The objective of the present paper is to use CLIMEX software to project how climate change might impact the future distribution of date palm ('Phoenix dactylifera' L.) in Iran. Although the outputs of this software are only based on the response of a species to climate, the CLIMEX results were refined in the present study using two non-climatic parameters: (a) the location of soils containing suitable physicochemical properties and (b) the spatial distribution of soil types having suitable soil taxonomy for dates, as unsuitable soil types impose problems in air permeability, hydraulic conductivity and root development. Here, two different Global climate models (GCMs), CSIRO-Mk3.0 (CS) and MIROC-H (MR), were employed with the A2 emission scenario to model the potential date palm distribution under current and future climates in Iran for the years 2030, 2050, 2070 and 2100. The results showed that only c. 0.30 of the area identified as suitable by CLIMEX will actually be suitable for date palm cultivation: the rest of the area comprises soil types that are not favourable for date palm cultivation. Moreover, the refined outputs indicate that the total area suitable for date palm cultivation will increase to 31.3 million ha by 2100, compared with 4.8 million ha for current date palm cultivation. The present results also indicate that only heat stress will have an impact on date palm distribution in Iran by 2100, with the areas currently impacted by cold stress diminishing by 2100.

The recent United Nations global summit in South Africa highlighted the importance of education in matters of economic and environmental sustainability. However, education about the environment is somewhat 'constrained' compared with more holistic notions such as education for sustainability (EfS). The literature suggests that EfS has considerable scope for developing students' views of sustainability in a global context with the concept seen as best delivered via an action-oriented, integrated-curriculum approach. Such an approach faces many barriers including teachers' views about EfS and its implementation. This study reports on an inquiry into some NSW primary and secondary teachers' views of EfS. Few of the participants were familiar with the concept of EfS in a formal sense, but they reported that they were already incorporating aspects of EfS into their teaching, suggesting broad agreement with the characteristics required for effective EFS presented in the literature. The teachers seem well aware of the socially-situated nature of EfS and its connection to issues of social justice. Examination of school curriculum in New South Wales suggests that it provides scope for delivering EfS, and if the new environmental education policy for schools is implemented effectively, it may help raise the profile of EfS.

'Lantana camara' L. (lantana) is a major problem globally and has been declared a weed of national significance (WoNS) in Australia due to its significant negative impacts on Australian biodiversity and agriculture. Development of remote sensing techniques and modelling approaches that can map lantana accurately and project its likely future distribution should be useful for formulation of more effective, long-term management plans. The research reported here comprises seven studies based on remote sensing and modelling techniques that should contribute to better mapping and projected modelling of lantana in an era of climate change. Four image fusion techniques, namely Brovey, Hue-Saturation-Value (HSV), Principal Components (PC) and Gram-Schmidt (GS) Spectral Sharpening, were investigated using Quickbird imagery to identify the most effective fusion algorithm for mapping lantana. The results identified GS and PC spectral sharpening techniques as the most effective for this purpose. Brovey transformation and HSV, on the other hand, performed poorly with much lower overall accuracies. Three commonly available satellite images of varying spectral, spatial and radiometric resolutions from Landsat TM, SPOT 5 and Quickbird were assessed for accuracy and cost effectiveness in lantana mapping. The most cost-effective option was provided by Landsat TM with no significant difference in overall accuracies between the three types of imagery.

This dataset comprises data from one survey undertaken with senior secondary Omani students and a tightly-structured interview undertaken with secondary Omani students and their teachers.

The survey is an adaptation of a WHO instrument and included questions related to gender, age and rurality of the school attended. It was translated into Arabic and back translated into English to ensure validity of the translation. The Arabic version was further trialled using a number of senior secondary classes in Omani schools as well as specialists in the schools of health education in both the Ministries of Education and Health to check the content and translation validity.

A subset of the survey respondents and some teachers were interviewed using a brief, tightly structured interview protocol of 5 questions to enable a more in-depth understanding of students and teacher knowledge of antibiotic resistance and the contributing factors.

Although there is no explicit requirement within the National Curriculum for England to teach about nuclear fission and chain-reactions, at least one board, the Northern Examinations and Assessment Board, does include this topic in its Science Double Award syllabus for 2001 and 2002: Nuclear reactors use a process called nuclear fission. When an atom with a very large nucleus is bombarded with neutrons: the nucleus splits into two small nuclei; further neutrons are released which cause further nuclear fission resulting in a chainreaction; the new atoms which are formed are themselves radioactive. (NEAB, 2001: 76).

The synergy created by linking science and literacy has led to a number of initiatives in different countries. In the USA, a curriculum for grades 2-5 (ages 7-11) entitled 'Seeds of Science'/'Roots of Reading' (scienceandliteracy.org), combining science and literacy, was not only an efficient use of time in the school day but also effective in improving pupil outcomes. In experimental studies comparing the performance of pupils following the Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading curriculum with that of pupils being taught comparable content through the 'business as usual' curriculum, researchers found that those in Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading classrooms always had higher scores on measures of science conceptual knowledge and vocabulary than the control pupils. In addition, they always performed equivalently or higher than control pupils on measures of science reading comprehension and science writing (Rhodes and Feder, 2014). In Australia, the Federal Government and the Australian Academy of Science have developed a programme entitled 'Primary Connections' (primaryconnections.org.au), aimed at supporting the teaching of science in the primary sector. The programme makes strong and explicit links between science and literacy through the use of word walls, science journals, discussion groups and procedural texts, among a range of other techniques. There are many ways to link or integrate science and literacy and this article reports on an approach used with pre-service primary teachers at an Australian University, specifically the use of science-based texts to introduce science topics to primary pupils.

Education for Sustainability is a relatively new educational concept which is receiving increasing attention. This article examines how this concept has evolved from traditional environmental education and looks at some of the important principles that underpin it. It goes on to discuss some of the potential impediments to its effective implementation within our present educational structures, before examining how a reorientation of these structures might be achieved in order to make Education for Sustainability more effective and viable.

'Merremia peltata' is a species with uncertain status in the island nations of the Pacific region. It has been designated introduced and invasive in some countries whereas it is considered native in others. Recent increase in its abundance across some island landscapes have led to calls for its designation as an invasive species of environmental concern with biological control being suggested as a control strategy. Climate change will add to the complications of managing this species since changes in climate will influence its range limits. In this study, we develop a process-oriented niche model of 'M. peltata' using CLIMEX to investigate the impacts of climate change on its potential distribution. Information on the climatic requirements of 'M. peltata' and its current geographic distribution were used to calibrate the model. The results indicate that under current climate, 273,132 km2 of the land area in the region is climatically unsuitable or marginal for 'M. peltata' whereas 664,524 km2 is suitable to highly suitable. Under current climate, areas of climatic suitability for 'M. peltata' were identified on the archipelagos of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. By the end of the century, some archipelagos like Fiji, Hawaii, New Caledonia and Vanuatu will probably become more suitable while PNG and Solomon Islands become less suitable for 'M. peltata'. The results can be used to inform biosecurity planning, management and conservation strategies on islands.

This study set out to model potential date palm distribution under current and future climate scenarios using an emission scenario, in conjunction with two different global climate models (GCMs): CSIRO-Mk3.0 (CS), and MIROC-H (MR), and to refine results based on suitability under four nonclimatic parameters. Areas containing suitable physicochemical soil properties and suitable soil taxonomy, together with land slopes of less than 10° and suitable land uses for date palm ('Phoenix dactylifera') were selected as appropriate refining tools to ensure the CLIMEX results were accurate and robust. Results showed that large regions of Iran are projected as likely to become climatically suitable for date palm cultivation based on the projected scenarios for the years 2030, 2050, 2070, and 2100. The study also showed CLIMEX outputs merit refinement by nonclimatic parameters and that the incremental introduction of each additional parameter decreased the disagreement between GCMs. Furthermore, the study indicated that the least amount of disagreement in terms of areas conducive to date palm cultivation resulted from CS and MR GCMs when the locations of suitable physicochemical soil properties and soil taxonomy were used as refinement tools.

Nature play programs, mostly instigated by early childhood education services, are rapidly expanding across Australia drawing on various international approaches to create uniquely Australian programs. But, as yet Australian research to support this expansion is at best emergent (Christiansen et al. 2018). Through collaboration between a NSW Environmental Education Centre (EEC), nearby preschool/school communities and university researchers a new nature playspace was developed. The participating regional EEC mostly offered environmental education programs for primary school-aged groups and a nature playspace was proposed to align with learning approaches, particularly for younger groups of children aged 3–8 years. The playspace was created in open eucalypt woodland with a grass understorey and locally-sourced natural materials were added including rocks, logs, bones and soil to create play areas such as a dirt hill, balancing logs and a bone sandpit. Our research aim was to explore both children’s and teacher’s perceptions about the nature play affordances in the new playspace, however only children’s responses are reported here. The research was underpinned by Gibson’s theory of affordance (1986), the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (UNICEF 1989) and a social constructionist epistemology (Guba and Lincoln 2005). Further, Mosaic methodology (Clark and Moss 2001) facilitated data collection both with and by children through walking interviews, focus groups and photography which prioritised their voices. Both preschool and early year’s school groups played on-site weekly over six-weeks and an on-site EEC teacher as Research Assistant (RA/EEC teacher) recorded in a research field journal throughout. This article outlines child-focused research insights that may shape the development of nature playspaces and programs.