Wildlife collection for scientific purposes

Illegal transfer of wildlife has 2 main purposes: trade and scientific research. Trade is the most common, whereas scientific research is much less common and unprofitable, yet still important. Biopiracy in science is often neglected despite that many researchers encounter it during their careers. The use of illegally acquired specimens is detected in different research fields, from scientists bioprospecting for new pharmacological substances, to taxonomists working on natural history collections, to researchers working in zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens. The practice can be due to a lack of knowledge about the permit requirements in different countries or, probably most often, to the generally high level of bureaucracy associated with rule compliance. Significant regulatory filters to avoid biopiracy can be provided by different stakeholders. Natural history collection hosts should adopt strict codes of conduct; editors of scientific publications should require authors to declare that all studied specimens were acquired legally and to cite museum catalog numbers as guarantee of best practices. Scientific societies should actively encourage publication in peer-reviewed journals of work in which specimens collected from the wild were used. The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature could require newly designated types based on recently collected specimens to be accompanied by statements of deposition in recognized scientific or educational institutions. We also propose the creation of an online platform that gathers information about environmental regulations and permits required for scientific activities in different countries and respective responsible governmental agencies and the simplification of the bureaucracy related to regulating scientific activities. This would make regulations more agile and easier to comply with. The global biodiversity crisis means data need to be collected ever faster, but biopiracy is not the answer and undermines the credibility of science and researchers. It is critical to find a modus vivendi that promotes compliance with regulations and scientific progress.     

The effect of solvent concentration on the use of palladized-iron for the step-wise dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls in soil extracts

This report describes the application of palladized iron (Pd/Fe) to the dechlorination of polychlorinted biphenyls (PCBs) at ambient temperature. Experiments supported by congener-specific analyses demonstrated that dechlorination occurs in a step-wise fashion with the meta-chlorines being more reactive than ortho-chlorines. Over the course of the laboratory experiments, complete conversion to biphenyl was observed. The process was also tested with PCBs dissolved in high (40-60%) concentrations of ethanol and isopropanol as a means of simulating solutions generated by commercial soil and solid waste extraction processes. The reaction rate was sensitive to the percentage of solvent but complete dechlorination was still indicated. Tests with soil extracts from a contaminated site demonstrated that there were no apparent interferences from asphalt and other miscellaneous debris. Short-duration tests with highly contaminated PCB solutions from a hazardous waste site demonstrated efficient dechlorination although there was a reduction in reaction rate with time.     

USING UNCENSORED TRACE-LEVEL MEASUREMENTS TO DETECT TRENDS IN GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION1

ABSTRACT: Environmental decision making involving trace-levels of contaminants can be complicated by censoring, the practice of reporting concentrations either as less than the limit of detection (LOD) or as not detected (ND) when a test result is less than the LOD. Censoring can result in data series that are difficult to meaningfully summarize, graph, and analyze through traditional statistical methods. In spite of the relatively large measurement errors associated with test results below the LOD, simple and meaningful analyses can be carried out that provide valuable information not available if data are censored. For example, an indication of increasing levels of contamination at the fringe of a plume can act as an early warning signal to trigger further study, an increased sampling frequency, or a higher level of remediation at the source. This paper involves the application of nonparametric trend analyses to uncensored trace-level groundwater monitoring data collected between March 1991 and August 1994 on dissolved arsenic and chromium for seven wells at an industrial site in New York.     

Topographic heterogeneity influences fish use of an experimentally restored tidal marsh.

Ecological theory predicts that incorporating habitat heterogeneity into restoration sites should enhance diversity and key functions, yet research is limited on how topographic heterogeneity affects higher trophic levels. Our large (8-ha) southern California restoration experiment tested effects of tidal creek networks and pools on trophic structure of salt marsh habitat and high-tide use by two regionally dominant fish species, California killifish (Fundulus parvipinnis) and longjaw mudsucker (Gillichthys mirabilis). We expected tidal creeks to function as "conduits" that would enhance connectivity between subtidal and intertidal habitat and pools to serve as microhabitat "oases" for fishes. Pools did provide abundant invertebrate prey and were a preferred microhabitat for F. parvipinnis, even when the entire marsh was inundated (catch rates were 61% higher in pools). However, G. mirabilis showed no preference for pools. At a larger scale, effects of tidal creek networks were also mixed. Areas containing creeks had 12% higher catch rates of G. mirabilis, but lower catch rates and feeding rates of F. parvipinnis. Collectively, the results indicate that restoring multiple forms of heterogeneity is required to provide opportunities for multiple target consumers.     

Retrospective assessment of dryland soil stability in relation to grazing and climate change

Accelerated soil erosion is an aspect of dryland degradation that is affected by repeated intense drought events and land management activities such as commercial livestock grazing. A soil stability index (SSI) that detects the erosion status and susceptibility of a landscape at the pixel level, i.e., stable, erosional, or depositional pixels, was derived from the spectral properties of an archived time series (from 1972 to 1997) of Landsat satellite data of a commercial ranch in northeastern Utah. The SSI was retrospectively validated with contemporary field measures of soil organic matter and erosion status that was surveyed by US federal land management agencies. Catastrophe theory provided the conceptual framework for retrospective assessment of the impact of commercial grazing and soil water availability on the SSI. The overall SSI trend was from an eroding landscape in the early drier 1970s towards stable conditions in the wetter mid-1980s and late 1990s. The landscape catastrophically shifted towards an extreme eroding state that was coincident with the “The Great North American Drought of 1988”. Periods of landscape stability and trajectories toward stability were coincident with extremely wet El Niño events. Commercial grazing had less correlation with soil stability than drought conditions. However, the landscape became more susceptible to erosion events under multiple droughts and grazing. Land managers now have nearly a year warning of El Niño and La Niña events and can adjust their management decisions according to predicted landscape erosion conditions.     

Estimating the value of foresight: aggregate analysis of natural hazard mitigation benefits and costs

Hazard mitigation planners claim that foresighted present actions and investments produce significant future benefits. However, they have difficulty in supporting their claims, since previously their evidence typically was derived from individual case studies. Constituents and decision makers are often sceptical, believing that individual cases are either inapplicable to their situation or non-randomly selected to support a particular view. Planners need objective evidence based on a large body of experience to support the case for mitigation. Such is the unique contribution of a recent U.S. study that found that each dollar spent in three federal natural hazard mitigation grant programs (the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Project Impact, and the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program) saves society an average of $4 in future avoided losses. Complementing the aggregate benefit-cost analysis with community-based evaluations, the study yielded insights on how planners can improve long-term community resilience in the face of extreme events. Valuable lessons for mitigation planners and policy makers emerged: the need to consider a wide variety of losses, the importance of mixing qualitative with quantitative analysis, the value of averaging results over a large number of projects, and the need to more explicitly address social issues and data collection in order to reduce vulnerability and enhance resilience to cope with twenty-first century hazards.