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This article discusses the identity crisis faced by young Pakistanis who have returned from living in Dubai. The author shares two examples of individuals who are struggling with their sense of identity after returning to Pakistan. The article highlights the unique cultural landscape of Dubai, which blends Western modernity with Middle Eastern traditions, and how this can shape the experiences of the younger generation. The author emphasizes the need for recognition, empathy, and proactive measures to address this complex issue. The article also mentions that the identity crisis is not limited to Pakistani families in the Middle East, but also affects those living in other developed countries. The author concludes by suggesting that psychotherapy, family support, and educational institutions can help address the psychological problems faced by the younger generation. [Extracted from the article]

The sustainability of dry regions has become a key issue for global development. Their natural and cultural landscapes are facing threats resulting from ongoing global changes. This paper presents an overview of geomorphological, climatic-environmental, and archaeological studies in the hyper-arid eastern Tarim Basin (Lop Nur), northwest China, a world-renowned crossroad for early east-west communications, to provide a scientific foundation for sustaining its nature-culture heritage. The late Quaternary landscape changes in the Lop Nur region are characterised by cycles between oases and yardang deserts, shaping the extensive aeolian landform. Archaeological evidence suggests humans' adaptation and resilience to today what are viewed as inhospitable environments since the late Pleistocene by exploiting the diverse range of oasis resources, movement, and encouraging adjacent populations to diversify their subsistence base. Settlement- and regional-scale deterioration of available water resources, affected by environmental and climatic dynamics, caused the eventual abandonment. Periodic occupation and abandonment in the Lop Nur region accompanying oasis-desert/yardang environment cycles provide important lessons for present-day policymakers to contextualise the relationship between human communities and fragile ecosystems. The open-air sites in the Lop Nur region represent the best-preserved oasis-desert civilisation, suffering cultural history losses. We propose the urgent necessity to establish a transdisciplinary database, construct a master chronological framework of settlement, and integrate the culture-nature heritage within the network of the Silk Roads. The scientific management of river networks is also critical for protecting those riverine cultural relics. The site- and group-level management of heritage needs to be adapted to the projected changes in climate and environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock art is internationally recognised as a tangible connection to cultures past, whose conservation, and management programmes should be developed accordingly. When these heritage places are located within living cultural landscapes and are part of the continuing culture of First Nations people as they are in Australia, there is a fundamental requirement for programmes to be owned and implemented by the relevant communities. However, giving primacy to the voices of those with cultural authority and agency does not always amplify these efforts. To address this challenge, Traditional Owners came together, supported by a land management agency and researchers, to stage a rock art forum for Indigenous Australians in early 2023. This ground-breaking initiative is significant, because the first manual on conserving and managing rock art that gives primacy to the worldviews of Australia’s First Peoples will be an output from the forum. Past Australian publications om this subject have been authored by non-Indigenous scholars and practitioners who considered only an international framework for conserving and managing rock art as a cultural treasure. This paper considers discussions from the forum and the developing manual as shared stories of resilience to manage, protect and celebrate rock art through Indigenous-led initiatives to inform the present and prepare us for future advances in the discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Nature's Ideological Landscape: A Literary and Geographic Perspective on its Development and Preservation on Denmark's Jutland Heath" by Kenneth Olwig is a highly regarded book in the field of landscape studies. It delves into the cultural and environmental histories of the agricultural heathlands of Jutland, exploring how these landscapes have been understood in terms of nature, culture, and nation. Olwig's humanistic approach to geography emphasizes the emotional and experiential aspects of landscapes, drawing on literary sources and historical narratives. While the book lacks explicit theoretical elaboration, it offers a comprehensive exploration of Western concepts of nature and the complexities of ideas surrounding landscape. [Extracted from the article]

Low water levels of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret) in recent decades due to droughts and anthropogenic factors have exposed large portions of the lakebed. Archaeological surveys of the newly exposed areas yielded prehistoric sites, harbours, anchorages, shipwrecks, cargoes and shoreline installations, attesting to changing maritime activity on the lake through time. The different assemblages are presented and discussed within the context of the lake's highly specific physical and climatic settings. Scarcity of shelters, onshore winds and unpredictable lake-level changes influenced human activity, as reflected in the archaeological records. Collectively, the finds represent the history of maritime activity on the Sea of Galilee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through historical and anthropological inquiry, this paper addresses the issue of memory antagonisms involving cultural landscapes in the context of a former mining region: the Belgian Black Country. This region, which became increasingly industrialized in the 19th century through the massive development of coal mining and steel industry, subsequently experienced deindustrialization, and now finds itself mobilized in a process of 'post-industrial' mutation. The paper is divided into two parts. In the first part, it examines how the landscapes inherited from industry, and in particular the slag heaps of the coalfield, have over time become repositories of a working-class memory, through the living and working practices of the communities surrounding the mines. It also documents the various representations attached to these landscape objects, whose contradictions echo the oppositions between capital and labor that have marked the development of industrial capitalism. The second part of the paper, which focuses on the present situation, examines how these representations are remobilized in the valorization processes that are initiated by different actors, in the context of a 'post-industrial' urban transition strategy that seeks to produce a unified and pacified historical narrative. We'll be looking at how historical conflicts still permeate the representations of these landscapes, the question of their conservation, and their possible future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Richard Skelton's 2009 recording, Landings, is recognised as being intimately connected with landscape and the experience of place. This paper explores the use of therapeutic practice within the creation of the recording of Landings. Building on the work of cultural geographers who have emphasised the cultural and symbolic significance of landscape, as well as incorporating the work of geographers who have studied sound and music, the paper develops a non‐representational analysis, emphasising the interplay of human experiences and therapeutic practice. The paper explores how Skelton's music transcends a simple representation of the moorland landscape. It shows how the music, created through Skelton's therapeutic practice, channels the essence of the landscape. Skelton acknowledges the healing nature of this creative process. It offers catharsis and solace while, at the same time, connecting to living systems and exhibiting an ecological principle. By exploring the music created by Skelton's therapeutic practice and its profound alignment with nature, Landings offers valuable insights for geographers and beyond. Richard Skelton's 2009 recording, Landings, is renowned for its intimate connection with landscape and place. This paper delves into the incorporation of therapeutic practice in the creation of Landings, drawing on cultural geography and non‐representational analysis to highlight the interplay of human experiences and therapeutic methods. It demonstrates how Skelton's music, transcending a mere representation of moorland landscape, channels the essence of nature, providing catharsis, solace and ecological connection, offering valuable insights for geographers and therapeutic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monsoon is crucial for human sustenance and economic stability. This study explores the correlation between long-term climatic conditions and major invasions on the Indian subcontinent. The study utilizes paleoclimate records of 2500 years for different locations across South and Central Asia. The findings reveal that invasions often occurred during periods of favourable Indian Summer Monsoon. The study highlights how these favourable conditions made the region an attractive target for external forces seeking wealth and control. The presence of trade routes further facilitated invasions by providing access to valuable resources. Understanding this complex relationship between climate and invasions deepens our understanding of the historical dynamics of the region and highlights the role of climate in shaping the socio-political landscape. Overall, the study emphasizes the importance of considering climatic factors when analysing historical events and provides insights into the motivations behind invasions in the Indian subcontinent. The correlation between good monsoon seasons, agricultural prosperity, and external interest in the region indicates the influence of climatic conditions on the course of history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first goal of this research was to measure the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the sustainable development of an organization. However, the second objective examines the moderating influence of government policies, cultural norms, and stakeholder expectations on the relationship between CSR and an organization's sustainable development. This research primarily focused on the enterprises operating in the energy industry in Beijing. A sample of 498 individuals holding management positions within these enterprises was collected. The study's results established that CSR significantly influences the sustainable development of firms. Moreover, the results revealed that governmental regulations, cultural norms, and stakeholder expectations play a significant and positive role in moderating the impact of corporate social responsibility on the sustainable development of companies. The results of this study make a valuable contribution to the existing body of literature on CSR and its impact on the sustainable performance of enterprises in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document delves into the intricate interplay among cultural, geographical, and sociopolitical contexts in shaping identity and individual perceptions, drawing inspiration from Eyal Rozmarin's seminal work. It discusses the ongoing exploration of these themes within the framework of the IARPP 2024 conference titled "The Quest for Belonging and the Co-creation of a Therapeutic Home." Focusing on Mexico's diverse cultural landscape, it examines how varied regional experiences contribute to a complex sense of belonging within the nation. Through narratives of psychoanalysts representing different Mexican regions, it highlights the nuanced ways cultural and social realities mold personal identity and notions of belonging. The discussion underscores the role of psychoanalysts in understanding and shaping relational dynamics, informed by their introspective journeys and unique perspectives. This exploration fosters deeper reflection on the fluid nature of the self and its implications within the Mexican context, offering valuable insights into identity formation and the quest for belonging amid Mexico's dynamic cultural tapestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The naming of places on university campuses plays an important role in shaping the cultural landscapes and geographies of higher education institutions. In recent years, there have been contentious debates over place renaming at colleges and universities in North America and around the world, which has drawn increasing attention to the politics of toponymic practices in higher education contexts. The decision-making process involved in place naming on a university's campus is generally informed by the institution's naming policy and implemented by a university naming committee, yet there is very little scholarship on university naming policy frameworks, procedures, and practices. In this article, we provide a systematic and comparative analysis of university naming policies in Canada and the United States. Drawing on data from more than 2,000 colleges and universities across North America, we assess the level of representation that faculty and students have on university naming committees, institutional commitments to public engagement in the naming process, the value of diversity, and restrictions on corporate naming rights agreements. We conclude that colleges and universities should develop more inclusive and equitable naming policy frameworks to ensure that campus namescapes live up to the ideals of higher education institutions in the twenty-first century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing recognition of the importance of the multiple dimensions of biodiversity, including functional or genetic diversity as well as species diversity, most conservation studies on ecosystem service‐providing insects focus on simple diversity measures such as species richness and abundance. In contrast, relatively little is known about the genetic diversity and resilience of pollinators or natural enemies of crop pests to population fragmentation and local extinction. The genetic diversity and demographic dynamics of remnant populations of beneficial insects in agricultural areas can be a useful indicator proving additional insights into their conservation status, but this is rarely evaluated. Although gene flow between agricultural and seminatural areas is key to maintaining genetic diversity, its extent and directionality remain largely unexplored. Here, we apply a pan‐European sampling protocol to quantify genetic diversity and structure and assess gene flow between agricultural and nearby seminatural landscapes in populations of two key ecosystem service‐providing insect species, the lady beetle Coccinella septempunctata, an important predator of aphids and other crop pests, and the bee pollinator Andrena flavipes. We show that A. flavipes populations are genetically structured at the European level, whereas populations of C. septempunctata experience widespread gene flow across the continent and lack any defined genetic structure. In both species, we found that there is high genetic connectivity between populations established in croplands and nearby seminatural areas and, as a consequence, they harbor similar levels of genetic diversity. Interestingly, demographic models for some regions support asymmetric gene flow from seminatural areas to nearby agricultural landscapes. Collectively, our study demonstrates how seminatural areas can serve as genetic reservoirs of both pollinators and natural enemies for nearby agricultural landscapes, acting as sources for recurrent recolonization and, potentially, contributing to enhancing ecosystem service and crop production resilience in the longer term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the degraded peri-urban areas, there are several traces of the agrarian landscape heritage: they are not relicts of the past but a resource for managing water, providing fauna and flora biodiversity, and mitigate climate change in the urban environment. A pilot experience of recovering the Milan medieval water meadows has been done in the last two years: the aim was to provide a new job to fragile people, while restoring an ancient landscape. The tangible permanencies have been recovered by unemployed people at the same time as the traditional art of managing water has been taught by ancient watermen. A course has been organized to transfer the knowledge. Several schools have been involved in the practical recovery of artifacts: students enjoyed to care an "ordinary" heritage in their neighbourhood, as a resource for a sustainable way of living, and a good quality landscape. The high social and cultural value provided increased Municipality's attention to consider a joint management with the social cooperative of this productive landscape and to include didactical visit to water meadow in each student curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a critical reflection on the ways extractive industries manifest within and across place. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in Mexico over 8 months in 2019–2020, this paper focuses on the experiences of residents living in a town adjacent to an underground silver mine in Valles Centrales, Oaxaca, Mexico. I argue that a focus on lived, sensory and long-term engagement between people and mining opens new avenues for geographers to consider 'what mining does'. Looking beyond the language of 'impacts', I build upon work on cultural geographies of presence and absence to put forward the notion of 'mining presence': mining's present and absent affects and materialities that interweave with residents' everyday lives, homes, bodies, and landscapes. In other words, I explore the qualities of mining that bring the San José mine into a neighbouring town and mediate spaces of daily life. In doing so, this paper contributes to the geographies of the extractive industries by showing that attention to life with mining requires a re-thinking of the spatiotemporal relations of extraction itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to cope with severe environmental crises such as pollution and climate, the Chinese government has put forward the strategic goal of "double carbon" and vigorously developed green emerging industries such as cultural industry. Based on the super efficiency model and the input oriented Malmquist index model, this paper comprehensively measures the innovation efficiency of cultural industry, and selects the panel data of the Yangtze River economic belt from 2015 to 2021 for empirical analysis. In addition, the spatial econometric model is introduced to explore the driving factors affecting the innovation efficiency of cultural industry from the perspective of time and space. The results show that: (1) the overall innovation efficiency of the cultural industry in the Yangtze River economic belt is high, but there is significant spatial heterogeneity. (2) The average Malmquist index of the innovation efficiency of the cultural industry in the Yangtze River economic belt is 1.123, which reflects the continuous improvement of the level of industrial innovation. Environmental factors such as sulfur dioxide emissions in waste gas, investment in industrial pollution control, and per capita GDP have a significant impact on the innovation efficiency of cultural industry in the Yangtze River economic belt. Finally, the paper puts forward policy suggestions to promote the high-quality development of cultural industry from the perspective of technology, policy and environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past and present cultures perceive their natural landscape as an integral and vital component of their complex worlds, while particular landscape features and associated monuments built in selected locales become sacred and revered through stories, legends and rituals embedded in mundane and ceremonial events. The hyper-arid Har Tzuriaz area in the southern Negev, Israel, offers a case study of culture-geographic continuities over a chronologically cumulative archaeological sequence. The large set of well-preserved structures located adjacent to water sources, a massive escarpment and a major desert crossroads includes campsites, cult sites, rock-art sites, cairn fields and one desert kite (a large game trap). Cultural continuities and change can be traced from the sixth millennium bce through recent times, reflecting a dynamic system of meanings and interpretations of both the natural and the built landscape within one particular sacred area in the desert. These phenomena are exemplified in archaeological analyses of an open-air shrine, burial cairns, an isolated desert kite and a precise engraving of that kite dated 5000 years later, all in the general context of a dense concentration of surveyed sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic, environmental crisis and increasing growth in tourism prompted interest in more responsible tourism. So called responsible tourism (RT) entails diverse ingredients and an aim of this research is to understand if residents of community owned nature-rich land believe they have responsibility to share with visitors, or if their focus is shifting toward prioritising environmental conservation and or personal wellbeing. In this case study a unique perception of RT emerges in Knoydart Scotland, born from a pronounced awareness of biocultural heritage and a self-directed understanding of landscape as cultural. A distinctive feature in this case study is an expression of abundant generosity evolving from participants' embodied understanding of the integration of culture and nature. This commitment to a cultural landscape is particularly noteworthy since it is set within a location presented to tourists as 'wilderness'. Findings suggest that it is meaningful to explore historically evolved cultural understandings of 'islandness' and biocultural heritage, before promoting exogenous RT strategies. This research revitalizes frequently discredited notions about what responsible and sustainable tourism involve, as well as offering a rare example of the impacts of 'islandness' within a mainland setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive summary: Microbes are all pervasive in their distribution and influence on the functioning and well‐being of humans, life in general and the planet. Microbially‐based technologies contribute hugely to the supply of important goods and services we depend upon, such as the provision of food, medicines and clean water. They also offer mechanisms and strategies to mitigate and solve a wide range of problems and crises facing humanity at all levels, including those encapsulated in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) formulated by the United Nations. For example, microbial technologies can contribute in multiple ways to decarbonisation and hence confronting global warming, provide sanitation and clean water to the billions of people lacking them, improve soil fertility and hence food production and develop vaccines and other medicines to reduce and in some cases eliminate deadly infections. They are the foundation of biotechnology, an increasingly important and growing business sector and source of employment, and the centre of the bioeconomy, Green Deal, etc. But, because microbes are largely invisible, they are not familiar to most people, so opportunities they offer to effectively prevent and solve problems are often missed by decision‐makers, with the negative consequences this entrains. To correct this lack of vital knowledge, the International Microbiology Literacy Initiative–the IMiLI–is recruiting from the global microbiology community and making freely available, teaching resources for a curriculum in societally relevant microbiology that can be used at all levels of learning. Its goal is the development of a society that is literate in relevant microbiology and, as a consequence, able to take full advantage of the potential of microbes and minimise the consequences of their negative activities. In addition to teaching about microbes, almost every lesson discusses the influence they have on sustainability and the SDGs and their ability to solve pressing problems of societal inequalities. The curriculum thus teaches about sustainability, societal needs and global citizenship. The lessons also reveal the impacts microbes and their activities have on our daily lives at the personal, family, community, national and global levels and their relevance for decisions at all levels. And, because effective, evidence‐based decisions require not only relevant information but also critical and systems thinking, the resources also teach about these key generic aspects of deliberation. The IMiLI teaching resources are learner‐centric, not academic microbiology‐centric and deal with the microbiology of everyday issues. These span topics as diverse as owning and caring for a companion animal, the vast range of everyday foods that are produced via microbial processes, impressive geological formations created by microbes, childhood illnesses and how they are managed and how to reduce waste and pollution. They also leverage the exceptional excitement of exploration and discovery that typifies much progress in microbiology to capture the interest, inspire and motivate educators and learners alike. The IMiLI is establishing Regional Centres to translate the teaching resources into regional languages and adapt them to regional cultures, and to promote their use and assist educators employing them. Two of these are now operational. The Regional Centres constitute the interface between resource creators and educators–learners. As such, they will collect and analyse feedback from the end‐users and transmit this to the resource creators so that teaching materials can be improved and refined, and new resources added in response to demand: educators and learners will thereby be directly involved in evolution of the teaching resources. The interactions between educators–learners and resource creators mediated by the Regional Centres will establish dynamic and synergistic relationships–a global societally relevant microbiology education ecosystem–in which creators also become learners, teaching resources are optimised and all players/stakeholders are empowered and their motivation increased. The IMiLI concept thus embraces the principle of teaching societally relevant microbiology embedded in the wider context of societal, biosphere and planetary needs, inequalities, the range of crises that confront us and the need for improved decisioning, which should ultimately lead to better citizenship and a humanity that is more sustainable and resilient. The biosphere of planet Earth is a microbial world: a vast reactor of countless microbially driven chemical transformations and energy transfers that push and pull many planetary geochemical processes, including the cycling of the elements of life, mitigate or amplify climate change (e.g., Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2019, 17, 569) and impact the well‐being and activities of all organisms, including humans. Microbes are both our ancestors and creators of the planetary chemistry that allowed us to evolve (e.g., Life's engines: How microbes made earth habitable, 2023). To understand how the biosphere functions, how humans can influence its development and live more sustainably with the other organisms sharing it, we need to understand the microbes. In a recent editorial (Environmental Microbiology, 2019, 21, 1513), we advocated for improved microbiology literacy in society. Our concept of microbiology literacy is not based on knowledge of the academic subject of microbiology, with its multitude of component topics, plus the growing number of additional topics from other disciplines that become vitally important elements of current microbiology. Rather it is focused on microbial activities that impact us–individuals/communities/nations/the human world–and the biosphere and that are key to reaching informed decisions on a multitude of issues that regularly confront us, ranging from personal issues to crises of global importance. In other words, it is knowledge and understanding essential for adulthood and the transition to it, knowledge and understanding that must be acquired early in life in school. The 2019 Editorial marked the launch of the International Microbiology Literacy Initiative, the IMiLI. Here, we present: our concept of how microbiology literacy may be achieved and the rationale underpinning it;the type of teaching resources being created to realise the concept and the framing of microbial activities treated in these resources in the context of sustainability, societal needs and responsibilities and decision‐making; andthe key role of Regional Centres that will translate the teaching resources into local languages, adapt them according to local cultural needs, interface with regional educators and develop and serve as hubs of microbiology literacy education networks. The topics featuring in teaching resources are learner‐centric and have been selected for their inherent relevance, interest and ability to excite and engage. Importantly, the resources coherently integrate and emphasise the overarching issues of sustainability, stewardship and critical thinking and the pervasive interdependencies of processes. More broadly, the concept emphasises how the multifarious applications of microbial activities can be leveraged to promote human/animal, plant, environmental and planetary health, improve social equity, alleviate humanitarian deficits and causes of conflicts among peoples and increase understanding between peoples (Microbial Biotechnology, 2023, 16(6), 1091–1111). Importantly, although the primary target of the freely available (CC BY‐NC 4.0) IMiLI teaching resources is schoolchildren and their educators, they and the teaching philosophy are intended for all ages, abilities and cultural spectra of learners worldwide: in university education, lifelong learning, curiosity‐driven, web‐based knowledge acquisition and public outreach. The IMiLI teaching resources aim to promote development of a global microbiology education ecosystem that democratises microbiology knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research study focuses on determining the spatial transformations taking place in selected areas in the context of administrative changes in the 19th century (in the context of city rights) using the example of three neighboring places in western Poland. The occurrence of both individual topographic features and the transformation of structures and spatial relations occurring in the studied area since the 19th century were considered. The source material included archival cartographic studies from six time periods and contemporary data resources. A significant part of the research concerned the development of the possibility of using and presenting the data in an interactive form. The most important functions include comparing three neighboring places at the same time. Programming activities focused on the implementation of all collected archive data in the form of rasters and the construction of a map service divided into three windows (taking into account the turning on of layers simultaneously for all windows). The Leaflet library was used to create the proposed map solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic habitat modification can indirectly effect reproduction and survival in social species by changing the group structure and social interactions. We assessed the impact of habitat modification on the fitness and life history traits of a cooperative breeder, the Arabian babbler (Argya squamiceps). We collected spatial, reproductive and social data on 572 individuals belonging to 21 social groups over 6 years and combined it with remote sensing to characterize group territories in an arid landscape. In modified resource‐rich habitats, groups bred more and had greater productivity, but individuals lived shorter lives than in natural habitats. Habitat modification favoured a faster pace‐of‐life with lower dispersal and dominance acquisition ages, which might be driven by higher mortality providing opportunities for the dominant breeding positions. Thus, habitat modification might indirectly impact fitness through changes in social structures. This study shows that trade‐offs in novel anthropogenic opportunities might offset survival costs by increased productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper engages a (post)feminist-aligned critical reading of women's gendered performances in Afrobeats music videos to highlight—in the visual culture of this popular African musical genre—the visibility of sexually assertive black African women who variously subvert heteropatriarchal moral public scripts about "respectable" African womanhood and expression of their sexualities in relation to black African men. In my considerations of postfeminist sensibilities, I align with Simidele Dosekun by regarding postfeminism as a transnational cultural sensibility with flexible contours that render it analytically applicable and valuable as a scholarly lens in an African popular cultural landscape. I deploy a multimodal discourse analysis of five Afrobeats music videos (derived from a larger corpus of videos from my PhD study), their storylines, plot progressions, and the accompanying lyrical contents, to advance my arguments. The article draws significantly on postfeminist literature and key perspectives from bodies of feminist critiques of popular culture to demonstrate inflections of feminine subjectivities that I theorise as "sexssertive," given their active constructions of counter-narratives in relation to conservative and restrictive meanings of black African womanhood. I conclude by considering the implications hereof for broader feminist efforts towards the just treatment of women across diverse African contexts in the domains of sexuality and sexual expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Great Wall Villages (GWVs) are linked to the Great Wall in history, culture, and ecology. The cultural landscape resilience of Great Wall Villages (CLRGWVs) is distinctly significant. However, it is influenced by urbanization, pollution, and a lack of awareness of cultural landscape protection. Therefore, conservation and development practices still lack scientific strategies and guidance. This study proposes a new assessment system to quantify CLRGWVs, an analysis of the main influencing factors of resilience, and optimization paths to maintain sustainable development. Based on the socio-ecological system, this research designed the assessment with three criteria, eleven factors, and thirty-three indexes from the perspective of CLRGWVs. Furthermore, a demonstration test was constructed in Ningyuanbao Village, Dushikou Village, and Longmensuo Village in Chicheng County, Hebei Province, China. The results showed that there is some disparity between the three GWVs, with the resilience score of Dushikou Village being the highest in terms of resistance and learning. In contrast, Ningyuanbao Village's resilience score is the lowest since resistance, recovery, and learning capacity are lower than in Dushikou and Longmensuo. Some influencing factors were found to be highly related to adaptive capacity. Lastly, some low-resilience aspects were identified as critical improvement targets for which corresponding optimization strategies should be proposed. This could be applied to streamline resilience optimization paths according to local conditions. This paper provides new ideas and directions for dealing with the sustainable development of villages and the conservation of cultural landscapes. It will also help villages deal with the relationship between socio-economic development and the conservation of cultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beginning in the spring of 2020, a mouse and rat plague spread across the rural grain belt in New South Wales, Australia. Lasting for almost 10 months, the plague was described by the local media as a ‘horror’ which ‘terrorised’ farmers and ‘ravaged’ farms. Focusing predominantly on news media reporting of the plague, this article shows how the mice and rats were constructed as abject matter out of place. This construction reveals how the interspecies dynamics of managing pests render rural landscapes vulnerable and unsettle colonial imaginaries regarding the management of the Australian environment. The plague signals a disturbance of the ‘natural’ order of things where the landscape is ‘normally’ anthropocentrically managed for monocultural farming. Drawing on Chris Philo and Chris Wilbert’s identification of ‘beastly spaces’, this article explores the plague as facilitating a beastly landscape that radically de-centres human control and investment in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new archaeological research project analyses the history of Isla del Fraile (Águilas, Spain), a small island off the coast occupied since at least Roman times. Its isolation means that the sea has always conditioned its connectivity and relationship with land. Despite some underwater studies carried out in previous decades, its underwater surroundings, El Hornillo Bay, continue to be relatively unexplored. In parallel to the excavation work on the island's surface, an underwater survey was carried out in the area, which is known for its archaeological wealth. The objectives of this paper are to study the underwater contexts associated with the archaeological site, to determine whether there were any ports or anchorages and to analyse the phases of greatest activity in the bay between Antiquity and the Modern Age. New data are provided, and earlier finds, either previously unpublished or from private donations, are also reviewed. The findings are discussed and related to their local and interregional contexts. The main purpose is to offer a new contribution to the study of the maritime cultural landscape of the Western Mediterranean through a region underrepresented by research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article delves into human responses to pandemics, with a specific focus on the religious practices and folk rituals employed by various social groups in Poland and the western regions of the Russian Empire throughout the nineteenth century. Employing a unique microhistorical case study, it unveils the intricate relationship between these popular religious traditions and the ongoing processes of modernization. Through this example, alongside examinations of rituals practiced within both Jewish and Christian communities, this research sheds light on the dynamic interactions and mutual influences between these groups. Additionally, it highlights the pivotal role of women in revitalizing folk rituals, offering broader insights into cultural transformations during tumultuous and challenging times. This exploration encompasses cross-cultural encounters with magical practices and folk beliefs, providing a nuanced examination of how these practices contributed to the delineation of social boundaries and the ever-evolving landscape of cultural diversification amid the rapid currents of modernization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In archaeology, landscape is studied as a cultural, social, and environmental process that simultaneously influences human thinking and is impacted by human actions. From such a perspective, the establishment of cemeteries, too, results from human choice with respect to the environment, engendering a specific mortuary landscape. This is, overall, a little-studied field in the history of research on the Iron Age in Latvia. Even so, a continuous development of ideas may be traced, both in terms of the broadening of the range of issues addressed, proceeding from basic description of the cemetery’s location to analysis of its significance in the landscape, and in terms of the growing diversity of approaches and methods employed, moving from simple observation of the surrounding area to interdisciplinary studies and various kinds of data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Afforestation has emerged as a major tool in climate mitigation, but plantations of non-native species can negatively affect biodiversity and ecosystem services. Planting indigenous trees in areas that were formerly forested requires an understanding of landscape history over centennial–millennial timescales derived from palaeoecology. Ancient open and mosaic ecosystems are particularly threatened by the global drive for tree planting, which is based on an assumption of degradation. Assumptions that open or mosaic landscapes are remnants of degraded forests is a type of attribution error that can be corrected through an understanding of landscape history. Cultural landscape mosaics can also have benefits in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem services when compared with closed-canopy forests. We propose that testing a null hypothesis regarding former forest cover will assist in correct landscape attribution, guiding reforestation and restoration that reflects landscape history and local context. Mitigating climate change while safeguarding biodiversity and livelihoods is a major challenge. However, rampant afforestation threatens biodiversity and livelihoods, with questionable benefits to carbon storage. The narrative of landscape degradation is often applied without considering the history of the landscape. While some landscapes are undoubtedly deforested, others existed in open or mosaic states before human intervention, or have been deliberately maintained as such. In psychology, a 'fundamental attribution error' is made when characteristics are attributed without consideration of context or circumstances. We apply this concept to landscapes, and then propose a process that avoids attribution errors by testing a null hypothesis regarding past forest extent, using palaeoecology and other long-term data, alongside ecological and stakeholder knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through unfamiliar and at times marginal environments, successful colonisation of the Pacific Islands relied upon the introduction of domesticated flora and fauna as well as widespread burning to reduce forests and lowland vegetation for agricultural production. These transformations led to the extinction of avifauna, the reduction of forests, and extensive slope erosion and sedimentation into valleys and along shorelines. To date, most attention has been paid to human-induced changes to the terrestrial landscape. In this paper we present the archaeomalacological results from the deeply stratified coastal Kawela Mound, one of the oldest habitation sites in the Hawaiian Islands, with occupation beginning during the 12th century AD. We describe how anthropogenic change of the terrestrial landscape caused sediment run-off, increased shoreline turbidity, and progradation of the adjacent shoreline altering marine habitats, which is recorded in the diversity, size, and habitat preference of food shellfish harvested over nearly eight centuries. The construction of ancient stone-walled fishponds along the littoral shore provided an artificial rocky habitat for shellfish otherwise uncommon along the sandy coast. Consequently, AMS dated layers containing these shellfish provide an indirect avenue for determining the chronology of stone-walled fishponds, the construction of which was directed under the aegis of elites and thus one of the hallmarks of increasing social complexity during the last two centuries before Contact in the late 18th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Joseph Besson's 1660 account of Jesuit missions in Syria offers a rare glimpse into the region's cultural landscape from the perspective of French Jesuits living among diverse communities of Jews, Christians (Greek-Orthodox and Catholic), and Muslims. Drawing on unpublished Jesuit relations from 1625 to 1659 and an unsigned map of Syria, this article explores Besson's portrayal of Greater Syria, a region encompassing modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and western Jordan, within the Ottoman empire. A detailed analysis reveals that the map is likely an original Jesuit creation, highlighting how Jesuit spirituality influenced their interpretation of physical spaces. Furthermore, the study illuminates the Jesuits' role in shaping European views of the Orient and the Holy Land, contributing to the early development of Orientalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper aims to study the Wachau Valley in Austria as a representative Cultural Landscape under threat from extreme hydrometeorological hazards linked to climate change. The primary objective is to investigate the impacts and assess the vulnerability associated with the events of heavy rain and flooding. The methodology employed consists of an investigation of recorded past events impacting the Wachau; a vulnerability ranking system; a climate time series analysis based on earth observation products; and future hazard maps at territorial level, developed with outputs from regional and global climate models. The investigation we carried out provides a vulnerability assessment of two terraced areas with a surface of about 10,000 m2 in total, characterized by the presence of dry stone walls, with different state of conservation in the Municipality of Krems (Wachau). In addition, climate projections at territorial level for the extreme climate indices R20mm, R95pTOT, and R×5day—selected for investigating the likelihood of increases/decreases in events of heavy rain and large basin flooding—are provided, with a spatial resolution of ~12 km for the near and far future (2021–2050; 2071–2100) under stabilizing (RCP 4.5) and pessimistic (RCP 8.5) scenarios. The results indicate a general increase for the three indices in the studied areas during the far future under the pessimistic scenario, suggesting a heightened risk of heavy rain and flooding. These findings aim to inform policymakers and decision-makers in their development of strategies for safeguarding cultural heritage. Furthermore, they serve to assist local stakeholders in enhancing their understanding of prioritizing interventions related to preparedness, emergency response, and recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of the continental shelf has accelerated significantly as nations around the world seek to harness offshore renewable energy. Many areas marked for development align with submerged palaeolandscapes. Poorly understood and difficult to protect, these vulnerable, prehistoric landscapes provide specific challenges for heritage management. Indeed, there now appears to be a schism between what underwater cultural heritage policy intends and what it is achieving in practice. Shortcomings in international and national legislature ensures that large parts of the continental shelf, including areas under development, may have little or no legal protection. Increasingly impacted by extensive development, these unique cultural landscapes are ever more at risk. However, heritage challenges posed by such development also create opportunities. An immense amount of data is being generated by development, and there is an opportunity to establish broader cooperative relationships involving industrial stakeholders, national curators, government bodies, and heritage professionals. As a matter of urgency, the archaeological community must better engage with the offshore sector and development process. If achieved, we may revolutionise our knowledge of submerged prehistoric settlement and land use. Otherwise, our capacity to reconstruct prehistoric settlement patterns, learn from past climate change, or simply manage what are among the best-preserved postglacial landscapes globally may be irreparably undermined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Linpan cultural landscape has been a masterpiece of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature since the Dujiangyan Hydraulic Engineering more than 2,300 years ago. With the rapid urbanization of the Chengdu Plain over the past thirty years, Linpan has gradually declined and faced a disappearance crisis. The protection and utilization of Linpan have become an urgent public demand. Our case study area was in Dujiangyan City. We used detailed field investigations, questionnaires, and unstructured interviews to understand the villagers' perceptions of the Linpan and explore how their socioeconomic and resource backgrounds affected their landscape perceptions. The study revealed typical population loss and aging trends in Linpan settlements, and it found that the villagers recognized Linpan as a "joint masterpiece of man and nature" and that most villagers supported the utilization in Linpan rural areas. This study further revealed that villagers' socioeconomic and resource background factors had complex and selective impacts on their landscape perceptions. It also found that economic factor, especially monthly income, was the key variables affecting villagers' landscape perceptions. The study enriched the perception study of Linpan, a unique agro-cultural landscape in the Chengdu Plain. It provided an essential reference for the subsequent sustainable development of Linpan based on villagers' participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: Cultural use berries are prized foods and medicines across the United States and Canada, with almost 200 different species used by Indigenous Peoples. Berries are increasingly being impacted by environmental and land‐use change. Berry habitats, how and when berry plants reproduce, and the volume of berries available for harvest each year are shifting widely. These changes are impacting access to, availability of, and consumption of berries. Biocultural stewardship practices, like low‐intensity fire, transplanting, and thinning, can be used in response to these stressors to support berry plant health and productivity as well as a sustained relationship with this important food. Summary: Almost 200 different species of berries are used for food and medicine by Indigenous Peoples, with unparalleled nutritional and cultural significance among plant foods. Environmental and land‐use change is increasingly compromising access to, availability of, and consumption of berries. In this review, I consider (a) how climate and land‐use change are impacting cultural use berries across species and places, as documented by Indigenous Peoples and in the scientific literature, and (b) how stewardship practices are being applied to promote resilience and sustainability in berrying landscapes experiencing stress. Climate impacts on Arctic and subarctic berry species include earlier ripening, changes in taste, or increased variability in abundance. These same regions are experiencing a proliferation of shrubs, while forests throughout the lower 48 and Canada are suffering from suffocating fuel loads and stand densities that are not conducive to berry habitat for many species. In the Pacific West, berries are influenced by prolonged droughts and increasing spring and summer temperatures. Climate change impacts are amplified by shifts in land use for forestry and agriculture. Biocultural stewardship practices, like low‐intensity fire, thinning, transplanting, and cultural care, can be used to mitigate these impacts and promote berry microclimate habitats. There is opportunity for intertribal networking and knowledge sharing around berry stewardship practices that will support local and regional climate change responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During research in Qatar with practitioners in assisted reproduction and infertility medicine, I found that across the broad range of views they expressed about their approaches to consulting with patients, there was something shared: that their work with assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) entailed taking up moral and ethical positions. In this paper, I draw on interviews with medical professionals to analyse the local moral worlds which shape the practice of assisted reproduction. I provide an analysis of how professionals position themselves amid the complex ethical, moral, and cultural landscape in which ARTs in Qatar are situated. In developing my analysis of how these positionings involve a striving to be virtuous, I contribute to anthropological understandings of the complexities of everyday negotiations of moral practice. This is a process, I argue, that reveals both the interplay between self-construction and professional practice and the multidimensionality of the underexplored ART context in Qatar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UNESCO's Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972) (Convention) provides the highest level of international recognition for outstanding universal heritage places. While the Convention has been instrumental in aiding heritage preservation, arguably it has also reinforced a problematic 'culture' and 'nature' division in protected area management. This is not a new observation. One solution that attempted to address this issue was the introduction of the World Heritage (WH) 'Cultural Landscape' category in 1992. Yet, as of 2023, there are only 127 Cultural Landscape properties of the total 1157 properties on the WH List (10.9%). Poor recognition of the category appears particularly acute in some regions, such as Australia-Oceania, and in this paper, we consider this apparent under-utilisation with a systematic review of the literature about the category. Our analysis reveals significant and concerning regional variations in both use of the cultural landscape category and in research about it. In our current era, when better recognition of First Nation heritage is demanded, and when greater protection of heritage assets is required, further uptake of the Cultural Landscape category has the potential to redress these pressing societal concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heritage value of the historic urban countryside, as a remnant in the transition between the urban boundary and the natural environment, is a consequence of the spatial and temporal evolution of the city. However, through repeated social transformations, the conflicts between urban construction and cultural landscape heritage preservation have increased, resulting in the gradual disappearance of their cultural landscape heritage. This study takes the Sheshan Urban Countryside Historic District in Shanghai and interprets the layers of Sheshan's cultural landscape heritage into five periods, Emergence, Development and Exploration, Diversity and Prosperity, Turbulence and Change, and Stability and Precipitation. It analyzes the evolution of the layers of the cultural landscape heritage by applying Historic Urban Landscape Historic Land use Assessment (HUL) and interpreting the layers of the cultural heritage of Sheshan using Historical Landscape Assessment (HLA) to identify the characteristics and values of Sheshan's layers of heritage. The study indicates that the cultural landscape heritage of Jiufeng Sheshan exhibits four types of stratigraphic relationships: accretion, juxtaposition, overlay, and decline. This findings suggest a continuous evolutionary feature of superposition of multiple stratigraphic patterns. Moreover, the heritage value of the cultural landscape layers of Jiufeng Sheshan has shown a higher growth rate in the modern period. The integrity and survival status of modern religious and scientific buildings are more complete compared to the literati gardens and Buddhist relics. Based on the knowledge and value assessment of its cultural landscape heritage, it is necessary to intervene in the concept of living conservation and renewal of landscape heritage. This involves devising a conservation and renewal strategy for cultural landscape heritage that conforms to the law of historical stratification and connect the scattered historical and cultural relics. This study provides a reference for the conservation and inheritance of cultural landscape heritage in urban countryside historical areas and the organic renewal of urban and rural heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical farm ponds have been designed, maintained, and established as heritage sites or cultural landscapes. Has their gradually evolving function resulted in changes to the landscape influenced by their degenerated nature and the new urban fabric? This study aimed to assess the interaction between urban fabrics and eight farm ponds in Taoyuan by determining the demolition ratio of ponds subject to the transit-oriented development (TOD) of infrastructure and to evaluate land cover using historical maps, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted 3D modeling, smartphone augmented reality (AR), and a gaming engine to inspect and compare well-developed or reactivated ponds and peripheries. A 46% reduction in pond area around Daxi Interchange was an important indicator of degeneration in the opposite direction to TOD-based instrumentation. Three-dimensional skyline analysis enabled us to create an urban context matrix to be used in the simulations. Nearly 55 paired AR comparisons were made with 100 AR cloud-accessed models from the Augment® platform, and we produced a customized interface to align ponds with landmark construction or other ponds using Unreal Engine®. Smartphone AR is a valuable tool for situated comparisons and was used to conduct analyses across nine categories, from buildings and infrastructure to the intensity and stage of development. The gaming engine handled large point models with high detail and was supported by a customized blueprint. We found that 3D virtual dynamics highlighted the evolving interstitial space and role substitution of the agricultural fabric. This combination of heterogeneous platforms provides a practical method of preserving heritage and enables conflict resolution through policy and TOD instrumentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Peruvian Highland town of Chinchero, mainstream heritage conservation policies have proven to be at odds with vernacular practices of land management and uses of the material past. The temporal regimes involved in the strict conservation paradigm collide with local understandings of time and history, rooted in a dynamic tradition based on principles of alternation and circulation, and with a utilitarian approach towards ancient physical remains. The consequences of current archaeological management have turned the Inca ruins into a highly regulated space from which community members have been largely dispossessed. This goes against the legal consideration of the site as a cultural landscape. In order to remedy the temporal and spatial disjunctions derived from mainstream archaeological policy at the site, a new model, inspired in traditional landscape practices, local ideas of time, and movement patterns is proposed as a critical counternarrative to a global hegemonic conservation paradigm. For this purpose, two specific practices come into scrutiny where Andean temporalities as forms of knowledge are embedded. One is Muyuy, a long-standing principle of socioeconomic organization by which communal land is periodically rotated and worked. The other one is Linderaje, or the ancient custom of walking around community boundaries while honoring the milestones identified with the ancestors. Both are proposed as a solution to current conservation dilemmas in town. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coupled human-water systems (CHWS) are diverse and have been studied across a wide variety of disciplines. Integrating multiple disciplinary perspectives on CHWS provides a comprehensive and actionable understanding of these complex systems. While interdisciplinary integration has often remained elusive, specific combinations of disciplines might be comparably easier to integrate (compatible), and/or their combination might be particularly likely to uncover previously unobtainable insights (complementary). This paper systematically identifies such promising combinations by mapping disciplines along a common set of topical, philosophical, and methodological dimensions. It also identifies key challenges and lessons for multidisciplinary research teams seeking to integrate highly promising (complementary) but poorly compatible disciplines. Applied to eight disciplines that span the environmental physical sciences and the quantitative and qualitative social sciences, we found that promising combinations of disciplines identified by the typology broadly reproduce patterns of recent interdisciplinary collaborative research revealed by a bibliometric analysis. We also found that some disciplines are centrally located within the typology by being compatible and complementary to multiple other disciplines along distinct dimensions. This points to the potential for these disciplines to act as catalysts for wider interdisciplinary integration. This article is categorized under: Engineering Water > Methods Human Water > Methods Science of Water > Methods [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wu-Yue, meaning five-mountains, refers to five sacred mountains in China. The sacredness of this cultural landscape was manifested through the religious activities centered in those mountains and the state rituals of imperial China. This sacredness became recognized in the global context in 2010, when one mountain became the physical context of a newly inscribed World Heritage Cultural Site that purported to be at "The Center of Heaven and Earth." However, the sacred mountain itself was deliberately excluded from the narratives justifying the value of this heritage. Drawing upon archival research and limited fieldwork, this paper argues that although both Wu-Yue and "The Center of Heaven and Earth" are manipulated cultural concepts heavily charged with political agendas, significant differences exist between the processes of making these two heritages, the players involved in such processes, and the consequences of the socio-politically produced space. Wu-Yue, representing the ideological construct of the state power, was gradually established and constantly redefined over 3000 years through evolving ritual performances and cultural practices. In contrast, "The Center of Heaven and Earth" was created between the 2009 and 2010 sessions of the World Heritage Committee, yet with an embedded new political agenda: modern China, represented by a historical capital of imperial China, has become the center of the known world, from which a new global power is ascending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science, technology, and innovation (STI) policies are crucial for addressing a nation's anguishes and aspirations. In today's era, countries worldwide recognize the significance of innovation for their economic survival. With aspirations to be a global power in innovation, India has emphasized incubation, innovation, startup ecosystems, and triple helix linkages. This paper examines the evolution of India's STI policies, highlighting the influence of domestic and international events on their development. The study focuses on three policy types: direct innovation policies, five-year plans, and national-level educational policies, to trace the milestones in India's policy journey. The authors conclude that changes in the domestic and international landscape significantly impact a nation's STI policies, as exemplified by India. The recent Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy of India 2020 draft reflects an effort to adapt to the evolving global scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Men have never been absent from the arena of food preparation, although their participation has been primarily in the public sphere rather than the private domestic space. Men have also been involved in the preparation of traditional sweets and snacks in sweet shops and street stalls. On the other hand, women’s association with food preparation, especially traditional food preparation inside the household, still dominates the popular imagination in regions like South Asia. In Assam (India), pithas are an emblematic food item in the ‘‘Assamese’’ cultural landscape that is popularly perceived to be prepared by women. However, my ethnographic experience suggests that pitha preparation and sale can be studied in relation to performance of masculinities when it comes to the public urban space of Guwahati (Assam). As men have entered the public spaces as pitha sellers and to a large extent prepare it themselves, it was observed that bishakh (trust) is a crucial part of the diverse performance of masculinities and ‘‘Assameseness.’’ The perceptions, negotiations, and enactment with the concept of trust is a pivotal aspect of men entering an otherwise popularly imagined feminized zone of pitha preparation. It is important to attract buyers, wherein the ideal image remains that of a woman preparing traditional food using her manual labor. Further, this article argues that bishakh, which is significant in infusing ‘‘Assameseness’’ in buying and selling pithas, can also be understood at the cusp of contemporary regional politics in Assam, class markers, caste hierarchy, and religious indicators along with gender performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper addresses an acknowledged knowledge gap by exploring both impact and risk in an African cultural context. • This paper is the first to assess the same methodology at two very different site types in two very different regions. • This paper presents a bottom-up, values-based and community focused approach to understanding climate risk. • This paper presents an approach to embed sustainable change, with a strong focus on capacity building and knowledge exchange. Climate change is a major threat to global heritage and many sites are already experiencing impacts from climate change and related hazards. Recent studies have indicated that this challenge is especially acute in the African continent. Climate vulnerability assessment is increasingly a key tool in periodic reporting and ongoing site management and an essential first step in climate adaptation planning. This paper presents results from climate vulnerability assessments undertaken at two UNESCO World Heritage (WH) properties: The Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara in Tanzania; and the Sukur Cultural Landscape in Nigeria. These assessments each applied a version of the Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI), a values-based, science-driven and community-focused technique. A values mapping exercise identified key heritage and socioeconomic values, including key attributes associated with the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the WH property. Downscaled climate projections were used to identify key hazards over selected emissions scenarios and timeframes, before weighing potential impacts against local adaptive capacities. Based on the timeframes and emissions scenarios, the project found OUV Vulnerability was Moderate at the Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara and Low at the Sukur Cultural Landscape, whilst the Community Vulnerability was Low for both properties. The paper will conclude with some wider observations on the application of climate vulnerability assessments in an African context and a focus on lessons learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study investigates factors with both beneficial and harmful qualities for Cultural World Heritage Sites in Europe and North America. • Information employed originates from the UNESCO Periodic Report II and the heritage database. • Factors related to tourism and transportation most often perceived as both beneficial and harmful by site managers. • Bivariate Probit estimations control for site characteristics and location of site. • Estimations reveal that managers are mainly ambivalent to tourism/visitors/recreation, interpretive and sightseeing facilities as well as to ground transport infrastructure. The aim of this study is to investigate factors with both beneficial and harmful qualities for Cultural World Heritage Sites. Particular but not exclusive attention is given to aspects relating to tourism and infrastructure. Data from the World Heritage List for North America and Europe, linked to the 2014 UNESCO Periodic Report II, are employed for the analysis. A simultaneous Bivariate Probit model estimation is carried out on the 30,954 observations and 402 Heritage Sites. World Heritage managers assess that certain factors are both beneficial and harmful for their sites. These contradictory perceptions appear most commonly in relation to tourism/visitors/recreation (28% of the sites), ground transport infrastructure (16%) and to the Society's valuing of heritage (12%). Besides this, ambivalent perceptions are also identified for housing, commercial development, land conversion, forestry/timber production and renewable energy facilities, although to a lesser extent. Estimation results reveal that the highest degree of ambivalence occurs in relation to tourism/visitors/recreation, interpretive and sightseeing facilities and ground transport infrastructure when location and specific site characteristics are controlled for. Thus, the results coincide only to some extent with the descriptive statistics. Compared to other groups of Cultural World Heritage Sites (cultural landscapes, religious sites and other sites) managers of cities have a significantly lower probability of perceiving the different factors as harmful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decade of research concentrating on the area of Eastern Slavonia revealed an abundance of large and complex Middle and Late Neolithic sites. It changed profoundly how we perceive Middle and Late Neolithic settlements, including space, size and organization. The vast majority of these sites were detected through aerial reconnaissance and satellite image analysis. The observation of the sites was followed by intensive field surveys, which confirmed their attribution to the Middle and Late Neolithic period by surface finds. On those confirmed sites in the vicinity of Đakovo, Croatia, a magnetic survey was conducted on five sites, and the results confirmed the presence of large-scale Middle and Late Neolithic settlements with complex spatial organization and enclosure(s). The most complex remains so far are the sites Gorjani, Kremenjača and Topole, which we present in this paper, where one or two settlements remain covering an area of 70 hectares which is currently in the process of formal protection as a cultural landscape by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia. The special focus of this paper is the application of remote sensing in the detection, archaeological confirmation and protection of the site of Gorjani Topole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]