Designing the Masoala National Park in Madagascar Based on Biological and Socioeconomic Data

Abstract: Conservation biologists have developed powerful tools for reserve selection and design over the past two decades, yet seldom are protected areas actually designed on scientific grounds. Using fundamental biological and socioeconomic principles of conservation science, we designed a new protected area and its multiple-use zone on the Masoala Peninsula in the humid forest zone of Madagascar. The explicit design criteria determined the data gathered for the work, which included (1) spatial distribution and quality of habitat, (2) the areas and species at greatest risk, (3) the relationship between environmental gradients and species distributions, (4) current and predicted human settlement and land and resource use, and (5) the economic potential of natural forest management as an alternative to deforestation. We used a geographic information system to integrate these data layers and applied the design criteria to develop a park proposal that balanced human and wildlife needs. The proposal won the approval of local residents, and a national decree in 1997 designated 2100 km² of rainforest and three satellite marine reserves as the Masoala National Park, with a surrounding multiple-use zone of approximately 1000 km². The new park is Madagascar's largest protected area and protects more lowland (<400 m) humid forest habitat than the entire reserve system combined, a significant step forward in conserving a globally important ecoregion. Consideration of local needs and the national economy was a key element in gaining approval for the Masoala Park. Such an approach toward reserve design could be applied elsewhere to improve chances of establishing and maintaining protected areas over the long term.     

Assessment of Spatiotemporal Varying Relationships Between Rainfall,Land Cover and Surface Water Area Using Geographically Weighted Regression

Traditional regression techniques such as ordinary least squares (OLS) are often unable to accurately model spatially varying data and may ignore or hide local variations in model coefficients. A relatively new technique, geographically weighted regression (GWR) has been shown to greatly improve model performance compared to OLS in terms of higher R ² and lower corrected Akaike information criterion (AIC_C). GWR models have the potential to improve reliabilities of the identified relationships by reducing spatial autocorrelations and by accounting for local variations and spatial non-stationarity between dependent and independent variables. In this study, GWR was used to examine the relationship between land cover, rainfall and surface water habitat in 149 sub-catchments in a predominately agricultural region covering 2.6 million ha in southeast Australia. The application of the GWR models revealed that the relationships between land cover, rainfall and surface water habitat display significant spatial non-stationarity. GWR showed improvements over analogous OLS models in terms of higher R ² and lower AIC_C. The increased explanatory power of GWR was confirmed by the results of an approximate likelihood ratio test, which showed statistically significant improvements over analogous OLS models. The models suggest that the amount of surface water area in the landscape is related to anthropogenic drainage practices enhancing runoff to facilitate intensive agriculture and increased plantation forestry. However, with some key variables not present in our analysis, the strength of this relationship could not be qualified. GWR techniques have the potential to serve as a useful tool for environmental research and management across a broad range of scales for the investigation of spatially varying relationships.     

Occupational and environmental aerosol exposure assessment: a scientific journey from the past, through the present and into the future

This paper reviews how aerosol exposure assessment, for people in both working and living environments, has evolved over the years. It charts the main scientific developments that led to progressively improved ways of thinking and methods to assess exposure to airborne particulate matter in a manner more relevant to human health. It has been a long scientific journey as one generation of pioneering contributors has handed off to the next. In the process a consistent rationale has emerged, producing aerosol sampling criteria--and in turn exposure standards--which have been increasingly relevant to actual human exposures. The journey continues as a new generation of scientists steps up to deal with the new challenges that are emerging. An appreciation of the history of what went before is essential to charting the most effective path looking forward.     

Monitoring saltwater intrusion in Rupert Bay,Québec,Canada, after the partial diversion of a major tributary

As part of a large hydroelectric project in northern Québec (Canada), a portion of the flow of the Rupert River was diverted toward the existing La Grande hydroelectric complex. As a result of the partial diversion, the discharge of the Rupert River at its mouth is reduced by an average of 50% annually. This corresponds to an 18% decrease in the total freshwater inflow into the bay and, thus, to a shift of the upstream limit of the saltwater intrusion in Rupert Bay. Changes in saltwater intrusion had been predicted numerically as part of the project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA). In the project’s conditions of authorization, monitoring the hydraulic conditions and the extent of saltwater intrusion in the Rupert Bay was required by government authorities. The objective of this paper is to present the results of this environmental monitoring and, more specifically, to validate the modifications predicted in the EIA in terms of both saltwater intrusion limit and hydraulic conditions in the Rupert Bay. Results obtained during 2 years of monitoring are within the predicted trends and order of magnitude of changes anticipated in the EIA. The results, thus, confirm that the shift of the upstream limit of the saltwater front along the channels of the bay was conservatively predicted by numerical modeling.     

Response of balanced network models to large-scale perturbation: Implications for evaluating the role of small pelagics in the Gulf of Maine

Exploring the response of an ecosystem, and subsequent tradeoffs among its biological community, to human perturbations remains a key challenge for the implementation of an ecosystem approaches to fisheries (EAF). To address this and related issues, we developed two network (or energy budget) models, Ecopath and Econetwrk, for the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. These models included 31 network “nodes” or biomass state variables across a broad range of trophic levels, with the present emphasis to particularly elucidate the role of small pelagics. After initial network balancing, various perturbation scenarios were evaluated to explore how potential changes to different fish, fisheries and lower trophic levels can affect model outputs. Categorically across all scenarios and interpretations thereof, there was minimal change at the second trophic levels and most of the “rebalancing” after a perturbation occurred via alteration of the diet matrix. Yet the model results from perturbations to a balanced energy budget fall into one of three categories. First, some model results were intuitive and in obvious agreement with established ecological and fishing theory. Second, some model results were counter-intuitive upon initial observation, seemingly contradictory to known ecological and fishing theory; but upon further examination the results were explainable given the constraints of an equilibrium energy budget. Finally, some results were counter-intuitive and difficult to reconcile with theory or further examination of equilibrium constraints. A detailed accounting of biomass flows for example scenarios explores some of the non-intuitive results more rigorously. Collectively these results imply a need to carefully track biomass flows and results of any given perturbation and to critically evaluate the conditions under which a new equilibrium is obtained for these types of models, which has implications for dynamic simulations based off of them. Given these caveats, the role of small pelagics as a prominent component of this ecosystem remains a robust conclusion. We discuss how one might use this approach in the context of further developing an EAF, recognizing that a more holistic, integrated perspective will be required as we continue to evaluate tradeoffs among marine biological communities.     

Signature whistle variations in a bottlenosed dolphin,Tursiops truncatus

To examine whether context-specific information is superimposed upon the individual cues present in the whistling of the bottlenosed dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, parameter variations within the two most frequently emitted whistle types of a captive individual were investigated in three different behavioural contexts. The study concentrated on comparing signal features of spontaneously occurring vocalizations in two possible phases following the performance of a trained discrimination task and those occurring during isolation. Phases of the discrimination task differed according to whether the animal showed correct (reward given) or incorrect performance (no reward). Signature whistles were most common in isolation, but also represented just over half of the whistles following a choice task. Of 14 signature whistle frequency and time parameters measured 9 differed significantly between isolation and at least one of the phases following a choice task (Table 1). Three parameters also varied according to whether performance was correct or incorrect. In contrast, only one out of four parameters (start frequency) measured from the second most frequent whistle type varied significantly between contexts (isolation vs. phase following correct choice). The results indicate that not only identity but also context-related information is available in the whistles of a bottlenosed dolphin.     

Spatial decoupling of facilitation and competition at the origin of gapped vegetation patterns

Spatially periodic vegetation patterns, forming gaps, bands, labyrinths, or spots, are characteristic of arid and semiarid landscapes. Self-organization models can explain this variety of structures within a unified conceptual framework. All these models are based on the interplay of positive and negative effects of plants on soil water, but they can be divided according to whether they assume the interactions to be mediated by water redistribution through runoff/diffusion or by plants' organs. We carried out a multi-proxy approach of the processes operating in a gapped pattern in southwest Niger dominated by a shrub species. Soil moisture within the root layer was monitored in time and space over one month of the rainy season. Soil water recharge displayed no spatial variation with respect to vegetation cover, but the stock half-life under cover was twice that of bare areas. A kernel of facilitation by the aboveground parts of shrubs was parameterized, and soil water half-life was significantly correlated to the cumulated facilitative effects of shrubs. The kernel range was found to be smaller than the canopy radius (81%). This effect of plants on soil water dynamics, probably through a reduction of evaporation by shading, is shown to be a better explanatory variable than potentially relevant soil and topography parameters. The root systems of five individuals of Combretum micranthum G. Don were excavated. Root density data were used as a proxy to parameterize a kernel function of interplant competition. The range of this kernel was larger than the canopy radius (125%). The facilitation-to-competition range ratio, reflecting the above-to-belowground ratio of plant lateral extent, was smaller than 1 (0.64), a result supporting models assuming that patterning may emerge from an adaptation of plant morphology to aridity and shallow soils by means of an extended lateral root system. Moreover, observed soil water gradients had directions opposite to those assumed by alternative mathematical models based on underground water diffusion. This study contributes to the growing awareness that combined facilitative and competitive plant interactions can induce landscape-scale patterns and shape the two-way feedback loops between environment and vegetation.     

Estimating waste transfer station delays using GPS

This paper examines the use of on-board global positioning system (GPS) data recorders as a method to collect field data on the movements of solid waste collection vehicles at transfer stations. The movements of five waste collection vehicles using four different transfer facilities were compared over a period of 1 year. The spatial data were analyzed using geofences to determine the amount of time each truck spent on each of four activities: queuing for access to the weigh scale, sitting on the weigh scale, queuing for access to the tipping floor, and unloading waste. The study found that queuing delays can be identified and measured using GPS data. The average time at a facility for all trucks was 16.4min per visit, with a standard deviation of 14.3min. Time at the facility ranged between 2 and 111min per visit and the distribution of time at the facility was positively skewed. Multi-compartment vehicles (co-collection and recycling trucks) spent significantly more time at unloading facilities. There were also significant differences in the length and the location of the queues at different facilities. At one facility, the longest delays were encountered while waiting for the weigh scale, at two facilities trucks experienced delays in obtaining access to the tipping floor, while at the fourth facility no significant delays developed.     

Degradation of Starch–Calcium Carbonate Disposable Packaging in a Solid Waste Composting Facility

The compostability of starch–CaCO₃ disposable packaging was examined in a source-separated municipal solid waste (MSW) composting facility located in East Hampton, NY. Source-separated MSW:starch–CaCO₃ container mixtures of 0 (control), 5, and 20% (by volume) were prepared as feedstock for composting. Compost samples were collected weekly or biweekly during the composting process and examined for fragments of the starch–CaCO₃ containers. Changes in compost quality due to the presence of starch–CaCO₃ containers were assessed by measuring the nutrient and metal content of the three resultant MSW:starch–CaCO₃ composts. Finally, plant growth studies were conducted to examine the composts for possible plant growth inhibition due to the deterioration of the starch–CaCO₃ containers. Results showed that portions of the starch–CaCO₃ containers were not identified in any of the 5 and 20% sieved and characterized compost fractions > 1.3 cm following 1–3 weeks of composting. Mechanical agitation of the waste along with optimum composting conditions were sufficient to initiate the rapid degradation of the starch–CaCO₃ composites. Degradation of starch–CaCO₃ containers did not affect compost nutrient and trace element content. Grass biomass measurements were performed once weekly over 28 days for grass grown in control (0%), 5%, and 20% starch–CaCO₃-containing compost:soil mixtures. Significant differences in grass biomass for these compost:soil mixtures were measured only for the 0 and 20% starch–CaCO₃-containing compost:soil mixtures at 28 days (9.07 vs 11.05 g, respectively; P = 0.046).     

Community richness and stability in agricultural landscapes: The importance of surrounding habitats

In this paper, the role played by habitat diversity in the landscape on species richness and on the stability of farmland bird communities was investigated. Species richness was estimated on 374 samples monitored in farmland by the French breeding bird survey during the 2001–2005 period. A capture–recapture approach was used to estimate species richness accounting for the variation in detection probability among species of the 100 most common species detected in farmland. Landscape structure and composition were measured both in farmland and in adjacent habitats. The independent effect of each variable on community richness and stability was further assessed using hierarchical variance partitioning and taking spatial autocorrelation into account. A strong matrix effect was detected: non-cropped land deeply influenced richness and stability of bird assemblages.