Payment for ecosystem services (PES): a holistic tool for sustainable forest management-a case study from Pakistan

Economic valuation of ecosystem services is a new concept in forest management. Economic valuation provides basis for payment for ecosystem services (PES). Therefore, objective of this study was to evaluate eco-tourism and carbon stock services of the Maindam valley, District Swat, Pakistan. For the carbon stock calculation, a sample size of 155 plots of 0.1 hectare (Ha) was taken using preliminary survey at 95% confidence interval and 10% allowable error. The data for tourism services was collected from owners of all the hotels, 100 tourists and key informants of the area at 10% sampling intensity on pretested questionnaire for twenty years period (1997-2017). Results showed that Miandam valley has carbon stock worth US$ 16,306,000 while the value of eco-tourism was US$ 1,578,458 on annual basis. The results also showed that trend of tourism has drastically declined after the 9/11 incident for foreigners and locals and the situation was further deteriorated during the era of Talibanization or militancy from 2008-2011. This study recommends implementation of PES strategy at the rate of 5%, thus a total of US$ 78,922 can be earned from eco-tourism and carbon crediting in the study area annually, which could play important role in sustainable forest management.

Using Epistemic Game Development to Teach Software Development Skills

This paper presents a pilot study on the evaluation of instruments for data gathering for an epistemic game development competition for high school students. The initial results show that a significant percentage of the students who participated in the competition appear to exhibit a skillset of professional attitude, software-related knowledge, and employability traits, and this skillset may be attributed to the intervention. The data was validated through a two-method triangulation technique that utilized expert evaluation and participant interviews. The data analysis shows early indicators of the desired learning outcomes, although a more thorough methodology is needed to verify this. Furthermore, the competition acts as an awareness campaign that promotes computer science studies through a gamification process. It is proposed that competitions of this type are held and evaluated on an annual basis to maximize the benefits and to further prepare students to acquire early in their studies a skillset that will make them the innovators of the future society.

The Potential for Hydrolysed Sheep Wool as a Sustainable Source of Fertiliser for Irish Agriculture

Suppressed wool prices in Ireland over the last number of years has led to situations where the cost of shearing animals is greater than the wools’ value, leading to net losses per animal for farmers. Populations of sheep in Ireland and nutrient values of wool from literature sources were used to determine the quantity of nutrients that could be produced on an annual basis using hydrolysis techniques. Results of this study suggest that up to 15.8% of the nitrogen required to produce Ireland’s cereal crops can be met annually using hydrolysed sheep wool in an economically feasible manner along with considerable amounts of sulphur, zinc, and copper. Most of the cost associated with the process is the purchasing of wool from farmers at an economically favourable level for farmers. Based on the spatial distribution of these animals, the town of Athlone is the most suitable location for a processing facility.

Rainfall and drought characteristics for crop planning in Palamau region of Jharkhand

Daily rainfall data of 56 years (1956-2011) of Palamau district of Jharkhand have been considered to analyse the long term average and its temporal variability on weekly, monthly, seasonal and annual basis. The average annual rainfall at Palamau was 1138 mm with 34 per cent coefficient of variation indicating thereby that the rainfall was not much stable over the years. July was the highest rainfall recipient month (332 mm) followed by August (310 mm) during the monsoon period. Trend analysis on rainfall of past 56 years exhibited a decreasing pattern of 8.33 mm and 7.04 mm per year in annual and kharif season rainfall, respectively. Agricultural drought was most frequently observed in early (23-26 SMW) as well as late (37-40 SMW) stages of kharif crops. Meteorological droughts of different intensities, viz., mild, moderate and severe over the observed periods showed that station is prone to mild-moderate type of drought. Short duration, low water requiring but high value crops like maize, pulses, oilseeds and some vegetables can be opted for this region to minimize the production risk.

Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) Food and You 2: Wave 2

he Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) is run in partnership between the Food Standards Agency and Local Authorities and provides information on the standards of hygiene found in food businesses at the time they are inspected. The scheme covers businesses providing food directly to consumers, such as restaurants, pubs, cafés, takeaways, hotels, hospitals, schools and other places people eat away from home, as well as supermarkets and other food shops. In Wales, the scheme also includes businesses that trade only with other businesses, for example, manufacturers. Food and You 2: Wave 2 is the first wave of data collection to include questions relating to the FHRS. The Food and You 2 survey has replaced the biennial Food and You survey (2010-2018), biannual Public Attitudes Tracker (2010-2019) and the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) Consumer Attitudes Tracker (2014-2019). We previously commissioned the FHRS Consumer Attitudes Tracker survey to monitor consumer awareness, attitudes towards and use of the scheme. The survey moved from a biannual basis to an annual basis from 2017 onwards. Due to differences in the question content, presentation and mode of response, direct comparisons should not be made between these earlier surveys and Food and You 2.

From Extraordinary Success to No Considerable Results: Victorian Music Entrepreneurialism and the Crystal Palace Brass Band Competition 1860–1863

The July 1860 Crystal Palace Brass Band contest brought brass bands out of their heartlands to London in unprecedented numbers, The Times (12 July 1860, 9), lauding its success as ‘quite extraordinary’. This landmark event was repeated in three successive years, but in 1863 it was abruptly terminated, and no cogent explanation has been established for its failure. The entrepreneur organizing the contests, Enderby Jackson, later wrote in his autobiography that other business dealings prevented him from further involvement in the series. Jackson had made full use of his talents and contacts to bring these remarkable working-class musical ensembles to the emergent national attraction that was the Crystal Palace. However, Jackson's manipulation of publicity and managerial style obstruct easy analysis of the contests. Moreover, Jackson later sought to protect his legacy by conjuring a smokescreen in his memoirs to obscure the real reasons for the failure of the Crystal Palace contests after 1863. The entrepreneurial environment is never a stable one, and it should not be presumed that the accolades accorded to the opening contest would translate into its continuance on an annual basis. However, the fact that the contests were attended by many thousands of visitors each year and Jackson's assertion that they were a financial success stand in stark contrast to what is implied by their sudden end. This article demonstrates how close examination of previously unconsidered letters, surviving documentation, and other sources cast doubt on whether the contest series was ever an extraordinary success.

INSAR-BASED LOS SURFACE DEFORMATION COMPARISON OF METRO MANILA BEFORE AND AFTER THE JANUARY 2020 TAAL VOLCANO ERUPTION

The city of Metro Manila has been constantly battered by several hazards on an annual basis. On January 2020, the Taal Volcano erupted with multiple recorded earthquakes. Previous literatures have found that Metro Manila is experiencing a steady subsidence. Determination of land uplift or subsidence is crucial in planning and mitigating the effects of flooding in the area. The study aims to determine whether an uplift occurred in Metro Manila after the eruption or is the study area still experiencing subsidence This study uses a pair L1 SLC Sentinel 1 Images. Radar Interferometry is used to generate Interferograms and Satellite Line of Sight (LOS) deformation was determined between the 2 dates of image acquisition. It was found that the Metro Manila area generally experienced an uplift except for some areas in Caloocan which shows subsidence. The uplift magnitude gradually decreases going from the South to North with a max value of 9.6 cm.

Oxford Studies in Normative Ethics Volume 11

This series aims to provide, on an annual basis, some of the best contemporary work in the field of normative ethical theory. Each volume features new chapters that contribute to an understanding of a wide range of issues and positions in normative ethical theory, and represents a sampling of recent developments in this field. This 11th volume brings together 13 new essays that collectively cover a range of fundamental topics in the field, including moral conscientiousness and moral wrongness; impartiality and the boundaries of morality; moral testimony; Kant’s categorical imperative; and ethical theories as methods of ethics.

The Strategic Nature of the Wellington Regional Land Transport Strategy 2007-2016

<p>The purpose of the RLTS is to guide the region's transport spending over the next ten years. This study seeks to determine how strategic it is in terms of key environmental, economic and social outcomes: amenity and amenity access, air quality, accessibility, and low-income groups' transport affordability. Strategic is defined as how well the RLTS will function under potential future circumstances and its internal coherency and consistency. The resilience and adaptability of the RLTS to that range of potential futures is also analysed. The RLTS' priority is increasing regional accessibility, however due to 20+ years of underinvestment in the PT infrastructure, especially rail, targets set towards that goal are limited. Amenity and air quality are both considered to not require much intervention, but amenity services would be more adequately served if they were considered on par with air quality. Transport affordability to the community and users, especially low-income groups, was not given warranted attention. Therefore, four out of five of the outcomes appear to be well balanced. The RLTS objectives and outcomes are rather resilient, while the implementation plans are adequately adaptable with annual monitoring reports and final decisions which are also made on an annual basis. However, this can lead to inconsistencies between the Strategy and its implementation plans. The RLTS is therefore starting to head in a more sustainable direction, but the internal coherency and consistency is somewhat lacking.</p>

The Strategic Nature of the Wellington Regional Land Transport Strategy 2007-2016

<p>The purpose of the RLTS is to guide the region's transport spending over the next ten years. This study seeks to determine how strategic it is in terms of key environmental, economic and social outcomes: amenity and amenity access, air quality, accessibility, and low-income groups' transport affordability. Strategic is defined as how well the RLTS will function under potential future circumstances and its internal coherency and consistency. The resilience and adaptability of the RLTS to that range of potential futures is also analysed. The RLTS' priority is increasing regional accessibility, however due to 20+ years of underinvestment in the PT infrastructure, especially rail, targets set towards that goal are limited. Amenity and air quality are both considered to not require much intervention, but amenity services would be more adequately served if they were considered on par with air quality. Transport affordability to the community and users, especially low-income groups, was not given warranted attention. Therefore, four out of five of the outcomes appear to be well balanced. The RLTS objectives and outcomes are rather resilient, while the implementation plans are adequately adaptable with annual monitoring reports and final decisions which are also made on an annual basis. However, this can lead to inconsistencies between the Strategy and its implementation plans. The RLTS is therefore starting to head in a more sustainable direction, but the internal coherency and consistency is somewhat lacking.</p>