An investigation into the concept of and factors leading to impact creep and its management

This study defines and explores the nature of impact creep within the context of two contrasting case studies. The methods applied in undertaking this study consisted of a literature review and development and distribution of questionnaires to visitors at Monkey Mia and an interview of managers at Monkey Mia and Tree Top Walk. The project considered impact creep relevant to both public and private facility developments. Impact creep can be defined as a temporal sequence of changes that lead to a site being more developed. These changes confer both negative and positive impacts. Each impact creep situation may be deemed unique according to different tourism situations and attractions. Both Tree Top Walk and Monkey Mia have a history of increasing visitation which has increased the potential for further impacts. Management has responded accordingly and the resultant actions have reduced negative environmental impacts through site hardening and associated developments. The resultant development in turn appears to have contributed to an increased attractiveness for a wider visitor profile. At both Monkey Mia and the Tree Top Walk increasing visitor numbers were not an immediate concern. Generally visitors to both sites are predominantly first time visitors on a multi-destination trip. Visitors to these sites are most likely to visit in family groups or with friends of two to four persons, aged in the 25 to 49 year age bracket. In both surveys there were a higher proportion of females to males. At Monkey Mia, the majority of respondents are from overseas and Western Australia with the lowest proportion from interstate. In contrast, at Tree Top Walk, the proportion of overseas, Western Australia and interstate visitors was fairly even. Respondents were most likely to travel to the respective regions in passenger vehicles and generally stay for short visits (less than a week). The main attraction for respondents was the natural area attraction, i.e. dolphins at Monkey Mia and the Tingle forest/Tree Top Walk at the Valley of the Giants. The Monkey Mia visitor survey was also used to determine if management actions of site hardening detract from the visitor experience and to determine how visitors feel about highly developed sites such as those that contain permanent accommodation facilities and infrastructure. The survey revealed that visitors generally prefer natural landscapes with limited facilities. However, the facilities provided were not seen as being detractive and had no influence on the quality of the visit. Moreover, facilities may be considered as a positive influence because of the convenience they offer. A major difference between the two case studies is that impact creep has occurred according to different policy directives. Tree Top Walk was developed under a management plan that had clear guidelines. Monkey Mia had no management plan and joint management with the Shire of Shark Bay. When accommodation facilities were developed at Monkey Mia, the Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) recommendations were ignored in favour for economic returns and political pressure. A notable difference between the two sites, therefore, is that Tree Top Walk has no accommodation facility so the visitation period is short, while Monkey Mia has accommodation which means that limiting visitor use is problematic because as many as 600 people stay in the vicinity of the interaction area overnight. For Tree Top Walk a dispersal strategy in the form of a visitor centre may help to focus attention away from the main attraction during busy periods and during wait times if restrictions are operating due to heavy demand. Because of the potential for increased visitation, crowding, conflicts and reduced visitor satisfaction at Monkey Mia limitations on use may have to be applied. Previous work has shown that use/access restrictions, in the form of a reservation or permit system, may be the best approach

My story, my identity and my relationship with work: sickle cell disorder

This study explored the narratives people living with sickle cell disorder construct to explain how the experience of employment influences their identity and subsequently their quality of life. Nine individuals with sickle cell disorder were interviewed and gave detailed autobiographical narratives which were transcribed and processed using narratives analysis. Participants were 4 men and 5 women aged between 22 and 60 years. Participants' passion for their job roles was illustrated by their positive work identities. Earlier experiences were felt to be influential on drive and resilience to work challenges. In the narratives, poor understanding of sickle cell disorder by organisations and reduced ability to manage their condition impacted physical health; psychological and emotional wellbeing; social and cultural experiences. This study has implications for the clinical practice and future research of adults living with sickle cell disorder, contributing to the broadening general understanding of sickle cell disorder

Molecular dynamics as a tool to study heterogeneity in zeolites - Effect of Na cations on diffusion of CO and N in Na-ZSM-5

Zeolites typically contain extra-framework cations to charge-compensate for trivalent Al atom substitutions in the SiO framework. These cations, such as Na, directly interact with quadrupolar guest molecules, such as CO and N, which move through their micropores, causing energetic heterogeneity. To assess the effects of heterogeneity in Na-ZSM-5 on diffusion of CO and N, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are carried out. In silicalite-1, the pure-silicon form of ZSM-5, the self-diffusivity exhibits a monotonic decrease with molecular loading, while the corrected diffusivity shows a relatively constant value. In contrast, the Na cations cause a maximum or a flat profile over molecular loading for the self- and corrected diffusivities of CO at T=200 and 300K, while the cations only have minimal impact on the diffusivity of N. The MD simulations allow us to identify energy basins or sites at which guest molecules spend a relatively long time, and construct a coarse-grained lattice representation for the pore network. Average residence times at these sites are calculated for both species. The trends observed in the residence times correlate to the trends observed in the diffusivity. The residence times for CO at T=200K are long at low loading, but decrease with loading as additional CO molecules compete to stay close to a cation. In contrast, the residence times for N are relatively insensitive to the cations, only mildly increasing near a cation. This difference in behavior can be associated to the quadrupole moments of these molecules

Wildlife tourism, science and actor network theory

Wildlife tourism is an important component of tourism worldwide. However, for many species little is known about the possible impacts from tourist-wildlife interactions. Previous research has identified barriers to such science being undertaken but this science-wildlife tourism interface remains poorly understood. Actor-network theory, with its attention to the actors and relationships that make science possible, was used to describe and analyze the development and decline of scientific research into the effects of tourism on wildlife in the Antarctic region. This study concludes that actor-network theory provides a robust description of the complex role and positioning of science in wildlife tourism, while at the same time suggesting that further attention to actors' relative power and scientists' normative beliefs are essential elements of analysis

Polygraph: Automatically generating signatures for polymorphic worms

It is widely believed that content-signature-based intrusion detection systems (IDSes) are easily evaded by polymorphic worms, which vary their payload on every infection attempt. In this paper, we present Polygraph, a signature generation system that successfully produces signatures that match polymorphic worms. Polygraph generates signatures that consist of multiple disjoint content sub-strings. In doing so, Polygraph leverages our insight that for a real-world exploit to function properly, multiple invariant substrings must often be present in all variants of a payload; these substrings typically correspond to protocol framing, return addresses, and in some cases, poorly obfuscated code. We contribute a definition of the polymorphic signature generation problem; propose classes of signature suited for matching polymorphic worm payloads; and present algorithms for automatic generation of signatures in these classes. Our evaluation of these algorithms on a range of polymorphic worms demonstrates that Polygraph produces signatures for polymorphic worms that exhibit low false negatives and false positives. © 2005 IEEE

Visitor perceptions of captive wildlife tourism in a Western Australian natural setting

Wildlife tourism involves a broad sweep of experiences that includes all of the aspects of the tourism genre with the distinguishing feature of animals as the primary attraction. The uniqueness of Australian wildlife in combination with factors such as remoteness and rarity appear to have provided the ideal context for successful wildlife tourism operations. Barna Mia, located in a large remnant woodland in the central southern wheatbelt of Western Australia, is approximately 165 km southeast of the state's capital, Perth. Dryandra Woodland, the location of Banra Mia consists of a closely grouped and connected cluster of native remnant vegetation blocks. The enclosure is surrounded by electrified, vermin proof fencing to keep feral predators out and the captive fauna in. The results of the visitor survey at Barna Mia suggested the experience provided a great sense of satisfaction amongst respondents. This was both in terms of the overall satisfaction as well as satisfaction with specific parts of the experience. The feeling of being 'in the wild' may have been enhanced by the lack of barriers between visitors and the animals and the absence of constraints on animal movement through the enclosure. Improving the operation of Barna Mia as an attraction in itself and as part of the Dryandra Woodland product may serve to improve its success as an attraction. However, an innately attractive tourism experience cannot work without appropriate integration within the specific wildlife tourism product of Dryandra Woodland, while coordination with tourism on a regional scale is also important

The collapse of tourism and its impact on wildlife tourism destinations

Purpose To evaluate some of the current discussion about the possible impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on wildlife tourism destinations. There could be either positive and/or negative impacts and this viewpoint provides some reflection on what the future might hold for some if not many wildlife tourism destinations when the global tourism industry resumes. Design/methodology/approach A combination of tourism and environmental impact research studies and online resources are used to demonstrate the wildlife tourism-conservation nexus and provide a commentary regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the wildlife tourism system. Findings This paper provides a context and viewpoint on the possible implications of post COVID-19 reflection for wildlife tourism operations in the future. Research limitations/implications This viewpoint paper captures only a snapshot of rapidly emerging online perspectives but at the same time draws together relevant research that emphasises the importance of wildlife tourism. Practical implications This paper enables an appreciation of the implications of not reflecting on the way that tourism and the environment are currently/recently managed and funded. One possibility is that we could arrive at a different baseline that reflects degraded wildlife tourism conditions. If, in a post COVID-19 world, a new awareness of the vulnerability of species and the tourism upon which it is dependent arises, this could open the door for improved tourism management and conservation of species that are of high tourism value. Social implications This paper offers a synthesis of views that fosters understanding of the possibility of damage to wildlife tourism resources due to the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 on the global nature-based tourism sector. Originality/value The viewpoint proffered in this paper provides scope for a rapid evaluation of the current status of wildlife tourism, its vulnerability and the need to reflect on the industry in a post COVID-19 world

Predation Threat in a Variable Landscape: Connecting Predation Risk to Nesting Success for the Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza maritima macgilivraii)

Predation, the leading cause of nest-failure in birds, not only exists as a direct threat to nesting success, but may exacerbate other sources of nest mortality. Birds inhabiting Atlantic coastal marshes, such as Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima; hereafter SESP), are experiencing significant and rapid changes to their habitat, particularly sea level rise (SLR) and encroaching urbanization, that may affect the relative influence of nest predation on overall productivity. For SESPs, SLR presents an inherent threat to nest success in its potential to increase the frequency of nest flooding. In addition to this direct threat, the ability of SESPs to adaptively respond to SLR can be constrained by predation pressure. As SESPs elevate their nests to avoid flooding, their nests become more vulnerable to predation. This research aimed to understand the predictability of SESP nest predation in Georgia’s saltmarshes along two major gradients: distance to roads and distance to tidal rivers (rivers ≥ 45m wide), both of which may be attractants for predators in the marsh. In coastal Georgia, USA, I assessed mammalian predator activity, an index for mammalian predator distribution, along the two gradients of interest, and hypothesized that predator activity would be higher close to roads and tidal rivers. Second, I recorded SESP nest predation events and hypothesized that nest predation events would increase with increasing probability of predator presence. Consistent with my hypothesis, predator activity increased close to roads and tidal rivers. However, mammalian predator distribution did not predict the spatial variation in SESP nest predation. Given my findings regarding predator distribution in the saltmarsh, I recommend that management efforts to decrease predator access to SESP habitat focus on road-marsh edges, particularly if they are connected with urban landscapes. Understanding the predictability of mammalian predator distribution equips us with valuable information for crafting conservation strategies for SESPs, such as predator management, that would relax the constraint of nest predation on their ability to respond to the ever-intensifying threat of SLR

The dimensions of geotourism with a spotlight on geodiversity in a subdued landscape

Landscapes of high relief are often favoured tourist destinations and at the same time display complex geomorphology that may be the result of diverse geology summarised into the concept of geodiversity. In contrast areas of subdued landscape, while topographically unappealing, may also be geodiverse but need careful explanation and promotion to attract the geotourist. The mid-west of Western Australia is an area of low relief with a long history of weathering, ostensibly of little interest to visitors, is underlain by a diverse geology that is displayed in an incised landscape where erosion by rivers and the ocean displays geodiversity in attractive detail. The mid-west of Western Australia is the result of sedimentary basin formation during the separation of the Gondwanan Indian plate from the western edge of the Archean Yilgarn granitic craton. A plutonic Precambrian basement is overlain by Ordovician sediments comprising the Tumblagooda sandstone and then Permian and younger Mesozoic rocks, often capped with a complex weathered regolith. Geology is exposed in the Murchison and Irwin River valleys where interpretive signs explain the origin of the landscape and sequences of rock. Extensive weathering products from the Tertiary period, such as laterite and sandplains, provide opportunities to explain processes such as deep weathering, mobilisation and re-deposition of sediments that are integral to the development of landscapes in general. We thus provide a conceptual understanding of the nexus between tourism and geodiversity via the applied science of geotourism in a predominantly subdued landscape. We make the point that there is a general lack of attention paid to regolith in the geotourism literature, hence we have provided a relatively detailed account of a large expanse of sandplain that occurs in the study area. Furthermore, regolith geodiversity has not been investigated in the context of its wider geotourism potential and while this case study is preliminary in its wider scope, we provide a platform for further research