Detection of Burned Areas through Spectral Indices Analysis of Sentinel-2A Satellite Images in the Abokouamékro Wildlife Reserve (Central, Côte D’Ivoire)

In Côte d’Ivoire, the recurring and unregulated use of bushfires, which cause ecological damage, presents a pressing concern for the custodians of protected areas. This study aims to enhance our comprehension of the dynamics of burnt areas within the Abokouamékro Wildlife Reserve (AWR) by employing the analysis of spectral indices derived from satellite imagery. The research methodology began with the calculation of mean indices and their corresponding spectral sub-indices, including NDVI, SAVI, NDWI, NDMI, BAI, NBR, TCW, TCG, and TCB, utilizing data from the Sentinel-2A satellite image dated January 17, 2022. Subsequently, a fuzzy classification model was applied to these various indices and sub-indices, guided by the degree of membership α, with the goal of effectively distinguishing between burned and unburned areas. Following the classification, the accuracies of the classified indices and sub-indices were validated using the coordinates of 100 data points collected within the AWR through GPS technology. The results revealed that the overall accuracy of all indices and sub-indices declines as the degree of membership α decreases from 1 to 0. Among the mean spectral indices, NDVI-mean, SAVI-mean, NDMI-mean exhibited the highest overall accuracies, achieving 97%, 95%, and 90%, respectively. These results closely mirrored those obtained by sub-indices using band 8 (NDVI-B8, SAVI-B8, and NDMI-B8), which yield respective overall accuracies of 93%, 92%, and 89%. At a degree of membership α = 1, the estimated burned areas for the most effective indices encompassed 2144.38 hectares for NDVI-mean, 1932.14 hectares for mean SAVI-mean, and 4947.13 hectares for mean NDMI-mean. A prospective approach involving the amalgamation of these three indices could have the potential to yield improved outcomes. This study could be a substantial contribution to the discrimination of bushfires in Côte d’Ivoire.

How Is the COVID-19 Outbreak Affecting Wildlife around the World?

The COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus at an animal market in Wuhan, China. Many wildlife species have been suggested as possible intermediate sources for the transmission of COVID-19 virus from bats to humans. The quick transmission of COVID-19 outbreak has imposed quarantine measures across the world, and as a result, most of the world’s towns and cities fell silent under lockdowns. The current study comes to investigate the ways by which the COVID-19 outbreak affects wildlife globally. Hundreds of internet sites and scientific reports have been reviewed to satisfy the needs of the study. Stories of seeing wild animals roaming the quiet, deserted streets and cities during the COVID-19 outbreak have been posted in the media and social media. The strong link between wildlife markets and COVID-19 resulted in international calls asking countries to shut down wildlife markets forever. Poorer and vulnerable people around the world overexploit natural resources including wildlife. Roadkills became minimal because of the lockdown measures. The reduction in noise pollution level is expected to improve wildlife health and ecology including breeding success. The shortage of food items provided to zoo and park animals constituted a real threat to animals and the institution harboring them. The increase in fish biomass comes as a result of the sharp decline in fishing activities. The isolation of antibodies from certain wildlife species is promising in saving humankind against COVID-19. The infection of wild and pet animals with COVID-19 virus from humans and the interspecific transmission of the infection are disastrous to animal ecology. Finally, closures may enhance people to connect more and more with nature in order to acknowledge wildlife in their surrounding environments. In conclusion, the study asks the world’s different parties to conserve wildlife in a sustainable fashion and to regulate exotic animal trade in wet markets in order to lower the incidence of zoonoses.

The Impacts of Sugarcane Expansion on Wildlife in the State of Sao Paulo,Brazil

Brazil has become one of the top producers and exporters of food, fibre, and bionergy in the world.The expansion of livestock and soybean production in the Amazon basin appears to be independent of the sugarcane expansion in southeastern Brazil whereas the impact of sugarcane expansion over areas of soybean plantation in previous Cerrado biome is still unknown. However, the expansion of sugarcane production in the state of S?o Paulohas been shown to cause an increase in the local abundance of rodents and result in the emergence of infectious diseases such as hantaviruses and leptospirosis in humans. In addition, with an increase in the use of agrochemicals there will be an increase in euthrophication of watercourses and soil pollution. Considering that S?o Paulo has a population of approximately 40 million people, these local impacts are relevant. Environmental law should be improved and enforced in Brazil to ensure that sugarcane production is not only economically profitable but also environmentally responsible.

Human-wildlife conflict:A bibliometric analysis during 1991–2023

The escalating conflict between human and wildlife due to competing demands for limited space and resources has raised concerns worldwide,and understanding the dynamics of this conflict is crucial for devising effective strategies and policies.The present study is an attempt to carry out a bibliometric analysis of the published literature on the topic of human-wildlife conflict(HWC)for the period of January 1991–February 2023.For carrying out the analysis of the data obtained from Web of Science,the‘Bibliometrix'tool,developed through the R programming language,was used.The findings of the study revealed that a total of 1592 documents have been published on the HWC research topic from January 1991 to February 2023 within 338 sources.It is observed that the number of publications has continuously increased since 1991,with an annual growth rate of 5.16%.A total of 4995 authors have contributed to the targeted research field.Of the 388 sources,the journal‘Biological Conservation'is the most relevant and productive,followed by‘Oryx'and‘Human Dimensions of Wildlife'.Based on the country production analysis,authors from 110 countries have contributed to the field,and the USA has the highest frequency of publications on HWC,followed by the UK and Australia.The USA also has the highest multiple country publications and has collaborated with 88 countries,with the highest frequency of collaboration with the UK,followed by India,Australia,and South Africa.The most frequently used keywords include‘human-wildlife conflict',‘conservation',‘conflict',‘human-wildlife',‘wildlife',‘wildlife management',‘livestock',‘management',‘coexistence',and‘carnivore'.The present study identifies the most prolific authors,sources,institutions,and countries,as well as the study hotspots in the subject of HWC,which may assist researchers in finding the best working and publication platforms.Further,it may also help them identify reliable research partners to acquire the best findings and develop more effective strategies and policies to address the issue.

Evaluation of Wildlife Resource Value in Jinggangshan Nature Reserve by CVM

By using Contingent Value Method(CVM),WTP(Willingness to Pay) of wildlife in Jinggangshan Nature Reserve was studied,the overall existence value of wildlife resource(namely the sum of economic,social,ecological value added on its existence value) in this area was calculated,and the statistics of primary social and economic factors affecting payment value were analyzed.600 questionnaires had been issued altogether and the recovery rate was 100%,583 of which were valid and the effective rate was 94.2 % which demonstrated that feedback sample quantity had reached the analysis requirement.The study result showed that interviewees with different social characteristics widely dispersed,which complied with the survey principle of random sampling;that the distribution curve of WTP was neither smooth nor normal and as 50 Yuan was frequently-used amount in their daily consumption,people tended to choose this option subconsciously;that WTP had notable correlation with education degree,monthly income and cognition degree,and had relation with age but no obvious relation with gender;that annual payment value per capita was within the research scope of wildlife payment value,that is 40-575 Yuan/(person·year).The final conclusion was that wildlife resource value in this area was 17 845 000 Yuan/year,which was of great significance to the protection of biological diversity and the formulation of corresponding protective measures in Jinggangshan Nature Reserve and even in the whole society.

The prospect of wildlife tourism

The paper extends an overview of the worldwide development of wildlife tourism, introduced the conception of wild-life tourism and its components, and analyzed the development of international wildlife tourism and its international trends. The sustainability of wildlife tourism, the protection of wildlife habitat, as well as the possible impacts of wildlife tourism development in China were discussed.

Population Ecology of the Endangered Himalayan Yew in Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary of North Western Himalaya for Conservation Management

The Himalayan Yew (Taxus baccata subsp. wallichiana) is an endangered native high value medicinal plant of the Himalayan Region. The several medicinal properties of the bark and leaves of this species have increased its risk of extinction due to pressures for utilization. It is also subjected to harvest for fuelwood. The species does not regenerate well from seed and that is another risk factor. The objective of this research was to investigate the population ecology of the species as a foundation for its conservation. Six forest communities in the Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary where the species is present were sampled. The abundance of the species, impacts of harvesting and its current regeneration patterns indicate that it may soon be extirpated from the Sanctuary. A plan for conserving the remaining sub-populations is presented. It could provide a template for conservation in other locations where the species is at risk.

Concept of scientific wildlife conservation and its dissemination

In recent years, wildlife conservation has attracted great public attention. However, substantial distinctions can be found in the prevailing concepts of wildlife conservation, particularly with the recent notion that emphasizes animal rights. Wildlife welfare and wildlife rights are not synonymous, with welfare more compatible with the reasonable and legal utilization of wildlife. The key to scientific wildlife conservation is the appropriate awareness and appreciation of the relationship between wildlife conservation and utilization and the theoretical basis of holism. Nevertheless, rational biases regarding the public＇s understanding of wildlife conservation and the spread of information via social media still exist. As such, expansion of the concept of scientific wildlife conservation requires the application of several measures. Wildlife conservation researchers should be regarded as the most important disseminators of scientifically-based information, with education in schools and universities of growing importance. Furthermore, the media should shoulder the social responsibility for the accurate dissemination of conservation information.

Ecological Agriculture. Integrating Low Input, High Productive Farming with Wildlife Conservation. Results from the Experimental Farm La Combe, Drome France

Wildlife conservation must be integrated with energy and resource efficient agriculture for the human population to survive. Modern high input energy and resource inefficient agriculture does not address these problems. An efficient food producing system which marries wildlife conservation with resource and energy efficient human food production is needed. This is Ecological Agriculture, modelled on how natural ecosystems work. It is defined as: The establishment and maintenance of a diversified, self-sustaining low input farming system managed to maximize net production without causing large or long term changes to the environment. It must be economically viable, and ethically and aesthetically acceptable [1]. Forty years of research on 4 experimental farms have assessed the practicality of this approach (results previously published). The 5th experimental farm in the mountains of the Pre Alps has completed its 10 years. The results are discussed in relation to the tenets of Ecological Agriculture. The techniques previously developed have allowed the results to fulfil the majority of the demands of efficient ecological agriculture and to produce food for 20 families from the farm’s resources despite the difficult climate, topography and soils. It is shown how energy and resource inefficient the omnivorous animals (poultry and pigs) are, compared to herbivores. The species diversity has increased and the whole farm is a nature reserve. Aesthetic and ethical problems have been addressed with an emphasis on a life of quality for farm animals.

Anthropogenic disturbances and status of forest and wildlife in the dry deciduous forests of Chhattisgarh state in India

The advent of modem forces and the changes in socio- economic patterns of forest dwellers have increased the pressures on the forests. In order to mitigate such pressures and also to protect the forests and wildlife the model of protected areas networks has shifted and en- hanced such pressures in the unprotected natural forests due to several reasons. Being a low profile category of protected status and continuous human settlements, the present study highlights the case of dry deciduous forests of Sarguja district of Chhattisgarh state of India. The major objec- tives of this study were to quantify the status of forests and wildlife and also to determine the extent of anthropogenic disturbances faced by the dry deciduous forests of central India. Transect and silent drive count methods were used for sampling wildlife and quadrat method was used for sampling vegetation. Besides, the local uses of various forest pro- duces were also studied in view of understanding the people dependency on forests. The forest vegetation, in the study area, was pre-dominated by Shorea robusta, which had Madhuca indica, Diospyrus melanoxylon and Buchnania lanzan as the major companion species. The forest had either the high girth class mature tree species or the saplings. The low vegeta- tion cover and density were due to the high anthropogenic pressures mainly in the form of heavy livestock grazing and collection of etlmo- botanically important species. The study though reveals that the area is not rich in wildlife and the forest is fragmented, the area still supports some important species, which include many rare and endangered plants and animals. The findings of this study have been discussed in view of the management and conservation of the forest and wildlife in the dry deciduous forests.

Sustainable wildlife protection on the Qingzang Plateau

Besides its ecological services to China and even Asia,the Qingzang Plateau(QP)hosts a rich variety of wildlife species.During the last century,wildlife population decreased quickly on the QP,driven by human interventions.Recently,wildlife has witnessed rapid recovery mainly propelled by a series of wildlife conservation policies.However,some cautions merit attentions to sustain wildlife restoration and conservation on the QP.This paper casted an overview of environmental and social-economic changes on the QP affecting wildlife subsistence.Re-sults show that QP has been warming,which can benefit wildlife recovery by easing extreme low temperature stresses.The fast growing social economy across the QP lays a solid economic foundation for investing on wildlife protection.Measures such as establishing conservation areas,constructing wildlife pathway corridors,and en-couraging herdsman moving out from wildlife rich regions,have boosted wildlife recovery.However,wildlife recovery is constrained by the limited carrying capacity of the ecosystem,left by domestic livestock.Additionally,fences intended to delineate conservation areas or to separate each type of grassland use,have brought about profound side effects on wildlife through fragmentation of their habitats.It is recommended to set up the fence in a more ecological way,which can be achieved by bypassing the wildlife frequent pathway and using mate-rials devoid of steel barb.Only considering both opportunities and problems simultaneously,can the wildlife protection on the QP be sustained.

Status and distribution pattern of coarse woody debris along an altitudinal gradient in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand, West Himalaya

A rapid assessment on the status and distribution patterns of coarse woody debris （CWD） was conducted by laying five curvilinear transects （transects A, B, C, D and E; major trails）, along an altitudinal gradient starting from 900 to 2 600 m, in three major watersheds （Charigad, Dogarhigad and upper Gosigad） of Goriganga catchment in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, India. At every 100 m rise in altitude a hectare plot （100 m x 100 m） was selected. Results showed that the percentage contribution by different succession phases was in the decreasing order： phase I 〉 phase II 〉 phase IV 〉 phase III for snags, and phase III〉 phase II 〉 phase IV 〉 phase I for logs. Snag density in chir pine forest was high in transect A （11 snags＇ha^-1） at 1 500 m, and the value in rianj oak forest was high in transect B （10 snags.ha-l） at 2 300 m. The total available mass of snags and logs in chit pine forest was 13.9 t, of which snags mass accounted for 41% of the total mass and logs mass for 59%. While the total value was 5.6 t in rianj oak forest, of which snags and logs accounted for 60% and 40% of the total mass, respectively. Moreover, the presence of CWD in the study area if not harvested, would provide a great opportunity to the orchids in future to flourish by providing protection. The high densities of snags and logs in chir pine forest at mid-altitudinal zone led to less species richness and lower density of ground flora as the zone receives more light, accompanying with lower soil moisture, and thus only the dominant species occupy the habitat.

A Preliminary Annotated Checklist of the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary in Northern Cambodia

We present the first herpetological checklist for the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Cambodia, with records of 22 species of amphibians and 33 species of reptiles belonging to 44 genera in 22 families. The checklist includes three species （Ingerophrynus macrotis, Micryletta inornata, Scincella melanosticta） which in Cambodia were formerly only known to occur in the Cardamom Mountains in the southwest of the country. Our findings highlight the importance of countrywide herpetological baseline surveys in lowland habitats.

Response to Comment on "The role of wildlife (wild birds) in the global transmission of antimicrobial resistance genes"

DEAR EDITOR,Since our first identification of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene mcr-1 in 2015 （Liu et al., 2016）, it has been described in human clinics, domestic animals, foods, and the environment worldwide （Schwarz ＆ Johnson, 2016）. Although it is still rare, the emergence of mcr-I in wild animals is of great concern. We summarized two previous reports on mcr-1 in wild birds from Lithuania and Argentina to describe its emergence and characteristics in wildlife and highlight the potentially important role of wild animals, particularly birds, in its global transmission （Wang et al., 2017）. The first detection of mcr-1 in wildlife in Asia was identified in an extended-spectrum β- lactamase-producing Escherichia coil strain isolated from Eurasian coot （Fulica atra）,

Evaluation of habitat quality for selected wildlife species associated with island back channels

The islands and associated back channels on the Ohio River, USA, are believed to provide critical habitat features for several wildlife species. However, few studies have quantitatively evaluated habitat quality in these areas. Our main objective was to evaluate the habitat quality of back and main channel areas for several species using habitat suitability index (HSI) models. To test the effectiveness of these models, we attempted to relate HSI scores and the variables measured for each model with measures of relative abundance for the model species. The mean belted kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) HSI was greater on the main than back channel. However, the model failed to predict kingfisher abundance. The mean reproduction component of the great blue heron (Ardea herodias) HSI, total common muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) HSI, winter cover component of the snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) HSI, and brood-rearing component of the wood duck (Aix sponsa) HSI were all greater on the back than main channel, and were positively related with the relative abundance of each species. We found that island back channels provide characteristics not found elsewhere on the Ohio River and warrant conservation as important riparian wildlife habitat. The effectiveness of using HSI models to predict species abundance on the river was mixed. Modifications to several of the models are needed to improve their use on the Ohio River and, likely, other large rivers.

Illegal Wildlife Trade: Trade Flows of Wildlife Products and Facilitation Methods in the Ruaha Landscape, Tanzania

Tanzania’s Ruaha landscape is prominent for its potential wildlife resources, which play a key role in sustaining the economy and livelihoods of the people. However, most of these resources are illegally obtained and traded in different places within and outside the Ruaha landscape. Due to its illegal nature, most of the important information regarding the trade is poorly documented. Therefore, the current study aimed first, to explore the origin and destination of wildlife products;second, to assess the relationship between hunters and buyers or customers;third, to assess the means used to transport wildlife products;and lastly, to assess who influences people to engage in illegal hunting and trade activities. In addition, we assess the materials used in the exchange of wildlife products. Semi-structured questionnaires and face-to-face interviews were used to collect information from 123 respondents. Social network analysis was used to indicate the origin and destination of wildlife products. The findings show that 70% of wildlife products originate from the Ruaha National Park and MBOMIPA wildlife management areas, with the remaining 30% originating from villages. The majority of respondents (65%) reported transporting wildlife products by foot and bicycle as the primary modes of transportation. Suppliers of wildlife products are reported to have close and long-term relationships with their customers and traders, with most of whom being friends and relatives. We found most poachers to be influenced by their friends and relatives in terms making decision to engage in illegal wildlife trade. In addition, crops like maize and rice were the most popular products used to exchange with wildlife products in the Ruaha landscape. Therefore, in order to combat illegal trade in wildlife products at the local level, alternative income-generating activities need to be promoted accompanied by not only well-funded anti-poaching programmes but also more effective surveillance plans. These should entail the use of advanced techniques and skills, such as wildlife forensics.

Wildlife Export Quota and Its Administrative System

The authors discussed the administrative system of export quota and its method of calculation in the international wildlife trade. Three methods for determining wildlife export quota in China was put forvvard, based on the trend and status, domestic use, and historical export of wildlife resources. They include the single factor method, the double factor method, and the multiple faCtor method. In addition, the approaches and measures to establish and carry out the administrative system of wildlife export quota in China were discussed in this paper.

Metagenomic Analysis of Environmental Samples from Wildlife Rescue Station at Poyang Lake, China

Objective To improve the understanding of the virome and bacterial microbiome in the wildlife rescue station of Poyang Lake,China.Methods Ten smear samples were collected in March 2019.Metagenomic sequencing was performed to delineate bacterial and viral diversity.Taxonomic analysis was performed using the Kraken2 and Bracken methods.A maximum-likelihood tree was constructed based on the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase(RdRp)region of picornavirus.Results We identified 363 bacterial and 6 viral families.A significant difference in microbial and viral abundance was found between samples S01–S09 and S10.In S01–S09,members of Flavobacteriia and Gammaproteobacteria were the most prevalent,while in S10,the most prevalent bacteria class was Actinomycetia.Among S01–S09,members of Myoviridae and Herelleviridae were the most prevalent,while the dominant virus family of S10 was Picornaviridae.The full genome of the pigeon mesivirus-like virus(NC-BM-233)was recovered from S10 and contained an open reading frame of 8,124 nt.It showed the best hit to the pigeon mesivirus 2 polyprotein,with 84.10%amino acid identity.Phylogenetic analysis showed that RdRp clustered into Megrivirus B.Conclusion This study provides an initial assessment of the bacteria and viruses in the cage-smeared samples,broadens our knowledge of viral and bacterial diversity,and is a way to discover potential pathogens in wild birds .

Status and distribution pattern of coarse woody debris along an altitudinal gradient in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand, West Himalaya

A rapid assessment on the status and distribution patterns of coarse woody debris (CWD) was conducted by laying five curvilinear transects (transects A, B, C, D and E; major trails), along an altitudinal gradient starting from 900 to 2 600 m, in three major watersheds (Charigad, Dogarhigad and upper Gosigad) of Goriganga catchment in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, India. At every 100 m rise in altitude a hectare plot (100 m x 100 m) was selected. Results showed that the percentage contribution by different succession phases was in the decreasing order: phase I > phase II > phase IV > phase III for snags, and phase III > phase II > phase IV > phase I for logs. Snag density in chir pine forest was high in transect A (11 snags·ha-1) at 1 500 m, and the value in rianj oak forest was high in transect B (10 snags·ha-1) at 2 300 m. The total available mass of snags and logs in chir pine forest was 13.9 t, of which snags mass accounted for 41% of the total mass and logs mass for 59%. While the total value was 5.6 t in rianj oak forest, of which snags and logs accounted for 60% and 40% of the total mass, respectively. Moreover, the presence of CWD in the study area if not harvested, would provide a great opportunity to the orchids in future to flourish by providing protection. The high densities of snags and logs in chir pine forest at mid-altitudinal zone led to less species richness and lower density of ground flora as the zone receives more light, accompanying with lower soil moisture, and thus only the dominant species occupy the habitat.

The dissemination of relevant information on wildlife utilization and its connection with the illegal trade in wildlife

We analyzed the generation and dissemination of relevant information on wildlife utilization based on the African bush elephant(Loxodonta africana Blumenbach.),the tiger(Panthera tigris L.)and the totoaba,a species of marine fish,(Totoaba macdonaldi Gilbert)as examples,whose populations are more threatened by the illegal wildlife trade.We compared the illegal trade in wildlife with related information in order to find possible associations,searched for relevant information on major international websites to summarize similarities in information production and dissemination,and used a"Zhiwei"dissemination analysis platform to analyze the dissemination of information circulated at Microblog.The results show that the most infuential information related to the trade in wildlife is mainly generated from news media websites and new selfmedia platforms,usually from non-governmental organizations concerned with wildlife protection.The main factors that affect the depth and breadth of disseminating relevant information on wildlife utilization include the participation of relatively infuential opinion leaders,the verification ratio of forwarding users,the number of followers,and affective identification.Misleading information can stimulate and promote poaching and smuggling,regardless of their real market demand or their products.Therefore,all links in the course of information dissemination should be carefully examined in order to purify the information environment and reduce adverse effects of misleading information on wildlife protection.