Intended Consequences Statement in Conservation Science and Practice

As the biodiversity crisis accelerates, the stakes are higher for threatened plants and animals. Rebuilding the health of our planet will require addressing underlying threats at many scales, including habitat loss and climate change. Conservation interventions such as habitat protection, management, restoration, predator control, trans location, genetic rescue, and biological control have the potential to help threatened or endangered species avert extinction. These existing, well-tested methods can be complemented and augmented by more frequent and faster adoption of new technologies, such as powerful new genetic tools. In addition, synthetic biology might offer solutions to currently intractable conservation problems. We believe that conservation needs to be bold and clear-eyed in this moment of great urgency

Water Hyacinth Cover in Louisiana (1975-2013) by season and drainage area

<p>Louisiana water hyacinth survey data for 1974 – 1999 was provided during those years by James Manning (ret.) and Don Lee (ret.), LDWF. Survey data for 2000 – 2006 and 2008 - 2014 were provided by Mr. Alexander Perret, LDWF in 2014. 2007 data were not available.</p

Gender and international clinician educators

10.1136/postgradmedj-2016-134599POSTGRADUATE MEDICAL JOURNAL931106719-72

Evidence-based economic analysis demonstrates that ecosystem service benefits of water hyacinth management greatly exceed research and control costs

Invasive species management can be a victim of its own success when decades of effective control cause memories of past harm to fade and raise questions of whether programs should continue. Economic analysis can be used to assess the efficiency of investing in invasive species control by comparing ecosystem service benefits to program costs, but only if appropriate data exist. We used a case study of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms), a nuisance floating aquatic plant, in Louisiana to demonstrate how comprehensive record-keeping supports economic analysis. Using long-term data sets, we developed empirical and spatio-temporal simulation models of intermediate complexity to project invasive species growth for control and no-control scenarios. For Louisiana, we estimated that peak plant cover would be 76% higher without the substantial growth rate suppression (84% reduction) that appeared due primarily to biological control agents. Our economic analysis revealed that combined biological and herbicide control programs, monitored over an unusually long time period (1975–2013), generated a benefit-cost ratio of about 34:1 derived from the relatively modest costs of $124 million ($2013) compared to the $4.2 billion ($2013) in benefits to anglers, waterfowl hunters, boating-dependent businesses, and water treatment facilities over the 38-year analysis period. This work adds to the literature by: (1) providing evidence of the effectiveness of water hyacinth biological control; (2) demonstrating use of parsimonious spatio-temporal models to estimate benefits of invasive species control; and (3) incorporating activity substitution into economic benefit transfer to avoid overstating benefits. Our study suggests that robust and cost-effective economic analysis is enabled by good record keeping and generalizable models that can demonstrate management effectiveness and promote social efficiency of invasive species control

Applying the Ecosystem Service Concept to Waterborne Transport Infrastructure

Ecosystem Services (ES) are the benefits that mankind derives from nature. These are based on the functions that natural features and organisms perform (structures of and processes within ecosystems), and of which humans make direct use, whether consciously or not. Considering ES or applying any ecosystem-based approach in environmental decision making results in a general broadening of perspectives by considering the myriad effects of human activities on ecosystems, as well as the costs and benefits to the services they provide. This presentation introduces the ES concept in the context of the Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (WTI) community. Considering the potential multi-functionality of WTI, well-designed projects can create economic, social and environmental benefits well beyond their intended transport objectives. When planning a project, the consideration of how project engineering aspects interact with biodiversity, fisheries, recreation and other sectors can allow planners and other stakeholders to make informed decisions about trade-offs and opportunities. The ES concept can help to make these visible and integrate these considerations in the project set up and evaluation (to strive for sustainability, identify win-win opportunities and avoid unintended impacts), possibly even enhancing overall project cost-benefit analysis. Building on a range of case studies, we provide practical guidance on how ES concepts can be successfully applied at different stages of a WTI project, signposting further guidance on how the navigation sector can successfully and supportively use ES concepts to enhance and promote WTI projects. This study has been undertaken as part of a PIANC Working Group and the final results will be published as a PIANC Report

Applying the Ecosystem Service Concept to Waterborne Transport Infrastructure

Ecosystem Services (ES) are the benefits that mankind derives from nature. These are based on the functions that natural features and organisms perform (structures of and processes within ecosystems), and of which humans make direct use, whether consciously or not. Considering ES or applying any ecosystem-based approach in environmental decision making results in a general broadening of perspectives by considering the myriad effects of human activities on ecosystems, as well as the costs and benefits to the services they provide. This presentation introduces the ES concept in the context of the Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (WTI) community. Considering the potential multi-functionality of WTI, well-designed projects can create economic, social and environmental benefits well beyond their intended transport objectives. When planning a project, the consideration of how project engineering aspects interact with biodiversity, fisheries, recreation and other sectors can allow planners and other stakeholders to make informed decisions about trade-offs and opportunities. The ES concept can help to make these visible and integrate these considerations in the project set up and evaluation (to strive for sustainability, identify win-win opportunities and avoid unintended impacts), possibly even enhancing overall project cost-benefit analysis. Building on a range of case studies, we provide practical guidance on how ES concepts can be successfully applied at different stages of a WTI project, signposting further guidance on how the navigation sector can successfully and supportively use ES concepts to enhance and promote WTI projects. This study has been undertaken as part of a PIANC Working Group and the final results will be published as a PIANC Report