Marine mammals and Good Environmental Status: Science, Policy and Society; Challenges and Opportunities

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive has become the key instrument for marine conservation in European seas. We review its implementation, focusing on cetacean biodiversity, using the examples of Spain and the Regional Seas Convention, OSPAR. The MSFD has been widely criticised for legal vagueness, lack of coordination, uncertainty about funding, and poor governance; its future role within EU Integrated Maritime Policy remains unclear. Nevertheless, the first stages of the process have run broadly to schedule: current status, environmental objectives and indicators have been described and the design of monitoring programmes is in progress, drawing on experience with other environmental legislation. The MSFD is now entering its critical phase, with lack of funding for monitoring, limited scope for management interventions, and uncertainty about how conservation objectives will be reconciled with the needs of other marine and maritime sectors, being among the main concerns. Clarity in governance, about the roles of the EU, Member States, Regional Seas Conventions and stakeholders, is needed to ensure success. However, even if (as seems likely) good environmental status cannot be achieved by 2020, significant steps will have been taken to place environmental sustainability centre-stage in the development of Integrated Maritime Policy for EU seas.Postprin

The first cetacean sightings network in Spain: results of a co-operation within the Spanish Cetacean Society

3 pages, 2 tables.-- Fifteenth Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, Rome, Italy, 6-10 May 200ln 1999, the Spanish Cetacean Society (SEC) was created in order to co-ordinate the activities of different organisations and research groups in Spain, and to provide assistance to regional and national authorities in issues related to the conservation of the marine environment. In July 1999, the Spanish Ministry for the Environment appointed to the SEC the custody of a national database of shandings and sightings of cetaceans in order to standardise the methodology used by all groups involved in these activities, and to facilitate the exchange of information among researchers. The Sightings Working Group of the SEC has been, since then, developing and updating the cetacean sightings database with the participation of most research and conservation groups working in Spain. This is the fìrst time in Spain that most groups put together their information creating a National Sightings Network and giving a fairly complete vision of cetacean distribution throughout the whole country, showing the importance of co-ordinated co-operation in the context of conservationDGCN (National Environment Agency) of the Spanish Ministry for the EnvironmentN

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Approaches, Recommended Practices, Models and Procedures in Early Intervention

Evidence has shown that a family-centered approach to early intervention (EI), focused on learning, functionality, and social participation, has a positive impact on the child, the environment, and the family. This approach is proposed as a framework in EI services. Over the past decade, in Spain and other countries, services are transforming their programs towards a family-centered approach and intervention in daily routines. However, many of the principles that underpin these recommended practices (RPs) require a skill-acquisition process by professionals and also an institutional adequacy. In addition, the philosophical nature of PR principles can lead to confusion and give rise to implementation with fidelity. This article provides a practical response and useful conceptual clarification for professionals and researchers in the EI field, necessary to understand the foundations that motivate this process of service transformation.La evidencia científica en atención temprana (AT) ha demostrado que un enfoque centrado en la familia, en el aprendizaje, la funcionalidad y la participación social, tiene un impacto positivo en el niño, en el entorno y en la propia familia. Este cambio de visión, se propone como un marco de referencia en los servicios. Durante la última década, tanto en España como en otros países, los servicios están transformando sus programas hacia un enfoque centrado en la familia y en la intervención en las actividades de la vida diaria. No obstante, muchos de los principios que sustentan estas prácticas recomendadas (PR) requieren un proceso de adquisición de habilidades y competencias por parte de los profesionales y de adecuación institucional. Además, el carácter filosófico de los principios de las PR, puede generar confusión y dar pie a una implementación con escasa consistencia interna. Este artículo ofrece una aclaración conceptual útil y una síntesis para profesionales e investigadores del campo de la AT necesaria para comprender las bases y fundamentos que motivan este proceso de transformación de los servicios

Can static habitat protection encompass critical areas for highly mobile marine top predators? Insights from coastal East Africa

© 2015 Pérez-Jorge et al. Along the East African coast, marine top predators are facing an increasing number of anthropogenic threats which requires the implementation of effective and urgent conservation measures to protect essential habitats. Understanding the role that habitat features play on the marine top predator' distribution and abundance is a crucial step to evaluate the suitability of an existing Marine Protected Area (MPA), originally designated for the protection of coral reefs. We developed species distribution models (SDM) on the IUCN data deficient Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) in southern Kenya. We followed a comprehensive ecological modelling approach to study the environmental factors influencing the occurrence and abundance of dolphins while developing SDMs. Through the combination of ensemble prediction maps, we defined recurrent, occasional and unfavourable habitats for the species. Our results showed the influence of dynamic and static predictors on the dolphins' spatial ecology: dolphins may select shallow areas (5-30 m), close to the reefs (< 500 m) and oceanic fronts (< 10 km) and adjacent to the 100m isobath (< 5 km).We also predicted a significantly higher occurrence and abundance of dolphins within the MPA. Recurrent and occasional habitats were identified on large percentages on the existing MPA (47% and 57% using presence-absence and abundance models respectively). However, the MPA does not adequately encompass all occasional and recurrent areas and within this context, we propose to extend the MPA to incorporate all of them which are likely key habitats for the highly mobile species. The results from this study provide two key conservation and management tools: (i) an integrative habitat modelling approach to predict key marine habitats, and (ii) the first study evaluating the effectiveness of an existing MPA for marine mammals in the Western Indian Ocean. Copyright:ML was funded by a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral contract (JCI-2010-07639, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation - http://www.idi.mineco.gob.es/) and a Ramón y Cajal postdoctoral contract (RYC-2012-09897). Funds were partially provided by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy - http://www.idi.mineco.gob.es/ (CGL2013-42203-R)Peer Reviewe