Ecosystems In Protected Areas Research Articles

Issues of Ecological Tourism Development on the Territory of Pribaikalye

Over the past few years, Russians' interest in domestic tourism has been steadily growing. This trend is due not only to external factors, but also to the initiatives of the Russian Government and governors implemented at the federal and regional levels. Tourism is becoming a strategic resource for the development of the Russian economy. The article gives examples of regions that are leaders in eco-tourism, demonstrates data confirming the development of tourism in Russian regions. Irkutsk region is characterized by the richness of flora and fauna, diversity of specially protected natural areas (SPNA). Protected areas are represented by two federal reserves (Baikal-Lensky and Vitimsky), Pribaikalsky National Park, two wildlife sanctuaries (Tofalarsky and Krasny Yar). Also in the Irkutsk region there is a part of the territory subject to protection — Lake Baikal World Natural Heritage Site. The ecosystems of protected areas are fragile in their structure, and serious interference in their structure can lead to destruction and death. Therefore, it is important to strike a balance between the development of tourism infrastructure and the preservation of natural heritage. In the world practice ecological tourism is a tool that allows designing modern ecological centers of international scale. This issue is particularly relevant for Pribaikalsky Krai; a number of documents at the federal and regional levels have identified the development of eco-tourism as one of the priority directions. In this context, it is very important to find such tools and mechanisms that will allow to preserve the environment for future generations, since the influx of tourists not only brings profit, but also leaves behind unfavorable consequences for the environment.

Spider fauna (Arachnida, Araneae) in Mordovia State Nature Reserve and National Park "Smolny" (Russia).

Ecosystems in protected areas are richer in animal and plant species diversity ("biodiversity hotspots") due to more stringent conservation conditions. Of particular importance is scientific research and monitoring of this diversity in such areas. The aim of this study is to describe a set of data on Araneae occurrence in two protected areas: Mordovia State Nature Reserve and National Park "Smolny". About 29,000 individuals are identified to the species level. In total, 342 species were recorded for both PAs. The greatest species diversity was recorded in the families Linyphiidae (109 species; 32%), Lycosidae (38 species; 11%) Gnaphosidae (28 species; 8%), Araneidae (25 species; 7%), Salticidae (24 species; 7%), Thomisidae (23 species; 7%) and Theridiidae (22 species; 6% from total species diversity). The five species most abundant in the lower stratum (litter and moss layer) of biocenoses were Diplocephaluspicinus, Micronetaviaria, Tenuiphantestenebricola, Diplostylaconcolor and Abacoproecessaltuum and the five species most abundant in the vegetative stratum (herb, shrub and tree stems and canopy) were Linyphiatriangularis, Enoplognathaovata, Evarchafalcata, Misumenavatia and Evarchaarcuata. The dataset contains information on the occurrence of seven rare species (Centromerusnurgush, Centromeruspersimilis, Diplocephalusdentatus, Entelecaraflavipes, Metapanamomopskaestneri, Pelecopsisradicicola and Porrhommamicrocavense), three species (Agalenatearedii, Neosconaadianta, Thanatusoblongiusculus) that entered here from the steppe zone and two synanthropic species (Steatodacastanea, Tegenariadomestica).

Habitat maintenance assessment and mapping as priority ecosystem service in mountain protected areas

Habitat maintenance as an ecosystem service (ES) is essential for the protection of natural capital, however, it is among the most challenging services for definition and evaluation. The present study is focused on assessing and mapping habitat maintenance ecosystem service in Rila and Pirin Mountains in Bulgaria for strategic planning purposes by better understanding the link between the potential of providing this ecosystem service and biodiversity in five protected areas (PAs). An integrated approach for the assessment of the condition of ecosystems in PAs and their potential to provide ecosystem services was applied and further developed in the present study. The results showed that the conservation regime allowed the territories to preserve a high degree of naturalness in a very good ecological condition – 96477 ha (73%) of the total case-study area, and 33078 ha (77%) of the target PAs, respectively. The potential of ecosystems to provide habitat maintenance ES is high to very high for 84% of the total studied area (81258.9 ha) and for 96.4% (31906 ha) of the area of the target PAs. A current assessment and mapping show the role of protected areas as spatial natural capital assets that purposefully and actively support their prioritized habitat maintenance functions as spatial guarantors for the sustenance of rich packages of material, regulating, and cultural functions in significant geographic areas. The results demonstrate the importance of protected site management in mountain areas in ensuring sustainable cooperation and consumption of ecosystem services in peripheral mountain communities of the European Union highly dependent on available natural capital.

Africa’s ecosystems exhibit a tradeoff between resistance and stability following disturbances

Environmental disturbances may prevent ecosystems from consistently performing their critical ecological functions. Two important properties of ecosystems are their resistance and stability, which respectively reflect their capacities to withstand and recover from disturbance events (e.g. droughts, wildfires, pests, etc). Theory suggests that resistant and stable ecosystems possess opposing characteristics, but this has seldom been established across diverse ecosystem attributes or broad spatial scales. Here, we compare the resistance and stability of >1000 protected area ecosystems in Africa to disturbance-induced losses in primary productivity from 2000 to 2019. We quantitatively evaluated each ecosystem such that following disturbances, an ecosystem is more resistant if it experiences lower-magnitude losses in productivity, and more stable if it returns more rapidly to pre-disturbance productivity levels. To compare the characteristics of resistant versus stable ecosystems, we optimized random forest models that use ecosystem attributes (representing their climatic and environmental conditions, plant and faunal biodiversity, and exposure to human impacts) to predict their resistance and, separately, stability values. We visualized each attribute’s relationship with resistance and stability after accounting for all other attributes in the model framework. Ecosystems that are more resistant to disturbances are less stable, and vice versa. The ecosystem attributes with the most predictive power in our models all exhibit contrasting relationships with resistance versus stability. Notably, highly resistant ecosystems are generally more arid and exhibit high habitat heterogeneity and mammalian biodiversity, while highly stable ecosystems are the opposite. We discuss the underlying mechanisms through which these attributes engender resistance or, conversely, stability. Our findings suggest that resistance and stability are fundamentally opposing phenomena. A balance between the two must be struck if ecosystems are to maintain their identity, structure, and function in the face of environmental change.

УКРАЇНСЬКІ ОБ’ЄКТИ ПРИРОДО-ЗАПОВІДНОГО ФОНДУ В УМОВАХ ВІЙНИ ТА РОСІЙСЬКОЇ ОКУПАЦІЇ

In the article, the team of authors conducted a study of the threats to the nature conservation objects of Ukraine that have arisen due to the Russian military invasion, the consequences of the war, and proposed a number of measures for the effective preservation of protected objects in the future. A characteristic feature of the work is the use of qualitative sociological methods. In order to analyze security measures, the interaction of nature protection zone teams with the government and the public, the problem of collaborationism, damage assessment methods and other related issues, the authors conducted a series of in-depth interviews with employees of 12 Ukrainian nature reserves, national nature parks and other natural objects - a reserve fund that was directly affected by the war and occupation in 2014-2022 with an emphasis on the consequences of the full-scale Russian invasion in Ukraine. The authors proposed recommendations for nature conservation facilities on how to make the work of nature protection facility teams more efficient, safe and effective in the restoration of damaged ecosystems in protected areas. A lot of attention is paid to current and prospective methods of assessing damage caused to nature. This is especially important in the context of Ukraine’s lawsuits in international courts against the aggressor state in order to prepare a legally convincing argument for compensation for environmental damages. New principles of care for nature conservation areas are also being considered. In particular, instead of artificial ecosystems that require constant human intervention, a return to a natural landscape that reproduces itself is proposed.

Impact of Habitat on the Development of Coprophagous and Xylophagous Coleopteran Insects in the Park of Bamimgui-Bangoran (Central African Republic)

Coprophagous and Xylophagous Coleopterans are equally impacted by the fragmentation of ecosystems and are recognized for their character as indicators of certain ecosystem functions, such as the recycling of organic matter and pollination. Thus, as part of the program to restore degraded ecosystems in protected areas and others sectors of the Bamingui-Bangoran Prefecture in the Central African Republic (CAR), an inventory of insect species according to their ecological profile is needed. Insects were collected over 8 hectares corresponding to 6 different habitats in the Bamingui-Bangoran park. Sixty different traps were installed in each habitat with 100 meters of distance between the traps. The measured parameters are the number of individuals collected per week. As results, 8 coleopteran families (4 Coprophagous families and 4 Xylophagous families) were identified. The Coprophagous and Xylophagous Coleopterans were much abounded in grassy savannahs with much mixing trees with Imperata cylindrica and in grassy and shrubby savannas with many flowering plants (Melliferous) and less abounded in grassy and shrubby savannahs domined by Imperata cylindrica. However, repartitions of individuals fit uniform distribution in all coleopteran families belonging to Xylophagous group whereas in Coprophagous, uniform distribution fit was established only for one family.

Spatio-Temporal Dynamics and Sensitive Distance Identification of Light Pollution in Protected Areas Based on Muti-Source Data: A Case Study of Guangdong Province, China.

Ecosystems in protected areas (PAs) are facing new challenges from light pollution. Timely assessment of light pollution in protected areas and exploration of its characteristics are positively valuable for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. As the province with the largest number of nature reserves and the richest biodiversity in China, Guangdong’s protected areas have faced more severe light pollution threats in recent years along with rapid urbanization. Hence, in this study, the temporal trends and spatial distribution of light pollution changes, the correlation between light pollution and human activities, and the sensitive distance induced by light pollution in PAs of Guangdong Province from 2000 to 2018 were analyzed based on nighttime light (NTL) remote sensing data, land-use data, and POI data. The results show that: (1) Overall, the light pollution within the PAs increased significantly in these years, with the mean value of NTL (MNTL) increasing from 8.04 to 15.21 nanoWatt/cm2/sr. The number of PAs affected by light pollution was 900 in 2018, accounting for 83% of the total. (2) From the perspective of spatial distribution, the PAs in the Pearl River Delta suffered from the highest intensity of light pollution. Specifically, the MNTL of PAs within the Pearl River Delta was 5.8 times and 2.8 times higher than that in northern Guangdong in 2000 and 2018, respectively. (3) There is a significant correlation between human activities and NTL in PAs within 100 km, and the most sensitive distance is within 40 km, especially the sensitivity within 20 km is much higher than that between 30–40 km. The findings of this study will provide a reference for the implementation of external lighting control and guidance measures to mitigate light pollution in protected areas in Guangdong Province.

Molluscs as bioindicators of tourism pressure on ecosystems of Dilijan National Park, Armenia

ABSTRACT Research on the impact of tourism on ecosystems in protected areas has grown in recent years as a part of the debate on how to efficiently combine the use and conservation of natural habitats. Various taxa have been used as indicators through the use of invertebrate animals that have remained modest. The impact of uncontrolled flow of tourism on indicator species richness and diversity in the Dilijan National Park was studied. Diversity, species richness, and abundance of terrestrial molluscs were used as response variables to analyze the impact of tourism on ecosystems for the first time. We found significant differences in the diversity, species richness, and abundance of terrestrial molluscs between the control and experimental plots. Species richness and abundance were not so different in spring but in the autumn almost twice higher total abundance and species richness were detected in control plots. Moreover, out of 31 detected species, the 5 rare ones were found in control plots with low human presence. We conclude that the high intensity of tourism harms the communities of land snails. We suggest that terrestrial molluscs show sensitivity to human presence and can be used to study the direct impact of tourism-related ecosystems in protected areas.

Improving protected area effectiveness through consideration of different human-pressure baselines.

Previous assessments of the effectiveness of protected areas (PAs) focused primarily on changes in human pressure over time and did not consider the different human‐pressure baselines of PAs, thereby potentially over‐ or underestimating PA effectiveness. We developed a framework that considers both human‐pressure baseline and change in human pressure over time and assessed the effectiveness of 338 PAs in China from 2010 to 2020. The initial state of human pressure on PAs was taken as the baseline, and changes in human pressure index (HPI) were further analyzed under different baselines. We used the random forest models to identify the management measures that most improved effectiveness in resisting human pressure for the PAs with different baselines. Finally, the relationships between the changes in the HPI and the changes in natural ecosystems in PAs were analyzed with different baselines. Of PAs with low HPI baselines, medium HPI baselines, and high HPI baselines, 76.92% (n=150), 11.11% (n=12), and 22.86% (n=8) , respectively, showed positive effects in resisting human pressure. Overall, ignoring human‐pressure baselines somewhat underestimated the positive effects of PAs, especially for those with low initial human pressure. For PAs with different initial human pressures, different management measures should be taken to improve effectiveness and reduce threats to natural ecosystems. We believe our framework is useful for assessing the effectiveness of PAs globally, and we recommend it be included in the Convention on Biological Diversity Post‐2020 Strategy.

MANAGEMENT OF CONSERVATION AREAS WITH PARTICIPATION OF COMMUNITIES IN MOZAMBIQUE

This article discusses the challenges of managing conservation areas; in search of new institutional instruments and mechanisms that make effective conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems in protected areas. The management of conservation areas in some countries has been made from a growing demand for involvement of stakeholders and communities in decision-making in the process of managing natural resources. There are three issues surrounding the debate on participatory management of conservation areas, namely: the distribution of authority and responsibilities in the decision-making process; distribution of benefits and sustainability (ecological, social and economic). The main reasons that justify the management of these areas with the participation of communities are: the restriction on access to resources can compromise the food security of families living there and; it is a prerequisite for communities to be able to carry out their activities, to set up joint enterprises with them, or other forms of management that make their participation effective. The analytical approach was based on the theory of natural resource management and complemented by recent contributions from research in the areas of political sociology, poverty and the environment on the phenomenon of "participation". The local dimension, although the integrative synthesis between the natural and the human, historically and spatially located, makes essential a participatory management of conservation areas in countries such as Mozambique, because it allows the understanding and transformation of social relations that are carried out from a certain mode of production and organization established in a defined space of protection and conservation.

THE KHANKAISKIY STATE NATURAL BIOSPHERE RESERVE: HISTORY AND CURRENT STATE

The Khankaiskiy Biosphere Reserve is located in the drainage basin of Lake Khanka in the Russian Far East. It is of great importance for the biodiversity conservation, especially bird biodiversity in the wetland landscapes under Ramsar Convention. The Khankaisky Reserve was established in 1990, and in 2005 it acquired the status of Biosphere Reserve. In 1986 on the adjacent Chinese territory in the northern part of the lake, the Xingkai-Hu Reserve was established, which received the status of Biosphere Reserve in 2007. An intergovernmental agreement on foundation of the Russian-Chinese Khanka Lake Reserve on the basis of the two Reserves was signed in 1996. The article contains information on the modern structure and functions of the Khankaiskiy Biosphere Reserve, and scientific research in the Reserve within the framework of international cooperation. Some geo-ecological problems in the Lake Khanka drainage basin, which affect the stability of the protected area ecosystems, are briefly discussed.

Residents' Versus Visitors' Knowledge and Valuation of Aquatic Mountain Ecosystems in the Catalan Pyrenees

Understanding the perceptions of local residents of and visitors to mountain protected areas in terms of their knowledge of and the value they place on aquatic ecosystems is crucial to assess whether nature management and conservation actions will be accepted. This study analyzed the perceptions of visitors to and local residents of the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park and the Alt Pirineu Natural Park, both in the Catalan Pyrenees, in relation to aquatic mountain ecosystems. A 10 question survey was conducted on their knowledge and valuation of aquatic mountain ecosystems. Generalized linear models were applied to the responses, testing users' resident/visitor status and sociodemographic trends as predictor variables. Residents reported a greater level of knowledge of aquatic ecosystems than visitors, which contrasts with the higher valuation given by visitors. Specifically, young residents reported the lowest knowledge, and older residents valued the ecosystems least. Residents of Alt Pirineu Natural Park valued aquatic ecosystems lowest overall, and women residents valued specific aquatic ecosystems lowest. Respondents also highly valued conservation actions linked to the LIFE+ LimnoPirineus project, although residents placed less value on these than visitors. This study helps to fill a gap in the literature on users' knowledge and valuation of aquatic mountain ecosystems in protected areas. In addition, it provides helpful background for the development of nature management and conservation actions for mountain protected areas.

Биология, экология и рыбохозяйственное значение леща Abramis Brama L. (Linnaeus, 1758) Кенозерского национального парка

Bream (Abramis Brama L.) on the territory of the Kenozero national Park occurs in the largest lakes of protected areas – Kenozere and Lekshmozere (Belomorsky basin), as well as in lake Maselgsky (Baltic basin), forming three independent, geographically and reproductively isolated populations. In its habitat, bream is the dominant species and, as a result, a permanent object of production for fishermen from among the local residents. This article publishes data on all three bream populations obtained in the course of their own research. Information about its biology, ecology, and population is provided. An assessment of the state of the stock and the role that bream plays in the life of local residents as an aquatic biological resource is given. It is shown that in the Kenozero lake and Lekshmozero lake bream formed a stable and prosperous population. These are the main fishing lakes of the Park, where more than 95% of all fish is extracted. In general, in 2019, the share of bream in the total fish production on the lakes of protected areas, according to official statistics, was about 14%. The current volume of bream catch does not harm the populations of this species and the biodiversity of water ecosystems in protected areas.

An assessment of the representation of ecosystems in global protected areas using new maps of World Climate Regions and World Ecosystems

Representation of ecosystems in protected area networks and conservation strategies is a core principle of global conservation priority setting approaches and a commitment in Aichi Target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) explicitly call for the conservation of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Accurate ecosystem distribution maps are required to assess representation of ecosystems in protected areas, but standardized, high spatial resolution, and globally comprehensive ecosystem maps have heretofore been lacking. While macroscale global ecoregions maps have been used in global conservation priority setting exercises, they do not identify distinct localized ecosystems at the occurrence (patch) level, and instead describe large ecologically meaningful areas within which additional conservation planning and management are necessary. We describe a new set of maps of globally consistent climate regions and ecosystems at a much finer spatial resolution (250 m) than existing ecological regionalizations. We then describe a global gap analysis of the representation of these ecosystems in protected areas. The new map of terrestrial World Ecosystems was derived from the objective development and integration of 1) global temperature domains, 2) global moisture domains, 3) global landforms, and 4) 2015 global vegetation and land use. These new terrestrial World Ecosystems do not include either freshwater or marine ecosystems, but analog products for the freshwater and marine domains are in development. A total of 431 World Ecosystems were identified, and of these a total of 278 units were natural or semi-natural vegetation/environment combinations, including different kinds of forestlands, shrublands, grasslands, bare areas, and ice/snow regions. The remaining classes were different kinds of croplands and settlements. Of the 278 natural and semi-natural classes, 9 were not represented in global protected areas with a strict biodiversity conservation management objective (IUCN management categories I-IV), and an additional 206 were less than 8.5% protected (half way to the 17% Aichi Target 11 goal). Forty four classes were between 8.5% and 17% protected (more than half way towards the Aichi 17% target), and only 19 classes exceeded the 17% Aichi target. However, when all protected areas (IUCN management categories I-VI plus protected areas with no IUCN designation) were included in a separate global gap analysis, representation of ecosystems increases substantially, with a third of the ecosystems exceeding the 17% Aichi target, and another third between 8.5% and 17%. The overall protection (representation) of global ecosystems in protected areas is considerably less when assessed using only strictly conserved protected areas, and more if all protected areas are included in the analysis. Protected area effectiveness should be included in further evaluations of global ecosystem protection. The ecosystems with the highest representation in protected areas were often bare or sparsely vegetated and found in inhospitable environments (e.g. cold mountains, deserts), and the eight most protected ecosystems were all snow and ice ecosystems. In addition to the global gap analysis of World Ecosystems in protected areas, we report on the representation results for the ecosystems in each biogeographic realm (Neotropical, Nearctic, Afrotropical, Palearctic, Indomalayan, Australasian, and Oceania).

A bottom-up approach to map land covers as potential green infrastructure hubs for human well-being in rural settings: A case study from Sweden

Green infrastructure (GI) policy encourages the spatial planning of natural and semi-natural areas to deliver biodiversity conservation and a wide range of ecosystem services (ES) important to human well-being. Much of the current literature relies on expert-led and top-down processes to investigate connections between landscapes’ different land covers and ES. Little is known regarding the preferences of residents, and how they connect land covers with the delivery of ES important for their well-being. The aim of this study is to identify and locate such land cover types as GI that provide multiple ES important for human well-being in rural settings. First, we interviewed 400 urban and rural residents to identify ES important for personal well-being and the land covers that deliver multiple ES in three counties that best represent the existing rural-urban gradient in Sweden. Second, to support the inclusion of GI in spatial planning, we identified and located spatial concentrations of individual land covers providing multiple ES (GI hubs) and significant clusters of such land covers (GI hotspots). The majority of urban and rural respondents associated their well-being with lakes, mountains above the tree-line, old-growth forests, wooded-pastures, mature pine forests and rural farmsteads. The areal proportion of each type of hub was low, on average 3.5%. At least three land management strategies are needed to sustain GI hubs: maintenance of the composition, structure and function of natural ecosystems in protected areas; support for traditional agroforestry and villages as social-ecological systems; and diversification of the current intensive forest management approach.

Plant invasion science in protected areas: progress and priorities

Invasive alien species are a major problem for managers of protected areas (PAs) worldwide. Until the 1980s biological invasions were widely considered to be largely confined to anthropogenically disturbed sites and the widespread disruption of ecosystems in PAs by invasive species was not globally perceived as a major threat. A working group of the SCOPE program on biological invasions in the 1980s showed that PAs are not spared from major disruptive effects of invasions. Early research focused on descriptive studies of the extent to which PAs were invaded. More recent research explored drivers of invasion, and in the last decade much work has focused on understanding the impacts of invasions. We review the current understanding of alien plant invasions in PAs, focusing on four themes: (1) the status and macroecological patterns of alien plant invasions; (2) the threats that invasive alien plants (IAPs) pose and the impacts detected to date; (3) the current focus of invasion science in PAs; and (4) research priorities for advancing science-based management and policy. Of a sample of 59 widespread IAP species from a representative sample of 135 PAs globally, trees make up the largest proportion (32%), followed by perennial herbs (17%) and shrubs (15%). About 1857 papers have been published on alien species in PAs; 45% have focused on alien plants. Some textbook examples of impacts by IAPs originate from PAs, illustrating the severe threat to the core function of PAs. Impacts have been quantified at the species and community levels through the displacement and alteration of habitats. In some cases, native species abundance, diversity and estimated species richness have been altered, but reversed following control. At an ecosystem level, invasive plants have radically altered fire regimes in several PAs, in some cases causing regime shifts and transforming woodlands or savannas to grasslands. Invasions have also had a major impact on nutrient cycles. Protected areas are performing an increasingly important part of the global response to stem the rate of environmental change. Despite this, integrated efforts involving science, management and policy that are sufficiently resourced to generate insights on the status and dynamics of IAPs in PAs are insufficient or even lacking. Such efforts are needed to pave the way for monitoring trends, revising legislation and policies, and improving management interventions to reduce the extent and magnitude of impacts of invasive plants in PAs. While policy instruments to support management of non-native species date back to the 1930s, there has been a substantial increase in legislative support and general awareness since the early 2000s. Still, opportunities to improve research for PAs need to be created. Towards this goal, the establishment of a global PA research network could provide a unique vehicle to explore questions across species or functional groups and systems, at a scale currently beyond existing abilities. Developing an integrated global database with standardized, quantitative information could form part of such a networks function.

Natural solutions for water management of the future: freshwater protected areas at the 6th World Parks Congress

Abstract Freshwater biodiversity continues to decline. Protected areas are recognized as critical tools in its conservation. Concurrently, despite global efforts to ensure water supplies, billions of people remain without access to pure water. Conversely, flooding kills tens of thousands of people each year. While designated primarily for nature conservation, protected areas supply a range of other ecosystem services to human society. The natural infrastructure they protect should be seen as a key component of water security and improved conservation of ecosystems, and recognized and invested in as a critical tool for water provision and regulation in the landscape. At the 2014 World Parks Congress delegates identified actions needed to maximize the potential of protected areas to contribute to water services: Knowledge and capacity building: strengthening technical expertise and capacity building with respect to the role of protected areas in water security. Valuation: to drive positive change in protected area management. Policy frameworks: covering legal, institutional, economic and social factors that produce a good synergy between protected area management and water security. Pricing policy: integrating all the information from valuation of the role of protected areas in terms of water supply, regulation and quality. Water security: considering natural infrastructure as a key investment in addressing water related risks and a legitimate component of water security strategies. Partnerships: strengthening these across sectors with a wider group of stakeholders to promote the conservation and management of freshwater ecosystems in protected areas. Learning lessons from successful water management: by identifying knowledge requirements for legal, institutional, economic and social factors that synergize protected area management and water security management. None of these steps is technically impossible. Providing the right mixture of policies, legislation, economic and social approaches remains the main challenge for their achievement. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Combining a growth-simulation model with acoustic-wood tomography as a decision-support tool for adaptive management and conservation of forest ecosystems

The paper deals with the application of growth-simulation model SYBILA in conjunction with pulse tomography ARBOTOM for the evaluation of the strategy that was chosen for the management and protection of hardwood floodplain-forest in two study sites in Litovelske Pomoravi Protected Landscape Area (Czech Republic). The results of the simulation-growth model, supplemented by wood tomography showed that the current method of protection and management of the studied floodplain-forest ecosystems would lead to a change in habitat character, which is in conflict with the basic mission of Natura 2000. Simultaneous application of both non-invasive methods enables adjustments to the protected area management plan in accordance with the principles of adaptive ecosystem management. The results of the paper show that the combination of the two relatively new non-invasive methods of ecological research can be a promising support tool for adaptive ecosystem management and protection of forest ecosystems in protected areas.

Influences of climate change on ecosystems in protected areas and their adaptation measures : insights and case studies from abroad

Influences of climate change on ecosystems in protected areas and their adaptation measures : insights and case studies from abroad

Not for all seasons: why timing is critical in the design of visitor impact monitoring programs for aquatic sites within protected areas

Environmental monitoring is an essential feature of environmental assessment and natural resource management. Whilst the focus of monitoring programs is often on the response of chosen variables to a disturbance of particular concern, it is also important to consider the variability of disturbance pressures in relation to the variability of the ecosystem state. In this paper, we discuss the need to relate environmental variability to disturbance variability in small-scale monitoring programs designed to assess the impact of short-term pulses of visitors on the condition of aquatic ecosystems in protected areas. We use data from protected areas from six Koppen climate zones in Australia to highlight the fact that peaks in visitation do not always coincide with existing monitoring protocols or with optimal times for monitoring on the basis of environmental variability, particularly in relation to rainfall and temperature and, hence, likely biological activity. We highlight how recognising the interaction between disturbance variability and environmental variability will greatly enhance the power of monitoring programs and substantially improve our capacity to detect responses to temporally pulsed disturbances. Analyses of this type, undertaken before the establishment of monitoring programs, will yield higher quality information and a better return on monitoring investment for natural resource managers.