title: Editorial: The rapid rise of streams and rivers in conservation assessment

authors: Collier, Kevin J.

subjects: stream or river conservation

abstract: The last few years have seen a remarkable rise in the number of publications on stream or river conservation planning or assessment, culminating most recently with a special issue of Freshwater Biology (Figure 1). There is no doubt that conservation planning for lotic systems has come a long way in the last 20 years. When I first delved into this field in the late 1980s, river ecologists were struggling to interpret and apply conservation criteria originally developed for terrestrial systems, and grappling with the seemingly intractable issues of how to deal with complex linear networks, multidimensional connections, and the high temporal and spatial variability of ecosystems with a paucity of biological data. This editorial takes stock of where we are now in terms of river conservation assessment, how we got here from the initial days of conservation criteria, and how far we have come along the journey towards achieving the goal of effective and enduring stream and river conservation. The focus is on developments since 1990 when the inaugural Conservation and Management of Rivers conference in York had a major focus on conservation assessment (Boon et al., 1992).

text: Editorial: The rapid rise of streams and rivers in conservation assessment The last few years have seen a remarkable rise in the number of publications on stream or river conservation planning or assessment, culminating most recently with a special issue of Freshwater Biology (Figure 1). There is no doubt that conservation planning for lotic systems has come a long way in the last 20 years. When I first delved into this field in the late 1980s, river ecologists were struggling to interpret and apply conservation criteria originally developed for terrestrial systems, and grappling with the seemingly intractable issues of how to deal with complex linear networks, multidimensional connections, and the high temporal and spatial variability of ecosystems with a paucity of biological data. This editorial takes stock of where we are now in terms of river conservation assessment, how we got here from the initial days of conservation criteria, and how far we have come along the journey towards achieving the goal of effective and enduring stream and river conservation. The focus is on developments since 1990 when the inaugural Conservation and Management of Rivers conference in York had a major focus on conservation assessment (Boon et al., 1992).

year: 2011

title: Climate change adaptation narratives: Linking climate knowledge and future thinking

authors: Coulter, Liese

subjects: Social Sciences

abstract: Even in countries with high capacity to adapt to climate change, when future-oriented adaptation narratives are neither explicit nor common, climate knowledge may not be accessed, examined, or shared to support active adaptation. This research analyzed interviews with Australian and Canadian professionals who worked with climate change knowledge in research, policy, and practice to gauge in what way their climate knowledge was linked to autonomous adaptation in personal circles. Analysis combined a thematic approach and a novel Future Climate Narrative (FCN) typology informed by literature relating to Future Thinking, Climate Knowledge, and Narrative Communication. The results identified four main narratives: Distance, Vulnerability, Agency, and Change. Findings showed that where Change narratives were not commonly shared, little climate change knowledge was exchanged in personal circles, especially information that might increase a sense of danger; challenge the imagination; or present unfamiliar scenarios. This research shows that without future-oriented narratives supporting autonomous and community adaptation planning and practice, the benefits of currently high social adaptive capacity and relatively low vulnerability to climate change may not be realized through proactive adaptation. In developed nations where near-term, and in some cases unavoidable, climate change impacts are not commonly discussed, new Change narratives linking Climate Knowledge and Future Thinking are needed to reflect swiftly evolving climate change scenarios. In addition, lack of adaptation planning among well-informed professionals again challenges expectations that more and better climate change knowledge will directly increase adaptation behavior, irrespective of engagement in future thinking.

text: Climate change adaptation narratives: Linking climate knowledge and future thinking Even in countries with high capacity to adapt to climate change, when future-oriented adaptation narratives are neither explicit nor common, climate knowledge may not be accessed, examined, or shared to support active adaptation. This research analyzed interviews with Australian and Canadian professionals who worked with climate change knowledge in research, policy, and practice to gauge in what way their climate knowledge was linked to autonomous adaptation in personal circles. Analysis combined a thematic approach and a novel Future Climate Narrative (FCN) typology informed by literature relating to Future Thinking, Climate Knowledge, and Narrative Communication. The results identified four main narratives: Distance, Vulnerability, Agency, and Change. Findings showed that where Change narratives were not commonly shared, little climate change knowledge was exchanged in personal circles, especially information that might increase a sense of danger; challenge the imagination; or present unfamiliar scenarios. This research shows that without future-oriented narratives supporting autonomous and community adaptation planning and practice, the benefits of currently high social adaptive capacity and relatively low vulnerability to climate change may not be realized through proactive adaptation. In developed nations where near-term, and in some cases unavoidable, climate change impacts are not commonly discussed, new Change narratives linking Climate Knowledge and Future Thinking are needed to reflect swiftly evolving climate change scenarios. In addition, lack of adaptation planning among well-informed professionals again challenges expectations that more and better climate change knowledge will directly increase adaptation behavior, irrespective of engagement in future thinking.

year: 2019-08-01

title: HIV diagnoses in indigenous peoples: comparison of Australia, Canada and New Zealand

authors: Shea, Beverley

subjects: HIV

abstract: In industrial countries, a number of factors put indigenous peoples at increased risk of HIV infection. National surveillance data between 1999 and 2008 provided diagnoses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (Australia), First Nations, Inuit and Métis (Canada excluding Ontario and Quebec) and Māori (New Zealand). Each country provided similar data for a non-indigenous comparison population. Direct standardisation used the 2001 Canadian Aboriginal male population for comparison of five-year diagnosis rates in 1999–2003 and 2004–2008. Using the general population as denominators, we report diagnosis ratios for presumed heterosexual transmission, men who have sex with men (MSM) and intravenous drug users (IDU). Age standardised HIV diagnosis rates in indigenous peoples in Canada in 2004–2008 (178.1 and 178.4/100 000 for men and women respectively) were higher than in Australia (48.5 and 12.9/100 000) and New Zealand (41.9 and 4.3/100 000). Higher HIV diagnosis rates related to heterosexual contact among Aboriginal peoples, especially women, in Canada confirm a widening epidemic beyond the conventional risk groups. This potential of a generalised epidemic requires urgent attention in Aboriginal communities; available evidence can inform policy and action by all stakeholders. Although less striking in Australia and New Zealand, these findings may be relevant to indigenous peoples in other countries.

text: HIV diagnoses in indigenous peoples: comparison of Australia, Canada and New Zealand In industrial countries, a number of factors put indigenous peoples at increased risk of HIV infection. National surveillance data between 1999 and 2008 provided diagnoses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (Australia), First Nations, Inuit and Métis (Canada excluding Ontario and Quebec) and Māori (New Zealand). Each country provided similar data for a non-indigenous comparison population. Direct standardisation used the 2001 Canadian Aboriginal male population for comparison of five-year diagnosis rates in 1999–2003 and 2004–2008. Using the general population as denominators, we report diagnosis ratios for presumed heterosexual transmission, men who have sex with men (MSM) and intravenous drug users (IDU). Age standardised HIV diagnosis rates in indigenous peoples in Canada in 2004–2008 (178.1 and 178.4/100 000 for men and women respectively) were higher than in Australia (48.5 and 12.9/100 000) and New Zealand (41.9 and 4.3/100 000). Higher HIV diagnosis rates related to heterosexual contact among Aboriginal peoples, especially women, in Canada confirm a widening epidemic beyond the conventional risk groups. This potential of a generalised epidemic requires urgent attention in Aboriginal communities; available evidence can inform policy and action by all stakeholders. Although less striking in Australia and New Zealand, these findings may be relevant to indigenous peoples in other countries.

year: 2011