Results of the field work in recent years reveal that the Taolimiao-Alashan Nur is of specific significance to the survival of the Relict Gull Ordos subpopulation while the wetland birds occurring there represent conc...Results of the field work in recent years reveal that the Taolimiao-Alashan Nur is of specific significance to the survival of the Relict Gull Ordos subpopulation while the wetland birds occurring there represent concentratedly and indicatively the characteristics of the wetland bird community in desert of Ordos;as in July of 1992 China became the contract nation of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (The Ramsar Convention),the study also presents an assessment on the wetland habitat of the T-A Nur following the Criteria recommended by the Convention and suggests that the T-A Nur following the relevant articles/items of the Criteria might be considered as an important wetland locality in China and hence to be listed on List of Wetlands of International Importance.展开更多
Background: Understanding how overwintering birds choose foraging habitats is very important for conservation management. The overwintering Black-necked Crane(Grus nigricollis) feeds on crop remains in farmlands;thus,...Background: Understanding how overwintering birds choose foraging habitats is very important for conservation management. The overwintering Black-necked Crane(Grus nigricollis) feeds on crop remains in farmlands;thus, reasonable conservation management of this type of farmland that surrounds wetlands is critical for the overwintering populations of the Black-necked Crane;however, it is not clear how the Black-necked Crane chooses the foraging land in the farmland.Methods: A thorough field positioning survey of all foraging sites in farmland areas around the Caohai Wetland and a-sampling analysis of habitat selection by the Black-necked Crane were conducted during the winters from 20162017 and 2017-2018.Results: Multiple factors contributed to the selection of foraging habitat in farmlands, i.e., food factors(crop remains and tillage methods) > human disturbance factors(distance to road and settlement) > topography factors(slope aspect), listed according to the strength of influence. Additionally, Black-necked Cranes tend to choose farmland sites where there was no machine tillage, the crop remains were > 500 g/m^2, the distance to residences ranged from 100 to 500 m, the distance to roads ranged from 50 to 100 m, and the slopes exhibited western or eastern aspects. As the winters progressed, the volume of the edible crop remains declined, and the influences of the other main factors also changed, i.e., the factors of human disturbance(distance to road and settlement) became less important, while the effect of the food factor(crop remains) was strengthened. Thus, the foraging sites near the road became more important.Conclusion: The farming area surrounding the Caohai Wetland is very important for the overwintering Black-necked Crane. Food factors and human disturbance factors are the main factors that influence the choice of feeding ground.展开更多
Increasing human activities have contributed to global climate change, and thus resulted in a downward trend in the number of species and population sizes of migratory birds. This trend is closely related to a reducti...Increasing human activities have contributed to global climate change, and thus resulted in a downward trend in the number of species and population sizes of migratory birds. This trend is closely related to a reduction in habitat size and lower habitat quality. The Poyang Lake wetland in China constitutes one of Asia's largest overwintering habitats for migratory birds. Over the past 10 years, restoration projects have improved the habitat ecology of these wetlands. In this study, we assessed the changes in habitat quality for overwintering migratory birds from 2000 to 2012 near two villages in the Poyang Lake wetland using the In VEST model. Average habitat quality for migratory birds has been improved by 18.8% and47.7%. Differences in the degrees of habitat improvement can be attributed to differences in the change of habitat size and in the impact of threat sources that resulted from the combined effects of restoration and human activities in these two villages.展开更多
A field survey was carried out to determine the vegetation structure of the Lukanga Swamp Ramsar site in central Zambia. The aim of the study was to identify the different vegetation communities, species composition a...A field survey was carried out to determine the vegetation structure of the Lukanga Swamp Ramsar site in central Zambia. The aim of the study was to identify the different vegetation communities, species composition and distribution patterns for improved habitat management. Sampling was conducted in all recognizable vegetation communities. The results of the survey showed that the swamp was a littoral palustrine wetland predominantly characterized by the dominance of Leersia hexandria Swartz (42.02%), Typha capensis Rohrb (62.43%), Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud (33.61%), Aeschynomeme fluitans Peter (31.58%) and Polygonum senegalense Meisn (48.8%). The occurrence of Vossia cuspidata Griff and Cyperus papyrusL was restricted to small and isolated locations. Short Termitaria was generally covered by Acrocerus macrum Stapf (35.25%) while tall Termitaria was dominated by Panicum maximum Jacq. (26.00%). The most important woody plant species included Combretum ghasalense Engl. et Diels (I. V = 62.88), Pseudolachnostylis maprouneifolia Pax ((I. V = 90.48), Albizia adianthifolia (Schmacher) W.F. Wight (I. V = 135.63) Isoberlinia angolensis Hyle and Brenan (I. V = 87.25). The current structure of the hydrophytes composition observed in this study was an indication of a generally silting wetland, while the dominant occurrence of understorey woody plants in the surrounding vegetation signified degraded miombo vegetation. It was concluded that the ecological status of wetland habitat was potentially threatened by mainly anthropogenic activities such as;wildfires, and unsustainable exploitation of surrounding vegetation. Further research is required to examine water flows, eutrophication and the long-term effects of deforestation on the ecological functioning of the wetland.展开更多
The wetlands of Casiguran, Aurora, Philippines are primarily the source of livelihood for most of the coastal communities of the area. However, this also serves as a feeding ground for many of the migratory and reside...The wetlands of Casiguran, Aurora, Philippines are primarily the source of livelihood for most of the coastal communities of the area. However, this also serves as a feeding ground for many of the migratory and resident waterbirds. There are waterbird species occurring in the area that need protection but only a few studies of these species exist. This study was conducted from February to March 2019 to census and identify the water birds present in the study site, determine the conservation status and index of abundance of identified waterbirds, and describe their habitat association. Based on the result, 18 waterbird species in five families were present in the area. Family Ardeidae had six representative species, Family Charadriidae had five representative species, Family Scolopacidae had five representative species while only one species represents the Family Anatidae and Family Rallidae. Two waterbird species observed (Anas luzonica and Egretta eulophotes) were listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as vulnerable and another species (Numerius madagascariensis) was listed as endangered. In terms of abundance, Intermediate Egret (Egretta intermedia) was revealed as the most abundant (94.68%) among waterbirds. Different waterbird species prefer specific habitats. Some usually frequent freshwater and saltwater habitats, including mangroves, open sea, and watercourses inside forests while some were observed in mudflats, and rice fields during the survey.展开更多
文摘Results of the field work in recent years reveal that the Taolimiao-Alashan Nur is of specific significance to the survival of the Relict Gull Ordos subpopulation while the wetland birds occurring there represent concentratedly and indicatively the characteristics of the wetland bird community in desert of Ordos;as in July of 1992 China became the contract nation of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (The Ramsar Convention),the study also presents an assessment on the wetland habitat of the T-A Nur following the Criteria recommended by the Convention and suggests that the T-A Nur following the relevant articles/items of the Criteria might be considered as an important wetland locality in China and hence to be listed on List of Wetlands of International Importance.
基金following projects:National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)(31860610,31400353)Provincial Key Science and Technology Project of Guizhou([2016]3022-1)+3 种基金Provincial Science and Technology Plan of Guizhou([2014]7682[2019]1068)Science and Technology Plan of Education Administration of Guizhou Province([2018]102[2015]354).
文摘Background: Understanding how overwintering birds choose foraging habitats is very important for conservation management. The overwintering Black-necked Crane(Grus nigricollis) feeds on crop remains in farmlands;thus, reasonable conservation management of this type of farmland that surrounds wetlands is critical for the overwintering populations of the Black-necked Crane;however, it is not clear how the Black-necked Crane chooses the foraging land in the farmland.Methods: A thorough field positioning survey of all foraging sites in farmland areas around the Caohai Wetland and a-sampling analysis of habitat selection by the Black-necked Crane were conducted during the winters from 20162017 and 2017-2018.Results: Multiple factors contributed to the selection of foraging habitat in farmlands, i.e., food factors(crop remains and tillage methods) > human disturbance factors(distance to road and settlement) > topography factors(slope aspect), listed according to the strength of influence. Additionally, Black-necked Cranes tend to choose farmland sites where there was no machine tillage, the crop remains were > 500 g/m^2, the distance to residences ranged from 100 to 500 m, the distance to roads ranged from 50 to 100 m, and the slopes exhibited western or eastern aspects. As the winters progressed, the volume of the edible crop remains declined, and the influences of the other main factors also changed, i.e., the factors of human disturbance(distance to road and settlement) became less important, while the effect of the food factor(crop remains) was strengthened. Thus, the foraging sites near the road became more important.Conclusion: The farming area surrounding the Caohai Wetland is very important for the overwintering Black-necked Crane. Food factors and human disturbance factors are the main factors that influence the choice of feeding ground.
基金financial support of the Asia–Pacific Network for Global Change Research project (reference number: ARCP2011-15NMYZhen)Technical Support Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2013BAC03B04)the Key Project for the Strategic Science Plan of the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. 2012ZD007)
文摘Increasing human activities have contributed to global climate change, and thus resulted in a downward trend in the number of species and population sizes of migratory birds. This trend is closely related to a reduction in habitat size and lower habitat quality. The Poyang Lake wetland in China constitutes one of Asia's largest overwintering habitats for migratory birds. Over the past 10 years, restoration projects have improved the habitat ecology of these wetlands. In this study, we assessed the changes in habitat quality for overwintering migratory birds from 2000 to 2012 near two villages in the Poyang Lake wetland using the In VEST model. Average habitat quality for migratory birds has been improved by 18.8% and47.7%. Differences in the degrees of habitat improvement can be attributed to differences in the change of habitat size and in the impact of threat sources that resulted from the combined effects of restoration and human activities in these two villages.
文摘A field survey was carried out to determine the vegetation structure of the Lukanga Swamp Ramsar site in central Zambia. The aim of the study was to identify the different vegetation communities, species composition and distribution patterns for improved habitat management. Sampling was conducted in all recognizable vegetation communities. The results of the survey showed that the swamp was a littoral palustrine wetland predominantly characterized by the dominance of Leersia hexandria Swartz (42.02%), Typha capensis Rohrb (62.43%), Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud (33.61%), Aeschynomeme fluitans Peter (31.58%) and Polygonum senegalense Meisn (48.8%). The occurrence of Vossia cuspidata Griff and Cyperus papyrusL was restricted to small and isolated locations. Short Termitaria was generally covered by Acrocerus macrum Stapf (35.25%) while tall Termitaria was dominated by Panicum maximum Jacq. (26.00%). The most important woody plant species included Combretum ghasalense Engl. et Diels (I. V = 62.88), Pseudolachnostylis maprouneifolia Pax ((I. V = 90.48), Albizia adianthifolia (Schmacher) W.F. Wight (I. V = 135.63) Isoberlinia angolensis Hyle and Brenan (I. V = 87.25). The current structure of the hydrophytes composition observed in this study was an indication of a generally silting wetland, while the dominant occurrence of understorey woody plants in the surrounding vegetation signified degraded miombo vegetation. It was concluded that the ecological status of wetland habitat was potentially threatened by mainly anthropogenic activities such as;wildfires, and unsustainable exploitation of surrounding vegetation. Further research is required to examine water flows, eutrophication and the long-term effects of deforestation on the ecological functioning of the wetland.
文摘The wetlands of Casiguran, Aurora, Philippines are primarily the source of livelihood for most of the coastal communities of the area. However, this also serves as a feeding ground for many of the migratory and resident waterbirds. There are waterbird species occurring in the area that need protection but only a few studies of these species exist. This study was conducted from February to March 2019 to census and identify the water birds present in the study site, determine the conservation status and index of abundance of identified waterbirds, and describe their habitat association. Based on the result, 18 waterbird species in five families were present in the area. Family Ardeidae had six representative species, Family Charadriidae had five representative species, Family Scolopacidae had five representative species while only one species represents the Family Anatidae and Family Rallidae. Two waterbird species observed (Anas luzonica and Egretta eulophotes) were listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as vulnerable and another species (Numerius madagascariensis) was listed as endangered. In terms of abundance, Intermediate Egret (Egretta intermedia) was revealed as the most abundant (94.68%) among waterbirds. Different waterbird species prefer specific habitats. Some usually frequent freshwater and saltwater habitats, including mangroves, open sea, and watercourses inside forests while some were observed in mudflats, and rice fields during the survey.
