Analysis of land cover dynamics in Mozambique (2001–2016)

Land cover change (LCC) is a complex and dynamic process influenced by social, economic, and biophysical factors that can cause significant impacts on ecological processes and biodiversity conservation. The assessment of LCC is particularly relevant in a country like Mozambique where livelihood strongly depends on natural resources. In this study, LCC was assessed using a point-based sampling approach through Open Foris Collect Earth (CE), a free and open-source software for land assessment developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This study aimed to conduct an LCC assessment using CE for the entire Mozambique, and according to three different land classifications: administrative boundaries (provinces), ecoregions, and protected vs unprotected areas. A set of 23,938 randomly selected plots, with an area of 0.5 hectares, placed on a 4 × 4 km regular grid over the entire country, was assessed using CE. The analysis showed that Mozambique has gone through significant loss of forest (− 1.3 Mha) mainly to the conversion to cropland. Deforestation is not occurring evenly throughout the country with some provinces, such as Nampula and Zambezia, characterized by higher rates than others, such as Gaza and Niassa. This result can be explained considering a combination of ecological and socio-economic factors, as well as the conservative role played by the protected areas. Our study confirmed that LCC is a complex phenomenon, and the augmented visual interpretation methodology can effectively complement and integrate the LCC analyses conducted using the traditional wall-to-wall mapping to support national land assessment and forest inventories and provide training data for environmental modeling

Clinical Features, Cardiovascular Risk Profile, and Therapeutic Trajectories of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Candidate for Oral Semaglutide Therapy in the Italian Specialist Care

Introduction: This study aimed to address therapeutic inertia in the management of type 2 diabetes (T2D) by investigating the potential of early treatment with oral semaglutide. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between October 2021 and April 2022 among specialists treating individuals with T2D. A scientific committee designed a data collection form covering demographics, cardiovascular risk, glucose control metrics, ongoing therapies, and physician judgments on treatment appropriateness. Participants completed anonymous patient questionnaires reflecting routine clinical encounters. The preferred therapeutic regimen for each patient was also identified. Results: The analysis was conducted on 4449 patients initiating oral semaglutide. The population had a relatively short disease duration (42%  60% of patients, and more often than sitagliptin or empagliflozin. Conclusion: The study supports the potential of early implementation of oral semaglutide as a strategy to overcome therapeutic inertia and enhance T2D management

Unlocking the Entomological Collection of the Natural History Museum of Maputo, Mozambique

The collections of the Natural History Museum of Maputo have a crucial role in the safeguard of Mozambique's biodiversity, representing an important repository of data and materials about the natural heritage of the Country. In this paper is described a dataset based on the Museum’s Entomological Collection recording 409 species belonging to 7 orders and 48 families. Each specimen’s available data, such as geographical coordinates and taxonomic information, have been digitized to build the dataset. The specimens included in the dataset were acquired between 1914–2018 by collectors and researchers from the Natural History Museum of Maputo (once known as “Museu Alváro de Castro”) in all the Country’s Provinces, with the exception of Cabo Delgado Province.It adds data to the Biodiversity Network of Mozambique and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, within the objectives of the SECOSUD II Project and the Biodiversity Information for Development Programme. This insect dataset is available on the GBIF Engine data portal (https://doi.org/10.15468/j8ikhb). Data were also shared on the Mozambican national portal of biodiversity data BioNoMo (https://bionomo.openscidata.org/), developed by SECOSUD II Project

Unlocking the Entomological Collection of the Natural History Museum of Maputo, Mozambique

The collections of the Natural History Museum of Maputo have a crucial role in the safeguard of Mozambique's biodiversity, representing an important repository of data and materials about the natural heritage of the Country. In this paper is described a dataset based on the Museum’s Entomological Collection recording 409 species belonging to 7 orders and 48 families. Each specimen’s available data, such as geographical coordinates and taxonomic information, have been digitized to build the dataset. The specimens included in the dataset were acquired between 1914–2018 by collectors and researchers from the Natural History Museum of Maputo (once known as “Museu Alváro de Castro”) in all the Country’s Provinces, with the exception of Cabo Delgado Province.It adds data to the Biodiversity Network of Mozambique and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, within the objectives of the SECOSUD II Project and the Biodiversity Information for Development Programme. This insect dataset is available on the GBIF Engine data portal (https://doi.org/10.15468/j8ikhb). Data were also shared on the Mozambican national portal of biodiversity data BioNoMo (https://bionomo.openscidata.org/), developed by SECOSUD II Project

Environmental and anthropogenic determinants of the spread of alien plant species. Insights from South Africa's quaternary catchments

Alien plants invasion has negative impacts on the structure and functionality of ecosystems. Understanding the determinants of this process is fundamental for addressing environmental issues, such as the water availability in South Africa’s catchments. Both environmental and anthropogenic factors determine the invasion of alien species; however, their relative importance has to be quantified. The aim of this paper was to estimate the importance of 32 explanatory variables in predicting the distribution of the major invasive alien plant species (IAPS) of South Africa, through the use of Species Distribution Models. We used data from the National Invasive Alien Plants Survey, delineated at a quaternary catchment level, coupled with climatic, land cover, edaphic, and anthropogenic variables. Using two-part generalized linear models, we compared the accuracy of two different sets of variables in predicting the spatial distribution of IAPS; the first included environmental correlates alone, and the second included both environmental and anthropogenic variables. Using Random Forest, we explored the relative importance of the variables in producing a map of potential distribution of IAPS. Results showed that the inclusion of anthropogenic variables did not significantly improve model predictions. The most important variables influencing the distribution of IAPS appeared to be the climatic ones. The modeled potential distribution was analyzed in relation to provinces, biomes, and species’ minimum residence time

Environmental and anthropogenic determinants of the spread of alien plant species. Insights from South Africa's quaternary catchments

Alien plants invasion has negative impacts on the structure and functionality of ecosystems. Understanding the determinants of this process is fundamental for addressing environmental issues, such as the water availability in South Africa’s catchments. Both environmental and anthropogenic factors determine the invasion of alien species; however, their relative importance has to be quantified. The aim of this paper was to estimate the importance of 32 explanatory variables in predicting the distribution of the major invasive alien plant species (IAPS) of South Africa, through the use of Species Distribution Models. We used data from the National Invasive Alien Plants Survey, delineated at a quaternary catchment level, coupled with climatic, land cover, edaphic, and anthropogenic variables. Using two-part generalized linear models, we compared the accuracy of two different sets of variables in predicting the spatial distribution of IAPS; the first included environmental correlates alone, and the second included both environmental and anthropogenic variables. Using Random Forest, we explored the relative importance of the variables in producing a map of potential distribution of IAPS. Results showed that the inclusion of anthropogenic variables did not significantly improve model predictions. The most important variables influencing the distribution of IAPS appeared to be the climatic ones. The modeled potential distribution was analyzed in relation to provinces, biomes, and species’ minimum residence time

An updated checklist of Mozambique’s vascular plants

An updated checklist of Mozambique’s vascular plants is presented. It was compiled referring to several information sources such as existing literature, relevant online databases and herbaria collections. The checklist includes 7,099 taxa (5,957 species, 605 subspecies, 537 varieties), belonging to 226 families and 1,746 genera. There are 6,804 angiosperms, 257 pteridophytes, and 38 gymnosperms. A total of 6,171 taxa are native to Mozambique, while 602 are introduced and the remaining 326 taxa were considered as uncertain status. The endemism level for Mozambique’s flora was assessed at 9.59%, including 278 strict-endemic taxa and 403 near-endemic. 58.2% of taxa are herbaceous, while shrubs and trees account respectively for 26.5% and 9.2% of the taxa. The checklist also includes ferns (3.6%), lianas (1.7%), subshrubs (0.5%) and cycads (0.3%). Fabaceae, Poaceae and Asteraceae are the three most represented families, with 891, 543 and 428 taxa, respectively. The extinction risk of 1,667 taxa is included, with 158 taxa listed as Vulnerable, 119 as Endangered and as 24 Critically Endangered. The geographical distribution, known vernacular names and plants traditional uses are also recorded

An updated checklist of Mozambique’s vascular plants.

An updated checklist of Mozambique’s vascular plants is presented. It was compiled referring to several information sources such as existing literature, relevant online databases and herbaria collections. The checklist includes 7,099 taxa (5,957 species, 605 subspecies, 537 varieties), belonging to 226 families and 1,746 genera. There are 6,804 angiosperms, 257 pteridophytes, and 38 gymnosperms. A total of 6,171 taxa are native to Mozambique, while 602 are introduced and the remaining 326 taxa were considered as uncertain status. The endemism level for Mozambique’s flora was assessed at 9.59%, including 278 strict-endemic taxa and 403 near-endemic. 58.2% of taxa are herbaceous, while shrubs and trees account respectively for 26.5% and 9.2% of the taxa. The checklist also includes ferns (3.6%), lianas (1.7%), subshrubs (0.5%) and cycads (0.3%). Fabaceae, Poaceae and Asteraceae are the three most represented families, with 891, 543 and 428 taxa, respectively. The extinction risk of 1,667 taxa is included, with 158 taxa listed as Vulnerable, 119 as Endangered and as 24 Critically Endangered. The geographical distribution, known vernacular names and plants traditional uses are also recorded