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Conservation futures 2050: Developing future scenarios to explore potential socio-economic developments and their impact on biodiversity
No full textLarge scale changes in biodiversity and conservation management require long-term goals and planning across multiple sectors in the face of increasing global change. Major trends in land use and management interventions, species additions or losses, and climate are well recognized, but responses are still often short-term and fragmented across agencies and sectors. Scenario-building can be a powerful tool to imagine possible futures, integrating across sectors and disciplines and promoting long-term thinking and planning. As an interdisciplinary team of experts, we developed potential scenarios for a range of future environmental conditions. The scenarios explored: increasing land ownership and stewardship of land by indigenous peoples (Māori); widespread afforestation using native tree species; national-scale eradication of invasive mammalian predators; and increasing frequency of extreme weather events. We explored the implications of these globally-relevant trends at a national scale using Aotearoa New Zealand as our study system. Detailed descriptions of these scenarios were developed by experts using environmental, economic, social science and policy lenses. Across scenarios several common themes were consistently highlighted, including the importance of land use in driving other conservation outcomes. How the value of ecosystem services is recognized and prioritized was also important to a wide range of outcomes. Furthermore, each scenario presented both opportunities and risks to equality, indigenous empowerment and human capital, emphasizing the importance of good policy responses to maximize benefits and minimize unintended harm. These scenarios will be used to stimulate new questions and ideas for biodiversity conservation and management, such as considering the implications of different potential futures for the management of biological invasions. This approach is explicitly designed to be generalisable across different sites or regions and provides a method for considering the implications of potential future changes for a broad range of disciplines or needs
E-grocery service loyalty: Integrating food quality, e-grocery quality and relationship quality (young customers’ experience with local food)
No full textPurpose
This study aims to evaluate the loyalty formation model on e-grocery service incorporating food quality, e-grocery quality and relationship quality as determinants of loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
The quantitative approach was used by using 353 data from young Indonesian customers with purchasing experience of local food through e-grocery service. The hypothesized relationships between variables were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results confirm that local food quality, e-grocery service quality and the relationship quality elements of a sense of community and attitudinal attachment, are all loyalty drivers. Next, mediation tests reveal that local food quality and e-grocery service quality influence customer loyalty through customers’ attitudinal attachment and a sense of community.
Practical implications
This study recommends that managers of e-grocery services of local food businesses could benefit from the development of attachment and a sense of community among their young clients. Furthermore, to develop loyalty among young customers, offering high-quality local food as well as e-grocery services is suggested.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first examination of the e-grocery service loyalty in the context of local food
Entangled pathways of the Plantationocene: Early colonial monocropping, subaltern agrobiodiversity, and aridity in Andalus (Spain) and Coastal Peru
Get PDFThe long-term (AD 1300–1800), multi-scale interactions of monocropping and subaltern agri-food systems of Andalus (Spain) and coastal Peru reveal the entangled transformations of the Plantationocene. Historically convergent colonial monocultures (wheat, sugar, cotton, sheep, cattle) entangled with the divergence and plurality of resilient yet precarious diverse-food affordances of subaltern groups (peasants, indigenous people, enslaved persons, Mudejares, Moriscos). Using political ecology, the comparative cases illuminate how Plantationocene colonial entanglements were shaped through spatial movements and social-environmental affordances of biota, populations, and institutions. New empirical understanding and a novel conceptual and analytical framework offer insight into Plantationocene pathways, alternatives, and struggles
A global review of the trends and themes in polar tourism scholarship
No full textIn recent years, we have witnessed a proliferation in the scholarly output related to the study of polar tourism. Having made a first appearance as an area of research in its own right almost five decades ago, scholarship on polar tourism has undergone a significant transformation and is now more likely to be underpinned by empirical, multi-disciplinary, multi-authored and theoretically situated research than in the past. Updating previous reviews, this chapter systematically reviews 626 journal articles published on polar tourism (1974-2022) and identifies key research trends and themes. Following Stewart et al. (2005, 2017), a database of journal articles was updated through a keyword search of two online scholarly databases (Scopus and Google Scholar) and other regionally relevant search engines and compiled into a spreadsheet for analysis. The chapter extends the previous reviews by including articles published in languages other than English (22 languages). By doing so, this review presents, for the first time, a comprehensive overview of scholarly output on polar tourism, benefiting from the international research efforts that have been undertaken. While the chapter reports a dominance of anglophone articles (almost 75% of all papers), there is an upswing of scholarly work outside of the anglophone literature. This linguistic diversity stands us in good stead to advance our understanding of polar tourism in its many guise
Brokering wine, brokering place: Exploring the role of sommeliers in promoting rural tourism
No full textIn a great number of rural regions, wine tourism has grown in popularity and become a central part of the tourism offering. Wine tourism experiences are closely tied to place, and focus on how the physical and human geographical dimensions of a particular region combine to produce wine that is distinctive. While much wine tourism analysis has examined how tourists interact with vineyard, winery and cellar spaces, and how winemakers craft narratives of taste, time and terroir, the role of sommeliers (and other restaurant staff with wine responsibilities) has been largely overlooked. We know that sommeliers and allied staff broker wine to customers, but through that process they can also broker places and tourism experiences. In this paper, we will draw on interviews carried out with sommeliers and allied staff in two regions of New Zealand to examine how these professionals can transmit a sense of place in local wine, and generate two-way traffic between hospitality, primary industry and wider tourism businesses. We will reveal how sommeliers and restaurant staff wield significant discretionary power to influence, impress and guide in the conversations that follow the frequent customer question of 'what do you recommend?' And we will examine how this power can be an under-considered means of promoting tourism in emerging and established wine regions throughout the world
Monitoring and recovery
No full textWith increased professionalism in rugby there has been increased interest in the scientific approach to training and recovery of athletes. Coaches, trainers, and administrators (and for that matter club owners) want the most effective training and recuperation programs available for their players. Applying appropriate training loads along with adequate recovery, is a balancing act but it is essential in gaining maximal adaptation in players, while minimising harm such as overreaching, overtraining, injury and illness. Although appropriate physical stress (training) is essential for players, stress is also induced from areas, other than training. For example, stress from social or environmental pressure, from the team environment, from coaches, from family, or from within the players themselves. Because training, and therefore adaptation, and ongoing performance will be compromised if the balance between stress and recovery is not maintained, monitoring of stress and recovery in players is vital
Measuring landscape performance: Context, mechanisms, strategies, approaches, and theories : A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University
No full textThis research explores various dimensions of Landscape Performance Evaluation (LPE), including its practice context, mechanism, evaluation strategies, approaches, and theories. This study firstly traces the evolution of the evaluation practices in the field of environmental design disciplines from its architectural roots to its integration into landscape architecture, and from its original form of Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) to LPE. The challenges arising from ambiguous interpretations and interdisciplinary differences in POE conceptualisation are identified. The study advocates for specificity and clarity in approaching the concept of POE.
The research then extends its focus to the New Zealand environmental design and planning context, collecting and analysing a representative range of evaluation cases to unveil barriers and enablers in performance evaluation implementation. This study emphasises the essential role of effective regulating and supporting mechanisms in ensuring balanced resulting benefits relative to costs for all involved parties. Subsequently, the methodological terrain of LPE practices in New Zealand is mapped, proposing a categorising framework for the evaluation models and approaches, and revealing associations between funding sources, evaluator types, and evaluation outcomes.
The first New Zealand-based Landscape Performance Evaluation (LPS) Case Study Investigation (CSI) consists of a part of this doctoral research. The CSI evaluation is explored, reflecting from the evaluators' perspectives, challenging the dichotomies in methodological categorisation, and advocating for a universal currency for benefit measurement. This research then introduces the hedonic model approach, quantifying intangible landscape benefits, and demonstrating the potential for using monetary value to measure the value of landscapes and thereby providing evidence for decision-making processes. An economic perspective is applied to conceptualise the current challenges in understanding and communicating landscape benefits, drawing parallels between the market for "lemons" and the landscape architecture industry. LPE emerges as a potent countermeasure to information asymmetry and a lack of information, potentially mitigating negative impacts on the industry.
By encapsulating a multidimensional exploration that weaves together context, mechanisms, strategies, approaches, and theories of landscape performance evaluation, this research aims to guide future scholars, practitioners, and decision-makers in navigating LPE explorations, thereby contributing to the enhancement of the built environment and human well-being
Understanding the growth and development of maize (Zea mays L.) : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University
No full textA main constraint to maize production in New Zealand is yield variability due to the low rainfall supply and also the erratic distribution of rain in the summer which consequently affects crop N uptake and utilization. The aim of this study was to understand the influence of N and water on canopy development, crop growth, phenological development and yield formation. Crops with different yield potentials were created using different levels of N and water availability. Two experiments were carried out, marking the growing season, Experiment 1 in 2015/16 and Experiment 2 in 2016/17. The two experiments were carried out at two different locations at Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand. Experiment 1 was arranged in a split-plot design with four nitrogen (N) levels under different water regimes. The N levels were N1- nil, N2 -75 kg N/ha, N3 – 150 kg N/ha and N4 – 300 kg N/ha, and water levels at Irr1- Irr4 as defined by the accumulated potential soil moisture deficit as 443 (rainfed), 367, 301 and 226 mm, respectively. These created grain yields that were not different in all the treatments which averaged 12.4 t/ha and only varied in total dry matter (DM) accumulated. To create more distinct differences in grain yield, this experiment was repeated at another location with a higher dose of N. Experiment 2 used two levels of water and N in a randomised block design. The treatments were for N1 –nil N and N2 - 500 kg N/ha, rainfed and irrigation (accumulated potential soil moisture deficit at 536 and 296 mm respectively).
In Experiment 1, grain yield was not different across the crops and average 12.4 t/ha. The total DM was 19.1 t/ha for the rainfed crop (Irr1) and averaged 22.4 t/ha for the irrigated crops. Grain yield and total DM as explained by intercepted photosynthetic radiation (iPAR) accumulated to 570 MJ/m2 for Irr1 and was higher at 1082 MJ/m2 for Irr2. All crops GAI reached a maximum at 3.7 m2/m2 at a rate of 0.01 m2/m2/°Cd in the duration of 677 °Cd which justified the similarities in grain yield. After the linear phase, the intercepted light in Irr1 immediately reached an asymptote as the leaves withered quickly due to water stress. The radiation use efficiency (RUE) was 2.21 g/MJ for N1 and 2.49 g/MJ for N4 and mainly because of the specific leaf N (SLN). The SLN was highest at 2.1 g N/m2 for the irrigated crop with N and lower at 1.66 g N/m2 without N. The contribution of SLN to yield was reflected in total DM.
In Experiment 2, grain yield increased progressively from 0.98 t/ha under rainfed to 9.0 t/ha when irrigated and further to 16.3 t/ha with N. Total DM followed a similar response with rainfed accumulating only 4.10 t/ha and 14.3 t/ha under irrigation and doubling with N, creating total DM of 28.9 t/ha. The difference in total DM was explained by the differences in the total amount of iPAR. Under rainfed the total iPAR was 448 MJ/m2 and increased to 551 MJ/m2 with N, and when irrigated was 816 MJ/m2 and further increased to 1005 MJ/m2 with N. The rate and duration changed, indicating the capacity of the crop to capture light depended on the changes in pigment protein complexes, directly linked to development of the GAI as a process of leaf development and expansion. The maximum GAI was affected by the main effects of water and N where GAI increased from 2.14 to 3.49 m2/m2 with water and from 2.48 to 3.14 m2/m2 with N application.
In the contribution of RUE to grain yield, SLN was a key factor connecting leaf N concentration to DM production. The SLN was 1.23 g N/m2 at 905 °Cd in all the crops, however, dissecting the canopy into cohorts, SLN varied. The main section of the canopy that supplied assimilates directly to ear development was the mid-cohort. This cohort was affected by both water and N, increasing SLN from 1.43 to 2.39 g N/m2 with water and from 1.46 to 2.37 g N/m2 with N. The changes at cohort levels were explained by GAI as parameter relating to canopy development and the allocation of N within the leaf, and light penetration through the hierarchical canopy arrangement.
The amount of water used to produce the given yield in Experiment 2 depended on crop water use which was converted to WUE. Only the crop under irrigation and N was efficiently converting water to DM at 47 kg DM/mm of water. The WUE for the rainfed crops was 17.9 kg DM/mm and did not differ from the irrigated crop without N which had a WUE of 25.7 kg DM/ha/mm.
Leaf and canopy photosynthesis has led to improvements in crop DM and yield through enhanced DM partitioning. In depth understanding into elements of SLN is essential for estimation of the SLN throughout the cropping season. The future of crop improvement strategies is dependent on maximising the leaf and canopy photosynthesis and converting DM accumulation into yield benefits
Behavioural response to gastrointestinal parasites of yearling dairy calves at pasture
No full textAims: To investigate the association between gastrointestinal parasites (GIP) and animal behaviour in dairy calves under New Zealand pastoral conditions, using animal-mounted, accelerometer-based sensors.
Methods: Thirty-six, 5–6-month-old, Friesian-Jersey, heifer calves fitted with animal activity sensors to track behaviour were randomly allocated to one of two treatment groups. Half the animals were challenged with an oral dose of 20,000 larvae of Ostertagia ostertagi and Cooperia oncophera once a week for 3 weeks and half were unchallenged. Five weeks after the last dose, seven infected and nine uninfected animals were treated with an oral anthelmintic (AHC) and data collected for a further week. Accelerometer data were classified into minutes per day eating, ruminating, in moderate–high activity or in low activity. Live weight and faecal egg counts (FEC) were recorded weekly over the study period. All animals co-grazed a newly sown pasture not previously grazed by ruminants and were moved every week to fresh grazing. Treatment status was blinded to those managing the animals which were otherwise treated identically.
Results: Complete behavioural records were available from 30/36 calves, (13 challenged and 17 unchallenged). Before treatment with AHC, FEC increased in infected and un-treated calves over the study, while uninfected animals maintained a near zero FEC. There was no difference in live weight gain between the two groups over the study period. Bayesian, multinomial regression predicted differences in animal behaviour between infected and uninfected animals that were not treated with AHC over the 7 weeks following initial infection. Parasitised calves not treated with AHC were less active and spent up to 6 (95% highest density interval (HDI) = 1–11) minutes/day less in low level activity and up to 15 (95% HDI = 7–20) minutes/day less in moderate to high level activity. They ruminated up to 9 (95% HDI = 2–15) minutes/day more and ate up to 10 (95% HDI = 2–19) minutes/day more than control calves that were not treated with AHC. The effect of AHC on time spent in each behaviour differed between infected and uninfected calves and increased the coefficient of dispersion of the behavioural data.
Conclusions and clinical relevance: Small differences in animal behaviour can be measured in calves with GIP. However, to use this to target treatment, further validation studies are required to confirm the accuracy of behavioural classification and understand the complex drivers of animal behaviour in a dynamic and variable pasture-parasite–host environment
Mechanization driving the future of agriculture in Asia
No full textAgricultural mechanization boosts production by using machinery for tasks like plowing, irrigation, and harvesting to increase efficiency, reduce labor intensity, and alleviate seasonal labor shortages. However, agricultural mechanization development levels vary considerably across Asian countries, reflecting the diverse stages of economic development, policy frameworks, and resource availability. For example, in 2015, agricultural machinery power was 16 horsepower per hectare in Japan but only 1.5 horsepower per hectare in Viet Nam (Wijaya and Nurcahyo 2022). Other Asian countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Cambodia also exhibit relatively low levels of mechanization (Khan and Rehman 2019)