Zimbabwe's wildlife conservation regime: Rural farmers and the state

This article examines the rhino and elephant conservation policies of Zimbabwe, focusing on the historical experiences of rural farmers with colonial and post-colonial wildlife policies. It begins by defining the social and political ramifications of the current environmental conservation debate in Africa, and how these are crucially affected by rural people's perceptions of environmental goods. Next, the paper explores the exploitative colonial legacy of wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe, and how that legacy has or has not been transformed since independence. The paper pays close attention to the development of linkages between rural farmers, local conservation NGOs, and local and national governmental bodies. Finally, the paper finds that, while many positive linkages have been made between conservation authorities and rural farmers and ranchers in elephant conservation programs, few such linkages have been made in the various rhino conservation schemes. Since Zimbabwe has been relatively successful in conserving its elephant population, but relatively unsuccessful in stopping rhino poaching, the paper concludes that the development of positive linkages between rural farmers and the state, which include heavy doses of popular participation at the grassroots level, is crucial for any successful natural resource policy.     

Factors Influencing Membership of Federal Wildlife Biologists in The Wildlife Society

ABSTRACT Membership in scientific societies is an avenue wildlife professionals may use to maintain and enhance their professional capabilities. We studied factors influencing United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and United States Geological Survey (USGS) biologists’ membership in scientific societies in general and The Wildlife Society (TWS) in particular. We conducted an internet census survey of 3,755 USFWS professionals and 932 USGS Biological Resource Division professionals. The survey collected data on membership and participation in scientific societies as well as other variables that we theorized could influence membership. We used logistic regressions to identify factors correlated with the membership of wildlife biologists in TWS. A greater proportion of USGS biologists (90.2%) than USFWS biologists (51.8%) were members of scientific societies, and the likelihood of wildlife biologists belonging to TWS was higher in USGS. Factors most consistently correlated with membership in TWS included minimal external constraints (e.g., family responsibilities and costs), supervisor support for membership, and membership of friends, peers, and supervisors in scientific societies. Our results suggest that membership in scientific societies is heavily influenced by the organizational culture of employing agencies. Agencies seeking to increase their employees’ membership, and thus benefits from participation, in scientific societies will be most successful if they create a culture in which involvement in scientific societies is expected and in which peers and supervisors also participate.     

Distributional survey of large branchiopods of rice paddies in Shiga Prefecture,Japan: a Lake Biwa Museum project based on lay amateur participation

A distributional survey of the large branchiopod crustaceans of the rice paddies of Shiga Prefecture, Japan, was conducted by the Lake Biwa Museum in May and June of 1999 and 2000. Collecting kits were issued to over 100 lay Field Reporters, who returned all samples, usually dried, to the museum for processing. Their 242 species-lots were augmented by 146 from Grygier, 46 from Ida, and 41 from other museum staff. Apart from this survey, 50 additional records in 1997–2000 were also taken into account. Seven species were recorded in the prefecture's southern half: Branchinella kugenumaensis (Ishikawa), Caenestheriella gifuensis (Ishikawa), and Lynceus biformis (Ishikawa) with wide distributions; Triops longicaudatus (LeConte) and Leptestheria kawachiensis Uéno limited to paddy areas around the south end of Lake Biwa; and Eulimnadia sp. mostly in remnant paddy areas threatened with urban development in Otsu city, with Triops granarius (Lucas) at a single such site in Otsu. In the prefecture's northern half, only B. kugenumaensis and C. gifuensis occurred to a limited degree. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed. Data pertaining to species co-occurrence and occurrence relative to the ongoing program of paddy field consolidation in the prefecture are presented and discussed. Success of the survey was due to the use of Field Reporters, who were able to provide a high degree of coverage of the study area, as well as the clearly defined habitat, the low number and easy recognizability of species, and the collection of voucher material from all sites. Conservation-related results included the listing of Eulimnadia sp. as a `rare' species by Shiga Prefecture.     

Conservation education program for threatened Asian horseshoe crabs: A step towards reducing community apathy to environmental conservation

Long-term and locally-based public education programs are essential in supporting conservation initiatives for horseshoe crab protection, particularly in Asia, where their populations have been largely exploited for food and biomedical applications. However, the implementation of such conservation initiatives can be difficult due to a community’s ingrained apathy towards the environment. In addition, the effectiveness of similar education programs to engage the community in conservation work has rarely been assessed. We described the implementation strategies of a conservation education program in Hong Kong, with the objective to improve the community’s awareness, engagement and environmental attitudes towards the conservation of Asian horseshoe crabs. This study evaluated the program’s outreach, outcomes and impacts between 2009 and 2016. By raising laboratory-cultured juvenile horseshoe crabs at local secondary schools, this long-term conservation education program succeeded in enhancing students’ knowledge on the biology and ecology of horseshoe crabs, as well as promoting positive attitudes and behaviors towards relevant conservation issues. Lessons and recommendations derived from this program can serve as guidance for similar campaigns in other places.     

英国脱欧后基因技术监管趋势及对中国的启示*——基于英国《基因技术报告》的分析

英国脱欧后加快了生物技术领域的立法进程,迫切希望通过革新原先欧盟的保守监管模式,在保障技术安全的前提下充分发挥基因技术的应用价值。为实现该目标,英国发布了《基因技术报告》,旨在重新构建更加全面的基因技术监管体系。这一报告不仅分析了既有基因技术治理实践的不足,还指明了未来英国基因技术监管的方向。当前基因编辑、合成生物学等新型基因技术正处于高速发展时期,英国的报告也为这些技术的应用提供了一条可供参考的治理路径。     

Muslim community organizations – sites of active citizenship or self-segregation?

Ethno-religious community organizations in Western countries have often been described as being disconnected from mainstream society, and Muslim community groups have been a special focus of such critique. This article offers a counter-narrative to these widespread allegations. It draws on a synthesis of emerging research on the citizenship-enhancing effects of mosque involvement and on an explorative study involving thirty in-depth interviews with civically active Muslims in Australia and Germany. The article examines the potential of Muslim community organizations to mobilize their member into performing their citizenship through civic and political participation. It offers empirical evidence that many Muslim community organizations, rather than promoting social segregation, act as accessible entry point for Muslims’ civic participation, facilitate cross-community engagement and provide gateways to political involvement. These civic potentials of Muslim community organization have remained underestimated in the public and political discourse on cohesive societies and healthy democracies.     

A pollution incident at a Qiaoxiang village in China: the role of migration in civic organization and political participation

Through an analysis of a pollution-based incident at Refinery-G in an infamous Qiaoxiang town in Fujian, China, this paper analyses how transnational migrants participate in and influence the public management activities in their hometowns. This paper underscores four factors driving civic and political participation that emerged during the revelation, resistance, negotiation and settlement of this incident: (1) the role of the ‘leisured’ villager; (2) the role of overseas Chinese in caring for the developmental path of their hometown; (3) the role of independent civic organizations; and (4) the role of the news media in shaping public opinion. Qiaoxiang's civic participation is both more active and more effective. With the development and globalization of modern communication technology and low-cost and convenient communication and transportation systems, it is possible for overseas migrants to influence public management activities in their hometown through civic organization and political participation.     

Community‐based social interventions for people with severe mental illness: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of recent evidence

People living with severe mental illness (SMI) are one of the most marginalized groups in society. Interventions which aim to improve their social and economic participation are of crucial importance to clinicians, policy‐makers and people with SMI themselves. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on social interventions for people with SMI published since 2016 and collated our findings through narrative synthesis. We found an encouragingly large amount of research in this field, and 72 papers met our inclusion criteria. Over half reported on the effectiveness of interventions delivered at the service level (supported accommodation, education or employment), while the remainder targeted individuals directly (community participation, family interventions, peer‐led/supported interventions, social skills training). We identified good evidence for the Housing First model of supported accommodation, for the Individual Placement and Support model of supported employment, and for family psychoeducation, with the caveat that a range of models are nonetheless required to meet the varied housing, employment and family‐related needs of individuals. Our findings also highlighted the importance of contextual factors and the need to make local adaptations when “importing” interventions from elsewhere. We found that augmentation strategies to enhance the effectiveness of social interventions (particularly supported employment and social skills training) by addressing cognitive impairments did not lead to transferable “real life” skills despite improvements in cognitive function. We also identified an emerging evidence base for peer‐led/supported interventions, recovery colleges and other interventions to support community participation. We concluded that social interventions have considerable benefits but are arguably the most complex in the mental health field, and require multi‐level stakeholder commitment and investment for successful implementation.     

Urethane protected amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides and fluorides (U-NCAs and U2AAFs)

Summary In order to obtain peptide analogues containing a central pyrrolide bond, as potential mechanism-based inhibitors of the HIV-1 proteinase, activated derivatives of amino acids were required. Treatment of a N,N-bis(Boc) amino acid pyridinium salt with cyanuric fluoride in dichloromethane furnished the correspondingbis(Boc) amino acid fluoride (Boc₂AAF). Use of the Vilsmeier reagent in acetonitrile, instead of the cyanuric fluoride, led to a N-Boc amino acid N-carboxyanhydride (Boc-NCA). From a mixed N-Z,N-Boc amino acid salt a N-Z,N-Boc amino acid fluoride and a Z-NCA were respectively obtained. The very sensitive Young test showed that during the coupling of the N-benzoyl-L-Leucine N-carboxyanhydride or the N-benzoyl N-Boc-L-leucyl fluoride with ethyl glycinate the degrees of racemization were weak. Owing to the electronegativity and the small size of the fluorine atom, thebis(urethane) amino acid fluorides are efficient acylating agents for amines and pyrrole anions.     

Remote control of alpha- or beta-stereoselectivity in (1-->3)-glucosylations in the presence of a C-2 ester capable of neighboring-group participation

In (1-->3)-glucosylation the glycosyl bond originally present in either donor or acceptor is shown to control the stereoselectivity of the forthcoming bond, i.e., the newly formed glycosidic linkage has the opposite anomeric configuration of that of either the donor or acceptor. Therefore, with alpha-(1-->3)-linked disaccharides with nonreducing ends that have the 3-OH free as the acceptor and an acetylated glucosyl trichloroacetimidate as the donor, or with an alpha-(1-->3)-linked acetylated disaccharide trichloroacetimidate as the donor and a glucoside with 3-OH free as the acceptor, beta-linked trisaccharides were obtained. Meanwhile, with beta-(1-->3)-linked disaccharides that have nonreducing ends with the 3-OH free as the acceptor and an acetylated glucosyl trichloroacetimidate as the donor, or with a beta-(1-->3)-linked acetylated disaccharide trichloroacetimidate as the donor and a glucoside with the 3-OH free as the acceptor, alpha-linked trisaccharides were obtained in spite of the C-2 neighboring group participation.