192 research outputs found
Data used in Langhammer et al. 2024. The Positive Impact of Conservation Action. Science
No full textData used in Langhammer et al, which is a meta-analysis by authors: Penny F. Langhammer, Joseph W. Bull, Jake E. Bicknell, Joseph L. Oakley, Mary H. Brown, Michael W. Bruford, Stuart H. M. Butchart, Jamie A. Carr, Don Church, Rosie Cooney, Simone Cutajar, Wendy Foden, Matthew N. Foster, Claude Gascon, Jonas Geldmann, Piero Genovesi, Michael Hoffmann, Jo Howard-McCombe, Tiffany Lewis, Nicholas B.W. Macfarlane, Zoe E. Melvin, Rossana G. Merizalde, Meredith G. Morehouse, Shyama Pagad, Beth Polidoro, Wes Sechrest, Gernot Segelbacher, Kevin G. Smith, Janna Steadman, Kyle Strongin, Jake Williams, Stephen Woodley, Thomas M. Brook
The marriage of reason & squalor
No full textIn his first work of fiction, artist Jake Chapman slashes the romantic novel down to bare bone and constructs his own disfigured version from the slaughtered remains.Chlamydia Love is gifted her very own tropical island by her fiancé, where she develops a grudging adoration for its real owner, the enigmatic bestselling author, Helmut Mandragorass. A battle between her fiancé and Helmut ensues, for ownership of the island and ultimately for the love of Chlamydia.This mercilessly subversive tale is illustrated by Chlamydia's watercolours entitled Visions of Morass, images inspired by the island as she struggles with her feelings of agony and ecstasy.<br/
Improved timber harvest techniques maintain biodiversity in tropical forests
No full textTropical forests are selectively logged at 20 times the rate at which they are cleared, and at least a fifth have already been disturbed in this way. In a recent pan-tropical assessment, Burivalova et al. demonstrate the importance of logging intensity as a driver of biodiversity decline in timber estates. Their analyses reveal that species richness of some taxa could decline by 50% at harvest intensities of 38 m3 ha-1. However, they did not consider the extraction techniques that lead to these intensities. Here, we conduct a complementary meta-analysis of assemblage responses to differing logging practices: conventional logging and reduced-impact logging. We show that biodiversity impacts are markedly less severe in forests that utilise reduced-impact logging, compared to those using conventional methods. While supporting the initial findings of Burivalova et al., we go on to demonstrate that best practice forestry techniques curtail the effects of timber extraction regardless of intensity. Therefore, harvest intensities are not always indicative of actual disturbance levels resulting from logging. Accordingly, forest managers and conservationists should advocate practices that offer reduced collateral damage through best practice extraction methods, such as those used in reduced-impact logging. Large-scale implementation of this approach would lead to improved conservation values in the 4 million km2 of tropical forests that are earmarked for timber extraction
Aquarium fisheries as a non-timber forest product: experiences from conservation through community development in North Rupununi District, Guyana
No full textDeforestation is one of the major global conservation issues. Solutions are being sought to tackle this ongoing
forest loss, including establishment of initiatives to provide new sources of income for local communities that
promote the sustainable use of forests in the interest of biodiversity conservation. One such project ‘Iwokrama’,
demonstrates how tropical forests and associated habitats can be sustainably used. In the central Guyana wetlands of the Rupununi, illegal fishing of arapaima Arapaima gigas, had led to a huge
reduction in its numbers. Iwokrama responded by initiating the Arapaima Management Plan in 2002. This
highlighted the need for another source of local income from fisheries, and a business that undertakes sustainable harvest
of fish for the aquarium trade was developed. Harvesting of a few selected fish species is carried-out by
members of the local community who are paid a daily wage. Fishing methods target individual species to avoid
incidental by-catch. Four species are primarily caught as they are numerous in the Rupununi and are of high trade
value. To ensure ecological and economical sustainability, catch per unit effort is monitored; where this begins to
drop for any given species, harvesting is suspended and the population is allowed to recover before harvesting
resumes. The project has developed into a self-sustaining business, managed by the community themselves. During
2005, the project reached financial sustainability with current profits of over US$3,000 feeding back into local
community initiatives
Bicknell et al. data
No full textDetection rates of birds, bats, and large mammals at each site before and after logging, as well as site details and metrics. Each table includes a description to interpret the data
Abundance, impacts and resident perceptions of non-native common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) in Jersey, UK Channel Islands.
No full textFew species are able to establish themselves in a non-native range and expand their population to
become a wide-ranging invasive. However, for those that are able to, their negative environmental
impacts include widespread predation of native flora and fauna, competition and spread of
parasites and disease. The common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), a native of central Asia, has
been the subject of introductions for recreational hunting across the globe for hundreds of years.
Today, millions of birds are released annually and rural habitats managed to better accommodate
them. These mass introductions have prompted much research regarding the effects of pheasant
populations in areas where they are released at high densities. However, little is known about the
effects of naturalised populations of pheasants in areas where they are neither released nor their
habitat managed. To fill this knowledge gap and to aid management, this study seeks to investigate
the naturalised population of common pheasants on the Bailiwick of Jersey, UK Channel Islands.
Through an extensive programme of field surveys, this research enables a better understanding of
the impacts of this non-native species on native wildlife and agriculture. Distance sampling was
used to provide density and abundance estimates of Jersey's pheasant population and Breeding
Bird Survey data, provided by the British Trust for Ornithology, were also used to investigate
population trends over time. Summer habitat preferences were also investigated and, to
complement these findings and further inform management, an online questionnaire to analyse
local perceptions of pheasants and their impacts was conducted. Pheasant density estimates ranged from 9.5 to 16.6 pheasants per km2, with a total island-wide population of 1011-1780
pheasants. Highest concentrations were seen in the southeast (St. Clement) and northwest (St.
Ouen) of the island and the lowest concentrations in the southwest (St. Brelade), with pheasants
showing a preference for fields that contained shoots, mustard and bare ground. The long-term
data revealed an overall decreasing but oscillating population trend since 2002. Residents of Jersey
perceive pheasants as having negative impacts on farmland birds, herpetofauna and crops, with
some respondents witnessing predation of reptiles and amphibians, all of which are protected
species. Despite this, pheasants are generally well received by residents with the majority 'agreeing'
or 'strongly agreeing' that pheasants add to the appeal of the countryside and that they enjoy
having pheasants in Jersey. Pheasants are also considered to have a positive impact on birds of prey
and are credited for the rise in marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) and buzzard (Buteo buteo)
numbers. Arable farmers displayed the most adverse opinions of pheasants and were significantly
more likely to view pheasants as negative for arable crops. The percentages of residents who
believe pheasants should be protected by legislation and those who do not are almost equal.
Specifically, arable farmers were generally in favour of removing pheasant protection, whereas
game shooters polarise this view. The successful management of any invasive species or their
impacts relies on monitoring populations, examining their trends, and understanding their habitat
use. To this end, this study provides the baseline data required for future decisions on pheasant
management by policy makers in Jersey
Reconciling timber extraction with biodiversity conservation in tropical forests using reduced-impact logging
No full textOver 20% of the world's tropical forests have been selectively logged, and large expanses are allocated for future timber extraction. Reduced-impact logging (RIL) is being promoted as best practice forestry that increases sustainability and lowers CO2 emissions from logging, by reducing collateral damage associated with timber extraction. RIL is also expected to minimize the impacts of selective logging on biodiversity, although this is yet to be thoroughly tested.
We undertake the most comprehensive study to date to investigate the biodiversity impacts of RIL across multiple taxonomic groups. We quantified birds, bats and large mammal assemblage structures, using a before-after control-impact (BACI) design across 20 sample sites over a 5-year period. Faunal surveys utilized point counts, mist nets and line transects and yielded >250 species. We examined assemblage responses to logging, as well as partitions of feeding guild and strata (understorey vs. canopy), and then tested for relationships with logging intensity to assess the primary determinants of community composition.
Community analysis revealed little effect of RIL on overall assemblages, as structure and composition were similar before and after logging, and between logging and control sites. Variation in bird assemblages was explained by natural rates of change over time, and not logging intensity. However, when partitioned by feeding guild and strata, the frugivorous and canopy bird ensembles changed as a result of RIL, although the latter was also associated with change over time. Bats exhibited variable changes post-logging that were not related to logging, whereas large mammals showed no change at all.
Indicator species analysis and correlations with logging intensities revealed that some species exhibited idiosyncratic responses to RIL, whilst abundance change of most others was associated with time.
Synthesis and applications. Our study demonstrates the relatively benign effect of reduced-impact logging (RIL) on birds, bats and large mammals in a neotropical forest context, and therefore, we propose that forest managers should improve timber extraction techniques more widely. If RIL is extensively adopted, forestry concessions could represent sizeable and important additions to the global conservation estate – over 4 million km2
Poiesis and Obstruction in Art Practice
No full textThis PhD thesis examines the concept of poiesis, that is ‘calling into existence that which was not there before’, in the context of obstruction in studio practice. It poses the question ‘Is there a methodology that engages with obstruction which in turn calls new work’? In this thesis, the concept of poiesis emerging from the late Dr. Murray Cox’s ‘Aeolian Mode’, is analyzed alongside a concept of praxis, (a philosophical companion to poiesis), familiar to artistic practice. This thesis describes the orientation of the original idea, The Aeolian Mode, clinically developed by Dr. Murray Cox in Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital. This PhD seeks to identify if there are similar ‘tenets of approach’ held within the methodology of ‘The Aeolian Mode’, that would be useful or are identifiable in artistic studio practice. This thesis draws on the work of the philosopher, Professor Richard Kearney, specifically Kearney’s ideas on the necessity of ‘the other’ for ‘radical possibility’ to occur. It maps a context of both Freudian and Jungian interpretations of art practice, identifying how these ideas have shaped the way art is seen today. Furthermore, it challenges the Freudian idea of ‘pathography’ and favours a Jungian approach of ‘individuation’ in the understanding of creative processes. It develops a ‘methodology of the conversation’, interviewing students, established artists, tutors about their approaches to obstruction/poiesis in art practice. Additionally, it examines my own obstruction to painting and identifies the methodology that released me from this obstruction. Conducting these interviews on art practice has enabled me to confirm my initial concerns about Freudian ‘pathography’ whilst validating the possibility of the Jungian concept of ‘individuation’ being of use to art practice. Finally, this PhD discusses the implications for further study and research, which have emerged during the ‘methodology of the conversation’ and the task of dissolving my obstruction to painting
Francisco Goya, Jake & Dinos Chapman : The Disasters of War
No full textThis exhibition catalogue accompanies a series of prints by the Chapman brothers entitled “The Disasters of War,” which was inspired by Goya’s series of the same name. Aquin underlines how the Chapman brothers’ imagery, which combines symbols of fertility and violence, supports the theory that war is a biological function. The author describes the hallucinatory quality of the works which he claims reflect “the cannibalistic ritual of art.” Biographical notes
Vertebrate population responses to reduced-impact logging in a neotropical forest
No full textVertebrate population densities were quantified in lowland central Guyana using line-transect censuses at three forest sites subjected to reduced-impact logging (RIL), and three adjacent unlogged sites. We censused a range of forest vertebrate species including large canopy-dwelling and terrestrial birds, three primates, one rodent and one tortoise. Two 4 km transects at each site were repeatedly surveyed during the wet season of 2008 to derive population density estimates on the basis of a cumulative survey effort of 416 km. RIL had ended within 16 months, and sites had been subjected to a mean extraction rate of 3.9 m3 ha-1, equivalent to only 1.1 trees ha-1. Three of the 15 vertebrate species examined here exhibited significantly different abundances at forest RIL sites, two of which were negative. Large frugivores such as primates were less abundant in sites subject to RIL, whereas smaller frugivores, granivores, folivores and insectivores were more common in logged sites. We are unable to reliably distinguish between responses of different taxonomic groups, since robust abundance metrics could only be estimated for four mammal species. Despite this, species traits including dietary guild, body mass, home range size and vertical stratification of forest use are used to explain varying responses. Our findings suggest that responsible reduced-impact logging practices in neotropical forests can be considered as a relatively benign form of forest management that can coexist with the requirements of both local economies and biodiversity conservation. However, our study sites experienced comparably low extraction rates, and detrimental effects such as hunting were low. Our results therefore provide an opportunity to scrutinise the effects of best practice logging systems, though do not necessarily represent typical circumstances across tropical forests
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