In the Wake of Things: Speculating in and about Sapphires in Northern Madagascar

This article discusses the interrelatedness of two sorts of speculation undertaken by Malagasy sapphire miners and traders involved in the northern Malagasy sapphire trade: first, the speculating that these people do in sapphires, and, second, the speculating that they do about the uses to which sapphires are put by foreigners. Although Malagasy people involved in the local trade know a great deal about how sapphires might be profitably traded, most of them do not know why foreigners are so interested in these stones. Dubious of foreign traders' assurances that sapphires are used in the production of jewelry, they speculate a variety of alternate, secret uses for them. In this article, it is argued that these speculations emerge out of a variety of locally developed assumptions about how the sapphire trade works, and specifically, the significant roles that deception and knowledge differentials play in its operation.     

Ecology and conservation of the crowned lemur, Lemur coronatus, at Ankarana, n. Madagascar. With notes on Sanford's lemur, other sympatrics and subfossil lemurs

Forests of Ankarana limestone massif in northern Madagascar support one of the largest and least disturbed populations of Crowned Lemurs, Lemur coronatus. This paper reports a preliminary study of the ecology of this species in the Ankarana Special Reserve conducted at the end of the dry season in 1986, with additional information collected a year later. Crowned Lemurs occur in very high densities in the semi-deciduous canopy forest and this probably represents a dry season refuge for the species. They also use more open habitats, including sparsely vegetated limestone and degraded forest. Sanford's Lemur, Lemur fulvus sanfordi, also inhabits the Ankarana forests but is most abundant in degraded habitats. Crowned and Sanford's Lemurs had similar patterns of activity, which included nocturnal travelling and feeding bouts. Crowned Lemurs proved to be unusual among Lemur species in displaying low spatial troop cohesion and a lack of obvious troop hierarchy. Stronglyoides-like enteric helminths infested about one third of Crowned Lemurs but were apparently not causing disease. Crowned Lemurs fall prey to the Fosa, Cryptoprocta ferox, and the young possibly also to the largest raptors. A total of seven living lemur species (including the very rare Propithecus diadema perrieri and Daubentonia madagascariensis) were confirmed at Ankarana by the authors, and three further species have been reported by other observers. In addition to these ten extant lemurs, four subfossil species have been discovered: three of them (Hapalemur simus, Palaeopropithecus and Mesopropithecus) by the authors. The possibility that all 14 lemurs were once sympatric is discussed. For the present, the lemurs of Ankarana are protected from hunting by local taboo. Nevertheless they are under severe threat from habitat destruction, despite Ankarana's Special Reserve status. Given the very restricted distributions of Crowned and Sanford's Lemurs, both must be considered as threatened with extinction.     

Humicolous microcharmid scorpions: a new genus and species from Madagascar

A new genus and species of humicolous microcharmid scorpion are described on the basis of a single specimen collected in the Ankarana Reserve, Madagascar. New considerations regarding the taxonomy and morphology of micro-buthoid Malagasy scorpions are proposed, based mainly on the study of the peg-shaped sensillae of the pectines by scanning electron microscopy.     

Taxonomy of the hyper-diverse ant genus Tetramorium Mayr in the Malagasy region (Hymenoptera,Formicidae, Myrmicinae) – first record of the T. setigerum species group and additions to the Malagasy species groups with an updated illustrated identification key

In this study we provide an update to the taxonomy of the ant genus Tetramorium Mayr in Madagascar. We report the first record of the Tetramorium setigerum species group in Madagascar and describe the only Malagasy representative as Tetramorium cavernicola sp. n., which is known only from a cave in Ankarana. In addition, we provide an overview of the 19 proposed Malagasy species groups, and discuss their zoogeography and relationships to other groups and larger lineages within the hyper-diverse genus Tetramorium. At present, we recognise a highly unique Malagasy Tetramorium fauna with 113 species endemic to the island of Madagascar out of a total of 125 translating into an endemism rate of 93%. We hypothesise that this fauna is based on one or a few colonisation events from the Afrotropical region, with subsequent adaptive radiation in Madagascar. Furthermore, we present an updated and illustrated identification key to the Tetramorium species groups in the Malagasy region.     

Responsibility, Taboos and 'The Freedom to do Otherwise' in Ankarana, Northern Madagascar

Drawing inspiration from Barry Barnes's recent depiction of societies as 'systems of responsibilities', this article discusses the ways in which taboos in the Ankarana region of northern Madagascar indicate the mutual responsibility of people and the traditional authorities that they recognize. It is argued that people who respect taboos associated with a traditional polity in this region indicate how they are at once responsible to the sacred entities on which this polity centres and responsible for their preservation.     

Local responses to conservation in the Richtersveld National Park, South Africa

Local notions of conservation deserve closer scrutiny. We cannot assume that they naturally coincide with those of the tourist core; nor that they are automatically given higher priority when local populations are induced to participate in practices which conserve flora and fauna. A case study of the establishment of the Richtersveld National Park in Namaqualand, a remote arid region of South Africa, is used to argue that local attitudes to conservation and development (associated with tourism) can become increasingly cynical and ambivalent in the context of ecotourism. Furthermore, such attitudes are shaped less by economic inducements than by the often contradictory messages about conservation that are being communicated daily.     

First report of Litomosa spp. (Nematoda: Filarioidea) from Malagasy bats; review of the genus and relationships between species

The presence of the filarial genus Litomosa in Malagasy bats is demonstrated by the finding of L. goodmani n. sp. from Miniopterus gleni and Litomosa sp. (male unknown) from M. manavi, both in the Special Reserve of Ankarana. These materials are compared to the 22 Litomosa species, including two Indian species originally placed in the genus Litomosoides, L. fotedari (Gupta and Trivedi, 1989) n. comb. and L. tewarii (Gupta and Trivedi, 1989) n. comb., and the new taxon L. seurati n. sp. (= L. beaucournui Bain, 1966 pro parte), type-host Rhinolophus ferrum-equinum, Algeria, distinguished by the narrow area rugosa and the female caudal extremity with two conspicuous points, instead of several small ones. The Malagasy material belongs to a group of species close to the type, L. filaria, which have a male area rugosa composed of cuticular bosses and microfilariae folded within the sheath, and which are parasitic in Vespertilionidae, Hipposideridae and Rhinolophidae from Africa and Europe. The two Malagasy species resemble L. seurati n. sp., L. beshkovi Jancev, 1971, L. chiropterum Ortlepp, 1932, L. adami Petit, 1980 and L. ottavianii Lagrange et Bettini, 1948, with the enlarged third segment of the buccal capsule. L. goodmani n. sp. is distinct with its small size and female caudal extremity with a single point, which is suppressed in old mature worms; the females of Litomosa sp. have two conical points. Relationships among Litomosa species appear to be dependent upon both the chiropteran host groups and the geographical region.     

The role of ecotourism in conservation: panacea or Pandora’s box?

Does ecotourism contribute towards conservation of threatened species and habitats or is it just a marketing ploy of the tourism industry? Using 251 case studies on ecotourism from the literature, I looked at the distribution of case studies over continents, habitats and flagship species types and what factors influenced whether an ecotourism regime was perceived as ecologically sustainable by authors. Over 50% of ecotourism case studies were reported from Africa and Central America. The overall distribution of ecotourism case studies did not reflect vertebrate endemism, nor overall tourism distribution in terms of tourist numbers and receipts. There were significant differences between continents and habitats with regard to the proportion of sustainable case studies: ecotourism is perceived to be less sustainable in South America and Asia, and in island and mountain habitats. The type of flagship species also influenced whether ecotourism was classified as sustainable or not: ecotourism with no flagship species was rarely classified as sustainable while charismatic bird and mammal species were associated with a higher probability of sustainability. In a multivariate analysis, flagship species type and local community involvement were important predictors of sustainability in ecotourism. Detailed a priori planning, local involvement and control measures were perceived by authors of case studies to increase the success of ecotourism in conservation. They also perceived that ecotourism can only be an effective conservation tool under certain conditions. If these are met, the evidence indicates that ecotourism can make a contribution to conservation.     

The dual origin of the Malagasy in Island Southeast Asia and East Africa: evidence from maternal and paternal lineages

Linguistic and archaeological evidence about the origins of the Malagasy, the indigenous peoples of Madagascar, points to mixed African and Indonesian ancestry. By contrast, genetic evidence about the origins of the Malagasy has hitherto remained partial and imprecise. We defined 26 Y-chromosomal lineages by typing 44 Y-chromosomal polymorphisms in 362 males from four different ethnic groups from Madagascar and 10 potential ancestral populations in Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific. We also compared mitochondrial sequence diversity in the Malagasy with a manually curated database of 19,371 hypervariable segment I sequences, incorporating both published and unpublished data. We could attribute every maternal and paternal lineage found in the Malagasy to a likely geographic origin. Here, we demonstrate approximately equal African and Indonesian contributions to both paternal and maternal Malagasy lineages. The most likely origin of the Asia-derived paternal lineages found in the Malagasy is Borneo. This agrees strikingly with the linguistic evidence that the languages spoken around the Barito River in southern Borneo are the closest extant relatives of Malagasy languages. As a result of their equally balanced admixed ancestry, the Malagasy may represent an ideal population in which to identify loci underlying complex traits of both anthropological and medical interest.     

Ecotourism Along the Meso-American Caribbean Reef: The Impacts of Foreign Investment

Ecotourism has been heralded as a potential economic and environmental savior in much of Latin America, though explosive foreign investment in ecotourism ventures raises questions about the validity of ecotourism as a tool of sustainable local development. This paper uses three case studies from coastal Belize and the Bay Islands of Honduras to illustrate the challenges that local communities face when attempting to derive ecotourism benefits. Whether these communities are poised to take advantage of foreign capital is largely dependent on their ability to direct the investment and establish control over their common property resources. This appears to require a marked cultural shift toward planning and politicization.     

In pursuit of ecotourism

Ecotourism is expected, by the tourism industry and academics, to grow rapidly over the next 20 years. Much has been written about ecotourism, often with missionary zeal, but there is little consensus about its definition. It is argued here that conservationists and protected area managers should adopt a definition of ecotourism which contributes to the maintenance of biodiversity and an appropriate definition is suggested.Ecotourism is not merely an alternative to mass tourism, nor is it the only alternative. The literature on nature tourism and the environmental impacts of the industry dates back to the late 1970s. Tourism is now the world's largest industry and it has an increasing impact on protected areas. Our understanding of these mechanisms, their ecological impacts and our capacity to manage tourism in protected areas lags behind the growth of tourism to protected areas.A rapid growth in nature tourism and tourism to protected areas has coincided with a shift in protected area management strategies towards integrated development. Tourism is one means available to protected area managers seeking to increase the economic value of a protected area and to offer sustainable opportunities for economic development to local people.This paper argues that potentially conflicting commercial, protected area and development interests all contribute to the emergence of ecotourism and have been doing so for many years. Ecotourism needs to be tightly defined if it is to benefit conservation. Protected area managers should consider how they can take control of nature tourism to the parks they manage and convert it into ecotourism for the benefit of conservation and the livelihoods of local people.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the Malagasy and South Asian cichlids (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae)

Phylogenetic relationships of the Malagasy and South Asian cichlids are investigated using nucleotide characters from two mitochondrial genes, a 544 bp region of the large ribosomal subunit (16S) and a 649 bp region of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI). This is the first molecular analysis to include a thorough taxonomic sampling of all Malagasy-South Asian genera, and a near complete taxonomic inventory of all valid species. Parsimony analysis of the combined data set (1193 aligned nucleotide positions) results in a single, completely resolved phylogenetic hypothesis. Results of this analysis, and that based on more comprehensive taxonomic sampling across Cichlidae for 16S alone (554 bp for 73 taxa), indicate that the Malagasy cichlids are paraphyletic, whereas the Malagasy and South Asian cichlids comprise a monophyletic group. In both analyses, the African and Neotropical assemblages are monophyletic. The Malagasy-South Asian cichlids are not recovered as plesiomorphic members of the family in either analysis. Two major clades are recovered within the Malagasy-South Asian assemblage and given subfamilial rank, Etroplinae, comprising Paretroplus (Madagascar) and Etroplus (southern India and Sri Lanka), and Ptychochrominae, comprising Ptychochromis, Ptychochromoides, and Oxylapia, all endemic Malagasy genera. Placement of the endemic Malagasy genus Paratilapia is equivocal depending on the gene fragment(s) analyzed. Inter- and intrageneric relationships within Ptychochrominae and Etroplinae are presented and discussed. The hypothesis of relationships for Cichlidae based on nucleotide characters from 16S alone, arguably the most comprehensive and broadly sampled data set across all major geographic assemblages to date, is congruent with prevailing hypotheses regarding the sequence of Gondwanan fragmentation and a vicariance scenario to explain the current distribution of cichlid fishes.     

保护区发展生态旅游的意义和途径

生态旅游在世界范围内正经历着一个蓬勃发展的时期,它是一个区域或一个保护区生态发展的重要内容,不仅对地区经济和社会发展有重要的促进作用,而且也是激励保护区进一步发展的动力。当然,过分强调经济收入,无控制地发展旅游,就可能引起不适当的开发或管理不周。导致生态破坏。因此,保护区发展生态旅游要有一个周密的规划,寻找旅游者的享受和自然保护之间的平衡。     

云南碧塔海自然保护区生态旅游开发模式研究

1　引　　言自然保护区作为生态旅游开发的主要对象 ,在发挥其旅游功能为自己的保护寻到经济支撑[1,2 ,17] ,为当地经济发展和社区人民脱贫提供资源[5,19] 的同时 ,面临一大问题 ,即如何有效地保护其自然生态环境[6] .把旅游业作为支柱产业来培植的云南省拥有各级自然保护区 10 7个 ,是中国自然保护区数量最多的省份[13] .该省把生态旅游产品作为旅游业可持续发展的主打产品 ,并十分重视旅游资源及环境的保护[19] ,采取审慎开发的态度 ,选试点进行示范区开发 ,取得经验后再逐步推广 .位于滇西北香格里拉腹地的迪庆藏族自治州州府的中甸县 ,…     

国外生态旅游对当地社区生计的影响研究综述

生态旅游因具备实现生物多样性保护和减轻贫困双重目标的潜力,成为全球学术界关注的焦点。鉴于生态旅游在影响社区生计方面的研究争议,论文综览国外大量相关文献,在界定生态旅游内涵的基础上,从经济影响、社区参与、能力建设、社会文化和公共设施4个方面系统梳理国外生态旅游对目的地社区生计的影响。研究发现旅游发展对目的地生计的影响存在不确定性,社区资源控制权、旅游收益规模、地方介入旅游产业供应链能力、自身能力、旅游管理等因素对旅游扶贫效应起着关键性作用。最后,对当前研究展开评述并对未来研究提出三点展望,以期为中国未来生态旅游影响研究和生态旅游开发提供借鉴和指导。     

Identification of cryptic species of Miniopterus bats (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae) from Madagascar and the Comoros using bioacoustics overlaid on molecular genetic and morphological characters

The number of Miniopterus bat species on Madagascar and the nearby Comoros islands (Malagasy region) has risen from four to 11. These recently described cryptic taxa have been differentiated primarily based on molecular markers and associated a posteriori morphological characters that corroborate the different clades. Members of this Old World genus are notably conservative in morphology across their range. Several sites on Madagascar hold up to four small‐bodied taxa of this genus that are morphologically similar to one another, although they can be distinguished based on the tragus, an ear structure associated with echolocation. Miniopterus often emit species‐specific calls. In the present study, we analyze the bioacoustics of the 11 species of Miniopterus currently recognized from the Malagasy region, with an initial identification of the 87 recorded and collected individuals based on molecular markers and certain morphological characters. In most cases, bioacoustic parameters differentiate species and have taxonomic utility. Miniopterus griveaudi populations, which occur on three islands (Madagascar, Anjouan, and Grande Comore), showed no significant differences in peak echolocation frequencies. After running a discriminant function analysis based on five bioacoustic parameters, some mismatched assignments of Malagasy species were found, which include allopatric sister‐taxa and sympatric, phylogenetically not closely‐related species of similar body size. Because the peak echolocation frequencies of two species (Miniopterus sororculus and Miniopterus aelleni) were independent of body size, they were acoustically distinguishable from cryptic sympatric congeners. The small variation around the allometric relationship between body size and peak echolocation frequency of Malagasy Miniopterus species suggests that intraspecific communication rather than competition or prey detection may be the driver for the acoustic divergence of these two species. Our well‐defined echolocation data allow detailed ecological work to commence aiming to test predictions about the relative roles of competition, prey availability, and social communication on the evolution of echolocation in Malagasy Miniopterus species. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 104 , 284–302.     

珠江三角洲生态旅游可持续发展探讨

从珠江三角洲的区位条件、客源市场、自然环境、社会经济、生态旅游资源等五方面对其生态旅游可持续发展的条件进行评价,根据评价结果进一步探讨其生态旅游发展的区域特征与差异。研究发现珠三角的生态旅游发展呈现区域极不平衡的特征,其中“金三角”区生态旅游发展的资本雄厚,但存在资源相对集中,竞争过于激烈与发展模式单一等的困难,而非“金三角”区生态旅游发展起步晚,基础设施有待完善。根据两区域的发展不足,继而提出进行资源整合,重点发展生态度假游和深层次挖掘岭南文化内涵,创建有特色的岭南文化生态旅游等可持续发展建议。     

Collaborative spatial planning for blue-green infrastructure using the spatial q methodology: case study of Siheung Hojobul Wetland,Korea

Since there are various stakeholders related to water in Blue-Green Infrastructure that perform various ecological functions in a given city, there is a need for a plan to manage their interests and conflicts. Previous studies have verified the spatial preferences of many local residents using techniques, such as the public participation geographic information system, but have failed to show how stakeholders vary in regard to their dependence on water and their different spatial preferences. Therefore, this study intended to discuss the direction of collaborative planning by analyzing the Blue-Green Infrastructure of Siheung Hojobul wetland using spatial Q methodology, finding various stakeholders, and identifying the areas they prefer. The analysis results showed that local residents and environmental NGOs want to conserve middle and upper streams, but ecotourism guides and officials want to develop them for ecotourism, demonstrating a great difference in perspectives. However, they all agreed to develop a lower stream for ecotourism. Although this study has limitations as a single case study, the spatial Q methodology used in this study is significant in demonstrating that the use of the Blue-Green Infrastructure planning method for resident participation can reduce conflicts and encourage cooperation among competing parties.

     

Las Islas de los Changos (the Monkey Islands): the economic impact of ecotourism in the region of Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico

This study evaluates the popularity and economic impact of Las Islas de los Changos (the Monkey Islands) as an ecotourism site on Lake Catemaco in the Los Tuxtlas region of Veracruz, Mexico. Two small island colonies of exotic primates, stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides), have proved to be highly beneficial for the local economy as the main attraction for tourists in this region. From July 1991 to June 1992, data were collected on the number of tourists who took boat trips to visit the primates, and the amount of money spent on tours to the islands. The data suggest that at least 28,470 passengers visit these primate troops annually and spend approximately 88,970 U.S. dollars (USD). Follow-up questionnaires during July 1997 to June 2000 to hotelkeepers and tourist boat operators identified the Monkey Islands as the primary destination for tourists to this region. A comparison of the net income obtained by local ecotourism operators with wages earned through other types of employment in the Los Tuxtlas region, such as working in natural reserves, agriculture, or renting grazing land for cattle, show the relative importance of Las Islas de Los Changos in sustaining the local economy.     

武夷山自然保护区生态旅游系统能值分析

能值理论与分析方法已经被广泛应用于对人类社会和自然界研究的各个层面.将武夷山国家自然保护区视为生态旅游系统,运用能值理论及其分析方法对其进行讨论和研究.由于传统的能值方法未能完全反映生态旅游系统的一切价值,研究中将条件价值法(CVM)与能值分析相结合,试图能够完整的体现出生态旅游系统的全部价值.在此认识的基础上提出了理想能值交换率等概念.并且将对该系统的研究结果与类似系统进行了横向比较.研究结果表明:(1)武夷山自然保护区生态旅游系统能值密度为7.31×1011sej/m2,低于福建省的16.02×1011sej/m2;而人均能值量为2.80×1016sej/m2,高于福建省人均能值5.75×1015sej/m2;净能值产出率为3.60,略高于广西恭城月柿生态农业旅游经济系统的2.79;武夷山自然保护区生态旅游系统理想能值交换率为0.70.(2)武夷山自然保护区自然环境条件良好,发展潜力较大;社区经济欠发达,居民生活水平较低;系统生产效率低,与外界贸易失衡,生态旅游处于探索阶段.