Fortalecimiento del manejo y conservación de corales en Áreas Naturales Protegidas del Pacífico mexicano mediante una red colaborativa

Most of the coral communities of the Mexican Pacific Ocean are located in Natural Protected Areas (NPAs); nevertheless, they are in risk for climatic and anthropogenic threats. In order to promote the conservation of coral reefs in the Mexican Pacific Ocean, one has formed the Coral Conservation Network of the Mexican Pacific. The efforts of collaboration have focused on four principal axes a) strengthening of the management in NPAs, b) training and diffusion of good tourism practices, c) evaluation of the state of conservation of the coral reefs, and d) environmental sensitization. There has been achieved the publication and diffusion of the State of Conservation of the Corals of the Mexican Pacific, in which there are estimated the indicators of coral coverage, abundance and biomass of fish, abundance of invertebrates, and the calculation of the Integrated Index of Reef Health. These indicators reflect the management implemented in the ANPs, participants of these analyses; the utility of standardized protocols that allow comparisons in the time and between NPAs, as well as the need to carry out the monitoring, adapted to the region, and coherent with the capacities of the actors on each ANP. On the other hand, sensitization has been carried out on the importance and the threats towards the corals to persons of different sectors across campaigns of environmental sensitization that reached 5,000 students, as well as the distribution of 12,000 guides of the identification of species and good tourism practices in NPAs. These efforts have been important, nevertheless the creation and permanence of the Coral Conservation Network of the Mexican Pacific Ocean has been perhaps the most impactful achievement on management and conservation in the Region.La mayoría de las comunidades coralinas del Pacífico mexicano están ubicadas en Áreas Naturales Protegidas (ANPs); sin embargo, están en riesgo por amenazas climáticas y antropogénicas. Con el fin de promover la conservación de arrecifes de coral en el Pacífico mexicano, se ha formado la Red de Conservación de los Corales del Pacífico mexicano. Los esfuerzos de colaboración se han enfocado en cuatro ejes principales a) fortalecimiento del manejo de ANPs, b) capacitación y difusión de buenas prácticas turísticas, c) evaluación del estado de conservación de los sistemas arrecifales, y d) sensibilización ambiental. Se ha logrado la publicación y difusión del Estado de Conservación de los Corales del Pacífico mexicano, en el cual se estiman los indicadores de cobertura de coral, abundancia y biomasa de peces, abundancia de invertebrados y el cálculo del Índice Integrado de Salud Arrecifal. Estos indicadores reflejan las medidas de manejo en las ANPs que participaron, la utilidad de protocolos estandarizados que permiten realizar comparaciones en el tiempo y entre ANPs, así como la necesidad de llevar a cabo los monitoreos de forma adaptada a la región y congruente con las capacidades de los actores en cada ANP. Por otro lado, también se ha llevado a cabo la sensibilización sobre la importancia y las amenazas hacia los corales a personas de diferentes sectores, a través de campañas de sensibilización ambiental que han alcanzado 5,000 estudiantes, así como de la distribución de 12,000 guías de identificación de especies y buenas prácticas turísticas en ANPs. Estos esfuerzos han sido importantes, sin embargo la creación y permanencia de la Red de Conservación de los Corales del Pacífico mexicano ha sido quizás el mayor logro de manejo y conservación en la Región

Optimal level of physically effective neutral detergent fibre in corn stover cracked-corn-based finishing diets on the growth performance, dietary energetics, carcase characteristics, and nutrient digestion in fattening lambs

Two trials were conducted to determine the optimal physically effective neutral detergent fibre (peNDF) level in corn stover-cracked-corn-based finishing diets for feedlot lambs. Concentrations of peNDF (10.0, 12.5, 15.0, and 17.5%) were controlled by replacing cracked corn grain with corn stover. In Trial 1, 32 Rambouillet × Katahdin intact male lambs (body weight [BW], 28.47 ± 2.70 kg) were used in a 63-d feeding trial. Dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), and feed efficiency (GF) were greater at the 12.5% peNDF level (quadratic component, P <.05). The dressing percentage increased linearly (p <.01) as peNDF decreased, but hot carcase weight (HCW) was greater for lambs fed 12.5% peNDF (quadratic effect, p <.01) than those fed different concentrations. In Trial 2, eight ruminally cannulated Pelibuey lambs (29.3 ± 4.2 kg BW) were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design to evaluate the effects of the treatment on total tract digestion. Ruminal pH, registered at 4-h post-feeding, linearly decreased (p <.01) from 6.70 to 5.77 as the level of peNDF decreased. The digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), and NDF increased linearly (p <.01) as the peNDF level decreased, but the apparent digestible energy (Mcal/kg) showed a quadratic effect (p <.01) with a peNDF of 12.5%. The findings show that the estimated optimal peNDF level in cracked-corn-based finishing diets for lambs in the finishing phase of fattening is approximately 11.5%.HIGHLIGHTS Physically effective NDF levels in finishing rations for lambs were tested; the study provides better understanding of peNDF level on finishing lambs Levels lower than 12.5% and greater than 15.0% peNDF decrease performance and carcase yield Total tract digestion and energy efficiency were maximal at 11.5% peND