Search results for "consumption"
showing 10 items of 1796 documents
Fifteen operationally important decisions in the planning of biodiversity offsets
2018
Many development projects, whether they are about construction of factories, mines, roads, railways, new suburbs, shopping malls, or even individual houses, have negative environmental consequences. Biodiversity offsetting is about compensating that damage, typically via habitat restoration, land management, or by establishment of new protected areas. Offsets are the fourth step of the so-called mitigation hierarchy, in which ecological damage is first avoided, minimized second, and third restored locally. Whatever residual damage remains is then offset. Offsetting has been increasingly adopted all around the world, but simultaneously serious concerns are expressed about the validity of the…
Diet composition and biomass consumption of harbour seals in Telemark and Aust-Agder, Norwegian Skagerrak
2020
To explore ecosystem dynamics and functions it is vital to obtain knowledge on predator–prey relations. Harbour seals are piscivorous predators that can come into conflict with fisheries. Recently, as the Skagerrak and Kattegat population of harbour seals has increased, claims have emerged that seals are depleting coastal cod populations. The diet of harbour seals in Norwegian Skagerrak was investigated based on otolith identification from scats. The overall seal diet included 20 different fish species/groups. The most important prey (combined index Q i ) were haddock/pollack/saithe (32.7%), genus Trisopterus (Norway pout/poor cod/bib, 12.5%), plaice (12.4%) and herring (10.0%). Plaice also…
Consumer behaviour change through education for sustainable development: case of Latvia
2018
More sustainability and sustainable development are major challenges faced by society today. Consumer's choices and the use of products and services have important impacts on the environment; consequently, consumer behaviour is crucial. Education and pedagogics help select real sustainable living attitudes of students, their families and friends. This case study describes the mid-term results of a teaching assignment and survey in three Latvian higher education organisations which involve system thinking and students' action on consumer choices of household chemicals. The multilayer results provide insight into the consumption of these chemicals and show that one year after the assignment, …
Predators' consumption of unpalatable prey does not vary as a function of bitter taste perception
2020
Many prey species contain defensive chemicals that are described as tasting bitter. Bitter taste perception is, therefore, assumed to be important when predators are learning about prey defenses. However, it is not known how individuals differ in their response to bitter taste, and how this influences their foraging decisions. We conducted taste perception assays in which wild-caught great tits (Parus major) were given water with increasing concentrations of bitter-tasting chloroquine diphosphate until they showed an aversive response to bitter taste. This response threshold was found to vary considerably among individuals, ranging from chloroquine concentrations of 0.01 mmol/L to 8 mmol/L.…
Landmarks in the historical development of twenty first century food processing technologies.
2017
International audience; Over a course of centuries, various food processing technologies have been explored and implemented to provide safe, fresher-tasting and nutritive food products. Among these technologies, application of emerging food processes (e.g., cold plasma, pressurized fluids, pulsed electric fields, ohmic heating, radiofrequency electric fields, ultrasonics and megasonics, high hydrostatic pressure, high pressure homogenization, hyperbaric storage, and negative pressure cavitation extraction) have attracted much attention in the past decades. This is because, compared to their conventional counterparts, novel food processes allow a significant reduction in the overall processi…
Aeration control in membrane bioreactor for sustainable environmental footprint
2020
In this study different scenarios were scrutinized to minimize the energy consumption of a membrane bioreactor system for wastewater treatment. Open-loop and closed-loop scenarios were investigated by two-step cascade control strategies based on dissolved oxygen, ammonia and nitrite concentrations. An integrated MBR model which includes also the greenhouse gas formation/emission processes was applied. A substantial energy consumption reduction was obtained for the closed-loop scenarios (32% for Scenario 1 and 82% for Scenario 2). The air flow control based on both ammonia and nitrite concentrations within the aerobic reactor (Scenario 2) provided excellent results in terms of reduction of o…
A plant-wide modelling comparison between membrane bioreactors and conventional activated sludge
2020
Abstract A comprehensive plant-wide mathematical modelling comparison between conventional activated sludge (CAS) and Membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems is presented. The main aim of this study is to highlight the key features of CAS and MBR in order to provide a guide for an effective plant operation. A scenario analysis was performed to investigate the influence on direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and operating costs of (i) the composition of inflow wastewater (scenario 1), (ii) operating conditions (scenario 2) and (iii) oxygen transfer efficiency (scenario 3). Scenarios show higher indirect GHG emissions for MBR than CAS, which result is related to the higher energy con…
Managing the Historical Agricultural Landscape in the Sicilian Anthropocene Context. The Landscape of the Valley of the Temples as a Time Capsule
2021
The debate over whether we are entering the Anthropocene Epoch focuses on the unequal consumption of the Earth system’s resources at the expense of nature’s regenerative abilities. To find a new point of balance with nature, it is useful to look back in time to understand how the so-called “Great Acceleration”—the surge in the consumption of the planet’s resources—hastened the arrival of the Anthropocene. Some particular places—for various reasons—survived the Great Acceleration and, as time capsules, have preserved more or less intact some landscape features that have disappeared elsewhere. How can we enhance these living archives that have come down to us? Through the analysis of the case…
Transformation of agricultural landscapes in the Anthropocene: Nature's contributions to people, agriculture and food security
2020
Fil: Vanbergen, Adam J. Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté. AgroSup Dijon. Agroécologie. Francia. Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Rio Negro, Argentina. Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de Argentina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Rio Negro, Argentina. Fil: Cordeau, Stephane. Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté. AgroSup Dijon. Agroécologie. Francia. Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas A. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural. Río Negro, Argentina. Fil: Ga…
Behaviour of consumers of conventional and organic flowers and ornamental plants in Italy
2013
The paper analyses preferences and motivations of Italian consumers of flowers and ornamental plants, both conventional and organic. The results helped to outline their profile. Purchases are still done in the traditional places (flower shops for cut flowers and plant nurseries for potted plants), however positive trend is found for potted plants purchases at large distribution chains. Some differences came out as to purchase motivations: cut flowers are mainly bought in special occasions whereas potted plants purchases are linked to personal use. The results confirm a positive relationship between the purchase of flowers and plants and the age of the interviewees, besides showing that wome…