Ecological Approach Research Articles

A social ecological approach to belonging in LGBTQ+ people

A social ecological approach to belonging in LGBTQ+ people

Crisis, what crisis? Real impairments and absences in the ecosystems of higher education

AbstractAre the many crises of higher education real, or are they in the eye of the beholder? They are evidently something of both: The crises to which we are characteristically alerted are manifestations in the real of the world and indicate much about our scholars' perceptions and even their values. To say this, however, invites the question: can we sort the wheat from the chaff? Might there be a way of validating any effort to identify a crisis that lies in the world, independently of claims made about it? There is straightaway a fundamental difficulty after all; namely, that the very concept of crisis is fact and value, both pointing to a phenomenon in the world and making a judgement about it. It seems then that, in the language of crisis, we may be conflating ontology with epistemology and ethics. When we hear talk of crisis, we may be being told more about the claim‐maker than the feature of the world that is in question. However, I suggest that, if we deploy the artifice of ecosystem, and so adopt an ecological approach to the matter, we can move on two planes at once: We can point to phenomena of crises in higher education that are in the world and that also warrant our evaluative judgements of them.

Identification of an adult attractant for Anomala corpulenta by the reverse chemical ecology approach

Identification of an adult attractant for Anomala corpulenta by the reverse chemical ecology approach

Systematic nature positive markets.

Environmental markets are a rapidly emerging tool to mobilize private funding to incentivize landholders to undertake more sustainable land management. How units of biodiversity in these markets are measured and subsequently traded creates key challenges ecologically and economically because it determines whether environmental markets can deliver net gains in biodiversity and efficiently lower the costs of conservation. We developed and tested a metric for such markets based on the well-established principle of irreplaceability from systematic conservation planning. Irreplaceability as a metric avoids the limitations of like-for-like trading and allows one to capture the multidimensional nature of ecosystems (e.g., habitats, species, ecosystem functioning) and simultaneously achieve cost-effective, land-manager-led investments in conservation. Using an integrated ecological modeling approach, we tested whether using irreplaceability as a metric is more ecologically and economically beneficial than the simpler biodiversity offset metrics typically used in net gain and no-net-loss policies. Using irreplaceability ensured no net loss, or even net gain, of biodiversity depending on the targets chosen. Other metrics did not provide the same assurances and, depending on the flexibility with which biodiversity targets can be achieved, and how they overlap with development pressure, were less efficient. Irreplaceability reduced the costs of offsetting to developers and the costs of ecological restoration to society. Integrating economic data and systematic conservation planning approaches would therefore assure land managers they were being fairly rewarded for the opportunity costs of conservation and transparently incentivize the most ecologically and economically efficient investments in nature recovery.

Grazing distribution of wild guanacos and livestock in Patagonian rangelands: an ecological approach to assess mixed carrying capacity and overgrazing risk in extensive pastoral systems

ContextAlong with forage availability, rangeland’s carrying capacity (CC) is determined by other landscape features limiting the spatial distribution of the animals, such as water sources or topography. However, livestock management is often based on the stock adjustment to an estimated CC, assuming that the animals use the entire paddocks and wild herbivores are absent.ObjectivesOur objectives were to address how the CC estimation deviates from the classic outcome when the effective space use by livestock is considered, and when the forage consumption by co-occurring wild herbivore is accounted for. Finally, we evaluated large herbivores densities regarding this mixed CC.MethodsBased on herbivore counts and geo-referenced explanatory variables within a ranch of Chubut, Argentina, we predicted sheep and guanaco distribution at a scale of 0.25 km2 cells. Addressing the relationship between the predicted sheep stock and the CC in each cell, we then re-calculated the CC adjusted by spatial use. We also estimated a mixed CC by computing the forage consumption by sheep and guanacos.ResultsSheep distribution was shaped mainly by drinking water location, promoting over and under-grazed areas. Guanaco distribution pattern opposed livestock density. Accounting for the restrictions in sheep spatial use resulted in a reduction of the estimated CC compared to the classic approach, whereas the mixed approach resulted in higher CC estimates.ConclusionsAccounting for herbivore presence and distribution modifies the CC estimation and therefore the diagnosis of overstock situations. The proposed adjustments to CC assessment methods can contribute to the sustainable management of livestock and wildlife in rangelands.

Traditional knowledge in the approach to sustainability: Making sense of Bhutanese gross national happiness and Buen Vivir in Bolivian constitution

In the past few decades, due to the global environmental crisis humanity is facing, a sudden growth in environmental policies and sustainability strategies has been registered. This article discusses two of such policies, namely that of Gross National Happiness (GNH) in the Himalayan country of Bhutan and the inclusion of the concept of Buen Vivir (BV) in the Bolivian Constitution, through a critical analysis—based on political ecology approaches—of their implementation within state policy and their wider implications within the global discourse on the so-called “sustainable development” paradox. This paper highlights the role that the aforementioned policies might play in the path to decolonisation, seeing as how they draw inspiration from their own local contexts and values instead of those provided by the Global North, more specifically focusing on their ancestral and traditional knowledge to supposedly guide the countries’ policy-making process. Although several points of criticism are identified in both policies, innovativeness is detected in their potential to offer alternative views on human wellbeing, both for global southern and global northern contexts, as their original intent would be to remarkably operate outside of the Western framework of development based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and economic growth. GNH appears to be mostly oriented toward supporting political national budget discussion and allocation, while BV acts at a higher level (constitutional), thus also inspiring overall politics.

Traditional knowledge in the approach to sustainability: Making sense of Bhutanese gross national happiness and Buen Vivir in Bolivian constitution

In the past few decades, due to the global environmental crisis humanity is facing, a sudden growth in environmental policies and sustainability strategies has been registered. This article discusses two of such policies, namely that of Gross National Happiness (GNH) in the Himalayan country of Bhutan and the inclusion of the concept of Buen Vivir (BV) in the Bolivian Constitution, through a critical analysis—based on political ecology approaches—of their implementation within state policy and their wider implications within the global discourse on the so-called “sustainable development” paradox. This paper highlights the role that the aforementioned policies might play in the path to decolonisation, seeing as how they draw inspiration from their own local contexts and values instead of those provided by the Global North, more specifically focusing on their ancestral and traditional knowledge to supposedly guide the countries’ policy-making process. Although several points of criticism are identified in both policies, innovativeness is detected in their potential to offer alternative views on human wellbeing, both for global southern and global northern contexts, as their original intent would be to remarkably operate outside of the Western framework of development based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and economic growth. GNH appears to be mostly oriented toward supporting political national budget discussion and allocation, while BV acts at a higher level (constitutional), thus also inspiring overall politics.

Optimizing energy efficiency and thermal comfort of green envelope applications in hot arid climate

Climate change and unresolved environmental challenges in arid environments negatively affect urban development. Previous literature tackled the significance of ecological approaches and building envelope optimization as main pillars in reducing energy consumption and enhancing energy efficiency and thermal comfort in buildings. This study aims to tackle an environmental simulation of implementing green roofs and green walls as an ecological strategy applied to the building envelope with considerations of the window-to-wall ratio (WWR) in contribution to enhancing the built environment’s energy efficiency and thermal comfort. The main study aimed to define the optimum solutions for applying ecological approaches on a medium office building envelope to investigate the enhancement of thermal comfort and total site energy. Hot arid climatic data was selected for its recent environmental challenges, and building envelope design, relying on experimental simulation research, a model was simulated using Design-builder software using discomfort hours and total site energy as the main objectives. Heating and cooling were added as outputs in the optimization to monitor their effect on the indoors. The two main output parameters were the WWR and envelope construction. Then a percentage decrease in the running cost was addressed. The multi-objective optimization showed an effective positive impact of green roof application on the building in hot arid climate than that of the green wall, which highlights the significance of green wall implementation to environmental and economic sustainable developments in arid environments.

An ecological approach for skill development and performance in soccer goalkeeper training: Empirical evidence and coaching applications

ABSTRACT Ecological approaches in sport consider that athletes adapt to properties of the task and the surrounding environment. Thus, task and environment are key constraints of performance. Yet, the influence of task and environmental constraints on athletes’ performance needs empirical examination, especially in sport-specific contexts such as soccer goalkeeping. This study aimed to examine if and how task and environmental constraints influenced goalkeepers (GKs’) performances. We monitored performance coefficients of two professional female GKs across 13 training tasks that varied based on 9 constraints, referring to both interactions among athletes and properties of the surrounding landscape. Results showed that constraints explain ~ 47% of the observed variability in GKs’ performances. Numerical complexity (i.e., the potential interactions between athletes) showed a major influence on performance, which indicates that number of interactions among athletes may constrain GKs’ perceived opportunities for action. Field dimensions and landscape representativity (including elements such as penalty area(s), target goal(s) and constraints for shooting) showed positive relationships with performance, supporting that training designs retaining closer proximity to the game may benefit GKs’ performances. Overall, results supported that athlete-environment couplings could be understood as a multifactorial model and hence, a combination of task constraints are necessary for designing effective learning environments.

Enriching developmental science from the Global South: Contributions from Latin America.

Knowledge from the Global South, including Latin America, has enriched our understanding of developmental science. Despite underrepresentation in the published literature, research from Latin America has advanced the psychology of parenting and child and adolescent development. An ecological approach is valuable in adding meaning and specificity to general cultural clusters and has revealed how responsibility, lovingness, and respect are enacted in the everyday lives of families and children. Although the evidence is not exclusive to the Global South, research from Latin America has broadened and challenged theories and accepted practices from the Global North. Examples include countering attachment theory with respect to multiple caregivers and sensitive responsiveness and problematization of children's work in terms of family responsibilities. Research from Latin America has also challenged the notion of optimal parenting styles and revealed how the cultural values of familism and respect are evidenced in the daily practices of parents and children. Latin America boasts a psychology that acknowledges the importance of the political and social context and seeks to apply psychology to addressing social problems. To fully recognize and take advantage of knowledge from the Global South, the science of psychology should refrain from promoting "best practices" and sidelining research from Latin America and other regions of the majority world; it needs to fully document autochthonous parental ethnotheories, socialization goals, and practices and promote the implementation of the goals of local communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Exploring interactions between parasites and their hosts in the Pantanal floodplain using an ecological network approach.

The study of host-parasite interactions is essential to understand the role of each host species in the parasitic transmission cycles in a given community. The use of ecological network highlights the patterns of interactions between hosts and parasites, allowing us to evaluate the underlying structural features and epidemiological roles of different species within this context. Through network analysis, we aimed to understand the epidemiological roles of mammalian hosts species (n = 67) and their parasites (n = 257) in the Pantanal biome. Our analysis revealed a modular pattern within the network, characterized by 14 distinct modules, as well as nestedness patterns within these modules. Some key nodes, such as the multi-host parasites Trypanosoma cruzi and T. evansi, connect different modules and species. These central nodes showed us that various hosts species, including those with high local abundances, contribute to parasite maintenance. Ectoparasites, such as ticks and fleas, exhibit connections that reflect their roles as vectors of certain parasites. Overall, our findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the structure of host-parasite interactions in the Pantanal ecosystem, highlighting the importance of network analysis as a tool to identifying the main transmission routes and maintenance of parasites pathways. Such insights are valuable for parasitic disease control and prevention strategies and shed light on the broader complexities of ecological communities.

Analysis of the Implementation Status and Characteristics of Ecological Restoration Projects in Korea: Ecosystem Conservation Charge Return Projects

Research on the Ecosystem Conservation Charge Return Project (ECCRP), a restoration initiative guided by the polluter-pays principle, is limited. Moreover, certain projects lack location analyses and specific restoration goals. Here, we examined the ecological restoration trends in South Korea based on the ECCRP. We collected data from 277 projects completed between 2003 and 2022 and explored project characteristics, site types, locations, and restoration target species trends. Wetlands and urban areas were frequently targeted, with forestry as the primary land category. Such projects prioritize restoration in areas with a potential for increased biodiversity. Small-scale projects were the most common, likely because of budget constraints and site selection challenges. The establishment of guidelines in 2010 resulted in considerable changes in restoration projects. Forested areas and parks close to species supply sources became important, and specifying target species for restoration was emphasized. Target species primarily included birds, amphibians, and insects. From a sustainability perspective, it is crucial to consider post-monitoring. Species of high restoration value and animals with a small habitat must be selected as performance indicators of restoration outcomes. Our results can help the ECCRP to strengthen the ecological restoration approaches to better achieve sustainability goals—improving biodiversity and conserving and restoring ecosystems.

Conservation applications of niche modeling: Native and naturalized ferns may compete for limited Hawaiian dryland habitat.

Competition from naturalized species and habitat loss are common threats to native biodiversity and may act synergistically to increase competition for decreasing habitat availability. We use Hawaiian dryland ferns as a model for the interactions between land-use change and competition from naturalized species in determining habitat availability. We used fine-resolution climatic variables and carefully curated occurrence data from herbaria and community science repositories to estimate the distributions of Hawaiian dryland ferns. We quantified the degree to which naturalized ferns tend to occupy areas suitable for native species and mapped the remaining available habitat given land-use change. Of all native species, Doryopteris angelica had the lowest percentage of occurrences of naturalized species in its suitable area while D. decora had the highest. However, all Doryopteris spp. had a higher percentage overlap, while Pellaea ternifolia had a lower percentage overlap, than expected by chance. Doryopteris decora and D. decipiens had the lowest proportions (<20%) of suitable area covering native habitat. Areas characterized by shared environmental preferences of native and naturalized ferns may decrease due to human development and fallowed agricultural lands. Our study demonstrates the value of place-based application of a recently developed correlative ecological niche modeling approach for conservation risk assessment in a rapidly changing and urbanized island ecosystem.

Puisi media penanaman nilai-nilai karakter: suatu kajian ekologi sastra

Ecological literature is an approach or method used to understand the relationship between ecology and literature. Literature connects human life with the surrounding natural environment. The focus of the study is how literature parses its environment so that it can be a concern for its readers that the natural environment is an ecosystem for human life so that it needs to be maintained and or preserved. The poems that are the object of study in this research are poems that have ecological literary nuances. The ecological literature referred to in this study is poetry that talks about the sea. The sea as a vast source of livelihood, so the poet is interested in writing in his work so that readers understand about the sea as one of the ecosystems that is very urgent in the life of mankind in the universe or on this planet earth. To reveal the character values of the selected poems, an ecological approach to literature is used.

Three Virtual Reality Environments for the Assessment of Executive Functioning Using Performance Scores and Kinematics: An Embodied and Ecological Approach to Cognition.

Virtual reality (VR) is an attractive technology for cognitive assessment, as it provides a more embodied experience compared with typical test situations, such as those using paper and pencil. In addition, VR can immerse individuals in complex situations similar to real-life ones, thereby improving the ecological validity (i.e., face validity) of the assessment. VR also offers improved scoring of tests as it facilitates the tracking of kinematic information and the temporal tracking of activities. This study assesses the correlation between scores on executive function assessments using standard neuropsychological tasks in paper-and-pencil format, on a tablet, and in three immersive VR environments, each designed to involve specific aspects of executive function. This study also aims to assess the correlation between these performance scores and a set of kinematic measures (speed, duration, and distance traveled by the hand) collected in VR. The outcomes, including performance scores and kinematic measures, correlate both with traditional assessment methods (such as paper and pencil, and computerized 2D tests) and with each other, suggesting their potential usefulness in clinical and research contexts. The discussion focuses on the advantages of embodied, situated, and spatialized tests for cognitive assessment and the benefits of kinematic tracking in VR tests for the quality of this assessment.

The Myth of the Sanrego Bolong Wood as a Symbol of the Strength of Bugis Men

The existence of Sanrego wood results in a constellation of contradictory views the truth of Sanrego wood or just a 'positive suggestion'. This study is more directed towards interpretive ethnography which collects assumptions, explanations and views that tend to be positional which results in the emergence of demystification and counter-myths regarding a particular culture or custom Sanrego wood which is considered an aphrodixia plant (weapon of strength) Research on counter-myths Kayu Sanrego (Bolong Sanrego) uses qualitative research through a case study approach as well ecological ethnographic-interpretive approach. Referring to what was stated by (Creswell, 2015) that research This qualitative method is used to explore in detail and holistically the problems that exist in the field. results analysis in this research, the myths contained in the story of the Sanrego wood (Bolong Sanrego) include a belief that developed in the Sanrego Village community and has become a tradition or habit. As for factors that influence the existence of Sanrego wood (Bolong Sanrego), namely social factors, economic factors, and health factors. One of the issues that most people still consider taboo is related issues with vitality problems that are largely considered to be on the acatalepsy spectrum of male ethnography leading to a reluctance to reveal it. One of the plants that is believed to be herbal The Bugis community uses Sanrego wood (Bolong Sanrego) which is still considered a myth Treating male vitality problems.

Ecology- and genome-based identification of the Bifidobacterium adolescentis prototype of the healthy human gut microbiota.

Bifidobacteria are among the first microbial colonizers of the human gut, being frequently associated with human health-promoting activities. In the current study, an in silico methodology based on an ecological and phylogenomic-driven approach allowed the selection of a Bifidobacterium adolescentis prototype strain, i.e., B. adolescentis PRL2023, which best represents the overall genetic content and functional features of the B. adolescentis taxon. Such features were confirmed by in vitro experiments aimed at evaluating the ability of this strain to survive in the gastrointestinal tract of the host and its ability to interact with human intestinal cells and other microbial gut commensals. In this context, co-cultivation of B. adolescentis PRL2023 and several gut commensals revealed various microbe-microbe interactions and indicated co-metabolism of particular plant-derived glycans, such as xylan.IMPORTANCEThe use of appropriate bacterial strains in experimental research becomes imperative in order to investigate bacterial behavior while mimicking the natural environment. In the current study, through in silico and in vitro methodologies, we were able to identify the most representative strain of the Bifidobacterium adolescentis species. The ability of this strain, B. adolescentis PRL2023, to cope with the environmental challenges imposed by the gastrointestinal tract, together with its ability to switch its carbohydrate metabolism to compete with other gut microorganisms, makes it an ideal choice as a B. adolescentis prototype and a member of the healthy microbiota of adults. This strain possesses a genetic blueprint appropriate for its exploitation as a candidate for next-generation probiotics.

PEDAGOGICAL SYSTEM FOR FORMING THE SOCIAL HEALTH OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH

The present academic paper is devoted to developing and implementing educational systems for the formation of social health of children and youth. Social health is defined in this context as a multifaceted concept that includes social skills, emotional intelligence, stress management, civic responsibility and tolerance. The primary purpose of the present research is to develop a pedagogical system that would contribute to forming and maintaining the social health of children and youth. Pedagogical approaches in the education system are distinguished, namely: psychological and pedagogical, socio-cultural, health-preserving, interactive, ecological and gender approaches. It has been determined that the formation of children’s social health is ensured through such aspects as the development of social skills by means of interactive activities and group work, training of emotional intelligence through professional exercises and learning stress management methods. The conducted research provides a valuable scientific and practical elaboration in the field of developing and implementing educational approaches to the formation of social health of children and youth. It has been emphasized that the established educational system for forming the social health of children and youth is comprehensive and systematic.

The Value of an Ecological Approach to Improve the Precision of Nutritional Assessment: Addressing Contributors and Implications of the "Multiple Burdens of Malnutrition".

Globally, children are exposed to multiple health risks associated with diet and nutrition. Rather than simply being a condition of having too much or too little food, malnutrition is more a syndrome comprising multiple burdens of coexisting and reciprocal malnutrition, infection, or other conditions. Importantly, children with such syndromes (e.g., stunting and anemia, which are neither specific nor necessarily sensitive to nutritional status) are more likely to also have irreversible functional outcomes such as poor growth, impaired immune function, or cognitive delays. The global health community has identified nutrition-related targets (e.g., Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and World Health Organization (WHO) Global Nutrition Targets) that, for multiple reasons, are difficult to address. Moreover, as the complexity of the global health context increases with persistent pandemics of infectious diseases and the rising prevalence of noncommunicable diseases, there is a growing appreciation that conditions selected as nutrition/health targets indeed represent syndromes for which nutritional status serves as both an input and outcome. In recognition of the impact of these combined challenges and the role of the multiple manifestations of malnutrition, we suggest an approach to nutritional assessment that is intended to improve the precision of context-specific, equitable approaches to health promotion, disease prevention, and treatment.

Stakeholder perceptions of gaps and solutions in addressing child trafficking

IntroductionGovernments, researchers, and community-based organizations have mobilized to develop interventions and programs addressing child trafficking, resulting in large amounts of financial resources allocated to awareness-raising campaigns, crisis services for survivors, and increasing judicial responses to trafficking. Low-resource and low-income countries face the dual challenge of addressing child trafficking within an environment where extreme poverty is pervasive and customary norms might conflict with national anti-trafficking policies. The purpose of this study is to understand challenges faced in addressing child trafficking and identify interventions that are community-driven and contextually relevant. MethodologyThe study used a qualitative community-based participatory research approach by collaborating with local researchers, government, and NGOs to examine how key stakeholders perceive existing gaps in policies and programs aimed at countering child trafficking in Sierra Leone. ResultsSix gaps in policies and services were identified by stakeholders: access to and availability of local programs and services for families; access to and affordability of schooling and vocational training in local communities; lack of policy implementation and enforcement of existing laws, especially at the local level; inadequate funding for anti-trafficking service providers; lack of community support for survivors of trafficking, and a lack of coordinated and consistent community response. In a demonstration of the trauma-informed and survivor-centered study design, participants also suggested possible ways to bridge these gaps. Discussion and conclusionAn ecological approach is critical in designing policies and programs responsive to the complex problem of child trafficking within an environment of low resources and potential conflicts between cultural norms and national policies. Practitioners in such contexts must be culturally-competent and prepared to seamlessly work across the micro-mezzo-macro continuum to enhance the best interest of the child.