Local Governance for Social Sustainability: equity as a strategic response to neoliberal constraints in food security initiatives

Scholarly literature recognises the importance of social sustainability as part of the wider sustainability agenda. A wide array of concepts such as equity, social justice, democratic government, social inclusion, social capital and quality of life are thought to constitute social sustainability. Local governments are charged with delivering social programs and services to their constituency, but market logics and performance-based institutional cultures, along with limited authority and funding, constrain their capacity to respond to new initiatives. We analyse two case studies in Victoria, Australia, to explore how elements of social sustainability are articulated and operationalised within local government. Each case study involved State-level and local government partnerships in health-promotion initiatives to improve food security. Analysis was conducted on 50 primary policy documents, 22 secondary data documents and 27 interviews. Findings reveal that a systems-based or integrated approach to social sustainability was not workable but not completely ineffective. Equity was prioritised by local government in both case studies, and well acknowledged as interconnected with other social goals. Although constrained in its capacity to deliver new initiatives, local government responded to neoliberalising ideologies, as well as its constituency, by strategically focusing on a particular goal, such as equity.     

Can Religion Account for Early Animal Domestications? A Critical Assessment of the Cultural Geographic Argument,Based on Near Eastern Archaeological Data*

Cultural geographers often ascribe early animal domestications to the spiritual propitiation practices of ancient peoples, an interpretation that is not widely shared. This paper evaluates the sacrifice theory against Near Eastern archaeological data and refutes the idea that ritual sacrifice could have induced the earliest animal domestications of the Near East. The earliest domestications were the outcome of essentially ecological and economic processes which later gave rise to the sacrificial practices referred to by cultural geographers.     

A sea bottom multichannel hydrophone array

The PUMA (Pull-Up Multichannel Array) is a sea-bottom instrument for remotely recording data from a 12 channel hydrophone array. Its purpose is to achieve (i) denser data coverage, leading to (ii) improved velocity analysis and (iii) multichannel processing of wide angle seismic data collected on the continental shelf. The instrument consists of a 1.2 km array terminating with a pressure case in which 8 FM cassette recorders, a power supply, microprocessor controller and internal clock are housed. It can be pre-programmed to switch on during shot windows for a total of four hours recording time.The PUMA was successfully used in an experiment west of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, U.K. in August–September 1984. We show an example of PUMA data from this experiment. Indications are that the instrument will provide improved constraints on seismic velocities in the lower continental crust and uppermost mantle.     

Geodynamic impact on the stable isotope signatures in a shallow epicontinental sea

Analyses were made of a mollusc‐based meta dataset of 859 δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O data of Miocene nearshore settings in the European Paratethys Sea and its descendant Lake Pannon. The observed trends document a strong tie to geodynamics, which are largely decoupled from Miocene open ocean isotope curves. Semi‐ to fully enclosed, initially marine water bodies such as the Paratethys Sea are prone to switching seawater isotope signatures because they respond rapidly to changes in the evaporation/precipitation ratio. Two phases of positive deviations of oxygen isotope values of water (relative to the modern ocean value, SMOW) occurred during the Middle Miocene; both were initiated by tectonic constrictions of the seaways and became amplified by global warming and regionally decreasing precipitation. With the final disintegration of the Paratethys, the marine isotope signatures vanish. Instead, the observed isotope trends suggest a comparably simple system of an alkaline lake with steadily declining salinity. The ‘ocean‐derived’ Paratethys Sea may thus act as a key for understanding isotope trends in epicontinental seas.     

Antarctica, Scott Base and its environs

Abstract: The landscape in the vicinity of Scott Base is one of the most singular of landscapes in the already unique environment of the Ross Sea Region of Antarctica. A rich history of human endeavour together with a broad range of physical features such as volcanoes, various glacial landforms, polar beaches and the Dry Valleys with their own glaciers, sand dunes and patterned ground must make it one of the most fascinating areas on earth. This paper highlights some of the more notable of these landscape features.     

Petrogenesis of lunar mare basalt meteorite Miller Range 05035

Abstract— Miller Range (MIL) 05035 is a low‐Ti mare basalt that consists predominantly of pyroxene (62.3 vol%) and plagioclase (26.4 vol%). Pyroxenes are strongly shocked and complexly zoned from augite (Wo₃₃) and pigeonite (Wo₁₇) cores with Mg# = 50–54 to hedenbergite rims. Coexisting pyroxene core compositions reflect crystallization temperatures of 1000 to 1100 °C. Plagioclase has been completely converted to maskelynite with signs of recrystallization. Maskelynite is relatively uniform in composition (An₉₄Ab₆–An₉₁Ab₉), except at contacts with late‐stage mesostasis areas (elevated K contents, An₈₂Ab₁₅Or₃). Symplectites (intergrowth of Fe‐augite, fayalite, and silica) of different textures and bulk compositions in MIL 05035 suggest formation by decomposition of ferro‐pyroxene during shock‐induced heating, which is supported by the total maskelynitization of plagioclase, melt pockets, and the presence of a relict pyroxferroite grain. Petrography and mineral chemistry imply that crystallization of MIL 05035 occurred in the sequence of Fe‐poor pyroxenes (Mg# = 50–54), followed by plagioclase and Fe‐rich pyroxenes (Mg# = 20–50), and finally hedenbergite, Fe‐Ti oxides, and minor late‐stage phases. Petrography, bulk chemistry, mineral compositions, and the age of MIL 05035 suggest it is possibly source crater‐paired with Asuka (A‐) 881757 and Yamato (Y‐) 793169, and may also be launch‐paired with Meteorite Hills (MET) 01210. MIL 05035 represents an old (?3.8–3.9 Ga), incompatible element‐depleted low‐Ti basalt that was not sampled during the Apollo or Luna missions. The light‐REE depleted nature and lack of Eu anomalies for this meteorite are consistent with an origin distant from the Procellarum KREEP Terrane, and genesis from an early cumulate mantle‐source region generated by extensive differentiation of the Moon.     

A model for conductive faults with non-matching grids

In this paper, we are interested in modeling single-phase flow in a porous medium with known faults seen as interfaces. We mainly focus on how to handle non-matching grids problems arising from rock displacement along the fault. We describe a model that can be extended to multi-phase flow where faults are treated as interfaces. The model is validated in an academic framework and is then extended to 3D non K-orthogonal grids, and a realistic case is presented.     

Multi-tracer assessment of seasonal water source changes in coastal water systems along the southeastern coast of Ivory Coast (West Africa)

ABSTRACT

Proper management of coastal freshwater resources depends on an understanding of processes controlling their chemistry and seasonal flowpaths. A quantitative approach involving the coupling of major solutes and isotopes (δ¹⁸O, δ²H) of 180 samples in end-member mixing analysis (EMMA) was adopted to elucidate seasonal patterns of hydraulic exchanges amongst coastal waters along the Ebrié Lagoon catchment, Ivory Coast. The results show that the Ebrié Lagoon is a hydrologically dynamic system. In the dry season, evaporation and seawater inflow are the dominating processes, while in the wet season, river discharge is the main water source in the lagoon. Regional geology plays a significant role in aquifer recharge patterns. The Quaternary aquifer responds faster to precipitation, while the Mio-Pliocene aquifer is recharged indirectly via floodplain seepages. Salinization of over 90% of wells arises from hydrological exchanges with the Ebrié Lagoon. A diluted seawater effect was recorded in wells during the wet season owing to the relative increase in freshwater inflow.     

Gorilla Tourism in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park,Uganda: An Actor-Network Perspective

This article performs actor-network theory (ANT) to examine the development of gorilla tourism at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. We depict a number of translations in which gorillas were designated and enrolled as coexisting with local livelihood practices, as “trophies” in the hunting network, “man's closest neighbor” in the scientific network, “endangered species” in the conservation network, and finally, through habituation processes, became part of the tourism network. These five versions of the “gorilla” network show how gorillas are shaped in and by the relations in which they reside. By examining Bwindi in terms of ANT's notions of ordering, materiality, and multiplicity, we not only show how gorilla tourism has gained permanence and popularity, but also draw attention to new ways of thinking about actors and agency in tourism, conservation, and development.