Evaluation of the ecological status with benthic indices in the coastal system： the case of Bohai Bay （China）

Based on biologic and environmental materials collected from coastal areas of Bohai Bay （China） in April, 2008, three biotic indices （AZTI＇s Marine Biotic Index （AMBI）, Shannon-Wiener Index and W-statistic） were applied together to evaluate the ecological status of the sampling area. The results showed a clear spatial gradient from a worse ecological status in the near-shore areas （especially around Haihe and Jiyun River Estuaries） to a better status in the offshore areas. While all the three indices could assist decision makers in visualizing spatial changes of organic pollutants in Bohai Bay, two indices, i. e., AMBI and Shannon-Wiener index, were effective in distinguishing sites from Haihe River Estuary, Jiyun River Estuary and other area. However, W-statistic can＇t tell the differences between estuaries and other area. It would be explained that organic pollutants and/or other environ- mental stresses in Bohai Bay were not strong enough to reduce the size ofmacrozoobenthos, which may cause both of the abundance and biomass curves crossed. To our knowledge, this is the first time that several benthic indices were used to assess the benthic ecological status in Bohai Bay, which gave the similar results. Furthermore, there is indication that the ecological status is related to excess input of wastewater along main rivers and outlets. In a word, AMBI, Shannon-Wiener Index and W-statistic could be able to assess the benthic ecological status of Bohai Bay under the organic pollutants pressure.     

Community support for wildfire mitigation at Peavine Métis Settlement,Alberta, Canada

This paper presents the findings of a study that explored public support for wildfire mitigation programmes implemented in Peavine Métis Settlement, an Indigenous community located in Alberta, Canada. Data were collected in a community-based study using interviews, focus groups and participant observation over a 4-year period. Results showed that support for the wildfire mitigation programme was influenced by local leadership, economics, community capacity and land and home ownership. The communal nature of land and home ownership on the settlement influenced support for wildfire mitigation that was conducted by the settlement at both the residential and community levels. Employment opportunities available in the community for settlement members for wildfire mitigation activities also increased support for the local wildfire mitigation programme. A local Aboriginal leader skilled in wildfire mitigation and existing community capacity was also seen as vital to settlement member support for the programme.     

Effects of river sediment addition to the beach microbial communities

During the processes of claiming land from the sea, river sediments are used to fill and transform the sea area along the margin of islands and lands into new lands. These activities would probably affect microbial ecosystems of the beach sediment. However, little is known about these effects. In this study, a simulation test was conducted to evaluate these effects. Pyrosequencing technique was employed to assess the effects of river sediment addition to the beach bacterial communities. The used river sediments were collected from different rivers. The results indicated that river sediment addition greatly impacted microbial ecosystems of the beach and caused a clear shift in the beach bacterial community composition. These processes remarkably increased toxic metals and decreased the bacterial diversity in the beach sediment, mainly including the phyla of Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Spirochaetes. River sediment addition caused an increase in potentially pathogenic bacterial genera of the beach sediment. Bacterial phylotype richness in the beach without river sediment addition was higher than that in the beach with river sediment input. There were significant differences in bacterial communities between beach sediments with and without river sediment addition, and the most dominant classes were Gammaproteobacteria and Flavobacteria.     

PCR-DGGE研究沸石植生混凝土微生物群落结构

采用PCR-DGGE技术研究了滨水区和非滨水区沸石植生混凝土内部微生物群落结构,结果表明:沸石植生混凝土内部微生物多样性指数和物种丰度值均很高,滨水区和非滨水区植生混凝土内部微生物多样性指数与物种丰度总体持平,但是各部分微生物丰度差异明显.滨水区微生物丰度值根部5~10cm>根部10~15cm>沸石表面生物膜.非滨水区微生物丰度沸石表面生物膜>根部5~10cm>根部10~15cm.基因测序结果和系统发育树分析可知.滨水区和非滨水区以及沸石混凝土内各部分之间优势菌种各不相同,在滨水区,沸石表面微生物膜中优势菌种为丙酸杆菌、都柏林克罗诺杆菌和葡萄球菌属,根部5~10cm中优势菌种为黄杆菌和沙门氏菌属,根部10~15cm中优势菌种为慢生根瘤菌属;非滨水区,沸石表面微生物膜中优势菌种为芽孢杆菌和红假单胞菌属,根部5~10cm中优势菌种为沙门氏菌、微球菌亚目的Agromyces和酸杆菌属,根部10~15cm中优势菌种为沙门氏菌属.     

长江口浮游植物群落特征及其与环境的响应关系

根据2009年4月、8月、11月对长江口30个站位的调查,分析了浮游植物群落结构的时空变化及其与环境因子的响应特征. 共鉴定出浮游植物8门95属330种,主要优势种是硅藻和甲藻,其中中肋骨条藻占绝对优势. 浮游植物细胞丰度呈单周期季节性变化,夏季为高峰期,长江口近海区为高值区. 浮游植物群落多样性11月最高,主要分布在长江口过渡水域. 浮游植物群落可分为四大类群,各区域不同季节种类组成具有显著差异. CCA(典范对应分析)显示,浮游植物群落与环境因子密切相关,并且其响应机制存在季节性差异.硅藻细胞丰度4月与ρ(NO₃--N)、ρ(COD_Mn),8月与ρ(SiO₄4--Si)、ρ(NO₃--N)、ρ(PO₄3--P),11月与透明度呈显著正相关(P<0.01);11月与ρ(PO₄3--P)、ρ(SiO₄4--Si)呈显著负相关(P<0.01). 甲藻细胞丰度4月与ρ(NH₄+-N),8月与ρ(COD_Mn),11月与透明度、ρ(NO₃--N)呈显著正相关(P<0.05). 长江口环境因子的改变影响浮游植物群落结构的时空变化,各季节引起浮游植物群落结构变异的驱动因素存在差异.      

太子河着生藻类群落结构空间分布特征

以辽宁省太子河流域为研究范例,调查了全流域内69个采样点的着生藻类群落和水环境理化特征,并且以着生藻类的群落结构为基础,对太子河流域的水生态系统类型区进行了划分. 结果表明,太子河流域着生藻类群落结构具有明显的空间异质性. CCA(典范对应分析)结果显示,驱动全流域着生藻类群落结构形成的水环境因子为电导率、ρ(TDS)(TDS为总溶解固体)和ρ(TN). 基于着生藻类的群落结构特征,将太子河流域划分为3个着生藻类类型区:第1分区为太子河上游的森林多水区,第2分区为中游低山丘陵森林区,第3分区为下游平原农业区. CCA结果还显示,显著影响第1分区、第2分区及第3分区的着生藻类群落结构的环境因子分别为ρ(NO₃--N)、ρ(TN)及ρ(总溶解固体)和硬度.      

Pollution threats in the Mediterranean Sea: An overview

This overview summarises the present knowledge on major sources of pollution, which are of concern for the Mediterranean Sea. Eutrophication, red tides, organic loads, hydrocarbon spills, heavy metal contamination and their biological effects are described on the light of the ecological characteristics of the Mediterranean. In particular special attention is paid to the "new pollution" processes; i.e. , the introduction of novel substances with biological activity that might have synergetic effects with "classical pollutants". Different compartments and marine ecosystems are considered and compared. The degree of anthropogenic impact and its apparent trends are discussed. Possible monitoring plans and remedial actions for a sustainable management of coastal zones subjected to increasing pollution are also suggested.     

Modification of evaluation method for auto-assessment and electronic submission by businesses

SUMMARY

This paper describes the evolution of an evaluation method developed initially to assess progress towards sustainable development for various land use activities in Costa Rica. Since that time, the method has been expanded to apply to all types of business activities in any location, and refined so that a numerical score can be provided for each attribute. These scores can then be presented graphically in four categories. The method has since been tested on a variety of businesses and is being refined for electronic submission and display of the results. The benefits of this approach, as well as its shortcomings and some of the problems resolved, are presented.     

REDD+ and forest tenure security: concerns in Nepal’s community forestry

As one of the dominant large-scale mechanisms proposed to combat climate change, biodiversity loss, and rural poverty, REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) has added further complexity to the challenging governance of rights and resources in global forests. As REDD+ is commodifying carbon, concerns emerge about how carbon ownership and its rights can be accommodated into the existing framework that governs local forest resource rights. The Nepalese government has formally entered into REDD+ policy preparations, but it lacks clear legal provisions regarding key forest tenure rights such as carbon ownership, benefit sharing, and the political participation of community forest user groups from national to local. As a result, Nepal’s policy process points toward performance-based carbon forestry in a way that may undermine and weaken existing community tenure rights and forest tenure security.

This paper discusses Nepal’s potential impacts of new REDD+ and carbon ownership arrangements on forest tenure security and community-based forest governance. In a threefold methodological approach, the paper presents three scenarios for a REDD+-oriented tenure reform within the existing framework and assesses their concerns through in-depth qualitative interviews with key stakeholders, representatives, and advocates of Nepal’s community forestry system, complemented by a review of government documents and academic literature of REDD+ lessons so far. The analysis identifies critical concerns for forest tenure security, state-community power relationships, and effective local institutions of the commons, and suggests that Nepal’s REDD+ process is taking place at a particularly consequential time for structural changes of the forest governance framework.     

Community sustainability: a holistic approach to measuring the sustainability of rural communities in Scotland

ABSTRACT

Although sustainable development was defined in the Brundtland Report almost 30 years ago, the current usage of the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development remain highly equivocal. In the context of rural communities, multiple interpretations and weak definitions lead to confusion in understanding what comprises a sustainable rural community. Building on existing definitions (e.g. Baker’s, 2006, ‘Ladder of Sustainable Development’), models (principally, The Egan Review’s, 2004, ‘Components of Sustainable Communities’) and findings of this study, a sustainable community is defined and a holistic model of a sustainable place-based rural community is presented. This model, the sustainable community design (SCD) is used as the basis for analysing community sustainability, which is measured using mixed methods and scorecard assessment. Sensitivity of the method is demonstrated with inter- and intra-community variations in sustainability across three diverse Scottish rural communities. Intra-community variations illustrate heterogeneity in community sustainability, explain ambiguity in characterisations of an individual community’s sustainability, and highlight the importance of an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to community development. The SCD framework is presented as a useful tool for meso-level sustainability assessment and to facilitate the sustainable development of rural communities.