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Microplastics and Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Analysis in Sea Turtles and Bottlenose Dolphins along Mississippi’s Coast
(MDPI, Basel, Switzerland., 2023-01-18) Navarathna Chanaka M.; Pray Hannah; M Prashan. Rodrigo; Arwenyo Beatrice; McNeely Cassidy; Reynolds Henry; Hampton Natalie; Lape Katherine; Katie Roman; Heath Maddie; Stokes Sean; R Sameera. Gunatilake; Ariunbold Gombojav; Perez Felio; V. K. G Rooban . Thirumalai; Hassan EI Barbary; Elsayed Islam; Mohan Dinesh; Brown Ashli ,; Moore Debra; Reichley Stephen; Lawrence Mark; MlsnaTodd E.
Global plastic production and usage has increased annually for decades and microplastic pollutants ( 5 mm) are a growing concern. Microplastics in surface waters can adsorb and desorb harmful chemicals such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Microplastics can accumulate across all tropic levels in the marine food web. The purpose of this research was to analyze the stomach and intestinal contents of stranded (Mississippi coast) bottlenose dolphins and
sea turtles for the presence of microplastics and commonly found PFAS, PFOS, PFOA, and GenX. Gut contents were digested (10% KOH in 50% MeOH) and then analyzed for microplastics using pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Pyro-GC-MS), Nile red microscopy, X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. Digested sample filtrate was pre-concentrated using solid-phase extraction (SPE) before PFAS liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. The PFOS extraction and analysis had 98.6% recovery when validated with certified pike-perch fish reference material. The Nile red testing on most samples revealed the presence of microplastics (Table S1). The Pyro-GC-MS results from two samples confirmed the presence of the plasticizer acetamide. The Raman spectroscopy analysis indicated characteristic plastic peaks corresponding to polystyrene in one sample. PFOS (95.5 to 1,934.5 g/kg) was detected in three dolphin stomach samples. This project is part of a long-term study with the goal of a better understanding
of microplastics and PFAS environmental contamination and their impact on bottlenose dolphins and sea turtles.
Pastoral education: The missing link in Uganda education system
(Educational Research and Reviews, 2019) Ochieng Sidonia Angom; Waiswa David Claeve
Pastoralism is a production system closely linked with cultural identity that relies on raising livestock on pastures. Studies indicate that over 30 million people in the Great Horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda) practice pastoralism and agro-pastoralism as a major source of livelihoods. Livestock are their social, cultural, spiritual and economic assets providing food and income for the family within and between generations. Yet this important production system of livelihood as well as socialisation mechanism is missing in the school or university curriculum of these countries including Uganda. With the exception of Tanzania and Ethiopia that have recently designed a curriculum on pastoral studies in their university curriculum, pastoral education has been missing in the school and University curriculum of the Great Horn of Africa school systems yet most of these countries livelihoods depend on pastoralism. From the socialisation perspective, the dynamism surrounding the livelihoods of these communities and/ or families impedes peace in society. Families as social units play very important role of socialisation and recreation therefore, making pastoral education an important element not only from an African traditional context but also from the sociological perspectives. The sense and complex nature of communities and households struggling to improve on their own survival and development through the practice of pastoralism are complex yet central to the maintenance of peace and stability of the communities. The inclusion of pastoral education to the school and university curriculum as a common or cross cutting course unit would introduce undergraduate and postgraduate students to the fascinating and rich world of pastoralism. This would provide the students with knowledge and skills to analyse and understand pastoral systems as they exist today, and the options for their future development in support of national economic growth in a changing world. The curriculum would also help students from different backgrounds to understand how pastoralism functions as a system, its contributions to local, national and global economies and sustainable environmental management, and its role in promoting peace, socialisation, and harmony between pastoral and other communities.
Household resilience to climate change hazards in Uganda
(International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 2019-10-11) Oriangi, George; Albrecht,Frederike; Baldassarre,Giuliano Di; Bamutaze,Yazidhi; Mukwaya,Paul Isolo; Ardo,Jonas; Pilesjo Petter
Purpose – As climate change shocks and stresses increasingly affect urban areas in developing countries, resilience is imperative for the purposes of preparation, recovery and adaptation. This study aims to investigate demographic characteristics and social networks that influence the household capacity to prepare, recover and adapt when faced with prolonged droughts or erratic rainfall events in
Mbale municipality in Eastern Uganda. Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional research design was used to elicit subjective opinions. Previous studies indicate the importance of subjective approaches for measuring social resilience but their use has not been well explored in the context of quantifying urban resilience to climate change shocks and stresses. This study uses 389 structured household interviews to capture demographic characteristics, social networks and resilience capacities. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis. Findings – The ability of low-income households to meet their daily expenditure needs, household size, and networks with relatives and non government organizations (NGOs) were significant determinants of preparedness, recovery and adaptation to prolonged droughts or erratic rainfall events. Practical implications – The results imply that policymakers and practitioners have an important rolevis-à-vis encouraging activities that boost the ability of households to meet their daily expenditure needs, promoting small household size and reinforcing social networks that enhance household resilience.
Testing the Proposed Municipality Resilience Index to Climate Change Shocks and Stresses in Mbale Municipality in Eastern Uganda
(scientific Research Publishing, 2019-12-04) Oriangi,George,; Bamutaze,Yazidhi,; Mukwaya,Paul Isolo,; Musali,Pual,; Baldassarre,Giuliano Di,; Pilesjo,Petter,
Since climate change shocks and stresses cannot be fully prevented, building resilient urban areas is gaining more attention in the global community. By building resilience, the negative impacts of climate change shocks and stresses can be alleviated. Several indices have been developed to measure urban resilience. Yet, most of these indices focus more on objective methods which require robust bio-physical and socioeconomic data sets which are generally lacking in many developing countries. To reduce this challenge, the use subjective methods has recently been suggested. This study proposed and tested a Municipality Resilience Index (MRI) which employed a subjective method to assess the resilience of Mbale municipality in Eastern Uganda against climate change shocks and stresses. The proposed MRI includes 46 variables describing the physical, social, economic and institutional dimensions. The MRI can be applied in any municipality in developing countries facing climate related shocks and stresses and with limited survey data. The
application of this index to Mbale municipality shows that the municipality has a low resilience index of 0.2. Similarly, most variables in the four dimensions of resilience reflected very low resilience scores with other divisions being more resilient than the others. Furthermore, the social dimension has the lowest score as compared to the physical, economic and institutional dimensions. The findings indicate a spatial variability in the contribution of the resilience dimensions within this small geographic confine. Moreover, the findings show the strengths and weaknesses in the different dimensions of the proposed MRI. This can act as a guide for policy and practitioners on which sectors to target in order to enhance the resilience of Mbale municipality.
Characterisation of Forest Resources and the Local Communities for the Choice of Sustainable Forest Management Strategies in Uganda
(EAST AFRICAN NATURE & SCIENCE ORGANIZATION, 2023-07-09) Alule,Jimmy Rhombe,; Nuwategeka,Expedito,; Oriangi, George,
The decline in natural forest resources in the tropics due to ineffective management practices has reached unprecedented levels with the most affected forests being in developing countries. Efforts to manage these
resources sustainably have proven futile. Understanding the nature and status of the forest resources and the communities is crucial for devising effective management strategies. The study was designed to characterise forest resources and the local communities to aid in the choice of effective management strategies for forest resources. The study was conducted in Yumbe district, northwestern Uganda, using a cross-sectional research design. It targeted communities living in the sub-counties of Kei, Kerwa, and Midigo. Data were collected using questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, participant observations, and remote sensing. Pearson correlation and regression were used to analyse quantitative data, while thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. The correlation p-values (Sig.) of less than .05 were statistically significant, implying a strong relationship between socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of households and the choice of forest management strategies. The results further showed that the local communities were poor, illiterate, and dependent on subsistence farming and forest resources. The forest resources both in public and communal lands were in a state of serious decline. They were non-timber-based, accessible to the local community and dominated by woodland and other grassland mosaics. The local community used sustainable management practices, such as selective harvesting, tree planting, and gazetting some sites as sacred places. The management strategies used were forest type-specific, e.g., traditional for community forests and modern for public forests. The most important factor influencing the choice of management strategy was the level of education with an R Square value of .112. The study, therefore, recommends an improvement in the education of the local communities and
the integration of local skills and practices to promote community-based approaches in sustainable forest resource management.