Deep learning models for monitoring landscape changes in a UNESCO Global Geopark.

By identifying Earth heritage sites, UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGps) have promoted geo-tourism and regional economic prosperity. However, commercial and tourism development has altered the natural contexts of these geoparks, diminishing their initial value. Before implementing land use policies, spatial landscape parameters should be monitored in multiple dimensions and in real time. This study aims to develop Bilateral Segmentation Network (BiSeNet) models employing an upgraded U-structured neural network in order to monitor land use/cover changes and landscape indicators in a Vietnamese UGGp. This network has proven effective at preserving input image data and restricting the loss of spatial information in decoding data. To demonstrate the utility of deep learning, eight trained BiSeNet models were evaluated against Maximum Likelihood, Support Vector Machine, and Random Forest. The trained BSN-Nadam model (128x128), with a precision of 94% and an information loss of 0.1, can become a valuable instrument for analyzing and monitoring monthly changes in land uses/covers once tourism activities have been rapidly expanded. Three tourist routes and 41 locations in the Dak Nong UGGp were monitored for 30 years using three landscape indices: Disjunct Core Area Density (DCAD), Total Edge Contrast Index (TECI), Shannon's Diversity Index (SHDI), based on the results of the model. As a result, 18 identified geo-sites in the Daknong Geopark have been influenced significantly by agricultural and tourist activities since 2010, making these sites less uniform and unsustainable management. It promptly alerts UNESCO management to the deterioration of geological sites caused by urbanization and tourist development.

Decolonizing Botany: Indonesia, UNESCO, and the Making of a Global Science.

Decolonization created new opportunities for international scientific research collaboration. In Indonesia this began in the late 1940s, as Indonesian scientists and officials sought to remake the formerly colonial botanical gardens in the city of Bogor into an international research center. Indonesia sponsored the Flora Malesiana project, a flora of all of island Southeast Asia. This project was formally centered in Bogor, Indonesia, with participation from tropical botanists from around the world. The international orientation of Indonesian science led to the establishment of one of UNESCO's Field Science Co-operation Offices in Jakarta, and to a period of close collaboration between Indonesian botanists and UNESCO. This paper examines the importance of UNESCO's Humid Tropics research program, which initially provided further opportunities for Indonesian botanists to participate in international scientific networks. The paper concludes by showing that the Humid Tropics program led to the slow erosion of Indonesian agency and authority over tropical botany, and the assertion of Western control and management over tropical botany research.

Introducing Petrachlorosaceae fam. nov., Petrachloros gen. nov. and Petrachloros mirabilis sp. nov. (Synechococcales, Cyanobacteria) Isolated from a Portuguese UNESCO monument.

The Synechococcales is a large cyanobacterial order comprising both unicellular and filamentous forms, with parietal thylakoid arrangement. Previously, this order has been the subject of taxonomic revisions with new families being erected. During studies of the phototrophic communities on the limestone walls of the Old Cathedral of Coimbra (UNESCO monument), a coccoid Aphanocapsa-like cyanobacterium was isolated. It was characterized using a polyphasic approach, based on morphology, 16S rRNA phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) secondary structure, and ecology. The 16S rRNA phylogenetic analyses showed that this strain is placed in a separate and highly supported family-level clade, as part of a large group comprising the families Prochlorococcaceae and Prochlorotrichaceae, with Lagosinema as the closest (although quite distant) taxon. Additionally, the phylogenomic analysis also placed this strain in a separate lineage, situated distantly apart from the family Thermosynechococcaceae, but with strains assigned to Acaryochloris marina MBIC 11017 and Aphanocapsa montana BDHKU210001 as the closest taxa. Based on these data, as well as on the results from the secondary ITS structure, morphology, and ecology, we here propose the establishment of Petrachlorosaceae fam. nov., along with the description of Petrachloros gen. nov. and Petrachloros mirabilis sp. nov. We also address additional considerations regarding some cyanobacterial taxa within the order Synechococcales, which we believe deserve further revisions.

UNESCO biosphere reserves show demand for multifunctional agriculture.

Sustainable landscape management of protected areas in UNESCO-biosphere reserves (BR) has become an increasingly important topic for academics and environmental practitioners, yet it remains unclear how this can be operationalized in actual regional circumstances. To achieve positive and measurable sustainability impacts, effective BR management on the ground requires supplementary methods to conceive the unique territorial, political, economic and social characteristics of each case while also considering the needs and visions of different stakeholder groups. In this study, we used the Framework for Participatory Impact Assessment (FoPIA) to assess future projections of current land management strategies and possible alternatives in five BR in Germany. The FoPIA method helped identify major differences in the regional BR contexts, including defining the sustainability problem and sustainability challenges. It also proved suitable for fostering stakeholder dialog with regard to current and future sustainable land use management, particularly for the BR transition zones. Our results predict multiple negative impacts resulting from of a continuation of current practices, which are compared against the assessed outcomes of alternative multifunctional pathways. We use these findings to discuss recommendations and challenges for sustainable management of biosphere reserves, the potential of implementing the FoPIA in BR, and perspectives for further research needs.

BREMi-A New Tool for the Evaluation of UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Management Effectiveness: Case-study in the Arab Man and Biosphere (ArabMAB) Regional Network.

Scholars and practitioners have been striving to develop straightforward and effective tools to measure protected area management effectiveness (PAME). UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR), with their unique functional and zonation schemes are monitored according to their compulsory 10-year Periodic Review (PR), which is useful for UNESCO's evaluation purposes but lacks comprehensiveness and utility for adaptive management. Based on existing PAME methodologies, we develop and propose the first quantitative tool for the evaluation of BR management effectiveness, that would enhance and complement the currently used qualitative PR report, and serve the rapid evaluation needed for BR managers to monitor, evaluate, and adapt their management approach to achieve the three functions of BRs. The tool consists of 65 indicators, embodied within the 6 elements of the World Commission on Protected Areas Framework. We then tested this tool, named Biosphere Reserve Effectiveness of Management index (BREMi) to evaluate management effectiveness across the Arab Man and the Biosphere Reserve network involving 17 BRs spanning 8 countries of the Middle East and North Africa. BREMi scores ranged from 4.43 to 8.65 (on a scale between 0 and 10), with a mean of 6.31 ± 1.040. All indicators were considered valuable measures of progress by our respondents, as well as by independent experts. We discuss our findings in light of available literature concerning the Arab region and through the conceptual frames of adaptive management and resilience. Finally, we discuss where the BREMi tool would be most useful for BR management authorities in the iterative process of evaluation and adaptive management.

Phototrophic and fungal communities inhabiting the Roman cryptoporticus of the national museum Machado de Castro (UNESCO site, Coimbra, Portugal).

Caves are oligotrophic environments, characterized by constant temperatures, high humidity and low natural light. However, microbial shifts can still happen in such environments, especially with the increase in tourist activity and implementation of artificial lights, making caves even more susceptible to environmental changes. As a result, proliferation of phototrophic organisms can increase dramatically, leading to their settlement on stone surfaces, which in turn facilitates the development of heterotrophic organisms, such as fungi and bacteria. The Roman Cryptoporticus of the National Museum Machado de Castro, erected by the Romans in the 1st or second century, is one of the most emblematic buildings in the city of Coimbra. However, the majority of the rooms that constitute this monument show signs of biodeterioration by microalgae and cyanobacteria as well as of fungi. The aim of this study was to characterize the phototrophic and fungal communities at this site, employing culture-dependent and-independent methodologies. Culture-dependent results showed that the phototrophic communities were mainly composed of green microalgae, whereas the culture-independent showed that cyanobacteria were the most dominant. As to the fungal communities, both approaches identified various entomopathogenic fungal species. In addition, the culture-independent analysis also allowed to verify the presence of animal reads, suggesting the hypothesis that animal vectored dispersion can play an important role in the development of fungi at this environment.

Cyanobacteria and microalgae growing on monuments of UNESCO World Heritage site Champaner Pavagadh, India: biofilms and their exopolysaccharide composition.

The present study investigated the biofilm organisms growing on selected monuments of the Champaner Pavagadh complex (Gujarat, India), which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cyanobacteria and microalgae were isolated from biofilms collected through non-destructive methods. The identification of these biological organisms was done using micro-morphological characters and confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The exopolysaccharide of each of the isolated strains was extracted, hydrolysed and analysed by the HPTLC. Six isolated strains representing five cyanobacteria and one microalga belong to the genera Desmonostoc, Nostoc, Leptolyngbya, Chroococcidiopsis and Asterarcys. The relationships between substrates' specificity of these isolated biofilm organisms and those identified globally were evaluated using maximum parsimony analysis to generate a consensus phylogenetic tree. The five strains of cyanobacteria isolated were closely clustered with cyanobacteria belonging to a tropical region. At the generic level, no relationship between the species and substratum specificity was recorded. The exopolysaccharide analysis of the isolated strains revealed the presence of seven monosaccharides. While glucose was present in all the analysed species, the concentration of either fucose or arabinose was high. The current study presents a novel HPTLC-based method for determination of monosaccharides composition from the extracellular polymeric substances.

Linguistic diversity and conservation opportunities at UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa.

Africa contains much of Earth's biological and cultural-linguistic diversity, but conserving this diversity is enormously challenging amid widespread poverty, expanding development, social unrest, and rapidly growing human population. We examined UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Natural World Heritage Sites (WHSs) on continental Africa and nearby islands-48 protected areas containing globally important natural or combined natural and cultural resources-to gauge the potential for enlisting Indigenous peoples in their conservation. We used geographic information system technology to identify instances where Natural WHSs co-occur with Indigenous languages, a key indicator of cultural diversity. And, we compared the geographic ranges for 4 taxa and selected freshwater species with occurrence of all Indigenous languages within Natural WHSs and subsections of WHSs covered by the geographic extent of Indigenous languages to measure the correlation between linguistic and biological diversity. Results indicated that 147 languages shared at least part of their geographic extent with Natural WHSs. Instances of co-occurrence where a WHS, a language, or both were endangered marked localities particularly deserving conservation attention. We examined co-occurrence of all languages and all species, all languages and endangered species, and endangered languages and endangered species and found a correlation between linguistic and biological diversity that may indicate fundamental links between these very different measures of diversity. Considering only endangered species or endangered languages and species reduced that correlation, although considerable co-occurrence persisted. Shared governance of government-designated reserves is applicable for natural WHSs because it capitalizes on the apparent connection between culture and nature. Natural WHSs in Africa containing speakers of Indigenous languages present opportunities to conserve both nature and culture in highly visible settings where maintaining natural systems may rely on functioning Indigenous cultural systems and vice versa.

Diversidad Lingüística y Oportunidades de Conservación en los Sitios de Patrimonio Mundial UNESCO en África Resumen África contiene mucha de la diversidad biológica, cultural y lingüística de la Tierra, aunque conservar esta diversidad es un reto enorme debido a la pobreza extendida, el desarrollo en expansión, la inestabilidad social y el rápido crecimiento de la población humana. Examinamos los Sitios de Patrimonio Mundial (SPM) de la UNESCO (Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, Ciencia y Cultura) en África continental y en las islas aledañas-48 áreas protegidas que contienen recursos naturales o una combinación de recursos culturales y naturales de importancia mundial-para conocer el potencial para enlistar a los pueblos indígenas como parte de su conservación. Usamos tecnología de sistemas de información geográfica para identificar las instancias en donde coincidieron los SPM Naturales con los lenguajes indígenas, un indicador importante de la diversidad cultural. También comparamos la distribución geográfica de cuatro taxones y seleccionamos especies de agua dulce con incidencias en todos los idiomas indígenas dentro de los SPM Naturales y las subsecciones de los SPM para medir la correlación entre la diversidad biológica y la diversidad lingüística. Los resultados indicaron que 147 lenguajes comparten al menos una parte de su distribución geográfica con los SPM Naturales. Las instancias de coincidencia en donde un SPM, un lenguaje o ambos se encuentran en peligro marcaron a las localidades particularmente merecedoras de atención para su conservación. Analizamos la coincidencia de todos los lenguajes y todas las especies, todos los lenguajes y todas las especies en peligro, y los idiomas en peligro y las especies en peligro y encontramos una correlación entre la diversidad lingüística y la diversidad biológica que podría indicar conexiones fundamentales entre estas dos medidas muy diferentes de la diversidad. Cuando sólo se consideró a las especies en peligro o a los lenguajes en peligro y a las especies en peligro en conjunto, esa correlación se vio reducida, aunque persistió una coincidencia considerable. La administración compartida de las reservas designadas por el gobierno puede aplicarse a los SPM naturales porque capitaliza la conexión aparente entre la cultura y la naturaleza. Los SPM Naturales en África que incluyen a hablantes de lenguajes indígenas representan una oportunidad para conservar a la cultura y a la naturaleza en escenarios altamente visibles en donde mantener los sistemas naturales puede depender de los sistemas culturales indígenas funcionales y viceversa.

Waste into rivers: a residual issue? The case of the UNESCO's site of the Quebrada De Humahuaca, NW Argentina.

The Quebrada de Humahuaca in North West Argentina is a world heritage site listed by the UNESCO since 2003. As pollution is increasing dramatically, a pluridisciplinary, annual-long survey was conducted along the valley to determine dominant patterns in waste management and water quality. Along with the habit of discarding waste into the river, urbanizations have been identified as having a deep influence on the river water quality: iron together with maximum peaks of nitrite and nitrate are related with the anthropogenic activity at Humahuaca, whereas the concentrations of arsenic increase from north to south, with maximum peaks of up to 13.50 and 14.50 µg L-1 measured during the rainy season at Maimará and Volcán, respectively. In this underdeveloped region, economic struggles and waste management customs revealed as major factors causing the environmental degradation. The inclusion in the UNESCO's sites list was insufficient in preserving this world heritage site. The approach discussed in this article suggests a straightforward analytical measurement of the river hydrochemical properties during the rainy season in arid/semi-arid regions with monsoonal regime, to assess the effects of waste dumping along watercourses. In addition to scientific evaluations, both public acceptance and the establishment of proper waste management infrastructure are fundamental to ensuring the preservation of human and environmental health.

Crushing the curve, the role of national and international institutions and policy makers in COVID-19 pandemic

Nobody can be fully prepared to a pandemic. Of course there are signs of it, the scientists can predict, alarming speeches can be made. But there are always alarmist people around, maybe that is why sometimes even the most serious warnings may be not considered by the authorities on time. The first patients may be lost without a proper diagnosis. When everybody realizes that there may be a big problem in the horizon, sometimes it is too late. That is why it is very important to monitor contagious diseases and follow the warnings and releases of national and international disease control centers and other related organizations. China celebrated Lunar New Year with more than 40 thousand families on the 18 of January 2020. Nobody seem to be expecting this emerging new viral pneumonia outbreak appeared in Wuhan, in the last days of 2019, will break the chains and turn out to be a pandemic! But maybe this time it was not too late. There were four important pandemics within the last century: Spanish Flu, Hong Kong Flu, Asian Flu and Swine Flu. Each left different story behind. Millions of people had infected, hundreds, thousands of people died. This time, the Modern World had different tools to limit the SARS CoV2 outbreak. The national and international institutions of our globe were all communicating and taking precautions in a very fast manner than ever. However, this time, unexpectedly, the SARS-CoV-2 contagion was also faster. Besides the international organizations like WHO, UNESCO and UNICEF, the roles of local authorities, health ministries, disease control centers, health protection agencies, research centers and universities are all very important in different operational levels to control and survive from the pandemic. This paper will review the immediate response of different national and international institutions and authorities to COVID-19 pandemic.

[UNESCO: bioethical initiatives in 2019].

The Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights was adopted at the UNESCO General Conference on October 19, 2005. From today's perspective, it must be recognized that it was adopted at a historically important period in the development of civilization; It has always been seen as a document that significantly expanded the declaration on human rights, as it gave a new interpretation of human activity in modern society. Next year marks 25 years of active implementation of the main provisions of the declaration in the field of education, research and cultural heritage. Scientific ideas about the world were changing dynamically, new pedagogical technologies developed, society more than ever began to perceive cultural heritage more acutely. Under the influence of these processes, our ideas about moral values ​​and ethical principles changed. An idea of ​​bioethics has formed; The term implies versatile human activities, including not only the doctor-patient relationship, but also the active participation of a person in the field of industry, climate change, as well as new areas such as editing the human genome, transplantology and much more.

Is UNESCO's Undergraduate Bioethics Integrated Curriculum (Medical) fit for purpose?

In 2017, UNESCO introduced an Undergraduate Bioethics Integrated Curriculum to be taught in Indian medical schools, with an implied suggestion that it could subsequently be rolled out to medical schools in UNESCO's other member states. Its stated aim is to create ethical awareness from an early stage of a doctor's training by infusing ethics instructions throughout the entire undergraduate medical syllabus. There are advantages to a standardised integrated curriculum where none existed. However, the curriculum as presently drafted risks failing to achieve its laudable aims. There are important lessons to be drawn from UNESCO's First Syllabus for Youth Bioethics Education (2018), which is aimed at schoolchildren and teenagers, and represents a creative, effective and culturally sensitive way to teach bioethics.

The revised international technical guidance on sexuality education - a powerful tool at an important crossroads for sexuality education.

In January 2018, UNESCO, together with UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women, and the WHO, completed the substantial technical and political process of updating the International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education, thereby unifying a UN position on rationale, evidence, and guidance on designing and delivering comprehensive sexuality education (CSE). The revised Guidance builds on the original Guidance, with improvements and updates based on new evidence and good practice documented from across the globe. User-surveys and structured consultations with representatives from a wide range of fields and interest-groups informed and guided the revision process. The revised Guidance presents one, commonly agreed definition of CSE; enhances and expands its key concepts, topics and learning objectives; places a strengthened focus on gender and human rights; provides guidance on building support and planning the implementation of CSE programmes; and reflects the contribution of CSE to the realization of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With its unified voice, progressive position, and attention to key implementation challenges, the revised Guidance is a responsive, timely, and critically needed tool to advance towards a tipping point for the large-scale application of quality CSE.

Alternate Edens: History, Evolution, and Origins in UNESCO's Cultural and Scientific History of Mankind.

In 1963, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) published the first volume of its long-awaited cultural and scientific history of mankind. First announced in 1948, the History of Mankind was envisioned as a comprehensive, universal human history, from the evolution of Homo sapiens to the middle of the twentieth century. This article uses editorial conflicts over the site of the cradle of the human species to explore the position of scientific knowledge in world history writing and to examine tensions between different national traditions of expertise at a moment of political and scientific transition.