Local knowledge about dugout canoes reveals connections between forests and fisheries

Dugout canoes are traditional boat types made from a single tree trunk. This type of boat can reveal unique connections between forest and fisheries in coastal areas: their construction and the species used depend on the local ecological knowledge of artisans and the plant resources available and are also influenced by the type of fisheries in which the canoe will be used. Our objective was to analyze how dugout canoes are constructed, maintained, and currently used in the central coastal region of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The study emphasizes the interaction between the use of forest resources and artisanal fishing in this coastal environment. The data collected were based on interviews with 30 artisans and participant observation. Schizolobium parahyba (Vell.) Blake, Ocotea porosa (Nees & Mart.) Barroso, Ocotea Aubl../Nectandra Roll. Ex Rottb., and Aspidosperma Mart. & Zucc. are the main taxa used to construct the canoes. Many canoe sizes are used, and based on the boat type, the trunk diameters needed to construct them varies from 0.6 to 2.9 m and trunk heights from 4 to 10 m. Different types of canoe are used according to the type of fishing and especially to the environment conditions. The construction of canoes in the region has decreased due to difficulties in acquiring wood, changes in fishing activities, and reasons related to labor and apprenticeship, all causes related to modernization of the society and urban growth. The knowledge of plant species used can contribute to shape policies to improve forest management. The survival of cultural practices in artisanal fishing communities should be stimulated in sustainable development programs, and it involves maintaining ecological and technical knowledge related to fishing and the plant resources used to manufacture and maintain fishing equipment.     

The map of conflicts related to environmental injustice and health in Brazil

This article discusses the experience of the map of conflicts related to environmental injustices and health in Brazil and its potential contribution to international movements for environmental justice. Inventories and maps of environmental injustices are important instruments of struggle against injustice and racism, since they increase the visibility of populations, whose lives are threatened. The Brazilian map is published online since 2010 and was an initiative of FIOCRUZ, a public health and academic institution, and the NGO FASE, in cooperation with the Brazilian Network of Environmental Injustice (RBJA), created in 2001. Environmental justice arised in Brazil as a field of reflection and mobilization, and as a rallying point to identify the struggle of several groups and entities, such as rural and urban grassroots movements, indigenous peoples, traditional populations, and peasants affected by different hazards and risks, as well as environmentalists, trade unions, and scientists. Currently, the map has 570 emblematic environmental conflicts in all regions of Brazil. Many economic activities are causing the conflicts such as mining expansion, oil and gas extractions, infrastructure (roads, mega-dams), agribusiness, and pesticide pollution, often with the support of governmental institutions.     

Speciation and quantification of Hg in sediments contaminated by artisanal gold mining in the Gualaxo do Norte River,Minas Gerais,SE, Brazil

The Iron Quadrangle in SE Brazil was, in the eighteenth century, one of the most important Au producing regions of Brazil. In this region, gold is produced, even today, by artisanal methods that use Hg to increase the extraction efficiency with no control of Hg release to water systems and the atmosphere. In this context, the Gualaxo do Norte River is of particular interest; its springs are located in the Doce River basin, an important Brazilian basin that supplies water for 3.5 million people. The main goal of this work was to quantify and speciate the Hg in the sediments of the Gualaxo do Norte River using a direct mercury analyzer and gas chromatography-pyrolysis-atomic fluorescence detection system. Statistical analyses consisted of principal component analysis, aiming to assess interactions among elements and species and to group the variables in factors affecting the properties of sediment. The results show that total Hg (THg) and methylmercury (CH₃Hg⁺) concentrations in samples ranged from 209 to 1207 μg kg^?1 and from 0.07 to 1.00 μg kg^?1, respectively (methylation percentages from 0.01 to 0.27%). Thermal desorption analysis showed that mercury is mainly present in the oxidized form, and correlation analyses pointed to a relationship between THg and MnO, indicating that manganese can oxidize and/or adsorb Hg. Together, MO and CH₃Hg⁺ are important parameters in the third principal component, indicating the influence of OM on the methylation process. This first investigation on Hg methylation in this small-scale gold mining area points to the possibility of Hg bioaccumulation and to the need of better understanding the biogeochemical cycle of Hg in this area. Samples were collected in 2012, prior to the 2015 Fundão Dam disaster. The results are also a record of the characteristics of the sediment prior to that event.     

Integrated spatiotemporal trends using TRMM 3B42 data for the Upper São Francisco River basin,Brazil

Trend analysis is an important issue for the decision-making processes. Thus, trends of rainfall, consecutive dry days (CDD), and consecutive wet days (CWD) in the Upper São Francisco River basin, Brazil, using daily rainfall data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) for recent 18 years, were analyzed. Instead of analyzing the trend of one average time series for one specific confidence level, a spatiotemporal analysis over the entire area with 169 continuous time series is done by applying the nonparametric Mann-Kendall and Sen tests for simultaneously 13 confidence levels and a new integrated confidence classification is proposed. The results show that the rainfall has increased during the less rainy periods (from June to October) and has decreased in the rainy periods (from November to May), with the highest and lowest confidence levels, respectively. An analysis of CDD and CWD shows that the number of CDD has decreased, while the number of CWD has increased, which revealed that the dry periods are more frequently interrupted for the period studied.     

Utilization of UV‐A and UV‐C radiation in advanced oxidation processes with the intention of removing color and organic matter from the gross leachate of a stabilized sanitary landfill

The present work investigated color and biochemical oxygen demand (COD) removal from treated landfill leachate via advanced oxidative processes (AOPs) artificially emitted. The AOP H₂O₂/UV, TiO₂/UV, and photolysis were tested in two bench‐scale photoreactors: The first one with UV‐C lamp and the other with UV‐A lamp associated or not with coagulation / flocculation pretreatment. Crude leachate samples with pH ranging from 8 to 3 were used, and time varied in 30, 45, and 60 minutes. Experiments were performed in two stages: step 1 with a 20 mL volume from each sample and step 2 with repetition of the best results from the previous step, adopting the 150 mL volume. In step 1, the AOP applied in the crude leachate sample showed the best results, standing out H₂O₂/UV‐C with 30 minutes and TiO₂/UV‐A with 60 minutes. In step 2, H₂O₂/UV‐C had a 60% color removal and 25% COD reduction, while TiO₂/UV‐A had a 10% color removal and 20% COD reduction. Therefore, the H₂O₂/UV‐C process was the most efficient, because the complex characteristics of the effluent interfered in the TiO₂/UV‐A efficiency, but it is necessary to eliminate the process interferences. The use of artificial radiation is a viable alternative; however, it can be costly, being relevant in the associations between processes with artificial UV and solar UV, as the natural radiation becomes more attractive and allows the process operating costs reduction.     

Horizon scanning for South African biodiversity: A need for social engagement as well as science

Ambio - A horizon scan was conducted to identify emerging and intensifying issues for biodiversity conservation in South Africa over the next 5–10 years. South African biodiversity...     

Strategies for applying gray water effluent on ornamental sunflower crops

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In a context of scarcity of good quality water, reuse is a mandatory practice to increase water availability, thus allowing the exploitation of more...     

Phosphorus fractionation in volcanic lake sediments (Azores - Portugal)

The phosphorus distribution in volcanic sediments of three lakes that are under different anthropogenic pressures in S?o Miguel island (Azores - Portugal) was evaluated using a sequential extraction scheme. The P-fractionation scheme employs sequential extractions of sediment with NH4Cl, bicarbonate-dithionite (BD), NaOH (at room temperature), HCl and NaOH (at 85 degrees C) to obtain five P-fractions. The P-fractionation shows that in lakes with higher trophic status (Lake Furnas and Lake Sete Cidades), the NaOH extracted P is the dominant fraction, that contribute with more than 50% to total sedimentary phosphorus. The rank order of P-fractionation for these two lakes was NaOH>NaOH (85 degrees C)>HCl>BD>NH4Cl for Furnas lake and NaOH>HCl>NaOH (85 degrees C)>NH4Cl>BD for Sete Cidades lake. On the other hand, the trend of P contribution in the oligotrophic lake Fogo shows that the most inert P pools have the higher concentrations, with more than 50% of the P contribution from the last extraction step with NaOH at 85 degrees C. For this lake, the rank order of P-fractionation was NH4Cl>BD>NaOH>HCl>NaOH (85 degrees C). The Phosphorus Maximum Solubilization Potential (P-MSP) was also calculated and the results show that for the more bio-available P-fractions (first and second extraction step), the P-MSP values for Furnas and Sete Cidades lakes are sensibly higher than the results obtained in Fogo lake, an indication of the non-point diffuse load discharged in the first ones.     

Heterogeneity of soil surface ammonium concentration and other characteristics, related to plant specific variability in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem

Heterogeneity and dynamics of eight soil surface characteristics essential for plants—ammonium and nitrate concentrations, water content, temperature, pH, organic matter, nitrification and ammonification rates—were studied in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem on four occasions over a year. Soil properties varied seasonally and were influenced by plant species. Nitrate and ammonium were present in the soil at similar concentrations throughout the year. The positive correlation between them at the time of greatest plant development indicates that ammonium is a readily available nitrogen source in Mediterranean-type ecosystems. The results presented here suggest that plant cover significantly affects soil surface characteristics.