International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources

About: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources is a nonprofit organization based out in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Biodiversity & Population. The organization has 1317 authors who have published 1870 publications receiving 97588 citations.

An integrated management strategy for the conservation of Eastern black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis michaeli in Kenya

Abstract: At time of writing Kenya holds c. 84% of the remaining in situ population of Critically Endangered Eastern black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis michaeli. The Kenyan 5 year Black Rhino Conservation and Management Strategy has given highest priority to the biological management of the subspecies in order to help achieve and maintain rapid metapopulation growth to increase rhinoceros numbers. Specific training and capacity building in monitoring of rhinoceros, from collection of field data to status reporting, have been implemented. Procedures to assess ecological carrying capacity for Eastern black rhinoceros habitat have been developed to help establish new viable populations and to optimize the management of existing sanctuaries, some of which face loss of suitable habitat owing to competition for resources between rhinoceros and other browsers. The management objective is to maintain rhinoceros populations below the ecological carrying capacity of a reserve in order to increase reproduction in‘donor'populations as well as the trans-location of animals to create new populations with the potential for rapid growth. The conservation value of establishing site-level support relationships is also discussed. Kenya, for the first time since the 1970s, achieved a growth rate of >5% over the period 2004 and 2005 (the national goal is to increase numbers by at least 5%).

Essential indicators for measuring site-based conservation effectiveness in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework

Abstract: Work on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework is now well advanced and will outline a vision, goals, and targets for the next decade of biodiversity conservation and beyond. For the effectiveness of Protected areas and Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures, an indicator has been proposed for “areas meeting their documented ecological objectives.” However, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has not identified or agreed on what data should inform this indicator. Here we draw on experiences from the assessment of protected area effectiveness in the CBD's previous strategic plan to provide recommendations on the essential elements related to biodiversity outcomes and management that need to be captured in this updated indicator as well as how this could be done. Our proposed protected area effectiveness indicators include a combination of remotely derived products for all protected areas, combined with data from monitoring of both protected area management and trends in species and ecosystems based on field observations. Additionally, we highlight the need for creating a digital infrastructure to operationalize national-level data-capture. We believe these steps are critical and urge the adoption of suitable protected area effectiveness indicators before the post-2020 framework is agreed in 2021.

Participatory mapping for local management of natural resources in villages of the rufiji district (tanzania)

Abstract: Tanzania has introduced legislation that allows communities to locally manage their natural resources. From 1998 to 2003, the Rufiji Environmental Management Project (REMP) promoted such a transfer of authority, from the central government to 4 pilot villages of the Rufiji District in southern Tanzania, mainly for forest resources. These communities developed Village Environmental Management Plans (VEMP). Land-use maps have been produced by multi-institutional teams using Landsat images, aerial photographs, detailed landscape analysis, ground-truthing and incorporation of the results in to a GIS. Cartography and Environmental Management, carried out in a participatory way, were shown to be effective tools for the improvement of communication and information sharing between local populations, government institutions and researchers. The mapping of land use in the Rufiji District can potentially clarify a fuzzy land-tenure situation, especially in the floodplain. This area, considered as under-utilised by the local authorities, is in fact extensively cultivated by the Warufiji populations who have abandoned the Ujamaa village scheme. The mapping of the 4 areas, by the villagers themselves, equipped with GPS, was instrumental in their official recognition as Village Forest Reserves. Mechanisms still need to be put in place for the resolution of land-use conflicts between villages and for the mediating role that local government should play. For improved planning, this participatory mapping exercise has to be complemented by a detailed analysis of the economic and spiritual values of the different landscape components, and by a description of the local rules of resource sharing. The drive towards increased local management of natural resources still needs to be supported by a strong Government with the will to empower and to secure the local benefits of the decentralisation process.

Leatherback, Dermochelys coriacea, Nesting Along the Atlantic Coast of Africa

Abstract: Leatherback nesting along the Atlantic coast of Africa extends from Mauritania in the north to Angola in the south, with a globally important nesting concentration located in Gabon in Central Africa. Provisional estimates of nesting numbers from Gabon indicate that this nesting population may be among the largest in the world.

Exposure of Small Rodents to Plague during Epizootics in Black-tailed Prairie Dogs

Abstract: Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, causes die-offs of colonies of prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). It has been argued that other small rodents are reservoirs for plague, spreading disease during epizootics and maintaining the pathogen in the absence of prairie dogs; yet there is little empirical support for distinct enzootic and epizootic cycles. Between 2004 and 2006, we collected blood from small rodents captured in colonies in northern Colorado before, during, and for up to 2 yr after prairie dog epizootics. We screened 1,603 blood samples for antibodies to Y. pestis, using passive hemagglutination and inhibition tests, and for a subset of samples we cultured blood for the bacterium itself. Of the four species of rodents that were common in colonies, the northern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys leucogaster) was the only species with consistent evidence of plague infection during epizootics, with 11.1-23.1% of mice seropositive for antibody to Y. pestis during these events. Seropositive grasshopper mice, thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus), and deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) were captured the year following epizootics. The appearance of antibodies to Y. pestis in grasshopper mice coincided with periods of high prairie dog mortality; subse- quently, antibody prevalence rates declined, with no seropositive individuals captured 2 yr after epizootics. We did not detect plague in any rodents off of colonies, or on colonies prior to epizootics, and found no evidence of persistent Y. pestis infection in blood cultures. Our results suggest that grasshopper mice could be involved in epizootic spread of Y. pestis, and possibly, serve as a short-term reservoir for plague, but provide no evidence that the grasshopper mouse or any small rodent acts as a long-term, enzootic host for Y. pestis in prairie dog colonies.