The dimensions of geotourism with a spotlight on geodiversity in a subdued landscape

Landscapes of high relief are often favoured tourist destinations and at the same time display complex geomorphology that may be the result of diverse geology summarised into the concept of geodiversity. In contrast areas of subdued landscape, while topographically unappealing, may also be geodiverse but need careful explanation and promotion to attract the geotourist. The mid-west of Western Australia is an area of low relief with a long history of weathering, ostensibly of little interest to visitors, is underlain by a diverse geology that is displayed in an incised landscape where erosion by rivers and the ocean displays geodiversity in attractive detail. The mid-west of Western Australia is the result of sedimentary basin formation during the separation of the Gondwanan Indian plate from the western edge of the Archean Yilgarn granitic craton. A plutonic Precambrian basement is overlain by Ordovician sediments comprising the Tumblagooda sandstone and then Permian and younger Mesozoic rocks, often capped with a complex weathered regolith. Geology is exposed in the Murchison and Irwin River valleys where interpretive signs explain the origin of the landscape and sequences of rock. Extensive weathering products from the Tertiary period, such as laterite and sandplains, provide opportunities to explain processes such as deep weathering, mobilisation and re-deposition of sediments that are integral to the development of landscapes in general. We thus provide a conceptual understanding of the nexus between tourism and geodiversity via the applied science of geotourism in a predominantly subdued landscape. We make the point that there is a general lack of attention paid to regolith in the geotourism literature, hence we have provided a relatively detailed account of a large expanse of sandplain that occurs in the study area. Furthermore, regolith geodiversity has not been investigated in the context of its wider geotourism potential and while this case study is preliminary in its wider scope, we provide a platform for further research

An epidemiological assessment of the prevalence and referral mechanism of orofacial diseases to the only tertiary dental care institution in Hong Kong - a pilot study

Abstract no. 0111published_or_final_versio

Changes in the diet and body size of a small herbivorous mammal (hispid cotton rat, \u3ci\u3eSigmodon hispidus\u3c/i\u3e) following the late Pleistocene megafauna extinction

The catastrophic loss of large-bodied mammals during the terminal Pleistocene likely led to cascading effects within communities. While the extinction of the top consumers probably expanded the resources available to survivors of all body sizes, little work has focused on the responses of the smallest mammals. Here, we use a detailed fossil record from the southwestern United States to examine the response of the hispid cotton rat Sigmodon hispidus to biodiversity loss and climatic change over the late Quaternary. In particular, we focus on changes in diet and body size. We characterize diet through carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis of bone collagen in fossil jaws and body size through measurement of fossil teeth; the abundance of material allows us to examine population level responses at millennial scale for the past 16 ka. Sigmodon was not present at the cave during the full glacial, first appearing at ~16 ka after ice sheets were in retreat. It remained relatively rare until ~12 ka when warming tempera­tures allowed it to expand its species range northward. We find variation in both diet and body size of Sigmodon hispidus over time: the average body size of the population varied by ~20% (90–110 g) and mean δ13C and δ15N values ranged between −13.5 to −16.5‰ and 5.5 to 7.4‰ respectively. A state–space model suggested changes in mass were influenced by diet, maximum temperature and community structure, while the modest changes in diet were most influenced by community structure. Sigmodon maintained a fairly similar dietary niche over time despite contemporaneous changes in climate and herbivore community composition that followed the megafauna extinc­tion. Broadly, our results suggest that small mammals may be as sensitive to shifts in local biotic interactions within their ecosystem as they are to changes in climate and large-scale biodiversity loss

Perception amongst dental professionals on potentially-malignant lesions and oral cancer

published_or_final_versio

Scoping recreational disturbance of shorebirds to inform the agenda for research and management in Tropical Asia

In addition to scoping the impacts of the four most reported sources of recreational disturbance on shorebirds, this study also advances the concept of Tropical Asia (TA) to collectively describe tourist destinations in the ecologically and geopolitically diverse part of the planet that incorporates the tourism megaregion of South and Southeast Asia. At a time of growing global concern about the rapid decline of shorebird populations, many governments in TA are embracing and capitalising on the exponential growth in demand for coastal recreation and tourism across the region. This political response is partly driven by efforts to deliver economic development, aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in order to secure the livelihoods of people living in less developed coastal areas. However, the rapid increase in visitor numbers and the development of infrastructure to support the booming demand for coastal tourism destinations in TA are further exacerbating the pressures on shorebird populations across the region. Despite these growing pressures and the wealth of research reporting on shorebird populations across the Asian flyways, this scoping study identified surprisingly little research that reports on the recreational disturbance of shorebirds in TA. While undertaken to inform future research, this study also provides a synthesis of management strategies reported in the global literature into a set of management recommendations for coastal destinations in TA

Profiling of shelter campers, their attitudes, and perceptions towards environmental impacts of campsite use and management: Evidence from national parks of Sri Lanka

There is a dearth of research describing the campsite user segment and in assessing camp-site users’ perceptions of the bio-physical impacts of campsite use in Sri Lanka. Using a structured questionnaire, we evaluated campsite user characteristics, visitor motivations, behaviors, and how visitor experience is affected by visible biophysical impacts at campsites. Based on underlying visitor motivations derived through a Factor Analysis and Cluster Analysis, we identified three distinct segments of campsite users: Eco-tourists, Prestige seekers, and Adventure seekers. Results indicate that the overall cleanliness of the campsite is an important attribute that affects the visitor experience. The Ecotourist segment reported environmentally desired motives, attitudes and behaviours. However, majority of campsite users belong to the Prestige-seeker and Adventure-seeker segments. Prestige seekers in particular demand better facilities and proper maintenance of campsites. Additionally, Prestige seekers are more attractive as a market segment to target because they are high-income, well-educated individuals with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. Recommended management actions include increasing visitor awareness, monitoring, zonation of activity areas, and enforcement of park campsite user policies to ensure enhanced visitor experience

Comparative Analysis Of Employee Job Satisfaction In The Accounting Profession

Evaluating job satisfaction among accounting professionals is an increasingly important area of concern for employers, which strive to recruit and retain quality employees and to improve their competitive positions. This study examines the results of surveys of accounting graduates from two AACSB International accredited universities from 1980 to 2003. Respondents were asked a variety of questions on job satisfaction as it relates to many factors including profession, firm size, certification, age, sex, race, advanced degrees and parent education. The findings of this study on job satisfaction provide benchmarks upon which accounting firms can use to evaluate job satisfaction levels among their own employees

Effects of recreational camping on the environmental values of national parks in Sri Lanka

Camping is a popular activity in the contemporary nature-based tourism domain and rapidly gaining momentum as a key recreational activity in Sri Lanka’s national parks (NPs). Recreational uses such as camping in natural areas can induce significant and often localised resource impacts that can affect soil, vegetation, wildlife and water, with the severity of such impacts varying according to the intensity of use. Hence, monitoring of the biophysical conditions of campsites has become an important component in the reserve management agenda in many places, especially in developed countries. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the biophysical impacts associated with the recreation ecology of camping in Sri Lanka. Ten campsites from three dry zone NPs were selected to assess biophysical impacts of camping activities. Field measurements were based on the fixed radial transect method. Gathered data included the total area of the campsite, erosion potential measured as the area of exposed soil (devoid of vegetation or organic litter), number of exposed roots and human damage to trees, number of fireplaces/ fire scars on the ground, visual counts of litter, soil compaction measured by penetrometer, loss of woody debris. This study reports significant levels of environmental degradation related to all the indictors of biophysical impacts at both high and low use campsites. There was no evidence for any difference in the level of environmental degradation associated with high and low use campsites. The loss of natural values associated with campsites negatively impacted visitors’ nature-based experience. These findings highlight the importance of managing biophysical impacts in campsites to provide a high-quality visitor experience, while sustainably managing tourism activities in NPs