Definitions and Mapping of East African Wetlands: A Review

Wetlands provide invaluable ecosystem services and contribute significantly to food security around the world. To maintain these functions, wetlands need to be protected from rapid transformation and overuse. Spatially-explicit information is required for sustainable wetland management. Development of wetland maps based on remote sensing requires a clear-cut definition of wetlands. This review was undertaken to improve the understanding of these habitats from a remote sensing perspective and to determine available wetland map layers for the East African countries of Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. This study includes three components: (1) a review of the availability and types of wetland definitions from the scientific literature record (including 245 separate references); (2) a systematic analysis of land use/land cover classifications and the conceptual approaches and spatial coverages of wetland classes for each system; and (3) a depiction of wetland layers and a discussion of their suitability for use in regional inventories. Our literature review shows that a standard definition of wetlands is not in use, and a specific definition of wetlands is not given in more than 40% of the reviewed remote sensing publications. Spatial information on East African wetlands is currently insufficient for use in regional wetland management

Definitions and Mapping of East African Wetlands: A Review

Wetlands provide invaluable ecosystem services and contribute significantly to food security around the world. To maintain these functions, wetlands need to be protected from rapid transformation and overuse. Spatially-explicit information is required for sustainable wetland management. Development of wetland maps based on remote sensing requires a clear-cut definition of wetlands. This review was undertaken to improve the understanding of these habitats from a remote sensing perspective and to determine available wetland map layers for the East African countries of Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. This study includes three components: (1) a review of the availability and types of wetland definitions from the scientific literature record (including 245 separate references); (2) a systematic analysis of land use/land cover classifications and the conceptual approaches and spatial coverages of wetland classes for each system; and (3) a depiction of wetland layers and a discussion of their suitability for use in regional inventories. Our literature review shows that a standard definition of wetlands is not in use, and a specific definition of wetlands is not given in more than 40% of the reviewed remote sensing publications. Spatial information on East African wetlands is currently insufficient for use in regional wetland management

Renal oligo- and anhydramnios: cause, course and outcome-a single-center study

To evaluate the outcome of patients with renal oligohydramnios and explore the impact of patient variables on outcome and prognosis. A retrospective single-center study was conducted analyzing 104 pregnancies complicated by oligohydramnios of renal origin from 2001 to 2011. Statistical analysis was performed to assess the influence of pre- and postnatal data on pregnancy outcome, morbidity and mortality. Prenatal renal diagnoses were as follows: hydronephrosis/megaureter: n = 21 (20.2 %), aberrance in renal form or location: n = 7 (6.7 %), cystic renal disease: n = 28 (26.9 %), renal dysplasia: n = 24 (23.1 %), renal agenesis: n = 42 (30.4 %), posterior urethral valves: n = 11 (10.6 %). Hydronephrosis/megaureter and late onset of oligohydramnios were prognostic factors for fetal survival, whereas renal agenesis and associated anomalies had a negative impact on pregnancy outcome. Prenatal interventions did not improve prognosis. Pregnancies complicated by renal oligohydramnios still have a poor outcome. Careful weighing of prognostic factors is necessary to decide about further therapeutic measures

In Memoriam: Gunter Menz

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