Understanding implications of consumer behavior for wildlife farming and sustainable wildlife trade

Unsustainable wildlife trade affects biodiversity and the livelihoods of communities dependent upon those resources. Wildlife farming has been proposed to promote sustainable trade, but characterizing markets and understanding consumer behavior remain neglected but essential steps in the design and evaluation of such operations. We used sea turtle trade in the Cayman Islands, where turtles have been farm raised for human consumption for almost 50 years, as a case study to explore consumer preferences toward wild‐sourced (illegal) and farmed (legal) products and potential conservation implications. Combining methods innovatively (including indirect questioning and choice experiments), we conducted a nationwide trade assessment through in‐person interviews from September to December 2014. Households were randomly selected using disproportionate stratified sampling, and responses were weighted based on district population size. We approached 597 individuals, of which 37 (6.2%) refused to participate. Although 30% of households had consumed turtle in the previous 12 months, the purchase and consumption of wild products was rare (e.g., 64–742 resident households consumed wild turtle meat [i.e., 0.3–3.5% of households] but represented a large threat to wild turtles in the area due to their reduced populations). Differences among groups of consumers were marked, as identified through choice experiments, and price and source of product played important roles in their decisions. Despite the long‐term practice of farming turtles, 13.5% of consumers showed a strong preference for wild products, which demonstrates the limitations of wildlife farming as a single tool for sustainable wildlife trade. By using a combination of indirect questioning, choice experiments, and sales data to investigate demand for wildlife products, we obtained insights about consumer behavior that can be used to develop conservation‐demand‐focused initiatives. Lack of data from long‐term social–ecological assessments hinders the evaluation of and learning from wildlife farming. This information is key to understanding under which conditions different interventions (e.g., bans, wildlife farming, social marketing) are likely to succeed.     

Toxicological Assessment of Wastewater and Runoff from the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill

Russian Journal of Ecology -     

The impact of refugees on the health status and health services of host communities: Compounding bad with worse?

Although there have been a number of recent developments in our understanding of refugee health problems that have influenced policies and action, the effects of refugees on the health status and services of host communities remain relatively neglected. This article sets out to explain why this is an important issue with implications for policy, planning surveillance and evaluation, training and research.
The first sections outline some of the problems facing host governments and communities in Africa and discuss the changing rhetoric between the first and second International Conferences for Assistance to Refugees in Africa. A number of possible ways in which refugees could affect the individual, agent and environmental causes of disease are considered, as are the characteristics of the refugees, the host communities and the response which may all modify this impact.
Policy implications of the impact of the refugees, both negative and positive, are discussed, and detailed consideration is given to the pros and cons of integrated and parallel approaches to health care provision. The need to monitor carefully the health status and services of host communities is emphasized and recommendations are made for this and other essential developments relating to training and research.     

基于腔衰减相移光谱法的二氧化氮分析仪的设计与应用

基于腔衰减相移光谱法设计了一套二氧化氮在线分析仪,通过优化测量参数,该仪器可长期稳定运行,其时间分辨率为60 s,检出限为0.191 ppb,在0~300 ppb范围内,NO₂气体浓度与相位正切信号值具有较好的二次拟合关系,R²为0.9995.另外,该仪器在泰安站进行了长期外场观测,并与改装后的进口商品化仪器PKU-Thermo 42i-TL进行比对实验,结果表明,两者的测量结果一致性较好,R²=0.9811,表明其具有良好的运行稳定性和测定结果准确性,适用于环境大气二氧化氮浓度的在线监测.外场观测结果表明,春季泰安站二氧化氮浓度均值为12.39 ppb,有明显日变化规律.     

基于Landsat影像的赤峰市生态环境状况评估

根据国家生态环境状况评价技术规范,基于1990,2000,2010和2015年四期的遥感和地理信息数据对赤峰市生态环境状况进行评估.结果表明：赤峰市的生态环境变化状况可以分为3个阶段,即退化期（1990~2000年）,恢复期（2000~2010年）和平稳期（2010~2015年）.4a生态环境状况指数（EI）分别为70.58、61.21、67.63和68.35,生态环境状况整体为良.赤峰市1990~2015年生态环境状况变化度（△EI）为-2.23,略微变差.从退化时期到恢复时期,△EI由负变正,表明赤峰市生态环境状况在2000~2010年期间有所改善;从恢复时期到平稳时期,｜△EI｜变小,表明2010~2015年间生态环境状况变好趋势减缓.城市化进程和水资源短缺是赤峰市生态环境状况转好趋势减缓的主要原因,因此需要进一步开展生态保护工程,并合理利用地下水资源.     

京津冀及周边地区水泥工业大气污染控制分析

以京津冀及周边地区水泥工业为研究对象,基于产排污系数法,建立了水泥工业主要大气污染物排放计算方法,对2016年该地区水泥工业主要大气污染物排放控制水平进行了分析.结果表明：京津冀及周边地区2016年水泥工业SO₂、NO_x、PM（有组织）排放量分别达到3.2×10⁴t、23.9×10⁴t、9.7×10⁴t,较2015年分别减少24.1%、18.2%、27.2%,各项污染物大幅下降.水泥工业PM无组织排放量占PM总排放量的45.4%,仍需要采取集中收集的方式加强治理.山东、河南是水泥工业SO₂、NO_x、PM、PM₁₀、PM_2.5重点排放来源,应通过化解过剩产能降低污染排放.从各工艺来看,新型干法工艺应考虑采用高效脱氮脱硫技术、协同处置技术、高效大型袋式除尘技术等新技术,进一步降低各项污染物的排放量;粉磨站也需进一步提高污染治理水平.     

离子色谱分析中的几个问题探讨

在掌握离子色谱技术最新发展动态的基础上,对离子色谱的新进展、前处理新技术、常用的改善分离度方法、若干注意事项、常遇到的问题等进行了分析探讨,以期用离子色谱技术更多更好地解决实际问题.     

新疆物理监测能力现状及建议

针对新疆物理监测工作(包括噪声监测、振动监测、辐射监测等)现状及环保监测系统物理监测的人员、仪器、能力等情况，分析了物理监测工作存在的不足，并对今后更好的开展物理监测工作提出建设性意见。     

亚铵法制浆造纸厂中段废水处理技术分析研究

通过对采用两级气浮做预处理 ,生物硫化床串联接触氧化做深度处理的治理技术的分析研究 ,结合废水处理工程实例 ,说明了用两级串联气浮 +硫化床 +接触氧化工艺处理造纸中段水技术切实可靠 ,该治理工艺对处理亚铵法麦草制浆造纸中段废水有较强的针对性和可行性。     

Integrating disciplinary research into an interdisciplinary framework: A case study in sustainability research

The complexity of today’s research problems increasingly demands that scientists move beyond the confines of their own discipline. In this special issue, the basics of a transdisciplinary framework are established and problems analyzed in a specific discipline are successfully integrated in this transdisciplinary network. The intent has been to go beyond only statements about the importance of enabling early stage researchers to work across disciplinary boundaries, and to show that important discoveries are being made at the intersection of disciplines. Embedding various research projects in a more global framework can meet the demands of an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary approach (especially for early stage researchers) and contribute significantly to sustainable research.