Urban riverbank residents’ evaluation of flood evacuation policies in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The results of a discrete choice experiment (DCE) as a part of a survey among the urban riverbank residents on the Red River in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, indicated that the risk of over-dike flooding, set at 2 ft above the 1997 flood water level, was a significant determinant of both voluntary and mandatory evacuation, compared to those set at the 1996 or 1997 levels. Mandatory evacuation was more preferred over voluntary evacuation when the likelihood of flooding was at its most severe, and the opposite relationship was the case when the likelihood was low. The notification time for evacuation, suggested as 1, 2, and 4 days, proved to be an insignificant attribute, whereas the respondents indicated significant preference for full flood compensation over an offer of either 80% or 90% flood relief, irrespective of the alternatives of voluntary or mandatory evacuation.     

Evaluating Visitor-Monitoring Techniques: A Comparison of Counting and Video Observation Data

Two visitor-monitoring methods, video monitoring and counts by human observers, were compared in order to identify and evaluate their respective advantages and disadvantages. The analysis considered user numbers, user type (walkers, dog walkers, bicyclists, and joggers) and group size of visitors. Remarkable differences were found between the two methods for user type and use levels. At low use levels, evaluations based on video monitoring resulted in fewer single bicyclists compared to counts by human observers, whereas at high use levels, human observers counted fewer walkers and bikers than video-interpreters. Based on this comparative analysis, we derive recommendations for more effective visitor-monitoring approaches. All data were collected during a visitor-monitoring project in the Danube Floodplains National Park in Austria between 1998 and 1999.     

Wastewater Reuse Practices in Kuwait

Water is a scarce commodity in Kuwait. With rapid growth of population coupled with increasing urbanization and agriculture, the demand for water in Kuwait is continually on the increase. The main water source in the country is from desalination with small quantities from underground aquifers. Wastewater effluent at least for irrigation purposes, could be a valuable source to augment this dwindling water supply, and should not continue to be wasted. Reuse of wastewater effluent could both minimize the disposal of water to the environment and reduce the demand on fresh water supplies. This paper discusses the features of reuse, the processes used and standards adopted. Design data, operational results, and physical characteristics for the three wastewater treatment plants (Ardiya, Jahra, and Riqqa) in Kuwait are discussed. In addition, the paper reports on the results of a research study undertaken to determine the willingness, level of awareness and knowledge among the people of Kuwait in using wastewater effluent for different purposes. Cost and benefit analyses were conducted on wastewater effluent and reuse. The study concludes with useful recommendations to both the authorities and the citizens of Kuwait.     

A linked model of animal ecology and human behavior for the management of wildlife tourism

Wildlife tourism attractions are characterized as having intricately coupled human-wildlife interactions. Accordingly, the ability to mitigate negative impacts of tourism on wildlife necessitates research into the ecology of the system and of the human dimensions, since plans aimed at optimizing wildlife fitness must also be acceptable to tourists. We developed an integrated systems dynamics model for the management of tourist-stingray interactions at ‘Stingray City Sandbar’ (SCS), Cayman Islands. The model predicts the state of the tourism attraction over time in relation to stingray population size, stingray life expectancy, and tourist visitation under various management scenarios. Stingray population data in the model comprised growth rates and survival estimates (from mark-and-recapture data) and mortality estimates. Inputted changes in their respective rates under different management scenarios were informed by previous research. Original research on the demand of heterogeneous tourist segments for management regulations via a stated choice model was used to calculate changes in the tourist population growth rate from data supplied by the Caymanian government. The management attributes to which tourists were responsive also have anticipated effects on stingray ecology (migration and mortality), and vice versa, thus linking the two components. We found that the model's predictions over a 25-year time span were sensitive to the stingray population growth rate and alternate management options. Under certain management scenarios, it was possible to maximize both the tourist segment in favor of no management and stingray numbers while reducing stingray health. However, the most effective relative strategy included a reduction in visitor density, restricted stingray interactions, and an imposition of a small fee. Over time, although fewer stingrays were predicted to remain at SCS, they would live longer and experience fewer stochastic disease events, and the desirable tourist segment was predicted to predominate. By understanding how management will affect tourist activities and their subsequent impacts on both wildlife health and visitor satisfaction, one can explore the management alternatives that would optimize both.     

Biology and management of two important <Emphasis Type="Italic">Conyza</Emphasis> weeds: a global review

Weed management is one of the prime concerns for sustainable crop production. Conyza bonariensis and Conyza canadensis are two of the most problematic, noxious, invasive and widespread weeds in modern-day agriculture. The biology, ecology and interference of C. bonariensis and C. canadensis have been reviewed here to highlight pragmatic management options. Both these species share a unique set of biological features, which enables them to invade and adapt a wide range of environmental conditions. Distinct reproductive biology and an efficient seed dispersal mechanism help these species to spread rapidly. Ability to interfere strongly and to host crop pests makes these two species worst weeds of cropping systems. These weed species cause 28–68 % yield loss in important field crops such as soybean and cotton every year. These weeds are more prevalent in no-till systems and, thus, becoming a major issue in conservation agriculture. Cultural practices such as crop rotations, seed rate manipulation, mulching, inter-row tillage and narrow row spacing may provide an effective control of these species. However, such methods are not feasible and applicable under all types of conditions. Different herbicides also provide a varying degree of control depending on crop, agronomic practices, herbicide dose, application time and season. However, both these species have evolved resistance against multiple herbicides, including glyphosate and paraquat. The use of alternative herbicides and integrated management strategies may provide better control of herbicide-resistant C. bonariensis and C. canadensis. Management plans based on the eco-biological interactions of these species may prove sustainable in the future.     

The Shaping of Environmental Information in Social Media: Affordances and Technologies of Self-control

This article studies environmental information as it circulates in social media, specifically in personal blogs and microblogs. It rests on a thematic analysis of a selection of Swedish language, personal, everyday life environment blogs active during 2011 and 2012 and the social media applications connected to these blogs. Gibson's concept of affordances and Foucault's notion of governmentality are brought together to examine how material and technological affordances of social media and the structures of governmentality work together to engender a type of information on environmentally friendly living that is rooted in the conditions of the Web, together with a view of society which is structured around choice and individual responsibility. The article argues that information is woven into the texture of the social on every level, including everyday life practices, and hence social media, as tools in such practices, contribute to shaping the way in which information on environmentally friendly living is articulated, shaped, and filled with meaning.     

Evaluation of Water Quality Management Alternatives to Control Dissolved Oxygen and Un-ionized Ammonia for Ravi River in Pakistan

Different water quality management alternatives, including conventional wastewater treatment, transportation of wastewater, flow augmentation, low-cost treatment with reuse, and wetlands, are evaluated by using a verified dissolved oxygen (DO) model for the Ravi River. Biokinetic rate coefficients of the Ravi River for both the carbonaceous and nitrogenous oxygen-demanding wastes are adjusted, keeping in view the type and level of wastewater treatment. The conventional activated sludge process with nitrification comes out to be the most expansive alternative to meet the DO standard of 4 mg/L. Additional treatment cost is required to maintain un-ionized ammonia levels <0.02 mg/L, which corresponds to achieving treatment levels of 5 mg/L of DO in the river. Under critical low-flow conditions (i.e., minimum average seven consecutive days) of 9.2 m³/s, a flow augmentation of 10 m³/s can reduce 30 % of the cost with conventional wastewater treatment. Transportation of wastewater from the city of Lahore is a cost-effective alternative with 2.5 times less cost than the conventional process. Waste stabilization ponds (WSP) technology is a low-cost solution with 3.5 times less cost as compared to the conventional process. Further reduction in pollution loads to the Ravi River can be achieved by reusing WSP effluents for irrigation in the near proximity of Lahore along the Ravi River. The study results show that, for highly polluted rivers with such extreme flow variations as in case of the Ravi River, meeting un-ionized ammonia standards can reduce the efforts required to develop carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand-based waste load allocations.     

Calibration and verification of a dissolved oxygen management model for a highly polluted river with extreme flow variations in Pakistan

A dissolved oxygen (DO) model is calibrated and verified for a highly polluted River Ravi with large flow variations. The model calibration is done under medium flow conditions (431.5 m³/s), whereas the model verification is done using the data collected during low flow conditions (52.6 m³/s). Biokinetic rate coefficients for carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD) and nitrogenous biochemical oxygen demand (NBOD) (i.e, K _cr and K _n ) are determined through the measured CBOD and ammonia river profiles. The calculated values of K _cr and K _n are 0.36 day^?1 and 0.34 day^?1, respectively. The close agreement between the DO model results and the field values shows that the verified model can be used to develop DO management strategies for the River Ravi. The biokinetic coefficients are known to vary with degree of treatment (DOT) and therefore need to be adjusted for a rational water quality management model. The effect of this variation on level of treatment has been evaluated by using the verified model to attain a DO standard of 4 mg/L in the river using the biokinetic rate coefficients as determined during the model calibration and verification process. The required DOT in this case is found to be 96 %, whereas the DOT is 86 % if adjusted biokinetic rate coefficients are used to reflect the effect of wastewater treatment. The cost of wastewater treatment is known to increase exponentially as the removal efficiency increases; therefore, the use of appropriate biokinetic coefficients to manage the water quality in rivers is important.     

Trade,FDI, and CO2 emissions nexus in Latin America: the spatial analysis in testing the pollution haven and the EKC hypotheses

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Americas have a mix of developing and developed economies. Thus, the pollution haven hypothesis (PHH) is expected in the developing countries of Latin...     

Surface runoff and nitrogen (N) loss in a bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) forest under different fertilization regimes

Nitrogen (N) losses from agricultural fields have been extensively studied. In contrast, surface runoff and N losses have rarely been considered for bamboo forests that are widespread in regions such as southern China. The thriving of bamboo industries has led to increasing fertilizer use in bamboo forests. In this study, we evaluated surface runoff and N losses in runoff following different fertilization treatments under field conditions in a bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) forest in the catchment of Lake Taihu in Jiangsu, China. Under three different fertilization regimes, i.e., control, site-specific nutrient management (SSNM), and farmer's fertilization practice (FFP), the water runoff rate amounted to 356, 361, and 342 m³?ha^?1 and accounted for 1.91, 1.98, and 1.85 % of the water input, respectively, from June 2009 to May 2010. The total N losses via surface runoff ranged from 1.2 to 1.8 kg?ha^?1. Compared with FFP, the SSNM treatment reduced total nitrogen (TN) and dissolved nitrogen (DN) losses by 31 and 34 %, respectively. The results also showed that variations in N losses depended mainly on runoff fluxes, not N concentrations. Runoff samples collected from all treatments throughout the year showed TN concentrations greater than 0.35 mg?L^?1, with the mean TN concentration in the runoff from the FFP treatment reaching 8.97 mg?L^?1. The loss of NO₃ ^?–N was greater than the loss of NH₄ ⁺–N. The total loss of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) reached 23–41 % of the corresponding DN. Therefore, DON is likely the main N species in runoff from bamboo forests and should be emphasized in the assessment and management of N losses in bamboo forest.