Biodiversity governance in Peninsular Malaysia - identifying conservation priorities, evaluating the impact of federalism and assessing the governance of protected areas

To address global biodiversity loss, national and subnational actions are imperative. Malaysia is a biodiversity hotspot with a federal system of government. The literature points to gaps in governance of biodiversity. The aim of this Ph.D. was to understand issues on biodiversity governance in Peninsular Malaysia, with the following objectives: (i) identify conservation priorities; (ii) review and assess the effect of federalism; and (iii) review and analyse the governance of protected areas (PA). This research identified conservation priorities defined by multi stakeholder participation, deploying a workshop and snowball survey approach. This generated a ranked list of 35 priority issues under seven themes, with high degree of agreement among stakeholders. The prioritisation exercise and the literature revealed current federal system of governance posed biodiversity governance challenges. Building on postcolonial and political ecology frameworks, theoretical and empirical qualitative research was carried out on the impact of federalism on biodiversity governance; and the governance of protected areas. I concluded that that states did not want to give up their land for conservation as it is their source of revenue in the absence of incentives for conservation from federal government due to the dichotomy in the federal constitution. Governance of PAs is compromised with different laws operating at both state and federal level, shortage of manpower and funds. This study provides a menu of recommendation options which highlights constitutional, institutional, financial and legal reforms to strengthen governance of biodiversity. In terms of contribution, this study took an innovative approach to identify conservation priorities in Peninsular Malaysia while applying postcolonial and political ecology theory to examine biodiversity governance in a federalised developing country. I highlight the potential of this study to influence policy space and if the proposed reforms are implemented, Peninsular Malaysia has all the ingredients in terms of economic capability, sizeable forest cover and low population density for the effective conservation of biodiversity

Biodiversity governance in Peninsular Malaysia - identifying conservation priorities, evaluating the impact of federalism and assessing the governance of protected areas

To address global biodiversity loss, national and subnational actions are imperative. Malaysia is a biodiversity hotspot with a federal system of government. The literature points to gaps in governance of biodiversity. The aim of this Ph.D. was to understand issues on biodiversity governance in Peninsular Malaysia, with the following objectives: (i) identify conservation priorities; (ii) review and assess the effect of federalism; and (iii) review and analyse the governance of protected areas (PA). This research identified conservation priorities defined by multi stakeholder participation, deploying a workshop and snowball survey approach. This generated a ranked list of 35 priority issues under seven themes, with high degree of agreement among stakeholders. The prioritisation exercise and the literature revealed current federal system of governance posed biodiversity governance challenges. Building on postcolonial and political ecology frameworks, theoretical and empirical qualitative research was carried out on the impact of federalism on biodiversity governance; and the governance of protected areas. I concluded that that states did not want to give up their land for conservation as it is their source of revenue in the absence of incentives for conservation from federal government due to the dichotomy in the federal constitution. Governance of PAs is compromised with different laws operating at both state and federal level, shortage of manpower and funds. This study provides a menu of recommendation options which highlights constitutional, institutional, financial and legal reforms to strengthen governance of biodiversity. In terms of contribution, this study took an innovative approach to identify conservation priorities in Peninsular Malaysia while applying postcolonial and political ecology theory to examine biodiversity governance in a federalised developing country. I highlight the potential of this study to influence policy space and if the proposed reforms are implemented, Peninsular Malaysia has all the ingredients in terms of economic capability, sizeable forest cover and low population density for the effective conservation of biodiversity

Landscapes in transition: an analysis of sustainable policy initiatives and emerging corporate commitments in the palm oil industry

The recent Southeast Asian haze crisis has generated intense public scrutiny over the rate, methods and types of landscape change in the tropics. Debate has centred on the environmental impacts of large-scale agricultural expansion, particularly the associated loss of high carbon stock forest and forests of high conservation value. Focusing on palm oil—a versatile food crop and source of bioenergy—this paper analyses national, international and corporate policy initiatives in order to clarify the current and future direction of oil palm expansion in Malaysia and Indonesia. The policies of ‘zero burn’, ‘no deforestation’ and ‘no planting on peatlands’ are given particular emphasis in the paper. The landscape implications of corporate commitments are analysed to determine the amount of land, land types and geographies that could be affected in the future. The paper concludes by identifying key questions related to the further study of sustainable land use policy and practice

Oxidative DNA damage preventive activity and antioxidant potential of plants used in Unani system of medicine

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is increasing recognition that many of today's diseases are due to the "oxidative stress" that results from an imbalance between the formation and neutralization of reactive molecules such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), which can be removed with antioxidants. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of plants routinely used in the Unani system of medicine. Several plants were screened for radical scavenging activity, and the ten that showed promising results were selected for further evaluation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Methanol (50%) extracts were prepared from ten Unani plants, namely <it>Cleome icosandra, Rosa damascena, Cyperus scariosus, Gardenia gummifera, Abies pindrow, Valeriana wallichii, Holarrhena antidysenterica, Anacyclus pyrethrum, Asphodelus tenuifolius </it>and <it>Cyperus scariosus</it>, and were used to determine their total phenolic, flavonoid and ascorbic acid contents, in vitro scavenging of DPPH^·, ABTS^·+, NO, ^·OH, O₂^.-and ONOO^-, and capacity to prevent oxidative DNA damage. Cytotoxic activity was also determined against the U937 cell line.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>IC₅₀values for scavenging DPPH^·, ABTS^·+, NO, ^·OH, O₂^.-and ONOO^-were in the ranges 0.007 ± 0.0001 - 2.006 ± 0.002 mg/ml, 2.54 ± 0.04 - 156.94 ± 5.28 μg/ml, 152.23 ± 3.51 - 286.59 ± 3.89 μg/ml, 18.23 ± 0.03 - 50.13 ± 0.04 μg/ml, 28.85 ± 0.23 - 537.87 ± 93 μg/ml and 0.532 ± 0.015 - 3.39 ± 0.032 mg/ml, respectively. The total phenolic, flavonoid and ascorbic acid contents were in the ranges 62.89 ± 0.43 - 166.13 ± 0.56 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g extract, 38.89 ± 0.52 - 172.23 ± 0.08 mg quercetin equivalent (QEE)/g extract and 0.14 ± 0.09 - 0.98 ± 0.21 mg AA/g extract. The activities of the different plant extracts against oxidative DNA damage were in the range 0.13-1.60 μg/ml. Of the ten selected plant extracts studied here, seven - <it>C. icosandra, R. damascena, C. scariosus, G. gummifera, A. pindrow, V. wallichii </it>and <it>H. antidysenterica - </it>showed moderate antioxidant activity. Finally, potentially significant oxidative DNA damage preventive activity and antioxidant activity were noted in three plant extracts: <it>C. icosandra, R. damascena </it>and <it>C. scariosus</it>. These three plant extracts showed no cytotoxic activity against U937 cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The 50% methanolic extracts obtained from different plant parts contained significant amounts of polyphenols with superior antioxidant activity as evidenced by the scavenging of DPPH^·, ABTS^·+, NO, ^·OH, O₂^.-and ONOO^-. <it>C. icosandra, R. damascena </it>and <it>C. scariosus </it>showed significant potential for preventing oxidative DNA damage and radical scavenging activity, and the <it>G. gummifera, A. pindrow, V. wallichii, H. antidysenterica, A. pyrethrum, A. tenuifolius </it>and <it>O. mascula </it>extracts showed moderate activity. The extracts of <it>C. icosandra, R. damascena </it>and <it>C. scariosus </it>showed no cytotoxicity against U937 cells. In conclusion, these routinely used Unani plants, especially <it>C. icosandra, R. damascena </it>and <it>C. scariosus</it>, which are reported to have significant activity against several human ailments, could be exploited as potential sources of natural antioxidants for plant-based pharmaceutical industries.</p

A multi-stakeholder strategy to identify conservation priorities in Peninsular Malaysia

Malaysia, with its rapidly growing economy, exemplifies the tensions between conservation and development faced by many tropical nations. Here we present the results of a multi-stakeholder engagement exercise conducted to (1) define conservation priorities in Peninsular Malaysia and (2) explore differences in perceptions among and within stakeholder groups (i.e. government, academia, NGOs and the private sector). Our data collection involved two workshops and two online surveys where participants identified seven general conservation themes and ranked the top five priority issues within each theme. The themes were: (1) policy and management, (2) legislation and enforcement, (3) finance and resource allocation, (4) knowledge, research and development, (5) socio-economic issues, (6) public awareness and participation and (7) rights of nature. In spite of their very different backgrounds and agendas, the four stakeholder groups showed general agreement in their priority preferences except for two issues. Respondents from government and private sector differed the most from each other in their priority choices while academia and NGO showed the highest degree of similarity. This ranked list of 35 conservation priorities is expected to influence the work of policy-makers and others in Peninsular Malaysia and can be used as a model to identify conservation priorities elsewhere

WHAT MAKES A SOCIAL WORKER THRICE, DIVE, OR MERELY SURVIVE?

Bachelor'sBachelor of Social Sciences (Honours

Exploring cultural differences in the use of emotion regulation strategies in posttraumatic stress disorder

Background: Emotion regulation difficulties are central to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While cultural differences exist in the ways in which individuals regulate their emotions, researchers have not examined cultural differences in emotion regulation in PTSD.Objective: This study explored emotion regulation in individuals from European and East Asian cultures with and without PTSD. Method: Emotion regulation measures were administered to Caucasian Australian (n = 31) and East Asian Australian (n = 38) trauma survivors with and without PTSD. Results: Caucasian Australians with PTSD scored significantly higher on measures of worry, expressive suppression, thought suppression, rumination, experiential avoidance, and general emotion dysregulation compared to Caucasian Australians without PTSD. Similarly, East Asian Australians with PTSD scored significantly higher on measures of rumination and experiential avoidance than East Asian Australians without PTSD. However, worry, expressive suppression, thought suppression and general emotion dysregulation did not differentiate between East Asian Australians with and without PTSD. Conclusion: These findings suggest that there may be cultural differences in emotion regulation difficulties in PTSD and highlight the need for further research in this area

in vitro Antioxidant Activity and Total Polyphenolic Content of Cyperus rotundus Rhizomes

In this study, Antioxidant activity of Cyperus rotundus rhizomes extract (CRRE) was evaluveted in a series of in vitro assay involving free radicals and reactive oxygen species and IC50 values were determined. CRRE exhibited its scavenging effect in concentration dependent manner on superoxide anion radicals, hydroxyl radicals, nitric oxide radical, hydrogen peroxide, and property of metal chelating and reducing power. The extract was also studied for lipid peroxidation assay by thiobarbituric acid–reactive substances (TBARS) using young and aged rat brain mitochondria. The extract was also effective in preventing mitochondrial lipid peroxidation induced by FeSO4/ ascorbate in concentration dependent manner. The results obtained in the present study indicate that C. rotundus rhizomes extract can be a potential source of natural antioxidant