Impacts of mining on local fauna of wildlife in District Mardan & District Mohmand Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

Mining is vital for human sustenance and a crucial sector in the state economy. However, its impacts on the environment and biodiversity cannot be underestimated. Which are potent to the attract government’s attention. Environment and wildlife are subject to the harmful impacts of mining and its related activities. In this study, districts, namely Mardan and Mohmand have been targeted with respect to mining impacts. The assessment was carried out on wildlife adversely affected by the mining sector. The fauna has been keenly observed to bring the calculated risks and threat perception of the regional wildlife. Total 9 species of mammals, 21 species of birds, were recorded in District Mardan. While in District Mohmand 2 species of mammals, 9 species of birds, and 4 species of reptiles were studied. The Study explored that mining primarily responsible for land degradation. Which lead to food and agriculture losses. Several other factors like blasting, pollution, hunting, deforestation, habitat loss was also observed. Deforestation surfaced one of the major causes for extinction of fauna in the said region. preemptive measures are needed to seize the man-made catastrophe.

First record of leucism in Mantled Howler Monkeys Alouatta palliata (Gray 1849)

The existence of chromatic aberrations such as leucism or albinism is the result of inbreeding in isolated populations of wild local fauna and is associated with environmental stressors. This anomaly may reduce survival rates. There are many cases of leucism in wildlife, but overall, it is considered very rare. In neotropical primates, there have been records of leucism but previously, in howler monkeys was unknown. In this article, we report for the first time leucistic young individuals of Mantled howler monkeys Alouatta palliata, subspecies A. p. aequatorialis in an isolated remanent of tropical dry forest in southwestern Ecuador, namely Cerro Blanco Protective Forest. In total, we found two individuals, we named them Albita (a female) and Japu (a male). We also include a spatial analysis of the covert forest loss between 2000 to 2020. The report of individuals with leucism, may imply inbreeding because of isolated populations. Thus, immediate management strategies must be considered to significantly increase connectivity with other populations of howler monkeys.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS

Society in general is distant from scientific culture, it is required to bring scientific knowledge closer to the population. In this context, an effective and attractive way for scientific dissemination is the establishment of natural history museums, which are institutions of knowledge, displaying the past. Natural history museums have the natural world as their object of study; and their collections may contain the most diverse types of materials (local and/or from various parts of the world), such as zoological, botanical, geological, archaeological, among others. Scientific collections are the largest and most important source of authoritative biodiversity data, contributing to studies of biodiversity composition, evolutionary (morphological and genetic), biogeographical, phenological, as well as geological. The materials present in these collections may serve for temporal comparison, being useful to produce predictive models. Likewise, they have a fundamental role in safeguarding type specimens, i.e. the first organisms identified to describe and name a new species. In addition, there is the component available to visitors in general, in order to raise public awareness on the preservation of the local fauna and flora and of other places in the world. In this way, the museums serve both the academic-scientific public and visitors who come to these sites for recreational purposes. It is intended to promote, in Vila Nova de Cerveira, the Natural History Museum of the Iberian Peninsula - NatMIP (“Museu de História Natural da Península Ibérica”), which intends to collect materials for scientific purposes, mainly Iberian.

Testing the selectiveness of electric harps: a mitigation method for reducing Asian hornet impact at beehives.

The Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) has rapidly become a source of stress for the beekeeping sector. Several methods have been developed to control its impact and spread, though some of these impose a high risk for native insects. Among these methods are electric harps, which are physical barriers that electrocute hornets passing through two wires powered by a current generator. However, the risk to local fauna of electric harps has not previously been tested. Here we evaluated the selectiveness and risk of damage for local entomofauna of the electric harps in a study carried out over three years and four locations in Girona province (NE Catalonia, Spain). The electric harps showed a high selectiveness, with 82.9% of all insects trapped (3,902 individuals) catalogued as Asian hornets, although this greatly varied over years and locations with values ranging from 20.5% to 94.3%. The risk damage of electric harps for local entomofauna was very low in all surveyed areas and years. Native insects accounted for, as a mean, 1.7% of all insects trapped over the study period (range 0-4.5%). Accordingly, the electric harps imply a low risk for the native European hornet Vespa crabro, since only 0.1% of the captures belonged to that species. Our results suggest that electric harps might be a useful method to reduce predation pressure of the Asian hornet at beehives while imposing a low risk for local entomofauna. The employment of standardised techniques, such as the placement of electric harps, may be useful to assess inter-annual variations or site-specific differences on the predation pressure of the Asian hornet at beehives. Further research should evaluate whether the placement of electric harps improves bee colony survival or vigour parameters (i.e. honey production, amount of brood, pollen, etc.).

Javan langur responses to the repeated exposure of ground survey and novel stimulus, unmanned aerial vehicles

The use of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs; a.k.a “drones”) for ecological monitoring, conservation campaign, and management is increasing enormously. UAVs operate at low altitudes (<150 m) and in any terrain; thus, they are susceptible to interact with local fauna, generating a new type of anthropogenic disturbance that has not been systematically evaluated. Both policy-makers and practitioners require data about the potential impacts of UAVs on natural biota, but few studies exist. The research aims to compare behavioral responses from ground-based surveys vs. UAVs flights. Moreover, we conducted two experiments of UAVs overflights, specifically aiming to assess the responses of Trachypithecus auratus. Between January and March 2021, we conducted 24 UAVs flight approaches and 12 ground surveys at Mount Halimun-Salak National Park, Indonesia. We applied generalized linear mixed-effects models and Kruskal-Wallis tests to 364 behavioral scores obtained from two independent observers. When directly compared, the detection time was higher using UAVs (χ2 = 38.50; df= 1; p < 0.050), and behavioral responses by Javan langur to UAVs overflights at > 30 m were different from responses to ground surveys were more intense. Finally, we suggest data-driven best practices for UAVs use and the design of future UAVs-wildlife response studies.

Geographic distribution and conservation status of Eulychnia ritteri Cullmann (Cactaceae), an endemic cactus from southern Peru

Eulychnia ritteri is endemic to Peru, restricted to the northern coast of the department of Arequipa. The lack of knowledge of this species, and threats such as human activities and climate change, put the populations at risk. In this research, we examined the geographical distribution and conservation status of E. ritteri in the coastal area of the Caravelí province. In addition, the population structure and phenology in the Quebrada Vizcachani population were evaluated using plots of 10x100 m. Data on the accompanying flora and local fauna were also obtained. Eulychnia ritteri showed five populations distributed from 15°43’ to 15°47’S, with a total area of 63.62 ha (0.63 km2). The Quebrada Vizcachani population is the largest (24.5 ha) and the Cementerio population the smallest (0.018 ha). The population density evaluated is 0.06 ind/m2, where seedlings, juveniles, adults, and dead plants were 3.61, 24.09, 56.63 and 15.67% respectively. The phenology was asynchronous, the flower buds, flowers and fruits appear in the same period. The flowers and fruits were food for insects and rodents respectively, and 18 accompanying species have been recorded. Finally, E. ritteri is categorised as endangered (EN), given its geographical distribution and identified threats.

Organizational, Economic, and Strategic Aspects of Capitalization of Multipurpose Forest Industries

Introduction. The present article forecasts the organizational, economic, and strategic aspects of the multifunctional forestry capitalization in the Kemerovo region aka Kuzbass. The authors analyzed the current Russian laws in order to answer the following question: is multi-purpose forest utilization able to ensure the rights and interests of all its participants, while providing legal means to resolve various related issues? Study objects and methods. The research featured the legal norms in the field of forest, wildlife, and subsoil utilization. The authors assessed their ability to guarantee sustainable use of natural resources while protecting the rights and legitimate interests of forest users. The study was based on general standard methods of cognition and special legal methods. Results and discussion. Hunting is regulated by hunting sector agreements. The Forest Code and the Hunting Law of the Russian Federation do not prohibit or restrict other types of forest utilization of hunting grounds. Most Western European countries link land ownership to hunting rights, which makes landowners liable for damage caused by hunting and obliged to protect the local fauna. Conclusion. Russian legislation does not provide for direct conciliation and compensation mechanisms in cases a part of hunting ground is used for other purposes, e.g. mining. Russian legislation needs legal termination procedures for hunting sector agreements and compensation rules in case a land plot was seized from hunting providers for subsoil use.

Survey of wildlife rescued and treated from 2014 to 2016 in Joinville (SC), Brazil

Natural ecosystems are in constant conflict with the growing and disordered urban expansion, arising from the mismanagement of human developments and infrastructure, facing an accelerated rate of deforestation and defaunation. The intense pressure on natural environments impacts the local fauna through various incidents, generating high mortality, such as hit-and-run, window-crashing, attacks by domestic animals, dissemination of diseases and electrocution. The purpose of this study was to carry out a retrospective survey of the wild fauna rescued and treated at a clinic associated with the environmental police in the region of Joinville - SC. A total of 379 wild animals were treated at the clinic from 2014 to 2016. Of these, 262 (69.13%) were birds, 107 (28.23%) mammals, 9 (2.37%) reptiles and 1 (0.26%) amphibian. The main causes of referral for clinical care were due to trauma (50.66%), seizures (1.32%) and other causes (48.02%), such as home invasion and orphaned puppies. Among the reasons for traumas, pedestrian accidents were the most prevalent, representing 39.58% of the cases treated, followed by animals found to be debilitated without a defined cause (31.77%), attack by domestic animals (14.58%) and window-crashing (9.89%). The data obtained in this study show a rich diversity of species in Joinville. These species are exposed to several anthropogenic challenges and barriers derived mainly from intense displacement and human invasion, causing many animals to move in order to adapt to urban areas.

Archaeoprimatology: The Longue Durée Interface Between Humans and Nonhuman Primates

Archaeoprimatology explores how humans and nonhuman primates coexisted in the past. This discipline has profound roots in texts of early scholars. Archaeoprimatological research examines the liminality between humans, apes, monkeys, and prosimians deep in time before the rise of the Anthropocene. By exploring the beginning of the relationship between modern Homo sapiens and primates, which possibly dates to approximately 100,000 BCE, I survey the evidence, ranging from portable objects and 2D surfaces with primatomorphic depictions to primate remains at archaeological sites worldwide. For example, an overview of ancient frescoes and mosaics with primate representations reveals that the vast majority of them were rendered in locations where primates were not part of the local fauna. An extensive review of primates in the zooarchaeological record shows as a global pattern that traded primates were usually young individuals and frugivorous/omnivorous species. Local primates yielded at sites of regions they naturally inhabited were mostly hunted. Thus, examining past patterns of the human–nonhuman primate interface provides insight into major questions about human niche construction and primate conservation today.