Rebuilding after the tsunami: getting it right

The practice of integrated coastal management (ICM) has matured sufficiently since its beginnings in the early 1980s to suggest a set of principles that could be used to guide the massive investments that will be made over the next several years to rehabilitate and reconstruct the thousands of kilometers of coastlines devastated by the 26 December 2004 tsunami. We offer six principles to guide what can be done to make coastal communities less vulnerable, to improve the conditions of the poor, and to avoid repeating the mistaken judgements that have been made in the past about how shorelines are allocated and developed. We then offer a set of five principles to guide how action plans are formulated and implemented. These stress the critical importance of tailoring principles to the unique conditions and needs of each place. The roles of national government in setting policies to guide a decentralized planning and decision-making process are distinguished from a negotiation process that engages the people of the place in a bottom-up application of ICM good practices.     

In search of human-associated bacterial pathogens in Antarctic wildlife: report from six penguin colonies regularly visited by tourists

We investigated the potential role of Antarctic tourism in the introduction of human-associated pathogens into Antarctic wildlife. We collected and analyzed 233 fecal samples from eight bird species. The samples were collected at six localities on the Antarctic Peninsula, which often is visited by tourists. Every sample was investigated for pathogens of potential human origin: Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella spp., and Yersina spp. None of these bacteria was found. Our data suggest that the tourism industry so far has achieved its goal of not introducing pathogens into the Antarctic region. There is, however, an urgent need to further investigate the situation in areas closer to permanent Antarctic settlements.     

Size and estimated age of genets in eelgrass, Zostera marina, assessed with microsatellite markers

We examined the spatial distribution of genotypes in a perennial population of eelgrass, Zostera marina L., at two spatial scales. We mapped and sampled 80 ramets in a subtidal area of 20 × 80 m, and an additional 15 ramets in two 1-m² sub-quadrats. Ramets were genotyped for seven polymorphic microsatellite loci. Among a total number of 54 genotypes detected, 12 occurred more than once. The ramets of ten of these genotypes occurred in clusters and represented genets based on their expected multi-locus genotype frequencies. The size distribution of genets was uneven with estimated ramet numbers ranging from 2 to 5000. Whereas some areas displayed a high genet diversity, which may indicate past disturbances, large genets (≥10 m²) predominated in other locations of the sampled plot. Spatial heterogeneity in clone distribution was also obvious at the smaller sampling scale (15 ramets sampled within 1 m²) where the clonal diversity (genets identified/ramets sampled) was 0.24 in one quadrat, and 0.077 in the other. Ramets belonging to the largest clone were maximally 17 m apart, which corresponds to a genet age of 67 yr based on annual rhizome growth rates. We conclude that the spatial arrangement of clones in seagrasses allows inferences about the past demography and the disturbance regime at a given site which may prove useful for coastal zone management of ecologically valuable seagrass meadows. Received: 15 September 1998 / Accepted: 14 November 1998     

Seasonal variation in lipid class and fatty acid composition of two small copepods in Balsfjorden,northern Norway

Zooplankton were collected at Svartnes, northern Norway between 1985 and 1986. The lipid class and fatty acid composition of a subarctic population ofPseudocalanus acuspes (Giesbrecht, 1881) andAcartia longiremis Lilljeborg are described for four seasons of the year. The results are discussed in relation to the seasonal variation in abundance and dry weight of the predominant developmental stages. The lipid composition of these small copepod species resembles that of omnivorous or carnivorous species.P. acuspes andA. longiremis overwinter in a state of arrested development, but seem to feed actively throughout the year. This behaviour resembles that of the omnivoreMetridia longa (Lubbock), but is in contrast to that of the herbivoreCalanus finmarchicus (Gunnerus) from the same area, which spends the winter in diapause.     

A note on data augmentation and iterative simulation for survival rate estimation

In this paper we examine the use of data augmentation techniques for simplifying iterative simulation in the context of both Bayesian and classical statistical inference for survival rate estimation. We examine two distinct model families common in population ecology to illustrate our ideas, ring-recovery models and capture–recapture models, and we present the computational advantage of this approach. We discuss also the fact that problems associated with identifiability in the classical framework can be overcome using data augmentation, but highlight the dangers in doing so under both inferential paradigms.

Exploring Environmental Data in a Highly Immersive Virtual Reality Environment

Geography inherently fills a 3D space and yet we struggle with displaying geography using, primarily, 2D display devices. Virtual environments offer a more realistically-dimensioned display space and this is being realized in the expanding area of research on 3D Geographic Information Systems (GISs). Traditionally, a GIS has only limited tools for statistical analysis, and 3D GIS research has concentrated on the visualization of the geographical terrain. Here we discuss linking multivariate statistical graphics to geography in the highly immersive C2 virtual reality environment at Iowa State University using mid-Atlantic streams data.     

Prototyping a Vision for Inter-Agency Terrestrial Inventory and Monitoring: a Statistical Perspective

A demonstration project in Oregon examined the feasibility of combining Federal environmental monitoring surveys. An integrated approach should remove duplication of effort and reduce the possibility of providing apparently conflicting information to policy makers and the public. Data collection teams made photo interpretation measurements and on-site soil/vegetation/animal observations at locations that were selected from the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA), National Forest System (NFS) Region 6, and National Resource Inventory (NRI) surveys in a six-county area in Northern Oregon. The project demonstrated the feasibility of conducting a combined FIA/NFS/NRI survey and suggests an approach that will preserve the utility of the critical historical information from these surveys. We suggest a framework for estimating the extent of forest and range land that explains FIA/NRI differences and provides a common basis for both surveys. We suggest indicator and protocol criteria that will allow consistent national and regional estimates over all vegetation types, and stress the importance of including measurement repeatability in the design of the combined survey.     

Using ecosystem-services assessments to determine trade-offs in ecosystem-based management of marine mammals

The goal of ecosystem-based management (EBM) is to support a sustainable and holistic multisectored management approach, and is recognized in a number of international policy frameworks. However, it remains unknown how these goals should be linked to assessments and management plans for marine fauna, such as mammals and fish stocks. It appears particularly challenging to carry out trade-off analyses of various ocean uses without a framework that integrates knowledge of environmental, social, and economic benefits derived from nonstationary marine fauna. We argue this gap can be filled by applying a version of the ecosystem-service approach at the population level of marine fauna. To advance this idea, we used marine mammals as a case study to demonstrate what indicators could operationalize relevant assessments and deliver an evidence base for the presence of ecosystem services and disservices derived from marine mammals. We found indicators covering common ecosystem service categories feasible to apply; examples of indicator data are already available in the literature for several populations. We encourage further exploration of this approach for application to marina fauna and biodiversity management, with the caveat that conceptual tensions related to the use of the ecosystem service concept itself needs to be addressed to ensure acceptance by relevant stakeholders.     

Conservation, commercialisation and confusion: harvesting of Ischyrolepis in a coastal forest, South Africa

Harvesting of non-timber forest products is an integral component of rural livelihoods throughout the developing world. At times this is at odds with conservation objectives. Reconciliation of the two requires examination of local level contexts and needs. This paper reports on the harvesting needs for Ischyrolepis by a rural community in South Africa, against the setting that they had recently been prohibited from harvesting by the local conservation officials. Interviews were conducted with conservation officials to understand the reasoning for the prohibition. Local demand for Ischyrolepis was assessed by household surveys, as well as in-depth interviews with traders. The density and size class distribution of Ischyrolepis was determined using transects. The total annual demand for Ischyrolepis was determined to be approximately only 2.7% of the standing crop. The bulk of the annual demand was for small-scale trade, the income from which was a primary source of income for the few harvesters. Very little evidence could be found indicating that harvesting was damaging the resource or its habitat, and local knowledge suggested that the abundance of the species was stimulated by harvesting. Even if market demand were to increase, the size of the shoots required means that less than 20% of the standing crop could be harvested annually. Current regulations around harvesting are in a state of revision, and hence confusion prevails regarding if harvesting is permissible, and if so, under what conditions, which is detrimental to both conservation and livelihoods. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

ASSESSING STREAM CHANNEL STABILITY THRESHOLDS USING FLOW COMPETENCE ESTIMATES AT BANKFULL STAGE1

ABSTRACT: Stream channel stability is affected by peak flows rather than average annual water yield. Timber harvesting and other land management activities that contribute to soil compaction, vegetation removal, or increased drainage density can increase peak discharges and decrease the recurrence interval of bankfull discharges. Increased peak discharges can cause more frequent movement of large streambed materials, leading to more rapid stream channel change or instability. This study proposes a relationship between increased discharge and channel stability, and presents a methodology that can be used to evaluate stream channel stability thresholds on a stream reach basis. Detailed surveys of the channel cross section, water surface slope, streambed particle size distribution, and field identification of bankfull stage are used to estimate existing bankfull flow conditions. These site specific stream channel characteristics are used in bed load movement formulae to predict critical flow conditions for entrainment of coarse bed material (D₈₄ size fraction). The “relative bed stability” index, defined as the ratio of critical flow condition to the existing condition at bankfull discharge, can predict whether increased peak discharges will exceed stream channel thresholds.