Access to historic environments for tourists with disabilities: a compromise?

Historic environments, the basis for heritage tourism, are difficult to access for people with disabilities. Many countries have introduced legislation to promote equal rights for people with disabilities. Historic environments, however, enjoy protection under national planning systems which limit the physical access improvements that can be made. The significance of historic environments for tourism in the UK is outlined. Barriers restricting tourists with disabilities accessing historic sites are reviewed from the heritage tourism service provider's viewpoint. Interests of the major stakeholders are considered in terms of the apparent conflict between conservation and access issues as heritage tourism service providers seek to comply with disability discrimination legislation. From a study of access improvements made by major heritage tourism service providers, good practice is identified. However, physical access improvements to enable tourists with disabilities to visit historic environments are a compromise because of the strength of conservation interests. Questions remain as to whether this compromise is acceptable to the tourist with disabilities and whether intellectual access is an acceptable substitute for physical presence.

Developing responsive preventative practices: key messages from children's and families' experiences of the Children's Fund

As part of the prevention and social inclusion agenda, the Children's Fund, set up in 2000, has developed preventative services for children at risk of social exclusion. Drawing on a large qualitative dataset of interviews conducted in 2004/05 with children, young people and their parents/carers who accessed Children Fund services, this article analyses key practices and approaches valued by children and parents. These included: specialist support tailored to individual support needs, family-oriented approaches, trusting relationships with service providers, multi-agency approaches and sustainability of services. Finally, the article draws out key lessons for the future development of preventative services.

Key features of the IPSL ocean atmosphere model and its sensitivity to atmospheric resolution

This paper presents the major characteristics of the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL) coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model. The model components and the coupling methodology are described, as well as the main characteristics of the climatology and interannual variability. The model results of the standard version used for IPCC climate projections, and for intercomparison projects like the Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP 2) are compared to those with a higher resolution in the atmosphere. A focus on the North Atlantic and on the tropics is used to address the impact of the atmosphere resolution on processes and feedbacks. In the North Atlantic, the resolution change leads to an improved representation of the storm-tracks and the North Atlantic oscillation. The better representation of the wind structure increases the northward salt transports, the deep-water formation and the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. In the tropics, the ocean–atmosphere dynamical coupling, or Bjerknes feedback, improves with the resolution. The amplitude of ENSO (El Niño-Southern oscillation) consequently increases, as the damping processes are left unchanged.

Unravelling the rationale of 'overgrazing' and stocking rates in the beef production systems of Central Brazil using a bi-criteria compromise programming model

In Central Brazil, the long-term sustainability of beef cattle systems is under threat over vast tracts of farming areas, as more than half of the 50 million hectares of sown pastures are suffering from degradation. Overgrazing practised to maintain high stocking rates is regarded as one of the main causes. High stocking rates are deliberate and crucial decisions taken by the farmers, which appear paradoxical, even irrational given the state of knowledge regarding the consequences of overgrazing. The phenomenon however appears inextricably linked with the objectives that farmers hold. In this research those objectives were elicited first and from their ranking two, ‘asset value of cattle (representing cattle ownership)' and ‘present value of economic returns', were chosen to develop an original bi-criteria Compromise Programming model to test various hypotheses postulated to explain the overgrazing behaviour. As part of the model a pasture productivity index is derived to estimate the pasture recovery cost. Different scenarios based on farmers' attitudes towards overgrazing, pasture costs and capital availability were analysed. The results of the model runs show that benefits from holding more cattle can outweigh the increased pasture recovery and maintenance costs. This result undermines the hypothesis that farmers practise overgrazing because they are unaware or uncaring about overgrazing costs. An appropriate approach to the problem of pasture degradation requires information on the economics, and its interplay with farmers' objectives, for a wide range of pasture recovery and maintenance methods. Seen within the context of farmers' objectives, some level of overgrazing appears rational. Advocacy of the simple ‘no overgrazing' rule is an insufficient strategy to maintain the long-term sustainability of the beef production systems in Central Brazil.

Unravelling the rationale of 'overgrazing' and stocking rates in the beef production systems of Central Brazil using a bi-criteria compromise programming model

In Central Brazil, the long-term, sustainability of beef cattle systems is under threat over vast tracts of farming areas, as more than half of the 50 million hectares of sown pastures are suffering from. degradation. Overgrazing practised to maintain high stocking rates is regarded as one of the main causes. High stocking rates are deliberate and crucial decisions taken by the farmers, which appear paradoxical, even irrational given the state of knowledge regarding the consequences of overgrazing. The phenomenon however appears inextricably linked with the objectives that farmers hold. In this research those objectives were elicited first and from their ranking two, 'asset value of cattle (representing cattle ownership and 'present value of economic returns', were chosen to develop an original bi-criteria Compromise Programming model to test various hypotheses postulated to explain the overgrazing behaviour. As part of the model a pasture productivity index is derived to estimate the pasture recovery cost. Different scenarios based on farmers' attitudes towards overgrazing, pasture costs and capital availability were analysed. The results of the model runs show that benefits from holding more cattle can outweigh the increased pasture recovery and maintenance costs. This result undermines the hypothesis that farmers practise overgrazing because they are unaware or uncaring caring about overgrazing costs. An appropriate approach to the problem of pasture degradation requires information on the economics,and its interplay with farmers' objectives, for a wide range of pasture recovery and maintenance methods. Seen within the context of farmers' objectives, some level of overgrazing appears rational. Advocacy of the simple 'no overgrazing' rule is an insufficient strategy to maintain the long-term sustainability of the beef production systems in Central Brazil. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring the determinants of CAP reform: A Delphi survey of key decision-makers

A panel of key decision-makers, closely involved in the 1992, 1999 and 2003 CAP reforms, participated in a Delphi survey designed to ascertain what had prompted the European Commission to launch these reform initiatives and what factors were relevant in determining the reform packages subsequently decided by the Council.

Key to the paper and social wasps of Central Europe (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

A determination key to the Central European paper wasps (Polistinae – Polistes Latreille, 1802 – eight species) and social wasps (Vespinae – 11 species: Vespa Linnaeus, 1758 – one species, Vespula Thomson, 1869 – four species, Dolichovespula Rohwer, 1916 – six species) is given. Distribution and biotope requirements of all species in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are briefly mentioned. All social wasps occur more or less regularly in both countries. Four paper wasps are relatively common but four other species (Polistes atrimandibularis Zimmermann, 1930, P. sulcifer Zimmermann, 1930, P. associus Kohl, 1898, and P. gallicus (Linnaeus, 1767)) are very rare with the Czech Republic and/or Slovakia at the northern edge of their range.

Comparative analysis by protocol and key of seed storage behaviour of sixty Vietnamese tree species

Seed storage behaviour of 5 1 native and 9 introduced tree species in Vietnam was investigated using a brief protocol developed to aid biodiversity conservation in circumstances where little is known about the seeds. Of the 60 species, 34 appeared to show orthodox (Acacia auriculaeformis, Adenanthera pavonina, Afzelia xylocarpa, Bauhinia purpurea, Callistemon lanceolatus, Cananga odorata, Canarium nigrum, Cassia fistula, Cassia javanica, Cassia splendida, Chukrasia tabularis, Dalbergia bariaensis, Dialium cochinchinensis, Diospyros mollis, Diospyros mun, Dracuntomelon duperreanum, Erythrophleum fordii, Khaya senegalensis, Lagerstroemia speciosa, Leucaena leucocephala, Livistona cochinchinensis, Markhamia stipulata, Melaleuca cajuputi, Millettia ichthyotona, Peltophorum pterocarpum, Peltophorum tonkinensis, Pinus khasya, Pinus massoniana, Pinus merkusii, Pterocarpus macrocarpus, Sindora siamensis, Sophora tonkinense, Sterculia foetida, Swietenia macrophylla), 13 recalcitrant (Avicennia alba, Beilschmiedia roxburghiana, Caryota mitis, Dimocarpus sp., Diospyros malabarica, Dipterocarpus chartaceus, Dypsis pinnatifrons, Hopea odorata, Lithocarpus gigantophylla, Machilus odoratissimus, Melanorrhoea laccifera, Melanorrhea usitata, Syzygium cinereum) and 13 intermediate (Anisoptera cochinchinensis, Aphanamixis polystachya, Averrhoa carambola, Carissa carandas, Chrysopylum cainito, Cinnamomum camphora, Citrofortunella microcarpa, Citrus grandis var. grandis, Elaeis guineensis, Hydnocarpus anthelmintica, Madhuca floribunda, Manilkara achras, Mimusops elengi) seed storage behaviour. A double-criteria key to estimate likely seed storage behaviour showed good agreement with the above: the key can reduce the workload of seed storage behaviour identification considerably.