Socio-cultural Importance Research Articles

Governing Esports: Public Policy, Regulation and the Law

Esport is an enigma – at once a sport; technological innovation; and profit maximizing business. As a sport, it has much in common with traditional sports. It has leagues and franchises, teams and skilled players, competitions, sponsors, broadcasters and, at the elite level, significant prize money and all the risks that come with it. As a technological innovation, it has created new markets and value networks outside the control of sports’ traditional hegemony. And while many sports today generate significant revenues, esports differ because of the primacy of its profit motive. Unlike traditional sports, it does not see itself as the custodian of artefacts of great socio-cultural importance. This gives rise to a plethora of governance, policy, regulatory and legal issues. This article examines these issues through the lens of regulatory scholarship. Regulatory scholarship provides a valuable framework for examining why governments regulate in the form in which they regulate. Regulatory theory looks behind governments’ stated public interest purposes to examine the impact private interests, institutional parameters, and ideational currents have on the regulatory endeavour. Regulatory scholarship enables us to look beyond traditional doctrinal law to debate the many complex issues and multiple perspectives inherent in the phenomena that is esports.

Abstract A088: Perceived barriers for participating in areca (betel) nut cessation

Abstract Background: Areca (betel) nut is a known carcinogenic substance consumed by 11% of the population in Guam. To address this rising public health concern, a cessation program was piloted for chewers. Results of the pilot were used to inform the delivery of the Betel Nut Intervention Trial (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02942745). Despite the intent of the program to help individuals overcome a potentially harmful behavior, recruiting betel nut chewers is difficult. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the perception of betel nut among chewers and nonchewers in Guam, and to identify the factors preventing a chewer from wanting to quit and from wanting to join the cessation program. Design: Individual and group discussions were facilitated, utilizing questions designed to elicit responses relevant to perception of betel nut. Questions were adjusted to accommodate both chewer and nonchewer participants. Recurrent themes were extracted from the interviews and categorized into reasons associated with quitting and with joining a cessation program. Results: Nine interviews were facilitated with 17 chewer and nonchewer residents in Guam, with mean age = 36.4 years (standard deviation = 12.4). Results yielded 5 general categories, aggregated by chewer and nonchewer responses. Subcategories were further extracted to determine barriers for quitting (e.g., addiction, sociocultural importance, betel nut is harmless), and barriers to joining a cessation program (e.g., time, transportation, hypocrisy). Conclusions: Factors associated with reasons not to quit chewing and not to participate in a cessation program are variable. Current findings highlight a lack of available information regarding the harmful effects of betel nut consumption (i.e., carcinogenicity). The social and cultural construct within Guam's community may be a highly contributing factor to the overall acceptability of betel nut consumption practices, and for the lack of expressed need to quit. In addition, the findings also suggest that a cessation program designed for betel nut chewers should be mobilized to accommodate a chewer's time and transportation restraints. Future considerations include the implementation of betel nut health outcomes into a youth curriculum, and the development of a cessation program both convenient to chewers and specific to young betel nut chewers. Citation Format: Patrick Francis P. Sotto, Ana Joy Mendez, Thaddeus A. Herzog, Casierra Cruz, Jade S.N. Chennaux, Chandra Legdesog, Yvette C. Paulino. Perceived barriers for participating in areca (betel) nut cessation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr A088.

Non-Timber Forest Products use in the Gazetted Forest of Dogo-Kétou, Benin (West Africa)

The role of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) for livelihood improvement among local communities and to support forest management has nowadays received increased attention. Although knowledge about the importance of NTFPs is not new, their consideration in the management plans of several protected forests in Benin has been poor. This study aimed at assessing the socio-cultural importance of NTFPs in sustaining livelihood of adjacent local communities to the Dogo-Ketou forest in order to help forest managers to enhance strategies for NTFPs valorisation in this forest management. Data on popular NTFPs were collected through structured interviews administered to 254 households. A total of 78 plant species were harvested by the local people. About 66.53% of households were mostly dependent on Dogo-Ketou forest for medicine, food, firewood and construction. Food use was the NTFPs category of high consensus (ICFFood = 0.98). Khaya senegalensis (RFC = 0.73) represented the most important local plant species used for medicinal purposes. High cultural significant index was recorded for Elaeis guineensis (CSI = 33.81). NTFPs harvest was significantly influenced by households’ size, average monthly income, gender and distance to forest and households’ home (p<0.05). This research suggests key species which can be promoted by the forest managers in order to sustain the adjacent communities’ livelihoods and to enhance their participation in forest conservation.Keywords: Food plant, medicinal plant, NTFP, Cultural Significant Index, Dogo-Kétou forest.

Pleasure is just the tip of the iceberg: Social representations, personal beliefs, and attributed meanings to partnered orgasm

Orgasm is highly symbolic and much personal, interpersonal, and sociocultural importance has been accorded to it. Given its significance, the absence of orgasm can be experienced as a source of personal distress and can also lead to relationship difficulties. However, previous orgasm research did not distinguish between cultural and intrapsychic orgasm scripts. The present study aimed to explore (1) how male and female orgasm are represented in Canadian culture (including Quebec culture); and (2) individuals’ beliefs, expectations, and ascribed meanings to orgasm in different-gender relationship contexts among a sample of women and men. Data from 27 interviews conducted among individuals in committed different-gender relationships (15 women, 11 men, 1 queer person; 21–68 years old), were analyzed using thematic analysis. Two overarching themes describing sociocultural representations of orgasm were developed: (1) Male sexual pleasure is innate/female sexual pleasure is acquired, and (2) Orgasm is part of (hetero)sex. Four main themes describing participants’ personal orgasm-related beliefs were also developed: (1) Orgasm is not part of (hetero)sex, (2) Orgasm is partner-dependent, (3) Orgasm is self-dependent, and (4) Orgasm is a dyadic experience. Many participants endorsed conflicting orgasm scripts and representations simultaneously. The data show several distinct, co-existing, yet conflicting prescriptive and gendered scripts, as well as personal responsibility and relationship discourses that are endorsed simultaneously by participants. This finding suggests shifts and developments in current sexual scripts. The present study’s findings can be used in future research examining sexual wellbeing and function, and relationship outcomes.

Semantically Ambiguous: An Overview of Some Akan and Dangmbe Riddles

Riddles, like folktales are considered an important aspect of speech games that promote critical thinking. Due to the influx of foreign games, local riddles have recently lost their values. But as an important aspect of Akan and Dangme cultures, riddles are included in school curricula, especially at the higher learning institutions, to create awareness of their socio-cultural importance in the society and to the youth. The importance of riddles and brain teasers cannot be overemphasized. Policy makers are keenly interested in promoting the use of riddles as a means of empowering the Ghanaian youth with the capacity to resolve the growing challenges of our economy. This paper seeks to address some of the teething problems associated with some of the popular Akan and Dangme riddles. Using aspects of the ethnography of communication theory (Gumperz, 1972) and (Saville-Troike 2003), selected riddles from the two languages, collected from communities were analyzed descriptively by means of feature/componential method. The findings are that, the meanings and/or ideas they express are not certain due to the sameness of features between the items with which the riddles are framed and other items. The paper has thus added to literature in the discipline of semantics.

Multicultural gardeners and park users benefit from and attach diverse values to urban nature spaces

Cities across the world increasingly reflect the ethno-cultural diversity of a globalized society. How people interact with, and experience urban nature varies with the form, structure, and function of the space, but also with peoples’ ethno-cultural identity. In this study, we investigated the values that gardeners and park users of different ethno-cultural identities associate with urban community gardens, parks and trees and the well-being benefits that they derive from them in Melbourne, Australia. We collected data from park users, and gardeners using intercept questionnaires with open-ended questions about motivations to garden and the importance of parks and trees to understand values, and standardized metrics on personal well-being to understand well-being benefits. The results show that gardeners and park users of different ethno-cultural identities than Australian and European, derived from the country of birth, language spoken, and region of origin, associate different motivations, importance, and well-being benefits to these different urban nature spaces. Community gardens provide food and a strong sense of community and security, particularly for gardeners that speak English as a second language. For these ethno-culturally diverse people, urban parks, like community gardens, are associated with sociocultural and psychological importance, but also with aesthetic importance. Finally, and also for these diverse people, urban trees are associated with aesthetic, naturalness and biodiversity importance rather than sociocultural importance. The results highlight that people involved in the planning and design of urban nature spaces should consider the many values associated with and benefits derived from different types of spaces for multicultural cities.

Las tres etapas del radioteatro en Chile: de la época dorada al nuevo auge de las series de ficción

A raíz del aumento, desde 2016, de nuevas series de ficción y no ficción sonora en gran parte de Iberoamérica, gracias al podcast y a la radio on demand, se plantea la tarea de analizar la historia del género del radioteatro en Chile, desde sus raíces y su importancia sociocultural, hasta las nuevas formas de producir y pensar este género en el siglo XXI. Sobre la base de información documental, compuesta por archivos de prensa, audios y libretos de radiodramas y los escasos estudios sobre la radio y el radioteatro, se logra dilucidar tres etapas: la época dorada (1940-1970); el renacimiento del radioteatro (2003-2015) y el periodo de auge actual del género (2016 al presente). Si bien existen ciertas continuidades entre el primer y segundo periodo, pese al salto temporal y tecnológico, en la tercera etapa se da una nueva manera de crear y diseñar estas producciones, con temáticas que responden a luchas sociales y políticas de grupos invisibilizados o discriminados del espacio público, como también en la forma de difundirlos, sin que la antena sea el lugar por excelencia para la transmisión como ocurrió con las antiguas radionovelas.

English

Local pig production is of economic, nutritional and socio-cultural importance to livelihoods in Ghana. Data was collected from 176 local pig farmers in four regions of Ghana using pretested structured questionnaire. Majority of the farmers interviewed were males over 30 years and kept crossbred pigs (64%) with income (95%) as their main motivation. In terms of housing of pigs, most farmers use sheds (39%), about a third had permanent structures (34%), whilst the rest (22%) use stalls with a few keeping their animals in their yards (2%) or having no housing facility (2%) at all. Growth rate of pigs was a relatively important trait (49%) for the farmers compared to aesthetic traits like coat colour or ear orientation. Majority of the farmers (90%) acquired their breeding stock from family, friends and the open market with only 10% acquiring breeding stock from government breeding stations. Local pig production in the study area was characterised as semi-intensive with significant opportunities for stakeholders to make interventions for improvement through provision of improved breeds, housing, feeding and veterinary care. Key words: Food security, farmer education, pig production, sustainable breeding programmes.

Understanding farmers’ preference for traits of chickens in rural Ethiopia

AbstractTraditional poultry production plays an irreplaceable role in the sustenance of livelihoods in rural Ethiopia. Ironically, however, much has been done to replace indigenous poultry breeds with exotic genetic resources regardless of the importance producers and consumers attach to attributes of the resources. This study aims at informing policy to establish effective indigenous poultry breeding and conservation programs. Discrete choice experiment (DCE) was employed to generate data. Designing of the DCE involved identification, definition, and measurement of attributes of adaptive, productive, and sociocultural importance considering the multiple functions of village chickens. Random parameters logit and the generalized multinomial logit (G‐MNL) models were used to estimate taste parameters. Economic values of traits of chickens were estimated using the utility in willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) space approach, based on G‐MNL model formulation. The results show that important traits of chickens to farmers are mothering ability, diseases resistance, and meat and eggs taste. These findings question the appropriateness, at least in the prevailing production system, of the Ethiopian national government's effort to improve productivity in village poultry by targeting specialized egg‐layer improved chickens. The findings also suggest that poultry breeding programs aiming to provide readily acceptable breed technology by farmers need to prioritize traits of adaptive importance, and mothering ability, instead of focusing on egg productivity only. The key implication is that the unique qualities of the indigenous poultry breeds need to be carefully identified and prioritized before resorting to those that proved to be successful in different production systems.

Acca sellowiana: Physical-chemical-sensorial characterization and gastronomic potentialities

The gastronomical use of wild and native foods has gained the attention of chefs around the world in the search for new flavors. To make use of such foods also helps in the preservation of local and native flora. Native plants should be reconsidered throughout their value chain, linking their socio-cultural importance, their health benefits and their economic advantages to local communities. Brazil has the richest flora in the world, with more than 56 thousand species of plants, corresponding to almost 20% of the world flora. The Atlantic Forest biome has around 20,000 plant species. Acca sellowiana is one of the native fruits of the highland region in southern Brazilian and it grows wild in the Atlantic Forest biome. The physical, chemical and sensory characteristics of four different cultivars of feijoa fruits are the focus of this study. In addition, this study evaluated the potential use of feijoa fruits in gastronomy. The oven drying technique and the osmotic dehydration method can provide potential gastronomic products with Acca sellowiana, that can become an important source of income for local families. Sensory analysis and culinary preparations have demonstrated that the wild feijoa fruits, via agroforestry production techniques, have a specific sensory niche since they imparts a ¨terroir¨ taste. The Helena feijoa cultivar presents stronger floral, sweet flavors than the other cultivars, and also is the largest in size and has the highest values for total soluble solids and a high pH. This study shows that there is a potential to develop new products with feijoa using the fruit, flower or leaves. The wide array of products developed with feijoa during the study such as chutney, sorbet, compote and spice powder, showed that gastronomy has an important role in maintaining local biodiversity while developing sustainable gastronomical products.

Écologie et connaissances ethnozoologiques du porc-épic à crête (Hystrix cristata Linnaeus, 1758) dans les réserves de biosphère de la Pendjari et du W au Bénin

Le porc-épic à crête (Hystrix cristata Linnaeus, 1758), espèce nocturne de la famille des hystricidés, est le plus gros des rongeurs du Bénin, discret et peu connu. Il est menacé de disparition à cause des pressions (chasse, destruction des habitats). La présente étude s’est concentrée sur l’écologie de l’espèce et les connaissances endogènes des populations riveraines des réserves de biosphère de la Pendjari et du W du Bénin et leur périphérie. Cette thèse vise à identifier les facteurs environnementaux qui influencent la sélection de l’habitat par l’espèce ainsi qu’à apprécier l’importance socioculturelle de l’espèce au sein des communautés locales. La méthodologie était la description de l’habitat, l’inventaire de H. cristata et l’estimation de l’abondance relative par le suivi des traces. Dans ces réserves, l’inventaire de H. cristata a été réalisé à travers la méthode de la « marche de reconnaissance guidée », basée sur les indices de présence. Des visites systématiques dans les milieux indiqués par les informateurs, ainsi que des tournées nocturnes ont été effectuées. Les données ethnozoologiques ont été collectées par le biais d’entretiens individuels auprès de 260 personnes – pêcheurs, chasseurs, tradithérapeutes, exploitants agricoles. – dans 10 villages riverains. L’étude a combiné des données sur l’habitat, les menaces, les relations socio-économiques et le régime alimentaire. La distribution de H. cristata est corrélée avec les types de sol et de végétation. Ceux-ci ont un effet très marqué et déterminant sur la présence de l’espèce dans un milieu. La savane arbustive (47,6 % des sites d’occurrence) et la formation saxicole (37,0 %) sont davantage préférées par l’espèce que la savane arborée (12,1 %) et la galerie forestière (3,3 %). Ces résultats confirment l’existence d’un gradient écologique. Le test de Kruskal-Wallis réalisé indique une différence significative de ces préférences (p = 0,002). L’indice de comptage kilométrique calculé est de 2,85 indices/km. L’espèce évite les altitudes. Quatre catégories d’utilisation de l’espèce sont notées : la plus importante est l’alimentation (100 % des citations), suivie de la pharmacopée (60,3 %), du commerce (24,0 %) et de l’ornement (13,1 %). L’espèce est chassée essentiellement pour la consommation au sein du ménage. Le braconnage est la principale pression exercée sur l’espèce. Des actions sont proposées pour sa conservation et sa préservation.

Marble decoration of the Roman theatre of Urvinum Mataurense (Urbino, Marche region, Italy): An archaeological and archaeometric multi-method provenance study

Abstract This paper presents the results of the characterisation, provenance determination, quantification (by count and weight) and contextualisation of the white and coloured marbles used for decorating the Roman theatre of Urbino (Marche region, Italy). The main goals of the paper are to contribute to a better understanding of the trade and use of marble in the region of central Adriatic Italy in Roman times, and to demonstrate the socio-cultural importance of architectural decor in Roman society, especially through comparison of the Urbino case with contemporary theatres in the Western Mediterranean. Macroscopic characterisation of white and coloured marbles was followed by thin section petrography, X-ray diffraction and stable isotopic analysis (∂18O and ∂13C) for eight marble samples. In total, twenty-six marble varieties have been identified in the Urbino theatre assemblage. Mineralogical-petrographic and archaeometric analysis shows the presence of white marbles from Carrara (Italy) and Proconnesos (Asia Minor), and greco scritto from Hasancavuslar (Ephesos, Turkey). Coloured marbles, mainly africano, breccia di sciro, breccia medicea, cipollino verde, pavonazzetto and giallo antico, as well more prestigious lithotypes as granito misio, porfido rosso and serpentino, can be traced back to Italy, Greece (mainland and Aegean islands), Asia Minor, Egypt and North Africa. Particularly important is the earliest Roman in situ identification of breccia medicea. Compared to other Roman theatres in the Western Mediterranean, the Urbino theatre stands out for the sumptuousness of its marble renovation, especially in terms of the number of marble varieties. Like other Roman towns in central Adriatic Italy (e.g. Suasa, Trea and Urbs Salvia), Urvinum Mataurense shows a strong integration in the Roman Mediterranean marble trade, with a clear connection with the Greek/Eastern world.

Em busca de "likes": A influência das mídias sociais no comportamento do consumidor no consumo de viagens

The evolution of social networks has generated important reflections on inter-personal relationships in the contemporary world. This theme is of great economic and socio-cultural importance in tourism. The present study aims to understand the interactive consumption of shared experiences on the social networks and its influence on tourist destinations. A qualitative study was carried out, using in-depth interviews and projection techniques, to identify how social media produce constructs of identity, the effects of the search for popularity, the desire of self-exhibit and, the need for approval as motivating factors for the choice of any one tourist destination and for sharing the travel experience. These analyses go beyond the constructs already studied in the literature on tourism and marketing that link the influence of social networks to consumer behavior.

The Precocious Period: The Impact of Early Menarche on Schooling in India

This paper studies the impact of early onset of menstruation on school enrollment in India, where the onset of menstruation (menarche) has immense socio-cultural importance, and menarche marks a child's transition into womanhood. Estimates based on a difference-in-differences model show that starting menses before age twelve decreases school enrollment by 13\%. While understanding the role of menarche, a universal biological event for all women, in determining education is a critical end in itself, it also has implications for the effect of early nutrition on girls' well-being. Better-nourished girls typically reach menarche earlier, and if menarche impedes schooling, their gains due to better nutrition may be undercut. The effect of menarche on school enrollment is stronger if girls live in communities where the perceived safety among children is low or if they belong to social groups with restrictive gender norms. Conversely, dropout rates are lower in communities with higher expected wages for female-dominated professions. Jointly, these findings suggest that the interaction between cultural norms and the local economic opportunities shapes female education decisions in response to menses.

A sign of identity, power, and protection. Some remarks on the nonmilitary role of shields in the Przeworsk culture in the Early and Middle Roman Periods

Our knowledge of shields in Celto-Germanic societies north of the Danube River – especially among people of the Przeworsk Culture, the most ‘militarized’ archaeological culture in this part of Barbaricum – comes mainly from archaeological sources dated to the beginning of the Roman Period (mainly the first three centuries AD), as well as ancient texts (especially Tacitus’ works). However, due to the incompleteness of material relics (lack of wooden elements, etc.) and difficulties in interpretation of Roman references (as a result of their propaganda character, literary qualities), the sources are highly fragmented. It is therefore crucial to find archaeological analogies from different regions, and other kinds of sources, in order to come to know not only the appearance of barbarians’ shields, but primarily their sociocultural importance. As well, some ethnographic and historical analogies (relating to the Celtic, Anglo-Saxon or Norse cultures of the early medieval period) can be also taken as an explanation of ritual and symbolic functions of shields, and ways in which inhabitants of Central Europe could have used them in their ritualized forms of behaviour during the Roman period. Shields, as it turns out, were intended to signal identity of members of a retinue, family, or clan, to protect a warrior in combat, and to ward off evil (for example, by using them as apotropaic objects in funerary rituals), as well as to emphasize high social position, power and prestige of individuals. Finally, richly decorated shields could have served as valuable goods in ritual gift-exchange.

Semantic Modelling and Publishing of Traditional Data Collection Questionnaires and Answers

Extensive collections of data of linguistic, historical and socio-cultural importance are stored in libraries, museums and national archives with enormous potential to support research. However, a sizable portion of the data remains underutilised because of a lack of the required knowledge to model the data semantically and convert it into a format suitable for the semantic web. Although many institutions have produced digital versions of their collection, semantic enrichment, interlinking and exploration are still missing from digitised versions. In this paper, we present a model that provides structure and semantics to a non-standard linguistic and historical data collection on the example of the Bavarian dialects in Austria at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. We followed a semantic modelling approach that utilises the knowledge of domain experts and the corresponding schema produced during the data collection process. The model is used to enrich, interlink and publish the collection semantically. The dataset includes questionnaires and answers as well as supplementary information about the circumstances of the data collection (person, location, time, etc.). The semantic uplift is demonstrated by converting a subset of the collection to a Linked Open Data (LOD) format, where domain experts evaluated the model and the resulting dataset for its support of user queries.

Situational Analysis of Socio-Cultural Interaction of States Under Conditions of Globalization

The present article considers the possibilities of the paradigm of socio-cultural interaction when analyzing international relations. Traditional activity approaches in explaining this interaction are critically assessed, and the main situations of interstate interactions that have a socio-cultural importance are analyzed.The offered problematisation when studying global strategies of interstate relations in terms of socio-cultural interaction makes it possible to consider desirable strategies and scenarios for improving intercultural communication and international cooperation. Possible prospects on changing the basic benchmarks of the globalization processes based on socio-cultural interaction for its further humanization are outlined.The revealed mechanisms of the dynamics of socio-cultural interactions when moving from one situation of interaction to another, as well as the role of the cultural reality formed for this purpose and overcoming the one-sidedness of economism in international relations can provoke the researchers’ interest. The offered analysis of the situations of socio-cultural interaction enables the authors of the article to clarify some positive opportunities of the globalization in the overall civilization development and intercultural dialogue of all countries of the world community.The results given in the article in relation to studying the main reasons of the discrimination in interstate relations and offers on overcoming it by using the spiritual and moral potential of the world culture are also of great importance.

Natural regeneration potential and growth of degraded Shorea robusta Gaert n.f. forest in Terai region of Nepal

Sal (Shorea robusta ) has ecological, economical and socio-cultural importance. It is a dominant species in the Terai and Chure region of Nepal. Natural regeneration is the only relevant regeneration method for Sal in Nepal. This study intended to assess natural regeneration potential of Sal in ploughed and unploughed (control) sites. The study was carried out in Chetaradei of Kapilvastu district in an area of 4.79 ha. Two treatments (control and ground work i.e. ploughed) were applied to assess regeneration potential of Sal. The radius of the sample plots was 2 m, which were laid out systematically and the data were recorded from these plots in three consecutive years. Regeneration density was found higher in control site than ploughed site. T-test for regeneration density in three consecutive measurements showed that there was no significant difference between ploughed and unploughed conditions. The species composition was dominated by Sal in both ploughed and unploughed sites. Species diversity (Shannon Weiner) index was found higher in ploughed site than unploughed site in three consecutive measurements. Moreover, T-test showed that mean height of Sal was not significant in both ploughed and unploughed sites except in the first measurement. This study shows that protection from grazing and fire is essential for natural regeneration of Sal. However, ground work helps to increase tree species diversity but it is not necessary in degraded Sal forest.Banko JanakariA Journal of Forestry Information for NepalVol. 28, No. 1, 2018, page: 3-10

Resource Harvesting through a Systematic Deconstruction of the Residential House: A Case Study of the ‘Whole House Reuse’ Project in Christchurch, New Zealand

This study analyzes the case study of a deconstruction project called the ‘Whole House Reuse’ (WHR) which aimed, firstly, to harvest materials from a residential house, secondly, to produce new products using the recovered materials, and thirdly, to organize exhibition for the local public to promote awareness on resource conservation and sustainable deconstruction practices. The study applies characterization of recovered materials through deconstruction. In addition to the material recovery, the study assesses the embodied energy saving and greenhouse gas emissions abatement of the deconstruction project. Around twelve tons of various construction materials were harvested through a systematic deconstruction approach, most of which would otherwise be disposed to landfill in the traditional demolition approach. The study estimates that the recovered materials could potentially save around 502,158 MJ of embodied energy and prevent carbon emissions of around 27,029 kg (CO2e). The deconstruction could eventually contribute to New Zealand’s national emission reduction targets. In addition, the project successfully engages local communities and designers to produce 400 new products using the recovered materials and exhibits them to the local people. The study concludes that there is a huge prospect in regard to resource recovery, emission reduction, employment, and small business opportunities using deconstruction of the old house. The sociocultural importance of the WHR project is definitely immense; however, the greater benefits of such projects are often ignored and remain unreported to wider audiences as most of the external and environmental costs are not considered in the traditional linear economy. It is acknowledged that under a favorable market condition and with appropriate support from local communities and authorities, deconstruction could contribute significantly to resource conservation and environmental protection despite its requirement of labor-intensive efforts.

Springtime in the Delta: the Socio-Cultural Importance of Muskrats to Gwich’in and Inuvialuit Trappers through Periods of Ecological and Socioeconomic Change

Global socioeconomic and ecological changes strongly impact Indigenous communities by affecting food security, physical health, and overall wellbeing. Throughout the 1900s, residents of the Mackenzie Delta in Canada’s western Arctic relied heavily on the muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) for food, fur, and culture, but recent changes to ecological and economic conditions have altered the nature of this relationship. We investigated the role of muskrats in the cultural traditions and land-based livelihoods of the Gwich’in and Inuvialuit residents of the Mackenzie Delta through interviews and meetings with over 70 community members. Although the role of muskrats has changed over the last 100 years, muskrat harvesting continues to offer Delta residents a meaningful way to remain engaged in, perpetuate, and strengthen their cultural identity and land-based traditions among generations, and ultimately, to foster individual and community wellbeing.