Conservation, Volume 3, Issue 4 (December 2023) – 4 articles

Over the past several decades, concern has grown over the rising mortality of the Amazon river dolphin (‘boto’) from increased human–dolphin interactions. Among these interactions are tourist attractions involving up-close feeding encounters with the botos, confrontations with fishers, and an illegal fishing practice that uses dolphin flesh as fish bait. Drawing on original data sourced from in-depth semi-structured interviews and household surveys, existing studies on boto habitat preferences and seasonal movement, and remotely-sensed data, this paper discusses the spatial and temporal overlap between humans and dolphins in a region outside of Manaus, Amazonas in the central Brazilian Amazon. Results suggest that there is considerable spatial overlap between boto habitat and spaces used for fishing and tourism activities; additionally, overall potential for conflict is greatest during the high-water season. Full article

Wildlife tourism and wildlife trade may appear juxtaposed, but are two, potentially aligning, income generators that could benefit conservation in developing countries. Utilising data sets collated from Madagascar’s Ministère du Tourisme and CITES, respectively, for the period 2007 to 2018, this study estimated levels of income from wildlife tourism and wildlife trade for Madagascar. Between 2007 and 2018, tourism reported yearly incomes ranging from a low of USD 1.4 million up to a high of USD 15.7 million. However, it was unclear what percentage of this figure flowed to benefit local communities. Alternatively, using reported networks for the live wildlife trade, the estimated economic value reaching collectors and/or intermediaries in Madagascar was USD 72,299.80 for the period 2007 to 2018. Both revenue generators operated within different geographical areas, with tourism opportunities presenting themselves to communities adjacent to national parks, while wildlife trade networks were not restricted to protected areas and operated sporadically across Madagascar. Hence, the economic benefits reached different Malagasy participants across the country. The management of both activities needs great care to ensure that environmental impacts and sustainability are core measures on any such activities. Whilst this study shines a light on economic values and novel perspectives regarding these two trade types, it also highlights knowledge gaps, thus indicating where much greater research attentions are required to allow a better understanding of the specific benefits and risks from engaging with both trade types for local Malagasy people and their environments. Full article

This paper describes the development of a transdisciplinary knowledge network dedicated to supporting agroecology knowledge exchange and capacity building that is particularly focused on the sustainable use and conservation of agrobiodiversity. The network—Fostering Effective Agroecology for Sustainable Transformation, or FEAST—includes nodes in Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, and Canada’s Northwest Territories and has been engaged in Participatory Action Research activities since 2015. This paper examines the development of the network over time, including a workshop held in 2019 in and around Curitiba, Brazil, and reflects on the outcomes of knowledge exchange activities. We discuss how the development of the FEAST network has informed participants’ local practice and their sense of belonging to a larger-scale, international movement for agroecology, agrobiodiversity conservation, and food system sustainability. Full article

This study was undertaken in the Himalayan basin, in the river Lohawati, Uttarakhand, to study its hydro-morphological characteristics and prioritise the watersheds using geospatial tools. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection (ASTER-30 m) data and the Survey of India’s topographic sheets were used to analyse the study area comprehensively. Nine watersheds were identified within the basin in order to calculate the hydro-morphological characteristics in terms of basic, shape, texture, and relief aspects. The basin was identified as being elongated, with a total drainage area of 337.48 km². The interaction between the terrain, rock formations, and precipitation levels produced a branching structure in the areas drainage system that ranged from dendritic to sub-dendritic. The basin had been classified as a fifth-order basin, comprising a network of 500 stream segments spanning a total length of 492.41 km. In each of the watersheds, the primary streams are of the first order, followed by those of the second order, and so forth. The physiography and lithology of the basin have a significant influence on this pattern. The calculated elongation ratio, circulatory ratio, form factor, shape index, and shape factor ranged from 0.57 to 0.80, 0.35 to 0.64, 0.26 to 0.50, 1.98 to 3.89, and 0.57 to 1.77, respectively. These values indicate that watersheds are elongated, suggesting moderate lag times. The parameters, including drainage density (0.98 to 1.62), stream frequency (1.07 to 1.59), infiltration number (1.04 to 2.59), drainage texture (0.67 to 2.82), and drainage intensity (0.93 to 1.12), pointed towards the coarser drainage texture, higher infiltration, and minimal runoff characteristics of the basin. In light of the relief characteristics of the basin, a higher basin relief, relief ratio, and relative relief were observed for the watersheds, indicating the possibility of higher erosion and deforestation rates. Using the Weighted Sum Analysis (WSA) method, the computed factors were utilised to rank the watersheds based on their potential for erosion. Based on the WSA approach, watersheds were classified into high-, moderate-, and low-prioritisation zones. This further indicates that 36.14% (121.95 km²) of watersheds are in the high-priority zone, and that 48.84% (164.91 km²) and 15.00% (50.62 km²) of watersheds are in the moderate- and low-priority zones, respectively. The WSA is a practical strategy to prioritise watersheds when making appropriate decisions. Full article