Conservative Government Research Articles

Playing the CITES game: Lessons on global conservation governance from African megafauna

Playing the <scp>CITES</scp> game: Lessons on global conservation governance from African megafauna

An unstable Union? The Conservative Party, the British Political Tradition, and devolution in Scotland and Wales 2010–23

Abstract While devolution in Scotland and Wales is often established as the settled will, it has been built on unsettled ground, lacking a robust system of intergovernmental relations, and sitting increasingly at odds with the central principle of parliamentary sovereignty. Examining successive UK Conservative-led governments, we evaluate devolution in Scotland and Wales through the lens of the Asymmetric Power Model and the British Political Tradition, documenting changes in the position of successive Conservative governments, from the more plurinationally sensitive respect agenda of David Cameron to the more assertive and intrusive Unionism advanced under those in post after 2016, notably Theresa May and Boris Johnson.

Role of national regime ideology for predicting biodiversity outcomes.

The rapid decline of global biodiversity has engendered renewed debate about the social, economic, and political factors contributing to it. Specifically, there is little understanding of the role that political ideology within a country (e.g., nationalism, conservatism, socialism) plays in determining biodiversity outcomes. We used negative binomial generalized linear models to investigate the importance of national regime ideology in predicting threatened animal species and protected area establishment compared with other factors that affect biodiversity outcomes, such as gross domestic product, inequality, and democracy. For threatened animals, the model with the highest Akaike weight suggested adverse biodiversity outcomes arose from larger gross domestic product (β=0.120, p<0.001). However, nationalism (β=0.371, p<0.01) and socialism (β=0.293, p<0.05) were also significantly associated with increased proportions of threatened species. For protected areas, the model with the highest Akaike weight suggested increases in democracy (β=0.880, p<0.001) led to a rise in relative protected area estate. Conservative regime ideology was also associated with greater protected area estate, although this did not increase the weight of evidence in support of the best models. These findings highlight the relevance of political ideology for predicting biodiversity outcomes at a national scale and illustrate opportunities to tailor policies and advocacy to promote biodiversity conservation more effectively. By targeting appropriate messaging and political advocacy, conservationists can improve the likelihood that politicians and their nations will participate in positive biodiversity actions.

Jaguar conservation is caught in the crossfire of America's 'War on Drugs'

International conservation efforts and prohibitionary drug intersect in unexpected ways throughout the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC). US-led counterdrug interdiction of transnational cocaine trafficking, or ‘narco-trafficking’, is increasingly pushing narco-traffickers and their associated environmental destruction into protected areas (PAs) to establish new smuggling routes. These locations are also where the greatest densities of jaguars (Panthera onca), an iconic and declining species, are found in Central America. Intersecting two geospatial datasets estimating 1) jaguar densities and 2) changes in landscape suitability for drug trafficking following counterdrug interdiction pressure, we estimated that roughly 69 % of the estimated population of jaguars in the MBC were found in areas of increased suitability for narco-traffickers. Moreover, jaguar populations within PAs were 2.5 and 34 times more likely to be in increased narco-trafficking suitability areas than those in jaguar corridors or other area without conservation designations, respectively. These findings illustrate the full costs of continuing current counterdrug interdiction policies alongside conventional conservation strategies and suggest that community-based conservation governance may more effectively discourage narco-trafficking activities and enhance conservation outcomes.

‘It depends on where you were born…here in the North East, there’s not really many job opportunities compared to in the South’: young people’s perspectives on a North-South health divide and its drivers in England, UK

BackgroundImproving the public’s understanding of how regional and socioeconomic inequalities create and perpetuate inequalities in health, is argued to be necessary for building support for policies geared towards creating a more equal society. However, research exploring public perceptions of health inequalities, and how they are generated, is limited. This is particularly so for young people. Our study sought to explore young people’s lived experiences and understandings of health inequalities.MethodsWe carried out focus group discussions (n = 18) with 42 young people, aged 13–21, recruited from six youth organisations in England in 2021. The organisations were located in areas of high deprivation in South Yorkshire, the North East and London. Young people from each organisation took part in three interlinked focus group discussions designed to explore their (i) perceptions of factors impacting their health in their local area, (ii) understandings of health inequalities and (iii) priorities for change. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most discussions took place online (n = 15). However, with one group in the North East, we carried out discussions face-to-face (n = 3). Data were analysed thematically and we used NVivo-12 software to facilitate data management.ResultsYoung people from all groups demonstrated an awareness of a North-South divide in England, UK. They described how disparities in local economies and employment landscapes between the North and the South led to tangible differences in everyday living and working conditions. They clearly articulated how these differences ultimately led to inequalities in people’s health and wellbeing, such as linking poverty and employment precarity to chronic stress. Young people did not believe these inequalities were inevitable. They described the Conservative government as prioritising the South and thus perpetuating inequalities through uneven investment.ConclusionsOur study affords important insights into young people’s perceptions of how wider determinants can help explain the North-South health divide in England. It demonstrates young people’s contextualised understandings of the interplay between spatial, social and health inequalities. Our findings support calls for pro-equity policies to address the structural causes of regional divides in health. Further research, engaging young people in deliberative policy analysis, could build on this work.

Muzzles and Mixed Messages: Issues Between Science and the Federal Government In Canada’s Past and Present

Richter examines the historical relationship between the federal government of Canada and the scientists it has employed over the past few decades. She compares science policy and practices from leaders such as Diefenbaker and Trudeau to the policies currently followed by Stephen Harper’s government. Richter asks what might be achieved by following those policies, despite the criticism received by the science community. The paper will ultimately argue that the federal government and scientists have often had a contentious relationship, and the often criticized policies of the current Conservative government are not at all novel. Ultimately, she argues that these Conservative policies are intended to present a unified political front to the broader Canadian public and to the world.

How does Labour intend to achieve Economic Growth? A Response to Rachel Reeves's Mais Lecture

AbstractThe new Labour government's overriding priority is economic growth—and chancellor Rachel Reeves's March 2024 Mais lecture is the clearest statement of how they intend to achieve it. The anticipated ‘dullness dividend’ from being more stable than recent Conservative governments is likely to be small, while the incoming government will have to confront trade‐offs—for example, accepting lower consumption—to increase investment. Planning reform is at the heart of Labour's proposed supply side reforms, but it remains unclear whether the party will be bold enough to follow through on its rhetoric. Labour also believes that stronger worker protections will increase productivity. By contrast, education, migration and trade are more marginal in Labour's growth narrative. It is to be seen how far Labour has made a virtue of necessity by prioritising cheaper and apparently less politically contentious growth measures.

Community-engaged flood mitigation and ecological restoration on a university campus

Abstract Urban flooding is a major climate change risk that can be mitigated with green infrastructure such as tree plantings and restored naturalised buffers along watercourses. The creation and maintenance of green infrastructure projects for climate change adaptation provides opportunities for community partnerships and programming with co-benefits for human well-being and biodiversity. Here we present findings of action research on a flooding adaptation and education that was implemented on an urban higher education institution’s campus in partnerships within the university and with local Indigenous peoples, the regional conservation authority, the municipal government, and the public library. Through participatory workshops, we applied bioengineering and mixed planting methods to restore a creek bank. Using a combination of oral storytelling, digital media, and visual art that integrated perspectives across disciplines and knowledge systems, we situated our creek restoration project within a framework of environmental justice, emphasising specific acts of stewardship to improve watershed health and advance reconciliation. We produced digital resources and outreach materials to disseminate lessons from the project into the community and to support similar flooding adaptation efforts at local and global scales. Our project demonstrates how incorporating partnerships into the design and implementation of nature-based solutions can build cross-cultural ecological knowledge, forge important on and off-campus relationships, and create place-based opportunities for students to take direct and measurable action on climate change.

Political Partisanship and Economic Outcomes: Canada, 1870–2020

Abstract This paper examines the role of partisanship at the provincial and federal levels in relation to the functioning of the Canadian economy. At the provincial level (1976–2019), we find no evidence of a traditional partisan effect but do find evidence weakly consistent with a rational partisan cycle a′ la Alesina. At the federal level (1870–2020), we also find no evidence consistent with a distinctive expansion in output arising when the government is controlled by the left-leaning (Liberal) political party although we again find evidence of a weak rational partisan effect. The former result is reinforced by finding the absence of evidence of partisan changes in federal spending and/or taxation. But while the data do not support a theory of left-right partisan policy over the entire post-Confederation (1867) period of Canada’s history, the data do support distinctive periods of partisan influence on aggregate output. The first is consistent with Sir John A. MacDonald’s post-Confederation conservative government’s adoption of a policy of nation-building based on the railway, immigration, and tariffs. The second is the period between 1885 and 1933 where traditional left-right partisanship is evident and the third is the period following the Great Depression where a distinction between the outcomes arising under left- versus right-leaning parties is no longer apparent.

서울 아파트 가격의 변동 분석

During President Moon’s 5-year term, housing prices in Seoul increased by 62%, leading to widespread public uproar and ultimately his removal from office. Many factors have been proposed as potential explanations including speculation, the pandemic, excessive global liquidity, household debt, insufficient housing supply, and the government’s frequent policy interventions in the market. We simulate the impact of government factors on housing prices, considering them as exogenous variables (regime factor) and endogenous variables (policy interventions). In addition to the pandemic-induced price hike, most price increases under the Moon administration can be attributed to government factors. In May 2022, the conservative government succeeded the Moon government, leading to a rapid mean reversion of the house price to the long-run price.

Between Maroon Tradition and State Law in Jamaica: A Case Study of Challenges to Environmental Governance in a UNESCO World Heritage Site

In the quest for effective environmental governance, the integration of legal and cultural pluralism within conservation strategies emerges as a critical factor, especially in regions marked by rich ethnic diversity and complex historical legacies. This paper explores the symbiotic relationship between state conservation efforts and the engagement of local communities, with a particular focus on the Indigenous Maroon communities in the Blue and John Crow Mountains (BJCMs) of Jamaica. It underscores the imperative of aligning conservation objectives with the aspirations and traditional practices of these communities to foster sustainable ecosystems and safeguard Indigenous autonomy. Central to this discourse is the development of collaborative frameworks that respect and incorporate the legal and cultural dimensions of pluralism, thereby facilitating a co-managed approach to environmental stewardship. This study emphasizes the role of collaboration and trust as pivotal elements in cultivating a mutual understanding of the interdependencies between state law and Indigenous law. This research advocates for a reciprocal exchange of knowledge between the state and community members, aiming to empower the latter with the resources necessary for effective environmental protection while respecting their legal autonomy. This approach not only enhances conservation initiatives overall, but also ensures that these efforts are informed by the rich cultural heritage and traditional ecological knowledge of the Maroon communities. By examining the conservation practices and governance challenges faced by the Maroons in the BJCMs, this paper reveals the nuanced dynamics of implementing state-led conservation laws in areas characterized by cultural and legal pluralism. The findings highlight the necessity for state regulatory frameworks to enable collaborative governance models that complement, rather than undermine, the traditional governance structures of the Maroons. This research contributes to the broader discourse on environmental governance by illustrating the potential of culturally informed conservation strategies to address environmental threats while respecting and reinforcing the social fabric of Indigenous communities.

UAE Foreign Policy Identity: Authoritarianism, Cosmopolitism, Connectivity

The article explores the phenomenon of the foreign policy identity of the UAE, an oil-producing nation in the Persian Gulf that has managed to overcome the constraints of its smallness and assert its prestige on a global scale. The study aims to identify historic and cultural basis of the shaping of this identity, the monarchy’s perception of threats and challenges and its ways of dealing with them, the role of political leadership and how their personal views and ambitions shape the contours of the country’s self-positioning as well as the use of the foreign policy identity in implementing national interests. The author discovers that the core of UAE foreign policy identity was contoured by the founding fathers of the small monarchy and then later developed and adapted by the new generation of ambitious, charismatic, and visionary leaders. The key factor was the fusion of visions of rulers of the two emirates with most economic and political weight in the federation, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, that defined the regional and international status of the UAE as an influential and powerful actor. The paper concludes that the main components of UAE foreign policy identity are pragmatism, prioritization of socioeconomic development and prosperity, perfect combination of conservative governance and cosmopolitism, the principles of connectivity and integration in global financial and logistic networks and flows, as well as agility in the currently changing balance of power and skillful interpretation of international norms and discourses in promoting its own image and agenda.

Including local knowledge in conservation planning: the case of the western coastal protected areas in Suriname

ABSTRACT There is increasing recognition of the importance of local knowledge in conservation governance and sustainable use of natural resources. This article studies three social-ecological systems: Bigi Pan, Noord Coronie, and Noord Saramacca – each designated as a Multiple Use Management Area (MUMA) by the Surinamese government. The main focus of this article is how local knowledge and user perspectives may contribute to the management of a MUMA, including to making decisions about biodiversity and natural resources. We use an action research approach that includes qualitative case study methodology, participant observations, group and individual interviews. The analytical framework is based on the SES model from Ostrom (2009) to understand interactions between subsystems as mediated by local and other forms of knowledge. We also explore how participatory engagement with MUMA resource users includes local knowledge and user perspectives. The findings show how local knowledge can offer tools and solutions to improve conservation governance by supporting the development of realistic management plans and by supporting better understanding of the interactions between social and ecological subsystems. Moreover, action research helps to recognize local knowledge as valuable for science and promotes social learning among stakeholders. This paper concludes that local knowledge has contributed to policy decisions that are connected to the use practices of the people who are of the place and know the context well. The inclusion of local knowledge through participatory drafting of management plans has contributed to overcoming some major management challenges and helped to build a supportive social environment for conservation.

“With utmost caution and restraint.” The making of Roman Catholic sex education in the German-speaking area, 1900s to 1930s

ABSTRACT While the emergence of sex education in the early 20th century is well studied, religious reactions to it remained under-studied. The paper addresses this gap by analysing the emergence of Roman Catholic sex education in the German-speaking area from the turn of the century to the 1930s. It explores official doctrinal guidelines, inner-Catholic debates, and the growing body of Catholic sex education publications. The paper argues that for the Roman Catholic Church, sex education was not a mere pedagogical problem but a topic that raised overarching questions such as how to deal with modern natural sciences, female emancipation, or the secular school system. The findings suggest that lay people and clergy working in pastoral care were the driving force for the modernisation of the discourse vis-à-vis a more conservative church authority.

Plastic Waste Identification Using Deep Learning for Adequate Waste Management

Plastic waste management has emerged as a critical global challenge, prompting concerted efforts from conservation authorities and international organizations like the United Nations to enhance detection and classification strategies. This research distinguishes itself by harnessing advanced deep learning techniques to identify plastic materials at the micron level, surpassing traditional macro-level methods. The primary goal is to classify plastics into four major distinctions, addressing a key challenge in plastic segregation by accurately measuring thickness. Leveraging the YOLOv8 architecture, this approach enables precise classification of plastics into Polyethylene terephthalate (PETE), High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE0, and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) categories based on thickness. To achieve this, incorporation of hardware components such as ultrasonic sensors and NodeMCU for detecting thickness variations is used. By facilitating effective segregation according to environmental impact, this innovation revolutionizes waste reduction efforts, offering real-time identification and enhancing overall sustainability in plastic waste management.

Green investment products, consumer behavior, and regional carbon emissions levels

Green investment goods are crucial in fostering sustainable economic growth by focusing on ecological conservation and environmental governance. We use panel data from 30 provinces and cities in China from 2010 to 2022 to construct a simultaneous NARDL equation model. The findings show green investments positively affect clean energy and economic growth.Consumer behavior and GDP show a positive U-shaped link, while carbon emissions versus GDP follow an inverted U-shaped EKC pattern. Based on the study findings, green investment is recommended to stimulate consumer behavior and foster economic development effectively.

First photographic record of Asiatic Brush-tailed Porcupine Atherurus macrourus Linnaeus, 1758 from Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India

The Asiatic Brush-tailed Porcupine Atherurus macrourus is a nocturnal rodent species endemic to southern Asia and is considered rare in the northeastern part of India. During Phase IV Protocol of the National Tiger Conservation Authority 2022–23, camera traps were deployed in the study area and Atherurus macrourus was photo captured for the first time in Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary. This is the fourth photographic record for the state of Assam.

How Does Neoliberalism Influence the Growing Trend of Higher Education?

With the election of Thatcher's Conservative government, the U.K. embarked on a reform of higher education that introduced the core idea of neoliberalism. The ensuing knowledge economy, university rankings, and the prevalence of accountability are all changes brought about by neoliberalism in higher education in the U.K. This study seeks to argue that while neoliberalism has brought some benefits to U.K. higher education, there are additional problems that cannot be ignored. These include the potential inability of graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds to access the career opportunities they desire, the claim of disempowerment by academics, and the disadvantaged status of humanities.

The effect of abolishing the New Schools Policy on the provision of schools and enrolments in Australia

ABSTRACT Australia has been an enthusiastic embracer of school choice and has one of the highest levels of public funding for non-government schools. The 1996 election of John Howard’s conservative government is a point of interest as it is often framed as a period of political and ideological attacks on public schooling. A key policy move was the abolishment of the New Schools Policy. The New Schools Policy withheld public funds from helping to establish new non-government schools in areas where there was already adequate supply. Using large-scale data sets on supply (number of schools) and demand (enrolment), time-series analysis demonstrates that while the non-government schools have grown (in real and market share terms), the abolishment of the New Schools Policy did not lead to a shock in enrolment numbers. However, the subtle shift from a needs-based to entitlement logic fundamentally altered the landscape of Australian school-based education ever since.

The influence of community-based conservation governance arrangements on lion population in the amboseli ecosystem

The influence of community-based conservation governance arrangements on lion population in the amboseli ecosystem