Critically evaluate the extent to which the change process in Essay

Critically evaluate the extent to which the change process in organisations is influenced by the attitudes and beliefs of individual managers more than the dynamics within the group - Essay Example The success of ant change program determines the success of the management as change has become one of the major challenges facing human resource managers and employees in equal measures. Changes in an organization are known to affect the people in such organizations positively or negatively depending on the position of an individual in the leadership hierarchy2. Resistance to change has become part of any organization and this explains the multiple academic researchers conducted to evaluate the impacts of resistance on the success of an organization. For an organization to successfully change from its traditional approach to a new one based on market needs, a number of factors must be visible within the organization3. Their attitude and belief in the change being implemented impacts to a lager extent on the success on the plan as opposed to the dynamism of the organization and its structural willingness to adapt to new methods of conducting business. In this paper, the level by which the attitude and belief of managers and top leaders of an organization influence the change program will be evaluated relative to the impact of the dynamism of the organization to the same. Attitude is defined as the feeling and perception that an individual develops towards a particular event or process which affects their ability to adopt a given program or idea. The attitude of managers on change impact on the change program in a similar or in a greater manner on the change process in an organization and such an attitude is easily passed to the employees that these managers are tasked to supervise. Within the psychological discourse, attitude has been shown to influence the tendency of an individual to act, feel, reason and even respond to a particular stimuli in life4. Attitude thus affects the cognition of an individual towards changes in an

Nuisance Case Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nuisance Case Law - Essay Example Winfield and Jolowize define private nuisance as an 'unlawful interference with a person's use or enjoyment of land, or some right over, or in connection, with it'. Lord Lloyd in Hunter v Canary Wharf1 stated that private nuisances are of three kinds. They are (1) nuisance by encroachment on a neighbour's land; (2) nuisance by direct physical injury to a neighbour's land; and (3) nuisance by interference with a neighbour's quiet enjoyment of his land. In Malone v Laskey 2 it was held that only a person who has a proprietary interest in the land affected by the nuisance can sue, for example, owner or reversioner, or be in exclusive possession or occupation of it as tenant or under a licence to occupy. Any person who creates the nuisance can be sued, whether or not that person is the occupier of the land at the time of the action. Public nuisance, in contrast, is both a crime and trot. It is defined by Romer L.J in Attorney-General v P.Y.A. Quarries Ltd 3 'any nuisance is "public" which materially affects the reasonable comfort and convenience of life of a class of Her Majesty's Subjects." However, now it needs to discuss about Statutory Nuisance. ... The first method is to require certain trades (referred to as 'offensive trades, and described in Acts of Parliament or local by laws) to be licensed in advance by the local authority. S.107 (1) of the Public Health Act 1936 provides a list of such trades (e.g. fat-extractor, fat -glue maker, shop- or tallow- or tripe-boiler), all of which are likely to cause obnoxious fumes or smells, while other provision of the Act (as well as Local Government Act, s.235) enable local authorities to extend the scope of the legislation to other treads or business, subject to confirmation by the Secretary of State. The second method is to describe certain unacceptable states of affairs as statutory nuisances and to provide summary remedies for them. For instance, section 92 (1) of the Public Health Act 1936 described certain matters as 'statutory nuisances, if they were nuisances at common law, or were 'prejudicial to health' (described by s. 343(1) as 'injurious or likely to cause injury to health'). Run down or defective premises, whether an actionable nuisance or not, may come under statutory nuisance prejudicial to health; and the same qualification may apply to the keeping of animals and to accumulations or deposits, such as manure or refuse. The Clean Air Act 1956, section 16, also provided the emission of smoke might, in certain circumstance, be treated as a statutory nuisance for the purposes of the Public health Act 1936. The Environmental Protection Act 1990 was passed to consolidate much of this material and the current matters which amount to a statutory nuisance are to be found in section 79. Where a statutory nuisance has been committed, it will be usual for the local authority to serve abatement notice, which, if not complied with,

Business analytics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business analytics - Research Paper Example Imagine an organization in which the marketing department requires key reports from the technology department. Clearly, the issue of latency can be a factor that can delay essential decision making. With the boom of e-commerce, this has become even more pivotal. For many decades, companies have established itself as one of the most premiere companies internationally. Business Analytics (2014) In order to harness the growth of customers worldwide, McDonald’s has created data warehousing that has allowed the company to understand the customers, track inventory, and monitor financials. All of these components are integrated in one dashboard that has harnessed BI. A centralized information from all the sources (e.g. point-of-sale (POS) system, equipment monitoring, etc) where all sorts of information, real-time feeds and legacy information, can be monitored and analyzed in most efficient and precise way via data warehousing. Oracle ERP system, which can handle most day-to-day business functions, would serve as the hub. POS and other devices use business Analytics software to gather sales information and marketing data, which is then transferred to an Oracle database for analysis would help organizations have robust information of their business processes and assist them monitoring the progress of their business in the terms of sales, revenues, inventory management, staff allocation, location of the business in terms of which is profitable or unprofitable, and also gives them the head start to mitigate any risk.

Don Quixote's madness Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Don Quixote's madness - Research Paper Example Unsuccessful in his first major quest, he set out on a second adventure with his servant Sancho Panza whom he pleaded with to accompany him on the journey as a squire. As a measure of compensation, Don Quixote promised to make Sancho the Governor of an Isle. Sancho, a farmer and a family man was chosen as the squire who will accompany him throughout his quest into claiming lands and portions for his self-glorification. They both rode on his horse across the cities of Spain in quest of glory and fame. In addition, there was a woman whom Don Quixote fell in love with and at every point he is in distress, he recognizes her as a point of strength and fortress. On his second mission, he encountered people that influence and shape his idea and disposition about life even when such disposition negates his belief and the reason for his conquest. He met a boy in the custody of an evil man and decided to leave him because he was assured of his safety. Sancho, being a loyal servant never for on ce departed from him even though he received the brunt for Don Quixote’s ill judgment. ... He refused to heed to the words of Sancho, rebuking him not to meddle with his quest saying he is not a knight and does not have the instinct of facing giants at war (Ludlum 146). Since he never wanted to hearken to the advice of Sancho, he advanced further at the mill with the mind of attacking the giants he saw instead of the windmills, as he charged further, there was a heavy wind that caused the sail in the windmill. When he saw this, then he believed the giants were trying to use magic that multiplied their hands. On sighting the multiple hands of his perceived giants, he sought for the support of his lover Dulcinea as a way of encouraging himself to fight his giants (Cervantes 65). This was common of Don Quixote throughout the novel as he frequently have his mind set on Dulcinea (Mancing 147), making the whole story seem as if he was on the quest to impress her rather than set himself as the greatest knight. He approached the windmill and launched his sword, but his sword and l ance were crushed by the windmill and fell to the ground. Sancho saw the bad state of his master and he quickly rushed to help him, instead of Don Quixote conceding to his mistake, he was bent on an enemy enchanter turning the giants into windmill. He was still under the influence of the stories of major knights he had read about, his ambition to surpass their achievements, and coupled with his desire of experiencing the love affairs those knights had in the books he read. Because of this, his quest for love became stronger and he would sacrifice himself for beauty that seems to put him in trouble. His nature of doing things got him into trouble with two monks he perceived as enemies capturing a princess. He engaged in a combat with one of the monk and threw him over

Innocence in Catcher in the Rye Essay Example for Free

Innocence in Catcher in the Rye Essay In JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a boy aimlessly traveling New York City after being expelled from a classy boarding school. Holden poses a great deal of trepidation when it comes to sexual relationships, especially those of Jane and Sunny. Furthermore, Holden tends to misjudge the maturity of his fellow characters. The combination of this misconception, the tension between sexual trepidation, and an adult life with adult relationships, results in confusion for him. In Holden’s life, there have only been a few people he’s cherished more than his childhood neighbor, Jane Gallagher. They were close childhood friends, and when his roommate Stradlater brings her up years later in high school, all he can talk about is the innocent fun they used to have: playing checkers, watching her dance ballet in the summer heat, and how her Doberman always came into his yard. However, he also reminisces on how her â€Å"boozehound† stepfather would always â€Å"run around the goddam house naked† (42). He suspects that her stepfather had harassed Jane, who â€Å"had [a] terrific figure, and [he] wouldn’t’ve put it past that bastard† (103). This really bothers Holden, as does when Stradlater insinuates that he made sexual advances onto Jane on their date. To Holden, sexual encounters mean an adulteration of innocence, and he hates that Stradlater or Jane’s stepfather may have corrupted Jane. Many times, Holden promises himself that he â€Å"outa go down and say hello to her† (40), or that he should â€Å"give old Jane a buzz† (195), but he never does. Subconsciously, he fears that Jane will have grown up, and calling her or seeing her will surely alter the young, innocent, checkers-playing version of Jane that he has in his mind. This is confusing for Holden because Jane has grown up, yet he still thinks of her as a little girl, not the grown woman that she is. Holden â€Å"knew that she wouldn’t let [Stradlater] get to first base with her, but it drove [him] crazy anyway† (104). This shows Holden’s potential misconception of Jane’s innocence. It is unlikely for a post-teenage young woman to be as sheltered and have as much innocence as she did when she was a little girl. However, this is something Holden cannot grasp. This dilemma is a direct result of Holden’s irrational respect for innocence, influenced by sexual confrontations in Holden’s past. When Holden agrees to have a prostitute come to his room in the hotel, he is soon greeted by Sunny at his door. Holden is immediately unimpressed with Sunny’s maturity; how she was â€Å"jiggling this one foot up and down†, she â€Å"never said thank you†, and she â€Å"had this tiny little wheeny-whiny voice† (123). He also notices that she appears very young, and said things that were really childish. This ends up making him feel â€Å"more depressed than sexy† (123), and he decides not to have sex with her after all. The depiction of this young girl making money as a prostitute seems to upset Holden, and he ultimately concludes that having sex with her would spoil her innocence. This is where Holden is again misguided. Just as it is unlikely for Jane to retain the same degree of innocence through the years, it is improbable that Sunny, being a prostitute, will have not had sex with many people in the past, therefore preserving her innocence. But all Holden can see in Sunny is the childish and immature, which results in a conflicted view of the world. The importance of innocence to Holden is something that results in nervousness towards others’ sexual identity and activity. His perspective of Jane and Sunny’s innocence is also misguided to the point where he sees innocence in them when there is none. Overall, the importance of innocence to Holden results in contention that is less than innocent.

Effects Of Mangrove Destruction In Mumbai Environmental Sciences Essay

Effects Of Mangrove Destruction In Mumbai Environmental Sciences Essay Rapid expansion of urban spaces has caused pressure on fragile ecosystem of the city. Uneven growth of various regions has made migration a serious challenge. Increasing population growth of metropolitan has created concretization of island city and clearing of vital floral resources. Thousands of people from various parts of the country come to Mumbai every month. Around 43 per cent of citys population considered to be migrant. The predominant migrants are of rural origin, coming from various parts of the country, with two-third to three-fourths of all migrants belonging to this category. There are migrants from other countries as well but these have been less than one per cent since 1981 (Census; 2001). This trend migration is a Destruction of mangrove that was the habitat of several species of fishes have combined to leave the citys fisher folk of around 50,075 (Marine Fisheries Census; 2005) gasping for survival. Among various reasons economic factors have been the major cause for migration to Mumbai. About 69 per cent of males stated that employment was the main motive behind their movement. The data show that the rate of migrants in search for better employment has been higher in the late 1990s. Social reasons such as marriage and accompanying the family con stituted about 90 per cent of female migration. (Singh 2001) Population pressure is continuously increasing in the coastal area, so because of this expanding population mangrove is facing significant pressure of destruction. Mangroves have been cleared and degraded on an alarming scale during the past four decades (Valiela et al., 2001; Wilkie and Fortuna, 2003; Duke et al., 2007), yet they remain an important source of wood and food products and provide vitally important environmental services for coastal communities throughout the tropics (Balmford et al., 2002). Climate and Rainfall Kolis of Mumbai Kolis are the traditional fishing community of Mumbai and are the original inhabitants of the island city. Fishing is still the main source of their livelihood. The interesting fact is that, Mumbai is derived from the Koli word, Mumba, which means goddess of water. Several records reveal that Kolis have been found in Mumbai from early times. Dr. Gerson da Cunha in the book Origin of Mumbai describes old Mumbai as the desolate islet of the Mumbai Koli fishermen. The Kolis are reported to have occupied the land in A.D. 1138 The Koli community has several subcastes, the prominent ones are Koli kolis, Mangela Kolis, Mahadeo kolis, Suryawanshi kolis, Vaity kolis, Koli Christians. Kolis are divided into two occupational classes; Dolkars Vatsad Dolkars are usually rich compared to Vatsad among Kolis. Dolkars practice fishing on large scale Vatsads, who are a poor class of fishermen usually in the employ of the richer members of the community. Men are mostly engaged in fishing while, women take care of housing activities and selling of fish in the local market. Lot of their daily activities depend on the fishing season and tidal movement. Koli is the main language spoken by the community, Marathi is another frequently used language among Kolis. What are Mangroves? Mangroves are a group of trees, palms, shrubs, vines and ferns that share a common ability to live in waterlogged saline soil. These plants have developed unusual adaptations to the unique environmental conditions in which they are found. Mangrove can be typically refered to an individual species. Terms such as mangrove ecosystem, mangrove forest, mangrove community and mangrove swamp are used interchangeably to describe the entire mangrove community (Smithsonian Inst. 1996). There are around 80 species of mangroves found throughout the world (Saenger et al., 1983). Mostly they occur within tropical and subtropical coastal areas subjected to tidal impact. Tidal area can be interpreted to mean a shoreline inundated by the extremes of tides, or it can more widely refer to river-bank communities where tides cause some fluctuation in water level but no change in salinity (Tomlinson, 1986). There are mainly two types of mangrove; exclusive and non-exclusive. Exclusive mangroves are the largest group, comprising around 60 species (Saenger et al., 1983). These mangroves are confined to intertidal areas. Rest 20 species are referred as non-exclusive. Non-exclusive mangroves differ from the exclusive mangrove in the sense that these grow preferably in drier and more terrestrial areas. Features of Mangrove Mangrove Distribution Mangrove forests comprise up to 50 species of woody halophytes restricted to sheltered saline tidal areas, and once occupied around 75% of tropical coasts and inlets (Ellison 1997). Mangroves are the plats of tropical sheltered shores. Mangroves are found throughout the world between latitudes 32 °N and 38 °S. The upper and lower limits of this range are determined by temperature (Chapman, 1976; Tomlinson, 1986). Source: (Source: ENVIS, 2008) Mangrove Distribution in India According to the Government of India, the total area of the mangroves in India was around at 6,740 sq. Km. this covered about 7% of the world mangroves (Krishnamurthy, 1987) and about 8% of the Indian coastline (Untawale, 1987). But recent 2005 data of Survey of India, Dehradun shows an extent of 4,445 sq. km. mangrove areas in India. Out of the total acreage, 57% of the mangroves are found on the East Coast, 23% on the west coast and the remaining 20% on Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Table: State/UT wise Mangrove Cover Mangrove Cover Assessment 2001(Area in sq. km.) SL No. State/UT Dense Open Total % of Geographical Area 1 Andhra Pradesh 14 319 333 0.12 2 Goa 5 0 5 0.14 3 Gujrat 184 727 911 0.46 4 Karnataka 2 0 2 0.001 5 Maharahstra 90 28 118 0.04 6 Orissa 194 25 219 1.39 7 Tamil Nadu 10 13 23 0.02 8 West Bengal 1651 430 2081 2.34 9 Andaman and Nicobar 709 80 789 9.56 10 Pondichery 0 1 1 0.21 Total 2859 1623 4482 0.14 (Source: ENVIS, 2008) Mangrove Distribution in Maharashtra Maharashtra has 720 km long coastline, which has various characteristic features of beaches and rocky cliffs flanked by estuaries and patches of mangroves. Maharashtra coastal zone extends between the latitude 15 52N and 20 10N and longitude 72 10E and 73 10E and falls under five districts of Thane, Mumbai, Sindhudurg, Raigad, Ratnagiri. The mangroves of Maharashtra are the most diverse among the west coast and according to the Forest Survey of India (FSI) covered 116 sq. km in 2003. The area under mangroves in Maharashtra was 200 sq. km. in 1972-75, which reduced to 108 sq. km. in 1997. Mangroves of Mumbai Mangrove along the coast of Mumbai always faced the challenge of various anthropogenic activities over the decade. In early nineties around 37 sq.km. Of mangrove existed in Mumbai, mostly in Versova, Gorai, Mahim creek, Thane and Ghodbunder. Some sparsely covered patches of mangrove are also found in Bandra, Colaba, Mahul and Malabar Hill. The most commonly occurring species of mangrove in Mumbai is Avicennia marina, this covers the almost 60 per cent of species diversity. The characteristic feature of Avicennia marina makes it tolerable for high salinity area. This species also tolerates pollution including heavy metals such as lead, mercury and chromium. Table: Some of the commonly found mangroves in Mumbai (Source: Kulkarni, 2007) Temperature Mangroves mostly occur in areas where the average temperature of the coldest month is higher than 20 °C and the seasonal range does not exceed 10 °C. Lower temperature and frost also limits the growth and distribution of mangrove (Tomlinson, 1986). Rainfall Coastal areas which receive ample amount of rainfall, heavy runoff and seepage into the intertidal zone from the hinterland are most suitable for mangrove. These areas receive extensive sedimentation which provides huge quantity of nutrients, which in turn are favourable for mangrove growth (Tomlinson, 1986). Importance of Mangrove Multifaceted importance of mangrove has been realised in recent times but its ecological importance is known to scientific community since hundreds of years. Importance of mangrove can be broadly classified under following heads: Ecological Importance Mangroves are considered to be the most productive natural ecosystem throughout the world. Mangrove ecosystem comprise of numerous varieties of flora and fauna. Mangrove forest consist of seventy taxonomically diverse tree, shrub, palm and fern species under twenty-seven genera, twenty families, and nine orders that share a suite of convergent adaptations to saline, anoxic habitats (e.g. Tomlinson, 1986; Stewart Popp, 1987; Ball, 1988; Duke et al, 1998). Economic Importance Mangroves provide a vast range of wood and non-wood forest products which are of good economic value such as timber, fuel wood, medicine, thatch, honey, fodder, charcoal etc. Legislative Framework for Conservation and Management of Mangrove in India The Indian Forest Act, 1927: Provide protection to flora and fauna. The Indian Forest Act has been applied to the mangrove forest of the Sundarbans, which have been declared as a Reserved Area. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Provide protection to flora and fauna. Although they do not specifically mention mangroves, these acts can also apply to the conservation of the flora and fauna of mangrove ecosystem. The Forest Conservation Act, 1980: States that No forest area shall be diverted for any non-forestry purpose without prior approval of the Government of India. This act has proved very effective in preventing diversion of mangrove forest area for non-forestry purpose. Coast Guard Act, 1978: The concern for Marine and Coastal waters has led to formation of a special force, The act stipulate that Cost guard should combat oil pollution beyond 5 km in the sea and perform surveillance duty against international dumping of oil or waste by ship/tanker. The Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986: It has a crucial role in the Conservation and Management of mangrove ecosystem. It declares a Coastal Regulation Zone notified in 1991, in which industrial and other activities such as discharge of untreated water and effluents, dumping of waste and land reclamation are restricted in order to protect the Coastal environment. Condition of Mangrove in Coastal Regulation Zone It is stipulated that in case of mangrove with an area of 1000 sq.m or more, would be classified as CRZ with a buffer zone of at least 50 m Mangrove is a tropical tree growing, along the coast and requires saline water for its growth. Expert in this field say that mangrove are very important along the coast for breaking of tides and it is valuable resources having several direct uses. Hence proper the protection of mangrove is very important. (Chauhan, 2004) Prohibited Activities in the Coastal Regulation Zone (a) Setting of new industries and expansion of existing industries (except those directly related to waterfront or directly needing for shore facilities). (b) Manufacture, handling, storage or disposal of hazardous substances. (c) Setting up and expansion of fish processing units including warehousing (d) Discharge of untreated wastes and effluents from industries, cities and other human settlements. (e) Dumping of cities and town wastes for the purpose of land filling. (f) Dumping of ash or any wastes from thermal power station. (g) Land reclamation bunding or disturbing the natural course of seawater with similar obstructions except those required for control of coastal erosion. (h) Mining of sands, rocks and others sub strain materials except other minerals not available outside the CRZ areas. (i) Construction activities in ecologically sensitive areas. (j) Any construction activities between the Low Tide line and high tide line except in permitted areas. (k) Dressing or altering of sand dunes, hills natural features including landscape changes. Regulation of Permissible Activities in Coastal Regulation Zone 1. Clearance shall be given for any activities within the CRZ if it requires waterfronts and fore shore facilities. 2. The following activities will require environmental clearance from Ministry of Environment and Forest Govt. of India. a) Construction activities related to defence requirements for which fore shore facilities are required (e.g. Jetties etc.). b) Operational constructions for ports and harbours and lighthouses requiring water frontage Jetty, waves quays etc. c) Thermal Power Plants (only foreshore facilities for transport of raw materials for intake of cooling water and out fall for discharge of treated waste water). d) All other activities with investment exceeding rupees Five Crores. 3. a) The Coastal states and Union territory Administration shall prepare Coastal Zone Management Plans at the earliest and approval be taken from Central Govt. in the Ministry of Forest and Environment. b) Within the Framework of such approval plans the State Govt./U.T. Administration or local Authorities shall regulate all development and activities within the Coastal Regulation Zone. Violation of Coastal Regulation Zone has been seen in various parts of Mumbai Metropolitan region. Several environmental activists have raised the voice against these violations. Coastal area is vital to the prosperity of country and usually most productive areas, supporting a wealth of marine resources. With rapid industrialization, urbanization, resultant pollutions and depleting resources along the coast have resulted in degradation of coastal ecosystem and diminishing the living resources. Environmentally effective coastal zone management requires accurate, up to date and comprehensive scientific data on which policy decision can be used. Mangrove Destruction and its Impact Importance of mangrove has been recognised by various stakeholders of the society viz. scientists, government, local populations of biotic and socioeconomic services. Accurate estimates of global deforestation rates of mangroves are not available; its well-known environmental and socioeconomic impacts are observed and increasingly documented in coastal communities that depend directly on mangroves, and in upland communities with economic links to the coast. The primary cause of destruction throughout the world is clear cutting, illegal dumping and reclamation; these are carried for the purpose of agricultural activities, aquaculture, urban expansion, and resort development and have threatened the majority of mangrove ecosystem. This destruction exacerbating economic stress of largely low-income, fast growing local population, who are driven to exploit mangroves despite clear signs of degradation. Mangrove forests are a source of livelihood for thousands of coastal communities in developing countries worldwide; these communities traditionally harvest fish, shrimp, timber, non-timber forest Products, and fuel wood from them. The importance of the mangrove ecosystem transcends provisioning services and includes regulatory, ecological, cultural, and aesthetic services. However, these services are diminishing globally, most especially the provisioning service, and this is putting the livelihoods of coastal communities at risk and increasing their vulnerability to tropical storms and surges. These trends are the outcome of mounting anthropogenic activities such as brackish water aquaculture, mangrove forest clearing for infrastructure development and varied levels of harvesting for subsistence. Because of these pressures, mangroves in coastal tropical developing countries are being degraded; for instance, 20-30% of mangrove forests have been lost in West-Central Africa since 1980 (UNEP-WCMC, 2007). Mangrove and Fishing Linkages Between Mangrove and Fishing Fishes and invertebrates use estuarine and inshore habitats in a number of ways: some are only occasional visitors; some use them only at certain life stages, whereas others reside permanently in the estuaries (Lenanton Potter 1987, Potter et al. 1990, Potter Hyndes 1999, Whitfield 1999). There are various groups of fishes and invertebrates which show distinct association with mangrove. Fishes which are found occasionally in estuaries are termed as marine stragglers (Potter Hyndes 1999, Whitfield 1999) and these stragglers have least dependence on estuaries. There are species which uses estuaries and inshore regions for significant time period especially during juvenile stage only. In some marine species juveniles are only found in mangroves and these are termed as mangrove dependent species; e.g., banana prawn P. merguiensis (Staples et al. 1985, Vance et al. 1996). Catadromous species travel between fresh and marine water also use mangrove habitats at certain life stages e.g., barramundi Lates calcarifer (Russell Garrett 1983). Some species spend their entire life cycle in estuaries and are termed as true estuarine species. The importance of mangrove for sustaining production of fishery in coastal ecosystem is a widely held paradigm that mangroves act as important nursery sites for fisheries species. The function of mangroves as nursery sites is widely accepted (e.g., Blaber 2000, Kathiresan Bingham 2001) and this paradigm is used for important management decisions on habitat conservation and restoration of mangrove (Beck et al. 2001). There are also theories that states; area of mangrove habitat in an estuary translates to the secondary production and catch of commercial fisheries (Baran 1999). There are clear cases of example which depict the correlation between the magnitude of commercial finfish catches and the extent of mangroves. For example, in the Philippines, a positive, but weak, correlation was found between mangrove area and the catch of four families of commercial fish (Paw Chua 1991). Freshwater Mangrove Marine Freshwater Mangrove Marine Figure Number of fish and shrimp species occurring in freshwater, marine and mangrove ecosystem showing higher species diversity in the mangroves (Islam Haque 2005). Mangrove as nursery site for fishes: Mangroves and estuaries share characteristic features such as shallow water, reduced wave action, high organic content in the sediment, high primary production and protection from predators, which may all contribute to their role as nurseries. Nursery areas for fishes have been regarded as any areas inhabited by the juveniles, often with the adults living in separate habitats. But, this definition of nursery is challenged by Beck et al, (2001); he proposes a different picture of fish nurseries a habitat is a nursery for juveniles of a particular species if its contribution per unit area to the production of individuals that recruit to adult populations is greater, on average, than production from other habitats in which juveniles occur. According to this definition nursery is that part of habitat area of juvenile which are most productive in terms of supply of recruits to adult populations and, therefore, to fisheries. Based on the reproductive pattern and its association with the mangrove fishes can be classified into following four categories: a) Regular spawners The spawning activity of the species occurs regularly in the mangrove. The species are not necessarily resident in the region, but they always use it to spawn. e.g. S. rastrifer, B. Ronchus b) Occasional spawners The spawning activity in the mangrove is merely occasional. This region can be used to spawn, but there is no evidence that a great number of individuals in this group of species use it. These species are not as abundant in the mangrove as those of regular spawners. e.g. C. parallelus, C. edentulus c) Matures in system The spawning activity of the species does not occur in the mangrove, but this region is frequented regularly during the final phase of maturation. e.g. I. Parvipinnis d) Do not mature in system The spawning activity does not occur in the mangrove, and the gonadal maturation, if present, does not occur in many individual. e.g. P. corvinaeformis, P. brasiliensis The exact role of mangroves as nurseries are not well understood but a number of hypotheses have been proposed to explain this role (Robertson Blaber 1992, Blaber 2000). The three main hypotheses are that mangroves provide juveniles with (1) Refuge from predators Numerous piscivorous fish enter mangrove during the high tide period (Blaber et al. 1989, Vance et al. 1996) thus smaller fishes escape their predators by entering in mangrove. This is attributed by various factors structural complexity of submerged vegetation, shallow water and turbidity can give significant refuges from predators, especially for small, mobile animals (Robertson Duke 1987, Robertson Blaber 1992). Mangroves provide the protection from prey by structural complexity as mangrove habitat is very complex structurally because of pneumatophores and fallen debris (leaves, branches and logs), prop roots, buttresses and branches. These structures provide protection in various ways: by reducing prey visibility, by lowering encounter rate of prey and predator, and by limiting the ability of predator to search for and capture prey (Rà ¶nnbà ¤ck et al. 1999). Shallow water condition does not favour the entry of large predators thus providing another form of refuse for small fishes and crustaceans (Boesch Turner 1984, Blaber 2000). It has been observed at various places that small fishes and prawns moved into more shallow waters while larger predatory fishes remained in deeper water at the fringes of the mangroves. High turbidity and shade beneath the mangrove canopy decreases the underwater visibility. The turbid and shaded water often found around mangroves may therefore provide an additional refuge from visual predators (Blaber Blaber 1980, Whitfield 1999). Juvenile fishes get attracted to turbid areas and may use the turbidity gradient to locate nursery areas. Abundances of some fish species have been found to be higher in areas of higher turbidity (Blaber 2000). Figure: Conceptual schematic diagram of the nutrient and energy fluxes in self-sustained mangrove ecosystem and the interaction of mangrove with adjacent freshwater and offshore marine ecosystem. (Source: Islam Haque, 2005) (2) Abundance of food Nutrient content and primary productivity are usually very high in mangrove area and food availability is more for fishes and crustaceans than any other coastal habitats. Nutrient comes to the mangrove system from upstream and from seaward and they are concentrated in mangrove area by trapping. Primary productivity in the mangrove forest itself attributed to several sources including epiphytes, phytoplankton, mangrove trees, and benthic microalgae (Rà ¶nnbà ¤ck 1999). Various fishes consume most of their feed when they come to the mangrove area. Primary productivity in mangrove forest forms the basis of a food web supplying abundant and varied trophic resources to higher consumers (Baran Hambrey 1998). Mangrove forest produce litter throughput the year, they have the ability to produce large quantities of litter, ranging from 10,000 to 14,000 kg dry weight/ ha/ year (Hamilton and Snedaker, 1984). Most creatures are unable to assimilate this directly and require bacterial enrichment before consumption. However, sesarmid crabs can directly consume mangrove litter and/or store 30-80% of the litterfall (Rà ¶nnbà ¤ck 1999). These crabs are eaten by fishes, creating a pathway for mangrove nutrients to enter food webs. (3) Shelter from physical disturbances Mangrove habitat is the area of low current, where impact of coastal tide gets reduced. This provides the small juvenile fishes benign physical environment to settle. Mangrove presence increases the residence time of water, especially in flat, wide mangroves with complex waterways (Wolanski Ridd 1986). The juveniles of few species of crustaceans, such as banana prawns Penaeus merguiensis and P. indicus ), are found exclusively in mangrove ecosystem (Staples et al. 1985, Vance et al. 1998, Rà ¶nnbà ¤ck et al. 2002) and are described as highly mangrove-dependent. It has been established from various studies that about two third of worlds fish and shellfish harvest are directly linked to estuarine habitat (Robertson Blaber 1992). Rà ¶nnbà ¤ck (1999) listed the proportion of mangrove-related species in fisheries in various parts of the world: Geographical Location % of fishes dependent on mangrove Fiji 60 Florida 80 India 60 Eastern Australia 70 Malacca Strait 49 Southeast Asian countries Fish 30 (Prawn 100%) Malaysia 32 Philippines 72 Products of Mangrove Ecosystem (Source: Saenger et al, 1983) Mangroves of Mumbai Mangrove Destruction Various studies confirm the destruction of mangrove throughout the globe and in particular have focused on estimating the total area cleared, rate of clearing, loss of sediments and erosion (Hatcher et al. 1989, Valiela et al. 2001, Alongi 2002). Figure: Proportion of existing global mangrove areas and areas in the South and Southeast Asia (Source: Islam Haque, 2005)

Darkness Falls in Stantana - Original Writing :: Papers

Darkness Falls in Stantana - Original Writing In a village called Santana lived a young woman called Mary archer. Everyone hated her because she use to go to little children and offer them into her house, and she feeds them with poisonous food because when Mary was a little girl her mum was preparing dinner but she accidentally added washing up liquid with her knowing. When she put dinner on the table Marry came home from school with her father. While Mary was upstairs in the toilet, Mary's mum and dad helped their selves to the sweet and tasty paste. When Mary came downstairs she saw her mom and dad lying down on the ground perfectly still. Mary walked slowly to her mum repeatedly saying "mum, mum get up mum", but there was no reply. Mary knew something was wrong so she quickly and ran out of the house to her neighbors and told them what happened. Since then Mary wasn't the same. One day the mayor's son went missing, so all of the villagers set off hunting for Mary because they had a feeling that it was her that kidnapped the mayor's son Alex. When they reached Mary's house they saw Alex's bicycle lying on the floor outside the doorstep of Mary's house. The villagers kicked the door down and saw Mary with a butcher's knife in her right hand and blood was dripping off the knife. The mayor was in shock when he stepped into the kitchen and saw his son lying perfectly still and red blood surrounding him. The next day the mayor and the villagers all decided to burn the face of Mary and hang her. When they burned Mary's face, Mary put a curse on the village that 20 years later she will return and when darkness falls and children are asleep Mary will kill the child if the child or any other person in Santana looks at her face. After she made that curse she was hanged at the top of tall a wooded stick. 20 years later a young boy named James Patel 11 years old that lived