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A consensus on the definition of positive animal welfare
Get PDFThe concept of animal welfare is evolving due to progress in our scientific understanding of animal biology and changing societal expectations. Animal welfare science has been primarily concerned with minimizing suffering, but there is growing interest in also promoting positive experiences, grouped under the term positive animal welfare (PAW). However, there are discrepancies in the use of the term PAW. An interdisciplinary group arrived at a consensus that 'PAW can be defined as the animal flourishing through the experience of predominantly positive mental states and the development of competence and resilience. PAW goes beyond ensuring good physical health and the prevention and alleviation of suffering. It encompasses animals experiencing positive mental states resulting from rewarding experiences, including having choices and opportunities to actively pursue goals and achieve desired outcomes'. The definition also considers individual and species-specific differences. It provides a framework for researchers to investigate PAW and thereby generate innovative, informative and reproducible science. Studies of PAW can contribute to a richer picture of an animal's life and may elucidate the biological foundations of happiness. The definition creates opportunities to inspire scientific progress in animal biology and to align animal care practices, legislation and markets with societal expectations
Participatory forest management: Analysis of local forest governance and implications for REDD+ implementation in the Adaba-Dodola Forest in Ethiopia
Get PDFCurrently, sustainable forest management (SFM) issue has received global attention because of the importance of forests for achieving socioeconomic and environmental goals. Participatory Forest Management (PFM) has been implemented in Ethiopia as a national programme to improve the Forest governance (FG) system. This paper analyses the current FG settings and identifies major gaps in forest conservation by assessing the local FG situation. The primary data were collected through key informant interviews (54) and four focus group discussions with the community and experts. Semi-structured questionnaires were used as a tool for data collection. Secondary data were collected from reports, forest management plans, and the forest agencies' plans. Comprehensive FG analytical frameworks developed by the FAO/PROFOR and World Resources Institute (WRI) were utilised to develop and analyse pillars, principles and indicators of FG for the study. The results of the study showed FG in the Adaba-Dodola PFM was moderate, but in terms of different features of FG, there were large variations in how well different aspects played out for forest users and bureaucrats. Whereas the legal and policy framework was rated as working well, the planning and decision-making process was scored as medium, while the implementation and enforcement were rated as having a poor level of function. This implies that there is a supportive legal and policy framework to achieve the intended goal of the REDD+ but on-ground implementations need further effort. Therefore, concerned stakeholders should focus on strengthening the implementation and enforcement of forest policies and regulations at the local level
Organosolv lignin carbon fibers and their prospective application in wind turbine blades: An environmental performance assessment
Get PDFLignin is a potential sustainable alternative to polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor for the production of carbon fibers. The high purity lignin extracted from residual forest biomass via organosolv process undergoes stabili-zation and carbonization treatment to produce carbon fibers. Recent developments suggest the potential of producing organosolv lignin carbon fibers (OLCF) with competing mechanical properties similar to PAN carbon fibers. This is likely to enable the use of OLCF in structurally demanding applications such as wind turbine blades. In this work, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is performed with a threefold objective. First, the environ-mental footprint of OLCF is quantified and results are compared with PAN-CF produced in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe i.e., electricity demands met by European average electrical grid (RER). Second, the environmental performance of OLCF reinforced wind turbine blades (referred as BIOMAT) to be installed in 0.8 MW capacity is evaluated against incumbent variants: glass fiber turbine blade (GFTB), PAN-CF based turbine blades manu-factured in Sweden (CFTB-SE), and other parts of Europe (CFTB-RER). Finally, the total environmental exter-nality costs (EEC) of these blades and corresponding lifetime electricity generation when they are installed in 0.8 MW capacity wind turbine blade are calculated. Our results indicate that the environmental impacts of OLCF are lower by 71-94% than PAN-CF-RER in nine, and lower by 43-90% than PAN-CF-SE in six out of ten impact categories quantified respectively. BIOMAT blades also have better overall environmental performance than existing blade variants and particularly lucrative because of their negative total climate change impact. The total EEC of BIOMAT blades is 74%, 83% and 88% lower than GFTB, CFTB-SE and CFTB-RER respectively. Corre-spondingly, the total EEC of lifetime electricity generated by wind turbine equipped with BIOMAT blades is 11%, 17% and 23% lower than the respective blade variant
Videoövervakning i stallmiljö
Get PDFGrisar är känsliga för värmestress. Ett typiskt tecken på värmestress är att djurets andning ökar i frekvens. Att mäta andningsfrekvensen kan därför vara ett bra sätt att övervaka både värmestress och andra respiratoriska problem. Med hjälp av maskininlärning eller ”AI” finns det nu många alternativ för att övervaka djurs beteende på ett kostnadseffektivt sätt. Användningen av videokameror innebär även att sensorer inte behöver fästas på grisen vilket är en stor fördel då många suggor lär sig att plocka av eller förstöra sensorer som de kommer åt
Crop Rotation With Ley and Nitrogen Fertilisation Reduced Soil Carbon Loss in Three Swedish Long-Term Field Experiments
Get PDFIncreasing soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks by improving cropland management practices has great potential to mitigate climate change. Long-term field experiments (LTEs) are valuable to study management effects on soil properties and crop yield. Yet most LTE studies are limited to the topsoil, and farming systems integrating multiple management strategies are often not assessed. This study used three Swedish LTEs to assess the effects of crop rotations and fertilisation on SOC changes. One arable rotation with only annual crops and a ley rotation with annuals, perennial ley and receiving manure were investigated at different application rates of mineral fertilisers. We analysed changes in SOC content and the distribution of SOC content and stocks at multiple soil depths, calculated C inputs and used phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) to evaluate how management practices affected SOC in relation to C inputs and microbial communities. Both systems lost carbon in the 0-20 cm topsoil from 1966 to 2019 across sites, but the sandy site lost more than the clayey sites. The ley rotation and nitrogen (N) fertilisation reduced carbon losses. In 2019, SOC stocks in the top 25 cm soil were 3.3 +/- 1.6 Mg C ha-1 higher in the ley rotation compared with arable rotation and 2.9 +/- 1.6 Mg C ha-1 higher with N fertilisation at the highest rate compared with no N fertilisation. However, the positive effects decreased with depth and became negative at some depths. As a result, differences in SOC stocks to an equivalent depth of 60 cm declined to 0.6 +/- 2.4 Mg C ha-1 for rotations and to 1.0 +/- 2.4 Mg C ha-1 for N fertilisation. The ley rotation had significantly higher belowground C inputs than the arable rotation, and belowground C inputs were highly associated with changes in SOC. Compared with the arable rotation, total PLFAs, bacterial PLFAs and the ratio of bacteria to fungi in topsoil were significantly higher in the ley rotation, partly attributed to manure application. Our study supports the beneficial effects of leys and manure amendments on SOC compared with systems with only annual crops. It also highlights the risk of losing SOC in the subsoil, especially under mineral N fertilisation. Site characteristics helped to explain the large variation, which must be considered when developing local strategies for SOC accrual in cropland
Assessment of brain function during stunning and killing of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)
Get PDFMeasurement of brain activity is a reliable method to determine loss of consciousness during the slaughter of terrestrial farm animals. In fish, the ability to obtain an electroencephalogram (EEG), even in unrestrained individuals, has enabled the assessment and optimization of stunning and killing methods in aquaculture. This study evaluated the effect of percussive and in-water electrical stunning in channel catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus) using the loss of visual evoked responses (VERs) as indicator of loss of consciousness. Our results show that percussive stunning with a fish bonker effectively caused permanent disruption of normal brain function when applied correctly. However, there is a risk of mis-stuns, with 20 % of the catfish showing temporarily or permanently responsiveness after stunning ( i.e. presence of VERs). Exposure to an electric field strength of 13 V rms cm(-1) and a current density of 1.3 A rms dm(-2) for 1 s caused immediate but, in contrast to successful percussive stunning, transient loss of VERs. Extending the exposure time to 10 s using the same electrical parameters did not affect recovery based on VERs, nor did increasing the field strength to 24 V rms cm(-1) and a current density to 2.1 A rms dm(-2) using a 10 s exposure time. The recovery time was also unaffected by post-stun placement of fish in air or water. However, a 10 s shock with an electric field of 24 V rms cm(-1) and a current density of 2.1 A rms dm(-2) immediately followed by decapitation, prevented recovery in 70 % of the catfish with the remaining 30 % experiencing temporary recovery ( i.e. presence of VERs) for a few minutes. Our findings show that different stunning methods offer distinct advantages and limitations. Modifying the slaughter protocol in commercial catfish production, considering these methods, could significantly enhance the welfare of channel catfish during slaughter
A conceptual framework of indicators for the suitability of forests for outdoor recreation
Get PDFForests' ability to provide opportunities for recreation is an important ecosystem service. This has prompted attempts to create indicators to assess forests' suitability for recreation, although hitherto with limited success. This study introduces a novel framework for indicators of potential and realised recreational values of forests, with a primary focus on Sweden and Fennoscandia. We divided forest attributes into intrinsic qualities (i.e. the structure and composition of the forest), extrinsic qualities (i.e. the location of the forest in relation to other components of the landscape), and facilitation qualities (i.e. the presence of recreational infrastructure). Using Fennoscandia as a case study, we performed a literature review to find specific indicators of recreational values, as well as evaluate the current availability of spatial data suitable to map the forest qualities on a national scale. The most important intrinsic quality we identified was tree size/age, whereas for extrinsic quality it was proximity to water. Systematic monitoring of recreational use is essential to estimate realised recreational values. The conceptual framework proved to be a valuable tool for identifying potential indicators, and applying it in other regions is likely to yield useful outcomes
Getting school-provided meals to the table: an international multiple-case study of school food service
Get PDFA school food service, which is the way children access food during the school day, is one of the many aspects in creating a health-promoting school environment. School-provided meal services differ greatly, depending on the country, region and school contexts, however, there is limited understanding of the diverse meal delivery within these settings. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand different school-provided meal systems across different countries and contexts. This study used a qualitative, naturalistic observation, using an interpretative epistemology and a multiple-case design to explore food service across seven schools, mapped against a school meal food service framework. This included three schools with an established school-provided meal system (England, France and Sweden) and four schools with emerging school-provided meal systems (Australia). Mapping captured findings across the domains of Menu offering, Food service system, Administration, Eating environment, Mealtime experience and Post-meal. Results demonstrate the need for tailored school food programmes, designed appropriate to the country, region and school context, including considering cultural underpinnings and available resources. Furthermore, a positive eating environment and elements of student choice and responsibility were all noted as principles important in a school food service. This knowledge can be used to inform planning of future systems, particularly for regions transitioning into a school-provided meal model, and those looking to implement improvements to existing systems
Rethinking household food waste quantification: Increasing accuracy and reducing costs through automation
Get PDFThe amount of food waste generated in households constitutes an obstacle to achieving a sustainable food system. To assess food waste quantities and evaluate the effects of waste reduction actions, reliable quantification methodology is needed. This study compares a questionnaire method against a novel automated quantification tool as candidate methodologies. The automated quantification tool was deployed in 18 Swedish households, which also completed a questionnaire for four weeks. The findings revealed that the questionnaire, while less costly in a short-term perspective, captured 46 % of the waste recorded by the automated quantification tool. Thus, questionnaire-based methods appear to be too inaccurate to be used for quantifying food waste in households, especially households with high levels of food waste. However, the results offered promising evidence that technical solutions such as the automated quantification tool used in this study could be useful for providing reliable long-term quantification data which the ambitions of a sustainable food system necessitate
Responses of Benthic Carbon Flows in Scandinavian Lakes to Atmospheric Sulphur and Nitrogen Depositions: Potential Influence of Nutrient Limitation
Get PDFPaleolimnological reconstructions of past changes in carbon stable isotopic composition of chironomid head capsules (delta 13CHC) were used to quantify the impacts of atmospheric sulphur and nitrogen depositions on carbon processing at the base of lake food webs. We hypothesised that the impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on carbon flows through food webs are influenced by nutrient limitation, as increasing nitrogen inputs are expected to drive higher primary producer biomass in nitrogen-limited lakes, thus increasing its availability for benthic consumers. The delta 13CHC values showed significant changes before/after 1960, corresponding to the time of early impacts of atmospheric deposition on water chemistry and biological communities in Scandinavian lakes. These results suggest that atmospheric deposition was a key driver of change in carbon flows through benthic food webs. Furthermore, our study showed that lakes responded differently to atmospheric deposition and that differences in delta 13CHC values were largely explained by a combination of nutrient limitation, latitude and water transparency. Overall, results support the hypothesis that the response of carbon flows through benthic food webs to changes in atmospheric nitrogen deposition differs partly depending on lake nutrient limitation. However, the observed strong collinearity between the explanatory variables complicates the interpretation of the relationships between the temporal changes in benthic carbon flows in response to atmospheric deposition and nutrient limitation