Papers by Elisabeth Slooten
Marine Policy, 2011
The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. All in-text references underlined in b... more The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. All in-text references underlined in blue are added to the original document and are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately. This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues.
Environmental Education Research, 2013
ABSTRACT We report the development and piloting of an evaluative instrument and process for monit... more ABSTRACT We report the development and piloting of an evaluative instrument and process for monitoring the environmental literacy (EL) of undergraduate students in one large research-led university in New Zealand. The instrument addresses knowledge, affect and competencies in the general area of EL in line with this institution’s adoption of EL as a graduate attribute (or in a US context, a general-education learning outcome, and something to be fostered throughout a student’s education). The instrument and associated processes were designed to fit within conventional institutional mechanisms that manage student feedback on the quality of teaching. The instrument was tested with more than 600 students from more than eight programmes over the course of a year and its use stressed that students were anonymous within the survey. We conclude that evaluating (or in a US context, assessing) the extent to which students acquire EL is an achievable objective and is a reasonable expectation for any higher education institution that claims to foster this attribute.
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 2015
This article shares and extends research-based developments at the University of Otago, New Zeala... more This article shares and extends research-based developments at the University of Otago, New Zealand, that seek to explore how students' worldviews change as they experience higher education with us. We emphasise that sustainability attributes may be described in terms of knowledge, skills and competencies but that these are underpinned by affective attributes such as values, attitudes and dispositions; so that 'education for sustainable development' is substantially a quest for affective change. We describe approaches to categorise affective outcomes and conclude that 'education for sustainable development' objectives comprise higher order affective outcomes (leading to behavioural change) that are challenging for higher education to address. Our own work emphasises the need for student anonymity as these higher order outcomes are assessed, evaluated, monitored, researched or otherwise measured using research instruments that focus on worldview. A longitudinal mixed-effects repeat-measures statistical model is described that enables higher education institutions to answer the question of whether or not 'education for sustainable development' objectives are being achieved. Discussion links affect to critical reasoning and addresses the possibility of documenting and assessing the development of lower and mid-order affective outcomes. We conclude that 'education for sustainable development' objectives need to be clearly articulated if higher education is to be able to assess, or evaluate, their achievement.
Tourism in Marine Environments, Jan 1, 2006
Bottlenose dolphins are a key resource of the tourism industry in Fiordland and are used on a dai... more Bottlenose dolphins are a key resource of the tourism industry in Fiordland and are used on a daily basis by the tour operators offering cruises on the fiords. Recent studies have shown that the current levels of dolphin-boat interactions in this region cannot be sustained by bottlenose dolphins. Interactions have both short- and long-term effects on both individuals and their populations. Population models indicate that these effects may be affecting the viability of the three bottlenose dolphin populations living in Fiordland. We are currently observing drastic changes in the bottlenose dolphin population living in Doubtful Sound, which can be linked to the level of boat interactions to which they are currently exposed. The creation of a multilevel marine mammal sanctuary would help minimize dolphin-boat interactions and still allow for some further growth in the tourism sector in Fiordland.
Endangered Species Research, 2011
Passive acoustic surveys have potential for detecting trends in abundance and habitat use by rare... more Passive acoustic surveys have potential for detecting trends in abundance and habitat use by rare cetaceans. We deployed commercially available acoustic data loggers (T-PODs) in 4 harbours on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island between 2005 and 2008 to investigate the distribution of Maui's dolphin Cephalorhynchus hectori maui and assess whether current protection measures are sufficient. A set of decision rules was developed to minimise the potential for false positive detections. Over 3211 'T-POD days' of acoustic monitoring, 39 click trains which satisfied all of our decision rules were detected, indicating the presence of Maui's dolphins in Manukau and Kaipara Harbours. Data from the site with the most detections were fitted to 3 models, showing that the number of detections varied temporally (p < 0.001). The models were also used to show to what degree dolphins could have been present at monitored locations yet remain undetected. The study highlighted the challenges of passive acoustic monitoring of rare species, particularly of small delphinids in an environment which is both physically and acoustically challenging. Nonetheless, we demonstrated that T-PODs are effective in studies of Maui's dolphin distribution, that Maui's dolphins are found in North Island harbours and remain at risk from gillnet bycatch. We make a number of recommendations concerning acoustic monitoring studies of rare cetaceans, principally that a thorough understanding of the target signals and the acoustic environment being monitored is essential for maximising acoustic detection rates.
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 1986
Two Hector's dolphins Cephalorhynchus hectori dissected at Christchurch, New Zealand. in 1985 had... more Two Hector's dolphins Cephalorhynchus hectori dissected at Christchurch, New Zealand. in 1985 had granulomatous lesions of the rnesenteric lymph node. Histological examination revealed fluke eggs with associated inflammatory responses. In Case 1, a single fluke, probably of the genus Campula (Farmly Campuhdae) was recovered intact from the lesion. A similar fluke was also seen in sections cut of material from Case 2. Bacteriological culture of purulent material from Case 1 yielded Eikenella conodens, a species apparently previously unknown from marine mammals. The observed pathology was presumably an inflammatory response to the flukes and their eggs, with secondary bactenal infechon.
Line-transect surveys of abundance depend critically on the estimation of detection probability, ... more Line-transect surveys of abundance depend critically on the estimation of detection probability, which includes corrections for availability and visibility. In this aerial line-transect survey for Hector's dolphin (Cephalwhynchw hectorz) we recorded dive times from a helicopter to estimate the proportion of time that dolphins could be seen at or near the water surface and were therefore "available" to be counted. The proportion of available sighrings that were counted on transect lines was estimated by comparing sightings by two independent teams of two observers in the fixed-wing plane. The survey covered the area between Farewell Spit and Milford Sound, off the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
Endangered Species Research, 2015
ABSTRACT: Limited resources and increasing environmental concerns have prompted calls to identify... more ABSTRACT: Limited resources and increasing environmental concerns have prompted calls to identify the critical questions that most need to be answered to advance conservation, thereby providing an agenda for scientific research priorities. Cetaceans are often keystone indicator species but also high profile, charismatic flagship taxa that capture public and media attention as well as political interest. A dedicated workshop was held at the conference of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (December 2013, New Zealand) to identify where lack of data was hindering cetacean conservation and which questions need to be addressed most urgently. This paper summarizes 15 themes and component questions prioritized during the workshop. We hope this list will encourage cetacean conservation-orientated research and help agencies and policy makers to prioritize funding and future activities. This will ultimately remove some of the current obstacles to science-based cetacean conservation.
... M. Sc. thesis, Marine Science Department. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Gordon, ... more ... M. Sc. thesis, Marine Science Department. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Gordon, J., R. Leaper, FG Hartley, and O. Chappell. 1992. ... Tourism Recreation Research and Education Centre, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand. Hoyt, E. 2000. ...
Hector's dolphins are an endemic species found along coasts in both the North and South Isla... more Hector's dolphins are an endemic species found along coasts in both the North and South Islands in New Zealand. They are primarily observed along the coast within 5 nautical miles (nm) of the shore. Surveys conducted during the past 5 years have calculated the South Island ...
DOC Science Internal Series is a published record of scientific research carried out, or advice g... more DOC Science Internal Series is a published record of scientific research carried out, or advice given, by Department of Conservation staff, or external contractors funded by DOC. It comprises progress reports and short communications that are generally peer-reviewed within DOC, ...
Two Hector's dolphins Cephalorhynchus hectori dissected at Christchurch, New Zealand. in 1985 had... more Two Hector's dolphins Cephalorhynchus hectori dissected at Christchurch, New Zealand. in 1985 had granulomatous lesions of the rnesenteric lymph node. Histological examination revealed fluke eggs with associated inflammatory responses. In Case 1, a single fluke, probably of the genus Campula (Farmly Campuhdae) was recovered intact from the lesion. A similar fluke was also seen in sections cut of material from Case 2. Bacteriological culture of purulent material from Case 1 yielded Eikenella conodens, a species apparently previously unknown from marine mammals. The observed pathology was presumably an inflammatory response to the flukes and their eggs, with secondary bactenal infechon.
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Papers by Elisabeth Slooten