High rates of extra-pair young in the pair-living fat-tailed dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus medius

Cheirogaleids are one of the most primitive extant primate taxa in the world. Their lifestyle and mating system, therefore, have been considered to be representative for social systems in primate ancestors. Accepted models of social evolution in primates state that pair-bonding has evolved secondarily from diurnal group-living taxa and should therefore be constrained primarily to diurnal species. In contrast to these assumptions, the nocturnal fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius) lives in permanent pairs, with obligate paternal care probably representing the evolutionary basis of pair-living. In this sociobiological field study, we analyzed the reproduction strategy of C. medius in the tropical forest of western Madagascar. In the rainy seasons from 1995 to 1999, 173 individuals of C. medius were captured and individually marked and 131 were genetically characterized through seven microsatellite loci. Additionally, 36 of these individuals were radio-tracked and observed. For 53 genotyped individuals, including 16 offspring, information about pair-bonding and family structure was known from field observations. Genetic analyses revealed that yearlings and infants living with an adult pair were in all cases sibs of the social mother. However, C. medius does not restrain from extra-pair copulations (EPCs) and a high rate of extra-pair paternity (44%) was detected. Males sired offspring with their female partners as well as with extra-pair females within the same year, indicating that males may increase their reproductive success by EPCs without necessarily running the risk of cuckoldry. Females on the other hand do not seem to run the risk of reduced paternal care, either because males cannot detect relatedness of young, or because they might even increase their inclusive fitness by raising offspring of closely related males. Since females reproduce preferentially with territory holders and no paternity could be assigned to floating males, superior genetic quality of the males might be crucial for female choice. Received: 12 January 2000 / Revised: 15 August 2000 / Accepted: 26 August 2000     

Engaging communities in municipal sustainability planning: the use of communication strategies and social networks in Alberta

In this paper we examine and compare communication processes aimed at building social networks and increasing citizen engagement in two communities participating in a municipal sustainability planning (MSP) pilot programme in Alberta, Canada, initiated by the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA). Data were gathered through qualitative semi-structured interviews and documentary review. In soliciting citizen engagement, each community utilised a variety of communication methods, based on available resources and on-going evaluation of community responses. In both cases, citizens developed a shared vision of a preferred future for their community, aided by a reconfiguration of their internal and external social networks. In addition to drawing upon and strengthening bonding relationships within the community, bridging relationships with external actors and agencies promoted knowledge mobilisation that aided in planning and transitioning towards sustainability. Both communities faced challenges as well, which the authors discuss in relation to the sustainability of MSP planning.     

Value Plurality among Conservation Professionals

Abstract: Debate on the values that underpin conservation science is rarely based on empirical analysis of the values conservation professionals actually hold. We used Q methodology to investigate the values held by international conservation professionals who attended the annual Student Conference in Conservation Science at the University of Cambridge (U.K.) in 2008 and 2009. The methodology offers a quantitative means of examining human subjectivity. It differs from standard opinion surveys in that individual respondents record the way they feel about statements relative to other statements, which forces them to focus their attention on the issues they believe are most important. The analysis extracts the diverse viewpoints of the respondents, and factor analysis is used to reduce the viewpoints to a smaller set of factors that reflect shared ways of thinking. The junior conservation professionals attending the conference did not share a unifying set of core values; rather, they held a complex series of ideas and a plurality of opinions about conservation and how it should be pursued. This diversity of values empirically challenges recent proposals for conservation professionals to unite behind a single philosophy. Attempts to forge an artificial consensus may be counterproductive to the overall goals conservation professionals are pursuing.     

A metapopulation approach of the dynamics of arthropods from Mediterranean-type ecosystems

In this paper we developed a general stage-structured, Leslie-type model, suitable to simulate dynamics of soil arthropods under typical Mediterranean conditions. In order to explore arthropods’ life-history strategies in relation to enhanced spatial heterogeneity of the Mediterranean ecosystems, metapopulation characteristics were considered and different habitat quality regimes, in terms of dominant microclimatic conditions, were taken into account. Environmental stochasticity in temperature and humidity was incorporated into the model, and an elasticity analysis was conducted to quantify contribution of different life-history traits to metapopulation growth rate. The application of the model revealed well-known life-cycle characteristics of Mediterranean arthropods, such as seasonally fluctuating population sizes and skewing phenologies, a fact that confirms models’ reliability. Furthermore, the model seems able to elucidate controversial points of the animals’ life-cycle development, such as the long-term maintenance of populations in the field and the underlying mechanisms related to the adjustment to the specific features of the Mediterranean ecosystem. Subpopulations inhabiting various microsites display different dynamics and the interaction between these subpopulations, via dispersion, seems to be able to ensure stochastic equilibrium for the system. Dispersal appears to play a decisive role, allowing arthropods to conform to spatial severities and habitats fragmentation, rescuing individuals and recolonizing previously extinct habitats.     

Some Guiding Concepts for Conservation Biology

Abstract: The search for generalities in ecology has often been thwarted by contingency and ecological complexity that limit the development of predictive rules. We present a set of concepts that we believe succinctly expresses some of the fundamental ideas in conservation biology. (1) Successful conservation management requires explicit goals and objectives. (2) The overall goal of biodiversity management will usually be to maintain or restore biodiversity, not to maximize species richness. (3) A holistic approach is needed to solve conservation problems. (4) Diverse approaches to management can provide diverse environmental conditions and mitigate risk. (5) Using nature's template is important for guiding conservation management, but it is not a panacea. (6) Focusing on causes not symptoms enhances efficacy and efficiency of conservation actions. (7) Every species and ecosystem is unique, to some degree. (8) Threshold responses are important but not ubiquitous. (9) Multiple stressors often exert critical effects on species and ecosystems. (10) Human values are variable and dynamic and significantly shape conservation efforts. We believe most conservation biologists will broadly agree these concepts are important. That said, an important part of the maturation of conservation biology as a discipline is constructive debate about additional or alternative concepts to those we have proposed here. Therefore, we have established a web‐based, online process for further discussion of the concepts outlined in this paper and developing additional ones.     

秦皇岛“国际旅游名城”建设中高素质涉外旅游人才的培养策略

建设"国际旅游名城"不可或缺的人力资源之一是高素质的涉外旅游人才。从秦皇岛"旅游立市"及创建"国际旅游名城"的大背景出发,分析秦皇岛面临的国际旅游发展机遇,阐述涉外旅游人才的种类和含义,并针对所需人才特点提出了培养思路和策略。     

山西省重点行业碳排放特征及低碳发展策略

大力发展低碳经济,是山西省转变经济发展方式、实现可持续发展的必由之路.本文从产业结构、能源结构、碳排放强度、以及山西省在全国的碳排放水平等方面分析了山西省的碳排放特征,在此基础上提出山西省的低碳发展策略.     

可持续发展指标：发展中国家的决策过程和适用性整合

实现可持续发展已经成为了重要的全球性目标,这反映了公众以及决策者对环境问题日益增长的关注。虽然可持续发展指标为决策提供了坚实的基础,但许多国家特别是发展中国家并没有向可持续发展迈进。本文考查了在发展中国家测量可持续发展指标面临的挑战,这些指标在决策中的有效性和指标对决策过程的影响。特别地,本文将评估这些指标是否被整合到了决策进程中而且是否促进了可持续发展。环境数据的约束,缺乏相关机构的协调,发展中国家资源的缺乏都阻碍了可持续发展指标的测量。水、卫生条件的案例表明在政策和决策过程中整合可持续发展指标的无效性。既要有可持续发展的核心指标集以整合决策者关注环境问题,也要辅助以反映地方关注和文化多样性的地方性指标,这是至关重要的。报告应该包括对环境因素和健康产出相关的分析,也应该相应地转化为对经济的影响。     

新疆环境保护网站建设的现状与发展探讨

1997年建成的＂新疆环境保护＂网站是全国第一家环保门户网站,也是新疆第一家政府类网站,新疆环保网站建设与发展已经历风雨兼程的10a,现在正进入一个崭新的发展阶段.回顾、总结和展望新疆各级环保网站的发展,吸取发展中的经验与教训,探索新疆各级环保网站建设中的规律,对新疆环保电子政务的＂理性建设、快速推进＂大有裨益.     

The Application of Chemical Leasing Business Models in Mexico

- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/espr2006.02.294 Background, Aim and Scope. To better address the requirements of the changing multilateral order, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Cleaner Production Programme, in 2004, developed the new Sustainable Industrial Resource Management (SIRM) approach. This approach is in accordance with the principles decided at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. Unlike the traditional approaches to environmental management, the SIRM concept captures the idea of achieving sustainable industrial development through the implementation of circular material and energy flows in the entire production chain and reduction of the amount of material and energy used with greater efficiency solutions. The SIRM approach seeks to develop new models to encourage a shift from selling products to supplying services, modifying, in this manner, the supplier/user relationship and resulting in a win-win situation for the economy and the environment. Chemical Leasing represents such a new service-oriented business model and is currently being promoted by UNIDO′s Cleaner Production Programme. Main Features. One of the potential approaches to address the problems related to ineffective use and over-consumption of chemicals is the development and implementation of Chemical Leasing business models. These provide concrete solutions to the effective management of chemicals and on the ways negative releases to the environment can be reduced. The Chemical Leasing approach is a strategy that addresses the obligations of the changing international chemicals policy by focusing on a more service-oriented strategy. Mexico is one of the countries that were selected for the implementation of UNIDO's demonstration project to promote Chemical Leasing models in the country. The target sector of this project is the chemical industry, which is expected to shift their traditional business concept towards a more service and value-added approach. This is being achieved through the development of company specific business models that implement the above-indicated Chemical Leasing concept with the support from the Mexican National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC). Results and Conclusions. The implementation of Chemical Leasing in Mexico has proven to be an efficient instrument in enhancing sustainable chemical management and significantly reducing emissions in Mexico. Several companies from the chemical industrial sector implement or agreed to implement chemical leasing business models. Based on the positive findings of the project, several Mexican companies started to negotiate contents of possible Chemical Leasing contracts with suitable business partners. The project further aimed at disseminating information on Chemical Leasing. It successfully attracted globally operating companies in the chemicals sector to explore possibilities to implement Chemical Leasing business models in Mexico. At the international level, the results of the UNIDO project were presented on 20TH September 2005 during a side event of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) Preparation Conference in Vienna. Recommendations and Outlook. To facilitate the promotion and application of Chemical Leasing project at international level, UNIDO is currently developing a number of tools to standardize Chemical Leasing projects. These include, among others, Chemical leasing contract models; Chemical Leasing data base to find partners for chemical leasing; and guidelines to implement Chemical Leasing projects and work programmes.