Human Wildlife Research Articles

Modeling of nitrogen oxides (NOx) concentrations resulting from ships at berth

Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions from ships (marine vessels) contribute to poor air quality that negatively impacts public health and communities in coastal areas and far inland. These emissions often excessively harm human health, environment, wildlife habituates, and quality of life of communities and indigenous of people who live near ports. This study was conducted to assess the impact of NOx emissions origination from ships at berth on a nearby community. It was undertaken at Said Bin Sultan Naval base in Wullayat Al-Mussana (Sultanate of Oman) during the year 2005. The Industrial Source Complex Short Term (ISCST) model was adopted to determine the dispersion of NOx into port and beyond into surrounding urban areas. The hourly and monthly contours (isopleths) of NOx concentrations in and around the port were plotted. The results were analyzed to determine the affected area and the level of NOx concentrations. The highest concentration points in the studied area were also identified. The isopleths of NOx indicated that most shipping emissions of NOx occur at the port can be transported over land. The output results can help to derive advice of recommendations ships operators and environmentalists to take the correct decision to prevent workers and surrounded environment from pollution.

Act on Early Warnings

Two conditions establish the threshold for protective action in the presence of scientific uncertainty; 1. Credible evidence that a synthetic chemical can cause biological changes that are known to result in unintended harmful outcomes to human health or the environment in some cases; 2. The presence of such a chemical where it does not belong and where it can cause damage to biological systems (such as human bodies). Acting with foresight takes many forms. We must create and strengthen human health and wildlife monitoring programs to detect and predict harm; take steps to prevent, eliminate, and mitigate exposure when credible evidence of harm is found; monitor novel technologies; consider clusters of problems to be early warnings of harm; and open toxic tort records. All action taken must be based on precautionary definitions of "harm" and "credible evidence" and must include public participation. Significant precautionary actions may be taken on the state and local level in advance of a precautionary national chemicals policy.

Ultimately, Too Many Human Animals, Wildlife, Conservation, and Human Welfare: A United States and Canadian Perspective

Ultimately, Too Many Human Animals, Wildlife, Conservation, and Human Welfare: A United States and Canadian Perspective

The mercury's falling: the Massachusetts approach to reducing mercury in the environment.

Mercury is a persistent, bioaccumulative toxin that adversely affects human beings and wildlife. Mercury, like many such toxins, is a multimedia pollutant that can readily transfer among air, water, and soils, and thus crosses the boundaries of traditional regulatory programs. Mercury can also be transported long distances in the atmosphere, creating transboundary issues that are regional and global in scope. Human exposure to mercury is largely attributable to the consumption of contaminated fish, with women of childbearing age, infants, and children at greatest risk. Because mercury persists in the environment, the risk of neurological or other impairments can span generations. Mercury, largely from anthropogenic sources, enters aquatic systems through a variety of pathways including direct deposition from the atmosphere, runoff, and wastewater discharges.

Evaluation of three source tracking indicator organisms for watershed management

The use of indicator organisms to ensure the microbial safety of drinking water is a standard practice throughout the developed world. Traditional coliform indicators, however, are not always the most suitable indicator for all waterborne pathogens, especially viruses and protozoans. Drinking water contaminated with human waste is typically associated with a higher risk of infection by human pathogens. For that reason, source-specific or source tracking indicators would be beneficial in identifying the source of water contamination. The focus of this research was to determine the potential of three source-specific indicators (sorbitol-fermenting Bifidobacteria , Rhodococcus coprophilus and serogroups of F-specific coliphages) for differentiating human, grazing animal and other wildlife microbial inputs into a drinking water watershed. Three locations within a surface water source watershed management area were sampled over a 13-month period. The results indicated that the three indicators tested might be a good means of discriminating between microbial input sources into drinking water supplies.

Assessment of Multiple Marine Ecological Disturbances: Applying the North American Prototype to the Baltic Sea Ecosystem

Multiple marine ecological disturbances are ecosystem health indicators. An approach is described for systematically reconstructing spatial and temporal marine disturbance regimes related to human morbidity, wildlife mortality, disease events and harmful algal blooms. The approach is based upon recovery of meta-data from a survey of published literature and consolidation of geographic information layers from pre-existing sources. The examples provided are from the HEED (Health Ecological and Economic Dimensions) project conducted in the Northwestern Atlantic Ocean. Eight general disturbance indicator categories from HEED are suggested for assessing the health of the Baltic Sea ecosystem. These disturbance indicators represent 147 distinct impact types that may be used to examine relationships among impact causes, effects and costs from disturbances observed for near coastal and open waters. The HEED prototype is compatible with the objectives of the health module of the Baltic Sea's Large Marine Ecosystem initiative and consistent with implementation of the Baltic Sea Agenda 21 program. The general disturbance research methodology may be applied to the Baltic Sea or any other multijurisdiction marine region and these methods are not restricted to marine systems

Demographics of voting on the 1996 Massachusetts ballot referendum

The influence of rural‐urban differences on wildlife management policy is typically viewed from a social psychological perspective. This study extends this focus by examining the rural‐urban continuum from a sociological outlook. Data for this investigation were obtained from town‐level voting results on a 1996 Massachusetts ballot referendum. The referendum contained three separated components, but was primarily viewed as an anti‐trapping law. The referendum passed by a margin of 2 to 1. We examined the relationship between place of residence and voting behavior to better understand rural‐urban differences relative to wildlife management. Those favoring passage tended to reside in urban and suburban communities of eastern Massachusetts. Almost all towns above a threshold of 400 people/mile2 voted for the referendum suggesting that a relationship exists between human population density and wildlife conservation.

Region VIII Problem Oil Pit Effort

ABSTRACT Improper construction and operation of open oil pits used by the oil and gas exploration and production industries result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of mammals and millions of birds each year. Releases from exploration and production operations of oil and produced water “brine,” which carry heavy metals and other contaminants to surface waterways and to subsurface groundwater pose a threat to human health, wildlife, and water resources for agricultural, domestic and recreational uses. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region VIII (EPA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region VI (FWS), the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and various state and tribal agencies, “the partners,” have joined in a coordinated effort to address “problem oil pits.” The composition of the partnership varies within each state based on which state and tribal agency or agencies have responsibilities related to each facility. Examples of state agencies which were members of the partnership are the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. The Shoshone, Arapahoe, and Ute Mountain Ute tribes are some of the tribes involved in the partnership The goals identified by the partners were: (1) to minimize the potential for bird and other animal mortality from contact with oil; (2) to ensure that oil production and exploration facilities are constructed and managed in an environmentally protective manner in compliance with all requirements and to rectify other existing environmental issues; and last but not least in priority, (3) to protect the health of the community and environmental resources for future generations. Data compiled during field inspections by the partners indicated a strong correlation between bird and wildlife mortality and the extent of the surface covered by oil at the problem oil pits. Almost 89% percent of the bird mortality and almost 65 percent of the wildlife mortality were recovered from pits whose surfaces were 100% covered with oil. All of the remaining bird and wildlife mortality occurred in pits with significant amounts of oil on the surface. The aerial survey conducted in this effort identified an initial 409 sites which had potential problem oil pits. Field inspections were conducted at 299 of those sites. Of note is the fact that 172 sites of the 299 were found to have ongoing discharges in excess of permitted limits and/or uncontained leaks, spills or discharges of oil. Thus, the same poor management practices which result in problem oil pits, present compliance problems which may lead to discharges of oil into the waters of the United States. All of the dead birds and wildlife recovered by the inspection teams were found in or near pits which had no netting; none were found at sites which had netting. Some of the pits where mortality occurred had flagging. Thus, netting is the only effective deterrent device which would prevent birds and wildlife from entering these oil covered pits. The partners developed processes to gather and evaluate information, and to make decisions on the appropriate actions in response to issues in a coordinated way. Key to the problem oil pit effort was the success of the formal and informal communications with the regulated community which resulted in many of the problem pits being remediated before the next bird migratory season began. The partners, believe that most of the remaining problems at oil exploration and production pits identified in the effort thus far will be remedied within 1 year. The lessons learned from this close coordination improved their working relationships and enhanced their ability to resolve environmental problems together in the future. Long term communication strategies being developed will help ensure that goals continue to be met and a high degree of long-term environmental protection is achieved.

Ecotoxicology for risk assessment in arid zones: some key issues.

In the hot arid zones of the world, ecotoxicological research is in statu nascendi. In these zones, the major sources of contamination by toxicants are: (1) plant protection and vector control in wet zones; (2) large-scale crop protection campaigns in dry and ephemeral wet zones; (3) refuse and obsolete pesticides in dry zones; and (4) mining. Economic development in many of these zones requires an adequate knowledge of certain basic principles, i.e., where extrapolating existing knowledge does not apply. The vulnerability of ecosystems to contaminants is closely related to water flow. In dry areas, species are susceptible to factors that interfere with the ecophysiological properties regulating water loss. Most hot arid areas are found at low latitudes where temperatures show striking extremes both in time and space. Living organisms are physiologically resistant and/or show adaptive behavior to these temperature extremes. Very little is known about the effects of toxicants on these key resistant and adaptive functions, although by extrapolation a few assumptions can be made. The effects of hyperthermia, for instance, can be aggravated by GSH depleting substances, and the temporary disabling effects characteristic of many pesticides may prove fatal under these circumstances. Most wet areas show a spatial concentration of both human activity and wildlife. In mesic zones, the contamination of water represents a health risk to both humans and other living organisms. The vast majority of aquatic communities are those inhabiting temporary pools and streams. Their populations are characterized by short reproductive cycles and/or long dormant stages. Toxicants affecting growth in these areas have been shown to have a deleterious effect. In a synthesis of existing knowledge the most prominent gaps are identified and priorities for further research are made.

Laying the foundation for a comprehensive program of restoration for wildlife habitat in a riparian floodplain

We analyzed the past and current distribution and abundance of vegetation and wildlife to develop a wildlife habitat restoration plan for the Sweetwater Regional Park, San Diego County, California. Overall, there has been a substantial loss of native amphibians and reptiles, including four amphibians, three lizards, and 11 snake species. The small-mammal community was depauperate and dominated by the exotic house mouse (Mus musculus) and the native western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis). It appeared that either house mice are exerting a negative influence on most native species or that they are responding positively to habitat degradation. There has apparently been a net loss of 13 mammal species, including nine insectivores and rodents, a rabbit, and three large mammals. Willow (Salix) cover and density and cottonwoods (Populus fremontii) had the highest number of positive correlations with bird abundance. There has been an overall net loss of 12 breeding bird species; this includes an absolute loss of 18 species and a gain of six species. A restoration plan is described that provides for creation and maintenance of willow riparian, riparian woodland, and coastal sage scrub vegetation types; guides for separation of human activities and wildlife habitats; and management of feral and exotic species of plants and animals.

The strategic role of ecological research in the design of an environmentally comprehensive plan for a new economic-development area?Meizhou Bay, China

The Government of China is planning a new economic-development area, located at Meizhou Bay on the Chinese mainland, opposite the island of Taiwan. Aspects of this development plant will be subject to an assessment of the potential environmental effects. Especially important considerations are changes in land use associated with urbanization and industrial developments, and any activities that could degrade air and water quality, with potential risks for human health, aquaculture, agriculture, and wildlife. During 1988 to 1990, we conducted studies related to meteorology, environmental geology and engineering, physical oceanography, and marine chemistry and biology.

Human activities and wildlife conservation on estuaries of different sizes: A comment

Human activities and wildlife conservation on estuaries of different sizes: A comment

Fine Structural Alterations in Thyroid Follicular Cells (FC) and Changes in Serum Thyroxine Produced by Feeding Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) to Rats

The widespread contamination of the environment with PCB, a compound used extensively by industry in hydraulic and heat transfer fluids as well as plasticizers and solvents in adhesives and sealants, has resulted in detectable tissue levels in a large portion of the human population, domestic animals, and wildlife. Intoxication with PCB produces severe hepatic necrosis, degeneration of lymphoid tissues and kidney, skin lesions, decreased reproductive performance, reduced feed efficiency, and decreased weight gain. PCB also has been reported to reduce the binding of thyroid hormone to serum proteins and enhance the peripheral metabolism of thyroxine with increased excretion of thyroxine-glucuronide in the bile (Bastomsky, Endocrinology 95: 1150-1155, 1974).The objectives of this investigation were (1) to investigate the histopathologic, histochemical, and ultrastructural changes in thyroid FC produced by the acute (4 week) and chronic (12 week) administration of low (50 ppm) and high (500 ppm) doses of PCB to rats, (2) to correlate these alterations to changes in serum immunoreactive thyroxine concentration, and (3) to investigate the persistence of the effects of PCB on the thyroid gland.

Factors of Host Plant Specificity and Artificial Diets

Introduction Ten years ago, a symposium on artificial diets would have been thought of as a subject of very limited audience. Nowadays, mass rearing and nutritional studies have become subjects of great interest and the basis of many new research programs. For example, 44 papers related to nutrition and rearing of insects were published in the Annals and the Journal of our Society, in 1966. This is four times the average (11.4 papers) of the preceding ten years. Control of insect pests with insecticides, although still highly effective, has lost some of its appeal when one considers the cumulative disadvantages of insects becoming resistant to insecticides and of insecticide residues becoming a threat to human welfare and wildlife. This has prompted to revise the methods of insect control and population management. Whether one thinks of millions of sterile males or of masses of parasites and predators being released in the natural environment to supplement the natural action of insects versus insects, the limiting factor of such programs could be the actual capability of rearing the insects on a synthetic diet. The rearing of insects requires further research on their respective basic food requirements as well as on the plant-insect or prey-predator relationships.