ORCID Profile
0000-0001-8813-2240
Current Organisations
Southern Cross University
,
James Cook University
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2021
Publisher: PeerJ
Date: 27-09-2022
DOI: 10.7717/PEERJ.13914
Abstract: Eutrophication of the planet’s aquatic systems is increasing at an unprecedented rate. In freshwater systems, nitrate—one of the nutrients responsible for eutrophication—is linked to bio ersity losses and ecosystem degradation. One of the main sources of freshwater nitrate pollution in New Zealand is agriculture. New Zealand’s pastoral farming system relies heavily on the application of chemical fertilisers. These fertilisers in combination with animal urine, also high in nitrogen, result in high rates of nitrogen leaching into adjacent aquatic systems. In addition to nitrogen, livestock waste commonly carries human and animal enteropathogenic bacteria, many of which can survive in freshwater environments. Two strains of enteropathogenic bacteria found in New Zealand cattle, are K99 and Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC). To better understand the effects of ambient nitrate concentrations in the water column on environmental enteropathogenic bacteria survival, a microcosm experiment with three nitrate-nitrogen concentrations (0, 1, and 3 mg NO 3 -N /L), two enteropathogenic bacterial strains (STEC O26—human, and K99—animal), and two water types (sterile and containing natural microbiota) was run. Both STEC O26 and K99 reached 500 CFU/10 ml in both water types at all three nitrate concentrations within 24 hours and remained at those levels for the full 91 days of the experiment. Although enteropathogenic strains showed no response to water column nitrate concentrations, the survival of background Escherichia coli , imported as part of the in-stream microbiota did, surviving longer in 1 and 3 mg NO 3 -N/Lconcentrations ( P 0.001). While further work is needed to fully understand how nitrate enrichment and in-stream microbiota may affect the viability of human and animal pathogens in freshwater systems, it is clear that these two New Zealand strains of STEC O26 and K99 can persist in river water for extended periods alongside some natural microbiota.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-02-0004
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-11-2023
DOI: 10.1111/REC.13829
Abstract: Freshwater impounded wetlands are created by artificially restricting coastal wetlands connection to tides. The decrease in salinity and altered hydrology can significantly increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, specifically methane (CH 4 ). Restoration of freshwater impounded wetlands through tidal reintroduction can potentially reduce GHG emissions however, studies in tropical regions are scare. This study investigates the potential for tidal restoration of impounded freshwater coastal wetlands by comparing their GHG emissions with tidally connected mangrove and saltmarshes in the Burdekin catchment in Queensland, Australia. We found that freshwater impounded wetlands had significantly higher CH 4 emissions (3,633 ± 812 μg CH 4 m −2 hour −1 ) than mangroves (27 ± 8 μg CH 4 m −2 hour −1 ) and saltmarsh (13 ± 8 μg CH 4 m −2 hour −1 ). Soil redox, moisture, carbon, nitrogen, and bulk density were all significantly correlated to methane emissions. Conversely, freshwater impounded wetlands had significantly lower nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions (−0.72 ± 0.18 μg N 2 O m −2 hour −1 ) than mangroves and saltmarsh (0.35 ± 0.29 and 1.32 ± 0.52 μg N 2 O m −2 hour −1 respectively). Nevertheless, when converting to CO 2 equivalents (CO 2‐eq ), freshwater impounded wetlands emitted 91 ± 20 g CO 2‐eq m −2 hour −1 , compared to the much lower 0.8 ± 0.2 and 0.7 ± 0.2 g CO 2‐eq m −2 hour −1 emission rates for mangroves and saltmarsh. In conclusion, restoration of freshwater impounded wetlands through tidal restoration is likely to result in reduced GHG emissions.
Publisher: PeerJ
Date: 28-05-2018
DOI: 10.7717/PEERJ.4890
Abstract: Biomonitoring is a common method to monitor environmental change in river ecosystems, a key advantage of biomonitoring over snap-shot physicochemical monitoring is that it provides a more stable, long-term insight into change that is also effects-based. In New Zealand, the main biomonitoring method is a macroinvertebrate sensitivity scoring index, with little established methods available for biomonitoring of fish. This study models the contemporary distribution of common freshwater fish and then uses those models to predict freshwater fish assemblages for each river reach under reference conditions. Comparison of current fish assemblages with those predicted in reference conditions (as observed/expected (O/E) ratios) may provide a suitable option for freshwater fish biomonitoring. Most of the fish communities throughout the central North Island and lower reaches show substantial deviation from the modelled reference community. Most of this deviation is explained by nutrient enrichment, followed by downstream barriers (i.e. dams) and loss of riparian vegetation. The presence of modelled introduced species had relatively little impact on the presence of the modelled native fish. The maps of O/E fish assemblage may provide a rapid way to identify potential restoration sites.
Publisher: Uniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz)
Date: 18-06-2021
DOI: 10.18778/0867-5856.31.1.16
Abstract: Evaluating the current ecotourism situation in the Aral Sea region of Uzbekistan and offering strategies for its sustainable development are the main objectives of the study. The threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths (TOWS) analysis was applied to identify the required management strategies. The article aims to review the literature on ecotourism promotion in the Aral Sea region. Based on TOWS, the results show that state support during the pandemic should be strategically coordinated to secure the sustainability of the ecotourism industry in Uzbekistan.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2021
Publisher: figshare
Date: 2020
Publisher: PeerJ
Date: 31-05-2021
DOI: 10.7717/PEERJ.11556
Abstract: Waterways worldwide are experiencing nutrient enrichment from population growth and intensive agriculture, and New Zealand is part of this global trend. Increasing fertilizer in New Zealand and intensive agriculture have driven substantial water quality declines over recent decades. A recent national directive has set environmental managers a range of riverine ecological targets, including three macroinvertebrate indicators, and requires nutrient criteria be set to support their achievement. To support these national aspirations, we use the minimization-of-mismatch analysis to derive potential nutrient criteria. Given that nutrient and macroinvertebrate monitoring often does not occur at the same sites, we compared nutrient criteria derived at sites where macroinvertebrates and nutrients are monitored concurrently with nutrient criteria derived at all macroinvertebrate monitoring sites and using modelled nutrients. To support all three macroinvertebrate targets, we suggest that suitable nutrient criteria would set median dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations at ~0.6 mg/L and median dissolved reactive phosphorus concentrations at ~0.02 mg/L. We recognize that deriving site-specific nutrient criteria requires the balancing of multiple values and consideration of multiple targets, and anticipate that criteria derived here will help and support these environmental goals.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2020
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 18-01-2023
DOI: 10.3390/SU15031823
Abstract: Citizen science (CS) within sustainable tourism is an underutilized tool for biocultural conservation. The aims of this research integrate conceptual and applied approaches to situate post-positivist and interpretive paradigms within CS and sustainable tourism. The aims are fulfilled by the creation of the new Civic Reporting Indicators (CRIs), developed through analysis of the 174 Global Sustainable Tourism Council Destination (GSTC-D) criteria and indicators. It was determined that 114 indicators are perceivable audibly and/or visibly by untrained citizens. The rearticulation of GSTC-D criteria into the CRIs utilizes embodied perceptions and observations reportable by untrained visitors and residents. The CRIs are framed within ethical principles of research, CS, and sustainable tourism. The inclusion of interpretive paradigms within CS provides epistemological innovation that validates lived experiences and embodied knowledge, fostering agency and empowerment within sustainability narratives. The CRIs may harness end-user observations by utilizing information communication technologies (ICTs) to amass longitudinal and real-time data for smart, sustainable destination management and biocultural conservation. Engaging citizens through the CRIs has the potential to contribute valid observations that amass democratic, longitudinal, and cost-effective data. Designing accessible ICT platforms for destination management may enact civic agency and critical social reflection to democratize sustainability engagement.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-12-2017
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12573
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 26-06-2019
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 31-10-2022
DOI: 10.3389/FSUFS.2022.865580
Abstract: Conventional agriculture currently relies on the intensive and expansive growth of a small number of monocultures, this is both risky for food security and is causing substantial environmental degradation. Crops are typically grown far from their native origins, enduring climates, pests, and diseases that they have little evolutionary adaptation to. As a result, farming practices involve modifying the environment to suit the crop, often via practices including vegetation clearing, drainage, irrigation, tilling, and the application of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. One avenue for improvement, however, is the ersification of monoculture agricultural systems with traditional foods native to the area. Native foods benefit from evolutionary history, enabling adaptation to local environmental conditions, reducing the need for environmental modifications and external inputs. Traditional use of native foods in Australia has a rich history, yet the commercial production of native foods remains small compared with conventional crops, such as wheat, barley and sugarcane. Identifying what native crops can grow where would be a first step in scoping potential native food industries and supporting farmers seeking to ersify their cropping. In this study, I modeled the potentially suitable distributions of 177 native food and forage species across Australia, given their climate and soil preferences. The coastal areas of Queensland's wet tropics, south-east Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria were predicted to support the greatest ersity of native food and forage species (as high 80–120 species). These areas also correspond to the nation's most agriculturally intensive areas, including much of the Murray-Darling Basin, suggesting high potential for the ersification of existing intensive monocultures. Native crops with the most expansive potential distribution include Acacia trees, Maloga bean, bush plum, Emu apple, native millet, and bush tomatoes, with these crops largely being tolerant of vast areas of semi-arid conditions. In addition to greater food security, if erse native cropping results in greater ecosystem service provisioning, through carbon storage, reduced water usage, reduced nutrient runoff, or greater habitat provision, then payment for ecosystem service schemes could also provide supplemental farm income.
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2019
Publisher: Uniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz)
Date: 18-06-2021
DOI: 10.18778/0867-5856.31.1.06
Abstract: Głównymi celami niniejszej pracy są ocena aktualnego stanu ekoturystyki w regionie Jeziora Aralskiego w Uzbekistanie oraz zaproponowanie strategii jej zrównoważonego rozwoju. Aby zidentyfikować wymagane strategie zarządzania, przeprowadzono analizę zagrożeń, szans oraz słabych i mocnych stron (TOWS). Zamierzeniem autorów artykułu było również dokonanie przeglądu literatury, w której opisano promocję ekoturystyki w regionie Jeziora Aralskiego. Wyniki analizy TOWS pokazują, że aby możliwy był zrównoważony rozwój branży ekoturystycznej w Uzbekistanie, pomoc państwa w czasie pandemii powinna być strategicznie skoordynowana.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 08-2022
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PCLM.0000037
Abstract: Recent ENSO-related, extreme low oscillations in mean sea level, referred to as ‘Taimasa’ in Samoa, have destabilised shoreline mangroves of tropical northern Australia, and possibly elsewhere. In 1982 and 2015, two catastrophic Taimasa each resulted in widespread mass dieback of ~76 km 2 of shoreline mangroves along 2,000 km of Australia’s Gulf of Carpentaria. For the 2015 event, we determined that a temporary drop in sea level of ~0.4 metres for up to six months duration caused upper zone shoreline mangroves across the region to die from severe moisture deficit and desiccation. The two dramatic collapse events revealed a previously unrecognised vulnerability of semi-arid tidal wetland habitats to more extreme ENSO influences on sea level. In addition, we also observed a relationship between annual sea level oscillations and mangrove forest productivity where seasonal oscillations in mean sea level were co-incident with regular annual mangrove leaf growth during months of higher sea levels (March-May), and leaf shedding during lower sea levels (September-November). The combination of these periodic fluctuations in sea level defined a mangrove ‘Goldilocks’ zone of seasonal productivity during median-scale oscillations, bracketed by critical threshold events when sea levels became unusually low, or high. On the two occasions reported here when sea levels were extremely low, upper zone mangrove vegetation died en masse in synchrony across northern Australia. Such extreme pulse impacts combined with localised stressors profoundly threaten the longer-term survival of mangrove ecosystems and their benefits, like minimisation of shoreline erosion with rising sea levels. These new insights into such critical influences of climate and sea level on mangrove forests offer further affirmation of the urgency for implementing well-considered mitigation efforts for the protection of shoreline mangroves at risk, especially given predictions of future re-occurrences of extreme events affecting sea levels, combined with on-going pressure of rapidly rising sea levels.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-03-2021
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.7412
Abstract: Wetlands are among the most vulnerable ecosystems, stressed by habitat loss and degradation from expanding and intensifying agricultural and urban areas. Climate change will exacerbate the impacts of habitat loss by altering temperature and rainfall patterns. Wetlands within Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchment are not different, stressed by extensive cropping, urban expansion, and alteration for grazing. Understanding how stressors affect wildlife is essential for the effective management of bio ersity values and minimizing unintended consequences when trading off the multiple values wetlands support. Impact assessment is difficult, often relying on an aggregation of ad hoc observations that are spatially biased toward easily accessible areas, rather than systematic and randomized surveys. Using a large aggregate database of ad hoc observations, this study aimed to examine the influence of urban proximity on machine‐learning models predicting taxonomic richness and assemblage turnover, relative to other habitat, landscape, and climate variables, for vertebrates dwelling in the wetlands of the GBR catchment. The distance from the nearest city was, by substantial margins, the most influential factor in predicting the richness and assemblage turnover of all vertebrate groups, except fish. Richness and assemblage turnover was predicted to be greatest nearest the main urban centers. The extent of various wetland habitats was highly influential in predicting the richness of all groups, while climate (predominately the rainfall in the wettest quarter) was highly influential in predicting assemblage turnover for all groups. Bias of survey records toward urban centers strongly influenced our ability to model wetland‐affiliated vertebrates and may obscure our understanding of how vertebrates respond to habitat loss and climate change. This reinforces the need for randomized and systematic surveys to supplement existing ad hoc surveys. We urge modelers in other jurisdictions to better portray the potential influence of survey biases when modeling species distributions.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2023
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 22-04-2022
DOI: 10.1177/14673584211054605
Abstract: Boutique and lifestyle hotels constitute a growing segment of the U.S. lodging industry. Despite this growth, there is a consensus among scholars that the terms “boutique hotel” and “lifestyle hotel” are poorly defined moreover, current research on the sector focuses on lodging industry practitioners’ perceptions of the two types of accommodation, overlooking lodging consumers’ understanding. To elucidate how lodging consumers distinguish between these two types of accommodation, this study examines the drivers of demand for these products within the context of their associated push and pull factors. A survey was administered to a group of hotel users, generating 252 valid responses. It was found, the majority of respondents had little or no knowledge of the terms. However, those respondents who were frequent travelers were aware of both categories and were likely to indicate an intention to use them for future travel. The findings suggest that boutique and lifestyle hotels are not synonymous in consumers’ minds. In fact, consumers have differing expectations for the two styles of accommodation, and these differences are evolving as more consumers experience these products. These findings have implications for hotel developers and marketers.
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 07-07-2020
DOI: 10.1108/JHTI-01-2020-0007
Abstract: This paper aims to synthesize the key findings of prior research on the topic of human-wildlife interactions (HWI) in natural places for tourism. The methodology of systematic review was used to search for, appraise and analyze the relevant research evidence. A total of 47 English-language academic journal articles, published between 2003 and 2018, with free online access to full texts in the database of Hospitality and Tourism Complete have been reviewed. Thematic analysis was adopted to synthesize the textual data. The reviewed articles cover a wide geographical spread, erse wildlife species and interaction types, and various research focuses including ecological impacts, human dimensions and management issues of wildlife tourism. The interactions between wildlife and human systems in the context of tourism constitute a complicated social-ecological system, in which both the humans and animals can be affected positively and negatively. Management and scientific research provide the nexus between the ecological and human dimensions of wildlife tourism. While opportunities for sustainable development abound, challenges are not to be neglected. Due to the complexity of wildlife encounters for tourist purposes, the extant literature indicates a erse and fragmented view from which integrated implications are difficult to obtain. This paper presents the first overarching review in English of the literature on human-wildlife interactions for tourism and provides a big picture understanding of what has been and what is needed to be done in terms of both wildlife tourism research and practices.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-04-2022
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Date: 03-2019
DOI: 10.1086/701378
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1071/MF20210
Abstract: The New Zealand government has been praised for heeding scientific advice in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but when it comes to environmental protections the scientific advice seems to be negotiable. Freshwaters have been in decline for decades, despite clear science on limits needed to protect them. There are many ex les of ‘shifting baselines’, where limits have been progressively weakened through agency regulatory capture and political expediency.
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 10-07-2023
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-12-2021
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.7107
Publisher: Oecologia Australis
Date: 14-03-2019
Publisher: Purdue University
Date: 12-11-2018
Publisher: Uniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz)
Date: 31-12-2021
DOI: 10.18778/0867-5856.31.2.08
Abstract: Central Asian (CA) countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan) are assumed to be one of the most attractive tourist destinations since this particular geographical location holds immense potential in tourism products. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the flourishing tourism sector of these countries has been immensely affected. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of Central Asian tourists' risk attitudes toward traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic through consideration of sociodemographic characteristics. The research was conducted during January through April 2021 based on a s le of 966 respondents via an online questionnaire. In the survey, risks are ided into four main categories: health, psychological, financial and travel destination. Nominal regression was used to identify the way in which risk perception affected travel intentions during COVID-19 and the research findings indicate that Central Asian tourists’ risk perception has done so. Hygiene, disinfection and a reliable health system in destinations (21%) will be leading factors in future travel.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 06-11-2020
DOI: 10.3390/SU12219249
Abstract: The paper examines ecotourism in the Aral Sea region of Uzbekistan, an area with a fragile environment that has faced ecological crises and requires careful sustainable development. It looks at the supply side of ecotourism by examining Uzbekistani tour operators’ awareness of benefits derivable from promoting ecotourism in the region, and the local tourism industry’s motives to engage in this development. As a research methodology, the results of an exploratory survey of travel agents and tour operators highlight the policy-making and management interventions required for the more effective promotion and development of ecotourism in the Aral Sea region. The paper analyzes the challenges and opportunities associated with promoting ecotourism activities in the Aral Sea region in pursuit of sustainable regional development, improved livelihood for the local population, employment opportunity and income source creation, and enriched service exports. Key findings from the study show that stakeholders are aware of ecotourism’s value and are motivated to implement ecotourism in the region, but they have limited experience, competence, and international networks to promote and market ecotourism products and services. Local stakeholders have raised the issue that infrastructure development and access to microfinance are their greatest needs from local authorities in Uzbekistan.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 14-04-2021
DOI: 10.3390/SU13084343
Abstract: The implementation of sustainability practices in the tourism system requires the participation of a variety of actors. While much research has focused on supply-side issues associated with sustainable tourism, there has been less focus on supply-side issues associated with consumer behaviour and business-related travel. This paper addresses the behaviours of this significant market segment. As behavioural change is seen as a key mechanism for achieving emission reduction, this paper focuses on behaviours of business travels from four countries: Canada, Switzerland, Russia and the U.S., using values-attitudes-behaviour (VAB) theory. We employ Principal Components Analysis to reduce the variables down to four factors and related factor scores. Stepwise multiple linear regression was then used to measure causal associations. The findings show how national cultures, demographics and values influence (although at different levels) the sustainable attitudes and behaviour of business travellers. These results have implications for future corporate travel policy. The recent impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic is also addressed.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-10-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S00267-022-01734-4
Abstract: Freshwater ecosystems, such as wetlands, are among the most impacted by agricultural expansion and intensification through extensive drainage and pollution. There is a pressing need to identify ways of managing agricultural landscapes to ensure food and water security without jeopardising bio ersity and other environmental benefits. Here we examine the potential fish bio ersity and landholder financial benefits arising from the integration of constructed lagoons to improve drainage, flow regulation and habitat connectivity within a sugarcane dominated catchment in north Queensland, Australia. A hybrid approach was used, combining the findings of both fish ecological surveys and a financial cost-benefit analysis. We found that the constructed lagoons supported at least 36 native freshwater fishes (over half of all native freshwater fishes in the region), owing to their depth, vegetated margins, moderate water quality and high connectivity to the Tully River. In addition to bio ersity benefits, we estimated that surrounding sugarcane farms would have financially benefited from reduced flooding of cropland and the elevation of low-lying cropland with deposited spoil excavated from lagoon construction. Improved drainage and flow regulation allowed for improvement in sugarcane yield and elevated land increased gross margins from extending the length of the cane production cycle or enabling a switch from cattle grazing to cane production. Restoring or creating wetlands to reduce flooding in flood-prone catchments is a globally applicable model that could improve both agricultural productivity and aquatic bio ersity, while potentially increasing farm income by attracting payments for provision of ecosystem services.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2022
No related grants have been discovered for Adam Canning.