Abstract The objective of the present study was to assess the potential interactive effects of two Great Lakes chemical contaminants, hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and mercury (HgCl2). Groups of 10 female Sprague‐Dawley rats were administered by gavage single doses of HCB (400, 600 mg/kg b.w. in corn oil), HgCl2 (10.0, 12.5 mg/kg b.w. aqueous) or combinations of both followed by observation for clinical signs of toxicity for 14 days. Five animals from treatment groups died before the termination of the study; one animal each in 600 mg HCB, 400 mg HCB + 10 mg HgCl2, and 600 mg HCB + 10 mg HgCl2, and two animals in 600 mg HCB + 12.5 mg HgCl2. The surviving animals were necropsied at the termination of the study, and hematological, clinical chemistry, histopathological and tissue residue analyses were performed. Relative liver weights were increased in both low and high dose groups of HCB but not in animals treated with HgCl2 alone. Co‐administration of HgCl2 did not alter the HCB effects on the liver weight of the animals. Serum cholesterol levels were increased in all the groups receiving HCB but not HgCl2. No interactive effects on other serum parameters were seen in animals administered with both chemicals. Mild to moderate morphological changes occurred in the liver, thyroid, thymus, ovary and bone marrow of rats exposed to HCB or HCB + HgCl2, and in the kidney of HgCl2 or HgCl2 + HCB treated animals. More severe histological changes occurred in the groups receiving both chemicals. The histological effects appeared to be additive. It was concluded that co‐administration with HCB and HgCl2 resulted in additive effects in some of the endpoints measured but no synergism or antagonism was observed. 相似文献
Botswana is a rapidly developing country in southern Africa. Over the last three decades, diamond mining and tourism have
provided double-digit rates of economic growth. Yet most of Botswana’s land is in the Kalahari desert where the climate is
subject to sustained periods of severe drought. In this environment, water resources are the most crucial of all environmental
resources. Water use directly affects economic development because water utilization impacts all the major national economic
sectors. A sustainable water use resource management plan must stretch several decades into the future to assure the availability
of adequate supplies of water to future generations while not compromising the ability of the current generation to reasonable
rates of economic development. Yet thinking about sustainability is present in Botswana water policy mostly only in rhetoric.
A series of cultural traditions and political constraints, coupled with bureaucratic managerial weaknesses, serve to maintain
a system of water allocation that is unsustainable in the long run and inefficient in the short-term. Unless sustainable water
use patterns are adopted, the results for the short-term, as well as the long-term, will be devastating. Drawing on data obtained
through a series of interviews with government officials, leaders of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and water resource
researchers, this paper explores water policy in Botswana within the larger context of sustainable natural resource management
practice and the pressures of economic development.
This research was partially funded under U.S. Department of State, College and University Affiliations Grant # ASCS-1095. 相似文献
Using a case study, involving turtle-based ecotourism, we explore the role of ecotourism in promoting environmental learning
and in sustaining conservation of nature. Mon Repos Conservation Park (an important marine turtle rookery involved in ecotourism)
in Queensland, Australia, was selected for this study and visitors were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. The reported
on-site experiences of respondents are analysed to identify important factors that alter their stated conservation attitudes
and behaviours. The impact of these factors (such as the amount of environmental education that respondents claimed they obtained,
sighting of sea turtles, nationality) is quantified using regression analyses. There has been little previous quantification
of such influences. The study reveals that a considerable amount of environmental knowledge is gained by visitors to Mon Repos.
The ecotourism experience, involving environmental education and seeing of turtles, was found to have positive and statistically
significant impacts on the visitors' stated desire and intended behaviour to protect sea turtles. The study reveals the importance
of learning and the interaction of tourists with wildlife as a contributor to their pro-conservation sentiments and actions.
It shows how ecotourism can support nature conservation.
Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue. 相似文献
This study was conducted in Gwayi Valley Conservation Area in Zimbabwe. The objective was to evaluate the level of environmental awareness raising among rural communities resettled by government in a wildlife conservation area and their behavior and actions towards biodiversity conservation. We selected three communities based on the degree of exposure to environmental awareness campaigns by various government departments and non-governmental organizations. This formed a gradient of exposure to environmental awareness campaigns, ranging from the most accessible and exposed community (Hangano), moderately exposed (Gwayi) through to the least accessible and exposed community (Karna). We used focus group discussions, key informant interviews and structured interviews with 95 respondents in the selected communities from November 2016 to April 2017. Through public awareness raising, a number of conservation groups were established including fire and hunting committees, anti-poaching teams and environmental resource monitors. While these groups were found to be either inactive or less effective in Gwayi and Karna, all were found to be very active and effective in Hangano. Similarly, community behavior and actions that caused biodiversity loss such as indiscriminate cutting of live trees, poaching, streambank cultivation, fishing in rivers with nets and use of sledges were much reduced in Hangano than in Gwayi and Karna. Frequent environmental awareness campaigns played a critical role in promoting biodiversity in Hangano. We conclude that substantial gains can be made in environmental conservation by investing more in public awareness campaigns, particularly in developing countries such as Zimbabwe where financial resources for conservation are scarce. 相似文献
Objectives: Nationally, animal–motor vehicle crashes (AVCs) account for 4.4% of all types of motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). AVCs are a safety risk for drivers and animals and many National Park Service (NPS) units (e.g., national park, national monument, or national parkway) have known AVC risk factors, including rural locations and substantial animal densities. We sought to describe conditions and circumstances involving AVCs to guide traffic and wildlife management for prevention of AVCs in select NPS units.
Methods: We conducted an analysis using NPS law enforcement MVC data. An MVC is a collision involving an in-transit motor vehicle that occurred or began on a public roadway. An AVC is characterized as a collision between a motor vehicle and an animal. A non-AVC is a crash between a motor vehicle and any object other than an animal or noncollision event (e.g., rollover crash). The final data for analysis included 54,068 records from 51 NPS units during 1990–2013. Counts and proportions were calculated for categorical variables and medians and ranges were calculated for continuous variables. We used Pearson’s chi-square to compare circumstances of AVCs and non-AVCs. Data were compiled at the park regional level; NPS parks are assigned to 1 of 7 regions based on the park’s location.
Results: AVCs accounted for 10.4% (5,643 of 54,068) of all MVCs from 51 NPS units. The Northeast (2,021 of 5,643; 35.8%) and Intermountain (1,180 of 5,643; 20.9%) regions had the largest percentage of the total AVC burden. November was the peak month for AVCs across all regions (881 of 5,643; 15.6%); however, seasonality varied by park geographic regions. The highest counts of AVCs were reported during fall for the National Capital, Northeast/Southeast, and Northeast regions; winter for the Southeast region; and summer for Intermountain and Pacific West regions.
Conclusions: AVCs represent a public health and wildlife safety concern for NPS units. AVCs in select NPS units were approximately 2-fold higher than the national percentage for AVCs. The peak season for AVCs varied by NPS region. Knowledge of region-specific seasonality patterns for AVCs can help NPS staff develop mitigation strategies for use primarily during peak AVC months. Improving AVC data collection might provide NPS with a more complete understanding of risk factors and seasonal trends for specific NPS units. By collecting information concerning the animal species hit, park managers can better understand the impacts of AVC to wildlife population health. 相似文献
We examine the role of spatial interactions in conservation easements placed on prairie pothole habitat in western Canada. One of the goals of the conservation easement program we study is to protect contiguous habitat. We identify endogenous spatial interactions among conservation easements and government protected land, independent of spatially correlated landscape features and local economic shocks that influence easement enrollment. We present evidence that easements increase the likelihood of subsequent easements on neighboring land. Government-protected land appears to have little effect on the location of conservation easements. These results imply that conservation agencies have leveraged past conservation investment to enroll more contiguous habitat in permanent easements through a combination of targeting and positive social interactions among neighboring landowners. 相似文献
Reductions in global bee populations are threatening the pollination benefits to both the planet and people. Whilst the contribution of bee pollination in promoting sustainable development goals through food security and biodiversity is widely acknowledged, a range of other benefits provided by bees has yet to be fully recognised. We explore the contributions of bees towards achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our insights suggest that bees potentially contribute towards 15 of the 17 SDGs and a minimum of 30 SDG targets. We identify common themes in which bees play an essential role, and suggest that improved understanding of bee contributions to sustainable development is crucial for ensuring viable bee systems. 相似文献
Former ranges of wild animals have been reestablished in many developed countries. However, this reestablishment has led to increasing human–wildlife conflict in agroforest ecosystems. In Japan, human–wildlife conflict, such as crop raiding by and ecological impacts of wild ungulates and primates, is a serious problem in depopulated rural areas due to these animal range expansions and increased abundances. Japan's human population is predicted to decline by 24% by 2050, and approximately 20% of agricultural settlements will become completely depopulated. In this scenario, anthropogenic pressures on wildlife (e.g., hunting and habitat alteration) will continue to decrease and human–wildlife conflict will increase due to increasing wildlife recovery. Japan's local governments plan to slow range recovery, prevent species reestablishment, or remove recolonizing large mammals through lethal control. This strategy, however, is not cost-effective, and workforce shortages in depopulated communities make it infeasible. Moreover, the suppression of wildlife prevents the recovery of ecological functions and thus would degrade regional biodiversity. The declining pressure on wildlife that accompanies human depopulation will prevent the restoration of any past states of human–wildlife interaction. We suggest human-used areas in rural landscapes be aggregated in compact cities and that in transition zones between human settlements and depopulated lands that land-sharing approaches be applied. Concentrating management efforts in compact cities may effectively decrease human–wildlife conflict, rather than intensifying human pressures. Reforestation of depopulated lands may lead to recovery of wildlife habitats, their ecosystem functions, and regional biodiversity due to minimization of negative anthropogenic effects (land-sparing approach). Balancing resolution of human–wildlife conflict and ecological rewilding could become a new, challenging task for regional wildlife managers. 相似文献