1,720,981 research outputs found
To Keep it 'Zip'ped or Not? Challenges for a Scientist Working as a Member of a Canterbury Water Zone Committee (Power Point)
No full textEnvironmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use,
Ranking New Zealand river values – a novel approach to managing the ‘chalk and cheese’ problem
Get PDFIn New Zealand, regional councils have the task of sustainably managing rivers and their flows. In trying to achieve this task they face enormous challenges including the need to allocate flows amongst often highly disparate in- (e.g., angling, kayaking, native fish and birds) and out-of-river (e.g., irrigation and hydro energy) values/needs. To aid in this task these councils need to know which rivers or parts of rivers are relatively more or less important on national, regional and local bases, for particular values. This task becomes even more challenging given limited information availability for many values, and no overarching policy or decision framework. In this paper I report on a FRST-funded (and less than 1-year long) project which has addressed these challenges. A multi-criteria and expert panel based methodology has been developed and applied to a wide range of values to produce lists of rivers by value, ranked according to their national, regional and local importance. The methodology is described and example applications given. The need to ‘buy-in’ multi-and, ultimately, interdisciplinary participation is emphasized as well as a range of ongoing implementation challenges and further needs.River values, prioritization system, irrigation and birdlife, New Zealand, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use,
Ranking New Zealand river values – a novel approach to managing the ‘chalk and cheese’ problem
Get PDFIn New Zealand, regional councils have the task of sustainably managing rivers and
their flows. In trying to achieve this task they face enormous challenges including the
need to allocate flows amongst often highly disparate in- (e.g., angling, kayaking,
native fish and birds) and out-of-river (e.g., irrigation and hydro energy) values/needs.
To aid in this task these councils need to know which rivers or parts of rivers are
relatively more or less important on national, regional and local bases, for particular
values. This task becomes even more challenging given limited information
availability for many values, and no overarching policy or decision framework. In this
paper I report on a FRST-funded (and less than 1-year long) project which has
addressed these challenges. A multi-criteria and expert panel based methodology has
been developed and applied to a wide range of values to produce lists of rivers by
value, ranked according to their national, regional and local importance. The
methodology is described and example applications given. The need to ‘buy-in’ multi-and,
ultimately, interdisciplinary participation is emphasized as well as a range of
ongoing implementation challenges and further needs
RiVAS (and RiVAS+): Insights and lessons from 5 years’ experience with the River Values Assessment System
Get PDFThe River Values Assessment System (RiVAS and RiVAS+) are tools that enable regional councils and others to ‘objectively’ and systematically evaluate rivers in their regions for their relative importance across the range of river values (e.g., native birds, irrigation and tangata whenau). RiVAS (which assesses existing importance) has been applied to 11 values, and to a large number of these in each of three regions (Tasman, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay). RiVAS+ (restoration potential) has had limited application. There are multiple insights from these applications. First, RiVAS and RiVAS+ are highly cost effective. At around $6000 per value-application councils obtain: a collaborative approach resulting in stronger relationships between councils and stakeholder groups; up to date (and user friendly and accessible) information on value-related data often never collected otherwise; lists of rivers ranked according to national (high), regional (moderate) and low (importance) using the same method; indications of where the best prospects for restoration activities exist; and information that is immediately useful in the broader policy making processes. The paper reports also on the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities associated with ongoing application of the tool
To Keep it 'Zip'ped or Not? Challenges for a Scientist Working as a Member of a Canterbury Water Zone Committee (Power Point)
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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“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
Financing threatened species management: the costs of single species programmes and the budget constraint
Get PDFIn New Zealand total annual funding allows 15 percent of the 2,400 threatened species to be targeted for management. Although management costs are crucial to a conservation organisation's ability to achieve its goals, estimates of costs are not usually included in applications for funding or the preparation of recovery plans. Cost is also not generally a factor in priority ranking systems and cost-effectiveness analysis is rarely conducted. Using the results of analysis of 11 single species programmes for 2003-2012, this paper investigates the costs of management. It also considers the impact of the budget constraint on outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and investment.threatened species, management, cost, budget constraint, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,
RiVAS and RiVAS+: Opportunities for Application of a Multi-Criteria River Value Assessment System Approach which Considers Existing and Potential States
Get PDFThe River Values Assessment System (RiVAS) uses a combination of expert panels and multi criteria analysis to identify primary attributes (or main features) of river values (e.g., whitewater kayaking, native birds) and their key indicators. The resulting data set is used to rank rivers for their existing (instream) and potential (out-of-stream) significance. The RiVAS method has been applied to seven values and tested across a range of councils with most focus in Tasman District. The tool has demonstrated utility and is very cost effective to implement. Further development has now led to RiVAS+ to consider potential significance for instream values, using the same attributes and indicators, and also identifying the interventions needed to achieve these potential future states (e.g., water quality improvements, willow removal, increased flows). RiVAS+ enables instream uses to be considered on the same basis as out-of-stream opportunities. RiVAS+ can be undertaken more-or-less concurrently with RiVAS and enables a range of applications. First, it allows decision makers to gain an understanding of the difference between existing relative importance or significance of a value and its potential (if restored or developed). Second, it enables better evaluation of potential restoration or development options in a range of circumstances including where water resource development is planned. Finally, with further input it might be possible to quantify the cost of the interventions which would then allow better consideration of mitigation and other options in resource management policy and decision making processes. In this paper we demonstrate the method and the opportunities
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