Narrow Results

Biodiversity conservation has received growing attention from the international community and institutions. Global environmental governance has witnessed institutional progress, including the UN biodiversity negotiations. While spread of invasive alien species (IAS) has been recognised as an urgent threat to biodiversity and ecosystems, it has not yet been addressed through a coherent mechanism by international institutions. Instead, IAS management has been fragmented across different international institutional arrangements. Particularly, governance has been translated into local actions in a very inconsistent way. This study selects the case of the Chinese mitten crab to demonstrate the management of IAS at subnational, functional, and national levels. The multi-level governance approach offers a perspective for discussing IAS governance across the vertical, functional, and administrative stakeholders. This chapter argues that global IAS governance requires a coherent institutional framework. At the same time, it has to address the conflicting and competing interests and ideas of different institutions, agreements, and actors across different institutional levels.

A synthesis is presented of sampling work conducted under a UK government-funded Darwin Initiative grant undertaken predominantly within the Danum Valley Conservation Area (DVCA), Sabah, East Malaysia. The project concerned the assemblage structure, gas physiology and landscape gas fluxes of termites in pristine and two ages of secondary, dipterocarp forest. The DVCA termite fauna is typical of the Sunda region, dominated by Termes-group soil-feeders and Nasutitermitinae. Selective logging appears to have relatively little effect on termite assemblages, although soil-feeding termites may be moderately affected by this level of disturbance. Species composition changes, but to a small extent when considered against the background level of compositional differences within the Sunda region. Physiologically the assemblage is very like others that have been studied, although there are some species that do not fit on the expected body size–metabolic rate curve. As elsewhere, soil-feeders and soil–wood interface-feeders tend to produce more methane. As with the termite assemblage characteristics, gross gas and energy fluxes do not differ significantly between logged and unlogged sites. Although gross methane fluxes are high, all the soils at DVCA were methane sinks, suggesting that methane oxidation by methanotrophic bacteria was a more important process than methane production by gut archaea. This implies that methane production by termites in South-East Asia is not contributing significantly to the observed increase in levels of methane production worldwide. Biomass density, species richness, clade complement and energy flow were much lower at DVCA than at a directly comparable site in southern Cameroon. This is probably due to the different biogeographical histories of the areas.

Understanding the extent and causes of insect diversity in the humid tropics is one of the major challenges in modern ecology. We review some of the current approaches to this problem, and discuss how future progress may be made. Recent calculations that there may be more than 30 million species of insect on earth have focused attention on the magnitude of this problem and stimulated several new lines of research (although the true figure is now widely thought to be between five and ten million species). We discuss work based on insecticidal fogging surveys; studies of herbivore and parasitoid specificity; macroecological approaches; and the construction of food webs. It is argued that progress in estimating insect diversity and in understanding insect community dynamics will be enhanced by building local inventories of species diversity, and in descriptive and experimental studies of the trophic structure of communities. As an illustration of work aimed at the last goal, we discuss the construction and analysis of quantitative host-parasitoid food webs, drawing on our work on leaf miner communities in Central America.

The visual uniformity of tropical peat swamp forest masks the considerable variation in forest structure that has evolved in response to differences and changes in peat characteristics over many millennia. Details are presented of forest structure and tree composition of the principal peat swamp forest types in the upper catchment of Sungai Sebangau, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, in relation to thickness and hydrology of the peat. Consideration is given to data on peat geochemistry and age of peat that provide evidence of the ombrotrophic nature of this vast peatland and its mode of formation. The future sustainability of this ecosystem is predicted from information available on climate change and human impact in this region.

In response to the sustainability challenges that the Los Angeles region is facing due to the climate crisis and an increasing population, UCLA launched the first university-led Grand Challenge in 2013 — the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge, thriving in a hotter Los Angeles. The long-term goals of this Grand Challenge are to transition Los Angeles County to 100% renewable energy, 100% local water, and enhanced ecosystem health by the year 2050. UCLA is leading this effort by coordinating research across disciplines, educating and training students to be the next-generation of problem solvers, and engaging stakeholders to create policy recommendations, technology breakthroughs, and partnerships that result in scalable urban sustainability solutions. Los Angeles County’s diversity in sustainability challenges, landscapes, and cultures make solutions implemented in Los Angeles relevant for megacities across the globe.

Food is the single strongest lever to optimize human health and environmental sustainability on Earth. However, food is currently threatening both people and the planet. An immense challenge facing humanity is to provide a growing world population with healthy diets from sustainable food systems. While global food production of calories has generally kept pace with population growth, more than 820 million people still lack sufficient food, and many more consume either low-quality diets or too much food. Unhealthy diets now pose a greater risk to morbidity and mortality than unsafe sex, alcohol, drug and tobacco use combined. Global food production threatens climate stability and ecosystem resilience and constitutes the single largest driver of environmental degradation and transgression of planetary boundaries Willett et al. (2019). Taken together, the outcome is dire. A radical transformation of the global food system is urgently needed. Without action, the world risks failing to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement, and today’s children will inherit a planet that has been severely degraded and where much of the population will increasingly suffer from malnutrition and preventable disease…

Impossible Foods was founded with the intention of empowering consumers to help halt climate change, spare land for biodiversity, reduce net agricultural inputs, and keep fresh water available for natural habitats to thrive, while improving long-term food security. We have begun this work through our flagship product, the Impossible Burger. The Impossible Burger is plant-based, but replicates the taste of beef and uses significantly fewer resources that harm our planet (Khan et al., 2019)…

The Asia-Pacific (AP) region is one of the most diverse regions in the world in terms of its socio-cultural, biological and physical features. It has the world’s highest mountains and deepest ocean floors. Located in the region are diverse tropical, subtropical and montane forests, grasslands, wetlands, deserts, alpine and coastal ecosystems, and the largest numbers of small islands, and richest corals globally. It hosts a high number of native species, having 16 of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots and 4 of the 10 megadiverse countries. With the world’s largest and most extensive areas of coral reefs and mangroves, it has the greatest marine biodiversity globally as well (IPBES, 2018)…

Castilla la Mancha is a very important wine producer region in Spain. The obtaining of a quality product is each day more important, being one of the principal factors the microbiological stability in wine finished. The objective of the present work was to study the microbiological stability of different kind of wines from three D.O. la Mancha wineries. 17 samples, both white and red wines, were taken at the end of last vineyard being non centrifuged and centrifuged wines, filtered, from barrels and already bottled. YPD agar was used for growing of yeasts. Non Saccharomyces species were isolated from YPD plates by replicate platting using lysine agar. In the case of bacteria, there was no growth; neither lactic acid nor acetic when the samples were incubated on Rogosa and EYP and GYC agar plates. Nevertheless 13 of 17 samples presented yeasts contamination. Only two wines contained non Saccharomyces yeasts, which were isolated and identified by PCR/ RFLP. Mitochondrial DNA analysis technique was utilized to identify all Saccharomyces strains which allowed to know if yeasts found were the same than the starter used for inoculation. Five different Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains were found in semi fermented samples; being biodiversity in other wines lower. In wines from barrels, there was a predominant strain presented at 90 % of cases, which indicate that it is a strain adapted to aging process.

Following a theory developed by ULRICH (1987, 1992 and 1994), a definition of forest ecosystems is given and explained based on the irreversibility of fluxes. The steady state of a forest ecosystem is defined by equal rates of primary production (photosynthesis) and secondary production (respiration including mineralization). Deviations from steady state can be assessed by measuring input and output of bioelements and changes in biodiversity.

According to this forest ecosystem theory, both selective logging and conversion of natural or exploited dipterocarp forests to plantations are discussed using data from case studies of lowland Dipterocarp forests in East Kalimantan/Indonesia and Sabah/Malaysia. The conversion of natural and logged over Dipterocarp forest ecosystems into monocultures of fast-growing exotics (applied on hundreds of thousands of hectares per year in Southeast Asia) cannot be considered a sustainable management form. Under special conditions sustainability might be possible applying selective logging of Dipterocarp forest ecosystems in its reduced-impact form.

Efforts to preserve the biodiversity of the Philippine islands and to simultaneously sustain human food production, led to the development of a "Closed Canopy and High Diversity Forest Farming System", popularly termed "Rainforestation Fanning". The system is aiming to replace the more destructive forms of "kaingin" or slash and burn practices, form a buffer zone around the primary forests, protect its biodiversity, help maintain the water cycle of the islands, and provide farmers with a stable and higher income.

Contrary to the conventional paradigm of farm management, the concept works with the hypothesis that a farming system is increasingly more sustainable the closer its physical structure and species composition are to the original local rainforest. Consequently, the biodiversity and physico-chemical diversity of the remaining rainforests of Leyte are studied in detail. In a holistic approach, all major ecosystems connected physically, biologically or through the activity of man are included in the research.

In field trials, more than 100 selected local tree species are tested for their performance in achieving a 3-storeyed and maximal diverse rainforest association. Crop production enriches the system through shade-requiring understorey species of Colocasia and Xanthosoma, and climbers like species of Dioscorea and rattan are attached to the faster growing trees.

A major drawback is the scarcity of seeds from highly valued tree species due to the almost complete extinction of the lowland rainforest and to ongoing selective timber poaching which is specifically eliminating mother trees. Hence, environmental education plays a major part in the overall approach, which also includes efforts to protect seed sources and can extend to the conservation of marine sanctuaries to emphasize the interconnectedness of all island ecosystems and man's role in his coexistence with nature.

Dipterocarps cannot be successfully used as primary species in Imperata grassland reforestation. First the grass has to be suppressed by fast-growing species, which are able to provide suitable growing conditions for dipterocarp seedlings. Nitrogen fixing Paraserianthes falcataria and Acacia mangium are possible species for this purpose, but local pioneer species may have potential as well. After the fast-growing plantation has been established, successful planting of dipterocarps becomes technically possible. Intensive plantation tending has to be continued after the establishment phase. When planting dipterocarps under fast-growing nurse trees on grasslands, the species selection should be focused on species known to be adaptable to degraded soil conditions and extreme microclimate. Possible species can be found in fast-growing, light or medium hardwood dipterocarp genera, e.g., Anisoptera sp., Dryobalanops sp., Hopea sp. and Shorea sp. More information on suitable species, and their site requirements and mycorrhizal formations is needed. Plantation mixtures are more complicated to manage than the pure stands of exotics. In spite of the problems, results indicate good prospects for diversifying the species composition of forest plantations on former Imperata cylindrica grasslands. Combinations of fast-growing species and selected dipterocarps create alternatives to the exploitation of remaining natural forests. Despite the long time period needed, the method can be used both for wood production and gradual restoration of natural rainforest ecosystems.

Arunachal Pradesh, the eastern most state of India, is one of the ‘hotspots’ of global biodiversity. This state is a micro-hotspot within the larger Eastern Himalayas hotspot. Based on satellite imagery, the forest area in this state constitutes around 81.91% of its total area, which is one of the highest of any state in India. The conflict between development process and protecting the rich biodiversity of Arunachal Pradesh is becoming increasingly apparent. Arunachal Pradesh has a unique opportunity to map out a development path that is sustainable and ecologically sound. Despite being rich in its natural resource endowment, the state is one of the most backward states of India. In these circumstances, the promotion of tourism appears to be one of the best ways of generating internal revenue, employment, income and accelerating the pace of development in this state. In addition, the promotion of nature-based and ecotourism can play an important role in the State's strategy for conserving its rich forest resources as well as its cultural heritage. Hence, the present chapter deals with the opportunities and challenges of developing tourism in this remote state of India.

This paper present the Tropical Culture Collection CCT to show how it is and the areas it is involved: Applied microbiology, Culture and preservation methods, Environmental protection, Industrial microbiology, Fermentation, Freeze drying and so on, and also about the services and training courses it offers: Management of a culture collection, Culture and preservation methods, Propagation, Preservation, Storage services (Bacteria, Yeasts, Fungi), Distribution (Bacteria, Yeasts, Fungi).