Biodiversity Commons^™

Land Use Intensification And Bio-Resource Utilisation In The South Pacific Islands, David Lopez Cornelio

International Journal of Islands Research

The long and gradual colonisation of the Pacific islands created settlements of cohesive social networks that fused or were displaced by western ways of life, trade and governance through the centuries. In this paper, a historical review of the processes of island discovery, plants domestication, and of land use practices are discussed alongside the main socioeconomic drivers of land cover change. The native trees of the South Pacific constitute an invaluable resource for sustainable development; they were used and domesticated for thousands of years but logging, commercial agriculture, mining, the introduction of exotic species and urban expansion are threatening them …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Study Of Production And Adaptation Characters Of Some Newly Obtained Genotypes Of Durum Wheat (Triticum Durum Desf.) In Sub-Humid Region (El Harrouch North-Eastern Of Algeria), Lamia Bourouh, Nabila Souilah, Boulacel Mouad, Ghania Chaib, Tahar Hazmoune, Bendif Hamdi

Journal of Bioresource Management

The experiment was carried out at DAOUDI Larbi pilot farm in El Harrouch, during the 2021/2022 crop year, under sub-humid weather conditions. The main objective of this research is based on the study of production and adaptation characters of seven durum wheat newly obtained genotypes (Triticum durum Desf.). The results of descriptive sheets according to UPOV recommendations (2014-2017), showed diversity between the varieties studied, such as: plant height, straw section, awns (presence, disposition, anthocyanin pigmentation, color, and length), ear (density, color, shape, length and glaucescence), lower glume (shape, color, weight and shape of shoulder, length and curvature of beak), …

Phenotypic Diversity Among Fennel (Foeniculum Vulgare) Germplasm Of Pakistan, Shumaila Khalil, Shazia Erum, Mahrine Rashid, Arifa Khan, Asif Javaid, Areej Abbasi, Irum Raza

Journal of Bioresource Management

Fennel is facing continuous challenge with reference to biotic and abiotic stresses that can be solved with the knowledge of available germplasm of fennel in the country or worldwide. Selection of fennel genotype on the basis of research interest can never been accomplished without gene pool. The aim of the present study was to explore the phenotypic diversity among selective fennel accession and identify lines having high yielding potential. In the present study thirty fennel accessions were sown in PGRI, NARC. Irrigation practice was carried out during the growing period. Data was recorded during different growth stages and after harvesting. …

Role Of Microorganisms In Horticulture To Improve Plant Quality, Domenico Prisa

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

One of the most anticipated challenges in the field of agriculture is to ensure high production levels while limiting the use of environmentally harmful synthetic chemicals. One of the most interesting strategies to overcome this challenge is the exploitation of the interactions between soil microorganisms and plants which result in stimulating plants’ natural activity. The interactions among mycorrhiza, growth-promoting microorganisms and plants play a crucial role in soil fertility, biocontrol and protection. The use of mixed microbial products can simulate interactions between fungi and bacteria, realising all the benefits that can be obtained from these associations in terms of quantity …

Is There An Economic Advantage To Planting Diverse Summer Annual Forage Mixtures?, Kelly Mercier, Chris Teutsch, Ray Smith, Kenny Burdine, Edwin Ritchey, Eric Vanzant

The Journal of Extension

This study examined economic implications of planting summer annual mixtures of grasses, legumes, and forbs at varying nitrogen rates. No differences in yield occurred between the three mixtures, indicating that mixtures with lowest seed cost will be most economical. Applying N resulted in yield increases of 12.26 lb DM per lb N applied. Although yield responses to N were positive, sensitivity analyses showed that applying N resulted in positive net returns only when hay prices were high and N prices were low. When utilization rates are accounted for, enterprise budgets determined grazing to be 18% cheaper to implement than haying.

Building Global Leaders Through Field Research And Extension Experiences In Belize, Tom Gill, Adam S. Willcox

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

One of the most complex agricultural and natural resources challenges of our time is reconciling sustainable global food security and biodiversity conservation. Providing undergraduate students effective, learning experiences to develop technical and cultural competency prepares them to address this challenge and become global leaders in their disciplines. A three-year experiential research and extension project brought together 14 students and 10 faculty mentors to investigate smallholder farmers practicing conservation-compatible adjacent to the Vaca Forest Reserve in Belize. We used an agroecological approach to foster systems-level thinking and develop transdisciplinary skills of undergraduate students. Students completed applied individual research projects that explored …

Industrial Hemp As A Resource For Birds In Agroecosystems: Human–Wildlife Conflict Or Conservation Opportunity?, Emily A. Kotten, Iona Hennessy, Bryan M. Kluever, Zachary T. Brym, Bradley F. Blackwell, Lee A. Humberg, Page E. Klug

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.; hemp) is an emerging crop in the United States with little known about bird use or the potential for birds to become an agricultural pest. We identified birds associated with hemp fields, using repeated visits to oilseed plots in North Dakota, USA (n = 6) and cannabinoid (CBD) plots in Florida, USA (n = 4) from August to November 2020. We did not control for plot area or density; our observations were descriptive only. We observed 10 species in hemp, 12 species flying over hemp, and 11 species both foraging in and …

Composition, Population Structure And Regeneration Potential Of Tree Species In Oak-Dominated Mixed Forests Of Rajouri District In Jammu And Kashmir, India, Mohd Junaid Jazib, Javed Manzoor

Journal of Bioresource Management

The study was carried out to explore the diversity and regeneration potential of trees species in mixed Oak forest of Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir (India). A total of 20 tree species were recorded from the area dominated by various species of oak particularly Quercus leuchotrichophora. Quercus leuchotrichophora shows maximum values of density, basal cover and IVI. In different localities, it has different groups of associates like Q. floribunda, Q. semecarpifolia, Q. glauca, Buxux wallichiana, Pinus roxburghii, Aesculus indica, Rhododendron arboreum, etc. Majority of the species show very poor regeneration and thus demands for immediate implementation of appropriate conservation …

Distribution Pattern And Phytosociological Study Of Trees Associated With Agroforestry In Poonch District Of Jammu And Kashmir, India, Javed Manzoor, Mohd Junaid Jazib

Journal of Bioresource Management

The focus of present study was to find the phytosociology, distribution pattern, and diversity of different species of trees associated with traditional agroforestry in the district of Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Data was collected through quadrat survey method. A total of fifty quadrats of the size (10x10m) each were thrown randomly in agriculture fields. Total 26 tree species belonging to 16 families and 21 genera were encountered in the agricultural fields with Grewia optiva, Pyrus persica and Celtis australis being the tree species in dominance. The most dense species of tree recorded was Grewia optiva with a density value …

Integrated Water Resources Management: A Tool For Sustainable Development, Helene Hanna Jazi Dr.

Future Engineering Journal

The recent trends show a decrease in water supply coupled with water losses due to inefficient management and pollution. The phenomenon is called water scarcity and he’s affecting people’s livelihoods around the world. Many approaches have been investigated through international water conferences and forums to develop tools for sustainable water management. IWRM (Integrated Water Resources Management) is one of the most widely adopted tools focusing on a holistic and participatory approach, involving users, planners and policy makers at all levels. In this study, the key concepts of IWRM and its potential in improving the water sector and inducing sustainable …

True Morels (Morchella Spp.) And Community Livelihood Improvement In Mankial Valley, District Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Syed Fazal Baqi Kakakhel

Journal of Bioresource Management

True morels collected from wild provide an economic source for the rural community of Mankial valley (District Swat, Khyber Pukhtunkhawa, Pakistan). Sale of approximately 334 kg in dry weight of five species of true morels (Morchella conica, M. esculenta, M. deliciosa, M. rotunda and M. semilibera) fetch US$ 57133 (under US$ 2015-16 exchange rate) to Mankial community and generate a revenue of US$ 62935 in Mingora (regional market) and US$ 87011 in Islamabad (national capital) markets. Morchella conica (average annual dry weight harvested 156 kg) has a high market price value (US$ 2964-44616) in all the three markets. …

New Approach To Health And The Environment To Avoid Future Pandemics, Serge Morand

Animal Sentience

This commentary expands Wiebers & Feigin’s target article by pinpointing how declining wildlife, expanding livestock and globalisation contribute to the increase in epidemics of zoonotic diseases, the COVID-19 crisis and future health crises. Epidemics and the emergence of zoonoses are manifestations of dysfunctional links with animals, both wild and domestic, requiring a new approach to health and the environment.

Diversity And Abundance Of Soil Microbes Differ Along A Forest-Pasture Transect, Hannah Suli, Ashley Schumann, Cleo Bickley, Jasmine Rodriguez

IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt

No abstract provided.

Just Preservation, Adrian Treves, Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila, William S. Lynn

Animal Sentience

We are failing to protect the biosphere. Novel views of conservation, preservation, and sustainability are surfacing in the wake of consensus about our failures to prevent extinction or slow climate change. We argue that the interests and well-being of non-humans, youth, and future generations of both human and non-human beings (futurity) have too long been ignored in consensus-based, anthropocentric conservation. Consensus-based stakeholder-driven processes disadvantage those absent or without a voice and allow current adult humans and narrow, exploitative interests to dominate decisions about the use of nature over its preservation for futurity of all life. We propose that authentically non-anthropocentric …

Framing Contemporary U.S. Wild Horse And Burro Management Processes In A Dynamic Ecological, Sociological, And Political Environment, J. Derek Scasta, Jacob D. Hennig, Jeffrey L. Beck

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act (WFRHBA) of 1971 established all “unbranded or unclaimed” equids on U.S. public lands as “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West.” Today, >72,000 feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) and burros (E . asinus ; WHB) live on western U.S. public rangelands. The number of WHBs exceeds the Bureau of Land Management’s maximum Appropriate Management Level (AML) of 26,715 by a factor of approximately 2.7 and has nearly doubled from 2007–2015. The AML was set to balance WHB numbers with rangeland health and support other uses such as wildlife habitat …

The Impact Weather Has On Nyc Citi Bike Share Company Activity, Mark Martinez

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

This paper seeks to figure out the effect weather has on individuals’ behavior. A more focused approach to determining this effect is seeing how different weather conditions ranging from the temperature, the precipitation, the amount of inches of snowfall and the wind speed effect the ridership of Citi Bikes throughout all four seasons. The approach of this research paper is using data from the National Climatic Data Center that focuses in on the weather found in Manhattan, New York and correlates each of the weather conditions to the total number of trips per day that is provided by the Citi …

The Effects From Public Transportation On Property Values: A Closer Look At Scituate, Hanover, And Norwell, Massachusetts, Alexandra Taylor Perticone, Christine S. Coveney

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

Prior studies have expressed the value of location in real estate, but more recent studies have explored the influence that public transportation has had on housing prices. Access to public transportation is understood to increase the value of homes. Easier access to public transportation allows for shorter and more convenient commutes into or within cities. However, other studies have found that proximity to public transportation can also have adverse effects on property values. This paper investigates whether the implementation of the Greenbush Commuter line in Massachusetts in October 2007 increased the housing prices in Scituate, Ma--the furthest town from the …

Invited Introduction To Jerec, Matthew Kahn

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

No abstract provided.

Welcome By The Editor, Nathan W. Chan

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

No abstract provided.

Conversations With Gunanurang, Lawrence Smith

Landscapes: the Journal of the International Centre for Landscape and Language

Gunanurang (the Ord River) nurtured some of the original Australians productively for millennia. In less than 150 years, their relationship with the river valley and surrounding land was almost destroyed by the effects of the east Kimberley cattle industry commenced in the 1880s. The biological and archaeological surveys before and during the filling of the Lake Argyle dam were a belated attempt to understand what was being lost in the way of ecosystems and aboriginal sites. This short essay encapsulates the impact of the pastoral industry in the Ord valley.

The Real Footprint Of Electric Vehicles, And What That Could Mean For Our Future, Krista Brown

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

This paper looks at the impact of electric vehicles on CO2 emissions specifically based on the type of electricity used in each New England state analyzed. The research looks at the question of whether or not emissions will in fact be lowered as electric cars start to take the majority of vehicles used instead of the conventional cars that take up a much larger percent of the motor vehicles used today. Taking into account the use of electricity and how many sources of electricity also release a substantial amount of emissions, we see how valid the public opinion of electric …

The Effect Of Information On Avoidance Behavior And Bicycle Transportation: A Study Of “Spare The Air” And Bay Area Bikeshare, Paige W. Whistler

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

This paper seeks to address the effect of “Spare the Air” pollution control alerts in the San Francisco Bay Area in California on the use of Bay Area BikeShare as a form of transportation. By observing the daily alerts on the duration of rides using BikeShare, this paper observes if STA ozone alerts are effective in changing human behavior. The results show that only as a subscriber to the BikeShare program and on an alert day does duration decrease whereas customers regardless of if it is an alert day will ride more often and at longer distances. The results contradict …

Socioeconomic Attributes’ Relationship To Green Commercial Office Buildings, Tianyang Zhou

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

This paper examines the relationship between the socioeconomic attributes of a state and its green commercial office space adaptation. I hypothesize that a state with high socioeconomic status will have a high green building adoption. Additionally, the high socioeconomic status states may be more likely to invest in green commercial buildings with higher LEED certification levels, and various types of LEED commericial office projects are affected by the socoeconomic attributes differently.

Do Peers Get Punished: Stock Market Effect Of Bp Oil Spill On Peers, Yuga Koda

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

This paper examines the stock market reaction to the British Petroleum oil spill on April 20, 2010. This event study looks at different sectors that may be affected by the oil spill. It finds that different industries do not have significant abnormal returns, with two exceptions. First, utilities companies have a very small positive abnormal return for a short period of time after the incident. Second, when only looking at BP's direct competitors, there is a statistically significant negative abnormal return, implying that BP's competitors are punished for BP's mishap.

Media Effects On Solar Panel Installations Across 20 States, Casey Romeo

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

This paper looks at the relationship between media coverage of solar power and the solar panel installation at a state level. Specifically, it aims to find if more newspaper articles cause more households to adopt solar energy. Use data from 20 states from 2009 to 2014. I find that there is a modest, yet positive and statistically significant relationship between newspaper articles and installations, which suggests that the media does influence the decision to install solar panels. There is possible endogeneity between these two variables. Disentangling this endogeneity is beyond the scope of this research and would be a topic …

Who Wants The Right To Know? An Analysis Of Gmo-Labeling In California, Sylvia M. Xu

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

There are many studies that have been done to examine what types of voting behavior or patterns are present when voting for environmental ballot measures. This paper examines what characteristics of people are likely to cause them to support Proposition 37 in California, an initiative that, if passed, would require GMO-labeling on all genetically modified foods. Using voting data at a zip code level, I use OLS regression to identify specifically what type of political party, education, occupation, household status, and income levels are more likely to support the bill. I also run weighted regressions by population and number of …

Invited Introduction To Jerec, Matthew Kotchen

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

No abstract provided.

Welcome By The Editor, Nathan W. Chan

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

No abstract provided.

Using Choice Experiment Valuation Methods To Measure Public Preference For A New National Park In Maine, Alexander G. Wilsterman

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

With global population increasing faster than ever, the need to protect land from development is at an all-time high. This paper seeks the measure the public preference for a new national park located in northern Maine. A national park will both protect the land and inject a much-needed economic stimulus to the surrounding communities. The study uses the choice experiment valuation method to quantify its results. Through this revealed preference we can quantify which characteristics are most important to the public so that these characteristics may be considered if the project is ever approved.