Managers’ perceptions of protected area outcomes in Madagascar highlight the need for species monitoring and knowledge transfer

NB! https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.6 (right) Wrong doi reported in PDFConsiderable effort has gone into assessing the effectiveness of protected areas (PAs) in preventing biodiversity loss, and PA impacts on local communities. However, little is known about how pressures are being perceived and dealt with by local PA managers and what perceptions managers have of biodiversity trends and human‐induced pressures in the PAs they manage. We surveyed and convened a workshop with PA managers in Madagascar asking about the impacts of PA establishment. The managers reported that PAs have been successful in reducing threats. However, managers lacked specific knowledge of trends in species abundance, reporting the need for more species monitoring and knowledge transfer from scientific researchers. We argue that greater collaboration and exchange of knowledge between researchers, managers, and local communities is necessary to ensure that PA effectiveness research is of practical value and contributes to improved PA outcomes.Considerable effort has gone into assessing the effectiveness of protected areas (PAs) in preventing biodiversity loss, and PA impacts on local communities. However, little is known about how pressures are being perceived and dealt with by local PA managers and what perceptions managers have of biodiversity trends and human‐induced pressures in the PAs they manage. We surveyed and convened a workshop with PA managers in Madagascar asking about the impacts of PA establishment. The managers reported that PAs have been successful in reducing threats. However, managers lacked specific knowledge of trends in species abundance, reporting the need for more species monitoring and knowledge transfer from scientific researchers. We argue that greater collaboration and exchange of knowledge between researchers, managers, and local communities is necessary to ensure that PA effectiveness research is of practical value and contributes to improved PA outcomes.Considerable effort has gone into assessing the effectiveness of protected areas (PAs) in preventing biodiversity loss, and PA impacts on local communities. However, little is known about how pressures are being perceived and dealt with by local PA managers and what perceptions managers have of biodiversity trends and human‐induced pressures in the PAs they manage. We surveyed and convened a workshop with PA managers in Madagascar asking about the impacts of PA establishment. The managers reported that PAs have been successful in reducing threats. However, managers lacked specific knowledge of trends in species abundance, reporting the need for more species monitoring and knowledge transfer from scientific researchers. We argue that greater collaboration and exchange of knowledge between researchers, managers, and local communities is necessary to ensure that PA effectiveness research is of practical value and contributes to improved PA outcomes.Peer reviewe

Cardiovascular Responses to Psychosocial Stress Reflect Motivation State in Adults Born at Extremely Low Birth Weight

Background. Adults born extremely preterm appear to have more difficulty managing the stresses of early adulthood than their term-born peers. Objective. To examine the effects of being born at extremely low birth weight (ELBW; birth weight < 1000 g) versus at full term on cardiovascular responses to stress. Method. Cardiovascular responses were elicited during administration of a widely used laboratory stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Results. Term-born adults exhibited a larger decrease in total peripheral resistance and larger increase in cardiac output for TSST performance, reflecting greater resilience, than did ELBW adults. Furthermore, in ELBW participants but not controls, cardiovascular responses were correlated with anxiety, suggesting that their responses reflected feelings of stress. Conclusions. Skills-training and practice with relevant stressors may be necessary to increase the personal resources of ELBW participants for managing stress as they transition to adulthood.Peer reviewe

Operationalizing local ecological knowledge in climate change research : challenges and opportunities of citizen science

Current research on the local impacts of climate change is based on contrasting results from the simulation of historical trends in climatic variables produced with global models against climate data from independent observations. To date, these observations have mostly consisted of weather data from standardized meteorological stations. Given that the spatial distribution of weather stations is patchy, climate scientists have called for the exploration of new data sources. Knowledge developed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities with a long history of interaction with their environment has been proposed as a data source with untapped potential to contribute to our understanding of the local impacts of climate change. In this chapter, we discuss an approach that aims to bring insights from local knowledge systems to climate change research. First, we present a number of theoretical arguments that give support to the idea that local knowledge systems can contribute in original ways to the endeavors of climate change research. Then, we explore the potential of using information and communication technologies to gather and share local knowledge of climate change impacts. We do so through the examination of a citizen science initiative aiming to collect local indicators of climate change impacts: the LICCI project (www.licci.eu). Our findings illustrate that citizen science can inspire new approaches to articulate the inclusion of local knowledge systems in climate change research. However, this requires outlining careful approaches, with high ethical standards, toward knowledge validation and recognizing that there are aspects of local ecological knowledge that are incommensurable with scientific knowledge

Fetal programming of neuropsychiatric disorders by maternal pregnancy depression: a systematic mini review

BACKGROUND: Maternal depression complicates a large proportion of pregnancies. Current evidence shows numerous harmful effects on the offspring. Reviews, which include depression, concluded that stress has harmful effects on the offspring's outcomes neuro-cognitive development, temperament traits, and mental disorders. OBJECTIVE: This mini review of recent studies, sought to narrow the scope of exposure and identify studies specifically assessing prenatal depression and offspring neuropsychiatric outcomes. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: The review included longitudinal, cohort, cross-sectional, clinical, quasi-experimental, epidemiological, or intervention study designs published in English from 2014 to 2018. PARTICIPANTS: Study populations included mother-child dyads, mother-father-child triads, mother-alternative caregiver-child triads, and family studies utilizing sibling comparisons. METHODS: We searched PubMED and Web of Science. Study inclusion and data extraction were based on standardized templates. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). RESULTS: Thirteen studies examining neuropsychiatric outcomes were included. We judged the evidence to be moderate to high quality. CONCLUSIONS: Our review supports that maternal prenatal depression is associated with neuropsychiatric adversities in children.Peer reviewe

Differences between Pygmy and Non-Pygmy hunting in Congo Basin forests

We use data on game harvest from 60 Pygmy and non-Pygmy settlements in the Congo Basin forests to examine whether hunting patterns and prey profiles differ between the two hunter groups. For each group, we calculate hunted animal numbers and biomass available per inhabitant, P, per year (harvest rates) and killed per hunter, H, per year (extraction rates). We assess the impact of hunting of both hunter groups from estimates of numbers and biomass of prey species killed per square kilometre, and by examining the proportion of hunted taxa of low, medium and high population growth rates as a measure of their vulnerability to overhunting. We then map harvested biomass (kg-1P-1Yr-1) of bushmeat by Pygmies and non-Pygmies throughout the Congo Basin. Hunting patterns differ between Pygmies and non-Pygmies; Pygmies take larger and different prey and non-Pygmies sell more for profit. We show that non-Pygmies have a potentially more severe impact on prey populations than Pygmies. This is because non-Pygmies hunt a wider range of species, and twice as many animals are taken per square kilometre. Moreover, in non-Pygmy settlements there was a larger proportion of game taken of low population growth rate. Our harvest map shows that the non-Pygmy population may be responsible for 27 times more animals harvested than the Pygmy population. Such differences indicate that the intense competition that may arise from the more widespread commercial hunting by non-Pygmies is a far more important constraint and source of conflict than are protected areas

A trajectories of behavior, attention, social and emotional problems from childhood to early adulthood following extremely preterm birth: a prospective cohort study

© 2018, The Author(s). To investigate trajectories of behavior, attention, social and emotional problems to early adulthood in extremely preterm survivors compared to a term-born comparison group. Longitudinal analysis of a prospective, population-based cohort of 315 surviving infants born < 26 completed weeks of gestation recruited at birth in 1995, from the UK/Republic of Ireland, and a term-born comparison group recruited at age 6. The parent-report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was completed at age 6, 11, 16 and 19 years. The Total Behavioral Difficulties Score was 4.81 points higher in extremely preterm individuals compared to their term-born peers over the period (95% CI 3.76–5.87, p < 0.001) and trajectories were stable in both groups. The impact of difficulties on home life, friendships, school or work and/or leisure activities was greater in the EPT group (RR 4.28, 95% CI 2.89–6.35, p < 0.001), and hyperactivity/inattention and peer problems accounted for the largest differences. A clinically significant behavioral screen at age 2.5 was associated with a higher Total Behavioral Difficulties Score from 6 years onwards in extremely preterm participants (Mean difference 6.90, 95% CI 5.01–8.70, p < 0.0.01), as was moderate/severe cognitive impairment at last assessment (Mean difference: 4.27, 95% CI 2.76–5.77, p < 0.001). Attention, social and emotional problems in extremely preterm individuals persist into early adulthood with significant impact on daily life. A positive behavioral screen in infancy and moderate/severe cognitive impairment are associated with early adult outcomes.NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship, NIHRDRF-2012-05-206. The EPICure Study was funded by a Medical Research Council Programme Grant to NM (Ref no: MR/J01107X/1