Uncertain penalties and compliance: experimental evidence

Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - We present the results of a series of economic laboratory experiments designed to study the compliance behavior of polluting firms when penalties are...     

“Return” and Extension Actions After Ethnobotanical Research: The Perceptions and Expectations of a Rural Community in Semi-arid Northeastern Brazil

The scientific community has debated the importance of “return” activities after ethnobiological studies. This issue has provoked debate because it touches on the ethics of research and the relationships with the people involved in these studies. This case study aimed to investigate community perception of an ethnobotany research project that was carried out in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil. Furthermore, we reported how the residents of this rural community felt about participating in the activities of “return” that arose from the projects. Our findings demonstrate that “return” activities should be planned from the design phase of the research until its closure as a lifelong process that allows the communities involved to gradually take ownership of the information and actions that are being generated. Similarly, we argue that such activities must be negotiated with the people of the community so that they have decision-making power and autonomy to decide what is most relevant to their lives.     

Toxicity persistence in runoff and soil from experimental soybean plots following insecticide applications

Persistence of toxicity in runoff water and soil was investigated in experimental soybean plots subjected to successive runoff events following pesticide application. Runoff events were produced by irrigation using a sprinkler system. The pesticides applied were cypermethrin and endosulfan, which are widely used in soy production in Argentina. Toxicity tests were performed on two abundant components of the regional fauna, the amphipod Hyalella curvispina and the fish Cnesterodon decemmaculatus. Runoffs from two pesticide applications were assayed at different stages of the growing season: an early application when the soil was almost bare and a late one close to harvest, when the ground was covered by vegetation and just before soy leaves fell. Toxicity to H. curvispina in runoff ceased almost one month after the early application of the two pesticides, while it persisted for over three months after the late application. Soil toxicity to H. curvispina and runoff toxicity to C. decemmaculatus followed the same pattern. Higher temperatures and solar radiation are likely to have enhanced insecticide degradation after the early application. Lower temperatures and solar radiation in combination with increased organic matter from litter probably contributed to the longer persistence of toxicity recorded after the late application, as compared with the early application. Cypermethrin caused no mortality to C. decemmaculatus after the early application, while endosulfan toxicity persisted for almost four months after the late one.     

Addition of Saturated Fatty Acids to Biodegradable Films: Effect on the Crystallinity and Viscoelastic Characteristics

Biodegradable films were produced by extrusion from blends of starch, glycerol and poly(butylene adipate co-terephthalate), a biodegradable polyester, with the addition of 1.5 % (wt/wt) saturated fatty acids (caproic, lauric or stearic). Films containing fatty acids had higher crystallinity than control films and the longer the carbon chain of the acid was, the more crystalline the film. Fatty acids with up to 12 carbon atoms did not alter the viscoelastic characteristic of the films. Further, the incorporation of fatty acids did not decrease the hydrophilicity of the films in comparison with the control film without a fatty acid.     

Thorough analysis of polyhalogenated compounds in ray liver samples off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Introduction  

Five liver samples of two different ray species (Gymnura altavela and Zapteryx brevirostris) off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were analyzed for their pollution with anthropogenic and naturally occurring organohalogen compounds.     

The problem of disposing of plaster waste from building sites: problem structuring based on value focus thinking methodology

Plaster is a material which is widely used in Brazil on construction sites. However, its use in recent years has been limited by a legal resolution on the environment introduced in Brazil. One of the regions most affected by these restrictions is the Northeast where the strategic importance of plaster for the region is apparent from the extensive economic development, centered on the gypsum pole of Araripe in the state of Pernambuco. This problem has involved many interested parties, among whom are plaster producers, plastering companies, builders, unions (for plaster workers, and construction workers), Town Halls, and so forth. Therefore, there is a need to structure the problem with a view to obtaining a better understanding of the problem given the lack of information on the real decision problem. To reach this objective, value focus thinking (VFT), a methodology that addresses how values can be used to improve the decision making process, was applied and the problem was structured. Thus, it was possible for the parties involved to clarify their objectives, and specify more precisely the consequences and constraints for the decision problem. In addition, each party involved could get a better understanding of their own wishes. In conclusion, the VFT methodology application enables the parties involved to make more consistent decisions, and therefore to ensure that plaster will continue to be used in the construction industry.     

Kelp gulls attack Southern right whales: a conservation concern?

Kelp gulls (Larus dominicanus) feed on pieces of skin and blubber they rip from Southern right whales’ (Eubalaena australis) backs in their breeding areas at Península Valdés, Argentina, producing injuries. This behavior has increased since the first record in 1972, and some authors have suggested that constant gull harassment could have a negative effect on right whale population. The main goal of this study is to assess the variables that most affect the gull attacks. We analyzed 5359 whale-watching sightings made during trips from Puerto Pirámides (42o34′S, 64o16′W) along the whale breeding seasons (June–December) 2005 to 2007. The most important factors affecting the attacks include the presence of a mother–calf pair, the time within the season, the distance to the coast and the wind velocity. There is also concern of possible transmission of infectious diseases in the attacks since increasing number of whales with different patterns of skin lesions have been observed.     

Analysis of environmental correlates of sexual segregation in northern elephant seals using species distribution models

Elephant seals are among the most sexually dimorphic and polygynous species of all mammals. Their foraging grounds occupy a wide area of the world oceans, where they show spatial segregation between males and females. The objective of this paper was to correlate female and male foraging distributions of Mirounga angustirostris with main climatic variables at a biogeographical scale. We used website and bibliographical sources to obtain information on adult elephant seal distribution and environmental predictors (surface and bottom sea temperatures, productivity and bathymetry) and three species distribution models [maximum entropy model, environmental niche factor analysis and based on climatic envelopes (BIOCLIM)] to predict the habitat suitability of ocean regions. BIOCLIM provided the best fit. Sea surface and bottom temperatures were the variables with the highest explanatory power for females, while bathymetry was for males. Predictive maps suggest that low temperatures constrain female, but not male, distribution at high latitudes. We suggest that large size increases foraging efficiency of males because, among other benefits, it augments thermal insulation, improving the use of cold, rich sectors of the ocean. Different thermoregulatory abilities between sexes due to size dimorphism should be a complementary explanation of sexual segregation in elephant seals.     

Comparison of the Effect of Plasticizers on PHBV—and Organoclay—Based Biodegradable Polymer Nanocomposites

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of different plasticizers on the morphology, crystallization, and mechanical properties of poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)/organomodified montmorillonite (OMt) nanocomposites. We investigated three different plasticizers: dioctyl phthalate (DOP), a commonly used additive in the polymer industry, and two natural and biodegradable plasticizers: epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) and triethyl citrate (TEC). The nanocomposites with 3 wt% OMt were obtained by melt processing in an internal mixer. The plasticizers were used alone or in combination with clay in a concentration of 10 wt%. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy results revealed a partially intercalated structure. The degree of crystallinity was higher for all of the samples compared to neat PHBV, although the melting temperature decreased with the use of plasticizers combined with OMt. The impact strength results were dependent on the interaction between the components of the system. Triethyl citrate was the most effective plasticizer due to its more pronounced interaction with the PHBV matrix, which yielded improvements in processing conditions and PHBV’s flexibility and impact properties.