Management of mountain areas in Norway and the persistence of local–national conflicts

We have investigated why conflicts linked to the distribution of power between governments and actors at the national and local levels concerning environmental management of mountain areas in Norway persist despite political intentions to strengthen local powers. We seek to explain this by analysing changes in policies, institutional frameworks, and regional contexts, and the local perceptions of these changes. Paradoxically, the national government's power has apparently been strengthened by new sectoral regulations and more stringent enforcement of the existing ones, increases in the number and extent of protected areas, and failures to act on intentions to devolve power. An additional factor spurring conflicts is the increased importance of tourism to mountain communities. To become more relevant to policies and development in mountain areas, future studies on multilevel governance must address multilevel politics, entire mountain areas, and the context of their development, rather than focusing on minor projects and protected areas.     

Pooled Analysis of Two Swedish Case-Control Studies on the Use of Mobile and Cordless Telephones and the Risk of Brain Tumours Diagnosed During 1997–2003

Here we present the pooled analysis of 2 case–control studies on the association of brain tumours with mobile phone use. Use of analogue cellular phones increased the risk for acoustic neuroma by 5%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2-9% per 100 hrs of use. The risk increased for astrocytoma grade III—IV with latency period with highest estimates using >10-year time period from first use of these phone types. The risk increased per one year of use of analogue phones by 10%, 95% CI = 6-14%, digital phones by 11%, 95% CI = 6-16%, and cordless phones by 8%, 95% CI = 5-12%. For all studied phone types OR for brain tumours, mainly acoustic neuroma and malignant brain tumours, increased with latency period, especially for astrocytoma grade III—IV.     

How to “walk the talk”: The perspectives of sector staff on implementation of the rural water supply programme in Uganda

Many countries in sub‐Saharan Africa have adopted similar approaches to tackle the challenges of rural water supply, including community‐based management, community participation and the demand‐responsive approach. These are often combined with nationwide programmes of capacity‐building and decentralization. This paper first shows how Uganda has adopted these approaches in its rural water supply programme. Based on Government documents, we construct an organizational framework that illustrates the overall programme and outlines the roles and responsibilities which actors are expected to fulfil. Second, based on interviews with sector staff and a review of Government documents, the paper examines challenges to successfully “walk the talk”; that is, it provides insight into challenges affecting programme implementation. Among numerous difficulties, two key issues are highlighted: local political interference and the weak capacity of local governments. Concerning local political interference, local planning processes need to be reformed so that local politicians commit more strongly to improving water supply. Regarding local government capacity, the Government department responsible for the programme has established eight regional units that provide support to local governments. This promising strategy, combined with more appropriate engagement and the commitment of local politicians, should help to improve the implementation of the rural water supply programme in Uganda.     

An Aerosol Sampler for Determination of Particle Concentration as a Function of Size and Time

A high flow rate four-stage impacfor was developed for the determination of aerosol concentration as a function of both particle size and time. The unit is very useful for long-term sampling intervals (24 hr) and for sampling very dusty atmospheres. Gas-borne particulate matter is collected out on four rotating drums, each with a collection surface area of about 10 sq in.; this allows a large quantity of materials to be collected without danger of particle build-up and blow-off. A particle size-collection efficiency calibration for the unit is presented together with experimental data on wall losses, surface coatings, and other important operational considerations.     

Environmental assessment of plant protection strategies using scenarios for pig feed production

Two scenarios for future pig meat production were constructed. The first was a "business as usual" scenario, where the pig feed was based on domestic grain and imported soy-meal, and no efforts were made to reduce pesticide use. The second scenario had a strong environmental focus, and both peas and rapeseed were grown at pig-farm level to produce grain and protein feed. Preventive measures, such as a more diverse crop rotation and mechanical weed control, were combined to reduce pesticide use. The two scenarios were environmentally assessed by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and a pesticide risk indicator model (PRI-Farm). The results showed environmentally sound possibilities to reduce pesticide dependency and risks by using altered plant protection strategies in pig-feed production. Organizing on-farm feed production so that protein feed crops are integrated with grain crops contributes to a more diverse crop rotation.     

A wasting syndrome in Swedish moose (Alces alces): background and current hypotheses

In the 1980s, people in Sweden frequently responded to moose (Alces alces) found dead or in poor physical condition. The number of moose submitted for routine investigations to the National Veterinary Institute (SVA) increased tenfold and the hunters in Alvsborg County were especially concerned. Later, a complex wasting syndrome was described and reports of moose suffering from the syndrome have been collected since 1991. Today, there is no definitive answer as to the underlying causel(s) of the syndrome, but there are several plausible hypotheses that can be divided into two groups: food-related and host-parasite related. The food-related hypotheses are postulated to have any of the following ultimate causes: acidification/liming, browser density/food production or pollution. Our view is that few of the hypotheses have been critically tested. Most of the hypotheses are supported by some observations, which is to be expected because these are post-hoc attempts to explain these very observations.     

瑞典驼鹿(Alces alces)萎缩综合症:背景及当前的假说

20世纪80年代,在瑞典人们经常发现驼鹿死亡或身体状况差的情况.递交给瑞典国立兽医研究所(SVA)进行尸体常规检查的驼鹿数目增加了10倍之多.艾尔夫斯堡(Alvsborg)的狩猎者们对此尤为关注.随后,人们对驼鹿这一复杂的萎缩综合症进行了相关描述并从1991年开始收集有关患病驼鹿的报道.迄今为止,仍未找到该综合症确定的潜在病因,但人们提出了一些可能的假说以解释此综合症.这些假说基本上可以分为两类:食物相关假说和宿主-寄生虫相关假说.食物相关假说认为萎缩综合症有如下根本原因:酸化/撒石灰、采食动物密度/食物产量或污染.上述假说很少经严格实验检验,多半实验仅为一些观察结果支持,之所以这些假说与人们的预计相吻合,是因为这些假说是事后试图解释这些观察到的现象而提出的.     

人为因素对社会-生态系统脆弱性和恢复力影响的地理差异

横跨北极的地区,可更新资源和不可更新资源、人口密度、资产投资、住宅与交通基础设施的分布存在着很大差异,这些差异被公认为是研究当前和未来社会-生态系统变化的热点.由于当前政治和经济的稳定,芬诺斯堪的亚地区北部社会-生态系统呈现出相对良好的形势,而俄罗斯北部从苏联解体开始便一直经历着急速且消极的变化,这些变化反映了俄罗斯普遍存在的危机状态.北美洲虽然处在一个相对稳定有序的制度下,采取了一些措施用于防止和减轻与工业有关的环境退化,但大多即将出台的新发展计划仍将会显著扩大社会-生态系统受到潜在影响的空间范围.制度或管理条款与生态系统服务功能对环境变化的缓冲能力紧密相关.无论气候是否变暖,某些地理区域对外来破坏作用表现得特别脆弱,这有可能威胁到这些区域在将来提供产品和服务的能力.尽管某些地区的气候变化有可能会使这种形势恶化,但从长远来看,气候变化也有可能会使其恢复力得到加强.