Site use and connectivity of female grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) around Wales

The UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) provided core funding to the Sea Mammal Research Unit during this work and NERC Grant No. NE/G008930/1 to PP and LH to develop photo-ID use for grey seals. The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation provided additional funding to PP and LH for photo-ID work with grey seals. NRW funded survey work by MB, LM, SW and PS; contracted LH for survey design, software development and data management; IL and PP for work related to the production of this manuscript.Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are a qualifying feature of three special areas of conservation (SACs) in Wales, yet relatively little is known of their site use along this coastline. Since 1992, many individuals and organisations have contributed to a grey seal photographic identification database held by Natural Resources Wales, which is one of the largest and oldest of its kind, providing key information from grey seal haul-out sites around the Celtic and Irish Seas. Here, we investigated spatial connectivity of haul-out sites and fidelity of adult females to breeding sites. The minimum number of adult female grey seals using the area between 1992 and 2016 was 2688. Individual capture histories and relative spatial transition probabilities (Pij) between pairs of location groups were calculated. Adjacent locations were highly connected (e.g. Lleyn Peninsula and Bardsey, Pij = 0.7) but connections spanned the entire region, up to 230 km apart (e.g. Skomer and Dee Estuary, Pij = 0.004). Resights were recorded within SACs (e.g. Lleyn Peninsula and Bardsey [Lleyn Peninsula and the Sarnau SAC], Pij = 0.7), between SACs (e.g. Bardsey and Skomer [Pembrokeshire Marine], Pij = 0.03), between SACs and non-designated areas (e.g. Skerries and Bardsey, Pij = 0.09) and between sites outside any protected area (e.g. Dee Estuary and Anglesey, Pij = 0.5). While inter-annual fidelity to breeding sites was high (Pij = 0.82–1), individual female grey seals moved throughout the region. This evidence of extensive site use beyond protected areas is important for the management and conservation of grey seals around Wales.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The status of the world's land and marine mammals: diversity, threat, and knowledge

Knowledge of mammalian diversity is still surprisingly disparate, both regionally and taxonomically. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of the conservation status and distribution of the world's mammals. Data, compiled by 1700+ experts, cover all 5487 species, including marine mammals. Global macroecological patterns are very different for land and marine species but suggest common mechanisms driving diversity and endemism across systems. Compared with land species, threat levels are higher among marine mammals, driven by different processes (accidental mortality and pollution, rather than habitat loss), and are spatially distinct (peaking in northern oceans, rather than in Southeast Asia). Marine mammals are also disproportionately poorly known. These data are made freely available to support further scientific developments and conservation action

Tourism informing conservation: The distribution of four dolphin species varies with calf presence and increases their vulnerability to vessel traffic in the four‐island region of Maui, Hawai‘i

Abstract We need reliable information about the spatial and temporal distribution of mobile species to effectively manage anthropogenic impacts to which they are exposed. Yet, we often cannot sustain dedicated annual surveys and data obtained from platforms of opportunity offer an alternative avenue to understand where these species spend time. Four odontocete species that occur in the four‐island region of Maui, Hawai'i, USA, are vulnerable to a range of human activities, but there is a lack of information regarding their distribution. We therefore do not know the extent of the risk these activities present for the conservation of these species (bottlenose dolphins, spinner dolphins, Pantropical spotted dolphins and false killer whales). We used a cross‐validated maximum entropy (MaxEnt) occupancy model to estimate the distribution of these four species in an area extensively observed from platforms of opportunity (PoP). We then determined in a similar fashion whether the calves of those species were more likely to be observed in particular areas and whether distribution changed with season. Maxent models relying on local environmental variables described dolphin observations well (AUC > 0.7). Their distribution differed for all species when calves were present, indicating that different environmental variables describe area use for schools with calves present. The number of sighting events of all species varied significantly with season. Bottlenose dolphins and false killer whales were more prevalent in winter, while spotted and spinner dolphins were more prevalent in summer. We show that an overlap in the distribution of dolphin schools with calves and vessel traffic in the region could result in collision and chronic stress risks. This suggests a need for specific regulations for mitigating anthropogenic influences, such as acoustic disturbance or chronic energetic disturbance from vessel traffic. This elevated risk associated with vessel traffic is likely of conservation concern in this region for the endangered population of false killer whales and for spinner dolphins

Feast of Flowers

Jim Draper’s Feast of Flowers is a multi-disciplinary project that critically investigates new ways of understanding Florida’s history, environmental aesthetics and the human place within the natural order. It is comprised of a collection of original paintings along with a digital anthology of collected works that seek to explain Florida’s enigmatic environmental and social landscape. Essential in offering a unique perspective to the 500th anniversary of the naming of Florida, the curated document features responses from voices of various disciplines and serves as a cultural critique of our state, while Draper’s paintings explain a personal relationship with the unique Floridan ecosystem. “Juan Ponce de León is referenced in the collection as an archetype and is treated more as a concept than an individual; he’s certainly not celebrated as a hero. I think that he represents that part of our psyche that we hope we can overcome: the individual as possessor. I want to show an alternative path through which we can learn to live as an active participant within the natural order. So another way to look at this project would be Ponce vs. the Butterfly.

Feast of Flowers

Jim Draper’s Feast of Flowers is a multi-disciplinary project that critically investigates new ways of understanding Florida’s history, environmental aesthetics and the human place within the natural order. It is comprised of a collection of original paintings along with a digital anthology of collected works that seek to explain Florida’s enigmatic environmental and social landscape. Essential in offering a unique perspective to the 500th anniversary of the naming of Florida, the curated document features responses from voices of various disciplines and serves as a cultural critique of our state, while Draper’s paintings explain a personal relationship with the unique Floridan ecosystem. “Juan Ponce de León is referenced in the collection as an archetype and is treated more as a concept than an individual; he’s certainly not celebrated as a hero. I think that he represents that part of our psyche that we hope we can overcome: the individual as possessor. I want to show an alternative path through which we can learn to live as an active participant within the natural order. So another way to look at this project would be Ponce vs. the Butterfly.