Bioresource Management Research Articles

Secondary succession and resource use in tropical fallows: A case study from the Coromandel Coast of South India

AbstractAgricultural fallows, village commons and degraded forests, serve as important common community property resources throughout India, but due to their degraded status they are considered as ‘wastelands’, having little economic value and poor biodiversity. A study on secondary succession was conducted in agricultural fallows around Puducherry, India to review the negative image of ‘wastelands’. Chronosequences of four sites aged 2, 4, 10 and 50 years were used to investigate change in species composition and abundance, convergence with a nearby forest and to examine their economic use.A comparison of life‐forms, species richness and diversity indices showed that herbaceous species dominated up to 10th year sere, from which point in succession, woody species became more common. It was in the 50th year sere that shrubs and secondary tree species occurring in nucleated clumps became dominant. A cluster analysis based on Bray–Curtis similarity index shows a sequential development of vegetation through time, though 50th year plots showed no convergence with the Tropical dry evergreen forest (TDEF), but the principal component analysis demonstrates a change in community structure from grasslands to shrub and secondary tree species' dominance. Presence of adults of five primary forest species found in the clumps indicates a fast rate of secondary succession, considering that grazing and resource removal occurred in the sites. The potential value of the ‘wastelands’ is evident from the fact that 64 per cent of recorded species have economic use, which underlines the need for their sustainable utilization for better management of bioresources rather than converting them into monocultures. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Gender and Coastal Zone Biodiversity

The term ‘gender’ refers to socially determined roles and responsibilities of women and men and the relationship between them in society. The concept is widely misunderstood and seen as synonymous with women. If biodiversity is to survive, women and men both need to play a role in its management. To examine gender concerns in the use of coastal bio-resources, a study was undertaken in two villages in a typical coastal region in India. An attempt was made to identify the major changes in coastal zone biodiversity, over a period of two decades, during which great strides have occurred in marine fi sheries and aquaculture. A participatory appraisal of the positive and negative impacts of the changes on food and livelihood security revealed that development efforts in general improved the infrastructure for improving income, education and health. Sustainability issues such as the confl ict between paddy and shrimp farming, disease in coconuts, drinking water scarcity and pollution have contributed to deterioration of coastal zone bio-resources and pose challenges to basic household food security as perceived by both women and men. Biodiversity interventions help to maintain bio-resources, provide diverse occupations and ensure food security for the rural poor. Conservation of biodiversity can be achieved through the use of scientifi c innovations integrated with development schemes and linking them with self-help groups of women and men. Some successful biodiversity interventions by research institutes and development departments in the country that have been useful in educating the stakeholders on the importance of coastal zone management and maintenance of bio-resources are also discussed.

Regional variation in the role of bottom-up and top-down processes in controlling sandeel abundance in the North Sea

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 337:279-286 (2007) - doi:10.3354/meps337279 Regional variation in the role of bottom-up and top-down processes in controlling sandeel abundance in the North Sea Morten Frederiksen1,*, Robert W. Furness2, Sarah Wanless1 1Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Hill of Brathens, Banchory AB31 4BW, UK 2Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK *Email: mfr@ceh.ac.uk ABSTRACT: The lesser sandeel Ammodytes marinus is a critically important mid-trophic species in the North Sea ecosystem. Seabirds suffered widespread breeding failures in the North Sea in 2004, due to shortages of sandeels, their principal food. Industrial sandeel fisheries also failed in 2003 to 2005. Explaining why sandeels were in short supply is thus critical to understanding and managing the North Sea ecosystem. Sandeel abundance may be controlled ‘bottom-up’ by food availability or ‘top-down’ by predation, including fisheries. The relative importance of these 2 mechanisms may vary over space and time, and failure to take account of such variation may lead to inappropriate management. We summarise the available evidence for top-down or bottom-up control of sandeel abundance in 2 well-studied North Sea regions differing in many biotic and abiotic characteristics. In Shetland, recent low abundance of sandeels coincided with record-high abundance of herring, which may have exerted a top-down predation pressure on sandeels. Off SE Scotland, where adult herrings are scarce, abundance of sandeel larvae was positively correlated with plankton abundance, indicating bottom-up control. Seabird breeding failures in this area in 2004 were linked to extremely low energy content of sandeels. Large-scale sandeel fisheries have not been operating in either area since 2000. Control of food web structure and function in the North Sea is thus likely to be complex, with pronounced regional variation. Improved cooperation between diverse research organisations will be needed to understand this complexity, and future ecosystem-based management of marine bioresources will need to take the results of such research into account. KEY WORDS: Ecosystem function · Herring · Marine food webs · Resource management · Sandeel · Trophic structure Full text in pdf format PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 337. Online publication date: May 14, 2007 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2007 Inter-Research.

Pengelolaan Sumberdaya Hayati Bagi Pemenuhan Kebutuhan Pangan dan Gizi

Pengelolaan Sumberdaya Hayati Bagi Pemenuhan Kebutuhan Pangan dan Gizi

English

The loss of Africa's forests and bioresources is occurring at an alarming rate, a consequence of increasing population pressure, agricultural land degradation, urbanization and neglect. There is a growing recognition worldwide that conservation and sustainable management of bioresources are pressing priorities in the world today. The choice of conservation methods and techniques depend on the objectives of the particular conservation effort, the breeding system and behaviour of the species in question as well as the available resources including funds, trained personnel, infrastructure and technologies. The use of biotechnological tools and “bioprospecting” will open new vistas in medicine, agriculture, silviculture, horticulture, environment and other important issues. This paper reviews some biotechnological tools that could be harnessed in promoting conservation and sustainable use of bioresources. Key words : Bioresources, genetic conservation, biotechnology. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 2 (12), pp. 704-709, December 2003

Dynamic feedback optimization of bioresource management in a polluted ecosystem

A single state bioresource management model was derived from the viewpoint of control engineering based on a nonlinear and stochastic dynamic system. The model can be used to solve the problem regarding the analysis and management of biological resources in the presence of uncertainty and the implication of uncertainty in decision making. The management of trace Zn bioaccumulation in aquaculture abalone, Haliotis diversicolor supertexta, is illustrated to show the applicability of established techniques in designing a dynamic feedback control strategy. General results from the engineering analysis are presented in the form of strategies of constant Zn concentration in molluskan shellfish and of constant control effort and in the form of warning about the instability of the system. Numerical data were obtained which could be used to design a controller minimizing fluctuations about a chosen equilibrium state. Dynamic feedback optimization can serve as a guide to the decision making of sustainable bioresource management in a polluted ecosystem in that the decisions are required to be made in the presence of uncertainty.

The role of restoration in sustainable bio‐resources management

Natural Resources ForumVolume 23, Issue 1 p. 79-80 The role of restoration in sustainable bio-resources management Eduardo R. Fuentes, Eduardo R. Fuentes Centre for Environmental Research and Conservation, Columbia University, New York, N.Y., USASearch for more papers by this author Eduardo R. Fuentes, Eduardo R. Fuentes Centre for Environmental Research and Conservation, Columbia University, New York, N.Y., USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 09 October 2009 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-8947.1999.tb00240.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume23, Issue1February 1999Pages 79-80 RelatedInformation