Conservation Interest Research Articles

Lost in hostile lands: moths of conservation concern in cultivated and suburban areas of south Italy

Cultivated and suburban areas are usually considered unfavourable to the vulnerable components of biodiversity and regarded as not interesting from a conservation point of view. However, remnants of semi-natural vegetation can be embedded in such areas, becoming possible refuges for wild biodiversity despite the high anthropogenic pressures. With the present study, we raise awareness that, in some cases, these areas can be regarded as biodiversity treasure chests, even when apparently poor and with low appeal for conservationists. We demonstrate the importance of urbanised and cultivated landscapes by providing new records of two lepidopteran species rare for the Italian Peninsula, namely Amphipyra (Pyrois) cinnamomea and Boudinotiana notha. The European range of A. cinnamomea has become strongly reduced, seeming extinct in some Central European regions and the few Italian records mostly date back several decades. B. notha has very few relict populations in Mediterranean Europe, some of which are in peninsular Italy, where it is threated by urbanisation and reduced precipitations expected in the next decades. Our findings confirm the importance of small and highly fragmented patches of semi-natural vegetation for biodiversity conservation, as they can allow species of conservation interest to persist in hostile lands.

Astragalus vesicarius and other new taxa to the flora of the Vértes Mountains (Hungary, Transdanubian Mts)

A conservation survey on the condition of steppe and forest-steppe habitats in the Vértes Mts revealed several plant species from the flora of the area that have not been reported before. From a phytogeographical point of view, the most important is Astragalus vesicarius, whose small population in the Vértes fits very well into the native distribution pattern of the species in Hungary. Another important steppe plant is Stipa dasyphylla, which is found in two locations in the Vértes Mts. Besides other taxa of conservation interest (Orobanche teucrii, Phelipanche purpurea, Rosa hungarica), some under-recorded species (Cerastium tenoreanum, Stellaria pallida), and some spreading weeds (Elymus elongatus, Euphorbia lathyris) enrich our knowledge of the flora of the area.

Effect of environmental and anthropogenic factors on the distribution and co-occurrence of cold-water corals

Cold-water corals (CWCs) are bioengineering species that can increase habitat heterogeneity and improve the deep sea’s biological diversity and ecosystem functioning. Knowledge of their distribution provides a critical baseline for assessing the effect of natural and anthropogenic impacts on these important deep-sea habitats. The aims of this study are: i) provide new data on the spatial distribution of six CWCs species in the Strait of Sicily, ii) describe the principal environmental and anthropogenic variables that play a role in shaping their distribution, iii) identify hotspots in which individuals belonging to the various species co-occur. Presence-only data of six CWCs species, ten environmental variables (depth, slope, rugosity, aspect, flowdir, temperature, salinity, north bottom current, east bottom current, chlorophyll-a), and one variable relating to bottom trawling effort (Automatic Information System – AIS) were used to predict the suitable habitats. We used Maximum Entropy modelling (MaxEnt) approach and used the AUC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) and TSS (true skill statistics) to evaluate the model performance. The results showed excellent AUC, TSS and AUC’s standard deviation mean values for all six species. The validation show high predictive performance. MaxEnt identified slope, depth, and rugosity as the most important predictors, showing the highest percentage contribution for all six species considered. Throughout the study area, highlyinterspecific persistent density hotspot of CWCs co-occurrence were discovered, with a total extension of 4.05 km2 where all species co-occur. Although studies on the effect of environmental and anthropogenic factors that impact the distribution of these species of conservation interest remain scarce, the results of this study offer useful guidance for decision-makers to develop necessary conservation measures.

Testing novel methods for short-term forecasting of European glass eel recruitment

Recruitment forecasting constitutes a major issue in population dynamics, especially in stock assessments. In many cases, high recruitment stochasticity thwarts the determination of a stock-recruitment (SR) relationship. When no SR relationship is available, recruitments can be projected from past trends using methods such as the geometric means of the past recruitments. This approach implicitly assumes stability in upcoming years and might not be appropriate in the case of regime shifts. Recruitment forecasting is particularly critical when predicting fishing opportunities for recruitment fisheries. The fishery of glass European eels (Anguilla anguilla) is an example of a recruitment fishery. The French glass eel fishery, which is currently guided by two models to forecast upcoming recruitments and derive fishing opportunities, has failed to achieve management targets. This study develops new models that forecast glass eel recruitments without assumptions about the SR relationship, and with flexible assumptions about future recruitment evolutions. Tests based on multiple criteria found the best performance in a random slope model, which provides flexibility to track recruitment dynamics while balancing the interests of fisheries, management and conservation. This model has wide potential for trend projections in natural resource management, economics and other fields.

Ecological value of wood energy plantations in the support of some animal groups

Today, some environmental problems have reached such severe proportions that it is no longer enough to recognise them, but environmentally friendly solutions must be used to reduce them. The reduction in the area of natural forests of native species is causing problems in several ways. This research aimed to highlight how environmental, conservation and economic interests can be reconciled. In addition to natural forests, wood energy plantations are becoming increasingly important. Energy import dependency is a problem for most countries, for which wood energy plantations can partly offer an alternative. Native forests can be protected, and their area increased where possible. Meanwhile, energy plantations can be established in areas with low agricultural productivity. In this experiment, I studied a plantation of Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur), a Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and a Paulownia (Paulownia Shan Tong). I selected burrowing birds and ground-dwelling arthropods as indicator groups. I did this by establishing a nesting colony and soil trapping. I wanted to demonstrate that, in addition to natural forests, wood energy plantations have a role not only in economic terms but also in maintaining certain animal groups. Soil trapping tests were carried out in all three tree plantations. The obtained results showed that in the Paulownia plantation, the occupancy rate of nest boxes was almost 100%, while in the Black Locust plantation it was around 30%. Among the species that occupied the nesting sites, the Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and the Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) were more abundant, while Great Tit (Parus major) was present in the Black Locust plantation. These are opportunistic species for which nesting opportunity is the most important factor, since their feeding area (in the case of the Common Starling and the Eurasian Tree Sparrow) is not typical of the nesting area. The soil trap investigations show that there are no significant differences in the composition of the arthropod group (beetles, spiders) in the study areas.

Interests, beliefs, experience and perceptions shape tolerance towards impacts of recovering predators

Abstract The modification of landscapes is increasing the interface between humans and wildlife, while conflicts concerning predator impacts on human activities persist. Some previously persecuted but now protected predator species are experiencing recovery and range expansion. Tolerance is considered essential for achieving coexistence between humans and wildlife; however, its conceptualisation remains unresolved. Little is known about tolerance in the context of recovering predators, particularly which drivers are relevant to all or specific species and human interests. Using an online questionnaire survey shared with members of organisations with interests in rural land‐based activities, we collected data on interests and beliefs, and attitudes, perceptions, experience and management preferences for six recovering vertebrate predators in the United Kingdom (n = 819). We created a species tolerance score representing the management choices of the respondents in different conflict scenarios, which differed in the degree of impact on the predator population. Our species tolerance score was characterised by a complex combination of the interests and beliefs of the respondents about wildlife management, perceptions and experience of that species (perceived benefits, population trend, positive and negative experience, indirect negative experience) and negative experience of other recovering predators. We found a tolerance gradient between interest groups with notable overlap between groups with primary interests in wildlife conservation, shooting, farming and fishing. Although higher perceived benefits consistently corresponded to higher tolerance, having a negative experience of the species dampened the effect of perceived benefits on tolerance. When both negative personal and indirect experiences were reported, tolerance was dramatically reduced. The classification of species from least to most tolerated was consistent between interest groups. The application of our species tolerance score as the normative dimension (i.e. acceptability) in Brenner and Metcalf's (2020) Social Tolerance of Wildlife Framework highlights that tolerance (negative attitude—high acceptability) is potentially rare and more positive attitudes must be achieved before acceptance of the impacts of species can increase. Our findings highlight that considering only primary interests may hinder debates concerning recovering predators. Strategies to reduce negative experiences or change how they are perceived could significantly increase tolerance in combination with increasing positive experiences. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Micropropagation of Lepidium ostleri (Brassicaceae), a native endemic plant species

Lepidium ostleri S.L. Welsh & Goodrich (Ostler’s peppergrass) is an endemic plant species restricted to Ordovician limestone outcrops associated with the San Francisco Mountain Range in western Utah. Due to restricted population distribution and proximity to modern mining operations, L. ostleri is a species of conservation interest. This study focused on the development of a micropropagation protocol for propagating mature plants using plant tissue culture methods. Indirect shoot organogenesis was obtained from L. ostleri explants on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium augmented with various concentrations of BAP (6-Benzylaminopurine), kinetin (N6-furfuryladenine), and IAA (indole-3-acetic acid). Plantlets supporting shoots grown in vitro were pulse treated with differing strengths of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and transferred to sterile soil. Following root induction, plantlets were acclimated to ambient conditions. The successful development of a micropropagation protocol supports management activities for L. ostleri and also contributes to in vitro propagation knowledge at the species, genus, and family levels.

Important pollinator species for conserving rare plant species endemic to San Clemente Island, California

Much effort has been spent on the conservation of rare, threatened, and endangered plants in the biodiversity hotspot of the California Floristic Province, however little is known about the identity of their pollinators. In this study we provide the first formal study on the identity of the invertebrate pollinators of five rare endemic island plant species from San Clemente Island, the southernmost of the California Channel Islands: Delphinium variegatum ssp kinkiense, Lithophragma maximum, Malacothamnus clementinus, Malva assurgentiflora ssp glabra, and Sibara filifolia. We surveyed plant-pollinator interactions at populations of each focal plant species using timed sweep-netting. We used pollinator capture data to compile bipartite interaction networks for each plant population, and calculated centrality indices (degree, betweenness centrality, and closeness centrality) of pollinators to identify species important to network stability. We found a significant effect of pollinator taxonomic group (fly, bee, wasp, or Lepidopteran) on some indices of pollinator centrality in interaction networks, and variation in pollinator centrality between different locations. Hoverflies, moths, and butterflies were important generalists with higher network centrality across all plant populations, while bees tended to be more specialists within their networks, except for the Malva assurgentiflora ssp glabra network, where bees were on average of higher centrality than flies. We recommend targeted restoration practices for future study that could support pollination both directly and indirectly to focal rare plant species of conservation interest across plant populations. These practices could augment general pollinator conservation best practices such as reducing pesticide use and planting native plant species to provide increased pollination to endangered plants.

Monitoring wildlife population trends with sample counts: a case study on the Alpine ibex (Capra ibex)

Monitoring population dynamics is of fundamental importance in conservation but assessing trends in abundance can be costly, especially in large and rough areas. Obtaining trend estimations from counts performed in only a portion of the total area (sample counts) can be a cost‐effective method to improve the monitoring and conservation of species difficult to count.We tested the effectiveness of sample counts in monitoring population trends of wild animals, using as a model population the Alpine ibex Capra ibex in the Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy), both with computer simulations and using historical count data collected over the last 65 years. Despite sample counts failed to correctly estimate the true population abundance, sampling half of the target area could reliably monitor the trend of the target population. In case of strong changes in abundance, an even lower proportion of the total area could be sufficient to identify the direction of the population trend. However, when there is a high yearly trend variability, the required number of samples increases and even counting in the entire area can be ineffective to detect population trends. The effect of other parameters, such as which portion of the area is sampled and detectability, was lower, but these should be tested case by case.Sample counts could therefore constitute a viable alternative to assess population trends, allowing for important, cost‐effective improvements in the monitoring of wild animals of conservation interest.

Current Water Management of Small Lotic Waterbodies in the Context of Nature Conservation in Germany

Small lotic waterbodies are abundant and species rich habitats, offering refuges and microhabitats to protected species of the European Union Habitats Directive. Highly impacted by water management actions, it is essential to reveal the current status and challenges of water management. The present study aims to identify relevant issues by conducting a survey concerning water management authorities. Authorities were selected according to their involvement in the management of small lotic waterbodies within the actual range of a threatened species, Coenagrion mercuriale (Odonata), which is highly dependent on water management actions and protected by the Habitats Directive. The survey involved three sets of questionnaires, (1) socio-demographic (personal) questions (2) specific questions about water management and (3) questions on the biological background. Out of 181 selected authorities, 75 participated in the survey. The results showed that though nature conservation interests are partially considered, they represented a minor factor in water management decision-making. In addition, knowledge exchange is insufficient between involved stakeholders from policy, management practice and science, which was especially reflected in the case of equipment use and accruing material. The reconciliation of both, water management and nature conservation interests, can contribute to enhance the conservation status of key protected species of small lotic waterbodies under the Habitats Directive.

HINDU RELIGIOUS LEARNING MODEL BASED ON ECOPEDAGOGIC

The ecopedagogic-based learning model is based on environmental principles and aspects such as nature, social, and culture. Ecopedagogic can be interpreted as an academic movement to awaken students to become individuals who have understanding, awareness, and life skills in harmony with the interests of nature conservation. This research is included in the type of qualitative research with a philosophical approach and a pedagogical approach. Data collection methods were carried out using interview techniques and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The results of this study reveal that the ecopedagogic approach in learning Hinduism is able to unite natural rights with human rights, providing the basis for the view that the environment and humans must respect each other and work together to maintain the balance of nature, and help increase environmental awareness also social responsibility. Ecopedagogic-based Hindu religious learning emphasizes the development of material that is not only limited to something that is textual but needs to be developed through a contextual approach, so the goal is that students can have concern for the environment. This is because the learning system outside the classroom gives students more experience and makes the learning process fun.

Assessing Brazilian protected areas through social media: Insights from 10 years of public interest and engagement.

Social media platforms are a valuable source of data for investigating cultural and political trends related to public interest in nature and conservation. Here, we use the micro-blogging social network Twitter to explore trends in public interest in Brazilian protected areas (PAs). We identified ~400,000 Portuguese language tweets pertaining to all categories of Brazilian PAs over a ten-year period (1 January 2011-31 December 2020). We analysed the content of these tweets and calculated metrics of user engagement (likes and retweets) to uncover patterns and drivers of public interest in Brazilian PAs. Our results indicate that users / tweets mentioning PAs remained stable throughout the sample period. However, engagement with tweets grew steeply, particularly from 2018 onward and coinciding with a change in the Brazilian federal government. Furthermore, public interest was not evenly distributed across PAs; while national parks were the subject of the most tweets, mainly related to tourism activities, tweets related to conflicts among park users and managers were more likely to engage Twitter users. Our study highlights that automatic or semi-automatic monitoring of social media content and engagement has great potential as an early warning system to identify emerging conflicts and to generate data and metrics to support PA policy, governance and management.

Hematological values of captive Indotestudo travancorica (Boulenger, 1907) and Batagur kachuga (Gray, 1931): a short communication

The Indian subcontinent is home to many species of herpetological and conservation interest. The aim of this study was to provide a first assessment of hematological values in Travancore tortoises (Indotestudo travancorica) and redcrowned roofed turtles (Batagur kachuga), two endangered species on which medical literature is still lacking. In late spring, 19 blood specimens of healthy I. travancorica and 17 of B. kachuga were sampled. Both populations were housed at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust – Centre for Herpetology (Tamil Nadu, India). From each animal, a blood sample was obtained from the dorsal coccygeal vein and stored in a lithium-heparin test tube. For both species, manual red and white blood cell counts (RBC and WBC) were performed using a Natt & Herrick stain in a Neubauer chamber. Only for I. travancorica, hematocrit values were assessed by centrifugation of capillary tubes, and used to calculate mean corpuscular volume; this investigation was not performed on B. kachuga due to equipment malfunction. Due to the small sample size, only descriptive statistics were applied, and the obtained values were compared with the known references of other chelonians. Only for B. kachuga, the composition of the sampled population made it possible to run cross sectional comparisons between adult and juvenile individuals, as well as between males and females. No difference was found between males and females, but a significant difference (P<0,05) was found for WBC counts between juvenile and adult animals.

Who cares about coral? The biological species concept and ‘cumulative intrinsic value’ in cross-cultural perspective

This paper examines the intrinsic and instrumental value of corals, and coral reefs, from the epistemological perspectives of Western conservation biologists and Pacific coastal fishers. It uses data on local language names (‘folk taxonomies’) from several language groups to understand the salience, or perceived value, of corals and coral reef fishes for the speakers of those languages. In all of the folk taxonomies examined, there are very few local language names for corals or reef-associated fishes in the most species-rich families (gobies, blennies, damselfishes, and butterflyfishes). This is interesting particularly because one of the primary rationales for Western conservation interest in Indo-Pacific coral reefs is the ‘cumulative intrinsic value’ of the large number of biological species associated with these ecosystems, irrespective of their other values, including fishery production. The ‘weight’ of this cumulative intrinsic value underpins a moral mandate for transnational conservation intervention, typically in the form of marine protected areas, most of which impose a short- to medium-term economic cost on people who are already very poor. The related and widely used Western cultural construct of ‘iconic’ is also investigated. The paper examines various implications of the large differences between Western scientific and Pacific Islander attributions of value to corals and coral reef ecosystems, including in the context of their importance for fishery production and food (or nutrition) security. I also discuss the apparent lack of (a) reflexivity about the social construction of science and (b) curiosity about the environmental knowledge and values of Indo-Pacific coastal fishers, among many in the Western transnational conservation community.

Fertility islands, keys to the establishment of plant and microbial diversity in a highly alkaline hot desert

The distribution of plant communities in hot desert ecosystems is discontinuous and resembles the pattern of heterogeneous resource patches, known as “fertility islands”. Understanding the key factors that allow plants to establish in these conditions, as well as their associated microbial diversity, is crucial to the comprehension and preservation of these ecosystems. Saudi Arabia in the Arabian Peninsula, is one of the driest regions in the world, with a very low water regime and low soil nutrient contents. The establishment of ecosystems in these arid desert conditions is therefore subject to numerous constraints. Understanding the biotic and abiotic factors linked to the formation of fertility islands, from the perspective of soil composition and its associated microbiome, both in the soil and in the roots of associated plant community, is therefore a fundamental issue for the preservation of these ecosystems. In this study, we analyzed the soil composition between a fertility island and bare soil. The proportions of micro- and macro-elements important for plant nutrition, namely magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and iron were higher in the fertility island. We also observed that soil bacterial and fungal diversity increased in the fertility island. Key taxa such as Rhizobia and Glomeraceae which play important roles in ecosystem functioning were identified in both the fertility island soil and in the roots of the established plant community. These results confirm that plant establishment is linked to soil conditions, in line with the fertility island hypothesis, and that the microbial community in the fertility island differs both in diversity and in composition from that of the bare soil. Fertility islands soils and the roots of established plant community harbor a microbiome potentially crucial to ecosystem functioning, and are of major interest for conservation and agronomy programs.

Traditional ploughing is critical to the conservation of threatened plants in Mediterranean olive groves

Arable plant diversity has been dramatically declining due to agriculture intensification, with several arable species currently included in national Red Lists. This is particularly relevant in the case of plant communities of the traditional Mediterranean agricultural systems. Despite the current knowledge about the factors affecting this diversity, it is not clear how these communities, which have likely evolved under the pressure of ploughing for millennia, depend on this regular soil disturbance. This is an important issue nowadays, because current management practices focused on the conservation of the ground vegetation cover, to protect soil and other biological groups, often exclude ploughing. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that traditional ploughing is favourable to more specialist arable plants, predictably more dependent on the regular soil disturbance. We address this issue in a Mediterranean agricultural system, the traditional olive groves of Southern Portugal, which is characterized by the annual ploughing of soil. A total of 90 plots containing 1350 sampling quadrats were sampled, and all plant species identified. We categorized plants in four target groups of conservation interest, and then used a joint species distribution model to model their occurrence in relation to three management practices: ploughing, cultivation and low-intensity grazing, using abandoned olive groves as reference level. Results suggest that ploughing is a key factor for the maintenance of arable plant diversity. Ploughing had a positive effect on the occurrence of rare arable plants, archaeophytes and on several Red listed species. In order to conserve these high value plant communities and endangered plant species, we recommend incentivizing ploughing using reduced tillage techniques (e.g. chisel ploughing) on these traditional Mediterranean agricultural systems.

Major field margin vegetation types in France and their relationships with climate, agricultural landscapes and management intensity

ABSTRACT Arable field margins are an important semi-natural habitat providing multiple functions in agroecosystems. Despite three decades of research, analyses of species assemblage and functional traits are lacking. Leveraging a national monitoring network in metropolitan France, we aim to provide a comprehensive taxonomic and functional synthesis of field margin flora, outline main field margin types and explore their associations with management practices, climate, and agricultural landscapes. We analysed data from 532 field margins surveyed between 2013 and 2017, using both uni- and multivariate analyses. Field margins exhibited great diversity with 711 distinct taxa (12% of all flora in mainland France) at the national scale and an average of 16 species per 10 m2 locally. While field margins contained few species of conservation value, they offered a refuge for many declining species as well as rare arable weed species. We identified seven main field margin types, each linked to distinct conditions of climate, soil, landscape and agricultural practices. Mediterranean field margins notably differed from all others. In the main cluster, vineyard margins also stood out as distinct from annual crop margins. Additionally, field margins in landscapes with a high proportion of grassland differed from those within intensively cultivated field crop plains in conventional agriculture. Overall, our study highlights the high botanical diversity of field margins and their interest for plant conservation in agricultural landscapes. Promoting the installation and/or maintenance of field margins through agri-environmental schemes should thus favour biodiversity conservation and associated ecosystem provision.

Inventory and Dynamics of Fish Landings from Small-Scale Maritime Fisheries at the Fishing Port of the San-Pédro’s Port (South-West, Côte d'Ivoire)

Knowledge of the fish fauna in Ivorian waters is of concern to both scientists and those responsible for developing the fishing industry. Indeed, the increasing intensification of the exploitation of fishery resources is raising real risks of regression and disappearance of certain species. With this in mind, a survey of fishing activities was carried out in the fishing port of San-Pédro between July and December 2021. The aim of this study was to take stock of the dynamics of fish landings from small-scale fishing in this fishing port. Sampling of landed fish was carried out between 08:00 and 12:00 in the morning in two campaigns according to the two seasons that prevail in the region, by visual differentiation in plastic containers followed by counting. Identification was carried out using the appropriate keys. The conservation status and vulnerability of the various specimens were determined according to IUCN criteria version 2023. The inventory showed that a total of 55 species of fish from 32 families and 14 orders were landed during the two study periods. These catches were dominated by the order Perciformes, which was the most diverse (56.36% of species) and the most preponderant (61.29% of individuals). Oceanodromous species dominated the catches during the long rainy season. On the other hand, benthic species were the most common during the long dry season. Thunnus albacares was the most abundant during the long dry season, while Sardinella aurita (26.8%) dominated during the long rainy season. The analysis of conservation status and vulnerability showed that 18 species of fish landed were of biological interest for conservation. The presence of endangered species such as Rhinobatos cemiculus means that fishermen need to be made more aware of the problem and their catches need to be monitored more closely in order to protect them.

Using regional‐scale predictive habitat models to assess protection and identify potential locations for additional management or monitoring for a species of conservation interest

Abstract Marine protected areas (MPAs) and associated management measures are being implemented to conserve marine benthic species. To make effective decisions, marine managers need data on the distributions of species of interest and anthropogenic pressures, but also the potential connectivity between habitat patches. To explore how predictive modelling can be utilized in such a process, a model was developed to predict the distribution of northern sea fan, Swiftia pallida, habitat around parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. The predicted distribution of suitable habitat was compared with spatial data on mobile bottom‐contacting fishing activity, and the location of MPAs designated for benthic features, and the management measures within MPAs that restrict mobile bottom‐contacting fishing activity, which is the main pressure‐causing activity that S. pallida are sensitive to. Over 20% of predicted suitable habitat is within MPAs, over 10% is within MPA management measures and over 48% is within areas that have experienced no bottom contacting‐fishing activity, which is significantly higher than the equivalent values for the study region as a whole. However, patches were identified that potentially experience above average levels of fishing activity and remain unmanaged, including within MPAs designated for associated features. The analysis also highlighted patches that could be candidates for monitoring recovery and the locations of unknown populations. For each patch of suitable habitat, the number of other patches within 22 km, a previously published estimate of dispersal distance for S. pallida, was used as a proxy for connectedness. Connectedness was estimated to be greatest for patches towards the centre and west of the study region. The results indicate how the outputs of predictive distribution models can be used in conjunction with other data to prioritize areas for surveys and identify locations where effective management may facilitate conservation or the recovery of benthic species.

Analisis Arahan Penggunaan Lahan berdasarkan Kelas Kemampuan Lahan di Daerah Aliran Sungai Kelep Lombok

Conversion of forest land into agricultural land is a serious concern in the Kelep watershed. Agricultural methods applied without proper application of soil preservation and agrotechnology have resulted in significant erosion and reduced land productivity. Efforts to manage the Kelep watershed must be carried out by combining the interests of soil and water conservation with increase in agricultural production. The first step is to evaluate the capability of the land in this area. The aim of this study is to formulate a direction for land use for sustainable corn-based agriculture according to its capability class in the Kelep watershed. The results showed that the Kelep watershed was dominated by land with class IV 5,335.3 ha (48.02%) and VI 3,493.04 ha (30.95%) and III 1,813.71 ha (16. 32%) with the inhibiting factors for all land capability classes being the sensitivity of soil erosion (low-medium-rather high), slopes (wavy-wavy-slightly steep), and erosion damage (medium-rather heavy and heavy). Land with ability classes II, III and IV, can be utilized for the cultivation of Corn Plants (Zea Mays), accompanied by the application of agrotechnology and proper soil and water conservation so that it is sustainable, while land in class VI is not suitable for Corn cultivation, preferably for vegetation. permanent or forest in combination with the development of understorey plants with agroforestry patterns.