Analyses, persistence an degradation of the synthetic pyrethroid insecticides permethrin and fenvalerate

Studies on persistence and degradation of the synthetic pyrethroid insecticides, permethrin and fenvalerate, were carried out under natural environmental conditions of the Niagara Peninsula. Permethrin and fenvalerate were treated on apple foliage atrat~s of 0.21 kg(AI)!ha and 0.14 kg(AI)/ha, respectively. The initial cis- and trans-permethrin spray deposits were found to be 13.5 ppm and 19.2 ppm, respectively and 38.0 ppm was observed for the fenvalerate treated sample. Twenty-three days and 84 days after spray application, permethrin residues were 4.0 ppm and 2.7 ppm for the cis-isomer, whereas they were 7.9 ppm and 4.7 ppm for the trans-isomer, respectively. Residues of fenvalerate 23 days and 84 days after spray application were 13.4 ppm and 8.0 ppm, respectively. The values of observed half-life of cis-permethrin, trans-permethrin and fenvalerate were found to be 42 days, 46 days and 51 days, respectively. Studies were extended to quantitatively determine some of the major degradation compounds of permethrin and fenvalerate, which were expected to be produced as results of ester cleavage of the parent compounds. A permethrin treated sample, 84 days after initial spray application, showed 0.25 and 0.8 ppm of cis- and trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid (C12CA (18), respectively. These two acids were not found as free acids, but found as conjugated compounds. The other expected degradation compounds, 3-phenoxybenzyl alcohol (PBalc (~)),3-phenoxybenz.aldehyde (PBald (38)) and 2- (4-chlorophenyl) isovaleric acid (CPIA (31)) were not detected by the methods employed in this study. The results indicate that these degradation compounds were not present, or, if they were present, their concentrations were too low to detect by the methods used.

The identification, distribution and persistence of oxamyl and its degradation products in planted corn seed, seedling root and soil from oxamyl-treated corn seeds

A simple method was developed for treating corn seeds with oxamyl. It involved soaking the seeds to ensure oxamyl uptake, centrifugation to draw off excess solution, and drying under a stream of air to prevent the formation of fungus. The seeds were found to have an even distribution of oxamyl. Seeds remained fungus-free even 12 months after treatment. The highest nonphytotoxic treatment level was obtained by using a 4.00 mg/mL oxamyl solution. Extraction methods for the determination of oxamyl (methyl-N'N'-dimethyl-N-[(methylcarbamoyl)oxy]-l-thiooxamimidate), its oxime (methyl-N',N'-dimethyl-N-hydroxy-1-thiooxamimidate), and DMCF (N,N-dimethyl-1-cyanoformanade) in seed" root, and soil were developed. Seeds were processed by homogenizing, then shaking in methanol. Significantly more oxamyl was extracted from hydrated seeds as opposed to dry seeds. Soils were extracted by tumbling in methanol; recoveries range~ from 86 - 87% for oxamyl. Root was extracted to 93% efficiency for oxamyl by homogenizing the tissue in methanol. NucharAttaclay column cleanup afforded suitable extracts for analysis by RP-HPLC on a C18 column and UV detection at 254 nm. In the degradation study, oxamyl was found to dissipate from the seed down into the soil. It was also detected in the root. Oxime was detected in both the seed and soil, but not in the root. DMCF was detected in small amounts only in the seed.

Requirements for the selective degradation of CD4 receptor molecules by the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Vpu protein in the endoplasmic reticulum.

BACKGROUND: HIV-1 Vpu targets newly synthesized CD4 receptor for rapid degradation by a process reminiscent of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated protein degradation (ERAD). Vpu is thought to act as an adaptor protein, connecting CD4 to the ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome degradative system through an interaction with beta-TrCP, a component of the SCFbeta-TrCP E3 Ub ligase complex. RESULTS: Here, we provide direct evidence indicating that Vpu promotes trans-ubiquitination of CD4 through recruitment of SCFbeta-TrCP in human cells. To examine whether Ub conjugation occurs on the cytosolic tail of CD4, we substituted all four Ub acceptor lysine residues for arginines. Replacement of cytosolic lysine residues reduced but did not prevent Vpu-mediated CD4 degradation and ubiquitination, suggesting that Vpu-mediated CD4 degradation is not entirely dependent on the ubiquitination of cytosolic lysines and as such might also involve ubiquitination of other sites. Cell fractionation studies revealed that Vpu enhanced the levels of ubiquitinated forms of CD4 detected in association with not only the ER membrane but also the cytosol. Interestingly, significant amounts of membrane-associated ubiquitinated CD4 appeared to be fully dislocated since they could be recovered following sodium carbonate salt treatment. Finally, expression of a transdominant negative mutant of the AAA ATPase Cdc48/p97 involved in the extraction of ERAD substrates from the ER membrane inhibited Vpu-mediated CD4 degradation. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results are consistent with a model whereby HIV-1 Vpu targets CD4 for degradation by an ERAD-like process involving most likely poly-ubiquitination of the CD4 cytosolic tail by SCFbeta-TrCP prior to dislocation of receptor molecules across the ER membrane by a process that depends on the AAA ATPase Cdc48/p97.

Determinación del contenido de PAH's en partículas PM?.? en una zona de alto tráfico vehicular y otra con potencial exposición industrial del área metropolitana de Monterrey.

Tesis (Doctor en Ciencias con Orientación Terminal en Farmacología y Toxicología) UANL, 2009.

HIV-1 Vpr induces the K48-linked polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of target cellular proteins to activate ATR and promote G2 arrest

HIV-1 viral protein R (Vpr) induces a cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase by a mechanism involving the activation of the DNA damage sensor ATR. We and others recently showed that Vpr performs this function by subverting the activity of the DDB1-CUL4A (VPRBP) E3 ubiquitin ligase. Vpr could thus act as a connector between the E3 ligase and an unknown cellular factor whose ubiquitination would induce G2 arrest. While attractive, this model is solely based on the indirect observation that some mutants of Vpr retain their interaction with the E3 ligase but fail to induce G2 arrest. Using a tandem affinity purification approach, we observed that Vpr interacts with ubiquitinated cellular proteins and that this association requires the recruitment of an active E3 ligase given that depletion of VPRBP by RNA interference or overexpression of a dominant-negative mutant of CUL4A decreased this association. Importantly, G2-arrest-defective mutants of Vpr in the C-terminal putative substrate-interacting domain displayed decreased association with ubiquitinated proteins. We also found that inhibition of proteasomal activity increased this association and that the ubiquitin chains were at least in part constituted of classical K48 linkages. Interestingly, inhibition of K48 polyubiquitination specifically impaired Vpr-induced phosphorylation of H2AX, an early target of ATR, but did not affect UV-induced H2AX phosphorylation. Overall, our results provide direct evidence that association of Vpr with the DDB1-CUL4A (VPRBP) E3 ubiquitin ligase induces the K48-linked polyubiquitination of yet-unknown cellular proteins resulting in their proteasomal degradation and ultimately leading to activation of ATR and G2 arrest.

Poverty, Inequality and Natural Resources Degradation

The present study is an attempt to understand the link between natural resource degradation and poverty among people dependent on these resources. This is done by examining the impact of depletion of marine resources on the livelihood and socio-economic condition of the small-scale marine fishery community in South Kerala. In Kerala, nearly ten lakh fisherfolk depend on the marine fishery resources for their livelihood. The overall level of education of the small-scale fishing community is lower than that of the State’s rural population. Almost all the households surveyed, is one way or other, depend on fishery resources for livelihood. Low levels percapita income and high levels of inequality imply the existence of a large proportion of poor people in the community who are vulnerable to external shocks. The study reveals that poverty was comparatively higher among households with no fishing assets, with only one earner, with more than two children, and depending entirely on pensions/remittances. The study has not provided any evidence to show that poverty in the community is the result of depletion of marine resources.

Thermal Degradation of Short Nylon -6 Fiber-Reinforced Styrene Butadiene Rubber Composite

The thermal properties of short Nylon-6 fiber-reinforced Styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) composites were studied by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). The effect of epoxy-based bonding agent on thermal degradation of the gum and the composites was also studied. The thermal stability of the SBR was enhanced in the presence of Nylon-6 fibers and the stability of the composites increased in the presence of bonding agent. The epoxy resin did not significantly change the thermal stability of SBR gum vulcanizate. Results of kinetic studies showed that the degradation of SBR and the short nylon fiber-reinforced composites with and without bonding agents followed first-order kinetics.

Thermal degradation of short polyester fiber polyurethane elastomer composite

The thermal degradation of short polyester fiber reinforced polyurethane composites with and without different bonding agents has been studied by thermogravimetric analysis . It was found that degradation of the polyurethane takes place in two steps and that of the composites takes place in three steps. With the incorporation of 30 phr of fiber in the matrix , the onset of degradation was shifted from 230 to 238 ° C. The presence of bonding agents in the virgin elastomer and the composite gave an improved thermal stability . Results of kinetic studies showed that the degradation of polyurethane and the reinforced composites with and without bonding agents follows first -order reaction kinetics

Thermal degradation of short kevlar fibre thermoplastic polyurethane composite

The thermal degradation of short kevlar fibre-thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites has been studied by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). TGA showed that the thermal degradation of TPU takes place in two steps with peak maxima (T1max and T2ma,) at 383°C and 448°C, respectively. In the presence of 10-40 phr of short kevlar fibres, T1_ and T2max were shifted to lower temperatures. The temperature of onset of degradation was increased from 245 to 255°C at 40 parts per hundred rubber (phr) fibre loading. Kinetic studies showed that the degradation of TPU and kevlar-TPU composite follows first-order reaction kinetics. The DSC study showed that there is an improvement in thermal stability of TPU in the presence of 20 phr of short kevlar fibres.

Diversity and effectiveness of tropical mangrove soil microflora on the degradation of polythene carry bags

The diversity and load of heterotrophic bacteria and fungi associated with the mangrove soil from Suva, Fiji Islands, was determined by using the plate count method. The ability of the bacterial isolates to produce various hydrolytic enzymes such as amylase, gelatinase and lipase were determined using the plate assay. The heterotrophic bacterial load was considerably higher than the fungal load. There was a predominance of the gram positive genus, Bacillus. Other genera encountered included Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Listeria and Vibrio. Their effectiveness on the degradation of commercial polythene carry bags made of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) was studied over a period of eight weeks in the laboratory. Biodegradation was measured in terms of mean weight loss, which was nearly 5 % after a period of eight weeks. There was a significant increase in the bacterial load of the soil attached to class 2 (HDPE) polythene. After eight weeks of submergence in mangrove soil, soil attached to class 1 and class 3 polythene mostly had Bacillus (Staphylococcus predominated in class 2 polythene). While most of the isolates were capable of producing hydrolytic enzymes such as amylase and gelatinase, lipolytic activity was low. Class 2 HDPE suffered the greatest biodegradation.

Formation of an unusual copper(II) complex from the degradation of a novel tricopper(II) carbohydrazone complex

An unusual copper(II) complex [Cu(L1a)2Cl2] CH3OH H2O H3O+Cl (1a) was isolated from a solution of a novel tricopper(II) complex [Cu3(HL1)Cl2]Cl3 2H2O (1) in methanol, where L1a is 3-(2-pyridyl)triazolo [1,5-a]-pyridine, and characterized with single crystal X-ray diffraction study. The tricopper(II) complex of potential ligand 1,5-bis(di-2-pyridyl ketone) carbohydrazone (H2L1) was synthesized and physicochemically characterized, while the formation of the complex 1a was followed by time-dependant monitoring of the UV–visible spectra, which reveals degradation of ligand backbone as intensity loss of bands corresponding to O?Cu(II) charge transfer

Process Improvement of Coir Pith Degradation Involving White Rot Fungi By Substitution of Urea With Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria and Application of Biodegraded Coir Pith as Plant Growth Medium

In this study, a novel improved technology could be developed to convert the recalcitrant coir pith into environmental friendly organic manure. The standard method of composting involves the substitution of urea with nitrogen fixing bacteria viz. Azotobacter vinelandii and Azospirillum brasilense leading to the development of an improved method of coir pith. The combined action of the microorganisms could enhance the biodegradation of coir pith. In the present study, Pleurotus sajor caju, an edible mushroom which has the ability to degrade coir pith, and the addition of nitrogen fixing bacteria like Azotobacter vinelandii and Azospirillum brasilense could accelerate the action of the fungi on coir pith. The use of these microorganisms brings about definite changes in the NPK, Ammonia, Organic Carbon and Lignin contents in coir pith. This study will encourage the use of biodegraded coir pith as organic manure for agri/horti purpose to get better yields and can serve as a better technology to solve the problem of accumulated coir pith in coir based industries

Synthesis, Characterization and Applications of Modified TiO2 Systems

This thesis is divided in to 9 chapters and deals with the modification of TiO2 for various applications include photocatalysis, thermal reaction, photovoltaics and non-linear optics. Chapter 1 involves a brief introduction of the topic of study. An introduction to the applications of modified titania systems in various fields are discussed concisely. Scope and objectives of the present work are also discussed in this chapter. Chapter 2 explains the strategy adopted for the synthesis of metal, nonmetal co-doped TiO2 systems. Hydrothermal technique was employed for the preparation of the co-doped TiO2 system, where Ti[OCH(CH3)2]4, urea and metal nitrates were used as the sources for TiO2, N and metals respectively. In all the co-doped systems, urea to Ti[OCH(CH3)2]4 was taken in a 1:1 molar ratio and varied the concentration of metals. Five different co-doped catalytic systems and for each catalysts, three versions were prepared by varying the concentration of metals. A brief explanation of physico-chemical techniques used for the characterization of the material was also presented in this chapter. This includes X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy, FTIR analysis, Thermo Gravimetric Analysis, Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX), Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM), UV-Visible Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), BET Surface Area Measurements and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Chapter 3 contains the results and discussion of characterization techniques used for analyzing the prepared systems. Characterization is an inevitable part of materials research. Determination of physico-chemical properties of the prepared materials using suitable characterization techniques is very crucial to find its exact field of application. It is clear from the XRD pattern that photocatalytically active anatase phase dominates in the calcined samples with peaks at 2θ values around 25.4°, 38°, 48.1°, 55.2° and 62.7° corresponding to (101), (004), (200), (211) and (204) crystal planes (JCPDS 21-1272) respectively. But in the case of Pr-N-Ti sample, a new peak was observed at 2θ = 30.8° corresponding to the (121) plane of the polymorph brookite. There are no visible peaks corresponding to dopants, which may be due to their low concentration or it is an indication of the better dispersion of impurities in the TiO2. Crystallite size of the sample was calculated from Scherrer equation byusing full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the (101) peak of the anatase phase. Crystallite size of all the co-doped TiO2 was found to be lower than that of bare TiO2 which indicates that the doping of metal ions having higher ionic radius into the lattice of TiO2 causes some lattice distortion which suppress the growth of TiO2 nanoparticles. The structural identity of the prepared system obtained from XRD pattern is further confirmed by Raman spectra measurements. Anatase has six Raman active modes. Band gap of the co-doped system was calculated using Kubelka-Munk equation and that was found to be lower than pure TiO2. Stability of the prepared systems was understood from thermo gravimetric analysis. FT-IR was performed to understand the functional groups as well as to study the surface changes occurred during modification. EDX was used to determine the impurities present in the system. The EDX spectra of all the co-doped samples show signals directly related to the dopants. Spectra of all the co-doped systems contain O and Ti as the main components with low concentrations of doped elements. Morphologies of the prepared systems were obtained from SEM and TEM analysis. Average particle size of the systems was drawn from histogram data. Electronic structures of the samples were identified perfectly from XPS measurements. Chapter 4 describes the photocatalytic degradation of herbicides Atrazine and Metolachlor using metal, non-metal co-doped titania systems. The percentage of degradation was analyzed by HPLC technique. Parameters such as effect of different catalysts, effect of time, effect of catalysts amount and reusability studies were discussed. Chapter 5 deals with the photo-oxidation of some anthracene derivatives by co-doped catalytic systems. These anthracene derivatives come underthe category of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Due to the presence of stable benzene rings, most of the PAH show strong inhibition towards biological degradation and the common methods employed for their removal. According to environmental protection agency, most of the PAH are highly toxic in nature. TiO2 photochemistry has been extensively investigated as a method for the catalytic conversion of such organic compounds, highlighting the potential of thereof in the green chemistry. There are actually two methods for the removal of pollutants from the ecosystem. Complete mineralization is the one way to remove pollutants. Conversion of toxic compounds to another compound having toxicity less than the initial starting compound is the second way. Here in this chapter, we are concentrating on the second aspect. The catalysts used were Gd(1wt%)-N-Ti, Pd(1wt%)-N-Ti and Ag(1wt%)-N-Ti. Here we were very successfully converted all the PAH to anthraquinone, a compound having diverse applications in industrial as well as medical fields. Substitution of 10th position of desired PAH by phenyl ring reduces the feasibility of photo reaction and produced 9-hydroxy 9-phenyl anthrone (9H9PA) as an intermediate species. The products were separated and purified by column chromatography using 70:30 hexane/DCM mixtures as the mobile phase and the resultant products were characterized thoroughly by 1H NMR, IR spectroscopy and GCMS analysis. Chapter 6 elucidates the heterogeneous Suzuki coupling reaction by Cu/Pd bimetallic supported on TiO2. Sol-Gel followed by impregnation method was adopted for the synthesis of Cu/Pd-TiO2. The prepared system was characterized by XRD, TG-DTG, SEM, EDX, BET Surface area and XPS. The product was separated and purified by column chromatography using hexane as the mobile phase. Maximum isolated yield of biphenyl of around72% was obtained in DMF using Cu(2wt%)-Pd(4wt%)-Ti as the catalyst. In this reaction, effective solvent, base and catalyst were found to be DMF, K2CO3 and Cu(2wt%)-Pd(4wt%)-Ti respectively. Chapter 7 gives an idea about the photovoltaic (PV) applications of TiO2 based thin films. Due to energy crisis, the whole world is looking for a new sustainable energy source. Harnessing solar energy is one of the most promising ways to tackle this issue. The present dominant photovoltaic (PV) technologies are based on inorganic materials. But the high material, low power conversion efficiency and manufacturing cost limits its popularization. A lot of research has been conducted towards the development of low-cost PV technologies, of which organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices are one of the promising. Here two TiO2 thin films having different thickness were prepared by spin coating technique. The prepared films were characterized by XRD, AFM and conductivity measurements. The thickness of the films was measured by Stylus Profiler. This chapter mainly concentrated on the fabrication of an inverted hetero junction solar cell using conducting polymer MEH-PPV as photo active layer. Here TiO2 was used as the electron transport layer. Thin films of MEH-PPV were also prepared using spin coating technique. Two fullerene derivatives such as PCBM and ICBA were introduced into the device in order to improve the power conversion efficiency. Effective charge transfer between the conducting polymer and ICBA were understood from fluorescence quenching studies. The fabricated Inverted hetero junction exhibited maximum power conversion efficiency of 0.22% with ICBA as the acceptor molecule. Chapter 8 narrates the third order order nonlinear optical properties of bare and noble metal modified TiO2 thin films. Thin films were fabricatedby spray pyrolysis technique. Sol-Gel derived Ti[OCH(CH3)2]4 in CH3CH2OH/CH3COOH was used as the precursor for TiO2. The precursors used for Au, Ag and Pd were the aqueous solutions of HAuCl4, AgNO3 and Pd(NO3)2 respectively. The prepared films were characterized by XRD, SEM and EDX. The nonlinear optical properties of the prepared materials were investigated by Z-Scan technique comprising of Nd-YAG laser (532 nm,7 ns and10 Hz). The non-linear coefficients were obtained by fitting the experimental Z-Scan plot with the theoretical plots. Nonlinear absorption is a phenomenon defined as a nonlinear change (increase or decrease) in absorption with increasing of intensity. This can be mainly divided into two types: saturable absorption (SA) and reverse saturable absorption (RSA). Depending on the pump intensity and on the absorption cross- section at the excitation wavelength, most molecules show non- linear absorption. With increasing intensity, if the excited states show saturation owing to their long lifetimes, the transmission will show SA characteristics. Here absorption decreases with increase of intensity. If, however, the excited state has strong absorption compared with that of the ground state, the transmission will show RSA characteristics. Here in our work most of the materials show SA behavior and some materials exhibited RSA behavior. Both these properties purely depend on the nature of the materials and alignment of energy states within them. Both these SA and RSA have got immense applications in electronic devices. The important results obtained from various studies are presented in chapter 9.

Changes of traditional farming systems and their effects on land degradation and socio-economic conditions in the Inle Lake region, Myanmar

At many locations in Myanmar, ongoing changes in land use have negative environmental impacts and threaten natural ecosystems at local, regional and national scales. In particular, the watershed area of Inle Lake in eastern Myanmar is strongly affected by the environmental effects of deforestation and soil erosion caused by agricultural intensification and expansion of agricultural land, which are exacerbated by the increasing population pressure and the growing number of tourists. This thesis, therefore, focuses on land use changes in traditional farming systems and their effects on socio-economic and biophysical factors to improve our understanding of sustainable natural resource management of this wetland ecosystem. The main objectives of this research were to: (1) assess the noticeable land transformations in space and time, (2) identify the typical farming systems as well as the divergent livelihood strategies, and finally, (3) estimate soil erosion risk in the different agro-ecological zones surrounding the Inle Lake watershed area. GIS and remote sensing techniques allowed to identify the dynamic land use and land cover changes (LUCC) during the past 40 years based on historical Corona images (1968) and Landsat images (1989, 2000 and 2009). In this study, 12 land cover classes were identified and a supervised classification was used for the Landsat datasets, whereas a visual interpretation approach was conducted for the Corona images. Within the past 40 years, the main landscape transformation processes were deforestation (- 49%), urbanization (+ 203%), agricultural expansion (+ 34%) with a notably increase of floating gardens (+ 390%), land abandonment (+ 167%), and marshlands losses in wetland area (- 83%) and water bodies (- 16%). The main driving forces of LUCC appeared to be high population growth, urbanization and settlements, a lack of sustainable land use and environmental management policies, wide-spread rural poverty, an open market economy and changes in market prices and access. To identify the diverse livelihood strategies in the Inle Lake watershed area and the diversity of income generating activities, household surveys were conducted (total: 301 households) using a stratified random sampling design in three different agro-ecological zones: floating gardens (FG), lowland cultivation (LL) and upland cultivation (UP). A cluster and discriminant analysis revealed that livelihood strategies and socio-economic situations of local communities differed significantly in the different zones. For all three zones, different livelihood strategies were identified which differed mainly in the amount of on-farm and off-farm income, and the level of income diversification. The gross margin for each household from agricultural production in the floating garden, lowland and upland cultivation was US$ 2108, 892 and 619 ha-1 respectively. Among the typical farming systems in these zones, tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) plantation in the floating gardens yielded the highest net benefits, but caused negative environmental impacts given the overuse of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and spatial analysis within GIS were applied to estimate soil erosion risk in the different agricultural zones and for the main cropping systems of the study region. The results revealed that the average soil losses in year 1989, 2000 and 2009 amounted to 20, 10 and 26 t ha-1, respectively and barren land along the steep slopes had the highest soil erosion risk with 85% of the total soil losses in the study area. Yearly fluctuations were mainly caused by changes in the amount of annual precipitation and the dynamics of LUCC such as deforestation and agriculture extension with inappropriate land use and unsustainable cropping systems. Among the typical cropping systems, upland rainfed rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation had the highest rate of soil erosion (20 t ha-1yr-1) followed by sebesten (Cordia dichotoma) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) plantation in the UP zone. This study indicated that the hotspot region of soil erosion risk were upland mountain areas, especially in the western part of the Inle lake. Soil conservation practices are thus urgently needed to control soil erosion and lake sedimentation and to conserve the wetland ecosystem. Most farmers have not yet implemented soil conservation measures to reduce soil erosion impacts such as land degradation, sedimentation and water pollution in Inle Lake, which is partly due to the low economic development and poverty in the region. Key challenges of agriculture in the hilly landscapes can be summarized as follows: fostering the sustainable land use of farming systems for the maintenance of ecosystem services and functions while improving the social and economic well-being of the population, integrated natural resources management policies and increasing the diversification of income opportunities to reduce pressure on forest and natural resources.