A citizen science survey: perceptions and attitudes of urban residents towards vervet monkeys

A diversity of indigenous and alien wildlife persists in suburbia, and provides residents with the opportunity to experience wildlife. Suburban gardens may serve as refugia and foraging grounds for many primate species allowing them to populate within a largely urbanized landscape. However, this has led to the increasing human interactions with them, resulting in conflict. Our study investigated the perceptions of suburban residents towards urban vervet monkeys Cercopithecus aethiops pygerythrus within the Msunduzi and Ethekwini municipalities, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We assessed how these related to the monkeys’ presence, activities and interactions in residential gardens, and the value of wildlife to residents. Assessment was conducted through an online questionnaire survey. General attitudes of residents to vervet monkeys were canvassed by assessing the respondents’ level of active engagement in wildlife watching within their properties. We analyzed 603 surveys submitted online using logistic regression and ordinal regression models. We ascertained that vervet monkeys were disliked by 29% of residents due to their aggressiveness, destructive behaviour in gardens and households, and perceived threat to native wildlife. Frequency and duration of foraging vervet monkeys in residents’ gardens was influenced by the presence of pet dogs, fruiting trees, tall trees (>2 m), ratio of indigenous to alien vegetation of gardens, residency type, and active and passive food provisioning. Despite conflict, the majority of respondents appreciated urban wildlife (67%) and actively engaged in wildlife watching (88%), emphasizing the importance of incorporating human dimension values into the management of urban biodiversity. Our study highlights the value of citizen science in providing mechanisms for identifying priority management and conservation efforts at the highly complex human-wildlife interface in an urbanized landscape.     

Restructuring for growth in urban China: Transitional institutions,urban development,and spatial transformation

This research examines government policies and urban transformation in China through a study of Hangzhou City, which is undergoing dramatic growth and restructuring. As the southern center of the Yangtze River Delta, an emerging global city region of China, Hangzhou has been restlessly searching for strategies to promote economic growth and survive the competition with Shanghai. This paper analyzes Hangzhou’s development strategies, including globalization, tourism, industrial development, and urban development, in the context of shifting macro conditions and local responses. We hold that urban policies in China are situated in the broad economic restructuring and the gradual, experiential national reform and are therefore transitional. The paper suggests that China’s urban policies are state institution-directed, growth-oriented, and land-based, imposing unprecedented challenges to sustainability and livability. Land development and spatial restructuring are central to urban policies in China. Last, while Hangzhou’s development strategies and policies to some extent reflect policy convergence across cities in China, local/spatial contexts, including local settings, territorial rescaling and land conditions, are underlying the functioning of development/entrepreneurial states.     

Understanding care for the poor in rural Russia

The issues surrounding care and care-provision have been key themes in social scientific research, yet the intersections between care and poverty, particularly in rural contexts, have not been sufficiently explored. This paper addresses this gap by studying care for the poor in rural Russia. It argues that isolated, disengaged and decontextualised caring interventions often ignore situated possibilities and traditions of care and overlook what matters to poor people. To overcome this problem, the paper uses 20 and 22 dwelling approach to prioritise a relational framework that focuses on care as concern, solicitude and possibilities for supportive action in the context of rural Russia. Using examples from fieldwork in two Russian villages, the paper stresses the constitutive role of non-representable practices of care which provide the ontological basis for recognising and understanding the worldviews and coping practices of the poor. It concludes with conceptual observations about alternative approaches to care, relations to others and responsibility for the rural poor.     

Determinants of urban tree canopy in residential neighborhoods: Household characteristics, urban form, and the geophysical landscape

The aesthetic, economic, and environmental benefits of urban trees are well recognized. Previous research has focused on understanding how a variety of social and environmental factors are related to urban vegetation. The aim is often to provide planners with information that will improve residential neighborhood design, or guide tree planting campaigns encouraging the cultivation of urban trees. In this paper we examine a broad range of factors we hypothesize are correlated to urban tree canopy heterogeneity in Salt Lake County, Utah. We use a multi-model inference approach to evaluate the relative contribution of these factors to observed heterogeneity in urban tree canopy cover, and discuss the implications of our analysis. An important contribution of this work is an explicit attempt to account for the confounding effect of neighborhood age in understanding the relationship between human and environmental factors, and urban tree canopy. We use regression analysis with interaction terms to assess the effects of 15 human and environmental variables on tree canopy abundance while holding neighborhood age constant. We demonstrate that neighborhood age is an influential covariate that affects how the human and environmental factors relate to the abundance of neighborhood tree canopy. For example, we demonstrate that in new neighborhoods a positive relationship exists between street density and residential tree canopy, but the relationship diminishes as the neighborhood ages. We conclude that to better understand the determinants of urban tree canopy in residential areas it is important to consider both human and environmental factors while accounting for neighborhood age.     

Sibling violence: Understanding experiences,impacts, and the need for nuanced responses

Sibling violence is an under-researched field, and the impact of adolescent family violence (AFV) in particular on siblings is not yet well understood. The Australian study Investigating Adolescent Family Violence in Victoria elicited responses from siblings who had experienced AFV from their brothers or sisters, as well as reflections from parents and practitioners on the difficulties of addressing AFV directed towards siblings. This article explores characteristics of sibling violence identified in this study, impacts of the violence on siblings, parents, and families, and responses to sibling violence in Victoria, Australia. Siblings described experiencing severe physical, psychological, and emotional violence, and beyond this recounted a range of difficulties such as not being believed by the adults in their lives; the violence being dismissed as normal sibling behavior; an inability to access support services without the help of parents or other adults; sadness and distress at the loss of the sibling relationship; and resentment towards parents for their perceived inaction against the violence. Practitioners highlighted the dearth of services and resources available for siblings affected by AFV, and the inadequacies of current Child Protection responses. This research sheds light on the hidden issue of sibling violence and highlights the need for nuanced responses rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.     

城市治理、城市经营与城市政府管理制度创新

一、“城市经营”是我国改革开放以来城市管理与治理的一种创新模式改革开放以来，我国的政府管理改革，无论是中央政府，还是省、市等地方政府的改革进程，不仅与经济体制的转轨相适应，或者由后者所推动，或者由后者启动，而且由于实行开放的方针，也必然接受国际政府改革思潮之影响，吸取先进经验，以利于发挥我们的后发优势。经济全球化趋势中资源在全世界范围内的优化配置为我国城市政府提出了新课题：一个开放型的城市政府应该如何管理城市？“九五”末期和“十五”初期，我国各个城市，特别是中心城市的政府加速引进国际城市管理的经…     

The use of geotechnologies for the identification of the urban flora in the city of Teresina,Brazil

Urban Ecosystems - Urban greenness is an element of vital importance for the population quality of life, and forest inventory is considered the most appropriate method for its assessment. Remote...     

Strategy and structure in the human firm: Beyond hierarchy,toward flexibility and integration

In response to global competition and a rapidly changing business environment, corporate strategies and structures are becoming more flexible and integrated. This article develops a model of the flexible, integrated firm, a model that focuses on corporate strategy and organizational structure. The flexible-integrated (FI) firm's mode of operation represents tendencies present in high performance, global companies, particularly as these companies have been understood by leading managerial thinkers. The FI-Firm's operations are contrasted with the hierarchical (H) firm. The H-Firm incorporates strategy and structure in a very different way, which reflects the dominant operating mode of the large Western corporation during much of the second half of the twentieth century. Given the nature of today's competition, there are many reasons for believing that the FI-Firm is not only more flexible but also more efficient than the H-Firm.     

Understanding the Pattern of Support for the Elderly:

Cross-cultural comparison can offer critical input to analyses of the interplay between formal and informal services for the elderly. Israel and Sweden have very different population structures and represent different points on the spectrum of welfare state development: Sweden has a much higher percentage of elderly, a less traditional family structure, and a much more developed system of public support. In addition, there are thought to be different attitudes toward family ties, with a less family-oriented value structure in Sweden. The natural question is to what extent these differences translate into differences in the extent and nature of family support for the elderly. In this article, family structure, living arrangements, disability rates, and formal and informal sources of help in Sweden and Israel are compared at various points in time. While there is a greater rate of formal service provision in Sweden and some substitution for family support seems to have occurred, informal care has nevertheless remalned important. In both countries, residential palterns are critical: it is when the elderly live alone that the formal system has tended to replace the family. The rate of institutionalization is particularly important in determining the rate of disabled elderly requiring care, both formal and informal, in the community.     

Modelling changes in dimensions,health status,and arboricultural implications for urban trees

Canberra, the capital of Australia since 1911, has been developed into a modern city from its original site on a nearly treeless plain. Today the city has about 300,000 inhabitants and 500,000 trees. The authors were requested by the managers of the urban public tree resource to survey their asset and to develop a computer-based system that would aid them in anticipating future maintenance requirements and its costs. This paper reports on our response. We have surveyed 3,000 streets and parks in the city, noting the species, number, and condition of every public space tree. We have also obtained the dimensions of sample trees, noting their total height, maximum crown width, height of maximum crown width, diameter at maximum crown width, and height at crown break. A management system has been developed using Microsoft Access^TM.Using standard regression techniques available on the package JMP^TM, we found that total tree height was related to age for all species and that all other parameters of interest were related to height or transformed values of height. We assumed a sigmoidal growth curve and calibrated 114 height/age curves to cover the 165,000 trees of the 340 species we have in our database. As well we used the data on tree condition to determine the rate at which populations change from healthy to stressed.By interviewing foremen and supervisors we were able to determine the maintenance treatments carried out in Canberra, the equipment used, and the number of trees that can be treated in a day, for each type of operation.The management system can be used to display the current inventory for each street or park, by suburb, in the database. It can also be used to model future increases in size or crown condition, to predict the operations that will be required as a consequence of tree growth or crown deterioration, and finally, by applying multipliers to equipment and personnel, to estimate the future costs of tree maintenance. Managers can use the system to anticipate problems such as uneven expenditure requirements in future years.     

Changes in the urban population of the USSR, 1939-1979

The authors analyze trends in the spatial distribution of the urban population among the republics of the USSR between 1939 and 1979. The increase in the number of large cities and changes in the percent of the country's urban population living in these cities are discussed, and the relationship between levels of urbanization and industrialization is examined     

Vegetation of the urban habitats in the Nile Delta region,Egypt

The present study aims at identifying the plant communities of the urban habitats in the Nile Delta region, Egypt. Four hundred and five stands were selected to represent the variation in eight major types of habitat recognized in the study area. Twenty-five vegetation groups were recognized after application of TWINSPAN. Their ordination using DECORANA indicates moisture, pH, fertility and texture gradients; the hygronitrophilous communities (the moist and fertile stands) inhabit the wet refuse areas (Echinochloa stagnina-Eichhornia crassipes group), mesonitrophilous communities inhabit the dry refuse areas, motor roads and railways (Pluchea dioscoridis, Cynodon dactylon, Panicum repens and Phragmites australis groups), mesic-dry subnitrophilous communities occur on sandy soils (Hordeum murinum, Alhagi graecorum and Desmostachia bipinnata groups) and the dry thermophilous communities of new anthropogenic habitats with coarser texture of sandy and infertile soil along the railways and motor roads at the borders of the Nile Delta (Zygophyllum album and Cornulaca monacantha groups). These results suggest that urban vegetation in the Nile Delta region is favored where disturbance, nutrient and water resources are more abundant.     

Subterranean termites in the urban landscape: Understanding their social structure is the key to successfully implementing population management using bait technology

Subterranean termites will likely continue to be major economic insect pests in the urban environment. Public concerns about pesticide use will not abate but continue to drive development and implementation of environmentally more acceptable control strategies for subterranean termites. Termite baits are a promising alternative to soil termiticide treatments for protection of structures, but the correlation between killing termites in the landscape and protecting structures is tenuous given our current understanding of termite biology. We discuss the problems associated with defining the efficacy of termite bait products in regard to determining termite population parameters in the field. This discussion is in the form of six case histories involving measures of termite activity and relatedness taken over a three-year period. Our findings highlight the need to include control populations in studies of termite bait efficacy, the mobility of termite populations over time, the importance of defining the techniques used to describe termite colony associations, and the need to use a multidisciplinary research approach in addressing the question of termite social structure.     

Evaluation of the importance of ornamental plants for pollinators in urban and suburban areas in Stuttgart,Germany

Urban Ecosystems - Urban landscapes are often characterized by a wide range of diverse flowering plants consisting of native and exotic plants. These flower-rich habitats have proven to be...     

Floristic composition and richness of urban domestic gardens in three urban socioeconomic stratifications in the city Heredia,Costa Rica

The urban domestic gardens that are part of urban green areas have become a very important element due to their ecosystematic benefits and the poor information about them. Information regarding the floristic richness of three socioeconomic stratifications from the city of Heredia, Costa Rica is presented in this study. Research was conducted from October 2011 to May 2012. Information was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, which was provided to 61 garden owners, including the owner’s personal data, time living in the dwelling, area of the property and the garden, variation of its size in time and the garden’s location on the property. In addition, a floristic inventory was conducted in each garden as well as a taxonomic identification of all plants. Vegetative forms and substrates were also noted. Characteristics of the gardens and their owners were then analyzed to determine the relationship of species richness between the three sites studied. The number of plant species recorded was 618, corresponding to 102 families (19 % exotic). Regarding geographical origin, 64, 4 % were exotic, 35,6 % native. Orchidaceae (93 spp.) and Araceae (39 spp.) were the most dominant families. The variables of garden area and location and owner's age determined the garden’s floristic richness. In addition, the garden’s area and vegetative forms varied among the sites studied probably due to socioeconomic differences among them. Diversity of pioneer plants increased with the garden’s area. In sum, this research provides important floristic information of domestic gardens, since, being private property, data about them is scarce and municipal management guidelines are nonexistent.     

Home gardening practice in Pune (India), the role of communities,urban environment and the contribution to urban sustainability

Urban Ecosystems - Urban agriculture (UA) is regarded as an emerging tool and strategy for sustainable urban development as it addresses a wide array of environmental, economic and social...     

Raccoon use of the urban matrix in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area, Maryland

The raccoon is often considered a synanthropic species; however, most urban research on this species has been restricted to urban parks or green spaces. Little is known about the persistence of synanthropic characteristics in the raccoon within the urban matrix. We examined density, den selection, home range size, habitat selection, and survival for adult raccoons (Procyon lotor) during summer (June?CAugust) and autumn (September?CNovember) in two residential neighborhoods, Linthicum located inland, and Riviera Beach on a peninsula in the Potomac river, in Southern Maryland. Den site selection varied by gender (P?=?0.0002) and study site (P?=?0.052), and study site interacted with gender (P?=?0.0063), with female raccoons denning preferentially on the ground and male raccoons in human structures in Riviera Beach while in Linthicum females denned preferentially in trees and males avoided human structures. Seasonal home range size was larger for males (P?<?0.0001) than females at both sites. Habitat selection varied at different hierarchical levels, and between gender, season and site. Intersite differences in habitat selection were apparent at the second order and third order scale. Aquatic and urban habitat was ranked high and woodland consistently lowest in second order scale at Riviera Beach while urban habitat was consistently ranked lowest at Linthicum where woodland ranked highest. Between the hierarchal scales (2nd and 3rd order) a difference in habitat selection occurred at Linthicum only where urban habitats ranked lowest at 3rd order. The differences in patterns of habitat selection we observed between two urban sites at different hierarchical scales suggest that resource selection is dependent upon the specific characteristics of the site and that raccoons exhibit variable responses to changes in landscape features. Finally, male survival tended to be lower (P?=?0.079) than female survival in both study sites. Our results reveal that raccoons can continue to exhibit synanthropic characteristics within the urban matrix even in areas with little natural habitat. This ability to adjust to different levels of development allows the raccoon to occur throughout most parts of the urban landscape, which has important management implications for human-raccoon conflicts and disease management.     

Terrestrial vertebrates in urban ecosystems: developing hypotheses for the Gwynns Falls Watershed in Baltimore,Maryland

We review the literature on terrestrial vertebrates in urban and urbanizing areas in terms of the new paradigm in ecology that focuses on the origin, spatial pattern, and current influences of habitat patches. Studies of terrestrial vertebrates have documented differences in species composition along an urban-rural gradient and have identified some of the key land use features associated with these differences. We use information from a database developed for the Gwynns Falls Watershed in Baltimore City and County, Maryland to demonstrate how a study of forest-dependent breeding birds could be used to identify mechanisms that account for differences in the bird communities of forest patches in urban areas, and to provide useful information to planners and managers involved in wildlife conservation and management.