From Data Needs Assessment Survey, p. In many cases, public and private funds are unknowingly spent on re-collecting information that may actually already exist in some undocumented or unavailable fashion. Much existing biodiversity and ecosystems information cannot be widely used and may be in danger of being permanently lost because it is not yet converted into an electronic computerised format.
In most cases, because of different formats, conventions, or technologies, it is difficult to truly integrate information from more than one source or system. The Project aims to investigate the feasibility of managing, curating and making available, University of Otago and regional biodiversity research data to empower research, further enable collaboration and inform conservation practice. One of the key Project Deliverables is to survey University of Otago researchers, with an interest in biodiversity including and beyond the Life Sciences , to quantify some of the findings suggested through the informal interviews held in Project documentation This report is the first of four Project reports.
This questionnaire attempts to achieve some or all of the following: 1. To raise awareness of the issues surrounding the management of research data, and also raise awareness of the current Otago Biodiversity Data Management Project, among a group of Otago researchers with an interest in New Zealand biodiversity 2.
To enhance understanding of data management for discovery including metadata within the research community 5. To identify researchers with a particular interest in formally managing their own primary research data for enhanced discovery 6.
To identify additional considerations which are important to University of Otago researchers 7. To identify potential partnerships — both within and beyond the Otago research community. The primary focus of the Project is the Otago region, but partnerships from outside this region are not excluded.
Interviews took place between May and August It was initially developed as a print questionnaire, before being converted to an online survey using Google Documents. Selected staff from other University departments, who were identified as having an interest in biodiversity, were also contacted. This, and a further conversation with a local DOC manager, widened the survey group to include others working in the area of biodiversity, within the Otago region.
The online questionnaire was emailed to the survey group on the 7th April A reminder email was also sent out 10 weeks later, on 20th June. The online questionnaire remained available until 1st August. Between April and August, ongoing interviews with researchers provided an additional opportunity to discuss and distribute the print questionnaire.
This method of distribution proved most effective and the majority of questionnaire responses received were print, rather than online. In total, individuals from the Otago region were contacted and encouraged to do the questionnaire. The survey group included University of Otago researchers and independent researchers, with an interest in biodiversity, and also selected DOC10 managers.
By the end of the survey period, 71 responses both in print and online had been received. The completed questionnaires contain both quantitative data multi-choice responses and qualitative data free text responses.
This report includes graphs of the quantitative results and also commentary on these, and the associated free text comments. The questionnaire respondents have not been identified. Google Documents cannot be recommended for this type of survey in future. The information included in pages is presented as follows: a. Multi-choice responses are represented graphically, using bar and pie charts. This quantitative data is displayed both as numerical and percentage values. Free text responses when available are included, anonymously, with each question.
These are presented in italics, on a grey background. Commentary — a short commentary is included in support of the responses to each question. The intention is to draw out some of the key findings from these responses and, as appropriate, to supply further context. Please indicate your area of research Only one respondent chose not to include information about their particular area of interest.
A complete list of research topics is included in Appendix C. How would formal management of biodiversity research data be useful to you? It could make things much better or be a real hindrance. However, the tradition in [X] is to cite only published data. What kinds of non-digital data do you generate or collect for your research or have you generated or collected in the past?
What kinds of digital data do you generate or collect for your research? In what formats are these digital information sources held?
Are the research data you generate sometimes a combination of different data formats? Combination of different data formats 30 often sometimes 25 20 15 10 potentially no comment rarely never 5 unsure 0 Combination of different data formats Each respondent selected a single response to this question.
How large in total are your digital research data? Please estimate. There is lots of data stored across many different computers. How long do you think your research data will have value? So data for individual animals remains of value to future workers beyond my expected career completion.
Sequence data will be valid in 10 years but I can't tell if it will be useful or not. But I would say 10 year timeframe is not unreasonable. However that sequence data is already curated by Genbank. What data storage and back up system s do you currently have in place?
Who currently manages your data? Respondents selected multiple responses to this question. I ask for copies digital - CD of all data sets on thesis completion.
Do you currently have a formal Research Data Management Plan in place and, if not, please indicate the reasons. Do you currently have a formal Research Data Management Plan in place? To which repositories — and how often - do you submit your research data?
To which repositories do you submit your research data? To which repositories do you submit your data? A large percentage of the researchers surveyed do not currently submit their research data to any repository, either locally, within New Zealand, or internationally.
Only 5 researchers deposited in more than one repository and all but one of these deposited in both New Zealand and international repositories. How often do you submit your research data to a repository? No comment Respondents selected multiple responses to this question. A number of free text comments, in support of this question parts a. I suspect some data for a current project will go back to land care. It does not apply to my data.
Can you please indicate what types of metadata you consider important to assign to your data. At what stage are metadata assigned to your research data? At what stage are metadata assigned? Are metadata assigned? Usually relates to my filing system. Who assigns metadata to your research data? I assign Who assigns the metadata? Who assigns the metadata? Why might you wish to access the research data generated by other researchers?
Understand broader research 70 context Test my research objectives 60 Test their research objectives 50 To access data for my research 40 To access 'non-repeatable' data 30 To build on others' research 20 Inform conservation practice 10 Identify useful contacts 0 No comment Why access research data of others? There were fewer free text comments associated with this question. How would you normally access the research data of other researchers? I feel that data are ultimately the property of the person who collected them, so permission must [underlined] be granted for data access.
How do you make your research data available to others? Email is the most preferred method for making research data available to others. How do you make your research data I don't make this available available to others? When requested, I'm willing to transfer by whatever means agreed. What formal restrictions do you apply to your research data to control access?
Storage on standalone What formal restrictions limit computer Storage on private network access to your data? Time related embargoes 25 Restricted to approved 20 group s Individual enquiries are 15 assessed 10 Online authentication 5 Open access 0 Not sure What formal restrictions do you apply to your data? Interestingly, two of these three most preferred responses emphasise security and permissions, while the third open access imposes no restrictions whatsoever.
What factors would encourage you to share your research data? Assistance with sharing What factors would encourage you to share your data? Improved visibility for my research Improved validation for my 60 research Benefits to my research profile 50 Enabling collaboration 40 Benefits to research community 30 Benefit to my institution 20 Benefits to conservation practice 10 Benefits to society 0 Funding requirement What factors would encourage you to share your Nothing would encourage me research data?
Having supplied data in the past, I'm loathe to do so again unless I know that I can access the system. What factors would discourage you from sharing your research data? Threat-ownership What factors would discourage you from sharing your data? Risk-research niche Risk-premature broadcast 45 Subversion of IP 40 Ethical constraints 35 Cultural considerations 30 25 Confidentiality issues 20 Time and effort 15 Lack of support 10 Risk of diversion 5 0 Risk-commercialisation What factors would discourage you from Funding competition sharing data?
Cynical use against conservation or social interests. If support were available, would you be interested in training or advice on any of the following?
If available, what support would Digitisation support be of interest to you? RDM plan at project 40 start 30 RDM plan at project finish 20 Data 'exit' plan 10 Data 'rescue' support 0 Interest in training or advice No comment Respondents selected multiple responses to this question. Would you like to receive ongoing email updates about the current Otago Biodiversity Project and the findings of this research data questionnaire?
Would you like to receive ongoing updates? Please feel free to add any other comments regarding data management, long term data storage and access, digitisation, training, etc Any additional comments? This does not undermine the validity of the responses, but it is worth noting, especially as the interests and concerns of established researchers are likely to differ from those who are embarking on an academic career, and have yet to establish significant amounts of data.
Project aims [3] More than a quarter of respondents felt that formal management of biodiversity research data would be of use to them. Your research data Non-digital data [4] The survey group, many of whom are Life Scientists, still have quantities of non-digital data, particularly field notes, photographs, observational records and reports. The questionnaire did not quantify this non-digital data, but as the majority of respondents indicated that their data would be of value for more than 10 years, it seems likely that much of this non-digital material continues to have value and would be worth digitising.
This raises a number of questions for potential data managers, not least of which is cost of digitising widely differing non-digital formats. Digital data There were a number of questions around digital data, generated by the researchers, including types of data, formats, whether or not this data is a combination of formats, data size and life span, back-up systems for this data, and current data management practices. Data types, formats and size [] With regard to data types and formats, almost all respondents had multiple kinds of data, in a variety of formats.
Especially popular are datasets, digital images and derived data, utilising spreadsheets, word processed files and image files. The responses suggest that researchers are confident in using digital data, however the high uptake of proprietary software is something to be aware of in terms of long term management of this data e. What data format combinations are most prevalent was not explored, but again, having data in more than one format has implications for formal data management. Life scientists often work on small projects, with limited funding, generating small, localised collections of data, i.
Data life, storage [] The quantities of data may not typically be large in the Life Sciences, but the data is held to be of value over time illustrations of long term studies are given in the free text comments. If data retains its value over time, it is important that this data is stored securely. A third of researchers indicated that they manage their data with others, often their postgraduate students.
Researchers clearly work closely with their data, throughout the research cycle and also the entire data management and curation life cycle see DCC Curation Lifecycle Model.
It also raises the question of how much interest there might be in a more standardised approach to data management and third party support, when so much is currently being done by the individual. Just two respondents currently had a DMP in place The issues around data management are not widely understood and remain unclear to many. Some of the free text comments indicate further uncertainty about data deposit data format, value of depositing data.
These results suggest that University of Otago researchers do not, routinely, deposit data into repositories. Why they do not deposit data is, again, not explored in this questionnaire, although free text comments provide selected insights. Again, with decisions about metadata being made primarily by the individual researchers, there are implications as previously discussed with implementing a more standardised approach to managing the research data.
While this may be a quick and easy way to share limited amounts of data, this method also carries the risk of data corruption and file damage. This figure seems to suggest that while researchers do not generally deposit data in repositories qu. However, the accompanying free text comments suggest that, for some at least, the situation is otherwise. Thus, genetic diversity has considerable economic value whether bred into advanced agro-system or inherent in traditional ones.
Traditional technologies are more stable and sustainable but are also considerably less productive. While modern technologies such as Green Revolution technologies form high- yielding varieties but are genetically narrow and vulnerable.
Genetic diversity, thus, will remain extremely important in the future because of the increasing genetic uniformity and due to the vulnerability of improved varieties. New biotechnological techniques can be expected to increase the use of wild germplasm in breeding programmes. The threat presented by global climatic changes requires the retainment of maximum biodiversity and also the access to important genetic resources in the transitional zone be protected. In any ecosystem the biotic component is composed of a few species only or a large number of microbe, plant and animals species.
These species react and interact with each other and with the abiotic factors of the environment. The diversity related to the numbers and relative abundance of species within a community are referred to as species diversity. Since the emergence of life, some 3. There appears to have been at least three periods of lineage proliferation. The initial diversification of complex life forms began in the Cambrian period and by the end of it there was a period of pervasive extinction.
Species diversity again rose to a new peak in the Paleozoic era and by the end of Permian period it declined once more due to mass extinction. The third rapid rise in the number of families is most recent and has contributed to the development of the modern fauna. It is a recognised fact that the tropics hold a great store of un-described species.
Among plants, animals and probably also microbes, the number of species increases markedly towards the equator, with a few exceptions.
Species, genus and family diversity in marine environment also follow a similar trend. Within a given latitudinal belt, the number of species may vary widely among habitats according to their productivity, degree of structural heterogeneity and suitability of physical conditions.
Similarly, Pianka in the desert habitats of South Western United States, found a close relationship between the number of species of lizards and the total volume of vegetation per unit of area.
The difference in species from one habitat to the next is referred to as beta diversity. The greater the turnover or difference of species between habitats, the greater is the beta diversity. Gamma or regional diversity is the total number of species observed in all habitats within a region or geographic area that includes no significant barriers to dispersal of organisms. The boundaries of a region thus depend on which organisms we consider. If each species occur in all habitats within a region, then the alpha and gamma diversities are the same Fig.
To quantify beta diversity a useful one, is the number of unique habitats recognised by species within a region. When all the species are same in all the habitat then there is effectively only a single habitat within the region and beta diversity is equal to 1 Fig. As habitat specialisation increases more habitats are recognised and then gamma diversity equals alpha diversity multiplied by beta diversity.
There are different types of ecosystems on earth, each having its own array of distinctive interlinked species based on the differences in the habitat. Distinctive ecosystems include landscapes like forests, grasslands, deserts, mountains etc. Ecosystems may be natural or modified. Modified type of ecosystems is formed due to human interference and when it is changed to other types of uses, such as farm- land or urban areas.
Ecosystem are said to be natural when it is relatively undisturbed by human activities. Ecosystems are most natural in wilderness areas. When natural ecosystems are misused or overused their productivity eventually decreases and becomes barren. Such ecosystems are then said to be degraded. The above three levels of biodiversity describe. Project Report 4. Factors Affecting Biodiversity: i.
Risks of contamination as a result of pollution of the soil, air or water by hazardous chemicals should be avoided. The cultivation of medicinal plants may-affect the ecological balance and, in particular, the genetic diversity of the flora and fauna in surrounding habitats. The quality and growth of medicinal plants can also be affected by other plants, other living organisms and by human activities.
The ecological impact of cultivation activities should be monitored over time, where practical. In terms of local income-earning opportunities, small- scale cultivation is often preferable to large-scale production, in particular if small-scale farmers are organized to market their products jointly. The use of fertilizers is often indispensable in order to obtain large yields of medicinal plants.
It is, however, necessary to ensure that correct types and quantities of fertilizers are used through agricultural research. In practice, organic and chemical fertilizers are used. Human excreta must not be used as a fertilizer owing to the potential presence of infectious microorganisms or parasites. Any applications of animal manure should be documented. Fertilizers should be applied in such a manner as to minimize leaching.
Care should be exercised to ensure that the plants under cultivation are neither over- nor under-watered. The growth and development characteristics of individual medicinal plants, as well as the plant part destined for medicinal use, should guide field management practices. The timely application of measures such as topping, bud nipping, pruning and shading may be used to control the growth and development of the plant, thereby improving the quality and quantity of the medicinal plant material being produced.
Integrated pest management should be followed where appropriate. Only qualified staff using approved equipment should carry out pesticide and herbicide applications. All applications should be documented. Project Report 5. Many substances have been derived from traditional medicine, e.
The conservation of biodiversity throughout the world is of significance for the mankind and indeed to the constancy of the whole world. The vast genetic variety available in terrestrial plants, animals and micro-organisms offers a wealth of possibilities for the betterment of mankind in the production of foods and medicines.
Natural products offer a vast source of chemical diversity and yield unusual and unexpected lead structures. Project Report 6. The pressure of rising human demands coupled with environmental pollution has damaged the biotic component in various degrees. Only These areas are burdened with a rapidly rising population, housing more than three- fourth of the world population. The need for food and improved living conditions have resulted in damage of natural ecosystems leading to an annual deforestation rate of 61, sq.
These wetlands are being drained and dried for agriculture use or are converted to aquaculture ponds or for human settlements. In addition to reduction in biological diversity, elimination of mangrove ecosystem also causes erosion of coastline and decrease in fish production. Coral reefs are highly diverse and productive ecosystems and are marine equivalent to tropical forest. Introduction of exotic species into habitats which is not its natural abode has caused extensive damage to the natural biotic community of that ecosystem.
Extinction of a component species result in a chain of events affecting a number of other species adversely. For example, extinction of each tropical plant species leads to a loss of about species of insects that are highly specialised in their feeding habits and behaviour. Project Report 7. Residents in forest areas have long- established sedentary agricultural systems and traditions of extracting resources from areas of ecological importance.
India, thus, is committed to biodiversity conservation. It has developed an extensive system of parks and sanctuaries covering more than 4 percent of its land areas. Biodiversity at all levels can be best preserved by setting aside an adequate representation of wilderness as protected areas through in-situ conservation. Setting up a network of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries etc.
On the other hand, animals such as elephants, which require different types of habitat to feed during different seasons, require a large enough area so as to include such diverse habitat types. Endangered species can be conserved outside its natural habitat through ex-situ conservation by carefully controlled situation such as a botanical garden for plants and zoological parks for animals.
Plants are readily maintained than animals. In ex-situ conservation seed banks, botanical gardens, pollen storage, tissue culture, genetic engineering etc. The success of the breeding programme also lies in the reintroduction of these species into its original wilderness. This requires reconstruction of the degraded habitat and stringent measures to be taken against poaching or other man-made disturbances, which had been the primary cause for the reduction in such species population.
This has initiated groups of villagers to take responsibility for conserving natural resources in nearby forests. India has traditionally relied on policing to safeguard its protected areas. They have used walls, gates, guards and guns to protect parks, sanctuaries etc. It has often led to confrontation between wildlife authorities and villagers. Project Report 8. Hotspots of Biodiversity : The biodiversity of the earth is unevenly distributed and is concentrated in specific ecological regions.
The biodiversity hotspots were originally identified by Dr. Norman Myers. The number of endemic species referred to earlier has been found to be concentrated in large numbers in certain areas. Once lost, these endemic species can no way be recovered. Although endemic species richness was the primary criteria for demarcating hotspot areas, other characteristics were:.
Biodiversity hotspots do not address the concept of cost. The purpose of biodiversity hotspots is not just to identify regions that are of high biodiversity value, but also to direct available funds to such small land areas of the world. Project Report 9.
Threats to Biodiversity : The evils of overuse and misuse of most of our ecosystems have started to show. Mangrove forests have been felled for fuel wood and the land cleared for prawn farming.
This has led to a decrease in the habitat essential for the breeding of marine fishes. These changes have a grave impact in the long run.
Scientists have speculated that by 2, approximately 10 million species will be eliminated. It may occur at the rate of 10,, species per year. This has occurred due to European colonisation with their exotic animals and plants. Agricultural activities expanded and a systematic destruction of natural habitats occurred. The wildlife had no place to escape and thereby they perished.
During the course of organic evolution a number of species disappeared. Biological extinction is a natural phenomenon which has taken place in a balanced way. However, due to the pressure of human activity in a span of three hundred years the world has lost about 30 species of higher animals, which accounts for one species per year. Project Report Role of Biodiversity in Agriculture: India is a centre for crop diversity. Diversity is further reflected in different types of ecosystems available — mountain ecosystem of the north; forest ecosystem formed of semi-evergreen, deciduous, dry, moist and tidal varieties that extend over the major part of the state; fresh water ecosystem; semiarid ecosystem in the western part; mangrove ecosystem in the south and coastal marine ecosystem along the shoreline.
The floral diversity is also rich having Biodiversity enriched districts are Darjeeling followed by Kolkata, South 24 parganas. Medinipur, North 24 parganas, Nadia, Malda, Murshidabad etc. The floral highest diversity is seen in Darjeeling 2, species while the faunal highest diversity is seen in Kolkata 4, species followed by Darjeeling 4, species. The zone between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn is warm and humid. This wide belt around the globe is provided with a rich and diverse plant, animal and microbial life.
It is here that more than half of the total number of species present in our planet occurs.
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