International Involvement in the State Consolidation in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The world in the 20th century saw the rise of a new phenomenon: international development. Bosnia and Herzegovina after its war was one of the first nations to receive large-scale international aid in the form of development programs, ranging from reconstruction to economic development to state consolidation. Since 1996 many nations, NGOs, and inter-governmental organizations have been involved in the state consolidation of this Balkan nation of 3.6 million people. This paper looks at the relationship of the EU and USAID specifically and how they have impacted this nation. In order to accomplish that this paper will look at conditionality and the projects these organizations have funded. Then that data will be used to asses why this nation has yet to become politically efficient and responsive to the Bosnian peoples’ needs even after 18 years of peace

Testing Pairwise Association between Spatially Autocorrelated Variables: A New Approach Using Surrogate Lattice Data

International audienceBackground: Independence between observations is a standard prerequisite of traditional statistical tests of association. This condition is, however, violated when autocorrelation is present within the data. In the case of variables that are regularly sampled in space (i.e. lattice data or images), such as those provided by remote-sensing or geographical databases, this problem is particularly acute. Because analytic derivation of the null probability distribution of the test statistic (e.g. Pearson's r) is not always possible when autocorrelation is present, we propose instead the use of a Monte Carlo simulation with surrogate data. Methodology/Principal Findings: The null hypothesis that two observed mapped variables are the result of independent pattern generating processes is tested here by generating sets of random image data while preserving the autocorrelation function of the original images. Surrogates are generated by matching the dual-tree complex wavelet spectra (and hence the autocorrelation functions) of white noise images with the spectra of the original images. The generated images can then be used to build the probability distribution function of any statistic of association under the null hypothesis. We demonstrate the validity of a statistical test of association based on these surrogates with both actual and synthetic data and compare it with a corrected parametric test and three existing methods that generate surrogates (randomization, random rotations and shifts, and iterative amplitude adjusted Fourier transform). Type I error control was excellent, even with strong and long-range autocorrelation, which is not the case for alternative methods. Conclusions/Significance: The wavelet-based surrogates are particularly appropriate in cases where autocorrelation appears at all scales or is direction-dependent (anisotropy). We explore the potential of the method for association tests involving a lattice of binary data and discuss its potential for validation of species distribution models. An implementation of the method in Java for the generation of wavelet-based surrogates is available online as supporting material

Life history, uses, trade and management of Diospyros crassiflora Hiern, the ebony tree of the central African forests: a state of knowledge

Open Access Article; Published online: 23 Oct 2020The Central African forest ebony, Diospyros crassiflora Hiern, is a small tree native to the moist forests of the Congo Basin. Its appealing black heartwood was one of the first products to be exported from the Gulf of Guinea in the 17th century and is today one of the main sources of ebony globally. Like for other ebony species, its commercial exploitation raises serious questions about the long-term sustainability of its trade and the viability of its populations, but the dots are yet to be joined. An examination of the interface between biology, trade, and ecology is crucial to identify the interrelated factors that could influence the potential success of its conservation. This paper reviews scientific and grey literature, forest inventories, herbarium and trade data to provide a critical assessment of the main threats to D. crassiflora populations and gaps in the current state of knowledge. It is shown here that the species is widespread but never abundant. In the longer term the species is threatened by forest conversion to agriculture and widespread hunting of large mammals on which the species rely for seed dispersal. It is currently selectively logged principally to make musical instruments and for the hongmu Chinese market, for which only one alternative black wood, the near-threatened Dalbergia melanoxylon Guill. et Perr., is commercially available. Trade statistics suggest that exports from source countries where the species is cut under the forest concession system are relatively low compared to countries like Cameroon which has seen a recent increase in exports, and where ebony is exploited without forest management plans. Logging remains a concern where the exploitation and trade of D. crassiflora are managed in response to demand rather than informed by current stock levels, growth rate and the particular reproductive biology of this species. The recent successes of private sector initiatives to ensure the long-term supply of ebony in Cameroon are promising, but would require long-term and large-scale commitments involving direct and indirect stakeholders to develop programs for the plantation and policies for the sustainable management of the species

Vulnérabilité des ptéridophytes au changement climatique et implications pour leur conservation au Togo (Afrique de l’Ouest)

Open Access ArticleContexte et objectifs – La conservation durable de la biodiversité requiert une bonne compréhension des causes de son déclin. Mis à part les activités humaines, les changements climatiques se révèlent comme la principale menace qui pèse sur la biodiversité au 21ème siècle. Notre étude vise à déterminer l’impact du changement climatique sur les Ptéridophytes au Togo. Méthodologie – En se basant sur 2865 occurrences de Ptéridophytes couvrant toute l’Afrique de l’Ouest et regroupés en 5 groupes écologiques, les distributions actuelle et future des Ptéridophytes ont été modélisées grâce à Maxent. La capacité de conservation des aires protégées du Togo vis-à-vis de ces plantes a été évaluée. Résultats clés – Nos résultats montrent que 9,81% du pays peut abriter simultanément l’ensemble des groupes de ptéridophytes. Les précipitations des périodes sèches, l’isothermalité et la saisonnalité de la température sont les variables climatiques qui contraignent le plus leurs niches en Afrique de l’Ouest et particulièrement au Togo. Exceptés les taxons thermophiles dont les zones climatiquement favorables devraient quasiment doubler à l’horizon 2070, les niches des autres groupes devraient se restreindre drastiquement au Togo. Seules les aires protégées du tiers sud des Monts Togo pourront garantir la conservation des niches climatiques actuelles et futures des ptéridophytes dans le pays. Conclusions – Le sud des Monts Togo constituera probablement un refuge climatique pour les ptéridophytes au Togo. Toutefois, la faiblesse de l’étendue des aires protégées dans cette partie du pays pourrait constituer une source de vulnérabilité pour ces plantes. Background and aims – The sustainable conservation of biodiversity requires a good understanding of the causes of its decline. Apart from human activities, climate change is the major threat to global biodiversity during the 21st century. Our study aims to determine the impact of climate change on pteridophytes in Togo. Methods – Based on 2865 occurrences of pteridophytes covering West Africa and grouped into 5 ecological groups, current and future distributions of pteridophytes were modelized using Maxent. The conservation capacity of Togolese protected areas for these plants was assessed. Key results – Our results show that 9.81% of the country can shelter simultaneously all groups of pteridophytes. Precipitations of the driest periods, isothermality and temperature seasonality are the climatic variables which constrain the most their niche in West Africa and particularly in Togo. Apart from thermophilic taxa whose climatically suitable niche is expected to nearly double by 2070, niche of all other group should be drastically restricted in Togo. Only protected areas in the southern third of Togo Mountains would guarantee current and future climatic niches for pteridophytes in the country. Conclusions – Southern Togo Mountains will probably constitute a climatic refugium for Pteridophytes in Togo. However, the small extent of protected areas in this part of the country would be a source of vulnerability for these plants

Remotely‐sensed slowing down in spatially patterned dryland ecosystems

Environmental Biolog

Remotely‐sensed slowing down in spatially patterned dryland ecosystems

Environmental Biolog

Gazetteer of the Ancient Near East

This grant will support the creation of the Gazetteer of the Ancient Near East. The project’s goal is to develop an authoritative, open access geospatial index of archaeological sites and historical places in the Near East, spanning some twelve thousand years (c. 12,500-600 BCE). The project is based on software developed by the Pleiades project (http://pleiades.stoa.org/), an extant and successful model for open access Web-based gazetteers. By developing a gazetteer of Ancient Near East places, researchers will be able to link events, persons, and archaeological evidence through shared notions of place and time. Thus, this project will help scholars to bring together disparate lines of historical and archaeological evidence. In doing so, this project represents critically needed infrastructure to catalyze research in the Ancient Near East and serves as an exemplar for open, collaborative scholarship

First interception of Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus in Lucky bamboo shipments in Belgium

Six gel-and five water-transported Dracaena braunii shipments originating from the South coast of China were screened for exotic mosquito species during a surveillance project on exotic vectors in Belgium. In November 2013, a live Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus larva was detected in a gel substrate. This is the first direct evidence of the importation of Ae. albopictus on gel-transported Lucky bamboo. It also confirms that the importation risk of Ae. albopictus by transport of ornamental bamboo plants remains. In addition to the registration of appropriate biocides, a structured and permanent surveillance programme is needed in Belgium to allow for the early detection of invasive mosquito species and the timely implementation of control measures. JournalThe Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC)http://e-m-b.orgam201