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From Herd Diversification To Livelihood Diversification As A Response To Poverty: The Case Of The Waso Boran Of Northern Kenya, D. Layne Coppock, Abdullahi D. Jillo, Abdillahi A. Aboud

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The Waso Boran of northern Kenya used to have large, mobile, and diverse herds of livestock that exploited equally large and diverse rangelands. Forty years of human population growth, drought, environmental change, and lack of relevant policies have altered this situation, however, with the majority of Waso Boran today being livestock poor and engaged in a variety of non-pastoral activities to diversify their livelihoods. One-third of 540 households we surveyed in Isiolo District now have ten head of cattle or less, and a larger census suggests that only 15 percent of households can currently be categorized as mobile pastoralists. The …

Collective Action By Women’S Groups To Combat Drought And Poverty In Northern Kenya, D. Layne Coppock, Solomon Desta, Getachew Gebru, Adan Wako, Ibrahim Aden, Chachu Tadecha, Seyoum Tezera

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Collective action can be an effective means of local development and risk reduction among rural people, but few examples have been documented in pastoral areas. We conducted extensive interviews for 16 women’s groups residing in northern Kenya. Our objectives were to understand how groups were formed, governed, and sustained and what activities they have pursued. The groups we interviewed were 10 years old, on average. Charter memberships averaged about 24 women, 20 of whom were illiterate. Half of the groups formed after facilitation by a development partner and half formed spontaneously. Groups are governed under detailed constitutional frameworks with elected …

Community Perceptions Concerning Key Ecological Resources At Risk In Baringo District, Kenya, D. Layne Coppock, Mark N. Mutinda, Abdillahi A. Aboud

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Key ecological resources in arid and semi-arid lands are often characterized by small patches of seasonal grazing and important water points that lend critical support to entire production systems. When key resources are degraded or lost, production systems can be badly compromised. The Baringo District of north-central Kenya is well known for enduring decades of environmental degradation and food relief. As an initial part of an effort to map and characterize key ecological resources at risk in Baringo, we interviewed 136 resident leaders from pastoral and agro-pastoral areas. We asked them to identify and rank their most vulnerable ecological resources, …

Public Engagement To Prioritize The Pastoral Research Agenda At The Pastoral And Agro-Pastoral Research Center Of Oari In Ethiopia, D. Layne Coppock, Getachew Gebru, Lemma Gizachew, Sintayehu Mesele, Mohammed Hassena, Solomon Desta

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The Oromia Agricultural Research Institute (OARI) has a mandate to conduct agricultural and livestock research throughout the Regional State of Oromia in Ethiopia. OARI has recently opened a facility near Yabello town on the Borana Plateau called the Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Research Center. A meeting was held in August 2006 at Yabello that involved representatives from pastoral communities, the private sector, government, and non-governmental organizations. The aim was to engage stakeholders in a process of problem prioritization and set the stage to create new partnerships to better address pressing problems. The final priorities included: addressing a general decline in forage …

One Reserve, Three Primates: Applying A Holistic Approach To Understand The Interconnections Among Ring-Tailed Lemurs (Lemur Catta), Verreaux's Sifaka (Propithecus Verreauxi), And Humans (Homo Sapiens) At Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar, James E. Loudon, Michelle L. Sauther, Krista D. Fish, Mandala Hunter-Ishikawa, Youssouf Jacky Ibrahim

Ecological and Environmental Anthropology (University of Georgia)

We applied cultural anthropological, ethological, and parasitological methodologies to investigate the interplay among three primate species, ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), Verreaux’s sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi), and humans (Homo sapiens) who live within the same habitat (i.e. in sympatry) around the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar. Through a fusion of these methodologies we hope to provide a holistic understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of human-nonhuman primate sympatry. Interviews and questionnaires provided us with initial insights regarding the local peoples' attitudes toward sympatric strepsirrhine primates. Origin myths indicate a close association between humans, ring-tailed lemurs, and …

Human-Nonhuman Primate Interconnections And Their Relevance To Anthropology, Agustin Fuentes

Ecological and Environmental Anthropology (University of Georgia)

The human-nonhuman primate interface is a core component in conservation and an emerging area of discourse across anthropology. There is a growing recognition of the relevance of long-term sympatry between human and nonhuman primates. Until recently these relationships received limited attention in the anthropological literature and in the primatological construction of models for the behavior and evolution of primate societies. Most socioecological investigations into primate groups and human populations do not incorporate their interactions (beyond predation or crop raiding), potential pathogen sharing, or the role of the anthropogenically impacted environment. Current relationships between humans and nonhuman primates are generally assumed …

Inside Unlv, Cate Weeks, Brenda Griego, David Ashley, Mamie Peers, Shane Bevell, Gian Galassi

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Extension Wildlife Programs: Thoughts And Ideas, Jeffrey J. Jackson

Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference: 11th (2006)

The following commentary is a summary of some personal thoughts, reflections, and opinions on extension wildlife programming based on my experience at the University of Georgia as Extension Wildlife Specialist during the years between 1976 and 2001. I hope it will be of some value to new specialists. Because I was the only Extension Wildlife Specialist, I was in a unique position to develop an overview of the entire wildlife management field. Along the way, I had the opportunity to be full time within Extension, have a split appointment, and be assigned to an academic department.

First-Stop Planning And Communication For Landhelp, Delwin E. Benson

Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference: 11th (2006)

I developed an Internet-based, planning and communication system for professional and private users to make plans for their lands, which is branded as LandHelp (www.LandHelp.info). The project was funded by grants from the Renewable Resources Extension Act, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Wildlife Habitat Management Institute, Colorado State Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (USDA SARE) from the Western Region, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agro-forestry program with the NRCS. Currently, LandHelp contains links to 31 broad categories of information that then link to 2,613 more resources. Major topics include, but …

An Internet Survey Of Private Pond Owners And Managers In Texas, Michael P. Masser, April E. Schonrock

Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference: 11th (2006)

The primary emphasis of this survey was to determine what specific problems Texas private impoundment owners/managers confront, how widely these problems occur, and where owners/managers get their information on pond management. A secondary emphasis was to examine the potential utilization of the Internet to gather information and distributed outreach materials. A random sample of 2,999 private impoundment (i.e., no public waters) applicants for Triploid Grass Carp Permits from Texas Parks and Wildlife was utilized as the survey mailing list. A 49-question survey was developed and placed on a secure web site. Each questionnaire contained five sections: general pond characteristics, physical …

The Above-Ground Movement And Dispersal Of The Plains Pocket Gopher (Geomys Bursarius), Craig Panich

Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference: 11th (2006)

The Plains pocket gopher has the largest range of its genus, and it is the gopher that inhabits much of Wisconsin. Gophers are fossorial herbivores that have a dramatic impact on natural and agricultural ecosystems. Throughout the summer of 2005, I completed a population analysis of the plains pocket gopher in a variety of habitats in Buffalo and Trempealeau Counties, Wisconsin, that provided valuable insight into the complex population dynamics of the gopher and served as a foundation to this project. Pocket gophers are known to be strictly subterranean; however, it is not uncommon to find their remains inside the …

Saving The World One Native Plant At A Time, Christopher E. Moorman, Christopher S. Deperno

Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference: 11th (2006)

Wildlife habitat is lost as the human population and land clearing for development increase in the South. Remaining habitats are fragmented and contain high numbers of invasive, exotic plants. Suburban, manicured landscapes often lack the plant diversity and complex vegetation structure important to wildlife. Generally, developers and homeowners replant cleared grounds with exotic plants that don’t provide quality wildlife habitat. Instead, individual home or property owners can mitigate wildlife habitat loss in urban areas by landscaping with native plants following proper design principles. Furthermore, many people taking action over a large area (e.g., across a neighborhood) will help connect small …

An Introduction To The Revised Southern Region 4-H Wildlife Projects, Renee Strnad, Chris Moorman

Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference: 11th (2006)

During the 1970s, a partnership between the United States Department of Agriculture and the National 4-H Council led to the creation of the Southern Region Wildlife Project materials. Fifty-one publications, based on a variety of fish and wildlife-related subject matter, were created. In 1999, the North Carolina Department of 4-H and Youth Development received a grant from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to revise the publications. Twenty-four of the original 51 publications were selected for revision by Extension Specialists and other wildlife biologists in several southern states. Content and format for the projects were updated in the revised …

Fisheries Research Contract Report No. 14 - Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram: Development Of A National Translocation Policy Using Abalone And Prawns As Templates For Other Aquatic Species (Frdc Project No. 2004/080) Final Report, Brian Jones, Fran Stephens

Fisheries Research Contract Reports

The use of scientifically based hazard identification, risk analysis and risk management is fundamental to managing unwanted effects. Hazards, such as quarantine incursions, will continue to occur despite the use of risk assessment methodologies but the frequency and severity of their occurrence will be reduced.

This was recognised by the Ministerial Council on Forestry, Fisheries and Aquaculture in 1999 when they published the "National policy for the translocation of live aquatic organisms".

This FRDC project provides a simple risk assessment methodology based on the Australian Standard for Risk Management (AS/NZS 4360: 2004) and one that is consistent with the Ministerial …

Water Supplies For Horticulture In The Lower Great Southern, D J. Mcfarlane Dr, Ruhi Ferdowsian, Arjen Ryder

Bulletins 4000 -

No abstract provided.

Are Vultures Birds, And Do Snakes Have Venom, Because Of Macro- And Microscavenger Conflict?, John A. Shivik

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

I outline models that describe vertebrate and microbial competition for carrion resources and help explain the resultant morphologies observed in extant vertebrate scavengers. Odors from microbial decomposition signal the presence of a carcass to vertebrate scavengers. Therefore, microbes must consume carcasses rapidly or evolve toxic defenses to protect themselves and their resource from their vertebrate competitors. Similarly, macroscavengers must evolve traits that allow rapid detection of carcasses or develop chemical defenses against microbial toxins. My modeling suggests that the most efficient macroscavenger adaptations increase the probability of carcass detection, which explains why highly vagile species, such as vultures, are the …

Assessment Of Small-Scale Biogas Systems And Their Widespread Dissemination In Can Tho City, Viet Nam, Tracy Zhu

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Mekong Delta hosts suitable conditions for promoting the widespread dissemination of biogas systems, such as tropical temperatures, high population density, and widespread animal husbandry. The low-cost polyethylene biodigester (BD) is the most common model in the Mekong Delta, although concrete and brick biodigesters have been implemented to a lesser extent. Biogas systems offer a wide range of benefits, such as improving water quality, enhancing integrated farming systems, and meeting rural energy demand while improving public health. Many projects, especially through Can Tho University (CTU), have promoted the installation of biogas systems, but little research has been done to follow …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area National Park Service: Final Progress Report, Period Ending September 30, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

This task agreement was awarded by the National Park Service (NPS), Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAME), to the Public Lands Institute (PLI) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) on October 1, 2005. This monitoring, research, and management project consisted of several project elements focused on: bald eagles, peregrine falcons, rare songbird species (including southwest willow flycatcher); aquatic birds, relict leopard frog, desert tortoise, and bighorn sheep. In general, actions associated with this project focused on the development and implementation of inventory and monitoring programs to determine the distribution, status, abundance, trends, and potential threats to these animals, …

Inventory And Monitoring Of Aquatic Bird Species On Lakes Mead And Mohave 2004 - 2006, Joseph Barnes

Wildlife Monitoring

This project was completed as part of a task agreements awarded by the National Park Service (NPS), Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAME), to the Public Lands Institute (PLI) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). This final report was completed under a task agreement ending on September 30, 2006, and was completed in support of an NPS project funded by the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (PLMA) to inventory and monitor shoreline and near-shore natural resources on Lakes Mead and Mohave (DOI 2005). This report details inventory and monitoring efforts on shoreline and aquatic bird species between …

Boiga Irregularis+ (Reptile)

Other Publications in Wildlife Management

This night-loving and tree-loving, brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) is so secretive in its nature that it is frequently concealed on container ships and in aircraft cargo. It probably arrived on Guam after World War II in a cargo ship. Now the wetlands, coastlands and forests of Guam are bereft of nine out of twelve native bird species (and two out of eleven native lizards) due to the snakes voracious appetite. The brown tree snake is not a fussy feeder, stimulating the very real fear that it might drive yet more species to extinction.

Sus Scrofa (Mammal)

Other Publications in Wildlife Management

Pigs are large omnivorous mammals with powerful bodies and coarse hairy coats. Their thick necks, wedge-shaped heads and mobile snouts are used in feeding to uproot the ground and find prey or plant material. Ecological characteristics of feral pig activity, group size and home range size should be considered in any management strategy aimed to control pig numbers or reduce their negative impact. Feral pig activity varies between different habitats and climates. High activity has been reported to occur in early morning and late afternoon in tropical climates (Diong 1982). However, in India pigs have been reported to feed nocturnally …

Sustainability With Globalization: An Unsustainable Proposition, Daniel B. Reader

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Globalization is recognized as a world-encompassing phenomenon, even as its benefits are debated. Sustainability, the capacity to maintain high standards of living through generations, is at stake. This paper examines the problems of sustainability with globalization from several perspectives. High statistical correlation between indices of globalization and environmental degradation (r2 = 0.977, p < .001) is found using multi-dimensional scaling software. The socially destabilizing, culture flattening effects of globalization are examined, and the terms ‘nationalism’ and ‘terrorism’ are defined. On the basis of its medial position among the indices of both globalization and environmental degradation, Chile is explored in a case study of the interaction. Conclusions regarding Chile’s vulnerabilities are reached, and the country’s environmental, social, and economic ‘weak spots’ are identified. The ethical positions of globalization and sustainability are considered, and the conclusion that there is very little that can be done to alter the nature of the interaction is drawn. It is suggested that globalization minimizes the prospects of success in efforts toward sustainability by maximizing vulnerabilities among sustainability’s components.

Sheep Updates 2006 - Part 4, K. G. Geenty, A. A. Swan, A. J. Smith, J. L. Smith, Chris Oldham, R. G. Woodgate, R. A. Love, E. Dobbe, H. M. Hoult, J. Pearson, S. Hill, A. Van Burgel, R. B. Besier, R. Warburton, L. Mathwin, D. Rogers, E. Crossley, Allan Herbert, P. Nichols, Tony Albertsen, Darryl Mcclements, Graeme Martin, Penny Hawken, Caroline Vinoles, Beth Paganoni, Dominique Blanche

Sheep Updates

This session covers seven papers from different authors:

MANAGEMENT

1. Wool and meat traits in Merino flocks in different regions, K.G. Geenty, A.A. Swan, A.J. Smith, J.L. Smith, Sheep CRC and CSIRO Livestock Industries, Armidale

2. Fat score or Condition score? - It all depends on what you want to do! Chris Oldham, Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia

3. Sheep worm control - the latest for Western Australia, RG Woodgate, RA Love, E Dobbe, HM Hoult, J Pearson, S Hill, A van Burgel and RB Besier, Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia

PASTURES

4. Rethinking pasture production …

Changing Maine, 1960-2010: Teaching Guide, Richard Barringer, New England Environmental Finance Center

Maine History & Policy Development

Unlike forty years ago, none of us is now certain what the future holds for Maine – except that it will be different. Maine has been transformed by the events of the recent decades. We have come into a new world, a new time – a new historical era, if you will. This new era, like previous eras in Maine history, will require of us new ways of thinking, new ways of understanding, new ways of organizing ourselves as a community of people, if the values and culture we share and cherish are to endure and flourish.

Water, Development, And State Security In South Asia: Scenarios For China And India, Ray Chandrasekara, John M. Polimeni

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Conflict over water resources is rare and has not occurred for thousands of years. However, the dynamics in South Asia are changing so rapidly that a conflict in the not-so-near future may be unavoidable. Water shortages could have the nonlinear effects of food shortages, political instability, migration problems, and diminished economic growth. All of these factors, caused by water shortages, could be a driver of conflict in the region, causing territorial disputes. Global instability would be sure to follow as both the U.S., attempting to protect their national security interests, and China, reacting as the regional power, tries to intervene. …

Interspecies Comparison Of Pentosidine Accumulation And Its Correlation With Age In Birds, Jesse A. Fallon, Robert L. Cochrane, Brian Dorr, Hillar Klandorf

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Recent studies suggest that a linear correlation exists between the age of individual birds and accumulation of the advanced glycation endproduct pentosidine (Ps). We compared Ps accumulation in skin tissue of Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) and Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus). Skin samples were taken from the breasts of 52 Ruffed Grouse of known ages ranging from a few days to 10 years. Skin was cleaned of feathers and adipose tissue, acid hydrolyzed, and measured for collagen content via hydroxyproline spectrophotometric assay. Pentosidine concentrations were determined using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Fluorescent detection (excitation: 310 nm, emission: …

Wildlife Health Centre Newsletter, Volume 12, Spring/Summer 2006

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

Canada’s Inter-agency Wild Bird Influenza Survey—Results from 2005
Devil’s Lake Pathogen Surveys
Wildlife Health Alert—Adenoviral Hemorrhagic Disease Updates
First Charitable Donation
Download your newsletter from our Website

Wildlife Health Centre Newsletter, Volume 12-1, Spring & Summer 2006

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

Canada’s Inter-agency Wild Bird Influenza Survey—Results from 2005
Devil’s Lake Pathogen Surveys
Wildlife Health Alert—Adenoviral Hemorrhagic Disease of Deer
Anticoagulant Rodenticide Toxicity in Birds
Salmonellosis Returns to the Maritime Provinces’ Passerine Bird Populations
Skin Disease in Canada Geese
Escherichia albertii in Songbirds on Prince Edward Island
Illegal Shooting of Raptorial Birds in the Province of Quebec from 1986 to 2004
Nocardiosis in a Juvenile Hooded Seal (Cystophora cristata)
Autopsy of the Beluga Whales Necropsy Program: Two Decades of Data
Schistosomiasis-related Mortality in Ring-billed Gulls
Common Toxicological Problems of Ontario Wildlife
Fenthion Poisoning in Black-billed Magpies (Pica pica)
Demodecosis in a …

Bufo Marinus (Amphibian)

Other Publications in Wildlife Management

B. marinus is a heavily built toad with short legs. It can grow upto 15 cm long sometimes. Fingers lack webbing, but the toes are heavily webbed. Adults have a rough, warty skin, colored tan, brown or dark brown, dull green or black. The tympanum is distinct, about one half to two thirds the size of the eye. Venom glands are widely distributed around the surface of the skin, but can also be aggregated together to form large parotoid glands, found on each shoulder. these glands are able to ooze venom. (Gautherot, 2000) Eggs are laid in long strands. Tadpoles …

The Environmental Impact Of Dietary Choice And Agriculture In California, Harold J. Marlow Jr.

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Food demand influences agricultural production. Modern agricultural practices have resulted in polluted soil, air and water, eroded soil, dependence on imported oil, and loss of biodiversity. The goal of this research is to investigate the environmental impact of pesticide and fertilizer application, water consumption, and energy used to produce commodities for a vegetarian and non vegetarian diet in California. The working assumption is that greater number and amount of inputs are associated with greater environmental impact. The literature supports this notion. To accomplish this goal, dietary preferences were quantified using the Adventist Health Study and state agricultural data were collected …