Key ecological sites of Hamilton City: Volume 1

Ecological sites of significance previously identified in 2000 were reviewed in 2011. Natural vegetation in areas acquired by the city since 2000 was also surveyed to identify any new key sites. In total seventy key sites that met the Waikato Regional Council Regional Policy Statement criteria for ecological significance were identified across Hamilton City. Of the original key sites, the total area covered by sites, average site size and overall quality of sites had increased between the 2000 and 2011 surveys. This was due to restoration efforts across the city by Hamilton City Council and the community. Vegetation restoration efforts have had other biodiversity and ecological benefits such as providing additional habitat for the city’s increasing tui population. Key sites are not spread evenly across the city or across landform types. Most key sites are either in gullies or adjoining the Waikato River. Less than 1% of urban alluvial plains and peat bogs are key sites. Two sites on private land have degraded and no longer meet the ecological significance criteria in 2011. The current survey utilised a standard methodology focused on vegetation types. There will be other significant sites not identified including sites with significant fauna values but a detailed and costly survey would be required to identify all such sites. The 1.5% of the city area covered by key sites is well below the 10% minimum recommended to prevent biodiversity decline in urban areas. Areas where vegetation restoration has begun in the city have the potential to expand existing key sites or develop new sites if council and community efforts continue in the future. The Council and its restoration partners should continue to seek ways of increasing native vegetation cover in Hamilton City and restoration of the distinctive gully landform remains the best option

Floods and fish : recruitment and distribution of fish in the Volga River floodplain

Natural river floodplains are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth and provide key habitats for foraging, spawning and as a nursery for many riverine fish species. Periodic flooding plays a principal role in the ecological processes in floodplain systems resulting in high productivity and diversity, as formulated in the Flood Pulse concept (FPC, a major conceptual framework for understanding the hydro–ecological processes operating in river-floodplain systems). However, little progress has been made in exploring the FPC over larger spatial scales due to lack of empirical data. The Volga-Akhtuba floodplain (Russian Federation) is still relatively undisturbed, while in Europe and North-America about 90% of floodplains have effectively been lost. This thesis provides a quantitative assessment of the FPC by (1) analyzing flood pulse dynamics in response to changes in river flow regime on various spatial and temporal scales and (2) relating these to recruitment success of riverine fish species that use the floodplain; and (3) identifying the hydro-geomorphic variables that are most involved shaping fish abundance and distribution in the floodplain. The results obtained demonstrate that the flood pulse magnitude in the lower Volga has noticeably decreased due to damming of the Volga upstream from the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain. Still, in spite of this hydrological control, considerable year-to-year variation in flood magnitude and timing has remained. Therefore fish populations in the floodplain still depend on variations in the year-to-year flow regime. Moreover, spring temperature and its match with flooding control the recruitment of young fish at the end of the growing season. However, the main sources of spawning stocks in the large-scale Volga-Akhtuba floodplain originate from local floodplain populations and not from the main river channels. Spatial heterogeneity of hydro-geomorphic attributes of the floodplain water bodies is highly significant for structuring fish abundance and distribution in the floodplain. Therefore, even under changing environmental and social circumstances, it is essential to preserve flood dynamics, which is fundamental not only for fish recruitment success but also governs fish distribution and diversity in the floodplain. <br/

Europe's ecological backbone: recognising the true value of our mountains

Europe's mountain areas have social, economic and environmental capital of significance for the entire continent. This importance has been recognised since the late 19th century through national legislation; since the 1970s through regional structures for cooperation; and since the 1990s through regional legal instruments for the Alps and Carpathians. The European Union (EU) first recognised the specific characteristics of mountain areas in 1975 through the designation of Less Favoured Areas (LFAs). During the last decade, EU cohesion policy and the Treaty of Lisbon have both focused specifically on mountain