Research mapping is a method of organising research information as part of a process of formulating a research policy in a specific area. A research mapping project was undertaken in the UK, which aimed to map existing and future research into public and green space, to identify gaps in order to help set priorities for future research, and to develop a freely accessible and searchable database of this research. The mapping was structured around two axes. The first axis was of research themes based on The Value of Public Space but developed further and broken down into sub-themes. The second axis was a typology of green and public space based around Planning and Policy Guidance Note 17 (PPG17) with elaboration from Green Spaces, Better Places. Research dating back to 10 years was collected together with information on recently completed, ongoing and planned UK research. Only research meeting specific quality criteria was included. Some information was also collected at a seminar where attendees from a range of organisations were invited to offer their perspectives on where research priorities should be directed. All the material was analysed and the main trends were identified. Three key cross-cutting themes common to much of the research were identified. These are the general lack of baseline surveys against which to assess progress over time; methodological issues, especially the need to standardise data collection methods and techniques; the classification of social groups, currently considered to be too crude.It was found that most research has been undertaken on physical aspects, such as planning and on biodiversity. Economic values have also been a focus, but on a smaller scale. Social research is quite well covered but very patchy. Management is better covered than maintenance. By far the weakest area represented in the research is health and well-being, both in terms of social groups and types of green space. Priorities for further research were then identified. 相似文献
The behaviour of sheep, goats and cattle on a shrub and tree savannah in the sub-humid zone of West Africa was studied during the dry (February to May), rainy (June to September) and cool season (October to January). Two mature females per animal species were followed by two observers during 3 days per month and behaviour activities were recorded every 15 min of the daily grazing time. When browsing, the plant name, plant part and plant height reached during prehension were recorded. The distance travelled and the grazing circuits were recorded with a step counter and a Geographic Position System device. The knowledge of farmers concerning appreciated browse species relative to the browse species consumed by animals in the area was also investigated.
During the dry season sheep, goats and cattle spent around 25% of their time browsing and 20%, 16% and 31%, respectively, of their time grazing. During the cool season, goats (17%) browsed more than sheep (7%) and cattle (5%) (P < 0.05). During the rainy season, sheep browsed 20% of the time while cattle spent only 7% of their time browsing, while goats were tied, with no opportunity for browsing. Browsing leaves was the most important part of the browsing activity. During the cool season, browsing height was the same (1.0 m) for cattle and goats, but lower for sheep (0.6 m) (P < 0.05). In the dry and cool season, sheep and goats walked shorter distances than cattle.
The plant species with the highest frequency of consumption were Acacia dudgeoni Craib, Ficus gnaphalocarpa (Miq.) A. Rich, Dioscorea togoensis Knuth, Cordia myxa L., and Manguifera indica L. for sheep and goats and Afzelia africana Sm., Kaya senegalensis (Desv.) A. Juss, Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir. and Dicrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight and Arn. for cattle. Species with a high frequency of citation by farmers were A. africana (92%), K. senegalensis (88%), P. erinaceus (86%), Faidherbia albida A. Chevalier (80%), A. dudgeoni (70%) and F. gnaphalocarpa (69%).
In conclusion, browse species make an important contribution to the diet of ruminant animals in the sub-humid zone and farmers are familiar with the species consumed by ruminant animals. 相似文献
