Browsing by Author "Icely, John"
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- A comparison of rural community perceptions and involvement in conservation between the Fiji Islands and Southwestern PortugalPublication . Thaman, Baravi; Icely, John; Fragoso, Bruno D. D.; Veitayaki, JoeliCommunity involvement in conservation provides significant benefits including the ownership of resources and initiatives that integrate traditional and local knowledge into decision-making processes and management activities. This study assesses and compares the effectiveness of community involvement in conservation initiatives in two different countries, by examining the community's level of involvement and their perceptions of conservation in Yadua (Fiji) and the Natural Park of Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina (PNSACV) (Portugal). The hypothesis was that "Effective community involvement contributes to the success, ownership, benefits, positive impacts and sustainability of conservation projects". Using questionnaires, structured interviews and document analyses of past literature, information obtained about community involvement in conservation activities in the two study areas was compared. Results showed that while community members showed high levels of involvement in all conservation activities in the Fiji study (88%), this was not the case in the Portugal study (43%), where results showed that lack of community involvement, leading to ineffective conservation. In both cases, however, the levels of involvement appear to have influenced community perceptions of conservation efforts' impact upon livelihoods. The Fiji study showed that community-focused conservation can be successful given appropriate community involvement. This contrasted with the Portugal study where conservation efforts were not community-focused and often led to conflicts and criticisms. A bottom-up approach has been utilized in Yadua, Fiji, whereas a top-down approach is clearly observed for the PNSACV in Portugal. A more holistic approach to conservation would empower local communities and ensure the successful implementation of conservation programmes. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Absorption coefficient of particulate matter on the south-west coast of Europe: a contribution to the validation of the MERIS-Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer sensorPublication . Goela, Priscila; Icely, John; Cristina, Sónia; Newton, AliceDissolved oxygen (DO) is one of the most important environmental variables of water quality, especially for marine life. Consequently, oxygen is one of the Chemical Quality Elements required for the implementation of European Union Water Framework Directive. This study uses the example of the Ria Formosa, a meso-tidal lagoon on the south coast of Portugal to demonstrate how monitoring of water quality for coastal waters must be well designed to identify symptoms of episodic hypoxia. New data from the western end of the Ria Formosa were compared to values in a database of historical data and in the published literature to identify long-term trends. The dissolved oxygen concentration values in the database and in the literature were generally higher than those found in this study, where episodic hypoxia was observed during the summer. Analysis of the database showed that the discrepancy was probably related with the time and the sites where the samples had been collected, rather than a long-term trend. The most problematic situations were within the inner lagoon near the city of Faro, where episodic hypoxia (<2 mg dm3 DO) occurred regularly in the early morning. These results emphasise the need for a balanced sampling strategy for oxygen monitoring which includes all periods of the day and night, as well as a representative range of sites throughout the lagoon. Such a strategy would provide adequate data to apply management measures to reduce the risk of more persistent hypoxia that would impact on the ecological, important natural resource. economic and leisure uses of this important natural resource.
- An overview of ecological status, vulnerability and future perspectives of European large shallow, semi-enclosed coastal systems, lagoons and transitional watersPublication . Newton, Alice; Icely, John; Cristina, Sónia; Brito, Ana; Cardoso, Ana Cristina; Colijn, Franciscus; Riva, Simona Dalla; Gertz, Flemming; Hansen, Jens Würgler; Holmer, Marianne; Ivanova, Kateryna; Leppäkoski, Erkki; Canu, Donata Melaku; Mocenni, Chiara; Mudge, Stephen; Murray, Nicholas; Pejrup, Morten; Razinkovas, Arturas; Reizopoulou, Sofia; Pérez-Ruzafa, Angel; Schernewski, Gerard; Schubert, Hendrik; Carr, Laishalla; Solidoro, Cosimo; PierluigiViaroli, null; Zaldívar, José-ManuelThe paper gives an overview of some of the large, shallow, semi-enclosed coastal systems (SECS) in Europe, These SECS are important both from the ecological and the economic perspective (socioecological systems) and provide many valuable ecosystem goods and services. Although some of the systems are transitional waters under theWater Framework Directive, this is not the case for all of the systems. The paper adopts a Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response approach to analyse the ecological status, vulnerability and future perspectives of these systems in the context of global change.
- Anthropogenic, direct pressures on coastal wetlandsPublication . Newton, Alice; Icely, John; Cristina, Sónia; Perillo, Gerardo M. E.; Turner, R. Eugene; Ashan, Dewan; Cragg, Simon; Luo, Yongming; Tu, Chen; Li, Yuan; Zhang, Haibo; Ramesh, Ramachandran; Forbes, Donald L.; Solidoro, Cosimo; Béjaoui, Béchir; Gao, Shu; Pastres, Roberto; Kelsey, Heath; Taillie, Dylan; Nhan, Nguyen; Brito, Ana C.; de Lima, Ricardo; Kuenzer, ClaudiaCoastal wetlands, such as saltmarshes and mangroves that fringe transitional waters, deliver important ecosystem services that support human development. Coastal wetlands are complex social-ecological systems that occur at all latitudes, from polar regions to the tropics. This overview covers wetlands in five continents. The wetlands are of varying size, catchment size, human population and stages of economic development. Economic sectors and activities in and around the coastal wetlands and their catchments exert multiple, direct pressures.
- Aquaculture in the crossroad of microplastic contaminationPublication . Bebianno, Maria; Manthopoulos, Michael; Nathan, Justine; Cristina, Sónia; Ribeiro, Laura; Luna-Araújo, Ravi; Icely, John; Dias Duarte Fragoso, Bruno; Moura, DelmindaPlastic pollution threatens life and human health, with microplastics (MP) linked to seafood consumption. MPs enter aquaculture through the environment and from aquaculture gear. During aquaculture production, plastic is used in nets and sacks for the growth process and in collecting and processing so it becomes important to expand the knowledge about how much MPs are present in seafood. The aim was to investigate the presence of MPs in three bivalve’s species; oysters (Crassostrea gigas), clams (Ruditapes decussatus), and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) produced in offshore and intertidal aquaculture in two different climate conditions. Water, bivalves and sediments were collected from each site and abundance size, colour, type and composition of the MPs polymers analysed. The most common colour in offshore aquaculture was blue while in intertidal was black, and the type was fragments. Sixty per cent of bivalves did not have MPs in their tissues Bivalves from offshore aquaculture was less impacted by MPs probably due to the hydrographic conditions and distance from the coast. Most of MPs ingested by bivalves were related to the plastic type used in aquaculture materials. Transformative solutions and/or procedures to eliminate plastic from aquaculture equipment are needed, and depuration might be a practical solution.
- Aquaculture in the crossroad of microplastic contaminationPublication . Bebianno, Maria; Manthopoulos, Michael; Nathan, Justine; Cristina, Sónia; Ribeiro, Laura; Luna-Araújo, Ravi; Icely, John; Dias Duarte Fragoso, Bruno; Moura, DelmindaPlastic pollution threatens life and human health, with microplastics (MP) linked to seafood consumption. MPs enter aquaculture through the environment and from aquaculture gear. During aquaculture production, plastic is used in nets and sacks for the growth process and in collecting and processing so it becomes important to expand the knowledge about how much MPs are present in seafood. The aim was to investigate the presence of MPs in three bivalve's species; oysters (Crassostrea gigas), clams (Ruditapes decussatus), and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) produced in offshore and intertidal aquaculture in two different climate conditions. Water, bivalves and sediments were collected from each site and abundance, size, colour, type and composition of the MPs polymers analysed. The most common colour in offshore aquaculture was blue while in intertidal was black, and the type was fragments. Sixty per cent of bivalves did not have MPs in their tissues. Bivalves from offshore aquaculture was less impacted by MPs probably due to the hydrographic conditions and distance from the coast. Most of MPs ingested by bivalves were related to the plastic type used in aquaculture materials. Transformative solutions and/ or procedures to eliminate plastic from aquaculture equipment are needed, and depuration might be a practical solution.
- Assessing the effectiveness of management measures in the Ria Formosa coastal lagoon, PortugalPublication . Newton, Alice; Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel; March, David; Goela, Priscila; Cristina, Sónia; Zacarias, Marta; Icely, JohnThe Ria Formosa is an important transitional and coastal lagoon on the south coast of Portugal that provides valuable ecosystem services. The lagoon is a protected area under national and international conventions. There is a great potential for Blue Growth sectors, such as aquaculture and coastal tourism, but these rely on good water quality. European environmental legislation, such as the Water Framework Directive, requires member states, such as Portugal to implement management measures if a surface water body is not of good ecological status. This work addresses the effectiveness of management measures, such as wastewater treatment plant implementation and dredging, on the water quality of the Ria Formosa coastal lagoon system. This is an important social-ecological issue, since management measures can be very expensive. The ecological status of Ria Formosa was evaluated, according to the physico-chemical and biological quality elements of the Water Framework Directive. The main indicators were the physico-chemical quality elements of nutrient and oxygen condition, and the biological quality element chlorophyll a, as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass, under the Water Framework Directive. The data for these quality elements from the Ria Formosa were analyzed for consistency with the classification for the Water Framework Directive water bodies. The data after the implementation of management measures was compared with historical data to evaluate if these measures had been effective. The relation between nutrient pressures, meteorological and hydrological conditions was addressed, especially rainfall and runoff. Results showed a decrease in nutrient concentration after the management interventions, despite the increase of population and intensifying agriculture in the catchment. The Ecological Status is spatially variable with an overall moderate status, indicating the need for further management measures. There is a significant reduction in nutrient pressure on the lagoon during drought years. This indicates that climate change may alter the structure and function of the lagoon in the future.
- Assessing, quantifying and valuing the ecosystem services of coastal lagoonsPublication . Newton, Alice; Brito, Ana C.; Icely, John; Derolez, Valerie; Clara, Ines; Angus, Stewart; Schernewski, Gerald; Inacio, Miguel; Lillebo, Ana I.; Sousa, Ana I.; Bejaoui, Bechir; Solidoro, Cosimo; Tosic, Marko; Canedo-Arguelles, Miguel; Yamamuro, Masumi; Reizopoulou, Sofia; Tseng, Hsiao-Chun; Canu, Donata; Roselli, Leonilde; Maanan, Mohamed; Cristina, Sónia; Carolina Ruiz-Fernandez, Ana; de Lima, Ricardo F.; Kjerfve, Bjorn; Rubio-Cisneros, Nadia; Perez-Ruzafa, Angel; Marcos, Concepcion; Pastres, Roberto; Pranovi, Fabio; Snoussi, Maria; Turpie, Jane; Tuchkovenko, Yurii; Dyack, Brenda; Brookes, Justin; Povilanskas, Ramunas; Khokhlov, ValeriyThe natural conservation of coastal lagoons is important not only for their ecological importance, but also because of the valuable ecosystem services they provide for human welfare and wellbeing. Coastal lagoons are shallow semi-enclosed systems that support important habitats such as wetlands, mangroves, salt-marshes and seagrass meadows, as well as a rich biodiversity. Coastal lagoons are also complex social-ecological systems with ecosystem services that provide livelihoods, wellbeing and welfare to humans. This study assessed, quantified and valued the ecosystem services of 32 coastal lagoons. The main findings of the study are: (i) the definitions of ecosystem services are still not generally accepted; (ii) the quantification of ecosystem services is made in many different ways, using different units; (iii) the evaluation in monetary terms of some ecosystem service is problematic, often relying on non-monetary evaluation methods; (iv) when ecosystem services are valued in monetary terms, this may represent very different human benefits; and, (v) different aspects of climate change, including increasing temperature, sea-level rise and changes in rainfall patterns threaten the valuable ecosystem services of coastal lagoons.
- Assessment of the water-leaving reflectances of the oceanic and coastal waters using MERIS satellite products in Sagres off the southwest coast of PortugalPublication . Cristina, Sónia; Goela, Priscila; Icely, John; Newton, Alice; Fragoso, BrunoOptical properties of oceanic waters have provided an important tool for observing large scale fluctuations in oceanic conditions by remote sensing. However, there are still problems with calibrating the algorithms that link remote sensing data with in situ measurements, particularly, in coastal areas where there are adjacency affects from land on the reflectance data observed by the satellite sensor. As part of a contract with the European Space Agency to validate the marine products of the MERIS (Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) sensor on the ENVISAT satellite, this study is taking regular measurements with a Satlantic hyperspectral radiometer ranging from inshore to offshore sites, covering both Case-1 and Case-2 waters off the south west coast of Portugal. Water-leaving reflectances (rw) were estimated from downwelling and upwelling spectral irradiances,and compared with MERIS rw for a period between September and November 2008. The results of the “matchup” analysis showed that there was reasonable agreement between the data sets over the period of study at the offshore site where the land adjacency affect on the satellite data was reduced. The greatest deviation of in situ data from satellite values was at the inshore site and at the lower wavelengths of the visible spectrum, where the rws for the blue band were most affected by atmospheric corrections. This study suggests that calibration algorithms of MERIS products with in situ data from the south west coast of Portugal could be improved by using, for example, ICOL ( Improved Contrast between Ocean and Land) processing.
- Boundary conditions for the European Water Framework Directive in the Ria Formosa lagoon, Portugal (physico-chemical and phytoplankton quality elements)Publication . Loureiro, Sofia; Newton, Alice; Icely, JohnThe dynamics between nutrients, the microplankton assemblage and physical factors were evaluated in the Ria Formosa (S. Portugal) coastal lagoon. Water samples were collected from Ramalhete and Ponte within the lagoon and compared with the conditions at Barra, an oceanic inlet. The two lagoon stations represent the boundary conditions of two different water bodies that have been registered as intercalibration sites for the European Water Framework Directive. Sampling coincided with high and low water conditions, at the summer and winter solstice, and at the spring and autumn equinox between June 2001 and July 2002. Chlorophyll a values, with a maximum of 5.1 mg l 1 during growing season, were lower than those reported for similar systems. The maximal winter values of 5.99 mM for total inorganic nitrogen, 0.53 mM for phosphate, and 6.34 mM for silicate, were also lower than previously reported for this area. Microplankton peaked during the summer solstices of June 2001 and July 2002, with maximal abundances of 12 105 cells l 1 and 7 105 cells l 1 for total microplankton, respectively: these communities were dominated by diatoms. At the autumn and spring equinox (September 2001 and April 2002), the maximal abundances were 4.9 105 cells l 1 and 2.6 105 cells l 1 total microplankton, respectively: these communities were more evenly distributed between diatoms, dinoflagellates, nanoflagellates and ciliates. At the winter solstice (December 2001), the microplankton were at their lowest with a maximal abundance of 1.0 105 cells l 1: these communities were dominated by small organisms, particularly nanoflagellates. The oceanic microplankton community at the Barra inlet was generally less numerous and differed in composition from the lagoonal communities at Ramalhete and Ponte. Multivariate analysis clustered the microplankton assemblage according to season. Changes in the microplankton community were related mainly to variations in temperature, solar radiation and salinity, and to the availability of the reduced forms of nitrogen. The differences between the parameters observed at the entrance of the lagoon during the summer solstice of 2001 and 2002 may be due, respectively, to the colder upwelled water during 2001 and the much warmer water observed in 2002. Nutrient enrichment was possible both from coastal waters and from internal lagoonal processes. Consequent accumulation of biomass may occur in inner regions where water circulation is restricted, which may lead to episodes of water quality degradation. This study does not alter the boundary conditions for Ramalhete and Ponte registered at the European Commission, respectively, as ‘good/moderate’ and ‘high/good’.