Assessing the internal consistency of management plans for the recovery of threatened species

Recovery planning is an important global conservation strategy for threatened species. Despite the existence of international standards for recovery planning, deficiencies and anomalies have been detected in several jurisdictions. This study evaluated the quality of recovery plans based on internal consistency as a measurement of coherent planning. We analyzed 236 plans developed by the Australian Government (1992–2006) using three criteria: (a) consistency of gaps in scientific information with prescribed research actions, (b) consistency of identified threats with prescribed threat abatement actions and (c) consistency of established plan objectives with performance evaluation criteria. These criteria were aggregated in order to calculate an index of plan consistency. We tested two hypotheses: (1) plans made for single-species would exhibit better consistency than those for multi-species; and (2) plans made under the amended legislation of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBCA) would exhibit better consistency than those under the rescinded Endangered Species Protection Act (ESPA). In total, over 85% of the plans consistently addressed the research needs. However, the plans addressed threats poorly (66% of all plans exhibited inconsistencies). Moreover, nearly 50% of all plans established inconsistent performance evaluation criteria. Under the ESPA, single- and multi-species plans exhibited equal consistency, but under the EPBCA, single-species plans clearly exhibited higher consistency. Our major contribution is the assessment of attributes of consistency that are paramount for effective recovery planning. Evaluation of these attributes may provide knowledge of universal utility and relevance to other biodiversity conservation efforts.     

Impacts of tourism on threatened plant taxa and communities in Australia

Summary Many Australian plant species and communities appear to be threatened by tourism. A review of management plans, recovery plans and a survey of experts found that tourism was considered to be a direct or indirect threatening process for 72 plant taxa. This is one fifth of threatened species for which threats have been identified. In addition, many more species are listed as threatened by weeds, trampling, pathogens, clearing and collecting. These are often indirect impacts of tourism, particularly in conservation reserves where tourism is the only commercial activity permitted. Tourism was also considered to be a threatening process for several plant communities. A lack of recognition of the importance of direct and indirect impacts of tourism may potentially hinder the conservation of plant species and communities both in Australia and overseas. It may also limit the effectiveness of sustainable tourism policies, particularly in conservation reserves.     

Using landholder perspectives to evaluate and improve recovery planning for Toolibin Lake in the West Australian wheatbelt

Summary Over the last two decades, recovery plans have emerged as one of the most widespread policy and management responses for endangered species. Often these plans include public and private lands, and the associated government departments and private landholders. Toolibin Lake, in the West Australian (WA) wheatbelt, is a case in point, with a recovery plan focused on an internationally recognized wetland on public land within a predominantly privately owned, agricultural catchment. This paper draws on recent questionnaire and interview‐based research with landholders, to evaluate the influence of the recovery plan on conservation activities. Almost all landholders in the Catchment (93%) are involved in revegetation activities, with the availability of subsidies from the WA Government playing a strong role in adoption and its extent. The main constraints to adopting conservation actions, such as revegetation and fencing remnant vegetation, were cost and logistics. Correspondingly, the greatest incentive was financial inducement. Strengths of the recovery plan were identified as increasing awareness, demonstrating government effectiveness, and making funding available to landholders. The communication efforts by the WA Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM), the agency leading the recovery process, were lauded while at the same time the need for improved liaison was noted. Weaknesses were the lack of information and direction from CALM, bureaucracy, limited funding for CALM, and variable adoption across the Catchment. Recovery planning in this Catchment and other similar settings could be improved by a continuing commitment to two‐way communication between all those involved, ongoing recognition of the complexities of the government–community interface in recovery planning, and continuing subsidies for conservation actions on private lands where high biodiversity values are at stake.     

An overview of recent global experience with recovery plans for depleted marine resources and suggested guidelines for recovery planning

Progress with stock recovery plans to date for depleted marine resources is reviewed, based on published and publicly available sources. Most plans began within the last two decades, so quantifying progress is difficult, but some 60 cases were found where a recovery effort had been explicitly tackled by either a closure or restrictive measures, and seven documented case studies were used to draw general conclusions on recovery procedures and to provide a list of considerations for best practice in recovery planning. More successes were documented for pelagic .sheries than demersals, especially with closures, while spontaneous recoveries of some depleted invertebrate resources seem related to reductions in predator pressure. Few shared, straddling or highly migratory stocks have been restored to date. Most successful recoveries occurred in the centre of the species geographical range and/or in favourable regimes. Success seems to depend on non-discretionary fishery control laws being applied. Depletions aggravated by unfavourable climatic regimes will be difficult to reverse, as illustrated by a simulation. Durations of recovery plans in particular depend on regime, and using stock information from favourable regimes to predict plan duration should be treated with caution. Although successful recoveries to date have tended to be decadal, a considerable proportion are still underway, and are likely to exceed this duration. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Development of an environmental impact reduction strategy for Australia's Antarctic infrastructure

In this article, we first describe aspects of the environmental impact reduction strategy that was developed in conjunction with a life cycle assessment undertaken for the operations necessary to support Australia's largest Antarctic research station, Casey Station. The article then identifies future research and operational improvement opportunities for the Australian Antarctic Division, who is responsible for Australia's presence in Antarctica. These insights are mapped against knowledge, treaties, plans, and policies framing how the Australian Antarctic Division operates on the southern continent, making operational planning from the strategy relevant and actionable. The article concludes by posing recommendations, for future environmental management practice, that cover making improvements to data quality collection, undertaking a strategic approach, utilizing a new ice breaker, and facilitating behavior change via engagement and active support of staff.     

Challenges in disposing of anthrax waste

Disasters often create large amounts of waste that must be managed as part of both immediate response and long-term recovery. While many federal, state, and local agencies have debris management plans, these plans often do not address chemical, biological, and radiological contamination. The Interagency Biological Restoration Demonstration's (IBRD) purpose was to holistically assess all aspects of an anthrax incident and assist in the development of a plan for long-term recovery. In the case of wide-area anthrax contamination and the follow-on response and recovery activities, a significant amount of material would require decontamination and disposal. Accordingly, IBRD facilitated the development of debris management plans to address contaminated waste through a series of interviews and workshops with local, state, and federal representatives. The outcome of these discussions was the identification of 3 primary topical areas that must be addressed: planning, unresolved research questions, and resolving regulatory issues.     

Depression recovery from the primary care patient's perspective: 'hear it in my voice and see it in my eyes'

Purpose This paper aims to contribute to the discussion about the concept of recovery from depression from the patient perspective.Methods A structured, computer-assisted telephone interview of 576 participants from the Australian diamond cohort study who were asked, at the one year follow-up, how they would know if someone had recovered from depression. The responses were thematically analysed using a modified grounded-theory approach.Results Participants found the question challenging on a number of levels, relating to the definition of recovery, the subjective nature of getting better from depression, pessimism about the possibility of recovery and concerns that people hide how they really feel. Participants reported observation and human interaction as crucial to deciding if recovery had occurred. This led to three broad groups of indicators for recovery: a person's actions, their appearance and their thoughts and feelings.Conclusions Australian primary care patients with depressive symptoms report using observation and human interaction when trying to decide if someone is getting better from depression, leading to a broad range of indicators of recovery that include, but are not limited to, the traditional symptom-based definitions of depression remission. This data suggests that patients have a rich variety of ways of describing recovery, supporting a call for more patient-centred approaches to setting goals for depression recovery in the primary care setting.     

A palaeontological perspective

Palaeontology and molecular biology researchers need to develop a better dialogue. The recovery of biological information from Precambrian ecosystems that are thousands of millions of years old, the search for radical genomic reorganizations that might explain the irruption of groups with novel body plans, and the recovery of diagnostic molecules from fossils are all areas of active research, but communication between disciplines does not always occur.     

Evaluation of sequential presence-absence sampling plans for the diamondback moth (Plutellidae: Lepidoptera) in cruciferous crops in Australia

Two sets of sequential presence-absence sampling plans for decision-making in the management of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), were developed and evaluated. One set of sampling plans targeted the classification of proportions of infested plants, and the other set of sampling plans targeted the classification of larval density. The action thresholds investigated were 0.15, 0.25, 0.35, and 0.45 proportion of plants infested with larvae, and 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 larvae per plant. They are representative of the action thresholds currently practiced by Australian crucifer growers. For each sampling plan, the population range within which a minimal correct decision rate of 95% can be expected at a maximal average sample size of 50 plants (OC95ASN50) was specified. The closeness of an OC95ASN50 range to the target action threshold is a measure of the expected performance of the sampling plan. A closer distance reflects better performance. The OC95ASN50 ranges of the proportion-classification sampling plans were within 33-53% of the target action thresholds. The width of these OC95ASN50 ranges represents 73-87% of the entire population range (0-1). For the classification of larval density, an empirical proportion-density model was first established using data from different states and different cruciferous crops. The OC95ASN50 ranges of the density-classification sampling plans were within 57-75% of the target action threshold. Simulated sampling of 20 independent data sets showed that for most data sets the correct classification rate was at least 98% and the matching average sample size was <50 plants.     

Key outcomes from stakeholder workshops at a symposium to inform the development of an Australian national plan for rare diseases

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Calls have been made for governments to adopt a cohesive approach to rare diseases through the development of national plans. At present, Australia does not have a national plan for rare diseases. To progress such a plan an inaugural Australian Rare Diseases Symposium was held in Western Australia in April 2011. This paper describes the key issues identified by symposium attendees for the development of a national plan, compares these to the content of EUROPLAN and national plans elsewhere and discusses how the outcomes might be integrated for national planning. METHODS: The symposium was comprised of a series of plenary sessions followed by workshops. The topics covered were; 1) Development of national plans for rare diseases; 2) Patient empowerment; 3) Patient care, support and management; 4) Research and translation; 5) Networks, partnerships and collaboration. All stakeholders within the rare diseases community were invited to participate, including: people affected by rare diseases such as patients, carers, and families; clinicians and allied health practitioners; social and disability services; researchers; patient support groups; industry (e.g. pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies); regulators and policy-makers. RESULTS: All of these stakeholder groups were represented at the symposium. Workshop participants indicated the need for a national plan, a national peak body, a standard definition of 'rare diseases', education campaigns, lobbying of government, research infrastructure, streamlined whole-of-lifetime service provision, case co-ordination, early diagnosis, support for health professionals and dedicated funding. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are consistent with frameworks and initiatives being undertaken internationally (such as EUROPLAN), and with national plans in other countries. This implies that the development of an Australian national plan could plausibly draw on frameworks for plan development that have been proposed for use in other jurisdictions. The translation of the symposium outcomes to government policy (i.e. a national plan) requires the consideration of several factors such as the under-representation of some stakeholder groups (e.g. clinicians) and the current lack of evidence required to translate some of the symposium outcomes to policy options. The acquisition of evidence provides a necessary first step in a comprehensive planning approach.     

Continental‐scale analysis of feral cat diet in Australia,prey‐switching and the risk: benefit of rabbit control

Recent analyses of geographical variation in cats’ diet across Australia have been used to highlight rabbit control as a conservation risk, on the basis that prey‐switching by cats following rabbit control is likely to threaten Australian fauna. There is no direct evidence to support that proposition. However, there is direct evidence of repeated prey‐switching due to seasonal fluctuations in uncontrolled rabbit populations, of long‐term suppression of rabbit numbers by effective rabbit control, and that reduced rabbit abundance leads to reduced cat abundance, reduced predation of native fauna and recovery of threatened prey populations. Furthermore, rabbits are a known threat to many Australian native plants and rabbit control has proven benefits for their recovery, thereby offering long‐term benefits for dependent fauna and broader ecosystem function. On the balance of evidence, rabbit control should be encouraged in Australia wherever possible, as a national conservation priority.     

Prevalence, morbidity and management of adult asthma in South Australia

This paper reviews asthma-related data obtained between 1987 and 1997 from self-report population surveys of adults in South Australia. A multistage, systematic, clustered area sample of adults (>15 years) was selected from a random sample of Australian Bureau of Statistics collector districts, and interviewed at home by trained health interviewers. The self-report prevalence of doctor-diagnosed asthma increased from 5.6% in 1987 to 12.2% in 1997. Morbidity measured as days lost from usual activities and nights awakened by asthma remained high, but hospitalization rates are trending down. The ownership of asthma action plans peaked in 1995 and has declined. The ownership of peak flow meters increased between 1992 and 1997, and the ownership of nebulisers remained constant. Evidence-based interventions are required to improve asthma management.     

The prospect of using alternative medical care facilities in an influenza pandemic

Alternative care facilities (ACFs) have been widely proposed in state, local, and national pandemic preparedness plans as a way to address the expected shortage of available medical facilities during an influenza pandemic. These plans describe many types of ACFs, but their function and roles are unclear and need to be carefully considered because of the limited resources available and the reduced treatment options likely to be provided in a pandemic. Federal and state pandemic plans and the medical literature were reviewed, and models for ACFs being considered were defined and categorized. Applicability of these models to an influenza pandemic was analyzed, and recommendations are offered for future ACF use. ACFs may be best suited to function as primary triage sites, providing limited supportive care, offering alternative isolation locations to influenza patients, and serving as recovery clinics to assist in expediting the discharge of patients from hospitals.     

Progress and problems in U.S. marine fisheries rebuilding plans

The United States is somewhat unique among major fishing nations in mandating the rebuilding of overfished stocks within a specified period of time, a requirement first enacted in 1996. This study is based primarily on a review of trends in the 2000–2010 period in fishing mortality and biomass levels of stocks in rebuilding programs, supplemented by recent U.S. and international scientific literature. The major objectives of this study are, first, to assess progress achieved to date in these rebuilding plans, and, second, to identify the most significant obstacles to successful rebuilding. Sufficient data exists to monitor trends in fishing mortality and biomass levels number for just 35 stocks, out of a total 59 stocks that are currently rebuilding or have recently completed the rebuilding process. Most stocks in rebuilding plans are finfish, and the majority of are managed in relatively few fishery management plans governing fisheries in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and northwest Pacific portions of the U.S. 200-mile exclusive economic zone. Therefore, the findings of this report are tentative and do not necessarily reflect broader trends in U.S. federally managed fisheries. This report shows substantial progress in about two-thirds of the 35 rebuilding stocks included in this report. Progress is defined in two ways: either the rebuilding plan has reduced fishing mortality to an acceptably low level, or it has brought about stock recovery to a mandated target. Most significantly, the assessment of rebuilding plan case studies indicates that reductions in fishing mortality, especially when implemented early in the programs and maintained as long as necessary, lead to significant increases in stock abundance in roughly four of five stocks. At the same time, the case studies also show that, in about one-third of the rebuilding plans, recovery measures have not yet produced the desired outcomes. The two most common problems are failure to adequately control fishing mortality and low resilience (high susceptibility to fishing pressure) of certain categories of overfished stocks.     

Recovery of marine animal populations and ecosystems

Many marine populations and ecosystems have experienced strong historical depletions, yet reports of recoveries are increasing. Here, we review the growing research on marine recoveries to reveal how common recovery is, its magnitude, timescale and major drivers. Overall, 10-50% of depleted populations and ecosystems show some recovery, but rarely to former levels of abundance. In addition, recovery can take many decades for long-lived species and complex ecosystems. Major drivers of recovery include the reduction of human impacts, especially exploitation, habitat loss and pollution, combined with favorable life-history and environmental conditions. Awareness, legal protection and enforcement of management plans are also crucial. Learning from historical recovery successes and failures is essential for implementing realistic conservation goals and promising management strategies.     

Recovery potential and conservation options for elasmobranchs

Many elasmobranchs have experienced strong population declines, which have been largely attributed to the direct and indirect effects of exploitation. Recently, however, live elasmobranchs are being increasingly valued for their role in marine ecosystems, dive tourism and intrinsic worth. Thus, management plans have been implemented to slow and ultimately reverse negative trends, including shark-specific (e.g. anti-finning laws) to ecosystem-based (e.g. no-take marine reserves) strategies. Yet it is unclear how successful these measures are, or will be, given the degree of depletion and slow recovery potential of most elasmobranchs. Here, current understanding of elasmobranch population recoveries is reviewed. The potential and realized extent of population increases, including rates of increase, timelines and drivers are evaluated. Across 40 increasing populations, only 25% were attributed to decreased anthropogenic mortality, while the majority was attributed to predation release. It is also shown that even low exploitation rates (2-6% per year) can halt or reverse positive population trends in six populations currently managed under recovery plans. Management measures that help restore elasmobranch populations include enforcement or near-zero fishing mortality, protection of critical habitats, monitoring and education. These measures are highlighted in a case study from the south-eastern U.S.A., where some evidence of recovery is seen in Pristis pectinata, Galeocerdo cuvier and Sphyrna lewini populations. It is concluded that recovery of elasmobranchs is certainly possible but requires time and a combination of strong and dedicated management actions to be successful.     

Ecosystem Management in the Context of Large, Infrequent Disturbances

Large, infrequent disturbances (LIDs) can have significant impacts yet seldom are included in management plans. Although this neglect may stem from relative unfamiliarity with a kind of event that rarely occurs in the experience or jurisdiction of individual managers, it may also reflect the assumption that LIDs are so large and powerful as to be beyond the ability of managers to affect. However, some LIDs can be affected by management, and for many of those that cannot be affected, the resilience or recovery of the system disrupted by the disturbance can be influenced to meet management goals. Such results can be achieved through advanced planning that allows for LIDs, whether caused by natural events, human activities, or a combination of the two. Management plans for LIDs may adopt a variety of goals, depending on the nature of the system and the nature of the anticipated disturbance regime. Managers can choose to influence (a) the system prior to the disturbance, (b) the disturbance itself, (c) the system after the disturbance, or (d) the recovery process. Prior to the disturbance, the system can be managed in ways that alter its vulnerability or change how it will respond to a disturbance. The disturbance can be managed through no action, preventive measures, or manipulations that can affect the intensity or frequency of the disturbance. Recovery efforts can focus on either managing the state of the system immediately after the disturbance or managing the ongoing process of recovery. This review of the management implications of LIDs suggests that management actions should be tailored to particular disturbance characteristics and management goals. Management actions should foster survival of residuals and spatial heterogeneity that promote the desired recovery pattern and process. Most importantly, however, management plans need to recognize LIDs and include the potential for such disturbances to occur. Received 14 July 1998; accepted 16 September 1998     

Towards integrated conservation of Australian endangered plants—the Western Australian model

Four percent of the Australian flora is rare and endangered with over 100 taxa presumed extinct. Western Australia contains a large proportion of the endangered flora of Australia with 238 taxa in a critical state of conservation and 70 species presumed extinct. Kings Park and Botanic Garden in south-west Australia is responsible for developing specialized collections of rare and endangered indigenous flora. Macro-and micropropagation procedures are used including conventional cutting and seed propagation, grafting and in thein vitro programme whole seeds (asymbiotic and symbiotic germination), excised seed embryos, shoot apices and inflorescence sections. Wherever possible explants are collected from major provenances of the species and a wide cross section of a species population. Although many of the rare flora of Western Australia are now in theex situ collection maintained by Kings Park and Botanic Garden attempts are being made to develop slow growth storage forin vitro cultures and cryostorage. Trial recovery programmes have commenced with a number of species including the rare and endangered Purdie's donkey orchid (Diuris purdiei). Results of these recovery programmes will guide future efforts in conserving and recovering rare Australian species.     

Neuroregenerative strategies after radical prostatectomy

Patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) following radical prostatectomy (RP) continue to present to practicing urologists. Although nerve-sparing RP has decreased the rates of ED significantly, new therapies for cavernosal nerve protection and recovery are now being developed. This report discusses the many agents available in neuroregeneration and neuroprotection to aid in the recovery of erectile function. Multiple agents and strategies have been used for neuroprotection and neuroregeneration of the cavernosal nerve following RP and in nerve injury models. Many of these agents display promise for the treatment of impotence. Early treatment for patients recovering from RP is becoming the standard of care. Natural recovery of erections may take as long as 18 to 24 months post RP; however, treatment plans may reduce the time to erectile recovery.     

Habitat Loss,Fragmentation, and Restoration

The loss and fragmentation of habitat is a major threat to the continued survival of many species. We argue that, by including spatial processes in restoration management plans, the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation can be offset. Yet few management plans take into account spatial effects of habitat conservation/restoration despite the importance of spatial dynamics in species conservation and recovery plans. Tilman et al. (1997) found a “restoration lag” in simulations of species restoration when randomly selecting habitat for restoration. Other studies have suggested that the placement of restored habitat can overcome effects of habitat loss and fragmentation. Here we report the findings of simulations that examine different regional management strategies, focusing on habitat selection. We find that nonrandom restoration practices such as restoring only habitat that is adjacent to those occupied by the target species can dramatically reduce or negate any restoration lag. In fact, we find that the increase in patch occupancy of the landscape can be greater than two-fold in the adjacent versus the random scenarios after only two restoration events, and this increase can be as great as six-fold during the early restoration phase. Many restoration efforts have limitations on both funds and available sites for restoration, necessitating high potential success on any restoration efforts. The incorporation of spatial analyses in restoration management may drastically improve a species' chance of recovery. Therefore, general principles that incorporate spatial processes and sensible management are needed to guide specific restoration efforts.