Roads, deforestation, and the mitigating effect of protected areas in the Amazon
HOW TO WRITE AN ABSTRACT
An abstract is a concise, stand-alone statement that conveys the essential information contained in an article, book, research paper, or document. Written in a direct non-repetitive style, the abstract should:
- Identify the problem (research question of thesis) investigated.
- Describe the scope or method of investigation.
- Summarize the results.
- State the conclusion(s).
The abstract can only be 300 words (max) long. It is usually done right at the end of the process, but it comes in after your cover page in the presentation.
Writing the abstract
1. Highlight the sentences in the paper that detail the problem (objective) investigated.
2. Highlight the research question (or thesis).
3. Identify information (phrases, key words) that shows the scope and sequence of the investigation-identify but do not explain.
4. condense the conclusion into a few concise sentences.
Words of advice:
1) for the first draft, don't worry about length. Just try to cover all the important components that are required in the abstract. Use all the information that highlighted and identified as you read through the essay (or article).
2) Take a word count before you begin to edit.
3) Begin editing by deleting words, phrases and sentences that are less important or provide more explanation than necessary.
4) Look for places where sentences can be combined to omit extra words or condense idea.
5) Delete unnecessary background information.
6) Do not use jargon, abbreviations, direct quotes or citations.
7) Avoid writing in the first person (I). Rather than saying. "In this essay I discuss...",try a more formal approach by starting your abstract with an opening simlar to:
his essay discusses the effects of...Specifically, this paper
investigates (restate research question)..."
"This essay examines how...It attempts to answer the question..."
8) Write the required word count. If a 300 word abstract is required (this IS required for IB), get as close to the require number of words as possible.
At this stage, as well planning your arguement, you need to think about the marking criteria and requirements for the presentation.
Geographic Information Systems as a software tool
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kainz
Cartography and Geographic Information Science
Department of Geography and Regional Research, University of Vienna
Universitätsstraße 7, A-1010 Vienna, Austria
Tel.: +43 (1) 4277 48640, Fax: +43 (1) 4277 9486, Cell: +43 (664) 8175066
E-mail: [email protected] URL: homepage.univie.ac.at/wolfgang.kainz
Abstract
Geographic Information Systems as a software tool are based on well established principles, algorithms and data structures. In recent years we see a trend towards geographic information science; a science with geographic information as the subject of scientific investigation. Mathematics plays a major role in the formulation of a theoretical foundation for geographic information. This article will introduce some basic principles of mathematics as used in GIS and explain why these principles are fundamental for a theoretical foundation of GIS.
Key words
SAMPLE ABSTRACT
Timsit, M., and N. Bruyere-DeGeyter. "The Function of Anxiety the Structure of Personality in Sports Participation: Use of the Rorschach Test in Comparing Samples of Basketball and Football Players." International Journal of Sport Psychology. 8.2 (1977): 128-139.
The article examines the relationship between athletes and the structure of the athletic personality, and more precisely, the importance of the choice of a sport and athletics in general in the development of the personality. Forty 17-21 year olds (20 football players and 20 basketball players) were studied, and the data were compared with those from 17 technical school students of the same age. Data from the sports group were significantly different from the control group: the sports group showed freer expression, more aggression, a more evident state of anxiety, and relatively more effective control mechanisms (kinetic responses). Data for the basketballers were significantly different from those of the footballers: the basketballers had a higher tendency toward static kinetics, and the footballers had a higher anxiety index. Results are discussed in relation to the athletic capacity specifically called for in particular types of sports: location on the court in basketball, and active and direct struggle in football.
Roads, deforestation, and the mitigating effect of protected areas in the Amazon
Biological Conservation, Volume 177, September 2014, Pages 203-209
Christopher P. Barber, Mark A. Cochrane, Carlos M. Souza Jr., William F. Laurance
Abstract
Roads have a major impact on Amazon deforestation. However, the effects of the rapidly growing network of illegal or unofficial roads in the Amazon are usually not considered. We assessed relationships between past deforestation and existing networks of highways, navigable rivers, and all other roads, including more than 190,000 km of unofficial roads. We found that deforestation was much higher near roads and rivers than elsewhere in the Amazon; nearly 95% of all deforestation occurred within 5.5 km of roads or 1 km of rivers. Protected areas near roads and rivers had much lower deforestation (10.9%) than did unprotected areas near roads and rivers (43.6%). If one assumes that existing protected areas halt deforestation, then we estimate that 39,462 km2 of expected forest clearing would have been avoided. However, if one assumes that protected areas merely displace deforestation to other locations, then we estimate that 34,501 km2 of expected clearing would have been displaced elsewhere. We conclude that proximity to transportation networks, particularly the rapidly growing unofficial road network, is a major proximate driver of deforestation in Amazonia and that protected areas are having a strong mitigating effect on that risk.
Keywords
Amazon; Roads; Protected areas; Conservation; Deforestation; Tropical forests