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Things that don't come by the road: Folktales, fosterage, and memories of slavery in the Cameroon grassfields
Copyright @ 2010 Cambridge University Pres
The presence of the past in the era of the nation state
With contributions from several of the Balkan countries that
once were united under the aegis of the Ottoman Empire, this special
issue proposes new theoretical approaches to the experience and transmission
of the past through time. All of the articles in this issue explore
themes to do with the transmission of collective memories of post-Ottoman
state formation and the malaise associated with a contemporary
epoch that, echoing late modernity, we might term ‘late nationalism’.
This introductory article examines the several manifestations of this
general phenomenon under the rubric of post-Ottoman topologies,
suggesting that where history creates a fixed, empiricist record of the
past, topologies denote the flux of co
A comparative analysis of functional traits in semi-natural grasslands under different grazing intensities
ArticleThe reduction of traditional management practices is a major threat for the conservation of permanent grasslands in many European marginal areas. The ecological importance of grasslands is acknowledged by the European Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC (1992) which includes many natural or semi-natural grassland types, and by the growing attention of society towards functions and services provided by these ecosystems. Nonetheless, the efficiency of conservation policies is questioned also for the lack of local-scale information on trends and state of grasslands hampers the definition of local-tailored schemes. The main objective of this work is to assess the potential of a set of functional traits in discriminating between different management intensities and their capacity to describe the dynamics occurring in semi-natural grasslands. The research was carried out in a hilly area of Tuscany (Italy) on four grassland sites characterized by similar environmental features (soil, climate, topography), and by different management practices for 10 or more years. The survey concerned collection and analysis of different functional traits related to foliar features, litter and botanical composition. The functional traits were able to differentiate the four sites under different management practices, but their effectiveness was different. Results support the possibility to perform a rapid appraisal of grassland successional stages based on leaf functional traits of dominant species and by the assessment of presence of a reduced number of species among those occurring in the community
Evolution of productive and biodiversity features in lucerne fields of different ages
Received: January 10th, 2022 ; Accepted: February 23rd, 2022 ; Published: April 1st, 2022 ; Correspondence: [email protected] sativa is a legume forage crop characterized by high production of forage,
with a notable nutritive value, but in mountain areas duration of the crop could be remarkably
affected by severe environmental conditions. To assess the vegetation evolution of lucerne crops
in relation to crop age, data from fields of lucerne of different ages were collected. The aim is the
evaluation of lucerne productive performances, evolution of forage quality and assessment of
recovery by autochthonous species that naturally recolonize the studied areas in relation to age of
the cropped species. With increasing years, lucerne population was significantly decreased and
replaced by different functional types of plants, such as perennial graminoids and short-lived
forbs. Biodiversity increased significantly along time, and evolution of similarity indices
demonstrated an evolution of vegetation toward that represented by reference grassland of the
area. Productive characteristics of forage, in terms of aboveground biomass and quality, were
negatively affected by age. Results permitted to assess the evolution of different features of
lucerne for a mountain environment and to hypothesize the appropriate management for this
resource, that could contemplate also the evolution towards the reconstitution of the reference
habitat for the studied area
Evolution of production and forage quality in sown meadows of a mountain area inside Parmesan cheese consortium
Received: January 5th, 2021 ; Accepted: April 7th, 2021 ; Published: May 4th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] meadows, encompassing alfalfa and grass-legume mixtures, are the forage crops
on which is based Parmesan cheese production system in the mountain area of the Apennines
(central Italy). These grassland types experience, during their development, deep changes in terms
of production potentiality, botanical composition and forage quality, thus these meadows have to
be periodically renewed to guarantee adequate productive and qualitative performances. To have
an accurate assessment of this evolution along time, a survey was performed in different mountain
farms inside the Parmesan cheese consortium, analysing alfalfa meadows and grass-legumes
mixtures of different ages. Grasslands were monitored during 2019, performing three samplings
during growing season. Aboveground biomass production, botanical composition and crude
protein content were collected during the survey. Results permitted to evaluate the level of
production decrease along years, the evolution of analysed parameters among cutting dates and
the dependence of productive and qualitative features on botanical composition and presence of
sown species in the swards. Results were useful to hypothesize the composition of future
mixtures, to improve management issues and to delineate the possible duration of sown meadows
for the area with respect to different purposes in terms of desired productive or qualitative
objectives
Assessment of management effect on grasslands characteristics in an area of the Apennines (North Italy)
In many regions of Europe, semi-natural grasslands not properly utilized face different
threats, concerning changes in botanical composition and structural evolution, which can lead to
a reduction of the qualitative value of forage biomass or, in the mid-long term, forest recovery.
The present paper assesses various semi-natural grasslands within a mountain public property
located in Tuscany (North Apennines, Italy) subjected to different types of utilization. Some of
them are managed through cattle grazing during summer, whereas some others are only
periodically mowed and utilization is performed only by wildlife occurring in the area. The paper
analyses the importance of resource management and its impact on botanical composition and on
qualitative value of forage production. Data collection of studied areas was conducted by means
of vegetation assessment performed with a fast procedure that simplifies the botanical
composition sampling. Results show the relevance of some environmental factors on grasslands
evolution and on their composition (such as altitude and slope) and the importance of
management on grassland quality and on level of shrub encroachment
Use of Annual Self-Reseeding Legumes in an Oak Forest in Central Italy
A trial has been carried out for three years in an oak coppice geometrically thinned out of Mediterranean Central Italy, about the functioning of a pastoral system made by four different resources: native pasture, subterranean clover (Trifolium brachycalycinum Katzn. et Morley) in pure stand, strips thinned out and firebreaks improved with oversown subclover, all grazed by sheep. Subclover increased the forage yield and improved the palatabilty of the pasture and the regularity of grazing; the higher biomass intake by animals reduced the quantity of dried biomass in summer and contributed to keep low either fire hazards or flame diffusion speed. Data underlined the importance of deferred grazing and of the combination of different native or improved resources on the seasonal distribution of production and animal intake
Dynamics of kinship and the uncertainties of life : spirit cults and healing management in northern Thailand
This thesis is about kinship, health and healing in a Northern Thai village. Although traditional spirit mediums and spirit cult observances in Chiang Mai city are in decline and have led to a breakdown of the matrilineal system, in the village of Baan Yang Luang in Mae Chaem district the belief in matrilineal spirits and ancestors is still maintained in interesting counterpoint to social change. The power of spirits is used to manage human suffering-whether sickness, death or agricultural failure. Kinship in Mae Chaem is based on the relationship between humans and ancestral spirits or lineage guardian spirits. Illness is thought to derive from conflicts among humans or between humans and spirits. Healing is attained by the reforming and reshaping of relationships, and by the reconciliation of conflicted parties. The thesis investigates how matrilineal spirit cults, personhood, and social relatedness are created, shaped and transformed through the struggles of illness and healing management. It examines the complex relations among illness, kinship and personhood in reincarnation, healing, lineage recruitment, sacrifice, and spirit worship. In conclusion, it explores the mutual relationship between the two processes: kinship transformation and healing management, both of which depend crucially on power relations within the society. People use the dynamic aspects of the kinship system to interpret and manage illness; at the same time, illness is used as a means to reform and maintain the fluidity of kin relationships. The dynamic systems of health and kinship enable people to create, choose, negotiate and participate in the transformation of social relations and identity, in order to cope with a changing society. Finally, I hope this study will shed light on how identity, kinship, personhood, and lay medical knowledge are conceived, created and sustained from an emic perspective.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceThai Government : Chiang Mai UniversityGBUnited Kingdo
Valutazione di inerbimenti in alcune aree toscane interessate dal passaggio del metanodotto
Abstract: Revegetation assessment on different areas of methane pipeline in Tuscany. Degraded areas due to extra-agricultural activity (such as quarries, dumps, ski runs, methane tracks, etc.) or to natural events (such as landslides) are present in a wide part of Italian territory and for this reason is extremely necessary an effective restoration in order to reduce erosion risks and to permit their better integration in the surrounding landscape. Revegetation is usually performed using commercial mixtures constituted by species with a forage aptitude. The aim of this work was to analyse the evolution of revegetation performed on different areas of methane pipeline in Tuscany (central Italy), both in Mediterranean environments and in mountain areas. Knowledge of mixture used during revegetation and time of intervention allowed, on one hand, to discriminate species introduced by revegetation from those coming out from native recolonisation of tracks, on the other hand, to know the age of canopies at time of botanical analysis. The following variables were assessed on the studied herbaceous resources: ground cover, floristic composition, biodiversity, level of recolonization by native species, similarity with natural areas. Data collection permitted the evaluation of efficiency of studied revegetation, the awareness of the role played by sown and native species, the estimation of the level of native species in order to integrate the restoration with the environment and the analysis of most important parameters that affect vegetal evolution in these peculiar settings
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