Our results demonstrate that an interprofessional education workshop focused exclusively on opioid misuse was well received with high levels of satisfaction among health professional students. Workshops such as these can be used in health professions curricula to simulate the complex issues surrounding substance use disorder and to highlight the importance of interprofessional teams.

Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) focuses on the collective management of ecosystems to promote human well-being and aims to devolve authority for ecosystem management to the local (community) level. CBNRM therefore requires strong investments in capacity development of local institutions and governance structures. CBNRM has come under strong criticism for its failures to deliver real benefits to communities. In this paper we explore the reasons for the frequent failure of CBNRM. We postulate that good governance buffers CBNRM against unexpected change, notably conflicts, especially in the early stages when income generation, infrastructure development and capacity development have not yet taken place. We assess the key characteristics of CBNRM governance systems that could perform this buffering function, using case study examples from Macubeni, Nqabara, Makuleke and Richtersveld to support our propositions. In our case studies, 11 strategies have been used to increase the incidence of success of CBNRM: understand and describe the social-ecological system; establish and communicate a clear vision; build on local organizations; plan ahead; create rules for resource use and enforce them; communicate the vision, plan and rules; develop management capacity; finance the initial stages of the initiative; work within available legal frameworks; monitor and learn all the time; and create lasting incentives. Despite these strategies there are, however, a number of obstinate implementation challenges, related to governance shortcomings and external factors which management cannot control. We therefore propose seven additional strategies to promote good governance in CBNRM: 1. Develop knowledge networks that draw on the experience and wisdom of a wide range of key individuals. 2. Establish formalised decision-making structures (e.g. multi-level project steering committees) with clear constitutions and codes of conduct. 3. Clearly define and legitimise conflict resolution procedures. 4. Ensure acceptance of the governance structure by community members. 5. Obtain formal commitment to well-defined roles and responsibilities by key individuals. 6. Establish tangible incentives to key individuals for meeting their commitments.

Many landscapes that straddle the rural/urban divide suffer from low levels of species diversity following extensive clearing and fragmentation of native vegetation communities and conversion of land to agriculture. Further pressures are placed on remnant vegetation by encroaching urban expansion. These landscapes now exhibit a mosaic of small, patchy vegetation remnants that are under considerable pressure from housing and light-industrial development. Furthermore, agriculture in these landscapes tends to be of high economic value from uses such as intensive horticulture. Concerted and well-planned efforts are needed to balance the many conflicts of interest and competing demands for land with the need to restore landscapes for the protection of biodiversity. There has been a recent move in Australia toward regional biodiversity planning and goal setting, however specific detail on how to plan for achieving targets in complex landscapes is lacking. This paper applies a systematic landscape restoration model to a mixed-use, peri-urban landscape on the northern fringes of Adelaide, South Australia. The region contains fragments of remnant vegetation amongst a mosaic of high-value horticulture, light industry and urban development. Models produce maximally efficient solutions that meet comprehensive, adequate and representative conservation targets. Further constraints are added to the model to take into account the value of agricultural output, the biodiversity value of remnants, and property size and tenure. The effects on solution efficiencies as the number of constraints increase are investigated. This paper demonstrates the flexibility found in applying a systematic landscape restoration methodology. The process we present can be transferred to any rural-urban fringe region.

Background: Students from health professional schools participated in a half-day interprofessional education workshop centered on substance use disorder training. One component was a patient panel featuring individuals with a history of opioid use disorder who described the impact of addiction on their lives and their road to recovery using varied treatment options. We hypothesized that interacting with individuals with opioid use disorder early in training would elicit more humanistic perspectives and decrease bias and stigma in future health care professionals. Methods: After participating in the panel experience, health professional students ( N = 580) from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, and social work were asked to complete short, 5-minute, rapid reflections. Prompts asked students whether the panel changed their perception of individuals with substance use disorder, to reflect on their attitudinal changes or lack thereof, and how working in interprofessional teams could impact the management and treatment of these patients. Conventional content analysis was performed. Results: Eighty-nine percent of students who attended the session completed the rapid reflections ( n = 514). Overall, approximately 70% ( n = 369) of students indicated that their perceptions of individuals with substance use disorder had changed as a result of the patient panel, with students from pharmacy more likely to indicate a change in attitudes. Themes across all professions included a change toward a more humanistic perspective, value of hearing real patient stories, and learning about treatment and recovery options. Student responses described how interprofessional health care teams can provide more holistic care with a broader range of therapeutic options that may improve long-term outcomes. Conclusions: A patient panel experience is influential on interprofessional students’ attitudes toward patients who suffer from opioid use disorder. Students identified an interprofessional approach as being a valuable component of management and treatment of these patients.