Tribal Land Alienation, Agricultural Changes and Food Culture Transition in Attappady

This article, based on fieldwork, discusses the negative impacts of land alienation suffered by Adivasis in Attappady, a tribal block of Kerala in South India. Experiencing multiple alienations that have fundamentally affected their way of life, agricultural practices and food culture, tribals not only continue to suffer discriminatory treatment by non-tribal settlers, but also by state authorities’ restrictions of access to local forests and forest produce. These problems assume added significance as this ecologically important location in the Western Ghats of India is one of the eight ‘hottest hotspots’ of biological diversity in the world, while the traditional guardians of this environment have been completely disempowered. The article traces abuses of power in land alienation processes, analyses unequal power structures and argues that better appreciation of traditional tribal culture and its ecologically holistic approaches ought to inform policies for local sustainable development. This would help the tribals to safeguard their identity within the constraints of current conditions and enhance the prospects for sustainable preservation of the precious local natural resources and biodiversity.

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Fungi and diseases — natural components of healthy forestsThis article is one of a collection of papers based on a presentation from the Stem and Shoot Fungal Pathogens and Parasitic Plants: the Values of Biological Diversity session of the XXII International Union of Forestry Research Organization World Congress meeting held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, in 2005.

Botany ◽

10.1139/b08-090 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 87 (1) ◽

pp. 22-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

M. E. Ostry ◽

G. Laflamme

Keyword(s):

Fungal Pathogens ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Forest Health ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Ecological Interactions ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Land Owners ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

The Many ◽

Native Fungi

Forest health is described and perceived in different ways by the general public, land owners, managers, politicians, and scientists, depending on their values and objectives. Native tree pathogens and diseases are often associated with negative impacts even though damage is limited or not widespread. Too often, the concepts of tree health and forest health are used interchangeably and are not related to scale. Similar to fire, occurrences of disease outbreaks focus on the negative effects. However, native pathogens often exist in equilibrium with natural forest communities so their critical ecological roles are not easily discernible. Examined holistically, native fungi and diseases, dead and dying trees, and the many complex ecological interactions among them provide valuable benefits that ultimately contribute to sustainable, healthy forest ecosystems.

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Glomalin – an interesting protein part of the soil organic matter

Soil and Water Research ◽

10.17221/29/2019-swr ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (No. 2) ◽

pp. 67-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Vítězslav Vlček ◽

Miroslav Pohanka

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhiza ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽

Fulvic Acids ◽

Soil Parameters ◽

Citrate Buffer

The negative effects of the current agricultural practices include erosion, acidification, loss of soil organic matter (dehumification), loss of soil structure, soil contamination by risky elements, reduction of biological diversity and land use for non-agricultural purposes. All these effects are a huge risk to the further development of soil quality from an agronomic point of view and its resilience to projected climate change. Organic matter has a crucial role in it. Relatively significant correlations with the quality or the health of soil parameters and the soil organic matter or some fraction of the soil organic matter have been found. In particular, Ctot, Cox, humic and fulvic acids, the C/N ratio, and glomalin. Our work was focused on glomalin, a glycoprotein produced by the hyphae and spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which we classify as Glomeromycota. Arbuscular mycorrhiza, and its molecular pathways, is not a well understood phenomenon. It appears that many proteins are involved in the arbuscular mycorrhiza from which glomalin is probably one of the most significant. This protein is also responsible for the unique chemical and physical properties of soils and has an ecological and economical relevance in this sense and it is a real product of the mycorrhiza. Glomalin is very resistant to destruction (recalcitrant) and difficult to dissolve in water. Its extraction requires specific conditions: high temperature (121°C) and a citrate buffer with a neutral or alkaline pH. Due to these properties, glomalin (or its fractions) are very stable compounds that protect the soil aggregate surface. In this review, the actual literature has been researched and the importance of glomalin is discussed.

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Biodiversity implications of water management in the Great Artesian Basin.

The Rangeland Journal ◽

10.1071/rj9980275 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 275 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

JC Noble ◽

MA Habermehl ◽

CD James ◽

J Landsberg ◽

AC Langston ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Natural Waters ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

New South ◽

Grazing Impact ◽

Artesian Basin ◽

Land Type ◽

Great Artesian Basin ◽

South Wales ◽

High Conservation ◽

Negative Impacts

The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) underlies a vast, mainly arid, region where most of the indigenous biota are not dependent upon surface water. In contrast, an important minority is dependent on refuges such as mound springs and their associated wetlands. In some parts of the GAB, such as western New South Wales, many springs have either ceased to flow, or are now barely detectable, because the proliferation of artesian waterbores has reduced groundwater pressures. Because of the rarity of species endemic to mound springs, and the damage they have suffered since pastoral settlement, emphasis should be directed towards conservation and possible rejuvenation of these ecosystems. Provision of artificial sources of water allows more widespread grazing by livestock, larger native and feral herbivores, thereby posing threats to native plants and animals that do not use the water. Because of the proliferation of artificial waters and the grazing they allow, terrestrial grazing-sensitive species now appear to be confined to tiny patches in the landscape. Some nature reserves within the GAB retain numerous artificial sources of water. Most of these should be closed over time to reduce negative impacts on grazing-sensitive plants and animals, especially where these species are inadequately protected elsewhere. In those regions where the ratio of artificial to natural waters is still low, consideration should be given to balancing provision of water for livestock with conservation of biological diversity, by maintaining a patchwork of areas remote from water. In regions where the density of artificial waters is high, conservation of biodiversity on freehold and leasehold lands might be enhanced with a mix of approaches accommodating the needs of the biota and the aspirations of landholders, tailored according to land type and condition. Key words: Great Artesian Basin, biological diversity, mound springs, refuges, rare biota, grazing impact, conservation management, groundwater.

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Agroforestry Heritage Systems as Agrobiodiversity Hotspots. The Case of the Mountain Oases of Tunisia

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12104054 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 4054 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Antonio Santoro ◽

Martina Venturi ◽

Sihem Ben Maachia ◽

Fadwa Benyahia ◽

Federica Corrieri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Resources ◽

Landscape Structure ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Fruit Trees ◽

Land Uses ◽

Agricultural Systems ◽

Food And Agriculture ◽

Traditional Agricultural Practices

Traditional agricultural systems are receiving increasing attention at the international level due to their multifunctional role. The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) aims to identify agricultural systems of global importance, preserve landscape, agrobiodiversity and traditional knowledge and apply the principles of dynamic conservation to promote sustainable development. Biodiversity associated to traditional agricultural practices is particularly important, especially in difficult environments, like traditional oases, for ensuring food and nutrition to local communities. We documented landscape and biological diversity associated with traditional agricultural practices in three traditional oases in Tunisia, through a landscape analysis based on land-use survey, and an assessment of cultivated species. Results show that the landscape structure is dominated by agricultural land uses and characterized by a high level of diversification. Agrobiodiversity is high: we identified 20 varieties of date palm, 21 species of fruit trees, 21 vegetable species and two fodder crops. Results highlighted that traditional oases, as other agroforestry and agricultural heritage systems, continue to play a crucial role in maintaining genetic resources and agrobiodiversity. Farmers who, all over the world, still cultivate applying traditional practices are the main actors that practice a real conservation of genetic resources and diversity by maintaining traditional cultivars and a diversified landscape structure. Our methodology, based on the combined assessment of land uses and agrobiodiversity, can be replicated in other agricultural heritage systems to evaluate and measure possible transformations and identify the best strategies for their preservation.

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Modernising Violence and Social Change in the Spanish Sahara (1957–1975)

Itinerario ◽

10.1017/s0165115320000042 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 33-54

Author(s):

Enrique Bengochea Tirado ◽

Francesco Correale

Keyword(s):

Way Of Life ◽

Spanish Colonial ◽

Colonial State ◽

Western Sahara ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

And Gender ◽

The 1960S ◽

Military Posts ◽

Hygiene Education ◽

Effects Of War

AbstractIn Spain's last colony, Western Sahara, both efforts by the colonial power to stimulate development and the negative impacts of colonisation intensified between the end of the Ifni-Sahara War (1957–58) and the Spanish withdrawal in 1975. Spanish economical and geopolitical interests triggered an important industrial and urban development of the territory. Cities such as Laayoune, Villa Cisneros, Smara, and the Bou Craa phosphate deposits were to showcase Spanish modernising colonial policies.However, the effects of war, the control of colonial frontiers, and severe droughts during the 1960s strongly affected Sahrawi society. In this context, the Spanish colonial state developed new forms of control over the Sahrawi population, which included the progressive (forced) settling of nomadic people around military posts and Spanish cities, bringing about the adoption of new economic paradigms. Not only did the Francoist government distribute subsidies, both money and goods; it furthermore implemented policies aimed at controlling the Sahrawi way of life, particularly in the areas of hygiene, education, and gender relations. The essay analyses these “carrot-and-stick” strategies at the intersection of colonial control and forced sedentarisation with regard to the implementation of a market-oriented economy in Western Sahara.

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Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Automation, Robotics, Future of Work and Future of Humanity

Journal of Database Management ◽

10.4018/jdm.2019010104 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 61-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Weiyu Wang ◽

Keng Siau

Keyword(s):

Artificial Intelligence ◽

Machine Learning ◽

Industrial Revolution ◽

Future Research ◽

Way Of Life ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Future Research Directions ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

The Impact ◽

The Way

The exponential advancement in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, robotics, and automation are rapidly transforming industries and societies across the world. The way we work, the way we live, and the way we interact with others are expected to be transformed at a speed and scale beyond anything we have observed in human history. This new industrial revolution is expected, on one hand, to enhance and improve our lives and societies. On the other hand, it has the potential to cause major upheavals in our way of life and our societal norms. The window of opportunity to understand the impact of these technologies and to preempt their negative effects is closing rapidly. Humanity needs to be proactive, rather than reactive, in managing this new industrial revolution. This article looks at the promises, challenges, and future research directions of these transformative technologies. Not only are the technological aspects investigated, but behavioral, societal, policy, and governance issues are reviewed as well. This research contributes to the ongoing discussions and debates about AI, automation, machine learning, and robotics. It is hoped that this article will heighten awareness of the importance of understanding these disruptive technologies as a basis for formulating policies and regulations that can maximize the benefits of these advancements for humanity and, at the same time, curtail potential dangers and negative impacts.

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Present state and future prospects for groundwater ecosystems

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892903000109 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 104-130 ◽

Cited By ~ 191

Author(s):

Dan L. Danielopol ◽

Christian Griebler ◽

Amara Gunatilaka ◽

Jos Notenboom

Keyword(s):

Biological Diversity ◽

Saline Water ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Microbial Pathogens ◽

Environmental Pressures ◽

Groundwater Ecosystems ◽

Landscape Alteration ◽

Groundwater Reserves

Ecological and socioeconomic aspects of subterranean hydrosystems have changed during the past 40–50 years. The major environmental pressures (mainly anthropogenic ones) impact the quantity and quality of groundwater resources and the state of subsurface ecosystems, and it is expected that the environmental pressures on groundwater will continue, at least until 2025, unless new environmental policies change this state of affairs. The world demographic increase and the general rise of water demand constitute one of the major environmental pressures on groundwater ecosystems especially in less developed countries in Africa, Asia and South America. Specific human activities leading to the depletion of groundwater reserves include agricultural practices, landscape alteration, urbanization demand for domestic and public drinking water, various industrial activities such as thermoelectric production and mining, and the rise of tourism in coastal areas. Climate change is contributing to the water crisis too, especially in areas with arid climate and/or in some humid monsoonal countries. The overload of aquifers with pollutants derived from agriculture (fertilizers and pesticides), from industry (release of hydrocarbon chemicals, especially spills), from waste and industrial waters, from domestic and industrial landfills, from the infiltration of pollutants from surface and from the intrusion of saline water affect groundwater quality. The dangerous increase in contaminated subsurface sites with chemicals and microbial pathogens brings with it health risks to humans. Changes of redox condition in groundwater zones, changes of biological diversity, vegetation changes with modification of agriculture practices and impacts at the biosphere scale, such as the increase in the concentration of nitrous oxides in the atmosphere, all impact groundwater ecosystems. Groundwater ecosystems must be better investigated and understood. Economic, social and ecological lines of thinking have to be combined in order to achieve meaningful policies for the sustainable development of groundwater reserves and for the protection of subsurface ecosystems. Practical measures and ideas for the development of policies up to the 2025 time-horizon should improve the sustainable usage of the world's groundwater resources.

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Biological pest control: Needs and opportunities

American Journal of Alternative Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0889189300002289 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 3 (2-3) ◽

pp. 117-122 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Waldemar Klassen

Keyword(s):

Pest Control ◽

Policy Issue ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Resource Base ◽

Biological Pest Control ◽

Public Policy Issue ◽

Widespread Adoption ◽

The Status ◽

Private And Public ◽

Negative Impacts

AbstractThe extent to which pests should be managed by biological versus chemical methods has been a burning public policy issue since about 1950. A thorough policy analysis is needed to facilitate movement beyond the status quo. Such analysis should: a) review the extent of adoption of ecologically selective methods of pest control that have emerged from the last three decades of research, b) examine changes in policies, legislation and institutional arrangements that would foster more rapid and widespread adoption of environmentally benign pest controls, c) assess the role of biological controls in facilitating survival of farms during periods of economic adversity and in increasing the competitiveness of American agriculture, d) evaluate opportunities to use ecologically selective pest controls to improve water quality, to reduce environmental impacts of pests and of farming practices, and to preserve the usefulness of pest-resistant crop cultivars and pesticides, and e) identify options and mechanisms to further increase the flow of private and public resources into biocontrol research, development and implementation. A committee of highly accomplished and respected citizens needs to be formed to conduct a thorough analysis of the above and other issues related to the long-term economic viability of farming and to the development and widespread adoption of agricultural practices that will conserve and improve the resource base, and that are devoid of negative impacts on the environment and public health.

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Freshwater fish fauna of rivers of the southern Western Ghats, India

Earth System Science Data ◽

10.5194/essd-10-1735-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 1735-1752 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Anbu Aravazhi Arunkumar ◽

Arunachalam Manimekalan

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Freshwater Fish ◽

Western Ghats ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Fish Fauna ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

Freshwater Fish Fauna ◽

Western Ghats Of India ◽

Southern Western Ghats ◽

The Western Ghats

Abstract. The Western Ghats of India is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight “hotspots” of biological diversity in the world. It is also referred to as the “Great Escarpment of India”. This paper provides information on the diversity of freshwater fish fauna of six river systems of the southern Western Ghats. The study area has been identified geographically using a GPS, and the respective topographic map has been digitized using ArcGIS software. The fish fauna were collected from various streams and rivers using cast nets, dip nets, gill nets and drag nets. Among the 31 georeferenced sites sampled from the rivers of the southern Western Ghats, a total of 64 species, belonging to 6 orders, 14 families and 31 genera, were recorded. Among them, the order Cypriniformes was dominant, with 3 families, 18 genera and 49 species (76.6 %). Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were performed to express the contribution of the variables and their influence on the species diversity. Interestingly, of the 31 sites, Thunakadavu stream, Gulithuraipatti, Athirapally, Naduthotam, Nadathittu, Mullaithodu, Thonanthikla, Noolpuzha and Sinnaru exhibited high variation in species diversity. Nearly 15 species were found to be threatened in the Western Ghats. Garra periyarensis and Cirrhinus cirrhosus are known to be vulnerable and Hemibagrus punctatus is critically endangered because of various anthropogenic activities. The study clearly indicates that certain timely measures have to be taken immediately to protect the fish fauna in the southern Western Ghats (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.882214).

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Agricultural Certification Programs Implemented inTurkey and the Extent of their Contributions to Environmental Sustainability

International Conference on Eurasian Economies 2016 ◽

10.36880/c07.01772 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Mehmet Hasdemir ◽

Füsun Zehra Özkan

Keyword(s):

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Global Scale ◽

Iso 14001 ◽

Agriculture Sector ◽

Certification Programs ◽

Governmental Organizations ◽

Non Governmental Organizations ◽

International Regulations ◽

Negative Impacts

The negative impacts of global-scale developments and consumption habits on the environment are increasing each day. In this context, studies are conducted worldwide by many institutions and non-governmental organizations to support environmental policies. Additionally, certification programs are being executed by conformity assessment bodies to mitigate the impacts of production processes on the environment. These management systems or certification programs are either used on a voluntary basis or made mandatory by company policy, national or international regulations. The certification programs were firstly started to be used in industry and service sectors and are currently being used in agriculture sector. The certification programs used in agriculture sector aim to ensure an environmentally-friendly agricultural production process and improve consumer trust and satisfaction. This study aims to address the extent to which implementation of ISO/IEC 17065 Standard based organic and good agricultural practices and GLOBALG.A.P. certification programs and ISO 14001 Management System Standard have contributed to environmental sustainability in Turkey.

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