Making Capacity Building Meaningful: A Framework for Strategic Action

This paper aims to give practical meaning to ‘capacity building’ through (a) identifying a suite of practical measures, such as mentoring or best practice guidelines, that have been shown to or are considered to build human, social, institutional, and economic capital; (b) placing these measures within a broader systems framework; and (c) exploring stakeholder feedback on specific measures to inform framework implementation. The 29 measures described provide actors, whether government or nongovernment, with a suite of practical investment choices for building capacity. These measures are then clustered into eight groups according to their primary purpose and placed within a systems framework. The framework provides a tool for actors with responsibilities for or an interest in capacity building to inform more holistic and strategic targeting of effort and investment. Stakeholder feedback gathered through surveys and workshops is subsequently reported to further inform implementation of specific measures within the framework’s eight groupings. The framework presented may be built upon through the identification and inclusion of further capacity building measures. The research is conducted within the context of decentralized governance arrangements for natural resource management (NRM), with specific focus on Australia’s recently formalized 56 NRM regions and their community-based governing boards as an informative arena of learning. Application of the framework is explored in the Australian setting through the identification and comparison of measures supported and most preferred by four major stakeholder groups, namely board members, regional NRM organization staff, policy/research interests, and Indigenous interests. The research also examines stakeholder perceptions of capacity issues, and whether these issues are likely to be addressed through implementing their preferred measures.

深井曝气法处理环氧丙烷皂化废水

对深井曝气工艺处理高盐，高ｐＨ、高温的环氧丙烷皂化废水进行了主研究，结果表明，ＣＯＤｃｒ的去除率可达８０％，ＢＯＤ５的去除率可达９５％以上。     

盐度和pH对崇明东滩沉积物中NH+4释放的影响研究

采集长江口下游的崇明东滩沉积物样，通过实验模拟研究盐度和pH对沉积物中NH4^ 释放的影响。结果表明，潮滩沉积物中NH4^ 的释放受盐度和pH的共同控制。NH4^ 随着盐度的变化呈明显的“M”型双峰曲线，释放量最小出现在盐度为0‰。释放峰值出现在盐度为5‰、20‰。NH4^ 随着pH的释放规律因盐度环境和沉积物类型的不同而显著不同。NH4^ 的释放量与沉积物类型有关，沙性物质含量高的低潮滩沉积物中NH4^ 的释放量明显低于沙性物质少的中潮滩。     

Influence of Water Allocation and Freshwater Inflow on Oyster Production: A Hydrodynamic–Oyster Population Model for Galveston Bay,Texas, USA

A hydrodynamic–oyster population model was developed to assess the effect of changes in freshwater inflow on oyster populations in Galveston Bay, Texas, USA. The population model includes the effects of environmental conditions, predators, and the oyster parasite, Perkinsus marinus, on oyster populations. The hydrodynamic model includes the effects of wind stress, river runoff, tides, and oceanic exchange on the circulation of the bay. Simulations were run for low, mean, and high freshwater inflow conditions under the present (1993) hydrology and predicted hydrologies for 2024 and 2049 that include both changes in total freshwater inflow and diversions of freshwater from one primary drainage basin to another. Freshwater diversion to supply the Houston metropolitan area is predicted to negatively impact oyster production in Galveston Bay. Fecundity and larval survivorship both decline. Mortality from Perkinsus marinus increases, but to a lesser extent. A larger negative impact in 2049 relative to 2024 originates from the larger drop in fecundity under that hydrology. Changes in recruitment and mortality, resulting in lowered oyster abundance, occur because the bay volume available for mixing freshwater input from the San Jacinto and Buffalo Bayou drainage basins that drain metropolitan Houston is small in comparison to the volume of Trinity Bay that presently receives the bulk of the bay's freshwater inflow. A smaller volume for mixing results in salinities that decline more rapidly and to a greater extent under conditions of high freshwater discharge. Thus, the decline in oyster abundance results from a disequilibrium between geography and salinity brought about by freshwater diversion. Although the bay hydrology shifts, available hard substrate does not. The simulations stress the fact that it is not just the well-appreciated reduction in freshwater inflow that can result in decreased oyster production. Changing the location of freshwater inflow can also significantly impact the bay environment, even if the total amount of freshwater inflow does not change.     

博斯腾湖矿化度遥感反演及空间分布特征研究

以我国最大的内陆淡水湖——博斯腾湖为研究对象,利用Terra/MODIS L1B空间分辨率为250 m和500 m的遥感反射率数据及湖水矿化度实测数据建立线性回归模型,分析湖表面矿化度的空间分布特征。结果表明:空间分辨率为500 m的1~7个波段组合建立的多元线性回归模型相关性最高(R~2=0.70),模型验证结果显示,实测值和反演值的相关系数(R~2)为0.82,均方根误差(RMSE)为0.12。利用最优模型对博斯腾湖湖面矿化度进行反演,其分布存在明显的空间梯度,西北、东北和东南湖区矿化度较高,而西南湖区和湖区南部矿化度较低。     

Effect of gender on physiological and behavioural responses of Gammarus roeseli (Crustacea Amphipoda) to salinity and temperature

The importance of potentially interacting factors in organisms responses to a stress are often ignored or underestimated in ecotoxicology. In laboratory experiments we investigated how gender, temperature and age influence the behaviour and the physiology of the freshwater amphipod Gammarus roeseli under salinity stress. Our results revealed a significant higher sensitivity of females in survival, ventilation and ionoregulation whereas no inter-age differences were reported. Water temperature also exerted a significant effect in survival and ventilation of G. roeseli. Some of those factors appeared to interact significantly. This study provides evidence that gender can affect organisms responses to a stressor and consequently has to be considered while assessing a stress impact. We discussed the potential relationships between biological and behavioural responses.     

Impact analysis of drought, water excess and salinity on grass production in The Netherlands using historical and future climate data

The coupled SWAP-WOFOST model was used to study the effects of increasing salinity of groundwater, drought and water excess on grass production in The Netherlands. WOFOST simulates crop growth and SWAP simulates transport of water, solutes and heat in the vadose zone. The model was tested using several datasets from field experiments. We applied the models at regional scale where we quantified the impact of various groundwater salinity levels on grass growth and production using historical weather data (1971-2000). The salt concentrations in the subsoil were derived from the National Hydrological Instrument. The results show that salinity effects on grass production are limited. In wet years the excess rainfall will infiltrate the soil and reduce salt water seepage. In a next step we used future weather data for the year 2050, derived from 3 Global Circulation Models. From each model we used data from two CO₂ emission scenarios. As expected higher temperatures increased drought stress, however, the production reduction as a result of salt water in the root zone is limited. Salt stress mainly occurred when irrigation was applied with saline water. The increased CO₂ concentration in combination with the limited drought stress resulted in increasing simulated actual and potential yields. Overall conclusion for grassland in The Netherlands: drought stress is stronger than stress caused by water excess which on its turn is stronger than salinity stress. Future water demand for irrigation may increase by 11-19% and result in water scarcity if water supply is insufficient.     

Influence of environmental factors on the response of a natural population of Daphnia magna (Crustacea: Cladocera) to spinosad and Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis in Mediterranean coastal wetlands

The present study was undertaken to assess the impact of a candidate mosquito larvicide, spinosad (8, 17 and 33 μg L⁻¹) on a field population of Daphnia magna under natural variations of water temperature and salinity, using Bti (0.16 and 0.50 μL L⁻¹) as the reference larvicide. Microcosms (125 L) were placed in a shallow temporary marsh where D. magna was naturally present. The peak of salinity observed during the 21-day observation period may have been partly responsible for the decrease of daphnid population density in all the microcosms. It is also probably responsible for the absence of recovery in the microcosms treated with spinosad which caused a sharp decrease of D. magna abundance within the first two days following treatment whereas Bti had no effect. These results suggest that it may be difficult for a field population of daphnids to cope simultaneously with natural (water salinity and temperature) and anthropogenic (larvicides) stressors.     

Inferring coastal processes from regional-scale mapping of Radon and salinity: examples from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

The radon isotope ²²²Rn and salinity in coastal surface water were mapped on regional scales, to improve the understanding of coastal processes and their spatial variability. Radon was measured with a surface-towed, continuously recording multi-detector setup on a moving vessel. Numerous processes and locations of land-ocean interaction along the Central Great Barrier Reef coastline were identified and interpreted based on the data collected. These included riverine fluxes, terrestrially-derived fresh submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and the tidal pumping of seawater through mangrove forests. Based on variations in the relationship of the tracers radon and salinity, some aspects of regional freshwater inputs to the coastal zone and to estuaries could be assessed. Concurrent mapping of radon and salinity allowed an efficient qualitative assessment of land-ocean interaction on various spatial and temporal scales, indicating that such surveys on coastal scales can be a useful tool to obtain an overview of SGD locations and processes.     

The effect of certain intrinsic and extrinsic variables on the acute toxicity of selected organophosphorus insecticides to the mummichog,Fundulus heteroclitus

Abstract

The acute toxicity of two organophosphorus (OP) insecticides, azinphosmethyl and acephate, was evaluated in the mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus. In addition, the effects of certain intrinsic (sex) and extrinsic (salinity and multiple toxicant interraction) variables on the toxic response were also investigated. Azinphosmethyl was by far the most toxic of the two OP insecticides with a 96h LC50 ～ 100,000 x lower than that for acephate. Slight sex differences were observed in the sensitivity of mummichogs to each of the OP insecticides with male fish being marginally more sensitive. Significant effects of low salinity stress were observed only with acephate exposure and, in this case, low salinity appeared to be slightly protective. In general, all of the insecticide mixtures (azinphosmethyl/endosulfan, azinphosmethyl/fenvalerate and acephate/fenvalerate) tested exhibited simple additive toxicity.