Scientific research in Neotropical protected areas: themes and gaps

Protected areas are often used by scientists to observe natural processes and organisms in habitats that have been minimally influenced by human actions. In contrast to many PA objectives, their effectiveness for promoting and supporting scientific research can be easily quantified in terms of quantity and quality of scientific products (primarily peer-reviewed articles) that are based on research within a PA’s boundaries. In addition to their contribution to global scientific knowledge, these research products may support local conservation efforts and contribute to park management, monitoring and governance. Here, we investigate the effectiveness of Neotropical PAs at supporting scientific research based on data from the World Database of Protected Areas (WDPA). Specifically, we randomly selected 102 PAs from each designation from the Latin American and Caribbean region, to give a total of 612 PAs. A total of 444 PAS did not return any results and only 30 were associated with more than 10 publications. Research topics varied widely in the PAs in our dedicated sample, but we found an evident trend to research related to geosciences and paleontology. Conservation and biodiversity were secondary subjects. there seems to be a lack of influence of PAs type and presence of management plan on scientific productivity. On the other hand, we have seen that most areas do not present a management plan, the absence of which makes it more difficult to assess the effectiveness of these areas.

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Scientific research in Neotropical protected areas: themes and gaps

10.7287/peerj.preprints.27086 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Elizabeth C Teixeira ◽

Jayne S Santos ◽

Maxwell R G Silva ◽

Ana CM Malhado ◽

Richard J Ladle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Latin American ◽

Scientific Research ◽

Scientific Productivity ◽

Management Plan ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Local Conservation ◽

Research Topics ◽

Natural Processes

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Scientific Productivity of Brazilian Ecological Stations

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892919000018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 46 (03) ◽

pp. 219-225 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Heverton Alencar ◽

Paul Jepson ◽

Richard J Ladle ◽

Ricardo Correia ◽

Chiara Bragagnolo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Scientific Research ◽

Ecological Factors ◽

Scientific Productivity ◽

Policy Instrument ◽

Management Plan ◽

Scientific Data ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Published Research ◽

Management Council

SummaryProtected areas are frequently used loci for ecological and conservation research, with several national/international designations identifying scientific research as a key objective. For example, Ecological Stations (ESs) in Brazil are strictly protected areas with the explicit goals of protecting nature and hosting scientific research. Nevertheless, simply mandating scientific research does not necessarily translate into action. Here, we quantitatively assess the scientific productivity of ESs and identify the main socio-ecological factors associated with different levels of scientific research. Specifically, we adopt a multi-model inference approach with a hurdle regression model to independently evaluate the factors associated with the presence/absence of research and the volume of studies in ESs. Surprisingly, given their stated remit, a large proportion of ESs had little or no scientific productivity. Results also indicate that older ESs were more likely to be associated with published research and that the volume of publications was associated with the number of years since the first article was published. The presence of a management plan and a management council were also significant positive drivers of research. Our results strongly suggest that, despite their clear mandate, ESs are not effectively fulfilling their role as a policy instrument for generating valuable scientific data.

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JOURNALS OF SOCIAL SCIENCES IN SERBIA BETWEEN GLOBAL AND NATIONAL INTERESTS

NAUKA I NASTAVA U VASPITNO-OBRAZOVNOM KONTEKSTU ◽

10.46793/stec20.181s ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marina Semiz ◽

Keyword(s):

Social Sciences ◽

Social Science ◽

Cultural Values ◽

Scientific Knowledge ◽

Scientific Research ◽

Scientific Productivity ◽

Academic Community ◽

Education Policies ◽

National Interests

The paper problematizes the current situation and development perspectives of social science journals in Serbia in the context of global (international) and national interests. Scientific articles in national social science journals are commonly the most prevalent form of dissemination and production of scientific knowledge, standpoints and views, a clear indicator of research excellence of university teachers, as well as the indicator of the quality of scientific journals, and the quality of scientific research in general. Therefore, it is not surprising that national and global interests and values intertwine in the domain of national journals. The reference framework for the analysis of selected issues is placed within the range of existing scientometric and bibliometric research, as well as the legislation referring to scientific research, manner and procedures for the evaluation of research results, and election to academic titles. The analysis we conducted led to the general conclusion that national social science journals are in a gap between the national and global context. Although their significance is beyond question, by promoting national and cultural values and interests, they exist as insufficiently competitive and globally invisible media for transfer and valorization of scientific knowledge in the academic community. In addition to analyzing the implications of the current education policies, editorial policies of the journals and strategic solutions aimed at raising and evaluating the quality of national social science journals, and integrating them into global information system trends, the paper also proposes potential directions for further development of national social science journals as a prerequisite for raising scientific productivity in the domain of social sciences.

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PROPOSAL OF A MODEL FOR STRENGTHENING SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTIVITY AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL

International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH ◽

10.29121/granthaalayah.v8.i9.2020.1677 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 415-421

Author(s):

Jorge Daher ◽

Amelia Patricia Panunzio ◽

Marlene Hernández Navarro

Keyword(s):

Scientific Research ◽

Scientific Productivity ◽

Scientific Production ◽

University Environment ◽

University Level ◽

The University

The proposal to strengthen scientific production at the university level has dimensions, components and characteristics and a structure designed based on the theoretical contributions of this research and the results obtained in each objective addressed, considering that scientific research is an indicator of the quality of the processes in the university environment, so it must be increased by virtue of the results of the work carried out by the research professors and students.

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Pressões e ameaças em Unidades de Conservação federais da Depressão Sertaneja Setentrional, Nordeste do Brasil

Revista Brasileira de Geografia Física ◽

10.26848/rbgf.v14.6.p3279-3293 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 3279

Author(s):

Fátima Aurilane de Aguiar Lima Araripe ◽

Ramiro Gustavo Valera Camacho ◽

Diógenes Félix Da Silva Costa ◽

Ilton Araújo Soares ◽

Oriel Herrera Bonilla ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Arid Region ◽

Rio Grande ◽

Management Plan ◽

Management Effectiveness ◽

Natural Processes ◽

Management Plans ◽

Inspection Work ◽

Semi Arid Region ◽

Semi Arid

A Depressão Sertaneja Setentrional caracteriza-se pelas fitofisionomias de Caatinga. Marcada pelas condições de seca, é um ambiente que apresenta diversas fragilidades ambientais. Estas podem ser intensificadas pelas pressões e ameaças aos recursos naturais. As Unidades de Conservação (UCs) são ferramentas importantes para preservação, porém muitas vezes tem sua efetividade reduzida devido à ação antrópica. Dessa forma, o presente estudo objetivou avaliar as pressões e ameaças que permeiam quatro UCs federais da Depressão Sertaneja Setentrional, sendo duas Estações Ecológicas, ESEC de Aiuaba e ESEC de Seridó, e duas Florestas Nacionais, FLONA de Sobral e FLONA de Açu, localizadas no Ceará e no Rio Grande do Norte. Para análise foi aplicado aos gerentes das UC o módulo 2 do método RAPPAM, bem como foram realizadas visitas às unidades para acompanhamento das atividades de monitoramento e registro de tais pressões. Esse módulo avalia a criticidade de pressão e de ameaça, considerando a área de abrangência, impacto e permanência de 16 atividades. Ademais avalia a tendência da pressão e a probabilidade da ameaça. Foi possível observar que as atividades que mais se destacaram quanto as criticidades de pressão e ameaça foram: pastagem, processos seminaturais, presença de espécies exóticas e caça. Destarte, os trabalhos de planejamento, monitoramento e fiscalização podem ser intensificados visando minimizar esses problemas. Sugere-se avaliação e cumprimento do plano de manejo da ESEC de Seridó e FLONA de Açu, e a elaboração dos Planos de manejo das UCs: ESEC de Aiuaba e FLONA de Sobral para auxiliar o gerenciamento dessas pressões. Pressures and threats in federal Protected Areas of the Setentrional Sertaneja Depression, Northeastern BrazilA B S T R A C TThe Setentrional Sertaneja Depression is a semi-arid region of the Brazilian northeastern characterized by the Caatinga phytophysiognomies. This region is marked by drought conditions and is an environment that presents several environmental weaknesses. These can be intensified by pressures and threats on natural resources. Protected Areas (PA) are important areas of preservation, but their effectiveness is reduced due to anthropic action. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate the pressures and threats that occur in four federal PA of the Setentrional Sertaneja Depression, being two Ecological Stations, ESEC of Aiuaba and ESEC of Seridó, and two National Forests, FLONA of Sobral and FLONA of Açu, located in Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte. For the analysis was apllied the module 2 of RAPPAM method. Visits were made to the PA to following the monitoring and recording of such pressures. This module assesses the criticality of pressure and threat, considering the area of coverage, impact and permanence of 16 activities. In addition, it assesses the pressure trend and the likelihood of the threat. It was observed that the activities that stood out the most in terms of pressure and threat criticisms were: pasture, semi-natural processes, exotic species and hunting. Thus, planning, monitoring and inspection work can be intensified in order to minimize these problems. It is suggested to evaluate compliance with the management plan of ESEC of Seridó and FLONA of Açu, and the creation of PA management plans: ESEC of Aiuabaand FLONA of Sobral to assist in the management of these pressures.Keywords: Protected areas, Caatinga, Criticality, Management effectiveness.

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How do Latin American migrants in the USA stand on schooling premium? What does it reveal about education quality in their home countries?

International Journal of Manpower ◽

10.1108/ijm-06-2017-0140 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 39 (6) ◽

pp. 855-879

Author(s):

Daniel Alonso-Soto ◽

Hugo Nopo

Keyword(s):

Latin American ◽

Migrant Workers ◽

Education Quality ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Content Type ◽

The Usa ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Latin American Countries ◽

Former Soviet Republics

Purpose Indicators for quality of schooling are not only relatively new in the world but also unavailable for a sizable share of the world’s population. In their absence, some proxy measures have been devised. One simple but powerful idea has been to use the schooling premium for migrant workers in the USA (Bratsberg and Terrell, 2002). The purpose of this paper is to extend this idea and compute measures for the schooling premium of immigrant workers in the USA over a span of five decades. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors focus on the schooling premia for the Latin American and the Caribbean region and compare them to those of migrants from other regions, particularly from East Asia and Pacific, India, Northern Europe and Southern Europe, all relative to immigrants from former Soviet Republics. The available data allow us to measure such premia for workers who graduated from school, either at the secondary or tertiary levels, in their home countries between 1940 and 2010. Findings The results show that the schooling premia in Latin America have been steadily low throughout the whole period of analysis. The results stand after controlling for selective migration in different ways. This contradicts the popular belief in policy circles that the education quality of the region has deteriorated in recent years. In contrast, schooling premium in India shows an impressive improvement in recent decades, especially at the tertiary level. Originality/value In this paper, the authors extend the idea of computing schooling premium for migrant workers in the USA (Bratsberg and Terrell, 2002) and present comparative estimates of the evolution of schooling premia in 17 Latin American countries for both secondary and tertiary schooling levels.

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Developing the culture and discipline of conducting and publishing scientific research: Guiding principles

Journal of Energy and Natural Resource Management ◽

10.26796/jenrm.v1i0.9 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Daniel Obeng-Ofori

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Scientific Research ◽

Scientific Writing ◽

Weekly Schedule ◽

Academic Activities ◽

Heavy Workload ◽

Guiding Principles ◽

Mentoring System ◽

Critical Constraints

The pressure to publish is a fact of life in academia. Academics are expected to demonstrate that they are active researchersand that their work has been vetted by peers and disseminated in reputable scholarly forums. In practice, however, a numberof critical constraints hamper effective publication of scientific research in most developing countries. These include lackof effective mentoring system, poor facilities and inadequate funding for effective research and heavy workload where toomuch time and effort are spent in teaching, grading, meetings and other non-academic activities. In spite of these seeminglyinsurmountable challenges, with proper planning and commitment, one can still conduct research and publish to advanceones career and exchange of knowledge. The paper discusses the critical guiding principles in scientific writing and publishingin an unfriendly research environment as pertains in most universities in the developing world. The overriding principle isto cultivate the discipline of scientific writing consciously and follow it through religiously. This could be achieved if time isallocated for scientific writing in the scheme of weekly schedule of activities and made to be functional through meticulousplanning and commitment. Equally important is to avoid procedural mistakes in scientific writing. While the quality of theresearch is the single most important factor in determining whether an article will be published, a number of proceduralmistakes can help tip the balance against its publication. It should also be noted that when a manuscript is submitted to ascholarly journal, there are two audiences to satisfy: first the editor and external reviewers, and then the journal’s readers.That first group must be satisfied to create the opportunity to appeal to the second. Thus, familiarity with the style and tone ofthe specific journal is crucial.

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PROFESSORS' PERCEPTION OF SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY IN THE FACULTY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GUAYAQUIL

International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH ◽

10.29121/granthaalayah.v8.i10.2020.1709 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (10) ◽

pp. 70-76

Author(s):

Jorge Daher Nader ◽

Amelia Patricia Panunzio ◽

Marlene Hernández Navarro

Keyword(s):

Scientific Research ◽

Scientific Activity ◽

Medical Sciences ◽

Research Activity ◽

University Environment ◽

Empirical Level ◽

Teachers And Students ◽

Scientific Nature ◽

The University

Research is considered a function aimed at obtaining new knowledge and its application for the solution to problems or questions of a scientific nature, The universities framed in the fulfillment of their social function have a complex task given by training a competent professional who assumes research as part of their training and who learns to ask questions that they are able to solve through scientific research. Scientific research is an indicator of the quality of processes in the university environment, so it must be increased by virtue of the results of the work carried out by research teachers and students the objective of this work is to know the perception of the teachers of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Guayaquil about the scientific activity. Objective: to know the perception of the teachers of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Guayaquil about the scientific activity. Methods: theoretical and empirical level were used, a questionnaire with closed questions aimed at knowing the opinions on the research activity in this institution was applied. Result: that of the sample analyzed 309 (39.3%) said they agreed with the training for the writing of scientific articles. 38.6% said they agree with the training on research projects. Conclusion: that teacher’s research should be enhanced to ensure the formation and development of research skills in students.

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(A review) Atlas of especially protected natural areas of Saint Petersburg / Ed. in chief V. N. Khramtsov, T. V. Kovaleva, N. Yu. Natsvaladze. St. Petersburg, 2013. 176 p.

Vegetation of Russia ◽

10.31111/vegrus/2014.25.124 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 124-129

Author(s):

Z. V. Karamysheva

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Large Scale ◽

Natural Areas ◽

Natural Protected Areas ◽

Saint Petersburg ◽

Natural Processes ◽

Original Illustrations ◽

Vegetation Maps ◽

Protected Natural Areas

The review contains detailed description of the «Atlas of especially protected natural areas of Saint Petersburg» published in 2013. This publication presents the results of long-term studies of 12 natural protected areas made by a large research team in the years from 2002 to 2013 (see References). The Atlas contains a large number of the historical maps, new satellite images, the original illustrations, detailed texts on the nature of protected areas, summary tables of rare species of vascular plants, fungi and vertebrates recorded in these areas. Special attention is paid to the principles of thematic large-scale mapping. The landscape maps, the vegetation maps as well as the maps of natural processes in landscapes are included. Reviewed Atlas deserves the highest praise.

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