Science-based conservation and management in wetland archaeology: the example of Sutton Common, UK

This paper addresses the perception of different wetlands in and around the Humber estuary in the Bronze Age. Combining past and current research, it will be argued that the perception of intertidal wetlands was nearly diametrically opposed to the perception of riverine floodplains. This contrasting perception is reflected in the material culture of the Bronze Age, and may be explained through the particular manner in which landscapes changed following marine transgressions. This work was largely undertaken within the framework of the Humber Wetlands Survey, an integrated archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research programme funded by English Heritage since 1992

What is outside? The early years foundation stage in England: outdoor facilities, organisation and staff attitudes

The purpose of this paper is to report on the facilities available, organisation of, and staff attitudes to early years outdoor education from schools within the south east of England, focusing on provision for children aged three to five. One component of the successful education of the child involves providing an ‘environment for learning’, including the facilities, layout and routines. This paper presents findings concerning the type and variety of facilities available outside; the various styles of organisation of the space; staff attitudes about: their roles, their aims for the environment, children’s behaviour and learning, and perceived drawbacks to practice. This paper draws on empirical data collected from schools within the University of Reading partnership. The findings suggest that although all early years settings must adhere to the statutory framework there are a range of facilities available, and there are a number of ways this environment is organised. Further there appears to be uncertainty about the adult role outside and the aims for activities. The conclusions drawn indicate that staff do not appear to be linking their aims for outdoor education to the facilities provided or to their actions outside. This means there is not a clear link between what staff provide outside and the declared ambitions for learning. This study is important as all educators need to be certain about their aims for education to ensure best outcomes for children. The implications of these findings for early years teachers are that they need to be able to articulate their aims for outdoor education and to provide the correct facilities to achieve these aims. Finally this study was undertaken to raise debate, posit questions and to ascertain the parameters for further research about the early years outdoor environment.

EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY IN BIODIVERSITY SCIENCE, CONSERVATION, AND POLICY: A CALL TO ACTION

Evolutionary biologists have long endeavored to document how many species exist on Earth, to understand the processes by which biodiversity waxes and wanes, to document and interpret spatial patterns of biodiversity, and to infer evolutionary relationships. Despite the great potential of this knowledge to improve biodiversity science, conservation, and policy, evolutionary biologists have generally devoted limited attention to these broader implications. Likewise, many workers in biodiversity science have underappreciated the fundamental relevance of evolutionary biology. The aim of this article is to summarize and illustrate some ways in which evolutionary biology is directly relevant We do so in the context of four broad areas: (1) discovering and documenting biodiversity, (2) understanding the causes of diversification, (3) evaluating evolutionary responses to human disturbances, and (4) implications for ecological communities, ecosystems, and humans We also introduce bioGENESIS, a new project within DIVERSITAS launched to explore the potential practical contributions of evolutionary biology In addition to fostering the integration of evolutionary thinking into biodiversity science, bioGENESIS provides practical recommendations to policy makers for incorporating evolutionary perspectives into biodiversity agendas and conservation. We solicit your involvement in developing innovative ways of using evolutionary biology to better comprehend and stem the loss of biodiversity.

Comparative Genetic Diversity of Wild and Captive Populations of the Bare-Faced Curassow (Crax fasciolata) Based on Cross-Species Microsatellite Markers: Implications for Conservation and Management

The bare-faced curassow (Crax fasciolata) is a large Neotropical bird that suffers anthropogenic pressure across much of its range. A captive population is maintained for conservation management, although there has been no genetic screening of stocks. Based on the six microsatellite markers developed for Crax globulosa, the genetic variability of C. fasciolata and possible differences between a wild and a captive population were investigated. Only three loci were polymorphic, with a total of 27 alleles. More than half of these alleles were private to the wild (n = 8) or captive (n = 7) populations. Significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were restricted to the captive population. Despite the number of private alleles, genetic drift has probably promoted differentiation between populations. Our results indicate that wild C. fasciolata populations are genetically impoverished and structured, but species-specific microsatellite markers will be necessary for a more reliable assessment of the species` genetic diversity.

Rapport från 20th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition : Barcelona 6-10 juni 2005

På uppdrag av STEM bevakade Eva Lindberg från Centrum för solenergi-forskning, SERC, Högskolan Dalarna, 20th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition, Barcelona, 6-10 juni 2005. Ca 1700 personer fanns på deltagarlistan. På grund av konferensen omfattning kan endast ett litet urval av föredrag och utställare kommenteras i rapporten. Konferensprogrammet var indelat på följande områden:1. Grundläggande fakta, nya komponenter och material2. Kristallina kiselsolceller and materialteknologi3. Amorft och mikrokristallint kisel4. CIS, CdTe och andra (II-VI) ternära tunnfilmsceller5. PV-moduler och komponenter i PV-system6. PV-system i nätanslutna applikationer7. Globala aspekter på PV-solelektricitet8. PV-industrins resultatFoU om kristallina solceller dominerade stort, sedan tunnfilmsceller av främst amorft kisel. Intressant var att återvinning är föremål för FoU; dels återvinning av kiselsolceller när panelen tjänat ut; dels återvinning av Cu, Cd, Se och Te när tunnfilmscellerna tas ur bruk.237 företag fanns representerade i utställningen, varav 20 från Kina. Tyskland dominerade stort. Utställningen teman var följande: 1) Tillverkare av kiselplattor, solceller, PV-moduler, koncentratorer, solföljare (se bild nedan) 2) Tillverkare och återförsäljare av utrustning och material 3) Integrering och distribution av system 4) Mätningar och kontrollteknologi 5) Forskning och laboratorier 6) Service, teknik, konsulting 7) Myndigheter och föreningar 8) Media och förlag 9) Tillverkare av inverterare 10) Övrigt.

WIND POWER IN MAINE: BALANCING CONSERVATION AND ENERGY PRODUCTION

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Wind Power in Maine: Balancing Conservation and Energy Production

An expedited permitting area has been created to facilitate the development of wind power projects in Maine. The purpose of this project was to investigate the impact of removing areas of conservation interest from the expedited permitting area. We found that the removal of these areas impacts the total wind potential of the state, in an amount proportional to the size of the area removed. The impact on the total wind potential ranged from 0.46-29.0% decrease, depending on the calculation scenario used. These findings may have implications for future policy decisions concerning wind power development.

The black lion tamarin Leontopithecus chrysopygus - its conservation and management

The black lion tamarin Leontopithecus chrysopygus originally occurred throughout a large part of the Atlantic forest in the west of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Today, however, it is restricted to a few isolated forest fragments as a result of deforestation caused by cattle ranching, and urban and agricultural expansion, especially in this century. One of its last strongholds is a small gallery forest at Lencois Paulista in the west-central part of the state. The authors report on a long-term study of this small and isolated population, aimed particularly at providing a basis for the intensive management and conservation of the species and its habitat.

Anchor Areas to Improve Conservation and Increase Connectivity within the Brazilian "Mesopotamia of Biodiversity"

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Application of MALDI-MS analysis of Rainforest chemodiversity: a keystone for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

In vitro conservation and low cost micropropagation of Cochlospermum regium (Mart. Ex. Scharank)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Conservation and use of palm trees in Brazil's landscaping

Palm trees belong to the Arecaceae family and are widely utilized in landscaping of tropical countries. Although there are many species, just a few are used in Brazil's landscaping, the majority coming from other countries. So, this study had the objective to characterize the plants in the collection of palm trees at UNESP/FCAV, Campus of Jaboticabal, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The germination of seeds was also studied to increase the production of seedlings for use in landscaping, as this is the biggest difficulty for spreading new species. The introduction of new species in the collection was accomplished. It was also made a survey of major pests and diseases that occur in the collection. The most common pests found were: Brassolis sophorae, Parisoschoenus obesulus, Rhynchophorus palmarum and Coraliomela sp., and the most common disease causing fungi: Colletrotrichum sp., Curvularia sp., Bipolaris sp., Helminthosporium sp., Alternaria sp., Phyllosticta sp., Pestalotia sp., Exosporium palmivorum and Ceratocystis pardoxa.

Microbial culture collections as pillars for promoting fungal diversity, conservation and exploitation

Fungi are a diverse group of organisms with an overall global number of 1.5 M up to 3.3 M species on Earth. Besides their ecological roles as decomposers, fungi are important in several aspects of applied research. Here, we review how culture collections may promote the knowledge on diversity, conservation and biotechnological exploitation of fungi. The impact of fungi diversity on biotechnological studies is discussed. We point out the major roles of microbial repositories, including fungal preservation, prospecting, identification, authentication and supply. A survey on the World Data Center for Microorganisms (WDCM) powered by the World Federation for Culture Collections and on the Genetic Heritage Management Council (CGEN) database revealed that 46 Brazilian culture collections registered in these databases are dedicate to preserving fungi. Most of these culture collections are located in the Southeast of Brazil. This scenario also demonstrates that Brazil has many collections focused on fungal strains, but the lack of up-to-date information in WDCM as well as of a solid national platform for culture collections registration do not allow accurate assessment of fungal preservation. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.