Timber Certification: Where Is the Voice of the Biologist?

Editor's note: This Conservation Forum begins with a reprinted editorial by Elizabeth Bennett from the August 2000 issue of Conservation Biology . Several papers were submitted in repsonse to that piece, and it is reprinted here to start this forum.     

DETECTING CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ON HEADWATER STREAMS IN THE ROUTT NATIONAL FOREST,COLORADO1

ABSTRACT: This study evaluated the use of a modified pebble count procedure (Bevenger and King, 1995) to detect cumulative watershed effects on headwater streams in the Routt National Forest in northcentral Colorado. The 42 sample reaches were stratified by disturbance (reference or disturbed) and geologic terrene (granitic or mixed sedimentary-volcanic). Water surface slope was a significant control on the number of fine particles in the reference reaches in both terranes, and the data from the disturbed reaches were adjusted accordingly. The disturbed reaches in the granitic terrene generally had a higher percentage of fine particles, and the adjusted number of fine particles was significantly correlated with the number of road crossings. Disturbed reaches in the sedimentary-volcanic (s-v) terrane generally did not have significantly more fine particles, nor were the adjusted numbers of fine particles significantly correlated with any management index. The lack of significant trends in the s-v streams is probably due to differences in weathering between the two rock types, and the location of the sample reach relative to sedimentary outcrops. Two other procedures were also used to assess cumulative watershed effects, with the Pfankuch channel stability rating yielding stronger and more consistent differences between the reference and the disturbed streams than the Tarzwell substrate ratio. We conclude that it may be difficult to define a standard reference condition, and that the number of road crossings is more strongly correlated with the number of fine particles than equivalent clearcut area.     

Potential climate change impacts on Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) off the northeastern USA

We examined the potential impacts of future climate change on the distribution and production of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) on the northeastern USA’s continental shelf. We began by examining the response of cod to bottom water temperature changes observed over the past four decades using fishery-independent resource survey data. After accounting for the overall decline in cod during this period, we show that the probability of catching cod at specified locations decreased markedly with increasing bottom temperature. Our analysis of future changes in water temperature was based on output from three coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation models under high and low CO₂ emissions. An increase of <1.5°C is predicted for all sectors under the low emission scenario in spring and autumn by the end of this century. Under the high emission scenario, temperature increases range from ～2°C in the north to >3.5°C in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. Under these conditions, cod appear vulnerable to a loss of thermal habitat on Georges Bank, with a substantial loss of thermal habitat farther south. We also examined temperature effects on cod recruitment and growth in one stock area, the Gulf of Maine, to explore potential implications for yield and resilience to fishing. Cod survival during the early life stages declined with increasing water temperatures, offsetting potential increases in growth with warmer temperatures and resulting in a predicted loss in yield and increased vulnerability to high fishing mortality rates. Substantial differential impacts under the low versus high emission scenarios are evident for cod off the northeastern USA.     

Prevalence of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) Antibodies in Mexican Pigs

The hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the causative agent of Hepatitis E, an enterically transmitted disease. HEV infections in pigs and humans have been reported worldwide, but data from Mexico are scarce. In the present study, the prevalence of anti-HEV IgG antibodies was investigated in a quite large number of swine from Mexico by means of an ELISA based on a recombinant open reading frame 2 protein of HEV genotype 3. Serum samples from 683 healthy pigs (1–48 months old), collected during 2010–2013 in 109 herds from 48 municipalities located in 9 states in the centre of the country were assayed. A 30.75 % (210/683) of the sera tested were positive, and they were distributed along all the states included in the study. The prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies varied widely between municipalities and herds, and it was higher in pigs 4–6 months of age. No relationships were detected between seroprevalences and farm characteristics. Forty individual faecal samples were analysed by RT-PCR and all resulted negative. These data indicate that HEV infection is widespread in Mexican pigs; thus, representing a potential zoonotic risk for humans.     

New Proof-of-Concept in Viral Inactivation: Virucidal Efficacy of 405 nm Light Against Feline Calicivirus as a Model for Norovirus Decontamination

The requirement for novel decontamination technologies for use in hospitals is ever present. One such system uses 405 nm visible light to inactivate microorganisms via ROS-generated oxidative damage. Although effective for bacterial and fungal inactivation, little is known about the virucidal effects of 405 nm light. Norovirus (NoV) gastroenteritis outbreaks often occur in the clinical setting, and this study was designed to investigate potential inactivation effects of 405 nm light on the NoV surrogate, feline calicivirus (FCV). FCV was exposed to 405 nm light whilst suspended in minimal and organically-rich media to establish the virucidal efficacy and the effect biologically-relevant material may play in viral susceptibility. Antiviral activity was successfully demonstrated with a 4 Log₁₀ (99.99%) reduction in infectivity when suspended in minimal media evident after a dose of 2.8 kJ cm^?2. FCV exposed in artificial faeces, artificial saliva, blood plasma and other organically rich media exhibited an equivalent level of inactivation using between 50–85% less dose of the light, indicating enhanced inactivation when the virus is present in organically-rich biologically-relevant media. Further research in this area could aid in the development of 405 nm light technology for effective NoV decontamination within the hospital environment.     

Spatial and temporal variability of greenhouse gas emissions from rural development land use operations

Climate change objectives of mitigation and adaptation are being mainstreamed into many policies and strategies around the world. In Europe, this has included the Rural Development Programme, which aims to tackle multiple social, economic and environmental objectives in rural areas, and the integration of climate change objectives adds another strand of complexity to the decision making process. When formulating policies determining the likely effectiveness of any particular measure can be challenging, especially with respect to the spatial and temporal variability of greenhouse gas emissions. This is a challenge faced by all countries and regions around the world. This study uses Europe as an example to explore this issue. It highlights the variability in emissions from land use operations that may be encountered under different conditions and time horizons and considers this in the context of policy formulation. The Optimal Strategies for Climate change Action in Rural Areas software has been adapted to derive net greenhouse gas emissions for rural development operations for all regions in Europe. Operations have been classified into five categories based on their benefit/burden over different time horizons. The analysis shows that it is important to understand the time period over which benefits or burdens are realised and determine how this fits with policy instruments, such as land management agreements and the permanency of actions. It also shows that in some regions an operation can have benefits, but in other regions it has burdens; thus, location can be critical. Finally, in the context of developing operations to meet multiple social, economic and environmental objectives, it is important to acknowledge that seeking options that only reduce emissions may not always be practical or possible. In some instances, we may have to accept an increase in emissions in order to meet other objectives. It is important that we evaluate the net greenhouse gas emissions of all operations, not just those aimed at climate change mitigation. We can then select those with the least burden in the process of developing optimal solutions to meet multiple objectives.