Examples of sustainable development efforts in Costa Rica

SUMMARY

Efforts towards sustainable development are now being undertaken at all levels and the concept has increasingly entered the consciousness of the average person. For many Costa Ricans however, it is not just an abstract concept but a matter of survival as input costs increase, natural resources diminish and the soil loses fertility or is washed away. This paper reviews three case studies representing different approaches towards achieving sustainable development by different types of organization which are each innovative in preventing further destruction of tropical forest resources.     

USER REACTION TO WILD AND SCENIC RIVER DESIGNATION1

: The National Wild and Scenic River Act of 1968 was designed to protect the nation's unique waterways. This Act, however, has been criticized for negatively affecting areas it was intended to protect. Findings, based on field investigation in the Upper Mississippi River basin suggest that designation may serve as a factor for increasing recreational use levels on the protected rivers. This study discusses the social and recreational consequences of designating rivers and the attitudes of river users regarding designation.     

Response of Winter Birds to Soil Remediation along the Columbia River at the Hanford Site

The Columbia River at the Hanford Site, located in south-central Washington State, U.S.A., is a regionally important refugium for overwintering birds. Some of the river shoreline has been designated by the U.S. Department of Energy for environmental clean-up following past production of materials for nuclear weapons. We evaluated the effects of soil remediation on winter birds at six inactive nuclear reactor areas. Remediation activities consisted of daily excavation and removal of approximately 1035 t of contaminated soil from previously herbicided and denuded areas located between 30 and 400 m and mostly in line-of-sight of the river shoreline. Remediation activities had no apparent effect on numbers of riverine or terrestrial birds using adjacent undisturbed shoreline and riparian habitat.     

Integrated rice-fish culture: Coupled production saves resources

Rice is a key component in global food security, as it is the main ingredient in the daily diets of around 3 billion people, especially in Asia. Like all agricultural production, rice cultivation depends on scarce natural resources. This article briefly outlines the utilization of land and water in rice production, and suggests an approach for optimizing use efficiency, namely through the combination of rice and fish culture. The authors argue that the utilization of land and fresh water is optimized through integrated and complementary production of rice and fish — two basic foods items in daily local diets. The article reviews currently available scientific literature on integrated rice‐fish systems. Rice‐fish culture systems are briefly characterized, and respective yield potential and interactions between rice and fish are discussed. Results of socio‐economic surveys regarding the adoption of integrated rice‐fish culture are summarized. The article also reviews literature on the impact of fish culture on rice field ecology as outlined in studies on weed infestation, insect populations, and greenhouse gas emissions. The article concludes that rice‐fish culture can be an option to help rice producing countries keep pace with soaring domestic demand for food, especially fish. Integrated rice and fish culture optimizes the benefits of scarce land and water resources through complementary use, and exploits the synergies between fish and plant.     

Past and present water-quality conditions in the Hanford Reach,Columbia River

Twelve water quality variables from upstream and downstream locations in the Hanford Reach of the mainstem Columbia River, southcentral Washington, were compared statistically for the two time periods 1951 to 1953 and 1986 to 1988. During the 1951 to 1953 period, beta radioactivity and, most likely, water temperatures in the Hanford Reach were significantly higher downstream than upstream, while dissolved oxygen and sulfate were significantly lower. The increased beta radioactivity and temperature downstream were due to the discharge of cooling water from five single-purpose production reactors then operating on the Hanford Site. The last production reactor closed in January 1971. During the 1986 to 1988 period, beta radioactivity and water temperatures were similar upstream and downstream, but nitrate nitrogen had become significantly higher downstream. Comparison of 1951 to 1953 with 1986 to 1988 showed, as expected, that beta radioactivity was much lower today, at essentially background levels. Phosphate in the Hanford Reach had decreased significantly over the 35 year interval, while biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, and nitrate nitrogen had increased. These changes, while detectable statistically, were relatively small. Today, the quality of water in the Hanford Reach remains well within Washington State standards for Class A waters. Occasional low pH values, which appear to orginate upriver, violate these standards.     

Depth profiling of Pu, 241Am and 137Cs in soils from southern Belarus measured by ICP-MS and alpha and gamma spectrometry

The depth distribution of plutonium, americium, and 137Cs originating from the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) was investigated in several soil profiles in the vicinity from Belarus. The vertical migration of transuranic elements in soils typical of the 30 km relocation area around Chernobyl NPP was studied using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), alpha spectrometry, and gamma spectrometry. Transuranic concentrations in upper soil layers ranged from 6 x 10(-12) g g(-1) to 6 x 10(-10) g g(-1) for plutonium and from 1.8 x 10(-13) g g(-1) to 1.6 x 10(-11) g g(-1) for americium. These concentrations correspond to specific activities of (239+240)Pu of 24-2400 Bq kg(-1) and specific activity of 241Am of 23-2000 Bq kg(-1), respectively. Transuranics in turf-podzol soil migrate slowly to the deeper soil layers, thus, 80-95%, of radionuclide inventories were present in the 0-3 cm intervals of turf-podzol soils collected in 1994. In peat-marsh soil migration processes occur more rapidly than in turf-podzol and the maximum concentrations are found beneath the soil surface (down to 3-6 cm). The depth distributions of Pu and Am are essentially identical for a given soil profile. (239+240)Pu/137Cs and 241Am/137Cs activity ratios vary by up to a factor of 5 at some sites while smaller variations in these ratios were observed at a site close to Chernobyl, suggesting that 137Cs is dominantly particle associated close to Chernobyl but volatile species of 137Cs are of relatively greater importance at the distant sites.     

Determination of irradiated reactor uranium in soil samples in Belarus using 236U as irradiated uranium tracer

This work presents experimental results on the distribution of irradiated reactor uranium from fallout after the accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in comparison to natural uranium distribution in different soil types. Oxidation processes and vertical migration of irradiated uranium in soils typical of the 30 km relocation area around Chernobyl NPP were studied using 236U as the tracer for irradiated reactor uranium and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry as the analytical method for uranium isotope ratio measurements. Measurements of natural uranium yielded significant variations of its concentration in upper soil layers from 2 x 10(-7) g g(-1) to 3.4 x 10(-6) g g(-1). Concentrations of irradiated uranium in the upper 0-10 cm soil layers at the investigated sampling sites varied from 5 x 10(-12) g g(-1) to 2 x 10(-6) g g(-1) depending on the distance from Chernobyl NPP. In the majority of investigated soil profiles 78% to 97% of irradiated "Chernobyl" uranium is still contained in the upper 0-10 cm soil layers. The physical and chemical characteristics of the soil do not have any significant influence on processes of fuel particle destruction. Results obtained using carbonate leaching of 236U confirmed that more than 60% of irradiated "Chernobyl" uranium is still in a tetravalent form, ie. it is included in the fuel matrix (non-oxidized fuel UO2). The average value of the destruction rate of fuel particles determined for the Western radioactive trace (k = 0.030 +/- 0.005 yr(-1)) and for the Northern radioactive trace (k = 0.035 + 0.009 yr(-1)) coincide within experimental errors. Use of leaching of fission products in comparison to leaching of uranium for study of the destruction rate of fuel particles yielded poor coincidence due to the fact that use of fission products does not take into account differences in the chemical properties of fission products and fuel matrix (uranium).     

Lying in negotiations: how individual and situational factors influence the use of neutralization strategies

Lying in negotiations can cause negative emotions, so participants may use neutralization strategies to reduce these feelings. We conducted a 2 (ethical versus non‐ethical climate) × 2 (low versus high negative consequences) experiment to examine how individual and situational factors affect the use of three such strategies: minimizing the lie, denigration of the target, and denial. Lying, psychological distress, and self‐perceived moral attributes were measured as non‐manipulated independent variables. One hundred and ninety‐two MBA students participated in a business negotiation in which they were provided with incentives to lie. As predicted, higher distress was associated with greater denial of lies. In addition, climate and consequences interacted to affect minimization and liars engaged in less minimization than did participants who merely concealed information. Climate and moral attributes interacted to affect denigration. We believe these findings support further study of neutralization strategies in the workplace. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.