Nature Conservation Purposes Research Articles

UNCOVERING THE POTENTIAL OF SUSTAINABILITY: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN APPLYING GREEN ACCOUNTING FOR NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN COMPANIES

Green accounting is becoming increasingly important in today’s business context for nature conservation purposes, where sustainability is becoming a major focus in resource management and company operations. This research aims to explore the potential for sustainability that can be realised through the application of green accounting in the corporate environment. This research uses a qualitative approach with descriptive methods. The research results show that implementing green accounting to preserve the natural environment in companies requires attention to several key factors that influence operational sustainability. Full commitment from top management is the main basis for integrating sustainability principles into the company’s overall strategy, including preserving the natural environment. Employee awareness and understanding, supporting technology, compliance with environmental regulations, supplier involvement, consistent natural environmental sustainability and reporting transparency are important elements for the successful implementation of environmentally friendly accounting. These steps open up strategic opportunities, such as cost efficiency, energy savings, and attracting consumers who are conscious of environmental conservation. Although faced with the challenges with regard to the complexity of measuring and reporting the environmental impacts, implementation costs, and resource limitations, efforts to overcome them can bring long-term benefits, such as improved reputation, business sustainability, and positive contributions to the preservation of the natural environment. Therefore, companies need to take strategic steps to overcome these challenges, strengthen their commitment to sustainable practices, and make environmentally friendly accounting an integral part of the company’s sustainability vision.

Standing dead wood stocks in forest stands of Middle Dnieper region (Forest-Steppe of Ukraine)

Standing dead wood is an important component of forest ecosystems of temperate zone. The aim of the article is to study the forestry and ecological features of the distribution of standing dead wood stocks in forest stands of Middle Dnieper region (Forest-steppe of Ukraine). The study was carried out based on State forest inventory data of the part of territory of state forest enterprise with a total area of 24558.6 ha in northern part of Cherkasy region. According to forest inventory data standing dead wood was found on area of 3439.4 ha or 14.0% of the total forest area. The average standing dead wood volume was the highest in forests of nature conservation, scientific, historical and cultural purposes (13.0 m3∙ha–1), somewhat lower — in forests with commercial purpose (11.0 m3∙ha–1), in protective, and recreational and health-improving forests (9.8 m3∙ha–1). Standing dead wood was found in the forest stands of 15 tree species with a total stock of 34660 m3. In those forests the average volume of by tree species ranging from 5.0 m3∙ha–1 up to 20.0 m3∙ha–1, in general for all tree species — 10.1 m3∙ha–1. In the stands of the prevailing tree species — Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) and Common oak (Quercus robur L.) the average volume of standing dead wood was 10.4, 9.0 m3∙ha–1 and 7.5 m3∙ha–1, respectively. In the stands of the first two specified tree species, a tendency to increase the average volume of standing dead wood with an increase in the age of the stand was revealed. Standing dead wood was found in 17 out of 32 forest types that are represented in the forest fund of the studied object, with an average volume of 5.7 m3∙ha–1 (fresh eroded hornbeam dibrova) to 22.4 m3∙ha–1 (damp black alder hrud). In general, standing dead wood stocks are low, which may be caused by forestry activities (cutting). The data we obtained are important for research into the peculiarities of the formation of woody detritus stocks in the forests of Middle Dnieper region of Ukraine and nature protection functions of dead wood.

Management of the historical and cultural value of territories through the formation of historical areas of cities

Lands on which cultural heritage monuments, their complexes (ensembles), historical and cultural protected territories, protected archaeological territories, open-air museums, memorial museums-manors are located, in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine, belong to lands of historical and cultural purpose. The organization and establishment of the boundaries of the territories of historical and cultural purpose, restrictions on their use and their regime-forming objects is carried out in accordance with the projects and technical documentation of land management. For the territories of the nature reserve fund and other nature conservation purposes, health, recreational, historical and cultural, forestry purposes, water fund lands and water protection zones, the land legislation establishes the same procedure for developing the composition and geodetic and cartographic substantiation of land management projects, as well as for their approval and approval . This provision has existed for a long time, despite the fact that the given list combines six categories of land with different legal regimes. The boundaries of historical areas and the modes of their use are indicated in the documentation on land management, urban planning and scientific project documentation on the protection of cultural heritage, which determines the need for their mutual consistency. The article examines the legal and organizational provisions of the formation of the historical and cultural potential of the historical areas of cities. In connection with the discrepancies in the legal acts, proposals for the codification of legal norms regarding the composition and distribution of land by category, setting restrictions, regulation of construction, landscape protection zones and archaeological layer are substantiated. The proposed approaches to the definition and calculation of the economic efficiency of historical areas include a variety of methods that allow for the assessment of both quantitative and qualitative aspects of the preservation of cultural heritage.

Imaginaries of place in territorialization processes: Transforming the Oyacachi páramos through nature conservation and water transfers in the Ecuadorian highlands

How Ecuadorian páramos are perceived has drastically changed over the last five decades. From cold, hostile, and unproductive hinterlands, páramos have changed to become areas for biodiversity conservation and ‘water towers’ that ought to be protected to provide clean and abundant water for cities and irrigation. To understand how these changing perceptions of páramos relate to interventions and their on-the-ground negotiation by local communities, we develop the notion of imaginaries of place and explore its relations to notions of governmentality and territorialization. We show how, based on changing imaginaries of what páramos are, state and non-state interventions have tried to control the Oyacachi páramos in the Northern Ecuadorian Highlands for the specific purpose of nature and water conservation. At the same time, we show that these interventions are highly contested on-the-ground. This leads to confrontations, negotiations, and a re-definition of the imaginaries of place there exist. Our analysis expounds the relevance of understanding imaginaries of place and its close relations to interventions and their negotiation.

VEGETATION MAPPING AND DEVELOPMENT OF A METHOD FOR THE VEGETATION TYPIFICATION IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA

The study aims to generate vegetation mapping for the study area's existing vegetation and apply a vegetation typification approach that can be used to identify the vegetation structure of any region in the Arabian Peninsula. To highlight the plant diversity and the vegetation communities for nature conservation purposes, a case study in Albaha region, Saudi Arabia is presented, in which the natural vegetation communities and vegetation types of one of the Important Plant Species Areas (IPSA) of Saudi Arabia is evaluated. In an area of 167.6 km2, 97 samples, each with 20X20 m were laid out covering the whole ecological zones of the study area. Data on flora, vegetation cover and topography were gathered from each sample site using Braun-Blanquet method. ITC approach of vegetation typification according to three dimensions (trees, shrubs, and herbs) is applied to identify the structures of each vegetation type. The results showed 319 plant species belonging to 228 genera and 75 families. These species were analyzed and classified into three plant communities and 14 different vegetation types using multivariate analysis program (MVSP) software. Using the percentage of trees, shrubs and herbs, the three-dimensional graphics of vegetation structure presented in this study can be used to determine the vegetation structure of any region in the Arabian Peninsula.

Are Farmers in National Park Communities Willing to Reallocate Their Lands? A Situational Analysis

Limited by China’s mixed land ownership model, which is divided into collective and state ownership, national parks’ strict ecological protection measures of restricting land use patterns and intensity are subject to the decisions made by collective landowners and contract operators, namely, rural households in national park communities. The disposition and intention of community farmers regarding collective land ownership is related to the nature conservation effect of the national park. In the context of national park land functions for ecological conservation, environmental education, leisure and recreation, scientific research, and “nest eggs” (basic living guarantees), the research on the influencing factors of farmers’ intentions to reallocate their land (expropriated or transferred) will provide a basis for a National Parks Administration (NPA) to develop supporting policies for collective land reallocation in different functional zones and to prevent community conflicts. The research took Shennongjia National Park as an example and, combined with literature analysis, used the Structural Equation Model (SEM) to explore the influencing factors of community farmers’ land reallocation intentions and drew the following conclusions: farmers’ intentions to leave their land for nature conservation purposes and for urbanization purposes are different. In the five land function situations above, farmers’ perceptions of land function in national parks did not directly affect their land reallocation intentions, while their trust in the land management ability of NPA was a complete mediator. Farmers’ preferences for the economic value of land had no significant moderating effect on land reallocation intentions. Farmers’ characteristics have a moderating effect on different land function situation models. Older and less educated farmers are more likely to receive livelihood compensation rather than monetary compensation after leaving their land. Therefore, some management suggestions are put forward, such as strengthening the capacity for building national park land and other natural resources management, adapting to the collective land policy in different function zones, and paying attention to the livelihood compensation of community farmers after they leave the land.

New inland records of the bull shark Carcharhinus leucas from Sumatra, Indonesia

Six new records of the bull shark Carcharhinus leucas from five different river basins of Sumatra, Indonesia, were reported as a result of captures by artisanal and recreational fishers, including records from rivers of northern and western Sumatra for the first time. These findings may higlight the importance of Sumatran river basins for the reproduction of this threatened species in Indonesian waters. Inland records of C. leucas in Southeast Asia and in particular Indonesia are scarce but important for nature conservation purposes and sustainable future fishery management.

State and prospects of relief protection in nature reserves and national nature parks of the Ukrainian Carpathians


 
 
 
 The aim of the research is to analyze the current state of the protection of relief types within nature reserves and national nature parks of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The study analyzes coverage of usual and unique types of mountain and premountain relief of the Ukrainian Carpathians within nature protection institutions. The method contains a general geomorphological analysis of the relief of nature conservation institutions of the Ukrainian Carpathians. geomorphological structure and zoning of the research region based on the systematization and comparison of the up to date cartographic and descriptive materials. Comparing the map Geomorphological structure (morphostructure and morphosculpture) of the Ukrainian Carpathians (Hnatiuk et al., 2007) and borrowed cartographic materials from the Projects of organization of nature reserves and national nature parks within the region, special representativeness of relief types in the QGIS software is obtained. Authors set a degree of representativeness of relief types within the territories of nature conservation institutions as well as present it in special tables and maps. Additionally, the map ofthe location of nature reserves and national nature parks within the geomorphological zoning of the Ukrainian Carpathians (Rudko & Kravchuk, 2002) is made as well as the character of protection of various geomorphological areas of mountain and premountain parts of the region is clarified. For the first time, authors establish the degree of regional and typological geomorphological representativeness of natural reserves and national nature parks as well as clarify the current state of protection of relief types of the Ukrainian Carpathians in general. Based on the results of the analysis, authors develop proposals for the creation of new nature conservation institutions in the Ukrainian Carpathians for optimization of the relief as well as proposals for the protection of the region and its use in nature conservation, scientific, natural-cognitive, and recreational purposes.
 
 
 

Identifying geomorphological diversity hotspots for conservation purposes: Application to a coastal protected area in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

The last decades are witnessing a growing concern about environmental impacts due to human activities. Within this context, studies are being developed to understand the impacts on the diversity of natural elements. This article presents a method to identify geomorphological diversity hotspots at a detailed scale through a quantitative approach, which was applied to a protected coastal area in Rio de Janeiro State, SE Brazil. These hotspots are understood as areas that present significant diversity of landforms and, at the same time, risks of degradation, which justifies the definition of priorities for the territorial management aiming at nature conservation purposes. The results allowed the identification of five hotspots, showing that, even though the area is legally protected, it still faces problems related to threats caused by human activities. Therefore, specific problems of territorial management in a protected area were identified through the creation of a product that indicates the priority areas for conservation in a different way and can be easily applied as a tool to support managers. Furthermore, several subproducts were created in the process, which also can be used for other purposes.

RECREATIONAL LANDS IN THE NOWADAYS TERRITORIAL PLANNING DEVELOPMENT

Problem statement and Purpose. Today, recreation and tourism are one of the leading, highly-profitable and most dynamic branch of the world economy. In Ukraine, the recreational and tourist sphere has been thwarted by the priority direct development of the national economy. For the several regions, recreation is a priority field of development. In addition to the appearance of recreational resources, in its turn it was poured into the presence of recreational lands. However the assignment of recreational lands on the territory (in nature), the formation of recreational areas and zones on their, the questions of planning of recreational areas is not only relevant, but require new solutions belong to the class of complex methodological and insufficient developed problems. The purpose of the article is analysis of the existing peculiarities, including the legal ones, concerning allocation and use of recreational lands within the framework of planning of recreational areas (zones) for the needs of optimal land use in the conditions of growing up confrontation and competitiveness of different types economical activity. Data & Methods. As a methodological basis used the development that are outlinedin scientific works published O. G. Topchiev, L. G. Rudenko, Yu. M. Palekha, D. S. Malchikova and own researches. Both general scientific methods (analysis and synthesis, systematic approach, induction and deduction) and specific scientific methods: historical-geographical, comparative-geographicalmethod, analysis of existing legal sources on the allocation and use of recreational lands were used in the work. Results. The planning of recreational areas (zones), the allocation of recreational lands have certain difficulties due not only to an insufficiently developed methodical base. Even for thirty years, the state has not yet resolved a wide range of issues regarding the determination of recreational lands and their legal “status”, has not fully completed an inventory of the lands etc. Nowadays recreational activities are considered as one of the main forms of interaction between society and nature. Onthe one hand, it is a combined complex analysis of the natural environment, natural conditions and resources for recreational activity. On the other hand, it is the need of society in recreation with all the possibilities of using the resource potential. And all this is happening in the context of the new powers and capabilities of localself-management government in the ordering of the lands, the inventory, and the assessment of the lands. It is clear that this is a complex of methodical and practical work, especially with regard to the land of nature conservation and recreational purposes. Dealing with significant problems can only be done by securing the legal and regulatory framework necessary for the implementation of practical visibility of the tasks. On our thought, all the significance of the legal glades and colossus canbe solved for accepting the separate law of Ukraine “On the Land of Recreational Significance,” in which it would be clearly defined which lands belong to this category, their composition, use and in the presence of the necessary qualified specials.

Geoinformation support for the management of lands of the nature reserve fund within the Kyiv region

The nature reserve fund and other protected areas that have this status are of great importance for the purposes of rational use and protection of land resources. In this context, the main purpose of the study presented in this article was the formation of scientific approaches to the effective management of the lands of the nature reserve fund based on the use of modern geographic information support. It is emphasized that the area of lands of the nature reserve fund and other nature protection purposes has a low percentage and requires bringing their share to at least 15%. An important problem is the lack of projected boundaries of the lands of the nature reserve fund for most of these objects with their subsequent inclusion in the National cadastral system.An approach is proposed according to which a geospatial database is formed, which contains a set of information about all objects of the nature reserve fund and other nature conservation purposes within the territory of the Kyiv region and the results of completed land management projects on the organization and establishment of their boundaries. It is established that the formed verified geospatial data of the objects of the nature reserve fund open the possibility to improve the quality of management processes and gradual transition to decision-making based on analytical information.

Assessment of natural resource potential of territories disturbed by mining works in the context of effective use of post-technogenic landscape

In the article, the concepts of natural resource potential, post-technogenic landscape, and anthropogenic transformation are defined. The difference between quantitative and qualitative changes in the natural ecological system is considered. The types of resource waste and natural resources promising for use are analyzed. An assessment of the natural resource potential of the territories affected by mining operations is presented. The assessment is carried out on the example of the Kryvyi Rih iron ore complex. The use of renewable energy sources is considered as the most important prospects for the development of post-technogenic landscapes in mining regions, the main advantages of using renewable energy sources are determined. In the context of the effective use of post-technogenic landscapes, the potential of solar energy and wind power plants (wind turbines) was investigated. Calculations of the efficiency of the use of renewable energy sources in the territories disturbed by mining operations are given. A comparison of the efficiency of wind turbines (electricity production) in the conditions of Kryvbas dump sites with vertical and horizontal wind power plants is made taking into account the height of the location. Evidence is presented regarding the feasibility of using windmills with a vertical axis of turbine rotation. It is established that vertical wind power plants can produce electricity 7 times more than traditional (horizontal) ones. The main factors that determine the need for the development of non-traditional sources of energy in Ukraine are determined. The possibility of using post-technogenic landscapes for nature conservation, recreational and tourist purposes is considered. Examples of the use of the natural resource potential of territories disturbed by mining operations during open-pit mining operations are given, and the use of disturbed lands in the coal industry is discussed. Possibilities of involving post-technogenic landscapes in the economic activity of mining regions are considered. In the article, the authors prove that the degree of transformation of the natural resource potential of territories disturbed by mining operations determines the possibility of reclamation or use of these territories for the needs of society. Keywords: natural resource potential, territories affected by mining operations, landscape transformation, renewable energy sources, solar energy, wind power plants, vertical windmills, horizontal windmills, reclamation of territories, use of post-technogenic landscapes, man-made landscape.

Konik, Tarpan, European wild horse: An origin story with conservation implications

Horses are gaining importance in European nature conservation management, for which usually so-called primitive breeds are favored due to their claimed robustness. An increasingly popular breed, the Konik horse, is often said to be the direct descendent of the alleged European wild horse, the Tarpan. However, both the direct descent of the Konik from European wild horses and the existence of the Tarpan as a wild species are highly debated. In this review, we scrutinized both contemporary research and historical sources and suggest that the Tarpan and the Konik as its direct descendent are manmade myths that hinder effective conservation management. We did not find evidence that the Tarpan was a wild horse rather than a feral horse. We did not find any evidence either for a closer connection between the Konik and any extinct wild horse than between other domestic breeds and wild horses. We discuss three perspectives on why the myth has become widely accepted and survived to this day: a historical-political, a biological-ecological, and an emotional perspective. It seems that the origin story of the Konik and its connection to the Tarpan was shaped by personal and political interests, including nationalistic ideas. These as well as general human emotions towards horses have influenced researchers and laypeople to keep the myth alive, which has been possibly negatively impacting contemporary nature conservation. Indeed, today’s Koniks originated from a small founder population of only six male lines that were selected according to their phenotypic traits, with the aim to rebreed the ‘wild Tarpan’. Strict breeding practices have led to high inbreeding levels in recent Konik populations, which may undermine nature conservation purposes. Therefore, we suggest that mythologized origin stories should not be an argument for selecting breeds of grazers for nature conservation.

The role of haphazardly executed conservation treatments in the preservation of botanical values on the shore of Lake Balaton

Most semi-natural habitats in Europe have been traditionally maintained by grazing or mowing, which halted successional changes and preserved biodiversity on a higher level. Since the 1950s the large-scale mechanisation of agriculture resulted in expansion of cropland and the abandonment of grasslands became an increasing issue in Europe. Recognizing the negative consequences of abandonment in the diversity of wildlife, habitat reconstruction interventions for mainly nature conservation purposes began in the 1980s to preserve the biodiversity of these semi-natural habitats.

Diversity of property regimes of Mediterranean coastal lagoons in S. France; implications for coastal zone management

We provide a cartography of the current property regimes of permanent coastal lagoons along the coastlines of the Mediterranean Sea for continental France and Corsica, which include both private and public properties. In France, for the latter, the State Domain Code and the General Code of the property of public persons make a clear difference between Public Domain and private property of the different public entities. Public domain represents property that is imprescriptible and inalienable, i.e. the property rights cannot be changed in the future and neither transferred nor sold to somebody else. In contrast, private properties of public entities can be sold or transferred to thirds. Maritime Public Domain (DPM) was created since 1681. DPM has accommodated Public Domain for the French coastal lagoons following their legal definition as “salty ponds (French étangs salés) with a direct, natural and permanent connection with the sea”. However, private landlords battled juridically with the State for centuries both by attacking the pertinence of this definition and claiming ancestral property rights. As a result, before 1980, more than half of the coastal lagoons comprised private properties, representing about a quarter of the lagoon surface. Twelve of 40 coastal lagoons comprise DPM, mainly the larger lagoons (e.g., Salses-Leucate, many lagoons close to Narbonne, Thau lagoon, Berre lagoon), representing 65% of the total lagoon surface. Since its foundation in 1975, the Conservatoire du Littoral, a public body in charge of coastal nature protection, has bought private coastal lagoons properties in twenty of 40 lagoons, representing 22% of the total lagoon surface. These have been designated as inalienable and imprescriptible “Public Domain of the Conservatoire”, safeguarded for nature conservation purposes. Nowadays, private ownership still persists in 13 lagoons representing 3.3% of total surface. The Coastal lagoons in Roussillon (Etangs du Canet and Salses-Leucate), the Hérault department, in the Camargue and in Corsica currently show variable and sometimes fragmented ownership (in addition to the Conservatoire, DPM, private ownership, municipalities, departments). Fragmented ownership is a clear difficulty for the integrated management of coastal lagoons. With currently, 87% of the coastal lagoons as Public Domain, public law and the environmental code have to evolve to tackle the challenges for the conservation and management of coastal lagoons and their connectivity with the other ecosystems on land and in the sea.

Natural plant species inventory of hotspot areas in Arabian Peninsula: Southwest Al-Baha region, Saudi Arabia.

Plant hotspot areas are the areas that are very rich in plant species diversity. These areas have a priority for conservation. To highlight the plant diversity for nature conservation purposes a case study in Al Baha region, Saudi Arabia is presented, in which the importance of the natural vegetation and flora of one of the hotspot areas of Saudi Arabia is evaluated through the explanation of its natural plant species. A survey study has been conducted in an area of 167.6 km2, a 97 sample each with 20X20 m were laid out covering the whole ecological zones of the study site. Data of flora, vegetation cover and topography were gathered from each sample site. The study revealed about 319 plant species belonging to 228 genera and 75 families. Two species were found endemic to Saudi Arabia, 14 were endemics to Arabian Peninsula, and five were regional endemics that are only found in East Africa and Arabian Peninsula, while 39 species are rare and endangered.

ISO Cluster classifier by ArcGIS for unsupervised classification of the Landsat TM image of Reykjavík

The paper presents the use of the Landsat TM image processed by the ArcGIS Spatial Analyst Tool for environmental mapping of southwestern Iceland, region of Reykjavik. Iceland is one of the most special Arctic regions with unique flora and landscapes. Its environment is presented by vulnerable ecosystems of highlands where vegetation is affected by climate, human or geologic factors: overgrazing, volcanism, annual temperature change. Therefore, mapping land cover types in Iceland contribute to the nature conservation, sustainable development and environmental monitoring purposes. This paper starts by review of the current trends in remote sensing, the importance of Landsat TM imagery for environmental mapping in general and Iceland in particular, and the requirements of GIS specifically for satellite image analysis. This is followed by the extended methodological workflow supported by illustrative print screens and technical description of data processing in ArcGIS. The data used in this research include Landsat TM image which was captured using GloVis and processed in ArcGIS. The methodology includes a workflow involving several technical steps of raster data processing in ArcGIS: 1) coordinate projecting, 2) panchromatic sharpening, 3) inspection of raster statistics, 4) spectral bands combination, 5) calculations, 6) unsupervised classification, 7) mapping. The classification was done by clustering technique using ISO Cluster algorithm and Maximum Likelihood Classification. This paper finally presents the results of the ISO Cluster application for Landsat TM image processing and concludes final remarks on the perspectives of environmental mapping based on Landsat TM image processing in ArcGIS.The results of the classification present landscapes divided into eight distinct land cover classes: 1) bare soils; 2) shrubs and smaller trees in the river valleys, urban areas including green spaces; 3) water areas; 4) forests including the Reykjanesfólkvangur National reserve; 5) ice-covered areas, glaciers and cloudy regions; 6) ravine valleys with a sparse type of the vegetation: rowan, alder, heathland, wetland; 7) rocks; 8) mixed areas. The final remarks include the discussion on the development of machine learning methods and opportunities of their technical applications in GIS-based analysis and Earth Observation data processing in ArcGIS, including image analysis and classification, mapping and visualization, machine learning and environmental applications for decision making in forestry and sustainable development.

Recovery of methanogenic community and its activity in long-term drained peatlands after rewetting

Peatland rewetting is a widely used restoration technique, yet the recovery of anaerobic processes is poorly characterized. Microbes involved in anaerobic processes, especially methanogens, could reflect the stabilization of anaerobic conditions, vegetation succession and overall restoration success.We investigated the effect of long-term drainage and hydrological rewetting on methanogenic abundance, community composition and CH4 production potential in bogs and spruce swamp forests. Additionally, the substrate limitation of methanogens was tested with a focus on original peatland plant species and their spreading after rewetting by addition of natural substrates.Drainage strongly reduced the abundance and diversity of the methanogenic community. After rewetting, methanogenic abundance and community composition reached almost a pristine-like state, however their CH4 production remained as low as in the drained sites. Substrate addition confirmed the substrate limitation of methanogens due to strongly decomposed peat and the slow spreading of original peatland vegetation. The addition of natural substrates supported methanogenesis close to a pristine-like level.The limited CH4 production reflected not fully recovered anaerobic microbial community composition and vegetation structure 7–16 years after rewetting, although anaerobic conditions seemed to stabilize. Thus, the re-establishment of peatland vegetation structure is crucial for the recovery of methanogenic activity and microbial processes in rewetted peatlands. Moreover, methanogenic community composition, abundance and activity could be used as indicators of restoration success. Originality significant statementPeatland drainage is increasingly recognized as a major problem affecting the status of valuable natural habitats, water quality and global carbon balance. Rewetting projects are set up to combat and mitigate the losses; yet not enough is known about the recovery of anaerobic processes, especially methanogenesis, which are assumed to reflect stabilization of anaerobic conditions and overall restoration success. Forestry-drained spruce swamp forests and bogs, common in northern Europe, are currently rewetted for both nature conservation purposes and for their anticipated function as hydrological buffers, but information on the recovery of anaerobic microbial communities and especially methanogens are only partly known.Our study concerns the effect of long-term drainage and hydrological rewetting on methanogenic abundance, community composition and activity (CH4 production potential) in undrained, drained and rewetted bogs and spruce swamp forests in the Bohemian Forest, Central Europe. We searched for a reason of limited methanogenic activity in rewetted sites by addition of natural substrates simulating the spreading of original peatland plants (Sphagnum, sedges). This paper contributes to scientific understanding on how long it takes for rewetted peatlands to recover anaerobic microbial communities, anaerobic processes and what are the crucial factors in this process. These results provides a basis for further studies on the trophic relations between anaerobic microbes and recovery of the drained peatlands after rewetting. This study can also extend a set of indicators which should be use for restoration progress evaluation.

Modelling the spatial dynamics of Maui dolphins using individual-based models

The current anthropogenic impacts on nature necessitate more research for nature conservation and restoration purposes. To answer ecological and conservation questions concerning endangered species, individual-based modelling is an obvious choice. Individual-based models can provide reliable results that may be used to predict the effects of different future conservation strategies, once calibrated correctly. Here, we calibrate an individual-based model of Maui dolphin movement, which generates Maui dolphin probability distribution maps. We used sighting data for calibration of the chosen parameter combinations; for each simulation run, collected simulated data was compared to the empirical survey data, resulting in cost (Badness-of-Fit) estimates. Using costs of four different aspects of dolphin behaviour, we estimated the most likely parameter combinations. With optimized parameter values, Maui dolphin probability distribution maps were created, resulting in distributions that fall well outside of the current protection zones where either gillnets or trawling or both are prohibited. With these results, protected areas can be properly adjusted to the estimated distribution of this critically endangered species and so aid in their conservation.

Indexing the vulnerability of biotopes to landscape changes

Biodiversity loss is one of the great challenges of our times, and it is primarily driven by losses of natural and semi-natural areas. To avoid further biodiversity losses, landscape planning and ecosystem management could benefit from a condensed measure that tracks regional and cumulative ecological degradation from past and ongoing landscape changes. The affected species communities can be described spatially explicit by biotopes. A vulnerability map of biotopes will identify areas with a high potential to be adversely affected and a low capacity to recover. These vulnerability hot spots may require specific protection and maintenance interventions to be sustained.Following the interdisciplinary vulnerability concept, an indicator set related to landscape change was developed for the biotopes of the biosphere reserve Schorfheide-Chorin (Germany), which have been mapped as vector data according to the Brandenburg mapping key. The indicator set was structured into indicators of biotope exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. It covered patch metrics, like the size, the fractal dimension, and the amount of similar patches in the surrounding of each patch, as well as class metrics, like the mesh size, the state of endangerment and the average dispersal range of each biotope type.The resulting vulnerability index covered a biotope area of around 130,000 ha, and the study area could be extended readily. European biotopes are already mapped and monitored across large areas, primarily for nature conservation purposes. The biotope vulnerability index developed within this study is intended for application at large spatial scales and has the potential for a straightforward transfer to biotope maps from other German federal states and European regions.