Equity and access in marine protected areas: The history and future of ‘traditional indigenous fishing’ in the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument

Marine protected areas (MPAs) – or sections of the ocean set aside where human activities such as fishing are restricted – have been growing in popularity as a marine conservation tool. As a result, it is important to examine the socioeconomic consequences of MPAs and how they may affect nearby communities. This study explores social and equity issues surrounding the designation of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, an MPA that includes protections around the three most northern islands in the US territory of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI). We gathered oral history interviews with 40 individuals from CMNI and Guam who had connections to the waters in the newly-designated MPA and reviewed key documents in order to (1) document historical and current use of the waters in the MPA and (2) consider the implications that proposed fishing regulations in the MPA may have for the local communities. Our study documented 129 trips to visit the waters in the MPA in living memory. We found that due to distance, trips to the MPA waters were rare but culturally significant events that provided residents from CNMI and Guam with connections to their indigenous roots. Regulation of fishing in the new MPA has the potential to directly and indirectly restrict local access to these culturally important waters. This research highlights the importance of better collaboration with local partners and better consideration of social and equity concerns in the siting and regulation of MPAs.     

Reconstruction of ‘technological pasts’: an appraisal of the ‘work history method’

To use the ‘work history method’ which is described in this article implies systematic collection and statistical treatment of information on technological change based on oral tradition. Important changes in the respondents' careers arc registered and, based on this information, a picture of the technological development at village level is constructed. The method, as applied in the two case studies of technological change in Sri Lankan and Malaysian fisheries, is described step by step. Finally, the limitations of the method and the possibility of gaining new knowledge through its use are described.     

The harmonious relationship between land use and environment in Xi’an

1 Introduction Generally, it is the urbanization that causes the structural change of landscape environment, and the structure, scale, benefit and effectiveness of LUCC are all the spatial appearance and important results of Xi’an’s urbanization. It no…     

China’s metropolises in transformation: neoliberalizing politics,land commodification,and uneven development in Beijing

ABSTRACT

Existing theory of urban transformation under neoliberalization describes cities as the institutional arena in and through which neoliberal strategies of urbanism emanate and are contested. Emphasis is placed on the interaction between state and market without paying adequate attention to their internal dynamics. This study of urban transformation in the Beijing metropolis identifies a distinct trajectory whereby commodification of urban land has been actively pursued in response to the decentralization of developmental responsibilities and recentralization of tax revenue collection instituted by the central state. An urban development strategy is practiced whereby land commodification, city planning, and mega event hosting are integrated and mutually reinforcing. The research shows a pattern of land commodification and development dominated by newly developed construction land in the near suburbs, and reveals a picture of increased spatial inequality and intensified social discontent as a consequence of city-centered land development. Contrary to popular perception of the state and market as diametrically opposed principles of political organization, the Chinese state is found to have transformed and reshuffled itself to embrace and take advantage of the market for its developmental agenda.     

Governance,Gender and the Appropriation of Natural Resources: A Case Study of ‘Left-Behind’ Women’s Collective Action in China

China’s rapid urbanization has created large scale of population migration, resulting in many villages being dominated by “left-behind” women, and weak governance of those collectively owned resources. The situation has required these women to take up the functions of decision-making and governance as a remedial mechanism as well as a new path. Based on a case study in a typical hollowing-out village in central China, this paper explores an example of left-behind women’s collective action to prevent the over-exploitation of community and resources. It finds out that although traditionally excluded from public activities and marginalized, the “left-behind” women were able to mobilize and enhance collective action. When empowered, they are growing fast with endurance and courage, and as capable as anyone of defending the common-pool resources. It suggests that the left-behind women offer a new governance option for those population hollowing out rural areas.     

Spatiotemporal mismatch of land use functions and land use efficiencies and their influencing factors:A case study in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River,China

Identification of the spatial mismatch between land use functions(LUFs) and land use efficiencies(LUEs) is essential to regional land use policies. However, previous studies about LUF-LUE mismatch and its driving factors have been insufficient. In this study, we explored the spatiotemporal mismatch of LUFs and LUEs and their influencing factors from 2000 to 2018 in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River(MRYR). Specifically, we used Spearman correlation analysis to reveal the trade-off relations...     

World heritage and landscape change – heritage buildings and their changed visibility in the coastal landscape of Vega,Norway

Part of the Vega archipelago in north-western Norway is a cultural landscape listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its buffer zone comprises most of the main island of Vega, where agriculture is an important land use. The authors describe interdisciplinary research carried out in the buffer zone. The research revealed the significant role of agriculture for the maintenance of the traditional open coastal landscape. The finding was further underlined by the fact that many visitors to the site never reach the outer archipelago, which is the core of the listed site. Based on interpretations of aerial photographs, land cover maps were produced for three cross-sections in time (1965, 1986, and 2009). A further reclassification of the land cover was performed to capture the change in openness due to change in land cover. Viewshed maps of each building found on the aerial photographs were overlain with the openness classes to capture the visual consequences of the buildings due to changes in land cover. A marked decrease in open land surrounding the buildings was found in the study area, which comprised Holand and Floa-Kjul in Vega Municipality, which in turn comprises the islands of the Vega archipelago. The regrowth of the land seemed to be happening regardless of building category.     

Creative destruction in urban planning procedures: the language of ‘renewal’ and ‘exploitation’21

This paper examines the language and phraseology of ‘creative destruction‘ (‘renewal‘ and ‘exploitation’) expressed in urban planning procedures concerning one particular house in West Jerusalem: 28 Radak Street. Through a forensic examination of the planning-related communications about this address, the work analyzes the various stages of the ’destruction’ and ’renewal’ of the property. It demonstrates how each of the various actors involved (Municipality, planning committees, legal courts, private entrepreneur and local residents) uses different language and phraseology to present their argument, while the voice of the original Palestinian owners of the house is entirely absent from the planning battle.     

A Critical Evaluation of Structural Reform Considerations in ‘Rates and Taxes: A Fair Share for Responsible Local Government’

In its landmark report entitled Rates and Taxes: A Fair Share for Responsible Local Government, the Commonwealth House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics, Finance and Public Administration (2003 Commonwealth House of Representatives Standing Committee On Economics, Finance and Public Administration [‘Hawker Report’] ( 2003 ) Rates and taxes: a fair share for responsible local government , Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra . [Google Scholar]) considered the plight of Australian local government given its very wide terms of reference involving local government's roles and responsibilities, current funding arrangements, municipal capacity, council expenditure, scope for rationalisation, and the findings of the Commonwealth Grants Commission Review (2001 Commonwealth Grants Commission (CGC) ( 2001 ) Review of the Operation of Local Government (Financial Assistance) Act 1995 , Canberra . [Google Scholar]) of the Local Government (Financial Assistance) Act 1995. The authors of the ‘Hawker Report’ brought down 18 recommendations, two of which dealt directly with the thorny question of structural reform. This paper seeks to provide a critical assessment of those aspects of the Report that concern structural reform in Australian local government.     

Doing NGO Work: the politics of being ‘civil society’ and promoting ‘good governance’ in Cambodia

Two fundamental pillars of what it is to be a contemporary NGO and ‘do’ development work are being a part of and promoting civil society, and extending ‘good governance’. This article will provide insights into how supposedly universally applicable concepts and models for NGOs to ‘improve’ post-conflict ‘developing countries’ are incorporated into different social and cultural landscapes. Ethnographic fieldwork highlights some of the particularities of governance, as well as everyday challenges of doing NGO work in a remote province of north-eastern Cambodia. In the context of an authoritarian government, where kinship relations cross-cut all aspects of society, NGOs can be understood as embedded in neo-patrimonial networks rather than as a separate and autonomous realm of society as classic liberal theory understands ‘civil society’. Fear also plays a significant role in configuring peoples’ attitude towards authority and is rarely acknowledged in the project of ‘good governance’ which simplistically tends to see post-colonial governments situated on a linear trajectory which will eventually, with significant NGO interventions, reach advanced liberal democracy status.     

Shrinking ‘Smart’?: Urban Redevelopment and Shrinkage in Youngstown,Ohio

Abstract

This article analyzes the impact of the much-heralded Youngstown 2010 Plan and the enacting of a program of “controlled” or “managed” shrinkage. It is argued that while the program of redevelopment has had an impact on Youngstown and its national image, it represents an exclusionary project that has centered on redeveloping downtown areas and neglected many city neighborhoods which continue to experience high levels of unemployment, vacancy, and crime. The analysis is situated in relation to the contemporary literature on “shrinking cities.” Youngstown's experience raises critical questions regarding the nature of the challenges facing shrinking cities, the constraints on actions available to them due to state and federal funding, and the coherence of the concept of “smart shrinkage.”     

The causes and environmental effects of land use conversion during agricultural restructuring in Northeast China

1IntroductionLand use change has received lots of attention internationally (Turner etal., 1994). Understanding of the mechanism of land use change and its adverse effect on the environment is conducive to understanding of population, resources, environment and sustainable economic development on the global, national and regional scales. With the rapid rise in human population, human-induced changes in land use form an important component of regional environmental change. In China, to emphasi…