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This book contains the principles a municipal government should consider before developing a citywide sanitation strategy. In this context, this strategy refers to a city's strategic mid-term sanitation development plan, which incorporates vision, missions, objectives and targets as well as specific strategies to improve sanitation services. Chapter one starts with an introduction of the background, objectives, concept, and the process of a city sanitation development, followed by a description of the position of the citywide sanitation strategy within the sanitation development planning process. The remaining chapters describe the steps to develop a citywide sanitation strategy. Chapter's two to six explain the five major steps of the process: a) establishing a working group, b) city sanitation mapping, c) defining a sanitation development framework, d) preparing a strategy for sanitation services development, and e) preparing a strategy for development of non-technical aspects. Finally, chapter seven concludes the book with a series of follow-up activities for implementation upon approval of the citywide sanitation strategy.

This research was undertaken for the Marine Biodiversity Hub, a collaborative partnership supported through funding from the Australian Government's National Environmental Research Program (NERP). PB was the recipient of a scholarship for international fees during the course of this work. SN publishes with permission of the Chief Executive Officer, Geoscience Australia. ; The conservation of marine biodiversity is firmly embedded in national and international policy frameworks. However, the difficulties associated with conducting broad-scale surveys of oceanic environments restrict the evidence base available for applied management in pelagic waters. For example, the Oceanic Shoals Australian Marine Park (AMP) was established in 2012 in a part of Australia's continental shelf where unique topographic features are thought to support significant levels of biodiversity, yet where our understanding of ecological processes remains limited. We deployed mid-water baited remote underwater video systems (mid-water BRUVS) in the Oceanic Shoals AMP to provide the first non-extractive baseline assessment of pelagic wildlife communities in the area. We used these observations and high-resolution multibeam swaths of the seafloor to explore potential relationships between prominent geomorphological features and the (i) composition, (ii) richness, and (iii) relative abundance of pelagic communities. We documented 32 vertebrate species across three sampling areas, ranging from small baitfish to large sharks and rays, and estimated that up to nearly twice as many taxa may occur within the region as a whole. This highlights the Oceanic Shoals AMP as a reservoir of biodiversity comparable to other documented offshore oceanic hotspots. Our results also confirm the AMP as a possible distant foraging destination for IUCN red listed sea turtles, and a potential breeding and/or nursing ground for a number of charismatic cetaceans. Model outputs indicate that both species richness and abundance increase in proximity to raised geomorphic structures such as submerged banks and pinnacles, highlighting the influence of submarine topography on megafauna distribution. By providing a foundational understanding of spatial patterns in pelagic wildlife communities throughout a little studied region, our work demonstrates how a combination of non-destructive sampling techniques and predictive models can provide new opportunities to support decision-making under data shortage. ; Publisher PDF ; Peer reviewed

The paper addresses how critical the supply of irrigation water is, due to the overexploitation of underground natural water reservoirs during the seventies and eighties. Different land use patterns are described, as well as the different amounts of water which they demand. Besides, the article analyzes the economic indicators of the typical farm units in «La Mancha». After examining those indicators and the corresponding farm budgets within the Common Agricultural Policy framework, the paper advances lists of sustainahle, both profitable and environmentally respectful, crops. ; Repercusiones de la sobreexplotación de acuíferos y de la PAC en la sustentabilidad de la agricultura manchega. El agua subterránea era un recurso abundante en La Mancha occidental hasta comienzos de los años ochenta de nuestro siglo. A partir de esa fecha, diversos factores han incidido en la sobreexplotación del acuífero 23, causando importantes impactos ecológicos y socio-económicos. En este artículo se repasa la evolución de los aprovechamientos del agua en relación con las transformaciones de los usos del suelo. Por otra parte, se analizan los indicadores económicos de las explotaciones agrícolas más frecuentes en La Mancha occidental. Una vez comparados los índices y balances económicos en el marco de las directrices que marcan las políticas agrarias vigentes, se recomiendan los cultivos alternativos más rentables y más respetuosos con el ambiente. [fr] Répercussions de la surexploitation des aquiferes et de la PAC dans la soutenabilité de l'agriculture «manchega». L'exploitation des eaux souterraines dans La Mancha n'a pas posé des problemes jusqu'au commencement de la décade des 80s. Depuis ce moment, malgré l'avertissement des plusiers groupes, Je surexploitation des aquiferes est un fact constatable. Nous étudions quelq'uns de facteurs de ce change et les usages du sol correspondants a ses différents étapes.

A riveting portrait of a rural Pennsylvania town at the center of the fracking controversy. Shale gas extraction - commonly known as fracking - is often portrayed as an energy revolution that will transform the American economy and geopolitics. But in greater Williamsport, Pennsylvania, fracking is personal. Up to Heaven and Down to Hell is a vivid and sometimes heartbreaking account of what happens when one of the most momentous decisions about the well-being of our communities and our planet-whether or not to extract shale gas and oil from the very land beneath our feet-is largely a private choice that millions of ordinary people make without the public's consent.The United States is the only country in the world where property rights commonly extend "up to heaven and down to hell," which means that landowners have the exclusive right to lease their subsurface mineral estates to petroleum companies. Colin Jerolmack spent eight months living with rural communities outside of Williamsport as they confronted the tension between property rights and the commonwealth. In this deeply intimate book, he reveals how the decision to lease brings financial rewards but can also cause irreparable harm to neighbors, to communal resources like air and water, and even to oneself.Up to Heaven and Down to Hell casts America's ideas about freedom and property rights in a troubling new light, revealing how your personal choices can undermine your neighbors' liberty, and how the exercise of individual rights can bring unintended environmental consequences for us all

El títol de la versió postprint d'aquest article és: 'Fast methodology for the determination of a broad set of antibiotics and some of their metabolites in seafood' ; The presence of antibiotics in seafood for human consumption may pose a risk for consumers. A methodology for the analysis of antibiotics in seafood based on QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) extraction, followed by detection and quantification using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry was developed. The analytical method was evaluated for the determination of 23 antibiotics (including parent compounds and some metabolites) in fish, mussels and clams. Recoveries ranged between 30% and 70% for most of the compounds and method detection and quantification limits (MDLs and MQLs) were between 0.01 and 0.31 ng/g dry weigh (dw) and 0.02–1.03 ng/g (dw) respectively. Real seafood samples were analysed using this method. Nine antibiotics were found at levels above MDLs; however none of them exceed the maximum residue limits (MRL) established by the authorities. Tetracycline was the most ubiquitous compound, presenting also the highest concentration: 5.63 ng/g (dw) in fish from Netherlands. In addition, an alternative technique based on microbial growth inhibition was explored as semiquantitative detection method of antibiotics in seafood. This methodology c ould be applied as a fast screening technique for the detection of macrolides and β-lactams in seafood but further research is needed for other antibiotics families ; The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under the ECsafeSEAFOOD project (grant agreement n° 311820) and the SEA-on-a-CHIP project (grant agreement no. 614168). It has been co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This work has also been partly funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya (Consolidated Research Groups 2014-SGR-291-Catalan Institute for Water Research 2014 ...

Uninhibited drafting and plummeting groundwater levels have entailed a slew of eco-environmental and socio-economic crises across vast swathes of South Asia, leading to social turmoil over the demand-supply gap in the irrigation sector. We adopted a mixed-method approach, combining systematic bibliometric assessment with contextual analysis, to highlight to the regional water authorities (RWAs) the core tenets of groundwater markets (GWMs), already operating in various capacities and forms in different parts of South Asia, as a potential option to address the crisis. GWMs, occurring along a farmer-water-irrigation continuum, have mixed impacts on groundwater-dependent socio-ecologies, ranging from beneficial to counter-productive. Given the dire projections of groundwater depletion in the near future and the inadequacy of the state machineries to meet surging irrigation demand, a critical policy question that we approached in this narrative was: Can GWMs be institutionalized as a regulatory tool for 'supply-side' management of irrigation resources? To that end, we helped RWAs grow a deeper understanding of the complexity and interdisciplinarity associated with the vast network of actors and agencies interlocked within GWMs. By the same token, we urged the RWAs to consider a collective space—potentially in the form of a groundwater users' association (GWUA)—as a prerequisite to imagining GWMs in an institutional mould. We present a critique of current world experiences with GWUAs and reflect on the socio-environmental barriers to establishing a functional GWUA. We outline tentative means for RWAs to build credibility and increase acceptability of GUWAs at the grassroots, including capacity building, value-based standard operating procedures and harnessing solidarity and social responsibility. In conclusion, we offer RWAs a simple system of a 'reality' check, to evaluate the ground conditions and feasibility of contemplating GWMs in the first place.

Nitrate leaching losses from arable lands into groundwater were a main driver in designating Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) according to the Nitrates Directive, with a view to enhancing their water quality. Despite this, developing common strategies for effective water quality control in these areas remains a challenge in the European Union. This paper evaluates the performance of the Random Forest (RF) machine learning algorithm combined with Feature Selection (FS) techniques in predicting nitrate pollution in NVZs groundwater bodies in different periods and using updated environmental features in Andalusia, Spain. A set of forty-four features extrinsic to groundwater bodies were used as environmental predictors, with an aim to make this methodology exportable to other regions. Phenological features obtained through remote-sensing techniques were included to measure the dynamics of agricultural activity. In addition, other dynamic features derived from weather and livestock effluents were included to analyse seasonal and interannual changes in nitrate pollution. Three feature stacks and two nitrate databases were used in the predictive modelling: Period 1 (2009), with 321 nitrate samples for training; Period 2 (2010), with 282 nitrate samples for validation and initial spatial prediction; and Period 3 (2017), to assess the changes in the probability of groundwater nitrate content exceeding 50 mg/L. Random Forest as a wrapper with four sequential search methods was considered: sequential backward selection (SBS), sequential forward selection (SFS), sequential forward floating selection (SFFS) and sequential backward floating selection (SBFS). From among all the Feature Selection methods applied, Random Forest with SFS had the best performance (overall accuracy = 0.891 and six predictor features) and linked the highest probability of nitrate pollution with three dynamic features: the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) base level, NDVI value for the end of the growing season and accumulated manure production of livestock farms; and three static features: slope, sediment depositional areas and valley depth.

INTRODUCTION: Household contacts of cholera cases are at a greater risk of Vibrio cholerae infection than the general population. There is currently no agreed standard of care for household contacts, despite their high risk of infection, in cholera response strategies. In 2018, hygiene kit distribution and health promotion was recommended by Médecins Sans Frontières for admitted patients and accompanying household members on admission to a cholera treatment unit in the Democratic Republic of Congo. METHODS: To investigate the effectiveness of the intervention and risk factors for cholera infection, we conducted a prospective cohort study and followed household contacts for 7 days after patient admission. Clinical surveillance among household contacts was based on self-reported symptoms of cholera and diarrhoea, and environmental surveillance through the collection and analysis of food and water samples. RESULTS: From 94 eligible households, 469 household contacts were enrolled and 444 completed follow-up. Multivariate analysis suggested evidence of a dose-response relationship with increased kit use associated with decreased relative risk of suspected cholera: household contacts in the high kit-use group had a 66% lower incidence of suspected cholera (adjusted risk ratio (aRR) 0.34, 95% CI 0.11 to 1.03, p=0.055), the mid-use group had a 53% lower incidence (aRR 0.47, 95% CI 0.17 to 1.29, p=1.44) and low-use group had 22% lower incidence (aRR 0.78, 95% CI 0.24 to 2.53, p=0.684), compared with household contacts without a kit. Drinking water contamination was significantly reduced among households in receipt of a kit. There was no significant effect on self-reported diarrhoea or food contamination. CONCLUSION: The integration of a hygiene kit intervention to case-households may be effective in reducing cholera transmission among household contacts and environmental contamination within the household. Further work is required to evaluate whether other proactive localised distribution among patients and case-households or to households surrounding cholera cases can be used in future cholera response programmes in emergency contexts.

INTRODUCTION: Household contacts of cholera cases are at a greater risk of Vibrio cholerae infection than the general population. There is currently no agreed standard of care for household contacts, despite their high risk of infection, in cholera response strategies. In 2018, hygiene kit distribution and health promotion was recommended by Médecins Sans Frontières for admitted patients and accompanying household members on admission to a cholera treatment unit in the Democratic Republic of Congo. METHODS: To investigate the effectiveness of the intervention and risk factors for cholera infection, we conducted a prospective cohort study and followed household contacts for 7 days after patient admission. Clinical surveillance among household contacts was based on self-reported symptoms of cholera and diarrhoea, and environmental surveillance through the collection and analysis of food and water samples. RESULTS: From 94 eligible households, 469 household contacts were enrolled and 444 completed follow-up. Multivariate analysis suggested evidence of a dose-response relationship with increased kit use associated with decreased relative risk of suspected cholera: household contacts in the high kit-use group had a 66% lower incidence of suspected cholera (adjusted risk ratio (aRR) 0.34, 95% CI 0.11 to 1.03, p=0.055), the mid-use group had a 53% lower incidence (aRR 0.47, 95% CI 0.17 to 1.29, p=1.44) and low-use group had 22% lower incidence (aRR 0.78, 95% CI 0.24 to 2.53, p=0.684), compared with household contacts without a kit. Drinking water contamination was significantly reduced among households in receipt of a kit. There was no significant effect on self-reported diarrhoea or food contamination. CONCLUSION: The integration of a hygiene kit intervention to case-households may be effective in reducing cholera transmission among household contacts and environmental contamination within the household. Further work is required to evaluate whether other proactive localised distribution among patients and ...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to explore the spatial heterogeneity of the retention of PFS in children aged 7–9 years in Shanxi Province, North China and investigate the risk factors associated with PFS retention. METHODS: In this study, 937 children aged 7–9 years from Shanxi Province, China were randomly selected, all of whom had at least one first permanent tooth sealed with PFS in 2016. The children were surveyed after 12 months (in 2017) and 24 months (in 2018). The Geo-detector model was used to explore the spatial heterogeneity of the retention rate of PFS and analyze the influence and interactions of the ecological factors on PFS. RESULTS: 3299 teeth from 937 children were analyzed. The PFS full retention rates after 12 months (in 2017) and 24 months (in 2018) were 81.6% and 75.1%, respectively. The incidence of caries of the first molar was 2.1% after 12 months and 5.4% after 24 months. The spatial heterogeneity of the PFS retention rate after 24 months was significant, which was shown as the retention rate of PFS increased from north to south after 24 months. Remarkably, the natural environmental factors exerted greater influence than the socioeconomic and medical resources factors after 12 months, where the interaction of fluorine in water (FW) had the strongest explanatory power of 52% (P < 0.05). The medical resources were important ecological factors after 24 months, and the percentage of medical technicians (PMT) had the strongest explanatory power of 70% (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The natural environmental factors and medical resources factors are important ecological factors determining the spatial pattern. The government should strengthen medical and technician construction in North China, comprehensively control fluoride in water, optimize the allocation of medical resources, and promote the balanced development of regional medicine.

Eco-restoration initiative work in the high altitude Dayara pastureland (3501 m) from the Indian Himalayan Region has been considered to be one of the successful field demonstration against both natural and anthropogenic degradation. The present study therefore attempts to assess the implications of entire eco-restoration model as practiced by Department of Forest, Government of Uttarakhand in 2019. Its assessment was done by calculating restoration success index by way of considering three categories, viz., direct management measure (M), environmental desirability (E) and socio-economic feasibility (SE) considering 22 individual variables. 'M' comprised both biotic and abiotic pressures. Grazing and tourism were biotic, while abiotic pressure was considered mainly soil erosion in alpine area due to topographic fragility. Above ground vegetation profile and below ground soil nutrient profile (N, P, K, pH and water holding capacity) were analyzed in 'E' component. In the last but not least, 'SE' was analyzed to assess the social acceptability of the local communities and stakeholders who are supposed to be ultimate beneficiary of alike interventions. Direct management measure was found with the variable index score of 0.8 indicating the higher score as compared to environmental desirability (0.56). Under direct management measure, grazing and tourists' carrying capacity of the area was analyzed with high management needs to call the region sustainable in terms of availability of bio-resources. The ecosystem index score was evaluated for the reference (81.94), treated (64.5) and untreated zones (52.03), wherein increasing profile of these values were found. The outcomes like improved vegetation profile in terms of total herb density, soil nutrient profile of the restored area along with soil pH (4.96) and water holding capacity (49.85%) were found to be restored significantly along with controlling 169.64 tonne year(-1) soil erosion from draining. The assessment of grazing pattern of 118 migratory Cow Unit (CU) ...

The economic system of Thailand is predicated on cooperation between parties that are affected by economic decisions, partnerships between public and private entities, and robust relationships in the local community to foster sustainable development. Economic development in Thailand is managed by the community and government with support from the business sector. The economic system of Thailand aims to balance three conceptual pillars that can be described as 'social, economic, and environmental' dimensions. However, there is a lack of tools for data analysis and the evaluation of community well-being and economic functioning that can be applied to all relevant situations independent of external factors. In this paper, these authors produced an information analysis and evaluation model of the local economy (IAEM) that is based on the application of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Data were collected using a questionnaire that was evaluated by experts regarding the project's capacity to meet economic, social, and environmental development goals according to the SEP for SDGs, which demonstrated a reliability of 0.88. For our statistical analysis, Multiple Linear Regression Analysis, Decision Matrix Analysis, K-Means, Percentage, and Average were performed for the analysis of data. The results showed that the SEP has a significant relationship to the SDGs at 89.60% (R(2) = 0.896, p < 0.001). IAEM provides a framework for analysis and evaluation of the local economy in six clusters that consist of water resources (WAT), human capacities and capabilities (HUM), economic stability (ECO), healthy communities (HEA), climate change (CLI), and the agricultural sector (AGR). Our results indicate that the IAEM can be used for the analysis and evaluation of the sustainability of a local economy based on the three pillars. The IAEM can be applied to policies and projects in sustainable development at each level of the local economy based on the SEP in a partnership with ...

Change in Climate is one of the major global environmental glitches threatening the survival of the entire human race. It is a global threat with serious negative results on agriculture, natural ecosystem, water supply, health, soil and atmosphere, which are all elements that institute the support for long term sustainability of life on earth. The variation in climate parameters affect different sectors of the economy such as agriculture, health, water, resources, energy etc. this main cause of climate change has been attributed to human activities. This study describes the socio-economic characteristics and examines the determinants of climate change adaptation strategies used by IFAD-VCDP farmers in the study area. The results of the study are expected to give direction for policy makers in designing appropriate policies to increase climate adaptation measure in Wushishi LGA. It will provide a useful guide to international and local donor agencies interested in climate adaptation in their provision of grants and funds for environmental and resource management studies Researchers will also find the outcome of the study relevant in a bid to expand the frontiers of knowledge A multi-stage sampling procedure used used to select 12(1 rice farmers from a total of 173 rice farmers in the LGA using the Yamane's formula at 5% limit or tolerable error. The farmers were male, married and have a mean age of 34 years The years of farming experience was 23 years. The majority of the farmers cultivate less than five hectare as reveal by a mean farm size of 1.04ha. The result from the multinomial logit revealed that farm income, the number of years in school and years in farming were positively significant. Income from farm activities and years informing were positively significant and had positive marginal effect on probability of choosing and using various adaptation strategies while household size was negatively significant. It is therefore recommended that government provide basic amenities such as hospital, market and credit facilities.

A growing awareness of environmental concerns is attracting increasing attention to the problem of underwater noise pollution and its effects. Several studies have demonstrated that anthropogenic ambient noise has a serious adverse impact on the health of marine biosystems and their fauna. In this scenario, governments and public administrations have started to take action; for instance, the European Parliament has defined a framework for community action in marine environmental policy through Directive 2008/56/EC and further documents, in which measuring underwater noise levels along European coasts and creating noise maps were identified as preliminary tasks necessary to establish the extent of the problem and to define further corrective actions. At the same time, it is recommend the use of propagation models to strengthen the analyses by "addressing the bias introduced by the variability of the spatial distribution of human pressure, and by the natural variability of the environment" as well as to extend the results to larger areas due to the impracticality of making measurements at all points. Present work carries out a study of the methodologies for the creation of underwater noise maps in shallow waters, proposing a practical solution for the evaluation of the specific environment of the ría de Vigo (42º 14.5'N, 8º 43.4'W). The selected environment stands out for being an area of great density and variety of traffic, with the port of Vigo as a world reference. It's a shallow water area (<45m) with more complex propagation characteristics (multipath, influence of bathymetry, influence of the bottom, etc.) and less historically investigated than deep waters. However, the solutions presented are easily exportable to deep water environments where the mechanisms of sound propagation are simplified. That is why the methodologies used during this project, despite being adjusted to a specific environment, can be considered generic in terms of validity and execution possibilities. Firstly, we will study the ...

Cover crops are considered to be beneficial for multiple ecosystem services, and they have been widely promoted through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the EU and Farm Bill Conservation Title Programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), in the USA. However, it can be difficult to decide whether the beneficial effects of cover crops on some ecosystem services are likely to outweigh their harmful effects on other services, and thus to decide whether they should be promoted by agricultural policy in specific situations. We used meta-analysis to quantify the effects of cover crops on five ecosystem services (food production, climate regulation, soil and water regulation, and weed control) in arable farmland in California and the Mediterranean, based on 326 experiments reported in 57 publications. In plots with cover crops, there as 13% less water, 9% more organic matter and 41% more microbial biomass in the soil, 27% fewer weeds, and 15% higher carbon dioxide emissions (but also more carbon stored in soil organic matter), compared to control plots with bare soils or winter fallows. Cash crop yields were 16% higher in plots that had legumes as cover crops (compared to controls) but 7% lower in plots that had non-legumes as cover crops. Soil nitrogen content was 41% lower, and nitrate leaching was 53% lower, in plots that had non-legume cover crops (compared to controls) but not significantly different in plots that had legumes. We did not find enough data to quantify the effects of cover crops on biodiversity conservation, pollination, or pest regulation. These gaps in the evidence need to be closed if cover crops continue to be widely promoted. We suggest that this novel combination of multiple meta-analyses for multiple ecosystem services could be used to support multi-criteria decision making about agri-environmental policy.