DOCSLIB.ORG

A Mix of Community-Based Conservation and Protected Forests Is Needed for the Survival of the Endangered Pygmy Hippopotamus Choeropsis Liberiensis

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Mix of Community-Based Conservation and Protected Forests Is Needed for the Survival of the Endangered Pygmy Hippopotamus Choeropsis Liberiensis A mix of community-based conservation and protected forests is needed for the survival of the Endangered pygmy hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis A NNIKA H ILLERS,GRAEME M. BUCHANAN,JERRY C. GARTEH,SOLOMON M. TOMMY M OHAMED L. FOFANA and J EREMY A. LINDSELL Abstract The contribution of protected areas to biodiversity Keywords Agricultural expansion, community-based con- conservation is well attested but many taxa in many regions servation, community forests, large mammals, protected remain dependent on the unprotected wider landscape. To area, pygmy hippopotamus, species distribution model, develop conservation plans for large mammals such as the Upper Guinea Forest ecosystem Endangered pygmy hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis of To view supplementary material for this article, please visit West Africa’s Upper Guinea Forests it is critical to under- http://dx.doi.org/./SX stand the importance of unprotected land. Despite being a conservation priority, little is known about the habitat asso- ciations of this species, or its distribution across its range. Through a combination of field surveys, species distribution Introduction models and community questionnaires we investigated the use of unprotected areas by the pygmy hippopotamus in the rotected areas are the foundation for global efforts to Sierra Leone–Liberia border region. We found signs of Pconserve biodiversity and natural ecosystem processes the species in of -km cells surveyed. Our analysis (Rodrigues et al., ; Laurance et al., ). However, ana- suggested that the species is reasonably widespread in this lysis of threatened birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles region and is associated with major rivers. It occurred at both continental and global scales suggests that protected close to, but rarely within, large areas of intact forest, and areas offer inadequate coverage of the ranges of these groups .% of pygmy hippopotamus signs were recorded outside (De Klerk et al., ; Rodrigues et al., ; Beresford et al., protected areas. The expansion of the protected area net- a,b; Butchart et al., ). Multiple-use landscapes and work in this area is unrealistic in Sierra Leone and to unprotected areas are important for species survival some extent in Liberia, mainly because of anthropogenic (Gardner et al., ; Perfecto & Vandermeer, ), espe- pressure and the overlap of proposed protected areas with cially where the existing network of protected areas does not ’ mining and logging concessions. Thus pygmy hippopot- entirely cover species ranges and suitable habitats; e.g. for amus conservation activities in the region need to include some large mammalian carnivores (Forrest et al., ; programmes on community lands while maintaining a ro- Swanepoel et al., ) and migratory herbivores (Western bust network of protected forests. Community-based con- et al., ). In some cases the expansion of the protected servation of the pygmy hippopotamus may prove valuable area network is recommended for more effective protection for other threatened and endemic species that are not con- (Forrest et al., ; Tweh et al., ) but this may not always fined to protected areas in this region. be feasible (Butchart et al., ), especially in regions where conservation efforts compete with other land uses, such as logging, mineral extraction and agriculture. In many tropic- al regions, such land use conflicts represent a threat not only to remaining natural habitats outside protected areas but ANNIKA HILLERS* (Corresponding author) and GRAEME M. BUCHANAN RSPB even to the protected areas themselves (Forrest et al., ; Centre for Conservation Science, The Royal Society for the Protection of Laurance et al., ; Tweh et al., ). A rapidly increasing Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK E-mail [email protected] human population is predicted to result in a further major expansion of tropical agriculture and associated encroach- JERRY C. GARTEH Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia, Congotown, Monrovia, Liberia ment of protected areas, particularly in Sub-Saharan SOLOMON M. TOMMY and MOHAMED L. FOFANA, Gola Rainforest National Park, Africa and South America (Laurance et al., ). The per- Kenema, Sierra Leone sistence of large mammals in such regions will therefore de- JEREMY A. LINDSELL A Rocha International, London, UK pend to a great extent on their ability to survive in such *Also at: Gola Rainforest National Park, Kenema, Sierra Leone mixed landscapes. Received July . Revision requested September . Within the forest zone of West Africa, protected areas Accepted February . cover c. % of the remaining Upper Guinean Forest Oryx, Page 1 of 10 © 2016 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S003060531600020X http://journals.cambridge.org Downloaded: 08 Jun 2016 IP address: 108.171.128.188 2 A. Hillers et al. ecosystem (CEPF, ). In Liberia and Sierra Leone only in south-eastern Sierra Leone, and presumably also the and % of the total land area, respectively, is officially pro- Gola National Forest in western Liberia, may constitute an tected (Junker et al., ; UNEP, ). These figures sug- important core area for the species (Hillers, ). The dis- gest that the protected area coverage in the region is covery of what could be a substantial population highlights inadequate, and falls below the Convention on Biological how poorly known the species’ distribution is. Diversity Aichi Target of at least % (CBD, ). We used records of pygmy hippopotamus occurrence Meanwhile, forests in this region have been severely de- collected during field surveys and using community ques- pleted and fragmented in recent decades (Mittermeier tionnaires to assess the species’ distribution in the Gola re- et al., ). Where forests are cleared they are replaced gion. We used field data to develop species distribution with low-intensity rotational agriculture. models that predicted the potential distribution of the The remaining forests harbour a number of threatened pygmy hippopotamus, and described the species’ basic habi- large mammals, some of which are known to range beyond tat associations. We were thus able to identify the extent to the bounds of protected areas (Merz, ; Junker et al., which the pygmy hippopotamus might occur in protected , ). Of these, the pygmy hippopotamus Choeropsis and unprotected areas, and where suitable habitat was lo- liberiensis, categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List cated both inside and outside the protected area network. (Ransom et al., ), is the largest species that is entirely en- Besides advancing our understanding of the role of unpro- demic to the Upper Guinean Forest and is therefore tected areas in general biodiversity conservation in this re- amongst the most vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmenta- gion, these data are critical if targeted and effective tion in the region. The pygmy hippopotamus is restricted to conservation interventions are to be implemented for this four countries (Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Côte species in particular. d’Ivoire; Lewison & Oliver, ), all of which are among the least developed countries in the world (UNDP, ). In recent decades, forest loss and fragmentation have Study area contributed to a reduction in the occupied range of the We conducted field work in the Gola Rainforest National species (Lewison & Oliver, ; Mallon et al., ; Park and its surroundings (c. ,, ha) in south-eastern Hodgkinson et al., ). The pygmy hippopotamus is also Sierra Leone and in the Gola National Forest (initially – threatened by poaching and human wildlife conflicts (e.g. c. , ha) in western Liberia, the whole area hereafter Greengrass, ; Hillers & Muana, ; Koroma, ; referred to as Gola (Fig. ). After the completion of field Conway, ; Conway et al., ), although there are no work, the area of the Gola National Forest was reduced by detailed data concerning the extent of these threats. Little , ha and part of our survey sites that were initially in- is known about the ecology and behaviour of the pygmy side the protected area now fall within community land. hippopotamus, and there are no reliable population esti- Natural vegetation in Gola is lowland moist evergreen – mates. The most recent estimate is , , individuals forest, and annual rainfall is c. , mm, falling in one (Mallon et al., ). The prevailing view is that protected season. Dominating families of the woody vegetation are areas harbour the majority of the population (Mallon Leguminosae-Caesalpinoideae, Euphorbiaceae, Leguminosae- et al., ; IUCN, ) but the importance of habitats out- Mimosoideae and Sterculiaceae (Klop et al., ). The study side protected areas remains unclear. Although most recent area is drained by three major rivers: the Moa River to the west; records have come from within protected areas (Collen the Moro River, marking the boundary between Sierra Leone et al., ; Mallon et al., ) this may represent sampling and Liberia in the eastern part of Gola; and the Mano River, bias, as such sites are often targeted for biodiversity surveys. flowing through the Liberian Gola National Forest and along Furthermore, riverine habitats can be poorly represented in the international border in the western part of Gola. protected areas (Nel et al., ) but are presumably critical for the pygmy hippopotamus, and in fact protected area sta- tus can mean little in a region where many are poorly funded Methods and ineffective (Brugière, ; Henschel et al., ). We undertook surveys for the pygmy hippopotamus Data on the distribution of the pygmy hippopotamus
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Giant's Comeback
    W INT E R 2 0 1 0 n o s d o D y l l i B Home to elephants, rhinos and more, African Heartlands are conservation landscapes large enough to sustain a diversity of species for centuries to come. In these landscapes— places like Kilimanjaro and Samburu—AWF and its partners are pioneering lasting conservation strate- gies that benefit wildlife and people alike. Inside TH I S ISSUE n e s r u a L a n a h S page 4 These giraffes are members of the only viable population of West African giraffe remaining in the wild. A few herds live in a small AWF Goes to West Africa area in Niger outside Regional Parc W. AWF launches the Regional Parc W Heartland. A Giant’s Comeback t looks like a giraffe, walks like a giraffe, eats totaling a scant 190-200 individuals. All live in like a giraffe and is indeed a giraffe. But a small area—dubbed “the Giraffe Zone”— IGiraffa camelopardalis peralta (the scientific outside the W National Parc in Niger, one of name for the West African giraffe) is a distinct the three national parks that lie in AWF’s new page 6 subspecies of mother nature’s tallest mammal, transboundary Heartland in West Africa (see A Quality Brew having split from a common ancestral popula- pp. 4-5). Conserving the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro tion some 35,000 years ago. This genetic Entering the Zone with good coffee. distinction is apparent in its large orange- Located southeast of Niamey, Niger’s brown skin pattern, which is more lightly- capital, the Giraffe Zone spans just a few hun- colored than that of other giraffes.
    [Show full text]
  • Review of Asian Species/Country Combinations Subject to Long-Standing Import Suspensions
    Review of Asian species/country combinations subject to long-standing import suspensions (Version edited for public release) SRG 54 Prepared for the European Commission Directorate General Environment ENV.E.2. – Environmental Agreements and Trade by the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre November, 2010 UNEP World Conservation Monitoring PREPARED FOR Centre 219 Huntingdon Road The European Commission, Brussels, Belgium Cambridge CB3 0DL DISCLAIMER United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1223 277314 The contents of this report do not necessarily Fax: +44 (0) 1223 277136 reflect the views or policies of UNEP or Email: [email protected] Website: www.unep-wcmc.org contributory organisations. The designations employed and the presentations do not imply ABOUT UNEP-WORLD CONSERVATION the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on MONITORING CENTRE the part of UNEP, the European Commission or contributory organisations concerning the The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring legal status of any country, territory, city or Centre (UNEP-WCMC), based in Cambridge, area or its authority, or concerning the UK, is the specialist biodiversity information delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. and assessment centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), run cooperatively with WCMC, a UK charity. The © Copyright: 2010, European Commission Centre's mission is to evaluate and highlight the many values of biodiversity and put authoritative biodiversity knowledge at the centre of decision-making. Through the analysis and synthesis of global biodiversity knowledge the Centre provides authoritative, strategic and timely information for conventions, countries and organisations to use in the development and implementation of their policies and decisions. The UNEP-WCMC provides objective and scientifically rigorous procedures and services.
    [Show full text]
  • Capture, Restraint and Transport Stress in Southern Chamois (Rupicapra Pyrenaica)
    Capture,Capture, restraintrestraint andand transporttransport stressstress ininin SouthernSouthern chamoischamois ((RupicapraRupicapra pyrenaicapyrenaica)) ModulationModulation withwith acepromazineacepromazine andand evaluationevaluation usingusingusing physiologicalphysiologicalphysiological parametersparametersparameters JorgeJorgeJorge RamónRamónRamón LópezLópezLópez OlveraOlveraOlvera 200420042004 Capture, restraint and transport stress in Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) Modulation with acepromazine and evaluation using physiological parameters Jorge Ramón López Olvera Bellaterra 2004 Esta tesis doctoral fue realizada gracias a la financiación de la Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (proyecto CICYT AGF99- 0763-C02) y a una beca predoctoral de Formación de Investigadores de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, y contó con el apoyo del Departament de Medi Ambient de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Los Doctores SANTIAGO LAVÍN GONZÁLEZ e IGNASI MARCO SÁNCHEZ, Catedrático de Universidad y Profesor Titular del Área de Conocimiento de Medicina y Cirugía Animal de la Facultad de Veterinaria de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, respectivamente, CERTIFICAN: Que la memoria titulada ‘Capture, restraint and transport stress in Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica). Modulation with acepromazine and evaluation using physiological parameters’, presentada por el licenciado Don JORGE R. LÓPEZ OLVERA para la obtención del grado de Doctor en Veterinaria, se ha realizado bajo nuestra dirección y, considerándola satisfactoriamente
    [Show full text]
  • The Status and Distribution of Mediterranean Mammals
    THE STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF MEDITERRANEAN MAMMALS Compiled by Helen J. Temple and Annabelle Cuttelod AN E AN R R E IT MED The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ – Regional Assessment THE STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF MEDITERRANEAN MAMMALS Compiled by Helen J. Temple and Annabelle Cuttelod The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ – Regional Assessment The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN or other participating organizations, concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or other participating organizations. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK Copyright: © 2009 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Red List logo: © 2008 Citation: Temple, H.J. and Cuttelod, A. (Compilers). 2009. The Status and Distribution of Mediterranean Mammals. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK : IUCN. vii+32pp. ISBN: 978-2-8317-1163-8 Cover design: Cambridge Publishers Cover photo: Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus © Antonio Rivas/P. Ex-situ Lince Ibérico All photographs used in this publication remain the property of the original copyright holder (see individual captions for details).
    [Show full text]
  • Does Selection on Horn Length of Males and Females Differ in Protected and Hunted Populations of a Weakly Dimorphic Ungulate?
    Received: 2 November 2016 | Revised: 2 March 2017 | Accepted: 7 March 2017 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2963 ORIGINAL RESEARCH Does selection on horn length of males and females differ in protected and hunted populations of a weakly dimorphic ungulate? Luca Corlatti1,2,3 | Ilse Storch2 | Flurin Filli4 | Pia Anderwald4 1Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany Abstract 2Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Weaponry in ungulates may be costly to grow and maintain, and different selective University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany pressures in males and females may lead to sex- biased natural survival. Sexual differ- 3Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game ences in the relationship between weapon growth and survival may increase under Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Vienna, Austria anthropogenic selection through culling, for example because of trophy hunting. 4Swiss National Park, Chastè Planta- Selection on weaponry growth under different scenarios has been largely investigated Wildenberg, Zernez, Switzerland in males of highly dimorphic ungulates, for which survival costs (either natural or hunt- Correspondence ing related) are thought to be greatest. Little is known, however, about the survival Luca Corlatti, Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, costs of weaponry in males and females of weakly dimorphic species. We collected Germany. information on horn length and age at death/shooting of 407 chamois Rupicapra rupi- Email: [email protected] capra in a protected population and in two hunted populations with different hunting Funding information regimes, to explore sexual differences in the selection on early horn growth under The research leading to these results has received funding from the People Programme contrasting selective pressures.
    [Show full text]
  • Why Lizards Need Elephants to Survive
    Why lizards need elephants to survive May 22, 2015 Somewhere in Africa, a lizard survives thanks to an elephant. Ecosystems are nuanced arrangements, and it isn’t always obvious how the different pieces of the ecological puzzle snap into place. Lizards, it turns out, rely on the debris created by elephants as they trample trees. Shards of wood and leaves haphazardly left behind by marching pachyderms provide good cover for a small lizard to escape the piercing talons of a hungry raptor. Kill the elephants, and the lizards could suffer. Some 10,000 years ago as the Pleistocene unfolded across the planet, 80 percent of mega- herbivores – those critters larger than 1,000 kilograms, like modern elephants – would become wiped out. Some of them suffered due to climate-related changes that swept across the globe, but many of them were ultimately driven to extinction through overhunting. In the late Pleistocene, there were some 42 such mega-herbivores. Today, only eight remain. Together with other large herbivores (between 100 and 1,000 kilograms), Earth’s plant eaters are in serious decline. Indeed, the waves of extinction and biodiversity loss that began in the Pleistocene may be continuing today in Africa and in Southeast Asia, where the very recent extinction of Western black rhinos is a salient reminder of our own species’ disproportionate affect on our planet’s wildlife. Today, there are 74 herbivores larger than 100 kilograms still grazing and browsing the leaves, branches, and stems of our pale blue dot. Earlier this month in the journal Science Advances, a group of researchers led by Oregon State University ecologist William J.
    [Show full text]
  • Whole-Genome Sequencing of Wild Siberian Musk
    Yi et al. BMC Genomics (2020) 21:108 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-020-6495-2 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Whole-genome sequencing of wild Siberian musk deer (Moschus moschiferus) provides insights into its genetic features Li Yi1†, Menggen Dalai2*†, Rina Su1†, Weili Lin3, Myagmarsuren Erdenedalai4, Batkhuu Luvsantseren4, Chimedragchaa Chimedtseren4*, Zhen Wang3* and Surong Hasi1* Abstract Background: Siberian musk deer, one of the seven species, is distributed in coniferous forests of Asia. Worldwide, the population size of Siberian musk deer is threatened by severe illegal poaching for commercially valuable musk and meat, habitat losses, and forest fire. At present, this species is categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. However, the genetic information of Siberian musk deer is largely unexplored. Results: Here, we produced 3.10 Gb draft assembly of wild Siberian musk deer with a contig N50 of 29,145 bp and a scaffold N50 of 7,955,248 bp. We annotated 19,363 protein-coding genes and estimated 44.44% of the genome to be repetitive. Our phylogenetic analysis reveals that wild Siberian musk deer is closer to Bovidae than to Cervidae. Comparative analyses showed that the genetic features of Siberian musk deer adapted in cold and high-altitude environments. We sequenced two additional genomes of Siberian musk deer constructed demographic history indicated that changes in effective population size corresponded with recent glacial epochs. Finally, we identified several candidate genes that may play a role in the musk secretion based on transcriptome analysis. Conclusions: Here, we present a high-quality draft genome of wild Siberian musk deer, which will provide a valuable genetic resource for further investigations of this economically important musk deer.
    [Show full text]
  • Wildlife Trends in Liberia and Sierra Leone P
    117 Wildlife Trends in Liberia and Sierra Leone P. T. Robinson In an eight-month field study of the pygmy hippopotamus, an endangered Red Book species, the author was able to make some assessment of the status of other animals in Liberia and Sierra Leone and shows how the danger is increasing for most of them. Chimpanzees in particular are exported in large numbers, and in order to catch the young animals whole family groups may be eliminated. West African countries have made little effort to conserve their unique types of vegetation and wildlife. Instead the tendency has been to establish parks and reserves in grassland areas that are similar to those of East Africa. But Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Ivory Coast all have areas of mature tropical rain forests where reserves could be established. The high forests of the tropics are of great value, culturally, scientifically and economically, and it is important to conserve their unique types of fauna and flora. Rare and Uncommon Species The pygmy hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis is one of West Africa's unique species, dependent on forest vegetation, which is decreasing seriously. Nowhere is it abundant in the four countries where it occurs: Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Ivory Coast! Comparisons with its past distribution show that populations today are much more localised; for example, the disrupted distribution pattern across Liberia is related to the major motor-road arteries, which form avenues of human settlement. Increased population, hunting, agriculture, forestry and mining, combined with the hippo's non-gregarious nature, low repro- ductive rate and apparent susceptibility to hunting and adverse land use, have resulted in a steady decrease in its range.
    [Show full text]
  • Sexual Selection and Extinction in Deer Saloume Bazyan
    Sexual selection and extinction in deer Saloume Bazyan Degree project in biology, Master of science (2 years), 2013 Examensarbete i biologi 30 hp till masterexamen, 2013 Biology Education Centre and Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University Supervisor: Jacob Höglund External opponent: Masahito Tsuboi Content Abstract..............................................................................................................................................II Introduction..........................................................................................................................................1 Sexual selection........................................................................................................................1 − Male-male competition...................................................................................................2 − Female choice.................................................................................................................2 − Sexual conflict.................................................................................................................3 Secondary sexual trait and mating system. .............................................................................3 Intensity of sexual selection......................................................................................................5 Goal and scope.....................................................................................................................................6 Methods................................................................................................................................................8
    [Show full text]
  • Prospects for Rewilding with Camelids
    Journal of Arid Environments 130 (2016) 54e61 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Arid Environments journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jaridenv Prospects for rewilding with camelids Meredith Root-Bernstein a, b, *, Jens-Christian Svenning a a Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark b Institute for Ecology and Biodiversity, Santiago, Chile article info abstract Article history: The wild camelids wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus), guanaco (Lama guanicoe), and vicuna~ (Vicugna Received 12 August 2015 vicugna) as well as their domestic relatives llama (Lama glama), alpaca (Vicugna pacos), dromedary Received in revised form (Camelus dromedarius) and domestic Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) may be good candidates for 20 November 2015 rewilding, either as proxy species for extinct camelids or other herbivores, or as reintroductions to their Accepted 23 March 2016 former ranges. Camels were among the first species recommended for Pleistocene rewilding. Camelids have been abundant and widely distributed since the mid-Cenozoic and were among the first species recommended for Pleistocene rewilding. They show a range of adaptations to dry and marginal habitats, keywords: Camelids and have been found in deserts, grasslands and savannas throughout paleohistory. Camelids have also Camel developed close relationships with pastoralist and farming cultures wherever they occur. We review the Guanaco evolutionary and paleoecological history of extinct and extant camelids, and then discuss their potential Llama ecological roles within rewilding projects for deserts, grasslands and savannas. The functional ecosystem Rewilding ecology of camelids has not been well researched, and we highlight functions that camelids are likely to Vicuna~ have, but which require further study.
    [Show full text]
  • (Agro Pontino, Central Italy): New Constraints on the Last Interglacial
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN The archaeological ensemble from Campoverde (Agro Pontino, central Italy): new constraints on the Last Received: 29 June 2018 Accepted: 14 November 2018 Interglacial sea level markers Published: xx xx xxxx F. Marra1, C. Petronio2, P. Ceruleo3, G. Di Stefano2, F. Florindo1, M. Gatta4,5, M. La Rosa6, M. F. Rolfo4 & L. Salari2 We present a combined geomorphological and biochronological study aimed at providing age constraints to the deposits forming a wide paleo-surface in the coastal area of the Tyrrhenian Sea, south of Anzio promontory (central Italy). We review the faunal assemblage recovered in Campoverde, evidencing the occurrence of the modern fallow deer subspecies Dama dama dama, which in peninsular Italy is not present before MIS 5e, providing a post-quem terminus of 125 ka for the deposit hosting the fossil remains. The geomorphological reconstruction shows that Campoverde is located within the highest of three paleosurfaces progressively declining towards the present coast, at average elevations of 36, 26 and 15 m a.s.l. The two lowest paleosurfaces match the elevation of the previously recognized marine terraces in this area; we defne a new, upper marine terrace corresponding to the 36 m paleosurface, which we name Campoverde complex. Based on the provided evidence of an age as young as MIS 5e for this terrace, we discuss the possibility that previous identifcation of a tectonically stable MIS 5e coastline ranging 10–8 m a.s.l. in this area should be revised, with signifcant implications on assessment of the amplitude of sea-level oscillations during the Last Interglacial in the Mediterranean Sea.
    [Show full text]
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of International Conservation Wildlife Without Borders-Africa Summary FY 2011 in 2011, T
    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of International Conservation Wildlife Without Borders-Africa Summary FY 2011 In 2011, the USFWS awarded 18 new grants from the Wildlife Without Borders-Africa program totaling $1,373,767.85, which was matched by $813,661.00 in leveraged funds. Field projects in eleven countries (in alphabetical order below) will be supported, in addition to seven projects that involve multiple countries. Democratic Republic of Congo AFR-0114 Building the foundation for a range-wide okapi conservation status assessment. In partnership with Zoological Society of London. The purpose of this project is to train rangers from the Institut Congolais pour la Conservacion de la Nature (ICCN), the conservation authority of the Democratic Republic of Congo, as part of a major field-based okapi conservation status assessment. Informative field guides on okapi ecology and public awareness-raising materials will be produced through broader collaborative conservation and community education efforts. FWS/USAID: $93,985 Leveraged funds: $146,517 Ethiopia AFR-0081 Training park personnel on fish resource identification and conservation in Alatish National Park, Ethiopia. In partnership with Addis Ababa University and Institute of Biodiversity Conservation. The purpose of this project is to train park personnel in Alatish National Park on diversity, distribution and importance of the fish life of the region. Park staff will learn methods of sampling, identification, and data collection on fishes in order to improve their conservation and management activities. FWS/USAID: $24,816 Leveraged funds: $6,160 Gabon AFR-0086 Increasing Institutional and Individual Capacity for Crocodile and Hippo Management in Gabon Through the Implementation of a Crocodile Management Unit.
    [Show full text]