Towards more integrated natural resource management in Victoria : possible elements of an integrated state-wide policy framework

There is a growing recognition of the complexity of environmental issues and acceptance of the value of more integrated approaches to address them. Evidence of progress with the development of more integrated approaches is however less clear cut. Within this context, this paper explores how a more integrated approach 10 natural resource management at a state government level could be progressed. Using recent experience in Victoria as a focus, this paper provides an overview of environment and natural resources issues confronting the State. highlights why integration is an important element of any response. and outlines the current policy and organisational context. Possible elements of a state-wide policy framework for more integrated natural resource management across a state government organisation are also outlined and discussed.<br /

Rising school absences: the post pandemic education divide

Over 28% of primary pupils and 40% of FSM secondary pupils who qualified for free school meals were persistently absent during the 2021/22 autumn term. Lee Elliot Major and Andy Eyles write that while some of the contributing factors are known, the evidence on how to reduce persistent absenteeism is weak

Denied jobs and schooling, ‘generation covid’ faces a struggle to catch up

More than a tenth of young people have lost their jobs during the pandemic, and only 38% of pupils were getting the equivalent of a full day’s schooling in lockdown. Lee Elliot Major (University of Exeter), Andrew Eyles (LSE) and Stephen Machin (LSE) warn that these losses will have a scarring effect: young people cannot simply ‘catch up’

Further school closures and weakening economic conditions equate to bleak prospects for the young

The further closures of schools that have been announced, while necessary to contain the spread of COVID-19, are likely to exacerbate educational inequalities. Learning losses could have long-term consequences for the life chances of children from disadvantaged backgrounds, explain Andrew Eyles and Lee Elliot Major

Further school closures mean bleak prospects for the young

Further closures of schools, while necessary to contain the spread of COVID-19, are likely to exacerbate educational inequalities. Learning losses could have long-term consequences for the life chances of children from disadvantaged backgrounds, explain Andrew Eyles and Lee Elliot Major (LSE). Closing schools is one of the most difficult decisions that governments have had to make in their ... Continue

The rising tide of school absences in the post-pandemic era

While many presumed school attendance levels would recover rapidly from the impact of the pandemic, new research reveals the scale of continued absenteeism among school pupils across the country. Andrew Eyles, Esme Lillywhite and Lee Elliot Major outline their findings and discuss the difficulty of tackling this problem at its root

Latent homomorphism and content satisfaction: The double life of Turkic auxiliary -(I)p bol-

This paper argues that the Turkic auxiliary construction –(İ)p bol–, at least in Uyghur and Uzbek, is actually a pair of auxiliaries with distinct meanings. The first auxiliary is described as expressing “full completion” of the event, but its use is highly restricted, to events with incremental or universally quantified themes. Using targeted context-based elicitation, we find that the expression of completion is indirect. Instead, the auxiliary asserts that the event description is homomorphic, in that all of its events are both event-mapped and theme-mapped. Homomorphism requires every part of the theme to undergo a part of the event, and this derives the reported sense of completion. The second auxiliary is not attested in the literature. It applies to all kinds of events, and expresses what we call “content satisfaction,” the conventional implicature that the event as described satisfies some salient propositional content by rendering it true. For instance, it makes part of a plan come to fruition. This plan is presupposed, and the content is accessible through a content-generating function. We apply the methodologies of formal semantic fieldwork to tease these auxiliaries apart, including scope tests that apply differently to the two auxiliaries. Having distinguished them, we suggest new ways to typologically distinguish Turkic auxiliaries and auxiliaries cross-linguistically

Using Landscape History and Baseline Data in the Restoration of a Midwestern Savanna

Over one hundred and fifty years of Euro-American settlement has dramatically altered Midwestern landscapes, resulting in the widespread conversion of native habitat. Numerous opportunities to conduct ecological restoration exist within the Midwest, with the potential to increase habitat and landscape heterogeneity, secure critical ecosystem services, and provide opportunities for research and education. Site history is an important consideration for most restoration projects, and multiple sources of historical data may be required to unravel the complicated history of intensively used Midwestern landscapes. The collection of baseline data is another significant component of most restoration projects, allowing for an evaluation of community responses to restoration treatments. Here we integrate a variety of historical data sources in a GIS environment, including data derived from the original Public Land Survey of Iowa, maps from historic state atlases, aerial photography, and informal interviews to develop a landscape history (1840-2004) of a prairie-savanna complex undergoing restoration in central Iowa. Furthermore, we collect baseline data relative to the present-day state of the on-site floral and faunal communities. Analysis of landscape history suggests that the study site represents a remnant bur oak savanna that has undergone significant changes in response to fire-suppression and to removal of grazing livestock. Baseline data was collected on the distribution and abundance of bur oaks, a defining savanna species, and revealed a flourishing population across multiple size classes. Both field and observational data on the onsite mammal community reveal the presence of numerous mammal species ranging widely in morphology, diet, and behavior. Continuing restoration of the study site will be informed by the landscape history developed in this study, as well as by the baseline data that was collected