Beyond the SDG 15.3.1 Good Practice Guidance 1.0 using the Google Earth Engine platform: developing a self-adjusting algorithm to detect significant changes in water use efficiency and net primary production

Monitoring changes in Annual Net Primary Productivity(ANPP)is required for reporting on UN Sustainable Development Goal(SDG)Indicator 15.3.1:the proportion of land that is degraded over the total land area.Calibrating time-series observations of ANPP to derive Water Use Efficiency(WUE;a measure of ANPP per unit of evapotranspiration)can minimize the influence of climate factors on ANPP observations and highlight the influence of non-climatic drivers of degradation such as land use changes.Comparing the ANPP and WUE time series may be useful for identifying the primary drivers of land degradation,which could be used to support the Land Degradation Neutrality objectives of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification(UNCCD).This paper presents an algorithm for the Google Earth Engine(freely and openly available upon request-http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4429773)to calculate and compare ANPP and WUE time series for Santa Cruz,Bolivia,which has recently experienced an intensification in its land use.This code builds on the Good Practice Guidance document(ver-sion 1)for monitoring SDG Indicator 15.3.1.We use the MODIS 16-day average,250 m resolution to demonstrate that the Enhanced Vegetation Index(EVI)responds faster to changes in water avail-ability than the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI).We also consider the relationships between ANPP and WUE.Significant and concordant trends may highlight good agricultural practices or increased resilience in ecosystem structure and productivity when they are positive or reducing resilience and functional integrity if negative.The sign and significance of the correlation between ANPP and WUE may also diverge over time.With further analysis,it may be possible to interpret this relationship in terms of the drivers of change in plant productivity and ecosystem resilience.

Career and Life Planning Education:Extending the Self-Concept Theory and Its Multidimensional Model to Assess Career-Related Self-Concept of Students with Diverse Abilities

Purpose:This article aims to(1)systematically examine the development of career guidance practices in Hong Kong over the past 40 years,(2)discuss developmental attention to the careerrelated self-concept of diverse learners,and(3)propose a multidimensional model of self-concept by integrating the career-related domains with recent advances in self-concept research pertaining to students’in-school and post-school outcomes.Design/Approach/Methods:This article charts the developmental trend of career guidance and counseling(CGC)over more than 40 years in Hong Kong.The article also examines key findings relating to self-concept research made in the fields of education and career counseling in the past 50 years.Findings:For 50 years,Hong Kong has progressively recognized the importance of CGC.The government’s continued determination to refine its policies and practices in this domain was succinctly highlighted in the Chief Executive’s 2018 policy address.However,many challenges pertaining the professional competence of career guidance teachers and the ability of school administrators to manage the paradigm shift from informal to formal career guidance and counseling practices(CGCPs)remain.Meanwhile,the effects of these CGCPs on students’gains of career-related abilities and interests directly and indirectly remain under-researched.Originality/Value:This article integrates research into the developmental trend of career guidance practices in secondary schools and the study of academic self-concept.The article builds upon previous self-concept research by proposing an extended self-concept model that includes the career-related domain,setting a theoretical model for further research to explore.Finally,the article demonstrates the importance of tailoring career guidance activities in secondary education to reflect the diverse career-related self-concepts held by today’s students with diverse abilities.