Governance of interdependent ecosystem services and common-pool resources

Environmental governance is recognized as a key issue in many natural and social sciences. It is highly relevant for ecosystem services and common-pool resources as well. Both fields overlap yet have typically been studied separately. Therefore, this study aimed a) to examine the emerging body of literature that incorporates concepts from both fields of research and considers governance challenges, and b) to identify policy tools and recommendations presented for addressing those challenges. The analysis of thirty-nine selected peer-review papers revealed the multiplicity of interacting governance challenges with three major categories: environmental, socioeconomic, and problems of governance itself. Governance is impeded by institutional mismatches, exclusion of local actors, corruption, and perverse policies. The proposed policy recommendations most often suggest changes in institutional arrangements and increasing scientific understanding. Meeting human needs, and increasing social equity and justice were recognized broadly as integral for improving governance, yet correlations among governance problems and solutions appear elusive. These findings extend theoretical reasoning, while carrying practical implications for policy, governance and environmental stewardship. The analysis implies that policies to improve human conditions will be key for improved environmental governance, but more research is needed to learn which types of policy recommendations prove successful given diverse local contexts

Cross-taxon congruence between predatory arthropods and plants across Mediterranean agricultural landscapes

Although arthropods are among the most diverse, abundant and ecologically important animals in terrestrial ecosystems, they are generally neglected in most biodiversity inventories due to their complex systematics and overwhelming diversity, coupled with the current decline in the number of taxonomists. For this reason, several surrogate groups for arthropod diversity have been proposed, with plants being identified as a good putative cross-taxon indicator. By sampling plants and three groups of ground-dwelling arthropods (rove beetles, ground beetles and spiders) in 300 sites across 15 landscapes including multiple semi-natural and agricultural habitats, we tested for habitat-dependence and scale-dependence in the cross-taxon congruence. Plant species richness was a poor predictor of the species richness of predatory arthropods. Among the predator groups, ground beetles appeared as the best potential surrogate for the other ground-dwelling predators. This is backed by the fact that ground beetles were extremely diverse and abundant in all habitats and are usually easier to identify than both rove beetles and spiders. Decreasing the scale at which the cross-taxon congruence was tested improved the strength of the cross-taxon congruence. Although plant species richness was not a suitable indicator for the diversity of predatory arthropods, vegetation structure played a significant role in influencing cross-taxon congruence in both natural and agricultural habitats. Our results highlight the need to explore the cross-taxon relationships at a fine habitat resolution scale, as strong correlations were obtained only by taking into account habitat identity

Country Perspectives on Hay-Making Landscapes as Part of the European Agricultural Heritage

This paper provides an overview of traditional hay-making structures and the related agricultural landscapes in Europe. The information was collected using a standardised questionnaire that was completed by experts from different countries. What all countries had in common was that hay production with its corresponding structures was widespread. However, the scope and importance differed among the countries today. We found differences in type and extent, in degree of awareness, and in the cultural meaning of hay-making structures. The differences were connected with built structures, as well as with other tangible and intangible aspects of cultural heritage. The distribution of the broad variety of hay-making-related structures, especially semipermanent ones, has changed throughout history, as well as the hay-making techniques, as a result of agrarian specialisation, land reclamation, and consolidation. Today, in some countries, the relevance of hay-making was mainly connected to horse keeping and landscape management (like in Germany and Hungary), while in others (like Slovakia and Slovenia), it was still predominantly used for cattle and sheep

Il paesaggio: un pluriverso

This paper is the result of a multidisciplinary research focused on the analysis of different interpretation of landscape and on the social and drivers of lendscape dynamics. Starting from the most relevant approaches of landscape analysis a general pattern for the improvement of the rura landscape was outline. The role of cultural and historic heritage in landscape analysis and the potential offered by Geographic Information System to manage related databases have been explored

Evaluation of farm woodlands as agri-environmental schemes in rural landscapes

The study was carried out in lowlands of Friuli Venezia Giulia, North-eastern Italy. Bird species richness in 28 farm woodland was compared with the one in 26 control habitats, the latter being patches of semi-natural woods and shrubs within 1 kilometre. The analysis of landscape pattern was based on the land use of a 2 km buffer around the habitats, as landscape metrics we consider: at the patch level (farm woodland and control habitats) the patch area, patch perimeters, shape factor , at different spatial scales (500 m, 1000 m, 2000 m) the relative presence of land use classes. About landscape metrics the most important contributions to regression model are by vegetation complexity index, perimeter and presence of farm woodland in surrounding landscape. Important are also the presence of edges, woodland and arboreal cultivation but with a different weight at the different spatial scales

Monogeneans of the speckled blue grouper, Epinephelus cyanopodus (Perciformes, Serranidae), from off New Caledonia, with a description of four new species of Pseudorhabdosynochus and one new species of Laticola (Monogenea : Diplectanidae), and evidence of monogenean faunal changes according to the size of fish

Nine species were identified among 1500 monogeneans collected on the gills of 17 speckled blue groupers, Epinephelus cyanopodus, caught off New Caledonia, South Pacific. A new method for describing squamodiscs in tables is proposed. Diplectanids included one new species of Laticola, which was the most abundant species, and six species of Pseudorhabdosynochus, including four new species, which were differentiated mainly on the basis of morphology of the sclerotised vagina. Laticola cyanus n. sp. is characterised by its genital organs. Pseudorhabdosynochus cyanopodus n. sp. and P. podocyanus n. sp. both have a vagina with a large primary chamber. Pseudorhabdosynochus chauveti n. sp. has a vagina with a long, coiled primary canal. Pseudorhabdosynochus exoticus n. sp. has an aberrant discoid vagina and characters (tip of quadriloculate organ, lateral bar with hook), which differentiate it from all other species. The five previously cited species are strictly specific to E. cyanopodus and were abundant in large (> 585 mm) fish. In addition, Haliotrema sp. (Ancyrocephalidae) and Allobenedenia sp. (Capsalidae), both undescribed, were also found on large fish. Pseudorhabdosynochus duitoe Justine, 2007 and P. huitoe Justine, 2007, were collected in very small numbers, mainly in young (345-500 mm) fish; the type-host of these two species is the highfin grouper, E. maculatus, and their occurrence on E. cyanopodus was considered accidental and due to habitat overlap between the young speckled blue groupers and adult highfin groupers. It is hypothesized that the speckled blue groupers are infested by their own, strictly specific monogeneans, only when they encounter older members of their species during spawning aggregations. Spawning aggregations thus play a key role in infestation of coral reef fish by their monoxenic parasites such as monogeneans. Lists are given for other parasites of the speckled blue grouper, including digeneans, cestodes, nematodes, isopods and copepods, with new records from New Caledonia: 41 species of parasites are recorded

Landscape analysis in areas affected by land consolidation

Landscape and Urban Plannin

PROSPETTIVE DI SVILUPPO PER UNO STRUMENTO DI LETTURA INTEGRATA DEL MOSAICO PAESISTICO AMBIENTALE

The theme of landscape classification by homogeneous units was explored. The used approach considered what the different disciplines related to land management and planning process need and what indicators are most commonly used. A review of landscape classification methods adopted in several European countries and in Italy was done. Results showed high diversity for the used indicators, but also a general trend towards standardization of methodologies in order to link different scales of analysis. Experiences done at the national level has shown both a general lack for aspects relating to environmental quality, social and economic implications and the dominance of interest for the structural landscape components. In fact, morphological structure, spatial analysis based on land use, land use change, shape and size are the main parameters detected. The proposal of a new approach, based on the examination of the links between different disciplines subjects with the needs of knowledge the landscape complexity and the role of the possible conflicts and sinergies between them was formulate

Foraminifera in the diet of coral reef fish from the lagoon of New Caledonia : predation, digestion, dispersion

Les foraminifères benthiques marins sont abondants et représentent une source de nourriture potentielle pour les poissons. Les études précédentes des foraminifères dans le régime alimentaire des poissons se sont appuyées sur de petits nombres d'individus, avec une consommation significative rapportée pour un seul poisson se nourrissant en surface. La présente étude est la première qui se base sur un nombre important d'individus (247 poissons appartenant à 83 espèces, 291 espèces de foraminifères identifiées sur plus de 20 000 individus observés). Elle fournit des informations nouvelles sur la contribution des foraminifères à l'alimentation des poissons et sur l'impact de la prédation par les poissons sur les peuplements de foraminifères. Les phases planctoniques Tretomphalus, ingérées sélectivement par Pomacentrus amboinensis, constituent le seul apport nutritionnel significatif à partir des foraminifères. Les poissons herbivores ingèrent accidentellement des foraminifères épiphytes vivants, qui restent vivants pendant la digestion, et sont déféqués avec un effet significatif sur leur dispersion. Les poissons carnivores ingèrent un petit nombre de tests qui sont généralement altérés au cours de la phase acide de la digestion et n'ont pas d'impact sur les peuplements de foraminifères. Les poissons sédimentivores ingèrent de grandes quantités de tests vides qui sont rejetés ailleurs, suggérant un biais possible dans les interprétations paléoécologiques en raison du mélange des thanatocénoses. L'observation des contenus stomacaux a montré que les poissons consomment parfois une nourriture très variée, qui peut changer en fonction des disponibilités et des préférences individuelles