Negotiating local livelihoods: Scales of conflict in the Se San River Basin

Abstract: The Se San is an important tributary river basin of the Mekong. In 1993, Vietnam began building the Yali Falls Dam 80 kilometres upstream of the point at which this westward flowing river enters Cambodia. Ninety indigenous communities along the Se San River in two provinces of north‐eastern Cambodia have been impacted severely by flooding, and a dramatically altered hydrological regime that affects fisheries and all other aspects of livelihood, such as river bank agriculture. Since 2000, when the first turbines were commissioned, the affected communities have been increasingly vocal regarding the impacts of Yali and the plans for several more dams on upper reaches of the river. A complex set of actors including non‐governmental organisations, village, district and provincial authorities, national committees in Cambodia and Vietnam, the Mekong River Commission and a range of international players have become involved in a two‐track process, which has nevertheless allowed little space for negotiation over the Se San River on the part of those most directly affected. This case has fundamental implications for governance and conflict management in the Mekong and more widely. The Australian Mekong Resource Centre has been working with local actors to document the Se San case as part of an international project on River Basin Management: a negotiated approach, in support of six cases that involve up‐scaling of grassroots river basin initiatives in Africa, Latin America and Asia. In this article, we illustrate the significance of and problematise negotiation as a socially and politically embedded conflict management principle, with reference to the Se San case.     

Agricultural colonisation in Lam Dong Province,Vietnam

Since 1975, the territory within the limits of Vietnam has been subject to rapid land use changes. Agricultural colonisation by ethnic Viet in the mountains and plateaus of the Central Highlands constitutes one of the most visible trends in this process. As one of the traditional dynamics in Viet history, agricultural colonisation has contributed to the integration of marginal peoples and territories into the national body. In the province of Lam Dong, in the Central Highlands, the actual distribution and structure of the population are directly inherited from four phases of agricultural colonisation: the Colonial period (1858‐1954); the regime of South Vietnam (1954‐1975); the unified communist State (1975‐1987); and the Vietnam of Doi Moi (1987 onwards). By analysing these phases, this article aims to show that agricultural colonisation has contributed to the penetration and consolidation of the State in such marginal territories.     

中国与东南亚三国（越、老、柬）普通野生稻遗传多样性的比较研究

利用24对SSR引物,对来自中国10个代表性居群和越南、老挝、柬埔寨的5个居群共计282份普通野生稻材料进行遗传多样性比较研究。结果表明,(1)24个微卫星位点共检测到等位基因289个,平均等位基因数(A)为12,有效等位基因数(Ae)为7;期望杂合度(He)平均为0.812,观察杂合度(Ho)平均为0.543,香农指数(I)平均为1.99;(2)4个国家中,中国普通野生稻的遗传多样性最丰富,老挝次之,越南和柬埔寨最低,香农指数(I)分别为1.92、1.69、1.47和1.45;(3)采用UPGMA方法对供试15个居群进行聚类分析。老挝和柬埔寨2个居群的亲缘关系最近,二者与越南居群有着较近的亲缘关系;(4)在中国所有参试居群中,广西武宣和贺州居群与东南亚3国亲缘关系最近。     

I,River?: New materialism,riparian non‐human agency and the scale of democratic reform

This article is a discussion of the “discourse on the unthinkable” surrounding potential future democratic engagements with rivers as non‐human persons or natural objects. In the context of the Asia–Pacific region, this article suggests that the developments in material philosophy entitled “new materialism” are essential tools in the reconceptualisation of rivers as democratic entities but that local socio‐historical conditions must also be taken into the account. In order to make its case, the article not only surveys the context for considering rivers as non‐human persons in a juridical context but also discusses the new material context that assists modern democracies in the renegotiation of the demos that forms the body politic of democracy – often in the face of neoliberal exploitation and a legacy of extremes in instrumentalism. The article argues that the incorporation of water in the democratic project of enfranchisement is an essential exercise born of many Western beliefs and ideals but articulated uniquely at a regional and national level.     

Greenhouse gas implications of replacing fish protein with beef in the lower Mekong Basin

At least 88 new hydropower dams are planned between 2010 and 2030 in the lower Mekong River basin in Southeast Asia as a source of electricity with lower greenhouse gas emissions. Dams result in declines in fish populations that will need to be replaced with other sources of protein for food security. We make the first assessment of emissions should beef production substitute for lost fish in Cambodia and Laos. We assessed two sources of emissions. Replacing lost fish with beef would require as much as 12 million hectares of new pasture. Forest clearing for pastures in Cambodia and Lao PDR would initially emit between 0.859 and 3.015 giga‐tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (Gt CO₂‐eq.). Methane emissions from additional cattle would add at least 0.0013 Gt CO₂‐eq./year to Cambodia's total greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to a 20% increase. In Laos at least 0.0005 Gt CO₂‐eq./year would be released, a 4–12% increase in annual emissions. We demonstrate that activities displaced by hydropower developments could significantly increase emissions. It shows how enclosure of commons at local scales impacts upon other common pool resources at different scales, raising questions for sustainable and equitable transboundary governance.     

不同繁殖方式蓝莓苗木生长生理特性研究

为探寻蓝莓苗木最佳繁殖方式,对兔眼类蓝莓"灿烂"和高丛类蓝莓"莱克西"的组培与扦插2种不同繁殖方式苗木进行生长生理特性观测研究,结果表明:其净光合速率日变化分别在10:00时和14:00时呈现2个高峰曲线,12:00时出现峰谷。其中"灿烂"扦插苗的净光合速率最大,其次是"莱克西"扦插苗。扦插苗和组培苗的叶绿素a、叶绿素b、硝态氮含量、根系活力等均差异显著(p<0.05),硝态氮含量最大的是"莱克西"扦插苗,最小的是"莱克西"组培苗;根系活力大小顺序为"莱克西"组培苗>"莱克西"扦插苗>"灿烂"组培苗>"灿烂"扦插苗。对不同繁殖方式下蓝莓幼苗的净光合速率、胞间CO_2浓度、气孔导度、蒸腾速率、硝态氮含量、根系活力、叶绿素总量等7个指标进行主成分分析,其主成分值大小依次是"莱克西"组培苗>"莱克西"扦插苗>"灿烂"组培苗>"灿烂"扦插苗,反映出不同蓝莓种类及不同繁殖方式苗木生理特性指标的强弱差异。     

Geographical distribution of ribosomal DNA variation in taro, Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott, in eastern Asia

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) at the ribosomal RNA gene loci (rDNA) was investigated in 227 accessions of taro, Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott, from China, Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Eighteen different restriction fragment patterns of rDNA were observed. The results were largely consistent with a previous classification based on isozyme data. Some rDNA patterns were distributed extensively in the temperate zone from inland China to Japan. On the other hand, some other patterns ranged in coastal and/or insular areas from the tropical zone to the temperate zone (Japan). These geographical distributions may suggest two different routes for the introduction of taro into Japan: one from China,and the other most likely from Southeast Asia, via Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands (southern Japan). This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Polish Labour Migration to the UK: Data Discrepancies,Migrant Distributions,and Indicators of Entrepreneurial Activity

This paper contributes to a growing body of work on labour market migration to the UK from the new Member States (NMS) of the European Union, particularly the migration of Polish nationals to the UK, drawing attention to the weaknesses of existing data sets which attempt to quantify these migration flows and in particular to map the geographical distribution of migrants. The analysis of Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) and National Insurance Number (NINo) allocation data demonstrates that NMS migration has focused on urban and rural locales rather than having a predominantly rural or “peripheral” area bias. The paper also argues that the discrepancies between WRS and NINo data potentially reveal a “hidden” geography of self‐employment and entrepreneurial activity among NMS migrants which merits further investigation.     

Developing a typology of daily travelers based on transportation attitudes: Application of latent class analysis using a survey of millennials and older adults in Hamilton,Ontario

Using survey data of millennials and older adults in Hamilton, Ontario, this exploratory study sought to identify daily travelers based on their attitudes and perceptions toward transportation modes using latent class analysis. Four daily traveler types are identified—“walk and transit-oriented travelers,” “car-oriented commuters,” “multimodal travelers,” and “car-oriented travelers.” The study also examined the association of different sociodemographic characteristics and trip attributes with the four traveler types. Findings suggest that heterogeneity exists within travel-related attitudes among different traveler types. Further, heterogeneous traveler types exist among individuals belonging to the same generation, with the same living arrangements and possession of a driver's license.     

中国-印尼玉米产业科技合作进展及展望

为了提升印度尼西亚国家玉米产业发展水平,服务国家“一带一路”、“科技服务外交”等国家战略,执行国家科技部对发展中国家科技援助项目,山东省农业科学院玉米研究所开展了印尼本土化玉米育种、新品种与新技术集成和玉米产业科技园区建设等项目内容。利用黄淮海优异种质与印尼富含热带资源种质组配了育种基础材料,育成的10份玉米优异杂交组合正在参加印尼国家玉米品种审定试验;实现了山东省第一次境外农业技术培训班和玉米现场观摩活动,高产栽培技术集成创造了印尼雨季玉米13.70 t/hm²的高产纪录;建成的50 hm²中国-印尼玉米产业科技园区,正在为印尼玉米产业的快速发展发挥重要作用。通过科企合作模式,发挥国内农业企业优势,将中国的玉米新品种、新技术引进到印度尼西亚,将会加速印尼玉米产业发展水平,为国家科技外交和“一带一路”战略服务。     

Place,memory and identity: Imagining ‘New Asia’

Abstract: The rapid transformation of Asian societies and landscapes, especially since the mid‐1990s, has engendered much conjecture of the ‘Asian renaissance’ and the rise of a ‘New Asia’. This Special Edition of Asia Pacific Viewpoint explores the intersecting themes of ‘urban place’, ‘social memory’ and ‘cultural identity’ in the articulation of and contestation towards New Asia. Specifically, the six articles here offer various interpretations of New Asia – as tourism marketing tool, political vision and social identity – and the politics involved in urban, tourism and cultural development. From colonial hotels in key South‐East Asian cities to the historic waterfront of Singapore; from festivals and rituals in Hong Kong, Hoi An (Vietnam) and Penang (Malaysia) to the clash of cultural values in Manggarai (Indonesia), ‘selective remembering’ and ‘ideological forgetting’ are central to the construction of New Asian identities. Ultimately, this Special Edition hopes to provoke continuing discussions on the rhetoric of New Asia and its imaginative and contested geographies, sociologies and histories.     

Something New or More of the Same in the Bidding Wars for Big Business?

The economic downturn that began in 2007–2008 was blamed by some commentators on neoliberalism and pro‐business policies. So we might expect U.S. state and local governments to have responded with policy changes affecting their neoliberal economic development strategies. Based on this assumption, this paper is a theoretically informed examination of recent high‐profile bidding wars in Wisconsin. The highest profile example was in 2009 when General Motors chose a plant in Michigan over Wisconsin and Tennessee for a new small car line. Wisconsin's Commerce Secretary characterized Michigan's $1.2 billion incentive offer as “absolutely crazy” (compared with his state's $409 million offer!). My main research question is how have Wisconsin state and local governments adjusted their neoliberal economic development efforts in these bidding wars given the recent economic downturn and weak economy? This paper uses the largest incentive offers in Wisconsin during the tenure of the current and previous state governors within the context of ten themes drawn from the literature to problematize the neoliberal policy of bidding for big business. It concludes by considering the implications for economic development policies.     

Reflections on the “Old” Economy, “New” Economy,and Services

ABSTRACT Economic competitiveness now has less to do with new materials than with new ways of producing, utilizing, and combining diverse knowledges. It is branded as symptomatic of a “new” economy and is often juxtaposed against the “old” economy. As accelerating technological change has greatly increased the volume and quality of the information available to organizations, to firms, and to individual employees, it is asserted that the economy has become more “new” than “old.” But this is predicated on the assumption that there is a “new” economy and that it is somehow distinguishable from the “old.” This paper explores the basis for this dichotomy and whether it really adds anything to understanding contemporary economies and their ongoing development. It will be argued that it is more useful and constructive to examine the economy through a lens dominated by service industries that are now the key drivers of change (innovation, competition, employment) and development. The paper is concluded with a discussion of some items that could usefully be part of an agenda for further research by economic geographers on the evolving spatial and structural attributes of service work and organizations and their impact on cities or regions at different scales of analysis.     

Nothing is in the Air

It has often been argued that “there is something in the air” which makes firms in high‐density environments—such as cities or clusters—more innovative. The co‐location of firms facilitates the emergence of serendipity and casual encounters which promote innovation in firms. We assess this hypothesis using data from a survey of Norwegian firms engaged in innovation partnerships. The results indicate that there may be “much less in the air” than is generally assumed in the literature. The relationships conducive to innovation by Norwegian firms emerged as a consequence of purpose‐built searches and had little to do with chance, serendipity, or “being there.”     

Large Dams,Restructuring and Regional Integration in Southeast Asia

Large dams are a dramatic intervention affecting ecosystems, livelihoods and resource use, notably in upland areas. Dams are significant, both in terms of their scale of impact and due to their role in appropriating part of the upland resource base for mainly lowland and urban beneficiaries. Whereas in the past the tensions associated with impact of dams in Southeast Asia have been played out within national borders, mainly in Thailand, the new impetus for dam construction reflects an internationalised agenda — namely integration of the mainland Southeast Asian regional resource economy. This paper examines the background to large dam construction in mainland Southeast Asia, current and projected developments, and their implications in a number of arenas. Case studies from Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam illustrate the main points. It is shown that political­economic restructuring associated with the changing geopolitics of the region is a major influence on the revived agenda for large dam construction, and that such restructuring modulates the direct and indirect impacts of dams at local, national and regional levels.     

Choosing the most representative technical management routes within diverse management practices: Application to vineyards in the Loire Valley for environmental and quality assessment

Diversity of agricultural systems can be described at different scales in terms of three main types of variables: technical management of cropping systems, farming systems and food supply chains. We focus on the diversity of technical management routes (TMRs), defined as logical successions of technical options (TOs) designed by the farmers. The study, comparison and assessment of this great diversity of complex routes are impossible with classical agronomic experiments or exhaustive assessments such as life cycle assessment (LCA). Hence, the selection of representative cases is necessary. Multidimensional data analysis methods permit the characterization of a diversity of TMRs and the construction of typologies but do not allow the consideration of the specific associations of TOs constituting the various TMRs.The aim of this paper is threefold: (i) to propose a new combined method, “Typ-iti”, to classify the field TMRs of farmers, to identify key TO associations and to select the most relevant cases for study; (ii) to test this method on vineyard management diversity using a panel of vineyard fields of Loire Valley producers; and (iii) to discuss the capability of the proposed Typ-iti method for use in the characterization and selection of cases of other agricultural systems at diverse scales.The example developed in this paper is the selection of vineyard management cases for grape LCA combined with grape quality evaluation. The cases were selected to represent the regional diversity of management practices. A detailed on-farm survey of management methods was performed on a diverse range of wine production estates in the Middle Loire Valley. The Typ-iti method was constructed and implemented on the survey database. It combines a multidimensional analysis of qualitative survey data and typology and partitioning (clustering) associated with data mining methods (frequent pattern mining search and association rules).The surveyed sample was partitioned into 5 types of management practices, 2 of which were organic and 3 conventional. The partitioning was driven primarily by choices involving pest management and floor management. Each type was characterized by specific TOs, specific associations of TOs and remarkable TMRs. The cases were chosen on the basis of these 3 parameters.The Typ-iti method can be applied to other crops and at different scales; the only limitation is the availability of precise information on the practices used by farmers in their fields.     

“互联网+”教学模式下“食品原料生产安全控制技术”的改革与探索

“互联网+”时代的来临,加速了教育的发展,对传统的教学模式带来了新的挑战。随着“雨课堂”“慕课”“微课”等许多新兴网络教学平台的不断涌现,为教育的改革提供了机遇。以“UMU”教学平台为媒介,从课前、课中、课后等方面对“食品原料生产安全控制”的教学模式进行了改革与探索,总结了教学过程中的优势与局限性,以期利用新兴网络教学平台提高学生对课程的学习兴趣。     

Urban Growth Boundaries and Betterment: Rent‐Seeking by Landowners on Melbourne's Expanding Urban Fringe

Melbourne's Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) was legislated in 2002 and expanded substantially in 2010. Although based on strategic planning goals, UGBs have the capacity to influence land and housing markets. Landowners on the rural–urban fringe are a stakeholder group directly impacted by UGB policy, with multiple interests in containment policies and any land‐value effects. Following the 2010 expansion, substantial windfall profits to “instant millionaire” Melbourne landowners were openly reported. This paper critically interprets claims made by landowners in 264 public submissions responding to the proposed UGB expansion, and to an accompanying new policy instrument, the Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution (GAIC). The GAIC was, in effect, a hypothecated tax on betterment expected to result from the UGB shift. Landowners commonly expressed fears that the UGB shift would not result in claimed value increases. On this basis, the GAIC was revised such that it is—at least in intention—a system wherein the tax is to be paid by housing developers and passed forward to homebuyers. The paper argues that the series of changes to the UGB and GAIC, including the modified “purchaser pays” system, may be understood as a response to rent‐seeking policy pressures from existing landowners as “insiders.” Although the unpopularity of the GAIC with landowners might have been anticipated, the outcome appears to legitimise their misinterpretation of the premise of development gain. A broader implication is that rent‐seeking behaviour by existing property owners can determine whether and how strategic planning policies are implemented.     

Crafting an Antidote to Fast Fashion: The Case of Toronto's Independent Fashion Design Sector

The fashion industry has undergone a profound transformation in business practices and production systems over the past several decades. These shifts include the globalisation of production chains and the emergence of a new model of “fast fashion.” This paper investigates the response of independent fashion designers in Toronto, Canada to the growing competition posed by fast fashion. It identifies a number of strategies utilised by designers to compete, arguing that they are increasingly adopting a new model of “slow fashion,” which opens up possibilities for forging locally and ethically based relationships in the fashion sector.