The queen conch, Lobatus gigas, is key to the Bahamian way of life. Recent studies suggest that commercial stocks will be depleted in The Bahamas in 10-15 years. In response to this, an egg farm was established in a historic breeding ground in Moriah Harbour Cay National Park, Exuma, Bahamas. Previously used for aquaculture, the egg farm concept was tested as a restoration method. Conch were tagged (n=251) and stocked in a 1,385 m2 (0.14 ha) circular enclosure at an equivalent density of 1,813/ha or 1 conch/5.5 m2. The egg farm was visited every 24-48 hours during the study period (May 26-August 14, 2019) to examine conch distribution, burial, predation, breeding, and egg mass laying. Queen conch Essential Fish Habitat was characterized in this study, contributing to a knowledge gap concerning conch spawning areas. No egg masses were laid, despite temperature, sediment solid-phase organics, calcium carbonate, and other seagrass habitat characteristics displaying similarities to previous studies in which conch spawned. It is speculated that egg laying did not occur due to handling disturbances, which may have caused the conch to resorb their gonads. Comprehensive recommendations are made for future egg farms intended for restoration. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Legal regulation of the NATURA 2000 network Abstract The aim of the diploma thesis is to analyse the legal regulation of the Natura 2000 network, namely its creation and its subsequent protection. Natura 2000 is the network that primarily serves to the protection of biodiversity on the territory of the selected protected sites, which is created by the member states of the European Union on their terriotory. The creation and the protection of the Natura 2000 network are based on two major regulations of the secondary EU law, specifically Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the conservation of wild birds and Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. To achieve the most comprehensive analysis of the legal regulation were used five main chapters, into them is the thesis divided. The first chapter introduces the concept of Natura 2000, it describes the purpose of this network and also the principles on which it is based. The second chapter describes the international legal regulation in relation to the Natura 2000 network, this chapter contains the list of international agreements that are also focused on the nature protection and with that they present the basis for Natura 2000 network. The third chapter relates to the EU...

Unprecedented rates of modern species extinction present a serious challenge in the field of conservation biology. While protected areas (PAs) are regarded as key tools to reduce rates of biodiversity loss, it is unclear to what degree PAs can maintain their ecological integrity while experiencing external pressures from outside of their boundaries. Satellite remote sensing essential biodiversity variables (SRS-EBVs) are indicators of biodiversity that can be produced with large spatial coverages and can be used to measure PAs’ capacity to preserve important ecological elements for biodiversity. In this study, I used SRS-EBVs representative of ecosystem structure and function, including productivity, disturbance regimes, ecosystem extent, and ecosystem composition. I tested if PAs preserved these determinants of species survival through time, whether any changes in these variables in PAs were independent of changes in their surrounding areas (buffer zones), and if the management type of PAs influenced either of these patterns. I found that PAs maintained elements of ecosystem structure, including habitat heterogeneity and extent, inside of their boundaries, regardless of changes that occurred in their surroundings. In contrast, PAs were less effective at sustaining elements of ecosystem function and mitigating other forms of human disturbance. Productivity within PAs was the same as that of their surroundings, underscoring the inability of PAs to track shifts in climate regimes that put some species at greater risk of extinction. Fire disturbance trends were maintained across PA boundaries; however, the causes of these fires are unknown, highlighting the importance of supplemental fire census data to tease apart the trends of natural fire regimes compared to harmful burns. Finally, other human pressures thought to be the indirect effects of linear transportation features (ex. edge effects from roads) were observed to have spilled over from buffer zones into PAs. Planning for future development of the global PA network can benefit greatly from the application of SRS-EBVs. Pairing these data products with foundational ecological conservation principles can build a stronger, more efficient PA network for the preservation of Earth’s species.

Magister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) - MSc (Biodiv and Cons Biol) / Hard benthic reefs are increasingly known as highly diverse biodiversity ecosystems where sponges constitute a significant proportion of inhabitants. Nearly 60% of the seabed over the inner and outer shelf on the Agulhas Bank comprises hard substrata, and in combination with the convergence of the cold Benguela and the warm Agulhas Currents serves to create a nutrient rich zone supporting multiple fish nurseries. Here we provide the first information on hard benthic reef habitats on the subphotic zone of the Agulhas Bank complex marine protected area, which include Alphard Banks, 72 Mile Reef and 45 Mile Reef, as well as the shallow reefs which include 12 Mile Reef, 6 Mile Reef, 7 Mile Reef, Marthas Reef and inshore reefs within the Tsitsikamma marine protected area. The aim is to provide baseline data on the sponge fauna by identifying species and describing the biodiversity of these hard reefs between the depths 10–200 m on the south coast of South Africa. / 2024

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第19031号 / 農博第2109号 / 新制||農||1031(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H27||N4913(農学部図書室) / 31982 / 京都大学大学院農学研究科生物資源経済学専攻 / (主査)教授 栗山 浩一, 教授 福井 清一, 准教授 秋津 元輝 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

The TEBA recruitment centre in Pafuri has come under discussion and debate with the developments of the GLTP. The site has played a signficant role in the social and economic history of this dynamic permeable borderzone. Through documenting the experienced memory and meaning of the site on either side of the border, developments of the site as a heritage site in a Transboundary protected area have been considered. Ethnographic interviews were used to document these meanings. TEBA is a reminder of a prosperous past amidst the current desperate poverty and unemployment and with little faith in the government, the Kruger and Limpopo Parks, TEBA is looked to for the provision of employment. This lack of faith in the parks and their insensitivity towards the historical significance reflects the lack of real transformation in conservation philosophy that the Transfrontier Initiative claims to have achieved. In order for the site to be holistically and ethically represented, greater and more real incorporation of stakeholders is necessary.

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Protected Areas (PAs) are one effective means to address biodiversity loss. Unfortunately, the history of PA establishment includes forced removal of people from lands that become parks and restrictions on access and use of lands and waters by local people. Relationships between PA managers, stakeholders, including local people, remain in many instances, difficult. This challenges the ability to create new PAs in Canada, where consent by local residents and other stakeholders is critical for PA establishment. This research examines governance of PAs as a means to improve relationships between PA authorities and local communities. Determining how much power communities wish to have over decision-making and their preferred methods for sharing power permits greater understanding of how to build relationships with communities, stakeholders and partners that are respectful, trustworthy and sustainable. Pukaskwa National Park and Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA) both in Northwestern, Ontario on the North Shore of Lake Superior, were studied along with their relationships to the nearby communities of Marathon and Terrace Bay, respectively. Pukaskwa, has been present on the landscape for over thirty years, while Lake Superior NMCA is in the process of establishment. The proximity of the PAs to each other and the communities to the PAs, along with the evolution of the respective guiding legislations, offered uniquely complex circumstances to investigate. A mixed methods approach to the research was employed involving the analysis of 190 community surveys and oral interviews with members of Town Councils from both communities. Few studies in Canada have examined governance of PAs and no study has examined governance of federally PAs in Northern Ontario. The results indicate that residents of the communities of Marathon and Terrace Bay, support the purposes of the PAs and multiple means of communicating with them about decisions made about the PAs. Clearly favouring the involvement of local people in decision-making about the PAs, respondents also recognized the importance of involving PA staff and scientists in decision-making. Visitors to Pukaskwa were also found to be important to decision-making. The findings further show that community members are resolute that Parks Canada have some control over decision-making. Marathon residents are comfortable with less collaboration and power sharing with Parks Canada than are residents of Terrace Bay. The results are sentinel to achieving approaches to citizen involvement in decision-making about PAs in ways that are meaningful to local residents. Achieving local support for PAs secures an option for governments to use that is critical to addressing biodiversity loss, important for improving human health and maintaining society’s connection to nature. / Graduate

Very often the natural landscape is being ruined, changed, cultured or even a new cultured landscape is being created because of human activity. Therefore, less and less areas are left where natural processes take place. With such a situation, it is necessary to preserve areas rich in objects valuable for science and culture. Protected areas are areas where land and (or) water areas have defined clear boundaries and which have accepted scientific, ecological, cultural and other values and when special protection and use regime (order) is established by legal acts. One of the main tasks of the environment protection management is to strengthen the administrative abilities of the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, the State Service of Protected Areas and the Head Offices of Protected Areas to implement the nature protection policy and directions with reference to EU directions and international conventions. The object of the research. Protected areas within the Republic of Lithuania. The subject of the research. Management peculiarities, management system, positive and negative management characteristics, problems and the ways of their solution of the protected areas within the Republic of Lithuania. The hypothesis of the research. It is important to create such management system, which should preserve the territorial complexes and objects of nature and culture heritage, biological variety of the landscape. The balance of the landscape and the... [to full text]

Marine protected areas are recognized as an important approach to conserve marine ecosystems and biodiversity as well as to manage costal and marine resource. This thesis addresses the development and management of marine protected areas in Australia and in China. Australia and China are major maritime countries with diverse marine creatures and ecosystems. Both countries have adopted marine protected areas as a management tool to protect the marine environment. This thesis introduces their marine environment and threats, and then makes a close study of the development, legislation and management of marine protected areas in both Australia and China. Two case studies, Jervis Bay Marine Park in Australia, and Shankou Mangrove Marine Nature Reserve in China provide examples of the management strategies and lessons learnt. In order to improve the management of marine protected areas in China, the thesis analyzes the conflicts in the development of marine protected areas in China and prescribes community participation and the marine special reserve as solutions to promote the development of marine protected areas. This study also examines how the Australian Defence Force, an important stakeholder, manages its activities in the marine protected areas.