Transformation of rural communities: lessons from a local self-initiative for building resilience in the Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is vulnerable to negative impacts from climate change, where people’s livelihoods and their well-being are threatened, especially the viability of isolated communities. Realising the increasing risks from climate change on communities, government, in partnership with aid-donor partners, has invested millions of dollars in climate change projects, through mitigation and adaptation strategies. As a form of adaptation, the government invests in programmes aimed at increasing the adaptive capacity of the vulnerable communities through landscape and seascape projects across the rural communities. Focusing on the “transformation concept” as a long-term adaptation strategy and enlargement of climate engineering and ecological resilience concepts, the paper discusses why building resilience from transformation of rural communities, as well as from landscape and seascape projects, would benefit communities and relevant authorities. This paper describes the findings of a study on two rural villages, Keigold and Mondo, from Ranogha Islands, Western Province, in Solomon Islands, where 80% of households decided to relocate from their old village “Mondo” to their new home “Keigold” after an earthquake in 2007, as part of a self-initiative. The reallocation process can be seen as a case of pro-active community transformation that provides valuable lessons to other rural communities that may be forced to move due to impacts from natural catastrophes, including those explained by climate change risks. Lessons from this experience suggest that policy-makers and non-government organisations should consider and empower local transformation initiatives as a way to building long-term adaptation to climate change.     

Catalytic destruction of PCDD/F in a fabric filter: experience at a municipal waste incinerator in Belgium

In order to comply with dioxin and furan (PCDD/F) emission regulations in Belgium, the IVRO municipal waste incinerator adopted catalytic filters for use in the plant's two existing fabric filters. This system replaced the injection of powdered activated carbon (PAC) because of concerns that PAC, used at temperatures above 200 degrees C, would ignite and lead to fires and plant down-time. The performance of the catalytic filter system, since its installation in 1997, is described. PCDD/F emissions are controlled to well below the regulatory limit of 0.1 ng I-TEQ/Nm3. The amount of PCDD/F entering and exiting the fabric filter is quantified. The resulting mass balance shows that greater than 99.5% of the gaseous PCDD/F entering the fabric filter is destroyed by the catalyst within the filter media.     

New insight on population genetic connectivity of widespread amphidromous prawn Macrobrachium lar (Fabricius, 1798) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae)

Due to the sparse and unstable nature of insular freshwater habitats, marine larval dispersal of amphidromous species is considered a critical element of population persistence. We assessed population genetic structure of freshwater prawn Macrobrachium lar across its range that encompasses two biogeographic barriers: the vast open ocean separating Western and Central Pacific regions and the Indo-Malay archipelago separating Indian and Pacific oceans. A total of 173 samples collected from 21 islands throughout the Indo-Pacific were sequenced at 16S and 28S rDNA. We observed distinct genetic isolation of populations located at the eastern and southwestern edge of the species range but no evidence of an effect of the Indo-Pacific barrier. Differentiation patterns are consistent with a stepping-stone model of dispersal. Genetic differences of Central Pacific populations may reflect founder events associated with colonization of isolated islands, or be a signature of a past bottleneck after population depletion caused by drastic climatic events.     

Testing a new model of aphid abundance with sedentary and non-sedentary predators

Aphid population dynamics has been thoroughly investigated, especially in tree-dwelling aphids. Among the controls of the aphid rate of increase are the negative effects of antagonists, the positive effects of mutualists, the density-dependence of the aphid dynamics, and the non-stationary quality of plant tissues. Here we present a mechanistic model of aphid growth that considers most of these governing factors using a simple formulation. What is new in this model is that it considers two kinds of antagonists. The first kind is a guild of aphid predator specialists that includes ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), but also species of some families of Hemiptera, Diptera, and Neuroptera. The second kind of antagonists consists of omnivores or generalist predators and in this particular setting is exemplified by the European earwig Forficula auricularia (Dermaptera: Forficulidae). The model developed here compared the effects of these two different kinds of aphid predators, the second one always at the site (sedentary predators) and the first one that arrives in important numbers only once the aphid population has already developed to some degree (non-sedentary predators). Multiple model parameter sets, representing different hypotheses about controls on aphid populations, were evaluated within the Generalised Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) methodology. The model correctly reproduced the experimental data obtained in an organic citrus grove showing the important effect that sedentary predators as earwigs can have on the aphid populations. Low densities of sedentary predators or even low predation rates can have a disproportionate effect on the final aphid density, as they prey on small populations, when the per capita effect on the aphid population is higher. During the main spring peak of aphids the role of non-sedentary predators is secondary, as they track the aphid density rather than control it. However, these non-sedentary predators are important within the proposed model to keep the second autumn peak of aphids at low values.     

Prevalence, patterns, and effects of shell damage on Geukensia demissa in South Carolina estuarine habitats

Shelled molluscs frequently exhibit a record of damage on exterior surfaces that can evidence past predation attempts and may affect survival and growth. In South Carolina populations of the ribbed marsh mussel, Geukensia demissa, >90% of the individuals and up to 60% of the total shell area are damaged. A trend toward greater amounts of damage occurred on mid-marsh compared to oyster reef mussels from the barrier beach side of inlets. Shell damage effects on survivorship and shell and tissue growth were assessed seasonally during multi- and single-season field experiments. Mussels from a common mid-marsh site were divided into size classes (~50 or 70 mm), treated to create two damage levels (undamaged and damaged), and replaced within mid-marsh exclusion cages to minimize additional shell damage. In both multi- and single-season experiments increased shell damage resulted in significantly greater mortality. Linear shell growth was unaffected by increased damage, but 50 mm mussels grew twice as fast. Shell mass increased 16–50% in the multi-season and single-season winter period, but decreased 7–12% during the single-season summer period. Tissue mass significantly decreased 31–43% in 50 mm damaged mussels, but increased by 33% for 70 mm mussels in both multi-season and the single-season winter period experiments. Shell damage did reduce tissue mass 43% in 70 mm single-season summer mussels. Experimental results indicate shell damage from a simulated increase in predation can affect negatively both survival and growth of marsh mussels. Seasonal timing of shell damage and initial mussel size also influenced the effects of sublethal predation on shell and tissue growth. The previously unrecognized importance of sublethal predation and the resultant significant negative effects of shell damage on survival and growth will affect the distribution and population dynamics of G. demissa in coastal marshes and will influence the overall contribution of ribbed mussels to estuarine ecosystems.     

Landscape Assessment of the Degree of Protection of Alaska's Terrestrial Biodiversity

Abstract: We assessed the degree to which Alaskan lands reflect the state's biodiversity by dividing the entire state into four categories of land protection ranging from highly protected to minimally protected in terms of potential for future development. We then compared the percentage of each ecoregion and plant-cover type in each land protection class. We assumed that 12% protection represents an acceptable minimum and examined the percentage of site records of rare plants in protected and unprotected areas. Of 28 ecoregions in Alaska, 15 (63.4%) have <12% of their area in highly protected areas. Similarly, 11 of 21 vegetation-cover types (43.7%) have <12% protection. For 32 rare vascular plants, an average of 27% of records occur on highly protected lands. Seventy-five percent of the rare plants had <50% of their records from highly protected lands. Less than 1% of Alaska has been permanently altered by human activity. In contrast to the lower 48 states, time remains to plan development that preserves biodiversity while permitting an economically sustainable economy—if the effort is made now.     

Effects of watershed-scale land use change on stream nitrate concentrations

The Walnut Creek Watershed Monitoring Project was conducted from 1995 through 2005 to evaluate the response of stream nitrate concentrations to changing land use patterns in paired 5000-ha Iowa watersheds. A large portion of the Walnut Creek watershed is being converted from row crop agriculture to native prairie and savanna by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge (NSNWR). Before restoration, land use in both Walnut Creek (treatment) and Squaw Creek (control) watersheds consisted of 70% row crops. Between 1990 and 2005, row crop area decreased 25.4% in Walnut Creek due to prairie restoration but increased 9.2% in Squaw Creek due to Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grassland conversion back to row crop. Nitrate concentrations ranged between <0.5 to 14 mg L(-1) at the Walnut Creek outlet and 2.1 to 15 mg L(-1) at the downstream Squaw Creek outlet. Nitrate concentrations decreased 1.2 mg L(-1) over 10 yr in the Walnut Creek watershed but increased 1.9 mg L(-1) over 10 yr in Squaw Creek. Changes in nitrate were easier to detect and more pronounced in monitored subbasins, decreasing 1.2 to 3.4 mg L(-1) in three Walnut Creek subbasins, but increasing up to 8.0 and 11.6 mg L(-1) in 10 yr in two Squaw Creek subbasins. Converting row crop lands to grass reduced stream nitrate levels over time in Walnut Creek, but stream nitrate rapidly increased in Squaw Creek when CRP grasslands were converted back to row crop. Study results highlight the close association of stream nitrate to land use change and emphasize that grasslands or other perennial vegetation placed in agricultural settings should be part of a long-term solution to water quality problems.     

Agricultural soil greenhouse gas emissions: a review of national inventory methods

Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are required to submit national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories, together with information on methods used in estimating their emissions. Currently agricultural activities contribute a significant portion (approximately 20%) of global anthropogenic GHG emissions, and agricultural soils have been identified as one of the main GHG source categories within the agricultural sector. However, compared to many other GHG sources, inventory methods for soils are relatively more complex and have been implemented only to varying degrees among member countries. This review summarizes and evaluates the methods used by Annex 1 countries in estimating CO2 and N2O emissions in agricultural soils. While most countries utilize the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) default methodology, several Annex 1 countries are developing more advanced methods that are tailored for specific country circumstances. Based on the latest national inventory reporting, about 56% of the Annex 1 countries use IPCC Tier 1 methods, about 26% use Tier 2 methods, and about 18% do not estimate or report N2O emissions from agricultural soils. More than 65% of the countries do not report CO2 emissions from the cultivation of mineral soils, organic soils, or liming, and only a handful of countries have used country-specific, Tier 3 methods. Tier 3 methods usually involve process-based models and detailed, geographically specific activity data. Such methods can provide more robust, accurate estimates of emissions and removals but require greater diligence in documentation, transparency, and uncertainty assessment to ensure comparability between countries. Availability of detailed, spatially explicit activity data is a major constraint to implementing higher tiered methods in many countries.     

Dietary exposure of rainbow trout to 8:2 and 10:2 fluorotelomer alcohols and perfluorooctanesulfonamide: Uptake, transformation and elimination

The bioaccumulation of perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA) and two fluorotelomer alcohols (8:2 FTOH, 10:2 FTOH) by rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) through dietary exposure, including depuration rates and metabolism was investigated. Concentrations in the spiked feed ranged from 10.9 μg g⁻¹ wet weight (wet wt) for PFOSA and 6.7 μg g⁻¹ wet wt for 8:2 FTOH to 5.0 μg g⁻¹ wet wt for 10:2 FTOH. Trout was fed at 1.5% body weight per day for 30 d and depuration was followed for up to 30 d following previously published dietary exposure protocols. Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) was the major perfluoroalkylsulfonate (PFSA) detected in fish following dietary exposure to PFOSA. Half-lives of PFOS and PFOSA were 16.9 ± 2.5 and 6.0 ± 0.4 d, respectively. A biomagnification factor (BMF) of 0.023 was calculated for PFOSA which indicates that dietary exposure to PFOSA does not result in biomagnification in the rainbow trout. PFOS had a BMF of 0.08. The fluorotelomer saturated acids (8:2 FTCA, 10:2 FTCA) and fluorotelomer unsaturated acids (8:2 FTUCA, 10:2 FTUCA) were the major products detected in rainbow trout following dietary exposure to 8:2 FTOH and 10:2 FTOH, respectively. Half-lives were 3.7 ± 0.4, 2.1 ± 0.5, 3.3, and 1.3 d for 10:2 FTCA, 10:2 FTUCA, 8:2 FTCA, and 8:2 FTUCA, respectively. Small amounts of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorodecanoate (PFDA) were also detected in the FTOH exposed fish.