A systems approach to the evaluation of natural resource management initiatives.

Adopting a new paradigm for natural resource and environmental policy that emphasises continuous change, adaptation and learning demands a new approach to evaluation to enable improvements in the way these initiatives contribute to sustainable resource use. Evaluation is fundamental to identifying change, supporting an adaptive approach that is flexible enough to meet the challenge of change, and enabling learning at individual, community, institutional and policy levels. Based on a consideration of changing approaches to natural resource management (NRM) policy and observations and experiences in the practical assessment of on-the-ground initiatives, the authors develop a set of principles for evaluation in NRM that: (a) addresses evaluation from a systems perspective, (b) links objective to consequence, (c) considers the fundamental assumptions and hypotheses that underpin core policy or program objectives, (d) is grounded in the natural resource, policy/institutional, economic, socio-cultural and technological contexts of implementation in practice, (e) establishes practical and valid evaluation criteria by which change can be monitored and assessed, (f) involves methodological pluralism including both quantitative and qualitative methods to ensure rigour and comprehensiveness in assessment, and (g) integrates different disciplinary perspectives (i.e. social, economic, environmental, policy and technological). The paper develops a systems-based evaluation framework that incorporates these principles and also recognises the multiple levels and nested nature of NRM policy, namely: problem characterisation, policy formulation and intent, program logic, and on-ground implementation. Finally, we demonstrate its utility through application to three contrasting Australian case studies: a community-based Integrated Catchment Management policy implementation; a resource information delivery system; and the development of a Decision Support System.

Ecological risks and community perceptions of fairness and justice: a cross-cultural model.

Intergenerational justice is implicit in international commitments to sustainability. If ecological, economic, and social components of sustainability are to be achieved, there is a necessity for intergenerational justice considerations to be included in decision making. The present generation's risk judgments should include consideration of the possible outcomes for their children. But intergenerational issues cannot be considered in isolation from other current risk and fairness concerns. This article reports on a community-based integrative model that describes justice and other attitudes and motivations that determine community and individual proenvironmental behavior in two nations: Germany and Australia. This model can account for a considerable amount of the variance in political compliance as well as various proenvironmental behaviors. Group or individual self-interests have nearly no effects on global protective behavior. It is shown that universal as well as contextual principles, including distributive (within or between generations), procedural, and interactive justice, play a crucial role in fairness judgments. Other principles are also taken into account, such as efficiency, environmental rights, and rights to economic welfare. The results are discussed in relation to the importance of complex community fairness judgments in predicting and evaluating acceptance of political decisions, and for promoting proenvironmental behavior.

Maternal grieving response after perinatal death.

The nature and incidence of psychological and related physical disturbances were investigated in 110 mothers who had lost a child in the perinatal period. The mothers were interviewed six to 36 months after their loss. The demographic characteristics, hospital experiences, effects of bereavement and perceived social support system of the women were assessed. A pathological bereavement outcome, which was defined as a marked deterioration in health and evidence of increased social adjustment problems, was identified in 21% of the women. A pathological bereavement outcome was found to be related to two main factors--a reported crisis during pregnancy and the perceived support of the husband and/or family. Whether the mother saw but did not hold her baby was also a factor. These results suggest that the loss of a baby may have at least as severe an effect on a woman as the death of her husband. The implication of these findings is that women who are at risk of a pathological outcome of bereavement may be identified soon after their loss.

Personality and problem gambling.

Matched groups of problem and social gamblers were compared in terms of their locus of control and their responses to the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. Contrary to previous studies no significant differences occurred on the locus of control measure. It was hypothesized that problem gamblers would be more extraverted and intuitive than social gamblers. However, none of the four scales on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator showed a significant difference between the groups. These findings and the results of earlier studies are compared and discussed. Earlier studies are difficult to interpret because of inappropriate or inconsistent controls. It is suggested that future personality studies of problem gamblers differentiate between different types of gambling and different types of problem gamblers.

Effects of azaperone and acetylpromazine on social and environmental behaviour in sheep.

1 Acetylpromazine (Acp, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 mg/kg) and azaperone (Azp, 1.0, 1.25 and 1.5 mg/kg) were given by intramuscular injection to separate groups of seven familiar Romney ewes. Thirty minutes after injection the sheep were led into a featureless arena and spatial distribution, activity and shade preference were monitored for 20 min by overhead photography. 2 Behavioural response was complex with both stimulant and depressant effects being seen. The response trends with increasing time for all three measures were significantly different for the two drugs. In particular, Azp tended to increase animal dispersion and Acp to decrease it, in agreement with earlier predictions. 3 The dosage range for Azp was adequate for reduction of individual movement and inter-animal distance but steady state effect was not reached in the time period studied. All doses of Azp initially caused disorientation, as measured by shade preference,, but this improved as sedation deepened. 4 The highest dose of Acp (0.5 mg/kg) achieved steady state effect on individual movement within the study period. The three doses of ACp caused either no change or a slight increase in inter-animal distance. Disorientation with Acp was less and briefer than that seen with Azp.

Inhibition of activity in rats by rubidium chloride.

Effects of two dosages of rubidium chloride on exploration, locomotion, rearing and immobility were assessed for male and female rats in an exploration box and an open field. In contrast to previous findings, rubidium was found to decrease locomotion and rearing in the exploratory box, and also to decrease locomotion in the open field. Further research in a variety of experimental settings is required before the effects of rubidium on activity can be fully evaluated.

Sex differences in birth patterns of schizophrenics.

Birth patterns of non-aboriginal, first admission, Western Australian psychiatric patients born between 1920 and 1950 were compared statistically with those of the general population. Three I. C. D. categories were examined: schizophrenia, anxiety neurosis, and depressive neurosis. For both categories of neurosis no deviations from normal birth patterns were observed. For males, marked excesses in schizophrenic births were observed in June, and for females a similar excess occurred in September. Possible explanations for this sex difference are examined.

Effect of lithium on voluntary alcohol consumption by low and high preference mouse strains.

Lithium chloride was administered to high (C57/B1) and low (BALB/c) alcohol mouse strains. Experience with alcohol, lithium dosage, frequency of drug administration, concentration of alcohol solution, and sex were varied in four consecutive experiments. In contrast to previous findings no significant effects of lithium administration on alcohol consumption were observed.

Open-field behaviour in sheep following treatment with the neuroleptics azaperone and acetylpromazine.

The behavior of individual Romney ewes in an open field was observed after intramuscular injection of isotonic saline or two doses of azaperone (0.5, 1.0 mg/kg) or acetylpromazine (0.1, 0.25 mg/kg). Azaperone significantly reduced the distance travelled, urination, and the time spent walking. However it increased nosing of the walls and floor (investigation). Azaperone also increased the numbers of sheep seen grazing and pawing and decreased the number heart vocalizing at least once. The only effect acetylpromazine had was to reduce the number of sheep heart vocalizing. The main results were interpreted as supporting a superior reduction of emotional behaviour by azaperone. It was therefore suggested that, as with pigs, azaperone might be useful for treating stress in sheep.

Voluntary lithium intake, antidotal thirst' and concurrent behavior of rats.

1 Voluntary intake of various pair combinations of fluids (100 mM, 10 mM LiC1, 10 mM NaC1, water) and body weight was measured daily in rats. 2 More lithium was consumed when water was available. 3 When offered a lithium-sodium choice the rats did not consume significantly more saline than water on the previous trial. While saline consumption increased over the two days, lithium decreased slightly. 4 Following the lithium-only trial, water and saline were provided. Marked polydipsia was observed on the first day and the rats drank more water than saline. On the second day there was a significant drop in saline intake while water consumption returned to baseline levels. 5 Behavioural measurements overall confirmed the depressant effect of lithium: decreased ambulation and rearing and increased time spent immobile/grooming. 6 These findings are discussed with reference to lithium toxicity, which may be a comfounding variable in studies concerned with the effects of this salt on the behavior of laboratory rodents. Behavioural irritability such as aggression reported in situations using long-term lithium treatment may be reduced by provision for voluntary saline consumption.