Effects of Human Colonization on the Abundance and Diversity of Mammals in Eastern Brazilian Amazonia

Abstract: With its long history of colonization, eastern Amazonia has the highest population density in Brazilian Amazonia and represents the typical pattern of recent human occupation. Between 1991 and 1995, we surveyed the mammalian fauna at five sites, representing different degrees of human disturbance. We used line transects (1511 km surveyed) to describe differences in diversity and abundance at each site and to evaluate the effects of environmental factors. Twenty-two of the expected 44 species were recorded during surveys, but no more than 18 were recorded at any one site, and only 3 species were observed at all five sites. Despite a minimum transect length of 202 km, most species were recorded relatively infrequently at all sites, although overall sighting rates at different sites varied by more than 100%. Between-site differences were even more pronounced when we compared specific groups (e.g., arboreal, terrestrial, game, nongame), reflecting the differential effects of factors such as hunting, logging, and forest clearing. In general terms, species diversity, abundance, total biomass, and mean biomass all tended to decrease with increasing human disturbance. Two more specific patterns were also distinguished: decreasing abundance and biomass of game species with increasing hunting pressure and increasing abundance of nongame species with increasing forest disturbance. Intense hunting pressure alone may have deleterious short-term effects on abundance, but not necessarily on diversity, whereas prolonged hunting pressure, combined with forest clearing, results in marked distortions in the mammalian community. Overall, the study emphasizes the relative paucity of the mammalian fauna of eastern Amazonia, in terms of both species diversity and abundance, and its vulnerability to the ongoing process of human colonization in the region.     

Earth stewardship: Shaping a sustainable future through interacting policy and norm shifts

Transformation toward a sustainable future requires an earth stewardship approach to shift society from its current goal of increasing material wealth to a vision of sustaining built, natural, human, and social capital—equitably distributed across society, within and among nations. Widespread concern about earth’s current trajectory and support for actions that would foster more sustainable pathways suggests potential social tipping points in public demand for an earth stewardship vision. Here, we draw on empirical studies and theory to show that movement toward a stewardship vision can be facilitated by changes in either policy incentives or social norms. Our novel contribution is to point out that both norms and incentives must change and can do so interactively. This can be facilitated through leverage points and complementarities across policy areas, based on values, system design, and agency. Potential catalysts include novel democratic institutions and engagement of non-governmental actors, such as businesses, civic leaders, and social movements as agents for redistribution of power. Because no single intervention will transform the world, a key challenge is to align actions to be synergistic, persistent, and scalable.     

Why Economics Matters for Endangered Species Protection

Abstract: We offer three reasons why economics matters more to species protection than many people think and what this implies for the ongoing debate over the reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Economics matters because (1) human behavior generally, and economic parameters in particular, help determine the degree of risk to a species; (2) in a world of scarce resources, the opportunity cost of species protection—the costs of reduced resources for other worthwhile causes—must be taken into account in decision making; and (3) economic incentives are critical in shaping human behavior, and consequently the recovery of species. Endangered species protection that explicitly addresses these basic principles can avoid wasting valuable resources that yield no gain in species protection.     

Book reviews

Toward Sustainable Communities: resources for citizens and their governments. Mark Roseland with Maureen Cureton & Heather Wornell, 1998, Gabriola Island, New Society Publishers, ISBN 0 86571 374 X, $18.95

First Mover Advantage by Eco-efficiency: local incentives for environment and employment.. C. Erdmunger & S. Schreckenberger, 1998, Freiburg, ICLEI, DM30

Agendas for Sustainability: environment and development into the twenty-first century. Mary Macdonald, 1998, London, Routledge, ISBN 0 415 15491X, £55.00 (hbk)

Women, Population and Global Crisis: a political-economic analysis. Asoka Bandarage, 1997, London, Zed Books, ISBN 1 85649 428 4, £15.95 (pbk)

Spirit of the Environment: religion, value, and environmental concern. David Cooper & Joy Palmer (Eds), 1998, London, Routledge, ISBN 0 4151 4202 4, £12.99 (pbk)

Environmental Transition in Nordic and Baltic Countries. Hans Aage (Ed.), 1998, (New Horizons in Environmental Economics). Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA, Edward Elgar, ISBN 1 85898 629 X

Sustainability Indicators: measuring the immeasurable. Simon Bell & Stephen Morse, 1999, London, Earthscan Publications, 175 pp. ISBN 1 85383 498 X, LE14.95 (pbk)

The Economics of Road Transport Regulation. Erik Verhoef, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar 1996, 265 pp. ISBN 1 85898 364 9, £55.00

The Water Crisis. Julie Stauffer, London, Earthscan, 1998, ISBN 185383 436X, £12.95 (pbk)     

Hagfish in the New Zealand fjords are supported by chemoautotrophy of forest carbon

Forest litter is often considered to be a minor energy source to marine communities due to its refractory nature. Large volumes of forest litter are deposited in the New Zealand fjords, and likely recycled into available energy by microbial activity. In this study we used evidence from stable isotope analyses to test whether recycled carbon from chemoautotrophs was an important contributor to the diet of hagfish (Eptatretus cirrhatus). We then analyzed fatty acid biomarkers from the chemoautotrophic clam Solemya parkinsoni and E. cirrhatus to further discriminate the contribution of marine, terrestrial, and chemoautotrophic sources. Bulk isotopic signatures of E. cirrhatus varied considerably (delta13C, from -29.2 per thousand to -16.7 per thousand; delta15N, from -2.8 per thousand to +15.5 per thousand; delta34S, from -21.7 per thousand to +16.7 per thousand) and indicated that a significant percentage of organic matter (38-51%) originated from chemoautotrophs (delta13C, -31.3 per thousand +/- 0.1 per thousand [mean +/- SE]; delta15N, -5.7 per thousand +/- 0.2 per thousand; delta34S, -32.per thousand +/- 3.8 per thousand). Fatty acid biomarkers were depleted in 13C, particularly cis-vaccenic acid (18:1omega7: delta13C, -39.0 per thousand) indicating specific microbial origins of carbon. A high proportion of forest litter in sediments, coupled with isotopic and fatty acid biomarker results, indicates that terrestrial organic matter is a dominant contributor to this marine benthic system. This study demonstrates a clear linkage between terrestrial and marine ecological processes.     

Fiji's worst natural disaster: the 1931 hurricane and flood

At least 225 people in the Fiji Islands died as a result of the 1931 hurricane and flood, representing the largest loss of life from a natural disaster in Fiji's recent history. This paper explores the causes of disaster and the potential for recurrence. The disaster occurred because a rare event surprised hundreds of people—especially recently settled Indian farmers—occupying highly exposed floodplains in north‐west Viti Levu island. The likelihood of a flood disaster of such proportions occurring today has been diminished by changed settlement patterns and building materials; however, a trend towards re‐occupancy of floodplains, sometimes in fragile dwellings, is exposing new generations to flood risks. The contribution of this paper to the global hazards literature is set out in three sections: the ethnicity, gender and age of flood fatalities; the naturalness of disasters; and the merit of choice and constraint as explanations for patterns of vulnerability.     

Assessing drought-related ecological risk in the Florida Everglades

In the winter-spring of 2001, South Florida experienced one of the worst droughts in its recorded history. Out of a myriad of ecological concerns identified during this time, the potential for catastrophic peat fire and negative impacts to wading bird reproduction emerged as critical issues. Water managers attempted to strike a balance between the environment and protection of water supplies for agriculture and urban interests. It became evident, however, that a broad-scale, integrated way to portray and prioritise ecological stress was lacking in the Florida Everglades, despite this being considered a necessary tool for addressing issues of environmental protection. In order to provide a framework for evaluating various water management operations using real-time information, we developed GIS-based indices of peat-fire risk and wading bird habitat suitability. These indices, based on real physical, chemical, and biological data, describe two ecological conditions that help define the physical and biological integrity of the Everglades. In addition to providing continuous, updated assessments throughout the drought period, we incorporated predictive models of water levels to evaluate how various water management alternatives might exacerbate or alleviate ecological stress during this time.     

A transatlantic approach to sustainability? The perspective of sociology

Differing views of the state and varying ideological postures in the United States and Europe place ??invisible and clandestine?? obstacles against the smooth functioning of transatlantic treaties, agreements, and cooperation in general. These differing views and postures must be rendered visible and acknowledged if efforts to perpetuate a cross-Atlantic dialog are to be viable and stable. Neither the advantages of sharing technology nor common economic and political interests will alone adequately ground cooperation. Sociologists in particular are aware of the ways in which indigenous values and beliefs frequently endure, despite the homogenizing structural change that accompanies industrialization, urbanization, and globalization, and cause misperceptions and misunderstandings.     

Nitrate Concentrations in Springs Flowing into the Lower Flint River Basin,Georgia U.S.A.1

Allums, Stephanie E., Stephen P. Opsahl, Stephen W. Golladay, David W. Hicks, and L. Mike Conner, 2012. Nitrate Concentrations in Springs Flowing Into the Lower Flint River Basin, Georgia U.S.A. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(3): 423-438. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2011.00624.x Abstract: Analysis of long-term data from (2001-2009) in four springs that discharge from the Upper Floridan aquifer into the Flint River (southwestern Georgia, United States) indicate aquifer and surface-water susceptibility to nutrient loading. Nitrate-N concentrations ranged from 1.74 to 3.30 mg/l, and exceeded historical levels reported for the Upper Floridan aquifer (0.26-1.52 mg/l). Statistical analyses suggest increasing nitrate-N concentration in groundwater discharging at the springs (n = 146 over eight years) and that nitrate-N concentration is influenced by a dynamic interaction between depth to groundwater (an indicator of regional hydrologic conditions) and land use. A one-time synoptic survey of 10 springs (6 springs in addition to the 4 previously mentioned) using stable isotopes generated δ¹⁵N-NO₃⁻ values (4.8-8.4‰ for rural springs and 7.7-13.4‰ for developed/urban springs) suggesting mixed sources (i.e., fertilizer, animal waste, and soil organic nitrogen) of nitrate-N to rural springs and predominantly animal/human waste to urban springs. These analyses indicate a direct relation between nitrate-N loading since the 1940s and intensification of agricultural and urban land use. This study demonstrates the importance of evaluating long-term impacts of land use on water quality in groundwater springs and in determining how rapidly these changes occur.     

Bankfull Regional Curves for the Inner and Outer Bluegrass Regions of Kentucky1

Brockman, Ruth R., Carmen T. Agouridis, Stephen R. Workman, Lindell E. Ormsbee, and Alex W. Fogle, 2012. Bankfull Regional Curves for the Inner and Outer Bluegrass Regions of Kentucky. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(2): 391‐406. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00621.x Abstract: Bankfull regional curves that relate channel dimensions and discharge to watershed drainage area are useful tools for assisting in the correct identification of bankfull elevation and in stream restoration and reconstruction. This study assessed 28 stable streams located in two physiographic regions of Kentucky: the Inner Bluegrass and the Outer Bluegrass. Bankfull channel dimensions, discharge, and return period as well as average channel slope, median bed material size, sinuosity, Rosgen stream classification, and percent impervious area were determined. Significant relationships were found between drainage area and the bankfull characteristics of cross‐sectional area, width, mean depth, and discharge for both the Inner Bluegrass and Outer Bluegrass regions (α = 0.05). It was also found that the percent impervious area in a watershed had minimal effect on bankfull dimensions, which is attributed to the well‐vegetated nature of the streambanks, cohesive streambank materials, and bedrock control. No significant differences between any of the Inner Bluegrass and Outer Bluegrass regional curves were found (α = 0.05). Comparisons were made between the Inner Bluegrass and Outer Bluegrass curves and others developed in karst‐influenced areas in the Eastern United States. Although few significant differences were found between the regional curves for bankfull discharge and width, a number of the curves differed with regards to bankfull cross‐sectional area and mean depth.