BIRDS OF THE BOTANICAL GARDENS OF INDONESIA AT BOGOR

S. van BALEN, E.T. MARGAWATI & SUDARYANTI. 1986. Audi fauna Kebun Raya Bogor. Berita Biolugi 3(4): 167- 172. Avifauna di Kebun Raya Bogor diamati dan disensus selama tahun 1980 - 1981 dalam rangka penelitian tentang perubahan populasi burung di Bogor dan sekitarnya. Beberapa jenis burung yang umum terdapat di Kebun Raya sebelumnya, ternyata jumlahnya sudah sangat berkurang bahkan ada yang sudah hilang. Dilihat dari keanekaragaman jenis, avifauna di Kebun Raya menurun. Pengamatan ditemskan selama bulan April - Mei 1984 dcngan kesimpulan yang sama

Measures to Increase Wild Bird Populations in Urban Areas in Java

In a previous paper on management of urban birdlife the role of nest sites was discussed (Van Balen, 1987). Attention will be paid now to what measures could be taken to improve bird habitats in relation to food availability.The sharing of some food resources often brings birds in conflict with Man. Examplesin which birds become pests are, in particular, found where monocultures, such as cereal crops offer birds an abundance of food and the opportunity to increase out of proportion. One goal of wildlife management is to control these numbers, i.e. keeping down to a harmless low level rather than eradicating, which however tends to happen with the large scale use of pesticide2 (Kalshoven, 1981). The other goal of managementis to keep bird numbers well above the dangerously low population levels with high extinction probability. In the urban environment, problems concerning the first aspect ofmanagement are rare, as most town dwelling bird species are commensals rather than parasites. In some towns of SE Asia the House Crow (Corvus splendens, gagak) can become a nuisance, as do Feral Pigeons (Columba livia, merpati) in many large European cities. In contrast, scavengers such as the Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus, elang bondol) and the Jungle Crow (Corns macrorhynchos, gaok), formerly common in the towns of Jakarta and Semarang, where tbel used to be abundant near slaughter houses (Hoogerwerf & Siccama, 1937 - 1938), hiGe largely disappeared and are hardly found anymorein Java. This may partly be caused by drastically decreased food supplies along with improved sanitation, which already resulted in the decrease of scavenging raptors in other parts of the world (Newton, 1979). The decrease of Java Sparrows (Pad& oryzivoru, gelatik) in Singapore was said to be caused by changed local conditions, in which the supply of spced grain, food intended for poultry, etc. (on which the sparrows werelargely depend on) no longer exists (Ward, 1968); in Java the modem rice mills made rice-hulling more effective and less ,wasteful, which could have had its effect on the Javan population of the'species, which is known to have decreased dramatically during recent years (Van Helvoort, 198 1 ; Van Balen, 1984)

Large-eddy simulation of a mildly curved open-channel flow

After validation with experimental data, large-eddy simulation (LES) is used to study in detail the open-channel flow through a curved flume. Based on the LES results, the present paper addresses four issues. Firstly, features of the complex bicellular pattern of the secondary flow, occurring in curved open-channel flows, and its origin are investigated. Secondly, the turbulence characteristics of the flow are studied in detail, incorporating the anisotropy of the turbulence stresses, as well as the distribution of the kinetic energy and the turbulent kinetic energy. Moreover, the implications of the pattern of the production of turbulent kinetic energy is discussed within this context. Thirdly, the distribution of the wall shear stresses at the bottom and sidewalls is computed. Fourthly, the effects of changes in the subgrid-scale model and the boundary conditions are investigated. It turns out that the counter-rotating secondary flow cell near the outer bank is a result of the complex interaction between the spatial distribution of turbulence stresses and centrifugal effects. Moreover, it is found that this outer bank cell forms a region of a local increase of turbulent kinetic energy and of its production. Furthermore, it is shown that the bed shear stresses are amplified in the bend. The distribution of the wall shear stresses is deformed throughout the bend due to curvature. Finally, it is shown that changes in the subgrid-scale model, as well as changes in the boundary conditions, have no strong effect on the result

Scalar dispersion in strongly curved open-channel flows

River hydrodynamicsTurbulent open channel flow and transport phenomen

Evidence of steep declines in the heavily traded Javan White-eye Zosterops flavus from repeated standardised surveys

Many Indonesian, and in particular Javan, birds are suspected to have declined dramatically as a result of unsustainable trapping for the cagebird trade, but quantitative evidence of the scale of declines is lacking for the great majority of species. We conducted field surveys of the heavily traded Javan White-eye Zosterops flavus at 19 key sites in 2018-2019 matching the methods and personnel used in baseline surveys done around 10 years earlier. Overall numbers counted were 84% lower in the later survey, and while more white-eyes were recorded at three sites in 2018-2019, there was a significant decline in numbers across all sites. The three sites with highest numbers in 2006-2019 (502 birds counted) had 22 individuals counted in 2018-2019, but there was no overall trend for 'declines' to be greater at sites that held more birds originally. Declines in white-eyes were much steeper than those of several lesser-Traded bird species at the sites, suggesting that trapping has been a more important driver of declines than habitat changes such as conversion of mangrove to shrimp ponds. Small numbers of white-eyes were recorded at several previously unvisited sites, but we suggest that the species, on Java at least, has shown declines in the region of 80% over the last 10 years. Although since 2018 Javan White-eye is legally protected, we urge that this protection is extended to all white-eye species, because of their similarity

Overcoming the challenges facing Nepal's health system during federalisation: an analysis of health system building blocks.

Nepal's move to a federal system was a major constitutional and political change, with significant devolution of power and resources from the central government to seven newly created provinces and 753 local governments. Nepal's health system is in the process of adapting to federalism, which is a challenging, yet potentially rewarding, task. This research is a part of broader study that aims to explore the opportunities and challenges facing Nepal's health system as it adapts to federalisation. This exploratory qualitative study was conducted across the three tiers of government (federal, provincial, and local) in Nepal. We employed two methods: key informant interviews and participatory policy analysis workshops, to offer an in-depth understanding of stakeholders' practical learnings, experiences, and opinions. Participants included policymakers, health service providers, local elected members, and other local stakeholders. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated into English, and analysed thematically using the six WHO (World Health Organization) health system building blocks as a theoretical framework. Participants noted both opportunities and challenges around each building block. Identified opportunities were: (a) tailored local health policies and plans, (b) improved health governance at the municipality level, (c) improved health infrastructure and service capacity, (d) improved outreach services, (e) increased resources (health budgets, staffing, and supplies), and (f) improved real-time data reporting from health facilities. At the same time, several challenges were identified including: (a) poor coordination between the tiers of government, (b) delayed release of funds, (c) maldistribution of staff, (d) problems over procurement, and (e) limited monitoring and supervision of the quality of service delivery and data reporting. Our findings suggest that since federalisation, Nepal's health system performance is improving, although much remains to be accomplished. For Nepal to succeed in its federalisation process, understanding the challenges and opportunities is vital to improving each level of the health system in terms of (a) leadership and governance, (b) service delivery, (c) health financing, (d) health workforce, (e) access to essential medicines and technologies and (f) health information system. [Abstract copyright: © 2023. Crown.

The impact of decentralisation on health systems: a systematic review of reviews

Decentralisation is a common mechanism for health system reform; yet, evidence of how it impacts health systems remains fragmented. Despite published findings from primary and secondary research illustrating range of impacts, a comprehensive and clear understanding is currently lacking. This review synthesised the existing evidence to assess how decentralisation (by devolution) impacts each of the six WHO building blocks, and the health system. We systematically searched five electronic databases for reviews exploring impact of decentralisation on health systems, globally. Reviews, both systematic and non-systematic, published in the English language from January 1990 to February 2022 were included. Data were synthesised across each of six building blocks. Quality assessment of the reviews was conducted using Critical Appraisal Skills Program for systematic and Scale for Assessment of Narrative Review Articles for non-systematic reviews. Nine reviews, each addressing somewhat different questions, contexts and issues, were included. A range of positive and negative impacts of decentralisation on health system building blocks were identified; yet, overall, the impacts were more negative. Although inconclusive, evidence suggested that the impacts on leadership and governance and financing components in particular shape the impact on overall health system. Assessment of how the impact on building blocks translates to the broader impact on health systems is challenged by the dynamic complexities related to contexts, process and the health system itself. Decentralisation, even if well intentioned, can have unintended consequences. Despite the difficulty of reaching universally applicable conclusions about the pros and cons of decentralisation, this review highlights some of the common potential issues to consider in advance. CRD42022302013. [Abstract copyright: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.