title: Dewfall as a water source frequently activates the endolithic cyanobacterial communities in the granites of Taylor Valley, Antarctica

authors: Büdel, Burkhard

subjects: Antarctica

abstract: Endolithic photosynthetic microorganisms like cyanobacteria and algae are well known from savannas and deserts of the world, the high Arctic, and also Antarctic habitats like the Dry Valleys in the Ross Dependency. These endolithic microbial communities are thought to be at the limits of life with reported ages in the order of thousands of years. Here we report on an extensive chasmoendolithic cyanobacterial community inside granite rocks of Mt. Falconer in the lower Taylor Valley, Dry Valleys. On average, the cyanobacterial community was 4.49 ± 0.95 mm below the rock surface, where it formed a blue-green layer. The community was composed mainly of the cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis sp., with occasional Cyanothece cf. aeruginosa (Nägeli) Komárek and Nostoc sp. Mean biomass was 168 ± 44 g carbon • m⁻², and the mean chl a content was 24.3 ± 34.2 mg • m⁻². In situ chl fluorescence measurements—a relative measure of photosynthetic activity—showed that they were active over long periods each day and also showed activity the next day in the absence of any moisture. Radiocarbon dating gave a relatively young age (175–280 years) for the community. Calculations from microclimate data demonstrated that formation of dew or rime was possible and could frequently activate the cyanobacteria and may explain the younger age of microbial communities at Mt. Falconer compared to older and less active endolithic microorganisms reported earlier from Linnaeus Terrace, a higher altitude region that experiences colder, drier conditions.

text: Dewfall as a water source frequently activates the endolithic cyanobacterial communities in the granites of Taylor Valley, Antarctica Endolithic photosynthetic microorganisms like cyanobacteria and algae are well known from savannas and deserts of the world, the high Arctic, and also Antarctic habitats like the Dry Valleys in the Ross Dependency. These endolithic microbial communities are thought to be at the limits of life with reported ages in the order of thousands of years. Here we report on an extensive chasmoendolithic cyanobacterial community inside granite rocks of Mt. Falconer in the lower Taylor Valley, Dry Valleys. On average, the cyanobacterial community was 4.49 ± 0.95 mm below the rock surface, where it formed a blue-green layer. The community was composed mainly of the cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis sp., with occasional Cyanothece cf. aeruginosa (Nägeli) Komárek and Nostoc sp. Mean biomass was 168 ± 44 g carbon • m⁻², and the mean chl a content was 24.3 ± 34.2 mg • m⁻². In situ chl fluorescence measurements—a relative measure of photosynthetic activity—showed that they were active over long periods each day and also showed activity the next day in the absence of any moisture. Radiocarbon dating gave a relatively young age (175–280 years) for the community. Calculations from microclimate data demonstrated that formation of dew or rime was possible and could frequently activate the cyanobacteria and may explain the younger age of microbial communities at Mt. Falconer compared to older and less active endolithic microorganisms reported earlier from Linnaeus Terrace, a higher altitude region that experiences colder, drier conditions.

year: 2008

title: Understanding of marine environments and sustainability by primary school children in lombok, indonesia

authors: Nusantari, Hani

subjects: Primary school

abstract: ABSTRACT

Seagrass beds, mangrove forests and coral reefs as a part of marine environments play an important role in the coastal regions. These environments support the coastal communities by providing resources such as food and income. For many years, marine environments have been facing destruction the majority of which is caused by human impact. The lack of knowledge of how to use and manage the marine resources wisely and sustainably is one reason why marine environments are still facing degradation. 
 
Primary school children who live in two coastal villages in Lombok Island, Indonesia were questioned about their conceptual understanding of their local marine environments and their ideas about sustainability in these environments. Using an interpretive methodology framework, children and their teachers from Grades 5 and 6 in two primary schools in coastal villages, and elders in the villages were studied and. The data gathered from the children through questionnaires and interviews, and from teachers and elders through interviews. Quantitative and qualitative analysis was used to analyse this data. 

The children's experiences in their marine environment appear to have strong connection with their knowledge. Their knowledge also developed by interaction with the people in the communities. Children value their local marine environment as a place that provides food for them and their parents teach them to respect it. Long traditions such as dumping waste in the beach or sea has an impact on children from fishing families and creates a contradiction between the positive values they have and negative attitudes they act on. The children are not taught environmental education in the schools since it is not a compulsory subject and teachers lack knowledge about the marine environment. 

Teachers and elders feel the importance of teaching about the marine environment to their children to give them the knowledge and ability to use the marine resources in sustainable way. For children who are a part of coastal communities, learning about their local marine environment should be made a priority to so they have basic knowledge and understanding in using the marine environment in sustainable ways. Marine environmental education should not only educate children in formal school but also educate people in the communities. The coastal communities as a whole should be working together to achieve the aims of education and conservation. Additionally, the school as a whole needs to support the implementation of marine environmental education.

text: Understanding of marine environments and sustainability by primary school children in lombok, indonesia ABSTRACT

Seagrass beds, mangrove forests and coral reefs as a part of marine environments play an important role in the coastal regions. These environments support the coastal communities by providing resources such as food and income. For many years, marine environments have been facing destruction the majority of which is caused by human impact. The lack of knowledge of how to use and manage the marine resources wisely and sustainably is one reason why marine environments are still facing degradation. 
 
Primary school children who live in two coastal villages in Lombok Island, Indonesia were questioned about their conceptual understanding of their local marine environments and their ideas about sustainability in these environments. Using an interpretive methodology framework, children and their teachers from Grades 5 and 6 in two primary schools in coastal villages, and elders in the villages were studied and. The data gathered from the children through questionnaires and interviews, and from teachers and elders through interviews. Quantitative and qualitative analysis was used to analyse this data. 

The children's experiences in their marine environment appear to have strong connection with their knowledge. Their knowledge also developed by interaction with the people in the communities. Children value their local marine environment as a place that provides food for them and their parents teach them to respect it. Long traditions such as dumping waste in the beach or sea has an impact on children from fishing families and creates a contradiction between the positive values they have and negative attitudes they act on. The children are not taught environmental education in the schools since it is not a compulsory subject and teachers lack knowledge about the marine environment. 

Teachers and elders feel the importance of teaching about the marine environment to their children to give them the knowledge and ability to use the marine resources in sustainable way. For children who are a part of coastal communities, learning about their local marine environment should be made a priority to so they have basic knowledge and understanding in using the marine environment in sustainable ways. Marine environmental education should not only educate children in formal school but also educate people in the communities. The coastal communities as a whole should be working together to achieve the aims of education and conservation. Additionally, the school as a whole needs to support the implementation of marine environmental education.

year: 2008

title: Demystifying a relationship between voluntary work and Māori

authors: Te Momo, Oliver Helena Fiona

abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to provide evidence that critically reviews the relationship between Māori and voluntary work in social service organisations. Since colonisation very little research has been initiated that investigated the involvement of Māori in voluntary activity yet recent statistics show that Māori are the highest participants in this type of work. This thesis provides an analysis of the relationship of Māori to voluntary work and its evolution in a Colonial State, Liberal State, Welfare State, and Neo-Liberal State in New Zealand. Three perspectives of Māori voluntary work provide the foundation for the analysis of this relationship. The first perspective describes voluntary work from a personal experience as an insider. The second perspective explores literature that records Māori involvement in voluntary activity. The third perspective documents life experiences from Māori voluntary workers in New Zealand communities. The three perspectives provide an empirical foundation for the type of relationship that has developed between Māori and voluntary work; Māori and the State; Māori and their place in New Zealand society. My interest in Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) as a valid and thriving ontological position and my academic interest in critical theory provide the theoretical lens for my analysis. 

Personal experience as a Māori volunteer opened doors to the communities I entered and added strength to the research, the first perspective. Western research in Māori communities often by non-Māori researchers, was conducted to gather knowledge for Western policy makers. Māori knowledge was not recognised as valid and the people were treated as objects. Knowing this, I searched for an approach that valued Māori participants, valued Māori people, and contained cultural aspects that separated the procedure from Western research. A review of literature, the second perspective, introduced a cultural approach to research termed kaupapa Māori research, generated out of and for Te Ao Māori detailed further in Chapter Three.

Participants’ life experiences coupled with literature provide a wealth of knowledge and a testimony to the type of relationship that exists between Māori and voluntary work. Criticism from Māori communities as to the exploitation of Māori volunteers has swelled in recent years so that the environment volunteers work in is no longer attractive to Māori people. Therefore, documenting the life experiences of Māori who participate in voluntary work as the primary source of information was imperative and produced evidence to describe the relationship between Māori and voluntary work in the thesis. A triangular study: case study, community study, and cross-section study (Chapters Six, Seven, and Eight), provide the ‘grass roots voices’ and represent the third perspective. 

My observation of Māori organisations’ involvement in voluntary work generated in me a deep concern in what appeared to be an involvement in activity that improved neither the lives of the volunteers nor the wider problems to which they attributed their aroha. This involvement activity is a product of historical developments whereby the Western ideology of voluntary work became confused with a Māori ideology of collective participation. This confusion has created an environment where Māori voluntary organisations are working unpaid with insufficient resources in oppressive conditions in the attempt to provide social solutions. I argue that the Māori ideology of collective participation has been co-opted in the emerging conflict of neo-liberalism to provide social services in communities which government agencies exploit. In conclusion, the thesis is a journey through the world of voluntary work for Māori in communal organisations.

text: Demystifying a relationship between voluntary work and Māori The purpose of this thesis is to provide evidence that critically reviews the relationship between Māori and voluntary work in social service organisations. Since colonisation very little research has been initiated that investigated the involvement of Māori in voluntary activity yet recent statistics show that Māori are the highest participants in this type of work. This thesis provides an analysis of the relationship of Māori to voluntary work and its evolution in a Colonial State, Liberal State, Welfare State, and Neo-Liberal State in New Zealand. Three perspectives of Māori voluntary work provide the foundation for the analysis of this relationship. The first perspective describes voluntary work from a personal experience as an insider. The second perspective explores literature that records Māori involvement in voluntary activity. The third perspective documents life experiences from Māori voluntary workers in New Zealand communities. The three perspectives provide an empirical foundation for the type of relationship that has developed between Māori and voluntary work; Māori and the State; Māori and their place in New Zealand society. My interest in Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) as a valid and thriving ontological position and my academic interest in critical theory provide the theoretical lens for my analysis. 

Personal experience as a Māori volunteer opened doors to the communities I entered and added strength to the research, the first perspective. Western research in Māori communities often by non-Māori researchers, was conducted to gather knowledge for Western policy makers. Māori knowledge was not recognised as valid and the people were treated as objects. Knowing this, I searched for an approach that valued Māori participants, valued Māori people, and contained cultural aspects that separated the procedure from Western research. A review of literature, the second perspective, introduced a cultural approach to research termed kaupapa Māori research, generated out of and for Te Ao Māori detailed further in Chapter Three.

Participants’ life experiences coupled with literature provide a wealth of knowledge and a testimony to the type of relationship that exists between Māori and voluntary work. Criticism from Māori communities as to the exploitation of Māori volunteers has swelled in recent years so that the environment volunteers work in is no longer attractive to Māori people. Therefore, documenting the life experiences of Māori who participate in voluntary work as the primary source of information was imperative and produced evidence to describe the relationship between Māori and voluntary work in the thesis. A triangular study: case study, community study, and cross-section study (Chapters Six, Seven, and Eight), provide the ‘grass roots voices’ and represent the third perspective. 

My observation of Māori organisations’ involvement in voluntary work generated in me a deep concern in what appeared to be an involvement in activity that improved neither the lives of the volunteers nor the wider problems to which they attributed their aroha. This involvement activity is a product of historical developments whereby the Western ideology of voluntary work became confused with a Māori ideology of collective participation. This confusion has created an environment where Māori voluntary organisations are working unpaid with insufficient resources in oppressive conditions in the attempt to provide social solutions. I argue that the Māori ideology of collective participation has been co-opted in the emerging conflict of neo-liberalism to provide social services in communities which government agencies exploit. In conclusion, the thesis is a journey through the world of voluntary work for Māori in communal organisations.

year: 2003