Risk factors for elevated Enterococcus concentrations in a rural tropical island watershed

Ragosta, Guy; Evensen, Carl; Atwill, Edward R.; Walker, Mark J.; Ticktin, Tamara; Asquith, Adam; Tate, Kenneth W.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.02.017

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…In general, buffers with greater vegetation quality provide better hydrological benefits. Across multiple studies and tropical regions, high tree cover is associated with high levels of dissolved oxygen in rivers, and low levels of sediment (Heartsill‐Scalley & Aide, ), sand (Luke, Barclay, et al., ), and disease‐causing bacteria (Ragosta et al., ). In Malaysia, oil palm plantation streams with high riparian foliage cover are more shaded and cooler, and have more leaf litter (Chellaiah & Yule, 2018b; Luke, Barclay, et al., ).…”

Section: Assessing the Tropical Evidence Basementioning

confidence: 99%

Riparian buffers in tropical agriculture: Scientific support, effectiveness and directions for policy

Luke

Slade

Gray

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Ecology

115

114

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1. There is a weak evidence base supporting the effective management of riparian ecosystems within tropical agriculture. Policies to protect riparian buffers-strips of non-cultivated land alongside waterways-are vague and vary greatly between countries.2. From a rapid evidence appraisal, we find that riparian buffers are beneficial to hydrology, water quality, biodiversity and some ecosystem functions in tropical landscapes. However, effects on connectivity, carbon storage and emissions reduction remain understudied. Riparian functions are mediated by buffer width and habitat quality, but explicit threshold recommendations are rare. Policy implications.A one-size fits all width criterion, commonly applied, will be insufficient to provide all riparian functions in all circumstances. Context-specific guidelines for allocating, restoring and managing riparian buffers are necessary to minimise continued degradation of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in tropical agriculture.

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Section: Assessing the Tropical Evidence Basementioning

confidence: 99%

Riparian buffers in tropical agriculture: Scientific support, effectiveness and directions for policy

Luke

Slade

Gray

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Ecology

115

114

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“…High tree cover in riparian areas is associated with high levels of dissolved oxygen in water (342), low levels of sediment (342) and sand (211), and lower levels of disease-causing bacteria (343).…”

Section: Conservation Scopementioning

confidence: 99%

Oil palm and biodiversity: a situation analysis by the IUCN Oil Palm Task Force

2018

103

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“…Fiji presents a model geography for approaching systems health within watersheds given the large body of work documenting negative impacts to freshwater and marine ecosystems and species linked to loss of forest cover (particularly around riparian zones), alteration to hydrological regimes, and upstream agricultural activity within watersheds [25][26][27][28]. These studies are complemented by empirical data and models from other Pacific, tropical high islands documenting links between land use (e.g., forestry, livestock) and water quality and safety [29,30]. Some of these same drivers of environmental change are also known correlates or predictors of leptospirosis [31] and typhoid [11], two of Fiji's "three plagues" (also including dengue, and collectively referred to as "LTD").…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming place-based management within watersheds in Fiji: the Watershed Interventions for Systems Health project

Jupiter¹,

Jenkins²,

Negin³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Watersheds offer opportunities for place-based interventions to transform systems health via preventative versus reactive approaches to management that achieve multiple co-benefits for public and environmental health. The Watershed Interventions for Systems Health in Fiji (WISH Fiji) project embraced participatory knowledge co-production and action-oriented research to identify risks to public and ecosystem health, prioritize interventions to address risks, and monitor responses of the system to interventions. We used screening filters and local knowledge to collaboratively identify five watersheds for action with high prior incidence of water-related diseases (Fiji&rsquor;s “three plagues” of leptospirosis, typhoid and dengue) and high risk to downstream environmental health. We reviewed literature to identify disease risk factors, evaluated overlaps with risks for downstream environmental impact, and designed 13 instruments to collect information about baseline risk. Following consultations to obtain free, prior and informed consent, we enrolled 311 households across 29 communities. We synthesized data to identify key risks at the household, community, and landscape level, which were communicated to community water and resource management committees and government leaders as part of developing water and sanitation safety plans for each community. Local committees identified 339 priority risk reduction actions across nine main categories: animal management; drainage; health systems surveillance; hygiene; integrated planning; land use management; sanitation systems; waste management; and water systems. As of October 2022, 154 interventions were implemented in the five watersheds across different risk categories and scales. While we can track changes to factors that reduce risk of water-related disease and improve environmental health, direct evaluation of impacts to public health is limited due to poor geolocation of case records. The WISH Fiji project is a model of cross-sectoral coordination that efficiently progresses multiple Sustainable Development Goals, but scaling requires sustained investment in interventions to realize full benefits, particularly for nature-based solutions that exhibit lagged responses.

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Risk factors for elevated Enterococcus concentrations in a rural tropical island watershed

Cited by 10 publications

References 19 publications

Riparian buffers in tropical agriculture: Scientific support, effectiveness and directions for policy

Riparian buffers in tropical agriculture: Scientific support, effectiveness and directions for policy

Oil palm and biodiversity: a situation analysis by the IUCN Oil Palm Task Force

Transforming place-based management within watersheds in Fiji: the Watershed Interventions for Systems Health project

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