Farhad Hosseini Tayefeh; Bagher Nezami Baloochi; Mona Izadian
Abstract
Introduction: The Persian Wild Ass Equus hemionus onager is the only odd-toed ungulates (Perissodactyla) and largest wild herbivore in Iran, with a population of about 1300 individuals, distributed in the Bahram-e Gur conservation complex and Touran Biosphere Reserve. From the semi-captive reproduction ...
Read More
Introduction: The Persian Wild Ass Equus hemionus onager is the only odd-toed ungulates (Perissodactyla) and largest wild herbivore in Iran, with a population of about 1300 individuals, distributed in the Bahram-e Gur conservation complex and Touran Biosphere Reserve. From the semi-captive reproduction and reintroduction centers, they had population growth in the centers of Yazd province and Kavir National Park. In other centers were not successful due to not considering demographic factors such as the age and sex composition of the founder population, intra- and inter-species competition, lack of information on genetic status and inbreeding and management factors such as hard release. In this study, the threats of the Persian Wild Ass in natural habitats, the state of reproduction and reintroduction centers, and management and conservation strategies have been discussed.Materials and Methods: Scientific sources, reports and documents available in the Semnan, Yazd, Fars and Kerman Provincial Office and the Wildlife conservation and Management bureau of the Department of the Environmental were studied regarding the threats, past and present population and fatalities of the Persian Wild Ass. Data collection was done by interviewing environmentalists, experts and completing species information forms including population, threats and expert suggestions of the respective provinces. Based on the field visits and investigation of natural habitats and reproduction and reintroduction centers in Fars and Semnan provinces, information was verified.Results: Over the past two decades, the population of the species has been growing in the Bahram-e Gur conservation complex, due to habitat management and the reduction of threats. While the species' population status in the Touran biosphere reserve has experienced a sharp decline since the 1970s and 1980s, and this trend has been almost stable for the past 20 years. The most important threats to the Persian Wild Ass due to human activities include destruction and fragmentation of habitats, poaching for meat, inbreeding, the occurrence of diseases in natural populations, seasonal use of vegetation, road kills, development of mines, drought, and climate change. Overgrazing by livestock reduces food availability, and also reduces the availability of water at springs. In semi-captive breeding and re-introduction centers, the lack of knowledge of the genetic status of populations, the very low growth rate, and infanticide are among the threats to the species. Management problems such as non-continuity of providing financial resources and equipment, lack of sustainable management with the passage of time, hard release due to lack of funds, equipment, and also non-observance of the gender ratio of the founding population can be effective in the failure of these centers.Discussion: The important strategies for conserving the Persian Wild Ass in the short- and long-term include identifying the threats and introducing methods to reduce the effect of the threat, developing a comprehensive plan for reproduction and reintroduction of the species, and implementing the action plan for the conservation of the population in the habitats. The implementation of participatory conservation programs with the key stakeholders can be effective in the conservation programs.
Seyed Ghasem Ghorbanzadeh Zaferani; Farhad Hosseini Tayefeh; Mona Izadian
Abstract
Introduction: The study of the structure of aquatic communities in aquatic ecosystems has a special place in the ecological studies of aquatic organisms. Among the important and common macrobenthic indices, we can mention uni- variate and multi-variate ecological indices, which having different advantages ...
Read More
Introduction: The study of the structure of aquatic communities in aquatic ecosystems has a special place in the ecological studies of aquatic organisms. Among the important and common macrobenthic indices, we can mention uni- variate and multi-variate ecological indices, which having different advantages and disadvantages, are still used in various studies in riverian waters. In recent years, studies using biodiversity index and bioindices, especially the Helsinhof index, were used to assessment of the water quality of the Karaj River. Assuming that there is agreement between the ecological indices of the region, the present study evaluated the degree of agreement between the quality statuses results obtained from different ecological indices in the Karaj River.
Materials and Methods: In this study, we sampled macrobenthic fauna using a sorber sampler in nine stations during 2017-2018, seasonally. After separating and identifying macrobenthos, Shannon's index, EPT, ASPT, BMWP and HFBI were calculated. Then the ecological status of the stations was classified based on these indices. The percentage of stations whose ecological status was acceptable or unacceptable, as well as the compatibility level between these five indices in the study area, were calculated. To determine the similar tendency of the different indices in the classification of stations, the degree of correlation between them was determined using a non-parametric test. SPSS23 and Excel software were used for statistical analysis and Primer6 was used to determine biodiversity index. Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normal distribution of the data. In order to determine the significant difference between the desired data, one-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used at the significance level of p<0.05. ArcGIS 10.3 and Terrset 17.3 software were used to prepare maps using the IDW method.
Results: In terms of abundance, the Shironomide family was dominant. Baetis, Tubifex, Micrasema, Rhithrogena, Eporus, Hydropsyche, Leptophlebiidae, and Simulium made up 83% of the samples. The values of H', EPT, ASPT, BMWP and HFBI were calculated (12.2±0.65), (5.6±2.8), (3.9±1), (48.8±23.34) and (4.6±1), respectively. The relative agreement in the results obtained from the five studied indices was seen in 67% of the stations with unacceptable quality in the case that 22% of the river stations showed complete agreement and 11% of the stations showed disagreement. The statistical analysis shows that there is a significant agreement between the results of the ecological status obtained from EPT with ASPT, BMWP and Shannon, if they are different with HFBI index. Also, based on the results of the correlation between the classification of the ecological quality obtained from the bioindices (positive and strong correlation between the EPT and the Shannon and BMWP), it indicates the similar direction of these indices in the classification of the stations.
Discussion: There are structural and population changes of macrobenthos in aquatic ecosystems due to natural factors and human activities. Due to the lack of complete agreement between the assessment results of the five indices in this study, in order to use biological indices in each region for environmental management, there is a need to simultaneously use indices. Also, it is important to check the agreement between different indices and choose the appropriate ecological index. As a result, using each of these indices alone and without considering the above considerations can lead to wrong results. Based on the results of the present study, the Helsinhof index (HFBI) can be introduced as a more suitable index than other studied indices to assess the ecological status of the Karaj River.
Biodiversity & Biosafety
Jalil Badam Firouz; Mona Izadian; Farhad Hosseini Tayefeh
Abstract
The Cartagena Protocol was adopted to achieve a common and coordinated solution for the transboundary movement of transgenic organisms, establish confidence and legitimacy in the field of biosafety regulations in the world, and increase global coordination. Under Clause 2 of Article 23 of the Protocol, ...
Read More
The Cartagena Protocol was adopted to achieve a common and coordinated solution for the transboundary movement of transgenic organisms, establish confidence and legitimacy in the field of biosafety regulations in the world, and increase global coordination. Under Clause 2 of Article 23 of the Protocol, States Parties are required to consult with the public and public institutions on the decision-making and policy-making of genetically modified species and to make the results of such consultations available to the public. In recent years, transgenic products have entered the diet of the Iranian people, but there has made no proper awareness about their benefits or harms for the people. Since the genetic structure of transgenic plants is altered through genetic engineering, and this change is usually done to improve the plant's resistance to certain pests or plant diseases, there is concern that these plants have also become resistant to drugs and cause abnormalities and the spread of diseases in humans. The Cartagena Protocol emphasizes the need for labeling, but despite the use of transgenic products in Iran, labeling and percentaging have not been done on all products and it is necessary to pay special attention to the implementation of the latest regulation of the Food and Drug Administration regarding transgenic events.