Valuation of ecotoxicological impacts from tributyltin based on a quantitative environmental assessment framework

In the scientific literature, few valuations of biodiversity and ecosystem services following the impacts of toxicity are available, hampered by the lack of ecotoxicological documentation. Here, tributyltin is used to conduct a contingent valuation study as well as cost–benefit analysis (CBA) of measures for improving the environmental status in Swedish coastal waters of the Baltic Sea. Benefits considering different dimensions when assessing environmental status are highlighted and a quantitative environmental assessment framework based on available technology, ecological conditions, and economic valuation methodology is developed. Two scenarios are used in the valuation study: (a) achieving good environmental status by 2020 in accordance with EU legislation (USD 119 household⁻¹ year⁻¹) and (b) achieving visible improvements by 2100 due to natural degradation (USD 108 household⁻¹ year⁻¹) during 8 years. The later scenario was used to illustrate an application of the assessment framework. The CBA results indicate that both scenarios might generate a welfare improvement.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-015-0682-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Reducing the risk of invasive forest pests and pathogens: Combining legislation,targeted management and public awareness

Intensifying global trade will result in increased numbers of plant pest and pathogen species inadvertently being transported along with cargo. This paper examines current mechanisms for prevention and management of potential introductions of forest insect pests and pathogens in the European Union (EU). Current European legislation has not been found sufficient in preventing invasion, establishment and spread of pest and pathogen species within the EU. Costs associated with future invasions are difficult to estimate but past invasions have led to negative economic impacts in the invaded country. The challenge is combining free trade and free movement of products (within the EU) with protection against invasive pests and pathogens. Public awareness may mobilise the public for prevention and detection of potential invasions and, simultaneously, increase support for eradication and control measures. We recommend focus on commodities in addition to pathways, an approach within the EU using a centralised response unit and, critically, to engage the general public in the battle against establishment and spread of these harmful pests and pathogens.     

Soil pH effects on the interactions between dissolved zinc,non-nano- and nano-ZnO with soil bacterial communities

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are used in an array of products and processes, ranging from personal care products to antifouling paints, textiles, food additives, antibacterial agents and environmental remediation processes. Soils are an environment likely to be exposed to manmade nanoparticles due to the practice of applying sewage sludge as a fertiliser or as an organic soil improver. However, understanding on the interactions between soil properties, nanoparticles and the organisms that live within soil is lacking, especially with regards to soil bacterial communities. We studied the effects of nanoparticulate, non-nanoparticulate and ionic zinc (in the form of zinc chloride) on the composition of bacterial communities in soil with a modified pH range (from pH 4.5 to pH 7.2). We observed strong pH-dependent effects on the interaction between bacterial communities and all forms of zinc, with the largest changes in bacterial community composition occurring in soils with low and medium pH levels (pH 4.8 and 5.9). The high pH soil (pH 7.2) was less susceptible to the effects of zinc exposure. At the highest doses of zinc (2500 mg/kg dw soil), both nano and non-nano particulate zinc applications elicited a similar response in the soil bacterial community, and this differed significantly to the ionic zinc salt treatment. The results highlight the importance of considering soil pH in nanotoxicology studies, although further work is needed to determine the exact mechanisms controlling the toxicity and fate and interactions of nanoparticles with soil microbial communities.     

Occurrence of PPCPs in the marine environment: a review

Little research has been conducted on the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the marine environment despite being increasingly impacted by these contaminants. This article reviews data on the occurrence of PPCPs in seawater, sediment, and organisms in the marine environment. Data pertaining to 196 pharmaceuticals and 37 personal care products reported from more than 50 marine sites are analyzed while taking sampling strategies and analytical methods into account. Particular attention is focused on the most frequently detected substances at highest concentrations. A snapshot of the most impacted marine sites is provided by comparing the highest concentrations reported for quantified substances. The present review reveals that: (i) PPCPs are widespread in seawater, particularly at sites impacted by anthropogenic activities, and (ii) the most frequently investigated and detected molecules in seawater and sediments are antibiotics, such as erythromycin. Moreover, this review points out other PPCPs of concern, such as ultraviolet filters, and underlines the scarcity of data on those substances despite recent evidence on their occurrence in marine organisms. The exposure of marine organisms in regard to these insufficient data is discussed.     

Wastewater reuse: modeling chloroform formation

The chloroform is a substance that presents a significant risk to or via the aquatic environment. Thus, the emissions, discharges and losses of this substance need to be controlled during wastewater disinfection for reclamation and reuse purposes. Due to its carcinogenetic potential, multiple studies have been carried out on drinking and surface/natural waters but less consideration has been directed to the wastewater disinfection. The focus of this work studied the formation of chloroform during chlorination in prepared waters or artificial matrices that intended to simulate wastewaters stored in landscape ponds for green areas irrigation. The relation between reaction time, chlorine dose, and chloroform formation and the variation of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content during the reaction was assessed. A two-variant model was proposed to simulate breakpoint chlorination practices (when chlorine dose is equal or lower than chlorine demand) and super chlorination techniques (when chlorine dose tends to surpass chlorine demand). The model was validated by the application of actual data from working conditions of six wastewater treatment plants located in Algarve, Portugal, including other data obtained in previous research studies that were not used in the model development, and by comparing the predicted values with real measured ones.     

The effect of aged litter materials on polyatomic ion concentrations in fractionated suspended particulate matter from a broiler house

Inorganic emissions from livestock production and subsequent deposition of these ions can be a major source of pollution, causing nitrogen enrichment, eutrophication, acidification of soils and surface waters, and aerosol formation. In the poultry house, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide emissions can also adversely affect the health, performance, and welfare of both animals and human operators. The persistence and long life expectancy of ammonia, odors and toxic pollutants from poultry houses may be due to the ability of suspended particulate matter (SPM) to serve as carriers for odorous compounds such as ammonium ions and other inorganic compounds (e.g., phosphate, sulfate, nitrate, etc.). SPM is generated from the feed, animal manure, and the birds themselves. A large portion of odor associated with exhaust air from poultry houses is SPM that has absorbed odors from within the houses. Understanding the fate and transport processes of ammonia and other inorganic emissions in poultry houses is a necessary first step in utilizing the appropriate abatement strategies. In this study, the examination and characterization of ammonium ions, major components of odors and toxic gases from poultry operations, and other ions in suspended particulate matter in a broiler house were carried out using particle trap impactors. The SPM from the particle trap impactors was extracted and analyzed for its ionic species using ion chromatography (IC). The results showed concentrations of polyatomic ions in suspended particulate matter were found to increase with successive flocks and were highly concentrated in the larger size particulate matter. In addition, the ions concentrations appeared to reach a maximum at the middle of flock age (around the fourth week), tapering off toward the end in a given flock (possibly due to ventilation rates to cool off larger birds). Thus, it can be inferred that aged of bedding materials affects the ionic concentrations in aerosol particulate matter more than the age of the birds.

Implications: In the poultry house, toxic gas emissions can adversely affect the health, performance, and welfare of both animals and human operators. The persistence of these toxic pollutants from poultry houses may be due to the ability of suspended particulate matter (SPM) to serve as carriers for these compounds (inorganic ions). Our study showed that polyatomic ions in suspended particulate matter were found to increase with successive flocks and were highly concentrated in the larger size SPM. Understanding the effect of management practices on poultry air emissions will lead to innovative best management practices to safeguard the health and welfare of the animals as well as those of the poultry operators, along with reducing the impact of potential air pollution on the environment.     

Benefits from and threats to European treeline ecosystem services: an exploratory study of stakeholders and governance

The concept of ecosystem services (ES) is being increasingly applied in environmental governance and science. To safeguard key ES in changing and complex social–ecological systems such as treeline areas, we need to (1) map key ES in different types of treeline landscapes, (2) identify the stakeholders benefiting from and threatening ES, and (3) examine how ES could be governed more sustainably. We explore these questions in European treeline areas by using quantitative and qualitative social science techniques to analyse responses from a survey of local scientific experts in 20 altitudinal and polar treeline areas in 15 European countries. In contrast to the prevalent consideration of treeline areas as a single type of a social–ecological system, we show that European treeline areas can be divided into two types that significantly differ in the delivery of ES. Our analyses allowed us to categorize stakeholders according to their benefits from and threats to ES; “Green key players” formed the most numerous group, while smaller number of stakeholder groups was categorized as “Harmless crowd”, “Occasional stressors”, and “Risky users”. However, behaviour of stakeholders is very much site-specific. Of 595 pairs of stakeholders analysed, we found <5 EU-wide “Allies” and “Opponents”. Recommendations for improved governance include adjusting governance instruments to specific problems in divergent treeline systems and creating participatory structures where stakeholders better interact with scientists and can genuinely influence management decisions.     

Exploring socio-cultural values of ecosystem service categories in the Central Alps: the influence of socio-demographic factors and landscape type

The socio-cultural assessment of ecosystem services has been proposed as a promising tool for eliciting people’s preferences towards ecosystem services. Despite an increasing integration of the socio-cultural perspective in ecosystem service research, little knowledge exists about linkages between landscape and the socio-cultural values people assign to ecosystem services. This paper combines a socio-cultural valuation approach with the use of landscape pictures to analyse and compare people’s perceived importance of the provisioning, regulating, and cultural ecosystem service categories across three landscape types (i.e. larch meadows, spruce forests, and hay meadow). A survey with 470 tourists visiting the region of South Tyrol (Italy) was conducted to link people’s perceived importance to their socio-demographic background and to the landscape types explored. The results show that regulating ecosystem services are preferred over provisioning and cultural services, whereby environmental awareness is found to be more influential than formal education levels regarding the perceived importance of regulating services. The results further demonstrate that cultural background is an important driver in determining people’s perceived importance of cultural services. The underlying landscape types, however, exert an even stronger influence on people’s socio-cultural valuation of ecosystem service categories. This finding suggests that the focus of most ecosystem services assessments on the study area as a whole risks mistakenly attributing differences in people’s socio-cultural values to socio-demographic characteristics only. A better knowledge of the spatial integration of socio-cultural values, however, could help with anticipating the consequences of changes in the landscape and provide better guidance for future landscape planning.     

Conservation of animals traded for medicinal purposes in Brazil: Can products derived from plants or domestic animals replace products of wild animals?

Regional Environmental Change - The use and trade of animals in traditional medicine involves many different species, some of which are threatened with extinction. Thus, evaluating biological and...