Reserve Boundaries Research Articles

Assumptions about fence permeability influence density estimates for brown hyaenas across South Africa

Wildlife population density estimates provide information on the number of individuals in an area and influence conservation management decisions. Thus, accuracy is vital. A dominant feature in many landscapes globally is fencing, yet the implications of fence permeability on density estimation using spatial capture-recapture modelling are seldom considered. We used camera trap data from 15 fenced reserves across South Africa to examine the density of brown hyaenas (Parahyaena brunnea). We estimated density and modelled its relationship with a suite of covariates when fenced reserve boundaries were assumed to be permeable or impermeable to hyaena movements. The best performing models were those that included only the influence of study site on both hyaena density and detection probability, regardless of assumptions of fence permeability. When fences were considered impermeable, densities ranged from 2.55 to 15.06 animals per 100 km2, but when fences were considered permeable, density estimates were on average 9.52 times lower (from 0.17 to 1.59 animals per 100 km2). Fence permeability should therefore be an essential consideration when estimating density, especially since density results can considerably influence wildlife management decisions. In the absence of strong evidence to the contrary, future studies in fenced areas should assume some degree of permeability in order to avoid overestimating population density.

Anthropogenic edge effects in habitat selection by sun bears in a protected area

Wildlife populations in southeast Asia are increasingly experiencing a broad array of anthropogenic threats, and mammalian carnivores are particularly vulnerable. Populations of the Malayan sun bear Helarctos malayanus are estimated to have declined by 30% over the last 30 years from forest conversion to industrial plantations and mortality associated with human–bear conflicts and illegal wildlife trade. However, the effects of industrial plantations on habitat selection and activity patterns of mammals that live at the protected area-plantation interface, including sun bears, are not well known. We investigated habitat selection and activity patterns of sun bears in Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Sabah, Malaysia. We deployed 83 remote camera sites to record sun bear detections during two sampling periods (2012–2013 and 2017). We used generalized linear models to examine relationships between sun bear presence and site covariates representing physical, environmental and anthropogenic elements of the landscape. Relative probability of sun bear presence was positively associated with distance to roads and elevation. Because most roads were on the reserve boundary and often associated with oil palm plantations, proximity to roads likely served as a surrogate measure of human accessibility and activity in peripheral areas of the reserve. Supporting that interpretation, sun bears close to the reserve boundary were primarily active at night, whereas daytime activity was more common for bears in the interior. Our findings indicate that sun bears alter behaviour and habitat selection likely in response to anthropogenic activities at the edges of Tabin Wildlife Reserve (112 200 ha). Because the ratio of edge to interior increases steeply with declining habitat area, smaller protected areas bordered by plantations are predicted to have greater impacts on sun bear behaviour and, potentially, population persistence. Effective conservation actions may benefit from management to improve the security of edge habitats for sun bears and other vulnerable species.

A Wealth of Sovereign Choices: Tax Implications of McGirt v. Oklahoma and the Promise of Tribal Economic Development

Justice Neil Gorsuch’s now famous opening line in McGirt v. Oklahoma will long be remembered by Indigenous Nations as one of the most powerful judicial statements in the history of federal Indian law: “On the far end of the Trail of Tears was a promise.” McGirt is a landmark United States Supreme Court decision that rejects Oklahoma’s century-long presumption that no Indian reservations remained in present-day Oklahoma. Acting on that presumption, Oklahoma had long exercised civil and criminal jurisdiction over most of the State, including Indians and non-Indians alike.In reaffirming the reservation boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Court rejected Oklahoma’s exercise of criminal jurisdiction over a major crime committed by an Indian within Indian country. The implications of the McGirt decision are potentially far-reaching and will likely extend to both criminal and civil jurisdiction of federal, state, local, and tribal governments. The reaffirmed reservations of the similarly situated “Five Tribes” collectively span half of the state of Oklahoma. This article explores one aspect of the potential civil jurisdictional implications of McGirt: the sovereign power of taxation. We include a detailed analysis of what has changed, and what remains the same for purposes of federal, tribal, state, and local taxing authority.McGirt is heralded as ushering in substantial changes for the eastern half of Oklahoma. However, in order for the Five Tribes to fully realize all treaty-based promises, the McGirt decision must lead to more than just increased criminal justice system responsibilities for the federal and tribal governments. The “promise” Justice Gorsuch highlights was not simply an empty promise of geographic boundaries, it also included a permanent homeland with fully functioning tribal governments, including the power of taxation. With the reaffirmation of reservation boundaries and the reassumption of many governmental responsibilities, the Five Tribes must necessarily have the power to raise meaningful revenue to govern. If the Five Tribes and Oklahoma play their collective economic cards right, big change could come in the form of positive economic outcomes. Economists predict, or at least hope for, a post-COVID economic revival for rural communities in America’s heartland. To assist in this economic revival, the Five Tribes’ reservations could serve as laboratories for the formulation of economic development strategies that could serve as blueprints for other parts of rural America. For that to happen in eastern Oklahoma, McGirt will need to live up to its full potential, becoming much more than an overturned criminal conviction from inside Indian country. This article suggests several law and policy choices available to the Five Tribes, including how to maximize tax incentives to grow the reservation population base and support a diverse economy through small business and enterprise scale development. The article includes a call to action for tribal governments to formulate long-term economic strategies that will take advantage of tax attributes that attach to the various reaffirmed reservations. In conclusion, the article suggests possible compact arrangements with other Indigenous nations and with Oklahoma’s state and local governments. If the challenge of sovereignty is accepted, the Five Tribes have an opportunity to reconfirm and expand government powers that have been denied them for over a century, including the power to make the same sovereign tax choices afforded other sovereigns worldwide.

The World's Largest Ecosystem Management Plan: The Northwest Forest Plan After a Quarter-Century

For decades, the public forests of the Pacific Northwest were subject to widespread clearcutting of its old-growth trees as part of a federal policy promoting industrial logging. That era came to end in the early 1990s, due to court injunctions enforcing environmental laws like the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Forest Management Act, a response to diminishing old-growth dependent species like the northern spotted owl. Fulfilling a campaign promise to resolve the contentious issue by protecting both wildlife habitat and a logging industry important to local communities, President Clinton and his administration conducted a remarkable 1993 symposium on the economics and science of preserving rapidly disappearing habitat for ESA-listed species like the northern spotted owl and several salmonids. The result was the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan (NFP), widely recognized as the largest commitment to ecosystem management worldwide. Somewhat surprisingly, the NFP is still in effect over a quarter-century later, despite determined efforts to eviscerate it by the logging industry and its political allies. This article examines the NFP, its antecedents, its provisions, its court interpretations, and its future. In many respects, despite persistent controversy over the legal underpinnings of the NFP, the plan has provided substantial protection for Northwest’s public forests, and – although it did not end all public timber harvests – largely ended harvesting of public old-growth forests. Moreover, the plan’s aquatic protection strategy has proved quite effective and worthy of emulation elsewhere. Although the Bush administration’s repeated efforts to terminate the plan failed, the Obama administration removed about ten percent of the federal forests subject to the plan from its reach, substantially undermining its ecological premises. The courts have so far sustained these removals, casting a pall of uncertainty over efforts to update the NFP to reflect current challenges posed by wildfires and climate change. This article suggests that the goals of a revised NFP should be linked to the role that federal public Pacific Northwest forests can play in the United States’ international obligations to combat climate change. The article also recommends that despite ongoing uncertainty concerning the scope of the plan, revisions of the NFP should end post-fire salvage logging and the logging of mature and old growth forests, while providing a “just transition” for affected rural communities and increased flexibility concerning the boundaries of protective terrestrial reserves in the southern reaches of the plan. We maintain that if it can overcome persistent political challenges, the NFP will continue to provide the signature example of landscape planning worldwide.

Inventario, abundancia y distribución espacial de mamíferos marinos y aves en las Islas Galápagos durante el Crucero Oceanográfico (Bae Orión) en abril 2009: Implicaciones para conservación

Field surveys to determine the species, relative abundance and spatial distribution of marine mammals and sea birds were conducted during theoceanographic cruise onboard the BAE Orion around the Galapagos Islands and the Ecuadorian coast on April 02-23, 2009. A total of 90 sightings ofmarine mammals, including eleven species identified, were performed. Among the cetaceans, the following species and mean group size (mean ±SD, n) were recorded: Blue Whale, Balaenoptera musculus (1, n=1); Pilot Whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus (from 24 ± 22.6 to 29 ± 29.7, n =2);Sperm Whale, Physeter macrocephalus (4 ± 4.24, n=2); Fraser’s Dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei (300, n=1); Stripped Dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba(60, n=1); Pantropical Spotted Dolphin, Stenella attenuata (from 175 ± 35.4 to 200 ± 70.7, n=2); Short-beaked Common dolphin, Delphinusdelphis (119 ± 65, n=5); and, Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus (102 ±172, n=7). The two endemic species Galapagos pinnipeds, the Galapagossea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki), and the Galapagos fur seal (Arctocephalus galapagoensis), were also reported. Furthermore, sixteen species of sea birds from 460 sightings (1,490 birds) were identified, including two species critically endangered (CR) under the IUCN-threatened categories: the Galapagos albatross (Phoebastria irrorata), and the Galapagos Petrel (Pterodroma phaeopygia). The major sea bird species and relative abundance (number of birds) throughout the cruise track were, Galapagos/Waved albatross, P. irrorata (15); Galapagos Petrel, P. phaeopygia (24); Galapagos Shearwater, Puffinus subalaris (123); Cape Petrel, Daption capense (1); Parkinson’s Petrel, Procellaria parkinsoni (5); Pink-footed Shearwater, Puffinus creatopus (1); Wedge-rumped Storm Pertrel, Oceanodroma tethys tethys (144); Swallow-tailed Gull, Larus furcatus (119); Blue-footed Booby, Sula nebouxii excisa (46);The Nazcabobby, Sula granti (797); Red-footed Booby, Sula sula websteri (200); Magnificent Frigatebird, Fregata magnificens magnificens (11); Red-billedTropic Bird, Phaethon aethereus (11); and, Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis urinator (1). The Nazca bobby was the most abundant speciesaccounting for 51% of the total abundance of sea bird species. Most of the sightings of sea birds and marine mammal species were abundant andaggregated in places southwestern Galapagos (0º–2ºS; 94–91ºW), where generally nutrient-enriched, upwelling areas are found. However, during thecruise the areas showing the highest values of primary productivity (0.46- 0.50 mg/m3) were detected southeast of the Galapagos around 2–3ºS and88ºW, where a high abundance of sea birds was also observed. These observations underline the potential use of these warm- blooded, marinevertebrates as eco-markers of primary productivity. Several sea birds and marine mammals, including threatened species, were recorded in foragingareas off the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) boundaries, implying the risk of by catch due to long-line fisheries, gillnets and other anthropogenicimpacts in these unprotected areas

A Familiar Crossroads: McGirt v. Oklahoma and the Future of the Federal Indian Law Canon

Federal Indian law forms part of the bedrock of American jurisprudence. Indeed, critical parts of the pre-civil war constitutional canon were defined in federal Indian law cases that simultaneously provided legal justification for American westward expansion onto unceded Indian lands. As a result, federal Indian law makes up an inextricable part of American rule of law. Despite its importance, federal Indian law follows a long and circuitous road that requires “wander[ing] the maze of Indian statutes and case law tracing back [over] 100 years.” That road has long oscillated between two poles, with the Supreme Court sometimes applying foundational principles that view tribes as sovereigns “retaining all their original natural rights,” and at other times treating tribes as mere “wards subject to a [self-imposed] guardian.” Supreme Court respect for tribal sovereignty and self-determination reached its zenith in the so-called “modern era” of federal Indian law, spanning from 1959 through the late 1970s. During this era, the Court tended to adhere to federal Indian jurisprudence and solidified a relatively coherent doctrine based upon the foundational principles developed in the 1830s. The late Dean David Getches described the modern era as a time that “encouraged a reinvigoration of tribal governments throughout the country. During this period, tribes gained political influence and economic security as [the federal government] generally promoted a policy of tribal self-determination.” The Court turned away from its foundational Indian law principles with the onset of the 1980s and the departure intensified as Chief Justice William Rehnquist was appointed chief justice in 1986. Since then, the touchstone of the Supreme Court’s federal Indian jurisprudence has been to employ a “subjectivist” approach whereby it “gauges tribal sovereignty as a function of changing conditions”—demographic, social, political, and economic—and the expectations of non-Indians that may be potentially by the exercise of tribal power. As a result, the Supreme Court became a strikingly hostile place for American Indian tribes as the Court became increasingly willing to divest tribes of governmental powers, not by upholding the enactments of Congress, but through its own interpretation of what tribal inherent governmental rights ought to be. The appointment of Justice Sonia Sotomayor and, more recently, Justice Neil Gorsuch seems to have brought change to the Court’s direction in Indian law cases. Since then, cases have been consistently decided in favor of tribal litigants by reaffirming treaty rights through the application of foundational principles that focus on the plain language of treaties and the application of the Indian canons of construction. However, to be sure, even the Rehnquist Court did “recite[] and sometimes act[] upon foundation principles,” but those cases were limited to situations where “non-Indian interests [were] not seriously threatened.” All of Indian Country waited for, or perhaps dreaded, a true litmus test. That test came to the Supreme Court in the form of two Indian law cases—Sharp v. Murphy and McGirt v. Oklahoma—both of which were framed by non-Indian parties to affect the interests of an estimated 1.8 million people in eastern half Oklahoma. Ready or not, Indian Country found its test case, which squarely placed the Court’s competing jurisprudential philosophies— its foundation principles versus its “subjectivist” approach—on a collision course. In a powerful and uncharacteristically passionate decision, Justice Gorsuch wrote for a 5-4 majority, upholding treaty-based rights to re-recognize the historic reservation boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the fourth largest Indigenous nation in the United States. The decision was the fourth consecutive treaty-rights victory and seemed to solidify a shift toward a consistent approach rooted in foundational principles. The victory was short-lived. Just weeks after the Court’s decision in McGirt, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away, once again shifting the make-up of the United States Supreme Court. As a result, Federal Indian law once again finds itself at a crossroads. The Murphy and McGirt decisions are landmark decisions that bring change to the legal landscape of much of Oklahoma. It remains to be seen whether the perceived new Supreme Court era in Indian law is here to stay.

Assessing site-safeguard effectiveness and habitat preferences of Bar-headed Geese (Anser indicus) at their stopover sites within the\xa0Qinghai-Tibet Plateau using GPS/GSM telemetry

BackgroundThe Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus) breeds across the high plains and plateau of Central Asia and winters in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the Indian sub-continent. Of the two recognized discrete flyways of the Bar-headed Goose, the Eastern Tibetan Flyway (ETF) is the larger, comprising at least six migration routes. However, we remain ignorant about their migratory connectivity, habitat use and effectiveness of site-safeguard mechanisms set in place for the species.MethodsWe tracked 30 ETF Bar-headed Geese from Chinese and Mongolian breeding areas to their wintering grounds using GPS/GSM transmitters, to determine their migration routes and stopover staging patterns within the QTP, overlaying these upon GIS layers of protected area status and habitat type, to model their habitat selection.ResultsIn total, 14 tagged Bar-headed Geese provided information on their entire autumn migration and 4 geese on their entire spring migration. Qinghai Lake marked birds overwintered in the QTP (n = 2), geese tagged in Mongolia wintered either in the QTP (n = 3) or in India/Bangladesh (n = 9), representing three of the migration routes within the ETF. In total, tagged birds staged at 79 different stopover sites within QTP in autumn and 23 in spring, of which 65% (autumn) and 59% (spring) of all fixes fell within the boundaries of either National Nature Reserves (NNRs) or Important Birds Areas (IBAs) in the QTP. Bar-headed Geese predominantly occurred on four land-cover types: grassland (mostly by day), water bodies (at night), wetlands and bare substrates (salt flats, dry lake/river substrates and plough) with little change in proportion. Generalized linear mixed models comparing presence with pseudo-absence data suggested geese strongly selected for wetlands as staging habitat, avoiding bare substrates in spring.ConclusionsBased on our limited observations of these tagged geese, this study is the first to show that the current designated National Nature Reserves in place in the staging areas within the QTP appear adequate to protect this increasing population. In addition, Hala Lake in Qinghai Province and adjacent areas used as initial QTP staging during autumn migration (currently outside of designated as NNRs/IBAs) are recommended for protection, based on their use by tagged birds from this study. Habitat modelling confirmed the importance of natural wetlands as feeding areas and safe areas of open water as roosting places.

Protected area evaluation for the conservation of endangered Amazon river dolphins (Inia geoffrensis)

The potential value of protected areas for the conservation of cetaceans is widely recognized; however, few evaluation methods exist to assess their effectiveness. In this study, a modeling approach based on long-term mark-recapture/resight data was used to assess the effectiveness of a Brazilian reserve in protecting endangered Amazon River dolphins or boto (Inia geoffrensis), a species killed for use as fish bait. We built an annual discrete-time model with subdivisions based on hydrological periods and age classes. It included transition probabilities in and out of the reserve that were estimated utilizing multi-state mark-recapture models. To evaluate five reserve configurations, we re-estimated the transition probabilities to represent changes in the reserve boundaries. Model predictions showed that four scenarios, including one representing the existing boundaries, would be insufficient to protect the local boto population (no = 528) and a steep decline in abundance would occur in the next 50 years (0 ≤ n50 ≤ 108). However, one reserve configuration, encompassing both flooded forests and adjacent river habitats, and including beaches and channel/floodplain entrances, resulted in a nearly stable population in the same time frame (n50 = 515). These findings suggest that, with careful design and efficient management, protected areas could be an effective conservation tool for boto populations that exhibit site fidelity to Amazonian floodplains. With appropriate mark-recapture/resight data, the modeling framework employed could be extended to evaluate and design protected areas for populations of other species in other systems.

The African golden cat Caracal aurata in Tanzania: first record and vulnerability assessment

AbstractWe report on the first population found in Tanzania of the Vulnerable African golden cat Caracal aurata, extending its documented range c. 200 km to the south and south-east. This is one of the least-known and truly forest-dependent felines in Africa, ranging across the Guinea–Congolian forest block. We recorded the new population in Minziro Nature Forest Reserve, north-west Tanzania, during a 3-month survey in 2018. We deployed 70 camera traps on a regular grid and obtained 33 detection events of the golden cat at 26% of sites, with a minimum of 10 individuals across 257 km2. We estimated occupancy and detection probability and modelled these in relation to the distance of sampling sites to the forest edge, which coincides with both the Reserve boundary and proximity to human settlements surrounding the Reserve. Mean estimated occupancy was 0.41 ± SE 0.12 (mean detectability = 0.13 ± SE 0.05), with occupancy increasing significantly with distance from the forest edge. Detectability did not vary significantly with distance from the forest edge, but was higher for camera models that had a shorter trigger time. Our findings add to the scant data available for this species. It appears threatened by human activity, which we recorded both outside and within the Reserve, and the presence of the species indicates Minziro Forest is an important site for its conservation.

Insect Diversity of Sg. Kangkawat Research Station in Imbak Canyon Conservation Area (ICCA), Sabah

The nocturnal insect diversity was very high, with more than 100 insect species in a square metre in all light-trapping sites. The mean Shannon Index was 4.60 while Simpson Index was 176.72. It is interesting to note that Sg. Kangkawat insect richness appears to be the second highest after Crocker Range, when compared with 25 other forest reserves in Sabah. There were more than 13 endemic species and a subspecies recorded during the survey, including an undescribed species of moth (Geometridae, Plutodes sp.). In view of the high diversity and intriguing insect fauna, Sg Kangkawat Research Station has potential in promoting nature tourism for special interest tourists. Encroachment is among the threats within this forest reserve. For the general public, the boundary of some parts of the forest reserve is still not clear. Hence, it is important to have more signages to denote the forest reserve boundary. Public awareness and environmental education have to be enhanced among the local communities so that they are aware of the significance of biodiversity conservation of forest resources. The threats and issues have indirectly affected the insect fauna. As such, the forest quality would have to be enhanced in order to maintain the interesting and endemic insect fauna for biodiversity conservation. On-going cooperation with the relevant authorities, such as Sabah Forestry Department and Sabah Wildlife Department, will enhance conservation efforts and curb future encroachment. Further biodiversity research with relevant agencies should be encouraged.

Congregations of a threatened species: mitigating impacts from Grey-headed Flying-fox Pteropus poliocephalus camps on the Batemans Bay community

ABSTRACT Flying-fox camps in urban areas are a contentious wildlife management issue. Since 2012, Grey-headed Flying-foxes Pteropus poliocephalus have regularly occupied two camps in Batemans Bay, New South Wales (NSW). At one site, the Water Gardens, impacts on adjacent residents and businesses occur when animals roost near the reserve boundaries. During March–July 2016, a large influx of flying-foxes arrived, causing the camps to spread into neighbouring residential, recreational and industrial areas. Prior to this, impacts had been mitigated through vegetation clearing to create buffer zones and residential subsidies for mitigation equipment and services. The influx warranted additional measures such as a dispersal program and further vegetation removal, which were expedited by the Commonwealth Government granting a National Interest Exemption under section 158 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the NSW Government committing $2.5 million in funding towards the new measures. These measures moved flying-foxes from key conflict areas but also coincided with flying-fox numbers reducing as local blossom diminished. Ongoing community engagement played an important role in building community resilience to live with this threatened species, which is vital considering that Batemans Bay will likely continue to be an important area for flying-foxes.

Indian Country Post McGirt: Implications for Traditional Energy Development and Beyond

The decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma is being heralded as the most important Indian law decision of the last 100 years, as it affirmed the reservation boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Reservation – an area long considered by many to be under Oklahoma’s jurisdiction. Yet, following release of the Court’s decision, the outcry from the oil and gas industry was almost instantaneous, as roughly twenty five percent of Oklahoma’s oil and gas well and sixty percent of its oil refineries are impacted by the Court’s decision. Additionally, the territory affected by the Court’s decision also includes pipelines crucial to the successful operation of the nationwide Keystone XL pipeline. While the Court was clear that its holding was limited to criminal jurisdiction under the Major Crimes Act, the decision nonetheless has broader implications for Indian country, including natural resource development and regulatory framework. Because the oil and gas industry will now have to work with tribes and the federal government instead of favorable state officials, industry officials decry the Court’s decision as being detrimental to the industry. But what exactly will be the impact of the Court’s McGirt decision on the oil and gas industry, and the natural resources development in Indian country more broadly? While the full impacts of the Court’s decision are only beginning to unfold, this Article seeks to answer the questions left hanging by the Court’s decision as they relate to traditional energy development. This Article explores the future impacts of the McGirt decision on traditional energy development. The second Part of the article summarizes the legal background that governs oil and gas development in Indian country. Part three provides an in-depth analysis of McGirt—first, describing its predecessor, Sharp v. Murphy, followed by an explanation of McGirt and its holding. The article concludes by discussing future implications of McGirt, including what it means for oil and gas development going forward as well as collateral effects. The article constitutes an important scholarly contribution as it answers important questions left open after the Court’s decision and explains how the Court’s decision has broader implications for Indian country and natural resource development generally.

Synergies and tradeoffs among Sustainable Development Goals across boundaries in a metacoupled world

Synergies and tradeoffs among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within specific locations have been widely studied. However, there is little understanding of SDG synergies and tradeoffs across spatial/administrative boundaries although the world is increasingly interconnected and the United Nations aims to achieve SDGs everywhere by 2030. To fill such an important gap, we introduce a new theoretical framework and develop a general procedure of applying the framework to empirically evaluate SDG synergies and tradeoffs within and across boundaries, based on the concept of metacoupling. We work through our framework using the examples of tourism and panda loans between the globally important Wolong Nature Reserve for panda conservation and the rest of the world to evaluate their effects on six SDGs in Wolong and the other 66 panda reserves. Our analyses uncover a total of 17 synergies and two tradeoffs, of which 10 synergies and one tradeoff are internal to Wolong, while seven synergies and one tradeoff occur across reserve boundaries. Given the first empirical evidence about cross-boundary synergies and tradeoffs, it is our hope that this study provides a foundation for further research to reveal more SDG synergies and tradeoffs across boundaries worldwide. The findings will be essential to enhance SDG synergies and reduce tradeoffs across boundaries for achieving SDGs everywhere.

Enhanced biodiversity and abundance of benthic invertebrate macrofauna in a New Zealand marine reserve

Abstract No‐take marine reserves are an important management tool in the conservation and restoration of marine habitats around the world. They are intended to provide spatial refugia for exploited species and to protect sensitive habitat and biodiversity hot spots. Despite strong evidence that marine reserves enhance overall biodiversity, it is not clear that this effect extends to all taxonomic groups. Most marine reserves are designed to protect large mobile fauna. Their effect on small sessile benthic invertebrates is unclear, yet these organisms provide critical ecosystem functions. Three hundred and seventy‐eight images and associated faunal descriptions were compared from 2007 and 2018 in Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara Marine Reserve, Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand (46.9°S, 168.1°E, 0–25 m depth, established 2004), to discern the effect of non‐extractive marine protection on a soft‐sediment temperate benthic community. Qualitative habitat types observed in the 2018 images were similar to those described in 2007. There was a significant positive effect of protection on benthic invertebrate abundance between 2007 and 2018 across Paterson Inlet/Whaka a Te Wera. Additionally, there were significantly more benthic invertebrates within reserve sites compared with sites outside the reserve in 2018. Based on these positive effects, it can be concluded that Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara Marine Reserve has facilitated an increase in the biodiversity of the benthic invertebrate community of Paterson Inlet/Whaka a Te Wera, Stewart Island/Rakiura. Interestingly, heavily calcified biogenic reefs were present within Paterson Inlet/Whaka a Te Wera, but not within the reserve itself. The re‐evaluation of marine reserve boundaries could result in more comprehensive and representative management of the rich marine environment around Stewart Island/Rakiura.

Development of ecotourism infrastructure at protected areas of Primorsky Krai

The paper discusses the features of the formation of ecotourism infrastructure in specially protected natural areas (PAs) of the Primorsky Krai. The need for the research is due to the lack of basic strategies for the development of Primorsky Krai protected areas, the lack of developed route programs for various categories of visitors and weak infrastructure of ecological routes at protected territories of the Primorsky Krai. Research method: a comparative analysis of the landscape structure of protected areas in the Primorsky Krai and the world. As a result of the study, the location and boundaries of nature reserves, recreational territories, economic zones in each of the functional zoning schemes of the two protected territories “Leopard Land” and “Call of the Tiger” were identified and depicted. Nodal points of the considered landscapes located in tourist centers and nearby villages are highlighted. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the infrastructure for nature tourism should be a subject to the principles of sustainable development of territories, minimize the negative impact on nature and increase the safety and comfort of tourists.

A new model for evaluating sustainable utilization of coastline integrating economic output and ecological impact: A case study of coastal areas in Beibu Gulf, China

Evaluation on sustainability of coastline utilization was one of the hot topics in marine environmental science. Based on high-resolution remote sensing images, coastlines can be divided into natural coastlines and artificial coastlines. Natural coastlines are mainly converted to harbor coastline and mariculture coastline. In this study, a new comprehensive model was proposed to assess the sustainability on utilization of coastline and applied to a typical case of Beibu Gulf, China. Comprehensive economic output efficiency (EOE) of artificial coastlines was obtained by integrating the contribution weight and applying linear combination model. In addition, the P–S-R framework integrated with fuzzy mathematics model and linear combination method was constructed to evaluate the disturbance intensity of human activities on the natural coastlines (DI) by taking petrochemical plants, ports, sewage outlets and aquaculture intensity as pressure indicators, seawater quality status near the coastline as state indicators, and whether the coastline was within nature reserve boundaries as the response indicator. Rely on the EOE and DI, the cities involved in the evaluation were finally categorized into four groups: group 1 with high economic output efficiency and low ecological impacts, group 2 with high economic output efficiency and high ecological impacts, group 3 with low economic output efficiency and low ecological impacts, group 4 with low economic output efficiency and high ecological impacts. The results showed that: (1) natural coastlines retention ratios were 52.45%, 57.97% and 76.15% in Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan Province respectively. In addition, 8.66%, 10.47% and 5.17% of the coastlines with high disturbance from human activities in Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan Province respectively were identified; (2) only 4 of 29 cities were categorized into the group with high economic output and low ecological impacts, indicating that most of the coastal cities in Beibu Gulf of China was at a relatively low level of sustainability. The proposed indices system and the integrated analysis framework were proved to be feasible for evaluating sustainable utilization of coastlines, which can be applied to other case studies. The results of evaluation provided valuable information for decision-makers to optimize coastal land use policy targeting at the balance of development and conservation.

Recognition of priority area of biodiversity conservation in Liaoning Province, Northeast China

Priority areas of biodiversity conservation (PABC) were classified to strengthen biodiversity conservation in China. As there are no such priority areas in Liaoning Province, China, it is important to make up this gap. After calculation of seven indices at three composition levels (ecosystem conservation, human interference, and regionalization for biodiversity conservation), index values, composition values, and comprehensive recognition value for PABCs in Liaoning Province were obtained successively. Suggested territorial scopes of Western Liaoning Priority Area (WPA) and Eastern Liaoning Priority Area (EPA) were then determined in terms of administrative boundaries of towns, counties, and nature reserves. Among them, WPA covers an area of 12951 km2, with 53.6% of forest coverage and nine national or provincial nature reserves. The main ecological function of WPA is soil and water conservation. EPA is 20057 km2 in area, with 78.9% of forest cove-rage and eight national or provincial nature reserves. Water resource conservation is the main ecological function of EPA. Key protected species at national or provincial level and the important ecosystems are densely distributed in those priority areas. It is urgent to carry out biodiversity conservation in these PABCs.

Residency and dispersal of three sportfish species from a coastal marine reserve: Insights from a regional-scale acoustic telemetry network

Understanding the movements of adult fish around marine reserves is central to evaluating the importance of these areas to conservation but is difficult to quantify in many coastal settings. We used a 300 km long passive acoustic telemetry network to measure site fidelity and dispersal distances of adult red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), black drum (Pogonias cromis), and spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) tagged within two estuarine no-take zones at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA. Seventy-eight tagged fish were tracked an average of 549 days with some individuals followed for over four years. Fish spent most of their total time at liberty inside no-take zones with a mean residency of 125–178 consecutive days after release, and 67%–95% of their total time, depending on species. Sixty-four individuals (82%) also utilized adjacent public waters, dispersing up to 650 km, although dispersal rates averaged less than 0.10 km day−1 for all three species. Red drum and black drum movements across reserve boundaries were clearly bi-directional with individuals averaging 4 and 30 excursions per year, respectively, into fished areas. Both species spent more time outside reserve boundaries during their reproductive periods, suggesting that these no-take zones protect individuals that subsequently spawn over a wider geographic area. Our findings demonstrate that coastal marine reserves have the potential to provide substantial protection for highly mobile non-reef fishes. They further suggest that reserves designed to safeguard fish during non-reproductive periods may be most practical for estuarine species whose home ranges increase during spawning seasons.

Unregulated and Emerging Contaminants in Tribal Water

AbstractEmerging contaminants in Tribal water have been unexplored until implementation of the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) campaigns, which mandated the analysis of up to 30 new contaminants in drinking water every five years. As additions to the Safe Water Drinking Act (SDWA), the UCMR1 – 3 were created to assess contaminants which have not yet been assigned a maximum contaminant level (MCL) but may be regulated in the future to protect human health. While a handful of Tribes (n = 6) participated in UCMR1, public water systems (PWS) within reservation boundaries were intentionally included in representative nation‐wide sampling beginning with UCMR2 after a period of Tribal consultation. Still, less than 3% of Tribal PWS were surveyed. The results from UCMR2 revealed that samples from all surveyed Tribal PWS fell below the method detection limits. Target analytes shifted to metals, perfluorinated chemicals, hormones, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), dioxane, and chlorate under UCMR3. Detectable levels of metals (chromium, hexavalent chromium, strontium, and vanadium), chlorate, and dioxane were observed, and in some cases, at concentrations greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) recommended health reference limit (HRL). The presence of elevated levels of vanadium, strontium, 1,4‐dioxane, perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), and chlorate defines a new set of emerging contaminants that needs to be considered with regards to risk, reporting and monitoring, and water treatment in Tribal drinking water.

Spatio-temporal invasion dynamics of Maesopsis eminii in Amani Nature Forest Reserve, Tanzania

Globally, invasive plant species cause negative impacts to human livelihoods and natural ecosystems, particularly in biodiversity hotspots. Maesopsis eminii invasion in Amani Nature Forest Reserve, Tanzania, was considered an ecological disaster in the 1980s. After >50 years have elapsed since the species was first introduced in the reserve, there is yet little information available on its invasion progress. We assessed spatio-temporal invasion dynamics using forest inventory data collected in 1998 and resurveyed 60 (20 m × 50 m) sample plots in 2018. Among resurveyed plots, 30 had been invaded by M. eminii in 1998 and other 30 sample plots as control, which had no M. eminii in the year 1998. We also assessed vegetation cover change over a 20 year period between 1998 and 2018 using Landsat satellite images. Over the last 20 years, 23% of control plots were newly invaded by M. eminii. Tree species richness was 25% lower in invaded versus control plots (U = 1490, z = 2.9, p = 0.04). Large trees (DBH ≥ 31–50 cm) of Maesopsis eminii were most abundant (62%) in invaded plots whereas small trees (DBH ≤ 10 cm) were most abundant (>50%) in control plots, indicating that the tree species might be prone to self-thinning. Woody species diversity was significantly lower in invaded (1.63 ± 0.49) vs control plots (1.87 ± 0.35; t(58) = −2.19, p = 0.03). The number of M. eminii individuals ha−1 was positively associated with higher altitudes ranging above 800 masl (ρ = 0.33, P = 0.011) but there was no correlation with distance away from the forest reserve boundary (ρ = 0.11, P = 0.394;) nor with distance away from village centers (ρ = −0.08, P = 0.502). Change detection analysis indicated about 1,108 ha of non-forest vegetation had regrown into forest over the last 20 years, particularly in the south - western region of the reserve. The region included 4 sample plots newly invaded by M. eminii. We conclude that there is an increase in spatial distribution of M. eminii individuals between the year 1998 and 2018. Furthermore, M. eminii has low regeneration potential in already invaded sites of high invasive density and only slowly invading gaps in uninvaded sites.