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PurposeDifferent countries have responded to the pandemic with distinct domestic and international travel restrictions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the stringency of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) countermeasures in Japan against their G20 cohorts. Primary data were monitored at a ski resort in Kyushu regarding the social acceptance of initial COVID-19 countermeasures, ranging from hygiene and local “lockdowns” to border control measures.Design/methodology/approachThe stringency of the COVID-19 countermeasures was examined using data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) and triangulated with the early stage social acceptance of survey respondents in Aso Kuju National Park in February 2020 that consisted of 165 valid Japanese language questionnaires.FindingsAn one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) identified significant differences in social acceptance for countermeasures, with more-concerned respondents agreeing more strongly with “low-tech” health protocols, such as washing hands (M = 3.7) or wearing a mask (3.4). More concerned visitors were significantly more likely to modify their travel plans (2.9) or cancel their trip altogether (2.7). Male day trippers were less likely to be concerned by the COVID-19 pandemic.Originality/valueThis paper's originality is derived from a triangulation of the stringency of Japan's initial COVID-19 countermeasures via a combination of comparison with G20 cohorts and social acceptance of domestic snowboarders and skiers. Moreover, by shining a light on the trade-off between public health and human rights, the paper provides a current review of the ethical dimension of a travel restriction debate that is often overlooked in the ongoing pandemic.

The rapid post-millennial internationalisation of Japan's tourism sector and the influx of international visitors have quickly increased visitor motivations’ heterogeneity, thereby posing challenges for management. Given the lack of prior research, we aimed to identify nature-based tourism (NBT) push-factor motivation domains of visitors in a Japanese national park and segment domestic and international visitors based on their motivations, demographics and trip profiles. Primary data collection of 137 responses took place in November 2019 through an on-site self-administered questionnaire. From 11 push-factor statements, the principal component analysis yielded a four-factor solution: ‘enjoying nature with family or friends’, ‘improving physical health’, ‘discovering and learning’ and ‘escaping’. In addition, t-tests revealed significant differences between domestic and international visitors in three out of the four motivation dimensions. Underlying visitor profiles could explain some such differences. Despite the differences, both international and domestic visitors share similar motivations regarding ‘improving physical health’. These findings hint at the complexity of monitoring heterogeneous visitor segments within Japanese NBT. Despite increasing international visitors, there has been a lack of the necessary infrastructure and facilities to accommodate them. Thus, this study's implications might help diversify NBT management strategies to deal with current shortcomings in Japan's tourism sector.

Tourists put their trust in maps and guidebooks and they expect information within to be accurate. Unfortunately, vital information can often be incorrect such as the accuracy of altitude above sea...

This article analyzed a living cultural heritage destination’s adaptive resilience from the perspective of social-ecological systems (SES). The aim was to test the SES framework at Hoi An Ancient T...

The rapidly declining biosphere integrity, representing one of the core planetary boundaries, is alarming. One of the most widely accepted measures to halt the rate of biodiversity loss is to maintain and expand protected areas that are effectively managed. However, it requires substantial finance derived from nature-based tourism, specifically visitors from urban areas. Using the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) on 535 Vietnamese urban residents, the current study examined how their biodiversity loss perceptions can affect their willingness to pay for the entrance fee and conservation in protected areas. We found that perceived environmental degradation, loss of economic growth, loss of nature-based recreation opportunity, and loss of knowledge as consequences of biodiversity loss has indirect effects on paying willingness through the mediation of the attitude towards conservation. Especially, the perceived knowledge loss also has a direct positive influence on the willingness to pay for the entrance fee and conservation. In contrast, perceived loss of health is negatively associated with the attitude towards conservation. Based on these findings, we suggest that building an eco-surplus culture among urban residents can be a promising way to generate more finance from nature-based tourism for conservation in protected areas and ease the domestic government’s and international organizations’ funding allocations problems.

This chapter examines the symbiosis of heritage conservation and tourism development at a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) cultural heritage site, one of the most popular touristic sites in Vietnam. Bui, Le and Jones present findings derived from a longitudinal study over 5 years spanning before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (from 2016 to 2020). Although Hoi An has dramatically benefited from mass tourism, the excessive increase in visitor numbers and concentration in the core heritage zone of the city has negatively impacted the economic wealth of the residents of the ancient town. COVID-19 halted the development of tourism, which attracts attention to the overdependence of the city on tourism, and offers an opportunity for administrators to rethink and revise Hoi An's existing tourism policies.

This chapter offers an overview of ecotourism in forest-protected areas in Vietnam from theoretical concepts and historical evolution of forest conservation to the current structure of governance and management of forest resources and the economic and socio-cultural perspectives of forest resources ecotourism and ecotourists. Differentiated from conventional approaches using cases or empirical research focus on particular sites, the current study systematically analyses national policies and practices of ecotourism in national parks and protected areas (PAs). The review synthesizes existing studies published on various channels in and outside the country and numerous government reports and research conducted by NGOs on ecotourism, PAs and forest conservation. The analysis pertinent in this chapter, however, excludes marine-based ecotourism, which is covered in a separate chapter.

Biodiversity loss is occurring at unprecedented rate. Understanding the mental constructs of the public can help implement more effective programs and regulations for decelerating the loss. Although many studies have been conducted to study the biodiversity mental constructs of the public, little is known about those of urban residents in an Asian emerging country, like Vietnam. Employing the Grounded Theory and semi-conducting interview, the current study attempts to explore three biodiversity perceptions of urban residents in two Vietnamese largest cities: i) biodiversity and biodiversity loss, ii) impacts of biodiversity and biodiversity loss on human, and iii) human’s reaction towards biodiversity and biodiversity loss. Besides identifying important conceptual dimensions, we also find the influence of cultural value, the awareness of multistakeholders’ participation, and some misunderstandings in the urban residents’s perceptions. Thus, we recommend policymakers to promote education and public communication of biodiversity-related knowledge, as well as multistakeholders’ cooperation for achieving the 11th cultural progressive value – the environmental-healing element.

UNESCO’s World Heritage inscription is considered to positively influence tourism demand. However, relevant econometric research has yielded inconsistent results. In this study, we used a meta-analysis to synthesize the effects of World Heritage Site (WHS) status across 344 econometric estimates from 43 studies. Meta-regression results reveal several factors explaining the effect size of WHS status on tourism demand, such as the research period, level of development in the destination country, heritage type, dyadic data type, WHS endowment measure, and use of robust standard error. A sub-group analysis identifies different factors in developing vs. developed countries and cultural vs. natural WHS types. Lastly, implications are provided for destination/heritage management and tourism researchers based on meta-regression results.

In Indonesia, the existence of preserved forest is threatened by the high rate of deforestation associated with poor quality of governance. This study aims to evaluate the applying of good governance principles in preserved forest at South Sumatera and its effect on deforestation. This study is a qualitative research. Good governance principles refer to Lockwood (2009) which consists of seven principles. This study reveals that SBFM is better than CBFM in applying good governance principles by earning the higher appraisal results compared to CBFM for all principles. Furthermore, applying good governance principles did not lead directly to lower deforestation rate.

This chapter focuses on Japan’s national parks, created via a 1931 act and amalgamated in 1957 into the top rung of a three-tiered nature park system. The Ministry of Environment (MOE) uses a spectrum of core and buffer zones to administer the 34 national parks’ multi-purpose objectives including conservation and nature-based tourism (NBT). However, the MOE faces familiar challenges linked to lack of land ownership, fiscal and human resources. Within park planning, one of the MOE’s main roles is to monitor trends in NBT. Aggregate national park visits declined from a 1991 peak of 415 million to 309 million in 2011, before rebounding to 359 million in 2016. The number of inbound visits has been estimated since 2012, increasing to 6.7 million visits in 2019. Almost half of aggregate inbound park visits were recorded at Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, centred on Mt Fuji—Japan’s tallest peak at 3,776 m. Our case study provides insights into Fuji’s climbing dynamics, offering contextual evidence of the shift from pilgrimage to peak-hunting, along with an increasingly diverse visitor profile including more female and foreign climbers. Unlocking the potential of Japan’s multi-purpose parks requires cross-cutting partnerships that emphasize co-management to resolve the trade-off between conservation and development.

In Indonesia, state forests are divided into conservation, protected, and production forest categories according to management objectives. Contained within conservation forests are the 54 national parks, of which nine are predominantly marine, six are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and five are Ramsar wetland sites. This chapter investigates Indonesia’s mountainous national parks, which accounts for around 9% of the archipelago’s landmass. The first batch of five national parks was designated in 1980, and the number increased gradually, reaching 41 by 2003. The current crop of 54 national parks are defined as conservation areas that possess native ecosystems managed via zoning to facilitate research, education, biodiversity and tourism goals. Efforts have been made to fade out the ‘fences and fines’ approach in favour of a more participatory approach to PA management. However, ineffective conservation is revealed by the influx of tourists at popular destinations such as Mount Bromo (2,329 m), an active volcano in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. Unregulated nature-based tourism at Bromo and other mountainous national parks has negative environmental impacts such as air and water pollution, effects on wildlife behaviour, habitat deterioration, solid waste accumulation, erosion of the rim of the volcano, vandalism, and illegal flora harvesting. Management tools such as cost recovery mechanisms and climber permits are investigated as potential counter-strategies.

This chapter offers a trans-regional synthesis of various aspects that emerged from the 12 countries and case study destinations from across Asia’s mountainous Protected Areas (PAs). Intra-regional syntheses of Northeast Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia are presented in terms of regional characteristics, and trends in nature-based tourism (NBT) to mountainous PAs. The syntheses highlight issues pertinent to each region determined by the respective socio-cultural and political contexts. In Northeast Asia, domestic demand continues to dominate despite recent increases in inbound NBT. Southeast Asia is struggling to re-define domestic mountain tourism as eco- or ethno-tourism, a question that will shape the future development of NBT. In South Asia, the exponential growth of domestic pilgrimage trips combined with adventure tourism is causing serious negative impacts for the fragile Himalayan environment. Inter-regional syntheses highlight common issues across the three regions including colonial legacies that continue to impede holistic co-management of PAs. COVID 19 impacts and responses require close monitoring. As the source for some of the world’s largest domestic NBT markets, Asia will surely show resilience, but significant challenges remain for economic, social and environmental sustainability as shown by this NBT collection from across the mountainous PAs.

A quarter of global land surface is occupied by mountains. These fragile ecosystems have remained relatively isolated, resulting in rich biodiversity but some of the poorest and most marginal communities in the world. In the recent rush to develop these inaccessible highland ‘frontiers,’ Asia’s mountainous Protected Areas (PAs) symbolize the trade-off between conservation and nature-based tourism (NBT). Mountainous destinations account for 15–20% of global tourism, ranked second only to sun-sea-and-sand vacations, so the focus of this edited volume is to compare mountainous PAs holistically across Northeast, Southeast and South Asia, three regions with large population bases that require ‘enlightened’ NBT solutions (Weaver, 2014). This introductory chapter covers PA philosophy and designation objectives, attempting to align the biodiversity goals to balance PA’s conservation potential with sustainable development via NBT. under Aichi Target No. 11, territorial expansion of PAs was sought by 2020 but there has been a lack of equivalent research in a pan-Asian context over the appropriate activity types for mountainous PA settings. Our ‘trans-boundary’ subject matter fuses geological, anthropological and socio-economic approaches across three regions to enable discussion on an in situ definition of NBT. Asia posted the fastest pre-pandemic regional growth in international arrivals and although it was the first region to suffer the impact of COVID-19, it seems set to lead the recovery due to domestic demand. Although many trails, roads or mountains have closed due to the pandemic, there is hope that such action could inspire a radical re-think in the direction of pragmatic mass NBT towards a more sustainable relationship with mountainous PAs across Asia.

Taiwan consists of one main and 165 smaller islands covering a total terrestrial area of 36,193km2. Four fundamental conservation acts shape the legal landscape of Taiwan’s Protected Areas (PAs), including the Forestry Law (1932); National Parks Law (1972); Cultural Heritage Preservation Law (1982); and Wildlife Conservation Law (1989). Two government agencies dominate PA administration—the Council of Agriculture’s Forestry Bureau, and the Ministry of Interior’s Construction and Planning Agency that is responsible for national parks. Taiwan has 9 ‘national’ and 1 ‘national nature’ parks that cover 8.6% of the landmass and are concentrated in mountainous regions for historical and logistical reasons. The three most popular parks in 2015 were Kenting, Taroko and Yangminshan, accounting for some two-thirds of all visitation. However, longitudinal nature-based tourism data (2008–2017) revealed visitation fluctuations that reflect international and domestic demand trends. Mountain hiking remains pre-eminent among backcountry users, but nature-based tourism such as rock climbing, mountain biking and canyoneering are also on the rise, together with landscape appreciation and photography. Reflecting Taiwan’s diverse ethnic mix, several of the parks retain significant indigenous populations, promoted by some local communities for cultural or eco-tourism businesses. Popular mountain hikes such as Yushan implement a permit system, and national park user fees have been charged since 2016.

The Philippines is Southeast Asia’s second biggest archipelago. From coral reefs to tropical, forested mountains, the country is a biodiversity hotspot under threat from the rapid rate of environmental degradation. The establishment and expansion of protected areas (PAs) has been one of the major biodiversity conservation counterstrategies. The National Integrated Protected Areas Systems (NIPAS) Act of 1992 provides the legal framework for PA’s designation and management. NIPAS legislates for 11 categories of PAs that collectively cover about 15% of the country’s total land mass and 1% of marine territory. PAs established under NIPAS are managed by multi-sectoral PA Management Boards (PAMB) representing various stakeholders, but effective administration faces perennial governance and funding challenges. If NIPAS epitomized efforts to conserve biodiversity, the Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 legitimized the involvement of indigenous people in PA management, including sensitive issues of ancestral domain. Meanwhile nature-based tourism (NBT) has increased in PAs such as Mount Apo. This chapter investigated Apo climber fees collected using a total economic value framework to show how NBT activities could provide additional funds to make PA management more effective and incentivize a wider range of stakeholders in the PAMB.

This chapter explores the status quo of China’s Protected Areas (PA) network and the challenges faced in an era of rapid increases in tourism. PAs encapsulate the sustainable tourism debate not least due to their rapid recent increase. China’s 3,392 Forest Parks are designated in theory for their significant landscapes and ecology, but in reality forest tourism tends to prioritize regional development over conservation. With 30% of all domestic trips derived from visits to national forest parks, escalating visitor numbers have imposed great pressure on the natural resource base, although significant economic benefits have ensued. To tackle the challenge of resource management, China’s central government initiated a new integrated system of national parks in 2015, aiming to reinforce conservation in these forest parks. As one of the ten pilot sites selected for the new policy, Pudacuo National Park has introduced a wide range of sustainability initiatives while Huangshan (the Yellow mountains) offers an alternative paradigm for scenic areas by adopting a seasonal pricing strategy and visitor limits based on carrying capacity rationale. Having discussed these two case studies, and tourism development issues during the transition from the Forest Park system to the National Park network, this chapter highlights the barriers that impede nature conservation in Chinese park management.

Conservation of protected areas (PAs) in Vietnam received scant attention until the early 1990s. The current system of PA governance contributes to the protection of biodiversity, albeit in an overlapping and complicated manner. The greatest contribution of policy towards PAs is the decentralization and delegation of additional powers to provincial and municipal authorities. Decentralization triggers diverse forms of investment for tourism, which is commonly espoused as a solution to balance the concurrent needs of economic development and biodiversity conservation. However, more recently, by analysing resource politics in the mountain area of Hoang Lien National Park (HLNP), the authors contend that a recentralization of resource management is evident in a new form of partnership investment in mega tourism projects. In addition to analysis of resource governance and management, the chapter highlights major challenges to the promotion of nature-based tourism in and around PAs as a sustainable livelihood for locals. Having discussed these challenges in the context of HLNP against the backdrop of tourism development, issues concerning tourism policy, governance, and livelihoods are addressed in the context of PAs’ fragile ecological systems.

This chapter investigates the search for sustainable tourism in Malaysia, drawing on the empirical case study of Langkawi Geopark rangers. Sustainable tourism seeks to juxtapose the conservation and development agenda into a holistic package, yet ‘greenwashing’ can occur when unsubstantiated or misleading claims are made about the sustainability of a product, service, or practice. Tourism demand trends to the Langkawi archipelago reveal a rapid growth in annual arrivals at the national level, with visits exceeding 3.5 million annually. Next, longitudinal analysis explores the role of key stakeholders such as the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA), established in 1990 and instrumental in Langkawi’s search for sustainability via its listing as the first Geopark in Southeast Asia in 2007. An inaugural ranger unit established within LADA’s Geopark Division in 2012 aimed to bridge the development-conservation gap by improving stewardship on the archipelago. However, findings from interviews and content analysis of ranger reports revealed three categories of potential obstacles, related to i) human resources and job conditions; ii) ranger activities; and iii) inter-organizational collaboration. Specific visitor flashpoints remain unresolved, from curbing mangrove jet ski tours to macaque monkey management, which could undermine efforts to realign Langkawi’s development toward sustainable mass tourism.

Iconic Mount Fuji has symbolized the fragmented state of Japan’s ‘multi-purpose’ national park administration. Although the Ministry of Environment (MOE) is the legal administrator, the national pa...

Due to their ease of installation and use, durability, and low cost, the use of passive infrared counters has increased rapidly in protected areas. This study investigated the calibration of one such beam sensor on the 8th station of Mount Fuji (3000 m) using a parallel count system at the 6th station (2390 m) as a manual control. Analysis of secondary data revealed the degree or error between 6th and 8th stations to fluctuate temporally, especially during congestion flashpoints such as Saturday and Friday nights. This suggests that current monitoring methods are underreporting the volumes of climber traffic at peak periods, but a calibration correction coefficient could be calculated by integrating the local and central government datasets. This study thus contributes to the pursuit of reliable, costeffective visitor monitoring methods by demonstrating an opportunistic and holistic combination of two pre-existing, longitudinal data sources. However, additional observational studies are still needed to supplement the findings of the continuous manual clicker data at the 6th with stratified random sampling at the 8th station for optimum integration of parallel monitoring methods. Improving the reliability of climber numbers via the generation of more accurate data is only the first step. Targeted intervention is required that actively utilizes such data to mitigate the current crop of management challenges including impacts on visitor experience (e.g., congestion) and on the natural environment (e.g., toilets, trash, trail conditions). Results provide useful pointers for park planners, site managers and decision-makers such as the Fujisan World Cultural Heritage Council. This study is one of a limited number of empirical case studies that tackle the inaccuracies of mechanical counting devices in a transparent and replicable fashion, using parallel counting systems along a single trail on Mt. Fuji’s north face to contextualize the correction coefficient based on specific site characteristics. Subscribe to JPRA

This study evaluates the impact of listing on the recreational value of one world heritage site (WHS) using a zonal travel cost method (ZTCM) and investigates the spatial and temporal pattern of consumer surplus (CS) in each calibrated zone. Climber demand is estimated at Mount Fuji during consecutive summer seasons (2008–2013). Per capita visit rates from 21 origin zones are used to calibrate the longitudinal ZTCM with panel count data generating CS estimates in the seasons before and immediately after inscription. Findings suggest that the value did not fluctuate significantly after WHS inscription. Furthermore, we use spatial analysis tools in GIS to investigate the spatial distribution of zonal CS estimates. Two clusters revealed significant change: central Japan and the peripheral regions. This study's originality derives from its hybrid, revealed preference approach to monitoring recreational value of cultural heritage, combining panel data with field surveys collected from Fuji climbers over six seasons.

Protected areas have been established under the premise of static distribution of different ecosystems and species, but this assumption is becoming invalid due to climate change. Under non-static conditions, some adaptable nonnative species will enter into protected areas, while some native species will no longer be able to sustain ecological functions. In this case, it is a challenge to determine if species that expand their distribution due to climate change (climate-induced species) should be regarded as “alien species” and be removed or not. We approached the challenge of how to treat climate-induced species in protected areas by conducting a literature survey together with a case study in the largest terrestrial national park in Japan (Daisetsuzan National Park). According to both surveys, there is considerable difference in the attitudes of researchers and practitioners. Practitioners tend to think that climate-induced species should be removed only if they are harmful and realistically re...

The numbers of postmillennium international tourists to Japan have increased exponentially, and behavioral differences compared to domestic visitors pose challenges for management. Despite this practical need, few studies have focused on expenditure comparison of existing and emerging visitor segments. This analysis of Mount Fuji's 2008 summer season investigates consumer behavior of inbound tourists, expatriates, and domestic segments via an intercept survey of 927 descending climbers. Findings show that domestic climbers, who preferred package tour or car access, had the highest total expenditure (¥17,190), followed by expats (¥13,500), predominantly young males that made fewer mountain hut stays. Inbound climbers spent the least (¥9,818), tending to use public transport to access Fuji as one destination on a broader vacation itinerary. Following Fuji's UNESCO World Heritage listing and the subsequent introduction of a ¥1,000 (US$10) donation for climbers in 2013, this article provides retrospective, microlevel insights into consumer behavior among Fuji's diversifying segments.

This study presents an operational example of Toya-Usu's recovery strategy from a volcanic eruption in 2000, focussing particularly on the geopark movement which symbolizes the long-term recovery. Findings showed that Toya's millennial response differed significantly from the 1977 eruption, as a cross-section of local residents, tourism operators and officials utilized social capital to create new networks such as the Toya-Usu Volcano Meister, and new management approaches have preserved parts of the debris as disaster ‘heritage’.

Expansion and internationalisation of adventure tourism necessitates monitoring of the demographic profile and behaviour of diversifying visitor segments, particularly at moderate altitude mountainous destinations where risk management is paramount. This paper compares domestic and international climbers descending from Mount Fuji over two consecutive summer seasons (2011–2012). The study site was located near the 5th station trailhead on Yoshida, the busiest of the four Fuji trails. 1416 questionnaires were collected representing 2.5% of the climber population. Findings identified international climbers' profile to be younger and comprise significantly more males, but with less experience and less inclined to stay in a mountain hut. Following a multiple regression conducted to predict round-trip climb duration from selected demographic and behavioural variables, results showed that citizenship, age and staying in a mountain hut added statistically significantly to the prediction (p Management implications • This research monitored domestic and international climbers on the busiest of Fuji's four trails during consecutive 2011–2012 seasons. • Findings underline that monitoring is essential to develop management measures, including targeted risk reduction strategies which consider socio-demographic profiles and behaviour. • A better understanding of adventure tourism trends, including differences between domestic and international visitors, can contribute to the mitigation of incidents and injuries.

A persistent paradox in the global boom of renewable energy revolves around how little of its vast potential has been developed on Native American lands. For economic and environmental reasons, attempts to reverse this pattern are on the rise. Such plans will encounter many unique conditions, particularly those related to tribal norms, customs, and histories. This article examines the prospect of renewable energy (RE) development on the Navajo Nation of the American Southwest. We examine its potential in light of past energy projects, current jurisdictions and control, and the cultural and social heritage of the Navajo Nation. We find that robust RE development on Navajo Nation lands will remain hindered without accounting for Navajo values, intratribal and tribal–nontribal politics, and their relationship to a multifaceted set of regulatory procedures. Without due consideration of these factors, RE development on Navajo and other Native American lands will continue to be slow and disappointing.

This chapter describes Mount Fuji, which at 3776 m asl forms the highest point in Japan, as a composite heritage. Fuji was registered in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 2013 as a Cultural Property, but the mountain and its surrounding landscapes also represent a significant natural heritage. The steep, conically shaped mountain we see today almost wholly comprises volcanic products from the newest phase of Fuji volcanism, and a volcanic complex of three older volcanoes is buried under the ejecta from this new phase. Past eruptions of the mountain posed significant dangers for the densely populated Kanto plain; different landforms and ecosystems were formed out of those events that further underscore the mountain’s value as a composite natural heritage. While Fuji is an exceptionally vigorous stratovolcano, many landforms in this area are formed by active denudation forces. Apart from the mountain, the surrounding areas offer a rich diversity of landforms such as artesian spring rivers, lava tunnels, and lakes. Tourism at Mount Fuji has changed significantly from its pilgrimage roots, and this transformation has put considerable pressure on the landscape. The natural heritage of this area urgently needs holistic planning and conservation measures to control the footprint of tourism and urban development.

This paper uses Butler’s Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) model to track the rise and fall of nature-based tourism (NBT) in Japan through six stages of nature park visitation from “Exploration” to th...

Recently, ACS had the opportunity to conduct data recovery and archival research for the Hayden Flour Mill property redevelopment project in Tempe, Arizona, which produced significant results for understanding the use of the property and buildings over time and the mill’s influence on early Tempe. The results of this project not only illustrate an understudied aspect of the development of territorial Arizona (flour milling) but also demonstrate the often invaluable correlation between historic archaeology and archival documents. The latter aspect is becoming increasingly important as the number of historic properties is expected to soar in the next few decades as more and more sites enter the “historic” age as defined by the Secretary of Interior’s standards.

The oil and gas industry has a long history of evaluating the adequacy of subsurface traps for containing buoyant fluids and has developed methods for weighing the geologic probability of trap leakage when limited data are available. We have adapted these methods for evaluating the adequacy of sub-surface saline formation traps for CO 2 storage. A principal difference in the evaluation for gas and oil exploration versus CO 2 storage is that the probability of leakage is viewed differently. The oil and gas industry tolerates substantial leak probabilities in exploration if the potential gas or oil accumulation is sufficiently large, but the tolerance for CO 2 leakage (i.e. the probability of injected CO 2 returning to the surface) will likely be much lower, and that low tolerance has the potential to limit the amount of CO 2 injected into a subsurface trap. We consider three types of saline formation traps: • Depleted gas or oil fields • Drilled trap structures that failed to discover commercial gas or oil volumes • Undrilled trap structures Each of these types has some probability of CO 2 leakage, but the geologic probability is smaller and better constrained in depleted gas or oil fields and greater and more uncertain in untested structures. However, each of these trap types still possess some geologic probability of leakage. We evaluate the overall probability by considering for each trap element (e.g., capillary seal capacity) the likelihood that each element is adequately developed and the quality and quantity of data available to make that judgment. By following procedures applied to gas and oil trap evaluation, we arrive at probability distributions for a range of CO 2 fill limits. What this analysis reveals, however, is that if we fill traps with CO 2 to levels with minimal probability of CO 2 leakage, the volume of CO 2 that could be stored in subsurface traps is small. Moreover, all traps will, on average, have huge remaining pore volumes that could accommodate additional CO 2 storage and could go unfilled (i.e. pore volumes with a higher probability of leakage). We propose an evaluation method based on a series of redundant traps in a fill-leak sequence. The purpose of secondary and tertiary traps arranged in series is that they allow for filling the primary trap to its uncertain fill limit while minimizing the chance of leakage to the surface.

Japan's rural peripheries have suffered dramatic depopulation in the postwar period as a result of urbanization driven by education and employment. Subsequent attempts at regional revitalization have seen corporate branding techniques increasingly used in regional public diplomacy, although the intangible nature of place branding has undermined attempts to conclusively prove its effectiveness. This contribution re-examines the Japanese place-branding boom through the case study of Nagano prefecture’s Shinshu Brand, raising questions over its portrayal as a success story in previous research. Nagano’s increasingly tourist-based strategy is examined in detail, and the omission of its four national parks (NPs) is discussed. Analysis shows that these parks, by definition the areas with the greatest biodiversity and most spectacular scenery in Nagano, fall under the jurisdiction of disparate agencies of central government and management that is increasingly distanced from the local prefecture. This article proposes that the active incorporation of these existing brands into Nagano’s portfolio is vital to a tourist-based economy and the sustainability of the Shinshu Brand. Just as branding is a two-way process between brand identity and brand image, NPs are also vital regional resources that should be actively included in prefectural brands.

To evaluate the isotopic record of climate change and carbon sequestration in the Late Paleozoic, we have compiled new and published oxygen and carbon isotopic measurements of more than 2000 brachiopod shells from Carboniferous through Middle Permian (359–260 Ma) strata. We focus on the isotopic records from the U.S. Midcontinent and the Russian Platform because these two regions provide well-preserved marine fossils spanning a broad time interval. Both regions show a δ18O increase at the Mid-Carboniferous boundary (ca. 318 Ma) that roughly correlates with geologic evidence for an expansion of Gondwanan glaciers. Only the Russian Platform record shows a δ18O maximum during the glacial maximum in the Asselian. In contrast to a previous study [Korte, C., Jasper, T., Kozur, H.W., and Veizer, J., 2005. δ18O and δ13C of Permian brachiopods: a record of seawater evolution and continental glaciation. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 224, 333–351.], our data show no oxygen isotope evidence for glacial retreat in the early Permian, but instead show increasing δ18O values related to aridification. Dissimilarity in the δ18O trends for the epicontinental seas of North American and the Russian Platform suggests that at least one region experienced periodic restriction that altered regional salinities and seawater δ18O values. These results highlight the need for complementary proxies to identify restricted circulation in epicontinental seas. Carbon isotopic compositions of carbonates exhibit substantial regional variation with low values in western North America, intermediate values in the midcontinent, and high values in the Sverdrup Basin, Russian Platform, and northern Spain. Nevertheless, both U.S. Midcontinent and Russian Platform records show a late Serpukhovian minimum, a sharp increase across the Mid-Carboniferous boundary, and a minimum centered on the Kasimovian. The correlative increase in brachiopod δ13C and δ18O values at the Mid-Carboniferous boundary is our best isotopic evidence for a link between the carbon burial and glaciation in the Permo-Carboniferous.

Nuclear wastes from Hanford’s processing for separation of plutonium are stored in massive, buried, single-shell tanks in 18 tank farms. These so-called tank wastes were initially thermally hot because of radioactive decay, and many exhibited extreme chemical character in terms of pH, salinity, and radionuclide concentration. At present, 67 of the 149 single shell tanks are suspected to have released over 1.9 million L of tank waste to the vadose zone, with most leak events occurring between 1950 and 1975. Boreholes have been placed through the largest vadose zone plumes to defi ne the extent of contaminant migration and to develop conceptual models of processes governing the transformation, retardation, and overall transport of tank waste residuals. Laboratory studies with sediments so collected have shown that ion exchange, precipitation and dissolution, and surface complexation reactions have occurred between the tank wastes and subsurface sediments, moderating their chemical character and retarding the migration of select contaminants. Processes suspected to facilitate the far-fi eld migration of immobile radionuclides including stable aqueous complex formation and mobile colloids were found to be potentially operative but unlikely to occur in the fi eld, with the exception of cyanide-facilitated migration of 60 Co. Certain fi ssion product oxyanions (Mo, Ru, Se, Tc) and nitrates are the most mobile of tank waste constituents because their adsorption is suppressed by large concentrations of waste anions, the vadose zone clay fraction is negative in surface charge, and, unlike Cr, their reduced forms are unstable in oxidizing environments. Reaction/process-based transport modeling is beginning to be used for predictions of future contaminant mobility and plume evolution.

A detailed study has been made on the preparation and consequent heat treatment of various active nickel oxide—alumina catalysts. The techniques used in this study were surface area measurements, pore size analysis and density determinations. Three methods were employed for catalyst preparation, these being impregnation; co-precipitation and bulk fusion of the metal nitrates. The results indicate that the catalyst prepared by co-precipitation was the most suitable. By following surface area changes with temperature and time as variables two modes of sintering were noted, one occurring in the temperature range 1100 to 1164 K giving an activation energy of 98 kJ mol−1, and the other occurring in the temperature range 1182 to 1200 K giving an activation energy of 460 kJ mol−1. It is thought that the mechanism controlling the sintering in the first case is a direct result of surface diffusion, whilst that occurring in the second range is governed by volume diffusion. The decrease in the number of particles as a trend in sintering is calculated for the sample sintered at 1182 K using surface area and density data.

Trypanosomatids are important human pathogens that form a basal branch of eukaryotes. Their evolutionary history is still unclear as are many aspects of their molecular biology. Here we characterize essential components required for the incorporation of serine and selenocysteine into the proteome of Trypanosoma. First, the biological function of a putative Trypanosoma seryl-tRNA synthetase was characterized in vivo. Secondly, the molecular recognition by Trypanosoma seryl-tRNA synthetase of its cognate tRNAs was dissected in vitro. The cellular distribution of tRNA(Sec) was studied, and the catalytic constants of its aminoacylation were determined. These were found to be markedly different from those reported in other organisms, indicating that this reaction is particularly efficient in trypanosomatids. Our functional data were analyzed in the context of a new phylogenetic analysis of eukaryotic seryl-tRNA synthetases that includes Trypanosoma and Leishmania sequences. Our results show that trypanosomatid seryl-tRNA synthetases are functionally and evolutionarily more closely related to their metazoan homologous enzymes than to other eukaryotic enzymes. This conclusion is supported by sequence synapomorphies that clearly connect metazoan and trypanosomatid seryl-tRNA synthetases.

Selection is unwittingly influenced by nuances of fish culturists and adaptation of fish to intensive culture within artificial environments. When pathogens are present, susceptible individuals may be selectively eliminated from a population, accounting for inter-specific and intra-specific differences in susceptibility to disease. Biologists often intensify such selection to enhance resistance. Particularly important to this discourse is the selective breeding program initiated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (Rome, NY, USA) to produce brown trout (Salmo salar) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) that are resistant to Aeromonas salmonicida. This program, specifically as it relates to brook trout, is reviewed throughout the current manuscript. In addition, we present a comparison between the performance of the Rome strain of brook trout to that of the Owhi strain of brook trout during a 17-month production cycle at the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station (Grand Isle, VT, USA) and after stocking into Vermont waters. The Owhi strain is used in recreational fisheries because it has good post-stocking survival, but these fish are sensitive to furunculosis. Our data indicated that the Rome strain had a food conversion rate of 1.3 that was slightly less than the 1.1 conversion rate of the Owhi brook trout. The growth rate measured as Monthly Temperature Units per inch (MTU/in.) among Rome brook trout (24.9 MTU/in.) was better than the Owhi brook trout (29.5 MTU/in.). Both the average length (23.6 cm) and weight (159.7 g) of individual Rome brook trout were superior to those of the Owhi strain (20.4 cm and 78.2 g, respectively). Just prior to stocking, survival within the hatchery was 84% among the Rome trout, but only 51% among the Owhi brook trout and mortality was attributed to a persistent epizootic of furunculosis. Microbiological assays indicated that the prevalence of A. salmonicida in dermal mucus attained equivalent levels within both strains of fish at different phases of the production cycle. The level of systemic infection, however, was regulated to a much greater extent by the Rome strain of brook trout throughout production. Our results indicated that the Rome brook trout strain satisfies management objectives for establishing an effective recreational brook trout fishery. Use of this strain also reduces management issues that complicate production when A. salmonicida is enzootic.

Objective Few studies exist on climbing-related incidents at Fujisan, although it is Japan's highest peak at 3776 m, and attracts dense crowds of summer climbers. A retrospective review was thus conducted to analyze the types of incidents and the demographics of climbers involved. Methods Police reports of summer climbing incidents occurring along the Yoshida trail on Fujisan's north face from 1989 to 2008 were reviewed. Variables assessed included climber age, sex, experience, gear, altitude of incident, and whether the incident occurred during ascent or descent, as well as the cause and severity of any associated injury. Results A total of 155 incident reports were assessed, including 28 deaths mostly attributable to cardiac events occurring among male climbers during ascent. The majority of nonfatal incidents occurred during descent and most involved tripping. More than half of all incidents were reported at the 8th step (approximately 3000 m). The frequent appearance of male climbers without experience or adequate footwear reflects Fujisan's summer demographics, yet the injury rate appears higher among older climbers more than 50 years of age. There were also 28 noninjury incidents attributed to acute mountain sickness or fatigue. Conclusions This retrospective review describes the demographics of summer climbing incidents on Fujisan's north face. Additionally, limitations to the current method of incident reporting were identified. More comprehensive recordkeeping would increase understanding of injuries and illness, which could improve resource allocation and reduce the risk of fatalities from out-of-hospital cardiac events.

Recognition strategies for tRNA aminoacylation are ancient and highly conserved, having been selected very early in the evolution of the genetic code. In most cases, the trinucleotide anticodons of tRNA are important identity determinants for aminoacylation by cognate aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. However, a degree of ambiguity exists in the recognition of certain tRNA(Ile) isoacceptors that are initially transcribed with the methionine-specifying CAU anticodon. In most organisms, the C34 wobble position in these tRNA(Ile) precursors is rapidly modified to lysidine to prevent recognition by methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MRS) and production of a chimeric Met-tRNA(Ile) that would compromise translational fidelity. In certain bacteria, however, lysidine modification is not required for MRS rejection, indicating that this recognition strategy is not universally conserved and may be relatively recent. To explore the actual distribution of lysidine-dependent tRNA(Ile) rejection by MRS, we have investigated the ability of bacterial MRSs from different clades to differentiate cognate tRNACAU(Met) from near-cognate tRNACAU(Ile). Discrimination abilities vary greatly and appear unrelated to phylogenetic or structural features of the enzymes or sequence determinants of the tRNA. Our data indicate that tRNA(Ile) identity elements were established late and independently in different bacterial groups. We propose that the observed variation in MRS discrimination ability reflects differences in the evolution of genetic code machineries of emerging bacterial clades.

A Gaussian code division multiple access (CDMA) channel is shared by li active users who transmit asynchronously with BPSK modulation by independent binary data streams. A conventional direct sequence CDMA receiver has only limited capability for suppressing cochannel multiple user interference (MUI) from the li - 1 other CDMA signals while attempting to receive and demodulate each CDMA signal. A new and efficient feedback receiver structure is described for coherent demodulation of the li asynchronous CDMA signals. By in- corporating adaptive cancellation of the cochannel MU1 in a feedback structure, the new design offers the following advan- tages: protection of the receiver's synchronization loops as well as its data demodulators against MUI; lower bit error rate (BER) than the conventional receiver for equal-strength as well as near-far MUI; and implementation simplicity close to that of the conventional CDMA receiver. It is shown that all the CDMA signals are canceled to a common level determined by j1-0 , the one-sided power spectral density of the input AWGN; the bandwidth spreading ratio S; and Ii. The BER for any signal may be computed as if the at its matched filter input were multiplied by the factor (GLY/;7)(1.5S + 1 - IC)) for I< 5 1.5-Y. Computer simulations corroborate this result. A straightforward enhancement to the receiver structure is shown to allow it to overcome the deleterious affects of multipath propagation.

In mammals, one of the most pronounced consequences of viral infection is the induction of type I interferons, cytokines with potent antiviral activity. Schlafen (Slfn) genes are a subset of interferon-stimulated early response genes (ISGs) that are also induced directly by pathogens via the interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) pathway1. However, many ISGs are of unknown or incompletely understood function. Here we show that human SLFN11 potently and specifically abrogates the production of retroviruses such as human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1). Our study revealed that SLFN11 has no effect on the early steps of the retroviral infection cycle, including reverse transcription, integration and transcription. Rather, SLFN11 acts at the late stage of virus production by selectively inhibiting the expression of viral proteins in a codon-usage-dependent manner. We further find that SLFN11 binds transfer RNA, and counteracts changes in the tRNA pool elicited by the presence of HIV. Our studies identified a novel antiviral mechanism within the innate immune response, in which SLFN11 selectively inhibits viral protein synthesis in HIV-infected cells by means of codon-bias discrimination.