Journal for Nature Conservation最新文献

{"title":"Assessing the current and future habitat suitability of the endangered Syrian brown bear in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region under climate change scenarios","authors":"Korsh Ararat ,&nbsp;Nabaz R. Khwarahm ,&nbsp;Soran H. Ahmed ,&nbsp;Omar F. Al-Sheikhly","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2026.127229","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2026.127229","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Large carnivores worldwide face significant conservation challenges due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and climate change, which alter resource availability and increase human-wildlife conflicts, while habitat suitability modelling plays a crucial role in predicting these impacts and informing conservation strategies across species and regions. The Syrian brown bear, an endangered subspecies, faces escalating threats in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) due to habitat degradation, climate change impacts, and rising human-wildlife conflicts, and this study employs MaxEnt habitat suitability modelling to assess the bear’s current habitat suitability and predict future changes under two contrasting climate scenarios, SSP 126 (low-emission) and SSP 585 (high-emission), projected for the year 2070. The analysis utilizes occurrence data collected between 2009 and 2025, combined with key environmental variables such as slope, elevation, precipitation seasonality, temperature seasonality, and land cover, to map the bear’s ecological preferences and vulnerabilities, with currently suitable habitat spanning 23.68% of the KRI, totaling 12,067.71 km2, and slope (42.40% contribution), elevation (19.70%), and precipitation seasonality (14.60%) identified as the dominant factors shaping habitat suitability. Under the SSP 126 scenario, highly suitable areas are projected to expand significantly to 5.58% (2,844.41 km2) by 2070, particularly in northeastern high-altitude zones, potentially providing refugia for the species, whereas conversely, the SSP 585 scenario predicts a drastic reduction in highly suitable habitat to just 1.56% (795.10 km2), driven by intensifying heat and aridity, which could severely limit the bear’s range. These results highlight the species’ reliance on steep, high-altitude terrains and its susceptibility to rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and habitat fragmentation, and to ensure the long-term survival of the Syrian brown bear in the KRI, this study underscores the urgent need for targeted conservation strategies, including the creation of habitat corridors to improve connectivity between fragmented populations, community engagement initiatives to mitigate human-bear conflicts, and the implementation of land-use policies to safeguard critical habitats from further degradation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"91 ","pages":"Article 127229"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146038773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A socio-ecological view of the geographical transitions of environmental services and soil integrity in Chongqing, China’s urban–rural ecotone","authors":"Ping Wang ,&nbsp;Peiyi Lin ,&nbsp;Jie Wu ,&nbsp;Chen Fang","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127206","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127206","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding how socio-ecological drivers shape the interactions between soil ecosystem services (SESs) and soil quality indicators (SQIs) is increasingly critical in mountainous and rapidly urbanizing regions such as Chongqing, China. Accelerating urban expansion across the upper Yangtze River basin has intensified pressures on <em>peri</em>-urban soils through land-use conversion, agricultural intensification, and geomorphological fragmentation. This study investigates soil functionality across Chongqing’s urban–rural ecotone using 485 soil samples collected from representative land-use types, including cultivated lands, citrus orchards, mixed woodlands, and terraced vegetable fields characteristic of the region’s steep and hilly terrain. Paddy–upland rotation systems constituted the dominant land-use category (42.6 %), followed by orchard soils, woodlands, and vegetable terraces. Integrated soil assessments combined with spatial statistical analyses revealed significant spatial clustering of SESs and SQIs (Moran’s I, P &lt; 0.01), highlighting the strong influence of geomorphological heterogeneity and land-management intensity on soil multifunctionality. Soil quality exhibited positive and statistically significant associations with key ecosystem service processes, including nutrient retention, microbial functional diversity, erosion mitigation, pollution buffering, carbon sequestration, and hydrological regulation (r = 0.18–0.51, P &lt; 0.05). A two-step clustering approach further classified 183 administrative villages into four distinct socio-ecological functional zones: (i) agro-innovation and citrus production, (ii) soil erosion control and conservation, (iii) rural environmental enhancement and pollution management, and (iv) ecological restoration and hillside rehabilitation. Across these zones, eleven dominant socio-ecological drivers, topographic ruggedness, slope gradient, farming intensity, fertilizer use structure, road accessibility, livelihood diversification, agricultural labor density, market proximity, vegetation cover, irrigation reliability, and village-level environmental investment, were identified as key determinants of spatial variation in SES–SQI interactions. Overall, the findings provide robust empirical evidence to support region-specific soil governance strategies and sustainable land-use planning, emphasizing the importance of resilient, geomorphology-adaptive soil management under rapid metropolitan expansion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"91 ","pages":"Article 127206"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189051","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Range dynamics and habitat shifts of Punjab Urial (Ovis vignei punjabiensis) in response to future climatic variability","authors":"Maria Neelam,&nbsp;Asma Jabeen","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127199","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127199","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mountain ungulates across Asia face increasing conservation challenges due to habitat fragmentation, land use change, and climate variability. The Punjab Urial, an endemic wild sheep confined to the Potohar Plateau and Salt Range of northern Pakistan, is particularly vulnerable due to its localized range and habitat specificity. Despite its threatened status, little is known about the species’ spatial ecology or future habitat prospects under climate change. To address this gap, this study employed species distribution modeling to assess current and future habitat suitability of Punjab Urial under projected climatic and land use scenarios. Using a presence-only MaxEnt algorithm and 217 verified occurrence records, we developed habitat suitability models based on a carefully selected set of eight environmental variables. These included bioclimatic, topographic, and anthropogenic predictors, optimized through correlation filtering and ecological relevance. Model performance was evaluated using AUC and omission rates, while habitat suitability outputs were classified into four categories. Future distributions were modeled under SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 emission scenarios for three time periods (2041–2060, 2061–2080, 2081–2100). The results revealed strong model performance (mean AUC = 0.901). Land Use Land Cover (LULC) was the most influential variable, followed by temperature seasonality and precipitation of the driest month. Suitable habitats were currently concentrated in Khushab, Chakwal, and Jhelum, with preference for moderately rugged terrain and slopes between 20 and 30 degrees. Future projections indicated expansion of suitable areas along the Salt Range, especially under high-emission scenarios. New zones of suitability were identified in Rawalpindi, Talagang, and Kotli Sattian, with evidence of upward altitudinal shifts. However, urban and cultivated areas remained persistently unsuitable, emphasizing the constraint of land use pressure despite climatic favorability. These findings underscore the need for adaptive landscape-level planning that integrates climate resilience, land use regulation, and habitat connectivity to ensure the long-term persistence of Punjab Urial populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127199"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is monistic taxonomy useful for conservation of biodiversity?","authors":"Paolo Casula ,&nbsp;Giovanni Amori ,&nbsp;Francesco Curreli ,&nbsp;Mauro Fois ,&nbsp;Luca Luiselli ,&nbsp;Michela Marignani ,&nbsp;Francesco Palmas ,&nbsp;Andrea Sabatini ,&nbsp;Leonardo Vignoli","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127196","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127196","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Taxonomic instability arising from pluralism has been difficult to handle for conservationists, as they generally expect from taxonomy a stable nomenclature and species delimitation criteria within a unified species concept. While taxonomic monism, i.e. the search for a unified species concept, can be desirable on theoretical grounds, taxonomic pluralism appears unavoidable on practical or operational grounds. Pluralism, the diversity of views and perspectives about “what and how” to study, is also an intrinsic positive feature of science; thus, it is useful for taxonomic progress. Here, we review relevant insights coming from philosophy of science, taxonomy, biodiversity conservation and socioecological studies to discuss a) what are the objects of conservation of biodiversity, b) links between conservation practice and taxonomy, c) examples showing that taxonomies developed within traditional ecological knowledge systems overlap and complement academic taxonomy and contain relevant biological information for conservation, and d) some consequences of overstating monistic taxonomy in conservation. With a caveat about the risk of overstating pluralistic taxonomy, we underline that developing an intercultural perspective on taxonomies is a necessary step toward understanding different knowledge systems and valuing useful information for effective biodiversity conservation management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127196"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beyond coverage: Effectiveness of Natura 2000 network in conserving breeding bird populations in a highly anthropogenic region","authors":"Juan Arizaga ,&nbsp;Maite Laso ,&nbsp;Olatz Aizpurua ,&nbsp;Luis M. Carrascal","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127194","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127194","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Protected areas are central to global biodiversity conservation, yet their effectiveness in safeguarding species remains debated, particularly in highly anthropogenic landscapes. In Europe, the Natura 2000 network is the largest protected-area system, designed to ensure the survival of threatened species and habitats, but its capacity to halt biodiversity loss and host large fractions of species populations remains unclear. The Basque Country (northern Spain) is one of the most industrialized and densely populated regions in Europe, situated at a climatic and biogeographic transitional area between the Mediterranean and Atlantic domains. Using fine-scale data from the recent breeding bird atlas, we assessed the effectiveness of Natura 2000 sites in conserving regional breeding bird populations. The analysis of 127 native breeding species revealed that only 18.6% of their total breeding populations occurred inside Natura 2000, slightly below the 23% of land it covers. Species associated with mountains, wetlands, and marine cliffs were proportionally overrepresented, whereas those inhabiting urban, agricultural and forest landscapes were underrepresented. Species with increasing population trends, and those listed as threatened regionally or in Annex I of the Birds Directive, showed higher representation, reflecting partial policy success but persistent habitat-specific gaps. We also evaluated the role of body size, which was found to show no clear association with population representation in Natura 2000. These findings demonstrate that Natura 2000 plays an important role in conserving species of concern and in less disturbed habitats, but is insufficient to secure populations in agricultural, urban, and forest landscapes. In an industrialized and densely populated region, effective conservation requires stronger integration of protected areas with agricultural, forestry, and urban policies to achieve EU biodiversity goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127194"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Indigenous lands of Roraima and ecosystem services: pedology and land use, vegetation cover, total carbon stock, and water resources","authors":"Valdinar Ferreira Melo ,&nbsp;Carlos Henrique Lima de Matos ,&nbsp;Carlos Ernesto G.R. Schaefer ,&nbsp;Sandra Cátia P. Uchôa ,&nbsp;Raiovane Araújo Montenegro ,&nbsp;Carlos Enrique Canche Iuit ,&nbsp;Cássia Rejane do Nascimento ,&nbsp;Paulo Eduardo Barni ,&nbsp;Johan Van Tol ,&nbsp;Maurício Lourenzoni Augusti","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127175","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127175","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Roraima, located in northernmost part of Amazonia, with the largest territory occupied by ecological or indigenous reserves. The Indigenous Lands (ILs) in Roraima comprise complex territories with different ethnic groups, presenting social and ecological importance for the region due to beneficial relationship between indigenous communities and the conservation of natural ecosystems. This work presents the charaterisation of the main ecosystem services of the ILs in Roraima. Data collection was carried out from all the ILs in the state, including names, boundaries and surface area, population and ethnical composition. Information on the pedology, land use and vegetation cover of the ILs were obtained from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics database and scientific papers. The total Carbon Stock (TCS) of the ILs was calculated based on the spatial distribution of aboveground carbon stocks and soil organic carbon stocks determined from literature. For data processing, statistical analysis and mapping, we used the ESRI ArcMap 10.8. The soils in the ILs are mostly represented by highly weathered soils, with limitations for use, by erosion, low ferility, and high watertable dynamics. The forest ecosystem has a greater potential for timber and extractive species, compared to campinarana and savana. The TCS in the ILs varies from 2 to 337 Mg ha⁻¹, with an average of 204.97 Mg ha⁻¹, being influenced by the type of vegetation (forest &gt; campinarana &gt; savana) and soil fertility. Based on the results, Roraima State is a major provider of key environmental services, maintenance of wildlife, aboveground and belowground carbon storage, and water supply.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127175"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing 21-Years (2000–2020) vegetation dynamics and climatic response in Afroalpine and Sub-Afroalpine protected areas of Ethiopia using remote sensing","authors":"Anteneh Bongasie ,&nbsp;Tae-Su Kim ,&nbsp;Shraddha Tiwari,&nbsp;Jun-Young Kim,&nbsp;Thakur Dhakal,&nbsp;Gab-Sue Jang","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127200","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127200","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vegetation serves a critical role in stabilizing and regulating Earth’s systems, necessitating the monitoring of its dynamics for effective ecosystem conservation. Protected areas (PAs) are the key zones for assessing global vegetation responses to environmental change. However, the vegetation dynamics of Ethiopia’s Afroalpine and sub-Afroalpine PAs remain poorly studied, despite their ecological significance, high endemism, and vulnerability to climate change. Therefore, this study explores the vegetation–climate relationships of the Simien Mountains (SM) and Bale Mountains (BM) over a 21-year period (2000–2020) by analyzing time-series normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI), temperature and precipitation data derived from remote sensing database. We adopted bivariate ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and Pearson correlation analyses to examine the spatiotemporal patterns and relationships between vegetation dynamics and climatic variables. We observed that both BM and SM exhibited fluctuations in average annual NDVI/EVI values with overall positive trends. NDVI/EVI significantly increased in SM (R = 0.49, 0.51; p = 0.023, 0.017), and insignificant increased trend in BM (R = 0.32, 0.27; p = 0.16, 0.24). Regarding climatic variables, precipitation and temperature trends differed between BM and SM. In BM, both precipitation and temperature showed an increasing trend, whereas in SM, precipitation exhibited an incremental and temperature as a decreased trend. Notably, temperature variations in SM exert a greater influence on vegetation compared to those in BM. This study underscores divergent vegetation-climate responses, implications for biodiversity conservation and offers valuable insights for scholars and decision-makers to monitor vegetation dynamics and to design climate change mitigation strategies aligned with achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127200"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145840346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Habitat quality in China’s national parks and their surroundings by modifying the InVEST model","authors":"Caiyi Li ,&nbsp;Wenpeng Du ,&nbsp;Hao Zhang ,&nbsp;Liangrui Ge ,&nbsp;Ruoang Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127195","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127195","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>National parks have gained recognition as nature-based solutions for biodiversity conservation. Habitat quality (HQ) is core metric for reflecting the regional habitats’ suitability for survival and persistence, but the original InVEST HQ module cannot accurately depict HQ dynamics in protected regions. This study measured the HQs in three Chinese national parks by adjusting fixed habitat suitability parameters with vegetation indices, focusing on HQ changes pre- and post- approval and differences between national parks and their surroundings to revealing the policy’s effectiveness. The results revealed that HQs within three national parks were obviously better than those in their surroundings. More importantly, the changing trends in HQs within national parks were significantly better than those in their surroundings during the postapproval phase (2016–2022), which suggested that national park policies played a positive role in habitat conservation. The HQs in all national parks increased during the preapproval phase, but the HQ dynamics differed in the postapproval phase. Specifically, HQs of Wuyishan National Park, Giant Panda National Park and Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park fluctuated, increased and decreased, respectively. Natural factors were the dominant factors contributing to HQ differences within national parks. The effects of socioeconomic interactions on HQ in Wuyishan and Giant Panda National Park gradually weakened. However, in Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, socioeconomic interactions increased from 2016 to 2022, which may have contributed to the decrease in the HQ. This study offers a methodological reference for HQ assessment in protected regions and provides scientific support for national park management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127195"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding residents’ support for green tourism in ecologically fragile areas: integrating SEM, fsQCA, and ANN","authors":"Quanling Cai ,&nbsp;Weidong Chen ,&nbsp;Mingxing Wang ,&nbsp;Kaisheng Di ,&nbsp;Jie Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127205","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127205","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates how sustainable intelligence shapes residents’ attitudes and their support for sustainable tourism on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Data were collected from 717 residents using a structured questionnaire and analyzed through a multi-method approach combining Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). The research adopts an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework by incorporating sustainable intelligence as a key antecedent influencing residents’ attitudes toward green tourism. The PLS-SEM results demonstrate that sustainable intelligence significantly and positively affects residents’ attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, thereby enhancing their willingness to support green tourism. The fsQCA results identify two optimal configurations leading to high support, underscoring the joint importance of sustainable intelligence and perceived behavioral control. Furthermore, the ANN analysis reveals the nonlinear and complex interrelationships among variables, emphasizing the critical role of residents’ sustainability cognition and behavioral competence. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive and multi-dimensional understanding of residents’ support for green tourism, offering theoretical and practical insights for advancing sustainable tourism development in ecologically fragile regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127205"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145840322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Serval population status in the Greater Kafue Ecosystem, Zambia","authors":"Kyle Marshall ,&nbsp;Lochran W. Traill ,&nbsp;Kim Young-Overton ,&nbsp;Xia Stevens ,&nbsp;Will Donald ,&nbsp;Davies Bubala ,&nbsp;Lucky Mulenga ,&nbsp;Mutakatala Kaponde ,&nbsp;Blessing Samalesu ,&nbsp;Edwin Phiri ,&nbsp;Andrew B. Mulenga ,&nbsp;Twakundine Simpamba ,&nbsp;Adrian Kaluka ,&nbsp;Paolo Strampelli","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127207","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127207","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mesopredators such as servals (<em>Leptailurus serval</em>) often receive less funding for research compared to charismatic large carnivores. However, understanding the population dynamics of the species is crucial for evidence-based conservation planning and management. This study investigates serval densities within Zambia’s Greater Kafue Ecosystem (GKE). Serval population density was estimated through camera trap surveys and spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) at a number of sites, five within the fully protected Kafue National Park (KNP) and six in adjacent Game Management Areas (GMAs), where human pressures are generally greater. The analysis revealed that serval densities in KNP ranged from 2.32 (SE: 1.26, 95 % CI: 0.06 – 4.84) to 5.84 individuals (SE: 1.35, 95 % CI: 3.01 – 7.43) per 100 km2. Serval population density within the GMAs exhibited marginally greater variability, with densities ranging from 1.32 (SE: 0.38, 95 % CI: 0.57 – 2.07) to 6.11 individuals (SE: 1.70, 95 % CI: 2.77 – 9.45) per 100 km2. Our findings suggest slightly higher mean densities within KNP compared to the GMAs, which may be a result of differences in habitat quality and human disturbance. Our study further demonstrates the efficacy of using SECR models on bycatch data from large carnivore surveys to estimate serval densities. Future research could identify the environmental and anthropogenic factors that determine serval densities in the GKE, and a longitudinal study will allow for serval densities to be tracked over time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127207"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}