Suchergebnisse

The most active research period on myxomycetes in Costa Rica has taken place in the last three decades. During this time, most of the collections have been carried out and most of the scientific articles have been produced. However, the lack of standard protocols and systematic planning across the country generated a need to conduct an analysis of myxomycete records to define future lines of work. A compilation, cleaning, standardisation and analysis of information associated with a database of more than 7800 records that comprised 242 species of myxomycetes reported in Costa Rica during the last 110 years, was carried out. An interpretation of data with a conservation approach that integrated elements of data-mining and geographical information systems was conducted. Results showed that myxomycetes has been comparatively well studied in Costa Rica in relation to other regional or tropical countries. However, survey effort has been unequal within the territory, leaving some interesting areas or substrates understudied. The absence of long-term goals to study this country and Mesoamerica has limited the potential that the analysed data can have within the context of conservation. This could be the next logical step in the study of this group of microorganisms in that country. ; This project was primarily funded by research activity [COOPB20155] from Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) in Spain. Additional support was provided by Vicerrectoría de Investigación, University of Costa Rica through project 570-B8-006 and by the Myxotropic project [CGL2014-52584P] funded by the Spanish Government.

Farms stood at an ecological frontier in the 1930s. With new and better agricultural machinery, more farms than ever before made the leap to thousand acre enterprises. But did they abandon mixed husbandry in the process? This article explores the origins of the modern relationship between scale and diversity using a new sample of Kansas farms. In 25 townships across the state, between 1875 and 1940, the evidence demonstrates that relatively few plains farms were agents of early monoculture. Rather than a process driven by single-crop farming, settlement was shaped by farms that grew more diverse with each generation.

International audience ; The Livradois-Forez (LF) a small region of fairly low mountains in France where herbivores livestock, mainly cattle, is largely based on grass. In this territory, goat farms are a minority but appear as an attractive way to produce on small areas (fragmented and heterogeneous land) and use of ecosystems with limited potential. The objective of this study was to analyse the diversity of goat farming systems (GFS) and assess their ecological intensification position. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 farmers, a sample selected to cover the diversity of livestock forms in this territory. Our approach is constructed on three concepts: the farming system, the framework of the farming activity and agro-ecology for animal production. We identified four types of GFS operation discriminated by the place of goat livestock in the farm and the mobilization of available resources. We present the correspondence between types of operation and ecologically-intensive practices profiles, and expound it. We show the interest of the approach to identify what promotes or limits the development of these systems into more ecologically-intensive forms. Keywords. Agro-ecology-Farmer practice-Livestock farming systems-Sustainability Diversité des fonctionnements d'élevages caprins en Livradois-Forez et formes d'intensification écologique Résumé. Le Livradois-Forez est une région de moyenne montagne où l'élevage d'herbivores, principalement bovin et largement basé sur l'herbe, prédomine. Dans ce territoire, les élevages caprins sont minoritaires mais apparaissent comme une voie intéressante pour produire sur de faibles surfaces (foncier éclaté et hétérogène) et utiliser des écosystèmes aux potentialités limitées. L'objectif de cette étude est d'analyser la diversité des fonctionnements de ces systèmes en cherchant à les positionner par rapport à une direction plus « écologiquement intensive ». Des enquêtes semi-directives ont été réalisées auprès de 18 éleveurs choisis pour couvrir au mieux la ...

International audience ; The Livradois-Forez (LF) a small region of fairly low mountains in France where herbivores livestock, mainly cattle, is largely based on grass. In this territory, goat farms are a minority but appear as an attractive way to produce on small areas (fragmented and heterogeneous land) and use of ecosystems with limited potential. The objective of this study was to analyse the diversity of goat farming systems (GFS) and assess their ecological intensification position. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 farmers, a sample selected to cover the diversity of livestock forms in this territory. Our approach is constructed on three concepts: the farming system, the framework of the farming activity and agro-ecology for animal production. We identified four types of GFS operation discriminated by the place of goat livestock in the farm and the mobilization of available resources. We present the correspondence between types of operation and ecologically-intensive practices profiles, and expound it. We show the interest of the approach to identify what promotes or limits the development of these systems into more ecologically-intensive forms. Keywords. Agro-ecology-Farmer practice-Livestock farming systems-Sustainability Diversité des fonctionnements d'élevages caprins en Livradois-Forez et formes d'intensification écologique Résumé. Le Livradois-Forez est une région de moyenne montagne où l'élevage d'herbivores, principalement bovin et largement basé sur l'herbe, prédomine. Dans ce territoire, les élevages caprins sont minoritaires mais apparaissent comme une voie intéressante pour produire sur de faibles surfaces (foncier éclaté et hétérogène) et utiliser des écosystèmes aux potentialités limitées. L'objectif de cette étude est d'analyser la diversité des fonctionnements de ces systèmes en cherchant à les positionner par rapport à une direction plus « écologiquement intensive ». Des enquêtes semi-directives ont été réalisées auprès de 18 éleveurs choisis pour couvrir au mieux la diversité des formes d'élevage dans ce territoire. notre cadre d'analyse est basé sur trois concepts : le système d'élevage, le cadre d'exercice de l'activité d'élevage et l'agroécologie en élevage. Nous identifions 4 types de fonctionnement discriminés par la place de l'atelier caprin dans l'exploitation et la mobilisation des ressources disponibles. Nous montrons la correspondance entre types de fonctionnement et profils de pratiques « intensives écologiquement » et l'explicitons. Nous discutons de l'intérêt du cadre d'analyse proposé pour comprendre ce qui favorise ou contraint l'évolution des systèmes d'élevage vers des formes écologiquement plus intensives. Mots-clés. Agroécologie-Durabilité-Pratiques de conduite-Système d'élevage

International audience ; The Livradois-Forez (LF) a small region of fairly low mountains in France where herbivores livestock, mainly cattle, is largely based on grass. In this territory, goat farms are a minority but appear as an attractive way to produce on small areas (fragmented and heterogeneous land) and use of ecosystems with limited potential. The objective of this study was to analyse the diversity of goat farming systems (GFS) and assess their ecological intensification position. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 farmers, a sample selected to cover the diversity of livestock forms in this territory. Our approach is constructed on three concepts: the farming system, the framework of the farming activity and agro-ecology for animal production. We identified four types of GFS operation discriminated by the place of goat livestock in the farm and the mobilization of available resources. We present the correspondence between types of operation and ecologically-intensive practices profiles, and expound it. We show the interest of the approach to identify what promotes or limits the development of these systems into more ecologically-intensive forms. Keywords. Agro-ecology-Farmer practice-Livestock farming systems-Sustainability Diversité des fonctionnements d'élevages caprins en Livradois-Forez et formes d'intensification écologique Résumé. Le Livradois-Forez est une région de moyenne montagne où l'élevage d'herbivores, principalement bovin et largement basé sur l'herbe, prédomine. Dans ce territoire, les élevages caprins sont minoritaires mais apparaissent comme une voie intéressante pour produire sur de faibles surfaces (foncier éclaté et hétérogène) et utiliser des écosystèmes aux potentialités limitées. L'objectif de cette étude est d'analyser la diversité des fonctionnements de ces systèmes en cherchant à les positionner par rapport à une direction plus « écologiquement intensive ». Des enquêtes semi-directives ont été réalisées auprès de 18 éleveurs choisis pour couvrir au mieux la diversité des formes d'élevage dans ce territoire. notre cadre d'analyse est basé sur trois concepts : le système d'élevage, le cadre d'exercice de l'activité d'élevage et l'agroécologie en élevage. Nous identifions 4 types de fonctionnement discriminés par la place de l'atelier caprin dans l'exploitation et la mobilisation des ressources disponibles. Nous montrons la correspondance entre types de fonctionnement et profils de pratiques « intensives écologiquement » et l'explicitons. Nous discutons de l'intérêt du cadre d'analyse proposé pour comprendre ce qui favorise ou contraint l'évolution des systèmes d'élevage vers des formes écologiquement plus intensives. Mots-clés. Agroécologie-Durabilité-Pratiques de conduite-Système d'élevage

"Based on the research expertise of leading scientists, Commercial Fishing: The Wider Ecological Impacts provides an account of fishing activities and their impacts on marine habitats, biodiversity and species of conservation concern. It covers fishing methods that range from trawling in the Antarctic to fishing with dynamite in the tropics. The authors show how habitats such as the muddy sea beds of the deep sea, kelp forests and coral reefs are affected by fishing and how birds, mammals, turtles and sea snakes both suffer and benefit from fishing activities. They also look to the future, highlighting ways to make fishing gears 'environmentally friendly' and asking whether marine reserves will improve conservation."--Jacket

This open access book demonstrates the linkages between local languages, traditional knowledge, and biodiversity at the landscape level in Asia, providing a fresh approach to discussions on Asia's biocultural diversity. The book carries forward earlier analyses but importantly focuses on 'traditional ecological calendars,' 'folk medicine,' and 'folk names' in the context of the vital importance of maintaining biological, cultural, and linguistic diversity. It does this by addressing a range of cases and issues in relation to Southeast Asia: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and North-East India. The several chapters demonstrate the ways in which the various forms of knowledge of the environment and its categorizations are important in areas such as landscape and resource management and conservation. They also demonstrate that environmental knowledge and the practical skills which accompany it are not necessarily widely shared. This book sends important messages to those who care about the sustainability of our environment, the maintenance of its biocultural diversity, or at least the maintenance of what remains of it because much has changed. This interdisciplinary collection draws from a wide range of disciplines and is of appeal to students and scholars in anthropology, environmental studies, geography, biodiversity, and linguistics. ; This book demonstrates the linkages between local languages, traditional knowledge, and biodiversity at the landscape level in Asia, providing a fresh approach to discussions on Asia's biocultural diversity. The volume carries forward earlier analyses but importantly focuses on 'traditional ecological calendars', 'folk medicine' and 'folk names' in the context of the vital importance of maintaining biological, cultural and linguistic diversity. It does this by addressing a range of cases and issues in relation to Southeast Asia: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and the culturally connected area of North-East India. The several chapters demonstrate the ways in which the various forms of knowledge of the environment and its categorisations are important in such areas as landscape and resource management and conservation. They also demonstrate that environmental knowledge and the practical skills which accompany it are not necessarily widely shared. This book sends important messages to those who care about the sustainability of our environment, the maintenance of its biocultural diversity, or at least the maintenance of what remains of it because much has changed, and the impacts of culture-carrying human beings on nature. This interdisciplinary collection draws from a wide range of disciplines, and is of appeal to students and scholars in anthropology, geography, biodiversity and linguistics.

Assessing the ecological status, a concept implemented in the European Water Framework Directive [EC, 2000. Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for community action in the field of water policy PE-CONS 3639/1/00, p. 72], requires the application of methods capable of distinguishing different levels of ecological quality. The Average Taxonomic Distinctness has been used as tool in this context, and we tested the robustness of Taxonomic Distinctness measures applying it in different scenarios (estuarine eutrophication, organic pollution, and re-colonisation after physical disturbance), analysing simultaneously its compliance to other types of ecological indicators. Results show that, in most of the case studies, only Total Taxonomic Distinctness was relatively satisfactory in discriminating between disturbed situations. Other Taxonomic Distinctness measures have not proved to be more sensitive than other ecological indicators (Shannon-Wiener, Margalef, and Eco-Exergy indices). Therefore, this approach does not seem to be particularly helpful in assessing systems' ecological status with regard to the WFD implementation. ; http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V6N-4KHK1M9-3/1/e54484859b25163a57c5780ac3bf46c5