Animal agency in wildlife conservation and management

Wildlife conservation and management (WCM) practices have been historically drawn from a wide variety of academic fields, yet practitioners have been slow to engage with emerging conversations about animals as complex beings, whose individuality and sociality influence their relationships with humans. We propose an explicit acknowledgement of wild, nonhuman animals as active participants in WCM. We examined 190 studies of WCM interventions and outcomes to highlight 3 common assumptions that underpin many present approaches to WCM: animal behaviors are rigid and homogeneous; wildlife exhibit idealized wild behavior and prefer pristine habitats; and human–wildlife relationships are of marginal or secondary importance relative to nonhuman interactions. We found that these management interventions insufficiently considered animal learning, decision-making, individuality, sociality, and relationships with humans and led to unanticipated detrimental outcomes. To address these shortcomings, we synthesized theoretical advances in animal behavioral sciences, animal geographies, and animal legal theory that may help conservation professionals reconceptualize animals and their relationships with humans. Based on advances in these fields, we constructed the concept of animal agency, which we define as the ability of animals to actively influence conservation and management outcomes through their adaptive, context-specific, and complex behaviors that are predicated on their sentience, individuality, lived experiences, cognition, sociality, and cultures in ways that shape and reshape shared human–wildlife cultures, spaces, and histories. Conservation practices, such as compassionate conservation, convivial conservation, and ecological justice, incorporate facets of animal agency. Animal agency can be incorporated in conservation problem-solving by assessing the ways in which agency contributes to species’ survival and by encouraging more adaptive and collaborative decision-making among human and nonhuman stakeholders.     

Depoliticizing adaptation: a critical analysis of EU climate adaptation policy

The ways in which climate adaptation is understood in the European Union is examined via three key policy documents: the Strategy on adaptation and the Green and White Papers that preceded it. Drawing on Poststructuralist Discourse Theory, light is shed on the implicit values and assumptions that underpin this recent policy initiative. The findings demonstrate a tension between the declared ambition to act on adaptation and implicit suggestions that nothing really has to change, and the challenge can be addressed by market and technological innovations, and by mainstreaming adaptation into existing sectoral policies. The policy discourse effectively serves to depoliticize choices societies make in response to climate change, presenting adaptation as a non-political issue. Insight into European adaptation discourse enables deeper understanding of recent policy developments and opens up possible entry points for critique.     

Preliminary studies on potential remediation of acid mine drainage‐impacted soils by amendment with drinking‐water treatment residuals

Mining operations result in a wide range of environmental impacts: acid mine drainage (AMD) and acid sulfate soils being among the most common. Due to their acidic pH and high soluble metal concentrations, both AMD and acid sulfate soils can severely damage the local ecosystems. Proper post‐mining management practices are necessary to control AMD‐related environmental issues. Current AMD‐impacted soil treatment technologies are rather expensive and typically not environmentally sustainable. We conducted a 60‐day bench‐scale study to evaluate the potential of a cost‐effective and environment‐friendly technology in treating AMD‐impacted soils. The metal binding and acid‐neutralizing capacity of an industrial by‐product, drinking water treatment residuals (WTRs) were used for AMD remediation. Two types of locally generated WTRs, an aluminum‐based WTR (Al‐WTR) and a lime‐based WTR (Ca‐WTR) were used. Highly acidic AMD‐impacted soil containing very high concentrations of metals and metalloids, such as iron, nickel, and arsenic, was collected from the Tab‐Simco coal mine in Carbondale, Illinois. Soil amendment using a 1:1 Al‐ and Ca‐WTR mix, applied at 5 and 10 percent rates significantly lowered the soluble and exchangeable fractions of metals in the AMD‐impacted soil, thus lowering potential metal toxicity. Soil pH increased from an extremely acidic 2.69 to a near‐neutral 6.86 standard units over the 60‐day study period. Results from this preliminary study suggest the possibility of a successful scale‐up of this innovative, cost‐effective, and environmentally sustainable technology for remediating AMD‐impacted acid sulfate soils.     

沼泽湿地水生无脊椎动物完整性指数构建与健康评价

依据2017年5、7、9月对三江平原19处沼泽湿地(参照湿地6处,受损湿地13处)的水生无脊椎动物采样结果,应用生物完整性理论和方法,构建水生无脊椎动物完整性指数,评价三江平原沼泽湿地健康状况。通过对27个候选指标的分布范围、判别能力和相关性分析,筛选出总分类单元数、扁卷螺科百分比、龙虱科百分比、刮食者百分比4个指标构成水生无脊椎动物完整性指数核心指标。采用比值法计算各指标参数值,将各参数值加和得到水生无脊椎动物完整性指数值。根据参照湿地水生无脊椎动物完整性指数值的25%分位数值确定评价标准,对小于25%分位数的值进行三等分,确定三江平原沼泽湿地健康评价标准:≥2.58,无干扰;1.72～2.58,轻度干扰;0.86～1.72,中度干扰;0～0.86,重度干扰。结果表明:所调查的三江平原沼泽湿地有78.95%受到不同程度的干扰(其中47.37%受到了中重度干扰),21.05%属于无干扰。     

基于FDS的加油站便利店火灾模拟

为了研究加油站便利店火灾的发展规律，选择合理的疏散路线，使用 FDS软件对某加油站便利店进行火灾数值模拟。通过观察烟气扩散和动态升温过程，分析便利店的烟气扩散和升温规律，对比分析不同疏散路线上温度、烟气层高度和能见度的数据变化规律，分析选择不同疏散路线对人员安全疏散的影响。结果表明:在无火灾报警设备的情况下，卫生间等有隔断的设施会延迟设施内人员获得火灾信息的时间,不利于安全疏散；同等高度下靠墙区域受高温烟气影响较中央开阔区域更大；疏散时选择合理的疏散路线可以显著延长安全疏散时间。     

萃取法分离回收不锈钢酸洗污泥硫酸浸出液中的重金属

采用非皂化P204和皂化P204萃取剂对不锈钢酸洗污泥的硫酸浸出液进行萃取。在浸出液pH为0.80、非皂化P204体积分数为25%、萃取剂与浸出液体积比为1∶2、萃取时间为5 min的条件下,Fe~(3+)萃取率达99.64%,Cr~(3+)和Ni~(2+)萃取率为3.98%和6.99%,一次萃余液pH为0.64。采用皂化P204对除Fe~(3+)后的一次萃余液进行萃取,在P204体积分数为25%、萃取剂与浸出液体积比为1∶2、萃取剂皂化率为60%、一次萃余液pH为1.50、萃取时间为5 min的条件下,Ni~(2+)萃取率为93.12%,Cr~(3+)萃取率为20.69%,二次萃余液pH为2.63。     

船舶螺旋桨射流对湘江河床底泥扰动影响分析

船舶航行时螺旋桨产生的射流会对河道水流产生扰动,这种扰动是否能引起河床底泥的再悬浮需要更深入的论证分析。通过对比分析螺旋桨射流发展规律的研究成果,以湘江典型河段为研究对象,结合实船测量结果和此段河流地质资料,探讨了螺旋桨射流对湘江长株潭段河床底泥扰动的影响,并对此段河床底泥起动和悬浮条件进行了理论分析。结果表明:在周围环境流速较低的条件下,螺旋桨射流初始速度、河床水深及泥沙粒径是决定泥沙是否运动的主要因素。湘江长株潭河段已基本库区化,大部分河道平均水深远大于航道的标准水深2.8 m,河床泥沙平均粒径大于0.87 mm,其中细颗粒泥沙很少,由于螺旋桨射流断面平均流速小于泥沙起动流速,悬浮指标计算值远大于4,因此可以判断船舶正常航行在该段河流时底泥难以起动和再悬浮。     

聚硅酸钛制备及其助凝特性

采用在活化硅酸制备过程中加入适量Ti Cl4的方法,试制了一种新型无机高分子助凝剂—聚硅酸钛。研究了不同[Si]/[Ti]条件下制备的聚硅酸钛在固定p H值的水中分散物的粒径和Zeta电位随着活化时间的变化趋势,并与活化硅酸作比较。结果表明,在Si/Ti=20,活化48 h的条件下能制备出较为稳定的聚硅酸钛。与活化硅酸相比,聚硅酸钛在水中的分散物具有较大的粒径和更高的Zeta电位。通过对比制备的活化硅酸和聚硅酸钛的红外图谱发现,聚硅酸钛中有TiO-Si键,证明钛离子参与了聚合反应,新生成的化学键提高了它的聚合度和稳定性。采用硫酸铝为混凝剂,聚硅酸钛为助凝剂进行混凝除浊实验。测定了絮凝体的Zeta电位和混凝沉淀后的上清液浊度,研究了硫酸铝投加量和混凝p H对聚硅酸钛助凝效果的影响。结果表明,投加适量的聚硅酸钛助凝剂,明显提高了混凝除浊效果且拓宽了有效混凝p H值的范围。     

硫酸盐还原菌污泥固定化特性

采用玉米芯为碳源,聚乙烯醇(PVA)为包埋载体,饱和硼酸(H3BO3)为交联剂,研究了硫酸盐还原菌污泥(SRBS)、铁屑、麦饭石共固处理合成煤矿酸性废水的最优配比与机理,并分析了固定化过程中小球稳定性及活性的变化规律。实验结果表明,SRBS投加量是影响处理效果的最显著因子,当投加30%SRBS、2%铁屑、3%麦饭石时SO2-4、Mn2+去除率分别为94.13%和84.39%,溶液p H为7.03,未检测出Fe2+;随着交联时间的延长,小球膨胀率及SO2-4还原率分别呈线性与指数下降,从保持小球稳定性与活性角度考虑,可将交联时间设定为4~8 h;该法可为市政污泥的处置以及生物法处理煤矿酸性废水的工程应用提供技术参考。     

固定化斜生栅藻净化畜禽废水中氨氮和磷的影响因素

为探讨Cu2+、p H和流速对固定化斜生栅藻去除畜禽废水中NH+4-N、TP效果的影响,在实验室条件下模拟实际污水处理过程,并采用正交实验方案对结果进行分析。结果表明低质量浓度Cu2+(0~0.05 mg/L)改善藻的净化效果,高质量浓度Cu2+(0.50~5.00 mg/L)抑制藻的净化效果;在p H较高的条件下(p H=9),固定化斜生栅藻的净化效果明显提高;流速对结果没有明显影响。通过正交实验,得出固定化斜生栅藻去除畜禽废水中NH+4-N、TP的优化条件如下:Cu2+质量浓度为0.05 mg/L,p H为9,流速为0.3 m/s。此时NH+4-N去除率为96.11%,TP去除率为97.53%。