Disturbance Severity and Human-Nature Relationships: A New Approach to Analyze People's Well-Being along a Bark Beetle Infestation Gradient

Contact to nature and greenspace is important for emotional well-being and can promote human health. Forest landscapes provide such access to greenspace, especially in protected areas. However, forested protected areas are impacted by natural disturbances such as bark beetle infestations. On the one hand, such disturbances have positive impacts on ecological processes and biodiversity. On the other hand, they have allegedly negative impacts on the recreational value of a landscape. Limited knowledge about the public's perception of forests subject to natural disturbances still hampers forest management to balance ecological functions and visitors' recreational experience. Thus, our aim was to determine how attitudes towards nature influence the personal well-being in a naturally disturbed landscape. We investigated self-reported well-being and attitudes towards nature in a standardized questionnaire-based survey of 1008 German inhabitants in an experimentally adapted landscape visualization. Self-reported well-being was generally highest in landscapes with relatively few bark-beetle-killed trees. This was especially the case for people who felt included with nature and preferred an appreciative use or preservation of nature. Conversely, people who had previously visited a national park with visible bark beetle infestations rated their personal well-being highest in landscapes with larger proportions of beetle-killed trees. Our results indicate that it is necessary to analyze people's knowledge about and relations to forest landscapes as well as concepts of nature conservation, natural landscapes, and biodiversity to gain a better understanding of people's perceptions of natural disturbances

In situ feeding as a new management tool to conserve orphaned Eurasian lynx (lynx lynx)

High human-caused mortality due to wildlife-vehicle-collisions and illegal killing leads to frequent cases of orphaned Eurasian lynx juveniles. Under natural conditions, this would result in starvation of the young. To avoid this, wildlife managers conventionally rear animals in captivity and release them later. However, this measure is an undesirable outcome for species conservation, managers, and animals alike. Increased awareness of Eurasian lynx orphaned by human-caused mortality means managers must often intervene in endangered populations. In this study, we report for the first time a successful case of in situ feeding designed to avoid captivity of two orphaned Eurasian lynx. We exposed 13 roe deer and 7 red deer carcasses in the field to successfully support two orphans to the age of independence and confirm dispersal from the natal range. We present this management approach as a feasible and complimentary tool that can be considered in small or isolated large carnivore populations where every individual counts toward population viability

Big cats are still walking in El Salvador: first photographic records of Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771) and an overview of historical records in the country

The presence of Puma, Puma concolor, has been controversial in El Salvador due to the lack of published, verifiable data. We surveyed 119 sites in Montecristo National Park and 17 sites in the Río Sapo basin using wildlife cameras. We detected Pumas in both areas, representing the first photographic records for El Salvador. We call for a national Puma conservation strategy with research in basic ecology and migration corridors, regulation of hunting, management of livestock losses, and public acceptance programs. The Río Sapo basin should be granted formal protection

Studies on patients with atopic diseases at the Environmental Research Station Schneefernerhaus (UFS).

Mountain climate therapy takes advantage of specific climatic conditions to treat chronic allergic diseases. The aim of the study was to investigate effects of a 5-day observation period on atopic diseases at the Environmental Research Station Schneefernerhaus (UFS; Umweltforschungsstation). 18 patients with grass pollen-induced rhinoconjunctivitis, atopic ezcema or asthma and 11 non-allergic controls were included in this study. Skin physiology parameters, changes of the respiratory and nasal functions, subjective symptoms and blood parameters were measured during a 5-day observation period in the Environmental Research Station Schneefernerhaus at the moderate altitude mountain region (Zugspitze; 2650 m alt.) compared to a low altitude area (Munich; 519 m alt.). Histamine induced itch decreased significantly. Several of the skin physiology parameters changed significantly during the observation period (decrease of skin hydration, increase of skin smoothness, skin roughness, skin scaliness and pH-value). In patients with atopic eczema, the SCORAD (Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis) and the scores of the DIELH (Deutsches Instrument zur Erfassung der Lebensqualität bei Hauterkrankungen) did not change significantly. Parameters of nasal function (rhinomanometry, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in nasal secretions) did not change significantly. The vital capacity (VC) decreased significantly, several other parameters of lung function (FEV1/VC, PEF, MEF 50, MMFEF 25/75) showed a slight, but statistically significant improvement. ECP (eosinophil cationic protein) and IL-33 in the serum and parameters of blood count changed significantly. In dependence on the atopic disease the benefit of a moderate altitude mountain climate sojourn over a period of 5 days differed – especially itching of the skin and asthma parameters improved. Assessing the parameters during a longer observation periods in alpine climate would be useful. The methodology used can serve as a suitable template for qualified studies on the effect of climate therapy

Influence of alpine mountain climate of Bavaria on patients with atopic diseases: Studies at the environmental research station Schneefernerhaus (UFS - Zugspitze) - a pilot study.

Mountain and maritime climate therapy takes advantage of specific climatic conditions to treat chronic allergic diseases. It was the aim of the study to investigate effects of a 5 day sojourn on atopic diseases at the highest German mountain. In this pilot study 18 patients with grass pollen-induced rhinoconjunctivitis, atopic ezcema or asthma and 11 non-allergic controls were included. Skin physiology parameters, changes of the respiratory and nasal functions, subjective symptoms and blood parameters were measured during a 5-day observation period in the Environmental Research Station Schneefernerhaus (UFS) at the moderate altitude mountain region (Zugspitze; 2650 m alt.) compared to a low altitude area (Munich; 519 m alt.). Several of the skin physiology parameters changed significantly during the observation period (decrease of skin hydration, increase of skin smoothness, skin roughness, skin scaliness and pH-value). In patients with atopic eczema, the SCORAD (Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis) and the scores of the DIELH (Deutsches Instrument zur Erfassung der Lebensqualität bei Hauterkrankungen) did not change significantly. Histamine induced itch decreased significantly. Parameters of nasal function did not change significantly. Several lung parameters showed a slight, but statistically significant improvement (forced expiratory volume in one second/volume capacity [FEV1/VC], peak expiratory flow [PEF], maximum expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity [MEF 50], maximal mid-expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of vital capacity [MMFEF 25/75]), whereas the vital capacity (VC) decreased significantly. ECP (eosinophil cationic protein) in the serum and parameters of blood count changed significantly. These results show that the benefit of a moderate altitude mountain climate sojourn over a period of 5 days differs in depending on the atopic disease. Especially asthma parameters and itching of the skin improved. It would be interesting to assess the parameters during longer observation periods in alpine climate