Assessing distribution, abundance and impacts of trade and habitat change in western populations of African grey parrot (psittacus erithacus)

In Ghana, many large avian frugivores face very serious threats, including habitat loss, hunting, and capture for the pet trade. However, basic ecological information is lacking for most species including the heavily-traded Grey Parrot Psittacus erithacus. The aim of my PhD was therefore to investigate the current distribution, abundance and ecology of Grey Parrot and other large frugivores to help inform their future conservation. I conducted surveys for twenty species of pigeons, parrots, turacos and hornbills in forty-two 10 km × 10 km survey squares in southwest Ghana. Only two species, West African Pied Hornbill Lophoceros semifasciatus and African Green Pigeon Treron calvus, were recorded in most survey squares. The most restricted and rare species included large-bodied species such as Great Blue Turaco Corythaeola cristata, Yellow-casqued Hornbill Ceratogymna elata and Black-casqued Hornbill C. atrata. Canonical Correspondence Analysis showed that large hornbills were especially restricted to large forest reserves with low anthropogenic disturbance. I then used Maxent to predict more precisely the distribution of the frugivores across Ghana, and identify their responses to predictors such as land cover types, enhanced vegetation index (EVI), human population density, and climate data. Frugivores showed varying associations with Ghana’s large forest reserves, with Afep Pigeon Columba unicincta, Great Blue Turaco, and Black Dwarf Hornbill Tockus hartlaubi among the most restricted. Most species had highest occurrence probabilities in the southwest of the country. The main driver of distributions was land cover type, with forest habitats preferred in 90% of species. Differences in human population density and EVI were seldom important. The large southwestern forest reserves are key sites for Ghana’s frugivores, and it is crucial that they are adequately protected and managed. Grey Parrot is believed to have undergone rapid population decline, yet there are almost no quantitative data properly supporting this from anywhere within its huge range. I reviewed its historical abundance across Ghana, undertook targeted searches across the country’s forest zone, repeated counts at 22 parrot roosts first performed two decades ago and gauged around 900 people’s perceptions of the decline and its causes. In over 150 days of fieldwork, just 32 groups were recorded. Encounter rates were 15 times lower than those from the early 1990s. No active roosts, i.e. roosts in current use, were found, and just a handful of birds seen near three roosts that each harboured 700–1200 birds two decades ago. Interviewees stressed the importance of very tall trees of commercially important timber species for nesting and roosting. Ghana has lost 90–99% of its Grey Parrots since 1992, and there is no evidence that, away from one or two localities, declines are less severe anywhere else in West Africa. Despite declines, Grey Parrots paradoxically remain reasonably widely distributed. I developed multiple historical and current Maxent models for the species based on various presence data sources: field surveys from the early 1990s and 2012–14, records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, and interview data. Models of historical distribution showed high suitability over much of the study area. Current distributions were predicted to be much more patchy, with large areas unsuitable, but with high suitability in the extreme south/southwest. Historically, Grey Parrot distribution was correlated most strongly with high rainfall, while current distribution is more closely linked with land use. Levels of exploitation of Grey Parrots have been unsustainable and regulation of the trade through quota schemes and enforcement of trade embargoes needs to be strengthened. Ghana should also reintroduce shade cocoa agriculture to improve habitat quality for the Grey Parrot and other frugivores

Scorecards and social accountability for improved maternal and newborn health services: a pilot in the Ashanti and Volta regions of Ghana

Background: With the limited availability of quality emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) in Ghana, and a lack of dialogue on the issue at district level, the Evidence for Action (E4A) program (2011-2015) initiated a pilot intervention using a social accountability approach in two regions of Ghana. Objective: Using scorecards to assess and improve maternal and newborn health services, the intervention study evaluated the effectiveness of engaging multiple, health and non-health sector stakeholders at district level to improve the enabling environment for quality EmONC. Methods: The quantitative study component comprised two rounds of assessments in 37 health facilities. The qualitative component is based on an independent prospective policy study. Results: Results show a marked growth in a culture of accountability, with heightened levels of community participation, transparency, and improved clarity of lines of accountability among decision-makers. The breadth and type of quality of care improvements were dependent on the strength of community and government engagement in the process, especially in regard to more complex systemic changes. Conclusion: Engaging a broad network of stakeholders to support MNH services has great potential if implemented in ways that are context-appropriate and that build around full collaboration with government and civil society stakeholders

AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds

Functional traits offer a rich quantitative framework for developing and testing theories in evolutionary biology, ecology and ecosystem science. However, the potential of functional traits to drive theoretical advances and refine models of global change can only be fully realised when species‐level information is complete. Here we present the AVONET dataset containing comprehensive functional trait data for all birds, including six ecological variables, 11 continuous morphological traits, and information on range size and location. Raw morphological measurements are presented from 90,020 individuals of 11,009 extant bird species sampled from 181 countries. These data are also summarised as species averages in three taxonomic formats, allowing integration with a global phylogeny, geographical range maps, IUCN Red List data and the eBird citizen science database. The AVONET dataset provides the most detailed picture of continuous trait variation for any major radiation of organisms, offering a global template for testing hypotheses and exploring the evolutionary origins, structure and functioning of biodiversity

Impact of the Trump Administration's Modification to the Public Charge Rule on Perceptions of Immigrants' Behavior

The public charge rule that prohibited entry of any person unable to take care of himself or herself without depending on public benefits has been in existence since 1882. It was last modified in 1999 before it’s modification in February 2020 by the administration of Donald Trump. The Trump administration’s modification to the rule expanded the public benefits whose use could be used to deny upgrading of immigrant visa status. Under the modified rule, a foreign national is defined as likely to become a public charge if they use public benefits such as cash assistance, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and public housing benefits. This study seeks to determine if, from the perspective of social service personnel who engage with immigrants, nonimmigrants, and mixed-status families, the Trump administration’s modification to the public charge rule has affected immigrants’ behaviors. The research reported here is based on open-ended, qualitative interviews administered to a purposive sample of ten social service personnel. To the best of my knowledge, the study is the first to examine the experience of social service personnel working with immigrants, as compared to previous studies that sampled immigrants rather than those who serve them. The study revealed that, from social service personnel’s perspective, after the change in the public charge rule, immigrants avoided using public benefits out to fear of becoming a public charge and consequently denied a green card. This fear led some immigrants and mixed-status families to withdraw or not apply for public benefits even when needed. Of greater concern to respondents is the withdrawal of US-born children from public benefits. This study can serve as a guide to creating immigration policies that minimize immigrant fear of reprisal for using public services and will allow them to apply and use public benefits legally available for them and/or their children

Community health worker intervention improves early childhood vaccination rates: results from a propensity-score matching evaluation

Background: Arizona’s Health Start Program is a statewide community health worker (CHW) maternal and child health home visiting intervention. The objective of this study was to test if participation in Health Start during 2006–2016 improved early childhood vaccination completion rates. Methods: This retrospective study used 11 years of administrative, birth certificate, and immunization records. Propensity score matching was used to identify control groups, based on demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic characteristics. Results are reported by historically disadvantaged subgroups and/or with a history of low vaccine uptake, including Hispanic/Latinx and American Indian children, and children of low socioeconomic status and from rural areas, children with teen mothers and first-born children. The average treatment-on-the-treated (ATT) effect estimated the impact of Health Start on timely completion of seven early childhood vaccine series: diphtheria/tetanus toxoids and acellular/whole-cell pertussis (DTaP/DTP), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), hepatitis B (Hep. B), measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), poliovirus, and varicella. Results: Vaccination completion rates (by age five) were 5.0% points higher for Health Start children as a group, and on average 5.0% points higher for several subgroups of mothers: women from rural border counties (ATT 5.8), Hispanic/Latinx women (ATT 4.8), American Indian women (ATT 4.8), women with less than high school education (ATT 5.0), teen mothers (ATT 6.1), and primipara women (ATT 4.5), compared to matched control groups (p-value ≤ 0.05). Time-to-event analyses show Health Start children complete vaccination sooner, with a hazard rate for full vaccination 13% higher than their matches. Conclusion: A state-operated home visiting intervention with CHWs as the primary interventionist can effectively promote early childhood vaccine completion, which may reduce the incidence of preventable diseases and subsequently improve children’s health. Effects of CHW interventions on vaccination uptake is particularly relevant given the rise in vaccine-preventable diseases in the US and globally. Trial registration: Approved by the University of Arizona Research Institutional Review Board (Protocol 1701128802), 25 January 2017. © 2022, The Author(s).Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Research and conservation of the larger parrots of Africa and Madagascar: a review of knowledge gaps and opportunities

Parrot populations in Africa and Madagascar are declining and the need for conservation actions to address threats is increasingly recognised. Effective conservation requires a robust knowledge base on which decisions over appropriate actions can be made, yet at present there is no current and readily accessible synthesis of the status of populations, the threats they face and knowledge gaps. Here we begin to address this shortfall for the larger species in the region belonging to the genera Coracopsis, Poicephalus, Psittacus and Psittacula. We review developments since the production of the IUCN Parrot Action Plan published in 2000, identify areas where critical knowledge is lacking and highlight opportunities to address them. While advances have been made over the last decade, progress has not been evenly spread, with a strong bias towards populations in southern Africa. To date much research has focused on describing aspects of ecology and behaviour and there remains a need for studies determining the current status of populations and the factors limiting distributions and abundance. This review aims to provide a basis upon which progress towards an improved understanding of the conservation needs of the larger parrots of Africa and Madagascar can be made.Additional co-authors: Philip Hall, Lars H Holbech, Ireene R Madindou, Jérôme Mokoko, Ronald Mulwa, Anna Reuleaux, Craig Symes, Simon Tamungang, Stuart Taylor, Simon Valle, Matthias Waltert, and Mengistu Wondafrash