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Environmental Management 

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An Assessment of Southeast United States Headwater Tidal Creek Sediment Contamination Over a Twenty-Year Period in Relation to Coastal Development
01. November 2023
Abstract Headwater tidal creeks are a primary link between estuarine and upland habitats, serving as conduits for runoff. They are sentinel habitats, providing early warning of potential harm, thus ideal systems to evaluate the effects of coastal suburban and urban development on environmental quality. Estuarine sediments have concentrations of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) that are associated with human activity. High concentrations of contaminants can impair...
Informal E-Waste Flows in Montréal: Implications for Extended Producer Responsibility and Circularity
01. November 2023
Abstract Environmental agencies around the world have adopted policies to manage e-waste and reduce the negative environmental impacts associated with its collection, sorting, dismantling, and recycling. In many OECD countries, where adequate policies and processing technologies exist, those who manage extended producer responsibility programs claim performance challenges due to competition from various actors collecting and managing e-waste “under the radar”. While the material and economic losses attributed to such informal activities have been estimated by...
Stream Habitats and Aquatic Communities in an Agricultural Watershed: Changes Related to a Mandatory Riparian Buffer Law
01. November 2023
Abstract Riparian buffers along streams can intercept eroding soils, contaminants, and nutrients, improving stream habitats and increasing the health of aquatic communities. Instream and riparian habitats and fish and benthic invertebrate communities were surveyed in a Minnesota stream draining an agricultural watershed before and after implementation of a state-mandated buffer law passed in 2014 and aimed at protecting water quality. Intensive habitat assessments, electrofishing, and benthic invertebrate sampling were used at the same 13 sites in 2005 and 2018. Average...
Roles for Wildlife in the Development of Place Meanings Ascribed to a Protected Area
01. November 2023
Abstract Wildlife play prominent roles in popular images of America’s outdoor landscapes, yet our understanding of their contribution to place meanings is not fully developed. Although environmental management agencies have a long history of stewarding wildlife for hunting and fishing, they have been less inclined to prioritize non-consumptive uses such as the contribution of wildlife to sense of place. Given that agencies are increasingly challenged to implement policies that align with citizen priorities, connecting wildlife to sense of place could lead to more...
Gaps and Challenges in Harnessing the Benefits and Opportunities of Indigenous Certification for a Sustainable Communal Commercial Lobster Fishery
01. November 2023
Abstract The Marshall Decision of Canada’s Supreme Court inspired the Mi’kmaq in the 1700s regarding recognizing fishing rights to the Mi’kmaq communities. Despite this recognition, the Mi’kmaq communities did not have access to commercial fisheries due to the denial of absolute recognition of territories and rights and underrepresentation and participation in resource allocation, governance, and decision-making processes. A potential approach to these issues is the development of third-party Indigenous community-based sustainability certification standards for...
Public Attitudes Toward Policy Instruments for Flood Risk Management
01. November 2023
Abstract Effective flood risk management (FRM) requires a mix of policy instruments that reduces, shares, and manages flood risk. The social acceptability of these policy instruments—the degree of public support or opposition to their use—is an important consideration when designing an optimal mix to achieve FRM objectives. This paper examines public attitudes toward FRM policy instruments based on a national survey of Canadians living in high-risk areas. Respondents were asked their views on flood maps, disaster assistance, flood insurance, flood risk disclosure...
Environmental effects of a management method used after fire on development of temperate Scots pine ecosystem: a 15-year study from Poland
01. November 2023
Abstract Due to the ongoing climate changes, temperate forests are increasingly exposed to fires. However, until now the functioning of post-fire temperate forest ecosystems with regard to used forest management method has been weakly recognized. Here, we examined three variants of forest restoration after fire (two variants of natural regeneration with no soil preparation—NR, and artificial restoration by planting following soil preparation—AR) regarding their environmental consequences in development of post-fire Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) ecosystem. The study...
Private Landowners’ Perspectives on Feral Swine and Regulation—Evidence from Arkansas, Louisiana, and East Texas
01. November 2023
Abstract Feral swine (FS) (Sus scrofa) are an invasive species that has spread widely across the southern United States, including the West Gulf region. With their rapidly increasing population, they have caused severe damage to landowners. To better understand private landowners’ knowledge and attitudes toward FS, we conducted a mail survey in the West Gulf region including Arkansas, Louisiana, and East Texas in 2021. The results indicated that the majority of landowners are familiar with, have overall negative opinions of, and are concerned about the presence and...
Investigating the Role of Goals and Motivation on Waste Separation Behavior Through the Lens of the Theory of Reasoned Goal Pursuit
01. November 2023
Abstract Nowadays the prediction and change of waste-related behaviors represent a key topic for scholars and policy makers. The theoretical mainstays applied to waste separation behavior, such as the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the Norm Activation Model and the Value Belief Norm, do not include the construct of goal in their formulation. Other goal-focused theories, such as the Goal Systems Theory (GST), lack applications on separation behavior. Recently, Ajzen and Kruglanski (2019) have proposed the Theory of Reasoned Goal Pursuit (TRGP) which combines TPB and...
Factors impacting bat activity and species richness in protected parks in the oak openings region of Northwest Ohio
01. November 2023
Abstract Protected areas are important for wildlife, especially in heavily developed areas. Bats are one group utilizing protected areas, but it is unclear what makes an ideal place for bats to live in parks, especially since preferences vary between open and forest foraging species and at different scales. The main objective of this study was to determine the landscape and vegetation factors at multiple scales most associated with higher bat activity and species richness in protected parks. Total bat activity, species richness, and activity for open and forested...
Multi-objective Allocation Optimization of Soil Conservation Measures Under Data Uncertainty
01. November 2023
Abstract Many regions worldwide face soil loss rates that endanger future food supply. Constructing soil and water conservation measures reduces soil loss but comes with high labor costs. Multi-objective optimization allows considering both soil loss rates and labor costs, however, required spatial data contain uncertainties. Spatial data uncertainty has not been considered for allocating soil and water conservation measures. We propose a multi-objective genetic algorithm with stochastic objective functions considering uncertain soil and precipitation variables to...
From Conservation to Connection: Exploring the Role of Nativeness in Shaping People’s Relationships with Urban Trees
01. November 2023
Abstract Deciding whether to plant native or non-native trees in public urban green spaces is becoming complex and conflicted, and decisions purely based on biotic nativeness are likely to be hamstrung as climate change and rising urban heat push many native species beyond their natural ranges. Importantly, tree selection considerations by urban planners and environmental managers will have to move beyond a primary focus on securing conservation and ecological outcomes, to elucidate and engage with a growing interest in the socio-cultural values and services of urban...
Biogeochemical Processes and Microbial Dynamics Governing Phosphorus Retention and Release in Sediments: A Case Study in Lower Great Lakes Headwaters
01. November 2023
Abstract The ability of headwater bed and suspended sediments to mitigate non-point agricultural phosphorus (P) loads to the lower Great Lakes is recognized, but the specific biogeochemical processes promoting sediment P retention or internal P release remain poorly understood. To elucidate these mechanisms, three headwater segments located within priority watersheds of Southern Ontario, Canada, were sampled through the growing season of 2018–2020. The study employed equilibrium P assays along with novel assessments of legacy watershed nutrients, nitrogen (N...
Attitudes toward Wind Power in Norway–Solution or Problem in Renewable Energy Development?
01. November 2023
Abstract Wind power has become an increasingly important source of renewable energy in Norway. Current demand and production capacity have exceeded expectations stipulated in energy policies a few years back. Wind power affects landscape characteristics, and the rapid development has created considerable public conflict. However, knowledge to date about public attitudes toward wind power development in Norway is limited. We surveyed a representative sample of the Norwegian public to examine relationships between wind power development and place attachment, localization...
Exploring the Spatial Pattern of Urban Forest Ecosystem Services based on i-Tree Eco and Spatial Interpolation: A Case Study of Kyoto City, Japan
01. November 2023
Abstract Urban forest, as an essential urban green infrastructure, is critical in providing ecosystem services to cities. To enhance the mainstreaming of ecosystem services in urban planning, it is necessary to explore the spatial pattern of urban forest ecosystem services in cities. This study provides a workflow for urban forest planning based on field investigation, i-Tree Eco, and geostatistical interpolation. Firstly, trees across an array of land use types were investigated using a sampling method. Then i-Tree Eco was applied to quantify ecosystem services and...
Corporate Engagement Strategies in Northern Mining: Boliden, Sweden and Cameco, Canada
01. Oktober 2023
Abstract The role of corporations in societal outcomes continues to grow. Mining companies now face the expectation of not only providing economic benefits to communities, but act as a facilitator for social wellbeing and environmental stewardship. In the mining sector, this has placed renewed attention to defining corporate social responsibility and, in turn, how social license to operate is understood. These developments are particularly pertinent when mining operations affect Indigenous communities – where land use is central to livelihood. This study looks at the...
Assessing The Effectiveness of Rainwater Harvesting Systems In Improving Wintering Bird Richness In Pre-Saharan Tunisia
01. Oktober 2023
Abstract The impact of rainwater harvesting systems on biodiversity in hyperarid North African areas has not been assessed to date despite its demonstrated usefulness. The present study investigated this impact by considering the richness of wintering birds (RWB) in the Tataouine region (pre-Saharan Tunisia). We used data from three sets of variables—rainwater harvesting system type, microhabitat conditions, and topography—to determine the best predictors causing variation in the RWB by means of generalized linear mixed models. Our results show that the jessour...
Managing Intractable Natural Resource Conflicts: Exploring Possibilities and Conditions for Reframing in a Mine Establishment Conflict in Northern Sweden
01. Oktober 2023
Abstract Natural resource management (NRM) increasingly relies on communicative measures to enable reframing in intractable conflicts. Reframing occurs when disputants change their perceptions of a conflict situation, and/or their preferences for dealing with it. However, the types of reframing possible, and the conditions under which they can occur, remain unclear. Through an inductive and longitudinal analysis of a mine establishment conflict in northern Sweden this paper explores to what extent, how, and under what conditions reframing can occur in intractable NRM...
Applying and Assessing Participatory Approaches in an Environmental Flows Case Study
01. Oktober 2023
Abstract Environmental flows (e-flows) management takes place within a complex social-ecological system, necessitating the involvement of diverse stakeholders and an appreciation of a range of perspectives and knowledge types. It is widely accepted that incorporating participatory methods into environmental flows decision-making will allow stakeholders to become meaningfully involved, improving potential solutions, and fostering social legitimacy. However, due to substantial structural barriers, implementing participatory approaches can be difficult for water managers...
Testing the Short, Medium, and Long-Term Effects of Shocks on Ecological Balance
01. Oktober 2023
Abstract Ecological balance is an indicator of environmental degradation, which is computed as the difference between biocapacity and ecological footprint. In this study, we examine whether the effect of shocks on the ecological balance is permanent or temporary in the EU-15 countries, considering the period from 1961 to 2018. The application of unit root tests, with and without a Fourier function, indicates that the effects of shocks are temporary in only four countries. To reveal the persistence of shocks at different frequencies, that is, the short-, medium-, and...