The EU-project ERAPharm. Incentives for the further development of guidance documents?

- Triggered by the detection of a large variety of pharmaceuticals in surface waters, soils and groundwaters across the world (e.g. Halling- Sørensen et al. 1998, Daughton & Ternes 1999, Jones et al. 2001, Heberer 2002) and the widespread occurrence of endocrine active compounds and related effects in the environment (e.g. Purdom et al. 1994, Tyler et al. 1998, Vethaak et al. 2002), pharmaceuticals in the environment have become an issue for both the scientific and the public community. During the last few years, our understanding of the fate and effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment has progressed significantly. However, there are still a number of uncertainties concerning the effects of pharmaceuticals on the environment and the assessment of potential exposure (e.g. Hanisch et al. 2004, Salomon 2005). These uncertainties will be addressed by the EU-project ‘Environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals’ (ERAPharm). This project, a specific targeted research project, is carried out within the priority ‘Global change and ecosystems’ of the 6th framework programme of the European Union. ERAPharm has started on 1st October 2004; the project duration is three years.     

Human Culture and Large Carnivore Conservation in North America

We examined and compared human attitudes toward wolves ( Canis lupus ), grizzly bears ( Ursus arctos horribilis ), and mountain lions ( Puma concolor ) in North America, with an emphasis on the Rocky Mountains of the United States and Canada. Primary research, literature review, and secondary data were included in the analysis. Wolves were historically persecuted by Euro-American settlers, but they have been the focus of a significant attitudinal transformation during the latter half of this century. Many now view the wolf in positive and protective ways. Considerable variation remains, however, in contemporary attitudes. Attitudes toward mountain lions have been highly ambivalent, never assuming the prominence or clarity of views on wolves. The behavior and physiology of the species, along with human psychological factors, are important reasons for the difference in human perceptions of wolves and mountain lions. We also examined attitudes toward grizzly bears. Many indigenous cultures revered grizzly bears, although European settlers were interested in exploiting and eliminating them. Today, perceptions of grizzly bears range from positive to negative. Our recommendations include targeting key groups with education programs, building support through the use of spokespeople within the target groups, integrating human and ecological concerns, and designing species-specific education initiatives in some cases.     

水环境中的微塑料：环境危害的本证和反证及主要研究空白

科学界与公众对微塑料(microplastics, MPs)的污染越来越重视。我们对文献进行了系统综述,以评价MPs对环境危害的证据权重。我们发现MPs在地表水和沉积物中均有存在。主要以珠状组成为主的碎片和纤维只是检测到的MP形态中的一小部分。检测出的MPs环境浓度很低,与能够影响生物分子水平上的毒性终点、以及摄食、繁殖、生长、组织炎症和死亡率的浓度有数量级的差别。MPs作为疏水性有机化合物的携带者使其在生物体中富集的作用很弱。现有数据表明MPs对环境造成的危害并不明显。实验室毒性实验中使用的MPs与环境中检测到的MPs在颗粒形态、尺寸范围和浓度等方面都有差距。研究中环境介质的选择少受关注。我们亟需开展更高质量的整体监测和更多实际环境效应的研究。只有这样,我们才能够全面表征MPs的环境风险,以便制定实施真正改善环境质量的管控措施。 精选自Emily E. Burns, Alistair B.A. Boxall. Microplastics in the aquatic environment: Evidence for or against adverse impacts and major knowledge gaps. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry,2018,37:2776–2796.
详情请见 https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.4268
     

Occupant interactions with self-closing fire doors in private dwellings

Prevention measures to reduce deaths and injuries due to domestic fires have included the provision of self-closing fire doors within dwellings. Such an approach however, is reliant on a behavioural response on behalf of the occupier(s). This research examined occupier behaviour in relation to self-closing fire doors. Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals inhabiting a new home. In all of the properties with self-closing fire doors, the occupants reported interfering with the self-closing mechanism of the doors. A quantitative survey was subsequently undertaken to obtain frequency data. In the majority of dwellings with fire doors occupiers reported propping these open in some way, or removing the self-closing mechanism from the door. The accounts suggest that, for fire doors to be an effective safety measure within dwellings, a greater emphasis needs to be placed on encouraging occupiers to adopt safe practices in relation to fire doors. Alternatively, other measures will need to be found to address the fire risk.     

Climate adaptation in Australia’s resource-extraction industries: ready or not?

Australian resource-extraction industries—mining, fisheries and forestry—operate year-round in the natural environment with all three exposed to climate extremes and to long-term climatic change. However, the industries differ in terms of size, ownership and mobility. Although mining companies are ‘mobile,’ a commitment to a mine site makes them immobile at a location dictated by the presence of a mineral; forestry of natural and managed trees takes place in a specifically selected location that can be changed given a reasonably long time-frame and high financial investment; fishing is the last of the major hunting industries, and despite operating from fixed ports, fishers chase fish across the ocean. All three industries as employers and product providers seek a sustainable future under a changing climate but are subject to environmental variability that impacts on their activities. As each industry has historically dealt with and survived major climate impacts, they typically consider themselves to be resilient, although we illustrate in several case studies that recent climate variability significantly impacts productivity and current resilience is limited. Projected climate change and variability are likely to exacerbate impacts on these industries through new or intensified hazards. Although each industry performs risk management controls to minimize climate-related impacts, a new approach incorporating future climate projections in addition to historical experiences would better prepare each to reduce vulnerability to changing climate. We find that wholesale transformation may not be appropriate or necessary at this time for these industries, and in most cases anticipatory, incremental adaptation should be encouraged, while larger-scale changes are considered in the longer term. Additionally, to overcome some of the barriers and promote the drivers of adaptation, we suggest that a model of adaptive governance coupled with greater use of climate champions may be the most effective method for improving adaptation uptake in these industries.     

Changes Versus Homeostasis in Alpine and Sub-Alpine Vegetation Over Three Decades in the Sub-Arctic

Plant species distributions are expected to shift and diversity is expected to decline as a result of global climate change, particularly in the Arctic where climate warming is amplified. We have recorded the changes in richness and abundance of vascular plants at Abisko, sub-Arctic Sweden, by re-sampling five studies consisting of seven datasets; one in the mountain birch forest and six at open sites. The oldest study was initiated in 1977–1979 and the latest in 1992. Total species number increased at all sites except for the birch forest site where richness decreased. We found no general pattern in how composition of vascular plants has changed over time. Three species, Calamagrostis lapponica, Carex vaginata and Salix reticulata, showed an overall increase in cover/frequency, while two Equisetum taxa decreased. Instead, we showed that the magnitude and direction of changes in species richness and composition differ among sites.     

Heading for the hills: climate-driven community relocations in the Solomon Islands and Alaska provide insight for a 1.5 °C future

Whilst future air temperature thresholds have become the centrepiece of international climate negotiations, even the most ambitious target of 1.5 °C will result in significant sea-level rise and associated impacts on human populations globally. Of additional concern in Arctic regions is declining sea ice and warming permafrost which can increasingly expose coastal areas to erosion particularly through exposure to wave action due to storm activity. Regional variability over the past two decades provides insight into the coastal and human responses to anticipated future rates of sea-level rise under 1.5 °C scenarios. Exceeding 1.5 °C will generate sea-level rise scenarios beyond that currently experienced and substantially increase the proportion of the global population impacted. Despite these dire challenges, there has been limited analysis of how, where and why communities will relocate inland in response. Here, we present case studies of local responses to coastal erosion driven by sea-level rise and warming in remote indigenous communities of the Solomon Islands and Alaska, USA, respectively. In both the Solomon Islands and the USA, there is no national government agency that has the organisational and technical capacity and resources to facilitate a community-wide relocation. In the Solomon Islands, communities have been able to draw on flexible land tenure regimes to rapidly adapt to coastal erosion through relocations. These relocations have led to ad hoc fragmentation of communities into smaller hamlets. Government-supported relocation initiatives in both countries have been less successful in the short term due to limitations of land tenure, lacking relocation governance framework, financial support and complex planning processes. These experiences from the Solomon Islands and USA demonstrate the urgent need to create a relocation governance framework that protects people’s human rights.     

The dissipation and transport of veterinary antibiotics in a sandy loam soil

The environmental fate of the antibiotics sulfachloropyridazine and oxytetracycline was investigated in a sandy loam soil. Liquid pig manure was fortified with the compounds and then applied to soil plots to investigate leaching, dissipation and surface run-off under field conditions. Additionally, as the macrolide antibiotic tylosin had been administered to the pigs from which the slurry had been sourced, this was also analysed for in the samples collected. Sulfachloropyridazine dissipated rapidly with DT(50) and DT(90) values of 3.5 and 18.9 days but oxytetracycline was more persistent with DT(50) and DT(90) values of 21.7 and 98.3 days. Both sulfachloropyridazine and oxytetracyline were detected in surface run-off samples at maximum concentrations of 25.9 and 0.9microg/l respectively but only sulfachloropyridazine was detected in soil water samples at a maximum concentration of 0.78microg/l at 40cm depth 20 days after treatment. Tylosin was not detected in any soil or water samples. The results indicated that tylosin, when applied in slurry, posed very little risk of accumulating in soil or contaminating ground or surface water. However, tylosin may pose a risk if used to treat animals on pasture and risks arising from transformation products of tylosin, formed during slurry storage, cannot be ruled out. Oxytetracycline posed a very low risk of ground or surface water contamination but had the potential to persist in soils and sulfachloropyridazine posed a moderate risk of contaminating ground or surface water but had low potential to accumulate in soils. These findings were consistent with the sorption and persistence characteristics of the compounds and support a number of broad-scale monitoring studies that have measured these antibiotic classes in the environment.     

Habitat as a mediator of mesopredator‐driven mammal extinction

A prevailing view in dryland systems is that mammals are constrained by the scarcity of fertile soils and primary productivity. An alternative view is that predation is a primary driver of mammal assemblages, especially in Australia, where 2 introduced mesopredators—feral cat (Felis catus) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes)—are responsible for severe declines of dryland mammals. We evaluated productivity and predation as drivers of native mammal assemblage structure in dryland Australia. We used new data from 90 sites to examine the divers of extant mammal species richness and reconstructed historic mammal assemblages to determine proportional loss of mammal species across broad habitat types (landform and vegetation communities). Predation was supported as a major driver of extant mammal richness, but its effect was strongly mediated by habitat. Areas that were rugged or had dense grass cover supported more mammal species than the more productive and topographically simple areas. Twelve species in the critical weight range (CWR) (35–5500 g) that is most vulnerable to mesopredator predation were extirpated from the continent's central region, and the severity of loss of species correlated negatively with ruggedness and positively with productivity. Based on previous studies, we expect that habitat mediates predation from red foxes and feral cats because it affects these species’ densities and foraging efficiency. Large areas of rugged terrain provided vital refuge for Australian dryland mammals, and we predict such areas will support the persistence of CWR species in the face of ongoing mammal declines elsewhere in Australia.