Priority species to support the functional integrity of coral reefs

Ecosystem-based management on coral reefs has historically focussed on biodiversity conservation through the establishment of marine reserves, but it is increasingly recognised that a subset of species can be key to the maintenance of ecosystem processes and functioning. Specific provisions for these key taxa are essential to biodiversity conservation and resilience-based adaptive management. While a wealth of literature addresses ecosystem functioning on coral reefs, available information covers only a subset of specific taxa, ecological processes and environmental stressors. What is lacking is a comparative assessment across the diverse range of coral reef species to synthesise available knowledge to inform science and management. Here we employed expert elicitation coupled with a literature review to generate the first comprehensive assessment of 70 taxonomically diverse and functionally distinct coral reef species from microbes to top predators to summarise reef functioning. Although our synthesis is largely through the lens of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, a particularly data-rich system, it is relevant to coral reefs in general. We use this assessment to evaluate which taxa drive processes that maintain a healthy reef and whether management of these taxa is considered a priority (i.e. are they vulnerable?) or is feasible (i.e. can they be managed?). Scientific certainty was scored to weight our recommendations, particularly when certainty was low. We use five case studies to highlight critical gaps in knowledge that limit our understanding of ecosystem functioning. To inform the development of novel management strategies and research objectives, we identify taxa that support positive interactions and enhance ecosystem performance, including those where these roles are currently underappreciated. We conclude that current initiatives effectively capture many priority taxa but that there is significant room to increase opportunities for underappreciated taxa in both science and management to maximally safeguard coral reef functioning

Chapter 5 Priority Species to Support the Functional Integrity of Coral Reefs

Ecosystem-based management on coral reefs has historically focused on biodiversity conservation through the establishment of marine reserves, but it is increasingly recognised that a subset of species can be key to the maintenance of ecosystem processes and functioning. Specific provisions for these key taxa are essential to biodiversity conservation and resilience-based adaptive management. While a wealth of literature addresses ecosystem functioning on coral reefs, available information covers only a subset of specific taxa, ecological processes and environmental stressors. What is lacking is a comparative assessment across the diverse range of coral reef species to synthesise available knowledge to inform science and management. Here we employed expert elicitation coupled with a literature review to generate the first comprehensive assessment of 70 taxonomically diverse and functionally distinct coral reef species from microbes to top predators to summarise reef functioning. Although our synthesis is largely through the lens of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, a particularly data-rich system, it is relevant to coral reefs in general. We use this assessment to evaluate which taxa drive processes that maintain a healthy reef, and whether or not management of these taxa is considered a priority (i.e. are they vulnerable?) or is feasible (i.e. can they be managed?). Scientific certainty was scored to weight our recommendations, particularly when certainty was low. We use five case studies to highlight critical gaps in knowledge that limit our understanding of ecosystem functioning. To inform the development of novel management strategies and research objectives, we identify taxa that support positive interactions and enhance ecosystem performance, including those where these roles are currently underappreciated. We conclude that current initiatives effectively capture many priority taxa, but that there is significant room to increase opportunities for underappreciated taxa in both science and management to maximally safeguard coral reef functioning

Quality management systems in radiology

Background: The use of X-ray imaging is ever increasing in proportion to the need for radiological services and technological capabilities. Quality management that includes patient radiation dose monitoring is fundamental to safety and quality improvement of radiological services. Objective: To assess the level of quality management systems in X-ray medical facilities in Kenya. Methods: Quality management inspection, quality control performance tests and patient radiation exposure were assessed in 54 representative X-ray medical facilities. Additionally, a survey of X-ray examination frequency was conducted in 140 hospitals across the country. Results: The overall findings placed the country’s X-ray imaging quality management systems at 61±3% out of a possible 100%. The most and the least quality assurance performance indicators were general radiography X-ray equipment quality control tests at 88±4%, and the interventional cardiology adult examinations below diagnostic reference level at 25±1%, respectively. Conclusions: The study used a systematic evidence-based approach for the assessment of national quality management systems in radiological practice in clinical application, technical conduct of the procedure, image quality criteria, and patient characteristics as part of the quality management programme

NATIONAL DIAGNOSTIC REFERENCE LEVEL INITIATIVE FOR COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY EXAMINATIONS IN KENYA

This study is 2nd year research of its 3 years research project on utility evaluation of private certifications. This utility evaluation is performed by using most of the evaluation system proposed on the 1st year research. The targets of this evaluation are private certifications authorized by the state on May, 2016, which were wiling to participate on this utility survey. Overall summary on the evaluation research is as follows: First, the satisfaction value on authorized private certifications by ministries are 3.58, which is higher than the median value of 3. As the common satisfaction value result is way beyond the median value, the absolute value is not a high level. Second, classifying the vocational certifications and basic vocational certifications, the result shows that the utility of vocational certifications have higher utility value than basic vocational certifications in every respect. Third, in terms of the areal utility of state authorized private certifications, non-economic utility and management operation of private certifications show high utility value than average value. This indicates that existing private certification market is more focused on improving the individual competency not on entering into the job market. Fourth, in terms of the infrastructure of state authorized private certifications, hardware-wise infrastructure has higher value than the software-wise one. This means that certification system shows lower average value than that of the organization’s management operation capability. This demonstrates that state authorized test agencies are not fully displaying its ability. This is because many of certifications’ test subject and test methods, which are the core of the certification system, are inadequately designed. Fifth, the correspondence value of private certifications is also shown as below average value. This attributes to the fact that the existing state authorized private certification does not fulfil the improvement of lifelong vocational competency of people, which is the purpose of establishing the system. Sixth, although some of state authorized private certifications claim to advocate vocational qualification-test, they did not properly function, and some other basic vocation related authorized private certification functioned as vocational qualification-test. According to its evaluation result, this study would like to suggest a policy recommendation. First, classifying vocational qualification- test and basic vocational qualification-test when it comes to authorizing the private certifications. Second, simplifying the re-authorizing procedure for the certifications with high utility value. Third, reinforcing the inspection regarding non-participating agency and test subject. Fourth, reinforcing the management of certification quality through feedback on evaluation result. Fifth, granting incentive to already registered private certification when it’s newly authorized

Integrative carbonate budget model of the Great Barrier Reef

This project synthesizes and refines the carbonate budget produced for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) in Wolfe et al. (2019). Here, we present robust methodological advances to facilitate the calculation of carbonate budgets for the GBR, including:1. The first method to quantify carbonate budgets using percent-cover data, alleviating the requirement for detailed in-situ census-based approaches to quantifying structural complexity and carbonate production (e.g., rugosity).2. Development of a carbonate budget model for the GBR that allows for site-specific conversions of coral cover to produce estimates of carbonate production.3. Inclusion of ecologically-relevant parameterisation of parrotfish bioerosion using an integrative modelling approach and GBR-specific parameter estimates.4. Explicit consideration of uncertainty surrounding production and erosion processes across spatial and temporal dimensions.5. A consequent R package (“caRbs”) for use by scientists and managers.Using the Australian Institute of Marine Science’s (AIMS) Long-Term Monitoring Program (LTMP) data on coral cover and fish biomass between 2016–2020 to parameterise the caRbs package, we quantified spatial and temporal patterns in carbonate production and bioerosion and identified the thresholds in coral cover required to maintain a positive carbonate budget for the GBR. Results highlighted the importance of Acropora sp. as the primary contributor to the carbonate budget, although massive Porites sp. were identified as key framework builders to maintain carbonate production. Carbonate production varied latitudinally, with higher calcification rates at low latitudes, while there were no clear spatial or temporal trends in primary bioerosion on the GBR. Parrotfish (Chlororus microrhinus) was the primary driver of bioerosion on fore-reef habitats. The study concluded that overall estimates of the carbonate budget on the GBR ranged between -4.9 and 28.4 kg m-2 yr-1 (~73% of sites had net positive budgets), and the threshold of coral cover to maintain a positive carbonate budget on the GBR were estimated at ~17%.Key take home messages from a management perspective are:1. For mid and outer shelf reef slope communities, overall coral cover needs to exceed 17% for reefs to have a positive carbonate budget.2. We do not yet have a corresponding threshold for inshore reefs where a number of processes, including bioerosion and biogeochemistry, can be quite different.3. The fact that an individual reef may sit below the 17% threshold does not necessarily indicate that there is a problem; it may just be in an early stage of recovery.4. The caRbs package presents an important tool to evaluate trends of reef state over time, asking how the proportion of reefs sitting below and above the 17% threshold is changing and to ask whether one region has a higher proportion of ‘positive reefs’ than another.5. A positive carbonate budget is a pre-requisite for many reef services but does not necessarily imply that all services, including accretion with sea-level rise and provision of high-quality habitat for fish and coastal protection, will occur at historical rates. Further work is needed to link carbonate budget trends explicitly to ecosystem functions. This work has started by linking carbonate budgets to reef accretion (Perry et al. 2018) but there is more to do

Priority species to support the functional integrity of coral reefs

Ecosystem-based management on coral reefs has historically focussed on biodiversity conservation through the establishment of marine reserves, but it is increasingly recognised that a subset of species can be key to the maintenance of ecosystem processes and functioning. Specific provisions for these key taxa are essential to biodiversity conservation and resilience-based adaptive management. While a wealth of literature addresses ecosystem functioning on coral reefs, available information covers only a subset of specific taxa, ecological processes and environmental stressors. What is lacking is a comparative assessment across the diverse range of coral reef species to synthesise available knowledge to inform science and management. Here we employed expert elicitation coupled with a literature review to generate the first comprehensive assessment of 70 taxonomically diverse and functionally distinct coral reef species from microbes to top predators to summarise reef functioning. Although our synthesis is largely through the lens of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, a particularly data-rich system, it is relevant to coral reefs in general. We use this assessment to evaluate which taxa drive processes that maintain a healthy reef and whether management of these taxa is considered a priority (i.e. are they vulnerable?) or is feasible (i.e. can they be managed?). Scientific certainty was scored to weight our recommendations, particularly when certainty was low. We use five case studies to highlight critical gaps in knowledge that limit our understanding of ecosystem functioning. To inform the development of novel management strategies and research objectives, we identify taxa that support positive interactions and enhance ecosystem performance, including those where these roles are currently underappreciated. We conclude that current initiatives effectively capture many priority taxa but that there is significant room to increase opportunities for underappreciated taxa in both science and management to maximally safeguard coral reef functioning