How Much Is Too Much to Pay for Internet Access? A Behavioral Economic Analysis of Internet Use

The popularity of online recreational activities, such as social networking, has dramatically increased the amount of time spent on the Internet. Excessive or inappropriate use of the Internet can result in serious adverse consequences. The current study used a behavioral economic task to determine if the amount of time spent online by problematic and nonproblematic users can be modified by price. The Internet Purchase Task was used to determine how much time undergraduate students (N=233) would spend online at 13 different prices. Despite high demand for Internet access when access was free, time spent online by both problematic and nonproblematic users decreased dramatically, even at low prices. These results suggest that the amount of time spent online may be modified by having a tangible cost associated with use, whereas having free access to the Internet may encourage excessive, problematic use.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140348/1/cyber.2014.0367.pd

Le marécage de Fouwarate (Kenitra, Maroc) : site de conservation d'oiseaux menacés par l'urbanisation

La Merja de Fouwarate se situe dans le Nord-Ouest du Maroc, à l'extrémité sud-ouest de la plaine littorale du Gharb, sur le cours de l'oued Fouwarate, petit affluent du cours terminal de l'oued Sebou. Cette zone humide est l'un des derniers représentant d'un complexe de marécages qui occupait ladite plaine et qui offrait de larges habitats d'escale et d'hivernage d'oiseaux d’eau paléarctiques; outre ce rôle que joue encore ce marais, celui-ci abrite une avifaune nicheuse variée, parmi laquelle se trouvent plusieurs espèces rares ou menacées. Un programme de recensement hebdomadaire de l'avifaune de ce marécage, réalisé durant un cycle annuel complet (août 2009 à août 2010), y a révélé la présence de 57 espèces, réparties dans leur grande majorité (40 espèces) entre quatre groupes : Limicoles (17 espèces), Anatidés (11 espèces), Ardéidés (7 espèces) et Rallidés (5 espèces), mais les plus fortes abondances sont enregistrées par les deux derniers groupes et les plus faibles chez les Limicoles. Ce peuplement est composé à la fois de migrateurs (16 hivernants strictes et six migrateurs de passage, avec huit espèces occasionnelles) et de reproducteurs. Représentant 32 % du peuplement (21 espèces), ces derniers donnent à la Merja de Fouwarate une valeur écologique que peu de zones humides marocaines possèdent.La valeur patrimoniale du site est surtout accrue par le statut de conservation mondial et régional des espèces, sachant que quatre oiseaux d'eau sont inscrits sur la liste rouge mondiale des oiseaux menacés(Aythya nyroca, Numenius arquata et Limosa limosa, appartenant à des populations quasi-menacées, et Marmaronetta angustirostris, considérée comme vulnérable) et que 31 espèces (plus de 50 % du peuplement) ont un statut de conservation défavorable en Europe. Malgré que la Merja de Fouwarate vérifie au moins quatre critères de la Convention de Ramsar (critères 1, 2, 4 et 6), elle ne bénéficie actuellement d’aucun statut de protection en dehors de son identification comme Site d'Intérêt Biologique et Écologique. Au contraire, elle subit depuis longtemps des pollutions urbaines et fait l'objet de drainage et des remblaiements qui menacent sérieusement sa présence à moyen terme.Mots-clés : marécage de Fouwarate, oiseaux d'eau menacés, critères Ramsar, Gharb, Maroc

Analyse de la Biodiversité floristique des zones humides du maroc. Flore rare menacée et halophile

Analysis of the moroccan wetlands floristical diversity: rare, threatened and halophilous flora. The moroccan wetlands flora shows a great floristical richness of these ecosystems, estimated at more than 670 species and subspecies (83 families) which can be supplemented by at least 272 others taxa considered rather as terrestrials but can colonize periodically these biotopes. This flora shows a rate of endemism close to 6,5 %, but the most fact is the great proportion of rare or threatened taxa (estimated at 34%). The halophilous flora was a subjet of particular comment considering the prevalence of the salt biotopes in Morocco, either by the number or the extent of the sites. It counts 115 species and subspecies distributed among 20 families

Ten-year survey of breeding Anatidae of Lake Sidi Boughaba (North-western Marocco): status, tendencies of change and avenues for future research

A ten years survey of duck species was carried out in the Ramsar site and Important Bird Area (IBA) of Sidi Boughaba. No such survey has ever been conducted before in Morocco to study the change in number of breeding duck species in the country. Overall results have shown the appearance of new breeding species in the site : Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina), Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) and White-Headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala). Other species have become more regular like Gadwall (Anas strepera) and Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) while the vulnerable Marbled Teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) and the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) continue to breed in this wetland with numbers that remain stable though the numbers of females with ducklings are decreasing in these two species. The number of breeding ducks species in this wetland is the highest in Morocco and in the Maghreb. The overall results showed that the numbers of Gadwall, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard and Ferruginous Duck are markedly increasing following the same expansion patterns at both regional and Mediterranean levels. The initiation of similar researches on other wetlands is essential to assess the abundance of duck populations and indicate trends of this breeding waterfowl group at larger scalesUn suivi sur dix ans des anatidés nicheurs a été effectué sur le site Ramsar et la Zone d'Importance pour la conservation des Oiseaux (ZICO) de Sidi Boughaba. Sur ce site, trois espèces ont récemment niché il s'agit de la Nette rousse (Netta rufina), du Fuligule milouin (Aythya ferina) et de l'Érismature à tête blanche (Oxyura leucocephala). D'autres espèces sont devenues plus régulières comme le Chipeau (Anas strepera) et le Fuligule nyroca (Aythya nyroca) alors que la Sarcelle marbrée (Marmaronetta angustirostris) et le Colvert (Anas platyrhynchos) continuent de s'y reproduire avec des effectifs qui demeurent stables malgré un nombre de femelles avec canetons qui ne cesse de chuter. Le nombre d'espèces d'anatidés nicheurs recensé sur ce plan d'eau reste des plus élevés au Maroc et au Maghreb. Les résultats ont montré que les effectifs des Chipeaux, Nettes rousses, Fuligules milouins et Fuligules nyrocas sont en net accroissement, suivant généralement la même dynamique d'expansion que celle enregistrée aux niveaux régional et méditerranéen. L'initiation de recherches similaires sur d'autres sites humides est primordiale pour évaluer l'abondance et préciser les tendances démographiques de ce groupe d'oiseaux d'eau nicheurs à une échelle spatiale beaucoup plus grande

Assessing the effectiveness of the Ramsar Convention in preserving wintering waterbirds in the Mediterranean

lthough biological conservation is based on international agreements, its effectiveness depends on how countries implement such recommendations as effective conservation tools. The Ramsar Convention is the oldest international treaty for wetland and waterbird conservation, establishing the world's largest network of protected areas. However, since it does not constitute any binding measure, its effectiveness in protecting wintering waterbird populations at an international scale has been questioned. Here, we use long-term (1991–2012) count data to assess the effectiveness of the Ramsar Convention in the Mediterranean Basin. We compared abundance and temporal trends of 114 waterbird species between 251 Ramsar wetlands and 3486 non-Ramsar wetlands. We found that the Ramsar network is critical for wintering waterbirds, concentrating nearly half of all waterbirds counted in the Mediterranean Basin in only 7% of monitored wetlands. Waterbird trends followed a northwestsoutheast gradient, with a population decrease in the East. A significant and positive Ramsar effect on population trends was only found for the species of higher conservation concern in the Maghreb, particularly when a management plan was implemented. The Ramsar Convention was previously used on very important wetlands for waterbirds in Southern Europe, but is now an underused conservation tool. Our study suggests weaknesses in the use of Ramsar as an effective conservation tool in most of the Mediterranean Basin. However, the Ramsar Convention effectiveness to enhance waterbird populations in the Maghreb should encourage strengthening the Ramsar Convention. It should be done particularly in countries with limited environmental agreements and by systematic implementation of management plans. Conservation measures International conventions Protected areas Protection status Monitoring WetlandsacceptedVersio

The future for Mediterranean wetlands: 50 key issues and 50 important conservation research questions

Wetlands are critically important for biodiversity and human wellbeing, but face a range of challenges. This is especially true in the Mediterranean region, where wetlands support endemic and threatened species and remain integral to human societies, but have been severely degraded in recent decades. Here, in order to raise awareness of future challenges and opportunities for Mediterranean wetlands, and to inform proactive research and management, we identified (a) 50 key issues that might affect Mediterranean wetlands between 2020 and 2050, and (b) 50 important research questions that, if answered, would have the greatest impact on the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands between 2020 and 2050. We gathered ideas through an online survey and review of recent literature. A diverse assessment panel prioritised ideas through an iterative, anonymised, Delphi-like process of scoring, voting and discussion. The prioritised issues included some that are already well known but likely to have a large impact on Mediterranean wetlands in the next 30 years (e.g. the accumulation of dams and reservoirs, plastic pollution and weak governance), and some that are currently overlooked in the context of Mediterranean wetlands (e.g. increasing desalination capacity and development of antimicrobial resistance). Questions largely focused on how best to carry out conservation interventions, or understanding the impacts of threats to inform conservation decision-making. This analysis will support research, policy and practice related to environmental conservation and sustainable development in the Mediterranean, and provides a model for similar analyses elsewhere in the world

Benefits of protected areas for nonbreeding waterbirds adjusting their distributions under climate warming

Climate warming is driving changes in species distributions and community composition. Many species have a so-called climatic debt, that is, shifts in range lag behind shifts in temperature isoclines. Inside protected areas (PAs), community changes in response to climate warming can be facilitated by greater colonization rates by warm-dwelling species, but also mitigated by lowering extirpation rates of cold-dwelling species. An evaluation of the relative importance of colonization-extirpation processes is important to inform conservation strategies that aim for both climate debt reduction and species conservation. We assessed the colonization-extirpation dynamics involved in community changes in response to climate inside and outside PAs. To do so, we used 25 years of occurrence data of nonbreeding waterbirds in the western Palearctic (97 species, 7071 sites, 39 countries, 1993-2017). We used a community temperature index (CTI) framework based on species thermal affinities to investigate species turnover induced by temperature increase. We determined whether thermal community adjustment was associated with colonization by warm-dwelling species or extirpation of cold-dwelling species by modeling change in standard deviation of the CTI (CTISD). Using linear mixed-effects models, we investigated whether communities in PAs had lower climatic debt and different patterns of community change than communities outside PAs. For CTI and CTISD combined, communities inside PAs had more species, higher colonization, lower extirpation, and lower climatic debt (16%) than communities outside PAs. Thus, our results suggest that PAs facilitate 2 independent processes that shape community dynamics and maintain biodiversity. The community adjustment was, however, not sufficiently fast to keep pace with the large temperature increases in the central and northeastern western Palearctic. Our results underline the potential of combining CTI and CTISD metrics to improve understanding of the colonization-extirpation patterns driven by climate warming.Peer reviewe

Positive impacts of important bird and biodiversity areas on wintering waterbirds under changing temperatures throughout Europe and North Africa

Migratory waterbirds require an effectively conserved cohesive network of wetland areas throughout their range and life-cycle. Under rapid climate change, protected area (PA) networks need to be able to accommodate climate-driven range shifts in wildlife if they are to continue to be effective in the future. Thus, we investigated geographical variation in the relationship between local temperature anomaly and the abundance of 61 waterbird species during the wintering season across Europe and North Africa during 1990-2015. We also compared the spatio-temporal effects on abundance of sites designated as PAs, Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), both, or neither designation (Unlisted). Waterbird abundance was positively correlated with temperature anomaly, with this pattern being strongest towards north and east Europe. Waterbird abundance was higher inside IBAs, whether they were legally protected or not. Trends in waterbird abundance were also consistently more positive inside both protected and unprotected IBAs across the whole study region, and were positive in Unlisted wetlands in southwestern Europe and North Africa. These results suggest that IBAs are important sites for wintering waterbirds, but also that populations are shifting to unprotected wetlands (some of which are IBAs). Such IBAs may therefore represent robust candidate sites to expand the network of legally protected wetlands under climate change in north-eastern Europe. These results underscore the need for monitoring to understand how the effectiveness of site networks is changing under climate change.Peer reviewe

Benefits of protected areas for nonbreeding waterbirds adjusting their distributions under climate warming

Climate warming is driving changes in species distributions and community composition. Many species have a so-called climatic debt, that is, shifts in range lag behind shifts in temperature isoclines. Inside protected areas (PAs), community changes in response to climate warming can be facilitated by greater colonization rates by warm-dwelling species, but also mitigated by lowering extirpation rates of cold-dwelling species. An evaluation of the relative importance of colonization-extirpation processes is important to inform conservation strategies that aim for both climate debt reduction and species conservation. We assessed the colonization-extirpation dynamics involved in community changes in response to climate inside and outside PAs. To do so, we used 25 years of occurrence data of nonbreeding waterbirds in the western Palearctic (97 species, 7071 sites, 39 countries, 1993-2017). We used a community temperature index (CTI) framework based on species thermal affinities to investigate species turnover induced by temperature increase. We determined whether thermal community adjustment was associated with colonization by warm-dwelling species or extirpation of cold-dwelling species by modeling change in standard deviation of the CTI (CTISD). Using linear mixed-effects models, we investigated whether communities in PAs had lower climatic debt and different patterns of community change than communities outside PAs. For CTI and CTISD combined, communities inside PAs had more species, higher colonization, lower extirpation, and lower climatic debt (16%) than communities outside PAs. Thus, our results suggest that PAs facilitate 2 independent processes that shape community dynamics and maintain biodiversity. The community adjustment was, however, not sufficiently fast to keep pace with the large temperature increases in the central and northeastern western Palearctic. Our results underline the potential of combining CTI and CTISD metrics to improve understanding of the colonization-extirpation patterns driven by climate warming