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10.15 - 10.30 10.30 - 10.45 KNIGHT, TERI, Health Services Management Centre, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2RT UK, <t.m.knight@bham.ac.uk> EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE IN MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH The practice of medicine has relatively recently gone through an effectiveness revolution that has improved the criteria upon which treatment strategies are based by progressing from reliance on personal experience to reliance on scientific evidence. Evidence-based practice is a model of proceeding in decision-making that aims to provide the best available evidence to the decision-maker(s) on the likely outcomes of alternative actions. The model relies on; a. addressing appropriate questions through good quality research; b. the production of systematic reviews of the primary literature, which evaluate the evidence (including its quality) for the effectiveness of alternative actions in achieving stated objectives and then c. making this information available to decision-makers. The evidence-based approach is now being applied more widely to the sphere of public health management and policy. The model will be summarized and the main elements discussed with reference to its application in other fields such as conservation. 10.45 - 11.00 CÔTÉ, ISABELLE M. and Nicola Blay, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK (i.cote@uea.ac.uk) OPTIMAL CONDITIONS FOR CAPTIVE BREEDING IN HUMBOLDT PENGUINS: AN EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH Holding conditions for animal populations held in captivity have evolved largely independently across zoological institutions, and as a result are extremely variable for any given species. To assess empirically the optimal conditions for captive breeding of endangered Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti), we surveyed 16 British zoos and bird gardens which exhibit this species and obtained information on population, enclosure and husbandry characteristics, as well as per capita egg productivity, chick productivity and hatching success. All three measures of breeding success increased with number of breeding pairs. Chick productivity was highest when nesting boxes were lined with sand and gravel. Hatching success increased with pool size and was highest in enclosures with concrete floors. Adult mortality was low but appeared related to the use of chlorine in freshwater pools and to the presence of other penguin species in Humboldt penguin displays. These results thus yield clear recommendations for optimising conditions for captive breeding of Humboldt penguins and, if implemented, could reduce the extreme variation in hatching success (0 - 90%) and chick productivity (0 - 0.55 chick bird-1 year-1) found among penguin populations. This evidence-based approach is widely applicable to other species commonly held in captivity. 11.00 - 11.15 AUSDEN, MALCOLM., Julianne E. Evans, Mark Gurney and Graham J.M. Hirons. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Beds SG19 2DL. UK. <malcolm.ausden@rspb.org.uk> CURRENT USE OF SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE IN RESERVE MANAGEMENT The RSPB has systems in place that can allow evidence-based conservation to take place on its reserve network. In this paper we review the strengths and weakness of these systems in achieving evidence-based conservation. Each reserve has a management plan which sets out species and habitat objectives, the management intended to achieve these objectives, and the monitoring required to determine whether these objectives are achieved. All work carried out on the reserve is then recorded in a standardised format on computer using the Countryside Management System (CMS). The success of management in achieving its objectives is reviewed every five years on all reserves, and annually at sites where large-scale habitat re-creation is taking place. A team of ecologists interprets the information received from reserves and elsewhere, provides advice on habitat and species management and disseminates results. It is, though, often a major challenge to confidently interpret cause and effect of specific management actions. This is largely because a range of techniques are often used at the same site to achieve the same objective, and at many sites details of these techniques vary significantly over time. It is also rarely practical to set aside large enough areas of unmanaged land to act as controls. 11.15 - 11.30 GRANT, ALASTAIR, Philip W. Atkinson, Mark M. Rehfisch and Stephen Crooks Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation and School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK, <A.Grant@uea.ac.uk> (AG, SC) British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU EVIDENCE BASED HABITAT CREATION AND RESTORATION Considerable effort is currently going into restoration of a wide range of habitats but is it actually effective? We have recently reviewed the success of intertidal habitat creation schemes for English Nature. The evidence required to evaluate their success is often incomplete, not always of good quality and rarely published in the peer-reviewed literature. If restoration ecology is to learn from experience we need to ensure that monitoring programmes are properly designed, including sufficient replication, a number of nearby natural sites if possible and non-restored sites if appropriate. The best available methods of sampling and data analysis should be used and monitoring programmes should be peer reviewed before and after execution. Where a number of possible methods could be used, use several experimental treatments within a single project is vital, as is a knowledge of the interactions between the abiotic characteristics of sites and their ecology. Some valuable lessons can be learned from the Norwegian experience of monitoring the impacts on marine benthos of contamination from oil and gas platforms. Here, standardisation of sampling methodology and a requirement to place data in the public domain have been of great assistance in producing an overall assessment of impacts. 11.30 - 11.45 STONE, DAVE. English Nature, Northminster House, Peterborough, PE1 1UA, UK, <dave.stone@english-nature.org.uk> NATURE CONSERVATION: THE ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL JUDGEMENT IN POLICY AND PRACTICE. Nature conservation and the natural sciences have a long and inter-twined history. Early 20th century nature conservation legislation in the UK was driven by empirical data about the decline in the biological diversity of the countryside. Many developments in land management were driven by the results of long-term research. Today, the environment and nature conservation are subject of mainstream politics at a global scale; and as such both policy and land management practice need to respond quickly to dynamic socio-economic policy changes. Changes in land management practice are by policy, by the need to exploit alternative sources of revenue, as a response to changes in the local socio-economic climate. Empirical data is not always available to underpin these policy and practical management decisions. The role and importance of ‘professional judgement’ and evidence in nature conservation policy and practice decisions is examined through case studies drawn from the UK’s implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity over the last 10 years. The need to capture and make better best use of evidence will be discussed from a decision makers perspective. 11.45 - 12.00 PULLIN, ANDREW S., School of Biosciences, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT UK, <a.s.pullin@bham.ac.uk> EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE IN CONSERVATION: BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES Conservation increasingly involves making decisions on appropriate action from a wide range of options. Many conservation organizations now manage species and habitats, and produce action plans containing a diversity of objectives. Although scientific evidence is routinely used in many cases, the majority of conservation actions remain experience-based and rely heavily on traditional land management practices because, although some evidence exists on which to base practice and conservationists want to use it, much is not readily accessible in a suitable form. The model of evidence-based practice in medicine and public health is used to explore possibilities for parallel practice in conservation. The process of Action Plan formulation is seen as an opportunity to encourage the evaluation of the effectiveness of conservation actions. Creating the demand for evidence of effectiveness of alternative practices is seen as an opportunity to improve information flow between scientists and practitioners and to encourage formation of productive partnerships and decision support systems. Accessibility of evidence is a key issue addressed through the need for systematic reviews and their results being disseminated. The role of funding bodies and particularly governments in catalysing this process is seen as key to achieving more evidence-based conservation practice. 12.00 - 12.15 Discussion |