Hung Out to Dry: Choice of Priority Ecoregions for Conserving Threatened Neotropical Anurans Depends on Life-History Traits

Background: In the Neotropics, nearly 35 % of amphibian species are threatened by habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and habitat split; anuran species with different developmental modes respond to habitat disturbance in different ways. This entails broad-scale strategies for conserving biodiversity and advocates for the identification of high conservation-value regions that are significant in a global or continental context and that could underpin more detailed conservation assessments towards such areas. Methodology/Principal Findings: We identified key ecoregion sets for anuran conservation using an algorithm that favors complementarity (beta-diversity) among ecoregions. Using the WWF’s Wildfinder database, which encompasses 700 threatened anuran species in 119 Neotropical ecoregions, we separated species into those with aquatic larvae (AL) or terrestrial development (TD), as this life-history trait affects their response to habitat disturbance. The conservation target of 100 % of species representation was attained with a set of 66 ecoregions. Among these, 30 were classified as priority both for species with AL and TD, 26 were priority exclusively for species with AL, and 10 for species with TD only. Priority ecoregions for both developmental modes are concentrated in the Andes and in Mesoamerica. Ecoregions important for conserving species with AL are widely distributed across the Neotropics. When anuran life histories were ignored, species with AL were always underrepresented in priority sets

Decision theory, linear partial information and statistical dominance

The paper deals with decision making under conditions of linear partial information, i.e. when probabilities of states of nature are not known precisely, but are subject to linear constraints. Conditions ensuring strict and weak statistical dominance of one strategy over another are derived. It is also shown that weak dominance in terms of payoffs is equivalent to weak dominance in terms of regrets. The new results are more general than those obtained by Fishburn and by Kmietowicz and Pearman for weak and strict ranking of probabilities, and include them as special cases. The new results can be employed in practical decision making in several ways.

An assessment of advanced transport telematics evaluation procedures

This paper reviews and critically assesses procedures which have been adopted to evaluate Advanced Transport Telematics (ATT) projects. The importance of such a review at this juncture stems from the changing position of ATT in transport planning. ATT is no longer simply a field for experimentation, where technical feasibility and user acceptance are dominant concerns. Rather it is a potential mainstream contributor to the functioning of road transport systems. For this reason, ATT project appraisal needs to be developed to the same form, level of sophistication and consistency as the appraisal of conventional transport infrastructure investment. Based on the review set out here, we argue that appropriate methods have not yet been established which, in turn, poses a number of challenging questions, since current socio-economic evaluation procedures are not directly suited to either measuring or evaluating many of the impacts which ATT schemes are implemented to achieve

Understanding decision making during emergencies: a key contributor to resilience

The resilience of systems derives from many inputs, relating both to design and to operational planning. In the latter context the role and effective functioning of the ‘blue light’ emergency services is often critical. The judgements and decisions that have to be made are complex and time-constrained, often undertaken before all the critical information that might be wanted is available. Recent developments in decision research, notably the on-going dual process debate, suggest that the process of decision making adopted is often more complex than had previously been appreciated and strongly linked to both context and individual factors, notably expertise. In the light of such developments, this paper presents an empirical study of emergency responders working in realistic, non-laboratory conditions. It argues that recent moves to recognise the need to support, through the way in which information is provided, more intuitive as well as analytic modes of thinking in decision support are timely and that an important research agenda exists linking decision support design with a fuller understanding of exactly how individuals make their decisions in emergency conditions

Differences in perceptions of functional foods: UK public vs. nutritionists

As concepts in nutrition move towards emphasising the use of foods to promote better health and to help reduce the risk of disease, a new generation of functional food products has emerged. Nutritionists play a key role in educating the public on matters regarding diet and health. Therefore, they need to understand consumers’ attitudes to ensure their work is effective. This study aims to explore consumers’ and nutritionists’ perceptions of this relatively new area of nutrition using a psychometric questionnaire, adapted from Fife‐Schaw and Rowe (1996), to quantify attitudes towards five types of functional foods. The questionnaire was administered to 331 members of the British public (40% response rate) and a random sample of 199 members of the Nutrition Society (58% response rate). Perceptions held by the two groups were compared. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was carried out to highlight underlying components revealed by the questionnaire. The most extreme differences in responses were evident on three issues: the ability to tell if functional foods were about to be consumed; who should take responsibility for informing consumers about the health effects; and understanding of functional foods. Nutritionists believed they had a greater understanding of functional foods and found it easier to tell if the foods they ate contained a functional component. Consumers had a stronger belief that it is the food manufacturers’ responsibility to provide information about functional foods. Using PCA to identify components of importance to each group confirmed differences in perceptions. For the consumer group worry and benefit were the most prominent components. For nutritionists, components relating to control and responsibility were most apparent. As consumers are more willing to look to food manufacturers than the government for information regarding these new foods, the importance of appropriate food labelling and legislation on health claims is of increasing importance. The differences in perceptions will be of interest to the different stakeholders involved in the provision of information to consumers, and should be used to ensure that appropriate messages and channels of communication are used in the development of this new branch of nutritional science