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Gallego-Cartagena E, Morillas H, Morgado-Gamero W, Fuentes-Gandara F, Vacca-Jimeno V, Salcedo I, Madariaga JM, Maguregui M. Elemental imaging approach to assess the ability of subaerial biofilms growing on constructions located in tropical climates as potential biomonitors of atmospheric heavy metals pollution. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 309:136743. [PMID: 36209867 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Over the last decades, the concern about air pollution has increased significantly, especially in urban areas. Active sampling of air pollutants requires specific instrumentation not always available in all the laboratories. Passive sampling has a lower cost than active alternatives but still requires efforts to cover extensive areas. The use of biological systems as passive samplers might be a solution that provides information about air pollution to assist decision-makers in environmental health and urban planning. This study aims to employ subaerial biofilms (SABs) growing naturally on façades of historical and recent constructions as natural passive biomonitors of atmospheric heavy metals pollution. Concretely, SABs spontaneously growing on constructions located in a tropical climate, like the one of the city of Barranquilla (Colombia), have been used to develop the methodological approach here presented as an alternative to SABS grown under laboratory conditions. After a proper identification of the biocolonizers in the SAB through taxonomic and morphological observations, the study of the particulate matter accumulated on the SABs of five constructions was conducted under a multi-analytical approach based mainly on elemental imaging studies by micro Energy Dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (μ-EDXRF) and Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) techniques, trying to reduce the time needed and associated costs. This methodology allowed to discriminate metals that are part of the original structure of the SABs, from those coming from the anthropogenic emissions. The whole methodology applied assisted the identification of the main metallic particles that could be associated with nearby anthropogenic sources of emission such as Zn, Fe, Mn, Ni and Ti by SEM-EDS and by μ-EDXRF Ba, Sb, Sn, Cl and Br apart others; revealing that it could be used as a good alternative for a rapid screening of the atmospheric heavy metals pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Euler Gallego-Cartagena
- Department of Civil and Environmental, Universidad de la Costa, Calle 58 #55-66, 080002, Barranquilla, Colombia; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, 48080, Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain.
| | - Héctor Morillas
- Department of Didactic of Mathematics, Experimental and Social Sciences, Faculty of Education and Sport, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 01006, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Wendy Morgado-Gamero
- Department of Exact and Natural Sciences, Universidad de la Costa, Calle 58 #55-66, 080002, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Fabio Fuentes-Gandara
- Department of Exact and Natural Sciences, Universidad de la Costa, Calle 58 #55-66, 080002, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Víctor Vacca-Jimeno
- Faculty of Basic Sciences, Universidad Del Atlántico, Km5 Vía Puerto Colombia, 081007, Atlántico, Colombia
| | - Isabel Salcedo
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, 48080, Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Juan Manuel Madariaga
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, 48080, Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Maite Maguregui
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 450, 01080, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain
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McCarthy C, Sternberg T, Hoshino B, Banfill J, Enkhjargal E, Konagaya Y, Phillips S. Preserving the Gobi: Identifying potential UNESCO world heritage in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. JOURNAL OF ASIA-PACIFIC BIODIVERSITY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.japb.2022.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022] Open
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Abstract
Protected areas (PAs) are designated to safeguard specific areas with natural and cultural values. Importantly, appropriate management is vital for PAs to achieve their conservation goals. Therefore, the management staff is essential for guaranteeing the successful management of PAs and delivering outstanding organizational performance. In China, staff faces many difficulties when conducting conservation activities because of an inefficient management system, and the lack of relevant laws and regulations. Recently, the Chinese government has been attempting institutional reforms and developing a pilot national park system to address these problems. We reviewed international and Chinese literature to examine how various aspects of these proposed changes can impact management staff’s activities. Furthermore, we analyzed the aspects of current institutional reforms related to management staff. The results revealed that the National Park Administration’s establishment is a potential solution to China’s cross-sectional management. We suggest that the country should formulate relevant laws and funding systems that are fundamental for the success of both management staff’s conservation activities and PAs.
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Harmsen H, Mbau JS, Muthama JN, Wang'ondu VW. Comparing law enforcement monitoring data and research data suggests an underestimation of bushmeat poaching through snaring in a Kenyan World Heritage Site. Afr J Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Henk Harmsen
- Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies University of Nairobi Nairobi Kenya
| | - Judith Syombua Mbau
- Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology University of Nairobi Nairobi Kenya
| | - John Nzioka Muthama
- Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies University of Nairobi Nairobi Kenya
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Abstract
AbstractLaw enforcement in protected areas is critical for ensuring long-term conservation and achieving conservation objectives. In 2004, patrol-based monitoring of law enforcement was implemented in protected areas in Ghana. Here, we evaluate long-term trends and changes in patrol staff performance, and illegal activities, in the Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve. The assessment was based on ranger patrol-based monitoring data collected during January 2006–August 2017. Along the patrol routes, patrol officers recorded all encounters with illegal activities associated with hunting and capturing or harming of animals. Across all years, staff performance was lowest in 2006 as staff learned the system but increased in 2007 and peaked in 2010, the latter as a result of motivation of the patrol staff. After 2011, staff performance decreased, mainly because of the retirement of some patrol staff and insufficient logistical support for successful patrolling. Snares were the most commonly recorded indicators of illegal activity. Because their use is silent, poachers using snares are less likely to be detected than poachers using other forms of hunting. Long-term assessment of patrol-based monitoring data provides reliable information on illegal activities related to wildlife, to enable stakeholders to design effective measures for biodiversity conservation. Our assessment indicates that patrol staff performance in Kogyae is, at least partly, dependent on governmental or external support and incentives, in particular the provision of equipment and transport facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Margaret Buck Holland
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
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Gubbi S, Harish N, Kolekar A, Poornesha H, Reddy V, Mumtaz J, Madhusudan M. From intent to action: A case study for the expansion of tiger conservation from southern India. Glob Ecol Conserv 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2016.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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