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The Wadden Sea as a pristine nature reserve
188
Selected abstracts
Scldeswig-Holstein. A prominent temporal overlap of the sensitive periods for seals (pup-rearing) and ducks (being flightless during moult), on the one hand, and the occurrence of high numbers of boats on the other hand was found. Between May and October >60% of the boating traffic is due to leisure boats. A wen-defined spatial segregation of areas with high boating traffic and important areas for seals and moulting ducks is evident. The lack of boating activities in the latter areas provides good conditions for the development of the specxes concerned. Disturbances of seals have still been observed in the bordering buffer zones; 75% of these disturbances are caused by boats. Some recommendations for boating traffic (eg creation of 'zero-use regions') are given. -from Authors 93Z/00026 The Wadden Sea as a pristine nature reserve K. Reise, Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Publication Series, 20, 1992, pp 49-53. The modem Wadden Sea has diverged irretrievably from a pristine path. An alternative to pristine nature reserves is the designation of 'zero-use nature reserves'. Zero-use areas should include all habitat elements of the Wadden Sea. Large size is crucial. -from Author 93Z/00027 Role of tide, light and fisheries in the decline of Zostera marina L. in the Dutch Wadden Sea V.N. De longe & D. J. De Jong, Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Publication Series, 20, 1992, pp 161-176. In the past, a sublittoral area of 65-150km 2 and an eulittotal area of unkown size in the W Dutch Wadden Sea were covered with Zostera marina. This situation changed in the early 1930s when all the eelgrass was killed by a 'wasting disease'. In 1932 the closing off the Zuiderzee was completed. At many locations where Zostera used to grown prolifically, the current velocities have also changed dramatically (by a factor of 0.25-2.9) resulting in more sedimentation or erosion, suggesting that eelgrass was unlikely to re-establish at these new dynamic locations. The increased turbidity in the W Dutch Wadden Sea in 1950-1984 may also have hampered re-establishment at other sublittoral locations. Improvement of the light conditions seems the main precondition for a successful recovery of the eeigrass vegetation. Human activities such as fishing on intertidal mussel beds and for cockle severely damage local eelgrass stands. -from Authors 93Z/00028 Landschaftsplanerische Aspekte beim Ausbau yon Fliessgewassern (Landscape planning considerations in the control of watercourses) R. Murb, in: Wasser. Eine Einfuhrung in die Umweltwissenschaften, ed H.R. Bohm & M. Deneke, (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt), 1992, pp 119-136. Control of German water couress, begun in the mid-19th century, has virtually eliminated damp zones and low-lying meadowland problems, with accompanying lowering of the groundwater level. Domestic a n d industrial wastewater discharges have accentuated the continuing damage to the flora and the fauna. Ecological planning to overcome these developments can also provide leisure areas and landscaping ana preservation of watercourses and of vegetation. -R.Hardbottle 93Z/00029 Der Einfluss von Storungen auf uberwinternde Wasservogel am westlichen Bodensee (Disturbance factors and their effects on water birds wintering in the western parts of Lake Constance) H. G. Bauer, H. Stark & P. Frermel, Ornithologische Beobachter, 89(2), 1992, pp 93-110. Results underline a general tendency towards an increase in the use of the lake for human recreation. In Constance Bay which is of great ecological importance for wintering goldeneye Bucephala clangula the population is decreasing significantly as the number of boats increases. It is of great importance to establish larger protected areas, to stop water sports and fishing for pleasure from October-March, and to tmpose a permanent ban on hunting. -from English summary
93Z/00030 Effects of EC policy implementation on n a t u r a l Spanish habitats M. A. Valladares, Science of the Total Environment, 129(1-2), 1993, pp 71-82. Spain's admission to the European Community has facilitated access to environmental legislation, while on the other hand the biological wealth of Spain's natural environments has suffered from a lack of careful regulation of the effects of a large number of Community policies. These are therefore unable to be extrapolated to the Spanish context, in order to avoid a contradictory EC policy which supports and finances both the conservation as well as the degradation and destruction of habitats. One of the most outsanding of these factors is the Common Agricultural Policy, along with the misuse of structural funds. -from Author 93Z/00031 Conserving the species-rich meadows of Europe A. Garcia, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 40(1-4), 1992, pp 219-232. One of the few areas of Europe where traditional management is still practised is in N Spain. Here, the hay meadows can be defined as semi-natural, species-rich communities that are maintained by one or more factors which are under the direct control of man. The traditional management to which they are subjected has led to a high species diversity. As survey was carried out to examine the effects of traditional management on the fioristic composition, diversity and production of these meadows. The area studied is situated m the Valdeon Valley, NW Spain (Cantabrian Mountains). Cutting for hay once per year, non-irrigation non-manuring and grazing in autumn was correlated with high species diversity. The future conservation of these habitats will depend on the formulation of support to continue with traditional management practices. -from Author 93Z/00032 T a n z a n i a ' s vanishing rain forests - assessment of nature conservation values, biodiversity and importance for water catchment J. E. Bjomdalen, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 40(1-4), 1992, pp 313-334. The rain forests of Tanzania occupy small areas, mostly confined to isolated mountains. Except for some isolated volcanic mountains (Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Mere, the Ngorongoro Crater), most of the rain forests are confined to the Eastern Are mountains, and are characterized by high biodiversity, with large numbers of endemic and rare taxa of plants and animals. Intensive cultivation affects the reserves from all sides, leaving the forests isolated, fragmented 'islands'. Former timber production and logging programs have depleted large areas of rain forests, eg in the Usambara Mountains. Extensive, destructive, legal and illegal activities have taken place inside most of the forest reserves. Research programs on rain forest catchments are forming a basis for future management and monitoring of the forest reserves. -from Author 93Z/00033 A proposed geographic information system for assessing the optimal dispersion of protected areas in South Africa A . T . Lombard, P. V. August & W. R. Siegfi'ied, South African Journal of Science, 88(3), 1992, pp 136-140. Outlines the numerous databases which are needed to establish an effective GIS, and suggests methods of comPmiling data inventories, organizing databases and integratg the procedures of South African institutions. -from Authors 93Z/00034 Effect of grazing on soil and plant cover in the north Kazakh Desert (inRussian) K . A . Asanov, I. I. Alimaev & K. Sh. Smailov, Problemy
Osvoeniya Pustyn' - Akademiya Nauk Turkmenskoi SSR, 2, 1992, pp 7-13. With uncontrolled grazing, soft water physical propeRies have become worse, and humus content drops to 40% or less. Use of grazing land with 65% coefficient favours herb stand self-restoration and its enrichment at the expense of ephemeral and perennial plants. -from English summary
Selected abstracts
Scldeswig-Holstein. A prominent temporal overlap of the sensitive periods for seals (pup-rearing) and ducks (being flightless during moult), on the one hand, and the occurrence of high numbers of boats on the other hand was found. Between May and October >60% of the boating traffic is due to leisure boats. A wen-defined spatial segregation of areas with high boating traffic and important areas for seals and moulting ducks is evident. The lack of boating activities in the latter areas provides good conditions for the development of the specxes concerned. Disturbances of seals have still been observed in the bordering buffer zones; 75% of these disturbances are caused by boats. Some recommendations for boating traffic (eg creation of 'zero-use regions') are given. -from Authors 93Z/00026 The Wadden Sea as a pristine nature reserve K. Reise, Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Publication Series, 20, 1992, pp 49-53. The modem Wadden Sea has diverged irretrievably from a pristine path. An alternative to pristine nature reserves is the designation of 'zero-use nature reserves'. Zero-use areas should include all habitat elements of the Wadden Sea. Large size is crucial. -from Author 93Z/00027 Role of tide, light and fisheries in the decline of Zostera marina L. in the Dutch Wadden Sea V.N. De longe & D. J. De Jong, Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Publication Series, 20, 1992, pp 161-176. In the past, a sublittoral area of 65-150km 2 and an eulittotal area of unkown size in the W Dutch Wadden Sea were covered with Zostera marina. This situation changed in the early 1930s when all the eelgrass was killed by a 'wasting disease'. In 1932 the closing off the Zuiderzee was completed. At many locations where Zostera used to grown prolifically, the current velocities have also changed dramatically (by a factor of 0.25-2.9) resulting in more sedimentation or erosion, suggesting that eelgrass was unlikely to re-establish at these new dynamic locations. The increased turbidity in the W Dutch Wadden Sea in 1950-1984 may also have hampered re-establishment at other sublittoral locations. Improvement of the light conditions seems the main precondition for a successful recovery of the eeigrass vegetation. Human activities such as fishing on intertidal mussel beds and for cockle severely damage local eelgrass stands. -from Authors 93Z/00028 Landschaftsplanerische Aspekte beim Ausbau yon Fliessgewassern (Landscape planning considerations in the control of watercourses) R. Murb, in: Wasser. Eine Einfuhrung in die Umweltwissenschaften, ed H.R. Bohm & M. Deneke, (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt), 1992, pp 119-136. Control of German water couress, begun in the mid-19th century, has virtually eliminated damp zones and low-lying meadowland problems, with accompanying lowering of the groundwater level. Domestic a n d industrial wastewater discharges have accentuated the continuing damage to the flora and the fauna. Ecological planning to overcome these developments can also provide leisure areas and landscaping ana preservation of watercourses and of vegetation. -R.Hardbottle 93Z/00029 Der Einfluss von Storungen auf uberwinternde Wasservogel am westlichen Bodensee (Disturbance factors and their effects on water birds wintering in the western parts of Lake Constance) H. G. Bauer, H. Stark & P. Frermel, Ornithologische Beobachter, 89(2), 1992, pp 93-110. Results underline a general tendency towards an increase in the use of the lake for human recreation. In Constance Bay which is of great ecological importance for wintering goldeneye Bucephala clangula the population is decreasing significantly as the number of boats increases. It is of great importance to establish larger protected areas, to stop water sports and fishing for pleasure from October-March, and to tmpose a permanent ban on hunting. -from English summary
93Z/00030 Effects of EC policy implementation on n a t u r a l Spanish habitats M. A. Valladares, Science of the Total Environment, 129(1-2), 1993, pp 71-82. Spain's admission to the European Community has facilitated access to environmental legislation, while on the other hand the biological wealth of Spain's natural environments has suffered from a lack of careful regulation of the effects of a large number of Community policies. These are therefore unable to be extrapolated to the Spanish context, in order to avoid a contradictory EC policy which supports and finances both the conservation as well as the degradation and destruction of habitats. One of the most outsanding of these factors is the Common Agricultural Policy, along with the misuse of structural funds. -from Author 93Z/00031 Conserving the species-rich meadows of Europe A. Garcia, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 40(1-4), 1992, pp 219-232. One of the few areas of Europe where traditional management is still practised is in N Spain. Here, the hay meadows can be defined as semi-natural, species-rich communities that are maintained by one or more factors which are under the direct control of man. The traditional management to which they are subjected has led to a high species diversity. As survey was carried out to examine the effects of traditional management on the fioristic composition, diversity and production of these meadows. The area studied is situated m the Valdeon Valley, NW Spain (Cantabrian Mountains). Cutting for hay once per year, non-irrigation non-manuring and grazing in autumn was correlated with high species diversity. The future conservation of these habitats will depend on the formulation of support to continue with traditional management practices. -from Author 93Z/00032 T a n z a n i a ' s vanishing rain forests - assessment of nature conservation values, biodiversity and importance for water catchment J. E. Bjomdalen, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 40(1-4), 1992, pp 313-334. The rain forests of Tanzania occupy small areas, mostly confined to isolated mountains. Except for some isolated volcanic mountains (Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Mere, the Ngorongoro Crater), most of the rain forests are confined to the Eastern Are mountains, and are characterized by high biodiversity, with large numbers of endemic and rare taxa of plants and animals. Intensive cultivation affects the reserves from all sides, leaving the forests isolated, fragmented 'islands'. Former timber production and logging programs have depleted large areas of rain forests, eg in the Usambara Mountains. Extensive, destructive, legal and illegal activities have taken place inside most of the forest reserves. Research programs on rain forest catchments are forming a basis for future management and monitoring of the forest reserves. -from Author 93Z/00033 A proposed geographic information system for assessing the optimal dispersion of protected areas in South Africa A . T . Lombard, P. V. August & W. R. Siegfi'ied, South African Journal of Science, 88(3), 1992, pp 136-140. Outlines the numerous databases which are needed to establish an effective GIS, and suggests methods of comPmiling data inventories, organizing databases and integratg the procedures of South African institutions. -from Authors 93Z/00034 Effect of grazing on soil and plant cover in the north Kazakh Desert (inRussian) K . A . Asanov, I. I. Alimaev & K. Sh. Smailov, Problemy
Osvoeniya Pustyn' - Akademiya Nauk Turkmenskoi SSR, 2, 1992, pp 7-13. With uncontrolled grazing, soft water physical propeRies have become worse, and humus content drops to 40% or less. Use of grazing land with 65% coefficient favours herb stand self-restoration and its enrichment at the expense of ephemeral and perennial plants. -from English summary