116,831 research outputs found
Black Stork Down: Military Discourses in Bird Conservation in Malta
No full textTensions between Maltese hunters and bird conservation NGOs have intensified over the past decade. Conservation NGOs have become frustrated with the Maltese State for conceding to the hunter lobby and negotiating derogations from the European Union’s Bird Directive. Some NGOs have recently started to organize complex field-operations where volunteers are trained to patrol the landscape, operate drones and other surveillance technologies, detect illegalities, and lead police teams to arrest poachers. We describe the sophisticated military metaphors which conservation NGOs have developed to describe, guide and legitimize their efforts to the Maltese public and their fee-paying members. We also discuss why such groups might be inclined to adopt these metaphors. Finally, we suggest that anthropological studies of discourse could help understand delicate contexts such as this where conservation NGOs, hunting associations and the State have ended in political deadlock
Estimating bird abundance : making methods work
No full textIn many bird monitoring Surveys, no attempt is made to estimate bird densities or abundance. instead, counts of one form or another are made, and these are assumed to correlate with bird density. Unless complete Counts Oil Sample plots are feasible, this approach can easily lead to false conclusions, because detectability of birds varies by species, habitat, observer and many other factors. Trends in time of counts often reflect trends in detectability, rather than trends in abundance. Conclusions are further compromised when surveys are conducted at unrepresentative sites. We consider how to avoid these problems. We give a brief description of distance sampling methods, which allow detectability to be estimated. We consider strategies to ease their implementation, to enhance their reliability, to adapt the methods for difficult species, and to deal with circumstances in which representative sampling is problematic. We also consider some of the common problems encountered, and suggest solutions.Peer reviewe
Bird species richness and diversity at montane Important Bird Area (IBA) sites in south-eastern Nigeria
No full textThe mountains of south-eastern Nigeria are a western extension of the Cameroon mountain range, which is classified as an endemic bird area (EBA). Unlike its eastern extension in Cameroon, most of the ornithological surveys in the western extension of the Cameroon highlands in Nigeria have produced only limited checklists and inventories. There is a clear need for quantitative baseline data so that conservation problems can be identified. Twenty line transects covering a total transect length of 28.8 km were used to survey five sites (Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, Oban and Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park, Sankwala Mountains and Mbe Mountains) in the westernmost extension of the Cameroon Mountains EBA in south western Nigeria. Vegetation measurements were taken to control for the potential confounding effect of variation in vegetation density and structure on detectability of birds between sites. The 193 bird species recorded in Afi, 158 in Sankwala, 124 in Oban, 100 in Mbe and 73 in Okwangwo Division included most of the Cameroon highlands restricted range species. The results show that the mountains of south-eastern Nigeria are important parts of the Cameroon EBA, particularly the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary. However these sites are threatened by fire and livestock grazing on the hilltops, shifting agriculture on the hillsides and lowlands, and logging for timber in some parts, as well as wildlife hunting for bush meat.Peer reviewe
Oral history interview with Ron G. Bird
No full textTranscript, 47 pp.In November 2013, CBI director Tom Misa conducted a series of oral history interviews with 13 former employees of Control Data Australia (1963-89) including the details of each person’s career, before and after working for Control Data. Topics that are common to many of the interviews include Trevor Robinson’s key role in organizing Control Data Australia; the early computer sales in Australia to the Bureau of Census and Statistics, Department of Defence, Postmaster General, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Bureau of Meteorology, and several prominent Australian universities. Control Data Australia did business data processing for such large concerns as Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP), Telstra, and others. A distinctive emphasis was its work in developing computer systems for race-track betting for the state of Victoria’s Totalisator Agency Board (TAB) as well as for other Australian states and New Zealand. Other topics include relations with Control Data’s headquarters in Minneapolis, business data processing, data centers, database management, networking and Cybernet, and projects done in several Far East countries.
Interviews were conducted with Richard Bament, John Baxter, Ron G. Bird, Tony Blackmore, Lyle Bowden, Marcel Dayan, Ian Downie, Julie James, George Karoly, John O’Neil, Garry Pearce, Rob Robertson, and Bruce Wilson.Bird, Ron G.. (2013). Oral history interview with Ron G. Bird. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/164967
Relationships between hedgerow characteristics and bird communities:: a multivariate approach
No full textFifty 100m hedge transects were selected within 10km of Durham City, North England. The bird community of the hedge transects was censused six times between May and July, and characteristics of the hedge and surrounding landscape were recorded. The data was analysed using multivariate methods to determine the importance of the microstructure of the hedge in relation to aspects of the bird community. Stepwise Multiple Regression selected the scores of the first axis of a Detrended Correspondance Analysis of shrub abundance data (related to the height and width of the hedge) as the best predictor of Bird species richness and density. Individual species were related to different aspects of the hedge microstructure. The use of transformed independent data improved the predictive value of most of these relationships. A Detrended Correspondance Analysis found that major source of variation in the bird species abundances was due to the number of trees in the hedge. Canonical Correspondance Analysis was used to analyse how a community responds to a set of external factors. The CANOCO first axis was related to an increase in the area of nearby woodland in the positive end and an increase in the number of trees in the negative end. The position of the species scores in relation to these environmental gradients was analysed. The habitat preferences of 4 common species of bird was explored using "sector” analysis, whereby the mean density of the species is plotted against the major sources of variation in the environmental variables, different habitat preferences between species are apparent. The importance of trees to the bird community was elucidated using Linear Discriminant Analysis. The analysis was carried out with hedges with no trees and hedges with 3 or more trees as the two a priori groups. Eighty-three percent of the sites were placed in the correct groups, using 14 common bird species as variables. The importance of the microstructure of the hedge to the bird community is discussed
Cooperation bibliogram of bird flu
No full textThe published literature on Bird Flu, now a pandemic animal disease with a possible potential of evolving into a devastating human disease, was analysed primarily with respect of national and international cooperations and networks of authors and countries. The output of research-relevant papers is now around 150 per year and was less than 100 papers per year before 2003. The field is highly cooperative; nearly 90% of the articles have two or more authors. National extramural cooperation is around 50% since 1998, intramural cooperation shows a decreasing tendency and is now about 20%. Between 20% and 30% of the papers have been published in bi- or multinational cooperation. Observed and expected citation rates of international papers are twice as high as the citation rates of national papers.
47 countries are engaged in Bird Flu research, on top USA, followed by PEOPLES R CHINA, UK and JAPAN. These countries are also centers of country networks, but minor centers exist. An Asian local network with strong ties consisting of countries most affected by Bird Flu can be identified.. No strong direct connections exist between Europe and Asia; thus it seems necessary to intensify international cooperation.
Author network show interesting cluster structures which must be studied in detail
Earlier onset of psychostimulant use and the D2 dopamine receptor gene TaqI A1 RFLP predict preferential psychostimulant use in polysubstance abusers
No full textPlan shewing mining companies at Mount Lyell, west coast, Tasmania [cartographic material].
No full textMap showing mining leases and their extent. Relief shown by hachures.; 'Note - This map has been specially compiled for G. A. Lawson, 90 Queen Street, Melbourne'.; From: The past and present position of the mineral industry on the West Coast, Tasmania / G.A. Lawson.; Ferguson, J.A. Bibliography of Australia, 11491; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.map-rm2731
New insights on accretion in supergiant fast X-ray transients from XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL observations of IGR J17544-2619
No full textXMM–Newton observations of the supergiant fast X-ray transient IGR J17544?2619 are reported and placed in the context of an analysis of archival INTEGRAL/IBIS data that provide a refined estimate of the orbital period at 4.9272?±?0.0004?d. A complete outburst history across the INTEGRAL mission is reported. Although the new XMM–Newton observations (each lasting ?15 ks) targeted the peak flux in the phase-folded hard X-ray light curve of IGR J17544?2619, no bright outbursts were observed, the source spending the majority of the exposure at intermediate luminosities of the order of several 1033?erg?s?1 (0.5–10 keV) and displaying only low level flickering activity. For the final portion of the exposure, the luminosity of IGR J17544?2619 dropped to ?4?×?1032?erg?s?1 (0.5–10 keV), comparable with the lowest luminosities ever detected from this source, despite the observations being taken near to periastron. We consider the possible orbital geometry of IGR J17544?2619 and the implications for the nature of the mass transfer and accretion mechanisms for both IGR J17544?2619 and the supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXTs) population. We conclude that accretion under the ‘quasi-spherical accretion’ model provides a good description of the behaviour of IGR J17544?2619 and suggests an additional mechanism for generating outbursts based upon the mass accumulation rate in the hot shell (atmosphere) that forms around the neutron star under the quasi-spherical formulation. Hence, we hope to aid in explaining the varied outburst behaviours observed across the SFXT population with a consistent underlying physical model
Household factors influencing participation in bird feeding activity: A national scale analysis
No full textAmeliorating pressures on the ecological condition of the wider landscape outside of protected areas is a key focus of conservation initiatives in the developed world. In highly urbanized nations, domestic gardens can play a significant role in maintaining biodiversity and facilitating human-wildlife interactions, which benefit personal and societal health and well-being. The extent to which sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors are associated with engagement in wildlife gardening activities remain largely unresolved. Using two household-level survey datasets gathered from across Britain, we determine whether and how the socioeconomic background of a household influences participation in food provision for wild birds, the most popular and widespread form of human-wildlife interaction. A majority of households feed birds (64% across rural and urban areas in England, and 53% within five British study cities). House type, household size and the age of the head of the household were all important predictors of bird feeding, whereas gross annual household income, the occupation of the head of the household, and whether the house is owned or rented were not. In both surveys, the prevalence of bird feeding rose as house type became more detached and as the age of the head of the household increased. A clear, consistent pattern between households of varying size was less evident. When regularity of food provision was examined in the study cities, just 29% of households provided food at least once a week. The proportion of households regularly feeding birds was positively related to the age of the head of the household, but declined with gross annual income. As concerns grow about the lack of engagement between people and the natural environment, such findings are important if conservation organizations are successfully to promote public participation in wildlife gardening specifically and environmentally beneficial behaviour in society more generally
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