Although bioassay approaches are useful for identifying chemicals of potential concern, they provide little understanding of the mechanisms of chemical toxicity. Without this understanding, it is ...difficult to address some of the key challenges that currently face aquatic ecotoxicology. To overcome this, the toxicity potential of the water samples was assessed and surviving organisms (Physa acuta) were used for protein activity measurements and gene expression profiling by making use of complementary DNA amplified fragment length polymorphism (cDNA-AFLP) analysis. From the data it was evident that the impacts of specific pollutants (e.g. sewage) on organisms at the cellular level could be identified, and that the expressed stressor genes can be used as bioindicators/markers/genetic signatures or fingerprints during identification of point source pollution. From an ecosystem management point of view these insights could assist with the forecasting and reduction of environmental risks on catchment level by implementing suitable management interventions.
Display omitted
•Genotoxity indicators provided support for molluscs to be suitable genetic models for pollution.•Significant increase in ROS enzyme activity was observed after exposure to water.•Changes in transcript profiles after exposure of molluscs to water from different impacted sites.•Exposure to water impacted by mining and industry induced metal-protein related transcripts.•Up-regulation of SEN and p53 supported the results obtained with transcript profiling.
Findings identified pollutant impacts on organisms at cellular level and demonstrated the use of expressed genes as bioindicators during identification of point source pollution.
From Scorecard to Social Learning Roux, Dirk J.; Murray, Kevin; Nel, Jeanne L. ...
Ecology and society,
03/2011, Letnik:
16, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The responsibility for managing and conserving freshwater ecosystems is typically shared by multiple organizations with sometimes conflicting policy mandates. However, scorecard-based approaches for ...measuring management effectiveness in natural resource management are usually confined to single organizations. This paper describes a social learning approach which acknowledges cooperation as an essential precondition for effective management and that encourages reflective coassessment of cooperative relationships. The approach was pilot tested with eight participating organizations in one water management area in South Africa. It specifically aimed to allow for a multiagency reflective assessment of issues determining cooperative behavior, allow context-specific adaptations, and be embedded in adaptive management. It involved development of a spreadsheet-based scorecard-type tool that can be used to facilitate a multiagency workshop. This workshop serves to bring parties face-to-face and helps them codiscover their interdependence, shortcomings, and strengths. The spreadsheet structures reflection on their respective roles and effectiveness while the reflective coassessment motivates participants to address shortcomings. Overall, insights that emerged included: cooperation should be an explicit component of each organization’s operational strategy; facilitation of appropriate cooperative behavior could be very effectively achieved by external “bridging organizations”; the reflective assessment process must be followed by purposefully adaptive interventions; the ability of the scorecard to be contextually adaptive was important; and institutional readiness requires investigation as the approach does sit somewhat uncomfortably with much current practice.
Knowledge co-production and boundary work offer planners a new frame for critically designing a social process that fosters collaborative implementation of resulting plans. Knowledge co-production ...involves stakeholders from diverse knowledge systems working iteratively toward common vision and action. Boundary work is a means of creating permeable knowledge boundaries that satisfy the needs of multiple social groups while guarding the functional integrity of contributing knowledge systems. Resulting products are boundary objects of mutual interest that maintain coherence across all knowledge boundaries. We examined how knowledge co-production and boundary work can bridge the gap between planning and implementation and promote cross-sectoral cooperation. We applied these concepts to well-established stages in regional conservation planning within a national scale conservation planning project aimed at identifying areas for conserving rivers and wetlands of South Africa and developing an institutional environment for promoting their conservation. Knowledge co-production occurred iteratively over 4 years in interactive stakeholder workshops that included co-development of national freshwater conservation goals and spatial data on freshwater biodiversity and local conservation feasibility; translation of goals into quantitative inputs that were used in Marxan to select draft priority conservation areas; review of draft priority areas; and packaging of resulting map products into an atlas and implementation manual to promote application of the priority area maps in 37 different decision-making contexts. Knowledge co-production stimulated dialogue and negotiation and built capacity for multi-scale implementation beyond the project. The resulting maps and information integrated diverse knowledge types of over 450 stakeholders and represented > 1000 years of collective experience. The maps provided a consistent national source of information on priority conservation areas for rivers and wetlands and have been applied in 25 of the 37 use contexts since their launch just over 3 years ago. When framed as a knowledge co-production process supported by boundary work, regional conservation plans can be developed into valuable boundary objects that offer a tangible tool for multiagency cooperation around conservation. Our work provides practical guidance for promoting uptake of conservation science and contributes to an evidence base on how conservation efforts can be improved. La coproducción de conocimiento y el trabajo de frontera le ofrecen a los planeadores un marco nuevo para diseñar críticamente un proceso social que fomente la implementación de los planes resultantes en colaboración. La coproducción de conocimiento involucra a accionistas de diversos sistemas de conocimiento trabajando repetidamente hacia una visión y acción común. El trabajo de frontera es un medio de creación de fronteras permeables de conocimiento que satisfacen las necesidades de múltiples grupos sociales mientras mantienen la integridad funcional de los sistemas de conocimiento contribuyentes. Los productos resultantes son objetos fronterizos de interés mutuo que mantienen la coherencia a lo largo de todas las fronteras del conocimiento. Examinamos cómo la coproducción de conocimiento y el trabajo de frontera pueden resolver el vacío entre la planeación y la implementación y promover la cooperación entre sectores. Aplicamos estos conceptos a las fases bien establecidas de la planeación de la conservación regional dentro de un proyecto de planeación de la conservación a escala nacional enfocado a la identificación de áreas para la conservación de ríos y humedales de Sudáfrica y al desarrollo de un ambiente institucional para promover su conservación. La coproducción de conocimiento apareció repetidamente a lo largo de cuatro años en talleres interactivos de trabajo para los accionistas, que incluyeron el co-desarrollo de objetivos de conservación del agua dulce nacional e información espacial sobre la biodiversidad de agua dulce y la viabilidad de la conservación local; la traducción de las metas a aportes cuantitativos que se usaron en Marxan para seleccionar áreas de conservación de proyectos prioritarios; la revisión de áreas de proyectos prioritarios; y el empaquetamiento de los productos cartográficos resultantes para promover la aplicación del mapa de área prioritaria resultante en 37 contextos de toma de decisiones. La coproducción de conocimiento estimuló el diálogo y la negociación y construyó la capacidad para la implementación multiescala más allá del proyecto. Los mapas resultantes y la información integraron diferentes tipos de conocimiento de más de 450 accionistas y representaron >1000 años de experiencia colectiva. Los mapas proporcionaron una consistente fuente nacional de información sobre las áreas prioritarias de conservación de ríos y humedales y se han aplicado en 25 contextos de uso desde su creación. Cuando se enmarcan como un proceso de coproducción de conocimiento respaldado por el trabajo de frontera, los planes de conservación regional pueden transformarse en objetos valiosos que ofrecen una herramienta tangible para la cooperación multiagencia en la conservación. Nuestro trabajo proporciona una guía práctica para promover la comprensión de la ciencia de la conservación y contribuye a una base de evidencias de cómo se puede mejorar la conservación.
Filamentous algae biomass is very limited in aerobic constructed wetlands and totally absent in anaerobic constructed wetlands. Its contribution to the removal of sulphur from acid mine drainage will ...therefore rarely reach a significant level if not used in association with secondary algae treatment ponds as part of a biological hybrid treatment system. Although a high sulphur concentration has a lower environmental impact than dissolved metals and acidity, it does have an adverse impact on water quality. The current study employed selected macroalgal species under laboratory conditions to determine the bioaccumulation of sulphur (S) and other important algal growth elements such as calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and phosphorus (P) from acid mine drainage (AMD) water and treated constructed wetland water at different pH values. Following exposure of the macroalgae to AMD and treated constructed wetland water for 192 h,
Microspora tumidula
showed the highest bioaccumulation of S and P which occurred at a pH of 5.
Oedogonium crassum
showed the highest bioaccumulation of Ca and Mg at a pH of 7. The results also showed that the accumulation efficiency of Mg by all three macroalgal species increased significantly as the pH increased. The filamentous species
Oedogonium crassum
and
Klebsormidium klebsii
showed very little increase in chl-
a
(mg g
−1
fw) and ash free dry weight (mg g
−1
AFDW) after exposure to the mine and treated constructed wetland water after 192 h at all four pH ranges in comparison to the species
M
.
tumidula
. However, the species
M
.
tumidula
show significant increases in both chl-
a
(mg g
−1
fw) and mg g
−1
AFDW at pH values 5, 6.14 and 7. The study established that the species
M
.
tumidula
is a good candidate for use in a biological hybrid system for treating sulphur-rich acid mine drainage.
Knowledge co-production and boundary work offer planners a new frame for critically designing a social process that fosters collaborative implementation of resulting plans. Knowledge co-production ...involves stakeholders from diverse knowledge systems working iteratively toward common vision and action. Boundary work is a means of creating permeable knowledge boundaries that satisfy the needs of multiple social groups while guarding the functional integrity of contributing knowledge systems. Resulting products are boundary objects of mutual interest that maintain coherence across all knowledge boundaries. We examined how knowledge co-production and boundary work can bridge the gap between planning and implementation and promote cross-sectoral cooperation. We applied these concepts to well-established stages in regional conservation planning within a national scale conservation planning project aimed at identifying areas for conserving rivers and wetlands of South Africa and developing an institutional environment for promoting their conservation. Knowledge co-production occurred iteratively over 4 years in interactive stake-holder workshops that included co-development of national freshwater conservation goals and spatial data on freshwater biodiversity and local conservation feasibility; translation of goals into quantitative inputs that were used in Marxan to select draft priority conservation areas; review of draft priority areas; and packaging of resulting map products into an atlas and implementation manual to promote application of the priority area maps in 37 different decision-making contexts. Knowledge co-production stimulated dialogue and negotiation and built capacity for multi-scale implementation beyond the project. The resulting maps and information integrated diverse knowledge types of over 450 stakeholders and represented >1000 years of collective experience. The maps provided a consistent national source of information on priority conservation areas for rivers and wetlands and have been applied in 25 of the 37 use contexts since their launch just over 3 years ago. When framed as a knowledge co-production process supported by boundary work, regional conservation plans can be developed into valuable boundary objects that offer a tangible tool for multi-agency cooperation around conservation. Our work provides practical guidance for promoting uptake of conservation science and contributes to an evidence base on how conservation efforts can be improved. La Coproducción de Conocimiento y el Trabajo de Frontera para Promover la Implementación de los Planes de Conservación Resumen La coproducción de conocimiento y el trabajo de frontera le ofrecen a los planeadores un marco nuevo para diseñar críticamente un proceso social que fomente la implementación de los planes resultantes en colaboración. La coproducción de conocimiento involucra a accionistas de diversos sistemas de conocimiento trabajando repetidamente hacia una visión y acción común. El trabajo de frontera es un medio de creación de fronteras permeables de conocimiento que satisfacen las necesidades de múltiples grupos sociales mientras mantienen la integridad funcional de los sistemas de conocimiento contribuyentes. Los productos resultantes son objetos fronterizos de interés mutuo que mantienen la coherencia a lo largo de todas las fronteras del conocimiento. Examinamos cómo la coproducción de conocimiento y el trabajo de frontera pueden resolver el vacío entre la planeación y la implementación y promover la cooperación entre sectores. Aplicamos estos conceptos a las fases bien establecidas de la planeación de la conservación regional dentro de un proyecto de planeación de la conservación a escala nacional enfocado a la identificación de áreas para la conservación de ríos y humedales de Sudáfrica y al desarrollo de un ambiente institucional para promover su conservación. La coproducción de conocimiento apareció repetidamente a lo largo de cuatro años en talleres interactivos de trabajo para los accionistas, que incluyeron el co-desarrollo de objetivos de conservación del agua dulce nacional e información espacial sobre la biodiversidad de agua dulce y la viabilidad de la conservación local; la traducción de las metas a aportes cuantitativos que se usaron en Marxan para seleccionar áreas de conservación de proyectos prioritarios; la revisión de áreas de proyectos prioritarios; y el empaquetamiento de los productos cartográficos resultantes para promover la aplicación del mapa de área prioritaria resultante en 37 contextos de toma de decisiones. La coproducción de conocimiento estimuló el diálogo y la negociación y construyó la capacidad para la implementación multiescala más allá del proyecto. Los mapas resultantes y la información integraron diferentes tipos de conocimiento de más de 450 accionistas y representaron >1000 años de experiencia colectiva. Los mapas proporcionaron una consistente fuente nacional de información sobre las áreas prioritarias de conservación de ríos y humedales y se han aplicado en 25 contextos de uso desde su creación. Cuando se enmarcan como un proceso de coproducción de conocimiento respaldado por el trabajo de frontera, los planes de conservación regional pueden transformarse en objetos valiosos que ofrecen una herramienta tangible para la cooperación multiagencia en la conservación. Nuestro trabajo proporciona una guía práctica para promover la comprensión de la ciencia de la conservación y contribuye a una base de evidencias de cómo se puede mejorar la conservación.
The process of designing protected areas to represent all ecosystems in an area adequately is becoming increasingly sophisticated. To date freshwater aquatic ecosystems have seldom been considered in ...this process. How much of a difference does it make when they are considered as well?
This study examined the conservation of riverine biodiversity within 17 assessment units contained by the catchment areas of five perennial rivers flowing through Kruger National Park and two seasonal rivers that are largely contained within this park. Physical river types, fish species and invertebrate families or genera were used as surrogates of riverine biodiversity. Conservation planning software was used to select an optimal set of planning units to represent and maintain riverine biodiversity.
The current spatial configuration of Kruger National Park, largely an accident of history, is particularly poor when assessed against the objective of conserving riverine biodiversity. Several alternative layouts are examined. These options are theoretical since there is little current opportunity to reassign land uses in the region. This study shows that substantially improved layouts for both riverine and terrestrial biodiversity are possible, under the constraint of the same total area under protection. The study also shows that even these optimal layouts are only partially successful in efforts to conserve fully representative samples of riverine biodiversity. Because of the longitudinal connectivity of rivers, conservation strategies that extend beyond protected areas are essential. Explicit conservation visions, targets and strategies need to be included in integrated water resource management plans.
Based on the results of this study, nine recommendations are provided for increasing the effectiveness of current and future protected areas in conserving riverine biodiversity. These are to use systematic conservation planning to make biodiversity benefits explicit; mend the disconnect between terrestrial and freshwater conservation; use multiple surrogates wherever possible; be strategic about the collection and management of primary data; strive for maximum hydrologic connectivity; resist development pressure; foster good relationships across park fences; where relevant, pursue multi-national cooperation at the basin scale; and engage the value debate and resolve awareness and capacity constraints.
The increasing demand for water in South Africa arises from a rapid population growth and from supporting industfial development. Deteriorating water quality limits the sustainable use of water ...through point and diffuse sources of pollution of macro constituents, metals and biocides.Although water quality monitoring in South Africa has in the past mainly focused on measuring physical and chemical variables, it is now realised that this is not sufficient. Physical and chemical variables on their own cannot provide an accurate account of the general "health" of an aquatic ecosystem. Biological communities on the other hand, are accurate indicators of overall environmental conditions. Water quality management therefore, relies on comparative data for both chemical composition and biological effects.Metals in the environment can originate as point sources, including industrial and mining, effluent, or diffuse sources from geological origin, agricultural activities, acid mine drainage (AMD) and leachate from dumps. Although specific problem areas have been addressed;? AMD is not well documented or quantified in South Africa. The effects thereof on aquatic ecosystems, however, constitute one of South Africa's largest single sources of water pollution. This is certainly the case in the Witbank area of the Mpumalanga Province, where large coal deposits have given rise to extensive mining operations, resulting in severe water quality problems in some rivers in this area which is situated in the upper reaches of the Olifants River.The objective of this study was to determine the potential hazard posed by the surface water and sediment on biota of one of the streams in this area, the Blesbok Spruit, impacted by AMD. The pH values of the surface water and interstitial water of the three sites were below five. A secondary effect of the low pH is an increase in the solubility of metals. The median metal concentrations measured at these sampling sites exceed the South African criteria for Aquatic Ecosystems — in most cases considerably. The high levels of macro constituents can be ascribed to the mining operations, land use activities and urban and rural settlements in the area. Bioassays (laboratory based toxicity tests) performed with Daphnia pulex (waterflea) on the surface and interstitial water of the three sites, indicated acute toxicity at very low dilution concentrations. Chronic toxicity tests performed on the surface water samples indicated an inhibition in the number of young produced per surviving Daphnia adult. Inhibition is a great ecological risk, because species will not survive if populations cannot produce adults.The present study showed that the water quality of the Blesbok Spruit has a severe impact on the aquatic biota and is therefore in need of urgent management measures. It is also clear that sediment cannot be ignored as an aquatic ecosystem component and should form an integral part of water quality monitoring programs in South Africa.
The responsibility for managing and conserving freshwater ecosystems is typically shared by multiple organizations with sometimes conflicting policy mandates. However, scorecard-based approaches for ...measuring management effectiveness in natural resource management are usually confined to single organizations. This paper describes a social learning approach which acknowledges cooperation as an essential precondition for effective management and that encourages reflective coassessment of cooperative relationships. The approach was pilot tested with eight participating organizations in one water management area in South Africa. It specifically aimed to allow for a multiagency reflective assessment of issues determining cooperative behavior, allow context-specific adaptations, and be embedded in adaptive management. It involved development of a spreadsheet-based scorecard-type tool that can be used to facilitate a multiagency workshop. This workshop serves to bring parties face-to-face and helps them codiscover their interdependence, shortcomings, and strengths. The spreadsheet structures reflection on their respective roles and effectiveness while the reflective coassessment motivates participants to address shortcomings. Overall, insights that emerged included: cooperation should be an explicit component of each organization's operational strategy; facilitation of appropriate cooperative behavior could be very effectively achieved by external "bridging organizations"; the reflective assessment process must be followed by purposefully adaptive interventions; the ability of the scorecard to be contextually adaptive was important; and institutional readiness requires investigation as the approach does sit somewhat uncomfortably with much current practice.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the health disparities and structural racism among African Americans. We examined overlaps between the COVID-19 pandemic and HIV epidemic using an intersectional ...stigma framework through the lens of Critical Race Theory. Intersectional stigma, medical mistrust, and decreased likelihood of referral for HIV and COVID-19 testing leads to decreased engagement in the healthcare system. Social inequities increase health disparities and lead to increased rates of chronic diseases, which increases the risk and severity of COVID-19. Solutions to mitigate impact among African Americans include increasing engagement regarding African American health, funding, and providers of color.
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