Sustainable Ecosystem Management

Ecosystems are part of human wellbeing and their sustainable management is essential for the survival of the human race and biodiversity. This chapter explores the concept of sustainable ecosystem management (SEM), its principles, elements, faces, and implementation. SEM is defined as environmentally sensitive, ecosystem-based, and eco-regional based. Its successful implementation is therefore complex due to the different priorities of stakeholders, the scope of ecosystems, some of which are transboundary, and the ever-changing nature of these areas amidst environmental uncertainties. These aspects are vulnerable to political changes and reconciling them is difficult. This chapter proposes a five-step implementation plan on SEM that is pegged on adaptive management and holistic consideration of ecological resources. Using documented case studies, SEM is a proposed solution to ecosystem challenges of modern-day amidst hindrances of rising resource demand, population increase, and climate variability.

Sustainable Analysis of Process Parameters during TIG welding of dissimilar joining between 304 Stainless Steel and AISI 1018 Mild Steel

The present work investigates TIG in terms of strength and energy consumption during joining of dissimilar metal plates between 304 Stainless Steel and AISI 1018 Mild Steel. TIG welding basically promotes a sustainable environment because it consumes less energy. Energy conservation means to reduce imbalance between demand and energy supply that is necessary to protect ecological resources and natural environment. TIG welding is a precision welding process which makes possible for joining of thinner and lighter materials. Joining of various dissimilar metals becomes great interest owing to the different challenges that are posed by deviation in the material composition as well as the characteristics of the joined metals. The main objective is to optimize energy consumption and tensile strength by taking effective process parameters that are Current, Travel Speed and Gas Flow Rate and also determination of main influential process parameters on energy consumption and tensile strength by using Taguchi method. Contour plot has also been shown in this present investigation.

Pathways to Positive Development for Muslim Immigration Youth in Western Contexts

<p>Muslim youth growing up in Western contexts face a complex set of issues as a result of meeting the various, and often incongruent, expectations placed upon them by their family, religion, ethnic community and host national society. This group of young people is often thought to face high risks of maladaptation, as they potentially experience the negative effects of acculturation more so than host nationals or other immigrant youth. Recent research, however, has suggested that many Muslim migrant young people are successfully negotiating their experiences of cultural transition in Western societies. Therefore, the major aim of this thesis was to obtain systematic data on young Muslim migrant’s “pathways to positive development”, or how these young people achieve successful adaptation in the face of adversity. To examine the complexities of Muslim migrant youth acculturation fully, it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of their lived experiences within and across contexts. In order to achieve this, four studies were conducted utilising mixed methodologies and drawing on a range of psychological and sociological theories, predominantly focusing on acculturation, development and religiosity. Study 1 qualitatively investigated the indicators and determinants of participation and success for Muslim youth in the New Zealand environment. The results of this study enabled a framework to be developed that illustrates the most salient ecological resources youth access (family, religion and the intercultural environment), the risks they face (discrimination and cultural differences) and outcomes of the acculturation process. In study 2, this framework was refined by drawing upon theories of resilience, and subsequently was tested quantitatively with a sample of Muslim youth in New Zealand. Results from this study indicate that while Muslim youth in New Zealand may be at risk of maladaptative outcomes because of their exposure to discrimination and cultural transition, ecological resources may counteract some of the negative effects of these stressors. Study 3 sought to test whether the results found in study 2 were generalisable to Muslim youth in other contexts by carrying out a comparative analysis of youth outcomes in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. These societies were chosen to be compared because they share a similar historic culture but have taken very different routes to social cohesion and the inclusion of minorities. The major aim of this study was to investigate whether the country of settlement has an impact on the adaptation of Muslim migrant youth. The results demonstrate that the cultural environment of migration plays an important contributing factor to both the experience of stress and the achievement of positive adaptation above and beyond the effects of resources. Finally, study 4 utilised techniques of multilevel modelling to examine the acculturation experiences of Muslim youth cross-culturally. Drawing on the International Comparative Study of Ethnocultural Youth (ICSEY) data, Muslim migrant youth from 9 Western receiving nations were examined. Results indicate that the ideological context (cultural values and host national attitudes towards immigrants) has important effects on individual levels of adaptation and the experience of perceived discrimination. The findings of this thesis contribute novel perspectives to acculturation and development research as well as cross-cultural psychology more generally. Using multiple methods in the study of psychological phenomena enables a move beyond traditional descriptions of acculturation processes as situated predominantly within one cultural setting and advances our understanding of how Muslim youth fare in a global context.</p>

Pathways to Positive Development for Muslim Immigration Youth in Western Contexts

<p>Muslim youth growing up in Western contexts face a complex set of issues as a result of meeting the various, and often incongruent, expectations placed upon them by their family, religion, ethnic community and host national society. This group of young people is often thought to face high risks of maladaptation, as they potentially experience the negative effects of acculturation more so than host nationals or other immigrant youth. Recent research, however, has suggested that many Muslim migrant young people are successfully negotiating their experiences of cultural transition in Western societies. Therefore, the major aim of this thesis was to obtain systematic data on young Muslim migrant’s “pathways to positive development”, or how these young people achieve successful adaptation in the face of adversity. To examine the complexities of Muslim migrant youth acculturation fully, it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of their lived experiences within and across contexts. In order to achieve this, four studies were conducted utilising mixed methodologies and drawing on a range of psychological and sociological theories, predominantly focusing on acculturation, development and religiosity. Study 1 qualitatively investigated the indicators and determinants of participation and success for Muslim youth in the New Zealand environment. The results of this study enabled a framework to be developed that illustrates the most salient ecological resources youth access (family, religion and the intercultural environment), the risks they face (discrimination and cultural differences) and outcomes of the acculturation process. In study 2, this framework was refined by drawing upon theories of resilience, and subsequently was tested quantitatively with a sample of Muslim youth in New Zealand. Results from this study indicate that while Muslim youth in New Zealand may be at risk of maladaptative outcomes because of their exposure to discrimination and cultural transition, ecological resources may counteract some of the negative effects of these stressors. Study 3 sought to test whether the results found in study 2 were generalisable to Muslim youth in other contexts by carrying out a comparative analysis of youth outcomes in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. These societies were chosen to be compared because they share a similar historic culture but have taken very different routes to social cohesion and the inclusion of minorities. The major aim of this study was to investigate whether the country of settlement has an impact on the adaptation of Muslim migrant youth. The results demonstrate that the cultural environment of migration plays an important contributing factor to both the experience of stress and the achievement of positive adaptation above and beyond the effects of resources. Finally, study 4 utilised techniques of multilevel modelling to examine the acculturation experiences of Muslim youth cross-culturally. Drawing on the International Comparative Study of Ethnocultural Youth (ICSEY) data, Muslim migrant youth from 9 Western receiving nations were examined. Results indicate that the ideological context (cultural values and host national attitudes towards immigrants) has important effects on individual levels of adaptation and the experience of perceived discrimination. The findings of this thesis contribute novel perspectives to acculturation and development research as well as cross-cultural psychology more generally. Using multiple methods in the study of psychological phenomena enables a move beyond traditional descriptions of acculturation processes as situated predominantly within one cultural setting and advances our understanding of how Muslim youth fare in a global context.</p>

Identifying Key Sites of Green Infrastructure to Support Ecological Restoration in the Urban Agglomeration

The loss and fragmentation of natural space has placed tremendous pressure on green infrastructure (GI), especially in urban agglomeration areas. It is of great importance to identify key sites of GI, which are used to economically and efficiently restore urban ecological network. However, in the existing research, few scholars have explored the identification and application of GI key sites. Taking the Southern Jiangsu Urban Agglomeration as an example, based on the ecosystem service assessment and landscape connectivity analysis, we identified the multi-class key sites of GI in the study area by MSPA, InVEST model, MCR model, and Linkage mapper. The results showed that: (1) a total of 60 GI sources and 130 GI corridors were extracted. The ecological resources of the study area were densely distributed in the north and south and sparsely in the middle. (2) Three-hundred eighty GI key sites were identified, including 53 water ecological points, 251 ecological fracture points, and 76 ecological pinch points. The GI key sites we identified were large in number and widely distributed, yet were hardly included in the existing ecological protection policies. These key sites should be prioritized in GI planning and differentiated for management strategies, ensuring that limited land resources and public funds can be directed to where restoration is really needed. The present study provides land managers and urban planners with additional tools to better understand how to effectively restore and develop the ecosystems of urban agglomerations in the context of scarce land resources.

Regulation of Natural Resources Located in Indigenous Communities Territory under the Principles of Consultation and Free, Prior-Informed Consent: Perspectives in Selected Countries

Natural resources have long been said to be under the sovereign ownership of the states in whose borders they are found. Sovereignty grants such a state not only the ownership but also the power to regulate their access and use. States’ inability to convert the resources into tangible socio-economic development has witnessed massive contractual agreements with multinational companies to harness the same. Multinational companies and state contractual arrangements seem to have ignored other potential stakeholders like communities dependent on natural resources for their survival. Consequently, communities such as those of indigenous peoples who depend on available natural resources like rivers, lakes, forests and other ecological resources are victimised in the state-multinational contractual arrangements and implementation. Internationally, principles such as consultation and free and prior-informed consent seem to regulate access and use of resources located in indigenous communities. This article shows how such principles guarantee the indigenous communities their existence in cases of large-scale development in their territory.

Problems in the Management of Rural Natural Resources and Optimization Countermeasures

With the continuous development of China's economic level, more and more attention has been paid to rural construction and development. In the new era, do a good job in the management of rural natural resources, realize the optimal allocation of resources, and the reasonable protection of ecological resources, so as to build a new countryside and realize the modern development of the new countryside. However, at present, there are still many problems and contradictions in the management of natural resources in rural China, such as low land transfer efficiency, many difficulties, unreasonable planning, deserted residential bases, and ineffective protection of the ecological and natural environment, which further restrict the situation. Reasonable application and sustainable development of rural natural resources. Therefore, it is necessary to deeply analyze a series of problems in the management of rural natural resources, formulate optimized countermeasures according to the specific conditions of the problems, and gradually solve the problems and contradictions to strengthen the construction of new countryside.

Tourist Satisfaction, Willingness to Revisit and Recommend, and Mountain Kangyang Tourism Spots Sustainability: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

The rapid development of society and economy has imposed insurmountable pressure on the urban population, and many people suffer from sub-health conditions. Kangyang tourism (KT), which combines the concepts of health preservation, ecological resources, and tourism activities, has developed rapidly in China since the concept was first introduced. Although previous studies have examined the relationship among experience, satisfaction, and intention, there is a lack of study of experience value’s impact on Mountain Kangyang Tourim Spots’ Sustainability, that is, willingness to revisit and recommend to other potential tourists. Consequently, an “experience value (functional value, contextual value, emotional value, cognitive value, economic value), satisfaction and post-trip willingness to revisit and recommend” framework is suggested to examine mountain Kangyang tourism (MKT). Data were collected from 500 tourists after visiting five well-known MKT destinations in Panzhihua city. Using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique, the results suggest that tourist satisfaction plays an important role in experience value as well as willingness to revisit and recommend the MKT spots after their revisits. Our research offers some practical suggestions for MKT destination operators when they design and provide MKT destinations. The results would be useful for governments and non-profit organizations which attempt to promote MKT.

Species Diversity of Trichoderma Associated With Soil In The Zoige Alpine Wetland of Southwest China

Background: The Zoige alpine wetland is one of the most important wetlands in China because of its complex natural environment, abundant ecological resources, and unique climatic conditions. The ecology of soil fungi is poorly understood, and recent comprehensive reports on Trichoderma are not available for any region, including the Zoige alpine wetland ecological region in China. Our results may be used as a reference for a greater understanding of soil microorganism at various ecological regions, ecological rehabilitation and reconstruction and as microbial resources. Results: One hundred soil samples were collected from different soil types and soil layers in Zoige alpine wetland ecological regions in 2013. Using the traditional suspension plating method, a total of 80 Trichoderma strains were isolated. After a preliminary classification of morphological characteristics and the genes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd), 57 strains were representatively selected and eventually identified as seven species via phylogenetic analyses of multilocus sequences based on the genes transcription elongation factor 1 alpha (tef1), encoding RNA polymerase II subunit B (rpb2) and ATP citrate lyase (acl1). Among them, Trichoderma harzianum was the dominant species and had the highest isolation frequency (23%) in this zone, while Trichoderma polysporum and Trichoderma pyramidale were rare species, with isolation frequencies of less than 1%.Conclusions: Our detailed morphological observation and molecular phylogenetic analyses support the recognition of Trichoderma zoigense was described for the first time as a new species.