Zooplankton biomass, abundance and diversity in a shelf area of Portugal (the Berlenga Marine Natural Reserve).

During November 1997 and May 1998, zooplankton samples were collected with other environmental data along the shelf area of Berlenga marine natural reserve (MNR) (NW Portugal). Copepods contributed > 70 % to the total zooplankton community. In November the dominant species of copepods were Paracalanus parvus, Temora stylifera and Centropages chierchiae with larvaceans and the cladocerans Penilia avirostris also abundant. The meroplankton was dominated by echinoderms. In May the dominant species of copepods were Pseudocalanus elongatus and Acartia clausi, Centropages typicus, and Calanus helgolandicus, with barnacle larvae and the pisces larvae also abundant. The islands influence was represented in the results by the increase in diversity and meroplankton’s relative importance at the sampling stations in the vicinity of the islands

Sustainability assessment in higher education institutions

UID/AMB/04085/2019 UIDP/50017/2020 UIDB/50017/2020This Special Issue "Sustainability Assessment in Higher Education Institutions" provides peer-reviewed research from several geographies and institutions and covering various topics with the broad objective of achieving an assessment of the effectiveness and impact of different implementation dimensions measuring and evaluating how sustainability is being applied in practice. A set of nine papers, covering sustainability education, interdisciplinary teaching, sustainable assessment, governance strategies, commitments and practices, and social responsibility at Higher Education Institutions, contribute significantly to this area of knowledge.publishersversionpublishe

Sustainable development in Portuguese higher education institutions from the faculty perspective

Higher education institutions play a fundamental role and have great responsibility in promoting sustainability and achieving sustainable development goals. It is therefore essential to study the teacher's perceptions of incorporating sustainability since they are responsible for promoting competences and preparing citizens to respond with solutions to future challenges. The aim of this research is to analyse the perceptions of sustainability held by teachers at Portuguese public higher education institutions. A descriptive and exploratory study was conducted by administering an online questionnaire. The sample is made up of 444 teachers from different Portuguese public higher education institutions (54.1% women and 45.9% men). The results show that while most teachers believe higher education institutions promote the integration of sustainability in their activities, only 16% consider that sustainable development is holistically integrated in the institutions' different activities. About 30% of the teachers report that they largely or extensively integrate sustainable development in their curricular units, but only 20% of them state that higher education institutions provide regular or systematic training in SD. Teachers prefer to increase students' sustainable development education through conferences, seminars, or research projects. Almost 90% of teachers are concerned about climate change or the environment, but only 40% or less engage in sustainable development-related activities. Four clusters are also identified, representing teachers' different perceptions of the higher education institutions' promotion of sustainability, teachers' participation in sustainable development issues and concerns about climate change. Although teachers feel that sustainability is starting to be integrated in higher education institutions, this is not done holistically; moreover, differences are found between teachers in polytechnics and universities and between different scientific areas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Are the sustainable development goals being implemented in the Portuguese higher education formative offer?

Purpose. The study aims to examine: (a) the vertical integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) in Portuguese public higher education institutions, namely at the level of undergraduate and master´s degrees, and (b) the extent to which Portuguese higher education institutions are preparing for the United Nations call to promote SDGs. Method. A content analysis of the designations and objectives of the 2556 undergraduate and master’s degrees (in 33 Portuguese public higher education institutions) was made to determine whether they promote at least one sustainable development goal. Findings. The results show that: (a) 198 courses directly address at least one SDG; (b) on average, each higher education institution (HEI) has 6 courses that explicitly address at least one SDG; (c) universities have more courses in SDG areas than polytechnics; (d) more master's degrees embrace SDGs than undergraduate degrees; and (e) most of the courses addressing SDGs are from the social sciences and humanities areas and from natural and environmental sciences. Value. This paper serves to raise the awareness of Portuguese higher education institutions of their role and responsibility in furthering sustainable development goals.publishe

Sustainable development in Portuguese higher education institutions from the faculty perspective

Thanks are due to the following entities: (a) We acknowledge financial support to CESAM by FCT/MCTES (UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020+ LA/P/0094/2020), through national funds; (b) We acknowledge financial support to the Life Quality Research Centre by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (UID/CED/04748/2020), through national funds.Higher education institutions play a fundamental role and have great responsibility in promoting sustainability and achieving sustainable development goals. It is therefore essential to study the teacher's perceptions of incorporating sustainability since they are responsible for promoting competences and preparing citizens to respond with solutions to future challenges. The aim of this research is to analyse the perceptions of sustainability held by teachers at Portuguese public higher education institutions. A descriptive and exploratory study was conducted by administering an online questionnaire. The sample is made up of 444 teachers from different Portuguese public higher education institutions (54.1% women and 45.9% men). The results show that while most teachers believe higher education institutions promote the integration of sustainability in their activities, only 16% consider that sustainable development is holistically integrated in the institutions' different activities. About 30% of the teachers report that they largely or extensively integrate sustainable development in their curricular units, but only 20% of them state that higher education institutions provide regular or systematic training in SD. Teachers prefer to increase students' sustainable development education through conferences, seminars, or research projects. Almost 90% of teachers are concerned about climate change or the environment, but only 40% or less engage in sustainable development-related activities. Four clusters are also identified, representing teachers' different perceptions of the higher education institutions' promotion of sustainability, teachers' participation in sustainable development issues and concerns about climate change. Although teachers feel that sustainability is starting to be integrated in higher education institutions, this is not done holistically; moreover, differences are found between teachers in polytechnics and universities and between different scientific areas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Histological evaluation of the exposure to 3,4-dichloroaniline in the estuarine mysid mesopodopsis slabberi, under experimental conditions

This work presents an experimental approach to test Mesopodopsis slabberi as a potential indicator of pollution. The toxic effects of 3,4-dichloroaniline (DCA) on the histology of this estuarine mysid were studied. After an acclimation period of two days, the mysids were exposed to different sublethal 3,4-DCA concentrations (0.10, 0.30, 0.50, 0.90, 1.00, 1.10, 1.20, 1.30 and 1.40 mg/L), for a period of 48 h. Each concentration had seven replicates, and one control. After the exposure period, organisms were sacrificed and submitted to a standard histological proce- dure with some modifications. Histological effects were analyzed in several tissues and damages were found in organisms exposed to concentrations higher then 0.30 mg/L. Muscular tissue, cuticular lens and gonads were clearly affected by 3,4-DCA, presenting accumulations of this toxic substance and lesions on the structures

A sensory and nutritional comparison of mussels (Mytilus sp.) produced in NW Iberia and in the Armona offshore production area (Algarve, Portugal)

A biometric, nutritional and sensory analysis of raw and cooked mussels comparing Mytilus sp. from the north-west coast of Portugal and Spain (Minho and Galicia, respectively) and the new offshore production site of Armona (Algarve, south Portugal) was carried out. In addition, multiple factorial analysis was performed to explore potential relationships between sensory attributes and nutritional content properties between the different mussels. Results showed that, at similar times of sale, biometrics of mussels from Armona and Vigo were similar and bigger than the remaining. Nonetheless, despite some similarities in proximate composition, mussels presented differences in lipid classes, fatty acid content and free amino acids profiles. These differences were not fully reflected in the sensory assessment by the panel, which were able to distinguish different production sites in raw specimens but displayed problems in discrimination these in cooked mussels. Some nutritional components were related to specific sensory sensations

The impacts of the early outset of the COVID-19 pandemic on climate change research: implications for policy-making

Since January 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the media and exercises pressure on governments worldwide. Apart from its effects on economies, education systems and societies, the pandemic has also influenced climate change research. This paper examines the extent to which COVID-19 has influenced climate change research worldwide during the first wave at the beginning of 2020 and how it is perceived to exploit it in the future. This study utilised an international survey involving those dedicated to climate change science and management research from Academia, Government, NGOs, and international agencies in 83 countries. The analysis of responses encompasses four independent variables: Institutions, Regions, Scientific Areas, and the level of economic development represented by the Human Development Index (HDI). Results show that: (1) COVID-19 modified the way the surveyed researchers work, (2) there are indicators that COVID-19 has already influenced the direction of climate change and adaptation policy implementation, and (3) respondents perceived (explicitly concerning the COVID-19 lockdowns of March-April 2020), that the pandemic has drawn attention away from climate policy. COVID- 19 has influenced the agenda of climate change research for more than half of the respondents and is likely to continue in the future, suggesting that the impacts on their research will still be felt for many years. The paper concludes by outlining critical implications for policy-making

Assessing the impacts of climate change in cities and their adaptive capacity: Towards transformative approaches to climate change adaptation and poverty reduction in urban areas in a set of developing countries

Many cities across the world are facing many problems climate change poses to their populations, communities and infrastructure. These vary from increased exposures to floods, to discomfort due to urban heat, depending on their geographical locations and settings. However, even though some cities have a greater ability to cope with climate change challenges, many struggle to do so, particularly in cities in developing countries. In addition, there is a shortage of international studies which examine the links between climate change adaptation and cities, and which at the same time draw some successful examples of good practice, which may assist future efforts. This paper is an attempt to address this information need. The aim of this paper is to analyse the extent to which cities in a sample of developing countries are attempting to pursue climate change adaptation and the problems which hinder this process. Its goal is to showcase examples of initiatives and good practice in transformative adaptation, which may be replicable elsewhere. To this purpose, the paper describes some trends related to climate change in a set of cities in developing countries across different continents, including one of the smallest capital cities (Georgetown, Guyana) and Shanghai, one the world's most populous cities. In particular, it analyses their degree of vulnerability, how they manage to cope with climate change impacts, and the policies being implemented to aid adaptation. It also suggests the use of transformative approaches which may be adopted, in order to assist them in their efforts towards investments in low-carbon and climate-resilient infrastructure, thereby maximizing investments in urban areas and trying to address their related poverty issues. This paper addresses a gap in the international literature on the problems many cities in developing countries face, in trying to adapt to a changing climate

Reinvigorating the sustainable development research agenda: the role of the sustainable development goals (SDG)

© 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) contain a set of 17 measures to foster sustainable development across many areas. It offers a good opportunity to reinvigorate sustainable development research for two main reasons. First, it comprises many areas of SD research, which have become mainstream thanks to the UN SDGs. Second, the fact that the UN and its member countries have committed to attaining SDGs by 2030 has added a sense of urgency to the need to perform quality research on SD on the one hand, and reiterates the need to use the results of this research on the other. Even though the basic concept of sustainability goes back many centuries, it has only recently appeared on the international political agenda. This is partly due to an awakening of the fact that the human ecological pressure on the planet is still much larger than what nature can renew or compensate for. Based on this state of affairs, this paper presents an outline of the process leading to the agreement on the UN SDGs, and looks at some of the ecological aspects as a result of continued pressure of human activities on natural resources. Furthermore, a set of research needs is proposed–also based holistically on updated research trends–discussing the degree of urgency of some measures and explaining why the UN SDGs need to be accorded greater priority in international sustainable development research efforts