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Riding On Giants: Elephant Tourism in Chitwan National Park
Get PDFFor the nearly 100 Asian Elephants (elephas maximus) in and around Chitwan National Park, life revolves and often depends around their interactions with humans. Since the advent of elephant tourism for the masses in around the 1980s, the elephants in and around the park have had a dramatic shift in their ways of life. This shift has also affected those who work intimately with these animals, the mahouts, or elephant keepers / riders, have also seen a complete shift in their role and livelihood. For those involved with this industry elephants are seen through different lenses; as an investment, as a dangerous occupation, as a status activity, and as animals in need of help.
This Independent Study Project seeks to dive into these lenses, in explaining how and why these elephants are conceptualized in this fashion. Additionally, through this analysis, the human perspective will be brought in, to illustrate what one NGO worker described as “the cycle of violence” with those within the industry. Through a multispecies ethnographic approach, this study will examine each of the ‘actors’ within the system, and how in concert, they affect both the elephants and their keepers
Comparing amphibian species diversity and abundance in natural forest and cacao agroforest at Finca La Magnita, Changuinola, Bocas del Toro, Panamá
Get PDFAmphibians are currently undergoing rapid and drastic biodiversity loss worldwide, largely due to the disease Chytridiomycosis. Because of this, efforts to conserve amphibian biodiversity are urgent and have been given increasing importance. However, studies investigating the effectiveness of agroforestry systems, a commonly used agricultural method in which trees and other elements of forests are retained on land used for agriculture, for amphibian conservation are uncommon. As a result, the capacity of agroforests to serve as a tool for amphibian conservation is unclear. To determine if agroforests can serve as a habitat for amphibians and a tool for their conservation, this study examines amphibian species diversity, evenness, and richness, as well as overall abundance in a natural forest and a cacao agroforest in Changuinola, Bocas del Toro, Panama. Results show significantly higher amphibian species diversity, evenness, richness, and overall abundance in natural forest compared to agroforest. This suggests that agroforests are not a substitute for natural forests for terrestrial amphibians. However, the cacao agroforest does demonstrate the capacity to harbor some amphibians, which supports the idea that agroforestry is able to conserve biodiversity that traditional agriculture cannot. Despite this, natural forest is still shown to be overwhelmingly the better habitat for terrestrial amphibians. Therefore, conservation of natural forests and expansion of protected areas is recommended as the ideal course of action for amphibian conservation moving forward. Further investigation into amphibians and agroforestry systems and their integration worldwide is recommended to continue to examine their conservation potential for amphibians
“Antes éramos de tierra firme”: community perspectives on the past, present, and future of Isla Narganá and Isla Corazón de Jesús, Comarca Guna Yala in the face of a changing climate
Get PDFThe objective of this research was to learn about Isla Narganá and Isla Corazón de Jesús, Comarca Guna Yala residents’ perspectives on climate change and, to learn about what needs to be done to mitigate the effects of climate change on the islands. In April 2022, eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted in Spanish with residents of the islands. Interviews revealed that flooding caused by sea level rise, intensification of precipitation events, extreme heat, and biodiversity loss were the most reported impacts of climate change on participants’ lives. Poor waste management opportunities were also discussed as a critical environmental issue affecting the communities. In response to said environmental issues, community members reported negative feelings. Participants also reported that there is a lack of discussion related to climate change among the community. In terms of climate mitigation, participants discussed planned relocation to the mainland territory of Guna Yala. Participants also expressed the importance of educating the community, especially children, about climate change and related issues. This paper serves to share the stories, experiences, and ideas of community members on the islands. In the greater academic context of climate research, this paper aims to bring these perspectives into the academic discussion and deepen the understanding of what it means to be a frontline community
Virtual Free-Writing Journal Portfolios in an Intensive English Program in Iraq
Get PDFMiddle-Eastern English language learners (ELLs), specifically Iraqi students, are often not well equipped to succeed in university settings where English is the medium of instruction (EMI) for their intended graduate and undergraduate studies. Oftentimes, they are weaker in their academic literacy skills, when compared to listening and speaking, and need extra scaffolding and/or remedial instruction to develop their reading and writing dexterity for overall academic success. One way to support their writing development is to implement free-writing journal projects that will enable them to cultivate an original writer voice, to think quickly and critically in the L2, and to integrate the conventions and competencies of academic writing and grammar within their L2 production. Thus, this research project will explore how to enhance Iraqi students’ literacy skills, particularly in writing, through the classroom practice of creating free-writing journals as a project-based learning experience. The benefits of exposing students to this active-learning task and potential limitations to its use will be investigated within the researcher’s unique context
Australian-American Fulbright Alumni: An Analysis of the Impact of the Australian-American Fulbright Program on American Awardees
Get PDFThe Australian-American Fulbright Commission was established in 1949 in Canberra, Australia. Remarkably, the Commission had never before conducted an alumni impact report in its 72-year history. Thus, it was vital to carry out this study as soon as possible so as to hear from as many alumni as are willing and able to participate at this time. This study sought to answer the following research question: How have Australian Fulbright scholarships impacted the lives and careers of the American alumni? The research drew on the analysis of secondary survey data and through semi-structured interviews. The major findings of the study are that the Fulbright Program had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the personal and professional lives of the American alumni who traveled to Australia. However, the participants did raise recommendations around improving engagement with home institutions, adjusting the awardee perspective, and increasing alumni outreach and publicity about the Program. From these findings, the conclusion that can be drawn is that the Fulbright Program can have a greater impact on its alumni through increased efforts in the areas identified above. The implications for professional practice are potentially changing priorities around communications, alumni engagement and more. In addition, it may be that Fulbright Commissions will see value in adapting practices to better connect with home and host institutions as well as place increased emphasis on promoting alumni events and opportunities.
Keywords: alumni, Australia, Fulbright, impact, mutual understanding, public diplomacy, United State
The Nesting Behavior of Russet-backed Oropendola on Sumak Allpa, Ecuador: An analysis of nest construction and interactions with competing species
Get PDFNests are the literal place of birth of bird species; they are incredibly important in the survival and reproduction of populations. Therefore, nesting behavior is a gateway into the lives and success of the animals. With the degradation of natural landscapes due to human activity, there is more of a need to monitor these nests to ensure healthy inhabitants. The Russet-backed Oropendola (Psarocolius angustifrons) creates unique, pendulous nests that are subject to piracy, parasitism, and predation; as well as weather phenomenon’s such as wind and rainstorms. This study describes the nest construction behavior, nest materials and nest architecture by collecting fallen nests from three nesting colonies on Sumak Allpa. It also looks at the effects of human activity on the predation of Russet-backed Oropendola nests, by observing the number of interactions of competing species at the three sites, where one of them is a human inhabited area. Because of habitat fragmentation and a disrupted trophic cascade, I hypothesized that the human inhabited nesting site would have more interactions with competing species than the other two natural nesting sites. The results did not support my hypothesis, with one of the natural sites having more total interactions with competing species than the human inhabited site. However, there were significantly more contacts between the competing species and the nesting tree at the human activity area. Additionally, seven fallen nests were collected and used to identify materials for different parts of the nests, measurements, and more interesting details. This project aided in describing the history of behavior of Russet-backed Oropendolas, their interactions with other species and the composition of their nests
“Sobrevivientes” o “Trabajadoras”: la representación de mujeres migrantes y racializadas en el debate actual acerca del trabajo sexual y la prostitución en Argentina
No full textA pesar de los avances feministas revolucionarios en las últimas dos décadas en Argentina, el movimiento feminista se ha vuelto más polarizado sobre el tema de la prostitución y el trabajo sexual. El abolicionismo, que es el lado hegemónico en este debate, suele invisibilizar las mujeres migrantes y racializadas que se identifican a sí mismas como trabajadoras sexuales, a pesar de que ellas ocupan un gran papel en el mercado sexual. Este proyecto se propone analizar las retóricas de los dos grandes lados en este debate, con un enfoque en los temas de migración y raza. En primer lugar, este trabajo busca identificar y analizar cómo están representadas las mujeres migrantes y racializadas en la militancia y narrativas del abolicionismo y las trabajadoras sexuales. En segundo lugar, aquí se problematiza la tendencia del abolicionismo de replicar las ideas y soluciones del feminismo blanco y hegemónico. Al final, aplico un abordaje del feminismo postcolonial y feminismo interseccional para analizar las experiencias exclusivas de mujeres migrantes y racializadas que son trabajadoras sexuales y para describir su centralidad en la militancia de las trabajadoras sexuales
U.S. Immigration Policies Affecting Mexican and Central American Youth and Their Access to Higher Education
Get PDFUndocumented Mexican and Central American youth, many of whom hold approved or pending Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and Central American Minor Refugee and Parole Program (CAM) applications, are a growing population in the United States who are eager to pursue higher education like their U.S. Citizen and U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident peers. Yet, they are significantly limited by federal, state, and institutional policies that are geared towards the success of students with legal status. Through relevant literature and interviews with policy experts and educators who work directly with these youth and/or the regulations that affect them, a better understanding of these U.S. immigration policies is formed, including their advantages, disadvantages, and quickly evolving nature.
Interviews with participants indicated the need to eliminate federal policies that restrict access to financial aid, to expand immigration policies geared toward Mexican and Central American youth, and to improve state and institutional regulations to provide tuition equity and scholarship access to all, regardless of immigration status. Determining ways to legally and ethically integrate Mexican and Central American youth into the immigration and higher education systems, and do so simultaneously, not only benefits these individuals but also U.S. American society by creating a more productive workforce and correcting existing racial and socio-economic imbalances
Sustainability and Resilience in Small-Scale Land-Based Livelihoods in Maine
Get PDFGlobal sustainability can be understood as an oxymoron since no global society has ever managed to be truly sustainable. Effective examples of sustainable and resilient societies do exist on a much smaller scale, however. This study examined small-scale land-based livelihoods, or homesteads, to understand what factors contributed to their environmental sustainability and climate resilience. Through participant observation as well as long form loosely structured interviews, conceptions of resilience and sustainability on the homestead scale were developed. By understanding the philosophical, spiritual, and political frameworks that inform the homesteaders’ approaches to their livelihoods, three deliverables were developed to exemplify these approaches in practice. A composting toilet, a solar still, and a pair of saplings served to demonstrate visceral awareness of resource cycles, acceptance of the slow gifts of passive energy, and consideration of a future far beyond our own lifetimes. What these all show is that resilience and sustainability are achieved as byproducts of lifestyles based on healthy relationships between human society and the nonhuman environment within which it exists