Exploring fishers' pro-environmental behavioral intention and support for policies to combat marine litter in Vietnam.

This study applies Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory to investigate fishers' pro-environmental behavioral intention and their support for policies to reduce marine litter. While pro-environmental behavioral intention is often associated with personal environmental intention at the household level, policy support represents their support for government action at the political level. Therefore, we examine whether fishers are willing to engage in both of these dimensions. Data from 369 Vietnamese fishers are analyzed using structural equation modeling with FIMIX-PLS and PLS-POS. The results show that the sequence of values, beliefs, and personal norms can explain the fishers' pro-environmental behavioral intention and their support for policies addressing marine litter. Two segments of the fishers are detected from the sample with different perspectives of engagement intention. Fishers in segment 1 placed great emphasis on the consequences of marine litter on fishing activities as a motivator for their responsible actions. Meanwhile, fishers in segment 2 express pro-environmental engagement intention driven by the concern about responsibility and moral obligation. A binary logistic regression indicates that the risks of marine litter on fishing activity can provide the explanations for the differences between them. Our findings highlight both fishers' pro-environmental behavior and policy support as important strategies for dealing with marine litter in fisheries. If implemented simultaneously, they hold promise to alleviate the environmental and economic impact of marine litter in Vietnam.

Exceptional longevity in northern peripheral populations of Wels catfish (Siluris glanis).

Studies of life-history variation across a species range are crucial for ecological understanding and successful conservation. Here, we examined the growth and age of Wels catfish (Silurus glanis) in Sweden, which represent the northernmost populations in Europe. A total of 1183 individuals were captured, marked and released between 2006 and 2020. Mark-recapture data from 162 individuals (size range: 13-195 cm) were used to estimate von Bertalanffy growth curve parameters which revealed very slow growth rates compared to catfish within the core distribution area (central Europe). The fitted von Bertalanffy growth curve predicted a 150 cm catfish to be around 40 years old, while the largest recaptured individual (length 195 cm) was estimated to be 70 (95% CI 50-112) years old. This was substantially older than the previously documented maximum age of a catfish. The weight at length relationships in these northern peripheral populations were similar to those documented for catfish in central Europe indicating that resources did not constrain growth. This indicates that the slow growth and exceptional high age in the northern catfish populations are the result of lower temperatures and/or local adaptations.

The value of blue-space recreation and perceived water quality across Europe: A contingent behaviour study.

This study estimates the value of recreational visits to blue-space sites across 14 EU Member States, representing 78% of the Union's population. Across all countries surveyed, respondents made an average of 47 blue-space visits per person per year. Employing travel cost and contingent behaviour methods, the value of a visit is estimated at €41.32 which adds up to a recreational value of €631bn per year for the total adult population surveyed. Using the Bathing Water Directive's water quality designation, the analysis shows that a one-level improvement in water quality leads to 3.13 more visits (+6.67%), whereas a one-level deterioration leads to 9.77 fewer annual visits (-20.83%). This study provides valuations of benefits of recreation and changes of recreational values due to changes in surface water quality, which can be compared to the implementation and monitoring costs of efforts under the EU's Bathing Water, Water Framework and Marine Strategy Framework Directives.

The association between city-level air pollution and frailty among the elderly population in China.

A growing body of research suggests that air pollution negatively affects specific health outcomes, but how long- and short-term exposure to air pollution are associated with frailty is unclear. Using longitudinal data from adults aged 65 and over from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) linked with air quality index data, we model a frailty score according to the city-level of air pollution exposure, adjusting for individual socio-demographic factors and city-level indicators. All models show increased frailty with higher exposure to air pollution in one year prior to the interview, when controlling for short-term fluctuations. Moreover, elderly people living in areas where air pollution increased over the follow-up had larger increases in frailty scores than those where air pollution was relatively constant. The results suggest that air pollution plays a role in healthy ageing.

Using stated preference valuation in the offshore environment to support marine planning.

This study presents valuations of components of marine natural capital that have hitherto been overlooked by the valuation literature. Using a discrete choice experiment, it values a set of ecosystem services linked to seabed natural capital in the UK section of the North Sea. The study focuses on offshore seabed habitats, using Good Environmental Status as a measure of seabed health, thus linking directly to management targets under the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. It considers how changing pressures on seabed habitats could affect marine industries and other ecosystems through trade-offs with (1) the contribution that exploitation of these habitats makes to the maritime cultural heritage; and (2) changes to the health of seabird populations. For seabed habitats and seabirds, the elicited values mainly represent non-use values for changes in the condition of natural capital assets. For maritime cultural heritage the valuation refers to the changed provision of this cultural ecosystem service. Results show that the public in England hold significant, strongly correlated, values for changes in the condition of offshore seabeds and seabird populations. Projected losses in maritime cultural heritage are found to lead to expected welfare decreases. Implications of these findings for marine planning and decision-making are discussed.

Global ecological, social and economic impacts of marine plastic.

This research takes a holistic approach to considering the consequences of marine plastic pollution. A semi-systematic literature review of 1191 data points provides the basis to determine the global ecological, social and economic impacts. An ecosystem impact analysis demonstrates that there is global evidence of impact with medium to high frequency on all subjects, with a medium to high degree of irreversibility. A novel translation of these ecological impacts into ecosystem service impacts provides evidence that all ecosystem services are impacted to some extent by the presence of marine plastic, with a reduction in provision predicted for all except one. This reduction in ecosystem service provision is evidenced to have implications for human health and wellbeing, linked particularly to fisheries, heritage and charismatic species, and recreation.

Causes and consequences of repeatability, flexibility and individual fine-tuning of migratory timing in pike.

Many organisms undertake migrations between foraging and breeding habitats and while it is assumed that reproductive timing affects fitness, little is known about the degree of individual consistency, and about the causes and consequences of individual variation in migratory timing in organisms other than birds. Here, we report on a 6-year mark-recapture study, including 2048 individuals, of breeding migration in anadromous pike (Esox lucius), an iteroparous top-predatory fish that displays homing behaviour. By repeated sampling across years at a breeding site, we first quantify individual variation both within and between breeding events and then investigate phenotypic correlates and fitness consequences of arrival timing to the breeding site. Our data demonstrate that males arrive before females, that large males arrive later than small males, that the timing of breeding migration varies among years and that individuals are consistent in their timing across years relative to other individuals in the population. Furthermore, data on return rates indicate that arrival time is under stabilizing viability selection, and that individuals who are more flexible in their timing of arrival during the first reproductive years survive longer compared with less flexible individuals. Finally, longitudinal data demonstrate that individuals consistently fine-tune their arrival timing across years, showing that the timing of arrival to breeding sites is influenced by experience. These findings represent rare evidence of how between- and within-individual variations in migratory timing across breeding events are correlated with phenotypic and fitness traits in an ecologically important keystone species. Our results emphasize the importance of considering variation in migratory timing both between and within individuals in studies investigating the fitness consequences of migratory behaviour and have implications for future management.

Replacing rubber plantations by rain forest in Southwest China--who would gain and how much?

The cultivation of rubber trees in Xishuangbanna Prefecture in China's Yunnan Province has triggered an unprecedented economic development but it is also associated with severe environmental problems. Rubber plantations are encroaching the indigenous rain forests at a large scale and a high speed in Xishuangbanna. Many rare plant and animal species are endangered by this development, the natural water management is disturbed, and even the microclimate in this region has changed over the past years. The present study aims at an assessment of the environmental benefits accruing from a reforestation project partly reversing the deforestation that has taken place over the past years. To this end, a Contingent Valuation survey has been conducted in Xishuangbanna to elicit local residents' willingness to pay for this reforestation program that converts existing rubber plantations back into forest. It is shown that local people's awareness of the environmental problems caused by increasing rubber plantation is quite high and that in spite of the economic advantages of rubber plantation there is a positive willingness among the local population to contribute financially to a reduction of existing rubber plantations for the sake of a partial restoration of the local rain forest. These results could be used for the practical implementation of a Payments for Eco-System Services system for reforestation in Xishuangbanna.