Convergence of stakeholders’ environmental threat perceptions following mass coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef

Managing human use of ecosystems in an era of rapid environmental change requires an understanding of diverse stakeholders’ behaviors and perceptions to enable effective prioritization of actions to mitigate multiple threats. Specifically, research examining how threat perceptions are shared or diverge among stakeholder groups and how these can evolve through time is increasingly important. We investigated environmental threat perceptions related to Australia's Great Barrier Reef and explored their associations before and after consecutive years of mass coral bleaching. We used data from surveys of commercial fishers, tourism operators, and coastal residents (n = 5254) conducted in 2013 and 2017. Threats perceived as most serious differed substantially among groups before bleaching but were strongly aligned after bleaching. Climate change became the most frequently reported threat by all stakeholder groups following the coral bleaching events, and perceptions of fishing and poor water quality as threats also ranked high. Within each of the 3 stakeholder groups, fishers, tourism operators, and coastal residents, the prioritization of these 3 threats tended to diverge in 2013, but convergence occurred after bleaching. These results indicate an emergence of areas of agreement both within and across stakeholder groups. Changes in perceptions were likely influenced by high-profile environmental-disturbance events and media representations of threats. Our results provide insights into the plasticity of environmental-threat perceptions and highlight how their convergence in response to major events may create new opportunities for strategic public engagement and increasing support for management.     

日本Biwa 糊- Yodo河水体系的可持续管理

Biwa湖 Yodo河水系为主要的居民中心及其周围的市政机构提供城市用水和工业用水 .它也提供农业用水,主要在 Biwa湖排水区域 .该水系服务的人口总数约为 1400万人 . 这个水系构成了 Keihanshin工业区的主要部分（按照字面上是指京都、大阪和神户）,这是一个以沿大阪海湾－濑户内海的狭长地带发展为特征的一个区域 .Keihanshin的工业产值居日本的第三位,约占国内生产总值的 12.4％ .一个复杂的供水网和废水网支持着高水平的工业和农业活动 .     

日本Biwai湖-Yodo河水体系的可持续管理

Biwa湖-Yodo河水系为主要的居民中心及其周围的市政机构提供城市用水和工业用水 .它也提供农业用水,主要在 Biwa湖排水区域 .该水系服务的人口总数约为 1400万人 . 　　这个水系构成了 Keihanshin工业区的主要部分（按照字面上是指京都、大阪和神户）,这是一个以沿大阪海湾－濑户内海的狭长地带发展为特征的一个区域 .Keihanshin的工业产值居日本的第三位,约占国内生产总值的 12.4％ .一个复杂的供水网和废水网支持着高水平的工业和农业活动 .……     

SUBSTATE INSTITUTIONAL INNOVATION FOR MANAGING LAKES AND WATERSHEDS: A WISCONSIN CASE STUDY1

ABSTRACT: Since the 1970s, there has been extensive experimentation with new approaches to water and land resources management at the state and local levels. There is a critical need to document, assess, and synthesize lessons learned from the nation's recent experience with subnational institutional changes in environmental management. This paper examines institutional changes aimed at more integrated water and related resources management at the substate level of government. We describe innovative institutional changes in a case study of Dane County, Wisconsin, and assess the implementation and preliminary consequences of these changes. Dissatisfaction with watershed and lake management results and perceptions of institutional inadequacy led to significant changes in the structure and rules for county resources management. A new entity was created to focus watershed management responsibilities. The scope of authority and powers were expanded. However, these changes all occurred within the framework of a general purpose unit of government. The new institutional arrangements have achieved a number of milestones, although it is premature to fully assess resource outcomes. The substantive changes, implementation tactics, and overall experience in Dane County's reforms - especially with regard to addressing intergovernmental tensions and decentralized management, limited authorities and funding, and public and constituency support - have useful implications for other substate efforts at more comprehensive and integrated water resources management.     

A method for detecting and identifying the lethal environmental factor on a dominant macrobenthos and its application to Lake Shinji,Japan

A new method to single out the environmental factor limiting the life of any macrobenthic animal under stressed condition is proposed. The method is based on the assumption that the influence of each environmental factor on the life of a species can be expressed by an S-shaped function having lethal, limiting and non-limiting ranges, and the combined effect of several environmental factors is expressed by a multiple of these functions. To single out a lethal factor, we used the cumulative curve of abundance arranged in the order of each environmental factor. Comparison of these curves enables us to identify the most effective environmental factor limiting the life of a particular species and determine its effective range. Determination can be made from a single field observation without recourse to specially prepared experimental data if a sufficiently extensive survey was made in a field observation. The method was applied to the field data obtained from 248 stations at Lake Shinji, Japan, in the summer of 1982.     

The interdependence of work and family roles

The circumstances of the lack of attention to the interdependence of family functions and external employment in the research to date are considered. Major problems and barriers to progress are noted. One problem is the conceptual-theoretical barrier of viewing work as masculine and family responsibility as feminine. A second problem is a differential focus in the research to date in which either the family is studied with inadequate attention given to work, or the work setting is studied with insufficient consideration of family responsibilities. Research strategies are reviewed and discussed, including the need to identify combinations of types of occupations and family situations. Five work-family groups are identified. One of the five groups, single parent is used to illustrate policies pertaining to the interdependence of work and family roles. The relevance of research on role interdependence for both governmental policy and organizational policy is considered in a discussion of the effects of policy on effective integration of work and family roles.     

Thermal remediation of PCDD/Fs contaminated soil by zone combustion process

A new thermal process has been proposed for remediating soils contaminated by chlorinated organic compounds, e.g., PCDD/Fs and PCBs. This is to apply the "zone combustion process" which utilizes stable combustion of coke particles in the packed bed to soils with air flow across the bed. The usefulness and validity were obtained the results showing that more than 98.9% of PCDD/Fs in the soil was successfully removed in a laboratory-scale experiment. Some pretreatment of the soil sample, such as drying, pre-granulation and addition of limestone was found to make the removal efficiency better. Although, some fundamentals on the behavior of PCDD/Fs, e.g., decomposition/vaporization ratios and formation of other compounds cannot be certainly identified yet, the present results clearly show a way to remediate the contaminated soils and solid wastes.     

Mercury volatilization by the most mercury-resistant bacteria from the seawater of Minamata Bay in various physiological conditions

The volatilization of mercuric chloride (HgCl₂) and methyl mercuric chloride (CH₃HgCl) by the 45 strains (35 Pseudoalteromonas sp., 2 Vibrio sp., 1 Aeromonas sp., and 7 unclassified) of the most mercury-resistant bacteria from Minamata Bay seawater was examined in various physiological conditions. The bacteria could grow and volatilize HgCl₂ in the liquid medium containing 1-10% NaCl. Two Pseudoalteromonas strains could grow and volatilize HgCl₂ at pH levels ranging from 5.0 to 10.0. The resting cells of 43 strains could volatilize HgCl₂ at concentrations ranging from 30 to 68% after 1-h incubation at 30vv°C. The resting cells of 41 strains could volatilize CH₃HgCl at concentrations ranging from 13 to 88% after 1-h incubation at 30vv°C. Ninety-two percent of mercury was removed from the phosphate buffer containing 0.1 7g/ml by a resting cell of Pseudoalteromonas strain H-4 after 30-min incubation at 30vv°C. We were able to screen the special bacteria, which could volatilize mercury compounds at a high rate in various physiological conditions, for the purpose of developing mercury removal methods using bacteria.