Conceptual basis for an integrated system for the management of a protected area. Examples from its application in a mediterranean area.

Improving the efficiency of management in protected areas is imperative in a generalized context of limited conservation budgets. However, this is overlooked due to flaws in problem definition, general disregard for cost information, and a lack of suitable tools for measuring costs and management quality. This study describes an innovative methodological framework, implemented in the web application SIGEIN, focused on maximizing the quality of management against its costs, establishing an explicit justification for any decision.

A new proposal for greenhouse gas emissions responsibility allocation: best available technologies approach.

In recent years, several methodologies have been developed for the quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, determining who is responsible for these emissions is also quite challenging. The most common approach is to assign emissions to the producer (based on the Kyoto Protocol), but proposals also exist for its allocation to the consumer (based on an ecological footprint perspective) and for a hybrid approach called shared responsibility.

A mathematical model for toxin accumulation by killer yeasts based on the yeast population growth.

The accumulation of toxin by killer yeast populations is modelled starting from a mechanistic approach that explains the toxin production in terms of yeast population growth, and takes into account the environmental inactivation of the toxin. A modified Richard's general equation for limited growth is used to define the function that describes the toxin produced in relation to the yeast biomass increase. The relationship between the rates of cell and toxin production is explicitly shown, and the implications of the resulting proportionality factor are discussed.

Radiocaesium and radiostrontium uptake by turnips and broad beans via leaf and root absorption.

One of the immediate consequences of massive radioisotope release into the atmosphere is contamination of the biosphere. This contamination can affect plants either by direct deposition onto the leaves, or by contaminating the soil followed by absorption by the roots. Knowledge of the efficacy of the two routes of radionuclide incorporation into the food chain is fundamental to understanding the mechanisms by which radioactive contamination reaches man.