Indirect Pressures Research Articles

Regional drivers of clutch loss reveal important trade-offs for beach-nesting birds.

Coastal birds are critical ecosystem constituents on sandy shores, yet are threatened by depressed reproductive success resulting from direct and indirect anthropogenic and natural pressures. Few studies examine clutch fate across the wide range of environments experienced by birds; instead, most focus at the small site scale. We examine survival of model shorebird clutches as an index of true clutch survival at a regional scale (∼200 km), encompassing a variety of geomorphologies, predator communities, and human use regimes in southeast Queensland, Australia. Of the 132 model nests deployed and monitored with cameras, 45 (34%) survived the experimental exposure period. Thirty-five (27%) were lost to flooding, 32 (24%) were depredated, nine (7%) buried by sand, seven (5%) destroyed by people, three (2%) failed by unknown causes, and one (1%) was destroyed by a dog. Clutch fate differed substantially among regions, particularly with respect to losses from flooding and predation. ‘Topographic’ exposure was the main driver of mortality of nests placed close to the drift line near the base of dunes, which were lost to waves (particularly during storms) and to a lesser extent depredation. Predators determined the fate of clutches not lost to waves, with the depredation probability largely influenced by region. Depredation probability declined as nests were backed by higher dunes and were placed closer to vegetation. This study emphasizes the scale at which clutch fate and survival varies within a regional context, the prominence of corvids as egg predators, the significant role of flooding as a source of nest loss, and the multiple trade-offs faced by beach-nesting birds and those that manage them.

State Constitutions and Fiscal Policy

State Constitutions and Fiscal Policy

Global terrestrial Human Footprint maps for 1993 and 2009.

Remotely-sensed and bottom-up survey information were compiled on eight variables measuring the direct and indirect human pressures on the environment globally in 1993 and 2009. This represents not only the most current information of its type, but also the first temporally-consistent set of Human Footprint maps. Data on human pressures were acquired or developed for: 1) built environments, 2) population density, 3) electric infrastructure, 4) crop lands, 5) pasture lands, 6) roads, 7) railways, and 8) navigable waterways. Pressures were then overlaid to create the standardized Human Footprint maps for all non-Antarctic land areas. A validation analysis using scored pressures from 3114×1 km2 random sample plots revealed strong agreement with the Human Footprint maps. We anticipate that the Human Footprint maps will find a range of uses as proxies for human disturbance of natural systems. The updated maps should provide an increased understanding of the human pressures that drive macro-ecological patterns, as well as for tracking environmental change and informing conservation science and application.

Samango Monkeys (Cercopithecus albogularis labiatus) Manage Risk in a Highly Seasonal, Human-Modified Landscape in Amathole Mountains, South Africa

Wild species use habitats that vary in risk across space and time. This risk can derive from natural predators and also from direct and indirect human pressures. A starving forager will often take risks that a less hungry forager would not. At a highly seasonal and human-modified site, we predicted that arboreal samango monkeys (Cercopithecus albogularis labiatus) would show highly flexible, responsive, risk-sensitive foraging. We first determined how monkeys use horizontal and vertical space across seasons to evaluate if high-risk decisions (use of gardens and ground) changed with season, a proxy for starvation risk. Then, during a subsequent winter, we offered equal feeding opportunities (in the form of high-value, raw peanuts) in both gardens and forest to see if this short-term change in food availability and starvation risk affected monkeys’ foraging decisions. We found that during the food-scarce winter, monkeys foraged outside indigenous forest and in gardens, where they fed on exotic species, especially fallen acorns (Quercus spp.), despite potential threats from humans. Nevertheless, and as predicted, when given the choice of foraging on high-value foods in gardens vs. forest during our artificial foraging experiment, monkeys showed a preference for a safer forest habitat. Our experiment also indicated monkeys’ sensitivity to risk in the lower vertical strata of both habitats, despite their previous extensive use of the ground. Our findings support one of the central tenets of optimal foraging theory: that risk of starvation and sensitivity to the variation in food availability can be as important drivers of behavior as risk of predation.

Come on, have a drink: The prevalence and cultural logic of social pressure to drink more

Aims: We review literature and use existing quantitative and qualitative data to examine direct and indirect pressures to drink more, particularly among heavy drinking adults. Methods: Quantitative analysis uses a Finnish general population survey (n = 2725), which included questions on direct pressure to drink and on wishes for better non-alcoholic alternatives. Experiences and cultural logics of social pressure are studied using thematic interviews of young adult Finns (n = 52) on factors encouraging their drinking. Findings: Nearly one-half of the population reported having been pressured to drink during the past year. Pressures to drink more were reported the most among heavy and problem drinkers, and among respondents in their 20s. The qualitative data showed that indirect pressures to drink played a more significant role for the respondents. Ambivalence was created by two forces: collective drinking stands for sociability in the Finnish drinking culture so that there is a strong social norm and expectation to drink in social situations; simultaneously, drinking is considered a highly individual and autonomous activity. Conclusions: In alcohol abuse prevention, more attention should be paid to the norms that guide social and cultural possibilities of situational abstinence and the possibility to reduce drinking within drinking situations among those who drink.

Proerd: A construção do conhecimento e a tomada de decisão como uma estratégia didático-pedagógica

Esta pesquisa de natureza exploratria analisou uma experincia da prtica educativado Proerd, em uma escola pblica do ensino fundamental, realizada no segundo semestre de2013. A abordagem metodolgica utilizada foi a observao participante. Os procedimentos tcnico-metodolgicos foram desenvolvidos a partir de anlises do livro do estudante Proerd e deseu currculo o Elementary, assim como o relatrio das experincias realizadas no cotidianoescolar. Observamos uma construo do conhecimento autnoma, que possibilitou aos alunoso reconhecimento e a resistncia s presses diretas ou indiretas passveis de influenci-los aexperimentar drogas ou mesmo a agirem com violncia.

Peer pressure and risk taking in young drivers’ speeding behavior

Peer pressure and risk taking in young drivers’ speeding behavior

Commercial orientation in grassroots social innovation: Insights from the sharing economy

Commercial orientation in grassroots social innovation: Insights from the sharing economy

Large-scale effects of green tides on macrotidal sandy beaches: Habitat-specific responses of zoobenthos

Large-scale effects of green tides on macrotidal sandy beaches: Habitat-specific responses of zoobenthos

Biodiversity and its drivers and pressures of change in the wetlands of the Upper Paraguay–Guaporé Ecotone, Mato Grosso (Brazil)

Biodiversity and its drivers and pressures of change in the wetlands of the Upper Paraguay–Guaporé Ecotone, Mato Grosso (Brazil)

Carbon emissions due to deforestation for the production of charcoal used in Brazil’s steel industry

Over-reliance on charcoal sourced from native forests rather than plantations doubled CO2 emissions from Brazil’s steel industry between 2000 and 2007. Steel produced using coal generates 7% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions annually1. Opportunities exist to substitute this coal with carbon-neutral charcoal sourced from plantation forests to mitigate project-scale emissions2 and obtain certified emission reduction credits under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism3. This mitigation strategy has been implemented in Brazil4,5 and is one mechanism among many used globally to reduce anthropogenic CO2 emissions6; however, its potential adverse impacts have been overlooked to date. Here, we report that total CO2 emitted from Brazilian steel production doubled (91 to 182 MtCO2) and specific emissions increased (3.3 to 5.2 MtCO2 per Mt steel) between 2000 and 2007, even though the proportion of coal used declined. Infrastructure upgrades and a national plantation shortage increased industry reliance on charcoal sourced from native forests, which emits up to nine times more CO2 per tonne of steel than coal. Preventing use of native forest charcoal could have avoided 79% of the CO2 emitted from steel production between 2000 and 2007; however, doing so by increasing plantation charcoal supply is limited by socio-economic costs and risks further indirect deforestation pressures and emissions. Effective climate change mitigation in Brazil’s steel industry must therefore minimize all direct and indirect carbon emissions generated from steel manufacture.

Breaking the parthenogenesis fertilization barrier: direct and indirect selection pressures promote male fertilization of parthenogenetic females

All else being equal, females would double their fecundity through parthenogenetic reproduction. On the other hand, males should be subject to positive selection pressures to coerce parthenogenetic females into sexual fertilization, because the twofold advantage of parthenogenesis is achieved at the expense of the male genetic contribution. Interestingly, although male coercion superficially imposes the cost of sex on parthenogenetic females, it would confer a reproductive benefit even on the parthenogens. This is because females fertilized by coercive males gain indirect reproductive success via sons inheriting coercion, who would succeed in mating with other parthenogens in the next generation (sons’ effect). In this study, using two mathematical models, I show for the first time that the indirect sons’ effect of male coercion plays an important role in the maintenance of sex in potentially parthenogenetic species. The first model, which compares the fitness of a female reproducing parthenogenetically with that of a female mating with a coercive male, demonstrates that the sons’ effect can outweigh the cost of sex and resolve sexual conflict over reproductive modes. My second model of population genetics, which analyses the dynamics of coercion and parthenogenesis, shows that the occurrence of parthenogenetic reproduction is suppressed in the presence of the sons’ effect of male coercion. These results indicate that the sons’ effect of male coercion helps to maintain sexual reproduction at an evolutionary time scale, as well as offset the twofold cost of males in the invasion phase of the coercion.

Los No Aparecidos: la Protesta Social Invisible en los Grandes Medios en Chile y las Políticas Mediáticas del Disenso

The article discusses articulations that are woven between the media, political and social fields in the case of social protest. It analyzes the cases of two strikes that occurred in Chile in 2010: the hunger strike of Mapuche prisoners and the strike of Farmacias Ahumada s workers. Both groups of protesters developed strategies to enhance media coverage of their protests, yet they never appeared in mainstream media outlets. The study finds that the reasons for these media absences relate to journalistic practices that exclude the voices of the less powerful, the direct and indirect commercial pressures on the media, the lack of pro-pluralism public policies and -on the macro level- to class prejudice. The article marks important shortcomings regarding the freedom of expression of those representing dissent in Chile.

Invasion of Asian tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon Fabricius, 1798, in the western north Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico

After going unreported in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean for 18 years (1988 to 2006), the Asian tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon, has recently reappeared in the South Atlantic Bight and, for the first time ever, in the Gulf of Mexico. Potential vectors and sources of this recent invader include: 1) discharged ballast water from its native range in Asia or other areas where it has become established; 2) transport of larvae from established non-native populations in the Caribbean or South America via ocean currents; or 3) escape and subsequent migration from active aquaculture facilities in the western Atlantic. This paper documents recent collections of P. monodon from the South Atlantic Bight and the Gulf of Mexico, reporting demographic and preliminary phylogenetic information for specimens collected between North Carolina and Texas from 2006 through 2012. The increased number of reports in 2011 and 2012, ranging from 102 mm to 298 mm total length, indicates that an adult population is present in densities sufficient for breeding, which is indicative of incipient establishment. Based on these reports of P. monodon, its successful invasion elsewhere, and its life history, we believe that this species will become common in the South Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Mexico in less than 10 years. Penaeus monodon is an aggressive predator in its native range and, if established, may prey on native shrimps, crabs, and bivalves. The impacts of an established P. monodon population are potentially widespread (e.g., alterations in local commercial fisheries, direct and indirect pressures on native shrimp, crab and bivalve populations, and subsequent impacts on the populations of other predators of those organisms) and should be considered by resource managers. The impacts of P. monodon on native fauna and the source(s) or vector(s) of the invasion, however, remain unknown at this time.

Integrated Environmental Assessment of Rangeland Resources in Jebel Samhan Protectorate of the Sultanate of Oman

An integrated environmental assessment of rangeland resources in Jabal Samhan protectorate area of Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman was conducted using DPSIR analysis matrix. Assessment included monitoring current state and direction of rangeland resources, direct and indirect pressures influencing resources and their impacts. Effectiveness of government conservation policies was also assessed and a plausible forward-looking scenario was drawn up to provide an insight into rangeland futures compared to business as usual scenario. Recommended alternative policies were embedded in the context of sustainability scenario. Vegetation composition and productivity were assessed by sampling lesser vegetation in the southern and western regions of the protected area. A questionnaire was prepared to assess the needs of the local community. Results of vegetation sampling indicted differences in composition and productivity of vegetation from one site to another due to the effect of topography and grazing. Plant coverage ranged from 36-98%, whereas vegetation productivity was 63% higher in the Tawi Atier enclosure than adjacent sites. On the other hand, productivity was less by 50% and 76% in the mid and south sites, and 86% outside the protected area. Low site productivity is attributed to rainfall scarcity, variability from one site to another and overgrazing. Thirty four percent of the locals surveyed depend on grazing as a primary source for income. In the mean time 54% of them attribute rangeland deterioration in the protected area to the scarcity of these resources outside. Although laws exist for biodiversity and nature conservation as well as animal wealth and livestock management; still rangeland resources are experiencing overgrazing. The sustainability scenario based primarily on ecosystem approach with its proposed policies offer an optimal solution to the issues of resource degradation in the protected area as it strikes the balance between biodiversity conservation and securing the interest of local community.

Populating regional Australia: What are the impacts of non-resident labour force practices on demographic growth in resource regions?

Resource-based activity provides a strong stimulus to local economies, largely through the high incomes paid to employees in the resources sector, plus the large levels of expenditure through supporting business chains. However, the role that resource development plays in driving regional population dynamics remains poorly understood, particularly with respect to the rising use of non-resident labour force practices. Supply of labour via fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in, drive-out (DIDO) options creates a range of direct and indirect pressures on host communities. These are predominantly linked with difficulties in counting the non-resident population, and hence planning for, and investing in, the social infrastructure required to meet the new demand. Non-residency also represents a distinct ‘opportunity cost’ for regions, because local population growth is a powerful business case for public and private investment in infrastructure and services. The dual effect of FIFO/DIDO is thus not only to introduce new demand for infrastructure and services, but also to deny regions the chance for baseline population growth, and with it, the likelihood of improving living standards. This paper presents a case study illustrating the value of resource activity in stimulating local population growth in Central Queensland, and how the strength of this stimulus varies with patterns of resident and non-resident workforce mixes. Demographic modelling prepared using the economic multiplier approach suggest that in excess of up to 180,000 additional people could move into the region by 2018 in direct response to resource sector growth, if the workforce was fully resident. However, the extent of population in-migration – and consequent economic growth – reduces as the proportion of non-resident workforce increases. Under predominantly DIDO or predominantly FIFO scenario, the regional population boost is decreased by up to 23% or 44%, respectively. Populating regional Australia will be an essential part of the national growth strategy going forward. However, without a change in policy to re-emphasise the importance of supplying labour locally, the role that resource regions will play in this growth, and the positive impacts associated with local population increases, will not be maximised.

Governance and sustainability challenges in landscapes shaped by mining: Mining-forestry linkages and impacts in the Copper Belt of Zambia and the DR Congo

Governance and sustainability challenges in landscapes shaped by mining: Mining-forestry linkages and impacts in the Copper Belt of Zambia and the DR Congo

Policy challenges for food, energy and environmental security

Limited land is available globally to grow crops for food and fuel. There are direct and indirect pressures on forests and other lands to be converted from growing food for feedstock to be used for biofuel production. The balance of evidence indicates there will probably be sufficient appropriate land available to meet demands for both food and fuel, but this needs to be confirmed before global supply of biofuel is allowed to increase significantly. There is a future for a sustainable biofuels industry, but feedstock production must avoid encroaching on agricultural land that would otherwise be used for food production. And while advanced technologies offer significant potential for higher greenhouse gas (GHG) savings through biofuels, these will be offset if feedstock production uses existing agricultural land and prevents land-use change. GHG savings can be achieved by using feedstock grown mainly on marginal land or that does not use land, such as wastes and residues. To ensure that biofuels deliver net GHG benefits, governments should amend, but not abandon, their biofuel policies in recognition of the dangers from indirect effects of land-use changes. Large areas of uncertainty remain in the overall impacts and benefits of biofuels. International action is needed in order to improve data, models and controls, and to understand and to manage effects.

Jaguar Panthera onca predation of marine turtles: conflict between flagship species in Tortuguero, Costa Rica

AbstractPredation can be an important driver of population dynamics but can also pose a dilemma to conservation managers if the species interacting are of conservation concern or have a high public profile. For 5 years we conducted regular transect surveys to monitor the spatial and temporal patterns of predation of adult marine turtles by jaguars Panthera onca in Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica. Predation occurs throughout the study site on Tortuguero Beach although at lower rates at the northern and southern ends, probably because of increased human presence in these areas. There was a marked increase in predation, from an average of < 2 turtles predated per survey in the first season to > 5 predated per survey in the last, with 676 jaguar-predated marine turtles recorded during the study period. With a minimum of 189 individuals predated in the last season, predation of adult turtles has now reached a magnitude never before recorded in a marine turtle rookery. Although the nesting population of marine turtles in Tortuguero is one of the largest in the world and suffers from both direct and indirect anthropogenic pressures, the increase in predation by jaguars makes this ecological interaction relevant to the management of both the jaguar and marine turtle populations. The situation could lead to a potential conflict in conservation strategies that, given the flagship role of the species involved, will need to be addressed both in the context of species management and conservation marketing.

Salaried lawyers and billable hours: a new perspective from the sociology of work

The work of legal professionals is changing rapidly, but the changes have not yet been thoroughly investigated from the perspective of the sociology of work. This paper draws on a research project that examined the work of solicitors in private practice in Melbourne, Australia. It uses in-depth interviews, results of secondary surveys and other data sources in order to describe the dominant working-time patterns. The evidence points to a common pattern of rigid and demanding schedules, which can be traced back to the indirect pressures exerted by the widespread system of ‘billable hours’. The paper takes up the challenge to examine the operation of this system. We argue that the billable hours system, initially just a technique for billing clients, has been transformed into a tool for measuring and controlling the work of salaried solicitors, through setting of targets, close time recording, careful monitoring, and a supple set of sanctions.