The Trial Intensive Management Area for Crocodiles: A Crocodile Removal Zone in Queensland,Australia

The Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the world's largest living crocodile, and in Queensland it inhabits tropical coastal wetlands and waterways. From 1990 to 2001, there have been nine substantiated crocodile attacks on people in Queensland, resulting in one death and eight serious injuries. Several crocodile attacks occurred in the Cairns area during these years, and Cairns's popular swimming beaches have been closed on a number of occasions because of crocodiles. Human safety from crocodile attack is an issue of great public and political concern in Queensland. From May 1998 to June 2001, the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service operated a trial crocodile removal program in the Cairns area, with a removal zone that extended 70 km along the coast. The program was named the Trial Intensive Management Area for Crocodiles (TIMAC), and its primary purpose was to protect the Cairns's popular swimming beaches from crocodiles. The program was expanded to provide a problem crocodile response service throughout north Queensland and to train additional rangers in crocodile management skills. During the three years of the TIMAC program, 80 crocodiles were captured in north Queensland: 46 crocodiles from within the removal zone, and 34 from outside the removal zone. There were no crocodile attacks in the removal zone during the three-year trial program. At the request of local governments, the program became permanent in July 2001. In effect, Cairns is the only tropical city whose popular swimming beaches are protected by a combination of a lifeguard service, a shark control program, netted enclosures (seasonal) for protection from dangerous Box Jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri), and a crocodile removal program.     

Planning Strategies for Mangrove and Saltmarsh Changes in Southeast Australia

Estuarine habitats of southeast Australia have been undergoing changes characterized by a reduction of saltmarsh and an increase of mangroves. Incorporated into these changes have been mangrove migration into saltmarsh areas, thus contributing to the latter's decline. At the same time, rapid and extensive change in the catchments of many estuaries has occurred as a result of urban and rural development. It has been estimated that the changes observed between mangrove and saltmarsh wetland vegetation is caused by a series of processes, including urbanization and increased population pressure, increased rainfall, increased nutrients, mangroves recolonizing previously cleared areas, engineering works and subsequent altered tidal patterns, sea-level rise, and subsidence of intertidal flats. Planning strategies are suggested that can be implemented in an integrated manner to mitigate the threats from these processes and to ensure the sustainable management of mangrove and saltmarsh wetlands.     

马他突 五彩缤纷的肯尼亚微型巴士

Matatus是这种私营巴士在肯尼亚语中的叫法,地球上每一座第三世界国家的城市中都少不了它们争相招徕乘客、抢夺经营地盘的风景。这一名称源自斯瓦西里语,意为数字三(tatu),"马他突"最早的票价是三个10分硬币(总共相当于半美分)。如今,搭乘10英里大约为1/4美元,折射出肯尼亚自1957年独立至今稳步增长的经济势头,但该国的人均生活费还是只有4美元一天。巴士名称取决于司机所喜爱的上世纪90年代饶舌     

The Art of Successfully Applying Human Systems Integration

This paper reviews developments in human factors and then draws from a number of "best practice" cases in studying how best to apply behavioral science principles, knowledge, and analytical tools to the engineering design or improvement of systems. Government and other commercial experiences are examined with a focus on the Navy human system integration (HSI) process. Included are discussions facilitated at a workshop session sponsored by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies. There is general consensus that in addition to using a well-designed or proven process and doing the right things, success is dependent upon attending to a prioritized short list of critical elements. Continued focus on these elements is necessary to successfully apply human behavioral sciences effectively during design, construction, and operation of systems to improve safety, reliability, effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of life.