Collaborative environmental governance and transaction costs in partnerships: evidence from a social network approach to water management in France

Several studies attempt to explain how collaborative environmental governance processes operate, but the question of why collaboration relationships form has received much less attention. Motivated by this need, this paper provides insights to the broad question: why does collaborative river basin management in France depend so heavily on partnerships made up around a few actors? Accordingly, our analytical framework develops a transaction cost explanation for the extent to which participatory procedures help stakeholders to identify partners and initiate collaboration, and for the causal link between the attributes of these stakeholders and their partnerships. The p2 model is implemented to investigate partnership networks of the key actors that govern the management of the Gironde estuary, the study case. The results provide evidence that environmental institutions bring together heterogeneous actors who might not be ready for collaboration, thereby actors’ perceived power similarity; their geographical proximity and co-presence in formal fora limit transaction costs.     

Oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in atmospheric particulate matter: Molecular characterization and occurrence

Particulate matter (PM) has become a major research issue receiving increasing attention because of its significant negative impact on human health. There are main indicators that next to the morphological characteristics of the particle, also the chemical composition plays an important role in the adverse health effects of PM. In this context, the rather polar organic fraction of PM is expected to play a major role, and advanced analytical techniques are developed to improve the knowledge on the molecular composition of this fraction. One component class that deserves major attention consists of the oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Those compounds are considered to be among the key compounds in PM toxicity. This paper presents a comprehensive review focusing on the analysis, fate and behavior of oxygenated PAHs in the atmosphere. The first part of the paper briefly introduces (i) the main sources and atmospheric pathways of oxygenated PAHs, (ii) available physical–chemical properties and (iii) their health effects. The second and main part of this paper gives a thorough discussion on the entire analytical sequence necessary to identify and quantify oxygenated PAHs on atmospheric PM. Special attention is given to critical parameters and innovations related to (i) sampling, (ii) sample preparation including both extraction and clean-up, and (iii) separation and detection. Third, the state-of-the-art knowledge about the atmospheric occurrence of oxygenated PAHs is discussed, including an extended overview of reported concentrations presented as a function of sampling season and geographical location. A clear seasonal effect is observed with the median of the oxygenated PAHs concentrations during winter being a factor of 3–4 higher than during summer. However, the oxygenated PAH/parent PAH ratio is about 20 times higher during summer, indicating the importance of photochemical activity in the atmosphere.     

The local governance of climate change: new tools to respond to old limitations in Esmeraldas,Ecuador

This article argues that climate change, seen as a socially constructed anticipation of natural disasters and a future-risk that plays out in present politics, is enabling the emergence of new modes of governance in cities of the global south. The article focuses on the process by which the city of Esmeraldas, Ecuador, developed a Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategy. Within the context of climate change adaptation, Esmeraldas mobilised new discourses, stakeholders, and planning mechanisms to address pre-existing urban planning and development limitations. This discursively enabled the municipality's ongoing governance project by leveraging resources, creating consensus, and informing practice. Climate change adaptation thus became an important mechanism for engaging with local priorities, particularly those of the most vulnerable populations, and for bridging the gap between the formal world of policymaking and the reality of life in the city, which is more often structured by informality.     

In Situ Dynamics of F-Specific RNA Bacteriophages in a Small River: New Way to Assess Viral Propagation in Water Quality Studies

The occurrence and propagation of enteric viruses in rivers constitute a major public health issue. However, little information is available on the in situ transport and spread of viruses in surface water. In this study, an original in situ experimental approach using the residence time of the river water mass was developed to accurately follow the propagation of F-specific RNA bacteriophages (FRNAPHs) along a 3-km studied river. Surface water and sediment of 9 sampling campaigns were collected and analyzed using both infectivity and RT-qPCR assays. In parallel, some physico-chemical variables such as flow rate, water temperature, conductivity and total suspended solids were measured to investigate the impact of environmental conditions on phage propagation. For campaigns with low flow rate and high temperature, the results highlight a decrease of infectious phage concentration along the river, which was successfully modelled according to a first-order negative exponential decay. The monitoring of infectious FRNAPHs belonging mainly to the genogroup II was confirmed with direct phage genotyping and total phage particle quantification. Reported k decay coefficients according to exponential models allowed for the determination of the actual in situ distance and time necessary for removing 90 % of infectious phage particles. This present work provides a new way to assess the true in situ viral propagation along a small river. These findings can be highly useful in water quality and risk assessment studies to determine the viral contamination spread from a point contamination source to the nearest recreational areas.     

Oxygen isotope fractionation between bird bone phosphate and drinking water

Oxygen isotope compositions of bone phosphate (δ¹⁸O_p) were measured in broiler chickens reared in 21 farms worldwide characterized by contrasted latitudes and local climates. These sedentary birds were raised during an approximately 3 to 4-month period, and local precipitation was the ultimate source of their drinking water. This sampling strategy allowed the relationship to be determined between the bone phosphate δ¹⁸O_p values (from 9.8 to 22.5‰ V-SMOW) and the local rainfall δ¹⁸O_w values estimated from nearby IAEA/WMO stations (from ?16.0 to ?1.0‰ V-SMOW). Linear least square fitting of data provided the following isotopic fractionation equation: δ¹⁸O_w = 1.119 (±0.040) δ¹⁸O_p ? 24.222 (±0.644); R ² = 0.98. The δ¹⁸O_p–δ¹⁸O_w couples of five extant mallard ducks, a common buzzard, a European herring gull, a common ostrich, and a greater rhea fall within the predicted range of the equation, indicating that the relationship established for extant chickens can also be applied to birds of various ecologies and body masses. Applied to published oxygen isotope compositions of Miocene and Pliocene penguins from Peru, this new equation computes estimates of local seawater similar to those previously calculated. Applied to the basal bird Confuciusornis from the Early Cretaceous of Northeastern China, our equation gives a slightly higher δ¹⁸O_w value compared to the previously estimated one, possibly as a result of lower body temperature. These data indicate that caution should be exercised when the relationship estimated for modern birds is applied to their basal counterparts that likely had a metabolism intermediate between that of their theropod dinosaur ancestors and that of advanced ornithurines.     

Reciprocity and trades in wild West African chimpanzees

Why do animals help other individuals and provide benefits to the recipient, sometimes at personal cost? In this study, we aim to determine if some of the helpful behaviors observed in a group of wild chimpanzees (Taï chimpanzee group, Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa) are exchanged among individuals resulting in a net benefit for both participants. We adopted an inclusive view of exchanges by considering that all commodities (i.e., social behaviors as grooming, sex, support, as well as resources, such as meat) can be exchanged. This would result in “market” type social interactions in which debts of one commodity can be met by giving the same or other commodities. We investigated whether both in-kind exchanges and trades of commodities occurred. The Taï chimpanzees reciprocated the amount of grooming they received and were more likely to give support in agonistic conflicts to those who also supported them. In addition, they traded support for meat and meat for sex. Both male and female chimpanzees exchanged many different commodities, which seemed to result in long-term balanced relationships. Our results suggest that wild chimpanzees rely on other group members to obtain many of the important commodities they need.     

Impact of peri-urban landscape on the organic and mineral contamination of pond waters and related risk assessment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Ponds are important for their ecological value and for the ecosystem services they provide to human societies, but they are strongly affected by human...     

Assessing sustainability: An assessment framework to evaluate Agenda 21 actions at the local level

In Switzerland, communities are encouraged to define and to report on local Agenda 21. This paper presents an analysis framework to help local communities set sustainable development priorities and to follow through with appropriate actions. Four Swiss communities, from the French-speaking part of Switzerland, actively follow the project: Lausanne (114 304 citizens), Vevey (15 364 citizens), Mannens-Grandsivaz (505 citizens) and Essertines/Yverdon (666 citizens). The analysis framework developed is constituted of four interdependent fields: the societal characteristics, the individual or collective behaviours, the end objectives or sustainability impacts and the inhabitant's perception of these three fields. The link between society and behaviour can be studied through sociological analyses. The link between behaviour and environmental impact can be established thanks to Life Cycle analysis and Input/Output analyses. At each level, sustainable development indicators can be defined. As an application of the framework, the citizen energy consumption has been studied and expressed in energy slaves (= 3150 MJ/Year). A Swiss citizen needs altogether 69 slaves, 20 for his private consumption of goods and services, 19 for housing, 11 for transport, I1 for food and 8 for his consumption of public goods. If one fifth of the inhabitants of Lausanne, wanting to live closer to nature, actually moved out of town, the region would need 10 436 more slaves for 3500 persons happily living in the countryside.