Destruction Of Vegetation Research Articles

Ecological Health of Wetland Ecosystem: An overview

Wetlands are unique, productive ecosystems where terrestrial and aquatic habitats meet. Wetlands play a critical role in maintaining many natural cycles and supporting a wide range of biodiversity. Wetlands can also contribute to the wellbeing of the community by acting as urban green spaces which provide aesthetic appeal, landscape diversity and recreational opportunities. Globally wetlands are under threat due to altered hydrology, destruction of vegetation, fragmentation, dumping of waste, being drained and other anthropogenic reasons. Wetlands provide numerous ecological goods and services but are under tremendous stress due to rapid urbanization, industrialization and agricultural intensification. An inventory of wetlands of any region is a pre-requisite for their conservation and management. One of the aims of monitoring is to provide information for ecological assessment, which can provide early warning of changes that could negatively affect species or ecosystems.

Особенности семенного возобновления ulmus pumila l. на стихийно законсервированных пахотных землях в степной зоне Хакасии

In the 90s of the last century, the volume of spontaneous conservation of arable land in Central Siberia amounted to 1.1 million hectares. Unproductive land with forest melioration facilities, which are used as pastures, underwent spontaneous conservation. Currently, there is an active overgrowing of fallow fields with elm trees and shrubs. In order to use forest forests effectively, it is necessary to remove excess tree-shrub vegetation. Studies of the characteristics of the seed renewal of Ulmus pumila L., growing on spontaneously conserved, highly degraded lands used as pastures, were carried out in 2013–2017. in the steppe zone in the territory of Khakassia. The term conservation of arable land is 17 years. Conditions for the growth of natural renewal Ulmus pumila adverse. 47% of the undergrowth of Ulmus pumila belonged to the category of sanitation - weakened. The main part, 73%, of the undergrowth was small and did not exceed 50 cm in height. On interband lanes, natural renewal was unevenly distributed. On the leeward side of the parental forest shelter belts at a distance of up to 20 m, 65% grew; on the windward side at the same distance - 18% of all existing Ulmus pumila. The optimal size of Ulmus pumila at the age of 10 years was from 1.0 to 2.5 thousand units per hectare, since with these indicators the maximum productivity of grass stand was obtained - 12.7 kg per hectare of air-dry mass. In order to increase the productivity of the grass stand at the forest pasture, it is necessary to carry out a radical improvement in the destruction of excessive shrub vegetation. Woody plants of less than 2.5 thousand units per hectare should be left on the fields, provided that they are evenly distributed over the territory so that Ulmus pumila, having reached its adult state, forms plantations with optimum crown density, which should not exceed the value of 0.2.

Impact of Human Settlement on Land Use/Land Cover Changes in the Middle River Njoro Sub Watershed in Kenya

This study investigated the use of remote sensing and GIS in evaluating the impacts of human settlement on land use /Land cover changes. The study also investigated the drivers behind the change in the middle of River Njoro sub watershed for a period of 27 years. Drivers of land use change were captured by the use of DPSIR model where Drivers (D) represented human needs, Pressures (P), human activities, State (S), the ecosystem, Impact (I) services from the ecosystem and Response (R), the decisions taken by land users. Land sat MSS and Land sat ETM+ (path 185, row 31) were used in this study. The Land sat ETM+ image (June 1987, May, 2000 and July, 2014) was downloaded from USGS Earth Resources Observation Systems data website. Remote sensing image processing was performed by using ERDAS Imagine 9.1. Three land use/land cover (LULC) classes were established as Human settlement, forest and shrub land. Severe land cover changes was found to have occurred from 1987-2000, where human settlement increased by 52%, shrub land reduced by 19%, and forestry reduced by 72%. In the year 2000 – 2014, human settlement increased by 121%, shrub land reduced by 45%, and forestry reduced by 64%. Forestry and shrub land were found to be consistently reducing while human settlement was increasing. It was evident from the images that the LULC changes with corresponding soil quality deterioration mostly occurred in the upper and middle parts of the Middle river Njoro sub watershed which were initially under forest. To minimize the risk of vegetation destruction and soil degradation, it will be necessary to identify socioeconomic safety nets and initiate restoration of the environment to original pre- catastrophe status.

Influence of military training on breeding ecology of Bachman's sparrow

ABSTRACTAnthropogenic disturbance may cause birds to flush and relocate, abandon breeding sites, experience increased nest failure, or fledge fewer young. Ground‐based military activities are of particular concern for ground‐nesting birds because of the increased risk of nest destruction and trampling of vegetation. We investigated how different intensities of disturbance from ground‐based military training affected reproductive ecology of Bachman's sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis) from 2014–2016, on Fort Bragg Military Installation, North Carolina, USA. We designated 2 training intensity regimes and monitored sparrows at 6 observation areas, 3 in high‐intensity training areas (i.e., foot traffic every 1–3 days) and 3 in low‐intensity training (i.e., foot traffic <1 per month) areas. We compared seasonal productivity metrics and daily nest survival between training intensities. Additionally, we compared male sparrow relative abundance and micro‐habitat use between high‐ and low‐intensity training areas. We monitored 106 male territories and located 110 nests opportunistically and by tracking telemetered female sparrows. We used fixed‐radius point counts to estimate relative abundance in each observation area and measured vegetation composition and structure at a subset of 10 locations in each male territory. Seasonal productivity metrics, daily nest survival, relative abundance, and vegetation composition and structure at male locations did not differ between areas with high and low military training intensity. In 2015, 1 sparrow nest was trampled by military personnel, but ≥1 nestling force‐fledged and the nest was considered successful. Bachman's sparrow nesting ecology was not affected by intensity of ground‐based military training activity, likely because activity was sufficiently dispersed across the landscape, even in high‐intensity training areas. We recommend ground‐based training attempts to minimize ground vegetation destruction by dispersing large groups and traversing variable routes when in forested uplands. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

Changes in soil properties and erodibility of gully heads induced by vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau, China

Soil erosion on the Loess Plateau of China is effectively controlled due to the implementation of several ecological restoration projects that improve soil properties and reduce soil erodibility. However, few studies have examined the effects of vegetation restoration on soil properties and erodibility of gully head in the gully regions of the Loess Plateau. The objectives of this study were to quantify the effects of vegetation restoration on soil properties and erodibility in this region. Specifically, a control site in a slope cropland and 9 sites in 3 restored land-use types (5 sites in grassland, 3 in woodland and 1 in shrubland) in the Nanxiaohegou watershed of a typical gully region on the Loess Plateau were selected, and soil and root samples were collected to assess soil properties and root characteristics. Soil erodibility factor was calculated by the Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator method. Our results revealed that vegetation restoration increased soil sand content, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, organic matter content and mean weight diameter of water-stable aggregate but decreased soil silt and clay contents and soil disintegration rate. A significant difference in soil erodibility was observed among different vegetation restoration patterns or land-use types. Compared with cropland, soil erodibility decreased in the restored lands by 3.99% to 21.43%. The restoration patterns of Cleistogenes caespitosa K. and Artemisia sacrorum L. in the grassland showed the lowest soil erodibility and can be considered as the optimal vegetation restoration pattern for improving soil anti-erodibility of the gully heads. Additionally, the negative linear change in soil erodibility for grassland with restoration time was faster than those of woodland and shrubland. Soil erodibility was significantly correlated with soil particle size distribution, soil disintegration rate, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, water-stable aggregate stability, organic matter content and root characteristics (including root average diameter, root length density, root surface density and root biomass density), but it showed no association with soil bulk density and soil total porosity. These findings indicate that although vegetation destruction is a short-term process, returning the soil erodibility of cropland to the level of grassland, woodland and shrubland is a long-term process (8–50 years).

Degradation monitoring in Silvo-pastoral systems: A case study of the Mediterranean region of Turkey

To identify policies that will promote positive effects and mitigate negative ones of grazing is a major challenge in the Silvo-pastoral system. This paper presents the role of examining land-cover change trajectories by remote sensing imagery in grazing policy monitoring. The study was conducted for Duzlercami forest ecosystem located in the Mediterranean geographical region of Turkey and administrated by the General Directorate of Forestry (GDF) of the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs. Time series land-cover datasets from Landsat images between 1988 and 2016 were collected and classified. To link the conversions among trajectories and grazing policy, class level landscape metrics derived from the classified images were used. To validate the approach, yearly grazing-plans managed by GDF and populations of livestock were used. Results of this research have indicated that even though there is a yearly grazing plan, overgrazing can happen on the pilot site, and it can be easily identified by the destruction of woody vegetation. The notable correlation (r2 = 0.89) between degraded woody vegetation and cattle population has occurred in the last 30 years in the landscape, and Landsat imagery can effectively support the grazing policy mapping and monitoring.

Análise dos crimes ambientais registrados nas regiões do Baixo Amazonas e Tapajós, Pará, no período de 2012 a 2015

Previstos na Lei Federal nº 9.605/1998, a Lei de Crimes Ambientais-LCA, ou em outra norma esparsa, os crimes ambientais são atos ilícitos que provocam resultado danoso ao meio ambiente. O objetivo deste estudo foi diagnosticar e analisar as infrações ambientais cometidas em 19 municípios das regiões do Baixo Amazonas e Tapajós, no Estado do Pará, registradas no período de 2012 a 2015, pela Secretaria de Estado de Meio Ambiente e Sustentabilidade (SEMAS). Foram realizadas pesquisas bibliográfica e documental nos autos de infração de 598 processos formalizados pelo órgão de fiscalização ambiental estadual, cujos dados foram agrupados nas cinco categorias de crimes ambientais previstas na LCA e em uma categoria para os crimes previstos em outras leis. Dos processos analisados, 69% versavam sobre infrações contra a flora, com maior ocorrência nos municípios de Santarém, Monte Alegre e Novo Progresso. O desmatamento/destruição da vegetação foi a tipologia infracional mais cometida contra a flora, especialmente em Santarém, Monte Alegre e Prainha. Dos demais processos, 11% versavam sobre crimes de poluição, 10% sobre crimes contra a administração ambiental, 6% sobre crimes previstos em outras leis e 4% sobre crimes contra a fauna, não sendo verificados crimes contra o ordenamento urbano e o patrimônio cultural. Santarém foi o município que liderou o quantitativo de crimes em 4 categorias. Conclui-se que o desmatamento, incitado pela potencialização dos interesses privados da exploração dos recursos, indica para onde devem ser convergidos os esforços do Poder Público para a sensibilização e disciplina da sociedade.

Co-effects of salinity and moisture on CO2 and N2O emissions of laboratory-incubated salt-affected soils from different vegetation types

The temporal variation of precipitation and relevant salinity fluctuation can significantly affect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of salt-affected soils in the Yellow River Delta (YRD) of China. The current study aims to investigate the effects of salinity and moisture on CO2 and N2O emissions of saline soils. Soils collected from different vegetation communities were incubated in glass Mason jars under treatment of different levels of salinity and moisture. Gas samples were collected from the headspace of jars and analyzed using gas chromatography during the incubation period. Soil CO2 and N2O emission rates decreased steadily over time, and then were relatively stable during the final incubation. Cumulative CO2 and N2O emissions increased steadily across the incubation period in all treatments. However, cumulative N2O emissions in bare land with no vegetation cover decreased steadily. In general, production rate and cumulative emission of CO2 were highest in herbage communities, were intermediate in woody community, and were lowest in bare land under all treatments. The negative relationship between cumulative GHG emission and soil salinity was more significant in soils that contained low levels of salt, than that in other soils. The significant positive correlation between cumulative GHG emissions and soil moisture was found in all soils. The effects of salinity on GHG emission were stronger in soils with low levels of salt. Compared with soils collected from bare land with no vegetation cover, soils from different vegetation communities emitted more CO2 and N2O. Perhaps more attention, therefore, should be paid to pulse emissions of GHG as a result of destruction of vegetation in the course of exploitation and utilization of saline soil resources.

The Temperature Vegetation Dryness Index (TVDI) Based on Bi-Parabolic NDVI-Ts Space and Gradient-Based Structural Similarity (GSSIM) for Long-Term Drought Assessment Across Shaanxi Province, China (2000–2016)

Traditional NDVI-Ts space is triangular or trapezoidal, but Liu et al. (2015) discovered that the NDVI-Ts space was bi-parabolic when the study area was covered with low biomass vegetation. Moreover, the numerical value of the indicator was considered in most of the study when the drought conditions in the space domain were evaluated. In addition, quantitatively assessing the spatial-temporal changes of the drought was not enough. In this study, first, we used MODIS NDVI and Ts data to reexamine if the NDVI-Ts space with “time” and a single pixel domain is bi-parabolic in the Shaanxi province of China, which is vegetated with low biomass to high biomass. This is compared with the triangular NDVI-Ts space and one of the well-known drought indexes called the temperature-vegetation index (TVX). The results demonstrated that dry and wet edges exhibited a parabolic shape again in scatter plots of Ts and NDVI in the Shaanxi province, which was linear in the triangular NDVI-Ts space. The Temperature Vegetation Dryness Index (TVDIc) was obtained from bi-parabolic NDVI-Ts andTVDIt was obtained from the triangular NDVI-Ts space and TVX were compared with 10-cm depth relative soil moisture. By estimating the 10-cm depth soil moisture, TVDIc was better than TVDIt, which were all apparently better than TVX. Second, combined with MODIS data, the drought conditions of the study area were assessed by TVDIc between 2000 to 2016. Spatially, the drought in the Shaanxi Province between 2000 to 2016 were mainly distributed in the northwest, North Shaanxi, and the North and East Guanzhong plain. The drought area of the Shaanxi province accounted for 31.95% in 2000 and 27.65% in 2016, respectively. Third, we quantitatively evaluated the variation of the drought status by using Gradient-based Structural Similarity (GSSIM) methods. The area of the drought conditions significantly changed and moderately changed at 5.34% and 40.22%, respectively, between 2000 and 2016. Finally, the possible reasons for drought change were discussed. The change of precipitation, temperature, irrigation, destruction or betterment of vegetation, and the enlargement of opening mining, etc., can lead to the variations of drought.

THE ANALYSIS OF BURROWS RECOGNITION ACCURACY IN XINJIANG'S PASTURE AREA BASED ON UAV VISIBLE IMAGES WITH DIFFERENT SPATIAL RESOLUTION

Abstract. The rodent disaster is one of the main biological disasters in grassland in northern Xinjiang. The eating and digging behaviors will cause the destruction of ground vegetation, which seriously affected the development of animal husbandry and grassland ecological security. UAV low altitude remote sensing, as an emerging technique with high spatial resolution, can effectively recognize the burrows. However, how to select the appropriate spatial resolution to monitor the calamity of the rodent disaster is the first problem we need to pay attention to. The purpose of this study is to explore the optimal spatial scale on identification of the burrows by evaluating the impact of different spatial resolution for the burrows identification accuracy. In this study, we shoot burrows from different flight heights to obtain visible images of different spatial resolution. Then an object-oriented method is used to identify the caves, and we also evaluate the accuracy of the classification. We found that the highest classification accuracy of holes, the average has reached more than 80 %. At the altitude of 24 m and the spatial resolution of 1cm, the accuracy of the classification is the highest We have created a unique and effective way to identify burrows by using UAVs visible images. We draw the following conclusion: the best spatial resolution of burrows recognition is 1 cm using DJI PHANTOM-3 UAV, and the improvement of spatial resolution does not necessarily lead to the improvement of classification accuracy. This study lays the foundation for future research and can be extended to similar studies elsewhere.

Salinity changes and anoxia resulting from enhanced run-off during the late Permian global warming and mass extinction event

Abstract. The late Permian biotic crisis had a major impact on marine and terrestrial environments. Rising CO2 levels following Siberian Trap volcanic activity were likely responsible for expanding marine anoxia and elevated water temperatures. This study focuses on one of the stratigraphically most expanded Permian–Triassic records known, from Jameson Land, East Greenland. High-resolution sampling allows for a detailed reconstruction of the changing environmental conditions during the extinction event and the development of anoxic water conditions. Since very little is known about how salinity was affected during the extinction event, we especially focus on the aquatic palynomorphs and infer changes in salinity from changes in the assemblage and morphology. The start of the extinction event, here defined by a peak in spore : pollen, indicating disturbance and vegetation destruction in the terrestrial environment, postdates a negative excursion in the total organic carbon, but predates the development of anoxia in the basin. Based on the newest estimations for sedimentation rates, the marine and terrestrial ecosystem collapse took between 1.6 and 8 kyr, a much shorter interval than previously estimated. The palynofacies and palynomorph records show that the environmental changes can be explained by enhanced run-off and increased primary productivity and water column stratification. A lowering in salinity is supported by changes in the acritarch morphology. The length of the processes of the acritarchs becomes shorter during the extinction event and we propose that these changes are evidence for a reduction in salinity in the shallow marine setting of the study site. This inference is supported by changes in acritarch distribution, which suggest a change in palaeoenvironment from open marine conditions before the start of the extinction event to more nearshore conditions during and after the crisis. In a period of sea-level rise, such a reduction in salinity can only be explained by increased run-off. High amounts of both terrestrial and marine organic fragments in the first anoxic layers suggest that high run-off, increased nutrient availability, possibly in combination with soil erosion, are responsible for the development of anoxia in the basin. Enhanced run-off could result from changes in the hydrological cycle during the late Permian extinction event, which is a likely consequence of global warming. In addition, vegetation destruction and soil erosion may also have resulted in enhanced run-off. Salinity stratification could potentially explain the development of anoxia in other shallow marine sites. The input of freshwater and related changes in coastal salinity could also have implications for the interpretation of oxygen isotope records and seawater temperature reconstructions at some sites.

Weeds Interference in Pequi Plants

ABSTRACT: Pequi plants are native fruit species of the Cerrado and is at risk of extinction due to the destruction of native vegetation and the extraction of their fruits. Because this species has a long juvenile period, it becomes susceptible to the interference of weeds, mainly forage grass. This research aimed to evaluate the effects of forage grass species coexisting with small seedlings. The treatments, arranged in a factorial scheme, consisted of three weed species(Melinis minutiflora, Paspalum notatumandUrochloa decumbens)coexisting in four densities (1, 2, 3, and 4 plants per pot) with pequi plants. As an additional treatment a pequi plant was cultivated free of coexistence. The physiological variables photosynthetic rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (E) Ci/Ca relation, the effective quantum yield of PS II, transport rate of electrons and non-photochemical quenching, and growth variables: height (PH), Leaf area (LA) and dry matter (DM) were affected by weed coexistence.U. decumbenspromoted greater intensity interference with pequi plants. The degree of interference was greater with increasing density of weeds, with linear decreasing behavior for the variables A, gs, E, PH, LA, MD, stem diameter and number of leaves of pequi plants.

Evidence of traditionality of Brazilian medicinal plants: The case studies of Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville (barbatimão) barks and Copaifera spp. (copaíba) oleoresin in wound healing

Ethnopharmacological relevanceThe World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the potential of plants used in secular traditional medicine and considers this an important source of evidence to assess their effectiveness and safety. Brazil is rich in biodiversity and traditional uses based on the Amerindian culture. However, many processes started with the arrival of the Portuguese in the year 1500. The successive economic cycles, for example, led to destruction of native vegetation and an intense cultural erosion. As a consequence, the information about the use of plants in the past centuries are dispersed and without interpretation. In this study a methodology to evidence the traditionality of Brazilian plants was demonstrated using data about barbatimão barks (Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville - Fabaceae) and Copaiba oleoresin (Copaifera spp. - Fabaceae) in wound healing, was established. Material and methodsData about use of the plants were recovered from bibliography published between 1576 and 2011. The books (101) were classified using weights, considering the date of publication and the source of Information. Older books that describe primary information received weight 10, while books written more recently and with secondary information received weight 0.4. A score for each category of medicinal use was calculated based on the books weights and the frequency of citation. A review about the current use of both plants was also performed from ethnobotanical studies published in journals. Results and discussionThe traditional secular use of barks of barbatimão and oleoresin of copaiba to treat wounds was confirmed based on the historic bibliographic research. The most frequent use of barbatimão in a timeline of 500 years of Brazil’s history, was as astringent, whereas for copaíba was as healing of skin and mucosal lesions. The continuous and current use of these plants to treat wounds, confirmed by recent ethnobotanical studies, is an indicative of the resilience of these remedies and their effectiveness. ConclusionThe use of preparations containing barbatimão barks and copaiba oleoresin can be considered effective in the treatment of wounds. Nonetheless, it is necessary to improve the quality of the formulas as established by WHO.

Assessment and mapping of desertification sensitivity with MEDALUS model and GIS – Case study: basin of Hodna, Algeria

AbstractIn Algeria, desertification risk is one of the main environmental and also social and economic problems. As much as 20 million hectares of northern Algeria are highly exposed and vulnerable to desertification with large areas falling into his ‘severe’ risk category, because the present massive destruction of vegetation and soils. This study aimed to use geographic information system (GIS) for mapping environmentally sensitive areas to desertification based on Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use (MEDALUS) approach in basin of Hodna, Algeria. Sensitivity is estimated with a modification of the MEDALUS environmentally sensitive area index (ESAI) which identifies such areas on the basis of an index (ESAI) that incorporates data on environmental quality (climate, vegetation, soil) as well as anthropogenic factors. This methodology allows the classification of land in critical, fragile and potentially sensitive areas. The results obtained show that 61% of the area is classified potentially sensitive to low sensitivity. These areas are particularly located in mountain areas. Spatially, the areas sensitive to degradation are as well in the lower region of the Hodna in Highlands consisting mostly of steppe route. The factors that could explain these variations of sensitivity are related mainly to changes in precipitation between the North and the South altitude and pressure of the population and livestock.

Terrestrial and marine floral response to latest Eocene and Oligocene events on the Antarctic Peninsula

ABSTRACTPalynological results from opposite sides of the northernmost Antarctic Peninsula provide insight on terrestrial vegetation and sea-surface conditions immediately before the Eocene–Oligocene transition (EOT), through Early Oligocene glacial conditions and the subsequent Late Oligocene interglacial interval. A latest Eocene sample set from the uppermost La Meseta Formation on Seymour Island, James Ross (back-arc) Basin, records a low-diversity Nothofagus (southern beech)-dominated vegetation with some podocarp conifers similar to Valdivian-type forest found today in Chile and Argentina. Marine organic-walled phytoplankton include leiospheres and Eocene dinoflagellate cysts such as Vozzhennikovia rotunda, V. apertura, Senegalinium asymmetricum and Spinidinium macmurdoense. Immediately before the EOT near the top of the section the decrease in terrestrial palynomorphs, increase in reworked specimens, disappearance of key dinocysts, and overwhelming numbers of sea-ice-indicative leiospheres plus the small dinoflagellate cyst Impletosphaeridium signal the onset of glacial conditions in a subpolar climate. Early to Late Oligocene samples from the Polonez Cove and Boy Point formations on King George Island, South Shetland Islands (magmatic arc), yielded an extremely depauperate terrestrial flora, likely resulting in part from poor vegetation cover during the Polonez Glaciation but also because of destruction of vegetation due to continued regional volcanism. The prevalence of sea-ice-indicative leiospheres in the marine palynomorph component is consistent with polar to subpolar conditions during and following the Polonez Glaciation.

The effect of strategic management to minimize pollution for oil refinery (the case of Tehran oil refinery)

<p>With increasing rates of pollution in major cities, the various concerns that arise from implementing an environmental project are on the rise, while large industries such as oil refining often have adverse effects on the environment. Therefore, the present study examines the effects of strategic management on pollution reduction caused by oil refining processes. This is a descriptive-case study. A practical purpose was conducted in year 2017. The realm of Tehran Oil Refinery Research, and the statistical population of this research, consisted of senior experts, group presidents, and refinery managers employed in the Tehran Oil Refinery, which numbered 35 people. This study, based on cluster sampling. The Delphi method was used to design and prepare the questionnaire. The questionnaires were used to identify and weigh the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The validity of the questionnaire was verified using Lavshe method and the reliability of the questionnaire was obtained using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which was approved. Identification and analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were performed based on SWOT. In the final analysis, Friedman test was used to determine the significance of each item. All information was analyzed by SPSS software version 18 and the best strategy was determined using a quantitative evaluation matrix. According to the findings of the study, the existence of a strategic plan in the refinery could reduce the pollution from oil refining processes in the Tehran refinery, occupational diseases due to the lack of appropriate protective equipment for Tehran refinery workers. Future development of the plans could reduce pollution from refinery processes in Tehran refinery and destruction of vegetation and land degradation. Strategic management and SWOT approach can be used by using internal capabilities and strengths to exploit foreign opportunities, eliminate internal weaknesses and avoid external threats.</p>

DEFORMATION MECHANISM OF STRUCTURAL BODY COMPRESSION

In order to prepare soil for sowing of agricultural crops it is necessary to have a number of engineering structures that ensure its qualitative treatment and protection from erosion. Modern equipment do not fully meet the whole complex of specified requirements. Application of tillage machinery being used for main soil cultivation is directed on suppression (destruction) of natural vegetation which is considered as the strongest competitor to cultivated plants. From the other side, vegetation on the Earth’s surface plays an important role for reliable protection of soil from erosion. Destruction of vegetation throughout the whole period of crop tending leads to the fact that the remaining cultivated plants are not able to protect soil from erosion by such natural aggressive factors as rain storms and strong winds. As a consequence, processes of soil structure destruction and losses of entire soil strata and its fertility occur in the geographical (landscape) envelope. Thus, equipment for primary and secondary soil tillage exerts double impact: from one side, killing of weeds takes place, and on the other hand, there is destruction (erosion) of soil structure and profiles of its geographical envelope. The soil, in the understanding of the earth, is the perfect place that gives life to plants and organisms, has a fertility. For the last 50 years analytical scope of physical processes occurring in the soil has been extended, physical methods for investigation of soil properties and application of technical equipment for assessment of physical-mechanical soil characteristics have got widespread use. However, there is no summative investigation on soil physics which includes and reveals thermodynamics, electrophysics and nuclear physics of soils. At the same time an integrated approach for studying such complicated object makes it possible to understand important nature of some processes occurring in the soil and to develop practical measures for fertility improvement and erosion reduction. The paper considers problems pertaining to deformation mechanism while forming soil structure and its compression under influence of external loadings: magnetic, electric, physico-chemical, gravitational and thermal fields and working organs of tillage tools.

Analyzing the environmental impacts and potential health challenges resulting from artisanal gold mining in Shango area of Minna, North-Central, Nigeria

The environmental impact and potential health challenges resulting from artisanal mining in Shango area of Minna, North Central Nigeria was put into perspective. The methodology adopted for the research includes field work and laboratory analysis. Results of field observation reveal that mining activity resulted in physical environmental impact such as land degradation, destruction of vegetation, erosion of soils and degrading water quality. Results from the laboratory analyses show that soils are contaminated with elements such as Cu (27.7ppm), Cd (0.6 ppm), Hg (0.62 ppm) and Ag (0.35 ppm) and generally show high status when compared to published standard for upper continental crust. While, Zn (14.8ppm), Ni (7.17ppm), Mn (207ppm), Pb (0.58ppm), As (0.4ppm), Co (0.55ppm), Mo (0.16ppm), and Zr (129.8ppm) are rated low in line with the published standard; other determined elements such as Cr (37.8ppm), Fe (31.1ppm) and Au (0.2ppm) are high. These elements can easily be absorbed by plants and subsequently accumulate in their tissues. When such plants are eventually eaten by man, it may lead to different health problems such as slow growth rate, liver and kidney problem. High concentration of these elements in plant tissues may causes different problems.

Assessment of Ecological Security in Rare Earth Mining Area Based on PSR Model

ABSTRACT Rare earth (RE) mining activities have caused the vegetation destruction, soil erosion, soil desertification and other ecological problems. To quantitatively evaluate the eco-security of the RE mining area, we took Lingbei RE mining area in Dingnan County as study area and used the PSR (Pressure-State-Response) model and AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method to construct its eco-security assessment system which was made up of 3 criterion levels and 10 factors. The results showed that the forest land had the most contribution to the eco-security in the RE mining area, and the tailings produced by RE mining had less; the average value of the eco-security in the mining area increased from 6.99 in 2008 to 7.00 in 2014. The natural growth and reclamation of the vegetation in the mining area could improve the eco-security. Vegetation destruction and exploiting RE would worsen it; mining RE would directly lead to the deterioration of the eco-security.

Climate Change, Cattle-Rearing and Creation of Ranches to Protect the Environment in Southwest, Nigeria

This paper investigates the environmental destructions caused by cattle-grazing in Southwest, Nigeria, challenges associated with herding activities and measures to protect the environment from further destruction. For a qualitative analysis, 10 focus group discussions consisting of 6–10 participants and 4 in-depth interviews were conducted with selected farmers, Fulani herdsmen, and traditional rulers. Data collected were analyzed using content analysis. Respondents reported environmental destruction caused by the cattle-grazing activities of the Fulani herdsmen in the Southwest Nigeria, these range from destruction of crops due to the invasion of farmlands by cattle, destruction of green vegetation, destruction of young seedlings and water pollution. They also identified the challenges associated with the cattle-grazing activities of the herdsmen as lack of trust among the ethnic groups/ethnic stereotyping; suspicion; overgrazing on fallow lands; kidnapping/killing. Finally, the participants made the following suggestions on measures to protect the environment: the creation of cattle ranches; provision of hays/foray for cows' consumption; enlightenment on the danger of open grazing and the advantage of cattle ranches. The paper concludes by highlighting some policy options, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) should sensitize Nigerians on the need for creation of cattle ranches in some parts of the country; the Fulani herders should be educated on how to rear cows without infringing on the right of others; FGN should encourage the provision of hays/foray for cows' consumption and the herdsmen should be compelled to buy this for their cows; and government at all level should enact anti open-grazing law.