Quantifying imperfect detection in an invasive pest fish and the implications for conservation management

In managing non-native species, surveillance programmes aim to minimise the opportunity for invasions to develop from initial introductions through early detection. However, this is dependent on surveillance methods being able to detect species at low levels of abundance to avoid false-negative recordings through imperfect detection. We investigated through field experimentation the ability to detect Pseudorasbora parva, a highly invasive pest fish in Europe, in relation to their known density and sampling method. Secure pond mesocosms of area 100 m2 contained P. parva densities from 0.02 to 5.0 m"122; each density was in triplicate. These were searched using point sampling electric fishing and deployment of fish traps (non-baited and baited). No fish were captured at densities 0.5 m"122, whereas for electric fishing it only exceeded 0.95 at 5.0 m"122 using high searching effort. These data reveal that small pest fishes such as P. parva may be prone to imperfect detection when at low densities and this is consistent with a number of other invasive species. This indicates the importance of designing surveillance programmes using methods of known statistical power to optimise conservation resource expenditure and enhance management outcomes

Understanding Risk and Prevention in Midwestern Antitrafficking Efforts: Service Providers' Perspectives

Since the 2000 passage of both the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and the U.N.’s Palermo Protocols, human trafficking has gained a notable global presence as a human rights concern. Community organizations, nonprofits, scholars, policymakers, and service providers have developed programs to identify and address human trafficking. Despite these efforts, finding reliable methods to document and quantify the instances of human trafficking continues to challenge researchers. Moreover, many believe trafficking is a problem primarily located in urban areas or along national borders. Drawing from seven years of interviews with service providers who work in this sector, combined with survey results from an additional 722 service providers, this project adds to the growing body of research on human trafficking, specifically in the Midwestern United States. The findings of this study indicate that place and location matter in antitrafficking, especially with regard to availability of and access to resources across urban and rural areas. However, these service providers also identify similar concerns across regions with regards to trafficking warning signs and risk factors—for both sex and labor trafficking—as well as community resources that could prevent trafficking or alleviate vulnerability. These findings point toward the benefit of research that is geographically focused and involves both qualitative and quantitative research. Additionally, this research has uncovered unexpected groups of community members that may be vital in the identification and prevention of human trafficking. Though there is a growing body of research about the role of medical practitioners, law enforcement, foster care workers, and social workers in the struggle to address trafficking, there are other groups that also have important insight into the risks their communities face. Interviews revealed that firefighters have particular relationships with the communities they serve and may be ideally positioned to address human trafficking, exploitation, and vulnerability because of these relationships

Constitutional Changes in Eminent Domain in Illinois

The purpose of this article is (1) to review the constitutional changed that have taken place in \u27the law of eminent domain in Illinois; (2) to discuss the proposals which have been introduced in the present Constitutional Convention; and (3) to indicate some of the more important constitutional changed which, in recent years, have occurred in other states

Dinjik enjit nerrzhrii (we are hunting for moose): an evaluation of tribal co-management in the Yukon flats, interior Alaska

Gwich’in People of Interior Alaska have historically exercised self-governance in the Yukon Flats to protect traditional and customary use practices. A number of factors have challenged Gwich’in self-governance: land ownership in rural Alaska being under multiple jurisdictions, which has created complicated parameters for management of fish and wildlife; and the legal history of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), which has created an arbitrary and fragmented management system. Despite these challenges, Alaska Native communities have been working to reassert their self-governance over important lands and resources. One example is the co-management arrangement between the Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments (CATG) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Yukon Flats. CATG is a consortium of Gwich\u27in and Koyukon Athabascan tribes located throughout the Yukon Flats. CATG and the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge negotiated an Annual Funding Agreement (AFA) since 2004, performing activities related to moose management in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Interior Alaska. The Agreement provides for the CATG to perform certain programs, services, functions and activities for the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge. This thesis aims to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the co-management arrangement between CATG and USFWS related to the management of moose in the Yukon Flats. Through my research, I illustrate the importance and need for a better system of communication and understanding of regulation for Alaska Native People and their environment. This research advances knowledge about co-management for natural resource managers and adds to the growing body of regional work to promote Indigenous knowledge practice and sustainable management. Methods utilized include semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and participant observation to understand attributes important to co-management success in the context of moose management in interior Alaska. Success is analyzed through the adaptive co-management (ACM) framework developed by Armitage et al. (2009) to evaluate the CATG co-management arrangement with regards to moose management. My research findings show that of the 10 design principles, 3 have been met, 1 was not met, and 6 have only partially been met. This analysis reveals that the co-management arrangement as it was developed offers significant potential for success. However, the majority of the principles remain partially met rather than fully met, indicating that there is a lot more that the parties – particularly the USFWS – must do to maintain the agreement and develop true co-management. The ability of secure and consistent is critical to continue the implementation of the co-management arrangement in the Yukon Flats