Perceptions of the value of traditional ecological knowledge to formal school curricula: opportunities and challenges from Malekula Island, Vanuatu

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The integration of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) into formal school curricula may be a key tool for the revitalisation of biocultural diversity, and has the potential to improve the delivery of educational objectives. This paper explores perceptions of the value of TEK to formal education curricula on Malekula Island, Vanuatu. We conducted 49 interviews with key stakeholders (local TEK experts, educators, and officials) regarding the use of the formal school system to transmit, maintain, and revitalise TEK. Interviews also gathered information on the areas where TEK might add value to school curricula and on the perceived barriers to maintaining and revitalising TEK via formal education programs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Participants reported that TEK had eroded on Malekula, and identified the formal school system as a principal driver. Most interviewees believed that if an appropriate format could be developed, TEK could be included in the formal education system. Such an approach has potential to maintain customary knowledge and practice in the focus communities. Participants identified several specific domains of TEK for inclusion in school curricula, including ethnomedical knowledge, agricultural knowledge and practice, and the reinforcement of respect for traditional authority and values. However, interviewees also noted a number of practical and epistemological barriers to teaching TEK in school. These included the cultural diversity of Malekula, tensions between public and private forms of knowledge, and multiple values of TEK within the community.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>TEK has potential to add value to formal education systems in Vanuatu by contextualising the content and process of curricular delivery, and by facilitating character development and self-awareness in students. These benefits are congruent with UNESCO-mandated goals for curricular reform and provide a strong argument for the inclusion of TEK in formal school systems. Such approaches may also assist in the maintenance and revitalisation of at-risk systems of ethnobiological knowledge. However, we urge further research attention to the significant epistemological challenges inherent in including TEK in formal school, particularly as participants noted the potential for such approaches to have negative consequences.</p

Variation, Transmission, and Maintenance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge on Malekula Island, Vanuatu

The traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of local and indigenous people supports the resilience of social-ecological systems and is an important aspect of global biocultural diversity. However, TEK is at risk of erosion amid social and ecological change, and may be threatened by homogenising influences such as formal school systems. Loss of TEK is of particular concern in countries such as Vanuatu, a culturally diverse nation where TEK is a critical component of resource management, medicinal practice, and adaptive capacity. This thesis aims to fill four key literature gaps surrounding the variation, transmission, and maintenance of TEK, and is situated in four rural communities on Malekula Island, Vanuatu. This research employs an interdisciplinary mixed-methods approach across four core chapters. The first uses multi-model inferencing to show that systems of TEK are dynamic and complex, and that change is variable across domains of knowledge and segments of the population. Data in this chapter indicate that ethnomedical knowledge is at risk of erosion in younger age cohorts. The second core chapter shows that the cultural transmission of TEK is predominantly vertical in nature (i.e. passed from parent to child), is initiated during the early teens, and that some skills (such as the carving of ceremonial items) appear to be less salient to younger age cohorts. This chapter also notes a changing developmental niche for TEK transmission, and suggests that changes in both the setting and strategies for knowledge transmission are key mechanisms that drive TEK variation. The third and fourth core chapters discuss aspects of TEK maintenance: first, by examining top-down strategies for TEK revitalisation by eliciting local perceptions of the value of TEK to formal school systems; and second, by identifying the triggers and barriers to bottom-up, in situ TEK maintenance in local organisations known as 'kastom schools'. Both approaches have potential to conserve aspects of TEK, however in situ approaches may be best for encouraging the maintenance of knowledge and practice within an appropriate cultural context. There are, however, significant epistemological barriers to both top-down and bottom-up approaches to TEK maintenance, which may ultimately limit their effectiveness. This research fills several key literature gaps and employs a diverse and novel range of analytical tools. The data presented here highlight the depth, diversity and importance of TEK in Vanuatu, and emphasise the need for careful and considered approaches to its maintenance. However, these findings also show the dynamic and complex nature of cultural change, and suggest that attempts at TEK measurement and maintenance must be cognisant of temporal and spatial variation in the drivers and impact of TEK change. Moreover, this research emphasises that TEK systems are inextricably bound in wider issues of power, heterogeneity, and political ecology, and that TEK maintenance is fundamentally linked to self-determination and the lived value of tradition in contemporary social contexts.Long fulap ples long world, kastom save blong envaeroment (KSBE) hemi stap lus. Ol jenis ia bambae i mekem i hard blong ol man blong lukaotem ol risos blong hem, mo bambae i mekem i hard blong ol jeneresen long fiuja blong stap strong taem envaeromen i jenis. Vanuatu hemi wan ples we i gat fulap difren kalja mo difren kaen envaeromen, mo kastom mo tredisen oli gat fulap importance long laef long ol man. I gat fulap rison we from wanem KSBE hemi important long Vanuatu: sam example olsem saed long lukaotem ol risos, saed long givim meresin long ol man, mo saed long givhan long ol man blong stap strong taem envaeromen i jenis. Be long Vanuatu, i gat wan problem, from we KSBE mo kastom i save lus, from we fulap niufala samting i kam insaed, ol envaeromen i jenis, mo ol youngfala oli no lanem gud ol save blong ol bubu blong olgeta. Risej ia i stap givhan blong saed long lanem save hao nao KSBE i stap lus, mo hao nao yumi save lukaotem hem mo mekem se i stap oltaem. Mi bin work long fofala komuniti long Malekula Island, mo mi bin traem save trifala samting. Namba wan samting, mi stap traem luk sipos KSBE hemi stap lus, mo wanem kaen samting i stap mekem se KSBE i lus. Mi bin yusum wan kaen interviu wetem 177 man mo woman long West Coast Malekula, mo mi askem evri wan blong telemaot fulap samting, olsem ol lif blong meresin. Ol risal oli telem se ol youngfala oli gat fulap KSBE, be olgeta oli no gat save olsem ol oldfala. Ol oldfala nomo oli gat save blong medel bus, be ol youngfala oli no stap lanem ol samting ia. Save ia i stap lus bigwan wetem ol man we oli go long market fulap mo we oli no laekem blong toktok lanwis tumas. Namba tu samting, mi stap traem luk hao nao ol man mo woman oli stap lanem ol save blong olgeta. Mi faendem se fulap long ol man mo woman oli lanem long mama mo papa blong olgeta, be mi luk save se ol fasin blong tijim ol difren kaen KSBE hemi stap jenis. Namba tri samting, mi stap luk long saed long hao nao yumi save lukaotem ol KSBE mo mekem se i stap ol taem. Mi bin storian wetem fulap man mo woman long saed long wanem oli stap tingting nao saed long lukaotem KSBE. Mi bin faendem se i gat sam kaen KSBE we yumi save putum i go long skul, olsem save blong mekem garen. Be i gat fulap samting we yumi no save putum insaed skul, minim se yumi mas faendem wan nara fasin blong lukaotem KSBE. Ol 'kastom skul' blong Malekula bambae oli gud smol: oli gat fulap problem, be oli save lukaotem fulap difren kaen kastom we yumi no save putum insaed skul. Risej ia hemi soemaot importance blong KSBE long Vanuatu, mo hemi telem se i important we bambae yumi lukaotem KSBE blong mekem se i no lus. Be risej ia I telem tu se ol jenis we i stap kam long saed long kastom long komuniti, bambae oli hard lelebit blong lukaotem KSBE long evri ples blong evri man. Ol fasin blong jenis long KSBE bambae oli jenis evri yia, mo bambae oli difren long evri ples long Malekula mo long Vanuatu. Mo tu, risej ia i telem se ol rison we KSBE i lus hemi fastem taet long ol fasin blong power mo long difrens bitim ol difren ples. Wan ples we samting ia i important hemi saed long skul long vilaj mo komuniti. Blong finisem risej ia, mi mekem sam recommendation blong policy saed long lukaotem KSBE blong Malekula

Malnutrition in rural Solomon Islands: An analysis of the problem and its drivers

2020 The Authors. Maternal & Child Nutrition published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Solomon Islands, like many Pacific Island nations, suffer from the burden of malnutrition. External drivers including population growth, declining agriculture and fisheries productivity and global food trade have contributed to the transition to greater reliance on imported foods. Globally, diets are recognized as both a cause of and solution to the burden of malnutrition. Using a mixed-method approach this study assessed nutritional status and key determinants of malnutrition among women and young children in rural Solomon Island communities. Quantitative 24-hour recall surveys identified diets of women and young children in these communities to be very limited in diversity. Typical daily diets comprised of fish, sweet potato (and/or rice) and slippery cabbage (a leafy green) usually boiled in coconut milk or baked. Participatory research using problem tree and biocultural approaches identified basic determinants of poor diets and opportunities to address these challenges. We highlight three domains of opportunity to improve diets across multiple scales; 1) improve nutrition-sensitive agriculture and fisheries to produce and distribute diverse, productive and nutrient rich foods; 2) nutrition education and empowerment, focusing on the first 1000 days of life, to influence and inform choices regarding food consumption; and 3) reducing the consumption of imported, energy-rich nutrient poor foods through national and regional policies. These multi-scale domains highlight that food system approaches that strengthen integrated policy and empower people are essential for healthy and sustainable diets in Solomon Islands and more broadly in the Pacific region

Drivers of reef shark abundance and biomass in the Solomon Islands

Remote island nations face a number of challenges in addressing concerns about shark population status, including access to rigorously collected data and resources to manage fisheries. At present, very little data are available on shark populations in the Solomon Islands and scientific surveys to document shark and ray diversity and distribution have not been completed. We aimed to provide a baseline of the relative abundance and diversity of reef sharks and rays and assess the major drivers of reef shark abundance/biomass in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands using stereo baited remote underwater video. On average reef sharks were more abundant than in surrounding countries such as Fiji and Indonesia, yet below that of remote islands without historical fishing pressure, suggesting populations are relatively healthy but not pristine. We also assessed the influence of location, habitat type/complexity, depth and prey biomass on reef shark abundance and biomass. Location was the most important factor driving reef shark abundance and biomass with two times the abundance and a 43% greater biomass of reef sharks in the more remote locations, suggesting fishing may be impacting sharks in some areas. Our results give a much needed baseline and suggest that reef shark populations are still relatively unexploited, providing an opportunity for improved management of sharks and rays in the Solomon Islands

Interventions for drug-using offenders with co-occurring mental health problems

Background This review represents one from a family of three reviews focusing on interventions for drug‐using offenders. Many people under the care of the criminal justice system have co‐occurring mental health problems and drug misuse problems; it is important to identify the most effective treatments for this vulnerable population. Objectives To assess the effectiveness of interventions for drug‐using offenders with co‐occurring mental health problems in reducing criminal activity or drug use, or both. This review addresses the following questions. • Does any treatment for drug‐using offenders with co‐occurring mental health problems reduce drug use? • Does any treatment for drug‐using offenders with co‐occurring mental health problems reduce criminal activity? • Does the treatment setting (court, community, prison/secure establishment) affect intervention outcome(s)? • Does the type of treatment affect treatment outcome(s)? Search methods We searched 12 databases up to February 2019 and checked the reference lists of included studies. We contacted experts in the field for further information. Selection criteria We included randomised controlled trials designed to prevent relapse of drug use and/or criminal activity among drug‐using offenders with co‐occurring mental health problems. Data collection and analysis We used standard methodological procedures as expected by Cochrane . Main results We included 13 studies with a total of 2606 participants. Interventions were delivered in prison (eight studies; 61%), in court (two studies; 15%), in the community (two studies; 15%), or at a medium secure hospital (one study; 8%). Main sources of bias were unclear risk of selection bias and high risk of detection bias. Four studies compared a therapeutic community intervention versus (1) treatment as usual (two studies; 266 participants), providing moderate‐certainty evidence that participants who received the intervention were less likely to be involved in subsequent criminal activity (risk ratio (RR) 0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53 to 0.84) or returned to prison (RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.67); (2) a cognitive‐behavioural therapy (one study; 314 participants), reporting no significant reduction in self‐reported drug use (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.46 to 1.32), re‐arrest for any type of crime (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.44 to 1.09), criminal activity (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.52 to 1.05), or drug‐related crime (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.36), yielding low‐certainty evidence; and (3) a waiting list control (one study; 478 participants), showing a significant reduction in return to prison for those people engaging in the therapeutic community (RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.79), providing moderate‐certainty evidence. One study (235 participants) compared a mental health treatment court with an assertive case management model versus treatment as usual, showing no significant reduction at 12 months' follow‐up on an Addictive Severity Index (ASI) self‐report of drug use (mean difference (MD) 0.00, 95% CI ‐0.03 to 0.03), conviction for a new crime (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.22), or re‐incarceration to jail (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.01), providing low‐certainty evidence. Four studies compared motivational interviewing/mindfulness and cognitive skills with relaxation therapy (one study), a waiting list control (one study), or treatment as usual (two studies). In comparison to relaxation training, one study reported narrative information on marijuana use at three‐month follow‐up assessment. Researchers reported a main effect < .007 with participants in the motivational interviewing group, showing fewer problems than participants in the relaxation training group, with moderate‐certainty evidence. In comparison to a waiting list control, one study reported no significant reduction in self‐reported drug use based on the ASI (MD ‐0.04, 95% CI ‐0.37 to 0.29) and on abstinence from drug use (RR 2.89, 95% CI 0.73 to 11.43), presenting low‐certainty evidence at six months (31 participants). In comparison to treatment as usual, two studies (with 40 participants) found no significant reduction in frequency of marijuana use at three months post release (MD ‐1.05, 95% CI ‐2.39 to 0.29) nor time to first arrest (MD 0.87, 95% CI ‐0.12 to 1.86), along with a small reduction in frequency of re‐arrest (MD ‐0.66, 95% CI ‐1.31 to ‐0.01) up to 36 months, yielding low‐certainty evidence; the other study with 80 participants found no significant reduction in positive drug screens at 12 months (MD ‐0.7, 95% CI ‐3.5 to 2.1), providing very low‐certainty evidence. Two studies reported on the use of multi‐systemic therapy involving juveniles and families versus treatment as usual and adolescent substance abuse therapy. In comparing treatment as usual, researchers found no significant reduction up to seven months in drug dependence on the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) score (MD ‐0.22, 95% CI ‐2.51 to 2.07) nor in arrests (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.36), providing low‐certainty evidence (156 participants). In comparison to an adolescent substance abuse therapy, one study (112 participants) found significant reduction in re‐arrests up to 24 months (MD 0.24, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.28), based on low‐certainty evidence. One study (38 participants) reported on the use of interpersonal psychotherapy in comparison to a psychoeducational intervention. Investigators found no significant reduction in self‐reported drug use at three months (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.30 to 1.50), providing very low‐certainty evidence. The final study (29 participants) compared legal defence service and wrap‐around social work services versus legal defence service only and found no significant reductions in the number of new offences committed at 12 months (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.07 to 6.01), yielding very low‐certainty evidence. Authors' conclusions Therapeutic community interventions and mental health treatment courts may help people to reduce subsequent drug use and/or criminal activity. For other interventions such as interpersonal psychotherapy, multi‐systemic therapy, legal defence wrap‐around services, and motivational interviewing, the evidence is more uncertain. Studies showed a high degree of variation, warranting a degree of caution in interpreting the magnitude of effect and the direction of benefit for treatment outcomes

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Variation, Transmission, and Maintenance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge on Malekula Island, Vanuatu

The traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of local and indigenous people supports the resilience of social-ecological systems and is an important aspect of global biocultural diversity. However, TEK is at risk of erosion amid social and ecological change, and may be threatened by homogenising influences such as formal school systems. Loss of TEK is of particular concern in countries such as Vanuatu, a culturally diverse nation where TEK is a critical component of resource management, medicinal practice, and adaptive capacity. This thesis aims to fill four key literature gaps surrounding the variation, transmission, and maintenance of TEK, and is situated in four rural communities on Malekula Island, Vanuatu. This research employs an interdisciplinary mixed-methods approach across four core chapters. The first uses multi-model inferencing to show that systems of TEK are dynamic and complex, and that change is variable across domains of knowledge and segments of the population. Data in this chapter indicate that ethnomedical knowledge is at risk of erosion in younger age cohorts. The second core chapter shows that the cultural transmission of TEK is predominantly vertical in nature (i.e. passed from parent to child), is initiated during the early teens, and that some skills (such as the carving of ceremonial items) appear to be less salient to younger age cohorts. This chapter also notes a changing developmental niche for TEK transmission, and suggests that changes in both the setting and strategies for knowledge transmission are key mechanisms that drive TEK variation. The third and fourth core chapters discuss aspects of TEK maintenance: first, by examining top-down strategies for TEK revitalisation by eliciting local perceptions of the value of TEK to formal school systems; and second, by identifying the triggers and barriers to bottom-up, in situ TEK maintenance in local organisations known as 'kastom schools'. Both approaches have potential to conserve aspects of TEK, however in situ approaches may be best for encouraging the maintenance of knowledge and practice within an appropriate cultural context. There are, however, significant epistemological barriers to both top-down and bottom-up approaches to TEK maintenance, which may ultimately limit their effectiveness. This research fills several key literature gaps and employs a diverse and novel range of analytical tools. The data presented here highlight the depth, diversity and importance of TEK in Vanuatu, and emphasise the need for careful and considered approaches to its maintenance. However, these findings also show the dynamic and complex nature of cultural change, and suggest that attempts at TEK measurement and maintenance must be cognisant of temporal and spatial variation in the drivers and impact of TEK change. Moreover, this research emphasises that TEK systems are inextricably bound in wider issues of power, heterogeneity, and political ecology, and that TEK maintenance is fundamentally linked to self-determination and the lived value of tradition in contemporary social contexts.</p

Language Contexts: Malua (Malekula Island, Vanuatu)

The Malua language is one of more than 30 endangered Oceanic languages spoken on Malekula Island in Vanuatu. Malua is locally understood to have two varieties, one spoken in Malua Bay and the other in Espiegles Bay. Little was known about Malua until linguistic research was initiated with the communities in 2012. In this paper, ethnographic observations, linguistic field notes, and language attitude interviews are reported to build up a picture of the Malua language in context. The two Malua communities converted to Seventh Day Adventism some decades ago, and today blend traditional and modern ways of living. While relying on forest resources for shelter and fuel, and growing most of their own food, the Malua people also participate in market gardening and cash-cropping, and make use of modern building materials, textiles, and store-bought foods. Interviewees outlined positive attitudes towards the language, an appreciation of its intrinsic value, and a desire to see the language and associated traditional knowledge included in formal education. However, the language is under threat due to the increasing use of Bislama (Melanesian Pidgin). Bislama is now the dominant language of some homes, and it has recently been introduced as the medium of instruction for the first three years of primary education. The continued vitality of Malua will require ongoing effort from the community, combined with support from government and applied research