Can Extractive Reserves Save the Rain Forest? An Ecological and Socioeconomic Comparison of Nontimber Forest Product Extraction Systems in Petén,Guatemala, and West Kalimantan,Indonesia

We compare existing nontimber forest product extraction systems in Petén, Guatemala, and West Kalimantan, Indonesia, to identify key ecological, socioeconomic, and political factors in the design and implementation of extractive reserves. Ecological parameters include the spatial and temporal availability of harvested products and the sustainability of harvesting practices from both a population and an ecosystem perspective. Socioeconomic and political factors include the presence or absence of well-defined resource tenure rights, physical and social infrastructure, markets, and alternative land uses. We conclude that although extractive reserves can play a significant role in preserving tropical forests as a part of a broader land-use spectrum, their effectiveness is highly dependent on prevailing local ecological, socioeconomic, and political conditions. Ultimately, extractive reserves should be regarded as one component of an overall approach to the problem of tropical deforestation.     

The firm,environmental management and environmental measures: Lessons from a survey of European manufacturing firms

This paper reports on the results of a survey of environmental management and technical measures amongst almost 2000 European firms. Logit analysis is undertaken to determine the effects of firm characteristics, commercial conditions, perceived environmental impacts, expected benefits and stakeholder pressures on the probability of having an environmental management system in place. Subsequently, determinants of the likelihood of undertaking environmental actions in five environmental areas are estimated. There is a positive effect of environmental management on the likelihood of undertaking technical measures to reduce environmental impacts in some (but not all) areas, as well as a positive role for integrated environmental management strategies.     

Assessment of PCDD/F and PBDD/F emissions from coal-fired power plants during injection of brominated activated carbon for mercury control

The effect of the injection of brominated powdered activated carbon (Br-PAC) on the emission of brominated and chlorinated dioxins and furans in coal combustion flue gas has been evaluated. The sampling campaigns were performed at two U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) demonstration sites where brominated PAC was being injected for control of mercury emissions. The results of the sampling campaigns showed that injection of the brominated PAC upstream of the electrostatic precipitator (ESP) did not increase the emissions of total and Toxic EQuivalent (TEQ) chlorinated and brominated dioxin compounds. Rather, the data suggested the sorbent may capture these compounds and reduce their concentration in the flue gas stream. This effect, when seen, was small, and independent of the type of plant emission controls, temperature at the point of injection, or fuel-chlorine content. The addition of the brominated PAC sorbent resulted in slight increases the total content of chlorinated dioxins and furan in the particulate matter (ash) collected in the ESP, but did not increase its overall toxicity.     

Mapping convergence points in the initial emergency response to 9/111

In response to extreme events, researchers have recognised the convergence of volunteers, emergency responders, and other individuals and organisations. In 2000, geographer Paul Routledge presented the concept of convergence spaces as a theoretical means to explain social movements. In applying this concept, this paper explores the geographic space in which organisations and individuals converged immediately following the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. The paper begins to answer the question of whether there were in fact any patterns of convergence among the locations utilised by organisations responding to the attacks. Using data collected from field documents, these geographic locations are mapped over 12 days to help identify possible patterns of clustering. Results of this analysis will begin to provide researchers, policy makers and practitioners with a better understanding of how emergency response evolves geographically following an event.     

Using research-based knowledge to underpin waste and resources policy.

The concept of a knowledge-based approach to policy making (also referred to as 'evidence-based policy making' or 'science meets policy') has been around for 10 years, and is widely 'signed up to' by Governments. This paper examines the theory and the practice at national government (using the UK as a case study) and European levels, looking at how the knowledge-based approach has been applied in waste and resources management. There is general agreement that a knowledge-(or evidence-) based approach to policy making is a 'good thing'; however putting the concept into practice has proven challenging and is still evolving. The linkages between researchers and policy makers need to be further strengthened, as does the 'demand' for evidence from policy; requiring policy specialists to articulate their requirements for evidence sufficiently well in advance, and to do so routinely, is still an area of weakness. Using a model developed by the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), we examine in detail some of the implications of changing the question from 'is this good research on waste and resources issues?' to 'is this good evidence for waste and resources policy?'. The paper also provides recommendations for further work required to achieve this at a European level, and for priority areas where international co-ordination of waste and resources research could add most value to policy.     

Do female association preferences predict the likelihood of reproduction?

Sexual selection acting on male traits through female mate choice is commonly inferred from female association preferences in dichotomous mate choice experiments. However, there are surprisingly few empirical demonstrations that such association preferences predict the likelihood of females reproducing with a particular male. This information is essential to confirm association preferences as good predictors of mate choice. We used green swordtails (Xiphophorus helleri) to test whether association preferences predict the likelihood of a female reproducing with a male. Females were tested for a preference for long- or short-sworded males in a standard dichotomous choice experiment and then allowed free access to either their preferred or non-preferred male. If females subsequently failed to produce fry, they were provided a second unfamiliar male with similar sword length to the first male. Females were more likely to reproduce with preferred than non-preferred males, but for those that reproduced, neither the status (preferred/non-preferred) nor the sword length (long/short) of the male had an effect on brood size or relative investment in growth by the female. There was no overall preference based on sword length in this study, but male sword length did affect likelihood of reproduction, with females more likely to reproduce with long- than short-sworded males (independent of preference for such males in earlier choice tests). These results suggest that female association preferences are good indicators of female mate choice but that ornament characteristics of the male are also important.     

Trophy hunters’ willingness to pay for wildlife conservation and community benefits

In the face of fundamental land‐use changes, the potential for trophy hunting to contribute to conservation is increasingly recognized. Trophy hunting can, for example, provide economic incentives to protect wildlife populations and their habitat, but empirical studies on these relationships are few and tend to focus on the effects of benefit‐sharing schemes from an ex post perspective. We investigated the conditions under which trophy hunting could facilitate wildlife conservation in Ethiopia ex ante. We used a choice experiment approach to survey international trophy hunters’ (n = 224) preferences for trips to Ethiopia, here operationalized as trade‐offs between different attributes of a hunting package, as expressed through choices with an associated willingness to pay. Participants expressed strong preferences and, consequently, were willing to pay substantial premiums for hunting trips to areas with abundant nontarget wildlife where domestic livestock was absent and for arrangements that offered benefit sharing with local communities. For example, within the range of percentages considered in the survey, respondents were on average willing to pay an additional $3900 for every 10 percentage points of the revenue being given to local communities. By contrast, respondents were less supportive of hunting revenue being retained by governmental bodies: Willingness to pay decreased by $1900 for every 10 percentage points of the revenue given to government. Hunters’ preferences for such attributes of hunting trips differed depending on the degree to which they declared an interest in Ethiopian culture, nature conservation, or believed Ethiopia to be politically unstable. Overall, respondents thus expressly valued the outcomes of nature conservation activities—the presence of wildlife in hunting areas—and they were willing to pay for them. Our findings highlight the usefulness of insights from choice modeling for the design of wildlife management and conservation policies and suggest that trophy hunting in Ethiopia could generate substantially more financial support for conservation and be more in line with conservation objectives than is currently the case.     

Spectrophotometric determination of uranium with arsenazo-III in perchloric acid

A short, sensitive and reliable spectrophotometric method, which has advantages over all known "wet chemistry" methods for uranium determination with regard to tolerance to common interferences, has been developed for the determination of uranium. Selectivity, molar absorptivity and the determination range of uranium have been enhanced by using 0.07% arsenazo-III as a chromogenic reagent. The use of 3 mol dm(-3) perchloric acid as a medium of determination was found to be excellent in terms of good solvent compatibility on dilution, destruction of organic contamination and simplicity of operation. The uranium-arsenazo-III complex formed instantly, and was found to be stable for more than 3 weeks with constant absorbance. Beer's law was obeyed up to a uranium concentration of 16 microg g(-1), with a molar absorptivity at 651 nm of 1.45x10(5) mol(-1) dm(3) cm(-1) at 24+/-2 degrees C. Only phosphate and citrate at 70-fold excess over uranium interfere seriously, whereas other anions studied could be tolerated up to a 70-fold excess over uranium. Of the cations studied, only Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Cr(III) decreased the normal absorbance of the complex. Iron(III), Ce(III) and Y(III) enhanced the absorbance. Other cations studied did not affect the absorbance up to a 50-fold excess. The accuracy was checked by determining uranium from standard solutions in the range 10-50 microg g(-1). It was found to be accurate with a 96.0-98.6% recovery rate. The method has been successfully applied to standard reference materials and ore samples at microg g(-1) levels.     

Effects of gamma irradiation on Holcus lanatus (Yorkshire fog grass) and associated soil microorganisms

An investigation was conducted to determine the impact of acute doses of gamma radiation on the microbial community structure of a Holcus lanatus dominated grassland soil. Mesocosms containing soil and established grass were irradiated using a sealed (137)Cs source (7.0 Gy min(-1)). Doses ranged from 5 to 160 Gy, analyses were conducted on the day of irradiation, then 7 and 30 days later. Plant growth and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonisation of roots were reduced by irradiation. Gram-negative bacteria, and microbial metabolic capacity were also negatively affected by treatment. Microbial biomass measured by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis, showed an increase at doses above 20 Gy, 7 and 30 days after treatment. Proportions of Gram-positive bacterial and fungal PLFAs fluctuated inversely to each other, in response to both sampling time and radiation dose. We hypothesise that many of the observed soil microbial responses are indirect effects mediated by the influence of ionising radiation on the plants in this system.