Information needs and issues for the long term planning and management of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

Information needs and issues for the long term planning and management of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

Values do matter: managing cultural and social diversity leads to better protection [Abstract]

cultureValues do matter: managing cultural and social diversity leads to better protection. [Abstract

Community attitudes towards crocodiles in northern Queensland: a case study of the role of socio-cultural factors in the management of dangerous wildlife

A survey of attitudes towards the estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) was conducted in northern Queensland (Australia) in communities chosen for their distinct cultural background (Aboriginal / non Aboriginal), community structure (mining town, farming community, tourist destination and urban centre), residence status (local resident/visitor), proximity to crocodile habitats, and remoteness. Attitudes were a mix of emotional responses (empathy and/or fear of crocodiles primarily) and crocodile management expectations (various levels of crocodile population control), with a dominance of risk management expectations in resident communities as opposed to the visitors in those communities. Empathy towards crocodiles and risk perception were investigated in relation to knowledge, experience, communication networks, social background and gender. The distribution of knowledge and experience was closely related to residence near crocodile habitats, predominantly vicarious and lacking in ecological understanding. Risk perception was primarily affected by residence near crocodile habitats and the cultural background or residents (Aboriginal / non Aboriginal) while the distribution of empathy was indicative of broader cultural values. The were interpreted in relation to attitudes towards the non-human world (discrimination between Aboriginal and non Aboriginal attitudes) and the regional historical and cultural context of the Frontier and its importance in the construction of the national identity (discriminating between northern Queensland residents and visitors). A brief discussion of management implications is presented focusing on the importance of equitable distribution of social benefits and costs of management policies, the relevance of public participation and management issues arising from a diverse social and cultural environment

Values do matter: managing cultural and social diversity brings better protection [Abstract]

cultureValues do matter : managing cultural and social diversity brings better protection. [Abstract

Monitoring activities in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area: challenges and opportunities.

Monitoring activities in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area: challenges and opportunities

Monitoring activities in the GBR, challenges and opportunities [Abstract]

monitoringMonitoring activities in the GBR, challenges and opportunities. [Abstract

Static and dynamic semantics of NoSQL languages

We present a calculus for processing semistructured data that spans differences of application area among several novel query languages, broadly categorized as "NoSQL". This calculus lets users define their own operators, capturing a wider range of data processing capabilities, whilst providing a typing precision so far typical only of primitive hard-coded operators. The type inference algorithm is based on semantic type checking, resulting in type information that is both precise, and flexible enough to handle structured and semistructured data. We illustrate the use of this calculus by encoding a large fragment of Jaql, including operations and iterators over JSON, embedded SQL expressions, and co-grouping, and show how the encoding directly yields a typing discipline for Jaql as it is, namely without the addition of any type definition or type annotation in the code