Visions of nature are the subject of much philosophical and policy debate. The present paper focuses, however, on the visions of nature held by people not professionally involved in the issue, namely those of the general public. These visions constitute the democratic basis of environmental conservation and the frame for effective two-way communication between professionals and communities on nature protection and management. It appears that the general public in Europe and the USA has developed a strong general ‘biophilia’ (nature-friendliness). One indicator of this is that in quantitative research, 70–90% of the population recognize the right of nature to exist even if not useful to humans in any way. In qualitative research settings, lay people reveal a remarkable richness and depth of views and experiences of nature. A quantitative survey on images and values of nature, and a qualitative study consisting of in-depth interviews on the relationship between childhood experiences in nature and adult visions of nature were conducted in the Netherlands. A factor analysis revealed a classification of types of nature, which included ‘wild nature’, ‘arcadian nature’, ‘penetrative nature’ and other such images that, with wild nature in the lead, were ascribed a smoothly decreasing degree of naturalness. Asked to rank the values and functions of nature, the top three were formed by the value for human health, the intrinsic value and the value for future generations. In the qualitative interviews, indications were found that more intense childhood experiences with nature could be associated with later ascription of a high degree of naturalness to wild nature, and less intense experiences with later ascription of a high degree of naturalness to arcadian nature. Many significant experiences took place beyond the reach of parental supervision. Findings such as these are of obvious relevance for environmental education and the design of ‘experiential nature’ in and around protected areas. Social science research concerning nature protection is often triggered by frictions between local people and protected area authorities. Such situations tend to be dominated by the airing of grievances, demands for economic compensation and so on, and these then also tend to dominate the research findings. Taking place away from these specific hot spots of conflict, social science research of the types discussed in this paper shows that many non-conflictual lines of communication are open for nature protection agencies.

The sudden, large-scale cessation of industrial and agricultural practices following the collapse of the communist regimes in the former Czechoslovakia and East Germany, coupled with a set of programmes aimed at reducing industrial and municipal pollutant loads, provided an unique opportunity to observe changes in a severely polluted river, the Elbe. Several sets of data for the post-communist Elbe reflect water quality and ecological health, including surface water pollutants, accumulation in mussels and several species of fish, and diversity of fish species. The ecological health of the Elbe has indeed benefited, and greatly, from post-communist change. The loads of most pollutants in the Elbe surface water have declined significantly over the last decade. Contaminant loading in fish tissue is also declining. Finally, the diversity of fish species in the Elbe is increasing, with a majority of the returning species being native fishes, characteristic of the pre-World War Two Elbe. Nonetheless, several pollutants remain a concern, including nitrate, suspended sediments, mercury, cadmium, hexachlorobenzene, two DDT metabolites, and three HCH isomers. The reasons for these problems include relicts from the communist era and current activities in the Elbe watershed. Further, the invasion of the river by exotic species, while not yet a concern, does remain a threat.

Throughout much of the tropics, human-wildlife conflict impedes local support for national parks. By channelling tourism revenue to local residents, conservationists hope to offset wildlife costs and improve local attitudes toward conservation. To date tourism revenue-sharing (TRS) programmes have met mixed success. Local conditions and national policies that shape the success of TRS programmes were identified by comparing the experiences of both implementers and beneficiaries of pilot TRS programmes at three parks in western Uganda. Between 1995 and 1998, communities around these parks used a total of US $83 000 of tourism revenue to build 21 schools, four clinics, one bridge, and one road. In 1996, the Ugandan parliament passed legislation that changed both the amount of money available for TRS and the institutions responsible for sharing the money. The programme was suspended at all three parks while the implementing agency (Uganda Wildlife Authority) struggled to design a programme that complied with the new legislation. TRS funds collected before 1996 were shared through 1998, but since then no revenue has been shared. However, a revised TRS programme is expected to resume in 2001. In semi-structured interviews, both implementers and beneficiaries evaluated local TRS programmes and compared them to other benefit-sharing projects, particularly those promoting sustainable use of non-timber products within park boundaries (n = 44). Both groups of respondents listed revenue-sharing as the most important advantage of living next to a national park. Seventy-two per cent of respondents indicated that they thought TRS had improved attitudes towards the protected areas, and 53% thought TRS was more important then sustainable use of non-timber forest products. Although respondents were generally positive about TRS, in informal discussions respondents repeatedly mentioned four potential obstacles to TRS success, namely poorly defined TRS policies and unsteady implementing institutions, corruption, inadequate funds, and numerous stakeholders with differing priorities. From this survey and literature from experiences in other African countries, there are four key components of successful revenue-sharing programmes: long-term institutional support, appropriate identification of the target community and project type, transparency and accountability, and adequate funding. With firm institutional support and realistic expectations, TRS can play an important role in improving local attitudes towards conservation.

Swine (Sus scrofa) have been introduced in many places throughout the world, and in many places they adversely affect the environment, economically impact agriculture, and/or harbour diseases transmittable to domestic livestock or humans. An easily applied method to assess their abundance is an important need for their management. To monitor efficacy of a swine control programme in Florida, data from passive tracking plots provide an index of feral swine abundance. The same track data coupled with plot locations to numerically describe the spatial pattern of swine activity gave an index of pervasiveness, and a simple rate of interception of damage sites to index damage was used. The assessments were conducted in January, May, and August 2000 in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Florida, USA. Between the first two assessments a swine control programme removed 25 feral swine from the 8.3 km2 study area, after which the value of the passive tracking index was reduced by 81% and the fresh damage index by 89%, while the index of spatial pattern (pervasiveness index) showed only a small localized concentration after control. In the three months following the second assessment, Park personnel removed three additional swine from the study area, and a follow-up assessment indicated slightly less swine activity than immediately after the post-control assessment, however the index of pervasiveness showed a similar spatial pattern of activity as the initial assessment, possibly indicating re-invasive pressure. The passive tracking plots proved to be an uncomplicated, easily applied means to gather data for assessing and comparing swine abundance and distribution.

Recreational camping in wilderness areas causes a number of biophysical impacts, including loss of woody debris through campfires. Although extensive research has documented trampling impacts to vegetation, few studies have explored the extent of woody material depletion. This study adapted planar transect methods to measure the relative loss of fine (<0.6 cm), small (0.6 to 2.5 cm), medium (2.6 to 7.6 cm) and large (>7.6 cm) diameter materials in three concentric rings extending 0–5 m, 5–10 m and 10–15 m from the centre of 58 campsites in different environments ranging in elevation from 1250 to 2225 m in the Cascades Mountains in Oregon, USA. Compared to matched controls, losses were greatest for small (40%) and medium-sized (63%) materials, but were evident for fine (25%) and large (30%) materials as well. Surprisingly, depletion (across all sizes) was no greater in the centre of sites than in the outer measurement ring, even though the outer ring was often in intact vegetation. This suggests that impacts on woody debris extend beyond those impacts to vegetation typically monitored at campsites. Such recreational impacts to woody debris have rarely been systematically described. However, research on woody debris removal related to forest management indicates possible ecological effects of fuelwood consumption.

Indigenous systems of management for regulating extraction of non-timber forest products (NTFP) have not been well documented in arid zone grazing lands. Conservation projects have therefore lacked information on customary rights to trees, while they have enforced systems of tree resource management that often conflicted with the indigenous system. This study focused on the indigenous tree tenure system of the Turkana pastoralists called ekwar (plural ngikwarin). The indigenous tree management system in 15.4 km2 of the Turkwel River floodplain woodlands near Lodwar, Kenya was investigated. The study began in 1990 after impoundment of the Turkwel Gorge Dam. In 1990 and 1998, Turkana pastoralists were interviewed about the ekwar. In individual ngikwarin woody cover, wood volume and woody-plant density were measured, and wood extraction assessed in terms of stems and twigs removed by the pastoralists and the urban population of Lodwar. Intensity of charcoal burning was assessed in terms of the density of earthen kilns, and livestock impact in terms of browsing frequency on woody plants. Potential Acacia tortilis litter production was estimated and an ekwar quality index developed to describe woodland productivity conditions. Tree produce was shared with and leased to friends and relatives. Woody cover showed no significant changes, while woody-plant density and volume declined, over the 8-year period. The Turkana usually do not cut live trees, but use dead trees and dry tree-parts for making charcoal. Increased kiln density and increased extraction of tree-parts were considered to be indicative of increased pressure on the riverine woodlands. Livestock browsing did not seem to contribute to woodland degradation. However, decline in woody-plant density and volume might have contributed to the reduction of litter production of A. tortilis. Trends in woodlands in the floodplain might be associated with damming of the Turkwel River and local anthropogenic pressures. Also, the ekwar system of tree tenure seemed to be threatened by the official forestry policy that it be ignored. Incorporating the ekwar system into the forestry conservation policy may achieve sustainable use and improve conservation of the Turkwel River floodplain woodlands.

Nepal has a number of wetlands in the lowland region of the country along the southern Indo-Nepalese border that have experienced great pressures from growing human populations due in part to migration of people from the mountains. A questionnaire survey and informal interviews with key informants in 1998 were used to explore the socio-economic status of indigenous and non-indigenous inhabitants, use patterns of forest and wetland resources and attitudes about conservation in Ghodaghodi Lake, a proposed Ramsar site, in the lowlands of western Nepal. Tharus, indigenous to the region, represented 33% of the population; the rest were migrants from the mountains. Tharus had lower literacy rates, larger landholdings and kept different livestock species. Most Tharu families were dependent on extraction from wetlands; all groups used forests for fuelwood but mountain settlers used forests for fodder more than did Tharus. Most respondents expressed willingness to participate in the conservation of Ghodaghodi Lake; however, only 12%, mostly mountain settlers, had ever participated in formal conservation activities. Conservation attitudes were strongly influenced by educational level and resource use. Educated males of higher caste and mountain origin who had previously participated in formal management activities were more positive towards conservation than other groups. There is a need to implement a participatory integrated management plan, to include community development, education and off-farm income generation, to assure participation of Tharus and lower caste households of mountain origin in the conservation and management of wetlands and forests in the area.

Trade restrictions stemming from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) have created a situation in which rare and attractive bird species command high prices on international pet markets. Most of these species are of tropical or subtropical origin, and many are amenable to captive breeding. Hence, the possibility of exporting birds under CITES provisions for the export of captive-raised animals is under debate in many countries around the world. If export bans are replaced by systems of export permits, the economics of avicultural markets will govern the magnitude, timing, and nature of the impacts of the bird trade. Avicultural economics, however, is little studied, and the long-term economic viabilities of exotic pet markets are poorly understood. In order to elucidate these, a dynamic model of an avicultural market was constructed, based on descriptive information. Model simulations showed that the high prices commanded by sought-after bird species tended to bring about oversupply and rapid price decline. Short-lived, fecund species produced a rapid, sharp pulse of oversupply; longer-lived species produced more persistent but less acute conditions of oversupply. The present high prices for protected bird species may be regarded as a potential source of windfall profits, or as a factor that might be manipulated to discourage the poaching and smuggling of wild birds. If export-oriented aviculture is considered as a component of strategies for diversification of agriculture and promotion of sustainable development, it is important that decision-makers factor in the likelihood of significant declines in bird prices and that they consider the risk of accidental species introductions that is inherent in holding large exotic-bird populations.

Ensuring local support for protected areas is increasingly viewed as an important element of biodiversity conservation. This is often predicated on the provision of benefits from protected areas, and a common means of providing such benefits is tourism development. However, the relationship between receipt of tourism benefits and support for conservation has not been explored. This study examined local attitudes towards protected area tourism and the effects of tourism benefits on local support for Komodo National Park, Indonesia. Komodo National Park is a flagship for tourism in a region where protected areas are becoming increasingly visited and where local support for conservation has not been investigated. Results of a questionnaire survey revealed positive attitudes towards tourism and high support for conservation (93.7%), as well as a recognition that tourism is dependent upon the existence of the park. Positive attitudes towards tourism were positively related to the receipt of economic benefits, and to support for conservation. However, a positive relationship between receipt of tourism benefits and support for conservation was not identified, suggesting that benefits from protected area conservation make no difference to local support for conservation. Local people recognized distributional inequalities in tourism benefits, and the most common complaints were of local inflation and tourist dress code. To fully identify the impacts of protected area tourism, long-term studies of local attitudes alongside traditional economic and ecological assessments are recommended.

There has been a rapid expansion in the commercial cultivation of genetically modified crops, rising from the first plantings in 1995 to 44.5 million hectares worldwide in 2000, most of which have grown in North America. Though there are sharp divisions in opinions on benefits and risk, genetic modification (GM) does not represent a single, homogenous technology. Each application brings different potential benefits and risks for different stakeholders. This paper reviews recent scientific progress and future applications using a new typology of three generations of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) ranged against five types of scientific application. Agricultural GMOs pose a range of potential environmental and health risks. An analysis of recent independent field and scientific evidence from industrialized countries summarizes the current state of knowledge on seven types of risk that apply to all agricultural systems: (1) horizontal gene flow; (2) new forms of resistance and pest problems; (3) recombination to produce new pathogens; (4) direct and indirect effects of novel toxins; (5) loss of biodiversity from changes to farm practices; (6) allergenic and immune system reactions; and (7) antibiotic resistance marker genes. There remain highly contrasting positions taken by different stakeholders over GMOs. A review of three debates explains claims and counter-claims for (1) genetic modification as technological fix or contributor to sustainability; (2) genetic modification as driver of corporate power or friend of farmer; and (3) genetic modification as feeder of the world or eliminator of alternatives.

Brackish water ponds for farming black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) have recently proliferated in inland areas of Thailand's central plain, raising concerns about land and water salinization. The environmental impacts of inland shrimp farming were assessed by analysing the salt balance for an inland shrimp farm. Field data on water fluxes and pond salinity, collected from nine ponds in Chachoengsao Province from May–July 1999, were used to model the salt balance for a typical shrimp pond over one growout cycle. During growout, seepage represented 38% (11.5 tonnes crop−1) of salt losses, pond discharge 33% (9.7 tonnes crop−1), and accumulation of salt in pond sediment 6% (1.8 tonnes crop−1). About 23% of the initial salt content remained at harvest and could have been recycled. However, the majority (84% on average) was discharged to the irrigation canals. Much of the salt in pond sediment was also exported to the canal system through tidal flushing of the ponds. Field measurements of salinity were taken in adjacent canals and rice paddies to explore the impacts of salt exports from shrimp ponds. Pond discharge caused increases in canal salinity above levels that would impact on yields of irrigated rice and orchard crops, the main land uses in the region. Elevated soil and water salinity in adjacent rice fields was probably related to lateral seepage from the ponds. The salt budget was also modelled for a zero discharge farming system, promoted by proponents of inland shrimp farming as having few impacts. However, the results suggest that, even in zero discharge ponds, almost half of the initial pond salt content is exported through seepage (45%, 12.4 tonnes crop−1), with another 6% (1.8 tonnes crop−1) deposited in sediments. While techniques exist for mitigating much of the salt leakage, the likelihood of their uptake in Thailand is low. Further expansion of inland shrimp farming in the central plain is therefore likely to contribute substantial salt load to the area's land and water resources.

Water management issues at the scale of whole river basins are becoming significant public concerns in China. Adverse aspects of basin-wide mismanagement of water resources in China are reviewed and analysed with respect to watershed management organizations, systems and policies, legislation and implementation of law, public participation, and other pertinent fields. Several critical issues in watershed management should be addressed in the immediate future, including divided jurisdiction and overlapping responsibilities of water management agencies, water pricing, lack of attention to non-point sources, absence of legislation regarding both watershed organizations and public participation, and illegal implementation of existing environmental laws and national policies concerning agriculture and farmers. Based on those analyses and worldwide practices, conceptual frameworks for integrated watershed management in China, including organization, legislation and institutions, are put forward both for the short and the long term. As a national focus, the Three Gorges Project is expected to have potentially disastrous environmental impacts. Mismanagement in the Three Gorges watershed is indicated, including piecemeal approaches to management, absence of legislation and a watershed approach that is disintegrated by administrative boundaries.

In tropical prawn (shrimp) trawl fisheries it is daunting to assess the sustainability of bycatch species because they are diverse and there is little historical and biological information for quantitative stock assessments. We developed a process to examine the likely impact of prawn trawling on the sustainability of bycatch species and applied this to fish bycatch in the Australian Northern Prawn Fishery. The 411 fish bycatch species were ranked with respect to biological and ecological criteria that contributed to two overriding characteristics, namely first, their susceptibility to capture and mortality due to prawn trawling, and second the population's capacity to recover after depletion. The rank of each species on these two characteristics determined its relative capacity to sustain trawling, and therefore its priority for research and management. Species that were the least likely to be sustainable came from the families Apogonidae, Ariidae, Bathysauridae, Callionymidae, Congridae, Diodontidae, Labridae, Opisthognathidae, Plotosidae, Synodontidae and Tetraodontidae. These species are highly susceptible to capture by trawls, they are benthic or demersal, their primary habitat is soft sediments, and their diet may include prawns. The recovery capacity of these species is also low, with the estimated removal rate by trawling high. The species that were the most likely to be sustainable came from the families Carangidae, Clupeidae, Ephippidae, Scombridae, Sphyraenidae and Terapontidae. They are less susceptible to capture by trawls, they are generally pelagic, their primary habitat is not in trawl grounds, and they have a broad depth distribution and range in the fishery. These species also have a greater capacity to recover, as most individuals have bred before capture, and a low estimated removal rate by trawling. The final ranking of the species must be used with caution because of the assumptions made in the process. However, the process is a valuable first step towards ensuring the sustainability of the bycatch species. Because of the simplicity of the process, it can be readily used in fisheries, particularly those with diverse bycatch, to manage the sustainability of their bycatch.

Animal tolerance to human approaches may be used to establish buffers for wildlife that can minimize the probability that animals will be disturbed by human activity. Alert distance (the distance between an animal and an approaching human at which point the animal begins to exhibit alert behaviours to the human) has been proposed as an indicator of tolerance mainly for waterbirds; however, little is known about its utility for other bird species. The factors that influenced alert distances of four bird species to pedestrian approaches in five large wooded fragments in the city of Madrid (Spain) were analysed. Location of human activity affected only Passer domesticus alert distances, which increased in the proximity of pathways. Habitat structure modified alert distances of all the species (Passer domesticus, Turdus merula, Columba palumbus, and Pica pica), increasing bird tolerance with greater availability of escape cover (shrub and coniferous cover, and shrub height). Alert distances varied among species, with large species being less tolerant of human disturbance than small ones. Alert distance appears to be a more conservative indicator of tolerance than flight distances, because it includes a buffer zone (the difference between alert and flight distance) in which birds may adapt their reaction to the behaviour of visitors. Alert distance may be used in the determination of minimum approaching areas, allowing people to enjoy their visit to parks, and birds to use patches for foraging and breeding without being displaced.

The hypothesis of attaching and realising market values as one means of conserving biodiversity has gained ground over the last decade. This has been challenged recently after examination of a number of case studies, largely from tropical Amazonia, on high value logging, marketing of non-timber forest products, and bioprospecting. The conclusion was that market-orientated conservation has seldom generated the financial returns envisaged, and as such cannot be used as an incentive to prevent land transformation. This paper reviews the basis of the challenge to market-orientated conservation on a number of grounds, drawing on examples largely from southern Africa. It concludes that generalizations from tropical Amazonia regarding the failure of market-orientated conservation are probably premature, and that it should remain an option, amongst a number of options, for conservation of biodiversity. Additionally, the prerequisite criteria identified as necessary to create an enabling framework for the success of market-orientated conservation are insufficient. Case studies are presented where the prerequisites do not apply, yet current extraction for market purposes is sustainable. Other potential prerequisites are also considered. There is a need for multivariate analysis, based on a large sample size drawn from across a range of environments and resources, of which factors are important prerequisites for successful market-orientated conservation, and under which circumstances.