Shelter from the storm? Use and misuse of coastal vegetation bioshields for managing natural disasters

Vegetated coastal ecosystems are known to provide myriad ecosystem services to billions of people globally. However, in the aftermath of a series of recent natural disasters, including the Indian Ocean Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and Cyclone Nargis, coastal vegetation has been singularly promoted as a protection measure against large storm surges and tsunami. In this paper, we review the use of coastal vegetation as a "bioshield" against these extreme events. Our objective is to investigate the long-term consequences of rapid plantation of bioshields on local biodiversity and human capital. We begin with an overview of the scientific literature, in particular focusing on studies published since the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 and discuss the science of wave attenuation by vegetation. We then explore case studies from the Indian subcontinent and evaluate the detrimental impacts bioshield plantations can have upon native ecosystems. We draw a clear distinction between coastal restoration and the introduction of exotic species in inappropriate locations in the name of coastal protection. We conclude by placing existing bioshield policies into a larger socio-political context and outline a new direction for coastal vegetation policy and research

Local dimensions of global investment: Israeli property firms in Central Europe

Transnational property investment has increased dramatically during the last few decades. This process has been traced by literature focusing on capital-rich countries (e.g. the United States, Canada, Japan) and on major world cities. More recently, in tandem with the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the geographical horizons of foreign investors have broadened to include former socialist countries. This article examines the recent surge in Israeli property investment in Central Europe and argues that global flows depend on relationships between place of origin and destination. Mobility of property capital creates networks that connect cities on a transnational basis. Copyright Joint Editors and Blackwell Publishers Ltd 2003.

RURAL-URBAN DIFFERENCES IN THE UTILIZATION AND AMELIORATIVE EFFECTS OF WELFARE PROGRAMS

At a time when welfare policy analysts are preoccupied with the problem of welfare dependency, this paper refocuses attention on the ability of welfare (AFDC and general assistance) to reduce poverty among families, by highlighting and explaining rural-urban differences in this ameliorative effect. Descriptive and multivariate methods are used to analyze data from the March 1987 Current Population Survey. Results show that despite comparatively high poverty rates in nonmetro areas, the nonmetro poor were much less likely than their urban counterparts t o receive welfare. Moreover, nonmetro welfare recipients received considerably less welfare income, on average, than metro recipients. Accordingly, the ameliorative effect of welfare was lowest in nonmetro areas and highest in central cities. Logistic regression analysis revealed that nonmetro poor families were less likely to receive welfare than those in metro areas because they were more likely to be working, older, childless, and headed by a married couple. Copyright 1988 by The Policy Studies Organization.