Collaborating to Conserve Large Mammals in Southeast Asia

Abstract:  Depressed mammal densities characterize the interior of many Southeast Asian protected areas, and are the result of commercial and subsistence hunting. Local people are part of this problem but can participate in solutions through improved partnerships that incorporate local knowledge into problem diagnosis. The process of involving local people helps build a constituency that is more aware of its role (positive and negative) in a protected area and generates site-specific conservation assessments for management planning. We illustrate the practical details of initiating such a partnership through our work in a Thai wildlife sanctuary. Many protected areas in Southeast Asia present similar opportunities. In local workshops, village woodsmen were led through ranking exercises to develop a spatially explicit picture of 20-year trends in the abundance of 31 mammal species and to compare species-specific causes for declines. Within five taxonomic groups, leaf monkeys (primates), porcupines (rodents), tigers (large carnivores), civets (small carnivores), and elephants (ungulates) had declined most severely (37–74%). Commercial hunting contributed heavily to extensive population declines for most species, and subsistence hunting was locally significant for some small carnivores, leaf monkeys, and deer. Workshops thus clarified which species were at highest risk of local extinction, where the most threatened populations were, and causes for these patterns. Most important, they advanced a shared problem definition, thereby unlocking opportunities for collaboration. As a result, local people and sanctuary managers have increased communication, initiated joint monitoring and patrolling, and established wildlife recovery zones. Using local knowledge has limitations, but the process of engaging local people promotes collaborative action that large mammals in Southeast Asia need.     

Shared parasitoids in a metacommunity: indirect interactions inhibit herbivore membership in local communities

The interaction between species, mediated by a shared natural enemy (i.e., apparent competition), has been the subject of much theoretical and empirical investigation. However, we lack field experiments that assess the importance of apparent competition to metacommunity structure. Here, I conducted a series of field experiments to test whether apparent competition, mediated by shared egg parasitoids (Anagrus nigriventris and A. columbi), occurs between two abundant planthopper species (Delphacodes scolochloa and Prokelisia crocea) of the North American Great Plains. The two planthoppers feed on different plant species within prairie potholes (wet depressions) and, thus, do not interact directly. At the scale of individual potholes, a five-fold pulse increase in D. scolochloa density (relative to control potholes) resulted in a steady decline in P. crocea density over two generations. As expected in cases of apparent competition, P. crocea eggs in these potholes suffered twice the level of parasitism as P. crocea eggs in control potholes. In contrast, a sixfold increase in P. crocea density had no effect on D. scolochloa density or parasitism in those potholes. The superiority of D. scolochloa over P. crocea likely can be attributed to a larger source population size, greater amount of host habitat, and/or the presence of a phenological refuge from parasitism for D. scolochloa. In another experiment, in which small populations of P. crocea were established either in close proximity to D. scolochloa or in isolation, I found that the likelihood of P. crocea persistence was 36% lower in the former than the latter populations. This difference was attributable to very high rates of parasitism of P. crocea when adjacent to D. scolochloa. These two experiments provide clear evidence that the two planthopper species engage in apparent competition and that the shared parasitoids may play a significant role in limiting membership in a local community. Based on these findings, I argue that metacommunity studies must be broadened to include higher trophic levels.     

Shared paternity in the acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)

Summary We investigated multiple paternity in acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus) from central New Mexico by starch-gel electrophoresis. Seven of thirty-one presumptive genetic loci were polymorphic. Multiple paternity was revealed in one of three multi-male groups sampled on the basis of offspring and adult electrophoretic phendtypes, and was suggested in the two other groups. This study provides the first documentation of multiple paternity for any avian cooperative breeder.     

从学习动机目的入手巧解大学生逃课难题

随着我国高等教育的大众化和市场经济的迅猛发展,逃课问题成为高校学生管理工作种种问题中较为重要的问题.当前我国大学生逃课现象总的情况是按年级逐级增加的.其深原因是多方面的,本文分析了大学生逃课现象是基于大学生优越感的失落、男女性别的差异、家庭与社会、教学质量等几个方面原因造成的,并提出解决大学生逃课难题,应该从动机与目的入手,加强有效的入学教育、学习兴趣教育和学习方法教育.     

Shared governance arrangements and social connectivity: advancing large-scale coastal and marine conservation initiatives in the Dominican Republic

Increasingly, large-scale conservation initiatives (e.g. through protected area networks and transboundary connectivity initiatives) are growing in prevalence as their diverse sustainability benefits are further understood. Conventional, centralized approaches to conservation, often featuring unconnected discrete ‘patches’, are no longer sufficient for achieving effective, long-term protection. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how to achieve effective large-scale conservation initiatives by addressing the following objectives: (1) To assess the degree to which local actors are involved in coastal and marine conservation practices, with a focus on large-scale conservation initiatives (LCIs); and, (2) To identify barriers and opportunities for achieving effective large-scale conservation. This paper presents findings from research in the Dominican Republic where social-ecological components of coastal and marine systems are considered from multiple perspectives to advance management and increase effectiveness of LCIs. Data were acquired through semi-structured interviews with 35 coastal and marine actors (e.g. fishers, ministers, non-governmental organizations, practitioners, academics) working at local to international scales. Interview data were analysed through thematic coding using QSR-Nvivo 12 software. Respondents expressed that non-governmental actors (e.g. private organizations, coastal communities) should have an increased role in developing, implementing and managing coastal and marine LCIs. Additionally, respondents commented on strategies to enhance social connectivity (i.e. sharing experiences, programs and expertise) within coastal and marine practices to enhance effectiveness and facilitate learning. Findings contribute to the understanding of complex coastal and marine social-ecological systems of the Dominican Republic and provide further support for involving multiple actors in governance processes.     

Need for a global map of forest naturalness for a sustainable future

There is a growing need to assess and monitor forest cover and its conservation status over global scales to determine human impact on ecosystems and to develop sustainability plans. Recent approaches to measure regional and global forest status and dynamics are based on remotely sensed estimates of tree cover. We argue that tree cover should not be used to assess the area of forest ecosystems because tree cover is an undefined subset of forest cover. For example, tree cover can indicate a positive trend even in the presence of deforestation, as in the case of plantations. We believe a global map of forest naturalness that accounts for the bio-ecological integrity of forest ecosystems, for example, intact forests, old-growth forest patches, rewilding forests (exploited forest landscapes undergoing long-term natural succession), and managed forests is needed for global forest assessment.     

Selecting a binary Markov model for a precipitation process

This paper uses rth-order categorical Markov chains to model the probability of precipitation. Several stationary and non-stationary high-order Markov models are proposed and compared using BIC. The number of parameters increases exponentially by adding the Markov order. Several classes of high-order Markov models are proposed which their increase of number of parameters are modest. For example models that use the number of precipitation days in a period prior to date, temperature of the previous day and sines/cosines periodic functions (to model the seasonality) are considered. The theory of partial likelihood is used to estimate the parameters. Parsimonious non-stationary first order Markov models with few seasonal terms are found optimal using BIC and temperature does not turn out to be a useful covariate. However BIC seems to underestimate the number of seasonal terms. We have also compared the results with AIC in some cases which tends to pick parsimonious models with more seasonal terms and higher order. We also show that ignoring seasonal terms result in picking higher order Markov chains. Finally we apply the methods to build confidence intervals for the probability of periods with no precipitation or low number of precipitation days in Calgary using historical data from 1980 to 2000.     

Improved prediction for a spatio-temporal model

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - We investigate a framework for improving predictions from models for spatio-temporal data. The framework is based on minimising the mean squared prediction...     

Optimization model for a wolf-ungulate system

Public outcries against predator control create a need to devise management policies that optimally balance the cost (managerial and environmental) of predator control against the benefit of ungulate harvesting. To address this problem, an optimization procedure utilizing stochastic dynamic programming is described. Through this approach, optimal feedback strategies for a wolf-ungulate system in Alaska are estimated. The dynamic predator-prey model used in the analysis is based on parameter estimates from data collected over an eight-year period in Denali (Mt. McKinley) National Park. Stability analysis of the system revealed that stability properties depend on predator search efficiency. The effects of random fluctuations in winter severity and alternative objective functions are considered in the estimation of optimal feedback strategies. Optimal moose harvesting strategies appear to be dependent on wolf control costs. If no wolf control cost is assessed, optimal moose harvest is independent of wolf density. Optimal wolf control strategies are completely insensitive to moose density. The strategies are compared to current and simplified management policies.     

A foundation for developing a methodology for social network sampling

Researchers are increasingly turning to network theory to understand the social nature of animal populations. We present a computational framework that is the first step in a series of works that will allow us to develop a quantitative methodology of social network sampling to aid ecologists in their social network data collection. To develop our methodology, we need to be able to generate networks from which to sample. Ideally, we need to perform a systematic study of sampling protocols on different known network structures, as network structure might affect the robustness of any particular sampling methodology. Thus, we present a computational tool for generating network structures that have user-defined distributions for network properties and for key measures of interest to ecologists. The user defines the values of these measures and the tool will generate appropriate network randomizations with those properties. This tool will be used as a framework for developing a sampling methodology, although we do not present a full methodology here. We describe the method used by the tool, demonstrate its effectiveness, and discuss how the tool can now be utilized. We provide a proof-of-concept example (using the assortativity measure) of how such networks can be used, along with a simulated egocentric sampling regime, to test the level of equivalence of the sampled network to the actual network. This contribution is part of the special issue “Social Networks: new perspectives” (Guest Editors: J. Krause, D. Lusseau and R. James).     

Coastal setbacks for the Mediterranean: a challenge for ICZM

Coastal development along the Mediterranean coast needs to be tackled with an integrated approach, in order to safeguard people and properties from extreme events, maintain environmental flows and ecosystems functions, protect coastal landscapes and ensure public accessibility to the shore. The complexity of the Mediterranean countries legal and administrative framework and its morphological heterogeneity make the implementation of new the Protocol on ICZM provisions on coastal setbacks,—claiming for a 100 m wide buffer zone where construction is not allowed— a challenge for the success of the initiative. European countries and the European Commission are party to the protocol but the European legal framework lacks of specific provisions addressing the definition of coastal setbacks. Moreover, climate change, in terms of sea level rise and maritime climate, could play a major role in the future position of setback lines. While arbitrary setbacks should be put in place to halt short-term unwise coastal development, science can improve the identification of coastal setbacks by providing integrated methodologies to be implemented at the local level. The objective of this paper is to review concepts and practices in the use of coastal setbacks, in the context of the provisions of the ICZM protocol and taking into account new challenges posed by climate change. A stepwise route map is proposed as a base to identify coastal setbacks, applicable to the Mediterranean region and elsewhere, to be used as a base to improve arbitrary setback approaches.