fisheries and tourism social economic and ecological trade offs in coral reef systems

Coastal communities are exerting increasingly more pressure on coral reef ecosystem services in the Anthropocene. Balancing trade-offs between local economic demands, preservation of traditional values, and maintenance of both biodiversity and ecosystem resilience is a challenge for reef managers and resource users. Consistently, growing reef tourism sectors offer more lucrative livelihoods than subsistence and artisanal fisheries at the cost of traditional heritage loss and ecological damage. Using a systematic review of coral reef fishery reconstructions since the 1940s, we show that declining trends in fisheries catch and fish stocks dominate coral reef fisheries globally, due in part to overfishing of schooling and spawning-aggregating fish stocks vulnerable to exploitation. Using a separate systematic review of coral reef tourism studies since 2013, we identify socio-ecological impacts and economic opportunities associated to the industry. Fisheries and tourism have the potential to threaten the ecological stability of coral reefs, resulting in phase shifts toward less productive coral-depleted ecosystem states. We consider whether four common management strategies (unmanaged commons, ecosystem-based management, co-management, and adaptive co-management) fulfil ecological conservation and socioeconomic goals, such as living wage, job security, and maintenance of cultural traditions. Strategies to enforce resource exclusion and withhold traditional resource rights risk social unrest; thus, the coexistence of fisheries and tourism industries is essential. The purpose of this chapter is to assist managers and scientists in their responsibility to devise implementable strategies that protect local community livelihoods and the coral reefs on which they rely

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance.

Investment in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing in Africa over the past year has led to a major increase in the number of sequences that have been generated and used to track the pandemic on the continent, a number that now exceeds 100,000 genomes. Our results show an increase in the number of African countries that are able to sequence domestically and highlight that local sequencing enables faster turnaround times and more-regular routine surveillance. Despite limitations of low testing proportions, findings from this genomic surveillance study underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic and illuminate the distinct dispersal dynamics of variants of concern-particularly Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron-on the continent. Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve while the continent faces many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

EVALUATING THE QUALITY OF DIGITAL DATASETS IN TERMS OF AVIATION SAFETY DERIVED FROM STEREO SATELLITE IMAGERY IN SARAWAK, MALAYSIA'S AIRPORTS

High-resolution satellite imagery offers new possibilities in geospatial data acquisition, particularly in 3D city modeling, topographic mapping, and aviation safety. This study evaluates the quality of digital datasets generated from satellite imagery for five airports in Sarawak, as part of the eTOD (Electronic Terrain and Obstacle Data) project conducted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). The airports under examination include Miri Airport (WBGR), Bintulu Airport (WBGB), Mukah Airport (WBGK), Sibu Airport (WBGS), and Kuching Airport (WBGG). A comprehensive assessment was conducted to evaluate accuracy and reliability by combining stereo satellite imagery with on-site validation. The study yielded digital datasets of exceptionally high accuracy and reliability. The overall error rate remained below 3%, with a mean error value of 0.96 meters across all five airports. Notably, it has been observed that using satellite images as the only data source creates difficulties in detecting Power Transmission Lines and Poles that require precise detection. A multifaceted approach was adopted to increase the detection accuracy, involving site verification measurements, incorporation of external source data (Sarawak Energy Company), and manual interpretation. In conclusion, this study underscores the significant potential of very high-resolution satellite imagery for creating precise and reliable digital datasets for aviation safety. Additionally, the study's emphasis on detecting Power Transmission Lines highlights the need for advanced methods to improve accuracy in challenging scenarios. These findings not only contribute to enhancing aviation safety but also provide valuable insights into the utilization of satellite imagery for similar applications worldwide

The Role of Agroforestry Systems for Enhancing Biodiversity and Provision of Ecosystem Services in Agricultural Landscapes in Southeast Asia

Biodiversity has a pivotal role to play in providing ecosystem goods and services, which is under threat due to various anthropogenic activities. This chapter is based on literature review to assess the role of agroforestry to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services in Southeast Asian agricultural landscapes. The reviewed literature was analysed through narrative qualitative and narrative comparative methods. The review provides substantial evidence that agroforestry systems can conserve species diversity and enhance ecosystem services. Farmers’ cultivating diverse species in agroforestry is the key to enhance biodiversity on farmlands that can also lessen the pressure on local forest. Careful agroforestry plantation design will not only increase the multiple ecosystem functions but can also create corridors and buffer zones to support natural habitats, to reduce human and wildlife conflict. The case of human conflicts with Asian elephants is an obvious example. From ethical ground to support elephant’s right to survive, further research on agroforestry modelling is required to benefits both humans and elephants