Coastal Strip Research Articles

Cohesion policy and metropolitan governance: innovation in stakeholders collaboration practices in Lisbon

This study examines the impact of Cohesion Policy on metropolitan governance and stakeholders’ collaboration practices in the Lisbon region. The financial crisis and subsequent austerity policies have underscored the importance of institutional arrangements and governance processes, particularly at the local and regional levels. Focusing on the Lisbon metropolitan area, which faces fragmented institutional structures and governance challenges, this research highlights the role of Cohesion Policy through Integrated Territorial Investments (ITI) in fostering innovation and collaboration among stakeholders. The EVA (Green and Blue Corridor) project in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area exemplifies the role of EU funding in promoting cooperation and governance innovation. The introduction of ITI under the Cohesion Policy has facilitated the establishment of collaborative networks and innovative practices in the metropolitan area. These initiatives have broken down planning silos, promoting "soft spaces of governance" that encouraged knowledge exchange and institutional learning among territorial stakeholders. However, challenges persist in the absence of a coherent regional strategy and the prioritization of broad EU objectives over tailored regional needs. This hampers the potential for integrated and proactive territorial management. Nevertheless, Cohesion Policy has stimulated stakeholder collaboration and innovation in metropolitan governance, paving the way for sustainable and inclusive development in the Lisbon region.

Population structure of Pacific green turtles: a new perspective from microsatellite DNA variation

This study builds upon the current understanding of green turtle population genetic structure in the Pacific that has largely been based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), by examining nuclear DNA (nDNA) diversity, regional connectivity, and male-mediated gene flow. A total of 1,111 nesting green turtle samples were analyzed with 10 microsatellite markers from 20 Pacific rookeries. Population differentiation (FST) was significant (p <0.05) in all but 8 of 190 pairwise rookery comparisons. PairwiseFSTvalues and discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) revealed a defined East-West split consistent with mtDNA studies. Additionally, isolation-by-distance was evaluated with estimated effective migration surfaces (EEMS). The data indicated structure throughout the Pacific rookeries largely in agreement with stock structure defined by mtDNA studies, except for some areas on the Central American and Australian continental shelves, providing evidence of possible male-mediated gene flow. The series of analyses performed did indicate that male-mediated gene flow has likely occurred where breeding migration corridors of separate populations overlap with courtship areas. This may occur primarily along the margins of continents, including along Mexico and Central America in the East Pacific. Our study provides an ocean-wide baseline nDNA dataset for green turtle rookeries in the Pacific and reexamines the current thinking regarding the role of male turtles in the population dynamics of management units (MU) and to what extent nuclear gene flow occurs among designated MUs.

A descriptive analysis of Deer-vehicle collisions along Missouri interstate highways

A total of 3,639 deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) were reported on Missouri roadways in 2020, resulting in 348 injuries and 5 deaths. Of these accidents, 490 (13.5%) occurred along 1,200 miles of interstates. Although fewer in number, interstate crashes are more serious than others, often causing bodily injury and property damage. This descriptive study investigated DVCs on Missouri interstates using aerial photographs and street-side images on Google Maps to assess adjacent land use characteristics and determine the presence of corridors, if any, at each location. Of the DVC sites, 449 (91.6%) were near a natural corridor (n = 212, 47.2%), an artificial corridor (n = 139, 31.0%), or a combination of both (n = 98, 21.8%). Some examples of natural corridors included vegetation, water, and dry creeks. Artificial corridors consisted of secondary roads, fence rows, public utilities, and overpasses. The average distance from the DVC to the nearest corridor was 107.0 m. Analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between the types of corridors (p < 0.05), yet Duncan's multiple range test showed only one homogeneous subset. Most interstates bisected natural corridors, but over a third (38.8%) of them had trees on one side or the other, not both. The influence of half and artificial corridors is an important finding in this study, one that has not been reported in the literature. Results can be useful for transportation officials to warn motorists when the risk of DVCs is greatest on Missouri interstates.

Spatial pattern and screening framework of national park agglomerations in the Greater Shangri-La region, China

National park agglomerations are a collection of multiple types of regional protected areas, and these agglomerations are of great importance for giving play to the functions of various ecosystem services in protected areas, establishing ecological corridors, and improving the level of regional ecological protection. The Greater Shangri-La region is located at the junction of Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet Provinces in China and is in the transition zone of two major biogeographical regions, the Palearctic and Indo-Malay regions, with numerous and rich types of protected areas. This study summarizes the practice of combined national park protection globally, analyzes the spatial pattern of 87 protected areas in the Greater Shangri-La region, proposes a framework for the spatial identification and screening of national park agglomerations based on ecoregions, and establishes the ecosystem, landscape type, cultural heritage, spatial distance, and protection management used as indicators for the screening framework of national park agglomerations. Five national park agglomerations, namely, Three Parallel Rivers, Shaluli Mountain-Daxue Mountain, Southeast Tibetan Plateau, Liangshan Mountain, and Panxi Rift, are present in this area, covering 52 protected areas, with characteristics of spatial agglomeration, diverse types, and natural and cultural heritage-rich features. These results help improve the environmental protection system in the Greater Shangri-La region and better promote the construction of national park agglomerations in other places of the world.

Planning for greenery under Light Rail Transit (LRT) in the section of Kelapa Gading North Jakarta

The high mobility of the population in Jakarta encourages the creation of mass transportation modes that can carry a large number of passengers at one time. One of them is the construction of LRT transportation that uses an elevated track. Due to limited land, the pillar of the elevated track was built in the ROW of the existing road. The case of Kelapa Gading LRT was the pillar of the LRT built in the median Boulevard Raya Road. This elevated tract produces an elongated space under the rail track. The space under the LRT track line has the potential to construct a green lane because the currently existing conditions were not planned well. So the purpose of this research was to develop a green lane plan under the LRT rail track by carrying out the concept of a green corridor which be able to maintain the quality of the environment, and able to improve visual quality, and can be beneficial for the community in accordance with the concept of sustainable development. In the proposed plan, the vegetation applied to the road sections such as the traffic island roundabout, U-Turn, and the space under the LRT line combines the use of vegetation to maintain environmental qualities, identify vegetation, plant which shows the road direction, and climate amelioration vegetation. Green technology planning is also proposed at the research site by applying a litter trap, raingarden, porous oncrete, eco-drainage, and solar power system for street lighting.

Construction of an ecological security network in the Fenhe River Basin and its temporal and spatial evolution characteristics

Based on morphological spatial pattern analysis and ecosystem service value accounting, in this study, we screened ecological sources, identified ecological corridors using circuit theory, and constructed an ecological security network (ESN) of the Fenhe River Basin from 2000 to 2019 as well as analyzed its spatial and temporal evolution characteristics. The results revealed that the percentage of the ecological sources area of the Fenhe River Basin decreased from 13.33 to 12.51% from 2000 to 2019, and the mountainous and basin areas of the Fenhe River Basin were densely and sparsely distributed, respectively. Ecological resistance value revealed high and low spatial patterns in the middle and surrounding areas, respectively. Mountain and basin ecological resistance was low and high, respectively, and the spatial range gradually expanded. The ecological corridors decreased in number from 26 to 13, and were mainly distributed in the mountains on both sides of the basin. The number of corridors in the basin was small, and the distribution was tortuous. The northern and southern ecological corridors were dense and sparse, respectively. The Fenhe River Basin ESN had a dense and sparse spatial pattern in the north and south, respectively. The key ecological pinch point and ecological barrier restoration areas were mainly distributed around the ecological protection corridors within the basin and changed frequently. The key ecological protection and key ecological improvement areas increased with gradual improvements in the ESN. The basin area is the key area of ESN connectivity in Fenhe River Basin, and the improvement and restoration of the ecological environment in the basin plays a key role in maintaining the overall ESN. Natural and human factors affect the ESN of the Fenhe River Basin, exhibiting the characteristics of the basin units in the mountainous areas and administrative region units in the basin regions, which is a distinctive spatial characteristic of this ESN compared to other regions.

A Decision-Support Tool to Augment Global Mountain Protection and Conservation, including a Case Study from Western Himalaya

Mountains are remarkable storehouses of global biodiversity that provide a broad range of ecosystem services underpinning billions of livelihoods. The world’s network of protected areas includes many iconic mountain landscapes. However, only ca. 19% of mountain areas globally are protected (excluding Antarctica); many mountain areas are inadequately (&lt;30% of their total terrestrial area) or completely unprotected. To support the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s Global Biodiversity Framework goal of protecting at least 30% of the world’s lands by 2030, we have developed a strategic decision-support tool for identifying and prioritizing which candidate mountain areas most urgently require protection. To test its efficacy, we applied the tool to the Western Himalaya Case Study Area (WHCSA). The six-step algorithm harnesses multiple datasets including mountain Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), World Terrestrial Ecosystems, Biodiversity Hotspots, and Red List species and ecosystems. It also makes use of other key attributes including opportunities for disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, developing mountain tourism, maintaining elevational gradients and natural ecological corridors, and conserving flagship species. This method resulted in nine categories of potential action—four categories for follow-up action (ranked by order of importance and priority), and five categories requiring no further immediate action (either because countries are inadequately equipped to respond to protection deficits or because their KBAs are deemed adequately protected). An area-based analysis of the WHCSA identified 33 mountain KBAs regarded as inadequately protected, which included 29 inadequately protected World Mountain Ecosystems. All 33 inadequately protected KBAs in the WHCSA are Category A1: first-priority mountain KBAs (located in the Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot in developing countries), requiring the most urgent attention for protection and conservation. Priorities for action can be fine-filtered by regional teams with sufficient local knowledge and country-specific values to finalize lists of priority mountain areas for protection. This rapid assessment tool ensures a repeatable, unbiased, and scientifically credible method for allocating resources and priorities to safeguard the world’s most biodiverse mountain areas facing myriad threats in the Anthropocene.

Phenotypic diversity of date-palm genotypes (Phoenix dactylifera L.) collected from Mundra of Kutch region

A wide range of variability with regard to fruit and pulp characters and taste was observed in date groves in Kutch region of Gujarat (India), which have been developed naturally from seeds. An exploration was undertaken to identify better genotypes of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) based on their fruit quality and yield-attributing characteristics. A total of 14 fruit samples were collected and data were analysed for fruit characters. Among the different genotypes MDR2 was identified and marked superior with respect to fruiting characteristics like fruit weight (29.86 g), fruit length (53.12 mm) and quality characteristics (TSS 35.17 ºB). In India, the coastal strip of the Kutch region contains the only remaining natural date palm groves, which should be utilised and maintained to be used in future genetic improvement programmes.

Identification and Optimization Strategy for the Ecological Security Pattern in Henan Province Based on Matching the Supply and Demand of Ecosystem Services

Ecological security pattern construction is a fundamental approach to ensuring regional ecological security and enhancing human welfare. Taking Henan Province, a typical region of China’s main agricultural production area, as the study area, we use multi-source spatial data to calculate the high-value areas of ecosystem services and identify ecological source sites. On the basis of calculating the degree of land use development and GDP per land and population density to determine high-demand areas of the ecosystem, the ecological resistance surface coefficient is modified with nighttime lighting data, and the ecological corridor between the source site and the high-demand area is extracted using the minimum cumulative resistance model, so as to construct and optimize the regional ecological security pattern. The following results are presented. (1) The total area of ecological source sites in Henan Province is 3.02 × 104 km2, accounting for 18.12% of the total study area, which is concentrated in the mountainous areas of East Henan and South Henan. (2) The high-demand area of ecosystem services has a total area of 4.1 × 104 km2, accounting for 24.73% of the total study area, mainly concentrated in the central and eastern regions of Henan, with poor spatial matching of ecosystem service supply and demand. (3) The total length of ecological corridors is 1062.3 km, and the overall pattern forms the main corridor axes. The identification of ecological corridors focuses on the ecological demand space and puts forward suggestions for the optimization of the regional ecological security pattern based on it.

Analysis of the indicators of the environmental state of the Southern Buh River basin in Vinnytsia

An analysis of modern ecological problems of the Southern Buh River basin was carried out, which allows to identify the most painful ecological threats. Ways to solve these problems and to optimize management of ecological safety of water resources of Vinnytsia region are proposed. Surface water is a special natural resource of strategic importance for any state. It determines the development trends of all branches of the economy. Scientifically unfounded anthropogenic load, intensified by climate change, leads to quantitative and qualitative degradation of rivers. The problem of water quality is considered as the most important social, scientific and technical problem of our time, the solution of which largely depends on the correct management of water systems. Therefore, it is relevant to study the quality of surface water in order to predict changes in the state of the hydroecosystem and reduce the risks of unstable exploitation of water by water users. After analyzing the ecological condition of the Southern Buh River, according to the data of open sources of ecological monitoring, it was confirmed that the main pollutant within the city of Vinnytsia is the discharge of storm water. Surface pollution is formed due to the extremely unsatisfactory condition of the territories of coastal protection strips, enterprises, and the adjacent territories of individual home ownership. According to the data of the regional sanitary-epidemiological service, the specific weight of drinking water samples that do not meet the sanitary standards for microbiological contamination was 5.9%. Control of the water condition of the Southern Buh River in the territory of the city of Vinnytsia is carried out by accredited laboratories of various institutions, but the main problem is that the coastal strips remain unexamined for significant distances. Therefore, constant monitoring of the state of surface waters is an important measure to prevent uncontrolled pollution and deterioration of the quality of water resources.

Identification of Ecological Security Patterns for the Qiandongnan Ecotourism Area in Southwest China Using InVEST and Circuit Theory

The establishment of ecological security patterns (ESPs) represents a significant paradigm shift in the approach to sustainable development. ESPs aim to reconcile the typically conflicting interests of ecological conservation and economic growth by guaranteeing the sustainability of critical ecosystem services and preserving the ecological integrity of the region while promoting socio-economic development. The primary objective of ESPs is to achieve a balanced and harmonious relationship between human society and the natural environment. The Qiandongnan Ecotourism Area (QEA) located in Southwest China is renowned for its high biodiversity; however, the ecological environment in the region is highly fragile. In light of this, there is an urgent need to establish ESPs for QEA that can promote ecological protection and sustainable economic development. In this study, we used land-use and land-cover change data and human disturbance factors to identify the ESPs of the Qiandongnan Ecotourism Area (QEA), employing the InVEST model and Circuit Theory. Our results revealed that (1) the ecological quality of the study area is relatively high, with high-quality habitat areas covering 19,554.76 km2, which account for approximately 64.57% of the study area and the overall ecological environment is in a healthy condition; (2) the total area of ecological sources covers approximately 17,616.27 km2, accounting for approximately 58.17% of the study area, primarily distributed in Liping, Rongjiang, and Congjiang, which respectively account for 16.28%, 12.44%, and 11.86% of the total ecological source area; (3) the ESPs are composed of 13 key ecological nodes, 17 ecological corridors (with a length of approximately 1474.47 km), and 21 ecological source clusters. The ecological corridors are distributed in a ring shape, connecting various ecological nodes and sources along mountains, forests, rivers, and valleys. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for the protection of the ecological system’s integrity and the development of social and economic activities in the QEA.

Ecological Security Assessment Based on the “Importance–Sensitivity–Connectivity” Index and Pattern Construction: A Case Study of Xiliu Ditch in the Yellow River Basin, China

Resource, environmental, and ecological issues have become major constraints to the development of many regions. The Yellow River Basin is an important barrier for maintaining ecological security in northern China, but it has been impacted by problems such as severe soil erosion and declining biodiversity. The rational construction of ecological security patterns is important to enhance ecosystem functions and maintain regional ecological security. In this study, a comprehensive ecological security assessment system was constructed by selecting ecosystem service importance, ecological sensitivity, and landscape connectivity to assess the ecological security of Xiliu Ditch, an ecologically fragile region of the Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River Basin in China. The assessment results showed significant spatial heterogeneity, with medium- and low-security value areas dominating, while high-security value areas accounted for only 18.7% of the study area. Seventeen ecological sources were identified from the high-security areas, which were mainly composed of grassland, woodland, and water bodies, most of which are distributed in the southern part of the study area. Twenty ecological corridors were selected by the minimum cumulative resistance model and gravity model and classified into 15 construction corridors and 5 potential corridors. Forty-six ecological nodes were defined, including twenty strategic points, nine potential strategic points, and seventeen break points. On this basis, we constructed an ecological security pattern of “two belts, three cores, six zones, multiple corridors and multiple nodes” and proposed corresponding ecological governance measures. This study explores the ecological security pattern at the small watershed scale, which helps to realize the fine management of the Xiliu Ditch basin and, on this basis, can provide scientific support for the ecological protection and sustainable development of the Yellow River basin. In addition, the ecological security assessment system proposed in this study can provide new ideas for the construction of ecological security patterns in similar ecologically fragile areas around the globe.

The construction of an ecological security pattern based on the comprehensive evaluation of the importance of ecosystem service and ecological sensitivity: a case of Yangxin County, Hubei Province

An ecological safety pattern is the basic guarantee for pollution control, ecological environmental protection, economic construction, and sustainable social development, and is an important means of integrated and coordinated development, protection, and governance. This study proposes a research method to identify ecological source sites based on the evaluation of the importance of ecosystem services and ecological sensitivity, and to identify ecological corridors using the minimum cumulative resistance model. The empirical analysis was carried out in Yangxin County, Hubei Province, as an example. The results show that the study area has 16 key corridors and 29 potential corridors, a total of 45 ecological corridors, with a total length of 452 km. In addition, these ecological corridors present a network-like intertwined distribution, connecting various ecological source sites and ensuring the connectivity between ecological source sites, while the well-developed water source sites in the study area provide excellent ecosystem service functions such as water containment for the area.

ENGINEERING OF WATER PROTECTION ZONES AS A PRIMARY MEASURE TO CONSERVE WATER BODIES

The shortage of clean water is one of the biggest threats facing our society today. In order to improve the deteriorating modern state of the river ecological systems of Ukraine, it is necessary to start with the professional organization of water protection zones and coastal protection strips. The protection and preservation of coastal areas directly affects the improvement of the state of the water area, because the reservoir with its coastal zone constitutes an interconnected river ecological system. All protection, revitalization, and engineering measures to improve the condition of the reservoir and the coastal area have the expected result in the case of covering the entire river basin.&#x0D; Engineering measures for arranging water protection zones are considered. The importance of the professional organization of water protection zones of coastal areas for the protection and revitalization of river ecological systems is indicated. Emphasis is placed on phytoremediation measures as the optimal solution for the restoration of natural complexes.&#x0D; Having professionally selected the composition and size of plant communities, it is possible to reduce the impact of adjacent territories on the river, retain a significant share of wastewater, slowing down its speed by almost 10 times, prevent soil erosion, siltation of the stream, increase the water content of the river, etc. Taking into account the specific needs of each river, available plots of land and features of the territory, phytomelioration works are carried out in a wide range: from shore fortification with individual trees or shrubs, the creation of forest strips, to planting and planting trees on large areas. Phytomeliorative works should be aimed at restoring the optimal ratio of natural and anthropogenically altered landscapes.&#x0D; To preserve water resources, it is necessary, first of all, to strengthen the regime of water protection zones. In the coastal areas, forest plantations and meadows, wetlands and arable land should be optimally combined. Streamlining of rivers with the use of modern methods of management, protection and restoration of their water resources allows creating favorable conditions for the formation of an ecologically safe state of the river and its basin.

Geoinformation modeling of potentially important territories for the brown bear's stay in the Transcarpathian region

Purpose. Search for important areas for the presence of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) within the Transcarpathian region using geoinformation modeling tools to optimize the boundaries of the structural elements of the econetwork. Methods. Geoinformation modeling, geospatial analysis, processing of stock materials of environmental protection services. Results. In order to delineate potentially important areas for the presence of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) within the Transcarpathian region, a comprehensive assessment of the natural environment was carried out using geoinformation modeling tools. This modeling involved a preliminary analysis of the suitability for the life of the species of the following five parameters: types of land cover, proximity of non-forest biotopes to forest, high-altitude bioclimatic zones, degrees of dismemberment of the terrain, distance from settlements and roads. As a result of the integral assessment of these parameters, a cartographic model "Integral suitability of biotopes for the presence of the brown bear (Ursus arctos)" was obtained, which also demonstrated the habitats recorded by experts and the places of registration of the species. It was established that the total area of territories that are potentially suitable for the brown bear (Ursus arctos) within Transcarpathian region is 574.6 thousand hectares, and covers about 45.1% of the territory of the region. The largest number of such habitats is concentrated in the mountainous southwestern part of the region within the orographic ecoregion of the elevated dissected highlands. The most suitable and suitable biotopes, formed as a result of modeling, are also found within the boundaries of Gorganska Verhovyna (on the border of Transcarpathian and Ivano-Frankivsk regions), which belongs to the ecoregion of elevated lowlands. The simulated territories correlate well enough with localities where real signs of the distribution of the species have been recorded. At the second stage of research, in accordance with the chosen methodology, a cartographic model of "Potentially important areas for the presence of the brown bear" was obtained, on which the population, reproduction and other areas, as well as key areas of the region's eco-network and nature protection areas were outlined. Spatial features of the location of population and breeding areas in other morphogenic ecoregions of the Carpathians were also characterized, natural and anthropogenic obstacles and threats to the species' migration and survival were identified. It is noted that the natural conditions of the border are favorable for the migration of mammals from Romania, Slovakia and Poland, which is also confirmed by monitoring studies conducted by environmental protection institutions, forestry and hunting management, etc. Conclusions. The Transcarpathian region has favorable conditions for the existence of the brown bear (Ursus Arctos), in particular, a large share of forest ecosystems, the presence of hard-to-reach areas, a decrease in the population of small mountain villages, etc. However, the constant development of recreational and energy infrastructure can lead to the fragmentation of the natural environment. Therefore, the areas outlined by us, which are important for the presence of the brown bear (Ursus arctos), can be the basis for optimizing the boundaries of the structural elements of the eco-network of the mountainous part of the Transcarpathian region. In the future, it is necessary to continue monitoring studies on the presence of the brown bear within the key territories of the Zakarpattia econetwork and to more clearly delimit ecological corridors with the implementation of measures to comply with the norms of environmental protection restrictions.

Effects of Environmental Change on Species Diversity

Purpose: The aim of the study is to assess the effects of environmental changes on species diversity&#x0D; Methodology: This study adopted a desktop methodology. This study used secondary data from which include review of existing literature from already published studies and reports that was easily accessed through online journals and libraries&#x0D; Findings: The study found that environmental changes, such as deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and urbanization, lead to a decline in species diversity. Climate change has emerged as a critical driver of changes in species diversity. Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and sea-level rise have caused shifts in species distributions, changes in community composition, and reductions in species richness. Pollution including water and air pollution, has detrimental effects on species diversity especially in aquatic ecosystems.&#x0D; Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study was anchored on the theory of island biogeography which was propounded by Robert MacArthur and E. O. Wilson and niche theory which was originally proposed by G.E. Hutchinson. The study recommended that conservation efforts should prioritize habitat preservation and restoration. Protecting and restoring natural habitats is crucial for maintaining species diversity. Conservation practices should focus on minimizing habitat loss, creating ecological corridors, and rehabilitating degraded habitats. Environmental policies and regulations should be designed to mitigate the drivers of environmental change and promote sustainable practices.

On the issue of the “ecological corridor” concept

The following scientific paper explores the issue of defining the concept of ecological corridor as a means of protecting Special Protected Natural Areas (SPNA) and objects of the State Nature Reserve Fund (SNRF). The statutory definition given in Paragraph 22 of Article 1 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Special Protected Natural Areas” (hereinafter referred to as the SPNA Law) does not accurately reflect the essence and features of ecological corridors, or their main purpose. A number of legislative rules on environmental corridors contained in Article 81 of the SPNA Law and relevant resolutions of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan require adjustments as well. The paper gives a brief historical overview of the development of rules on ecological corridors within the environmental legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the process of establishing ecological corridors. The study has revealed very little attention paid both in Kazakhstan’s legislation and legal science to the definition of the concept of ecological corridor. Meanwhile internationally, based on the spatial culture model Patch-Corridor-Matrix by scientists R. Forman and M. Gaudron, they are explored in a whole multitude of scientific papers and separate regulatory legal acts (e.g., in the Kyrgyz Republic). The issues of establishing ecological corridors have been elaborated only in a few studies by landscape ecology and geoecology reps. Based on the analysis of the provisions of the EC RK, the SPNA Law, and other sources of Kazakhstan and foreign law, as well as scientific approaches to the issues of defining and establishing ecological corridors, terminology of landscape ecology and recommendations have been developed to improve Paragraph 22 of Article 1, Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 81 of the SPNA Law, as well as to develop new regulatory legal acts.

A collaborative and near-comprehensive North Pacific humpback whale photo-ID dataset

We present an ocean-basin-scale dataset that includes tail fluke photographic identification (photo-ID) and encounter data for most living individual humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the North Pacific Ocean. The dataset was built through a broad collaboration combining 39 separate curated photo-ID catalogs, supplemented with community science data. Data from throughout the North Pacific were aggregated into 13 regions, including six breeding regions, six feeding regions, and one migratory corridor. All images were compared with minimal pre-processing using a recently developed image recognition algorithm based on machine learning through artificial intelligence; this system is capable of rapidly detecting matches between individuals with an estimated 97–99% accuracy. For the 2001–2021 study period, a total of 27,956 unique individuals were documented in 157,350 encounters. Each individual was encountered, on average, in 5.6 sampling periods (i.e., breeding and feeding seasons), with an annual average of 87% of whales encountered in more than one season. The combined dataset and image recognition tool represents a living and accessible resource for collaborative, basin-wide studies of a keystone marine mammal in a time of rapid ecological change.

Emergent multipath COVID-19 specimen collection problem with green corridor through variable length GA

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread worldwide exponentially. Typically, for testing, a provincial main government hospital cum testing center collects patients’ specimens from remote health centers in the minimum possible time, satisfying the ‘false negativity’ constraint of the first collected specimen. With infrastructural developments throughout the world, multiple paths are available for transportation between two cities. Currently, the ‘green corridor’ is used for the transportation of human organs to be implanted, travel of VIPs, etc., in the minimum possible time. Taking these facts in consideration, for the first time, a green corridor system is suggested to provide a transportation pathway from small hospitals and urban/rural health centers to the testing center with COVID-19 specimens such as blood, nasal and throat swabs, and viral RNA, within the first collected specimen’s life period. As health centers are located in different places, appropriate routing plans are needed for visiting them in the minimum possible time. A problem arises if this routing time exceeds the ‘false negativity’ of the first collected specimen. Thus, multipath COVID-19 specimen collection problems (MPC-19SCPs) are mathematically formulated to be collected from all health centers, and optimum routing plans are obtained using fixed and variable length genetic algorithms (VLGAs) developed for this purpose. For the first time, green corridor systems are suggested to incorporate the centers. The objectives of the models are, subject to the ‘false-negative” constraint, minimization of the system time (Model A) and the green corridor time without or with mutual cooperation among the minimum number of centers for the transfer of specimens (Models B and C, respectively). The developed algorithms are based on variable length chromosomes, probabilistic selection, comparison crossover and generation-dependent mutation. Some benchmark instances from TSPLIB are solved by VLGA and GA. The competitiveness of VLGA is established through ANOVA. The models are numerically demonstrated, and some conclusions are derived.

Assessing the Movements, Habitat Use, and Site Fidelity of the Giant Freshwater Whipray (Urogymnus polylepis) with Acoustic Telemetry in the Maeklong River, Thailand

We used acoustic telemetry to assess site fidelity, movement patterns, and habitat use within the lower Maeklong River, Thailand, by 22 giant freshwater whipray Urogymnus polylepis. This study is the first of its kind for this rare, endangered species, and it begins to fill critical information gaps about its ecology and life history. Study animals were tagged subcutaneously in the dorsal area with acoustic transmitters and tracked for 12 months using a fixed array of eight receivers. Receivers were positioned within an 18 rkm section of the Maeklong, starting approximately 4 rkm upstream from the mouth. We calculated individual residency indices, tracked longitudinal movements, and assessed annual and seasonal patterns of site use. We also investigated spatial use patterns, diel activity patterns, and relationships of temperature and site fidelity. We detected 86% of our tagged whiprays, 53% of which were detected for the majority of the study period. Whiprays exhibited high site fidelity across seasons. Individuals made long longitudinal movements within the site for much of the study period but seemed to remain closer to the estuary during the second half of the rainy season and early winter. All receivers had large numbers of detections, but upstream receivers were visited for longer time durations than downstream receivers. A receiver in the middle of the study area had the highest detection rate, but low detection durations, suggesting that this receiver is in a migration corridor. A mix of immature and mature males and females was present in the site throughout the study period, suggesting that this area is not exclusively a breeding or nursery site. However, the high site fidelity suggests that this is an important aggregation site for the species. Effective conservation measures may include conservation zones and a shrimp reintroduction program upstream, ensuring fish passage through the middle of the site, and regulating traffic and pollution downstream. We found acoustic telemetry to be an effective study method and encourage its use to improve understanding of the giant freshwater whipray.