Minimal overlap between areas of high conservation priority for endangered Galapagos pinnipeds and the conservation zone of the Galapagos Marine Reserve

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Ventura ◽  
Jason Matthiopoulos ◽  
Jana W.E. Jeglinski
2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laza Andriamandimbiarisoa ◽  
Christopher Raxworthy ◽  
Kristopher Karsten ◽  
Stanley Fox

AbstractMadagascar is a high conservation priority. Rainforests receive most of the focus, but the dry deciduous and spiny forests of south-western Madagascar house many endemics, are under high deforestation pressure, and remain largely unprotected. Charismatic vertebrates, like chameleons, face a secondary threat: harvesting for the commercial pet trade. Six chameleons inhabit the arid southwest near Toliara: Furcifer antimena, F. belalandaensis, F. labordi, F. lateralis, F. oustaleti, and F. verrucosus. We measured population densities of three of those species. Furcifer verrucosus has a large distribution, was dense (97.7 ha–1; 95% CI = 60.2-158.6), and inhabited forests and anthropogenic habitats. Furcifer labordi was much less dense (30.8 ha–1; 13.4-70.9), has a restricted range, and has a unique life history that makes it susceptible to perturbations from deforestation or illegal harvesting. Furcifer antimena was the least dense (17.0 ha–1; 9.3-30.9) and has an even smaller distribution range. We lack density data for F. lateralis, but this species was abundant in anthropogenic habitats. Within their respective ranges, there are currently no protected areas for F. antimena and only few for F. labordi; these two species are far less abundant than the more widely spread F. verrucosus. We recommend that high conservation priority be focused on F. antimena and the southern populations of F. labordi due to their restricted distributions, susceptibility to extirpation, lower population densities, and lack of formal protection. Establishing protected areas in the Ranobe region and north of the Fiherenana River, in the Belalanda region, would help protect important populations of these vulnerable species.


Zootaxa ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3609 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-141
Author(s):  
JEAN CLAUDE RAKOTONIRINA ◽  
BRIAN L. FISHER

Defining species limits and describing species of ants are important to identify taxa and habitats with elevated diversity in areas of high conservation priority such as the Malagasy region. The Pachycondyla wasmannii-group is revised in the Malagasy region where eight species are recognized, four of which are new: P. masoala sp. n., P. planicornis sp. n., P. tavaratra sp. n., and P. vazimba sp. n. Four species have been previously described: P. cambouei Forel, P. comorensis (André), P. perroti Forel, and P. wasmannii Forel. Pachycondyla perroti admista Forel is newly synonymized under P. perroti. Pachycondyla cambouei is widespread in eastern Madagascar, morphologically variable, and divided into seven morphotypes. An identification key to species and distribution maps are provided for the genus in the Malagasy region. All species are known only from Madagascar except P. wasmannii, which occurs also on Anjouan of the Comoros Islands.


PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Murillo-Posada ◽  
Silvia Salas ◽  
Iván Velázquez-Abunader

Management of low-mobility or benthic fisheries is a difficult task because variation in the spatial distribution and population dynamics of the resources make the monitoring and assessment of these fisheries challenging. We assumed that environmental, spatial, and temporal factors can contribute to the variability of the relative abundance of such species; we used Generalized Additive Models for Location Scale and Shape (GAMLSS) to test this hypothesis using as a case study the lobster fishery (targeting two species) in the Galapagos Marine Reserve, Ecuador. We gathered data on each of the two species of lobster on a monthly basis over seven years, including: (a) onboard observers’ records of catch data, fishing effort, and ground location by trip, and (b) data from interviews undertaken with fishers at their arrival to port, recording the same type of information as obtained from onboard observers. We use this information to analyze the effect of the measured variables and to standardize the Catch per Unit Effort (CPUE) in each case, using the GAMLSS. For both species, the temperature, region, fishing schedule, month, distance, and the monitoring system were significant variables of the selected models associated with the variability of the catch rate. ForPanulirus penicillatus, CPUE was higher at night than during the day, and forPanulirus gracilisit was higher during the day. Increased temperature resulted in a decrease of CPUE values. It was evident that temporal, spatial scales and monitoring system can influence the variability of this indicator. We contend that the identification of drivers of change of relative abundance in low-mobility species can help to support the development of monitoring and assessment programs for this type of fisheries.


2013 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 29-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Denkinger ◽  
Macarena Parra ◽  
Juan Pablo Muñoz ◽  
Constanza Carrasco ◽  
Juan Carlos Murillo ◽  
...  

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.J. EDGAR ◽  
R.H. BUSTAMANTE ◽  
J.-M. FARIÑA ◽  
M. CALVOPIÑA ◽  
C. MARTÍNEZ ◽  
...  

Analysis of ecological baseline data collected for key resource species within the Galapagos Marine Reserve indicates that variation in animal density associated with the location of fully protected zones can be comparable to protected area effects. Even with a high level of interspersion between conservation, tourism and fishing management zones, major differences in densities of economically important species were evident between zone types prior to enforcement of fishing restrictions. Densities of the most valuable fishery resource, sea cucumbers, were three times higher in zones that remained open to fishing compared to ‘no-take’ conservation zones, and densities of sharks were five times higher in tourism zones than fishing or conservation zones. These results highlight bias in the socio-political processes that can accompany selection of marine protected areas, where fishers attempt to minimize perceived impacts on their livelihood by locating large protected zones in resource-poor areas, and tourism operators and sport divers argue for protection of areas containing atypically-interesting features. Bias in the location of fully protected zones can seriously confound ‘control-impact’ field investigations when data prior to prohibitions on fishing are lacking, including meta-analyses, which are dominated by such potentially systematically biased studies.


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