Academic literature on the topic 'Natural community'

The natural recovery process of “maturing out” appears to be an active process of renewal and growth, leading to transformative growth that involves the individual’s body, mind, and spiritual dimensions. If spontaneous or “maturing out” recovery accounts for about 4 to18% of the alcohol and other drug (AOD) challenges to the field of behavioral health treatment, how does one effectively partner with the other 82% who have alcohol and other drug issues? To answer this concern, we must ask a few more questions. (1) What developmental factors influence growth? (2) What social determinants of health enhance recovery? (3) What is a supportive community network? and (4) What constitutes evidence-based practice? When one only looks at the biological reasons for behavioral health challenges, the assumption is that getting well and overcoming deficiencies is a function of the individual rather than the system of care. This kind of narrow perspective has contributed to a behavioral health delivery system that continually struggles to provide an integrated, comprehensive care model. This restrictive thought process undermines individuals’ confidence to change and is unduly dismissive of community leaders’ efforts.

Congenital deafness will impact the quality of life of affected individuals if they do not obtain early detection and intervention. Socialization of congenital deafness is needed, thereby the community can engage in early detection and intervention efforts. Socializing about the early detection and intervention of congenital deafness. Educational activities are carried out with counseling using the lecture method, discussion, and pretest and posttest. The average pretest result was 62.03 (± 11.51) and the posttest average was 88.39 (± 13.41). Based on the comparison between the pretest and posttest results, we found a significant difference (p < 0.0001) statistically. Public knowledge of congenital deafness needs to be improved in order to increase community participation in terms of early detection and intervention.

This thesis examines Scottish community land ownership through the lenses of power and community. It asks what impact Community Land Initiatives (CLIs) have on power relations, particularly at local level; and, if and how their conception as “community” initiatives affects that. These questions are addressed through in-depth qualitative case studies of two emerging CLIs on the Isle of Skye, in the context of the wider community land movement. The thesis finds that one of the CLIs studied have contributed some measure of additive empowerment to local residents. These are increasing in significance and social reach as the scale of asset ownership and associated development projects expands. The other is at an earlier stage in terms of land ownership, but has some collective power through a focus on the cultural and convivial aspects of community that has considerable local resonance. It is also clear that, where CLIs acquire land and assets, they shift visible power from landowners to community groups. They also are beginning to shift cultural perceptions of who and what land is for. However, despite some efforts by activists to address them, power relations at local level shape participation in CLI decision-making spaces. These are closely connected to experiences and ideas of community at local level. More broadly, the thesis shows how CLIs owe their power both to organising at local level, and to a network of relationships with actors elsewhere, including funding and support agencies. Maintaining and balancing all these relationships can be challenging. As an in-depth but narrowly focussed case study, this thesis aims at exploring these issues, rather than producing definitive judgements about the entire community land movement. The final chapter therefore situates the thesis in the context of other studies of this movement, and within the wider literature on power and development. It concludes with suggestions for further research and testing of the ideas it has developed.

2012/2013
Heterotrophic nanoflagellate (HNF) grazing is one of the major source of prokaryotic mortality in marine ecosystems, acting as a strong selection pressure on communities. Protozoans may thus affect prokaryotic abundance and alter the diversity and the taxonomic composition of the prey community, as individual prokaryotes can develop distinct grazing-resistant mechanisms. Moreover, the microbial loop is well known to regulate carbon fluxes in surface marine environments but few studies have quantified the impact of HNF predation on prokaryotes in the dark ocean. The present work was aimed to: (1) quantify the impact of HNF predation on the deep prokaryotes biomass; (2) investigate if and how prey diversity varies in response to different predation pressure; (3) define taxonomic community composition in studied areas and identify most affected prokaryotic phylotypes by HNF grazing (4) evaluate the effects of small HNF (<3 µm), which are known to dominate nano-sized compartment and represent the main bacterivores in aquatic ecosystems, being an important link between bacteria and larger protists; (5) evidence differences in community sensitivity to grazing between surface and mesopelagic ecosystems (6) identify the main environmental drivers shaping microbial community diversity. Predation experiments were performed with surface and mesopelagic water samples collected from the Southern Adriatic and Northern Ionian basins. An additional predation experiment was set up in the North-eastern Adriatic Sea. We coupled the traditional ‘dilution method’ with high-throughput molecular analysis (ARISA and Ion Torrent/454 sequencing) to provide a quantitatively and qualitatively evaluation of the grazing process occurring in marine microbial communities. The present work is structured by four manuscripts in preparation and one manuscript already submitted. 1. Heterotrophic nanoflagellate grazing on picoplankton in deep waters (manuscript in preparation) 2. Effects of heterotrophic flagellate predation on bacterial community diversity (manuscript in preparation) 3. HNF grazing impact on taxonomic composition of marine prokaryotic community (manuscript in preparation) 4. Environmental drivers structuring surface and deep bacterial communities in Adriatic and Ionian Seas (manuscript in preparation) 5. Biodiversity changes of bacterial community under predation pressure analyzed by 16S rRNA pyrosequencing (manuscript submitted) My PhD research led to important progresses in the comprehension of microbial dynamics regulating carbon cycles and bacterial diversity in the Adriatic and Ionian basins. Prokaryotic abundance and biomass were one order of magnitude higher in the photic than in the aphotic layers of Southern Adriatic and Ionian Seas (surface biomass 1.68 ± 1.76 µC L-1, deep biomass 9.00 ± 2.11 µC L-1). The Northern Adriatic community presented the highest biomass value (57.46 µC L-1), according to its richer trophic status. All in situ communities displayed the same evenness, being dominated by rare phylotypes. Rare taxa were confirmed to represent the major contributors of microbial communities, with only a few phylotypes dominant. Mesopelagic bacterial communities were as rich and variable as surface assemblages, despite the significant biomass decrease along the water column. Natural archaeal assemblages were characterized by very low richness as we recovered only two genera (Cenarchaeum and Nitrosopumilus), while in situ bacterial communities were composed by the six major marine phyla (Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Deinococcus-Thermus), whose contribution varied according to sampling depth. Flagellates were demonstrated to efficiently control their preys (ingestion rates: 7.86-22.26 µg C L-1 in surface experiments, 0.53-10.61 µg C L-1 in deep experiments), causing important losses in the potentially produced prokaryotic biomass. Despite picoplankton and HNF abundance reduction with depth contrasts with the hypothesis that at least 108 picoplanktonic cells L-1 are necessary to sustain HNF community, our data confirm that also in mesopelagic waters prey and predator concentrations are sufficient to sustain efficient microbial food webs. HNF grazing modified bacterial community diversity in both surface and deep marine systems but with different strength. Mesopelagic communities were more sensitive to grazing impact, evidencing a bell-shaped response to the increasing ingestion rates. Moderate-high top-down control preserved or enhanced bacterial diversity, that fell at low predation. In upper communities grazing did not induce wide variations of bacterial richness and evenness, revealing to be more stable. Small HNF (<3 µm) were the dominant size fraction within flagellate communities and likely constituted the main bacterivores. After the removal of large HNF, a higher fraction of prokaryotic phylotypes was affected. Larger protists partially reduced small flagellate impact on their preys. Larger HNF had a more important role in photic systems compared to mesopelagic waters. The fraction of bacterial taxa favored or affected by predation when small HNF were the only predators more markedly varied in surface experiments, while few phylotypes changes their behavior between the two size treatments in deep experiments. Some taxa were consumed mainly by larger HNF (3-10 µm), while others were grazed by smaller ones (<3 µm). Over 50% of the predated phylotypes belonged to the rare biosphere, mainly in the surface experiments. Rare bacteria are thus not only a dormant ‘seed bank’ but constitute a fundamental component of microbial food webs and actively vector the carbon transfer toward higher trophic levels, being as important as dominant organisms. Although general patterns applicable to all communities were not found, trends of selectivity over different phylotypes were highlighted within sampling layer along the water column and between different systems. While the majority of predator-prey interactions were characteristic to specific environments, some can be considered common to different systems (e.g. Burkholderiaceae and Pseudomonadaceae were exclusively selected in all mesopelagic sites, Bacterivoracaceae were subjected to small HNF predation independently from sampling site or depth). The Southern Adriatic and Ionian basins were significantly distinguished by both the physicochemical water characteristics and the prokaryotes and protists abundance distributions. Cluster analysis based on Jaccard and Bray-Curtis metrics evidenced that depth and geographical location of sampling sites influenced bacterial community similarity. The Southern Adriatic Sea was clearly distinguished from the Ionian Sea. The Northern Adriatic samples were always separated from the others, coherently with different biotic and abiotic characteristics of the sub-basin. Additionally, temperature, chl a and O2 concentration represented important environmental drivers shaping biodiversity of bacterial communities that inhabit Adriatic and Ionian basins. In conclusion, we evidenced that heterotrophic flagellates control bacterial biomass and select certain taxa among all possible preys, grazing also on the rare ones. HNF predation thus shapes bacterial community structures, which in turn influence the ecosystem functioning. Despite the cell abundance decrease of both predators and preys reduces encounter probabilities, the dark ocean hosts complex microbial food webs, structured around three trophic levels (i.e. prokaryotes, small and large heterotrophic flagellates).
I nanoflagellati eterotrofi (HNF) costituiscono una delle principali cause di mortalità dei procarioti in ambiente marino, esercitando una forte selezione sulle comunità predate. Possono modificarne l’abbondanza cellulare e alterarne la diversità e la composizione tassonomica, in quanto le diverse specie procariotiche possono sviluppare distintivi meccanismi di resistenza alla predazione. Mentre l’impatto degli HNF sui procarioti degli acque marine superficiali è ben noto, pochi studi si sono focalizzati sullo studio degli ambienti profondi. Il presenta lavoro di dottorato è stato finalizzato a: (1) quantificare l’impatto della predazione da parte degli HNF sulla biomassa procariotica profonda; (2) capire se e come la biodiversità della comunità predata vari in risposta alla diversa pressione di predazione; (3) definire la composizione tassonomica delle comunità presenti nell’area di studio e identificare i filotipi maggiormente colpiti dalla predazione da parte degli HNF; (4) valutare il contributo dei piccolo flagellati (<3 µm), i quali costituiscono la più abbondante frazione nanoplanctonica e rappresentano i principali organismi batterivori negli ambienti acquatici; (5) evidenziare possibili differenze nella risposta alla predazione tra comunità procariotiche che vivono in acque superficiali e profonde; (6) identificare i principali fattori ambientali che modulano la diversità delle comunità microbiche. Esperimenti di predazione sono stati condotti su campioni di acqua superficiale e mesopelagica raccolti nel Mar Adriatico meridionale e nel Mar Ionio settentrionale. Un ulteriore esperimento è stato condotto nel Mar Adriatico nord-orientale. Il tradizionale metodo delle diluizioni è stato abbinato ad analisi molecolari quali elettroforesi capillare (ARISA) e sequenziamento (Ion Torrent e 454) per consentire una valutazione quali-quantitativa degli effetti della predazione sulle comunità microbiche marine. La presente tesi è costituita da quattro articoli in preparazione e un articolo già sottomesso: 1. Heterotrophic nanoflagellate grazing on picoplankton in deep waters (articolo in preparazione) 2. Effects of heterotrophic flagellate predation on bacterial community diversity (articolo in preparazione) 3. HNF grazing impact on taxonomic composition of marine prokaryotic community (articolo in preparazione) 4. Environmental drivers structuring surface and deep bacterial communities in Adriatic and Ionian Seas (articolo in preparazione) 5. Biodiversity changes of bacterial community under predation pressure analyzed by 16S rRNA pyrosequencing (articolo sottomesso) La ricerca condotta durante il mio dottorato ha portato a interessanti progressi nella comprensione delle dinamiche microbiche che regolano i cicli del carbonio e la diversità batterica nei bacini adriatico e ionico. L’abbondanza e la biomassa delle comunità procariotiche superficiali è risultata un ordine di grandezza superiore rispetto alle comunità profonde in Mar Adriatico meridionale e Mar Ionio (biomassa superficiale 9.00 ± 2.11 µC L-1, biomassa profonda 1.68 ± 1.76 µC L-1). La comunità descritta nel Mar Adriatico settentrionale è caratterizzata dai valori più elevati di biomassa (57.46 µC L-1), coerentemente con l’eutrofia del bacino. I flagellati eterotrofi hanno causando perdite significative nella biomassa procariotica in tutti gli esperimenti condotti, con tassi di ingestione pari a 7.86-22.26 µgC L-1 negli esperimenti superficiali e 0.53-10.61 µgC L-1 negli esperimenti profondi. Un’abbondanza picoplanctonica di 108 cellule L-1 è stata ipotizzata come necessaria per sostenere la comunità degli flagellati. Nonostante l’aumento della profondità comporti una riduzione dell’abbondanza del picoplancton tale da non raggiungere questa soglia, i nostri dati confermano che anche negli ambienti profondi si instaurano interazione preda-predatore sufficienti a sostenere le reti trofiche microbiche. Tutte le comunità in situ hanno mostrato la medesima distribuzione, con prevalenza di filotipi rari e pochi gruppi dominanti. Le comunità mesopelagiche presentano diversità e variabilità analoghe a quelle superficiali, nonostante il decremento in biomassa lungo la colonna d’acqua. Una bassa diversità è stata osservata nelle comunità naturali di Archea, dove sono stati rilevati due soli generi (Cenarchaeum e Nitrosopumilus), mentre le comunità batteriche sono composte dai sei principali phyla marini (Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes e Deinococcus-Thermus), la cui frequenza varia in base alla profondità di campionamento. La predazione esercitata dagli HNF ha modificato la diversità delle comunità sia superficiali che profonde ma con diversi effetti. Le comunità profonde si sono dimostrate più suscettibili alla diversa intensità della predazione. Un controllo top-down medio-alto ha preservato o incrementato la diversità batterica, che invece è risultata fortemente ridotta con bassa pressione di predazione. Al contrario, le comunità superficiali hanno subito solo leggere variazioni nella biodiversità batterica in risposta ai diversi tassi di ingestione, dimostrandosi più stabili. I piccoli flagellati (<3 µm) costituiscono la frazione dominante delle comunità nanoplanctoniche. In seguito alla rimozione dei predatori >3 µm, variazione significative dell’abbondanza sono state riscontrate in una maggiore percentuale di filotipi procariotici. Flagellati di maggiori dimensioni possono quindi mitigare l’impatto dei piccoli predatori sulle prede, con una maggior influenza nei sistemi fotici. Alcuni taxa batterici sono stati consumati prevalentemente dal grandi HNF (3-10 µm), mentre altri sono stati selezionati dai piccoli flagellati (<3 µm). Oltre il 50% dei filotipi predati apparteneva alla biosfera rara, soprattutto negli esperimenti condotti in superficie. I batteri rari (0.1-1% dell’abbondanza totale) non rappresentano quindi una frazione ‘dormiente’ il cui contributo varia in seguito a cambiamenti delle condizioni ambientali, come inizialmente ipotizzato. Costituiscono invece una componente fondamentale delle reti trofiche microbiche e contribuiscono attivamente al trasferimento di carbonio verso i livelli trofici superiori, così come gli organismi dominanti. Nonostante ciascuna comunità risponda in maniera distintiva alla predazione, in funzione della composizione tassonomica delle comunità stesse e dello stato trofico del sistema, alcuni indizi di selettività sono stati individuati. Alcune interazioni preda-predatore si sono rivelate tipiche delle comunità profonde o superficiali, mentre altre erano comuni ad entrambi i sistemi (es. Burkholderiaceae e Pseudomonadaceae sono stati selezionati sono in ambiente pelagico, Bacterivoracaceae sono stati sottoposti a predazione da parte di piccolo flagellati in tutti gli esperimenti, indipendentemente dalla profondità e dal sito di campionamento). I bacini Adriatico meridionale e Ionio settentrionale sono significativamente distinti sia per le caratteristiche chimico-fisiche della colonna d’acqua, sia per l’abbondanza di pico- e nanoplancton. La cluster analisi basata sugli indici di Jaccard e Bray-Curtis ha evidenziato che profondità di campionamento e localizzazione geografica sono i principali fattori che determinano la similarità tra le comunità batteriche. Il Mar Adriatico settentrionale è risultato sempre separato dagli altri campioni, coerentemente con le diverse caratteristiche biotiche e abiotiche del bacino. Oltre a profondità e sito geografico, temperatura, concentrazione di chl a e ossigeno contribuiscono a determinare la biodiversità batterica adriatica e ionica. In conclusione, il presente lavoro ha evidenziato come i flagellati eterotrofi controllino la biomassa procariotica e mostrino preferenza per determinati taxa, selezionando anche quelli rari. La predazione influenza la struttura delle comunità e di conseguenza il funzionamento degli ecosistemi. Anche gli ambienti marini profondi ospitano complesse reti trofiche, strutturate attorno a tre livelli principali (procarioti, piccoli e grandi flagellati eterotrofi) così come le acque superficiali.
XXVI Ciclo
1986

The shift from centralised conservation to Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) was the highlight of the conservation discourse across the world during the late 1980s and early 1990s. CBNRM efforts were believed to have the potential of successfully merging biodiversity conservation simultaneously with local development efforts. However, the increasing critiques against the applicability of CBNRM interventions in different contexts is threatening the viability of the approach. Extant literature on CBNRM interventions focuses on the theoretical aspects of such efforts at the expense of the practical and context specific elements. This thesis intends to fill such a gap in literature by focusing on the practical and contextual elements of an example of this approach in Zanzibar. In an attempt to conserve the isles' natural forests, Zanzibar has adopted Community-Forest Management Areas (CoFMAs) bordering its natural forests. In this study, focus is placed on Pete's CoFMA, a village bordering the isles' last remaining natural forests- Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park (JCBNP). Pete provides an ideal site due to the conflict that exists between residents and the CoFMA intervention. By using the political ecological framework, this study is able to examine the political, social, historical and economic elements that play a significant role in the practice of CBNRM efforts. Narratives from residents are relied on to elucidate on such elements in relation to the existence of the CoFMA in Pete Village. Narratives gathered through interviews and participant observation concluded that while CoFMAs have been set up with the optimistic goal of conserving the forest and providing development to community members; in practice, the conservation intervention has proved otherwise. In spite of the achievement of some developmental goals, the overall findings indicate that the CoFMA has failed to protect the forests and its natural resources from degradation. At the same time, community members are facing difficulties to live a sustainable life.

Levee Lake is a forested wetland system located within a Mississippi River oxbow meander scar in the American Bottom of the Northern Section of the Lower Mississippi River Bottomlands Division (White 1978) that has not been developed or converted to agricultural land. Because of its relatively undisturbed status, Levee Lake is representative of a presettlement wetland. In 1976, Levee Lake was documented with a 93-acre Grade B shrub swamp/marsh/pond (SSMP) community, qualifying for the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory (INAI). Additionally, 129 acres of Grade C wet floodplain forest surrounding the SSMP community was recorded (Nyboer and Reeves 1976).

Nyboer and Reeves (1976) described Levee Lake as the largest complex of marsh, pond, and swamp communities representing presettlement American Bottom conditions. They also identified potential draining efforts at site perimeters. Based on regulatory agency and Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) documents as well as historical aerial photographs, perimeter portions of the forested wetland system and adjoining properties were subjected to decades of clearing and draining efforts prior to and following the 1976 survey.

This study involved evaluating the current floristic composition, natural communities, and the overall quality of the Levee Lake wetland system. The information from the current evaluation was then compared to the 1976 survey to examine how recorded disturbances have affected the condition, communities, and quality of the Levee Lake wetland system. The hypothesis of this study was that documented clearing, draining, and subsequent hydrologic alterations would likely cause changes in plant composition and natural communities since the 1976 INAI survey.

To accomplish this task, the transect (Transect 1 or T1) that was used for vegetative sampling in 1976 was re-created and used as a benchmark for 2012 vegetative sampling. To compare the plant composition from 1976 to 2012, twenty 0.25 meter (m)2 sampling plots were established along Transect 1. At each plot (T1P1 through T1P20), the relative cover of each vascular plant species was recorded and the resulting species data evaluated. To provide additional plant data for the site, herbaceous, shrub, and tree sampling was conducted via the Critical Trends Assessment Program (CTAP) protocols. Vegetative sampling was conducted in late summer/fall of 2012.

To evaluate the overall plant quality of Levee Lake and the existing natural communities, existing vegetation outside of the aforementioned transects was also recorded in late summer/fall of 2012. The overall site conditions and natural communities were observed and recorded during site visits in 2011, 2012, and 2014. The current natural communities were determined by the vegetative sampling, the overall site observations, as well as available aerial photographs and images.

Based on the research and field work, the native plant composition suffered a reduction in quality. Additionally, communities suffered a reduction in quality and a shift in community type. A reduction in water levels caused severe woody encroachment of the SSMP community identified in 1976. Today, only approximately 0.58-acre [0.23 hectare (ha)] of Grade C marsh/pond community remains. In 1976, the pond community was considered an exceptional feature with the surrounding shrub swamp/marsh community considered a significant feature. Although most of the former 93-acre Grade B SSMP community suffered from severe woody encroachment, recent wetland restorations to the north and to the south appear to have aided in returning hydrology to this community. Herbaceous, shrub, and tree vegetation data collected in the CTAP plots provided further evidence of wetland and swamp conditions. The former SSMP community has evolved into a Grade C swamp/marsh/pond (SMP) community. An approximate 11.73-acre (4.75 ha) Grade D marsh/wet meadow has evolved in the southwestern region that was subjected to decades of clearing and draining disturbance (White 1978; White and Madany 1978). Further evidence of a shift in plant composition and communities between species along Transect 1 in 1976 and in 2012 was shown through the NMDS ordination and an ANOSIM test which showed that plot communities distinctly differ between the two years (Minchin 2013). (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

This research examines the natural tourism landscape of the Mount Sumbing slope. The components of the natural tourism landscape, which concludes attractions and compatibility, have become one of the most critical factors to determine the potential level’s assessment indicator of the region’s environmental compatibility and attraction so that the pattern of these characters and attractions can be identified. The result obtained by this research shows that the level of natural tourism landscape of Mount Sumbing slope has a significant index quantity, as seen by the higher the natural environment’s quality, the higher attraction and compatibility can be achieved. This research concludes that the natural tourism landscape constitutes the natural environment’s compatibility physically in the form of potential water resources, potential natural resources, and a positive natural environment index. Both are representations of a condition that refers to the natural tourism landscape of the Mount Sumbing slope’s potential.

Through the participation of local communities in the preservation of mangrove forest ecosystems, an attempt is being made to prevent further damage to the mangrove environment and recover from any damage already caused. The mangrove forests along the shore of Kampung Laut, most notably those located in the Ujung Alang Village, are kept in pristine form because of the numerous and varied types of mangrove plantation activities that are carried out there. The local people are currently utilizing mangrove plants as a source of food (certain parts of the plant) and building materials (the stems). On the other hand, its use as a natural dye source is not yet common enough to be considered a significant industry. So, the mangrove forest ecosystem can be protected through the Sustainable Utilization of Mangrove Forests for the Production of Natural Dyes with a Zero Waste System, which includes: (1) the preparation and completion of a natural dye production unit based on the right technology for Kampung Laut village; (2) the preparation and completion of the production unit to produce charcoal briquettes and liquid smoke from mangrove waste as a new and innovative use for mangrove waste; and (3) the preparation and completion of the production unit to produce naturally.

Sanggrahan Village, Kranggan District, Temanggung Regency, has potential in the field of natural resources. Therefore, good resource processing is needed through MSMEs to produce good products. The problem faced by MSMEs in the village is the lack of the community’s ability to manage the existing potential. The purpose of this program is to optimize natural resources through the development of the community’s capacity so that it helps overcome the problems that occur and can be applied sustainably in the future by the community. Service activities are carried out in the form of socialization and training involving the active participation of participants. This activity has shown some positive results, such as participants' understanding of product packaging, financial management, and the use of social media. Product innovation was also strengthened through training on processing cassava peel chips and catfish head rengginang. This program supports increasing village independence and follows the 4th, 8th, 9th and 17th Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through education-based community service for sustainable development.

In its infrastructure development work, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) engages and collaborates with numerous local, state, and national stakeholders. Projects incorporating innovative approaches, such as beneficial use (BU) of dredged materials and other natural and nature-based features (NNBF), are often not well-understood by stakeholders, including those at the community level. This often results in conflicts and project delays. By sponsoring the development of a Community Engagement Framework, the Dredging Operations and Environmental Research (DOER) program hopes to systematically improve how project teams design, conduct, and measure effective community engagement on infrastructure projects. The purpose of this focused Review was to assesses leading stakeholder and community engagement practices that reflect the state of practice of stakeholder engagement within USACE, and by other leading organizations in the US and internationally, to inform development of the Community Engagement Framework. While the resulting Framework will be particularly well-suited for community engagement on projects incorporating BU and other NNBF, it will be applicable to a broad range of USACE Civil Works’ initiatives where effective stakeholder engagement is critical to project success. The assessment showed the practice of stakeholder engagement has evolved significantly over the past 30 years, with much more focus today on ensuring that engagement processes are purposeful, meaningful, collaborative, and inclusive - reflecting stakeholders’ desire to participate in co-creating sustainable solutions that produce environmental, economic, and social benefits. This, and other key findings, are informing development of the Community Engagement Framework which is scalable and adaptable to a broad range of projects across the USACE missions.

Tetepare, an island in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands, is the largest uninhabited tropical island in the Southern Hemisphere. Tetepare has a largely intact wilderness, with remarkable biodiversity of globally significant conservation importance. This case study explores the biodiversity of Tetepare and efforts to maintain Tetepare as “the last wild island.” In response to threats by the extractive logging industry, the landowners of the island – Solomon Islanders descended from Tetepare’s original inhabitants - formed what is today known as the Tetepare Descendants’ Association (TDA), an organization that manages and conserves the island and its resources. TDA members receive benefits through a community conservation agreement (CCA): in return for conserving the land and rejecting all commercial exploitative industries, members receive benefits including scholarships, sustainable livelihood development, and employment opportunities. Tetepare’s conservation serves as an example of landowners successfully leveraging their natural inheritance to sustainably meet the economic needs of their communities without sacrificing the natural heritage of future generations.

While we are exposed to the physical effects of natural hazard processes, certain groups within a community often bear a disproportionate share of the negative consequences when a disaster strikes. This study addresses questions of why some places and population groups in Canada are more vulnerable to natural hazard processes than others, who is most likely to bear the greatest burden of risk within a given community or region, and what are the underlying factors that disproportionally affect the capacities of individuals and groups to withstand, cope with, and recover from the impacts and downstream consequences of a disaster. Our assessment of social vulnerability is based on principles and analytic methods established as part of the Hazards of Place model (Hewitt et al., 1971; Cutter, 1996), and a corresponding framework of indicators derived from demographic information compiled as part of the 2016 national census. Social determinants of hazard threat are evaluated in the context of backbone patterns that are associated with different types of human settlement (i.e., metropolitan, rural, and remote), and more detailed patterns of land use that reflect physical characteristics of the built environment and related functions that support the day-to-day needs of residents and businesses at the community level. Underlying factors that contribute to regional patterns of social vulnerability are evaluated through the lens of family structure and level of community connectedness (social capital); the ability of individuals and groups to take actions on their own to manage the outcomes of unexpected hazard events (autonomy); shelter conditions that will influence the relative degree of household displacement and reliance on emergency services (housing); and the economic means to sustain the requirements of day-to-day living (e.g., shelter, food, water, basic services) during periods of disruption that can affect employment and other sources of income (financial agency). Results of this study build on and contribute to ongoing research and development efforts within Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to better understand the social and physical determinants of natural hazard risk in support of emergency management and broader dimensions of disaster resilience planning that are undertaken at a community level. Analytic methods and results described in this study are made available as part of an Open Source platform and provide a base of evidence that will be relevant to emergency planners, local authorities and supporting organizations responsible for managing the immediate physical impacts of natural hazard events in Canada, and planners responsible for the integration of disaster resilience principles into the broader context of sustainable land use and community development at the municipal level.