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- Valuing mangrove biodiversity and ecosystem services: a deliberative choice experiment in Mida Creek, KenyaPublication . Owuor, Margaret Awuor; Mulwa, Richard; Otieno, Philip; Icely, John; Newton, AliceMangrove degradation threatens the capacity of these important ecosystems to provide goods and services that contribute to human wellbeing. This study uses a deliberative choice experiment to value non-market mangrove ecosystem services (ES) at Mida Creek, Kenya. The attributes assessed include “shoreline erosion protection”, “biodiversity richness and abundance”, “nursery and breeding ground for fish”, and “education and research”. Unpaid labour (volunteer time) for mangroves conservation was used as the payment mechanism to estimate willingness to pay (WTP). Results suggest that respondents were willing to volunteer: 5.82 h/month for preserving the mangrove nursery and breeding ground functions to gain an additional metric ton of fish; 21.16 h/ month for increasing biodiversity richness and abundance; 10.81 h/month for reducing shoreline erosion by 1 m over 25 years; and 0.14 h/month for gaining 100 student/researcher visits/month. The estimation of WTP for mangrove ES provides valuable insights into the awareness of local communities about the contribution of mangrove forests to ES delivery. This knowledge could assist decision-making for the management and conservation of mangroves in Mida Creek and its environs.
- Electronic waste, an environmental problem exported to developing countries: The GOOD, the BAD and the UGLYPublication . Abalansa, Samuel; El Mahrad, Badr; Icely, John; Newton, AliceElectronic waste (e-waste) is a rapidly developing environmental problem particularly for the most developed countries. There are technological solutions for processing it, but these are costly, and the cheaper option for most developed countries has been to export most of the waste to less developed countries. There are various laws and policies for regulating the processing of e-waste at different governance scales such as the international Basel Convention, the regional Bamoko Convention, and various national laws. However, many of the regulations are not fully implemented and there is substantial financial pressure to maintain the jobs created for processing e-waste. Mexico, Brazil, Ghana Nigeria, India, and China have been selected for a more detailed study of the transboundary movements of e-waste. This includes a systematic review of existing literature, the application of the Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, Response (DPSIR) framework for analysing complex problems associated with social ecological systems, and the application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for evaluating the environmental impact of electronic devices from their manufacture through to their final disposal. Japan, Italy, Switzerland, and Norway have been selected for the LCA to show how e-waste is diverted to developing countries, as there is not sufficient data available for the assessment from the selected developing countries. GOOD, BAD and UGLY outcomes have been identified from this study: the GOOD is the creation of jobs and the use of e-waste as a source of raw materials; the BAD is the exacerbation of the already poor environmental conditions in developing countries; the UGLY is the negative impact on the health of workers processing e-waste due to a wide range of toxic components in this waste. There are a number of management options that are available to reduce the impact of the BAD and the UGLY, such as adopting the concept of a circular economy, urban mining, reducing loopholes and improving existing policies and regulations, as well as reducing the disparity in income between the top and bottom of the management hierarchy for e-waste disposal. The overarching message is a request for developed countries to help developing countries in the fight against e-waste, rather than exporting their environmental problems to these poorer regions.
- Community perceptions of the status and threats facing mangroves of Mida Creek, Kenya: Implications for community based managementPublication . Owuor, Margaret Awuor; Icely, John; Newton, AliceThe management of forest ecosystems globally is shifting from a top-down-approach, through centralised management by the state, to a more inclusive bottom-up approach involving community participation. Increasingly, there is a realisation that sustainable management of natural resources is dependent on the inclusion of local people or institutions through actions such as Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM). However, successful implementation of CBNRM depends on understanding the perception that local communities have of an ecosystem's resources. In this context, the present study examines the perceptions of local people on the status and threats facing the mangrove ecosystem of Mida Creek in Kenya. After consultation with these people, a closed ended questionnaire has been produced, investigating the perception of the local community on the degradation status of mangroves, as well as on the main threats affecting the mangroves. Furthermore, the study analysed the influence of the respondents' social characteristics on the choices they make about the degradation status and threats affecting the mangroves. Results show that 12% of the respondents consider the mangroves to be 'degraded' while 40% consider mangroves to be 'somewhat degraded'. The perceived drivers of mangrove degradation were human-induced activities such as firewood harvesting, pollution from plastics and faeces, pollution from oil spills, overharvesting for building materials and encroachment for settlements. Age, the size of the household and the location of the respondent were some of the variables that also affected the respondent's perceptions. Since problem identification is an important first step for tracing the causal chain behind resource degradation, the outcomes of this study are important for designing policies that could ameliorate problems. It also highlights the importance of involving the community in the initial stages of developing management policies, since they hold views that are necessary for policy change and improvement.
- Dinoflagellate assemblages in the west iberian upwelling region (Sagres, Portugal) during 1994–2001Publication . Danchenko, Sergei; Dodge, John David; Icely, John; Newton, AliceChanges in the composition of dinoflagellates from 1994 to 2001 at a station influenced by wind-induced seasonal upwelling off SW Portugal were analyzed in relation to oceanography. 194 taxa of dinoflagellates were detected, the most frequent belonged to the genera Tripos, Protoperidinium, Dinophysis, Diplopsalopsis, Prorocentrum and Lingulodinium. The composition of dinoflagellate communities followed a seasonal pattern, in association with oceanographic forcing and change of upwelling conditions. Harmful species such as Dinophysis acuminata, D. acuta, D. caudata, Gonyaulax spp. and Lingulodinium polyedra were found to develop during the upwelling season, typically comprising summer and early autumn in the West Iberian upwelling system, and also occasionally in the conditions following upwelling events in other seasons.
- Building an integrated analytical framework: a new methodology to analysing social-ecological systemsPublication . Gari, Sirak Robele; Newton, Alice; Icely, John DavidAppropriate adaptive management frameworks are useful for analyzing social-ecological systems. Natural resource managers and concerned stakeholders can co-design locally adapted, appropriate management systems based on the information obtained using frameworks, which leads to a better understanding of the social-ecological system (SES). However, no single framework addresses all environmental and social issues with equal efficiency. Therefore, the Driver-Activity-Pressure-State-Impact (Welfare)-Response (Measure) framework (DAPSI(W)R(M)), Ostrom's SES Framework (SESF), and the Systems Approach Framework (SAF) were combined to create an integrated analytical framework (IAF). Finally, the integrated analytical framework was tested in the Community Council of Alto and Medio Dagua (AMDA), Colombia, to assess a water quality problem emanating from anthropogenic activities. The approach seems to be valid and useful for the assessment of social-ecological systems.