Habitats

Abstract.—Harvesting of chameleons from the East Usambara Mountains of Tanzania for the exotic pet trade is of concern due to the high rates of habitat loss in this region and the fact that many of the species are endemic or near endemic to this isolated montane forest. Export of the majority of chameleons found in the East Usambaras is regulated by their listing under CITES Appendix II. To ensure harvesting is sustainable, however, greater knowledge of the ecology of species is needed.

Colombia está viviendo un proceso de transición iniciado a finales de 2016 con la firma del Acuerdo de paz, que puso fin a un conflicto armado de más de 60 años. En el marco de ese proceso se han producido proyectos de arquitectura encaminados a la reparación individual y colectiva de las víctimas, la reincorporación de los exguerrilleros y al buen vivir de comunidades locales. Este artículo presenta parámetros de diseño arquitectónico elaborados por medio de los hallazgos en campo y la revisión de prácticas de diseño relacionadas con la transición. Estos permitirán la revisión de los proyectos arquitectónicos generados en ese escenario y la base para la generación de lineamientos de diseño para los diferentes contextos. El estudio permite concluir la responsabilidad emergente de la arquitectura en el proceso transicional de construcción de la paz en Colombia y la necesidad de diseñar herramientas para su aporte efectivo a este proceso.

Fish communities and habitat structures were evaluated by underwater visual censuses a rocky location impacted by thermal discharge (I) and at two control locations, one in a Sargassum bed (C1) and the other in a rocky shore with higher structural complexity (C2). Habitat indicators and fish communities exhibited significant differences between the impacted and control locations, with the impacted one

Summary For myxomycetes the understanding of their diversity and of their ecological function remains underdeveloped. Various problems in recording myxomycetes and analysis of their diversity are discussed by the examples taken from tundra, boreal, and arid areas of Russia and Kazakhstan. Recent advances in inventory of some regions of these areas are summarised. A rapid technique of moist chamber cultures can be used to obtain quantitative estimates of myxomycete species diversity and species abundance. Substrate sampling and species isolation by the moist chamber technique are indispensable for myxomycete inventory, measurement of species richness, and species abundance. General principles for the analysis of myxomycete diversity are discussed.

Fish communities and habitat structures were evaluated by underwater visual censuses a rocky location impacted by thermal discharge (I) and at two control locations, one in a Sargassum bed (C1) and the other in a rocky shore with higher structural complexity (C2). Habitat indicators and fish communities exhibited significant differences between the impacted and control locations, with the impacted one

We review plant conservation in the Mascarenes (Reunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues) and the granitic Seychelles islands. Sizes of angiosperm floras are: Seychelles (200 species, c. 70 endemics of which c. 70% are threatened), Mauritius (691 species of which 273 are single island endemics [SIE] and another 150 are Mascarene endemics [ME]), Rodrigues (150 species, 47 SIE, 72 ME), Reunion (550 species, c. 165 SIE, c. 140 ME). The main threats affecting plant diversity are small population sizes and fragmentation, and invasive alien species. While in Mauritius, Rodrigues and Seychelles <5% of intact habitat is left, this proportion is still 30% in Reunion. Consequently habitat restoration is a priority in Mauritius, Rodrigues and Seychelles. All islands have recently greatly advanced some aspects of plant conservation, while gaps are also apparent. Advances include conservation strategies (all), ex situ conservation (all), extent of protected areas (Reunion, Seychelles), new NGOs (Reunion...

The central organizing theme of this paper is to discuss the dynamics of the Serengeti grassland ecosystem from the perspective of recent developments in food-web theory. The seasonal rainfall patterns that characterize the East African climate create an annually oscillating, large-scale, spatial mosaic of feeding opportunities for the larger ungulates in the Serengeti; this in turn creates a significant annual variation in the food available for their predators. At a smaller spatial scale, periodic fires during the dry season create patches of highly nutritious grazing that are eaten in preference to the surrounding older patches of less palatable vegetation. The species interactions between herbivores and plants, and carnivores and herbivores, are hierarchically nested in the Serengeti food web, with the largest bodied consumers on each trophic level having the broadest diets that include species from a large variety of different habitats in the ecosystem. The different major habi...

The aim of the work was to map and analyse benthic habitats in the Polish zone of the Baltic Sea using the Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The habitats definitions were analogous to those proposed in the HELCOM classification, which is based on two concepts—the euphotic zone has no clearly defined boundaries and the bottom sediments are defined on the basis of their fractions. The mapping was done using the theory of fuzzy sets.The fuzzy set map for each HELCOM category was created as a result of an intersection operation on two fuzzy set maps—the first showed bottom position relative to euphotic depth, and the second described the presence of a given sediment type on the bottom. The maps obtained were used to create a thematic map of habitats, which was generated at a pre-set significance level from the statistical analysis of a set of random realizations of habitat maps generated by stochastic simulation. The GIS-based analyses of the thematic map allowed a map of habitat groups to be developed and also allowed to find whether and to what extent the definitions proposed by HELCOM were applicable to the mapping of benthic habitats in the study area.

Channel modification or channelization activities are listed among the top 10 sources for non-point pollution impacts to rivers (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 1993). Activities such as straightening, widening, deepening, and clearing channels of debris generally fall into this category. These activities can severely impact major river projects such as navigation and flood control, as well as alter or reduce the diversity of in-stream and riparian habitats. River systems maintain stability by providing just the necessary flow to transport the available water and sediment.

The Habitat Directive requires Member States to implement surveillance of the conservation status of habitats and species of Community Interest. The aim of this handbook is to outline the methodological instruments for the implementation of a monitoring program of the Italian habitat types, as required by art. 17 of the Habitats Directive, with particular regard to the data collection at site level. The European guidelines (Evans & Arvela, 2011. Assessment and reporting under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive - Explanatory Notes & Guidelines for the period 2007-2012 -Final Draft. European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity, p. 1-123) require the assessments to be carried out by compiling information on specific parameters and at biogeographical scale. Each parameter is considered separately, eventually combining all parameters in an evaluation matrix thus providing the overall assessment. For each habitat type several parameters have to be considered: “Area”, “Range”, “Structure and Functions”, “Future Prospects”. While “Range” and “Future prospects” need to be assessed only at the biogeographical scale, “Area” and “Structure and functions” can be assessed aggregating data collected at the site level; in this handbook, for each habitat of community interest present in Italy, we present monitoring forms for these two parameters. Altogheter, the handbook contains 124 forms, referring to 10 Coastal and Halophytic Habitats; 11 Coastal Sand Dunes and Continental Dunes, 15 Freshwater Habitats, 5 Temperate Heath and Scrub, 11 Sclerophyllous Scrub (matorral), 15 Natural and Semi-natural Grassland Formations, 8 Raised Bogs and Mires and Fens, 10 Rocky Habitats and Caves, 39 Forests. Each monitoring form has been produced with the support of leading national experts and sent to regional authorities for a review. The monitoring forms report the most effective available monitoring techniques for collecting the required parameters and variables, and define operational guidance for data collection.  The monitoring forms describe priority variables (e.g. vegetation-plot based analysis) that need to be collected for complying with the Habitat Directive, and also indicate some optional or habitatspecific variables (e.g. substrate condition, water quality, etc.). The activities and methods suggested in this Manual are aimed at enabling the Regions and Autonomous Provinces to implement monitoring activities based on the collection of harmonized data by means of standardized technical protocols. A standardized basis of information is indeed essential for producing comparable data and generating reliable assessments on the conservation status of each habitat type at national level. Some important elements, such as the Favourable Reference Values and optimal thresholds for some of the parameters, are still under discussion at the European level and therefore will need to be further clarified in the near future

Les travaux archéologiques réalisés dans le pays sàbè (Moyen-Bénin) entre 2007 et 2017 ont livré des données qui permettent provisoirement de dégager les grandes lignes du processus d’occupation de cette région du yoruba occidental, entre le Xème et le XIXème siècles. Les prospections pédestres diachroniques et les fouilles réalisées indiquent deux grandes périodes d’occupation avec plusieurs phases migratoires à destination de ce territoire. C’est entre le XIème siècle et le XVème siècle de l’ère courante que les premiers groupes pratiquant la chasse et l’élevage arrivent dans la région et installent leurs villages autour des collines. D’autres populations connaissant aussi l’agriculture s’établissent dans la région entre le XVème siècle et le XXème siècle. Ce premier cadre chronologique régional mérite d’être mieux documenté à la lumière de nouvelles recherches sur les sites découverts dans la région.

Slums are known to exist in almost every nation on earth. About one-third of the world's population lives in slums. The conditions of slums pose several negative effects on the dwellers. This paper examines the living, housing, sanitation and hygienic conditions of slum dwellers. It attempts to explain why people choose to live in slum areas, and the challenges they face drawing inferences from the case being Ayigya, a slum in Kumasi, Ghana. The investigation involved a deskwork and field survey. A combination of primary and secondary data was assembled. The major sources of data employed were obtained from heads of households who were purposively selected. A sample size of 99 houses was selected from a sampling frame of 1,181 at a margin of error of 0.1. Questionnaires and interview guides were designed to answer the research questions for the study. The living conditions of the dwellers are poor resulting from low incomes. There is poor housing maintenance culture among the dwellers. This has resulted in over half of the houses in dilapidated states. Since the slum area has no properly constructed drains, stagnant waters are predominant with pockets of weedy areas serving as breeding places for mosquitoes and other diseases carrier insects. Several challenges are faced by Ayigya dwellers including water and sanitation problems, overcrowding and poor housing conditions. Policy reforms on slums, sensitization on the need for housing maintenance, funding mechanisms for housing, public education on the need for good environmental sanitation, and improvement in access to water and sanitation services are commensurate for the development of Ayigya.

This document is intended to update the concepts and ideas first presented in Information Paper 12, the first attempt to describe the Instream Flow Incremental Methodology in its entirety in 1982. This also is to serve as a comprehensive introductory textbook on IFIM for training courses as it contains the most complete and comprehensive description of IFIM in existence today. This should also serve as an official guide to IFIM in publication to counteract the misconceptions about the methodology that have pervaded the professional literature since the mid-1980's as this describes IFIM as it is envisioned by its developers The document is aimed at the decisionmakers of management and allocation of natural resources in providing them an overview; and to those who design and implement studies to inform the decisionmakers. There should be enough background on model concepts, data requirements, calibration techniques, and quality assurance to help the technical user design and imple...