Dissipation of fenoxycarb and pyriproxyfen in fresh and canned peach

The objective of this work was to determine the dissipation of fenoxycarb and pyriproxyfen in fresh and canned peaches in order to know the levels of residues that can reach consumers in real circumstances. Two field dissipation studies were carried out, one of them at the pre-harvest interval (PHI) with good agricultural practice (GAP) and the other one in a situation of critical agricultural practice (CAP). Two canning dissipation studies were carried out for samples from both agricultural situations in an industrial pilot plant and the dissipation was determined in each relevant step. An analytical methodology was used including acetone-dichloromethane extraction, purification and analysis by liquid chromatography and diode array detection (LC-DAD) with a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.05 mg/kg. It was validated under SANCO/10232/2006 Guidelines. These pesticides complied with the official maximum residue limits (MRLs) in peaches at the PHI with good agricultural practices. In hypothetical situation of a second application at the PHI, fenoxycarb and pyriproxyfen residues were above the MRLs in peaches. The canning study reduced the residues to no detectable levels in the cans for consumers.     

How to foster agroecological innovations? A comparison of participatory design methods

Facing contemporary environmental crisis implies fostering agroecological innovations that take into account local ecological regulations and rely on multiple stakeholders' innovation capacities. This paper draws on two fields of literature that remain unconnected so far: participatory approaches and design sciences. It proposes an analysis grid to support a reflexive analysis of cases of implementation of three participatory design methods: ComMod (Companion Modelling for concerted management of natural resources), Forage Rummy (simulation-based board game for designing farming systems) and KCP (collective design workshops to foster innovation). This analysis highlights key features of the methods in view of agroecological innovation challenges, focusing on knowledge management and organisation for exploration.     

Restoration planning to guide Aichi targets in a megadiverse country

Ecological restoration has become an important strategy to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems services. To restore 15% of degraded ecosystems as stipulated by the Convention on Biological Diversity Aichi target 15, we developed a prioritization framework to identify potential priority sites for restoration in Mexico, a megadiverse country. We used the most current biological and environmental data on Mexico to assess areas of biological importance and restoration feasibility at national scale and engaged stakeholders and experts throughout the process. We integrated 8 criteria into 2 components (i.e., biological importance and restoration feasibility) in a spatial multicriteria analysis and generated 11 scenarios to test the effect of assigning different component weights. The priority restoration sites were distributed across all terrestrial ecosystems of Mexico; 64.1% were in degraded natural vegetation and 6% were in protected areas. Our results provide a spatial guide to where restoration could enhance the persistence of species of conservation concern and vulnerable ecosystems while maximizing the likelihood of restoration success. Such spatial prioritization is a first step in informing policy makers and restoration planners where to focus local and large‐scale restoration efforts, which should additionally incorporate social and monetary cost–benefit considerations.     

Incorporation of Spatial and Economic Analyses of Human‐Use Data in the Design of Marine Protected Areas

Abstract: Social, economic, and ecological criteria contribute to the successful design, implementation, and management of marine protected areas (MPAs). In the context of California's Marine Life Protection Act Initiative, we developed a set of methods for collecting, compiling, and analyzing data about the spatial extent and relative economic importance of commercial and recreational fishing. We interviewed 174 commercial fishers who represented the major fisheries in the initiative's north‐central coast region, which extends from Point Arena south to Pigeon Point. These fishers provided data that we used to map the extent of each of the fishing grounds, to weight the relative importance of areas within the grounds, to characterize the operating costs of each fishery, and to analyze the potential economic losses associated with proposed marine protected areas. A regional stakeholder group used the maps and impact analyses in conjunction with other data sets to iteratively identify economic and ecological trade‐offs in designations of different areas as MPAs at regional, port, and fishery extents. Their final proposed MPA network designated 20% of state waters as MPAs. Potential net economic loss ranged from 1.7% to 14.2% in the first round of network design and totaled 6.3% in the final round of design. This process is a case study in the application of spatial analysis to validate and integrate local stakeholder knowledge in marine planning.     

网络重要基础设施脆弱性评价模型及其应用

为了评价网络重要基础设施的脆弱性,基于网络图论,构建一个数学规划模型。利用ArcGIS将网络重要基础设施的弧段和节点赋值,将网络拓扑结构以数字形式表示;利用数学规划软件对该模型进行优化求解,得出网络重要基础设施中的脆弱性组件(弧段或节点)。结果表明这些组件的破坏会使网络脆弱性达到最大值,需要对这些组件进行优先防护。将该模型应用于京津冀高速公路交通网络系统,得到该交通网络系统的脆弱性路段。     

Educational hazards? The politics of disaster risk education in Rio de Janeiro

Disaster education outcomes are highly dependent on the political context of that education. Based on a rich, in‐depth case study of the creation of community monitors in a landslide and flood‐prone city in southeast Brazil, this paper demonstrates how developmental and political environments add much additional nuance to existing theories of behaviourist and transformative education for disaster preparedness and mitigation. Beyond identifying the benefits of education, it argues that disaster risk reduction outcomes are reliant on governance frameworks that alter over time. The study reveals the political complexity associated with programme implementation and cites the perspectives of a number of participants. Disaster education is shown to be the necessary yet underappreciated twin of the militarised and technical approaches that dominate disaster response in Brazil. Understated, however, is education's situatedness: how it can become an arena of conflict between government and civil actors over matters of state and society in increasingly hazardous urbanisation settings in Latin America.     

Camel culling and carbon emissions in rangelands in central Australia

Culling feral camels will impact on the carbon emissions from them. Culling of feral camels stops their long-term continuous methane emission, but emits carbon from their carcasses in the short term. Through on-site monitoring of the decomposition process of camels that have been shot dead, this paper models the pattern of carbon emissions during the decomposition of these camels in Central Australia, and analyses the contribution of the camel culling programme to carbon emission mitigation on the rangelands. A ‘carbon royalty’ payment mechanism is also suggested to encourage local participation in carbon markets through an involvement in natural resource management.     

Assessment of the risk of excess sulfur input into terrestrial ecosystems of the Kola Peninsula

The tolerance of terrestrial ecosystems of the Kola Peninsula to atmospheric deposition of acid-forming sulfur compounds and the risk of their excess input into these ecosystems have been assessed on the basis of the critical load concept. The most sensitive ecosystems (critical sulfur load <400 equiv/ha per year) occupy 58% of the total area of the peninsula. These are mainly pine, spruce, and birch forests (including open and crooked birch forests) growing on podzols formed on sandy boulder-pebble glacial deposits. The zones of ecological risk cover the northwestern and central parts of the peninsula near the Pechenganikel and Severonikel combined works (20% of the total area).     

APPLICATION OF CRITICAL PATH METHOD TO WATER RESOURCES PLANNING1

ABSTRACT. The task of resource management, in this case water resources, is rapidly becoming more complex, particularly because decision making is often contingent upon various prior activities and sets of data. Comprehensive planning is required in order to prevent misallocation of resources or mismanagement in resource development. Such planning involves five general phases which are applicable to any problem faced by society: (1) problem identification; (2) formulation of alternatives; (3) evaluation of alternatives; (4) implementation; (5) review. There have been many attempts to simplify the planning process and effectively carry out these five phases. The experience of the Alberta Water Resources Division has been that the Critical Path Method is one of the most useful tools available today for planning. It involves two basic steps: (1) preparation of a network diagram which (a) identifies all the activities necessary for the completion of a project, (b) correctly sequences these activities, (c) allocates resources; and (2) mathematical computations for scheduling the activities. In other words, this approach breaks a task down into smaller units or activities for easier organization, scheduling, and performance for eventual completion of the project. This paper will illustrate the effectiveness of the Critical Path Method by discussing its application to actual water resources projects.