The Experts below are selected from a list of 165894 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Suzanne T S Van Beeck Calkoen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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ungulate management in european National Parks why a more integrated european policy is needed
Journal of Environmental Management, 2020Co-Authors: Suzanne T S Van Beeck Calkoen, Lisa Muhlbauer, Henrik Andren, Marco Apollonio, Linas Balciauskas, Elisa Belotti, Juan Carranza, Jamie Cottam, Flurin FilliAbstract:Abstract 1. Primary objectives of National Parks usually include both, the protection of natural processes and species conservation. When these objectives conflict, as occurs because of the cascading effects of large mammals (i.e., ungulates and large carnivores) on lower trophic levels, park managers have to decide upon the appropriate management while considering various local circumstances. 2. To analyse if ungulate management strategies are in accordance with the objectives defined for protected areas, we assessed the current status of ungulate management across European National Parks using the naturalness concept and identified the variables that influence the management. 3. We collected data on ungulate management from 209 European National Parks in 29 countries by means of a large-scale questionnaire survey. Ungulate management in the Parks was compared by creating two naturalness scores. The first score reflects ungulate and large carnivore species compositions, and the second evaluates human intervention on ungulate populations. We then tested whether the two naturalness score categories are influenced by the management objectives, park size, years since establishment, percentage of government-owned land, and human impact on the environment (human influence index) using two generalized additive mixed models. 4. In 67.9% of the National Parks, wildlife is regulated by culling (40.2%) or hunting (10.5%) or both (17.2%). Artificial feeding occurred in 81.3% of the National Parks and only 28.5% of the National Parks had a non-intervention zone covering at least 75% of the area. Furthermore, ungulate management differed greatly among the different countries, likely because of differences in hunting traditions and cultural and political backgrounds. Ungulate management was also influenced by park size, human impact on the landscape, and National park objectives, but after removing these variables from the full model the reduced models only showed a small change in the deviance explained. In areas with higher anthropogenic pressure, wildlife diversity tended to be lower and a higher number of domesticated species tended to be present. Human intervention (culling and artificial feeding) was lower in smaller National Parks and when park objectives followed those set by the InterNational Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 5. Our study shows that many European National Parks do not fulfil the aims of protected area management as set by IUCN guidelines. In contrast to the USA and Canada, Europe currently has no common ungulate management policy within National Parks. This lack of a common policy together with differences in species composition, hunting traditions, and cultural or political context has led to differences in ungulate management among European countries. To fulfil the aims and objectives of National Parks and to develop ungulate management strategies further, we highlight the importance of creating a more integrated European ungulate management policy to meet the aims of National Parks.
Flurin Filli - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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ungulate management in european National Parks why a more integrated european policy is needed
Journal of Environmental Management, 2020Co-Authors: Suzanne T S Van Beeck Calkoen, Lisa Muhlbauer, Henrik Andren, Marco Apollonio, Linas Balciauskas, Elisa Belotti, Juan Carranza, Jamie Cottam, Flurin FilliAbstract:Abstract 1. Primary objectives of National Parks usually include both, the protection of natural processes and species conservation. When these objectives conflict, as occurs because of the cascading effects of large mammals (i.e., ungulates and large carnivores) on lower trophic levels, park managers have to decide upon the appropriate management while considering various local circumstances. 2. To analyse if ungulate management strategies are in accordance with the objectives defined for protected areas, we assessed the current status of ungulate management across European National Parks using the naturalness concept and identified the variables that influence the management. 3. We collected data on ungulate management from 209 European National Parks in 29 countries by means of a large-scale questionnaire survey. Ungulate management in the Parks was compared by creating two naturalness scores. The first score reflects ungulate and large carnivore species compositions, and the second evaluates human intervention on ungulate populations. We then tested whether the two naturalness score categories are influenced by the management objectives, park size, years since establishment, percentage of government-owned land, and human impact on the environment (human influence index) using two generalized additive mixed models. 4. In 67.9% of the National Parks, wildlife is regulated by culling (40.2%) or hunting (10.5%) or both (17.2%). Artificial feeding occurred in 81.3% of the National Parks and only 28.5% of the National Parks had a non-intervention zone covering at least 75% of the area. Furthermore, ungulate management differed greatly among the different countries, likely because of differences in hunting traditions and cultural and political backgrounds. Ungulate management was also influenced by park size, human impact on the landscape, and National park objectives, but after removing these variables from the full model the reduced models only showed a small change in the deviance explained. In areas with higher anthropogenic pressure, wildlife diversity tended to be lower and a higher number of domesticated species tended to be present. Human intervention (culling and artificial feeding) was lower in smaller National Parks and when park objectives followed those set by the InterNational Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 5. Our study shows that many European National Parks do not fulfil the aims of protected area management as set by IUCN guidelines. In contrast to the USA and Canada, Europe currently has no common ungulate management policy within National Parks. This lack of a common policy together with differences in species composition, hunting traditions, and cultural or political context has led to differences in ungulate management among European countries. To fulfil the aims and objectives of National Parks and to develop ungulate management strategies further, we highlight the importance of creating a more integrated European ungulate management policy to meet the aims of National Parks.
Tuuli Toivonen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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exploring human nature interactions in National Parks with social media photographs and computer vision
Conservation Biology, 2021Co-Authors: Tuomas Lauri Aleksanteri Vaisanen, Vuokko Vilhelmiina Heikinheimo, Tuomo Hiippala, Tuuli ToivonenAbstract:Understanding the activities and preferences of visitors is crucial for managing protected areas and planning conservation strategies. Conservation culturomics promotes the use of user-generated online content in conservation science. Geotagged social media content is a unique source of in situ information on human presence and activities in nature. Photographs posted on social media platforms are a promising source of information, but analyzing large volumes of photographs manually remains laborious. We examined the application of state-of-the-art computer-vision methods to studying human-nature interactions. We used semantic clustering, scene classification, and object detection to automatically analyze photographs taken in Finnish National Parks by domestic and interNational visitors. Our results showed that human-nature interactions can be extracted from user-generated photographs with computer vision. The different methods complemented each other by revealing broad visual themes related to level of the data set, landscape photogeneity, and human activities. Geotagged photographs revealed distinct regional profiles for National Parks (e.g., preferences in landscapes and activities), which are potentially useful in park management. Photographic content differed between domestic and interNational visitors, which indicates differences in activities and preferences. Information extracted automatically from photographs can help identify preferences among diverse visitor groups, which can be used to create profiles of National Parks for conservation marketing and to support conservation strategies that rely on public acceptance. The application of computer-vision methods to automatic content analysis of photographs should be explored further in conservation culturomics, particularly in combination with rich metadata available on social media platforms.
David J Parsons - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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supporting basic ecological research in u s National Parks challenges and opportunities
Ecological Applications, 2004Co-Authors: David J ParsonsAbstract:The long-term preservation of National park ecosystems requires scientific knowledge about populations, communities, and the ecological processes upon which sus- tainable ecosystems depend. Unfortunately, National Parks in the United States have a well- documented history of indifference, if not hostility, to the support of basic research. Nu- merous external reviews have criticized the lack of institutional support for science, blaming it in large part on the traditional emphasis of the National Park Service (NPS) on scenery and tourism management. However, recent efforts to improve the support for science in the U.S. National Parks have been most encouraging. These include a long-sought Con- gressional mandate to support research, a major budget initiative to support scientific un- derstanding and management of park resources as well as to improve research facilities, leadership in the establishment of a network of university-based cooperative units, and the successful partnering with private organizations to support innovative programs to fund Ph.D. students, postdocs, and sabbaticals in National Parks. The long-term success of na- tional Parks in preserving natural ecosystems depends, in large part, on the NPS's ability to provide support for the science that is necessary to understand natural ecosystems as well as the effects of human activities.
Hannah Reid - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Contractual National Parks and the Makuleke community
Human Ecology, 2001Co-Authors: Hannah ReidAbstract:Contractual National Parks in South Africa are established on land owned either by the state or by a group of private individuals, but managed by South African National Parks (SANP) according to the terms of a joint management agreement drawn up by a joint management committee consisting of representatives from SANP and the landowners. Since majority rule in 1994, contractual National Parks have been seen as a model through which the country's conservation as well as development objectives can be met, particularly where landowners are previously disadvantaged communities. This study looks at the Makuleke region of Kruger National Park in order to ascertain how successful the contractual National park model is in meeting conservation, social, and economic objectives for the area.
