Tourism Partnerships in Protected Areas: Exploring Contributions to Sustainability

Partnerships between natural-area managers and the tourism industry have been suggested to contribute to sustainability in protected areas. This article explores how important sustainability outcomes of partnerships are to their members, how well they are realised and the features of partnerships leading to their achievement. In 21 case studies in Australia, interviews (n = 97) and surveys (n = 100) showed that of 14 sustainability outcomes, improved understanding of protected areas values and improved biodiversity conservation were the most important. Other highly ranked outcomes were greater respect for culture, heritage, and/or traditions; improved quality of environmental conditions; social benefits to local communities; and improved economic viability of the protected area. Scores for satisfaction with outcomes were, like those for importance, all high but were less than those for importance for the majority, with improvement in quality of environmental conditions showing the largest gap. The satisfaction score exceeded that for importance only for increased competitiveness of the protected area as a tourist destination. “Brown” aspects of sustainability, i.e., decreased waste or energy use, were among the lowest-scoring outcomes for both importance and satisfaction. The most important factor enabling sustainability outcomes was provision of benefits to partnership members. Others were increased financial support, inclusiveness, supportive organisational and administrative arrangements, direct involvement of decision makers, partnership maturity, creation of new relationships, decreased conflict, and stimulation of innovation. Improving sustainability outcomes, therefore, requires maintaining these partnership attributes and also increasing emphasis on reducing waste and resource use.     

The diagnostic performance of cytogenetic investigation in amniotic fluid cells and chorionic villi

First-trimester chorionic villus sampling has not reached the popularity of second-trimester amniocentesis in prenatal cytogenetic diagnosis, in contrast to initial expectations. We investigated whether a difference inthe diagnostic performances of cytogenetic investigation in amniotic fluid (AF) cells and chorionic villi in favour of AF-cells might justify this. Diagnostic performance was measured as laboratory failure rate, karyotype quality (G-band score, rate of follow-up samples, rate of wrong diagnoses), and karyotype representativity (rate of follow-up samples, rate of wrong diagnoses). From 1993–1999, 11 883 AF-samples were investigated (AF-cells). In chorionic villi, short term culture preparations solely were karyotyped from 1993–1996 (n=3499) (STC-villi), short and long-term culture preparations simultaneously provided a sufficient amount of tissue being available from 1997 onwards (n=1829) ((STC+LTC)-villi). Laboratory failure rates were the same after amniocentesis (0.40%) and chorionic villus sampling (0.50%). G-band scores (mean±SD) were equal in AF-cells (373±38.1) and LTC-villi (364±32.6) but significantly lower in STC-villi (311±34.6) (p=0.001). Follow-up sampling rates because of quality reasons were the same in AF-cells (0.14%), STC- villi (0.13%) and (STC+LTC)-villi (0.11%). Two wrong diagnoses turned up among AF-cells. Follow-up sampling rates because of representativity reasons differed significantly between AF-cells (0.10%), (STC+LTC)-villi (1.31%), and STC-villi (1.99%) (p<0.001). However, the ratios of the total numbers of follow-up samples and uncertain or abnormal cytogenetic results in STC, and (STC+LTC)-villi at cytogenetic risks ⩾3% (0.132 and 0.160, respectively) were equal to that in AF-cells at risks <3% (0.155). Two wrong diagnoses were made in STC-villi. Diagnostic performance improved in the rank order of STC-villi, (STC+LTC)-villi and AF-cells. At cytogenetic risks ⩾3%, (STC+LTC)-villi showed a diagnostic performance equal to that in AF-cells. This might justify a selective use of chorionic villus sampling. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reproductive Success Increases with Local Density of Conspecif ics in a Desert Mustard (Lesquerella fendleri)

We investigated the effects of plant density on reproduction for an insect-pollinated desert mustard (Lesquerella fendleri [Brassicaceae]). Individual reproductive success, as measured by seeds per fruit, proportion of flowers setting fruit, and total seed production, increased with the density of conspecifics within 1 m. However, including the density of conspecifics at greater distances (1–3 m) did not significantly increase the amount of variation in reproductive success explained by the regression model. This implies that processes occurring on a scale of 1 m or less have important effects on reproduction. Total seed production also was greater for high-density plants than for otherwise similar plants with a low-density of conspecifics. We argue that increased pollinator visitation is the most likely cause of this facilitation and that investigations of the effects of rarity on reproductive success should directly consider density along with more commonly used attributes such as population size and fragmentation.     

Characterization of the archaeal community fouling a membrane bioreactor

Biofilmformation, one of the primary causes of biofouling, results in reducedmembrane flux or increased transmembrane pressure and thus represents a major impediment to the wider implementation of membrane bioreactor (MBR) technologies for water purification. Most studies have focused on the role of bacteria in membrane fouling as they are the most dominant and best studied organisms present in the MBR. In contrast, there is limited information on the role of the archaeal community in biofilm formation in MBRs. This study investigated the composition of the archaeal community during the process of biofouling in an MBR. The archaeal community was observed to have lower richness and diversity in the biofilmthan the sludge during the establishment of biofilms at low transmembrane pressure (TMP). Clustering of the communities based on the Bray-Curtis similarity matrix indicated that a subset of the sludge archaeal community formed the initial biofilms. The archaeal community in the biofilm was mainly composed of Thermoprotei, Thermoplasmata, Thermococci, Methanopyri, Methanomicrobia and Halobacteria. Among them, the Thermoprotei and Thermoplasmata were present at higher relative proportions in the biofilms than they were in the sludge. Additionally, the Thermoprotei, Thermoplasmata and Thermococci were the dominant organisms detected in the initial biofilms at low TMP, while as the TMP increased, the Methanopyri, Methanomicrobia, Aciduliprofundum and Halobacteria were present at higher abundances in the biofilms at high TMP.     

Health disorders among Egyptian municipal solid waste workers and assessment of their knowledge,attitude, and practice towards the hazardous exposure

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Solid waste workers are exposed to variety of injuries and diseases at work. To study health disorders among workers in the waste management field and...     

Characterisation of volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the ambient air of steelworks

Investigations have been undertaken at two integrated steelworks in the UK to characterise airborne organic micro-pollutants and to assess the contribution of iron ore sintering and coke making operations on the air quality. Concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), namely benzene, toluene and p-xylene, were measured continuously within the boundary of a coking plant using for the first time differential optical absorption spectrometry (DOAS) between 2004 and 2006. Concentrations were obtained along two monitoring paths surrounding the coke plant and the average benzene concentration measured along both paths over the campaign was 28 μg m^?3. Highest benzene concentrations were associated with winds downwind of the coke oven batteries. Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ambient air were measured during 27 consecutive days in 2005 at three different locations on an integrated steelworks. PAH profiles were determined for each sampling point and compared to coke oven and sinter plant emission profiles showing an impact from the steelworks. The mean benzo [a] pyrene concentration determined in the immediate vicinity of the coke ovens downwind from the battery was 19 ng m^?3, whereas for the two other sites average benzo [a] pyrene concentrations were much lower (around 1 ng m^?3). Data were analysed using principal components analysis (PCA) and results showed that coke making and iron ore sintering were responsible for most of the variation in the PAH concentrations in the vicinity of the investigated plant.