Science under siege

Science under siege PDF Author: Peter Banks
Publisher: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
ISBN: 098032727X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 196

Book Description
On Saturday 29 November 2008, the Royal Zoological Society of NSW held a forum with the theme of Science under siege. As the RZS is a zoological society, zoology under threat became the secondary theme and the basis for selecting speakers. This book records that forum with the papers developed for this book as the written word from the spoken presentations. Papers that were presented as posters are included, as are the edited plenary sessions which featured questions from the floor, with answers and comments encouraged from anyone in the forum. We were delighted that Mark Horstman, from ABC Catalyst, was willing to replace his peripatetic colleague Paul Willis, who was nonetheless very happy to write the foreword. There is a place for such skilled science communicators, we need more of them, and scientists at the lab bench, or in the field, or exploring computer models, or those that have now taken a job in the policy world, need to stay in touch with them. Some might say that the title “Science under siege” seems a bit extreme, but we invite you to examine the evidence as presented in this book. What follows is an edited version of the introductory material that advertised the forum: The title looks dramatic, but if you ask yourself, “is anything killing the science in your area of interest?” you might be surprised that you come up with a point or two. Then ask a wider set of questions, such as: are there any pressures that preclude people from doing good zoology; do either political/budgetary constraints impact on your field; is science in the media a subject that influences the outcome of your work; are there economic impediments to careers in zoology; is the education mix in Australia right for this new century; are the best researchers becoming full-time administrators, or the converse, the poor researchers becoming the administrators; can you place the Australian situation in an international context; are there reduced opportunities for human interactions with the natural world; is the virtual world killing reality; and what are your predictions of the future? To deal with such issues, the Royal Zoological Society of NSW has structured the day to emphasize a range of themes, beginning with identifying the issues, including those that are persistent and those that are emerging, and encompassing palpable hits to science. Direct and indirect hits to science include such matters as the withdrawal of funding, subversion of science, death by 1000 cuts, redirection of funding to fashion issues and using the name of science to justify things that are really not justifiable. The name of science is being dragged down. We need to confront the ever-present problem of ignoring the scientifically accurate for the politically correct. This raises such questions as to whether basic skills in biology are not being acquired because of public concern based on extreme animal rights propaganda. Good science is not optional, but what can be done if you are under siege? The answers include understanding the philosophy of science, the legal perspective and asking what scientists are (or should be) doing. Audience participation will be a central part of this forum. The plenary sessions will address questions raised by the speakers, and the posters, and debate issues and consider options for future directions. It is widely known that it is hard to pull a major paper together on this theme, but so many scientists know of at least one matter that they would like to draw to public attention. So, short contributions are included. Listen to the speakers present some overarching themes or compelling case studies, contribute to the debate on the day, then examine your stance on a variety of these subjects to see whether the day changes your view of this often cryptic aspect of zoology. As editors, we wish to acknowledge the skills of the referees (all papers were refereed by two peers), and the patience of the authors for what has been a long gap between the date of the forum and this publication. By the end of 2008, the Royal Zoological Society of NSW, along with everyone else, was caught by the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) and we simply had to extend the length of the queue for publication. We also reassessed our mode of publication. The Council of the Society voted to publish this production as an ebook, as well as a short print run for formal library deposit, and other essential matters. The ebook is open access to enhance the reach of the papers and the ideas. At the same time, the Royal Zoological Society of NSW signed a contract for a more international mode of access of the publications of the Society, and papers are now available via Metapress. http:// rzsnsw.metapress.com Science remains under siege, in our view, and now we have been alerted to the range of issues it becomes easier to spot the small, irritating closing of options that collectively amount to a denial of science and its relegation to an optional way of looking at the world. During production of this book, this matter became obvious on a number of fronts, which led us to invite the paper by Rosie Cooney and colleagues to defend their science of kangaroo conservation and commercial harvesting from an attack on the science. We also saw that this issue of science under siege needs more airing, and the Royal Zoological Society of NSW is planning its forum for the end of 2012 to take up another strand of this theme by capitalizing on the lifelong insights of scientists under the rubric of “grumpy scientists: an ecological conscience of a nation”. This idea in fact derives directly from the suggestions in the plenary sessions by Nick Holmes and Charley Krebs. We are also concerned for young scientists, with science under siege manifesting often in a failure to create permanent careers for science graduates that advance science itself, and zoology in particular, from flourishing and identifying problems and finding solutions. If we want to conserve the native fauna of Australia, then Australian zoologists will have to be key team members. We contend that to put science under siege, and zoology under threat, we not only further imperil our native wildlife, but also the careers of the small band of specialists that can see the issues, find the problems, implement solutions and evaluate the outcomes. In short, science under siege is not a light matter and no one in this forum thought so. Read on, form an opinion, and speak up and publish your thoughts, your examples and your solutions.

Food Security in Australia

Food Security in Australia PDF Author: Quentin Farmar-Bowers
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461444845
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 483

Book Description
This book considers the ability and capacity of the food supply system in Australia to provide food security for the ever-increasing domestic and international population in the face of growing challenges in production, resource supply and failures within the food system itself. Although Australia is a net food exporting country, domestic food insecurity exists and will increase as food prices rise in the coming decades. An overview of the food supply system highlights the main challenges that are determining the future. Many of these challenges can be resolved by the Australian government, but others are in the hands of global governance to which Australia can only adapt. This book sheds light on the challenges and discusses the prospects for developing more sustainable and resilient future food systems in Australia. In addition, it covers food security and sovereignty issues under the heading of “food equity and access,” “food production, policy and trade,” and “impacts of land use planning on agriculture.” The unique features of the book include the following: • Most literature on food security pertains to developing countries. By way of contrast, this book explores food security in a developed nation (Australia) that seemingly should not have food security issues. The topics covered in the book are relevant to other developed nations with growing populations and resource management challenges. • The book chapters are written by specialists to paint a comprehensive picture of the political, social, economic and environmental issues that give rise to food insecurity, and the challenges these issues present to the security of the food system in coming decades. The overall organization of the book uses a theoretically informed and multi-disciplinary approach. This enables a critical and in-depth analysis of food security by outlining the key challenges as well as prospects for the development of more sustainable and resilient agri-food systems. • The three principal topics in the book are dealt with by a multi-disciplinary team of authors in a way that teases out diverse points of view illustrating the complexity of food security. Author disciplines include health and nutrition, agriculture, ethics, social science, law, and practitioners managing food aid programs. • The book shows how food security relates to many technical, social and moral issues in society and how it is possible to develop successful programs to improve food security.

Adaptive Environmental Management

Adaptive Environmental Management PDF Author: Catherine Allan
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402096321
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 350

Book Description
Adaptive management is the recommended means for continuing ecosystem management and use of natural resources, especially in the context of ‘integrated natural resource management’. Conceptually, adaptive management is simply learning from past management actions to improve future planning and management. However, adaptive management has proved difficult to achieve in practice. With a view to facilitating better practice, this new book presents lessons learned from case studies, to provide managers with ready access to relevant information. Cases are drawn from a number of disciplinary fields, including management of protected areas, watersheds and farms, rivers, forests, biodiversity and pests. Examples from Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada, the UK and Europe are presented at a variety of scales, from individual farms, through regional projects, to state-wide planning. While the book is designed primarily for practitioners and policy advisors in the fields of environmental and natural resource management, it will also provide a valuable reference for students and researchers with interests in environmental, natural resource and conservation management.

A Strategic Plan for Trialling Sustainable Wildlife Enterprises

A Strategic Plan for Trialling Sustainable Wildlife Enterprises PDF Author: George R. Wilson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781741511697
Category : Business enterprises
Languages : en
Pages : 53

Book Description
This strategic plan is a guide to projects that will form trials of conservation-based enterprises and the commercial value of wildlife as an incentive to restore on farm habitat.

ChatGPT & Google Bard Prompts for Business

ChatGPT & Google Bard Prompts for Business PDF Author: Dave-Julian Brown
Publisher: via tolino media
ISBN: 3757985680
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 221

Book Description
Discover the secrets of effective business management with 'Ultimate Guide to Business Success', using ChatGPT and Google Bard. This book provides over 2000 field-tested templates in the form of prompts for areas such as 'Financial Management', 'Effective Leadership', 'Employee Development', 'Personal Growth' and 'Increasing Productivity'. Ideal for entrepreneurs, executives and anyone looking to improve their business and management skills. Gain valuable insights into 'Small Business Strategies', 'Time Management' and 'Self-Management Techniques'. An indispensable tool for your professional and personal success. In this book you will find: 1. Financial Management: over 100 practical templates for investment calculations, tax planning, budgeting and savings strategies. These templates facilitate financial planning and analysis to help you make informed decisions. 2. Personnel and Resources: A rich selection of templates for company branding, management, hybrid work and international recruitment tasks. These tools help to develop effective people strategies and manage the challenges of modern working environments. 3. Leadership: Detailed templates for general leadership tasks and building trust and respect. These sections are designed to help leaders develop their teams and strengthen organizational culture. 4. Personal Development: a wide range of templates on goal setting, happiness, lifelong learning and mindfulness exercises. These sections are designed for those interested in personal growth and self-improvement. 5. Productivity: innovative templates for goal setting, productivity challenges and time management. These resources are designed to increase efficiency in professional and personal contexts. 6. Small Business: Specialized templates for business administration, general small business management and market research. These sections provide valuable insights and tools for small business owners and start-ups. In this book, each prompt, aligned with AI, has been carefully designed to provide practical and applicable solutions to the complex challenges of modern business. Whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or an emerging leader, this book is an indispensable tool for your success. Make the most of AI and exploit its full potential.

Building a Future for Wildlife

Building a Future for Wildlife PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9783033004276
Category : Aquariums, Public
Languages : en
Pages : 72

Book Description


Strategic Planning Process 1999

Strategic Planning Process 1999 PDF Author:
Publisher: ILRI (aka ILCA and ILRAD)
ISBN:
Category : Decision making
Languages : en
Pages : 350

Book Description


Building a Sustainable Business

Building a Sustainable Business PDF Author:
Publisher: Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 284

Book Description
"Brings the business planning process alive to help today's agriculture entrepreneurs transform farm-grown inspiration into profitable enterprises. Sample worksheets illustrate how real farm families set goals, research processing alternatives, determine potential markets, and evaluate financing options. Blank worksheets offer readers the opportunity to develop their own detailed, lender-ready business plan and map out strategies" --back cover.

Biodesign

Biodesign PDF Author: Paul G. Yock
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110708735X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 855

Book Description
A step-by-step, full-color guide to successful medical technology innovation with a new focus on value-based innovation and global opportunities.

The Business Year: Abu Dhabi 2023

The Business Year: Abu Dhabi 2023 PDF Author:
Publisher: The Business Year
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 152

Book Description
Featuring dozens of interviews from across every major sector of the economy, we are confident that this publication will be a vital handbook for anybody looking to do business in Abu Dhabi.