Mapping vulnerability to multiple hazards in the savannah Ecosystem in Ghana

Regional Environmental Change - The interior savannah ecosystem in Ghana is subjected to a number of hazards, including droughts, windstorms, high temperatures and heavy rainfall. The frequency and...     

A global assessment of the social and conservation outcomes of protected areas

Protected areas (PAs) are a key strategy for protecting biological resources, but they vary considerably in their effectiveness and are frequently reported as having negative impacts on local people. This has contributed to a divisive and unresolved debate concerning the compatibility of environmental and socioeconomic development goals. Elucidating the relationship between positive and negative social impacts and conservation outcomes of PAs is key for the development of more effective and socially just conservation. We conducted a global meta‐analysis on 165 PAs using data from 171 published studies. We assessed how PAs affect the well‐being of local people, the factors associated with these impacts, and crucially the relationship between PAs’ conservation and socioeconomic outcomes. Protected areas associated with positive socioeconomic outcomes were more likely to report positive conservation outcomes. Positive conservation and socioeconomic outcomes were more likely to occur when PAs adopted comanagement regimes, empowered local people, reduced economic inequalities, and maintained cultural and livelihood benefits. Whereas the strictest regimes of PA management attempted to exclude anthropogenic influences to achieve biological conservation objectives, PAs that explicitly integrated local people as stakeholders tended to be more effective at achieving joint biological conservation and socioeconomic development outcomes. Strict protection may be needed in some circumstances, yet our results demonstrate that conservation and development objectives can be synergistic and highlight management strategies that increase the probability of maximizing both conservation performance and development outcomes of PAs.     

The Climate for Joint Implementation: Case Studies from Russia,Ukraine, and Poland

Joint implementation (JI) can provide flexibility in meetingKyoto Protocol commitments, and 44 nations have already participated inthe U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change – Activities Implemented Jointly (AIJ) pilot. Thispaper surveys JI policy and projects in three countries – Russia, Ukraine,and Poland – over the past five years and examines the effects of domesticinstitutions, foreign policy, and investment trends on JI in each country.The institutional and economic situation in the three nations differs greatly,and these distinctions have resulted in very different circumstances for AIJprojects, affecting both their number and scope. Poland has a well-definedset of rules and procedures for JI and its economy is quite strong. Ukrainehas not yet established criteria or clear procedures for AIJ project reviewsalthough it does have an Interagency Commission on Climate Change.Ukraine's economy declined by over 40% in the 1990s. Russia'seconomy has also declined, to a lesser extent. Russia does have aprocedure for reviewing AIJ projects, though it has temporarily halted thesereviews. Countries seeking JI investment can take several steps to improve thenumber and quality of AIJ projects that they receive. In the long term,governments can create macroeconomic stability and a solid legalinvestment basis to attract investment for JI and other areas. In the shortterm, however, governments can undertake several simple and inexpensivesteps to promote JI. Establishing clear rules and procedures for AIJprojects is an important step. So too are clearly delegating responsibilityfor AIJ project review and providing a single JI point of contact in thegovernment to which investors and project developers can turn. Gainingmore experience in implementing AIJ projects now is important preparationfor fully implementing the Kyoto Protocol beginning in 2008.     

The use of gamma glutamyl transferase activity in amniotic fluid in the detection of fetal trisomy 21

The value of using gamma glutamyl transferase (GT) to select amniotic fluids for karyotyping from patients at low risk of chromosome defects is assessed. This paper reports on 16 pregnancies with fetal trisomy 21 and compares these to two previous reports of GT in fetal trisomy 21. The value of GT is contrasted to the value of AFP in selecting liquors for karyotyping.     

An experimental study of male adornment in the scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird: I. The role of pectoral tufts in territorial defence

Summary Scarlet-tufted malachite sunbirds (Nectarinia johnstoni) are endemic to the alpine zones of East African mountains. On Mount Kenya they feed almost exclusively on the nectar of Lobelia telekii flowers. Males are resident on their territories all year and defend L. telekii inflorescences from conspecifics. Males are bright iridescent green, with scarlet pectoral tufts which are displayed prominently during aggressive interactions with other males. We investigated the role of pectoral tufts in territory defence using natural variation and experimental manipulation. Males with naturally large pectoral tufts defended more L. telekii inflorescences than males with smaller tufts, and achieved a higher reproductive success. Males were subjected to one of three experimental treatments - having their pectoral tufts enlarged, reduced or manipulated but kept at the same size. Males with reduced tufts spend more time in aggressive interactions than the control males, the interactions lasted longer and they lost a number of inflorescences to neighbours. Males with enlarged pectoral tufts increased the number of inflorescences defended. These results indicate that the pectoral tufts of male scarlet-tufted malachite sunbirds are used as a means of male-male assessment during aggressive interactions. Offprint requests to: M.R. Evans     

Migration of green turtles <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chelonia mydas</Emphasis> from Tortuguero,Costa Rica

During 1955–2003, flipper tags were attached to 46,983 green turtles and ten turtles were fitted with satellite transmitters at Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Eight satellite-tracked turtles stayed within 135 km of the beach and probably returned to nest after release. The internesting area is more extensive than previously documented. Post-nesting migration routes of satellite-tracked turtles varied. Seven turtles swam close to the coast and three turtles swam through oceanic waters before moving toward nearshore areas. Sea surface height anomaly maps indicate that oceanic movements were consistent with the southwestern Caribbean gyre. Circling and semi-circling turtles could have been disoriented but submergence and surface times suggest they may have been feeding in Sargassum sp. concentrations. Rapid post-nesting migrations (mean 2.2 km hr⁻¹) ended on benthic feeding grounds in shallow waters (<20 m) off Belize (n=1), Honduras (n=1) and Nicaragua (n=8). The spatial distribution of migration end points (n=10) and tag returns (n=4,669) are similar. Fishermen in Nicaragua target green turtles along migratory corridors and on foraging grounds. Management efforts are urgently needed in Nicaragua, particularly in the high-density feeding areas south and east of the Witties (N14°09 W82°45). The proximity of foraging grounds to the nesting beach (mean 512 km) may permit female turtles to invest more energy in reproduction and hence the Tortuguero population may have greater potential for recovery than other green turtle nesting populations. Recovery of the Tortuguero green turtle population will benefit countries and marine ecosystems throughout the Caribbean, especially Nicaragua.     

Female behaviour mediates male courtship under predation risk in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

Previous work has shown that under elevated predation risk, male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) switch from courtship to less conspicuous coercive mating attempts. This behavioural transition is traditionally interpreted as a 'risk-sensitive' response that makes males less conspicuous to predators. However, predation risk leads to behavioural changes (such as schooling and predator inspection) in females that may result in coercive mating attempts being more profitable in high-risk situations. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the switch to coercive mating by male guppies in high-risk situations is mediated by adjustments in female behaviour, rather than directly by the predator. We used replicate models resembling a known guppy predator to simulate predation risk in wild-caught guppies from a high-predation population in Trinidad. Our results revealed that males performed proportionately more coercive mating attempts when presented with a female that had been exposed previously to a model predator compared to when males were paired with non-exposed females. Total mating activity (combined rates of courtship and forced mating attempts) did not differ significantly among the two treatment groups, indicating that overall mating activity is unaffected by predation risk. Importantly, when we subsequently presented both sexes concurrently with a predator model, total mating activity and the proportion of forced mating attempts remained unchanged in the high-risk treatment. Taken together, these results indicate that the transition from courtship to forced mating attempts under elevated predation risk is mediated by changes in female behaviour, which we suggest may favour the use of coercive mating under high predation risk.     

Natural chelators — an indication of activity with the calanoid copepod Euchaeta japonica

Survival of Euchaeta japonica Marukawa prefeeding stages in natural seawater is increased by the addition of a synthetic chelating agent. This increase occurs periodically in inshore waters and more frequently in near-oceanic water. The periodicity is associated with changes in chelator-like characteristics of the seawater. Changes in these characteristics are associated with changes in biological activity in the water.