Metrics of progress in the understanding and management of threats to Australian birds

Although evidence-based approaches have become commonplace for determining the success of conservation measures for the management of threatened taxa, there are no standard metrics for assessing progress in research or management. We developed 5 metrics to meet this need for threatened taxa and to quantify the need for further action and effective alleviation of threats. These metrics (research need, research achievement, management need, management achievement, and percent threat reduction) can be aggregated to examine trends for an individual taxon or for threats across multiple taxa. We tested the utility of these metrics by applying them to Australian threatened birds, which appears to be the first time that progress in research and management of threats has been assessed for all threatened taxa in a faunal group at a continental scale. Some research has been conducted on nearly three-quarters of known threats to taxa, and there is a clear understanding of how to alleviate nearly half of the threats with the highest impact. Some management has been attempted on nearly half the threats. Management outcomes ranged from successful trials to complete mitigation of the threat, including for one-third of high-impact threats. Progress in both research and management tended to be greater for taxa that were monitored or occurred on oceanic islands. Predation by cats had the highest potential threat score. However, there has been some success reducing the impact of cat predation, so climate change (particularly drought), now poses the greatest threat to Australian threatened birds. Our results demonstrate the potential for the proposed metrics to encapsulate the major trends in research and management of both threats and threatened taxa and provide a basis for international comparisons of evidence-based conservation science.     

Energy in a woodland-livestock agroecosystem: Prince Edward Island,Canada, 1870–2010

Regional Environmental Change - This article presents historic energy profiles in order to understand the changing roles of three critical energy flows in eastern Canadian agroecosystems. The first...     

Giving Voice to Wildlands Visitors: Selecting Indicators to Protect and Sustain Experiences in the Eastern Arctic of Nunavut

Many public land management agencies are committed to understanding and protecting recreation visitor experiences. Parks Canada is deeply committed to that objective for visitors to Canada’s National Parks. This 2004 study, informed by a 2003 qualitative study of visitor experiences and influences on those experiences at Auyuittuq National Park in Nunavut, worked to bring 50 potential elements of visitor experiences down to five articulated dimensions of the experience that is currently being received at this remote eastern arctic park. A hypothesized set of 17 influences on experiences, also reduced to just two factors with similar response patterns, and with some items that did not flow into the two factors, were used in a regression analysis to understand the relationship between experiences and factors of influence. A sample of 61.8% (84) of the total recreation visitor population 16 years of age or older was surveyed during deregistration after the trip. Knowledge about the dimensions of the experiences currently received and factors of influence on those experiences can be used to guide selection of indicators for describing objectives and prescribing monitoring protocol.     

Impact of sample preparation on mineralogical analysis of zero-valent iron reactive barrier materials

Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) of zero-valent iron (Fe(0)) are increasingly being used to remediate contaminated ground water. Corrosion of Fe(0) filings and the formation of precipitates can occur when the PRB material comes in contact with ground water and may reduce the lifespan and effectiveness of the barrier. At present, there are no routine procedures for preparing and analyzing the mineral precipitates from Fe(0) PRB material. These procedures are needed because mineralogical composition of corrosion products used to interpret the barrier processes can change with iron oxidation and sample preparation. The objectives of this study were (i) to investigate a method of preparing Fe(0) reactive barrier material for mineralogical analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and (ii) to identify Fe mineral phases and rates of transformations induced by different mineralogical preparation techniques. Materials from an in situ Fe(0) PRB were collected by undisturbed coring and processed for XRD analysis after different times since sampling for three size fractions and by various drying treatments. We found that whole-sample preparation for analysis was necessary because mineral precipitates occurred within the PRB material in different size fractions of the samples. Green rusts quickly disappeared from acetone-dried samples and were not present in air-dried and oven-dried samples. Maghemite/magnetite content increased over time and in oven-dried samples, especially after heating to 105 degrees C. We conclude that care must be taken during sample preparation of Fe(0) PRB material, especially for detection of green rusts, to ensure accurate identification of minerals present within the barrier system.     

Phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated land by trees--a review

This paper reviews the potential for using trees for the phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated land. It considers the following aspects: metal tolerance in trees, heavy metal uptake by trees grown on contaminated substrates, heavy metal compartmentalisation within trees, phytoremediation using trees and the phytoremediation potential of willow (Salix spp.).     

FLUVIAL PROCESSES AND MORPHOLOGICAL THRESHOLDS IN INCISED CHANNEL RESTORATION1

ABSTRACT: Incised channels are those in which an imbalance between sediment transport capacity and sediment supply has led to degradation of their beds. This is a frequent response to stream channelization, changes in land use, or lowering of base level. If the degradation causes a critical bank-height threshold to be exceeded, which is dependent on the geotechnical properties of the bank materials, then bank failure and channel widening follow. Interdependent adjustments of channel slope and cross-sectional area occur until a new state of dynamic equilibrium with the imposed discharge and sediment load is attained. These geomorphic adjustments can be described and quantified by using location-for-time substitution and a model of channel evolution can be formulated. Three approaches to rehabilitation of the degraded channels are possible; geomorphic, engineering and rational. The rational approach, which integrates elements of both the engineering and geomorphic approaches, is based on the channel evolution model, and it generally involves control of grade, control of discharge, or a combination of both.     

The analysis of flue gas treatment residues using non-destructive X-ray fluorescence as a regulatory compliance test

Current and proposed European Union (EU) regulations require the residual material from municipal solid waste incineration to be characterised prior to disposal. X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) provides a rapid and non-destructive technique for analysing such materials.     

Environmental health implications of global climate change

This paper reviews the background that has led to the now almost-universally held opinion in the scientific community that global climate change is occurring and is inescapably linked with anthropogenic activity. The potential implications to human health are considerable and very diverse. These include, for example, the increased direct impacts of heat and of rises in sea level, exacerbated air and water-borne harmful agents, and--associated with all the preceding--the emergence of environmental refugees. Vector-borne diseases, in particular those associated with blood-sucking arthropods such as mosquitoes, may be significantly impacted, including redistribution of some of those diseases to areas not previously affected. Responses to possible impending environmental and public health crises must involve political and socio-economic considerations, adding even greater complexity to what is already a difficult challenge. In some areas, adjustments to national and international public health practices and policies may be effective, at least in the short and medium terms. But in others, more drastic measures will be required. Environmental monitoring, in its widest sense, will play a significant role in the future management of the problem.