Monitoring Australian Rangeland Sites Using Landscape Function Indicators and Ground- and Remote-Based Techniques

If the goal for managing rangelands is to achieve a balance between production and conservation, then monitoring is essential to detect change and apply corrective action. In some range-land areas of northern Australia, monitoring has detected a tilt in the production-conservation balance towards excessive production. How big is this imbalance? Can it shift back? Robust monitoring is needed to answer these questions. The aim is to know what to monitor, and where. For example, to detect changes caused by livestock on rangeland forage production and soil erosion, indicators linking grazing disturbances to landscape function are needed, that is, indicators that signal how well landscapes are capturing, concentrating, and utilizing scarce water, nutrient, and organic resources. Studies in Australia and the USA document that simple vegetation and soil patch attributes can be measured as indicators of the 'state of health' of landscape function. For example, field and remote sensing-based grazing studies in Australia document that landscapes with a high cover of perennial plant patches function effectively to capture runoff water and nutrients in sediments, whereas landscapes with a low cover of these patches do not — they are dysfunctional — as indicated by large patches of bare soil. Aerial videography is proving to be a robust technique for measuring indicators of landscape function such as small patches of vegetation and the extent of bare soil. These indicators typically have a sigmoidal response to grazing impacts. We illustrate that if these indicators are measured on monitoring sites established near the sigmoidal 'point of inflection’ then small changes in these indicators can be detected.     

Environmental impact of the substitution of imported soybean meal with locally-produced rapeseed meal in dairy cow feed

Growing public concerns about the traceability, safety and environmental-friendliness of food products provide an incentive for shorter supply chains in agricultural production. Here, we assessed the environmental impacts of the substitution of imported soybean meal with locally-produced rapeseed meal in French dairy production systems, using a life-cycle approach. Two feeding rations based on either French-produced rapeseed meal or Brazilian-produced soy meal as concentrates, were compared for nine impact categories, including global warming, ecotoxicity and eutrophication. Crop production was the main contributor to most impacts, while overseas transport of soy meal only had a marginal effect. The “Soybean” ration appeared more environmentally-efficient than the “Rapeseed” ration because it involved less intensive management practices, in particular regarding synthetic fertilizers consumption. However, land use changes brought about by soybean cultivation should also be examined.     

Household waste disposal in Mekelle city, Northern Ethiopia

In many cities of developing countries, such as Mekelle (Ethiopia), waste management is poor and solid wastes are dumped along roadsides and into open areas, endangering health and attracting vermin. The effects of demographic factors, economic and social status, waste and environmental attributes on household solid waste disposal are investigated using data from household survey. Household level data are then analyzed using multinomial logit estimation to determine the factors that affect household waste disposal decision making. Results show that demographic features such as age, education and household size have an insignificant impact over the choice of alternative waste disposal means, whereas the supply of waste facilities significantly affects waste disposal choice. Inadequate supply of waste containers and longer distance to these containers increase the probability of waste dumping in open areas and roadsides relative to the use of communal containers. Higher household income decreases the probability of using open areas and roadsides as waste destinations relative to communal containers. Measures to make the process of waste disposal less costly and ensuring well functioning institutional waste management would improve proper waste disposal.     

Socially robust knowledge in coastal projects

Interactive modes of knowledge production offer a strategy for seeking solutions to complex environmental problems. The outcome of such knowledge production is socially robust knowledge. Social robustness refers to knowledge that is relevant and accepted by actors in the context of its application. This is achieved when knowledge is credible, salient and produced in a legitimate way. To date, only limited research has focused on how social robustness is achieved. As coastal problems are characterised by conflicting interests and major uncertainties, the coastal zone represents a relevant domain for studying socially robust knowledge. This paper analyses and presents three conditions that need to be in place if one is to achieve socially robust knowledge in coastal projects. The conditions are based on theories related to socially robust knowledge, boundary spanning, project arrangements and knowledge arrangements. The conditions specify how social robustness can be achieved through knowledge testing by boundary spanners, the involvement of diverse actors and a close connection between knowledge production and the evolving project. In a case study, these conditions are compared to developments in a Dutch coastal project involving spatial developments near the Ems estuary. The comparison highlights the relevance of the three conditions in achieving socially robust knowledge. In addition, a fourth aspect is empirically uncovered: the role of boundary spanning among project partners prior to producing knowledge. These four conditions clarify how social robustness may be achieved in coastal solutions. As such, this paper contributes to the theoretical and empirical understanding of socially robust knowledge.     

Climate change adaptation in the Sahel

Climate change adaptation now occupies central stage on the agenda of most environmental initiatives in Africa. Our current understanding on the state of adaptation is limited, however, both globally and in Africa in particular. This study examines the status of adaptation in the Sahel by reviewing the primary peer review literature that reports concrete climate change adaptation actions. Based on an analysis of 70 peer review papers that document 414 discrete adaptations, we create a snap shot of adaptations developed between 1975 and 2015, and also calculate the percentages of adaptation. The results show that from a country to country perspective, Kenya has the highest number of reported adaptation actions (75 or 18.1%). The percentages indicate that the adaptive capacity of the entire study area is generally low for all the countries being that the highest country-level percentage is recorded in Kenya and it is 18%. Regionally, West Africa has more adaptation actions (261 or 63%) when compared to other regions of the Sahel. Regional level percentages suggest a higher level of adaptation at the regional level being that the percentage falls within the high scale range. The most commonly used adaptation actions reported are income diversification and water harnessing respectively. When categorized, technically related adaptation actions dominate the adaptation charts. The decade 2008–2016 recorded the highest number of adaptations (65.2%). Adaptation actions are also reported to be triggered by climatic and non-climatic drivers which both record high frequencies but the climatic drivers (98%) of adaptation are slightly dominant relative to the non-climatic drivers (95%). These results should be viewed as proxies of climate change adaptation as much information may be found in grey literature and non-peer review national communications which are left out here because of their relative low standardization and acceptability due to the absence of peer review.     

Effects of long-term chlorpyrifos exposure on mortality and reproductive tissues of Banded Gourami (Trichogaster fasciata)

Abstract

This study assessed the long-term toxicity of chlorpyrifos on survival and reproduction of Banded Gourami by using mortality, gonado-somatic index (GSI) and histopathological observations as endpoints. Adult fish were exposed to five different concentrations of chlorpyrifos (0, 15, 50, 150, 500?µg/L) in 15 PVC tanks for 15, 30, 45, 60 and 75?days. Results showed that all male and female fish died after 15?days of 500?µg/L chlorpyrifos exposure. No consistent significant effect was observed for both male and female GSI. Furthermore, results showed dose- and time-dependent histopathological alterations for both ovary and testes. The 60-d No Observed Effect Concentration (NOEC) for most histopathological alterations of Banded Gourami ovary and testes was 50?μg/L, while 60-d NOEC for mortality of both male and female fish was < 15?μg/L. The results show that the long-term exposure to chlorpyrifos not only affect the reproductive tissues of Banded Gourami at exposure concentrations but also cause their mortality. Future studies should evaluate effects at lower concentrations.     

Impact of site and management on the diversity of central European mesic grassland

The main objective was to quantify the relative impact of current management types on plant species-richness and composition of mesic grasslands with regard to other important determinants such as topography, soil chemical parameters and grassland age. The grasslands were (i) differentiated into management types and vegetation types, (ii) these types were tested for differences in site conditions and species-richness, and (iii) the relative impact of management, site conditions, grassland age and regional scale geomorphology on floristic composition was quantified. TWINSPAN classification of the vegetation separated nutrient-poor from nutrient-rich sites. Results of ANCOVA revealed that vegetation types indicating high nutrient levels showed significantly higher contents of plant available phosphorous and younger grassland age. In partial CCA analyses, the geomorphology accounted for almost one third of explained variance. The current management had a relatively low explanatory value. Soil chemical variables and topography, in contrast, explained together almost twice as much variation in floristic composition.     

Reducing external costs of nitrogen pollution by relocation of pig production between regions in the European Union

This paper tests the hypothesis that relocation of pig production within the EU27 can reduce the external costs of nitrogen (N) pollution. The external cost of pollution by ammonia and nitrate from agriculture in the European Union (EU27) in 2008 was estimated at 61–215 billion € (0.5 to 1.8% of the GDP). Per capita it ranged from more than 1000 € in north-west EU27 to 50 € in Romania. The average contribution of pig production was 15%. Using provincial data (224 NUTS2 regions in EU27), the potential reduction of external N cost by relocation of pig production was estimated at 14 billion € (10% of the total). Regions most eligible for decreasing the pig stock were in western Germany, Flemish region, Denmark, the Netherlands and Bretagne, while Romania is most eligible for increasing pig production. Relocating 20 million pigs (13% of the total EU stock) decreased average external costs per capita from 900 to 785 € in the 13 NUTS2 regions where pigs were removed and increased from 69 to 107 € in 11 regions receiving pigs. A second alternative configuration of pig production was targeted at reducing exceedance of critical N deposition and closing regional nutrient cycles. This configuration relocates pigs within Germany and France, for example from Bretagne to Northern France and from Weser-Ems to Oberbayern. However, total external cost increases due to an increase of health impacts, unless when combined with implementation of best N management practices. Relocation of the pig industry in the EU27 will meet many socio-economic barriers and realisation requires new policy incentives.     

Simulating and delineating future land change trajectories across Europe

Explorations of future land use change are important to understand potential conflicts between competing land uses, trade-offs associated with particular land change trajectories, and the effectiveness of policies to steer land systems into desirable states. Most model-based explorations and scenario studies focused on conversions in broad land use classes, but disregarded changes in land management or focused on individual sectors only. Using the European Union (EU) as a case study, we developed an approach to identifying typical combinations of land cover and management changes by combining the results of multimodel simulations in the agriculture and forest sectors for four scenarios from 2000 to 2040. We visualized land change trajectories by mapping regional hotspots of change. Land change trajectories differed in extent and spatial pattern across the EU and among scenarios, indicating trajectory-specific option spaces for alternative land system outcomes. In spite of the large variation in the area of change, similar hotspots of land change were observed among the scenarios. All scenarios indicate a stronger polarization of land use in Europe, with a loss of multifunctional landscapes. We analyzed locations subject to change by comparing location characteristics associated with certain land change trajectories. Results indicate differences in the location conditions of different land change trajectories, with diverging impacts on ecosystem service provisioning. Policy and planning for future land use needs to account for the spatial variation of land change trajectories to achieve both overarching and location-specific targets.

     

中国与欧洲禾谷镰刀菌DON毒素HPLC定量比较分析

选用4个来自中国、7个来自欧洲的代表性禾谷镰刀菌菌株,经脱氧雪腐镰刀菌烯醇(DON)毒素特异引物鉴定,确认其具有产生DON毒素的遗传物质基础后,接种于PDB培养基培养7d,从培养基上清中经硅胶柱分离、纯化DON毒素,经HPLC定量分析表明,纯化的禾谷镰刀菌DON毒素,与购自公司的DON毒素标准样品一样,其HPLC检测谱峰清晰明显,基线平稳,无干扰,保留时间为9.5min左右;供试菌株的DON毒素含量分布在0.023~1.934μg/mL之间,德国菌株F703产毒量最大,比位居第二的中国菌株5005(1.232μg/mL)高57%;其余的6个欧洲菌株中,除意大利菌株Lor9(0.128μg/mL)略低于另一个中国菌株7105(0.135μg/mL)外,均比3个中国菌株(4020、7105、8029)的产毒量大.欧洲镰刀菌产生DON毒素的能力远远大于中国菌株,这说明欧洲菌株长期在欧洲生态环境下已演变形成其特有的高毒素代谢类型,我国有必要严防欧洲禾谷镰刀菌入侵,加强对来自欧洲的禾谷类粮食及其产品的镰刀菌和毒素的检疫和监控;同时,本研究建立的毒素样品制备与HPLC检测体系可用于准确定量分析样品的DON毒素.图3表2参14