Sustainability of industrial forest plantations and indigenous land rights in the Philippines : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Resource and Environmental Planning at Massey University

In the Philippines, forest management two decades ago was mainly aimed at addressing the need for economic growth. There was low priority accorded to the long-term sustainability and inherent environmental functions of the country's forests as well as social equity issues over the use of these resources. Sustainable development and the management of forest resources during that time was nothing more than just a concept used by academicians, ecologists, and forestry professionals. Forest management also ignored the concerns and interests of the forest dwellers particularly the indigenous people. It was not until the late 70s and early 80s when the effects of deforestation and rapid depletion of forest resources impacted on the country's economic, social, and environmental wellbeing, did the country realise the need to sustainably manage these resources. The need to consider the economic and social wellbeing of the forest dwellers particularly the indigenous people, also started to be recognised. The growing consciousness on the need to balance development with environmental protection, and the inherent need to sustain the flow of benefits from the country's forest resources, has become the main rationale in developing sustainable forest management policies. The primary vision was to adopt forest management policies that can help ensure that various benefits that can be derived from the forests would cater to the needs of the greatest number of Filipinos in the longest period of time without compromising the environment. The development of industrial forest plantations has been one of the major forest management strategies designed in support of such vision in the management of the country's forest resources. This study was undertaken to provide an understanding of industrial forest plantations as a forest management strategy in the Philippines and how it impacts on indigenous people and local communities. Using a qualitative research approach, case studies of three industrial forest plantations were analysed to investigate the impact of industrial forest plantations on indigenous people and local communities. The case studies were also used to examine the degree to which industrial forest plantations have been achieving economic, social, and environmental objectives by identifying and examining the factors that may enhance or hamper its sustainability as a forest development strategy. This study concluded that there is a growing role for industrial forest plantations in the sustainable management of forest resources in the Philippines. This role derives from the need to develop alternative sources of timber to the rapidly depleting sources from the natural forests, bringing socio-economic development in the upland areas in the country, and promoting environmental rehabilitation. As a forest management strategy, industrial forest plantations can promote social equity by recognising the rights of indigenous people over their land and the use of resources therein and by encouraging local community participation in the development process, which in a way helps strengthen local institutions. It was shown in this study that the integration and definition of property rights of indigenous people in any upland development programme is a critical factor that seriously affects the success and sustainability of any forest management strategy. The success of any forestry programme can only be achieved if supported by effective institutional and policy framework. Finally, it was concluded that industrial forest plantations could only be sustainable if as a policy strategy, it has been designed to consider the "bottom up" perspective where local needs, community values, and indigenous rights are consistent with the overall national goals of sustainable development

LANDSAT 4 and 5: Emergency

The primary purpose of LANDSAT is to study Earth resources. Each satellite contains a Thematic Mapper (TM) and a Multispectral Scanner (MSS) imaging device plus mission unique hardware. The flight profile is presented, and information is presented in tabular form on the following topics: Deep Space Network support, frequency assignments, telemetry, command, and tracking support responsibility

Panopticism in a Digital Age: An Examination of Transmedia Reimagining Jane Eyre

The purpose of this study is to examine how content creators, Nessa Aref and Alysson Hall have reinterpreted the original character Jane Eyre in a modern and social media era. The main struggle emphasized is that between an ideal self and societies expectations. Societies expectations and the expression of self are both more influenced by economics and business. The creators of The Autobiography of Jane Eyre heavily emphasize the motivations behind appearances. The creators shift Jane’s character so she is able to navigate within these expectations and the influence present in a digital world

First Case of Systemic Coronavirus Infection in a Domestic Ferret (Mustela putorius furo) in Peru.

A domestic ferret from Lima, Peru, died after ten days of non-specific clinical signs. Based on pathology, immunohistochemistry and molecular analysis, ferret systemic coronavirus (FRSCV)-associated disease was diagnosed for the first time in South America. This report highlights the potential spread of pathogens by the international pet trade

The Maintenance of Male Color Polymorphism in Poecilia parae

Genetic color polymorphisms are common in nature, and a major challenge for evolutionary biologists has been to understand how they are maintained despite the effects of directional selection. Recent studies suggest that frequency-dependent selection may explain the persistence of intraspecific variation in color. However, it remains to be determined whether frequency-dependent selection is the most predominant (or perhaps the only) mechanism to maintain such genetically-based polymorphisms. Using a South American fish, Poecilia parae, my dissertation aims to elucidate the relative roles of natural and sexual selection in the maintenance of polymorphisms in natural populations. Poecilia parae males exhibit five distinct, Y-linked and co-occurring color morphs: (i) `immaculata\u27, the smallest and drab-colored males that resemble juvenile females; (ii) `parae\u27, the largest males that exhibit a striped tail and black vertical body bars that intensify during social interactions; and (iii) the blue, red, and yellow morphs that are of intermediate body size and display colorful body flanks. Field surveys indicate that the frequency of each morph remains relatively stable and consistent over multiple years. Using a combination of observational and experimental studies, accompanied by techniques that aimed to characterize the visual ecology (e.g., water light transmission, visual sensitivity) of Poecilia parae, I found that this striking color polymorphism is maintained by a complex balance between different components of natural and sexual selection. First, males of the five color morphs employ different behavioral mating strategies (hereafter alternative mating strategies, AMSs) to maximize their reproductive success. These AMSs are also accompanied by differences in morphological traits, such as testes investment and sperm morphometry that complement the specific tactic. For instance, immaculata males are often categorized as an `unattractive\u27 male by females, which is correlated to its phenotypical appearance (smaller and drab). However, this morph is relatively abundant. I found that immaculata males specialize in `sneak\u27 copulations and have adaptations (i.e., larger testes and unique sperm morphology) that possibly confer a fertilization advantage during postcopulatory events, when competing with the sperm of more attractive males. My studies also indicate that females have strong mating preferences for red and yellow males, with visual predators also favoring those males as prey. These findings suggest that the antagonistic interaction between pre-mating sexual selection favoring and predation acting against the red and yellow morphs may prevent them from eliminating other color morphs from the population. In fact, the red and yellow males were consistently found to be the rarest morphs across populations. Further, despite overall preference for red or yellow males, my analysis also detected female preferences for blue males. These results suggest that the interaction between female mating preferences and predation accompanied by variation in male reproductive strategies may allow for the maintenance of complex color polymorphism in natural populations. Males of the different morphs further vary in their levels of aggressive behaviors. In a series of controlled lab experiments, I found that parae males gain successful matings by preventing other males from accessing females and/or modifying female mating preferences after test females witness successful agonistic interactions. Finally, I found that the signaling environment of Poecilia parae in nature is variable and that this contributes to temporal and spatial variation in how males are perceived by females. Although red males were typically the most conspicuous morph, blue males were sometimes more conspicuous than red males at several sampling sites. The results also revealed that an aquatic model predator is able to discriminate the same male color morphs that resulted also conspicuous for females. However, it is possible that males and females of Poecilia parae are using parts of the background spectral that are least sensitive for predators. In conclusion, my dissertation suggests that balancing selection defined by the interaction between various episodes of selection allows for the invasion of AMSs and thus the maintenance of the male color polymorphism in Poecilia parae