Community Exchange and Training in the Suid Bokkeveld: A UNCCD Pilot Project to Enhance Livelihoods and Natural Resource Management

Community knowledge exchanges have played a key role in developmental processes in the Suid Bokkeveld community of South Africa. Two exchange visits were undertaken with the support of the Department of Agriculture and an NGO, the Environmental Monitoring Group, which have led to local economic development and enhanced capacity to manage natural resources in a sustainable manner. These pilot projects were undertaken within the framework of the Community Exchange and Training Programme of the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The methodology applied included facilitation to develop a community-based vision for development, in terms of which the community exchange process was designed. A Facilitation Team of service providers conducted preparatory workshops, and identified potential partner communities. Two exchange visits were carried out, one focused on Rooibos production and marketing, and the other on community-based eco-tourism. Following report-back and planning workshops, emerging community-driven initiatives were supported through their formative stages. The initiatives have not only resulted in enhanced livelihoods, but the methodology has also been applied widely in a number of different contexts.     

From the 1996 groundwater action programme to the 2006 groundwater directive--what have we done, what have we learnt, what is the way ahead?

The need for action to avoid long term deterioration of fresh water quantity and quality was recognised by the Ministerial Seminar on groundwater held at The Hague in November 1991, which underlined the need to establish a programme of actions to be implemented by the year 2000 at national and Community level, aiming at sustainable management and protection of water resources. These discussions resulted in a communication from the European Commission in 1996 about a "Groundwater Action Programme" (GWAP). In parallel, a wide consultation had started on the need to streamline EU water policies, which led to the adoption of the Water Framework Directive in December 2000, later complemented by a "daughter" groundwater directive adopted in December 2006. This paper recalls the orientations of the GWAP and studies whether and how recommended actions have been tackled by the actual EU regulatory framework.     

Data Sharing – a Case of Shared Databases and Community Use of On-Line GIS Support Systems

Data management is becoming increasingly simple and complex at the same time. The challenge is to effectively use the increasing number of tools available to manage increasing amounts of environmental information for purposes of data capture, analysis, display, sharing and storage. Government is no longer the main collector and provider of data. Community groups possess vast amounts of data collected through daily work of monitoring the environment in their local community. The chief concerns are data access, sharing, integrity and comparability. The capacity of groups to sustain data management is the key to making the sharing possible. The Southeast Environmental Association has been working with Environment Canada to develop a community, on-line database that will be linked to other geo-spatial data sets to allow instant access to geo-referenced data.     

Assessing disproportionate costs to achieve good ecological status of water bodies in a Mediterranean river basin

Water management is becoming increasingly important as the demand for water grows, diversifies, and includes more complex environmental concerns. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) seeks to achieve a good ecological status for all European Community water bodies by 2015. To achieve this objective, economic consideration of water management must be given to all decision-making processes. Exemption (time or level of stringency) from the objectives of the EU Directive can be justified by proving that the cost of implementing measures is disproportionate to the benefits. This paper addresses the issue of disproportionate costs through a cost-benefit analysis (CBA). To predict the costs, the function costs method is used. The quantification of environmental benefits is more complex, because they are not determined by the market. As an alternative to stated preference methods, we use the distance function approach to estimate the environmental benefits of improving water quality. We then apply this methodological approach to a Mediterranean River Basin in Spain. The results show that the achievement of good status could not be rejected based on the criterion of disproportionate costs in this river basin. This paper illustrates that CBA is a useful tool to inform policy and decision making. Furthermore, it is shown that economics, particularly the valuation of environmental benefits, plays a crucial role in fulfilling the environmental objectives of the WFD.     

Time Series Analysis to Monitor and Assess Water Resources: A Moving Average Approach

An understanding of the behavior of the groundwater body and its long-term trends are essential for making any management decision in a given watershed. Geostatistical methods can effectively be used to derive the long-term trends of the groundwater body. Here an attempt has been made to find out the long-term trends of the water table fluctuations of a river basin through a time series approach. The method was found to be useful for demarcating the zones of discharge and of recharge of an aquifer. The recharge of the aquifer is attributed to the return flow from applied irrigation. In the study area, farmers mainly depend on borewells for water and water is pumped from the deep aquifer indiscriminately. The recharge of the shallow aquifer implies excessive pumping of the deep aquifer. Necessary steps have to be taken immediately at appropriate levels to control the irrational pumping of deep aquifer groundwater, which is needed as a future water source. The study emphasizes the use of geostatistics for the better management of water resources and sustainable development of the area.     

The effects of subsampling and sampling frequency on the use of surface-floating pupal exuviae to measure Chironomidae (Diptera) communities in wadeable temperate streams

Community, diversity, and biological index metrics for chironomid surface-floating pupal exuviae (SFPE) were assessed at different subsample sizes and sampling frequencies from wadeable streams in Minnesota (USA). Timed collections of SFPE were made using a biweekly sampling interval in groundwater-dominated (GWD) and surface-water-dominated (SWD) streams. These two types of stream were sampled because they support different Chironomidae communities with different phenologies which could necessitate sampling methodologies specific to each stream type. A subsample size of 300 individuals was sufficient to collect on average 85% of total taxa richness and to estimate most metrics with an error of about 1% relative to 1,000 count samples. SWD streams required larger subsample sizes to achieve similar estimates of taxa richness and metric error compared to GWD streams, but these differences were not large enough to recommend different subsampling methods for these stream types. Analysis of sample timing determined that 97% of emergence occurred from April through September. We recommend in studies where estimation of winter emergence is not important that sampling be limited to this period. Sampling frequency also affected the proportion of the community collected. To maximize the portion of the community, collected samples should be taken across seasons although no specific sampling interval is recommended. Subsampling and sampling frequency was also assessed simultaneously. When using a 300-count subsample, a 4-week sampling interval from April through September was required to collect on average 71% of the community. Due to differences in elements of the chironomid community evaluated by different studies (e.g., biological condition, phenology, and taxonomic composition), richness estimates are documented for five sampling intervals (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks) and five subsample sizes (100, 200, 300, 500, and 1,000 counts). This research will enhance future studies by providing guidelines for tailoring SFPE methods to study specific goals and resources.     

The Contribution of Acadia PRIMENet Research to Science and Resource Management in the National Park Service

Acadia National Park was one of the 14 sites included in the Park Research and Intensive Monitoring of Ecosystems network (PRIMENet). For eight years the EPA monitored ultraviolet (UV) radiation at this site, with the National Park Service (NPS) sponsoring a total climate and air monitoring station. Under the auspices of PRIMENet, research projects were initiated that investigated the effects of UV on amphibians, determined watershed mass balances, and developed a model of deposition along an elevational gradient. The monitoring data and research results have been used by park management to protect vegetation and water resources from ozone and deposition. These data are now being used to develop a “vital signs” monitoring program under the NPS’ Inventory and Monitoring Program. These data sets have been used in regional, national and international programs to protect human health and resources from air pollution. Public outreach has been accomplished through web site resources and via the Schoodic Education and Research Center.     

Water Development Strategy as a Driving Force for Sustained Rangeland Management by Local Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa

Water is the major food component for the maintenance of animals. Although Africa is endowed with diverse agricultural environments, the survival of animals in Sahelian and sub-Sahelian Africa is threatened by the lack of water. Animals need water as an essential nutrient, a component of the body, and for conductive or evaporative cooling. Water needs are met mainly through drinking free water and to a lesser extent by utilising water that forms part of the feed. However during the long dry season, surface water resources dwindle and the water content of available forage decreases, thereby increasing the animals’ demand for water. Consequently animals have to walk for long distances to obtain adequate forage and water, which in turn raises the demand for these resources. Water can be used to direct and regulate rangeland management in this open access environment, to maintain range resources and to improve their quality. Water development, which takes into consideration usable forage, despite some intra- or inter-annual variability, plays an important role and its spatial distribution will affect the grazing intensity of forage resources. Sound water development and management strategies integrating local communities in the decision-making will set up a firm basis for sustained range management in the free and open access environment of sub-Saharan Africa where lack of financial input, social and cultural habits and above all the environmental condition do not permit large scale fencing as in other parts of the world.     

Water quality time series for Big Melen stream (Turkey): its decomposition analysis and comparison to upstream

Big Melen stream is one of the major water resources providing 268 km³ year^???1 of drinking and municipal water for Istanbul. Monthly time series data between 1991 and 2004 for 25 chemical, biological, and physical water properties of Big Melen stream were separated into linear trend, seasonality, and error components using additive decomposition models. Water quality index (WQI) derived from 17 water quality variables were used to compare Aksu upstream and Big Melen downstream water quality. Twenty-six additive decomposition models of water quality time series data including WQI had R ² values ranging from 88% for log(water temperature) (P?≤?0.001) to 3% for log(total dissolved solids) (P?≤?0.026). Linear trend models revealed that total hardness, calcium concentration, and log(nitrite concentration) had the highest rate of increase over time. Tukey’s multiple comparison pointed to significant decreases in 17 water quality variables including WQI of Big Melen downstream relative to those of Aksu upstream (P?≤?0.001). Monitoring changes in water quality on the basis of watersheds through WQI and decomposition analysis of time series data paves the way for an adaptive management process of water resources that can be tailored in response to effectiveness and dynamics of management practices.     

A simple method to identify areas of environmental risk due to manure application

The management of swine manure is becoming an important environmental issue in Chile. One option for the final disposal of manure is to use it as a biofertilizer, but this practice could impact the surrounding environment. To assess the potential environmental impacts of the use of swine manure as a biofertilizer, we propose a method to identify zones of environmental risk through indices. The method considers two processes: nutrient runoff and solute leaching, and uses available information about soils, crops and management practices (irrigation, fertilization, and rotation). We applied the method to qualitatively assess the environmental risk associated with the use of swine manure as a biofertilizer in an 8,000-pig farm located in Central Chile. Results showed that the farm has a moderate environmental risk, but some specific locations have high environmental risks, especially those associated with impacts on areas surrounding water resources. This information could assist the definition of better farm-level management practices, as well as the preservation of riparian vegetation acting as buffer strips. The main advantage of our approach is that it combines qualitative and quantitative information, including particular situations or field features based on expert knowledge. The method is flexible, simple, and can be easily extended or adapted to other processes.     

浙江北部海域春季浮游动物的群落结构研究

根据2007年春季在浙江北部海域所采集的浮游动物样品,对该调查海域浮游动物的种类组成、丰度、生物量和生物多样性进行了探讨,采用多元统计软件PRIMER 5分析了该海域浮游动物的群落结构。研究结果表明,调查海域共鉴定各类浮游动物62种、浮游幼虫12种,合计74种。经统计共有2种优势种,分别是中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus)和五角水母(Muggiaea atlantica)。浮游动物生物量和丰度的平面分布比较相似,主要分布在调查海域的东部和东南部,并存在着向东南方向呈递增的趋势,而在杭州湾内的值比较小。调查海域浮游动物生物多样性比较低,平均值为1.54。根据对本次调查获得的浮游动物群落结构的聚类分析,主要存在着两个生态类群,群落Ⅰ为沿岸低盐群落,群落Ⅱ为暖温带近海群落。     

Community Based Ecological Monitoring in Nova Scotia: Challenges and Opportunities

This article examines community-based ecological monitoring in Nova Scotia, with an emphasis on watershed stewardship groups. It discusses successes to date and future challenges, drawing on examples from the Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP) and other community groups. The barriers to the generation of robust monitoring datasets and effective participation in watershed management are examined. The article concludes with a discussion of issues to be addressed to ensure that community groups can both gather scientifically valid ecological data and have meaningful input into the management of their local natural resources.     

Hydrogeological definition and applicability of abandoned coal mines as water reservoirs

Hydrogeologically, the Central Coal Basin (Asturias, Spain) is characterized by predominantly low-permeability materials that make up a multilayer aquifer with very low porosity and permeability values, where the sandstones act as limited aquifers, and wackes, mudstones, shales and coal seams act as confining levels. Preferential groundwater flow paths are open fractures and zones of decompression associated with them, so the hydraulic behaviour of the system is more associated with fracturing than lithology. Thus, abandoned and flooded mines in the area acquire an important role in the management of water resources, setting up an artificial "pseudo-karst" aquifer. This paper evaluates the potential application of the abandoned mines as underground reservoirs, both for water supply and energetic use, mainly through heat pumps and small hydropower plants. In particular, the groundwater reservoir shaped by the connected shafts Barredo and Figaredo has been chosen, and a detailed and multifaceted study has been undertaken in the area. The exposed applications fit with an integrated management of water resources and contribute to improve economic and social conditions of a traditional mining area in gradual decline due to the cessation of such activity.     

Community Participation in Natural Resources Management: Reality or Rhetoric?

In the developing world, the term ‘participation’ has in recent years become a household word in the same way that ‘democracy’ or ‘gender’ have. Development agencies are demanding increased participation in their programmes. The use of the word or its application has become a centre of debate. Due to the difficulties involved in measuring ‘participation’ or indeed determining levels at which participation should take place, who participates and when, many ‘doubting Thomases’ have questioned its effectiveness. It has, however been acknowledged in many areas that popular participation changes policies and enhances management and governance. In complex issues of natural resources management, participatory techniques have helped communities develop collective responsibilities towards management of their resources and projects. This paper discusses the complexities of community participation in natural resources management, ranging from interrelations among stakeholders to resource ownership based on the experiences in the Kasanka Game Management Area (KGMA). Lessons learnt from the Kasanka Game Management Area (GMA) communities, Serenje district, Zambia     

Development of a new risk-based framework to guide investment in water quality monitoring

An innovative framework for optimising investments in water quality monitoring has been developed for use by water and environmental agencies. By utilising historical data, investigating the accuracy of monitoring methods and considering the risk tolerance of the management agency, this new methodology calculates optimum water quality monitoring frequencies for individual water bodies. Such information can be applied to water quality constituents of concern in both engineered and natural water bodies and will guide the investment of monitoring resources. Here we present both the development of the framework itself and a proof of concept by applying it to the occurrence of hazardous cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater lakes. This application to existing data demonstrates the robustness of the approach and the capacity of the framework to optimise the allocation of both monitoring and mitigation resources. When applied to cyanobacterial blooms in the Swan Coastal Plain of Western Australia, we determined that optimising the monitoring regime at individual lakes could greatly alter the overall monitoring schedule for the region, rendering it more risk averse without increasing the amount of monitoring resources required. For water resources with high-density temporal data related to constituents of concern, a similar reduction in risk may be observed by applying the framework.     

Development of the microbial communities in lake donghu in relation to water quality

There is increasing recognition that protozoa is very useful in monitoring and evaluating water ecological healthy and quality. In order to study the relationship between structure and function of protozoan communities and water qualities, six sampling stations were set on Lake Donghu, a hypereutrophic subtropical Chinese lake. Microbial communities and protists sampling from the six stations was conducted by PFU (Polyurethane foam unit) method. Species number (S), diversity index (DI), percentage of phytomastigophra, community pollution value (CPV), community similarity and heterophy index (HI) were mensurated. The measured indicators of water quality included total phosphorus (TP), dissolved oxygen (DO), Chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH(4)(+), NO(2)(-) and NO(3)(-). Every month water samples from stations I, II, III, IV were chemically analyzed for a whole year, Among the chemically analyzed stations, station I was the most heavily polluted, station II was the next, stations III and IV had similar pollution degrees. The variable tendencies of COD, TP, NH(3), NO(2)(-), NO(3)(-), and DO during the year was approximately coincident among the six stations. Analysis from the community parameters showed that the pollution of station 0 was much more serious than others, and station V was the most slight. Of the community parameters, CPV and HI were sensitive in reflecting the variables of the water quality. Community similarity index was also sensitive in dividing water qualities and the water quality status of different stations could be correctly classified by the cluster analysis. DI could reflect the tendency of water quality gradient, species number and percentage of Phytomastigophora was not obvious in indicating the water quality gradient.     

Diversity and dynamics of the Vibrio community in well water used for drinking in Guinea-Bissau (West Africa)

Bacteria of the genus Vibrio are ubiquitous in aquatic environments and can be found either in culturable or in a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state. The genus comprises many pathogenic species accountable for water and food-borne diseases that prove to be fatal, especially in developing countries, as in Guinea-Bissau (West Africa), where cholera is endemic. In order to ascertain the abundance and structure of Vibrio spp. community in well waters that serve as the sole source of water for the population, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), PCR-denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and cloning approaches were used. Results suggest that Vibrio spp. were present throughout the year in acidic, freshwater wells with a seasonal community composition shift. Vibrio spp. abundance was in accordance with the abundance found in coastal environments. Sequences closely related to pathogenic Vibrio species were retrieved from well water revealing exposure of the population to such pathogens. pH, ammonium, and turbidity, regulated by the rain pattern, seem to be the variables that contributed mostly to the shaping and selection of the Vibrio spp. community. These results reinforce the evidence for water monitoring with culture-independent methods and the clear need to create/recover water infrastructures and a proper water resources management in West African countries with similar environmental conditions.     

突发性水污染事故预警体系建设综述

随着流域水污染事件的频发,突发性水污染事故预警平台的科学建设成为流域应急管理的重要内容。基于预警平台数据感知层、数据管理层、业务感知层的总体架构,综述了国内外突发性水污染事故预警平台的建设现状。从水质监测技术、突发事故预警模型、预警平台整体构建4个方面分析了近年来突发性水污染事故预警平台的研究进展与不足,以期为流域突发性水污染预警系统的建设提供参考。     

多源环境监测信息交换模型的设计与实现

针对环境监测系统现有的污染源管理、饮用水管理、噪声管理、自动监测管理等信息系统存在异构化、多源化等现象,造成数据重复录入、数据不一致、资源浪费等问题,展示了一种数据交换模型的设计思路和实现方法,介绍模型的数据抽取、数据封装、数据传递、数据解析、数据映射、校验和转换、数据接收等多个环节。该数据交换模型已成功实现与多个外部业务系统数据对接,现每天采集的数据超过5 000条,系统运行稳定、性能良好。     

面向水源保护与污染监控的广东地下水环境监测网研究

通过系统整理分析自然资源、水利、生态环境等部门已有地下水监测网,针对广东地下水监测存在的问题和未来地下水环境管理需求,提出较大空间尺度和水质监控的地下水环境监测网建设框架及广东省"三层七级"共237个网点的层级化地下水环境监测网建设方案,并与水文地质单元、浅层地下水功能区划进行了空间叠加分析。结果表明,广东省三大部门监测网在空间上分布总体较为分散,相互补充性好,提出的监测网方案总体上与广东省地下水本底条件、地下水资源开发利用现状、地下水环境功能分区、重点污染源空间分布特征等相匹配,契合地下水饮用水源保护和重点污染源监控两大管理需求,构建的地下水环境监测网框架可为其他地区提供参考,提出的地下水环境监测网建设方案可为广东省地下水环境管理和污染防控提供决策支持。