Suchergebnisse

ew observations of non-indigenous species (NIS) in coastal waters, such as the Gulf of Cadiz (Spain) have increased since 1980 and more or less exponentially in the last five years. Ballast water has become the most significant pathway for unintentional introductions of NIS into marine ecosystems. For example, the marine larvae of crustacean decapods that inhabit the water column could be transported in ballast water. Although elevated concentrations of metals are toxic to many marine organisms, some of them have evolved effective detoxification, or avoidance mechanisms making it possible to consider they have a superior ability to withstand exposures to these toxicants. In this text, we try to reinforce the hypothesis that anthropogenic modifications (such as chemical alterations and modified environments) benefit NIS with broad environmental tolerances. Taking these risks into account, a reinforcement of efficient Ballast Water Management Systems to respond to today's challenging environmental conditions is discussed. ; This essay was developed in the framework of the InvBlue project (PID2019105978RA-I00) from the Spanish "Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO), Plan Nacional I + D", and within the 2014-2020 ERDF Operational Programme and Department of Economy, Knowledge, Business and University of the Regional Government of Andalusia (Spain). Project Ref.: FEDER-UCA18 -108023. We thank Jon Nesbit for the English revision. We are also grateful to two anonymous referees for their critiques and suggestions that improved the manuscript.

The introduction of a new species to the Barents Sea raises questions as to the rights and duties of states under the law of the sea to exploit, manage and conserve the species. This paper discusses three of them. The first question is whether the snow crab qualifies as a sedentary species. The entitlements and competence of states in respect of living marine resources depend on the location and the characteristics of the species. If it qualifies as a sedentary species under the law of the sea, it is subject to the sovereign rights of the coastal States. Otherwise, it is subject to the sovereign right of the coastal States as well as the freedom of fishing, dependent on its distribution. The second question is what, if any, obligations Norway as a coastal State has in respect of conservation and management of the snow crab and how Norway is complying with these obligations. This includes a discussion of whether the snow crab qualifies as an introduced, alien species and the possible implications for the obligations of the coastal State. The area of distribution of the snow crab includes waters within 200 nautical miles off Svalbard, raising a third question as to the implications of the 1920 Treaty concerning Spitsbergen (Svalbard Treaty) and in particular whether fishing vessels of Contracting parties have the right to participate in the harvest on an equal footing with Norwegian vessels. The Norwegian Snow Crab Regulations effectively reserves the harvest of snow crab for Norwegian fishing vessels. The paper discusses the implications of a recent decision by the Norwegian Supreme Court on dismissal of an appeal by a Latvian vessel and its captain convicted for illegal harvest of snow crab within 200 nautical miles off Svalbard.

Human alteration of natural systems, and its consequences are of great concern and the impact on global ecosystems is one of the biggest threats that biodiversity stands before. Translocations of invasive species, as well as intraspecific contingents with non-native genotypes, whether they are deliberate or unintentional, are one such alteration and its consequences are continuously being assessed. The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is the most numerous and widespread duck in the world and a flagship in wetland conservation. It is also an important game species which is heavily restocked for hunting purposes, especially in Europe where over three million ducklings are released every year. Because of its hunted status, its abundance, and the number of released individuals, it can serve as a model species to study effects of releases, both for conservation and restocking for hunting, on wild populations. In this thesis the status of the mallard was assessed in the Nordic countries and the effects of releases on the wild populations were studied by mining historical ringing data, comparing morphology of present-day wild, farmed, and historical mallards, and analyzing phylogeography of wild and farmed mallards in Europe. The status of the mallard population in the Nordic countries are generally good, however, a joint effort of European countries is needed to monitor and manage the population. A significant difference between wild and farmed mallards concerning longevity, migration, bill morphology and genetic structure was also found, together with signs of cryptic introgression of farmed genotypes in the wild population with potential fitness reduction as a result. The effect is however limited by that only a fraction of released farmed mallards reach the breeding season due to low survival. A natural captive environment is crucial to keep individuals wild-like with high survival rates after release. However, with an introgression of potentially maladapted farmed genotypes leading to a reduction in fitness, a low survival of released mallards would favor the wild population. A legislative change regarding obligation to report numbers, provenance, and release sites of farmed mallard should be considered, together with practical solutions of ringing and genetic monitoring of released mallards.

Human alteration of natural systems, and its consequences are of great concern and the impact on global ecosystems is one of the biggest threats that biodiversity stands before. Translocations of invasive species, as well as intraspecific contingents with non-native genotypes, whether they are deliberate or unintentional, are one such alteration and its consequences are continuously being assessed. The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is the most numerous and widespread duck in the world and a flagship in wetland conservation. It is also an important game species which is heavily restocked for hunting purposes, especially in Europe where over three million ducklings are released every year. Because of its hunted status, its abundance, and the number of released individuals, it can serve as a model species to study effects of releases, both for conservation and restocking for hunting, on wild populations. In this thesis the status of the mallard was assessed in the Nordic countries and the effects of releases on the wild populations were studied by mining historical ringing data, comparing morphology of present-day wild, farmed, and historical mallards, and analyzing phylogeography of wild and farmed mallards in Europe. The status of the mallard population in the Nordic countries are generally good, however, a joint effort of European countries is needed to monitor and manage the population. A significant difference between wild and farmed mallards concerning longevity, migration, bill morphology and genetic structure was also found, together with signs of cryptic introgression of farmed genotypes in the wild population with potential fitness reduction as a result. The effect is however limited by that only a fraction of released farmed mallards reach the breeding season due to low survival. A natural captive environment is crucial to keep individuals wild-like with high survival rates after release. However, with an introgression of potentially maladapted farmed genotypes leading to a reduction in fitness, a low survival of released mallards would favor the wild population. A legislative change regarding obligation to report numbers, provenance, and release sites of farmed mallard should be considered, together with practical solutions of ringing and genetic monitoring of released mallards.

Antarctic non-native species legislation is contained within the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, with 2016 marking the 25th anniversary of its adoption. We take this opportunity to evaluate the Antarctic Treaty signatory Parties' collective development and implementation of non-native species policy. In general, scientific and policy outputs have increased in the past decade. However, data detailing Parties' current implementation of biosecurity practices are not readily available. Little widespread, internationally coordinated or systematic monitoring of non-native species establishment has occurred, but available data suggest that establishment of non-native micro-invertebrates may be greatly underestimated. Several recent small-scale plant eradications have been successful, although larger-scale eradications present a greater challenge due to seed bank formation. Invertebrate establishment within research station buildings presents an increasing problem, with mixed eradication success to date. The opportunity now exists to build on earlier successes, such as the 'CEP Non-native Species Manual', towards the development of a comprehensive response strategy based upon the principles of prevention, monitoring and response, and applicable to all Antarctic environments. To help facilitate this we identify areas requiring further research and policy development, such as to reduce anthropogenic transfer of indigenous Antarctic species between distinct biogeographic regions, avoid microbial contamination of pristine areas and limit introduction of non-native marine species. A response protocol is proposed for use following the discovery of a potential non-native species within the Antarctica Treaty area, which includes recommendations concerning Parties' initial response and any subsequent eradication or control measures.

An annual project carried out with secondary school students attending 2nd year is described in this paper. A comparison between a modified environment, Barrancas de Belgrano (Belgrano Ravines), and a natural environment, Reserva Natural Otamendi (Otamendi Natural Reservation) was established in order to analyze and reflect on the ecological processes and the effects of human action on the surroundings. This proposal permitted to do an analysis including cultural, social, educative, and legislative aspects as well as conservation policies. Besides, this project allowed students, active members of the community, to think and decide in a critically and consciously way about the use and conservation of the environment in general, and of the biodiversity in particular. ; El presente trabajo describe un proyecto anual realizado con alumnos de 2do año de la escuela secundaria. En él se estableció una comparación entre un ambiente modificado, las Barrancas de Belgrano, y un ambiente natural, la Reserva Natural Otamendi, con el fin de analizar y reflexionar sobre los procesos ecológicos y los efectos de la acción humana en el entorno. Esta propuesta permitió, además, un análisis que incluyó aspectos culturales, sociales, educativos, de políticas de conservación y legislativos. Asimismo, posibilitó que los alumnos, miembros activos de una comunidad, piensen y decidan crítica y conscientemente sobre el uso y la conservación del medio ambiente, en general, y la biodiversidad, en particular.

An annual project carried out with secondary school students attending 2nd year is described in this paper. A comparison between a modified environment, Barrancas de Belgrano (Belgrano Ravines), and a natural environment, Reserva Natural Otamendi (Otamendi Natural Reservation) was established in order to analyze and reflect on the ecological processes and the effects of human action on the surroundings. This proposal permitted to do an analysis including cultural, social, educative, and legislative aspects as well as conservation policies. Besides, this project allowed students, active members of the community, to think and decide in a critically and consciously way about the use and conservation of the environment in general, and of the biodiversity in particular. ; El presente trabajo describe un proyecto anual realizado con alumnos de 2do año de la escuela secundaria. En él se estableció una comparación entre un ambiente modificado, las Barrancas de Belgrano, y un ambiente natural, la Reserva Natural Otamendi, con el fin de analizar y reflexionar sobre los procesos ecológicos y los efectos de la acción humana en el entorno. Esta propuesta permitió, además, un análisis que incluyó aspectos culturales, sociales, educativos, de políticas de conservación y legislativos. Asimismo, posibilitó que los alumnos, miembros activos de una comunidad, piensen y decidan crítica y conscientemente sobre el uso y la conservación del medio ambiente, en general, y la biodiversidad, en particular.