The Experts below are selected from a list of 300 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Shawn J. Leroux - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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On the prevalence of uninformative parameters in statistical models applying model selection in Applied Ecology.
PloS one, 2019Co-Authors: Shawn J. LerouxAbstract:Research in Applied Ecology provides scientific evidence to guide conservation policy and management. Applied Ecology is becoming increasingly quantitative and model selection via information criteria has become a common statistical modeling approach. Unfortunately, parameters that contain little to no useful information are commonly presented and interpreted as important in Applied Ecology. I review the concept of an uninformative parameter in model selection using information criteria and perform a literature review to measure the prevalence of uninformative parameters in model selection studies applying Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC) in 2014 in four of the top journals in Applied Ecology (Biological Conservation, Conservation Biology, Ecological Applications, Journal of Applied Ecology). Twenty-one percent of studies I reviewed Applied AIC metrics. Many (31.5%) of the studies applying AIC metrics in the four Applied Ecology journals I reviewed had or were very likely to have uninformative parameters in a model set. In addition, more than 40% of studies reviewed had insufficient information to assess the presence or absence of uninformative parameters in a model set. Given the prevalence of studies likely to have uninformative parameters or with insufficient information to assess parameter status (71.5%), I surmise that much of the policy recommendations based on Applied Ecology research may not be supported by the data analysis. I provide four warning signals and a decision tree to assist authors, reviewers, and editors to screen for uninformative parameters in studies applying model selection with information criteria. In the end, careful thinking at every step of the scientific process and greater reporting standards are required to detect uninformative parameters in studies adopting an information criteria approach.
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On the prevalence of uninformative parameters in statistical models applying model selection in Applied Ecology
2018Co-Authors: Shawn J. LerouxAbstract:Research in Applied Ecology provides scientific evidence to guide conservation policy and management. Applied Ecology is becoming increasingly quantitative and model selection via information criteria has become a common statistical modeling approach. Unfortunately, parameters that contain little to no useful information are commonly presented and interpreted as important in Applied Ecology. I review the concept of an uninformative parameter in model selection using information criteria and perform a literature review to measure the prevalence of uninformative parameters in model selection studies applying Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC) in 2014 in four of the top journals in Applied Ecology (Biological Conservation, Conservation Biology, Ecological Applications, Journal of Applied Ecology). Twenty-one percent of studies I reviewed Applied AIC metrics. Many (31.5 %) of the studies applying AIC metrics in the four Applied Ecology journals I reviewed had or were very likely to have uninformative parameters in a model set. In addition, more than 40 % of studies reviewed had insufficient information to assess the presence or absence of uninformative parameters in a model set. Given the prevalence of studies likely to have uninformative parameters or with insufficient information to assess parameter status (71.5 %), I surmise that much of the policy recommendations based on Applied Ecology research may not be supported by the data analysis. I provide warning signals and a decision tree to help reduce the prevalence of uninformative parameters in studies applying model selection with information criteria. The four warning signals and decision tree should assist authors, reviewers, and editors to screen for uninformative parameters in studies applying model selection with information criteria. In the end, careful thinking at every step of the scientific process and greater reporting standards are required to detect uninformative parameters in studies adopting an information criteria approach.
Jeroen Minderman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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integrating Applied Ecology and planning policy the case of micro turbines and wildlife conservation
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2013Co-Authors: Kirsty J. Park, Alex Turner, Jeroen MindermanAbstract:Summary 1. For Applied Ecology to have real-world impact, collaboration between scientists, policy makers and industry is crucial. To demonstrate this, we present a case study of the planning process for micro-wind turbines (units generating <50 kW) in the UK. Micro-turbines are now routinely installed in many European countries and the USA, and in spite of the rapid growth in numbers, there has been little study of their impact on wildlife. Consequently, the evidence-base upon which to establish planning guidance is very limited. 2. Using the situation in the UK as an example, we show that (i) the planning process for micro-turbines varies widely among local authorities; (ii) a lack of data on their effects on wildlife makes interpretation of ecological surveys problematic; and (iii) recent changes to the planning process, designed to permit installation of micro-turbines in some contexts without requiring planning permission, are unlikely to change this status quo. 3. Synthesis and applications. We argue that (i) further research on the effects of microturbines on wildlife should take into account the needs of stakeholders, in particular, with regard to how effects may vary in different contexts; (ii) better planning guidance should be developed urgently, incorporating all available evidence and identifying further research needs; and (iii) a working group including representatives from the turbine industry, ecologists, policy makers and statutory bodies should be set up to streamline this process. These recommendations provide a starting point for on-the-ground turbine installers, planners and ecologists, and a way forward for managing the future planning process for micro-turbines.
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Integrating Applied Ecology and planning policy: the case of micro‐turbines and wildlife conservation
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2012Co-Authors: Kirsty J. Park, Alex Turner, Jeroen MindermanAbstract:Summary 1. For Applied Ecology to have real-world impact, collaboration between scientists, policy makers and industry is crucial. To demonstrate this, we present a case study of the planning process for micro-wind turbines (units generating
E. J. Milner-gulland - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Embracing uncertainty in Applied Ecology.
The Journal of applied ecology, 2017Co-Authors: E. J. Milner-gulland, Katriona SheaAbstract:Summary Applied ecologists often face uncertainty that hinders effective decision-making. Common traps that may catch the unwary are: ignoring uncertainty, acknowledging uncertainty but ploughing on, focussing on trivial uncertainties, believing your models, and unclear objectives. We integrate research insights and examples from a wide range of Applied ecological fields to illustrate advances that are generally underused, but could facilitate ecologists’ ability to plan and execute research to support management. Recommended approaches to avoid uncertainty traps are: embracing models, using decision theory, using models more effectively, thinking experimentally, and being realistic about uncertainty. Synthesis and applications. Applied ecologists can become more effective at informing management by using approaches that explicitly take account of uncertainty.
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Celebrating the golden jubilee of the Journal of Applied Ecology
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2013Co-Authors: E. J. Milner-gulland, Jos Barlow, Marc W. Cadotte, Philip E. Hulme, Mark J. WhittinghamAbstract:In our time, as the need to expand the output of foodfor the rapidly rising population of the world becomesmore acutely felt, and as development acceleratesthroughout the world, the scope and tasks of AppliedEcology cannot but increase. Ours is an age in whichecological thinking and methods have more than everbefore to contribute to the progress of mankind: theJournal of Applied Ecology hopes to play a useful partin the common effort.These aspirations represent the closing statement of thevery first Editorial published in the first issue of Journalof Applied Ecology in 1964 (Bunting & Wynne-Edwards1964), and yet are still highly relevant today. It was withconsiderable vision that the British Ecological Society(BES) launched a new journal that not only spannedplant and animal Ecology but addressed issues ofrelevance to human well-being.The Journal of Applied Ecology was founded to publishthe results of original research, particularly of a quantita-tive and experimental kind, on ecological subjects that areof economic or social importance. Fifty years ago, AppliedEcology was widely viewed as the poor relation of themore glamorous fundamental areas of this young science.Scientific research relating to the conservation of biologi-cal diversity was in its infancy, journals such as Conserva-tion Biology were not even on the horizon, while it wouldbe more than a decade before the integration of agricul-ture and the environment became a recognized area ofresearch with the launch of the journal Agriculture, Eco-system and Environment in the 1970s. The Journal ofApplied Ecology had already celebrated a quarter of acentury of publishing the best Applied ecological researchwhen the Ecological Society of America launched Ecologi-cal Applications. Few Applied journals can compete withthe Journal of Applied Ecology in terms of its heritage andits contribution to establishing Applied Ecology as animportant discipline in its own right.To celebrate our golden jubilee, we have launched avirtual issue online (http://www.journalofAppliedEcology.org/view/0/virtualissues/fiftyyearsvirtualissue.html) that re-views some of the key articles we have published over thelast five decades. Much of the focus of the first decadewas on improving the productivity of agricultural ecosys-tems rather than addressing agriculture’s potential impacton species conservation. Nonetheless, the Journal had aglobal outlook from the start, drawing its examples fromecosystems around the world. Surprisingly, given thelaunch of the journal less than 2 years after the publica-tion of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (Carson, Darling &Darling 1962), studies describing the impact of agrochemi-cals on wildlife only appeared towards the end of the1960s. These studies did, however, include early classics inthe field. Work published at this time continues to haveimpact today. For example, Newman’s (1966) article, on amethod for estimating the total length of root in a sam-ple, is still heavily cited more than four decades later, with62 citations listed in Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.co.uk/) from January 2011 to November 2012.These recent citing articles include authors estimating car-bon stocks in Amazonia, understanding the effects ofmycorrhiza for coffee in Puerto Rico, and investigating thepotential for biocontrol of tomato root rot in Denmark.During the 1970s, much of what was published reflectedthe need for basic information about the biology of pestspecies that had large economic effects. This was a periodof rapid agricultural expansion and modernization, exem-plified by the so-called ‘green revolution’, and researcherswere acutely concerned with pests that lowered crop pro-ductivity. By the 1980s, while pests of agriculture werestill an important focus, models of their populationdynamics became increasingly more realistic and includedcrop phenology in assessments of the likely damage fromdefoliating insects. Furthermore, the management of agri-
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Ensuring Applied Ecology has impact
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2012Co-Authors: E. J. Milner-gulland, Gillian Kerby, Jos Barlow, Marc W. Cadotte, Philip E. Hulme, Mark J. WhittinghamAbstract:Ensuring Applied Ecology has impact E. J. Milner-Gulland*, Jos Barlow, Marc W. Cadotte, Philip E. Hulme, Gillian Kerby and Mark J. Whittingham Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK; Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto, Scarborough, ON, Canada; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Bio-Protection Research Centre, PO Box 84, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand; British Ecological Society, Charles Darwin House, 12 Roger Street, London WC1N 2JU, UK; and School of Biology, Ridley Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
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Putting Applied Ecology into practice
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2010Co-Authors: Jane Memmott, Gill Kerby, E. J. Milner-gulland, Marc W. Cadotte, Philip E. Hulme, Mark J. WhittinghamAbstract:In 2005, an editorial was published in the Journal thataddressedthechangingemphasisanddirectionofAppliedecol-ogy (Freckleton et al. 2005). This editorial proposed that theJournal should increasingly target papers that would havedirect relevance to ecological management and policy whilemaintainingastronglinktobasicecologicalconceptsandthe-ories. These core aspects are still true 5 years later, but withexpanding areas of research and new management challenges;todaymorethanevertheJournalmustreachoutandofferrealinsightandoptionsformanagement.Theaimsofthisnewedi-torialaretooutlinetoauthorsandreviewersthekeyattributesthat form the basis of the papers published in the Journal ofApplied Ecology and to announce new developments in linewith our strategic vision for the journal at the start of a newdecade.TheJournal’scriticalroleininfluencingpolicyisemphasizedby the looming deadline of the Convention on BiologicalDiversity which set the target of significantly reducing bio-diversity loss by 2010.A number of ecologicalaudits assessingbiodiversity loss have taken place, for example, the MilleniumEcosystem Assessment examined the consequences of ecosys-tem change for human well-being and concluded that, world-wide, 60% of ecosystem services had been degraded. Otherassessmentsareinprogress,forexample,theNationalEcosys-temAssessmentwillprovidethefirstanalysisoftheUK’snatu-ral environment in terms of the benefits it provides to society.Thesetargetsandauditsarenotenvironmentalniceties;ratherasstatedbytheUnitedNationsSecretary-GeneralKofiAnnanin 2005 ‘Failure to conserve and use biological diversity in asustainable manner would result in degrading environments,newandmorerampantillnesses,deepeningpovertyandacon-tinuedpatternofinequitableanduntenablegrowth’.Putprac-tically: biodiversity matters, it matters to the rich and to thepoor, to the developed and to the developing world. Appliedecologists are a crucial part of a multi-disciplinary groupengagedinmanaginghumanuseoftheenvironmenttopreventKofi Annan’s vision from materializing. Working proactivelywithenvironmentalmanagers,collaboratingwithcolleaguesinthe social and physical sciences, and holding two-way conver-sations with policy makers and the public are all in the jobdescriptionofthemodernAppliedecologist.The Journal of Applied Ecology is one of the most highlyranked international journals in its field, with a reputation forpublishing papers that combine the highest standards of eco-logicalsciencewithdirectrelevancetoenvironmentalmanage-ment. Our remit is extremely large. Thus, we publish researchon animal, microbial and plant taxa across a broad range ofhabitats and ecosystems, and these papers span observational,experimental and theoretical studies. With the dramaticgrowth of Applied ecological research in the last decade, theJournalneedstorefineitsscopetoensureweretainourdistinctidentity among Ecology journals. To help potential authorsidentifywhethertheirpaperissuitableforthejournal,wehavedescribed below the types of papers we accept for publication.Ouracceptancerateischallenging(14AE5%in2008)andauthorsneed to be confident that their study fits our remit before sub-mission. As examples of good practice, we use papers thatprovedparticularly influentialorthatwereselectedastheEdi-tor’s choice. Editor’s choice is a new initiative begun in 2008and is used as a means of highlighting papers that are, espe-ciallytimely,particularlyhighqualityandmeetourkeycriteriaofecologicalstudieswithmanagementrelevance.
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Challenges and prospects for Applied Ecology in China
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2009Co-Authors: E. J. Milner-gullandAbstract:This Special Profile of the Journal of Applied Ecology on challenges and prospects for Applied Ecology in China and its neighbours is timed to coincide with the Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) in Beijing in June 2009. It is notable that this meeting of the largest society of conservation scientists in the world, with a largely USA-based membership and mission, is being held in China. This is testament both to the growing international recognition of the importance of fully involving China if we are to make progress on many of the pressing environmental problems that beset the world, and to the growing openness to international scientific collaboration within China itself. China is important not just as a country that is home to substantial biodiversity, but because its position in the world economy means that its actions will strongly influence global environmental trends. In this Special Profile, we bring you two contrasting standard papers, which were submitted to the journal in the usual way, as well as a set of four Forum articles which we commissioned from leading experts on Chinese Applied Ecology. Chosen to cover a range of issues and taxonomic groups, these short contributions reflect on trends that the authors have witnessed in
Mark J. Whittingham - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Management by proxy?:the use of indices in Applied Ecology
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2015Co-Authors: Philip A. Stephens, Jos Barlow, Mark J. Whittingham, Nathalie Pettorelli, Marc W. CadotteAbstract:encourages contributions thatcan influence environmental management, policy or both,with evidence based on the most robust science possible.Natural resource management is often contentious, andany perceived weaknesses in the underpinning science areeasily exploited by interest groups to undermine the widerendeavour (see, e.g. the experiences of the Intergovern-mental Panel on Climate Change, Ravindranath 2010).Thus, the robustness of science designed to underpin man-agement and policy is particularly important.Unfortunately, robust and unambiguous results are diffi-cult to obtain in Ecology. In particular, causal pathways inEcology are seldom linear, but are part of a ‘vast web ofcause and effect’ of which, typically, we can study only asmall part (Peters 1991; p. 134). Meaningful spatial andtemporal scales for ecological processes often defy experi-ments, controlled manipulations and adequate replication;most modern ecological science is reliant on observationaldata and correlation is far easier to demonstrate than cau-sation (
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Celebrating the golden jubilee of the Journal of Applied Ecology
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2013Co-Authors: E. J. Milner-gulland, Jos Barlow, Marc W. Cadotte, Philip E. Hulme, Mark J. WhittinghamAbstract:In our time, as the need to expand the output of foodfor the rapidly rising population of the world becomesmore acutely felt, and as development acceleratesthroughout the world, the scope and tasks of AppliedEcology cannot but increase. Ours is an age in whichecological thinking and methods have more than everbefore to contribute to the progress of mankind: theJournal of Applied Ecology hopes to play a useful partin the common effort.These aspirations represent the closing statement of thevery first Editorial published in the first issue of Journalof Applied Ecology in 1964 (Bunting & Wynne-Edwards1964), and yet are still highly relevant today. It was withconsiderable vision that the British Ecological Society(BES) launched a new journal that not only spannedplant and animal Ecology but addressed issues ofrelevance to human well-being.The Journal of Applied Ecology was founded to publishthe results of original research, particularly of a quantita-tive and experimental kind, on ecological subjects that areof economic or social importance. Fifty years ago, AppliedEcology was widely viewed as the poor relation of themore glamorous fundamental areas of this young science.Scientific research relating to the conservation of biologi-cal diversity was in its infancy, journals such as Conserva-tion Biology were not even on the horizon, while it wouldbe more than a decade before the integration of agricul-ture and the environment became a recognized area ofresearch with the launch of the journal Agriculture, Eco-system and Environment in the 1970s. The Journal ofApplied Ecology had already celebrated a quarter of acentury of publishing the best Applied ecological researchwhen the Ecological Society of America launched Ecologi-cal Applications. Few Applied journals can compete withthe Journal of Applied Ecology in terms of its heritage andits contribution to establishing Applied Ecology as animportant discipline in its own right.To celebrate our golden jubilee, we have launched avirtual issue online (http://www.journalofAppliedEcology.org/view/0/virtualissues/fiftyyearsvirtualissue.html) that re-views some of the key articles we have published over thelast five decades. Much of the focus of the first decadewas on improving the productivity of agricultural ecosys-tems rather than addressing agriculture’s potential impacton species conservation. Nonetheless, the Journal had aglobal outlook from the start, drawing its examples fromecosystems around the world. Surprisingly, given thelaunch of the journal less than 2 years after the publica-tion of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (Carson, Darling &Darling 1962), studies describing the impact of agrochemi-cals on wildlife only appeared towards the end of the1960s. These studies did, however, include early classics inthe field. Work published at this time continues to haveimpact today. For example, Newman’s (1966) article, on amethod for estimating the total length of root in a sam-ple, is still heavily cited more than four decades later, with62 citations listed in Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.co.uk/) from January 2011 to November 2012.These recent citing articles include authors estimating car-bon stocks in Amazonia, understanding the effects ofmycorrhiza for coffee in Puerto Rico, and investigating thepotential for biocontrol of tomato root rot in Denmark.During the 1970s, much of what was published reflectedthe need for basic information about the biology of pestspecies that had large economic effects. This was a periodof rapid agricultural expansion and modernization, exem-plified by the so-called ‘green revolution’, and researcherswere acutely concerned with pests that lowered crop pro-ductivity. By the 1980s, while pests of agriculture werestill an important focus, models of their populationdynamics became increasingly more realistic and includedcrop phenology in assessments of the likely damage fromdefoliating insects. Furthermore, the management of agri-
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Ensuring Applied Ecology has impact
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2012Co-Authors: E. J. Milner-gulland, Gillian Kerby, Jos Barlow, Marc W. Cadotte, Philip E. Hulme, Mark J. WhittinghamAbstract:Ensuring Applied Ecology has impact E. J. Milner-Gulland*, Jos Barlow, Marc W. Cadotte, Philip E. Hulme, Gillian Kerby and Mark J. Whittingham Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK; Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto, Scarborough, ON, Canada; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Bio-Protection Research Centre, PO Box 84, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand; British Ecological Society, Charles Darwin House, 12 Roger Street, London WC1N 2JU, UK; and School of Biology, Ridley Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
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Putting Applied Ecology into practice
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2010Co-Authors: Jane Memmott, Gill Kerby, E. J. Milner-gulland, Marc W. Cadotte, Philip E. Hulme, Mark J. WhittinghamAbstract:In 2005, an editorial was published in the Journal thataddressedthechangingemphasisanddirectionofAppliedecol-ogy (Freckleton et al. 2005). This editorial proposed that theJournal should increasingly target papers that would havedirect relevance to ecological management and policy whilemaintainingastronglinktobasicecologicalconceptsandthe-ories. These core aspects are still true 5 years later, but withexpanding areas of research and new management challenges;todaymorethanevertheJournalmustreachoutandofferrealinsightandoptionsformanagement.Theaimsofthisnewedi-torialaretooutlinetoauthorsandreviewersthekeyattributesthat form the basis of the papers published in the Journal ofApplied Ecology and to announce new developments in linewith our strategic vision for the journal at the start of a newdecade.TheJournal’scriticalroleininfluencingpolicyisemphasizedby the looming deadline of the Convention on BiologicalDiversity which set the target of significantly reducing bio-diversity loss by 2010.A number of ecologicalaudits assessingbiodiversity loss have taken place, for example, the MilleniumEcosystem Assessment examined the consequences of ecosys-tem change for human well-being and concluded that, world-wide, 60% of ecosystem services had been degraded. Otherassessmentsareinprogress,forexample,theNationalEcosys-temAssessmentwillprovidethefirstanalysisoftheUK’snatu-ral environment in terms of the benefits it provides to society.Thesetargetsandauditsarenotenvironmentalniceties;ratherasstatedbytheUnitedNationsSecretary-GeneralKofiAnnanin 2005 ‘Failure to conserve and use biological diversity in asustainable manner would result in degrading environments,newandmorerampantillnesses,deepeningpovertyandacon-tinuedpatternofinequitableanduntenablegrowth’.Putprac-tically: biodiversity matters, it matters to the rich and to thepoor, to the developed and to the developing world. Appliedecologists are a crucial part of a multi-disciplinary groupengagedinmanaginghumanuseoftheenvironmenttopreventKofi Annan’s vision from materializing. Working proactivelywithenvironmentalmanagers,collaboratingwithcolleaguesinthe social and physical sciences, and holding two-way conver-sations with policy makers and the public are all in the jobdescriptionofthemodernAppliedecologist.The Journal of Applied Ecology is one of the most highlyranked international journals in its field, with a reputation forpublishing papers that combine the highest standards of eco-logicalsciencewithdirectrelevancetoenvironmentalmanage-ment. Our remit is extremely large. Thus, we publish researchon animal, microbial and plant taxa across a broad range ofhabitats and ecosystems, and these papers span observational,experimental and theoretical studies. With the dramaticgrowth of Applied ecological research in the last decade, theJournalneedstorefineitsscopetoensureweretainourdistinctidentity among Ecology journals. To help potential authorsidentifywhethertheirpaperissuitableforthejournal,wehavedescribed below the types of papers we accept for publication.Ouracceptancerateischallenging(14AE5%in2008)andauthorsneed to be confident that their study fits our remit before sub-mission. As examples of good practice, we use papers thatprovedparticularly influentialorthatwereselectedastheEdi-tor’s choice. Editor’s choice is a new initiative begun in 2008and is used as a means of highlighting papers that are, espe-ciallytimely,particularlyhighqualityandmeetourkeycriteriaofecologicalstudieswithmanagementrelevance.
Charles J. Krebs - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Evaluating wildlife management by using principles of Applied Ecology: case studies and implications
Wildlife Research, 2018Co-Authors: Jim Hone, V. Alistair Drake, Charles J. KrebsAbstract:Context The broad concepts and generalisations that guide conduct of Applied Ecology, including wildlife management, have been reviewed and synthesised recently into 22 prescriptive and three empirical principles. Aims The aim of this study was to use these principles to evaluate three on-ground wildlife management programs and assess the utility of the principles themselves. Key results Case studies of long-term management of national park biodiversity impacted by feral pigs (Sus scrofa), and of conservation and harvest of red kangaroos (Macropus rufus) and mallards (Anas platyrhnchos), were selected to provide a representative range of management objectives, spatial scales and land tenures, and to include both native and introduced species. Management documents and a considerable scientific literature were available for all three programs. The results highlight similarities and differences among management activities and demonstrate the 25 principles to differing degrees. Most of the prescriptive principles were demonstrated in both the management and the scientific literature in all three programs, but almost no use was made of the three empirical principles. We propose that use of the prescriptive principles constitutes evidence that these programs meet both societal and scientific expectations. However, the limited use of the empirical principles shows gaps in the three programs. Conclusions The results suggest that evaluating other wildlife management programs against the principles of Applied Ecology is worthwhile and could highlight aspects of those programs that might otherwise be overlooked. Little use was made of the empirical principles, but the the Effort–outcomes principle in particular provides a framework for evaluating management programs. Implications The effort–outcomes relationship should be a focus of future Applied research, and both prescriptive and empirical principles should be integrated into wildlife management programs.
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The Effort–Outcomes Relationship in Applied Ecology: Evaluation and Implications
BioScience, 2017Co-Authors: Jim Hone, V. Alistair Drake, Charles J. KrebsAbstract:Knowing the outcome(s) of management efforts in Applied Ecology is topical and useful. The effort–outcomes principle states that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between the desired outcomes of management and the effort Applied (the inputs) but with diminishing returns. A question addressed by this relationship is the following: How much management effort is enough to achieve a desired outcome? We evaluate the relationship—namely, how it is described or estimated—give empirical examples, and outline a novel and explicit conceptual framework that connects management efforts to outcomes. We conclude that the relationship has been described three ways previously: in stylized graphs, from computer algorithms, and in observational studies. We recommend a fourth way employing manipulative experiments carried out as part of an adaptive management program and designed explicitly to estimate the relationship's parameters.
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the effort outcomes relationship in Applied Ecology evaluation and implications
BioScience, 2017Co-Authors: Jim Hone, Alistair V Drake, Charles J. KrebsAbstract:Knowing the outcome(s) of management efforts in Applied Ecology is topical and useful. The effort–outcomes principle states that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between the desired outcomes of management and the effort Applied (the inputs) but with diminishing returns. A question addressed by this relationship is the following: How much management effort is enough to achieve a desired outcome? We evaluate the relationship—namely, how it is described or estimated—give empirical examples, and outline a novel and explicit conceptual framework that connects management efforts to outcomes. We conclude that the relationship has been described three ways previously: in stylized graphs, from computer algorithms, and in observational studies. We recommend a fourth way employing manipulative experiments carried out as part of an adaptive management program and designed explicitly to estimate the relationship's parameters.
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Prescriptive and empirical principles of Applied Ecology
Environmental Reviews, 2015Co-Authors: Jim Hone, V. Alistair Drake, Charles J. KrebsAbstract:Applied Ecology is the science of managing ecosystems for defined outcomes, such as conservation, sustainable harvest, and animal pest and weed control. Robust knowledge in science is often expressed as "principles". Principles in Applied Ecology have utility by assisting scientists and managers to evaluate current management and to plan future activities. Principles also have a unifying role by identifying general patterns and processes across a broad discipline. We review usage of the word principle in Applied Ecology by critically evaluating principles proposed previously. We identify and describe two principal uses of principles; first, a prescriptive principle defined here as a general guideline for Applied ecological research and management, and second, an empirical principle defined here as a broad generalization based on replicated empirical observations and experiments. Principles proposed previously are invariably for particular applications and are not generic across Applied Ecology. The principles are consolidated here in a new set of 22 prescriptive and 3 empirical principles. The new principles are more comprehensive than those proposed previously and relate to all aspects of Applied Ecology, extending across conservation, sustainable utilization, and management of animal pests and weeds. The principles should assist Applied ecologists and man- agers to achieve specific management objectives. Resume : L'ecologie appliquee est la science de l'amenagement des ecosystemes pour definir les issues comme la conservation, la recolte durable et la maitrise des ravageurs et des mauvaises herbes. En science, on exprime souvent sous le terme de principe la connaissance robuste. Les principes en ecologie appliquee sont utiles pour aider les scientifiques et les amenagistes a ` evaluer les amenagements actuels et aplanifier les activites futures. Les principes jouent egalement un role d'unification en identifiant des patrons et des processus generaux couvrant une large discipline. Les auteurs passent en revue le mot principe en ecologie appliquee, en evaluant de facon critique les principes precedemment proposes. Ils identifient et decrivent deux principaux usages des principes; d'abord un principe descriptif qu'ils definissent comme un guide general en recherche ecologique appliquee et en amenagement et ensuite un principe empirique qu'ils definissent comme une large generalisation a partir d'observations et d'experiences empiriques repetees. Les principes jusqu'ici demeurent invariables et ne sont pas generiques pour l'ensemble de l'ecologie. Les auteurs consoli- dent les principes dans un nouvel ensemble de 22 principes prescriptifs et 3 principes empiriques. Les nouveaux principes sont plus inclusifs que ceux proposes auparavant et portent sur tous les aspects de l'ecologie appliquee, allant de la conservation ala conser- vation durable et ala maitrise des ravageurs et des mauvaises herbes. Ces principes devraient aider les ecologistes appliques et les amenagistes arencontrer des objectifs specifiques d'amenagement. (Traduit par le Redaction)