Mechanisms and impacts of an incentive-based conservation program with evidence from a randomized control trial

Conservation science needs more high-quality impact evaluations, especially ones that explore mechanisms of success or failure. Randomized control trials (RCTs) provide particularly robust evidence of the effectiveness of interventions (although they have been criticized as reductionist and unable to provide insights into mechanisms), but there have been few such experiments investigating conservation at the landscape scale. We explored the impact of Watershared, an incentive-based conservation program in the Bolivian Andes, with one of the few RCTs of landscape-scale conservation in existence. There is strong interest in such incentive-based conservation approaches as some argue they can avoid negative social impacts sometimes associated with protected areas. We focused on social and environmental outcomes based on responses from a household survey in 129 communities randomly allocated to control or treatment (conducted both at the baseline in 2010 and repeated in 2015–2016). We controlled for incomplete program uptake by combining standard RCT analysis with matching methods and investigated mechanisms by exploring intermediate and ultimate outcomes according to the underlying theory of change. Previous analyses, focused on single biophysical outcomes, showed that over its first 5 years Watershared did not slow deforestation or improve water quality at the landscape scale. We found that Watershared influenced some outcomes measured using the survey, but the effects were complex, and some were unexpected. We thus demonstrated how RCTs can provide insights into the pathways of impact, as well as whether an intervention has impact. This paper, one of the first registered reports in conservation science, demonstrates how preregistration can help make complex research designs more transparent, avoid cherry picking, and reduce publication bias.     

An empirical perspective for understanding climate change impacts in Switzerland

Regional Environmental Change - Planning for the future requires a detailed understanding of how climate change affects a wide range of systems at spatial scales that are relevant to humans....     

Being Skeptical? Exploring Far-Right Climate-Change Communication in Germany

This article explores climate-change communication by the German far right – spanning a continuum which ranges from anti-liberal democracy radical-right populists, to the extreme right and to anti-democratic neo-Nazis – and asks: how do these actors articulate the phenomenon of climate change? In responding to this question, we conduct a discourse network analysis which identifies relations between actors, objects, phenomena, and processes, and points out differences/similarities across a continuum of exemplary far-right sources. The investigated actors put forward a rather skeptical climate change narrative, even though differences exist as the significance attached to the Volk and its sovereignty, rooted in far-right ideology, sometimes overrides, and sometimes is in harmony with, their ideological-driven affinity with nature protection. We thus contribute to the growing body of knowledge on climate-change communication and, more specifically, on the link between ideology and climate-change skepticism.     

Conservation perspectives of small-scale private forest owners in Europe: A systematic review

Private forest owners are the main forest ownership group within Europe, and important conservation values have been found on their land. Yet, small plot sizes, societal heterogeneity, and structural changes impede developing and implementing effective conservation programs in private forests. We present a systematic literature review focusing on small-scale private forest owners and their perspectives on nature conservation by synthesizing research approaches, social-ecological drivers, and policy recommendations. Conservation perspectives were positively related to female gender, higher levels of education, formalized forest management, an active relation to the forest, and ecological values of the property. In contrast, high age, rural orientation, economic forest management factors, large parcel size, and economic and sentimental property values negatively influenced conservation perspectives. Applying a natural resource conflict management framework, we synthesized recommendations covering three dimensions: substance, procedure, relationship. Considering perspectives of small-scale private forest owners in current forestry decision-making has great potential to strengthen sustainable forest management that integrates nature conservation and resource use.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01615-w.     

Natural climate variability and climate change in the North-Atlantic European region; chance for surprise?

Long-term variability in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Atlantic thermohaline ocean circulation (THC) are both shaping the European climate on time scales of decades and longer. Possible linear and non-linear changes in the characteristics of these natural climate modes due to global warming are an important source of uncertainty in long-term regional projections of future climate changes. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Carbon monoxide concentrations in outdoor wood-fired kitchens in Ouagadougou,Burkina Faso—implications for women’s and children’s health

A majority of households in developing countries rely on biomass fuel for cooking, typically burned in open fires or simple stoves. The incomplete combustion of these fuels causes adverse health effects such as respiratory diseases, especially among women and children. However, quantitative data on pollution levels and on associated diseases are limited. We examined cooking habits and self-reported health in 31 households with outdoor open wood fires in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, using structured interviews. In eight households, carbon monoxide (CO) was measured using passive sampling. In addition, meteorology and ambient CO concentrations were assessed. The average CO concentration during cooking was 4.3 ppm, with a maximum of 65.3 ppm and minimum of 0.3 ppm (1-min values). A clear daily pattern was observed, with relatively low concentrations during the day and high during the evening, occasionally exceeding the World Health Organization 1- and 8-h guidelines when the air stabilised. On average, CO concentrations were 43 % higher in kitchens located in closed yards than in those located in open yards, showing that fireplace location affected the levels. Eye irritation and coughing among women and children were reported by 30 % of the households. Based on previously reported relations between CO concentrations and fine particles (<2.5 μm), the exposure to biomass smoke appears to be high enough to pose a considerable health risk among women and children in households with outdoor open wood fires. The results suggest that burning should be limited between sunset and dawn and in areas with limited ventilation to reduce pollutions levels.     

Clonal architecture in an intertidal bed of the dwarf eelgrass <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zostera noltii</Emphasis> in the Northern Wadden Sea: persistence through extreme physical perturbation and the importance of a seed bank

Genotypic structure and temporal dynamics of the dwarf seagrass, Zostera noltii, were studied in an intertidal meadow that has persisted since prior to 1936 near the Wadden Sea island of Sylt. Samples were collected from two 10 × 10 m plots separated by 250 m from May 2002 to June 2005 and from four 1 × 1 m plots from June 2003 to September 2004. All the samples were genotyped with nine microsatellite loci. No genotypes were shared between the plots separated by 250 m. Genetic diversity was higher in the Wadden Sea than in the other regions of its geographic range. The average clone size (genets) (SD) in the two plots was 1.38 (0.26) and 1.46 (0.4) m2, respectively, with a range up to 9 m2 and <20% persisted for >4 years. A high genetic and genotypic diversity was maintained by annual recruitment of seedlings despite a dramatic decrease in ramet density that coincided with the severe heat stress event of 2003. Fine-scale (1 m2) analysis suggested that extensive loss of seagrass cover precluded space competition among the genets, while a persistent seed bank prevented local extinction. Long-term persistence of Z. noltii meadows in the intertidal Wadden Sea was achieved by high genet turnover and frequent seedling recruitment from a seed bank, in contrast to the low diversity observed in large and long-living clones of Z. noltii and other seagrasses in subtidal habitats.     

Batterienrecycling: Möglichkeiten zur Erhöhung der Rücklaufquote

Separate collection and exploitation of used batteries facilates the recycling and eventual waste management of such heavy metals as mercury and cadmium. It is thereby possible to regain raw materials like zinc, manganese and iron for the raw material cycle. Although the collection and recycling of used batteries in Switzerland is financed by a prepaid disposal fee, their returning rate of almost 60% is too low for several reasons. A questionnaire survey carried out on 2000 households revealed the following frequenthy: People collecting paper, glass, aluminium, compost and tinplate, are more separate used batteries from ordinary garbage. The number of collecting points is supposed to be sufficient, but not all of them are sufficiently marked. The prepaid disposal fee (VEG) should become obligatory so that it would be possible to compensate the collecting points. It is not obvious from the results of the survey if the introduction of a deposit of batteries would raise the retourning rate. As far as advertising is concerned, only the “battery bag” sent to every household by the BESO seemed to influence the collecting behaviour in a positive way, poster advertising had only little effect. Appeals in newspapers, radio and television did not show any changement of the collecting behaviour. However, information and knowledge about batteries and their recycling do have a positive influence in the collecting behaviour of the consumers in this specific case.     

Evaluation of exposure reduction to indoor air pollution in stove intervention projects in Peru by urinary biomonitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites

Burning biomass fuels such as wood on indoor open-pit stoves is common in developing regions. In such settings, exposure to harmful combustion products such as fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)), carbon monoxide (CO) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is of concern. We aimed to investigate if the replacement of open pit stoves by improved stoves equipped with a chimney would significantly reduce exposure to PAHs, PM(2.5) and CO. Two stove projects were evaluated in Peru. Program A was part of the Juntos National Program in which households built their own stoves using materials provided. In Program B, Barrick Gold Corporation hired a company to produce and install the stoves locally. A total of 30 and 27 homes participated in Program A and B, respectively. We collected personal and kitchen air samples, as well as morning urine samples from women tasked with cooking in the households before and after the installation of the improved stoves. Median levels of PM(2.5) and CO were significantly reduced in kitchen and personal air samples by 47-74% after the installation of the new stoves, while the median reduction of 10 urinary hydroxylate PAH metabolites (OH-PAHs) was 19%-52%. The observed OH-PAH concentration in this study was comparable or higher than the 95th percentile of the general U.S. population, even after the stove intervention, indicating a high overall exposure in this population.     

Effects of various fatty acid amendments on a microbial digester community in batch culture

Since biogas production is becoming increasingly important the understanding of anaerobic digestion processes is fundamental. However, large-scale digesters often lack online sensor equipment to monitor key parameters. Furthermore the possibility to selectively change fermenting parameter settings in order to investigate methane output or microbial changes is limited. In the present study we examined the possibility to investigate the microbial community of a large scale (750,000 L) digester within a laboratory small-scale approach. We studied the short-term response of the downscaled communities on various fatty acids and its effects on gas production and compared it with data from the original digester sludge. Even high loads of formic acid led to distinct methane formation, whereas high concentrations of other acids (acetic, butyric, propionic acid) caused a marked inhibition of methanogenesis coupled with an increase in hydrogen concentration. Molecular microbial techniques (DGGE/quantitative real-time-PCR) were used to monitor the microbial community changes which were related to data from GC and HPLC analysis. DGGE band patterns showed that the same microorganisms which were already dominant in the original digester re-established again in the lab-scale experiment. Very few microorganisms dominated the whole fermenting process and species diversity was not easily influenced by moderate varying fatty acid amendments - Methanoculleus thermophilus being the most abundant species throughout the variants. MCR-copy number determined via quantitative real-time-PCR - turned out to be a reliable parameter for quantification of methanogens, even in a very complex matrix like fermenter sludge. Generally the downscaled batch approach was shown to be appropriate to investigate microbial communities from large-scale digesters.