Abstract The main threats to the Rhodeus amarus (Bloch, 1782) populations in the Natura 2000 site Oltul Mijlociu - Cibin - Hârtibaciu are the hydro technical modifications of the riverbeds, chemical pollution and poachery. ADONIS:CE is used in general for modeling business processes, but here was used in ecology/biology domain. The authors obtained a Rhodeus amarus model which included all the habitat species requirements, the indicators that provide favourable conservation status and the existing threats and pressures. The maintaining of the minor riverbed morphodynamics is very important - the meanders presence is very important for the local molluscs which are living in the inner U shape parts of the river. The places, where the sediments (sand, mud) are relatively stable, provide suitable habitats for molluscs important for the breeding of Rhodeus amarus. The maintaining of the actual regimes of liquid flows and oxygenation, and the avoidance of increasing of the sediments deposition rate in the water are necessary also for those molluscs species presence conservation. The extraction of sediments in these rivers should be made in correspondence with their natural rate of refilling and at sites at a distance of minimum five kilometres from each other.
The present pilot study tested and validated the use of the 'Invasive Alien Species in Europe' smartphone app (IASapp) in the Lower Danube Region. The study was conducted in three stages: (1) Testing the effectiveness of the app in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia by organizing information and field testing campaigns; (2) Improving and extending the functionality of the app and developing a list of the invasive alien species (IAS) of concern to the Danube River Basin (DRB); and (3) Testing the updated app during the Joint Danube Survey 4 campaign. Overall, 13 campaigns were carried out, during which seven aquatic IAS of EU concern and nine IAS relevant to the DRB were recorded. Currently, the developed new functionality of IASapp allows the recording of 64 IAS of DRB concern. The updated IASapp has an important role in increasing public awareness on IAS issues, as well as in enlarging the participation and output of citizen science in the IAS early detection, monitoring and reporting in the DRB. Therefore, the constant communication with existing stakeholder groups and establishment of new citizen science groups is crucial for increasing the effectiveness of using the IASapp in the Danube Region and tackling the IAS issues.
Freshwater mussels of the Order Unionida provide important ecosystem functions and services, yet many of their populations are in decline. We comprehensively review the status of the 16 currently recognized species in Europe, collating for the first time their life-history traits, distribution, conservation status, habitat preferences, and main threats in order to suggest future management actions. In northern, central, and eastern Europe, a relatively homogeneous species composition is found in most basins. In southern Europe, despite the lower species richness, spatially restricted species make these basins a high conservation priority. Information on freshwater mussels in Europe is unevenly distributed with considerable differences in data quality and quantity among countries and species. To make conservation more effective in the future, we suggest greater international cooperation using standardized protocols and methods to monitor and manage European freshwater mussel diversity. Such an approach will not only help conserve this vulnerable group but also, through the protection of these important organisms, will offer wider benefits to freshwater ecosystems. ; The authors appreciate the extensive work of Wendell Haag and two anonymous reviewers that improved the quality of the manuscript; Arthur Bogan and David Strayer for their assistance and careful thoughts; Marco Paulo Magalhães for help with the GIS maps; Imre Potyó for the photo of Pseudanodonta complanata; the people who took part in the Belarusian data collection especially I. A. Rudakovskiy and V. M. Samoilenko (Belarusian State University), and G. M. Tischikov and I. G. Tischikov (Republican GidroMeteoCenter of Belarus); Marco Bodon and Simone Cianfanelli for valuable information on Italian populations; all the people who provided us with the data included in the French INPN database; Zdravko Hubenov, Dimitar Kozuharov, Lyubomir Kenderov and Ivan Botev for the help with the Bulgarian data collection; and I.N. Bolotov, O.V. Aksenova, I.V. Vikhrev, A. A. Makhrov, P. E. Aspholm for help with the collection and analysis of the Russian data. Financial support was provided by: The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and COMPETE funds, project 'CONBI' (Contract: PTDC/ AAC-AMB/117688/2010) and project 'ECO-IAS' (Contract: PTDC/AAC-AMB/116685/2010); The Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection through the Bavarian Mussel Coordination Office; The Federal Government of Upper Austria (Department of Nature Conservation), by the Environmental Councilor (Manfred Haimbuchner) and by the European Union; Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Republic of Belarus, Belarusian Committee of Ecology grant 288/73 from the Belarussian State University grant 444/50 and from the Ministry of Education and Science Republic of Belarus grant 657/65; The Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia (119-1193080-1231), Hrvatske vode and State Institute for Nature Protection; The Czech Science Foundation (13-05872S) and ESF/MŠMT (CZ.1.07/2.3.00/30.0040); Biotope Consultancy, grants from Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle à Paris, ATM Barcode and Agence Nationale de la Recherche '6eme extinction'; Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education grant NCN No. NN304328836; The Russian Foundation for Basic Research, RFBR (grant no. 15-04-05638, 14-04-98801_a) and The Ural Branch of RAS (no.15-12-5-3), President of the Russian Federation (grant no. MD-6465.2014.5). ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
There is no sign of saturation in accumulation of alien species (AS) introductions worldwide, additionally the rate of spread for some species has also been shown to be increasing. However, the challenges of gathering information on AS are recognized. Recent developments in citizen science (CS) provide an opportunity to improve data flow and knowledge on AS while ensuring effective and high quality societal engagement with the issue of IAS (Invasive Alien Species). Advances in technology, particularly on-line recording and smartphone apps, along with the development of social media, have revolutionized CS and increased connectivity while new and innovative analysis techniques are emerging to ensure appropriate management, visualization, interpretation and use and sharing of the data. In early July 2018 we launched a European CO-operation in Science and Technology (COST) Action to address multidisciplinary research questions in relation to developing and implementing CS, advancing scientific understanding of AS dynamics while informing decision-making specifically implementation of technical requirements of relevant legislation such as the EU Regulation 1143/2014 on IAS. It will also support the EU biodiversity goals and embedding science within society. The Action will explore and document approaches to establishing a European-wide CS AS network. It will embrace relevant innovations for data gathering and reporting to support the implementation of monitoring and surveillance measures, while ensuring benefits for society and citizens, through an AS CS European network. The Action will, therefore, increase levels of participation and quality of engagement with current CS initiatives, ensuring and evaluating educational value, and improve the value outcomes for potential users including citizens, scientists, alien species managers, policy-makers, local authorities, industry and other stakeholders. ; peer-reviewed
