Traditional knowledge and biodiversity conservation: a case study from Byans Valley in Kailash Sacred Landscape,India

Ethnobotanical knowledge plays a significant role in plant diversity conservation and the curing of various ailments in remote rural areas of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). A total of 53 plant species from 27 families have been documented from the Byans valley and are used traditionally for the treatment of various diseases. Valley inhabitants have maintained a symbiotic relationship between natural resources and their cultural belief system by developing sacred forests/groves which conserve the region's plant diversity pool. Information on sacred natural sites and traditional beliefs was documented in order to understand the environmental and conservationist implications of these rules and practices. The study provides comprehensive information about eroding traditional knowledge and biodiversity conservation practices. This study could be a pilot to strengthen the conservation practices and sustainable utilization of frequently used bioresources by understanding the traditional knowledge system and conservation ethics of tribal communities in the Himalayan region.     

Spatial variation of salts in a Gyanpur canal command area

This study was aimed to establish background and reference values of total heavy metals in soils from a representative area of Albania (Tirana). Thirty-eight soil samples collected from genetic horizons of major soil types of Tirana were analyzed for important physicochemical properties by standard methods and for total contents of Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Cu by atomic absorption spectrometer, after extraction with aqua regia. The results showed that the total contents of Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Cu in surface horizons varied widely with respective mean values of 0.3 (??0.6), 174.2 (??63.7), 305.9 (??133.0), 19.7 (??12.4), 95.5 (??26.3), and 42.7 (??6.8) mg/kg. The highest metal contents were found in two soils developed in limestone. The depth distribution of metals showed a tendency for accumulation of Cd and Pb in the surface horizons of three soils, suggesting that these metals partially come from anthropogenic inputs. Correlation analysis indicated that the metal contents of soils were controlled by soil properties, including pH, CaCO₃, clay, organic matter, cation exchange capacity, and Fe oxides. The background values (given as the 90th percentile) were much higher than those reported in the literature, showing that the levels of respective metals were naturally higher. The total metal contents of some soils were above background levels, suggesting metal pollution. The reference values for all the analyzed metals were quite consistent with those of the Dutch system. The proposed background and reference values can be used to evaluate the soil pollution with these elements.     

Status of Heavy Metals in Water and Bed Sediments of River Gomti – A Tributary of the Ganga River, India

The concentrations of cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, nickel, and zinc in water and bed sediments of river Gomti have been studied in a fairly long stretch of 500 km from Neemsar to Jaunpur. Grab samples of water (October 2002–March 2003) and bed sediments (December 2002 and March 2003) were collected from 10 different locations following the standard methods. The river water and sediment samples were processed and analyzed for heavy metals viz., Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, and Zn, and using ICP-AES. The heavy metals found in the river water were in the range: Cd (0.0001–0.0005 mg/L); Cr (0.0015–0.0688 mg/L); Cu (0.0013–0.0.0043 mg/L); Fe (0.0791–0.3190 mg/L); Mn (0.0038–0.0.0973 mg/L); Ni (0.0066–0.011 mg/L); Pb (0.0158–0.0276 mg/L); and Zn (0.0144–0.0298 mg/L) respectively. In the sediments the same were found in the range: Cd (0.70–7.90 g/g); Cr (6.105–20.595 g/g); Cu (3.735–35.68 g/g); Fe (5051.485–8291.485 g/g); Mn (134.915–320.45 g/g); Ni (13.905–37.370 g/g); Pb (21.25–92.15 g/g); and Zn (15.72–99.35 g/g) of dry weight respectively. Some physico-chemical parameters viz., pH, total solids, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, hardness etc. were estimated as these have direct or indirect influence on the incidence, transport and speciation of the heavy metals. Based on the geoaccumulation indices, the Gomti river sediments from Neemsar to Jaunpur are considered to be unpolluted with respect to Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn. It is unpolluted to moderately polluted with Pb. In case of Cd it varies from moderately polluted to highly polluted. As far as Ni is concerned the sediment is very highly polluted at Barabanki and Jaunpur D/s. No correlation was found between enrichment factor and geoaccumulation index.     

occurrence and distribution of nitrate and pesticides in bowdle aquifer, south dakota

A shallow aquifer in central South Dakota was monitored for thepresence of nitrate and pesticides. A total of 593 nitrate samples and428 pesticide samples were analyzed from nine different sites and 14wells between 1989 and 1994. Nested wells were installed at four sitesto characterize the distribution pattern of nitrate and pesticidemovement in ground water. Nitrate concentrations and pesticidedetections were qualitatively compared with area precipitation and watertable fluctuations. The results indicate that nitrates tend to betransported by a leaching mechanism in a matrix flow and may appearin ground water within months after the fertilizer application in thefields. The pesticide movement is primarily controlled by geologicaland chemical characteristics of medium and pesticides.     

Morphological and Biochemical Characteristics of Avian Faecal Droppings and Their Impact on Survival of Avian Influenza Virus

Environmental specimens such as faecal droppings are considered important for the detection of avian influenza viruses (AIV). In view of lower rates of AIV isolation from avian faecal droppings, characterization of droppings is imperative to elucidate contributing factors. However, there are no reports on morphological and biochemical characteristics of droppings. The objective of the present study was the characterization of droppings from different avian species and their impact on the AIV detection and isolation. A total of 373 droppings belonging to 61 avian species from 22 families of apparently healthy wild migratory, resident, domestic birds and poultry were studied during five winter migratory bird seasons between 2007 to 2012 and 2016–2017. The colour, morphology and size of the droppings varied from species-to-species. These data could be useful for the identification of avian species. Droppings from 67% of the avian species showed acidic pH (4.5–6.5); nine species showed neutral pH (7.0), and 11 species showed alkaline pH (7.5). The infectious titers of AIV in droppings with acidic pH were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than those of the droppings with neutral and alkaline pH. However, acidic pH did not hamper AIV detection by real-time RT-PCR. In order to avoid the impact of acidic pH, collecting fresh droppings into viral transport medium (pH 7.0–7.5) would help improve the rate of AIV isolation.     

Transforming time into money using water: A participatory study of economics and gender in rural India

When water supply improvements are coupled with opportunity to create income through micro–enterprises, time released from water collection is converted into income earned. This brings several benefits: reduced drudgery, higher household income, and, consequently, greater women's empowerment through changing gender relations within the household. This article documents the performance of one such scheme in Banaskantha District in the state of Gujarat in India, one of poorest districts in the state and the country. Here, due to the efforts of the Self–Employed Women's Association (SEWA), an Indian NGO, poor women are reaping the social and economic benefits of a government–run regional piped water supply scheme, a project funded by Dutch bilateral aid, focusing on women's development. If government policy–makers took the cue and formulated programmes and schemes that combined these two aspects, viz., actions that release time for rural women from daily chores (e.g., collecting water, fuel wood and fodder)and opportunities for sustainable micro–enterprises to convert time saved into income, this could become a reliable route out of rural poverty into gender–sensitive sustainable development.     

Reverse positional orientation in a neotropical orb-web spider, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verrucosa arenata</Emphasis>

Most orb-web spiders face downwards in the web. A downward orientation has been proposed to be the optimal strategy because spiders run faster downwards and thus can catch prey quicker. Consequently, orb-web spiders also extend their web in the lower part, leading to top-down web asymmetry. Since the majority of orb-web spiders face downwards, it has been difficult to test the effect of orientation on prey capture and web asymmetry. In this study, we explored the influence of reverse orientation on foraging efficiency and web asymmetry in Verrucosa arenata, a neotropical orb-web spider that faces upwards in the web. We show that reverse orientation does not imply reverse web asymmetry in this species. V. arenata spiders captured more prey in the lower part of the web but more prey per area on the upper part. The average running speeds of spiders did not differ between upward and downward running, but heavier spiders took longer to capture prey while running upwards. We discuss these findings in the context of foraging efficiency and web asymmetry.