The Zambia Forestry College (ZFC) was established in 1949 to provide technical training in forestry. In the same year it produced the first forest guards.In the following year, Forest Rangers were trained. The college has since been growing to cope with the changing demand for natural resource trained staff. By 1963, over 300 Forest Rangers (Certificate holders) and Forest Guards had been trained.Training for Foresters (Diploma holders) commenced in 1963 with nine students. By the end of 1977, 131 male Foresters and one female Forester completed their training. The college has now been upgraded with equipment, facilities and staff.The Government strive to Improve Expertise and Technical Knowledge a School of Natural Resources was formed at the Copperbelt UniversityIn 1995, the School of Natural Resources started operating as one of the Schools of the Copperbelt University to offer degree programmes in Agroforestry, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Forestry, Wildlife Management and, Wood Science and Technology.In 1996, the first student intake was enrolled for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry only. Other degree programmes were later introduced as follows; - Wood Science and Technology in 2002, Agrofrestry in 2006, Wildlife Management; Fisheries and Aquaculture in 2009 and Bioenegry Science, Plant and Environmental Sciences as well as Sustainable Natural Resource Management and Climate Change in 2016.In 2011 Post Graduate programs were introduce and these are MSc. degree in Natural Resource Management, MSc. degree Sustainable Agriculture production and a PhD. in Natural Resources.The school offers teaching, research and consultancy services in agriculture, environment and natural resources management related fields. The school is also engaged in issues of environmental management and development. It has participated and continues to participate at both national and international levels in issues of climate change, biodiversity conservation, carbon trading, eco-tourism and management of natural resources for socio-economic development..
Background. Tree bark is a chemically and anatomically heterogeneous component of woody biomass that is often treated as a low-value by-product despite containing structural polymers, suberin, tannins, phenolics, terpenoids and other extractives with potential applications in materials, chemicals, adhesives, pharmaceuticals and energy. Bark structure determines protection, storage, transport and defence, while anatomical organization can influence the distribution, accessibility and recovery of chemical fractions. Objective. This systematic review synthesizes evidence on bark anatomy, chemical composition, extractive variation, functional properties, processing approaches and value-added applications, with particular emphasis on linking bark structure and chemistry to practical valorisation pathways within a circular forest bioeconomy. Methods. The review follows the PRISMA 2020 reporting framework and examines literature published from 1980 to 2026 using multidisciplinary bibliographic databases and supplementary sources. Eligible evidence covers bark anatomy, chemistry, extractives, medicinal properties, industrial applications and sustainability. The review retains the detailed evidence synthesis and quantitative analyses developed in the source manuscript, while organizing their interpretation around a structure–chemistry–function–process–product framework. Results. The reviewed evidence demonstrates substantial interspecific and environmental variation in bark thickness, periderm and rhytidome development, phloem organization, fibres, sclereids and secretory structures. Major chemical groups include phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, lignans, suberin, waxes and other extractives. These characteristics are associated with medicinal, adhesive, material, chemical and energy applications. The synthesis further identifies extraction, fractionation, tannin-based adhesives, composites, structural materials, thermochemical conversion and integrated biorefinery systems as important valorisation pathways, while emphasizing the need to valorise post-extraction residues. Conclusions. Bark should be considered a heterogeneous forest-product feedstock rather than a uniform residue. Its anatomy, chemistry and functional properties provide the basis for selecting appropriate extraction, processing and product pathways. Future research should integrate standardized bark characterization with process mass balances, product performance testing, life-cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis to support commercially viable circular forest biorefineries.
This paper examines the methodological and ethical challenges of conducting remote research on child‐animal relationships across thirty communities in 17 countries during the COVID‐19 pandemic. It critically assesses remote research as a mode of collaboration informed by decolonial aspirations, highlighting the complexities of navigating temporal and geographical distances, mitigating global inequalities, and addressing political and methodological tensions at the intersection of psychological anthropology and cross‐cultural developmental psychology. By engaging with these challenges, the paper fosters critical dialogue on research ethics and methodologies between anthropology and psychology, advancing a broader intellectual engagement toward translocal equity.
In this study, Odontolabis taynguyensis Xin, Zhong & Qi, sp. nov., is described from central Vietnam based on morphological and mitochondrial COI gene evidence. The new species could be distinguished from related species by external characters. Phylogenetic analysis supports designating O. platynota coomani (Didier, 1927) as a junior synonym of O. p. platynota (Hope, 1845), as both genetic distance and tree topology demonstrate that O. p. coomani is nested within the O. p. platynota clade and lacks an independent lineage.
A new stag beetle species is described from Wuyishan National Park of Fujian, China, Lucanus qizhihaoi Lin, Su, Xin & Song, new species, which represents the easternmost distribution record of the L. boileaui group, previously known only from southwestern China and northern Indochina Peninsula. Evidences are found on morphological characters, the mitochondrial marker COI and significant geographic isolation to clearly distinguished the new species from its closest relative, L. boileaui Planet, 1897.
This study analyses the causes and consequences of slope instability around the historical Himalatral Thrust. The lithology constitutes fissile, shattered and sheared gneiss. Consequently, the slopes are prone to land subsidence and mass wasting. In the last few decades rise in population has led to a surge of infrastructure development, thus causing immense pressure on the finite resources and limited accommodation space on precariously balanced vulnerable slopes. Particularly, the unplanned infrastructure development, lack of adequate drainage and excavation of roads through unstable debris slopes are some of the reasons that seem to have accelerated the ongoing slope instability and land subsidence.
