1995, Spatial and temporal variability of late Neogene equatorial Pacific carbonate

High-resolution, continuous records of GRAPE wet bulk density (a carbonate proxy) from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 138 provide one the opportunity for a detailed study of eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean carbonate sedimentation during the last 6 m.y. The transect of sites drilled spans both latitude and longitude in the eastern equatorial Pacific from 90° to 110°W and from 5°S to 10°N. Two modes of variability are resolved through the use of Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis. In the presence of large tectonic and climatic boundary condition changes over the last 6 m.y., the dominant mode of spatial variability in carbonate sedimentation is remarkably constant. The first mode accounts for over 50% of the variance in the data, and is consistent with forcing by equatorial divergence. This mode characterizes both carbonate concentration and carbonate mass accumulation rate time series. Variability in the first mode is highly coherent with insolation, indicating a strong linear relationship between equatorial Pacific car bonate sedimentation and Milankovitch variability. Frequency domain analysis indicates that the coupling to equatorial divergence in carbonate sedimentation is strongest in the precession band (19-23 k.y.) and weakest though present at lower frequencies. The second mode of variability has a consistent spatial pattern of east-west asymmetry over the past 4 m.y. only; prior to 4 Ma, a different mode of spatial variability may have been present, possibly suggesting influence by closure of the Isthmus of Panama or other tectonic changes. The second mode of variability may indicate influence by CaCO3 dissolution. The second mode of variability is not highly coherent with insolation. Comparison of the modes of carbonate variability to a 4 m.y. record of benthic δ 1 8 indicates that although overall correlation between carbonate and δ 1 8 is low, both modes of variability in carbonate sedimentation are coherent with δ 1 8 changes at some frequencies. The first mode of carbonate variability is coherent with Sites 846/849 δ 1 8 at the dominant insolation periods, and the second mode is coherent at 100 k.y. during the last 2 m.y. The coherence between carbonate sedimentation and δ 1 8 in both EOF modes suggests that multiple uncorrelated modes of variability operated within the climate system during the late Neogene

Policy brief, number 9, 2014

[From Introduction] In South Africa, social grants are a central component of government's efforts to alleviate poverty. The number of people receiving social grants has significantly increased in recent years (from about 10.9 million in 2005 to almost 15.7 million in 2013, and an anticipated 16.8 million recipients by 2015).With social grants playing an increasingly important role, a pressing policy issue is whether or not the current social grant schemes are an effective tool for alleviating poverty. Some studies have shown that social grants improve food security (Case and Deaton, 1998; Samson et al., 2008) and in the long run can promote employment through accumulation of human capital and enhancing productivity of poor households (Edmonds et al., 2006; Samson et al., 2008; Surender et al., 2007). However, other studies have reported that social grants have possible disincentive effects on labor market activity, for example, through the relaxing of household budget constraints which may lead to a reduction in labor supply (Bertrand et al., 2003; Ranchorhod, 2006; Klasen and Woolard, 2009). Our study provides new insights by highlighting two key household characteristics, gender and education, in catalyzing or diminishing the effects of grants on household livelihood outcomes. Our analysis mainly focuses on impacts of pensions on household food security and labor supply of household members

Prevalence of sustainability reporting practices of a sample of listed companies on established and emerging stock exchanges

The business sector has a substantial role in addressing current environmental issues and concerns. Consequently, there is a growing adoption of corporate sustainability principles and practices across all market sectors. This study examined four developed and four emerging stock markets and the sustainability reporting practices of the top 20 and bottom 20 companies in each. The results illustrate that the developed market sector was more advanced in its corporate sustainability reporting, both in the proportion of companies issuing a sustainability report (approximately 60 per cent) and the proportion of company webpages dedicated to sustainability reporting. This difference was largely due to the effect of the top 20 companies. There was little difference between developed and developing markets when only the bottom 20 companies were considered, of which less than one-third provided sustainability reports. These results show that sustainability reporting is prevalent in both developed and developing markets, especially among market leading companies, but that overall, most developing markets have some catching up to do

The extent of public green space and alien plant species in 10 small towns of the sub-tropical Thicket Biome, South Africa

Urban areas in developing countries will accommodate nearly 90% of the projected world population increase between 1995 and 2030. Despite this, few studies, especially in smaller towns, have been carried out on urban green space areas in the developing world. This paper makes a first step in this regard, reporting on the extent and state of urban green spaces within 10 small towns in the Eastern Cape (South Africa). After measuring the size and state (in terms of woody plant cover) of public green space, we then sought patterns across the 10 towns between green space attributes, such as area, density, mean size and proportion of alien or indigenous, with socio-economic attributes of the towns. The area and state of current public green space varied markedly between the towns, with the poorer towns faring the worst. Lower income levels were significantly negatively correlated with the area and quality of public green space. Despite this, human population density and per capita green space were the best predictors of the proportion and mean area of public green space present in the towns. The proportion of town green space and the per capita green space were the best predictors of changes in woody plant composition and density

Reflecting on the next generation of models for community-based natural resources management

Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) has been a pervasive paradigm in conservation circles for three decades. Despite many potentially attractive attributes it has been extensively critiqued from both ecological and sociological perspectives with respect to theory and practice (for example Leach et al. 1999; Berkes 2004; Fabricius et al. 2004; Blaikie 2006). Nonetheless, many successful examples exist, although an equal number have seemingly not met expectations. Is this because of poor implementation or rather a generally flawed model? If the criteria and conditions for success are so onerous that relatively few projects or situations are likely to qualify, what then is the value of the model? The questions thus become: how and what can we learn from the past theory and practice to develop a new generation of flexible, locally responsive and implementable CBNRM models, and what are likely to be the attributes of such models

Conceptualizing the human use of wild edible herbs for conservation in South African communal areas

The importance of wild edible herbaceous species to resource poor households in most rural economies within savannas has been little studied. This is because most of the herbs grow in impoverished species communities and lands, often referred to as ‘marginal lands’. The aim of this paper is to conceptualize how the economics of wild edible herbs to households can be used to add value to total livelihoods and conservation within traditional communal areas of South Africa. Analysis of the economics of the consumption of wild edible herbs in Thorndale (Bushbuckridge district) of the Limpopo province is presented. The majority of households consumed wild edible herbs, averaging 15.4 kg dried weight per household per year and valued at $167 per household. The herbs were mostly harvested from uncultivated areas of farms, and rangelands. There was little correlation between household characteristics and the dependence on wild herbs for food. The local people noted a decline in the availability of the species, although not much is known about attempts to cultivate them. The only reasons attributed to the decline were nutrient poor soils and insufficient rains. With this background, developing a local strategy to sustain the species through cultivation by households was found to be feasible. A multiple-use system for the herbs, their improvement and value addition towards commercialization and increased household usage may result in wider acceptance and subsequent cultivation. Species diversity will be enhanced whilst conserving the land on which they grow. This multiple use system may include species roles in soil and water conservation

Valuation of communal area livestock benefits, rural livelihoods and related policy issues

The multiple benefits from livestock production to rural households are evaluated in Thorndale, a communal area of the Limpopo Province South Africa. Monetary values of livestock products are presented. Values from most previous studies are static (and thus outdated), as a result of conceptual and methodological shifts. The net monetary value of the direct benefits from livestock was estimated as $656 per household/annum, excluding the holding of cattle for savings. The net value is equivalent to 22.7$33 per household/annum. Policy concerns are the provision of adequate market and pricing mechanisms for communal area livestock, tailored savings, investment support, credit schemes, and infrastructure. An appropriate multipurpose benefit production model, other than a commercialised model is suggested for the sector

Children navigating rural poverty: Rural children's use of wild resources to counteract food insecurity in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

This paper analyzes the role of natural resources in the lives of rural children experiencing heightened vulnerability to poverty and the impact of HIV/AIDS, a subject that previously has been unexplored. The authors highlight wild-food use by rural children as a regular activity that supplements their domestic diets. Over the course of 18 months in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, the authors used a broad quantitative and qualitative methodology to explore the food acquisition and consumption patterns for 850 children. They found that the quality of children's domestic diets was, on average, 60% lower than the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) guidelines. This occurred in a population where 62% of the children surveyed were supplementing their diets with wild foods; and 30% with over half their diet supplemented in this way. Significantly, dietary diversity increased by 13% when wild food supplementation occurred. Another result was the commercialization of wild foods (observed among 47% of the children), wherein significantly more vulnerable children sold these foods. Considering the heightened nutritional and energy needs of children, combined with the impact of poverty and HIV/AIDS on household food access, wild foods represent the last freely attainable food sources available to them