Implementation Of Management Plans Research Articles

Age‐ and sex‐specific behaviour in harbour sealsPhoca vitulinaleads to biased estimates of vital population parameters

Summary1. Modelling of the population dynamics of seals require data on an array of vital parameters (fecundity, mortality, age structure, migrations, population growth rate). The most common way to obtain these data is to estimate the parameters from samples taken from the population. However, the influence from skewed samples can be substantial in populations with age‐ and sex‐specific features. By quantifying the behavioural differences among age and sex classes, data from skewed samples can be compensated retrospectively. Awareness of the existence and the potential magnitude of such biases is highly relevant for the design of surveys, sampling programmes and the implementation of management plans of age structured populations.2. The age‐ and sex‐specific behaviour of harbour sealsPhoca vitulinaand grey sealsHalichoerus grypuscan be studied by using freeze‐branded animals. Since the brand is permanent and visible up to a distance of 500 m, the harassment is limited to one occasion in the lifetime of the seal (the catching day).3. A method is also given for analysing data arising from re‐sighted branded animals, where re‐sightings of individual seals were transformed to estimates of relative haul‐out frequencies of seals by age and sex.4. The composition of harbour seal groups on land exhibit a conspicuous seasonal flux, and the fraction on land was not representative of the entire population at any time during the summer. The results have far‐reaching implications since most studies of seals are carried out at haul‐out sites, and differential behaviour between the sexes and among age classes is expected in all populations and species of seals. Skewed samples generate biases in estimates of population growth rate, age‐specific mortality and fecundity.5. Age‐specific haul‐out patterns must be taken into account when analysing data from populations with non‐stable age structures. As a consequence of changes in age structure after the 1988 seal epizootic, surveys under‐estimated the size of the Swedish–Danish harbour seal population by 6% in 1988 and over‐estimated the same parameter by up to 16% during the following years.6. The present paper establishes the complications of sampling natural populations that are structured by age and sex, and presents a method on how to quantify sampling errors.

Project management in protected areas—a tale of two systems

This paper examines the application of information technology to project management in the context of the implementation of management plans for protected areas which now cover some 20% of the land surface of developed countries. CMS, an ‘off the shelf’ system intended for use on any conservation site, is compared with PMIS, an organizationally based bespoke system in which site and property management was merely one aspect of an integrated IT system encompassing virtually every function of a large organization, the National Trust. CMS was conceived “bottom up” as a modest experiment by site managers to solve their immediate problems of project control, has been highly successful to date and is in use in over 350 sites within the UK as well as in a number of other countries. PMIS, initiated ‘top down’ as probably the most ambitious attempt to date of any conservation organization to computerize its activities has failed to fulfil early hopes, proving unwieldy and expensive and development was curtailed in late 1995. The implications for protected area and conservation site project management are considerable. Small may not be particularly beautiful but is currently the only available option for those who need a working project management system. In the long term however the choice between ‘off the shelf’ PC-based software and the development of a networked bespoke system will be an increasingly difficult one, particularly for large land managing conservation organizations.

Have tropical marine protected areas worked? An initial analysis of their success

This article presents an analysis of a survey of the current state of marine protected area (MPA) management and describes possible factors associated with their perceived success throughout the tropics. Considerable progress has been made in the establishment of MPAs in both developing and developed nations, but the formulation and implementation of management plans has lagged behind. Funding, expertise, and lack of information have constrained planning and management of MPAs in several tropical nations. Despite the promotion of ecologically sustainable development and the involvement of local communities or stakeholders within protected areas, few countries incorporate these principles in the management of MPAs. Tropical MPAs are considered to be of limited success by area managers. Several interrelated factors, such as strategic planning and reliance on coastal resources and zoning schemes, may influence the success of these areas.

Permits, an evolving tool for the day‐to‐day management of the cairns section of the great barrier reef marine park

Abstract The coastal zone is a dynamic system in which the nature of activities, levels of use, and spatial distribution of activities are in a constant state of flux. Managers are able to confront this dynamism by continually developing new roles for permits. In the Cairns Section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, staff responsible for the assessment and issuance of permits have gradually developed a permit system that meets the particular needs of this park. Initially used to meet legislative responsibilities and control use, permits now play a critical role in day‐to‐day resource management, policy and management plan implementation, data collection, and public liaison. Managers have recognized the value of the permit system as its role changed with changing uses, and levels of use in the marine park. Users of the park have also come to realize that permits are to their benefit by: protecting their resources, providing a venue to discuss problems regarding their operations or other users, and resolving conflict.

Short-Term Dynamics of a Neotropical Forest: Why Ecological Research Matters to Tropical Conservation and Management

Arguments that ecological research on species-rich tropical forests is too little, too late, an irrelevancy, and a luxury we can ill afford when time is running out to save tropical forests are wrong. Focused basic and applied ecological research has a vital and cost-effective role to play in tropical forest conservation and management. Sustainable management of natural tropical forests is not possible without a better holistic understanding of how such forests actually work ecologically and interact with humans. Because time is short, however, we must learn «on-the-job» by conducting research as we implement management plans. We base our argument on experience with a large-scale study of the tropical forest on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama (...)

ONTARIO'S WATER TAKING PERMIT PROGRAM1

ABSTRACT. Most water takings in Ontario in excess of 10,000 gallons per day for purposes other than domestic, farm, or fire fighting require authorization by permit by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. The legislation imposes control beyond that under common law, but does not remove common‐law obligations. Permits may not be assigned without the Ministry's consent and do not create property rights in water. Permits to take ground‐water require permittees to ensure that sufficient water is made available for the needs of prior users who suffer serious water‐supply interference due to the taking, or to reduce the rate and amount of taking. Permits to take surface water require permittees to maintain sufficient downstream flow to protect downstream uses of water and natural functions of streams. Specific permit requirements for city wells in the rural Hunsburger Creek basin protect existing well supplies and require maintenance of streamflow for pond levels and fish. Tobacco irrigation in the Big Creek basin reduced streamflow significantly and requires development of more detailed water‐management plans for years of extreme demand. Ontario's permit program serves to resolve water‐use conflicts, furnishes information on use and provides one means for implementing management plans.

Appraising Protected Area Management Planning in Nepal

This paper distils Nepal's experience on protected area management planning, with particular reference to implementation of management plan. It also reviews the status of PA management plan and legal provisions related to management plan. Management plan is the road map to guide conservation efforts and sets out the desired future of protected area. Five-year management plan of protected areas have been prepared and implemented. Although park management plans were formulated for most of the parks and reserves, there remained wide gaps during its timely and effective implementation. The aim of this paper is to answer the question "what are the issues in management planning process and implementation". Building on the strength of the past and keeping the existing weaknesses in mind, the management effectiveness should be evaluated and improved.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/init.v4i0.5538The Initiation Vol.4 2011 69-81