Opportunities and Constraints to Community Forest User Groups Participating in REDD+ Payment Programs in Nepal

In response to global concern for the consequences of climate change, the United Nations’ Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) program was developed to support greenhouse gas emission reduction and carbon sequestration in developing countries. While still being developed around the world, in Nepal a REDD+ pilot project is being conducted with the involvement of the Nepali government’s Department of Forestry (DoF) and its community forestry program. The pilot project is called “REDD+ in Community Managed Forests in Nepal” (RCMFN). The commitment of Nepal’s government to carry out this project makes it an ideal location to study carbon payment implementation. My study sought to understand the opportunities and constraints of REDD+ payment program participation by community forest user groups (CFUGs) enrolled in the pilot project. CFUGs are the main management group in Nepal’s community forestry program. Research was conducted in two watersheds where RCMFN operates: Kayar Khola and Charniwati. Field research was undertaken January-August 2012 and involved largely qualitative methods including in-depth interviews with government and non-government staff working on REDD+ programs and with executives (presidents and secretaries) of twenty six CFUGs (35% of total in the two watersheds). Focus groups were held with CFUG members in each watershed to learn about their concerns (two focus groups in four CFUGs from each watershed). Results identified three sets of issues. The first involves constraints relating to the structure and requirements of global carbon standards and markets for community forest user group (CFUG) participation in REDD+ The main concerns were uncertainty regarding the program’s future and the requirement that funds are controlled by the DoF. The second set of issues focus on the role of NGOs and government partners as a link between CFUGs and global carbon markets. Here ongoing conflict between priorities of the DoF (to improve forests) and CFUGs (to improve both forests and local socioeconomic conditions) has led to mistrust between the two groups and concern over control and allocation of any payments coming from REDD+. Communication between the RCMFN and full CFUG membership also creates challenges for CFUG knowledge and support of REDD+. The third set of issues relate to the capacity of CFUGs to conduct the technical tasks required by REDD+ (e.g. carbon measurement, analysis, verification) as well their ability to do so in an efficient and equitable manner. Despite these many concerns CFUG executives and members remain positive that with training and education they will be able to conduct their own measurements and increase their capacity for managing funds ultimately benefitting from opportunities from REDD+ as well as community forestry. However, to realize these opportunities, ongoing conflict between the DoF and CFUGs over payment control still need to be addressed

Eternity's unhidden shore: time in the writings of Edwin Muir (1887-1959)

The thesis discusses the subject of time as dealt with in the writings of Edwin Muir, exploring the ways in which his poetry, novels, and critical writings articulate a range of perspectives regarding the nature of time and its relation to human experience. Following the adaptation of ideas through Muir’s career, a trajectory is traced from his early writings in which time is seen as a destructive power antithetical to life through to the celebration of mortality in his late writings. Integral to this development was his persistent interrogation of the relationship between time and eternity. Identifying the important role of Muir’s autobiographical method, this thesis begins by exploring his desire to obtain an objective view of human life by establishing a critical distance in his writings between the subject being presented and the imagination that presents it. To this end, his creative writings often incorporate myths, biblical allegories, heraldic symbolism, and surreal abstractions to present archetypal or timeless events and situations. In doing so, Muir is seen drawing on an array of literary and philosophical influences, many of which relate to his adolescence and formative adulthood in Glasgow. His rural childhood in Orkney and his early contact with Presbyterian and Evangelical Christianity made a lasting impression on his imagination with the resultant preoccupation with Eden and the Fall being dominant features of his poetry. Often dealt with in an abstract way in his poetry, Eden is frequently associated with his childhood on Wyre in his autobiographical writings, with the Fall, in Muir’s theorizing, forming the moment at which time becomes of relevance to humanity. Critically under-appreciated as ephemera and juvenilia, Muir’s earliest prose and poetry in The New Age magazine between 1913 and 1923 convey a strong sense of his desire to engage with the popular debates of the day regarding contemporary literary and social matters. For this reason, a significant amount of space has been given in this thesis to allow these writings to be re-evaluated; not just as portents of his later work, but also as important contributions to the vibrant journal and magazine culture of the period. Offering substantive detail to sketch the relevant biographical context, the essays, critical monographs and volumes of poetry are discussed chronologically and with reference to each other to allow the development of Muir’s ideas to be seen as an organic evolution rather than as a series of philosophical epiphanies. However, the significance of Muir’s reconciliation to Christianity in 1939 is highlighted as the single most important creative breakthrough of his mature adulthood. The extensive range of Muir’s critiques of Scottish and European culture, and his essays on the relationship between literature and society more generally, underline his position as a modernist writer immersed in the affairs of his time. Through detailing Muir’s creative and philosophical struggles with himself and modernity (which he felt he had fallen into through a time-accident) he is seen repeatedly reaffirming his commitment to exploring the nature of time and its meaning for human society

Scotland's Fishing Interests in the Light of the Common Fisheries Policy of the European Economic Community

An analysis of Scotland's fishing interests within the European Community, together with the careful consideration of the rights of fishermen working off Scotland's shores is the topic of the thesis. Its overall purpose is to assess whether or not Scottish fishermen are, under current European and domestic law, sufficiently well protected in their livelihood or whether they have a livelihood worse than intended by the law. For a wider perspective, the international situation outwith the European Community is also considered, thus showing in the light of cases that the interests of fishermen within the European Community and internationally are closely linked

Análisis multitemporal de la cobertura de manglar en la Reserva Cayos Miskitos, 2006-2017

This study has analyzed the change in mangrove coverage from Miskitus Cays Reserve due to the effects of Félix Hurricane, 5 category according to the Saffir-Simpson scale, which impacted on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua in 2007, by digital image analysis of Landsat satellites for 2006, 2012 and 2017. Recent conditions and trends of change were evaluated, estimating a reduction of approximately 1,783.2 hectares of mangrove forest for the period. Coverage changes were analyzed with landscape metrics estimated from the mangrove coverage maps generated for each date. The results indicate an increase in the number of patches and a reduction in the size of the forest masses of the islands and cays set, as well as variations in the partition index values, which indicate a fragmented coverage. From the 2017 results, the impact on the mangrove spatial patterns product of the hurricane was evaluated. At the level of islets and cays, it was found that the greatest impact on the mangrove was observed on the main island of the Miskitus Cays, where the coverage was reduced by 1762 hectares, also presenting values ​​of landscape metrics that indicate an increase in fragmentation processes.Este estudio ha analizado el cambio de coberturas de los manglares de la Reserva Cayos Miskitus por efectos del huracán Félix de categoría 5 según la escala Saffir-Simpson, que   impactó en la Costa Caribe de Nicaragua en el 2007, mediante el análisis digital de imágenes de satélites Landsat para los años 2006, 2012 y 2017. Se evaluaron las condiciones recientes y las tendencias de cambio, estimándose una reducción de aproximadamente 1,783.2 hectáreas del bosque de mangle para el período. Se analizaron los cambios de la cobertura con métricas del paisaje estimadas a partir de los mapas de cobertura de manglar generados para cada fecha. Los resultados indican un incremento en el número de parches y una reducción del tamaño de las masas boscosa del conjunto de islas y cayos, así como variaciones de los valores de índice de partición, que indican una cobertura fragmentada. A partir de los resultados del 2017 se evaluó el impacto sobre los patrones espaciales del manglar producto del huracán. A nivel de islotes y cayos encontrándose que el mayor impacto sobre el manglar se observó en la isla mayor de los Cayos Miskitus, donde la cobertura se redujo 1762 hectáreas, presentando además valores de las métricas del paisaje que señalan incremento en los procesos de fragmentació

THE VERNACULAR HIATUS: MODERNITY, TRADITION, AND ETHNICITY

The following paper began by serving as a general introduction to this special issue of Ruang – Space. In the course of writing it morphed into a slightly different offering. While a general overview remains, covering linguistic problems and interrelationships, the paper not only offers a basic thesis about Vernacular/Ethnic architecture – thatthe central purpose of vernacular architecture isto inform the present, not to define the past, it also suggeststhe proof. In the course of outlining this idea, works contributed to two former books are cited. The first, Home- A Portfolio of Home over the Ages generated a basic structure for the purpose of analysing the generic features of home. Work previously unpublished is included to reveal the logic and method behind the eight historical chapters in the book. The second Vernacular Transformations – Architecture, Place and Tradition, specifically chapter one, illustrates the development of the thesis in significant detail, and modifies the original model on critique. The article concludes by suggesting that the thesis has been adequately supported, and that the method derived from realist philosophy using necessary and contingent features is useful until someone can improve on this overall system. Keywords: vernacular; ethnic; necessary and contingent features; counter representation. Abstrak Tulisan ini pada awalnya didedikasikan sebagai prolog untuk edisi khusus Jurnal Ruang-Space yang mengambil tema permukiman etnik. Namun dalam proses penyusunannya, telah berubah menjadi artikel yang secara khusus membahas tentang aspek linguistik dan hubungan antar elemen penyusun arsitektur etnik. Artikel ini tidak hanya memaparkan pernyataan mendasar terkait arsitektur vernakular/etnik, tetapi juga menyajikan bukti-bukti pendukung. Sebuah thesis yang diusung disini ialah pemahaman terkait arsitektur vernakular dibutuhkan untuk menginformasikan kondisi-kondisi yang terjadi saat ini, dan bukan untuk mendefinisikan masa lampau. Dalam konteks ini, dua publikasi terdahulu telah dijadikan referensi. Pertama, Home - A Portfolio of Home over the Ages yang dibangun melalui analisa beragam fitur dasar penyusun sebuah 'home-rumah.' Bermacam wujud rumah, yang awalnya belum dipublikasikan, telah dirangkul untuk memahami logika dan metode yang melatarbelakangi penyusunan delapan bab dari buku ini. Kedua, Vernacular Transformations – Architecture, Place and Tradition, khususnya Bab pertama, yang memberikan ilustrasi secara detil, bagaimana arsitektur vernakular dipahami. Di akhir, artikel ini merangkum jika kemunculan thesis di atas telah didukung dengan metode yang dilandasi filosofi seorang realist, dengan memanfaatkan fitur-fitur yang ada. Ini hanya akan berubah jika pernyataan/ide baru muncul, dengan tujuan untuk memperbaiki thesis ini. Kata kunci: vernakular, etnik, rumah, tradis

Interspecific variation, habitat complexity and ovipositional responses modulate the efficacy of cyclopoid copepods in disease vector control

The use of predatory biological control agents can form an effective component in the management of vectors of parasitic diseases and arboviruses. However, we require predictive methods to assess the efficacies of potential biocontrol agents under relevant environmental contexts. Here, we applied functional responses (FRs) and reproductive effort as a proxy of numerical responses (NRs) to compare the Relative Control Potential (RCP) of three cyclopoid copepods, Macrocyclops albidus, M. fuscus and Megacyclops viridis towards larvae of the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus. The effects of habitat complexity on such predatory impacts were examined, as well as ovipositional responses of C. quinquefasciatus to copepod cues in pairwise choice tests. All three copepod species demonstrated a population destabilising Type II FR. M. albidus demonstrated the shortest handling time and highest maximum feeding rate, whilst M. fuscus exhibited the highest attack rate. The integration of reproductive effort estimations in the new RCP metric identifies M. albidus as a very promising biocontrol agent. Habitat complexity did not impact the FR form or maximum feeding rate of M. albidus, indicating that potentially population destabilising effects are robust to habitat variations; however, attack rates of M. albidus were reduced in the presence of such complexity. C. quinquefasciatus avoided ovipositing where M. albidus was physically present, however it did not avoid chemical cues alone. C. quinquefasciatus continued to avoid M. albidus during oviposition when both the treatment and control water were dyed; however, when an undyed, predator-free control was paired with dyed, predator-treated water, positive selectivity towards the treatment water was stimulated. We thus demonstrate the marked predatory potential of cyclopoid copepods, utilising our new RCP metric, and advocate their feasibility in biological control programmes targeting container-style habitats. We also show that behavioural responses of target organisms and environmental context should be considered to maximise agent efficacy

The impacts of introduced house mice on the breeding success of nesting seabirds on Gough Island

Invasive species are the main threat to island biodiversity; seabirds are particularly vulnerable and are one of the most threatened groups of birds. Gough Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the South Atlantic Ocean, is an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area, and one of the most important seabird colonies globally. Invasive House Mice Mus musculus depredate eggs and chicks of most seabird species on the island, but the extent of their impact has not been quantified. We used field data and bootstrapped normal distributions to estimate breeding success and the number of surviving chicks for 10 seabird species on Gough Island, and compared estimates with those of analogous species from predator-free islands. We examined the effects of season and nest-site location on the breeding success of populations on Gough Island, predicting that the breeding success of Gough birds would be lower than that of analogues, particularly among small burrow-nesting species. We also predicted that winter-breeding species would exhibit lower breeding success than summer-breeding species, because mice have fewer alternative food sources in winter; and below-ground nesters would have lower breeding success than surface nesters, as below-ground species are smaller so their chicks are easier prey for mice. We did indeed find that seabirds on Gough Island had low breeding success compared with analogues, losing an estimated 1 739 000 (1 467 000–2 116 000) eggs/chicks annually. Seven of the 10 focal species on Gough Island had particularly high chick mortality and may have been subject to intense mouse predation. Below-ground and winter breeders had lower breeding success than surface- and summer-breeders. MacGillivray's Prion Pachyptila macgillivrayi, Atlantic Petrel Pterodroma incerta and Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena are endemic or near-endemic to Gough Island and are likely to be driven to extinction if invasive mice are not removed

LPMLE3 : a novel 1-D approach to study water flow in streambeds using heat as a tracer

We introduce LPMLE3, a new 1-D approach to quantify vertical water flow components at streambeds using temperature data collected in different depths. LPMLE3 solves the partial differential equation for coupled water flow and heat transport in the frequency domain. Unlike other 1-D approaches it does not assume a semi-infinite halfspace with the location of the lower boundary condition approaching infinity. Instead, it uses local upper and lower boundary conditions. As such, the streambed can be divided into finite subdomains bound at the top and bottom by a temperature-time series. Information from a third temperature sensor within each subdomain is then used for parameter estimation. LPMLE3 applies a low order local polynomial to separate periodic and transient parts (including the noise contributions) of a temperature-time series and calculates the frequency response of each subdomain to a known temperature input at the streambed top. A maximum-likelihood estimator is used to estimate the vertical component of water flow, thermal diffusivity, and their uncertainties for each streambed subdomain and provides information regarding model quality. We tested the method on synthetic temperature data generated with the numerical model STRIVE and demonstrate how the vertical flow component can be quantified for field data collected in a Belgian stream. We show that by using the results in additional analyses, nonvertical flow components could be identified and by making certain assumptions they could be quantified for each subdomain. LPMLE3 performed well on both simulated and field data and can be considered a valuable addition to the existing 1-D methods