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In higher education, the role of assessment has evolved from serving only the purpose of evaluation of the outcomes of the learning process to assessment as part of the learning purposes. Summative or formative, the potential of assessment to facilitate learning is now recognised. Feedback is one of the most influential factors on learning but is also one of the least satisfactory elements of the student experience. How has interest in, understanding of, and implementation of feedback changed over time? What are the general characteristics of feedback implementation found in literature? To what productive directions might future research feedback on assessment take? To gain these insights, a systematic quantitative review of literature on feedback on written assessment in higher education was undertaken, revealing that feedback as a field of inquiry, despite burgeoning interest, remains nascent, mostly 'stuck in old ways'.

Context: Skinks comprise the dominant component of the terrestrial vertebrate fauna in Oceania, New Guinea, and Eastern Wallacea (ONGEW). However, knowledge of their diversity is incomplete, and their conservation needs are poorly understood. Aims: To explore the diversity and threat status of the skinks of ONGEW and identify knowledge gaps and conservation needs. Methods: We compiled a list of all skink species occurring in the region and their threat categories designated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. We used available genetic sequences deposited in the National Center for Biotechnology Information's GenBank to generate a phylogeny of the region's skinks. We then assessed their diversity within geographical sub-divisions and compared to other reptile taxa in the region. Key results: Approximately 300 species of skinks occur in ONGEW, making it the second largest global hotspot of skink diversity following Australia. Many phylogenetic relationships remain unresolved, and many species and genera are in need of taxonomic revision. One in five species are threatened with extinction, a higher proportion than almost all reptile families in the region. Conclusions: ONGEW contain a large proportion of global skink diversity on <1% of the Earth's landmass. Many are endemic and face risks such as habitat loss and invasive predators. Yet, little is known about them, and many species require taxonomic revision and threat level re-assessment. Implications. The skinks of ONGEW are a diverse yet underexplored group of terrestrial vertebrates, with many species likely facing extreme risks in the near future. Further research is needed to understand the threats they face and how to protect them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the underrepresentation of women in the fields of conservation and restoration ecology. It highlights the low percentage of women researchers globally and the lack of women Nobel Prize laureates in science and medicine. The article also addresses the "leaky pipeline" phenomenon, where the number of women in STEM fields decreases as positions become more senior. It further explores gender biases in publishing and research funding, as well as the influence of men in conservation and science decisions. The article concludes by presenting a collection of research conducted by women scientists in the field of conservation and restoration ecology, aiming to inspire and support other women pursuing careers in this field. [Extracted from the article]

Seagrasses provide crucial ecosystem services in the coastal environment, but are under increasing threat associated with anthropogenic activities. Seagrass meadows effectively trap suspended sediment, a key vector for trace metal transport, by altering local hydrodynamic conditions around their leaves and stems. As a result, seagrass meadows often have different geochemical sediment characteristics compared to adjacent bare sediments and may accumulate higher concentrations of trace metals. The aim of this systematic review was to identify research trends and knowledge gaps in the relationships between metals and seagrasses. The systematic search of the literature identified a total of 191 relevant articles. Although seagrasses have a broad geographic distribution, the highest diversity and endemism exists in the Indo-Pacific region, yet most studies (40%) were conducted in the Mediterranean Sea. There were also taxonomic gaps with some common species groups, including Amphibolis and Thalassodendron spp., being poorly studied. The reviewed studies examined the relationship between seagrass and 39 metal elements. There were no studies examining rare-earth elements (REEs) or platinum-group elements (PGEs), both of which are critical classes of metals in emerging technologies. Furthermore, the review determined that all 191 studies focused on the impact of metals on seagrasses, while only six also considered the effect of seagrasses on metal geochemistry in sediments. We conclude that further research is necessary to address these key gaps in knowledge to better understand the role(s) of seagrasses in the distribution, immobilization, and release of trace metals in coastal ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic resources are the building blocks for aquaculture breeding programs, biotechnology and conservation. The Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol are international frameworks for access and benefit sharing (ABS) concerning: (a) the collection and use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge; and (b) sharing the benefits of their use with the provider. ABS laws in African countries increasingly apply to resources and knowledge used throughout the production chain for aquaculture, including genes and gene sequences. This paper reviews ABS legislation and peer-reviewed publications in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia (leading aquaculture countries with ABS laws) to identify key knowledge gaps for ABS and aquaculture. Using a systematic quantitative literature review method and a qualitative analysis, the main findings are that despite established ABS laws in many of the reviewed countries, there are no analyses on the positive or negative effects of these laws for the conservation, sustainable use of genetic resources, digital sequence information and traditional knowledge relevant to aquaculture and the equitable sharing of benefits from their use. These knowledge gaps may significantly undermine the sharing of resources and knowledge necessary for ecologically sustainable aquaculture development in Africa, which is crucial to food security and livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In higher education, the role of assessment has evolved from serving only the purpose of evaluation of the outcomes of the learning process to assessment as part of the learning purposes. Summative or formative, the potential of assessment to facilitate learning is now recognised. Feedback is one of the most influential factors on learning but is also one of the least satisfactory elements of the student experience. How has interest in, understanding of, and implementation of feedback changed over time? What are the general characteristics of feedback implementation found in literature? To what productive directions might future research feedback on assessment take? To gain these insights, a systematic quantitative review of literature on feedback on written assessment in higher education was undertaken, revealing that feedback as a field of inquiry, despite burgeoning interest, remains nascent, mostly 'stuck in old ways'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical dry forests are a unique and threatened ecosystem in the Pacific and globally. In Fiji, the endangered Fijian crested iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis) is endemic to tropical dry forests. Yadua Taba Island contains one of the best remaining stands of tropical dry forest in the Pacific along with the largest (and only secure) population of B. vitiensis in Fiji and has been proposed as a translocation source for iguana conservation. In this study we determined the major vegetation types on Yadua Taba and identified forest habitat preferences of B. vitiensis to (1) characterize the island's habitats for tropical dry forest regeneration monitoring and (2) understand which forest types are preferred by iguanas for future translocation projects. Vegetation data were collected using reconnaissance, entitation, line transects, and aerial photos. Iguana abundance data were collected by nocturnal surveys of permanent transects. Six major vegetation types were identified of which tropical dry forest was the largest (46% of the island), followed by a combination of rocky cliff shrubland/grassland vegetation (26%). Our conservative estimate of B. vitiensis population size on Yadua Taba is 12,000 iguanas, the majority of which occur in tropical dry forest. Superabundance of the dry forest understory tree Tlavaea amicorum, the favorite fruit species of iguanas, may help account for the high density of iguanas observed. These results highlight the ecological link between tropical dry forest and B. vitiensis and emphasize the importance of rehabilitation or conservation of tropical dry forest habitat in potential iguana translocation sites as part of the management plan for B. vitiensis throughout the Fiji Islands., TROPICAL DRY FOREST generally occurs in seasonally dry tropical regions where the average annual rainfall is less than 2,000 mm. In addition, tropical dry forests usually experience dry seasons (monthly [...]

Habitat destruction is a key threatening process for amphibians. Modified or anthropogenic waterbodies can be used to compensate for habitat loss, with several amphibian species utilising created or modified waterbodies. We measured usage of anthropogenic/modified waterbodies by adult and tadpole frog species, including threatened species, in coastal wallum habitat in eastern Australia. Nine road trenches/ditches, 8 artificial 'lakes', 6 golf course waterbodies and 13 natural waterbodies were surveyed for frog adults and tadpoles during the summer/spring period 2011–2012. Additionally, we examined the relationship between frog assemblages and environmental factors (water chemistry, aquatic predators, vegetation types), focusing on Litoria olongburensis and Litoria fallax. Frog species richness differed between waterbody types, with two of three threatened frog species present in both natural and anthropogenic/modified waterbodies. The frog assemblage was influenced by pH, turbidity, salinity and percentage cover of certain vegetation types. Measured abundance of L. olongburensis adults and tadpoles were highest in natural waterbodies with high sedge density and low pH. The measured abundance of adult L. fallax was highest within artificial lakes. We conclude that differences in water chemistry and vegetation density can affect the amphibian assemblage within these environments. Therefore, effective conservation of all frog species would be enhanced by conserving a variety of waterbody types. However, natural waterbodies are more likely to be used by threatened species and the conservation of these waterbodies provides the best conservation outcomes. Where habitat offsets may be required, environmental managers should critically assess the quality of constructed habitat for specialist frog species including those associated with acidic, oligotrophic environments. Wallum frogs are unique as they occur in naturally acidic, oligotrophic waterbodies. These waterbodies and the habitat surrounding them are often influenced by human disturbances. This article looks at determining the suitability of anthropogenic waterbodies for wallum frogs. We found that naturally occurring waterbodies are most suited for wallum frogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bacille Calmette‐Guérin (BCG) vaccine could play a role in counteracting the rising prevalence of atopic diseases, through its beneficial off‐target effects. We aimed to determine whether neonatal BCG vaccination reduces the incidence of eczema in infants. Methods: Randomized controlled trial with 1272 infants allocated to receive BCG‐Denmark or no BCG at birth. The primary outcome was the 12‐month incidence of eczema based on 3‐monthly questionnaires. Eczema was also assessed at a 12‐month clinic visit. ClinicalTrial.gov: NCT01906853. Results: The 12‐month eczema incidence was 32.2% in the BCG group compared with 36.6% in the control group (adjusted risk difference (aRD) −4.3%, 95% CI −9.9% to 1.3%, multiple imputation model). In addition, comparing infants in the BCG group with the control group, 15.7% vs. 19.2% had eczema lesions at the 12‐month visit (aRD −3.5%, 95% CI −8.0% to 1.0%); 35.7% vs. 39.0% reported using topical steroids (aRD −3.3, 95% CI −9.2 to 2.7); and 7.3% vs. 10.2% had severe eczema scores (aRD −3.0%, 95% CI −8.8% to 2.7%). In 344 high‐risk infants (two atopic parents), the 12‐month eczema incidence was 35.3% in the BCG group compared with 46.8% in the control group (aRD −11.5%, 95% CI −21.9% to −1.2%; number needed to treat 8.7, 95% CI 4.6 to 83.3). Conclusion: There is insufficient evidence to recommend neonatal BCG vaccination in all infants for the prevention of eczema in the first year of life; however, a modest beneficial effect was observed among high‐risk infants. A single dose of BCG‐Denmark soon after birth could reduce the incidence of eczema in infants with two atopic parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination has beneficial off-target effects that may include protecting against non-mycobacterial infectious diseases. We aimed to determine whether neonatal BCG vaccination reduces lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in infants in the Melbourne Infant Study: BCG for Allergy and Infection Reduction (MIS BAIR) trial.Methods: In this investigator-blinded trial, neonates in Australia were randomized to receive BCG-Denmark vaccination or no BCG at birth. Episodes of LRTI were determined by symptoms reported in parent-completed, 3-month questionnaires over the first year of life. Data were analyzed by intention-to-treat using binary regression.Results: A total of 1272 neonates were randomized to the BCG vaccination (n = 637) or control (n = 635) group. The proportion of participants with an episode of LRTI in the first year of life among BCG-vaccinated infants was 54.8% compared to 58.0% in the control group, resulting in a risk difference of -3.2 (95% confidence interval, -9.0 to 2.6) after multiple imputation. There was no interaction observed between the primary outcome and sex, maternal BCG, or the other prespecified effect modifiers.Conclusions: Based on the findings of this trial, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of neonatal BCG vaccination to prevent LRTI in the first year of life in high-income settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries are increasingly using access and benefit sharing (ABS) as a legal mechanism to support the conservation and sustainable use of the world's biological diversity. ABS regulates collection and/or use of genetic resources/traditional knowledge and sharing benefits from their use with the provider. The purpose of this review is to assess the trends, biases and gaps of ABS literature using a regional comparative approach about the key topics of concern between each region. It analyses four key topic groupings: (1) implementation of international, regional and national ABS policy and law; (2) intellectual property and ABS; (3) traditional knowledge; and (4) research, development and commercialisation. Findings included gaps in: (1) analysing effectiveness of national level implementation; (2) addressing apparent conflicts between support for intellectual property promoting exclusivity for traditional knowledge and challenges to intellectual property exclusivity for patents; (3) examining traditional knowledge of local communities (in contrast to Indigenous Peoples); and (4) lack of practical examples that quantify benefit sharing from research and commercialisation outcomes. We conclude that future research addressing the identified gaps and biases can promote more informed understanding among stakeholders about the ABS concept and whether it is capable of delivering concrete biological conservation, sustainable use and equity outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries increasingly use access and benefit‐sharing laws as a tool for the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge. These laws generally require the recipient of resources/knowledge to obtain the provider country's prior informed consent before collection, use or transfer and to share the benefits from their use with the provider. The aim of this literature review is to comprehensively analyse access and benefit‐sharing laws and literature about the top five aquaculture‐producing countries – China, India, Indonesia, Viet Nam and Bangladesh – to identify research trends and gaps in relation to accessing and sharing the benefits of aquaculture genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge. Using a systematic quantitative literature review methodology, we found only 5% of the literature examined the implications of access and benefit‐sharing for aquaculture and these only related to publications about India's arrangements. While the other countries had literature about their legal measures and literature about informal genetic resource sharing practices in aquaculture, none of them connected the two research topics. None of the countries had literature analysing the implications of access and benefit‐sharing in relation to traditional knowledge associated with aquaculture. We conclude that given these are the top global producers accounting for up to 80% of all aquaculture products, urgent research is needed to fill the literature gaps to assess whether access and benefit‐sharing as a legal/policy tool is achieving conservation and sustainable use goals for aquaculture genetic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We sought to examine co-design in 3 contrasting case studies of technology-supported change in health care and explain its role in influencing project success.Materials and Methods: Longitudinal case studies of a seizure detection and reporting technology for epilepsy (Southern England, 2018-2019), a telehealth service for heart failure (7 UK sites, 2016-2018), and a remote video consultation service (Scotland-wide, 2019-2020). We carried out interviews with 158 participants and collected more than 200 pages of field notes from observations. Within- and cross-case analysis was informed by sociotechnical theory.Results: In the epilepsy case, co-design prioritized patient-facing features and focused closely around a specific clinic, which led to challenges with sustainability and mainstreaming. In the heart failure case, patient-focused co-design produced an accessible and usable patient portal but resulted in variation in uptake between clinical sites. Successful scale-up of video consultations was explained by a co-design process involving not only the technical interface, but also careful reshaping of work practices.Discussion: A shift is needed from co-designing with technology users to co-designing with patients as service users, and with healthcare staff as professionals. Good co-design needs to involve users, including those who engage with the technology-supported service bothdirectly and indirectly. It requires sensitivity to emergence and unpredictability in complex systems. Healthcare staff need to be supported to accommodate iterative change in the service. Adequate resourcing and infrastructures for systems-focused co-design are essential.Conclusions: If co-design focuses narrowly on the technology, opportunities will be missed to coevolve technologies alongside clinical practices and organizational routines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: We investigated the effect of early-life factors, namely sex, delivery mode, feeding method and antibiotic exposure, on antibody responses to routine vaccinations administered during the first year of life.Methods: One and seven months after the primary course of routine vaccines and 1 month after routine vaccines at 12 months of age, antibodies against 26 vaccine antigens were measured in 398 healthy infants. The geometric mean concentration (GMC) of antibodies (adjusted for effect modifiers with multiple linear regression) and the seroprotection rate for each vaccine were compared for each early-life factor.Results: Sex had an influence on GMCs. Antibody concentrations were significantly lower at 7 months of age in females for tetanus and filamentous haemagglutinin and at 13 months of age for pertactin. In contrast, at 13 months of age, antibody concentrations were significantly higher in females for polio type 3, pneumococcal serotype 6A and measles. Sex did not have an influence on seroprotection rates. Delivery mode, feeding method and antibiotic exposure did not exert a substantial influence on vaccine antibody concentrations.Conclusion: There is a difference between males and females in the humoral response to routine vaccinations in the first year of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Convention on Biological Diversity provides a framework for countries to implement laws regulating the access, use and exchange of genetic resources, including how users and providers share the benefits from their use. While the international community has been preoccupied with resolving the unintended effects of access and benefit sharing (ABS) on domestication in agriculture for the past 25 years, its far‐reaching consequences for global aquaculture has only recently dawned on policymakers, aquaculture producers and researchers. Using a systematic quantitative literature review methodology, we analysed the trends, biases and gaps in the ABS literature. Only 5% of the ABS literature related to the use and exchange of aquaculture genetic resources. Most of this literature related to use in developing countries or global use, but its authors were predominantly from developed countries. The literature covered a narrow range of countries (7) and regions (3), a narrow range of taxonomic groups (9) and a narrow range of uses. Given that aquaculture is the fastest growing global food production sector with products primarily from developing countries using over 580 species, there are significant gaps in aquaculture‐related ABS literature. We conclude that the sector needs urgent analyses on the consequences of ABS restrictions, obligations and opportunities for its early stages of domestication and product development. We recommend priority areas for attention to ensure that rapidly evolving national ABS laws take into account the special characteristics and needs of the aquaculture sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural and dynamic properties of phospholipids in the liquid crystalline phase were investigated using the general orientation dependence of spin-lattice relaxation for spin-1 nuclei, namely deuterium. Relaxation rates 1/T1Z and 1/T1Q for Zeeman and quadrupolar spin-lattice relaxation, respectively, can be expressed as a sum of Legendre polynomials up to order 4 for axially symmetric motions: 1/T1i= a0i+a2iP2(cos β)+a4iP4(cos β), i=Z, Q, where β is the angle between the axis of symmetry of the motion (in this case the bilayer normal) and the static magnetic field. The coefficients api are functions of order parameters and reduced spectral densities. We explore the structural and dynamical information that can be obtained from the orientation dependence of relaxation without invoking detailed models. Some conformational models, such as the rotational isomeric model for the acyl chains, were investigated. We studied the acyl chains of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, the influence of temperature and the addition of cholesterol, and two positions on the headgroup of dipalmitoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies across large oceanic archipelagos often provide an opportunity for testing different processes driving patterns of species richness. Frogs are among the most abundant vertebrates in the Solomon Islands but little is known of the factors influencing their richness patterns. This study used modelling to determine important ecological and biogeographic factors affecting the species richness of frogs at multiple locations on major islands across the archipelago. Between March 2009 and August 2012, 16 frog species were recorded along 109 transects placed in coastal, lowland, ridge and montane forests across 13 islands. Mean species richness was higher in the North Solomon Islands arc (6.2 species) and decreased eastwards towards the New Georgia islands (4.7 species), and Malaita (3.2 species). A plausible explanation is that the North Solomon Islands arc is closest to New Guinea, a major centre of dispersal in the south-west Pacific. Coastal (4.6 species) and freshwater (4.8 species) forests had lower predicted species richness than lowland, ridge, and montane forest types (all with 6.2 species). In addition, more frogs were predicted in areas with thin leaf litter (6.2 species), dense shrub cover (7.7 species), and moist soils (7.7 species), which are characteristic of undisturbed forests. These results suggest that frog conservation activities in the Solomon Islands should target islands in the west with intact lowland, ridge, and montane forests. Specific knowledge of this nature is vital for amphibian conservation on tropical islands experiencing extensive habitat loss, habitat modification and widespread predicted climate change impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Highlands and the Western Isles are the two most remote and rural areas of Scotland, with many medical practices in areas where pharmacies would not be viable. Recent regulations state that that dispensing medical practices in these areas must receive pharmacist support for patients who would benefit.Objective: This study aimed to evaluate pilot services, which centred on the provision of patient centred pharmaceutical care.Methods: A realist type evaluation was conducted by an independent research team comprising collecting quantitative data around what occurred during the consultation followed by interviews with purposive samples of staff (n = 14) and patients (n = 18).Results: A total of 873 medicines related issues were identified in 473 patients reviewed, with the main issue being 'inappropriate dose, frequency, duration'. Just under half (39.7%) of issues were managed by the pharmacist without any medical input. Interviews indicated a high level of appreciation, although there was an increase in workload for some staff. While the need for telephone based pharmacist consultations for some patients was understood, there was a preference for face to face. All were supportive of continuing and extending the service.Conclusion: The clinical pharmacist service was both needed and valued highly by staff and patients. In Scotland, this aligns with the Government vision and action plan, 'Prescription for Excellence', that by 2023 all patient facing pharmacists will be independent prescribers with those in remote and rural areas entitled to 'equity of access to such expertise'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birders are generally nature-oriented; however, their understanding of key bird conservation issues remains under-examined. We surveyed English-speaking birders online and face-to-face, asking questions related to their views on conservation, conservation funding and their understanding of a global bird conservation programme (BirdLife International’s Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas [IBAs]). Most birders who responded to the survey were from Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa and the USA. Birders tend to value bird conservation in an ecocentric way, often citing the overarching importance of general biodiversity. The ecological roles that birds play were also highlighted, but this varied across socio-demographic groups. Despite their positive support for conservation, less than half of all birders surveyed were familiar with the IBA programme. Familiarity with IBAs was driven by socio-demographic factors, with males more familiar than females and South African birders more familiar than birders from Australia and the United Kingdom. Most birders are willing to make contributions to bird conservation when visiting key birding sites, however they also feel governments should remain the main funders of conservation. Opportunities to enhance engagement between birders and bird conservation groups exist with most indicating a desire to learn more about bird conservation at birding sites. Increasing access to relevant information and presenting opportunities to contribute to conservation at birding sites could provide tangible benefits for bird habitats, protected areas and bird conservation groups. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper identifies some important factors affecting the density of frogs in the Solomon Islands. Distance sampling was used to estimate frog density in all major frog habitats across 13 islands. A total of 109 transects, covering five forest types (coastal, freshwater marshes, lowland forest, hill or ridge, and montane forest) were used, with 16 species being sampled. Estimated densities ranged from 2 ha-1 to 675 ha-1. Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) was used to select the most parsimonious model of frog density. Factors identified in the selected model to predict density of Batrachylodes elegans, Batrachylodes vertebralis, Ceratobatrachus guentheri, Discodeles bufoniformis, Discodeles guppyi, Discodeles malukuna, Litoria thesaurensis, Palmatorappia solomonis, Platymantis guppyi, Platymantis neckeri, Platymantis solomonis, Platymantis sp., Platymantis weberi, and Rana kreffti were island, landform, and forest type. Additional factors such as disturbance, leaf litter, shrub, and understorey were also described by the regression model as predictors of density for B. vertebralis, C. guentheri, D. guppyi, D. malukuna, Pal. solomonis, P. guppyi, and R. kreffti. These findings have important management implications for the conservation of frogs in the Solomon Islands. High densities of most species were strongly related with forest type and low disturbance. Preservation of rainforest, in especially high conservation value old-growth forests, is imperative to protecting these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many threatened species rely on ecotourism for conservation funding, but simultaneously suffer direct ecological impacts from ecotourism. For a range of IUCN-Redlisted terrestrial and marine bird and mammal species worldwide, we use population viability analyses to calculate the net effects of ecotourism on expected time to extinction, in the presence of other anthropogenic threats such as poaching, primary industries and habitat loss. Species for which these calculations are currently possible, for one or more subpopulations, include: orangutan, hoolock gibbon, golden lion tamarin, cheetah, African wild dog, New Zealand sealion, great green macaw, Egyptian vulture, and African penguin. For some but not all of these species, tourism can extend expected survival time, i.e., benefits outweigh impacts. Precise outcomes depend strongly on population parameters and starting sizes, predation, and ecotourism scale and mechanisms. Tourism does not currently overcome other major conservation threats associated with natural resource extractive industries. Similar calculations for other threatened species are currently limited by lack of basic population data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formal protected areas will not provide adequate protection to conserve all biodiversity, and are not always designated using systematic or strategic criteria. Using a systematic process, the Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) network was designed to highlight areas of conservation significance for birds (i.e. IBA trigger species), and more recently general biodiversity. Land use activities that take place in IBAs are diverse, including consumptive and non-consumptive activities. Avitourism in Australia, generally a non-consumptive activity, is reliant on the IBA network and the birds IBAs aim to protect. However, companies tend not to mention IBAs in their marketing. Furthermore, avitourism, like other nature-based tourism has the potential to be both a threatening process as well as a conservation tool. We aimed to assess the current use of IBAs among Australian-based avitour companies’ marketing, giving some indication of which IBAs are visited by avitourists on organised tours. We reviewed online avitour itineraries, recorded sites featuring in descriptions of avitours and which IBA trigger species are used to sell those tours. Of the 209 avitours reviewed, Queensland is the most featured state (n = 59 tours), and 73% feature at least one IBA. Daintree (n = 22) and Bruny Island (n = 17) IBAs are the most popular, nationally. Trigger species represent 34% (n = 254 out of 747) of species used in avitour descriptions. The most popular trigger species’ are wetland species including; Brolga (n = 37), Black-necked Stork (n = 30) and Magpie Goose (n = 27). Opportunities exist to increase collaboration between avitour companies and IBA stakeholders. Our results can provide guidance for managing sustainability of the avitourism industry at sites that feature heavily in avitour descriptions and enhance potential cooperation between avitour companies, IBA stakeholders and bird conservation organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avitourism is an emerging sub-sector of the nature-based tourism industry, where tourist travel motivations are focused around birdwatching. Certain aspects of the industry are yet to be examined adequately. This paper reviews patterns among 66 research studies published between 1989 and 2014 that examine avitourism, its participants and stakeholders across several research themes. There is a distinct northern hemisphere bias (n= 46) in avitourism research effort, with research dominated by studies of the avitourists themselves (n= 35). Key objectives of studies reviewed were primarily concerned with the economic impacts of avitourism (n= 21), the motivations of birders as avitourists (n= 18) and increasing our understanding of the avitourism market (n= 12). Ten studies specifically examined the types of birds or bird-related events (i.e. migrations) avitourists seek. Few studies (n= 6) have examined the negative impacts on birds arising from avitourism. The sustainability of avitourism is dependent upon understanding both the avitourism product and the willingness of avitourists to see particular species. Enhanced understanding of avitourism opportunities and avitourist desires could guide industry growth, assist the economies of many communities, highlight birds and habitats vulnerable to the negative impacts of avitourism, and help finance conservation work. A series of priority research themes are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local communities are often encouraged to adopt alternative land-use practices to minimize their impacts on biodiversity. Tourism is one of these practices but it can also impact conservation and traditional resource use activities. Using a review of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List database as well as nature-based tourism, ethnozoology, ethnobiology, and wildlife conservation and trade literature, we examined the influence of tourism on the traditional resource use–conservation balance and the potential outcomes for species conservation. We identified 547 local culturally important species (LCIS): 369 were threatened by traditional practices (e.g., hunting) and 161 were protected (e.g., totemic species). Most LCIS were found in the Indomalayan, Neotropical, and Afrotropical regions and roughly 30% were involved in nature-based tourism, particularly mammals. Very few LCIS (<5) were threatened by tourism. Results suggested that tourism can support species conservation and protect traditional practices by providing alternative local sustainable development options. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

For many societies, including those in the rapidly urbanizing Pacific Islands, local biodiversity is threatened and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is in danger of being lost. Herpetofauna, in particular, are globally threatened, alon g with their associated cultural knowledge and beliefs. The aim of this study was to examine the species richness and conservation status of herpetofauna and associated TEK among the 'Are'Are on Malaita Island, Solomon Islands. Questionnaire surveys were used to collect information about local perceptions and knowledge regarding frogs, skinks, and geckos, as well as their forest habitats. Local informants were distributed equally between sexes and age groups. A total of 18 different species of frogs and lizards were recorded and characterized. Seven distinct cultural uses were identified. Informants above the age of 60 exhibited greater herpetofaunal knowledge, as measured by number of species identified, with males demonstrating knowledge of slightly more species than females. Our results show that action is warranted to document and preserve community TEK in the Solomon Islands as step towards preserving biodiversity and supporting cultural conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islands in the tropical Pacific have a rich and unique biota produced by island biogeographic processes and modified by recent anthropogenic influences. This biota has been shaped by four overlapping phases: natural colonization and dynamics (phase 1), impacts of indigenous (phase 2) and non-indigenous (phase 3) settlers, and increasing environmental awareness (phase 4). Island ecosystems are resilient to natural disturbance regimes but highly vulnerable to invasive species and other human-related influences, due to comparatively low alpha diversity, isolated evolution and the absence of certain functional groups. Habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive alien species and pollution continue to threaten terrestrial biodiversity, compounded by limited environmental awareness, minimal conservation funding, project mismanagement, limited local capacity and inadequate and/or unsuitable conservation policies. To achieve effective conservation of terrestrial biodiversity in the region, biophysical threats need to be mitigated with improved scientific, institutional and management capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study reports new records of the distribution of Fiji frogs from extensive geographic sampling on islands where both species were previously reported to persist. Platymantis vitianus is found in populations of varying sizes on six islands (Viwa, Ovalau, Taveuni, Gau, Vanua Levu and Viti Levu). Its congener, P. vitiensis has extant populations on the two largest islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Based on these recent surveys, our findings suggest that the current IUCN Red List status for P. vitiensis needs to be reclassified from 'near threatened' (NT) to 'vulnerable' (VU B1b[i]c[ii]). The discovery of a much wider geographic distribution for P. vitianus in recent surveys than recorded in the latter half of the 20th century is encouraging and reveals the need to re-examine known conservation threats. Recommendations for frog conservation in Fiji, with regard to current land-use practices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores perceptions of ski-tourism representatives and other regional stakeholders about climate change impacts, limits to tourism development and adaptation strategies in the Australian Alps. This area faces rising temperatures, declining rain and snow falls, and shorter skiing seasons. Open-ended interviews examined the perceptions, plans and attitudes of the ski industry and those of conservation managers, local government officials and Australian researchers into tourism and/or climate change effects in the Australian Alps. All interviewees accepted climate change was a reality; several, however, questioned the worst-case scenarios. The major tourism-related adaptation strategies were snowmaking and diversifying to year-round tourism; the success of these strategies will vary according to individual resorts’ snowmaking capacity and potential summer tourism revenue. Currently non-snow-based tourism revenue is worth only approximately 30% of winter revenue. Social resistance to increased water and electricity use for snowmaking emerged as an important issue. Competition for water, including the needs of ecosystems, agriculture and fire protection in this summer-fire-prone region, and fire management issues, is a key concern. Current conflicts between the ski industry and other stakeholders over climate change adaptation call for a collaborative adaptation and change policy within the Australian Alps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is occurring and not being mitigated, motivating adaptation but adaptation strategies can have biophysical, economic, technological, and social limits. We review publicly available documents to assess how successful current and proposed adaptation strategies may be for the Australian Alps, including likely limits and potential collaborations and conflicts among stakeholders. Conservation managers, the tourism industry, and local communities have implemented or are proposing a range of adaptation strategies in the region. Some stakeholder strategies complement each other (e.g. invasive species control, fire management), while others are potential sources of conflict (water and electricity for snowmaking, year-round tourism). Economic costs and biophysical constraints are the most important limits to these adaptation strategies. These types of limits and conflicts between different stakeholders on adaptation strategies are likely to occur in other regions and demonstrate that adaptation may only provide partial and short term solutions to the challenges of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pacific region has high levels of endemism and contains three of the world's global biodiversity hotspots. Despite its conservation significance, the region faces difficulties in protecting its biodiversity primarily due to restricted knowledge, limited local capacity and financial constraints. Tourism has been increasingly promoted in the region as a means of promoting and financing conservation activities. To date however, there have been few studies looking at the impacts of increasing tourism on biodiversity in the Pacific. This paper reviews publicly available data on the contribution of tourism to the threatened status of Pacific biodiversity. The ∼1900 IUCN Red listed species in the region are threatened by a number of factors that can be grouped into four major processes; habitat loss (55%), overexploitation (32%), invasive species (22%) and pollution (14%). Tourism, as a specific threatening process, affects 15% of all assessed listed species with its impacts more apparent in countries with relatively large and significant tourism industries. Most of the individual species reported as threatened by tourism are corals (83%). Terrestrial species may be equally threatened but the absence of National Lists of threatened species and incomplete IUCN Red Lists for all countries in the region highlights significant knowledge gaps making it difficult to fully assess the impacts of tourism on all taxa. While sustainable tourism development currently appears to be a suitable income-generating and conservation-promoting activity in the region, the short and long-term impacts of this development must be carefully monitored and addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas are critical for the conservation of many threatened species. Despite this, many protected areas are acutely underfunded, which reduces their effectiveness significantly. Tourism is one mechanism to promote and fund conservation in protected areas, but there are few studies analyzing its tangible conservation outcomes for threatened species. This study uses the 415 IUCN critically endangered frog species to evaluate the contribution of protected area tourism revenue to conservation. Contributions were calculated for each species as the proportion of geographic range inside protected areas multiplied by the proportion of protected area revenues derived from tourism. Geographic ranges were determined from IUCN Extent of Occurrence maps. Almost 60% (239) of critically endangered frog species occur in protected areas. Higher proportions of total range are protected in Nearctic, Australasian and Afrotopical regions. Tourism contributions to protected area budgets ranged from 5-100%. These financial contributions are highest for developing countries in the Afrotropical, Indomalayan and Neotropical regions. Data for both geographic range and budget are available for 201 critically endangered frog species with proportional contributions from tourism to species protection ranging from 0.8-99%. Tourism's financial contributions to critically endangered frog species protection are highest in the Afrotropical region. This study uses a coarse measure but at the global scale it demonstrates that tourism has significant potential to contribute to global frog conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The independent island nations of the South Pacific have a rich and threatened terrestrial biota. Despite considerable investment of resources into conservation over the last three decades, biodiversity is dwindling and protected area systems remain inadequate. This lack of success is caused by important differences in cultural, economic, landownership, and social factors in developing Pacific Island countries, compared to developed nations that often fund conservation programs and plans. Despite the obvious need for capacity building and information exchange among stakeholders, little collaboration and development has eventuated. A coordinated and integrated approach, focusing conservation resources on national priorities, is essential to achieve efficient conservation. This will need to include active involvement of landowners, a good sociocultural understanding of target communities, improved collaboration between the various stakeholders, provision of sustainable alternative economic activities, and a commitment to long funding cycles for projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife management, particularly the conservation of threatened species, often involves habitat management and an understanding of species preferences. Much ecological data used to establish rare and endangered species distributions and/or habitat associations exists in the form of point counts which often violates the assumptions of commonly used statistical techniques. In this study, the spatial distribution and habitat preferences of an endangered, endemic frog (Platymantis vitianus -- Fiji ground frog) and an introduced toad (Rhinella marina -- cane toad) were observed and mapped on a 60 ha island using a grid of 232 sampling points with 50 x 20 m spacing. The Spatial Analysis by Distance Indices (SADIE) analytical tool demonstrated that despite the wide range of habitats present on Viwa Island, both ground frogs and cane toads displayed clear and defined macrohabitat preferences. Whilst both species showed a strong preference for Inocarpus fagifer forests, there was little overlap in other habitat types with the ground frogs preferring more densely vegetated forest habitats and cane toads preferring more open habitat types close to both permanent and temporary water sources. Within the L fagifer forests, there was no evidence of overlap in the distributions of the two species. The spatial pattern evident indicates that cane toad and ground frog populations co-exist, probably due to similar habitat preferences. However, a more detailed study on the interactions between the two species within their natural environment is needed to determine the nature and magnitude of the impact of the cane toad on the ground frog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to present a new risk-based approach developed by Environment Canada for ranking pesticides and their potential risk to aquatic life. These rankings are compared to those generated using a more traditional score-based approach. Two hundred and twelve active ingredients registered in Canada for use in agricultural field crops were included in this assessment. For each major aquatic taxon assessed (fish, insects, crustaceans, algae, and macrophytes), risk was calculated by dividing the 96-h estimated environmental concentration (modeled using parameters such as the application rate and method as well as physicochemical properties) by HC5 values (obtained through calculations of species sensitivity distribution--based toxicity endpoints). The traditional approach assigned scores based on toxicity endpoints in standard test species as well as physicochemical properties associated with the potential for aquatic contamination. A number of similarities were observed between the rankings but also notable differences. Only 22 active ingredients were common to the top 50 ranking positions from both approaches. The main reasons that accounted for the discrepancies between both rankings were the choice of toxicity endpoints, whether based on single or multiple species; the taxonomic breadth of retained data; the use of scores versus risk quotients; and the choices made in situations where multiple data points were available. We conclude that a riskbased approach that considers a broad representation of species toxicity data and estimates of runoff and drift concentration in receiving aquatic systems (even from generic application scenarios) is a more realistic representation of potential toxicological effects and a superior method of ranking products for the risk they pose to the aquatic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract It is generally accepted that high quality males are those that succeed in male-male competition: in either aggression or rivalry to attract and be selected by females. Previous studies of amphibians have suggested that the main characters influencing male mating success include variation in call characteristics (e.g. call rate, call intensity), calling behaviour, body condition, age and chorus tenure. In the present paper, several of the characters influencing female mate choice (male body size, body condition, call rate, call frequency and chorus tenure) are investigated in two closely related, explosive breeding frog species Litoria chloris and Litoria xanthomera. Smaller males of both species are shown to be more successful than larger males and this success is attributed to the increased chorus tenure of smaller males in L. xanthomera. This increased chorus tenure was attributed to the lower total energy used per call by a small male calling at a higher frequency. Whether increased chorus tenure explains female mate choice in L. chloris is uncertain but is highly probable given the strong similarity between the two species in both ecology and call characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]