Ecosystem restoration in fire-managed savanna woodlands: Effects on biodiversity,local livelihoods and fire intensity

Ethiopia aims to restore 15 million ha degraded forests and woodlands, but effects on the potentially contrasting goals of long-term carbon storage, biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods are unknown. To quantify the effects of grazing exclusion on vegetation and fire behaviour, we established six 30 × 30 m fenced exclosures with grazed controls, in a mesic wooded savanna. Experimental burns were done after 1.5 years. Tree seedlings were few but more common inside fences. Field layer cover and biomass increased inside fences, and grass species increased in numbers and cover. Fire intensity was higher inside fences, killing shrubs and saplings but not mature trees. Interviews confirmed that overgrazing has resulted in “cool fires”, causing shrub encroachment. High-intensity fires occurred in the 1980s after a zoonotic disease killed most livestock. Short-term increase in carbon storage through fire and grazing exclusion may lead to loss of pasture, and in the long-term increased wildfire risk.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01343-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Removal of emerging pollutant dibutylhydroxytoluene from water with CNT/TiO2 catalysts in a visible LED photoreactor

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - For the photocatalytic degradation of antioxidant 2,6-di-tert-butyl-hydroxytoluene (BHT), several TiO2-based composites have been prepared in MWCNT...     

The use of Odonata species for environmental assessment: a meta-analysis for the Neotropical region

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The order Odonata has been regularly used as an indicator of the ecosystem’s condition. The objective of this review was to analyze the...     

Appraisal of water matrix on the removal of fungicide residues by heterogeneous photocatalytic treatment using UV-LED lamp as light source

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this study, the photocatalytic degradation of four fungicides, myclobutanil, penconazole and difenoconazole (triazole compounds) and boscalid...     

Enhanced activated persulfate oxidation of ciprofloxacin using a low-grade titanium ore under sunlight: influence of the irradiation source on its transformation products

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this work, the activated persulfate oxidation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) using a low-grade titanium ore under sunlight or simulated sunlight were...     

A novel high rotation bubble reactor for the treatment of a model pollutant in ozone/goethite/H2O2 and UV/goethite coupled processes

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This work proposes a novel approach for the coupling of ozonation and Fenton processes using a new prototype of a high rotation bubble reactor (HRBR),...     

Simultaneous removal of emerging contaminants and disinfection for municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent quality improvement: a systemic analysis of the literature

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This work presents a bibliographic review of the literature regarding the simultaneous removal of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and...     

Photoactivation and photoregeneration of TiO2/PAC mixture applied in suspension in water treatments: approach to a real application

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The process TiO2/PAC/UV-vis has been under study and compared with the isolated treatments of adsorption and photocatalysis determining possible...     

Facile fabrication of hybrid titanium(IV) isopropoxide/pozzolan nanosheets (TnS-Pz) of high photocatalytic activity: characterization and application for Cr(VI) reduction in an aqueous solution

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This paper presents the synthesis of a hybrid material through the use of natural pozzolan and titanium(IV) isopropoxide using the sol-gel method and...     

Can we take the pulse of environmental governance the way we take the pulse of nature? Applying the Freshwater Health Index in Latin America

Quantitative assessments have long been used to evaluate the condition of the natural environment, providing information for standard setting, adaptive management, and monitoring. Similar approaches have been developed to measure environmental governance, however, the end result (e.g., numeric indicators) belies the subjective and normative judgments that are involved in evaluating governance. We demonstrate a framework that makes this information transparent, through an application of the Freshwater Health Index in three different river basins in Latin America. Water Governance is measured on a 0–100 scale, using data derived from perception-based surveys administered to stakeholders. Results suggest that water governance is a primary area of concern in all three places, with low overall scores (Guandu-26, Alto Mayo-38, Bogotá-43). We conclude that this approach to measuring governance at the river basin scale provides valuable information to support monitoring and decision making, and we offer suggestions on how it can be improved.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01407-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.