This article differentiates between descriptive and explanatory factors to develop a typology and a theory of stakeholder and public engagement. The typology describes different types of public and ...stakeholder engagement, and the theory comprises four factors that explain much of the variation in outcomes (for the natural environment and/or for participants) between different types of engagement. First, we use a narrative literature search to develop a new typology of stakeholder and public engagement based on agency (who initiates and leads engagement) and mode of engagement (from communication to coproduction). We then propose a theory to explain the variation in outcomes from different types of engagement: (1) a number of socioeconomic, cultural, and institutional contextual factors influence the outcomes of engagement; (2) there are a number of process design factors that can increase the likelihood that engagement leads to desired outcomes, across a wide range of sociocultural, political, economic, and biophysical contexts; (3) the effectiveness of engagement is significantly influenced by power dynamics, the values of participants, and their epistemologies, that is, the way they construct knowledge and which types of knowledge they consider valid; and (4) engagement processes work differently and can lead to different outcomes when they operate over different spatial and temporal scales. We use the theoretical framework to provide practical guidance for those designing engagement processes, arguing that a theoretically informed approach to stakeholder and public engagement has the potential to markedly improve the outcomes of environmental decision‐making processes.
To design effective adaptation measures to a heating climate, decision-makers need a state-of-the-art, regional and sector-specific knowledge about future climate impacts. Tailoring this information ...to the needs of policymakers requires collaboration between scientists and stakeholders. A lot of literature on design principles and comprehension of scientific visualisations exists. However, the links between objective comprehension, perceived usefulness for communication and aesthetics of climate change impact maps have rarely been analysed in empirical studies. In a co-design effort together with stakeholders in adaptation planning and climate change communication experts, regional climate change impact maps were developed and published as open-access dataset. The comprehension, aesthetics and perceived usefulness of different map design features were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated in a two-step survey. Designs with less information density were understood best, found most aesthetical and useful for communication practice. Uncertainties were deemed necessary by participants, but not understood well when combined with other variables on the same map sheet. Map understanding varied significantly with the cognitive difficulty of a task. This difference was robust over user groups. Co-designing maps at the science-policy interface have the potential to create more useful and comprehensible communication materials and thus supports adaptation planning with the best available information on future climate impacts.
Increasing pressure on mountain water resources is making it necessary to address water governance issues in a transdisciplinary way. This entails drawing on different disciplinary perspectives, ...different types of knowledge, and different interests to answer complex governance questions. This study identifies strategies for addressing specific challenges to transdisciplinary knowledge production aiming at sustainable and reflective water governance. The study draws on the experiences of 5 large transdisciplinary water governance research projects conducted in Austria and Switzerland (Alp-Water-Scarce, MontanAqua, Drought-CH, Sustainable Water Infrastructure Planning, and an integrative river management project in the Kamp Valley). Experiences were discussed and systematically analyzed in a workshop and subsequent interviews. These discussions identified 4 important challenges to interactions between scientists and stakeholders—ensuring stakeholder legitimacy, encouraging participation, managing expectations, and preventing misuse of data and research results—and explored strategies used by the projects to meet them. Strategies ranged from key points to be considered in stakeholder selection to measures that enhance trustful relationships and create commitment.
To evaluate a new N-monitoring program in the framework of the UN-ECE ICP-Vegetation program using mosses as bioindicators, 490 moss samples were collected at 220 sites in Austria and analyzed for ...total N (N content) and δ15N signatures. Within-site variability of N content and δ15N signatures was tested for the first time on a large scale and was extremely low compared to between-site variability. N content in moss tissue ranged between 0.76% and 1.99% and δ15N signatures between −10.04 and −2.45. Altitude was significantly correlated with N content (P = 0.021) and δ15N signatures (P < 0.001). When comparing moss data to deposition data from 35 measurement sites, significant correlations between N content and N deposition (P = 0.014) were found. Increasing δ15N signatures provided evidence for a change in N source and its respective isotopic composition with altitude, e.g., due to long-distance transport of reactive N or as a result of changes in the wet:dry deposition ratio. Our study underlines that N deposition can generally be estimated by N content in mosses on a large scale, but that this approach has certain limitations, especially in areas with large differences in altitude and precipitation.
To evaluate a new N-monitoring program in the framework of the UN-ECE ICP-Vegetation program using mosses as bioindicators, 490 moss samples were collected at 220 sites in Austria and analyzed for ...total N (N content) and delta(15)N signatures. Within-site variability of N content and delta(15)N signatures was tested for the first time on a large scale and was extremely low compared to between-site variability. N content in moss tissue ranged between 0.76% and 1.99% and delta(15)N signatures between -10.04 and -2.45. Altitude was significantly correlated with N content (P=0.021) and delta(15)N signatures (P<0.001). When comparing moss data to deposition data from 35 measurement sites, significant correlations between N content and N deposition (P=0.014) were found. Increasing delta(15)N signatures provided evidence for a change in N source and its respective isotopic composition with altitude, e.g., due to long-distance transport of reactive N or as a result of changes in the wetdry deposition ratio. Our study underlines that N deposition can generally be estimated by N content in mosses on a large scale, but that this approach has certain limitations, especially in areas with large differences in altitude and precipitation.
Over the last few years there has been extensive research for new indicators providing information about deposition resulting from road traffic and tunnel experiments received special attention in ...emission research. Mosses have been used for the estimation of atmospheric heavy metal and PAH depositions for more than three decades, although they were used only a few times for estimating ambient air pollution caused by traffic. In the current study, the suitability of using a moss species for monitoring road traffic emissions inside a tunnel was evaluated. This was a first-time ever attempt to use plants (mosses) as bioindicators in a tunnel experiment. Specifically, two relevant questions were examined: 1) Do mosses accumulate toxic substances derived from road traffic emissions under the extremely adverse conditions which can be found in a tunnel, and 2) Which substances can mainly be attributed to road traffic emissions and therefore be taken as efficient and reliable indicators for motor vehicles?
For the first time a biomonitor (the moss species Hylocomium splendens (Hedwig) B.S.G.) was used in a road tunnel experiment to analyse emissions from road traffic. Moss samples were exposed for four weeks in wooden frames (size 10 cm x 10 cm), covered by a thin plastic net with a mesh size of 1 cm x 1 cm. 17 elements, mainly heavy metals, and the 16 EPA-PAHs together with coronene were analysed by ICP-AES, AAS and GC-MSD.
Enrichment factors, calculated by comparing post-experiment concentrations to those of a background site, were high for most PAHs, especially benzo(g,h,i)perylene (150.7), coronene (134.7), benzo(a)anthracene (125.0), indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene (79.8), chrysene (78.1), pyrene (69.6) and benzo(b)-fluoranthene (67.4), and among the other elements for Sb (73.1), Mo (59.6), Cr (33.9), As (24.1), Cu (19.6), and Zn (17.1). All these substances can thus be taken as indicators for road traffic pollution. Concentrations were also significantly higher in the tunnel mosses for all investigated substances than along busy roads outside tunnels. Cluster analysis revealed groups of substances which could sensibly be attributed to various sources (abrasion processes, Diesel combustion) and enrichment in the various particle size classes.
The extreme high concentrations in the analysed moss samples from inside the tunnel were due to higher concentrations in the ambient tunnel air, and the fact that already deposited chemical substances are not lost by rain, as well as efficient uptake capacities even under the extremely adverse conditions in a tunnel. In accordance with previous studies our results suggest that PAHs are better indicators for emissions from the burning process than heavy metals.
As in open fields, mosses are suitable indicators for monitoring traffic emissions in tunnels. In addition to biomonitoring in open fields, in tunnel experiments mosses are even better indicators, because the confounding effects of other sources of pollution and the 'noise' in the accumulation process (e.g. washout through wet deposition) are minimised. The results of our study demonstrate the usefulness of mosses for surveying heavy metals and PAH emissions and deposition arising from road traffic sources, even under the extremely adverse conditions of the tunnel environment.
It can be considered that biomonitors like mosses are a suitable alternative to technical particle filters inside tunnels. They are easy to handle, low in costs and valuable information regarding traffic emissions can be obtained.
The results of this pilot-study proved the feasibility of the method, however, should be corroborated by further investigations based on a sample set that allows for generalization of the findings and might even include other moss species. A comparison of technical measurements with the biomonitoring method could lead to a more general acceptance of the results.
The concentrations of platinum group elements (PGE; platinum, palladium, rhodium) and 17 other elements in mosses growing at 32 sampling sites along 12 roads in Austria were analysed. The study ...included passive monitoring of naturally growing mosses with an experimental design using mosses samples exposed in a tunnel experiment. PGEs (Pt, Pd, Rh) were analysed by ICP-MS (ELAN DRC II, Perkin Elmer SCIEX) according to EN ISO 17294-2 Tl.29. Mean concentrations of PGEs in five moss species were: Pt 7.07±9.97, Pd 2.8±5.2 und Rh 0.6±0.8
ng
g
−1 dry weight. This is comparable to data derived from measurements of gasoline autocatalyst emissions or airborne particles (<10
μm). Compared to soils and road dust along highways, concentrations in mosses were lower by a factor of ten, compared to grasses they were comparable or somewhat higher. The ratios between the various PGEs were calculated as follows (mean values): Pt/Pd 7.9±10.2, Pt/Rh 12.6±8.3 and Pd/Rh 3.7±2.2. The number of light duty vehicles (<3.5
t) and the distance from the road were the main influential factors for PGE concentrations. Especially strong correlations could be found between Pt and Sb, Cu, Zn, and Cd (in decreasing order), which are all elements derived mainly from road traffic emissions. Cluster analysis (Partioning Around Medoids Method) separated elements derived mainly from soil dust (Ca, Al). An analysis of spatial deposition patterns of PGEs showed a reciprocal decrease of concentrations with increasing distance from the road, reaching background values at distances between 10 and 200
m, sometimes even more, but outside the spatial range of our investigation.
Austria has been participating in the “European Moss Survey” within the UN-ECE ICP-vegetation since 1991. Three consecutive sampling periods in 1995, 2000 and 2005 were performed. Five moss species ...at 220 sampling sites (2.5 sites
1000
km
−2) were analysed for Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Ni, Mo, Pb, V, and Zn concentrations. According to the retrospective analysis by 3-year-old moss segments, this investigation covered deposition in the period between 1989 and 2005. A relocation of sampling sites (within 2
km
2) was necessary for <10% of the sites within the overall period. On an Austria-wide scale all metals with the exception of Co, Cd and Hg showed a significant decrease of concentrations in the observed period. On a regional or site scale a large deviation from this general trend could be found, leading to significant differences between regions for many elements (e.g. for Co, Pb and Zn). Even continuous increases of metal deposition could be found at several sites (e.g. for Mo and Cu). This implies that pollution levels at different scales should be looked at in a differentiated way even in times of generally decreasing metal deposition.
To evaluate a new N-monitoring program in the framework of the UN-ECE ICP-Vegetation program using mosses as bioindicators, 490 moss samples were collected at 220 sites in Austria and analyzed for ...total N (N content) and ... signatures. Within-site variability of N content and ... signatures was tested for the first time on a large scale and was extremely low compared to between-site variability. N content in moss tissue ranged between 0.76% and 1.99% and ... signatures between -10.04 and -2.45. Altitude was significantly correlated with N content (P = 0.021) and ... signatures (P < 0.001). When comparing moss data to deposition data from 35 measurement sites, significant correlations between N content and N deposition (P = 0.014) were found. Increasing ... signatures provided evidence for a change in N source and its respective isotopic composition with altitude, e.g., due to long-distance transport of reactive N or as a result of changes in the wet:dry deposition ratio. Our study underlines that N deposition can generally be estimated by N content in mosses on a large scale, but that this approach has certain limitations, especially in areas with large differences in altitude and precipitation. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)
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