A survey-based evaluation of community-based co-management of forest resources: a case study of Baishuijiang National Natural Reserve in China

Community-based co-management (CBCM) mechanisms for forest management have matured through the development of new economic analysis and common property theory. However, while many local CBCM mechanisms have been initiated in Chinese Natural Reserves, there are few objective, data-based evaluations of whether these mechanisms improve forest conservation and local livelihoods. This research uses Baishuijiang National Natural Reserve (BNNR) as a study case to evaluate China’s current CBCM mechanisms. The evaluation is based mainly on three criteria: efficiency, equality and sustainability of project operation. Survey data indicate that local CBCM mechanisms provide a wide-participation platform for local villagers, associated administration managers, research institutions and NGOs to join in forest resource protection work while improving local livelihood. CBCM projects have also facilitated a reduction in forest resource dependency, the improvement of household income and encouragement of local people to participate in forest resource protection. Our analysis suggests that most CBCM organizations have made progress in efficiency, equity and sustainability. However, further study should focus on how to deal with the lingering problems of inequity in responsibility and rights among CBCM committee members, poor distribution of benefits, insufficient program-design and management expertise, faulty information dissemination, and insufficient capital investment.     

Oxidative stress response in dye degrading bacterium Lysinibacillus sp. RGS exposed to Reactive Orange 16, degradation of RO16 and evaluation of toxicity

Lysinibacillus sp. RGS degrades sulfonated azo dye Reactive Orange 16 (RO16) efficiently. Superoxide dismutase and catalase activity were tested to study the response of Lysinibacillus sp. RGS to the oxidative stress generated by RO16. The results demonstrated that oxidative stress enzymes not only protect the cell from oxidative stress but also has a probable role in decolorization along with an involvement of oxidoreductive enzymes. Formation of three different metabolites after degradation of RO16 has been confirmed by GC-MS analysis. FTIR analysis verified the degradation of functional groups of RO16, and HPTLC confirmed the removal of auxochrome group from the RO16 after degradation. Toxicity studies confirmed the genotoxic, cytotoxic, and phytotoxic nature of RO16 and the formation of less toxic products after the treatment of Lysinibacillus sp. RGS. Therefore, Lysinibacillus sp. RGS has a better perspective of bioremediation for textile wastewater treatment.     

A Power Law Model for River Flow Velocity in Iowa Basins

This study explores power law relationships to estimate water flow velocity as a function of discharge and drainage area across river networks. We test the model using empirical data from 214 United States (U.S.) Geological Survey gauging stations distributed over the state of Iowa in the U.S. The empirical data are the measurements of the mean cross‐sectional velocity and concurrent discharge. The data are used to estimate parameters for a state‐wide model and to test for spatial variability for 15 large river basins contained within the state. Spatial differences among the basins are small but some parameters significantly differ from the state‐wide model. Using individual station data, the authors also explore a simpler power law model that disregards dependence on the drainage area. Overall, the study shows that including drainage area improves the model. Our study provides parameter values that can be directly incorporated into a regional scale routing model, and provides a framework for developing flow velocity models for hydraulically similar rivers in the U.S. and the world.     

The ecological dynamics of low external input agriculture: A case study of hill farming in a developing country

This paper on Low External Input Agriculture (LEIA) has explored how indigenous hill farming systems in a developing country setting of rural Nepal are functioning and which ecological properties of such systems could contribute to the development of Low External Input and Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA). Three cases were studied using direct field observation, group discussion and interviews, and the important practices of LEIA were ranked into eight classes to analyse the ecological sustainability of the hill farming systems. The study shows that the hill farming system is complex, diverse, heavily reliant on local resources and focuses on the renewability of production resources within the farm. All this can greatly contribute to make the system ecologically sustainable. However, demands for increased production put considerable pressure on farmers to apply external inputs which, if in excess, may jeopardise the whole system. A prerequisite for guidance in careful soil management is the strengthening of supportive research aimed at teaching farmers how to use external inputs. This must agree with the principles of sustainable agriculture and take into account the site-specific variations which are characteristic of Nepalese hill farming systems. We defined the term Ecological Dynamics as 'the pattern of changes in structure and/or forces in processes which govern the development of natural and artificial ecosystems'. This definition assists in identification of trends in ecological sustainability. Understanding indigenous farming systems reveals important ecological clues essential for the development of sustainable agriculture.     

Macrobenthos response to sewage pollution in a tropical inshore area

Organic sewage pollution is the major stressor that affects benthic communities in the coastal waters. In the present study involving a once-off sampling (July–August 2003) of a sewage treatment plant (STP) outfall and areas 6 km farther into the sea, we tried to estimate the severity of organic pollution on marine macrobenthos over a pollution gradient in the inshore waters (station depths, 5–30 m) off a heavily urbanized tropical city, on the east coast of India. Multivariate ordination analyses revealed two different groups of faunal assemblages. Group I is associated with sites impacted by the sewage outfall and group II with the locations 3–6 km away in the open sea. Polychaetes and amphipods were the predominant fauna with significant taxonomic differences between the assemblages. Despite the homogeneity in sediment texture, the two-fold increase in sediment organic matter near the sewage outfall area supported r-strategists, while group II locations favoured K-strategists. Approximation through benthic opportunistic polychaetes amphipods (BOPA) index and information on the key taxa responsible for the observed assemblage patterns corroborated these findings. Thus, the present findings revealed how organic sewage pollution influences benthic diversity in coastal waters by supporting communities of opportunistic characteristics. We advocate inclusion of community traits and compatible analytical tools (statistical approaches) in studies of similar nature so that the observations could be compared and broad remedial measures could be evolved.     

Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on small-scale fishers (SSF) engaged in floodplain wetland fisheries: evidences from three states in India

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented human health crisis in recent global history with rippling social and economic effects. The outbreak...     

Conductive and convective heat transfer augmentation in flat plate solar collector from energy,economic and environmental perspectives — a comprehensive review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The primary objective of the paper is to identify the effective way to enhance the conductive and convective heat transfer of the FPSC. The...     

New Route for Devulcanization of Natural Rubber and the Properties of Devulcanized Rubber

Devulcanization of natural rubber (NR) compound was carried out by means of benzoyl peroxide as a devulcanizing agent by two different techniques namely (a) chemical process and (b) mechano-chemical process. Furthermore, the effects of time and concentration of devulcanizing agent on the devulcanization process were investigated. The extent of devulcanization of natural rubber was studied by estimation of percent devulcanization, volume fraction of rubber after swelling, Mooney viscosity and crosslinked density. The devulcanized natural rubber obtained from mechano-chemical process was blended with virgin natural rubber in different proportions. The mechanical properties and morphology of the revulcanized blends were examined and found to be interesting. Thus, waste rubber could be reused successfully by this technique.