Management Of Natural Areas Research Articles

Developing a Calculation Workflow for Designing and Monitoring Urban Ecological Corridors: A Case Study

Urban ecological corridors play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation, connecting fragmented habitats in highly anthropized areas and generating benefits in terms of the sustainability of urban environments. These corridors mitigate the effects of habitat fragmentation, such as reduced genetic diversity and limited species dispersal, while improving the ecological health of urban environments and the well-being of citizens. This study proposes a calculation workflow for the identification of the necessary and most suitable ecological corridors to be planned in the urban-environmental planning phase and identifies some of the existing innovative technologies to evaluate and improve their functionality, enabling the real-time monitoring of habitat conditions and providing valuable information to optimize the design and management of these peri-urban natural areas. Urban ecological corridors also improve human well-being by contributing to cleaner air, better water quality and recreational opportunities to the point that the costs incurred for their construction are much lower than the economic and social benefits for the area.

Pest Control and Safety Management Monitoring in Outdoor Plantation Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Captured Images

The National Institute of Ecology in Seocheon, Chungcheongnam-do, exhibits and studies Korea’s diverse ecosystems to communicate the importance of biodiversity conservation to the general public. The site faces the challenge of preserving the natural environment while ensuring visitor convenience. This requires systematic data collection to quickly detect and respond to threats from pests and natural disasters. In this study, high-resolution orthoimages were acquired to monitor ecological changes using unmanned aerial vehicles. Images were captured through flights monthly from March to July 2024. Digital elevation models and orthoimages were generated to identify dead trees and assess areas of damage caused by heavy rainfall. The study covered an area of 998,655 m2, and the image resolution was 3.6 cm/pixel. The orthophotos were useful in identifying plant pest damage. They also helped evaluate damage caused by rain, showing that the total area of damage was 29,384 m2, mainly due to soil erosion. Furthermore, it is expected that the accumulation of such unmanned remote sensing image data can also be applied to the safety management of various natural conservation areas and public facilities.

Comunidades Pesqueras Artesanales en la conformación de áreas naturales protegidas en el Golfo de California

Communities' participation in the declaration and management of protected natural areas (ANP) is studied to determine whether their operation meets their inhabitants' requirements and economic needs. The research uses a quantitative approach based on applying a Likert-type survey, which was conducted on 323 fishermen and inhabitants of two fishing communities located in the Gulf of Baja, California, Mexico. The results show that interaction with government authorities is not constant, and the fishermen's opinion was not considered in decision-making, which limits the search for solutions for fishing communities. It is concluded that without the active participation and support of fishermen in the planning and operation of the ANPs, government initiatives for their conservation and good management will have little chance of being effective.

World Heritage and human rights

This paper describes the protracted nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage (WH) List of the Keang Krachan Forest Complex, Thailand and the issues it exposed. The complex was inscribed in 2021, seven years after it was first nominated, despite ongoing conflict with indigenous Karen hunter-gatherer communities. The nomination was referred back to the state party by the WH Committee in 2015, 2016 and 2019 for reasons related to inconclusive and out-of-date ecological information, and human rights issues associated with the forced resettlement of Karen hill tribe people living within its proposed boundaries. In 2020 the nomination was resubmitted during the 4th mandate of the Thai state party on the WH Committee, and the property was inscribed contrary to a formal recommendation to defer the nomination, and despite repeated communications from the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights to the WH Centre, the Thai government and the WH Committee seeking resolution of community and human rights issues prior to inscription. Decisions that run contrary to the advice of the WH Committee’s three advisory bodies have become an abiding and troubling aspect of the Committee’s decision-making, reflecting a trend in the politicisation of Committee sessions that has increased over more than 20 years, to a point where it now threatens the integrity of the World Heritage system. This paper examines how the state party pursued its WH ambitions and the impacts this had on particular indigenous Karen communities during national designation and nomination to the WH List. It demonstrates the issues that arise due to legacy nature conservation approaches to the management of extensive natural protected areas.

Envisaging Participatory Management in Protected Areas: Local Response to Proposed Conservation Actions in Relation to Environmental Orientation

Involving local people in natural area management is very important to address the complexity of environmental management issues for the sustainable use of local resources. Participatory methods require the contribution of local stakeholders in decision-making. Mapping the environmental views of local communities allows for the detection of aspects that could facilitate management efforts. This research—in the frame of the Skyros LIFE project and the PAMNATURA project—measures the local acceptability of the conservation actions proposed by the LIFE project in Skyros island (Greece), in relation to recording local people’s environmental orientation using the 15-item revised New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale. The research was carried out by means of questionnaires. The LIFE project proposed actions were grouped into three categories according to their theme, i.e., promoting (a) nature protection, (b) agro-pastoralism and (c) ecotourism. The sample seems to largely agree with the LIFE project proposals, while the results showed high scores for most of the NEP scale items, implying pro-environmental beliefs, though there appears to be disagreement or neutrality regarding a few items. The local acceptability of the proposed actions was found to correlate to local people’s environmental concern measured through the NEP scale. Drawing on the results, the implementation of actions related directly or indirectly to economic activities and the preservation of traditional activities, as well as environmental education and interactive informing and consultation, could enhance local participation. Skyros island seems to offer an appropriate social background for applying participatory and adaptive management and implementing conservation programs.

The unfolding of mosaic governance and trust in three municipalities in Denmark – a case study

This paper explores the role of trust in mosaic governance (MG) and is based on in-depth case studies in three municipalities with green volunteers and municipal planners in three municipalities in Denmark. MG refers to a normative governance design focused at stimulating the reflexive co-creation and management of natural areas. Results show that trust is crucial for successful collaboration between municipalities and green volunteers, and hence the unfolding of MG. Municipalities with higher levels of volunteer engagement report greater trust between volunteers and public officials. We show how different kinds of trust (institutional, procedural, rational, and affinitive) influence how collaborations are organized, and how the institutional context influences the possibilities for green volunteer engagement. Trust comes into play in different places and phases of MG and can be said to be the lubricant of MG.

Towards soundscape management of protected natural areas using the ISO 12913: A field study

Human perception of soundscapes in protected natural areas like national parks is crucial for their protection. At popular scenic spots, visitors themselves often contribute to noise pollution. Decibel-based systems (such as LAeq or Lden) do not fully explain human reactions to this phenomenon, necessitating a more holistic approach to allow for an effective management strategy. A mixed-methods soundscape approach based on the ISO 12913 series, developed mostly in urban soundscape studies, was tested in four protected natural ex-urban areas in the Dolomites (Italy) and Cairngorms (United Kingdom). During five soundwalks (7-12 km long), conducted by adopting the Method A of ISO/TS 12913-2, a total of 443 questionnaire responses were gathered across 28 evaluation points, alongside corresponding binaural measurements. A range of acoustic environments as quiet as LAeq = 31 dBA and as loud as LAeq = 76 dBA were observed, eliciting perceptions ranging from very calm to chaotic. A Linear Mixed-Effects Model was computed to analyse the impact of sound source dominance, psychoacoustic and environmental acoustic indices on perception. Presence of human sounds proved to be a major factor driving the perception of chaotic soundscapes.

Incorporation of Indaziflam into Natural Areas Management of Cheatgrass and Other Short-Lived Invasive Species: Post-Fire Assessment in a Semi-Arid Colorado Grassland

Incorporation of Indaziflam into Natural Areas Management of Cheatgrass and Other Short-Lived Invasive Species: Post-Fire Assessment in a Semi-Arid Colorado Grassland

Optimizing functional zoning for Dalingshan Forest Park in China through microcosmic human disturbance evaluation.

Human disturbance stands as a prominent factor influencing the ecological environment within natural protected areas. Presently, the issue of balancing human activities and ecological preservation has emerged as a critical concern in the construction of China's natural protected area system. Functional zoning serves as the cornerstone of natural protected area management and represents a pivotal tool in achieving this equilibrium. This study endeavors to introduce a set of functional zoning methods for natural protected areas based on human disturbance assessments. Utilizing Dalingshan Forest Park in Dongguan city which is known for its significant human disturbances as a case study, field surveys were conducted to identify various types of small-scale and understory-hidden human disturbances, such as residential areas, roads, tourist areas, forestry areas, and energy facilities. Subsequently, a microcosmic human disturbance model tailored to forested areas was developed using the analytic hierarchy process. By integrating the findings of macrocosmic human disturbance assessments conducted concurrently by the research group, a functional zoning plan for Dalingshan Forest Park was proposed. The results show that ecological conservation zones within the park should be established in three specific areas, primarily in regions with low-level microcosmic human disturbance (levels 1 and 2) and terrain fluctuations ≥110 m. In contrast, the rational use zone is notably influenced by tourist infrastructure and road networks, predominantly located in regions with high human activity, such as popular tourist destinations and areas with road classifications and vehicular traffic. The microcosmic human disturbance assessment method proposed in this study enhances the rationality and accuracy of natural protected area functional zoning. It provides a more scientifically grounded research approach for similar studies concerning natural protected area functional zoning and contributes valuable insights for the further advancement of China's efforts in the integration and optimization of natural protected areas.

Incorporating ecosystem services into functional zoning and adaptive management of natural protected areas as case study of the Shennongjia region in China

Against the background of global climate change and anthropogenic interference, studying the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of ecosystem services in important ecological function regions and rationally dividing the functional zones will help to promote the construction of the natural protected areas system dominated by national parks. The Shennongjia Region is an important candidate for China's national parks and one of the key pilots. Integrating the InVEST model, Getis-Ord Gi* index, hotspot analysis, GeoDetector and K-means clustering algorithm, we measured five ecosystem services interactions and delineate the functional zones. The results show that the spatial and temporal evolution of various ecosystem services in the Shennongjia Region between 2000 and 2020 was significant. All ecosystem services showed a decreasing and then increasing trend, except for carbon storage, which slowly declined. The ecological status of the region is in the process of polarization, with the local environment showed a trend of continuous deterioration. Water yield-habitat quality and carbon storage-water purification showed synergistic relationships; soil conservation showed trade-offs with water yield, carbon storage and water purification over a wide spatial range. The interaction between land surface temperature and vegetation cover was the most significant dominant factor. Hot spots for the comprehensive ecosystem services index were mainly located in the central and southern parts of the Shennongjia region and four types of ecosystem service functional zones were identified accordingly. This study is of great significance for maximizing the benefits of ecosystem service functions, the efficient allocation of environmental resources and the rational formulation of management policies in natural protected areas.

Landscape Analysis of the Arribes del Duero Natural Park (Spain): Cartography of Quality and Fragility

The landscape is a resource to be considered in the planning and sustainable management of the territory of natural spaces, such as the Arribes del Duero Natural Park. It is conditioned by environmental factors. They are highly influential on the quality of life of the people who live there. A historical analysis of the landscape was carried out with a qualitative and partially subjective character. In this work, we took advantage of current technologies, such as GIS techniques, to objectively and quantitatively calculate the variables. Firstly, it was necessary to draw up a map of landscape units, which is derived from the union of the abiotic (geomorphology and lithology) and biotic (vegetation) components in the background. Twelve homogeneous landscape units were identified by analyzing the quality and perceptual fragility of each one and considering intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The results obtained showed that the landscape quality presents areas with very high values in the fluvial canyon of the Duero river. The lowest values were found in very degraded and vegetated polygenic areas. On the other hand, the most fragile areas were those with some vulnerable character that prevents the development of human activities, such as areas with steep slopes. The procedure and results obtained constitute a useful tool for public administrations to carry out sustainable management of natural areas.

Amphibian Diversity: Where everything starts to flood, Cáceres Municipality, North Pantanal, Central-West Brazil

Faunal inventories contribute to our understanding of regional diversity, and are fundamental for policy and decision-making regarding the management and conservation of large natural areas. This study aimed to inventory and compile information on amphibian species occurring in the North Pantanal region, in the municipal limits of Cáceres, Mato Grosso, Brazil. We used three methods to inventory amphibian species: (1) fieldwork, (2) analysis of specimens deposited in scientific collections, and (3) literature reviews. We registered 49 amphibian species in Cáceres. Of them, 48 species belonged to the Anura order and were distributed across eight families and 20 genera, and one species belonged to the Gymnophiona order (Siphonops paulensis). The families Leptodactylidae (20 spp.) and Hylidae (17 spp.) were dominant in terms of richness, accounting for 75.5% of all species found in Cáceres. The remaining families had between four and one species each. The municipality is strongly influenced by non-forested formations (e.g., the Cerrado and Pantanal) and presents a high species richness for a non-forested location in Brazil. Our findings highlight Cáceres as one of the richest areas in amphibian species in the North Pantanal region, expanding our knowledge regarding frog diversity. This study provides a foundation for future conservation strategies and additional assessments of amphibian species in light of potential population declines and other emerging threats.

A Career in Natural Areas Management

A Career in Natural Areas Management

Microstegium vimineum Habitat Suitability Analysis in the Kentuckiana Region Using Geographic Information System (GIS) Modeling

Microstegium vimineum or stiltgrass is a novel invader widely considered one of the most significant threats to oak-hickory woodlands in the eastern United States. Due to the insubstantial weight and buoyancy of seeds, Microstegium can disperse not only via overland dispersal routes but also via sheet flow, flooding, and stream channels, creating rapid progression of existing populations and greater likelihood of introduction to new areas. Using the knowledge of Microstegium habitat from previous research and field mapping of current populations, we identified and assessed environmental variables for use in habitat suitability modeling. We found canopy openness, distance from roads, and distance from streams to be the primary drivers of Microstegium presence. We then applied a GIS-based habitat suitability analysis across seven nature reserves in Kentuckiana as a potential tool for land management. Our pilot study developed a model which can potentially guide managers of natural areas to decide where best to focus mitigation and prevention of potential Microstegium invasion and population expansion when resources are limited.

Spatial Diagnosis and Conceptualisation of Greening Plan of Seme-Podji, Benin (West Africa)

Conservation and sustainable management of natural resources are increasingly recommended in decentralized territories. The most effective approach for this process is the participation of local communities because their knowledge is valuable in policy implementation. The study aims to propose a sustainable management model of a territory based on the needs of communities in order to conserve the natural resources in the Sèmè-Podji municipality in Benin, West Africa. Local knowledge and community’s needs have been used in association with GIS technics to make a diagnosis of the territory and propose a land use map for the municipality. The spatial diagnosis revealed an anthropization of the land cover, with a predominance of agro-systems, built up areas, croplands and fallow which represent 80.03% of the total area of the municipality. The marshlands which mostly serve as a refugium and support biodiversity represent 5.42%. The proposed plan showed that 84.79% (p ˂ 0.001) of socio-professional needs are explained. Therefore, the proposed actions were related to the restoration of ecological continuity, creation of new green recreational spaces, the protection of marshlands, the management of natural protected areas and the creation of fuel wood tree plantations. The current information can contribute to a sustainable and inclusive landscape planning for such municipalities, like our study site at Sèmè-Podji in Benin.

Assessment of the impact of biotic factors on the sustainability of forest ecosystems

In the conditions of active development of the northern regions of Russia, the urgent task is not only strategic planning for the development of the resources of the north, but also a rational approach to the conservation of primary landscapes of ecosystems. Management of natural areas should be based on a risk-based approach that takes into account factors of biotic, abiotic and anthropogenic origin. The method of applying the Bayesian approach to assessing environmental risks is considered on the example of the forest ecosystem of the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Graphical models of probability distribution take into account such elements of the system as the species composition of wood, the type of pest or disease of the forest as input data. An assessment of the probability of damage to forests showed that insect pests (Siberian silkworm, Ussuri polygraph) contribute to significant damage to forests. Economically valuable species of wood (larch, fir, cedar) are vulnerable to the impact of biotic factors. It is proposed to carry out sanitary felling as measures to prevent the death of the forest to strengthen control over the development of centers of biological threats.

A food interaction network between psittacines and plants in an urban area in the city of São Carlos - SP, southeastern Brazil.

The Psittacidae presents a great diversity of species in the Neotropical region performing fundamental ecological functions for ecosystems. These frugivorous birds can occupy different positions in the antagonistic-mutualistic gradient of food interactions, acting as predators and/or as seed dispersers. Little is known about bird-plant ecological interaction networks focusing on psittacines in urban environments, which may compromise the management of natural areas in anthropic landscapes and hinder the planning of conservation strategies. In this context, the present study aimed to analyze the network of feeding interactions between psittacines and plants that occur in green areas in urban and periurban areas of the municipality of São Carlos, São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil. Starting with an active searching added to the application of the focal animal sampling at 36 systematized sampling points during the years 2019, 2020 and 2021, the plant species consumed by parrots in the study area were observed. Four species of birds of the Psittacidae family were recorded consuming food resources from 46 plant species. The order of relevance of the birds in structuring the ecological network was: Brotogeris chiriri (Vieillot, 1851), Psittacara leucophthalmus (Statius Muller, 1872), Forpus xanthopterygius (Spix, 1843) and Eupsittula aurea (Gmelin, 1788). The most consumed plants were Syagrus romanzoffiana, Salix babylonica, Caesalpinea pluviosa, Mangifera indica and Handroanthus heptaphyllus. The pattern of consumption by birds was significantly different among species, and overall, they had a broad diet and medium niche overlap. Network nesting was low, as was connectance, i.e., the number of interactions or connections observed between pairs of species was considerably less than the total number possible. Network asymmetry was considerably high, with the psittacine group performing interactions with a large number of plant species, while each plant received on average few psittacine species. The results point to a high plasticity in the use of food resources in anthropic landscapes, indicating that the occupation of the urban environment by psittacines has been occurring successfully and may benefit the populations of the species recorded here.

Study of non-grazing conflicts in protected areas (case study: Bahram-e Goor protected area-Iran)

Protected areas have emerged as one of the most important and effective tools in the world for biodiversity conservation. Changing the use of natural lands, especially rangelands to protected areas, causes livestock grazing to be restricted in some of the grazing lands. These restrictions cause conflict between different natural land stakeholders. This study investigates the non-grazing management conflicts in the Bahram-e Goor protected area in Iran. In the first stage of the study, in order to investigate the existing conflicts, interviews were conducted with various stakeholders. The sampling method is classification, optimum allocation and targeted sampling method and the statistical population size is obtained from snowball method. The tool used for data collection was questionnaire and R and Gephi software were used for statistical analysis of data. Overall, 15 stakeholder groups and 19 conflict codes were identified. On the other hand, 354 questionnaires were also completed. The results of this research show the number of conflicts of the Department of Environment with 20 conflicts, more than others. Also, the highest number of conflicts is between the Department of Environment and unauthorized tourists, with four conflicts, and with farmers and gardeners, with three conflicts. Based on the findings of this study, in order to resolve key and important conflicts, planning can be done by the management of natural resources and protected areas.

Local vehicles add nitrogen to moss biomonitors in a low-traffic protected wilderness area as revealed by a long-term isotope study

Public use of protected areas is typically encouraged, but visitors arriving by vehicles may alter the natural areas they seek. Vehicle emissions add nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ammonia (NH3) to the air, which can increase the amount of plant-available (reactive) nitrogen, a limiting nutrient. Changes in ecosystem processes as a result of increases in nitrogen availability are at odds with the goals of many protected wilderness areas that are typically accessed by vehicles. In this multi-year study (2003–2019), we tested whether emissions from local vehicles entered the forest ecosystem adjacent to a highway in a protected wilderness valley near a mid-sized city (Calgary, Alberta, Canada). We examined the concentration of NO2 in the air and the abundance of combustion-derived nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) in naturally-occurring forest moss (Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi) within 20 m of the highway as a function of traffic levels that varied independently at two scales: along the highway and among years. Within the valley, we observed a gradient in the number of vehicles that was greatest where vehicles enter the valley, with a corresponding pattern for NO2 concentrations in air. Traffic volume also varied among years, with the highest year having almost twice as many vehicles in the summer as the lowest year. δ15N values in forest moss displayed similar patterns as traffic both within and among years, signalling that nitrogen from vehicle emissions entered the local ecosystem corresponding to local traffic levels. Because vehicle emissions enter natural ecosystems that are intended to be conserved, vehicle use must be considered in the management of protected natural areas.

Seed sourcing strategies for ecological restoration under climate change: A review of the current literature

Climate change continues to alter the seasonal timing and extremes of global temperature and precipitation patterns. These departures from historic conditions along with the predicted variability of future climates present a challenge to seed sourcing, or provenance strategy decisions, within the practice of ecological restoration. The “local is best” for seed sourcing paradigm is predicated upon the assumption that ecotypes are genetically adapted to their local environment. However, local adaptations are potentially being outpaced by climate change, and the ability of plant populations to naturally migrate or shift their distribution accordingly may be limited by habitat fragmentation. Restoration practitioners and natural area managers have a general understanding of the importance of matching the inherent adaptations of source populations with the current and/or future site conditions where those seeds or propagules are planted. However, for many species used in seed-based restoration, there is a lack of empirical evidence to guide seed sourcing decisions, which are critical for the longevity and ecological function of restored natural communities. With the goal of characterizing, synthesizing, and applying experimental research to guide restoration practice, we conducted a systematic review of the literature on provenance testing of taxa undertaken to inform seed sourcing strategies for climate resiliency. We found a strong bias in the choice of study organism: most studies have been conducted on tree species. We also found a strong bias regarding where this research has been conducted, with North America (52%) and Europe (31%) overrepresented. Experiments were designed to assess how propagule origin influences performance across both climatic (26%) and geographic (15%) distance, with some studies focused on determining how climate normal conditions (39%) impacted performance related to survivorship, growth and other parameters. We describe the patterns and gaps our review identified, highlight specific topics which require further research, and provide practical suggestions of immediate and longer-term tools that restoration practitioners can use to guide and build resilient natural communities under future climate scenarios.