Development,Malaria and Adaptation to Climate Change: A Case Study from India

India has reasons to be concerned about climate change. Over 650 million people depend on climate-sensitive sectors, such as rain-fed agriculture and forestry, for livelihood and over 973 million people are exposed to vector borne malarial parasites. Projection of climatic factors indicates a wider exposure to malaria for the Indian population in the future. If precautionary measures are not taken and development processes are not managed properly some developmental activities, such as hydro-electric dams and irrigation canal systems, may also exacerbate breeding grounds for malaria. This article integrates climate change and developmental variables in articulating a framework for integrated impact assessment and adaptation responses, with malaria incidence in India as a case study. The climate change variables include temperature, rainfall, humidity, extreme events, and other secondary variables. Development variables are income levels, institutional mechanisms to implement preventive measures, infrastructure development that could promote malarial breeding grounds, and other policies. The case study indicates that sustainable development variables may sometimes reduce the adverse impacts on the system due to climate change alone, while it may sometimes also exacerbate these impacts if the development variables are not managed well and therefore they produce a negative impact on the system. The study concludes that well crafted and well managed developmental policies could result in enhanced resilience of communities and systems, and lower health impacts due to climate change.     

Farmers perception and awareness of climate change: a case study from Kanchandzonga Biosphere Reserve,India

This study was an attempt to document the indigenous Lepcha people’s perception on climate change-related issues in five villages of Dzongu Valley located in Kanchandzonga Biosphere Reserve, India. Personal structured questionnaire was used for interview of 300 households selected randomly. Results showed that 85 % of the households have perceived climate change, mainly in the form of increasing temperature and unpredictable pattern of rainfall. In terms of climate change-related events, 75 % of the households believed that wind is becoming warmer and stronger over the past years. Majority of the households have observed changes in crop phenology, while about 90 % agreed that the incidences of insect pest and diseases have increased over the years, especially in their large cardamom crop. A comparison of community perceptions, climatic observations and scientific literature shows that the community have correctly perceived temperature change, unpredictable occurrence of rainfall and increased incidence of insect pest and diseases, which have largely influenced the experiences and perceptions regarding climate-related events. Results reveal that households have adopted the use of locally available material as mulches against soil erosion, to conserve the soil moisture and manage soil temperature. Majority of the households have diversified their cropping system through traditional agroforestry systems and intercropping. Unfortunately, most of the households were unaware about the scientific sustainable approaches to combating impact of climate change. This documentation will aid in assessing the needs in terms of actions and information for facilitating climate change-related adaptation locally in Sikkim state of India.     

Physiological response of the lichen Phaeophyscia hispidula (Ach.) Essl., to the urban environment of Pauri and Srinagar (Garhwal), Himalayas, India

The present study was designed with an aim to observe the effect of increasing urbanization and traffic activity on the physiology of a foliose lichen, Phaeophyscia hispidula (Ach.) Essl., collected from 13 different localities, growing in their natural habitat, in Pauri and Srinagar, two cities in the Himalayas. Six parameters i.e., Chl. a, Chl. b, total pigment, chlorophyll degradation, carotenoid and total protein content, proved the most useful to assess air pollution, were measured. Chlorophyll content and protein content are an efficient parameter to measure the air quality of a region. The study indicates that P. hispidula is pollution tolerant (adaptation) and able to withstand local emissions from vehicle exhausts.     

Performance of bioreactor landfill with waste mined from a dumpsite

Emissions from landfills via leachate and gas are influenced by state and stability of the organic matter in the solid waste and the environmental conditions within the landfill. This paper describes a modified, ecologically sound waste treatment technique, where municipal solid waste is anaerobically treated in a lysimeter-scale landfill bioreactor with leachate recirculation to enhance organic degradation. The results demonstrate a substantial decrease in organic matter (BOD 99%, COD 88% and TOC 81%) and a clear decrease in nutrient concentrations especially ammonia (85%) over a period of 1 year with leachate recirculation.     

Factors influencing acquisition of ecological and exposure information about hazards and risks from contaminated sites

Considerable research indicates that a wide range of socio-economic factors influence attitudes and perceptions about environmental hazards and risks, and that social trust in those who manage a hazard is strongly correlated to judgements about risks and benefits. We suggest that there are three steps that lead to environmental risk perceptions: acquisition of information, interpretation and synthesis of different pieces of information, and understanding of that information in light of previous knowledge, perceptions, or attitudes. In this study we presented 211 college students in the sciences and non-sciences with ecological and exposure information using text, tables and maps to examine the factors that affect information acquisition and interpretation concerning ecological issues at a fictitious hazardous waste site. Students were allowed about an hour to read the materials and answer questions. The percent of students answering each question correctly varied from 4 to 82%, indicating that some questions were extremely difficult to answer. We attributed these differences to variations in the number of places information was presented (in text, tables, maps, or a combination) and the complexity of the information (how many pieces of information were required to answer the question correctly). The correlation between the number of students answering each question correctly and these combined measures (frequency, complexity) was −0.72. Thus, although there were differences in accuracy concerning ecological information as presented in this study, the major differences were accounted for by how the information was presented, and how much information was required. This suggests that risk communicators should carefully determine which ecological information is critical for the target audience, and ensure that it is presented several times (in different forms). That a lower percentage of people correctly answered questions that required synthesizing several pieces of information suggests that this complexity should be reduced where possible, or that the pieces of information should be tied clearly to the conclusion. Self-declaration of effort and perceptions of safety of the site did not markedly influence the relationship between accuracy, difficulty of finding information, and complexity of information. Other possible confounding variables (i.e., science vs non-science major) only accounted for about 27% of the variation in student’s overall score on ecological questions; age, ethnicity, and gender did not enter as significant variables. We cannot manage environmental hazards with appropriate stakeholder input unless we understand how to present environmental information to achieve a full understanding. Protection of human health and the environment requires that people understand ecological and exposure information, particularly on buffer lands.     

Effects of population and population pressure on forest resources and their conservation: a modeling study

In this paper, a nonlinear mathematical model is proposed and analyzed to study the depletion of forest resources caused by population and the corresponding population pressure. It is assumed that the cumulative density of forest resources and the density of populations follow logistic models with prey–predator type nonlinear interaction terms. It is considered that the carrying capacity of forest resources decreases by population pressure, the main focus of this paper. A conservation model is also proposed to control the population pressure by providing some economic incentives to people, the amount of which is assumed to be proportional to the population pressure. The model is analyzed by using stability theory of differential equations and numerical simulation. The model analysis shows that as the density of population or population pressure increases, the cumulative density of forest resources decreases, and the resources may become extinct if the population pressure becomes too large. It is also noted that by controlling the population pressure, using some economic incentives, the density of forest resources can be maintained at an equilibrium level, which is population density dependent. The simulation analysis of the model confirms analytical results.     

Periodical monitoring with lichen, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phaeophyscia hispidula</Emphasis> (Ach.) Moberg in Dehradun city,Uttarakhand, India

Nine heavy metals were estimated in lichen, Phaeophyscia hispidula (Ach.) Moberg, collected from 12 different sites of Dehradun, capital city, to analyze the air quality of Uttarakhand. Total metal concentration was the highest at Mohkampur Railway Crossing, Hardwar Road (42,505 μg g⁻¹). Dela Ram Chowk, located in the center of the city, also had higher metal concentration, 34,317 μg g⁻¹, with maximum concentration of Pb at 12,433 μg g⁻¹, while Nalapani forest area had minimum total metal concentration (1,873 μg g⁻¹) as well as minimum Pb level at 66.6 μg g⁻¹, indicating anthropogenic activity, mainly vehicular activity, responsible for the increase in metal concentration in the ambient environment. In comparison with the earlier years 2004 and 2006, air pollution as indicated by similar lichen shows a considerable increase in the total metal concentration (especially Pb) in the ambient air of Dehradun city, which may be attributed to exponential rise in the traffic activity in the last 5 years.     

Sowing the seeds of resilience: a case study of community-based Indigenous seed conservation from Andhra Pradesh,India

ABSTRACT

Despite increasing evidence of threats to Indigenous food systems, many Indigenous communities are innovating to enhance their resilience while conserving and promoting their traditional food systems, offering important lessons for rural development policy. This community-based case study explores one such Indigenous initiative: Sanjeevini, in Andhra Pradesh, India. Sanjeevini has been effective in designing and implementing creative strategies for seed sovereignty and biocultural conservation. Interviews with key persons associated with Sanjeevini (n?=?8) and participatory field-research in the Araku Valley region, including interviews with small scale farmers (n?=?30), revealed community development strategies emphasising a link between biological and cultural heritage in Indigenous food systems. These include hosting cultural seed festivals, establishing and maintaining community-based seed banks, and facilitating inter-community seed exchanges. Importantly, these strategies take place against a backdrop of community-organising that counteracts the dominant neo-liberal development agenda while resisting deforestation that threatens Indigenous livelihoods. Sanjeevini’s success demonstrates that through the adaptive assertion of self-determination, rural social change is possible. This paper highlights alternative, community-driven articulations of seed sovereignty while underscoring the significance of this community’s own vision in guiding rural innovation and offering promising working models for cultivating rural resilience.