scholarly journals Effectiveness of non-lethal predator deterrents to reduce livestock losses to leopard attacks within a multiple-use landscape of the Himalayan region

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9544
Author(s):  
Dipanjan Naha ◽  
Pooja Chaudhary ◽  
Gaurav Sonker ◽  
Sambandam Sathyakumar
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Multiple Use ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Livestock Depredation ◽  
Community Based Conservation ◽  
Recorded Data

Lethal measures are widely adopted by local communities and governments to manage human-wildlife conflicts. Such measures lead to large scale decline of carnivore populations globally with trophic cascades on ecosystems and questionable impacts on human-wildlife conflicts. Mitigating human-carnivore conflicts through non-lethal measures will protect endangered predators and secure livelihoods. However, information on the effectiveness of such measures are extremely limited and hence cannot be applied in developing scientific evidence. Further to develop human-carnivore coexistence models, it is important for local community members, biologists and wildlife managers to actively participate in conservation programs. We evaluated the response of a non-lethal visual deterrent (i.e. fox lights) to deter leopard attacks on livestock within a multiple-use landscape of western Himalaya through community engagement. We monitored 16 experimental sites and 17 control sites within 27 villages and recorded data on livestock depredation by leopards between April 2018 to April 2019. A multivariate analysis was conducted to determine the influence of landscape predictors and animal husbandry practices on livestock depredation by leopards within the vicinity of human settlements. We found that visual deterrents discouraged common leopards to predate on livestock (cows and goats). We also demonstrated that community based conservation initiatives are successful in mitigating human-carnivore conflicts within large semi-natural landscapes. We suggest developing site specific coexistence strategies and adopting non-lethal measures to safeguard carnivores, livestock and humans within shared landscapes.

scholarly journals A Need for Context-Based Conservation: Incorporating Local Knowledge to Mitigate Livestock Predation by Large Carnivores

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajay Bijoor ◽  
Munib Khanyari ◽  
Rigzen Dorjay ◽  
Sherab Lobzang ◽  
Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Livestock Depredation ◽  
Livestock Predation ◽  
Community Based Conservation ◽  
Strategic Support ◽  
Snow Leopards ◽  
The Village

Mitigating livestock predation by carnivores is crucial to ensure carnivore conservation and facilitate human-carnivore coexistence. Mitigation measures proposed by conservation agencies, however, are often technocratic and perceived as being an external imposition on the local community. Herders affected by the depredation may have the knowledge to design locally relevant solutions, but they might lack financial and technical support to implement these effectively. Their inability to act can result in the communities being viewed as antagonistic rather than a part of the solution. We present a case study on co-development of a conservation intervention by a traditional pastoral community together with a conservation NGO, to mitigate livestock depredation inside night-time corrals in Ladakh, India. Between January and June 2020, livestock corrals in Sumdoo TR village were attacked 10 times by carnivores such as snow leopards and wolves, killing over 100 sheep, goat, yak, and horses and causing loses of over 10,400 USD. Local people were agitated, and there were strong demands for capture or removal of the carnivores from the area. We operationalized the PARTNERS (Presence, Aptness, Respect, Transparency, Negotiation, Empathy, Responsiveness, and Strategic Support) principles framework for community-based conservation to help the village effectively implement an intervention based on a novel predator-proof corral design conceptualized by the community. We demonstrate that empowering the community to design and implement a conservation intervention helped them take ownership of the effort, improve trust with conservation agencies, and hence likely to be a long-term solution to conservation conflicts in the region. Our approach of using the PARTNERS principles has relevance for conservation agencies who are trying to implement interventions, particularly those geared toward reducing livestock depredation by carnivores. Our approach further helps communities to view themselves as part of the solution and not the problem.

scholarly journals Community livelihood activities as key determinants for community based conservation of wetlands in Uganda

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Barakagira ◽  
Anton H. de Wit
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Fuel Wood ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
Community Based Conservation ◽  
National Environment ◽  
Wetland Resources ◽  
Management And Conservation

AbstractCommunity-based Conservation (CBC) has been regarded as one of the most appropriate approaches to the sustainable utilization and conservation of natural resources. Wetlands are believed to provide attributes, functions, and services that positively affect the daily livelihoods of members of the local community. Bearing in mind the incentives wetlands provide, if community members are not involved in the activities aimed at the management and conservation of wetlands then they result in being degraded. This study was initiated to explore how community livelihood activities influence CBC of wetlands in Uganda. A cross-sectional research design was used to collect qualitative and quantitative data. A questionnaire survey was conducted among four hundred households to collect information concerning community livelihood activities taking place in wetlands. Additionally, more information was obtained from National Environment Management Authority, and Wetlands Management Department staff using another non-structured questionnaire. Key informant interviews and direct observations were also used to collect data. Overall, the gathering of materials for building and crafts, fuel wood collection, clay and sand mining and practicing agriculture in wetlands are some of the reasons that have caused wetland degradation. Low levels of awareness, unclear ownership of wetlands and inadequate funding has not enabled Agencies responsible for implementing the Policies and Laws aimed for protecting and conserving wetlands from being degraded. Therefore, these above mentioned problems must be addressed in order for wetland resources to be sustainably utilized and conserved by members of the local community.

DIFFUSION AND ADOPTION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN TELECENTRES: SELECTED TELECENTRES IN KWAZULU-NATAL

Mousaion ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blessing Mbatha
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Diffusion Of Innovations ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
The Government ◽  
Types Of Information

This study investigated the usage and types of information and communications technologies (ICTs) accessible to community members in four selected Thusong Service Centres (TSCs or telecentres) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The telecentres that participated in the study were: Nhlazuka, Mbazwane, Dududu and Malangeni. The study was informed by Rogers’ (1995) Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) theory. Through a survey, four TSCs were purposively selected. A questionnaire was used to collect data from community members in the four telecentres involved. The data collected was tabulated under the various headings and presented using tables, frequencies, percentiles and generalisations with the help of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results indicated that a variety of ICT tools have been adopted in the TSCs to provide the local community with the much-needed access to information and improved communication. The government should ensure that adequate varieties and levels of ICT competence are offered to all the citizens. In conclusion, there is a need for sufficient and coherent government policies regulating the training of the local community to use these ICTs effectively.

scholarly journals Intrinsic Value and Perceived Essentialism of Culture Heritage Sites as Tools for Planning Interventions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5078
Author(s):  
Magdalena Roszczynska-Kurasinska ◽  
Anna Domaradzka ◽  
Anna Wnuk ◽  
Tomasz Oleksy
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Culture Heritage ◽  
Response To Change

In order to remain alive and relevant, cultural heritage sites have to react and adapt to changing context in a coherent manner, i.e., in a way that is in line with the memory and identity of the place. The incoherent changes, i.e., the transformations that according to the local community do not agree with a character of a place, can be destructive for the long-term vitality of urban cultural heritage. In this study, we test which factors influence social acceptance of different alternations within the context of urban historical gardens that might, in turn, ensure the resilience of the place. Our study focuses on the intangible qualities of the place measured by intrinsic value, perceived essentialism and anti-essentialism as important predictors shaping the response to change. The correlational study was conducted using an online questionnaire designed to empirically grasp intangible qualities of cultural heritage sites. Five hundred twenty-nine responses were included in the analysis. The study shows that perceived historic value, inherent value (uniqueness and importance of the place) and (anti-)essentialist character of a place capture the differences between parks well and enables the finding of interventions that are coherent with a site’s genius loci. Measuring intangible qualities of urban gardens can help to design changes that find higher approval among local community members and users of the site. We discuss how the analysis of an intrinsic value and essentialism allows for planning better spatial interventions that align with the human-centered approach to urban development.

scholarly journals 3543 Translating the complex medical jargon of opioid use disorder and medication assisted treatment into locally relevant messages in rural Colorado using Boot Camp Translation

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. 97-98
Author(s):  
Mary Fisher ◽  
Donald E. Nease ◽  
Linda Zittleman ◽  
Jack Westfall ◽  
Jennifer Ancona
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Boot Camp ◽  
Opioid Use Disorder ◽  
Research Network ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Medication Assisted Treatment ◽  
South Central

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a national epidemic and identified as a top priority by the practices and communities in rural Colorado. Until recently, few resources existed to address OUD in rural communities. In addition to training primary care and behavioral health practice teams in medication assisted treatment (MAT), Implementing Technology and Medication Assisted Treatment and Team Training and in Rural Colorado (IT MATTTRs Colorado) engaged local community members to alter the community conversation around OUD and treatment. For IT MATTTRs, the High Plains Research Network and the Colorado Research Network engaged community members in a 8-10 month process known as Boot Camp Translations (BCT) to translate medical information and jargon around OUD and MAT into concepts, messages, and materials that are meaningful and actionable to community members. The resulting community interventions are reported here. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: IT MATTTRs conducted separate BCTs in Eastern Colorado and the south central San Luis Valley. Community partners included non-health professionals with diverse backgrounds, public health and primary care professionals, law enforcement, and others. The BCT process includes a comprehensive education on OUD and MAT and facilitated meetings and calls to develop messages and dissemination strategies. Each BCT lasted around 8-10 months. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The BCT process elicited unique contextual ideas and constructs for messages, materials, and dissemination strategies. Themes common to both BCTs include the prevalence of OUD and that help is available in the local primary care office. Community-tailored messages are distributed through posters and flyer inserts, drink coasters, newspaper articles, letters to local judges, restaurant placemats, and websites. Examples of the materials and messages will be presented. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Local community members are eager to help address the OUD crisis. Built on community-based participatory research principles, BCT can be used to translate complex information and guidelines around OUD and MAT into messages and materials that reflect local culture and community needs.

Social Status in an Open-Source Community

2005 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 823-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Natural Setting ◽  
Laboratory Setting ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Software Developers ◽  
Status Mobility ◽  
The Status

Despite a fair amount of conjecture regarding the circumstances that lead to the generation of status orders, most of the previous literature in this area typically has studied the effects of social cues within a laboratory setting. This article analyzes the evolution of the status hierarchy within a large-scale, natural setting. The results of empirical analyses assessing a large online community of software developers show that in the process of status attainment, community members tend to evaluate a focal actor's reputation according to publicly available social references. Ironically, these same social references also work to constrain an actor's status mobility.

Large-Scale Sport Events and Resident Well-Being: Examining PERMA and the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Jason Doyle ◽  
Kevin Filo ◽  
Alana Thomson ◽  
Thilo Kunkel
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Sport Events ◽  
Commonwealth Games

Delivering community-based benefits is oftentimes cited to justify the high costs associated with hosting large-scale events. The current research is embedded in positive psychology to examine how an event impacts host community members’ PERMA domains, reflected through positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. Adopting a longitudinal approach, the authors interviewed 15 host community members before and after a large-scale sport event to determine if and how the event impacted their well-being. The findings uncovered evidence that the event activated positive emotions, relationships, and meaning across both phases, and evidence of accomplishment within the postevent phase. The findings contribute to the knowledge by examining the links between large-scale sport events and well-being throughout the event lifecycle. This research forwards implications for event bidding committees, event organizers, and host community officials to maximize community well-being through hosting large-scale events and to help justify associated expenses from a social–psychological perspective.

Community dynamics in Fijian coral reef fish communities vary with conservation and shark-based tourism

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 363
Author(s):  
Mallory G. McKeon ◽  
Joshua A. Drew
Keyword(s):  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Fish Abundance ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Feeding Methods ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Unprotected Area

Marine protected areas (MPAs) effectively improve the biomass and diversity in heavily exploited marine systems, but often fail to reach their full potential because they require more space, time, and consistency of regulation. Recently, shark-based tourism, which utilises some of the remaining shark strongholds as tourism hotspots, has brought about increased awareness to exploited reef systems. In Fiji, specifically, shark diving companies include local community members in their operations to promote better understanding of their reefs. We seek to investigate whether seemingly denser shark populations during feeding times influence community composition and structure. Visual census data were collected from 50-m belt transects at four different reefs in Fiji: two MPAs with shark-based ecotourism with food provisioning, one MPA without shark-based ecotourism, and one unprotected area without shark-based tourism. Paradoxically, indices of evenness and diversity were highest in the non-protected site. However, there was significantly higher fish abundance and species diversity within reserves than outside of reserves. Within reserves, sites with shark feeding had lower fish abundance and higher richness, diversity, and evenness. Mean trophic level was highest at sites with shark feeding. Use of chum increased average fish abundance and diversity within shark-dive sites. These results indicate that there are evident differences between MPAs that do and do not offer trophic supplementation for shark-based ecotourism. Thus, tourism may be facilitating a shift of ecosystem composition in such areas. Furthermore, the results suggest that feeding methods may augment the impacts of shark-based tourism on the reef at large.

scholarly journals Prediction of sepsis-related outcomes in neonates through systematic genotyping of polymorphisms in genes for innate immunity and inflammation: a narrative review and critical perspective

2013 ◽  
Vol 131 (5) ◽  
pp. 338-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Kilesse Carvalho ◽  
Daniella Batalha Moore ◽  
Ricardo Alves Luz ◽  
Pedro Paulo Xavier-Elsas ◽  
Maria Ignez Capella Gaspar-Elsas
Keyword(s):  
Innate Immunity ◽  
Gene Polymorphisms ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Immunity Genes ◽  
Hemostatic Factors ◽  
Narrative Literature Review ◽  
The Impact

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Neonatal sepsis is associated with premature birth and maternal infection. Large-scale studies seek to define markers that identify neonates at risk of developing sepsis. Here, we examine whether the scientific evidence supports systematic use of polymorphism genotyping in cytokine and innate immunity genes, to identify neonates at increased risk of sepsis. DESIGN AND SETTING: Narrative literature review conducted at Fernandes Figueira Institute, Brazil. METHODS: The literature was searched in PubMed, Embase (Excerpta Medica Database), Lilacs (Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde), SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online) and Cochrane Library. From > 400,000 references, 548 were retrieved based on inclusion/exclusion criteria; 22 were selected for detailed analysis after quality assessment. RESULTS: The studies retrieved addressed the impact of gene polymorphisms relating to immune mechanisms (most often TNF-a, LT-a, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-1ra, L-selectin, CD14 and MBL) or inflammatory mechanisms (ACE and angiotensin II receptors; secretory PLA2; and hemostatic factors). Despite initial reports suggesting positive associations between specific polymorphisms and increased risk of sepsis, the accumulated evidence has not confirmed that any of them have predictive power to justify systematic genotyping. CONCLUSIONS: Sepsis prediction through systematic genotyping needs to be reevaluated, based on studies that demonstrate the functional impact of gene polymorphisms and epidemiological differences among ethnically distinct populations.

scholarly journals Assessment of the main factors impacting community members’ attitudes towards tourism and protected areas in six southern African countries

Koedoe ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Snyman
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Benefit Sharing ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Conservation Implications ◽  
Community Based Conservation ◽  
Future Success

In southern Africa, many early conservation efforts from the late 1800s and early 1900s either displaced local communities or restricted their access to natural resources. This naturally affected community attitudes towards protected areas and efforts were later made to rectify growing tensions. In the last few decades of the 20th century, these efforts led to conservation and ecotourism models that increasingly included communities in the decision-making and benefit-sharing process in order to garner their support. Although the results of these policies were mixed, it is clear that the future success of conservation and, consequently, ecotourism in many areas will depend on the attitudes and behaviour of communities living in or adjacent to protected areas. Managing and understanding community expectations and attitudes under varying socio-economic circumstances will lead to more efficient, equitable and sustainable community-based conservation and ecotourism models. This study was based on 1400 community interview schedules conducted in Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, allowing for an accurate comparison of attitudes across countries, protected areas and communities. The results highlighted important demographic and socio-economic factors to consider in terms of understanding the attitudes of those living in and around protected areas. Suggestions were put forward for managing community relationships and garnering long-term support for protected areas and ecotourism. Conservation implications: It was observed that, in general, community members living in or adjacent to conservation areas in southern Africa have an understanding and appreciation of the importance of conservation. Formal education was found to positively impact attitudes and human–wildlife conflict negatively impacted attitudes, highlighting important policy focus areas.

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