Designing and managing successful endangered species recovery programs

Endangered species recovery is characterized by complexity and uncertainty in both its biological and organizational aspects. To improve performance in the organizational dimension, some models of organizations are briefly introduced with an emphasis on the organization as a system for processing information, i.e., for successfully dealing with the high uncertainty in the task environment. A strong task orientation,which rewards achievement of the primary goal, is suggested as ideal for this task, as is generative rationality, which encourages workers to observe, critique, and generate new ideas. The parallel organization—a flexible, participatory, problem-solving structure set up alongside traditional bureaucracies—is offered as a useful structure for meeting the demands of uncertainties encountered during recovery. Task forces and projects teams can be set up as parallel organizations. Improved managerial functions include coordinating roles to facilitate the flow and use of information; decision making to avoid groupthink—the defects, symptoms, and countermeasures are described; and productive, active management of the inevitable conflict. The inability of organizations to solve dilemmas, to examine their own structures and management, and to change themselves for more effective, efficient, and equitable performance is seen as the major obstacle to improved recovery programs. Some recommendations for effecting change in bureaucracies are made along with a call for case studies detailing the organizational dimensions of endangered species recovery programs.     

Disadvantaged consumers — can planning respond?

The development of new forms of retailing has brought material advantage to a majority of the population, in terms of greater choice, comfort and cheapness in shopping. These benefits are greatest in supermarkets and hypermarkets. However, these outlets are not evenly distributed over the urban area when compared to smaller, traditional stores. As a result the population has varying degrees of access to them. As strong disparities in levels of income, and mobility already exist, concern has been expressed over the growing inequalities between the poorer, minority sections of the population, and the rest. This paper identifies groups of consumers who can be described as ‘disadvantaged’ in terms of shopping and looks at the spatial implications of consumer deprivation and examines possible solutions to these problems.     

Practicing natural resource management with a policy orientation

All natural resource managers want to contribute to successful conservation programs. Having and applying an explicit policy orientation is indispensable. The policy sciences are described and a case is made that, if natural resource managers utilize this set of conceptual and applied tools in their natural resource work, their effectiveness could be enhanced. The policy sciences offer a contextual, problem-oriented, and multimethod approach to meeting complex problems. Two kinds of knowledge are needed to solve problems—substantive knowledge about the resource and process knowledge about the decision and policy processes used to derive courses of management action. The interplay of science, analysis, and politics are examined. The wildlife management community is used to illustrate many points, including the important role implementation plays in the overall policy process.     

IDENTIFICATION OF CRITICAL NONPOINT POLLUTION SOURCE AREAS USING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND WATER QUALITY MODELING1

n integrated approach coupling water quality computer simulation modeling with a geographic information system (GIS) was used to delineate critical areas of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution at the watershed level. Two simplified pollutant export models were integrated with the Virginia Geographic Information System (VirGIS) to estimate soil erosion, sediment yield, and phosphorus (P) loading from the Nomini Creek watershed located in Westmoreland County, Virginia. On the basis of selected criteria for soil erosion rate, sediment yield, and P loading, model outputs were used to identily watershed areas which exhibit three categories (low, medium, high) of non-point source pollution potentials. The percentage of the watershed area in each category, and the land area with critical pollution problems were also identified. For the 1505-ha Nomini Creek watershed, about 15, 16, and 21 percent of the watershed area were delineated as sources of critical soil erosion, sediment, and phosphorus pollution problems, respectively. In general, the study demonstrated the usefulness of integrating GIS with simulation modeling for nonpoint source pollution control and planning. Such techniques can facilitate making priorities and targeting nonpoint source pollution control programs.     

Formation and biodegradation of toluene in the anaerobic sludge digestion process.

The formation of toluene in municipal anaerobic primary and secondary sludge digestion processes was investigated. Experiments were carried out in a large laboratory-scale reactor using sludge from a primary settling tank of a municipal treatment plant. It was found that toluene was produced in the supernatant in relatively large concentrations for almost all cases tested. The concentration of toluene varied and was found to depend on the stage of the anaerobic process. During the acidity phase, which is the first stage of anaerobic digestion, an increase of toluene concentration was observed, while in the transition period, from the acidity phase to methanogenesis, the toluene concentration decreased. It was concluded that biosynthesis of toluene occurs in the acidogenic phase, while biodegradation was prevalent in the methanogenic stage. Depending on the type of experiments, an increase of toluene from a base value of approximately 200 microg/L up to 20,000 and 42,000 microg/L was measured in the first stage of anaerobic digestion. In the subsequent methane-production stage of digestion, the estimated rate of toluene decrease (biodegradation) varied from 400 to 900 microg/L-d.     

Testing hotspot models of lek evolution: data from three species of ungulates

Summary Hotspot models propose that leks have evolved because certain sites are associated with extremely high female encounter rates. In this paper we test five predictions of hotspot models, using data from studies of three species of lekking ungulates. As predicted, we found that lekking species generally had large female home ranges. However, in contrast to other predictions of hotspot models, ungulate leks did not occur at sites of maximum adult female density, lekking was not associated with low overall female density, and the adult sex ratio and the proportion of females that were in oestrus both differed substantially between leks and off-lek areas. Our empirical results therefore confirm recent theoretical assessments of the hotspot process, suggesting that while hotspots may help explain broad patterns of male dispersion, further mechanisms are needed to generate the extent of territory clustering seen at leks. Correspondence to: A. Balmford     

Assessing sorbents for mercury control in coal-combustion flue gas

Sorbent injection for Hg control is one of the most promising technologies for reducing Hg emissions from power-generation facilities, particularly units that do not require wet scrubbers for SO2 control. Since 1992, EPRI has been assessing the performance of Hg sorbents in pilot-scale systems installed at full-scale facilities. The initial tests were conducted on a 5,000-acfm (142-m3/min) pilot baghouse. Screening potential sorbents at this scale required substantial resources for installation and operation and did not provide an opportunity to characterize sorbents over a wide temperature range. Data collected in the laboratory and in field tests indicate that sorbents are affected by flue gas composition and temperature. Tests carried out in actual flue gas at a number of power plants also have shown that sorbent performance can be site-specific. In addition, data collected at a field site often are different from data collected     

Lessons learned from applying adaptation pathways in flood risk management and challenges for the further development of this approach

Worldwide, an increase in flood damage is observed. Governments are looking for effective ways to protect lives, buildings, and infrastructure. At the same time, a large investment gap seems to exist—a big difference between what should necessarily be done to curb the increase in damage and what is actually being done. Decision-makers involved in climate adaptation are facing fundamental (so-called deep) uncertainties. In the course of time, the scientific community has developed a wide range of different approaches for dealing with these uncertainties. One of these approaches, adaptation pathways, is gaining traction as a way of framing and informing climate adaptation. But research shows that “very little work has been done to evaluate the current use of adaptation pathways and its utility to practitioners and decision makers” (Lin et al. 2017, p. 387). With this paper, the authors, as action researchers and practitioners involved in two of the world’s largest real-life applications of this approach in flood risk management, aim to contribute to filling in that gap. Analysis of the experience in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in long-term planning in flood risk management shows that the adaptation pathways approach is effective in keeping decision processes going forward, to the final approval of a long-term plan, and helps increase awareness about uncertainties. It contributes to political support for keeping long-term options open and motivates decision-makers to modify their plans to better accommodate future conditions. When it comes to implementing the plans, there are still some major challenges, yet to be addressed, amongst others: the timely detection of tipping points in situations with large natural variability, the inclusion of measures that prepare for a switch to transformational strategies, and the retention of commitment of regional and local authorities, non government organizations, and the private sector, to climate adaptation as national policies move from blueprint planning to adaptive plans. In delivering this feedback, the authors hope to motivate the scientific community to take on these challenges.     

IMPACTS OF AGRICULTURAL DRAINAGE WELL CLOSURE ON CROP PRODUCTION: A WATERSHED CASE STUDY1

ABSTRACT: Much of north-central Iowa is characterized by flat topography, shallow depressions, and poor natural surface drainage. Land drainage systems comprising of tile drains and agricultural drainage wells (ADWs) are used as outlets for subsurface drainage of cropland under corn and soybean production. Studies have shown that these drainage systems, mainly the ADWs, are potential routes for agricultural chemicals to underground aquifers. To protect the region's vital groundwater resource, researchers are evaluating alternative outlets ranging from complete closure of existing ADWs (and creation of wetlands) to continued use of ADWs and chemical management in a comprehensive policy framework. This paper presents the results of a study designed to provide government jurisdictions, farmers, and land managers information for assessing the impact of closing ADWs on crop production. The study couples a geographic information systems database for a 471-hectare watershed in Humboldt County, Iowa, with a groundwater flow model (MODFLOW) and an empirical crop yield loss model to predict long-term effects of complete closure of ADWs on crop production. The cropland areas inundated and the relative crop yield loss due to ADW closure are determined as a function of long-term climatic data. The results indicate that elimination of drainage outlets in the watershed could result in ponding of low-lying areas and poorly drained soils, making them unsuitable for crop production. Such wetness also decreases the efficiency of production in the no-ponding areas by isolating fields, and the crop yield loss can be reduced by an annual average of about 18 percent.