Participatory natural resource management: a comparison of four case studies

This paper presents an overview of four recent participatory resource management projects carried out on three continents. The aim is to elicit from these case studies a description of participatory process structures as well as an analysis of the driving forces behind the selection of stakeholders and their involvement in management projects. The case studies represent four different process structures set up to achieve two categories of process goal. They also suggest four main drivers in the design of such structures: process goals, existing power structures, process direction and stakeholder numbers. The concept of scale of action mismatch is introduced as directly affecting two out of four studies. Such mismatches reduce the chance of achieving the participation goals (e.g. greater equity and effectiveness) of the stakeholder involvement. The consequential need for greater institutional safeguards for participation is discussed

Engaging with community researchers for exposure science: lessons learned from a pesticide biomonitoring study

A major challenge in biomonitoring studies with members of the general public is ensuring their continued involvement throughout the necessary length of the research. The paper presents evidence on the use of community researchers, recruited from local study areas, as a mechanism for ensuring effective recruitment and retention of farmer and resident participants for a pesticides biomonitoring study. The evidence presented suggests that community researchers' abilities to build and sustain trusting relationships with participants enhanced the rigour of the study as a result of their on-the-ground responsiveness and flexibility resulting in data collection beyond targets expected

Pasts and pagan practices: moving beyond Stonehenge

Theorizing the past is not restricted to archaeology and interpretations of 'past' both influence and are themselves constituted within politicized understandings of self, community and in certain instances, spirituality. 'The past in the imagination of the present' is appropriated, variously, to give meaning to the present or to justify actions and interpret experiences. Summer solstice at Stonehenge, with an estimated 21,000 celebrants in 2005, is only the most publicized appropriation (by pagans and other adherents of alternative spirituality and partying) of a 'sacred site'; and conflicts and negotiations occurring throughout Britain are represented in popular and academic presentations of this 'icon of Britishness'. This paper presents work from the Sacred Sites, Contested Rites/Rights Project (http://www.sacredsites.org.uk) project, a collaboration of archaeology and anthropology informed by pagan and alternative approaches and standpoints investigating and theorizing discourse and practice of heritage management and pagan site users. Whether in negotiations around the Stonehenge solstice access or in dealing with numerous other sites, boundaries between groups or discourses are not clearly drawn - discursive communities merge and re-emerge. But clearly 'past' and 'site' are increasingly important within today's Britain, even as television archaeology increases its following, and pagan numbers continue to grow.</p

Finding needles in haystacks: linking scientific names, reference specimens and molecular data for Fungi

DNA phylogenetic comparisons have shown that morphology-based species recognition often underestimates fungal diversity. Therefore, the need for accurate DNA sequence data, tied to both correct taxonomic names and clearly annotated specimen data, has never been greater. Furthermore, the growing number of molecular ecology and microbiome projects using high-throughput sequencing require fast and effective methods for en masse species assignments. In this article, we focus on selecting and re-annotating a set of marker reference sequences that represent each currently accepted order of Fungi. The particular focus is on sequences from the internal transcribed spacer region in the nuclear ribosomal cistron, derived from type specimens and/or ex-type cultures. Re-annotated and verified sequences were deposited in a curated public database at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), namely the RefSeq Targeted Loci (RTL) database, and will be visible during routine sequence similarity searches with NR_prefixed accession numbers. A set of standards and protocols is proposed to improve the data quality of new sequences, and we suggest how type and other reference sequences can be used to improve identification of Fungi

Levels and enantiomeric signatures of methyl sulfonyl PCB and DDE metabolites in livers of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from the southern North Sea

The concentration of 26 methyl sulfonyl metabolites of polychlorinated biphenyls (MeSO2-PCBs) and of p,p'-DDE (MeSO2-DDE) were determined in 19 liver samples from harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) stranded between 1997 and 2000 on the Belgian and French North Sea Coasts. The total concentration of MeSO2-PCBs ranged from 39 to 4221 ng/g lipid weight (lw) and were generally higher in adults (age >2 yr, range 969-4221 ng/g lw) than in juveniles (age 0.73 or EF < 0.23) for the measured chiral MeSO2-PCB congeners was found in all samples. This result may suggest that one atropisomer may be preferentially formed in harbor porpoises or that the atropisomers are retained in a highly selective manner.Peer reviewe

“I’m only a dog!” : the Rwandan genocide, dehumanisation and the graphic novel

Graphic novels written in response to the 1994 Rwandan genocide do not confine their depictions of traumatic violence to humans, but extend their coverage to show how the genocide impacted on animals and the environment. Through analysis of the presentation of people and their relationships with other species across a range of graphic narratives, this article shows how animal imagery was used to justify inhumane actions during the genocide, and argues that representations of animals remain central to the recuperation processes in a post-genocide context too. Whilst novels and films that respond to the genocide have been the focus of scholarly work (Dauge-Roth, 2010), the graphic novel has yet to receive substantial critical attention. This article therefore unlocks the archive of French-, Dutch- and English-language graphic narratives written in response to the genocide by providing the first in-depth, comparative analysis of their animal representations. It draws on recent methodological approaches derived from philosophy (Derrida, [2008] trans. 2009), postcolonial ecocriticism (Huggan and Tiffin, 2010) and postcolonial trauma theory (Craps, 2012) in order show how human-centred strategies for recovery, and associated symbolic orders that forcefully position the animal outside of human law, continue to engender unequal and potentially violent relationships between humans, and humans and other species. In this way, graphic narratives that gesture towards more equitable relationships between humans, animals and the environment can be seen to support the processes of recovery and reconciliation in post-genocide Rwanda

The danger of heating mercury in dental surgeries

P

Evidence-based program implementation variability in new contexts : the Head Start REDI program

This study involved a pilot implementation of an evidence based school readiness intervention in new community contexts. The Head Start Research Based, Developmentally Informed (REDI) program was implemented in preschools on and near a Native American reservation with both indigenous and non-indigenous students and teachers. The REDI curriculum involved 5 subcomponents targeting children’s literacy skills and social-emotional development. Teachers were provided with inperson and on-line training and in-person implementation support from a REDI coach. Implementation fidelity included ratings of of curriculum dosage and child engagement, as well as coach ratings of teaching quality using a modified version of the Classroom Assessment Scoring Scale (CLASS). Teachers indicated which adaptations they made to the curriculum and the reasons for these adaptations. Teachers also completed qualitative, post-implementation interviews to obtain their impressions of REDI and the need for planned modifications in their context. Analyses included measures of implementation fidelity and qualitative evaluation of adaptations. Results indicated that teachers found the REDI program both feasible and helpful for their students. Suggestions for planned adaptations included more STEM activities and the freedom to choose the dialogic reading books. Many spontaneous adaptations were noted. Teachers indicated that pragmatic issues, such as lack of time, were the main reasons for adapting the program, and deletions and substitutions of curricular activities were the most common types of changes. Implementation of program subcomponents improved gradually over the course of the school year. Some subcomponents were more likely to be adapted than others.Welsh, J., Chilenski, S.M., Daniels, AM. et al. Evidence-Based Program Implementation Variability in New Contexts: The Head Start REDI Program. Early Childhood Educ J (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01648-