scholarly journals Ecologist engagement in translational science is imperative for building resilience to global change threats

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 65-92
Author(s):  
Kennedy Rubert-Nason ◽  
AM Aramati Casper ◽  
Matt Jurjonas ◽  
Caitlin Mandeville ◽  
Rebecca Potter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Change ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Translational Science ◽  
Communication Policy ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Building Resilience ◽  
Translational Ecology

The causes and consequences of global change are well-documented, as are mitigation and adaptation strategies. However, human actions continue to fail in building adequate socio-ecological resilience to the accelerating threats of global change. Translational science, which focuses on connecting scientific research to human benefits, is imperative to building resilience to a confluence of global change threats because it brings the implications of theory and empirical research into practice. Translational ecology, an approach to knowledge co-creation that is grounded in equitable, inclusive, empathetic, and just partnerships among administrators, policy makers, scholars, practitioners, and the public, has immense potential to bring about the rapid and expansive social, ecological and political changes necessary to build resilience to global change threats. Here, we articulate a need for greater engagement of ecologists and other professionals in translational initiatives addressing seven major resilience building challenges, and propose a framework that lowers barriers to participation and promotes stronger relationships among stakeholders. We recommend specific actions that ecologists can take based on their situation, as well as evidence and demonstrated need, to foster resilience building through their contributions to communication, policy, education, knowledge creation, leadership, and service as role models. We conclude with an urgent call for expansive engagement of ecologists and other professionals in initiatives that combat misinformation, partner equitably with communities in knowledge creation, cultivate empathy and compassion, bolster public trust in science, and ultimately build decentralized communities of practice that enable rapid and high-impact responses to global change.

scholarly journals Conditions under Which Trickle-Down Effects Occur: A Realist Synthesis Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Luke R. Potwarka ◽  
Pamela Wicker
Keyword(s):  
Role Models ◽  
Public Funding ◽  
Realist Synthesis ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Sport Policy ◽  
What Works ◽  
Sport Events ◽  
Synthesis Approach ◽  
Elite Sports ◽  
Trickle Down

Policy makers often legitimize bids for major sport events and public funding of elite sports by trickle-down effects, suggesting that hosting events, sporting success, and athlete role models inspire the population to participate themselves in sport and physical activity. According to previous review articles, empirical evidence of trickle-down effects are mixed, with several studies citing marginal or no effect. The purpose of this study is to apply a realist synthesis approach to evaluate under which conditions trickle-down effects occur (i.e., what works for whom under which circumstances?). Using rapid evidence assessment methodology, 58 empirical articles were identified in the search process and critically analyzed through the lens of realist synthesis evaluation. The analysis identified six conditions under which trickle-down effects have occurred: Event leveraging initiatives, capacity of community sport to cater for new participants, live spectating experiences, consumption possibilities on television or other media, and communities housing event venues. The findings have implications for the sustainability of sport policy decisions and public finance, as the likelihood of trickle-down effects increases with integrated planning and sustainable spending related to the above six conditions.

Interactionist Tools for Assessing Community Resilience

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Braden Leap
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Symbolic Interaction ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Resilience Theory ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Approaches To Studying ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Economic Downturns ◽  
Policies And Programs

This chapter contends that classic and contemporary research by symbolic interactionists, and those in closely related theoretical traditions, can provide an effective toolkit for enriching assessments of how resilience unfolds in practice. This is especially important if we hope to develop and implement policies and programs that have a greater potential for enhancing communities' abilities to effectively respond to socio-ecological disruptions. The chapter discusses resilience theory before addressing how interactionist work on institutions as well as interactions between humans and nonhumans—what can be referred to as (non)human interactions—can enrich considerations of resilience. Socio-ecological resilience theory has increasingly been utilized by scholars, development officials, and policy makers to assess whether and how communities can be sustained in response to disruptions related to a range of socio-ecological processes such as floods, epidemics, climate change, and economic downturns. Paralleling others who advocate employing multiple theoretical traditions to better assess the intricate complexities of resilience, instead of arguing that symbolic interaction should supplant other approaches to studying resilience, the chapter emphasizes that symbolic interactionism can complement and extend existing research on resilience.

Exploring appropriate livelihood alternatives for sustainable rangeland management

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hojatollah Khedri Gharibvand ◽  
Hossein Azadi ◽  
Frank Witlox
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Sustainable Livelihoods ◽  
Rangeland Management ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Rangeland Degradation ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Migration Strategies ◽  
And Migration

Rangeland degradation and vulnerability of livelihoods are two major challenges facing pastoralists, rangeland managers and policy-makers in arid and semi-arid areas. There is a need to make holistic informed decisions in order to protect rangelands and sustain livelihoods. Through a comprehensive literature review on rangeland management policies and livelihood strategies of ‘rangeland users’, it is shown how such policies have affected sustainable rangeland management, how strategies to sustain livelihoods have been incomplete and how there has been a lack of a multi-disciplinary approach in acknowledging them. Accordingly, a set of appropriate livelihood alternatives is introduced and, thenceforth, a framework for their evaluation is developed. Supportive strategies for enhancing resilience are discussed as a research and policy-making gap. In this study, the keys to achieve sustainable livelihoods are acknowledged as ‘livelihoods’ resilience’, where livelihoods need to be supported by access to capital, means of coping with the contexts of vulnerability as well as by enhancing policies, institutions and processes. The paper proposes a set of ‘livestock-based livelihoods’ regarding ‘traditional pastoralism’ as well as ‘their mitigation and adaptation’. Moreover, their transformation to ‘commercial pastoralism’, ‘resource-based livelihoods’, ‘alternative livelihoods’ and ‘migration’ strategies is recognised to be employed by rangeland users as useful alternatives in different regions and under future changing conditions including climate change. These strategies embrace thinking on resilience and are supported by strategies that address social and ecological consequences of climate change consisting of mitigation, adaptation and transformation. It is argued that sustainable livelihoods and sustainable rangeland management will be achieved if they are supported by policies that build and facilitate a set of appropriate livelihood alternatives and keep them in a sustainable state rather than being limited to supporting ‘vulnerable livelihoods’. Finally, future directions for analysing and policy-making in selecting the best alternative to achieve sustainable livelihoods are indicated.

A framework for strengthening agricultural knowledge systems for improved accessibility of agricultural knowledge in Morogoro Region of Tanzania

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 629-642
Author(s):  
Wulystan Pius Mtega ◽  
Mpho Ngoepe
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Agricultural Extension ◽  
Knowledge Systems ◽  
Communication Tools ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Knowledge Processes ◽  
Agricultural Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Infrastructure ◽  
Knowledge Accessibility ◽  
Improve Access

Access to agricultural knowledge has been a serious challenge among farmers in Tanzania. To overcome this, various strategies have been implemented, but few have managed to limit the effect of the problem. The current study was set to design a framework for strengthening agricultural knowledge systems (AKS) with the view to improve access to agricultural knowledge among agricultural stakeholders in Tanzania. Furthermore, the study identified actors in agricultural knowledge systems and determined factors influencing the efficiency of AKS. Quantitative data was collected through questionnaires directed to 314 farmers and 57 AKS actors among agricultural researchers, agricultural extension staff, policy makers, village executives and input suppliers. Findings indicate that individual experience and involvement of actors influence agricultural knowledge creation. Accessibility of agricultural knowledge was influenced by: awareness of knowledge and its sources, ownership of communication tools, affordability of mobile phone tariffs, level of development of knowledge infrastructure, time that radio/TV agricultural programmes were aired, membership in farmers’ groups/associations and provision of agricultural extension services. To strengthen usage of AKS, this study proposes a framework for improving the performance of agricultural knowledge processes and knowledge accessibility. It is hoped that the framework will assist in guiding agricultural actors in sharing knowledge.

scholarly journals The Rothamsted long-term experiments: Are they still relevant?

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 559-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Poulton
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Global Change ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Atmospheric Pollution ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Land Management Practice ◽  
Long Term Experiments

Maintaining soil fertility and sustaining or increasing crop yield is of worldwide importance. Many factors impact upon the complex biological, chemical and physical processes which govern soil fertility. Changes in fertility caused by acidification, declining levels of organic matter, or P and K status may take many years to appear. These properties can in turn be affected by external influences such as atmospheric pollution, global change, or changes in land management practice. Long-term experiments provide the best practical means of studying changes in soil properties and processes and providing information for farmers, scientists and policy makers. This paper shows how the experiments run at Rothamsted in southeast England continue to provide data which are highly relevant to today's agriculture and wider environmental concerns. Examples are given of how crop yield is affected by soil organic matter, by pests and disease and by P nutrition. The effect of atmospheric pollution on soil acidity and the mobilization of heavy metals are also examined. The need for making better use of existing long-term experiments is stressed. Key words: Soil fertility, sustainability, long-term experiments, global change

scholarly journals Global change and capacity building in coral reef management in the pacific: Engaging scientists and policy-makers in Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Tuvalu

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-18
Author(s):  
G. Robin South ◽  
S. Bala ◽  
P. Chand ◽  
L. Limalevu ◽  
C. Morris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Global Change ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Reef Management ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Coral Reef Management

Reflections on Brown to Understand Milliken v. Bradley: What If We are Focusing on the Wrong Policy Questions?

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Richard Milner ◽  
Lori A. Delale-O'Connor ◽  
Ira E. Murray ◽  
Abiola A. Farinde
Keyword(s):  
Black Students ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Black Teachers ◽  
Black Communities ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Organizational Challenges ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Success Experience ◽  
Indicators Of Success ◽  
The Impact

Background/Context Prior research on Milliken v. Bradley focuses on the failure of this case to implement interdistrict busing in the highly segregated Detroit schools. Much of this work focuses explicitly on desegregation, rather than on equity and addressing individual, systemic, institutional, and organizational challenges that may prevent the advancement and actualization of desegregation to benefit Black students, teachers, and communities. Purpose/Objective In this study, we shed light on the impacts of desegregation on Black students, teachers, and communities. We argue that Brown, Milliken, and associated policies that attempt to address segregation focus mostly on student assignment policies. Our focus instead is on highlighting the underconceptualized microlevel realities of desegregation, which include the losses of cultural and community connections, strong role models, and connections to school. Population/Participants This study draws from interview data collected from three experts in the field of education whose research focuses on school desegregation. The interview participants have written scholarly articles and/or book chapters about desegregation and related influences on/for Black teachers, Black students, and Black communities spanning the PreK–12 and higher education spectrum. Research Design This study employs in-depth qualitative interviewing. Data Collection and Analysis Interviews were conducted by phone and lasted approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Participants in the study were asked questions about the impact of desegregation and education on Black teachers’ experience, self-concept, dedication, and retention; Black students’ experience of schools and school-related success; experience and connection of Black communities; and “next steps” in educating Black students. An interpretive perspective was used to guide the interview analyses in this study. Findings/Results Analysis of the expert interviews reveals the underexplored microlevel losses and harmful effects of desegregation policies and politics on Black children, families, and communities. Conclusions/Recommendations Evidence from these researchers who have studied desegregation suggests that for many Black students and educators, desegregation was unsuccessful— even when there were superficial indicators of success. We suggest that both researchers and policy makers should consider drawing from the potential losses associated with desegregation and focusing on equity, regardless of schooling location and population.

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