Rural change and tourism in remote regions: Developments and Indigenous endeavour in Westland,Te Tai o Poutini,Aotearoa New Zealand

Remote rural areas have encountered significant change and the need for renegotiation of economic and social priorities in the late 20th and early 21st century. In our broader research, we ask how have such communities been responding to this change? What role have different organisations and agencies played? And, how have they acted on the aspirations of marginalised communities? In this paper we examine these issues through a case study of Westland District on the west coast of Aotearoa New Zealand's South Island. We probe the general shift towards prioritising tourism in the District, and highlight particular experiences in regard to Indigenous endeavour in tourism. We find that those engaged in leading local development and tourism have not collaborated strategically across the sector and have not established meaningful partnerships with the community that recognise both economic and socio‐cultural aspirations.     

Sustainable livelihoods approaches to inform government‐local partnerships and decision‐making in vulnerable environments

Sustainable livelihoods approaches used in international development are applied to a vulnerable New Zealand catchment. The Waiapu Catchment has a high proportion of indigenous residents, and is one of the most remote and deprived areas in the country. Linear and centralised approaches to indigenous development have failed to bring about desired changes. We identify “capitals” (social, human/political, physical, natural, financial and cultural) present in the catchment. From this assessment, we propose capital‐based holistic approaches to bring about community‐led change. The assessment and resulting approaches can be used in other vulnerable environments around the world.     

Tibetan Lake Expansion from a Pastoral Perspective: Local Observations and Coping Strategies for a Changing Environment

Global climate change is causing the majority of large lakes on the Tibetan Plateau to expand. While these rising lake levels and their causes have been investigated by hydrologists and glaciologists, their impacts on local pastoral communities have mostly been ignored. Our interviews with pastoralists in central Tibet reveal their observations and beliefs about Lake Serling’s expansion, as well as how its effects are interacting with current rangeland management policies. Interviewees reported that the most negative effects on their livelihoods have been reduced livestock populations and productivity due to the inundation of high-quality pastures by saline lake water. However, pastoralists’ collective efforts based on traditional values and norms of sharing, assistance, and reciprocity have helped them cope with these climate change impacts. These local, traditional coping strategies are particularly worthy of attention now, given that the transformation of traditional pastoralism is a goal of current government development initiatives.     

Reindeer Herders Without Reindeer. The Challenges of Joint Knowledge Production on Kolguev Island in the Russian Arctic

Kolguev Island in the Russian Arctic has a unique tundra ecosystem and an indigenous Nenets population whose livelihood is traditionally based on reindeer herding. The Nenets faced a major crisis in 2013–2014 when the reindeer population collapsed. Widely different explanations for this collapse were put forward. This lack of a shared perspective points at the failure of genuine joint knowledge production (JKP) in the island’s UNEP–GEF’s ECORA project (2004–2009). The ECORA project aimed to achieve integrated ecosystem management by stimulating dialog and mutual learning among indigenous people, state agencies, and scientists. This paper analyses the failure of ECORA’s JKP, using a recently developed framework of conditions for successful JKP. The results suggest that ECORA met none of these conditions. It failed at bringing the scientific and indigenous knowledge systems together, and the produced knowledge did not resonate with indigenous people’s perception of living in Kolguev.     

Plant functional traits and microbes vary with position on striped periglacial patterned ground at Glacier National Park,Montana

The retreating snowfields and glaciers of Glacier National Park, Montana, USA, present alpine plants with changes in habitat and hydrology. The adjacent and relic periglacial patterned ground consists of solifluction terraces of green, vegetation-rich stripes alternating with sparsely vegetated brown stripes. We established georeferenced transects on striped periglacial patterned ground for long-term monitoring and data collection on species distribution and plant functional traits at Siyeh Pass and at Piegan Pass at Glacier National Park. We documented species distribution and calculated the relative percent cover (RPC) of qualitative functional traits and used 16S rRNA from soil samples to characterize microbial distribution on green and brown stripes. Plant species distribution varied significantly and there were key differences in microbial distribution between the green and brown stripes. The rare arctic-alpine plants Draba macounii, Papaver pygmaeum, and Sagina nivalis were restricted to brown stripes, where the RPC of xeromorphic taprooted species was significantly higher at the leading edge of the Siyeh Pass snowfield. Brown stripes had a higher percentage of the thermophilic bacteria Thermacetogenium and Thermoflavimicrobium. Green stripes were co-dominated by the adventitiously-rooted dwarf shrubs Salix arctica and the possibly N-fixing Dryas octopetala. Green stripes were inhabited by Krummholz and seedlings of Abies lasiocarpa and Pinus albicaulus. Prosthecobacter, a hydrophilic bacterial genus, was more abundant on the green stripes, which had 6,524 bacterial sequences in comparison to the 1,183 sequences from the brown stripes. While further research can determine which functional traits are critical for these plants, knowledge of the current distribution of plant species and their functional traits can be used in predictive models of the responses of alpine plants to disappearing snowfields and glaciers. This research is important in conservation of rare arctic-alpine species on periglacial patterned ground.

     

The significance of microbial processes in hydrogeology and geochemistry

2 (methanogenesis). In aquifers contaminated by anthropogenic contaminants, an excess of available organic carbon often exists, and microbial metabolism is limited by the availability of electron acceptors. In addition to changes in groundwater chemistry, the solid matrix of the aquifer is affected by microbial processes. The production of carbon dioxide and organic acids can lead to increased mineral solubility, which can lead to the development of secondary porosity and permeability. Conversely, microbial production of carbonate, ferrous iron, and sulfide can result in the precipitation of secondary calcite or pyrite cements that reduce primary porosity and permeability in groundwater systems. Received, January 1999/Revised, July 1999, August 1999/Accepted, October 1999     

深海产低温碱性淀粉酶菌Halomonas sp.W7的筛选及发酵条件研究

从27份深海沉积物中筛选到30株产淀粉酶细菌,并对其中的W7菌株的产酶条件及酶学性质进行了研究。对W7菌株进行16SrDNA序列分析表明该菌株属于盐单胞菌属(Halomonas)。其最适生长温度为25℃,能适应pH值7～13和盐度0～100的环境条件。该菌株可利用多种碳源,但只在淀粉存在的条件下产酶,可利用有机氮源和无机氮源,但有机氮源更能促进淀粉酶的产生。产酶的最适条件为:25℃,pH10,接种量2%,盐度50,150r/min摇床培养36～48h。粗酶液的最适作用温度为40℃,最适pH值为10。该菌具有反硝化和氨化活性。     

THE MOST PERFECT EXAMPLE OF AN ALIEN ECOLOGY EVER CONSTRUCTED

Much science-fiction literature is based upon the creation and exploration of alternative environments. Stanley G. Weinbaum's short story, “Parasite Planet,”introduces an unusual environment that may be wrong in the light of recent evidence on Venus but still stimulates the geographical imagination.     

云南石林景区主要乡土植物物候特征的初步研究

为掌握石林景区主要乡土植物物候节律,选择25科35种乡土植物,对其物候特征与同期主要气象因子进行了2 a平行观测。结果表明,在2月气温达到10℃,有46%的植物开始萌动;3月气温持续增高并超过15℃,展叶的植物最多,占57.1%;开花期集中在3~6月,尤其在5月温度超过20℃,有82.9%的树种开花;果实成熟期则分散在4~12月。各个物候期的平均温度和≥5℃积温与植物物候表现较为密切,光照和温度对植物开花和结实期影响较大。根据乡土植物物候特征,结合喀斯特山地自然景观特点和景区适配植物群落建设,提出“石中有树,树中有石”的配置原则,筛选在时空格局上适应喀斯特山地环境的观赏植物,构建出与石林喀斯特景观相协调的植被景观,增加景区景观和生态价值,提升景区的内涵。     

四川盆地早古生代灰泥丘中的微生物及其造岩和成丘作用

作为生物礁的特殊类型,灰泥丘在古生代十分发育,许多学者都认为它们是通过微生物造岩作用而形成的,而且,也在现代湖泊中发现了由兰菌藻的生命活动所形成的灰泥沉积物及灰泥丘。但是国际上一直没有在古生代灰泥丘中发现过细菌等微生物的实体化石,微生物促使碳酸钙沉淀、聚集的能力和机理也不明确。四川盆地北缘寒武纪和志留纪灰泥丘发育,笔者通过扫描电镜及能谱分析,在国际上首次发现了 (川西北志留纪 )灰泥丘中菌藻类微生物的实体化石及其特征的造岩成丘现象,发现的菌藻类微生物实体化石有三种类型 :1.表面光滑的卵形球体型;2.表面粗糙的椭球体型;3.网状结构型。而且,对寒武纪和志留纪灰泥丘凝块石作生物标志化合物分析也证明了其有机质生源为菌藻类微生物。这些凝块石灰泥丘中的菌藻类实体化石都显示了不同的沉积、造岩和成丘功能,因而证实了微生物在形成古生代灰泥丘中具重要作用。