Exposure and ecological risks to heavy metals (copper, zinc, manganese, iron) at Lochnivar and Blue Lagoon National Parks in wildlife dependent on the Kafue river contaminated with mining waste was evaluated. Samples included water, fish, grasses and Kafue Lechwe (Kobus leche kafuensis) liver. At both parks copper ranged from 0.03-0.04 mg/l; 3.0-6.0 mg/kg; 11.0-44.0 mg/kg; trace -199.0 mg/kg; w...

Background. The recreational use of urban spaces has increased significantly in recent years, due to a trend towards healthier lifestyles in which regular exercise plays a leading role. Examples include walking, running or biking, activities for which large urban green parks provide excellent conditions. These parks, located within the city, are intended for public use and include landscape fea...

this paper presents a mapping procedure for risk mapping of water and wind erosion, whichhelps to identify protective measures needed in the planning and management of natural parks. the map of water erosion risk was developed by combining the original and revised universal soil loss equation methodologies (usle-rusle), and the map of wind erosion risk was developed using quirantes’ method. usi...

Reclaimed wastewater for irrigation is an opportunity for recovery of this natural resource. In this study, microbial risk from the use of treated wastewater for irrigation of recreational parks in the city of Chihuahua, evaluating the effect of distribution distance, season, and presence of storage tanks, was analyzed. Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and multidrug-resistant bacteria were recover...

Cryptosporidium parvum is a protozoal pathogen that causes acute, watery diarrhea. Outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis have been associated with exposure to contaminated drinking water, recreational water, consumption of apple cider and produce, and contact with infected individuals in health care and child day-care settings(1). Cryptosporidium oocysts are highly resistant to the chemical disinfecta...

Understanding how to manage biodiversity in urban areas will become increasingly important as density of humans residing in urban centers increases and urban areas expand. While considerable research has documented the shifts in biodiversity along urbanization gradients, much less work has focused on how characteristics of dense urban centers, effectively novel environments, influence behavior ...

background: bromeliads can be epiphytic, terrestrial or saxicolous and use strategies to allow water to be re­tained in their leaf axils, where various arthropods can be found. these include mosquitoes, whose larvae are the most abundant and commonly found organisms in the leaf axils. the objective of this study was to look for im­mature forms of mosquitoes (the larval and pupal stages) in brom...

BACKGROUND Bromeliads can be epiphytic, terrestrial or saxicolous and use strategies to allow water to be retained in their leaf axils, where various arthropods can be found. These include mosquitoes, whose larvae are the most abundant and commonly found organisms in the leaf axils. The objective of this study was to look for immature forms of mosquitoes (the larval and pupal stages) in bromeli...

BACKGROUND Reliable and comprehensive measurement of physical activity settings is needed to examine environment-behavior relations. METHODS Surveyed park professionals (n = 34) and users (n = 29) identified park and playground elements (e.g., trail) and qualities (e.g., condition). Responses guided observational instrument development for environmental assessment of public recreation spaces ...

Urban parks have been shown to form park cool islands (PCIs), which can effectively alleviate the negative influences of urban heat islands (UHI). However, few studies have examined the detailed characteristics of PCIs, the effect of urban park features on their individual temperatures, and monthly variation in PCIs. Land surface temperature (LST) retrieved from Landsat 8 TIR images between May...