The Effect of Stormwater Discharge on the Nearshore Benthic Environment of Inner Wellington Harbour

<p>To investigate the spatial and temporal effects of stormwater discharge on the nearshore benthic environment of inner Wellington Harbour, sediment grain size, organic matter content, concentrations of As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn and the presence and abundance of the benthic macrobiota were measured at a number of stations at both stormwater outlets and at control sites. Correlations between the biological and the sedimentological and chemical variables were also investigated. In the vicinity of some outlets the sediment grain size distribution was altered and the sediment organic matter content was up to 5.5 times higher and metal concentrations were up to 11 times higher, than that at control sites. In general organic matter content and metal concentrations were highest close to an outlet and decreased with increasing distance seaward. With increasing distance from outlets the biological communities changed and there were significant differences in one or more of total, polychaete, arthropod and mollusc taxa, polychaete and mollusc individuals, diversity and the abundance of 12 taxa. The spatial extent of the impact of stormwater discharge on the benthic environment ranged from l0 to more than 45 metres from an outlet. Over time the largest range in organic matter content at an outlet was 6.1-42.8% while at a control it was 4-9%. For As, Cu, Pb and Zn the range in concentration over time was larger at stations closer to than those further from the outlet and larger at outlet than control site stations e.g. at 2 m in front of one outlet the Pb concentration range was 25l-1367 ppm, at 20 m from the outlet it was 15-22 ppm and at the associated control site 2 m station it was 15-20 ppm. Over time the direction of change in the biological community was different, and there were significant differences in the number of total, mollusc, polychaete and arthropod taxa and individuals and diversity, between that at the outlet and the associated control site. 27 taxa were more abundant at outlet than control sites and 45 taxa were more abundant at control than outlet sites over time. The biological community at outlet and control sites was best correlated to combinations of 2-5 of the sedimentological/chemical variables. Of these variables, organic matter content was the only commonly occurring variable at outlet sites and did not occur as one of the variables at the control sites. Where the organic matter content was >22% there were a low number of taxa and individuals, and with an increase in organic matter content there was a significant decrease in the number of total and arthropod taxa. The abundance of two taxa was significantly correlated to organic matter content and the abundance of six taxa was significantly correlated to metal concentrations.</p>

The Effect of Stormwater Discharge on the Nearshore Benthic Environment of Inner Wellington Harbour

<p>To investigate the spatial and temporal effects of stormwater discharge on the nearshore benthic environment of inner Wellington Harbour, sediment grain size, organic matter content, concentrations of As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn and the presence and abundance of the benthic macrobiota were measured at a number of stations at both stormwater outlets and at control sites. Correlations between the biological and the sedimentological and chemical variables were also investigated. In the vicinity of some outlets the sediment grain size distribution was altered and the sediment organic matter content was up to 5.5 times higher and metal concentrations were up to 11 times higher, than that at control sites. In general organic matter content and metal concentrations were highest close to an outlet and decreased with increasing distance seaward. With increasing distance from outlets the biological communities changed and there were significant differences in one or more of total, polychaete, arthropod and mollusc taxa, polychaete and mollusc individuals, diversity and the abundance of 12 taxa. The spatial extent of the impact of stormwater discharge on the benthic environment ranged from l0 to more than 45 metres from an outlet. Over time the largest range in organic matter content at an outlet was 6.1-42.8% while at a control it was 4-9%. For As, Cu, Pb and Zn the range in concentration over time was larger at stations closer to than those further from the outlet and larger at outlet than control site stations e.g. at 2 m in front of one outlet the Pb concentration range was 25l-1367 ppm, at 20 m from the outlet it was 15-22 ppm and at the associated control site 2 m station it was 15-20 ppm. Over time the direction of change in the biological community was different, and there were significant differences in the number of total, mollusc, polychaete and arthropod taxa and individuals and diversity, between that at the outlet and the associated control site. 27 taxa were more abundant at outlet than control sites and 45 taxa were more abundant at control than outlet sites over time. The biological community at outlet and control sites was best correlated to combinations of 2-5 of the sedimentological/chemical variables. Of these variables, organic matter content was the only commonly occurring variable at outlet sites and did not occur as one of the variables at the control sites. Where the organic matter content was >22% there were a low number of taxa and individuals, and with an increase in organic matter content there was a significant decrease in the number of total and arthropod taxa. The abundance of two taxa was significantly correlated to organic matter content and the abundance of six taxa was significantly correlated to metal concentrations.</p>

Capitalizing on opportunistic citizen science data to monitor urban biodiversity: a multi-taxa framework

Monitoring urban biodiversity is increasingly important, given the increasing anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity in urban areas. While the cost of broad-scale monitoring by professionals may be prohibitive, citizen science (also referred to as community science) will likely play an important role in understanding biodiversity responses to urbanization into the future. Here, we present a framework that relies on broad-scale citizen science data –– collected through iNaturalist –– to quantify (1) species-specific responses to urbanization on a continuous scale, capitalizing on globally-available VIIRS night-time lights data; and (2) community-level measures of the urbanness of a given biological community that can be aggregated to any spatial unit relevant for policy-decisions. We demonstrate the potential utility of this framework in the Boston metropolitan region, using &gt; 1,000 species aggregated across 87 towns throughout the region. Of the most common species, our species-specific urbanness measures highlighted the expected difference between native and non-native species. Further, our biological community-level urbanness measures –– aggregated by towns –– negatively correlated with enhanced vegetation indices within a town and positively correlated with the area of impervious surface within a town. We conclude by demonstrating how towns can be ‘ranked’ promoting a framework where towns can be compared based on whether they over- or under-perform in the urbanness of their community relative to other towns. Ultimately, biodiversity conservation in urban environments will best succeed with robust, repeatable, and interpretable measures of biodiversity responses to urbanization, and involving the broader public in the derivation and tracking of these responses will likely result in increased bioliteracy and conservation awareness.

Environmentalism is a Humanism

Ecocritics have long been at odds against humanism. What is needed is an “ecological” or “inclusive” humanism, which includes humans and nonhumans, rather than regarding humans as the crown of creation. Several contemporary French intellectuals affirm that one cannot be an ecologist without being a humanist. Claude Lévi-Strauss disparages traditional Western humanism, which denies dignity not only to nonhumans, but to non-Western humans. Pierre Rabhi calls for a “universal” and “true” humanism that respects the earth. Edgar Morin writes that “spaceship Earth” has no pilot: humans must be “ecologized” in order to save the planet. Michel Maffesoli’s “ecosophy” is a plea for Dionysian “progressivism” to replace Promethean “progressism.” His humanism—etymologically linked to “humus” and “humility”—entails a deep respect for the earth. Finally, the American Thomas Berry rejects traditional Christian humanism in favor of an ecological humanism that embraces an “interdependent biological community of the human with the natural world.”