21 research outputs found
Integrated Management: A Coastal Community Perspective
This paper was prepared for the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Regional Workshops on Small-Scale Fisheries "Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries: Bringing together responsible fisheries and social development". It presents a review of what are seen as 'good practices' globally in policy and governance of small-scale fisheries, with a particular focus on addressing rights-based issues, viewed broadly as incorporating fishery rights, other rights to natural resources, and rights and entitlements in relation to human, social and economic rights. It draws extensively on the 1995 Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and related technical guidelines, particularly those concerning small-scale fisheries and their roles in poverty alleviation and food security, and the human dimensions of the ecosystem approach to fisheries. The paper is also strongly informed by the papers prepared for and outcomes of the 2008 Global Conference on "Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries: Bringing together responsible fisheries and social development" and the relevant rights-oriented components of the 'Bangkok Statement' produced by the Civil Society Preparatory Workshop for the Global Conference. It also draws upon a set of research documents in the international literature focusing on small-scale fisheries and related policy issues [e.g., Allison et al. (2010), Charles (2009, 2011), McConney and Charles (2009); Kurien (2000, 2007)]
Changes in species composition and diversity of a montane beetle community over the last millennium in the High Tatras, Slovakia : Implications for forest conservation and management
Montane biomes are niche environments high in biodiversity with a variety of habitats. Often isolated, these non-continuous remnant ecosystems inhabit narrow ecological zones putting them under threat from changing climatic conditions and anthropogenic pressure. Twelve sediment cores were retrieved from a peat bog in Tatra National Park, Slovakia, and correlated to each other by wiggle-matching geochemical signals derived from micro-XRF scanning, to make a reconstruction of past conditions. A fossil beetle (Coleoptera) record, covering the last 1000 years at 50- to 100-year resolution, gives a new insight into changing flora and fauna in this region. Our findings reveal a diverse beetle community with varied ecological groups inhabiting a range of forest, meadow and synanthropic habitats. Changes in the beetle community were related to changes in the landscape, driven by anthropogenic activities. The first clear evidence for human activity in the area occurs c. 1250 CE and coincides with the arrival of beetle species living on the dung of domesticated animals (e.g. Aphodius spp.). From 1500 CE, human (re)settlement, and activities such as pasturing and charcoal burning, appear to have had a pronounced effect on the beetle community. Local beetle diversity declined steadily towards the present day, likely due to an infilling of the forest hollow leading to a decrease in moisture level. We conclude that beetle communities are directly affected by anthropogenic intensity and land-use change. When aiming to preserve or restore natural forest conditions, recording their past changes in diversity can help guide conservation and restoration. In doing so, it is important to look back beyond the time of significant human impact, and for this, information contained in paleoecological records is irreplaceable.Peer reviewe
Histoire et dynamique de la forêt subalpine dans les Alpes du Sud (Briançonnais, Queyras) : approches pédoanthracologique et dendrochronologique
Le Queyras est un territoire situé à la confluence d'influences climatiques océaniques continentales et méditerranéennes. Cette spécificité a permis le développement d'une biodiversité exceptionnelle mais particulièrement vulnérable aux changements globaux. Pour mieux comprendre leur dynamique actuelle, et afin de contribuer à élaborer des scenarii prédictifs de leur évolution basés sur leur dynamique passée, une approche paléoécologique pluridisciplinaire, associant pédoanthracologie et dendrochronologie, a été menée dans des forêts matures de mélèze (Larix decidua), de pin cembro (Pinus cembra) et de sapin (Abies alba). L'analyse des charbons de bois recueillis dans les sols de ces peuplements révèlent que la composition passée a pu être bien différente de l'actuelle. Le mélèze et le pin cembro sont présents dès la recolonisation postglaciaire (respectivement 8873-9014 cal. BP et 8702 – 9024 cal. BP). Les relations cernes-climat révèlent la sensibilité du pin cembro et du sapin aux conditions hydrologiques, confirmant le caractère xérique de ce massif. D'autre part, l'étude de la dynamique holocène des forêts subalpines et des variations de leur limite supérieure révèlent que les changements globaux semblent favoriser le mélèze. Alors que les résultats pédoanthracologiques montrent que le pin cembro et le mélèze se sont succédé à l'étage subalpin tout au long de l'Holocène, la dendrochronologie met en évidence les conséquences des changements globaux : le pin cembro devient de plus en plus sensible au réchauffement climatique tandis que le mélèze semble profiter des changements d'occupation du sol associés à une augmentation des températures.The Queyras is a region located at the limit of oceanic, continental and Mediterranean climatic influences. This specificity led to a level of biodiversity exceptional but particularly sensitive to global changes. We used a pluridisciplinary paleocological approach by means of pedoanthracology and dendrochronology applied in old growth forests of Larch (Larix decidua), Stone pine (Pinus cembra) and Fir (Abies alba) to assess the present forest dynamics and to contribute to forecast the probable future forest dynamics. Wood charcoal analyses issued from natural soils sampled in these forests reveal past periods with vegetation composition sometimes quite different from the present one . Larch and Stone pine installed in the early Holocene (respectively 8873-9014 cal. BP and 8702 – 9024 cal. BP). Climate-growth relationship evidence the high sensitivity of both stone pine and fir to hydrological conditions which attests the dry conditions of this massif. In addition to that, the study of the upper limit dynamics of subalpine forests during the Holocene reveals that global changes seem to favour Larch. Whereas pedoanthracology results show permanent succession of Larch and Stone pine at the subalpine vegetation stage over the Holocene period, dendrochronology emphasizes the consequences of global changes: Stone pine gets more and more sensitive to climate warming while Larch seems to benefit of land use changes associated with temperature increase
Étude de la relation entre la croissance du Pin cembro et le climat dans les Alpes Françaises depuis 500 ans
Climate / growth relationships in Pinus cembra were studied in 42 populations following the latitudinal gradient in the French Alps. Both complementary methods used in this study, pointer years and response functions, focus on high and very high frequency variations. Climatic data are issued from historical archives and HISTALP dataset. Results evidenced a positive relationship of radial growth with summer temperature and winter precipitation. The study showed the importance of latitudinal gradient throughout the French Alps. Northern populations seem to be more thermo-dependant, while southern populations seem more pluvio-dependant. Various climatic influences explain probably this difference. Moreover, a spatial homogenisation appeared since the end of 19 th century. Last, the high complexity of the climate / growth relationships evidenced in this study raises questions about pertinence of use this species in climatic reconstructions and model.Les relations entre la croissance radiale du Pin cembro et le climat ont été étudiées sur 42 populations réparties le long d'un gradient latitudinal dans les Alpes françaises. Les deux méthodes complémentaires utilisées dans cette étude (années caractéristiques et fonctions de réponse) portent sur les variations de croissance de haute et de très haute fréquence. Les données climatiques intégrées se composent d'archives historiques et des données de la base HISTALP. Les résultats mettent en évidence une relation positive de la croissance radiale avec les températures estivales et les précipitations hivernales. L'étude révèle aussi l 'importance du gradient latitudinal dans la variation spatiale de la réponse des arbres au climat. Les populations les plus septentrionales apparaissent plus thermo-dépendantes tandis que les populations méridionales seraient plus pluvio-dépendantes. Cette différence s'explique probablement par l'action de masses d'air océaniques, continentales et méditerranéennes. De plus, une tendance à l'homogénéisation spatiale de la relation cerne-climat apparaît depuis la fin du XIXe siècle. Enfin, la complexité de la relation entre la croissance radiale du Pin cembro et le climat, révélée par cette étude, remet en question l 'utilisation de cette espèce dans les reconstructions et modélisations climatiques.Saulnier Melanie, Edouard Jean-Louis, Corona Christophe, Guibal Frédéric. Étude de la relation entre la croissance du Pin cembro et le climat dans les Alpes Françaises depuis 500 ans. In: Collection EDYTEM. Cahiers de géographie, numéro 11, 2010. Panorama de la dendrochronologie en France. pp. 77-86
Recent climate and stable isotopes in modern surface waters of northernmost Ungava Penninsula, Canada
The isotope composition (δ18O and δD) of surface waters was measured over a 26-month period near three localities situated along the northern coast of Ungava Peninsula, Quebec, Canada. To characterize the present-day local hydrological settings, the oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios were measured from precipitation and were compared to local and regional climate data. We show that the modern surface waters contain information on climate and that this relationship is likely to be transferred to biotic components within the lakes. These components, once sedimented, are therefore likely to form an archive of climate change. The new data presented here show the possibility of isotope paleoclimatic investigation based on lake sediments in the northern coastal region of Ungava Peninsula
An Item Response Theory analysis of the Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale
INTRODUCTION: The Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale (UMSARS) has four subscales that have been specifically designed for the clinical assessment of MSA patients. UMSARS I (activities of daily living) and II (motor examination) subscales are regularly used as primary endpoints in treatment trials. The main objective of this study was to identify UMSARS I and II subscale items that best describe progression over time. METHODS: All MSA patients seen at the French Reference Centre for MSA from 2007 to 2020 were included in a prospective cohort with an annual follow-up assessment including UMSARS. The repeated measures of the 26 UMSARS I and II items were analyzed using a longitudinal Item Response Theory model to identify the most informative items for each of the five UMSARS IV disease stages. Sample size estimates were further calculated for the most informative items as a group. RESULTS: A total of 557 MSA patients were included with a mean follow-up of 2.3 years. The majority of items progressed with disease duration or across the different UMSARS IV disability stages, with the exception of those related to dysautonomia. Roughly 70% of the scale information was carried by only 11/26 items, many reflecting the patient perspective. These yielded similar sample size estimates than UMSARS I + II items. CONCLUSION: This study provides important information about the progression of UMSARS I and II subscale items. Improvements seem particularly necessary regarding those assessing dysautonomia. A shortened scale may be useful as outcome for future clinical trials