Journal Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915
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Item Co-production and conservation physiology: outcomes, challenges and opportunities arising from reflections on diverse co-produced projects(y Oxford University Press and the Society for Experimental Biology, 2025-07-18) Cooke SJ; Bett NN; Hinch SG; Adolph CB; Hasler CT; Howell BE; Schoen AN; Mullen EJ; Fangue NA; Todgham AE; Cheung MJ; Johnson RC; Olstad RS-T; Sisk M; Sisk CC; Franklin CE; Irwin RC; Irwin TR; Lewandrowski W; Tudor EP; Ajduk H; Tomlinson S; Stevens JC; Wilcox AAE; Giacinti JA; Provencher JF; Dupuis-Smith R; Dwyer-Samuel F; Saunders M; Meyer LCR; Buss P; Rummer JL; Bard B; Fuller A; Helmuth BAs a relatively nascent discipline, conservation physiology has struggled to deliver science that is relevant to decision-makers or directly useful to practitioners. A growing body of literature has revealed that co-produced research is more likely to generate knowledge that is not only relevant, but that is also embraced and actionable. Co-production broadly involves conducting research collaboratively, inclusively, and in a respectful and engaged manner - spanning all stages from identifying research needs to study design, data collection, interpretation and application. This approach aims to create actionable science and deliver meaningful benefits to all partners involved. Knowledge can be co-produced with practitioners/managers working for regulators or stewardship bodies, Indigenous communities and governments, industry (e.g. fishers, foresters, farmers) and other relevant actors. Using diverse case studies spanning issues, taxa and regions from around the globe, we explore examples of co-produced research related to conservation physiology. In doing so, we highlight benefits and challenges while also identifying lessons for others considering such an approach. Although co-production cannot guarantee the ultimate success of a project, for applied research (such as what conservation physiology purports to deliver), embracing co-production is increasingly regarded as the single-most important approach for generating actionable science to inform conservation. In that sense, the conservation physiology community would be more impactful and relevant if it became commonplace to embrace co-production as demonstrated by the case studies presented here.Item To translocate or not to translocate? Embedding population modelling in an inclusive structured decision-making process to overcome a conservation impasse(John Wiley and Sons Ltd on behalf of the Zoological Society of London, 2024-07-20) Parlato EH; Fischer JH; Steeves TE; Graydon K; Kennedy E; Makan T; Patterson E; Thurley T; Welch J; Parker KA; Ewen J; Petracca LThe need for effective conservation strategies to combat the ongoing biodiversity crisis is well recognised. Conservation translocations are an important and frequently used form of conservation management for species recovery. Despite this, the uncertainty prevalent throughout the translocation cycle often makes it challenging to determine whether translocations should be included in the suite of actions to achieve desired conservation outcomes. Further, the fundamental question of whether translocations should occur is seldom assessed as a formal decision. We applied a formal decision analysis for the conservation management of a highly threatened bird (karure | kakaruia | Chatham Island black robin | Petroica traversi) to evaluate whether translocation and/or other actions should be implemented for species recovery. The species' precarious status (<330 adults), combined with uncertainty about translocation outcomes, meant that for years, decision-makers were reluctant to act given the potentially severe consequences of translocation failure. We used structured decision-making in conjunction with population modelling to estimate the consequences of translocations and other actions across a range of objectives identified by Moriori and Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri (Indigenous Peoples of Rēkohu | Wharekauri | the Chatham Islands), the local community and government agencies. Structured decision-making facilitated an inclusive approach that ensured all participants were actively engaged in the decision-making process including the identification of the best management alternative while balancing multiple objectives. This process overcame the long-standing conservation impasse, resulting in rapid implementation of actions, including translocation, that would have otherwise been difficult to achieve. The preferred alternative across objectives involved multiple translocations, illustrating the vital role translocations have in the desired future management for the species. The methods used in our study can be readily applied in other species recovery programmes to help decision-makers navigate the complexities and uncertainties inherent in conservation decisions.Item Editorial: Small cetacean conservation: Current challenges and opportunities(Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-08-01) Kiszka JJ; Bejder L; Davis R; Harcourt R; Meekan M; Rodriguez DH; Stockin KA; Jessopp MItem Identification of potential welfare and survival indicators for stranded cetaceans through international, interdisciplinary expert opinion(The Royal Society, 2022-10-12) Boys RM; Beausoleil NJ; Pawley MDM; Littlewood KE; Betty EL; Stockin KAManagement of live cetacean strandings generally focuses on refloating animals, yet there is a lack of scientific data to inform decision-making. Valid indicators that are practical to measure are needed to assess welfare status and survival likelihood for stranded cetaceans. The Delphi method was applied to gather international and interdisciplinary expert opinion to provide face validity to potential indicators of stranded cetacean welfare and survival likelihood. Two online questionnaires were conducted. In the first questionnaire these experts identified potential indicators of stranded cetacean welfare and survival likelihood. These indicators were subsequently scored by the same experts in questionnaire two, based on their value for assessing welfare/survival likelihood and being practical to measure. Indicators considered valuable and practical for assessing welfare and survival likelihood at strandings included animal-based indices of body and skin condition, signs of physical trauma, respiration rate and various behaviours. Resource-/management-based indicators related mainly to human intervention and should be correlated with animal-based indices to provide relevant evaluations. Importantly, inextricable links between welfare and survival for stranded cetaceans are emphasized, with 90% of indicators being similar for both. Investigations into these indicators should be conducted to develop a practical, science-based assessment framework to inform decision-making during stranding events.Item Evaluating Potential Cetacean Welfare Indicators from Video of Live Stranded Long-Finned Pilot Whales (Globicephala melas edwardii)(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-07-21) Boys RM; Beausoleil NJ; Pawley MDM; Betty EL; Stockin KA; Filiciotto FDespite the known benefit of considering welfare within wildlife conservation and management, there remains a lack of data to inform such evaluations. To assess animal welfare, relevant information must be captured scientifically and systematically. A key first step is identifying potential indicators of welfare and the practicality of their measurement. We assessed the feasibility of evaluating potential welfare indicators from opportunistically gathered video footage of four stranded odontocete species (n = 53) at 14 stranding events around New Zealand. The first stranded cetacean ethogram was compiled, including 30 different behaviours, 20 of which were observed in all four species. Additionally, thirteen types of human intervention were classified. A subset of 49 live stranded long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas edwardii) were assessed to determine indicator prevalence and to quantify behaviours. Four ‘welfare status’ and six ‘welfare alerting’ non-behavioural indicators could be consistently evaluated from the footage. Additionally, two composite behavioural indicators were feasible. Three human intervention types (present, watering, and touching) and five animal behaviours (tail flutter, dorsal fin flutter, head lift, tail lift, and head side-to-side) were prevalent (>40% of individuals). Our study highlights the potential for non-invasive, remote assessments via video footage and represents an initial step towards developing a systematic, holistic welfare assessment framework for stranded cetaceans.Item Fundamental Concepts, Knowledge Gaps and Key Concerns Relating to Welfare and Survival of Stranded Cetaceans(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-05) Boys RM; Beausoleil NJ; Pawley MDM; Littlewood KE; Betty EL; Stockin KA; Wink M; Zemanova MAWildlife management can influence animal welfare and survival, although both are often not explicitly integrated into decision making. This study explores fundamental concepts and key concerns relating to the welfare and survival of stranded cetaceans. Using the Delphi method, the opinions of an international, interdisciplinary expert panel were gathered, regarding the character-isation of stranded cetacean welfare and survival likelihood, knowledge gaps and key concerns. Experts suggest that stranded cetacean welfare should be characterised based on interrelated aspects of animals’ biological function, behaviour, and mental state and the impacts of human interventions. The characterisation of survival likelihood should reflect aspects of stranded animals’ biological functioning and behaviour as well as a 6-month post-re-floating survival marker. Post-release monitoring was the major knowledge gap for survival. Welfare knowledge gaps related to diagnosing internal injuries, interpreting behavioural and physiological parameters, and euthanasia decision making. Twelve concerns were highlighted for both welfare and survival likelihood, including difficulty breathing and organ compression, skin damage and physical traumas, separation from conspecifics, and suffering and stress due to stranding and human intervention. These findings indicate inextricable links between perceptions of welfare state and the likely survival of stranded cetaceans and demonstrate a need to integrate welfare science alongside conservation biology to achieve effective, ethical management at strandings.Item Poor data stewardship will hinder global genetic diversity surveillance.(24/08/2021) Toczydlowski RH; Liggins L; Gaither MR; Anderson TJ; Barton RL; Berg JT; Beskid SG; Davis B; Delgado A; Farrell E; Ghoojaei M; Himmelsbach N; Holmes AE; Queeno SR; Trinh T; Weyand CA; Bradburd GS; Riginos C; Toonen RJ; Crandall EDGenomic data are being produced and archived at a prodigious rate, and current studies could become historical baselines for future global genetic diversity analyses and monitoring programs. However, when we evaluated the potential utility of genomic data from wild and domesticated eukaryote species in the world's largest genomic data repository, we found that most archived genomic datasets (86%) lacked the spatiotemporal metadata necessary for genetic biodiversity surveillance. Labor-intensive scouring of a subset of published papers yielded geospatial coordinates and collection years for only 33% (39% if place names were considered) of these genomic datasets. Streamlined data input processes, updated metadata deposition policies, and enhanced scientific community awareness are urgently needed to preserve these irreplaceable records of today's genetic biodiversity and to plug the growing metadata gap.Item Variability in growth rates of goat kids on 16 New Zealand dairy goat farms(New Zealand Society of Animal Production, 7/07/2016) Deeming LE; Beausoleil NJ; Stafford KJ; Webster JR; Zobel GAverage daily weight gains (ADG) in early life are associated with health, welfare and future production potential of dairy animals. While this has yet to be established for goats, research in cows demonstrates a positive relationship between growth in early life and milk production (Shamay et al. 2005, Soberon et al. 2012). Early growth rates are largely determined by the management practices from birth onwards. It is therefore unsurprising that large differences in ADG under different management systems have been reported. In lambs, Mahgoub et al. (2000) reported a large range in ADG (84-154 g/day). Similarly, in calves, Bartlett et al. (2006) reported ADGs ranging from 251 g/day to 703 g/day. The ADGs reported in goats have not been as variable (152-170 g/day: Galina et al. 1995; 167-173 g/day: Goetsch et al. 2001); however, these were small, controlled studies. To our knowledge, no research has yet quantified variability in the ADG of goat kids on a large, multi-farm scale. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the variation in growth rates on multiple dairy goat farms in the Waikato region of NZ, providing a benchmark for dairy goat farmers.Item The growth response of Pasture Brome (Bromus valdivianus Phil.) to defoliation frequency under two soil water restriction levels(MDPI AG, 15/02/2021) Cranston LPasture brome (Bromus valdivianus Phil.) has the potential to increase current levels of herbage production and pasture persistence in New Zealand dryland, well-drained soils. However, there is little literature on the effect of defoliation management on growth of this grass under contrasting soil-water restriction levels. The growth physiology and performance of pasture brome were evaluated in pots in a glasshouse. Defoliation frequency (DF) treatments were applied based on three different accumulated growing degree-days (AGDD): 250, 500 and 1000 AGDD (high, medium, and low DF). At end of the first growing cycle (1000 AGDD), water availability was restricted to 20–25% of field capacity (FC) in half of the pots, while the other pots were maintained between 80–85% FC. Total accumulated herbage mass was positively related with the low DF and well-watered conditions (p < 0.05). At the final harvest, plants subjected to low DF had greater root mass than high and medium DF (p < 0.05). At each harvest, the leaf regrowth stage (LS) for low DF was 3.5, while for high and medium DF, the LS was 1.5 and 2.0; respectively. Tiller water-soluble carbohydrates were highest at the low DF and under 20–25% FC. Regardless of soil-water conditions, defoliation at 3.5 LS supports production, enhancing survival during a drought.Item Occupational health and safety professionals strategies to improve working environment and their self-assessed impact(IOS PRESS, 2012) Olsen KResearch suggests that Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) practitioners have difficulty influencing the decision-making process because they are placed on the sidelines in the organisation. This paper analyses the strategies that OHS practitioners use to fulfill their job role and the impact they have on the working environment and OHS management systems. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten New Zealand OHS practitioners from mainly large private and public organisations about their job role, OHS tasks, strategies and their impact. The interviews were tape recorded, transcribed, entered into a qualitative data management programme and analysed thematically in relation to their strategies, barriers and their impact on the OHS management system and working environment. The analysis revealed that these OHS practitioners used multiple strategies - chosen in relation to the situation, the stakeholders and their own resources. They saw themselves as change agents or facilitators. They preferred to use a knowledge strategy, supported by an audit strategy. Their last resort was a regulation strategy. All of the practitioners had a positive impact on stakeholders' knowledge, attitude and behavior and on OHS management systems. Some practitioners improved the working environment but few were involved in introduction of new technology.