Humans are a walking species. We tread on the surface of the Earth. Without this primary mobility we would not be here and even when other means of getting around have become accessible, we don’t cease to walk. Our walking leaves traces. This is inevitable. No culture or civilisation or society can escape from this primordial mark-making. Some of these traces cluster and congregate into patte…
In many countries, policies regarding reduction of unwanted catch anddiscards are crafted in response to concerns regarding accountability, conservation,and waste as well as scientific needs to fully account for all sources offishingmortality. It is important to note, however, that unwanted catch is minimal andmost, or all, of the catch has value in somefisheries. Utilisation rates are very hig…
Biocultural diversity refers to the dynamic interrelationship between the Earth’sbiological, cultural and linguistic diversity (Maffi2007). Proponents of the conceptespouse an ‘inextricable’ link between these three forms of diversity, drawing oninsights mostly from anthropology, ethnobiology, ethnoecology and human ecology (Maffi2005,2007; Posey1999). Biocultural diversity draws strength…
Southwards from the Maiombe, and running from Cabinda to the Cunene, is the Angolan Escarpment. This major topographic buttress between the coastal lowlands, the Marginal Mountain Chain and the interior high plateau—the planalto—is of special ecological importance. Providing a steep gradient of landscapes and habitats between the arid coast and …
Living with chronic conditions requires careful, ongoing management, or what Annemarie Mol (2008) has defined as ‘tinkering’. This means continually making adjustments, and not only to the fluctuating symp-toms and moods, but also to the presence and action of the multiple, significant actors involved in the field of care. Anthropological research on…
Discover the diversity of animals, plants, energy, and matter in the world's environments
Have the people of Africa always starved? Most people have never heard this question posed. So ingrained is the idea of “Africa” as a scarce place that the con-tinent has become synonymous with need in popular thought.1 Preoccupied by images of hungry children and drought-ravaged landscapes, we have come to expect that we will find food insecurity in every…
In Russia, waste management has been hugely neglected over the years. MSW and ISW treatment can be best described as inefficient and is causing both negative environmental impact and suboptimal use of raw materials and energy. While the European Union Member States recover up to an average of 60% of MSW, Russia’s waste recovery rate is almost zero. Recycling operations …
The family Iridoviridae currently contains fi ve genera, two of which infect invertebrates ( Iridovirus and Chloriridovirus ) and three that infect only ectother-mic vertebrates ( Lymphocystivirus , Megalocytivirus , and Ranavirus ; Jancovich et al. 2015a ). Lymphocy stiviruses and megalocytiviruses only infect fi sh, whereas, as indicated above, r…
As well as protecting water resources, forests also conserve biodiversity. National commitments to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity are being fulfilled through measures to safeguard water and establish “protected” and “protective” forests, as well as many kinds of forests certified for sustainability. Forests also provide carbon fixation and several other environmen…