Land Cover Changes Between 1968 and 2003 In Cai Nuoc,Ca Mau Peninsula,Vietnam

Since 2000, the shrimp industry expands at a fast rate in the coastal areas of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Shrimp farming is known for its negative impact on the coastal environment. However, other human interventions like agriculture and urbanization also deteriorate the coastal environment. The land cover changes between 1968 and 2003 were determined and analyzed for the Cai Nuoc district, Ca Mau Province, Vietnam, using photos from 1968, 1992 (aerial photographs), 1997/98 (Spot) and 2003 (Landsat). It was clear that the district underwent serious land cover changes: deforestation between 1968 and 1992, with a simultaneous increase in rice land; a rapid decline in rice acreage from 1997 onwards, and, simultaneously, a blitz-increase in shrimp farming area. The forest area declined by 75% between 1968 and 2003. About 40% of this loss could be attributed to shrimp farming, while the remaining 60% was attributed to needs for agricultural land. Still, at present, shrimp farming is the major source of mangrove loss in the district. In 1999 shrimp farms covered 6.374 ha, in 2000 they covered 61.049 ha of the Cai Nuoc area. The swap from rice cultivation to shrimp farming was most-probably driven by households’ hopes for a higher income. It must be feared that the shrimp industry will have a negative impact on the environment (e.g. salinization) and on the livelihood of the district’s households. In 1968 saline water covered 219.9 km², in 1992, 1997/98 and 2003 the saline surface water area covered 92.4, 135.2 and 835.0 km², respectively. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Stochastic Multi-species MSY to Achieve Ecological-Economic Sustainability of a Coral Reef Fishery System in French Polynesia

Environmental Modeling & Assessment - This paper investigates the ecological-economic sustainability of coral reef socio-ecological systems under fishing and environmental pressures. To achieve...     

Optimal allocations of agricultural intensity reveal win-no loss solutions for food production and biodiversity

Regional Environmental Change - Reconciling biodiversity conservation and food production may require the fine-tuning of both agricultural intensity and its spatial allocation. Here, we explored...     

Influencing factors on sustainable development: a case study in Quang Tri province,Vietnam

Background Sustainable development (SD) is a common concept. Knowledge and attitudes are essential in the SD process. This study assesses the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of local people about SD. Aim To study the factors that influence the understanding of the concept, contents, and indicators of different aspects affecting the health and environmental issues. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out from June to July 2007 among 546 households in the Quang Tri province. Data were gathered on basis of socio-demographic variables, namely age, gender, education, occupation, income, and region. Chi square tests and multivariate analysis were performed on the obtained data. The data were cleaned and analysed using SPSS 15.0 for windows. Results Occupation is related to knowledge, attitude, or practice. Income is related to knowledge or practice. Gender related to only attitude. Lastly, region is related to attitude or practice. The proportion of wrong understanding about SD is 2.0 times (95% CI: 1.3; 3.1, p < 0.001) higher than that of the people who have good understanding about it. The rate of willingness to do any related SD programmes of the people who understanding is 2.1 times (95% CI: 1.4; 3.2, p < 0.001) higher than that of the people who have bad one. Conclusions This study shows that knowledge on sustainability of the local communities is low. Occupation and income influence understanding of SD more than region, age, gender, and education. Most of the local people who do not understand SD in general, do not want to participate or act in SD programmes.     

Cytogenetic monitoring of domestic mammals exposed to wastewaters from the localities of Dladla and Boukallou near Settat, Morocco

The aim of this work was to know the biological impact of wastewaters on livestock in the localities of Dladla and Boukallou (Town of Settat, Morocco), where wastewaters are largely used by the local population for their agricultural activities. We used the micronucleus (MN) test in cytochalasin B blocked binucleated cells (BNC) to assess the possible induced genetic effects. The cellular proliferation index (PI) was also calculated. Blood samples were collected from sheep, bovines and mules and peripheral blood cultures were made according to our laboratories' standard methodology. The results showed a significant increase of micronucleated cells in the lymphocytes of the exposed animals (14+/-8.79 MN/500 BNC) compared to the control (3+/-1.54 MN/500 BNC). The PI showed a nonsignificant decrease in the exposed animals. The highest MN frequency was found in mules which is probably due to their more sedentary life. Direct use of the wastewater by the animals as their source of drinking water significantly increased the frequency of cells with micronuclei. We also established an inverse correlation between the chromosome number and the PI. These results suggest a serious degradation of the ecosystem due to the wastewaters with a direct impact on its inhabitants.