Prevalence of camel trypanosomosis and herders' knowledge, attitude, and practices towards the disease in the pastoral area of southern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Surra is a parasitic disease caused by Trypanosoma evansi that threatens the health and productivity of camels. Despite its significant impact on camels in Ethiopia, surra has not received as much attention as diseases in cattle and other domestic animals. The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of surra, identify the potential risk factors and assess the traditional knowledge, attitude and practices of camel herders towards the disease. METHODS: The study used a parasitological and participatory epidemiological (PE) approach. Between February and July 2022, a total of 335 blood samples were collected from camels across three districts and tested using the buffy coat technique. The PE investigation involved six key informant groups consisting of 8 to 12 key persons, and used a semi-structured interview and various PE tools and principles. RESULT: The study found that the prevalence of surra among examined camels was 3.9% (95% CI: 2.1-6.5). The prevalence was significantly higher in camels with a poor body condition score (BCS) (OR = 9.3; 95% CI: 1.8-47.5; p = 0.008) compared with camels with a good BCS. However, district, age, sex, and ethnicity had no effect on the prevalence of surra (p > 0.05). The study also found that the packed cell volume (PCV) was significantly lower (p < 0.0001) in parasitaemic animals (18.92 ± 2.63) than in aparasitaemic animals (25.13 ± 4.56). Camels with poor BCS (22.7 ± 3.5) had a significantly (p < 0.001) lower mean PCV than camels with good BCS (26.2 ± 5.0). The PE investigation showed that all the camel herders were well aware of surra, known locally as Dhukana. The clinical symptoms, the season of high incidence, routes of transmission, impact on production, and control methods were accurately described. Moreover, this study emphasized that surra is the primary disease affecting camel health and productivity. CONCLUSION: The study identified a moderate prevalence of surra in the research area. To reduce surra incidence and associated losses, enhancing veterinary services and providing support for proper camel husbandry practices in the region is recommended. Additionally, future studies should consider using more sensitive and specific techniques like serological and molecular assays, as this study relied on microscopy only.

Valuing the plant species diversity of permanent grasslands: From the perspective of herders.

Conserving plant species diversity is crucial to the sustainable development of human beings. Nevertheless, the trends toward declining species numbers and homogenization of species distributions have become increasingly evident. The monetary value of species diversity can make stakeholders put more serious attentions on the protection of species diversity, but which is difficult to evaluate. This paper combined survey data and ecological data obtained through plot sampling and geographic information system methods, to assess the value of plant species diversity in permanent grasslands for local herders who are the direct users of grasslands, and whose livelihoods and well-beings are tightly related with the ecosystem of grasslands. Based on the life satisfaction approach, we found that the monetary value of one plant species for each herder household is equivalent to 9.8% of the annual household income on average, which increases to 15.9% when the level of species evenness is higher. The results of a heterogeneity analysis revealed that the value of plant species diversity varies significantly among different groups of households. Our research introduced a new method to quantify the value of species diversity for stakeholders. The estimation of monetary value of plant species diversity will have far-reaching influence on stakeholders and policymakers involved in protecting species diversity of permanent grasslands.

The Moral Economy of the Agatu "Massacre": Reterritorializing Farmer-Herder Relations.

The Agatu "Massacre" is a conflict between pastoralists and farmers in the Agatu area of Benue State, Nigeria. The conflict is significant because of the event's gravity, but no scholarly inquiry that involves thoughtful and reflective methodological and theoretical approaches has been made. This paper investigates how the farmer-herder relations in Agatu became a violent crisis and situates it within relevant literature to fill gaps in farmer-herder conflicts literature in Africa. Existing literature demonstrates the pertinence of moral economies for resource use, spatial pattern, and manifestations of conflicts in developing and developed worlds. However, studies have yet to use the moral economy concept to explore the African farmer-herder conflicts from a political ecology perspective. This paper demonstrates that the Agatu crisis emerged due to reterritorializations in the moral economy of farmers and herders, disrupting their social ties. It further illustrates that the violence in Agatu was caused by the deviation from the traditional approach to addressing the damage done to crops by herding livestock. Nevertheless, the paper argues that this deviation is the consequence of modifications in the moral economy of farmers and herders driven by the aspiration for financial gain rather than the subsistence of agro-pastoral relations. The paper argues that changes in moral economies can disrupt social relations and lead to farmer-herder conflicts, leading to the exclusion of pastoralists from resource access through policy and legislation.

Animal languages in eighteenth-century German philosophy and science.

This paper analyzes debates on animal language in eighteenth-century German philosophy and science. Adopting a history of ideas approach, I explain how the study of animal language became tied to the investigation into the origin and development of language towards the end of the eighteenth century. I argue that for large parts of the eighteenth century, the question of the existence of animal languages was studied within the context of the philosophical question of whether animals possess reason. In Germany, the debate concerning animal reason was influenced by Christian Wolff and was taken up by diverse thinkers such as Winkler, Meier, and Reimarus. I argue that in the second half of the eighteenth century the study of animal language became more loosely related to the question of whether animals possess reason: animal language was studied not only in light of the debate on animal reason but also because it sheds light on the nature of animals, on the differences and similarities between animals and humans, and on the origin and development of language. This systematic study of animal language coincided with the rise of linguistics, anthropology, and biology as independent sciences.

Ateleological propagation in Goethe's Metamorphosis of plants.

It was commonly accepted in Goethe's time that plants were equipped both to propagate themselves and to play a certain role in the natural economy as a result of God's beneficent and providential design. Goethe's identification of sexual propagation as the "summit of nature" in The Metamorphosis of Plants (1790) might suggest that he, too, drew strongly from this theological-metaphysical tradition that had given rise to Christian Wolff's science of teleology. Goethe, however, portrayed nature as inherently active and propagative, itself improvising into the future by multiple means, with no extrinsically pre-ordained goal or fixed end-point. Rooted in the nature philosophy of his friend and mentor Herder, Goethe's plants exhibit their own historically and environmentally conditioned drives and directionality in The Metamorphosis of Plants. In this paper I argue that conceiving of nature as active productivity-not merely a passive product-freed Goethe of the need to tie plants' forms and functions to a divine system of ends, and allowed him to consider possibilities for plants, and for nature, beyond the walls of teleology.

Scale-up considerations for surface collecting agent assisted in-situ burn crude oil spill response experiments in the Arctic: Laboratory to field-scale investigations.

In the event of a marine oil spill in the Arctic, government agencies, industry, and the public have a stake in the successful implementation of oil spill response. Because large spills are rare events, oil spill response techniques are often evaluated with laboratory and meso-scale experiments. The experiments must yield scalable information sufficient to understand the operability and effectiveness of a response technique under actual field conditions. Since in-situ burning augmented with surface collecting agents ("herders") is one of the few viable response options in ice infested waters, a series of oil spill response experiments were conducted in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2014 and 2015 to evaluate the use of herders to assist in-situ burning and the role of experimental scale. This study compares burn efficiency and herder application for three experimental designs for in-situ burning of Alaska North Slope crude oil in cold, fresh waters with ∼10% ice cover. The experiments were conducted in three project-specific constructed venues with varying scales (surface areas of approximately 0.09 square meters, 9 square meters and 8100 square meters). The results from the herder assisted in-situ burn experiments performed at these three different scales showed good experimental scale correlation and no negative impact due to the presence of ice cover on burn efficiency. Experimental conclusions are predominantly associated with application of the herder material and usability for a given experiment scale to make response decisions.

Innovative grassland management systems for environmental and livelihood benefits.

Grasslands occupy 40% of the world's land surface (excluding Antarctica and Greenland) and support diverse groups, from traditional extensive nomadic to intense livestock-production systems. Population pressures mean that many of these grasslands are in a degraded state, particularly in less-productive areas of developing countries, affecting not only productivity but also vital environmental services such as hydrology, biodiversity, and carbon cycles; livestock condition is often poor and household incomes are at or below poverty levels. The challenge is to optimize management practices that result in "win-win" outcomes for grasslands, the environment, and households. A case study is discussed from northwestern China, where it has been possible to reduce animal numbers considerably by using an energy-balance/market-based approach while improving household incomes, providing conditions within which grassland recovery is possible. This bottom-up approach was supported by informing and working with the six layers of government in China to build appropriate policies. Further policy implications are considered. Additional gains in grassland rehabilitation could be fostered through targeted environmental payment schemes. Other aspects of the livestock production system that can be modified are discussed. This work built a strategy that has implications for many other grassland areas around the world where common problems apply.

The metaphor of epigenesis: Kant, Blumenbach and Herder.

Over the last few decades, the meaning of the scientific theory of epigenesis and its significance for Kant's critical philosophy have become increasingly central questions. Most recently, scholars have argued that epigenesis is a key factor in the development of Kant's understanding of reason as self-grounding and self-generating. Building on this work, our claim is that Kant appealed to not just any epigenetic theory, but specifically Johann Friedrich Blumenbach's account of generation, and that this appeal must be understood not only in terms of self-organization, but also in terms of the demarcation of a specific domain of inquiry: for Blumenbach, the study of life; for Kant, the study of reason. We argue that Kant adopted this specific epigenetic model as a result of his dispute with Herder regarding the independence of reason from nature. Blumenbach's conception of epigenesis and his separation of a domain of the living from the non-living lent Kant the tools to demarcate metaphysics, and to guard reason against Herder's attempts to naturalize it.

Women's Lives and Voices in Conflict Situations Matter: A Study of Farmer-Herder Conflict in Agogo Traditional Area, Ghana.

This study examines Agogo Traditional Area (ATA) women's well-being during farmer-herder conflicts. It emphasizes women's voices, and survival mechanisms in conflict resolution. A gendered dimension to the farmer-herder conflict in the ATA is essential to a more lasting resolution in the afflicted area. Qualitative data from semistructured interviews and Focus Group Discussions with ATA women shows how the conflict affected them. Themes were created to clarify and frame the discussions. The themes included safety and security, destruction of crops, death and forced migration, and impact on infrastructure. Civil society organizations addressing violence should offer psychosocial help to women victims in conflict areas in Ghana.

Changes in Household Dietary Diversity in Herder Communities over the Past 20 Years: Evidence from Xilin Gol Grassland of China.

Food security is critical for socioeconomic development. In grassland areas, inappropriate food consumption patterns can cause irreversible damage to vulnerable local ecosystems. This study aims to examine the household dietary diversity status and development trend over the past 20 years in Chinese herder communities. We draw on a cross-sectional dataset of 230 households involving 652 family members from the Xilin Gol Grassland areas in North China. Household dietary diversity was assessed using the household dietary diversity score (HDDS), which was calculated based on 12 food groups. Results show that HDDS increased from 3.74 in 1999 to 5.92 in 2019, with an annual average growth rate of 2.45% during the past 20 years. The increase in plant-based food scores made a major contribution to the HDDS improvement. The variations in household dietary diversity status between pastoral areas and agro-pastoral areas showed differences among different types of grassland in arid and semiarid transitional zones. It is worth paying more attention to monitoring the main impact factors that affect HDDS and how these changes might impact the local ecosystem, which will benefit regional sustainable development.

Air quality impacts in the vicinity of a chemical herder mediated in-situ burn for Arctic oil spill response.

Chemical herder augmented in-situ burning (ISB) is one of the most viable oil spill response techniques in partially ice-covered waters. Herein we report on the impacts of herder-mediated ISB tests on ambient air quality by making atmospheric measurements during ISB field tests in partially ice-covered waters in Fairbanks, Alaska. Concentrations of PM2.5, six combustion gases (CO, CO2, NO, NO2, NOx, SO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and herding agent (OP-40) in the airborne plume (6-12 m downwind) were measured during three ISB events. PM2.5 concentrations significantly (p-value = 0.8014) exceeded NAAQS (24 h) exposure limits, while the remaining pollutants were found significantly (p-value <0.05) below the established exposure limits. OP-40 herder was not detected in the collected aerosol samples. To our knowledge, this is the first study on atmospheric emissions in the vicinity of a field-scale herder-augmented oil-spill ISB study in a high-latitude Arctic environment and provides information that is helpful to ensure the safety and well-being of on-site response personnel.

Dynamics of changes in the breed composition of pastoral and agro-pastoral cattle herds in Benin: implications for the sustainable use of indigenous breeds.

Data for concretely analyzing current trends regarding breed composition of cattle herds at the national scale and the logic behind it are lacking in Benin. This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting the dynamics of breed composition in traditional Beninese cattle herds. In this regard, the main reasons for acquiring new breeds by herders and management strategies for animal genetic diversity in herds were targeted. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, a total of 753 cattle herds were surveyed in six pastoral communities along a north-south transect in Benin. Data collection included original breed composition of the herds (at their installation), cattle breeds introduced in the last five years, reasons for introducing new breeds, herders' breed preferences, and perceptions concerning productive and adaptive traits of the existing breeds in the study area. Descriptive analyses of herd composition revealed breed redistribution across the country with the increasing introduction of zebu in the southern region of the country. A high percentage of nondescript crossbreeds was associated with herders' willingness to improve both milk and meat production. In this regard, the analysis of herders' perceptions using the Friedman test ranked most zebu cattle breeds as the most productive. In contrast, the taurine breeds were highly ranked by herders for their adaptive features. This study confirms that herders' breed choices fit their production objectives. In addition, strategies for effectively and efficiently managing genetic diversity within herds are expected to increase animal productivity while conserving adaptive and special traits in local breeds. The effectiveness of herders' knowledge of local cattle breeds as well as their experience may increase the success of such strategies and facilitate their adoption.

Comparison of Brock University, Mayo Clinic and Herder models for pretest probability of cancer in solid pulmonary nodules.

OBJECTIVE: Risk analysis models, which are used in the diagnostic algorithm of incidental pulmonary nodules, are based on patient data from developed countries. Mayo Clinic, Brock University and Herder are among the most known models. We aim to compare the reliability of these models in patients with indeterminate solid nodules and to investigate the contribution of the predictors used to the model. METHODS: We analysed 305 patients who performed transthoracic needle biopsy and positron emission tomography/computed tomography for solid nodules, retrospectively. For all three models, the malignancy risk probabilities of patients were calculated, and patients were classified as low (<5%), moderate (60%) and high (<60%) risk groups. Later, the malignancy rates of each model in three different risk groups were compared within each other and among the models. RESULTS: The malignancy rate is 73% in 305 patients. In the Mayo Clinic and Herder models, the difference in the low-, medium- and high-risk groups is significant (p < 0.001). In the medium-risk group, the rate of malignancy is 96.8% in the Brock model. In the high-risk group, the rate of malignancy in Herder is 88.3% and the rate of malignancy in Mayo Clinic is 28.8%. The optimal cutoff values for the Mayo Clinic, Brock University, and Herder were 29.6, 13.4 and 70 (AUC, respectively; 0.71, 0.67 and 0.73). Age, smoking, gender, size, emphysema and spiculation increase the likelihood of malignancy. CONCLUSION: Close results were obtained in all three models. In the high-risk group, the Herder model has the highest reliability rate (odds ratio 3.3, confidence interval [1.1, 10.2]). Upper lobe predilection is not a reliable predictor.

Application of chemical herders do not increase acute crude oil toxicity to cold-water marine species.

Chemical herders may be used to sequester and thicken surface oil slicks to increase the time window for performing in situ burning of spilled oil on the sea surface. For herder use to be an environmentally safe oil spill response option, information regarding their potential ecotoxicity both alone and in combination with oil is needed. This study aimed at assessing if using herders can cause toxicity to cold-water marine organisms. Our objective was to test the two chemical herders Siltech OP-40 (OP-40) and ThickSlick-6535 (TS-6535) with and without oil for toxicity using sensitive life stages of cold-water marine copepod (Calanus finmarchicus) and fish (Gadus morhua). For herders alone, OP-40 was consistently more toxic than TS-6535. To test herders in combination with oil, low-energy water accommodated fractions (LE-WAFs, without vortex) with Alaskan North Slope crude oils were prepared with and without herders. Dissolution of oil components from surface oil was somewhat delayed following herder application, due to herder-induced reduction in contact area between water and oil. The LE-WAFs were also used for toxicity testing, and we observed no significant differences in toxicity thresholds between treatments to LE-WAFs generated with oil alone and oil treated with herders. The operational herder-to-oil ratio is very low (1:500), and the herders tested in the present work displayed acute toxicity at concentrations well above what would be expected following in situ application. Application of chemical herders to oil slicks is not expected to add significant effects to that of the oil for cold-water marine species exposed to herder-treated oil slicks.

Comparative Toxicity of Oil Spill Herding Agents to Aquatic Species.

Chemical herding agents are surfactant mixtures used to coalesce spilled oil and increase slick thickness to facilitate mechanical recovery or in situ burning. Only two herders are currently listed on the United States' National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan or National Contingency Plan product schedule for potential use in spill response: the surface collecting agents Siltech OP-40™ and ThickSlick 6535™. Toxicity data for spill response agents are frequently available only for two estuarine species, mysid shrimp (Americamysis bahia) and inland silversides (Menidia beryllina), and are particularly limited for herding agents. Toxicity can vary over several orders of magnitude across product type and species, even within specific categories of spill response agents. Seven aquatic species were tested with both Siltech OP-40™ and ThickSlick 6535™ to evaluate acute herder toxicity and relative species sensitivity. The toxicity assessment included: acute tests with A. bahia and M. beryllina, the freshwater crustacean Ceriodaphina dubia, and the freshwater fish Pimephales promelas; development of the echinoderm Arbacia unctulate; and growth of a freshwater alga Raphidocelis subcapitata and marine alga Dunaliella tertiolecta. Siltech acute toxicity values ranged from 1.1 to 32.8 ppm. ThickSlick acute toxicity values ranged from 2.2 to 126.4 ppm. The results of present study show greater toxicity of Siltech compared to ThickSlick with estimated acute hazard concentrations intended to provide 95% species protection of 1.1 and 3.6 ppm, respectively, on empirical data and 0.64 and 3.3 ppm, respectively, with the addition of interspecies correlation data. The present study provides a greater understanding of species sensitivity of these two oil spill response agents. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:1311-1318. © 2022 SETAC. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.

Dissolved organic matter production from herder application and in-situ burning of crude oil at high latitudes: Bioavailable molecular composition patterns and microbial community diversity effects.

Chemical herders and in-situ burning (ISB) are designed to mitigate the effects that oil spills may have on the high latitude marine environment. Little information exists on the water solubilization of petroleum residues stemming from chemically herded ISB and whether these bioavailable compounds have measurable impacts on marine biota. In this experiment, we investigated the effects of Siltech OP40 and crude oil ISB on a) petroleum-derived dissolved organic matter (DOMHC) composition and b) seawater microbial community diversity over 28 days at 4 °C in aquarium-scale mesocosms. Ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry and fluorescence spectroscopy revealed increases in aromaticity over time, with ISB and ISB+OP40 samples having higher % aromatic classes in the initial incubation periods. ISB+OP40 contained a nearly 12-fold increase in the number of DOMHC formulae relative to those before ISB. 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified differences in microbial alpha diversity between seawater, ISB, OP40, and ISB+OP40. Microbial betadiversity shifts were observed that correlated strongly with aromatic/condensed relative abundance and incubation time. Proteobacteria, specifically from the genera Marinomonas and Perlucidibaca experienced -22 and +24 log2-fold changes in ISB+OP40 vs. seawater, respectively. These findings provide an important opportunity to advance our understanding of chemical herders and ISB in the high latitude marine environment.

On the role of experts: experiences from 35 years of Chernobyl consequences in Norway.

The fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl accident caused dramatic and long-lasting consequences for parts of food production in Norway, and the indigenous Sámi reindeer-herding lifestyle and culture in central Norway was particularly threatened. Banning food production - or condemning food - was considered unacceptable in a long-term perspective, and huge efforts were made to develop mitigating options. Some of these are still in place, 35 years after the accident. This article describes some of the long-term efforts made by Norwegian authorities to attempt to alleviate the consequences for the reindeer herders. Every accident and crisis is unique, and this is true for the experiences in Norway. However, some of the experiences in Norway are likely to have universal value.

'Where's the map?': Integrating ethnography with maps to understand the complementarity between pastoral mobility and border formation.

The resettlement of herders in pastoral zones is often criticized for hindering pastoral mobility, which is essential to survival. We integrate narratives of conflict and environmental change with maps to demonstrate the complementarity between pastoral mobility - porous borders- and border demarcation - rigid borders. We use evidence from the Sondré-Est Pastoral Zone in southern Burkina Faso, where herders were voluntarily resettled near agricultural villages following the droughts of the 1970s. Over time, however, farmers encroached on the borders of the pastoral zone and surrounding grazing areas declined. This increased land-use disputes. Tensions were exacerbated by the fact that these communities kept maps as community secrets. We re-created the administrative boundaries of the pastoral zone to map land-use/land-cover changes and conflict hot spots. The maps show that conflicts happened along porous borders where agricultural fields encroached. Herders called for a clear demarcation of the border of the pastoral zone to preserve exclusive access to resources within it. Simultaneously, they also wanted to maintain shared access to other resources outside the pastoral zone. The herders' desire for both border clarity and some form of flexibility underlines the complementary between both processes, especially in times of resource scarcity and land-use conflict. The mystery around the maps helps sustain ambiguity that is key for pursuing both goals.

La réinstallation des éleveurs dans les zones pastorales est souvent perçue comme étant une entrave à la mobilité pastorale, essentielle à la survie dans le Sahel. Nous associons les récits sur les conflits et changements environnementaux à des cartes pour démontrer la complémentarité entre la mobilité pastorale ­ nécessitant des frontières poreuses - et la démarcation des frontières ­ imposant des frontières rigides. Nous utilisons comme exemple la zone pastorale de Sondré-Est dans le sud du Burkina Faso, où les éleveurs ont été volontairement réinstallés près des villages agricoles à la suite des grandes sécheresses des années 1970. Au fil du temps, cependant, les agriculteurs ont empiété sur les frontières de la zone pastorale, diminuant ainsi les zones de pâturage environnantes. Cela a accru les conflits d'utilisation des terres entre éleveurs et agriculteurs. Les tensions sont exacerbées par le fait que les cartes montrant les limites réelles de la zone pastorale sont gardées comme des secrets communautaires. Nous avons recréé les limites administratives de la zone pastorale pour cartographier les changements d'utilisation des terres et de la couverture terrestre ainsi que les lieux principaux de conflits. Les cartes montrent que les principaux conflits se sont produits le long de frontières poreuses où les champs agricoles empiétaient. Une démarcation claire de la frontière de la zone pastorale pourrait préserver l'accès exclusif des éleveurs aux ressources en son sein. Cependant, le désir des éleveurs de clarifier les frontières et de maintenir simultanément une certaine forme de flexibilité pour l'accès aux ressources en dehors de la zone souligne la complémentarité entre les deux processus, à savoir la démarcation des frontières et la mobilité pastorale. Cette complémentarité est encore plus importante en période de pénurie de ressources et de conflits. Le mystère autour des cartes contribue à entretenir une ambiguïté qui est essentielle pour atteindre simultanément les deux objectifs.

Radioecological modelling of Polonium-210 and Caesium-137 in lichen-reindeer-man and top predators.

This work deals with analysis and modelling of the radionuclides 210Pb and210Po in the food-chain lichen-reindeer-man in addition to 210Po and 137Cs in top predators. By using the methods of Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) the atmospheric deposition of 210Pb and 210Po is predicted at the sample locations. Dynamic modelling of the activity concentration with differential equations is fitted to the sample data. Reindeer lichen consumption, gastrointestinal absorption, organ distribution and elimination is derived from information in the literature. Dynamic modelling of transfer of 210Pb and 210Po to reindeer meat, liver and bone from lichen consumption, fitted well with data from Sweden and Finland from 1966 to 1971. The activity concentration of 210Pb in the skeleton in man is modelled by using the results of studying the kinetics of lead in skeleton and blood in lead-workers after end of occupational exposure. The result of modelling 210Pb and 210Po activity in skeleton matched well with concentrations of 210Pb and 210Po in teeth from reindeer-breeders and autopsy bone samples in Finland. The results of 210Po and 137Cs in different tissues of wolf, wolverine and lynx previously published, are analysed with multivariate data processing methods such as Principal Component Analysis PCA, and modelled with the method of Projection to Latent Structures, PLS, or Partial Least Square Regression PLSR.

Effectiveness of a chemical herder in association with in-situ burning of oil spills in ice-infested water.

The average herded slick thickness, surface distribution and burning efficiency of a light crude oil were studied in ice-infested water to determine the effectiveness of a chemical herder in facilitating the in-situ burning of oil. Experiments were performed in a small scale (1.0m2) and an intermediate scale (19m2) setup with open water and 3/10, 5/10 and 7/10 brash ice coverages. The herded slick thicknesses (3-8mm) were ignitable in each experiment. The presence of ice caused fracturing of the oil during the herding process, which reduced the size of the herded slicks and, as a consequence, their ignitability, which in turn decreased the burning efficiency. Burning efficiencies relative to the ignited fraction of the oil were in the expected range (42-86%). This shows that the herder will be an effective tool for in-situ burning of oil when the ignitability issues due to fracturing of the oil are resolved.