As
well as this stunning documentary exploring the mountains and
forests of Carpathia, we would also recommend you take a look at
William Blacker's book "Along
the enchanted way" for an introduction to the people and
culture of the region.
Structure of the expeditions
This
expedition is different to the other Operation Wallacea Expeditions
in that the teams are mobile throughout the two weeks and will be
spending 4 nights in a series of picturesque Saxon villages of the
foothills of the Carpathians. Each team will visit key survey
locations in the nearby valleys and villages. During the 2 weeks
they will also sample a site outside of the Site of Community
Interest. Whilst based in the villages the group will split into
teams that will complete surveys of the valleys and hills with the
following objectives: (these objectives may change as the survey
techniques and areas to be
surveyed become clearer in the ‘build-up’ to the first survey season
in 2013)
To quantify the relative abundance
between years of wolves, bears and other mammals from reports of
attacks on sheep, signs and for the smaller species from
standardised trapping activities
To quantify the relative abundance
between years of birds from replicate transects including counts
of fledging success of raptors such as Lesser Spotted Eagles
To quantify the relative abundance
of amphibians and reptiles between years by repeated annual
searches
To quantify the relative abundance
and diversity of butterflies between years by repeated annual
transects and for moths by light trapping
To quantify changes in the
landscape such as size class structure of mature trees in wood
pastures, levels of grassland scrub invasion, changes in field
size and crops and changes in sheep flocks and cow herds
To quantify changes in the
distribution of target meadow plant species from repeated annual
quadrat surveys
Itinerary for Saxon
valley surveys
The survey areas are located in the North
East, South East and the West of the Sighisoara-Tarnarva Mare Natura
2000 site. Survey sites have been chosen using aerial photographs
and they will sample a significant area of the Natura 2000 site and
concentrate in particular on biodiversity hotspots.
In each area the students will be split into one of four groups and
over the course of the two weeks will have the chance to participate
in each of the study teams for two days. They will also have the
opportunity to locate bears, visit local farms, attend local
cultural festivals and experience the unique architecture of the
area (the Natura 2000 site has three UNESCO world heritage sites).
Landscape features survey team:
Recent aerial photographs have been used to identify key
landscape features which can vary in size from very small
‘tennis court’ size to much larger areas. The team will measure
a series of biotic and abiotic ecological factors.
Butterfly and
plant grassland species indicators: This team will be
spending time completing quadrats for the 30 indicator plant
species and linked transects for specific butterfly species.
The transects will encompass examples of lowland hay meadow,
lowland cattle grazing pasture, upland hay meadow and upland
sheep grazing pasture. The transects will be repeated by other
survey groups later in the season.
Bird, mammal
and woodland features team: This survey will consist of
standardised treks of 10km to encompass as many habitats as
possible. The same routes will be used each year so the
encounter rates for birds and signs of mammals can be compared.
All birds will be identified and their distance from the
transect line estimated using a range finder. Particular
attention will be paid to raptor abundance (Lesser Spotted
Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Honey Buzzard). In addition all signs
of large mammals (bears, wolves, deer) or sightings will be
recorded together with the GPS position. In late August one of
the transect days will be replaced with a day where Lesser
Spotted Eagle nests will be monitored to quantify fledgling
success. The route will also pass through agricultural land and
a note will be taken of sheep flock size and any signs of
agricultural change.
Wetland
surveys: This team will identify all wetland areas and in
each water body the species composition of the amphibian
community will be quantified from dip net surveys. Note that
this is one of the most species-rich areas for amphibians in
Europe, with threatened species such as Yellow-bellied Toad
being widely distributed. In addition cover boards will be set
out and checked for snakes and lizards.
At night it will be possible to join one of the
following teams:
Light trapping
for moths:
Light traps will be run for a standard number of hours of darkness
in each village and all large moth species identified.
Mist netting
for bats: Trapping bats to identify in the hand, use of a bat a bat detector to determine the bat communities.
Corncrake and owl surveys:
Taped calls in the hour before nightfall to determine numbers of
corncrake. After dark spotlight surveys of a woodland transect
will be completed to quantify owl species contacts.
Observations of
bear and wild boar:
Observations from hides at dawn and dusk.
The students will also
complete a Transylvanian Ecology course comprising the following
lectures: Saxon management of the landscape and threats to
this landscape; plant and
invertebrate diversity; herpetofauna of Europe; birds of eastern Europe;
large mammal abundance and management in Europe; and
conservation strategies in Transylvania.
Example research
questions for IB, EPQ or COPE How are
European brown bear populations estimated?
Can
wolf populations be sustained within Europe?
How do
the nine woodpecker species of Europe separate their niches?
Why is
Transylvania such a hotspot for European amphibian diversity?
Describe the relationship between the great burnet plant, the large
blue butterfly and ants.
Are
European Union farm subsidies a threat or a benefit to nature
conservation?
Do the
Habitat and Birds Directives make a difference to nature
conservation in Europe?
How has
farming changed in Romania since the fall of Ceausescu?
