Suchergebnisse

Modern slavery is a growing concern within the developmental space. There are an estimated 40.3 million people subjected to experiences of modern slavery according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), with 15-30% of those being linked to environmental activities (e.g., fishing, agriculture, forestry, mining and quarrying). The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outline the need for both the ending of modern slavery (SDG target 8.7) and the protection of forest environments (SDG 15.2). Present thoughts around linking these two seemingly disparate social-ecological issues is beginning to draw the bi-directional links between modern slavery and the environment within the framing of the modern slavery-environmental degradation-climate change nexus. In addressing the nexus, forest environments have been at the forefront of our understanding due to the many reported links between modern slavery and deforestation. This chapter outlines the connections between modern slavery and deforestation, highlighting those issues that are faced by communities, within and close to the natural resources protected by the forest, and solutions for the protection of both people and nature. A review of the previous literature and commonalities within both the antislavery and environmental literatures are drawn together to provide insight into the current knowledge, and additional understanding into the novel applications of methods to assess the nexus. The modern slavery-deforestation connection is outlined in detailed for four different sectors and geographies, demonstrating the scope of the co-occurrence: cattle ranching in Brazil, illegal logging in Russia, palm oil plantations in Southeast Asia, and mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.Finally, a call for action is made which addresses the need for cooperation and collaboration between environmental and conservation organisations, and those which work to address modern slavery. The risks posed from deforestation are inherently linked to the vulnerabilities of ...

The most recent Global Slavery Index estimates that there are 40.3 million people enslaved globally. The UN's Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Goal number 8, section 8.7 specifically refers to the issue of forced labour: ending modern slavery and human trafficking, including child labour, in all forms by 2025. Although there is a global political commitment to ending slavery, one of the biggest barriers to doing so is having reliable and timely, spatially explicit and scalable data on slavery activity. The lack of these data compromises evidence-based action and policy formulation. Thus, to meet the challenge of ending modern slavery new and innovative approaches, with an emphasis on efficient use of resources (including financial) are needed. This paper demonstrates the fundamental role of remote sensing as a source of evidence. We provide an estimate of the number of brick kilns across the 'Brick Belt' that runs across south Asia. This is important because these brick kilns are known sites of modern-day slavery. This paper reports the first rigorous estimate of the number of brick kilns present and does so using a robust method that can be easily adopted by key agencies for evidence-based action (i.e. NGOs etc) and is based on freely available and accessible remotely sensed data. From this estimate we can not only calculate the scale of the slavery problem in the Brick Belt, but also calculate the impact of slavery beyond that of the enslaved people themselves, on, for example, environmental change and impacts on ecosystem services – this links to other Sustainable Development Goals. As the process of achieving key Sustainable Development Goal targets will show, there are global benefits to ending slavery - this will mean a better world for everyone: safer, greener, more prosperous, and more equal. This is termed here a Freedom Dividend.

Abstract Context Carnaby's (Calyptorhychus latirostris), Baudin's (Calyptorhynchus baudinii) and forest red-tailed black cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus banksii naso) are threatened parrot species endemic to south-western Australia. Behavioural monitoring has previously involved direct observation, which has proven challenging because of their cryptic nature, the type of habitat they move through and their speed of movement. The development of a model to accurately classify behaviour from tri-axial accelerometer data will provide greater insight into black cockatoo behaviour and ecology. Aims To develop an automated classifier model to classify accelerometer data from released black cockatoos to determine behaviour and activity budgets for three species of black cockatoo. Methods In the present study, we attached tri-axial accelerometers, housed in GPS tags, to four Carnaby's cockatoos, three forest red-tailed black cockatoos and two Baudin's cockatoos in captive care, undergoing rehabilitation for release back to the wild. Accelerometer data from these birds was coupled with 19 video files of the birds' behaviour when flying, feeding and resting, to develop an automated behaviour classifier. The classifier was then used to annotate accelerometer data from 15 birds released after successful rehabilitation and to calculate activity budgets for these birds post-release. Key results We developed a classifier able to identify resting, flying and foraging behaviours from accelerometer data with 86% accuracy, as determined by the percentage of observed behaviours correctly identified by the classifier. The application of the classifier to accelerometer data from 15 released cockatoos enabled us to determine behaviours and activity budgets for all three species of black cockatoo. Black cockatoos spent most of their time at rest, followed by foraging with a short period of time flying. Conclusions Application of the classifier to data from released birds gives researchers the ability to remotely identify patterns of behaviour and calculate activity budgets. Implications Combining behaviour and activity budgets with location data provides useful insight into cockatoo movement, distribution, and habitat use. Such information is important for informing conservation efforts and addressing outstanding research objectives. Further studies including larger sample sizes of Baudin's and forest red-tailed black cockatoos and comparing behaviour and activity between birds in breeding and non-breeding areas are warranted.

Context Chlamydia species impose major global burdens on both human and animal health. However, chlamydial infections of wild rodents have been understudied, posing limitations on assessments of disease risks for rodent conservation translocations. This is particularly true when there is evidence of infection in proposed source populations, as occurred for the Shark Bay mouse (Pseudomys gouldii) translocations to Dirk Hartog Island. Aims The aim of this study was to reduce uncertainty surrounding the risks posed by Chlamydia for these translocations by: (1) determining the presence, prevalence and diversity of Chlamydia in rodent populations in the Shark Bay region of Western Australia; (2) identifying associations with health parameters; and (3) assessing for evidence of cross-species transmission. Methods Swab, faecal and tissue samples from 110 wild-caught individuals (comprising five rodent and two marsupial species) were collected across four islands in Western Australia. These samples were analysed by a Chlamydiaceae 23s rRNA qPCR in a 14-month cross-sectional study conducted between 2020 and 2021. Key results In total, 20% of all individuals (22/110; 95%CI 13.6–28.4) from five species, including 19% (19/100; 95% CI 12.5–27.8) of rodents, were positive by the Chlamydiaceae qPCR, although in low loads. Further attempts at species identification of the Chlamydiaceae were unsuccessful. Our results found no detectable adverse health associations, or significant associated pathological findings, with low molecular loads supporting an asymptomatic infection state. Additionally, there were no disease associations in Shark Bay bandicoots (Perameles bougainville) despite the presence of an ocular disease syndrome previously linked to chlamydial infection in this species. Conclusions and implications Our findings suggest that sub-clinical chlamydial infections in wild Australian rodents may be widespread, but for the Dirk Hartog Island translocations, the risks of Chlamydia associated with movement of Shark Bay mice are likely low. The results highlight how current knowledge gaps pertaining to wildlife health can be addressed through collaborative approaches to translocation planning and implementation.