Community and Institutional Drivers of Deforestation, Environmental Impacts, and Extension Interventions for Forest Management in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Land Degradation and Development, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Март 23, 2025

ABSTRACT Deforestation in Pakistan's mountainous regions, particularly the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), presents significant environmental, social, and economic challenges. Despite various control measures, deforestation persists due to institutional weaknesses community pressures. This paper explores drivers of deforestation, its environmental impacts, extension interventions. Focus group discussions (FGDs) with members from 10 HKH villages provided diverse perspectives. Findings revealed that results failures, such as ineffective enforcement regulations, deficient services, corruption, along factors like elite capture, political patronage offenders, dependence on livestock, communal forest distribution, limited job opportunities for youth. has led ecological deterioration, including climate change, water scarcity, heightened flood risks. inadequacy system, it plays a vital role promoting sustainable management by overcoming resistance restoration programs encouraging participation decision‐making. Policy recommendations focus strengthening services effective conservation, providing agents necessary physical resources, staff, vehicles, office facilities, training enhance their operational capacity.

Язык: Английский

---

Machine Learning Algorithms for the Estimation of Water Quality Parameters in Lake Llanquihue in Southern Chile

Water, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 15(11), С. 1994 - 1994

Опубликована: Май 24, 2023

The world’s water ecosystems have been affected by various human activities. Artificial intelligence techniques, especially machine learning, become an important tool for predicting the quality of inland aquatic ecosystems. As excellent biological indicator, chlorophyll-a was studied to determine state in Lake Llanquihue, located southern Chile. A 31-year time series (1989 2020) data collected situ used evolution limnological parameters at eight spaced stations covering all main points lake, and year, month, day, hour intervals were selected. Using learning out estimation algorithms that applied with real estimate chlorophyll-a, three models showed better performance (XGBoost, LightGBM, AdaBoost). results best show performance, a coefficient determination between 0.81 0.99, root-mean-square error 0.03 ug/L 0.46 ug/L, mean bias 0.01 0.27 ug/L. These are scalable applicable other lake systems interest present similar conditions can support decision making related resources.

Язык: Английский

---

Many losers and few winners in dung beetle responses to Amazonian forest fragmentation

Biological Conservation, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 281, С. 110024 - 110024

Опубликована: Март 21, 2023

Tropical forest fragmentation is expected to result in the loss of forest-dependent species (‘losers’) and proliferation disturbance-tolerant (‘winners’). Here, we use multi-species occupancy modelling quantify effects on Amazonian dung beetles at community level. We investigate relationship between species' habitat preferences responses understand how interspecific variation translates into patterns alpha beta diversity. sampled within 21 patches 2 continuous forests. For each site, quantified three metrics (area, shape, surrounding amount) modelled their occurrence properties. Most were most likely occur large patches, while amount had a positive impact all species. Over 80 % specialists area positively correlated with level specialization. Observed species-level reflected level, greater representation larger up an 88-ha threshold, stabilizing thereafter; this threshold was met by only 1 landscape. Species richness also increased patch area, although impact. Communities structured gradient turnover from small among more isolated patches. Our findings show that beetle become ‘losers’ fragmented landscapes, particularly specialists. recommend landscape-scale planning retain connectivity including remnants.

Язык: Английский

---

Disentangling the effects of habitat fragmentation and top-down trophic cascades on small mammal assemblages on Amazonian forest islands

Biological Conservation, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 293, С. 110594 - 110594

Опубликована: Апрель 23, 2024

Habitat loss and fragmentation are widely acknowledged to affect species diversity. However, the pathways through which their effects propagated foodwebs, ultimately driving diversity, less well understood. We investigated what extent of habitat on small mammals in Central Amazonia mediated by higher trophic levels, specifically mammal mesopredators apex predators. surveyed these three groups across 25 islands surrounded a landscape-scale gradient forest cover within Balbina Hydroelectric Reservoir, addition adjacent continuous sites. then applied Structural Equation Modelling based apex-predator incidence either abundance or biomass mammals. Apex-predator was positively affected landscape cover, as biomass. Small abundance, but not biomass, negatively cover. Contrary expectations, negative effect decrease mesopredator nor apex-predators. Instead, increase is apparently favoured proliferation few persisting smaller-bodied can take advantage augmented resources related degradation. The further increment absence lower predators might be prevented resource availability characterising evergreen forests. Mammal assemblages seem primarily regulated bottom-up forces. While this suggests delayed extinction debt Amazonian islands, remaining biodiversity poorly resilient additional disturbances.

Язык: Английский

---

Mineral supplementation by artificial salt licks is comparatively effective as natural salt licks for Malaysian mammals

Ecological Processes, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 14(1)

Опубликована: Янв. 2, 2025

Abstract Background Mineral-rich licks are known to provide mineral supplements wildlife species, including mammals. Artificial salt have been provided as habitat enrichment in protected areas and secondary forests Peninsular Malaysia since 2012. However, few studies investigated artificial licks, particularly their composition roles different habitats. We used 40 camera traps assess mammal species diversity assemblages at 20 (nine natural 11 licks) three forest reserves Malaysia. Nine elements from water soil samples primary were analysed. Results Twenty-nine identified across with 16 being lick users, eight herbivorous, five frugivorous carnivorous mammals, most of which moved groups solitarily. The both types demonstrated a predominantly nested pattern, herbivorous mammals the users. habitats showcased same feeding guilds that resilient changes. visitation frequency suggests each user had its own preferences for minerals soil. Conclusions This study may be effective providing many forests. Thus, they could enrich degraded Enriching is essential supporting ecosystem, especially carbon reduction, biodiversity conservation connectivity between intact

Язык: Английский

---

Environmental determinants of the taxonomic and functional alpha and beta diversity of small mammals in forest fragments in southwestern Amazonia, Brazil

Global Ecology and Conservation, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown, С. e03445 - e03445

Опубликована: Янв. 1, 2025

Язык: Английский

---

Multi-faceted decline of vertebrate diversity in an endemism zone of the Brazilian Amazon

Journal for Nature Conservation, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown, С. 126842 - 126842

Опубликована: Янв. 1, 2025

Язык: Английский

---

Natural history traits influence winners and losers for herpetological communities in disturbed tropical habitats

Oecologia, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 207(3)

Опубликована: Март 1, 2025

Abstract Habitat alteration can lead to a few ‘winning’ species outcompeting many ‘losing’ species, an effect commonly termed as ‘Winner-Loser-Replacements’ or WLRs. This homogenisation of assemblages at phylogenetic and functional levels. Most previous studies analyse responses abundance without considering natural history traits associated with those species. study uses fourth corner modelling techniques investigate the interaction between ecological data trait information using herpetofaunal assemblage that includes 19 amphibians, 28 snakes, 20 lizards, in Parque Nacional Laguna del Tigre, Guatemala. A total 120 transects were surveyed Visual Encounter Surveys, comprising 18 disturbed habitat, 66 forest 36 edge habitat respectively. Overall, greater diversity was revealed habitats compared close agricultural land. Models for amphibians ( Hypopachus variolosus Incilius valliceps ) snakes Coniophanes schmidtii Leptodeira septentrionalis ), association bare ground, case leaf litter, predicts persistence habitats. Continued fragmentation region will result increased effects, proportion remaining early successional state, leading highly reduced, homogenized, amphibian reptile assemblage. Using such models community animals reveal identity WLR patterns forests continued is useful tool which are risk impact before become degraded.

Язык: Английский

---

Environmental and landscape changes drive medium- to large-bodied mammal species composition across an Amazon-Cerrado ecotone amid the deforestation expansion

Mammalia, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Март 18, 2025

Abstract Amazon and Cerrado biomes embrace a vast parcel of Brazilian biodiversity, yet remain understudied in terms species diversity distribution, particularly transitional zones. We investigated the patterns distribution multiples facets medium- to large-bodied mammal across ecotonal Guaporé river basin, including relationship biodiversity variations according landscape-scale features, such as forest remnants agribusiness. sampled fauna via camera-trapping census, six independent sites, totalling sampling effort 540 camera-trap-days 720 h census. also extracted covariables further predicts variation mammalian diversity. Our results revealed that all sites have similar richness, whereas zeta-diversity decline ∼90 % when were compared. Differences richness – even inconspicuous decay shared can be associated environmental gradient distance among evidencing faunistic transictions prompted by rarity endemism regions human-induced landscape changes. The beta-diversity caused turnover-type structure, once ∼66 balanced composition was due changes gradient. Considering imminent threats natural habitats, it is crucial prioritize conservation any habitat given gamma depends on quantity native areas. This strategy serves fundamental cornerstone for maximizing overall tropical forests.

Язык: Английский

---

Intraspecific Variation in Wings of Eufriesea violacea (Blanchard, 1840) (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Euglossina) from a Highly Fragmented Landscape in Western Paraná State, Brazil

Neotropical Entomology, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 54(1)

Опубликована: Март 27, 2025

Язык: Английский

---