ex-situ insurance and captive-breeding population. Nine other sympatric species of herpetofauna were recorded during the survey, with the Bush Squeaker Arthroleptis wahlbergii Smith, 1849 the most caught and S. inornatus ranking fifth. This study provides information that is useful for addressing some of the conservation actions and research needed for S. inornatus, but more research on the biology of this skink (particularly on its life history and population size) and habitat management interventions (restoration and rehabilitation of its habitat) are required to assist with improving its conservation status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study presented a method of characterizing landform dynamics that integrates a divide stability metric and hypsometric analysis. Chi (χ) - a proxy for steady-state river channel elevation - indicated a drainage divide stability. Simultaneously, the hypsometric analysis provided information on a basin's geologic development stage and erosion proneness. The study used a 30 m SRTM digital elevation data, the DivideTool/TopoToolbox of MATLAB, and the SWAT model. The tool computed χ values following the stream network, enabled the selection of divide sections, extracted channel head's χ values, determined divide stability by predicting migration direction for unstable divides, and produced histograms of χ values for each divide section. Equal χ values at the channel heads of opposing river networks indicated a stable divide. In contrast, a difference in χ values suggested an unstable divide and a potential to migrate from low χ values towards the divide's high χ values side. The study proposed the mean χ difference (χmd) metric to indicate the degree of divide mobility. Meanwhile, the SWAT model defined the basins and subbasins and set the hypsometric analysis parameters. Each subbasin's hypsometric integral (HI) was used to create a continuous surface of HI values. The combination of χmd and HI analysis revealed nine subbasins with highly mobile divides and high erosional areas, identifying them as high-priority conservation zones. River basin characterization can utilize the new approach to target areas for location-specific land and water conservation measures and other developmental goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the role of metrics in environmental governance and highlights their impact on legitimacy, trust, accountability, and values. The authors argue that metrics are not neutral tools, but rather influence relationships and power dynamics. They emphasize the importance of understanding how metrics are created and utilized, as well as their potential to either promote progressive values or reinforce existing power structures. The article also emphasizes the need to consider the complex effects of metrics and their involvement in social and environmental changes. [Extracted from the article]

In the present study, we described two new species, Euschoengastia mojavensissp. n. and Blankaartia aurissp. n. collected from rodents in the Amargosa River valley near Tecopa, in Inyo County, California, USA. We also redescribe the most similar Euschoengastia species when compared with the new species, Euschoengastia fasolla Brennan and Beck, 1955, from Berry Springs Nature Reserve, Utah, USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The network of nature reserves that has been a centrepiece of Ukraine's environmental policy has been devastated by Russian aggression. Violation of their integrity threatens endemic species and irreplaceable ecosystems; indeed, entire ecosystems have been lost; extensive fires, illegal logging, mechanical damage and chemical contamination of the soil cover are responsible for a critical reduction in forest cover, and degradation of the soil and water conservation and recreational functions of the nature reserve fund. Measures are proposed to make the best of a bad situation at the local level, as well as ways to prevent a bigger ecological catastrophe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies regarding the experience of children in schools' outdoor environments report several benefits of nature on children's cognitive, emotional, and physical development; thus, there is a need to systematically assess the characteristics of children's place experience considering their own activities and social interactions. The present study investigated the perceptions of the physical environment and children-environment interactions during recess-time in natural (vs. built) schoolyards. In a between-subjects quasi-experiment in two Italian Primary schools, we collected and analyzed 298 children's drawings and written descriptions regarding the activities they engage during recess time, developing a detailed coding system. Results showed how during the green break (vs. grey) children significantly engaged in more exploratory behaviors, rough and tumble behaviors, and active conversation, while in the grey break their play was more structured and left less space for free activities. In drawings, the natural environment (vs. built) is pictured as significantly more green, open, and rich in biodiversity and details, compared to the built environment that is depicted as grey, closed, and more crowded. Implications are discussed in both theoretical and practical terms on how natural schoolyards can afford different place experiences and play and non-play behaviors in children, contributing to improve their well-being during school-time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation easements are a legal tool to preserve and manage private lands. Understanding the factors that influence private landowners to place their land under a conservation easement provides important information for policy-makers and land conservation professionals. Our study sought to identify the perceptions of first-generation conservation easement Missouri landowners. We conducted 16 semi-structured interviews in summer and fall of 2020. Our inductive thematic analysis revealed four major themes including landowner motivations and benefits, disincentives, process challenges, and participant suggestions. We found that landowners place their property under conservation easement because of the enjoyment and recreation opportunities that it provides, and they feel the land use restrictions associated with conservation easements are both a motivation and a disincentive. Our results can be used to inform conservation easement processes and policies, as well as improve efforts by land trusts to make the tool more accessible to landowners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to present the experience of Kichwa Indigenous peoples of Pastaza in Ecuador, and their agency in enforcing their rights to their ancestral cultures and lands. In their political action, they express the revitalization of their ecological and cultural knowledge as conditional to the protection of their territorial integrity. Including ancestral and land-based knowledge in education supports politics of inclusion, ontological recognition, and revitalization of ecological and cultural knowledge of Indigenous people. It also enforces their political legitimacy and sovereignty over their lands and conservation practices. The theme of education and power in Ecuador has been addressed within the decolonial thinking of modernity/coloniality, placing knowledge and pedagogical designs at the core of political debates between indigenous organizations and the central state. We will discuss Kichwa's cosmology of Kawsak Sacha (living forest) and the way it inspires both territorial governance and educational practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a competitive environment, where hotel demand is lower than market supply, it is of interest to determine what factors explain how excellence differentiates certain hotels from others. Using spatial quantile regression, this research investigates the effect of locational factors as well as those related to the management of human capital investment in Spanish hotels rated on Booking.com. The study shows that human capital investment in hotels can significantly increase guest delight. As regards location, hotels in protected natural areas that are far from large cities obtain higher guest review scores. Additionally, a spatial spillover effect due to reputation transfer among nearby hotels with median scores is found. However, this effect is not observed for hotels with very high scores. These results can serve to rationalize the available resources and inform hotel owners and managers about the factors required to achieve high scores. 在酒店市场竞争激烈的环境下，其需求低于市场供给，确定哪些因素更影响酒店评级尤为重要。本文采用空间分位数回归方法，调查了Booking.com上评级的西班牙酒店的地理因素和人力资本投资管理相关的因素的影响。研究表明，酒店的人力资本投入可以显著增加客人的满意度。在地理位置方面，远离大城市的自然保护区内的酒店获得了更高的顾客评分。此外，由于得分居中的临近酒店之间有声誉转移现象，其空间溢出效应被观察到。然而，这种效应并没有在得分非常高的酒店上观察到。这些研究结果可以帮助可用资源合理化分配，并使酒店管理者知晓获得高评分所需的因素。 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-based recreation areas provide many benefits to society and the ecosystem services they provide are increasingly being considered in land planning and conservation decisions. We examine the value of the Wekiva River in central Florida using a hedonic valuation model of residential property values. We analyze how structural characteristics of single-family homes and recreation area characteristics, such as fee systems, size of the area, and activities provided, impact property values. We find that publicly owned recreation areas with both land and water-based recreation activities increased property values within 5 miles of the Wekiva River. Proximity to recreation areas marginally increased housing values, and the size of the recreation areas and ecosystem type had no impact on property values. We recommend that recreation managers and land use planners focus efforts on conserving more publicly owned conservation lands that increase recreation access to residents to promote contiguous natural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When and where birds lose their feathers during the annual moult cycle is a fascinating subject, but there is little reported on patterns and strategies of moult for most African bird species. While there have been great advances in our understanding of primary feather moult strategies, information on further plumage moult is generally lacking. This work reports on patterns of body, tail and head moult for 19 commonly captured species from ringing sessions mostly from the Blue Hill Nature Reserve in the Kouga Mountains, Western Cape province, South Africa, and surrounding mountain ranges. This is a temperate, aseasonal rainfall region, with ringing locations situated in the Fynbos biome. We used logistic generalised additive models to explore and visualise the annual patterns of head, tail and body moult in the context of primary feather moult for adult, non-migratory species. While we expected, and found, a degree of synchrony with primary and other feather moult, several interesting species-specific alternative strategies were also observed, with periods of extended or staggered moult across the annual cycle. For all species the moult period followed published breeding periods and, for most, peaked in the late austral summer period. However, there were many variations in tract moult between species with respect to initiation, duration and synchrony with other tract moult, as well as for sex, for two of the four sexually dimorphic species with sufficient data to explore this parameter. Additional moult based on presence/absence is commonly recorded by ringers, and submitted to the South African Bird Ringing Unit (SAFRING), but this data has seldom been analysed. We encourage ringers to do this for species they commonly encounter, as further interesting facets of life-history strategies await to be discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provisioning ecosystem services are under threat in peripheral areas in African cities due to urbanisation pressures. Previous studies have focused on land conversion and food crop production. How urbanisation pressures intertwine with the provisioning ecosystem services availability to peri-urban households is an empirical question, which this paper answered using Wa in Ghana as a case. The mixed method research approach was employed involving 400 randomly selected households with the aid of a questionnaire, while interviews were also conducted with relevant stakeholders. Descriptive statistics and a five-point Likert scale were used to analyse the household data, while interview responses were thematised. We observed that urbanisation adversely affected ecosystems, reducing the availability of wild fruits, fuelwood, and game to farmer households. From the households' perspective, most of these services will disappear in the future as urbanisation intensifies. We recommend the restoration of degraded lands for the conservation of natural habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of a review of the bird species historically observed in Niokolo-Koba National Park, a World Heritage Site and 913 000 ha natural protected area in southeastern Senegal. In carrying out this work we consulted both formal and informal literature, and contacted the original observers whenever possible to try to verify unusual observations. We conclude that there is sufficient evidence to support the historical presence of 400 bird species in or just outside the park, although two species can be considered as locally extinct. We also list 19 additional bird species whose presence can be considered as possible or probable. The historical patterns of the observations are briefly discussed. If only those species observed after 1992 are counted, 333 bird species would be considered as present in Niokolo-Koba National Park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some studies question the effectiveness of incentive-based environmental public policies (IEPPS) on inducing changes in farmers' practices due to certain psychological mechanisms. Rooted in self-determination theory, the extant literature notably focuses on the motivation crowding phenomenon while overlooking the central concept of the basic psychological needs (BPN) of humans: autonomy, competence and social relatedness. This article explores farmers' BPNs and their fulfillment in the case of farmland arrangements for the protection of natural areas (FAPAs). These IEPPs grant access to land at low rents under conditions of environmentally friendly agricultural practices. We analyze interviews with farmers engaged in FAPAs in a French basin with computer-assisted text-based qualitative data analysis methods. FAPAs create a social context that thwarts farmers' BPN for autonomy due to a noninclusive design that extends beyond constraints on practices. An inclusive FAPA design and support to BPNs for competence and relatedness could improve farmers' engagement in action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing and GIS reveal the overall vegetation cover and interannual vegetation change in Liangcheng National Nature Reserve, Minqin, Gansu Province from 2002 to 2020. Overall, vegetation cover is very low although the area of extremely low coverage has decreased. Woodland and sandland account for more than 70% of its area; cultivated and built over land account for less than 1%. Afforestation and aerial seeding, undertaken in 2013, have significantly increased the vegetation cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article conceptualizes homelessness on public lands within a social-ecological systems framework, exploring dynamics in public natural areas in the Seattle metropolitan area (USA), a system with a compact urban-to-wildland gradient. While prior research has studied the dynamics of unsheltered homelessness within particular parks or cities—often in areas where camping is prohibited—our interview-based study makes integrated considerations of these dynamics across a range of jurisdictions. We present a thematic analysis that examines professionally diverse perspectives on the dynamics, stressors, and outcomes of public natural area usage by unsheltered individuals. We found a generally uncoordinated system in continual motion, in which considerable resources were expended for short-term, site-specific solutions that yielded system-wide detrimental outcomes perceived for unsheltered individuals, social service and environmental institutions, and ecosystem health. We discuss how improved institutional coordination and mutual understanding about intersecting governance systems could sustain better public land, public health, and social outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, analysts solve the Bateman depletion equations to calculate the nuclide number density (NND) of each nuclide since these densities impact other reactor parameters, such as reactivity, as they change. Many quantities of interest, such as radiation damage, are calculated using simple integration methods, assuming that the NNDs are constant over a given depletion interval. However, the NNDs are time dependent, which can be accurately represented only by the Bateman depletion equations. We propose that these quantities can be calculated simultaneously with the NNDs within the Bateman depletion equations, preserving the coupled nature of these quantities to the time-dependent NNDs. We implemented this functionality in Griffin, demonstrating that only minor code modifications were necessary in order to accommodate an evaluation of these quantities in the Bateman depletion equations. The Chebyshev Rational Approximation Method was used to successfully solve for these additional quantities in the Bateman depletion equations. For radiation damage, the results calculated by Griffin were very accurate, differing by less than 2.5% from an analytical benchmark. For other quantities, the discrepancy between quantities calculated by the Bateman depletion equations versus those calculated by the Forward Euler method exceeded 10% for decay energy and 2% for fissions per initial heavy metal atom and kinetic energy released per unit mass when few depletion intervals were used. As the number of depletion intervals increased, both methods began to converge as expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human land use has begun exerting pressure on global ecosystems, causing a decline in biodiversity, and putting pressure on the biosphere's ability to support life. Migration and rapid population growth in urban areas have resulted in a growing volume of solid waste in nature reserves due to littering and illegal dumping. The existence of illegal dumping and littering continues to be a worldwide problem, even in protected areas. With the rise of informal settlements nationwide that contributes to illegal dumping and littering in developing nations undermines any effort to address the challenges of service delivery and creates unexpected environmental impacts. Even though there are numerous challenges to protected areas everywhere, urban proximity to protected areas exacerbates the threat level. This review aims to show the significance of human interaction with natural areas through community engagement, acknowledgment of traditional knowledge, and co-existence between conservationists and local communities. These in essence advocate for environmental sociology. The paper made use of a systematic literature review to critically analyze the topic and observe the trends. The literature reveals that thousands of protected areas are already impacted by urban areas. Implications: The study sheds light on future urban development and pollution control. Our communities' environmental and social conditions are influenced by major urban areas, suburbs, and informal settlements. This is the first study to examine the urban sprawl of informal settlements that intrude on nearby natural areas. For decades, nature reserves have played an important role in conserving biodiversity. Littering and illegal dumping have increased the amount of solid waste in the metropolitan nature reserve as a result of rapid urban sprawl. The division of large natural areas into smaller spatial units can hinder the migration of species. By interspersing undeveloped and developed areas, leapfrog development patterns further divide natural landscapes. Long-term sustainability depends on understanding the causes, effects, and policy implications of sprawl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tufa is a common calcium carbonate deposit in karst landscapes and microbes may play an important role in its formation. As an important natural resource treasure trove, the diversity of bacteria from the Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve tufa deposits and their potential to deposit carbonates are still unknown. In this study, 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology was used to assess the bacterial community composition of Pearl Shoal in Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve. The results showed that the main dominant phyla were Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria. With the gradual increase of flow rate, the bacterial community structure was gradually simplified and the dominant phylum changed. The community structure of different sampling sites was significantly different. Besides, 17 strains capable of precipitating calcium carbonate were isolated using microbiological methods. The two strains with relatively strong calcium-forming properties were identified as Leucobacter sp. (J1) and Brucella sp. (J2), respectively. Both strains were able to elevate the environmental pH and produce extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). However, Leucobacter sp. (J1) formed calcite crystals with spherical structure, whereas Brucella sp. (J2) formed the rhombohedral and some spherical calcite crystals, evidence for strain-specific characteristics. It is the first research to provide information regarding the diversity of bacterial communities associated with tufa deposits and the characterization of calcifying bacteria isolated from Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The letter to the editor responds to a recent paper by Armstrong et al. that discussed pre-colonial land use by Indigenous peoples in northwestern British Columbia. The authors of the letter reject the characterization of their own scholarship as racist and argue that Armstrong et al. misrepresented their findings. They emphasize that Indigenous peoples in southern New England did have ecological impacts on the landscape, but these impacts were primarily local in scale. The authors also highlight the importance of understanding the scale and variability of Indigenous peoples' ecological impacts for conservation and land management strategies. [Extracted from the article]

What can we learn from the prodigious expansion of the non-government protected areas that now comprise 12% of terrestrial Australia? An increasingly professional, formal, and diverse non-government sector has developed since 1990, comprising private individuals, non-government organizations, and First Nations and having close ties to governments. We investigate the drivers, dynamics, and diversity of this sector through thematic analysis of 24 key informant interviews and associated gray literature. Changing environmental movements, science-led conservation, partial recognition of First Nations land rights, international agreements, and neoliberal reforms combined to formalize the sector during the 1990s. A bipartisan policy framework for incorporating non-government lands in the national conservation estate, diverse partnerships, transnational networks, and innovation in public and private funding helped grow the sector. The confluence of interests that has transformed the politics and practice of nature conservation in Australia is likely to inform those engaged with similar changes elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encouraging compliance with dog leashing regulations in natural areas is a priority for land managers seeking to protect wildlife. We surveyed residents of Victoria, Australia, to document self-reported leashing behavior by dog owners in different habitat types, exploring demographic, attitudinal, and belief variables as predictors of compliance. We found support for leashing regulations among dog owners (n = 313) and those without dogs (n = 711), but generally low reported compliance by owners. Social norms about leashing predicted leashing at all areas, and habits (i.e., leashing where leashing was not regulated) predicted compliance with regulations. Older age and beliefs about wildlife protection predicted compliance in water-based areas (e.g., beaches, wetlands) and beliefs that off-leash roaming is beneficial to dogs predicted compliance in other natural areas (e.g., hiking trails). Exploring these context-based differences allows managers to identify and understand target groups to design tailored messaging and other behavior change interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encouraging compliance with dog leashing regulations in natural areas is a priority for land managers seeking to protect wildlife. We surveyed residents of Victoria, Australia, to document self-reported leashing behavior by dog owners in different habitat types, exploring demographic, attitudinal, and belief variables as predictors of compliance. We found support for leashing regulations among dog owners (n = 313) and those without dogs (n = 711), but generally low reported compliance by owners. Social norms about leashing predicted leashing at all areas, and habits (i.e., leashing where leashing was not regulated) predicted compliance with regulations. Older age and beliefs about wildlife protection predicted compliance in waterbased areas (e.g., beaches, wetlands) and beliefs that off-leash roaming is beneficial to dogs predicted compliance in other natural areas (e.g., hiking trails). Exploring these context-based differences allows managers to identify and understand target groups to design tailored messaging and other behavior change interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on wildlife management in the Loliondo Game Controlled Area (LGCA) in the northern region of Tanzania. There are ongoing concerns surrounding wildlife management in the LGCA including an acute lack of community involvement in the wildlife management planning and decision-making process, poorly defined property rights, and the unequitable distribution of the economic benefits generated from the ecotourism and trophy hunting schemes being implemented. Employing multi-criteria analysis techniques, this study explores and evaluates the alternative wildlife management options for the wildlife tourism site at issue. The joint venture wildlife management option has been identified as the most preferable. Under a joint venture wildlife management scheme, trophy hunting and ecotourism is allowed in the area designated for conservation, while livestock grazing, agriculture, and village settlements are permitted in the remaining area of the LGCA. Under this scheme, a community-based organization (CBO) is granted user rights to wildlife and other natural resources in the conservation area. A joint venture programme is established between commercial investors and a CBO. The study argues that joint venture wildlife management should be introduced to ensure well-defined property rights, implement efficient wildlife conservation, and the equitable share of economic benefits across the various stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biocultural diversity is an important result and outstanding representation of human-land relationship. This study established a novel framework for evaluating the coupling mechanism of biocultural diversity beyond the nature-culture dualism. Taking the Beichuan-River-Source National Nature Reserve (BRSNNR) as an example, combined with regional characteristics, Coupling Coordination Degree Model (CCDM) and Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) were used to explore the correlation mechanism between natural systems and cultural systems in protected areas. The research results indicated that BRSNNR had five types of landscape character areas with outstanding natural and cultural characteristics; the spatial distribution of biodiversity and cultural diversity was highly overlapping, forming a 'high-medium-low' three-level biocultural diversity area. Analysis demonstrated that positive or negative feedback patterns between natural and cultural systems contributed to the formation of representations of biocultural diversity. Altitude, animals, and traffic conditions are important drivers for the biological and cultural diversity in protected areas. At the same time, residents' emotions and behaviors have a direct impact on the formation of biocultural diversity. The research suggests that the priority protection areas and functional divisions of protected areas should be delineated according to the evaluation results of biocultural diversity, and thresholds should be calculated and set for the constraints. This method is conducive to the improvement of the system's ability to deal with risks and the formation of the action mechanism of 'factor interaction-system interaction-biocultural diversity representation' in protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China in recent years has been actively promoting the policy of establishing national parks to preserve nature systems. Visitor center (VC) is one of the most important infrastructures for protection, education, and recreation purposes in national parks. However, the current design of VCs in China is mostly based on the subjective considerations of designers and lacks in-depth discussion on the requirements of visitors. This study employed the Kano Two-Dimensional Quality method to investigate the design requirements of visitors and experts and then applied the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) method to transform the requirements into design strategies. Based on these design strategies, the design of VC in a national park in southeast China was taken as an example, and two design teams were used to verify the architectural scheme design and obtain feedback from visitors through a questionnaire survey. The research results show that the design strategies proposed by this study can better meet the expectations and satisfaction of the public. In the future, it is suggested that more parties, such as national park managers and community residents, should be involved in the study to obtain better planning and design strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining morphological and molecular approaches, a new diatom species is described in the genus Mayamaea from a Special Nature Reserve, Okanj bara in Serbia, an alkaline and subsaline soda pan with pronounced seasonal drying. Mayamaea pannonica sp. nov. possesses typical characteristics of the genus Mayamaea, such as uniseriate striae and hymenes that cover the areolae from the outside. It can easily be distinguished from similar species by the valve outline and shape of the central area. Although presently no culture of the species is available, we identified in an amplicon data set from the same sample a partial 18S rRNA gene sequence that is thought to represent the new species, with high probability. A comparison of our sequence to those present in the Diat.barcode and NCBI databases showed that the sequence is closely related to, but significantly different from, that of Mayamaea terrestris. Natural saline habitats in Serbia and neighbouring countries are under anthropogenic threat and climate change, so knowing which species live here is the first step in preserving these unique habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a novel method for retrieving land-surface albedo (LSA) based on 338 groups of meteorological and NPP-VIIRS albedo data. Results showed that the LSA retrieval model calibrated using therandom forest (RF) machine-learning regression algorithm performed well. The RF-based LSA retrieval model explained approximately 84% of the NPP-VIIRS albedo variation (R2 = 0.8429; N = 236) and yielded satisfactory validation accuracy (RMSE = 0.0167; MRE = 15.82%; N = 102). The original and retrieved albedo were also compared with the MODIS albedo product, which further validated the accuracy and effectiveness of the approach (RMSE = 0.0091; RME = 8.2%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging threat of ciguatera poisoning (CP) in Europe has been associated with fish captured in the Canary Islands (Spain) and Selvagens Islands (Portugal). The first are heavily populated islands where numerous scientific studies have been carried out. Conversely, the Selvagens Islands as a nature reserve with low human pressure have been rarely surveyed in terms of the marine benthic microalgae, including the epiphytic ciguatera-causing dinoflagellate species. To investigate the harmful microalgal diversity of the Selvagens Islands, a scientific cruise to these remote islands took place in September, 2018. The Gambierdiscus species composition and distribution, and the associated epiphytic dinoflagellate community, were assessed using artificial substrate devices. Gambierdiscus cells were found in all samples, reaching concentrations of up to 725 cells 100 cm–2. G. australes was the only species identified after morphological and molecular analysis of the retrieved cultures. Species identification was confirmed by molecular characterization based on the LSU D8–D10 region. Nevertheless, phylogenetic studies indicated that some strains diverged from the G. australes clade suggesting genetic differentiation. Toxicity was estimated by neuro-2a cell-based assay in four strains, ranging from 2.46–83 fg of CTX1B eq. cell–1. The epiphytic dinoflagellate community that co-occurred with Gambierdiscus comprised other toxic or potentially toxic dinoflagellates, such as Ostreopsis, Prorocentrum, Amphidinium and Coolia species. Oceanographic and meteorological data were also obtained to characterize the occurrence of Gambierdiscus. This study is the first stage in understanding the role of the Selvagens Islands in the incubation and proliferation of the ciguatera-causing dinoflagellates Gambierdiscus in the NE Atlantic. The Selvagens Islands are a ciguatera hotspot in Europe. Gambierdiscus australes was the only species observed in the Selvagens Islands. Strains diverging from the G. australes clade suggest genetic differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building a native seed supply for the restoration of native plant communities is essential; developing reliable seed supplies for ecological restoration is an achievable goal by federal agencies, but one that demands accelerated, inter-institutional commitment. It is vital to support preservation of wild relatives and traditional varieties of crops, through promoting I in situ i seed saving and local seed exchange. To enable more producers to enter the supply chain for native, ecoregional seed of diverse species, there is a need to expand cooperative seed cleaning facilities and humidity-controlled seed warehouses in areas where commercial facilities with specialized equipment do not exist. [Extracted from the article]

The rural U.S. West is increasingly valued for its unique natural beauty, tourism potential, and the outdoor recreational activities it provides rather than for its grazing potential, lumber mills, or extraction of valuable minerals. With this transition in mind, we examine demographic changes in the region within the context of selective migration. We build on research conducted in the late 1990s that studied the changing spatial patterns of migration and income migration within the rural Mountain West. We update the current economic and demographic structure of the region and then document how 1990s patterns have persisted through an analysis of population concentration and income migration using U.S. Census and Internal Revenue Service data. Positive net migration and income migration have focused on New West (high amenity) counties, whereas the Old West, comprised of government, mining and manufacturing, farming, and other (diversified) counties, has fallen farther behind in income migration. Consequently, selective migration to areas of natural beauty and recreation potential has increasingly transformed the rural New West into its own peculiar geography, distinct in demographics as well as environment from the Old West, revealing a growing spatial inequality between these two areas, especially in income and housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maine faces a period of socio-economic transition as it contends with a shift in natural resource utilization. From the declining contribution of natural resource industries to the rise of conservation lands, the state's relationship with its natural capital is increasingly influenced by a multitude of factors. Meanwhile, Maine's rural communities may struggle to adapt. In order to gain better insight, a statewide web-based survey was used to collect data on perceptions of community resilience, natural resource industries, and conservation. Analysis revealed divergences largely based on demographic characteristics. Politically conservative respondents expressed a belief that their communities are resilient but are concerned that conservation lands reduce economic productivity. Rural residents tend to believe natural resource industries remain important but do not perceive their communities to be economically diverse. Respondents in urban areas instead perceive a lack of social cohesion and trustworthiness of local elected leadership. Communities across the state contend with a diverse array of vulnerabilities for which no single resilience building solution will suffice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private engagement has always been central to biodiversity conservation. Recently, the role of private enterprises in (eco)tourism have increased, and private lands play a pivotal role in expanding protected areas within societies throughout the world. This paper contributes to discussions of private engagement in conservation and its relation to tourism (recreation generally), with novel insight on how the conservation-tourism nexus on private land is approached in different geographical contexts. We present a systematic literature review that results in five thematic clusters characterized by different conservation approaches to tourism in Global North and South. Research concerning Global South tends to emphasize (eco)tourism as a main inducement for conservation, while research concerning Global North emphasizes expansion of private protected areas where access for tourist-recreational use has to be compensated. We propose a future research agenda to exploring environmentally and socially just approaches to conservation and recreation in both Global North and South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Installing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems over canals is an emerging technology to address the energy-water-food nexus. It can improve water and energy infrastructure, leading to food security. This study compares the energy yield, performance ratio, and capacity factor of monofacial and bifacial solar PV modules for over-canal and overground installations. A 1 MW solar PV system case study is considered for installation in Multan on the Naubahar canal, and the results are compared with overground installation. The performance of the proposed configurations was evaluated through indicators such as energy yield, performance ratio, and capacity factor. Results show that the monofacial modules for over-canal installation and the bifacial modules for overground installation are the most appropriate options under hydrological and environmental conditions. Comparing all four configurations, the monofacial over-canal system has the highest energy yield (1679 MWh), performance ratio (0.813), and capacity factor (19.32%). Moreover, it is estimated that installing a 1 MW solar PV system over the canal can conserve more than 8.9 million liters of water through reduced evaporation losses and free up more than 3 hectares of arable land for agricultural or other purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2007, the Norwegian Ministry of Environment initiated an unprecedented project of environmental conservation through land use planning, introducing buffer zones as measures to integrate local development with conservation of wild reindeer. Through studies of national policy developments and a case study of a planning processes and spatial zoning, using institutional theory, the paper investigates how competing policies and understandings of appropriate activities in the edge areas are reflected in zoning regulations and planning practice, and whether the buffer zone contributes to resolving conflicts in the edge areas. Competing national policies for the edge areas, a legal development favoring ecological buffering and a history of top-down management and local socio-economic marginalization results in removal of large parts of an existing ecological buffer zone and the creation of a new development zone. The integrated conservation and development approach has no advocates and while bearing much promise amounts to little. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cycling process of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) elements plays a crucial role in ecosystem functions of karst forests. The leaf stoichiometry characteristics in four successional stages are studied in a karst area, southwest China. The N and P contents in each successional stage are generally higher in the growth phase (May–June 2016) than in the senescence phase (October–November 2015) but there are lower N: P ratios in the growth phase than in the senescence phase, showing a clear seasonal controls and coinciding with the Growth Rate Hypothesis. In the growth phase, the phytocommunity is mainly limited by the N content. In the senescence phase, all communities from the early successional stage to the mid successional stage are prone to N limitation but they are significantly affected by a combination of N, P, and K from the late successional stage to the climax successional stage and the P limitation are stronger in the climax successional stage. The specific leaf area is the most important impact factor to leaf stoichiometric characteristics at each successional stage. These results indicate that nitrogen addition in growth stage may promote vegetation restoration and karst forest ecosystem stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban areas have higher heterogeneity compared to natural areas, it is crucial to assess fine-resolution land cover products and discover how they differ in urban areas so that they can be efficiently used for various application scenarios. In this study, five typical cities in China were chosen as study areas to evaluate four commonly used 30 m land cover products: GLC_FCS30-2020, FROM-GLC30-2017, Globeland30-2020, and CLCD-2019. We analyzed the reliability of these four products using validation samples as well as by examining their area and spatial pattern consistency. Given the limitations of traditional accuracy assessments at the macro level, we added a local area evaluation to further examine the classification details in these products. The macro results indicated that four land cover products within urban areas have a similar overall accuracy, surpassing 76%, but there was a low consistency among them, ranging from 42.21% to 61.13%. The local accuracy assessment illustrated that GLC_FCS30-2020 and FROM-GLC30-2017 performed well in reflecting the intricate details of the city, however, the four products exhibited varying degrees of misclassifications and omissions. These phenomena suggest that more sophisticated algorithms are needed to consider urban particularities since fine-resolution land cover products may fail to capture complex urban details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores and documents the Eocene limestones from the Albeşti village (Argeş County, Romania) in terms of the relationship between geology, geoheritage and cultural heritage. Known as the Albeşti Limestone/Stone, this rock, extracted from small quarries, has been used for centuries in the construction of an impressive number of public buildings, monuments, houses, etc. Nowadays, many of them are on the List of the Historical Monuments of Romania; one is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site (Horezu Monastery, Vâlcea County). The findings of this research are synthesized and presented in several maps resulted from integration of published and unpublished data with our field survey. The study emphasis the Albeşti Limestone both as an important geoheritage (the Albeşti Nummulitic Limestone Nature Reserve, established in 1954) and a significant heritage stone of national interest that could have a substantial role in heritage preservation, geoeducation, and geotourism development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural processes and biodiversity are under pressure, especially in the human-dominated region of Central Europe. Therefore, an effective approach is needed for the conservation of the last fragments of valuable habitats. Šumava National Park is one of the biggest relatively natural forested areas within the cultural landscapes of Czechia and Central Europe. It has been protected since 1991 as a National Park, but management has been changed several times; thus, we would like to create a map with nature protection prioritization based on objective procedures and data to help manage the National Park with regard to its goals. We used occurrence data for 50 selected key fauna and flora species and made habitat suitability models; furthermore, data derived from the habitat mapping layer describing the quality of habitats were prepared. These data were inputs for prioritization ZONATION software resulting in a prioritization map, which could be compared with the current zonation of the National Park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A geological, geomorphological and geo-touristic map, at 1:5000 scale, has been produced for the most representative area of the regional ‘Special Nature Reserve of Montalbano Jonico Badlands’, with the aim to represent the scientific and landscape features which allowed the establishment of the Reserve. The area is located in the Province of Matera (Basilicata), on the southwestern sector of the Apennines Quaternary foredeep, in Southern Italy. The map highlights stratigraphic signatures of international interest and badland landscapes, imprinted on a clayey marine succession straddling the Early-Middle Pleistocene boundary. This stratigraphic interval can be considered as an international reference section for global paleoclimatic signatures during Marine Oxygen Isotopic Stages 20–18 and for the base of the Middle Pleistocene Subseries/Subepoch. With the goal to disseminate these knowledges, to improve future research and to promote sustainable geo-tourism, the map allows visitors to enjoy the scientific features and scenery of the Reserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concern about the recurrence of land subsidence has arisen in Japan with urban development and new groundwater use. Land subsidence observation well has been utilized for monitoring the subsidence, but due to the recent aging of facilities and equipment, remote sensing technology is attracting attention. This paper seeks to assess the substitutability of Consecutive DInSAR with the land subsidence observation well. To investigate the subsidence in Kanagawa prefecture, Sentinel 1 images from August 2017 to March 2022 were analyzed by SARPROZ software based on Consecutive DInSAR, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and land subsidence observation well methods. Moreover, we assessed the new calculation model between land surface pressure and ground water called the law of material conservation to estimate land subsidence. The results revealed that the Consecutive DInSAR results agreed with the land subsidence observation well data, indicating the possibility of future substitution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to preserve nature has led researchers to explore new natural fibers for biodegradable biocomposites. Present work explored first time the thermo-physico-chemical, morphological, and mechanical properties of Yucca treculeana (YT) fiber with a density of 1.330 ± 0.039 g/cm3. The estimated chemical analysis of YT fiber is 82.3%, 12.1%, and 5.6% for cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, respectively. The surface chemistry, crystallinity, and functional groups of YT fibers were analyzed by XPS, XRD, and FTIR, respectively. The concentration levels of carbon (62.88%) and oxygen (33.72%) were detected by XPS. XRD analysis showed that the YT fiber has a crystallite size of 3.02 nm and a crystallinity index of 48.85%. Based on the thermal analysis by TGA, the results show thermal stability of the YT fiber up to 360.6°C. The average mechanical properties of the fiber are 222 MPa for the tensile strength, 2.47% for the strain at break and the Young's modulus is equal to 16.85 GPa. In addition, the results obtained in this study were compared with those found in the related literature. All these results prove that YT fiber can be used as reinforcement in making lightweight industrial biocomposites with thermoplastic or thermosetting polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel method is presented to compute an explicit formula for the inverse of the confluent Vandermonde matrices. The proposed results may have many interesting perspectives in diverse areas of mathematics and natural sciences, notably on the situations where the Vandermonde matrices have acquired much usefulness. The method presented here is direct and straightforward, it gives explicit and compact formulas. Several examples are presented to highlight the results. The main tools are some elementary basic linear algebra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]