The Role of Mine Action in Victim Assistance

Of the five pillars of mine action, victim assistance seems to receive the least attention. At the request of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) has recently completed a research project with a view to offering guidance on the future role of mine action in mine and UXO victim assistance

Implementing Landmine Awareness Programs

Among the wider mine action community, recognition is steadily growing of the need to incorporate socio-economic data and analysis into the planning, prioritization and evaluation of mine action. Shifting the focus away from the achievement of straightforward targets of land cleared or numbers of mines removed onto improving the lives of communities threatened by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) represents a major change in mine action thinking. Mine awareness, which also seeks to integrate socio-economic analysis into its work can play an important role in rounding out this concept

Distribution, ecology and conservation of bryoflora in the Mediterranean temporary ponds

Mediterranean temporary ponds are small, shallow water bodies, isolated from permanent water bodies, which undergo a periodic cycle of flooding and drought. These ephemeral environments are considered to be amongst the most biologically and biogeographically interesting habitats; in Europe, they are recognised as habitats of Community Interest. Despite their important ecological functions, bryophytes are neglected or underrated in most projects addressing the management of fragile environments, such as damp habitats. The main outcome for this study is to bridge the gap of information on bryophytes in the Mediterranean temporary ponds regarding i) the floristic, biogeographic and ecological knowledge of the bryophytic component in these ephemeral habitats and their distribution in the Mediterranean basin ii) the local distribution of bryophytes within the ponds (outer, central, inner) according to their tolerance to floods iii) the first analysis on the diaspore banks dynamics in wet environments that are driven by species traits and microhabitat characteristics, that can give information on the fast (re)establishment of species when natural conditions are favourable

Identifying Synergies Between Mine Action and Small Arms/Light Weapons

Over the last few years, there has been considerable discussion around linking small arms/light weapons with mine action, although, to date, there has been little concrete exchange between the sectors at an operational level. Accordingly, the U.S. Department of State commissioned the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining to look at areas of possible synergy, resulting in the study Identifying Synergies Between Mine Action and Small Arms/Light Weapons

Colombia: Mine Action and Armed Conflict

Colombia is still in the throes of armed conflict and organised violence that has been ongoing during the past 40 years. Parties to the conflict include the government and armed forces of Colombia as well as numerous guerrilla groups. The two largest of these are the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which first appeared in 1964, and the National Liberation Army (NLA or ELN). In addition, numerous paramilitary groups operating throughout the country receive tacit support from certain Colombian army units.1 There continues to be disputed control over vast swathes of Colombian territory

Local NGOs and Firms in Mine Action

As more local nongovernmental organizations develop, establishing a distinction between local NGOs and commercial companies has become a growing concern for potential donors. The differences between NGOs and firms can be difficult to determine at times

The Road to Mine Action and Development: The Life-Cycle Perspective of Mine Action

There are four main steps to completing the life cycle of mine action, and demining is just a small part. Without development, citizens continue to live in poverty and under oppression. The authors outline the four-step life cycle of mine action

Mine Action Lessons and Challenges: Is Mine Action Making a Difference ... or Avoiding the Question?

Certainly, the international mine action community has learned a great deal over the past 15 years. But has mine action really made a significant difference to the people it is trying to help? Few things in mine action cause more frustration and misunderstanding among donors, recipient governments and programme managers than the question, What results has the programme achieved? Studies have decried that, despite data detailing the number of landmines destroyed, the area of land cleared and the number of people receiving mine awareness training, there are few data allowing an assessment of whether these achievements have enhanced the well-being of mine-afflicted communities

Nutrient and Carbon Dynamics in the Chesapeake Bay Outflow Plume and Their Effect on the Coastal Ocean Environment

Seasonally resolved nutrient and carbon fluxes from estuaries to the coastal ocean are poorly constrained. Nutrient and carbon cycling in highly productive regions like the Chesapeake Bay outflow plume and surrounding coastal environments greatly affect our global understanding of carbon cycling. The overall questions for the research described in this dissertation stem from the need to close global carbon budgets, and obtain a fundamental understanding of nutrient dynamics in a coastal region heavily influenced by seasonality and human impacts. Within the framework of physical characteristics of the outflow plume and through the characterization of nutrient concentrations, primary productivity rates, and the uptake of nitrogen using stable isotopes, I identified three different plume types that differentially provided nutrients and created conditions either suitable or unsuitable for primary productivity in the coastal zone. A jet-like plume, where there were winds consistently from the north accompanied by high freshwater flow from the Bay, delivered high amounts of chlorophyll from the Bay. In contrast, two types of diffusive plumes occurred when winds came from the south accompanied with low freshwater discharge and were either influenced by estuarine or oceanic processes. The diffusive-estuarine plume delivered dissolved nutrients creating conditions suitable for high primary productivity rates in the coastal zone while the diffusive-oceanic plume generally had low primary productivity and nitrogen uptake rates. A secondary study compared and contrasted hydrography, nutrient availability, primary productivity rates and nitrogen uptake rates in three distinct regions of the Mid-Atlantic Bight: the plume regions influenced by the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays, the mid-shelf region between the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays influenced by both coastal and oceanic processes, and the southern shelf region below the Chesapeake Bay influenced by the Gulf Stream. Areal rates of carbon uptake were not significantly different among regions, and were higher than most published values of annual areal rates for the Mid-Atlantic bight. Annual areal nitrogen uptake rates were also calculated, providing carbon to nitrogen uptake ratios which were lower than the canonical Redfield ratio. These findings have implications regarding modeled estimates of carbon uptake based on nitrogen uptake and vice versa

The Role of the Military in Mine Action

This article is drawn from a study conducted by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) entitled A Study of the Role of the Military in Mine Action, published in September 2003. The study was commissioned by the United Nations, and sought to address issues such as the suitability, appropriateness and capability of the military to undertake mine action. The findings show that while using military actors in mine action is not always appropriate, militaries can play a positive role