6 research outputs found
Science alone wonât do it! South Africaâs endangered humpback dolphins Sousa plumbea face complex conservation challenges
The Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) is âendangeredâ with likely
less than 500 animals remaining in South African waters. Established in 2016, the
SouSA Consortium is a formalised network of scientists and conservationists to
combine knowledge and research efforts, and make coordinated decisions with the
aim of conserving the species. The first collaborative project collated available photoidentification
data in an attempt to refine a national population estimate and investigate
movements between research sites. This work was able to identify 250 uniquely marked
individuals, with the population divided into the south-coast (Agulhas bioregion) and
east-coast (Natal bioregion) populations. Environmental factors almost certainly play
a role in the declining numbers of the species in South African waters. However,
individual threats and solutions are challenging to identify as the South African marine
environment is undergoing significant natural and anthropogenic changes with major
shifts in the distribution and numbers of some prey, competitor and predator species.
Therefore, we believe that a continued investigation of potential contributing factors and
their interaction will take too long, inevitably resulting in another case of documenting
extinction. With this in mind, we present the results of a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats) analysis in an effort to help us identify the next steps
to take toward the conservation of humpback dolphins in South African waters. We
unanimously conclude that no single cause for the rapid decline of humpback dolphins
Frontiers in in South African waters can be identified, and that the cumulative effects of multiple
stressors, which are difficult to pinpoint and mitigate, are impacting population numbers.
While highlighting the need for continued research, we suggest a shift toward more
action-focused conservation efforts, the first concrete steps being the development of
a Conservation Management Plan with input from other stakeholders.Gesellschaft zur Rettung der Delphine, the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), a University of Stellenbosch Sub Committee B Postdoctoral Fellowship and the Marine and Coastal grant of the National Research Foundation (NRF).https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science#am2022Mammal Research Institut
Achieving pregnancy safely: perspectives on timed vaginal insemination among HIV-serodiscordant couples and health-care providers in Kisumu, Kenya
In female-positive HIV-serodiscordant couples desiring children, home timed vaginal insemination (TVI) of semen during the fertile period along with consistent condom use may reduce the risk of HIV transmission when the man is HIV-uninfected. In sub-Saharan Africa, up to 45% of HIV-infected women desire to have more children. HIV viral load assessment is not routinely available in low-resource countries for monitoring adherence and response to antiretroviral therapy. Therefore, in these settings, timed unprotected intercourse without assurance of HIV viral suppression may pose unnecessary risks. TVI, a simple and affordable intervention, can be considered an adjunct method and option of safer conception for HIV prevention with treatment of the HIV-infected partner and/or pre-exposure prophylaxis. We conducted five mixed and single-sex focus group discussions comprised of 33 HIV-serodiscordant couples and health-care providers in the Nyanza region of Kenya to assess the acceptability and feasibility of TVI as a safer method of conception. The transcribed data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. We found that educating and counseling HIV-serodiscordant couples on TVI could make it an acceptable and feasible safer conception method when associated with frequent communication and home visits by health-care providers. The findings of this study indicate that implementation studies that integrate training and counseling of HIV-serodiscordant couples and health-care providers on TVI combined with consistent condom use are needed. Acknowledging and supporting the reproductive choice and needs of female positive, male negative HIV-serodiscordant couples who desire children should also include the use of assisted reproductive services at the same time as pharmaceutical options that prevent sexual HIV transmission