Powerline easements: ecological impacts and contribution to habitat fragmentation from linear features

2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya C. Strevens ◽  
Marji L. Puotinen ◽  
Robert J. Whelan
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects ◽  
Habitat Area ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Animal Populations

The ecological effects of roads on plant and animal populations are well recognized. However, very little is known about the magnitude of the effects created by powerline easements. Like roads, powerline easements are ubiquitous in many landscapes, including reserves such as National Parks, which have restricted human activities. Regular mowing of the easements to manage vegetation regrowth creates a stark discontinuity with adjacent natural vegetation. Abrupt transitions such as these contribute to habitat fragmentation and are associated with movement and dispersal inhibition of fauna. We used GIS to estimate the area of direct and indirect effects of powerline easements in a 5735 km2 area of coastal New South Wales, focusing on the potential reduction of habitat area both within and outside reserves. While the area directly replaced by these features is a small percentage of the total landscape (<1%), the upper estimates of direct and indirect effects combined amounted to a substantial portion of habitat (10 103 ha). Further, roads and powerlines combined may affect up to 33 780 ha (8%) of habitat in the study area. Although the overall ecological impact of powerline easements could be reduced by concentrating them in regions of pre-existing fragmentation, in our study area powerlines rarely occurred adjacent to paved roads. For example, in National Parks, only 3% of the habitat area affected by powerlines overlapped with that affected by roads. This study highlights the potential for powerline easements to make a significant contribution to habitat fragmentation, even in the presence of dense road networks, thus calling for greater attention to their ecological impacts and to improved management strategies.

The management of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in the UK Armed Forces

2017 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-205
Author(s):  
O Perigo ◽  
M Khan
Keyword(s):  
Reflux Disease ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Oesophageal Reflux ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects ◽  
Common Presentation ◽  
Oesophageal Reflux Disease ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Medical Policy

AbstractGastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a common presentation to primary care and has large direct and indirect effects on the UK economy. The purpose of this review is to highlight the management strategies for GORD among military personnel in primary and secondary care. Particular emphasis is placed on the outcomes from each form of treatment and the possible impact on deployability, in keeping with current UK military medical policy and guidance.

scholarly journals Assessing the association between pathways of alien plant invaders and their impacts in protected areas

NeoBiota ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Llewellyn C. Foxcroft ◽  
Dian Spear ◽  
Nicola J. van Wilgen ◽  
Melodie A. McGeoch
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Ornamental Plants ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Plant Invaders ◽  
Chi Squared

Protected areas face mounting pressures, including invasion by alien plant species. Scientifically sound information is required to advise invasive species management strategies, where early detection and rapid response is particularly important. One approach to this is to determine: (i) the relative importance of pathways of invasion by which a species is introduced, (ii) the range of likely impacts associated with each species, and (iii) the relationship between pathways and impacts, to assess the relative threats posed by different pathways of alien species introductions. This assessment was performed on 139 alien plants that are invasive across the South African National Parks (19 national parks, covering ~39,000 km2), and based on available literature and expert opinion, known to have negative ecological impacts. For each species the likelihood of being introduced by each of eight pathways, and of having negative impacts in each of 13 identified impact categories, was assessed. The similarity of impact and pathway types between species was assessed using the Jaccard index and cladograms. Differences in the prevalence of impacts and pathways and relationships between these were assessed using a Chi-squared contingency and Generalised Linear Model. Nearly 80% of the species are ornamental plants and about 60% are also dispersed by rivers, highlighting the importance of managing ornamental species and surveillance along rivers in preventing future invasions. As to the impacts, ~95% of the species compete directly with native species and 70% change the physical structure of the environment. The majority of species exert multiple impacts, with 70% of species assessed having five or more impacts. There was a significant positive relationship between the number of pathways via which a species can be introduced into an area and the number of potential impacts they can have. This suggests that species using multiple pathways reach a wider range of suitable habitats, increasing the potential for different kinds of impacts over a wider area.

scholarly journals Assessing the ecological impact of chemical pollution on aquatic ecosystems requires the systematic exploration and evaluation of four lines of evidence

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Backhaus ◽  
Werner Brack ◽  
Paul J. Van den Brink ◽  
Björn Deutschmann ◽  
Henner Hollert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Chemical Pollution ◽  
Risk Modeling ◽  
In Situ Tests ◽  
And Function ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

AbstractThe aim of the European Water Framework Directive is to ensure good ecological status for all European surface waters. However, although current monitoring strategies aim to identify the presence and magnitude of ecological impacts, they provide little information on the causes of an ecosystem impairment. In fact, approaches to establish causal links between chemical pollution and impacts on the ecological status of exposed aquatic systems are largely lacking or poorly described and established. This is, however, crucial for developing and implementing appropriately targeted water management strategies. In order to identify the role of chemical pollution on the ecological status of an aquatic ecosystem, we suggest to systematically combine four lines of evidence (LOEs) that provide complementary evidence on the presence and potential ecological impact of complex chemical pollution: (1) component-based methods that allow a predictive mixture risk modeling; (2) effect-based methods; (3) in situ tests; (4) field-derived species inventories. These LOEs differ systematically in their specificity for chemical pollution, data demands, resources required and ecological relevance. They complement each other and, in their combination, allow to assess the contribution of chemical pollution pressure to impacts on ecological structure and function. Data from all LOEs are not always available and the information they provide is not necessarily consistent. We therefore propose a systematic, robust and transparent approach to combine the information available for a given study, in order to ensure that consensual conclusions are drawn from a given dataset. This allows to identify critical data gaps and needs for future testing and/or options for targeted and efficient water management.

scholarly journals Global occurrence, chemical properties, and ecological impacts of e-wastes (IUPAC Technical Report)

2020 ◽  
Vol 92 (11) ◽  
pp. 1733-1767
Author(s):  
Diane Purchase ◽  
Golnoush Abbasi ◽  
Lieselot Bisschop ◽  
Debashish Chatterjee ◽  
Christian Ekberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flame Retardants ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Electronic Waste ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Primary Concern

AbstractThe waste stream of obsolete electronic equipment grows exponentially, creating a worldwide pollution and resource problem. Electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) comprises a heterogeneous mix of glass, plastics (including flame retardants and other additives), metals (including rare Earth elements), and metalloids. The e-waste issue is complex and multi-faceted. In examining the different aspects of e-waste, informal recycling in developing countries has been identified as a primary concern, due to widespread illegal shipments; weak environmental, as well as health and safety, regulations; lack of technology; and inadequate waste treatment structure. For example, Nigeria, Ghana, India, Pakistan, and China have all been identified as hotspots for the disposal of e-waste. This article presents a critical examination on the chemical nature of e-waste and the resulting environmental impacts on, for example, microbial biodiversity, flora, and fauna in e-waste recycling sites around the world. It highlights the different types of risk assessment approaches required when evaluating the ecological impact of e-waste. Additionally, it presents examples of chemistry playing a role in potential solutions. The information presented here will be informative to relevant stakeholders seeking to devise integrated management strategies to tackle this global environmental concern.

Integrating demographic and genetic studies of the Greater Glider Petauroides volans in fragmented forests: predicting movement patterns and rates for future testing

1999 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. Lindenmayer ◽  
R. C. Lacy ◽  
H. Tyndale-Biscoe ◽  
A. C. Taylor ◽  
K. L. Viggers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
National Parks ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Genetic Structuring ◽  
Genetic Studies ◽  
Genetic Characteristics ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
South Wales

Habitat loss and habitat fragmentation can have major effects on the distribution and abundance of species (Saunders et al. 1987), often in unpredictable ways (Klein 1989; Tilman et al. 1994; Lacy and Lindenmayer 1995; Cunningham and Moritz 1998). An understanding of responses of species, which lead to persistence or extinction in such disturbed systems, is important for the effective management of many taxa in fragmented multi-use landscapes. One way to examine population dynamics in fragmented systems is to analyse the genetic characteristics of subpopulations in remnant habitat patches (Sarre 1995), borrowing from the population genetics literature for the interpretation of key effects. For example, it is well established that a small, completely isolated population will lose genetic variation rapidly due to genetic drift (Lacy 1987). However, loss of genetic variation within, and increasing differentiation between, subpopulations will be counteracted by inter-population dispersal. Theoretical models of metapopulation structure which describe connectivity and stability can be examined using various demographic input parameters. Importantly, such models can also produce predictions for genetic structuring, making the combined use of modelling and empirical genetic data an extremely powerful tool in examining the effects of habitat fragmentation. On this basis, we have recently commenced a series of integrated demographic and genetic studies of the Greater Glider Petauroides volans at Tumut in southern New South Wales. The study area near Tumut in southeastern New South Wales is characterized by an array of remnant patches of eucalypt forest (0.2?125 ha in size) that were created 15?65 years ago by the establishment of an extensive (50 000 ha) plantation of exotic softwood, Radiata Pine Pinus radiata and known as the Buccleuch State Forest (Routley and Routley 1975). Large areas of continuous native eucalypt forest occur at the boundaries of the plantation (Fig. 1), including those within the Brindabella and Kosciuszko National Parks, and the Bondo and Bungongo State Forests.

Decline of the greater glider (Petauroides volans) in the lower Blue Mountains, New South Wales

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Smith ◽  
Judy Smith
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
New South ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects ◽  
Blue Mountains ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Habitat Variables

The range of the greater glider (Petauroides volans) is predicted to contract with climate change. Following indications of a decline in the Blue Mountains, we collated records and undertook surveys in 2015–16 to assess whether a decline has occurred and whether the decline is associated with climate change or other factors. We were unable to relocate greater gliders at 35% of our study sites, even though all were in known former locations. The species is now rare at lower elevations but remains relatively common at higher elevations: about seven times more abundant above 500 m than below. Historical data suggest that in 1986–96 it occurred in similar abundance across all elevations, 80–1060 m. Nine habitat variables accounted for 84% of the variation in greater glider density between our study sites, with significant independent contributions from elevation (37%) and time since fire (23%). We found no evidence that greater gliders have been impacted by increasing numbers of owls or cockatoos or that either the fire regime or rainfall has changed in the last 20 years. The most likely cause of the decline is the direct and indirect effects of a marked increase in temperature in the Blue Mountains. Similar declines are likely throughout the distribution of the species with increasing climate change.

Direct and indirect effects of dynamic social impact

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana M. Binder ◽  
Martin J. Bourgeois ◽  
Christine M. Shea Adams
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects
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