The Seychelles Kestrel Falco araeus is an endemic species confined to the larger granitic islands in the Seychelles archipelago. It is classified as “Vulnerable” and became extinct on Praslin and La Digue islands in the 1970s, leading to an attempt of reintroduction in 1977. This reintroduction was not a success, with the last census reporting only four breeding pairs on Praslin Island. Studies on the Seychelles Kestrel are very limited and dated, and a lack of data on the biology and ecology of the species has made it difficult to make a thorough assessment of the cause of the current decline of the Praslin population. In order to determine the limiting factors on Praslin we investigated the following ecological parameters: nest-site availability, trophic availability, predatory pressure, and interspecific competition. Data were collected on Mahé and Praslin islands in three habitats (i.e. urban, suburban, and forest areas) and compared to determine if limiting factors differed among islands, habitats, and islands*habitat. We only found a significant difference in nest-site availability, with Praslin showing a marked lack of nesting cavities. Breeding pairs on Praslin are probably forced to nest in suboptimal sites. Indeed, the breeding success rate on Praslin is very low, and most of the nests there fail. The Seychelles Kestrel population on Praslin is in decline and cannot be sustained without human intervention. Such an intervention must take into account the ecological parameters highlighted in the present study.

The restrictive measures taken by nursing homes during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 (e.g., quarantine) may have been important stressors for which residents needed resilience to safeguard their well-being. Based on 30 semi-structured interviews with nursing home residents and close relatives, this study explored the lived experiences with respect to the restrictive measures. The data were collected in psychogeriatric, somatic, and mixed wards in The Netherlands and Flanders, Belgium. The restrictive measures were important stressors for residents, indicated by feelings of loneliness, sadness, and powerlessness. To deal with these measures, residents used various resources, which were determined by factors in the individual (e.g., health), interactional (e.g., possibilities for social interactions) and contextual (e.g. nursing home policy) domains. Because the lived experiences with respect to the restrictive measures seemed to relate to the resilience of nursing home residents, it is crucial to reinforce resources in the individual, interactional, and contextual domains.

More than three in 10 people living in Jordan are immigrants, with the majority being Palestinian and Syrian refugees, who have a very similar non-communicable diseases (NCDs) profile to the hosting Jordanian community. We conducted a rapid review of the literature of studies, reports, and documents on the evidence of the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations in Jordan with regard to NCD during the first year of the pandemic. COVID-19-related mobility constraints and often lack of awareness of NCDs put additional burden on vulnerable populations like refugees and migrants, in particular on non-registered migrants. COVID-19 pandemic and associated mitigation measures led to disruption in routine health services, significantly impacting people living with NCDs. Ensuring to deliver a people-centered and inclusive approach that works well during COVID-19 is of paramount importance toward Universal Health Coverage (all people have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship).

Neoliberal policies of industrial relations decentralisation and privatisation have transformed the economic landscape of Australia in the last 20 years. The primary objective of these policies has been to enhance wealth and prosperity by improving productivity and flexibility of the workforce and competition and accountability in the market. Yet the evidence suggests that precarious workers are not benefiting from this increased prosperity, indeed they suffer by comparison with all other workers. Cleaners are a subset of precarious workers who have been hard hit by the dual impacts of labour market decentralisation and privatisation. This study finds quantitative evidence of an increasing gap in earnings between cleaners and other workers in Australia since the onset of workplace relations decentralisation and the proliferation of privatisation in the mid 1990s. We locate our argument in recent debates about the nature of variegated neoliberalism, the emergence of the networked economy, and the implications of these developments for the nature of work and employment.

Homelessness is a growing problem, with perhaps greater than a 150 million homeless people globally. The global community has prioritized the problem, as eradicating homelessness is one of the United Nation’s sustainability goals of 2030. Homelessness is a variable entity with individual, population, cultural, and regional characteristics complicating emergency preparedness. Overall, there are many factors that make homeless individuals and populations more vulnerable to disasters. These include, but are not limited to: shelter concerns, transportation, acute and chronic financial and material resource constraints, mental and physical health concerns, violence, and substance abuse. As such, homeless population classification as a special or vulnerable population with regard to disaster planning is well-accepted. Much work has been done regarding best practices of accounting for and accommodating special populations in all aspects of disaster management. Utilizing what is understood of homeless populations and emergency management for special populations, a review of disaster planning with recommendations for communities was conducted. Much of the literature on this subject generates from urban homeless in the United States, but it is assumed that some lessons learned and guidance will be translatable to other communities and settings.

The Rufous-throated Dipper Cinclus schulzi is endemic to the Southern Yungas of north-western Argentina and southern Bolivia. The species is categorised as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List on the basis of small population size and restricted range. The purpose of our study was to determine the distribution of potentially suitable habitat for the Rufous-throated Dipper, estimate its population size, and assess potential distribution within strict protected areas, in north-western Argentina. We surveyed 44 rivers in the Southern Yungas of Argentina from 2010 to 2013 to determine dipper density (i.e. the number of individuals detected per km surveyed). The dipper’s potential distribution was assessed using a maximum entropy modeling approach based on 31 occurrence points and eight bioclimatic and two topographic variables as predictors. The species is dependent on mountain forest rivers, so the potential distribution was restricted to rivers. We estimated dipper population size by multiplying density by the potential distribution along rivers. Finally, we calculated the extent of suitable habitat contained within the boundaries of Argentina´s National Parks. Dipper density was 0.94 ± 1.55 individuals/km. We estimate that within north-west Argentina there are ~2,815 km of river that are potential habitat, with an area of occupancy of 141 km2 and a population size of 2,657 ± 4,355 dippers. However, of this river extent, less than 5% is within National Parks. Our results highlight the need to create new and to enlarge existing National Parks that protect the potentially suitable habitat of the species. Although more information is needed for Bolivia, the country-level area of occupancy and population size of the dipper found in Argentina provides strong evidence that the IUCN Red List classification of this species as ‘Vulnerable’ is warranted.

Vulnerable groups are often excluded from clinical research on the basis of scientific, ethical and practical reasons. Although intended to protect vulnerable people and maintain study integrity, exclusion of vulnerable groups from research through use of standard exclusion criteria may not always be necessary and may result in findings that are not generalisable. Achieving a balance between the competing needs to protect vulnerable people and to make progress in our understanding of disorders and their management through research requires a reconsideration of exclusion criteria and consent processes to ensure vulnerable people are appropriately represented in clinical research. Reasons for development of broad exclusion criteria include both concrete barriers and intangible discouraging factors. This paper examines this situation and its consequences, perceived and real barriers to inclusion of vulnerable people in research, and suggests methods for overcoming these barriers and applying thoughtful exclusion criteria.

This article provides insights into how the concept of vulnerability operates in welfare and disciplinary processes for young people who are considered ‘vulnerable’. It reports from empirical qualitative research conducted in a large city in England which included interviews with vulnerable young people and with professionals working with this group. Findings highlight that despite differences of opinion about what constitutes ‘vulnerability’, it is a popular and powerful conceptual mechanism which underpins the delivery of service interventions for certain young people. A relationship between vulnerability and ‘transgression’ is revealed, calling into question dichotomous representations of young people as either ‘vulnerable victims’ or ‘dangerous wrong-doers’. It is argued that whilst it can be utilised in the pursuit of more ‘caring’ interventions with those who are seen to be ‘in need’, vulnerability is also a concept relevant to debates concerning selective welfare systems and behavioural regulation.

Morangaya pensilis is an endemic monotypic cactus genus from the southern part of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. Previously known only as scattered individuals occurring at a very low density in the highest areas of Sierra de La Laguna, the occurrence of a relatively more dense population (4–7 plants per 250 m2) is reported on Sierra Cacachilas, c. 40 km to the north. Disturbance to the species' habitat includes fragmentation, illegal collection and trade, and land use changes, especially to farming and cattle ranching. Seeds collected from Sierra Cacachilas had a relatively high viability (92%) but recruitment (of 2-month old seedlings) in the area was relatively low, despite above average rainfall in the year of measurement. M. pensilis is eligible for inclusion in Mexico's list of threatened species and fulfils the requirements for categorization as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Management activities that are already taking place in this area include restrictions on cattle and goat grazing and consideration of areas suitable for translocation of the species.

The home range and movements of the quokka Setonix brachyurus, a medium-sized macropodid marsupial, were investigated using radio telemetry. Fifty-eight quokkas from five remnant mainland populations in the northern jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest of Western Australia were radio-collared and monitored for up to 2 years between 1998 and 2000. Mean (±SE) home-range sizes were 6.39±0.77 ha and core ranges averaged 1.21±0.12 ha. Male core home ranges were larger than those of females although not when corrected for body mass. Nocturnal ranges were larger than diurnal owing to nocturnal departures from the swamp. Ranges shifted to the edge of swamps in winter, as the swamps became inundated following rain, and toward the centre in autumn as the swamps dried. Quokka populations are thought to exist below carrying capacity at all sites and this probably caused the lack of dispersal observed in this study. We hypothesize that predation is suppressing population booms which would otherwise drive dispersal and thereby maintain metapopulation dynamics. Without dispersal to rescue unpopulated patches, we conclude that the original quokka metapopulation has collapsed and ameliatory measures are required.