Assessing the effects of long-term recreational activities on landscape changes in Abant Natural Park,Turkey

Natural, protected areas offer many possibili- ties for recreation in rural areas such as camping, one of the most popular activities. The system established for pro- tected areas in Turkey aims to provide a foundation for conserving areas for recreation. One such area, Abant Natural Park, is convenient for visits from Turkey＇s two most populated metropolitan areas, Istanbul and Ankara. It also attracts tourists from other regions and countries. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the vegetation loss and land cover changes due to picnic/camping, transhu- mance, and construction over 40 years （1966-2004） in the park using data on visitor numbers, vegetation patches, corridors and connectivity. For evaluating landscape vari- ables, remote sensing data and aerial photos were used. When aerial photos were imported into the ERDAS Imagine program, ground control points identified, and individual images orthorectified, land degradation was not found in the use of camping areas. Moreover, manmade areas （road, car park and hotel） observably increased, thus decreasing the forest lands. The findings show that the land use types that have had the greatest ecological impact are transhumance and construction of hotels, which also require infrastructure development. The intensity of the ecological effects mandates precautions to lessen the impacts and the need for continuing assessment to ensure sustainable use of the area.

On Reserves of Hippophae rhamnoides L. Fruit on the Territory of the Zarafshan National Nature Park of Uzbekistan

The article is devoted to the study of stocks of Hippophae rhamnoides fruits on the territory of the Zarafshan National Park. Hippophae rhamnoides is a medicinal plant. This species is a naturally distributed plant. All parts of Hippophae rhamnoides are a source of biologically active substances, especially flavonoids, carotenoids, phytosterols and others. In the course of field studies, 10 monitoring sites were selected in the size of 10 × 10 m, and the productivity of one site in the amount of 10 × 10 averaged 51.33 ± 8.24 kg. According to the results obtained, it was revealed that the biological reserve averages 21.9 tons, respectively, the operational reserve is 13.14 tons and the volume of annual harvesting averages 1.31 tons. When the water level of the Zarafshan River rises, some plants are damaged.

A novel mind-set in primate experimentation:Implications for primate welfare

We emphasize the importance of studying the primate brain in cognitive neuroscience and suggest a new mind-set in primate experimentation within the boundaries of animal welfare regulations.Specifically,we list the advantages of investigating both genes and neural mechanisms and processes in the emergence of behavioral and cognitive functions,and propose the establishment of an open field of primate research.The latter may be conducted by implementing and harmonizing experimental practices with ethical guidelines that regulate(1)management of natural parks with free-moving populations of target nonhuman primates,(2)establishment of indoor-outdoor labs for both system genetics and neuroscience investigations,and(3)hotel space and technologies which remotely collect and dislocate information regarding primates geographically located elsewhere.

Physical Profile of Calbiga River, Samar, Central Philippines

Physical profile is significant reference to in addressing areas at risk due to fluvial processes and in establishing the physiographic maps especially in protected areas. Calbiga is one of the major rivers inside the Samar Island Natural Park (SINP). The source of Calbiga river was traced at the foot of Mt. Huraw of San Jose de Buan, Samar. The area is at the center of the Samar Island with an elevation of 850 meter above sea level (MASL). The river stretches 36.4 kilometers, with an average span of 44.57 meters, and average depth of 2.6 meters. The average height of the river bank is 7.67 meters, with rage of 5 - 10 meters. Generally, the substrate was sand. On fluvial dynamics, the average water velocity is 0.20 mps with the average water flow of 18.64 m3/sec. The floodplain ranged from 10 - 15 meters and 5 to 7 meters high. The river control measures are making a positive impact, though it could be reviewed to address the low elevation of the midstream. Rehabilitation measures at the watershed should be considered, parallel to the policy implementation of Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) measures.

A multiscale analysis of herbaceous species richness in a Mediterranean ecosystem

Aims studies of species distribution patterns traditionally have been conducted at a single scale,often overlooking species-environment relationships operating at finer or coarser scales.Testing diversity-related hypotheses at multiple scales requires a robust sampling design that is nested across scales.our chief motivation in this study was to quantify the contributions of different predictors of herbaceous species richness at a range of local scales.Methods Here,we develop a hierarchically nested sampling design that is balanced across scales,in order to study the role of several envi-ronmental factors in determining herbaceous species distribution at various scales simultaneously.We focus on the impact of woody vegetation,a relatively unexplored factor,as well as that of soil and topography.light detection and ranging(liDAR)imaging enabled precise characterization of the 3D structure of the woody vegetation,while acoustic spectrophotometry allowed a particularly high-resolution mapping of soil CaCo3 and organic matter contents.Important Findings We found that woody vegetation was the dominant explanatory variable at all three scales(10,100 and 1000 m2),accounting for more than 60%of the total explained variance.in addition,we found that the species richness-environment relationship was scale dependent.many studies that explicitly address the issue of scale do so by comparing local and regional scales.our results show that efforts to conserve plant communities should take into account scale dependence when analyzing species richness-environment relationships,even at much finer resolutions than local vs.regional.in addition,conserving heterogeneity in woody vegetation structure at multiple scales is a key to conserving diverse herbaceous communities.