National Park Research Articles

Ecosystem Services Approach in Turnicki National Park Planning: Factors Influencing the Inhabitants' Perspectives on Local Natural Resources and Protected Areas.

Despite changing paradigms in nature conservation, protected areas, such as national parks, remain key tools for nature conservation. Today, protected areas are perceived as socio-ecological systems, therefore using an ecosystem services approach may help in their designation. Here, we focus on the planned Turnicki National Park located in the far eastern part of the Polish Carpathian Mountains and conflict between proponents of the park establishment and local stakeholders. We used an ecosystem services-driven questionnaire survey among local communities to analyze interactions between the perception of ecosystem services and opinions about national parks, and the role of social and economic status in shaping these opinions. We found links between opinions towards national parks and other factors: age, life span in a municipality, level of education, and an average net income. Respondents who perceived benefits from nature were more positive towards national parks in general and the Turnicki National Park specifically; however, those who prioritized provisioning services were more skeptical. Also, we distinguished four Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis models which describe factors shaping opinions on national parks, respectively. The study has shown that the ecosystem services lens perspective can help in exploring the factors crucial while establishing the protected areas in specific social and economic context. The main implication for the study is careful consideration of the role of national park to protect the local environment in harmony with social needs and economic development.

Outbreak of Contagious Ecthyma in Free-Ranging Iberian Ibex (Capra pyrenaica) in the Montgrí Massif Natural Park, Catalonia, Northeastern Spain.

Contagious ecthyma is a common, worldwide, and highly transmissible viral zoonotic skin disease caused by the orf virus (ORFV). It mainly affects farmed small ruminants, but it has also been described in a broad range of wild and domestic mammals, with Caprinae species most susceptible. Between November 2019 and January 2020, adults, juveniles, yearlings, and kids from an Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) population established in the Montgrí Massif Natural Park (Catalonia, northeastern Spain) were observed with clinical signs and lesions compatible with ORFV infection. The carcass of an adult male with severe disease enabled sample collection for histopathology and molecular studies, confirming ORFV DNA in the skin lesions. Sequence analyses indicated that the ORFV strain detected had high homology (>98%) with strains previously obtained from other European wild ruminant species. The outbreak peaked in December 2019, with an estimated prevalence of 68.97% (95% confidence interval, 53.35-84.59). From February 2020 forward, no individuals with lesions were observed. The yearly counts for population monitoring corroborated the apparently negligible ORFV impact on the ibex population of the Montgrí Natural Park. There are no previous reports of contagious ecthyma in a free-ranging Iberian ibex population.

Research on ecological network identification in rare animal habitats based on the MaxEnt model and ant colony algorithm: a case study of Giant Panda National Park, China

Research on ecological network identification in rare animal habitats based on the MaxEnt model and ant colony algorithm: a case study of Giant Panda National Park, China

Summertime Ozone Production at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico: Influence of Oil and Natural Gas Development

AbstractSoutheastern New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns National Park (CAVE) has increasingly experienced summertime ozone (O3) exceeding an 8‐hr average of 70 parts per billion by volume (ppbv). The park is located in the western part of the Permian oil and natural gas (O&G) basin, where production rates have increased fivefold in the last decade. We investigate O3–precursor relationships by constraining the F0AM box model to observations of nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) and a suite of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) collected at CAVE during summer 2019. O&G‐related VOCs dominated the calculated VOC reactivity with hydroxyl radicals (OH) on days when O3 concentrations were primarily controlled by local photochemistry. Radical budget analysis showed that NOx levels were high enough to impose VOC sensitivity on O3 production in the morning hours, while subsequent NOx loss through photochemical consumption led to NOx‐sensitive conditions in the afternoon. Maximum daily O3 was responsive to both NOx and O&G‐related VOC reductions, with NOx reductions proving most effective. The model underestimated observed O3 during a 5‐day high O3 episode that was influenced by photochemically aged O&G emissions, as indicated by back‐trajectory analysis, low i‐/n‐pentane ratios, enhanced secondary VOCs, and low ratios of NOx to total reactive oxidized nitrogen (NOy). Model‐observation agreement was improved by constraining model NOx with observed NOy, which approximates NOx at the time of emission, indicating that a large fraction of O3 during this episode was formed nonlocally.

Geographic Drivers of Mercury Entry into Aquatic Food Webs Revealed by Mercury Stable Isotopes in Dragonfly Larvae.

Atmospheric mercury (Hg) emissions and subsequent transport and deposition are major concerns within protected lands, including national parks, where Hg can bioaccumulate to levels detrimental to human and wildlife health. Despite this risk to biological resources, there is limited understanding of the relative importance of different Hg sources and delivery pathways within the protected regions. Here, we used Hg stable isotope measurements within a single aquatic bioindicator, dragonfly larvae, to determine if these tracers can resolve spatial patterns in Hg sources, delivery mechanisms, and aquatic cycling at a national scale. Mercury isotope values in dragonfly tissues varied among habitat types (e.g., lentic, lotic, and wetland) and geographic location. Photochemical-derived isotope fractionation was habitat-dependent and influenced by factors that impact light penetration directly or indirectly, including dissolved organic matter, canopy cover, and total phosphorus. Strong patterns for Δ200Hg emerged in the western United States, highlighting the relative importance of wet deposition sources in arid regions in contrast to dry deposition delivery in forested regions. This work demonstrates the efficacy of dragonfly larvae as biosentinels for Hg isotope studies due to their ubiquity across freshwater ecosystems and ability to track variation in Hg sources and processing attributed to small-scale habitat and large-scale regional patterns.

Grass curing-driven fire danger index in a protected mountainous grassland using fused MODIS and Sentinel-2

ABSTRACT This study assessed the spatio-temporal variation of the degree of curing (DoC) in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park (GGHNP) from 2016 to 2020. The estimation of the degree of grass curing was carried out with the high spatial resolution fused remotely sensed data of MODIS and Sentinel-2 employing Index-then-Blend (IB) data fusion methods on Google Earth Engine (GEE) to compute Grassland Curing Index (GCI) using soil and vegetation moisture content indices-based grassland curing algorithm. Grassland curing indices were computed on Google Earth Engine and converted into Grassland Curing Maps (GCMs), which were then synthesized into fire danger maps. The study showed that all selected indices have the highest DoC in the month of September, with the minor time variation observed in MODIS and Sentinel 2-derived GCI estimated using Shortwave Infrared Water Stress (GCI_SIWSI) in the months of August and March, respectively. The analysis further revealed that GCI_SIWSI (44%) derived from Sentinel-2 data yielded the highest area of extremely high fire danger, followed by GCI estimated using Normalized Difference Moisture Index (GCI_NDMI) (25%) derived from fused data, MODIS-derived GCI_SIWSI and fused-derived GCI estimated using Global Vegetation Monitoring Index (GCI_GVMI) (both 16%). The GCI_SIWSI derived from Sentinel-2 data also showed that more than 95% of the entire landmass of the study area was within a high to extremely high fire danger zone, making the park’s vegetation susceptible to fire. Among all the four selected indices correlated against fire point, only SIWSI revealed a positive relationship across MODIS, Sentinel-2 and Fused data. It is also evident from the study that GCMs derived from Fused data outperformed MODIS and Sentinel-2 with the highest R2 and F values of 0.65 and 380, respectively. These results indicate that GCI derived from fused remotely sensed data is a promising GCI for accurately assessing the DoC over mountainous grassland environments. The study paved the way for increasing the spatial resolution for estimating the DoC for fire and fuel management of parks and other fire agencies within mountainous grassland environments.

Virtual Reality Technology in Analysis of the Sarek National Park Soundscape in Sweden

The paper presents an in-depth analysis of the soundscape within Sarek National Park, the oldest national park in Europe, situated in Lapland, northern Sweden. The comprehensive acoustic measurements, ambisonic recordings, and 360X video recordings were carried out during a scientific expedition in the summer of 2020. The aim of the paper is to show the soundscape analysis of carefully selected characteristic locations in various parts of the valley. The paper extensively discusses the findings derived from the recorded data using both classical acoustic methods and the soundscape approach. The classic acoustic parameters, commonly employed in environmental acoustics as well as eco-acoustic indices such as: ACI (acoustic complexity index), ADI (acoustic diversity index), AEI (acoustic evenness index), NDSI (normalized difference soundscape index), BIO (energy level of biophony), amplitude index (M), and total entropy (H) were calculated. To gain further insights, listening tests, facilitated through virtual reality tools, were conducted, enabling participants to engage in soundwalk experiences. By employing a combination of traditional acoustic methods and innovative soundscape approaches, the paper presents a holistic evaluation of the auditory environment in Sarek National Park. The main contribution of the presented research is providing new data from the unique, geographically inaccessible region of the world, the Sarek National Park. This research not only enriches our understanding of the national park’s soundscape but also offers valuable insights into the interaction between the natural environment and human perception of sound.

Diet and seed dispersal of bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) in Brasilia National Park.

The dietary ecology of a species can provide information on habitat requirements, food resources, and trophic interactions, important to guide conservation efforts of wildlife populations in endangered habitats. In this study, we investigated the dietary ecology of bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) in Brasilia National Park, in the endangered Cerrado biome of central Brazil. To obtain diet composition and evaluate the role of these primates as seed dispersers of local tree species, fecal sample collections and feeding observations were performed for a 7-month period. To determine whether seeds germinated better after passing through a primate gut, we conducted germination trials with (i) pulped seeds from trees, (ii) depulped seeds from trees, (iii) seeds from feces planted with feces, and (iv) seeds from feces planted without feces. During experimental procedures, 7308 seeds from 8 families and 10 species were planted. We found that S. libidinosus spent more time feeding on fruits than on any other food item and the diet consisted of 33 plant species from 21 families. However, 20% of their diet consisted of anthropic food. Most seeds planted with feces germinated faster compared to seeds in other experimental treatments, suggesting that passing through the gut and being deposited with fecal material is advantageous. The bearded capuchins also defecated many medium- (5 species) and large-sized (2 species) seeds that may be inaccessible to smaller arboreal frugivores. The results obtained emphasize the important role of bearded capuchins as seed dispersers for the maintenance and conservation of the endangered Cerrado biome.

Seasonal movement behaviour of large male elephant in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

AbstractA great challenge for African conservationists is human–wildlife conflict outside the boundaries of protected areas (PAs). This is particularly true when considering large mobile species, such as elephants, that often disperse from PAs into community land. In Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park, studies on elephant dispersal have focused on breeding herds. Here, we analyse the movements of five older, large males fitted with GPS collars. We found some dispersal outside Hwange, but large males were largely restricted to the Park, especially during the late dry season when water was scarce. Our findings may be useful to regional conservation decision makers.

The Contribution of Tanzania Safari Channel TV in Promoting Domestic Tourism in Ruaha National Park

The study focused on evaluating the contribution of Tanzania Safari Channel Television in promoting domestic tourism to Ruaha National Park. By tracking viewers' perceptions, the study aimed to understand how the channel's programs influence their decisions to visit the park. Additionally, it examined the channel's effectiveness in raising awareness about Ruaha National Park among domestic tourists in Iringa and across Tanzania. This comprehensive approach allowed the researchers to gauge not only the immediate impact of the channel's content but also its broader influence on tourism trends within the country. The findings of the study revealed significant challenges faced by the Tanzania Safari Channel in its efforts to raise awareness about Ruaha National Park. The content produced by the channel, while informative, is not yet sufficiently compelling to persuade a large segment of the audience to visit the park. This shortfall in content effectiveness highlights a critical gap between the channel's potential and its current impact. Despite these challenges, the study acknowledges the channel's role as an informative and advisory tool. It serves as a valuable resource for viewers by providing concise and accurate information about the park, which is crucial for fostering an informed public. The literature review within the study provides strategic recommendations for the Tanzania Safari Channel Television to enhance its content and increase its effectiveness in promoting Ruaha National Park. These recommendations include improving the quality and frequency of programming, incorporating more compelling storytelling techniques, and leveraging digital platforms to reach a wider audience. By implementing these suggestions, the channel can better harness its potential and position itself as one of the leading tourism promotional channels in the country. The study thus acts as a bridge, offering new insights and practical guidance to help the channel fulfil its mission of boosting domestic tourism and raising awareness about the natural and cultural treasures of the Park.

Effects of High Salinity and Water Stress on Wetland Grasses from the Spanish Mediterranean Coast

The impacts of climate change are reaching unprecedented levels, heightening the risk of species loss and ecosystem service degradation. Wetlands, highly threatened ecosystems, serve vital ecological functions by capturing carbon, filtering water, and harbouring diverse wildlife. Coastal wetlands encounter many challenges, such as increased drought periods and escalating salinity levels, severely impacting plant biodiversity. Assessing how plants respond to various environmental stress factors is imperative for devising successful conservation strategies. In the present study, we examined three representative grass species found in various habitats within the Albufera Natural Park, close to the city of Valencia on the Spanish Mediterranean coast: Imperata cylindrica, Phragmites australis, and Saccharum ravennae. High salinity and water stress conditions were induced by subjecting the plants to irrigation with solutions containing 200, 400, 600, and 800 mM NaCl or withholding irrigation altogether to mimic coastal flooding and drought scenarios. The treatments were maintained until noticeable wilting of the plants occurred, at which point a range of stress biomarkers were determined, including photosynthetic pigments, ions, osmolytes, oxidative stress markers, and antioxidant metabolites, as well as antioxidant enzyme activities. Saccharum ravennae displayed the highest sensitivity to salt stress, whereas I. cylindrica appeared to be the most tolerant. The primary salinity tolerance mechanism observed in I. cylindrica and P. australis was a blockage of ion transport from the root zone to the aerial part, together with the salt-induced accumulation of proline and soluble sugars to high concentrations in the former. No significant effects of the water deficit treatment on the growth or biochemical parameters were observed for any of the analysed species. These findings offer valuable information for the effective management and conservation of coastal wetlands facing the challenges posed by climate change.

Movement-driven modelling reveals new patterns in disease transmission networks.

Interspecific interactions are highly relevant in the potential transmission of shared pathogens in multi-host systems. In recent decades, several technologies have been developed to study pathogen transmission, such as proximity loggers, GPS tracking devices and/or camera traps. Despite the diversity of methods aimed at detecting contacts, the analysis of transmission risk is often reduced to contact rates and the probability of transmission given the contact. However, the latter process is continuous over time and unique for each contact, and is influenced by the characteristics of the contact and the pathogen's relationship with both the host and the environment. Our objective was to assess whether a more comprehensive approach, using a movement-based model which assigns a unique transmission risk to each contact by decomposing transmission into contact formation, contact duration and host characteristics, could reveal disease transmission dynamics that are not detected with more traditional approaches. The model was built from GPS-collar data from two management systems in Spain where animal tuberculosis (TB) circulates: a national park with extensively reared endemic cattle, and an area with extensive free-range pigs and cattle farms. In addition, we evaluated the effect of the GPS device fix rate on the performance of the model. Different transmission dynamics were identified between both management systems. Considering the specific conditions under which each contact occurs (i.e. whether the contact is direct or indirect, its duration, the hosts characteristics, the environmental conditions, etc.) resulted in the identification of different transmission dynamics compared to using only contact rates. We found that fix intervals greater than 30 min in the GPS tracking data resulted in missed interactions, and intervals greater than 2 h may be insufficient for epidemiological purposes. Our study shows that neglecting the conditions under which each contact occurs may result in a misidentification of the real role of each species in disease transmission. This study describes a clear and repeatable framework to study pathogen transmission from GPS data and provides further insights to understand how TB is maintained in multi-host systems in Mediterranean environments.

Soil‐vegetation interplay in a Holocene toposequence at Torres del Paine National Park, southern Andes, Chile

AbstractChile's Torres del Paine National Park (TPNP) is one of the most impressive landscapes in southern Patagonia, with unique natural elements on the edge of the southern ice field, where knowledge of soils and ecological relationships is nonexistent. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the chemical, physical, mineralogical, and micromorphological characteristics of Holocene soils along a local toposequence representing the main vegetation types of the TPNP. The morphological, chemical, physical, and mineralogical properties of 12 soil profiles were studied and classified according to Soil Taxonomy. Coevolution of vegetation and soil taxa is clearly evident since glaciation, with podsolization under austral Nothofagus pumilio forests leading to the development of spodosols, while paludization in local depressions with Nothofagus forests allowed the formation of histosols. Slopes covered with loess and tephra led to the formation of Andisols with shrub vegetation. Predominant parent materials include till from Late Quaternary advances of southern Andean ice, Pleistocene loess, and volcanic ash from surrounding Chilean volcanoes. The parent materials were strongly influenced by Late Quaternary climatic and landscape changes following the retreat of the Last Glacial Maximum in southern Patagonia, resulting in erosional and depositional conditions (windblown loess, fluvial glacial deposits, and moraines). Stable landforms show the influence of allochthonous volcanic ash shaping Andean features, combined with the accumulation of organic matter in hydromorphic soils. Three main groups of soils have been identified: loess‐rich soils, organic‐rich soils, and poorly developed soils. The latter show low fertility related to recent landforms on different substrates ranging from till, rocky slopes, talus, or glacial deposits. In high mountain regions under periglacial conditions, cryoturbation features indicate seasonal frost–thaw cycles without current permafrost. The diversity of soil orders in the mountains of southern Patagonia is comparable to similar environmental conditions and latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. However, the andic properties due to volcanic ejecta inputs, as well as organic‐rich soils at low altitudes of bottom valleys, are typical features of the soils at TNTP.

Analysis of human and wildlife coexistence in national parks; the case study of okomu and cross river national parks, Nigeria

Human-wildlife conflicts occur in areas where frequent interactions exist between man and wildlife, leading to conflicts. This study undertook a critical analysis of human and wildlife co-existence between two National Parks in Nigeria. Surveys conducted with eight communities shed light on conflicts and how to improve human-wildlife co-existence based on the following criteria: benefit accrued to the community and compensation. A survey was conducted in eight communities to examine the level of conflicts between the communities and wildlife in the area and how to improve human wildlife co-existence based on the adoption of benefit sharing and compensation for crop damage in the management of the two parks. A multistage sampling technique was employed, including a purposive sampling design used to select the communities and a simple random sampling technique used to determine households to participate in the survey. Data was collected from households in communities adjacent to Cross River National Park (n = 203) Okomu National Park (n = 198). The results indicate that to improve co-existence with wildlife, The findings of the research recommend more focus on local social and economic benefits, wildlife compensation, and special attention to reducing conflicts through mitigation strategies.

The contribution of community-based conservation models to conserving large herbivore populations

In East Africa, community-based conservation models (CBCMs) have been established to support the conservation of wildlife in fragmented landscapes like the Tarangire Ecosystem, Tanzania. To assess how different management approaches maintained large herbivore populations, we conducted line distance surveys and estimated seasonal densities of elephant, giraffe, zebra, and wildebeest in six management units, including three CBCMs, two national parks (positive controls), and one area with little conservation interventions (negative control). Using a Monte-Carlo approach to propagate uncertainties from the density estimates and trend analysis, we analyzed the resulting time series (2011–2019). Densities of the target species were consistently low in the site with little conservation interventions. In contrast, densities of zebra and wildebeest in CBCMs were similar to national parks, providing evidence that CBCMs contributed to the stabilization of these migratory populations in the central part of the ecosystem. CBCMs also supported giraffe and elephant densities similar to those found in national parks. In contrast, the functional connectivity of Lake Manyara National Park has not been augmented by CBCMs. Our analysis suggests that CBCMs can effectively conserve large herbivores, and that maintaining connectivity through CBCMs should be prioritized.

Grain Size Distribution and Provenance of Holocene Sand from the Sava River (Zagreb, Croatia)

This study involves an investigation into the grain size distribution and provenance of the sand deposited near Zagreb (Croatia) in the riverbed of the regionally important, almost 1000 km long Sava River, which connects several SE European countries. Recent research in the study area has mainly focused on the deposits forming the Zagreb alluvial aquifer system, rather on the Sava River sediment deposited in its riverbed, which is the focus of this study. The grain size distribution results obtained by dry sieving and laser granulometry showed a predominately fine and medium sand deposition at riverbanks and sand point bars. Medium sand increased downstream towards the east, within the artificially more channelized riverbed in the urban area. Fine sand prevailed 50 km further downstream in a more meandering low-relief area, near the city of Sisak and Lonjsko Polje Nature Park. Provenance analysis showed predominately carbonate sand in the western part of the city of Zagreb, originating from distant (Alpine) and local (Medvednica Mt. and Samobor Hills) sources. More siliciclastic sand was deposited in the Sava riverbed in the middle and eastern parts of Zagreb, originating mainly from the Medvednica Mt. The prevailing siliciclastic sand further downstream of the Sava River is probably sourced from the Kupa River tributary. Although various studies of the Zagreb alluvial aquifer system have been conducted so far, this study represents a novelty in its investigation into the grain size distribution of the Sava riverbed sand itself, setting the foundations for investigations in the future.

Spatial and temporal nesting pattern of Sea Turtles in Alas Purwo National Park, and itsimplications for conservation management practices

Spatial and temporal nesting pattern of Sea Turtles in Alas Purwo National Park, and itsimplications for conservation management practices

Earthworms as a prey source for the insular snake Thamnophis sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Insular organisms typically evolve in closed, isolated systems; thus, changes caused by introduced species can drastically affect their ecology. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan, USA) is a remote island in Lake Superior that, until relatively recently, was void of earthworms. Its two native natricine snakes are known to feed on earthworms on the mainland; here, we confirm that eastern gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) are also feeding on earthworms on Isle Royale. It is unknown how this new important dietary source will impact the snake ecology on Isle Royale.

Correction: Hankin et al. Second-Entry Burns Reduce Mid-Canopy Fuels and Create Resilient Forest Structure in Yosemite National Park, California. Forests 2022, 13, 1512

In the original publication [...]

Estimating body condition of Apennine brown bears using subjective scoring based on camera trap photographs

AbstractThe assessment of animal body condition has important practical and management implications for endangered wildlife populations. The nutritional condition of a population can be evaluated in a non-invasive way using photogrammetry techniques, avoiding direct manipulation. This study evaluates the utility of using body condition scoring (BCS) based on the visual assessment of subcutaneous fat and muscle from the body contour as a non-invasive method to quantify body condition in free ranging bears from camera trap photographs. Photographs of Apennine brown bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus), taken between 2007 and 2009 in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park (PNALM, Italy), were used to evaluate the potential of this technique. BCS assessment was performed on 754 photographs representing 71 independent observations. Forty-eight of these photographs were selected to also score quantitative body ratios using a standardised measure of torso height. BCS varied seasonally, as expected by food availability and brown bear nutritional physiology, and it was also positively correlated to all three body ratios. Our findings indicate that BCS assessment is a good proxy for body condition, and that camera trap data can be effectively used to assess and monitor the nutritional condition of bear populations, such as the critically endangered one in central Italy.