Indigenous Grass Ecology and Socio-Economic Values in Swaziland

The fast-degrading land resources of Swaziland requires a multi-faceted approach to their management. One resource of utmost importance to all Swazis is grass. Grass research over the years had focused on pasture grass, while other uses have been neglected. The omission is a serious one and could be attributed to the neglect of indigenous grass knowledge and people's socio-economic values of grasses. Grass as a major resource is used for cattle feed, ecological control measures, medicinal plants and crafts. Within the study area, 46 grass species were identified and described by the local people. The neglect of the people's knowledge and utilitarian values of grass is a waste of resources. Thus, for grass research to be relevant to the people and national development objectives, research scientists should rethink their approach; they need to recognize and incorporate the indigenous knowledge about other uses of grasses.     

城市社区农贸市场空气微生物及抗生素抗性基因研究

社区农贸市场活禽交易区是城市重要的人畜交叉感染区域,区内高存量的微生物和抗生素抗性基因(antibiotic resistance genes,ARGs)可通过粪便、冲洗水、空气等介质传播扩散。而空气介质中通过微生物气溶胶形式的传播途径,因其隐秘性、持久性的特点而对社区居民健康构成严重威胁。本文研究了深圳市某典型社区农贸市场内空气微生物及抗生素抗性基因。结果表明,活禽交易区可培养细菌浓度高达105CFU·m-3,远高于一般室内区域(103CFU·m-3),其中PM2.5精细颗粒物(0.65~3.3μm)中所含菌量占总菌量42%以上;活禽交易区空气介质中,抗生素抗性基因tet G、tet W、sul1和sul2检出率达70%以上,其绝对浓度在10~4~10~9copies·m-3之间;周边环境空气样品中,随着与活禽交易区距离的增加,空气微生物及抗生素抗性基因含量呈显著下降趋势。结果表明,农贸市场活禽交易区是微生物和抗生素抗性基因的一个重要储存库,活禽交易区空气会严重影响农贸市场及其外周边空气质量。     

农牧民参与政府主导生态建设工程的初始行为响应——以江西山江湖和青海三江源为例

使用参与式农村评估方法对江西山江湖4县(市)的508户农民和青海三江源玛多县151户牧民进行住户访谈,使用生态时限法和EXCEL统计方法理解他们对初始参与生态建设工程的响应差异。结果表明:①山江湖农民参与生态建设的直接行为体现为投工投劳参与完成政府主导的山场造林,而三江源牧民的初始直接参与则体现为以少畜或无畜牧户为主的生态移民。对农牧民被动参与生态建设的调整上,山江湖仅需要进行产权明确,让农户自行参与和收益,而三江源的牧民行为调整并不仅仅是提高安置补偿费用和年限的问题,而更多地要考虑牧民宗教习俗的变迁;②山江湖农户的间接参与是在外来力量胁迫或冲击下自身利益最大化和产生有助于山场恢复的响应,主要受制于劳动力务农机会成本提升、养殖风险增大等的驱动,而不是农户的自觉行为,而三江源牧民的间接参与主要是在政府引导下传统牧业行为发生变迁的结果,"禁牧-围栏-减畜"是适宜于草场压力减轻和不完全改变传统牧业行为的牧民间接参与的首选响应;③山江湖农民转产具有较大的主动性,是农民综合权衡农业和非农收入差距的基础上作出的理性选择,转产后的生态效应展现出山场压力的长效减轻,反弹风险降低,而三江源牧民转产则显示出很大的被动性,是政府和牧民在对"清贫富饶"博弈后,由政府主导为牧民提供培训、就业、教育等机会和优惠政策下牧民被动参与的结果。转产后草场生态好转的反弹风险较大。该研究结果有助于为集中型生态重建和减压型生态恢复的生态建设工程中农牧民参与提供更为有效的数据和思路支撑。     

Mercury Levels in Pristine and Gold Mining Impacted Aquatic Ecosystems of Suriname, South America

Mercury levels in sediment and predatory fish were measured for 53 localities in Suriname. The average mercury level in bottom sediment surpassed the Canadian standard for sediment in most localities, except the coastal plains. Of the predatory fish, 41 % had a mercury level above the European Union standard for human consumption of 0.5 μg g⁻¹. Highest mercury levels were found in fish from the Brokopondo Reservoir and from the Upper Coppename River. High levels of mercury in fish in pristine areas are explained by atmospheric transportation of mercury with the northeastern trade winds followed by wet deposition. Contrary to gold mining areas, where mercury is bound to drifting sediments, in “pristine” areas the mercury is freely available for bio-accumulation and uptake. Impacts on piscivorous reptiles, birds, and mammals are unknown, but likely to be negative.     

Forest owners’ perceptions of ecotourism: Integrating community values and forest conservation

The use of forest land for ecotourism has been well accepted due to its ability to provide income to local people and to conserve the forest. Preparing the forest with infrastructure to attract and educate visitors has been reported of importance. This study applied Q methodology in a small rural community of the State of Puebla, Mexico, to reveal forest owners’ perceptions to build infrastructure in their forest as part of their ecotourism project. It also discloses forest owners’ underlying motives to use their forest for ecotourism. Ecotourism is perceived as a complementary activity to farming that would allow women to be involved in community development. Low impact infrastructure is desired due to forest owners’ perception to preserve the forest for the overall community well-being.     

Changes in surface water quality from small-scale gold mining operations in the Surinamean rainforest

Abstract

Small-scale miners often engage in environmentally damaging activities, are subject to poor safety conditions, and utilize inefficient mineral extraction technologies. Here, we explore environmental impacts to surface waters from regional artisanal small-scale gold placer mining operations conducted in iron and aluminum-rich saprolites found within the lateritic, interior Amazon rainforest of Suriname. Heavy equipment was utilized to release gold from its host material followed by amalgamation and gravity separation. In contrast with background tributary recordings, streams adjacent to these gold mining operations consistently contained turbidity measurements that exceeded United States’ EPA guidelines for aquatic species of 50 nephelometric turbidity units and were typically in the hundreds to thousands of units. Turbidity was further heightened in association with precipitation events. Mercury played a prominent role in whole ore amalgam concentration practices. Freshwater fish from the region were found to harbor mercury that encroached upon public health criteria. Dissolved phase metals present further ecotoxicological challenges to the region, but their association with mining activities was less clear. These findings collectively reveal that small-scale placer gold mining practices in the Surinamese rainforest result in an increase of suspended sediments and release of mercury into waterways that could impact communities that depend upon local fisheries.     

The relationship of social capital and fishers’ participation in multi-level governance arrangements

The need for effective multi-level governance arrangements is becoming increasingly urgent because of complex functional interdependencies between biophysical and socioeconomic systems. We argue that social capital plays an important role in such systems. To explore the relationship between social capital and participation in resource governance arenas, we analyzed various small-scale fisheries governance regimes from the Gulf of California, Mexico. The components of social capital that we measured include levels of fishers’ structural ties to relevant groups and levels of trust in different entities (i.e. cognitive component). We collected data using surveys and interviews with residents of small-scale fishing communities adjacent to marine protected areas. We analyzed the data using a logistic regression model and narrative analysis. The results of our quantitative analysis highlight the multidimensional nature of social capital and reveals complex relationships between different types of social capital and fisher participation in monitoring, rulemaking and MPA design. Furthermore our qualitative analysis suggests that participation in fisheries conservation and management is not fully potentialized due to the social and historical context of participatory spaces in Mexico.     

An assessment of the causes and consequences of agricultural land abandonment in Europe

ABSTRACT

The agriculture sector is the principal source of income for around 20% of the EU-26 population, which live in predominantly rural regions that would be devastated without its contribution. Moreover, the combined agricultural and food sector forms an important part of the EU economy, accounting for 15 million jobs (8.3% of total employment) and 4.4% of GDP. The 12 million active farmers across Europe today, have an average farm size of about 15 ha, and are expected to meet the needs of 500 million Europeans. In addition, they are also expected to promote a sustainable and balanced development of their land, also in areas where production conditions are difficult. Yet, despite the relevance of the sector, the use of land for agriculture purposes is not very sustainable. Among other issues, there is a serious problem in respect of the abandonment of agricultural land. Based on the perceived need for research on this topic, the aim of this paper is to examine the causes and consequences of agricultural land abandonment, outlining its social, economic and environmental impacts, as well as the implications for territorial integration.     

农牧民响应政府主导生态建设工程的外部不经济性——以江西山江湖和青海三江源为例

选择两大典型的生态建设工程,使用参与式农村评估方法,从农牧民认知的角度,旨在查明可能诱发的外部不经济性,结果表明:①山江湖区农户参与行为的直接外部不经济性易于调整,而三江源区的则很难受控调节;②山江湖区农户参与行为的潜在外部性主要受外出转产参与或就地寻找新生计来源渠道所驱动,而三江源区虽然牧民畜群结构、成年母畜比例等也受草地退化的胁迫,但它们与草地退化间的关系内生性较强;③山江湖区农户对管理行为介入所诱发的大概率外部不经济性有更为清醒的认识且能科学定性评价,而三江源区牧民转产所导致的大概率外部不经济性则很可能促使移民选择返牧;④山江湖区农户参与行为调整带来的小概率外部不经济性体现为气候变化的驱动,具有不可抗拒性,而三江源区牧民行为调整所诱发的小概率外部不经济性则受外部经济或产业引进的影响,有一定的可调控性。研究有助于弄清两大生态建设工程中农牧民参与行为所诱发外部不经济性的可比性及适应性行为调整的可借鉴性。     

大城市郊区典型区域农户作物种植选择行为及其影响因素对比研究——基于沈阳市苏家屯区238户农户的调查研究

研究从农户作物种植选择行为角度出发,以马斯洛需求层次理论为基础,通过构建社会经济及政策变化对农户种植选择行为影响机理分析框架和理论模型,基于沈阳市苏家屯区238户农户调查数据,采用统计分析法和Logistic回归分析,研究结果表明:工业化、城市化进程的加快促进了大城市郊区非农就业机会的增多和对农产品需求的增加,导致农户作物种植业选择行为出现了明显的"非粮化"和"非农化"趋势,不同区域农户作物选择行为存在明显的差异,在空间上形成近郊区以种植粮食作物为主→远郊区兼种粮食作物和经济作物为主→纯农村区以种植经济作物为主的"反杜能圈"式的种植模式特征。在此研究基础上,从外部环境包括城市扩展、经济结构、市场价格变化、政策制度安排和内部环境包括个人特征、家庭特征、资源禀赋等7类因素13个因子对产生差异的影响机理进行分析,结果显示不同区域、不同因子的作用方向、影响程度与显著性表现均有所不同。根据以上的研究结果,政府应该从鼓励农户发展休闲农业、合理引导农户把握市场和培养新型农民等方面入手,优化农业结构调整,促进农村土地合理利用,提高土地利用效率,实现农村土地资源的持续利用。