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Abstract
Despite numerous domestic legislations, international treaties, agreements, conventions, and protocols to curb wildlife crimes, Bangladesh’s illegal wildlife trade (IWT) crime rate has increased significantly in recent years. The provision of the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act 2012 sets the highest seven and lowest two years punishment for killing tigers and elephants, a maximum of two years, and a minimum of six months imprisonment for killing birds. Nevertheless, the country has only 17% forest land; in this small area, wildlife crime increased 28 times in 2020, and nearly 4,000 live wild animals have been rescued, while more than 300 cases have been registered in the last ten years. We suggest that ineffective legal enforcement is the main reason for the illegal transaction of wild species through insecure border areas. Hence, successfully controlling the IWT problem in Bangladesh requires reducing the demand for wild animals, stopping the route of supplies, and combating global transnational wildlife crime.
Abstract
As the community of life on this planet experiences the anthropogenic climate crisis, what tools from faith traditions can help us meet the coming challenges? By expanding the metaphor of light within the Christian and Quaker traditions to include light’s role in ecosystems, this project develops an ecotheology of light that aims to answer this question. The authors draw on their contexts in the Religious Society of Friends, placing the Quaker Inward Light in dialogue with the Bible, and light in Eastern Orthodox, ecological, and interdependence theologies. The Quaker ecotheology of light developed argues Light is a vitally important and mutually translatable metaphor providing a common language that can aid humanity, reinterpreting traditions to meet this moment with spiritual grounding to transition to a just and sustainable future for the Earth, our common home. This ecotheology of light is connected with implications for Friends testimonies.
Abstract
Centipedes (Chilopoda) are mainly predators, which play essential roles in agroecosystems. In this work, pitfall traps were placed monthly during 1998 in two sites of vineyards in Northern Israel: the Geshur and Ramat Magshimim vineyards. The present research refers to the centipedes that were caught in these traps. Specimens of seven species of centipedes were caught in this work. Four centipede species were found in both vineyard sites: Thereuonema syriaca Verhoeff 1905, Scutigera coleoptrata (Linnaeus, 1758), Scutigeridae gen. species, and Hessebius barbipes (Porath, 1893). Two species were found in the Geshur, and not in the Ramat-Magshimim vineyard: Lithobius (Monotarsobius) sp., and Harpolithobius halophilus Verhoeff, 1941. One species was found in the Ramat-Magshimim, and not in the Geshur vineyard: Lithobius carinatus L. Koch, 1862. In the Geshur vineyard, 52 specimens of 6 centipede species were found. In the Ramat Magshimim vineyard, 20 specimens of 5 centipede species were detected. These differences are probably related to the Geshur vineyard being close to natural Mediterranean shrubland, while the Ramat Magshimim vineyard is situated between cultivated areas.
Abstract
The sex ratio of nestlings is a crucial population determinant in rare and/or endangered species. We investigated the role of female body condition and female-related traits in Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) nestling sex allocation at a nest-box colony in central Greece. We used the total clutch volume and size, female weight, hatching dates, body length, wing length, tail length, tarsometatarsus, and bill length as explanatory variables of the number of male nestlings (the response variable) using CART model analysis. This analysis showed that the reproduction output was biased towards male nestlings when female parents were shorter in body length and clutch size and volume were smaller. The skewed sex ratio favoring females, 1:2.35, suggests that when female parents are in good condition, they invest most in good-quality female nestlings, providing a reproductive advantage and increased long-term fitness.
Abstract
The ability to change colors or appearance to blend into the background habitat is essential to ensure an individual’s survival. This is especially challenging in a heterogeneous habitat such as the intertidal zone of a seashore, which is the primary habitat of crabs. The Red Sea Ghost Crab (RSGC) is endemic to the Red Sea, and in Israel, it is found only at one beach. We discovered that right-clawed crabs are lighter colored (i.e., yellow, sand) than left-clawed crabs (brown, purple), consistent with their daily activity. The closest to the water were the sand-colored, left-clawed crabs, while the farthest up the beach were the yellow-colored, right-clawed crabs. Moreover, we observed purple-colored, left-clawed crabs during low UV radiation, while during high UV radiation, we observed brown-colored, right-claws crabs. In explaining the observed segregation, we speculate that claw lateralization and body colors are common in the social signaling system. Symmetrically identical individuals can signal their condition to their competitors by colors. However, this part of the signaling is under the pressure of the intensity of sunlight.
Abstract
The study identified, listed, and determined birds’ eco classes, conservation status, relative abundance, and endemism while quantifying and comparing species diversity, richness, evenness, and community composition among agricultural areas, pine and mossy forests in Mt. Santo Tomas Forest Reserve in Tuba, Benguet, Northern Philippines. Forty-one species of birds under twenty-five families were listed and identified within the agricultural lands, mossy, and pine forests. Twenty-two bird species are endemic (53.66%) or only found in the Philippines, indicating high endemism in the forest reserve. Of the endemic bird species, two are classified as vulnerable and threatened. Incidentally, ranks 6 and 7 of the ten must-see bird species in the Philippines were also found in the mossy Reserve Forest. The two are the scale feathered malkoha, and the forest spotted kingfisher. Although there were significant differences in species diversity, richness, and evenness among the agricultural areas, pine, and mossy forests, all values are considered high. The high endemism and diversity of birds, their species richness, evenness, and abundance are indicators that Mount Santo Tomas Forest Reserve’s vegetation is still diverse and stable. Therefore, we recommend that the Mount Santo Tomas Forest Reserve Management Council, led by the DENR and Local Government units of Tuba Benguet to continue implementing adequate protection and conservation measures and management strategies.
Abstract
Marine litter is known to pose a threat to biodiversity. In this work, we wanted to verify if marine litter was overestimated as a threat by academic students when compared to other threats acting on a specific conservation target, a coastal bird of conservation concern, breeding on Mediterranean coastal dunes (Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus) in a site of central Italy (Maremma Regional Park, Tuscany). To test this hypothesis, before conducting any direct local survey (a priori), a panel of academic students in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Sustainability (Second cycle degree; Siena University) collected indirect information on a set of threats (trampling, coastal erosion, marine litter, presence of dogs and illegal plant collection), known as impacting on the target, assigning a score (from 1: low to 4: high) to two selected threat regime attributes (extent and intensity), and obtaining a magnitude score based the judgment only on general information communicated by park operators. After a field survey on the plover’s breeding site, students were newly assigned a posteriori scores (‘after’ phase). The before-after comparison showed that no threat showed a significant difference in scores, except for marine litter, which was significantly a priori overestimated. Although marine litter is known to threatened plover birds, it has been significantly overestimated at the local level suggesting a prejudice in student evaluation. This biased overestimation could be due to the high media exposure of the marine litter as a threat, making it charismatic, affecting the a priori judgment.
Abstract
Bohor reedbuck is a medium-sized, even-toed ungulate species endemic to Africa. Its population is gradually declining, and an estimation of Meta populations is required to determine its current population status and as an input for conservation action. To this end, this study aimed to investigate this species’ population size and diurnal activity patterns in the compound of Alage Agricultural College, Central rift valley of Ethiopia. A total count was conducted to determine the population size of Bohor reedbuck by dividing the study area into different blocks. Continuous focal animal observations were used to collect data on activity patterns by recording group activities with five minutes intervals. The results revealed that the mean population size of Bohor reedbuck counted during the study period was 
(SE) with a density of 1.74 per km2. Females formed the dominant group in the population. From the mean total population size of Bohor reedbucks, 47.42% were adults. The mean group size of Bohor reedbuck was 
(SE). Feeding (
, 45.81%) was the dominant mean diurnal activity pattern of Bohor reedbuck, followed by Resting (
, 31.91%), whereas grooming (
, 3.51%) was the least performed activity. There was a significant difference between the diurnal activities performed by Bohor reedbuck (
). The studied compound is an important refuge for this species, and minimum management interference can increase the population size of Bohor reedbuck in the area.
Abstract
Understanding species rarity is crucial in developing conservation priorities by reasonably allocating limited funds effectively. The local rarity of vascular plants in the Abune Yosef mountain range in Ethiopia was assessed using Rabinowitz’s seven forms of rarity. Of the 199 vascular species analyzed for rarity, 171 species (86%) were rare. On the contrary, only 28 species (14%) were found to be common in the study area. The rarity index (rr) ranged from 0.46 to 1. On the other hand, species range (gri), total density of mature individuals (psi), and Habitat specificity (hsi) ranges were 0.99–1, 0–1, and 0.04–1, respectively. Land transformation was identified as likely the main driver for rarity in the study area. The characterization of the plant species of the Abune Yosef mountain range provided here can be used in the management of this threatened landscape and provide a basis for broader national-level conservation efforts of plants within the biodiverse landscapes of Ethiopia.