Mercury, lead and cadmium concentrations in Talpa occidentalis and in their digeneans of the genus Ityogonimus

Many parasites living in aquatic ecosystems are useful indicators of environmental health. On the other hand, information is scarcer with respect to the use of helminth parasites of vertebrates living in terrestrial ecosystems as monitoring tools for toxic element environmental pollution. The present study evaluates the suitability of the model Talpa occidentalis/Ityogonimus spp. as a bioindicator system for mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) contamination in agricultural soils from Asturias (Spain)

Impacts of local human activities on the Antarctic environment

We review the scientific literature, especially from the past decade, on the impacts of human activities on the Antarctic environment. A range of impacts has been identified at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Chemical contamination and sewage disposal on the continent have been found to be long-lived. Contemporary sewage management practices at many coastal stations are insufficient to prevent local contamination but no introduction of non-indigenous organisms through this route has yet been demonstrated. Human activities, particularly construction and transport, have led to disturbances of flora and fauna. A small number of non-indigenous plant and animal species has become established, mostly on the northern Antarctic Peninsula and southern archipelagos of the Scotia Arc. There is little indication of recovery of overexploited fish stocks, and ramifications of fishing activity oil bycatch species and the ecosystem could also be far-reaching. The Antarctic Treaty System and its instruments, in particular the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and the Environmental Protocol, provide a framework within which management of human activities take place. In the face of the continuing expansion of human activities in Antarctica, a more effective implementation of a wide range of measures is essential, in order to ensure comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment, including its intrinsic, wilderness and scientific values which remains a fundamental principle of the Antarctic Treaty System. These measures include effective environmental impact assessments, long-term monitoring, mitigation measures for non-indigenous species, ecosystem-based management of living resources, and increased regulation of National Antarctic Programmes and tourism activities

A Framework for Establishing Restoration Goals for Contaminated Ecosystems

This article represents 1 of 6 articles in the special series “Restoration of Impaired Ecosystems: An Ounce of Prevention or a Pound of Cure?” The articles result from a Technical Workshop organized by SETAC and the Society for Ecological Restoration, held June 2014 in Jackson, Wyoming, that focused on advancing the practice of restoring ecosystems that have been contaminated or impaired from industrial activities.As natural resources become increasingly limited, the value of restoring contaminated sites, both terrestrial and aquatic, becomes increasingly apparent. Traditionally, goals for remediation have been set before any consideration of goals for ecological restoration. The goals for remediation have focused on removing or limiting contamination whereas restoration goals have targeted the ultimate end use. Here, we present a framework for developing a comprehensive set of achievable goals for ecological restoration of contaminated sites to be used in concert with determining goals for remediation. This framework was developed during a Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) and Society of Ecological Restoration (SER) cosponsored workshop that brought together experts from multiple countries. Although most members were from North America, this framework is designed for use internationally. We discuss the integration of establishing goals for both contaminant remediation and overall restoration, and the need to include both the restoration of ecological and socio-cultural-economic value in the context of contaminated sites. Although recognizing that in some countries there may be regulatory issues associated with contaminants and clean up, landscape setting and social drivers can inform the restoration goals. We provide a decision tree support tool to guide the establishment of restoration goals for contaminated ecosystems. The overall intent of this decision tree is to provide a framework for goal setting and to identify outcomes achievable given the contamination present at a site. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2016;12:264–272. 2015 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC

Detailed plan for the COMET WP3 initial research activity - list of research projects and goals, participants and timing

Detailed plan for the COMET Work Package (WP) 3

Nothing in modern biology makes sense except in the light of ecology and biodiversity conservation

No abstract available

Agriculturización e impactos ambientales en un área representativa de la ecorregión de las pampas, argentina.

Estudos prévios demonstram a existência do processo de agriculturização na ecorregião das Pampas, e o partido de Tandil constitui um exemplo desse processo. Esse trabalho compara as áreas ocupadas pelos distintos usos da terra e seus impactos ambientais na Bacia Superior do Arroio Langueyú e no Partido de Tandil, na qual ela está inserta, em três cortes temporais: 1988, 2002 e 2010. Aplicou-se uma classificação supervisada sobre imagens captadas pelo sensor TM com ajustes realizados no campo. Entre 1988 e 2002, os usos agrícolas têm aumentado significativamente na Bacia (159,5%), enquanto no Partido aumentaram 39,4%. Como conseqüência, os impactos ambientais sobre o meio natural, medidos com indicadores de sustentabilidade, foram mais intensos na Bacia do que no conjunto do Partido. Os resultados obtidos permitem colaborar no desenvolvimento de propostas de gestão ambiental tendentes à sustentabilidade agroecológica.Previous studies have shown the existence of the process of agriculturization in the Ecoregion of the Pampas, and Tandil County is a representative example of the process. This paper compares the areas occupied by different land uses and their environmental impacts in the Upper Basin of the Langueyú Creek and in Tandil County, in which the basin is located, in three points of time: 1988, 2002, and 2010. Supervised classification was applied on images captured by the sensor TM with adjustments to field. Between 1988 and 2010, agricultural uses in the Basin increased significantly (159.5%) while in the County, the agricultural areas increased 39.4%. Consequently, the environmental impacts on the environment, measured by sustainability indicators, were more intense in the Basin than in the County as a whole. The results allow collaborate in the development of environmental management proposals aimed at agroecological sustainability.Des études préalables démontrent l’existence d’un processus d’agriculturization dans l’écorégion des Pampas, et le département de Tandil constitue un exemple de ce processus. Ce travail compare des zones occupées par des différents usages de la terre et ses impacts environnementaux dans le Bassin Supérieur du Ruisseau Langueyú et dans le département de Tandil, où elle s’insère, dans trois périodes de temps: 1988, 2002 et 2010. On a appliqué une classification supervisée par des images captées avec le senseur TM et des ajustements réalisé sur le terrain. Entre 1988 et 2002, des usages agricoles ont augmenté considérablement dan le Bassin (159,5%), alors que l’augmentation dans tout le département a été de 39,4%. En conséquence, les impacts environnementaux sur le milieu naturel, mesurés avec des indicateurs de durabilité, ont été plus intenses dans le Bassin que dans la totalité du département. Les résultats obtenues permettent de collaborer dans le développement de propositions de gestion environnemental tendent à durabilité agroécologique.Estudios previos demuestran la existencia del proceso de agriculturización en la Ecorregión de las Pampas y el partido de Tandil constituye un ejemplo del proceso. Este trabajo, compara las áreas ocupadas por distintos usos de la tierra y sus impactos ambientales en la Cuenca Superior del Arroyo Langueyú y en el partido de Tandil, en el cual se haya inserta, en tres cortes temporales: 1988, 2002 y 2010. Se aplicó una clasificación supervisada sobre imágenes captadas por el sensor TM con ajustes realizados a campo. Entre 1988 y 2010, los usos agrícolas aumentaron significativamente en la Cuenca (159,5%), mientras que en el Partido 39,4%. En consecuencia, los impactos ambientales sobre el medio natural, medidos con indicadores de sustentabilidad, fueron más intensos en la Cuenca que en el Partido en su conjunto. Los resultados obtenidos permiten colaborar en el desarrollo de propuestas de gestión ambiental tendientes a la sustentabilidad agroecológica.Fil: Vazquez, Patricia Susana. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Humanas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Zulaica, Maria Laura. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

The decline of diadromous fish in Western Europe inland waters: mains causes and consequence

Relative to the overwhelming information available on marine fisheries, inland systems have received less attention within the global fisheries crisis. The present situation however, raises serious concerns and this chapter is an attempt to summarize the status of Western European inland fisheries focused on some of the most valuable species targeted in Western Europe: diadromous fishes, including shads, salmonids and the European eel. These species have been reported to be declining over the last decades and the underlying causes appear to be related with human impact on habitat, water quality deterioration, river regularizations, introduction of invasive species, and overexploitation whereas the effects of climate change are still under debate. Overall, these species not only have economic importance but also play fundamental ecological roles in inland aquatic habitats including nutrient cycling, trophic dynamics and overall productivity. Consequently, a decline of migratory fish populations may have important direct and future consequences on the economy. Nevertheless, it also means that fewer species are present to perform critical functions and the consequences may be severe when species with disproportionately influence on biogeochemical cycles, energy fluxes and trophic dynamics are lost. In view of this, the sustainable future of inland fisheries will certainly include a compromise with biodiversity maintenance. Since for different species and types of habitat the major impacts differ, some case studies are examined and management proposals are discussed

Anthropic pressures on Nature 2000 Sites: recommendations and monitoring criteria for the pollution emergency response activities within the Orbetello lagoon

L’elevato valore naturalistico e socioeconomico di un Sito Natura 2000 richiede che tutte le attività antropiche che si svolgono al suo interno (es. pesca, turismo, trasporti, attività industriali, etc.) siano gestite in maniera tale da non pregiudicare le specie e gli habitat per i quali l’area è stata designata. Molti di questi Siti sono ambienti di transizione, ovvero zone che costituiscono il passaggio naturale tra terra e mare. La loro posizione di interfaccia tra questi due ambienti li rende ecosistemi unici e biologicamente molto produttivi, sede di meccanismi di regolazione dei processi interattivi della biosfera nelle due fasi, terrestre e marina. In alcuni Siti la presenza di attività antropiche diffuse e prolungate nel tempo ha portato al riscontro di stati di contaminazione elevata, fino all’inclusione di queste zone, o parti di esse, tra i Siti di bonifica di Interesse Nazionale (SIN). Il presente lavoro descrive le linee di indirizzo e le attività di monitoraggio da attuare per la salvaguardia della salute pubblica e dell’ambiente nel corso degli interventi di messa in sicurezza di emergenza predisposti nell’area lagunare antistante l’area industriale Ex Sitoco, all’interno della perimetrazione del SIN di Orbetello, incluso in un Sito di Importanza Comunitaria. Le matrici ambientali potenzialmente a rischio a causa dell’esecuzione di tali interventi sono: acqua, sedimento, biocenosi acquatiche, avifauna, uomo. È altresì importante valutare gli effetti che le ipotetiche modifiche su microscala, apportate a livello di ogni matrice, potrebbero causare nel lungo periodo su macroscala.The high naturalistic and socio-economic value of Natura 2000 sites requires that all human activities performed within their borders (e.g. fishing, tourism, transports, industrial activities) are regulated. Indeed, the site management should assure the effective safeguard of all species and habitats of European interest included in the protected area. A lot of such sites are located in transitional environments, that are areas characterised by a natural progression from the terrestrial to the water environments. Such environments include unique and very productive habitats, and they represent the regulation mechanisms of the interactive processes of the terrestrial and marine biosphere. In some sites, the presence of human activities that are distributed both in space and time has led to high levels of contamination, that in some cases even required their inclusion in Reclamation Sites of National Interest (SIN). The present study describes the planning and monitoring activities to be performed in order to safeguard human and environment health during the actions of MISE in the lagoonal area in front of the industrial area Ex Sitoco, within the borders of the Orbetello SIN, included in a SCI. The environmental parameters that are potentially at risk due to such activities are: water, sediment, water biocenosis, birds, humans. Furthermore, it is important to evaluate the effects that potential variations at the microscale level may cause at the macroscale level