Suchergebnisse

Im neuen Südafrika nach der Apartheid erfreut sich die Weinindustrie in Western Cape einer Periode raschen Wachstums. Trotz der politischen Verpflichtung, auch im Weinbau eine Umverteilung zugunsten von Kleinbauern in die Wege zu leiten, hat die hierfür zuständige Behörde (das Department of Land Affairs) bisher keine entsprechenden Reformen in die Wege geleitet. Dennoch belegen drei hier vorgestellte Fallstudien, wie kleine Landarbeiter erfolgreich Zugang zu diesem Sektor gefunden haben. Der private Sektor, nicht der Staat, hat diese Umverteilung ermöglicht. Die angeführten Beispiele zeigen die großen Möglichkeiten für eine Landreform im Weinanbau auf, die von der immer noch vorherrschenden Debatte, ob klein oder groß besser sei, zu einem guten Teil überlagert werden. (DÜI-Hlb)

In his book, The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Reign of Philip II, Fernand Braudel defines the islands of the Mediterranean as «isolated worlds» and «lands of hunger». These definitions carry pragmatic implications that may appear contentious if put under the lens of micro-history. Braudel himself recognizes the limitation of these statements, as he considers it appropriate to exclude Sicily from the above description. Indeed, such definitions, while carrying political and economic implications, do not necessarily reflect all the historical realities of the Mediterranean islands, in particular if the latter happen to be frontier territories. In this paper, I propose to study these concepts within the framework of Maltese history, in particular from 1530s up to the early eighteenth century, when the island of Malta can really be said to exemplify the notion of 'frontier lands'. This is not the first study on the Braudelian idea of 'isolated worlds' as applicable to the Maltese island. Victor Mallia-Milanes studied this concept in relation to other Braudelian ideas, such as that of 'land of hunger' or that the inhabitants of such lands were 'prisoners of their poverty'. What I am proposing in this paper is to build on Mallia-Milanes' study entitled Was Early Modern Malta an (Isolated World?, and at the same time, relate this concept of 'isolated worlds' to that of 'frontier territories'. ; peer-reviewed

The REFINA R+D program for the reduction of Greenfield development and for promoting sustainable land management is a new German research programme funded by the BMBF, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The German federal government has set a goal of reducing land consumption to 30 hectares (75 acres) per day in 2020 as part of the German National Strategy for Sustainable Development (NSSD). In order to provide a scientifically reliable basis for decisions and measures, BMBF launched the R+D Program REFINA in October 2004. REFINA will grant the development and testing of innovative concepts for the reduction of greenfield development to achieve a multitude of goals such as e.g. protection of the environment and nature, economical growth, socially balanced housing, architectural urban quality, and mobility. The R+D effort includes ecological, economical, and social aspects like equality, participation and education. REFINA has a funding grant volume of 20 million Euros and lasts for five years.First projects started in December 2005.

Monitoring vegetation cover during winter is a major environmental and scientific issue in agricultural areas. From an environmental viewpoint, the presence and type of vegetation cover in winter influences the transport of pollutants to water resources. From a methodological viewpoint, characterizing spatio-temporal dynamics of land cover and land use at the field scale is challenging due to the diversity of farming strategies and practices in winter. The objective of this study was to evaluate the respective advantages of Sentinel optical and SAR time-series to identify land use in winter. To this end, Sentinel-1 and -2 time-series were classified using Support Vector Machine and Random Forest algorithms in a 130 km² agricultural area. From the classification, the Sentinel-2 time-series identified winter land use more accurately (overall accuracy (OA) = 75%, Kappa index = 0.70) than that of Sentinel-1 (OA = 70%, Kappa = 0.66) but a combination of the Sentinel-1 and -2 time-series was the most accurate (OA = 81%, Kappa = 0.77). Our study outlines the effectiveness of Sentinel-1 and -2 for identify land use in winter, which can help to change agricultural practices.

ABSTRACTFactor markets of sorts did exist in the more highly developed areas of early modern Southeast Asia, and they became more efficient in the course of time (although not in a linear process). However, in other more remote areas land was hardly ever sold, labour could not be hired and money was rare. Neither was the institutional framework conducive to economic growth, mainly because the rule of law did not apply where the ruler was concerned. This state of affairs goes a long way to explain why levels of economic growth were lower in Southeast Asia than they were in Western Europe at the same time.

In April 1973 the Washington State Legislature enacted the Leasehold Exemption Act, providing special tax treatment for certain leasehold interests in publicly owned, tax-exempt land. This measure was a response to the 1970 Washington Supreme Court decision which held that, in valuing these leasehold interests for ad valorem property tax purposes, the same standards of assessment were to be utilized as were used for valuing taxable property in general. The Legislature chose to apply the court's 1970 decision prospectively only. In so doing, it has placed serious strains on the assessment process. This note will discuss these administrative problems, as well as constitutional and equitable concerns raised by the Act.

Currently, we are experiencing biodiversity loss on different spatial scales. One of the best studied taxonomic groups in decline is the butterflies. Here, we review evidence for such declines using five systematic studies from southern Sweden that compare old butterfly surveys with the current situation. Additionally, we provide data on butterfly and burnet moth extinctions in the region's counties. In some local areas, half of the butterfly fauna has been lost during the last 60-100 years. In terms of extinctions, counties have lost 2-10 butterfly and burnet moth species. Land use has changed markedly with key butterfly habitats such as hay meadows disappearing at alarming rates. Grazed, mixed open woodlands have been transformed into dense coniferous forests and clear-cuts and domestic grazers have been relocated from woodlands to arable fields and semi-natural grasslands. Ley has increased rapidly and is used for bale silage repeatedly during the season. Overall, the changed and intensified land use has markedly reduced the availability of nectar resources in the landscape. Species that decline in Sweden are strongly decreasing or already extinct in other parts of Europe. Many typical grassland species that were numerous in former times have declined severely; among those Hesperia comma, Lycaena virgaureae, Lycaena hippothoe, Argynnis adippe, and Polyommatus semiargus. Also, species associated with open woodlands and wetlands such as, Colias palaeno, Boloria euphrosyne and the glade-inhabiting Leptidea sinapis have all decreased markedly. Current management practise and EU Common Agricultural Policy rules favour intensive grazing on the remaining semi-natural grasslands, with strong negative effects on butterfly diversity. Abandoned grasslands are very common in less productive areas of southern Sweden and these habitats may soon become forests. There is an urgent need for immediate action to preserve unfertilized, mown and lightly grazed grasslands. It is also crucial to encourage that management of abandoned grasslands resumes before it is too late. In order to mitigate risks of further species loss and to work towards recovery of threatened butterfly populations using best known practises, we recommend twelve types of management measures favourable for many butterflies.

Land-use conflicts involving agriculture, extractive industries and urbanisation are longstanding throughout much of Australia. Despite early hopes that coal seam gas (CSG) development may offer more opportunities for maintaining agricultural land-use than would open cut coal mining, conflict over CSG development has escalated nevertheless. This paper focuses on community action groups that have mobilised in response to CSG and other resource developments in the Surat Basin, Queensland. The research outlines the development and professionalisation of these groups, their concerns, and government responses. Opposition to CSG was driven in part by the perceived threat to existing agricultural industries and to the liveability of rural townships and localities. The research examines the sensitivities associated with changing economic activities in regional settings and the potential division arising in small communities. Strategies adopted by groups and individuals in response to the competing aspirations for the Surat Basin are discussed.

AbstractThe environmental quality of many rivers on the Somerset Levels and Moors has been reduced because of past river‐engineering practices and changes in land use. A new holistic and restorative approach to river management is now helping to improve the quality of aquatic ecosystems. This paper presents the results of a study which assessed the impact of past river and floodplain management on the Land Yeo, Somerset, with the objective of recommending measures for future management. The main findings are that (a) the ecological interest of the river has been reduced due to channel re‐sectioning and flow diversion, and (b) the flow diversion is also causing water‐quality problems such as dissolved‐oxygen reduction. Most of this degradation could be reversed by the adoption of a number of channel and riparian‐enhancement measures and by revising the annual maintenance programme.

Marketing has long had a place in the planning and management of public sector recreation. In particular, the use of market segmentation has allowed leisure providers to better understand their clients' needs and to tailor their services to the diversity of those needs. However, the use of marketing approaches is not without controversy and is sometimes perceived to be at odds with the public service or stewardship mandates often associated with recreation management. We suggest that wholesale adoption of basic marketing principles (such as the notion of giving people exactly what they want at a great price) may be inappropriate. An alternative form, relational marketing, may be better suited to public purpose organizations. Relational marketing focuses on the development or fostering of a relationship between the public and the public agency. Thus, relational marketing focuses on building confidence in the agency's ability to guard the short- and long-term interests of the public. For example, for land management agencies, these objectives are embedded in legislative and policy mandates to provide outstanding opportunities for recreation, while at the same time protecting and enhancing the environment. Relational marketing seems better suited to these objectives compared with transactional marketing, which is more dominant in private sector businesses. Whereas transactional marketing focuses on fostering current and continuing purchases of goods and services, relational marketing extends beyond the direct economic exchange. In the public recreation settings, the public is considered more than a current or potential customer, they are also considered an owner or shareholder of the agency. Thus, repeat purchases or customer satisfaction are not sufficient measures of success for organizations with a public service mandate. Instead, relational marketing considers the perceptions that the many different groups of the public (e.g. participants and non-participants, supporters and non-supporters) have of the agency and its actions. The research reported here conceptualizes the relationship between the public and the agency into three dimensions: social trust (the degree to which individuals perceive the agency to share their views, goals, and values); commitment (the investment, attachment, and longevity of the relationship to the agency); and social responsibility (which includes attitudes towards the goals or public purposes of the agency). A market segmentation based on these dimensions yielded distinct subpopulations of the general public. The challenge for public agencies, such as the Forest Service, is to be responsive to the different relationships the public has with the agency. Collaborative planning efforts must acknowledge and incorporate knowledge of these differences in social trust, commitment, and social responsibility. Any public action or policy change should consider how it potentially affects the varying public's relationship with the agency and the services it provides. Managers must demonstrate stewardship, care, responsiveness, and continuing service to today's public and future generations. Any interaction with the public (e.g., marketing) should focus on the intended public purpose which guides the agency.