scholarly journals A mixed-methods approach to developing and evaluating an SME business support model for innovation in rural England

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Fish ◽  
◽  
Chris Lambert ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
World Heritage Site ◽  
Innovation Ecosystem ◽  
Development Fund ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Heritage Site ◽  
Unesco World Heritage Site ◽  
Natural Beauty ◽  
Business Support

Cumbria is a geo-political county in Northwest England within which the Lake District National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site is located. Whilst the area has a formidable reputation for natural beauty and historic assets, the innovation ecosystem is described as ‘patchy’ for a number of reasons. The county is one of the largest in England by area and is sparsely populated. This paper describes the needs, development and delivery of an SME business-support programme funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Lancaster University and the University of Cumbria. The Cumbria Innovations Platform (CUSP) Project has been designed to respond to the nuanced needs of SMEs in this locale, whilst promoting the adoption of research and innovation. CUSP utilizes a funnel method to support rural businesses with access to university innovation intervention. CUSP has been built on a three-tier model: Communicate, Collaborate and Create. The paper describes this project in detail and presents results in terms of output indicators achieved, a beneficiary telephone survey and wider economic forecasts. From a pragmatic point-of-view, the paper provides experiences and reflections of those people who are delivering and evaluating knowledge exchange. The authors discuss some of the benefits, challenges and implications for both policy makers and practitioners. Finally, the paper aims to serve as an invitation to others who may consider adopting a similar method of university-industry collaboration in their own region.

scholarly journals Preliminary study for the adaptation of the »Heaven's Cave« for tourist purposes (Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park, Vietnam)

2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bogdan Debevec ◽  
Martin Knez ◽  
Andrej Kranjc ◽  
Marko Pahor ◽  
Mitja Prelovšek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
World Heritage Site ◽  
Heritage Site ◽  
Unesco World Heritage Site ◽  
Central Vietnam ◽  
Show Cave ◽  
The City

Heaven’s Cave is located in the centre of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park, about 500  km southern from the Vietnamese capital and 40 km from the city of Dong Hoi. Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park is protected also as a UNESCO world heritage site. Due to weak economic situation in this region as a result of lack of natural resources, karst tourism represents an important opportunity for raising the quality of live in the province. A proposal to adapt non-touristic Heaven’s Cave for tourism was presented to Karst Research Institute ZRC SAZU in 2006. Because the caves are sensitive ecosystems and all activities in them should be carefully implemented, our task was to make basic survey and map the cave, to perform a speleological and touristic research, to propose possible interventions for adapting the cave for tourism and to prepare a strategy for tourism development in this area. The latter should also show us if some interest is present among tourists for new show cave in this region. From this point of view this study does not represent systematic long-term approach for adapting a cave for tourism but rather a short study of a cave with potential to be show cave in remote area of Central Vietnam. Approach used in this study should be used in similar environments as a first step to estimate if weakly known cave is environmentally and economically suitable for development for touristic purposes.Keywords: Heaven’s Cave, Thien Duong Cave, Phong Nha-Ke Bang, Vietnam, show cave.

scholarly journals Management of Forests in the Northern Western Ghats

2014 ◽  
Vol 26-27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ketaki Ghate
Keyword(s):  
Water Conservation ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
World Heritage Site ◽  
Unesco World Heritage ◽  
Heritage Site ◽  
Unesco World Heritage Site ◽  
Current Article

The Western Ghats in India are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the "hotspots" of biologicaldiversity in the world. Looking at the physiography and climate of the Northern Western Ghats, the regionshould support Tropical semi evergreen (on Crestline) to moist deciduous type of forest (on Eastern end ofspurs) as ‘climax’ type of vegetation. But it is seen to be variedly degraded and fragmented due to use bylocal people for cultivation or intrusion by outsiders for commercial gains over the last two centuries, as wellas modern developmental pressures within the last few decades. The original forest cover and biodiversityis seen only in pockets of notified protected areas or within semiprotected areas like scared groves. Rest ofthe landscape is degraded to various seral stages depending on the degree of disturbance and is reflected insix major vegetation classes namely Rocky outcrops, Open grasslands with Scrub, Dense shrubbery, Dwarfcanopy forests, Riparian forests and Tall mature forests. Composition of species pertaining to each of theseclasses is more or less definite with some overlaps. The current article tries to illustrate the reasoning foreach of these stages along with the dominant species associated with each stage, mainly flora and birds. Ofthese stages, the last one is the protected ‘climax’ vegetation, which is the only support for ‘habitat specialist’species, some of which are threatened as per IUCN. No other seral stage can support this biodiversity. Froman ecological point of view, there is an urgent need to conserve these pockets and provide buffer for them.A detailed study may need to be undertaken to know the exact areas under such climax forest and developa policy for their protection.The article also suggests landscape-based management strategies for conservation in the NorthernWestern Ghats, based on ecological role and potential of each land class. This can be achieved throughvarious restoration techniques like soil water conservation, plantation, habitat development etc.

INHERITING THE CITY: HISTORIC URBAN LANDSCAPE OF GEORGE TOWN UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohayah Che Amat
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
World Heritage ◽  
World Heritage Site ◽  
Unesco World Heritage ◽  
Landscape Values ◽  
Heritage Site ◽  
Unesco World Heritage Site ◽  
Community Evaluation ◽  
George Town

This research presents the value of historic urban landscape (HUL) elements in influencing the character of George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS), Penang, Malaysia. The values were perceived by the local community of different social-cultural groups that occupied the study area. The historic urban landscape elements constitute towards the protection of its townscape. The identification of the heritage elements influenced by the community interaction with their environment. This study also helps to define the character of a place, as well as reflecting its historical significance. The study adopted four techniques to gather both qualitative and quantitative data, including questionnaire survey, in-depth interview, visual survey and content analysis. In general, the local community has the capability in valuing the historic urban landscape values. The outcomes of their perceptions became the statement of the historic urban landscape values, which are expected to lead to the development of the areas. The community evaluation and perception can be expanded in implementing any development of the historic urban area by the authority.

scholarly journals The Wadden Sea as a National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site: Students’ Word Associations with These Two Conservation Designations

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 8006
Author(s):  
Till Schmäing ◽  
Norbert Grotjohann
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Wadden Sea ◽  
World Heritage ◽  
World Heritage Site ◽  
Unesco World Heritage ◽  
Word Associations ◽  
Heritage Site ◽  
Unesco World Heritage Site ◽  
Significant Difference

The Wadden Sea ecosystem is unique in many respects from a biological perspective. This is one reason why it is protected by national parks in Germany and by its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In biology didactics, there are only a few studies that focus on the Wadden Sea. This work investigates students’ word associations with the two stimulus words “national park” and “UNESCO World Heritage Site”. The survey was conducted among students living directly at the Wadden Sea and among students from the inland. The analysis of the identified associations (n = 8345) was carried out within the framework of a quantitative content analysis to be able to present and discuss the results on a group level. A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups. Overall, results showed that the students made subject-related associations as well as a large number of associations to both stimulus words that could be judged as non-subject-related. In some cases, a connection with the region of residence could be found, but this was not generally the case. Even students’ immediate residential proximity to the Wadden Sea is no guarantee that they have knowledge of the two considered protection terms.

scholarly journals Assessing the hydrological impacts of agricultural changes upstream of the Tunisian World Heritage sea-connected Ichkeul Lake

2015 ◽  
Vol 365 ◽  
pp. 61-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Aouissi ◽  
Z. L. Chabaane ◽  
S. Benabdallah ◽  
C. Cudennec
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Land ◽  
World Heritage ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
World Heritage Site ◽  
Landsat Images ◽  
Heritage Site ◽  
Unesco World Heritage Site ◽  
Ichkeul Lake ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The impact of changes in agricultural land use and practices as a controlling driver of hydrologic response and as a source of diffuse pollution, are studied in the Joumine River basin, discharging into the Ichkeul Lake, northern Tunisia, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979. The lake is characterized by a very specific hydrological functioning based on a seasonal alternation of water levels and salinity through its link to the Mediterranean Sea. Three Landsat images, in situ surveys and SWAT modelling were used to simulate and assess streamflows and nitrate loads under retrospective land uses.

scholarly journals Numerical Analysis of an Earthen Masonry Structure Subjected to Blast Loading

CivilEng ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 969-985
Author(s):  
Demiana Tse ◽  
João M. Pereira ◽  
Paulo B. Lourenço
Keyword(s):  
Damage Index ◽  
Damage Threshold ◽  
Impulsive Loading ◽  
World Heritage Site ◽  
Unesco World Heritage ◽  
Damage Level ◽  
Heritage Site ◽  
Pressure Profiles ◽  
Unesco World Heritage Site ◽  
Explicit Dynamic

Historic monuments and construction capture the knowledge of civilizations of the past and are a source of pride for people of the present. Over the centuries, these buildings have been at risk from natural and man-made causes. The Alhambra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Granada, Spain, is one of such places. This paper aims to evaluate the structural performance of the Torre de la Vela, a tower in the Alhambra, under blast loads. The loads were based on historical records of barrels of gunpowder and were modeled as simplified pressure profiles using existing empirical equations. The effect of impulsive loading on the material properties was accounted for using dynamic increase factors, determined experimentally by previous authors. The model was created using finite element methods (FEM) and the problem was solved using explicit dynamic analysis available in Abaqus/Explicit. Using the failure volume damage index, a blast load applied outside and inside of the building would create a low damage level, which should be treated with caution given the occurrence of localized damage. The removal of elements exceeding a given damage threshold led to more visible damage patterns than the Concrete Tension Damage option in Abaqus.

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