scholarly journals Assessing the Degradation Effects of Local Residents on Urban Forests in Ontario, Canada

2010 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 253-260
Author(s):  
Wendy McWilliam ◽  
Paul Eagles ◽  
Mark Seasons ◽  
Robert Brown
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Urban Forests ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Active Management ◽  
Percentage Cover ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Passive Management ◽  
Boundary Treatments

Urban forests provide essential social, ecological, and economic functions in support of their communities; however, surveys indicate adjacent residents conduct activities within their yards and the adjacent public forest edge that degrade these systems. Local governments rely on boundary-focused passive management and/or active management to limit impacts. Encroachment results from various boundary treatments; however, it is not known whether encroachment represents a substantial source of degradation within Ontario, Canada, municipal forests. To evaluate this, percentage cover of encroachment impacts adjacent to 186 homes within 40 forests of six Southern Ontario municipalities was surveyed. The results indicated degradation resulting from encroachment was substantial. Encroachment occurred in highly valued and sensitive ecosystems, and during sensitive time periods. This was highly prevalent and covered a substantial proportion of the forest edge. Some encroachment behaviors were particularly harmful, resulting in the loss of significant forest area to residential land uses. Furthermore, encroachments remained over long periods. The small sizes and convoluted shapes of urban forests leave them vulnerable to these impacts. Prevailing municipal strategies are insufficient to protect these systems from encroachment. To ensure their long term protection, municipalities and their communities need to substantially increase their commitment and resources for addressing encroachment.

Vickers Hot Springs

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Bernstein
Keyword(s):  
Common Good ◽  
Common Property ◽  
Hot Springs ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Common Property Resource ◽  
Resource Conflict ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Commons ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
The Common

Vickers Hot Springs is located near the rural Southern California town of Ojai, and local residents have long enjoyed soaking in the sulfuric pools. But as knowledge of the springs spread, the area saw increases in fights, traffic, burglaries, and drug use. In response, two residents purchased the land and committed to restore the property while allowing limited public access, subsequently generating a great deal of controversy within the community. Privatizing Vickers Hot Springs follows the archetypical lesson of Garrett Hardin's 1968 essay, “The Tragedy of the Commons.” Hardin stated that the problem for common-pool resources was that a finite amount of services are demanded by a potentially infinite number of users, who have little to gain by sacrificing for the common good. But Hardin's theory does not always apply. Many communities have come together to manage resources, often without government oversight. Thus, the question is not whether or not Hardin's theory is accurate, but rather “under what conditions it is correct and when it makes the wrong predictions.” Case studies provide nuance to the broad brushstrokes of a theory, and whether Hardin's parable is applicable depends on the particularities of the common property resource conflict. Employing the frameworks established by Hardin, Dietz et al., and Ostrom, this paper examines the management of Vickers Hot Springs within its broader social, ecological, and political context, asking whether the particular circumstances of this resource use conflict made privatization the most predictable outcome.

scholarly journals Queensland Family Cohort: a study protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e044463
Author(s):  
Danielle Borg ◽  
Kym Rae ◽  
Corrine Fiveash ◽  
Johanna Schagen ◽  
Janelle James-McAlpine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Biological Samples ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Financial Stability ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Future Health ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionThe perinatal–postnatal family environment is associated with childhood outcomes including impacts on physical and mental health and educational attainment. Family longitudinal cohort studies collect in-depth data that can capture the influence of an era on family lifestyle, mental health, chronic disease, education and financial stability to enable identification of gaps in society and provide the evidence for changes in government in policy and practice.Methods and analysisThe Queensland Family Cohort (QFC) is a prospective, observational, longitudinal study that will recruit 12 500 pregnant families across the state of Queensland (QLD), Australia and intends to follow-up families and children for three decades. To identify the immediate and future health requirements of the QLD population; pregnant participants and their partners will be enrolled by 24 weeks of gestation and followed up at 24, 28 and 36 weeks of gestation, during delivery, on-ward, 6 weeks postpartum and then every 12 months where questionnaires, biological samples and physical measures will be collected from parents and children. To examine the impact of environmental exposures on families, data related to environmental pollution, household pollution and employment exposures will be linked to pregnancy and health outcomes. Where feasible, data linkage of state and federal government databases will be used to follow the participants long term. Biological samples will be stored long term for future discoveries of biomarkers of health and disease.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been obtained from the Mater Research Ethics (HREC/16/MHS/113). Findings will be reported to (1) QFC participating families; (2) funding bodies, institutes and hospitals supporting the QFC; (3) federal, state and local governments to inform policy; (4) presented at local, national and international conferences and (5) disseminated by peer-review publications.

scholarly journals Minor Treatments Can Play a Significant Role in Preserving Natural Habitats and Protected Species on the Shore of a Central European Lake

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1540
Author(s):  
Bence Fülöp ◽  
Bálint Pacsai ◽  
Judit Bódis
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Active Management ◽  
Lake Balaton ◽  
Protected Species ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Natural Grasslands ◽  
Tourism Potential

Semi-natural grasslands were previously established through traditional land use and maintained by active management, but their extension nowadays is declining rapidly, particularly in areas that also have tourism potential. In parallel, the conservation value of the remaining areas is increasing. The shore of Lake Balaton is a particularly good example, as Lake Balaton is an area highly affected by tourism, yet there have been valuable habitats able to survive and provide refuge for many vulnerable, protected species. Fortunately, we have reliable information about the vegetation of the area from two decades ago. Comparing these data with our recent surveys we investigated the changes in habitats and the distribution of protected plant species in connection with the active conservation treatments such as grazing or cutting. Our results show that in areas where treatments are still ongoing, protected plant species are more likely to survive, or even other species can appear, which is in clear contrast with conditions experienced in abandoned areas, where at least seven protected species have disappeared. According to our results, minor, but appropriately chosen and well-executed management interventions, can help in the long-term maintenance of species-rich habitats and improving the conservation status of threatened species.

PROBLEMS OF FORECASTING INDICATORS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IN THE REGION

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-182
Author(s):  
A. D. BURYKIN ◽  
◽  
V. Ya. SERBA ◽  
R. A. GASYMOV ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Innovative Development ◽  
Education Development ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Technological Forecasting ◽  
Forecasting Methods ◽  
Educational Processes ◽  
Methodological Aspects

The article deals with the theoretical and methodological aspects of the development of methods for assessing the effectiveness of the educational process in the region. Indicators of the development of educational processes are analyzed from the perspective of long-term scientific and technical forecasting. Based on the analysis of the strategic documents, the problems existing in this area of strategic planning and the factors that hinder the innovative development of the education system in the region are identified. The basic principles and approaches to scientific and technological forecasting are defined. The main groups of scientific forecasts and the main directions of education development in Russia are identified. The considered forecasting methods are recommended for use in the work of state authorities and local governments, depending on the complexity of the implementation and the adequacy of the method, the requirements for the information base of the project.

THE SPECIFICS OF THE OFFER OF A MOUNTAIN DESTINATION FOR SKI TOURISM

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Undzhieva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Mountain Regions ◽  
Market Conditions ◽  
Important Type ◽  
Mountain Ecosystem ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Frame Work

Mountain ski tourism is an important type of tourism, which is economically and culturally valuable industry particularly for developed countries. Not all mountain regions are appropriate for ski tourism development, however. The purpose of the report is to show the specifics of a mountain destination and its potential of offering ski tourism. Some analyzes and reports will outline the characteristics and the specifics of offering of mountain tourism for ski. The results are indicating the potential and the structural risks, new market conditions and trends, the principal of planning and the frame work of mountain ski tourism development. Factors that include climate, topography, scenery and the seasonal cycle all determine the facilities and activities of mountain ski tourism, reflecting the strong interdependency between the mountain ecosystem and the mountain tourism system. Ski tourism development must therefore go hand in hand with protecting and preserving these resources to ensure tourism's long-term growth and viability. Investments in ski tourism-related facilities can valorize these resources in terms of creating employment and income to the local residents of mountain regions.

Community Disaster Recovery

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deserai A. Crow ◽  
Elizabeth A. Albright
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Disaster Recovery ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Focusing Events ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Individual Household ◽  
Extreme Flooding

Disasters can serve as focusing events that increase agenda attention related to issues of disaster response, recovery, and preparedness. Increased agenda attention can lead to policy changes and organisational learning. The degree and type of learning that occurs within a government organization after a disaster may matter to policy outcomes related to individual, household, and community-level risks and resilience. Local governments are the first line of disaster response but also bear the burden of performing long-term disaster recovery and planning for future events. Crow and Albright present the first framework for understanding if, how, and to what effect communities and local governments learn after a disaster strikes. Drawing from analyses conducted over a five-year period following extreme flooding in Colorado, USA, Community Disaster Recovery: Moving from Vulnerability to Resilience presents a framework of community-level learning after disaster and the factors that catalyse policy change towards resilience.

Constraints on socio-buffering around the Mantadia National Park in Madagascar

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priya Shyamsundar
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
National Park ◽  
Economic Viability ◽  
Buffer Zones ◽  
Stake Holder ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Integrated Conservation ◽  
Integrated Conservation And Development ◽  
Conservation And Development Projects

SummaryIntegrated conservation and development projects (ICDPs) involve the establishment of parks and reserves with protective or buffer zones around them. Socio-buffering provides local residents with alternatives to traditional land-use activities, but the actual implementation of socio-buffering programmes is difficult.Socio-economic requirements and constraints to socio-buffering were assessed for the Mantadia National Park in eastern Madagascar based on five criteria. Previously unused lands for compensating people for loss of access to areas within the park were found to be insufficient. While there existed institutions and programmes for developing substitute land-use activities, successful adoption of these activities was crucially dependent on their economic viability. Socio-buffering activities need to not only provide goods that are substitutes for goods that are traditionally consumed, but they also need to be at least as profitable as traditional economic efforts. Also, if land and labour are not a constraint to agricultural expansion, socio-buffering activities can themselves result in increased deforestation. Finally, the long-term effectiveness of socio-buffering was likely to be dependent on the satisfaction of a number of stake-holder interests, and on explicit linkages developed between socio-buffering activities and conservation.

It’s more than money: policy options to secure medical specialist workforce for regional centres

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer May ◽  
Judi Walker ◽  
Mathew McGrail ◽  
Fran Rolley
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Models Of Care ◽  
Hub And Spoke ◽  
Recruitment And Retention ◽  
Modifiable Factors ◽  
State And Local

Objectives Regional centres and their rural hinterlands support significant populations of non-metropolitan Australians. Despite their importance in the settlement hierarchy and the key medical services provided from these centres, little research has focused on their issues of workforce supply and long-term service requirements. In addition, they are a critical component of the recent growth of ‘regional’ hub-and-spoke specialist models of service delivery. Methods The present study interviewed 62 resident specialists in four regional centres, seeking to explore recruitment and retention factors important to their location decision making. The findings were used to develop a framework of possible evidence-informed policies. Results This article identifies key professional, social and locational factors, several of which are modifiable and amenable to policy redesign, including work variety, workplace culture, sense of community and spousal employment; these factors that can be targeted through initiatives in selection, training and incentives. Conclusions Commonwealth, state and local governments in collaboration with communities and specialist colleges can work synergistically, with a multiplicity of interdigitating strategies, to ensure a positive approach to the maintenance of a critical mass of long-term rural specialists. What is known about the topic? Rural origin increases likelihood of long-term retention to rural locations, with rural clinical school training associated with increased rural intent. Recruitment and retention policy has been directed at general practitioners in rural communities, with little focus on regional centres or medical specialists. What does this study add? Rural origin is associated with regional centre recruitment. Professional, social and locational factors are all moderately important in both recruitment and retention. Specialist medical training for regional centres ideally requires both generalist and subspecialist skills sets. Workforce policy needs to address modifiable factors with four groups, namely commonwealth and state governments, specialist medical colleges and local communities, all needing to align their activities for achievement of long-term medical workforce outcomes. What are the implications for practitioners? Modifiable factors affecting recruitment and retention must be addressed to support specialist models of care in regional centres. Modifiable factors relate to maintenance of a critical mass of practitioners, training a fit-for-purpose workforce and coordinated effort between stakeholders. Although remuneration is important, the decision to stay relates primarily to non-financial factors.

scholarly journals Detecting Long-Term Deformation of a Loess Landslide from the Phase and Amplitude of Satellite SAR Images: A Retrospective Analysis for the Closure of a Tunnel Event

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 4841
Author(s):  
Yaru Zhu ◽  
Haijun Qiu ◽  
Zijing Liu ◽  
Jiading Wang ◽  
Dongdong Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Surface Deformation ◽  
Failure Surface ◽  
Deformation Characteristics ◽  
Spatiotemporal Evolution ◽  
Loess Landslide ◽  
Landslide Deformation ◽  
Term Creep ◽  
Offset Tracking

Information about the long-term spatiotemporal evolution of landslides can improve the understanding of landslides. However, since landslide deformation characteristics differ it is difficult to monitor the entire movement of a landslide using a single method. The Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and pixel offset tracking (POT) method can complement each other when monitoring deformation at different landslide stages. Therefore, the InSAR and improved POT method were adapted to study the pre- and post-failure surface deformation characteristics of the Gaojiawan landslide to deepen understanding of the long-term spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of landslides. The results show that the deformation displacement gradient of the Gaojiawan landslide exhibited rapid movement that exceeded the measurable limit of InSAR during the first disaster. Moreover, the Gaojiawan landslide has experienced long-term creep, and while studying the post-second landslide’s failure stability, the acceleration trend was identified via time series analysis, which can be used as a precursor signal for landslide disaster warning. Our study aims to provide scientific reference for local governments to help prevent and mitigate geological disasters in this region.

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