Incentives Toward Conservation of Argaii Ovis Ammon: A Case Study of Trophy Hunting in Western China

We investigated management of wildlife, habitat and the hunting programme in Aksai County, Gansu Province, People\u27s Republic of China, during 1997-2000. Argali Ovis amnion is the focal species both for conservation and hunting. The hunting programme is intended to produce incentives to conserve wildlife and habitat. Poaching, a serious concern throughout western China, has been reduced in recent years in Aksai. Wildlife population trends are unknown because standardized surveys were begun only in 2000. Threats to argali in Aksai include livestock grazing, placer gold mining, and development of a dam, reservoir and aqueduct. The number of hunters participating in the programme (c. 3 per year) could provide considerable funding (c. $60,000 per year), but the allocation of these funds within China has provided too little for conservation at the local level, thus undermining the intended incentive system. Because local wildlife protection officials have been denied both funding and authority to deal with threats to the wildlife, the programme\u27s contribution to conservation has been minor. We recommend that hunters pay fees directly to county-level staff, thus increasing the proportion of funds retained at county-level, and that this added income is used to obtain wildlife grazing rights on important seasonal habitats for argali. These changes would promote local wildlife conservation without the need for additional external funding

Igreja Católica e liberdade religiosa: a renovação desencadeada pelo Concílio Vaticano II

The article presents the process of change experienced by the Catholic Church regarding the subject of religious freedom. With the advent of modernity, a defense of religious freedom questioned the hegemonic position of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church reacted to the idea of religious freedom and the consequences of the recession. The Vatican Council II, in the spirit of the aggressor unleashed by John XXIII, promoted a paradigm shift that led an institution to value and defend religious freedom. The article assumes that modernity has led the Catholic Church to recognize that it is a reality of religious pluralism and religious freedom are historical conditions necessary for the exercise of its mission in the world.O artigo apresenta o processo de mudança vivido pela Igreja Católica no que diz respeito ao tema da liberdade religiosa. Com o advento da modernidade, a defesa da liberdade religiosa questionou a posição hegemônica da Igreja Católica. A Igreja Católica reagiu à ideia de liberdade religiosa e às consequências daí decorrentes. O Concílio Vaticano II, dentro do espírito do aggiornamento desencadeado por João XXIII, promoveu uma mudança de paradigma que levou a instituição a valorizar e defender a liberdade religiosa. O artigo parte do pressuposto de que a modernidade levou a Igreja Católica a reconhecer que a realidade do pluralismo religioso e da liberdade religiosa são condições históricas necessárias para o exercício de sua missão no mundo