Raine Island: its past and present status and future implications of climate change

This report reviews what is known about the island and assesses the impact of climate change. It identifies what further research is needed for sound management decisions and provides a Strategic Plan for the island to 2050. The report contains nine appendices, separate from, but contributing to, the main text. The appendices allow more detail on specific topics putting forward hypothesis on particular processes and assesses some of the methodologies which may help to save this iconic site or, at the very least promote the survival of its most important inhabitants.ID: 1774; Not published by the GBRMP

Morphology and development of the Cape Tribulation fringing reefs, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

on the reef crest and most of the back reef ceased approximately5400 years before present, probably in response to increasing turbidity and water quality deterioration as fine sediments accumulated offshore and became resuspended during strong winds. Significant coral growth is now restricted to the subtidal fore reef but reef progradation has been minimal over the last 5000 years.The height of the reef crests relative to present day sea level and the absence of low magnesian calcite cements in the fringing reefs suggest that they have not been subjected to extensive subaerial exposure, with a maximum Holocene relative sea level of only 0.6 to 1.0 m above its present position being responsible for the height of the present algal covered reef crest. The fringing reefs can be divided into four lithologic assemblages: i) a fluvial gravel basement deposited as alluvial fans from the steeply sloping hinterland ii) a lower framestone unit iii) a detrital assemblage and iv) an upper framestone-bandstone unit

A pilot study of baseline levels of water quality around Green Island

A pilot study was undertaken at Green Island in June 1989 to assess the spatial and temporal variation of a range of water quality parameters. It was a precursor to the implementation of a proposed baseline study of water quality around Green Island to ensure the optimum allocation of sampling in a cost effective manner

Sedimentation resulting from road development, Cape Tribulation Area

The aims of the study were: to quantify the amount of sediment being carried by the streams of the Cape Tribulation area under both natural conditions and in disturbed areas adjacent to the New Road; to quantity the amount of sediment in the water column adjacent to the reefs; and to put into context the amount of increased sedimentation directly due to road developmen

Seasonal variability in silicate weathering signatures recorded by Li isotopes in cave drip-waters

Silicate weathering is a critical process in Earth’s carbon cycle, but the fundamental controls on weathering are poorly understood and its response to future climate change is uncertain. In particular, the potential for changes in seasonality or extreme weather events to control silicate weathering rates or mechanisms has been little studied. Here, we use lithium (Li) isotope measurements in bimonthly sampled drip-waters from two caves in the Yorkshire Dales (U.K.) to assess the response of silicate weathering processes to changes in temperature and hydrology over seasonal timescales. While the caves are contained in limestone bedrock, the drip-water Li isotope signal predominantly reflects silicate weathering of the overlying soils that are dominated by glacial till

Discovery of Middle Pleistocene fossil and stone tool-bearing deposits at Groot Kloof, Ghaap escarpment, Northern Cape province

We report the discovery of a major fossil-bearing and archaeological complex of karstic deposits at Groot Kloof in the escarpment of the Ghaap Plateau, around 100 km southwest of Taung. The region is known for open fluvial and lacustrine sites sampling Lower and Middle Pleistocene tool types and the long, but discontinuous sequence ofWonderwerk Cave. Research at Groot Kloof has concentrated on two of four localities. One locality has yielded fossils from the Florisian Land Mammal Age and lithics that may sample a late Early Stone Age/early Middle Stone Age type industry. The second locality has been dated using U-Th to 248 <U>+</U> 37 kyr ago for fossil-bearing tufa, and normal magnetic polarity for various tufa and breccia. The occurrence of fossils embedded within tufa rather than infilling a cavity is unusual. Small pockets of Later Stone Age artefact-bearing breccia and rock art also occur. The significance of Groot Kloof is underscored by current debate about the emergence of modern humans in which the appearance of modern behaviour is posited to have occurred inthis and other regions during this part of the Middle Pleistocene

Fossil Carder Bee's nest from the Hominin locality of Taung, South Africa

The Buxton-Norlim Limeworks southwest of Taung, South Africa, is renowned for the discovery of the first Australopithecus africanus fossil, the ‘Taung Child’. The hominin was recovered from a distinctive pink calcrete that contains an abundance of invertebrate ichnofauna belonging to the Coprinisphaera ichnofacies. Here we describe the first fossil bee’s nest, attributed to the ichnogenus Celliforma, from the Plio-Pleistocene of Africa. Petrographic examination of a cell lining revealed the preservation of an intricate organic matrix lined with the calcitic casts of numerous plant trichomes–a nesting behaviour unique to the modern-day carder bees (Anthidiini). The presence of Celliforma considered alongside several other recorded ichnofossils can be indicative of a dry, savannah environment, in agreement with recent work on the palaeoenvironment of Plio-Pleistocene southern Africa. Moreover, the occurrence of ground-nesting bees provides further evidence that the pink calcrete deposits are of pedogenic origin, rather than speleogenic origin as has previously been assumed. This study demonstrates the potential value of insect trace fossils as palaeoenvironmental indicators

Developing a sense of place toolkit: Identifying destination uniqueness

It has long been recognised that the tangible and intangible characteristics that make a location distinctive and memorable, contribute significantly to destination image. How this destination feel is communicated, has largely been the domain of place branding and destination marketing, which have the potential to miss stakeholder voices. Recently though, practitioners are starting to carefully consider ‘sense of place’; that is an emotional attachment to place, which is defined more carefully in the literature review of this article, and which corresponds with long-running academic discussions. This paper attempts to identify some of these and bridge the gap between academic theory on sense of place and practice. In the UK, many rural areas are now seeking to operationalise sense of place through toolkit documents that might inform landscape interpretation and destination branding. A scenario echoed internationally, where local distinctiveness features in both rural and urban planning. However, sense of place in a tourism context, and more specifically the development of these toolkits, has received limited academic attention. Hence, this paper presents the case of Morecambe Bay, and the development of a dedicated sense of place toolkit. The subsequent case emerges from a collaboration between academics and practitioners and draws on participant observation, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Specifically, the paper outlines a series of workshop activities developed with destination stakeholders and identifies how these inform subsequent toolkit design. It offers a critical analysis of the benefits and potential pitfalls of employing this approach. This case is of value to academics and destination stakeholders interested in identifying and communicating the uniqueness and emotional tone of the destination. Key lessons and recommendations are identified for those engaging in similar toolkit development initiatives