The conundrum of conservation agriculture and livelihoods in Southern Africa

Low crop productivity, food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition; inadequate farming knowledge and skills, implements and inputs are characteristic of smallholder agriculture in Southern Africa. Many researchers argue that conservation agriculture can guarantee higher crop productivity, food security, improved livelihoods and environmental protection, better than the unsustainable traditional systems of slash and burn practices. In this paper, we present the results of a meta-analysis of over 40 academic publications to review conservation agriculture’s role in influencing desired livelihood outcomes in Southern Africa. We conclude that the effectiveness of conservation agriculture towards better livelihood outcomes in Southern Africa remains debatable, especially when supportive government policies are lacking

Law enforcement staff perceptions of illegal hunting and wildlife conservation in the Gonarezhou National Park, southeast Zimbabwe

Globally, pressure from the illegal harvesting of wildlife is a recurrent issue for protected area management. In order to ensure the effective conservation of wildlife resources, law enforcement has been identified as one of the most important components of protected area management. Our study aimed at addressing the following two research questions: (1) what are the perceptions of law enforcement staff in Gonarezhou National Park (GNP), Zimbabwe, about illegal hunting practices, illegal hunter’s characteristics, wild animals commonly targeted and trends of poaching in the park; and, (2) what are the suggestions for reducing illegal hunting and enhancing wildlife conservation in GNP ecosystem? Data were collected using a semistructured questionnaire administered through interviews from 42 law enforcement staff representing 47 % of the total law enforcement staff in GNP from February to May 2011. Our results showed that 76 % (n = 32) of the patrol rangers perceived that most illegal hunters were between 21 and 30 years. Nearly all respondents (95 %; n = 40) reported that most poachers were residents of villages situated within 20 km from the boundary of GNP. Medium to large wild herbivores were reportedly the most illegally animal hunted species whilst large carnivores were the least illegally hunted animals. Most of the respondents (79 %, n = 33) perceived that poaching activities had declined in GNP ecosystem between 2005 and 2010 due to an increase in arrests. Increasing conservation awareness and education in adjacent communal areas would help to further reduce illegal hunting and promote wildlife conservation

Carbonates from the ancient world's longest aqueduct:A testament of Byzantine water management

The fourth‐ and fifth‐century aqueduct system of Constantinople is, at 426 km, the longest water supply line of the ancient world. Carbonate deposits in the aqueduct system provide an archive of both archaeological developments and palaeo‐environmental conditions during the depositional period. The 246‐km‐long aqueduct line from the fourth century used springs from a small aquifer, whereas a 180‐km‐long fifth‐century extension to the west tapped a larger aquifer. Although historical records testify at least 700 years of aqueduct activity, carbonate deposits in the aqueduct system display less than 27 years of operation. This implies that the entire system must have been cleaned of carbonate, presumably during regular campaigns. A 50‐km‐long double‐aqueduct section in the central part of the system may have been a costly but practical solution to allow repairs and cleaning of the aqueducts of carbonate to ascertain a continuous water supply to the city. The fifth‐century channel was commonly contaminated with clay, caused by the nature of the aqueduct system and possible local damage to the channel. This clay‐rich water could have been one of the reasons for the construction of large reservoirs in Constantinople. imageLeverhulme Trust http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000275Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/50110000165

Time-resolved nuclear spin-dependent small-angle neutron scattering from polarised proton domains in deuterated solutions

Abstract.: We have investigated the process of dynamic proton polarisation by means of time-resolved polarised small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) on frozen solutions of EHBA-CrV molecules in glycerol-water mixtures as a function of the concentration of EHBA-CrV and for different degrees of deuteration of the solvent. In the EHBA-CrV complex, the spins of the 20 protons which surround the paramagnetic CrV can be oriented using the method of dynamic nuclear polarisation (DNP), thereby offering the possibility to create locally a nuclear spin-dependent contrast for SANS. The time constants which describe the build-up of polarisation around the paramagnetic centre and the subsequent diffusion of polarisation in the solvent were determined by analysing the temporal evolution of the nuclear polarisation, which in turn was obtained by fitting a core-shell model to the time-dependent SANS curves. The results on the spin dynamics obtained using the scattering function of a core-shell could be independently confirmed by evaluating the integrated SANS intensity. A thermodynamic one-centre model is presented which is able to reproduce the observed dependence of the proton polarisation times on the proton concentration of the solven

Low Energy Analyzing Powers in Pion-Proton Elastic Scattering

Analyzing powers of pion-proton elastic scattering have been measured at PSI with the Low Energy Pion Spectrometer LEPS as well as a novel polarized scintillator target. Angular distributions between 40 and 120 deg (c.m.) were taken at 45.2, 51.2, 57.2, 68.5, 77.2, and 87.2 MeV incoming pion kinetic energy for pi+ p scattering, and at 67.3 and 87.2 MeV for pi- p scattering. These new measurements constitute a substantial extension of the polarization data base at low energies. Predictions from phase shift analyses are compared with the experimental results, and deviations are observed at low energies.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure

Variation in woody vegetation structure and composition in a semi-arid savanna of southern Zimbabwe

The objectives of this study were: i) to establish the status of woody vegetation structure and composition, and ii) to determine the main factors influencing woody vegetation structure and composition across Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe. We divided the park into three large strata based on natural and artificial features. A total of 137 sample plots were randomly placed to gather data on woody vegetation in the three study strata across Gonarezhou National Park from May to June 2011. Trees constituted 66% and shrubs 34% of the woody plants sampled. A total of 132 woody plant species were recorded. Significant differences were found in basal area, shrub density, browsed plants density and woody species diversity across Gonarezhou National Park. In contrast, no significant differences were recorded in tree height, densities of trees, stems, dead plants and fire damaged plants. Our results suggest that there are some variations in woody vegetation structure and composition across Gonarezhou National Park. These variations could be attributed to both natural and anthropogenic disturbance factors including elephant (Loxodonta africana Blumenbach) browsing, fires, droughts and previous tsetse fly (Glossina spp.) (Diptera: Glossinidae) eradication activities in the park

Trace-gas metabolic versatility of the facultative methanotroph Methylocella silvestris

The climate-active gas methane is generated both by biological processes and by thermogenic decomposition of fossil organic material, which forms methane and short-chain alkanes, principally ethane, propane and butane1, 2. In addition to natural sources, environments are exposed to anthropogenic inputs of all these gases from oil and gas extraction and distribution. The gases provide carbon and/or energy for a diverse range of microorganisms that can metabolize them in both anoxic3 and oxic zones. Aerobic methanotrophs, which can assimilate methane, have been considered to be entirely distinct from utilizers of short-chain alkanes, and studies of environments exposed to mixtures of methane and multi-carbon alkanes have assumed that disparate groups of microorganisms are responsible for the metabolism of these gases. Here we describe the mechanism by which a single bacterial strain, Methylocella silvestris, can use methane or propane as a carbon and energy source, documenting a methanotroph that can utilize a short-chain alkane as an alternative to methane. Furthermore, during growth on a mixture of these gases, efficient consumption of both gases occurred at the same time. Two soluble di-iron centre monooxygenase (SDIMO) gene clusters were identified and were found to be differentially expressed during bacterial growth on these gases, although both were required for efficient propane utilization. This report of a methanotroph expressing an additional SDIMO that seems to be uniquely involved in short-chain alkane metabolism suggests that such metabolic flexibility may be important in many environments where methane and short-chain alkanes co-occur

A Systems Approach to Research and Innovation for Food System Transformation

This policy brief of the European Union (EU) Think Tank – part of the FIT4FOOD2030 Coordination and Support Action (CSA) of the FOOD 2030 initiative – is a response and contribution to growing pleas for a ‘systems approach’ to transform food systems for Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) for present and future generations. This policy brief specifically focusses on the necessity of the adoption of a systems approach to Research and Innovation (R&I) in order to foster the transformation of food systems