Public perceptions of ecosystem services and preferences for design scenarios of the flooded bank along the Three Gorges Reservoir: Implications for sustainable management of novel ecosystems

The newly formed extensive flooded land associated with the Three Gorges Reservoir hold great potentials to provide ecosystem services (ESs) for surrounding cities and communities. Conflicting values and conventional management strategies may complicate and inhibit broad-scale decision-making for this novel ecosystem. Public attitudes are a crucial influence in the way this process plays out. This study was conducted to assess how the reservoir bank is perceived by the general public of Chongqing Municipality in terms of importance of riparian ESs, and preference for corresponding landscape design styles through photo-questionnaire interviewing. Although Chongqing citizens know little of the “ecosystem services” concept, they do recognise riparian environmental and ecological benefits especially the bank protection and pollution interception functions, while benefits of habitats for wildlife and flood attenuation were of less concern. Recreational values were least appreciated, which is inconsistent with other studies. This may be attributed to a wider, intensive environmental education in various social media in today’s China. But publicity has been dominated by toxic air, water and soil pollution control rather than the benefits of nature conservation and personal contact with nature. In line with recognition of ESs, there is quite strong preference for the forested design scenario and particularly vegetation components across the socio-demographic spectrum. Overall, socio-demographic variables have very low explanatory power for the perceptual responses. Our study also revealed misunderstandings around riparian functions and a gap between public expectations and special abiotic and biotic prerequisites in restoring novel ecosystems. Finally, we discuss the relevance of this research to urban novel ecosystems in general, and implications for raising public awareness, engaging appropriate public values in sustainable design and management of such ecosystems.     

Societal expectations of livestock farming in relation to environmental effects in Europe

The potential environmental effects of livestock farming are mainly associated with intensification of poultry, pig and dairy cow production systems. The major impacts are mainly caused by housing of livestock, which can lead to air and water pollution associated with nitrogen and phosphorus emissions and losses from manure. European countries regulate the potential for these types of pollution through a number of mechanisms, which have received wide public acceptance. In grazing systems, nitrogen pollution, associated with the use of nitrogen fertilizer, is also the subject of legislation. Perhaps because of this regulatory approach, surveys of the public have found that human food quality and animal welfare are more important issues than effects on air and water quality when considering livestock systems.Variation in stocking rates of grazing ruminants can change the structure and composition of pastures with potential impacts on biodiversity and the production of methane, a greenhouse gas. In European countries, maximum stocking rates have been set to reduce these impacts. Surveys of the European public have suggested that they are willing to pay for the mitigation of these environmental effects but that they also value strongly the cultural component of grazed livestock systems. There are few underlying concepts about how society views the environmental impacts of livestock systems. These are used to conclude that current attitudes are likely to prevail in the next decade.     

Public perceptions and attitudes toward green infrastructure on buildings: The case of the metropolitan area of Athens,Greece

As the impact of green space shrinkage in urban centers becomes obvious, local and regional authorities must adopt environmental planning policies that can help create new green areas to ensure a good quality of life for citizens, along with the rehabilitation of the natural environment. One approach is the promotion of green infrastructure on buildings, including multi-dwelling apartment buildings. In order to effectively promote green infrastructure on buildings, it is essential to comprehend public attitudes toward green infrastructure, so that suitable and effective strategies can be implemented by policy makers. In this study, eight hundred respondents were asked to provide their views on green infrastructure on buildings, on construction that should take place on blocks of apartments in order to accommodate green infrastructure and on the related benefits that may arise from creating green spaces on buildings. A structured questionnaire and stratified sampling were used for the interviews, which were conducted with apartment owners in two regional units of Athens. The results showed that most citizens are willing to proceed with the installation of a green roof, trellis or vertical garden, in order to improve the aesthetics and functionality of the building they live in. Most of the respondents are not familiar with the energy savings that may occur from the installation of a green roof, vertical trellis or garden and wish for a subsidy from the state in order to implement green building solutions. To conclude, the participants in our study are not environmentally aware, since they are not interested in energy conservation but only about the aesthetics of their building; furthermore, they expect to receive financial support from the state in order to make any changes to their home.     

Farmers' knowledge and perception of grain legume pests and their management in the Eastern province of Kenya

Grain legumes play an important role in community livelihood and in the national economy in Kenya. Unfortunately, in many African countries, production doesn't satisfy the demand in grains due to various constrains. Understanding farmers practices and behavior in the management of grain legume pests is a crucial step in the development of sustainable management strategies. A total of 216 farmers were surveyed in eight districts of eastern Kenya to evaluate farmers' knowledge and perceptions of grain legume pests; to examine current pest management practices, and to identify other production constraints. Grain legumes are grown by a wide age-group of farmers, with both genders equally represented. Chemical control remains the main pest management strategy, and, to ensure pesticide effectiveness, farmers also use increased application rates, chemical alternation, frequent application and mixtures of chemicals. While farmers used other control measures, they showed only limited interest in biological control. The majority of the farmers had experience in grain legume farming and were able to identify the major pests, which were the legume flower thrips Megalurothrips sjostedti Trybom, the cowpea aphid Aphis craccivora Koch and the legume pod borer Maruca vitrata Fabricius. Our survey revealed that education and proximity to extension services contributed significantly to farmers' knowledge of grain legume pests, suggesting the need to provide continuous training and capacity building on integrated pest management in grain legume farming. The study also suggests integration of other pest management strategies such as the use of early maturing varieties, biopesticides and biofertilizer to reduce the use of chemical for sustainable pest management.     

Do public attitudes affect conservation effort? Using a questionnaire-based survey to assess perceptions,beliefs and superstitions associated with frogs in South Africa

Globally, amphibians are among the least appreciated vertebrates and are often negatively perceived by the general public. Such attitudes are particularly prevalent in South Africa, where fear, superstitions and myths associated with frogs are pervasive in some cultures. These attitudes could have harmful consequences both for the animals concerned and conservation efforts. This study aimed to investigate attitudes to frogs throughout South Africa across multiple age and ethnic groups. We used a multi-language survey in both hard-copy and online versions. Respondents (n = 2 295) comprised both genders across six age groups and five ethnic groups. A functionalist approach using structural equation modelling was used to assess how liking of frogs and cultural beliefs varied with socio-demographic factors. Attitudes varied significantly between groups, with males more likely to like frogs than females and age and level of education also significantly linked to liking. The influence of cultural beliefs and lack of knowledge also directly influenced negative attitudes towards frogs. More than 60% of respondents expressed an interest in learning more about frogs, indicating an opportunity for improving attitudes through educational outreach. The findings of this study can be used to inform current efforts to protect amphibians in South Africa through social interventions.     

Attitudes and perceptions of veterinary paraprofessionals in New Zealand to postoperative pain in dogs and cats

AIM: To survey the attitudes and perceptions of veterinary paraprofessionals in New Zealand to postoperative pain in dogs and cats.

METHODS: In December 2011, veterinary paraprofessionals (VP) from throughout New Zealand were invited to participate in an online survey. Eleven questions, which were divided into five sections, were used to determine demographic information, the respondents’ assessment of pain after commonly performed surgeries in dogs and cats, their opinions on provision of analgesia, who had responsibility for pain monitoring and the use of any formal pain scoring system in the practice.

RESULTS: Data from 165 respondents were able to be used, and 162 (98%) respondents to the survey were female. According to the respondents’ estimates, fracture repair in dogs and repair of diaphragmatic hernias in cats had the highest pain score following surgery. Neutering procedures involving dogs were scored higher than for cats (p<0.01). All respondents agreed that animals benefit from perioperative analgesia. The veterinary nurse was reported to be predominantly responsible for monitoring pain in animals postoperatively by 116/165 (70.3%) respondents. Of 165 respondents, 154 (93%) considered that their knowledge of pain and assessment of pain could be enhanced.

CONCLUSIONS: This survey reflects the attitudes and perceptions of a sample of VP in New Zealand to postoperative pain in dogs and cats. The results indicate that all respondents believe that surgery results in sufficient pain to warrant analgesic therapy. Routine neutering surgeries were considered to be more painful in dogs than in cats. The current survey also provides information to educators on potential areas of focus, given that 93% of respondents felt that their knowledge of pain and assessment of pain could be enhanced.     

Potential farmer contributions to the design process: Indications from Indonesia

The paper argues that conventional irrigation design processes rely heavily on predetermined design criteria, often without allowing for interactions with farmers and revising of criteria during implementation. Six cases from a tertiary development project in North Sulawesi, Indonesia are described, where farmers altered what had been designed and constructed by contracting and agency engineers. Through field inspections and farmer interviews, the farmers' alternative set of design criteria was elicited to explain why the farmers changed what had been constructed. A total of 27 cases are analyzed to show the relative importance of:

Farmers' Attitudes to the Benefits and Barriers of Adopting Automation for Surface Irrigation on Dairy Farms in Australia

The study reports farmers' attitudes andperceptions towards the ``barriers' and ``benefits' of automaticirrigation systems. Factor analysis was used to identify perceived ``barriers' and ``benefits' andthe impact of these on farmers' priority to adopt automation wasexamined. Results suggest that farmers'attitudes, particularly with respect to ``cost' and``lifestyle' influenced the priority given to adopting automaticirrigation systems. The area under pasturecultivation was also an importantdeterminant in the farmers' priority foradopting automatic irrigation systems.     

安徽省省会经济圈水源地生态补偿环境调查分析

生态补偿已经成为当前全社会所广泛关注的热点问题。该文从水源地农村居民认知和态度的角度,调查皖西大别山水源地居民对安徽省省会经济圈生态补偿政策的意愿、补偿标准、补偿后收入的变化、补偿方式的接受意愿。对352份的调查分析结果显示:76.3%的居民对主体功能区水资源的生态补偿政策配合、大力支持和倡导宣传。77.5%水源地居民认为水资源生态补偿标准由水费价格或经济发展水平而定,34.5%的水源地居民认为生态补偿政策实施会改善生活。生态补偿金多数用在投入农业生产方面。34.9%的农户认为生态补偿金应由省政府或经济圈机构来发放,38.9%的农户认为生态补偿金由经济圈内的受益企业和事业单位来支付。从生态补偿方式的意愿来看,67.7%的农户愿意通过技术培训满足外出打工需要或发展补偿产业。在对水源地生态补偿环境调查分析的基础上,提出了生态补偿机制的实施对策。     

消费者食物浪费行为影响因素分析——基于计划行为理论的视角

巨大的食物浪费会造成严重的环境、社会和经济后果,阻碍社会的发展。消费者是食物浪费产生的主要原因,为了有效减少食物浪费,就必须了解消费者食物浪费行为的影响因素。基于计划行为理论,利用961个消费者的调查数据,从食物和环境相关行为两个角度,分析消费者食物浪费行为,探讨消费者食物浪费行为的影响因素。结果表明,消费者食物浪费量较大,占总食物量的16.52%。一般态度、金钱态度、环境态度、主观规范、个人规范和知觉行为控制均显著正向影响消费者减少食物浪费意愿,其中,环境态度对减少浪费意愿的影响最大,其次是食物浪费的一般态度和知觉行为控制,个人规范影响最小。而减少食物浪费意愿则显著负向影响消费者的食物浪费行为。因此,为有效减少食物浪费,提出加强沟通宣传、改变消费者对食物浪费的行为态度;规范相关条例制度、强化消费者减少食物浪费的规范;同时加强相关培训教育、提高消费者对食物浪费行为的知觉行为控制的建议。