Large Natural Areas Research Articles

Reducing the sixth mass extinction: Understanding the value of human-altered landscapes to the conservation of the world's largest terrestrial mammals

The world's large terrestrial mammalian carnivores and herbivores (henceforth, megafauna) has been severely impacted by humans worldwide. Although this impact across the globe is variable, there has been little information quantifying this impact on biodiversity. Here, we use a macroecological modeling approach to evaluate the impact of different human activities on megafauna species richness at global and biogeographical scales with respect to seven human-altered landscapes variables. At both global and biogeographical scales, we found that human accessibility, human footprint, and small livestock density, had the most negative effects on megafauna species richness, whereas large livestock density, wilderness, and natural protected areas, were more positively associated with megafauna species richness. Our results indicate that megafauna can indeed persist in human-modified landscapes, but different types of human activity can differentially influence species richness. Thus, although continued human impact such as urban, livestock and agricultural development continues to represent a threat to most megafauna, their future viability is potentially compatible with several global change factors we examined. Moreover, our findings are still consistent with the emphasis on conservation strategies that focus on habitat protection to maximize the conservation of megafaunal richness. We urge stronger national and international policy commitments inclusive of multi-use landscapes, greater anti-poaching enforcement, and the development of wildlife-friendly policy incentives for the managers of private and communal land. We also advise caution in interpreting our results, and believe local and regional scale population monitoring programs are still necessary to better facilitate coexistence with humans.

Idoneidad del hábitat para el Oso pardo (Ursus arctos) en el sureste del Sistema Ibérico

Rey Benayas, J.M., Fraile Real, L., de la Torre Ceijas, R., Fernandez, N. 2020. Habitat suitability for Brown bear (Ursus arctos) in the south-eastern Iberian Range. Ecosistemas 29(2):1072. https://doi.org/10.7818/ECOS.1972 The Brown bear (Ursus arctos) is the biggest mammalian carnivore living in Western Europe and an endangered species in Spain. After centuries of decline, all Iberian populations have become extinct except two of them which are currently being recovered. Today, it seems feasible to initiate new conservation strategies to allow the recovery of extinct bear populations and their ecological functions by means of reintroduction programs. The goal of this study was to assess habitat suitability for the species in the south-eastern part of the Iberian Range. Our starting hypothesis predicts that this geographical area has favourable ecological characteristics to harbour a viable population of brown bears. The results point out that land abandonment, forest regeneration, a large forest extension, high habitat heterogeneity, and large natural protected areas network all provide suitable habitat conditions. The assessment of habitat suitability allowed ranking the land of the study area for the establishment of a Brown bear population; ca. 16 000 km2 has high or medium-high habitat suitability values. The most suitable areas included abrupt relief, forests and other vegetation cover types that will provide both refuge and food to brown bears throughout all seasons. This study is a first step towards the evaluation of a future reintroduction of the species into the area, which in following steps would require addressing social acceptance and, ultimately, would depend on bold policy decisions.

Hydropower dams and reservoirs and their impacts on Brazil’s biodiversity and natural habitats: A Review

Much of the electric energy produced within the extensive territory of Brazil (8,511,000 km²) comes from large and small reservoirs built to produce hydroelectric power, which flood large natural areas, negatively impacting regional biodiversity. Huge reservoirs originating from Amazon river dams, such as Balbina (2,360 km², with 26,000 wild animals rescued), in the 1970s, and Tucurui (2,430 km², 284,000 animals rescued, including more than 19,000 howler monkeys), in the 1980s, caused huge losses of natural forest habitats and the consequent decimation of wild fauna. After being rescued, wild animals were released in neighboring areas, whose territories and spaces were already occupied by local animals. In the face of competitive exclusion or because of the principle of xenophobia, these displaced animals ended up dead or experienced truly little success. As well as causing the loss of regional biodiversity, the reservoir creates a vacuum in the previously continuous environment, causing habitat fragmentation. In addition to the Amazon biome, other rivers in different biomes, such as the Pantanal, have also been threatened with the proliferation of dams. There, the hydrological regime influences nutrient cycling, ecological community, phenology, upstream migration of fish and other factors. Fish migrate to the headwaters for spawning behavior that takes place at the headwaters. If they encounter obstacles, such as hydroelectric dams, the migration is interrupted. This review aims to assess the effects on biodiversity of major hydroelectric plants, with their dams and reservoirs, and discusses viable proposals for damage mitigation, environmental compensation, and biodiversity conservation actions.

Landscape structure and climate drive population dynamics of an insect vector within intensely managed agroecosystems.

Characterizing factors affecting insect pest populations across variable landscapes is a major challenge for agriculture. In natural ecosystems, insect populations are strongly mediated by landscape and climatic factors. However, it has proven difficult to evaluate if similar factors predict pest dynamics in agroecosystems because control tactics exert strong confounding effects. We addressed this by assessing whether species distribution models could effectively characterize dynamics of an insect pest in intensely managed agroecosystems. Our study used a regional multi-year data set to assess landscape and climatic drivers of potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli) populations, which are often subjected to calendar-based insecticide treatments because they transmit pathogens to crops. Despite this, we show that psyllid populations were strongly affected by landscape and climatic factors. Psyllids were more abundant in landscapes with high connectivity, low crop diversity, and large natural areas. Psyllid population dynamics were also mediated by climatic factors, particularly precipitation and humidity. Our results show that many of the same factors that drive insect population dynamics in natural ecosystems can have similar effects in an intensive agroecosystem. More broadly, our study shows that models incorporating landscape and climatic factors can describe pest populations in agroecosystems and may thus promote more sustainable pest management.

Диференційований підхід до використання кам'янистих садів у різних категоріях міських зелених насаджень та на Наддніпрянських схилах міста Києва

На основі літературних даних та результатів натурного обстеження досліджено сучасний стан кам'янистих садів Києва як перспективного напряму в садово-парковому будівництві. Проаналізовано екологічні особливості потенціальних місць розташування кам'янистих садів та наддніпрянських схилів за наявними даними. Оцінено особливості типів кам'янистих садів в урбанізованому середовищі. Запропоновано способи використання різних типів кам'янистих садів у міських умовах. Наведено рекомендації та варіанти побудови кам'янистих композицій у насадженнях різного функціонального призначення: кам'янистий сад на плоскому рельєфі, терасований кам'янистий сад, японський сад, рокарій, рокарій із папоротями, кам'янистий міксбордер, гравійний сад, мініатюрний рокарій, припіднята клумба, кам'яниста рабатка, альпінарій. Виконано порівняльний аналіз наявних типів кам'янистих садів, методів та підходів за їх використання в різних категоріях міських зелених насаджень, а також на наддніпрянських схилах. Встановлено, що в разі вмілого підбору деревних і трав'яних рослин перше квітування в кам'янистих садах можна спостерігати вже в квітні, а останнє – навіть у вересні-жовтні, тому вони є досить перспективними для покращення стану парків, скверів, вулиць, схилів Києва. Результати досліджень будуть використані для практичної діяльності студентів спеціальності 206 "Садово-паркове господарство" та наукових працівників.

Using GPS tracking to understand the impact of management interventions on visitor densities and bird populations

To manage the potential conflict between outdoor recreation and nature conservation, managers of nature areas need information to select effective interventions. For large nature areas information on visitor use is often lacking and managers often make decisions based on expert judgement. In this paper we use monitoring data gathered with GPS devices to develop a tool and derive rules of thumb managers can use to estimate the impact of management actions on visitor densities. Using a dataset of 1563 tracks from the New Forest, UK, we developed a random forest model and identified which landscape and environmental features account for the spatial variation in visitor densities. The random forest model shows that distance to car park, distance to roads and openness are the most important factors for predicting visitor densities. The model was used as a tool to assess the impact of potential management interventions on the population of Nightjar. As developing this type of tool requires a lot of data we also derived rules of thumb and a simple algorithm that managers of other nature areas can use to estimate the impact of their interventions on visitor densities. The derived rules of thumb show that changing the location of car parks in relation to tarmac roads can help managers to reduce local visitor densities by 80%. Further research in other nature areas should verify the feasibility of these rules of thumb and the simple algorithm.

Biodiversity, road transport and urban planning: A Swedish local authority facing the challenge of establishing a logistics hub adjacent to a Natura 2000 site

The aim of the article is to analyse and reflect upon the process and outcome of a potential clash between urban biodiversity and road transport interests in the Swedish city of Örebro, as a case of planning in the face of conflict. Combining an application of multilevel governance theory with negotiation planning and narrative method, it examines the siting of a huge warehouse and “logistics centre” at the edge of a Natura 2000 site on the outskirts of the city. Despite the city’s ambitious environmental goals and sustainability profile, the local authority decided to offer the company a site adjacent to a wetland area intended for preserving and developing biodiversity. After an intervention by the central state County Administrative Board [länsstyrelsen], the local authority had to implement certain security measures, and also reserve an additional, large natural land area to compensate for the threats to the Natura 2000 site. Before the final decision was made, a series of negotiations occurred between the involved actors, mainly the local authority, the multinational Sonepar Group/Elektroskandia and the County Administrative Board, and the case is a fruitful target for a multifaceted analysis illuminating the tension between the goals of preserving urban biodiversity and promoting road transport and urban growth. It also offers an inside view of the negotiation and planning process. The key issue is how the siting of a potentially hazardous, transport intensive national warehouse in a city renowned for its high environmental-protection profile was possible. Considering Sweden’s high-profile regarding sustainability, the selected case also offers food for reflection on the potentials and barriers of implementing ecological modernization more generally. The lessons learned from an examination of the local authority’s attempt to harmonize such diverse policy priorities as urban biodiversity and intensive road transport for economic growth, on a site adjacent to a Natura 2000 wetlands area, may help enable urban planners and scholars to find creative policy solutions, avoid causing damage to biodiversity, and increase ecosystem values in terms of residents’ and other visitors’ experience and understanding of nature. However, at the end of the article we address the question of whether our empirical conclusion is not “too good to be true”, and raise concerns regarding the intricate relationship between sustainability and resilience; the systemic power exerted by the global Sonepar Group/Elektroskandia; and the potentials and limits of public negotiation planning.

Harvested forests as a surrogate to wildfires in relation to grizzly bear food-supply in west-central Alberta

Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) populations residing in interior ecosystems of North America are known to frequent harvested areas and areas burnt by wildfires, as both disturbances encourage growth of early seral vegetation preferred by them. This is especially evident in places where there is a paucity of large natural openings and areas with a long history of wildfire suppression, such as the foothill forests of west-central Alberta. Little has been done, however, to directly quantify and compare grizzly bear food-supply in both disturbance types and at early stages of forest regeneration. In this paper, we explore whether harvested areas can act as surrogates to wildfires for grizzly bear food-supply in west-central Alberta, Canada. We sampled known fruit-bearing and herbaceous grizzly bear foods for their occurrence, productivity, and digestible energy supply among post-harvest, post-fire, and mature forests disturbance types, and across very young (~5 yrs), young (~20 yrs), and mid (~60 yrs) age-classes for post-harvest and post-fire disturbances. A variety of foods occurred at greater frequency in post-harvest stands, with the occurrence of most foods explained by the main effects of disturbance and age-class, or in combination with one environmental covariate. Overall, fruit productivity and digestible energy from fruits were highest in the young age-class, whereas forb productivity and digestible energy from forbs were highest in the very young age-class. There were no significant differences in total available digestible energy (fruit + forb) between post-harvest and post-fire stands within any age-class, but significant differences were evident between age-classes. These results suggest that harvested areas can potentially act as a surrogate to wildfires in relation to grizzly bear food-supply, but human access remains a key challenge for harvests given their association with roads. We suggest that harvested areas could be used as management tool to maintain or enhance grizzly bear food-supply and thus contribute to population recovery efforts, especially in areas of wildfire suppression.

Trends and Insights of Agroforestry Practices in Madhya Pradesh, India

Agroforestry practices in Madhya Pradesh (MP), India existed in the primordial times, which can be evidenced almost in every region of the state; however, the pace of scientific inclusion in agroforestry and its extension is quite slow. There is lack of priority and limited work has been done related to agroforestry practices, possibly due to the presence of large natural forest area in the state. In the present context, to meet the national target of forest cover and to reduce pressure on nature forest, agroforestry seems to be a viable option as it provides a source of income for farming and tribal communities along with countless environmental benefits. This article provides a review and insight of agroforestry and extent of agriculture, horticulture and agroforestry in MP. It also provides information on diverse tree species under agroforestry systems, a mosaic of tree–crop combinations and horticulture species preferred by the farmers in different agro-climatic zones of the state. The authors have also tried to enlist the efforts of various government initiatives and other agencies involved in the extension of agroforestry in the state. The roles of MP Forest Department, MP Forest Development Corporation and allied Departments of the state in agroforestry and tree planting have also been discussed. Marketing of agroforestry produce, farmers’ involvement in agroforestry practices and identification of key policy constraints of agroforestry in the state have been discussed and critically analysed.

Reunion overseas: introduced wild boars and cultivated orange trees interact in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Abstract: Reunion in the overseas: introduced wild boars and cultivated orange trees interact in the Mata Atlântica (Brazil). Novel interactions are attracting a lot of interest, especially those occurring between wild animal species and agricultural crops as a consequence of human activities. Novel interactions usually concern to species that interact only because human activity but that otherwise would not even coexist. Typically novel interactions arise from biological invasions as well as from interactions between native and crop species. Less studied are novel interactions between species that originally interact in their native range but, as consequence of human activity (domestication, game introductions, etc.), are now interacting out of their original distribution under new ecological conditionsIn this article, we study the interaction between orange and wild boar, both species sharing Asian origin but being introduced in America and then subjected to new ecological conditions. Dispersers of sweet orange seeds are unknown. As wild boar consumes fruits frequently in citrus orchards, here we assessed whether i) it consumes orange seeds, ii) they are viable after passing through boar’s digestive tract and iii) orange seedlings may naturalise in the Mata Atlântica of Brazil, in a citrus farm surrounded by a large natural area called Mata da Virgínia. We used camera surveys in the orange orchards and in the jungle to identify orange fruit consumers in two periods in 2014 and 2015. The jungle was additionally surveyed looking for citrus seedlings finding more than 50 seedlings in which it was confirmed that they belong to sweet orange trees by SSR techniques. As the wild boar was identified as the main orange consumer, 19 fresh boar feces were collected and citrus seeds removed and sown to assess their viability. Citrus seeds were also planted in the jungle and their germination and seedling survival were studied. Three years after sowing, just 5% of the seedlings remained alive with an average height of less than 10 cm.

Preference for different urban greenscape designs: A choice experiment using virtual environments

Nature in cities serves a multitude of purposes, one of which is that it provides citizens opportunities to recover from stressful daily urban life. Such stress recovering effects of nature can be experienced through urban green, which in urban planning and design contexts can be divided into large natural areas - urban green space - and small scale elements in urban streets: the urban greenscape. The current study aims at finding the extent to which various small scale natural elements in residential streets and their possible configurations influence citizens' preferences for those streets. The research was conducted through an online survey in four cities in the Netherlands (n = 4,956). It used stated choice methods in a virtual environment street design. The method yielded high quality data, indicating that the use of virtual environments and imagery is suitable for stated choice research in the built environment.The results show that especially trees very strongly influence preference, indicating they deserve more attention and space in cities. Grass, which is typically favored by local governments, and vertical green have the smallest effects in residential streets. Furthermore, the concept of greenscape intensity is introduced as the intensities of both the element and the configuration were found to be highly relevant. The results clearly show that the higher either of these intensities, the more likely a respondent will prefer the greenscape design. Furthermore, low intensity on the one can be compensated by high intensity on the other. With these results, urban design professionals and local governments can better trade-off the different aspects of costs versus positive effects of urban greenscape designs.

Spatial and temporal variations of N2O emissions from global forest and grassland ecosystems

A process-based dynamic ecosystem model of TRIPLEX-GHG was used to estimate the spatial and temporal patterns of N2O fluxes from global forest and grassland ecosystems under the effects of global warming and elevated CO2 concentrations. From 1992 to 2015, the estimated average N2O emissions from forests and grasslands were 3.62 ± 0.16 Tg N yr−1 and 1.40 ± 0.03 Tg N yr−1, respectively. Tropical regions made large contributions (83.9% for forests and 74% for grasslands) to the total N2O budgets, which were due to the larger N2O flux values and large natural forest and grassland areas. The regional variations in N2O emissions mainly resulted from the differences in the spatial distributions of climate characteristics, especially the precipitation patterns. In addition, anomalous years when N2O emissions were relatively low/high were mainly due to the changes in climate patterns, which may have been induced by El Niño/La Niña events with different strengths and frequencies. Soil N2O emissions from forests showed a positive effect on the atmospheric N2O concentrations during June to November (R2: 0.14˜0.28), while those from grasslands showed a positive effect during the growing seasons (R2: 0.17˜0.28). Although natural N2O sources (forests and grasslands in this study) showed slightly increasing trends, with 9.9 Gg N increment per year for forests and 2.1 Gg N increment per year for grasslands, they were not the main contributors to the elevated N2O concentrations.

Built-up expansion between 2001 and 2011 in South America continues well beyond the cities

The expansion of built environment is a major driver of land change which can have irreversible consequences on the environment, ecosystem services, and biodiversity. While most studies have focused on urban areas, particularly large cities, the built environment includes much more. This is exemplified by the complex interconnection among cities of all sizes and rural areas through trade, people, policies, and infrastructure, which ultimately shapes the patterns of land use. However, a comprehensive spatial analysis of built-up areas is lacking. Here, we used nighttime data to evaluate the extent and spatial distribution of the built environment across the South American continent between 2001 and 2011, with the objectives of determining where built-up expansion is occurring and the relative contribution of the 30 major cities with populations greater than 1 million people. Our results reveal that built-up expansion occurs well beyond the 30 major cities, with the majority of expansion occurring in small and medium cities and rural areas. This detailed and spatially explicit description of development patterns across South America provides a valuable baseline for land use policies, which hopefully will balance future built expansion with the need for agriculture lands and the protection of large uninterrupted natural areas.

Predicting cold-water coral distribution in the Cap de Creus Canyon (NW Mediterranean): Implications for marine conservation planning

Predictive habitat mapping has shown great promise to improve the understanding of the spatial distribution and complexity of benthic habitats and is a valuable means to highlight species-environment relationships where field data are limited. Although spatial distribution models may represent an important step forward in science-based ecosystem management, reliable predictions are hard to obtain in deep-sea environments, mainly owing to the usual paucity of high resolution maps in these settings. The aim of this study is to apply and test different spatial models to statistically predict the distribution of two Cold-Water Coral (CWC) species (Madrepora oculata, Dendrophyllia cornigera) in the Cap de Creus Canyon (NW Mediterranean), based on high-resolution swath-bathymetry (5 m resolution) and video observations through the manned submersible JAGO (IFM-GEOMAR). Several submarine canyons host CWC communities, as the environmental conditions tend to be particularly suitable for their settlement and development. Along the Cap de Creus Canyon, presence/absence of CWC was estimated in each 5 m resolution pixel based on video imagery. Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt), General Additive Model (GAM) and Random Forest were applied to represent non-linear species-environment relationships using terrain variables derived from multibeam bathymetry (slope, rugosity, aspect, backscatter). According to the models, CWC were most likely to be found on the steep walls of the southern flank which face the head and the thalweg of the canyon, aligning with the known CWC ecology acquired from previous studies. Outputs from the three models showed similar average performances in predicting CWC distribution from the available environmental variables. Slope and aspect for Madrepora oculata, and rugosity for Dendrophyllia cornigera drive their distribution, although in some cases the three models identified different variables controlling each species. To reduce differences and associated uncertainties between model outputs, 5 m resolution ensembles were produced for the two species. As a final step, an up-scaled 50 m resolution predictive map based on the fine scale ensembles is proposed as a valuable contribution for stakeholders, which need to manage large natural areas using objective and repeatable science-based approaches.

Multiscale Invasive Plant Monitoring: Experiences from the Greater Everglades Restoration Area

AbstractObtaining spatially explicit, cost-effective, and management-relevant data on invasive plant distributions across large natural areas presents considerable challenges. This is especially true when multiple monitoring objectives exist, because the utility of different monitoring methodologies varies with scale, logistical considerations, and information needs. The Florida Everglades is a vast wetland landscape with widespread invasive plant infestations and multiple management jurisdictions. A multi-agency team Working Group conducted a workshop in 2013 to explore opportunities to enhance the performance of a regional weed control program. Among the most important developments occurring at this meeting was the recognition that relevant management questions are scale-dependent. This led the team to define multiple monitoring objectives. Essential for conveying the success of the weed management program is quantifying large-scale patterns of change, as are quantifying fine-scale patterns informing control activities, defining mechanisms of spread, recognizing accelerating rates of spread, and detecting patterns of occupancy immediately before management intervention. The group’s deliberation resulted in the emergence of a multiscale monitoring program utilizing several distinct monitoring protocols, including systematic landscape-level reconnaissance, a sample-based spatially stratified monitoring system, detailed inventories in planned treatment areas, and a set of methods focused solely on early detection and rapid response. Here we provide an overview of the Everglades multiscale invasive plant monitoring program, highlight benefits and challenges of each program component, and discuss how this program has improved regional invasive plant management.

Urban Biodiversity as Strategy for Walkability ( breakout presentation )

Background A “powerful way to understand diversity in Calgary is to observe what’s around us by going for a walk,” explains The City of Calgary’s 10-year biodiversity strategic plan, Our BiodiverCity. “Let’s choose a neighbourhood...” it continues, guiding the reader across the city, from neighbourhood to large natural areas. By prioritizing biodiversity in the urban environment, a city’s strategy becomes an unexpected guide for a walkable city. This breakout session, presented by the BiodiverCity Advisory Committee to The City of Calgary, discusses how strategies dedicated to biodiversity provide an integrative approach to achieving a walkable city – healthy, vibrant, and sustainable. Description of Program Three municipalities in Canada, Montreal, Edmonton, and Calgary, have actively partnered with Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), through the Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB). In March 2015, The City of Calgary Council approved Our BiodiverCity, Calgary’s 10-year biodiversity strategic plan and accompanying Biodiversity Policy (CSPS037). The plan provides a framework for The City to foster more resilient, biologically diverse open space and neighbourhoods that support positive outcomes for Calgarians, visitors, wildlife, and plant communities. Outcomes A plan for biodiversity is a plan for walkability. Attending to matters such as “connectivity” means considering the movement of flora and fauna across landscapes: human and the more-than-human. Movement is also health, physical health as well as broader ecological data, and what they tell us about a community. As a core component of strong, cohesive, and inclusive communities, we need biodiversity to be personally and socially healthy. Urban biodiversity efforts, like walkability, also require an active commitment by all administrative business units of an urban governing body. Implications Walking, generally, means moving more slowly, more quietly, through an environment. It is slower than automobiles and slower than bikes – with the result that you have more time to see and hear the biodiversity around you. Municipalities dedicated to enhanced walking experiences should consider a biodiversity policy as a foundation for attaining “enriched” walkability and economic, social, health, and cultural benefits of a biodiverse walking experience.

Fine-scale temporal and spatial population fluctuations of medium sized carnivores in a Mediterranean agricultural matrix

Many Mediterranean ecosystems are human-dominated landscapes comprising a mosaic of agricultural, natural and semi-natural habitats alongside urban areas. The size, spatial pattern and connectivity of these “mosaic landscapes” promote changes in wildlife behavior, movement patterns and habitat use. Study how spatiotemporal landscape changes impact the spatial dynamics of a mammalian carnivore guild. We quantified multi-season activity rates/density from camera trap encounters using N-mixture models. One hundred cameras were located at 25 sites, divided into five categories: nature reserve; large natural area; vineyards within natural area; vineyards near settlements; vineyards within the core agricultural matrix. Golden jackals (Canis aureus) were active in anthropogenic modified landscapes. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) avoided the core activity areas of jackal during summer and restricted their activity to their peripheries. European badgers (Meles meles) were active in natural patches during winter, but shifted their activity during summer to agricultural fields embedded within natural patches. Feral and wilds cats (Felis silvestris) were highly active in the natural patches during winter and shifted their activity to the agricultural matrix during summer. Intra-guild spatio-temporal activity patterns of carnivores in mosaic landscapes are distinct and unique to each species. The patterns were affected by season, land-use, and jackal activity rates, reflecting inter-specific resource-dependent competitive interactions. The findings highlight the complexity of intra-guild space-use patterns, and shed doubt on the effectiveness of simple solutions to landscape conservation problems.

Environmental consequences of oil production from oil sands

AbstractCrude oil from oil sands will constitute a substantial share of future global oil demand. Oil sands deposits account for a third of globally proven oil reserves, underlie large natural forested areas, and have extraction methods requiring large volumes of freshwater. Yet little work has been done to quantify some of the main environmental impacts of oil sands operations. Here we examine forest loss and water use for the world's major oil sands deposits. We calculate actual and potential rates of water use and forest loss both in Canadian deposits, where oil sands extraction is already taking place, and in other major deposits worldwide. We estimated that their exploitation, given projected production trends, could result in 1.31 km3 yr−1 of freshwater demand and 8700 km2 of forest loss. The expected escalation in oil sands extraction thus portends extensive environmental impacts.

Створення Чорнобильського біосферного радіоекологічного заповідника як втілення біотехнології відновлення зони відчуження

Мета: cтаття присвячена збереженню унікальної території, яка має унікальне поєднання лісів, боліт, ставків і земель. Наразі дана територія стала радіоекологічним полігоном. Можливе створення біосферного заповідника на основі території зони відчуження, а також існуючих територій та об'єктів національного природно-заповідного фонду. Методи: оцінки на основі картографічної інформації та прогнозного визначення ступеня погіршення територій. Результати: поліпшення управління існуючих і нових територій зони відчуження, шляхом створення однієї великої природоохоронної території в регіоні. Посилення контролю за популяціями рідкісних і зникаючих видів. Обговорення: запропонована попереднє функціональне зонування біосферного заповідника в межах відповідних адміністративних районів.

Comparative landscape typology of the Bohemian and Bavarian Forest National Parks

Landscape typologies provide their users with a spatial framework, which could be used for management, assessment of landscape changes and monitoring of biodiversity or natural processes. The aim of this article is to distinguish and compare landscape types across the largest natural area within Central Europe. Cluster analysis based on physical-geographical data was used to differentiate particular types of environmental conditions. The results are suitable for comparing both national parks and their management.