Marine Resources Management in the Context of Customary Tenure

Although customary marine tenure (CMT) systems for the management of local marine resources occur throughout the world, compared with other models of fisheries management they remain relatively little known. The Pacific Basin is especially rich in CMT systems, which play key roles in overall social, economic and cultural life of societies. Based on a Solomon Island example, we examine the organizational principles and potentials of CMT systems to provide sustainable yields and equitable access to resources, their resilience to external pressures, and mechanisms for ensuring local autonomy in resource control. Next we demonstrate that CMT systems are an expression of traditional ecological knowledge, and show the importance of such knowledge to scientific research and the planning of resource management. Finally, we suggest priorities for research on CMT systems.community-based management, fisheries management, traditional environmental knowledge, traditional conservation, Pacific Basin, Solomon Islands, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Spatially Extended Low Ionization Emission Regions (LIERs) at z∼0.9z\sim0.9

We present spatially resolved emission diagnostics for eight $z\sim0.9$ galaxies that demonstrate extended low ionization emission-line regions (LIERs) over kpc scales. Eight candidates are selected based on their spatial extent and emission line fluxes from slitless spectroscopic observations with the HST/WFC3 G141 and G800L grisms in the well-studied GOODS survey fields. Five of the candidates (62.5%) are matched to X-ray counterparts in the \textit{Chandra X-Ray Observatory} Deep Fields. We modify the traditional Baldwin-Philips-Terlevich (BPT) emission line diagnostic diagram to use [SII]/(H$\alpha$+[NII]) instead of [NII]/H$\alpha$ to overcome the blending of [NII] and H$\alpha$+[NII] in the low resolution slitless grism spectra. We construct emission line ratio maps and place the individual pixels in the modified BPT. The extended LINER-like emission present in all of our candidates, coupled with X-Ray properties consistent with star-forming galaxies and weak [OIII]$\lambda$5007\AA\ detections, is inconsistent with purely nuclear sources (LINERs) driven by active galactic nuclei. While recent ground-based integral field unit spectroscopic surveys have revealed significant evidence for diffuse LINER-like emission in galaxies within the local universe $(z\sim0.04)$, this work provides the first evidence for the non-AGN origin of LINER-like emission out to high redshifts.Comment: 11 pages, 1 table, 6 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysics Journal (ApJ

The River, the Water and the Crocodile in Marovo Lagoon

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Landesque capital as an alternative to food storage in Melanesia: Irrigated taro terraces in New Georgia, Solomon Islands

In the Pacific islands, subsistence diversity made possible continuous production of food while welldeveloped exchange networks redistributed these foodstuffs as well as items within the prestige economy. All these were aspects of the ‘storage structures’ that enabled social and nutritional value to be saved, accumulated and later mobilised. In addition, there were investments in the land, landesque capital, which secured future food surpluses and so provided an alternative to food storage, in a region where the staple foods were mostly perishable, yams excepted, and food preservation was difficult. Landesque capital included such long-term improvements to productivity as terraces, mounds, irrigation channels, drainage ditches, soil structural changes and tree planting. These investments provided an effective alternative to food storage and made possible surplus production for exchange purposes. As an example, in the New Georgia group of the western Solomon Islands irrigated terraces, termed ruta, were constructed for growing the root crop taro (Colocasia esculenta). Surplus taro from ruta enabled inland groups to participate in regional exchange networks and so obtain the shell valuables that were produced by coastal groups. In this paper, we reconstruct how this exchange system worked in New Georgia using ethno-archaeological evidence, we chart its prehistoric rise and post-colonial fall, and we outline the factors that constrained its long-term expansion.Our gratitude for support during earlier fieldwork in the New Georgia group has already been expressed in previous publications. The 2014 project was supported by the Smuts Fund and Foreign Travel Fund, University of Cambridge, and by St John’s College, Cambridge.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Maney at http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/1749631414Y.000000004

The rural context of giant clam mariculture in Solomon Islands: an anthropological study

Highlights the traditional importance of giant clams, and how participatory farming research can best be carried out within the islands' culture.Clam culture, Marine aquaculture, Small scale aquaculture, Rural development, Sociological aspects, Aquaculture development, Popular participation, Tenure, Solomon Islands, Tridacna, Hippopus

Climate Change in the Islands and the Highlands: Melanesian Manifestations, Experiences and Actions

Under embargo until: 2020-09-28Pacific Islanders have often been portrayed as ‘helpless victims’ in the popular media because they suffer the consequences of climate changes mainly caused by other, larger nations. In terms of media attention and sheer urgency, however, it is predominantly Oceania’s low-lying atolls that find themselves on the ‘climate change frontline’. Climate change is both a set of environmental phenomena, experienced local reality, and a global political discourse. Anthropologists who work in Melanesia, whether in highlands or islands, find themselves in a situation where direct local experiences of the effects of global climate change are integral to the fieldwork. An account of environmental observations and perceptions of climate change in the Marovo Lagoon of the western Solomon Islands follows, based on several years of fieldwork from 1986. The political background for the rise of Melanesian ambition and influence on the global climate-change scene is firmly connected to various arenas provided by the United Nations.acceptedVersio

Reframing the Question: Why \u3cem\u3eChevron\u3c/em\u3e - and Not a One-Size-Fits-All Interpretation of “Substantially the Same” - Should Guide a Court’s Interpretation of the Congressional Review Act’s Limitations on Future Rulemaking

The Congressional Review Act (the CRA) is a Congressional oversight tool used to overturn rules issued by federal agencies. Beyond the immediate effect of blocking an undesirable agency rule, the CRA bars an agency from issuing another rule in “substantially the same form” as the disapproved rule. But the scope of this provision’s future effect on agency rulemaking remains unclear: the statute is silent as to what criteria should be considered in evaluating whether or when a subsequent rule falls into the “substantially the same” category, and the provision has gone untested in court. Rather than proposing a uniform interpretation of “substantially the same,” this Article proposes that courts adopt a case-by-case approach to allegations that an agency is barred from enacting a particular rule due to a prior CRA resolution. Specifically, the Article argues that courts should apply Chevron and, where appropriate, defer to an agency’s conclusion that a rule is not substantially the same as a rule blocked by an earlier CRA resolution. In reaching this conclusion, the Article contends a CRA resolution effectively amends an agency’s organic statute, thereby permitting courts to apply Chevron to an agency’s determination of whether a rule does or does not fall within the CRA’s prohibitive scope

Optimization of Water Treatment Parameters to Improve Precipitation of Heavy Metals in Industrial Wastewater

Utslipp av tungmetaller til naturen er en trussel til mennesker og andre organismer. Industri kan produsere avløpsvann med høye konsentrasjoner av tungmetaller som er giftig for mennesker. Dermed renses slikt vann før det slippes ut i naturen. NOAH AS mottar avløpsvann fra industri, og fjerner tungmetaller gjennom kjemisk utfelling og flokkulering i sitt vannrenseanlegg. Denne bacheloroppgaven undersøker hvordan fjerningen av tungmetaller i NOAH sitt vannrenseanlegg kan bli optimalisert. Det ble utført «jar prøver» for å undersøke hvordan fjerningen av tungmetaller kunne bli optimalisert. Dette innebærer å foreta vannrensing på småskala. Begerglass ble fylt med avløpsvann, og forskjellige kjemikalier og betingelser ble testet på vannet. Tungmetallinnholdet i vannet ble analysert med en ICP-MS. Vannet ble analysert både før og etter vannrensingen slik at fjerningen av tungmetaller kunne bli kvantifisert. NOAH AS foretar rensing av tungmetaller i henhold til en utslippstillatelse fra Miljødirektoratet. Denne tillatelsen angir konsentrasjoner av tungmetaller som kan slippes ut i naturlige vann. Utslippskonsentrasjoner av, blant annet, arsen, kadmium, nikkel og bly er spesifisert. Disse fire metallene er derfor prioritert i denne bacheloroppgaven. Kadmium var det eneste metallet som forekom i konsentrasjoner over utslippstillatelsen. Kjemikalier ble mottatt av Yara og Kemira. Metalsorb HCO og Metalsorb ZT ble funnet til å være de mest effektive kjemikaliene for kjemisk utfelling kombinert med Flopam EM 240 CT som er flokkuleringsmiddel. Disse kjemikaliene er fra Yara, og ble bestemt til å være optimale fordi de produserte effektive resultater for kadmium som var under utslippsgrensen. Videre produserte disse kjemikaliene høy fjerning ved lavere pH verdier enn andre kjemikaliekombinasjoner. Flere andre betingelser ble testet for å finne optimale forhold for fjerning av tungmetaller. Betingelser som ble testet var rørehastighet, røringstid, konsentrasjon av kjemikalier, pH og sedimentering. Verdier for pH som produserte høy effektivitet var mellom 9.8-10. Resultatene viste også at det er fordelaktig å minimere fysiske forstyrrelser i prosessen som for mye røring og mekaniske metoder for separering.The release of heavy metals into nature poses a threat to human health and to other living organisms. Many industries may produce wastewater that contain concentrations of heavy metals that are toxic to humans. Thus, such water requires treatment before it can be released into natural waters. NOAH AS receives wastewater from industry and removes heavy metals through chemical precipitation and flocculation. This bachelor’s thesis investigates how the removal of heavy metals can be optimized in NOAH’s water treatment process. In order to investigate how heavy metal removal can be optimized through precipitation and flocculation, jar tests were conducted. Jar test involves performing heavy metal removal on a miniature scale. Beakers were filled with wastewater, and different chemicals and conditions were tested on the water. The heavy metal contents were analysed using an ICP-MS. The water was analysed before and after treatment so that the removal of metals could be quantified. NOAH AS operates with an emission permit drawn up by the Ministry of Climate and Environment, which specifies the concentrations of heavy metals that can be released into natural waters. Metals specified in this permit are, among others, arsenic, cadmium, nickel and lead. These four metals are prioritized in this bachelor’s thesis. Cadmium was the only metal that was present in some samples in higher concentration than the limit. Chemicals were retrieved from Yara and Kemira. Metalsorb HCO and Metalsorb ZT were determined to be the most efficient metal binders combined with the polymer, Flopam EM 240 CT, which are chemicals supplied by Yara. These chemicals were determined to be optimal because they produced more efficient results for cadmium, which were below the emission limit, and they produced high efficiency at lower pH values than other chemical combinations. Various conditions were tested to find optimal conditions such as stirring speed, duration of stirring, concentration of chemicals, pH and sedimentation. A pH of 9.8-10 was found to produce the most efficient metal removal overall. Lastly, it was found that minimizing physical interferences such as excessive stirring and mechanical means of separation, produced more optimal results

Traditional institutions and their role in the contemporary coastal resource management in the Pacific Islands

A discussion is presented on the role played by customary marine tenure (CMT) institutions in the regulation of fisheries in the Pacific Ocean Islands. Particular reference is made to the system in operation in Marovo Lagoon, in the Solomon Islands, whereby a number of defined clans control resource use within defined areas of land and sea. It is believed that such systems have considerable capacity for handling and adapting to new circumstances, thereby becoming potentially important tools in the contemporary management of fisheries and of the coastal zone in general