Development of a responsive fisheries management system for the Portuguese crustacean bottom trawl fishery: Lessons learnt

A prototype for a Responsive Fisheries Management System (RFMS) was developed in the context of the European FP7 project EcoFishMan and tested on the Portuguese crustacean trawl fishery. Building on Results Based Management principles, RFMS involves the definition of specific and measurable objectives for a fishery by the relevant authorities but allows resource users the freedom to find ways to achieve the objectives and to provide adequate documentation. Taking into account the main goals of the new Common Fisheries Policy, such as sustainable utilization of the resources, end of discards and unwanted catches, a management plan for the Portuguese crustacean trawl fishery was developed in cooperation with the fishing industry, following the process and design laid out in the RFMS concept. The plan considers biological, social and economic goals and assigns a responsibility for increased data collection to the resource users. The performance of the plan with regard to selected indicators was evaluated through simulations. In this paper the process towards a RFMS is described and the lessons learnt from the interaction with stakeholders in the development of an alternative management plan are discussed. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integration of numerical models in geographic databases: the case of Sado estuary management

Geographic information systems (GIS) are now widely applied in coastal resource management. Their ability to organise and interface information from a large range of public and private data sources, and their ability to combine this information, using management criteria, to develop a comprehensive picture of the system explains the success of GIS in this area. The use of numerical models as a tool to improve coastal management is also widespread. Less usual is a GIS-based management to ol implementing a comprehensive management model and integrating a numerical modelling system into itself. In this paper such a methodology is proposed. A GIS-based management tool based on the DPSIR model is presented. An overview of the MOHID numerical modelling system is given and the method of integrating this model in the management tool is described. This system is applied to the Sado Estuary (Portugal). Some preliminary results of the integration are presented, demonstrating the capabilities of the management system.

The function and future of the LOICS basins approach in promoting integrated coastal zone & watershed management with an emphasis on developing countries

Dissertação de Mestrado, Gestão da Água e da Costa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2010

Environmental impacts on soil and groundwater at airports: origin, contaminants of concern and environmental risks

Environmental impacts of airports are similar to those of many industries, though their operations expand over a very large area. Most international impact assessment studies and environmental management programmes have been giving less focus on the impacts to soil and groundwater than desirable. This may be the result of the large attention given to air and noise pollution, relegating other environmental descriptors to a second role, even when the first are comparatively less relevant. One reason that contributes to such ‘‘biased’’ evaluation is the lack of systematic information about impacts to soil and groundwater from airport activities, something the present study intends to help correct. Results presented here include the review of over seven hundred documents and online databases, with the objective of obtaining the following information to support environmental studies: (i) which operations are responsible for chemical releases?; (ii) where are these releases located?; (iii) which contaminants of concern are released?; (iv) what are the associated environmental risks? Results showed that the main impacts occur as a result of fuel storage, stormwater runoff and drainage systems, fuel hydrant systems, fuel transport and refuelling, atmospheric deposition, rescue and fire fighting training areas, winter operations, electrical substations, storage of chemical products by airport owners or tenants, and maintenance of green areas. A new method for ranking environmental risks of organic substances, based on chemical properties, is proposed and applied. Results show that the contaminants with the highest risks are the perfluorochemicals, benzene, trichloroethylene and CCl4.

Implementation of a quality system in joint master programmes

Joint master programmes are systems which by default demand a proper quality system in order to sustain and improve. Objective of this thesis is analysing and proposing solutions to difficulties associated with the implementation of a quality management system to joint master programmes, with the focus on international joint master programmes. The application of the analysis to the Erasmus Mundus joint master programme European Master in Quality in Analytical Laboratories (EMQAL) is discussed. QA systems implementation in HEIs in Europe is an ongoing process, and implementation of such systems in JPs is one step further to enhancing quality in higher education in Europe. The issue closely discussed in this thesis is: should QMS be developed independently from the institutions, or should the institutions, when developing their quality management systems, take into account the (future) development of joint courses and prepare their quality procedures accordingly? A quality management system is normally developed for one organization, and different aspects of cooperation are considered within. A joint master programme is a result of successful cooperation of two or more organizations; therefore a development of its quality management system must be approached in a different manner. This thesis proposes a QMS with emphasis both on the HEI and the consortium. Different processes in the QMS can be managed independently at the level of the HEI or at the level of the consortium. Most processes in joint master programmes should be designed in programmes’ and institutions’ QMSs. Quality of a joint master programme cannot be analyzed separately from the higher education institutions which are organizing it. Comparative analysis of organization of one Erasmus Mundus Master programme to the solutions proposed in discussion showed that from all of the aspects considered, processes in EMQAL are organized in harmony with the proposed delegation of processes of the QMS for a joint master programme. The solutions proposed in the discussion are based on theoretical application of the quality principles and concepts. Comparison to the quality processes and procedures in an existing EM programme showed that analysis is applicable in practice.