University of Benin water supply system: Microbiological and physico-chemical assessments

The microbiological and physico-chemical characteristics of the drinking water supplied by the Central Borehole at the University of Benin, Ugbowo Campus were investigated. The investigation entailed assessment of the pH, turbidity, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, conductivity, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, sulphate, chloride, N-nitroso compounds, cadmium, chromium, nickel, lead, zinc, manganese, iron, coliform count, BOD₅ and COD of the water at the Central Borehole and at ten residential quarters. The assessment indicated that the water was fit for drinking and other domestic applications. Results were also compared with WHO, EU and Nigeria FEPA standards. The results showed that the pH values of the water (5.01–5.86) and total coliform count (1–2/100 ml) expressed as MPN were outside the limits set by the WHO, EU and FEPA. The data also showed that the other water quality parameters assessed were within WHO, EU and FEPA permissible limits. The results of ANOVA showed that significant changes occurred during distribution.     

Analyzing complex water governance regimes: the Management and Transition Framework

This paper presents the Management and Transition Framework (MTF), an interdisciplinary conceptual and methodological framework supporting the analysis of water systems, management processes and multi-level governance regimes. It serves to improve the scientific understanding of system properties and to give practical guidance for the implementation of transition processes towards more adaptive systems. Doing so requires a systemic perspective to embrace complexity and the wealth of interactions characterizing resource governance regimes. The MTF supports and provides guidance for an interdisciplinary approach in the social sciences and across the social–natural science interface.The framework integrates a range of concepts to develop a more coherent understanding of the complexity of water management regimes. Specific emphasis is given to adaptive capacity and learning processes. However, the MTF is not linked to one specific theory but provides a language that can be tailored to specific research questions and different theoretical approaches. The structured yet flexible approach is a condition for developing shared databases that allow comparative analyses over a wider range of case studies. The MTF does not promote panaceas but a diagnostic approach supporting context sensitive analysis without being case specific and thus not directly transferable.     

Trends in management plans and guides: 25 years of experience from Southern France

This study analysed 14 management plans and guidelines from a 25-year period to understand trends in conservation planning. A Rosetta Stone Analysis was used for the systematic comparison of plans and guidelines. Management plans incorporated management philosophies, management scenarios, opportunities for infrastructure, and plans for data collection by 2000. As of 2010, they incorporated ecosystem services, stakeholders’ objectives and methods for storing and analysing data. The results demonstrate the complex nature of management plans, with an important workload for site managers. Recommendations for future planning include adjustments in planning timeframes and a better identification of conservation targets from initial stages.