Spatial and temporal land use and carbon stock changes in Uganda: implications for a future REDD strategy

Using a map overlay procedure in a Geographical Information System environment, we quantify and map major land use and land cover (LULC) change patterns in Uganda period 1990–2005 and determine whether the transitions were random or systematic. The analysis reveals that the most dominant systematic land use change processes were deforestation (woodland to subsistence farmland—3.32%); forest degradation (woodland to bushland (4.01%) and grassland (4.08%) and bush/grassland conversion to cropland (5.5%) all resulting in a net reduction in forests (6.1%). Applying an inductive approach based on logistic regression and trend analyses of observed changes we analyzed key drivers of LULC change. Significant predictors of forest land use change included protection status, market access, poverty, slope, soil quality and presence/absence of a stream network. Market access, poverty and population all decreased the log odds of retaining forests. In addition, poverty also increased the likelihood of degradation. An increase in slope decreased the likelihood of deforestation. Using the stock change and gain/loss approaches we estimated the change in forest carbon stocks and emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Results indicate a negligible increase in forest carbon stocks (3,260 t C yr-1) in the period 1990–2005 when compared to the emissions due to deforestation and forest degradation (2.67 million t C yr-1). In light of the dominant forest land use change patterns, the drivers and change in carbon stocks, we discuss options which could be pursued to implement a future national REDD plus strategy which considers livelihood, biodiversity and climate change mitigation objectives.     

Are indigenous forest reserves sustainable? An analysis of present and future land-use trends in Bosawas,Nicaragua

SUMMARY

In recent years, indigenous tenure over forest lands has emerged as a means to conserve forests while recognizing indigenous rights. There is concern, however, that indigenous reserves may not be an appropriate policy tool for sustained forest conservation. Our research examined how recognition of indigenous common-property rights has controlled agricultural expansion and conserved forests in Bosawas Biosphere Reserve, Nicaragua. We used satellite imagery with empirical data gathered in the field on land-use institutions, population pressures, and land-use practices to compare whether indigenous communities under territorial management or public management are better able to (1) control the ‘fast threat’ of frontier expansion and (2) address the long-term ecological threats posed by indigenous land-use practices and institutional changes in the region. Our findings are that indigenous residents who share common-property rights over their territories are better able to control agricultural expansion than are indigenous residents living on public lands. With respect to the long-term threats to the region, a series of simulations of possible land-use pressures demonstrate that the enforcement of territorial boundaries and further development of indigenous forest management rules will prove crucial in determining land-use capacity and deforestation over the next 50 years.     

Ecological drivers of group living in two populations of the communally rearing rodent, Octodon degus

Intraspecific variation in sociality is thought to reflect a trade-off between current fitness benefits and costs that emerge from individuals' decision to join or leave groups. Since those benefits and costs may be influenced by ecological conditions, ecological variation remains a major, ultimate cause of intraspecific variation in sociality. Intraspecific comparisons of mammalian sociality across populations facing different environmental conditions have not provided a consistent relationship between ecological variation and group-living. Thus, we studied two populations of the communally rearing rodent Octodon degus to determine how co-variation between sociality and ecology supports alternative ecological causes of group living. In particular, we examined how variables linked to predation risk, thermal conditions, burrowing costs, and food availability predicted temporal and population variation in sociality. Our study revealed population and temporal variation in total group size and group composition that covaried with population and yearly differences in ecology. In particular, predation risk and burrowing costs are supported as drivers of this social variation in degus. Thermal differences, food quantity and quality were not significant predictors of social group size. In contrast to between populations, social variation within populations was largely uncoupled from ecological differences.     

Business recovery: an assessment framework

This paper presents a Business Recovery Assessment Framework (BRAF) to help researchers and practitioners design robust, repeatable, and comparable studies of business recovery in various post‐disruption contexts. Studies assessing business recovery without adequately considering the research aims, recovery definitions, and indicators can produce misleading findings. The BRAF is composed of a series of steps that guide the decisions that researchers need to make to ensure: (i) that recovery is indeed being measured; (ii) that the indicators of recovery that are selected align with the objectives of the study and the definition of recovery; and, where necessary, (iii) that appropriate comparative control variables are in place. The paper draws on a large dataset of business surveys collected following the earthquakes in Canterbury, New Zealand, on 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011 to demonstrate the varied conclusions that different recovery indicators can produce and to justify the need for a systematic approach to business recovery assessments.     

Reflecting ecological criteria in laws supporting the Baja to Bering Sea marine protected areas network case study

Canadian and US marine conservation law, and other related law, was analyzed to determine if it reflected ecological criteria needed to implement connectivity among marine protected areas of the northeast Pacific in the proposed trilateral Baja to Bering Sea (B2B) initiative. The analysis included both nations’ federal laws and those of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and British Columbia. While legal provisions exist already to implement marine protected areas for varying reasons, there is little capacity in most laws to create connectivity among them for conservation purposes. Only California's legislation contained explicit provisions for all the criteria. Other federal, state, and provincial laws, while containing provisions for species at risk and vulnerable habitats, generally lacked explicit provisions for the vital criteria, size of area, migratory patterns, and recruitment patterns. Implementation, future management, and protection of the proposed B2B marine network would be facilitated by amendment of both Canadian and US laws. Some of the ecological criteria are already implied implicitly or vaguely, but they need to be made explicit in the amended law. The legislative model of California could serve as a template for amending the laws of other jurisdictions in the B2B venture.     

Behavior of potentially toxic elements from stoker-boiler fly ash in Interior Alaska: paired batch leaching and solid-phase characterization

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Despite significant investigation of fly ash spills and mineralogical controls on the release of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) from fly ash,...     

利用卫星数据估算波罗的海的透明度和透光层深度

波罗的海水体透明度的长期变化趋势已按富营养化的观点加以解释[1,2].可以通过遥感数据估算得到光谱衰减系数Kd(490)[3].由于漫衰减系数与透明度之间存在着经验和理论关系,因此,利用遥感数据估算海水营养状态是可能的.本文研究了遥感和水下实测Kd(490)与分别于1999年在东波罗的海本体海区[4]和2001年、2002年在西波罗的海本体海区/希默海区(Himmerfjarden)专门海上观测中获得的透明度之间的关系.利用水下测量值通过回归分析方法建立波罗的海PAR与光谱衰减系数间的关系.分析表明,在调查海区,Kd(490)约为Kd(PAR)的1.48倍.该关系用于定义透光层深度与遥感光学深度Kd(490)-1间的关系.结果表明,透光层深度约是Kd(490)-1的6.8倍.Kd(PAR)与透明度的回归分析结果证实了已有的研究结果,即Kd(PAR)为透明度倒数的1.7倍.再者,透明度与Kd(490)之间的水体成分反演算法用于模拟制作由SeaWiFS Kd(490)获得的波罗的海透明度分布图.该分布图通过海上实测数据加以验证,对卫星遥感获得的Kd(490)与实测Kd(490)做了对比,并讨论了产生误差的原因.     

Spatio-temporal patterns in county-level incidence and reporting of Lyme disease in the northeastern United States, 1990–2000

We present an exploratory analysis of reported county-specific incidence of Lyme disease in the northeastern United States for the years 1990–2000. We briefly review the disease ecology of Lyme disease and the use of risk maps to describe local incidence as estimates of local risk of disease. We place the relevant elements of local environmental and ecological variables, local disease incidence, and (importantly) local disease reporting in a conceptual context to frame our analysis. We then apply hierarchical linear models of increasing complexity to summarize observed patterns in reported incidence, borrowing information across counties to improve local precision. We find areas of increasing incidence in the central northeastern Atlantic coast counties, increasing incidence branching to the north and west, and an area of fairly stable and slightly decreasing reported incidence in western New York.     

Assessing Secchi and photic zone depth in the Baltic Sea from satellite data

Long-term trends in the Secchi depth of the Baltic Sea have been interpreted in terms of eutrophication. The spectral attenuation coefficient Kd (490) can be estimated from remote sensing data. Given the empirical and theoretical relationships between diffuse attenuation and Secchi depth, it is therefore possible to estimate the trophic state from remote sensing data. This paper considers relationships among remotely sensed and in-water measured K (490), and Secchi depth data obtained during dedicated sea-truthing campaigns in the eastern Baltic Proper in 1999 (4) and in the western Baltic Proper/Himmerfj?rden area during 2001 and 2002. In-water measurements are used to establish the relationship between the PAR and the spectral attenuation coefficient in the Baltic Sea via regression analysis. The analysis showed that in the area of investigation Kd(490) is about 1.48 times higher than Kd (PAR). This relationship is then used to define the link between the photic zone depth and the remote sensing optical depth, Kd (490)-1. The results show that the depth of the euphotic zone is about 6.8 times Kd (490)-1. The regression analysis between Kd (PAR) and Secchi depth confirmed previous work that Kd (PAR) is about 1.7 of the inverse Secchi depth. Furthermore, an in-water algorithm between Secchi depth and Kd (490) is used to simulate a Secchi depth map of the Baltic Sea from SeaWiFS Kd(490) data. This map is verified against sea-truthing data. Kd (490) data derived from satellite is compared to in situ Kd (490), and the sources of error are discussed.