Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development (EE&ESD) have been widely accepted as an effective educational method to contribute to capacity development and processes of change in developing c...Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development (EE&ESD) have been widely accepted as an effective educational method to contribute to capacity development and processes of change in developing countries. This paper takes SIDA supported EE&ESD in formal educationadvanced international training program, China as an example. By analyzing and reflecting its orientation, implementation, outcomes and evaluation, experiences and lessons learned are expected to help improve the sorts of international cooperation capacity building programs both from international and also Chinese perspectives.展开更多
The Mediterranean Sea is home to an interesting biodiversity. The current cumulative and descriptive study aims to enumerate some relatively large marine mammals, reptiles, and fishes that have been spotted, caught, b...The Mediterranean Sea is home to an interesting biodiversity. The current cumulative and descriptive study aims to enumerate some relatively large marine mammals, reptiles, and fishes that have been spotted, caught, by-caught, or stranded on the coast of the Gaza Strip, Palestine, which extends about 42 km along the Mediterranean Sea. This 20-year study from 2003 to 2022 relied much on frequent field visits, meetings, and discussions with stakeholders, following local media sites and social media pages, and photography. The study recorded at least 26 giants or relatively large marine organisms on the Mediterranean coast of the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Certainly, the coming years may bring other marine organisms of relatively large sizes. Marine mammals included three species of cetaceans with the Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) being the largest mammal and even the largest animal ever recorded in this study. Marine reptiles included three species of sea turtles, the largest of which is the Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), which is in fact the world’s largest sea turtle. The bony fishes were represented by ten species, the largest of which was the Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola), which is the largest bony fish in the world. The cartilaginous fishes included ten species with the largest specimens encountered were the Shortfin Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus), Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus griseus), Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini), and Giant Devil Ray (Mobula mobular). Seabirds were not included in the study. The Alexandria Pompano (Alectis alexandrinus) and the Silver-Cheeked Toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus), which are bony fishes, appear to be the relatively smallest marine organisms recorded here. In conclusion, the role of the various parties must be coordinated to ensure the sustainability of human activities and their compatibility with the task of conserving local marine biota, including the gigantic or relatively large ones.展开更多
Bird fauna checklists are important tools in ecology, biology, and conservation planning for scientists, stakeholders, and decision-makers. Despite its small area, the Gaza Strip (365 km<sup>2</sup>) has a...Bird fauna checklists are important tools in ecology, biology, and conservation planning for scientists, stakeholders, and decision-makers. Despite its small area, the Gaza Strip (365 km<sup>2</sup>) has a relatively large variety of resident and migratory bird fauna. Therefore, the current study aimed to provide an updated checklist of all bird fauna living in or inhabiting the Gaza Strip. Direct field observations using binoculars, continuous visits to zoos, pet stores and biology museums, discussion with bird hunters, follow-up of news and social networking sites, review of scientific publications and photography were the main tools to satisfy the purpose of the study. At least 250 bird species collected from different sources occur in the Gaza Strip and are included in the checklist. This list will not be static, but is inevitably subject to additions and changes in the face of times. The current 250 bird species of the Gaza Strip represent 45.4% of the 551 species of birds living in Palestine. The bird species were found to belong to 21 orders and 61 families. The Passeriformes (passerines) represented the largest order with 96 species of birds (38.4%), followed by the Charadriiformes 54 (21.6%), the Accipitriformes 18 (7.2%), Anseriformes 17 (6.8%) and Pelecaniformes 14 (5.6%), while the other orders represented the remaining percentage (20.4%). With regard to families, the Scolopacidae represented the largest family with 22 species of birds (8.8%), followed by the Anatidae and Accipitridae 17 for each (6.8%), the Muscicapidae 16 (6.4%) and Chariidridae and Fringillidae 11 for each (4.4%), while the other families represented the remaining percentage (62.4%). According to the IUCN regional threat categories, 226 species (90.4%) were Least Concern (LC), 12 (4.8%) were Near Threatened (NT), 6 (2.4%) were Vulnerable (VU), 4 (1.6%) were Endangered (EN) and 2 (0.8%) were Critically Endangered (CR). In conclusion, the study recommends a sustainable control of bird hunting and trafficking in addition to building prestigious centers and museums for studying and documenting birds in the Gaza Strip.展开更多
文摘Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development (EE&ESD) have been widely accepted as an effective educational method to contribute to capacity development and processes of change in developing countries. This paper takes SIDA supported EE&ESD in formal educationadvanced international training program, China as an example. By analyzing and reflecting its orientation, implementation, outcomes and evaluation, experiences and lessons learned are expected to help improve the sorts of international cooperation capacity building programs both from international and also Chinese perspectives.
文摘The Mediterranean Sea is home to an interesting biodiversity. The current cumulative and descriptive study aims to enumerate some relatively large marine mammals, reptiles, and fishes that have been spotted, caught, by-caught, or stranded on the coast of the Gaza Strip, Palestine, which extends about 42 km along the Mediterranean Sea. This 20-year study from 2003 to 2022 relied much on frequent field visits, meetings, and discussions with stakeholders, following local media sites and social media pages, and photography. The study recorded at least 26 giants or relatively large marine organisms on the Mediterranean coast of the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Certainly, the coming years may bring other marine organisms of relatively large sizes. Marine mammals included three species of cetaceans with the Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) being the largest mammal and even the largest animal ever recorded in this study. Marine reptiles included three species of sea turtles, the largest of which is the Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), which is in fact the world’s largest sea turtle. The bony fishes were represented by ten species, the largest of which was the Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola), which is the largest bony fish in the world. The cartilaginous fishes included ten species with the largest specimens encountered were the Shortfin Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus), Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus griseus), Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini), and Giant Devil Ray (Mobula mobular). Seabirds were not included in the study. The Alexandria Pompano (Alectis alexandrinus) and the Silver-Cheeked Toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus), which are bony fishes, appear to be the relatively smallest marine organisms recorded here. In conclusion, the role of the various parties must be coordinated to ensure the sustainability of human activities and their compatibility with the task of conserving local marine biota, including the gigantic or relatively large ones.
文摘Bird fauna checklists are important tools in ecology, biology, and conservation planning for scientists, stakeholders, and decision-makers. Despite its small area, the Gaza Strip (365 km<sup>2</sup>) has a relatively large variety of resident and migratory bird fauna. Therefore, the current study aimed to provide an updated checklist of all bird fauna living in or inhabiting the Gaza Strip. Direct field observations using binoculars, continuous visits to zoos, pet stores and biology museums, discussion with bird hunters, follow-up of news and social networking sites, review of scientific publications and photography were the main tools to satisfy the purpose of the study. At least 250 bird species collected from different sources occur in the Gaza Strip and are included in the checklist. This list will not be static, but is inevitably subject to additions and changes in the face of times. The current 250 bird species of the Gaza Strip represent 45.4% of the 551 species of birds living in Palestine. The bird species were found to belong to 21 orders and 61 families. The Passeriformes (passerines) represented the largest order with 96 species of birds (38.4%), followed by the Charadriiformes 54 (21.6%), the Accipitriformes 18 (7.2%), Anseriformes 17 (6.8%) and Pelecaniformes 14 (5.6%), while the other orders represented the remaining percentage (20.4%). With regard to families, the Scolopacidae represented the largest family with 22 species of birds (8.8%), followed by the Anatidae and Accipitridae 17 for each (6.8%), the Muscicapidae 16 (6.4%) and Chariidridae and Fringillidae 11 for each (4.4%), while the other families represented the remaining percentage (62.4%). According to the IUCN regional threat categories, 226 species (90.4%) were Least Concern (LC), 12 (4.8%) were Near Threatened (NT), 6 (2.4%) were Vulnerable (VU), 4 (1.6%) were Endangered (EN) and 2 (0.8%) were Critically Endangered (CR). In conclusion, the study recommends a sustainable control of bird hunting and trafficking in addition to building prestigious centers and museums for studying and documenting birds in the Gaza Strip.
