Effects of resin harvesting on the status of the Agathis philippinensis population in the Cleopatra's Needle Critical Habitat, the Philippines

In Palawan, the Philippines, a biological hotspot was turned into a protected area, called Cleopatra’s Needle Critical Habitat (CNCH). The most important goals of the CNCH are to conserve the rich endemic biodiversity and to maintain the culture of the Batak, a group of indigenous people who depend on forest resources for their livelihood. As resin extraction from Agathis philippinensis is a key component of the income of the Batak people, it is important to study the scope for sustainable exploitation of this species. This study focused on the effects of resin harvesting on the physical status and mortality of A. philippinensis trees in 15 subpopulations within the CNCH. These population characteristics were related to the intensity of resin harvest and the distance to communities. We found that the physical tree status deteriorated and the proportion of dead trees increased with harvest intensity and proximity to communities. These results indicate that overharvesting of the resource is taking place, which may lead to prolonged recruitment failure and population decline of A. philippinensisin the study area

Membrane Bioreactor–Treated Domestic Wastewater for Sustainable Reuse in the Lake Victoria Region

Lake Victoria is a shared water resource between Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, which is the second largest freshwater lake in the world. It has long since suffered from the consequences of overexploitation of its resources, mainly fish stocks, and increasingly high pollution. The closure of 58% of the fish processing plants (FPPs) is attributed to the declining fish stocks due to overfishing and pollution in particular. The installation and operation of a pilot membrane bioreactor (MBR) in Kisumu, Kenya, adopts an integrated approach by providing an integral, sustainable, cost-effective, and robust solution for water sanitation, which also meets the demand for clean water in the fish processing industry, aquaculture, and irrigation. The innovative system comprises a pilot MBR coupled with a recirculation aquaculture system (RAS). The RAS is able to recirculate 90% to 95% of its water volume; only the water loss through evaporation and drum filter back flushing has to be replaced. To compensate for this water deficit, the MBR treats domestic wastewater for further reuse. Additionally, excess purified water is used for irrigating a variety of local vegetables and could also be used in FPPs. The pilot-scale MBR plant with around 6 m2 submerged commercial polyethersulfone (PES) membranes provides treated water in basic agreement with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) standards for irrigation and aquaculture, showing no adverse effects on tilapia fingerlings production. A novel membrane module with a low-fouling coating is operating stably but has not yet shown improved performance compared to the commercial one. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:942–954. © 2020 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC