Marine Conservation

El siguiente trabajo presenta los resultados de una investigación que describe y analiza los procesos de pesca artesanal, recolección de orilla, particularmente algas y mariscos, realizados por mujeres que habitan algunas de las islas menores del sur-austral de Chile. A través de un diseño etnográfico que combinó entrevistas, técnicas cartográficas y observaciones móviles, se da cuenta de las prácticas relacionales involucradas en estos procesos, las cuales incluyen: materialidades, subjetividades, continuidades y transformaciones territoriales que influyen en estas faenas, además de resaltar cómo el "género" emerge como una variable relevante a la hora de estructurar roles. Los resultados sugieren que se trata de prácticas donde las movilidades de corta distancia, es decir, aquellas que transcurren en los territorios próximos, permiten una apropiación y cognición del espacio que garantiza el "éxito" de la faena, igualmente, se trata de prácticas relacionales en donde se ensamblan elementos materiales como el clima, las nuevas tecnologías usadas en la pesca y recolección, las corporalidades, las infraestructuras, entre otras. Finalmente, la importancia del artículo radica en la visibilización de prácticas tradicionales que persisten en contextos de industrialización de las actividades en el mar y precarización laboral.

The morphological structure and morphology of the olfactory organs in a freshwater, aquatic breathing fish, Catla catla (Ham.) has been described. It consists of two nasal openings on each side of the head, the anterior and posterior nasal opening with a prominent nasal flap in between. A pair of olfactory rosettes is lodged in the depression called olfactory pits or olfactory chambers. The olfactory rosettes are oval, cup shaped structures. Each rosette bears a series of olfactory lamellae on each side of the median raphe. A single lamella is a flat, bifid tongue like structure. Measurements of the dimension of olfactory rosettes have been made and the data were analysed with respect to body weight using logarithmic transformations, Y = awb. The total number of lamellae in the olfactory rosette increased with increase in body weight. With unit increase in body weight, the total number of lamellae increased by a power (b) of 0.2603, while the total surface area of lamellae increased by power of (b) 0.636. Both the parameters showed highly significant correlation coefficient i.e. r = 0.9894; P < 0.001 and r = 0.95218; P < 0.001 respectively.

The Moreton Region Archaeology Project has investigated coastal sites in South-east Queensland since the late 1970s.  Despite Pleistocene occupation in the area adjacent to the then coastline, and more recent coastal settlement dating to the later Middle Holocene, evidence of a well developed marine fishery dates only to the most recent 2,000 years.  According to the data presently available, this does not appear to relate to taphonomic factors.

Des de 1977 s'estan realitzant estudis sobre l'impacte dels incendis en suredes i altres formacions vegetals al Laboratori Argo. Aquestes recerques tenen per finalitat estudiar les conseqüi5ncies ecolbgiques dels incendis sobre la fauna, i avaluar les velocitats de micatritzación dels ecosistemes forestals després d'una pertorbació. Han estat escollits tres grans grups animals com indicadors dins cada un dels principals estrats de l'ecosistema. Aquests grups són representatius, respectivament, del sbl(8cars lliures i macroartrbpodes), de la superfície (micromamífers) i de la vegetació (ocells). Des études sur l'impact des incendies dans les forets de chenes-litges et d'autres formations végétales sont menées au Laboratoire Argo depuis 1977. Ces recherches ont pour but d'étudier les consequénces écologiques des incendies sur la faune, et d'évaluer les vitesses de c<cicatrisationn des écosyst&mes forestiers apri5s perturbation. Trois grands groupes animaux ont été choisis comme indicateurs dans chacune des ~rincioales strates de 1'6cosvsti5-A A me. Ces groupes réprésentent respectivement le sol (acariens libres et macroarthropodes), la surface (micromammiferes) et la végétation (oiseaux).

Small beaches represent fragile ecosystems where marine and coastal biodiversity coexist in a delicate balance with human activities. In recent decades, the rise of mass tourism has placed significant pressure on these environments, particularly through overcrowding during peak tourist seasons. This study investigates the ecological impacts of overcrowded tourist beaches on marine life in small coastal areas. Overcrowding leads to increased physical disturbance of intertidal zones, accumulation of waste, alteration of sediment composition, and elevated nutrient loading from human activity. These factors directly and indirectly disrupt habitats of key species, including benthic invertebrates, seagrass meadows, and juvenile fish populations. Additionally, noise, light pollution, and chemical contaminants from sunscreen and personal care products degrade water quality and harm sensitive organisms. Evidence from Mediterranean and other small-scale coastal ecosystems suggests that these stressors reduce species richness, alter community composition, and increase vulnerability to invasive species. The findings underscore the pressing need for sustainable tourism management strategies, including visitor capacity limits, zoning of recreational activities, and public awareness campaigns, to protect marine biodiversity in small beach ecosystems.

Although larval dispersal is crucial for the persistence of most marine populations, dispersal connectivity between sites is rarely considered in designing marine protected area networks. In particular the role of structural characteristics (known as topology) for the network of larval dispersal routes in the conservation of metapopulations has not been addressed. To determine reserve site configurations that provide highest persistence values with respect to their connectivity characteristics, we model nine connectivity topological models derived from graph theory in a demographic metapopulation model. We identify reserve site configurations that provide the highest persistence values for each of the metapopulation connectivity models. Except for the minimally connected and fully connected populations, we observed two general 'rules of thumb' for optimising the mean life time for all topological models: firstly place the majority of reserves, so that they are neighbours of each other, on the sites where the number of connections between the populations is highest (hub), secondly when the reserves have occupied the majority of the vertices in the hub, then select another area of high connectivity and repeat. If there are no suitable hubs remaining then distribute the remaining reserves to isolated locations optimising contact with non-reserved sites.

In light of the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Auburn University, as a sea and land grant institution with decades of research in the region, is prepared to bring a broad array of expertise to bear in assessing and mitigating the impact of what is potentially the most significant environmental disaster in U.S. history. Auburn University researchers have the capacity to respond to a range of issues arising from an oil spill of this magnitude. These capabilities include but are not limited to: Auburn University's Department of Mechanical Engineering is focusing its expertise on the design of mechanical devices and materials science looking into immediate and near term solutions for the containment and cleanup effort stemming from the April 2010 BP oil platform disaster oil spill. Auburn University's Department of Mechanical Engineering stands uniquely qualified to rapidly develop and design hardware, and enjoys a close working relationship with many industrial and commercial partners in ongoing research and development contracts and grants. In addition, mechanical devices and materials that could help prevent future loss of life and mitigate environmental threats in the near and far term have been given immediate attention. The department of mechanical engineering looks to work with industry partners along with government agencies, laboratories and regional institutions of higher education in stemming current and future losses of life and environmental habitats. For additional information contact: Daniel Harris,

Spatial and temporal presence of Aramus guarauna (Gruiformes: Aramidae) and Rostrhamus sociabilis (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae) in the Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve, Nayarit, Mexico. Monthly visits were conducted at 12 sites located at Marismas Nacionales (November 2010 to June 2011). In five of them we regularly observed the Limpkin (Aramus guarauna) and in three, the Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis). The Apple Snail (Pomacea spp.) is abundant in the brackish wetlands and is the most important prey of both species. In 31 observations we recorded 493 limpkins, mainly in Las Cañadas and La Batanga (together: 64% of the records). In March and April we observed flocks of up 80 individuals, in probable relation with the dry season. We obtained 109 records of the kites, always lonely and concentrated in Zoquipan and Mexcaltitan (96%). The presence of the snail in Marismas Nacionales allows both species to expand their range along the Mexican Pacific, at least to the north of Sinaloa, were the lack of fresh water will hinder the establishment of snail populations.

Lumea Sturionilor - simpozion aniversar a fost un eveniment dedicat domnului CSI prof. univ. dr. ing. Neculai Patriche, membru corespondent al  Academiei de Științe Agricole și Silvice "Gheorghe Ionescu-Șișesti", pentru cei 45 de ani dedicați domeniului, cu ocazia iesirii la pensie.  Evenimentul a avut doua etape, prima dedicata momentului aniversar iar a doua sesiuniii stiintifice.

În sectorul marin românesc structura pe specii a capturilor reflectă parţial componenţa ihtiofaunei, deoarece raportul între specii pescuite este condiţionat, în principal, de doi factori: tipul uneltei de pescuit şi condiţiile sezoniere de formare şi menţinerea aglomerarilor pescuibile. Studiile privind ihtiofauna din sectorul românesc al Mării Negre, întreprinse în perioada 1950-2023, au urmărit în principal cunoaşterea evoluţiei structurii cantitative şi calitative a capturilor principalelor specii de pești de interes comercial, ce populeaza litoralul românesc, în condițiile hidroclimatice specifice perioadei analizate. Lucrarea face referiri asupra datelelor şi informaţiilor privind captura și componența acesteea.

În ultimi 75 ani, ihtiofauna Mării Negre a suferit modificări majore, atât în structura calitativă şi cantitativă, cât şi în comportamentul diferitelor specii, fiind consecinţe ale activităţilor antropogenice, direct prin presiunea de pescuit şi indirect prin deteriorarea condiţiilor de mediu, în special în partea de vest a mării. Ihtiofauna demersală care populează platoul continental aflat în zona de competenţă a României, la Marea Neagră, reprezintă în ultimi 10 ani, segmentul cel mai important al potenţialului pescăresc regional sub aspectul interesului comercial, a cererii pe piaţa internă şi internaţională. Un deosebit interes îl prezinta speciile demersale Scophthalmus maximus (calcan), Platichthys flesus luscus (cambula), Huso huso (morun), Acipenser gueldenstaedti (nisetru), Acipenser stellatus (pastruga), Gobiidae (guvizi) Mullidae (barbun) şi două specii de moluste, respectiv rapana, un melc marin aparținând familiei Muricidae (clasa Gastropoda, încrengătura Mollusca) și o specie de moluscă bivalva midii aparținînd familiei Mytilidae (clasa Bivalvia, încrengătura Mollusca). Prezența lucrarea prezintă starea actuală a ihtiofaunei demersale din zona litoralului românesc al Mării Negre, precum şi evoluţia în timp a principalelor specii de peşti și moluște. Totodată lucrarea reflectă rezultatele pescuitului românesc, obținut în sectorul litoralului românesc, în perioada 1950-2023. S-a urmărit în principal cunoaşterea ihtiofaunei demersale ce populeaza litoralul românesc și a dinamicii capturilor la principalele specii demersale, în conditiile hidroclimatice specifice perioadei analizate.

În ultimi 75 ani, ihtiofauna Mării Negre a suferit modificări majore, atât în structura calitativă şi cantitativă, cât şi în comportamentul diferitelor specii, fiind consecinţe ale activităţilor antropogenice, direct prin presiunea de pescuit şi indirect prin deteriorarea condiţiilor de mediu, în special în partea de vest a mării. Ihtiofauna demersală care populează platoul continental aflat în zona de competenţă a României, la Marea Neagră, reprezintă în ultimi 10 ani, segmentul cel mai important al potenţialului pescăresc regional sub aspectul interesului comercial, a cererii pe piaţa internă şi internaţională. Un deosebit interes îl prezinta speciile demersale Scophthalmus maximus (calcan), Platichthys flesus luscus (cambula), Huso huso (morun), Acipenser gueldenstaedti (nisetru), Acipenser stellatus (pastruga), Gobiidae (guvizi) Mullidae (barbun) şi două specii de moluste, respectiv rapana, un melc marin aparținând familiei Muricidae (clasa Gastropoda, încrengătura Mollusca) și o specie de moluscă bivalva midii aparținînd familiei Mytilidae (clasa Bivalvia, încrengătura Mollusca). Prezența lucrarea prezintă starea actuală a ihtiofaunei demersale din zona litoralului românesc al Mării Negre, precum şi evoluţia în timp a principalelor specii de peşti și moluște. Totodată lucrarea reflectă rezultatele pescuitului românesc, obținut în sectorul litoralului românesc, în perioada 1950-2023. S-a urmărit în principal cunoaşterea ihtiofaunei demersale ce populeaza litoralul românesc și a dinamicii capturilor la principalele specii demersale, în conditiile hidroclimatice specifice perioadei analizate. Ihtiofauna Mării Negre a suferit modificări majore, atât în structura calitativă şi cantitativă, cât şi în comportamentul diferitelor specii. Aceste schimbări sunt consecinţe ale activităţilor antropogenice, direct prin presiunea de pescuit şi indirect prin deteriorarea condiţiilor de mediu, în special în partea de W a mării. Caracteristic pentru bazinul pontic este aceea că cea mai mare parte a peştilor ocupă areale mari, localizate în zona exclusivă a ţărilor riverane. Legat de aceasta, litoralul românesc are un loc important, ştiut fiind rolul său în hrănirea şi reproducerea principalelor specii, deşi capturile obţinute în acest areal nu depăşesc 2% din total captură realizată în Marea Neagră. Speciile de peşti demersali care populează

Se presumió una débil sensibilidad en la población local adyacente a la costa del estado de Quintana Roo (México), sobre la importancia ecológica de la especie Carcharhinus leucas (tiburón toro) y su vulnerabilidad debido al incremento del urbanismo en la Reserva de la Biósfera Caribe Mexicano. Para examinarlo, se propuso determinar el nivel de conocimiento sobre la situación de la especie en varias comunidades humanas de la región costera contigua a la Reserva. El estudio presentó un diseño de campo no experimental, de corte transversal y de tipo cualitativo exploratorio. Fueron aplicados cuatro cuestionarios, uno por cada grupo comunitario, los cuales indicaron niveles de conocimiento alto (gestores: 13), medio (agentes de turismo: 5.8) y bajos (pescadores: 3) (ciudadanos comunes: 1.85), utilizando un muestreo por conveniencia. Asimismo, fue develado que existen iniciativas para mejorar el monitoreo del área marina protegida, aunque escasos estudios sobre la eficacia de las campañas de educación ambiental. Existe una perentoria necesidad por sensibilizar a las comunidades para mejorar su conocimiento sobre Carcharhinus leucas, y el sentido de compromiso con la gestión medioambiental de la Reserva, esto mediante la formación crítica y continua en términos de protección de la biodiversidad marina.

Seagrasses are marine flowering plants found in shallow coastal habitats around the world. These plants create a habitat of substantial importance from an ecological, economic and biodiversity point of view. Unfortunately, there have been considerable losses of seagrass habitat worldwide, leading to increasing interest on the development of seagrass restoration and rehabilitation projects. These projects, often developed as a mitigation tool, deeply benefit from the spatially explicit information included in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Thus, to have seagrass area estimates for transplanting purposes and, to be able to monitor transplanting impacts, a large-scale GIS map was build for Sado and Mira River Estuaries, Portinho da Arrábida Bay and Ria Formosa regions using: (1) aerial photography analysis, (2) photo-interpretation, (3) on-site groundtruthing surveys and (4) statistical analysis. Habitat boundaries were evaluated through aerial photography, and a complete set of selected sites were visited for groundtruth validation, using 4 types of transect methods (along the shore-line, free-diving, scuba diving and boat transects). Twelve thousand, six hundred and fifty two hectares (12652.17 ha) were assessed, 3944 groundtruth points were recorded and 3 seagrass species were identified and mapped (Zostera marina, Zostera noltii and Cymodocea nodosa). Ria Formosa had the largest distribution area of seagrass species (241.04 ha), followed by Sado Estuary (32.68 ha). Mira Estuary had only one seagrass meadow and in Portinho da Arrábida Bay no seagrass meadows were registered. Zostera noltii was the most abundant species in both regions, followed by Cymodocea nodosa and Zostera marina. The error assessment for species distribution area and diversity, estimated through kappa statistics based on error matrices, gave a perfect agreement value (K=0.912) to the methodology used.

Poorly implemented beach renourishment activities and increasing raw sewage pollution from local storm sewers and other non-point sources have significantly impacted coral reef communities at the candidate Vega Baja Submarine Gardens Natural Reserve, Puerto Rico. There have been recurrent violations to legal water turbidity and microbiological water quality standards. Percent living cover of threatened Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) across six reefs declined by 29% within 1997 and 2008, for an annual mean loss of 2.65%. But mortality rocketed to 52% between December 2008 and June 2009 across the zone following beach renourishment and recurrent raw sewage spills. Mortality was lower at outer reefs with stronger oceanographic circulation (34-37%), in comparison to reefs located inside the shallow platform, closer to the shoreline (52-69%), or closer to polluted areas (81-97%). Massive coral mortality at Vega Baja produced a significant phase shift in community structure in many of the sites from dominance by A. palmata towards dominance by non-reef building benthic categories (i.e., algal turf, recently dead corals, and dead corals with algae). Recurrent sediment bedload from adjacent renourished beaches, as well as turbid and sewage-polluted runoff pulses, were devastating to Elkhorn coral stands. These violations to existing State and Federal regulations must be prevented in order to prevent further degradation of these highly vulnerable communities, as well as the continuous decline of its ecosystem resilience, functions and services. There is a need to designate the area as a Natural Reserve, and to develop and implement an integrated coastal-zone management plan with emphasis in protecting one of the largest remaining A. palmata stands in Puerto Rico and the northeastern Caribbean.

This study aims to explore the regulatory policies and institutional frameworks for the geographical history of natural resource conservation governance in Indonesia from the Dutch colonial period to 2024. Through document analysis and historical institutionalism, the study maps jurisdictional shifts, legal overlaps, and fragmented administration in coastal and marine conservation governance. The results reveal that the inter-institutional framework for managing conservation has not been effective due to unclear mandates and poor inter-organizational collaboration. Recent reforms, for example, Law No. 32/2024 and Ministerial Regulation No. 6/2024, still face structural challenges in integrating maritime socio-cultural aspects and promoting the community. The study emphasizes the need to bridge the gap between law, governance that includes all stakeholders, and strengthening institutions, enforcing conservation driven by adaptive performance to enhance coherence and sustainability.

Este escrito presenta la experiencia de las comunidades campesinas e indígenas de la región Centro- Montaña del Estado de Guerrero, México, en la aplicación de una serie de mecanismos, acuerdos y normas para regular el acceso y uso de sus recursos naturales. Analiza las condiciones en las cuales tales mecanismos funcionan y en cuáles fallan o no son suficientes asi como las relaciones, encuentros y desencuentros que se establecen entre este sistema de normas comunitarias y la normatividad oficial. En particular se analiza el marco legal que rige en torno a una especie forestal no maderable, la palma Brahea dnfcís(HBK) Mart., cuyo aprovechamiento se ha querido legalizar, sin éxito, por parte de las comunidades de ésta región.

Se resalta en primer Iugar la importancia de reconocer en nuestro país la existencia de sistemas de normas comunitarias y lanecesidad de profundizar en su conocimiento, porque allí se pueden encontrar claves importantes para un manejo responsable y sustentable de los recursos naturales. Se aportan elementos que fundamentan la imperiosa demanda de que el marco jurídico oficial reconozca e incorpore estos sistemas de normatividad comunitaria para hacer más eficiente el aprovechamiento y conservación de los recursos, para evitar incongruencias entre los diferentes instrumentos jurídicos oficiales sobre recursos naturales, para reducir costos de vigilancia y, quizá lo más importante, para fortalecer los argumentos sobre los derechos de las comunidades indígenas y campesinas a que se les respeten sus usos y costumbres, desde la perspectiva de la conservación y el uso sustentable de los recursos naturales.

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As environmental change accelerates, marine invertebrate growth rates may change in response to a variable environment. Some colonial invertebrates manifest annual growth checks in their skeletons, as somatic growth slows or stops in winter. Here we describe a morphometric measurement methodology to quantify growth rates using annual growth checks visible on X-rays and SEM images. We tested our method on three rigid erect perennial cheilostome bryozoan colonies belonging to the marine species Cellarinella nutti, Melicerita chathamensis, and M. obliqua. They were collected from 150 to 500 m water depth and from 48° S to 78° S latitude. The growth checks in all three species were identified visually in X-ray images. We trialed the use of morphometric data from composite SEM images, including measures of branch width, number of autozooids across branch, autozooid length, and autozooid width, but they did not significantly correlate with growth checks from the X-ray images in all species. In the two polar species, the winter growth checks were associated with slightly longer autozooids. Assuming that growth checks were annual, growth rates were calculated to be from 2.81 to 3.54 mm/year, decreasing over time. Our hypothesis is that a combination of X-ray imaging and morphometric data collection on composite SEM images shows promise for application to other bryozoan species and marine invertebrates from temperate/polar regions.

Human Dimensions research is a broad field of exploring human wildlife interactions by understanding attitudes, beliefs, values, behavioral intentions and behaviors. A questionnaire survey was made for study of human dimension in wildlife management with respondent in villages of Karera Bustard Sanctuary. Human Wildlife Conflict is emerging as a significant wildlife management issue. The conflict results in severe impacts on communities in the form of crop depredation, property damage, loss of livestock, human injury and human killing.

Two pressing and overlapping marine policy issues are related to human rights in the ocean and the situation of ocean defenders. Human rights issues and violations are on the rise in the ocean due to the ongoing, rapid and unchecked escalation of anthropogenic activities in marine and coastal environments, which increasingly undermine the fundamental, civil and political, economic, social, cultural or environmental rights of individuals and groups. In this context, it is essential to recognize, support and safeguard the individuals, groups or communities who are mobilizing, advocating or taking action to protect the marine environment, coastal and oceanic territories, and associated human rights from existential threats. Yet, these 'ocean defenders' often face marginalization, intimidation, criminalization, threats, violence and murders. The failure to protect the human rights of coastal populations and ocean defenders needs to be urgently rectified by states, the private sector and civil society. We identify six specific areas of urgent action to protect human rights in and related to marine and coastal environments and to support and safeguard ocean defenders. KEYWORDS ocean defenders, environmental defenders, human rights, environmental human rights, ocean governance, environmental justice, blue economy, ocean economy Human rights are a foundational norm and global standard for a just society that values human well-being for all people. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR), which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, explicitly recognized a set of fundamental rights (e.g., life, liberty and security of the person, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom from discrimination, freedom of movement, Frontiers in Marine Science frontiersin.org 01

Una gran cantidad de pesquerías a nivel mundial se encuentran sobreexplotadas o colapsadas, en especial las costeras. Esto es de vital importancia, pues la dependencia de los recursos costeros es cada vez mayor. En Uruguay la situación no difi ere de esta realidad, por lo cual son necesarias medidas de manejo pesquero que contemplen un uso sostenible de los recursos y consideren la protección de los ecosistemas en su integridad y complejidad. Este libro va más allá de los criterios convencionalmente empleados en Uruguay en el manejo de los recursos pesqueros, proponiendo por primera vez para el país el desarrollo de un Manejo Ecosistémico Pesquero (MEP). Se hace especial énfasis en la identifi cación de sitios prioritarios para establecer Áreas Marinas Protegidas como herramientas de un MEP. El análisis cuantitativo de largo plazo consideró la variabilidad espacial del esfuerzo pesquero, las características de los ecosistemas y los diferentes servicios que proveen, así como los principales confl ictos derivados de otras actividades antrópicas. Esto permitió identifi car los sitios más sensibles y con mayor prioridad para la implementación de un MEP, contemplando adicionalmente aspectos de conservación de la biota y sus hábitats. Finalmente, en este documento se propone, por primera vez para el sector pesquero uruguayo, la implementación de un sistema participativo de gobernanza: el co-manejo pesquero. Éste reconoce la legitimidad de la participación de los pescadores en el manejo de los recursos. Esto generará sinergias entre el manejo y la conservación, reconociendo la integridad de los ecosistemas como base para la sostenibilidad de los recursos y el crecimiento socio-económico.

Understanding the reproductive parameters of small cetacean populations in intense tourism areas is of clear importance for conservation management. Regardless of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) being well studied in several regions of the world, there is still limited information on the long-term reproductive rates and population dynamics of these animals in the East African Indian Ocean.Swim-with-dolphin (SWD) activities have become increasingly popular in the area. Opportunistic surveys targeted a small population of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins resident within the boundaries of Maputo National Park (MNP), Mozambique. All dolphins encountered were photographed and their identities determined a posteriori using photoidentification. Sightings data were used to compare calving seasonality, birth rates, and calf survivorship between two periods of lower (2007 to 2011; Early Period) and higher (2015 to 2019; Late Period) tourism pressure. Results indicated a calving season from September to March. A total of 115 calves were born to 71 resident females across both periods, but the crude birth rate significantly decreased from 0.070 (Early Period) to 0.045 (Late Period). Number of births per month was also higher the Early Period, although not significant. First-year calf mortality was high in both periods, but increased slightly from 47% to 56% between the Early and Late Periods. Overall, the observed decrease in reproductive quality parameters raise concerns regarding population stability. Increasing tourism pressure is presumed to be the main cause, although other factors (e.g., shark predation, poor health, altered prey availability) must also be considered. Further research is recommended to assess reproductive success and distribution, as well as a population viability analysis. Meanwhile, it is recommended that management of MNP implement a precautionary approach. This could include the ban of swimming with neonates, limit approaching of mother-calf pairs by SWD boats, implement speed limits and no-go zones.

El Río de la Plata: una revisión ambiental Un informe del Proyecto Ecoplata Entre los sistemas fluviales y estuarios del mundo, el Río de la Plata, en Sudamérica, es uno de los mayores y oceanográficamente más importantes. Una primera descripción de parte de su fauna y sus litorales fue hecha con considerable entusiasmo por el joven Charles Darwin durante el viaje del Beagle alrededor de 1830 y ha sido desde entonces el foco de considerable estudio. Su valor económico para el transporte, la pesca y el turismo es enorme y su desarrollo sostenible un imperativo. Este libro es el intento más reciente de resumir la oceanografía del Río de la Plata, un panorama de su ambiente y el status de la pesquería de la corvina blanca. El libro contiene conocimiento actualizado de su geología, hidrología y clima, oceanografía, calidad ambiental, plancton y bentos, peces y biología pesquera, la pesquería artesanal de la corvina y la prospección para su futuro manejo integrado costero. Los capítulos están basados en una evaluación de la bibliografía publicada, así como en muchos datos e información nuevos no publicados, suministrados por un equipo de 30 colaboradores expertos del Uruguay y Canadá. Tambien existen extensas bibliografías y un índice. El libro será una fuente de referencia valiosa para el Proyecto de Ecoplata de Uruguay-Canadá y para los muchos grupos de sectores públicos, gubernamentales, educacionales, científicos y privados interesados en el manejo integrado costero para el Uruguay y sus vecinos costeros. Debería también resultar de interés para muchas personas que trabajen globalmente en oceanografía costera y su manejo integrado costero. Como producto del Proyecto Ecoplata, el libro fue auspiciado por el CIID (Centro

A tal fin, se procederá a realizar el proyecto básico adecuado de la embarcación dedicada a la pesca artesanal de la Republica de Ecuador, eligiendo para ello una comunidad piloto de pescadores que se analizará desde los puntos de vista social, económico y sostenible, prestando especial atención a la mejora de la competitividad de las capacidades productivas, los beneficios de los pescadores y la sostenibilidad de la pesca artesanal ecuatoriana.  Mejorar la calidad y la sostenibilidad de los servicios requeridos para la captura, el desembarque, y la comercialización del producto de la pesca artesanal en los puertos pesqueros.  Organizar y mejorar las Organizaciones de Productores de la Pesca.  Modernizar las embarcaciones dedicadas a este tipo de pesca, aumentando la seguridad y la tecnificación de las tareas de pesca, mediante la realización de aquellos Proyectos Básicos que se estimen adecuados, una vez analizadas las disponibilidades técnicas del país y su know how.  Manejar, conservar y aprovechar sosteniblemente los recursos pesqueros que se encuentren en los ecosistemas marinos de la costa continental de Ecuador.  Selección de la Comunidad piloto  Recogida de indicadores verificables  Caracterización de embarcaciones  Estudio tipo de pesca y comercialización  Estudio socioeconómico de la Comunidad piloto  Estudio de sostenibilidad económica, social y medioambiental sobre todo en la mejora de las condiciones higiénico-sanitarias de los pescadores y de sus familias.

El Documento presenta los resultados de las actividades organizadas por el Núcleo Interdisciplinario para Estudios de la Pesca en Uruguay (NIEPU) del Espacio Interdisciplinario de la Universidad de la República (UdelaR) durante el año 2023, en el marco del Curso de Educación Permanente “El Sector Pesquero en Uruguay: situación y perspectivas”, coordinadas por: Área Sector Productivo y Organizaciones Sociales de la Unidad Académica del Servicio Central de Extensión y Actividades en el Medio de la UdelaR; Unidad de Comunicación de la sede Paysandú del Centro Universitario Regional Litoral Norte; Laboratorio de Fisiología de la Reproducción y Ecología de Peces (FREP), Departamento de Biología Animal (Instituto de Biología de la Facultad de Ciencias) y apoyadas por el Programa de Educación Permanente de la UdelaR. Reúne las exposiciones de tres Mesas Temáticas (Uso del Espacio Marítimo, Áreas Marinas Protegidas; Trazabilidad del Desarrollo Pesquero Sostenible) de varios autores (actores académicos y sociales). Coordinadores-compiladores: Silvia Morales (Prorrectorado de Extensión y Programa Integrales) y Walter Norbis (Facultad de Ciencias).

Anthropogenic pressure on marine ecosystems is affecting water quality and seafloor integrity. Mediterranean seagrass meadows of endemic Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus) Delile are considered a priority habitat under the European Directive 92/43/ CEE, given their ecological and economic importance and being an environmental quality indicator. Availability of historical data on three P. oceanica meadows along the Ligurian coast (NW Mediterranean Sea) allowed assessing change in the meadow status over time. A number of indicators and ecological indices at different levels of ecological complexity, including the multimetric PREI (Posidonia Rapid Easy Index) adopted by the environmental agencies, were employed and compared. This paper aims at a) defining the health status of the P. oceanica meadows and measuring their changes through time collating available historical information; b) evaluating the discriminating power of the different indices and assessing their consistency with each oth...

Information on the ecology of the olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys
olivacea) in Mexico is scarce, and only a few studies have been conducted on this
species at the northern limit of its nesting distribution on the Baja California
peninsula. The present study evaluated the key characteristics of the in situ
reproductive ecology of L. olivacea on beaches of the Cabo Pulmo National Park
(CPNP).We provide basic statistics for five beaches and statistical comparisons
between the northernmost (Las Barracas) and southernmost (Los Frailes Beach)
beaches of CPNP using a Bayesian analysis of variance (B-ANOVA) to
evaluate the spatial and temporal variation in reproductive parameters with data
from 2010 to 2015. We found a high probability of differences between years
for all parameters (hatching success BF10 = 3.91
107; emergence success
BF10 = 1.7
107; mortality BF10 = 1.7
107), and no evidence of differences
between beaches for any parameter (BF10 < 0.27). The overall means for clutch
size, hatching success, emergence success, and mortality were 95.08 eggs, 61%,
66%, and 39%, respectively.

Flame retardants can be divided into two broad categories: additive or reactive, which can be further more divided into brominated or non-brominated sub-categories. These retardants are found in many commercial products such as computers, television sets, ...

Kolkata is one of the most populous metropolitan cities of India with large number of vehicles, and several industrial units. All these factors contribute considerable load of CO2 to the atmosphere. The producer communities of the urban areas act as the major sink of CO2. The present paper highlights the CO2-equivalent at two sites namely, Barasat (22°13´30.58´´N; 88°27´03´.10´´E) and Garia (22°27´59.51´´N; 88°24´16.35´´E) based on the stored carbon content of sixteen common tree species estimated during December 2020 and 2023. The CO2-equivalents of Barasat and Garia in 2020 are 2055.75 and 1114.08 tonnes ha-1 respectively, whereas in 2023, the values are 2145.05 and 1167.00 tonnes ha-1 for the respective sites. The sequestered CO2-e of the common trees in Barasat and Garia are 29.76 tonnes ha-1 yr-1 and 17.64 tonnes ha-1 yr-1 respectively, which means that Barasat trees have 68.74% more CO2 holding capacity than Garia. This research puts forward the view that trees may act as cost-effective nature-based solution to mitigate the rising trend of CO2 in and around the city of Kolkata, provided optimum edaphic factors are maintained.

En la provincia de Santa Cruz, el espacio litoral se caracteriza por sus costas erosivas, con presencia de acantilados de gran altura y extensión, playas de canto rodado, extensas zonas intermareales y una biodiversidad costera y marina de importancia global. Esta diversidad biológica y física ha dado lugar a la creación de áreas protegidas de distinta jurisdicción para su conservación y protección bajo marcos legales.
Este trabajo tiene como objetivo general realizar un análisis del aprovechamiento turístico en las áreas protegidas del litoral santacruceño, caracterizando los recursos de interés que protegen las áreas, así como su aprovechamiento turístico actual y su estado de conservación. El diseño metodológico es de tipo exploratorio-descriptivo, se utilizó la revisión bibliográfica, el análisis documental y el trabajo de campo como técnicas de recolección de datos. El área de estudio abarca desde Cabo Vírgenes a Caleta Olivia, donde se registraron 18 áreas protegidas de distinta jurisdicción y 6 especies declaradas monumentos naturales. El uso turístico es acotado y desde algunas localidades se organizan productos turísticos comercializados y operados por empresas locales. Se identificaron diversas problemáticas relacionadas principalmente con la contaminación costera, falta de control de las actividades marítimas, la cercanía a centros urbanos, la gestión deficiente y desactualización normativa, usos sin planificación, entre otros. A pesar de las problemáticas identificadas, se concluye que el litoral de Santa Cruz, a través de la totalidad de sus áreas protegidas, ofrece oportunidades para el uso turístico a través de distintas modalidades y prácticas, principalmente relacionadas al turismo de naturaleza.

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Local drivers are human activities or processes that occur in specific locations, and cause physical or ecological change at the local or regional scale. Here, we consider marine and land-derived pollution, non-indigenous species, tourism and other human visits, exploitation of marine resources, recovery of marine mammals, and coastal change as a result of ice loss, in terms of their historic and current extent, and their interactions with the Southern Ocean environment. We summarise projected increases or decreases in the influence of local drivers, and projected changes to their geographic range, concluding that the influence of non-indigenous species, fishing, and the recovery of marine mammals are predicted to increase in the future across the Southern Ocean. Local drivers can be managed regionally, and we identify existing governance frameworks as part of the Antarctic Treaty System and other instruments which may be employed to mitigate or limit their impacts on Southern Ocean...

Entre junio y octubre de 2002 y a partir de observaciones directas de los hábitats y entrevistas con las comunidades y autoridades locales, seis asistentes de campo recogieron información geomorfológica, biótica y sociocultural de las playas de anidación y áreas marinas donde llegan las tortugas marinas. En 1650 km de extensión del Caribe colombiano se encontraron 181 playas (730 km) a las cuales llega una o las cuatro especies de tortugas marinas para anidar o alimentarse en caladeros frente a las mismas. La distribución de las especies varió en las diferentes regiones del Caribe, sin embargo algunas especies mostraron tendencias hacia ecosistemas particulares. La tortuga verde ( Chelonia mydas) fue reportada en mayor cantidad en los caladeros de la media Guajira donde se encuentra la mayor oferta de praderas de fanerógamas del Caribe colombiano, y la tortuga carey (E retmochelys imbricata) en las áreas coralinas de las islas de San Bernardo, Rosario, Fuerte, Tortuguilla y los cayos del archipiélago de San Andrés. Aunque no hubo marcajes, ni conteos de individuos, la información colectada permitió establecer categorías de frecuencia como rara, común o abundante. Estas categorías fueron útiles para hacer comparaciones entre regiones, que junto con las amenazas identificadas y también categorizadas, permitieron hacer recomendaciones de manejo regionales para la conservación de las tortugas marinas en el Caribe colombiano.

The 21st century has seen marine tourism in Southeast Asia transform in response to the rapid growth of SCUBA diving and snorkeling activities in the natural environment. However, despite this level of integration between recreation and the natural environment, few assessments have ever been conducted on the biodiversity or ecosystem values and experiences of the SCUBA diving community. Therefore, we explored the awareness, preferences and priorities of this community, with a particular emphasis on investigating the role of biodiversity documentation and species discoveries in motivating recreational diving. By conducting surveys of 366 recreational divers from Thailand, we were able to identify proportional priorities, finding greater valuation towards overall ecosystem esthetics than megafauna, with species-specific dive experiences being a niche but present interest. We also investigated diver priorities based on recently described or discovered marine fauna in Thai waters, focusing on five species of hard and soft coral, seven species of sea slug, and two species of shark. Of these, sea slug species were the most recognized and garnered the greatest potential economic value, likely due to their popularity with photographers. The results of this multidisciplinary investigation highlight the economic value of taxonomy and biodiversity research to the recreational SCUBA community.

W whales.org WDC is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No. 2737421. Registered Charity No. 1014705. WDC is the leading global charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales and dolphins. We defend these remarkable creatures against the many threats they face through campaigns, lobbying, advising governments, conservation projects, field research and rescue.

Two major concerns affect the way we perceive impacts: first, no ecosystem can still be considered pristine and second, stressors may interact. Untangling the effects of broad-scale anthropogenic stressors is complicated as appropriate unimpacted areas at relevant scales are usually unavailable for contrast with impacted regions. Although the perfect study design in the traditions of small-scale manipulative experiments may not always be possible, many human impacts and the mechanisms associated with ecosystem responses have been highlighted in literature allowing contrasting predictions on expected patterns to be tested. We applied such an approach to the Marine Protected Area of Bergeggi (Ligurian Sea, NW Mediterranean). Our study aimed at assessing the effects of recreational angling (a presumed chronic stress) on the recovery of epibenthic communities following historical date-mussel harvesting (an extreme disturbance) by making and testing alternative predictions on the structure of epibenthic communities that should be apparent depending on the importance of specific mechanisms. Effects of datemussel harvesting were still visible 20 years after its cessation, mostly because recovery is hampered by persistent sea-urchin grazing. We hypothesized that fish biomass removal by angling favours high sea urchin abundance. Based on these premises, we assembled information on angling pressure, sea urchin abundance and substratum cover by different trophic guilds to test our predictions. Our study indicates that the interaction between date-mussel harvesting and angling produced a shift, from autotrophicdominated to consumer-dominated communities as a consequence of cascading trophic effects. Such an outcome implies that chronic recreation fishing pressure is blocking recovery in locations previously impacted by date-mussel harvesting. Testing predictions proved efficient in describing the interaction among stressors when system history is known and represents a valuable approach to provide scientifically sound insight for improved conservation management.

Oophaga, including the strawberry poison-dart frog (O. pumilio) display among the most striking examples of color polymorphism of any amphibians. We developed twelve novel microsatellite markers with di-, tri-, and tetranucleotide repeats for this genus. These loci are highly polymorphic with between 2 and 29 alleles (average = 14.7) and high heterozygosity (H O = 0.704). These highly polymorphic markers should be useful for resolving finescale genetic differences between the different color morphs of these highly variable species, for investigations into the ecological importance of this variation, and for determining the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on population persistence in these species.

This research is greatly needed in order to accommodate the interest and influence of stakeholders and to find solution to conflict of interests among the stakeholders. As a case study, it was conducted in traditional utilization zone of Cendrawasih Bay National Park (CBNP) at Teluk Wondama Regency from August 2010 to June 2011 using qualitative method. The aim of the research was to formulate pro-and-contra conditions that might have a potential to create conflicts and to find out suitable strategies to resolve the conflicts to improve governance and management. The result shows that most stakeholders are mapped as key players of conflicts interest. The analysis also found that stakeholders were distributed as a subject, key player, and context setter, and no stakeholder was classified as a crowd category. This result implied that most stakeholders have an interests and influences to create good governance and to keep a sustainable development in the traditional use zone. Based on this finding, it can be stated that the existing conflict patterns were categorized as open and latent conflicts. These conflicts can be resolved by creating collaboration among Management Body local community, NGOs, and local government through strengthening the institutional capacity for the management of traditional use zone.

The benthic communities of the deep insular shelf at the Hind Bank Marine Conservation District (MCD), an important spawning grouper aggregation site, were studied with the Seabed autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) at depths between 32 to 54 m. Four digital phototransects provided data on benthic species composition and abundance of the insular shelf off St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Within the western side of the MCD, welldeveloped coral reefs with 43% mean living coral cover were found. The Montastrea annularis complex was dominant at all four sites between 33 to 47 m, the depth range where reefs were present. Maximum coral cover found was 70% at depths of 38 to 40 m. Quantitative determinations of sessile-benthic populations, as well as the presence of motile-megabenthic invertebrates and algae were obtained. The Seabed AUV provided new quantitative and descriptive information of a unique coral reef habitat found within this deeper insular shelf area.