Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas

The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon¹⁻³. With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural ecosystem processes. However, many protected areas in the tropics are themselves vulnerable to human encroachment and other environmental stresses⁴⁻⁹. As pressures mount, it is vital to know whether existing reserves can sustain their biodiversity. A critical constraint in addressing this question has been that data describing a broad array of biodiversity groups have been unavailable for a sufficiently large and representative sample of reserves. Here we present a uniquely comprehensive data set on changes over the past 20 to 30 years in 31 functional groups of species and 21 potential drivers of environmental change, for 60 protected areas stratified across the world’s major tropical regions. Our analysis reveals great variation in reserve ‘health’: about half of all reserves have been effective or performed passably, but the rest are experiencing an erosion of biodiversity that is often alarmingly widespread taxonomically and functionally. Habitat disruption, hunting and forest-product exploitation were the strongest predictors of declining reserve health. Crucially, environmental changes immediately outside reserves seemed nearly as important as those inside in determining their ecological fate, with changes inside reserves strongly mirroring those occurring around them. These findings suggest that tropical protected areas are often intimately linked ecologically to their surrounding habitats, and that a failure to stem broad-scale loss and degradation of such habitats could sharply increase the likelihood of serious biodiversity declines.Keywords: Ecology, Environmental scienc

Adult-trained perioperative nurses\u27 practice of family-centered care

Aim The aim of this study was to explore adult-trained perioperative nurses\u27 practice of family-centered care (FCC). Method A qualitative research design with a hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used. In-depth interviews were conducted with six adult-trained perioperative nurses. Data analysis was guided by Colaizzi\u27s seven-step framework, resulting in a composite description of perioperative nurses\u27 practice of FCC. Findings While participants supported the principle of family involvement in care, they found its implementation in practice difficult and stressful. They reported that families often appeared inadequately prepared for the surgical experience, and subsequent poor experiences for families caused feelings of upset and inadequacy for nurses. Conclusion While some of these findings are similar to those in previous studies of paediatric nurses\u27 practice of FCC, this is the first known study to examine adult-trained perioperative nurses\u27 practice of FCC. Participants articulated an awareness of what constitutes effective FCC and showed the motivation to accomplish the task of improving family-centered practice in their practice area

Engaging pupils with asthma in physical activity

It is essential for all children and young people to participate in physical activity. Pupils suffering from asthma, however, are more likely to avoid it. This study explores the beliefs and attitudes of educational staff towards the condition and how these may have an impact on participation