scholarly journals Agricultural activities and threat to fauna in Brazil: an analysis of the Red Book of Endangered Brazilian Fauna

2021 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. e20216193
Author(s):  
Marcelo Marcelino de Oliveira ◽  
Ronaldo Gonçalves Morato ◽  
Rodrigo Silva Pinto Jorge ◽  
Rogério Cunha de Paula

The recent edition of the Red Book of Endangered Brazilian Fauna brings 1,173 threatened species, 86% of them in terrestrial or freshwater environments. For these species, the main threat vector is agricultural activities that affect 519 species (51%). This information brought by the Red Book is examined in-depth and its consistency is discussed in search of an objective view on the impacts of agriculture, its importance, how they affect the different groups of animals, the different biomes of the country, and the different types of habitats continental. Birds, fish, and invertebrates are the groups with the highest number of species threatened by agricultural activity, accounting for more than 70% of the species. Habitat loss is by far the biggest impact caused by the activity, affecting almost 90% of the species. However, there is a difference between the impact of agriculture and livestock. The work seeks to understand why livestock threatens a smaller number of species, although pastures occupy more than twice the area occupied by crops and forestry. The work brings an objective debate on the relationship between agricultural activities and the conservation of wild fauna in Brazil, without falling into the trap of the useless demonization of human activities, highlighting, instead, the need to define and implement strategies for the conservation of biodiversity in the midst the land use matrix itself, complementary to the conservation units, based on the best available information on the vulnerability of fauna to the impacts of this vector.

2017 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Sumayya Chughtai Et al.,

We classify stocks in different industries to measure industrial sentiment based on principle component analysis in order to examine whether investor sentiment exerts a differential impact on stock returns across different industries. After having constructed industry-level sentiment indices we construct a composite investor sentiment index. Our results suggest that investor sentiment negatively affects current as well as future stock returns in Pakistan over the examined period. However, we find that the influence of investor sentiment varies substantially across different industries. We also find that the market sentiment index has a negative relationship with both current and future stock returns. We also show that the direction of the relationship between return and sentiment remains same for the current and future period. This indicates that investors overreact to the available information and mispricing exists for a prolonged time. Our results confirm that sentiment driven mispricing persists for upcoming time and stock markets are not fully efficient to adjust instantaneously.


2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 749-778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam C. de Graaff ◽  
Ellen Giebels ◽  
Dominique J. W. Meijer ◽  
Desiree E. M. Verweij

This study explores the relationship between moral intensity and the use of different sensemaking strategies in military critical incidents. First, narratives of military personnel were used to select prototypical high/low moral intensity critical incidents. In a follow-up, a scenario study was conducted with active duty military personnel ( N = 325) to examine the relationship between moral intensity (high vs. low) and the use of sensemaking tactics. This study offers three main conclusions. First, the use of sensemaking tactics is strongly tied to the level of moral intensity in the situation. In high-intense situations, the servicemen draw on previous experiences, prediction of consequences, and help of others to recognize and interpret the situation. Less attention goes out to higher level critical thinking (i.e., moral awareness, integrating available information, and analyzing personal biases in the decision-making process). Thus, it seems that in these critical incidents, the servicemen react without giving room for thorough consideration and deliberation. Second, the number of deployments a serviceman experienced influences the perceived seriousness and harmfulness of the situation negatively in low-intense situations. Finally, and in line with earlier studies, the results indicate that the concept of moral intensity is formed out of three rather than the six dimensions originally proposed by Jones (1991). The implications of these findings are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1863-1875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra Thomas ◽  
Benjamin W. Abbott ◽  
Olivier Troccaz ◽  
Jacques Baudry ◽  
Gilles Pinay

Abstract. Direct and indirect effects from human activity have dramatically increased nutrient loading to aquatic inland and estuarine ecosystems. Despite an abundance of studies investigating the impact of agricultural activity on water quality, our understanding of what determines the capacity of a watershed to remove or retain nutrients remains limited. The goal of this study was to identify proximate and ultimate controls on dissolved organic carbon and nutrient dynamics in small agricultural catchments by investigating the relationship between catchment characteristics, stream discharge, and water chemistry. We analyzed a 5-year, high-frequency water chemistry data set from three catchments in western France ranging from 2.3 to 10.8 km2. The relationship between hydrology and solute concentrations differed between the three catchments and was associated with hedgerow density, agricultural activity, and geology. The catchment with thicker soil and higher surface roughness had relatively invariant carbon and nutrient chemistry across hydrologic conditions, indicating high resilience to human disturbance. Conversely, the catchments with smoother, thinner soils responded to both intra- and interannual hydrologic variation with high concentrations of phosphate (PO43−) and ammonium (NH4+) in streams during low flow conditions and strong increases in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), sediment, and particulate organic matter during high flows. Despite contrasting agricultural activity between catchments, the physical context (geology, topography, and land-use configuration) appeared to be the most important determinant of catchment solute dynamics based on principle components analysis. The influence of geology and accompanying topographic and geomorphological factors on water quality was both direct and indirect because the distribution of agricultural activity in these catchments is largely a consequence of the geologic and topographic context. This link between inherent catchment buffering capacity and the probability of human disturbance provides a useful perspective for evaluating vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems and for managing systems to maintain agricultural production while minimizing leakage of nutrients.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (27) ◽  
pp. 368
Author(s):  
Ngameni Tchamadeu Norbert ◽  
Patricia Bi Asanga Fai ◽  
Mpoame Mbida ◽  
Kenko NKontcheu Daniel Brice

We conducted a study to assess the impact of peri-urban agricultural activities of the city of Dschang on the water quality and macroinvertebrate structure of the Menoua stream. This study covered 3 stations (one reference station at the upstream of the peri-urban agricultural activities and two downstream) with a monthly sampling frequency from March 2015 to February 2016. The physico-chemical analysis were carried out according to standard protocols while the benthic macro-fauna was harvested using a haze net of 30 cm side and 400 μm mesh size. Physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH, conductivity, TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), salinity, turbidity, colour, SS (Suspended Solids), nitrate, ammonium and orthophosphate were analyzed. The inventory of benthic macroinvertebrates revealed a taxonomic richness of 42 families and 77 taxa and a gross abundance of 1833 individuals. Spatio-temporal monitoring of physicochemical and biological parameters provided the image of relatively low pollution. Metrics such as total taxonomic richness, richness of ETO (Ephemeroptera-Trichoptera-Odonata), relative abundance of Ephemeroptera-Trichoptera-Odonate (% ETO), diversity of Shannon and Weaver and Pielou's equitability were determined at each of the three stations. These indices, unlike several other studies, increased downstream of anthropogenic activities. Low agricultural activity in the watershed has resulted in habitat diversification and availability of resources for benthic macroinvertebrates, resulting in increased abundance and diversity


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
António Soares ◽  
Isabel Borges ◽  
Hugo Calado ◽  
Paulo Borges

A recently-published review from 2021 presents a comprehensive checklist of ladybeetles of Portugal, including the Azores and Madeira Archipelagos. Until then, the available information was very scattered and based on a single revision dating back to 1986, a few international catalogues and databases, individual records and studies on communities of agroecosystems. However, no information was available on faunal composition across the Azorean islands and their habitats, using standardised inventories. Here, we present data about the biodiversity of ladybeetles and their distribution and abundance in five Islands of the Azores (Faial, Graciosa, Pico, São Jorge and São Miguel). Surveys included herbaceous and arboreal habitats from native to anthropogenic-managed habitats: ruderal road vegetation, vegetable garden, mixed forest of endemic and non-native host plants, coastal prairies, coastal mixed vegetation, cornfields and urban areas. We aimed to contribute to the ongoing effort to document the terrestrial biodiversity of Portugal, including the Archipelago of the Azores, within the research project AZORESBIOPORTAL–PORBIOTA (ACORES-01-0145-FEDER-000072). In this study, a total of 1,487 specimens of Coccinellidae belonging to 19 species are reported for several habitats. The listed species are from one single sub-familiy (Coccinellinae) and six tribes; Chilocorini (one species), Coccidulini (three species), Coccinellini (six species), Noviini (one species), Scymnini (seven species), Stethorini (one species). The number of species collected per island differed; Faial (10 species), Graciosa (four species), Pico (seven species), São Jorge (seven species) and São Miguel (12 species). For six species, new island records are given. Currently, the number of species known to occur in the Azores are 32, including two doubtful records. The majority of species are Scymnini, being Scymnus (Scymnus) interruptus (Goeze, 1777) and Scymnus (Scymnus) nubilus Mulsant, 1850, the most abundant species (relative abundance 71.1%). This database will be the baseline of a long-term monitoring project allowing assessment of the impact of ongoing global changes in the distribution and abundance of ladybeetles.


2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 9293-9326 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-C. Huang ◽  
T.-Y. Lee ◽  
S.-J. Kao ◽  
S.-C. Hsu ◽  
H.-J. Lin ◽  
...  

Abstract. Agricultural activity is the dominant factor affecting water quality and nitrate export, which causes eutrophication and episodic acidification in downstream water bodies (e.g., reservoirs, lakes, and coastal zones). However, in subtropical mountainous areas such environmental impact due to the land use change was rarely documented. In this study, we investigated 16 sub-catchments during 2007 and 2008 in the Chi-Chia-Wan catchment where is the sole habitat for the endemic species, Formosan landlocked salmon (Oncorhynchus masou formosanus). The results revealed that the NO3-N concentration in pristine catchments varied from 0.144 to 0.151 mg/L without significant seasonal variation. This concentration was comparable with other forestry catchments around the world. However, the annual nitrate export was around 375.3–677.1 kg/km2/yr, much higher than other catchments due to the greater amount of rainfall. This is an important baseline for comparisons with other climate areas. As for the impact of agricultural activities, the catchments with some human disturbance, ~5.2% of the catchment area, might yield 5947.2 kg N/km2/yr – over 10-times higher than that of pristine catchment. Such high export caused by such a low level of disturbance might indicate that subtropical mountainous area is highly sensitive to agricultural activities. As for the land-use effect on nitrate yield, the forestry land might yield 488.5 ± 325.1 kg/km2/yr and the vegetable farm could yield 298 465.4 ± 3347.2 kg/km2/yr – 1000-times greater than the forestry. The estimated nitrate yields for land use classes were a crucial basis and useful for the land manager to assess the possible impacts (e.g., non-point source pollution evaluation and the recovery of land expropriation).


Author(s):  
Brynne D. Ovalle ◽  
Rahul Chakraborty

This article has two purposes: (a) to examine the relationship between intercultural power relations and the widespread practice of accent discrimination and (b) to underscore the ramifications of accent discrimination both for the individual and for global society as a whole. First, authors review social theory regarding language and group identity construction, and then go on to integrate more current studies linking accent bias to sociocultural variables. Authors discuss three examples of intercultural accent discrimination in order to illustrate how this link manifests itself in the broader context of international relations (i.e., how accent discrimination is generated in situations of unequal power) and, using a review of current research, assess the consequences of accent discrimination for the individual. Finally, the article highlights the impact that linguistic discrimination is having on linguistic diversity globally, partially using data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and partially by offering a potential context for interpreting the emergence of practices that seek to reduce or modify speaker accents.


2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-8
Author(s):  
Dee Adams Nikjeh

Abstract Administrators and supervisors face daily challenges over issues such as program funding, service fees, correct coding procedures, and the ever-changing healthcare regulations. Receiving equitable reimbursement for speech-language pathology and audiology services necessitates an understanding of federal coding and reimbursement systems. This tutorial provides information pertaining to two major healthcare coding systems and explains the relationship of these systems to clinical documentation, the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and equitable reimbursement. An explanation of coding edits and coding modifiers is provided for use in those occasional atypical situations when the standard use of procedural coding may not be appropriate. Also included in this tutorial is a brief discussion of the impact that the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (HR 6331 Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act [MIPPA], 2008) has had on the valuation of speech-language pathology procedure codes.


2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 194-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Freda-Marie Hartung ◽  
Britta Renner

Humans are social animals; consequently, a lack of social ties affects individuals’ health negatively. However, the desire to belong differs between individuals, raising the question of whether individual differences in the need to belong moderate the impact of perceived social isolation on health. In the present study, 77 first-year university students rated their loneliness and health every 6 weeks for 18 weeks. Individual differences in the need to belong were found to moderate the relationship between loneliness and current health state. Specifically, lonely students with a high need to belong reported more days of illness than those with a low need to belong. In contrast, the strength of the need to belong had no effect on students who did not feel lonely. Thus, people who have a strong need to belong appear to suffer from loneliness and become ill more often, whereas people with a weak need to belong appear to stand loneliness better and are comparatively healthy. The study implies that social isolation does not impact all individuals identically; instead, the fit between the social situation and an individual’s need appears to be crucial for an individual’s functioning.


Crisis ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meshan Lehmann ◽  
Matthew R. Hilimire ◽  
Lawrence H. Yang ◽  
Bruce G. Link ◽  
Jordan E. DeVylder

Abstract. Background: Self-esteem is a major contributor to risk for repeated suicide attempts. Prior research has shown that awareness of stigma is associated with reduced self-esteem among people with mental illness. No prior studies have examined the association between self-esteem and stereotype awareness among individuals with past suicide attempts. Aims: To understand the relationship between stereotype awareness and self-esteem among young adults who have and have not attempted suicide. Method: Computerized surveys were administered to college students (N = 637). Linear regression analyses were used to test associations between self-esteem and stereotype awareness, attempt history, and their interaction. Results: There was a significant stereotype awareness by attempt interaction (β = –.74, p = .006) in the regression analysis. The interaction was explained by a stronger negative association between stereotype awareness and self-esteem among individuals with past suicide attempts (β = –.50, p = .013) compared with those without attempts (β = –.09, p = .037). Conclusion: Stigma is associated with lower self-esteem within this high-functioning sample of young adults with histories of suicide attempts. Alleviating the impact of stigma at the individual (clinical) or community (public health) levels may improve self-esteem among this high-risk population, which could potentially influence subsequent suicide risk.


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