Development Of Recovery Plans Research Articles

Cropland inundation mapping in a mountain dominated region based on multi-resolution remotely sensed imagery and active learning for semantic segmentation

Accurate and timely mapping of cropland inundated area is critical to loss assessment and recovery plan development. However, existing methods for cropland inundation mapping using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery are primarily designed for plain regions and may not be suitable for mountainous regions. The complex rugged terrain at large scale present challenges such as significant noise from radar shadows, smooth surfaces, floodplains, and permanent water bodies. To remove these noise for effectively mapping of cropland inundation, this study proposes a robust two-stage framework integrating the multi-resolution remotely sensed imageries and semantic segmentation method. First, active learning for cropland extraction is performed with Google Very-High-Resolution (VHR) imagery and Segformer model. Second, the cropland inundation area is obtained using marker-controlled watershed segmentation (MCW) on Sentinel-1 SAR imagery with area-of-interest (AOI) filtering. Results show that the extracted cropland mask are superior to six public cropland data products including ESA, ESRI, FCS30, FROM, GL30, and SLOPE. In addition, with AOI filtering, the F-score of the potential flood identification using MCW was increased from 0.685 to 0.828. At last, the monthly cropland inundation caused by intense rainfall varied approximately from 6.6 km2 to 436.1 km2 during monsoon season of 2017–2022 in Guangdong. Our approach offers a fast and feasible solution for mapping cropland inundation in large and complex mountainous regions, without requiring extensive parameter tuning or additional data.

Economic Effects of COVID-19 on Micro and Small Enterprises in Addis Ababa Surrounding Towns of Oromia National Regional State

Micro and small businesses contribute a lot to Ethiopia's transition from an agrarian to an industrial economy. But now, the sector’s economic operations are affected by CVID-19. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the economic effect of the COVID-19 on micro and small enterprises in Addis Ababa surrounding towns of Oromia National Regional State. To achieve this objective, quantitative data were collected from 436 MSE’s by questionnaire that represents the situation of the enterprises before and after the outbreak of the pandemic in December 2020. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics method. The findings of the study showed that at the beginning of March 2020, before the outbreak of the pandemic, an enterprise had on average 3.8 workers whereas, after the occurrence of the pandemic, an enterprise had, on average, 2.9 workers. This implies that due to COVID-19, enterprises decrease their workers on average by 0.83 and the mean difference of workers before and after the pandemic was statistically significant at less than 1% probability level. Furthermore, 32.3% of respondents reduced their workers because of the pandemic, 60.55% and 31.02% of enterprises stopped working temporarily and partially (half a day) respectively. On the other hand, the enterprise's annual income for the year 2019 on average was 170,174.4 birr whereas it was birr 127,433.8 for the year 2020 during the pandemic and the mean difference was 42,740.6 birr which is statistically significant at less than 1% probability level. The main challenges enterprises faced during the pandemic were a fall in demand, decline of orders from customers, and lack of operating finance. Based on the findings of the study, training on a business recovery plan development and new line production, an extended debt repayment period, and provision of short-term credit are suggested to make enterprises recover faster from the adverse effect of COVID-19.

Finding Positives Amidst the Negatives: A Thematic Analysis of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Canadians 55+

Disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic exact a toll on vulnerable populations in terms of morbidity and mortality, but they also provide opportunities for personal growth and development and demonstration of personal and collective resiliency. This inductive thematic analysis explores self-perceived negative and positive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on 2994 Canadians aged 55+. Data derive from response to two open-ended questions included in a national online survey (<a href="https://www.sfu.ca/content/dam/sfu/lgbteol/pdf/COVID%20ACP%20Survey%20COPY%20PDF.pdf">View Survey (sfu.ca)</a>) conducted between August-October 2020. Respondents were recruited using Facebook, and a widespread email campaign to organizations serving older adults. 4260 of the 6573 coded comments (66%) addressed negative impacts of COVID-19. Fewer but still a considerable number (n = 2313) addressed positive impacts. The negative comments had a mean of 24.5 words per response (SD = 31.7, range: 1-560), while the positive comments had a mean of 21.3 words (SD = 27, range: 1-448). Five overarching themes characterized negative impacts of the virus in the lives of these older adults: disruption in daily life and plans; disruption in social relations; impact on health and wellness; healthcare and caregiving; and views on the pandemic. An additional five themes identified positive impacts: personal development; relationships; simpler life; benefits in work and finance; and introvert’s dream. Gender differences are consistent with expectations based on gender roles and activities: men were more likely to mention disrupted daily lives in particular as related to work, women were more likely to mention disrupted social relations, while health was mentioned to a comparable extent by both men and women. The negative themes illuminate the deep impact and disruption caused by the pandemic. The positive themes highlight adaptability and successful coping strategies which may be useful in the development of recovery plans and programming to help mitigate the negative effects of future pandemics.

Modelling the behaviour of corporations during the flood damage recovery process using multi‐agent deep reinforcement learning

AbstractIn the event of a flood, affected firms will experience production stoppages, resulting in supply chain (SC) disruptions and indirect economic damage to firms even outside the affected area. To mitigate the economic damage, it is essential for each firm in the entire SC to acquire a behavioural strategy in line with its recovery status. To achieve optimal behavioural strategies for individual firms in the recovery process, we present a learning framework using multi‐agent simulation and deep reinforcement learning, which considers dynamically changing factors such as the flooding depth of buildings and roads, SC, labour and capital. The agents use reinforcement learning to make decisions about the dynamically changing environment and establish optimal action strategies during the recovery process. The model is trained using inundation simulation data from the Arakawa River located in Tokyo and inter‐firm transaction data in Japan. The results show that the learned model can acquire behavioural strategies in the recovery process on a firm‐by‐firm basis, and to identify industries and regions with high economic damage. The results of this study can contribute to the development of recovery plans that consider the early recovery of SCs during floods.

Modelling Critically Endangered marine species: Bias‐corrected citizen science data inform habitat suitability for the angelshark (Squatina squatina)

AbstractAs an increasingly important resource in ecological research, citizen scientists have proven dynamic and cost‐effective in the supply of data for use within habitat suitability models. With predictions critical to the provision of effective conservation measures in cryptic marine species, this study delivers baseline ecological data for the Critically Endangered angelshark (Squatina squatina), exploring: (i) seasonal, sex‐differentiated distributions; (ii) environmental distribution predictors; and (iii) examining bias‐corrected, imperfect citizen science data for use in coastal habitat suitability models with cryptic species.Citizen science presence data, comprising over 60,000 hours of sampling effort, were used alongside carefully selected open‐source predictor variables, withmaxentgenerating seasonal male and female habitat suitability models for angelsharks in the Canary Islands. A biased prior method was used, alongside two model validation measures to ensure reliability.Citizen science data used withinmaxentsuggest that angelshark habitat suitability is low in coastal areas during warmer months, with fewer occurrences despite a negligible change in sampling effort. The prime importance of bathymetry may indicate the importance of depth for reproductive activity and possible diel vertical migration, whereas aspect may act as a proxy for sheltered habitats away from open ocean. Substrate as a predictor of female habitats in spring and summer could imply that soft sediment is sought for birthing areas, assisting in the identification of areas critical to reproductive activity and thus locations that may benefit from spatial protections.Model outputs to inform recovery plan development and ecotourism are identified as plausible safeguards of population recovery, whereas the comparison of biased and bias‐corrected models highlights some variance between methodologies, with bias‐corrected models producing greater areas of habitat suitability. Accordingly, an adaptive framework is provided for the implementation of citizen science data within the modelling of cryptic coastal species distribution.

Enhancing Conservation of a Globally Imperiled Rockland Herb (Linum arenicola) through Assessments of Seed Functional Traits and Multi-Dimensional Germination Niche Breadths.

Humans currently face an extraordinary period of plant biodiversity loss. One strategy to stem further losses involves the development of species-level recovery plans that guide conservation actions. Seeds represent an important component in the life history of plants and are crucial for conservation activities. Yet, most recovery plans contain meager seed biology information. We set out to examine seed functional traits and germination niche breadth of Linum arenicola seeds exposed to a range of thermal, photoperiodic, and salinity gradients to gain perspectives on the seed biology of this endangered species that may inform conservation decision making and assist recovery plan development. We found that fresh seeds possess non-deep physiological dormancy, which may be alleviated via a four-week dry after-ripening treatment. The germination response of non-dormant seeds is subsequently promoted by constant rather than alternating temperatures. The optimum germination temperature range is 20–22 °C. Non-dormant seeds do not possess an absolute light requirement for germination, but are sensitive to low levels of salinity (EC50 = 6.34 ppth NaCl). The narrow thermal and salinity germination niche breadths reported here suggest a specialized reproductive strategy that may require careful consideration when planning ex and in situ conservation activities.

HR CRISIS MANAGEMENT AT TRADE ENTERPRISES

The article is about revealing the content and role of HR crisis management at trade enterprises. The article provides an understanding of organizational changes, crisis phenomena, and crisis management. It is stated, that management of enterprises in a crisis state is one of the main problems of economy and legislation not only of economically developed countries, but also of countries with fragile economies, to which Ukraine still applies. A set of measures for HR crisis management at a trading company was identified. At the basis of research, it is possible to identify consistent ways to implement the steps of HR crisis management at a trading company. It is established, that as a result of a crisis, organizations may lose employees, workers, along with key talent and organizational knowledge, from low morale, fear, physical relocation or death. In this case, there are outlined the core messages to decision makers that employee’s development and rewards are the major dimensions of the content of an Human Resource Management (HRM) system and that consistency and distinctiveness are the principal features of the process of HRM system, even in cases where an organization is operating under an economic crisis environment. It is stated, that the essence of crisis management of an enterprise is to provide such conditions for the functioning of an enterprise, when financial, production, marketing, personnel and other difficulties are not permanent and are quickly resolved by means of special measures. It is investigated, that HR crisis management at trade enterprises involves not only the formal organization of the work with the staff, but also a set of factors of social and psychological, moral character - democratic style of management, caring attitude to the needs of a person, attention to his/her individual characteristics, etc. It is proved, that an important factor that can contribute to effective crisis management is a well-selected, managed personnel, who respond quickly and flexibly to any changes in the environment. The article establishes the HR management in the conditions of unstable or crisis state of an enterprise as a comprehensive, planned activity, based on a system of scientifically grounded principles, experience and intuition of managers of an enterprise. There are investigated the stages for HR crisis management in the market conditions as: analysis of the problem situation and state of an enterprise, diagnostics of human resources state, development and implementation of HR marketing measures, development of a HR crisis strategy and system of its marketing support, design of a HR crisis policy, development and organization of implementation of HR crisis decisions, development of measures to overcome and prevent conflicts, determination of HRM risk and ways of their overcoming, control over the implementation of HR-crisis decisions. There is created a list of actions of HR managers while crisis management, including establishment of a crisis management team, development of recovery plans, provision of communications.

Index System to Evaluate the Quarries Ecological Restoration

The restoration and evaluation of degraded ecosystems is an important component of the sustainable development of complex “human-natural-economic” ecosystems. Based on an analysis of ecosystem evolution and the integration of structure, function, and services, this study proposes that ecosystems can be returned to a self-maintaining, dynamic balance by enriching system elements, strengthening the relationships between the different elements and diverse ecological processes, and restoring internal functions, which includes the self-regulation of degraded ecosystems. This study developed and categorized quarry ecosystem recovery indicators based on the Core Capabilities of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) International through literature review and the development of recovery plans. Metrics identified in the literature were validated through the recovery plan review and the case study, and based on the findings, a user-friendly checklist for practitioners was established. Three elements and 17 indicators representing ecological processes, vegetation structures, and ecological functions were developed to evaluate and manage the ecological restoration of an abandoned quarry.

Structured decision making as a conservation tool for recovery planning of two endangered salamanders

At least one-third of all amphibian species face the threat of extinction, and current amphibian extinction rates are four orders of magnitude greater than background rates. Preventing extirpation often requires both ex situ (i.e., conservation breeding programs) and in situ strategies (i.e., protecting natural habitats). Flatwoods salamanders (Ambystoma bishopi and A. cingulatum) are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The two species have decreased from 476 historical locations to 63 recently extant locations (86.8% loss). We suggest that recovery efforts are needed to increase populations and prevent extinction, but uncertainty regarding optimal actions in both ex situ and in situ realms hinders recovery planning. We used structured decision making (SDM) to address key uncertainties regarding both captive breeding and habitat restoration, and we developed short-, medium-, and long-term goals to achieve recovery objectives. By promoting a transparent, logical approach, SDM has proven vital to recovery plan development for flatwoods salamanders. The SDM approach has clear advantages over other previous approaches to recovery efforts, and we suggest that it should be considered for other complex decisions regarding endangered species.

Morphology and Timing of Spawning of Umatilla Dace (<i>Rhinichthys umatilla</i>) in the Slocan River, British Columbia

Umatilla Dace (Rhinichthys umatilla, Cyprinidae) are endemic to the Columbia River Basin. In Canada, this species is assessed as “threatened”. Little is known about its life history, especially with respect to spawning in the wild. A total of 688 specimens were captured, including 39 mature males and females displaying spawning colouration and tubercles, during minnow trapping and electrofishing surveys conducted on the Slocan River in southern British Columbia, Canada. Fertilized eggs were not observed, but eggs and milt were expressed from ripe individuals. Spawning was estimated to occur from mid-July to mid-September. Aquatic macrophytes and flooded terrestrial vegetation were important habitat features for mature Umatilla Dace leading up to the spawning period on the Slocan River. To our knowledge this is the first time that Umatilla Dace have been captured in spawning condition and observed with spawning colouration and tubercles in the wild in Canada. Results of this study will aid the development of recovery plans and management for this species in British Columbia.

Resident perception of disaster recovery planning priorities

Purpose This paper aims to determine household perceptions of disaster recovery plan development and implementation, and to identify groups that may be less aware of the recovery planning process to provide recommendations to officials for improving participation in planning and resident support of implementation priorities. Design/methodology/approach Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 194 residents of a US Atlantic coast county impacted by Hurricane Irene. Respondents were selected via a two-stage cluster sampling method automated through the use of a Geographic Information Systems toolkit. Findings Although few households reported participation in the county’s recovery planning process, a majority felt that the plan would be better if it incorporated input from a wide range of stakeholders. The number one reason residents did not participate was the lack of knowledge that they could. Some vulnerable populations were less aware of the recovery plan, including the elderly and those living in poverty, while others were more aware, including those with children and those without access to a working vehicle. Respondents prioritized recovery activities around infrastructure and public safety, yet ranked activities related to public information and housing as less important. Practical implications This paper highlights potential successes of emergency management outreach and identifies groups that are not being reached during recovery planning. The paper provides insight on resident priorities for recovery after disaster. Originality/value There has been little research on the implementation of recovery plans and few studies that have examined the behaviors and opinions of households with regard to recovery plan development and implementation.

Are Large Cats Compatible with Modern Society on the Korean Peninsula?

Yeong-Seok Jo Corresponding author, Department of Natural Resource Management, Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway Lubbock, TX 79410, yeong-seok.jo{at}ttu.edu.

Capacity for Stakeholder Participation in Recovery Planning

It is generally accepted that meaningful participation by a representative, well-informed public contributes to a better plan. We surveyed the lead official responsible for the development of recovery plans in a sample of US Atlantic and Gulf Coast counties to determine capacity for stakeholder participation. We report on a variety of engagement techniques that were positively associated with an increase in participation in recovery plan development. We also link increased participation with better plan quality scores in plan quality principles. Investing human and fiscal resources in participation can increase involvement in the planning process and improve recovery plan quality.

Alcoholics Anonymous and Spiritual Recovery: A Cultural Perspective

Spirituality and culture overlap in supporting recovery in such areas as altered states, altruism, belief, and meaning. Conceiving recovery in spiritual and cultural terms facilitates development of recovery plans. The following are dimensions of recovery bridge spirituality and culture: (1) change in composition of the intimate social network, (2) transition from egotism to altruism, (3) evolution from anomie to positive self-identity, (4) prominence of time and misery in spiritual re-birth and reacculturation, and (5) Alcoholics Anonymous facilitation in accessing social support for sobriety, coping with the culture at large, and guiding spiritual rebirth and reacculturation.

Protecting endangered species: do the main legislative tools work?

It is critical to assess the effectiveness of the tools used to protect endangered species. The main tools enabled under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) to promote species recovery are funding, recovery plan development and critical habitat designation. Earlier studies sometimes found that statistically significant effects of these tools could be detected, but they have not answered the question of whether the effects were large enough to be biologically meaningful. Here, we ask: how much does the recovery status of ESA-listed species improve with the application of these tools? We used species' staus reports to Congress from 1988 to 2006 to quantify two measures of recovery for 1179 species. We related these to the amount of federal funding, years with a recovery plan, years with critical habitat designation, the amount of peer-reviewed scientific information, and time listed. We found that change in recovery status of listed species was, at best, only very weakly related to any of these tools. Recovery was positively related to the number of years listed, years with a recovery plan, and funding, however, these tools combined explain <13% of the variation in recovery status among species. Earlier studies that reported significant effects of these tools did not focus on effect sizes; however, they are in fact similarly small. One must conclude either that these tools are not very effective in promoting species' recovery, or (as we suspect) that species recovery data are so poor that it is impossible to tell whether the tools are effective or not. It is critically important to assess the effectiveness of tools used to promote species recovery; it is therefore also critically important to obtain population status data that are adequate to that task.

Decision-Making Approach for Catastrophic Scenario Selection in Disaster Recovery Planning

Generally, throughout history, societies have failed to prepare beforehand for potential man made and natural catastrophic events. However, as societies evolve, their view on what can and should be done when affected by these types of events has shifted from a passive acknowledgement that catastrophes will happen, into a proactive stance on planning and organizing resources to mitigate their effects. This paper presents a decision-making based approach for catastrophic scenario selection to guide the process of disaster recovery planning development. The approach proposed can be used to identify the most damaging scenarios in terms of probability of outcome occurrence. Once these scenarios have been identified, the proposed approach produces a set of indices that allow for the computation of similarity, dissimilarity, coverage and exposure for a potential scenario with respect to all possible scenarios. Finally, based on these indices, scenarios are ranked and then selected for disaster recovery plan development.

JURISDICTION OVER ENDANGERED SPECIES' HABITAT: THE IMPACTS OF PEOPLE AND PROPERTY ON RECOVERY PLANNING

Coordinating management among multiple landowners and jurisdictional agencies is one of the greatest challenges confronting conservation planning. In this study, we assessed the impacts on recovery progress of the people and property involved in recovery plan development and implementation. We compared indices of recovery progress among endangered species whose primary habitat falls into one of four federal jurisdiction categories: nonfederal land only, 50% but not all federal land, and all federal land. Species found exclusively on federal land are more likely to be improving in status. This may result from the fact that overall implementation of recovery tasks is lower among species occurring exclusively on nonfederal lands. Revision status, the existence of a centralized database, the designation of a person or committee to coordinate plan implementation, the parties involved in drafting the plan, and those designated as responsible for implementing recovery tasks are also significant factors in determining recovery plan implementation. Specifically, diversity of recovery team membership and the average number of participants increase with increasing federal jurisdiction, and tasks are more likely to be completed when more parties are involved in developing recovery plans. However, fewer recovery tasks are completed as the number of parties involved in implementation increases, suggesting that species on federal lands may benefit from less division of labor among agencies. Differences in drafting plans and administering their implementation appear to be stronger determinants of the observed variation in recovery success than differences in the kinds of threats facing species and their habitats.

Legal aspects of the conservation of endemic freshwater fish in the northern Mediterranean region

Several — anthropogenic — influences are identified which cause the decline of freshwater fish, such as overfishing, introduction of alien taxa, habitat degradation and habitat loss. Whilst the problem of overfishing and introduction of alien taxa from the point of view of legislation (not implementation!) is relatively easy to handle, the conservation and protection of aquatic habitats proves to be a complex and difficult task. Aquatic habitats — being in a way the ‘vitals’ of their respective ecosystems — are extremely sensitive to harmful influences. They are affected directly or indirectly by a vast number of human activities. Therefore quite a number of different legal issues and also several administrative bodies are involved in the problem. Besides those concerning the use of aquatic resources in general, international instruments exist which aim at preserving habitats and/or their flora and fauna — including aquatic habitats. Among these, the EC Flora, Fauna and Habitat Directive and the Berne Convention explicitly include freshwater fish endemic to the northern Mediterranean region in their appendices. These instruments oblige member states — among others — to conserve these species and their habitats and/or certain sensitive aquatic habitats. They do, however, only establish general obligations which need to be implemented by more detailed provisions in national legislation. The establishment of specially protected areas for protected species (e.g. in France) or the development of recovery plans for endangered species (e.g. in Spain) are two examples. However, research on the subject of national legislation for the protection of endemic freshwater fish should be developed with the aid of local experts. To this end general information on legal and administrative means and methods at a national level is also given.