Public opinion on energy crops in the landscape: considerations for the expansion of renewable energy from biomass

Public attitudes were assessed towards two dedicated biomass crops – Miscanthus and Short Rotation Coppice (SRC), particularly regarding their visual impacts in the landscape. Results are based on responses to photographic and computer-generated images as the crops are still relatively scarce in the landscape. A questionnaire survey indicated little public concern about potential landscape aesthetics but more concern about attendant built infrastructure. Focus group meetings and interviews indicated support for biomass end uses that bring direct benefits to local communities. Questions arise as to how well the imagery used was able to portray the true nature of these tall, dense, perennial plants but based on the responses obtained and given the caveat that there was limited personal experience of the crops, it appears unlikely that wide-scale planting of biomass crops will give rise to substantial public concern in relation to their visual impact in the landscape

The effect of the herbicide glyphosate on non-target spiders: Part I. Direct effects on Lepthyphantes tenuis under laboratory conditions

We examined the toxic effects of glyphosate to adult female Lepthyphantes tenuis (Araneae, Linyphiidae), a common spider of agricultural habitats. The overspray technique was used to investigate the effect of the herbicide on forty individuals in each of six glyphosate treatments (2160, 1440, 1080, 720, 360 and 180 g ha−1) and a distilled water control. Spiders collected from the wild were individually placed in exposure chambers and checked every 24 h over a 72-h experimental period. Mortality of L tenuis remained at less than 10% in all treatments at 24 and 48 h after spray application, and only increased marginally (to 13%) after 72 h. These results support other limited data which suggest that glyphosate is ‘harmless’ to non-target arthropods. More extended laboratory testing to investigate any side-effects of glyphosate on the life history of L tenuis and other non-beneficial invertebrates is required

The effect of the herbicide glyphosate on non-target spiders: Part II. Indirect effects on Lepthyphantes tenuis in field margins

We have examined the indirect effect of the herbicide glyphosate on the spider Lepthyphantes tenuis in field margins. Glyphosate was applied to a randomised block design field experiment comprising 360, 720 and 1440 g glyphosate AE ha−1 treatments and an unsprayed control. Spiders were sampled in each month from June to October 1998. Spider abundance was significantly lower in all the treatments than in the unsprayed control. Abundance was also significantly lower in the 720 and 1440 g treatments than in the 360 g treatment. No significant difference could be detected between the 720 and 1440 g treatments. Poisson regression models showed that patterns of decline in L tenuis were related to increasing dead vegetation and decreasing vegetation height. Glyphosate applications only had a within-season indirect habitat effect on L tenuis as field margins sprayed 16 months after an application of 360 g glyphosate ha−1 showed no detrimental effect

The Effects of Different Rates of the Herbicide Glyphosate on Spiders in Arable Field Margins

Volume: 27Start Page: 249End Page: 25

Power and Politics in Marine Spatial Planning

There is growing concern that MSP is not facilitating a paradigm shift towards democratic marine management and that it may simply repackage old power dynamics in the rhetoric of participation. MSP has been advanced using the logic of 'rationality' and 'post-political' forms of planning that emphasise consensus and managerial-technological apparatuses for the governance of socio-political natural spaces. MSP has been described as the rational organization of the use of marine space. Rationality is, however, context dependent and the context of rationality is power. MSP processes are, therefore, arenas where specific and multiple instances of power manifests itself. MSP is also an inherently political (sensu Mouffee, 2005) process. Rather than acknowledging debate and dissensus, MSP is advanced as a neutral, participatory process that can develop win-win outcomes. The result is a choreographed form of governance and participation, with clearly defined roles, processes and acceptable outcomes, which renders invisible the politics of disagreement and legitimises the agendas of dominant actors. This chapter argues that to recapture its democratising potential, MSP requires explicit engagement with power and politics. Document type: Part of book or chapter of boo