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Explaining variability in cultural impact assessment outcomes: Insights from Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textCultural impact assessments (CIA) are a mechanism for Māori to influence environmental planning and decision-making in Aotearoa New Zealand. They enable Māori to assess the impacts of proposed developments on their rights, values and interests. However, Māori lived experiences demonstrate CIA outcomes are highly variable, and not reliable or predictable. The spectrum ranges from no response to a CIA to a substantial influence on decision-making. Understanding the reasons for variability is critical to evaluating CIA effectiveness and improving outcomes for Māori communities. In this article, we identify what appear to be the foremost factors that influence CIA outcomes and their relative importance. Drawing on the lived experiences of 27 practitioners and knowledge holders, we explore how the dynamics between factors produce processes that are battlegrounds, transactional or transformational. Understanding these dynamics can improve CIA outcomes through knowing where to focus attention and effort. The research contributes to international efforts to develop Indigenous IA processes and practices, and maximise the potential for success. There is much work to be done to realise the potential of Indigenous IA, and this systematic analysis offers important insights for moving forward
Infrastructural, performative and feral: Understanding agri-environmental data relations in Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textIn agri-environmental decision-making, data are essential to defining problems and informing solutions. Nevertheless, it is important to consider not only how data can be used but also what data does in agri-environmental contexts. We argue that the liveliness of data relations can be explored by attending to their infrastructural, performative and feral qualities. Taking digital agriculture and climate change adaptation as examples, we also consider how these interconnected theses could be applied. This critical approach to data relations and their generative effects will help avoid unintended consequences and shape alternative agri-environmental future
Multiple targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework must be addressed to manage invasive alien species in protected areas
No full textThe Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) sets out ambitious global targets to reduce biodiversity loss by 2030 and will determine the conservation agenda for the next decade. Invasive alien species are a major driver of biodiversity loss in terrestrial and marine ecosystems; and a key focus of the GBF is therefore to reduce their introduction by 50% through pathway management as well as eradicating or controlling established alien species in priority sites (Target 6). Protected areas are among the most important priority sites for the management of biological invasions. However, delivery of Target 6 for protected areas entails coordination with other GBF targets especially in relation to rapidly evolving pathways such as increasing international and domestic tourism (Target 15), progressive encroachment of urban areas (Target 12), development of intensive agriculture/aquaculture systems in buffer zones (Target 10), species rafting on marine plastic (Target 7), and growing risk from range-shifting species under climate change (Target 8). The management of established invasive alien species requires effective spatial planning (Target 1) to prioritise the limited human and financial resources available to manage biological invasions including recognising those protected areas facing the greatest immediate and future threat, identifying the species that pose the greatest risk to threatened species (Target 4) and/or Nature’s Contributions to People (Target 11), and obtaining the necessary finance required to effectively control priority species (Target 19). The goal of expanding protected areas to cover 30% of land, water, and seas (Target 3) will need to avoid the inclusion of areas already harbouring invasive alien species. Addressing biological invasions must be an inclusive process (Target 22) undertaken over multiple years that involves the sharing of knowledge and data (Target 21). Decision-makers, protected area managers, researchers, and representative of local communities should all be involved in the regular prioritisation, implementation, and review of management activities. Consequently, the effective management of biological invasions to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 will not be realised by having an exclusive focus on achieving Target 6; it will also require that substantial progress is made with most GBF Targets. Elucidating the interconnectedness of different GBF Targets in relation to their direct or indirect role in the effective management of biological invasions reveals opportunities for a more integrated approach to biodiversity conservation. The inclusion of the multiple GBF targets in strategies to address invasive alien species is the step change needed to reduce the magnitude of this threat to biodiversity by 2030
Hereford heifers with lower blood urea nitrogen breeding values excrete urine with lower nitrogen concentration
No full textThe aim of this study was to investigate the effect of blood urea nitrogen (N) breeding value (BUNBV) on the concentration of urinary N (UN) and urinary urea N (UUN) of Hereford heifers. Thirty two heifers with divergent BUNBV: 16 low (BUNBV–1.95 to −0.58, liveweight 208 ± 4.4 kg and age 303 ± 16.7 d; LBUN) and 16 high (BUNBV 0.32–1.91, liveweight 204 ± 4.8 kg and age 302 ± 7.9 d; HBUN) were studied over a 14-day period during which they were fed lucerne silage. Individual urine, faecal, and blood spot samples were collected in the morning (0900 h) and afternoon (1400 h) on four non-consecutive days during the second experimental week. Intakes of dry matter and N, and liveweight were similar across treatments. Positive relationships existed between BUNBV and UN (R²= 0.51; P < 0.001), and BUNBV and UUN (R²= 0.57; P < 0.001). One unit increase in BUNBV increased heifer UN by 0.60 ± 0.254 g/L and UUN by 0.54 ± 0.221 g/L across both sampling times (AM and PM). This suggests that breeding for low BUN may reduce the environmental impact of pastoral beef production systems. However, further research is needed to compare N balance and urination behaviours of beef heifers divergent in BUNB
Food prices in New Zealand: Implications for feeding people better
No full textThere are ongoing concerns about food security, particularly around food affordability and the nutritional quality of diets in New Zealand. While recent food price inflation has sparked conversations about overall affordability, less attention has been directed toward understanding how variations in price increases across different food categories might impact nutrition and health. Using data from Statistics New Zealand on the prices of 85 food items between 2014 and 2023, we estimated 12-month moving averages of relative real prices of sweetened foods vis-à-vis those of five other food categories: dairy, fruits, vegetables, processed meats, and unprocessed meats. Non-parametric Mann-Kendall tests and linear regressions were used to assess the trends in relative food prices. The data show that sweetened foods have become relatively inexpensive over this period. On the premise that both absolute and relative prices are important in determining dietary choices and that these choices impact health, we consider the possible negative implications of these trends. Possible reasons for the recent trends and policies to meet the challenges they pose are discussed
Challenging elite environmentalism: Stories from Brazil and India
No full textElite environmentalism is inspired by Malthusian overpopulation scenarios, advocating for authoritarian action through top-down conservation policies and celebrating ecomodernist climate adaptation/mitigation projects. In doing so, hegemonic mainstream environmentalism (HME) fails to address its colonial, authoritarian, saviorist foundations, which continue to motivate much of environmentalism. But there are also ongoing challenges to this by the work of Indigenous, feminist, anti-racist, anti-casteist, anti/de/post-colonial thinkers and doers. In this work, we build upon such provocations, and through ethnographic stories of non-elite communities, envision an alternative to HME. We propose a temporary analytical frame that advocates for non-elite visions of environmentalism—non-elite and more-than-colonial environmentalisms (NEMCEs). We witness the labour and aspirations of non-elite communities (Indigenous and peasant) from Mato Grosso, Brazil, and Uttarakhand, India, as they pursue lives of defiance and dignity. Their stories reveal the unresolved contradictions at the heart of the capitalist, colonial and scientific worldview. Exploring the contentious identity positions of caste, class, indigeneity and gender, we examine land-use change and ecological governance with the A'uwe Indigenous community in the agrarian heartland of the Brazilian cerrado and with lower-caste agrarian families navigating the powerful manifestations of Hindu nationalism and neoliberal territorial management in the Indian Himalayas. These stories help us present a response to HME. They challenge its insidious reproduction of certain elite aspirations and institutions while claiming to support planetary visions of ecological well-being. Additionally, these moments of non-elite agency provide moments of hop
Generation of spontaneous rifampicin-resistant Pseudomonas mutants
No full textPlants are colonised by numerous microorganisms collectively termed the microbiome. Globally efforts
are being made to engineer the microbiomes of plants to enhance the traits delivered by microorganisms.
Synthetic communities or ‘SynComs’ are formulations of selected microbial strains that are prepared in the laboratory and designed to mimic natural microbial ecosystems. The research presented here is part of a study aimed to monitor the colonisation dynamics of a synthetic bacterial community (Syncom) composed of Pseudomonas strains with antagonistic potential against grapevine trunk disease (GTD). We describe the production of rifampicin resistance strains (rif+) to enable the quantitative tracking bacteria when introduced into plants and to allow for clear differentiation from the native microflora. Spontaneous rif⁺ mutants were generated from previously identified Pseudomonas isolates with known biocontrol activity against the GTD causal agent Eutypa lata. Genetic stability was assessed and only mutants that retained resistance were considered stable and heritably resistant. The inhibitory activity of rifampicin-resistant Pseudomonas mutants towards E. lata was evaluated using a dual plate assay. Assays were conducted in parallel with non-mutant (wild-type) Pseudomonas isolates to verify that their biocontrol efficacy had been maintained. PCR sequencing targeting the rpoB gene (RNA polymerase βsubunit) was used to identify rif+ mutations. This method is a cost-effective and reliable strategy for studying the behaviour and stability of applied microbial consortia in planta. These rif⁺ mutants will be used to explore the persistence and distribution of the bacteria in planta with the goal of engineering Syncoms that enhance plant defence against pathogens
Diversity and dynamics of microbial communities during spontaneous fermentation of different cultivars of apples from China and their relationship with the volatile components in the cider
No full textMicroorganisms involved in spontaneous fermentation are critical in cider productivity, quality, and aroma. This study examined the composition and dynamic changes of indigenous microbial communities during spontaneous fermentation of three apple cultivars (Qin Guan, Fuji, and Qin Yue) from Shaanxi, China, and their influence on cider's volatile components. Samples were collected at three time points and analyzed using high-throughput sequencing and HS-SPME-GC–MS. A total of 2961 bacterial and 618 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified, distributed among 20 bacterial and 5 fungal phyla. Alpha diversity analysis and Permutation multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) demonstrated that the cultivar significantly influenced fungal diversity and microbial composition at the start of the fermentation (p < 0.05). Moreover, the particular microbial communities inherent to the cultivar were maintained at the end of the fermentation. The characteristic fungal genera were Hanseniaspora in Qin Guan, Rhodosporidiobolus and Pichia in Fuji, and Debaryomyces in Qin Yue. A total of 43 volatile compounds were identified, among which 40 exhibited significant differences across different cultivars (p < 0.05). The characteristic volatile flavor components of Qin Guan included Isobutyl acetate, Ethyl 3-methylbutanoate, Hexyl acetate, Ethyl 2-hydroxypropanoate, 1-Hexanol, 1-Heptanol, and 2-Methylpropanoic acid. Fuji's characteristic component was Diethyl butanedioate, while Qin Yue's was (E)-3-Hexen-1-ol. Using partial least squares regression (PLSR) and Spearman analyze the correlation between microbiota and volatile compound production, the abundances of Hanseniaspora uvarum, Pichia kudriavzevii, Vishniacozyma victoriae, and Meyerozyma guilliermondii were positively correlated with the production of esters and higher alcohols. This research demonstrated that different apple cultivars influence the microbial community composition and, in turn, impact the cider aromas during spontaneous fermentation
Insights into the use of GRESB as an ESG benchmarking tool
No full textPurpose - Sustainability practices and reporting have consistently evolved over the years with trends towards more holistic approaches with respect to environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG). In the real estate sector over the last decade, GRESB (formerly known as Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) has become the leading global ESG benchmarking tool for real asset investments. However, it has attracted limited research, and this underpins this works’ motivation for the exploration of the perspectives of real estate stakeholders relating to the uptake and use of GRESB.
Design/methodology/approach - The approach used in this study is qualitative in nature, adopting a phenomenological research design to capture the essence of the lived experiences of purposely sampled participants. This is done through an interpretative phenomenological analysis of semi-structured interviews.
Findings - Legislation, regulation and risk management are the main motivations for engaging with ESG-related issues. The main benefit of GRESB is benchmarking, while the main weaknesses lie in the data collection and the undeveloped social component. Within data, the major challenges are observed for the transparency of performance data and overreliance on policies instead of performance. GRESB would benefit from the inclusion of (1) more detailed sustainability benchmarks relating to social and governance components, and (2) social value metrics in their overall assessment.
Practical implications - Policymakers need to develop or support globally recognised reporting standards to increase the quality, accuracy and comparability of ESG information.
Originality/value - This is the first study on ESG reporting using a phenomenological research design