Mark Steer's Outputs (25)

Measuring temporal change in scrub vegetation cover using UAV‐derived height maps: A case study at two UK nature reserves (2024)
Journal Article

Measuring the outcome of practical interventions and actions helps to inform conservation management objectives and assess progress towards objectives and targets. Measuring success also informs future management by identifying actions that are effec... Read More about Measuring temporal change in scrub vegetation cover using UAV‐derived height maps: A case study at two UK nature reserves.

Nationwide tracing of two top freshwater fish invaders in Greece using environmental DNA sampling (2023)
Journal Article

Alien fish invasions are causing devastating impacts on native freshwater fauna; thus, rigorous, non-invasive and cost-effective biomonitoring of lotic and lentic freshwaters to design and implement appropriate prevention and control measures is now... Read More about Nationwide tracing of two top freshwater fish invaders in Greece using environmental DNA sampling.

New boundaries: Redefining the geographical range of a threatened fish through environmental DNA survey (2023)
Journal Article

Accurate data on the distribution and population status of threatened fish species are fundamental for effective conservation planning and management. In this work, in order to reassess the distribution of the globally threatened Evia barbel, Barbus... Read More about New boundaries: Redefining the geographical range of a threatened fish through environmental DNA survey.

The control of pathogens in stored rainwater using direct electrochemical activation (2022)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

Purpose of study or research hypothesis: The main study aim was to control waterborne pathogens using small-scale direct electrochemical activation.

Key issue(s) or problem(s) addressed: Rainwater harvesting systems enable households o... Read More about The control of pathogens in stored rainwater using direct electrochemical activation.

Managing potential pathogens in stored rainwater using small-scale in-situ electrochemical activation (2022)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

Rainwater can be a lifeline for many people who do not have piped water supplies, experience dry seasons, or live-in fresh water scarce areas. The quality of stored rainwater can deteriorate over time, due to increasing concentrations of contaminants... Read More about Managing potential pathogens in stored rainwater using small-scale in-situ electrochemical activation.

Mapping scrub vegetation cover from photogrammetric point clouds: A useful tool in reserve management (2021)
Journal Article

Scrub vegetation is a valuable habitat and resource for wildlife, but if unmanaged can encroach and dominate adjacent habitats, reducing biodiversity value. A primary task in the management of terrestrial nature reserves in the UK is monitoring and c... Read More about Mapping scrub vegetation cover from photogrammetric point clouds: A useful tool in reserve management.

Training future generations to deliver evidence-based conservation and ecosystem management (2021)
Journal Article

1. To be effective, the next generation of conservation practitioners and managers need to be critical thinkers with a deep understanding of how to make evidence‐based decisions and of the value of evidence synthesis.

2. If, as educators, we do no... Read More about Training future generations to deliver evidence-based conservation and ecosystem management.

A broad economic assessment of The Brue Valley Landscape (2020)
Preprint / Working Paper

A comparison of European eel Anguilla anguilla eDNA concentrations to fyke net catches in five Irish lakes (2020)
Journal Article

The European eel, Anguilla anguilla, is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN. To protect what remains of the European eel population, accurate monitoring methods for this species are important. Environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques are gaini... Read More about A comparison of European eel Anguilla anguilla eDNA concentrations to fyke net catches in five Irish lakes.

The use of storm fragments and biodegradable replanting methods allows for a low-impact habitat restoration method of seagrass meadows, in the eastern Aegean Sea (2020)
Journal Article

Seagrasses are important marine ecosystems but are vulnerable to physical damage from anthropogenic activities such as anchoring and trawling. Replanting damaged areas can represent a viable restoration strategy, yet current methods rely on the remov... Read More about The use of storm fragments and biodegradable replanting methods allows for a low-impact habitat restoration method of seagrass meadows, in the eastern Aegean Sea.

Lemurs in Cacao: Presence and Abundance within the Shade Plantations of Northern Madagascar (2019)
Journal Article

© 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel. The recognition that much biodiversity exists outside protected areas is driving research to understand how animals survive in anthropogenic landscapes. In Madagascar, cacao (Theobroma cacao) is grown under a mix of native... Read More about Lemurs in Cacao: Presence and Abundance within the Shade Plantations of Northern Madagascar.

Monitoring of a Canis aureus population living in the airport area of Samos Island, Greece (2018)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

The golden jackal (Canis aureus) population that lives within the area of Samos International Airport and the surrounding area has been characterized during the past years as a potential risk for passenger and flight safety. For this reason, its excl... Read More about Monitoring of a Canis aureus population living in the airport area of Samos Island, Greece.

A first confirmed record of the Indian Crested Porcupine Hystrix indica (Mammalia: Rodentia: Hystricidae) in the United Arab Emirates (2018)
Journal Article

We report the first records of the Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica; Kerr, 1792) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), approximately 600km beyond its known range in Arabia. Images of H. indica were taken by camera traps at two locations in Wadi... Read More about A first confirmed record of the Indian Crested Porcupine Hystrix indica (Mammalia: Rodentia: Hystricidae) in the United Arab Emirates.

A GIS approach to identifying connectivity potential between brown bear (Ursus Arctos) habitat in Northern Greece (2017)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) distribution in Greece is divided between two main large populations, one situated in the Pindos Mountain Range (NW Greece) and the other in the Rhodope Mountain Complex (NE Greece). As a result of recent recolonisation,... Read More about A GIS approach to identifying connectivity potential between brown bear (Ursus Arctos) habitat in Northern Greece.

Understanding local differences in small-scale fisheries: A comparison of two fishing settlements in Antsiranana Bay, Northern Madagascar (2011)
Journal Article

The small - scale fishery in Antsiranana Bay, northern Madagascar, constitutes a very active industry with fishers using multiple methods based on traditional techniques. In this first study of the fishing activities in Antsiranana Bay, two villages... Read More about Understanding local differences in small-scale fisheries: A comparison of two fishing settlements in Antsiranana Bay, Northern Madagascar.

The alcyonacea (soft corals and sea fans) of Antsiranana Bay, northern Madagascar (2011)
Journal Article

During the past two decades, the Alcyonacea (soft corals and sea fans) of the western Indian Ocean have been the subject of numerous studies investigating their ecology and distribution. Comparatively, Madagascar remains understudied. This article pr... Read More about The alcyonacea (soft corals and sea fans) of Antsiranana Bay, northern Madagascar.

Herpetological surveys of forest fragments between Montagne d’Ambre National Park and Ankarana Special Reserve, Northern Madagascar (2011)
Journal Article

Despite Madagascar being well known for its unique biodiversity and high levels of endemism, its herpetofauna remains understudied, especially outside protected areas. Here, we surveyed the herpetofauna within the fragmented dry deciduous forests of... Read More about Herpetological surveys of forest fragments between Montagne d’Ambre National Park and Ankarana Special Reserve, Northern Madagascar.

The first earthworm collections from Nicaragua with description of two new species (Oligochaeta) (2011)
Journal Article

In August 2009 the Natural History Museum London, Hungarian Natural History Museum and Systematic Zoology Research group, Entomological Museum in Leon and The Society for Environmental Exploration, mounted the first earthworm collection expedition to... Read More about The first earthworm collections from Nicaragua with description of two new species (Oligochaeta).

Evidence for local declines in Tanzania's puku antelope (Kobus vardoni Livingstone, 1857) population between 1999 and 2003 (2010)
Journal Article

Introduction
The Kilombero Valley in Tanzania holds c. 75% of the world’s puku antelope (Kobus vardoni), which is an estimated
50,000–60,000 individuals (East, 1998; Jenkins, Maliti & Corti, 2003). Globally, survival of this species is closely rela... Read More about Evidence for local declines in Tanzania's puku antelope (Kobus vardoni Livingstone, 1857) population between 1999 and 2003.

Do we expect natural selection to produce rational behaviour? (2007)
Journal Article

We expect that natural selection should result in behavioural rules which perform well; however, animals (including humans) sometimes make bad decisions. Researchers account for these with a variety of explanations; we concentrate on two of them. One... Read More about Do we expect natural selection to produce rational behaviour?.