title: Habitat provision is a major driver of native bird communities in restored urban forests

authors: Elliot Noe, Elizabeth Emma

subjects: community composition

abstract: Urbanization, and the drastic loss of habitat it entails, poses a major threat to global avian biodiversity. Ecological restoration of urban forests is therefore increasingly vital for native bird conservation, but control of invasive predators may also be needed to sustain native bird populations in cities where species invasions have been particularly severe. We evaluated restoration success by investigating changes in native bird communities along a restoration chronosequence of 25 restored urban forests representing 72 years of forest development, which we compared to two target reference systems and a control system. We hypothesized that total species richness and relative abundance of native forest birds would increase with the age of restoration planting. We further hypothesized that relative abundance of rats, possums and cats would negatively impact native birds, while amount of native forest in the surrounding landscape would have a positive effect. We used structural equation modelling (SEM) to investigate the relative influence of forest structure (complexity index, tree height, canopy openness, basal area, species richness and density), landscape attributes (patch area, perimeter length, landscape composition within three buffer zones, distance to the nearest road and water source) and invasive mammalian predator indices of relative abundance on total species richness and relative abundance of native forest birds. Species richness increased with age of restoration planting, with community composition progressing towards that found in target reference systems. SEM revealed that years restored was a direct driver of bird species richness but an indirect driver of abundance, which was directly driven by canopy openness. Contrary to our predictions, invasive mammals had no significant effect on native bird species richness or abundance. Our results demonstrate that provision and improvement of habitat quantity and quality through restoration is the vital first step to re-establishing native forest bird communities in cities.

text: Habitat provision is a major driver of native bird communities in restored urban forests Urbanization, and the drastic loss of habitat it entails, poses a major threat to global avian biodiversity. Ecological restoration of urban forests is therefore increasingly vital for native bird conservation, but control of invasive predators may also be needed to sustain native bird populations in cities where species invasions have been particularly severe. We evaluated restoration success by investigating changes in native bird communities along a restoration chronosequence of 25 restored urban forests representing 72 years of forest development, which we compared to two target reference systems and a control system. We hypothesized that total species richness and relative abundance of native forest birds would increase with the age of restoration planting. We further hypothesized that relative abundance of rats, possums and cats would negatively impact native birds, while amount of native forest in the surrounding landscape would have a positive effect. We used structural equation modelling (SEM) to investigate the relative influence of forest structure (complexity index, tree height, canopy openness, basal area, species richness and density), landscape attributes (patch area, perimeter length, landscape composition within three buffer zones, distance to the nearest road and water source) and invasive mammalian predator indices of relative abundance on total species richness and relative abundance of native forest birds. Species richness increased with age of restoration planting, with community composition progressing towards that found in target reference systems. SEM revealed that years restored was a direct driver of bird species richness but an indirect driver of abundance, which was directly driven by canopy openness. Contrary to our predictions, invasive mammals had no significant effect on native bird species richness or abundance. Our results demonstrate that provision and improvement of habitat quantity and quality through restoration is the vital first step to re-establishing native forest bird communities in cities.

year: 2022

title: Developing nursing competence: Future proofing nurses for the changing practice requirements of 21st century healthcare.

authors: Weeks, Keith

abstract: There's a conundrum that is taxing us at the moment – how can we see into the future to know what we need to know, to be prepared for things to come? Obviously none of us has the actual ability to ‘see’ into the future, but we are very good at distilling trends from the past, projecting them forwards and developing plans for action in the here and now. We try to create what Alvin Toffler calls ‘time spanners’ – things to connect us to the future (Toffler, 1970). However, the further we move away from today, the more uncertain we become about our predictions and our ability to cope: our spanners are too short. We can see elements of this conundrum in the preamble to the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) draft Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses, the council stated that:
“Registered nurses provide care to people at every stage of life across all care settings. They work in the context of continual change, challenging environments, growing diversity and rapidly evolving technologies. It is therefore essential that they are equipped with the knowledge, confidence and transferrable skills needed to respond to these demands. (NMC, 2017, p.3)”

text: Developing nursing competence: Future proofing nurses for the changing practice requirements of 21st century healthcare. There's a conundrum that is taxing us at the moment – how can we see into the future to know what we need to know, to be prepared for things to come? Obviously none of us has the actual ability to ‘see’ into the future, but we are very good at distilling trends from the past, projecting them forwards and developing plans for action in the here and now. We try to create what Alvin Toffler calls ‘time spanners’ – things to connect us to the future (Toffler, 1970). However, the further we move away from today, the more uncertain we become about our predictions and our ability to cope: our spanners are too short. We can see elements of this conundrum in the preamble to the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) draft Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses, the council stated that:
“Registered nurses provide care to people at every stage of life across all care settings. They work in the context of continual change, challenging environments, growing diversity and rapidly evolving technologies. It is therefore essential that they are equipped with the knowledge, confidence and transferrable skills needed to respond to these demands. (NMC, 2017, p.3)”

year: 2017

title: Ta Moko: Culture, body modification, and the psychology of identity.

authors: Te Awekotuku, Ngahuia

subjects: Maori

abstract: This paper outlines the context of Ta Moko in the Māori world, and locates the practice in the Pacific, and in the twenty first century. It describes the resurgence of the practice, and comments on the aims of the Marsen project. The three principal aims are: 
1.	To complete a comprehensive survey of the chant record and oral history with reference to archaeological, archival and artefactual materials.
2.	To examine traditional whakairo carving in relation to Ta Moko.
3.	To explore the nature of social relationships and ecologies that are supportive of, or resistant, to contemporary Ta Moko.

text: Ta Moko: Culture, body modification, and the psychology of identity. This paper outlines the context of Ta Moko in the Māori world, and locates the practice in the Pacific, and in the twenty first century. It describes the resurgence of the practice, and comments on the aims of the Marsen project. The three principal aims are: 
1.	To complete a comprehensive survey of the chant record and oral history with reference to archaeological, archival and artefactual materials.
2.	To examine traditional whakairo carving in relation to Ta Moko.
3.	To explore the nature of social relationships and ecologies that are supportive of, or resistant, to contemporary Ta Moko.

year: 2003