Land-use conflict in the Otways region

Once connected to Tasmania, then surrounded by the sea and finally separated by volcanic activity to the north, the Otway Ranges became segregated into an ecological, isolated island forest. Originally there were 500,000 hectares of forest in the region, but after 135 years of European settlement this has been reduced by 400,000 hectares as a result of land clearing for settlement, the periodic incidence of fires, and the logging practices of the local timber industry. The remaining forests are managed for multiple use, with a high emphasis on hardwood production and also on water production, for as well as providing timber to the south-west of Victoria, Geelong, and Melbourne, the ranges, with an average annual rainfall of up to 2,000 mm, are the prime source of domestic water supply for the south-west and a necessary prerequisite for any future development in the area. Other land uses in the Otways Region include privately owned softwood plantations, State and National Parks, recreation areas, and the provision of a habitat for the natural biota. There are claims that the continuing emphasis on timber production, itself evolving from the predominance of the industry in the past, is detrimental to some of these other land uses, and that, in particular, logging in proclaimed water catchments is detrimental to the water supply, and the future of the industry, already undergoing internal structural changes and providing fewer jobs than in the past, is therefore in some doubt. This thesis will consider whether there is a conflict between various types of land uses in the region and how, if one does seem to exist, the timber industry, and by implication the current land use pattern, may change to achieve a resolution of that conflict. As over half of the entire area of designated water catchments is also available for hardwood production, this form of multiple use has been chosen to address these questions, and one land system,the West Barham River catchment, is studied in detail to illustrate the relationships which exist between vegetation and those interrelated aspects of land functioning which affect the water supply. The West Barham River is located in the southeast of the Otways Region, and supplies the coastal township of Apollo Bay with water for local consumption; logging has been carried out in the headwaters of the catchment since 1976, by the present licensees, Calco Sawmilling Company Pty. Ltd. and ET & EW Murnane Pty. Ltd., both located in Colac

Immunoassays: Their history, development and current place in food science and technology

This article is not available through ChesterRep.This article discusses the types and variety of immunoassays, which are currently available. Immunoassays provide a powerful tool, which can be used in the analysis and quality control of food materials. For both the novice and the experienced worker the specialist terminology of a subject presents an initial barrier, which must be overcome before full understanding is achieved. In this paper an attempt is made to introduce the important terms with which the reader should be familiar and to try to set the various technologies in context. The various basic methods are described and the theoretical and practical basis of more sophisticated assays now being devised are introduced