Integrating community values into Alala (Corvus hawaiiensis) recovery

2011 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.Species loss can lead to cascading effects on communities, including the disruption of ecological processes such as seed dispersal. The endangered Alala (Corvus hawaiiensis), the largest remaining species of native Hawaiian forest bird, was once common in mesic and dry forests on the Island of Hawaii, but today exists solely in captivity. Prior to its extinction in the wild, the Alala may have helped establish and maintain native Hawaiian forest communities by dispersing seeds of a wide variety of native plants. In the absence of Alala, the structure and composition of Hawaii's forests may be changing and some large-fruited plants may be dispersal limited, persisting primarily as ecological anachronisms. I fed captive Alala a variety of native fruits, documented behaviors relating to seed dispersal, and measured the germination success of seeds that passed through the gut of Alala relative to the germination success of seeds in control groups. Alala ate and carried fourteen native fruits and provided germination benefits to several species by ingesting their seeds. My results suggest that some plants rely heavily on Alala for these services. In captivity, juvenile birds displayed seed dispersal behaviors more often than adult birds for most fruiting plants in my study. I introduced captive Alala to two large-fruited, dry forest plants, not previously recorded as Alala food resources, but which may have once been part of their natural diet. The seed dispersal behavior that Alala displayed towards these species supports the inclusion of dry and mesic forests in Alala habitat restoration plans and adds weight to the idea that plant dispersal limitation may contribute to the rarity of these plants. My study provides evidence that Alala have the capacity to play a vital role in maintaining the diversity of fruiting plants in native Hawaiian forests through seed dispersal and enhanced seed germination, thus adding greater urgency to efforts to restore Alala to their former range. Incorporating community values and perspectives into endangered species recovery programs is generally underutilized but can be an important tool for achieving conservation success. Species recovery programs adjacent to human communities can particularly benefit from integrating local perspectives on nature into program goals and practices. The Alala or Hawaiian Crow (Corvus hawaiiensis) is currently extinct in the wild but once possessed great cultural value to ancient Hawaiians and may have played a pivotal role as a seed disperser in Hawaii's forests. Past efforts to restore this charismatic bird to its historical range failed in part due to human conflict. I conducted focus group interviews in two communities bordering Alala historical range to assess participants' ability to recognize the Alala, and to understand how these community members value natural resources. I found that although very few participants recognized the Alala, many expressed curiosity and concern for the species. Participants demonstrated predominantly utilitarian views towards natural resources but these value orientations were steeped with cultural significance. Alala recovery efforts will benefit through emphasis of both the utilitarian and cultural value of this species. Reintroduction projects in Hawaii and elsewhere should dedicate a portion of their resources towards understanding the perspectives of the human communities surrounding future reintroduction sites. This approach will help avoid potential conflicts before they arise and maximize the likelihood of success by building programs based on shared values

Family structure and poverty in the UK: an evidence and policy review

A report of research into links between family structure and poverty, conducted for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Verification in Markets for Water Quality and Habitat

Put simply, verification is the practice of confirming whether an assertion is true, in that it conforms to set expectations under an agreed level of scrutiny. Verification plays a central role in substantiating the validity of credits in environmental markets. Verification of credit-generating projects includes administrative and technical review, as well as confirmation that the project has been implemented as promised. Verification systems are used to support programs in the regulatory and voluntary crediting context, and to support robust internal tracking systems. Verification systems should seek to provide trusted confirmation that credits represent real environmental benefit. Those designing a verification system will need to make decisions about who conducts verification review and what qualifications they need, what information is reviewed, and the frequency with which verification should occur. Options and examples are used to explore tradeoffs inherent in making these decisions such that the resulting system supports transparency and accountability, ensures costs do not detract from the ability to provide greater environmental benefits, and builds opportunities to learn and improve programs quickly

International teacher recruitment: understanding the attitudes and experiences of school leaders and teachers. Research Report

This DfE funded research examines schools' approaches to recruiting teachers from abroad - their motivations, behaviours and the perceived benefits and barriers to recruiting internationally. Conducted in 2016/2017, this research was based on telephone interviews with 44 senior leaders and a survey of 3,357 teachers who were trained overseas and obtained QTS to work in English schools. The findings helped inform decisions on how the DfE might support the recruitment of international STEM and MFL teachers, and to identify key principles for the design and delivery of international recruitment initiatives

Personal contacts, employment and social mobility in Britain

This paper contributes to debates around social mobility and social capital by exploring the links between social class background, assistance from non-parental personal contacts for finding employment, and social class destination. The literature on social mobility, social capital and social networks is reviewed, drawing a conceptual distinction between social capital and social networks. Previous research has focussed on help from parents, yet much of the literature indicates that wider social networks are more important for labour market advancement. Using the 1970 British Cohort Study, with data collection at respondent ages 10 and 42, the relationship between help received from relatives or friends in getting jobs and social class is examined. The likelihood of receiving help varies according to class origin, yet the strongest predictor of social class destination is social class background, not social capital