Environmental impact assessment system and process: A study on policy and legal instruments in Nepal
September 2010
An efficient system of decision making for sustainable socioeconomic development, with an effective environmental management of the sources of environmental impact and effects of such impacts, need to be put in place in order to implement the government policy of environmental protection and safety at the regional level. To obtain such kind of results; Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) tool has been...
Relationship between bacterial density and chemical composition of a tropical sewage oxidation pond
September 2010
Studies were carried out to examine the performance of the sewage oxidation pond situated in and serving the community of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. A survey of the coliform and total bacterial populations was carried out. The sewage was also examined for biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen content as well as for nitrate, phosphate, silica and chloride contents. The mean...
Effects of impregnation with boron compounds on the surface adhesion strength of varnishes used woods
September 2010
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of impregnation with boron compounds on the surface adhesion strength of varnishes used woods. For this purpose, the test specimens prepared from Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) and European oak (Quercus petreae (Matt.) Liebl.) which met the requirements of ASTM D 358 were impregnated according to ASTM D 1413 with boric acid (Ba) and borax...
Effects of artificial soil surface management on changes of aggregate stability and other soil properties
September 2010
Studies of size distribution, stability of the aggregates, and other soil properties are very important due to their influence on tilth, water infiltration, and nutrient dynamics and more importantly on accelerated erosion but are affected by soil surface management. Both chemical e.g. pH, organic carbon, (OC), exchangeable cations e.g. calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and physical properties such as aggregate...
Impact of shade and cocoa plant densities on soil organic carbon sequestration rates in a cocoa growing soil of Ghana
September 2010
Cropping systems have influence on the conservation of soil organic matter. Soil samples were taken from a long term experiment that was designed to study the impact of shade and cocoa plant densities on cocoa yields. The impact of the treatments on soil organic carbon sequestration rates and the gains or losses of soil organic carbon under the treatments with reference to adjacent undisturbed bush were...
Mathematical modeling of dissolved oxygen in fish ponds
September 2010
A mathematical model was developed to predict the effects of wind speed, light, pH, Temperature, dissolved carbon dioxide and chemical oxygen demand (COD) on Dissolved Oxygen (DO) in fish ponds. The effects of organic feeds, aeration and fish activity were added to the model developed by Kayombo et al. for Waste Stabilization Ponds (Ecological Modelling 127(2000): 21 - 31) to reflect the situation in fish ponds. Model...
Millennium City: Different Shades of Green
August 2010
Effect of leaching on heavy metals concentration of soil in some dumpsites
August 2010
Study on the effect of leaching on heavy metals concentration at dumpsites was conducted by analyzing samples of soil collected from different dumpsites located within Ikere and Ado Ekiti metropolis, South Western Nigeria. The samples were analyzed for concentrations of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Sn and Zn. Control soil samples were taken at 200 m away from the last sampling point on each dump site down the slope...
Effects of temporal changes in climate variables on crop production in tropical sub-humid South-western Nigeria
August 2010
Climate variability and change have been implicated to have significant impacts on global and regional food production particularly the common stable food crops performance in tropical sub-humid climatic zone. However, the extent and nature of these impacts still remain uncertain. In this study, records of crop yields and some climatic variables for a period of 17 years (1990 - 2006) were used to...
Malaria and pneumonia occurrence in Lagos, Nigeria: Role of temperature and rainfall
August 2010
The role of climatic parameters in the prevalence and severity of some common diseases is being speculated in the face of changing climate of the world. We investigate this supposition by expounding the relationship between malaria, pneumonia, rainfall and air temperature over Lagos, Nigeria. This study uses temperature and rainfall data of 60 years and 14 years record of reported cases of malaria and pneumonia...
Catch rate of juveniles Ethamatosa fimbriata, Sardinella maderensis, and Brachydeuterus auritus fishing in Freetown Peninsular
August 2010
We investigated the incidences of juvenile fishing according to fishing practices in Freetown peninsular. The industrial trawl fishing sector, despite its technology is not fully selective to avoid by-catch of juvenile fish, and artisanal fishing is so less for economic reasons. Ineffective enforcement of fishing regulations is a major cause to the catch of both targeted and non-targeted juvenile...
Multivariate statistical characterization of groundwater quality in Ain Azel plain, Algeria
August 2010
Multivariate statistical techniques, cluster and principal component analysis were applied to the data on groundwater quality of Ain Azel plain (Algeria), to extract principal factors corresponding to the different sources of variation in the hydrochemistry, with the objective of defining the main controls on the hydrochemistry at the plain scale. Q-mode hierarchical cluster analysis grouped 54 groundwater samples into...
An evaluation of Iken fishing strategy in tropical Lekki lagoon, Nigeria
August 2010
This paper presents the results of the investigations of the fish aggregating device which served as fisheries enhancement techniques for the improvement of the productivity of the Lekki Lagoon between March 2006 and February 2008. The performance of the floating Island (Iken fishery) depends on the size and the thickness. Chrysichythys nigrodigitatus contributed 25.51, 23.42 and 25.19% of the total...
Determination of carnivores prey base by scat analysis in Samburu community group ranches in Kenya
August 2010
This study determined the prey base for four main carnivores found in Samburu community group ranches and grazing area, Lion (Panthera leo), Leopard (Panthera pardus), Wild dog (Lycaon pictus) and Hyaena (Crocuta crocuta, and Hyaena hyaena). A total of 96 scat samples including, 8 from Lion, 16 Leopards’, 2 Wild dogs’, and 70 Hyaenas’ were collected, identified and microscopically analyzed...
Reduction of hexavalent chromium by Rhizopus oryzae
July 2010
The ability of Rhizopus oryzae to reduce Cr6+ was evaluated in batch microcosms. The optimum pH of R. oryzae growth was between 6.0 and 7.0. The maximum chromium reduction efficiency of 91.15% and biomass growth was achieved at a pH of 7, temperature of 37°C, with an initial Cr6+ concentration of 400 ppm and incubation period of 72 h. Monod and Haldane models were used to...
Dealing with reducing trends in forest ecosystem services through a vulnerability assessment and planned adaptation actions
July 2010
Vulnerability of forest ecosystems in West Africa is likely to be aggravated with current and projected climate and human stresses with implications for adaptation and REDD regimes. This is because vulnerability of the forest ecosystems affects economic sectors and millions of people that depend on their services. This study investigated vulnerability of forest ecosystems through land use land...
The challenges of rehabilitating denuded patches of a semi-arid environment in Kenya
July 2010
Land degradation is a major problem in the semi-arid environments of Sub-Saharan Africa. Fighting land degradation is essential to ensure the sustainable and long-term productivity of the habited semi-arid lands. In Kenya, grass reseeding technology has been used to combat land degradation. However, despite the use of locally adapted perennial grass species namely Cenchrus ciliaris (African foxtail...
Agrobiodiversity endangered by sugarcane farming in Mumias and Nzoia Sugarbelts of Western Kenya
July 2010
Commercial sugarcane farming has been practised in western Kenya for nearly forty years. This monocultural land use is associated with loss of natural vegetation and cropland, thus undermining food security status of a place. Further, sugarcane farming is a major contributor to loss of biodiversity in western Kenya. This study was therefore aimed at determining the long-term effects of sugarcane farming on...
Anomaly effects of arrays for 3d geoelectrical resistivity imaging using orthogonal or parallel 2d profiles
July 2010
The effectiveness of using a net of orthogonal or parallel sets of two-dimensional (2D) profiles for three-dimensional (3D) geoelectrical resistivity imaging has been evaluated. A series of 2D apparent resistivity data were generated over two synthetic models which represent geological or environmental conditions for a typical weathered profile and waste dump site, respectively, commonly associated with...
Delineating shallow ground water irrigated areas in the Atankwidi Watershed (Northern Ghana, Burkina Faso) using Quickbird 0.61 - 2.44 meter data
July 2010
The major goal of this research was to delineate the shallow groundwater irrigated areas (SGI) in the Atankwidi Watershed in the Volta River Basin of West Africa. Shallow ground water irrigation is carried out using very small dug-wells all along the river banks or shallow dug-outs all along the river bed. Each of these dug-wells and dug-outs are highly fragmented small water bodies that irrigate only a...
Evaluation of pulp and paper making characteristics of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.)
July 2010
Shortage of conventional raw material for the pulp and paper products together with the increasing world demand for paper has renewed interest in non-wood fibres. Non-wood pulping capacity has been increasing steadily over the last decade. A lot of crops grown for biomass, like switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), are good examples of plants with potential for pulp production. Raw material chemical...
Mineral nutrient status, some quality and morphological characteristics changes in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivars under salt stress
July 2010
Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is considered to be one of the most important crops which thrive in newly reclaimed sandy soils as a leguminous crop of high nutritive value and a source of edible oil. Our study tested the effects of different salt levels on mineral nutrient partitioning (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, P and N) and some quality (dry weight and leaf relative water content) and...
Spatial distribution of saline water and possible sources of intrusion into a tropical freshwater lagoon and the transitional effects on the lacustrine ichthyofaunal diversity
July 2010
The spatial distribution of saline water and possible sources of intrusion into Lekki lagoon and transitional effects on the lacustrine ichthyofaunal characteristics were studied during March 2006 and February, 2008. The water quality analysis indicated that salinity has drastically increased recently in the lagoon (0.007 to 4.70%). This study has identified three possible sources for saline water intrusion,...
Response of African oil bean (Pentaclethra Macrophylla Benth) seeds to soils contaminated with spent lubricating oil
July 2010
This study evaluated the response (seedling emergence) of Pentaclethra macrophyllaseeds sown in soils contaminated with spent lubricating oil using 0, 1, 2, 4 and 8% w/w in Asaba, Delta State in 2009. The results showed that 100% of the seeds sown in the control germinated. Significant reductions (P ≥ 0.05) were however recorded in seeds planted in the soils treated with the spent lubricating oil. The...
Colica pictonium variety zamfaraensis
June 2010
Bacteriological, physicochemical and mineral studies on Awedele spring water and soil samples in Ado Ekiti, Nigeria
June 2010
Enterococci abound in faeces, survive long outside the enteric environment and possess unique ability to acquire and transfer antibiotic resistance. Recent studies have identified Enterococci as a relevant indicator of water quality. The current study focused on the prevalence of antimicrobial resistant forms of Enterococcus species isolated from Awedele spring water in Ekiti State...
Aquifer characteristics and groundwater recharge pattern in a typical basement complex, Southwestern Nigeria
June 2010
A geophysical survey involving thirty four vertical electrical sounding (VES) was carried out at Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta, southwestern Nigeria using Schlumberger electrode array. The locations were selected based on the existing boreholes drilled in the past within the study area. The results revealed a maximum of five geoelectric layers, viz: topsoil, sandy clay, clayey sand,...
Studies on the occurrence and distribution of heavy metals in sediments in Lagos Lagoon and their effects on benthic microbial population
June 2010
An investigation was conducted to assess the concentration of heavy metals in sediments in three selected locations along Lagos lagoon comprising University of Lagos, Ebute Metta and Ijora zones and correlate the effect of metal concentrations on benthic microbial population vis a vis the open water bacterial population. Physiochemical analysis revealed a pH of 8.94, 11.98 and 7.82 of University of Lagos,...
Hydrologic fluxes in the Volta River watershed : A paleo-terrestrial environment in West Africa
June 2010
The hydrologic cycle plays an important role in carbon cycling, due to the coupling of vapour release and CO2 uptake during photosynthesis. This coupling, expressed as water use efficiency of transpiration ratio, can provide an inexpensive alternative for estimating the Net Primary Productivity (NPP) of terrestrial ecosystem. Stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen and long-term hydrologic and...
Phytoplankton productivity in newly dug fish ponds within Lake Victoria wetlands (Uganda)
June 2010
The declining Lake Victoria fisheries resource led to a growing recognition of aquaculture as a source of livelihood to riparian communities. Finger ponds speculated to naturally stock fish during flooding and retain them during dry seasons were introduced within the lake’s wetlands. In order to develop a better understanding of these ponds’ dynamics, algal primary productivity was studied in...
Vulnerability and adaptation of rain fed agriculture to climate change and variability in semi-arid Tanzania
June 2010
A vulnerability assessment of rain fed agriculture to climate change and variability in semi-arid parts of Tabora Region in Tanzania was conducted in 2009. Four village clusters were selected out of which, three villages represent Millennium Villages Program (MVP) namely Mbola, Mpenge and Isila from Uyui District. One village namely Tumbi from Tabora Urban bordering the MVP was also selected. Both primary and...
Removal of copper (II), iron (III) and lead (II) ions from Mono-component Simulated Waste Effluent by Adsorption on Coconut Husk
June 2010
The use of coconut husk as a low-cost natural adsorbent for the removal of Cu (II), Fe (III) and Pb (II) from simulated industrial waste effluent was studied. Batch experiments were conducted to determine the effects of varying adsorbent loadings, pH, contact time, metal ion concentration and temperature of adsorption. The adsorption of Pb (II) was found to be maximum (94%±3.2) at pH 5, temperature of...
Estimation of proximate composition and biogas production from in vitro gas fermentation of sweet potato (Ipomea batatas) and wild cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta) peels
June 2010
The proximate composition in terms of percentage dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), crude fibre (CF), ether-extract (EE), ash, nitrogen free extract (NFE) and carbohydrate of sweet potato peel (SPP) and wild cocoyam peel (WCP) were determined. Buffered and sieved goat’s rumen liquor was added to 200 mg of dried and milled SPP and WCP in 100 ml syringes supplied with C02 under anaerobic condition...
Studies on the kinetics and intraparticle diffusivities of BOD, colour and TSS reduction from palm oil mill effluent (POME) using boiler fly ash
June 2010
The palm oil industry has been identified as one of the main contributors of organic pollution. These industries generate large volumes of effluent and solid waste including boiler fly ash. The kinetics and intraparticle diffusivities of BOD, TSS and colour reduction from palm oil mill effluent (POME) using boiler fly ash was reported in this paper. The amount of BOD, colour and TSS adsorbed increased as the...
Aerial survey of Elephants (Loxodonta africana africana), other large mammals and human activities in Waza National Park, Cameroon
June 2010
Total aerial count of elephants, other large mammals and human activities in Waza National Park was conducted between 21st and 23rd February 2007. Total counts of elephants and other wildlife species were done and livestock numbers were estimated. A Cessna 206 Stationair six-seater aircraft fitted with GPS was used in navigation, recording survey paths and waypoints. A total of three different herds of 180...
The River Nile: Managing Turbulence
May 2010
Phytoremediation potential of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) grown in different soil textures and cadmium concentrations
May 2010
This study investigated effect of soil textures and cadmium (Cd) concentrations on the growth, fibre yields and Cd absorption of kenaf. Screen-house experiment was conducted in the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB), Ogun State, Nigeria. Top soils were collected from Murtala Victoria Botanical Garden, Epe, Lagos State, Nigeria and UNAAB Teaching and Research Farm. Ten-litre plastic pots were filled...
Validation of Orchestia gammarellus enzymatic activities in several sites of Tangier’s bay (Morocco)
May 2010
Marine biodiversity is increasingly at risk because of coastal contamination. Biomarkers of pollutant exposure can be very useful for marine biodiversity conservation. The aim of this research was to validate the enzymatic activities (catalase, esterase, α-amylase and acetylcholinesterase) of Orchestia gammarellus in several sites of Tangier’s bay to improve predictive performance...
A study of the distribution and diversity of the Family Orchidaceae on some selected lava flows of Mount Cameroon
May 2010
A survey was conducted between December 2005 and November 2006 to determine the diversity and distribution of the family Orchidaceae on three lava flows on Mount Cameroon and to relate species diversity and abundance to altitude, age and soil types. Thirty plots, each of 10 ×10 m were surveyed at low, mid and high altitudes on each lava flow. Forty nine orchid species belonging to 14 genera were...
Characteristics of snail farmers and constraints to increased production in West and Central Africa
May 2010
Snail gathering/rearing is an important source of livelihood for rural dwellers in the humid forest and derived savannah zones of West and Central Africa. Recently, declining populations of Archachatina archachatina and Archachatina marginata species is being observed, with climatic conditions and changes in land use implicated as causal factors. However, these claims are still to be...
Age and growth of Distichodus antonii (Schilthuis, 1891) (Pisces, Teleostei, Distichontidae) in Pool Malebo, Congo River
May 2010
The estimation of demographic parameters of Distichodus antonii, in Pool Malebo (Congo River), was obtained from analysis of 36 good scales samples. L∞ was estimated at 107.91 cm, K at 0.10 .year-1 and t0 at -0.67 year-1. The growth parameters calculated from this method revealed that this fish has a slow growth rate and it reaches a large size. The analysis of marginal increase...
Environmental aspect of oil and water-based drilling muds and cuttings from Dibi and Ewan off-shore wells in the Niger Delta, Nigeria
May 2010
Drilling muds and cuttings derived from Ewan and Dibi off-shore wells in the Niger-Delta petroleum province of Nigeria was studied in order to evaluate their toxicity and possible environmental impacts that may result from their indiscriminate disposal. Oil based drilling wastes (muds and cuttings) were collected at prescribed depths and analyzed for aliphatic hydrocarbon (AH) and polynuclear aromatic...
Effects of phosphate rock application on dry matter yield and phosphorus recovery of maize and cowpea grown in sequence
May 2010
The study was conducted in a greenhouse at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR & T) Ibadan, Nigeria to evaluate the influence of P source, rate and frequency on dry matter yield of maize and cowpea grown sequentially in three soil types. Three sources of P: Ogun phosphate rock (OPR: 20.2% P2O5); Crystallizer super (CS: 31.4% P2O5) and Single super phosphate (SSP: 18.0% P2O5); Four...
Factors affecting medical waste management in low-level health facilities in Tanzania
May 2010
A study on evaluation of medical waste management systems was conducted in the low-level health facilities (LLHFs) in Dar es Salaam by comparing Ilala and Kinondoni municipalities. Questionnaires, interviews, visits and observation were used in data collection. The study has revealed that; most of the facilities have no specific disposal sites. In Ilala, 70% of the health facilities burn wastes in poorly...
Africa Environment Day 2010
April 2010
Performance and risk assessment of bambara beans grown on petroleum contaminated soil and the biostimulation implications
April 2010
The potential of Vigna subterranean commonly called Bambara beans for phytoextraction of copper in a crude oil contaminated soil was investigated. The contamination levels of crude oil in the soil for this pot experiment were 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10% (w/v). Amendments were added to increase the uptake and translocation of metal to aerial biomass. A range of amendments was tested for copper uptake enhancement...
Climate change and agricultural water demand: Impacts and adaptations
April 2010
Global climate change related to natural and anthropogenic processes has been the topic of concern and interest world - wide. One of the most significant impacts of the ‘greenhouse effect’ is anticipated to be on water resources. Thus, the impact of climate change appears to be an additional component on top of the large number of existing water-related problems. The objective of the present paper...
Effect of automobile workshop on the health status of automechanics in N. W. F. P., Pakistan
April 2010
Automobile workers are at high risk for lung, urinary tract, brain and skin cancers due to their direct exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and lead (Pb) toxicity. The current study was aimed to assess the effect of automobile workshop environment on health of auto mechanics in N. W. F. P. Pakistan. A questionnaire was designed and blood samples were collected from the auto...
Heavy metal contamination of groundwater resources in a Nigerian urban settlement
April 2010
The aim of the study was to create awareness on the effect of dumpsite on groundwater in developing countries, especially Nigeria. In order to achieve this, water samples were obtained from 20 randomly selected hand dug wells and boreholes in the area, in February and August, 2006. 10 leachates samples were also obtained from the dumpsite. From these samples, pH and conductivity were determined using a pH/conductivity...
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