Engaging Youth in Community Forestry: Lessons from Oaxaca, Mexico

Environmental or natural resource commons typically involve a group or community of users managing shared resources through collective action and jointly-held rules and norms. Studies show that governing such resources as commons can provide livelihood and an important level of control or autonomy to the people who depend upon such resources. Community forests are one example. In Mexico, most forests are managed by Indigenous and local communities. As well as generating economic, social and environmental benefits at the local level, the country’s community-managed forests also contribute to regional and global biodiversity and carbon sequestration goals. Yet, community forestry is challenging. In recent years, timber production in Mexico has fallen, and “owner” communities have been impacted by shrinking and aging resident populations. Some have struggled to maintain a broad and often diverse membership invested in local forest management. This includes youth, who can provide energy and ideas, take up governance responsibilities and forest work, but may have alternative livelihood options open to them. The role of youth has been underreported in the commons and (broader) environmental governance literatures. In this research, I document and explore the perspectives, and current and potential roles, of youth with regards to their communities, key community institutions, and forest work and governance. I also reflect on strategies that communities might adopt to enhance youth integration in these arrangements and structures. I conducted qualitative, case study research in Oaxaca, southern Mexico, a region known for its extensive commons regimes and success in community forest management. I engaged youth from two specific communities – one located close to a major urban centre, one further away – as well as community leaderships and “outside” experts supporting Oaxaca’s community forestry sector. I found that most youth remain attached to their home village, territory and forests, but exhibit work and study aspirations that can be poorly matched to local employment opportunities and community membership expectations. While youth value communal territories and forests, they doubt whether community forestry will provide a meaningful livelihood. Although communities have made efforts to integrate youth into community forestry, strategies have rarely been co-designed (with youth) and success to date has been limited. The potential for youth integration was highest in the community located close to Oaxaca City, suggesting the importance of rural-urban linkages to young people. These findings provide communities, scholars, and practitioners with important insights about the need and strategies for youth engagement and empowerment, and the broader implications for community and forest futures

Estrogenic activity, race/ethnicity, and Indigenous American ancestry among San Francisco Bay Area women.

Estrogens play a significant role in breast cancer development and are not only produced endogenously, but are also mimicked by estrogen-like compounds from environmental exposures. We evaluated associations between estrogenic (E) activity, demographic factors and breast cancer risk factors in Non-Latina Black (NLB), Non-Latina White (NLW), and Latina women. We examined the association between E activity and Indigenous American (IA) ancestry in Latina women. Total E activity was measured with a bioassay in plasma samples of 503 women who served as controls in the San Francisco Bay Area Breast Cancer Study. In the univariate model that included all women with race/ethnicity as the independent predictor, Latinas had 13% lower E activity (p = 0.239) and NLBs had 35% higher activity (p = 0.04) compared to NLWs. In the multivariable model that adjusted for demographic factors, Latinas continued to show lower E activity levels (26%, p = 0.026), but the difference between NLBs and NLWs was no longer statistically significant (p = 0.431). An inverse association was observed between E activity and IA ancestry among Latina women (50% lower in 0% vs. 100% European ancestry, p = 0.027) consistent with our previously reported association between IA ancestry and breast cancer risk. These findings suggest that endogenous estrogens and exogenous estrogen-like compounds that act on the estrogen receptor and modulate E activity may partially explain racial/ethnic differences in breast cancer risk

Transcript of Selected Panelist Remarks from IA’s Plenary on Assessment October 2, 2009

This transcript includes panelist remarks by: Bruce Burgett, Professor and Director, Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington, Bothell; Fluney Hutchinson, Professor, Economics, Lafayette College; Sylvia Gale, Associate Director, Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, University of Richmond; Dudley Cocke, Director, Roadside Theater/ Appalshop; and George Sanchez, Director, Center for Diversity and Democracy, University of Southern California

Forma urbana y movilidad en Santa Fe

126 páginas. Maestría en Diseño.Hoy en día, con la dispersión del crecimiento metropolitano, es necesario retomar los conceptos básicos de desarrollo y vitalidad urbana orientados a la mejoría de los servicios ofrecidos en las centralidades y evitar el abandono de estos espacios. Poder ofrecer una calidad digna en espacios públicos debería ser una prioridad vital para los gobiernos, que favorecería los procesos urbanos y sociales que en ellos ocurren y así ofrecer a los ciudadanos mejor calidad de vida en sus trayectos cotidianos. Se necesita estudiar de forma cuantitativa y cualitativa el espacio urbano para poder identificar aquellos elementos que influyen sobre la movilidad peatonal y sobre la calidad de los espacios públicos. Poder hacer diagnósticos lógicos del espacio público y caracterizar los componentes que influyen directamente en él es una tarea importante para poder diseñar centros urbanos sustentables. Con esta investigación queremos estudiar la relación entre la forma urbana y la movilidad peatonal, entendiendo como influyen en el espacio público. Se describirán y caracterizarán elementos de la forma urbana que permitan comprender mejor los procesos urbanos, la morfología del sitio y la vitalidad urbana. Se tomará como caso de estudio la zona de Santa Fe en la zona poniente de la Ciudad de México

Ontogenetic Expression of Sonic Hedgehog in the Chicken Subpallium

Sonic hedgehog (SHH) is a secreted signaling factor that is implicated in the molecular patterning of the central nervous system (CNS), somites, and limbs in vertebrates. SHH has a crucial role in the generation of ventral cell types along the entire rostrocaudal axis of the neural tube. It is secreted early in development by the axial mesoderm (prechordal plate and notochord) and the overlying ventral neural tube. Recent studies clarified the impact of SHH signaling mechanisms on dorsoventral patterning of the spinal cord, but the corresponding phenomena in the rostral forebrain are slightly different and more complex. This notably involves separate Shh expression in the preoptic part of the forebrain alar plate, as well as in the hypothalamic floor and basal plates. The present work includes a detailed spatiotemporal description of the singular alar Shh expression pattern in the rostral preoptic forebrain of chick embryos, comparing it with FoxG1, Dlx5, Nkx2.1, and Nkx2.2 mRNA expression at diverse stages of development. As a result of this mapping, we report a subdivision of the preoptic region in dorsal and ventral zones; only the dorsal part shows Shh expression. The positive area impinges as well upon a median septocommissural preoptic domain. Our study strongly suggests tangential migration of Shh-positive cells from the preoptic region into other subpallial domains, particularly into the pallidal mantle and the intermediate septum

Fresh Molecular Look at Calcite-Brine Nanoconfined Interfaces

Calcite-fluid interface plays a central role in geochemical, synthetic, and biological crystal growth. The ionic nature of the calcite surface can modify the fluid-solid interaction and the fluid properties under spatial confinement and can also influence the adsorption of chemical species. We investigate the structure of the solvent and ions (Na, Cl, and Ca) at the calcite-aqueous solution interface under confinement and how such environment modifies the properties of water. To properly investigate the system, molecular dynamics simulations were employed to analyze the hydrogen bond network and to calculate NMR relaxation times. Here, we provide a new insight with additional atomistically detailed analysis by relating the topology of the hydrogen bond network with the dynamical properties in nanoconfinement interfaces. We have shown that the strong geometrical constraints and the presence of ions do influence the hydrogen bond network, resulting in more extended geodesic paths. Hydrogen bond branches connect low to high dynamics molecules across the pore and hence may explain the gluelike mechanical properties observed in the confinement environment. Moreover, we showed that the surface water observed at the calcite interface is characterized by slow transversal spin relaxation time (T2) and highly coordinated water molecules. The physical and electrostatic barrier emerged from the epitaxial ordering of water results in a particular ionic distribution, which can prevent the direct adsorption of a variety of chemical species. The implications of our results delineate important contributions to the current understanding of crystallization and biomineralization processes.Fil: Kirch, Alexsandro. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Mutisya, Sylvia Mueni. Universidade Federal Do Abc; BrasilFil: Sanchez, Veronica Muriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Centro de Simulación Computacional para Aplicaciones Tecnológicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: de Almeida, James Moraes. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Miranda, Caetano Rodrigues. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasi

Potential of Dehydrated Vegetable Production in Strengthening the Sustainability of Smallholder Vegetable Supply Chains in Northern Mindanao, Philippines

High postharvest losses and unpredictable price fluctuations continue to challenge the Northern Mindanao vegetable industry. This project proposed dehydration of selected vegetables as a means of minimizing these losses and providing farmers an alternative market for their fresh produce, particularly during peak production periods. It involved the development and evaluation of a prototype heat pump drying system, assessment of the physico-chemical characteristics of dehydrated vegetables, and development and evaluation of dehydrated vegetable-supplemented food products. In-depth interviews with selected food manufacturers were conducted to assess the market potential of dehydrated vegetables while consumer tests and focus group discussions were done to assess the acceptability of selected dehydrated vegetable-supplemented food products. Preliminary results demonstrated the feasibility of developing a vegetable drying system using locally available resources and indicated a potential market for dehydrated vegetables. Dehydrated cabbage, carrot, and squash, for example, can be used in noodle production as raw materials or as condiments. These dehydrated vegetables, however, need to be further tested to meet industry requirements. Dehydrated vegetable-supplemented food products, such as soups, cookies, bread, and instant noodles, were developed. Although further product enhancements need to be done, some of these products were evaluated as acceptable by selected institutional users and consumers

El rol del politólogo en la gobernanza colaborativa de los gobiernos regionales

This study is an analysis of the capabilities of the political science professional, as well as the essential criteria for effective governance in a regional government, emphasizing the theory of collaborative governance, given the precariousness of subnational governments to address public problems in conjunction with social and institutional actors; therefore, the objective of the study was to analyze the professional contribution of the political scientist in strengthening the governance of a regional government. It has a qualitative approach and phenomenological design, applying interviews to a total of 25 people. As a result and conclusion, the political scientist can contribute to the strengthening of regional governance, given the various professional skills that the professional has, such as the management of governmental communication, conflict management, public policies, and political mapping to achieve a balance between citizens and government, closing social gaps in the region in an efficient manner.El presente estudio es un análisis de las capacidades del profesional de la ciencia política; asimismo de los criterios esenciales para una gobernanza efectiva en un gobierno regional, enfatizando en la teoría de la gobernanza colaborativa; dado la precariedad de los gobiernos subnacionales para hacer frente a los problemas públicos en conjunto con los actores sociales e institucionales; por ende, el objetivo del estudio fue analizar la contribución profesional del politólogo en el fortalecimiento de la gobernanza de un gobierno regional. Tiene un enfoque cualitativo y diseño fenomenológico, aplicando entrevistas a un total de 25 personas. Permitiendo obtener como resultado y conclusión que, el politólogo puede contribuir en el fortalecimiento de la gobernanza regional; dado las diversas capacidades profesionales que tienen el profesional, como lo es el manejo de la comunicación gubernamental, la gestión de conflictos, políticas públicas, y el mapeo político para lograr el equilibrio entre ciudadanos y gobierno, cerrar brechas sociales en la región de manera eficiente

La comunicación gubernamental en el gobierno regional para la optimización de la gestión pública en materia juvenil

This research is an analysis of the dimensions of governmental communication based on the regional government, under the approach of public policies on youth issues; given that the panorama allows us to show that public institutions do not have effective governmental communication strategies that guarantee the development of an efficient management. Therefore, the objective of this research is to propose a governmental communication system for youth in the regional governments of Peru. It was carried out under the qualitative research route, it is of a basic type with a descriptive-propositive scope. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with the actors involved in the study (regionales managers and youth leaders), and a documentary analysis of the legal and administrative criteria was carried out. As a result and conclusion, the subnational government requires a governmental communication system to promote connections in state institutions, and as a systematic two-way communication process with young people, involving them in the public agenda, decision making and the public policy cycle.La presente investigación es un análisis de las dimensiones de la comunicación gubernamental en base al gobierno regional, bajo el enfoque de las políticas públicas de materia juvenil; dado que el panorama nos permite evidenciar que, las instituciones públicas no cuentan con estrategias efectivas de comunicación de gobierno que garanticen desarrollar una eficiente gestión. Por ende, el objetivo de esta investigación es proponer un sistema de comunicación gubernamental en materia juvenil de los gobiernos regionales del Perú. Se realizó bajo la ruta de investigación cualitativa, es de tipo básica de un alcance descriptiva - propositivo. Aplicando diez entrevistas semiestructuradas a los actores involucrados en el estudio (gerentes regionales y líderes juveniles), y un análisis documental en relación al criterio jurídico y administrativo. Se obtuvo como resultado y conclusión que, el gobierno subnacional requiere de un sistema de comunicación gubernamental, para promover conexiones en las instituciones estatales, y como un proceso de comunicación bidireccional sistemático con los jóvenes, involucrándolos en la agenda pública, la toma de decisiones y el ciclo de las políticas públicas