Utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the Identification and Management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): A Review

The article discusses the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation in marine conservation, specifically in relation to the protection of marine ecosystems and the definition of marine protected areas (MPAs). It highlights the threats that marine ecosystems face due to human activities and emphasizes the importance of effective management and conservation efforts. By improving data gathering, processing, monitoring, and analysis, artificial intelligence, and automation, they can revolutionize marine research. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the importance of AI and automation in marine conservation responsibly and ethically. In order to integrate these technologies into decision-making processes, stakeholders and marine conservation professionals must collaborate. Through the use of artificial intelligence and automation, marine conservation efforts can be transformed by establishing new methods of collecting and analyzing data, making informed decisions, and managing marine ecosystems.

Spatial Pattern and Development of Protected Areas in the North-south Transitional Zone of China

The north-south transitional zone in China mainly consists of the Qinling-Daba Mountains. It is the most important West-East geo-ecological space in China, containing protected areas vital for biodiversity conservation and ecological security of China. The protection and rational development of its natural habitat is of great significance to China’s ecological security and integration of protected areas based on mountain forest ecosystems on a global scale. In this study, five important types of protected areas in the transitional zone were selected, and their spatial patterns were analysed. Spatial analysis methods, such as kernel density estimation and accessibility analysis, were employed for both point and areal data, and focused on four aspects: land use scale, shift in the centre of gravity, spatial agglomeration, and accessibility. In addition, policy background and evolution of spatial and temporal characteristics of the protected area system in the transitional zone from 1963 to 2017 were also examined. We analysed the characteristics and geographical significance of the West-east corridor using the spatial pattern of the protected area system from the perspective of ecological and economic spaces. We focused on spatial shape, type intersection, and key areas to analyse the spatial overlap of the protected areas. Protected area establishment was divided into three stages: initial(1956–1980), rapid development(1981–2013), and national park transformation(2014–present). These stages reflected the change in the concept of ‘simple protection—sustainable use—integration and upgrade’ for protected areas of China. The spatial centre of gravity of the protection zone system was located in the west Qinling-Daba Mountains, and its high-density core exhibited a relatively stable N-shaped structure composed of four gathering areas. Affected by factors such as geographic environment and socio-economic development density, the average access time for protected areas was high(1.56 h);wetland parks and scenic areas are located closer to the city centre. As the West-east corridor in the transitional zone extends from west to east, there is a clear spatial dislocation between the development of protected areas and the intensity of human activities. During development, differentiated goal orientation should be adopted based on the idea of zoning and classified governance. With the advancement of the construction of protected areas, the spatial overlap of protected areas in the transition zone has become more prominent. At present, the spatially overlapped protected areas in the transitional zone remain prominent, with inclusion overlap being the most common, and forest parks exhibiting the highest probability of overlap with other protected areas, we should focus on in the integration process of the corridor-type ecological space based on the mountain forest ecosystem.

Assessment and impact of anthropogenic disturbances in protected areas of northern Togo

These days, human activities in the savanna and the remaining dry and riparian forests of the Sudanian ecoregions continue to have their impact. These anthropogenic practices are still the main cause of disturbances in these areas. In order to investigate and assess the importance of these disturbances, caused by people bordering on protected areas and to determine the relation between these activities and the environment in which they are carried out, 220 samples were selected in the three main protected areas of northern Togo. The investigation was mainly qualitative, considering the floristic sampling of this drought area; any anthropogenic activities observed were recorded. A simple investigative questionnaire about the activities of rural people in the reserved areas was distributed to individuals encountered in the study area. Each sample in the investigation ended with a site description of its ecologi- cal characterization, i.e., soil features, topography, fauna footprints, dominant plant species and GPS position; we also took photo- graphs of the site. Data processing was entirely based on descriptive statistics and a factor analysis. The results show that eight kinds of human activities, i.e., the use of pastures, tree cutting, bush fires, charcoal production, harvesting of plant material, fanning, honey harvesting and hunting, were noted to be serious disturbances to the integrity of the ecosystems. Among these disturbances, three are recurrent in all the sampled areas of which the use of pastures accounts for 31.88%, tree cutting for 30.35% and bush fires for 30.13%. Fire and pasture disturbances are closely linked and are responsible for the current features of the savanna area of the region. Tree cutting is more a direct function of the need for the production of wood fuel, generally used by city populations. Hunting, farm- ing and honey production are of lesser importance in the area and therefore, do not pose a significantly negative effect on the growth of fauna and flora. Knowledge of these disturbances in the context of requalification and a renewed demarcation of protected areas in Togo is essential for their sustainable management.

Identity Dynamics and Conflict in Collaborative Processes: The Case of Participatory Management of Protected Areas in Benin

The research reported in this paper investigated the role of identity construction in the emergence and escalation of conflict in the participatory management of protected areas in Benin. The study shows that social identity salience was dynamic and played an important role in the emergence and escalation of conflict in the studied cases. Conflicts emerged when identities became salient as a result of the stake-holders’ framing of contextual factors as a threat to their identity. The conflicts escalated when decisions and actions undertaken in the management process were framed as top-down and as posing a threat to the identities of the stakeholders. We conclude that, although the government in the management of the protected areas introduced participation, unilateral decisions taken about the way the conflicts should be managed caused disappointment and distrust, and thus led to a greater distance between the parties involved and to conflict escalation.

基于CiteSpace的国内野生动植物保护研究现状及热点分析

通过文献计量学软件CiteSpace对野生动植物保护主题进行可视化分析,为野生动植物研究提供最新热点和研究方向。基于CNKI数据库进行期刊文献分析,对1139篇符合标准文献的发文量、发文机构、作者、关键词共现、聚类、突现进行可视化分析。结果表明,野生动植物保护领域的发文量总体呈增长趋势,其中林业期刊的发文量排名较为靠前。国内对于野生动植物保护的关注度在修订保护法前后较高,且机构核心研究较为紧密,研究者之间形成7个大的组合合作网络。随着时间的推移,对于“野生动植物”此关键词的研究一直延续至今。该研究领域早期主要关注生态环境,在人与自然和谐相处的理念出台后,引起了社会对于野生动植物的关注和保护,对于野生动植物生存环境即自然保护地重视程度也在逐渐提高。将野生动植物保护与自然保护区研究相结合,并进一步探究其保护对策和措施,预测其保护方向,可以更好地对自然和野生动植物面临的威胁做出应对措施。

Different people,different wild:Comparing and mapping wilderness representation in Wuyishan National Park,China

It is essential to better integrate wilderness representations of different stakeholders into wilderness conservation.The way in which local residents and other stakeholders frame the construction of wilderness of protected areas in developing countries are poorly understood.In these areas,land use policy and decision may lead to conflicts.This study aims to explore existing public wilderness representations using a questionnaire survey(n=514)administered amongst tourists and other stakeholders in the Wuyishan National Park,in southeast China.The spatial differences in public representations of wilderness across different stakeholder groups were compared against expert knowledge.We found that integrated wilderness representation maps of different stakeholder groups were consistent,namely'area where wild animals live','area with no human influence','a barren and lonely area'.However,three sub-representations of the individual stakeholders varied significantly.Moreover,expert-based wilderness mapping did not reflect public representations accurately,and an integrated wilder-ness quality map considering wilderness representations across both stakeholders and experts can better identify detailed wilderness areas.Our study provides new insights and technical support for future exploration of wilder-ness conservation and mapping in China and other countries with insufficient awareness of wilderness values and investigations in a regional scale.

Community Perception of Biodiversity Conservation Within Protected Areas:Case of Pendjari National Park,Benin

Commitment of local communities to protected areas is essential for conserving biodiversity.In Benin,various conservation models have been implemented for National Park management.This study,carried out around the Pendjari National Park (PNP),analyzed local people’s views on ongoing participatory management activities and assessed their perceptions towards biodiversity conservation within the park.We interviewed 164 residents living in

Shifting paradigms for Nepal＇s protected areas： history, challenges and relationships

The modern history of protected area(PA) management in Nepal dates back to 1973 when the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act(1973) was promulgated and Chitwan National Park was established. In the years immediately following these key events, protected area acts and regulations were strictly applied and the role of local people in managing natural resources was neglected. However with the passage of time, and with changes in the socio-political and economic characteristics of Nepal, management regimes have shifted towards a more liberal model which recognizes more clearly the contributions of people living and working within protected areas. Recently, landscape level conservation models including the designation of multiple use areas have been utilized in the development of management plans for protected areas in Nepal. Conservation agencies have attempted to tackle challenges such as land use conflict, poaching and smuggling of wildlife parts and illegal harvesting of highly valued medicinal herbs through regulation, but these efforts are not always successful. We recommend a holistic conflict resolution approach which recognizes and resolves the different needs of all stakeholders.

A comparison of the management models of protected areas between China and the southern Africa region

A comparison of the management models of protected areas between China and the African south region allows reading and evaluating the similarities and differences in the use of management model as a management tool for protected areas and specifi- cally some positive and negative features of the management approaches in these two regions. Previous to this study it verified the designation of protected areas as increasing at a faster rate than ever before, comparatively much faster now in China than southern Africa regions. With the aim of evaluating similarities and differences in the use of management model as a management tool for pro- tected areas in China and southern Africa Region, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Qualitative data were mainly from policy documents, scientific articles and magazine reports, whereas quantitative （secondary data） statistical data from Interna- tional Union for Conservation of Nature Resources （IUCN） and World Database on Protected Areas （WDPA）. In view of the data sources above, the study found that in China all the protected areas are state owned whilst in southern Africa regions there are some protected areas that are privately owned; also that the models or typology of governance applied are successful for the fact that they both combine co-management or collaborative management, community-conserved areas and private protected areas that are subject to greater success and can help design planning and management than those who use exclusively government management. To this, the study concluded that the use of management model is influenced by the type of governance a country applies to its reserved areas.

Community’s Perspectives towards Marine Protected Area in Perhentian Marine Park, Malaysia

The Perhentian Islands located in the East coast of Peninsular Malaysia. They are well-known for their rich coral reef ecosystems. Marine resources of Malaysia have been overexploited in general due to overfishing and other development activities. Such no-take marine protected areas (MPAs) were established in Malaysia including Perhentian Islands Marine Park to enable overexploited marine resources to recover and to conserve coral reef ecosystems. This paper examines the current level of activities causing damages to the coral reef habitats in the Perhentian MPA. This study used paired comparison method to elicit the perception of the local stakeholders on the activities harmful to the marine habitats. The results of the analysis showed that various respondent groups had similar preference rankings on the harmful activities: littering, discarding fishing equipments, excess fishing and too many divers that cause damage to the habitats in the MPA area. The findings suggest that policy makers should take cognizance of the local stakeholders’ concern in planning and designing of marine protected areas in Malaysia.

Governance of protected areas: Kara Kara National Park, Victoria

This study explains various modes that can be applied for protected area. It analyses the requirements for good governance of protected area. A study area(Kara Kara National Park) is selected for identifying key challenges for implementing good governance of protected area. The challenges of good governance of protected area were investigated in this paper. The last part is based on the results from the third section and explores the strategies for addressing these challenges.

Assessing Marine Protected Areas Effectiveness: A Case Study with the Tobago Cays Marine Park

Given the socio-economic consequences associated with declaring areas of ocean protected in order to achieve conservation objectives, this paper contributes to the growing global need to assess Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as an effective management tool. It adds to the current body of knowledge on MPA effectiveness by conducting an evaluation of the Tobago Cays Marine Park (TCMP), located in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) in the eastern Caribbean, using a modified MPA effectiveness framework. Due to the limited information existing about the current performance of this MPA, this assessment also provides needed insight on the effect that the TCMP is having on the marine ecosystem, as well as its overall management performance. By comparing the performance of the MPA over a 10-year span (2007 and 2016), the results indicate that overall, the TCMP could be described as having limited success when key management categories of context, planning, input, process, output and outcomes are evaluated. In particular, efforts dedicated to planning, process and outcomes are assessed as deficient. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that efforts to realize the stated goals relating to conservation, public awareness and public education were being neglected. However, considerable effort was being expended by TCMP staff on achieving the remaining goal focusing on deriving economic benefits from touristic activities in the Park. Preliminary field research examining the effects of the TCMP on the abundance and density of an economically important species, Lobatus gigas, (commonly referred to as the queen conch) showed the TCMP as having no effect towards conch protection. The results and recommendations of this study, combined with continued monitoring of a recommended targeted suite of indicators, could contribute to better-informed adaptive MPA management, leading to progress towards the achievement of the stated goals for the TCMP.

Analysis on Typical Spatio-temporal Characteristics of Open-cast Mining and Its Countermeasures

In order to deal with the special spatio-temporal environmental changes encountered in the process of open-cast mining,taking Huolinhe No.1 Open-cast Mine as the research object,this paper studied its typical problems in river reconstruction and cultural relics protection.The study focused on eight key core aspects,including the design optimization of the spatial layout of the mining area,the accurate estimation of the mineral resources reserves,the scientific theoretical demonstration of the mining scale,the fine analysis and calculation of the stripping ratio,the comprehensive consideration of the transport distance and efficiency,the accurate judgment of the best time for the implementation of the transformation,the analysis and evaluation of the slope stability,and the overall planning of the production system.The results show that the extracted problem-solving strategies and scheme system for special mining conditions can not only provide specific and practical guidance for Huolinhe No.1 Open-cast Mine,but also serve as a valuable reference and practical reference for other open-cast mine enterprises facing similar challenges.

Conflict’s Emergence and Escalation in Participatory Protected Areas Management in Benin

This paper investigated factors that explain the emergence and escalation of conflict in participatory management of protected areas in Benin. It is based on evidences from three case-studies of conflict emergence and escalation in the implementation of participatory natural resources management in Benin supported with discussion from the literature. The study shows that conflicts in participatory management of protected areas emerge when parties involved co-construct opposing instead of same or at least overlapping frames in interaction. They often escalate when the negotiation fails to stimulate the parties to bring to the fore and address the opposing frames expressed only in “we-groups” of same stakeholders due to their strategic framing in interaction. We conclude that we cannot control the strategic framing of the parties in conflict but we should only be prepared to discover changes in discourse that contribute to the divergence in framing and thus influence them. For that, both formal and informal interactional contexts should be continuously checked during the negotiation process.

Conservation and Renewal Strategies of Industrial Heritage Residential Areas from the Perspective of Heritage Protection : A Case Study of Residential Area of Wuchang Vehicle Factory

The residential area of Wuchang Vehicle Factory is taken as a case to explore the protection and renewal strategies of industrial heritage residential areas.By analyzing the current situation of the residential area,issues such as functional decline,memory loss,and weakened community vitality are revealed.Three design concepts are proposed:building renovation,historical space renovation,and the introduction of cultural and creative industries,aiming to improve the living environment,showcase historical value,cultivate cultural and creative industries,promote economic transformation,and community vitality.This paper could provide reference for the protection and renewal of similar industrial heritage residential areas,and new ideas for the research and utilization of industrial heritage.By comprehensively considering heritage protection,cultural inheritance,and community development,systematic suggestions are proposed.

Assessing Human-Wildlife Conflict in the Periphery of Loango National Park in Gabon

Human-Wildlife Conflict in Gabon is a reality occurring in almost all protected areas in the country. These conflicts create real threats both for the survival of wildlife species and of human beings. This study was carried out at the periphery of Loango National Park in Gabon. This area is particular of seeing elephants wandering around villages. Respondents for the study were drawn from a wide range of stakeholders (State administrators, farmers and NGOs). Data was collected through administration of structured questionnaires and interview guide on the;socio-economic activities. Crops produced/destroyed. Animals are involved and economic loss is incurred due to conflicts. Data was analysed using SPSS version 16 and Kobo tool box. For qualitative data chi-square, descriptive statistic and linear regression model were also used. The results of the study showed that the elephants account for (60.1%) of crop destroyed followed by Ungulates (30.4%) and lastly by rodents (0.9%). The economic damage caused by the wildlife to crops valued at 72,084 USD in the zone in 2022. An urgent solution to this conflict is needed because the consequences are visible as well as the illegal repression by communities that have led to poisoning and killing of wildlife in the study area.

Spatial Analysis of Federal Protected Areas and Priority Areas for Biodiversity Conservation in Brazil

This study presents a spatial analysis of priority areas for biodiversity conservation (PABCs) in Brazil and their coverage by federal protected areas as an indicator of the level of protection afforded to biodiversity in the country and the convergence of environmental protection policies in the sphere of federal government. Georeferenced data were processed using a geographic information system, enabling the calculation of areas, analyses of superimpositions, localizations, and the obtainment of other information using spatial features manipulated in this system. A comparative analysis is done of the PABCs mapped in two periods (2003 and 2007) to ascertain the evolution of this public policy instrument in detecting environmental priorities in protected areas. The improved coverage of PABCs by protected areas in the more recent mapping indicates a good convergence of environmental policies, which are enhanced by technical improvements to mapping procedures and methods for identifying such areas. As a result, the priority areas for biodiversity conservation could become a protected area regulated and recognized by the federal government.

Environmental Issues of a Marine Protected Area in a Tectonic Estuary in the Tropical Eastern Pacific:Uramba(Malaga Bay Colombia):Context,Biodiversity,Threats and Challenges

The environmental protection of tropical marine and coastal areas faces different challenges due to the diversity of aspects related to these areas, which include natural, social and economical issues. Despite these challenges, efforts for the protection of these areas are urgent nowadays because of the dramatical increase of human related threats like habitat destruction and population growth. Malaga Bay (MB) is a tectonic estuarine system located in Panama Bight (central region of the Colombian Pacific coast), which due to its origin shows important environmental characteristics of few sites in the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) match. For these reasons, the government of Colombia declared in 2010, the bay’s marine area as a Marine National Natural Park in order to preserve its unique estuarine marine biodiversity. Despite this measure, MB presents several conditions that make environmental protection a very difficult task. In this paper, we present the geographical context, biodiversity and natural resources, environmental threats, the complexity of economic and social context, and the institutional and legal context of MB, to exemplify the difficulty that the protection of marine areas face in the TEP.