Browsing by Subject "Desertification"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Bat ecology and conservation in semi-arid and arid landscapes: a global systematic review
    (2019) Lison, Fulgencio; Jiménez Franco, María V.; Altamirano, Adison; Haz, Ángeles; Calvo, José Francisco; Jones, Gareth; Ecología e Hidrología
    1. Semi-arid and arid landscapes (dry-lands) cover 41% of the Earth’s land surface over five continents. These areas are home to 55% of mammal spe cies. Bats have the second highest species richness among mammals, and, although many species are adapted to arid conditions, they are particularly sensitive in these habitats and require conservation priority. 2. Information on bats in arid and semi-arid landscapes is scattered, patchy and focused on small-scale studies; therefore, we undertook a systematic re view using the PRISMA protocol to identify the current knowledge status, detect knowledge gaps and propose future research priorities. 3. We analysed 346 published articles and evaluated 40 topics within five topic categories (taxa studied, methodologies used, biology, ecology and conserva tion). The most commonly studied topic categories were ecology and biology. However, we found a gap in the topic category conservation (including topics such as conservation status and roost conservation). Our network analysis of topics within the categories showed that most ecology papers were focused on distribution, species richness and habitat use. 4. When we analysed keywords, we found that phylogeny, taxonomy and dis tribution demonstrated relatively high presence. Moreover, comparison of the percentage of studies conducted in dry-lands and the percentage of land surface area covered by dry-lands in the continents revealed that dry-lands in Africa and Australia were especially under-represented. Our review shows that knowledge of bats in semi-arid and arid landscapes is biased towards new records of the distribution of species, as well as covering systematic/ taxonomic and morphological aspects of bat biology 5. We suggest that research on conservation measures and guidelines to protect the bat species found in semi-arid and arid landscapes should be prioritised, together with the sharing of knowledge with local practitioners and the de velopment of citizen science programmes
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    Erosión y desertificación.-Risk assessment of desertification using GIS in parts of Mond Basin, Southern Iran
    Masoudi, M.; Asrari, E.; Universidad de Murcia
    ABSTRACT The present paper attempts to evolve a new model by considering various indicators of different types of land degradation or desertification, namely, water erosion, soil salinity, vegetation degradation, and lowering of ground water table. The Mond river basin, located centrally to this zone, has been selected as a test area to assess the risk and kind of desertification. For this purpose two sub basins of the Payab and Qareh Aghaj have been chosen for detailed study. The thresholds for the severity classes of indicators have been established and then the hazard map for each indicator of types of desertification has been prepared in a GIS. The risk maps of water erosion, soil salinization, lowering of water table, vegetation degradation have been produced for each of the two sub basins. It was possible to distinguish the areas under ‘actual risk’ from areas under ‘potential risk’ of desertification types. Also areas under potential risk are classified to subclasses with different probability level to show a statistical picture of risk in future. The final map of risk of desertification is produced by overlaying all four maps of degradation types. Between the two basins the overall environmental condition in the Payab sub basin is worse. Results show that potential risk areas are much widespread than areas under actual risk in the upper reaches (Qareh Aghaj sub basin) of Mond basin, indicating further threat of land degradation or desertification in future. While per cent areas under actual risk are much extensive in the lower reaches (lower reaches), indicating the higher degradation at present.
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    Las sequías y su impacto en el riesgo de desertificación de la cuenca del Segura : apuntes para la gestión y sustentabilidad del agua
    (Murcia : Editora Regional de Murcia, 1997) López Bermúdez, Francisco; Sánchez Fuster, María del Carmen; Editora Regional de Murcia
    Como en otras tierras mediterráneas semiáridas con déficit hídrico crónico, los traumatismos inducidos por las sequías muestran múltiples caras: pérdidas de cosechas, reducción de la superficie cultivada, problemas de abastecimiento, debilitamiento de las masas vegetales, incendios, deterioro de suelo y aguas, conflictos sociales, incremento del riesgo de desertificación, etc. Adaptarse a estas situaciones meteorológicas, desarrollar métodos y técnicas de uso y gestión de los recursos naturales al riesgo de las sequías, educar para la sequía y la aridez, se convierten en una necesidad. El riesgo podría ser minimizado con unas políticas ambiental y económica que adaptasen sus intervenciones en la aceptación y previsión de estas realidades climáticas y ambientales.