Ecosystem Management on Public Lands: An Application of Optimal Externality to Timber Production

While there are increasing numbers of non-consumptive forest uses on public lands, some silvicultural management systems provide little flexibility for the realization of non-commodity values. Traditional economic decision-making tools, such as net present value, are often applied in a manner which inadequately accounts for the full value of the resource. As a result, sub-optimal management practices are often implemented. By applying a marginal analysis of the optimal externality of different silvicultural systems, it is possible to identify the optimal timber management strategy in terms of the total costs of the timber harvest under alternative uses. Although difficulties arise in valuing non-consumptive uses, contingent valuation with averting costs estimates can establish a lower bound on society's willingness to pay for foregone timber harvesting. Low impact harvest operations and “new forestry” techniques, such as selection harvest cuts, are helpful in reducing the external costs of timber cutting. Therefore, the implementation of such systems may actually increase the socially optimal area of public lands to be harvested under a multiple-use designation.     

Characterization of soil fauna under the influence of mercury atmospheric deposition in Atlantic Forest,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil

The increasing levels of mercury (Hg) found in the atmosphere arising from anthropogenic sources, have been the object of great concern in the past two decades in industrialized countries. Brazil is the seventh country with the highest rate of mercury in the atmosphere. The major input of Hg to ecosystems is through atmospheric deposition (wet and dry), being transported in the atmosphere over large distances. The forest biomes are of strong importance in the atmosphere/soil cycling of elemental Hg through foliar uptake and subsequent transference to the soil through litter, playing an important role as sink of this element. Soil microarthropods are keys to understanding the soil ecosystem, and for such purpose were characterized by the soil fauna of two Units of Forest Conservation of the state of the Rio de Janeiro, inwhich one of the areas suffer quite interference from petrochemicals and industrial anthropogenic activities and other area almost exempts of these perturbations. The results showed that soil and litter of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil tend to stock high mercury concentrations, which could affect the abundance and richness of soil fauna, endangering its biodiversity and thereby the functioning of ecosystems.     

Assessment of nutrient distributions in Lake Champlain using satellite remote sensing

The introduction of nutrients to lakes causing eutrophic conditions is a major problem around the world. Proper monitoring and modeling are important to effectively manage eutrophication in lake waters. The goal is to develop remote sensing models for nutrients, total phosphorus and total nitrogen, in Lake Champlain. The remote sensing models were created using multivariate linear regression with the unique band combinations of Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus （ETM＋） imagery based on the empirical relationship with the field observations. The resulting models successfully showed nutrient distributions in the most eutrophic part of Lake Champlain, Missisquoi Bay, with reasonable adjusted coefficient of determination values （R2 = 0.81 and 0.75 for total phosphorus and total nitrogen, respectively）. The results show the feasibility and the utility of satellite imagery to detect spatial distributions of lake water quality constituents, which can be used to better understand nutrient distributions in Lake Champlain. This approach can be applicable to other lakes experiencing eutrophication assisting decision making when implementing Best Management Practices and other mitigation techniques to lakes.     

Ethical considerations for community-based participatory research with Sami communities in North Finland

This study examines the perspectives of Sami community members and university researchers regarding the ethical considerations for engagement in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) with Sami communities in northern Finland. Key informant interviews were conducted with Sami people from Finland who were exposed to or participated in research in their communities as well as with researchers who have conducted research with the Sami in Finland across diverse topics. Five themes were identified: establishing trust, research preparation, research comprehension, research ethics, and inclusion in research. The differences in participant perspectives were compared based on their community versus researcher roles. Our findings emphasize the need for (1) strategies to develop and maintain trust between Sami communities and researchers; (2) methods to bridge concepts of bias projected onto Sami communities and researchers by the others’ differing world views and beliefs about research; and (3) increased education in community-engaged methods for social and natural scientists working with Sami communities. This study supports the need for the development of formalized ethical protocols for conducting community-based engaged research with and for Sami people in Finland that ensure mutually beneficial research for all involved.     

An update of the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) on systemic insecticides. Part 2: impacts on organisms and ecosystems

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - New information on the lethal and sublethal effects of neonicotinoids and fipronil on organisms is presented in this review, complementing the...     

Predicting Interactions among Fishing,Ocean Warming,and Ocean Acidification in a Marine System with Whole‐Ecosystem Models

An important challenge for conservation is a quantitative understanding of how multiple human stressors will interact to mitigate or exacerbate global environmental change at a community or ecosystem level. We explored the interaction effects of fishing, ocean warming, and ocean acidification over time on 60 functional groups of species in the southeastern Australian marine ecosystem. We tracked changes in relative biomass within a coupled dynamic whole‐ecosystem modeling framework that included the biophysical system, human effects, socioeconomics, and management evaluation. We estimated the individual, additive, and interactive effects on the ecosystem and for five community groups (top predators, fishes, benthic invertebrates, plankton, and primary producers). We calculated the size and direction of interaction effects with an additive null model and interpreted results as synergistic (amplified stress), additive (no additional stress), or antagonistic (reduced stress). Individually, only ocean acidification had a negative effect on total biomass. Fishing and ocean warming and ocean warming with ocean acidification had an additive effect on biomass. Adding fishing to ocean warming and ocean acidification significantly changed the direction and magnitude of the interaction effect to a synergistic response on biomass. The interaction effect depended on the response level examined (ecosystem vs. community). For communities, the size, direction, and type of interaction effect varied depending on the combination of stressors. Top predator and fish biomass had a synergistic response to the interaction of all three stressors, whereas biomass of benthic invertebrates responded antagonistically. With our approach, we were able to identify the regional effects of fishing on the size and direction of the interacting effects of ocean warming and ocean acidification. Predicción de Interacciones entre Pesca, Calentamiento de Océanos y Acidificación de Océanos en un Sistema Marino con Modelos de Ecosistemas Completos     

Enantioselective HPLC analysis and biodegradation of atenolol, metoprolol and fluoxetine

The accurate quantification of enantiomers is crucial for assessing the biodegradation of chiral pharmaceuticals in the environment. Methods to quantify enantiomers in environmental matrices are scarce. Here, we used an enantioselective method, high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FD), to analyze two beta-blockers, metoprolol and atenolol, and the antidepressant fluoxetine in an activated sludge consortium from a wastewater treatment plant. The vancomycin-based chiral stationary phase was used under polar ionic mode to achieve the enantioseparation of target chiral pharmaceuticals in a single chromatographic run. The method was successfully validated over a concentration range of 20–800 ng/mL for each enantiomer of both beta-blockers and of 50–800 ng/mL for fluoxetine enantiomers. The limits of detection were between 5 and 20 ng/mL and the limits of quantification were between 20 and 50 ng/mL, for all enantiomers. The intra- and inter-batch precision was lower than 5.66 and 8.37 %, respectively. Accuracy values were between 103.03 and 117.92 %, and recovery rates were in the range of 88.48–116.62 %. Furthermore, the enantioselective biodegradation of atenolol, metoprolol and fluoxetine was followed during 15 days. The (S)-enantiomeric form of metoprolol was degraded at higher extents, whereas the degradation of atenolol and fluoxetine did not show enantioselectivity under the applied conditions.