Citizen Science in Disaster and Conflict Resilience

*Background/Question/Methods*

Within the disaster and conflict response communities, concern about lack of effectiveness of outside responses has led to a debate about the role of local people in developing the capacity to prepare for a crisis and to respond after calamity has struck. Pelling (2007) points out the potential for participatory disaster risk assessment to build local capacity and for generating knowledge that, along with more expert-driven data collection, is used to identify and reduce the risk of disaster. Similarly, Weinstein and Tidball (2007) and Tidball et al. (2008) present an alternative model for post-crisis intervention based on local assets, including ongoing attempts of communities to manage their natural resources. For example, these authors suggest that civic ecology (CE) practices, including community forestry, watershed enhancement, community agriculture and gardening, and other participatory environmental restoration initiatives that emerge from the actions of local residents (Tidball and Krasny 2007), should be examined and perhaps leveraged by outsiders for their ability to mitigate post-crisis situations. The question is, how might CE relate to citizen science in applications post-disaster or conflict?

*Results/Conclusions*

CE practices emerge through the actions of people wanting to manage a local resource, and integrate both learning through small-scale experimentation and observations (adaptive management) and collaborative or participatory processes (co-management). They can be considered as an emergent form of adaptive co-management (Ruitenbeek and Cartier 2001; Armitage, Plummer et al. 2009). The local knowledge of individuals who initiate the practices is critical, although often linkages are made with scientists from universities, government, and non-profit organizations, so multiple forms of knowledge are incorporated into the stewardship activities. This learning shortens feedback times between management actions, such as participatory approaches for planting trees, and seeing the impact of tree planting on local ecological and social systems. CE practices embody attributes that may foster resilience both prior to and post-crisis, including multiple forms of knowledge and governance, self-organization, adaptive learning, shorter feedbacks, and ecosystem services (Folke, S. Carpenter et al. 2002; Walker and Salt 2006). We demonstrate that similar to CE, citizen science could build capacity to mitigate disaster and conflict through shortening feedbacks and through making available multiple forms of knowledge and data collection. Further, given the need for asset-based and participatory interventions post-crisis, and the paucity of existing mechanisms that address this need (Weinstein and Tidball 2007), we examine citizen science and its potential to become part of a tool kit of participatory responses that engage citizens in meaningful activity post-conflict

Effect of Integrating a Sportfishing Curriculum into a Camp Program on the Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitudes of Participating Youth

We evaluated the effect of incorporating a sportfishing and environmental curriculum into a short-term summer camp program on participating youths\u27 knowledge of fishing and biology/ecology, awareness of ethical behavior, and attitudes concerning fishing and saving the environment. Using a pre-/post-survey of camp participants, we determined that the program was successful in developing youth knowledge related to fishing skills and biology/ecology, but did not affect ethical behavior awareness or attitudes of participants. Although longer-term programs may be needed to affect youth attitudes, camp programs offer the opportunity to increase knowledge among a large number of youth with a minimal investment in staff time

Urban Environmental Education From a Social-Ecological Perspective: Conceptual Framework for Civic Ecology Education

A variety of environmental education practices are emerging to address the needs of an increasingly urban population. Drawing from social-ecological systems and social learning theory, we propose a conceptual framework to stimulate research questions in urban environmental education. More specifically, our conceptual framework focuses on environmental education programs that are nested within and linked to community-based stewardship or civic ecology practices, such as community forestry, streamside restoration, and community gardening. It suggests ways in which educational programs, stewardship practice, and other social-ecological system components and processes interact through feedback loops and other mechanisms, as well as means by which urban environmental education might lead to local ecosystem services and human and community well-being. Human and community outcomes may in turn result in pressure to change environmental policies

Community Gardens as Contexts for Science, Stewardship,and Civic Action Learning

Community gardens are heterogeneous environments that integrate environmental restoration, community activism, social interactions, cultural expression, and food security. As such, they provide a context for learning that addresses multiple societal goals, including a populace that is scientifically literate, practices environmental stewardship, and participates in civic life. Several theories are useful in describing the learning that occurs in community gardens, including those focusing on learning as acquisition of content by individuals, learning as interaction with other individuals and the environment and as increasingly skilled levels of participation in a community of practice, and social learning among groups of stakeholders leading to concerted action to enhance natural resources. In this paper, we use preliminary evidence from the Garden Mosaics intergenerational education program to suggest the potential for community gardens to foster multiple types of learning

Effects of an Ammonia-Rich Municipal Sewage Effluent on Iowa River Fauna Near Marshalltown, Iowa

The effect of the Marshalltown municipal sewage effluent on Iowa River water quality and fauna was evaluated from July 1976 through August 1977. The effluent contains high total ammonia and un-ionized ammonia concentrations due to ammonia-rich discharges from meat packinghouses. Dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, total ammonia nitrogen, and un-ionized ammonia data were collected at.12 sampling stations extending 18 km downstream from the sewage effluent discharge. Wild fish collections were made by using electrofishing, seines, and hoopnets. Thirty-eight fish species were collected during the study. Channel catfish. (Ictalurus punctatus) and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieus) were the most common gamefish. No consistent depression in wild fish diversity was seen below the sewage discharge point. Eight hundred thirty caged channel catfish were used in conducting 13 4-day field toxicityty tests at 5 different river stations. Only 2% mortality was observed. Macroinvertebrate diversity and density were determined by using artificial substrate samplers placed at 5 river stations during 2 3-week exposure periods in the summer of 1976. Macroinvertebrate diversity recovered 770-1550 m downstream from the sewage discharge point. The applicability of the EPA un-ionized ammonia criterion and the Iowa total ammonia nitrogen standard is evaluated in light of the findings from this study

Cytology for PD-L1 testing : A systematic review

Medical writing support, which was in accordance with Good Publication Practice (GPP3) guidelines, was provided by Craig Turner, MSc, of Cirrus Communications (Macclesfield, UK), an Ashfield company, and was funded by AstraZenecaPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Mutualistic interactions shape global spatial congruence and climatic niche evolution in Neotropical mimetic butterflies

Understanding the mechanisms underlying species distributions and coexistence is both a priority and a challenge for biodiversity hotspots such as the Neotropics. Here, we highlight that Mullerian mimicry, where defended prey species display similar warning signals, is key to the maintenance of biodiversity in the c. 400 species of the Neotropical butterfly tribe Ithomiini (Nymphalidae: Danainae). We show that mimicry drives large-scale spatial association among phenotypically similar species, providing new empirical evidence for the validity of Muller's model at a macroecological scale. Additionally, we show that mimetic interactions drive the evolutionary convergence of species climatic niche, thereby strengthening the co-occurrence of co-mimetic species. This study provides new insights into the importance of mutualistic interactions in shaping both niche evolution and species assemblages at large spatial scales. Critically, in the context of climate change, our results highlight the vulnerability to extinction cascades of such adaptively assembled communities tied by positive interactions