Biodiversity conservation: Applying new criteria to assess excellence

An assessment of a municipal physical activity programme for seniors based on the EFQM model: Integrating the views of internal and external stakeholders

The growing proportion of senior citizens and the importance of encouraging active well-ageing behaviours explain the increasing efforts carried out by governments to develop exercise programmes particularly targeted to this group. The complexity associated with the running of these programmes and the resources committed make their quality assessment essential. The aim of the current paper is to validate and refine the use of the EFQM model in this context. A programme of a medium-sized municipality of the Centre region of Portugal was used as a case study to evaluate the adequacy and relevance of the EFQM model and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current programme based on the data collected from service users, instructors, municipal leaders and programme partners. High levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, together with the clarity of programme mission and strategy emerged as main areas of strength. On the other hand, insufficient attention to the measurement of people satisfaction, as well as the leaders' failure of to show appreciation for the efforts developed by the programme instructors are key areas for improvement.

System Behaviour Charts Inform an Understanding of Biodiversity Recovery

Practitioners working with species and ecosystem recovery typically deal with the complexity of, on one hand, lack of data or data uncertainties and, on the other hand, demand for critical decision-making and intervention. The control chart methods of commercial and industrial and environmental monitoring can complement an ecological understanding of wildlife systems including those situations which incorporate human activities and land use. Systems Behaviour Charts are based upon well-established control chart methods to provide conservation managers with an approach to using existing data and enable insight to aid timely planning of conservation interventions and also complement and stimulate research into wider scientific and ecological questions. When the approach is applied to existing data sets in well-known wildlife conservation cases, the subsequent Systems Behaviour Charts and associated analytical criteria demonstrate insights which would be helpful in averting problems associated with each case example.