A review of research ethics in internet-based research

Internet-based research methods can include; on-line surveys, web page content analysis, videoconferencing for on-line focus groups and/ or interviews, analysis of ‘e’ conversations through social networking sites, email, chat rooms, discussion boards and/ or blogs. Over the last ten years an upsurge in Internet Based Research (IBR) has led to increased interest in IBR and research ethics. Here we present some ethical guidelines for IBR whilst at the same time accepting that it would be unrealistic to expect that any single set of guidelines can cover all ethical situations concerning IBR). There is simply too much diversity across internet cultures, values and modes of operation for that to be the case. Perhaps the most useful solution to the complex challenges of IRB lies with a form of ‘negotiated ethics’, a situated approach grounded in the specifics of the online community, the methodology and the research question(s). This does not mean an ‘anything goes’ relativist approach, rather an open, pluralistic policy in relation to IBR ethical issues (Ess, 2009; AoIR, 2002)

Forest Schools and environmental attitudes: a case study of children aged 8–11 years

There is growing evidence that children in the UK are suffering from a lack of engagement with nature and the outdoor environment. This paper investigates the attitudes of children towards the natural environment and focuses on Forest School programmes as a mechanism to promote a “pro-environmental” attitude. The study identified that there was a statistically significant difference in environmental attitude between groups of children that had participated in a Forest Schools programme and those that had not participated, with children who have taken part in Forest Schools demonstrating a more pro-environmental attitude. Whilst it is recognised that Forest Schools may not be the only factor influencing these attitudes, this is still an important finding that adds to the overall benefits of participation in Forest Schools programmes

The Solway Estuary: A socio-cultural evaluation of a coastal energy landscape

No abstract available

Mainstreaming LEADER Delivery of the RDR in Cumbria: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

The European Union (EU) Rural Development Regulations (RDR) provide the blueprint for EU rural development policy. A major change with the 2007–2013 funding period has been the decision to mainstream the LEADER programme as a cross‐cutting axis for the local delivery of rural development. Delivery of the RDR in England (via the Rural Development Plan for England) has been devolved to the regions, and in the north‐west there has been further sub‐regional devolution. In Cumbria, where there is a history of successful LEADER programmes, a core group of stakeholders took the decision at an early stage to develop a proposal to deliver the whole of RDR Axes 1 and 3 funding via a mainstreamed LEADER approach. This article tracks the process of developing local action group proposals in Cumbria, and uses interpretive phenomenological analysis to explore the evolution of a local governance mechanism and provides a commentary on the tensions among mainstreaming, participation and innovation

Flooding and schools: experiences in Hull in 2007

Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, United Kingdom, suffered severe flooding in June 2007, affecting some 8,600 households and most schools. Despite the potential for damage in such disasters, no studies of the effects of floods on teachers and schools in the UK appear to have been published previously. This study analysed the impacts of the floods on teachers in Hull in two stages: first through correspondence with Hull City Council and a mailed questionnaire to 91 head teachers of primary, secondary, and special schools; and second, through in-depth interviews with head teachers from six flooded schools, representing different degrees of flood experience, and a questionnaire completed by eight teachers from the same schools. The findings reveal the importance and the complexity of the role of the school in the wider community in a time of crisis. The study highlights issues concerning preparedness for floods, support for schools, and flood protection for schools

Gardens and birdwatching: recreation, environmental management and human-nature interaction in an everyday location

Private, domestic gardens are important both as sites for leisure and as sites of conservation interest. Birdwatching is an important leisure activity, yet there appear to be no previous studies that combine these two themes of importance to the understanding of managed garden spaces. Semi-structured interviews were held with birdwatchers as part of a larger study of the interactions between local places and birdwatching. Respondents revealed a wide and disparate spectrum of responses to their gardens and to how they made use of their gardens in their normal birdwatching activities. The study raises questions about the extent to which gardens are viewed as sites for interactions with nature and raises challenges about the use of gardens as areas of conservation action

Valuing nature

A recurring conversation at Timber Festival, either in the big tent, bars or campsite, has been how do we reverse the dramatic decline in wildlife and the loss and degradation of natural habitats. We know that the global climate system is changing on an unprecedented scale. We have created a society which struggles to reconcile its impacts and dependencies on the natural environment. Our inability to properly understand and account for the costs of our impacts, or the value the environment provides to us, has led to a systematic omission of the environment from our decision-making processes. The result is a short-term focus on immediate economic development at the expense of our long-term wellbeing. The impacts of such thinking are exemplified by the growing threat of catastrophic climate breakdown and a sixth mass extinction event

Entitlements, capabilities and crisis in the United Kingdom

This paper examines if Amartya Sen’s entitlements and capabilities theories can be transferred in their application from Low Income Countries (LIC) to High Income Countries (HIC), specifically in Cumbria, northern England. Originally used to understand the causes of famine, these theories have previously been used in several different geographical contexts to broadly understand poverty and inequality but almost entirely in LICs. This paper applies the theories to a United Kingdom context in an attempt to understand the causes of poverty and inequality amongst people experiencing ‘livelihood crisis’. The research uses data from two non-governmental social welfare projects to examine the causes of crisis and the remedial effects of the intervention. Our findings indicate that these theories can help to explain how people find themselves in crisis in Cumbria. On a broader level, they can also be used to explain poverty, inequality and disadvantage in communities in the UK. The authors put forward that entitlements and capabilities theories provide a useful framework to advance the policy and political debate on the causes of poverty by providing a straightforward language and broad application. Entitlement and capabilities theories can also assist social welfare programmes in framing their aims and objectives and through improved understanding about the causes of inequality, will be better able to help people out of disadvantage by strengthening entitlements and building capabilities, without the necessity of large-scale investment

Augmented reality forest soundscapes

Since the beginning of the lockdown response to the coronavirus pandemic the soundscape of the world around us has changed dramatically. Outdoors or in, there was a notable drop in ambient background noise that is almost exclusively down to the reduction in sound caused by humans or to use its formal term, anthropophony. In our visually dominated society this provided a rare treat for the ears, specifically the opportunity to clearly hear the sounds created by other living creatures that inhabit the world (biophony) and the non-biological sounds of the outdoors (geophony)

Paddle to the sea

This paper explores human and other-than-human agency through the rhythms experienced during a source to sea canoe journey from Kirkstone Pass in the centre of the Lake District to the Solway Firth.  Musing on the narrative of Holling’s (1941) children’s classic ‘Paddle to the Sea’ this study reflects on the dance of agency experienced by Hollins' character 'Paddle' alongside those which emerge during our own paddle to the sea. Acknowledging privileges in terms of agency, finances and time; what experiences would the researchers have in terms of their sense of space, time and nature connection? Findings included observations around the role of task focus on the sense of time, space and nature connection, some attractive aspects of arrhythmia and the examination of some assumed hierarchical dualities