Conservation Science and Practice最新文献

Conserving species from extinction requires risk assessment and ranking for conservation priorities. The IUCN criteria of extinction risk are currently accepted globally, but only a small fraction of species were evaluated. When assessing species' extinction risk, sufficient information, in particular rate of population decline, is often partial or missing. Here we utilized the red list of Israeli endangered plant species, which prioritizes them for conservation, and evaluated their local extinction risk using IUCN criteria for local assessment. We found a relatively high similarity between the Israeli red number value and the IUCN assessments. Most pronouncedly, the habitat vulnerability index, used in the Israeli method, is correlated with the IUCN parameter of extinction rate in the last decade. We conclude that in the case of Israel, prioritization ranking of endangered species based on locally available information is a powerful tool for conservation even when some species information is lacking, facilitating local decision-making. This finding may apply also to other countries using a local assessment system.

A debate in conservation genomics centers on whether to conserve small, fragmented populations independently or blend them through translocations from larger populations. Translocations of red grouse (Lagopus scotica) from Great Britain to supplement the Irish population have been suggested. We incorporate a variety of genetic datasets to address this. We used genome wide data from 23 contemporary and historic red grouse from Great Britain and Ireland. We also investigate microsatellite data, sequence candidate pigmentation genes, and assess phenotypic color variation. Genomic data indicate higher inbreeding in Irish grouse relative to an English population and significant divergence for genomic (F_ST = 0.095) and microsatellite (F_ST = 0.03) markers. Contemporary N_e was seven times smaller in the Irish population compared to the English. We identified divergent regions linked to pigmentation, immune response, and food intake. We show phenotypic differences in plumage color and sequence divergence among coding regions in the melanin pathway including MC1R (F_ST from genomic data of 0.3). The two populations thus appear locally adapted and this divergence between the source and target population when used for conservation translocations can swamp locally adapted alleles and/or introduce maladapted genotypes, leading to outbreeding depression. While it is important to avoid inbreeding by sustaining larger populations, our research emphasizes the need for practitioners to consider population divergence and local adaptation. We advocate against translocations between Ireland and Britain as a conservation strategy in this particular case and underscore the importance of prioritizing local populations where possible.

Wildlife-vehicle collisions have significant consequences for both humans and animals, including injuries, deaths, and vehicle damage. Therefore, analysis of accident data is important for planning countermeasures and appropriate wildlife management. In this research field, roadkill incidents have been extensively studied in many taxa, while railway accidents have received less attention despite their obvious impact on wildlife. Here we applied a Bayesian state-space model to 31 years of collision data, both on railways and on roads, collected by the Ministry of the Environment in Hokkaido prefecture, Japan, to reveal the spatiotemporal dynamics of accidents for white-tailed eagles, Steller's sea eagles, and red-crowned cranes, for which over hundred accidents were reported in the data. Our analysis suggested that the mean annual number of individuals collected per collision site across Hokkaido increased 47,377-fold in the white-tailed eagle, 40,277-fold in the Steller's sea eagle, and 50,584-fold in the red-crowned crane between 1991 and 2021. There have been concerns about the impact of traffic accidents on the population dynamics of these endangered birds, but no formal analyses have been conducted. Our analysis showed numerically that the negative impact has been increasing annually. These results suggest that long-term data accumulation over large spatial scales allows us to understand the dynamics of accidents and predict potential factors underlying collision risks.

Species extinction rates have accelerated despite the global growth of the protected area estate, and maintaining or restoring ecological connectivity across landscapes is a major challenge in conservation. To address shortfalls in statutory protected areas, the designation of private protected areas (PPA) has been encouraged. Here we assess the level of ecological connectivity in the National System of Protected Areas in Chile (SNASPE) and measure the contribution of PPAs to the connectivity of the system, using novel indicators derived from landscape ecology. In so doing, we demonstrate how countries could report progress towards achieving connectivity among protected areas, using three complementary indicators. Our results show that while SNASPE currently has a high level of ecological connectivity, it varies substantially from region to region, with more protected and connected land needed to enhance connectivity. When PPAs are considered alongside statutory protected areas, connectivity is improved slightly, but still falls well short of meaningful levels. We therefore conclude that substantial expansion of the formal protected area network in Chile needs to happen, guided by a scientific and systematic process that enables the strategic designation of new PAs that enhance the performance of the current PA system and achieves international conservation goals. Additionally, new approaches and frameworks to recognize and manage land outside protected areas for connectivity and other ecosystem services are required.

The world is currently facing a biodiversity crisis and for many species, this is exacerbated by historic exploitation. Monitoring programs provide an integral tool to understand changes in abundance and the impact of threats informing conservation actions. However, measures of absolute abundance for management can be misleading, particularly when there is a biased sex ratio. Here we recommend focusing on the rate-limiting cohort for management actions using the case of North Atlantic right whales. The North Atlantic right whale has a male-biased sex ratio, with reproductively active females making up less than a fifth of the species. We highlight the importance of understanding and incorporating reproductive potential into management actions to provide species with the best chance of recovery.

Understanding human–wildlife interactions within biocultural systems is essential to support evidence-based conservation and Indigenous cultural integrity, and to identify inclusive “win-win” options for coexistence with threatened species. Jamaica's Blue and John Crow Mountains contain a population of the Endangered Jamaican hutia or coney (Geocapromys brownii), one of the last surviving Caribbean mammals, as well as Maroon communities that practice hunting as a traditional cultural activity. An interview survey was conducted in two Maroon communities within this conservation-priority landscape to understand local knowledge and attitudes toward coneys, and the cultural importance and dynamics of interactions with coneys. Experience of coney consumption is relatively widespread through small-scale local trade in hunted animals, but few respondents consider hunting to be of cultural or economic importance, very few people specifically hunt coneys, and most respondents support coney conservation. Conversely, crop damage caused by coneys is considered a substantial problem and is associated with decreased conservation support. Although we estimate that almost 530 coneys were killed during the previous year by our respondent sample, local perceptions suggest that hunting may not be having a negative impact on the coney population, and coney conservation can hopefully be integrated equitably with Maroon cultural values and needs.

Countries have committed to conserving and restoring ecosystems after signing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) will serve as a headline indicator to track countries' progress toward achieving this goal. Using Kenyan coral reefs, we demonstrate how nations implementing the GBF can use standardized estimates of ecosystem degradation from RLE assessments to support site-specific management decisions. We undertook a reef-by-reef analysis to evaluate the relative decline of four key ecosystem components over the past 50 years: hard corals, macroalgae, parrotfish, and groupers. Using the two benthic indicators, we also calculated standardized estimates of state to identify reef sites which maintain a better condition through time relative to adjacent sites. Kenya's coral reefs have degraded across all four ecosystem components. At more than half the monitored sites parrotfish and grouper abundance declined by more than 50%, while coral cover and macroalgae-coral ratio declined by at least 30%. This resulted in an Endangered threat status for coral reefs in Kenya (under criterion D of the RLE). The results can guide management actions related to 9 of the 23 GBF targets. For example, we identified several sites with relatively healthy benthic and fish communities as candidate areas for protection measures under Target 3. The RLE has a key role to play in monitoring and meeting the goals and targets of the GBF, and our work demonstrates how using the wealth of data within these assessments can inform local-scale ecosystem management and amplify the GBF's impact.

This perspective reflects on conservation efforts to increase the coverage of marine protected areas in Solomon Islands. We demonstrate that the current model in which international conservation NGOs provide technical and financial support to pilot projects, from which community-based resource management will spontaneously spread, is misguided. These site-based projects typically require substantial financial resources, ignore external threats to coastal ecosystems, and tend to bypass existing governance structures, which makes replication in other areas highly problematic. We argue that to effectively support indigenous peoples and local communities in the management of marine resources and, thereby, achieve biodiversity conservation outcomes at scale, it is necessary to move away from site-based conservation projects and focus instead on strengthening the capability of government agencies.

Urban landscapes play a crucial role in the health of freshwater ecosystems. The task of protecting and restoring urban freshwater waterways requires concerted efforts from all sectors of society, including volunteers. The recruitment and retention of volunteers is often a challenge for community environmental organizations as urban residents are diverse and influenced by a blend of personal, societal, and environmental factors. We surveyed a representative sample of 1901 urban residents across Aotearoa New Zealand and used the Behaviour Change Wheel framework and audience segmentation to understand the underlying factors influencing volunteering for waterway restoration projects and to identify potential target audiences to recruit new volunteers. We identified four segments within the target audience (“Supportive,” “Receptive but unsure,” “Hesitant and lack opportunity,” and “Reluctant”) each with its own unique profile of capabilities, opportunities, and motivations for volunteering. Recommendations for appropriate intervention designs to increase levels of volunteering include providing tailored messaging and events for those who are “Receptive but unsure” or “Hesitant and lack opportunity” and information about volunteering opportunities to “Supportive” individuals. This knowledge lays the groundwork for future initiatives focused on increasing urbanites' volunteering with community freshwater restoration groups.

Human–elephant conflict is growing in Africa as human populations and development increases, creating disturbance to elephant habitats. Beehive fences have been trialed as a coexistence tool with some success but all studies have looked at small sample sizes over a short time period. Our study analyses the behavior of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) that approached a network of beehive fence protected farms in two conflict villages over 9 years next to Tsavo East National Park. We compare differences in elephant raids and beehive occupation rates annually, during a drought, and during peak crop production seasons. Out of 3999 elephants approaching our study farms 1007 elephants broke the beehive fence and entered the protected farm areas (25.18%). This was significantly less than the 2649 encounters where elephants remained either outside the farm boundary or broke into the control farms (66.24%). A further 343 elephants entered the farm by walking through a gap at the end of a fence (8.56%). The annual beehive fence break-through rates averaged 23.96% (±SE 3.15) resulting in a mean of 76.04% elephants deterred from beehive fences protected farm plots. Over six peak crop growing seasons the beehive fences kept between 78.3% and 86.3% of elephants out of the farms and crops. The beehive fences produced one ton of honey sold for $2250; however, a drought caused a 75% reduction in hive occupation rates and honey production for 3 years after negatively impacting honey profits and the effectiveness of the fences. Beehive fences are very effective at reducing up to 86.3% of elephant crop-raids during peak crop seasons after good rainfall, but any increase in elephant habitat disturbance or the frequency and duration of droughts could reduce their effectiveness as a successful coexistence tool.