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Between 2010 and 2011 a field survey dedicated to Dracaena cinnabari (DC) population was conducted in Firmihin, Socotra Island (Yemen). It’s main goal was to collect data that would make it possible to unbiasedly estimate main characteristics of the local DC population. Our motivation was to provide reliable information to support decision-making processes as well as other research activities. At the same time we were not aware of a survey which could provide this kind of statistical-sound estimates for the whole population covering an area of almost 700 ha. This article describes how the survey has been planned and carried out in practice. In addition, we also provide a set of preliminary estimates of the main DC population figures - totals and per hectare densities of stems, overall and partitioned according to predicted crown age. Among estimated parameters there are also mean crown age and proportions of predefined age classes on the total number of living DC stems. These estimates provide an explicit information on age structure of the whole DC population in Firmihin. Although we collected data on more than one hundred randomly located plots, the reported accuracy of our estimates is still rather limiting. We discuss several possibilities to obtain more accurate results or at least to approach the supposedly lower true variance that can’t be calculated by approximate techniques applied here. The design and concept of our survey makes it possible to evaluate changes over time on stem by stem bases and to generalize these stem-level details to the whole population. Mortality, regeneration and even change of population’s mean crown age can be estimated from a future repeated survey, which would be extremely useful to draw firm conclusions about the dynamic of the whole DC population in Firmihin.

This paper adds to the literature on new immigrant destinations and the geographies of immigrant incorporation by studying recent changes in the settlement patterns of nonnatives in the Czech Republic. This country has rapidly transitioned from a country of emigration to one gaining population from elsewhere. The speed of this transition is unusual and is worthy of study in and of itself. Similar to most other countries with significant immigration, newcomers tend to settle in large urban centres, so, not surprisingly, Prague is the principal gateway city. In the Czech case, however, settlement patterns do not follow a simple hierarchy; non-natives indeed are now found increasingly not only in secondary cities but also in nonmetropolitan areas, especially to the north and west of Prague. These basic geographies are shaped by the direct settlement from other countries and also result from rapidly evolving secondary migrations within the country.

This article presents selected results of a research project on irregular migration and migrants' irregular economic activities in the Czech Republic. The project explored several topics through quantitative as well as qualitative research techniques: a questionnaire survey (N=159) and interviews (N=37) with irregular migrants living in the Czech Republic and a Delphi survey among experts on migration. The article describes and explains the nature of migrants' irregular economic activities. It also provides a quantitative analysis of migrants' selected characteristics followed by a description and typology of relations within the so-called 'client' system. ❖❖❖Keywords: irregular migration, irregular migrants, Czech Republic, economic activities, quantitative and qualitative research methods of the Czech Republic (2005)(2006)(2007). 1 The project also has links to two teams in Austria and Hungary (led by Michael Jandl and Judith Juhász). 2 As there is a lack of research and information on irregular migration and migrants' irregular economic activities in the Czech Republic, our aim was to explore this topic by using quantitative as well as qualitative research techniques. We were primarily interested in irregular migrants themselves -in conditions in their countries of origin, their reasons for migration, and their living and working conditions in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, we examined the role of the Czech state and its migration policy, as well as the impact of migrants' irregular work at different levels (the state, employers, etc). This article, however, focuses only on the economic activities of irregular immigrants. It examines the topic through different methodical approaches (see below).

This contribution advances knowledge of contemporary Moldovan migration and is the first comparative description of the situation of Moldovans in Czechia and Italy. Our specific objective is to review evidence about how the concept of the migration-development nexus applies to the Moldovan situation. In the absence of comparable primary data on Moldovan migration our research design uses mixed methods and triangulates data from Moldova and across the main destinations for Moldovan migration, including Italy and Czechia. In addition to confirming prior research on the significance of remittances to the Moldovan economy since 1991, we report three additional findings. First, Moldovan migrants, particularly women who may work as domestic workers are often invisible and undercounted. Second, Moldovan migration is rapidly diversifying, with new destinations, selectivities, and forms and modes of mobility. Third, the global economic recession of 2008 had different implications for Moldovan migration patterns to and from Czechia and Italy. We conclude with a specific call for research that extends the migration-development nexus by examining social remittances and the mobility and labour strategies of Moldovan family reunifiers. The paper also argues for availability of robust data that would allow comparative analysis of international migration and could better support evidence-based debates about migration.