Hematology and Some Biochemical Parameters of Wild Rodents in Pistachio Gardens of Kerman Province, Southeast Iran

Wild rodents were collected using live snap traps in pistachio gardens of Kerman Province, Southeast Iran from 2007 to 2009, then some physiological parameters of them were measured. The samples were identified as follow: Nesokia indica, Meriones persicus, Meriones lybicus and Tatera indica. Blood samples were obtained from the heart, then the blood parameters (glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, HDL, red and white blood cell number) in wild species of rodents and laboratory rat were compared. The results showed that there were no significant differences in serum glucose, triglyceride, HDL and total protein levels among different experimental groups. The concentration of cholesterol in T. indica was more than that in N. indica (P < 0.01). The total numbers of red blood cells also showed significant difference between wild garden rodent species and laboratory rat (P < 0.01), while the numbers of white blood cells showed no significant difference.     

Denitrification at a long-term forested land treatment system in the Piedmont of Georgia

Spray irrigation of forested land can provide an effective system for nutrient removal and treatment of municipal wastewater. Evolution of N2 + N2O from denitrifying activity is an important renovation pathway for N applied to forested land treatment systems. Federal and state guidance documents for design of forested land treatment systems indicate the expected range for denitrification to be up to 25% of applied N, and most forest land treatment systems are designed using values from 15 to 20% of applied N. However, few measurements of denitrification following long-term wastewater applications at forested land treatment sites exist. In this study, soil N2 + N2O-N evolution was directly measured at four different landscape positions (hilltop, midslope, toe-slope, and riparian zone) in a forested land treatment facility in the Georgia Piedmont that has been operating for more than 13 yr. Denitrification rates within effluent-irrigated areas were significantly greater than rates in adjacent nonirrigated buffer zones. Rates of N2 + N2O-N evolved from soil in irrigated forests ranged from 5 to 10 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) N on the three upland landscape positions and averaged 38 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) N within the riparian zone. The relationship between measured riparian zone denitrification rates and soil physical and chemical properties was poor. The best relationship was with soil temperature, with an r2 of 0.18. Overall, on a landscape position weighted basis, only 2.4% of the wastewater-applied N was lost through denitrification.     

Community based initiatives to mainstream climate change adaptation into disaster risk reduction: evidence from the Hunter Valley (Australia)

In Australia, local communities often enact Community-Based Initiatives (CBIs) to respond to climate change through Climate Change Adaptation (CCA). CBIs can also be integrated into the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) agenda. The paper explores the extent to which CBIs promote the mainstreaming of CCA into DRR. Primary data were obtained from interviews with representatives of CBIs and supporting organisations in three local governments of the Hunter Valley (New South Wales, Australia). Findings show that CBIs recognise the potential contribution of climate change in modifying the local hazard profile. CBIs mainstream CCA into DRR by following four approaches: environmental and social justice; sustainability and transition; ecosystem-based approach; and adaptive planning. Partnerships were identified both among CBIs and between CBIs and City Councils; however, conflicts between CBIs, City Councils and business actors emerged, and a lack of commitment by multi-level governments in responding to climate change was revealed. The findings show that CBIs consider CCA and DRR within a broad everyday context related to vulnerability and local development. But we argue that assigning responsibility for climate change issues to CBIs is not a panacea and should not be the only local climate change response. Instead, CBIs need to be included in a larger and long-term commitment by actors that possess access to resources, such as higher levels of government. The paper provides a local Australian perspective on the effectiveness of mainstreaming CCA into DRR and furthers the conversation for the benefit of other communities facing similar challenges.