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Abstract Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a critical tool for safeguarding marine species and habitats for the future, though the effects of projected climate change raise concerns about their long-term success. Assessing the degree to which MPAs may be exposed to future novel climatic conditions is, therefore, crucial for informing conservation and management actions aimed at ensuring a resilient and thriving ocean in the years to come. Here, we evaluate the future exposure of 398 threatened and commercially important species to novel and extremely novel climatic conditions within European MPAs. We estimated climate novelty through multivariate analyses considering biologically meaningful distribution drivers of temperature, oxygen, pH, and primary productivity from present-day to the end of the 21st-century conditions under contrasting shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP) scenarios—low emission scenario (SSP1–1.9) and high emission scenario (SSP5–8.5). Our findings suggest that, under SSP1–1.9, ~6.5% of species and 0.5% of European MPAs will be at risk due to future novel conditions. In contrast, under SSP5–8.5, 87% of MPAs and 80% of species are projected to be at risk. Notably, up to 100% of species currently located in the MPAs of enclosed and semi-enclosed seas like the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea are projected to be exposed to novel or even extremely novel conditions. Virtually all species in most of those regions will be at risk, suggesting that even new MPAs might not be able to adequately protect them. Comparatively, the Norwegian Sea, North-East Atlantic, and western parts of the Mediterranean and North Seas are expected to be less impacted even under the high emission scenario. Overall, our study advances the understanding of the potential impacts of future climate change scenarios on threatened and commercially important marine species in European MPAs and reinforces the urgent need to meet the Paris Agreement. Our results suggest that existing approaches to marine governance in Europe may be insufficient for ensuring the success of MPAs in light of future impacts and that novel anticipatory forms of governance are needed.

Australia’s endemic flatback turtle Natator depressus is the focus of a long-term conservation program aimed at securing the persistence of healthy populations in the northwest of Australia into the future. Primary threats to flatback turtles include (1) sea level rise, (2) predation from introduced species, (3) temperature increases, (4) onshore and nearshore light, (5) marine debris, and (6) modification to beaches. Population declines resulting from these threats have been reported or are anticipated, and a range of intervention options are possible that may limit their negative impact. Following methods previously developed and applied to iconic marine species and habitats, we generated a range of intervention options, and asked experts to prioritise those actions using an intervention prioritisation tool (IPT) and the public to prioritise based on social acceptability assessment (SAS). The IPT allows different conservation interventions to be assessed based on their economic cost, implementation feasibility, social acceptability, and perceived effectiveness in maintaining or increasing future turtle populations while simultaneously accounting for expert confidence in their assessment. Results generated by the IPT and SAS can be explored further to resolve uncertainty, a process that can help managers and experts alike in their decision-making process associated with flatback conservation. While this paper is focused on interventions relating to flatback turtles, we propose that our IPT can be applied in different settings to enable consideration of interventions for a range of threatened species and habitats to guide research and conservation investment decisions by managers.

Sea turtles worldwide face a range of threats including sea level rise and warming associated with climate change, predation by invasive species, plastic and light pollution, coastal development, and human interference. Conservation managers have a long history of aiding sea turtle populations, from protecting nests to head-starting hatchlings. Due to these challenges faced by turtles, there is a constant focus on assessing the likely success of proposed conservation interventions to help inform decision-making processes. We develop an age-based, spatially implicit population model for the north-west shelf stock of Australia’s endemic flatback turtle Natator depressus that estimates the long-term outcomes of a range of onshore and offshore conservation interventions. Analysis of the model shows that young adults contribute most to population growth (i.e. have highest expected future reproductive success); however, this is often the most difficult life stage to manipulate in the field. Observable outcomes of interventions are often delayed for many years, especially for on shore activities (e.g. protecting eggs and hatchlings), due to late age to maturity. The potential impact of warming-induced female bias on population dynamics was also investigated. Although such bias increases population growth rates in the short term, negative effects of the bias (e.g. reduced female mating success) and negative environmental effects (e.g. reduced survival rates, habitat loss) can lead to sustained declines. Population models can rapidly assess climate change and conservation impacts on turtle dynamics and can guide monitoring efforts for real-world application.

Summary: Systematic approaches to evidence synthesis can improve the rigor, transparency, and replicability of a literature review. However, these systematic approaches are resource intensive. We evaluate the ability of ChatGPT to undertake two stages of evidence syntheses (searching peer-reviewed literature and screening for relevance) and develop a collaborative framework to leverage both human and AI intelligence. Using a scoping review of community-based fisheries management as a case study, we find that with substantial prompting, the AI can provide critical insight into the construction and content of a search string. Thereafter, we evaluate five strategies for synthesizing AI output to screen articles based on predefined inclusion criteria. We find that low omission rates (

Sea turtles are facing significant threats, including anthropogenic warming, predation from feral animals, and sea level rise. While a range of intervention options are available, resource constraints and increasing time pressures means managers face the difficult task of prioritising options. To achieve successful conservation outcomes, managers are increasingly seeking to understand the social acceptability, as well as biological plausibility and economic feasibility, of these intervention options. Previous studies have used expert opinion as predictors of social acceptability, given their technical knowledge and experience implementing the interventions; however, the assumption that the social acceptability of interventions is the same for both the general public and experts is largely untested. We tested this assumption using surveys to assess the social acceptability of 24 interventions proposed for a population of flatback turtles Natator depressus in northwest Australia. Survey responses were collected from community members (residents) and experts (resource managers and researchers). Experts were asked to provide their own opinion of acceptability and how they perceived community members would rate intervention options. In general, residents ranked interventions that directly intervene with human behaviour or the environment as more acceptable than those that directly target turtles, while experts tended to favour direct turtle interventions. Experts incorrectly predicted that the community would not be influenced by the target of the intervention. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding social acceptability of interventions before implementation to inform management decisions and engagement and communication strategies, particularly when interventions might be controversial or restrict human behaviour directly.

Introduction Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most common serious movement disorder in the world, affecting about 1% of adults older than 60 years. The disease is attributed to selective loss of neurons in the substantia nigra, and its cause is enigmatic in most individuals. Patients with PD display both motor and non-motor symptoms. For some patients, the non-motor symptoms are more bothersome than the motor symptoms. One of the most common non-motor symptoms of PD is depression. Objectives Treatment of depression with antidepressant drugs is well established. In the last 20 years use of antidepressant has risen mainly due to the introduction of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Our primary aim was to demonstrate an improvement in depressive symptoms in patients who started treatment with vortioxetine. A secondary aim was to show those who was successfully treated with vortioxetine but was unresponsive to paroxetine and escitalopram without worsening the extrapyramidal symptoms of PD. Methods In collaboration with the Department of Neurology, we included patients who are being treated for Parkinson’s disease and who meet the criteria for depressive disorder after a psychiatric examination. We divided the patients into two groups: those who had not previously taken any antidepressant drugs and those who were already on therapy with paroxetine and escitalopram but without the expected therapeutic response. All patients were prescribed vortioxetine in their treatment, and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) was determined during their first meeting with the psychiatrist, and then again after 6 weeks of taking the medication. Also, we used Mini mental state examination (MMSE) to measure cognitive impairment.Our primary outcome measure was the number of patients in each treatment group who responded to treatment. Response was defined as the proportion of patients who had a reduction of at least 50% from the baseline score on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) Results Our primary outcome measure was the number of patients in each treatment group who responded to treatment. Response was defined as the proportion of patients who had a reduction of at least 50% from the baseline score on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) Conclusions In our research, vortioxetine has proven to be effective in treating depressive symptoms without worsening Parkinson’s disease, unlike paroxetine and escitalopram, which resulted in partial effects. Disclosure of Interest None Declared

Human-induced climate change is a threat to marine species and ecosystems worldwide, including sea turtles. As climate changes are projected to intensify, directed management and intervention is required to safeguard the future of vulnerable species and ecosystems. Prioritisation tools that explore the cost-benefit-risk can help in the choice of interventions. However, an often-overlooked element underpinning the success of directed interventions is the extent to which they are perceived as acceptable by local communities (i.e. social acceptability). We assess the social acceptability for a range of adaptation interventions for flatback turtles Natator depressus (FBTs) in north-western Australia. A survey of residents in Port Hedland and Broome showed that FBTs are important to the identity of both towns and local FBT decline or extinction would have negative local social and economic impacts. In both locations, survey respondents expressed strong support for intervening to protect FBTs and there was broad agreement between respondents from both locations on the most and least acceptable interventions. For example, in both locations the most acceptable intervention was to restrict 4-wheel-drive beach access for locals and visitors and the least acceptable was to intervene genetically in the FBT populations. In the case of FBT conservation in Port Hedland and Broome, (1) interventions that limit human behaviour, as opposed to interfering with the species themselves, are likely to be most socially acceptable, and therefore (2) are also most likely to be implemented successfully and avoid conflicts within the community.

Abstract In civil society we expect that policy and management decisions will be made using the best available evidence. Yet, it is widely known that there are many barriers that limit the extent to which that occurs. One way to overcome these barriers is via robust, comprehensive, transparent and repeatable evidence syntheses (such as systematic reviews) that attempt to minimize various forms of bias to present a summary of existing knowledge for decision-making purposes. Relative to other disciplines (e.g., health care, education), such evidence-based decision-making remains relatively nascent for environment management despite major threats to humanity, such as the climate, pollution and biodiversity crises demonstrating that human well-being is inextricably linked to the biophysical environment. Fortunately, there are a growing number of environmental evidence syntheses being produced that can be used by decision makers. It is therefore an opportune time to reflect on the science and practice of evidence-based decision-making in environment management to understand the extent to which evidence syntheses are embraced and applied in practice. Here we outline a number of key questions related to the use of environmental evidence that need to be explored in an effort to enhance evidence-based decision-making. There is an urgent need for research involving methods from social science, behavioural sciences, and public policy to understand the basis for patterns and trends in environmental evidence use (or misuse or ignorance). There is also a need for those who commission and produce evidence syntheses, as well as the end users of these syntheses to reflect on their experiences and share them with the broader evidence-based practice community to identify needs and opportunities for advancing the entire process of evidence-based practice. It is our hope that the ideas shared here will serve as a roadmap for additional scholarship that will collectively enhance evidence-based decision-making and ultimately benefit the environment and humanity.

ABSTRACTAs humanity pushes deeper into the Anthropocene, Social-Ecological Systems (SESs) across the world are facing mounting pressures. Managing, protecting and understanding these systems require research into their complex and interlinked nature. One area that has been met with increased research in recent times is Sense of Place (SoP), broadly defined as the emotional bond that people have with a ‘place’. There has been substantial growth in the number of studies seeking to understand and quantify SoP across different contexts to help integrate it into decision-making processes. This targeted scoping review aims to explore the environmental literature for examples of applied studies that measure SoP in social-ecological contexts with a focus on how SoP has been quantified and measured. Our results show a growing body of literature as well as a number of clear knowledge gaps. The majority of studies to date have focussed on the Global North (accounting for 79% of the published papers), particularly the USA and Australia, with the distribution of authors closely mirroring this same pattern. Marine and freshwater ecosystems were understudied in comparison to terrestrial ecosystems. Mixed methods were most commonly used to collect data, with interviews and surveys being the most common instruments. Further research into why SoP is being measured is required, but preliminary investigations indicate there is a perceived applicability to policy and planning. We explore these findings and identify research directions.

Knowledge co-production (KCP) is presented as an effective strategy to inform responses to complex coastal and marine social-ecological challenges. Co-production processes are further posited to improve research and decision outcomes in a wide range of problem contexts (e.g., biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation), for example, by facilitating social learning among diverse actors. As such, KCP processes are increasingly centered in global environment initiatives such as the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. However, KCP is not a panacea, and much uncertainty remains about its emergence and implementation, in particular, the manner in which broader governance contexts determine the interplay of knowledge, power, and decision-making. Three objectives guide our analysis: (1) to interrogate more fully the interplay among social relations of power, knowledge production practices, and the (colonial) governance contexts in which they are embedded; (2) to consider the challenges and limitations of KCP in particular places by drawing attention to key governance themes and their implications for achieving better outcomes; and (3) to work toward a fuller understanding of “deep KCP” that cautions against a tendency to view knowledge processes in coastal and marine governance settings as an instrumental or techno-managerial problem. A qualitative and reflective approach was used to examine multiple dimensions of the interplay of KCP, governance, and power in several marine and coastal contexts, including Canada, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. In particular, our analysis highlights the importance of: (1) recognizing diverse motivations that frame co-production processes; (2) the manner in which identities, positionality, and values influence and are influenced by governance contexts; (3) highlighting governance capacity with respect to spatial and temporal constraints; (4) institutional reforms necessary for KCP and the links to governance; and (5) the relationship between knowledge sharing, data sovereignty, and governance. We seek to encourage those involved in or considering co-production initiatives to engage carefully and critically in these processes and make co-production more than a box to tick.

Cultivating a more dynamic relationship between science and policy is essential for responding to complex social challenges such as sustainability. One approach to doing so is to "span the boundaries" between science and decision making and create a more comprehensive and inclusive knowledge exchange process. The exact definition and role of boundary spanning, however, can be nebulous. Indeed, boundary spanning often gets conflated and confused with other approaches to connecting science and policy, such as science communication, applied science, and advocacy, which can hinder progress in the field of boundary spanning. To help overcome this, in this perspective, we present the outcomes from a recent workshop of boundary-spanning practitioners gathered to (1) articulate a definition of what it means to work at this interface ("boundary spanning") and the types of activities it encompasses; (2) present a value proposition of these efforts to build better relationships between science and policy; and (3) identify opportunities to more effectively mainstream boundary-spanning activities. Drawing on our collective experiences, we suggest that boundary spanning has the potential to increase the efficiency by which useful research is produced, foster the capacity to absorb new evidence and perspectives into sustainability decision-making, enhance research relevance for societal challenges, and open new policy windows. We provide examples from our work that illustrate this potential. By offering these propositions for the value of boundary spanning, we hope to encourage a more robust discussion of how to achieve evidence-informed decision-making for sustainability.

Summary: The importance of understanding the complexities of societal relationships with our global ocean, and how these influence sustainable management and effective, equitable governance, is crucial to addressing ocean challenges. Using established horizon scanning method, this paper explores current trends in marine social sciences through a survey of the global marine social science research and practitioner community (n = 106). We find that marine social sciences research is broad, covering themes relating to governance and decision-making, stakeholder participation and engagement, the socio-cultural dimensions of marine systems, ocean literacy, community-based and area-specific management, and the blue economy, and identify future research priorities highlighted by the community. Our results, however, suggest several barriers persist, including the relationship between marine social sciences and other disciplines, and the visibility and recognition of marine social sciences both internal and external to academia. Finally, the paper generates prospective thinking and highlights recommendations for future research and practice.

Many current marine conservation approaches do not adequately consider the diverse social elements and human aspects necessary to achieve conservation outcomes. The results of conservation research are therefore not always useful for conservation managers to apply in practice. To address this gap, this study combines qualitative methods and quantitative social network analysis to help conservation managers gain in-depth insight into social elements of marine conservation and opportunities that can help achieve conservation outcomes. Specifically, using the North West Shelf Flatback Turtle Conservation Program as a case study, our analysis shows that 1) a stakeholder’s position in the turtle conservation network is not the sole or best indicator of their leadership potential to achieve conservation outcomes, 2) peripheral stakeholders are also important for trust, decision-making, and future success, 3) mixed-methods can identify additional opportunities to maintain and further build trust and influence between diverse stakeholders 4) building relationships to support conservation outcomes is accomplished by leveraging stakeholders’ roles in the conservation program. By identifying who has influence and who needs to be involved in marine conservation to achieve success, this study demonstrates the value of mixed-methods research approaches. Specifically, our findings show how social network approaches can help conservation managers and stakeholders strategically build communication and engagement strategies that can be used to achieve conservation outcomes.

Focusing on the work of a group of Croatian i.e. Yugoslav architects in Ghana, the paper explains the nature of technical cooperation as a model of temporary international contract work in relation to the specificities of the environment built consequently. It focuses on the engagement of Miro Marasović as the head of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Development Office from 1961 to 1964. As its contextual framework, the paper addresses bilateral technical cooperation as a form of international communication and exchange, the practices of the Non-Aligned Movement, and the interrelations of the pre- and post-independence generation of modern architecture in Africa.

Research funders can play an important role in supporting the integration of marine science into policy and practice to enable evidence-informed decision-making. However, to date, there is a paucity of guidance available to help research funders understand the specific actions they can take to support knowledge exchange among the researchers that they fund and relevant stakeholders, particularly within marine contexts. This Brief Research Report aims to begin to fill this gap through an in-depth case study of the Lenfest Ocean Program (LOP). Specifically, through qualitative interviews with 32 participants across eight LOP funded research projects (i.e., case studies) we sought to: (i) understand the types of impacts that have resulted from the LOP funded research, (ii) determine which activities undertaken by the LOP enabled funded research projects to achieve these impacts, and (iii) synthesize findings to articulate the core lessons that have emerged from our examination of these research projects. Results show that the concept of “research impact” is complex and can be interpreted in a number of ways including: (i) raising awareness of research among end-users, (ii) development and expansion of social networks, (iii) the provision of information to decision-makers, (iv) the development of decision-support tools, and (v) a direct contribution to policy change. We highlight the ways by which the LOP has supported the attainment of these impacts, as well as 10 general considerations that research funders should consider when seeking to enhance the impact of the research that they fund on marine policy and practice.

Abstract Background In recent decades, financial investment has been made in health-related programs and services to overcome inequities and improve Indigenous people’s wellbeing in Australia and New Zealand. Despite policies aiming to ‘close the gap’, limited evaluation evidence has informed evidence-based policy and practice. Indigenous leaders have called for evaluation stakeholders to align their practices with Indigenous approaches. Methods This study aimed to strengthen culturally safe evaluation practice in Indigenous settings by engaging evaluation stakeholders, in both countries, in a participatory concept mapping study. Concept maps for each country were generated from multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. Results The 12-cluster Australia map identifies four cluster regions: An Evaluation Approach that Honours Community; Respect and Reciprocity; Core Heart of the Evaluation; and Cultural Integrity of the Evaluation. The 11-cluster New Zealand map identifies four cluster regions: Authentic Evaluation Practice; Building Māori Evaluation Expertise; Integrity in Māori Evaluation; and Putting Community First. Both maps highlight the importance of cultural integrity in evaluation. Differences include the distinctiveness of the ‘Respecting Language Protocols’ concept in the Australia map in contrast to language being embedded within the cluster of ‘Knowing Yourself as an Evaluator in a Māori Evaluation Context’ in the New Zealand map. Participant ratings highlight the importance of all clusters with some relatively more difficult to achieve, in practice. Notably, the ‘Funding Responsive to Community Needs and Priorities’ and ‘Translating Evaluation Findings to Benefit Community’ clusters were rated the least achievable, in Australia. The ‘Conduct of the Evaluation’ and the ‘Prioritising Māori Interests’ clusters were rated as least achievable in New Zealand. In both countries, clusters of strategies related to commissioning were deemed least achievable. Conclusions The results suggest that the commissioning of evaluation is crucial as it sets the stage for whether evaluations: reflect Indigenous interests, are planned in ways that align with Indigenous ways of working and are translated to benefit Indigenous communities Identified strategies align with health promotion principles and relational accountability values of Indigenous approaches to research. These findings may be relevant to the commissioning and conduct of Indigenous health program evaluations in developed nations.