Forest Cover Change,Physiography, Local Economy,and Institutions in a Mountain Watershed in Nepal

This study assessed changes in forest cover in a mountain watershed in central Nepal between 1976 and 2000 by comparing classified satellite images coupled by GIS analyses, and examined the association of forest change with major physiographic, economic, and local forest governance parameters. The results showed an increase in forested area (forest plus shrublands) by 7.6% during 1976–2000. Forest dynamism (changes including improvement, deterioration, gain, and loss) was highest in low-elevation, south-facing and less-steep slopes that were closer to roads. Proportionately the highest net improvement and gain to forested area also took place in those locations. Forest degradation occurred at twice the rate of improvement in high elevation areas (> 2300 m). Forests located in urban and semiurban areas (i.e., a market-oriented economy) experienced a proportionately higher amount of net improvement and gain than forests in rural areas (i.e., a subsistence economy). Among the three governance arrangements, proportionately the highest net improvement and gain took place in semigovernment forests (forested area legally under the forest department but with de facto control and claim of ownership by local communities and/or municipality) followed by formalized community forests (including leasehold). Government forests, which were mostly found in the southern high mountains and had virtually open access, remained relatively stable during the study period. Over 50% of the watershed forests have not come under community-based management despite favorable policy and more than two decades of government intervention with continuous donor support. The findings indicate that the present one size fits all approach of community forest handover policy in Nepal needs rethinking to accommodate biophysical and socioeconomic variations across the country.     

Biodiversity Conservation in the Thar Desert; with Emphasis on Endemic and Medicinal Plants

The Indian desert, the Thar Desert, has its own importance and specific characteristics with respect to endemic and medicinal plants. Forty-five plant species are considered to be rare and/or endangered. The desert has a large number of plants of economic importance and medicinal use. The Thar Desert is thickly populated in comparison to other hot deserts of the world. 17.44 million people and 23.33 million livestock are recorded from the region. These populations exert pressure on the biological resources of the Thar Desert causing a lack of sustainability and necessitate conservation of biodiversity actions.     

Association studies for agro-physiological and quality traits of triticale x bread wheat derivatives in relation to drought and cold stress

Correlation coefficient analysis conducted on 22 triticale x bread wheat derivatives along with six checks to select true- breeding derivative(s) for future hybridization programme with tolerance to drought and cold stress conditions as well as better quality traits revealed significant correlation of grain yield with spikelets per spike, biological yield, harvest index, leaf area index. Interestingly, the grain yield and drought susceptibility index showed no association. However, with cold tolerance it showed significant positive correlation indicating the desirability of certain plant traits under cold stress. The grain yield exhibited no association with quality traits which might assist in the predictability of high yielding varieties with high protein, total sugars, reducing sugars and non-reducing sugars. Path coefficient analysis revealed that biological yield had the highest positive direct effect on grain yield followed by harvest index, specific leaf weight, stomatal number, 1000 grain weight, stomatal size, spikelets per spike and days to heading. Therefore, indirect selection for these plant traits in order should be exercised in selecting drought tolerant genotypes. Two genotypes (RL-124-2P2 and RL 111P2) were found to be drought and cold tolerant with high grain yield, spikes per plant, spikelets per spike and leaf area index.     

Maize straw and rice husk-derived biochars produced in a simple metal kiln: characteristics and effects on crop productivity in three fields

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Maize straw- and rice husk-derived biochars were produced in a simple metal kiln without automated control. Their characteristics and effects on...     

Chemically modified silica gel with 1-{4-[(2-hydroxy-benzylidene)amino]phenyl}ethanone: Synthesis, characterization and application as an efficient and reusable solid phase extractant for selective removal of Zn(II) from mycorrhizal treated fly-ash samples

1-{4-[(2-hydroxy-benzylidene)amino]phenyl}ethanone functionalized silica gel was synthesized and used as a highly efficient, selective and reusable solid phase extractant for separation and preconcentration of trace amount of Zn(II) from environmental matrices. The adsorbent was characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), elemental analysis,¹³C CPMAS NMR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and BET surface area analysis. The dependence of zinc extraction on various analytical parameters such as pH, type and amount of eluent, sample flow rate and interfering ions were investigated in detail. The material exhibited superior adsorption efficiency for Zn(II) with high metal loading capacity of 1.0 mmol/g under optimum conditions. After adsorption, the recovery (> 98%) of metal ions was accomplished using 1.0 mol/L HNO₃ as an eluent. The sorbent was also regenerated by microwave treatment in milder acidic environment (0.1 mol/L HNO₃). The lower detection limit and preconcentration factor of the present method were found out to be 0.04 μg/L and 312.5 respectively. The modified silica surface possessed excellent selectivity for the target analytes and the adsorption/desorption process remained effective for at least ten consecutive cycles. The optimized procedure was successfully implemented for the extraction of Zn(II) from mycorrhizal treated fly ash and pharmaceutical samples with reproducible results.     

Influence of antioxidant additives on performance and emission characteristics of beef tallow biodiesel-fuelled C.I engine

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This work analyses the performance and emission characteristics of biofuelled compression ignition (C.I) engine with the implementation of an...     

A Comprehensive Land-Use/Hydrological Modeling System for Scenario Simulations in the Elbow River Watershed, Alberta, Canada

The Elbow River watershed in Alberta covers an area of 1,238 km² and represents an important source of water for irrigation and municipal use. In addition to being located within the driest area of southern Canada, it is also subjected to considerable pressure for land development due to the rapid population growth in the City of Calgary. In this study, a comprehensive modeling system was developed to investigate the impact of past and future land-use changes on hydrological processes considering the complex surface–groundwater interactions existing in the watershed. Specifically, a spatially explicit land-use change model was coupled with MIKE SHE/MIKE 11, a distributed physically based catchment and channel flow model. Following a rigorous sensitivity analysis along with the calibration and validation of these models, four land-use change scenarios were simulated from 2010 to 2031: business as usual (BAU), new development concentrated within the Rocky View County (RV-LUC) and in Bragg Creek (BC-LUC), respectively, and development based on projected population growth (P-LUC). The simulation results reveal that the rapid urbanization and deforestation create an increase in overland flow, and a decrease in evapotranspiration (ET), baseflow, and infiltration mainly in the east sub-catchment of the watershed. The land-use scenarios affect the hydrology of the watershed differently. This study is the most comprehensive investigation of its nature done so far in the Elbow River watershed. The results obtained are in accordance with similar studies conducted in Canadian contexts. The proposed modeling system represents a unique and flexible framework for investigating a variety of water related sustainability issues.