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Environmental sustainability is a huge challenge in Africa as the region is currently struggling to provide sustainable systems to support daily human activities. Such activities in many African organisations include paper‐based information storage and communication which are not ecofriendly and place a huge burden on forest resources. This study therefore focused on the implication of overusing paper in an African university. Fifty offices in the university were surveyed and 59 questionnaires administered. The questionnaires were transcribed and analysed using both textual qualitative and quantitative analyses. The results showed that 6888 reams of paper (costing about 8 million Naira) are consumed annually by the university, translating to about 413 trees, which are enough to occupy a standard‐sized football pitch. It was also found that administrative staff members were generally Information Communication Technology (ICT) certified; however, many of them are still not well‐informed on the environmental implication of overconsuming paper even though they are largely aware of the benefits of paperless systems. Recommendations were offered on how to reduce the demand for paper by the university. This study is expected to create more awareness on the urgent need for African organisations to take environmental sustainability issues more seriously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses bioethics in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. The Introduction (Section 1) highlights that at the field's inception, infectiousness was not front and center. Instead, infectious disease was widely perceived as having been conquered. This made it possible for bioethicists to center values such as individual autonomy, informed consent, and a statist conception of justice. Section 2 urges shifting to values more fitting for the moment the world is in. To find these, it directs attention to the Global South, and in particular, Africa, and to the values of ubuntu, solidarity, dignity, kinship, and humility. The paper concludes (in Section 3) that 21st‐century challenges facing bioethics are increasingly global, and calls on bioethicists themselves to be more globally inclusive in their approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To protect nature, African parks must contribute to human well‐being, overcome threats, and secure reliable funding sources. The first Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) held in Kigali, Rwanda from July 18 to 23, 2022 has reaffirmed the need to re‐imagine the role of protected and conserved areas (PCAs) in safeguarding wildlife and biodiversity on the continent. Conservation strategies in Africa must be driven by the urgency to make PCAs people centered, advance integrated approaches to tackle drivers of biodiversity loss, and to promote sustainable and innovative financing for PCAs. This paper discusses how African countries can address these needs to harness the full potential of PCAs and ensure their long‐term sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interventions in Africa designed to stop biodiversity decline have often failed because they were based on a top‐down approach to management and focused on enforcing restrictive rules and imposing bans. They were equally misaligned with the values and needs of local actors. This paper presents an African perspective on the discourse regarding the bushmeat crisis and shows that bushmeat in Africa goes beyond being a source of livelihood, having a multifaceted use that must be considered when designing interventions. We show that current conservation initiatives often do not address the right issues, by neglecting nonmonetary dimensions of bushmeat use, inadequately planning interventions, failing to align wildlife laws with realities on the ground, and carrying out ineffective law enforcement characterized by poor governance and corruption. We recommend a revision of current legal frameworks to enhance local ownership, tenure rights, and the sustainable economic empowerment of local communities to reduce hunting. We also call for development of regionally led innovative programs that invest in nature‐based solutions and payments for environmental services. Finally, we identify where more research is needed to understand why wildlife use in Africa is overlooked in national development policies and not considered in national accounting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scavenging is widespread in the carnivore guild and can greatly impact food web structures and population dynamics by either facilitation or suppression of sympatric carnivores. Due to habitat loss and fragmentation, carnivores are increasingly forced into close sympatry, possibly resulting in more interactions such as kleptoparasitism and competition. In this paper, we investigate the potential for these interactions when carnivore densities are high. A camera trap survey was conducted in central Tuli, Botswana, to examine leopard Panthera pardus densities and spatiotemporal activity patterns of leopard and its most important competitors' brown hyena Parahyaena brunnea and spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta. Spatial capture–recapture models estimated leopard population density to be 12.7 ± 3.2 leopard/100 km2, which is one of the highest leopard densities in Africa. Time‐to‐event analyses showed both brown hyena and spotted hyena were observed more frequently before and after a leopard observation than expected by chance. The high spatiotemporal overlap of both hyena species with leopard is possibly explained by leopard providing scavenging opportunities for brown hyena and spotted hyena. Our results suggest that central Tuli is a high‐density leopard area, despite possible intense kleptoparasitism and competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Social protection programmes are considered HIV‐sensitive when addressing risk, vulnerability or impact of HIV infection. Socio‐economic interventions, like livelihood and employability programmes, address HIV vulnerabilities like poverty and gender inequality. We explored the HIV‐sensitivity of socio‐economic interventions for unemployed and out‐of‐school young women aged 15 to 30 years, in East and Southern Africa, a key population for HIV infection. Methods: We conducted a systematic review using a narrative synthesis method and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool for quality appraisal. Interventions of interest were work skills training, microfinance, and employment support. Outcomes of interest were socio‐economic outcomes (income, assets, savings, skills, (self‐) employment) and HIV‐related outcomes (behavioural and biological). We searched published and grey literature (January 2005 to November 2019; English/French) in MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science and websites of relevant international organizations. Results: We screened 3870 titles and abstracts and 188 full‐text papers to retain 18 papers, representing 12 projects. Projects offered different combinations of HIV‐sensitive social protection programmes, complemented with mentors, safe space and training (HIV, reproductive health and gender training). All 12 projects offered work skills training to improve life and business skills. Six offered formal (n = 2) or informal (n = 5) livelihood training. Eleven projects offered microfinance, including microgrants (n = 7), microcredit (n = 6) and savings (n = 4). One project offered employment support in the form of apprenticeships. In general, microgrants, savings, business and life skills contributed improved socio‐economic and HIV‐related outcomes. Most livelihood training contributed positive socio‐economic outcomes, but only two projects showed improved HIV‐related outcomes. Microcredit contributed little to either outcome. Programmes were effective when (i) sensitive to beneficiaries' age, needs, interests and economic vulnerability; (ii) adapted to local implementation contexts; and (iii) included life skills. Programme delivery through mentorship and safe space increased social capital and may be critical to improve the HIV‐sensitivity of socio‐economic programmes. Conclusions: A wide variety of livelihood and employability programmes were leveraged to achieve improved socio‐economic and HIV‐related outcomes among unemployed and out‐of‐school young women. To be HIV‐sensitive, programmes should be designed around their interests, needs and vulnerability, adapted to local implementation contexts, and include life skills. Employment support received little attention in this literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats are the natural reservoir host for many pathogenic and non‐pathogenic viruses, potentially spilling over to humans and domestic animals directly or via an intermediate host. The ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic is the continuation of virus spillover events that have taken place over the last few decades, particularly in Asia and Africa. Therefore, these bat‐associated epidemics provide a significant number of hints, including respiratory cellular tropism, more intense susceptibility to these cell types, and overall likely to become a pandemic for the next spillover. In this systematic review, we analysed data to insight, through bat‐originated spillover in Asia and Africa. We used STATA/IC‐13 software for descriptive statistics and meta‐analysis. The random effect of meta‐analysis showed that the pooled estimates of case fatality rates of bat‐originated viral zoonotic diseases were higher in Africa (61.06%, 95%CI: 50.26 to 71.85, l2% = 97.3, p < 0.001). Moreover, estimates of case fatality rates were higher in Ebola (61.06%; 95%CI: 50.26 to 71.85, l2% = 97.3, p < 0.001) followed by Nipah (55.19%; 95%CI: 39.29 to 71.09, l2% = 94.2, p < 0.001), MERS (18.49%; 95%CI: 8.19 to 28.76, l2% = 95.4, p < 0.001) and SARS (10.86%; 95%CI: 6.02 to 15.71, l2% = 85.7, p < 0.001) with the overall case fatality rates of 29.86 (95%CI: 29.97 to 48.58, l2% = 99.0, p < 0.001). Bat‐originated viruses have caused several outbreaks of deadly diseases, including Nipah, Ebola, SARS and MERS in Asia and Africa in a sequential fashion. Nipah virus emerged first in Malaysia, but later, periodic outbreaks were noticed in Bangladesh and India. Similarly, the Ebola virus was detected in the African continent with neurological disorders in humans, like Nipah, seen in the Asian region. Two important coronaviruses, MERS and SARS, were introduced, both with the potential to infect respiratory passages. This paper explores the dimension of spillover events within and/or between bat–human and the epidemiological risk factors, which may lead to another pandemic occurring. Further, these processes enhance the bat‐originated virus, which utilises an intermediate host to jump into human species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The contribution of African authors to the biomedical literature is small. We evaluated the African and non‐African scientific production published in the international literature on the COVID‐19 in Africa during the first year of the epidemic (2020). Methods: Papers on COVID‐19 in Africa were extracted from the Medline (PubMed) database for bibliometric analysis including the proportions of three leading and last authors by study type, study country, authors' and laboratories/institutions' countries of affiliation and journal ranking. Results: A total of 160 articles fulfilling the inclusion criteria were analysed. The majority (91.3%) was produced by half (53.7%) of African countries, with important regional disparities, and generally without sources of funding mentioned. The majority (>85.0) of authors in lead positions (first, second, third and last authors) were Africans. Only a small number (8.7%) of studies on COVID‐19 in Africa were carried out by laboratories not on the African continent (mainly Europe, USA and China) and generally received funding. The last and first authors were more frequently of non‐African origin in journals with an Impact Factor ranking ≥1, and more frequently of African origin in journals with a lower ranking (< 1). The first and last non‐African authors tended to report their studies in high ranking ≥1 journals. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that the emergence of promising African research capable of publishing in indexed but low‐impact factor medical journals and reveals the persistence of a North‐South asymmetry in international cooperation in biomedical research with Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capacity building programmes for African regulators should link education, training and research with career development in an approach that combines an academic base and experiential learning aligned within a competency framework. A regulatory ecosystem that engages with a broad range of stakeholders will mean that expertise in the ever‐expanding field of regulatory science filters into teaching and research in a symbiotic way. In this way capacity development interventions will be a collaborative approach between the learning context (academic and training institutions) and the performance context (regulatory agencies and industry), which will ultimately best serve the patients. Monitoring and evaluation of capacity development interventions will be essential to show value of investments and ultimately guide continued funding and sustainability. This paper reviews the skills and human capacity gaps, reports on regulatory assessment pathways used in Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe and outlines a staged tactical approach for Africa that builds on previous efforts to strengthen African regulatory ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the within‐country location choices of a large sample of foreign and domestic firms in 19 Sub‐Saharan African countries. We show that foreign firms are more likely to locate in core regions compared to domestic ones but generate significantly more jobs per productive unit in the periphery. We find some evidence that foreign firms generate relatively better jobs in peripheral areas: more skill intensive and better paid. These results highlight a fundamental role that FDI in peripheral areas might play in rebalancing the spatial distribution of economic opportunities in developing countries where highly congested megacities exercise a strong centripetal force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity and magnitude of threats to black (Diceros bicornis) and white (Ceratotherium simum) rhinoceros conservation in Africa have triggered global concerns and actions. In this study, we analyzed (i) threats to rhinoceros conservation including external shocks, (ii) historical rhinoceros conservation strategies in Zimbabwe and Africa, more broadly, and (iii) opportunities for enhanced rhinoceros conservation in Zimbabwe and Africa. A literature search from 1975 to 2020 was carried out using a predefined search protocol, involving a number of filters based on a set of keywords to balance search sensitivity with specificity. A total of 193 articles, which were most relevant to key themes on rhinoceros conservation, were used in this study. The common threats to rhinoceros conservation identified in this paper include poaching, habitat fragmentation and loss, international trade in illegal rhino products, and external shocks such as global financial recessions and pandemics. Cascading effects emanating from these threats include small and isolated populations, which are prone to genetic, demographic, and environmental uncertainties. Rhinoceros conservation strategies being implemented include education and awareness campaigns, better equipped and more antipoaching efforts, use of innovative systems and technologies, dehorning, and enhancing safety nets, and livelihoods of local communities. Opportunities for rhinoceros conservation vary across the spatial scale, and these include (a) a well‐coordinated stakeholder and community involvement, (b) strategic meta‐population management, (c) enhancing law enforcement initiatives through incorporating real‐time surveillance technologies and intruder detection sensor networks for crime detection, (d) scaling up demand reduction awareness campaigns, and (e) developing more certified wildlife crime and forensic laboratories, and information repository for international corporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores ethical considerations for active studies of circumcision, i.e., the amputation of the foreskin, in the form of a case study of three major trials performed in African countries in the early 2000s. The paper outlines the function of the foreskin and method and history of its amputation as well as its current use in attempting to combat the global AIDS crisis. These trials are then interrogated in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. In particular, the irreversible nature of amputation is given great consideration. The case studies are found to have serious failures in terms of the modern iteration of the Declaration of Helsinki. This paper calls for extreme scrutiny in accordance with international norms relating to the ethical treatment of human subjects in a research context of studies of circumcision if and when they are proposed again. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To review the findings of studies of pharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis and related species conducted in the African meningitis belt since a previous review published in 2007.Methods: PubMed and Web of Science were searched in July 2018 using the terms 'meningococcal OR Neisseria meningitidis OR lactamica AND carriage AND Africa', with the search limited to papers published on or after 1st January 2007. We conducted a narrative review of these publications.Results: One hundred and thirteen papers were identified using the search terms described above, 20 of which reported new data from surveys conducted in an African meningitis belt country. These papers described 40 surveys conducted before the introduction of the group A meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenAfriVacR ) during which 66 707 pharyngeal swabs were obtained. Carriage prevalence of N. meningitidis varied substantially by time and place, ranging from <1% to 24%. The mean pharyngeal carriage prevalence of N. meningitidis across all surveys was 4.5% [95% CI: 3.4%, 6.8%] and that of capsulated N. meningitidis was 2.8% [95% CI: 1.9%; 5.2%]. A study of households provided strong evidence for meningococcal transmission within and outside households. The introduction of MenAfriVac® led to marked reductions in carriage of the serogroup A meningococcus in Burkina Faso and Chad.Conclusions: Recent studies employing standardised methods confirm the findings of older studies that carriage of N. meningitidis in the African meningitis belt is highly variable over time and place, but generally occurs with a lower prevalence and shorter duration than reported from industrialised countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short‐term global ensemble predictions of rainfall currently have no skill over northern tropical Africa when compared to simple climatology‐based forecasts, even after sophisticated statistical postprocessing. Here, we demonstrate that 1‐day statistical forecasts for the probability of precipitation occurrence based on a simple logistic regression model have considerable potential for improvement. The new approach we present here relies on gridded rainfall estimates from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission for July‐September 1998–2017 and uses rainfall amounts from the pixels that show the highest positive and negative correlations on the previous two days as input. Forecasts using this model are reliable and have a higher resolution and better skill than climatology‐based forecasts. The good performance is related to westward propagating African easterly waves and embedded mesoscale convective systems. The statistical model is outmatched by the postprocessed dynamical forecast in the dry outer tropics only, where extratropical influences are important. Plain Language Summary: Forecasts of precipitation for the next few days based on state‐of‐the‐art weather models are currently inaccurate over northern tropical Africa, even after systematic forecast errors are corrected statistically. In this paper, we show that we can use rainfall observations from the previous 2 days to improve 1‐day predictions of precipitation occurrence. Such an approach works well over this region, as rainfall systems tend to travel from the east to the west organized by flow patterns several kilometers above the ground, called African easterly waves. This statistical forecast model requires training over a longer time period (here 19 years) to establish robust relationships on which future predictions can be based. The input data employed are gridded rainfall estimates based on satellite data for the African summer monsoon in July to September. The new method outperforms all other methods currently available on a day‐to‐day basis over the region, except for the dry outer tropics, where influences from midlatitudes, which are better captured by weather models, become more important. Key Points: Raw and statistically postprocessed global ensemble forecasts fail to predict West African rainfall occurrenceA logistic regression model using observations from preceding days outperforms all other types of forecastsThe skill of the statistical model is mainly related to propagating African easterly waves and mesoscale convective systems [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within conservation science and practice, community‐based conservation (CBC) includes policy and management interventions incorporating engagement or participation of local communities and resource users. Evidence across scales points to the importance of supporting local actors and management institutions for better social and ecological outcomes of CBC interventions. However, the institutional and governance processes underlying CBC outcomes remain poorly understood, specifically how institutions respond to opportunities and constraints posed by CBC. In response, this special issue of Conservation Science & Practice solicited contributions investigating adaptation and evolution of institutions and governance in CBC. In this paper, we introduce the special issue and its 13 contributions, representing cases from Africa, Asia, and the Americas across organizational scales and resource systems. We assess the state of knowledge of CBC, identify common themes and lessons learned, and suggest future priorities for research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tarentola annularis is a climbing gecko with a wide distribution in Africa north of the equator. In the present paper, we describe the development of the osteocranium of this lizard, from the first appearance of the cranial elements up to the point of hatching. This is based on a combination of histology and cleared and stained specimens. This is the first comprehensive account of gekkotan pre‐hatching skull development based on a comprehensive series of embryos, rather than a few selected stages. Given that Gekkota is now widely regarded as representing the sister group to other squamates, this account helps to fill a significant gap in the literature. Moreover, as many authors have considered features of the gekkotan skull and skeleton to be indicative of paedomorphosis, it is important to know whether this hypothesis is supported by delays in the onset of cranial ossification. In fact, we found the sequence of cranial bone ossification to be broadly comparable to that of other squamates studied to date, with no significant lags in development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The development of the face occurs during the early days of intrauterine life by the formation of facial processes from the first Pharyngeal arch. Derangement in these well‐organized fusion events results in Orofacial clefts (OFC). Van der Woude syndrome (VWS) is one of the most common causes of syndromic cleft lip and/or palate accounting for 2% of all cases. Mutations in the IRF6 gene account for 70% of cases with the majority of these mutations located in the DNA‐binding (exon 3, 4) or protein‐binding domains (exon 7–9). The current study was designed to update the list of IRF6 variants reported for VWS by compiling all the published mutations from 2013 to date as well as including the previously unreported VWS cases from Africa and Puerto Rico. Methods: We used PubMed with the search terms; "Van der Woude syndrome," "Popliteal pterygium syndrome," "IRF6," and "Orofacial cleft" to identify eligible studies. We compiled the CADD score for all the mutations to determine the percentage of deleterious variants. Results: Twenty‐one new mutations were identified from nine papers. The majority of these mutations were in exon 4. Mutations in exon 3 and 4 had CADD scores between 20 and 30 and mutations in exon 7–9 had CADD scores between 30 and 40. The presence of higher CADD scores in the protein‐binding domain (exon 7–9) further confirms the crucial role played by this domain in the function of IRF6. In the new cases, we identified five IRF6 mutations, three novel missense mutations (p.Phe36Tyr, p.Lys109Thr, and p.Gln438Leu), and two previously reported nonsense mutations (p.Ser424*and p.Arg250*). Conclusion: Mutations in the protein and DNA‐binding domains of IRF6 ranked among the top 0.1% and 1% most deleterious genetic mutations, respectively. Overall, these findings expand the range of VWS mutations and are important for diagnostic and counseling purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing pressure is being exerted on the peri‐urban space that has elevated the demand for electricity, affects the global water resource, and impacts the potential to produce food, fiber, and commodity products. Algae‐based technologies and in particular algae‐based sewage treatment provides an opportunity for recovery of water for recycle and re‐use, sequestration of greenhouse gases, and generation of biomass. Successful coupling of municipal sewage treatment to an algae‐to‐energy facility depends largely on location, solar irradiance, and temperature to achieve meaningful value recovery. In this paper, an algae‐to‐energy sewage treatment system for implementation in southern Africa is elaborated. Using results from the continued operation of an integrated algal pond system (IAPS), it is shown that this 500‐person equivalent system generates 75 kL per day water for recycle and re‐use and, ∼9 kg per day biomass that can be converted to methane with a net energy yield of ∼150 MJ per day, and ∼0.5 kL per day of high nitrogen‐containing liquid effluent (>1 g/L) with potential for use as organic fertilizer. It is this opportunity that IAPS‐based algae‐to‐energy sewage treatment provides for meaningful energy and co‐product recovery within the peri‐urban space and, which can alleviate pressure on an already strained water–energy–food nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The African continent is known by various metaphors and geographies, but for many there are also unknowns about the continent. Geopolitically, Africa is a continent that is considered remote—an economically emerging continent seen as entangled in persistent challenges of wars, political dictatorship, poverty, disease, and more recently migration. Given these predispositions it is typical to stereotype events, practice, and behaviour as "African." There is, however, now recognition of the continent as emerging economic power house. But unpacking the diversity of Africa reveals a huge potential with respect to resource endowments, diversity of ecology, socio‐cultural economic advancement, politics, language, and demographics. Colonial history coupled with traditional Africa shaped the geopolitical boundaries that have added to the confusion about this massive and diverse continent. Intellectual discourses either amplify the differences due to specificities of geographical focus or generalizations such as the contested notion of "African." However, using socio‐ecological lenses, Africa is unified by these very differences in addition to being a massive landmass with several big and small island states. Appreciating these differences is useful to understanding the observed patterns of social, economic, and political systems that unify the continent. This paper illustrates the notion of "African" to describe the heterogeneous nature of a "unified" continent. Some illustrative examples between Africa and other continents are used. Key Messages: Africa is not one country; it is a massive continent with often forgotten islands and is culturally, ecologically, and economically diverse.Despite low agricultural productivity, Africa largely feeds itself, is rich in biodiversity, and people utilize nature for well‐being and nature conservation.Innovative scholarship that recognizes change and/or development of alternate systems enabling creativity based on existential knowledge will be a key vehicle for transformation of the continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glaciation accompanied our human ancestors in Africa throughout the Pleistocene. Regrettably, equatorial glaciers and snow are disappearing rapidly, and we are likely the last generation who will get to know these peculiar places. Despite the permanently harsh conditions of glacier/snow habitats, they support a remarkable diversity of life ranging from bacteria to animals. Numerous papers have been devoted to microbial communities and unique animals on polar glaciers and high mountains, but only two reports relate to glacial biodiversity in equatorial regions, which are destined to melt completely within the next few decades. Equatorial glaciers constitute "cold islands" in tropics, and discovering their diversity might shed light on the biogeography, dispersal, and history of psychrophiles. Thus, an opportunity to protect biota of equatorial glaciers hinges on ex situ conservation. It is timely and crucial that we should investigate the glacial biodiversity of the few remaining equatorial glaciers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camera traps are very widely used to monitor the presence of animals and record their behaviour. Setting them up properly enhances their performance and data yield. The paper describes how camera traps work and gives basic advice on camera selection, setting up camera traps for various purposes, protecting them from animals, keeping them working and troubleshooting. A camera trap's capture of a still image or video is triggered by a passive infrared detector that responds when something hotter or colder than the background moves in its detection zone. Target detection is camera traps' weak point, and they need to be set up so that animals move across their detection zone rather than towards or away from the camera. Short trigger and recovery times are preferred. After dark, camera traps illuminate the subject with infrared light that is difficult for animals to see, or white light if colour images are required. During the day, stills and video are captured in colour, and at night in monochrome under infrared, or in colour with white illumination. Where cameras need to be sited depends on study design. Camera performance is sensitive to the height and angle that they are mounted at; maximum detections come from cameras just below the target's shoulder height, aimed horizontally. To avoid large numbers of false triggers, trim vegetation in the detection zone that might be moved by the wind. Keep cameras clean and change batteries frequently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary This paper presents the development of the African Statistical Development Index, a composite index that aims at supporting the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Reference Regional Strategic Framework for Statistical Capacity Building in Africa. It also helps to identify, for each African country, weaknesses and strengths of the National Statistical Systems so that support interventions can be developed. The paper first gives the rationale behind the development of the index as well as the context. It then elaborates on the methodology used to develop the index, including the selection of components and variables, the scaling of the variables, the weighting and aggregation schemes, and the validation process. The methodology is applied to a sample of African countries. Finally, the paper compares the proposed index to existing statistical capacity building indicators and highlights the related limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although we are aware of some positive cases of leadership and management emerging on the African continent, very little empirical or theoretical work has addressed leadership and management in Africa. This raises a challenge for African nations in that ultimately a country's economic performance is contingent on the effectiveness of its leadership and management practices that serve to unlock the potential of its workforce to effectively implement the strategic goals of organizations. Against the backdrop of an increasingly knowledge-dependent global marketplace, the centrality of leadership and effective management systems as drivers of individual and organization performance has never been more critical. This special section brings together a compendium of papers that advances the science of leadership and management within the African context. Our principle goal was to examine what is unique, what generalizes, and what does not generalize from the West and East to Africa, as well as within different regions of Africa and then offer ideas to guide future research and practice. The papers in this section provide a broad and indeed innovative approach to studying leadership and management in Africa by including historical, philosophical, economic, and socio-political perspectives, as part of the analyses of leadership and management in the African context. Our editorial provides an integration of this work and a launching point for some audacious goals for future leadership and management science and practice in Africa and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community ecology and resource-partitioning patterns of African reptiles have been increasingly studied over the past 30 years. In this paper, I review these studies and provide a meta-analysis based on null models and Monte Carlo simulations (RA2 and RA3 algorithms) to compare patterns of resource partitioning among reptiles in tropical versus nontropical Africa. In general, studies on community ecology of African reptiles have had a strong impact on the global study of resource-partitioning patterns in ectotherms, with such authors as Robert Barbault and Eric Pianka being among the most famous having ever worked in Africa. Despite previous claims, in this paper I suggest that there is no true evidence that reptile biomass is depressed in tropical Africa in comparison with tropical regions of other continents. My null-model reanalysis of 32 independent study systems (twenty from tropical Africa and twelve from nontropical Africa) shows that resource-partitioning patterns are nearly always found in tropical assemblages of reptiles, although this cannot be said for nontropical assemblages of species. Microhabitat (especially for lizards) and food (especially for snakes) are the resource axes typically partitioned by African reptiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines possible ways in which female relationships can affect demographic outcomes within the context of an extended family structure in sub-Saharan Africa. The level of collaboration and competition that exists among coresident women is likely to have an impact on fertility through changes in birth spacing and stopping behavior In addition, the extent of collaboration could be a contributing factor in the survival chances of infants and young children. Given the multitude of ethnic groups found on the African continent, the paper also addresses the independent and interactive roles of culture. The paper ends with a discussion of theoretical and methodological implications for demographic research and suggestions for further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grammar is politics by other means.[sup2]We must delve into the archaeologies of the dead.[sup3]ABSTRACT This article focuses on colonial accounts of the killing of the Xhosa chief, Hintsa, in 1835 at the hands of British forces along what came to be known as the eastern Cape frontier. It explores the evidentiary procedures and protocols through which the event came to be narrated in colonial frames of intelligibility. In proposing a strategy for reading the colonial archive, the paper strategically interrupts the flow from an apartheid historiography to what is commonly referred to as "alternative history." The aim in effecting this interruption is to call attention to the enabling possibilities of critical history. This is achieved not by way of declaration but rather through a practice whereby the foundational category of evidence is problematized. The paper alludes to the limits of alternative history and its approaches to evidence on the one hand, and the conditions of complicity within which evidence is produced on the other. Whereas alternative history identifies its task as one of re-writing South African history, critical history, it is suggested, offers the opportunity to reconstitute the field of history by addressing the sites of its production and also its practices. In exploring the production of the colonial record on the killing of Hintsa, the paper seeks to complicate alternative history's slippage in and out of the evidentiary rules established by colonial domination even as it constitutes the category of evidence as an object for a politics of history of the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the issues presented in the paper about Reference Regional Strategic Framework for Statistical Capacity Building in Africa (RRSF). It mentions that paper demonstrates a composite index about the African Statistical Development Index (ASDI), with an objective to support evaluation and supervision of implementing the RRSF.

This paper compares the migratory movements of Iberian and central European satellite-tagged black storks Ciconia nigra moving to Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar. Results show that the populations differ in departure dates from breeding areas (central European birds start to move 15 d before Iberian birds), cross the Strait of Gibraltar together and reach the Sahel on similar dates. This synchronic arrival to the Sahel may be related with the onset of suitable conditions for the species after summer rains, when many pools are available for fishing. In this area, Iberian birds occupied westernmost localities compared to central European birds crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, which were distributed closer to those storks arriving in Africa across the Bosporus. This suggests that the parallel distribution of breeding and wintering areas results from posterior rearrangements of the two populations crossing Gibraltar. These patterns appear to be linked to the increasing population of central European black storks located on the western side of the migratory divide that moves throughout the western flyway to sectors of the Sahel close to their ancestral wintering grounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's fast-paced dynamic work environment, organizations are recognizing the important role played by leadership in attaining and sustaining individual, unit, and organizational effectiveness. This paper briefly reviews extant literature and builds a logical framework depicting the interrelationships between leadership and the contextual factors of societal culture and patrimonial behaviours in sub-Saharan Africa. The article concludes by outlining a future research agenda for leadership in sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In their recent article, Sawers and Stillwaggon critique the "concurrency hypothesis" on a number of grounds. In this commentary, I focus on one thread of their argument, pertaining to the evidence derived from modelling work. Their analysis focused on the foundational papers of Morris and Kretzschmar; here, I explore the research that has been conducted since then, which Sawers and Stillwaggon leave out of their review. I explain the methodological limitations that kept progress on the topic slow at first, and the various forms of methodological development that were pursued to overcome these. I then highlight recent modelling work that addresses the various limitations Sawers and Stillwaggon outline in their article. Collectively, this line of research provides considerable support for the modelling aspects of the concurrency hypothesis, and renders their critique of the literature incomplete and obsolete. It also makes clear that their call for "an end (or at least a moratorium) to research on sexual behaviour in Africa" that pertains to concurrency is unjustified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of the first study on secondary seed removal of seeds dispersed by Sykes' monkeys ( Cercopithecus albogularis) using camera traps in Africa. Patterns of primary seed dispersal are often superimposed by secondary conveyance, emphasising the need to study these secondary processes carefully. As the agents and mechanisms of seed dispersal are often concealed, being carried out by cryptic or nocturnal animals in dense vegetation, camera trapping was deemed a viable means to investigate secondary removal of seeds disseminated by C. albogularis in the Western Soutpansberg, South Africa. Camera traps were established at preferred feeding trees of the focal Sykes' monkey group to identify animal species that remove seeds and fruits spat and dropped to the forest floor and seed removal observations were carried out. This method proved to be effective in identifying seed removers and also allowed to get indications about the quantities of seeds removed. Ten animal species were recorded visiting the trees, of which eight were observed removing seeds and fruits. Overall seed and fruit removal rates were high, indicating that the foraging behaviour of C. albogularis attracts many terrestrial frugivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of proposed biofuel crops share the same traits as known invasive plant species, many of which are already present in Africa and include species such as Prosopis glandulosa Torrey (Mimosaceae), P. juliflora (Sw.) DC, Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit (Mimosaceae), Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (Meliaceae), and others. In this paper, we mainly assess the impacts of invasive Prosopis species in Africa, particularly in Kenya and South Africa. Introduced Prosopis species have invaded over 4 million hectares in Africa, threatening crop and pasture production, reducing underground water reserves, and displacing native plant and animal species. This has major implications for millions of people who depend on natural resources for their survival. It is therefore suggested that known invasive or potentially invasive plant species not be introduced to countries or regions for biofuel production. If (after a stringent cost-benefit analysis) the introduction of a potentially invasive species is deemed critical for economic development and the benefits clearly outweigh the potential costs, countries should endeavour to abide by the Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Biofuel Production developed by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric CO2 has more than doubled since the last glacial maximum (LGM) and could double again within this century, largely due to anthropogenic activity. It has been suggested that low [CO2] contributed to reduced tree cover in savanna and grassland biomes at LGM, and that increasing [CO2] over the last century promoted increases in woody plants in these ecosystems over the past few decades. Despite the implications of this idea for understanding global carbon cycle dynamics and key global role of the savanna biome, there are still very few experimental studies quantifying the effects of CO2 on tree growth and demography in savannas and grasslands. In this paper we present photosynthetic, growth and carbon allocation responses of African savanna trees ( Acacia karroo and Acacia nilotica) and a C4 grass, Themeda triandra, exposed to a gradient of CO2 concentrations from 180 (typical of LGM) to 1000 µmol mol−1 in open-top chambers in a glasshouse as a first empirical test of this idea. Photosynthesis, total stem length, total stem diameter, shoot dry weight and root dry weight of the acacias increased significantly across the CO2 gradient, saturating at higher CO2 concentrations. After clipping to simulate fire, plants showed an even greater response in total stem length, total stem diameter and shoot dry weight, signalling the importance of re-sprouting following disturbances such as fire or herbivory in savanna systems. Root starch (per unit root mass and total root starch per plant) increased steeply along the CO2 gradient, explaining the re-sprouting response. In contrast to the strong response of tree seedlings to the CO2 gradient, grass productivity showed little variation, even at low CO2 concentrations. These results suggest that CO2 has significant direct effects on tree recruitment in grassy ecosystems, influencing the ability of trees to recover from fire damage and herbivory. Fire and herbivore regimes that were effective in controlling tree increases in grassy ecosystems could thus be much less effective in a CO2-rich world, but field-based tests are needed to confirm this suggestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Savannas are characterized by a competitive tension between grasses and trees, and theoretical models illustrate how this competitive tension is influenced by resource availability, competition for these resources, and disturbances. How this universe of theoretical possibilities translates into the real world is, however, poorly understood. In this paper we indirectly parameterize a theoretical model of savanna dynamics with the aim of gaining insights as to how the grass-tree balance changes across a broad biogeographical gradient. We use data on the abundance of trees in African savannas and Markov chain Monte Carlo methods to estimate the model parameters. The analysis shows that grasses and trees can coexist over a broad range of rainfall regimes. Further, our results indicate that savannas may be regulated by either asymptotically stable dynamics (in the absence of fire) or by stable limit cycles (in the presence of fire). Rainfall does not influence which of these two classes of dynamics occurs. We conclude that, even though fire might not be necessary for grass-tree coexistence, it nonetheless is an important modifier of grass:tree ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family-based interventions with children who are aff ected by HIV and AIDS are not well established. The Collaborative HIV Prevention and Adolescent Mental Health Program (CHAMP) represents one of the few evidence-based interventions tested in low-income contexts in the US, Caribbean and South Africa. This paper provides a description of the theoretical and empirical bases of the development and implementation of CHAMP in two of these countries, the US and South Africa. In addition, with the advent of increasing numbers of children infected with HIV surviving into adolescence and young adulthood, a CHAMP+ family-based intervention, using the founding principles of CHAMP, has been developed to mitigate the risk infl uences associated with being HIV positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion that concurrent sexual partnerships are especially common in sub-Saharan Africa and explain the region's high HIV prevalence is accepted by many as conventional wisdom. In this paper, we evaluate the quantitative and qualitative evidence offered by the principal proponents of the concurrency hypothesis and analyze the mathematical model they use to establish the plausibility of the hypothesis. We find that research seeking to establish a statistical correlation between concurrency and HIV prevalence either finds no correlation or has important limitations. Furthermore, in order to simulate rapid spread of HIV, mathematical models require unrealistic assumptions about frequency of sexual contact, gender symmetry, levels of concurrency, and per-act transmission rates. Moreover, quantitative evidence cited by proponents of the concurrency hypothesis is unconvincing since they exclude Demographic and Health Surveys and other data showing that concurrency in Africa is low, make broad statements about non-African concurrency based on very few surveys, report data incorrectly, report data from studies that have no information about concurrency as though they supported the hypothesis, report incomparable data and cite unpublished or unavailable studies. Qualitative evidence offered by proponents of the hypothesis is irrelevant since, among other reasons, there is no comparison of Africa with other regions. Promoters of the concurrency hypothesis have failed to establish that concurrency is unusually prevalent in Africa or that the kinds of concurrent partnerships found in Africa produce more rapid spread of HIV than other forms of sexual behaviour. Policy makers should turn attention to drivers of African HIV epidemics that are policy sensitive and for which there is substantial epidemiological evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exclusive breastfeeding remains critical for child survival, potentially reducing childhood morbidity and mortality. In Uganda, 98% of children are ever breastfed, but exclusive breastfeeding levels remain low. Supporting mothers in breastfeeding exclusively can improve breastfeeding practices. This paper describes experiences of establishing individual peer counselling for exclusive breastfeeding in the Uganda site of the Promoting Infant Health and Nutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Safety and Efficacy of Exclusive Breastfeeding Promotion in the Era of HIV trial, and highlights some implications for scaling-up. Twelve women were identified by their communities, one from each of 12 clusters. They were trained for 6 days and followed up for 1 year while they counselled mothers. Their knowledge and attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding were assessed before and immediately after training, and also 10 months into peer counselling. Observations, field notes and records of interactions with peer counsellors were used to record experiences from this intervention. The communities were receptive to peer counselling and women participated willingly. After training and 10 months' follow-up, their knowledge and attitude to exclusive breastfeeding improved. All were retained in the study, and mothers accepted them in their homes. They checked for mothers several times if they missed them on the first attempt. Husbands and grandmothers played key roles in infant feeding decisions. Involving the communities in selection helped to identify reliable breastfeeding peer counsellors who were acceptable to mothers and were retained in the study. Other key issues to consider for scaling-up such interventions include training and follow up of peer counsellors, which led to improved knowledge and attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding (ClinicalTrials.gov no: NCT00397150). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to control malaria have been boosted in the past few years with increased international funding and greater political commitment. Consequently, the reported malaria burden is being reduced in a number of countries throughout the world, including in some countries in tropical Africa where the burden of malaria is greatest. These achievements have raised new hopes of eradicating malaria. This paper summarizes the outcomes of a World Health Organization’s expert meeting on the feasibility of such a goal. Given the hindsight and experience of the Global Malaria Eradication Programme of the 1950s and 1960s, and current knowledge of the effectiveness of antimalarial tools and interventions, it would be feasible to effectively control malaria in all parts of the world and greatly reduce the enormous morbidity and mortality of malaria. It would also be entirely feasible to eliminate malaria from countries and regions where the intensity of transmission is low to moderate, and where health systems are strong. Elimination of malaria requires a re-orientation of control activity, moving away from a population-based coverage of interventions, to one based on a programme of effective surveillance and response. Sustained efforts will be required to prevent the resurgence of malaria from where it is eliminated. Eliminating malaria from countries where the intensity of transmission is high and stable such as in tropical Africa will require more potent tools and stronger health systems than are available today. When such countries have effectively reduced the burden of malaria, the achievements will need to be consolidated before a programme re-orientation towards malaria elimination is contemplated. Malaria control and elimination are under the constant threat of the parasite and vector mosquito developing resistance to medicines and insecticides, which are the cornerstones of current antimalarial interventions. The prospects of malaria eradication, therefore, rest heavily on the outcomes of research and development for new and improved tools. Malaria control and elimination are complementary objectives in the global fight against malaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dung count method is widely used to estimate elephant numbers in forests. It was developed in the lowland forests of Central Africa but it is also used in Montane forests in eastern Africa. Using data collected on Mount Kenya and computer simulations, this paper explores the following issues associated with dung surveys in Montane forests: • High rainfall at 3000 m altitude on Mount Kenya was expected to accelerate dung pile decay but no significant difference was found between 3000 and 2500 m where less rain falls, possibly because high rainfall at 3000 m is counteracted by lower temperatures; • Physical obstacles make it difficult to walk long, straight transects in Montane forests. Deviating from a straight line pushes the distribution of distance measurements from dung piles to the transect centre line (pdist) towards a negative exponential (NE), which complicates data analysis and may give inaccurate estimates. Using short transects largely alleviate this problem; • Analysis of dung count simulations shows that the expected sightability curve of pdist pushes towards a NE with increasing numbers of obstacles blocking the view, even along perfectly straight transects; • Extrapolating measured dung density to map area on Mount Kenya resulted in an underestimate of c. 13%. An unstratified correction of map area to ground area for Montane areas would be biased because of the strong tendency for elephants to avoid steeply sloping areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inland fishery ecosystems in Africa are characterized by patterns of overexploitation, environmental degradation and exotic species introductions. Ecological complexity and diversity of aquatic habitats dictate that fishes in general are not evenly distributed in a water body. However, fisheries management regimes tend to ignore this basic principle, assume generalized conditions in a water body, and focus more on ‘desired’ objectives such as maximizing catch. The result is to disregard fish habitat boundaries and anthropogenic influences from the catchment that influence fish production. Overexploitation and environmental degradation disrupt sustainable socioeconomic benefits from the fisheries, create uncertainty among investors, but leave some managers calling for more information with the expectation that the fisheries will recover with time. Open access to the fisheries and full control of fishing effort remain challenges for managers. Exotic species introductions and fish farming can increase production, but such interventions require firm commitment to sound ecological principles and strict enforcement of recommended conservation and co-management measures in capture fisheries. The general tendency to downplay fishing effort issues, other ecosystem values and functions or rely on temperate fisheries models until a new cycle of overexploitation emerges, characterizes many management patterns in inland fisheries. Aquaculture is not an option to challenges in capture fisheries management. Aquaculture should be developed to increase fish production but even this practice may have negative environmental impacts depending on practice and scale. Decades of information on Lake Victoria fisheries trends and aquaculture development did not stop the collapse of native fisheries. The successfully introduced Nile perch ( Lates niloticus) has shown signs of overexploitation and aquaculture has again been considered as the option. By reviewing significant trends associated with Nile perch and its feasibility in aquaculture this paper uses Lake Victoria to illustrate ‘special interest management’ targeting selected species of fish rather than the fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a comment on the paper of Rudi Drent and colleagues on the plumage and timing of migration in bar-tailed godwits migrating northwards via the Netherlands from Africa to Siberia. Drent posits that the pale birds were "desperates" birds of low quality whose only opportunity to successfully breed was to arrive early on the breeding grounds. Inferences made regarding bird migrants from stopover sites without data from the initial fueling sites can result in doubtful conclusions. Although "risky desperates" may exist in migratory bird populations, there is no proof that they exist in bar-tailed godwits.

A simple ecological model underlies contemporary fire policy in many West African countries. The model holds that the timing (or seasonality) of annual savanna fires is a principal determinant of vegetation cover. The model's origin can be traced to the ideas held by influential colonial scientists who viewed anthropogenic fire as a prime force of regional environmental degradation. The main evidence in support of the model derives from the results of a series of long-term burning experiments carried out during last century. The experimental results have been repeatedly mapped onto fire policy often taking the form of a three-tiered model in which fire exclusion is considered the ultimate management objective, late dry-season fire is discouraged and early dry-season fire is allowed but only under specific, often state-controlled circumstances. This paper provides a critique of contemporary fire policy in the region and the fire ecology model on which it is based. Through an analysis of burn scars for the 2002–3 fire season generated from ETM+ imagery, the study documents the spatiotemporal pattern of burning for an area in southern Mali. It argues that current policy, which is informed by an a-spatial model, cannot adequately account for the critical pattern of burning that is characteristic of the region. A reinterpretation of the burning experiments is presented in light of four factors: empirical data; recent developments in patch-mosaic theory; historical evidence on the effects of fire suppression; and data on indigenous burning strategies, all of which suggest a need to reconsider current fire policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asteraceae are the largest family in southern Africa. Elucidating its origins and radiation in the region requires well-supported species-level phylogerms of the lineages. This paper presents a phylogenetic framework for subtribe Arctotidinae, which hose a southern and eastern African-Australian distribution centered in the winter-rainfall region of South Africa. DNA sequence data from five chloroplast fragments (ndhF, pshA-trnH, rps16, trnS-trnfM, and trnT-trnF) and the nuclear ITS region were analyzed separately and in combination using parsimony and Bayesian methods. The data sets comprised exemplars from 18 ingroup species, representing the five currently accepted genera, and four outgroup species thorn Gorteriinae. All analyses indicated Arctotis and Haplocarpha are polyphylelic as presently circumscribed. The Australian-endemic Cymbonotus lawsonianus was placed within a strongly supported elide also containing A. arctotoides from South Africa and H. schimperi from eastern Africa. Retention of Dymondia and resurrection of Landtia at generic level are strongly supported. The phylogenetic hypotheses indicate the subtribe might have originated in temperate southern or eastern Africa, or it was ancestrally widespread in southern Africa and has diversified vicariously. The derived placement of C. lawsonianus indicates long-distance dispersal from southern Africa to Australia occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to examine the relationships between body size, biomic specialization and range size in the African large mammals, which are defined as all the African species corresponding to the orders Primates, Carnivora, Proboscidea, Perissodactyla, Hyracoidea, Tubulidentata, Artiodactyla and Pholidota. The study used the large mammal assemblage from Africa. The degree of biomic specialization of African large mammals is investigated using the biomic specialization index (BSI) for each mammal species, based on the number of biomes it inhabits. Range size for each species is measured as the latitudinal extent of the geographical distribution of the species. We have analysed our data using both conventional cross-species analyses and phylogenetically independent contrasts. There is a polygonal relationship between species biomic specialization and body size. While small and large species are biomic specialists, medium-sized species are distributed along the whole range of biomic specialization. The latitudinal extent–body size relationship is approximately triangular. Small-bodied species may have either large or small ranges, whereas large-bodied ones have only large ranges. A positive correlation between latitudinal extent and biomic specialization is evident, although their relationship is better described as triangular. We found a polygonal relationship between species biomic specialization and body size, which agrees with previous arguments that small-bodied species have more limited dispersal and, therefore, they may come to occupy a lesser proportion of their potential inhabitable biomes. On the other hand, large-bodied species are constrained to inhabit biomes with a high productivity. A polygonal relationship between species latitudinal extent and body size in African large mammals agrees with previous studies of the relationship between range size and body size in other continents. The independent study of the macroecological pattern in biomic specialization highlights different factors that influence the body size–range size relationship. Although body size is usually implicated as a correlate of both specialization and geographical range size in large mammals, much of the variation in these variables cannot be attributed to size differences but to biome specific factors such as productivity, area, history, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Malaria risk maps have re-emerged as an important tool for appropriately targeting the limited resources available for malaria control. In Sub-Saharan Africa empirically derived maps using standardized criteria are few and this paper considers the development of a model of malaria risk for East Africa.Methods: Statistical techniques were applied to high spatial resolution remotely sensed, human settlement and land-use data to predict the intensity of malaria transmission as defined according to the childhood parasite ratio (PR) in East Africa. Discriminant analysis was used to train environmental and human settlement predictor variables to distinguish between four classes of PR risk shown to relate to disease outcomes in the region.Results: Independent empirical estimates of the PR were identified from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda (n = 330). Surrogate markers of climate recorded on-board earth orbiting satellites, population settlement, elevation and water bodies all contributed significantly to the predictive models of malaria transmission intensity in the sub-region. The accuracy of the model was increased by stratifying East Africa into two ecological zones. In addition, the inclusion of urbanization as a predictor of malaria prevalence, whilst reducing formal accuracy statistics, nevertheless improved the consistency of the predictive map with expert opinion malaria maps. The overall accuracy achieved with ecological zone and urban stratification was 62% with surrogates of precipitation and temperature being among the most discriminating predictors of the PR.Conclusions: It is possible to achieve a high degree of predictive accuracy for Plasmodium falciparum parasite prevalence in East Africa using high-spatial resolution environmental data. However, discrepancies were evident from mapped outputs from the models which were largely due to poor coverage of malaria training data and the comparable spatial resolution of predictor data. These deficiencies will only be addressed by more random, intensive small areas studies of empirical estimates of PR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outside of the humid tropics, abiotic factors are generally considered the dominant regulators of decomposition, and biotic influences are frequently not considered in predicting decomposition rates. In this study, I examined the effect of termite assemblage composition and abundance on decomposition of wood litter of an indigenous species (Crown megalobotrys) in five terrestrial habitats of the highly seasonal semiarid Okavango Delta region of northern Botswana, to determine whether natural variation in decomposer community composition and abundance influences decomposition rates. I conducted the study in two areas, Xudum and Santawani, with the Xudum study preceding the Santawani study. I assessed termite assemblage composition and abundance using a grid of survey baits (rolls of toilet paper) placed on the soil surface and checked 2-4 times/month. I placed a billet (a section of wood litter) next to each survey bait and measured decomposition in a plot by averaging the mass loss of its billets; Decomposition rates varied up to sixfold among plots within the same habitat and locality, despite the fact that these plots experienced the same climate. In addition, billets decomposed significantly faster during the cooler and drier Santawani study, contradicting climate-based predictions. Because termite incidence was generally higher in Santawani plots, termite abundance initially seemed a likely determinant of decomposition in this system. However, no significant effect of termite incidence on billet mass loss rates was observed among the Xudum plots, where decomposition rates remained low even though termite incidence varied considerably. Considering the incidences of fungus-growing termites and non-fungus-growing termites separately resolves this apparent contradiction: in both Santawani and Xudum, only fungus-growing termites play a significant role in decomposition. This result is mirrored in an analysis of the full data set of combined Xudum and Santawani data. The determination that natural variation in the abundance of a single taxonomic group of soil fauna, a termite subfamily, determines almost all observed variation in decomposition rates supports the emerging view that biotic influences may be important in many biomes and that consideration of decomposer community composition and abundance may be critical for accurate prediction of decomposition rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential migration is a widespread, but poorly understood, phenomenon in birds. In this paper, we present the first detailed field study of differential migration in the Old World warbler (Sylviidae) family. We studied two chiffchaffPhylloscopus[collybita] semispecies: the common chiffchaffP.[c.]collybitaand the Iberian chiffchaffP.[c.]ibericus. Using data collected at several latitudes in Europe and Africa, we present convincing evidence for differential distance migration of sexes in chiffchaffs, with females moving further than males. Interestingly, while there was a pronounced gradient in the sex-ratios in Europe and North Africa (with an increasing proportion of females with declining latitude), no clear pattern was found south of the Sahara, where sex-ratios were more male-biased than predicted by a simple latitude model. This suggests that, amongst the chiffchaffs wintering in West Africa, a large proportion is composed by Iberian birds, and provides support to previous suggestions that Iberian chiffchaffs are long distance migrants. Results from detailed studies in Senegal also show that chiffchaffs display differential timing of spring migration, with males leaving the winter quarters considerably earlier than females. The results are discussed in the framework of the three main (non-mutually exclusive) hypotheses attempting to explain the latitudinal segregation of the sexes. Given the relative failure of standard comparative studies to discriminate between competing single-factor hypotheses to explain differential migration, it is argued that the chiffchaff species complex might be particularly suited to study this issue using a new approach suggested by: detailed (further) comparisons between closely related species (such as the common and the Iberian chiffchaffs) could help identifying the key factors to be incorporated into optimality models that can predict relative distance of migration of different sex or age classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widespread coverage of vulnerable populations with insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) constitutes an important component of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) strategy to control malaria. The Abuja Targets call for 60% coverage of children under 5 years of age and pregnant women by 2005; but current coverage in Africa is unacceptably low. The RBM‘Strategic Framework for Coordinated National Action in Scaling-up Insecticide-Treated Netting Programmes in Africa’ promotes coordinated national action and advocates sustained public provision of targeted subsidies to maximise public health benefits, alongside support and stimulation of the private sector. Several countries have already planned or initiated targeted subsidy schemes either on a pilot scale or on a national scale, and have valuable experience which can inform future interventions. The WHO RBM‘Workshop on mapping models for delivering ITNs through targeted subsidies’ held in Zambia in 2003 provided an opportunity to share and document these country experiences. This paper brings together experiences presented at the workshop with other information on experiences of targeting subsidies on ITNs, net treatment kits and retreatment services (ITN products) in order to describe alternative approaches, highlight their similarities and differences, outline lessons learnt, and identify gaps in knowledge. We find that while there is a growing body of knowledge on different approaches to targeting ITN subsidies, there are significant gaps in knowledge in crucial areas. Key questions regarding how best to target, how much it will cost and what outcomes (levels of coverage) to expect remain unanswered. High quality, well-funded monitoring and evaluation of alternative approaches to targeting ITN subsidies is vital to develop a knowledge base so that countries can design and implement effective strategies to target ITN subsidies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large parts of Africa are prone to malaria epidemics. Advance epidemic warning would give health services an opportunity to prepare. Because malaria transmission is largely limited by climate, climate-based epidemic warning systems are a real possibility. To develop and test such a system, good long-term malaria and climate data are needed. In KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, 30 years of confirmed malaria case data provide a unique opportunity to examine short- and long-term trends. We analysed seasonal case totals and seasonal changes in cases (both log-transformed) against a range of climatic indicators obtained from three weather stations in the highest malaria incidence districts, using linear regression analysis. Seasonal changes in case numbers (delta log cases, dlc) were significantly associated with several climate variables. The two most significant ones were mean maximum daily temperatures from January to October of the preceding season (n = 30,r2 = 0.364,P = 0.0004) and total rainfall during the current summer months of November–March (n = 30,r2 = 0.282,P = 0.003). These two variables, when entered into the same regression model, together explained 49.7% of the total variation in dlc. We found no evidence of association between case totals and climate. In KZN, where malaria control operations are intense, climate appears to drive the interannual variation of malaria incidence, but not its overall level. The accompanying paper provides evidence that overall levels are associated with non-climatic factors such as drug resistance and possibly HIV prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim This paper reports the diversity and endemism patterns of African ferns, and explores the potential role of diversity refuges and environmental and historical factors in the shaping of these patterns. Material and locations The extant fern taxa occupying Africa south of the Sahara, Madagascar and some islands of the South Atlantic. Methods The number of taxa in each area or operational geographical unit (OGU) was scored, and the correlation between this number and physical and climatic variables analysed by standard pairwise and stepwise multiple regression analysis (SPR and SMR). The effects of biological factors such as dispersal capacity, reproductive biology, genetic features and certain physiological adaptations were evaluated by comparing the number of species in each OGU. Floral affinities among OGUs were analysed using non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (NMS) and parsimonic analysis of dispersion (PAD), and compared with 13-turnover and inter-OGU distances. Results OGU area, elevation and the distance between refuges determined the composition of local floras, but only greater OGU area and the existence of higher maximum elevations increased species richness. The distance between refuges also affected the number of endemic species, especially on islands. The biological features studied only slightly influenced fern distribution. The main climatic predictor of species number was humidity. SPR and SMR revealed three main groups of ferns with different ecological trends. NMS and PAD analyses separated the four areas of highest diversity in Africa, three of which are inhabited by ferns with distinct ecological requirements. The fourth area was Madagascar, which shows an accumulation of endemic and relict diversity that is not easy to explain. Main conclusions The distribution of ferns in Africa has been influenced by refuges. These probably allowed many species to recolonize the neighbouring areas after the extinctions of the Pleistocene. Three major components were detected in the African flora: Guinea-Congolian thermophilous, cold-tolerant Afro-montane, and Southern drought-tolerant elements. These are related to the three main refuge areas, i.e. the Gulf of Guinea area, the eastern tropical region, and the Cape region. Endemicity in ferns was found to be lower than that of seed plants due to the higher dispersability of fern spores. The distance between OGUs seems to be the main predictor of the number of endemic fern species these areas contain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]