1,720,991 research outputs found
Conoscenza e percezione forestale. Un’indagine preliminare sulla popolazione del Veneto
No full textWhile Italy and Veneto have experienced forest expansion in the last decades and despite a growing demand for services delivered by forests, the forest sector remains isolated and largely unknown by non-experts at both national and regional scale. The paper presents the main findings of a survey aiming to investigate knowledge and perception of relevant forest-related topics by Veneto population. Results show some familiarity with non-technical issues (e.g. forest certification) and lower one with silviculture and forest management topics. Knowledge and perception levels vary according to age classes and place of residence (e.g. mountain vs. cities). Further efforts should be put in place to fill the communication gap between the forest sector sensu strictu and the public at large
Forest communication: are we doing right? An online survey on public knowledge and perception of forests and forestry terminology in Italy
No full textOver the last decades the views and demands on forests by society have dramatically changed and concerns on how people perceive
forests and forestry, as well as how to find appropriate communication tools have raised.
As many other Western European countries Italy has experienced an increase in forest areas: over the last 50 years forest cover has doubled, reaching about 35% of the Country. Forest expansion is among the most relevant land use changes undergoing at national scale, mostly as a consequence of farmland abandonment and natural forest growth. Meanwhile forestry issues remain mostly within the domain of specialized/technical bodies -both private and public ones- and limited information is made easily accessible and communicated to society at large. Building on these considerations, the research aims to investigate public knowledge and perception of the forest sector in Italy to gather information on how communication on the role of forests may be improved.
An online survey has been conducted in North-Eastern Italy to collect information on people's knowledge and perception of a broad range of
forest-related aspects, including general knowledge of basic forest figures/data, familiarity with forestry terminology as well as issues like forest certification and recent developments in forest policy. Two-stage sampling has been adopted, with a stratification at first stage into mountain, lowland rural and urban population. Once finished with the survey, respondents were given access to correct answers and additional information.
Preliminary results indicate that, on average, people have limited familiarity with forestry issues and tend to underestimate the quantitative and qualitative relevance of both national and local forest resources. Findings also show some distorted perceptions -for example on extent and trends in forest cover- thus confirming the need to take action and fill the gap between public understanding and reality
Capitale Sociale e Approccio LEADER: Dalla teoria all’applicazione
No full textIntangible resources like social capital (SC), if supported by proper governance mechanisms, can positively influence rural development processes. Within the EU LEADER Approach, through stakeholders’ cooperation and networks creation, Local Action Groups (LAGs) should generate SC. This paper, on the basis of empirical evidences collected through questionnaires to 9 LAGs (case-studies) in 4 Italian regions, provides a set of 96 innovative indicators for understanding how the structural and cognitive SC contribute to increasing LEADER performance. Results consist of analytical descriptions of indicators’ values for different LAGs and comparisons among indicators, which allow stressing causes of excellence in each explored dimension of SC
Participatory guarantee system and social capital for sustainable development in brazil: The case study of opac orgânicos sul de minas
No full textIn recent years there has been a growing international interest in alternative certification strategies for organic products. Specifically, participatory guarantee systems (PGS) have proved to be particularly suitable not only to simplify bureaucratic procedures for small organic producers and reduce the cost of certification, but also to generate empowerment, social inclusion and mutual support among farmers. The purpose of this paper is to study the elements of social capital (SC) found in a PGS through the use of social network indicators using the Organizaçao Participativa de Acreditaçao e Certificaçao “Orgânicos Sul de Minas” (OPAC-OSM) as a case study. The research was carried out in the southern part of Minas Gerais, one of the states of the Brazilian Federation, where organic production represents a viable alternative for small and medium-sized farmers. In particular, a survey was carried out to capture the opinions of managers (presidents or directors) about their participation in the OPAC-OSM, and about the level of interaction and degree of trust between members. Relational skills, which are the basis of structural SC, were analyzed both at the level of individual units and at the level of the general network of the OPAC-OSM. An in-degree centrality score assigned to OPAC-OSM members was obtained from each network. These scores have been correlated with variables of the database that were chosen due to their relevance in assessing the level of social capital. According to the results, the factors that most reinforced the proof of SC among the OPAC-OSM members were the level of information and the degree of trust and collaboration networks, with special emphasis on female participation. From the analysis carried out, it is possible to conclude that PGS are powerful tools in the strengthening of SC far beyond the aspect of quality assurance, which remains the main objective of the OPAC
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
LEADER and Social Capital in Veneto: The Case Studies of Prealpi e Dolomiti and Bassa Padovana Local Action Groups
No full textSocial capital and rural governance are central elements in the evaluation of development projects based on the neo-endogenous approach to local development. The aim of this chapter is to measure both quantitatively and qualitatively the endowment of social capital in the Prealpi Dolomiti and Bassa Padovana LAGs in Veneto. The analysis shows that a consolidated partnership history, focused on the capacity of the LAG in bridging between stakeholders and the local governance system, and combined with the effective and efficient delivery of high-quality projects, concurred to increase the levels of social capital in the two LAGs
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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