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Herpetoplogical survey across three distinct habitats in Ankarana National Park: Long-term effects of past land use on species composition in and around the park
Get PDFAnkarana National Park is home to a diverse population of herpetofauna. In this study, three distinct habitats in and around Ankarana National Park were surveyed for herpetological diversity. These habitats were defined as the deciduous forest located within the “tsingy” limestone karst canyons, the dry deciduous forest outside of the canyons, within the borders of the park, and the anthropogenically affected forest outside of the park’s borders, which is subject to logging and fruit tree harvesting. A total of 27 species of herpetofauna – six amphibian and 21 reptile species were found over the course of twelve days of surveying by transect walk and opportunistic search. Of the species found, 88.9% were endemic to Madagascar, 22.2% were endemic to Ankarana or the surrounding region and 7.4% were originally endemic to Madagascar but have since been introduced to surrounding areas. Notable species found during the study include Uroplatus henkeli, listed as “Vulnerable” by IUCN Red List, and Lygodactylus expectatus and Lygodactylus rarus, both of which are endemic to Ankarana and listed as “Nearly Threatened”. Highest species richness and Shannon-Wiener diversity and evenness were found in the tsingy habitat. All of these factors were lowest in the dry deciduous habitat. The tsingy and anthropogenically affected habitats were also calculated to be the most similar according to the Jaccard index. Future studies should survey the same areas using trapping methods and complete nocturnal surveys that were not used during the course of this study. They should also explore other habitats within the park. The data gathered in this study can be used to assess the effectiveness of park management currently in place and to improve management practices going forward
Cuba’s use of Medical Diplomacy: Establishing Global Significance and Influence
Get PDFThis research project aims to assess the importance of medical diplomacy as a foreign policy strategy for Cuba, as well as a means by which the small island nation has managed to gain geopolitical prominence in the current international political sphere. Through the analysis of Cuba’s medical internationalism, its impact on the health of populations across the world, its oil-for-doctors trade agreements with Venezuela, and its involvement in initiatives like the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), it becomes easier to see the link between medical diplomacy and geopolitical power, which Cuba has been successfully garnering since its 1959 Revolution despite serious economic setbacks like the collapse of the Soviet Union and the United States embargo
Picture This: The role of digital storytelling in motivating donations towards refugee relief
Get PDFIt is often assumed that powerful photographs and film footage have the ability to move viewers in the developed population to action. Frank Fournier, the photographer who captured the face of 13-year-old Omayra Sanchez in her last hours of life, as she stood trapped in a pool of muddy water and debris, said, “I believe the photo helped raise money from around the world in aid and helped highlight the irresponsibility and lack of courage of the country\u27s leaders (BBC, 2005).” His statement encompasses the common perspective that imagery can motivate donations, but there is a lack in data regarding the transition from reaction to action. This study is concerned with the effectiveness of various digital storytelling appeals (shock effect, positive images, and post-humanitarian communication) in attaining donations for refugee relief efforts. Refugees are perhaps more distant from the donor population than any other victimized group, and have struggled through periods of severe anti-refugee sentiments that has made the collection of aid and process of reintegration challenging. The extreme discourse between populations and the ever-growing number of displaced persons makes refugees the ideal population to study. This research asks what in a digital story, particularly the imagery, motivates developed populations to not only react emotionally with refugee issues but transition to donate to refugee relief efforts? Through literature and interviews regarding image-evoked empathy, identity, and group influenced responding, and the analysis of photographs and digital storytelling platforms that unpack various imagery appeals, we discover that image use for humanitarian campaigns has evolved to it’s most effective form yet. Advancing from the traditional technique of applying imagery and sharing narratives, digital storytelling aims to alleviate intergroup empathy bias and increase awareness, funding for crises, or both. This study explores how advancements in technology have brought forth digital storytelling, which combined with the implementation of the post-humanitarian communication appeal generates evocative campaigns that fit the framework necessary to motivate donation for refugees more productively and ethically than has been done in the past
Queer and Shear Moroccan Societal Norms Impact on Queer Women
Get PDFThis paper examines how Moroccan societal norms and values hinder the recognition of queer women. Within this paper, family dynamics, language, and perceptions of homosexuality are discussed in order to highlight the lack of recognition that queer women receive in Morocco. Social norms in Morocco draw upon the conservative and traditional values, therefore queer women face societal persecution because they stray from the heteronormative culture and exist in a resilient patriarchal system. I will draw upon six personal interviews from queer women as they share their experiences and how they operate within their Moroccan families and Moroccan social norms. Throughout this paper I evaluate queer women in Morocco and the embedding of the patriarchal system within a marginalized group
Coral Bleaching and the Effect of Disturbances on the Damselfish Community on Lizard Island, Australia
Get PDFCoral reefs are characterized by their dynamic ecological processes that supports a high diversity through the recruitment of marine species and temporal disturbances that can have positive effects on the system. In the face of global climate change however, coral reefs face intense coral bleaching and increased degradation as they may begin to have less time to recover between bleaching events in the near future. Little is known on the long term effects of coral bleaching and habitat degradation on reef fish communities and much less is known about the mechanisms that bring about changes to reef fish assemblages.
This study used adult and juvenile populations as before and after snapshots, respectively, to study the effects of coral bleaching on a Damselfish community one year after a major bleaching event. This project aimed to use juvenile community dynamics to detect a phase shift in the Damselfish community assuming the underlying mechanism for a reef fish phase shift is habitat-limited recruitment and to predict the impact of disturbance on this biological community.
The current Damselfish community on Casuarina Reef, one year after a major bleaching event, is an ideal reef fish community for such a degraded habitat characterized by diet and habitat generalists that are able to take advantage of the phase shift following the bleaching event. The Damselfish community may have therefore already gone through a phase-shift in response to the degraded state of the reef. Based on the data between juvenile and adult Damselfish populations, and if juveniles are to be used as a representative of the next Damselfish community, the community does not seem to be changing one year after the bleaching event.
The lack of changes between the adult and juvenile damselfish communities and abundance may lead me to conclude that, currently, any changes happening in the damselfish community is not occurring through habitat-limiting recruitment of juveniles. This highlights the need to better understand the long term effects of coral bleaching and its mechanisms on reef fish communities and understanding the future of coral reef systems in the face of global climate change
Community Development Projects In Moldova
Get PDFThis Independent Practitioner Inquiry Capstone (IPIC) aims to provide relevant information, from a Peace Corps (PC) Volunteer (PCV) standpoint, on a renovation project that was implemented in the village of Vorniceni, Republic of Moldova. At its core, this was a community development project that involved the active participation of the community of Vorniceni, providing local resources and knowledge towards the goal of building a healthier sanitation facility on the second floor of the local kindergarten.
The results of this effort indicate that the involvement of the client (people) is crucial to sucess in implementing projects, and it also shows that a basic problem-solving method would probably be well supported. İt also demonstrates that the priorities of a community may differ from another, but these priorities must be taken into consideration and respected. One last aspect of the project was that it presented the notion of staying within the rules when funds were involved. Because there was a certain amount of funds involved as a part of the grant, the controlling system and the implementing system were meticulously monitored. Those involved in the project gained confidence in the project as work began and the funds were gathered, and they started to believe that the deadlines and goals of the project would be met in a timely manner
Linguistic Imperialism in Jordan: The Impact of English Education Curriculum on Cultural Behaviors of Secondary Students in Amman
Get PDFThis study explores the questions of how culturally inclusive curriculum effects the cultural behaviors of secondary students in Amman, Jordan, and how culturally inclusive curriculum effects the attitudes that these students have towards the English language itself. The researcher hypothesized that culturally inclusive curriculum mitigated the dilution of students cultural identities, and effected the students attitudes towards the English language. This study is significant, as English is taught at every school in Jordan, and Jordan has a long history of occupation by an English-speaking country. The researcher conducted the study using the data collection tools of semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and open-ended surveys, and selected participants from a public school in Madaba, a UNICEF funded education center in East Amman, and a private school in West Amman. At these three schools, the researcher interviewed a total of four teachers and three administrators, observed six English classes, and surveyed twenty-five students ranging from the ages of 13-20, in the tenth and eleventh grades. The researcher found that the three main relationships effected by English acquisition included technology, social media, and other media and these relationships did not change according to the presence of culturally inclusive curriculum. Furthermore, perceptions of the English language were not affected by the presence of culturally inclusive curriculum. This study impacts the ways that curriculum should be developed in Amman, and the findings suggest that less emphasis should be placed on developing culturally inclusive curriculum, with more emphasis on teaching English within the context of a global academic presence
Why Can’t We All Get Along: An analysis of Baka education, and the application of picture books in Baka
Get PDFThis research seeks to understand the implementation of mother tongue language education, specifically within the Baka community. Research was conducted in a Baka village called Mintoum over a three week period. By working with a non profit organization, information was gathered in hopes to improve the education of the Baka. Interviews were conducted to better understand, how these booklets affected not only the child’s education but also the parents’ reaction to books in their language. There was also an observation process conducted to see how the application of these booklets took place within a new Baka run preschool program “Chasing Two Rabbits at Once”. By also working with other Baka education organizations, it was found that these groups need to work together to achieve a common goal. Mother tongue education is not an easy process, but necessary to give these children the best chance to succeed in education. The booklets with the right application process will be beneficial to not only the child but also the community
Bacteria Mitigation in Sponge Mariculture, Jambiani Zanzibar
Get PDFThe declining seaweed industry coupled with efforts by the NGO Marine Cultures have led to the establishment of sponge mariculture in Jambiani, Zanzibar. However, growing cyanobacteria levels have substantially increased sponge mortality rates. In order to determine successful cyanobacteria mitigation treatments, six populations of farm ropes, support lines, and sponges were (a) untreated, (b) manually cleaned or submerged in solutions of (c) 2% hydrogen peroxide, (d) 4% hydrogen peroxide, (e) 50 g/L salt, or (f) 70 g/L salt. No conclusions were drawn from rope treatments, no techniques were effective for support line treatments, and both concentrations of hydrogen peroxide were successful for sponge treatments. Additionally, unstructured interviews were conducted with sponge farmers to ascertain longitudinal climate change and bacteria growth data in Jambiani