bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Towards an Ecologically-based Economic Philosophy
Authors: Hanson J. A. 
Published: August 2009

The present global economic order is one which fails to recognize the finiteness of global resources and the finiteness of the global ecosystem to absorb wastes. Indeed, there may be a great deal of lip-service paid to these truths; but nevertheless the global economic system, as it is functioning today, exhibits little or no awareness that they are at all important to a stable world economy. Superimposed upon this condition is the ‘Autophage Effect’, which points to a continuing acceleration in depletion of raw resources even though the net resource-demands of the world's populations may stabilize.This is a human predicament which cannot and will not continue indefinitely. The key question is, ‘Will Earth's societies acknowledge the situation early enough to choose alternatives?’ There appear to be only two fundamental alternatives: either the present level of population and material abundance (imperfect as it may be) will crash, or it will be replaced by a world economic order which attends to the finiteness of this planet. Should we be fortunate enough or quick enough to realize the second alternative, I suggest that the basic structure of the new economic order may rather closely resemble the ecologists' ‘trophic’ divisions in natural ecosystems (e.g. Lindeman, 1942). If this comes to pass, conservation of energy and order (negentropy) will very likely emerge as the prime forcing functions in the resulting world socio-economic order.This exploration has progressed from logical derivation into imagination, but still leaves a plethora of unanswered questions. If one does admit that industrial civilizations must eventually face resource limitations and thereby be driven towards the patterns exposed by the hypothetical society that has been sketched here, how do we get there from our present predicament? Can such a society be capitalistic, with grossly or moderately unequal distribution of resources among its citizens? Or must it be a form of socialistic idealism; and, if so, should it be democratic or autocratic? Can the present momentum of the highconsumption Keynesian theology be redirected? And if so, how—and will there be time? If the seeds offered here have any credibility, they should be nurtured further.
The Increasing Number of Environment-degrading Accidents in Italy
Authors: Renzoni Aristeo 
Published: August 2009

The Author reports some information regarding three recent accidents in Italy: the sinking of a freighter transporting lead tetraethyl and tetramethyl, an explosion in a tower of a chemical plant which resulted in a considerable outflow of arsenic dioxide, and the Seveso explosion with the consequent contamination by highly poisonous Dioxin of a large inhabited area adjacent to the factory.Difficulties due to lack of knowledge, conflicting opinions, and contradictory ‘remedies’, are reported and discussed. It is concluded that the local populace and authorities should be informed of the nature of cargoes that are being carried across sea basins or through smaller channels, of the types of wastes that are eliminated regularly into the air or water by a factory, and what a factory is producing during its various working processes that could cause risks to employees or others around—also, what possible measures could remove or alleviate these risks.
Koster's Curse (Clidemia hirta), a Weed Pest in Hawaiian Forests
Authors: Wester Lyndon L. , Wood Hulton B. 
Published: August 2009

The tropical American shrub Clidemia hirta (Koster's Curse) has become a pest in pastures, cropland, and forests, where it has become naturalized in many parts of the humid tropics. It has spread through the island of Oahu, Hawaii, since 1941, despite attempts at biological control by the introduction of the parasitic thrips, Liothrips urichi, which had proven effective in supressing growth of this noxious weed in Fiji.The pest has colonized habitats similar to those occupied over its natural range—such as forest clearings, trail-sides, and burn-sites. In addition, in Hawaii it has intruded into the understorey of forests which were formerly free from exotic weeds. Fears are held that the resulting ecological disruptions may place further stress on the frail island ecosystems and cause plant and animal extinctions while producing other management and aesthetic problems.Immediate action is necessary to eradicate small colonies of Koster's Curse that have become established on near-by islands, and recommendations are made regarding efforts needed to devise means to control heavy infestations in the highly inaccessible mountains of Oahu.
Expected Effects of Land-use Patterns on Future Supplies of Bushmeat in Africa South of the Sahara
Authors: Asibey Emmanuel O. A. 
Published: August 2009

Bushmeat is meat, of whatever nature, that is obtained from wild animals, and historically people everywhere in the inhabited world have, at some stage in the evolution of their culture, been dependent on it to some extent. Wildlife conservation is essential for varied bushmeat production, and the two are particularly closely interconnected in the countries of Africa lying to the south of the Sahara; this brings in environmental conservation as a third factor of basic importance.The economic incentive being often considerable, the record of protection and management of wildlife in some countries in Africa south of the Sahara is impressive, though in others it is lagging, while even in the famous National Parks the failure to cull large mammals may lead to drastic habitat deterioration due to over-population: wider, regularized use of bushmeat could provide a beneficial answer to this problem. Meanwhile there is a great demand for bushmeat in Ghana and many other African countries, and it is expected that this demand—and hopefully the supply—will increase with changing patterns of land-use.There is thus strong economic and other justification for environmental management with the objective inter alia of maintaining and increasing bushmeat production in most countries of Africa south of the Sahara.
Systems Analysis of Mediterranean Desert Ecosystems of Northern Egypt (SAMDENE)
Authors: Ayyad Mohammed A. , Ghabbour Samir I. 
Published: August 2009

Natural and semi-natural ecosystems in many parts of the world are in the most serious danger of being degraded or lost through Man's mistaking short-term economic gains under temporarily favourable conditions for long-term stability. This is particularly obvious in arid and semi-arid regions where ill-advised land-use methods have led to profound and often irreversible changes. Under the austere conditions prevailing in such regions, the dynamic ecological equilibrium is fragile: minor changes in the physical environment entail dramatic changes in plant and animal life. These circumstances lead easily to desertification. Due to overexploitation of natural resources by Man (especially overgrazing, and overcutting of shrubs) in North Africa, desertification has proceeded at a rate of more than 100 square kilometres per year. There is a great need to establish scientific bases for the conservation and rational use of the resources of natural and semi-natural ecosystems, especially in regions fringing the deserts where these resources continue to disappear regularly and all too rapidly.The western Mediterranean desert of Egypt provides clear examples of such losses. As a result of the misuse of its resources, the region is producing at a rate that is probably far below its real potential. Agriculture (mainly barley cultivation) provides the livelihood for 74% of the population between Alexandria and Daba'a; this agriculture is either rain-fed (along most of the coastal strip), supplied by Nile and drainage-water mixed (Mariut Project, 500,000 feddan = 210,000 ha), or fed by irrigation and rainfall where Nile water is used as a supplementary source (Mariut Extension Project, 18,000 feddan). The most important land-use in terms of area, however, is animal husbandry (very largely sheep and goats, whose herding becomes more important and farming less important passing from the sea towards the interior). Actually there is overstocking, so that range vegetation is seriously depleted due to overgrazing and poor management.Various land-use policies have been tried in the past decades with varying degrees of success, though fig and olive cultivations, which act within the framework of the natural ecosystem and with minimum human intervention, have a remarkable record of viability.The Samdene Project (Systems Analysis of Mediterranean Desert Ecosystems of Northern Egypt) was conceived to bring together information on the Mediterranean desert ecosystems of northern Egypt. The Project involves the construction of predictive models simulating the major ecosystems of the region interms of energy flow and circulation of matter, and of spatial and temporal changes in plants and animals aswell as in soil features in relation to environmental variations.So he preliminary results are already offered on soil moisture, vegetation, effects of fencing, phenology, litter production, and soil fauna.
Conservation and Management of Tropical Rain-forest: A Dilemma of Development in Papua New Guinea
Authors: Lamb David 
Published: August 2009

Large areas of Papua New Guinea are covered by tropical rain-forest, but national and local pressures for development are causing increasing areas to be cleared for agriculture or logged for timber. Despite concern by conservation-minded land managers, a number of constraints make planning for the rational use of these resources rather difficult.The problems encountered are mainly sociological rather than ecological. Thus while landowners are willing or eager to sell the rights to harvest the timber on their land, they are unwilling to commit the land to any long-term land-use, whether this be as managed forest, national park, or wildlife reserve. The problem is compounded by the complicated system of land tenure and the fact that several language-groups may commonly be found within even a small area.The Gogol Timber Project at Madang illustrates some of these difficulties and the attempts that are being made to overcome them.
Recent Trends in Preserved Natural Areas in the U.S.S.R.
Authors: Pryde Philip R. 
Published: August 2009

Large natural preserves, known as zapovedniki, represent the main territorial entities employed in biosphere preservation in the Soviet Union. In the past decade, a large expansion of the zapovedniki system has taken place, 35 new preserves totalling 4,477,000 ha having been created. In all, the system totalled (in 1976) 107 preserves covering about nine million hectares. The period since 1970 has also seen the creation of the U.S.S.R.'s first three national parks, one in each of the three Baltic republics.Both zapovedniki and national parks in the Soviet Union are still in the process of having uniform administrative policies formulated for their management, which represents a difficult task in view of the fact that they have traditionally been managed by a wide variety of concerned agencies.The zapovedniki network represents one of the great biosphere preservation systems of the world, and remaining problems associated with ecosystem management, tourism, economic uses, and administrative coordination, are being given thoughtful attention.
The IUCN Threatened Plants Committee and Its Work Throughout the World
Authors: Lucas Grenville Ll. , Synge A. H. M. 
Published: August 2009

After stressing the importance of the plant kingdom to Man and the dangers threatening the survival of an estimated 20,000 species of flowering plants, this paper presents details of the activities of the IUCN Threatened Plants Committee (TPC), set up by the Survival Service Commission in 1974. The Secretariat of the TPC works through three main approaches: (1) regional groups of botanists and other experts identifying threats to their floras, advising the TPC, and preparing recommendations; (2) specialist groups doing similar work for plant groups such as palms and cycads; and (3) institutional support of botanic gardens and similar organizations maintaining collections of threatened species in cultivation. This last aspect was launched at a conference on conservation held at Kew in 1975.The primary aim of the TPC is to gather and disseminate information on which species are threatened throughout the world. Accurate documentation is essential, and in this task both herbarium and field work are needed. Although our knowledge in general of temperate, subtropical, and islands, floras is reasonably good in most cases, and there are specialists working on most of such areas, our knowledge of continental tropical floras is much less comprehensive. There is an urgent need for check-lists to be rapidly compiled for such areas wherever possible. In tropical rain-forests, the difficulties encountered in listing threatened species are particularly acute.Provided present collaboration continues and finance is provided, initial lists of rare and threatened species will become available within the next decade for many areas. This information should be of great value in preventing needless extinction through lack of planning or forethought, in providing a valuable input in the selection of sites for reserves, etc., and in complementing habitat conservation approaches—as well as helping to stimulate action on individual species.The ‘Red Data’ categories used by IUCN to indicate the degrees of threat to individual species are outlined, and will be used in the three types of TPC publication—regional lists of rare and threatened species, bulletins on smaller areas with more detail on each species, and sheets for the Red Data Book which will give detailed case-histories of a limited selection of threatened species. All three approaches are under way; the European List has been completed, bulletins for many areas are on the way, and the TPC aims to start issuing new plant Red Data sheets in 1977–78.
Environmental Problems of India and Their Possible Trends in Future
Authors: Parikh Jyoti K. 
Published: August 2009

The environmental problems which may arise in India, due to population growth, increased industrial and agricultural activities, and depletion of natural resources in the next 25 years, are discussed here. Selected aspects of problems which require special attention are treated with particular emphasis on rural situations. The present status of the various aspects of human settlement—such as quality of air, water, sanitation, health, and housing—as well as aspects of conservation of forests, soils, and wildlife, is outlined as far as possible in a quantitative manner. It is visualized that environmental management will have to be more serious and of growing dimensions in the coming years.It emerges from the study that two of the most serious problems which India may face in 25 years' time are water pollution and deforestation. By a.d. 2000, population in India is projected to reach around 950 millions, 65% of whom would be living in rural areas. The environment's capacity to absorb the concomitant wastes and pollution would be significantly reduced through the consequent growth of human activities. At present, in the rural areas, the percentage of population with piped water-supply and exclusive sanitation facilities is less than 10%. Unless drastic measures are taken, this percentage may not exceed 30% by A.D. 2000. Without appropriate sewerage and sanitation facilities, the accumulated wastes could mix with open-water resources, so leading to high levels of water pollution. The effects of mixing agricultural runoff containing wastes, pesticides, and fertilizers, in the rural water-sources, would also need consideration.The current practice in the rural areas of obtaining more than 90% of domestic fuels from non-commercial sources—firewood, animal dung, and agricultural wastes—even if considerably reduced, may continue and lead to deforestation and hence to soil erosion, floods, climatic changes, and loss of precious varieties of flora and fauna. Such burning leads to air pollution as well.Apart from the problems of water pollution and deforestation, the problems of the urban areas include increasing slums, inadequate transportation facilities, and industrial pollution—all of which would have to be dealt with. Finally, the present status of environmental legislation is reviewed, and certain policies and intense efforts for generating environmental awareness are recommended.
Food Resources of the Oceans: An Outline of Status and Potentials
Authors: Tont Sargun A. , Delistraty Damon A. 
Published: August 2009

Knowledge of the present status and future potential of the world's marine food resources is a key prerequisite to their ecological exploitation. Rationales for the exploitation of these resources are twofold. Most important is the expectation that more time to reduce human population growth—the ultimate goal—could be made available. Secondly, because fish and shellfish are typically high in their content of protein and low in fat, nutritional quality in the human diet can be improved through their increased use.Fundamental to marine biological production are the phytoplankton populations which comprise the basis of the oceanic food-structure. This production involves the photosynthesis of organic matter by phytoplankton and the subsequent flow of this matter through the food-web. Spatial and temporal discontinuities in marine production are related to the patchy distributional pattern of phytoplankton and to natural fluctuations in oceanic populations due to geographically and temporally varying conditions. A review of past estimates of the potential marine yield suggests that there has been significant variation in the methodology employed to arrive at these estimates.Much-improved management of the oceanic food resources is urgently needed. Present mismanagement of these resources includes chemical pollution and the overexploitation of several important fish-stocks, which together threaten the viability of marine life. On the positive side, the future potential of the overall marine food-resources appears to be considerably larger than the present yield. The current harvest can be augmented by further development of aquaculture and by the exploitation of unconventional species, both of which could offer a relatively untapped source of valuable protein. Thus, Man must quickly establish and implement a rational, global management plan for the world's oceans and control his own population numbers to ensure conservation of the marine food-resources.
Attitudes and Orientations of Environmentally-concerned Citizens
Authors: Bowman James S. 
Published: August 2009

The changing fortunes of ecological issues in American society suggest the importance of citizen attention and attitudes to environmental problems. Only a few studies since Earth Day, 1970, have focused on a key group of political actors in natural resource politics—environmental activists. The great variety of issues that are of interest to environmentally-concerned individuals suggest that important differences exist among environmentalists regarding the nature of ecological problems.The present paper examines the attitudes of these people and how they have defined the extent and character of the ecological crisis. By adopting an analytical framework that described levels of environmental understanding, this analysis has attempted to explore belief-structures within the environmental movement and the implications of these beliefs for future change. The evidence revealed that, while environmentalism is not a monolithic social movement, a substantial majority of the respondents to sets of questions about key issues were in the ‘reformist’ mode of environmental activity—that is, environmental problems are reasonably well understood by these activists, the origins of environmental problems are seen by them in terms of consumption and production activities in society, and these attitudes demand political action that is compatible with existing institutions.
Channel Morphology Below Reservoir Storage Projects
Authors: Buma Paul G. , Day J. Chadwick 
Published: August 2009

Reservoir storage projects are known to alter significantly the environmental settings in which they are established. Extensive data are required to assess quantitatively the physical effects of human interference with rivers. Methodologies must be developed to permit continual monitoring of such changes, so that environmental effects of storage projects may be considered in more integrated, comprehensive plans than hitherto for future river-development efforts.This study documents stream-channel changes over a five-years period following reservoir completion at eight cross-sections on the main stream below a dam and on one tributary. Of eight main-stream sections, four are increasing in cross-sectional area, namely numbers one, five, six, and seven. Of these, the crosssectional area of numbers one and seven is increasing laterally and that of five and six is increasing vertically. The average annual degradation of sections five and six is 0.092 m over the study period, compared with an average of 0.031 m in the United States over the first 10–15 years after dam closure. Sections three, eight, and nine, are shitfing laterally without a crosssectional area increase, while of sections 2 and 4 the cross-sectional area remained largely unchanged.Extraction of most of the sediment load by the new reservoir led to increased erosion of the stream channel below the dam. However, it is not always predictable whether the increased erosive power of released clearwater will induce the ongoing channel to erode its bed, widen its section, or cause the bed to move laterally. Nearly all of the nine Deer Creek study sections experienced one of these changes over the study period of five years.
The Blackfly Dilemma
Authors: Asibey Emmanuel O. A. 
Published: August 2009

The good intentions of specialists involved in the onchocerciasis control project in the Volta Basin of West Africa have not been questioned. It is, however, questioned whether there was not too great a haste to implement the spraying phase of the programme. There is apprehension that the food-chain with Man as terminal link will be contaminated, and that the project will increase the socio-economic as well as political problems of participating countries and yet fail to control the disease.In view of these considerations and of continuing ‘blind spots’ in human knowledge and especially of the problems involved, it is considered urgent that the spraying as it is now going on be modified or suspended until such time as the gaps in knowledge are reasonably closed.