Wetland loss in Turkey over a hundred years:implications for conservation and management

The aims of this study were to provide a complete inventory of wetlands in Turkey including their past status(1910-1930)in comparison to the present time(2014).The types of wetlands and their area sizes were determined by using cartographical maps of 1/200,000 in scale made between 1910s and 1920s vs.2006 CORINE Land Cover data,which were updated with Landsat 8 satellite images in 2014.The effect of possible climate change on wetlands sizes various local,national and regional rainfall datasets were analysed by correlation and regression analysis.A hundred years ago,the total number of natural wetlands was 1299 with a total surface area of 1,376,505 hectares.In 2014,the total number of natural wetlands had decreased to 900,with a total surface area of 1,085,936 hectares,so that 21.2%of the original wetlands were lost(291,339 hectares).The observed changes in the number of wetlands and their relative sizes cannot be attributed directly to changes in climate.Wetland drainage was largely responsible for observed wetland losses,but local changes in precipitation regimes partially contributed to this loss.Urgent conservation and restoration of wetlands are recommended to avoid further loss of wetlands in Turkey.

Habitat suitability response to sea-level height changes: Implications for Ommastrephid squid conservation and management

Sea level rise,amplified by anthropogenic climate change,causes visible impacts on wildlife habitats in low-lying coastal areas.However,the potential consequences of sea level height(SLH)changes for pelagic fish habitats in the open oceans are poorly understood,especially for climate-sensitive Ommastrephid squid.In this study,the impacts of SLH changes were estimated under three different SLH change scenarios(5 cm,20 cm,and 35 cm)for the western stock of winter-spring neon flying squid Ommastrephes bartramii,an ecologically-and commercially-important species in the northwest Pacific Ocean(NWPO).A habitat suitability index(HSI)modeling approach was applied to predict the habitat suitability of O.bartramii,using data from 2006 to 2014 for model construction and data from 2015 for model validation.Results showed that the decreasing catch-per-unit-effort(CPUE)of O.bartramii from 2006 to 2015 was highly correlated with the increases in sea level height(SLH).Significant positive relationships were found between the HSI values for latitudinal centers of gravity(LATGHSI)and SLH.The monthly-averaged HSI of O.bartramii was negatively correlated with the SLH,except in July and November.SLH scenarios revealed that the predicted suitable habitat(areas with HSI≥0.6)exhibited a decreasing trend with increasing SLH from August to October.In July and November,the suitable habitat initially increased in the+5 cm and+20 cm scenarios,but largely declined under the+35 cm scenario.The poor habitat(areas with HSI≤0.2)significantly increased under all SLH scenarios.A poleward shift of LATGHSI was observed under all scenarios.These findings suggest that the O.bartramii habitats in the NWPO are at risk to SLH changes and have important implications for better conservation and fishery management regarding pelagic short-lived Ommastrephid squid in global oceans.

Peoples’ Perception and Conservation of Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don) Soóin Manaslu Conservation Area, Central Nepal

The present study analyzes the information and perception of the local community of Samagaun VDC, Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP) regarding Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don) Soó (Orchidaceae). We assessed the local peoples’ perception on its population status, its availability, factors causing its decline and management practices of this terrestrial orchids. A pre-designed questionnaire was used to gather information targeting the age group between 25 and 60 years (n = 75, 45 male and 30 female). Most of the informants (76%) believe that the abundance of this orchid is declining. Over grazing of domestic animals, over harvesting and lack of awareness among the local community were determined to be the major causes of decline of D. hatagirea in the study area. Protection measures as prescribed by the informants were control grazing, raising awareness among the individuals and sustainable harvestings for the long-term conservation of the species. Systematic management plans that incorporate the participation of local individuals and prioritization of their views will be applicable for the proper conservation of the species.

Distribution pattern and ecological determinants of an invasive plant Parthenium hysterophorus L., in Malakand division of Pakistan

After habitat loss,drastic effects of biological invasion caused by alien invasive species to the native biodiversity have been acknowledged worldwide by the agriculturists,ecologists,and governments as it is more overwhelming than pollution,harvest and disease combined.One such example of biological invasion is P.hysterophorus which is considered to be one of the topmost noxious weeds threatening ecosystems diversity in the world,particularly in Pakistan due to its invasive success and generalist nature.Yet no studies have explored the pattern and determinants of plant biodiversity in the Parthenium dominated landscapes.Here we explored the current distribution pattern of this species with relation to environmental variables in the Malakand division of northern Pakistan.Twenty-three sites dominated by P.hysterophorus were identified through a participatory mapping process combined with traditional ecological knowledge and quantitative inventories were made.In total,we found 62 plant species in 55 genera and 32 families,predominately from Asteraceae,Poaceae,and Solanaceae.Ward’s agglomerative clustering procedure showed three well-differentiated,and ecologically meaningful but overlapping vegetation communities.P.hysterophorus was found to be the leading species with an average Importance value ranging from 33.28%to 65.59%.Based on our criteria,surprisingly we found significantly less to be fully(30%)or partially invaded(21%)than the less invaded(47%)plots,indicating the gradual invasive success of the species across the landscape.Canonical Correspondence Analysis(CCA-ordination)has explained 36.9%of the cumulative variance by the first three axes and identified elevation(r=-0.526),slope(r=0.438)and percent sand(r=-0.474)to be the major environmental factors affecting the distribution of P.hysterophorus and associated vegetation.These results suggested that elevation and percent sand negatively affect Parthenium distribution whereas slope has a positive relationship thereby promoting its populations in the region.The generalist nature of this invasive species is likely to have an overall adverse negative effect on the ecosystem functioning and cannot be ignored.Therefore,quick actions should be taken for the management of this noxious weed to avoid economic consequences and potential threats to fragile ecosystems such as that in Malakand division.