Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Mar Pollut Bull 2021 Apr 13;167:112307. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Project Seagrass, PO Box 412, Bridgend CF31 9RL, UK; Seagrass Ecosystem Research Group, College of Science, Swansea University, SA2 8PP, UK.

Seagrass ecosystems provide critical contributions (goods and perceived benefits or detriments) for the livelihoods and wellbeing of Pacific Islander peoples. Through in-depth examination of the contributions provided by seagrass ecosystems across the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), we find a greater quantity in the Near Oceania (New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands) and western Micronesian (Palau and Northern Marianas) regions; indicating a stronger coupling between human society and seagrass ecosystems. We also find many non-material contributions historically have been overlooked and under-appreciated by decision-makers. Read More

Sex Transm Dis 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) Control Branch, Division of Communicable Disease Control (DCDC), Center for Infectious Diseases (CID), California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Richmond, California University of California San Francisco, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, San Francisco, California University of California San Francisco, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, San Francisco, California.

Background: As public health personnel and resources are redirected to COVID-19, sexually transmitted diseases (STD) programs have been unable to sustain pre-COVID-19 activities.

Methods: We used California (CA) surveillance data to describe trends in case reporting for gonorrhea (GC), chlamydia (CT), and syphilis of any stage in the pre- versus post- COVID-19 eras (January-June 2019 and January-June 2020). We also analyzed data from an electronic survey administered by the CA STD Control Branch to local health jurisdictions (LHJs) in April, June, and September of 2020 assessing the impact of COVID-19 on STD programs. Read More

Nature 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Human Evolutionary Genetics Unit, Institut Pasteur, UMR 2000, CNRS, Paris, France.

The Pacific region is of major importance for addressing questions regarding human dispersals, interactions with archaic hominins and natural selection processes. However, the demographic and adaptive history of Oceanian populations remains largely uncharacterized. Here we report high-coverage genomes of 317 individuals from 20 populations from the Pacific region. Read More

Asia Pac J Public Health 2021 Apr 14:10105395211005921. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.

Research on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has focused primarily on impacts in Western societies despite emerging evidence of increased vulnerability among indigenous peoples such as Pacific Islanders. Using Facebook public posts, this research assessed compliance to COVID-19 restrictions such as social gatherings (SG) and social distancing (SD) in non-COVID-19, indigenous Fijian (iTaukei) funerals in Fiji. Results showed 95% of the 20 funerals exceeding SG limits with greater, and highly variable crowd sizes in rural than urban communities. Read More

Glob Chang Biol 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Toronto, ON, M5S3A7, CANADA.

Global commitments to protected area expansion should prioritize opportunities to protect climate refugia and ecosystems which store high levels of irrecoverable carbon, as key components of an effective response to biodiversity loss and climate change. The United States and Canada are responsible for one-sixth of global greenhouse gas emissions but hold extensive natural ecosystems that store globally-significant above- and below-ground carbon. Canada has initiated a process of protected area network expansion in concert with efforts at reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, and acknowledged nature-based solutions as a key aspect of climate change mitigation. Read More