bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the Quality and Some Ecological Effects of Wastewater Effluents from Two Chemical Industrial Plants in Pakistan
Authors: Sheikh Khalid Hamid , Ahmad Saeed
Published: August 2009

Four samples of water were taken for analysis from Kala Shah Kaku Industrial Estate, near Lahore, Pakistan. These were:

I) ‘Pure’ water of the channel Dek Nullah,

II) Wastewater of Ravi Rayon Limited,

III) Wastewater of Ittehad Chemicals, and

IV) Dek Nullah ‘polluted’ water after the discharge into it of wastewater from two industries, namely Ravi Rayon Limited and Ittehad Chemicals.

The analysis of these waters showed that sample I was the best in quality (medium-salinity and low-sodium water: C2-S1), sample II was of the quality class C3-S1 (high-salinity and low-sodium water), sample III was found to be of the poorest quality (very-high-salinity and very-high-sodium water: C4-S4), while sample IV was of relatively bad quality (high-salinity and mediumsodium water: C3-S2). Only the wastewater of Ittehad Chemicals had some sediment in it, the qualitative analysis of which showed the presence of oxalates, sodium, iron, and magnesium.

The study of planktonic biota in Dek Nullah ‘pure’ and ‘polluted’ waters showed that they were more diverse in the former than in the latter; indeed, unless Bacteria are classed as fauna, there was no representative of these last in the ‘polluted’ water.

The industrial wastewater effluents are being discharged into Dek Nullah, and this ‘polluted’ water is being used for irrigation by the farmers operating along its downstream course. The effects of this water on Rice germination were studied, and it was found that such germination was significantly greater in Dek Nullah ‘pure’ water than in its ‘polluted’ water.

Dek Nullah ‘polluted’ water may deteriorate further with time, as more and more wastes are added to it, and it may have deleterious effects on soils when used for irrigation purposes—causing salinity and sodicity problems unless proper management techniques are adopted.
Pollutant Distribution: A Review of Hydrocarbons in Marine Sediments
Authors: Shaw David G.
Published: August 2009

Over the last century, human activity has resulted in an increasing rate of release of hydrocarbons that, in one way or another, have become parts of marine sediments. This trend is especially evident in sediments that have been deposited in the vicinity of industrialized urban centres.

In this paper, hydrocarbon distribution-patterns of coastal marine sediments near to two urban centres (Providence, Rhode Island, and Los Angeles, California) are examined in detail. At each location the spatial distribution of sedimentary hydrocarbons shows the greatest concentrations in areas of natural sediment-deposition near to the urban center. Examination of sediment cores from these areas shows that fossil hydrocarbons have increased from a minor fraction of total sedimentary hydrocarbons a century ago to being the major contributors today. Results from other industrialized areas of North America and Europe indicate that these patterns are typical.

Sediments that are remote from population centres have markedly lower concentrations of hydrocarbons than those deposited near to such centres, as might indeed be expected. Yet indications of anthropogenic contributions of hydrocarbons are detectable even in remote polar locations. In addition to hydrocarbons coming directly from fossil fuels, aromatic hydrocarbons that had been formed during incomplete combustion of other carbonaceous material, also accumulate in marine sediments. Fortunately, hydrocarbons from these two sources (fossil-fuel and other combustion) can be distinguished chemically.
Foreseeable Medical Consequences of Use of Nuclear Weapons
Authors: Hiatt Howard H.
Published: August 2009

The first of a series of meetings, sponsored by Physicians for Social Responsibility, took place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in February 1980, to consider the Medical Consequences of Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear War. It was followed by others elsewhere and led to the horrifying convictions that (1) it is highly unlikely that any nuclear war would be ‘limited’, and (2) no effective medical response can be conceived to deal with the human damage which would result from a nuclear attack. Consequently an organization entitled International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War has been established to hold further meetings and promote general enlightenment towards avoiding widespread—even global—human carnage and environmental destruction which would accompany a nuclear war involving even a small fraction of the weapons that now exist.

The atomic bomb which was exploded over Hiroshima in August 1945 is estimated to have killed 75,000 of that city's population of 245,000 and to have destroyed two-thirds of the 90,000 buildings within the city limits. It had an explosive power equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT, whereas many of the thermonuclear devices now deployed at the ready are some 50 times more powerful than it although still far less destructive than the most devastating contemporary weapons. Consequently the world's leaders must be brought to their senses and these horrific weapons dismantled to avoid what could be ‘the last epidemic’.

The magnitude of the problem can be gauged from the fact that at present more than 50,000 nuclear warheads are reported to be deployed and ready to launch—most of them being sufficient in destructive power to dwarf the bomb that was used against Hiroshima. Sufficient nuclear devices exist outside the United States to destroy totally every major American city. Six nations are now acknowledged possessors of nuclear weapons, and there are almost certainly others to increase the degree of instability. This situation is not so much ‘unthinkable’ as insufficiently realized or even thought about—hence the failure to reject nuclear war as a ‘viable option’ in the conduct of world affairs. Medically, any treatment programmes would be virtually useless and the costs quite staggering, so prevention becomes imperative.
Run-off and Infiltration Losses Related to Shifting Agriculture (Jhum) in Northeastern India
Authors: Toky O. P. , Ramakrishnan P. S.
Published: August 2009

Subsequent to slash-and-burn of the forested fallow, and during shifting agriculture (Jhum) in the northeastern hill areas of India, the system loses much of its capacity to hold soil nutrients. Various losses occur through wind-blow of ash and also through runoff and percolating water. The chemistry of the ash, and the amounts of run-off and percolating water, are related to the length of the Jhum cycle owing to the type of vegetation that is slashed and burnt.

The runoff and percolation losses of water and sediment during cropping, increased with shortening of the Jhum cycle. As percolation losses are fairly high due to the generally porous soil, terracing of the land in the manner suggested by some as an alternative to Jhum is not considered ecologically sound. Drastic reduction of fertility through losses of sediment and nutrients occurred in both 5- and 10-years' fallows. The shortening of the Jhum cycle to 4 – 5 years does not permit the recovery of soil fertility and has adversely affected the vegetational cover and the biogeochemical and hydrological cycles.
Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, and Parks Canada Policies
Authors: Crabb Peter
Published: August 2009

Gros Morne, one of Canada's newer national parks, covers over 1,900 km2 of exceptionally scenic country on the west coast of Newfoundland. However, the Park was initiated by the provincial government mainly for economic reasons rather than for the value of its natural heritage—particularly to stimulate development in an area of high unemployment. To some degree, this has been achieved—but not without considerable cost, as the area is one of long-established settlement and utilization. Most of the settlements were excluded from the Park, but some were not, and in spite of resident opposition, all but one of these has now been removed.

There has been equally strong opposition to restrictions on traditional semi-subsistence activities. Such measures were in line with existing Parks Canada policies in the early 1970s, but by the time the formal Park agreement was signed in 1973, a number of important changes had occurred. Following opposition such as was met in Gros Morne, and the creation of new parks in areas inhabited by native peoples, more recent Parks Canada policy statements indicate some relaxation of previously rigid positions. Thus certain semi-subsistence activities are continuing in the Park. The situation is not so clear as regards settlements within parks, though people are now being encouraged to move rather than being forced to leave. The possible eventual removal of Sally's Cove, the only settlement remaining strictly within the Park, is difficult to reconcile with policies that place increasing emphasis on Man-land relationships and the cultural heritage.

Gros Morne provides an opportunity for Parks Canada to foster a viable community within the Park, based on a traditional Newfoundland culture and consistent with the pertinent parts of its 1979 policy statement. This would be much more in keeping with the natural and cultural heritage than the urban-type recreational facilities that are being built or considered for the Park.
Chlorofluorocarbons, Stratospheric Ozone, and the Antarctic ‘Ozone Hole’
Authors: Rowland F. Sherwood
Published: August 2009

The momentous subject of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and their effect on The Biosphere's stratospheric ozone shield is treated rather generally but in sufficient depth where necessary in three main sections dealing with (i) scientific background and current status of ongoing investigation, (ii) the major technological uses of CFCs and available or foreseeable alternatives to them, and (iii) the policy status and regulatory activity involving present or proposed future restrictions in CFC emissions.

It being unlikely that life, at least as we know it, would have developed on Earth without an ozone layer in the stratosphere to ‘filter off’ harmful ultraviolet rays from solar radiation, the prospect of continuing manufacture in developing countries of its destroyers is highly alarming, especially as these destructive CFCs may take more than a decade from emission to reach the levels around 40 km altitude at which they do the most harm.
Differences between Environmental Impacts of Logging and Recreation in Mature Forest Ecosystems
Authors: Makhdoum M.F. , Khorasani N.
Published: August 2009

In order to be able to recommend the most compatible land-uses for adoption in a multiple land-use system, in terms of the resultant impacts on soils and vegetation in mature ecosystems, the impact of logging operations and recreation in the Caspian region of Iran was studied. Four forest communities were selected and, with an analytical approach, the bulk density, percentage of plant cover, number of individual plants, plant height, and the number of plant species encountered, in 36 sample plots (20 × 1 m) located on various slopes and aspects, and used for logging or recreation at different intensities (unused, transitional, used), were recorded.

The effectiveness of data, in terms of demonstrating the statistically significant differences, was tested by the method described in Conquest (1983). T-statistics for two means were used to discern statistical differences.

The results of the study indicate that the effect of logging is greater than that of recreation on soil bulk density, whereas the effect of recreation is greater on plants than that of logging. Aspect has no effect on the resultant impact, but steep slopes are more susceptible than gentle ones. With increases in altitude, the degree of impact decreases. Ecosystems having loamy clay soils and a greater proportion of monocotyledonous than dicotyledonous species, located on gentle slopes at the higher altitudes investigated, tend to resist the impacts of both logging and recreation best.
National Parks and Local Development: Grasses and People in Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal
Authors: Lehmkuhl John F. , Upreti Rajesh K. , Sharma Uday R.
Published: August 2009

National parks in ‘developing countries’ have tended to deviate from the western model of strict protection in order to include economic development of local people in their park management philosophy. Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal, has been managed in such a way as to allow for limited collection of grassland products to meet vital needs of villagers for structural material.

Nearly 60,000 people are annually allowed to cut thatch and reed grasses for a nominal fee during two weeks in January: such visitation amounts each year to over 216,000 visitor-days. The total weight and value of grass products removed from the Park each year is estimated at 11,132 metric tonnes, worth NR 9.9 millions (about US $450,000). Subtraction of labour and permit costs yielded a net value of about NR 5.5 millions (about US $250,000) to the local economy. Individual villagers save about NR 2,000 (US $90) in costs for thatching material, and about NR 500 (US $25) for building canes, compared with what they would have to pay for other materials to build a house. Alternative products available in the market were considered to be unaffordable substitutes by more than 75% of the villagers questioned.

Villager attitudes toward the Park are becoming more positive as they begin to realize that the Park is a valuable, needed source of managed resources that are not so easily, or not at all, available elsewhere.
The Environmental Impact of Coral Mining on Coral Reefs in the Maldives
Authors: Brown Barbara E. , Dunne Richard P.
Published: August 2009

Demand of the construction industry for coral rock in the Maldives will soon reach the limit of supply capacity using existing collection techniques. It is estimated that, at the current rate of consumption, the supply of living coral rock from inner atoll ‘faros’ in North Malé will be exhausted within 30 years. Current mining practice has already necessitated the collection of living coral rock from outer atoll ‘faros’ which actually protect the integrity of the islands against the erosive influences of monsoon storms.

Biological surveys of mined sites (compared with controls where no mining activity has taken place) indicate a dramatic reduction in coral variety and abundance and in some cases an almost total depletion of living coral after mining. At intensively-mined sites, diversity and abundance of coral-reef fishes is also markedly reduced, with some reef species commonly used as baitfish entirely absent. The time taken for reefs to recover from mechanical damage has been shown by other research work to be extremely variable, with some cases showing no recovery in some circumstances. Shallow-water reefs that have been colonized by slow-growing ‘massive’ corals, such as those which have been mined in the Maldives, may take a minimum of 50 years to recover to their former state—under optimum conditions.

Observations on mined reefs in the Maldives show that recovery over the last 10 years has been minimal, and therefore suggest that recovery times may be much in excess of 50 years. Indeed many of these reefs may not recover at all unless some attempts are made to re-establish corals at these sites. It is also clear from the study of reclaimed and dredged sites and those where less-intensive mining has taken place, that regeneration of corals is occurring. It is quite probable that the rate of recovery is dependent on the intensity of the disturbance which initially took place.

Alternative building materials are available in the form of concrete blocks. Use of these blocks is more cost-effective than use of coral rock; however, there is a lack of any quality control, which would be needed to promote the widespread use of concrete blocks as a substitute for coral. Recently, recommendations have been approved by the Government of Maldives for the execution of a feasibility study on mining an inner atoll faro which could potentially provide building material for as long as the next 500 years.
Environmental Degradation and Some Economic Consequences in the Philippines
Authors: Myers Norman
Published: August 2009

As this paper demonstrates, the Philippines is undergoing much environmental degradation—mainly in the form of deforestation, soil erosion, disruption of hydrological systems, over-exploitation of fisheries, destruction of coral reefs, and extinction of species. These problems are accentuated by the pressures of a large, fast-growing and impoverished population; and they may shortly start to be aggravated yet more by climatic change in the wake of the global ‘greenhouse effect’. Moreover, and as this paper further makes plain, the environmental degradation leads to adverse economic consequences that are pervasive and profound—as may be expected in a country where several salient sectors of development are dependent upon the natural-resource base. In the long run, indeed, environmental degradation could well preclude the Philippines' prospects for sustainable development.
Coexistence, Stress, and Catastrophe, in Grassy Vegetation Established in a Hard-limestone Quarry
Authors: Dixon Jean M. , Hambler David J.
Published: August 2009

Plant communities produced experimentally in twometres' square plots on the rubble-covered floor of a limestone quarry showed changes in the cover values that were attributable to the sown grass and to immigrant mosses over a period of three years. Cover values for the mosses were lower in summer than in the following autumn over two cycles, whilst the cover that was attributable to the sown grass, a non-rhizomatous cultivar of Festuca rubra, did not follow a clear pattern. No evidence of directional change was found; this suggests a stable coexistence of the grass with mosses. It is suggested that one property of such a community will be a differentiation of regeneration niches which are favourable to an increase of diversity through immigration.

Episodic persistent flooding and consequent deposition of colloidal limestone on well-established and diversifying vegetation, followed by a single catastrophic incident of compression by the tyres of heavy vehicles, resulted in the loss of F. rubra and mosses, and the ascendency of a perennial survivor (Agrostis stolonifera).
Environmental Conservation at the Sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands: A Review and Recommendations
Authors: Cooper John , Condy Patrick R.
Published: August 2009

With respect to environmental conservation at* the Prince Edward Islands, South Africa has not lagged behind other nations owning sub-Antarctic islands. Indeed, with respect to some aspects, it can claim to be in the forefront. The most serious environmental problems at the Prince Edward Islands have to do with the need for control or eradication of certain established alien species of both plants and animals, the prevention of the introduction of additional aliens, and the carrying out of environmental impact assessments prior to new developments or expansions of existing facilities and programmes. However, where South Africa has lagged behind is in the enunciation of a policy on, and the proclamation of legislation giving, formal status to environmental conservation at, and the implementation of a formal and effective management plan for, the Prince Edward Islands.

It is hoped that these shortcomings will be redressed in the near future. But if, for example, an aircraft landing strip were ever to be built on Marion Island, then the need for the proclamation of legislation and the implementation of a management plan would become even greater than at present. Prince Edward Island is so exceptionally special as an undisturbed sub-Antarctic island that it must never be subjected to any such development.
Environment, Banking, and Education: The Connections and Opportunities
Authors: Lacey Colin
Published: August 2009

The Earth is entering a period or unprecedented change due to the destruction of the natural systems that have enabled and sustained human life over thousands of years. The public debate about the contributing factors to this destruction has begun, and many prominent leaders and major governments have demonstrated their awareness of the problem. Despite the shift in public opinion, and a new awareness, little has been achieved that is likely to prevent further damage. The damage is being caused mainly by processes that are fundamental to the production of food and industrial goods. It follows that preventive action in agricultural and industrial societies will need to be far-reaching and involve a reappraisal of both individual styles of life and major institutions.

The 1990 UN Bergen Conference recognized that education would need to be central to the process of reassessment and redirection. It also recognized that education takes place in the workplace as well as in schools and colleges. This article argues for an education that is linked to the development of a new intelligence. It further argues that banks are key institutions, acting as channels for investment in the future and staffed by highly-qualified professionals who are nevertheless constrained and ‘educated’ by their institutional roles. The article examines the new and emerging responsibilities of institutions such as banks. It proposes some steps towards recognizing and fulfilling these responsibilities, and also towards redirecting the educational and investment functions of banks.
Effects of Land-use and Collection on the Decline of African Giant Snails in Nigeria
Authors: Osemeobo Gbadebo Jonathan
Published: August 2009

The African Giant Snail is a dependable source of animal protein for a large proportion of Nigerians. However, in the past few decades, the supply of this Snail and two others of different genera but similar use, has declined. The causes, examined in this paper, which affect its collection and decline in forest reserves are due to a combination of socio-economic and cultural factors: a cultural orientation of the rural dwellers towards the collection and utilization of snails for food, cash, traditional medicine, and sacrifice; indiscriminate destruction of snail habitats due to ignorance or neglect of the resource; and lack of incentives and inadequate data for snail management.

Snail collection is a legitimate occupation of rural dwellers. However, because forestry laws in Nigeria regard snails as minor forest products, no legislative, conservational, or management, controls can be effected — hence their collection will continue in future because of their value to Mankind. As the African Giant Snail is fast approaching local endangered status, the fear exists that, unless effective conservation measures are taken urgently, the survival of this biotic resource would appear to be in jeopardy. It is suggested that: (a) representative forests in each ecological zone should be preserved for wildlife conservation; (b) smallholder snail-farming should be encouraged among rural and urban dwellers to de-emphasize its collection from the optimal wild source; and (c) research should be conducted on the ecology and biology of the major snail species to develop a database from which their management within the reserves can be effected.
Environmental Refugees: A Growing Category of Displaced Persons
Authors: Westing Arthur H.
Published: August 2009

Examined here is the problem of persons compelled to flee from their areas of habitual residence. The number of such displaced persons (refugees), both nationally internal and cross-border, already in the many millions, nonetheless keeps increasing by perhaps 3 millions per year. Many of the uprooted continue to flee owing to persecution, oppression, or war. However, these triggering events appear not to have been worsening markedly in recent years. Other, more strictly environmental, refugees flee from such natural disasters as flooding, drought, and volcanic action, although these triggering events have also not been increasing in frequency or severity.

It is thus suggested here that the continuing increases in refugees result from transgressions of the carrying capacity — that is, of unsustainable increases in human (and associated livestock) numbers, often associated with site deterioration or actual habitat degradation. Such displaced persons have been referred to as ‘environmental refugees’. It is clear that in the long term the poignant dilemma of the ever-increasing numbers of refugees can be addressed only in terms of achieving environmental security within a framework of comprehensive human security.
Attitudes of Rural Communities to Animal Wildlife and Its Utilization in Chobe Enclave and Mababe Depression, Botswana
Authors: Parry David , Campbell Bruce
Published: August 2009

Rural communities in northern Botswana had negative attitudes towards animal wildlife even though they received benefits from it. The negative attitude was caused by wildlife damage to crops, losses of livestock to predators, loss of land to conservation, and lack of control over animal wildlife resources. The benefits derived from animal wildlife, such as the possibility of hunting, meat, cash income from animal products, and employment in the wildlife industry, were not highly valued, even though these benefits are of considerable importance to the local community (e.g. much of the local employment is wildlife-related).

Respondents who had fewer livestock and were more dependent on wildlife for protein, were more negative than others in their attitudes to animal wildlife. The beneficiaries of the wildlife industry were largely perceived as being the hunting and tourist companies. Respondents who were more affected by animal wildlife, those living closer to higher population-densities, and those having more crop losses, were more negative than others in their attitude to wildlife. The communities were distrustful of government motives and had a poor opinion of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP).

It is suggested that the present wildlife development programmes in this region of Botswana are likely to fail unless a change in approach is adopted by the local populace. Essential to our mind for the success of these programmes is the reduction of the negative impacts of animal wildlife, through, for example, fencing of agricultural land, improved control of problem animals, and adequate compensation schemes. It is also essential that local communities be given more control over the wildlife resources than they currently enjoy.
Environmental Economics and Responsibility
Authors: Sarokin David , Schulkin Jay
Published: August 2009

We are optimistic about the ability of our social institutions to respond to the challenges of environmental degradation, but recognize that (a) restoring environmental quality to a world inclined towards rapidly-increasing consumption of resources and generation of wastes will require profound institutional changes, and (b) environmental challenges cannot be separated from the global-scale issue of achieving an equitable distribution of resources. Conventional economics practically ignores environmental consequences, and is inadequate to the challenge of environmental restoration. A new way of ‘doing business’ is called for.

Three industries — energy, agriculture, and automobiles — have a responsibility to become the avant garde of global environmentalism, owing to the large toll which they exact in resource utilization and pollution, and for the almost universal role that each of these industries plays in the planet's diverse societies. In order to effect changes of an appropriate magnitude, these industries will need to reorient their priorities and goals — as will the institutions with which they routinely interact, including governments, research and development, and financial institutions.
CFC Alternatives — A Fresh Look
Authors: Srinivasan Kandadai
Published: August 2009

This article examines, through a molecular perspective, the ‘ozone-friendly’ refrigerants R-134a and R-123 vis-à-vis R-12 and R-11, which are targeted to be phased out under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, Final Act (1987). It appears that the molecular weight, size parameter, and dipole moment, of R-134a and R-123, may induce a pronounced effect on the chemical equilibrium of ice particles in the polar stratospheric clouds and subsequently influence the photochemical reactions therein.

Non-polar, high-molecular-weight perfluoropropane (R-218), could be a better substitute for R-12, while R-134, which is a non-polar HFC of the ethane family, could also be a candidate although its molecular weight is lower than that of R-12. The search for a good substitute for R-11, however, must continue.
Anthropo-generated Climate Change in Europe
Authors: Balling Robert C. , Idso Sherwood B.
Published: August 2009

In reviewing the results of our analyses of European temperature and precipitation data, we see patterns that are similar to those discovered in our prior studies of the United States and the British Isles: precipitation begins to increase at about the time that Northern Hemispheric SO2 emissions began their rapid ascension, while prior upward trends of surface-air temperature are dramatically truncated.

We also find that surface-air temperature trends of different localities over the past three-and-a-half decades are closely tied to the amount of aerosol sulphates in the atmosphere above them. The wide range and thrust of these several observations, along with their theoretical expectation, provides strong support for the premise that anthropo-generated climate change is indeed occurring in Europe, but that it may well be SO2-induced rather than CO2-induced.
Building an Environmental Institutional Framework for the Future
Authors: Tolba Mostafa K.
Published: August 2009

Among the prerequisites to building an effective environmental institutional framework for the twenty-first century, our current thinking singles out the following eight for prior consideration:

1) Improvement of coordination — after due strengthening where necessary — of the existing global monitoring and environmental assessment facilities both within and outside the United Nations system.
The Role of Nature Trekking in Conservation: A Case-study in Thailand
Authors: Brockelman Warren Y. , Dearden Philip
Published: August 2009

Nature-based tourism is one of the few economic uses of natural areas that is compatible with protection of the environment and its wildlife. With more than 100 national parks and other conservation areas in Thailand, and a diverse tropical fauna and flora, Nature tourism has tremendous potential for expansion. Although seldom designed to do so, Nature tourism can provide significant income to targeted villages near the borders of national parks, and hence help to reduce illegal exploitation of park resources by local inhabitants.
The Relative Potentials of Six Grass Cultivars for Rehabilitation and Stabilization of a Limestone Quarry Spoil-bank
Authors: Hambler David J. , Dixon Jean M. , Cotton David E.
Published: August 2009

The relative potentials of six grass cultivars for reclamation of the north-facing 30° slope of a limestone quarry spoil-heap in Yorkshire, UK, were assessed.
Global Effects of Tropical Deforestation: Towards an Integrated Perspective
Authors: Cook Allison G. , Janetos Anthony C. , Hinds W. Ted
Published: August 2009

Deforestation of the tropical moist forests is taking place at an alarming pace; some experts believe that the entire ecobiome will be virtually destroyed within the next ten years. Although the ultimate ecological effects of tropical deforestation remain controversial, our present scientific understanding is adequate to justify efforts to slow the deforestation trend. The impacts that this trend will probably have on global climate remain unclear, while the effects that it will have on biodiversity will clearly be disastrous. This suggests that the research community should place a high priority on applying data on refugia (documented sites of high endemism and species-richness) to conservation planning, and on investigating the probable combined effects of climatic change and habitat fragmentation on world biodiversity.
Deforestation and Shrinking Crop Gene-pools in Amazonia
Authors: Smith Nigel J.H. , Schultes Richard Evans
Published: August 2009

Deforestation in Amazonia is eliminating wild genepools of many crop-plants. Wild or spontaneous populations of at least 50 perennial crops are at risk, including the Rubber tree and Cacao, as well as several crops emerging from relative obscurity, such as Peach-palm (which is now being planted extensively for palmito production), Annatto (which produces a natural red dye), and Brazil-nut.
Training the New Conservationist: Cross-disciplinary Education in the 1990s
Authors: Jacobson Susan K. , Robinson John G.
Published: August 2009

The need for an integrated approach to ecological conservation and natural resource development is becoming widely recognized as environmental and social problems become more and more acute with human population pressures and depletion of resources. While a number of academic programmes addressing environmental problems have been operating for several decades, comprehensive approaches that integrate conservation with development issues are only just beginning to occur. These innovative, cross-disciplinary problem-solving approaches still face a number of traditional constraints to successful programme development. Obstacles occur in every major aspect of academia — including structure, communication, reward systems, research, curriculum, and evaluation.
Integrated Pest Management in Latin America
Authors: Holl Karen , Daily Gretchen , Ehrlich Paul R.
Published: August 2009

The ability of global agricultural systems to supply sufficient food for our rapidly-growing human population is becoming constrained by physical and economic limits to traditional means of agricultural expansion. Pests consume or ruin a staggering proportion of crops and, in general, have not been satisfactorily controlled through the ‘broadcast’ application of pesticides.
African Lakes Reviewed: Creation and Destruction of Biodiversity
Authors: Worthington E. Barton , Lowe-McConnell Rosemary
Published: August 2009

The lakes of Africa provide outstanding examples of biodiversity. Some hundreds of species of aquatic fauna, especially fishes, have been created through evolution taking place in environments which became isolated from each other. The lakes also provide an outstanding example of the loss of biodiversity: in Lake Victoria at least 200 species of fish have almost certainly become extinct through human activities. These lakes have, since Mankind's origin in Africa, provided high-quality animal protein food and with improved management they could provide much more, which adds greatly to their scientific and economic interest.
Improving the Effectiveness of Conservation-area Personnel: Lessons from Social Research in Northern Benin, West Africa
Authors: Hough John L.
Published: August 2009

An examination of the behaviour of conservation area staff in northern Benin indicates that they are not working as effectively as they ought to be, owing to a series of interrelated physical and social conditions. This study suggests that a compensatory approach alone — improved housing, vehicles, equipment, and salaries — is unlikely to be sufficient to improve motivation, and may perversely reduce effectiveness.
Prospects of Private Forestry Around Urban Centres: A Study in Upland Nepal
Authors: Thapa Gopal B. , Weber Karl E.
Published: August 2009

A substantial proportion of the population in the area concerned depends on fuel-wood as its major source of fuel. As a result, forests around towns — as in the case of Upper Pokhara Valley — are undergoing degradation. Private forestry could be an attractive option to control or even to reverse this process. Besides providing employment and income opportunities to fanners, this would help to alleviate pressure on commonland forests and control erosion.
Understanding Tropical Deforestation: the Case of Western Samoa
Authors: Paulson Deborah D.
Published: August 2009

The case of Western Samoa is used to challenge the tendency in the recent literature to polarize the issue of tropical deforestation as caused by either political economic forces or increasing human demands. While it is recognized that political economic forces must be changed in many cases to make just and sustainable use of the forest possible, the case of Western Samoa is used to highlight the difficult challenge of conserving tropical forests and their biodiversity even under customary land-tenure and local control of forest resources.
Early Detection of Tropical Forest Degradation: an IFRI Pilot Study in Uganda
Authors: Becker C. Dustin , Banana Abwoli Y. , Gombya-Ssembajjwe William
Published: August 2009

Early detection of forest degradation may help to compensate for the time-lag that often exists between recognition of poor stewardship and the policy-changes required to mitigate such negative impacts. We report here on an International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI) pilot study in Uganda.
Socio-ecological Determinants of Land Degradation and Rural Poverty in Northeast Thailand
Authors: Hussain Mir Javed , Doane Donna L.
Published: August 2009

The discussion above illustrates the inadequacy of many of the development strategies that have been pursued in Northeast Thailand. The prevailing social, political, and economic, policies and trends have resulted in the transformation of the people of the Northeast from a relatively self-sustaining population to an increasingly impoverished one. In the course of the movement away from relatively self-sufficient subsistence-oriented production, they have been exposed to both the ‘rigours of the market’ and changing policies regarding access to markets, cash-crops, and land tenure — with all of their destabilizing, and in this case impoverishing, effects. This transformation has resulted in increased land degradation and rural poverty in the Northeast.
An Approach to the Study of Path Erosion in the Natal Drakensberg, a Mountain Wilderness Area
Authors: Garland Gerald G. , Hudson Christine , Blackshaw Jane
Published: August 2009

Footpath erosion in mountain wilderness areas is generally undesirable, and maintenance and rehabilitation of eroded paths are costly. Although path erosion results from a complex interactioin between recreational and geomorphological forces and each path's resistance, the processes involved are not well understood.
A Regional Technique to Address Land-use Changes and Animal Habitats
Authors: Klopatek Jeffrey M. , Kitchings J. Thomas
Published: August 2009

Many of the federal agencies of the United States (e.g. US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management) are involved in making decisions that alter land-use on a massive scale. Subsequently, these land-use changes may have deleterious or beneficial effects on wildlife habitat and its ability to support wildlife species, both plant and animal. There exists an urgent need to develop methodologies that are capable of predicting the consequences, for wildlife species, of regional land-use changes. This study develops one such methodology to predict the distribution and abundance of animal species at a regional level.
Banking Responsibility and Liability for the Environment: What Are Banks Doing?
Authors: McCammon Antony L.T.
Published: August 2009

No-strings-attached lending is anathema to the serious commercial banker, who sees only a wafer-thin line between such ‘lending’ and the un-bank-like practice of giving (non-returnable) grants. Such doubts, indeed, are not confined to the banking industry. In the face of home grown problems of unemployment or health-care, for instance, democratically elected governments of donor countries are finding themselves under increasing pressure from their voters to cut back on bilateral assistance to hopelessly indebted taker-states. Multilateral lending and development institutions are facing an uncertain future, trapped in the vicious circle of bad debts that are all-too-steadily increasing, capital and funding quotas that are failing to materialize (eyes are currently on the US Congress), and borrowing that is becoming ever-more expensive. The African Development Bank is faltering; a Middle East Development Bank is in danger of being stillborn. The World Bank has recently been trying bravely to redress the balance: it has created a ‘multilateral debt facility’ for the most severely-indebted countries, and devised a numerical scale of national well-being that is more appropriate for the measurement of ecologically sustainable development than GNP per head of population. While these initiatives should not be belittled, good ideas are too often murdered by gangs of ugly facts.
Ten Years in Rehabilitation of Spoil: Appearance, Plant Colonists, and the Dominant Herbivore
Authors: Hambler David J. , Dixon Jean M. , Hale William H.G.
Published: August 2009

Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) have influenced a sown pioneer grassland on limestone quarry spoil from its outset. They have been responsible for middens characterized by a distinct microspatial assemblage of plant species, in which common mesic species are favoured. They have benefited conservation through producing spatial heterogeneity of the spoil surface — thus increasing the number of available ecological niches. They have also mediated an importation of plant nutrients so gradual that competitive ruderal species have (with the exception of Ragwort, Senecio jacobaea) not been encouraged, whilst some desirable ‘rabbit-resistant’ species have become established particularly on the middens.

‘Normal grazing’ is a behavioural pattern which can maintain a sward, even when potentially dominating mesic species become established. However, ‘casual grazing’, and browsing, of conspicuous or rare plants, is likely to be disadvantageous. Manipulation of intrinsically unpredictable seral quarry floras through interference by Rabbit populations, or with Rabbit-access, may be an option on such sites.
Geo-forestry of Landslide-affected Areas in a Part of Central Himalaya
Authors: Tiwari A.K. , Mehta J.S. , Goel O.P. , Singh J.S.
Published: August 2009

Black-and-white aerial photographs were used to map the lithology, land-use/forest types, and landslide zones (namely old, active, or potential) in a part of Central Himalaya. The landslide and land-use/forest type maps were simultaneously studied, and the frequency distribution of the landslide zones in different land-uses and forest types was estimated. The correlation between the maps indicated the following: In old landslide-affected sites, agriculture was the predominant land-use, followed byPinus roxburghiiforest (≤ 40% crown cover), scrub vegetation, and wasteland (including grassland). The presence of other forests (e.g. forests dominated by climax species such asShorea robustaat low elevations andQuercusspp. at higher elevations) indicates a high potentiality of recovery of the ecosystems involved, provided biotic (especially anthropic) factors are not too intensive.

The active and potential landslide zones were concentrated along geologically active planes, namely thrusts and faults, and/or in the vicinity of toe-erosion of hill-slopes. These two were dominated byP.roxburghiiforest (≤ 40% crown cover). The broadleaf forests showed minimal signs of active and potential landslides, perhaps because of their multistratal character which is conducive to minimizing soil-loss compared with the mostly single-storeyed Chir Pine forest. It is, therefore, suggested that the sites should be maintained under a multistratal broadleaf canopy to conserve the soil. Where, however, the Chir Pine forest is already developed, appropriate silvicultural measures may be taken to increase its crown cover to more than 40%.
The Effect of Conservation on Wildlife in Jordan
Authors: Hatough Alia M.A. , Al-Eisawi Dawud M.H. , Disi Ahmad M.
Published: August 2009

Four selected reserves in Jordan have been studied to find out the effect of conservation on wildlife. These reserves are: Shaumari in the eastern desert; Surra in the Irano-Turanian region in the north of Jordan; Dab'aa in the Irano-Turanian in the southeastern part of Jordan; and Al-Fugaug in the Mediterranean region in the south of Jordan. The four reserves are representative of the three major biogeographical regions represented in the country.

Using the quadrat method of survey, the vegetation height, cover, phytomass, diversity, and total number of macrophytic species, were statistically analysed. The results obtained show that the values of the factors studied tended to be 2–3 times as much inside as outside the fence in the unprotected area.

These reserves were not subjected to any special treatment, merely being fenced and protected under natural condition without any human interference such as spreading of seeds, irrigation, fertilization, or any other anthropogenic factors.

The following recommendations are offered in order to protect wildlife: foundation of reserves for wildlife protection; increasing well-planned rangelands and grazing areas for meat production; implementation of the laws against offences; improvement of the rangelands through research and by using fertilizers or nodular Bacteria associated with leguminous plants adapted to dry conditions; increased water research in dry areas in the hopes of producing irrigated rangelands; marginal lands with a low rainfall must not be used for cultivation; scientific research is needed to determine the carrying capacity of rangelands in different regions of the country; development of new methods of animal feeding to decrease the grazing pressure on natural rangelands; prohibition of hunting for at least five years; and finally, intensive information and publicity through the different media should be given out to educate the public and make them aware of the urgent need to protect wildlife and make proper use of it.
Energy and Arid Lands: Potential Impacts of Intensive Energy Deployment in Desert Regions of Southern California
Authors: Dritschilo William , Merifield Paul M. , Kay David , Sarna John , Weinstein Michael N. , Sciarrotta Terry C.
Published: August 2009

Desert regions are increasingly being put into use for a variety of purposes. The California Desert may be subjected to a number of energy technologies—particularly those related to harnessing solar energy—in the near future. In conjunction with past or other current disturbances, the fragmentation and pollution impacts of energy development could pose serious threats to the desert's fragile ecosystems.

Land-intensive energy technologies, such as solar receivers and biomass crops, will mainly result in changes that disrupt natural habitats. If all feasible energy schemes came to fruition, we estimate that one-half of the California Desert's area would be devoted to energy production. Even for much lower estimates of energy development, most of the Desert's natural habitat would be fragmented in park areas. Based upon island geographic principles and conservation biology, loss of species would be inevitable. Some species are already threatened with extinction.

Research is required to determine ways in which the Desert's natural resources—solitude, scenic vistas, wildlife, and insolation—can best be used to meet energy, recreation, and conservation, needs. In particular, research is required to estimate how successive small habitat losses would stress desert ecosystems.