Use of native mosses as biomonitors of heavy metals and nitrogen deposition in the surroundings of two steel works

A biomonitoring survey using the moss species Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw. was conducted in the surroundings of two steel plants located in the North of Spain. Levels of V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Hg, Pb and N were determined. Very high concentrations in the areas of study were detected when compared to nearby unaffected regions. Similar trends were observed for all the elements in the differently orientated transects, showing an appreciable influence of the NW prevailing winds of the region in the dispersion of pollutants, as well as a clear decreasing gradient in the concentrations of metals in mosses within a distance of 1500 meters from the facilities. A differentiation between the elements emitted by the chimney as result of the industrial activity (V, Cr, Ni, Cu and As) and those with a high presence in steel slag deposits (Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb) was observed. The range of contamination was also established by means of the Contamination Factor, indicating a category 4 out of 6 categories, which shows the high levels reported in the areas of study. A different dynamic was registered for nitrogen regarding the rest of the heavy metals analysed except for Hg, probably due to the elevated volatility and mobility of both elements, as well as their high persistence in the atmosphere.     

Teacher's manual and method for SD integration in curricula

Although teaching sustainability issues is considered a difficult task, teachers are at the centre of curriculum renewal when directing it more towards sustainability. This article presents a teacher's manual and method for the integration of SD in curricula of higher education as well as an evaluation of their use. The manual is a powerful tool that combines a focus on teacher's capacities for SD integration within their discipline with student-activating teaching methods. Even in institutions where management support is low, it is a valuable means. Because of its generality and flexibility, the method appears to be of great potential as a framework for SD integration.     

Smallholder Farms as Stepping Stone Corridors for Crop-Raiding Elephant in Northern Tanzania: Integration of Bayesian Expert System and Network Simulator

Crop-raiding elephants affect local livelihoods, undermining conservation efforts. Yet, crop-raiding patterns are poorly understood, making prediction and protection difficult. We hypothesized that raiding elephants use corridors between daytime refuges and farmland. Elephant counts, crop-raiding records, household surveys, Bayesian expert system, and least-cost path simulation were used to predict four alternative categories of daily corridors: (1) footpaths, (2) dry river beds, (3) stepping stones along scattered small farms, and (4) trajectories of shortest distance to refuges. The corridor alignments were compared in terms of their minimum cumulative resistance to elephant movement and related to crop-raiding zones quantified by a kernel density function. The “stepping stone” corridors predicted the crop-raiding patterns. Elephant presence was confirmed along these corridors, demonstrating that small farms located between refuges and contiguous farmland increase habitat connectivity for elephant. Our analysis successfully predicted elephant occurrence in farmland where daytime counts failed to detect nocturnal presence. These results have conservation management implications.     

Monitoring the transport of biomass burning emissions in South America

The atmospheric transport of biomass burning emissions in the South American and African continents is being monitored annually using a numerical simulation of air mass motions; we use a tracer transport capability developed within RAMS (Regional Atmospheric Modeling System) coupled to an emission model. Mass conservation equations are solved for carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate material (PM2.5). Source emissions of trace gases and particles associated with biomass burning activities in tropical forest, savanna and pasture have been parameterized and introduced into the model. The sources are distributed spatially and temporally and assimilated daily using the biomass burning locations detected by remote sensing. Advection effects (at grid scale) and turbulent transport (at sub-grid scale) are provided by the RAMS parameterizations. A sub-grid transport parameterization associated with moist deep and shallow convection, not explicitly resolved by the model due to its low spatial resolution, has also been introduced. Sinks associated with the process of wet and dry removal of aerosol particles and chemical transformation of gases are parameterized and introduced in the mass conservation equation. An operational system has been implemented which produces daily 48-h numerical simulations (including 24-h forecasts) of CO and PM2.5, in addition to traditional meteorological fields. The good prediction skills of the model are demonstrated by comparisons with time series of PM2.5 measured at the surface.     

Resprouting as a persistence strategy of tropical forest trees: relations with carbohydrate storage and shade tolerance

Resprouting is an important persistence strategy for woody species and represents a dominant pathway of regeneration in many plant communities, with potentially large consequences for vegetation dynamics, community composition, and species coexistence. Most of our knowledge of resprouting strategies comes from fire-prone systems, but this cannot be readily applied to other systems where disturbances are less intense. In this study we evaluated sapling responses to stem snapping for 49 moist-forest species and 36 dry-forest species from two Bolivian tropical forests. To this end we compared in a field experiment the survival and height growth of clipped and control saplings for a two-year period, and related this to the shade tolerance, carbohydrate reserves, and the morphological traits (wood density, leaf size) of the species. Nearly all saplings resprouted readily after stem damage, although dry-forest species realized, on average, a better survival and growth after stem damage compared to moist-forest species. Shade-tolerant species were better at resprouting than light-demanding species in moist forest. This resprouting ability is an important prerequisite for successful regeneration in the shaded understory, where saplings frequently suffer damage from falling debris. Survival after stem damage was, surprisingly, only modestly related to stem reserves, and much more strongly related to wood density, possibly because a high wood density enables plants to resist fungi and pathogens and to reduce stem decay. Correlations between sampling performance and functional traits were similar for the two forest types, and for phylogenetically independent contrasts and for cross-species analyses. The consistency of these results suggests that tropical forest species face similar trade-offs in different sites and converge on similar sets of solutions. A high resprouting ability, as well as investments in stem defense and storage reserves, form part of a suite of co-evolved traits that underlies the growth-survival trade-off, and contributes to light gradient partitioning and species coexistence. These links with shade tolerance are important in the moist evergreen forest, which casts a deep, more persistent shade, but tend to diminish in dry deciduous forest where light is a less limiting resource.     

Pashmina production and socio‐economic changes in the Indian Changthang: Implications for natural resource management

A unique pastoral community uses the arid rangelands of eastern Ladakh, known as Changthang, northern India. The nomadic people rear a variety of livestock such as sheep, goats, horses and yaks, which provide them with various goods and services. Nevertheless, the needs and aspirations of the people are changing. There is a trend towards increasing the livestock population, especially of a breed of goat that produces one of the finest natural fibres: Pashmina, which is the mainstay of their economy. This increase in goat population, however, is jeopardising the long‐term survival of the wild herbivores in the region, and as such is not sustainable. We present information on the current trends in socio‐economy, Pashmina production, wildlife conservation, and the conflicts of interest between wildlife and nomads in the region. On the basis of this information, we make suggestions for the conservation of natural resources in the region. We recommend preserving the historical societal norms and notions of the people, and capitalising on them to manage natural resources. We also recommend joint management of natural resources by the local people, State and non‐governmental organisations. Our findings provide a platform on which a grazing policy for the region may be formulated.     

Conservation overstretch and long-term decline of wildlife and tourism in the Central African savannas

When in 2010 the world's governments pledged to increase protected area coverage to 17% of the world's land surface, several Central African countries had already set aside 25% of their northern savannas for conservation. To evaluate the effectiveness of this commitment, we analyzed the results of 68 multispecies surveys conducted in the seven main savanna national parks in Central Africa (1960–2017). We also assembled information on potential drivers of large herbivore population trends (rainfall and number of rangers) and on tourist numbers and revenues. In six out of the seven parks, wild large herbivore populations declined dramatically over time, livestock numbers increased severalfold, and tourism, the pillar under a once thriving local wildlife industry, collapsed. Zakouma National Park (Chad) stood out because its large herbivore populations increased, an increase that was positively correlated with rainfall and number of rangers (a proxy for management inputs). With increasing insecurity and declining revenues, governments find themselves confronted with too few resources to protect vast areas. To deal with this conversation overstretch, we propose to extend the repeatedly promoted solutions––scaled up funding, enhanced management––with a strategic retreat, focusing scarce resources on smaller areas to save wildlife in the Central African savannas.     

The development and application of remote sensing to monitor sand dune habitats

Sand dunes are complex systems that contain several habitats, often as mosaics or transitions between types. Several of these habitats are afforded protection under European Legislation and in the UK nationally within Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Natural England has a statutory duty to report to Europe on the conservation status and condition of sand dunes; and is required to report to the UK Government on designated sites. To achieve this we have sought ways of capturing, analysing and interpreting data on the extent and location of sand dune habitats. This requires an ability to be able to obtain data over large areas of coastline in an efficient way. Natural England and Environment Agency Geomatics have worked collaboratively for over 16 years, sharing data and ecological knowledge. In 2012 work started to evaluate the use of remote sensing to map UK BAP and Annex I sand dune habitats. A methodology has now been developed and tested to map sand dune habitats. The key objective was to provide an operational tool that will help to map these habitats and understand change on sites around England. This has been achieved through analysis of LIDAR and Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) data using Object Orientated Image Analysis. Quality Control (QC) and accuracy assessments have shown this approach to be successful and 11 sites have been mapped to date. These techniques are providing a new approach to monitoring change in coastal vegetation communities and informing management of protected sites.