The perverse fisheries consequences of mosquito net malaria prophylaxis in East Africa

Abstract Malaria is a serious global health issue, with around 200 million cases per year. As such, great effort has been put into the mass distribution of bed nets as a means of prophylaxis within Africa. Distributed mosquito nets are intended to be used for malaria protection, yet increasing evidence suggests that fishing is a primary use for these nets, providing fresh concerns for already stressed coastal ecosystems. While research documents the scale of mosquito net fisheries globally, no quantitative analysis of their landings exists. The effects of these fisheries on the wider ecosystem assemblages have not previously been examined. In this study, we present the first detailed analysis of the sustainability of these fisheries by examining the diversity, age class, trophic structure and magnitude of biomass removal. Dragnet landings, one of two gear types in which mosquito nets can be utilised, were recorded across ten sites in northern Mozambique where the use of Mosquito nets for fishing is common. Our results indicate a substantial removal of juveniles from coastal seagrass meadows, many of which are commercially important in the region or play important ecological roles. We conclude that the use of mosquito nets for fishing may contribute to food insecurity, greater poverty and the loss of ecosystem functioning.

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Sensitivity of ecosystem functioning to changes in trophic structure, functional group composition and species diversity in belowground food webs

Ecological Research ◽

10.1046/j.1440-1703.2002.00480.x ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 207-215 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Heikki Setälä

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Food Webs ◽

Ecosystem Functioning ◽

Trophic Structure ◽

Functional Group ◽

Group Composition

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The Economics of Malaria Prevention

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Economics and Finance ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780190625979.013.252 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Bénédicte Apouey ◽

Gabriel Picone ◽

Joshua Wilde

Keyword(s):

Financial Constraints ◽

Intermittent Preventive Treatment ◽

Indoor Residual Spraying ◽

Preventive Treatment ◽

Malaria Prevention ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Bed Nets ◽

Preventive Behaviors ◽

Mosquito Net ◽

Positive Externalities

Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease transmitted through the bites of female anopheline mosquitos infected with protozoan parasites. Malaria remains one of the major causes of mortality by infectious disease: in 2015, there were an estimated 212 million cases and 429,000 deaths globally, according to the 2016 World Malaria Report. Children under 5 years in sub-Saharan Africa bear the greatest burden of the disease worldwide. However, most of these cases could be prevented or treated. Several methods are highly effective in preventing malaria: in particular, sleeping under an insecticide-treated mosquito net (ITN), indoor residual spraying (IRS), and taking intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women (IPTp). Regarding treatment, artesiminin-based combination therapy (ACT) is recommended as first-line treatment in many countries. Compared with other actions, malaria prevention behaviors have some specific features. In particular, they produce public health externalities. For example, bed net usage creates positive externalities since bed nets not only directly protect the user, but also reduce transmission probabilities through reduction in the number of disease hosts, and in the case of ITNs, reduction of the vector itself. In contrast, ACT uptake creates both positive externalities when individuals with malaria are treated, and negative externalities in the case of overtreatment that speeds up the spread of long-run parasite resistance. Moreover, ITNs, IPTp, and ACTs are experience goods (meaning individuals only ascertain their benefits upon usage), which implies that current preventive actions are linked to past preventive behaviors. Malaria prevention and eradication produce unambiguous benefits across various domains: economic conditions, educational outcomes, survival, fertility, and health. However, despite the high private returns to prevention, the adoption of antimalarial products and behaviors remains relatively low in malaria-affected areas. A variety of explanations have been proposed for low adoption rates, including financial constraints, high prices, and absence of information. While recent studies highlight that all of these factors play a role, the main barrier to adoption is probably financial constraints. This finding has implications regarding the appropriate pricing policy for these health products. In addition, there is a shortage of causally identified research on the effect of cultural and psychological barriers to the adoption of preventive behaviors. The literature which does exist is from a few randomized control trials of few individuals in very specific geographic and cultural contexts, and may not be generalizable. As a result, there are still ample opportunities for research on applying the insights of behavioral economics to malaria-preventive behavior in particular. Moreover, little research has been done on the supply side, such as whether free or heavily subsidized distribution of prevention technologies is fiscally sustainable; finding effective methods to solve logistical problems which lead to shortages and ineffective alternative treatments to fill the gap; or training sufficient healthcare workers to ensure smooth and effective delivery. Given these gaps in the literature, there are still multiple fruitful avenues for research which may have a first-order effect on reducing the prevalence of malaria in the developing world.

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Influence of nutrients enrichment on ecosystem functioning in a subpolar seagrass meadow

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-22581 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ludovic Pascal ◽

Gwénaëlle Chaillou ◽

Pascal Bernatchez ◽

Christian Nozais ◽

Philippe Archambault

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Enrichment ◽

Ecosystem Functioning ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Growing Season ◽

Benthic Fluxes ◽

Seagrass Meadows ◽

Time Period ◽

Mesocosm Experiments ◽

Functional Consequences ◽

Summer Time

<p>Seagrass meadows are among the most productive ecosystems in the world: they store a large amount of carbon and host highly&#160;diverse macrobenthic communities. They also play a key role in biogeochemistry at the sediment-water interface. The light requirements of seagrasses limit their development to shallow coastal areas where they are facing various natural and anthropogenic disturbances, which has induced a global loss of these ecosystems over the last decades. Nutrient enrichment of coastal waters, resulting from anthropogenic activities is one of the leading causes of this decline. Subpolar seagrass meadows present a strong seasonal dynamic, with a long winter when seagrasses rely on carbon reserves that they build up during the short growing season (limited to two to three months during summer time). Hence, it has been hypothesized that the effects of nutrient enrichment on seagrass ecosystem functioning depend on seasonal dynamics. In this study, we performed a series of mesocosm experiments over a month period to investigate the effects of the timing, duration and intensity of disturbance on macrofauna bioturbation, oxygen and nutrients porewater concentration profiles and benthic fluxes using three levels (including control) of realistic nutrient enrichments at the beginning (June) and at the end (August) of the growing season. In May, effects of intermediate level of nutrient enrichment were only visible on total oxygen uptake by the sediment at day 30 of disturbance while it affected oxygen and nutrients benthic fluxes at day 15 in August. The highest level of nutrient enrichment affected oxygen and nutrients benthic fluxes in May and August. Overall, our results highlight the importance of considering the time (period and duration) in the assessment of the functional consequences of disturbances.</p>

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The exergy of a phase shift: Ecosystem functioning loss in seagrass meadows of the Mediterranean Sea

Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science ◽

10.1016/j.ecss.2014.12.001 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 156 ◽

pp. 186-194 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Monica Montefalcone ◽

Paolo Vassallo ◽

Giulia Gatti ◽

Valeriano Parravicini ◽

Chiara Paoli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Shift ◽

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Ecosystem Functioning ◽

Seagrass Meadows ◽

The Mediterranean

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Achieving net benefits: A road map for cross-sectoral policy development in response to the unintended use of mosquito nets as fishing gear

10.31235/osf.io/2g7vb ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rebecca Ellen Short ◽

Prue Addison ◽

Nicholas Hill ◽

William Arlidge ◽

Sara Berthe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Policy Development ◽

Expert Knowledge ◽

Relevant Literature ◽

Management Development ◽

Mosquito Net ◽

Road Map ◽

Mosquito Nets ◽

Net Benefits ◽

Sectoral Policy ◽

Policy Mechanisms

This document presents the results of an expert knowledge elicitation workshop which identifies policy mechanisms of relevance to the issue of mosquito net fishing across the relevant sectors of public health, fisheries management, development and conservation. A synthesis of current policy and future recommendations is contextualised within the relevant literature across these sectors, and a first assessment of potential interventions is presented.

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Trophic niche differentiation and utilisation of food resources in Collembola is altered by rainforest conversion to plantation systems

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.10971 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e10971

Author(s):

Winda Ika Susanti ◽

Rahayu Widyastuti ◽

Stefan Scheu ◽

Anton Potapov

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Ecosystem Functioning ◽

Trophic Structure ◽

Niche Differentiation ◽

Food Resources ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

Isotopic Niche ◽

Land Use Systems ◽

Trophic Niches

Intensively managed monoculture plantations are increasingly replacing natural forests across the tropics resulting in changes in ecological niches of species and communities, and in ecosystem functioning. Collembola are among the most abundant arthropods inhabiting the belowground system sensitively responding to changes in vegetation and soil conditions. However, most studies on the response of Collembola to land-use change were conducted in temperate ecosystems and focused on shifts in community composition or morphological traits, while parameters more closely linked to ecosystem functioning, such as trophic niches, received little attention. Here, we used stable isotope analysis (13C and 15N) to investigate changes in the trophic structure and use of food resources by Collembola in Jambi province (Sumatra, Indonesia), a region that experienced strong deforestation in the last decades. Isotopic values of Collembola from 32 sites representing four land-use systems were analyzed (rainforest, rubber agroforest, rubber (Hevea brasiliansis) and oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) monoculture plantations). Across Collembola species Δ13C values were highest in rainforest suggesting more pronounced processing of litter resources by microorganisms and consumption of these microorganisms by Collembola in this system. Lower Δ13C values, but high Δ13C variation in Collembola in oil palm plantations indicated that Collembola shifted towards herbivory and used more variable resources in this system. Small range in Δ15N values in Collembola species in monoculture plantations in comparison to rainforest indicated that conversion of rainforest into plantations is associated with simplification in the trophic structure of Collembola communities. This was further confirmed by generally lower isotopic niche differentiation among species in plantations. Across the studied ecosystems, atmobiotic species (Symphypleona and Paronellidae) occupied the lowest, whereas euedaphic Collembola species occupied the highest trophic position, resembling patterns in temperate forests. Some species of Paronellidae in rainforest and jungle rubber had Δ15N values below those of leaf litter suggesting algivory (Salina sp.1, Callyntrura sp.1 and Lepidonella sp.1), while a dominant species, Pseudosinella sp.1, had the highest Δ15N values in most of the land-use systems suggesting that this species at least in part lives as predator or scavenger. Overall, the results suggest that rainforest conversion into plantation systems is associated with marked shifts in the structure of trophic niches in soil and litter Collembola with potential consequences for ecosystem functioning and food-web stability.

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The commercially important shoemaker spinefoot, Siganus sutor , connects coral reefs to neighbouring seagrass meadows

Journal of Fish Biology ◽

10.1111/jfb.14297 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 96 (4) ◽

pp. 1034-1044

Author(s):

Ameer Ebrahim ◽

Jude P. Bijoux ◽

Peter J. Mumby ◽

Ian R. Tibbetts

Keyword(s):

Coral Reefs ◽

Seagrass Meadows ◽

Commercially Important

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Malaria Prevalence and Risk Factors in University Communities of Eastern Uganda: a case of Islamic University in Uganda

10.21203/rs.3.rs-232868/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Abdishakur Elmi Warsame ◽

Jamilu Edrisa Ssenku ◽

Shaban Alemu Okurut ◽

Joseph Luwaga Mpagi ◽

Jacob Stanley Iramiot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Malaria Prevention ◽

Malaria Prevalence ◽

Bed Nets ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

Inappropriate Use ◽

Mosquito Nets ◽

University Communities ◽

National Prevalence ◽

Eastern Uganda

Abstract Background: Malaria remains the world’s leading vector-born cause of mortality and morbidity, and Eastern Uganda contains some of the country’s highest prevalence rates. Though academic societies, such as universities, may be prone to high malaria transmission, the extent of the burden and risk factors in university communities of Eastern Uganda are poorly understood. The aim in this study was to examine malaria prevalence, preventive strategies, and risk factors, among University communities in Eastern Uganda; to inform targeted malaria eradication efforts in academic settings. Methods: A mixed methods approach was applied. A case study of Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), located in Eastern Uganda, was selected. A retrospective approach was used to determine malaria prevalence in IUIU from August to December 2019. Stratified random sampling was used to select IUIU community members; these were subjected to semi-structured questionnaires and Key informant Interviews (KII) to examine the preventive approaches and risk factors. An observational survey was also conducted to identify barriers to malaria prevention. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, graphs, Chi-square, and pictures; with STATA version-15.0. Results: The study involved 255 respondents (204, 80% students, 51, 20% staff); 130, 51% were males, 125, 49% were females. Malaria prevalence was; 12.9%, 11.7% and 12.7% for students, staff, and the general study population respectively. Lowest prevalence was registered in November (8.3% for students, 0% for staff), and the highest in December (18.4% for students, 6.7% for staff). Overall malaria prevalence in IUIU was significantly greater than Uganda’s national prevalence (χ2=182.009; p<0.0001; 95%CI). The commonest intervention was, sleeping under insecticide-treated mosquito-nets (96%), and the rarest was usage of medicinal herbs (15%). Though 41 (17.5%) of respondents who used mosquito-nets never suffered malaria, usage of mosquito-nets was not significantly associated with absence of malaria infection (p = 0.83). The same applied for other interventions except timely testing and treatment (p = 0.02). Most frequently mentioned risk factors were; improper use of mosquito nets (214, 84%), inappropriate depositing of garbage (196, 77%), and “staying out late” (133, 52%). Key barriers to malaria prevention observed were; usage of damaged bed nets (38, 19% of 198), clogged trenches with liquid wastes, and perforated wire meshes in ventilators. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of malaria in IUIU community was 12.7%; and was significantly higher than Uganda’s national prevalence (7%). Usage of insecticide-treated bed-nets was the commonest intervention, but showed no statistically significant association with malaria non-prevalence. Awareness programs should be enhanced to address inappropriate use of malaria control methods/tools, because the widespread adoption of these interventions alone did not effectively curb the burden.

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