'Of Milk and Honey: A design strategy for the economical, ecological and ideological resilience of a cultural landscape and its people

<p>Wetlands are one of New Zealand’s most important freshwater ecosystems. They are low-lying waterlogged areas bordering rivers and streams and forming quiet edges of lakes, rivers, low- lying floodplains estuaries and harbours. In the last 150 years more than 90% of New Zealand’s wetlands have been destroyed or severely impacted by agricultural developments. The South Wairarapa region, in the lower part of the North Island, covers 2,485 km2 and is characterised by its expanses of lowland plains and lakes, surrounded by mountainous ranges. Once its wetlands provided important ecosystem services filtering nutrients and controlling floodwaters but they are now under pressure from agricultural land use, including drainage, grazing, nutrient runoff and the impacts of pest animals and plants. For the indigenous Māori culture of New Zealand, wetlands are often regarded as equivalent to organs that cleanse the body (tinana) such as the kidneys (nga whatumanawa) and the liver (te ate), and therefore represent important sites for purifying and cleaning, by filtering or reducing nutrients, chemicals and suspended sediment before it reaches the Lake Wairarapa. Many wetlands have historical and cultural importance as well as are regarded as source of food (mahinga kai) for the Māori tribes, providing important habitats for a range of culturally important food sources such as eel or important flora for carving such as flax, bulrush, tall grasses and bamboo spike sedges. Māori people perceive their own health as directly linked to the condition of their environments. This study examines how we can re-purpose / re-configure land use within the region to a more ecologically conscious industry, finding a balance between the existing farming and agricultural practices that the region relies on and a recognition to the cultural practices of the Māori people and its importance to healthy communities and resourceful environments.</p>

'Of Milk and Honey: A design strategy for the economical, ecological and ideological resilience of a cultural landscape and its people

<p>Wetlands are one of New Zealand’s most important freshwater ecosystems. They are low-lying waterlogged areas bordering rivers and streams and forming quiet edges of lakes, rivers, low- lying floodplains estuaries and harbours. In the last 150 years more than 90% of New Zealand’s wetlands have been destroyed or severely impacted by agricultural developments. The South Wairarapa region, in the lower part of the North Island, covers 2,485 km2 and is characterised by its expanses of lowland plains and lakes, surrounded by mountainous ranges. Once its wetlands provided important ecosystem services filtering nutrients and controlling floodwaters but they are now under pressure from agricultural land use, including drainage, grazing, nutrient runoff and the impacts of pest animals and plants. For the indigenous Māori culture of New Zealand, wetlands are often regarded as equivalent to organs that cleanse the body (tinana) such as the kidneys (nga whatumanawa) and the liver (te ate), and therefore represent important sites for purifying and cleaning, by filtering or reducing nutrients, chemicals and suspended sediment before it reaches the Lake Wairarapa. Many wetlands have historical and cultural importance as well as are regarded as source of food (mahinga kai) for the Māori tribes, providing important habitats for a range of culturally important food sources such as eel or important flora for carving such as flax, bulrush, tall grasses and bamboo spike sedges. Māori people perceive their own health as directly linked to the condition of their environments. This study examines how we can re-purpose / re-configure land use within the region to a more ecologically conscious industry, finding a balance between the existing farming and agricultural practices that the region relies on and a recognition to the cultural practices of the Māori people and its importance to healthy communities and resourceful environments.</p>

Assessment of Water Quality by Bioindication of Algae and Cyanobacteria in the Peshawar Valley, Pakistan

In purpose to assess the water quality in Peshawar Valley, the diversity of algae and cyanobacteria were studied in 41 sites during 2018-2019. A total of 361 species indicators of 7 Phyla were revealed. Algae and cyanobacteria in the studied sites preferred benthic and plankton-benthic lifestyle and mesotrophic waters. Indicators characterized water as moderate in temperature, medium oxygenated, low alkaline, and low saline. Algae and cyanobacteria inhabited medium-polluted and good water quality of Classes 2-3. The statistical maps were constructed for the first time to visualize the spatial distribution of diverse environmental and biological water quality variables and their relationship. The statistical maps and CCA revealed Water Temperature, Electrical Conductivity, Salinity, and Total Dissolved Solids as significant factors influenced freshwater algal and cyanobacteria communities. Statistical maps reflected an increase of dissolved substances from the foothills to the Kabul and Indus rivers' confluence. Acidification was revealed in the northeast of the valley. The bioindication results allowed us to propose that the algae and cyanobacteria communities were influenced by nutrient runoff from the surrounding foothills, agriculture, domestic and industrial effluents. The bioindication method combined with statistics can be recommended as a productive instrument for future water quality monitoring in the Peshawar Valley.

Application of Modified Spent Mushroom Compost Biochar (SMCB/Fe) for Nitrate Removal from Aqueous Solution

The public is already aware that nitrate pollution caused by nutrient runoff from farms is harmful to aquatic life and human health, and there is an urgent need for a product/technology to solve this problem. A biochar adsorbent was synthesized and used to remove nitrate ions from aqueous media based on spent mushroom compost (SMC), pre-treated with iron (III) chloride hexahydrate and pyrolyzed at 600 °C. The surface properties and morphology of SMCB/Fe were investigated using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of main parameters such as the adsorbent dosages, pH of the solutions, contact times, and ion concentrations on the efficiency of nitrate removal was investigated. The validity of the experimental method was examined by the isothermal adsorption and kinetic adsorption models. The nitrate sorption kinetics were found to follow the pseudo-second-order model, with a higher determination coefficient (0.99) than the pseudo-first-order (0.86). The results showed that the maximum percentage of nitrate adsorption was achieved at equilibrium pH 5–7, after 120 min of contact time, and with an adsorbent dose of 2 g L−1. The highest nitrate adsorption capacity of the modified adsorbent was 19.88 mg g−1.

A Public-Private Partnership to Locate Fields for Implementation and Monitoring of Best Management Practices to Treat Legacy Phosphorus

Legacy nutrients stored in agricultural soils are a substantial component of riverine nutrient discharge contributing to the eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems. These nutrient loads can persist and delay water quality initiatives, for example, those of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement which seek to reduce phosphorus (P) loads entering the Western Lake Erie Basin. In this watershed, approximately 5% of fields have P concentrations 2.5-fold greater than the maximum agronomic recommendations for corn and soybeans. Fields with these elevated-P concentrations (&gt;100 mg P kg−1 soil) act as a source of legacy-P and discharge greater P loads. Implementing best management practices to treat runoff from these fields is desirable but finding them has been a challenge as soil test data are proprietary information creating an asymmetric information barrier. To overcome this barrier, we formed a public-private partnership that included agricultural retailers who conduct soil testing for farmers. Agricultural retailers who partnered with this project provided their soil P data and contacted farmers to gauge their interest, maintaining privacy for farmers until they expressed interest. Only 3.8% of soil samples in the provided data had elevated-P concentrations. In many cases, these elevated-P soils were confined to zones within fields, and 13% of fields had at least one elevated-P zone. We pursued these elevated-P fields as research sites for the implementation and monitoring of management practices. The agricultural retailers contacted 77 farmers with surveys, and 25 responded with interest in meeting the research team to discuss the project. Following a preliminary evaluation with the spatial data of fields operated by interested farmers, visits were arranged so that 12 research sites could be located. As indicated through the surveys, discussions with farmers, and soil data, many of the fields had accumulated elevated-P due to historic land-use (livestock, manure, or biosolid application) creating legacy sources. We conclude that public-private partnerships featuring agricultural retailers are a promising tool that may help overcome asymmetric information barriers to finding and managing agricultural fields with legacy-P that that disproportionately contribute to nutrient runoff.

Prioritizing Management for Cumulative Impacts

Determining where environmental management is best applied, either through regulating single sectors of human activities or across sectors, is complicated by interactions between human impacts and the environment. In this article, we show how an explicit representation of human-environment interactions can help, via "impact networks" including activities (e.g. shipping), stressors (e.g. ship strikes), species (e.g. humpback whales) or ecosystem services (e.g. marine recreation). Impact networks can enable the identification of "leverage nodes", which, if present, can direct managers to the activities and stressors crucial for reducing risk to important ecosystem components. Exploring an impact network for a coastal ecosystem in British Columbia, Canada, we seek to identify these leverage nodes using a new approach employing Bayesian Belief Networks of risks to ecosystems. In so doing, we address three key questions: (1) Do leverage nodes exist? (2) Do management plans for species correctly identify leverage nodes? (3) Does the management of leverage nodes for certain species realize benefits for other species and ecosystem services? We show that there are several leverage nodes across all species investigated, and show that preconceptions about the regulation of risk to species can misidentify leverage nodes, potentially leading to ineffective management. Notably, we show that managing fisheries does not reduce overall risk to herring whereas managing diverse cumulative impacts including nutrient runoff, oil spills, and marine debris can reduce risk to herring, additional species, and related ecosystem services. Thus, by targeting leverage nodes, managers can efficiently mitigate risks for whole communities, ecosystems, and ecosystem services.

Tropical Storm Debby: Soundscape and fish sound production in Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico

Tropical cyclones have large effects on marine ecosystems through direct (e.g., storm surge) and indirect (e.g., nutrient runoff) effects. Given their intensity, understanding their effects on the marine environment is an important goal for conservation and resource management. In June 2012, Tropical Storm Debby impacted coastal Florida including Tampa Bay. Acoustic recorders were deployed prior to the storm at a shallow water location inside Tampa Bay and a deeper water location in the Gulf of Mexico. Ambient noise levels were significantly higher during the storm, and the highest increases were observed at lower frequencies (≤ 500 Hz). Although the storm did not directly hit the area, mean ambient noise levels were as high as 13.5 dB RMS above levels in non-storm conditions. At both the shallow water and the deep water station, the rate of fish calls showed a variety of patterns over the study period, with some rates decreasing during the storm and others showing no apparent reaction. The rates of fish calls were frequently correlated with storm conditions (storm surge, water temperature), but also with lunar cycle. Reactions to the storm were generally stronger in the inshore station, although fish sounds increased quickly after the storm’s passage. Although this was not a major tropical cyclone nor a direct hit on the area, the storm did appear to elicit a behavioral response from the fish community, and ambient noise levels likely limited the abilities of marine species to use sound for activities such as communication. Given the increases in intensity and rainfall predicted for tropical cyclones due to climate change, further studies of the ecological effects of tropical cyclones are needed.

The Assessment of the Usefulness of Miscanthus x giganteus to Water and Soil Protection against Erosive Degradation

Water erosion is one of the major factors of soil degradation in the world. Various methods have been developed to prevent soil erosion. One of them is the use of anti-erosion belts on slopes, but it has both positive and negative effects. In order to minimize the negative effects, this study proposes the use of perennial grass in place of the most commonly used trees and shrubs. The paper presents studies on the erosion control effectiveness of a strip planted with Miscanthus x giganteus, established on a loess slope. Surface runoff of water and its constituents and erosion damage was studied on the experimental plot with a separate anti-erosion belt and the control plot. Obtained results indicate the anti-erosion efficiency of the established strip in the context of soil protection from water erosion and surface water protection from pollution, although, in the first years of vegetation, miscanthus has not yet reached the stage of full development. The average surface water runoff relating to precipitation causing the erosive event was 17.1% higher in the control plot than in the experimental plot. The volume of erosion damage in the form of rill erosion was 89.3% higher in the control plot. On the other hand, the volume of erosion damages in surface erosion and patches of deposited silts was lower by 14.7% and 21.6%, respectively. Soil losses from the control plot were 29% higher than those from the experimental plot. Dissolved plant nutrient runoff was also higher from the control plot by: 33.4% N-Ntot, 31.3% N-NH4, 42.7% N-NO3, 21.6% N-NO2, 22.9% P-Ptot, 24.1% K.

Causal Analysis of Ecological Impairment in Land Ecosystem on a Regional Scale: Applied to a Mining City Daye, China

We adopted a weight of evidence approach to establish a causal analysis of an impaired land ecosystem on a regional scale; namely, Daye, a traditional mining city in China. Working processes, including problem statements, a list of candidate causes, and a conceptual model were developed to represent a causal hypothesis for describing land degradation. Causal criteria were applied to integrate multiple lines of evidence. Then, various pieces of evidence were scored to either strengthen or weaken our causal assumptions. Results showed that habitat alteration, heavy metal accumulation, organic pollutants, water eutrophication, and nutrient runoff were the probable causes of land ecosystem impairment in Daye. Meanwhile, noxious gas, toxicants, altered underground runoff, atmospheric deposition, and acid rain were identified as possible causes. The most unlikely causes were altered hydrology, altered earth surface runoff, and soil erosion. Soil salinization, soluble inorganic salts, biological species invasion, and pathogens were deferred as delayed causes due to lack of adequate information. The causal analysis approach was applied to identify the primary causes of land degradation and implement accurate protective measures in an impaired land ecosystem.

Coastal and Marine Socio-Ecological Systems: A Systematic Review of the Literature

The socio-ecological systems (SESs) framework provides cross-disciplinary insight into complex environmental problems. Numerous studies have applied the SES framework to coastal and marine environments over the last two decades. We review and analyze 98 of those studies to (i) describe how SES concepts were examined and measured, (ii) describe how the studies included feedbacks and thresholds, and (iii) identify and analyze elements unique to coastal and marine SES frameworks. We find that progress has been made in understanding key SES properties in coastal and marine ecosystems, which include resilience, adaptive capacity, vulnerability, and governance. A variety of methods has been developed and applied to analyze these features qualitatively and quantitatively. We also find that recent studies have incorporated land-based stressors in their analyses of coastal issues related to nutrient runoff, bacterial pollution, and management of anadromous species to represent explicit links in land-to-sea continuums. However, the literature has yet to identify methods and data that can be used to provide causal evidence of non-linearities and thresholds within SES. In addition, our findings suggest that greater alignment and consistency are needed in models with regard to metrics and spatial boundaries between ecological and social systems to take full advantage of the SES framework and improve coastal and marine management.