Management Action Plan Research Articles

GIS-based landslide spatial modeling in Ganzhou City, China

Landslide susceptibility mapping is among the first works for disaster management and land use planning activities in a mountain area like Ganzhou City. The aims of the current study are to assess GIS-based landslide spatial modeling using four models, namely data-driven evidential belief function (EBF), frequency ratio (FR), maximum entropy (Maxent), and logistic regression (LR), and to compare their performances. At first, a landslide inventory map was prepared according to aerial photographs, satellite images, and extensive field surveys. In total, 3971 landslide events were recognized in the study area that used 2979 landslides (75 %) for modeling and 992 landslide events (25 %) for validation. In the next step, the landslide-conditioning factors, namely slope angle, slope aspect, altitude, plan curvature, profile curvature, topographic wetness index (TWI), slope-length (LS), lithology, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), distance from rivers, distance from faults, distance from roads, and rainfall, were derived from the spatial database. Finally, landslide susceptibility maps of Ganzhou City were mapped in ArcGIS based on EBF, FR, Maxent, and LR approaches and were validated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The ROC plot assessment results showed that in the landslide susceptibility maps using the EBF, FR, Maxent, and LR models, the area under the curve (AUC) values were 0.7367, 0.7789, 0.7903, and 0.8237, respectively. Therefore, it can be concluded that all four models have AUC values of more than 0.70 and can be used in landslide susceptibility mapping in the study area. Also, the LR model had the best performance in the current study. Meanwhile, the mentioned models (EBF, FR, Maxent, and LR) showed almost similar results. The resultant susceptibility maps produced in the current study can be useful for land use planning and hazard mitigation purposes in the study area.

Status of <i>Isoetes coromandeliana</i> L.f. and <i>Equisetum debile</i> Roxb. ex Voucher in Gujarat State, Western India

Occurrence of Isoetes coromandeliana L.f. in natural ponds of Harni, Savali and Tuwa (India) is known since 1956 by earlier workers. Equisetum debile Roxb. ex Voucher was also reported in 1962 growing as wild at Savali. Available literature indicates that I. coromandeliana falls under the category of ‘near threatened’ in Asian continents and as an ‘endangered species’ at national (India) level. In the current field work study, the authors could not locate the investigated species from the locations earlier documented by researchers. Few saplings of I. coromandeliana were observed at Talod and Vaktapur near Gandhinagar, a new location for the species. In contrast, E. debile appeared to be lost in wild from Gujarat. Their extinction from earlier reported locations is associated with anthropogenic pressure and thus legal action for their protection is needed. The present paper suggests further survey and habitat based studies and recommends conservation and management action plans based upon the ecology of the habitat.

Uncertainty evaluation of EnPIs in industrial applications as a key factor in setting improvement actions

A methodology is proposed assuming high-level Energy Performance Indicators (EnPIs) uncertainty as quantitative indicator of the evolution of an Energy Management System (EMS). Motivations leading to the selection of the EnPIs, uncertainty evaluation techniques and criteria supporting decision-making are discussed, in order to plan and pursue reliable measures for energy performance improvement. In this paper, problems, priorities, operative possibilities and reachable improvement limits are examined, starting from the measurement uncertainty assessment.Two different industrial cases are analysed with reference to the following aspects: absence/presence of energy management policy and action plans; responsibility level for the energy issues; employees’ training and motivation in respect of the energy problems; absence/presence of adequate infrastructures for monitoring and sharing of energy information; level of standardization and integration of methods and procedures linked to the energy activities; economic and financial resources for the improvement of energy efficiency.A critic and comparative analysis of the obtained results is realized. The methodology, experimentally validated, allows developing useful considerations for effective, realistic and economically feasible improvement plans, depending on the specific situation. Recursive application of the methodology allows getting reliable and resolved assessment of the EMS status, also in dynamic industrial contexts.

Participatory Criteria Selection: Finding Conflictive Positions in Environmental Postassessment of Land Management and Restoration Actions

Stakeholder participation in environmental assessment of past land management and restoration actions in drylands is important to improve knowledge and management of these ecosystems. Participatory identification and prioritization of monitoring and assessment criteria, while increasingly incorporated into assessment, is still perceived as challenging due to conflicting values and perspectives among stakeholders. As this research demonstrates, a two-step participatory (n = 33) process consisting of a semistructured interview followed by the revised Simos procedure for the identification and prioritization of criteria to assess five actions in the San Simon watershed (Arizona), proved useful to (1) identify and prioritize criteria and (2) expose the source of individual priorities. This flexible but structured process provides a first pass at identifying participant assessment criteria and reducing conflict associated with differing values and perspectives of those with a direct stake in both past and future management and planning of land management and restoration actions.

The conservation status and anthropogenic impacts assessments of Mediterranean coastal dunes

Mediterranean coastal dunes have been highly modified by human impacts and understanding their conservation status is crucial to preserve these extremely vulnerable habitats.In the present study three different diversity indices elaborated by Grunewald and Schubert (Hdune, a modified version of the Shannon diversity index, Edune, a modified Evenness index, and N, the Naturalness index) were applied in order to assess the conservation status and anthropogenic impacts on Is Arenas dune system (CW Sardinia), one of the widest and most important in the Western Mediterranean Basin.Within the system, two sites with different anthropic disturbance conditions were selected; 25 permanent plots were seasonally monitored and the cover of each vascular plant present was visually estimated.The Hdune values were similar between sites and differences were not significant; Edune showed higher value in the North than in the South site with relevant statistical differences.Moreover a seasonal variation in the indices values was recorded, which could be linked to presence of annual plants rather than the touristic pressure. Instead, the small variability of N index suggests that the application of this index may be an important tool to assess human impact on coastal dunes, but better discriminates between sites with different disturbance degrees.Our results highlight the usefulness of Hdune and Edune indices to assess the conservation status of a Mediterranean coastal dune system, while these indices are less influenced by the human trampling at finer scale (sites within the beach). Spring and summer are the best seasons when the main plant diversity of Mediterranean coastal dune can be captured. The diversity indices applied, although need to be developed through further researches, could be a quickly tool allowing to assess the integrity of the coastal dunes in order to plan management actions of these complex and threatened ecosystems.

Effects of predation by introduced mammals and mortality due to severe floods on population viability of the endangered Blue Duck (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos)

Predation by introduced species and anthropogenic climate change now are two major threats to avifaunae worldwide. We developed an age-structured, stochastic simulation model to perform a population viability analysis for the Blue Duck, or Whio (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos), an endangered waterfowl endemic to the upland rivers of New Zealand. Demographic responses to six predator-control and flood-frequency scenarios were assessed to examine projected trends in long-term population dynamics and viability. A baseline analysis of abundance at current rates of predation by introduced mammals and mortality due to severe flood events indicated that the study population of Whio has only a limited probability of persistence during the next 100 years. Importantly, we found that the additive effects of population losses due to predation and a rising frequency of floods (as predicted by general circulation models) increased extinction risk by 69%. Our study demonstrates the urgent need for heightened control of invasive predators in Whio conservation areas, as well as informed consideration of future changes in regional climate patterns when planning management actions for Whio and other similarly threatened riparian species.

Effect of avalanche frequency on forest ecosystem services in a spruce–fir mountain forest

Abstract Mountain forests provide important ecosystem services, such as protection against natural hazards, carbon sequestration, and plant and animal biodiversity. Natural disturbances occurring in forests can alter the provision of ecosystem services to local and offsite communities, but their influence on multiple service tradeoffs has rarely been analyzed. Our aim is to analyze the effect of avalanche frequency on the provision of ecosystem services in a mountain forest in the Italian Alps. We sampled tree and understory vegetation, soil carbon, and intensity of the browsing damage at 10 plots at each of the following observation sites: (1) an active avalanche track (“recent disturbance”), (2) an area last disturbed in 1959 by avalanches (“old disturbance”), occupied now by a dense aspen forest, and (3) the regularly managed spruce–fir stand (“control”). We computed metrics of plant diversity (Shannon and evenness indices), aboveground and belowground carbon stocks, and a browsing index on regeneration and shrubs as a proxy for ungulate habitat. Finally, we assessed the ability of forests in each site to mitigate rockfall hazard. In our study, higher avalanche frequency was associated with lower carbon stock, higher species diversity, and lower protection against rockfall. Of all species found in the avalanche track, 54% were exclusive to that site. After 50 years, the post-disturbance stand provided a very high protection effect against rockfall, but was temporarily unsuitable for wild ungulate habitat, due to the high tree density and lack of open areas. Species richness and diversity were lower in older than in more recently disturbed sites, and not significantly different than the control stand. The control stand fulfilled the requirements for minimal protection against rockfall, but may lose its effectiveness in the near future due to senescence or disturbance-related mortality of canopy trees. Elucidating the tradeoffs between ecosystem services and disturbance frequency will support managers in planning management actions (e.g., avalanche protection measures), and assess tradeoffs between the need to mitigate risks in the most vulnerable areas and the opportunity to improve the provision of ecosystem services where some disturbance can be allowed to occur.

Resource selection by wolves at dens and rendezvous sites in Algonquin park, Canada

Eastern wolves (Canis lycaon) are a species of special concern in Canada and their geographic range appears to be restricted mainly to Algonquin Provincial Park (APP) in Ontario, Canada. Previous work showed pup survival was relatively low throughout portions of APP which may limit the extent to which this protected area can act as a source of dispersing individuals to adjacent areas. We modeled resource selection by wolves at dens and rendezvous sites to identify environmental variables that were selected and avoided in APP during pup-rearing. We also quantified differences in resource selection between den and rendezvous sites and investigated links between home-site selection and pup survival. Wolves selected dens closer to wetlands and water, farther from secondary roads, and on steeper slopes relative to rendezvous sites. When we modeled den and rendezvous sites separately, wolves selected wetlands, water, conifer forests and tertiary roads at dens, whereas they selected wetlands and conifer forests at rendezvous sites. Packs that lost pups to starvation and intraspecific strife avoided water and selected wetlands and mixed forests at home-sites more than packs that did not lose pups to these mortality agents. Previous research showed that pup starvation occurred for packs in APP with lower beaver density in their territories, and our results indicate that these packs selected habitats at dens and rendezvous sites associated with alternative prey (moose). Moose are likely more difficult prey than beavers to kill during summer which may contribute to the higher nutrition-related mortality of pups in packs with decreased access to beavers. Our results inform eastern wolf conservation efforts and should be considered during forest management and park planning activities in APP. More broadly, our research provides novel insight into temporal differences in home-site selection across the pup-rearing season and the relationship between resource selection and pup mortality.

Action Plan for Nutritional Management in Home Care based on Improving Quality of Total Life

Action Plan for Nutritional Management in Home Care based on Improving Quality of Total Life

Wildfire Management in the Tain II Forest Reserve of Ghana: An Evaluation of Community Participation

Until 1983 uncontrolled wildfires were uncommon, especially in the forest zones of Ghana. Unfortunately early efforts at curbing wildfires did not place emphasis on stakeholder management. This weakness has constrained wildfire management as a result of weak coordination among stakeholders in the management of wildfire. But an essential element for the success of wildfire management is the active involvement of all stakeholders. This study was conducted to assess the role of stakeholders in wildfire management in the Tain II Forest Reserve in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. The study relied on both qualitative and quantitative approaches using household questionnaires as its primary data collection instrument. The study reveals that stakeholders occasionally participated in wildfire management planning, implementation and monitoring activities at the community level. This assertion was confirmed by the index of participation indicating that stakeholders were occasionally involved in wildfire management regarding planning (0.59), implementation (0.60) and monitoring (0.56). Also, empirical results show that the absence of incentives and lack of insurance serve as disincentives for effective functioning of wildfire squad volunteers around the Tain II forest reserve. The study concludes that the success, or otherwise, of wildfire management interventions, to a large extent, depends on the degree of involvement of stakeholders and the support given to them.

Investigating the effect of variability in product development life cycle

Projects have evidently become the core activity in most companies and organisations where they are investing significant amount of resources in different types of projects such as building new services, process improvement, etc. This research focuses on service sector in an attempt to improving project management planning and control activities. The paper investigates the planning and control of software development projects by analysing existing software development models, identifying best practices from these models so as to develop a model for improving software development tasks. The research extends the existing planning and control approaches by considering uncertainty in customer requirements, resource flexibility and risks level variability. A novel approach introduced within this research through the integration of simulation modelling techniques with Taguchi analysis to investigate 'what if' project scenarios. This paper has adopted the concept of Quality Function Deployment in the development of the model, where optimisation routines have been adopted.

Poor asthma education and medication compliance are associated with increased emergency department visits by asthmatic children.

BACKGROUND:Acute exacerbations of bronchial asthma remain a major cause of frequent Emergency Department (ED) visits by pediatric patients. However, other factors including psychosocial, behavioural and educational, are also reportedly associated with repetitive ED visits. Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether such visits are justifiable.OBJECTIVE:The objective of this cross-sectional study was to identify risk factors associated with visits to ED by asthmatic children.METHODS:Asthmatic children (n = 297) between 1-17 years old were recruited and information collected at the time of visiting an ED facility at two major hospitals.RESULTS:Asthmatic patients visited the ED 3.9 ΁ 3.2 times-per-year, on average. Inadequately controlled asthma was perceived in 60.3% of patients. The majority of patients (56.4%) reported not receiving education about asthma. Patients reflected misconceptions about the ED department, including the belief that more effective treatments are available (40.9%), or that the ED staff is better qualified (27.8%). About half of patients (48.2%) visited the ED because of the convenience of being open 24 hours, or because they are received immediately (38.4%). Uncontrolled asthma was associated with poor education about asthma and/or medication use. Patients educated about asthma, were less likely to stop corticosteroid therapy when their symptoms get better (OR:0.55; 95% CI:0.3-0.9; P = 0.04).CONCLUSION:This study reports that most patients had poor knowledge about asthma and were using medications improperly, thus suggesting inefficient application of management action plan. Unnecessary and frequent visits to the ED for asthma care was associated with poor education about asthma and medication use. Potential deficiencies of the health system at directing patients to the proper medical facility were uncovered and underline the necessity to improve education about the disease and medication compliance of patients and their parents/guardians.

'멸종위기에 처한 야생 동식물의 국제거래에 관한 협약'의 상어류 등재가 한국 수산업에 끼칠 영향과 대응 전략

The Sixteenth Meeting of the Conferences of Parties of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which was held in March 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand, listed five shark species and one genus, and uplisted one sawfish species. All new species listings will be come into force of the eighteen months delay, on the fourteenth of September, 2014. The purpose of the delay is to support the preparation of the domestic measures on shark trade by the parties, as there has been no previous experience in trading the commercially exploited aquatic species in the CITES. The CITES Secretary-General has visited several potential shark trade countries to encourage and facilitate the implementation of the new CITES listings. The newly listed sharks have been caught as a target or non-target species by Korean distant water fisheries and introduced into Korea. So the establishment or change of the domestic laws, regulations, and measures for the implementation of the new CITES species must be prepared before the effective entry date. This paper is prepared to assess the effects of the trade of the CITES listed shark species, and to suggest effective government service measures for the management of Korean distant water fisheries. The Ministry of Environment (MOE) is the general Management Authority of the CITES, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) is in charge of the medical trade of CITES listed species in Korea. By law, all imported medicines and medical materials must be inspected by the MFDS during the customs examination; this kind of authority sharing is reasonable and effective way of providing government service. Similarly, the designation of new CITES Management Authority for the trade of commercially exploited aquatic CITES species is critical and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), which is now in charge of the trade of fisheries products, is the most appropriate governing body for this purpose in Korea. The revision of the National Plan of Action for Conservation and Management of Sharks, initially submitted to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 2011 as a practical guideline for shark conservation in all Korean fisheries, could be a effective measure to achieve unification of conservation of endangered species and sustainable use of fisheries stocks. The proper CITES measures for the trade of listed species, such as the establishment of the documenting system for Non-detriment Findings, domestic measures suitable for the “Introduction from the Sea” clause, species specific Harmonized System Codes for the customs service, and an effective shark catch data reporting system should be in place prior to the fourteenth of September 2014.

PARQUE NACIONAL SERRA DE ITABAIANA-SE: REALIDADE E GESTÃO

Ecotourism is an activity expanding due to direct contact with nature visitor. This practice can be developed in areas called protected areas, and the category of national park is the most sought by visitors because this has many attractions, enabling the development of environmental education activities in order to alert visitors to not there is such an impact during his visitation. The mountain National Park Itabaiana is a conservation unit that receives visitations on their historical, religious and cultural significance of the mountain. However, disordered visitation is causing serious impacts to trails and attractive points. In this context, the present study aimed to survey the infrastructure and the impacts caused by visitors to the mountain PARNA Itabaiana. For this, a semi-structured questionnaire with different visitors several interesting sites and access roads within the national park was applied. For them, the PA provides not only recreational and ecological benefits as a natural resource, demonstrating a bit keen insight. The monitoring visits will allow the planning of management activities, to meet the needs of its patrons. We suggest the implementation of environmental education programs using techniques of environmental interpretation to sharpen the sensitivity of existing visitor on environmental issues within the PARNA, such as drafting a quick visit with a proper language to the type of visitor that frequents the park.

Lake Ousteri: An Artificial Wet Land Lagoon for Tourists in Puducherry

Wet land, are water bodies of different types ranging from lakes, estuarine area, riparian flood plains to tidal mud-flats, play a vital role in ensuring both the quality and quantity of water for human beings and the entire range of flora and fauna. It provide fresh water for agriculture, livestock and domestic consumption and recharge the ground water levels which are under immense strain of over-exploitation. Detailed economic studies on wetland tourism are not always available but the income from tourism can support the wise use of wetlands which in turn sustains tourism activities. The fact that environmental damage hurts people both today and tomorrow, if the future provides additional grounds for rethinking our measurement of progress towards sustainability. However ever increasing, multiple demands on water resources for agriculture, irrigation, domestic, industrial supplies have greatly impacted upon the ecosystems. Yet little attention is paid for the restoration, conservation and sustainability of wetland ecosystems which contribute significantly to the food security and economy of the local community. In Puducherry, well known wetlands are Ousteri and Bahour. During the year 2008, Ousteri wetland, largest lake in Puducherry was declared as a bird sanctuary, home for hundreds of species of migratory birds, variety of fishes, mussels and crabs, and breeding sites of common coot in South India. With this backdrop, the study deals with primary and secondary sources with survey methods on socio-economic and biological, flora and fauna parameters in and around the lake area for developing wetland tourism. Conservation and sustainable wet land tourism management is urgently required with appropriate institutional arrangements for sustainable development, implementation of policy, long term planning strategies with sustainable management action plan with a hope to achieve the objectives, with the help of community involvement.

ECOLOGY AND DIVERSITY OF WILDLIFE IN THE ECO-PARK OF THE JAMUNA BRIDGE AND ITS ADJACENT AREA, SIRAJGONJ, BANGLADESH

Animal diversity of an area is a good indicator for understanding a healthy habitat. We conducted a detail study on ecology and the wildlife diversity in the Eco-park of Jamuna bridge and its adjacent area of Sirajgonj district from April 2010 to March 2011. We employed transect line method and interviewed local people to reveal the status and distribution of wild animal and identify their microhabitats. A total of 89 species of wild animals was recorded, of which, 6 (6.74%) species were amphibians, 11 (12.36%) reptiles, 56 (62.93%) birds and 16 (17.94%) mammals. Regarding relative abundance, 18 (20.22%) species of wildlife were very common, 35 (39.33%) common, 28 (31.46%) fairly common, 7 (7.87%) few and only one (1.12%) was occasionally found. In total 25 species of wildlife were identified as threatened category. In amphibians, 3 species were vulnerable nationally. In reptiles, 4 species were vulnerable and one endangered. In birds, 4 species were vulnerable, 6 endangered and one critically endangered (Gallicrex cinerea). In mammals, 3 vulnerable and 3 endangered nationally. Among the amphibians, skipper frog (Euplyctis cyanophlyctis) and toad (Bufo melanostictus) frequently occurred. Among the reptiles, common garden lizard (Calotis versicolor), common skink (Mabuya carinata) and cheekered keel back water snake (Xenochorphis piscator) were frequently occurred. Among the birds, common myna (Acrodotheres tristis), pied myna (A. fuscus), black drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) and house crow (Corvus splendens) occurred frequently. Among the mammals, shrew (Suncus murinus), flying fox (Pteropus giganteus) and black rat (Rattus rattus) frequently occurred. Our study shows that illegal exploitation of trees, overgrazing of domestic animals, shooting and collection of young animals are the mentionable causes for declining wild animals. We suggest that awareness creation and preparation of proper management action plan in cooperation with related national and international organizations are necessary in order to protect the wildlife resources in the study area. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/eco.v20i0.11327Ecoprint: An International Journal of EcologyVol. 20, 2013Page : 27-36

대상자 중심의 만성질환 자가관리 프로그램: 고혈압, 당뇨병을 중심으로

** Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop the efficient program protecting shift to cerebrovascular disease as complication for patients with diabetes and hypertension. Methods: Chronic disease self management program(CDSMP), implement manual, action plan, Q&A card and motivation methods were suggested based on Banduras social learning theory through reviewing various literatures and cases. Results: This program can increase self-efficacy, individual health behavior change and quality of life and it makes to continuous care of chronic disease. Conclusion: In order to operate chronic disease self-management program, standardized education courses training of specialist leaders and expert patients leaders would be required. And the development enlargement of self-management program for various other chronic disease such as arthritis, back pain, atopy, asthma would be required in the future.

Interactive effect of floral abundance and semi-natural habitats on pollinators in field beans (Vicia faba)

Pollination services are economically important component of agricultural biodiversity which enhance the yield and quality of many crops. An understanding of the suitability of extant habitats for pollinating species is crucial for planning management actions to protect and manage these service providers. In a highly modified agricultural ecosystem, we tested the effect of different pollination treatments (open, autonomous self- and wind-pollination) on pod set, seed set, and seed weight in field beans (Vicia faba). We also investigated the effect of semi-natural habitats and flower abundance on pollinators of field beans. Pollinator sampling was undertaken in ten field bean fields along a gradient of habitat complexity; CORINE land cover classification was used to analyse the land use patterns between 500–3000m around the sites. Total yield from open-pollination increased by 185% compared to autonomous self-pollination. There was positive interactive effect of local flower abundance and cover of semi-natural habitats on overall abundance of pollinators at 1500 and 2000m, and abundance of bumblebees (Bombus spp.) at 1000–2000m. In contrast, species richness of pollinators was only correlated with flower abundance and not with semi-natural habitats. We did not find a link between pod set from open-pollination and pollinator abundance, possibly due to variations in the growing conditions and pollinator communities between sites. We conclude that insect pollination is essential for optimal bean yields and therefore the maintenance of semi-natural habitats in agriculture-dominated landscapes should ensure stable and more efficient pollination services in field beans.

Successes and failures in the management of coastal dunes of SW Spain: Status analysis nine years after management decisions

Coastal dunes are among the most threatened ecosystems worldwide, urgently requiring conservation and restoration efforts to preserve them. A Management Action Plan, aimed at minimizing human impact and protecting the foredune, was designed and implemented in a 15km discontinuous coastal stretch of SW Spain, based on the dune vulnerability assessment carried out in this area in 2004. In order to identify the successes and failures of the designed strategies, the studied dune systems were re-assessed in 2013. Access improvement measures substantially reduced human impact and dune vulnerability. Protective fences that prevented trampling in the upper beaches and foredunes, together with the planting of native dune builder species, were altogether highly effective in promoting the recovery of the dunes natural functioning while reducing their vulnerability levels with limited sand supply. Dune stretches with erosion problems required the promotion of new, retreated foredunes. The absence of fences preventing trampling favoured vulnerability increases related to poor vegetation ability to trap and stabilize wind-blown sands and increasing wind erosion in areas of high visitor pressure. Results from this study contributed to the improvement of the Management Action Plan and identified key factors to be taken into account when managing or restoring other similar coastal dune systems.

A new empirical index for assessing the vulnerability of peri-urban mangroves

Environmental vulnerability can be understood as a function of exposure to impacts and the sensitivity and adaptive capacity of ecological systems towards environmental tensors. The present study empirically evaluated the vulnerability of forest stands that make up the subtropical Perequê River mangrove (Paranaguá Bay, S Brazil) as the basis for a more appropriate management of its resources. This mangrove is located in the coastal municipality of Pontal do Paraná (Paraná, Brazil) and is part of the Perequê River Mangrove Natural Park, which is still not under a management plan. This study aimed to contribute to the future management plan of this conservation unit through an environmental diagnosis and an empirical evaluation of its vulnerability. The primary data, collected from 51 plots of 100 m2 each, involved the evaluation of: 1) the exposure to solid waste, deforestation, trails, landfills, and constructions; 2) the degree of sensitivity according to the environmental conditions of each plot; and 3) the adaptive capacity according to the recovery and reproductive potential and structural complexity of the forests. These data were integrated to compose the empirical index of environmental vulnerability (VI) expressed as VI = (SI + EI) − ACI where SI is the sensitivity sub-index, EI is the exposure sub-index, and ACI is the adaptive capacity sub-index. Empirical indices calculated for local forests varied significantly due to differences in values of SI, EI and ACI. This variability defines the local mangrove as a mosaic of vulnerability conditions and suggests that the planning and implementation of local management actions consider such environmental heterogeneity. Applying or extending these actions should be based on local forest conditions at short spatial scales and should not be applied to the mangrove as a whole.