Hunting, Livelihoods and Declining Wildlife in the Hponkanrazi Wildlife Sanctuary, North Myanmar

The Hponkanrazi Wildlife Sanctuary, North Myanmar and three contiguous protected areas, comprise some of the largest expanses of natural forest remaining in the region. Demand for wildlife products has resulted in unsustainable exploitation of commercially valuable species resulting in local extirpation of vulnerable species. Camera trap, track and sign, and questionnaire-based surveys were used to examine (a) wildlife species targeted by hunters, (b) the importance of wild meat for household consumption, and (c) the significance of hunting as a livelihood activity for resident villages. Certain commercially valuable species highly preferred by hunters were either completely absent from hunt records (tiger, musk deer and otter) or infrequently obtained during actual hunts (bear, pangolin). Species obtained by hunters were commonly occurring species such as muntjacs with low commercial value and not highly preferred by hunters. Fifty eight percent of respondents (n = 84) indicated trade, 27% listed subsistence use and 14% listed human-wildlife conflict as the main reason for hunting (n = 84). Average amount of wild meat consumed per month is not significantly higher during the hunting season compared to the planting season (paired t-test, P > 0.05). Throughout the year, the average amount of fish consumed per month was higher than livestock or wild meat (Friedman test, P < 0.0001). Hunting is driven largely by trade and wild meat, while not a critical source of food for a large number of families could potentially be an important, indirect source of access to food for hunting families. Findings and trends from this study are potentially useful in helping design effective conservation strategies to address globally prevalent problems of declining wildlife populations and dependent human communities. The study provides recommendations to reduce illegal hunting and protect vulnerable species by strengthening park management through enforcement, increasing the opportunity costs of poaching, establishing no-take zones and research to determine the economic significance of hunting for livelihoods.     

Effects of temperature,nutritive and metal stressors on the reproductive biology of Mytilus edulis

Experimental observations suggest that the gametogenic cycle of Mytilus edulis from Swansea Bay, South Wales (U.K.) is adversely modified by the combined effects of temperature, nutritive and sublethal metal-induced stress. During low temperature stress, oogenesis remained in the vegetative stage and vitellogenesis only commenced when temperatures were raised to ambient levels. Copper was the most toxic metal, although its uptake was slowest. A concentration of 0.05 mg l^-1 of this metal proved lethal at ambient temperatures, although at low temperatures there was no mortality. Copper suppressed both the growth of young oocytes and vitellogenesis in larger oocytes. Zinc was less toxic than copper, although this also inhibited oocyte development and resulted in severe lysis of gametes. Cadmium was the least toxic of the three metals studied and suppressed gametogenesis only in the initial stages of gonad development. The low toxicity of cadmium to gametogenesis may be a result of its high solubility and its possible storage in the digestive gland.     

Lake destratification and speciation of iron and manganese

A long-term study of the effect of artificial aeration (destratification) of a water storage dam upon the speciation of iron and manganese in the dam waters has been undertaken. Separation of dam samples into soluble and insoluble forms by selective membrane filtration was undertaken before using the techniques of EPR spectroscopy, ion chromatography and gel filtration to assess the speciation of soluble species, and selective extraction and surface analysis (ESCA, SIMS and SEM) techniques to determine the speciation of particulate iron and manganese species. The percentages of soluble iron and manganese before (1983–85) and after (1986–88) artificial aeration are compared for the periods Jan–Dec, Jan–Mar, and Jun–Aug at three depths 6 m, 15 m and 0.5 m above the dam base, to assess the importance of seasonal changes in the various depths of the dam. Although aeration had an initial marked reduction in levels of soluble iron and manganese at all depths of the dam, the concentrations of these mtals showed a steady increase over succeeding years. Analysis of the figures over summer and winter periods shows that the reduction of soluble iron was maintained in summer, but not during winter. Upon aeration, the initial reduction of soluble manganese concentration was maintained in succeeding years in the epilimnic regions of the dam, but not in the hypolimnion. Statistical analysis of data has been undertaken to correlate the changes in relationship between the various forms of iron and manganese with the advent of aeration.     

Political transition and emergent forest‐conservation issues in Myanmar

Political and economic transitions have had substantial impacts on forest conservation. Where transitions are underway or anticipated, historical precedent and methods for systematically assessing future trends should be used to anticipate likely threats to forest conservation and design appropriate and prescient policy measures to counteract them. Myanmar is transitioning from an authoritarian, centralized state with a highly regulated economy to a more decentralized and economically liberal democracy and is working to end a long‐running civil war. With these transitions in mind, we used a horizon‐scanning approach to assess the 40 emerging issues most affecting Myanmar's forests, including internal conflict, land‐tenure insecurity, large‐scale agricultural development, demise of state timber enterprises, shortfalls in government revenue and capacity, and opening of new deforestation frontiers with new roads, mines, and hydroelectric dams. Averting these threats will require, for example, overhauling governance models, building capacity, improving infrastructure‐ and energy‐project planning, and reforming land‐tenure and environmental‐protection laws. Although challenges to conservation in Myanmar are daunting, the political transition offers an opportunity for conservationists and researchers to help shape a future that enhances Myanmar's social, economic, and environmental potential while learning and applying lessons from other countries. Our approach and results are relevant to other countries undergoing similar transitions.     

Quantifying Outdoor Water Consumption of Urban Land Use/Land Cover: Sensitivity to Drought

Outdoor water use is a key component in arid city water systems for achieving sustainable water use and ensuring water security. Using evapotranspiration (ET) calculations as a proxy for outdoor water consumption, the objectives of this research are to quantify outdoor water consumption of different land use and land cover types, and compare the spatio-temporal variation in water consumption between drought and wet years. An energy balance model was applied to Landsat 5 TM time series images to estimate daily and seasonal ET for the Central Arizona Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research region (CAP-LTER). Modeled ET estimations were correlated with water use data in 49 parks within CAP-LTER and showed good agreement (r ² = 0.77), indicating model effectiveness to capture the variations across park water consumption. Seasonally, active agriculture shows high ET (>500 mm) for both wet and dry conditions, while the desert and urban land cover types experienced lower ET during drought (<300 mm). Within urban locales of CAP-LTER, xeric neighborhoods show significant differences from year to year, while mesic neighborhoods retain their ET values (400–500 mm) during drought, implying considerable use of irrigation to sustain their greenness. Considering the potentially limiting water availability of this region in the future due to large population increases and the threat of a warming and drying climate, maintaining large water-consuming, irrigated landscapes challenges sustainable practices of water conservation and the need to provide amenities of this desert area for enhancing quality of life.     

Developing a National Tiger Action Plan for the Union of Myanmar

A century ago, tigers were considered pests in Myanmar. Hunters claimed thousands, yet populations persisted. In the past century, because of habitat loss and prey depletion, coupled with the recent demand for traditional medicines, tiger populations have been reduced to a few hundred individuals. As a first step toward long-term planning for tigers, and to guide efforts to increase protected area coverage, the Myanmar government in 1998 initiated a project to develop a revised National Tiger Action Plan. Extensive surveys confirmed tigers in only 4 of 17 survey locations. Significant populations are thought to persist in the far North and far South of the country, where large, intact forests offer the potential for tiger recovery. With partnerships and collaborations, tiger populations can be protected in the short term (<5 years) by expanding protected areas and corridors, mobilizing enforcement staff to reduce poaching of tigers and prey, and amending existing wildlife legislation in accordance with international laws. Over the long term (5–20 years), recovery of Myanmar’s tiger populations will depend on increasing support from local people, zoning tiger areas to reduce habitat loss and disturbance, and maintaining connectivity of existing national and transboundary forests. This article reviews the development of a new National Tiger Action Plan for the Union of Myanmar and discusses a blueprint for conservation measures aimed at saving tigers from extinction.     

Effects of adding slags on strength and leaching properties of soft soil

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Dredged soils are typically mixed with additives to improve their mechanical properties and reduce the risks of leaching toxic elements. An...