Report of the training course on seagrass conservation and monitoring in Myanmar Coastal Zone, Mawlamyine University, Myanmar, 26 April-3 May, 2013

A training course on seagrass conservation and monitoring was conducted at Mawlamyine University and Ngapali Beach government department and Non-Government Organizations (NGO) trainees

Supporting evidence-based decision-making: Capacity Building through Research

Lack of data inhibits informed decision-making and is a critical challenge in developing countries, many of which are under-resourced in financial, technical and institutional capacity to collect and analyse the required data. This limits the countries’ ability to achieve development goals and keeps them dependent on the provision of external resources. Development initiatives often treat capacity building and research as two separate tracks of development. While efforts have been made in the health sector to combine these through project-based learning, this approach is relatively unexplored in the water sector which by its inter-sectoral nature stands to benefit significantly from a more collaborative and solution-oriented development strategy. Capacity Building through Research (CBtR) facilitates data collection and analysis by local researchers, mentored by international experts, strengthening local capacity to produce credible evidence able to inform sustainability-related decision-making. Five case studies piloting CBtR are discussed here and evaluated through criteria of the Dutch Strategy Evaluation Protocol framework. CBtR is shown to be a long-term strategy that requires the strengthening of cross-disciplinary networks to enhance the capacity of water management institutions, which likely contributes to more efficient evidence collection and analysis suitable for decision-makers, leading to greater national resilience and reduced need for external support

Bioerosion of siliceous rocks driven by rock-boring freshwater insects

Macrobioerosion of mineral substrates in fresh water is a little-known geological process. Two examples of rock-boring bivalve molluscs were recently described from freshwater environments. To the best of our knowledge, rock-boring freshwater insects were previously unknown. Here, we report on the discovery of insect larvae boring into submerged siltstone (aleurolite) rocks in tropical Asia. These larvae belong to a new mayfly species and perform their borings using enlarged mandibles. Their traces represent a horizontally oriented, tunnel-like macroboring with two apertures. To date, only three rock-boring animals are known to occur in fresh water globally: a mayfly, a piddock, and a shipworm. All the three species originated within primarily wood-boring clades, indicating a simplified evolutionary shift from wood to hardground substrate based on a set of morphological and anatomical preadaptations evolved in wood borers (e.g., massive larval mandibular tusks in mayflies and specific body, shell, and muscle structure in bivalves)

Indonaia rectangularis (Tapparone-Canefri, 1889), comb. nov., a forgotten freshwater mussel species from Myanmar (Bivalvia, Unionidae)

Volume: 852Start Page: 23End Page: 3

New Molecular-Based Phylogeny of Mussel-Associated Mites Reveals a New Subgenus and Three New Species Representing an Example of a Host-Driven Radiation in Indochina and Confirms the Concept of Division of the Genus Unionicola Haldeman, 1842 (Acari: Unionicolidae) into Numerous Subgenera

Here we describe a new subgenus and three new species of parasitic water mites in the genus Unionicola (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from Myanmar: Myanmaratax subgen. nov., Unionicola (Myanmaratax) savadiensis subgen. and sp. nov. (hosts: Lamellidens savadiensis and L. generosus), U. (My.) generosa sp. nov. (the same hosts), and U. (My.) trapezidenssp. nov. (hosts: Trapezidens dolichorhynchus and T. angustior). These taxa were identified based on a two-gene phylogenetic analysis (COI + 28S), which also confirms the division of the genus Unionicola into numerous subgenera. The new species are cryptic species, which are morphologically indistinguishable but strongly resemble U. (Prasadatax) brandti Vidrine, 1985 described from Thailand (hosts: Lens spp. and Ensidens spp.). We also transfer the latter taxon from Prasadatax to Myanmaratax based on a set of morphological evidence and propose U. (My.) brandti comb. nov. The new subgenus contains a total of five species, one of which needs future sampling efforts and will be described elsewhere. Additionally, 56 valid subgenera, which were placed in the synonymy of the genus and in one case raised to the genus level, are restored here until robust phylogenetic evidence on their taxonomic status is available. Our results also confirm that Unionicola mites are narrow host specialists that are associated with either one or a few closely related freshwater mussel species belonging to one or two sister genera

Salty stories, fresh spaces: Lessons for aquatic protected areas from marine and freshwater experiences

Marine protected areas (MPAs) and freshwater protected areas (FPAs), collectively aquatic protected areas (APAs), share many commonalities in their design, establishment, and management, suggesting great potential for sharing lessons learned. However, surprisingly little has been exchanged to date, and both realms of inquiry and practice have progressed mostly independent of each other. This paper builds on a session held at the 7th World Fisheries Congress in Busan, South Korea, in May 2016, which explored crossover lessons between marine and freshwater realms, and included case studies of four MPAs and five FPAs (or clusters of FPAs) from nine countries. This review uses the case studies to explore similarities, differences, and transferrable lessons between MPAs and FPAs under five themes: (1) ecological system; (2) establishment approaches; (3) effectiveness monitoring; (4) sustaining APAs; and (5) challenges and external threats. Ecological differences between marine and freshwater environments may necessitate different approaches for collecting species and habitat data to inform APA design, establishment and monitoring, but once collected, similar spatial ecological tools can be applied in both realms. In contrast, many similarities exist in the human dimension of both MPA and FPA establishment and management, highlighting clear opportunities for exchanging lessons related to stakeholder engagement and support, and for using similar socio-economic and governance assessment methods to address data gaps in both realms. Regions that implement MPAs and FPAs could work together to address shared challenges, such as developing mechanisms for diversified and sustained funding, and employing integrated coastal/watershed management to address system-level threats. Collaboration across realms could facilitate conservation of diadromous species in both marine and freshwater habitats. Continued exchange and increased collaboration would benefit both realms, and may be facilitated by defining shared terminology, holding cross-disciplinary conferences or sessions, publishing inclusive papers, and proposing joint projects