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Co-management has been promoted as a way of enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency in natural resource management. However, majority of the applied approaches have focused on one indicator independently overlooking other role indicators. This makes the co-management difficult. To enhance effectiveness, this study applied the 4Rs framework to analyse the role imbalances of the key stakeholders involved in the co-management of Aberdare forest ecosystem. The 4Rs provides analysis of the rights, responsibilities, revenues received and the relationships amongst co-managers for effective co-management. To improve on this framework our study expounded on the analysis of stakeholder roles according to priority which facilitated identification of the actual roles. The data was collected using mixed methods approach whereby 46 semi-structured interviews were conducted. Chain referral sampling was employed to ensure that the interviews resulted in sufficient theoretical saturation. Analysis of the listed and ranked responses for each R was done to identify the imbalance/balance. The results indicated role imbalances with conflicting responsibilities, revenues obtained and rights that jeopardized organizations efforts to deliver. Community-based organizations (CBO) accrued most revenues through forest livelihood improvement projects within the forest however; stakeholders whose mandate is to ensure in-situ conservation felt such policies compromised forests sustainability. Government organizations had the most responsibilities while CBO had the most revenues and rights. CBO collaborative management proposals were often neglected by government organizations which compromised the organizations’ relationships. Based on these findings, the 4Rs contributes to the identification of roles imbalance hence a potential indicator in enhancing effectiveness in co-managed ecosystems.

Distribution patterns of biodiversity and the factors influencing them are important in conservation and management strategies of natural resources. With impending threats from increased human population and global climatic changes, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of these patterns, more so in species-rich tropical montane ecosystems where little is known about plant diversity and distribution. Vascular species richness along elevation and climatic gradients of Aberdare ranges forest were explored. A total of 1337 species in 137 families, 606 genera, 82 subspecies and 80 varieties were recorded. Correlations, simple linear regression and Partial least square regression analysis were used to assess richness and diversity patterns of total plants, herbs, shrubs, climbers, arboreal and endemic species from 2000–4000 m above sea level. Total plant species richness showed a monotonic declining relationship with elevation with richness maxima at 2000–2100 m a.s.l., while endemic species richness had a positive unimodal increase along elevation with peaks at 3600–3700 m a.s.l. Herbs, shrubs, climbers and arboreal had significant negative relationships with altitude, excluding endemism which showed positive relations. In contrast, both air and soil temperatures had positive relationships with taxa richness groups and negative relations with endemic species. Elevation was found to have higher relative influence on plant richness and distribution in Aberdare ranges forest. For effective conservation and management of biodiversity in Aberdare, localized dynamic conservation interventions are recommended in contrast to broad and static strategies. Establishment of conservation zones and migration corridors are necessary to safeguard biodiversity in line with envisaged global climatic vicissitudes.

A better understanding of Ecosystem Services (ES) contributes to sustainable use while conserving the ecosystems mainly in resource-rich developing regions. This paper explores multilevel stakeholder perceptions on the most important ES provided by Aberdare Forest Ecosystem (AFE). The importance rank matrix model was employed to establish the ES preferences of 15 selected key organisations involved in AFE co-management. A two-way ANOVA inferential analysis was used to compare the differences in ES type importance. The results revealed statistically significant differences between provisioning, regulating and cultural ES. Regulating ES were identified as the most important compared to provisioning and cultural ES; a gradual stakeholder preference shift from forest tangible goods. Water, wildlife habitat, flood regulation, carbon intake and climate regulation were identified as the most important ES by all the stakeholders. Therefore, it is important to understand the gradual changes in ES preferences by various stakeholders involved in the co-management of natural resources. This knowledge could be important to the decision-makers in sustainable co-management planning for natural resources and to enhance sustainable utiliation of ES.

Als Herausgeber poetischer Taschenbücher und literarischer Zeitschriften stand Leo von Seckendorf (1775–1809) in brieflichem Austausch mit fast allen bedeutenden Autoren von der späten Aufklärung über die Klassik bis zur Romantik. Über die Bedeutung der prominenten Briefpartner hinaus gewährt die enorm vielseitige, aber bislang nur in wenigen Ausschnitten zugängliche Korrespondenz einen ergiebigen Einblick in die Funktionsweise des literarischen Marktes um 1800. Zudem enthält sie, aufgrund der aktiven Teilhabe Seckendorfs an verschiedenen literarisch-künstlerischen Zirkeln in Weimar, Regensburg, Stuttgart und Wien eine Vielzahl authentischer Mitteilungen zur geselligen Kultur der Epoche. Mit dieser ausführlich kommentierten Edition von über 300 Briefen aus dem umfangreichen und weit verstreuten Nachlass Seckendorfs wird eine überaus breit gefächerte Korrespondenz erstmals ihrer Bedeutung entsprechend gewürdigt und durch ein Repertorium und Briefverzeichnis vollständig erschlossen.

Honduras Loan Committee (pg. 59-60). Strike and Lock-out in South Wales Collieries (pg. 62-68). National Agricultural Labourers' Union (pg. 68-69). Trades Union Congress at Glasgow (pg. 69). Arctic Expedition (pg. 69-74). Death of Lady Franklin (pg. 74). Other deaths of note (pg. 74). Seyyed of Zanzibar (pg. 74-75).