Conservation Science and Practice最新文献

Multi-stakeholder partnerships that leverage the skills and resources of partner organizations are becoming an increasingly popular strategy to undertake recovery actions for threatened species and threatened ecological communities. When partnerships are focused on recovery, there is a need to understand how successful outcomes are derived and the aspects of the partnerships that lead to benefits. In this study, we investigate the key conditions needed to build successful partnerships for the recovery of threatened species and threatened ecological communities. We carried out 44 semi-structured interviews with partners from 24 partnerships focused on 23 Australian threatened species or ecological communities. We investigated the aims and achievements of these partnerships and used thematic analysis to identify common themes relating to the achievement of success. From these interviews, we identified two dimensions of perceived success: (1) the functionality of a partnership, and (2) achieving the recovery objectives, and six major themes related to achieving success: (1) build a skilled consortium, (2) finding alignment, (3) managing the partner interface, (4) secure funding, (5) generating value, and (6) advocacy and raising awareness. We describe the main threads of content under each of these major themes. The findings of this study provide guidance to governments, conservation organizations, and land managers when making decisions about establishing and servicing partnerships to support the recovery of threatened species and threatened ecological communities.

Sharks, skates, and rays (elasmobranchs) are experiencing global population declines, leading to heightened concern regarding the impacts of target and bycatch fishing on their populations. Globally, market mislabeling of unsustainably harvested fish can lead to confusion about species identity and origin, mask unsustainable fishing practices, and inhibit recovery of depleted populations. Therefore, it is important to increase transparency about the identity of species sold to address the potential impact of mislabeled or illegally harvested threatened elasmobranchs. We used DNA barcode sequencing to identify the species composition of rays sold in fish markets and supermarkets in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, an important market for small-scale fisheries in Northwestern Mexico. We identified 131 samples from 36 market locations collected between 2020 and 2022 representing 14 species belonging to eight families. None of the samples were labeled using local names for individual species by the seller; instead, they were sold under four categories: mantarraya, pescado seco, machaca, and cubana seca. The most common species identified by genetic analyses were diamond stingray (Hypanus dipterurus) (n = 47), longtail stingray (H. longus) (n = 37), and California butterfly ray (Gymnura marmorata) (n = 11). Greater than 78% of the samples identified are considered threatened by the IUCN Red List. This included two species of devil ray (Mobula munkiana and Mobula thurstoni), both of which are federally protected in Mexico. The use of overly broad seafood commercial names for threatened ray species is concerning, given that most species exhibit vulnerable life history characteristics and have documented population declines. We recommend expanding point of purchase identification for fresh products weighed and packaged in markets with Mexican authorities to better understand the extent of elasmobranch fishing and to identify which fisheries and species require increased action for their conservation in the Mexican Pacific.

Broadly used in South African conservation studies, the South African Protected Areas Database is known to contain limitations that require restructuring before use. By replicating the methodology of a recent study in northern Limpopo Province, South Africa, we show how failing to account for such limitations leads to unintentional errors which substantially misrepresent the size of the protected area estate, resulting in a questionable assessment of its contribution to biodiversity conservation targets. Given the implications of employing inaccurate protected area data alongside proposed industrial development and mining that would compromise the ecological integrity of the study area, we stress the importance of validating the national dataset against updated information, provincial-level data, and local knowledge.

Monitoring rare and cryptic species presents unique challenges and is of high importance for conservation practitioners. In this study, we evaluate the use of in-person playback surveys and passive acoustic monitoring for a rare and cryptic avian species, the Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus). We compared the two methods in terms of detection probability from one survey season and estimated monitoring costs over a 3-year project period and found that passive acoustic monitoring delivers higher detection probability for lower costs than playback surveys. These results are driven by our efficient use of a machine learning classifier to extract acoustic signals of our target species and the remote nature of our study system. As practitioners look to scale up monitoring efforts for rare and cryptic species to meet today's conservation challenges, our study presents an informative comparison of two commonly applied monitoring methods within contexts shared by many geographic areas and taxa.

The coastal Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) persists in small and fragmented populations throughout southern California that are subject to genetic drift and inbreeding. We combined individual banding and resighting data and genotyped individuals at 22 microsatellite loci to assess whether heterozygosity was associated with survival across three regional Cactus Wren populations on conserved lands in Orange and San Diego Counties between 2009 and 2020. Using Cormack-Jolly-Seber models (CJS) to analyze the 5-year capture histories of 528 individual wrens, we found that age class (hatch year or after hatch year) was the strongest predictor of survival. Individual heterozygosity and precipitation also had positive effects on survival, with survival up to 2 times higher in the most heterozygous individuals compared to the least and up to 1.5 times higher in high precipitation years versus drought years. Multi-locus heterozygosity was significantly correlated across loci, suggesting that inbreeding depression is likely driving the association between survival and heterozygosity. Study results support that genetic rescue efforts that reduce inbreeding have the potential to improve fitness and mitigate further loss of genetic variation in managed populations.

The degradation and loss of suitable breeding habitat can be a major driver of amphibian declines. In the southeastern United States, historical fire suppression resulted in overgrown wetlands (i.e., high shrub and tree cover and low herbaceous ground cover) that no longer serve as suitable breeding sites for specialist amphibians. Over the past 14 years, extensive wetland restoration efforts have been conducted at Eglin Air Force Base (Eglin), located in the Florida Panhandle, to improve Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma bishopi) breeding habitat. However, the response of salamander populations to these habitat changes has yet to be quantified. Here, we used dynamic, spatially explicit occupancy models to (1) document trends in wetland occupancy by flatwoods salamanders over time, and (2) evaluate the key drivers that influence occupancy. We also provide details of habitat restoration practices in an appendix. Overall, the total acreage of suitable habitat has doubled on Eglin in recent years, resulting in a subsequent tripling of the total number of wetlands occupied by flatwoods salamanders. Specifically, the average number of wetlands with larvae detected each year on Eglin has increased from 2.7 in the 7 years of monitoring before habitat management (2003–2009) to 10.4 within the last 7 years (2018–2024). Furthermore, our results confirm that spatial connectivity among wetlands and the availability of suitable habitat are the best predictors of salamander occupancy. Therefore, conservation and management actions should focus on improving habitat quality, especially in areas with high densities of wetlands.

The management practice of patch-burn grazing varies grazing pressure across a site by rotating burn locations, thereby creating spatial heterogeneity in vegetation height and structure. Patch-burn grazing increases the range of habitats available for different wildlife species, but it may also affect plant invasion and plant biodiversity. We evaluated the effects of patch-burn grazing on plant communities in two northern tallgrass prairies that were undergoing invasion by the non-native grass smooth brome (Bromus inermis Leyss) and had different cattle stocking rates and burning practices (three or five burn units). We established 15–20 plots per site for each treatment of patch-burn grazing (open) and burning-without-grazing (fenced). We measured vegetation structure, native and non-native plant richness, smooth brome frequency, and frequency-weighted mean coefficients of conservatism (mean C) over 5–6 years. At the site with a lower stocking rate and more burn units, grazing promoted spatial heterogeneity by reducing vegetation structure 18%–65% points in some units and some years. In both treatments, native richness increased 15% over 6 years; non-native richness did not change, but smooth brome frequency increased over 200%. At the site with a higher stocking rate and fewer burn units, grazing reduced vegetation structure 37%–78% points in all units and all years, but native richness was maintained over time. Grazing also increased non-native richness 38% points but did not change mean C calculated without non-natives. Smooth brome frequency increased 2% over 2 years in both treatments. We suggest that patch-burn grazing can achieve structural heterogeneity and sustain native plant species richness in small northern tallgrass prairie remnants; however, higher stocking rates can stimulate the emergence of non-native species present in the seed bank from past land use, and patch-burn grazing would not be effective in suppressing the smooth brome invasion that threatens many northern tallgrass prairie remnants.

Networks of forest plots are key for documenting how forests are responding to climate change; however, very few plots are in inaccessible locations, and almost no research is carried out in Indigenous territories. We present the first data from a new forest plot co-developed with the Traditional Emberá Authorities of the Balsa River Collective Lands, Darién, Panama, following a framework of participatory action research: The Bacurú Drõa plot (In Emberá, “Bacurú” is tree and “Drõa” is old, BD). We compare floristic characteristics and conservation status of trees in BD with those of 53 forest plots across Panama. In BD, trees with DBH ≥10 cm were classified in 290 taxonomic units, with 174 (60%) of taxa identified to species, 49 (17%) assigned to genera, and 22 (7.5%) to families, leaving 45 (15.5%) unidentified tree taxa. On a per hectare basis, stem density and species richness differed significantly among plots and groups of plots, both variables being highest in plots located in the Alto Chagres and lowest in the plots located along the Pacific. Estimates of species number for stem density in 1 ha, however, are significantly higher in BD. Conservation value, measured through community weighted mean (CWM) range and CWM International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) score, revealed BD to be of high conservation value when compared to the other ForestGEO plots in Panama. We show that BD has high biodiversity, many singletons, and many unidentified species, consistent with other plots in the Chocó-Darién Ecoregion, an understudied global biodiversity hotspot. Overall, the Bacurú Drõa plot and surrounding project provide a blueprint on how tropical forest and participatory action research can value and benefit from the contribution of the Indigenous communities that live and conserve the vanishing mature forests of the world while providing sound scientific data.

Public service advertising (PSA) is a familiar communication approach, and fear appeal is frequently used in PSAs to promote biodiversity conservation in China. Target framing can influence people's decision-making, but it is unclear how efficient the PSAs are when using fear appeals with different threat-target framing. We conducted a field experiment among Chinese college students (n = 236) using two PSAs with different threat-target framing. We randomly assigned participants to the two PSAs by pre-screening via audience segmentation after the pre-test, and the participants completed the post-questionnaire and a modified dictator game after watching the corresponding PSA. Our evidence suggested that people better understood the importance and relevance of wildlife protection after watching the human-oriented PSA. Although only the human-oriented PSA could significantly improve people's behavioral intention, there was no difference in the efficiency of the two PSAs in increasing people's conservation intention. Hence, it is inadequate to affect the audiences by arousing more fear, but rather PSAs would need to provide possible courses of action for them. While the wildlife-oriented PSA generated more donations than the human-oriented one, donations may not be the best indicator in our study. Our findings can help design more effective wildlife conservation campaigns.