Common Property Models of Sea Tenure: A Case Study from the Roviana and Vonavona Lagoons, New Georgia, Solomon Islands

In recent decades, Pacific Region indigenous sea tenure regimes have received considerable attention from social scientists who believe thatmarine-localized common entitlements and fishing practices can aid modern littoral fisheries management. The endorsement of sea tenure institutions as managerial tools, however, has proceeded without adequate consideration of their vulnerability to social and economic changes. The general view held by researchers is that Pacific Island sea tenure regimes are generally undermined by the influence of exogenous forces resulting in an open-access commons. In this article, it is argued that the contemporary transformation of sea tenure regimes emerges not only from exogenous agency, but from a complex set of autochthonous processes. A case study from New Georgia, Solomon Islands, is presented to show how sea tenure regimes can vary within an ethnically and culturally homogeneous region. Three tenure models are presented to show how different pre- and post-European contact regional settlement patterns, localized processes of political expansion and contraction, and dynamic indigenous sociocultural principles have resulted in institutional differences between each sea tenure model. The effect of the market economy on the organizational structure and managerial outcomes of each model also is discussed.     

Animal Preferences and Acceptability of Wildlife Management Actions around Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Wildlife management policies are often based on expert perceptions of the ecological importance of certain species and poorly informed perceptions of how public attitudes toward management are formed. Little is known about why preferences vary greatly and how this affects support for management actions. This paper explores preferences for a range of wildlife species among a sample of the rural population adjacent to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. We also examine the degree of acceptance for alternative management interventions when potentially dangerous animals pose different levels of problems to human beings, and the extent to which these attitudes are related to species preferences. Gender has a significant effect on species preferences. Men like most species better than women. Age has no significant effect, but level of education affects preference level for some species. Species preferences have a positive effect on support for management intervention when dangerous animals cause small or moderate problems to humans, i.e. there is a higher degree of acceptance of problems caused by animals that are well liked. In situations where human life is threatened, species preferences have no effect on preferred management actions. Appreciation of animals is a combination of functional, consumptive and cultural dimensions, and there is no simple link between species preferences and attitudes toward management actions. The local context and concrete experience with wildlife encounters is more important for shaping normative beliefs like attitudes towards management actions than global wildlife attitudes.     

Relevance of Global Forest Change Data Set to Local Conservation: Case Study of Forest Degradation in Masoala National Park,Madagascar

A global data set on forest cover change was recently published and made freely available for use (Hansen et al. 2013. Science 342: 850–853). Although this data set has been criticized for inaccuracies in distinguishing vegetation types at the local scale, it remains a valuable source of forest cover information for areas where local data is severely lacking. Masoala National Park, in northeastern Madagascar, is an example of a region for which very little spatially explicit forest cover information is available. Yet, this extremely diverse tropical humid forest is undergoing a dramatic rate of forest degradation and deforestation through illegal selective logging of rosewood and ebony, slash‐and‐burn agriculture, and damage due to cyclones. All of these processes result in relatively diffuse and small‐scale changes in forest cover. In this paper, we examine to what extent Hansen et al.'s global forest change data set captures forest loss within Masoala National Park by comparing its performance to a locally calibrated, object‐oriented classification approach. We verify both types of classification with substantial ground truthing. We find that both the global and local classifications perform reasonably well in detecting small‐scale slash‐and‐burn agriculture, but neither performs adequately in detecting selective logging. We conclude that since the use of the global forest change data set requires very little technical and financial investment, and performs almost as well as the more resource‐demanding, locally calibrated classification, it may be advantageous to use the global forest change data set even for local conservation purposes.     

The Evolution of Conservation Management Philosophy: Science, Environmental Change and Social Adjustments in Kruger National Park

In this ‘perspectives’ article, we share experiences gained from the century-old Kruger National Park (KNP) in South Africa to illustrate the dynamic complexity of biophysical and socio-political systems, the interactions that occur between them, and the consequences for ecosystem-scale functions and resources and for their management. As in KNP, the social-ecological milieu surrounding many national parks and protected areas is changing rapidly. There will be significant managerial adjustments as human populations grow and the needs for resources accelerate. The changes, driven largely by global-scale environmental shifts as well as by new knowledge, are intimately intertwined with evolving societal perceptions, values, and expectations. Many KNP resource-related issues of the past century originated more internally and were largely environmental, whereas the emerging issues are more external and largely social. Here, we illustrate how interrelated scientific and managerial advances in integrating biophysical and social systems are acting to conserve and rehabilitate resources within KNP, and to aid in their conservation. Where appropriate, we relate these advances to similar examples in the region or other protected areas in the world. Strategies to address emerging issues are identified and discussed—and their combined effects on resource conservation and management are evaluated. In our experience the approach to conservation within KNP has been successful, despite well-intended but damaging management actions in the past. We believe that the perceived success stems from a willingness to continually incorporate new knowledge into management, to foster close working and personal associations among scientists, managers, and rangers, to acquire an intimate knowledge and understanding of the social-ecological system by the administrators as well as by the staff, and to be actively ‘forward’ thinking in an increasingly complex and uncertain world. We accept that many decisions taken today will be challenged by future managers and scientists, and we expect that some will be found wanting as emerging knowledge and continued learning shape future decisions. Further, evolving political, social, and environmental contexts may mean that protected areas will need to be managed in different ways. Therefore, we emphasize the importance of minimizing the permanency and impact of decisions so that today’s actions do not compromise future decisions when meaningful changes need to be made.

A Long-Term Experimental Case Study of the Ecological Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of Invasive Plant Management in Achieving Conservation Goals: Bitou Bush Control in Booderee National Park in Eastern Australia

Invasive plant management is often justified in terms of conservation goals, yet progress is rarely assessed against these broader goals, instead focussing on short-term reductions of the invader as a measure of success. Key questions commonly remain unanswered including whether invader removal reverses invader impacts and whether management itself has negative ecosystem impacts. We addressed these knowledge gaps using a seven year experimental investigation of Bitou Bush, Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. rotundata. Our case study took advantage of the realities of applied management interventions for Bitou Bush to assess whether it is a driver or passenger of environmental change, and quantified conservation benefits relative to management costs of different treatment regimes. Among treatments examined, spraying with herbicide followed by burning and subsequent re-spraying (spray-fire-spray) proved the most effective for reducing the number of individuals and cover of Bitou Bush. Other treatment regimes (e.g. fire followed by spraying, or two fires in succession) were less effective or even exacerbated Bitou Bush invasion. The spray-fire-spray regime did not increase susceptibility of treated areas to re-invasion by Bitou Bush or other exotic species. This regime significantly reduced plant species richness and cover, but these effects were short-lived. The spray-fire-spray regime was the most cost-effective approach to controlling a highly invasive species and facilitating restoration of native plant species richness to levels characteristic of uninvaded sites. We provide a decision tree to guide management, where recommended actions depend on the outcome of post-treatment monitoring and performance against objectives. Critical to success is avoiding partial treatments and treatment sequences that may exacerbate invasive species impacts. We also show the value of taking advantage of unplanned events, such as wildfires, to achieve management objectives at reduced cost.     

Indigenous Knowledge of Ecological Variability and Commons Management: A Case Study on Berry Harvesting from Northern Canada

Common property arrangements govern the subsistence harvest of berries in the Gwich’in region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Some of these arrangements, including rules for resource access, sharing information and harvest sharing, enable the Gwich’in to deal with ecological variability. The rules change in response to year-to-year variations in the abundance and distribution of the species, spatially and temporally across the region. This paper illustrates the interrelationships between ecosystem dynamics and local institutions, a neglected area of commons research.An erratum to this article can be found at     

Operational Changes in a Shared Resource Laboratory with the Use of a Product Lifecycle Management Approach: A Case Study

Shared Resource Laboratories (SRLs) provide investigators access to necessary scientific and resource expertise to leverage complex technologies fully for advancing high-quality biomedical research in a cost-effective manner. At the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the Flow Cytometry Research Facility (FCRF) offered access to exceptional technology, but the methods of operation were outdated and unsustainable. Whereas technology has advanced and the institute has expanded, the operations at the facility remained unchanged for 35 yr. To rectify this, at the end of 2013, we took a product lifecycle management approach to affect large operational changes and align the services offered with the SRL goal of education, as well as to provide service to researchers. These disruptive operational changes took over 10 mo to complete and allowed for independent end-user acquisition of flow cytometry data. The results have been monitored for the past 12 mo. The operational changes have had a positive impact on the quality of research, increased investigator-facility interaction, reduced stress of facility staff, and increased overall use of the resources. This product lifecycle management approach to facility operations allowed us to conceive of, design, implement, and monitor effectively the changes at the FCRF. This approach should be considered by SRL management when faced with the need for operationally disruptive measures.     

基于可达性分析的城市公园绿地供给研究——以广西玉林市为例

城市公园绿地在空间上的分布和供给水平对其服务功能的发挥有非常重要的影响。人均公园绿地面积这一数量指标忽略了可达性问题以及实际人均公园绿地水平的空间差异。另一方面,在城市绿地资源紧缺的情况下对城市公园绿地的精准化供给提出了较高要求。尝试通过基于互联网位置大数据平台的数据分析,对不同出行方式下公园绿地的可达性进行评价,并从可达性的视角提出人均有效绿地面积的概念,用以分析玉林市中心城区现状公园绿地的空间分布和供给情况,提出优化策略和方案,为城市公园绿地的布局提供新思路。     

Integrating Air Pollution,Climate Change,and Economics in a Risk-Based Life-Cycle Analysis: A Case Study of Residential Insulation

One of the ways in which risk assessment can inform life-cycle analysis (LCA) is by providing a mechanism to translate midpoint categories into common endpoints. Although this analytical step is complex and often highly uncertain, it can allow for prioritization among disparate midpoints and subsequent analytical refinements focused on the endpoints that dominate policy decisions. In this article, we present an approach to address three widely differing impact categories—particulate matter air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and personal income. We use the case of increased residential insulation as a measure to reduce energy consumption, which implies economic and public health tradeoffs across all three categories. We apply previously developed models that combined input-output LCA and risk assessment to address public health impacts from particulate matter, and extend the framework to address greenhouse gases and the public health consequences of changes in income. For a hypothetical loan program applied to both new and existing single-family homes, we find a payback period of approximately one year for the particulate matter and greenhouse gas–related midpoints and endpoints, with the structure of the loan implying that no economic payback is required. Our central estimates for avoided disability adjusted life years (DALYs) for a 50-year period are approximately 200,000 for particulate matter, 900,000 for greenhouse gases, and 300,000 for income changes, although values are highly dependent on discount rates and other model assumptions. We conclude that all three impact categories are potentially significant in this case, indicating that analytical refinements should be considered for all three impact categories to reduce model uncertainties. Our study demonstrates how LCA and risk assessment can work together in a framework that includes multiple impact categories, aiding in the evaluation of the net impacts of an energy policy change on society.     

Plant Communities in Multi-Metal Contaminated Soils: A Case Study in the National Park of Alta Murgia (Apulia Region - Southern Italy)

A phytosociological study was conducted in the National Park of Alta Murgia in the Apulia region (Southern Italy) to determine the adverse effects of metal contamination of soils on the distribution of plant communities. The phytosociological analyses have shown a remarkable biodiversity of vegetation on non-contaminated soils, while biodiversity appeared strongly reduced on metal-contaminated soils. The area is naturally covered by a wide steppic grassland dominated by Stipa austroitalica Martinovský subsp. austroitalica. Brassicaceae such as Sinapis arvensis L. are the dominating species on moderated contaminated soils, whereas spiny species of Asteraceae such as Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. and Carduus pycnocephalus L. subsp. pycnocephalus are the dominating vegetation on heavily metal-contaminated soils. The presence of these spontaneous species on contaminated soils suggest their potential for restoration of degraded lands by phytostabilization strategy.     

Bacterial Deterioration of Marble Monuments: A Case Study of the Conservation Project of Acropolis Monuments

The deterioration of the Acropolis monuments’ surface can be attributed to a combination of mechanical, physical, chemical and biological factors. The aim of this work was to investigate the potential use of biocides suitable for marble surface in order to confront the biodeterioration phenomenon due to heterotrophic bacteria. Surface bacterial populations were studied in respect to the application of three biocide agents. A significant decrease of the bacterial counts was occurred after the biocides’ application and remained less compared with the counts occurred on the untreated surfaces for more than 14 months. A gradual diminution of bacterial diversity was also observed leading to the survival of specific Gram positive strains.     

人为活动对地表节肢动物多样性的影响——以沈阳市北陵公园地表蜘蛛为例

为了解人为活动对地表节肢动物多样性的影响,2010年9月至10月,采用陷阱法对沈阳市北陵公园地表蜘蛛多样性进行了调查.共采集蜘蛛标本737头,经鉴定隶属于9科15属23种.调查发现,沈阳市北陵公园地表蜘蛛物种多样性较低,狼蛛和密蛛是该地区的优势类群,其中类奇异獾蛛Trochosa ruricoloides和拟吉小密蛛Mysmenella pseudojobi为优势种.从公园的边缘到内部,蜘蛛群落组成及多样性相似,各多样性指数间均无统计学差异.研究结果表明,由于北陵公园开放程度较高,公园内锻炼、游憩的人数众多,频繁的人为干扰对地表蜘蛛造成较大影响,地表蜘蛛物种组成单一、群落结构简单以及物种多样性从边缘到内部无明显差异,这说明人为活动是影响市区开放式公园内节肢动物多样性的重要因素.     

The Assimilation of Western Medicine into a Semi-nomadic Healthcare System: A Case Study of the Indigenous Aeta Magbukún,Philippines

The Aeta Magbukún are a genetically and culturally distinct group of Indigenous people living in an isolated mountain forest in the municipality of Mariveles, in the province of Bataan, Philippines. This research aims to document some healthcare related information of the people, inform future decisions regarding maximising benefits of modern conveniences, and minimise negative consequences on their culture and health. Using an ethnographic approach, data were collated from a community health survey in combination with field notes from three of the co-authors while living with the Aetas. Despite major implications from rapid ecological and cultural changes, traditional ethnomedical systems continue to be revered as an essential healing practice, although they are increasingly used in conjunction with Western medicines and healthcare. At the Aeta village level, the changing socio-political influence among the kagun (traditional healer), the NGOs, and the Municipal Council in terms of healthcare provision is pivotal, as the kagun has chosen to integrate the Western medicine and healthcare services into their traditional healthcare system, without simply rejecting them. In turn, Western-style healthcare interventions have the potential to be carefully managed to integrate traditional Aeta Magbukún socio-political structures, healthcare, and cultural continuity. The cumulative influence of numerous other novel aspects to Aeta life (e.g., permanent housing, a highway through the village, literacy, cash economies, energy-dense foods, communication/entertainment devices, etc.) will place additional pressure on the traditional ethnomedical healthcare system. However, enabling the continuity of access to appropriate healthcare knowledge (both the transfer of knowledge from Western medicine to the Aeta Magbukún, and vice versa) can assist many cultures through the inherent stresses of increasingly rapid acculturation and development.     

A Human Health Risk Assessment Software for Facilitating Management of Urban Contaminated Sites: A Case Study: The Massa Site,Tuscany, Italy

The goal of this article is to present the Human Health Risk Assessment (HRA) software developed as one of the NORISC ^{1 1}NORISC is the acronym of the project “Network Oriented Risk assessment by In-situ Screening of Contaminated sites” realized under under the 5th European Union Community Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities. View all notes decision support software system components that could be used as a tool for facilitating management of urban contaminated sites. The NORISC-HRA software provides sufficient technical and procedural support to conduct a simple site-specific risk assessment. The employed HRA methodology is generally based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) procedures. The software determines the level and spatial distribution of human health risks at a given site and sets up site-specific preliminary Health-Based Remedial Goals (HBRGs)/Risk-Based Concentrations (RBCs) for soil and groundwater. The NORISC-HRA software is recommended for use when national soil and groundwater limit values are exceeded. Exposure pathways considered in this software are associated with three land use patterns—residential, industrial/commercial, and recreational. The aricle also presents the software testing results obtained at one of the NORISC test sites—the Massa site (Avenza-Carrara, Tuscany, Italy). Findings of the HRA indicated that the contaminated soil at the Massa test site might pose potential cancer and non-cancer risks to industrial workers in its present condition. Arsenic was the dominant substance responsible for most of the baseline risk and at the RBC of 1.77 mg/kg it was the primary driver of remedial decisions at the Massa site.     

A New Trichomycterus (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from Aguarague National Park of the Bolivian Preandean Region, with Comments on Relationships within of the Genus

Synopsis The Andean and preandean regions are characterized by the presence of several endorheic drainage basins, each of which has evolved a characteristic fish fauna, some of which are poorly known or hitherto inaccessible. We describe here a new species of Trichomycterus from Aguarague National Park, Bolivia. Trichomycterus aguarague is considered to belong to a species assemblage comprised of T. alterus, T. boylei, T. ramosus, and T. belensis, a group diagnosed by three putative apomorphic conditions: (1) base of the maxillary barbel wide and engrossed like a skin flap or fold, (2) premaxillary bone smaller than maxilla, and (3) odontodes embedded in thick integument that covers interopercle. Alternatively, T. aguarague and T. alterus share an unusual number of five or fewer abdominal vertebrae, which is a synapomorphy for the group composed of Scleronema, Ituglanis, and the Stegophilinae+Tridentinae+Vandelliinae+Glanapteryginae+Sarcoglanidinae clade. The new species differs from all congeners in having the following combination of characters: caudal peduncle depth 13.5 – 16.0% SL, 15 or 16 pairs of ribs, 15 dorsal procurrent rays, 12 ventral procurrent rays, 8 pectoral fin rays; 9 anal fin rays; barbels and skin of trunk with numerous, minute thread-like papillae.     

国家公园原住民对野生动物肇事的认知、意愿及其影响因素——以武夷山国家公园为例

国家公园原住民对野生动物肇事的态度直接影响野生动物保护政策有效实施以及人与野生动物共存机制。迄今,学术界鲜有从原住民认知与意愿角度探讨野生动物肇事的成果,基于自然保护地国家公园的相关研究尚未见报道。根据449份有效调查问卷及深度访谈数据,论文采用有序多分类Logistic回归方法,探讨武夷山国家公园原住民对野生动物肇事的认知、意愿及其影响因素。结果表明：（1）多数原住民经历过野生动物肇事,其农作物及牲畜受到严重损害,野猪（Sus scrofa）为研究区域主要的肇事动物。（2）种群数量增加、食物短缺和生存空间受限是野生动物肇事的主要原因。（3）学历、经历及认可政府应对肇事的方式对原住民防范野生动物肇事意愿的影响显著。在此基础上,提出遵循生态规律、保护栖息地、提升认知与意愿、实行社区共管、建立野生动物致害补偿机制以及引入野生动物致害赔偿保险等对策,希望能够深化对野生动物肇事特征及机理的科学认识,为有效缓解人与野生动物冲突、推进国家公园人与野生动物和谐提供政策参考。     

Bioethics in the Malay‐Muslim Community in Malaysia: A Study on the Formulation of Fatwa on Genetically Modified Food by the National Fatwa Council

The field of bioethics aims to ensure that modern scientific and technological advancements have been primarily developed for the benefits of humankind. This field is deeply rooted in the traditions of Western moral philosophy and socio‐political theory. With respect to the view that the practice of bioethics in certain community should incorporate religious and cultural elements, this paper attempts to expound bioethical tradition of the Malay‐Muslim community in Malaysia, with shedding light on the mechanism used by the National Fatwa Council to evaluate whether an application of biological sciences is ethical or not. By using the application of the genetically modified food as a case study, this study has found that the council had reviewed the basic guidelines in the main references of shari'ah in order to make decision on the permissibility of the application. The fatwa is made after having consultation with the experts in science field. The council has taken all factors into consideration and given priority to the general aim of shari'ah which to serve the interests of mankind and to save them from harm.     

Integration of Ecosystem Services into Ecological Risk Assessment for Implementation in Ecosystem-Based River Management: A Case Study of the Yellow River,China

Ecological risk assessment (ERA) is a scientific tool used to support ecosystem-based management (EBM), but most current ERA methods consider only a few indices of particular species or components. Such limitations restrict the scope of results so that they are insufficient to reflect the integrated risk characterization of an ecosystem, thereby inhibiting the application of ERA in EBM. We incorporate the concept of ecosystem services into ERA and develop an improved ERA framework to create a comprehensive risk map of an ecosystem, accounting for multiple human activities and ecosystem services. Using the Yellow River as a case study, we show how this framework enables the implementation of integrated risk characterization and prioritization of the most important ecological risk issues in the ecosystem-based river management of the Yellow River. This framework can help practitioners facilitate better implementation of ERA within EBM in rivers or any target ecosystem.     

区域生态系统可持续发展的生态价值评价——以宁夏灵武市为例

根据我国西部大开发战略,从生态经济价值理论出发,研究区域生态系统服务功能的价值体系及其基本估价方法。结合我国国情,将Costanza等人单纯自然资本的测算推广到自然、经济、社会综合资本的测算,重点突出人类活动干扰下的区域生态系统资本价值结构分析。研究表明：1997年灵武市牧草地和水域提供的资本价值约占自然资本总价值的97％,工矿业消耗的自然资本占自然资本总损耗的84％。根据本文的全面测算结果,1990-1997年灵武市生态价值总资本年均递增4.5％,它将部分抵消该市国民生产总值12.6％年均增长率。此外,如果用自然资本的增减作为强可持续发展的临界指标,1990-1997年本区域自然总资本以年均4％的速度递减,处于不可持续发展状态。