Payments for Ecosystem Services: Legal and Institutional Frameworks

Analysis and engagement with partners working on ecosystem services transactions, policies and laws over the past 10 years have demonstrated a clear need to better understand the legal and institutional frameworks that have the potential to promote or hinder the development of payments for ecosystem services (PES) schemes, as well as the complex legal considerations that affect ecosystem services projects. In response, the IUCN Environmental Law Centre and The Katoomba Group have worked on a joint initiative to analyze the legal and institutional frameworks of water-related PES schemes and projects in four Andean countries: South America (Northeastern)-Brazil; Bolivia, Colombia and Peru. It has resulted in this report. Country-based analysts with experience in ecosystem services transactions have developed country and project assessments to define existing and recommend future regulatory and institutional frameworks that enable equitable and long-lasting ecosystem services transactions. Partners from North America (Central America)-Costa Rica; North America-Mexico; Ecuador and the North America-United States provided feedback on the assessments. The country assessments yielded lessons which were used to develop a set of recommendations on legal frameworks, property rights, enabling institutions, PES contracts, and governance issues supporting the future development of PES schemes

Factors That Influence Adoption of Cloud Computing: An Empirical Study of Australian SMEs

Cloud computing is a recent computing paradigm enabling organizations to have access to sophisticated computing services via the Internet on a fee-for-service basis. It provides Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with opportunities to become as technologically advanced as their larger counterparts, without significant financial outlays. This paper examined the important factors that influence SMEs’ adoption of cloud computing technology. Drawing upon aspects of the Technology, Organization and Environment framework and Diffusion of Innovation Theory, we developed a research model of SMEs’ adoption of cloud computing and tested it through an online survey of 149 Australian SMEs. Data was analyzed using multiple regression methods, with results showing that SMEs were influenced by factors related to advantaging their organizational capability (i.e., relative advantage, quality of service and awareness) rather than risk-related factors (i.e., security, privacy and flexibility). The findings offer insights to SMEs owners, Cloud service providers and government in establishing Cloud computing adoption strategies for SMEs

Reproductive Rights Advocacy: Concentration of effort, dilution of intention

Pascale Allotey and Daniel D. Reidpath discuss the issue of female genital cutting and obstetric fistulae within the context of reproductive rights advocacy. They use these examples to discuss the potential effects on the broader reproductive rights agenda of interventions that focus narrowly on what is often a symptom of unaddressed structural violence. They argue for a broader rights approach rather than simply focusing on ameliorating the specific harm, in order to focus on the more fundamental goal, that is, the promotion of the positive freedoms. Development (2005) 48, 69–74. doi:10.1057/palgrave.development.1100181

Increasing awareness of degenerative cervical myelopathy: a preventative cause of non-traumatic spinal cord injury

AbstractDegenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a common non-traumatic spinal cord disorder and characterized by progressive neurological impairment. Generally, it is still underdiagnosed and referral to spine specialists is often late, when patients already present with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). To improve early diagnosis and accelerate referral, diagnostic criteria for DCM are required. Recently, AO Spine RECODE- DCM (REsearch Objectives and Common Data Elements for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy) (aospine.org/recode), an international, interdisciplinary and interprofessional initiative, including patients with DCM, was funded with the aim to accelerate knowledge discovery that can change outcomes. In this perspective we advocate for the participation of SCI specialists in this process, where the expertise and perspective on this disorder and requirements for the diagnostic and therapeutic work up is well developed