Biological Conservation

Author(s):  
Gerardo P. Reyes ◽  
Nandakumar Kanavillil ◽  
Ryan Stevens

Despite building a clear and compelling message about the importance of conserving biodiversity and what we risk in depleting it, meaningful engagement from implicated stakeholders remains limited. Past studies have examined the gap between the possession of environmental knowledge and displaying behavior that would help to conserve it. Essentially, increasing awareness and interest in environmental issues does not ensure that individuals will make the necessary changes in behaviours detrimental to biological conservation. This is a concern as failure to meaningfully engage the public into acting on conservation strategies will hamper efforts to curb biodiversity loss. Herein the authors investigate why action to address biodiversity loss has been slow or deficient in many jurisdictions. The authors draw from models and theories developed in health and social sciences to provide context to the key factors that prevent action and propose steps that could be taken to stimulate it.

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 3005-3013
Author(s):  
Thomas S. Bianchi ◽  
Madhur Anand ◽  
Chris T. Bauch ◽  
Donald E. Canfield ◽  
Luc De Meester ◽  
...  

Abstract. Biogeochemistry has an important role to play in many environmental issues of current concern related to global change and air, water, and soil quality. However, reliable predictions and tangible implementation of solutions, offered by biogeochemistry, will need further integration of disciplines. Here, we refocus on how further developing and strengthening ties between biology, geology, chemistry, and social sciences will advance biogeochemistry through (1) better incorporation of mechanisms, including contemporary evolutionary adaptation, to predict changing biogeochemical cycles, and (2) implementing new and developing insights from social sciences to better understand how sustainable and equitable responses by society are achieved. The challenges for biogeochemists in the 21st century are formidable and will require both the capacity to respond fast to pressing issues (e.g., catastrophic weather events and pandemics) and intense collaboration with government officials, the public, and internationally funded programs. Keys to success will be the degree to which biogeochemistry can make biogeochemical knowledge more available to policy makers and educators about predicting future changes in the biosphere, on timescales from seasons to centuries, in response to climate change and other anthropogenic impacts. Biogeochemistry also has a place in facilitating sustainable and equitable responses by society.


Author(s):  
Alexander Ovodenko

Climate change, tropical deforestation, biodiversity loss, ozone depletion, hazardous wastes, and ocean pollution are among the environmental issues that have bought national governments together in a common purpose. As they have worked to mitigate these global problems, national governments have developed a wide variety of environmental regime designs. They have created complex systems of global rules and institutions to enable and incentivize private and public actors to meet the challenges posed by global pollution. Why have national governments created different international rules and institutions to address global environmental issues? This book demonstrates that national governments have developed different institutional responses to global issues because the markets producing environmental pollution impose varying constraints and create varying opportunities for change. The nature and scale of those constraints and opportunities depend on the capital resources and industrial concentrations of producers and the demand characteristics of consumers in the markets that governments seek to regulate. Global institutions are designed to match the basic elements of the markets producing global environmental pollution. In global governance, not only are oligopolistic businesses politically influential in shaping policy outcomes, but they are also efficient implementers of environmental regulation. They face a double-edged sword arising from their wealth and market concentrations. Although they are able to shape regulatory policy, these powerful businesses are targeted for stringent global regulation. The sources of their political influence make them the best options for mitigating global pollution.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7204
Author(s):  
Anastazija Dimitrova ◽  
Antonín Vaishar ◽  
Milada Šťastná

This article discusses the relationship between a consumer lifestyle and the environment. The willingness to adapt to a sustainable lifestyle was tested through a questionnaire among students of Mendel University in Brno, who are theoretically well-informed people. Overall, 417 students answered, i.e., 19% of the respondents. The students generally recognised the need to address environmental issues, and 90.6% intended to change their lifestyle in this direction. Among the barriers, they mentioned in particular lack of time, lack of financial resources, lack of specific information and insufficient conditions. Addressing this issue requires close co-operation in education between governmental and non-governmental organisations in both the public and private sectors. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the situation in that it has drawn attention to the response of local companies to the global problem.


mBio ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika C. Shugart ◽  
Vincent R. Racaniello

ABSTRACT Scientists must communicate about science with public audiences to promote an understanding of complex issues that we face in our technologically advanced society. Some scientists may be concerned about a social stigma or “Sagan effect” associated with participating in public communication. Recent research in the social sciences indicates that public communication by scientists is not a niche activity but is widely done and can be beneficial to a scientist's career. There are a variety of approaches that scientists can take to become active in science communication.


2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 1135-1163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilse Maria Beuren ◽  
Vinícius Costa da Silva Zonatto

Este estudo objetiva identificar o perfil de artigos sobre controle interno no setor público, publicados em periódicos nacionais e internacionais indexados na base de dados Scopus. Nos artigos publicados em periódicos nacionais e internacionais indexados na base de dados Scopus, disponíveis no Portal Capes-BR, na área de Social Sciences & Humanities, realizaram-se buscas pelo termo internal control in the public sector. Identificou-se um total de 133 artigos publicados entre os anos de 1983 a 2011 e observou-se que está havendo um aumento na produção científica sobre a temática analisada. Em contrapartida, não há uma literatura específica predominante utilizada nesta área. Os temas mais explorados são: a) auditoria, controle interno, gestão de riscos e governança; b) finanças públicas; c) políticas públicas; e d) desenvolvimento econômico.


2004 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faiz Bilquees

Commissioned by the Council of Social Sciences (COSS), this volume evaluates the seventeen social sciences departments in the public universities in Pakistan for a given set of parameters. The social sciences departments or the topics covered in this volume and their respective authors include: Teaching of International Relations in Pakistani Universities (Rasul Bakhsh Rais); Development of the Discipline of Political Science in Pakistan (Inayatullah); The Development of Strategic Studies in Pakistan (Ayesha Siddiqa); The State of Educational Discourse in Pakistan (Rubina Saigol); Development of Philosophy as a Discipline (Mohammad Ashraf Adeel); The State of the Discipline of Psychology in Public Universities in Pakistan: A Review (Muhammad Pervez and Kamran Ahmad); Development of Economics as a Discipline in Pakistan (Karamat Ali); Sociology in Pakistan: A Review of Progress (Muhammad Hafeez); Anthropology in Pakistan: The State of [sic] Discipline (Nadeem Omar Tarar); Development of the Discipline of History in Pakistan (Mubarak Ali); The Discipline of Public Administration in Pakistan (Zafar Iqbal Jadoon and Nasira Jabeen); Journalism and Mass Communication (Mehdi Hasan); Area Studies in Pakistan: An Assessment (Muhammad Islam); Pakistan Studies: A Subject of the State, and the State of the Subject (Syed Jaffar Ahmed); The State of the Discipline of Women’s Studies in Pakistan (Rubina Saigol); Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies (Moonis Ahmar and Farhan H. Siddiqi); and Linguistics in Pakistan: A Survey of the Contemporary Situation (Tariq Rahman).


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-58
Author(s):  
Sara MOSAVICHECHAKLOU ◽  
Zehra BOZBAY

Consumers being conscious about environmental issues tend to have favorable attitude to green purchasing. Offering eco-friendly products and services should be a good strategy for all companies wishing to provide competitive advantage in the marketplace. In the literature, a number of factors accepted as the antecedents of green purchasing behavior and this study examined eight factors of them. It is predicted that the factors which have an effect on the green purchasing behavior are different between the consumers having different nationality due to cultural differences. The purpose of this study is to determine the differences between both the antecedents of green purchasing behavior and green purchasing behavior of Turkish and Persian consumers. According to the results, differences are found between some antecedents of green purchasing behavior as environmental knowledge, social influence, environmental concern, perceived seriousness of environmental problems, concern for self-image, and green purchasing behavior of Turkish and Persian consumers.


2015 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dato’ Ir. Syed Muhammad Shahabudin

It is said tluit civilization began and prospered when humans could control water; and that same civilization declined and vanished when that control is lost. Dams and other river flow barriers were built to harness and control water in the early days of civilisation in order to secure the benefits for human basic needs and comfort. Centuries later, more dams were built to cater for increasing population, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. But it is really in the past two centuries that many large-sized dams have been built to satisfy a wider range of development demands — hydropower, treated water supply, irrigation, flood control and environmental needs.Towards the second half of the last century, society came to realise that dams can cause significant negative social and environmental impacts that could outweigh the original economic benefits. Opponents of dams protest vehemently world-wide against the development of more dams whilst proponents are convinced tluit the y are a necessary feature to support growth and prosperity. It is these contradicting beliefs in mind tluit the public must be engaged to facilitate a better understanding of the views of both the proponents and the opponents of dam development before deciding on a long-term strateg y. In the meantime, more effort may have to be made for water and energ y conservation strategies and to realize the potential applications of low impact and non-structural solutions that complement existing dams and defer new dam development to as far into the future as possible.This paper aims to provoke a critical debate amongst engineers and the public to look at the longer term future ofdams in water resources development that could possibl y reduce the fundamental demand for services that dam provides. In other words, to try and answer the question “Why should a country rich in water, as Malaysia is, need to construct dams and even plan for more?”


Author(s):  
Bogdan-Vasile Cioruța ◽  
Alexandru Leonard Pop ◽  
Mirela Coman

The project to promote the protected natural heritage and biodiversity continues with the 2nd collaboration of the Romanian postal administration with the World Wildlife Fund. Introducing in the scientific circulation the idea of thematic philately, for the protection of endangered species, this time we focused on the issue published in 1984. This is suggestively entitled “Animals protected in the Romanian reservations”. It should be mentioned that, at the end of 1984, the national thematic philately was enriched, with a series of postage stamps promoting pelicans. The philatelic issue comes to the public to confirm that in Romania (more exactly in Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve) there is the largest colony of common pelicans in Europe. The research emphasizes the mass character of thematic philately and its role as a cultural ambassador. The 1984 philatelic issue, underlines the implications of WWF, along with those of the Romanian postal administration, in promoting the natural capital to be protected. The issue itself has many philatelic effects (especially maximum postcards), both those made privately and officially, which we insisted. We wanted to show that such philatelic materials, made in collaboration with prestigious entities, are more than welcome in sounding the alarm about habitat alteration. Also, they can be the basis of various conservation strategies in terms of adequate information among tourists.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-163
Author(s):  
Daniel Renfrew ◽  
Thomas W. Pearson

This article examines the social life of PFAS contamination (a class of several thousand synthetic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and maps the growing research in the social sciences on the unique conundrums and complex travels of the “forever chemical.” We explore social, political, and cultural dimensions of PFAS toxicity, especially how PFAS move from unseen sites into individual bodies and into the public eye in late industrial contexts; how toxicity is comprehended, experienced, and imagined; the factors shaping regulatory action and ignorance; and how PFAS have been the subject of competing forms of knowledge production. Lastly, we highlight how people mobilize collectively, or become demobilized, in response to PFAS pollution/ toxicity. We argue that PFAS exposure experiences, perceptions, and responses move dynamically through a “toxicity continuum” spanning invisibility, suffering, resignation, and refusal. We off er the concept of the “toxic event” as a way to make sense of the contexts and conditions by which otherwise invisible pollution/toxicity turns into public, mass-mediated, and political episodes. We ground our review in our ongoing multisited ethnographic research on the PFAS exposure experience.


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