Histories of Rights in Nature

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-54
Author(s):  
Gunnel Cederlöf

This is a study of the formation of legal rights in nature during British colonial rule in South India. Though focusing on a limited geographical area, it has relevance for land law within the colonies of the British Empire. It targets specifically rights of access and ownership of land in territories dominated by indigenous communities, whom the British administration defined as ‘tribal’. Chapter one introduces the larger theme and contextualises the Nilgiri Hills as the location of a close empirical study of land conflicts during its most intense period until the first more encompassing code of rights in nature in the Nilgiris in 1843. The chapter further juxtaposes contemporary debates on how the past and history have been a battleground for codifying such rights. Here, the chapter contrasts the production of history with memory wherein the critique of Eurocentrism has challenged long-term legacies of historismus. Oral history and memory that have been argued to be the privileged arena of subaltern and colonised populations are considered in view of written history being originally oral testimony. Other debates, foundational for the formation of legal codes, have targeted the impact of evolutionary science on history and the role of the resulting discipline as both an imperial and a modern project.

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 3746
Author(s):  
Magdalena Polak-Śliwińska ◽  
Małgorzata Tańska

The benefits of natural honeybee products (e.g., honey, royal jelly, beeswax, propolis, beevenom and pollen) to the immune system are remarkable, and many of them are involved in the induction of antibody production, maturation of immune cells and stimulation of the immune system. The type of plants in the geographical area, climatic conditions and production method have a significantly influence on the nutritional quality of honey. However, this variability can influence consumer liking by the sensory attributes of the product. The aim of this work was to compare the most popular honeys from Poland in terms of nutritional value, organoleptic properties and antioxidant activity. In the study, five varieties of honey (honeydew, forest, buckwheat, linden and dandelion) from conventional and organic production methods were tested. The nutritional characteristics of honey samples included acidity, content of water, sugars, vitamin C, HMF and phenolics (total and flavonoids), while honey color, taste, aroma and consistency were investigated in the organoleptic characteristics. The antioxidant activity was determined in water- and ethanol-soluble honey extracts using DPPH and ORAC tests. The results showed that organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of popular Polish honeys differ significantly in relation to plant source and production method. The significant effect of honey variety on the content of HMF, saccharose and phenolics, as well as acidity and antioxidant capacity were noted. The impact of variety and variety × production method interaction was significant in the case of the content of vitamin C, glucose and fructose. A visible difference of buckwheat and forest honeys from other samples was observed. The highest content of total phenolics with antioxidant activity based on the SET mechanism was found in buckwheat honeys, while forest honeys were richer in flavonoids.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bobby Porykali ◽  
Patricia Cullen ◽  
Kate Hunter ◽  
Kris Rogers ◽  
Melissa Kang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background With increasingly tough graduated driver licensing laws in all Australian States and Territories, driver licensing support programs are recognised as being important to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to obtain a driver licence. Such programs appear to improve licensing attainment rates, but few studies have examined the broader impact that these programs can have. This research aims to 1) examine the impact of a New South Wales (NSW) based driver licensing support program (Driving Change) on client employment outcomes; 2) assess the influence of geographical area of program delivery on driver licence attainment. Methods Driving Change was delivered from February 2013 to August 2016 in 4 urban and 7 regional Aboriginal communities of NSW. Clients were followed-up at 6 months or more following contact with the program as part of routine program operations. Descriptive statistics and regression models were used to analyse data. Results From 933 clients contacted 254 agreed to provide feedback, a response rate of 27%. Those that responded were mostly female (57%), aged 24 years and under (72%), unemployed (85%) with secondary education or less (71%) and from a regional area (74%). Adjusted logistic regression indicated that clients who achieved an independent licence were more likely (OR: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.22–5.24, p = 0.011) of reporting a new job or change in job than those who did not attain a licence. Clients from regional areas were more likely (OR: 1.72, 95% CI: 1.27–2.33, p < 0.001) to gain an independent licence than those from urban areas. There was no difference in employment outcomes (OR: 1.2, 95% CI: 0.53–2.52, p = 0.719) for clients from urban compared to regional areas. Conclusion The Driving Change program appears to be effective in improving employment outcomes for those who gained a licence. Clients from regional areas were more likely to gain a licence compared to those in urban settings, and were predominantly young and unemployed, often a hard to reach cohort. Future licensing programs being delivered in regional areas need integrated pathways into employment opportunities to provide holistic services that address the social and economic challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 3579-3619
Author(s):  
S. L. Gariano ◽  
O. Petrucci ◽  
F. Guzzetti

Abstract. We exploit a catalogue of 1466 rainfall events with landslides in the 90 year period 1921–2010 to study temporal and geographical variations in the occurrence of landslides in Calabria, Southern Italy. We use daily rainfall records obtained by a network of 318 rain gauges to reconstruct 448 493 rainfall events. Combining the rainfall and the landslide information, we obtain a catalogue of 1466 rainfall events with landslides (REL) in Calabria from 1921 to 2010, where a REL is the occurrence of one or more landslide during or immediately after a rainfall event. We find that the geographical and the temporal distributions of the rainfall-induced landslides have changed in the observation period. The average and the maximum values of the cumulated event rainfall that have resulted in landslides in the recent-most 30 year period 1981–2010 are lower than the values necessary to trigger landslides in previous periods, whereas the duration of the rainfall events that triggered landslides has remained the same. This can be considered evidence of variations in rainfall conditions, but also an increase in the vulnerability of the territory. We further find that the yearly distribution of rainfall-induced landslides has changed in the observation period, analysing the variations in the number of rainfall events with landslides occurred in each month in three 30 year periods. To investigate variations in the impact of REL on the population, we compared the number of REL in each of the 409 municipalities in Calabria, with the size of the population in the municipalities, measured by national Censuses conducted in 1951, 1981, and 2011. For the purpose, we adopted two strategies. The first strategy considered impact as IREL = #REL/P and the second strategy measured impact as RREL = #REL × P, where #REL is the total number of REL in a period, and P is the size of the population in the same period and geographical area. Considering the entire observation period, IREL and RREL have both increased in Calabria. However, considering the changes between the recent period 1981–2010 and the previous period 1951–1980, results are more variegated with a number of municipalities where IREL and RREL have increased, or decreased. Municipalities where IREL has increased are mainly in the mountains, and municipalities where RREL has increased are mainly along the coasts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 476-488
Author(s):  
Tomáš Suk ◽  
Martin Štroner

This paper presents the results of over a year-long experiment dealing with a temperature measurement to calculate the theoretical effect of the atmosphere on the measured zenith angle in engineering surveying. The measurements were performed to determine the accurate and specific temperatures (temperature gradients), which can be recorded in different seasons in the low level of the atmosphere (up to 2 m above the ground, where most Engineering Surveying measurements take place) for the geographical area of Central Europe - specifically the Czech Republic. A numerical model was then applied to the resulting determined temperature gradients to calculate the path of the beam passing through an inhomogeneous atmosphere. From these values, the apparent vertical shifts caused by refraction in a given environment and time were finally determined.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Frank Ochsendorf

This article discusses the impact of investments by foreign firms in healthcare and hygienic measures on indigenous society in late-colonial Indonesia (1910-1940), focusing on three principal centers of foreign investment activity: Java, East Sumatra and the island of Belitung. Such facilities, although primarily intended for workers and their families, were sometimes accessible for members of indigenous society without contractual or family connection to the private company furnishing them. In rare cases, private companies invested directly in the welfare of local communities. The article concludes that the impact of the social investments on the state of health of indigenous communities was generally positive and a much-needed addition to scarcely available public healthcare. While such social investments can be regarded as examples of proto-corporate social responsibility strategies, the improvement of welfare was always a means through which the ultimate goal could be achieved: survival of the company and maximization of profits.


Author(s):  
Prajjval Pratap Singh ◽  
Prashanth Suravajhala ◽  
Chandana Basu Mallick ◽  
Rakesh Tamang ◽  
Ashutosh Kumar Rai ◽  
...  

AbstractThe rapid expansion of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has impacted various ethnic groups all over the world. The burden of infectious diseases including COVID-19 are generally reported to be higher for the Indigenous people. The historical knowledge have also suggested that the indigenous populations suffer more than the general populations in the pandemic. Recently, it has been reported that the indigenous groups of Brazil have been massively affected by COVID-19. Series of studies have shown that many of the indigenous communities reached at the verge of extinction due to this pandemic. Importantly, South Asia also has several indigenous and smaller communities, that are living in isolation. Till date, despite the two consecutive waves in India, there is no report on the impact of COVID-19 for indigenous tribes. Since smaller populations experiencing drift may have greater risk of such pandemic, we have analysed Runs of Homozygosity (ROH) among South Asian populations and identified several populations with longer homozygous segments. The longer runs of homozygosity at certain genomic regions may increases the susceptibility for COVID-19. Thus, we suggest extreme careful management of this pandemic among isolated populations of South Asia.


Author(s):  
Kaustubh Jain

The debate about developing countries having to choose between economic growth and biodiversity protection has been going on for a long time. This paper sought to add to existing literature written on that topic by exploring the relationship between economic growth and biodiversity loss. It argued that in the long term, developing countries need to protect biodiversity as a prerequisite for economic growth to occur and that the severe impact of biodiversity loss on vulnerable indigenous communities is a reason enough to make the protection of biodiversity a priority. The researcher first identified the primary reasons for why biodiversity occurs, then advocated for the prevention of biodiversity by exploring two impacts of biodiversity loss: the impact on indigenous communities and the impact on economic growth. The paper then briefly also explained the policies that both governments, as well as nongovernment actors, can implement in order to tackle biodiversity loss and protect our environment.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 49-58
Author(s):  
Sylwia Czachór

Generational differences in artistic representations of the experience of totalitarian past in the new Czech theatre. The article presents an analysis of a number of Czech performances from the years 2007–2013 on the topic of the communist era and reflecting on the changes that have occurred over the past 25 years. Selected directors belong to three generations of artists: the ones already creating in the 1960s, the ones debuting just before or just after the Velvet Revolution and the ones beginning their career in 2000. The comparison of performances produced within a short time clearly shows the differences, both aesthetic and ideological, in the method of recognizing similar issues by the authors growing up in a completely different socio-political conditions. Works of the oldest generation, using conventional theatrical means, reveal the strongest judgmental tendencies, the need to show the ambiguous choices in black and white colors. The average generation contend with the legend of past years, asking difficult questions about the impact of the past on the shape of collective identity. The youngest generation, however, intentionally emphasize that their knowledge about communism is mediated, which encourages them to analyze the history and memory of their families in search of their own roots.Generační rozdíly v uměleckém zobrazování zkušenosti totalitární minulosti v nejnovějším českém divadle. Příspěvek obsahuje analýzu několika českých představení z let 2007–2013, jejichž tématem se stalo období komunismu a reflexe nad proměnami posledních 25 let. Vybraní režiséři patří ke třem generacím umělců:  jedni inscenovali dlouho před rokem 1989, druzí debutovali krátce po sametové revoluci, zatímco třetí zahájili kariéru v roce 2000. Soubor představení vzniklých v malém časovém rozpětí výrazně ukazuje jak estetické, tak světonázorové rozdíly ve způsobu uchopení podobné tematiky autory, kteří vyrůstali ve zcela odlišných společensko-politických podmínkách. Díla nejstarší generace pomocí konvenčních divadelních prostředků projevují nejsilnější tendence posuzovat a odsuzovat, nutnost ukázat nejednoznačné volby v černo-bílých barvách. Střední generace se poměřuje s legendami mi­nulých dob, pokládá obtížné otázky po vlivu minulosti na podobu kolektivní identity. Nejmladší tvůrci pak vědomě zdůrazňují, že jejich znalost komunismu je zprostředkovaná, což je vede k analyzování historie a rodinné paměti při hledání vlastních kořenů.  


2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (12) ◽  
pp. 1424-1433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Brimblecombe ◽  
Megan Ferguson ◽  
Federica Barzi ◽  
Clare Brown ◽  
Kylie Ball

AbstractWe conducted a longitudinal dietary intervention study to assess the impact of a store-based intervention on mediators and moderators and consequent dietary behaviour in Indigenous communities in remote Australia. We assessed dietary intake of fruit, vegetable, water and sweetened soft drink, mediators and moderators among 148, eighty-five and seventy-three adult participants (92 % women) at baseline (T1), end of intervention (T2) and at 24 weeks post intervention (T3), respectively. Mediators included perceived affordability and self-efficacy. Moderators were barriers to eat more fruit and vegetables and food security. Mixed-effects models were used to determine changes in mediators and moderators with time and associations between these and each dietary outcome. Perceived vegetable affordability increased from T1 (19 %; 95 % CI 11, 27) to T2 (38 %; 95 % CI 25, 51) (P=0·004) and returned to baseline levels at T3. High self-efficacy to eat more fruit and vegetables and to drink less soft drink decreased from T1 to T3. A reduction in soft drink intake of 27 % (95 % CI −44, −4; P=0·02) was reported at T3 compared with T1; no changes with time were observed for all other outcome measures. Regardless of time, vegetable intake was positively associated with self-efficacy to cook and try new vegetables, no barriers and food security. The dietary intervention went someway to improving perceived affordability of vegetables but was probably not strong enough to overcome other mediators and moderators constraining behaviour change. Meaningful dietary improvement in this context will be difficult to achieve without addressing underlying constraints to behaviour change.


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