Understanding the role and influence of social norms: lessons for NRM

Much has been written about social norms in disciplines such as law and economics but they are less studied in the field of Natural Resource Management (NRM). Although norms are acknowledged to be an influence on decision–making, they are difficult to identify and measure in the field and their role is often implicit or not well understood or articulated. This paper addresses an important knowledge gap by combining social norms theory with the specifics of a particular case study. We examined the influence of social norms on landholder behaviour in a small rural community undergoing demographic change in Australia. Findings from interviews with landholders and government agency personnel indicate that established norms within the farming community are influencing incoming landholders; and that new norms and practices have also emerged as a result of government investment through the local Landcare group. We suggest that a better understanding of social norms in different contexts will give rise to strategies that make NRM interventions more effective.     

Symptoms and Clinical Findings From the Musculoskeletal System Among Operators at a Call Centre in Sweden—A 10-Month Follow-Up Study

The musculoskeletal health among 57 operators at 1 call centre in Sweden was studied with 10 monthly follow-ups, parallel to a reference group of 1,226 professional computer users in other occupations. Operators at this call centre were more symptom-loaded than the other professional computer users in spite of their younger age and shorter exposure to computer work. Symptoms were long-lasting or recurrent. Muscle tenderness and nerve affections in the neck- shoulder region were the most common specific findings and diagnoses at medical examination of incident symptom cases. More extensive studies should be done on the working conditions and health status among call centre workers.     

Awareness of zero tolerance laws in three states

PROBLEM: A prior study indicated that zero tolerance laws differ in their enforceability and likelihood of enforcement, with California's law being easier to enforce than New York's, and New Mexico's being the hardest of all. The question is, do these differences in enforcement affect teenagers' knowledge and perception of these laws? METHOD: A telephone survey was conducted to investigate awareness of the laws among 17-20 year olds in these three states and perceptions of enforcement. RESULTS: Estimated percentages of teenagers who knew of the laws were much higher in New York and California (71% and 65%, respectively) than in New Mexico (34%). Perceptions that police were enforcing the law, that licenses could be suspended, and that penalties were often applied were also lowest in New Mexico. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The potential of zero tolerance laws will not be realized without better awareness among young people. Full enforcement of the laws accompanied by publicity about the enforcement is recommended. Changes to the laws and their application may encourage enforcement efforts.     

Early detection of abdominal pregnancy by maternal serum AFP+ screening

We present two cases of abdominal pregnancy identified in our maternal serum screening programme—an additional, as yet unreported benefit of AFP+ (multiple analyte) maternal serum oncofetal antigen screening in pregnancy.     

A comparison of injury criteria used in evaluating seats for whiplash protection

A protocol has been proposed for testing seats for whiplash protection, however injury criteria have not yet been chosen. Assuming that whiplash symptoms arise from non-physiological motions of vertebral segments, we determined the ability of proposed criteria to predict peak individual vertebral displacements. Twenty-eight volunteers were subjected to rear impacts while seated in a car seat with head restraint, mounted onto a sled. Accelerometers were used to record head and torso accelerations. The volunteer data was used as a basis for testing post-mortem human specimens (PMHS). The seat was replaced by a platform onto which was mounted each of 11 cervico-thoracic spines. An instrumented headform was mounted to the upper end of the spine. The head restraint, head-to-restraint geometry, sled, and impact pulse remained the same. Head and T1 accelerations were measured and individual vertebral sagittal (XZ) plane rotations and translations were obtained from high speed video. Proposed injury criteria (NIC, Nkm, Nte, Nd) were tested for their ability to predict average, total, and peak intervertebral displacements. PMHS specimens had chest and head X (horizontal) and Z (vertical) linear accelerations similar to volunteers whose heads hit the head restraint. The best predictors were: Nd shear and peak intervertebral posterior translation (r(2) = 0.80), Nd extension and peak extension angle (r(2) = 0.70), and Nd distraction and peak distraction (r(2) = 0.51). Therefore consideration should be given to a displacement based injury criteria such as Nd in assessment of whiplash protection devices.     

Seasonal variation of herbicide concentrations in prairie farm dugouts

Prairie farm dugouts are frequently constructed for use as potable water sources. Consequently, cumulative pesticide inputs via atmospheric deposition and surface runoff may constitute a risk to human health. Since, relative to other pesticides, herbicides are used in greatest amount on the Canadian prairies, herbicide concentrations were intensively monitored in three dugouts over three growing seasons. Herbicides were detected in the water of all three dugouts each growing season which may reflect cumulative inputs from atmospheric and surface processes over the lifetimes of the dugouts, which varied from 11 to 22 yr. Detections, which were not continuous, tended to be seasonal in nature. During the 3-yr study, detections were most frequent during the spring application period and late fall following dugout turnover. Between these periods, herbicide concentrations generally decreased to below detection limits. The reappearance of herbicides in the dugout water during fall turnover and in concentrations generally greater than those present during the spring application period suggest that, under appropriate environmental conditions, the bottom sediments may act as a source of herbicides to the water column. In general, herbicide inputs due to deposition of application drift did not result in detectable concentrations of herbicides in the dugouts. In the only year that winter samples were monitored, herbicides were also detected during ice cover. On the basis of monthly sampling over each growing season, median concentrations of 9 of the 10 herbicides monitored were less than 0.05 microg L(-1). The exception, 2,4-D, which has been used extensively on the Canadian prairies for more than 50 yr and in greatest amounts, was the most frequently detected herbicide. In no case did herbicide concentrations exceed Canadian drinking water guidelines; however, on occasion maximum herbicide concentrations did exceed aquatic life and irrigation water guidelines.     

Book reviews

Green Culture: environmental rhetoric in contemporary America. C. G. Herndl & S. C. Brown (Eds), 1996, Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin Press, 315 pp. ISBN 0 229 14990 0, £35.95 (hbk) ISBN 0 299 14994 3, £17.50 (pbk)

Earthtalk: communication empowerment for environmental action. S. A. Muir & T. L. Veenendall, 1996, Westport, CT, Praeger, Praeger Series in Political Communication, 233 pp. ISBN 0 275 953700 X, £47.95

Environmentalism and Cultural Theory. Kay Milton, 1996 London & New York, Routledge, 266 pp. ISBN 0 415 115529 9, £45.00 (hbk) ISBN 0 415 11530 2, £13.99 (pbk)

Local Environmental Struggles: citizen activism in the treadmill of production. Kenneth A. Gould, Allan Schnaiberg & Adam S. Weinberg, 1996, Cambridge University Press, 239 pp. ISBN 0 521 55519 1, £40.00 (hbk) ISBN 0 521 55521 3, £14.95 (pbk)

The Language of Environment: a new rhetoric. George Myerson & Yvonne Rydin, 1996 London, UCL Press, 264 pp. ISBN 1 85728 330 9, £35.00 (hbk) ISBN 1 85728 331 7, £11.95 (pbk)

Environmental Issues and Business: implications of a changing agenda. Sally Eden, 1996, Chichester, Wiley, ISBN 0 471 94872 1, £25.00

Green Shift: towards a green sensibility in architecture. John Farmer, edited by Kenneth Richardson, 1996, Oxford, Butterworth Architecture, with World-Wide Fund for Nature, ISBN 07506 15303

Lewis Mumford and the Ecological Region: the politics of planning. Mark Luccarelli, 1995, New York, Guilford Press, ISBN 1572300019, £19.95

The Ecology of Hope: communities collaborate for sustainability. Ted Bernard & Jora Young, 1997, East Haven, CT, New Society Publishers, 233 pp. ISBN 0 86571 355 33 (pbk)

Turning the Tide: integrated local area management for Australia's coastal zone. Valerie A. Brown, 1995, Canberra, Australia, Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories

Involving Communities in Forestry through Community Participation. Forestry Practice Guide 10, Forestry Commission

The Scope for Community Participation in Forest Management. A Report for the Forestry Commission and Scottish Office by Bill Slee, Gill Clark & Patrick Snowdon, £10 (£15 non UK)

The Role of Woodlands in Meeting Planning Objectives in Great Britain. A Report for the Forestry Commission by Professor Paul Selman     

Views of US drivers about driving safety

Problem: To assess how drivers view dangers on the highway, what motivates them to drive safely, how they say they reduce their crash and injury risk, and how they rate their own driving skills. Results: Most drivers rated their skills as better than average. The biggest motivating factor for safe driving was concern for safety of others in their vehicle, followed by negative outcomes such as being in a crash, increased insurance costs, and fines. The greatest threats to their safety were thought to be other drivers' actions that increase crash risk such as alcohol impairment or running red lights. In terms of reducing crashes and injuries, drivers tended to focus on actions they could take such as driving defensively or using seat belts. There was less recognition of the role of vehicles and vehicle features in crash or injury prevention. Impact on research, practice, and policy: Knowing how drivers view themselves and others, their concerns, and their motivations and techniques for staying out of trouble on the roads provides insight into the difficulty of changing driving practices.