Search results for "Conservation"

Evaluating the effects of forest tree species on rill detachment capacity in a semi-arid environment

2021

Abstract The beneficial effects of plant roots in decreasing soil detachment in forest ecosystems exposed to rill erosion are well known. However, these effects vary largely between different plant species. There has been lots of research into the relationship between root-soil systems and rill erodibility with a particular focus on grass species. Conversely, fewer studies are available for tree species, especially in forests of semi-arid or arid environments. Greater knowledge is therefore needed to identify the most effective tree species against rill erosion in these ecosystems, where water availability is the limiting factor for vegetation growth and afforestation is often the only solu…

The mummy of Rosalia Lombardo at the end of 2022: an update on the status quaestionis and a reflection on the level of evidence

2022

In this communication we present key new evidence on the story of the famous Salafia embalming manuscript that further clarifies the genesis of a series of studies on this topic and corroborates our assumptions published in previous articles on this matter. In the second part of the paper, we provide a concise ethical analysis of Rosalia Lombardo’s case and try to establish a level of evidence in the assessment of her preservation by comparing facts and interpretations. Finally, we call for an independent assessment of the mummy’s state of preservation and the disclosure of the full content of the Salafia manuscript. Rosalia

Territories of Life in Europe. Towards a Classification of the Rural Commons for Biodiversity Conservation

2022

International awareness has grown about the relevance of considering indigenous and local communities as agent of eco-compatible territorial governance. This is today fully acknowledged in the context of the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) and the CBD (United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity). Notions like “territories of life”, “ICCAs”, “community-based OECMs” (Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures) and voluntarily “conserved areas” have become central in international conservation discourse, but they are not equally considered in the EU environmental and agricultural policy. The Italian case here presented shows that rural commons have surviv…

Evidence of a complex phylogeographic structure in the common dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius (Rodentia: Gliridae)

2012

Contact: amouton@ulg.ac.be; International audience; This is the first mitochondrial phylogeography of the common dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius (Linnaeus, 1758), a hibernating rodent strictly protected in Europe (Habitat Directive, annex IV; Bern Convention, annex III). The 84 individuals of M. avellanarius, sampled throughout the distributional range of the species, have been sequenced at the mitochondrial DNA gene (cytochrome b, 704 base pairs). The results revealed two highly divergent lineages, with an ancient separation around 7.7 Mya and a genetic divergence of 7.7%. Lineage 1 occurs in Western Europe (France, Belgium, and Switzerland) and Italy, and lineage 2 occurs in CentralNor…

Management of Cultural Landscapes: What Does this Mean in the Former Soviet Union? A Case Study from Latvia

2009

Concern about changing cultural landscapes has increased recently, with the advent of the European Landscape Convention placing signatory countries in a position of having to develop action for protecting and managing cultural landscapes. In countries of the former Soviet Union the landscape underwent many changes as a result of agricultural collectivisation and its aftermath. This situation has been analysed for six sample rural municipalities (pagasts) in Latvia, one of the three former Soviet countries to join the European Union (EU), using maps from the period 1901 to 1927 (to represent the ‘traditional landscape’) and 1997 orthophotographs updated to 2000 (to represent the ‘post-Soviet…

Soil biodiversity monitoring in Europe : ongoing activities and challenges

2009

International audience; The increasing interest in soil biodiversity and its protection includes both the biodiversity conservation issues and the mostly unknown economic and ecological values of services provided by soil biodiversity. Inventory and monitoring are necessary tools for the achievement of an adequate level of knowledge regarding soil biodiversity status and for the detection of biodiversity hot spots as well as areas where current levels of biodiversity are under threat of decline. In this paper the main tools and methodological approaches for soil biodiversity measurement are presented. Technical aspects related to the inventory and monitoring activities at a large spatial sc…

Can sexual selection theory inform genetic management of captive populations? A review

2014

International audience; Captive breeding for conservation purposes presents a serious practical challenge because several conflicting genetic processes (i.e., inbreeding depression, random genetic drift and genetic adaptation to captivity) need to be managed in concert to maximize captive population persistence and reintroduction success probability. Because current genetic management is often only partly successful in achieving these goals, it has been suggested that management insights may be found in sexual selection theory (in particular, female mate choice). We review the theoretical and empirical literature and consider how female mate choice might influence captive breeding in the co…

L'ex convento e carcere di San Vito di Agrigento. Studi e proposte per la sua conservazione

2020

Il saggio “L’ex convento carcere di San Vito di Agrigento. Studi sulle trasformazioni e proposte per la sua conservazione” indaga l’antico convento dei frati Minori di Agrigento, trasformato nel sec. XIX in carcere di Agrigento. Il convento, costruito fuori le mura della città, era costituito dalla chiesa, dal chiostro e dal convento con le celle e gli spazi comuni dei frati. La nuova destinazione a carcere, con i lavori effettuati tra la metà del sec. XIX, primi e metà del sec. XX, ha in parte distrutto e occultato il convento medievale. Nell’Anno Accademico 2011-2012, i due corsi di Laboratorio di Restauro e Teoria e Storia del Restauro, del Corso di laurea in Architettura, sede di Agrige…

Ex situ conservation of Sicilian endemic species in the Botanical garden of Catania University

2009

In-vitro regeneration of Calendula maritima Guss. (Asteraceae), a threatened plant endemic to Western Sicily

2016

Calendula maritima is a critically endangered endemic plant of Western Sicily. Besides habitat destruction, the hybridization with the contiguous congener species C. fulgida is a major threat to its conservation. For this reason, seed-based propagation and seed storage are not appropriate for conservation purposes. In the present paper we describe a rapid and prolific In vitro plant regeneration method by direct organogenesis from leaves of C. maritima. Leaf explants were cultured on solid Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium in the presence of several plant growth regulator combinations. The best shoot multiplication rate (2.5 shoots/explant) was obtained on the medium containing 4.4 mu M 6-ben…