Ecological considerations in constructing marine infrastructure: The Falmouth cruise terminal development, Jamaica

Cruise tourism is an important and expanding global industry. The growth of this sector,coupled with the continuous development of larger cruise ships, creates demands for new marine infrastructure. The development of these marine infrastructures takes place at the intersection of global cruise tourism, dredging and financial networks, and local social economic and civil society networks. In this paper we analyse how the interaction of these global and local networks influences ecosystem based design in marine infrastructure development, taking the Falmouth cruise terminal in Jamaica as case study. Based on this analysis of global and local networks four conditions are identified that enable and stimulate ecosystem based design of marine infrastructures: a shared (discursive) goal connecting global and local actors; brokers that connect different networks; the availability of adequate resources; and an environmental discourse that is materialized in standards and legislation

Combined chemical genetics and data-driven bioinformatics approach identifies receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors as host-directed antimicrobials

Immunogenetics and cellular immunology of bacterial infectious disease

Interactive Effect of UVR and Phosphorus on the Coastal Phytoplankton Community of the Western Mediterranean Sea: Unravelling Eco- Physiological Mechanisms

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Rising nutrient-pulse frequency and high UVR strengthen microbial interactions

Solar radiation and nutrient pulses regulate the ecosystem’s functioning. However, little is known about how a greater frequency of pulsed nutrients under high ultraviolet radiation (UVR) levels, as expected in the near future, could alter the responses and interaction between primary producers and decomposers. In this report, we demonstrate through a mesocosm study in lake La Caldera (Spain) that a repeated (press) compared to a one-time (pulse) schedule under UVR prompted higher increases in primary (PP) than in bacterial production (BP) coupled with a replacement of photoautotrophs by mixotrophic nanoflagellates (MNFs). The mechanism underlying these amplified phytoplanktonic responses was a dual control by MNFs on bacteria through the excretion of organic carbon and an increased top-down control by bacterivory. We also show across a 6-year whole-lake study that the changes from photoautotrophs to MNFs were related mainly to the frequency of pulsed nutrients (e.g. desert dust inputs). Our results underscore how an improved understanding of the interaction between chronic and stochastic environmental factors is critical for predicting ongoing changes in ecosystem functioning and its responses to climatically driven changes.This study was supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (CGL2011-23681 and CGL2015-67682-R to PC), Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Rural, y Marino (PN2009/067 to PC) and Junta de Andalucía (Excelencia projects P09-RNM-5376 and P12-RNM-327 to PC and JMMS, respectively). M.J.C. was supported by the Spanish Government “Formación de Profesorado Universitario” PhD grant (FPU12/01243) and I.D.-G. by the Junta de Andalucía “Personal Investigador en Formación” PhD grant (FPI RNM-5376). This work is in partial fulfillment of the Ph. D. thesis of M.J.C

Greening the construction of marine infrastructure: a governance approach

Greening the construction of marine infrastructure: A governance approachThe (re)development of marine infrastructure has consequences for the natural environment. To reduce these impacts innovative approaches to integrate infrastructure construction and nature are being developed.  These new approaches, such as Building with Nature, require alterations in the governance of marine infrastructural projects. The analysis in this thesis focuses on how different governance settings of marine infrastructural projects affect these innovative approaches. Of specific interest are processes of privatization and globalization.The analysis, guided by the Marine Infrastructural Project Arrangement approach, is based on three marine infrastructural projects: the extension of the port of Rotterdam (Second Maasvlakte), the deepening of the entrance channels of the port of Melbourne and the construction of a cruise terminal in Jamaica.A main conclusion is that processes of globalization and privatization have resulted in a diversity of project arrangements. A consequence of this diversity is that the applicability of innovative, ecosystem based approaches is dependent on the specific governance setting of the marine infrastructural projects. The case studies indicate that the increasing input of private and global actors, rules, resources and discourses has enabling consequences for the diffusion and acceptance of these innovative approaches

Environmental Governance for Marine Infrastructure: Enabling and Constraining Conditions for Ecodynamic Development and Design in Marine Infrastructural Projects

Ports are crucial in the economic growth of the marine sector, but a growing awareness on the adverse ecological implications influences their development. Ecodynamic development and design (EDD) is an innovative approach with the aim to integrate the economic aspects of port development projects with dynamics of marine ecosystems. These projects develop within different governance settings, therefore not only different types of project arrangements develop, but there is also a difference in the possibilities for ecodynamic design. Based on an analysis of 28 port development projects, we distinguish four ideal-typical Marine Infrastructural Project Arrangements (MIPAs): Conventional, Integrated market, External Financier initiated and Private. These arrangements differ from each other on the actors involved, the rules applied, the division of resources and the discourse set. Due to these differences, we formulate enabling and constraining conditions of the project arrangement to incorporate ecodynamic design principles in terms of marine infrastructural projects. The possibilities for EDD in these MIPAs increase if there is space for contractors, consultants and project owners to (co)develop the design. The analysis shows that the ‘Integrated Market’ and ‘Private’ project arrangements are best capable of incorporating EDD port development projects

Building with Nature in Marine Infrastructure: Toward an Innovative Project Arrangement in the Melbourne Channel Deepening Project

Globally, there is an increasing pressure on coastal and marine ecosystems. The development of marine infrastructure is causing additional ecological impacts on these systems. To reduce ecological impacts innovative approaches of marine infrastructure development are being developed. These approaches, such as Building with Nature, aim to integrate ecological and social dynamics in the creation of coastal and marine infrastructure. This integration has implications for the development and management of these projects. To understand opportunities for Building with Nature approaches, this article analyzes the development of the Melbourne Channel Deepening project in Australia that developed from a conventional, state-led project toward a Building with Nature arrangement. This article shows that a Building with Nature project arrangement differs not just substantially in its ecological focus and primacy from a conventional project arrangement, but also in its leading discourse, its actor coalition, its power and resources applied, and the rules of the game through which the project is designed and implemented. We conclude that developing a Building with Nature project requires a specific arrangement that allows for an early involvement of both ecological and social dynamics

Strategic delta planning: launching new ideas on managing a Delta, and their travels along actor coalitions, participatory planning tools and implementation timelines

Guest Editorial. Strategic delta planning: launching new ideas on managing a Delta, and their travels along actor coalitions, participatory planning tools and implementation timelines