Community Conflicts and Armed Militancy in Nigeria’s Niger Delta: Change and Continuity?

This article explores the complex relationship between communal conflicts and antistate armed militancy in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. Based on fieldwork in rural communities, the research found that individuals who emerged as dominant actors as a result of their involvement in communal conflict were at the forefront of antistate militancy. The article highlights the role of antistate militancy in the Niger Delta in the emergence of new elites in local communities. It argues that antistate militants who became new elites in local communities are now being integrated into the network of Nigeria’s ruling class. Meanwhile, ordinary civilians that were not involved in antistate militancy continue to contest the dominance of these new elites in local communities. This situation tends to perpetuate community conflicts in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.     

Quantity Does Not Always Mean Quality: The Importance of Qualitative Social Science in Conservation Research

Qualitative methods are important to gain a deep understanding of complex problems and poorly researched areas. They can be particularly useful to help explain underlying conservation problems. However, the significance in choosing and justifying appropriate methodological frameworks in conservation studies should be given more attention to ensure data are collected and analysed appropriately. We explain when, why, and how qualitative methods should be used and explain sampling strategies in qualitative studies. To improve familiarity with qualitative methods among natural scientists, we recommend expanding training in social sciences and increasing collaboration with social scientists. Given the scale of human impacts on the environment, this type of nuanced analytical skill is critical for progressing biodiversity conservation efforts.     

Environmental destruction as a counterinsurgency strategy in the Kurdistan region of Turkey

We examine environmental aspects of the conflict between the Turkish state and the insurgent Kurdistan Workers Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan or PKK). Since the early 1990s, several civil society groups have claimed that the Turkish army burned forests and destroyed other livelihood resources in the Kurdistan region of Turkey as it evacuated settlements. We report the results of a case study of destruction in Tunceli, eastern Turkey, undertaken in order to evaluate support for such claims. We demonstrate the use of geospatial techniques in case-specific approaches to the study of armed conflict. Through the analysis of satellite images, we verified eyewitness reports and confirmed that substantial burnings did indeed take place in the study area between 1991 and 1994. We argue that this destruction was not irrational or wanton, but that it was part of a strategy used by the Turkish army in the early 1990s that aimed at actively transforming the war environment.     

Human–wildlife conflict and gender in protected area borderlands: A case study of costs, perceptions, and vulnerabilities from Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal), India

Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) is a growing problem for communities located at the borders of protected areas. Such conflicts commonly take place as crop-raiding events and as attack by wild animals, among other forms. This paper uses a feminist political ecology approach to examine these two problems in an agricultural village located at the border of Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand (formerly Uttaranchal), India. Specifically, it investigates the following three questions: What are the “visible” and “hidden” costs of such conflict with wildlife? To what extent are these costs differentially borne by men and women? How do villagers perceive any such differences? Survey and interview data were collected from over 100 individuals in the study site over a period of 9 months in 2003–2004. It was found that for participants in this study, costs of HWC included decreased food security, changes to workload, decreased physical and psychological wellbeing, economic hardship, and at times an increase in illegal or dangerous activities. The research also showed that although women in the study area bore a disproportionate burden of these effects, roughly half of survey respondents perceived that men and women were equally affected. A possible explanation for this gap considers the relationships between gendered uses of space, work, status, and identity. The findings illustrate the importance of addressing both visible and hidden costs of HWC for members of park communities and support a call for increased gender-sensitivity in HWC research.     

动态多目标TSP中动态程度和目标冲突程度的度量

对动态多目标TSP的动态程度和目标冲突程度的度量问题进行了研究,首次给出了问题的动态程度和目标冲突程度的度量方法.根据这些方法,可计算出动态多目标TSP问题状态的变化程度和目标之间的冲突程度.它们对动态多目标TSP的算法设计具有重要的指导意义.     

Collaborative Management of Public Rangeland in Wyoming: Lessons in Co-Management

Collaborative processes are gaining acceptance as a means to integrate different values and interests in the management of natural resources. This paper examines one form of collaboration, Coordinated Resource Management (CRM), as it is being applied to public rangeland management in Wyoming. The study included personal and telephone interviews of participants in CRM groups, document review, and personal observation to understand how the process works to achieve consensus among diverse stakeholders. Groups used five mechanisms to deal with different values and interests in their processes: (1) elimination of unnecessary or “overlay” conflict; (2) limitation of values and visions considered; (3) use of broad goals to guide actions; (4) casting value differences as disagreement over facts; (5) a search for and faith in win-win solutions. These mechanisms vary in their usefulness for achieving co-management ideals. Where interests or values have come into open conflict, as in some conflict-resolution groups, CRM has had limited success. This paper suggests that successful co-management requires more than power-sharing structures. We have yet to develop highly effective processes that can work with conflicting interests. It is also argued that struggles among various interests for greater recognition (and hence power) will continue to undergird the power-sharing collaborative and co-management processes.     

中小比例尺下居民地综合及冲突处理

针对中小比例尺地形图上的散列式居民地较难进行自动化综合缩编的问题,该文对中小比例尺地形图上散列式居民地的综合过程及其冲突处理方法进行了研究。首先,通过探测邻近关系和分析空间特征,对居民地进行合并和选取,减少目标数,控制数量变化;进一步地通过模板匹配对单一的目标进行形状化简,控制表达变化。同时,针对其综合处理和符号化过程中可能出现的空间冲突,提出了基于Delaunay三角网模型的探测和处理方法。最后,给出了一套中小比例尺地形图上居民地要素的综合处理策略。该研究成果可规模化应用于中小比例尺综合缩编生产实践。     

基于GIS的“三规合一”信息联动平台的研究与应用

"三规合一"是针对国民经济和社会发展规划、城市总体规划、土地利用规划的统筹协调工作,是合理布局城乡空间,有效配置土地资源,促进土地节约集约利用,提高政府行政效能的前提和基础。然而,目前大多数城市"三规"责任部门分立,数据基础不一,给土地的规划、审批、利用带来了诸多问题,随着经济发展和城市化进程的推进,这些问题和矛盾越来越突出。本文以广州市为例,旨在介绍基于GIS及相关技术建立"三规合一"信息联动、并联审批、冲突协调等机制,在当前阶段为解决现有问题提供了一种思路。     

官厅水库跨区域水质改善政策的冲突分析

对永定河流域官厅水库跨区域的水资源冲突问题进行了分析,并利用F H冲突分析方法建立了模型。模型中将中央政府、上游政府、下游政府作为三个局中人,通过对局中人的偏好向量和结局稳定性分析,从18种局中人可选策略中优化得到2种均衡结局——完全合作结局和部分合作结局。其中完全合作结局,即北京市采用激励策略和控制策略、上游完全削减污染物,下游负担部分费用,合作结局最有可能发生。     

地图数据库图形输出中要素关系处理

本文提出了利用地图数据库的检索功能，建立要素图形输出的定量优先级、地理要素图形大小，及基于地图数据库的图形冲突位置的探测方法，并将要素图形输出中的关系划分为五种进行分别处理。