A course in Environmental Planning and Management

Summary This paper describes a 13-weeks, third-year course in Environmental Planning and Management developed and taught by the authors. Initiated in 1969, the course consists of a mix of lectures, seminars, workshop/laboratory sessions and field-based projects. The objectives of the course are for students: to become aware of the need for, and the complexities of, environmental management; to be able to criticise constructively work done by environmental agencies and consultants, managers and decision makers; and to learn and apply some of the methods and techniques used in environmental management.Topics covered by the current syllabus are: concepts of resource and environment; constitutional aspects; international law and the environment; Australian and Canadian environmental legislation and agencies; human manipulation of ecosystems; energy subsidies; modification of biogeochemical cycles; population dynamics and cropping; fisheries; national parks and reserves—policies in different countries; international heritage areas; environmental assessment (including impact assessment, land evaluation, land capability and land suitability assessment); and regional, integrated land-use and environmental planning and management. Techniques taught include: field surveys and interviewing; laboratory analysis of selected water quality, sediment and soil parameters including nutrient concentrations, heavy metal and pesticide residues; and for some students, applications of geographic information systems (GIS) technology following preceding GIS courses.A major problem is selecting the most appropriate mix between the social and natural sciences—appropriate, first in terms of students' heterogeneous skills and backgrounds, and second, in terms of understanding the causes of environmental problems and issues, and devising practicable solutions.     

Using long-term data for a reintroduced population to empirically estimate future consequences of inbreeding

Inbreeding depression is an important long-term threat to reintroduced populations. However, the strength of inbreeding depression is difficult to estimate in wild populations because pedigree data are inevitably incomplete and because good data are needed on survival and reproduction. Predicting future population consequences is especially difficult because this also requires projecting future inbreeding levels and their impacts on long-term population dynamics, which are subject to many uncertainties. We illustrate how such projections can be derived through Bayesian state-space modeling methods based on a 26-year data set for North Island Robins (Petroica longipes) reintroduced to Tiritiri Matangi Island in 1992. We used pedigree data to model increases in the average inbreeding level (F ) over time based on kinship of possible breeding pairs and to estimate empirically N_e/N (effective/census population size). We used multiple imputation to model the unknown components of inbreeding coefficients, which allowed us to estimate effects of inbreeding on survival for all 1458 birds in the data set while modeling density dependence and environmental stochasticity. This modeling indicated that inbreeding reduced juvenile survival (1.83 lethal equivalents [SE 0.81]) and may have reduced subsequent adult survival (0.44 lethal equivalents [0.81]) but had no apparent effect on numbers of fledglings produced. Average inbreeding level increased to 0.10 (SE 0.001) as the population grew from 33 (0.3) to 160 (6) individuals over the 25 years, giving a ratio of 0.56 (0.01). Based on a model that also incorporated habitat regeneration, the population was projected to reach a maximum of 331–1144 birds (median 726) in 2130, then to begin a slow decline. Without inbreeding, the population would be expected stabilize at 887–1465 birds (median 1131). Such analysis, therefore, makes it possible to empirically derive the information needed for rational decisions about inbreeding management while accounting for multiple sources of uncertainty.     

Historical and contemporary indigenous marine conservation strategies in the North Pacific

Strategies to reduce, halt, and reverse global declines in marine biodiversity are needed urgently. We reviewed, coded, and synthesized historical and contemporary marine conservation strategies of the Kitasoo/Xai'xais First Nation in British Columbia, Canada to show how their approaches work. We assessed whether the conservation actions classification system by the Conservation Measures Partnership was able to encompass this nation's conservation approaches. All first-order conservation actions aligned with the Kitasoo/Xai'xais First Nation's historical and contemporary marine conservation actions; hereditary chief management responsibility played a key role. A conservation ethic permeates Kitasoo/Xai'xais culture, and indigenous resource management and conservation existed historically and remains strong despite extreme efforts by colonizers to suppress all indigenous practices. The Kitasoo/Xai'xais's embodiment of conservation actions as part of their worldview, rather than as requiring actions separate from everyday life (the norm in nonindigenous cultures), was missing from the conservation action classification system. The Kitasoo/Xai'xais are one of many indigenous peoples working to revitalize their governance and management authorities. With the Canadian government's declared willingness to work toward reconciliation, there is an opportunity to enable First Nations to lead on marine and other conservation efforts. Global conservation efforts would also benefit from enhanced support for indigenous conservation approaches, including expanding the conservation actions classification to encompass a new category of conservation or sacredness ethic.     

Dry and heat stress affects H2S production of Salmonella on selective plating media

The pH of Salmonella pre-enrichment media can become acidic (pH 4.0–5.0) when feeds/ingredients are incubated for 24?h. Salmonella in feed that have been stressed by heat and desiccation exhibit different pH tolerances than non-stressed cultures. Acidic conditions can result in cell injury/death and affect biochemical pathways. In this study, eight serotypes of Salmonella were grown in sterile meat and bone meal that was subjected to desiccation and heat stress. Cultures of non-stressed and stressed isolates were subsequently exposed to acidic pH from 4.0 to 7.0 in 0.5?pH increments (3 replicates/pH increment) in citrate buffer. At 6 and 24?h, serial dilutions were plated in duplicate on XLT-4 (xylose lysine tergitol-4) agar. Four serotypes showed an impaired ability to decarboxylate lysine on XLT-4. This inability to decarboxylate lysine was dependent on isolate, stress status, and incubation time. When the isolates’ ability to decarboxylate lysine was examined using biochemical tests, cultures were found to be able to decarboxylate lysine with the exception of S. Infantis. This suggests that XLT-4 contains a biochemical stressor(s) which affects the rate of decarboxylation by these Salmonella. These results suggest that acidic conditions may influence the detection and confirmation of Salmonella in feed.     

Pacific Islanders’ understanding of climate change: Where do they source information and to what extent do they trust it?

Regional Environmental Change - The experience of environmental stress and attitudes towards climate change was explored for 1226 students at the University of the South Pacific, the foremost...     

Chemical extraction methods to assess bioavailable arsenic in soil and solid media

Soil ingestion by children is an important pathway in assessing public health risks associated with exposure to arsenic-contaminated soils. Soil chemical methods are available to extract various pools of soil arsenic, but their ability to measure bioavailable arsenic from soil ingestion is unknown. Arsenic extracted by five commonly used soil extractants was compared with bioavailable arsenic measured in vivo by immature swine (Sus scrofa) dosing trials. Fifteen contaminated soils that contained 233 to 17 500 mg kg(-1) arsenic were studied. Soil extractants were selected to dissolve surficially adsorbed and/or readily soluble arsenic (water, 1 M sodium acetate, 0.1 M Na2HPO4/0.1 M NaH2PO4) and arsenic in Fe and Mn oxide minerals (hydroxylamine hydrochloride, ammonium oxalate). The mean percent of total arsenic extracted was: ammonium oxalate (53.6%) > or = hydroxylamine hydrochloride (51.7%) > phosphate (10.5%), acetate (7.16%) > water (0.15%). The strongest relationship between arsenic determined by soil chemical extraction and in vivo bioavailable arsenic was found for hydroxylamine hydrochloride extractant (r = 0.88, significant at the 0.01 probability level). Comparison of the amount of arsenic extracted by soil methods with bioavailable arsenic showed the following trend: ammonium oxalate, hydroxylamine hydrochloride > in vivo > phosphate, acetate > water. The amount of arsenic dissolved in the stomach (potentially bioavailable) is between surficially adsorbed (extracted by phosphate or acetate) and surficially adsorbed + nonsurficial forms in Fe and Mn oxides (extracted by hydroxylamine hydrochloride or ammonium oxalate). Soil extraction methods that dissolve some of the amorphous Fe, such as hydroxylamine hydrochloride, can be designed to provide closer estimates of bioavailable arsenic.     

新西兰无过失伤害的预防、康复和赔偿体制介绍

新西兰意外赔偿局(ACC),是管理新西兰意外事件赔偿的政府机构。ACC计划是对在新西兰境内的公民、居民或临时来访的人提供受伤赔偿的服务。每年在复原、治疗和酬劳补偿等方面要花费十几亿元,为了保证这些服务,ACC从劳动者的薪金、燃油税、政府赞助和投资收入等方面来支付赔偿金,不同行业的工伤赔偿申请比率也不同。另外,ACC建立了培训基金,代替雇主负责对员工的安全与健康培训。虽然这一体制正面临一些私有化和费用不断增加的挑战和困难,但总体来说,ACC体制是适合新西兰的一个优良的方案,比其他国家的体制在管理效率和雇主利益等方面明显显示出优势。