Application Of Mitigation Measures Research Articles

Native Growth and Conservation of Duckweed (Lemnaceae) in Jordan

Duckweeds are the world's smallest flowering plants. Its existence is affected by the water quality and availability. The increased water demand and water scarcity in most of the Mediterranean countries as Jordan have caused remarkable lowering in the water-table which reduced floods and disappearance of the seasonal lakes. Due to this, aquatic plants that grow on good quality of fresh water have disappeared totally. Therefore, this paper highlights the native growth and conservation of duckweed (Lemnaceae) in Jordan. It also focuses on the identification of water sources for duckweed's movement. Field surveys were conducted to identify water source for water bodies that contain duckweeds. These surveys included visits to the Zarqa river, dams, irrigation ponds and Jordan valley. The source of water for duckweed movement and availability was determined. Water samples from the targeted areas were analyzed for selected parameters as pH, EC, NO3, PO4, BOD5, Zn, Pb, Cd and Cu. The results showed that King Abdullah Canal and Zarqa river are the water sources that encourage the duckweeds growth. In Sukhnah, Jerash and Jordan valley areas, water analysis ranges (mg L-1) are: NO3 0.7-38, PO4 0.3-7.6 and BOD5 0-20. The pH range value is 7.1-8.1 and EC range value is 1.62-2.5 mS cm-1.The heavy metals values are, Zn is <0.02 mg L-1, Pb is <0.01 mg L-1, Cd is <0.002 mg L-1 and Cu is <0.01 mg L-1. It can be concluded that mitigation measures are highly needed to overcome and altering the quality of the natural water flowing and participation of governmental institutions is also required for the success of applying mitigation measures to preserve the aquatic plants.

A methodology based on 2.5D FEM-BEM for the evaluation of the vibration energy flow radiated by underground railway infrastructures

In this paper, a comprehensive numerical approach for modelling track/tunnel/soil systems in the context of ground-borne railway-induced vibration problems considering a full-space model of the soil is proposed. All the approach is formulated in the wavenumber-frequency domain and it consists of a coupled finite element–boundary element model of the tunnel/soil system, a semi-analytical model of the track, a multibody model for the vehicle and a model for the vibration propagation in the soil based on semi-analytical solutions of a cylindrical cavity in a full-space. This comprehensive approach has been developed with the aim of computing the vibration energy flow radiated upwards by underground railway tunnels. An axisymmetric formulation to deal with circular underground railway tunnels is included in the approach in order to improve the computational speed of the methodology. This formulation can also be used for other types of railway tunnels if a circular boundary of the boundary element mesh is considered. Since this methodology uses finite elements to model the tunnel structure, its modelling detail is higher than the previously developed methodologies dedicated to compute the vibration energy flow radiated by underground railway infrastructures, since they are based on semi-analytical modelling of the tunnel structure. The present methodology has been specifically designed to be used in general assessment studies about ground-borne underground railway-induced vibrations where decisions on the type of track and/or the application of mitigation measures at the source, as soft rail-pads, under-ballast or under-slab mats, have to be made. Moreover, this methodology can be used for the study of the vibration radiation patterns of railway tunnels.

Managing the challenges of obtaining a social license to operate in the pre-mining phase: A focus on the oil sands communities in Ondo State, Nigeria

The mining industry, as a result of how mining activities are carried out and their impacts on the environment, has learnt different approaches to analyzing and handling critical issues. This has also helped the industry understand that obtaining a formal license to operate from governments and meeting regulatory requirements is no longer enough. In order to reduce the risks of stakeholders’ complaints and operational delays, a social license to operate (SLO) needs to be obtained. Failure to obtain an SLO may lead to the inability to explore economically valuable mineral resources. This research aimed to carry out a study on some oil sands deposits communities in Nigeria to identify the challenges that will be faced by a mining company when it seeks to obtain an SLO to explore these resources, and to discuss how to manage these challenges in order to avoid repeating the mistakes made by the oil and gas industries in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Based on results, it was concluded that the major challenges that a mining company will encounter are, first, the difficulty to communicate with the local communities, due to the high linguistic diversity and the poor formal education of the members of these communities, and second, the need to educate the locals about the negative socio-environmental impacts of pre-mining activities. Other important challenges are: proper identification of the actual stakeholders, since the communities are contiguous; gaining the local communities’ trust; mitigating the effects of pre-mining activities on socio-environmental and economic aspects of the community; overcoming the companies’ lack of information on the local communities and lack of understanding about the complexities involved in obtaining and maintaining an SLO. To deal with these challenges, the mining company should apply mitigation measures and compensations where necessary. A local liaison officer should be employed to communicate with the community. The mining company must be truthful in its dealings with the community and be able to earn their trust. In conclusion, a mining company must be ready to work, support and establish a long lasting relationship with the community to obtain a SLO.

Favourability for the presence of wild rabbit warrens in motorway verges: Implications for the spread of a native agricultural pest species

Abstract Pest species cause significant ecological, social and economic impacts, and programs to control them usually target specific landscape features when pests use these to disperse. Roads or railways are often used by pest species as dispersal corridors, but little is known about the specific characteristics of these human infrastructures that facilitate pest species dispersal. This is particularly evident in the case of native agricultural vertebrate pests like the European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in the Iberian Peninsula (IP). Rabbit damage to agricultural production in IP has increased notably in recent years. This study uses a ‘favourability function’ to model the extent to which macroecological favourable conditions for rabbits and different fine-scale variables, including environmental, anthropogenic and agricultural factors, favour the presence of rabbit warrens on the verges of a motorway network in southern IP. For this purpose, we collected rabbit warren locations during car transects using CyberTraker 3.0 installed in a pad along 787 km of motorways. Our results revealed that rabbit warren distribution was widespread along the verges. Rabbit warren presence correlated positively with the presence of olive groves and with macroecological favourable conditions for rabbits. Our results provide strong evidence that rabbits use motorway verges, which are likely to act as dispersal corridors across landscapes. Additionally, our innovative approach, based on a rabbit warren index, the favourability function and a combination of local and macroecological predictors, could be used in many other areas where rabbits cause crop damage to make fine-scale predictions of high risk stretches and, therefore, where to apply mitigation measures.

Residential development and near-roadway air pollution: Assessing risk and mitigation in San Jose, California

Air pollution from high-traffic roadways has been connected with serious health conditions and premature death. While housing is commonly built near America's busiest roadways, we know little about the application of mitigation measures that could reduce residents' exposure to transportation-related pollution. This paper assesses the high-traffic roadway proximity of new housing in San Jose (California) and mitigation measures by public and private sector actors. We studied San Jose's 39 largest residential developments approved between 2008 and 2016. We examined project approval documents; visited development sites; measured proximity using geographic information systems (GIS); assessed aerial and Google Street View imagery; and collected data on green building certifications. Many of these developments were near freeways or major highways; about 4% of new housing units were within 500 feet of a high-traffic roadway, and 45% of new units were within 1500 feet of such roads. Public and private sector actors implemented limited mitigation measures. California's state government updated its building energy code and constructed soundwalls along some freeways. Some real estate developers also included green building features that may improve indoor air quality. But, there were no local regulations specifically guiding residential development along high-traffic roadways. In general, public and private sector mitigation measures were limited and uncoordinated. This research informs policymakers' efforts to reduce transportation-related pollution exposure and improve public health.

Landslide hazard assessment around MCT zone in Marsyangdi River basin, west Nepal

In the hilly and mountainous terrain of Nepal, landslide is the most common natural hazard especially during prolong rainfall. Every year landslide cost lives and causes injuries. In order to address this problem, the best that can be done is to prepare the landslide hazard map of the area, apply mitigation measures and evacuate the high hazardous area, if necessary. Landslide hazard assessment is the primary tool so as to understand the nature and characteristics of the slope that are prone to failure. Logistic Regression Model is used for the preparation of landslide hazard map of the Besi Shahar-Tal area in Marsyangdi River basin in west Nepal. The causative factors such as elevation, slope, slope aspect, land use, geology, rainfall, lineament density, stream density are used. All the thematic layers of these parameters are prepared in GIS and logistic regression analysis is done by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Five different hazard zones are separated namely very low hazard zone, low hazard zone, medium hazard zone, high hazard zone and very high hazard zone. The high hazard zone is lying along the Marsyangdi River and its tributaries.

Determination of Ionizing Radiation Exposure Levels within Four Local Mining Sites Selected from Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba State - Nigeria

Miners and the people living close to mining sites are exposed to elevated levels of ionizing radiation with or without their consent. This study determined the background ionizing radiation of four mining sites from Sardauna local government area of Taraba state using an inspector alert nuclear radiation meter manufactured by S.E. International, Inc USA with serial number 35440. The meter has a halogen- quenched Geiger Muller tube with a ± 45 mm effective diameter and mica window density of 1.5- 2.0 mg/cm3. The Geiger tube in the meter generates a pulse of electrical current each time radiation is incident on the tube and causes ionization. The measured values ranged from 0.19 - 0.40 mSv/yr across all the mining sites and 500 m away from the sites. These results were found to be far less than the standard of 1.0 mSv/yr set by International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) for the general public and 20.0 mSv/yr set by the Nigeria Basic Ionization Radiation Regulation (NiBIRR) for the whole body of adult radiation protection workers which means that the miners and inhabitants of this areas are safe. Nevertheless, there could be long term variations in the consequences arising from the effects of ionizing radiation among the miners and even the inhabitants. Strong correlations were found between the equivalent doses at the excavating and the processing points of the sites which mean that the miners and people living close to these mining sites are subjected to uniform distribution of consequences arising from ionizing radiation. We do recommend that policy makers and regulatory bodies should apply mitigation measures to the effects by means of creating awareness to the miners at various mining sites and the use of modern mining strategies to protect other natural resources especially water.

Perceived human–elephant conflict and its impact for elephant conservation in northern Congo

AbstractHuman–elephant conflict is a common conservation problem throughout Africa, but poorly studied where forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) occur. Here, we investigated people's perceptions towards the impact of elephants around Nouabalé‐Ndoki National Park, northern Congo. We aimed to understand the perceptual differences amongst residents of four villages that varied substantially in the degree of conservation benefits received. We used a multivariate analysis to investigate how socio‐economic variables, such as employment, wealth, education and ethnicity, influenced perceptions. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, we found that the majority of respondents experienced elephant impacts, mainly through crop raiding. Residents of the village where the local conservation project is based had significantly more positive perceptions of elephants, whereas perceptions of farmers were mostly negative. We identified some misunderstandings regarding the responsibilities of elephant impact mitigation regarding benefit sharing, stakeholder involvement and lawbreaking, but also willingness to apply mitigation measures. To mitigate the prevalent impact of elephants, a comprehensive approach of measuring impact, exploring community‐based mitigating strategies and understanding of the root causes of the conflict is crucial. We propose a long‐term programme within logging concessions organizing groups of farmers to cooperate on mitigation techniques and explore alternative incomes.

Knowledge, risk perception and mitigation measures towards Ebola virus disease by potentially exposed bushmeat handlers in north-central Nigeria: Any critical gap?

The bushmeat industry has been a topic of increasing importance among public health officials for its influence on zoonotic diseases transmission, such as Ebola virus disease (EVD), a rare and severe infectious disease of humans and non-human primates. This survey assessed knowledge/awareness, risk perceptions and mitigation practices towards EVD among bushmeat handlers in north-central Nigeria. These characteristics are premise to level of preparedness against appropriate risk prevention and control. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted between January and December 2015 on 395 bushmeat handlers. Descriptive and analytical statistical analyses were performed using Epi-Info 3.5.3 software, and p<0.05 was considered statistical significance in all analyses. Mean age of respondents was 40.9±10.7years, and most (30.4%) of them were in the age group 40-49years. Majority (82.8%) of them were males, while most (47.9%) do not possess formal education. Bushmeat hunters, vendors and consumers constituted 17.2%, 28.1% and 54.7% of the respondents, respectively. A majority (85.6%) of the participants had heard about EVD. Bushmeat vendors were more likely (OR 1.96; 95% CI: 1.05-3.65) to have satisfactory knowledge than the hunters. Handlers with tertiary education were more likely (OR 3.22; 95% CI: 1.56-6.67) to possess significant satisfactory knowledge/awareness about EVD. Also, vendors were more likely (OR 1.85; 95% CI: 1.01-3.42) to practice satisfactory mitigation measures than the hunters. Only handlers with tertiary education were more likely (OR 2.48; 95% CI: 1.26-4.89) to significantly practice satisfactory mitigation measures against EVD. Although most of the handlers possessed significant knowledge/awareness about EVD, few applied mitigation measures against its infection, which is the challenging gap. There is a need for collaborations between the public health, veterinary and wildlife authorities in the provision of health information to bushmeat handlers on better management of emerging and re-emerging zoonotic viral diseases of wildlife origin.

History Matters: Pre-Exposure to Wastewater Enhances Pesticide Toxicity in Invertebrates.

Disturbance regimes determine communities' structure and functioning. Nonetheless, little effort has been undertaken to understand interactions of press and pulse disturbances. In this context, leaf-shredding macroinvertebrates can be chronically exposed to wastewater treatment plant effluents (i.e., press disturbance) before experiencing pesticide exposure following agricultural runoff (i.e., pulse disturbance). It is assumed that wastewater pre-exposure alters animals' sensitivity to pesticides. To test this hypothesis, we exposed model-populations of the shredder Gammarus fossarum to wastewater at three field-relevant dilution levels (i.e., 0%, 50%, and 100%). After 2, 4, and 6 weeks, survival, leaf consumption, dry weight, and energy reserves were monitored. Additionally, animals were assessed for their sensitivity toward the neonicotinoid insecticide thiacloprid using their feeding rate as response variable. Both wastewater treatments reduced gammarids' survival, leaf consumption, dry weight, and energy reserves. Moreover, both wastewater pre-exposure scenarios increased animals' sensitivity toward thiacloprid by up to 2.5 times compared to the control. Our results thus demonstrate that press disturbance as posed by wastewater pre-exposure can enhance susceptibility of key players in ecosystem functioning to further (pulse) disturbances. Therefore, applying mitigation measures such as advanced treatment technologies seems sensible to support functional integrity in the multiple-stress situation.

Estuarine intertidal meiofauna and nematode communities as indicator of ecosystem's recovery following mitigation measures

The Mondego estuary (Portugal) has been under environmental pressure since the early 1990s due to different anthropogenic stresses. The system has been studied following benthic communities’ features from an impacted situation until the recovery phase, focusing mostly on macrobenthos. Following the application of mitigation measures in the estuary, this study is focused on the variability of the intertidal meiobenthic and nematode communities in a system that has recovered after different anthropogenic stresses. While at the spatial level (among areas along the eutrophication gradient) no significant differences were observed regarding the structure and function of the nematode communities, at the seasonal level some differences stood out. These results broadly suggest that the system has recovered from the early situations of pressures being, to the best of our knowledge, the first attempt to investigate the variability of intertidal meiobenthic and nematode communities in the scope of a system's recovery along an estuarine gradient of eutrophication. Even if performed in a short timeline, this study provides a good baseline analysis of conditions, being important for future comparisons.

Anthropogenic activities influence the abandonment of Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) territories in southern Africa

Developing an effective conservation strategy for a critically endangered species relies on identifying the most pressing threats to the species. One approach to elucidate these threats for a long-lived animal with high territorial fidelity is to identify factors associated with territorial abandonment. The Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) has declined dramatically in southern Africa over the past few decades, with nearly 50% of known territories being abandoned. In this study we examine the evidence for 3 hypotheses: that territorial abandonment was associated with (1) human impact, (2) food availability, or (3) climate change, or a combination of these. Model selection was used to determine the relative importance of 7 covariates within the home range of an adult pair, an area of 10 km radius (314 km2) around each nest. Our analyses provided strongest support for the human impact hypothesis, with abandonment more likely in territories with more power lines and higher densities of human settlements. Additionally, within Lesotho, southern Africa, there was some support for the food shortage hypothesis, with territories more likely to have remained occupied where they had a greater number of feeding sites within close proximity. Our data provided no support for the hypothesis that climate change may be driving abandonment through a direct impact of elevation or nest site aspect. Our results are in accordance with the main causes of mortality: poisoning and power line collisions. We suggest that conservation measures should focus on limiting the development of further human settlements and power lines within 10 km of occupied territories, applying mitigation measures to existing power lines and increasing law enforcement and education in areas still occupied by the species.

HOW LANDSCAPE PATTERNS INFLUENCE ROAD-KILL OF THREE SPECIES OF MAMMALS IN THE BRAZILIAN SAVANNA

Roads are one of the main threats to mammal species conservation. Identifying relationships between landscape and road-kill patterns is necessary to build predictive models and to propose mitigation measures, particularly in heterogeneous landscapes. We choose three species of medium-sized mammals with high dispersal capacity and opportunistic habitat use as representatives to understand which landscape features affect road-kills: the crab-eating fox Cerdocyon thous , the maned-wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus , and the hare Lepus europaeus. The study was done over two consecutive years on the SP-225 highway in the State of Sao Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Road-kill data were collected on a daily basis, every three hours, by car travelling at 50-60 km/h. We used a logistic regression considering, as dependent variable, the occurrence of road-kills for each species, and as independent variables, the following landscape features: sugarcane fields cover, pasture cover, native vegetation cover, forestry cover, orange groves cover, urban area, and distance to the nearest river. Three buffer sizes were created around each road-kill occurrence to evaluate the effect of spatial scale. Model selection using Akaike Information Criterion with correction for small samples (AICc) showed that the road-kill incidence of Chrysocyon brachyurus was positive associated to urban area at larger scale, and for Cerdocyon thous and Lepus europaeus was found a positive association to forestry cover at different scales. For C. thous and L. europaeus , some models worth interpreting included water bodies area, distance to the nearest river and sugarcane fields cover. Matrix permeability and river proximity could be used to indicate sites to apply mitigation measures to road-kill for these mammal species in the Brazilian Savanna.

Long term variation of an amphipod species’ population secondary production as indicator of incomplete resilience in a temperate estuary

During the last decades many estuaries underwent ranges of environmental pressure due to increasing anthropogenic pressures and the undertaken of mitigation measures to prevent the impoverishment of these areas. The Mondego estuary (NW Atlantic coast of Portugal), a mesotidal shallow estuary, is one typical case of this. In the 1980s, the system was characterized by rich and stable animal and vegetal communities, with no eutrophication symptoms (pre-eutrophication period), whereas during the 1990s, massive seasonal macroalgal blooms were observed and the concomitant adverse consequences on the system's biodiversity were registered (eutrophication period). More recently (2000–2010), eutrophication symptoms have gradually decreased due to several mitigation actions, whilst recent studies indicate that the system is recovering in terms of biodiversity and structure (post-mitigation period). The population dynamics and productivity of Echinogammarus marinus (Leach) (Amphipoda, Gammaridae), a key species associated to fucoids in many Northern Atlantic estuaries, was analyzed and compared throughout these three distinct periods in the Mondego estuary, using data collected between April 2009 and March 2010 and data from the 1980s (pre-eutrophication) and 1990s (eutrophication period). The goal of this study was to test if the long-term variation of E. marinus would somehow reflect the range of environmental conditions observed in the system from the 1980s until 2010. Results showed that, in the three different periods, the species exhibited higher densities during spring, with continuous sexual activity throughout the year, multivoltine life cycle and seasonal sex-ratio fluctuations. Moreover, salinity was a major factor affecting the amphipod population in all three periods. On the other hand, differences related to the production of E. marinus were detected, being clearly higher in the 1980s (pre-eutrophic period), followed by the last decade (post-mitigation period) and, finally, the 1990s (eutrophication period), where population production and density values were the lowest of all three periods. These results suggest that E. marinus production parameters reflected the decline in environmental conditions during the 1990s, as well as the partial recovery resulting from the application of mitigation measures, exhibiting a good sensitivity to environmental pressures, namely eutrophication. Therefore, we propose that in the last years, the Mondego estuary has been under an incomplete resilience period, characterized by some environmental improvement compared to the 1990s but still distant from the 1980s condition. Overall, E. marinus production parameters seem to be good indicators of the system's environmental condition and might be useful regarding monitoring programmes in most Northern Atlantic estuaries.

Evaluation and Mitigation of Road Traffic Noise in Amman, Jordan

This study provides an evaluation of road traffic noise pollution in Amman, the capital of Jordan through measuring and predicting the statistical noise index L10 (18 hr) at selected sites using the British CRTN method after validation. The measured and future noise levels were found high and exceed the maximum allowable limit of 63 dB(A) at all survey sites calling for the need to apply mitigation measures. The effectiveness of noise barriers in reducing noise levels was investigated and 3-5 m noise barriers were found appropriate. 

Characteristics of wild boar (Sus scrofa) habituation to urban areas in the Collserola Natural Park (Barcelona) and comparison with other locations

The parallel growth of urban areas and wild boar populations in recent years has increased the presence of this species around cities and in suburban areas, often leading to conflict with local people. In the Collserola Natural Park, situated within the metropolitan area of Barcelona, wild boar have become habituated to humans and urban settings because of direct feeding by local residents. Their attraction to these areas due to an abundance of anthropogenic food sources is especially strong during the warmer summer season when foraging conditions are poorer in their natural woodland habitat; the number of captures of habituated wild boar in peri–urban areas is significantly correlated with mean monthly temperatures. Habituated boar are primarily matriarchal groups, whereas adult and sub–adult (&gt;1 year) males are significantly less represented than in non–habituated boars. In Collserola, habituated sub–adult and adult females are significantly heavier than their non–habituated counterparts and these weight differences increase with age; in the &gt; 3 year–old age class they may be 35% heavier. Conflicts generated by the presence of wild boar in peri–urban areas are complex, and the responses by authorities are similarly diverse and often exacerbated by ambivalent public attitudes, both towards wild boar presence and applied mitigation measures. By 2010, at least 44 cities in 15 countries had reported problems of some kind relating to the presence of wild boar or feral pigs.

Risk assessment and relative impact of Uruguayan pelagic longliners on seabirds

Bycatch in longline fisheries is considered one of the main threats for the conservation of albatrosses and petrels worldwide. However, the relative impact of fisheries on all the affected populations or species still remains poorly understood. This paper applied a Productivity and Susceptibility Analysis (PSA) and the concept of Poten- tial Biological Removal Level (PBR) to assess the relative impact caused by the Uruguayan pelagic longline fishery on several populations. This two-step approach allowed us to obtain an objective view of the relative impact of the Uruguayan pelagic longline fleet on most of the populations or species of albatrosses and petrels with high associa- tion with this fishery. Of fifteen species considered, fourteen were finally assessed and a ranking of risk derived. The concept of PBR was applied to the nine most at-risk species. The impact of fishing on populations could not be straight- forwardly inferred from their bycatch rates. Results indicate that large albatrosses (Diomedea spp.) and Thalassarche chlororhynchos are more affected than some of the main species caught by the fishery (i.e. Thalassarche melanophrys and Procellaria aequinoctialis). Diomedea exulans from South Georgia is likely to be the population most affected by the Uruguayan fleet. This work should be seen as a case study of the fisheries operating in the southwestern Atlantic. The Uruguayan fleet within its operation area was responsible for only the 4.3% to 12.5% of the total annual effort deployed by the different fleets during 2004−2008. The combined impact of these fleets could be sufficiently high to account for many of the observed declines in the populations of D. exulans, D. dabbenena and T. chlororhynchos .H ow- ever, the seabird bycatch numbers for most of the pelagic longline fleets that operate in the southwest Atlantic remain unknown. Applying mitigation measures to reduce the impact of pelagic longline fleets operating in this region should be considered a high priority.

Spatial analysis of amphibian road mortality levels in northern Portugal country roads

Animal mortality caused by vehicle collisions is one of the main ecological impacts of roads. Amphibians are the most affected group and road fatalities have a significant impact on population dynamics and viability. Several studies on Iberian amphibians have shown the importance of country roads on amphibian road mortality, but still, little is known about the situation in northern Portugal. By being more permeable to amphibian passage, country roads represent a greater source of mortality than highways, which act as barriers. Thus, mitigation measures should be applied, but due to the extensive road network, the identification of precise locations (hotspots) and variables related to animal-vehicle collision is needed to plan these measures successfully. The aim of the study was to analyse the spatial occurrence and related factors linked to amphibian mortality on a number of country roads in northern Portugal, using spatial statistics implemented in GIS and applying a binary logistical regression. We surveyed 631 km of road corresponding to seven transects, and observed 404 individual amphibians: 74 (18.3%) alive and 330 (81.7%) road-killed. Bufo bufo represented 80% of the mortality records. Three transects showed clustered distribution of road-kills, and broadleaved forests and road ditches were the most important factors associated with hotspots of road-kill. Logistic regression models showed that habitat quality, Bufo bufo’s habitat preferences, and road ditches are positively associated with amphibians’ road mortality in northern Portugal, whereas average altitude and length of walls were negatively associated. This study is a useful tool to understand spatial occurrence of amphibian road-kills in the face of applying mitigation measures on country roads from northern Portugal. This study also considers the necessity of assessing the condition of amphibian local populations to understand their road-kills spatial patterns and the urgency to apply mitigation measures on country roads.

Dynamic Characteristic Investigation of a Historical Masonry Building and Surrounding Ground in Kathmandu

Saving human lives and cultural heritage from natural disasters is a key to earthquake-disaster mitigation strategies. Culturally valued structures built before earthquake codes and regulations emerged are often vulnerable to earthquake loads, but such structures must be comprehensively studied before applying mitigation measures. Microtremor measurements in Patan Durbar Square area, a World Heritage site, were investigated to determine dynamic properties of the soil at four locations and the predominant ground frequency calculated to be 2.07 Hz. Ambient vibration in an old masonry building was measured and vibration frequencies in different modes were detected using the Fourier spectrum, which found that the building has fundamental period in transverse direction. The building’s damping was estimated to be 5.2-6.4%.

Understanding ‘hot‐spot’ problems in catchments: the need for scale‐sensitive measures and mechanisms to secure effective solutions for river management and conservation

1. Regulatory progress in controlling point sources of chemical river pollution has progressively thrown the attention of public policy towards anthropogenic physical impacts, many of which are scaled to the catchment via the runoff/sediment system. At the same time, concern over diffuse chemical pollution has reinforced ‘catchment consciousness’: land-use and land-management planning and control must be considered to conserve or restore river ecosystem integrity. 2. The scientific, political and legal elements of this scale change are, however, complex and uncertain: ‘myths’ abound. Landscape-scale consideration of ‘pressures’ suggests an unequal distribution of regulatory costs and benefits and large uncertainties in the evidence from a ‘land-use hydrology’ and fluvial geomorphology perspective. 3. ‘Hydrological connectivity’ brings together a number of knowledge themes about catchment spatial organization which facilitate applying mitigation measures to much smaller areas, helping to offset uncertainty and reduce costs. 4. Instead of blanket ‘remedies’, more practical use is needed of process evidence from hydrology and fluvial geomorphology; this tends to suggest that ‘hot-spots’ dominate risks and impacts of factors such as leaching, surface flow generation and silt entrainment. 5. Set in a realistic policy framework, from strategic spatial planning to grant-aided best practice, a ‘catchment acupuncture’ approach to measures provides a cost-effective contribution to improving ecological status and may also increase resilience to the impacts of climate change. 6. The European Union's Water Framework Directive (WFD) encourages ‘joined-up thinking’ on this issue but it remains to be seen whether spatial scales, structures and concepts already enshrined in the WFD and the relevant UK national policies for land use and nature conservation can be exploited to permit the much-needed practical uptake of this new riparianism. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.