Demystifying Beer... Do You Want Fries With That?

This paper concerns the strongly theory based organisational intervention - Stafford Beers' Viable Systems Diagnosis (VSD). The assumption that organisations have difficulty in transforming good theories into effective workplace practices is examined using VSD. We propose levels of knowledge or recursions of the Beer system that are appropriate and effective in terms of organisational interventions. We contend that the lexis emanating from Brain of the Firm, and The Heart of the Enterprise exacerbates the complexity of VSD causing readers to focus on Diagnosing the System. We suggest this outcome contributes to the non-popularity of VSD, but that Beer himself cannot be exonerated. The lack of fundamental VSD principles, identified as a deficiency in Diagnosing the System is expanded from the antecedents, Brain and Heart. The paper concludes by considering a systematic categorisation of Beer's work that will guide organizational change agents wishing to use this intellectually complex and powerful system

Identifying and prioritising services in European terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems

Ecosystems are multifunctional and provide humanity with a broad array of vital services. Effective management of services requires an improved evidence base, identifying the role of ecosystems in delivering multiple services, which can assist policy-makers in maintaining them. Here, information from the literature and scientific experts was used to systematically document the importance of services and identify trends in their use and status over time for the main terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems in Europe. The results from this review show that intensively managed ecosystems contribute mostly to vital provisioning services (e.g. agro-ecosystems provide food via crops and livestock, and forests provide wood), while semi-natural ecosystems (e.g. grasslands and mountains) are key contributors of genetic resources and cultural services (e.g. aesthetic values and sense of place). The most recent European trends in human use of services show increases in demand for crops from agro-ecosystems, timber from forests, water flow regulation from rivers, wetlands and mountains, and recreation and ecotourism in most ecosystems, but decreases in livestock production, freshwater capture fisheries, wild foods and virtually all services associated with ecosystems which have considerably decreased in area (e.g. semi-natural grasslands). The condition of the majority of services show either a degraded or mixed status across Europe with the exception of recent enhancements in timber production in forests and mountains, freshwater provision, water/erosion/natural hazard regulation and recreation/ecotourism in mountains, and climate regulation in forests. Key gaps in knowledge were evident for certain services across all ecosystems, including the provision of biochemicals and natural medicines, genetic resources and the regulating services of seed dispersal, pest/disease regulation and invasion resistance

The development of PICCO through action research

This paper involves action learning as 'continuance of mindset'. It describes a four-year work in progress Action Research (AR) study exploring organizational viability. Involving two separate organizations and four cycles of AR, the study has seen the researcher and to some extent the organizations develop action-learning mindsets. The paper is an attempt to stand back from the case study and its associated learning from an organizational perspective - and to associate learning from the mindset of an action researcher. The paper contends that adopting the mindset of an action researcher contributes to the transfer of learning from one organization to the other. It advocates that action researchers do not resume their initial methodologies in a new setting and the latter organization acquires learning from the first interaction. It is concluded that an action learning mindset gains cumulative wisdom from both organizational and methodological perspectives

The development of PICCO through action research

This paper involves action learning as 'continuance of mindset'. It describes a four-year work in progress Action Research (AR) study exploring organizational viability. Involving two separate organizations and four cycles of AR, the study has seen the researcher and to some extent the organizations develop action-learning mindsets. The paper is an attempt to stand back from the case study and its associated learning from an organizational perspective - and to associate learning from the mindset of an action researcher. The paper contends that adopting the mindset of an action researcher contributes to the transfer of learning from one organization to the other. It advocates that action researchers do not resume their initial methodologies in a new setting and the latter organization acquires learning from the first interaction. It is concluded that an action learning mindset gains cumulative wisdom from both organizational and methodological perspectives

Demystifying Beer... Do You Want Fries With That?

This paper concerns the strongly theory based organisational intervention - Stafford Beers' Viable Systems Diagnosis (VSD). The assumption that organisations have difficulty in transforming good theories into effective workplace practices is examined using VSD. We propose levels of knowledge or recursions of the Beer system that are appropriate and effective in terms of organisational interventions. We contend that the lexis emanating from Brain of the Firm, and The Heart of the Enterprise exacerbates the complexity of VSD causing readers to focus on Diagnosing the System. We suggest this outcome contributes to the non-popularity of VSD, but that Beer himself cannot be exonerated. The lack of fundamental VSD principles, identified as a deficiency in Diagnosing the System is expanded from the antecedents, Brain and Heart. The paper concludes by considering a systematic categorisation of Beer's work that will guide organizational change agents wishing to use this intellectually complex and powerful system

Changing conservation strategies in Europe: A framework integrating ecosystem services and dynamics

Protecting species and their habitats through the designation and management of protected areas is central to present biodiversity conservation efforts in Europe. Recent awareness of the importance of ecosystem dynamics in changing environments and of human needs for the sustainable provision of ecosystem services expose potential weaknesses in current European conservation management strategies and policy. Here we examine these issues in the light of information gained from reviews, workshops, interviews and discussions undertaken within the RUBICODE project. We present a new conceptual framework that joins conventional biodiversity conservation with new requirements. The framework links cultural and aesthetic values applied in a static environment to the demands of dynamic ecosystems and societal needs within social-ecological systems in a changing Europe. We employ this framework to propose innovative ways in which ecosystem service provision may be used to add value to traditional conservation approaches by supporting and complementing present European biodiversity conservation strategy and policy while remaining within the guidelines of the Convention on Biological Diversity. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.Articl

The Cambrian System in the Arrowie Basin, Flinders Ranges, South Australia

The lower to ?middle Cambrian rocks (Terreneuvian, Series 2 and possibly Miaolingian) of the Arrowie Basin are exposed superbly in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia. They comprise two major sedimentary packages: a lower carbonate-rich succession (Hawker Group and correlates) and an upper siliciclastic-dominated succession (Billy Creek Formation, Wirrealpa Limestone and Lake Frome Group). These rocks form one of the most complete lower Cambrian (Terreneuvian and Series 2) successions globally. They contain one of the most diverse known early Cambrian biotas in the world, with trilobites, archaeocyaths, bradoriides, brachiopods, some of the earliest known coralomorphs, small shelly fossils, molluscs, hyoliths, acritarchs and trace fossils. Series divisions, based on ranges of shelly fossils and archaeocyath biostratigraphy are currently being established. Ancient reef structures are prominent in several areas. Syndepositional faulting and diapiric activity affected sedimentation in places. The global significance of the region is enhanced by the presence of tuff horizons at some levels, which provide the opportunity to link the biostratigraphic zones with radiometric dates and carbon isotope curves.J. B. Jago, J. G. Gehling, M. J. Betts, G. A. Brock, C. R. Dalgarno, D. C. García-Bellido, P. G. Haslett, S. M. Jacquet, P. D. Kruse, N. R. Langsford, T. J. Mount, J. R. Paterso

Linkages between biodiversity attributes and ecosystem services: A systematic review

A systematic literature review was undertaken to analyse the linkages between different biodiversity attributes and 11 ecosystem services. The majority of relationships between attributes and ecosystem services cited in the 530 studies were positive. For example, the services of water quality regulation, water flow regulation, mass flow regulation and landscape aesthetics were improved by increases in community and habitat area. Functional traits, such as richness and diversity, also displayed a predominantly positive relationship across the services, most commonly discussed for atmospheric regulation, pest regulation and pollination. A number of studies also discussed a positive correlation with stand age, particularly for atmospheric regulation. Species level traits were found to benefit a number of ecosystem services, with species abundance being particularly important for pest regulation, pollination and recreation, and species richness for timber production and freshwater fishing. Instances of biodiversity negatively affecting the examined ecosystem services were few in number for all ecosystem services, except freshwater provision. The review showed that ecosystem services are generated from numerous interactions occurring in complex systems. However, improving understanding of at least some of the key relationships between biodiversity and service provision will help guide effective management and protection strategies

Sazonalidade de três espécies de Syrphidae (Insecta, Diptera) capturadas com armadilha Malaise no Estado do Paraná, Brasil Seasonality of three species of Syrphidae (Insecta, Diptera) collected with Malaise traps in Paraná State, Brazil

<abstract language="eng">The project "Survey of the Entomolo-gical Fauna in Paraná" (PROFAUPAR) was carried out in eight localities of Paraná, Brazil, during two years. In the first year a total of 1.607 specimens of Syrphidae were collected with Malaise trap. The species Toxomerus tibicen (Wiedemann, 1830), Microdon milis Curran, 1940 and Leucopodella gracilis (Williston, 1891) were the most abundant. The abundance and seasonality of each species are evaluated