scholarly journals The National Collection of Arachnida, South Africa: Making the Collection more Accessible

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e26111
Author(s):  
Petro Marais ◽  
Maggie Menyatso ◽  
Robin Lyle ◽  
Simangele Chiloane
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Type Collection ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
Research Activities

The National Collection of Arachnida (NCA) was established in 1976 at the Agricultural Research Council – Plant Health & Protection (ARC-PHP) in Pretoria, South Africa. This collection forms part of South Africa’s National Assets, which the ARC manages and maintains on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The specimen holdings of the NCA contain a wealth of associated taxonomic, biological and geographical information. Currently the collection is managed by a dedicated collection manager responsible for the day-to-day running of the collection assisted by one research assistant. It is utilized for various research activities and knowledge generation in the fields of agriculture and natural resource management. The specimens are preserved using 75% alcohol and held in a double vial method in order to maximize protection of the specimens against evaporation and breakage. Hand-written catalogue books are still used to record and allocate a unique NCA – AcAT number for each specimen. This number links to all primary data recorded for the specimen. Furthermore, the data associated with the specimens are digitized according to Darwin-Core guidelines in an Structured Query Language (SQL) relational database. The database was developed by the ARC-Information Technology services. The entire NCA presently houses approximately 77,780 catalogue entries representing more than 233,300 specimens from six Arachnida orders. The NCA is made up mainly of reference specimens, but also has a type specimen collection of newly described species. The type collection currently contains 1,018 type specimens representing 321 species in 136 genera and 42 families. Of these, 207 specimens are holotypes. The type collection is housed separately from the reference collection and was recently moved to a newly acquired fireproof cabinet. Further planned activities include taking photos of all type specimens using a Zeiss V.16 Zoom microscope so that all type holdings are fully digitized. This will allow the implementation of an electronic loans system. Updating of the types list in the collection will facilitate availability for the wider community. The NCA provides support for key services such as the identification of arachnid predators that have an impact on agricultural production and bio-security as well as a specimen identification and advisory service to government, farmers, industry, researchers, students and the public. These services are essential for research projects on biosystematics and relevant related fields such as conservation, decision-making, agriculture and natural resource management.

scholarly journals Geo-Informatics in Resource Management

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 628
Author(s):  
Francisco Javier Mesas-Carrascosa
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Geographical Information Systems ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite Systems ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Satellite Systems ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite ◽  
Decision Making Tool

Natural resource management requires reliable and timely information available at local, regional, national, and global scales. Geo-informatics, by remote sensing, global navigation satellite systems, geographical information systems, and related technologies, provides information for natural resource management, environmental protection, and support related to sustainable development. Geo-informatics has proven to be a powerful technology for studying and monitoring natural resources as well as in generating predictive models, making it an important decision-making tool. The manuscripts included in this Special Issue focus on disciplines that advance the field of resource management in geomatics. The manuscripts showcased here provide different examples of challenges in resource management.

scholarly journals Boundary work for sustainable development: Natural resource management at the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)

2011 ◽  
Vol 113 (17) ◽  
pp. 4615-4622 ◽  
Author(s):  
William C. Clark ◽  
Thomas P. Tomich ◽  
Meine van Noordwijk ◽  
David Guston ◽  
Delia Catacutan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Boundary Work ◽  
International Agricultural Research ◽  
Research Programs ◽  
Sources Of Knowledge ◽  
Consultative Group

Previous research on the determinants of effectiveness in knowledge systems seeking to support sustainable development has highlighted the importance of “boundary work” through which research communities organize their relations with new science, other sources of knowledge, and the worlds of action and policymaking. A growing body of scholarship postulates specific attributes of boundary work that promote used and useful research. These propositions, however, are largely based on the experience of a few industrialized countries. We report here on an effort to evaluate their relevance for efforts to harness science in support of sustainability in the developing world. We carried out a multicountry comparative analysis of natural resource management programs conducted under the auspices of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. We discovered six distinctive kinds of boundary work contributing to the successes of those programs—a greater variety than has been documented in previous studies. We argue that these different kinds of boundary work can be understood as a dual response to the different uses for which the results of specific research programs are intended, and the different sources of knowledge drawn on by those programs. We show that these distinctive kinds of boundary work require distinctive strategies to organize them effectively. Especially important are arrangements regarding participation of stakeholders, accountability in governance, and the use of “boundary objects.” We conclude that improving the ability of research programs to produce useful knowledge for sustainable development will require both greater and differentiated support for multiple forms of boundary work.

The implied significance of integrative geographical information systems in sustainable tourism and comprehensive community development in Musina Municipality, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Azwindini Isaac Ramaano
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Sustainable Tourism ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe purpose of the paper was to explore the latent function of geographic information systems (GIS) in sustainable tourism, community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) and local community development in Southern Africa, broadly Africa, and diverse rural areas elsewhere globally. Hence, significantly liaising with data and literature review on the Musina Municipality natural resource management, livelihoods, and tourism development issues in Limpopo Province, South Africa.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilizes a general literature review, document reviews, focus group discussions and field observations to examine the Musina Municipality's rural, environmental and tourism resources management situations along with African and worldwide pertinent implications. The study benchmarks with CBNRM and GIS in sustainable tourism nature within the Musina Municipality.FindingsThe study reveals a fitter dormant-synergetic link among tourism and agrarian (rural) exercises that GIS along a concept of CBNRM can expand within the Municipality. Hence, the study has presented a necessity for a proper and a GIS-unified tourism approach to permit the local communities in Musina Municipality and towards the entire continent.Originality/valueSeveral rural populations in Southern Africa and Africa broadly dwell in low-income areas; Musina Municipality is no exception. Such environs are rich in natural biodiversity, including tourism entities host regions. GIS, sustainable tourism and CBNRM can create a gestalt of local community development projects within such milieus.

Mapping in Epistemological Translation, Revising the Critique of GIS (Geographical Information Systems) as an Instrument of Cultural Assimilation

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 32-49
Author(s):  
Oscar Forero
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Geographical Information Systems ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Map Reading ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
Natural Resource Managers

This paper examines some of the features that have made maps into an essential and traditional tool used by all those involved in the management of natural resources. A main competency of natural resource managers and geographers is map making, along with map reading and map usage, as it allows a vision to be constructed, aiding the understanding of bio-cultural ocean, riverine and landscapes and helping to put them into perspective. I argue that the prominence of mapping in natural resource management comes from a topokinetic quality of knowledge generation and a visual character of knowledge reproduction. I also argue that mapping is a pedagogical device not exclusive to western ontological tradition, and that these features have made mapping a favorite episte-mological translation tool.

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