Robyn James | Wayne County Community College District (original) (raw)

Papers by Robyn James

Page 1. University of Huddersfield Repository James, Robyn Elizabeth Exhibitors: Robyn Elizabeth ... more Page 1. University of Huddersfield Repository James, Robyn Elizabeth Exhibitors: Robyn Elizabeth James Original Citation James, Robyn Elizabeth (2010) Exhibitors: Robyn Elizabeth James. In: Sample. University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, p. 39. ISBN 9781862180871 ...

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is designed to safeguard the world’s biologically ... more The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is designed to safeguard the world’s biologically richest and most threatened regions, known as biodiversity hotspots. It is a joint initiative of l’Agence Francaise de Developpement, Conservation International (CI), the European Commission, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the World Bank. A fundamental purpose of CEPF is to engage civil society, such as community groups, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), academic institutions and private enterprises, in biodiversity conservation in the hotspots. To guarantee their success, these efforts must complement existing strategies and programs of national governments and other conservation funders. To this end, CEPF promotes working alliances among diverse groups, combining unique capacities and reducing duplication of efforts for a comprehensive, coordinated approach to conservation. One way in which CEPF does ...

The last one hundred years have seen major conservation successes in Kaziranga National Park, wit... more The last one hundred years have seen major conservation successes in Kaziranga National Park, with populations of many endangered species, notably rhino, elephant and tiger rising and the ecological integrity of the area being maintained, despite high biotic pressures and stochastic perturbations in the landscape. These successes, and the expectations that they will continue, also bring about several management challenges. Kaziranga is a relatively small national park in the flood plains of Brahmaputra River, which is one of the most sediment-charged rivers of the world and also has the highest flood potential in the Indian subcontinent. The growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the State of Assam is one of the lowest in India and the economic problems in Assam have been exacerbated by long-term insurgency and civil unrest. The Government of India as well as the Government of Assam remain committed to ‘accelerate the pace of socio-economic development’ through development of inf...

Kaziranga National Park is now a protected area of global significance. While some issues remain ... more Kaziranga National Park is now a protected area of global significance. While some issues remain to be addressed within the protected area, particularly with respect to constant poaching, the main challenges in the future will come from outside, and particularly from regional pressures at a landscape scale: Assam Government development priorities, and more diffuse pressures caused by a growing population and higher economic expectations. Kaziranga is thus facing a situation similar to that experienced in many other parts of the world, where success in management within the boundaries of the protected area itself is threatened by changes in the wider landscape. Future success will depend on the Government of Assam’s commitment to adopting a landscape approach to conservation throughout the state, and to ensuring that changes that take place outside the park do not create pressures so great that it can no longer function effectively.

Oryx

There is evidence from the development and humanitarian sectors that purposeful engagement of wom... more There is evidence from the development and humanitarian sectors that purposeful engagement of women can increase the impact of development. We conducted a literature review to examine whether this is also evident in conservation and natural resource management. The following themes emerged from our review: existing societal and cultural norms affect and generally limit how women can engage in conservation and natural resource management; women interact differently with the environment than men, so if they are excluded, their knowledge and perspectives on particular resources may not be considered in conservation actions; and there is often a lack of resources or dedicated effort by conservation or natural resource management programmes to understand and address the barriers that prevent women's engagement. Although there was evidence of a positive relationship between the engagement of women and environmental outcomes, some studies showed that positive conservation outcomes do n...

Frontiers in Marine Science

By necessity, Pacific Islands have become hubs of innovation, where climate strategies are pilote... more By necessity, Pacific Islands have become hubs of innovation, where climate strategies are piloted and refined to inform adaptation efforts globally. Pacific Island ecosystems are being degraded by pollution, overfishing, and unsustainable development. They also increasingly face severe climate impacts including sea-level rise, changing temperature and rainfall patterns. These impacts result inchanges in food and water security, loss of identity, climate-induced migration and threats to sovereignty. In response, communities in the region are leading climate adaptation strategies, often combining traditional practices and cutting-edge science, to build the resilience of their communities and ecosystems in the face of increasing climate risk. For example, communities are implementing resilient networks of marine protected areas using the best available science and strengthening tribal governance to manage these networks, experimenting with salt and drought tolerant crops, revegetating coastlines with native salt-tolerant plants, revitalizing traditional wells, and implementing climate-smart development plans. Often these efforts contribute to local development priorities and create co-benefits for multiple sustainable development goals (SDGs). These community efforts are being scaled up through provincial and national policies that reinforce the critical role that ecosystems play in climate adaptation and provide a model for the rest of the world. While adaptation efforts are critical to help communities cope with climate impacts, in some cases, they will be insufficient to address the magnitude of climate impacts and local development needs. Thus, there are inherent trade-offs and limitations to climate adaptation with migration being the last resort for some island communities.

Marine Policy

Policymakers and natural resource managers are increasingly recognizing the importance of broader... more Policymakers and natural resource managers are increasingly recognizing the importance of broader geographic and gender participation in assessing climate vulnerability and developing effective adaptation policies. When such participation is limited, climate mitigation and adaptation polices may miss key opportunities to support vulnerable communities, and thus inadvertently reinforce the vulnerability of marginalized groups. This paper reports rich qualitative data from women leaders in conservation, development and climate adaptation projects to support local communities across seven Pacific Island nations. The results indicate the following priorities to support climate adaptation policies in the Pacific: (1) increased recognition for the importance of traditional knowledge; (2) greater support for local women's groups, including strategic planning and training to access climate finance mechanisms; and (3) climate policies that consider alternative metrics for women's empowerment and inclusion, formalize women's land rights, and provide land for climate refugees. Existing evidence is discussed which supports the importance of these priorities in the Pacific. Their input identifies research gaps in climate adaptation and provides important guidance for governments, non-governmental organizations, and development agencies leading climate adaptation efforts.

Journal of Chromatography B: Biomedical Sciences and Applications

Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, Aug 1, 2003

The binding of epidermal growth factor to its receptor activates the mitogen-activated protein ki... more The binding of epidermal growth factor to its receptor activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. This pathway has been identified as a vital link between membrane-bound Ras and nuclear events and, therefore, is a potential target for chemotherapeutic drugs. We reported previously that naamidine A (NA), an alkaloid from the calcareous sponge Leucetta chagosensis, potently inhibited epidermal growth factor-stimulated DNA synthesis. In this current study, we demonstrate that in addition to its antimitogenic effects (complete inhibition of DNA synthesis at 0.78 M in A-431 cells after 30 h), NA at 1.56 M caused cells to arrest in the G 1 phase of the cell cycle. In vitro kinase, in-gel kinase, and Western blotting experiments demonstrate that extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1 and ERK2 are primary molecular targets for NA in A-431 cells. Treatment with NA at concentrations between 0.78 and 3.13 M produces changes in the phosphorylation states of the ERKs, and strongly induces the phosphotransferase activity of the ERK enzymes. Our data indicate that treatment with NA generates a robust ERK signal. NA is the first small molecule reported to cause this effect on the ERK kinases and consequent G 1 cell cycle arrest. Materials and Methods Chemicals. The L. chagosensis used in the current study was collected at Kandavu, Fiji, in the Usborne Passage off the Great Astrolabe Reef in January 2001. It was collected

In this chapter, we first consider why management effectiveness evaluation is a critical componen... more In this chapter, we first consider why management effectiveness evaluation is a critical component of sound protected area management. We then describe a system that can be used to provide a coherent structure for effectiveness evaluation and give guidance on how this system can be implemented. The chapter is based on Worboys et al (2005, Chapter 21), adapted to reflect global experiencs and discussions on this topic held during the Vth IUCN World Park Congress.

Conservation Biology, 2015

Conservation can be achieved only if sustainability is embraced as core to organizational culture... more Conservation can be achieved only if sustainability is embraced as core to organizational cultures. To test the extent to which the related concepts of sustainability, conservation, response to climate change, poverty alleviation and gender equity have been incorporated into organizational culture, we compared mission statements in the period 1990-2000 with those in 2014 for a sample of 150 conservation non-government organizations (NGOs), aid NGOs, government development agencies, resource extraction companies and retailers (30 in each category). We also analyzed the 2014 home web pages of each organization. Compared with the earlier period, the frequency with which mission statements mentioned poverty alleviation, biodiversity conservation and a range of sustainable practices had increased only slightly by 2014, particularly among resource extractors and retail companies. Few organizations in any sector had embedded either climate change or gender equity into their mission statements. Also the proportional intensity with which any of the aspirations were expressed did not change between periods. For current home pages, conservation NGOs, resource extractors and government agencies were significantly more likely to acknowledge the importance of matters that were not part of their core business but few aid agencies or retail companies promoted any goals beyond alleviation of crises and profit maximization respectively. Overall, there has been some progress in recognizing poverty alleviation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable practices, but gender equity and a determination to reduce impacts on climate change are still rarely promoted as central institutional concerns. Sustainability in general, and biodiversity conservation in particular, will not be achieved unless their importance is more widely apparent in core communication products of organizations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Coastal Management, 2015

Coastal communities in the Coral Triangle are increasingly threatened by climate change. Sea-leve... more Coastal communities in the Coral Triangle are increasingly threatened by climate change. Sea-level rise (SLR) will result in biophysical and socioeconomic impacts that could increase the loss of livelihoods, cultural heritage and infrastructure. Effective adaptation requires a holistic approach that incorporates scientific knowledge together with local and traditional knowledge. Community-based adaptation built on local knowledge is of great value for environmental management, particularly when scientific data are lacking. This article reports a case study that integrated traditional and scientific knowledge using participatory three-dimensional modeling (P3DM) in BoeBoe village, Solomon Islands. P3DM is a process by which members of the local community build a physical terrain model and overlay it with the location of important resources such as protected areas or harvesting sites. Additionally, SLR inundation scenarios based on surveyed elevations were incorporated into a geographic information system (GIS), allowing for a real-time integration of science with local knowledge. Despite discrepancies in scales and accuracy, information from both the P3DM and GIS were complementary. The process, itself, provided a forum for discussion between many members of the village who would normally not be involved and highlighted the importance of community engagement when building capacity for adaptation to climate change.

This report represents a synthesis of the expertise, knowledge and views of Isabel's church leade... more This report represents a synthesis of the expertise, knowledge and views of Isabel's church leaders, chiefs, provincial government departments, scientific experts, development industries and NGO's. TNC facilitators wish to thank the 118 individuals who participated in the planning workshops without whose contribution; this assessment would not have been possible. Special thanks also go to Ivan Rotu, Frazer Kavali and Henry Marau for their assistance in organising the stakeholder workshops. We also thank Eddie Game for reviewing this report and providing advice on running the Marxan models, Aya Mizumura for also reviewing a draft of this report, Ayisha Boaden for assistance with digitising, Jeanine Almany for assistance with formatting the final report and Jeff Kinch for providing relevant literature.

Marine Science, 2001

Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee. VLIZ. Informatie over marien en kustgebonden onderzoek & beleid... more Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee. VLIZ. Informatie over marien en kustgebonden onderzoek & beleid in Vlaanderen.