Capacity Building Of Stakeholders Research Articles

Farmers' resilience index: A tool to metricize the resilience of the farmers towards natural disasters affecting agriculture in India

Abstract In the present paper farmers' resilience index (FRI) was constructed considering the natural disaster using five dimensions including physical, social, economic, human and natural. The scale is administered to the 240 paddy farmers in two coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh. Principal component analysis was performed in order to fix the weightage for each variable. About (39.58%) of farmers are resilient to natural disasters with the highest resilience score for financial capital (0.641) and natural capital with less resilience score (0.401). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to determine how well the generated model of the scale fits the data. The structural equation modelling (SEM) path diagram was developed based on the conceptual model, which uses resilience as a latent variable. The SEM analysis revealed that four dimensions of capital positively affect farmers' resilience except for the human capital which negatively affects resilience. To reduce the effects of natural catastrophes in the upcoming years, the adaptation strategies from the highly resilient places can be examined and put into practice in the less resilient areas. It is imperative that development programmes at all levels incorporate climate awareness and stakeholder capacity building.

Identifying target areas for risk-based surveillance and control of transboundary animal diseases: a seasonal analysis of slaughter and live-trade cattle movements in Uganda

Animal movements are a major driver for the spread of Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs). These movements link populations that would otherwise be isolated and hence create opportunities for susceptible and infected individuals to meet. We used social network analysis to describe the seasonal network structure of cattle movements in Uganda and unravel critical network features that identify districts or sub-regions for targeted risk-based surveillance and intervention. We constructed weighted, directed networks based on 2019 between-district cattle movements using official livestock mobility data; the purpose of the movement (‘slaughter’ vs. ‘live trade’) was used to subset the network and capture the risks more reliably. Our results show that cattle trade can result in local and long-distance disease spread in Uganda. Seasonal variability appears to impact the structure of the network, with high heterogeneity of node and edge activity identified throughout the seasons. These observations mean that the structure of the live trade network can be exploited to target influential district hubs within the cattle corridor and peripheral areas in the south and west, which would result in rapid network fragmentation, reducing the contact structure-related trade risks. Similar exploitable features were observed for the slaughter network, where cattle traffic serves mainly slaughter hubs close to urban centres along the cattle corridor. Critically, analyses that target the complex livestock supply value chain offer a unique framework for understanding and quantifying risks for TADs such as Foot-and-Mouth disease in a land-locked country like Uganda. These findings can be used to inform the development of risk-based surveillance strategies and decision making on resource allocation. For instance, vaccine deployment, biosecurity enforcement and capacity building for stakeholders at the local community and across animal health services with the potential to limit the socio-economic impact of outbreaks, or indeed reduce their frequency.

Land Degradation Causes, Consequences and Sustainability of the Restoration Efforts: The Case of Soro Wereda, Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Land degradation is a global issue and it is more severe in developing countries like Ethiopia. To address the problems of land degradation in Ethiopia, many efforts have been made since 1970s. From then onwards many attempts have been made and integrated watershed management in one among these. The study was undertaken in Soro Wereda, Hadiya Zone, and SNNPR with the objective of examining land degradation causes, consequences and sustainability of the restoration efforts. In order to achieve the stated objectives, both primary and secondary data were generated by employing qualitative and quantitative methods. Systematic sampling technique was used to select 97 representative households from three kebeles. The quantitative data was analyzed by using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The qualitative data was analyzed through narration. The findings of the study showed that gully formation, stoniness of land, absence of grasses and vegetation cover, decline in crop productivity and change in soil color are the main symptoms of land degradation. The major extent of land degradation as perceived by the local people was severe. Only very few of the households opted that highly severe regarding the extent of land degradation. The major causes of land degradation in the study were soil erosion, deforestation and over cultivation. In addition, topography, overgrazing, lack of conservation methods and cultivation of marginal land were the other important causes with the certain degree of variation. The core impacts of land degradation were the declining of yield year after year, food insecurity| poverty and drought and famine. The remaining increases of inputs, malnutrition, desertification and displacement of people ranked two up to five followed by the above mentioned impacts. It is very difficult to restore the degraded land without the full participation of relevant stakeholders. The main stakeholders that participate in the restoration process include government, NGOs, farmers and DAs and each of these stakeholders have its own roles. Adopting of the participatory approach, promoting the awareness of rural communities as well as other stakeholders, management of restored land, and combining of the restoration efforts with local knowledge are core issues to the sustainability of the restoration process. In order to run the restoration efforts in sustainable way strengthening of community participation, capacity building of stakeholders, providing of incentives for those achieve the restoration process and scale up of the best practices are needed.

How the “lessons learned” from emergency remote teaching can enrich European higher education in the post-COVID-19 era

More than 2.5 years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lessons learned from the implementation of emergency remote teaching in (European) higher education, this essay reflects on how universities, governments, and policy makers can re-imagine higher education in the post-COVID-19 era. It envisions universities as inclusive, student-centered, and accessible organizations capable of meeting diverse learning needs through technology-enhanced high-quality academic programs. This can be achieved through wide-scale uptake of blended learning in higher education; capacity building for stakeholders on online/blended learning; consideration of the unique needs of its stakeholders; and a holistic quality assurance framework. The author’s proposal is evolving, and its elements can be adjusted to the strategic priorities and characteristics of each institution.

Responding to the Initial Challenge of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Analysis of International Responses and Impact in School and Higher Education

This paper presents and analyses solutions where open education and open science were utilised to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education. The COVID-19 outbreak and associated lockdowns created huge challenges in school and higher education, demanding sudden responses which aimed to sustain pedagogical quality. Responses have varied from conservative to radically innovative. Universally, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted and shocked societies worldwide, and education systems were on the front line. The lockdowns largely stopped face-to-face and formal education in almost all countries, and in most cases, distance learning soon became the ‘new normal’. A central challenge concerned sustaining educational visions and ideals in such circumstances. To better understand the state of the art in the educational landscape, we collected case studies from 13 countries during the first year of the pandemic starting on 11 March 2020 (when the World Health Organization declared a pandemic). This paper presents summaries of the full country reports that were collected and describe lessons learned. Our overall aim was to identify good practices and recommendations from the collected case studies that can be taken forward in the future. We categorised the responses on the three generic educational levels (macro, meso and micro) and identified seven key aspects and trends that are valid for all or most countries: (1) formal education at a distance for first time; (2) similar approaches for formal education; (3) missing infrastructure and sharing open educational resources; (4) diverse teaching and learning methods and practices; (5) open education and access to open educational resources; (6) urgent need for professional development and training for teachers and (7) assessing and monitoring learning environments, teachers and students. Finally, we identified key recommendations on how open education and open science can benefit formal education in schools and universities in the future, namely, improved awareness of open educational practices, provision of ICT infrastructure, embracing and sustaining the practice of open access publications and OERs, capacity building for stakeholders and finally encouraging research and development in the area of open education and open science. We found significant evidence for the proposition that open education and open science can support both traditional face-to-face and distance learning.

The Impact of Governance Regime on Land Cover and Use Change and Forest Structure: Insights from Kakamega and Loita Forests, Kenya

Forests in Kenya are managed under different management regimes, including traditional community based forest management, command and control, participatory forest management, leasehold, concessions, and private. Assessment of these regimes’ impact (positively or negatively) on forest conservation has not been done. The study was done to determine the impact on forest conservation of three management regimes traditional community based forest management, command and control, and participatory forest management. The survey was done through secondary data, focus group discussion, key informant interview, household survey, ecological survey, and land cover and land use analysis through GIS. The results indicate that the forest site under participatory forest management witnessed better forest management. In this site, the forest zone witnessing best management was the one near the forest station where the rangers are located and adjacent to the community that has been involved in forest management and benefited most from project intervention, an incentive for their participation in forest management. The forests under traditional community based forest management faced a high forest degradation rate. Forest under command and control regime witnessed the best forest condition improvement attributed to the management regime not allowing consumptive forest resource utilization. Each regime was best under its’ legislative framework and would facilitate better forest management and contribute to improved livelihoods without compromising forest quality. Participatory forest management was the most preferred management regime contributing to better forest management, improved community livelihoods, and formally involved communities and other stakeholders. Each regime’s appropriateness would be enhanced through stakeholder capacity building, institutional reform, adequate financial facilitation, and appropriate implementation. Therefore, adopting participatory forest management attributes to the other two management regimes would enhance their appropriateness, while appreciating that the management objective determines the regime being implemented in each forest.

Current status of taro (Colocasia esculenta) utilization as local food diversification toward climate resilience in Indonesia

Indonesia is a tropical country that experiences the impact of climate change. The utilization of taro as an amphibian crop might sustain the food availability for the most vulnerable farmers against the negative impact of climate change. The study aims to evaluate the current status of taro utilization and production as local food concerning food diversification, sustainable agriculture, and climate change issues. Data were obtained from a focus group discussion with primary stakeholders of the taro value chain and literature review. Results show that taro is an important secondary food in some regions with three main uses as local consumption, local trading, and export. Prominent taro consumers existed in West Papua, Papua, Maluku, and Central Sulawesi Provinces with consumption rates 10.6, 5.3, 2.2, and 2.0 kg/capita/year, respectively. Taro was intensively cultivated in Banten, West Java, and South Sulawesi provinces, for fresh and processed products. The respondents agree with taro as a prospective adaptive crop to climate change of both drought and excess precipitation. There are some issues in the biodiversity conservation, crop improvement, link-match industry, and stakeholder capacity building for competitive, quality, quantity, and sustainable production, as future works in the taro value chain in Indonesia.

Stakeholder Capacity Building in Monitoring and Evaluation and Performance of Literacy and Numeracy Educational Programme in Public Primary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

To create a radical change within the educational system in public primary schools in Kenya, there is need to invest more on stakeholder capacity building specifically on monitoring and evaluation educational programme. The purpose of this article is to establish the extent to which stakeholder capacity building for monitoring and evaluation influence performance of literacy and numeracy educational programme. Despite numerous initiatives by key stakeholders to better performance of pupils little has been achieved. A descriptive survey research design and correlation design was adapted. Data collected from the respondents by use of questionnaires and interview guide from target population of 2052 and a sample size of 335.Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25 and results presented in tables and figures. Pearson moment correlation coefficient (r) were computed. The coefficient determination of R2 is 0.456 this is an indicator that R2 was the coefficient of determination of this model and it depicted that data collection explained 46%. The remaining 54% was explained by other factors. The overall F statistics 233.446 with p-0.00b<0 0.05 implying there is statistically significant relationship between stakeholder capacity building and performance of literacy and numeracy educational programme. The research suggests that stakeholder capacity building is part of the Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation process, so it must be observed at all stages to ensure educational programme are implemented to the latter by bringing on board all the key stakeholders in education and particularly in literacy and numeracy skills aspects

Assessing Land Use and Land Cover Change and Farmers’ Perceptions of Deforestation and Land Degradation in South-West Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa

Deforestation and land degradation remain two major economic and environmental threats in Côte d’Ivoire. This study assessed land use and land cover (LULC) change and farmers’ perceptions of the drivers and effects of deforestation and land degradation in south-western Côte d’Ivoire. We used remotely sensed data to determine LULC change trends, and a household survey to collect farmers’ perceptions of deforestation and land degradation. A total of 411 households were interviewed using a structured questionnaire and the focus group discussions involved 25 farmers. Landsat image analysis reported a drastic LULC change and a conversion of forestlands into agriculture from 1987 to 2015 at a rate of 1.44%/year and 3.44%/year for dense forests and degraded forests, respectively. The household survey revealed that the major causes of deforestation perceived by farmers included population growth (79.3%), extensive agriculture (72.9%), migration (54.2%) and logging (47.7%). Land degradation evolved, from a shortened fallow period (46.7%) and an inappropriate application of inputs (31.4%). The perceived major effects linked to deforestation encompassed land degradation (70.6%), loss of biodiversity (63.8%), global warming (56.9%) and loss of livelihood assets (54.3%). Therefore, this study recommends participatory landscape planning, reforestation and capacity building of stakeholders for sustainable intensification of the production systems to reduce LULC challenges for enhanced productive and protective functions of remaining forests.

Nexus Between Crop Residue Burning, Bioeconomy and Sustainable Development Goals Over North-Western India

The crop residue burning in India particularly North-western India is responsible for air pollution episodes and public health concerns; greenhouse gases emissions and radiation imbalance; and declining soil organic matter and soil productivity. The objectives of this paper are to estimate the crop residue burning and emissions from crop residue burning, to recommend interventions in crop residue management and to propose a crop residue management-bioeconomy model incorporating strategies to sustainably manage the crop residues through interventions that enable waste valorization, food and nutritional security, farmers’ livelihood and sustainable agricultural production system. A national inventory on crop residue burning including the pollutant species was prepared using the IPCC methodology. The crop types included for the estimation are cereals, pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane, cotton, jute and Mesta. The total amount of crop residues generated and burned for the year 2017–18 was estimated at 516 million tonnes and 116 million tonnes respectively. It is estimated that 116.3 Tg of crop residues burning released about 176.1 Tg of CO2, 10 Tg of CO, 313.9 Gg of CH4, 8.14 Gg of N2O, 151.14 Gg of NH3, 813.8 Gg of NMVOC, 453.4 Gg of PM2.5, and 935.9 Gg of PM10. The emission estimates can be a proxy to prepare the national level inventory of air pollutant species from crop residue burning. The crop residue management (CRM) demands a transition from the traditional zone of CRM to bioeconomy zone of CRM, wherein the interventions aim at the sustainability of agroecosystem. The proposed bioeconomy model has a four-pronged strategy that includes smart agriculture practices, waste bioeconomy involving aspirational principles of bioeconomy, capacity building of stakeholders’ and proactive government policy. Sustainable agricultural bioeconomy provides ample opportunities to reduce crop residue burning, increase farmers’ livelihood and decarbonize the agricultural production. India’s efforts and policies can provide lessons for other agricultural regions having similar environmental constraints.

The COVID-19 pandemic and organisational learning for disaster planning and management: A perspective of tourism businesses from a destination prone to consecutive disasters

Organisational learning is critical for building disaster-resilient tourism businesses. Limited research has examined the mechanisms of organisational learning in tourism enterprises operating in disaster-prone destinations. The COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to investigate how past disasters have reinforced organisational resilience of tourism businesses. This paper evaluates the effect of past disasters on organisational learning of tourism businesses in Bali. It finds that limited human and social capital restricts their organisational learning, exposing vulnerability of the Balinese tourism industry to future disastrous events. Stakeholder capacity building exercises are required to enhance disaster resilience of tourism businesses and their host destination.

Fishing within offshore wind farms in the North Sea: Stakeholder perspectives for multi-use from Scotland and Germany

Offshore wind power generation requires large areas of sea to accommodate its activities, with increasing claims for exclusive access. As a result, pressure is placed on other established maritime uses, such as commercial fisheries. The latter sector has often been taking a back seat in the thrust to move energy production offshore, thus leading to disagreements and conflicts among the different stakeholder groups. In recognition of the latter, there has been a growing international interest in exploring the combination of multiple maritime activities in the same area (multi-use; MU), including the re-instatement of fishing activities within, or in close proximity to, offshore wind farms (OWFs). We summarise local stakeholder perspectives from two sub-national case studies (East coast of Scotland and Germany's North Sea EEZ) to scope the feasibility of combining multiple uses of the sea, such as offshore wind farms and commercial fisheries. We combined a desk-based review with 15 semi-structured qualitative interviews with key knowledge holders from both industries, regulators, and academia to aggregate key results. Drivers, barriers and resulting effects (positive and negative) for potential multi-use of fisheries and OWFs are listed and ranked (57 factors in total). Factors are of economic, social, policy, legal, and technical nature. To date, in both case study areas, the offshore wind industry has shown little interest in multi-use solutions, unless clear added value is demonstrated and no risks to their operations are involved. In contrast, the commercial fishing sector is proactive towards multi-use projects and acts as a driving force for MU developments. We provide a range of management recommendations, based on stakeholder input, to support progress towards robust decision making in relation to multi-use solutions, including required policy and regulatory framework improvements, good practice guidance, empirical studies, capacity building of stakeholders and improvements of the consultation process. Our findings represent a comprehensive depiction of the current state and key stakeholder aspirations for multi-use solutions combining fisheries and OWFs. We believe that the pathways towards robust decision making in relation to multi-use solutions suggested here are transferable to other international locations.

Building Partnerships and Stakeholder Relationships for HIV Prevention: Longitudinal Cohort Study Focuses on Community Engagement

Building Partnerships and Stakeholder Relationships for HIV Prevention:Longitudinal Cohort Study Focuses on Community Engagement Rondalya D. DeShields, MSN, RN, Jonathan Paul Lucas, MPH, Melissa Turner, MSW, LICSW, Kemi Amola, PhD, Valarie Hunter, Stephanie Lykes, MPH, Anne M. Rompalo, MD, ScM, Sten H. Vermund, MD, Suzanne Fischer, MA, and Danielle F. Haley, MPH, PhD What Is the Purpose of This Study? • HIV Prevention Trials Network 064 assessed HIV incidence among 2,099 women living in 10 communities with high prevalence of HIV and poverty. • Women were recruited from community locations using venue-based sampling and followed in the study for 6 to 12 months. • Community engagement activities were designed to build rapport and establish mutual respect between researchers and community stakeholders. • The recruitment and engagement approach aligned with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's Council of Public Representatives Community Engagement Framework's five core principles: meaningful community involvement, mutual respect, authentic community-academic partnerships, community stakeholder capacity building, and effective results dissemination. • The purpose of the manuscript is to describe the strategies used to engage community partners by the HPTN 064, a large NIH-funded, multisite trial, to successfully recruit and retain women at increased risk of HIV acquisition in the United States. • We describe the methods used throughout all phases of the research process to engage and sustain community partnerships and stakeholder relationships. What Is the Problem? • African American women bear a disproportionate burden of HIV in the United States, yet are under-represented in clinical research. • For African American women, the HIV incidence rate is 20 times higher than that of White women, and nearly five times higher than that of Hispanic/Latina women, yet African American women are under-represented in clinical research. • African American communities in the United States may mistrust research. • One effective strategy to decrease public mistrust and increase participation of African American communities in HIV prevention clinical research is community engagement. • Although there is a growing body of literature which supports the role of community engagement in HIV prevention research and potential frameworks for doing so, few studies describe detailed methods applied by research teams in field settings. [End Page 3] What Are the Findings? • We enrolled 2,099 women (88% African American) in only 14 months; final retention was 94%. • Community engagement activities spanned all phases of the research process and were designed to build community rapport and establish mutual respect between researchers and community stakeholders. • Study success, as evidenced by rapid recruitment and high retention, was grounded in the strong emphasis on meaningful community engagement throughout the research process. • HPTN 064 found that our pre-implementation work was pivotal to the success and laid the foundation for community engagement. • Applying the core principles of the Council of Public Representatives' model ensured inclusiveness and participation of African American women impacted by HIV from study inception to results dissemination, and supported recruitment and retention efforts. [End Page 4] Rondalya D. DeShields Department of Medicine, Rutgers University New Jersey Medical School Jonathan Paul Lucas Science Facilitation Department, FHI 360 Melissa Turner Infectious Disease Practice, Veteran's Administration Kemi Amola School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Valarie Hunter Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory University Stephanie Lykes Harlem Prevention Center, Columbia University Anne M. Rompalo Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Sten H. Vermund Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Suzanne Fischer Research Utilization, FHI 360 Danielle F. Haley Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Copyright © 2020 Johns Hopkins University Press

Pathways to Implementation: Evidence on How Participation in Environmental Governance Impacts on Environmental Outcomes

AbstractThere is much enthusiasm among scholars and public administrators for participatory and collaborative modes of governance as a means to tackle contemporary environmental problems. Participatory and collaborative approaches are expected to both enhance the environmental standard of the outputs of decision-making processes and improve the implementation of these outputs. In this article, we draw on a database of 305 coded published cases of public environmental decision-making to identify key pathways via which participation fosters effective environmental governance. We develop a conceptual model of the hypothesized relationship between participation, environmental outputs, and implementation, mediated by intermediate (social) outcomes such as social learning or trust building. Testing these assumptions through structural equation modeling and exploratory factor analysis, we find a generally positive effect of participation on the environmental standard of governance outputs, in particular where communication intensity is high and where participants are delegated decision-making power. Moreover, we identify two latent variables—convergence of stakeholder perspectives and stakeholder capacity building—to mediate this relationship. Our findings point to a need for treating complex and multifaceted phenomena such as participation in a nuanced manner, and to pay attention to how particular mechanisms work to foster a range of social outcomes and to secure more environmentally effective outputs and their implementation.

กลยุทธ์การบริหารการพัฒนายุทธศาสตร์การท่องเที่ยวเชิงนิเวศในบริบทมรดกโลกทางธรรมชาติ: กรณีศึกษาป่าสงวนแห่งชาติหินหนามหน่อเมืองบัวละพา แขวงคำม่วน สาธารณรัฐประชาธิปไตยประชาลาว (The Strategy Development Administration Ecotourism Strategic Plan of National Hinnamno in the Context of Word Natural Heritage: A Case Study of Hinnamno National Protected Area Bualapa District, Khammouane Province, Lao People Democratic Republic)

Thai Abstract: ศกษาปรากฏการณในสภาพปจจบนในเขตปาสงวนแหงชาตหนหนามหนอ ทางดานสภาพธรรมชาตหรอนเวศวทยาดานสงคมวฒนธรรมของผคนและการทองเทยวทปรากฏอยปาสงวนแหงชาต หนามหนอในปจจบน 2) พฒนากลยทธการบรหารการพฒนายทธศาสตรการทองเทยวเชงนเวศในบรบทมาดกโลก กลมเปาหมาย 58 คน ใชวธการสมภาษณเชงลก ไดแก ภาครฐ ภาคประชาชน ภาคเอกชนและภาคองคกรอสระ และ กลมเปาหมาย 15 คน โดยการประชมเชงปฏบตการ ใชวธเลอกสมแบบเจาะจง เครองมอทใชในการเกบรวบรวมขอมล คอ แบบสมภาษณทมโครง สรางและอธบายเนอหาแบบพรรณาวเคราะห ผลการศกษาวจยพบวา 1) ใน หนหนามหนอมลกษณะทางกายภาพทโดดเดน ไดแก ความหลากหลายทางชวภาพ แมน าเซบง ไฟ ภเขาหนปน และสตวปาทหลากหลายชนด ดานสงคมและวฒนธรรมมชนเผาตางๆ เชน ชนเผาผไท, โยย และ กะเลง ชนเผามอญ-ขะแม, ชนเผามะกอง ตรชนเผาผสม-งอน, สะลางและอนๆ ส าหรบการทองเทยวเชงนเวศในปา สงวนแหงชาต เชน การเดนส ารวจถ า ปนจกรยาน และการขบขรถมอเตอรไซค การเรยนรวถชวตทองถนและการ ดา รงชวตคนกบปาและการใชประโยชนจากทรพยากรธรรมชาตอยางยงยนในอนาคต 2) การพฒนากลยทธการบรหาร การพฒนา ไดแก กลยทธการสรางเครอขายเอกชนมาลงทน กลยทธการสงเสรม สนบสนนภาครฐ และเอกชนเขารวมประชาสมพนธ กลยทธการ สงเสรมสนบสนนการพฒนาสมรรถนะใหบคลากรม ความเชยวชาญดานการทองเทยวและมรดกโลก กลยทธการสงเสรมสนบสนนการพฒนาดานพนทการทองเทยวเชง นเวศ กลยทธการสงเสรมสนบสนนการศกษา ผลกระทบทเกดจากการพฒนาการทองเทยวเชงนเวศ และกลยทธการ สงเสรมสนบสนนการสา รวจทรพยากรการทองเทยว คา สา คญ: การพฒนายทธศาสตร, การทองเทยวเชงนเวศ, ปาสงวนแหงชาตหนหนามหนอ, มรดกโลกทางธรรมชาต English Abstract: The purpose of this research is 1) to study about present situations in the Hinnamno National Protected Area which focus on natural aspect or socio-cultural ecology of local people and current eco-tourism development of the area and 2) to develop the management strategy for eco-tourism development in the natural world heritage context. There are 58 target persons were interviewed by using the in-depth interview method, the target interviewees are from various sectors including key persons working government agencies, civil society organizations and independent organization. The workshop was helped with 15 target persons and the purposive sampling method is used as a tool to collect the information and data by using questionnaire forms that have structure and description to explain the descriptive analysis. The result from this research found out that 1) Hinnamno National Protected Area currently has the outstanding physical characteristics including its biodiversity, Xebangfai river, limestone landscape and variety of flora and fauna, socio-culture of ethnic groups such as Phou Thai, Yoiy, Kaleung, Mom-Khamae, Makong, Tri, Salang and other tribes. However, the eco-tourism development activities of the protected area consist of visiting the caves, cycling and driving the motorbike, learning the way of life of local villagers and their livelihood with forests and their sustainable uses of the natural resources in the future. 2) developing the management strategy for eco-tourism development strategy including strategies to develop the private investment network, promote the government-private sector involving in eco-tourism public relation, expertise capacity building for stakeholders in eco-tourism and world heritage field, eco-tourism development sites, studies on impact assessment from eco-tourism development and eco-tourism resource surveys.

Integrating disaster risk reduction with sustainable development goals: Mechanism analysis and readiness of stakeholders

Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) on disaster risk reduction (DRR) has not been fully implemented, but now there is a rise of awareness and need to integrate a new DRR Framework with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Facing this perspective, Indonesian stakeholders also aware about the importance of integrating DRR with SDGs, but they need to consider related aspects such as mechanism analysis and readiness of stakeholders. This analytical descriptive study aimed to analyse the causative factors of disasters and any response needed, as well as portrays the readiness of regional disaster managers in fulfilling the global DRR agenda. The study was conducted in some particular provinces and districts with the incidence of volcano eruption (North Sumatera Province), mining-related disaster (Bombana District, South-East Sulawesi Province), and floods (Bandung District, West Java. Primary data were collected through interviews and focus group discussions. Results of the study found several important findings, which were disaster management had not become one of the priorities of district’s development program, DRR has not been integrated both in development and in implementation of regular development program. After the focus group discussion, stakeholders has become more convinced that disaster disturbs the development program, therefore several disaster managers began to consider the importance of DRR, evaluate the impact of disaster on development, and integrate DRR with SDGs. There had been no comprehensive calculation of the impact of disaster on SDGs achievement because of several constraint, which must be faced in the implementation of the integration of DRR with SDGs. The findings highlight the importance of advocacy efforts for disaster management and capacity building for stakeholders in the future.

Awareness, Education and Capacity Building of Stakeholders for Successful Implementation of Access and Benefit Sharing Regime

To popularize the concept of access and benefit sharing (ABS) and Nagoya Protocol, mass awareness and education are crucial. The present awareness/educational efforts of concerned government authorities in most of the cases are inadequate. Moreover, an intensive awareness campaign is necessary to educate the Indigenous people and local communities (ILCs) and other concerned stakeholders. An opinion survey of Indigenous organizations and competent national authorities of 12 Asian countries had been conducted to understand the field implications of relevant provisions of Nagoya Protocol. While some countries are found committed, it was found that there is lot to be learnt for all the countries regarding awareness-raising about Nagoya Protocol and ABS. Similarly, the capacity building of different layers of stakeholders is given some priorities by many Parties at national level. Capacity building efforts are being undertaken at regional level as well, e.g. South-East Asia level, Africa level, Western Europe level, etc. It has been noticed that in certain pockets the ILCs are active players in the capacity building efforts, while in other countries they are just passive recipients of such efforts. Still there is a long way to go for the successful implementation of ABS regimes globally.

Adaptation to climate change and variability: a case of direct seeded rice in Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract Farmers, researchers and policy-makers are increasingly concerned about the potential impacts of climate change. Researchers are using various climate models to assess the impacts and identifying relevant alternative adaptation strategies to mitigate climate change. In India, rice is the major cereal crop grown and is influenced due to climate change and variability, inadequate water supply, labour shortage and methane emissions from rice ecosystems. This necessitates adoption action and upscaling of key adaption strategies like direct seeded rice (DSR) using validated data from rice growing areas in India. The study used experimental data of 2010–2014 and field survey data of DSR and non-DSR farmers collected during 2014. Results show that DSR method has incurred less tillage and labour costs by eluding puddling and transplantation by labour. Large-scale adoption of DSR was observed during 2012–2015 in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. This was mainly due to the delayed monsoon and water supply, reduction in cost of cultivation, capacity building of stakeholders and their active involvement in awareness and training programmes. The study has demonstrated that integrated extension approach in technology dissemination and scaling-out through stakeholder integration is crucial. However, a mission mode framework is needed for technology upscaling at system level.

Common property resources in drylands of India

ABSTRACTCommon property resources are areas of land or water being used by a community or a group of communities. These have special significance to peoples and communities who depend on them for their livelihood. The commons in all arid districts of India include village pastures, community forests, wasteland, common threshing grounds, waste dumps, watershed drainage, village baoris1, talabs2, nadis3 and ponds, and tanks, rivers, rivulets, wetlands, riverbeds, community conserved areas, protected areas, Dhaam4 or Dhooni5, culturable wastelands, barren & un-culturable land, etc. The area under commons often ranged from 9 to 28% of total village area. Appropriation of the commons by the state for building essential infrastructure such as schools, clinics, veterinary hospitals, housing for government functionaries, SEZ and industrial corridors, etc. is a cause of serious concern. Presently the ownership rights over CPRs are not clear and there are many who claim ownership, some at State level but also like local bodies. The 12th plan of the Planning Commission of India recognized and highlighted the need for favourable land tenure arrangements, institutional design and programme architecture in order to achieve effective governance and management of the commons. The revitalization of CPRs is crucial for protecting livelihoods, as well as for biodiversity conservation and for the improvement in arid microclimatic conditions. Dialogue continues on the status of common property resources, the available legal framework and some policy related issues for its conservation through strengthening of local institutions and capacity building for stakeholders.

New approaches and mathematical models for environmental risk management in seaports

Abstract Seaports and surroundings areas environmental conditions are depending on meteorological and oceanographic conditions that affect their infrastructure and also their operations. The increase of marine traffic in the Black Sea Basin has raised issues concerning the environmental quality of coast areas and the sea water. Therefore, accurate and timely predictions of extreme weather and sea state are important for efficient port management in terms of safety, while they are also significant for the sustainable development and environmental quality of seaports and their adjacent coastal areas. The aim of this paper is to present an innovative, fully automated marine monitoring system for the Black Sea Basin, which is able to provide real time monitoring and analysing historical data of wind, wave, storm-surge and oil spill drift. The system is based on advanced numerical models and ICT tools for simulation and visualization of essential information, including early warnings for marine extreme phenomena and hazards. Within ECOPORTIL project new ICT tools will be developed to provide online training and capacity building of stakeholders and decision makers in order to improve their knowledge on legislation issues and adopt good environmental practices.