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Improving access to evidence-based interventions for trauma-exposed adults in low-and middle-income countries

  • Authors: Kaminer, Debra , Booysen, Duane D , Ellis, Kate , Kristensen, Christian H , Patel, Anushka R , Robjant, Katy , Sardana, Srishti
  • Date: 2024
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/454095 , vital:75309 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.23031"
  • Description: In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the mental health consequences of trauma exposure pose a substantial personal, societal, and economic burden. Yet, the significant need for evidence-based mental health treatment remains largely unmet. To unlock the potential for mental health care for trauma survivors in lower-resource contexts, it is critical to map treatment barriers and identify strategies to improve access to evidence-based, culturally appropriate, and scalable interventions. This review, based on an International Society for Traumatic Stress (ISTSS) briefing paper, describes the treatment gap facing adults with traumatic stress in LMICs and identifies the barriers that contribute to this gap. We then highlight strategies for enhancing access to effective treatments for these populations, including task-sharing, the use of culturally adapted and multiproblem interventions, and digital tools to scale access to appropriate care. Finally, we offer recommendations for policymakers, researchers, and service providers to guide an agenda for action to close the treatment gap for trauma survivors in LMICs.
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  • Date Issued: 2024

Count me in: Leopard population density in an area of mixed land‐use, Eastern Cape, South Africa

  • Authors: Bouderka, Safia , Perry, Travis W , Parker, Daniel M , Beukes, Maya , Mgqatsa, Nokubonga
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/462591 , vital:76317 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13078"
  • Description: Although the leopard (Panthera pardus) has the widest range of any felid in the world is designated as a vulnerable species, mainly because of human-induced conflict (Jacobson et al., 2016). Our study focuses on a population of leopards on privately owned, mixed-use farmland (Baviaanskloof Hartland–BH hereafter) which is adjacent to the Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve (BMR) in the Baviaanskloof UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Given the unique make-up of the region, with sometimes conflicting management objectives, the status of leopards in the broader Baviaanskloof is of particular interest to a range of stakeholders. However, despite the need for management decisions to be based on reliable and regular population monitoring efforts (Elliot et al., 2020), the last formal assessment of the leopard population in the Baviaanskloof was performed in 2011/2012 but published 9 years later (Devens et al., 2018). The only other assessment of the status of leopards in the region was an unpublished Master's project (McManus, 2009). Here, we use photographic captures of leopards and a Spatially Explicit Capture Recapture (SECR) analytical framework in the mixed-use BH region of the Baviaanskloof to generate an up-to-date leopard population density estimate that can inform conservation management of the species in this important World Heritage Site.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Fruits of the city: The nature, nurture and future of urban foraging

  • Authors: Sardeshpande, Mallika , Shackleton, Charlie M
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/402259 , vital:69835 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10428"
  • Description: Urban foraging is a global informal phenomenon which has been investigated in the Global North more than oth-er parts of the world. Characterising the nature of urban foraging in the Global South is imperative given the rapid urbanisation and sustainable development priorities in the region. In this study, we interviewed 80 urban forag-ers in four cities in the eastern coastal region of South Af-rica, with an aim to understand the nature of urban forag-ing in a developing nation context. We asked foragers about their initiation to and motivations for foraging, their logistics, yields and associated activities, descriptions of their foraging grounds, and if and how they had changed, and what they envisage as an ideal future for foraging.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Performance and field host range of the life stages of Cornops aquaticum, a biological control agent of water hyacinth

  • Authors: Franceschini, M Celeste , Hill, Martin P , Fuentes-Rodríguez, Daniela , Gervazoni, Paula B , Sabater, Lara M , Coetzee, Julie A
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/424814 , vital:72186 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.13354"
  • Description: Host specificity determination of weed biocontrol agents has historically relied on evidence generated through quarantine trials in the region of introduction. These trials could give ‘false positive’ results due to a maximum type I error probability, and where possible, more research under field conditions should be conducted in the region of origin. The oligophagous, semiaquatic grasshopper, Cornops aquaticum Bruner (Orthoptera: Acrididae, Tetrataeniini), was released in South Africa for the biological control of Pontederia crassipes Pellegrini and Horn (Pontederiaceae). The aim of this study was to assess how the performance and field host range of C. aquaticum varies according to its stages of development, and how this contributes to the understanding of the relationship between the fundamental (laboratory-based) and the ecological (field-based) host range of this grasshopper, and its implications for water hyacinth biocontrol. We conducted post-release laboratory no-choice trials, confining early instars (instars 1 and 2), later instars (instars 3–6), and adult females and males in mesh cages, to determine insect performance on wetland plants growing in sympatry with P. crassipes. Also, gut analysis from field-collected C. aquaticum was done to determine the ecological host range of this insect, identifying epidermal tissue of consumed plants. In no-choice trials, survival rates of the later instars and adult C. aquaticum were similar on Pistia stratiotes L. (Araceae), Oxycaryum cubense (Poepp. and Kunth) Lye (Cyperaceae), and P. crassipes. However, under field conditions, P. crassipes and the congeneric Pontederia azurea Sw. were the only plant contents in the guts of early instars and the most abundant species in later instars and adults. The results support the hypothesis that C. aquaticum is an oligophagous insect on the genus Pontederia, and that different life stages should be considered when conducting host-specificity trials in externally feeding mobile herbivore species. Diet composition of field-collected insects thus could help detect false positives in laboratory trials, being an additional and realistic approach in understanding and predicting the selection processes of the insect in the new environment. Retrospective analysis of potential agents that were rejected due to lack of host-specificity, using the methods from this study, could add a suite of additional agents to programs where invasive weeds remain unmanaged.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Rationalising the retro-Diels-Alder fragmentation pattern of viscutins using electrospray interface-tandem mass spectrometry coupled to theoretical modelling

  • Authors: Moyo, Babra , Novokoza, Yolanda , Tavengwa, Nikita T , Kuhnert, Nikolai , Lobb, Kevin A , Madala, Ntakadzeni E
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/452786 , vital:75170 , xlink:href="https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/rcm.9592"
  • Description: Although mass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful tool in structural elucidation of unknown flavonoids based on their unique fragmentation patterns, proposing the correct fragmentation mechanism is still a challenge from tandem mass spectrometry data only. In recent years, computational tools such as molecular networking and MS2LDA have played a major role in the identification of structurally related compounds through an in-depth survey of their fragmentation patterns.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

The importance of long-term post-release studies in classical biological control: Insect–plant monitoring and public awareness of water hyacinth management (Pontederia crassipes) in Dique Los Sauces, Argentina

  • Authors: Faltlhauser, Ana C , Jiménez, Nadia L , Righetti, Tomas , Visintin, Andrés M , Torrens, Javier , Salinas, Nicolás A , Mc Kay, Fernando , Hill, Martin P , Cordo, Hugo A , Sosa, Alejandro J
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/424828 , vital:72187 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.13355"
  • Description: Several components of classical biological control (CBC) programmes are necessary to assess the success of the management strategy (e.g., post-release monitoring) and also help prevent reintroductions or resurgences of invasive species (e.g., public awareness). Water hyacinth, Pontederia (= Eichhornia) crassipes (Mart.) Solms (Pontederiaceae) is an aquatic plant naturally distributed in the north-eastern region of the Del Plata basin in Argentina. In the 1960s it was introduced into the Dique Los Sauces reservoir located outside of its native range in La Rioja Province, in western Argentina, where it became invasive. The natural enemy, Neochetina bruchi Hustache (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), was intentionally introduced in 1974 to control the weed. To assess the success of this CBC programme, a long-term post-release study was conducted. Between 1965 and 2023, we monitored plant coverage, estimated N. bruchi densities, and quantified the associated damage by reanalysing previously published data and incorporating new sampling. We also conducted an online survey to analyse public knowledge and perception about this programme. Water hyacinth coverage fluctuated from its first record in 1965 (maximum coverage 90%) until the control of germinated plants (coverage 0%) in 2018. The plant decline was accompanied by an increase in the weevil population. In our survey, out of 325 respondents only a small group of mostly middle-aged and elderly people knew that the restoration had been achieved through a management strategy and even fewer were aware of the biocontrol approach taken. Respondents who had a positive approach to biological control were more aware of the management plan than respondents who had neutral or negative opinions. Neochetina bruchi has played a key factor in the control of P. crassipes. The intrinsic dynamics of these populations, the dormant seed bank, and the lack of public awareness support the need for long post-release evaluations including outreach campaigns to make a sustainable successful management programme.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Assessing climate risk to support urban forests in a changing climate

Integrating child rights standards in contraceptive and abortion care for minors in Africa

  • Authors: Kangaude, Godfrey D , Macleod, Catriona I , Coast, Ernestina , Fetters, Tamara
  • Date: 2022
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441242 , vital:73869 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ijgo.14502"
  • Description: Minor girls in Africa face challenges in accessing high-quality contraceptive and abortion services because laws and policies are not child-friendly. Many countries maintain restrictive laws, policies, or hospital practices that make it difficult for minors to access contraception and safe abortion even when the pregnancy would risk their life or health. Further, the clinical guidelines on contraceptive and abortion care are silent, vague, or ambiguous regarding minors' consent. African states should remedy the situation by ensuring that clinical guidelines integrate child rights principles and standards articulated in child rights treaties to enable health providers to facilitate full, unencumbered access to contraceptive and abortion care for minor girls. A sample of clinical guidelines is analyzed to demonstrate the importance of explicit, consistent, and unambiguous language about children's consent to ensure that healthcare workers provide sexual and reproductive health care in a manner that respects child rights.
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  • Date Issued: 2022

Arylquinolinecarboxamides: Synthesis, in vitro and in silico studies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

  • Authors: Bokosi, Fostino R B , Beteck, Richard M , Jordaan, Audrey , Seldon, Ronnett , Warner, Digby F , Tshiwawa, Tendamudzimu , Lobb, Kevin A , Khanye, Setshaba D
  • Date: 2021
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451064 , vital:75015 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jhet.4340"
  • Description: A series of fourteen 6-substituted-2-(methoxyquinolin-3-yl) methyl)-N-(pyridin-3-ylmethyl) benzamides was prepared from commercially available anilines infive simple and convenient synthetic steps. The structures of all new productswere confirmed by routine spectroscopic methods: IR,1Hand13 CNMR,andHRMS (electrospray ionization). The resulting arylquinolinecarboxamides weresubjected to biological screening assay forin vitroinhibitory activity againstMyco-bacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) H37Rv strain. Several compounds exhibited modestantitubercular activity with compounds8–11,15and19exhibiting MIC90valuesin the range of 32–85μM. The antitubercular data suggested that inhibition ofMtbcan be imparted by the introduction of a non-polar substituent on C-6 of thequinoline scaffold. Further, to understandthepossiblemodeofactionoftheseries, the reported compounds and bedaquiline were subjected toin silicodock-ing studies againstMtbATPase to determine their potential to interfere with themycobacterial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase. The results showed thatthese compounds have the potential toserve as antimycobacterial agents.In silicoADME pharmacokinetic prediction results showed the ability of thesearylquinolinecarcboxamides to be absorbed, distributed, metabolized andexcreted efficiently.
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  • Date Issued: 2021

Field-based ecological studies to assess prospective biological control agents for invasive alien plants: An example from giant rat's tail grass

  • Authors: Sutton, Guy F , Canavan, Kim N , Day, Michael M , Paterson, Iain D
  • Date: 2021
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/423756 , vital:72091 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13834"
  • Description: Biological control (biocontrol) of invasive alien plants is a widely utilised weed management tool. Prospective biocontrol agents are typically assessed through host specificity testing and pre-release efficacy studies performed in quarantine. However, rearing of the potential biocontrol agents and/or test plants is often difficult or impossible under quarantine conditions. Moreover, practitioners may attain laboratory artefacts in quarantine, which may result in the potential agent being needlessly rejected. Field-based studies in the weed's indigenous distribution could overcome these issues.
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  • Date Issued: 2021

Conserved bacterial genomes from two geographically isolated peritidal stromatolite formations shed light on potential functional guilds

  • Authors: Waterworth, Samantha C , Isemonger, Eric W , Rees, Evan R , Dorrington, Rosemary A
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/429411 , vital:72608 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.12916"
  • Description: Stromatolites are complex microbial mats that form lithified layers. Fossilized stromatolites are the oldest evidence of cellular life on Earth, dating back over3.4 billion years. Modern stromatolites are relatively rare but may provide clues about the function and evolution of their ancient counterparts. In this study, we focus on peritidal stromatolites occurring at Cape Recife and Schoenmakerskop on the southeastern South African coastline, the former being morphologically and structurally similar to fossilized phosphatic stromatolites formations. Using assembled shotgun metagenomic analysis, we obtained 183 genomic bins, of which the most dominant taxa were from the Cyanobacteria phylum. We identified functional gene sets in genomic bins conserved across two geographically isolated stromatolite formations, which included relatively high copy numbers of genes involved in the reduction of nitrates and phosphatic compounds. Additionally, we found little evidence of Archaeal species in these stromatolites, suggesting that they may not play an important role in peritidal stromatolite formations, as proposed for hypersaline formations.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Contradictions in womxn’s experiences of pre-abortion counselling in South Africa: Implications for client‐centred practice

  • Authors: Mavuso, Jabulile M-J J , Macleod, Catriona I
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/443638 , vital:74140 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12330"
  • Description: Pre-abortion counselling may play a key role in abortion seekers’ understanding of their decision to terminate a pregnancy and the subsequent emotions that they feel. In this paper, we report on a study conducted in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa concerning womxn's experiences of the pre-abortion counselling offered as part of the implementation of the Choice of Termination Act that governs the provision of legal abortion in the country. Using a narrative-discursive lens, the analysis revealed four micro-narratives in which participants appreciated non-directive and empathic counselling, as well as being provided with information. They also indicated that the counselling was upsetting and hurtful, particularly when providers drew on the awfulisation of abortion discourse to suggest that abortion leads to terrible consequences, and foetal personhood discourse to intimate that terminating the pregnancy is wrong and other alternatives (adoption, parenting) are better. The connection between these broadly positive and negative responses may lie in the dominance of anti-abortion discourses coupled with the powerful positioning of healthcare providers as experts. The attendant disempowerment of clients within the health clinic setting may constrain pregnant people's ability to question such ‘expert’ information. The implications for feminist client-centred pre-abortion counselling are discussed.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Do spotted hyaenas outcompete the big cats in a small, enclosed system in South Africa?

  • Authors: Comley, Jessica , Joubert, Christoffel J , Mgqatsa, Nokubonga , Parker, Daniel M
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/462603 , vital:76318 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12772"
  • Description: Carnivores are adapted to kill, meaning sympatric carnivores can have particularly aggressive and harmful competitive interactions. The co‐existence of multiple carnivores in an ecosystem could be restricted by their similarity in ecological niches (e.g. dietary overlap); however, high prey abundances could facilitate their co‐existence. Although the development of small, enclosed reserves (larger than 400 km2) in South Africa has reduced human–carnivore conflict, these systems may increase the likelihood of carnivore intra‐guild competition due to the clumping of competing carnivores into these restricted spaces. Using carnivore scat and kill site analyses, we determined the dietary preferences and overlap of sympatric large carnivores in a small, enclosed reserve, Selati Game Reserve (Selati). Large carnivores in Selati (lions (Panthera leo), spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) and leopards (Panthera pardus)) preferentially selected for varying combinations of prey size classes. Lions selected for large prey, leopards selected for small prey and spotted hyaenas did not prefer any particular prey size. Additionally, lions had the largest dietary breadth and the diet of leopards and spotted hyaenas overlapped considerably. Coupled with high prey densities in Selati, the predation strategies of the large carnivores could be facilitating their co‐existence. On the other hand, the high degree of dietary overlap among large carnivores suggests that there is strong potential for exploitation competition, particularly between spotted hyaenas and leopards as their diet overlapped extensively (91% and 93% for prey species and size class, respectively). Although spotted hyaenas are potentially outcompeting leopards in Selati, lions were the most dominant large carnivore. Our study reiterates the complexity of carnivore guild interactions and emphasizes how these interactions are subject to variation due to site‐specific circumstances (e.g. composition of prey and carnivore populations). We therefore encourage site‐specific, multi‐carnivore research throughout protected areas in southern Africa.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Living phosphatic stromatolites in a low-phosphorus environment: Implications for the use of phosphorus as a proxy for phosphate levels in paleosystems

  • Authors: Buttner, Steffen H , Isemonger, Eric W , Isaacs, Michelle , van Niekerk, Deon , Sipler, Rachel E , Dorrington, Rosemary A
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/429450 , vital:72611 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12415"
  • Description: In the geological record, fossil phosphatic stromatolites date back to the Great Oxidation Event in the Paleoproterozoic, but living phosphatic stromatolites have not been described previously. Here, we report on cyanobacterial stromatolites in a supratidal freshwater environment at Cape Recife, South African southern coast, precipitating Ca carbonate alternating with episodes of Ca phosphate deposition. In their structure and composition, the living stromatolites from Cape Recife closely resemble their fossilized analogues, showing phosphatic zonation, microbial casts, tunnel structures and phosphatic crusts of biogenic origin. The microbial communities appear to be also similar to those proposed to have formed fossil phosphatic stromatolites. Phosphatic domains in the material from Cape Recife are spatially and texturally associated with carbonate precipitates, but form distinct entities separated by sharp boundaries. Electron Probe Micro-Analysis shows that Ca/P ratios and the overall chemical compositions of phosphatic precipitates are in the range of octacalcium phosphate, amorphous tricalcium phosphate and apatite. The coincidence in time of the emergence of phosphatic stromatolites in the fossil record with a major episode of atmospheric oxidation led to the assumption that at times of increased oxygen release the underlying increased biological production may have been linked to elevated phosphorus availability. The stromatolites at Cape Recife, however, form in an environment where ambient phosphorus concentrations do not exceed 0.28μM, one to two orders of magnitude below the previously predicted minimum thresh-old of >5 μM for biogenic phosphate precipitation in paleo-systems. Accordingly, we contest the previously proposed suitability of phosphatic stromatolites as a proxy for high ambient phosphate concentrations in supratidal to shallow ocean settings in earth history.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Synergistic effects of temperature and plant quality, on development time, size and lipid in Eccritotarsus eichhorniae

  • Authors: Ismail, Mohannad , Brooks, Margot , Van Baaren, Joan , Albittar, Loulou
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/426078 , vital:72312 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jen.12841"
  • Description: Body size is an important biotic factor in evolutionary ecology, since it affects all aspects of insect physiology, life history and, consequently, fitness in ectothermic insects and how species adapt with their environment. It has been linked to tem-perature, with lower temperatures resulting in larger size. In this study, we tested the combined impact of temperature and plant quality on the body size, and de-velopment time from egg to adult of Eccritotarsus eichhorniae (Hemiptera: Miridae), an herbivorous insect used as a biological control agent against the invasive aquatic weed, water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes (Pontederiaceae). We quantified insect size in individuals exposed to three temperatures (20, 25 and 30°C) combined with three qualities of host plant (high, medium and low) by calculating development time and measuring four traits: tibia length, forewing length, dry body mass and lipid con-tent, and we also determined the wing loading index. The development time, dry body mass and lipid content decreased linearly with increasing temperature and de-creasing plant quality. The decrease in size was the greatest when high temperature interacted with low plant quality. Smaller individuals had proportionately less lipid content. Wing loading decreased significantly with lower quality of host plant, result-ing in individuals likely to have theoretically higher flight ability. The results support the temperature-size rule (TSR) and that plant quality could influence the relationship between development time and the TSR. Results also provide novel evidence for a possible food quality-size rule for both sexes.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A snake in the grass: Genetic structuring of the widespread African grass snake (Psammophylax Fitzinger 1843), with the description of a new genus and a new species

  • Authors: Keates, Chad , Conradie, Werner C , Greenbaum, Eli , Edwards, Shelley
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/461473 , vital:76205 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jzs.12337"
  • Description: Psammophylax (Fitzinger 1843) is a widespread yet poorly studied genus of African grass snakes. A genetic phylogeny of six of the seven species was estimated using multiple phylogenetic and distance‐based methods. To support the genetic analyses, we conducted morphological analyses on the body (traditional morphology) and head (geometric morphometrics) separately. Phylogenetic analyses recovered a similar topology to past studies, but with better resolution and node support. We found substantial genetic structuring within the genus, supported by significantly different head shapes between P. a. acutus and other Psammophylax. Psammophylax a. acutus was recovered as sister to its congeners, and sequence divergence values and morphometrics supported its recognition as a new genus. Increased sampling in East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia) revealed that Psammophylax multisquamis is polyphyletic, necessitating the description of a new, morphologically cryptic species from northern Tanzania. The distribution of P. multisquamis sensu stricto is likely restricted to Kenya and Ethiopia. The study has further resolved multiple aspects of Psammophylax systematics, including the taxonomic validity of two central African subspecies, P. variabilis vanoyei (Laurent 1956) and P. tritaeniatus subniger (Laurent 1956). Inclusion of specimens from the more remote parts of Africa, in future analyses, may result in the recovery of additional diversity within Psammophylax.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

Cost-effectiveness of public policy for the long‐term conservation of private lands: What is the deal?

  • Authors: Nolte, Christopher , de Vos, Alta , Schöttker, Olivier
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/415837 , vital:71293 , xlink:href="https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/cost-effectiveness-public-policy-long-term/docview/2326874018/se-2"
  • Description: Long-term strategies for private-land conservation are experiencing a surge in scholarly attention. This interest is timely and justified. Globally, many important biodiversity values occur on private lands and are therefore subject to private land use decisions that can threaten their persistence in the absence of protection. Public and private actors spend billions of dollars annually to ensure the long-term protection and enhancement of public ecosystem services on private lands. Many governments recognize and strengthen “privately protected areas” (PPAs) as part of long-term protection obligations under the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (Stolton, Redford, and Dudley, 2014). As public policy makers deliberate over the best strategies to enhance private-land protection, they need to understand how cost-effective these different policy options are, and how they compare to each other.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

Cryptic species of a water hyacinth biological control agent revealed in South Africa: host specificity, impact, and thermal tolerance

  • Authors: Paterson, Iain D , Coetzee, Julie A , Weyl, Philip S R , Griffith, Tamzin C , Voogt, Nina , Hill, Martin P
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/423982 , vital:72113 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.12812"
  • Description: The discovery that cryptic species are more abundant than previously thought has implications for weed biological control, as there is a risk that cryptic species may be inadvertently released with consequences for the safety of the practice. A cryptic species of a biological control agent released for the control of the invasive alien macrophyte, water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes (C. Mart.) Solms. (Pontederiaceae), was recently discovered in South Africa. The two species were considered a single species prior to genetic analysis and interbreeding experiments. The original biological control agent retains the name Eccritotarsus catarinensis (Carvalho) (Heteroptera: Miridae) whereas the new species has been described as Eccritotarsus eichhorniae Henry. In this study, we compared the host specificity, efficacy, and thermal physiologies of the two species. The host specificity of the two species within the Pontederiaceae was very similar and both are safe for release in South Africa. Comparison of the per capita impact of the two species indicated that E. eichhorniae was the more damaging species but this is likely to be influenced by temperature, with E. catarinensis being more effective under lower temperatures and E. eichhorniae being more effective under higher temperatures. Releasing the correct species for the thermal environment of each release site will improve the level of control of water hyacinth in South Africa. This example highlights the need to keep populations of biological control agents from different native range collection localities separate, and to screen for host specificity and efficacy.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

Pregnancy Decision Making: Abortion and Adoption

  • Authors: Mavuso, Jabulile M-J J , Macleod, Catriona I
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , book chapter
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/434145 , vital:73034 , ISBN 9781119161899 , https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781119171492
  • Description: Pregnancy decision making encompasses a large range of interactions, including decisions and actions to avoid pregnancy or to become pregnant. This entry addresses the question of decision making regarding the outcome of a pregnancy: abortion or taking the pregnancy to term, with the latter resulting in parenting or adoption placement. Adolescents' pregnancy decision making has been a special area of focus for some decades now, particularly regarding whether adolescents are capable of making termination-of-pregnancy decisions. This entry highlights controversies concerning, first, teenage pregnancy as a social problem; second, risk research that seeks to outline the consequences of various reproductive decisions; third, questions around adolescents' maturity regarding making reproductive decisions; fourth, the reasons provided for various reproductive decisions; and, finally, issues surrounding the autonomy of young pregnant women in their reproductive decisions.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

Privately protected areas provide key opportunities for the regional persistence of large- and medium-sized mammals

  • Authors: Clements, Hayley S , Kerley, Graham I H , Cumming, Graeme S , de Vos, Alta , Cook, Carly N
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/416383 , vital:71344 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13300"
  • Description: Biodiversity conservation relies heavily on protected areas (PAs). However, in locations that are desirable for agriculture, industry, or human habitation (e.g., low -land habitats on fertile soils, coastal zones), land is often privately owned and state-owned PAs tend to be under-represented. Despite the potentially disproportionate contribution that privately protected areas (PPAs) could make to representing biodiversity and supporting its persistence across regional PA estates, this contribution is poorly understood.
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  • Date Issued: 2019
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