Many conservation managers, policy makers, businesses and local communities cannot access the biodiversity data they need for informed decision-making on natural resource management. A handful of ...databases are used to monitor indicators against global biodiversity goals but there is no openly available consolidated list of global data sets to help managers, especially those in high-biodiversity countries. We therefore conducted an inventory of global databases of potential use in monitoring biodiversity states, pressures and conservation responses at multiple levels. We uncovered 145 global data sources, as well as a selection of global data reports, links to which we will make available on an open-access website. We describe trends in data availability and actions needed to improve data sharing. If the conservation and science community made a greater effort to publicise data sources, and make the data openly and freely available for the people who most need it, we might be able to mainstream biodiversity data into decision-making and help stop biodiversity loss.
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Evidence-based decision-making in natural resource management and conservation is often constrained by lack of robust biodiversity data. Technology offers opportunities for enhanced data collection ...through a range of satellite-based and Earth-based sensors and techniques. This paper reviews lessons learned from the application of four key technological monitoring solutions (satellite-based remote sensing, cameras, acoustic recording devices and environmental DNA) to identify factors affecting their relevance and applicability. Most tools, if relevant to local user needs and integrated into goal-based monitoring schemes, can contribute to creating the enabling conditions necessary for effective biodiversity monitoring, improving data availability and quality for various taxa when compared with traditional observer-based methods. However, until the tools become cheap enough and easy enough for widespread use (especially in biodiversity-rich countries), and until they can be more inclusive in their taxonomic coverage, technological solutions will still need to be complemented with traditional observer-based methods for the foreseeable future.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Effective wildlife monitoring is a prerequisite for effective wildlife conservation since, without time-series data on species populations and threats, evidence-based adaptive management will be ...difficult to achieve. Technological advances in remote sensing offer more opportunities for data collection than ever before. However, if we are to enhance data sharing and the use of data by decision-makers, methods must be relevant to local user needs and be integrated into monitoring schemes with appropriate goals and indicators.
Forests are major components of the global carbon cycle, providing substantial feedback to atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Our ability to understand and predict changes in the forest ...carbon cycle--particularly net primary productivity and carbon storage--increasingly relies on models that represent biological processes across several scales of biological organization, from tree leaves to forest stands. Yet, despite advances in our understanding of productivity at the scales of leaves and stands, no consensus exists about the nature of productivity at the scale of the individual tree, in part because we lack a broad empirical assessment of whether rates of absolute tree mass growth (and thus carbon accumulation) decrease, remain constant, or increase as trees increase in size and age. Here we present a global analysis of 403 tropical and temperate tree species, showing that for most species mass growth rate increases continuously with tree size. Thus, large, old trees do not act simply as senescent carbon reservoirs but actively fix large amounts of carbon compared to smaller trees; at the extreme, a single big tree can add the same amount of carbon to the forest within a year as is contained in an entire mid-sized tree. The apparent paradoxes of individual tree growth increasing with tree size despite declining leaf-level and stand-level productivity can be explained, respectively, by increases in a tree's total leaf area that outpace declines in productivity per unit of leaf area and, among other factors, age-related reductions in population density. Our results resolve conflicting assumptions about the nature of tree growth, inform efforts to undertand and model forest carbon dynamics, and have additional implications for theories of resource allocation and plant senescence.
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In this interim phase 1–2a trial of an adenovirus-based vaccine (Ad26.COV2.S), participants were divided into two age groups and received one or two injections of either a low-dose or high-dose ...vaccine or placebo. The vaccine elicited a local injection response in most patients and high titers of neutralizing antibodies in all vaccinated groups. In addition, T-cell responses were noted.
Stopping declines in biodiversity is critically important, but it is only a first step toward achieving more ambitious conservation goals. The absence of an objective and practical definition of ...species recovery that is applicable across taxonomic groups leads to inconsistent targets in recovery plans and frustrates reporting and maximization of conservation impact. We devised a framework for comprehensively assessing species recovery and conservation success. We propose a definition of a fully recovered species that emphasizes viability, ecological functionality, and representation; and use counterfactual approaches to quantify degree of recovery. This allowed us to calculate a set of 4 conservation metrics that demonstrate impacts of conservation efforts to date (conservation legacy); identify dependence of a species on conservation actions (conservation dependence); quantify expected gains resulting from conservation action in the medium term (conservation gain); and specify requirements to achieve maximum plausible recovery over the long term (recovery potential). These metrics can incentivize the establishment and achievement of ambitious conservation targets. We illustrate their use by applying the framework to a vertebrate, an invertebrate, and a woody and an herbaceous plant. Our approach is a preliminary framework for an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List of Species, which was mandated by a resolution of IUCN members in 2012. Although there are several challenges in applying our proposed framework to a wide range of species, we believe its further development, implementation, and integration with the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species will help catalyze a positive and ambitious vision for conservation that will drive sustained conservation action. Detener la disminución de la biodiversidad es fundamental, pero es tan solo un primer paso para alcanzar metas de conservación más ambiciosas. La falta de un objetivo y una definición práctica de recuperación de las especies que sea aplicable en grupos taxonómicos causa que los objetivos de los planes de recuperación sean inconsistentes y frustra la posibilidad de informar y maximizar su impacto en la conservación. Hemos ideado un marco para evaluar exhaustivamente la recuperación de las especies y el éxito de conservación. Proponemos una definición de especies completamente recuperadas, el cual enfatiza la viabilidad, la funcionalidad ecológica y la representación y utiliza enfoques contrafactuales para calcular el grado de recuperación. Esto nos permite calcular un conjunto de 4 medidas de conservación que demuestran los impactos de los esfuerzos de conservad ón hasta la fecha (legado de conservación); identifica la dependencia de una especie a las acciones de conservación (dependencia de conservación); calcula las ganancias esperadas a mediano plazo de una acción de conservación (ganancia de conservación) y los requisitos específicos para alcanzar la máxima recuperación posible a largo plazo (potencial de recuperación). Estas medidas pueden incentivar el establecimiento y logro de objetivos ambiciosos de conservación. Ilustramos el uso del marco aplicándolo en un vertebrado, un invertebrado, una planta leñosa y una planta herbácea. Nuestro enfoque representa un marco preliminar para la creación de una Lista Verde Especies de la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (UICN), la cual fue ordenada por una resolución de los miembros de la mencionada institución en el 2012. A pesar de que existen varias dificultades para aplicar el marco propuesto en un grupo amplio de especies, creemos que continuar su desarrollo, implementación e integración con la Lista Roja de Especies Amenazadas de la UICN contribuirá a catalizar una visión positiva y ambiciosa de conservación que conducirá a una acción de conservación sostenida. 阻止生物多祥性的減少十分重要，但这仅仅是实现更远大保护目标的第一歩。由于对“物种恢复”的概念 缺少ー个客观实际、适用于各种类群生物的定义，致使恢复计划目标不一致，并且也阻碍了对保护影响力的报告 和最大化。因此，我们设计了一个综合评估物种恢复和保护成功的框架。我们提出了“完全恢复” 物种的定义， 这个定义强调物种的生存能力、生态功能和代表性，我们还运用反事实分析法来量化物种恢复的程度。我们可 以计算这样四个保护指标，包括分析至今为止保护行动的影响カ(保护遗产) 、确定物种对保护行动的依赖性 (保护依赖1É )、量化保护行动在中期的预期目标(保护成效) ，以及指明远期要实现最大可能恢复所需条件(恢 复潜力) 。这些指标可以刺激宏远保护目标的建立和实现。我们将此框架分別用于ー种脊椎动物、无脊椎动 物、木本植物和草本植物, 以说明这些指标的用法。我们提出的方法是〈く世界自然保护联盟物种绿色名录》的 ー个初步框架，这是由IUCN成员在2012年的ー项决议授权下进行的。虽然这个框架在不同物种中大范围的 应用还面临ー些挑战，但我们相信它在未来的发展、实施并与《IUCN受威胁物种红色名录》的整合，可以帮助 催生出ー个积极远大的保护蓝图，以驱动持续的保护行动。
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Bioeconomy and circular economy approaches are being adopted by an increasing number of international organizations, governments and companies to enhance sustainability. Concerns have been raised ...about the implications for biodiversity. Here, we present a review of current research on the two approaches to determine their relationship to each other and to other economic models, their impact on sustainability and their relationship with biodiversity. Bioeconomy and circular economy are both poorly defined, inconsistently implemented and inadequately measured, and neither provides a clear pathway to sustainability. Many actors promote goals around economic growth above environmental issues. Biodiversity is often addressed indirectly or inadequately. Furthermore, many traditionally disadvantaged groups, including women and indigenous people, may be neglected and rarely engage or benefit. These challenges are compounded by capacity gaps and legal and governance complexities around implementation, influenced by traditional mindsets and approaches. Countries and companies need to plan their sustainability strategies more explicitly around the biodiversity they impact. Opportunities include the relevance and timeliness of sustainable economics for delivering Sustainable Development Goals in a post-COVID world, the existence of work to be built on, and the diversity of stakeholders already engaged. We propose five main steps to ensure the sustainability of economic approaches. Ultimately, we can ensure sustainability only by starting to shift mindsets and establishing a more focused agenda for bioeconomy and circular economy that puts species, ecosystems and the wellbeing of local people at the center.
...many interviewees felt they ‘did not have the right tools to effectively assess conservation initiatives… because progress is not fast or linear and therefore impacts can be difficult to measure’. ......reasons for success may not be obvious, making it difficult to define and report on them’. ...approaches include the use of scalable goals and linked indicator frameworks (sensu Stephenson, 2019) that allow the monitoring of responses, pressures, biodiversity state and benefits to people along a project's theory of change, facilitating the identification of actual and potential reasons for success.
Objective: Hypofrontality is not a well‐replicated finding in schizophrenia either at rest or under conditions of task activation.
Method: Studies comparing whole brain and frontal blood ...flow/metabolism in schizophrenic patients and normal controls were pooled. Voxel‐based studies were also combined to examine the pattern of prefrontal activation in schizophrenia.
Results: Whole brain flow/metabolism was reduced in schizophrenia to only a small extent. Resting and activation frontal flow/metabolism were both reduced with a medium effect size. Duration of illness significantly moderated resting hypofrontality, but the moderating effects of neuroleptic treatment were consistent with an influence on global flow/metabolism only. Pooling of voxel‐based studies did not suggest an abnormal pattern of activation in schizophrenia.
Conclusion: Meta‐analysis supports resting hypofrontality in schizophrenia. Task‐activated hypofrontality is also supported, but there is little from voxel‐based studies to suggest that this is associated with an altered pattern of regional functional architecture.
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Oxyfuel combustion, where the fuel is combusted in a mixture of pure oxygen and recycled flue gases instead of air, is one of the leading options for carbon capture from coal-fired power plants. ...Accurate simulation of the operation of such plants is critical for successful development of the technology. A major challenge of such a simulation is how to account for the fundamental differences in gaseous physical and thermal properties; in particular the radiative and convective heat transfer coefficients.
In this paper a combined CFD-process approach is developed whereby a detailed CFD model is utilised to represent the complex gas-phase combustion and radiative heat transfer to the furnace walls and the radiant section of the boiler. This is then combined with a full plant process simulation which includes modifications to the heat transfer components to account for differing gas compositions.
The novel integrated calculations have been completed for air-firing and for oxyfuel under a range of conditions and a comparison reveals that there is a possible ‘working range’ of oxygen concentrations/recycle ratios under which the distribution of heat transfer in the system is similar to air firing and hence the steam conditions can be controlled to set-point temperatures and flows.
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