Putting Children First

Save the Children Fund in 1923 and UNICEF in 1990 both declared that children must come first in receiving relief. Whereas SCF's call was a corporate credo for the world, for use whenever disaster struck, UNICEF's was offered as a strategic policy document applicable at all times. In contrast, the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as a legally-binding document in the field of human rights, omitted all reference to giving such priority to children. The reason for transforming the original credo is that the principle of 'children first', if it includes every child and is to be applied literally in the field, is not only impracticable but unacceptable in many cultures. The social value of a particular child's life — or of human life generally — is simply not an absolute, in all circumstances, in all cultures.     

Interventions for Reducing Extinction Risk in Chytridiomycosis‐Threatened Amphibians

Wildlife diseases pose an increasing threat to biodiversity and are a major management challenge. A striking example of this threat is the emergence of chytridiomycosis. Despite diagnosis of chytridiomycosis as an important driver of global amphibian declines 15 years ago, researchers have yet to devise effective large‐scale management responses other than biosecurity measures to mitigate disease spread and the establishment of disease‐free captive assurance colonies prior to or during disease outbreaks. We examined the development of management actions that can be implemented after an epidemic in surviving populations. We developed a conceptual framework with clear interventions to guide experimental management and applied research so that further extinctions of amphibian species threatened by chytridiomycosis might be prevented. Within our framework, there are 2 management approaches: reducing Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (the fungus that causes chytridiomycosis) in the environment or on amphibians and increasing the capacity of populations to persist despite increased mortality from disease. The latter approach emphasizes that mitigation does not necessarily need to focus on reducing disease‐associated mortality. We propose promising management actions that can be implemented and tested based on current knowledge and that include habitat manipulation, antifungal treatments, animal translocation, bioaugmentation, head starting, and selection for resistance. Case studies where these strategies are being implemented will demonstrate their potential to save critically endangered species. Intervenciones para Reducir el Riesgo de Extinción en Anfibios Amenazados por la Quitridiomicosis     

韩国西海岸地区停车场径流携带沉积物的粒径分布及污染特征研究

为了解沿海地区城市停车场内径流携带沉积物的粒径分布及污染特征,于2011年4—6月在韩国西海岸12个不同停车场采集了沉积物样品,分别分析了其粒径分布和各粒径中污染物质的含量.结果表明,不同采样点的废弃物形态差异较大,主要表现在较大的植物茎叶、烟蒂及动物粪便等废弃物和含水率等方面.不同采样点的颗粒物粒径大小不同,其颗粒物的均一性也有所差异.总体来讲,106～500μm之间的颗粒物是径流携带沉积物的主要组成部分,其平均质量分数占总体(<2360μm)颗粒物的59.9%.对不同粒径中污染物质的含量分析得出,颗粒物中污染物质的含量随粒径增大而减小.其中,<106μm的颗粒物中总氮、总磷、COD和挥发性物质的质量分别占各污染物总量的18.9%、17.8%、20.41%和18.9%,而该部分颗粒物本身的平均质量分数只有3.9%.可见<106μm的颗粒物处于高度污染状态.因此,在城市停车场面源污染管理中,应该对该部分高度污染的颗粒物给以足够的重视.对于不同污染特征的颗粒物应该采用不同的去除方法.     

How Research‐Prioritization Exercises Affect Conservation Policy

Abstract: Conservation scientists are concerned about the apparent lack of impact their research is having on policy. By better aligning research with policy needs, conservation science might become more relevant to policy and increase its real‐world salience in the conservation of biological diversity. Consequently, some conservation scientists have embarked on a variety of exercises to identify research questions that, if answered, would provide the evidence base with which to develop and implement effective conservation policies. I synthesized two existing approaches to conceptualizing research impacts. One widely used approach classifies the impacts of research as conceptual, instrumental, and symbolic. Conceptual impacts occur when policy makers are sensitized to new issues and change their beliefs or thinking. Instrumental impacts arise when scientific research has a direct effect on policy decisions. The use of scientific research results to support established policy positions are symbolic impacts. The second approach classifies research issues according to whether scientific knowledge is developed fully and whether the policy issue has been articulated clearly. I believe exercises to identify important research questions have objectives of increasing the clarity of policy issues while strengthening science–policy interactions. This may facilitate the transmission of scientific knowledge to policy makers and, potentially, accelerate the development and implementation of effective conservation policy. Other, similar types of exercises might also be useful. For example, identification of visionary science questions independent of current policy needs, prioritization of best practices for transferring scientific knowledge to policy makers, and identification of questions about human values and their role in political processes could all help advance real‐world conservation science. It is crucial for conservation scientists to understand the wide variety of ways in which their research can affect policy and be improved systematically.     

Use of Habitats as Surrogates of Biodiversity for Efficient Coral Reef Conservation Planning in Pacific Ocean Islands

Abstract: Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been highlighted as a means toward effective conservation of coral reefs. New strategies are required to more effectively select MPA locations and increase the pace of their implementation. Many criteria exist to design MPA networks, but generally, it is recommended that networks conserve a diversity of species selected for, among other attributes, their representativeness, rarity, or endemicity. Because knowledge of species’ spatial distribution remains scarce, efficient surrogates are urgently needed. We used five different levels of habitat maps and six spatial scales of analysis to identify under which circumstances habitat data used to design MPA networks for Wallis Island provided better representation of species than random choice alone. Protected‐area site selections were derived from a rarity–complementarity algorithm. Habitat surrogacy was tested for commercial fish species, all fish species, commercially harvested invertebrates, corals, and algae species. Efficiency of habitat surrogacy varied by species group, type of habitat map, and spatial scale of analysis. Maps with the highest habitat thematic complexity provided better surrogates than simpler maps and were more robust to changes in spatial scales. Surrogates were most efficient for commercial fishes, corals, and algae but not for commercial invertebrates. Conversely, other measurements of species‐habitat associations, such as richness congruence and composition similarities provided weak results. We provide, in part, a habitat‐mapping methodology for designation of MPAs for Pacific Ocean islands that are characterized by habitat zonations similar to Wallis. Given the increasing availability and affordability of space‐borne imagery to map habitats, our approach could appreciably facilitate and improve current approaches to coral reef conservation and enhance MPA implementation.     

Growth Inhibition by Nitrocompounds of Selected Uric Acid-Utilizing Microorganisms Isolated from Poultry Manure

The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the potential ability of nitrocompounds to reduce ammonia volatilization by inhibiting uric acid–utilizing microorganisms. Experiment I was conducted to evaluate the effects of nitrocompounds on the growth of uric acid–utilizing microorganisms isolated from poultry manure during six-hour incubation. There were five treatments: (1) control, (2) 50 mM nitroethane, (3) 50 mM nitroethanol, (4) 50 mM nitropropanol, and (5) 50 mM nitropropionic acid. Optical density values of nitrocompounds were significantly lower than that of control at two, four, and six hours. Plate counts of uric acid–utilizing microorganisms after six-hour incubation exhibited that nitrocompounds greatly reduced the growth of these microorganisms except for the nitroethane (P < 0.05). The nitropropanol and nitropropionic acid treatments showed significantly higher inhibitory effects compared to the nitroethanol. Experiments II and III were conducted to evaluate inhibitory effects of nitrocompounds on growth of uric acid–utilizing microorganisms compared to non-nitrocompounds such as ethanol, propanol, and propionic acid. Experiments II and III consisted of seven treatments: (1) control, (2) nitroethanol, (3) nitropropanol, (4) nitropropionic acid, (5) ethanol, (6) propanol, and (7) propionic acid. The incubation times of Experiments II and III were 6 and 24 h, respectively. The nitrocompounds were significantly more successful in inhibiting growth of uric acid–utilizing microorganisms compared to those non-nitrocompounds. These results suggest that nitrocompounds exhibit potential to reduce ammonia volatilization in poultry manure by inhibiting growth of uric acid–utilizing microorganisms.     

Founding Lineages and Genic Variability in Plains Bison (Bison bison) from Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Abstract: Starch-gel electrophoresis was used to screen 101 bison from Badlands National Park, South Dakota, for variation at 24 genetic loci. The population was descended from founder groups of about 6 and 3 individuals, separated geographically for a minimum of 64 years. The purpose of this study was (1) to estimate levels of genic variability in this bison population, (2) to assess the extent to which descendents of the two founder groups differ genetically, and (3) to compare the genetic characteristics of the Badlands population with other bison populations. The Badlands herd was found to be polymorphic for only a single locus (MDH–1). Descendents of the founder groups were homogeneous with respect to allelic and genotypic frequencies at this locus. The MDH–1 polymorphism has not been observed in other bison populations, while several polymorphism reported in other bison populations were not detected in the Badlands herd. A mean heterozygosity of 0.012 was observed in the Badlands herd; this value is lower than that typically reported for mammals, though not as low as heterozygosities seen in other populations that have passed through severe bottlenecks in size. These results underscore the need for genetic data in planning breeding programs for species in captivity or managed in isolate reserves.     

高速公路路面雨水径流下渗系统性能研究

为了分析径流下渗系统在径流削减和污染控制方面的性能,本文对一个高速公路路面雨水径流下渗系统性进行了监测.结果表明,降雨量、径流量、径流削减量和径流排放量之间存在明显的正相关性(r=0.82～0.97,p0.05).该系统表现出高效的径流削减能力,当降雨量小于20 mm时,可以削减70%以上的径流量.与径流削减相比,该系统在污染物负荷控制方面更为有效.当降雨量在0～10 mm之间时,污染负荷的削减率几乎为100%;而当降雨在10～20 mm之间时,污染负荷的削减率仍然可以超过60%.相对总氮(TN)和总磷(TP)而言,下渗系统对悬浮物(SS)和化学需氧量(COD_(Cr))的去除能力要更高、更稳定.研究表明,径流下渗系统作为雨水管理的工具,在径流削减和改善水质方面具有良好的性能.