Ecoregions Research Articles

Identification of intercity ecological synergy regions and measurement of the corresponding policy network structure: A network analysis perspective

The development and governance of modern cities have gradually broken through the boundaries of administrative units. In recent times, with intercity ecological space becoming the focus of a series of development and conservation actions, identifying the intercity ecological synergy regions (maintaining connectivity within the ecological space to ensure the continuity of species migration and landscape) and realizing its collaborative governance has become extremely important to maintain sustainable regional development. Cross-border ecological governance involves many actors and forms a complex relationship network. At present, there are few quantitative evaluation methods for this problem, which limits our ability to manage the ecological space between cities. This paper uses the network method to establish and analyze the related ecological and policy networks in Shenzhen. The study results show that the ecological synergy regions are locally concentrated along the fringes of Shenzhen City, and the links between different levels of actors in the policy network are relatively weak. The action objects of ecological governance designated by different cities form convergence or divergence patterns, making it challenging to organize spatially integrated actions among different cities. Finally, suggestions for structural optimization are proposed concerning the policy network associated with the ecological synergy regions from the aspects of spatial implementation pathways and planning strategies.

A collection and analysis of amphibians and reptiles from Nicaragua with new country and departmental records

Nicaragua is a biodiverse country, but documented herpetological specimens are underrepresented compared to neighboring countries. In 2018 we conducted a collaborative expedition between the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology and Nicaraguan biologists. We visited sites in the Pacific Low‑ lands, Caribbean Lowlands, and the Central Highlands, representing the three major biogeographic regions of Nicaragua. We collected specimens of 100 species from a total of 106 encountered. We provide acces‑ sion numbers and morphological, genetic, and ecological information for these specimens. We recorded 23 new departmental records and the first country record of Metlapilcoatlus indomitus (Smith & Ferrari‑Castro, 2008), filling gaps in the known distribution of the species within Nicaragua and across Central America. When available for each species, we provide range maps and comparative genetic trees including conspecific reference sequences from the region, making this work a significant addition to existing checklists of the herpetofauna in Nicaragua.

Sovereignty, ecology, and regional imperatives: formulating normative foundations for regional ecological justice

ABSTRACT I will outline four justifications of regional ecological obligations calling for different political authorities to collaborate for ecological reasons: through voluntary agreement between political entities united by an ecological region; by a shared regional history or cultural relations to an ecological region; with reference to ‘place-based’ duties with an ecological basis; or by obligations to an extended set of individual right-holders. None are conclusive reasons but show that there are normative grounds for regional collaboration of separate political authorities. The article contributes to discussion on, despite its practical relevance, a much neglected concept in political philosophy.

A Ten-Year Record Shows Warming Inside the Belize Barrier Reef Lagoon

The Belize Barrier Reef system (BBR) in the western Caribbean’s Gulf of Honduras contains a large region of lagoon coral reef, seagrass and mangrove habitat. As the largest lagoon habitat within the Caribbean, this region experiences differing oceanographic and temperature conditions as compared to deeper offshore areas. The occurrence of several endemic species within the Gulf of Honduras area and inside the Belize lagoon supports the hypothesis that this area is a unique biogeographic region. Consequently, the ecological effects of temperature increase due to global climate change may have a long-term adverse impact on this region’s unique marine species. This study reports an in situ temperature record over a ten-year period (2004–2014) collected from a coral reef offshore of Wee Wee Cay within the South Water Cay Marine Reserve of Belize. There was a steady increase in temperature during the decade.

Soil Composition of the Tovuzchay Basin of Azerbaijan by Ecological Regions

One of the environmental problems that the relevant structures are currently closely addressing is the protection and restoration of soil fertility. In this regard, the effective and correct use of land resources in the region, as well as the protection of agricultural land, have become urgent problems. In order to organize environmental monitoring carried out on the basis of the relevant program, environmental observations of diagnostic indicators of soil fertility were carried out. Tovuzchay river basin is divided into ecological regions: watershed, transit and accumulation areas, the closedness of the territories in relation to other river basins, their separation by natural boundaries (watersheds) are factors that increase the accuracy of observations.

Regional Ecological Security Assessment Based on the Pressure–State–Response Framework: The Demonstration Zone of Yangtze River Delta as an Example

Ecological security is related to human well-being, is closely linked to a region’s sustainable development, and is an essential cornerstone of any national security system. The Demonstration Zone of Green and Integrated Ecological Development (DZGIED) of the Yangtze River Delta is a critical point in implementing the integrated development strategy of the Yangtze River Delta. This paper used the Pressure–State–Response (PSR) framework to evaluate the regional ecological security (RES) in the DZGIED based on multi-source remote sensing and GIS data. And the analysis was conducted from the overall and administrative division perspective. The results show that (1) from 2000 to 2020, the ecological security of the DZGIED shows a slight decline overall. The RES decreased from 0.60 to 0.53. The RES level is kept above the critical security level and needs further improvement. (2) Significant differences in the RES across townships, with more pronounced changes in extreme values. The ecological security status of more than 80% of the townships shows solid positive spatial correlations. The ecological security of the DZGIED is more critical to the central area. (3) Human disturbance is the most important factor causing the decline in ecological security and the impact of environmental safety on the central area is more enormous. (4) The ecological security state of the DZGIED shows an improving trend, but it is still necessary to promote the construction of various demonstration projects. This paper aims to ensure the sustainable development of the DZGIED in the future and to provide guidance for policy formulation on ecological safety in the DZGIED from the perspective of administrative divisions. It also provides a reference for small-scale regional ecological safety evaluation studies such as townships.

Floristic homogenization of South Pacific islands commenced with human arrival

The increasing similarity of plant species composition among distinct areas is leading to the homogenization of ecosystems globally. Human actions such as ecosystem modification, the introduction of non-native plant species and the extinction or extirpation of endemic and native plant species are considered the main drivers of this trend. However, little is known about when floristic homogenization began or about pre-human patterns of floristic similarity. Here we investigate vegetation trends during the past 5,000 years across the tropical, sub-tropical and warm temperate South Pacific using fossil pollen records from 15 sites on 13 islands within the biogeographical realm of Oceania. The site comparisons show that floristic homogenization has increased over the past 5,000 years. Pairwise Bray–Curtis similarity results also show that when two islands were settled by people in a given time interval, their floristic similarity is greater than when one or neither of the islands were settled. Importantly, higher elevation sites, which are less likely to have experienced human impacts, tended to show less floristic homogenization. While biotic homogenization is often referred to as a contemporary issue, we have identified a much earlier trend, likely driven by human colonization of the islands and subsequent impacts.

Paleoclimatic reconstruction of the Late Pleistocene Talara Tar Seeps, Peru, using fossil reptiles, small mammals, and birds

Functional traits of vertebrates can be used to infer paleoenvironmental conditions, allowing research into past climate changes and biotic responses. Birds are generally considered poor palaeoclimatic proxies due to their high vagility. Here, we analyze biogeographical and climatic niche information from multiple vertebrate groups including small mammals, reptiles, and birds to infer the paleoclimatic conditions present during the Late Pleistocene (∼14,500–17,000 years BP) at Talara, an asphaltic paleontological locality on the northern Peruvian coast. We created Ecological Niche Models for the nearest living relative of each fossil species identified at Talara. We then used the Mutual Ecogeographic Range method, obtaining the overlapping area between distributions for each vertebrate group (birds, reptiles, and small mammals) as well as for combinations of groups, to infer the paleoclimate at Talara and to determinate what taxonomic groups are best for reconstructing climate in this system. Our analyses indicate that conditions at Talara were slightly cooler and significantly wetter than those of the present day. Individually, different vertebrate groups provide different paleoclimatic information. Birds were found to be a poor paleoclimatic proxy. Mammals were good for inferring paleoprecipitation but not paleotemperature. Reptiles were good group for inferring paleotemperature but not paleoprecipitation. While analyzing all vertebrate groups together yields the most robust conclusions, reptiles and small mammals combined are a good proxy for inferring both paleoprecipitation and paleotemperature. Our results suggest an interstadial period that agrees with paleotemperatures inferred from isotopic and sedimentary information. Our research indicates that today, the southern portion of the Cauca biogeographic province (230 km NE from Talara) has comparable climatic conditions to Late Pleistocene Talara. Understanding how the Talara region transitioned from this biodiverse ecosystem to the hyperarid coastal desert of today could have important implications for predicting biotic response and tipping points in the context of modern climate change.

Remotely sensed habitat diversity predicts species diversity on coral reefs

The ability to map coral reef biodiversity from orbit would greatly advance marine spatial planning. Presently, reef biodiversity is measured in situ by divers, but this method is inefficient and expensive. Remote sensing techniques have been developed in the terrestrial realm to lever the “habitat heterogeneity hypothesis,” which contends that the biodiversity of organisms is directly linked to the diversity of habitats which they occupy. Here, we evaluated this hypothesis using satellite-derived reef habitat maps across 880 shallow-water field stations distributed on a global transect through the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans where we measured the taxonomic and functional diversity of reef fish and corals. Benthic habitat maps produced from WorldView-2 and PlanetScope were compared as proxies for coral reef species diversity. We found satellite-mapped habitat heterogeneity to be positively correlated with both fish (R ≤ 0.64) and coral diversity (R ≤ 0.56), at an optimum spatial scale between 110 and 320 ha, even when the data were partitioned across global biodiversity gradients. Best results were realized when using the WorldView-derived habitat maps, indicating that the enhanced spectral and radiometric resolution of this sensor is better poised for retrieving species biodiversity than PlanetScope. Our study offers an efficient method for monitoring coral reef ecosystems by leveraging satellite maps as a surrogate for species biodiversity.

Similarity of stream insect trait profiles across biogeographic regions

AbstractAimHabitat templet theory predicts that the functional niches of species evolved in response to selection pressures imposed by each species' spatial–temporal environment. Consequently, similar environmental conditions should lead to convergence in the biological trait composition of biogeographically independent assemblages. Given their high diversity and ubiquitous occurrence, stream insects represent an ideal group to test convergence. Such an analysis should provide insight into both how spatially variable stream insect traits are and how transferable trait–environment relationships are across large spatial scales. We tested two hypotheses: (1) functional niches of stream insects are similar across Australia, Europe, North America, New Zealand and Southern Africa, and (2) the variability in trait profiles of stream insects is positively related to climatic variability within regions.LocationAustralia, Europe, North America, New Zealand and Southern Africa.MethodsWe used trait datasets from each region to compare functional niches and to delineate groups of insects with similar trait profiles (hereafter, trait profile groups or TPGs) in each region. We identified the traits most important in separating TPGs. Finally, we assessed if trait profile variability between TPGs was associated with climatic variability within each region.ResultsWe found that functional niches of families largely overlapped across the regions examined, except for partial deviations of some Australian families, but that only two trait combinations characterized TPGs across all regions. Feeding mode and respiration traits consistently drove the separation of families into TPGs. The variability of trait profiles slightly increased with increasing climatic variability.Main ConclusionsAlthough our study did not allow to demonstrate mechanisms, it is the first to show large similarities between stream insect functional niches across different biogeographic regions, which might be an indication of their convergence. An important factor shaping stream insect assemblages over these large scales might be climate, indicated by the higher trait profile variation in regions with more diverse climates.

Biogeographic survey of soil bacterial communities across Antarctica

BackgroundAntarctica and its unique biodiversity are increasingly at risk from the effects of global climate change and other human influences. A significant recent element underpinning strategies for Antarctic conservation has been the development of a system of Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions (ACBRs). The datasets supporting this classification are, however, dominated by eukaryotic taxa, with contributions from the bacterial domain restricted to Actinomycetota and Cyanobacteriota. Nevertheless, the ice-free areas of the Antarctic continent and the sub-Antarctic islands are dominated in terms of diversity by bacteria. Our study aims to generate a comprehensive phylogenetic dataset of Antarctic bacteria with wide geographical coverage on the continent and sub-Antarctic islands, to investigate whether bacterial diversity and distribution is reflected in the current ACBRs.ResultsSoil bacterial diversity and community composition did not fully conform with the ACBR classification. Although 19% of the variability was explained by this classification, the largest differences in bacterial community composition were between the broader continental and maritime Antarctic regions, where a degree of structural overlapping within continental and maritime bacterial communities was apparent, not fully reflecting the division into separate ACBRs. Strong divergence in soil bacterial community composition was also apparent between the Antarctic/sub-Antarctic islands and the Antarctic mainland. Bacterial communities were partially shaped by bioclimatic conditions, with 28% of dominant genera showing habitat preferences connected to at least one of the bioclimatic variables included in our analyses. These genera were also reported as indicator taxa for the ACBRs.ConclusionsOverall, our data indicate that the current ACBR subdivision of the Antarctic continent does not fully reflect bacterial distribution and diversity in Antarctica. We observed considerable overlap in the structure of soil bacterial communities within the maritime Antarctic region and within the continental Antarctic region. Our results also suggest that bacterial communities might be impacted by regional climatic and other environmental changes. The dataset developed in this study provides a comprehensive baseline that will provide a valuable tool for biodiversity conservation efforts on the continent. Further studies are clearly required, and we emphasize the need for more extensive campaigns to systematically sample and characterize Antarctic and sub-Antarctic soil microbial communities.APsmQ8MphSAgg4BzZyqdNTVideo

Structural and Functional Strategies in Cenchrus Species to Combat Environmental Extremities Imposed by Multiple Abiotic Stresses.

Multiple abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, heat, and cold stress prevailing in natural habitats affect plant growth and development. Different species modify their structural and functional traits to combat these abiotic stresses while growing in stressful environments. Cenchrus species, i.e., Cenchrus pennisetiformis, C. setiger, and C. prieurii are widely distributed grasses found growing all over the world. Samples from natural populations were collected from different ecological regions in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa that were exposed to aridity, salinity, and cold, while one site was designated as normal control. In the present study, structural and functional modifications of three Cenchrus species under abiotic stresses were evaluated. It was expected that each Cenchrus species may evolve different strategies to cope with multiple abiotic stresses. All Cenchrus species responded differently whether growing in normal environment or stressful conditions. The most remarkable feature for survival in C. pennisetiformis under cold stress was increased inflorescence and increased stem and root lignification. C. prieurii showed better tolerance to saline and cold environments. C. setiger showed better development of leaf sheath anatomical traits. The structural and functional modifications in Cenchrus species such as development of mechanical tissues provided structural support, while dermal and parenchymatous tissues increased water storage capacity and minimized water loss. An increase in the concentration of organic osmolytes and ionic content aids turgor pressure maintenance and ionic content crucial for plant growth and development. It was concluded that structural and functional alterations in all Cenchrus species were very specific and critical for survival under different environmental stresses. The ecological fitness of these species relied on maintenance of growth and biomass production, and the development of mechanical, vascular, dermal and parenchyma tissues under stressful environmental conditions. Moreover, accumulation of beneficial ions (K+ and Ca2+) and organic osmolytes were critical in turgor maintenance, hence survival of Cenchrus spp.

Locational Suitability of Paschim Boragaon Landfill Adjacent to Deepor Beel Wetland, Assam

Deepor Beel, situated in the lower Assam region of Brahmaputra Valley, is a significant wetland that holds immense importance and is classified within the biogeographical region of the Burma monsoon forest. The beel acts as a crucial reservoir for storing water in Guwahati, aiding in mitigating the effects of flash flooding. The beel is endowed with luxuriant aquatic flora and fauna and maintains a well-balanced ecosystem. Nevertheless, the presence of the Paschim Boragaon Landfill in close proximity to the beel has raised concerns about the fragility of the biodiversity and ecosystem. The study was conducted to evaluate the appropriateness of placing a waste disposal site near a wetland and also how effectively did the Paschim Boragaon landfill adhere to the criteria specified in the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Central Public Health and Environment Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO). The landfill's establishment has disregarded the prescribed regulations imposed by the relevant governing body, posing a significant threat to the soil, water, and environment. This situation flagrantly violates the Wetland Rules of 2010, leading to detrimental effects on the diverse features and biodiversity of the beel. The landfill's close proximity has directly or indirectly disrupted the beel's heterogeneous characteristics. Hence, an urgent relocation of the entire landfill is imperative to protect the beel and uphold the internationally renowned Ramsar wetland's biodiversity.

Checklist of digeneans (Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea) of Georgia.

In the present study, we aim to provide an inventory of digenetic trematodes (Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea) from Georgia including records from the freshwater, marine and terrestrial realms. The checklist is based on a critical review of data from 109 papers, 11 monographs and four Ph.D. theses published between 1935 and 2019 and our new records. The checklist includes information on synonymy, the host species, site of infection, geographical distribution and bibliographical references. The present data will serve as a baseline for further studies on trematodes from Georgia focused on integrative taxonomy, life-cycle elucidation, parasite ecology and epidemiology. We compiled data on the digenean trematode fauna of Georgia, which is represented by 186 species (of these 173 identified to species level) belonging to 108 genera, 47 families and 17 superfamilies. This is the first checklist of the digeneans of Georgia. The majority of digenean species were recorded as adults (160 species), only a small fraction being found as cercariae (33 species) or metacercariae (24 species), in their first or second intermediate hosts, respectively. Predominantly, records of trematodes (62 species) from birds were found, followed by those parasitising fish (50 species, i.e. 32 species as adults and 18 as metacercariae), mammals (33 species) and amphibians (25 species, i.e. 23 species as adults and 2 as metacercariae), with the least number of species reported from reptiles (12 species, i.e. 9 species as adults and 3 as metacercariae). Adult digeneans recorded together with another life-cycle stage (metacercariae and/or cercariae) comprised 28 species, i.e. for 15% of the total trematode species number, a part of their life-cycle is known.

First record of Mythicomyia Coquillett, 1983 from Colombia with description of a new species of Mythicomyia (Heterhybos) Brthes, 1919 (Diptera: Mythicomyiidae: Mythicomyiinae) and an updated key to South American species.

Mythicomyia Coquillett (1893) has a disjunct distribution (presence in every biogeographical region with the exception of the Palearctic) and is a poorly studied group in the Neotropical Region, and completely unknown in Colombia. Its subgenus Heterhybos Brthes has a Nearctic and Neotropical distribution. Of the nine species in the Neotropical Region (in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay), all occur in Chile and only one in Argentina and Uruguay. A new species of Mythicomyia (Heterhybos) is here described from Colombia: Mythicomyia (Heterhybos) bilobata sp. nov. (type-locality: Liborina, La Sucia). Illustrations of the new species, dichotomous key (males and females) and distribution map of the South American species are also presented.

Insights into Genetic and Physiological Characteristics of Clover Rhizobia in Afghanistan Soils

Livestock production in Afghanistan highly relies on grazing and clover feed, which is a key component of pastures and forage crops. This study elucidated the genetic diversity of clover-nodulating rhizobia in different ecological regions and their effects on clover growth. A total of 57 rhizobia were isolated and their genetic diversities were studied through 16S rRNA and nifD genes. The isolates were inoculated to clover (Afghan local variety), to investigate the potential of nitrogen fixation and influences of clover growth. The 16S rRNA gene analysis showed two distinct groups of Rhizobium (94.7%) and Ensifer (5.3%) species. The nifD phylogenetic relationship revealed a high similarity to Rhizobium and a novel lineage group close to Rhizobium leguminosarum species. In the plant test, different genotypes significantly (p < 0.01) exhibited an increase in plant biomass production, compared to the un-inoculated plants. Among genotypes, the highest plant biomass was recorded in PC8 (1769.0 mg/plant) and PC9 (1409.2 mg/plant) isolates as compared to un-inoculated plants (144.0 mg/plant). Moreover, these isolates showed maximum nitrogen fixation rates of 8.2 and 6.5 µM/plant, respectively. These isolates were identified as the most promising rhizobial strains for developing biofertilizers in the context of Afghanistan.

GENETIC DIVERSITY AND ASSOCIATION ANALYSIS OF SALT TOLERANCE IN ASIATIC COTTON (GOSSYPIUM ARBOREUM) WITH MOLECULAR MARKERS

Gossypium arboreum possesses favorable characteristics that are valuable for developing superior cotton cultivars. This study was carried out to analyze genetic diversity and identify marker-trait association analysis related to salt tolerance using SSR markers for 215 accessions of G. arboreum. The salt tolerance-related traits like germination rate, fresh weight, stem length, water content, chlorophyll content, electric conductivity, and MDA of the accessions were identified using 150 mM salt for 7 days of seedling growth.
 According to the comprehensive index of salt tolerance, 215 accessions were categorized mainly into four groups. Twenty four accessions were classified as highly tolerant to salt treatment (>2.5). The natural population was classified into 3 main groups by phylogenetic analysis. The classifications of phylogenetic analysis were largely congruent with the breeding history and ecological region.
 Twenty-two strong marker-trait associations were obtained with strict significant P value i.e. P< 0.01 and four makers including NAU1023, NAU1099, JESPR222, and NAU2783 were significantly related to salt tolerance. The marker NAU2783 was highest associated (P= 1.98E-12) with relative electric conductivity, and with the highest phenotype variation of 20.87%. Some markers are significantly associated with more than two traits. MUSS020 was significantly (P<0.01) associated with relative fresh weight, and relative MDA, NAU1375 was associated with relative fresh weight and relative stem length, while NAU3468 was significantly associated with relative fresh weight, relative germination rate, and relative water content. The strong marker-trait association results might provide insights for marker-assistant selecting salt-tolerant varieties and will be useful for future cotton breeding programs.

Geographical patterns of mesozooplankton functional diversity in the northwestern Pacific

To better understand how communities response to environmental change and how biodiversity affects ecosystem function, it is essential to quantify the functional diversity of communities. However, the current understanding of zooplankton functional traits and functional diversity in the northwestern Pacific (NWP) is inadequate. In this study, we analyzed the latitudinal changes in functional traits, diversities, and functional space of zooplankton in five biogeographic regions of the tropical and subtropical NWP. Zooplankton species richness varied unimodally over latitude, with the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) hosting the greatest number of species (367 taxa). The NWP was dominated by zooplankton of small and medium size (<2 mm; 72 %), current-feeding (47 %), omnivore–herbivore (71 %), and broadcast spawner (53 %). The functional trait composition of zooplankton varied significantly; for instance, omnivore–detritivores were prevalent in the Kuroshio Extension zone but few in the oligotrophic NPSG and North Equatorial Current regions. Protozoans with binary fission (primarily foraminifers) declined from the equator to high latitudes. The latitudinal variations of functional evenness, functional dispersion, and hypervolume of trait space of the zooplankton community were unimodal, with the maximum values occurring in the NPSG. This would suggest that the zooplankton community in the NPSG was more efficient in utilizing resources than in other regions, and the competition across functional groups was mild. Stochastic processes were crucial in zooplankton community assembly in tropical and subtropical NWP. This study enhanced our understanding of zooplankton community assembly and offered new insights into the functional traits of zooplankton communities in the NWP.

The Case of the Missing Fish: Perception, Thought, and the Zoological/Physical Structure of the World in Ancient Israel

ABSTRACT Israelite authors who mentioned land, aerial, and aquatic animals in texts mentally organized the world into three realms: the water and its animals, the land and its animals, and the air and its animals. Israelite authors who mentioned only land and aerial animals in texts mentally organized the world into two realms: the water and its animals, and the terrestrial realm (the land/air complex) and its animals. For some authors, this bipartite way of mentally organizing the world placed terrestrial animals (i.e., land and aerial animals) in the foreground of their minds and aquatic animals in the background, leading them to mention the former but not the latter. For other authors, this bipartite way of mentally organizing the world highlighted certain differences between terrestrial animals and aquatic animals, leading them to mention the former but not the latter.

Identifying the potential for ecological rehabilitation of landfills in Queensland: A spatial analysis

ABSTRACT Closed landfills represent a large portion of land that cannot be developed but can potentially be ecologically rehabilitated using capping technologies such as phytocapping. This study aims to identify and quantify the value of landfills for ecological rehabilitation in Queensland, Australia, using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and multi-criteria analysis. Multiple environmental features were used for this study and were selected to represent ecosystem services and connectivity. These features were used to create two novel scores (environmental and habitat score), representing the total area and number of environmental features. The evaluation shows there is high value for ecological rehabilitation of landfills in South East Queensland and the Wet Tropics, signifying the importance of ecological rehabilitation in these biogeographic regions. Landfill rehabilitation can create high-value habitats for endangered species and enhance connectivity. It is recommended that landfill after-use is considered by regulators and stakeholders as a potential vehicle for achieving environmental sustainability and ecological conservation. The developed methodology in this study can be used to inform the decision-making process for landfill after-use and the strategic prioritisation of landfills within local governmental areas for achieving ecological rehabilitation.