Nature/wildlife Conservation

As Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) represent the best wildlife habitats and ecological sites in the UK, there is significant public interest in protecting and managing them for the benefit of present and future generations. These sites are a key component of the UK’s wider biodiversity policy, both nationally and under its EU obligations. This paper examines the new statutory regime governing the designation and management of SSSIs in the context of the question of whether they strike a fair balance between nature conservation interests and the burdens imposed on private owners of designated land.

After discussing definitions of ecotourism, outlines possible economic and conservational benefits from developing ecotourism or wildlife-based tourism. Identifies possible economic benefits for local communities but also outlines possible economic costs to such communities. Observations are made on the potential of developing ecotourism in the Giant’s Tank/Mannar area. A sufficient market does not always exist for wildlife-based tourism to make it economically viable. Therefore, market analysis should be undertaken before promoting the development of wildlife-based tourism in a locality. A checklist is provided to give some guidance in market appraisal. It is observed that even non-consumptive wildlife-based tourism can have adverse environmental consequences and these are listed. Care is needed to avoid these negative consequences and to ensure that local communities do in fact obtain adequate economic benefits from the development of wildlife-based tourism

The School of Environment, a Jalgaon based voluntary organization run by Samarpan Sanstha initiates the proposal for giving the status of Bio-diversity Heritage Site to the historical Meharun Lake along with Landorkhori Reserve Forest and adjoining Shivaji Garden as per section-37 of the Bio-diversity Act-2002 and the Maharashtra Biological Diversity Rules-2008.
India’s Bio-diversity Act came into existence in 2002 when both the houses of parliament ratified it. Amongst other things, it put forth a framework under which access to biological resources, and related knowledge could from then on be regulated. It also brought with it some broad clauses that mandated central and state governments to take measures towards the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. Any access would also need to go hand-in hand with determining equitable sharing of benefits.
An important conservation measure proposed in section-37 of the Act is the one which gives power to state government to declare areas of biodiversity importance as Biodiversity Heritage Sites (BHS). The declaration has to be in consultation with local bodies, which can include Panchayats, District Councils, Urban Wards or even Bio-diversity Management Committees (BMC) as proposed to be set up under the BD Act.   
Jalgaon City in Maharashtra is a place of rich biodiversity and land of high species of flora and fauna as well as of agro bio-diversity. The location of Jalgaon city is on the right bank of the river Girna. The area surrounding the city has a general slope from south to north. Jalgaon includes varied topographical features like landscapes consisting of wild hills and forests, rich gardens and groves, stretch of barren plains. There are some hilly areas on the south side and the south-west side;  which are also covered by dense forestpatches like Landor Khori, Hanumant Khore, Eklagana, Dhanvad forest & Vaghur Dam forest etc; and Meharun Lake suited on 180 acre is the crown of the city. The Meharun Lake is adjacent to the beautiful Chhatrapati Shivaji Park and Landorkhori Forest and its wildlife by virtue of their magnificence.
The heritage site declaration will protect and conserve the glory ( Meharun Lake & Landorkhori) Jalgaon city...

Observations on new and important breeding records of riverine birds on the Padma River near Bakharali, Chapai Nawabganj, Rajshahi division in Bangladesh, including first breeding records of Common Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica and Vulnerable Indian Skimmer Rynchops albicollis.

In this chapter, different forms of wildlife-based tourism are classified and their general consequences for nature conservation are discussed. The consequences of nature-based tourism for nature conservation depend to a considerable extent on the amount of economic benefit generated by it and how these benefits are distributed. Therefore, these important aspects are examined next. Then the coverage of topics in the book is outlined and notes on some of the methods used in the case studies follow.

Фурсов В.Н. Нежное очарование природы  Японии. Часть-2. – Журнал «Країна знань» (Киев), 2015, № 7, с.21-24.
Fursov V.N. About the nature of Japan. Part-2. – Journal «Kraina Znaniy (Country of Knowledge)» (Кiev, Ukraine), 2015, № 7, p.21-24. (in Russian  language)

, altogether 57 nests of lesser spotted eagle were collected in the Orava region in northwestern Slovakia and four groups of arthropods were extracted from them. Richest in number of species and individuals were mites (23 species, 17,500 ind.), followed by beetles (12 species, 725 ind.), whereas pseudoscorpions were represented only by Pselaphochernes scorpioides (39 ind.) and fleas by Ceratophyllus garei (3 ind.). Unlike nests of other birds, free-living mites predominated in the nests fauna (83% of individuals), followed by nidicolous species with more or less free relationship to the nests, while parasitic species represented only a negligible part of the fauna. For the first time we observed phoresy of Nenteria pandioni, a specific and abundant mite in the eagles' nests, on the nidicolous staphylinid Haploglossa puncticollis. The beetle fauna in the nests was much poorer than in nests of other birds. The predatory H. puncticollis was dominant in the nests (83%) and occurred continuously during the whole investigation period. Other beetles, even the widely distributed nidicols such as the histerid Gnathoncus buyssoni, were found rarely in nests. Predators were also the only abundant trophic group of beetles in the nests, while other trophic groups of beetles abundantly co-occur in nests of majority of other birds. The occurrence of all beetles was very unevenly distributed during the investigation period, but was positively correlated with occurrence of mites. The relatively low number of species and individuals of mites and beetles in the lesser spotted eagle nests resulted from their position on tree tops, at a height of 20-30 m and their quick drying out by sun and wind. It was also indicated by an enormously low number of species and individuals of mycetophagous beetles, which represent a significant component of the fauna in nests of other birds.

In 2001-2007, altogether 57 nests of lesser spotted eagle were collected in the Orava region in northwestern Slovakia and four groups of arthropods were extracted from them. Richest in number of species and individuals were mites (23 species, 17,500 ind.), followed by beetles (12 species, 725 ind.), whereas pseudoscorpions were represented only by Pselaphochernes scorpioides (39 ind.) and fleas by Ceratophyllus garei (3 ind.). Unlike nests of other birds, free-living mites predominated in the nests fauna (83% of individuals), followed by nidicolous species with more or less free relationship to the nests, while parasitic species represented only a negligible part of the fauna. For the first time we observed phoresy of Nenteria pandioni, a specific and abundant mite in the eagles' nests, on the nidicolous staphylinid Haploglossa puncticollis. The beetle fauna in the nests was much poorer than in nests of other birds. The predatory H. puncticollis was dominant in the nests (83%) and occurred continuously during the whole investigation period. Other beetles, even the widely distributed nidicols such as the histerid Gnathoncus buyssoni, were found rarely in nests. Predators were also the only abundant trophic group of beetles in the nests, while other trophic groups of beetles abundantly co-occur in nests of majority of other birds. The occurrence of all beetles was very unevenly distributed during the investigation period, but was positively correlated with occurrence of mites. The relatively low number of species and individuals of mites and beetles in the lesser spotted eagle nests resulted from their position on tree tops, at a height of 20-30 m and their quick drying out by sun and wind. It was also indicated by an enormously low number of species and individuals of mycetophagous beetles, which represent a significant component of the fauna in nests of other birds.

To make a case for considering the cultural context in
conservation policies, this essay explains how indigenous peoples cultures and nature conservation can conflict with one another, but also benefit one another. Firstly, the views on the human/nature relationship of indigenous cultures, modern culture and exclusionary conservation are compared. Secondly, we recognize the roles of indigenous peoples in nature conservation and compare indigenous
land use practices with the land sharing approach. Finally, we will conclude on the importance of integrating the insights of indigenous peoples in nature conservation.

This paper documents research in progress based theoretically on the ideas of Henri Lefebvre and empirically in two case studies located in the north west of England. It highlights Lefebvre's powerful yet neglected concept of differential space.
 
Lefebvre's differential space and shrinking cities
Comparative research: Wigg Island, Pomona Island
Archival, social media interview and observational research
Counter-projects led by
civil society groups
Focus on quasi-public space
and differential space
- one of Lefebvre's
rights to the city
Findings so far

Abstract

In 2012, elephants from two separate herds walked about twelve hours to hold what seemed to be a vigil for their deceased rescuer, South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony. Their story was met with reactions varying from intrigue to disbelief, as standing ideas on non-human animals forbid us to think they might outdo humans in their capacity to sense the death of a close one, even across species-boundaries. In my chapter this story will be the starting point to critically address Western dominated philosophical views of human-animal relations, and explore it for its potential for a new philosophical environmentalism starting from an African context. The story holds several important elements that will be analyzed consecutively and will provide arguments for decolonized human-animal relations. First: the elephants’ behavior has to be understood in the historical context of troubled human-elephant encounters, as well as land dispossession in (neo-) colonial contexts. Second: their ‘family relationship’ to the person who granted them asylum in his private nature reserve asks us to transcend the ‘colonial’ othering of non-human animals. Third: the elephants’ potential to sense the dying of a ‘relative’ invites us to acknowledge distant ‘feeling’ perception, which is acknowledged in traditional, ‘shamanistic’ epistemologies. All three elements lead to understanding and accepting human perception and agency to be continuous with that of non-human animals rather than radically different. This chapter will make use of multi- and inter-disciplinary decolonizing approaches (Bamana, Kohn, Murombedzi, Plumwood).
The world is full of persons (people if you prefer), but few of them are human

The world is full of other-than-human persons

The world is full of other-than-oak persons

The world is full of other-than-hedgehog persons

The world is full of other-than-salmon persons

The world is full of other-than-kingfisher persons

The world is full of other-than-rock persons…

Graham Harvey, An Animist Manifesto (2012).