A conceptual framework for understanding illegal killing of large carnivores

The growing complexity and global nature of wildlife poaching threaten the survival of many species worldwide and are outpacing conservation efforts. Here, we reviewed proximal and distal factors, both social and ecological, driving illegal killing or poaching of large carnivores at sites where it can potentially occur. Through this review, we developed a conceptual social–ecological system framework that ties together many of the factors influencing large carnivore poaching. Unlike most conservation action models, an important attribute of our framework is the integration of multiple factors related to both human motivations and animal vulnerability into feedbacks. We apply our framework to two case studies, tigers in Laos and wolverines in northern Sweden, to demonstrate its utility in disentangling some of the complex features of carnivore poaching that may have hindered effective responses to the current poaching crisis. Our framework offers a common platform to help guide future research on wildlife poaching feedbacks, which has hitherto been lacking, in order to effectively inform policy making and enforcement.     

A PARTITIONING PROCEDURE FOR WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT MODELS1

ABSTRACT: An improved computational procedure for solving water quality management models containing interacting pollutants and control policies is presented. The method is developed with respect to the specific problem of minimizing the costs of basin-wide thermal and organic pollution control to meet water quality standards. It views the problem in partitioned form where a master problem is used to find cooling levels for thermal polluters while subproblems determine optimal organic pollutant reductions for fixed cooling levels. A gradient based search procedure is used to solve the master problem. Computational results for several river systems are presented. Application of the method to other water quality management models is suggested.     

The fiscal pit and the federalist pendulum: Explaining differences between US States in protecting health and the environment

Summary The US federal government has deliberately shifted a great deal of responsibility for protecting public health and the environment to the 50 US States. Some States are able and willing to assume control, but many others cannot or will not. It is argued that the American federal government should be prepared to intervene in those States that do not place health and environment on their agenda.Dr. Michael Greenberg is Professor of the School of Urban and Regional Policy at Rutgers as well as being an Advisory Board member to this journal. Prof. Frank Popper chairs the Department of Urban Studies and Community Health at Rutgers University. He has written extensively about land use issues and the American Great Plains. Bernadette West is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Urban Planning and Policy Development, Rutgers University. Her thesis concerns scientific and political issues in developing cancer research centers.     

Model Development and Calibration of a Saltwater Intrusion Model in Southern California1

Abstract: A nine‐layered confined‐unconfined flow and transport model is developed for the Alamitos saltwater intrusion barrier in Southern California. The conceptual model is based on the geological structure of the coastal aquifer system. The key parameters in the flow and transport models are calibrated using a two‐phase procedure which matches the types of data available for calibration. Because of the abundance of point measurements of hydraulic conductivity, the heterogeneous and random hydraulic conductivity field for each of the five aquifers is estimated by the geostatiscal method of natural‐neighbor‐kriging in Phase 1. In Phase 2, the longitudinal and transverse dispersivities in the transport model are estimated by a traditional inverse procedure that minimizes the least‐squares error for concentration (LSE‐CON). The minimum LSE‐CON is achieved near 15.2 and 1.52 m for the longitudinal and transverse dispersivities, respectively. Additional simulations with increasing transport parameter complexity did not yield significant improvements in LSE‐CON. Also, tracking least‐squares error for head while parametrically varying the transport parameters revealed there is a negligible interaction between predicted head and transport parameters.     

A novel system for environmental monitoring through a cooperative/synergistic scheme between bioindicators and biosensors

This paper addresses environmental monitoring through a robust dynamic integration between biomonitor and biosensor systems, a strategy that has not been attempted before. The two systems are conceptually interrelated and methodologically correlated to a cooperative/synergistic scheme (CSS) with a view to minimise uncertainty and monitoring costs and increase reliability of pollution control and abatement. The structures and operations of the biosensor component (in terms of sensitivity, device and method versatility, nature-mimicking physicochemical mechanisms, prospects and technological input) are such that they reinforce or promote the structures and operations of the natural component (in terms of bio-surveillance, impact assessment, environmental quality indexing, stress responses, metabolic pathways, etc.) and vice versa. The bioindicator ontology presented herein, including concepts, relations and controlled vocabulary aiming at establishing an integrated methodology for mapping/assessing negative environmental externalities, provides a useful tool for the design/development/implementation of an environmental network for the monitoring of a variety of pollutants over time and space and the assessment of environmental quality; the collection of the available information and its classification into taxonomic and partonomic relations allows the construction of a database that links pollutants with organisms' response, at a phenomenological and in-depth level, considering ecological parameters, relations and geomorphologic characteristics. As a result, a computer program has been designed/developed as a decision support system and has been successfully tested on a representative population of species indigenous to southern Greece. Significantly, a novel system in the form of a rational framework at the conceptual design level has been developed, that actually contributes towards achieving a cost-effective long-term monitoring program, with the flexibility to counter on-course any (anticipated or not) variations/modifications of the surveillance environment. This novel and pioneering approach will further offer a dynamic system utilised in (a) environmental impact studies and risk assessment (positive/analytic approach), (b) decision-making in the short-run (normative/tactic approach), and (c) policy-making in the long-run (normative/strategic approach). The proposed CSS, based on the integration of multiple data sources, can establish a local area network, incorporated into/expanding to a wide area network, thus offering the potential of better predictive ability and greater lead-time warning at alarm conditions than that provided by separate, stand-alone surveillance modalities.     

Evolution of hybrid functional imaging in bioelectromagnetics research

The field of bioelectromagnetics, consisting of the study of the interaction between electromagnetic fields and biological systems, has been rapidly expanding in the recent years. One important factor that contributes importantly to the development of this field is the continuing advances in technology allowing researchers to investigate different endpoints, or to more precisely measure changes, if any. Hybrid functional imaging is a rapidly maturing field that opens new, important horizons for bioelectromagnetics research. Indeed, unraveling the interaction mechanisms of electromagnetic fields on biological systems (with an emphasis on the brain) requires a monitoring of electrical, functional, and metabolic activity of living tissue at different temporal and spatial scales. Individual tools (e.g., electroencephalography, EEG; functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI) are limited in their ability to detect the effects of electromagnetic interaction at specific temporal and spatial scales, so combining these imaging methods offers a unique opportunity to provide a more comprehensive view of effects in living tissue. In this paper, we will present the different imaging techniques that are available to bioelectromagnetics researchers, including their capabilities and how they are complemented by simultaneous hybrid imaging. Future possibilities of hybrid imaging technologies are discussed.     

Reinvestigating the pollution haven hypothesis: the nexus between foreign direct investments and environmental quality in G-20 countries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - One of the most commonly debated concerns regarding foreign direct investment inflows is the associated environmental adversities that accompany the...     

Toxicological responses to sublethal anticoagulant rodenticide exposure in free-flying hawks

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - An important component of assessing the hazards of anticoagulant rodenticides to non-target wildlife is observations in exposed free-ranging...     

"We all knew that a cyclone was coming": disaster preparedness and the cyclone of 1999 in Orissa, India

Imagine that a cyclone is coming, but that those living in the affected areas do nothing or too little to protect themselves. This is precisely what happened in the coastal state of Orissa, India. Individuals and communities living in regions where natural hazards are a part of daily life develop strategies to cope with and adapt to the impacts of extreme events. In October 1999, a cyclone killed 10,000 people according to government statistics, however, the unofficial death toll is much higher. This article examines why such a large loss of life occurred and looks at measures taken since then to initiate comprehensive disaster-preparedness programmes and to construct more cyclone shelters. The role of both governmental organisations and NGOs in this is critically analysed. The good news is that, based on an assessment of disaster preparedness during a small cyclone in November 2002, it can be seen that at community-level awareness was high and that many of the lessons learnt in 1999 were put into practice. Less positive, however, is the finding that at the state level collaboration continues to be problematic.     

Alloimmune responses between Acropora hemprichi conspecifics: nontransitive patterns of overgrowth and delayed cytotoxicity

Allogeneic interactions between Acropora hemprichi (Ehrenberg) colonies were followed in situ up to 18 mo between 1990 and 1992 in Eilat, Red Sea. We established all 21 possible branch pair combinations among seven large colonies in three to eight replicates each (n=92 pairs), in addition in 14 pairs of grafts within-colonies. All isografts resulted in fusion. Allogeneic interactions revealed a variety of effector mechanisms which involved the appearance of dark blue-purple color in the tissues of interacting branch tips (<1 cm), unilateral overgrowths (1.0 to 1.5 mm mo^-1 for 1 to 8 mo), rejections, healings, continuous overgrowths, reversals, repeated rejections and more. Direction of overgrowth was usually specific to a given combination of colonies. A hierarchial network of overgrowths was obtained by analyzing overgrowth directions of all pairwise combinations, which included 30 transitive and five nontransitive three-way combinations. These outcomes, similarly to responses of allogeneic encounters recorded from other coral species, show that colonies can respond selectively to different types of allogeneic challenges. It is suggested that corals may have the capacity to distinguish self from nonself by recognizing nonself attributes presented on conspecifics.