The danube delta: geographical characteristics and ecological recovery

Selected abstracts

356

browse quantity. Fire’s retardation of succession, however, may be of greater benefit to deer than tern orary forage enhancement. A lo-20 yr interval between f!res maintains pine savanna on Big Pine Key, Florida. An interval of lo-50 yr on smaller, more isolated islands arrests succession at an intermediate stage. Only a very long tire-tree interval (>lOO vr) allows full develonment of a hammock community. Pr&&ing extinction of endemic plants is a major benefit of prescribed burning. Despite the value of prescribed burning for maintaining pineland endemics and suecies important in the Key deer diet, management of Lower Keys vegetation should encompass other succes-from Authors sional stages. 942/00021 Development and management of wintering geese in the Lower Rhine area of North Rhine-West-

phalia/Germany J. H. Mooij, Vogelwurte, 37(l), 1993, pp 55-77. Peak winter numbers at the Lower Rhine goose wintering site are now at a level that is >180 times higher than it was 30 yr ago. The highest increase is shown by white-fronted geese Anser albi ons, where the wintering population has risen from 10 0 6 0 to 140 000, whereas bean geese Anser fabalis, increased from 1000 to 20 000-30 000 birds. All wintering geese of the Lower Rhine area prefer to feed on grasslands of relatively undisturbed feeding sites with buffer zones of at least 250m that are periodically flooded and more or less richly structured by hedges and relief. Bean geese show a definitely stronger preference for drier feeding sites and for areas structured by hedges than whitefronted. A management strategy for the long term protection of wintering geese at the Lower Rhine has to take into account these preferences by creating a network of protected areas, where geese can roost and feed with a minimum of disturbance and maintain good condition throughout the winter. Because the Lower Rhine area is a Ramsar site such a strategy has to be a part of an integrated strategy for the management of breedmg, wandering and wintering waders and waterfowl within the sco e of a ‘Western Palearctic Waterfowl Agreement’ under J: e Bonn -from Author Convention.

942/00022 The composition Romania’s plant cover

and

conservation

of

E. C. Muica & A. Ponova-Cucu. GeoJournaZ. 29(l). _.. I 1993, pp 9-18. Romania is characterized by great floristic diversity and there are many distinctive aspects to the distribution of vegetation units. The diverse plant cover should he given the protection of national ark or nature reserve status. Present designations are suB stantial, though not yet adeuate, and monitoring is needed to establish the extent or Fitrther provision. -from Authors 942/00023 The Danube Delta: geographical characteristics and ecological recovery P. Gastescu, GeoJournal, 29(l), 1993, pp 57-67. The Danube Delta is very large with diverse resources which have been intensively exploited during the modem ueriod. It is now of great interest to conservationists with 280 species of birds 7177 of which breed in the delta). The delta (includinn the Razim-Sinoie lake comulex) is now a Biosphere Reserve. The reserve is described and the principles for management are discussed. -from Author 942/00024

Human impact on a natural montane forest in southeastern Ethiopia D. Teketay, Mountain Research & Development, 12(b),

1992, pp 393400. A forest in the Harerae Highlands. reuresentina the forests that used to cover all-the highland a&as of SEIEthiopia,. is dominated by Juniperus procera and Podocarpw grac&or which are associated with several broad-leaved tree species. The forest is irn rtant for its productive and protective functions as we upo as for conservina both nhmt and animal diversity for future uses. It is imder ‘mcreased human pressure. and species such as Oiea hochstetteri, Hagenia abyssinica, and J. procera are under threat of local extinction. Recommendations that may help to alleviate these problems am presented. -from Author

the biodiversity 94ZlOOO25 A strategy for conservin of the Uttara Kannada District in sout %India R. J. R. Daniel& M. D. S. Char&an & M. Gadgil, Environmental Conservation, 20(2), 1993, pp 131-138. This hilly district, with the highest proportion of its area under forests in South India, is divided mto five ecological zones. The heavily-populated coastal zone includes mangrove forests and estuarine wetlands. The evergreen forests are particularly rich in the diversity of lant s which they support, including wild relatives o P a numE3 cultivated plants. They also serve a vital function in watershed conservation. The moist deciduous forests are rich in bird species; both moist and dry deciduous forests include a number of freshwater ponds and lakes that support a high diversity of aquatic birds. Specific localities should be set aside as nature reserves, complemented by a network of traditionally-protected sacred groves and trees. -from Authors

94ZfOOO26 The utilization and conservation in Japan T. Miyazawa, Suo, 43(3), 1992, pp V-92.

of mires

Japan has ~200 000 ha of mires (0.5% of the total land area), and peat reserves of ~625 million tons. Because of the great drversity in both climatic and topogra hit conditions various types of mire and wetlands are Pound, from large coastal mrres in Hokkaido to the mangrove forests with surrounding limnogenic mires in subtropical regions of the Ryukyu Archipelago. The majority of Japanese mires are, however, located in regions of recent volcanic activity and on the alluvial plains of C Honshu aud northwards. Most of the lowland mires have long since been reclaimed. Different forms of mire utilization are outlined and 30 legally (or otherwise) protected mires in Hokkaido -from Author are described.

942/00027 Biogeography and conservation of reptiles, mammals and buds across north-western Austraha: an inventory and base for planning an ecological reserve r6F7n&

Woinarski, Wildlife Research,

19(6),

1992, pp

*The distributions of mammals (94 s .-38% of the Australian total), land birds (252 s1 p .=%%), and terrestrial reptiles (269 s .=39%) in NW ustralia are analysed. Of these soecies. Pp33 (mostlv rentiles) are restricttd to this region. Reptiles (and especidy endemic species) characteristicallv have small rannes in this ama. For all three groups diversity is highest”m coastal, high rainfall areas. Such areas are relatively well re resented in the existing nature reserve system. Assemg lages of species are mapped. A total of 58 reserves occur in the region. Most are small (median 24km2) and concentrated around population centres. Largely because of the dispersion of exrsting reserves, almost a quarter of the s ties considered (and about the same proportion of en 8”. emtc species) are not known to occur in any conservation reserve in the region. Priorities are assigned for the placement of future reserves. The most significant additions should be in the N Kimberley, SW Kimberley, northern frln e of the Tanami Desert, Gulf of Carpentaria hinterland an%E Arnhem Land. -from Author 94Z/OOO28 Exploitation

of species on the rocky coast of New South Wales (Australia) and options for its management A. J. %nderwood, Ocean & Coastal Management, 20(l),

1993, pp 41-62. Human harvesting of intertidal and subtidal s ties of invertebrates aud algae on the rocky coast of Npe ew South Wales is widespread and destructive. Direct effects am the loss of the in&vrduals actually taken and thepotential loss of breeding populations because harvesting rs widespread and continuous. Indirect effects include the loss of food for