Environmental Restoration

This paper compares protest rates and willingness to pay (WTP) using a payment card versus single and double bounded voter referendum contingent valuation question formats. Using a chi-square test, the payment card had a significantly higher protest rate (6.7 per cent) than the voter referendum question format (2.2 per cent). The median WTP of the single bounded and double bounded referendum format exceeds the payment card by a factor of nine and seven, respectively. The median WTP from the referendum formats represent about 8 per cent of income, while the payment card results represents about 1 per cent of income. These large differences in WTP between question formats are double what have been found in past studies. We believe this result may be due to excessive yea saying at high bid amounts in the dichotomous choice question formats. This behavior may arise in our case study in rural China because citizens have not had a long history of open elections or voting on tax referenda.

This paper compares protest rates and willingness to pay (WTP) using a payment card versus single and double bounded voter referendum contingent valuation question formats. Using a chi-square test, the payment card had a significantly higher protest rate (6.7 per cent) than the voter referendum question format (2.2 per cent). The median WTP of the single bounded and double bounded referendum format exceeds the payment card by a factor of nine and seven, respectively. The median WTP from the referendum formats represent about 8 per cent of income, while the payment card results represents about 1 per cent of income. These large differences in WTP between question formats are double what have been found in past studies. We believe this result may be due to excessive yea saying at high bid amounts in the dichotomous choice question formats. This behavior may arise in our case study in rural China because citizens have not had a long history of open elections or voting on tax referenda.

SUMMARY The Kissimmee Basin encompasses more than two dozen lakes in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes (KCOL), their tributary streams and associated marshes, and the Kissimmee River and floodplain. The basin forms the headwaters of Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades; together they comprise the Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades (KOE) system. In the 1960s, the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control (CS (2) conduct ecological monitoring programs for restoration evaluation; (3) develop a long-term management strategy for resolving water and other management issues in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes; and (4) retain the existing level of flood control in the Kissimmee Basin. In addition to the Kissimmee River Restoration Project, major Kissimmee Basin initiatives designed to meet these program objectives are the Kissimmee Basin Modeling and Operations Study, the Kissimmee Basin Water Reservations, and the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Long-Term Management Plan.

Soil erosion poses a major threat to Ethiopia particularly in Somali Regional State, where the implementation of soil and water practices has been poorly implemented. This study was aimed to assess Soil and Water Conservation Adoption Among Smallholder Farmers: Evidence from Somali Regional State of Ethiopia. The study was applied cross sectional mixed research approach using both qualitative and quantitative data from 203 randomly selected household heads. Binary logistics regression model was employed to analyze factors affecting adoption of soil and water conservation practices in study area. The results indicated that 51.72% of household heads had were adopted SWC practices, while 48.28% were not adopted. Determinant factors such as education level, farm experience, farm slope, institutional services and land cover had a positive and significant correction with adoption of SWC practices. Conversely, gender and farm size showed a negative and significant relationship. Finally, the study concluded that smallholder's farmer's adoption with SWC practices were influenced by biophysical, socioeconomic and institutional determinants which needs an intensive consideration for full implementation of SWC practices among household heads. Therefore, the policies, development agencies, NGOs and academicians must account for these influential variables to effectively encourage and support the adoptions of SWC practices in study area.

Bakreswar Geothermal Province (BGP) lies over the Archaean gneisses and schists formations. The heat flow and geothermal gradient of BGP are ∼230 mW/m 2 and 95 • C/km, respectively. The Bakreswar hot spring (BHS) (23 • 52 30 N; 87 • 22 30 E) is located over NNW-SSE trending fault. It lies in the eastern flank of BGP and is connected by Sone-Narmada-Tapti (SONATA) and deep-seated ONGC fault systems. Earlier studies indicated that the geothermal fluid flowed towards the same path as that of deep ONGC fault. In view of this, 24 audio-magnetotelluric soundings in the frequency range 10 kHz-10 Hz were conducted at one end of the deep ONGC fault, which is about 20 km northwest of BHS. The data analysis indicated that the data are internally consistent. Analysis of dimensionality and strike are indicative of complex conductivity structures. The 3D inversion of full impedance was performed to obtain a conductivity model of the study area and resulted in root mean square (RMS) for sites close to unity. The results have been discussed by extracting cross-section along 3 to 7 profiles (four of the profiles are perpendicular to strike, whereas three profiles were oblique to the strike direction and are perpendicular to east-west trending ONGC faults). Several low conducting zones are observed in the profiles drawn parallel and perpendicular to the strike. These common conductors show consistent model features but modified resistivity and dimension. Depth slices from 200 to 1400 m suggest that the conductors in the northern part of the study area are deeper than the conductors in the south. The study area is dominated by several shallow conductors which coincide with several fractures present in the study area. The conductors are surrounded by a resistive feature that can act as an impermeable bed and probably restricts the flow of water within the zone. The four major conductors along the oblique profiles (profiles perpendicular to deep ONGC fault) coincide with deep ONGC fault, through which probably the geothermal fluid flows.

A merit panel was convened by CH2M-Hill Hanford Group Inc. (CH2M-Hill), with concurrence of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the State of Washington Department of Ecology, to review the Preliminary Performance Assessment for Waste Management Area C at the Hanford Site, Washington (DOE, 2003; Preliminary Performance Assessment). Waste Management Area C consists of the waste storage tanks (C-Tank Farm), associated waste transfer and processing equipment, and vadose zone contamination from past waste leaks or releases in the vicinity of the storage tanks. The goals of the Preliminary Performance Assessment are to evaluate risks to human health through potential exposure pathways to contaminants remaining in Waste Management Area C after closure and to provide insights into approaches for maintaining those risks below acceptable levels essentially in perpetuity. The Preliminary Performance Assessment does not include evaluation of risks (i) to worker, the public or ecology resulting from the activities necessary to achieve the closure configuration (e.g., removing recovered waste, placing overlying barriers to infiltration and intrusion at the site), (ii) from treatment and disposal of recovered waste, (iii) to ecology after closure. In addition, the Preliminary Performance Assessment does not adequately put closure of Waste Management Area C in context with contamination and risks from neighboring contaminated areas and existing groundwater contamination in close vicinity. The evaluation and balancing of these additional risks and other factors are a necessary part of overall risk management and decision making, but beyond the scope of the Preliminary Performance Assessment.

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is pursuing retrieval, transportation, and disposal of 16 remote handled transuranic waste canisters stored below ground in shafts since 1994. These canisters were retrievably stored in the shafts to await Nuclear Regulatory Commission certification of the Model Number RH-TRU 72B transportation cask and authorization of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) to accept the canisters for disposal. Retrieval planning included radiological characterization and visual inspection of the canisters to confirm historical records, verify container integrity, determine proper personnel protection for the retrieval operations, provide radiological dose and exposure rate data for retrieval operations, and to provide exterior radiological contamination data. The radiological characterization and visual inspection of the canisters was performed in May 2006. The effort required the development of remote techniques and equipment due to the potential for pers...

Data are summarized on the radioactivity in environmental samples collected from various locations within the Hanford plant boundaries during 1970. Data are included on the content of /sup 90/Sr, /sup 32/P, /sup 46/Sc, /sup 51/ Cr, /sup 65/Zn, /sup 131/I, /sup 2 4/Na and tritium in samples of water from the Columbia River; the total BETA activity in samples of drinking water; the total alpha and BETA activity in samples of surface waters; the radioactivity in tissue samples from waterfowl, game birds, deer, and small mammals feeding on the area; the total BETA activity and /sup 131/I content in samples of surface air; and the total alpha , BETA , and gamma activity in samples of air filters from various locations. (CH)

Soil pollution by hydrocarbons is a major environmental problem, particularly in oil-producing countries that are developing. The objective of this work is to carry out the bioprospecting of cassava press water and garage soil substrates with bioremediating power. Thus, apart from the physic-chemical characterization of cassava press water and garage soil substrates, the contents of trace elements such as sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and magnesium (Mg) were evaluated. These results showed that organic matter (22%) is abundant, moisture (1.05%) is low, and both substrates had an acidic pH (5-6) favorable to the formation of organic acids. In addition, the petroleum hydrocarbon content (TPH = 8.67%) showed a selectivity of microorganisms to grow in polluted soils. The NT2 and VJ5 strains, isolated from cassava press water and garage soil, respectively, exhibited similar optical density values (0.20) during the tolerance test with hydrocarbons. Finally, the NT2 strain is a Gram-positive bacterium with emulsifying activity (24,67) and its identification by Sanger sequencing revealed that it is the genus Bacillus sp. Cassava press water can be an interesting matrix to be used for the bioremediation of environments polluted by hydrocarbons.

After several decades of general agreement among environmental law scholars and environmentalists that the common law is inadequate to meet the challenges of environmental protection, a few scholars have taken a second look at common law ...

There has been much recent interest in the concept of rewilding as a tool for nature conservation, but also confusion over the idea, which has limited its utility. We developed a unifying definition and 10 guiding principles for rewilding through a survey of 59 rewilding experts, a summary of key organizations’ rewilding visions, and workshops involving over 100 participants from around the world. The guiding principles convey that rewilding exits on a continuum of scale, connectivity, and level of human influence and aims to restore ecosystem structure and functions to achieve a self‐sustaining autonomous nature. These principles clarify the concept of rewilding and improve its effectiveness as a tool to achieve global conservation targets, including those of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Finally, we suggest differences in rewilding perspectives lie largely in the extent to which it is seen as achievable and in specific interven...

This article is a revised version of a paper given on April 29 to a Regional Meeting of the American Society of International Law, with additions reflecting related developments through July 15, 1972. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Department of State or any other U.S. Government agency.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present research on vulnerability and service life indexes applied to cultural heritage buildings. The construction and rehabilitation industry is concerned with the maintenance of monuments and reducing the economic costs of urgent interventions by taking preventive conservation action in historic cities. By applying a vulnerability index or analyzing the service life of buildings, it is possible to reduce risk and optimize the identification, evaluation and prioritization of urgent monument restoration tasks in a city or a region to establish preventive conservation policies. Design/methodology/approach This research sets out the concepts of vulnerability and service life, focusing on their methodologies in comparison with other techniques for building diagnosis, discussing the differences between indexes that measure the vulnerability and service life of buildings. Findings The vulnerability of three churches in Seville (Spain) was studied ...

Aquest document pertany al Departament d'Economia Aplicada. ... Departament d'Economia Aplicada Edifici B Campus de Bellaterra 08193 Bellaterra ... Telèfon: (93) 581 1680 Fax:(93) 581 2292 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.ecap.uab.es

This research paper investigates the personal financial planning practices of workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Karnataka State, emphasizing the importance of strategic financial management in enhancing economic security and livelihood sustainability among rural households by examining how these workers, who are often from economically marginalized communities, allocate their earnings from MGNREGA towards consumption, savings, debt repayment, and investment, while exploring factors influencing their financial decisions, such as household income levels, education, financial literacy, availability of financial institutions, and socioeconomic challenges; this study also highlights the role of MGNREGA in providing a stable income source that aids in poverty alleviation and financial inclusion, assessing whether the scheme's wage payments contribute to improved financial outcomes for the workers, and analyzing the constraints and opportunities presented by the MGNREGA framework for effective financial planning, including the impact of timely wage payments, the adequacy of wages relative to inflation and cost of living, and the accessibility of banking and financial services; moreover, the research considers the gender dimension, evaluating whether female workers under MGNREGA, who represent a significant portion of the workforce, face unique challenges or exhibit distinct financial planning behaviors compared to their male counterparts; by utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods, including surveys, interviews, and secondary data analysis from governmental reports and studies, the paper aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the personal financial planning landscape among MGNREGA workers in Karnataka, offering insights into how the program could be optimized to enhance financial stability and inclusion; the study ultimately

The objective of this research program is to develop new analytical techniques based on the large cross sections associated with dissociative electron attachment to highly-excited molecular states. Such highly-excited states can be populated by using fixed frequency lasers or in glow discharges via excitation transfer from high-lying, metastable states of rare gases. It is anticipated that these studies will lead to negative-ion based analytical techniques for the detection of DNAPLs (dense non-aqueous phase liquids), VOCs (volatile organics) and other toxic compounds at DOE waste sites. We have made significant advances toward this goal as described below. We have pursued the development of (i) laser based, and (ii) glow discharge based analytical techniques, and have conducted studies to elucidate the basic mechanisms and to move the project closer to field applications. We have illustrated that long lived core-excited high-Rydberg states can be produced using fixed frequency lasers (JP1, JP4, JP12) and glow discharges (JP2, JP3, JP13), and that efficient negative ion formation can be achieved using lasers (JP5,JP11) and glow discharges (JP6,JP8,JP10). Electron attachment mechanisms were clarified (JP5, JP7, JP9, JP12, JP14). We have built a solid

Examples of large-scale restoration programs to recover ecosystem services are now common in many countries, and governments are assuming ambitious forest restoration targets. Given the increasing investment of time, effort, and money in restoration, there is an urgent need to develop monitoring programs to assess restoration effectiveness. Some countries are already conducting monitoring programs, but the effectiveness of the restoration programs remains mostly unknown. Restoration evaluation often entails significant difficulties, such as the lack of harmonized monitoring data and imprecise information available about project goals and implementation. With the intent of contributing to the development of effective and accountable restoration projects, the objective of our work is to create a conceptual model that provides the building blocks of a planning and monitoring system to support forest restoration programs. The aim is to develop a conceptual model that represents forest restoration monitoring processes that effectively attain and measure the desirable outcomes. The São Paulo Forest Restoration Program is the case study that provides variables and processes to illustrate the development of the conceptual model. This paper presents the conceptual model, emphasizing generalizable principles that extend its applicability to similar monitoring programs. Based on action learning principles and recommendations from a comprehensive literature review, the resulting Forest Management Decisions Support System (FMDSS) embeds adaptive management strategies and the existence of an auto-updatable knowledge base. The result is a conceptual model that can be generalizable and applicable beyond the realms of the FMDSS. The restoration of degraded areas in a case with > 40,000 rural properties serves as the case study. Although the planning and the monitoring of the restoration programs differ, the generalizable principles used to develop the conceptual model presented in this paper result in continuous intelligent monitoring processes that transform the systems so that they are adaptable to apparently different situations. Additionally, conceptual models that integrate adaptive planning and monitoring processes, supported by an auto-updatable knowledge base, mitigate the risk of failures, mainly when the comprehensive gathering of well-established references for the initial knowledge base has been conducted well at the outset.