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

Editorial: Nature-based solutions for natural hazards and climate change

No abstract available

A Light Stop with Flavor in Natural SUSY

The discovery of a SM-like Higgs boson near 125 GeV and the flavor texture of the Standard Model motivate the investigation of supersymmetric quiver-like BSM extensions. We study the properties of such a minimal class of models which deals naturally with the SM parameters. Considering experimental bounds as well as constraints from flavor physics and Electro-Weak Precision Data, we find the following. In a self-contained minimal model - including the full dynamics of the Higgs sector - top squarks below a TeV are in tension with b->s{\gamma} constraints. Relaxing the assumption concerning the mass generation of the heavy Higgses, we find that a stop not far from half a TeV is allowed. The models have some unique properties, e.g. an enhancement of the h-> b\bar{b},\tau\bar{{\tau}} decays relative to the h->\gamma{\gamma} one, a gluino about 3 times heavier than the stop, an inverted hierarchy of about 3-20 between the squarks of the first two generations and the stop, relatively light Higgsino neutralino or stau NLSP, as well as heavy Higgses and a W' which may be within reach of the LHC.Comment: LaTeX, 22 pages, 4 figures; V2: references adde

Core principles for successfully implementing and upscaling Nature-based Solutions

Despite substantial increases in the scope and magnitude of biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration, there remains ongoing degradation of natural resources that adversely affects both biodiversity and human wellbeing. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can be an effective framework for reversing this trend, by increasing the alignment between conservation and sustainable development objectives. However, unless there is clarity on its evolution, definition and principles, and relationship with related approaches, it will not be possible to develop evidence-based standards and guidelines, or to implement, assess, improve and upscale NbS interventions globally. In order to address this gap, we present the definition and principles underpinning the NbS framework, recently adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and compare it to the Ecosystem Approach that was the foundation for developing the NbS definitional framework, and (2) four specific ecosystem-based approaches (Forest Landscape Restoration, Ecosystem-based Adaptation, Ecological Restoration and Protected Areas) that can be considered as falling under the NbS framework. Although we found substantial alignment between NbS principles and the principles of the other frameworks, three of the eight NbS principles stand out from other approaches: NbS can be implemented alone or in an integrated manner with other solutions; NbS should be applied at a landscape scale; and, NbS are integral to the overall design of policies, measures and actions, to address societal challenges. Reversely, concepts such as adaptive management/governance, effectiveness, uncertainty, multi-stakeholder participation, and temporal scale are present in other frameworks but not captured at all or detailed enough in the NbS principles. This critical analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the NbS principles can inform the review and revision of principles supporting specific types of NbS (such as the approaches reviewed here), as well as serve as the foundation for the development of standards for the successful implementation of NbS

Effect of Mouth Rinsing and Ingestion of Carbohydrate Solutions on Mood and Perceptual Responses During Exercise

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether mouth rinsing or ingesting carbohydrate (CHO) solutions impact on perceptual responses during exercise. Methods: Nine moderately trained male cyclists underwent a 90-min glycogen-reducing exercise, and consumed a low CHO meal, prior to completing an overnight fast. A 1-h cycle time trial was performed the following morning. Four trials, each separated by 7days, were conducted in a randomized, counterbalanced study design: 15% CHO mouth rinse (CHOR), 7.5% CHO ingestion (CHOI), placebo mouth rinse (PLAR) and placebo ingestion (PLAI). Solution volumes (1.5ml·g-1 ingestion trials and 0.33ml·kg-1 rinsing trials) were provided after every 12.5% of completed exercise. Perceptual scales were used to assess affective valence (feeling scale, FS), arousal (felt arousal scale, FAS), exertion (ratings of perceived exertion, RPE) and mood (profile of mood states, POMS) before, during and immediately after exercise. Results: There was no difference in RPE (CHOI, 14.0±9; CHOR, 14.2±.7; PLAI, 14.6±1.8; PLAR, 14.6±2.0; P=0.35), FS (CHOI, 0.0±1.7; CHOR, -0.2±1.5; PLAI, -0.8±1.4; PLAR, -0.8±1.6; P0.15), or FAS (CHOI, 3.6±1.1; CHOR, 3.5±1.0; PLAI, 3.4±1.4; PLAR, 3.3±1.3; P=725) scores between trials. While overall POMS score did not appear to differ between trials, the 'vigour' subscale indicated that CHOI may facilitate the maintenance of 'vigour' scores over time, in comparison to the steady decline witnessed in other trials (P=0.04). There was no difference in time trial performance between trials (CHOI, 65.3±4.8min; CHOR, 68.4±3.9min; PLAI, 68.7±5.3min; PLAR, 68.3±5.2min; P=0.21) but power output was higher in CHOI (231.0±33.2 W) relative to other trials (221-223.6 W; Plt0.01). Conclusions: In a CHO-reduced state, mouth rinsing with a CHO solution did not impact on perceptual responses during high-intensity exercise in trained cyclists and triathletes. On the other hand CHO ingestion improved perceived ratings of vigour and increased power output during exercise

Conservation status of oyster reef ecosystem of Southern and Eastern Australia

Reef ecosystems all over the world are in decline and managers urgently need information that can assess management interventions and set national conservation targets. We assess the conservation status and risk of ecosystem collapse for the Oyster Reef Ecosystem of Southern and Eastern Australia, which comprises two community sub-types established by Saccostrea glomerata (Sydney rock oyster) and Ostrea angasi (Australian flat oyster), consistent with the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems risk assessment process. We established: (i) key aspects of the ecosystem including: ecological description, biological characteristics, condition and collapse thresholds, natural and threatening processes; (ii) previous and current extent of occurrence and current area of occupancy; and (iii) its likelihood of collapse within the next 50e100 years. The most severe risk rating occurred for Criterion A: Reduction in Extent (since 1750) and Criterion D: Disruption of biotic processes (since 1750), although assessment varied from Least Concern to Critically Endangered amongst the four criteria assessed. Our overall assessment ranks the risk of collapse for the ecosystem (including both community sub-types) as Critically Endangered with a high degree of confidence. Our results suggest the need for rapid intervention to protect remaining reefs and undertake restoration at suitable sites. Several restoration projects have already demonstrated this is feasible, and Australia is well equipped with government policies and regulatory mechanisms to support the future conservation and recovery of temperate oyster ecosystems

Chronic pain self-management for older adults: a randomized controlled trial [ISRCTN11899548]

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a common and frequently disabling problem in older adults. Clinical guidelines emphasize the need to use multimodal therapies to manage persistent pain in this population. Pain self-management training is a multimodal therapy that has been found to be effective in young to middle-aged adult samples. This training includes education about pain as well as instruction and practice in several management techniques, including relaxation, physical exercise, modification of negative thoughts, and goal setting. Few studies have examined the effectiveness of this therapy in older adult samples. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a randomized, controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a pain self-management training group intervention, as compared with an education-only control condition. Participants are recruited from retirement communities in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and must be 65 years or older and experience persistent, noncancer pain that limits their activities. The primary outcome is physical disability, as measured by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes are depression (Geriatric Depression Scale), pain intensity (Brief Pain Inventory), and pain-related interference with activities (Brief Pain Inventory). Randomization occurs by facility to minimize cross-contamination between groups. The target sample size is 273 enrolled, which assuming a 20% attrition rate at 12 months, will provide us with 84% power to detect a moderate effect size of .50 for the primary outcome. DISCUSSION: Few studies have investigated the effects of multimodal pain self-management training among older adults. This randomized controlled trial is designed to assess the efficacy of a pain self-management program that incorporates physical and psychosocial pain coping skills among adults in the mid-old to old-old range

Evaluating optimal solutions to environmental breakdown

The severity of environmental threats, especially climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, are well established, as is the urgent need for them to be addressed. These threats act both in isolation as well as synergistically to contribute to overall ‘environmental breakdown’. Debate exists around the most optimal governance and policy approaches to address these threats and, to date, little quantitative evidence exists to compare the different approaches. Using a modified Bayesian belief network model to assess the probability of environmental threats, we compare and contrast a range of proposed policy solutions to a selection of contemporary environmental problems that have been identified as having the potential to contribute to, or indeed may lead to environmental breakdown. Through interrogation of the models, we conclude that policies that prioritise economic growth at the expense of nature would be largely ineffective, whereas a more integrated approach, adopting comprehensive ‘Green New Deal’ policies combined with nature-based solutions would be the most effective approaches to preventing environmental breakdown, as they address societal and environmental issues simultaneously. We therefore recommend that decision makers take an integrated approach to decision making and policy development, accounting for social, economic and environmental drivers that ensure delivery of multiple benefits and real change

Not all green space is created equal: biodiversity predicts psychological restorative benefits from urban green space

Contemporary epidemiological methods testing the associations between green space and psychological well-being treat all vegetation cover as equal. However, there is very good reason to expect that variations in ecological "quality" (number of species, integrity of ecological processes) may influence the link between access to green space and benefits to human health and well-being. We test the relationship between green space quality and restorative benefit in an inner city urban population in Bradford, UK. We selected 12 urban parks for study where we carried out botanical and faunal surveys to quantify biodiversity and assessed the site facilities of the green space (cleanliness, provision of amenities). We also conducted 128 surveys with park users to quantify psychological restoration based on four self-reported measure of general restoration, attention-grabbing distractions, being away from everyday life, and site preference. We present three key results. First, there is a positive association between site facilities and biodiversity. Second, restorative benefit is predicted by biodiversity, which explained 43% of the variance in restorative benefit across the parks, with minimal input from other variables. Third, the benefits accrued through access to green space were unrelated to age, gender, and ethnic background. The results add to a small but growing body of evidence that emphasise the role of nature in contributing to the well-being of urban populations and, hence, the need to consider biodiversity in the design of landscapes that enhance multiple ecosystem services