Wasp

• One man mentioned a black-winged storm bird known as “manumanunicagi” that glides above the land only when a cyclone is forming out to sea.
• As the conversation continued, residents named at least 11 bird species, the odd behaviour of which signalled imminent changes in the weather.
• We reviewed evidence on traditional knowledge in the Pacific for coping with climate change, and found much of it was scientifically plausible.

A proven, robust system

• People have inhabited the Pacific Islands for 3,000  years or more and have experienced many climate-driven challenges to their livelihoods and survival.
• They have coped not by luck but by design – through robust systems of traditional knowledge built by diverse groups of people over time.
• Traditional knowledge in the Pacific explains the causes and manifestations of natural phenomena, and identifies the best ways to respond.

Reading the ocean and sky

• In Vanuatu’s Torres Islands, 13 phrases exist to describe the state of the tide, including anomalies that herald uncommon events.
• Distant storms can drive ocean swells onto coasts long before the winds and rain arrive, changing the usual patterns of waves.
• Winds that blow from the east (matā ‘upolu) indicate the imminent arrival of heavy rain, possibly a tropical cyclone.
• Many Pacific Island communities believe a cloudless, dark blue sky signals the arrival of a tropical cyclone.

The wisdom of animals and plants

• In Tonga, when the frigate bird flies across the land – unusual behaviour for an ocean species – it signals a tropical cyclone is developing.
• Another study, which included data on frigate birds in the Pacific, found seabirds appeared to circumvent cyclones, probably by sensing wind strength and direction.

• Traditional knowledge about insect behaviour in the Pacific Islands is also used to predict wet weather.
• Across the Pacific, common signs of impending wet weather are found in the behaviours of some plants.
• This can be explained scientifically by a process in which plant leaves close to protect their reproductive organs from extreme weather.

Planning for a warmer future

• This is true of the Pacific Islands, where in some places, traditional knowledge is all but forgotten.
• As climate change impacts worsen, optimal planning for island peoples should combine both approaches.

Patrick D. Nunn receives funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) via the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership (APCP), the Australian Research Council, and the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research. Roselyn Kumar receives funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) via the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership (APCP)

• Whole Foods Market announced a new pollinator policy for its Fresh Produce and Floral purchasing to support pollinators in recognition of the critical role they play in our food system and the environment.
• The company has long championed pollinator health through its commitment to organic agriculture, which prohibits toxic persistent pesticides.
• View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231218414385/en/
  Whole Foods Market Unveils New Pollinator Health Policy for Fresh Produce & Floral (Photo: Business Wire)
  As part of the new pollinator policy, by 2025, the company will:
  Require all fresh produce and floral growers to implement an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system, which prioritizes preventative and biological pest control measures and reduces the need for chemical pesticides.
• Encourage all fresh produce and floral suppliers to phase out the use of nitroguanidine neonicotinoids.

Every year, around 2.4 million people in the UK get food poisoning – mostly from viral or bacterial contamination. Most people recover within a few days without treatment, but not all are that lucky. As a microbiologist, I’m probably more acutely aware of the risk of food-borne infections than most. Here are some of the things I look out for.

Eating outdoors

• I rarely eat alfresco – whether picnics or barbecues – as the risk of food poisoning goes up when food is taken outdoors.
• You can use alcohol hand gels (they’re better than nothing), but they don’t kill all germs.
• For barbecues, meat needs to be thoroughly cooked, and a meat thermometer is a good investment to avoid food poisoning.

Buffets

• Contamination comes from buffet visitors touching food, and germs can be sprayed on to buffets from people sneezing or coughing close to the food.
• The problem is buffets tend to be laid out before you arrive, so it is difficult to tell if the platters of cooked meat, seafood, salads, desserts and appetisingly arranged fruit and vegetables will have been sitting for more than two hours when you come to eat them.
• For hot buffets, such as those served at breakfast in hotels, I always avoid lukewarm food, as bacteria that cause food poisoning can grow quickly when food is kept at less than 60℃.

Oysters

• There are some foods I never eat, and raw shellfish, such as oysters, is one of them.
• This is because oysters are filter feeders and can concentrate germs, such as Vibrio and norovirus, in their tissue.

Bagged salads

• I never eat bagged salads, largely because one of my research areas is fresh salad safety.
• It has been found that bagged lettuce can contain food poisoning germs such as E coli, Salmonella and Listeria.

Cooking practices

• In terms of cooking practices, I have a list of dos and don’ts.
• One of my “never do” practices is reheating cooked rice.
• Although the Bacillus cells are killed by cooking, the spores survive.

Dining out

• I never collect “doggy bags” of food leftovers (they have usually exceeded the two-hour time limit), even if they really are intended for a pet.
• The benefits of being a microbiologist are that we know how to avoid food poisoning and, in return, people have confidence our cooking is very safe to eat.

• In fact, the past 90 years have seen the loss of over 97% of the UK’s wildflower meadows.
• Many common British wildflowers are undervalued and even disliked by the public, who consider them to be weeds.
• So, what will it take for people to accept and enjoy more wildflowers in their lawns, parks, roadsides and fields?
• In 2005, a study of UK A-level students found that 86% could name only three or fewer common wildflowers.

Sources of pollen

• During the autumn, ivy blooms and becomes the main source of nectar and pollen for a wide range of insects, including honey bees, ivy bees, bumble bees, hover flies, butterflies and wasps.
• In fact, pollen analysis from work published in 2021 on honey bee hives in Sussex suggests that 90% of the pollen that is collected in autumn comes from ivy.
• In one study, when we used pollen traps (an apparatus that dislodges some of the pollen pellets from honey bee legs as they return to the hive), we found that 31% of the pollen collected from late May to early August comes from bramble.

What about weeds?

• Both are often found in lawns but are not always appreciated.
• Interestingly, five native wildflower species in Britain are officially classified as “injurious weeds”, and having them on your land is technically illegal.

Appreciating native plants

• To truly encourage appreciation and support for native wildflowers, we need to shift people’s perspective.
• We must recognise that local native wildflower species with pollinator-friendly flowers already exist almost everywhere.
• By appreciating and supporting them, we not only assist pollinators, but also gain psychological benefits by reconnecting with the wonders of plants and nature.