News Archive

18th August 2006 - Updated Systematic Review Guidelines available

The latest version of the Guidelines for Systematic Review of Effectiveness of Interventions in Conservation and Environmental Management are now available in the Library. The submission guidelines for systematic reviews and protocols, and accompanying templates, have also been updated. These can be found on the Guidelines page.

18th August 2006 - Finalised review of MG5 grassland grazing now available online

The final version of systematic review 15 "Does sheep-grazing degrade unimproved neutral grasslands managed as pasture in lowland Britain?" is now available. Please visit the Library to access either the summary or full version of the review.

16th August 2006 - Deadline extended for comments on the draft review of in-stream devices

The deadline for comments on the draft version of systematic review 12 "Does the use of in-stream structures and woody debris increase the abundance of trout and salmon?" has been extended to September 8th, 2006. Please visit the CEBC draft review page to access the review. The deadline for feedback on this review has now passed.

10th July 2006 - Draft review of in-stream devices now available online

The draft version of systematic review 12 "Does the use of in-stream structures and woody debris increase the abundance of trout and salmon?" is now available. Please visit the CEBC draft review page to access the review. The deadline for feedback on this review is August 10, 2006.

7th July 2006 - Finalised review of saproxylic invertebrate conservation now available online

The final version of systematic review 17 “Are current management recommendations for conserving saproxylic invertebrates effective?" is now available. Please visit the CEBC systematic review page to access either the summary or full version of the review.

23rd June 2006 - Draft review of farmland bird conservation now available online

The draft version of systematic review 11 "The effectiveness of agri-environmental schemes at conserving farmland birds species within the U.K." is now available. Please visit the CEBC draft review page to access the review. The deadline for feedback on this review is July 23, 2006. The deadline for feedback on this review has now passed.

23rd June 2006 - Formalised Spartina control protocol available

The formalised protocol for systematic review 22 'Effectiveness of the management options available for the control of Spartina species' is now available. Please visit the CEBC protocols page to access this protocol.

21st June 2006 - New publications added to the website

The CEBC publications page has been updated to include 2 new publications available. The first is a critical comparison of medical and ecological review articles showing that ecological reviews generally lack the scientific rigorous methodology of systematic reviews in medicine. The second is a presentation of 100 ecological questions of UK policy relevance compiled by representatives of many UK organizations and to which CEBC contributed.

26th May 2006 - Draft review of MG5 grassland grazing now available online

The draft version of systematic review 15 "Does sheep-grazing degrade unimproved neutral grasslands managed as pasture in lowland Britain?" is now available. Please visit the CEBC draft review page to access the review. The deadline for feedback on this review is June 26, 2006. The deadline for feedback on this review has now passed.

25th May 2006 - Policy brief for hedgerow corridors review now available

A policy brief has been developed to accompany systematic review 8A “Do hedgerow corridors increase the population viability of woodland species?”. Please visit the Library to access either the policy brief or the full version of the review. 15th May 2006 - Formalised farmland birds protocol available

The formalised protocol for systematic review 11 'The effectiveness of agri-environmental schemes at conserving farmland bird species within the U.K.' is now available. Please visit the CEBC protocols page to access this protocol.

9th May 2006 - Draft protocol available for comment - Control of Spartina

The draft protocol for the review "Effectiveness of the management options available for the control of Spartina species" is now available for comment. Please visit the CEBC protocols page to access the protocol. The deadline for feedback is June 9, 2006. The deadline for feedback on this protocol has now passed.

27th April 2006 - Draft review of saproxylic invertebrate conservation now available online

The second draft version of systematic review 17 “Are current management recommendations for conserving saproxylic invertebrates effective?" is now available. Please visit the CEBC draft review page to access the review. The deadline for feedback on this review is May 24, 2006. The deadline for feedback on this review has now passed.

20th March 2006 - Formalised protocol and review of development as a conservation tool now available

The final version of systematic review 20 "Development as a conservation tool: Evaluating ecological, economic, attitudinal, and behavioural outcomes" is now available. Please visit the Library to access either the summary or full version of the review. The formalised protocol has now also been posted on the CEBC protocols page. This is the first review to come from an external source, from a group based at the University of California, USA.

13th March 2006 - Formalised Japanese knotweed control protocol available

The formalised protocol for systematic review 21 'Are Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) control and eradication interventions effective?' is now available. Please visit the CEBC protocols page to access this protocol.

6th March 2006 - Formalised protocols available

Several protocols have now become formalised. These involve reviews on nitrogen deposition and plant communities, impact of access on vegetation, and riparian corridors. Please visit the CEBC protocols page to access these protocols.

24th February 2006 - Finalised review of hedgerow corridors now available online

The final version of systematic review 8A “Do hedgerow corridors increase the population viability of woodland species?” is now available. Please visit the Library to access either the summary or full version of the review. This sub-review is nested within the broad working title “Do habitat corridors promote population viability?” Please contact the lead reviewer should you wish to either suggest, or develop, an additional sub-review within habitat corridor systematic review series.

20th February 2006 - Deadline for protocol comments extended

The deadline for comments on the protocol for review 8B "Do riparian corridors increase the population viability of species occupying patches of fragmented habitat?" has been extended until March 3, 2006. Please visit the CEBC protocols page to access the protocol. The deadline for feedback on this protocol has now passed.

6th February 2006 - New post advertised at CEBC

As a result of English Nature’s continuing support of the CEBC, we are pleased to announce the creation of a new post. The new Research Associate position will be based at the University of Birmingham and is available for one year. For further information, please click here. Applications for this position have now closed.

2nd February 2006 - Revised protocol for lowland heath management now available

The protocol for systematic review 14 "How does the impact of grazing on heathland compare with the impact of burning, cutting or no management?" has been modified following a meeting with JNCC and input from subject experts. Bayesian synthesis of this information is ongoing and further data is being sought for meta-analysis. For more information, please contact the lead reviewer. Please visit the CEBC protocols page to access the protocol.

20th January 2006 - Deadline extended for comments on the draft review of hedgerow habitat corridors

The deadline for comments on the draft version of part A of systematic review 8 “Do hedgerow corridors increase the population viability of woodland species?” has been extended to January 31st, 2006. Please visit the CEBC draft review page to access the review. The deadline for feedback on this protocol has now passed.

20th January 2006 - Draft protocol available for comment - Riparian habitat corridors

The draft protocol for the review "Do riparian corridors increase the population viability of species occupying patches of fragmented habitat?" is now available for comment. This second sub-review, nested within the broad working title “Do habitat corridors promote population viability?”, will specifically focus on the effectiveness of riparian corridors (Part B). Please visit the CEBC protocols page to access the protocol. The deadline for feedback is February 22, 2006. Please contact the lead reviewer should you wish to either suggest, or develop, an additional sub-review within habitat corridor systematic review series. The deadline for feedback on this protocol has now passed.

18th January 2006 - Draft protocol available for comment - Control of Japanese knotweed

The draft protocol for the review "Do interventions implemented to control and eradicate Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) effectively reduce abundance?" is now available for comment. Please visit the CEBC protocols page to access the protocol. The deadline for feedback is February 20, 2006. The deadline for feedback on this protocol has now passed.

19th December 2005 - Draft review of development as a conservation tool now available

The draft version of systematic review 20 "Development as a conservation tool: Evaluating ecological, economic, attitudinal, and behavioural outcomes" is now available. Please visit the CEBC draft review page to access the review. The deadline for feedback is January 31, 2006. This is the first review to come from an external source, from a group based at the University of California, USA. The deadline for feedback on this review has now passed.

5th December 2005 - Key questions for review on climate change

Earlier this year the CEBC ran a workshop at the Institute of Biology, London, in association with the British Ecological Society, to identify key ecological questions on climate change that would help enhance the evidence-base for UK policy development.

1st December 2005 - Draft review of habitat corridors now available online

The draft version of part A of systematic review 8 “Do hedgerow corridors increase the population viability of woodland species?” is now available. Please visit the CEBC draft review page to access the review. The deadline for feedback on this review is January 11, 2006. The deadline for feedback on this review has now passed.

29th November 2005 - Finalised review of bracken control now available online

The final version of the systematic review "Effectiveness of current method for the control of Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)" is now available. Please visit the Library to access either the summary or full version of the review.

11th November 2005 - Systematic review workshop presentations now available on website

The first two training workshops funded by UK PopNet were presented in Birmingham this week. Two more workshops will be conducted in Aberdeen on 16 and 17 December. Visit our Presentations page to access the PowerPoint presentations from each day, or use the links below:

27th October 2005 - Website updated with posters that were presented at the BES annual meeting in September 2005.

Visit our Presentations page to see posters on Effective Ragwort Management: An Evidence-Based Approach, and Effective Control of Rhododendron ponticum.

27th October 2005 - Website layout updated

The layout of the website has been updated to clarify the difference between draft and completed systematic reviews. The two types of review are now accessed via separate web page links through the Library and the Systematic Review pages. Please update any links you may have to these pages.

Please note that draft reviews are placed on this website in order to obtain feedback and comments from subject experts, the user community and other stakeholders. We emphasise that these are not completed systematic reviews, and should not be used in any form for any purpose other than providing the CEBC with feedback on their content.
 

4th October 2005 - CEBC to conduct FREE training workshops in November 2005 with UKPopNet funding

FREE training workshops are taking place during November 2005. Over 100 participants drawn from both the scientific and practitioner/policy-maker communities are anticipated. The key outputs will be increased level of knowledge of evidence-based methodologies and the value of a systematic approach. All are welcome to attend. Two different workshops will run in Birmingham and will be repeated at Macaulay Institute, Aberdeen, Scotland:

This event is targeted primarily at PhD students, researchers and consultants who are considering undertaking a systematic review.

Objective: To encourage the scientific community, and in particular postgraduate students, to participate in systematic reviews and to provide them with the toolkit to do so.

Topics: (i) What are systematic reviews and why do we need them? (ii) Key stages of a systematic review. (iii) Working with the CEBC/UKPopNet and the support they can provide.

For application details refer to the UKPopNet website (details can be found on the right-hand side under the 'News' section) or contact Caroline Kennan on chk2@york.ac.uk.

The deadline for registration is 1st November.

Student travel support is available for this workshop.

 

This event is targeted primarily at practitioners and policy-formers who want to know more about how evidence-based practice works and their role in it.

Objective: To increase awareness within the practitioner and policymaker community of the development of evidence-based practice and to increase their level of involvement in making use of its outputs.

Topics: (i) The history of evidence-based practice. (ii) Key elements of evidence-based practice (iii) What kind of evidence do we want? (iv) Assessing the evidence. (v) Using the conclusions from systematic reviews. (vi) Interactions between decision-makers and the CEBC/UKPopNet (vii) Building the collaboration.

For application details refer to the UKPopNet website (details can be found on the right-hand side under the 'News' section) or contact Caroline Kennan on chk2@york.ac.uk.

The deadline for registration is 8th November.

7th July 2005 - New post advertised at CEBC. Please note that the application deadline for this post has now passed.

8th June 2005 – Grants for systematic reviews

The British Ecological Society has launched its ‘Ecology into Policy’ grant scheme. Grants provide support for individuals or groups who wish to undertake a systematic review on an ecological subject relevant to a policy issue. Go to www.britishecologicalsociety.org/articles/publicaffairs/eipg/ for further details.

11th May 2005 – CEBC is to run a two-day workshop

Entitled ‘establishing an evidence-based framework for managing biodiversity in a period of rapid climate change’ on 28-29th June 2005 at the Institute of Biology, London. Funded by the British Ecological Society as part of their ‘ecology into practice’ initiative, the first day (invitation only) will be for policy formers to pose the key questions for review and the second day (open - registration required) is for scientists with an interest in this area to respond to the policy questions.

4th April 2005 - NERC Knowledge Transfer programme gets underway

The first meeting of collaborating organisations in the NERC Knowledge Transfer Project, co-ordinated by CEBC, was held at Birmingham on 24th February. The end-user organisations agreed on six questions for an initial round of systematic reviews. Protocols for these reviews will be posted on this website from this week. Please contact us if you would like to get involved.

1st April 2005 - Review on effectiveness of Rhododendron control methods goes online

See our library section for this latest systematic review. This review of the experimental evidence is to be complemented by a survey of practitioner experience. Please contact us if you would like to contribute.

22nd February 2005 - Dates of UKPopNet funded workshops are provisionally announced.

The first pair of workshops will be held at the University of Birmingham on 9-10th November and then repeated in Aberdeen on 16-17th November.

7th February 2005 - CEBC website updated with a new look and new files. 

10th December 2004 - CEBC secures UKPopNet funding for 4 training workshops in 2005.

Four training workshops will take place during autumn 2005. Over 100 participants drawn from both scientific and practitioner/policy maker communities are anticipated. Workshops will be advertised widely and all are welcome to attend. The key outputs will be increased level of knowledge of evidence-based methodologies and the value of a systematic approach. Two different workshops will run in Birmingham and then be repeated at a venue in Scotland:

This event is targeted primarily at researchers who are considering undertaking a systematic review.

Objective: To encourage the scientific community, and in particular postgraduate students, to participate in systematic reviews and to provide them with the toolkit to do so.

This event is targeted primarily at practitioners and policy-formers who want to know more about how evidence-based practice works and their role in it.

Objective: To increase awareness within the practitioner and policymaker community of the development of evidence-based practice and to increase their level of involvement in making use of its outputs.

19th October 2004 - CEBC advertises two new posts.

Through funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the CEBC and UKPopNet are establishing a collaboration with UK conservation organisations to develop knowledge transfer through an evidence-based framework. Two posts are sought for a maximum of three years starting in January 2005 or as soon as possible thereafter. The Research Assistant post will be based at the University of Birmingham and the Research Associate post will be based with UKPopNet at the University of East Anglia. Please note that the application deadline for these posts has now passed.

 

28th September 2004

The UK Environment Agency has recently joined the consortium of organisations collaborating with CEBC. This is a significant development as it broadens the scope of questions that might be subjected to systematic review to encompass a range of environmental management issues.

27th September 2004

Two new English Nature (EN) funded researchers have started work at the CEBC. This represents a significant growth in capacity for the systematic review team. It will mean an expansion of activities engaging other conservation and environmental organisations in the development of evidence-based practice.

16th September 2004

The CEBC has been awarded a 3-year grant from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) under its Knowledge Transfer Programme. The project entitled 'Implementing the evidence-based framework for review and dissemination of scientific evidence to support biodiversity conservation' involves partnerships with both the scientific community, specifically UKPopNet, and the user community in the form of governmental (English Nature, Countryside Council for Wales, Scottish Natural Heritage) and non governmental (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The National Trust) conservation organisations. We intend to engage others from both communities in proposing, undertaking and evaluating systematic reviews, so if you want to get in involved then simply contact us.

10th September 2004

At this week's British Ecological Society (BES) Annual Meeting in Lancaster, UK. CEBC staff presented updates on progress with two current systematic reviews on the effectiveness of control methods for Ragwort (Senecio spp.) and Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum). An evaluation of the first two systematic reviews was also the subject of an oral presentation.

3rd August 2004

The objectives and current work of the CEBC were presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology in New York. Andrew Pullin called for conservation biologists to engage with the CEBC and undertake systematic reviews in their specialist areas and displayed details of how to get involved in a poster presentation. A second poster evaluated the systematic review process in the light of the experience from undertaking the first two systematic reviews.

12th July 2004

CEBC website goes live.  As a first step in the dissemination of systematic reviews on conservation interventions, the CEBC website becomes open access. Being in an early stage of development the site provides very limited information for practitioners but concentrates on providing information and examples of the work of the CEBC and information on how scientists and conservation practitioners can get involved in evidence-based practice.

12th July 2004

English Nature (EN) funding provides two new posts for CEBC.  The two-year funding agreement has enabled the establishment of two new posts at CEBC, starting in September 2004. This will mean an expansion of systematic review activities and continuation of the work to engage other conservation organisations in the development of evidence-based practice.