Ecosystem Approach to Community Health Planning in Ghana

An ecosystem approach to community health seeks to investigate human health concerns from an ecological perspective. The goal is to improve the health of community members by instituting sustainable ecosystem management strategies that will preserve the health of both the ecosystem and its inhabitants. This article reports on a study in a rural community in Ghana that employed an ecosystem approach to community health planning. Adopting a participatory action research approach, a research team comprised of representatives from various local government departments collaborated with local residents to identify major community health problems, their underlying causes, and possible intervention strategies. The findings illustrate the usefulness of the ecosystem approach to mobilizing community-based interventions to addressing environmental determinants of human health.     

Introducing Indonesian Medical Students to Rainforest Conservation and Community Health in the Field: A Practicum Experience in East Kalimantan

This article describes a practicum experience developed between a conservation organization (The Nature Conservancy) and a medical school (The Faculty of Medicine at Mulawarman University in East Kalimantan). Through this practicum, groups of medical students from Mulawarman have assisted with baseline and follow-up community evaluations in remote villages along the Kelay River, Berau District. These evaluations were done in conjunction with the Kelay Conservation Health Program, a program designed to improve health and healthcare for local people, mostly former hunter–gatherers, in an area of rainforest that the conservation organization seeks to protect. Besides gaining experience in community health assessment, through this practicum medical students also gained field experience and knowledge in rural and remote area health and healthcare in Indonesia and had an opportunity to explore linkages between conservation and health. At the conclusion of their time with the program, participating students also presented individual problem-based reports on relevant topics to students and faculty at the Medical School and to the District Health Department. This partnership between a conservation agency and a medical school in a developing country is unusual, but has been very well received by all stakeholders involved. Because of this, Mulawarman is now planning to make Kelay into a formal training site for its students. This experience may serve as a model for other groups interested in promoting ecosystem health education to future health professionals in the developing world.     

Linking Community and Ecosystem Processes: The Role of Minor Species

The link between species and ecosystem functioning is a central issue in ecology. In natural plant communities, the dominant species determine most of the productivity-related processes but what is the function of minor species? A recent hypothesis suggests that after disturbance, minor species facilitate the recruitment and abundance of dominants during re-colonization, thus indirectly determining ecosystem function. We tested this hypothesis using a long-term dataset of annual plant communities in a semiarid shrubland by comparing plant density and biomass from plots in which all vegetation had been removed; plots from which only the dominant (the annual grass Stipa capensis) had been removed, and control plots. In the absence of vegetation, the dominant failed to re-establish during the following growing season. After being removed the dominant re-established similarly to the controls. An ant exclosure experiment excluded the possibility that this was due to seed predation. In an experiment with individual dispersal units of S. capensis, we demonstrated the mechanism by which minor species can control the dominant’s abundance. Minor species indirectly govern ecosystem processes by providing structures facilitating seed soil penetration and thus recruitment of the dominant.     

Dryland Salinity and Ecosystem Distress Syndrome: Human Health Implications

Clearing of native vegetation for agriculture has left 1.047 million hectares of southwest Western Australia affected by dryland salinity, and this area may expand up to a further 1.7–3.4 million hectares if trends continue. Ecosystems in saline-affected regions display many of the classic characteristics of Ecosystem Distress Syndrome, one outcome of which has not yet been investigated in relation to dryland salinity: adverse human health implications. This article seeks to review existing information and identify potential adverse human health effects. Three key potential impacts on human health resulting from dryland salinity are identified: wind-borne dust and respiratory health; altered ecology of the mosquito-borne disease Ross River virus; and mental health consequences of salinity-induced environmental degradation. Given the predicted increase in extent and severity of dryland salinity over coming decades, adverse outcomes of salinity are likely to be further exacerbated, including those related to human health. There is a clear need to investigate the issues discussed in this review and also to identify other potential adverse health effects of dryland salinity. Investigations must be multidisciplinary to sufficiently examine the broad scope of these issues. The relationship between human health and salinity may also be relevant beyond Australia in other countries where secondary soil salinization is occurring.     

Linking the Historical Roots of Environmental Conservation with Human and Wildlife Health

We examine the historical and philosophical roots of environmental stewardship and how they relate to conservation and human health. Concern for the environment in the United States derives from two distinct historical ideologies that we term “green” and “brown” environmentalism. We propose a modern-day synthesis of these ideologies that recognizes that environmental degradation and the emergence of zoonotic and epizootic diseases, affecting both humans and wildlife (i.e., pathogen pollution), are interconnected. This interconnection provides a compelling new reason to protect and preserve biodiversity.     

Optimal Investment in Multi-species Protection: Interacting Species and Ecosystem Health

This article uses an ecological-economic approach to study optimal investment in multi-species protection when species interact in an ecosystem. The analysis is based on a model of stochastic species extinction in which survival probabilities are interdependent. Individual species protection plans can increase a species survival probability within certain limits and contingent upon the existence or absence of other species. Protection plans are costly and the conservation budget is fixed. It is assumed that human well-being depends solely on the services provided by one particular species, but other species contribute to overall ecosystem functioning and thus influence the first species survival probability. One result is that it may be optimal to invest in the protection of those species that do not directly contribute to human well-being, even if biological conservation decisions are exclusively derived from such a utilitarian framework. Another result is that the rank ordering of spending priorities among different species protection plans, as obtained under the assumption of independent species, may be completely reversed by taking species interaction into account. The conclusion is that effective species protection should go beyond targeting individual species, and consider species relations within whole ecosystems as well as overall ecosystem functioning. Ecosystem health is identified as a necessary prerequisite for successful species protection in situ.     

Focus: The Aging Brain: Social capital,health, and elderly driver status

Driving a car enables many people to engage in meaningful activities that, in turn, help develop and maintain personal social capital. Social capital, a combination of community participation and social cohesion, is important in maintaining well-being. This paper argues that social capital can provide a framework for investigating the general role of transportation and driving a car specifically to access activities that contribute to connectedness and well-being among older people. This paper proposes theoretically plausible and empirically testable hypotheses about the relationship between driver status, social capital, and well-being. A longitudinal study may provide a new way of understanding, and thus of addressing, the well-being challenges that occur when older people experience restrictions to, or loss of, their driver’s license.     

基于社会资本理论的社区农园功能与策略研究

为探究社区农园促进社区重建的社会作用机制,研究引入社会资本视角,结合对“社区农园”维护者、组织者和第三方合作机构的半结构化访谈和实地观察,深入分析社区农园的社会资本与社区重建的关系。研究表明,社区农园能够建立信任、社会网络和规范,农园所产生的社会资本具有激发居民自治意识,培育自治能力的社会功能。最后,结合调研与理论分析,提出社区农园发展须针对社区农园社会资本形成的条件,完善自上而下的制度保障、培育多层次的参与机制、构建多元化的功能空间。     

社会资本在健康管理产业中的作用及发展策略分析

社会资本已成为我国医疗卫生事业的重要参与力量,其积极参与健康管理产业服务,对促进我国健康产业的整体发展具有重要的促进作用。本文论述了当前社会资本在我国健康管理产业中具备的四个重要作用,并提出了向高端健康管理服务拓展、承担基本健康管理服务、进行公私健康管理合营和发展专科化健康管理4种发展策略。     

The Role of Golf Courses in Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management

We assessed the ecological value of golf courses based on a quantitative synthesis of studies in the scientific literature that have measured and compared biota on golf courses to that of biota in green-area habitats related to other land uses. We found that golf courses had higher ecological value in 64% of comparative cases. This pattern was consistent also for comparisons based on measures of species richness, as well as for comparisons of overall measures of birds and insects—the fauna groups most widely examined in the studies. Many golf courses also contribute to the preservation of fauna of conservation concern. More broadly, we found that the ecological value of golf courses significantly decreases with land types having low levels of anthropogenic impact, like natural and nature-protected areas. Conversely, the value of golf courses significantly increases with land that has high levels of anthropogenic impact, like agricultural and urban lands. From an ecosystem management perspective, golf courses represent a promising measure for restoring and enhancing biodiversity in ecologically simplified landscapes. Furthermore, the review suggests that golf courses hold a real potential to be designed and managed to promote critical ecosystem services, like pollination and natural pest control, providing an opportunity for joint collaboration among conservation, restoration and recreational interests. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. J.C. have designed the study, performed research, the analysis of data and writing the paper, and C.F. has especially contributed to the latter two.     

Translocations: Providing Outcomes for Wildlife, Resource Managers, Scientists, and the Human Community

The World Conservation Union (1987) defines a translocation as a release of animals with the intention of establishing, reestablishing, or augmenting an existing population. Despite frequent use as a tool for the management of threatened and endangered wildlife, the full benefits of translocations often go unrealized. In this article, I demonstrate how translocations can achieve outputs for conservation management, conservation science, and the wider human community, using North Island (NI) Saddleback or Tieke ( Philesturnus rufusater ) as an illustrative example. From a conservation management perspective, NI Saddleback have been salvaged from a relic population of less than 500 birds on 484-ha Hen Island to a metapopulation of approximately 6,000 birds on 13 offshore islands and at two mainland New Zealand sites. These translocations have reduced the risk of global extinction for this species and helped restore the ecosystems involved. All these translocations have occurred in the past 42 years from known source populations and with known numbers of birds released. The resulting replicated serial population bottlenecks provide numerous scientific opportunities for conservation and biological research. Although the first Saddleback translocations were to reserves closed to the public, subsequent translocations have been to open reserves, providing the wider human community with an opportunity to see and be actively involved in the management of a threatened endemic species. This has raised the profile of both NI Saddleback and other species and has provided wider community conservation benefits. These three outputs illustrate the value of translocations for resource management and conservation science and for increasing community interest, participation, and investment in biological conservation.     

景观服务及其空间流动：连接风景园林与人类福祉的纽带

风景园林空间及其功能是人类福祉的基本来源,而人类福祉需求则是风景园林可持续发展的基本驱动力。厘清风景园林与人类福祉的关系对风景园林创建美好生活具有重要意义。从服务角度强调风景园林对人类福祉的贡献,梳理风景园林提供的景观服务类型,分析景观服务的空间流动过程、类型及其机制,从而揭示出景观服务在哪里产生、流向哪里、实际在哪里被使用等过程。基于景观服务及其空间流动特征,提出基于景观服务供需平衡的风景园林空间管理框架,以期为满足人类福祉需求的风景园林空间布局和管理决策提供新思路。     

Primate Conservation: The Prevention of Disease Transmission

We address the strategies to prevent disease transmission from human to non-human primates in natural settings. Some field research methods, such as gaining close proximity for observation, provisioning for habituation, or reintroducing for repopulation, may place primate subjects at risk for acquiring human-carried diseases. Additional risks arise through inadequate waste disposal or nonhygienic conditions of humans residing at the study site. We describe several disease outbreaks at primate field sites, emphasizing the need for proper protocols to diagnose, to treat, and to prevent recurrence. Finding solutions to the disease transmission problem requires effecting change in the behavior and policies of many individuals, including field researchers, veterinarians, human health care providers, park personnel, government officials, local villagers, and tourists. The prevention of exposure to infectious disease is an important, fundamental aspect of primate conservation; the assurance of good health and longevity in wild primate populations is paramount to the more traditional conservation issues of poaching control and forest protection.     

院前急救与社区卫生服务中心联合建立的探讨

院前急救和社区卫生服务中心联合建立,可合理利用卫生资源,完善院前急救网络建设,充分发挥各级医疗机构的作用,提高基层医疗服务技术和质量,实现社区居民健康档案信息共享和突发事件应急救援联动,完善双向转诊和分级诊疗体系,形成有效衔接的联动机制,为居民提供安全、有效、方便、价廉的基本医疗卫生服务。     

Conservation and human livelihoods at the crossroads: Local needs and knowledge in the management of Arabuko Sokoke Forest

Arabuko Sokoke Forest is the largest remaining single block of indigenous dry coastal tropical forest in Eastern Africa. Households within a 5 km buffer zone depend heavily on the forest for their livelihood needs, and the pressure on forest resources is on the increase. In May 2015, 109 households were interviewed on resources they obtain from the forest, in terms of the self‐reported level of monthly income. We found household income and farm size significantly positively correlated with benefits from the forest, highlighting the possible influence of household wealth in exploiting forest resources. A large proportion of households (32%) had limited knowledge of local birds, while human–bird conflict was reported by 44% of the households. While many households were keen to participate in conservation projects that maintain the forest, 44% had no knowledge of the forest management plan, and 60% of those interviewed had no idea of how forest zones were designated for particular activities. Drivers for local community participation in conservation projects appear to be sustainable income and fulfilment of basic household needs.     

深圳市社区公共卫生服务包运行的成本结构分析

目的 了解深圳市社区公共卫生服务包运行成本的总体情况及财政投入的参考标准。方法 在人力成本、基本支持与保障成本测算的基础上,结合社康中心普查资料与统计年鉴,分析服务包运行中各要素成本及其占财政支出的比例。结果 完成服务包基本项目时,按每万服务人口计,服务包运行成本为64.67万元,其中人力成本占70%,此时服务包成本占同年财政一般性的比例约为1%。结论 深圳市有实力也有必要进一步加大对社区卫生服务的投入,特别是保证人员经费的投入。     

Linking the Conservation of Culture and Nature: A Case Study of Sacred Forests in Zimbabwe

This paper examines the role of traditional religious beliefs and traditional leaders in conserving remnant patches of a unique type of dry forest in the Zambezi Valley of northern Zimbabwe. We examined aerial photographs spanning more than three decades, interviewed and surveyed local residents, and met with communities to learn about the environmental history of the forests and the factors that have affected land use in the area. Our results show that forest loss is dramatically less in forests that are now considered sacred, or were in the past connected to sacred forests. This supports our hypothesis that traditional spiritual values have influenced human behavior affecting the forests, and have played a role in protecting them until now. We also found that rates of forest loss have been much higher in an area where traditional leaders are relatively disempowered within the post-independence political system compared to an area where traditional leaders have more power. These findings lead us to conclude that a strategy that links the conservation of culture and nature is likely to be more effective in conserving forests than a strategy that ignores traditional beliefs, values, and institutions.     

广东省南昆山伯乐树群落特征及其保护策略

在广东省南昆山自然保护区内调查了中国特有珍稀植物伯乐树种群的分布格局、龄级结构和伴生群落的物种组成.结果表明:该种群的分布范围狭窄且集中;龄级不完整,Ⅱ、Ⅲ级幼树少见,结构呈衰退型;伴生群落呈典型的亚热带植物区系的特点,其组成不稳定、优势种不显著.建议将伯乐树幼树作为就地保护的重点,适当去除周围的罗浮槭、羊角杜鹃和黄樟等速生树种,以创造有光照和水肥条件的生境;对于Ⅳ级以上成株,应注意拟赤杨和华润楠等空间生态位相近树种的数量和密度,适当疏剪枝条,以帮助成株占据较好的空间位;同时再积极引入异龄的伯乐树幼苗,促进种群恢复和发展.     

我国公立医院与社区卫生服务中心合作模式的比较与分析

通过文献评阅、专家访谈和现场调研等方法,对我国公立医院和社区卫生服务中心目前的合作模式进行了归纳,并对每种模式的成效、优缺点进行了分析。

     

深圳市社区公共卫生服务包运行的支持成本研究

目的 了解深圳市社区公共卫生服务包运行中除人力成本之外最基本的运行成本。方法 通过普查和抽样问卷调查2种方法,收集并计算管理、培训等几大类成本数据。结果 按每万服务人口计,服务包运行的基本支持与保障成本,如管理、培训、租金、折旧和水电维修成本分别为6.25万元、0.15万元、6.19万元、2.73万元和3.96万元。结论 每万服务人口的各类支持成本信息,使得各级财政在基本支持与保障成本的投入标准和方向的确定上具有参考价值。