Roads are an important way to transport people and goods, but they sometimes have negative impacts on wildlife. One of the leading causes of mortality for several species is identified as road strikes, and the most significant remains bird-vehicle collisions. This study aimed to investigate what species of birds are most affected, and what other factors impact in their susceptibility in road collisions, such as age, sex, season, and type of transports. A total of N=5413 records, and 140 bird species were documented by BTO ringers. For analysis four Bayesian Hierarchical Models were used, with random effects results showing that Barn owls were most affected by collisions. Road mortality presents the highest cause of mortality among species when contrasted with rail mortality. Age and sexual bias was detected across all species, however juveniles and males did appear to be prominent in relation to other age classes. Winter and early spring were the months with most reported casualties and 2016 had lower abundance of mortality across the 10-year period. 75% of birds were found within a week, which may indicate some bias interference from scavenging animals, as true figures could be up to 16 times more. This study discusses some mitigation measures found in current research, that could dramatically reduce numbers of birds affected each year by road mortality.
Unconventional development projects follow a general life cycle. Each step in the life cycle has a number of common activities that can have important environmental andsocial impacts. Managing those activities to reduce/control the impacts can reduce the project’s business risks and improve the overall success of the development program. Operations in many shale plays are rapidly shifting from exploration into the longer-term production step of the life cycle. The pace of change presents significant challenges to maintaining compliance with federal and state environmental, health and safety (EHS) requirements. To reduce the risk that significant noncompliance could result in regulatory issues that could slow or halt development activities, many operators are conducting independent reviews of their assets. Such reviews, which can be conducted in accordance with the Texas Environmental Health and Safety Audit Privilege Act, provide management and owners with an appraisal of potential environmental liabilities and recommendations for managing compliance risk. EPA has also developed a specific audit policy for new owners of assets who want to make a "clean start" at newly acquired facility by addressing environmental compliance prior to or early in the stages of ownership. These types of audits focus on key questions to identify areas for improve performance and thereby enhance shareholder value:Do the locations have the necessary permits, authorization and plans?Do the permits, authorization and plans represent current operations?Can the operations expand?What capital will be necessary to come into compliance with regulatory permits and requirements?What is the compliance culture? Is there a sufficient management of change program to identify and adjust to different compliance requirements? ERM’s experience has shown that the most frequent findings from these audits include storm water contamination issues, lack of air permitting or under-permitting emissions sources, failure to use adequate control devices, and problems with spill containment and spill plan implementation. Through the audit privilege process, disclosed civil and administrative violations can be corrected without incurring monetary penalties, in addition to a prescribed time frame to implement corrective actions. An environmental audit can be a beneficial tool for new or experienced owners or operators looking to enhance their asset value and manage non-technical risk at their sites.
Compulsory feline microchipping has become a legal requirement in 2021 for domestic cats (Felis catus) in the UK, following the introduction of compulsory microchipping for dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in 2016. The concept of compulsory feline microchipping attracts a combination of perceptions from the public, both positive and negative. An online survey was designed to obtain cat owners’ perception toward feline microchipping, evaluating attitudes and knowledge, and offering an opportunity for participants to provide insights into their reasoning for, or against, microchipping. Findings suggested that demographics are key predictors for influencing cat owners’ perception toward feline microchipping. In particular, men are less likely to formulate opinions regarding feline welfare and microchipping, and concern for feline welfare and empathy toward cats increases with age across both men and women. When asked to provide more details about their decision to microchip, or not microchip, the survey responses revealed 66% agent-centred reasoning compared to 24% welfare, suggesting that regardless of a person’s decision, reasoning was respectively agent-centred. This suggests that potential human benefits may influence cat owners’ perception toward feline microchipping. 75% of participants support compulsory microchipping. Of those who would not support the legislation, feline welfare concerns, and a negative outlook surrounding the current database and scanning processes that support microchipping, was revealed. A focus on addressing negative perceptions toward feline microchipping could highlight approaches to change cat owners’ perceptions toward the technique positively. The results herein are useful for feline welfare organisations to promote understanding about feline microchipping.
Purpose -Thermal insulation is important to achieve energy efficiency in a buildings' lifespan while maintaining comfort. Traditionally, the majority of insulation in buildings is man-made petroleum based products with limited or no-end life usage. However, from an environmental and economic sustainability perspective, they are not sustainable as natural resources are finite and in danger of run-out. Furthermore, they are also highly influenced by the increasing price and the ongoing scarcity of fossil fuel oils. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach -This paper introduces soap based insulation from recycled materials as a sustainable alternative to petroleum counterparts. The methodology is lab based experimentation and iterative tests. The phased based research process for the incremental development of the soap based thermal insulation is explained. Findings -Findings reveal that soap based insulation can be one possible way forward in the quest for natural and sustainable thermal insulation from recycled products to preserve and conserve the sustainable environment. Originality/value -Thus, the paper provides a unique environmentally friendly approach as an alternative to those existing petroleum counterparts for thermal insulation in buildings.
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