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Introduction: writing and researching (in) the regions
No full textThe special issue of TEXT on writing and researching (in) the regions provides a robust portrait of the ways in which regional Australia is imagined, produced, and negotiated by writers and scholars working in a range of settings broadly understood as regional. The writing and research here gather around a range of themes: writing (in) the regions; teaching (in) the regions; and publishing (in) the regions. Together, these works contribute to the ongoing negotiations around how to understand, interpret, work within and nurture regional writing, teaching and research
Nurturing academic writing for students in an enrolled to registered nurse conversion course at university
No full textThe genome of the Black Bengal goat (Capra hircus)
No full textOBJECTIVES: Black Bengal goat (Capra hircus), a member of the Bovidae family with the unique traits of high prolificacy, skin quality and low demand for food is the most socioeconomically significant goat breed in Bangladesh. Furthermore, the aptitude of adaptation and disease resistance capacity of it is highly notable which makes its whole genome information an area of research interest.DATA DESCRIPTION: The genomic DNA of a local (Chattogram, Bangladesh) healthy male Black Bengal goat (Capra hircus) was extracted and then sequenced. Sequencing was completed using the Illumina HiSeq 2500 sequencing platform and the draft assembly was generated using the ARS1 genome as the reference. MAKER gene annotation pipeline was utilized to annotate 26,458 gene models. Genome completeness was assessed using BUSCO (Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs) which showed 82.5% completeness of the assembled genome
Relating to reptiles: an autoethnographic account of animal–leisure relationships
No full textIn this paper, I explore my life-long interest in amateur herpetology using an autoethnographic methodology and, in doing so, reveal the varied intersections of animals, leisure, place and identity within my own life experience. Informed by serious leisure theory and Stebbins’ concept of the ‘leisure career’, I reflect on aspects of my life-history from childhood and adolescence through to the present day as a 56-year-old Anglo-Australian male, teasing out the diversity of ways that the leisure practices relating to my interest in this specific group of animals have been enabled and supported, spatially, structurally and socially. This analysis examines the intellectual, emotional and embodied ways that I have encountered and experienced reptiles across time and space, facilitated in the first instance by a supportive family which, in various ways, encouraged my entry into amateur herpetology
Can you hear the rivers sing? Legal personhood, ontology, and the nitty-gritty
No full textIn 2017, multiple claims and declarations from around the legal world appeared to signal a tipping point in the global acceptance of a new and evolving legal status for nature. Whether it was litigation in the United States, India, and Colombia, or legislation emanating from New Zealand and Australia, the law seems to be grappling with a new normative order in relation to the legal status of nature. However, this shift has been a long time coming, being at least fortyfive years since Christopher Stone famously asked whether trees should have legal standing. This Article explores what this emerging Ecological Jurisprudence means for the legal personhood of rivers. Nature, the environment, and even single complex ecosystems, are seldom easily quantifiable as bounded entities with geographically clear borders. Within the complex spectrum of establishing where a legal subject ends and another begins, however, rivers are more easily identifiable. A river\u27s very being is premised on historicized boundaries that measure its watery ambit from riverbed to riverbank. Still, rivers elude a final, clearly defined, and uncontroversial description. As a result, they inhabit a liminal space, one that is at the same time geographically bounded, yet metaphorically transcendent, physically shifting, and culturally porous. Drawing on comparative case studies from Ecuador, Colombia, India, New Zealand, the United States, and Australia, this Article explores the deep and often murky bond of the river and us. This relational, ancient, and ultimately environmentally urgent bond forms the prism through which the rich story of legal personhood, ontological change, and the consequential nitty-gritty of river governance is told. Indeed, this complex story is best heard through the metaphor of song, since [i]f we are to take metaphor seriously, we must explore its poetic dimension, the persuasive power of its rhetoric, coupled with its aesthetic appeal. 2 In seeking to discern a river\u27s legal personality, we ask, can we hear the rivers sing
Does provisioning for tourism harm whale sharks at Oslob? a review of the evidence and reply to Ziegler et al. (2018)
No full textProvisioning of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) for tourism at Oslob in the Philippines is a controversial issue. Recent studies that claim negative impacts of this industry on the ecology of whale sharks are characterised by a lack of baselines, limited methodological approaches and poor interpretation of results. They do not provide robust evidence for management or for advocacy that seeks to prevent provisioning. Furthermore, these studies cannot be used to draw conclusions about the ethics of tourists visiting Oslob or the motivations of the local people running the tourism operation
Linking livelihoods to improved biodiversity conservation through sustainable integrated coastal management and community based dive tourism: Oslob Whale Sharks
No full textAlternative livelihood projects are criticised as having minimal effect on biodiversity conservation. Studies are rare and where success is claimed, outcomes and reasons why projects work, have not been documented. Livelihoods are an essential element of sustainable integrated coastal management, an accepted framework for conserving coral reefs and marine resources in the tropics. It is not known whether alternative livelihood projects contribute to the goal of improving biodiversity conservation through sustainable integrated coastal management. Here, we examine Oslob Whale Sharks, an alternate livelihoods project in the Philippines built on provisioning whale sharks for community based dive tourism. We investigate how Oslob Whale Sharks contributes to sustainable integrated coastal management and whether it has any effect on biodiversity conservation. Using key stakeholder interviews with artisanal fishers, their community, local politicians and government, we found that Oslob Whale Sharks contributes to all nine factors required for sustainable integrated coastal management. Fishers and local authorities report their perception that whale sharks are protected from poaching and finning and destructive fishing has decreased, while fish abundance, pelagic fish species and catch have increased. Our findings further suggest that as there is little evidence that this type of tourism has any negative impacts on the biology or behaviour of whale sharks, Oslob Whale Sharks provides sustainable livelihoods and a delivery mechanism for sustainable integrated coastal management
Enhancing inclusion, experience, and academic performance: peer-to-peer mentoring for equity group students in an Australian regional university
No full textThis chapter describes an undergraduate peer-to-peer mentoring program, UniMentor, at a regional Australian university, which aims to support students in equity groups. Key benefits identified are: enhanced retention rates; improved academic performance; and strengthened social networks. While the focus is on commencing students (mentees), significant positive outcomes for thirdyear mentors are also apparent. Internal and external challenges that may influence access to mentoring among students include shifting institutional support and roles and curriculum change. Enablers include training, clarity of purpose, strong support networks, and fostering student sense of ownership. The effect of disciplinary culture on uptake and effectiveness of mentoring is also important. Overall, the program compares well against published frameworks of successful student mentoring. Nevertheless, critical questions remain regarding the effectiveness of general versus targeted mentoring programs for students in equity groups
