Conservation Monitoring Research Articles

Test Verification of the Standard Compilation of “Energy-Saving Monitoring for Refrigeration Storage System” in Beijing

In this paper, the feasibility and applicability of the test and evaluation methods for the temperature and energy consumption coefficient in the cold storage system are tested and verified which is specified in the Beijing local standard “Energy Conservation Monitoring of Refrigeration Storage.” It also summarizes and analyses the test verification results of the evaluation index of the location of measuring points of temperature in refrigeration storage, data-collecting time interval of temperature in refrigeration storage, energy efficiency coefficient of the refrigeration unit, and energy consumption coefficient of the refrigeration. The study work provides technical support for making the monitor and evaluation methods which applies to the standard.

Acoustic localization, validation, and characterization of Rice's whale calls.

The recently named Rice's whale in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the most endangered whales in the world, and improved knowledge of spatiotemporal occurrence patterns is needed to support their recovery and conservation. Passive acoustic monitoring methods for determining spatiotemporal occurrence patterns require identifying the species' call repertoire. Rice's whale call repertoire remains unvalidated though several potential call types have been identified. This study uses sonobuoys and passive acoustic tagging to validate the source of potential call types and to characterize Rice's whale calls. During concurrent visual and acoustic surveys, acoustic-directed approaches were conducted to obtain visual verifications of sources of localized sounds. Of 28 acoustic-directed approaches, 79% led to sightings of balaenopterid whales, of which 10 could be positively identified to species as Rice's whales. Long-moan calls, downsweep sequences, and tonal-sequences are attributed to Rice's whales based on these matches, while anthropogenic sources are ruled out. A potential new call type, the low-frequency downsweep sequence, is characterized from tagged Rice's whale recordings. The validation and characterization of the Rice's whale call repertoire provides foundational information needed to use passive acoustic monitoring for better understanding and conservation of these critically endangered whales.

Research on Automatic Identification Method of Terraces on the Loess Plateau Based on Deep Transfer Learning

Rapid, accurate extraction of terraces from high-resolution images is of great significance for promoting the application of remote-sensing information in soil and water conservation planning and monitoring. To solve the problem of how deep learning requires a large number of labeled samples to achieve good accuracy, this article proposes an automatic identification method for terraces that can obtain high precision through small sample datasets. Firstly, a terrace identification source model adapted to multiple data sources is trained based on the WorldView-1 dataset. The model can be migrated to other types of images for terracing extraction as a pre-trained model. Secondly, to solve the small sample problem, a deep transfer learning method for accurate pixel-level extraction of high-resolution remote-sensing image terraces is proposed. Finally, to solve the problem of insufficient boundary information and splicing traces during prediction, a strategy of ignoring edges is proposed, and a prediction model is constructed to further improve the accuracy of terrace identification. In this paper, three regions outside the sample area are randomly selected, and the OA, F1 score, and MIoU averages reach 93.12%, 91.40%, and 89.90%, respectively. The experimental results show that this method, based on deep transfer learning, can accurately extract terraced field surfaces and segment terraced field boundaries.

Consideration of high-quality development strategies for soil and water conservation on the loess plateau

The construction of check dams is an important measure to prevent soil erosion on the Loess Plateau and reduce the amount of sediment entering the Yellow River. Based on an analysis of the current situation of soil and water conservation on the Loess Plateau and the three major problems faced by the traditional homogeneous soil check dam construction, the study of anti-scouring materials, hydrological calculation methods, dam design and construction technology and soil and water conservation monitoring are carried out in this paper. The results showed that the current soil and water conservation measures on the Loess Plateau have achieved remarkable outcomes. The new design and application concept of check dams with anti-burst and multi-sand interceptions is innovatively proposed in this paper. The new materials of solidified loess have good durability and anti-scouring characteristics and could meet the overflow and anti-scouring requirements of the new check dam. The small watershed high sand content of hydrological calculation can establish the upper limit of the flood sediment boundary for the anti-scouring protection layer of the check dam. The new technology of dam design and construction can achieve no collapse or slow collapse when encountering floods exceeding the standard. Intelligent monitoring systems can realize real-time dynamic monitoring for soil and water conservation on the Loess Plateau. The results will eventually contribute to the national strategy of the Ecological Protection and High Quality Development in the Yellow River basin.

Mapping leaf area index of the Yellowwood tree species in an Afromontane mistbelt forest of southern Africa using topographic variables

Forming a holistic understanding of tropical indigenous forest vegetation dynamics is crucial for effective conservation monitoring and management strategies. Local surface topography assumes a pivotal role in the distribution and productivity of specialist forest species, such as the Yellowwood tree. Meanwhile, the Yellowwoods contribute to the maintenance of biodiversity by providing habitat to many forest species, such as the endangered Cape Parrot (Poicephalus robustus), which are heavily dependent on them. Tree properties such as leaf area indices are important indicators of plant condition and productivity, which are constrained by local topographic conditions. Therefore, this study sought to assess the influence of topographic variables on the leaf area index of Yellowwood tree species. Principal component analysis (PCA) and the stepwise linear regression (LR) were used to assess the influence of Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) digital elevation model (DEM) derived topographic variables, on leaf area index. Specifically, 29 topographic indices were used to estimate the leaf area index in this study. Based on the PCA, variables from four components were then selected based on their eigen values and used to estimate LAI using LR. Results of this study showed that the catchment area, mass balance, sky view factor, convergence index, maximum curvature and aspect (Standard Error of Estimate (SEE) = 0.35 m2/m2 and R2 = 0.85) explained the spatial variation of the observed leaf area index of Yellowwood tree species in the Ingeli State Forest. The findings of this study are a fundamental step toward drawing up comprehensive frameworks for inventorying and monitoring indigenous forest species.

Strengthening monitoring and evaluation of multiple benefits in conservation initiatives that aim to foster climate change adaptation

AbstractAs the need to monitor and evaluate progress on climate change adaptation is increasingly recognized, practitioners may benefit from applying lessons about effective monitoring from the conservation field. This study focuses on monitoring conservation interventions that aim to foster climate change adaptation by assessing: what ways practitioners are adopting best practices from monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in conservation; what practitioners are monitoring in relation to reported outcomes; how monitoring comprehensiveness varies in practice and what factors enable more comprehensive monitoring; and practitioner views on what could improve M&E of adaptation actions. We conducted this study using a portfolio of 76 adaptation projects implemented across the United States and employed a mixed‐methods design that included document analysis, an online survey, and semi‐structured interviews. The majority (84%) of projects reported social outcomes at project completion in addition to ecological outcomes (100%), but monitoring plans focused primarily on ecological and biophysical changes. Only 21% of projects connected monitoring metrics to a theory of change linking actions to expected outcomes. Involvement of an external research partner was identified as a key factor in supporting more comprehensive monitoring efforts. Results provide applied insights for enhancing delivery of social and ecological outcomes from adaptation projects, and suggest research pathways to improve monitoring and effectiveness of climate‐informed conservation.

Four millennia of long-term individual foraging site fidelity in a highly migratory marine predator

Theory and field studies suggest that long-term individual foraging site fidelity (IFSF) may be an important adaptation to competition from increasing population. However, the driving mechanisms and extent of long-term IFSF in wild populations of long-lived, migratory animals has been logistically difficult to study, with only a few confirmed instances. Temporal isotopic datasets can reveal long-term patterns in geographical foraging behaviour. We investigate the isotopic compositions of endangered short-tailed albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) over four millennia leading up to their near-extinction. Although not exhibited by short-tailed albatross today, we show past sub-populations displayed a high-degree of long-term IFSF, focusing on the same locations for hundreds of generations. This is the first large-scale evidence for the deep antiquity of long-term IFSF and suggests that it’s density-driven. Globally, as populations of species like short-tailed albatross continue to recover from overexploitation, potential for resurgence of geographic specialization may increase exposure to localized hazards, requiring closer conservation monitoring.

Environmental citizen science in Greece: perceptions and attitudes of key actors

Citizen Science (CS), the voluntary participation of lay people in scientific work, is well-established in the fields of nature conservation and biodiversity monitoring due to its potential to create large environmental datasets. This study aims to understand the familiarity, perceptions and attitudes towards CS of the key environmental actors in Greece. The target group consisted of employees and/or representatives of Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations (ENGOs), scientists and civil servants related to nature conservation. Quantitative data were collected using an electronic questionnaire, 178 fully completed questionnaires and subsequently eight semi-structured interviews with experts were conducted. Descriptive statistics were used to measure the familiarity and attitude of the actors, as well as the obstacles to the development of CS in Greece. We used Cronbach’s test to measure the reliability of the used Likert scale and Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test to identify significant differences amongst the three groups of actors. Qualitative data were analysed following a Thematic Analysis methodology. The results show that ca. 40% of the key actors are familiar with the terms and CS practice while over 65% with the concept. The general attitude of the actors towards CS is positive although concerns about data quality collected were highlighted. “Lack of cooperation culture”, “Ignorance of the existence of the phenomenon” and “Lack of know-how” emerged as the most important obstacles to CS development in Greece. Although CS is present in Greece, it is not visible enough. The main reasons are that relevant projects employ different terms, are under-represented in the formal literature and include limited, if at all, project dissemination. There are significant differences regarding familiarity and the attitude towards CS between actors, but also similarities concerning the main obstacles. The study sets a baseline which can be employed to improve and further expand Environmental Citizen Science (ECS) in Greece.

DarkCideS 1.0, a global database for bats in karsts and caves

Understanding biodiversity patterns as well as drivers of population declines, and range losses provides crucial baselines for monitoring and conservation. However, the information needed to evaluate such trends remains unstandardised and sparsely available for many taxonomic groups and habitats, including the cave-dwelling bats and cave ecosystems. We developed the DarkCideS 1.0 (https://darkcides.org/), a global database of bat caves and species synthesised from publicly available information and datasets. The DarkCideS 1.0 is by far the largest database for cave-dwelling bats, which contains information for geographical location, ecological status, species traits, and parasites and hyperparasites for 679 bat species are known to occur in caves or use caves in part of their life histories. The database currently contains 6746 georeferenced occurrences for 402 cave-dwelling bat species from 2002 cave sites in 46 countries and 12 terrestrial biomes. The database has been developed to be collaborative and open-access, allowing continuous data-sharing among the community of bat researchers and conservation biologists to advance bat research and comparative monitoring and prioritisation for conservation.

DEVELOPMENT OF SMART CAMPUS APPLICATIONS BASED ON WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES USING OPEN-SOURCE PLATFORMS

Malaysian National Center for Education estimates that students' enrolments will increase to 17.2 million by 2028. The conventional way of managing things around campus work can be improved by applying the smart campus concept. This study showcases the potential smart campus applications with different wireless IoT technologies and their application; LoRa for Internet of Bicycle (IoB), Sigfox for water quality monitoring, IEEE 801.11p for campus active safety application, and NB-IoT for remote mangrove conservation. The prototypes consist of various sensors and online dashboards to demonstrate the open-source IoT ecosystem. For IoB, a 0.5 km radius centered at LoRa gateway’s location, proved reliable for real-time e-bicycles location monitoring. It offers locking system security to avoid bicycles steal. The SigFox-based water quality monitoring system received signal performance is adequate (RSSI -80 to -90 dBm) with a tower location approximately 3 km from the lake area. For active safety application based on IEEE 801.11p, communication of braking force, car speed, and position of cars ahead of an obstacle make this application feasible to improve road safety around campus, with the real implementation expected to be achieved in the next five to ten years. Lastly, the application of remote mangrove conservation monitoring using NB-IoT on LTE mobile network from Celcom as an independent wireless platform. It allows researchers and students from the university to use this application for their research on sustainable conservation at remote mangrove sites worldwide. The results have shown that all the wireless IoT is promising for future smart campus deployment.

Assessment of Canopy Health with Drone-Based Orthoimagery in a Southern Appalachian Red Spruce Forest

Consumer-grade drone-produced digital orthoimagery is a valuable tool for conservation management and enables the low-cost monitoring of remote ecosystems. This study demonstrates the applicability of RGB orthoimagery for the assessment of forest health at the scale of individual trees in a 46-hectare plot of rare southern Appalachian red spruce forest on Whitetop Mountain, Virginia. We used photogrammetric Structure from Motion software Pix4Dmapper with drone-collected imagery to generate a mosaic for point cloud reconstruction and orthoimagery of the plot. Using 3-band RBG digital orthoimagery, we visually classified 9402 red spruce individuals, finding 8700 healthy (92.5%), 251 declining/dying (2.6%), and 451 dead (4.8%). We mapped individual spruce trees in each class and produced kernel density maps of health classes (live, dead, and dying). Our approach provided a nearly gap-free assessment of the red spruce canopy in our study site, versus a much more time-intensive field survey. Our maps provided useful information on stand mortality patterns and canopy gaps that could be used by managers to identify optimal locations for selective thinning to facilitate understory sapling regeneration. This approach, dependent mainly on an off-the-shelf drone system and visual interpretation of orthoimagery, could be applied by land managers to measure forest health in other spruce, or possibly spruce-fir, communities in the Appalachians. Our study highlights the usefulness of drone-produced orthoimagery for conservation monitoring, presenting a valid and accessible protocol for the monitoring and assessment of forest health in remote spruce, and possibly other conifer, populations. Adoption of drone-based monitoring may be especially useful in light of climate change and the possible displacement of southern Appalachian red spruce (and spruce-fir) ecosystems by the upslope migration of deciduous trees.

Climate change threatens the conservation of one of the world’s most endangered transboundary tree species: Magnolia grandis

The Sino-Vietnamese border region is known for having unique and high levels of biodiversity. Global climate change is expected to alter the region’s climate and related changes in habitats and ecosystems will result in shifts in species’ distributions and increase the likelihood of local and global extinctions. Ecological Niche Models (ENMs) are widely used to predict the magnitude of potential species distribution shifts in response to climate change and inform conservation planning. Here, we present climate-based ENM projections of future climatically suitable habitat for the Daguo Mulian tree (Magnolia grandis), a critically endangered species of high ecological and cultural value in the Sino-Vietnamese border region. Projections of modeled climatically suitable habitat for M. grandis, both for the 2050s and 2070s, suggest significant habitat loss within conservation areas, and a defining shift in the location of suitable habitat. Future projections are conservative and do not account for dispersal limitations or species interactions or other factors, and thus may overestimate potential shifts and underestimate losses. Our results suggest that current conservation management efforts for M. grandis, which include community forest conservation monitoring combined with nursery cultivation efforts, can continue to have success if implemented in an adaptive management framework with long-term research and monitoring to inform forward-thinking decisions with future climatic suitability in mind. The results also underline how endangered species’ distributions may shift across borders as they track suitable climates, emphasizing that nations will need to cooperate to effectively manage threatened species and habitats and prevent extinctions.

Seasonal and diel activities of the Yangtze finless porpoise in natural and highly disturbed habitats: Implications for conservation planning of freshwater cetaceans

Abstract Knowledge of fine‐scale seasonal and diel activity patterns of animals provides insights into habitat utilization dynamics and informs conservation action planning against potential human impacts. Such information is particularly important for riverine cetaceans, such as the Yangtze finless porpoise, which is threatened by habitat loss and disturbances by a variety of human activities. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) techniques were used to survey the seasonal and diel activities of the Yangtze finless porpoise in two natural habitat patches of the Anqing Yangtze Finless Porpoise Natural Reserve, and in one highly disturbed area adjacent to the reserve. In the two natural habitat patches, significantly higher detection rates of porpoises were observed during autumn and winter. The detection rates during autumn and winter were significantly higher at night than during daytime, whereas during spring and summer the diel difference in porpoise detection rates was not statistically significant. In the highly disturbed habitat, the porpoise detection rates were significantly lower than those in the two natural habitats. Although seasonal differences in porpoise detection rates were not statistically significant, diel detection rates were significantly different in autumn and winter. Information on seasonal patterns of porpoise activities suggested strengthening monitoring and law enforcement during autumn and winter, during the period in which diel activity patterns implied a potential conservation gap during nighttime. Extremely low levels of porpoise activities in port areas implied an ecological impact of coastal engineering on megafauna viability through the alteration of habitat functionality. To provide information on animal occurrences and activities and to minimize the bias of ‘false‐absence’ from visual surveys, the census survey design should consider both visual and PAM techniques. In seasons when occurrences of river cetaceans and habitat use are increasing, heightened conservation monitoring and law enforcement efforts are required, particularly during nighttime.

Monitoring and Evaluation: The Foundation for Lake and Reservoir Management

In this paper, we review the evolution of environmental monitoring, from its earliest days of exploration and increasing understanding of ecosystems and environment through the development of models and similar tools, to the current application of monitoring to assess project achievements. We note that information gathered through environmental monitoring is critical in evaluating the applicability of models and the accuracy of remotely-sensed information, and supporting the role of citizen science in the acquisition of environmental data. As monitoring increasingly is applied to project management, we identify the nexus between environmental and project management as needing to have purpose; observing that the purpose of monitoring evolves over time. This evolution is supported by the evaluation or assessment of the data—environmental and management related—over time, making monitoring and evaluation foundational for sound environmental management, restoration, protection, conservation, and understanding of ecosystem values.

Key Issues for Realizing Open Ecoacoustic Monitoring in Australia

Many organizations are attempting to scale ecoacoustic monitoring for conservation but are hampered at the stages of data management and analysis. We reviewed current ecoacoustic hardware, software, and standards, and conducted workshops with 23 participants across 10 organizations in Australia to learn about their current practices, and to identify key trends and challenges in their use of ecoacoustics data. We found no existing metadata schemas that contain enough ecoacoustics terms for current practice, and no standard approaches to annotation. There was a strong need for free acoustics data storage, discoverable learning resources, and interoperability with other ecological modeling tools. In parallel, there were tensions regarding intellectual property management, and siloed approaches to studying species within organizations across different regions and between organizations doing similar work. This research contributes directly to the development of an open ecoacoustics platform to enable the sharing of data, analyses, and tools for environmental conservation.

Dataset for vascular plants in the Red Data Books of Transbaikalia: species distribution and pathways towards their conservation

The dataset of the Red Data Book vascular plants of Transbaikalia was created based on the latest editions of the Red Data Book of the Republic of Buryatia and the Red Data Book of the Zabaikalsky Krai (Russia). The dataset provides the most updated information regarding the distribution of 271 rare vascular plants (2920 distribution records). The distribution of the studied species was recorded during field surveys using GPS navigators, georeferenced from herbarium specimens, and digitised from printed distribution maps. Each entry in the dataset has various attributes, including belt zone, distribution, ecological, and life-form group features. Distribution patterns for various groups of rare and endangered species were analysed by means of QGIS 3.10 software. Our study has revealed a number of localities of vascular plants listed in the Red Data Book and clarified their distribution within the federal Protected Areas of Transbaikalia, among which Tunkinsky National Park has the highest diversity. Distribution of some rare and endangered species fall under federal protection, but some plants, including endemic species, require better protection. Analysis of various belt zones and distribution groups showed their distinct spread within the study region. Among the studied species, mesophytes and short rhizome perennial plants prevailed. It is also important to preserve vascular plants in the Red Data Book outside Protected Areas. Hence, information from our dataset can be useful for conservation monitoring programmes. Our study provides a basis for future conservation activities and can be applied in the establishment of new Protected Areas or Important Plant Areas in Transbaikalia.

Long-term environmental monitoring for preventive conservation of external historical plasterworks

In this study, an analysis of the environmental conditions in a Csa climatic zone for the conservation of plasterwork of the Real Alcázar of Seville is carried out. The measurements obtained from in-situ monitoring are compared with the measurements provided by AEMET (State Meteorological Agency in Spain) during the reference year and the study is completed by estimating future environmental conditions using two alternative approaches: a morphing process from the EPW of the climatic zone and the application of M5P data mining algorithms.An optimal temperature range is established for the conservation of the plasterwork that prevents their dehydration or the freezing of water particles contained. The transformation of gypsum into bassanite, the risks associated with exposures to high relative humidity and the consequences of the slight hygroscopicity of the material and the environmental conditions that must be developed to favor the growth of mold on the surface or the cracking of polychromies that embellish these plaster decorations on numerous occasions are analyzed. The results obtained allow us to establish preventive conservation measures not only on the plasterwork but also on the Real Alcázar of Seville and that architectural heritage located in the subtropical dry-summer climate.

Application of Multi-dimensional Technology in Water Conservation Monitoring of Power Transmission and Transformation Production and Construction Project

Under the background of the new era, as the production and construction projects of soil and water conservation began to fully promote the “integration of heaven and earth”, the traditional application technology has been unable to meet the needs of practical development, and the power transmission and transformation production and construction projects put forward higher application requirements. Therefore, on the basis of understanding the current implementation of soil and water conservation monitoring work, this paper analyzes how to reasonably use UAV technology in practical monitoring work according to the multi-dimensional technical means proposed in the new era, and conducts performance analysis according to the practical verification.

Soundscapes and protected area conservation: Are noises in nature making people complacent?

This study explores how existing connections to natural places may affect PA visitors’ experiences and perceptions within the PA. Specifically, outside-the-PA soundscape perceptions are examined to better understand how their experiences outside the PA may affect perceptions of PA soundscapes and visitors’ ability to effectively contribute to conservation monitoring. Survey research (n=389) of recent urban visitors to the Chilean Coyhaique National Reserve (CNR) in Patagonia unpacked perceptions of the acoustic environments within the places where participants felt most connected to nature, including landscape features, favorite and prevalent sounds, and acceptability of particular anthrophonic sounds. Favorite and prevalent sounds were open-coded, and anthrophonic sounds were rated for prevalence and acceptability. The mountain landscape features and sounds (‘wind’, ‘running water’,‘ birds’) participants described as prominent within the places where they felt most connected to nature aligned well with CNR characteristics. Participants who ‘sometimes’‘/often’ heard certain anthropogenic sounds (vehicles, aircraft, machines, city sounds), within the places where they felt most connected to nature, rated those sounds as more acceptable than participants who reported ‘never’ hearing them, raising concerns about complacency toward anthrophony in natural settings. Continued research efforts are warranted to better understand visitors’ frames of reference, their influence on the reliability of social norm data for PA soundscape monitoring, and their influence on PA managers’ ability to protect conservation values.

Penerapan Pengawasan Konservasi Satwa Kelelawar Secara Mandiri

Supervision of the conservation of bat animals in ensuring the preservation of bat animals and economic stability for the beneficiary groups. The purpose of the service is to implement independent supervision of bat conservation. Conservation monitoring activities are carried out in the Bat Conservation area in Olibu Village, Paguyaman Pantai District, Boalemo Regency. The target group is the Bat Utilization Group and the community. Service activities are focused on increasing group and community understanding of supervisory understanding (1). Designing an independent conservation monitoring model focused on monitoring the fishing process and monitoring conservation areas (2). Monitoring line (3). The initial assessment illustrates that the group's understanding of the importance of supervision is still low at 9.95% before receiving material delivery. The final assessment illustrates that there is an increased understanding of knowledge about the self-monitoring model that will be applied in conservation areas by 82.93%. Supervision activities on the management of bat animal capture are comprehensive supervision, starting from the time the catching is carried out until the bats are marketed. Supervision during capture is needed in order to stabilize the protection and survival of captured bats, especially for animals that are not fit to be caught and traded. Supervision of Conservation Areas is the right step to take in preserving bat animals and economic stability for groups using bats, in addition to existing conservation areas, they can develop into tourist areas. There are 2 bat control lines and a conservation area, namely land and sea routes. The monitoring model for bat conservation independently can be realized by involving groups of users, the village community as the object of supervision over the activities of monitoring the capture management process and supervision of conservation areas, while the Olibu village government as a supervisory control through implementation.