Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Egypt: The Fuka-Matrouh project

Egyptian coastlines comprise more than 3000 km along the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. The coastal area of Egypt is under severe and increasing pressure. After passing the law on the Environment (Law 4) in 1994, the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) was designated as the responsible agency to implement this law. In this respect, the EEAA formulates the general policy and prepares the necessary plans for the protection and promotion of the environment. Also, it follows up the implementation of such plans in coordination with competent administrative authorities. Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is one of the items regulated and addressed by Law 4/94. A framework programme for ICZM in Egypt was issued in 1996. This paper presents the results of a pilot project financed by the Mediterranean Action Programme Coastal Area Management (CAMP), namely ‘Fuka-Matrouh-Egypt’ project, and implemented by the Priority Action Plan/Regional Activity Centre. It also presents the methodology followed in the study and the experience gained nationally that would lead to the sustainable development of the northwest Egyptian Coast.     

Incorporating the Effects of Socioeconomic Uncertainty into Priority Setting for Conservation Investment

Abstract:  Uncertainty in the implementation and outcomes of conservation actions that is not accounted for leaves conservation plans vulnerable to potential changes in future conditions. We used a decision-theoretic approach to investigate the effects of two types of investment uncertainty on the optimal allocation of global conservation resources for land acquisition in the Mediterranean Basin. We considered uncertainty about (1) whether investment will continue and (2) whether the acquired biodiversity assets are secure, which we termed transaction uncertainty and performance uncertainty, respectively. We also developed and tested the robustness of different rules of thumb for guiding the allocation of conservation resources when these sources of uncertainty exist. In the presence of uncertainty in future investment ability (transaction uncertainty), the optimal strategy was opportunistic, meaning the investment priority should be to act where uncertainty is highest while investment remains possible. When there was a probability that investments would fail (performance uncertainty), the optimal solution became a complex trade-off between the immediate biodiversity benefits of acting in a region and the perceived longevity of the investment. In general, regions were prioritized for investment when they had the greatest performance certainty, even if an alternative region was highly threatened or had higher biodiversity value. The improved performance of rules of thumb when accounting for uncertainty highlights the importance of explicitly incorporating sources of investment uncertainty and evaluating potential conservation investments in the context of their likely long-term success.     

One century record of contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in core sediments from the southern Yellow Sea

Sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 28 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured at a 2-cm interval in a core sample from the middle of the southern Yellow Sea for elucidating their historical variations in inflow and sources. The chronology was obtained using the 210Pb method. PAHs concentrations decreased generally with depth and two climax values occurred in 14–16 cm and 20–22 cm layers, demonstrating that the production and usage of PAHs might reach peaks in the periods of 1956–1962...     

Land management in rural Burkina Faso: the role of socio‐cultural and institutional factors

Farmers in the Sahel have been acknowledged for reclaiming degraded lands and improving food security by ingeniously modifying traditional agroforestry, water, and soil management practices. Despite the advantages offered by this range of farming techniques, their adoption rate is influenced by several factors. Using multivariate probit models and a correlation coefficient, this article examines the factors influencing the adoption of five land management practices based on 220 household and 40 farm surveys in four adjacent rural communities in southern Burkina Faso. The model results indicate that household labor force, education of household head, land tenure security, livestock holding, and membership in farmers’ groups influence the adoption of zaï practice, composting, improved fallow, stone bunds, and live hedges. However, two of the surveyed factors ‐ number of farms and visit by agricultural extension staff during the 12 months prior to the survey ‐ were not significant. Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between different land management practices, e.g., the decision to practice zaï is significantly linked to that of live hedges and composting. Zaï practice and stone bunds are considered labor intensive, which explains their significant correlations with household labor force at the 1% and 5% levels of significance, respectively.     

苏南五市秋冬季PM2.5化学组成特征和空间差异

于2020年9月至2021年2月在苏南五市(南京、苏州、无锡、常州和镇江)收集PM_2.5滤膜样品,分析了各样品中的水溶性无机离子和碳质组分.结果表明,苏南五市PM_2.5各组分中ρ(NO₃^-)均为最高[(9.54±10.1)～(12.1±11.3)μg·m^-3],比其它目标组分高约2倍以上.由于受更多道路扬尘和燃煤源的影响,常州市PM_2.5中Ca²⁺、Cl^-、OC和EC的浓度平均值高于其它4个城市.将所有目标组分浓度相加得到重构PM_2.5(r PM_2.5)浓度,发现各城市r PM_2.5浓度均由二次无机离子(NH₄⁺、NO₃^-和SO₄^2-,SNA)主导,占比高达(59.2%±11.1%)～(70.8%±9.72%),且r ...     

川南城市群冬季大气细颗粒物中金属元素特征及其来源解析

为探究川南城市群（自贡、泸州、内江和宜宾）冬季大气重污染过程中PM_2.5 中金属元素的浓度特征和来源,在2018年12月30日至2019年1月14日,使用膜采样方法对PM_2.5 中的金属元素进行测定,并运用富集因子法（EF）和正定矩阵因子分解法（PMF）对金属元素来源进行解析.同时采用自贡市在2015年同期金属元素观测数据,探究自贡市在“大气十条”实施中期与实施结束后的金属元素污染与富集程度变化情况.结果表明:①不同城市细颗粒物中各金属元素浓度与占比差异不大,4个城市中浓度与占比较高的元素呈现相似性,Al、Sb和Fe元素占比位于前列.从自贡市不同观测期对比来看,除Tl外各元素浓度均有变化.②富集因子计算结果表明,城市群中Cr（自贡与宜宾）、Ni、Cu、As、Se、Ag、Cd、Sb、Tl和Pb元素的富集程度较高.自贡市不同观测期的元素富集程度对比显示,除Cu元素外,2018年冬季观测期各元素富集程度均有减小趋势.③PMF源解析结果表明,各城市中金属元素主要来源为扬尘源、燃煤源、工业源与交通源,同时各污染源之间存在混合贡献.各城市主要污染源贡献不同,自贡以交通扬尘源与混合源为主;泸州以工业源为主;内江市各污染源贡献占比相近;而宜宾市则以交通源为主导.     

Effect on benthic communities of a major input of organic matter and other pollutants (coast off Barcelona,Western Mediterranean)

Benthic communities on soft bottoms off Barcelona, at and around two main pollution sources, the mouth of the Besòs River and the outlet of the submarine pipeline draining wastewater and organic sludges from the wastewater treatment plant of Sant Adrià del Besòs, have been studied. Samples were obtained with a Van Veen grab from 36 stations covering a 100 km² grid, between 10 and 70 m in depth. The effect of both pollution sources is clearly seen both at the species (the following macrofauna groups have been studied: Polychaeta, Mollusca, Echinodermata and Crustacea Decapoda) and community levels. The distribution of species and individuals numbers, species diversity and a pollution index, and of some selected (indicator) polychaeta species, all clearly define the degree of environmental degradation and the extent of the areas under the influence of the organic pollution.     

Response of benthic foraminifera to heavy metal contamination in marine sediments (Sicilian coasts,Mediterranean Sea)

To examine the suitability of benthic foraminifera and their test deformations as bioindicators of pollution in coastal marine environments, we studied foraminifera and metal concentrations in 72 marine sediment samples, collected from the inner shelf along the Sicilian coast (Gulfs of Palermo and Termini) and on the south-eastern coast of Lampedusa Island. These areas are characterised by different environmental conditions. On the basis of pollution sources and foraminiferal assemblages, we recognised different zones in the Gulf of Palermo. The most polluted zones showed high metal concentrations, and low diversity of benthic foraminifera with species typical of stressed environments. By contrast, the lowest polluted zones showed a high population density and the highest percentages of epiphytes. Epiphytes were abundant where a Posidonia oceanica meadow was present and decreased in the most polluted zones. Sediments of the Gulf of Termini and Lampedusa exhibited high percentages of benthic foraminifera typical of well-oxygenated waters and low concentrations of metals, with the exception of sites located near sewage outfalls and harbour areas. Furthermore, even though deformed tests are commonly known in natural stressed environmental conditions, this study shows that in the most polluted zones, benthic foraminifera were characterised by the highest percentages of deformed individuals.     

Gas Transfer Coefficient Evaluation in the Mediterranean Sea Using Bomb Produced Radiocarbon

A study on the carbon dioxide exchange at the water-air interface in the Western Mediterranean Sea was carried out. the attention was focused on the mean air-sea flux estimations by radiocarbon profiles and bomb ¹⁴C concentration atmospheric data. Sampling techniques and analytical methods are reported; mass balance evaluations on data recorded during the MED'92 cruise are presented and discussed briefly.     

The spatial nexus between population growth and land degradation in a dry Mediterranean region: a rapidly changing pattern?

A better understanding of the spatial linkage between the distribution of land vulnerable to degradation and long-term population growth may contribute to sustainable land management of dry regions. Such a nexus has received increasing attention among politicians and local stakeholders, as its complex outcomes depend on mutual interactions between socioeconomic and biophysical factors. This is particularly true in southern Europe, where important processes of land degradation (LD) have been observed in recent years. This paper analyses population growth (1871–2007) in southern Italy and questions its relationship with the level of land vulnerable to degradation. Results indicate that vulnerable lands were more likely associated with areas where population growth has determined environmental pressures on coastal areas and the neighbouring lowlands during 1950–1980. This pattern consolidated the socioeconomic polarisation between core and peripheral areas. Since the 1980s, however, southern Italy has experienced a phase of polycentric development, possibly determining a ‘decoupling’ between population density and land vulnerability to degradation. Population increased in moderately vulnerable areas but decreased in highly vulnerable areas. The policy implications of these results are discussed.