Annotated Checklist and Conservation Status of Mammal Species in Sarpang District, Bhutan

Bhutan has a total geographical area of 38,394 Km² located in between the Indo-Malayan and Palearctic region, out of which 51.44% (19750.75 km²) of its total geographical area has been designated as the protected area. However, none of the districts have a structured baseline checklist of mammal species documented till date. Therefore, Sarpang Forest Division under the Department of Forests and Park Services had carried out five rigorous camera trap surveys including a nationwide tiger survey that covers representable areas of the district from 2014 till 2020. The survey shows that district has 36 mammal species that belong to 18 families under seven orders. Felidae and Cervidae families has the highest species abundance (n = 17%), while, Canidae, Herpestidae, Leporidae, Manidae, Melinae, Muridae, Mustelidae, Tupaiidae, Proboscidae, Pteromyidae, Suidae and Ursidae were the lowest (n = 3%). Above all, Sarpang homed 29.90% of total mammal species of Bhutan, out of which 3% of mammal species were categorized under Critically Endangered, 14% Endangered, 14% Vulnerable, 22% Near Threatened, and 47% Least Concern as per IUCN Red List. However, only 20 mammal species are listed under CITES and nine in Schedule I of Forest and Nature Conservation Act of Bhutan, 1995. Therefore, landscape-based planning such as the Division-based Conservation & Management plan; periodic monitoring of wildlife species using camera traps, and validation of Schedule I species are suggested for long-term conservation and management of globally threatened species inside the landscape of Sarpang district in Bhutan.

Status, Distribution, and Threats of Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena Linnaeus, 1758) in Nepal: A Review

Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) is a member of the Hyaenidae family distributed globally from Africa to Central Tanzania, the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent including Nepal. Only a few documented studies have been carried out at a national as well as international level regarding their habit, habitat, threats, and conservation measures. Various open access works of literature including articles, reports, and books published from 1941 to 2021 were assessed through Google scholar and Research gate for this study. We searched, refined, and selected 42 pieces of literature for the study purpose. We found that striped hyenas were recorded from five national parks of lowland Terai regions and they were recorded in six districts lying outside the protected area in Central and Western Terai as well as the hilly region of Nepal. Habitat degradation, decreased prey population, retaliatory killing by poisoning, poaching and road kills are found to be the major threats to these endangered scavengers that require immediate conservation initiatives We believe that this manuscript can fulfill the knowledge gap on this species and suggests conservation initiatives, which could be a landmark for conducting further research and conservation of striped hyenas.

A Long-Standing Problem: A Review on the Solid Waste Management in the Philippines

Solid waste management is considered a pressing global issue calling for an immediate response from the government and its people. The Philippines has a continuously rising amount of waste and is expected to further increase in the succeeding years. As reviewed, associated problems with solid waste management in the country include an increasing amount of solid waste, weak law implementation, scarcity of sanitary landfills, and improper disposal. The ultimate solution existing in the country is the RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 which highlights the practices of segregation, proper disposal, and waste diversion. The importance of envisioning a trash-free Philippines and encouraging people’s participation and awareness is also emphasized. Another possible solution to solid waste management is valorization which can also address other environmental problems such as the depletion of natural resources. These solutions enumerated will only be possible with the presence of good governance, active participation of the people of the country, and the cooperation of all constituents and agencies in the Philippines.

Post-Harvest Handling and Losses of Green Chilies: A Case Study from Bhutan

This study assessed post-harvest activities and post-harvest losses of green chili farming in Kabjisa, Punakha, Bhutan. Data came from interviewing 75 chili-growers selected via proportionate random sampling. Most farmers were found selling fresh chili (green chili). Few farmers produced blanched, dried, and powdered chilies for self-consumption. Most grown chili varieties were Wookup ema, Indian chili, and Yangtsep ema. Farmers mostly harvested chilies manually during the daytime in a bucket. The majority of the farmers have sorted and graded chilies based on disease infection, damaged parts, and size. Chilies are usually packed and stored for a night before the sale. Most chili losses occurred during harvesting, followed by marketing and sorting. The price of fresh chilies had to discount significantly during the peak season as farmers could not process chilies into other products. Hence, supporting farmers with dryer, cold storage, chili value addition infrastructure, and contract farming would minimize chili losses.

Analytical Profiling of Heavy Metals Contamination in soils, Dismantling Dust, and Rubber Samples in Karachi City Using AAS, WD-XRF, and SEM Technique

The concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, & Zn were determined in the samples of soil, dismantling dust and rubber collected from the electronic waste dumping site of Shershah market and rubber from the Local market of Karachi city Pakistan. The city e-waste dumping and dismantling sites toxicity were not conducted before using modern techniques. The subsequent data of the heavy metals concentration were obtained using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Wavelength Dispersive- X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (WD-XRF). Cu, Pb, and Zn were found as 133.17, 104.53 & 113.26 in soil, whereas in dismantling dust Pb & Zn were remained 10.56 and 12.65 mg/kg similarly. The China toy particle analysis by SEM was resulting metallic trend as Fe > Zn > Pb > Cd > Ni > Cr. The estimated data were compared with the levels allowed by the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The maximum allowable limit for Cd is 3; Cr, Cd, and Pb are 100 for Ni is 50 and 300 mg/kg for Zn. The presence of these heavy metals from e-waste dumping would become soon a significant reason to cause serious health problems for the nearby residents and as well as city too. It has been concluded that the dumping of e-waste is the major source of contamination of heavy metals in the studied media. It is recommended that the e-waste must be recycled formally to prevent the soil from being polluted. .

Biomass and Carbon Stock in the Sal (Shorea robusta) Forest of Dang District Nepal

The study was conducted to find the net carbon stock in the Sal (Shorea robusta) forest in Bagdaila Chisapani community forest of Dang district, Nepal. The inventory was done by a stratified sampling technique with 0.5% sampling intensity taking into account the woody plants with ≥ 5cm DBH. A total of 49 sample plots of radius 8.94m and 5.64 were established to measure tree biomass and sapling biomass respectively in the forest. The mean above-ground carbon (AGC) was 160.4 t ha-1 and the mean below-ground carbon (BGC) was 24.1t ha-1. The mean total carbon stock in the study area was estimated to be 99.02 t ha-1; of which maximum carbon stock of 143.51 t ha-1 was found in block number 5. Sal was the major tree species in the CF. The biomass and carbon content in this forest is found quite low as compared to other studies in the Sal forest and other tropical forests which were due to the presence of tree stands of less diameter and height. This study would be helpful in the long-term management of forests, planning, and research purposes. The data from this study could also be taken as a reference document for the participation of community forests in carbon accounting under the REDD+ scheme in Nepal.

Typhoon and Flooding Disasters’ Lived Experiences of Loboc Residents in Bohol, Philippines

This study described the meaning of lived experiences of the municipal leaders of Loboc, Bohol, Philippines, prior, during, and after typhoon “Seniang” in 2014. It investigated the initiatives and practices of the local government unit (LGU) and captured the household experiences through a qualitative research approach following the Husserlian descriptive phenomenology utilizing Colaizzi’s method of data analysis. Purposive sampling was employed through face-to-face interviews with 12 key informants after reaching saturation point. All narrative accounts were transcribed and served as the primary source of qualitative data. The extracted accounts were organized through thematic categorization yielding 77 significant statements, 28 formulated meanings, 15 clusters, and 4 emergent themes. These emergent themes include awareness of disaster, experiences during the disaster, good local governance practices, and experienced challenges. Grounded on these findings, it is concluded that effective disaster response and quick and successful recovery fundamentally depend on authentic and effective governance by Loboc local leaders concretized through collaborative, concrete observance, implementation of responsive policy processes and the harmonious team works among community members. Altogether, proactive involvement makes a community more resilient. The researchers recommend that Loboc local leaders, employees, and residents, altogether put a premium on active participation, profess a positive outlook with enduring commitment to immediately rebound from any experienced disaster.

Integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Entrepreneurship: A Case of Horticulture Farmers in Mutoko District of Zimbabwe

Entrepreneurship plays a significant role in eradicating poverty and providing sustainable livelihoods for communities. Governments, non-governmental organizations, and community development agencies are on the trail to consider rural entrepreneurship as an economic empowerment strategy in the developing world. Given the shortcomings of the Western entrepreneurship skills widely employed in many communities, this study assesses the role and significance of an approach that is place-based and rooted in local cultures that are associated with long-settled communities with strong ties to their natural environments. Nevertheless, a plethora of entrepreneurial strategies employed is foreign to local communities, which makes it difficult to produce the anticipated outcome vis-à-vis sustainable development. The study employs a qualitative method and an exploratory design. The findings of this research are based on in-depth interviews conducted among horticulture farmers in the Mutoko district. The significance of embracing Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in entrepreneurship among horticulture farmers in the Mutoko district was examined. Horticulture is a popular kind of farming in the region, with farmers specializing in tomatoes, cucumbers, leafy vegetables, onions, and butternut.

Water Quality Analyses: Evidence from River Gashua and Some Selected Groundwater Sources in Gashua, Nigeria

The interface between surface water and groundwater is becoming more complex owing to the effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities these days. In this study, the physicochemical; pH, color, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, and turbidity while bacteriological parameters; total and fecal coliform of water samples from River Gashua and its surrounding wells in Gashua local government area of Yobe State were assessed. All the physicochemical parameters were analyzed using water quality standards. Fecal and total coliforms were assayed using the filter membrane technique. The results obtained from the physicochemical parameters of Boreholes (BH1, BH2, and BH3) and hand pump wells (HPW1, HPW2, and HPW3) are within the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. However, the river (R) water sample was found to have a high concentration in total dissolved solids, turbidity, and color than permissible standards. Bacteriological analysis revealed the presence of total and fecal coliform in the water samples; R, BH2, BH3, HPW1, HPW2, and HPW3. The findings indicate that there is a need to protect the quality of the river system. Therefore, it is recommended that government and other stakeholders should take appropriate and corrective actions to avert the continuous discharge of waste products into the river. Again, Yobe State Ministry of Environment should ensure that all public boreholes are routinely subjected to appropriate water assays to ascertain their suitability for human consumption.

Biostimulatory Influence of Biochar on Degradation of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Impacted Soil

Soil pollution caused by petroleum hydrocarbon and its derivatives has become a grave global issue. Physico-chemical techniques are often expensive. However, bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon polluted soil is cost-effective. Therefore, the study was carried out to assess the biostimulatory influence of biochar on the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbon impacted soil in NNPC Depot, kano state. Soil samples were randomly collected from the polluted site to obtain a composite sample. About 400 g of the polluted soil was filled into pots and arranged in a 2x2 factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications. Bone and wood char was at 2 levels (0 and 50 g/pot) each. Data were collected on the physicochemical properties (pH, TN, and Av. P) of the soil, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH), and bacterial population. Data were analyzed using ANOVA at α0. 05. Results obtained from the study show that biochar application significantly (p<0.05) enhanced TPH degradation and bacterial population in the polluted soil. However, Bone char significantly(p<0.05) enhanced TPH degradation and bacterial population the most compared to wood char. Combined bone and wood char application resulted in significantly (p<0.05) lower residual TPH content in the polluted soil compared to using bone or wood char alone. Thus, bone and wood char should be used in the bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon impacted soils.