Territorial quality and sustainable development : Indicators of performance in the context of a model for participatory rural tourism certification

El turismo rural ha sido incorporado por peque��os establecimientos agropecuarios del partido de Cnel. Su��rez, provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, como actividad alternativa para mejorar la calidad de vida de sus miembros y superar situaciones de crisis agravadas por la marginalidad productiva del SO bonaerense, regi��n a la que pertenecen. Bajo el programa Cambio Rural del INTA (Instituto Nacional de Tecnolog��a Agropecuaria) conforman el Grupo 'Cortaderas II', junto a otros emprendedores interesados en valorar el medio rural. Han avanzado en el proceso de reconocimiento de su identidad y puesta en valor de recursos espec��ficos con anclaje en el territorio. Esta identidad comienza a apreciarse internamente, a ra��z de la din��mica grupal lograda y la incipiente articulaci��n con otros actores para la construcci��n de un partenariado p��blico y privado que genere sinergias y contribuya al desarrollo sustentable del territorio. Sin embargo, a��n no es claramente percibida por el turista, cada vez m��s exigente. Por lo tanto, el presente trabajo persigue proponer indicadores para evaluar el desempe��o de un Sistema de Gesti��n de Calidad con enfoque territorial que, adaptando el modelo europeo 'Marca de Calidad Territorial', sustente una estrategia comercial de diferenciaci��n del servicio y simult��neamente, mida el progreso hacia una mejor calidad de vida y fortalecimiento de v��nculos con la cultura local y el entorno f��sico-natural en el marco del desarrollo sustentable. La investigaci��n se plantea para la micro escala, ya que se trata de un estudio de caso, relev��ndose informaci��n primaria mediante observaci��n directa y entrevistas semi-estructuradas, complementada con informaci��n secundaria diagn��stica utilizada por INTA. Las caracter��sticas del grupo y su din��mica de funcionamiento bajo el programa Cambio Rural revelan que es posible adoptar un proceso de certificaci��n participativa propuesto para cuatro pilares de la calidad: de Bienes y Servicios, Institucional, Social y Ambiental. El modelo se integra con indicadores de evaluaci��n de desempe��o, agrupados en ��reas clave para cada una de las dimensiones de la sustentabilidad, que contemplan el paisaje y la gesti��n de los recursos naturales; el impacto econ��mico de la actividad, la calidad de la oferta y satisfacci��n del turista; as�� como las relaciones sociales internas y los v��nculos con otros actores del territorio. Principalmente se encontraron fortalezas en la b��squeda de partenariados y debilidades en aspectos de comunicaci��n y promoci��n. Se considera que este sistema de herramientas de gesti��n sustentable permitir��a superar las dificultades de una certificaci��n individual, pudiendo aplicarse a emprendimientos con otra ubicaci��n geogr��fica

Territorial quality and sustainable development : Indicators of performance in the context of a model for participatory rural tourism certification

El turismo rural ha sido incorporado por peque��os establecimientos agropecuarios del partido de Cnel. Su��rez, provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, como actividad alternativa para mejorar la calidad de vida de sus miembros y superar situaciones de crisis agravadas por la marginalidad productiva del SO bonaerense, regi��n a la que pertenecen. Bajo el programa Cambio Rural del INTA (Instituto Nacional de Tecnolog��a Agropecuaria) conforman el Grupo 'Cortaderas II', junto a otros emprendedores interesados en valorar el medio rural. Han avanzado en el proceso de reconocimiento de su identidad y puesta en valor de recursos espec��ficos con anclaje en el territorio. Esta identidad comienza a apreciarse internamente, a ra��z de la din��mica grupal lograda y la incipiente articulaci��n con otros actores para la construcci��n de un partenariado p��blico y privado que genere sinergias y contribuya al desarrollo sustentable del territorio. Sin embargo, a��n no es claramente percibida por el turista, cada vez m��s exigente. Por lo tanto, el presente trabajo persigue proponer indicadores para evaluar el desempe��o de un Sistema de Gesti��n de Calidad con enfoque territorial que, adaptando el modelo europeo 'Marca de Calidad Territorial', sustente una estrategia comercial de diferenciaci��n del servicio y simult��neamente, mida el progreso hacia una mejor calidad de vida y fortalecimiento de v��nculos con la cultura local y el entorno f��sico-natural en el marco del desarrollo sustentable. La investigaci��n se plantea para la micro escala, ya que se trata de un estudio de caso, relev��ndose informaci��n primaria mediante observaci��n directa y entrevistas semi-estructuradas, complementada con informaci��n secundaria diagn��stica utilizada por INTA. Las caracter��sticas del grupo y su din��mica de funcionamiento bajo el programa Cambio Rural revelan que es posible adoptar un proceso de certificaci��n participativa propuesto para cuatro pilares de la calidad: de Bienes y Servicios, Institucional, Social y Ambiental. El modelo se integra con indicadores de evaluaci��n de desempe��o, agrupados en ��reas clave para cada una de las dimensiones de la sustentabilidad, que contemplan el paisaje y la gesti��n de los recursos naturales; el impacto econ��mico de la actividad, la calidad de la oferta y satisfacci��n del turista; as�� como las relaciones sociales internas y los v��nculos con otros actores del territorio. Principalmente se encontraron fortalezas en la b��squeda de partenariados y debilidades en aspectos de comunicaci��n y promoci��n. Se considera que este sistema de herramientas de gesti��n sustentable permitir��a superar las dificultades de una certificaci��n individual, pudiendo aplicarse a emprendimientos con otra ubicaci��n geogr��fica

Territorial quality and sustainable development : Indicators of performance in the context of a model for participatory rural tourism certification

El turismo rural ha sido incorporado por peque��os establecimientos agropecuarios del partido de Cnel. Su��rez, provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, como actividad alternativa para mejorar la calidad de vida de sus miembros y superar situaciones de crisis agravadas por la marginalidad productiva del SO bonaerense, regi��n a la que pertenecen. Bajo el programa Cambio Rural del INTA (Instituto Nacional de Tecnolog��a Agropecuaria) conforman el Grupo 'Cortaderas II', junto a otros emprendedores interesados en valorar el medio rural. Han avanzado en el proceso de reconocimiento de su identidad y puesta en valor de recursos espec��ficos con anclaje en el territorio. Esta identidad comienza a apreciarse internamente, a ra��z de la din��mica grupal lograda y la incipiente articulaci��n con otros actores para la construcci��n de un partenariado p��blico y privado que genere sinergias y contribuya al desarrollo sustentable del territorio. Sin embargo, a��n no es claramente percibida por el turista, cada vez m��s exigente. Por lo tanto, el presente trabajo persigue proponer indicadores para evaluar el desempe��o de un Sistema de Gesti��n de Calidad con enfoque territorial que, adaptando el modelo europeo 'Marca de Calidad Territorial', sustente una estrategia comercial de diferenciaci��n del servicio y simult��neamente, mida el progreso hacia una mejor calidad de vida y fortalecimiento de v��nculos con la cultura local y el entorno f��sico-natural en el marco del desarrollo sustentable. La investigaci��n se plantea para la micro escala, ya que se trata de un estudio de caso, relev��ndose informaci��n primaria mediante observaci��n directa y entrevistas semi-estructuradas, complementada con informaci��n secundaria diagn��stica utilizada por INTA. Las caracter��sticas del grupo y su din��mica de funcionamiento bajo el programa Cambio Rural revelan que es posible adoptar un proceso de certificaci��n participativa propuesto para cuatro pilares de la calidad: de Bienes y Servicios, Institucional, Social y Ambiental. El modelo se integra con indicadores de evaluaci��n de desempe��o, agrupados en ��reas clave para cada una de las dimensiones de la sustentabilidad, que contemplan el paisaje y la gesti��n de los recursos naturales; el impacto econ��mico de la actividad, la calidad de la oferta y satisfacci��n del turista; as�� como las relaciones sociales internas y los v��nculos con otros actores del territorio. Principalmente se encontraron fortalezas en la b��squeda de partenariados y debilidades en aspectos de comunicaci��n y promoci��n. Se considera que este sistema de herramientas de gesti��n sustentable permitir��a superar las dificultades de una certificaci��n individual, pudiendo aplicarse a emprendimientos con otra ubicaci��n geogr��fica

Naval Station Rota reptile and amphibian survey

This report summarizes the results of a herpetofauna (reptile and amphibian) survey at Naval Station Rota (NAVSTA Rota), Spain conducted during June and October 2008, March 2009 and July 2010. The main objective of this investigation was to develop an inventory of herpetofauna, including their base-wide distribution and habitat use. Data from these surveys was used to supplement information in the 2010 Cultural/Natural Resources Management User's Guide and can also be used for environmental planning, natural resource management and conservation. Prior to this survey, only cursory field work had been conducted on the station for herpetofauna with the exception of the common chameleon (Chamaleo chamaeleon). A comprehensive population count and habitat assessment for the common chameleon was conducted in September 2001.

Participatory modeling for sustainable development in water and agrarian systems: potential and limits of stakeholder involvement

Public participation is increasingly advocated as a necessary feature of natural resources management. The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) is such an example, as it prescribes participatory processes as necessary features in basin management plans (EC 2000). The rationale behind this mandate is that involving interest groups ideally yields higher-quality decisions, which are arguably more likely to meet public acceptance (Pahl-Wostl, 2006). Furthermore, failing to involve stakeholders in policy-making might hamper the implementation of management initiatives, as controversial decisions can lead pressure lobbies to generate public opposition (Giordano et al. 2005, Mouratiadou and Moran 2007).

Urban Forestry Program : College of Agricultural, Family & Consumer Sciences : undergraduate studies [and] graduate studies /

"The purpose of this program is to enhance the attractiveness of natural resources management careers to African-Americans"--P. 5.

Food and nutrition security and the eradication of hunger CELAC 2025: Furthering discussion and regional cooperation

The region of Latin America and the Caribbean can boast a successful track record in the process of eradicating hunger: it is the only region in the world that has halved both the proportion of people who suffer from hunger (the target set in the Millennium Development Goals) and their absolute number (the target set at the World Food Summit of 1996). This publication aims to provide the region���s countries with up-todate and timely information on the status of food and nutrition security; on the role in eradicating hunger played by the different areas such as agriculture, agrifood trade and natural resources management; and on the possibility of successfully addressing the twin burden of malnutrition, in a context where the effects of climate change could threaten the progress achieved in Latin America and the Caribbean thus far. The CELAC Plan for Food and Nutrition Security and the Eradication of Hunger 2025 is a cross-cutting tool for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and it thus encourages the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to redouble their efforts to identify key policy areas that will make it possible to speed up and consolidate the process of eradicating hunger and tackle the twin burden of malnutrition in the region, in which overweight and obesity are increasingly adding to that scourge.

Sustentabilidade do cultivo de mel��o no assentamento S��o Rom��o em Mossor��/RN

Agriculture is one of the most discussed topics currently in the conceptual field of sustainability. The debates are increasingly recurrent and put in question the model adopted from post-war, so-called green revolution, for its potential of degradation of natural resources. This type of Agriculture put Brazil at the top of the global agribusiness, where stands out in various sectors such as grain, meat, sugar and horticulture. Discussions are focused on aspects related to the use of agrochemicals, monoculture, conversion of native forest in extensive agricultural areas, among other points taken as deleterious to environmental balance. On the other hand, there is a model, called by family farming, which for many researchers, has attributes closer to the understanding of sustainable agriculture. In the state of Rio Grande do Norte, the agricultural potential lies mainly on horticulture, where stands the agropolo AcuMossor��, as one of the greatest tropical fruit producing regions of Brazil, being melon, the major fruit produced. The cultivation of this vegetable was developed in the region in the late 1980s, from the investment of large agricultural enterprises, whose cultivation techniques were grounded by the green revolution. Currently, the melon cultivation is also developed in agroecosystems whose management is characterized by family participation, including small farmers of rural settlements created by Instituto Nacional de Coloniza����o e Reforma Agr��ria (INCRA). In view of the inclusion of family farming in a field that recently was dominated by large agribusiness companies, some questions arise about the maintenance of attributes that characterise this type of family agriculture management. This research aimed to assess the sustainability of family agroecosystems in S��o Rom��o settlement in Mossor��-RN, cultivated with melon. The study was conducted by the Framework for Evaluation of Natural Resources Management Systems Incorporating Sustainability Indicators (MESMIS), in ten agroecosystems of the mentioned settlement. The data were obtained from semi-structured interviews and field observations, so that the answers, considerations and comments made by settlers, were widely used to cycle through the six steps of the MESMIS evaluation. As a result of the work, were determined seven critical points affecting sustainability, being: water resources, soils, reliance on external inputs, biodiversity, quality of life, family income and community organizing, from which was derived twenty-three indicators that sought to reflect the actual state of sustainability of the agroecosystems

Assessing Non-market Benefits of Seagrass Restoration in the Gulf of Gda��sk

Seagrass meadows (Zostera marina) are an important ecosystem in the coastal environment of the Baltic Sea. This study employs a discrete choice experiment to value a set of non-market benefits provided by seagrass meadows in the Gulf of Gda��sk, Poland. The benefits valued in this study are a reduction of filamentous algae in the water and on the beach; access to seagrass meadows for boaters and divers; and improved water clarity. Results show significant willingness to pay for each attribute and differences of value estimates across different groups of survey respondents. It is discussed how to link choice attributes and estimated values with established ecosystem benefit categories in order to facilitate value transfer.

The Effect of Marine Protected Areas on Fishers' Income in the Philippines

The fisheries sector is vital to the Philippine economy, providing substantial employment and income, contributing export earnings, and meeting local food security and nutrition requirements. To protect coastal and marine habitat and to sustain fisheries, over 1000 marine protected areas (MPAs) have been established, in the Philippines. This paper provides empirical evidence on the variance of net revenues linked with MPA establishment and the possible range of relocation costs for fishing effort displaced by an MPA. A total of 424 households were randomly selected from 18 barangays (villages) adjacent to MPAs in three regions in the Philippines. Results show that incomes decrease significantly for both fulltime and seasonal types of fishers after 1-3 years of MPA establishment. The loss occurring through MPA is higher than expected and at least on the short run (up to 4 years) the spill-over effect does not compensate. This information helped to determine the necessary conditional cash transfers for coastal communities who are highly dependent on coastal and marine resources.

Measurement of the Ocean Economy From National Income Accounts to the Sustainable Blue Economy

The widespread efforts to incorporate the economic values of oceans into national income accounts have reached a stage where coordination of national efforts is desirable. A symposium held in 2015 began this process by bringing together representatives from ten countries. The symposium concluded that a definition of core ocean industries was possible but beyond that core the definition of ocean industries is in flux. Better coordination of ocean income accounts will require addressing issues of aggregation, geography, partial ocean industries, confidential, and imputation is also needed. Beyond the standard national income accounts, a need to incorporate environmental resource and ecosystem service values to gain a complete picture of the economic role of the oceans was identified. The U.N. System of Environmental and Economic Accounts and the Experimental Ecosystem Service Accounts provide frameworks for this expansion. This will require the development of physical accounts of environmental assets linked to the economic accounts as well as the adaptation of transaction and welfare based economic valuation methods to environmental resources and ecosystem services. The future development of ocean economic data is most likely to require cooperative efforts at development of metadata standards and the use of multiple platforms of opportunity created by policy analysis, economic development, and conservation projects to both collect new economic data and to sustain ocean economy data collection into the future by building capacity in economic data collection and use..

EVALUATION AND MONITORING OF ASH (FRAXINUS SPP.) TOLERANT TO LONG-TERM EMERALD ASH BORER (AGRILUS PLANIPENNIS [COLEOPTERA: BUPRESTIDAE]) EXPOSURE

Invasive insects that successfully establish in introduced areas can significantly alter natural communities. These pests require specific establishment criteria (e.g. host suitability) that, when known, can help quantify potential damage to infested areas. Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis [Coleoptera: Buprestidae]) is an invasive phloem-feeding pest which is responsible for the death of millions of ash trees (Fraxinus spp. L.). Over 200 surviving ash trees were previously identified in the Huron-Clinton Metroparks located in southeast Michigan. Trees were assessed over a four year period and a hierarchical cluster analysis was performed on dieback, vigor, and presence of signs and symptoms, in order to place trees into one of three tolerance groups. The clustering of trees with different responses to emerald ash borer attack suggests that there are different tolerance levels in North American ash trees in southeastern Michigan, and these groups were designated as apparently tolerant, not tolerant and intermediate tolerance. Adult landing rates and evidence of adult emergence were significantly lower in the apparently tolerant group compared with the not tolerant group, but larval survival from eggs placed on trees did not differ between tolerance groups. Therefore, it appears that apparently tolerant trees survive because they are less attractive to adult beetles which results in fewer eggs being laid on them. Trees in the apparently tolerant group remained of higher vigor over the four years of the study. North American ash may survive the emerald ash borer epidemic due to natural variation and inherent resistance regardless of the lack of co-evolutionary history with emerald ash borer.

APPLICATION OF AN IMPUTATION METHOD FOR GEOSPATIAL INVENTORY OF FOREST STRUCTURAL ATTRIBUTES ACROSS MULTIPLE SPATIAL SCALES IN THE LAKE STATES, U.S.A.

Credible spatial information characterizing the structure and site quality of forests is critical to sustainable forest management and planning, especially given the increasing demands and threats to forest products and services. Forest managers and planners are required to evaluate forest conditions over a broad range of scales, contingent on operational or reporting requirements. Traditionally, forest inventory estimates are generated via a design-based approach that involves generalizing sample plot measurements to characterize an unknown population across a larger area of interest. However, field plot measurements are costly and as a consequence spatial coverage is limited. Remote sensing technologies have shown remarkable success in augmenting limited sample plot data to generate stand- and landscape-level spatial predictions of forest inventory attributes. Further enhancement of forest inventory approaches that couple field measurements with cutting edge remotely sensed and geospatial datasets are essential to sustainable forest management. We evaluated a novel Random Forest based k Nearest Neighbors (RF-kNN) imputation approach to couple remote sensing and geospatial data with field inventory collected by different sampling methods to generate forest inventory information across large spatial extents. The forest inventory data collected by the FIA program of US Forest Service was integrated with optical remote sensing and other geospatial datasets to produce biomass distribution maps for a part of the Lake States and species-specific site index maps for the entire Lake State. Targeting small-area application of the state-of-art remote sensing, LiDAR (light detection and ranging) data was integrated with the field data collected by an inexpensive method, called variable plot sampling, in the Ford Forest of Michigan Tech to derive standing volume map in a cost-effective way. The outputs of the RF-kNN imputation were compared with independent validation datasets and extant map products based on different sampling and modeling strategies. The RF-kNN modeling approach was found to be very effective, especially for large-area estimation, and produced results statistically equivalent to the field observations or the estimates derived from secondary data sources. The models are useful to resource managers for operational and strategic purposes.

Evaluating Karner Blue Butterfly (Lycaeides Melissa Samuelis Nabokov) Habitat Selection in the State of Wisconsin, USA

The federally endangered Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis Nabokov) persists in rare oak/pine grassland communities spanning across the Great Lakes region, relying on host plant wild blue lupine (Lupinus perennis). Conservation efforts since 1992 have led to the development of several programs that restore and monitor habitat. This study aims to evaluate Karner blue habitat selection in the state of Wisconsin and develop high-resolution tools for use in conservation efforts. Spatial predictive models developed during this study accurately predicted potential habitat across state properties based on soils and canopy cover, and identified ~51-100% of Karner blue occurrences based on lupine and shrub/tree cover, and focal nectar plant abundance. When evaluated relative to American bison (Bison bison), Karner blues and lupine were more likely to occur in areas of low disturbance, but aggregated where bison were recently present in areas of moderate/high disturbance. Lupine C:N ratio increased relative to cover of shrubs/trees and focal nectar plant abundance and decreased relative to cover of groundlitter. Karner blue density increased with lupine C:N ratio, decreased with nitrogen content, and was not related to phenolic levels. We strongly suggest that areas of different soil textures must be managed differently and that maintenance techniques should generate a mix of shrubs/tree cover (10-45%), groundlitter cover (~10-40%), >5% cover of lupine, and establish an abundance of focal nectar plants. This study provides unique tools for use in conservation and should aid in focusing management efforts and recovery of this species.

REVIEW OF FACTORS AFFECTING SUSTAINABILITY IN THE UNIVERSITIES

Purpose ��� The focus of this research is to find out a meaningful relationship between adopting sustainability practices and some of the characteristics of institutions of higher education (IHE). IHE can be considered as the best place to promote sustainability and develop the culture of sustainability in society. Thus, this research is conducted to help developing sustainability in IHE which have significant direct and indirect impact on society and the environment. Design/methodology/approach ��� First, the sustainability letter grades were derived from ���Greenreportcard.org��� which have been produced based on an evaluation of each school in nine main categories including: Administration, Climate Change & Energy, Food & Recycling, etc. In the next step, the characteristics of IHE as explanatory variables were chosen from ���The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System��� (IPEDS) and respective database was implemented in STATA Software. Finally, the ���ordered-Probit Model��� is used through STATA to analyze the impact of some IHE���s factor on adopting sustainability practices on campus. Finding - The results of this analysis indicate that variables related to ���Financial support��� category are the most influential factors in determining the sustainability status of the university. ���The university features��� with two significant variables for ���Selectivity��� and ���Top 50 LA��� can be classified as the second influential category in this table, although the ���Student influence��� is also eligible to be ranked as the second important factor. Finally, the ���Location feature��� of university was determined with the least influential impact on the sustainability of campuses. Originality/value ��� Understanding the factors which influence adopting sustainability practices in IHE is an important issue to develop more effective sustainability���s methods and policies.