Conservation Science and Practice最新文献

Biodiversity conservation policy must balance the interests of diverse actors, from global organizations to local communities. Because multiscalar policies often (re)produce international-level biodiversity narratives and discourses (BNDs)—simplified constructions and explanations of environmental cause and effect with ideological representations of actors involved—the priorities of local communities in biodiversity-priority countries (BPCs) can be overshadowed by global priorities. To better understand the influence of international-level BNDs on domestic policy and how it is implemented at local scales, we used critical discourse analysis to examine BNDs in (inter)national-level conservation-related policies and reports, key informant interviews, and participant observation, focusing on Africa and Zambia as a case study. Our results show that the nuance of complex drivers of biodiversity loss is often lost in BNDs, in part due to insufficient attention to large-scale drivers of biodiversity loss. Local decision-makers are tasked with translating complex scientific processes and values of biodiversity across cultures while synchronizing local communities' needs with international commitments. In practice, local-level policy often reflects international biodiversity commitments, situating causality and responsibility for biodiversity loss within local communities and domestic governments. We recommend that attention to BDNs and the deeper ideologies, assumptions, and power dynamics reproduced through BNDs is critical in our efforts to make biodiversity conservation strategies as equitable as possible.

Gray wolf (Canis lupus) conservation has been particularly controversial in the Northern Rocky Mountains, although reliable human dimensions data is sparse. Globally, public cognitions toward wolves are consistently positive with exceptions among rural residents, especially hunters and landowners; results vary about whether or how cognitions change over time and time-series data remains scarce. Here, we describe wolf-related cognitions in the large, rural state of Montana using three, statewide mail-back surveys spanning a decade (2012–2023; total n = 7607). Results, weighted for inference, showed high and increasing public tolerance for wolves. Tolerance was low among wolf hunters and landowners, but increasing among ungulate hunters. Among residents, a decreasing majority tolerated wolf hunting, whereas a decreasing minority tolerated wolf trapping. Tolerance of wolves was spatially correlated toward population centers and associated with respondents' identities, values, and wolf-related experiences. We discuss these results, future work needed to explain these trends, and implications for wolf management broadly.

Effective management of marine megafauna requires accurate assessments of anthropogenic impacts, yet accounting for non-US fishing mortality remains a challenge when evaluating the Hawai‘i pelagic false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens, FKW) population. This study addresses spatial disparities in FKW bycatch estimates by integrating high-resolution datasets, particularly Global Fishing Watch (GFW), with publicly available Regional Fishery Management Organization effort data to estimate non-US fishing impacts within the newly expanded FKW assessment area. By leveraging fine-scale GFW vessel activity data, we apportioned non-US longline fishing effort to the assessment area and estimated annual FKW bycatch using interaction rates from United States and regional fisheries observer programs. Results indicate that from 2012 to 2023, non-US fleets accounted for approximately 9% of total longline effort and contributed to an estimated mean of 1.3–4.7 FKW interactions per year, depending on the interaction rate applied. Our approach highlights the potential to allocate officially reported fishery information to a much finer spatial scale so it aligns with management needs. By incorporating GFW data, our approach enhances the accuracy of FKW bycatch estimates. Future applications of GFW and similar datasets could improve spatially explicit assessments of transboundary fisheries impacts, reducing uncertainties in protected species management and facilitating data-driven policy decisions.

Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) is a growing threat to conservation and human well-being. It is increasingly recognized that HWC is largely human–human conflict over wildlife, which is frequently characterized by deep-rooted differences among stakeholder values, identities, cultures, and perceptions about wildlife. Such conflicts cannot be resolved in a lasting manner with superficial dispute resolution and conflict management approaches. Therefore, conflict transformation, which addresses deeper, systemic differences and causes of conflict, such as differences in cultural approaches and perceptions through iterative creative change processes, has gained increased prominence in conservation. Over the last decade, mental models—representations in people's minds of how parts of the world work—have received increasing attention in conservation, as they enable the structured elicitation and discussion of differences among stakeholder views and their underlying assumptions to enable participatory reframing. However, the potential contribution of mental models to HWC and to navigating and transforming conflicts over wildlife has received little attention. We present a framework for how mental models can be elicited and used to support the transformation of conflicts over wildlife.

Avian malaria is an existential threat to a majority of native Hawaiian forest birds. Climate change is facilitating the spread of malaria to historically disease-free areas, and despite the risk of native Hawaiian forest bird extinctions from malaria outbreaks, no comprehensive disease management plans exist for forest bird conservation areas. Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Hawai‘i, supports a thriving bird community in a historically disease-free area that is now vulnerable to malaria incursion. Drawing on the expertise of land managers and research scientists, we developed an approach that could be used to proactively address the risk of expanding malaria into the Refuge. The plan lays out a multi-level approach that includes options for monitoring and management actions depending on defined threat levels: Vigilant, High Alert, Disease Outbreak, and Crisis levels. Initial Vigilant and High Alert levels monitor bird populations, climate conditions, and mosquito occurrence for signs of possible disease outbreaks, with higher levels shifting toward more direct management responses. While specific actions will change as new tools become available, the proactive approach can help Refuge managers better respond to changing malaria levels in the future and provide a model for managing disease here in Hawai‘i and elsewhere.

This article reviews and assesses the factors that influence inclusion in communal resource management decisions—who participates and how. Community conservation approaches that recognize the decision-making autonomy of local and Indigenous communities are grounded in theory and evidence that including those who depend on the resource in management decisions often improves conservation outcomes. Decisions made by communities, however, do not necessarily reflect all members’ interests. Previous research suggests that within communities, marginalized groups frequently face persistent barriers. Yet, we lack a comprehensive understanding of how such barriers operate and how to overcome them. To address this gap, we analyze results from a systematic review of 60 empirical studies (2010–2024) on community-based governance of forests, water, fisheries, and climate adaptation. Using the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework as a diagnostic tool, we identify and categorize participation barriers and assess how interventions—such as gender quotas, training, and affinity groups—seek to address them. We find that while many interventions target individual capacities and socio-cultural beliefs, few target the formal rule structures that shape decision-making processes. Our IAD analysis indicates how rule governing membership, agenda-setting, information access, and aggregation provide critical but underutilized leverage points for fostering inclusion in communal resource management decisions.

Wildlife tourism is a key economic driver in many countries globally, including Kenya, where it significantly contributes to GDP and subsidizes conservation in public and private protected areas. However, the rapid expansion of tourism infrastructure and activities can impair wildlife conservation and ecosystem functioning. Using spatially explicit lion densities and tourism accommodations data in protected areas, we examined the spatiotemporal effects of tourist camps on lion populations in the Maasai Mara, Kenya. Our analysis is based on annual three-month surveys conducted between 2014 and 2022, covering 2363 km² at a high spatial resolution of 0.25 km². We find the highest lion densities in areas without camps, while maximum lion density declined significantly with increasing camp density. These effects were independent of prey or vegetation. Moreover, newly established camps displaced lions, suggesting that current landscape and tourism planning does not maximize conservation outcomes in the Maasai Mara. Our results underscore the need for strategic planning of tourism activities to balance the benefits of wildlife tourism with the conservation of key species like lions. A more even distribution of tourism activity within and between protected areas may improve conservation outcomes while spreading the benefits of ecotourism more evenly across regions and communities.

Tree species preference is an understudied yet crucial component of sustainable forest management, as unsustainable harvesting can lead to non-random loss of functional traits. We examine wood resource preference across five regions of Madagascar's biodiverse eastern humid forests. We asked forest users in 19 men's and 19 women's focus groups to list their preferred tree species for common short- (charcoal, firewood) and long-term (house construction, furniture, tools) uses. We then measured functional traits of 260 preferred and common tree species: height, DBH, bark thickness, specific leaf area, wood specific gravity, and seed dispersal syndrome in the surrounding landscape. Using household interviews, we determined the average distance households would need to travel to access each species. Forest users preferred shorter travel distances for short-term uses, whereas species preferences for long-term uses were associated with specific functional traits. Women focused mainly on firewood and tool provisioning and were more likely to prefer species at a shorter walking distance than men. We found no clear relationships between tree species preference and dispersal syndromes, suggesting that a diverse community of seed-dispersing animal species may be necessary to maintain traits preferred for tree harvest in Malagasy humid forests. We suggest strategies to support reducing deforestation, promoting traditional ecological knowledge, and increasing accessibility of wood resources to women.

The need for interdisciplinarity to address global challenges has been expressed for decades, but the development of effective interdisciplinary work is slow. The tardiness might be related to the scarcity of literature on what interdisciplinarity means in practice that could guide new collaborations. This perspective presents a guide for interdisciplinary work in biodiversity research in practice. The focus is set on bridging between scholars from biology and from social science and humanities. The structure follows three overarching and interlinked dimensions of importance for interdisciplinary work: People, Process and Perspectives. People is about both the team composition and the characteristics of individual researchers. Process concerns how the work is planned and the organizing structure. Perspectives include approaches, concepts, and frameworks. Since the character of projects varies, there can be no detailed blueprint for interdisciplinary biodiversity research, but dialog and mutual respect are clearly key.

Land degradation neutrality (LDN), introduced by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, seeks to balance ongoing land degradation with restoration efforts to maintain ecosystem function and productivity. However, achieving LDN targets remains challenging without responsible land tenure governance. Secure and equitable tenure is fundamental to incentivizing sustainable land management, yet governance gaps remain a major barrier. The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT), which provide internationally recognized principles for secure and equitable land tenure, support the realization of LDN by promoting tenure security, especially for marginalized groups, and directly support Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15.3, which aspires to a land degradation-neutral world by 2030. Despite these synergies, the relationship between tenure security and sustainable land management for achieving LDN is still underexplored. This study addresses the gap by synthesizing global and regional literature and developing a holistic conceptual framework linking land governance and LDN. A systematic review was conducted using the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, covering publications from 2006 to 2024 and with the literature search carried out from the beginning of March to mid-April 2025, primarily sourced from Wiley Online Library, Taylor & Francis, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, FAO, and other sources. From 98 identified publications, 31 were selected as relevant. Trend analysis shows an increasing focus on tenure security for LDN, particularly from 2017 to 2022, reflecting growing recognition of governance as a critical factor. However, weak institutional capacity and lack of context-specific policy adaptation continue to undermine progress, especially in developing countries. The proposed framework is structured around three interlinked pillars: legal clarity, institutional capacity, and participatory frameworks that collectively strengthen tenure security and support LDN outcomes. This study contributes to international discourse by linking land governance and environmental sustainability and underscores the need for locally grounded, interdisciplinary approaches to achieve LDN.