Integrating multi-criteria decision analysis with a GIS-based siting procedure to select a protected area for the Kaiser's mountain newt, Neurergus kaiseri (Caudata: Salamandridae)

Upscaling the remediation of acidic landscapes - the coastal floodplain prioritisation method

Over 24 million hectares of the world's coastal floodplains are underlain by acid sulfate soils (ASS). Drainage of these sediments has led to widespread environmental degradation, raising serious health concerns. To date, onsite rehabilitation has been complicated by differing stakeholder priorities, with resources often allocated to sites with more vocal proponents rather than those exposed to more significant environmental impacts. To address this issue, this paper introduces the Coastal Floodplain Prioritisation (CFP) Method; a novel, data driven and spatially explicit multi-criteria assessment that ranks floodplain catchment areas according to their risk of transferring acidic drainage waters to an estuary. Results can be used to prioritise where remediation actions are likely to have the greatest benefit. The method was applied across six different estuaries in south-east Australia, with major field campaigns undertaken at each site. Within each estuary, the largest acid fluxes and impacts are identified with relevant mitigation measures provided. On a catchment scale, the results reflect the broader hydrogeomorphic characteristics of each estuary, including the historic acid formation conditions and recent anthropogenic drainage activities. Low-lying backswamps were identified as the highest risk zones within each estuary. These areas are also the most vulnerable to sea level rise. Reinstatement of tidal inundation to these backswamps effectively remediates acid sulfate soil discharges and provides a nature-based solution for adaptation to sea level rise with a range of co-benefits to encourage further investment.

A synoptic review of the Amphibians of Iran: bibliography, taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, conservation status, and identification key to the eggs, larvae, and adults

This study provides an illustrated account, a comprehensive update of the systematics, and a bibliography of the 15 species of anurans in five families, eight genera; and of the six species of urodeles in two families, four genera in Iran. Bufonidae, with eight species, is the most diverse family; Salamandridae has five species and Ranidae has four species. This study also presents updated identification keys for the eggs, larvae, and metamorphosed amphibians of Iran. We designated specimen NMW 19855.1 as neotype of Pelophylax persicus (Schneider, 1799) comb. nov.. Along with distribution maps obtained from all the reliable localities and museum specimens known at this time, the modelled habitat of species, and for the first time, the National Red List of amphibians based on the IUCN red list categories and criteria. Based on our evaluation we propose to categorize Bufo eichwaldi, Paradactylodon persicus, Neurergus derjugini, and N. kaiseri as Vulnerable at National Red List, and to move Bufotes (Calliopersa) luristanicus, B. (C.) surdus, Firouzophrynus olivaceus, and Rana pseudodalmatina from the category of Least Concern (LC) to Near Threatened (NT). The National Red List of amphibians that we propose has significant implications for endangered species management and conservation. Forty-one percent of amphibian species in Iran are endemic to the country, and more than forty percent of the Iranian amphibians are at risk of extinction. Zagros Mountain forest and Hyrcaniain forests have more than 80% (i.e. 18 species) of the diversity of Iranian amphibians. A considerable amount of scientific literature published on Iranian amphibians in Persian language is not easily accessible to researchers outside Iran. This monograph attempts to remedy the situation and provides broader access to international herpetology. We recognize that taxonomy is always in a state of flux, and the names and synonymies used here reflect our current view.

Historic range dynamics in Kaiser's mountain newt (Neurergus kaiseri): Insights from phylogeographic analyses and species distribution modeling

Vulnerable Kaiser's mountain newt, Neurergus kaiseri, is endemic to highland streams, springs, and pools of the southwestern Zagros mountain, Iran. The present study aimed to use an integration of phylogeographical and species distribution modeling (SDM) approaches to provide new insights into the evolutionary history of the species throughout Quaternary climate oscillations. The phylogeographical analysis was followed by analyzing two mitochondrial DNA (mt-DNA) markers including 127 control region (D-loop) and 72 NADH dehydrogenase 2 (ND2) sequences from 15 populations in the entire species range that were obtained from GenBank. Potential recent and past distribution (the Last Glacial Maximum, LGM, 21 Kya and the Mid-Holocene, 6 Kya) reconstructed by ensemble SDM using nine algorithms with CCSM4, MIROC-ESM, and MPI-ESM-P models. N. kaiseri displayed two distinct lineages in the northern and southern regions that diverged in the Early-Pleistocene. The demographics analysis showed signs of a slight increase in effective population size for both northern and southern populations in the Mid-Pleistocene. Biogeography analysis showed that both vicariance and dispersal events played an important role in the formation of recent species distribution of N. kaiseri. Based on SDM projection onto paleoclimatic data, N. kaiseri displayed a scenario of past range expansion that followed by postglacial contraction. The models showed that the distribution range of the species may have shifted to a lower altitude during LGM while with amelioration of climatic during Mid-Holocene to recent conditions caused the species to shift to the higher altitude. The findings of the current study support the hypothesis that the Zagros mountains​ may be acting as climatic refugia and play an important role in the protection of isolated populations during climate oscillations.

Design of Protected Area by Tracking and Excluding the Effects of Climate and Landscape Change: A Case Study Using Neurergus derjugini

This study aimed to use the applications of Ensemble Species Distribution Modelling (eSDM), Geographical Information Systems (GISs), and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) for the design of a protected area (PA) for the critically endangered yellow-spotted mountain newt, Neurergus derjugini, by tracking and excluding the effects of climate and landscape changes in western Iran and northeastern Iraq. Potential recent and future distributions (2050 and 2070) were reconstructed by eSDM using eight algorithms with MRI-CGCM3 and CCSM4 models. The GIS-based MCDA siting procedure was followed inside habitats with high eSDM suitability by eliminating the main roads, cities, high village density, dams, poor vegetation, low stream density, agricultural lands and high ridge density. Then, within the remaining relevant areas, 10 polygons were created as “nominations” for PAs (NPAs). Finally, for 10 different NPAs, the suitability score was ranked based on ratings and weights (analytical hierarchy process) of the number of newt localities, NPA connectivity, NPA shape, NPA habitat suitability in 2070, NPA size, genetic diversity, village density and distance to nearest PAs, cities, and main roads. This research could serve as a modern realistic approach for environmental management to plan conservation areas using a cost-effective and affordable technique.

Site selection for waste vegetable oil and waste battery collection boxes: a GIS-based hybrid hesitant fuzzy decision-making approach

The amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) has been increasing rapidly in the urban centres of developing countries during the last few decades; however, municipal solid waste management (MSWM) remains inadequate. One of the largest aspects of cost of the MSWM system is the collection of waste. This paper describes a methodology that combines geographic information systems (GIS), hesitant fuzzy linguistic term set (HFLTS), and the full multiplicative form of multi-objective optimization by ratio analysis (MULTIMOORA), to determine suitable locations for waste collection boxes (named AYPIKUT), which have been designed specifically for collection of domestic waste vegetable oil and waste batteries. It takes as case study, Atakum, a district of Samsun city, Turkey. As a solution to the problem, first, a total of 88 items have been identified for consideration by seven criteria elicited from the insights of experts, and spatial analyses were performed. Multi-criteria HFLTS was then used to determine weights of the criteria. Population density was the most significant criterion affecting the selection process, and proximity to housing complexes with more than 150 dwellings was the least important. According to the weights of the seven criteria, and three rules determined by the experts, 15 AYPIKUT locations were identified using GIS. As a final step, the alternative locations (A1-A15) were ranked with the MULTIMOORA method. A5 was the most suitable site, and A6 was the least suitable site for an AYPIKUT. The results indicated the ability of the proposed model to select the suitable locations for waste collection box.

Species versus within-species niches: a multi-modelling approach to assess range size of a spring-dwelling amphibian

Species Distribution Models (SDMs) can be used to estimate potential geographic ranges and derive indices to assess species conservation status. However, habitat-specialist species require fine-scale range estimates that reflect resource dependency. Furthermore, local adaptation of intraspecific lineages to distinct environmental conditions across ranges have frequently been neglected in SDMs. Here, we propose a multi-stage SDM approach to estimate the distributional range and potential area of occupancy (pAOO) of Neurergus kaiseri, a spring-dwelling amphibian with two climatically-divergent evolutionary lineages. We integrate both broad-scale climatic variables and fine-resolution environmental data to predict the species distribution while examining the performance of lineage-level versus species-level modelling on the estimated pAOO. Predictions of habitat suitability at the landscape scale differed considerably between evolutionary level models. At the landscape scale, spatial predictions derived from lineage-level models showed low overlap and recognised a larger amount of suitable habitats than species-level model. The variable dependency of lineages was different at the landscape scale, but similar at the local scale. Our results highlight the importance of considering fine-scale resolution approaches, as well as intraspecific genetic structure of taxa to estimate pAOO. The flexible procedure presented here can be used as a guideline for estimating pAOO of other similar species.

Evaluation of Biogas Potential from Livestock Manures and Multicriteria Site Selection for Centralized Anaerobic Digester Systems: The Case of Jalisco, México

The state of Jalisco is the largest livestock producer in Mexico, leading in the production of swine, eggs, and milk. This immense production generates enormous amounts of waste as a byproduct of the process itself. The poor management of livestock-derived waste can lead to multiple environmental problems like nutrient accumulation in soil, water eutrophication, and air pollution. The aim of this work is to establish a replicable geographic information system (GIS)-based methodology for selecting priority sites in which to implement anaerobic digestion units. These units will use multiple parameters that evaluate environmental risks and viability factors for the units themselves. A weighted overlay analysis was used to identify critical regions and, based on the results, clusters of individual livestock production units (LPUs) across the state were selected. Nitrogen and phosphorus recovery, as well as the energetic potential of the selected clusters, were calculated. Four clusters located mainly in the Los Altos region of Jalisco were selected as critical and analyzed. The results indicate that Jalisco has the potential to generate 5.5% of its total electricity demand if the entirety of its livestock waste is treated and utilized in centralized anaerobic digestion units. Additionally, 49.2 and 31.2 Gg of nitrogen and phosphorus respectively could be valorized, and there would be an estimated total reduction of 3012.6 Gg of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq).