Municipal solid waste disposal in Portugal

In recent years municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal has been one of the most important environmental problems for all of the Portuguese regions. The basic principles of MSW management in Portugal are: (1) prevention or reduction, (2) reuse, (3) recovery (e.g., recycling, incineration with heat recovery), and (4) polluter-pay principle. A brief history of legislative trends in waste management is provided herein as background for current waste management and recycling activities. The paper also presents and discusses the municipal solid waste management in Portugal and is based primarily on a national inquiry carried out in 2003 and directed to the MSW management entities. Additionally, the MSW responsibility and management structure in Portugal is presented, together with the present situation of production, collection, recycling, treatment and elimination of MSW. Results showed that 96% of MSW was collected mixed (4% was separately collected) and that 68% was disposed of in landfill, 21% was incinerated at waste-to-energy plants, 8% was treated at organic waste recovery plants and 3% was delivered to sorting. The average generation rate of MSW was 1.32 kg/capita/day.     

Mercury human exposure through fish consumption in a reservoir contaminated by a chlor-alkali plant: Babeni reservoir (Romania)

Purpose  

Chlor-alkali plants are one of the most important point sources of mercury to aquatic environment. The problem of Hg contamination has been studied in a region, Rm Valcea (Romania), impacted by the wastewater discharge of a chlor-alkali plant. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the current status of mercury pollution in the Babeni reservoir (Olt River) and the exposure of local population via fish consumption to mercury originating from the chlor-alkali plant.     

Irradiation of sorbents by ions of polymorphic metals for modeling <Superscript>90</Superscript>strontium sedimentation

Background, Aims and Scope Advances in radioecology can support improvements in environmental remediation technologies, especially by illuminating interaction processes between polymorphic metal radionuclides and various materials and their ions in aqueous solutions. This study modeled interaction processes of ⁹⁰Sr with transitive metals to delineate the behavior of polymorphic metal radionuclides. Experimental and modeling results confirmed Sr sedimentation was sensitive to the physical impact of radionuclides on various sorbents and possible chemical reactions occurring between the radionuclides and sorbents. Methods Models were developed to simulate ⁹⁰Sr sedimentation process, and the potential physical and chemical reactions accompanying the process. Models were verified, inorganic salts were used as sorbents to absorb metal cations, activity levels were recorded before and after mixing the inorganic salts while the efficiency of sedimentation using the heavy metals composites was quantified. Results and Discussion This research demonstrates that the process of the sedimentation is complex and occurs in several stages. Micro-structural analysis shows that zones of interaction between the sorbent and source metal are formed during the irradiation of the target’s metal surface. Electrical-microscopic analysis indicates that the composition of the formed zones of interaction of Ti (Sr) with target metals has various structures. Roentgenophase analysis indicates that the interaction of the ions of a precipitable source and a target occurs according to constitution diagrams of equilibrium systems. The results indicate that application of inorganic salts composites based on modeling increases the efficiency of the deactivation of aqueous solutions when compared to standard aluminum sulfate composite. Conclusions Experimental and modeling results confirm ⁹⁰Sr sedimentation is sensitive to the physical impact of radionuclides on various sorbents and possible chemical reactions occurring between the radionuclides and sorbents. The models support estimation of the physical impact of polymorphic metal radionuclides on various components of sorbents and possible chemical reactions occurring between the radionuclides and sorbents during the interaction. Inorganic salt composites deactivate and clear ⁹⁰Sr and Sr⁺² from water. This paper is openly accessible!     

Slope and pig slurry rate may increase the transfer of chemical elements by surface water runoff

There is a need to evaluate the interference of pig slurry rate and the terrain slope in the chemical elements losses from the soil. This work aimed to quantify water and chemical element losses by surface runoff due to terrain slope and pig slurry rate (PS) in two soils with contrasting textures. Two trials were evaluated in 2018 and 2019 in Cambisol and Nitisol. Rates of 0, 22.5, 45, and 90 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ of PS were applied superficially in sites with slopes ranging from 10% to 35%. Perennial forage grass Tifton 85 (Cynodon dactylon) was grown as summer crop and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) was sown in the cold seasons in a field environment. Were determined the runoff, the volume of water, and chemical elements (Al, Ca, P, Mg, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Fe, Pb, and Zn) lost by the surface runoff after natural rainfall. Increasing land slope elevated water losses substantially, on average 23.4 times in Cambisol and 10.8 times in Nitisol. This increase resulted in average increases of 27.6 and 12.4 times in the losses of the chemical elements analyzed for Cambisol and Nitisol, respectively. There was a reduction in water losses by surface runoff due to increased PS rates applied in both sites. The increased PS rate affected the losses of Cr and Cu in Cambisol and P, Mg, Cd, and Cu in Nitisol. The clayey soil potentiated the water and chemical elements losses by surface runoff in relation to the soil with lower clay content. Regardless of the soil, water and chemical element losses are maximized at higher slopes.     

Indigenous and local communities can boost seed supply in the UN decade on ecosystem restoration

The UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration is poised to trigger the recovery of ecosystem services and transform structural injustices across the world in a way unparalleled in human history. The inclusion of diverse Indigenous and local communities to co-create robust native seed supply systems is the backbone to achieve the goals for the Decade. Here we show how community-based organizations have co-developed native seed supply strategies for landscape restoration from the bottom-up. We draw on the interconnections over two decades of seed networks in Brazil and the emerging Indigenous participation in native seed production in Australia. From an environmental justice perspective, we provide a participatory seed supply approach for local engagement, noting local geographical, social and cultural contexts. Meeting large-scale restoration goals requires the connection between local seed production and collaborative platforms to negotiate roles, rights and responsibilities between stakeholders. An enduring native seed supply must include a diversity of voices and autonomy of community groups that builds equitable participation in social, economic, and environmental benefits.     

Parental diets determine the embryonic fatty acid profile of the tropical nudibranch Aeolidiella stephanieae: the effect of eating bleached anemones

Aeolidiella stephanieae is a stenophagous tropical nudibranch that feeds exclusively on glass anemones of the genus Aiptasia. These sea anemones usually harbour endosymbiotic photosynthetic dinoflagellates that contribute to the nutrition of their host by providing photosynthetates, such as fatty acids (FA). The present work determined the effect of parental diets on the FA profile of A. stephanieae embryos by feeding breeding pairs of this nudibranch with either symbiotic or aposymbiotic A. pallida. Contrasting FA profiles, namely in the levels of palmitic acid (16:0) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), were recorded for both parental diets and egg masses produced by nudibranchs eating either symbiotic or aposymbiotic A. pallida. Noteworthy effects of parental dietary FAs on egg masses were also observed, particularly for DHA, which is mainly synthetized by the endosymbionts of A. pallida. Additionally, the present study also highlights how bleaching events may promote cascading effects on the nutrition of marine species with a stenophagous diet, such as A. stephanieae.     

Associations of Forest Cover,Fragment Area,and Connectivity with Neotropical Understory Bird Species Richness and Abundance

Theoretical and empirical studies demonstrate that the total amount of forest and the size and connectivity of fragments have nonlinear effects on species survival. We tested how habitat amount and configuration affect understory bird species richness and abundance. We used mist nets (almost 34,000 net hours) to sample birds in 53 Atlantic Forest fragments in southeastern Brazil. Fragments were distributed among 3 10,800‐ha landscapes. The remaining forest in these landscapes was below (10% forest cover), similar to (30%), and above (50%) the theoretical fragmentation threshold (approximately 30%) below which the effects of fragmentation should be intensified. Species‐richness estimates were significantly higher (F= 3715, p = 0.00) where 50% of the forest remained, which suggests a species occurrence threshold of 30–50% forest, which is higher than usually occurs (<30%). Relations between forest cover and species richness differed depending on species sensitivity to forest conversion and fragmentation. For less sensitive species, species richness decreased as forest cover increased, whereas for highly sensitive species the opposite occurred. For sensitive species, species richness and the amount of forest cover were positively related, particularly when forest cover was 30–50%. Fragment size and connectivity were related to species richness and abundance in all landscapes, not just below the 30% threshold. Where 10% of the forest remained, fragment size was more related to species richness and abundance than connectivity. However, the relation between connectivity and species richness and abundance was stronger where 30% of the landscape was forested. Where 50% of the landscape was forested, fragment size and connectivity were both related to species richness and abundance. Our results demonstrated a rapid loss of species at relatively high levels of forest cover (30–50%). Highly sensitive species were 3‐4 times more common above the 30–50% threshold than below it; however, our results do not support a unique fragmentation threshold. Asociaciones de la Cobertura Forestal, Superficie del Fragmento y Conectividad con la Riqueza y Abundancia de Aves Neotropicales de Sotobosque     

Indigenous people and sustainable development in Amazonas

Indigenous populations have lived for many generations in a sustainable fashion, developing knowledge about how to live in harmony with the environment. However, the sustainability of their life styles, their quality of life and the maintenance of intact ecosystems are threatened by a series of changes, including incorporation into the general fabric of society, conflict with non-indigenous migrants, expansion of indigenous populations and the globalization of national economies. This paper looks at the potential for policy to deal with these issues. In particular, it is shown that the ‘polluter pays principle’ is not appropriate for indigenous societies. The paper recommends a set of policies and shows how international cooperation in the areas of monitoring and enforcement, augmentation of demand for rain forest products and eco-certification can help indigenous groups improve their quality of life and maintain ecosystems in their current undisturbed state.     

Deviations from predictions of the metabolic theory of ecology can be explained by violations of assumptions

The metabolic theory of ecology (MTE) is based on models derived from the first principles of thermodynamics and biochemical kinetics. The MTE predicts that the relationship between temperature and species richness of ectotherms should show a specific slope. Testing the validity of this model, however, depends on whether empirical data do not violate assumptions and are obtained within contour conditions. When dealing with richness gradients, the MTE must be empirically tested only for ectothermic organisms at high organization levels and when their body size as well as abundance does not vary with temperature gradients. Here we evaluate whether the magnitude of the deviations in slope expected from the MTE to empirical data for New World amphibians is due to the violations of model assumptions and to lack of generality due to restricting contour conditions. We found that the MTE correctly predicted biodiversity patterns only at higher levels of organization and when assumptions of the basic model were not violated. Approximately 60% of the deviations from the MTE-predicted slope across amphibian families were due to violations of the model assumptions. The hypothesis that richness patterns are a function of environmental temperature is too restrictive and does not take complex environmental and ecological processes into account. However, our results suggest that it may be possible to obtain multiple derivations of the MTE equation if idiosyncrasies in spatial and biological/ecological issues that are essential to understanding biodiversity patterns are considered.