Rewilding – A New Paradigm for Nature Conservation in Scotland?

Abstract

Rewilding is a strategy for the conservation of complete, self-sustaining ecosystems, primarily involving the protection and, where necessary, reintroduction, of populations of keystone species in large, connected reserve networks. A potential method of preserving ecosystem functions and biodiversity, it is now receiving a great deal of practical and political attention, particularly in North America. In Scotland, where many native species have been extirpated in the relatively recent past, rewilding has clear relevance and may provide an overarching set of objectives for current programmes of native woodland restoration and species reintroductions. Nevertheless, rewilding is not widely used as a term or strategy in Scottish conservation. This review considers the development of the concept and its possible application in Scotland, and identifies substantial scope for rewilding, in terms of the restoration and protection of large areas of wild land, and of the reintroduction of native species which have been driven to extinction by human activity. As the environmental, social and economic benefits which are likely to result from a programme of rewilding in Scotland outweigh the potential drawbacks, the adoption of rewilding is recommended as one aim of environmental policy.     

The Feathered Serpent Pyramid at Teotihuacan: decay,conservation and future perspectives

Abstract

The Feathered Serpent Pyramid at Teotihuacan, Mexico, is one of the most outstanding monuments of Mexican archaeological heritage. However, the volcanic stones that constitute the main façade of this building are subject to complex deterioration phenomena that include decay caused by the presence of water and soluble salts, as well as inappropriate treatments carried out in past decades. Agents of decay are explained in the article, as well as the means of diagnosis employed for their study. Recent conservation activities and other potential conservation treatments are also discussed.     

The Conservation Programme of the Côa Valley Archaeological Park: Philosophy,Objectives and Action

Abstract

This paper outlines the methodology for the conservation of Côa Valley rock art, as carried out by the Côa Valley Archaeological Park Conservation Programme. It examines the overall conservation environment that has determined this approach, which aims at an understanding of all the factors affecting the survival of the Côa Valley heritage. We stress that although the Programme sets precise guidelines for the examination and testing of conservation work to mitigate the effects of complex weathering dynamics in action, there are no miraculous solutions to ensure the complete longterm in situ preservation of this World Heritage Site. Despite this geological impossibility, we also emphasize that in a human time scale it makes sense to try to conserve significant heritage (such as the Côa Valley rock art) that expounds and explains our history and ourselves.     

Severe Thunderstorms Their Nature and Their Effects on Society

Abstract

Rain showers, from towering cumulus clouds or from anvil-topped cumulonimbus, supply much of the water needed to sustain vegetation and fulfil human uses; they are beneficial in other ways. A small proportion of shower clouds, however, play their roles in an over-enthusiastic manner. Characterized as 'severe local storms', they are amongst the most violent and destructive of weather phenomena and form the subject of this article. The authors describe the general nature of these storm , their geographical distributions, their effects upon human activities, especially agriculture, and the dissemination of storm warnings. The status of efforts to modify storm is discussed.     

Preservation of Earthen Sites in Remote Areas: the Buddhist Monastery of Ajina Tepa,Tajikistan

Abstract

The Buddhist monastery of Ajina Tepa is one of the most significant in Central Asia as it was fully excavated using up-to-date archaeological methods and was extensively documented. The site is a sophisticated blend of earthen architectural forms, sculptural detail and wall painting decoration, all of which are unique in the area. The site is located in south Tajikistan along the Vahsh valley, about 13 km east from the modern city of Kurgan Tybe.

The aim of the paper is to give an overview of the UNESCO/Japan Trust Fund project 'Preservation of the Buddhist Monastery of Ajina Tepa, Tajikistan (Heritage of the Ancient Silk Roads)'. The paper describes the historical background, the main conservation threats, the analytical work in the selection of repair material, the preparatory work before conservation, the documentation activities, and the conservation work carried out at the site.     

Site Conservation in Morocco: The Emergence of a Practice at Aghmat

Abstract

It is still uncommon for foreign and national archaeological excavations in Morocco to include architectural or site conservators during the excavation and post-excavation periods. The few existing examples of conservation have all been carried out long after the site or the building had been excavated. The site conservation activities during the Aghmat excavations in summer 2006 illustrate how the presence of archaeological conservators, advising the archaeological team and implementing urgent interventions, has ensured a safe excavation and has contributed to the preservation of the physical integrity of the excavated buildings. The excavation of the imposing archaeological features of the medieval bath of Aghmat provided the first opportunity in Moroccan archaeology for Moroccan archaeological conservators to be involved in condition assessment, planning, and provision of conservation activities to preserve the bath.

The primary aim of this paper is to present the site conservation experience in the Aghmat project, which is the first such project to be initiated during an excavation, and to be conducted mainly by a Moroccan team; it aims also to highlight the conservation procedures adopted and to incite discussion.     

Biodiversity Finance

The 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) challenged signatory countries to seek and encourage new financial resources, including private‐sector resources, to implement the objectives of the Convention. During the past decade, pioneering businesses have succeeded at making money while conserving and sustainably using biodiversity. What lessons have we learned? How can we speed up the adoption of biodiversity‐friendly business activities? Where and how can additional private investment for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use be found? To answer these questions, this article reviews why biodiversity conservation needs private‐sector finance. It defines the beneficial links between business and biodiversity; presents the business rationale for financing conservation and sustainable use; identifies who is currently investing in these businesses; and outlines the conditions necessary to attract considerably more amounts of private‐sector financing for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.     

Shellfish Gathering and Conservation on Low Coral Islands: Kiribati Perspectives

ABSTRACT

Low coral island societies in the Pacific have always lived in a precarious environment. Consequently, some writers have stated that people living on atolls and table reefs must have devised effective conservation strategies. Predictions from three optimal foraging models in ethnographic contexts (patch choice, patch sampling, and risk) applied to shellfish gathering in Kiribati, Micronesia, do not support the assumption that human foragers are motivated by a desire to conserve resources. While historical ecology data are sparse, there is little to indicate that coral islanders in the past needed to practice conservation of marine resources, including shellfish.     

Archaeological site conservation and management An appraisal of recent trends

Abstract

There is an increasing awareness and interest in the issues of archaeological site conservation and management. The acknowledgement of these issues has encouraged greater collaboration between the allied professions of archaeology and heritage conservation. From this is evolving a new body of literature and practice. This paper offers an assessment of the field through a literature review of the past 25 years. The investigation reveals a lack of commonly agreed upon standards, principles and practices and the need for active cooperation between the related disciplines and local communities. It traces the development of the field from isolated material and object studies to recent interdisciplinary conferences. What emerges is a new focus on the archaeological site, as those involved in its protection expand conservation from object or material to an integrative practice of concomitant concerns. A selected bibliography is included.     

Environment and Cultural Heritage in China: Introduction

The transformation of the natural and built environment over the past three decades has left China with a legacy of environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity. The loss of cultural heritage, including cultural forms associated with the natural ecology, has been just as dramatic. The three studies in this special focus section of Asian Studies Review explore significant issues in environmental conservation, cultural heritage, and grassroots activism in urban and rural China, with an emphasis on the relationship between the natural environment, the transmission of traditional cultural forms, and localised forms of agency or activism. As discussed here, while China's discourse on these issues is strongly influenced by global norms, different regions of China are developing their own individual responses to environmental conservation, the protection of biodiversity, and the ongoing transmission of endangered cultural forms.     

Conserving sites on the Central Asian Silk Roads: the case of Otrar Tobe,Kazakhstan

Abstract

Conservation activities have been carried out during the four years of the UNESCO project for the Preservation and Restoration of the Ancient City of Otrar, an archaeological site located in a loess clay area in southwest Kazakhstan at the confluence of Syr Darya and Arys rivers. The paper focuses on certain conservation activities carried out at the site, including documentation of observed deterioration phenomena, authentication of surviving mudbrick and fired brick structures, and the repair of structures using an earth-based repair mortar specially developed for the site. The paper summarises the main achievements of the project in terms of conservation, documentation, training, promotional activities and master plan preparation.     

Paper 3: Impact of the Indoor Climate on the Performance of Building Materials Contaminated with Salt Mixtures

Abstract

Archaeological sites are essentially submitted to decay phenomena inherent on their history as well as the environment to which they are exposed after excavation. The history of such archaeological sites is particularly related to their long-term underground conservation conditions during which they were subject to salt migration into the architectural remains.

It is well known that soluble salts present in building materials can cause damage, mainly by producing stresses in the substrate. A lot of research has been done in the past concerning the behaviour of salts in built constructions. However, most studies include single salts, of which the deliquescence points are well documented, while in situ one mostly finds complex salt mixtures, which makes the conservation strategy much more intricate.

The environmental conditions to minimize damage of salt-laden porous building materials can be modelled using a computer program ECOS capable of predicting the crystallization behaviour of salt mixtures. To use the model data of quantitative salt analyses are required as input. The program is then able to predict from a thermodynamic point of view which minerals will exist in the solid state under specified climatic conditions.

This paper deals with the results of a systematic investigation of the salt contamination of the building materials of the Coudenberg site and a prediction of the behaviour of the salt mixture related to the actual climate, as part of the environmental assessment.     

Conflicts in natural and cultural resource management: Archaeological site disturbances by seals and sea lions on California's Northern Channel Islands

Abstract

California's Channel Islands currently have around 150,000 breeding seals and sea lions (pinnipeds). Driven to near extinction by 20th-century exploitation, many pinniped populations have recovered dramatically under federal and state management and continue to expand in number and distribution. Some of these pinniped populations are damaging or destroying coastal archaeological sites as they establish new breeding and haul-out areas—places occupied between periods of foraging activity—on upland landforms. We use archaeological excavations from a prehistoric village on San Miguel Island to illustrate the adverse effects pinnipeds can have on archaeological sites. Estimates based on excavations at Otter Point suggest that in one year nearly 10,000 kg of shellfish remains, 840,000 animal bones, and 1700 formal artifacts were lost to erosion caused by the activities of seals and sea lions. Our study documents potential conflicts between natural and cultural resource management suggesting the need for collaborative efforts between archaeologists and biologists to balance the conservation of both resources.     

Public archaeology and political dynamics in Portugal

Abstract

The two hardest-fought rock art conservation battles in the history of the International Federation of Rock Art Organizations have been the campaigns to save the petroglyph sites in the lower Côa valley of northeastern Portugal and in the Guadiana valley in southeastern Portugal. They have become test cases of rock art conservation and site management issues. This paper summarizes the history of these campaigns and the effects they had on rock art management practices in Portugal. Specific attention is given to the responses of the public archaeologists in this controversy, and to some specific and generic aspects of the issue that are in a general sense relevant to the sociology of state-funded agencies charged with the protection of archaeological resources.     

Proving Fishers Right. Effects of the Integration of Experience-Based Knowledge in Ecosystem-Based Management

Abstract

This article discusses effects of and drivers behind the current integration of experience-based knowledge in management. The case in point is production and integration of fishers' ecological knowledge (FEK) in coastal zone management in Norway. The article discusses how the principles of social justice and protection of biodiversity drive FEK integration, through analysing a case of conflict between small-scale fishers and cod farming in Storfjord, northern Norway. The case became known for the appearance of deformed “monster cod” which supported the fishers' claims that fish farming was harmful to the environment and thus also to the indigenous Sami culture. Assessing how FEK was judged in terms of its credibility, legitimacy and saliency, the article argues that the criteria by which FEK is judged are different from how other types of policy-relevant knowledge is judged. In addition to being scientifically credible, its quality as age-old knowledge derived from interaction with the environment increases its influence on management decisions in biodiversity conservation controversies where fishers' and managers' interests coincide. The article concludes that integration of FEK in management both fulfils goals of protection of biodiversity and social justice, which makes it harder to ignore in socially and environmentally controversial contexts in the future.     

Some Issues on the Management of Archaeological Sites in Mainland China

Abstract

The conservation of archaeological sites in mainland China has not attracted much academic and public attention until recently. However, after the 1990s, both the Chinese government and academia have been increasingly concerned with the management of archaeological sites, as illustrated by the introduction of national guidelines (China Principles) and the establishment of research centres in universities and research institutes. Economic development and related social needs are major driving forces behind this phenomenon, while the impact of globalization on academic development in China cannot be denied. However, the natural and social environments in mainland China, as well as the characteristics of archaeological sites, differ from other countries, and whether international principles regarding conservation and management of archaeological sites are applicable to China needs to be considered. While it is a challenging task for mainland Chinese scholars to find suitable strategies to conserve and manage hundreds of thousands of archaeological sites, the problems and experiences in the process of applying international principles to China may provide valuable lessons, not only for Chinese scholars but also for scholars in other areas.     

Indigenous claims and heritage conservation: an opportunity for critical dialogue

Abstract

Indigenous claims of ownership and access to material culture challenge the field of heritage conservation. This article illustrates how indigenous concerns conflict with basic constructs of Western conservation, and how conservators respond to these claims. Despite efforts of inclusion, relatively few conservation projects integrate indigenous knowledge with scientific research. Redistribution of conservation authority is rarely put into practice. The article concludes by pointing to conservation as a meeting ground where collaborative decisions can be made about material culture on display. Conflict negotiation in conservation presents a potential forum for cultural representation and contested meaning of objects on display.     

Ethics,politics and practices in rock art conservation

Abstract

Weathering and deterioration of Norwegian rock art has become an increasing area of concern over the last decade, with subsequent increasing efforts towards conservation. This has brought questions onto the agenda regarding the ethics and politics involved in conservation theory and practice. It is argued that such issues have been difficult to debate due to the concept of conservation being regarded as a legal and moral ideal. Referring the situation in Norway to ongoing global debates and perspectives regarding rock art conservation enables us to reveal and discuss some of the fundamental and complex philosophical issues involved. Notions of authenticity which implicitly underlie attitudes to rock art conservation are questioned, and the relationship between ‘green’ politics and rock art conservation is also discussed. A tendency towards uniform solutions and avoidance of critical issues, seen as influenced by strong social-democratic political traditions in Scandinavia, is at odds with the growing realization that most approaches to rock art conservation inevitably have unforeseen and frequently undesired consequences. Rather than further segmenting ethics, politics or practices in rock art conservation, a self-critical and reflective approach is suggested whereby changing concepts of ethics and authenticity are continuously debated.

Aucune loi ne pourra jamais préserver la sacralité d'un lieu … si ce n'est une loi morale, non écrite,adoptée et respectée par chaque individu, un véritable code personnel d'éthique.

(Soleilhavoup, 1994: 14)     

Policies for Biodiversity Conservation: The Case of Sub-Saharan Africa

Why does biodiversity conservation matter, and what can be done about it? The article discusses the options in the case of Sub-Saharan Africa, drawing on the results of a Darwin Initiative project on the ecology and economics of biodiversity conservation in the continent. It uses the case of Sub-Saharan Africa to illustrate both the consequences of biodiversity loss and the constraints within which policy-makers operate. To most people the biodiversity loss that matters is not the global extinction of species, but the effects of local change in flora and fauna on watershed protection, soil conservation, habitat, productivity and amenity. For this reason, biodiversity conservation concerns even the poorest communities. But because poverty, indebtedness, insecurity of land tenure and other social conditions affect the way in which people respond to incentives, the policy options for biodiversity conservation may be different in different parts of the world.