Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and web-based GIS platforms are typically used by large organizations and government agencies for the purpose of data storage, query, analysis, and spatial data mapping. Google Fusion Tables, however, provides cloud-based computing services for data management and easy user collaboration through the Google Maps interface. Fusion Tables are oriented towards smaller organizations that previously were unable to publish data online due to limitations of database knowledge, high cost of start-up, and restrictions on implementation. In this research project, we assess the functionality and limitations of Fusion Tables and associated API as a spatial data management system by programming an interactive web-based mapping platform, the CityTrees.ca Project, designed to showcase the benefits of trees growing on the campus of Ryerson University, Toronto. Specifically, Fusion Tables functionality, such as data storage and manipulation, is used to build a query interface (both attribute and spatial) that permits users of CityTrees.ca to search for and map trees by species, diameter, height, and location. We found that Fusion Tables performed well as a storage medium for our campus tree data, which could easily be explored through our creation of a JavaScript-enabled query tool. Our project provides a unique roadmap for small to medium-sized urban forestry organizations and environmental non-profits seeking to create interactive mapping applications where data privacy and advanced spatial analysis are not fundamental. 相似文献
Considerable research has been conducted analyzing how demographic characteristics influence the public’s attitudes toward wildlife; however, less research of this type has been conducted in locations having long-standing species conservation efforts. Questionnaires were completed by residents living adjacent to such a location, the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (ACNWR), to investigate which demographics explained residents’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, willingness to act for, and participation in sea turtle conservation. Residents who had a non-governmental organization (NGO) or government agency as their sea turtle information source had stronger positive attitudes toward sea turtles. Residents who possessed strong positive attitudes were more willing to engage in pro–sea turtle conservation behaviors. Overall, this research demonstrated that ACNWR residents’ source of sea turtle information being an NGO or government agency played a significant role in increasing residents’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, willingness to volunteer for, and participation in sea turtle conservation. 相似文献
We consider the mechanism of certification to encourage sustainable harvesting and best management practices of Iriartea deltoidea Ruíz and Pavón, in the context of current land use and agricultural management in Amazonian Ecuador. Interviews and observations with harvesters, storeowners, and furniture-makers provided information about current and potential markets for goods made from the palm. To understand the demographic variables that are critical for population stability, data from five plots in each of three different forest types (mature, secondary, and dissected) were collected. Matrix models were used to develop harvesting simulations through which biological constraints on sustainable harvesting were explored. These simulations suggest that sparing individuals 5–15 m tall when pastures are cleared and adding this palm to current agroforestry polycultures can improve the likelihood of sustainable harvesting for this species. Results showed that harvesting Iriartea could fit within current land use. Some forest colonists clear pastures to graze cattle, while others devote land to agriculture, including polycultures of annuals and perennials. In either case, palms can be left standing when forests are cleared. Swidden agriculture (slash and burn or slash and mulch) depends on a fallow period during which secondary forest may begin to regenerate. These secondary forests are ideal locations for extraction of forest products that fit within the cycle of fallow regeneration in areas near human settlements. Sparing Iriartea individuals 5–15 m tall could benefit agriculture, encourage the sustainability of future harvests, and help ensure the future of this palm as a part of the Amazonian landscape.
Interviews with staff of governmental and non-governmental conservation organizations investigated the policy context for certification as a mechanism for conservation. Establishing guidelines for harvesting requires input from all stakeholders in the decision, not simply an ecological analysis. Such guidelines for certifying good management practices, if they are developed, should include provisions for monitoring unanticipated consequences of harvesting or changes in future environmental conditions. Transportation issues and stem drying processes need to be addressed if efforts to expand markets are to succeed. More generally, guidelines for management of forest resources can be improved by combining ecological and social research perspectives; the potential for carrying out such guidelines can be improved by incorporating the knowledge of local forest dwellers and NGOs. 相似文献