3 research outputs found
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Training future generations to deliver evidence-based conservation and ecosystem management
Data availability statement: No data was used in this study.Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1002/2688-8319.12032.Supporting Information: eso312032-sup-0001-SuppMat.docx (21.1 KB) available at: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/downloadSupplement?doi=10.1002%2F2688-8319.12032&file=eso312032-sup-0001-SuppMat.docx. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.Copyright © 2021 The Authors. 1. To be effective, the next generation of conservation practitioners and managers need to be critical thinkers with a deep understanding of how to make evidence-based decisions and of the value of evidence synthesis.
2. If, as educators, we do not make these priorities a core part of what we teach, we are failing to prepare our students to make an effective contribution to conservation practice.
3. To help overcome this problem we have created open access online teaching materials in multiple languages that are stored in Applied Ecology Resources. So far, 117 educators from 23 countries have acknowledged the importance of this and are already teaching or about to teach skills in appraising or using evidence in conservation decision-making. This includes 145 undergraduate, postgraduate or professional development courses.
4. We call for wider teaching of the tools and skills that facilitate evidence-based conservation and also suggest that providing online teaching materials in multiple languages could be beneficial for improving global understanding of other subject areas.
Making informed conservation and ecosystem management choices is based upon a sound understanding of the relevant evidence. There is an increasing wealth of conservation science available, and access to this is becoming easier. But, are conservation practitioners being trained to utilize this information?
In conservation, decision-making is often based upon past experience or expert knowledge, as opposed to the full body of scientific literature (e.g., Pullin, Knight, Stone, & Charman, 2004; Rafidimanantsoa, Poudyal, Ramamonjisoa, & Jones, 2018). The failure to include scientific evidence in decision-making has the potential to reduce the effectiveness of management, or even lead to detrimental actions being undertaken (Walsh, Dicks, & Sutherland, 2015). Evidence-based conservation (EBC) seeks to avoid this by providing tools to facilitate and inform decision-making. To do this, scientific evidence is collated and critically appraised for its quality and relevance, and integrated with other knowledge, experience, values and costs (Sutherland, Pullin, Dolman, & Knight, 2004). Wider adoption of EBC requires conservation professionals to be trained in its principles and taught how to use it to inform conservation decision-making.MAVA Foundation; Arcadia Fund
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A systematic map of cassava farming practices and their agricultural and environmental impacts using new ontologies: Agri-ontologies 1.0
Funder: A G Leventis FoundationFunder: Arcadia Fund; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100012088Funder: The David and Claudia Harding Foundation1. Cassava is consumed by 800 million people and is a staple crop in Africa. Its production may increase under climate change due to its high drought tolerance. We produced a systematic map of scientific studies about cassava farming practices, with the aim of identifying knowledge gaps and clusters. Our
secondary aim was to develop a classification system for [1] farming interventions, and [2] agricultural,
economic, and environmental outcomes. Standardised classification systems facilitate data reuse, e.g. for syntheses, and promote research efficiency.
2. Following our published protocol, we searched eight publication databases using the search string
“cassava OR mandioca OR manihot OR manioc OR yuca” in December 2017. We screened 36,580
records and included publications that measured the impact of cassava farming practices on agricultural, economic, or environmental outcomes, including yield, soil, water, wildlife, and labour. We classified the resultant 1,599 publications by interventions, outcomes, location, study year, and study design. We assessed coding consistency using Kappa scores.
3. We found regional knowledge clusters (Nigeria, Columbia, and Brazil accounted for 45.5% of country
occurrences) and gaps (e.g. the Democratic Republic of Congo). There were knowledge clusters for interventions testing cultivar type, fertiliser use, and diversifying crop rotations, and outcomes related to crop production (e.g. yield/biomass). We found knowledge gaps for environmental interventions and outcomes (e.g. 5% of studies measured pollutants or wildlife). In terms of study design, reporting standards were poor (e.g. 24% of studies did not report start dates), average study duration was two years, and average publication delays were four years. The Kappa scores indicated that we successfully developed consistent ontologies (named Agri-ontologies 1.0). The map and ontologies are available online: https://www.metadataset.com/.
4. This systematic map of cassava farming practices can direct researchers and funders to knowledge gaps that need addressing, and reviewers to knowledge clusters for synthesis. Better research
practices should be promoted within cassava research, as poor reporting standards, short study
durations, and long publication delays result in an ineffective research environment. This systematic map provides an evidence base for cassava production, and the ontologies (Agri-ontologies 1.0) can be applied to other systems to facilitate more efficient and effective synthesis
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Cassava farming practices and their agricultural and environmental impacts: A systematic map protocol
Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a staple crop that is important for food security in the tropics. However, cassava farming can have severe environmental impacts, such as habitat destruction and soil degradation, if it is not carefully managed. Therefore, a wide range of agricultural and environmental outcomes should be considered when cassava farming practices are recommended as “good agricultural practices”. We propose a systematic map of research on cassava farming practices and their impacts on yield, quality, proftability, soil, water, wildlife, pathogens, pests,
weeds, and other agricultural and environmental outcomes. This map will improve our knowledge of the multifunctionality of cassava farming practices, by answering several questions: Which studies have measured the impacts of cassava farming practices on agricultural and/or environmental outcomes? Which practices and outcomes have been
studied, in which countries, and when