Water resources use in the West African region plays an essential role in the daily lives of communities. Being a region that spans across different ecozones, access to water and scarcity recurrence in some places are common. In the process, the extent of imbalance in the distribution patterns continues to fuel water insecurity and hydrological stress in the Sahel portion. This contrasts deeply with the abundance in the coastal lower South along the Gulf of Guinea. In as much as the current policy did little to ensure continual access in the zone over the years, water allotment across sectors like agriculture, industry and domestic households are on the uptick compared to the others. Even as access to potable water resources dropped in some places, meeting the stipulated global thresholds on water quality under the Millennium Development Agenda remains elusive in some of the nations. With that has come widespread pollution, degradation, depletion of the resource, limited rainfall, and the menace of drought. Hence, the problem is further compounded by several ecological (physical), and socio-economic elements located within the larger regional hydrology. This includes the changing climatic parameters, ineffective policy, rising demands, and lack of monitoring. Notwithstanding these challenges, very little has been done in the literature to analyze the issues in water resources use across the study area using the mix scale model. For that, this paper will fill that void by focusing on the challenges in a select group of countries in West Africa. Emphasis is on the issues, trends, impacts, and factors. For the purposes of analysis, the paper uses mix scale methods connected to the techniques of GIS and descriptive statistics. In applying the techniques, the results show widespread use of water and changes, the appearance of degradation, pollution, and water stress due to a set of socio-economic and physical elements. To remedy the situation, the paper proffered some solutions ranging from the education of the public on water use, the enactment of efficient policy, periodic monitoring, and the design of a regional water management information system.
Rangelands in the Western highlands has notably witnessed change in vegetation cover and vegetation composition largely accounted for by increasing growth of invasive weeds in grasslands. Dominant native grass suitable for livestock grazing are Hyparrhenias and Sporobolus. Very noticeable invasive plants like Pteridium aquililium adapts to higher elevations while Chromolaena odorata invades lowlands. Rangelands constitute an important resource base with diverse functions for livelihood and food security. There is a coalesce centenary history of land use for grazing spanning from pastoral nomadism in the past to present settled pastoralism with open public and communal grazing sites with occasional farmer grazier conflicts. The rational for this study is that limited information is available on the impact of weeds on rangeland degradation. Weed invasions are facilitated by landuse-grazing/fire and bioclimatic factors and changes vegetation composition. This study focused on evaluating vegetation composition in rangelands along selected transect, represented different in cross-sections, cutting across valleys, foothills, slopes, hill summits and plateaus in four topographic units. Field results reveal an association with altitudinal zonation with Chromolaena odorata highly invasive below 1200m in low altitude areas, a mix of Chromolaena odorata and Pteridium aquililium in mid altitude areas between 1200m-1550m and Pteridium aquililium in highlands above 1500m. Bioclimatic factors greatly determine susceptibility to spread and other risk factors (roads, rivers, fragmentation) determined patch size and density. Weed patch density was highest closest to roads as risk factors. Over 56% of rangelands are infested with weeds varying from dense (62%), moderate (23%) to light (15%). According to altitude, weed presence in grass composition stood at 13% (zone one: 300-1000m), 22% (zone two: 1000-1500m) and 65% (zone three: above 1500m). The magnitude and impacts are undoubted and landscape change is therefore axed around land use with variables like grazing and fire accelerating vegetation change.
Unregulated human activities have resulted in massive degradation and eventual loss of wetlands despite their importance in providing various ecosystem services and habitat to important species of fauna and flora. In Murang’a County, Kenya, wetland degradation has increased at an alarming rate since the 1980s, with no data on their degradation status and challenges facing their conservation. This study aimed to examine the trend of wetland degradation and the main challenges impacting their conservation in Murang’a County between 1986 and 2018. The challenges were identified in a stakeholder workshop involving 39 key stakeholders and ranked in order of importance using the pair-wise ranking technique. Trends in wetland degradation status were assessed through analysis of land use maps obtained from Landsat images of 1986, 2001, and 2018. The most critical challenges affecting the conservation and management of wetlands in the County were inadequate legislation followed by poor planning, lack of community empowerment, scarce resources, corruption, encroachment, and pollution. Correlation analysis between wetland and water areas showed a significant but negative relationship at (P<0.01), indicating that decreasing wetland areas resulted in a significant reduction of water areas. The wetland area in the County decreased by about 48% between 2001 and 2018 and to arrest this trend of declining wetland area, the stakeholders recommended the amalgamation of all laws and policies touching on conservation and management of wetlands in the County. Further, there is a need for community involvement and empowerment to create awareness of the roles of wetlands for their well-being.
Despite the harsh climate in the semi-arid areas of Uganda, anthropogenic activities continue to increase in many wetlands due to increasing human populations, causing incidences of degradation that require urgent restoration interventions. This study assessed wetland degradation and restoration in four wetland sites. To do this, the spatial- temporal extent and drivers of wetland use/cover changes and wetland degradation were determined, and the best steps, lessons, and principles of conducting wetland restoration were established. We used Sentinel-2 (2016-2019) and MODIS (2019) sensor images to estimate wetland changes and degradation status. Furthermore, focus group discussion, disaggregated by gender, was also conducted with representatives of the wetland user groups. The results revealed a reduction in the area under natural vegetation types compared to small-scale farming and built-up areas, between 2016 and 2019. This pattern was intensively driven by wetland cultivation, deforestation, occurrence of flash floods, and poor market linkages / price of yields. The consequential spatial extent of wetland degradation was generally high. To counteract this degradation, the best steps that ensued an effective wetland ecological restoration included conducting a baseline survey, stakeholder consultation, identification of reference sites, planning for future changes, implementation of restoration action plans, self-sustainability, and monitoring. During this exercise, the key lessons learned were to encourage equal participation of men and women, raise awareness, encourage restoration through income generation, and promote sustainability of restoration interventions. Therefore, if these practices are well implemented, they could increase the resilience of communities to climate change, enhance livelihood diversity and inform the processes of developing wetland management plans.
The Area of mangrove forests on Kabaena Island is estimated to continue to decrease from year to year, this is due to land use by the community. These uses are in the form of logging for firewood, fragmentation and conversion to other forms of use. Logging/clearing of mangrove forests can disturb other natural resources. This study aims to determine changes in forest cover and the level of degradation in mangrove forest areas on Kabaena Island from 2000 to 2020. Pre-processing stages consist of 2 stages, that is geometric correction and radiometric correction. Geometric corrections are carried out to transform the Landsat image so that it has characteristics in shape, scale and projection. Geometry transformation is carried out to reposition the pixel position in such a way that the image is transformed and the recorded object image can be seen clearly. Visual Interpretation of Image Visual, interpretation is carried out on images to recognize the spatial characteristics of objects. Characteristics of objects can be recognized based on 9 elements of interpretation, that is shape, size, pattern, shadow, hue/color, texture, site, association and convergence of evidence. Analysis of mangrove forest cover data was carried out by identifying the shape of object changes in satellite imagery at the research location. Landsat imagery interpretation to identify land uses for 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020 was done visually. The validation of the identification results of the field conditions is based on the results of the accuracy test. The land use classification accuracy test is performed statistically by calculating the overall accuracy based on the confusion matrix and Kappa accuracy. Accuracy is in the high category if it is 0.81-1.00. Results showed that during the period 2000 to 2020 there had been a decrease in the area of mangrove forests on Kabaena Island by 275,03 hectares.
During the early 20th century when Nigeria was the largest producer of palm oil globally, the South Eastern region accounted for much of the output. Being the chief source of revenue responsible for the development of the zone at that time, the prosperity exuded therein from oil palm trade, spilled over to other parts of Nigeria in varying forms. Considering the large presence of palm trees and the associated plantations in the Southern region. The prominence of Nigeria in the sector was such that the exported items to destinations all over the world penetrated major markets where palm produce drew regular interests from buyers. Added to that, during the civil war in the late 1960s and the discovery of petroleum in the South East region, palm oil plantations were obliterated, and output waned as petroleum emerged as the major export of the nation. Yet, what seems forgotten is that palm oil was instrumental in the economic advancement of the nation, with market access and infrastructure essential to product delivery concentrated in riverine communities along the Delta. However, with the post war slide, no serious effort was made to revive the foundering sector amidst institutional neglect and misplacement of policy priorities. Even with the present scramble to revive it, the amenities for industrial revival and up to date studies on the state of the sector remain elusive. Compounding that, the Southern region still lacks complete georeferenced info on oil palm activities essential for planning under a mix-scale model. For that, this paper will fill that void by assessing the state of the palm oil sector in Southern Nigeria. Emphasis are on the issues, trends, impacts, factors and efforts using mix-scale tools of Geographic Information System (GIS) and descriptive statistics. The results not only reaffirmed the regionâs position as the frontier of oil palm with changes in output and cultivated areas from 2006-2012, but Akwa Ibom and Imo state outpaced the other states. Also, from 1961-1965, the former Eastern region stood out in all statistical categories associated with production and usage beginning with 74.08% in output and 93.48 to 59.1% in purchases and residential consumption. The ecological impacts consist of 6.6% deforestation rates nationwide and the loss of forested land in Cross River state followed by continued forest land declines (10.26 -16.24%) in 2002-2006 and 47.58% in 2007 from palm oil production activities. Aside from land grabbing incidents by oil palm companies at the expense of local communities, there are greater risk exposures from the use of agrochemicals with threats to biodiversity. While the GIS mappings revealed the firm concentration in output and cultivated areas in the core producing states, the patterns also show gradual dispersal of oil palm indicators onto the other states. Given the linkages to socio-economic, and physical elements, to remedy the problems, the paper offered some suggestions ranging from improved farm policy towards the oil palm sector, community participation, and corporate social responsibility and the design of a regional oil palm information system to ameliorate the situation.
This paper is intended to show the nexus of the issue of environmental justice and peacebuilding practices in Ethiopia. In line with this, it expounds the significance of environmental justice dimension of the peacebuilding process in the country. A better understanding of the links between environmental justice issues and human security is vital for effective conflict prevention, peacebuilding and post-conflict rebuilding. Yet, in this country, significant attention was not given to this environmental dimension of the peacebuilding process. Since every single of conflicts that happen in the country is politicized, this ecological approach is often obscured. Thus, for the fact that different environmental injustices highly contribute for a range of violent conflicts in the country, it is argued that comprehensive restoration of lasting and sustainable peace is impossible without restoring environmental justice and solving environmental problems therein. In this article, by using analytic approach, the findings of the study indicate that there is a considerable prevalence of environmental injustices such as pollution, resource depletion, coercive eviction of local people from their farmland and settlement, an unfair or disproportionate share of environmental advantages and disadvantages, oppression of some group of people to dominate and exploit their resources, and forceful confiscation of one’s land and resources around the border,– which one way or another contribute a lot for violent conflicts and instability throughout the country.
Vegetables are commonly grown crops all over the world. Thus, this study tends to determine proximate and mineral composition analysis of two commonly consumed vegetable leaves; African spinach (Amaranthus cruentus) and scent leaf (Ocimum gratissimum) in relation to locations. The plants samples were collected from three different locations in Lagos State Nigeria, namely; Lasu campus in Ojo, Abule-Ado in Amuwo-Odofin and Agric Farm in Ikorodu area. The experiments were carried out using standard analytical procedures. Proximate analysis results revealed that the values of moisture content, crude fat, crude fibre, crude proteins, carbohydrate and ash content ranged between 15.67 - 77.43%, 1.40 - 3.67%, 2.76 - 11.00%, 2.80 - 10.53%, 5.80 - 30.87% and 6.90 - 31.37% respectively. Mineral element analysis showed that the leaf samples of A. cruentus and O. gratissimum contained appreciable amounts of Calcium (13.65 - 23.00 mg/100g), Sodium (21.10 - 34.80 mg/100g), Iron (13.03 - 28.13 mg/100g) and Zinc (31.03 - 36.53 mg/100g). Although minute quantities of Lead (0.01 – 0.02mg/100g) were recorded in the two leaf samples, Cadmium was however not detected in the leaf samples. This study has shown that the leaves of A. cruentus and O. gratissimum are rich sources of nutrients and minerals essential for optimal growth and development of human and farm animals and these nutrients and mineral compositions are relatively influenced by environmental factors and or human activities.
The remediation potentials of spent mushroom substrate (Pleurotus astreatus) (Oyster mushroom) was investigated on soils contaminated with spent automobile lubricant at University of Port Harcourt farm (Dec-Feb. 2015) to determine the available nutrients and concentration of total hydrocarbon content. Sixteen sub-plots were contaminated with 2-L and 4-L of spent automobile lubricant, and 4 sub-plots without any contamination (control). Eight of the contaminated plots; were treated (remediated) with 1.7kg of spent mushroom substrate, 14 days post-contamination. Soil samples were collected at 10cm depth from each habitat 14 days post-remediation and taken to the laboratory for analysis of organic nitrogen using calorimetric measurement by Brucine method, organic carbon by rapid titrimetric method. Total hydrocarbon content (THC) was measured by spectrophotometer and available phosphorus by the Bray’s P method and potassium by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Soil edaphic factors were also determined. Results obtained indicate that soil pH was 5.4 (2-L impacted), 6.11 (2-L remediated) habitat-types, and 6.06(control). Concentration of nitrogen was 0.089%, 0.16%, 0.15% in the impacted, remediated and control sites. Phosphorus and Potassium was 23.3mg/kg; 33.3mg/kg (impacted), 7.20mg/kg; 10.04mg/kg (remediated) and 46.2mg/kg; 12.0mg/kg (control) sites. Total hydrocarbon concentration (THC) was 3.9mg/kg (control), 12.1mg/kg (2-L impacted) and 4.8mg/kg (2-L amended) habitat-types. There was a significant difference in nutrient composition between the remediated and impacted habitat-types.
This study was conducted to reveal about the internal factors that cause the local wisdom change of Dayak community in the Ensaid Panjang village, Sintang District, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Research method used in this research is descriptive qualitative research. The data presented in this study was obtained through observations and in-depth interviews with local informants. This research explains the key factors that exist within the community and within the village of Ensaid Panjang society itself which resulted in the change of local wisdom of the Dayak community. It can be explained as follows. The first is increasing population and different cultural interactions result a variety of adjustments, changes, and even contradictions. Second, the change in mutual trust and the belief that became one of the strengths of the social capital of the local community. The community has other references other than indigenous leaders, to find and ensure mutual trust and confidence. Third, the relevance of norms (customary of law and customary of Mali or taboo) that have been used and respected began to be criticized and questioned, both the substance and its implementation in line with the existence of other laws and norms higher and more acceptable to the wider community. The forth is the emergence of new relationships that resulted in the knowledge understanding and practice of the community to grow and expand, so that people have information channels from various sources.
Tropical rainforests have high structures and variations, Forest diversity used as a result of forest exploitation for plantation or mining activities. Circle change is a fast way to change the structure and species diversity. This study aims to analyze the relationship of land cover to stand density and production of litter biomass. The research location is located in forest area with special purpose (KHDTK) University of Lambung Mangkurat. Research method by conducting Landsat 8 satellite image analysis of Year 2017 to analyze land cover. Measurements and number of types, basal measurements by Simon method (1993), litter biomass measurements with 50x50cm wire quadratic and laboratory analysis. The results show that there are five land cover that is old grove, young grove, shrubs, mixed garden and open field. The result of the measurement of the density of the stands shows that the difference in the land gives a very significant difference to the species and size of individual trees and basal areas per hectare (P <0.001), the cover of old grove has the presence species, the number of individuals per hectare and the high basal area by displaying the main density with the land cover of young grove, shrubs, mixed gardens or open fields. Land cover gives a very real difference to litter biomass production (P <0.001). The characteristics of the oldest grove of land with the highest density gave the highest amount of litter biomass and decreased at the closure of young grove, mixed gardens, shrubs and open fields. The old grove have the highest density as they approach secondary forest vegetation. Land cover with high density will produce litter of the forest floor in large quantities.
Perturbations caused by alien species on native plant regeneration and on soil microbial dynamics are major problem to biodiversity conservation. In this study, our main objective was to evaluate the impact of the propagation of an exotic plant species, Psidium cattleianum, i) on soil Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) fungus dynamics, and ii) on the regeneration of Uapaca ferruginea, a native species in the Eastern forest of Madagascar. Soil samples were collected within (i) a homogenous formation of P. cattleianum, (ii) a natural forest devoid of P. cattleianum dominated mainly by U. ferruginea, and (iii) a degraded soil outside the forest and devoid of P. cattleianum. Soil enzymatic activities, soil microbial activity, the Most Probable Number (MPN) of mycorrhizal propagules in soil and the total number of Arbucular Mycorrhiza spores in soil were assessed. Seedling development of U. ferruginea planted on these three soil samples were assessed after 5 months culturing under greenhouse conditions. The total numbers of AM Fungal spores were significantly high on colonized soil by P. cattleianum. Global microbial activity was significantly higher on natural forest soil than those recorded on the other soil samples. Seedling development of U. ferruginea decreased from soil forest to invaded soil by P. cattleianum and degraded soil.
The almost unusual and sterile characteristics of the caves have always attracted the geomicrobiologits to explore noble microbes from it. Earlier the study in this field was limited, but in the recently a number of geomicrobiologists are taking interest to study various aspects of microbiology of caves. During the last few decades some incidents occurred due to the fungal outbreaks inside some caves of worldwide which create loss not only to our existing biodiversity and cultural heritage but also to human health. In the present review, we have tried to highlight some such fungi outbreak related issues which had already created a great loss to us. In addition, some beneficial aspects have also been discussed. It is the need of the time to monitor periodically the overall activities of the microbes inside every show cave so that proper strategy could be framed to save the caves whenever required.
In the mangrove forest in the village of Pulokerto there are shrimp and fish production belongs to the people. Formation of mangroves in the coastal village of Pulokerto Kraton District Pasuruan Regency of generally the same, namely Avicenniaspp are found from the boundary township residents, local pond until far ahead that the raised ground which is the result of a meeting of coastal sedimentation and precipitation from the sea. Total Economic Value of mangrove ecosystem in the coastal village of Pulokerto District of Kraton Pasuruan Regency is the sum of the values of the benefits, ie the value of Direct Benefits, value Indirect Benefits, Value Benefit Options, and Value Benefits Existence. The results of this study explains that the indirect benefits of mangrove forest ecosystems in the village Pulokerto District of Kraton Pasuruan has the greatest percentage is 90.74% with a value of Rp. 4,807,905,315.53/year. The value of indirect benefits that most of this will explain the ecological benefits of mangrove forests of the greatest compared economic and social benefits. While the direct benefits ranks second largest with a value Rp.185.145.655,00. This considerable value due to the value of benefits and other organisms that were around the village Pulokerto mangrove ecosystems. The total value of direct benefits directly provide an indicator of the economic benefits. Similar results were obtained from studies conducted by Rangkuti (2013) in which the closure of the mangrove contribute significantly to the daily catches of shrimp and crab/biota (confidence interval of 99%). Furthermore, other benefits identified are the benefits of choice and the benefits of existence. Other benefits quantification results obtained successively benefit value amounted Rp.16.440.975,00 selection /year (3.97%) and the value of the benefits of the presence of Rp. 20,782,079.29 /year (0.52%). Comparison of the benefits resulting from the mangrove forest ecosystem reinforces that the ecological value of mangrove forests are the greatest. Therefore, the public should realize the importance of the village Pulokerto mangrove ecosystem management while maintaining sustainability. This means that changes in the mangrove forest ecosystem with shrimp pond system will become resistant and ecologically significant impact damage to coastal environments is no longer a barrier from the crashing waves on the edge of the mainland.
UNEP’s partners the ministry of environment, science and Technology and the institute of statistical, Social and Economic Research, University of Ghana, UNDP, and GIZ, released a key messages concerning the environmental degradation that had had a high cost to Ghana estimated to be about 10 percent of its GDP. The promotion of Investment in resources efficiency, low carbon growth and employment creation and productivity may have a strong potential advancement of sustainable development and poverty alleviation and by building and expanding green development in the economy. The objectives of this research sought to review the threat and challenges posed by green economy and sustainable development and outlining the tremendous Ghana’s effort towards the adoption of green growth and sustainable development and poverty alleviation.
Shymkent is one of the largest industrial cities of Kazakhstan with a lot of industrial wastes. These include lead-zinc slag, which has a strong anthropogenic stress on the environment. On the other hand, there is a large number of components concentrated in the waste. The possibility of using different groups of microorganisms for the recovery of valuable metals from a variety fraction of lead-zinc waste was investigated. It is found that the bioleaching of zinc-lead wastes of valuable components depends not only on the species of microorganisms, but also on the fractional composition of the waste.
Reclamation on the post nickel mining area in East Luwu needs to be conducted with concern to the environment sustainability and local economic growth. It can be implemented with appropriate public policy by the regional government offices. The study aimed to determine the priority scale of policies that support the reclamation in the post nickel mining area in Sorowako, District of Nuha, Regency of East Luwu. The study was conducted in the reclamation area of post nickel mining East Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi. Data were collected from questionnaire from related stakeholders, e.g. the community, the mining company, regional government office, department of forestry, and NGO. The assessment of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) used pairwise comparison to determine the priority scale. The supporting data used documents of the socio-economic and socio-ecologic externality on the reclamation taken from regional offices, the mining company, community, department of forestry and environment NGO. Through this study, we suggest three strategic priorities for the policy on the post nickel mining reclamation area, as follows. First is the operational management (0.792), while the second level policy is the empowerment and participation of the community (0.655) on the reclamation of post nickel mining area. Finally, the last level policy is the regulation and institutional management towards the post nickel mining reclamation with scale of 0.453.
In order to study the root flavonoids pattern of Convolvulus roots in 11 populations from four species (C. arvensis, C. commutatus, C. lineatus and C. pilosellaefolius) originated from Markazi Province, Iran, two dimensional paper chromatography (2-DPC) and thin layer chromatography (TLC) were used. Results indicated that the roots contained flavonoid sulfates and flavones C and C-/O glycosides, apigenin, chrysin, genistein, kaempferol, luteolin, rhamnetin, rutin, and vitexin. hesperidin, isorhamnetin, morin, quercetin and tricine was not found in any of the taxa. Vitexin was the most found flavonoids in root. There was not any aglycone in the studied populations. All of populations had naringenin with the exception of CBB5, CBB2 and CBB6 populations. Myricetin was found in all of populations with the exception of CBB9 (C. commutatus). Populations of CBB19 (C. arvensis) had the most number of total flavonoids and C. lineatus and CBB9 (C. commutatus) had the least one.
