Tayyebeh Zare-Zadeh Mehrizi; Korus Khoshbakht; Abdolmajid Mahdavi Damghani; Jafar Kambouzia
Volume 8, Issue 4 , July 2011
Abstract
Ignorance to the principals of sustainable development has affected mangrove forests due to development projects. In order to study the effects of reduction in tidal flooding on vegetative structure of mangrove forests in Nayband coastal national park, a survey was conducted using linear transect method. ...
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Ignorance to the principals of sustainable development has affected mangrove forests due to development projects. In order to study the effects of reduction in tidal flooding on vegetative structure of mangrove forests in Nayband coastal national park, a survey was conducted using linear transect method. By comparing the structure of mangroves in the Nayband area with Mound protected area the amount of destruction in this area was studied. Linear transact was used to determine the structure of the mangrove forests in this area. 5 Stations were considered. From that four stations were located in Nayband national park and the last one was situated in Mound protected area as control. A quadrate sample plot with 100 m2 in each transect has been used as the measuring unit with random–systematic distribution. In each plot, the height and steed diameter of trees as well as the height and diameter of crowns were measured. Furthermore, 1 m2 micro plots were used to measure the quantity and height of aerial roots as well as number of seedlings. Results showed that the road construction in this protected area resulting in decrease of water streams in some parts which are the main factor for destruction of this worthy ecosystem. Increase of the number of dried trees, reduction of canopy and the number of aerial roots are main evidences to prove these claim. The green density of mangroves was reduced to 60 and 40 % in the stations 1 and 4 respectively. The canopy in these stations was 40 and 52% respectively; that makes a spare canopy of mangroves forests. There was no seedling in station 1. Therefore, more efforts are need to improve the mangrove vegetation in these stations with strengthening of tidal fluctuations.
Ehsan Jamshidi,; Amir Ghalavand; Fatemeh Sephidkon; Ebrahim Mohamadi Goltaph
Volume 8, Issue 4 , July 2011
Abstract
The aims of our study were to compare the effectiveness of different nutrition systems and fungi Piriformospora indica on yield and the concentration of elements in shoot and grain of fennel (Foeniculum Valgare Mill). A field study was conducted in 2009 in the Tehran region and the type of design was ...
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The aims of our study were to compare the effectiveness of different nutrition systems and fungi Piriformospora indica on yield and the concentration of elements in shoot and grain of fennel (Foeniculum Valgare Mill). A field study was conducted in 2009 in the Tehran region and the type of design was a randomized complete block with a factorial arrangement and three replications. Five levels of manure (without organic manure, 100% cattle manure, 100% spent mushroom compost and 50% cattle manure with 50% spent mushroom compost and 100% N) along with two levels of inoculation and not-inoculation of the plant with Piriformospora indica. Results showed that different nutrition systems impacted significantly on yield, dry matter, harvest index and nitrogen concentration of plant and grain. The result also showed that fungi significantly affected all of the measured traits except for the potassium concentration of plant and grain. Also, the interaction effects of fungi ¥nutrition systems was not significant in all measured traits except the harvest index. The result showed that the highest (1559 kg/ha) and the least (632 kg/ha) grain yield was produced in chemical systems Piriformospora indica and fertilization systems respectively
Mehdi Khosravi; Mahmoud Sabuhi
Volume 8, Issue 4 , July 2011
Abstract
This research considers the determination of the preservation value of Gaz trees on the banks of Fahliyan River located in Rostam and Mamasani region and measures individuals willingness to pay (WTP) for the preservation of these trees using a contingent valuation method. A Logit model was used for measuring ...
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This research considers the determination of the preservation value of Gaz trees on the banks of Fahliyan River located in Rostam and Mamasani region and measures individuals willingness to pay (WTP) for the preservation of these trees using a contingent valuation method. A Logit model was used for measuring individuals WTP and the model indicators were estimated through maximum likelihood (ML). The results showed that 78.50/0 of individuals were willing to pay for preservation of these trees. The average amount of WTP for the annual preservation value of Gaz trees were calculated at 5540 Rials per month for each household. The annual preservation value was estimated 1650 million RLs. This value is an acceptable justification for politicians and decision makers to show more support to the quality and quantity of Gaz trees.
Omid Bahmani; Maryam Berenji
Volume 8, Issue 4 , July 2011
Abstract
With urbanism and city development, the natural environments around cities change and lose their natural character. These natural landscapes, affected by city development and overuse for recreational purposes, gradually become destroyed. The main objective of this research is to preserve the natural ...
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With urbanism and city development, the natural environments around cities change and lose their natural character. These natural landscapes, affected by city development and overuse for recreational purposes, gradually become destroyed. The main objective of this research is to preserve the natural landscapes near large cities, both to limit the city boundary and to create ecotourism sites with less interference in nature and creating the potential for people to enjoy and relax from these beautiful natural scenes. The Alborz hills are one of the natural resources in the north of Tehran. These highlands can provide many environmental and recreational services. District one of Tehran municipality is one of the northern areas of Tehran which has a rich potential for tourism and ecotourism sites. In this research, the foothills between Darabad valley and Jamshidieh Park were selected as forming part of a natural zone near Tehran which is affected by city growth as a case study. Then by using maps, aerial photography, satellite images and field visits, two walking trails were defined and located on the map. Finally four sites (stations) along these trails proposed and designed based on environmental studies such as topography, vegetation cover, water resources, erosion and landscape analysis.
Yosefali Ahmadi-Mamaqani,; Nematollah Khorasani; Khalil Talebi-Jahromi,; Seyed Hossein Hashemi; Fatemeh Bahadori-Khosroshahi
Volume 8, Issue 4 , July 2011
Abstract
The presence of organic chemical materials in surface water resources, besides having adverse effects on the consumer, reduces the desirability of aquatic fauna and even results in their complete annihilation. Determination of Diazinon residues in the Tajan River (TR) was traced in order to investigate ...
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The presence of organic chemical materials in surface water resources, besides having adverse effects on the consumer, reduces the desirability of aquatic fauna and even results in their complete annihilation. Determination of Diazinon residues in the Tajan River (TR) was traced in order to investigate the level of concentration of this pollutant from the agricultural activities around the river. This was accomplished by taking samples in 2008, starting in April at three-week intervals and continued up to October. After each sampling, the existing Diazinon concentration was determined in the laboratory using a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) instrument. The largest Diazinon concentration was 47 micrograms per liter found in June and at the third sampling station. Analysis of the results confirmed that the Diazinon concentration of Tajan River increases with the beginning agricultural activities in specific fields covered with rice. This Diazinon concentration appeared throughout summer at different concentrations. According to the criteria recommended by EPA for Diazinon pollutants to protect the river ecosystem, with a one-hour average concentration of 0.17 μg/lit which is not exceeded more than once every three years (acute toxicity criteria), it can be concluded that Diazinon concentration in the Tajan river affected agricultural activities and increased the risk to the river ecosystem.
Hamid Reza Jafari,; Mohammad Hamzeh,; Hossein Nasiri; Yusef Rafii
Volume 8, Issue 3 , April 2011
Abstract
Rapid urban growth and industrialization have caused many environmental problems in a number of cities around the world. Knowledge about land cover/land use changes in the long term is very important for urban managers and policy makers in order to evaluate and predict the resulting problems. Remote ...
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Rapid urban growth and industrialization have caused many environmental problems in a number of cities around the world. Knowledge about land cover/land use changes in the long term is very important for urban managers and policy makers in order to evaluate and predict the resulting problems. Remote sensing is an effective tool for monitoring these changes in urban areas and its periphery. Over recent decades, Yasouj City has developed and affected its surrounding environment due to urban growth and immigration. The objective of this research is to develop a Decision Tree and data mining based conceptual model for land cover change detection using a Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and ancillary data in the central Section of Boyerahmad County from 1990 to 2009. Based on findings of the study, the overall six-class classification accuracies for 1990 and 2009 were, respectively, 93.16% and 93.37%. The overall accuracy of land cover change maps, generated from post-classification change detection methods and evaluated using two approaches, ranged from 85.6% to 86.98%. The maps also showed that between 1990 and 2009 the urban area increased by approximately 19.28% while agriculture and forest decreased by 31.76% and 7.32% respectively.
Mohsen Gholipour; Mansour Khajeh; Mahla Moallem; Mehdi Alipour; Edris Mirza Ali; Davoud Beiknejad
Volume 8, Issue 3 , April 2011
Abstract
This paper examined factors influencing potential demand of farmers’ credit to tendency for producing greenhouse organic cucumber in Khorasan Razavi province using linear regression and cross sectional data of 60 greenhouse cucumber producers in 2008. Data were collected using a questionnaire and ...
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This paper examined factors influencing potential demand of farmers’ credit to tendency for producing greenhouse organic cucumber in Khorasan Razavi province using linear regression and cross sectional data of 60 greenhouse cucumber producers in 2008. Data were collected using a questionnaire and census method. Results showed that the financial ability to investment in producing greenhouse organic cucumber required credit for the adoption of greenhouse organic cucumber production and the interest rates on offer are 30 million rials, 328 million rials (at a greenhouse level with an average area about 2700m2 and 4.82 percent, respectively). Evaluation of farmers' attitude showed that 66.7, 66.7, 86.7 and 53.3 percent of farmers will invest the credit in purchasing organic fertilizer, purchasing biological control services, creation a suitable organic agronomic environment and the purchase of mechanical control services, respectively. Also, the relationship between the farmers' job, agricultural advisory, agricultural experience, organic market information, financial ability to invest in organic cucumber and potential demand of credit for producing greenhouse organic cucumber is negative. The relationship between the age of farmers, cucumber insurance, average yield of conventional cucumber, information about organic cucumber, cultivated area allocated to organic cucumber, interest rate offered, participation in extension classes and potential demand of credit for producing greenhouse organic cucumber is positive. Regard to the results, the following are suggested: creating an organic products market information system, encouraging farmers to full-time farming, promotion of farmers’ revenues towards increasing their financial ability for investment, use of agricultural supervision, promotion of their role in producing greenhouse products and orienting insurance towards effectiveness in decreasing of risk and increasing production.
Mohammad Ghorbani,; Houman Liaghati; Fatameh Nemati
Volume 8, Issue 3 , April 2011
Abstract
This paper examined factors influencing potential demand of farmers’ credit to tendency for producing greenhouse organic cucumber in Khorasan Razavi province using linear regression and cross sectional data of 60 greenhouse cucumber producers in 2008. Data were collected using a questionnaire and ...
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This paper examined factors influencing potential demand of farmers’ credit to tendency for producing greenhouse organic cucumber in Khorasan Razavi province using linear regression and cross sectional data of 60 greenhouse cucumber producers in 2008. Data were collected using a questionnaire and census method. Results showed that the financial ability to investment in producing greenhouse organic cucumber required credit for the adoption of greenhouse organic cucumber production and the interest rates on offer are 30 million rials, 328 million rials (at a greenhouse level with an average area about 2700m2 and 4.82 percent, respectively). Evaluation of farmers' attitude showed that 66.7, 66.7, 86.7 and 53.3 percent of farmers will invest the credit in purchasing organic fertilizer, purchasing biological control services, creation a suitable organic agronomic environment and the purchase of mechanical control services, respectively. Also, the relationship between the farmers' job, agricultural advisory, agricultural experience, organic market information, financial ability to invest in organic cucumber and potential demand of credit for producing greenhouse organic cucumber is negative. The relationship between the age of farmers, cucumber insurance, average yield of conventional cucumber, information about organic cucumber, cultivated area allocated to organic cucumber, interest rate offered, participation in extension classes and potential demand of credit for producing greenhouse organic cucumber is positive. Regard to the results, the following are suggested: creating an organic products market information system, encouraging farmers to full-time farming, promotion of farmers’ revenues towards increasing their financial ability for investment, use of agricultural supervision, promotion of their role in producing greenhouse products and orienting insurance towards effectiveness in decreasing of risk and increasing production.
Mehri Raei Jadidi,; Mahmood Sabuhi Sabuni
Volume 8, Issue 3 , April 2011
Abstract
Kordasht, a village of Jolfa located in East Azerbaijan Province, has become one of the greatest recreational places in the province though having many attractions. Therefore, studying its recreational value can be effective in anticipating needs, removing shortages and in the development of tourism ...
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Kordasht, a village of Jolfa located in East Azerbaijan Province, has become one of the greatest recreational places in the province though having many attractions. Therefore, studying its recreational value can be effective in anticipating needs, removing shortages and in the development of tourism in the district. The aim of the current research is to estimate the recreational value of Kordasht village using the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). A Logit Model was estimated using Maximum Likelihood Approach in order to investigate the effective factors on individual willingness to pay. The required data were collected through completing questionnaires and oral interviews with 180 visitors. Results showed that 83% of visitors are willing to pay some money to visit the village. Also, variables that included level of education, village attraction, income and prices offered (bid) had a significant effect on the probability of anticipated willingness to pay, whereas other variables such as age, gender and family size were not statistically significant.Visitors' expected willingness to pay was set at 2800 RLs and the recreational annual value of the village was estimated to be 280 million RLs. According to findings, there is the possibility to increase tourism revenue by considering the visitors' point of view.
Einollah RouhiMoghaddam,; Seyed Mohsen Hosseini,; Ezzatollah Ebrahimi; Ahmad Rahmani; Masoud Tabari
Volume 8, Issue 3 , April 2011
Abstract
The regeneration structure and biodiversity of trees and shrub species in the understory of pure and mixed oak plantations were investigated at Chamestan Forest and Rangeland research station. Planted species included oak (as the main species) and maple and nettle trees (as associated species ). These ...
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The regeneration structure and biodiversity of trees and shrub species in the understory of pure and mixed oak plantations were investigated at Chamestan Forest and Rangeland research station. Planted species included oak (as the main species) and maple and nettle trees (as associated species ). These species were planted in 1995 on the basis of a split plot design with two mixtures (oak-maple and oak-nettle tree) and four mixing rates (including oak rate: 40 %, 50 %, 60 % and 70 %). All the seedlings and saplings of woody plants were divided into two height classes including 15-200 cm and more than 200 cm. In the biodiversity study, the Berger-Parker dominance index, Fisher alpha diversity index, Margalef richness index and Equitability J evenness index were used. The results showed that the abundance and diversity of regenerated species in the understory of mixed plantations of oak-nettle tree was greater than in a pure stand of oak and a mixed oak-maple stand. Crown cover and litter layer depth showed a negative significant effect on their abundance and richness. The presence of primary forest species in the understories of mixed plantationa showed the usage of these plantations in the development of succession in natural forests.
Marziyeh Sarmadi; Mahbubeh Irani; Francoise Bernard
Volume 8, Issue 3 , April 2011
Abstract
Phytoremediation is a technology for extracting or inactivating pollutants. In this study, the ability of Glycyrrhiza glabra (var. glabra and var. glandulifera) for phytoremediation, tolerance to cadmium and accumulation of it within plant was investigated. The seeds of G. glabra var. glabra and var. ...
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Phytoremediation is a technology for extracting or inactivating pollutants. In this study, the ability of Glycyrrhiza glabra (var. glabra and var. glandulifera) for phytoremediation, tolerance to cadmium and accumulation of it within plant was investigated. The seeds of G. glabra var. glabra and var. glandulifera were cultured in pots and were watered with distilled water (control) and 100 & 200 μM cadmium chloride solution (treatment). Then the plants were analyzed after 20 days. Cadmium causes a decrease in seed germination. The dry weight of root in both variety and the length of root in var. glandulifera decreases significantly in proportion to the control group. Whereas, the dry and fresh weight of shoot, the length of shoot and the fresh weight of root in both variety and the length of root in var. glabra didn’t change significantly. No metal-toxicity symptoms such as burning and redness of the tissue were observed in Cd treatment. Plants containing more than 100 mg.kg-1 of Cd in dry shoot tissues should be considered as hyperaccumulators of this metal. Cd concentrations in the aerial organs of var. glabraand var. glandulifera were 116.9-147.9 and 116/0-119.5 mg.kg-1 (on a dry weight basis), respectively. We conclude that plantlet of G. glabra is a hyperaccumulator of Cd. G. glabra and so shows promise in the phytoremediation of Cd from polluted sites.
Saleh Arekhi; Yagoub Niazi; Hossian Arzani
Volume 8, Issue 3 , April 2011
Abstract
The temporal and accurate change detection of earth surface features is extremely important for understanding the relationships and interaction between human and natural phenomena in order to promote better decision making. Remote sensing data are primary sources extensively used for environmental change ...
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The temporal and accurate change detection of earth surface features is extremely important for understanding the relationships and interaction between human and natural phenomena in order to promote better decision making. Remote sensing data are primary sources extensively used for environmental change detection in recent decades. In this study, images of landsat (TM) 1988 and landsat (ETM+) 2001 were analyzed using five change detection techniques over 80,470 hectares in the region of Daresher in Ilam Province. Change detection techniques considered were image differencing, image ratioing, NDVI differencing, change vector analysis (CVA) and post-classification comparison. In this study, a statistical method was used for determining the change threshold. According to the results, the threshold level was set at ±1 standard deviation from the mean. After determining optimal threshold, areas having decreasing, increasing change and no changes was determined. Based on ground data, field visit and Google Earth, accuracy assessment of change detection techniques was carried out using overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient. According to the results, NDVI differencing with an overall accuracy of 98.5 and a Kappa coefficient of 97% showed the highest accuracy among the techniques applied while, in contrast, band ratioing with an overall accuracy of 72.5 and a Kappa coefficient of 50% had the lowest accuracy in land use/land cover change in the study area.
Hamid Raftari; Hamid Moazami; Hossein Ganjidoust; Bita Ayati
Volume 8, Issue 3 , April 2011
Abstract
Lead and copper are heavy metals that are applied in different industries. Their standard limits in drinking water are 0.05 and 1.3 mg/L, respectively. Since natural absorbents are inexpensive and may be achieved without any cost and they are usually found in abundance in nature, absorption of solute ...
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Lead and copper are heavy metals that are applied in different industries. Their standard limits in drinking water are 0.05 and 1.3 mg/L, respectively. Since natural absorbents are inexpensive and may be achieved without any cost and they are usually found in abundance in nature, absorption of solute ions by these materials is a proper method for eliminating heavy metals from polluted waters and industrial wastewaters. In this study, tea leaves and wheat straw wastes were used to absorb lead while sawdust and rice hull were applied to absorb copper from a polluted solution under batch and continuous conditions. The experiments have been carried out at different concentrations and times with an optimum pH of 5 and 5.5 for lead and copper, respectively. According to the batch experimental results, the equilibrium time has been found to be within the range of two hours. By increasing the concentration of absorbed material, the absorption efficiency has been diminished. The results of the batch experiments coincided with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms but did not agree with BET and Linear isotherms. Continuous experiments have been accomplished with the use of an absorption column and a high up-flow rate of 0.35 L/min. In general, absorption efficiency has a decreasing trend over time. Based on the results of the continuous column system, the percentage maximum sorption of lead for tea leaves and wheat straw wastes came to be 99.5. This value for copper by sawdust and rice husk was found to be 95 and 63 percent, respectively.
Seyyed Javad Sadatinejad,; Rohallah Hassanshahi; Mohammad Shayannejad; Khodayar Abdolahi
Volume 8, Issue 3 , April 2011
Abstract
Continuous and disperse blanks in most hydrological data (e.g. rainfall data) often occur due to data loss, elimination of incorrect data and the malfunctioning of measuring instruments; these then need to be estimated and/or evaluated for subsequent analysis. There are various methods available for ...
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Continuous and disperse blanks in most hydrological data (e.g. rainfall data) often occur due to data loss, elimination of incorrect data and the malfunctioning of measuring instruments; these then need to be estimated and/or evaluated for subsequent analysis. There are various methods available for estimating and regenerating these data, the accuracy of which depends very much on the specific conditions of the station, so that one specific method may suit a particular station. Generally, data from four adjacent stations are used for regenerating the missing data at a particular station. In this research, fuzzy regression efficiency is employed for reconstructing yearly rainfall data in Karoon basin. The results are compared with methods such as normal ratio, graphical, simple linear regression and multivariate linear regression. Reconstruction groups were formed using the clustering method in minitab software. Twenty-five stations, similar in their duration of data collection, were selected from among stations in the northern Karoon basin and these were classified into 5 clusters. Following data elimination by cross validation, their value was estimated using the above mentioned methods. Then, using the root mean square of errors (RMSE), the priority was evaluated for each method. The results of yearly data regeneration indicate that fuzzy regression yielded more accurate estimates in 12 out of the 25 stations studied, or in 3 clusters out of the 5 classified group, making it the most appropriate method for regenerating data for the whole of Karoon basin.
Ozeair Abessi; Mohesn Saeedi
Volume 8, Issue 3 , April 2011
Abstract
In this paper, a simple methodology based on multivariate analysis is developed to create a groundwater quality index (GWQI). The methodology is based on three general stages, selection, standardization and aggregation, to develop a groundwater quality index in an area using regional and local standards. ...
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In this paper, a simple methodology based on multivariate analysis is developed to create a groundwater quality index (GWQI). The methodology is based on three general stages, selection, standardization and aggregation, to develop a groundwater quality index in an area using regional and local standards. In this method, through selecting a set of similar parameters, standard values of the parameters are obtained by dividing the averaged concentration of parameters by their maximum allowable concentration cited in Iran’s Water Quality Standard. Final indices for ground water quality are derived through weighting the standard magnitudes of the parameters. In order to appraise the approach, existing water quality data for the ground water of the Qazvin plateau were used. In the selection phase, eight important parameters (K+ , Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SO2-4, Cl-, TDS, pH) for the potability of ground water were selected. These parameters were more accurately monitored and documented in the study area and are very important in desirable drinking water. In order to identify the suitable range of indices, the derived indices were compared with those obtained for some mineral waters. Sketching a comparative ground water iso-index map in the study area makes it possible to have a comprehensive and easily interpretable picture of the ground water quality in the area of Qazvin plateau. Results show the proximity of the derived indices to those obtained for mineral water in some regions of Qazvin Province. It is clear that evaluating the overall suitability of the ground water for drinking usage in an area essentially needs survey of other parameters in addition to those observed here.
Hossein Pourahmadi Meibodi; Abdol Mahmoud Mohammadi Lord
Volume 8, Issue 3 , April 2011
Abstract
In the thinking of neoliberal institutionalism, international organizations are capable of increased collaboration between national governments in global issues and to act independently of the wishes of superpowers on the international scene. This research has attempted to test the gains made under the ...
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In the thinking of neoliberal institutionalism, international organizations are capable of increased collaboration between national governments in global issues and to act independently of the wishes of superpowers on the international scene. This research has attempted to test the gains made under the neoliberal doctrine, associated with the role played by international environmental organizations in the challenges of economic relations of North-South, through the "analysis of competing hypotheses" method. For this purpose, two other hypotheses were developed to compete with the main hypothesis showing the interests of both North and South countries with regard to international organizations. Among the various efforts of the United Nations as the largest international organization active in the environmental arena, five important diplomatic meetings – namely, Stockholm, Rio, Kyoto, Johannesburg and Copenhagen – were selected and judged on the basis of each of the competing hypotheses. The findings of this study show that international organizations have been continuing the policy of capitalist countries in the economic relations between North and South, rather than promoting environmental concerns. The interests of countries of the South have been the lowest of their priorities.
Seyed Javad Sadatinejad,; Somayeh Angabini,; Mohammad Reza Mozdian fard
Volume 8, Issue 2 , January 2011
Abstract
Exact estimation of evapotranspiration is an important parameter in water cycle, study, design and management of irrigation systems. In this study, the efficiency of intelligent models such as fuzzy rule base, fuzzy regression and Artificial Neural Networks for estimating daily evapotranspiration has ...
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Exact estimation of evapotranspiration is an important parameter in water cycle, study, design and management of irrigation systems. In this study, the efficiency of intelligent models such as fuzzy rule base, fuzzy regression and Artificial Neural Networks for estimating daily evapotranspiration has been examined and the results are compared to real data measured by lysimeter on the basis of a grass reference crop. Using daily climatic data from Ekbatan station in Hamadan in western Iran, including maximum and minimum temperatures, maximum and minimum relative humidities, wind speed and sunny hours, evapotranspiration was estimated by the aforementioned intelligent models. The predicted evapotranspiration values from fuzzy rule base, fuzzy linear regression and artificial neural network provided root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.72, 0.86 and 0.74 mm/day and determination coefficient (R2) of 0.88, 0.86 and 0.84, respectively. The fuzzy rule base was hence found to be the most appropriate method employed for estimating evapotranspiration.
anet Blake
Volume 8, Issue 2 , January 2011
Abstract
This article is primarily concerned with the question of how far environmental justice is being and can be achieved within the international legal system. Justice has been conceived since ancient times as comprising not only norms, rules and the institutions by which these are implemented, but also the ...
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This article is primarily concerned with the question of how far environmental justice is being and can be achieved within the international legal system. Justice has been conceived since ancient times as comprising not only norms, rules and the institutions by which these are implemented, but also the fundamental principles of fairness and equity both in the implementation of rules (so that one group in society is not unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged) as well as in the rules themselves. Hence, ensuring international environmental justice is not simply a matter of developing and implementing effective standards for the regulation of activities that damage the environment and other means of environmental protection and conservation. It is also important to recognise that the implementation of rules of law may not in itself represent a just outcome and that considerations of equity and fairness then come into play as, for example, in the discretion given to the International Court of Justice under its Statute to decide cases ex aequo et bono. Nationally, governments should seek to ensure that not only do the laws and rules governing the protection of the environment and related matters deal with these questions in a manner that ensures justice equally for all members of society (as far as this is possible) but also that their implementation is fair. On the international level, it is vital that the asymmetry of economic and political power that is the reality of the international community is not expressed as serious injustice with relation to access to, exploitation or enjoyment of environmental resources. As an illustrative case, the question of ‘biopiracy’ of traditional botanical knowledge is considered. This case demonstrates that the existing intellectual property and international trade rules unfairly advantage large corporations over local and indigenous communities and that the system established within the framework of the World Trade Organization and its main Agreements has exacerbated this imbalance of interests.
Maryam Keshavarzi; Mahnaz Khaksar; Mahvash Seifali; Parinaz Ghadam
Volume 8, Issue 2 , January 2011
Abstract
Phalaris is a grass which is distributed throughout the temperate regions of the world. There are many taxonomic problems in this genus. In order to clarify the taxonomy and the interrelationships among Iranian Phalaris taxa, including Ph. minor, Ph. arundinaceae, Ph. brachystachys and Ph. paradoxa 70 ...
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Phalaris is a grass which is distributed throughout the temperate regions of the world. There are many taxonomic problems in this genus. In order to clarify the taxonomy and the interrelationships among Iranian Phalaris taxa, including Ph. minor, Ph. arundinaceae, Ph. brachystachys and Ph. paradoxa 70 qualitative and quantitative morphological characteristics were examined. Numerical taxonomy was performed on 36 accessions of 5 taxa, concerning intra- and inter-populations variations as well as inter-specific relationships. The most variable morphological characters in the species delimitation were also determined. The species differed significantly in most of chosen qualitative characters. Results show a clear similarity between two varieties of Ph. paradoxa. Despite the wide range of habitats where the accessions were gathered, they showed four definite spots in their PCA ordination graphs. This showed the efficiency of chosen morphological characters in this study. An identification key based on studied features was provided and the species relationships were discussed.
Esmaeil Zarghami; Shahram Pourdeihimi
Volume 8, Issue 2 , January 2011
Abstract
Over the last decades of the twentieth century and early in twenty-first, sustainability has been one of the most prominent discussions in different fields, especially in the field of architecture and urban spaces. It can be balanced through putting the 3 elements economy, environmental and society together. ...
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Over the last decades of the twentieth century and early in twenty-first, sustainability has been one of the most prominent discussions in different fields, especially in the field of architecture and urban spaces. It can be balanced through putting the 3 elements economy, environmental and society together. The economic aspect is typically respected because of financial and profit reasons by capitalists, although it is often overly noticed and some problems may arise from that. Environmental subjects also have standards and are noticed differently according to each society. But the social aspect of development is neglected. In the present paper, social sustainability bases including equity justice, aesthetic value, comfort, welfare, children safety and growth, social identity and other similar issues are to be considered. For this purpose, the social sustainability of residential complexes is surveyed by Iranian specialists and social scientists, to record and combine their valuable academic and professional experiences on the one hand, and their experiences of living in a residential complex on the other. Then, through analyzing the resulting ideas, the factors effective on the sustainability bases of residential complexes are extracted. This is a geodesic research of an exploratory geodesic type which is performed on the basis of analysis, description and extraction of questionnaire outcomes and discovery of sustainability bases and relations among them, according to social scientists, in order to determine theoretical sustainability bases of residential complexes. In the next step, through comparing it with external evidence, it would be possible to identify scientific principles and architectural solutions. This purpose will be accomplished through regional research and organizing a questionnaire for such complexes. These matters will come under consideration later.
Seyyed Mehran Abtahi; Ali Torabian; Ali Vosoogh; Babak Jafari; Mehdi Gholizadeh
Volume 8, Issue 2 , January 2011
Abstract
Abstract A pilot scale anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR), for treating low-strength industrial wastewater (671.5±49.9 mg COD/L, 350.1±36.8 mg BOD5/L) was studied. The reactor was started with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 25 h and this was gradually reduced to 3.33 h. The best reactor ...
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Abstract A pilot scale anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR), for treating low-strength industrial wastewater (671.5±49.9 mg COD/L, 350.1±36.8 mg BOD5/L) was studied. The reactor was started with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 25 h and this was gradually reduced to 3.33 h. The best reactor performance was observed with an organic loading rate (OLR) of 4.45 g COD/L.d which was at HRT of 4 h and the COD removal efficiency was obtained up to 78.27% and majority of COD removal was occurred in the first compartment. Under these conditions, for prediction of the effluent substrate concentration (Se) and optimum volume of the ABR (V), the Monod and Kincannon-Stover models were investigated. With using the Kincannon-Stover model, parameters of Umax and KB were obtained 2 and 2.14 g COD/L.d, respectively since, for the Monod model, the parameters of K and KS resulted as 1.54 g COD/g VSS.d and 0.21g COD/L, respectively. The regression line for the plotted linear equation of the Kincannon-Stover model had a R2 of 0.84 which was lower than that found for the Monod model with R2 of 0.985. Meanwhile, in the Monod model, the parameters of Y and Kd were obtained 0.073 g VSS/g COD and -0.008 d-1, respectively. The present study demonstrated that the Monod model is more suitable and applicable for formulating a kinetic model for prediction of the effluent substrate concentration and optimum volume of the ABR at the similar operation conditions.
Akbar Baghvand,; Ali Daryabeigi Zand,; Gholamreza Nabibidhendi; Nasser Mehrdadi
Volume 8, Issue 2 , January 2011
Abstract
Column leaching tests become increasingly important for assessing the risk of release of pollutants from soil into water. In this study a column leaching test was designed to provide insight into the fate of selected PAHs in soils and their leaching behavior. Two columns (columns 1 and 2) were prepared ...
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Column leaching tests become increasingly important for assessing the risk of release of pollutants from soil into water. In this study a column leaching test was designed to provide insight into the fate of selected PAHs in soils and their leaching behavior. Two columns (columns 1 and 2) were prepared based on a standard procedure in which 5 and 20 percent of contaminated soil were used, respectively. The percolates were collected at specified L/S ratios. Results showed relatively high initial concentrations of flourene, fluoranthene and benzo(a)anthracene for column 2. Released amounts of PAH compounds were decreasing with increasing molecular size, or rather the hydrophobicity of the compound. The effect of dissolved organic carbon on PAHs leaching was also investigated in this research. Approximately 2.45% and 0.67% of the total initial amounts of studied PAHs in the soil was leached in columns 1 and 2, respectively. Results showed that high PAHs concentration in the solid phase does not necessarily imply serious groundwater contamination risk during a leaching event (e.g. rain fall) and significant amount of contaminants may stay in the soil layer for a long time and do not leach down into groundwater.
Soheila Shokrollahzadeh; Fereshteh Golmohammad
Volume 8, Issue 2 , January 2011
Abstract
The function of petrochemical wastewater treatment plants should be evaluated intermittently, due to the increase in production and new effluent flow and organic load to the wastewater. In this study, the efficiency of a petrochemical wastewater treatment plant has been evaluated by sampling and determination ...
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The function of petrochemical wastewater treatment plants should be evaluated intermittently, due to the increase in production and new effluent flow and organic load to the wastewater. In this study, the efficiency of a petrochemical wastewater treatment plant has been evaluated by sampling and determination of major pollutants of wastewater during six months. The results showed that physical, chemical and biological processes used in the plant, succeeded to decrease the COD mean value of wastewater to 80 mgL–1 level. The average overall yields of the total hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, phenols and sulfides removal were measured as 77%, 97%, 99.8% and 94.2%, respectively. The majority of volatile organic compounds (88.5%) and sulfides (78.5%) were decreased by stripping and chemical oxidation. The results showed that the existing wastewater treatment plant was successfully assessed to decrease the organic pollutants, while total suspended solids increased slightly during treatment processes although remained within the authorized limit.
Jafar Kambouzia
Volume 8, Issue 2 , January 2011
Abstract
Productivity as one of the most important concepts in recent decade applied to improving production. The most common definition of productivity is the ratio of outputs to inputs. Although more precise definitions of productivity have been provided by different authors and organizations in different countries. ...
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Productivity as one of the most important concepts in recent decade applied to improving production. The most common definition of productivity is the ratio of outputs to inputs. Although more precise definitions of productivity have been provided by different authors and organizations in different countries. Agricultural productivity is also measured as the ratio of agricultural outputs to agricultural inputs. Generally, the market value of the final output is a tool for measuring output. Different indices are measured in agricultural productivity including total factor productivity, land index, labor index, machinery index, production index, capital index, etc. In this study 9 productivity indices were measured and analyzed in the agronomy and horticultural sub-sector which is the biggest and the most important sub-sector in the agricultural sector. Data were collected from different Iranian official sources for 11 years from 1992-2001. Also, the data collected were used to explore the trend of different productivity indices in the sub-sector during the studied years. Furthermore, the indices were analyzed and interpreted using advanced statistical methods (principal component analysis).
Mohammad Khaledi; Houman Liaghati,; Maryam Mohammadamini; Simon Weseen
Volume 8, Issue 2 , January 2011
Abstract
Despite high growth rates of organic production in Canada, it remains a very small sub-sector of Canadian agriculture. The focus of this paper is on identifying factors that encourage or discourage farmers when considering adopting organic practices, especially the institutional factors that affect the ...
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Despite high growth rates of organic production in Canada, it remains a very small sub-sector of Canadian agriculture. The focus of this paper is on identifying factors that encourage or discourage farmers when considering adopting organic practices, especially the institutional factors that affect the decision whether to convert to organic farming. The data used in the study were collected from a sample of both organic and conventional farmers in Saskatchewan. The results reveal that conventional farmers lack information in many areas of organic practices, and that those institutions related to organic farming are very useful in providing information about organic farming. Lack of knowledge and skills needed to manage an organic farm and lack of market opportunities for organic products are the most important reasons for not using organic farming practices. It appears that conventional farmers’beliefs and attitudes are important factors in affecting their willingness to accept organic practices. Moreover, the effectiveness and protection of organic regulations, certification bodies and marketers can encourage conventional farmers to convert to organic practices. Conventional farmers' opinions indicate that private organizations in Saskatchewan are important for the development of the organic farming sector.
