Public opinion and interest group positions on open-space issues in Albuquerque,New Mexico,USA: Implications for resource management

The purpose of this research was to elicit and compare the open-space preferences of citizens and openspace experts in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. A randomly selected sample of 492 citizens and 35 open-space experts participated in a telephone survey during May 5–18, 1986. The following hypothesis was tested and used as a guideline for the study:HO1: There is no significant difference between respondents' status and preference for open space in Albuquerque, New Mexico.The hypothesis was rejected. Findings confirmed respondents' status affected preference for open space. Of the eight issues on which the citizen and expert groups were compared, five recorded significant differences in response profiles. The open-space expert group was significantly more supportive of using open space to accommodate offroad vehicle facilities, wildlife preserves, a citywide recreational trail, and a trail system along the arroyos and city ditches. The citizen sample was significantly more supportive of using open space to accommodate overnight camping facilities. Both groups equally supported using open space to accommodate an outdoor amphitheater, outdoor education facilities, and rafting, kayaking, and canoeing facilities.The finding indicated that expert preferences did not represent an aggregate of citizen preferences for managing open-space resources. Understanding both expert and citizen positions will facilitate decision-making processes and help resolve environmental disputes.     

Incorporating the perceptual range of animals into connectivity models

The perceptual range of an animal towards different landscape elements affects its movements through heterogeneous landscapes. However, empirical knowledge and modeling tools are lacking to assess the consequences of variation in the perceptual range for movement patterns and connectivity. In this study we tested how changes in the assumed perception of different landscape elements affect the outcomes of a connectivity model. We used an existing individual-based, spatially explicit model for the dispersal of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). We systematically altered the perceptual range in which animals recognize forest fragments, water bodies or cities, as well as the probability that they respond to these landscape elements. Overall, increasing the perceptual range of the animals enhanced connectivity substantially, both qualitatively and quantitatively. An enhanced range of attraction to forests had the strongest impact, doubling immigration success; an enhanced range of attraction to rivers had a slightly lower impact; and an enhanced range of avoidance of cities had the lowest impact. Correcting the enhancement in connectivity by the abundance of each of the landscape elements in question reversed the results, indicating the potential sensitivity of connectivity models to rare landscape elements (in our case barriers such as cities). Qualitatively, the enhanced perception resulted in strong changes in movement patterns and connectivity. Furthermore, model results were highly parameter-specific and patch-specific. These results emphasize the need for further empirical research on the perceptual capabilities of different animals in different landscapes and conditions. They further indicate the usefulness of spatially explicit individual-based simulation models for recognizing consistent patterns that emerge, despite uncertainty regarding animals’ movement behavior. Altogether, this study demonstrates the need to extend the concept of ‘perceptual ranges’ beyond patch detection processes, to encompass the wide range of elements that can direct animal movements during dispersal through heterogeneous landscapes.     

Understanding the effects of different social data on selecting priority conservation areas

Conservation success is contingent on assessing social and environmental factors so that cost‐effective implementation of strategies and actions can be placed in a broad social–ecological context. Until now, the focus has been on how to include spatially explicit social data in conservation planning, whereas the value of different kinds of social data has received limited attention. In a regional systematic conservation planning case study in Australia, we examined the spatial concurrence of a range of spatially explicit social values and land‐use preferences collected using a public participation geographic information system and biological data. We used Zonation to integrate the social data with the biological data in a series of spatial‐prioritization scenarios to determine the effect of the different types of social data on spatial prioritization compared with biological data alone. The type of social data (i.e., conservation opportunities or constraints) significantly affected spatial prioritization outcomes. The integration of social values and land‐use preferences under different scenarios was highly variable and generated spatial prioritizations 1.2–51% different from those based on biological data alone. The inclusion of conservation‐compatible values and preferences added relatively few new areas to conservation priorities, whereas including noncompatible economic values and development preferences as costs significantly changed conservation priority areas (48.2% and 47.4%, respectively). Based on our results, a multifaceted conservation prioritization approach that combines spatially explicit social data with biological data can help conservation planners identify the type of social data to collect for more effective and feasible conservation actions.     

Lean framework for planning redesign proposals to optimise EOL environmental behaviour in WEEE products

The aim of this research was to define a sequence of actions to guide redesign propositions for electrical and electronic equipment products, which minimise negative consequences to the environment after the end of their useful life. Current practices mainly encourage the examination of individual problems as disassembly process and identification of suitable product end-of-life (EOL) treatment strategies. There also exist previous studies that try to incorporate EOL concerns in product design phase. In most cases, the main problem is the limited available EOL information because of its delayed retrieval. The proposed method focuses primarily on minimising this problem. The steps of the analysis performed include the selection of the optimal EOL treatment strategy and, afterwards, the evaluation of its results concerning the environment. In parallel, product design characteristics are grouped and examined concerning their expected significance for the environment in the EOL stage. The results from the previous stages are combined and product improvement actions are proposed for further examination in the redesign stage. The general framework used to conduct all these actions is lean thinking methodology. In the end, results concerning the application of the proposed method on a distribution transformer are presented.     

Use of value functions in environmental decisions

Value functions are devices that allow discrete analyses of environmental impacts to be reconciled to a single quantitative scale of preference. The values obtained can then be weighted and combined into measures of the relative desirability of policy alternatives. However, for this methodology to be valid, the set of impacts used must satisfy a number of conditions; and whether or not these are met depends on how the impacts are selected and characterized. This paper generalizes instances where the conditions may be violated and how they may be resolved, and concludes with a few thoughts on how the methodology might be adapted to the routine of bureaucracy.This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory under Contract W-7405-ENG-48.     

Mobile phone use while driving: Predicting drivers’ answering intentions and compensatory decisions

The current study considered, for the first time, compensatory decisions within the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to explain why people use mobile phones while driving. The effects of age, gender, and mobile phone mode on respondents’ answering intentions and compensatory decisions were mainly examined. A series of questions were administered to 333 drivers (ages 25-59), which included (1) demographic measures, (2) scales that measured prior mobile use activities in both driving and ordinary contexts, (3) a question to measure drivers’ perceptions of the safety of hands-free phones, and (4) TPB measures, which measured answer intention and two compensatory behavioural decisions (i.e., reminding the caller that he/she is driving, limiting the length of a conversations (including perceived its limits)), along with predictive variables. Drivers reported a moderate likelihood of answering intention and a strong tendency to engage in the two compensatory behaviours. Answering intention and compensatory decisions, perceived behavioural control, perceived risk, and usage frequency were more dependent on mobile phone mode and age group than gender. The regression models explained 64% and 67% of the variance in answering intention in the handheld and hands-free scenario separately. Attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural risk and control (PBRC), and prior answering behaviour emerged as common predictors. The predictive models explained 31% and 37% of the variance for perceived limits of a conversation length in handheld and hands-free scenarios, respectively. Answering intention and PBRC consistently predicted most of the variance (handheld: 28%; hands-free: 32%) for this compensatory perception limits. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.     

The Dismantling of End-of-Life Vehicles in Estonia Before Putting into Effect the Directive 2000/53/EC (3 pp)

Background, Aims and Scope When joining the European Union on 1st May 2004, Estonia had to conform its legislation to the European Union legislation. In relation with that, also the treatment requirements on end-of-life vehicles proceeding from Directive 2000/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 September 2000 were established in Estonia for the first time. Since this area was not regulated with law beforehand, there was not any information available about it. The aim of the current survey was to ascertain the condition of scrap yards in mid 2004. In addition to that, also to identify the number of scrap yards operating in Estonia, to classify these by the number of dismantled vehicles and the potential environmental hazard, and to map the locations of car dismantling companies and evaluate their compliance with the valid requirements. Methods The companies that have been registered in the Commercial Registry under the activity code 503090-end-of-life vehicle dismantling were visited and visually reviewed. During the visits, the compliance of scrap yards with the existing requirements was evaluated and it was also attempted to identify how environmentally sound the dismantling technology of every scrap yard owner is. Results and Discussion Altogether, 63 scrap yards operated in Estonia by mid 2004. Twelve of them dismantled more than 100 vehicles, 13 of them 51-99 vehicles and 38 up to 50 vehicles a year. The total annual market capacity on dismantling of vehicles in Estonia is considered to be approx. 10,000 units. There are very few companies dealing only with car dismantling as the main business. Most scrap-yard owners also offer side services, e.g. haulage, car repair and maintenance. The dismantlers are interested in the selling of second-hand spare parts and scrap metal. Only one company out of 63 complied with all the requirements enacted by the relevant decision of the Estonian Minister of Environment. The rest of the scrap yards did not meet the requirements on the site on storage and treatment nor did they have the hazardous waste handling licence or the waste permit. Of the requirements established for the site for storage of end-of-life vehicles, 97% of the scrap yards were surrounded with a fence, 67% had a 24-hour guard, 45% had covered the areas with waterproof cover, but only 3% had an oil trap. Sites for treatment were in a somewhat better condition, these were mostly situated inside the buildings, where floors were covered with waterproof covers. Most of the dismantlers collected the waste oil and waste fluids into separate vessels, but there were a number of dismantlers who did not know of existence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in car air conditioning systems and the availability of mercury in sensors belonging in passenger safety systems. Proceeding from the general condition of the scrap yard, the rest of 62 scarp yards were distributed between two empirical parameters - 'rather environmentally hazardous' or 'rather not environmentally hazardous'. As a matter of fact, 17% of scrap yards turned out 'rather environmentally hazardous'. Conclusion Out of the scrap yards operating in Estonia, only one is compliant with the requirements set up by Directive 2000/53/EC. Another 62 appeared during the review to be sites of potential environmental pollution. In order to comply with environmental requirements and get the hazardous waste treatment license, the scrap yard owners have to invest into state-of-the-art dismantling and environment protection equipment. The main obstacle to reach the environmentally sound scrap-yard is the high investment cost and the black market for spare parts. Recommendation and Outlook As the correction of the market in end-of-life vehicle treatment started after the adoption of Directive 2000/53/EC, the environmental authorities have to look after the ongoing correction. It is because there is still a demand for cheap spare parts and it makes it attractive to dismantle the vehicles out of scrap-yards by licensees.