Blacksmiths in Nepal are marginalized and disadvantaged occupational caste, however, very popular for their handicraft works mainly in making iron tools and equipments. With the advancement of technology, there have b...Blacksmiths in Nepal are marginalized and disadvantaged occupational caste, however, very popular for their handicraft works mainly in making iron tools and equipments. With the advancement of technology, there have been many innovative technologies in many other sectors, but blacksmiths in Nepal are still dependent on their indigenous and conventional practices which have direct negative consequences for environment, biodiversity conservation and health. Recently, improved charcoal production technology has been implemented among the 77 blacksmith households in Sindhupalchowk district as a pilot project. However, there is little research about the impact of improved charcoal production on forest resources conservation and people＇s livelihoods. This study therefore made an effort to explore the impact of improved charcoal production technology and firewood consumption on conserving the environment and promoting sustainable livelihood of marginalized households in rural areas of Nepal. Findings of the study revealed that improved charcoal production technology has positive impacts on forest tree conservation by reducing the fuel wood consumption up to 40% with 60% energy efficiency as compared to the traditional system. The improved charcoal production pilot project has reduced annual CO2, CH4 and CO emissions in the study area by 2.4-3.1, 3.3-4.3 and 2.6-3.5 tons, respectively. Furthermore, improved charcoal production system increases blacksmiths＇ welfare through generating social, human and economic capital and quality attributes like environmental sustainability. Introducing improved charcoal production and controlling heavy firewood collection at rural villages of Nepal will help to increase carbon sequestration and reduce the sources of carbon emission in context of global climate change.展开更多
Numerous recent studies present evidence that Australian dingoes Canis lupus dingo can benefit native biodiversity by suppressing mesopredators and large herbivores. Allen and colleagues have challenged the reliabilit...Numerous recent studies present evidence that Australian dingoes Canis lupus dingo can benefit native biodiversity by suppressing mesopredators and large herbivores. Allen and colleagues have challenged the reliability of this evidence. Al- though they make some valid criticisms, I question some of their assertions. While the existing evidence is inconclusive, I argue that to dismiss it completely would be just as dangerous as to embrace it uncritically. I aim to establish a middle ground .展开更多
Although population genetic theory is largely based on the premise that loci under study are selectively neutral, it has been acknowledged that the study of DNA sequence data under the influence of selection can be us...Although population genetic theory is largely based on the premise that loci under study are selectively neutral, it has been acknowledged that the study of DNA sequence data under the influence of selection can be useful. In some circumstances, these loci show increased population differentiation and gene diversity. Highly polymorphic loci may be especially useful when studying populations having low levels of diversity overall, such as is often the case with threatened or newly established inva- sive populations. Using common starlings Sturnus vulgaris sampled from invasive Australian populations, we investigated se- quence data of the dopamine receptor D4 gene （DRD4）, a locus suspected to be under selection for novelty-seeking behaviour in a range of taxa including humans and passerine birds. We hypothesised that such behaviour may be advantageous when species encounter novel environments, such as during invasion. In addition to analyses to detect the presence of selection, we also esti- mated population differentiation and gene diversity using DRD4 data and compared these estimates to those from microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA sequence data, using the same individuals. We found little evidence for selection on DRD4 in starlings. However, we did find elevated levels of within-population gene diversity when compared to microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA sequence, as well as a greater degree of population differentiation. We suggest that sequence data from putatively non- neutral loci are a useful addition to studies of invasive populations, where low genetic variability is expected展开更多
文摘Blacksmiths in Nepal are marginalized and disadvantaged occupational caste, however, very popular for their handicraft works mainly in making iron tools and equipments. With the advancement of technology, there have been many innovative technologies in many other sectors, but blacksmiths in Nepal are still dependent on their indigenous and conventional practices which have direct negative consequences for environment, biodiversity conservation and health. Recently, improved charcoal production technology has been implemented among the 77 blacksmith households in Sindhupalchowk district as a pilot project. However, there is little research about the impact of improved charcoal production on forest resources conservation and people＇s livelihoods. This study therefore made an effort to explore the impact of improved charcoal production technology and firewood consumption on conserving the environment and promoting sustainable livelihood of marginalized households in rural areas of Nepal. Findings of the study revealed that improved charcoal production technology has positive impacts on forest tree conservation by reducing the fuel wood consumption up to 40% with 60% energy efficiency as compared to the traditional system. The improved charcoal production pilot project has reduced annual CO2, CH4 and CO emissions in the study area by 2.4-3.1, 3.3-4.3 and 2.6-3.5 tons, respectively. Furthermore, improved charcoal production system increases blacksmiths＇ welfare through generating social, human and economic capital and quality attributes like environmental sustainability. Introducing improved charcoal production and controlling heavy firewood collection at rural villages of Nepal will help to increase carbon sequestration and reduce the sources of carbon emission in context of global climate change.
文摘Numerous recent studies present evidence that Australian dingoes Canis lupus dingo can benefit native biodiversity by suppressing mesopredators and large herbivores. Allen and colleagues have challenged the reliability of this evidence. Al- though they make some valid criticisms, I question some of their assertions. While the existing evidence is inconclusive, I argue that to dismiss it completely would be just as dangerous as to embrace it uncritically. I aim to establish a middle ground .
文摘Although population genetic theory is largely based on the premise that loci under study are selectively neutral, it has been acknowledged that the study of DNA sequence data under the influence of selection can be useful. In some circumstances, these loci show increased population differentiation and gene diversity. Highly polymorphic loci may be especially useful when studying populations having low levels of diversity overall, such as is often the case with threatened or newly established inva- sive populations. Using common starlings Sturnus vulgaris sampled from invasive Australian populations, we investigated se- quence data of the dopamine receptor D4 gene （DRD4）, a locus suspected to be under selection for novelty-seeking behaviour in a range of taxa including humans and passerine birds. We hypothesised that such behaviour may be advantageous when species encounter novel environments, such as during invasion. In addition to analyses to detect the presence of selection, we also esti- mated population differentiation and gene diversity using DRD4 data and compared these estimates to those from microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA sequence data, using the same individuals. We found little evidence for selection on DRD4 in starlings. However, we did find elevated levels of within-population gene diversity when compared to microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA sequence, as well as a greater degree of population differentiation. We suggest that sequence data from putatively non- neutral loci are a useful addition to studies of invasive populations, where low genetic variability is expected
