Europa: Prospects for an ocean and exobiological implications

As far as we know, Earth is the only planet in our solar system that supports life. It is natural, therefore, that our understanding of life as a planetary phenomenon is based upon Earth-like planets. There are environments in the solar system where liquid water, commonly believed to be a prerequisite for biological activity, may exist in a distinctly non-Earth-like environment. One such location is Europa, one of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter. The possibility that liquid water exists on Europa presents us with some interesting exobiological implications concerning the potential of the satellite to support life. Topics include the following: an ocean on Europa; thermal evolution of Europa; Europa's three models; exobiological implications; early conditions of Europa; low-temperature abiotic chemistry; possibility of the emergence of life on Europa; prerequisites for the habitability of Europa; energy sources for biosynthesis and metabolic activity; habitability of Europa by anaerobic life; and habitability by aerobic life

Understanding Oceanic Migrations with Intrinsic Biogeochemical Markers

Migratory marine vertebrates move annually across remote oceanic water masses crossing international borders. Many anthropogenic threats such as overfishing, bycatch, pollution or global warming put millions of marine migrants at risk especially during their long-distance movements. Therefore, precise knowledge about these migratory movements to understand where and when these animals are more exposed to human impacts is vital for addressing marine conservation issues. Because electronic tracking devices suffer from several constraints, mainly logistical and financial, there is emerging interest in finding appropriate intrinsic markers, such as the chemical composition of inert tissues, to study long-distance migrations and identify wintering sites. Here, using tracked pelagic seabirds and some of their own feathers which were known to be grown at different places and times within the annual cycle, we proved the value of biogeochemical analyses of inert tissue as tracers of marine movements and habitat use. Analyses of feathers grown in summer showed that both stable isotope signatures and element concentrations can signal the origin of breeding birds feeding in distinct water masses. However, only stable isotopes signalled water masses used during winter because elements mainly accumulated during the long breeding period are incorporated into feathers grown in both summer and winter. Our findings shed new light on the simple and effective assignment of marine organisms to distinct oceanic areas, providing new opportunities to study unknown migration patterns of secretive species, including in relation to human-induced mortality on specific populations in the marine environment

Evidence that vulture restaurants increase the local abundance of mammalian carnivores in South Africa

Vulture restaurants are used worldwide as a conservation tool to provide threatened vultures with a source of supplementary carrion free from anthropogenic contaminants such as poisons and veterinary drugs. While the impacts of supplementary feeding sites on ecosystem and scavenging community dynamics have been investigated in Europe, no information is currently available for southern Africa. This study presents evidence that providing supplementary carrion for vultures stimulated an increase in local abundance of two species of mammalian carnivores, the brown hyaena (Hyaena brunnea) and the black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas). These findings require that the wider impacts of providing supplementary carrion for conserving threatened species are fully investigated

Applying participatory action research methods in community-based adaptation with smallholders in Myanmar

Smallholder farms in four unique agroecological regions in Myanmar were targeted in this participatory study. Key support systems are needed for effective community engagement in implementing Climate Smart Villages (CSV). Farmers in the CSVs identified a menu of adaptation options that they would test, adopt and scale. This “portfolio approach” ensured there were opportunities for men, women, and landless households to participate in the community adaptation process. The research suggests that land tenure regimes influence the nature of the adaptation options and their eventual uptake. The study provides geographic and climate details specific to each region and relates them to perceptions of smallholder households

Local Food Systems in Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines: Perspective from the Local Communities

Food systems must provide adequate, healthy, and sustainable diets to the growing and changing population whilst responding to shocks and stressors related to climate variability, urbanization, globalization, conflicts, and economic change. This study examined the national food systems of Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines and the local food systems of complementary Climate-Smart Villages: Chhouk, Htee Pu, and Himbubulo Weste. Among several food system drivers, climate change is the external stressor perceived strongly in agricultural communities and as shown by the data on national climate variability. Income and gender inequality, political instability, and socioeconomic circumstances undermine multi-level interventions to deliver necessary food system outcomes. While national policies to achieve an equitable and resilient food system are critical, local-level initiatives such as implementing climate-smart agriculture strategies, recognizing landlessness issues, and addressing fragmented market infrastructure are vital for the local food systems to thrive and deliver on health, economic and environmental goals. This could also guide in establishing standards, collective goals, and policy formulation directions for robust national food systems

Measuring Household Resilience in the Climate Smart Villages in the Philippines, Myanmar and Cambodia

Resilience has traditionally been understood as a function of observable and measurable characteristics. More recently, discussions of household resilience have emphasized the need to pay attention to resilience as a set of capacities. What this paper aims to develop is a framework and a methodology for accounting both tangible and intangible characteristics found in the household, that is, measuring assets, social capital, as well as inherent personal characteristics or traits of the household decision-maker that may or may not predispose a household to be resilient. A framework from Béné (2014) was used as an analytical framework for both quantitative and qualitative studies. The quantitative study consists of surveying households (n=623) across six climate-smart villages (CSVs) in Myanmar, Cambodia, and the Philippines. Three dimensions of household resilience were identified: resilience capacities, subjective resilience, and intra-household gender relations. Each dimension of resilience is envisioned to complement the other in order to better understand household level resilience. The dimensions are consolidated in order to construct a Household Resilience Score (HRS). The study confirms that there are strong links found among relationships between the use of CSA initiatives and resilience capacities. The study also revealed that subjective resilience is equally important in understanding household resilience. There is a strong relationship in how households think they can recover from a shock in relation to specific psychosocial traits such as perseverance, self-efficacy, and conscientiousness

A Financial Analysis of Homestead Native Chicken Raising: A Climate-Smart Agriculture Option Adopted in the Province of Koh Kong, Cambodia

In 2018, the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) and the Cambodian Center for Study and Development for Agriculture (CEDAC) under the Asian Development Bank’s Cambodia Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Project (BCC) implemented the Community Development Funds Project in the Koh Kong and Mondul Kiri provinces which included the capacity building activity on improving native chicken production for smallholder farmers specifically, broiler production, and hatchery. This study supported by the International Research and Development Center (IDRC) analyzed the financial benefits gained by households in the Koh Kong province from this climate smart agriculture approach to small scale poultry production. When native chickens were raised for meat purposes (broiler production), the total net income received by the households amounted to USD 6,286.00 in 2019, and USD 8,003.00 in 2020. As the volume of sales increased, the average net income showed an increasing trend while the production cost per kilogram of broiler sold decreased. The study also revealed that profitability was highest among households that sold more than 100 kg of broilers compared to other households with lesser sales volume (using the Operating Profit Margin Ratio as a gauge). Hatchery operators earned a total net income of USD 10,136.00 in 2019 which increased to USD 13,604.00 in 2020. Broiler production and hatchery operation can be useful climate resilient enterprises to supplement the household income while complementing the existing economic activities of the village households such as growing crops and raising small livestock. Local food systems are enriched in the process and agrobiodiversity of small livestock is conserved through their sustainable use. This native chicken project was also gender fair and of special relevance to women in the communes

COVID-19 impact on local agri-food system in Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines: Findings from a rapid assessment

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent enforcement of mobility restrictions have created bottlenecks in the agri-food system. When the food supply chain is disrupted, economic loss occurs, putting rural households, already in poverty, into severe food insecurity. A survey was conducted to assess the impacts of restrictions brought by COVID-19 on local food systems operations of Climate-Smart Villages (CSVs) in Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines. The rural and traditional food systems of agriculture-based villages continued to operate with minimal adjustments during the course of COVID-19 restrictions. Our findings showed high mean household dietary diversity scores in Chhouk CSV (6.4), Htee Pu CSV (8.2), and Himbubulo Weste CSV (7.2) despite significant perceived changes in the availability and prices of certain food groups. Complementary and diverse food production and access to informal food outlets were essential parts of the local food systems and played critical roles in supplying food commodities to the population during the pandemic

Coconut-based Systems in the Philippines: Intensification and Diversification with Climate-Smart Agriculture

To generate evidence on increasing household resilience to climate change through increased farm income while also generating social benefits, a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) study was undertaken in 2021 by the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) with support from the International Research and Development Center (IDRC). For the Philippine component of the study, the study determined the financial and social benefits of raising native pigs and planting fruit trees and black pepper gained by the households from Guinayangan, Quezon and Ivisan, Capiz. The combination of planting fruit trees and black pepper as well as native pig production are viable when they are integrated with the main sources of livelihood of the villages of Himbubulo Weste and Magsaysay (Guinayangan). The study showed that the said villages will continue to financially benefit from the CSA interventions despite facing possible threats in the market. The funds invested by the community members in implementing the CSA interventions are expected to be recovered within three years after 2020. Diversifying farm production should be encouraged and practiced by more households as it serves as a cushion to minimize loss of livelihood for the family, and could help households maintain a steady and reliable income even if one of the crops failed or incurred losses

La imagen y la narrativa como herramientas para el abordaje psicosocial en escenarios de violencia.

En Colombia, la violencia ha dejado una profunda huella a raíz del conflicto armado que ha afectado a diversas regiones del país y ha dejado muchas víctimas mortales y sobrevivientes. Este trabajo analiza el contexto narrativo y la perspectiva subjetiva al dolor causado por hechos violentos, a través del caso de Amparo y la masacre del Salado. Se destaca la importancia de evaluar y reflexionar sobre los eventos traumáticos, acciones psicosociales, emergentes psicosociales, resiliencia y estrategias de afrontamiento. En el primer apartado se realiza un análisis basado en el discurso narrativo de las experiencias de violencia en la historia de Amparo, desaparición forzada de su esposo y su continúa lucha en contra del silencio y la impunidad, enfrentando el exilio y la fractura familiar de vivir separada de sus hijas. A partir de este caso, se realiza el planteamiento de preguntas circulares, reflexivas y estratégicas desde un abordaje psicosocial. En el siguiente apartado se aborda el caso de la Masacre del Salado, destacando la resiliencia y determinación para reconstruir a pesar de las tragedias, lograr como comunidad, superar los desafíos con cohesión social. A continuación, se proponen tres estrategias éticas y proactivas de acompañamiento psicosocial con el propósito de mejorar la calidad de vida y fortalecer los recursos de afrontamiento de la población del Salado. Por último, se aborda la experiencia de la foto voz como herramienta de diagnóstico para identificar dinámicas de violencia en diferentes regiones del país y el contraste de la transformación como elementos simbólicos.In Colombia, violence has left a deep mark as a result of the armed conflict that has affected various regions of the country and has left many fatalities and survivors. This paper analyzes the narrative context and the subjective perspective to the pain caused by violent events, through the Amparo case and the Salado massacre. It highlights the importance of evaluating and reflecting on traumatic events, psychosocial actions, psychosocial emergents, resilience and coping strategies. In the first section, an analysis is made based on the narrative discourse of the experiences of violence in Amparo's story, the forced disappearance of her husband and her continuous struggle against silence and impunity, facing exile and the family fracture of living separated from her daughters. Based on this case, circular, reflexive and strategic questions are posed from a psychosocial approach. The following section deals with the case of the Salado Massacre, highlighting the resilience and determination to rebuild in spite of the tragedies, to achieve as a community, to overcome the challenges with social cohesion. Next, three ethical and proactive strategies of psychosocial accompaniment are proposed with the purpose of improving the quality of life and strengthening the coping resources of the population of El Salado. Finally, the experience of photovoice as a diagnostic tool to identify dynamics of violence in different regions of the country and the contrast of transformation as symbolic elements are addressed