The Use of Remote Sensing and GIS in the Sustainable Management of Tropical Coastal Ecosystems

The sustainable use and management of important tropical coastal ecosystems (mangrove forests, seagrass beds and coral reefs) cannot be done without understanding the direct and indirect impacts of man. The ecosystem's resilience and recovery capacity following such impacts must be determined. The efficacy of mitigation measures must also be considered. Remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) are excellent tools to use in such studies. This paper reviews the state of the art and application of these tools in tropical coastal zones, and illustrates their relevance in sustainable development. It highlights a selected number of remote sensing case-studies on land cover patterns, population structure and dynamics, and stand characteristics from South-East Asia, Africa and South-America, with a particular emphasis on mangroves. It further shows how remote sensing technology and other scientific tools can be integrated in long-term studies, both retrospective and predictive, in order to anticipate degradation and to take mitigating measures at an early stage. The paper also highlights the guidelines for sustainable management that can result from remote sensing and GIS studies, and identifies existent gaps and research priorities.There is a need for more comprehensive approaches that deal with new remote sensing technologies and analysis in a GIS-environment, and that integrate findings collected over longer periods with the aim of prediction. It is also imperative to collect and integrate data from different disciplines. These are essential in the spirit of sustainable development and management, particularly in developing countries, which are often more vulnerable to environmental degradation.     

Conservation and management applications of the REEF volunteer fish monitoring program

The REEF Fish Survey Project is a volunteer fish monitoring program developed by the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF). REEF volunteers collect fish distribution and abundance data using a standardized visual method during regular diving and snorkeling activities. Survey data are recorded on preprinted data sheets that are returned to REEF and optically digitized. Data are housed in a publicly accessible database on REEF's Web site (http: //www.reef.org). Since the project's inception in 1993, over 40,000 surveys have been conducted in the coastal waters of North America, tropical western Atlantic, Gulf of California and Hawaii. The Fish Survey Project has been incorporated into existing monitoring programs through partnerships with government agencies, scientists, conservation organizations, and private institutions. REEF's partners benefit from the educational value and increased stewardship resulting from volunteer data collection. Applications of the data include an evaluation of fish/habitat interactions in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the development of a multi-species trend analysis method to identify sites of management concern, assessment of the current distribution of species, status reports on fish assemblages of marine parks, and the evaluation of no-take zones in the Florida Keys. REEF's collaboration with a variety of partners, combined with the Fish Survey Project's standardized census method and database management system, has resulted in a successful citizen science monitoring program.     

草浆造纸中段废水的生物处理动力学

利用静态溶解氧消耗速率（OUR）试验模拟草浆造纸中段废水生物处理的生化反应过程,并运用Lawrence-McCarty模式进行了动力学分析。由OUR试验结果和小试研究结果建立的草浆造纸中段废水好氧生物处理的动力学方程为v=0.72S/(60.43 S）。将该动力学方程预测结果和实际工程的运行数据进行了比较,结果表明,动力学方程的比基质降解速率预测值高于实际工程的计算值,分析原因可能在于：实际工程中中段废水中的纤维素类悬溪物在生物处理装置的积累导致了污泥活性的降低。     

白腐菌氧化—混凝工艺处理纸浆漂白废水试验研究

报告用白腐真菌氧化—混凝工艺处理纸浆厂四段漂白混合废水的试验情况 ,在最佳工艺条件下 ,混凝处理出水CODCr、OD4 6 5分别为 1 85 .1mg/L、0 .0 0 4 2 ,去除率分别为 86 .5 %、99.4% ,实验结果表明 :白腐真菌氧化—混凝工艺对于纸浆漂白废水是一种有实用价值的处理工艺。     

木聚糖酶在硫酸盐木浆辅助漂白中的应用研究

结合某木浆厂的实际运行数据,对采用木聚糖酶辅助漂白前后的木浆质量、主要物料消耗量及产生废水的污染物指标进行了详细分析.结果表明,在工艺运行参数不变条件下,使用木聚糖酶辅助漂白能够显著提高生产纸浆质量等级,降低原木、二氧化氯和能源消耗量,减轻漂后废水的污染负荷,对于降低纸浆生产成本,保护水环境具有重要意义.     

AOX漂白废水对黑鲷鱼卵及仔鱼的毒性效应

用含AOX的造纸漂白废水对人工养殖的黑鲷鱼卵和早期仔鱼进行了毒性实验.结果表明:对于AOX漂白废水的毒性,黑鲷鱼卵胚胎阶段比早期仔鱼阶段更为敏感.高浓度的AOX漂白废水对鱼卵孵化产生一定的抑制作用,对仔鱼产生尾部畸形和致死现象,鱼卵孵化的EC50和95%置信区间分别为0.018和0～0.087 mL/mL;仔鱼72 h LC50和96h LC50分别为0.557和0.774 mL/mL,72 h的LOEC和NOEC分别为0.032和0.001 mL/mL,96 h的LOEC和NOEC分别为0.003和0.001 mL/mL.表明仔鱼对AOX漂白废水的毒性敏感性随着时间的推移而逐渐减弱.      

Distribution of radionuclides in the guano sediments of Xisha Islands, South China Sea and its implication

Several natural and anthropogenic radionuclides (²¹⁰Pb, ²²⁶Ra and ¹³⁷Cs) in guano-phosphatic coral sediments and pure guano particles collected from Ganquan, Guangjin, Jinqing and Jinyin Islands of the Xisha archipelago, South China Sea, were analyzed. The Constant Initial Concentration (CIC) model and the Constant Rate of Supply (CRS) model were applied for age calculation. The average supply rate of ²¹⁰Pb was 126 Bq m⁻² a⁻¹, very close to the flux of northern hemisphere average (125 Bq m⁻² a⁻¹). The activities of anthropogenic radionuclides in the sediments were very low, indicating that human nuclear tests did not notably impact this region. The main source of radionuclides in the sediments was from atmospheric precipitation, and the organic matter derived from plant and produced by nutrient-rich guano could further enhance them.     

Assessing stress response of Stylophora pistillata towards oil and phosphate pollution in the Gulf of Aqaba,using molecular and biochemical markers

Crude oil (from oil terminal) and raw phosphate (from phosphate port) pollution are responsible for the lowered health conditions of coral reefs at their vicinity in the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. Both in situ incubations and ex situ laboratory exposure experiments were used to study the effects of those pollutants on corals, by using molecular and biochemical biomarkers in the coral Stylophora pistillata. For ex situ part of the experiment, crude oil and raw phosphate were added to a final concentration of 500?ppm for both pollutants. The DNA damage was assessed by Comet assay, while biochemical stress markers were reassessed by lipid peroxidation (LPO) test. Although the corals looked healthy from outside, the use of stress biomarkers indicated that they are under high pressure at the cellular level. The corals incubated with oil and phosphate had more DNA damage and LPO in comparison with the control samples. The results obtained suggest that the use of stress biomarkers can be used as important prognostic tools for examining the sub-lethal stress on corals before their death.     

Evolution of a Mediterranean Coastal Zone: Human Impacts on the Marine Environment of Cape Creus

This study presents an integrated analysis of the evolution of the marine environment and the human uses in Cape Creus, a Mediterranean coastal area where intense commercial fisheries and recreational uses have coexisted over the last fifty years. The investigation synthesizes the documented impacts of human activities on the marine environment of Cap de Creus and integrates them with new data. In particular, the evolution of vulnerable, exploited species is used to evaluate the fishing impacts. The effects of area protection through the establishment of a marine reserve in the late 1990s and the potential climate change impacts are also considered. The evolution of the human uses is marked by the increasing socioeconomic importance of recreational activities (which affect species and habitats) in detriment to artisanal and red coral fisheries (which principally affect at a species level). Overall, populations of sedentary, vulnerable exploited species, hard sessile benthic invertebrates, and ecologically fragile habitats, such as seagrass meadows, the coralligenous and infralittoral algal assemblages have been the most negatively impacted by anthropogenic activities. Albeit human uses currently constitute the largest negative impact on the marine environment of Cap de Creus, climate change is emerging as a key factor that could have considerable implications for the marine environment and tourism activities. The establishment of the marine reserve appears to have had little socioeconomic impact, but there is some evidence that it had some positive biological effects on sedentary, littoral fishes. Results demonstrate that the declaration of a marine reserve alone does not guarantee the sustainability of marine resources and habitats but should be accompanied with an integrated coastal management plan.     

A Framework of Lessons Learned from Community-Based Marine Reserves and Its Effectiveness in Guiding a New Coastal Management Initiative in the Philippines

Community-based coastal resource management has been widely applied within the Philippines. However, small-scale community-based reserves are often inefficient owing to management inadequacies arising because of a lack of local support or enforcement or poor design. Because there are many potential pitfalls during the establishment of even small community-based reserves, it is important for coastal managers, communities, and facilitating institutions to have access to a summary of the key factors for success. Reviewing relevant literature, we present a framework of lessons learned during the establishment of protected areas, mainly in the Philippines. The framework contains summary guidance on the importance of (1) an island location, (2) small community population size, (3) minimal effect of land-based development, (4) application of a bottom-up approach, (5) an external facilitating institution, (6) acquisition of title, (7) use of a scientific information database, (8) stakeholder involvement, (9) the establishment of legislation, (10) community empowerment, (11) alternative livelihood schemes, (12) surveillance, (13) tangible management results, (14) continued involvement of external groups after reserve establishment, and (15) small-scale project expansion.These framework components guided the establishment of a community-based protected area at Danjugan Island, Negros Occidental, Philippines. This case study showed that the framework was a useful guide that led to establishing and implementing a community-based marine reserve. Evaluation of the reserve using standard criteria developed for the Philippines shows that the Danjugan Island protected area can be considered successful and sustainable. At Danjugan Island, all of the lessons synthesized in the framework were important and should be considered elsewhere, even for relatively small projects. As shown in previous projects in the Philippines, local involvement and stewardship of the protected area appeared particularly important for its successful implementation. The involvement of external organizations also seemed to have a key role in the success of the Danjugan Island project by guiding local decision-makers in the sociobiological principles of establishing protected areas. However, the relative importance of each component of the framework will vary between coastal management initiatives both within the Philippines and across the wider Asian region.Published on line