The IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions™ as a tool for enhancing the sustainable development of marine aquaculture

This paper applies the IUCN Global Standard for Nature based Solutions™ self-assessment tool (published in 2020) to two aquaculture case studies. Data from the case studies were compiled by the authors. In Zanzibar, secondary data were obtained through a previous project, which included a stakeholder workshop in Zanzibar (in 2019) and one deliverable published by the IUCN on Zanzibar of their catalogue “Aquaculture and Marine Conservation”. In Indonesia, the original data were provided by the Blue Natural Capital Funding Facility (BNCFF) and the associated local teams. The analysis of the data, the information provided, and the scoring itself were done by the authors, in association with local teams in both areas. The results of the two assessments, discussed in the paper and presented in detail in the Supplementary materials, can be considered original research, never previously published in a scientific journal. The concept of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) was proposed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to protect, restore, and sustainably manage natural and modified ecosystems for achieving a variety of societal benefits. The IUCN released the IUCN Global Standard for NbS™ to help design, assess, strengthen, and upscale NbS interventions. In the current context of growing uncertainties for the future of coastlines and oceans, aquaculture has been recognized as a positive activity for achieving sustainable development in coastal communities; supporting food security, poverty alleviation, and economic resilience; and contributing to the conservation of marine ecosystems in some cases. However, the sustainability of aquaculture systems has often been criticized. Aquaculture initiatives in coastal areas can achieve both nature conservation and sustainable development objectives, but reflection on the conditions under which this would happen is needed. This article examines aquaculture systems through the lens of the NbS concept and the IUCN Global Standard for NbS™, along with other sustainability concepts and instruments currently used in the context of aquaculture. The application of the IUCN Global Standard for NbS™’s to two case studies is explored: seaweed farming in Zanzibar in marine conservation areas and shrimp farming coupled with mangrove restoration in Indonesia. The results show that the NbS concept underpinning the IUCN Global Standard for NbS™ could help in the overall assessment of aquaculture systems and improve their sustainability by highlighting both their positive outcomes and issues requiring further examination in relation to marine biodiversity benefits, socio-economic development, and/or governance. The IUCN Global Standard for NbS™ could provide an operational framework to implement existing concepts, such as the Ecosystem Approach to Aquaculture, contribute to clarifying critical issues in aquaculture development, and provide guidance for the development of a new type of aquaculture project, specifically designed as NbS. This finding advocates the context-dependent exploration and promotion of aquaculture projects as NbS

R package n2khab: providing preprocessed reference data for Flemish Natura 2000 habitat analyses

The n2khab package is an R package with preprocessing functions and standard reference data, useful for analyses regarding Flemish Natura 2000 habitats and regionally important biotopes (RIBs). URL: <a href="https://inbo.github.io/n2khab">https://inbo.github.io/n2khab</a>

Off-label use of midazolam in older inpatients: analysis of prescribing practices in a French hospital (MIDnight study)

International audienceMidazolam is a short-acting benzodiazepine approved for sedation and anesthesia induction. Recent data suggested that midazolam may also be used in off-label indications such as treatment of behavioral and psychological disturbances in older people. Given the scarcity of published data and a lack of evidence in older people in such indications, midazolam raises concern because it may also cause serious-related adverse events. To provide a better understanding of its real-life use in geriatrics, we examined the prescribing practices of midazolam in French older inpatients. Of the 460 patients aged 65 years and over hospitalized at the time of the study, 21 had a prescription of midazolam (5%) which was mainly prescribed for anxiolysis (n = 12), premedication before painful procedures (n = 5), and agitation (n = 4). Midazolam was often prescribed “as required,” and the median duration of prescription was 6 months. This work results in a better knowledge and information about the use of midazolam in older people. These prescribing practices, which are not anecdotal, also plead for age-specific guidelines for the treatment of behavioral and psychological disturbances

Decision process to manage useful life of multi-stacks fuel cell systems under service constraint

International audienceA management of multi-stacks fuel cell systems is proposed to extend systems useful life in a Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) framework. The problem consists in selecting at each time which fuel cell stacks have to run and which output power has to be chosen for each of them to satisfy a load demand as long as possible. Multi-stacks fuel cell system useful life depends not only on each stack useful life, but also on both the schedule and the operating conditions settings that define the contribution of each stack over time. As the impact of variable operating conditions on fuel cell lifetime is not well-known, a simplified representation of fuel cell behavior under wear and tear is used to estimate the available outputs over time and their associated Remaining Useful Lives (RUL). This health state prognostics model is configured to suit to Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) specific characteristics. The proposed scheduling process makes use of an optimal approach based on a Mixed Integer Linear Program (MILP). Efficiency of the associated commitment strategy is assessed by comparison with basic intuitive strategies, considering constant and piecewise constant load demand profiles

Natuurontwikkeling op landbouwgrond : herstelmaatregelen

Previous papers in the series ‘Focus on biogeochemistry’ handled over causes for acidification and eutrophication and consequences for bio- diversity. It was concluded that in order to restore species-rich habitat- types, biogeochemical properties should be taken into account. Next to restoring the hydrology, nutrient removal is often at hand. In this pa- per, we focus on which nutrient depleting techniques nature managers can use for habitat restoration on ex-agricultural fields. It is not likely that mowing and removing nutrients with hay and P-mining are attainable measures to recreate nutrient-poor habitat types on intensively used agricultural fields. Topsoil removal, a more severe technique with risks for acidification, is recommended in those cases. Else, a change of targeted habitat-type is necessary. Phosphorus-mining is a technique to be used in fields where the nutrient stock to be removed is relatively small. A transition period from P-mining to mowing with hay removal would be optimal because with the latter technique also biotic restoration can start with, if necessary, reintroduction of species through hay transfer or seeding. Species-rich habitat-types should be primarily re- stored on fields that were not fertilized as severely

No impact of a prescription booklet on medication consumption in nursing home residents from 2011 to 2014: a controlled before–after study

International audienceBackground: Older persons are particularly exposed to adverse events from medication. Among the various strategies to reduce polypharmacy, educational approaches have shown promising results. We aimed to evaluate the impact on medication consumption, of a booklet designed to aid physicians with prescriptions for elderly nursing home residents. Methods: Among 519 nursing homes using an electronic pill dispenser, we recorded the daily number of times that a drug was administered for each resident, over a period of 4 years. The intervention group comprised 113 nursing homes belonging to a for-profit geriatric care provider that implemented a booklet delivered to prescribers and pharmacists and specifically designed to aid with prescriptions for elderly nursing home residents. The remaining 406 nursing homes where no such booklet was introduced comprised the control group. Data were derived from electronic pill dispensers. The effect of the intervention on medication consumption was assessed with multilevel regression models, adjusted for nursing home status. The main outcomes were the average daily number of times that a medication was administered and the number of drugs with different presentation identifier codes per resident per month. Results: 96,216 residents from 519 nursing homes were included between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2014. The intervention group and the control group both decreased their average daily use of medication (− 0.05 and − 0.06). The booklet did not have a statistically significant effect (exponentiated difference-in-differences coefficient 1.00, 95% confidence interval 0.99–1.02, P =.45). Conclusion: We observed an overall decrease in medication consumption in both the control and intervention groups. Our analysis did not provide any evidence that this reduction was related to the use of the booklet. Other factors, such as national policy or increased physician awareness, may have contributed to our findings