scholarly journals Our Global Environment and the World Campaign for the Biosphere

1982 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Polunin
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Global Environment ◽  
Biosphere Reserves ◽  
The World ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Organizational Involvement

After a requested account of how, starting from his student days, he had come gradually to ‘care about our Only One Biosphere’ and think globally (even if commonly acting only locally), the Author presents his ‘thoughts on what might best be done to [foster a World Campaign for the Biosphere] and make it operationally effective’. This Campaign should be world-wide and have the objective of educating everybody everywhere to full realization of the following facts and their often imperatively grave implications: (1) The Biosphere constitutes a single integrated whole of which all parts are often intricately interdependent, (2) we humans form an integral part of the Biosphere but are becoming far too numerous and heavily dominant for its or our own good, (3) we are absolutely dependent on the health of the Biosphere for our own subsistence and more as it constitutes our sole life-support, (4) The Biosphere in part or even in toto is in several ways fragile, but (5) it is gravely threatened by various human activities and out-sized capabilities such as those of nuclear weaponry which are said to be sufficient to destroy our civilization several times over, and conceivably even the entire Biosphere.The second, longer part of the article is devoted to consideration of the following chosen ‘round dozen’ recommended activities through which it is thought the Campaign might best be advanced, at least in its early stages: (1) Publishing and broadcasting pertinent information and support by all appropriate means; (2) Using other vehicles of desirable publicity, including posters and stickers; (3) Instructive advertising and audienceattracting showmanship; (4) Books on the Biosphere and illustrated study manuals; (5) Specialist research and its vigorous application; (6) Need to control human numbers and behaviour; (7) National Parks, Biosphere Reserves, and Biological Gardens, etc.; (8) Pertinent conferences, meetings, and other ‘free’ deliberations; (9) Need to change human attitudes and priorities; (10) Need to establish due ethics and laws; (11) Institutional and organizational involvement towards survival; and (12) ‘Guardians of the Biosphere’ recognition and awards.The above 12 points largely follow those presaged in the Editorial in our preceding issue, since completion of which it has emerged that this Campaign should be socalled (without reference to any time-scale), and that it might best be furthered by two United Nations agencies, an intergovernmental one, and at least one nongovernmental one—all hopefully working in concert.

scholarly journals Land Use Activities and Their Effects on Soil Erosion on the Slopes of Kajulu Hills, Kisumu County, Kenya

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Otieno, J. ◽  
Otieno, A. C. ◽  
Tonui, K. W
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Natural Phenomenon ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
The World ◽  
The Hill

Soil erosion is a natural phenomenon, but human activities accelerate it between ten to forty times the natural occurrences. It therefore calls for mitigating measure to curb the effects of erosion since soils form at a slower rate than they are destroyed. A study on land use activities and their effects on soil erosion was conducted in the upland ecosystem in Kenya, Kajulu hills. The study assessed the effectiveness of the mitigation measures adopted by the residents to ease the effects erosion on the hill slopes. A sample size of 295 households out of 1600 households engaged in various mitigating practices was used. The study collected data on the magnitude of soil (kg) lost from the arable lands using collector ditch technique. The data were analyzed using frequency distribution tables and Man U-test. The result showed a double amount (1.198kg/m2) of soil lost on the arable land without mitigation measures as compared to plots under cut off ditches (0,615kg/m2) and vegetative strips (0.904kg/m2) with Man U=7. These findings were above the world wide estimation of soil erosion on arable mountainous regions which range between 1.3-40.kg/m2/year (13-40T/Ha/year) as it was based on one rainy season.

scholarly journals Environmental Geochemistry on a Global Scale

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane A. Plant ◽  
Barry Smith
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Chemical Elements ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Environmental Geochemistry ◽  
The World ◽  
Political Boundaries

Recent population growth and economic development are extending the problems associated with land degradation, pollution, urbanization, and the effects of climate change over large areas of the earth’s surface, giving increasing cause for concern about the state of the environment. Many problems are most acute in tropical, equatorial, and desert regions where the surface environment is particularly fragile because of its long history of intense chemical weathering over geological timescales. The speed and scale of the impact of human activities are now so great that, according to some authors, for example, McMichael (1993), there is the threat of global ecological disruption. Concern that human activities are unsustainable has led to the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development Our Common Future (Barnaby 1987) and the establishment of a United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development responsible for carrying out Agenda 21, the action plan of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Considerable research into the global environment is now being undertaken, especially into issues such as climate change, biodiversity, and water quality. Relatively little work has been carried out on the sustainability of the Earth’s land surface and its life support systems, however, other than on an ad-hoc basis in response to problems such as mercury poisoning related to artisanal gold mining in Amazonia or arsenic poisoning as a result of water supply problems in Bangladesh (Smedley 1999). This chapter proposes a more strategic approach to understanding the distribution and behavior of chemicals in the environment based on the preparation of a global geochemical baseline to help to sustain the Earth’s land surface based on the systematic knowledge of its geochemistry. Geochemical data contain information directly relevant to economic and environmental decisions involving mineral exploration, extraction, and processing; manufacturing industries; agriculture and forestry; many aspects of human and animal health; waste disposal; and land-use planning. A database showing the spatial variations in the abundance of chemical elements over the Earth’s surface is, therefore, a key step in embracing all aspects of environmental geochemistry. Although environmental problems do not respect political boundaries, data from one part of the world may have important implications elsewhere.

scholarly journals Changes in the human footprint in and around Indonesia’s terrestrial national parks between 2012 and 2017

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asri A. Dwiyahreni ◽  
Habiburrachman A. H. Fuad ◽  
Sunaryo Muhtar ◽  
T. E. Budhi Soesilo ◽  
Chris Margules ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Human Footprint ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe human footprint (HF) was developed to measure of the impact of human activities on the environment. The human footprint has been found to be closely related to the vulnerability of protected areas around the world. In Indonesia, as nature conservation is still seen as hindering economic development, it is especially important to assess the human footprint in order to comprehend the overall pressures resulting from the various human activities on Indonesia’s national parks. This study measured the change in the human footprint in and around 43 terrestrial national parks over 5 years, between 2012 and 2017. As many as 37 out of 43 NPs experienced an increase in the HF, ranging from 0.4 to 77.3%. Tanjung Puting in Kalimantan experienced the greatest increase (77.3%), while Ujung Kulon in Jawa Bali bioregion had the greatest decrease (10.5%). An increase in human population density and improved access to parks from roads, rivers and coastlines are the main drivers of increasing impacts on national parks.

scholarly journals Governance of national parks at the crossroads: New Zealand's silent reform

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Dinica
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Renewable Electricity ◽  
Legal Documents ◽  
Commercial Activities ◽  
Introduced Predators ◽  
The World ◽  
Native Birds

New Zealand’s national parks are major attractions for tourism and recreation, while hosting other commercial activities considered compatible with that primary role, like grazing, commercial filming and renewable electricity production. Commercial activities can only be carried out according to the terms of legal documents referred to as ‘concessions’ (typically, permits, licences and leases). There are currently 14 national parks, all managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Most of the country’s native birds, reptiles, frogs, bats and plants are unique in the world, but highly vulnerable to introduced predators and human activities. DOC has argued frequently that its conservation activities are ‘heavily weighted towards the trapping and poisoning of … introduced animals’. However, ‘less than 25% of conservation land receives interventions on key threats, with around 8% receiving possum, rat and stoat control’.

scholarly journals Transferring Complex Scientific Knowledge to Useable Products for Society: The Role of the Global Integrated Ocean Assessment and Challenges in the Effective Delivery of Ocean Knowledge

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Evans ◽  
Tymon Zielinski ◽  
S. Chiba ◽  
Carlos Garcia-Soto ◽  
Henn Ojaveer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
World Ocean ◽  
Ecosystem Recovery ◽  
Ocean Science ◽  
Regular Process ◽  
The World ◽  
The United Nations

The ocean provides essential services to human wellbeing through climate regulation, provision of food, energy and livelihoods, protection of communities and nurturing of social and cultural values. Yet despite the ocean’s key role for all life, it is failing as a result of unsustainable human practices. The first global integrated assessment of the marine environment, produced by the United Nations under The Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects (the World Ocean Assessment), identified an overall decline in ocean health. The second assessment, launched in April 2021, although recognising some bright spots and improvements, stresses ongoing decline in the ocean as a result of many unabated anthropogenic stressors on the ocean. This highlights that society, as a whole, does not fully recognise or value the importance of the ocean to their lives and impacts on the ocean caused by human activities. Further, recognition of the need for immediate and effective solutions for mitigating impacts and enabling ecosystem recovery, and the associated societal changes required is lacking. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021–2030 both recognize that sustainability is both a desired and essential pathway for ensuring the ocean can continue to provide the services society depends on. The World Ocean Assessment has an important role to play in increasing awareness of the ocean, the changes occurring in the ocean, the human activities causing those changes and the progress being made in reducing and mitigating the impacts of human activities on the marine environment. This paper outlines the knowledge brokering role that the Regular Process provides on ocean issues to all aspects of society from policy makers, ocean managers, ocean users to the public. It identifies the challenges faced by the Regular Process in successfully carrying out that role and lessons learned in achieving widespread uptake and recognition. Within the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, solutions in the form of instructions or guidelines for the use of the assessment can be developed and implemented.

scholarly journals DESIGN CRITERIA RECOMMENDED FOR MARINE FENDER SYSTEMS

1968 ◽  
Vol 1 (11) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Theodore T. Lee
Keyword(s):  
World Wide ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Design Criteria ◽  
Virtual Mass ◽  
Analytical Treatment ◽  
Design Procedures ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The World ◽  
Pertinent Information

This paper summarizes the world-wide effectiveness of marine-fender systems A design criteria is recommended as a result of an extensive research and development program executed at the U S Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory, Port Hueneme, California, under the sponsorship of Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pertinent information includes analytical treatment and experimental investigation of the effects of berthing impact on the design of berthing structures, definition, function, and types of fender systems, advantages and disadvantages of various fender systems, cost-effectiveness and design procedures for different marine environment and exposure conditions. The energy absorption characteristics, berthing velocity, and virtual mass of ship are discussed in detail Energy capacity requirements for marine fender systems are illustrated in both graph and monograph forms. This paper is intended to provide guidelines to coastal engineers who may be involved in design of fender systems for waterfront and offshore structures.

Description of a new species of Dascillus Latreille from Henan, China (Coleoptera: Dascillidae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4732 (2) ◽  
pp. 341-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
YAN FANG ◽  
YIJIE YAN ◽  
ZHENYU JIN
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Biosphere Reserves ◽  
United Nations Educational ◽  
Cultural Organization ◽  
National Nature Reserve ◽  
The World ◽  
A New Species

Dascillus Latreille, 1797 (Coleoptera: Dascillidae) currently contains about 40 species, of which 32 have been reported from China (Jin et al. 2013, 2018; Hájek 2016; Terzani et al. 2017; Wang et al. 2019). The Baotianman National Nature Reserve of Henan (33°20ʹ–33°36ʹN, 111°47ʹ–112°04ʹE) which is one of the “world biosphere reserves” recognized by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for their high ecosystem and species diversity (Zhu et al. 2002). While examining specimens collected from the survey of the Baotianman National Nature Reserve in 2017, conducted by the Hunan Agricultural University (Changsha, China), a new species of Dascillus was identified and is described in this paper. 

7. Reform and challenges: the future of the United Nations

2015 ◽  
pp. 135-148
Author(s):  
Jussi M. Hanhimäki
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
United Nations ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Human Security ◽  
International Support ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
To Come

The United Nations is structurally flawed and its operations are cumbersome. Despite being able to come up with excellent ideas, it often lacks the means of implementation. The UN is in need of reform, but reforming the system and obtaining world-wide international support are not new aims. ‘Reform and challenges: the future of the United Nations’ asks: how can this enormous institution that represents widely different interests from around the world be improved? How can its effectiveness be enhanced? In what ways can the UN's development policies be changed to improve the chances of success in the struggle against poverty? How can the UN safeguard both human security and human rights assertively?

Ideological Underpinnings of the World Assembly on Aging

1983 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila Neysmith ◽  
Joey Edwardh
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
International Development ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Third World ◽  
World Wide ◽  
National Development ◽  
Modernization Theory ◽  
Industrialized Countries ◽  
The World ◽  
Policies And Programs

ABSTRACTThe 1982 World Assembly on Aging was convened to launch an international plan of action aimed at guaranteeing economic and social security to older persons, as well as opportunities for them to contribute to national development. The Plan of Action was to be considered as an integral component of major international development strategies and programs which have been formulated in response to important world problems and needs. This paper examines the background documents on aging prepared by the United Nations for world wide regional meetings held before the Assembly. It argues that the issues raised were restricted to a “social problems” perspective on aging which is congruent with the modernization theory of development. The economic and political dependency of Third World countries was ignored. As a result, the discussion and recommendations emerging from the regional meetings, in both developed and underdeveloped areas, focused only on policies and programs similar to those in industrialized countries. This paper concludes that such programs are irrelevant to the lives of most people as they age.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document