Landscape habitat occupancy and distribution of the Wild Ground Pangolin (Smutsia temminckii) in Zimbabwe’s Protected Areas (PAs)

The Smutsia temminckii is the only species of pangolin known to exist in Zimbabwe and is considered vulnerable under the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Distribution of wild S. temminckii in protected areas (PAs) and associated environmental variables are not well defined in Zimbabwe. The study sort to relate key environmental variables (Altitude, rainfall, temperature and vegetation type) to habitat occupancy and distribution of S. temminckii. Data was collected from forty-eight stations based on S.temminckii sightings historical records spanning ten years (2011-2021) done by field rangers, tourists and scientific services research personnel. A review of available literature was done from online sources and station records. A distribution map based on S. temminckii sightings across various PAs in Zimbabwe was developed for this study. Results of this study reveal that S. temminckii occupy PAs in South East low-veld areas, Northwestern Zimbabwe, Mid Zambezi Valley and Nyanga NP. No historical data on S. temminckii sighting in central PAs located in ecological regions IIa, IIb and III of Zimbabwe. Climatic conditions associated with S. temminckii distribution, except for Nyanga NP, are average temperatures above 220C and rainfall between 400mm to 900mm per annum. Landscapes ideal for S. temminckii habitat occupancy have an altitude between 262m-2000m above sea level. Associated vegetation types for habitat occupancy of S. temminckii are the Zambezian and mopane woodlands as well as montane forest grasslands mosaic of Nyanga NP. Future studies should focus on establishing distribution of S. temminckii outside PA, population status and density to inform conservation of this rare and unique species around Zimbabwe.

Climate Change Challenge 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) climate summit is crucial but may be disappointing?

Human activity is the main cause of climate change. People burn fossil fuels and convert land from forests to agriculture. Burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Climate change due to vehicular movements, industries, and deforestation for creating newer inhabitations affects the environmental and social determinants of health. An effective public health response to climate change is involves preventing injuries and illnesses, escalating public health preparedness, and reducing risk of consequences of all listed climate change immediate support, manage health effects and outbreaks. The world leaders are gathering in Glasgow for COP26, today the October 31st, 2021, to carry forwards the unfinished agenda. The process is ruled by arriving at consensus, and the pace is set by the least willing countries. In 2019, developed countries provided $16.7 billion as a grant, that amounts to just $1 per month for climate finance. Developed countries can surely afford more than this. A credible climate finance plan from them is, therefore, crucial. The world’s 20 biggest economies recently endorsed a landmark deal on a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% and will aim to implement the rules by 2023 for climate financing. The main reason why cop26 process matters is that the science, diplomacy, activism, and public opinion that support it make up the best mechanism the world currently must help it come to terms with a fundamental truth. Looking at the progress made since the imitation of COP so far and minimal groundwork that has been done to achieve them, most of the demands may not be met. India’s ambitious 450 GW renewable energy goal by 2030, its hydrogen mission, plan to move Indian railways to ‘net-zero’ emission by 2030, land degradation neutrality and massive programme to increase forest cover- natural carbon sink the key points the country will commit to drive home. Forty-five nations pledged to step up protection of nature and overhaul farming to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but major economies led by the US, Japan and Germany and developing nations such as India, Indonesia, Morocco, Vietnam, Philippines, Gabon, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Uruguay backed from commitments. The steps include leveraging over $4 billion of new public sector investment into agricultural innovation, including the development of climate-resilient crops and regenerative solutions to improve soil health. I think climate challenges will be met, not because of summits and global idealism but because of enormous sums likely to be spent on green innovation by profit-driven corporations, incentivised by modest government subsidies and mandates Material & methods: This article is a review of available literature on Impact of climate change on health and global Climate change efforts, in press and various government and UN agency documents.

Towards effective monitoring of sand mining sites and post management techniques in sand dredged environment of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The study examined Sand Dredged Environment of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria towards effective monitoring of sand mining mites and post-management techniques. Multi-stage random sampling was used to select nine (9) Local Government Areas and three (3) communities from the selected local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State. Primary data were collected with structured questionnaires and focus group discussion. The study reveals that post-management guidelines of sand mining environment was not adopted in the study area to the failure in management of the environment in which a larger expanse of agricultural land have been converted to waste land and borrow pit. This work found that acquisition of sand mining permit was grossly ignored among sand miners in some mining communities, whereas other miners who obtained their permit deliberately hired too many dredgers in their allocated sand mining sites and the stakeholders mandated to monitor sand mining sites did not visit the sites and were relatively unaware of the illegal businesses going on in the sand mining sites. Chi-square was used to examine the impact of stakeholders on management of sand mining environment. The result indicated that a value of 204.565 at p<0.05 was obtained and it was concluded that stakeholders in the solid mineral exploration industry should re-direct their interest toward post-management of sand mining environment so as to restore degraded ecosystem for further land use purposes.

The substitution of agrobased society for industrial society: A perspective of transforming societies

Since the Industrial Revolution, a new era has arisen as the Anthropocene, in which human actions have become the main driver of global ecological crises outside the stable environmental state of the Holocene. During the Holocene, environmental change occurred naturally and Earth’s regulatory capacity maintained the conditions that enabled human development. By contrast, oil-dependent industrial society has exerted ecological crises. Agrobased society, in which almost all demands of human can be supported by agriculture, might be the ultimate solution industrial society facing ecological crises, in which there is a paradigm shift from the general and unlimited economic growth pursued by virtue of oil dependence to agrobased growth. The substitution of agrobased society for industrial society is an evolutionary result of Negation, it is a negation of materialized industrial society. The core feature of agriculture is to use organisms as production objects and rely on life processes to achieve production goals. The substitution of agrobased society for industrial society is the precondition for a sustainable carbon cycle, breaking through resource shortage, alleviating the environmental pressure of economic development. Meanwhile, it is feasible for the substitution of an agro-based society for an industrial society associated with the development of bio technologies and environmental awareness.

Analysis of risk level at oil production on the shelf of the Caspian Sea

The authors considered the rational reasons of effective measures for prevention and liquidation of catastrophic of emission of oil and gas in case of production of oil and gas in the Kazakhstani sector of the Caspian Sea. The comparative analysis with the accident on the Gulf of Mexico (USA) is carried out. Scientific substantiation of effective measures to prevent and to eliminate oil and gas emissions catastrophe on the Kazakhstani sector of the Caspian Sea is carried out. Currently, Kazakhstan produces 1.6 million barrels a day, which allows us to be among the world’s top twenty oil producers. In the next 15 years we plan to double these figures - we have a new field in Tenghiz, Kashagan. The USA’s companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron want to continue to invest in this area.

Genetic Engineering in the Twenty-First Century: Genetically modified organisms

In agriculture, animals and plants are engineered to produce pharmaceuticals, and crops are modified to be nutritious, tolerant of herbicides and the natural environment, and resistant to disease. While these goals may seem practical, is it wise to modify plant systems without a clear idea of the long-term effects of genetic engineering in animals and humans? [1].