scholarly journals Ecological illiteracy can deepen farmers' pesticide dependency

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Wyckhuys ◽  
KL Heong ◽  
Francisco Sanchez-Bayo ◽  
Felix Bianchi ◽  
Jonathan Lundgren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Ecological Literacy ◽  
Ecological Concepts ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Over 2.5 billion smallholders cultivate the world’s arable land, strategically positioned to tackle multiple Anthropocene challenges. When consciously adopting ecologically-based pest management practices, they can improve resource use efficiency, slow biodiversity loss, resolve environmental pollution and safeguard human health. Yet, the effective implementation of knowledge-intensive management practices requires underlying ecological concepts to be well-understood. Here, drawing upon published social science research spanning 1910-2016, we illuminate deficiencies in the world’s farmers’ ecological literacy and in their valuation of insect-mediated ecosystem services. Though tribal people and indigenous folk possess sophisticated knowledge of insects that occur within farm settings, contemporary farmers know a mere 2.0 pestiferous herbivores and 0.8 pest-killing organisms (out of a respective 8 and 3 taxa). Ecosystem services such as biological control are annually worth hundreds of dollars ha-1 but remain unknown to nearly 70% of farmers globally. Also, agricultural systems with deficient ecological literacy tend to foster a greater dependency upon chemically-synthesized pesticides. If this ‘cognitive handicap’ can be remediated, farmers could become biodiversity stewards and champions in redressing multiple aspects of global environmental change.

scholarly journals Ecological illiteracy can deepen farmers' pesticide dependency

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Wyckhuys ◽  
KL Heong ◽  
Francisco Sanchez-Bayo ◽  
Felix Bianchi ◽  
Jonathan Lundgren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Ecological Literacy ◽  
Ecological Concepts ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Over 2.5 billion smallholders cultivate the world’s arable land, strategically positioned to tackle multiple Anthropocene challenges. When consciously adopting ecologically-based pest management practices, they can improve resource use efficiency, slow biodiversity loss, resolve environmental pollution and safeguard human health. Yet, the effective implementation of knowledge-intensive management practices requires underlying ecological concepts to be well-understood. Here, drawing upon published social science research spanning 1910-2016, we illuminate deficiencies in the world’s farmers’ ecological literacy and in their valuation of insect-mediated ecosystem services. Though tribal people and indigenous folk possess sophisticated knowledge of insects that occur within farm settings, contemporary farmers know a mere 2.0 pestiferous herbivores and 0.8 pest-killing organisms (out of a respective 8 and 3 taxa). Ecosystem services such as biological control are annually worth hundreds of dollars ha-1 but remain unknown to nearly 70% of farmers globally. Also, agricultural systems with deficient ecological literacy tend to foster a greater dependency upon chemically-synthesized pesticides. If this ‘cognitive handicap’ can be remediated, farmers could become biodiversity stewards and champions in redressing multiple aspects of global environmental change.

Enhancing ecosystem services with no-till

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Lal
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Water Retention Capacity ◽  
No Till ◽  
Trade Offs

AbstractEcosystem functions and services provided by soils depend on land use and management. The objective of this article is to review and synthesize relevant information on the impacts of no-till (NT) management of croplands on ecosystem functions and services. Sustainable management of soil through NT involves: (i) replacing what is removed, (ii) restoring what has been degraded, and (iii) minimizing on-site and off-site effects. Despite its merits, NT is adopted on merely ∼9% of the 1.5 billion ha of global arable land area. Soil's ecosystem services depend on the natural capital (soil organic matter and clay contents, soil depth and water retention capacity) and its management. Soil management in various agro-ecosystems to enhance food production has some trade-offs/disservices (i.e., decline in biodiversity, accelerated erosion and non-point source pollution), which must be minimized by further developing agricultural complexity to mimic natural ecosystems. However, adoption of NT accentuates many ecosystem services: carbon sequestration, biodiversity, elemental cycling, and resilience to natural and anthropogenic perturbations, all of which can affect food security. Links exist among diverse ecosystem services, such that managing one can adversely impact others. For example, increasing agronomic production can reduce biodiversity and deplete soil organic carbon (SOC), harvesting crop residues for cellulosic ethanol can reduce SOC, etc. Undervaluing ecosystem services can jeopardize finite soil resources and aggravate disservices. Adoption of recommended management practices can be promoted through payments for ecosystem services by a market-based approach so that risks of disservices and negative costs can be reduced either through direct economic incentives or as performance payments.

scholarly journals Landscape degradation in the world and in Hungary

2019 ◽  
pp. 201-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ádám Kertész ◽  
Josef Křeček
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Soil Sealing ◽  
Landscape Degradation ◽  
Degradation Processes ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Landscape Ecological ◽  
Physical Degradation

The concept of landscape degradation interprets the process in landscape ecological sense, i.e. the degradation of one landscape forming factor leads to the degradation of the whole landscape. The consequence is a persistent decline in land productivity and in the provision of other ecosystem services. Global environmental change is driven mainly by human influence in the Anthropocene with an exponentially growing significance in time. Global environmental processes are very much interrelated. Because of population growth more food, fibre, clean water, energy etc. will be needed and there are two ways to achieve this, either to gain new areas for cultivation by changing present land use or to intensify cultivation in the areas with the best conditions for cultivation. Deforestation and forest degradation are dealt with in detail in the paper. The introduction of soil degradation processes follows the system given in the EEA Environmental Assessment Report (2003). The effect of landscape degradation on ecosystem services is well explained by the fact that approximately 20 per cent of the Earth’s vegetated surface shows persistent declining trends in productivity, mainly as a result of land/water use and management practices (UNCCD 2017). Landscape degradation processes of Hungary are discussed in the paper, including sheet, gully and wind erosion, soil sealing, salinization, physical degradation, landslides, desertification. An estimation of the aesthetical value of the landscape is provided as well concluding that the surface of the country represents a relatively high aesthetical value. The main conclusion is that Hungarian landscapes are well maintained and they belong to the most precious European landscapes. It should be added that all degradation processes represent important environmental problems to be combatted on the basis of a well-established policy making.

scholarly journals Towards the development of a knowledge management practices survey for application in knowledge intensive organisations

2008 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Steyn ◽  
M. Kahn
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Critical Determinant ◽  
Knowledge Management Practices ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Various surveys of Knowledge Management Practices (KMPs) in private firms show how an increasing awareness of Knowledge Management (KM) is a critical determinant of an organisation’s competitiveness. While private sector strategies favouring internal knowledge sharing and external knowledge protection often provide strategic advantage, public sector research organisations such as South Africa’s science councils operate in an environment where, for reasons of wider public interest, transparency is encouraged and knowledge is rendered widely accessible. Unfortunately, however, little has been done to develop rigorous measurements of KMPs in such knowledge intensive organisations (KIOs) that primarily engage in knowledge intensive service activities. To complicate matters further, the majority of studies have been inter-organisational and multi-sectoral, focusing on large organisations in the private sector. Few studies have measured perceptions of KMPs amongst employees of a single organisation and even fewer have focused on KMPs within the public sector. This paper will discuss the theoretical and methodological approach used in the development of a survey aimed at measuring employee perceptions of KMPs within the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), one of South Africa’s largest public KIOs dedicated to ‘social science research that makes a difference.’ Principal component analysis of the survey data revealed six factors or constructs applicable to the measurement of KMPs. The results validate the survey instrument and offer a contribution toward the development of a KMP measurement instrument that may be applied across other KIOs in South Africa.

scholarly journals Modifying researchers’ data management practices

IFLA Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 253-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Hickson ◽  
Kylie Ann Poulton ◽  
Maria Connor ◽  
Joanna Richardson ◽  
Malcolm Wolski
Keyword(s):  
Data Management ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Management Plans

Data is the new buzzword in academic libraries, as policy increasingly mandates that data must be open and accessible, funders require formal data management plans, and institutions are implementing guidelines around best practice. Given concerns about the current data management practices of researchers, this paper reports on the initial findings from a project being undertaken at Griffith University to apply a conceptual (A-COM-B) framework to understanding researchers’ behaviour. The objective of the project is to encourage the use of institutionally endorsed solutions for research data management. Based on interviews conducted by a team of librarians in a small, social science research centre, preliminary results indicate that attitude is the key element which will need to be addressed in designing intervention strategies to modify behaviour. The paper concludes with a discussion of the next stages in the project, which involve further data collection and analysis, the implementation of targeted strategies, and a follow-up activity to assess the extent of modifications to current undesirable practices.

A Case Study of OregonWaterStories.com: Exploring Agency with Water Justice, Activist Applied Linguistics, and a Community Partner

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Melissa Haeffner ◽  
Janet Cowal
Keyword(s):  
Learning Experience ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Community Partner ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Water Justice

Today’s students arrive to college with increased environmental awareness but often without the skills necessary to sort, interpret, and critically think about global environmental change or their relationship to it. To address the barrier of perceived student powerlessness in global environmental problems, we designed a transdisciplinary project for students to begin to take ownership of their learning experience, gain competencies in basic social science research methods, and explore agency with a community partner. In this case study, we narrate one exercise in which students created a public product of collated newspaper articles related to contemporary water issues in Oregon. The project involved the creation of an online database that resulted in a learning tool for future courses, a base for transdisciplinary research, and a deliverable for the public. The exercise proved valuable in demonstrating how students can engage with concepts of activist applied linguistics to evaluate positionalities of news sources while situating themselves as active and engaged members in their local environment. Homework assignments throughout the course revealed that students (1) gradually reported more positive and action-oriented views of their role in the environment and (2) developed greater competency in weighing the quality of media sources around environmental issues. We conclude with guided learning questions for faculty interested in implementing a similar exercise as well as suggested student discussion questions.

scholarly journals Pluralizing and problematizing carbon finance

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 724-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Bridge ◽  
Harriet Bulkeley ◽  
Paul Langley ◽  
Bregje van Veelen
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Capital Investment ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Carbon Markets ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Carbon Finance

Growing emphasis on finance as key to decarbonization requires social science research that critically attends to the emergent and diverse forms taken by carbon finance. First, we pluralize research into carbon finance, building on existing work to identify four main forms: carbon markets; ecosystem services; natural capital investment; and, capital allocated to low-carbon enterprises and projects. Second, we propose that research should problematize the processes through which carbon is variously translated into financial value. Illustrated with reference to low-carbon investment in electricity generation, our agenda thereby extends from the difficulties of producing carbon-as-commodity to the uncertainties of constituting carbon-as-asset.

scholarly journals Considering COVID-19 through the Lens of Hazard and Disaster Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 248
Author(s):  
Liesel Ritchie ◽  
Duane Gill
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Physical Damage ◽  
Response Recovery ◽  
The Social ◽  
Community Impacts

Decades of social science research have taught us much about how individuals, groups, and communities respond to disasters. The findings of this research have helped inform emergency management practices, including disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of us—researchers or not—have attempted or are attempting to make sense of what is going on around us. In this article, we assert that we need not examine the pandemic in a vacuum; rather, we can draw upon scholarly and practical sources to inform our thinking about this 21st century catastrophe. The pandemic has provided an “unfortunate opportunity” to revisit what we know about disaster phenomena, including catastrophes, and to reconsider the findings of research from over the years. Drawing upon academic research, media sources, and our own observations, we focus on the U.S. and employ disaster characteristics framework of (1) etiology or origins; (2) physical damage characteristics; (3) disaster phases or cycles; (4) vulnerability; (5) community impacts; and (6) individual impacts to examine perspectives about the ways in which the ongoing pandemic is both similar and dissimilar to conceptualizations about the social dimensions of hazards and disasters. We find that the COVID-19 pandemic is not merely a disaster; rather, it is a catastrophe.

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