Toxicity of cobalt-complexed cyanide to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus mykiss,Daphnia magna</Emphasis>, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ceriodaphnia dubia</Emphasis>

Background Cobalt cyanide complexes often result when ore is treated with cyanide solutions to extract gold and other metals. These have recently been discovered in low but significant concentrations in effluents from gold leach operations. This study was conducted to determine the potential toxicity of cobalt-cyanide complexes to freshwater organisms and the extent to which ultraviolet radiation (UV) potentiates this toxicity. Tests were also conducted to determine if humic acids or if adaptation to UV influenced sensitivity to the cyanide complexes. Methods Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Daphnia magna, and Ceriodaphnia dubia were exposed to potassium hexacyanocobaltate in the presence and absence of UV radiation, in the presence and absence of humic acids. Cyano-cobalt exposures were also conducted with C. dubia from cultures adapted to elevated UV. Results With an LC50 concentration of 0.38 mg/L, cyanocobalt was over a 1000 times more toxic to rainbow trout in the presence of UV at a low, environmentally relevant irradiance level (4 μW/cm² as UVB) than exposure to this compound in the absence of UV with an LC50 of 112.9 mg/L. Toxicity was immediately apparent, with mortality occurring within an hour of the onset of exposure at the highest concentration. Fish were unaffected by exposure to UV alone. Weak-acid dissociable cyanide concentrations were observed in irradiated aqueous solutions of cyanocobaltate within hours of UV exposure and persisted in the presence of UV for at least 96 hours, whereas negligible concentrations were observed in the absence of UV. The presence of humic acids significantly diminished cyanocobalt toxicity to D. magna and reduced mortality from UV exposure. Humic acids did not significantly influence survival among C. dubia. C. dubia from UV-adapted populations were less sensitive to metallocyanide compounds than organisms from unadapted populations. Conclusions The results indicate that metallocyanide complexes may pose a hazard to aquatic life through photochemically induced processes. Factors that decrease UV exposure such as dissolved organic carbon or increased pigmentation would diminish toxicity.     

U(VI) adsorption on aquifer sediments at the Hanford Site

Aquifer sediments collected via split-spoon sampling in two new groundwater wells in the 200-UP-1 operable unit at the Hanford Site were characterized and showed typical Ringold Unit E Formation properties dominated by gravel and sand. High iron-oxide content in Fe oxide/clay coatings caused the highest U(VI) adsorption as quantified by batch K(d) values, indicating iron oxides are the key solid adsorbent in the 200-UP-1 sediments that affect U(VI) fate and mobility. Even though U(VI) adsorption on the gravel-sized fraction of the sediments is considered to be negligible, careful characterization should be conducted to determine U(VI) adsorption on gravel, because of presence of Fe oxides coatings and diffusion-controlled adsorption into the gravel particles' interior surfaces. A linear adsorption isotherm was observed up to 10(-6) M (238 microg/L) of total U(VI) concentration in batch U(VI) adsorption tests with varying total U(VI) concentrations in spiked groundwater. U(VI) adsorption decreased with increasing concentrations of dissolved carbonate, because strong anionic aqueous uranium-carbonate complexes formed at high pH and high alkalinity conditions. Noticeable uranium desorption hysteresis was observed in a flow-through column experiment, suggesting that desorption K(d) values for aged uranium-contaminated sediments at the Hanford Site can be larger than adsorption K(d) values determined in short-term laboratory experiments and slow uranium release from contaminated sediments into the groundwater is expected.     

Analysis and apportionment of organic carbon and fine particulate matter sources at multiple sites in the midwestern United States

Speciated fine particulate matter (PM2.5) data collected as part of the Speciation Trends Network at four sites in the Midwest (Detroit, MI; Cincinnati, OH; Indianapolis, IN; and Northbrook, IL) and as part of the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments program at the rural Bondville, IL, site were analyzed to understand sources contributing to organic carbon (OC) and PM2.5 mass. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to available data collected from January 2002 through March 2005, and seven to nine factors were identified at each site. Common factors at all of the sites included mobile (gasoline)/secondary organic aerosols with high OC, diesel with a high elemental carbon/OC ratio (only at the urban sites), secondary sulfate, secondary nitrate, soil, and biomass burning. Identified industrial factors included copper smelting (Northbrook, Indianapolis, and Bondville), steel/manufacturing with iron (Northbrook), industrial zinc (Northbrook, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Detroit), metal plating with chromium and nickel (Detroit, Indianapolis, and Bondville), mixed industrial with copper and iron (Cincinnati), and limestone with calcium and iron (Bondville). PMF results, on average, accounted for 96% of the measured PM2.5 mass at each site; residuals were consistently within tolerance (+/-3), and goodness-of-fit (Q) was acceptable. Potential source contribution function analysis helped identify regional and local impacts of the identified source types. Secondary sulfate and soil factors showed regional characteristics at each site, whereas industrial sources typically appeared to be locally influenced. These regional factors contributed approximately one third of the total PM2.5 mass, on average, whereas local mobile and industrial sources contributed to the remaining mass. Mobile sources were a major contributor (55-76% at the urban sites) to OC mass, generally with at least twice as much mass from nondiesel sources as from diesel. Regional OC associated with secondary sulfate and soil was generally low.     

Adaptive management of the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon world heritage areas

Conventional perceptions of the interactions between people and their environment are rapidly transforming. Old paradigms that view humans as separate from nature, natural resources as inexhaustible or endlessly substitutable, and the world as stable, predictable, and in balance are no longer tenable. New conceptual frameworks are rapidly emerging based on an adaptive approach that focuses on learning and flexible management in a dynamic social-ecological landscape. Using two iconic World Heritage Areas as case studies (the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon) we outline how an improved integration of the scientific and social aspects of natural resource management can guide the evolution of multiscale systems of governance that confront and cope with uncertainty, risk, and change in an increasingly human-dominated world.     

Conservation on private land: a review of global strategies with a proposed classification system

With parks and protected areas insufficient to sustain global biodiversity, the role of private land in biodiversity conservation is becoming increasingly significant. This paper reviews global voluntary and involuntary strategies for private land conservation. Involuntary strategies can achieve effective conservation outcomes, but often lack social acceptability. In contrast, voluntary strategies enjoy greater social acceptance but may not achieve sufficient uptake to have meaningful conservation objectives. Based on the review, we propose a classification system for private land conservation as a complement to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN's) classification of global protected areas. The classification system provides a framework for identifying and describing conservation strategies on private land on the dimension of tenure and security. It also identifies opportunities and vulnerabilities in achieving conservation on private land while emphasising the need for systematic data collection similar to IUCN's efforts for protected areas.     

Institutional adaptive capacity and climate change response in the Congo Basin forests of Cameroon

Climate change presents additional challenges to a diverse country like Cameroon that shares the Congo Basin rainforest. Not only is the population vulnerable to the direct effects of climate change, forest-dependent communities are also vulnerable to changing environmental policy that may affect their access to forest resources. Using a qualitative approach to data collection through semi-structured interviews and content analysis of relevant documents, the perception of decision-makers within, and the response of the institutions of the state, the private sector and civil society to the complex challenges of climate change in the Congo Basin forest of Cameroon were analysed. Results indicate that while decision-makers’ awareness of climate change is high, a concrete institutional response is at a very early stage. Cameroon has low adaptive capacity that is further constrained by weak linkages among government institutions nationally and between different levels of government and with communities. Civil society institutions play a role in enhancing government capacity to respond, particularly in relation to new international policies on climate change and forests. Adaptive capacity would be further enhanced by facilitating institutional linkages and coordinating multilevel responses across all boundaries of government, private sector and civil society. A collaborative capacity builder could foster the transfer, receipt and integration of knowledge across the networks, and ultimately build long-term collaborative problem-solving capacity in Cameroon.     

Processing of antifouling paint particles by Mytilus edulis

Particles of spent antifouling paint collected from a marine boatyard were ground and subsequently administered to the filter-feeding bivalve, Mytilus edulis, maintained in static aquaria. Concentrations of Cu and Zn were measured in seawater throughout a 16 h feeding phase and a 24 h depuration phase, in rejected and egested particles collected during the respective phases, and in the organisms themselves at the end of the experiments. Concentrations and distributions of Cu and Zn in processed particles indicated that M. edulis was able to ingest paint particles, regardless of whether nutritionally viable silt was present, and no mechanism of particle discrimination was evident. Enrichment of Cu and Zn in the visceral mass of individuals and in the aqueous phase during depuration supported these assertions, although elevated concentrations in other compartments of the organism (e.g. shell, gill) suggested that biotic and abiotic uptake of aqueous metal was also important.     

Issues and challenges for forest-based carbon-offset projects: A case study of the Noel Kempff climate action project in Bolivia

The Noel Kempff Climate Action Project in Bolivia, nowin its third year, is breaking ground to establishcredible and verifiable methods to quantify greenhousegas (GHG) benefits of land-use change and forestry (LUCF)projects. Developed under the United Nations FrameworkConvention Climate Change (FCCC) Activities ImplementedJointly pilot phase, the project conserves naturalforests that would otherwise have been subjected tocontinued logging and future agricultural conversion.Carbon (C) monitoring began with a C inventory of theproject area in 1997. The total amount of C in theproject area was 118 Tg (Tg = 10¹²g) ± 4%(95% confidence interval). Periodic monitoring ofrelevant C pools (occurring in 1999 and every 5 yrthereafter) occurs over the 30-year life of theproject to establish the difference between thewith-project and projected without-project scenarios. Permanent sample plots were established both insidethe project area to monitor changes in C pools overtime and in a proxy logging concession near theproject area to determine changes in C pools inforests that have been impacted by logging. Ground-based monitoring is complemented by datacollection on forest industry trends and land-usechange patterns. Remote sensing was used to developa vegetation stratification map of the area, and workis ongoing to investigate the potential application ofdual-camera aerial videography to improve theefficiency of monitoring over time.     

An inquiry into the concept of SEA effectiveness: Towards criteria for Chinese practice

The importance of improving the effectiveness of Plan EIA and SEA-type evaluations in China cannot be overstated: at a time when the country's economy is being boosted by a stimulus package worth over RMB 400 trillion – largely for infrastructure – the pressure on China's already strained environment and resource base is bound to increase. The aim is to propose the criteria for plan EIA's effectiveness to raise the awareness of the need to strengthen the performance of the assessment and maximize its potential benefits. The authors first review critically the discourse on the effectiveness of the impact assessment, identifying three dimensions: substantive, procedural and incremental. The resulting conceptual framework allows them to interpret the weaknesses of the Chinese discourse on the effectiveness and of the practice of the Plan EIA to date. The result is the identification of a clear gap, both in terms of the breadth of the concept, and in terms of the quality of the existing criteria, which tend to be very generic to the point of inapplicability. The analysis also reveals a need for transitioning from formal models of the Plan EIA to more strategic approaches, in a gradual manner that is consistent with context-specificities. The proposal of a set of preliminary criteria for effectiveness is therefore structured on three levels. This framework is meant to input into the ongoing debate on how to improve the practice of PEIA and the SEA-type evaluations in China, and provide ideas for a government strategy aimed at maximizing the positive impact of PEIAs on planning, as well as on the context of application.