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Ecological Damage (ecological + damage)
Selected AbstractsChildren's Moral Evaluations of Ecological Damage: The Effect of Biocentric and Anthropocentric Intentions,JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 8 2009Katherine V. Kortenkamp Moral evaluations of ecologically damaging events were studied in 5th, 8th, and 11th graders and college students (N = 246). Participants made 4 kinds of judgments about 2 scenarios: decision rightness, damage rightness, blame of the decision maker, and blame of the agents causing the damage. In both scenarios, the decision maker's intentions varied (biocentric vs. anthropocentric) as did the damage severity. Overall, participants' judgments were less harsh when the decision maker had biocentric intentions and when the damage was less severe. However, there were age differences in use of intentions to judge decision rightness. The proposition that judgments of blame of the decision maker should be a joint function of decision and damage rightness was also supported. [source] Evaluating extreme risks in invasion ecology: learning from banking complianceDIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 4 2008James Franklin ABSTRACT Increasing international trade has exacerbated the risks of ecological damage due to invasive pests and diseases. For extreme events such as invasions of damaging exotic species or natural catastrophes, there are no or very few directly relevant data, so expert opinion must be relied on heavily. Expert opinion must be as fully informed and calibrated as possible , by available data, by other experts, and by the reasoned opinions of stakeholders. We survey a number of quantitative and non-quantitative methods that have shown promise for improving extreme risk analysis, particularly for assessing the risks of invasive pests and pathogens associated with international trade. We describe the legally inspired regulatory regime for banks, where these methods have been brought to bear on extreme ,operational risks'. We argue that an ,advocacy model' similar to that used in the Basel II compliance regime for bank operational risks and to a lesser extent in biosecurity import risk analyses is ideal for permitting the diversity of relevant evidence about invasive species to be presented and soundly evaluated. We recommend that the process be enhanced in ways that enable invasion ecology to make more explicit use of the methods found successful in banking. [source] The promise and the potential consequences of the global transport of mycorrhizal fungal inoculumECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 5 2006Mark W. Schwartz Abstract Advances in ecology during the past decade have led to a much more detailed understanding of the potential negative consequences of species' introductions. Moreover, recent studies of mycorrhizal symbionts have led to an increased knowledge of the potential utility of fungal inoculations in agricultural, horticultural and ecological management. The intentional movement of mycorrhizal fungal species is growing, but the concomitant potential for negative ecological consequences of invasions by mycorrhizal fungi is poorly understood. We assess the degree to which introductions of mycorrhizal fungi may lead to unintended negative, and potentially costly, consequences. Our purpose is to make recommendations regarding appropriate management guidelines and highlight top priority research needs. Given the difficulty in discerning invasive species problems associated with mycorrhizal inoculations, we recommend the following. First, careful assessment documenting the need for inoculation, and the likelihood of success, should be conducted prior to inoculation because inoculations are not universally beneficial. Second, invasive species problems are costly and often impossible to control by the time they are recognized. We recommend using local inoculum sources whenever possible. Third, non-sterile cultures of inoculum can result in the movement of saprobes and pathogens as well as mutualists. We recommend using material that has been produced through sterile culture when local inoculum is not available. Finally, life-history characteristics of inoculated fungi may provide general guidelines relative to the likelihood of establishment and spread. We recommend that, when using non-local fungi, managers choose fungal taxa that carry life-history traits that may minimize the likelihood of deleterious invasive species problems. Additional research is needed on the potential of mycorrhizal fungi to spread to non-target areas and cause ecological damage. [source] Ecotoxicologic impacts of agricultural drain water in the Salinas River, California, USAENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 10 2003Brian S. Anderson Abstract The Salinas River is the largest of the three rivers that drain into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in central California (USA). Large areas of this watershed are cultivated year-round in row crops, and previous laboratory studies have demonstrated that acute toxicity of agricultural drain water to Ceriodaphnia dubia is caused by the organophosphate (OP) pesticides chlorpyrifos and diazinon. We investigated chemical contamination and toxicity in waters and sediments in the river downstream of an agricultural drain water input. Ecological impacts of drain water were investigated by using bioassessments of macroinvertebrate community structure. Toxicity identification evaluations were used to characterize chemicals responsible for toxicity. Salinas River water downstream of the agricultural drain was acutely toxic to the cladoceran Ceriodaphnia dubia, and toxicity to C. dubia was highly correlated with combined toxic units (TUs) of chlorpyrifos and diazinon. Laboratory tests were used to demonstrate that sediments in this system were acutely toxic to the amphipod Hyalella azteca, a resident invertebrate. Toxicity identification evaluations (TIEs) conducted on sediment pore water suggested that toxicity to amphipods was due in part to OP pesticides; concentrations of chlorpyrifos in pore water sometimes exceeded the 10-d mean lethal concentration (LC50) for H. azteca. Potentiation of toxicity with addition of the metabolic inhibitor piperonyl butoxide suggested that sediment toxicity also was due to other non,metabolically activated compounds. Macroinvertebrate community structure was highly impacted downstream of the agricultural drain input, and a number of macroinvertebrate community metrics were negatively correlated with combined TUs of chlorpyrifos and diazinon, as well as turbidity associated with the drain water. Some macroinvertebrate metrics were also correlated with bank vegetation cover. This study suggests that pesticide pollution is the likely cause of ecological damage in the Salinas River, and this factor may interact with other stressors associated with agricultural drain water to impact the macroinvertebrate community in the system. [source] Water management tasks in the summer polders of the Nemunas lowland,IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE, Issue 2 2006Antanas Lukianas plaine d'inondation; polders d'été; gestion des eaux Abstract Surplus water during floods as well as the low level of the soil surface determine the complicated ecological, economic and demographic conditions in the Nemunas delta. Subsequently, it leads to different types and intensity of use of farmland as well as different methods of water regime regulation: summer or winter type polders. The building of 17 summer polders in the 32,500,ha floodplain area was a compromise, seeking to improve farming conditions and maintain the stability of the flood regime and ecology in the delta. Field measurements and mathematical modelling were carried out. As study results have shown, grass yield losses due to flooding depend on the distribution of water levels and flood duration in the summer polders. Relative damage to agriculture is insignificant and makes up only 10,15% of the total amount of flood damage in the Nemunas lowland. The field measurements and hydraulic and mathematical modelling of flow and sediment regime as well as study of flooding and changed farming conditions also show that it is possible to reduce the height of floods and economic and ecological damage. Rearrangement of the system of protective dikes, regulation of the main river canal and water/sedimentation regime with the help of pumping stations, decrease of pollutant migration into the Curonian Lagoon and Baltic Sea, and recreation of natural meadows are important in that case. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Des eaux excédentaires en période de crues et un faible niveau du sol déterminent les conditions écologiques, économiques et démographiques complexes du delta du fleuve Nemunas. En particulier, des types et intensités différentes dans l'utilisation des terres arables, ainsi que des méthodes différentes de régulation du régime des eaux: polders d'été ou d'hiver. La construction de 17 polders d'été sur 32 500,ha de plaine d'inondation a été une solution de compromis pour améliorer l'agriculture et maintenir la stabilité du régime des crues et de l'écologie du delta. Des mesures de terrain et des modèles mathématique ont été réalisés. D'après les résultats des études, les pertes de récolte d'herbe dûes aux crues dépendent de la distribution des niveaux d'eau et de la durée de la crue dans les polders d'été. L'impact négatif sur l'agriculture est négligeable et ne représente que 10 à 15% des dommages totaux dus aux crues dans le delta du fleuve Nemunas. Les mesures de terrain et la modélisation hydraulique et mathématique de l'écoulement et de la sédimentation, ainsi que l'analyse des crues et des modifications de production agricole, prouvent également qu'il est possible de réduire la hauteur des crues et de diminuer ainsi les dommages économiques et écologiques. Dans ce cas, il convient de réorganiser le système des digues de protection, de réguler le chenal principal du fleuve et le régime de sédimentation des eaux à l'aide de stations de pompage, de réduire les déversements polluants dans la lagune Curonian et la mer Baltique, et de régénérer des pâturages naturels. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Rethinking the management of transboundary freshwater resources: a critical examination of modern international law and practiceNATURAL RESOURCES FORUM, Issue 1 2000Jeffrey AlbertArticle first published online: 9 OCT 200 Abstract Available freshwater stocks are being depleted and impaired on a widespread basis, with acute shortages an increasingly frequent condition in arid climates. In transboundary basins, water scarcity and pollution compound interstate tension and contribute to human suffering and ecological damage. This article provides theoretical perspectives on shared freshwater disputes and on the evolution of the international law of shared water resources. It argues that the UN Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (ratified by some countries, but not yet in force) is inadequate as a framework convention in terms of providing general obligations on the future parties or an institutional framework for future action. The paper suggests that three critical concepts be considered in future management of shared water resources: (1) the unitary character of watersheds (where the absence of extra-basin diversions allows); (2) joint or "communitarian" watershed management; and (3) the relevance of international trade to alleviating regional food stress, resulting from local water scarcity. Finally, it proposes the establishment of an international advisory body on shared water disputes, modelled after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose role is codified in the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. [source] Hurricanes and socio-economic development on Niue IslandASIA PACIFIC VIEWPOINT, Issue 2 2000Judith C. Barker This case study investigates the complex ways that recurrent ecological damage affected the course of socio-economic development on Niue Island, a Pacific micro-state. In tracing the historical record of droughts and hurricanes from 1900 to 1990, it is clear that severely inclement weather repeatedly destroyed agricultural development endeavours on the island leading to stagnation in this economic sector. In the aftermath of such disasters there were additional widespread social, political, and economic responses resulting in insidious but inexorable change. These responses , metaphoric ,winds of change', constituted, bolstered and sustained the transition to a MIRAB economy. [source] The introduced English wasp Vespula vulgaris (L.) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) newly recorded invading native forests in TasmaniaAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2000Robert W Matthews Abstract The social wasp Vespula vulgaris (L.), an introduced species that has caused extreme ecological damage in New Zealand, is reported from southern Tasmanian forests for the first time. In mainland Australia, this wasp has been present in the Melbourne area since 1958 and our retrospective analysis places it in Hobart since 1995. In the present paper, we document V. vulgaris in natural areas in southern Tasmania, well away from human habitation. Malaise trap samples collected since 1997 from nine sites at the Warra Long-term Ecological Research area in southern Tasmania revealed the widespread presence of both V. vulgaris and V. germanica (F.), another introduced species of concern. Analysis of microsatellite DNA markers showed no evidence of hybridisation between the two species. The potential impact of this newest social insect threat to Australian native biota is discussed. [source] | ||||||||||