Journal for Nature Conservation最新文献

{"title":"Bioclimatic drivers and niche Thresholds: Decoupling the habitat suitability dynamics of Phoebe zhennan","authors":"Beibei Chen ,&nbsp;Weiyi Liu ,&nbsp;Zhenqi Liao ,&nbsp;Yuan Li ,&nbsp;Zhongbiao Ding ,&nbsp;Yingxuan Luo ,&nbsp;Boon Chin Tan ,&nbsp;Chee How Teo","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127173","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127173","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As an IUCN Red List endangered species,<!--> <em>Phoebe zhennan</em> <!-->epitomizes the convergence of ecological vulnerability and cultural significance. Renowned for its “Golden-thread nanmu” timber, <em>P. zhennan</em> dominates China’s precious wood industry but faces critical threats from habitat fragmentation and climate-driven drought. While previous studies have primarily examined local-scale habitat characteristics, few studies have integrated paleo-historical dynamics with future projections by synthesizing changes in habitat area, geographic centroid, and niche evolution. This study used optimized MaxEnt and Biomod2 to<!--> <!-->simulate<!--> <!-->the potential<!--> <!-->distribution of <em>P. zhennan</em> across past, current and future climate scenarios. ENMeval-guided parameter tuning, combined with MESS/MoD analysis based on the 153 validated occurrence records of <em>P. zhennan</em> and the 13 selected bioclimatic and topographic variables, improved the detection of environmental shifts beyond the current reference conditions, while niche differentiation assessments provided deeper insights into local adaptation mechanisms. Results show suitable habitats concentrated in subtropical regions, with stability during the Last Glacial Maximum and Mid-Holocene. Under the SSP5-8.5 scenario, warming and precipitation shifts are projected to drive northward habitat expansion, though increased precipitation variability may impose physiological constraints. Eastern and western populations exhibit distinct temperature-precipitation adaptations, highlighting the species’s vulnerability to climate variability. This study integrates multi-model optimization and niche quantification to provide data-driven frameworks for sustainable management, emphasizing assisted migration, germplasm conservation, and climate-adaptive forestry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127173"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145610300","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":"Plant conservation hologenomics: integrating population genomics with mycobiome assessments for protected orchid species","authors":"Ida Hartvig ,&nbsp;Ida Junker Madsen ,&nbsp;Maria Sophie Bünner ,&nbsp;André Bourbonnais ,&nbsp;Henrik Ærenlund Pedersen ,&nbsp;Lene Rostgaard Nielsen ,&nbsp;M.Thomas P. Gilbert","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127172","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127172","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Growing evidence of the microbiome’s importance for plant ecology highlights the need for conservation strategies that consider both plants and their microbial partners, the holobiont. Population genomics are valuable tools for designing conservation strategies but rarely accounts for host- or site-specific microbial interactions. Orchids, with their dependence on specific mycorrhizal fungi, exemplify the need to include the microbiome in conservation planning. We here combine population genomics with exploration of root mycobiomes for three closely related orchid taxa (<em>Platanthera chlorantha</em>, <em>P. bifolia</em> var. <em>bifolia</em> and <em>P. bifolia</em> var. <em>latissima</em>) across 22 populations in Denmark to identify ecologically and evolutionary significant units. Our data revealed that <em>Platanthera chlorantha</em> and <em>P. bifolia</em> s.l. hosted different mycobiomes, suggesting a strong host effect on the fungal symbionts. Population genomic analyses identified three different clusters, one matching <em>P. bifolia</em> var. <em>bifolia</em> and two clusters dividing <em>P. chlorantha</em> into two geographically separate units. The genomic profile of <em>P. bifolia</em> var. <em>latissima</em> was similar to that of <em>P. bifolia</em> var. <em>bifolia</em> but indicated some introgression from <em>P. chlorantha</em>. By combining the mycobiome and population genomic data we reveal that the three detected clusters were associated with different mycobiomes, resulting in a significant correlation between host genomics and mycobiome. Root mycobiomes were correlated with variation in soil nutrients, suggesting a role of the orchids’ fungal partners in adaptation to local edaphic conditions. We propose to identify evolutionary significant units in <em>Platanthera</em> in Denmark based on the novel combination of host genomic and mycobiome profiles, in a conservation hologenomics approach.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127172"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145685310","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":"Quantification of biotic pressure in Ravangla-Bhaleydhunga trekking route located within Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary, Sikkim, India","authors":"Muna Devi Gurung ,&nbsp;Santanu Gupta ,&nbsp;Hema Gupta Joshi","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127193","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127193","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary (MWS) situated in South Sikkim, India, is a treasure house of medicine, the literal meaning of its name, and famous for bird diversity attracts bird lovers across the region. MWS is famous for its 13 km long Ravangla – Bhaleydhunga trekking corridor within the park which attracts large number of national and international trekkers. In this paper, the impact of trekking on wood cutting, and local dependency on the forest resources are quantified and the impact of biotic interferences in lower and upper forests of the trekking route are compared. The percentage of cut trees in the study area was 19 % in lower forest, and only 2 % in upper forest (<em>t</em>-test significance, p &lt; 0.05). Nearly 26 % of the woody trees were found lopped in the lower forest whereas only 3 % of trees were lopped in upper forest (p &lt; 0.05). The percentage of cut shrub was much higher in lower forest (44 %) than in upper forest (14 %) of study area. Species like <em>Myrsine capitellata</em> Wall. (45 %), <em>Brassaiopsis mitis</em> C. B. Clarke (29 %), and <em>Viburnum erubescens</em> Wall (26 %) were found frequently cut by the trekking groups and local people. In comparison to the lower hill forest, the upper hill forest was found relatively undisturbed with around 7 % cut trees for <em>Meliosma wallichii</em> Planch. ex Hook.f. and surprisingly 13 % cut trees of <em>Rhododendron grande</em> Wight, the species that was completely absent in the lower hills forest. The most often cut and lopped species in the trekking route have both maximum fuel and ethnomedicinal values.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127193"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790801","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":"Climate-driven habitat collapse of an endemic medicinal plant: Ensemble modeling reveals Echinops kebericho’s vulnerability in Ethiopia","authors":"Tibebu Enkossa ,&nbsp;Zerihun Tadesse ,&nbsp;Shambel Alemu","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127191","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127191","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluates present and future habitat suitability for <em>Echinops kebericho</em>, an endemic medicinal herb of Ethiopia’s highlands using an ensemble species distribution modeling (SDM) approach, under intermediate climate change scenario (SSP2-4.5). Species occurrence data were collected from field surveys, herbarium records, and GBIF, while environmental variables (bioclimatic, elevation, solar radiation) were sourced from Worldclim, STRM, and MODI respectively. Five machine learning algorithms (GLM, MaxEnt, RF, FDA, and BRT) were initially examined. Due to its lower predictive performance (AUC: 0.81, TSS: 0.58), FDA was excluded. Model performance was assessed by partitioning data into 70 % training and 30 % testing sets using subsampling and bootstrapping to avoid overfitting, with evaluation metrics including AUC, TSS, COR, and Deviance. The final ensemble model with highest predictive accuracy (AUC: 0.94, TSS: 0.812) identified mean temperature of the wettest quarter (bio_8; 60.3 % importance) and annually precipitation (bio_12; 21.0 %), revealing the species’ restricted thermal (10.4–16.4 °C) and moisture (1,618–1,997 mm). Projections show a severe contraction of habitat, with 1.9 % (∼21,824.7 km2) of Ethiopia currently suitable, dropping to 1.8 % (∼20,790.1 km2) by 2050 and further to 1.3 % (∼14,175.2 km2) by 2070, with extreme loss-to-gain ratios (46.8:1 in 2050; 72.6:1 in 2070). By 2070, there will only be ∼ 13,407 km² of stable refugia, highlighting the area’s vulnerability to moderate warming (∼2.1 °C) and changes in precipitation. Annual precipitation and the mean temperature of the wettest quarter emerged as the most influential predictors, highlighting the species’ narrow thermal tolerance and strong dependence on moisture. In addition to addressing anthropogenic pressures like agricultural expansion and unsustainable harvesting, the study underscores the need to establish and effectively manage protected areas that encompass identified stable climate refugia, ensuring the long-term conservation of <em>E. kebericho</em> by safeguarding critical habitats against ongoing climate and anthropogenic threats. These findings provide essential insights for planning biodiversity conservation and managing <em>E. kebericho</em> sustainably in the face of swiftly changing climate conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127191"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790803","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":"Protected areas with high species, phylogenetic, and functional diversity are complementary and occur in heavily modified Cerrado landscapes","authors":"Rhayane Pires Werneck,&nbsp;Fernando Landa Sobral,&nbsp;Marcus Vinicius Cianciaruso","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127204","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127204","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human population growth and anthropogenic land-use change are among the greatest threats to global biodiversity. Although protected areas are a cornerstone of conservation strategy, their design often overlooks critical ecological functions and the evolutionary history of species. Here, we evaluated whether species richness, phylogenetic diversity and functional diversity of birds and mammals across 101 protected areas in Brazil’s Cerrado biome are threatened by anthropogenic pressures, and tested the relationships among these three biodiversity dimensions. We report three main findings. First, protected areas with the highest values of both phylogenetic and functional diversity are concentrated in heavily altered landscapes. Second, phylogenetic and functional diversity were only weakly and positively correlated in birds, and not related in mammals. These results show that evolutionary history is not a reliable predictor of ecological function. Therefore, conserving the Cerrado’s biodiversity requires (1) urgent action to mitigate human impacts within protected areas, and (2) targeted strategies that independently address these complementary dimensions of biodiversity. Our findings highlight the need for multifaceted conservation approaches in this threatened biodiversity hotspot.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127204"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145840321","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":"Climatic drivers, future shifts, and conservation implications for Phragmites australis marshes in China","authors":"Peng Zhang ,&nbsp;Xianglong Jin ,&nbsp;Qiyao Zhang ,&nbsp;Anni Bao ,&nbsp;Yanjing Lou","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127201","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127201","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The extent to climate factors affects the distribution of widespread plant species and non-zonal wetland vegetation remains uncertain. This study used species distribution models coupled with the data of 256 Herbarium specimens, 270 field surveys points and high-resolution climate datasets, to check the impact of climate change on the distribution of <em>Phragmites australis</em> (a cosmopolitan wetland plant species) marsh in China. The results showed that thermal conditions (the temperature seasonality (Bio4) and the Mean temperature of warmest quarter (Bio10)) have a stronger influence on <em>P. australis</em> marshes than moisture conditions (precipitation seasonality (Bio15)). Niche analysis revealed that Bio4 and Bio10 exhibited unimodal and bimodal patterns (with peaks at 18.09 and 33.09 °C, respectively), whereas Bio15 followed a U-shaped curve, peaking at 150.84 %. By the 2050 s, the potential suitable habitat of <em>P. australis</em> marsh in China is projected to increase by 95.02 % ∼ 147.43 % under four climate scenarios. The surrounding areas of current nature reserves with extensive <em>P. australis</em> marshes are both potential expansion areas under future climate scenarios and regions in need of expanded protection. It can be seen that climatic factors can affect the distribution of widespread species and wetland vegetation, and future vegetation protection planning should take into account the impact of climate factors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127201"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145840320","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":"Mapping the fragility of Kashmir Valley’s ecosystems: A cutting-edge analysis using fuzzy extent and GIS techniques","authors":"Wani Suhail Ahmad ,&nbsp;Saleha Jamal","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127187","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127187","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study assesses ecological vulnerability in the wetland catchments of Kashmir Valley (Wular, Anchar, and Hokersar) using fuzzy extent analysis integrated with GIS and multiple regression. Thirteen site-specific parameters were weighted and analyzed, with disturbance index (0.100), NDVI (0.096), forest fragmentation (0.095), vegetation type (0.095), and SAVI (0.094) emerging as the most significant contributors. Results reveal that 42.4 % of Wular catchment (302.64 km²) falls under high and very high vulnerability classes, while Anchar shows 76.78 km² and Hokersar exhibits 118.28 km² in these critical categories. Regression analysis (R² &gt; 0.65) identified biological richness, forest fragmentation, disturbance index, vegetation type, and NDMI as positively correlated with vulnerability, whereas NDSI, MNDWI, slope, and temperature showed significant negative associations (p &lt; 0.05). These findings provide spatially explicit evidence for prioritizing ecological restoration in degraded zones and inform climate-adaptive wetland management strategies for Himalayan ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127187"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737555","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":"Most South American cloud forests are likely to disappear under high-end climate change","authors":"Patrícia Vieira Pompeu ,&nbsp;Mark Mulligan ,&nbsp;L. Adrian Bruijnzeel ,&nbsp;João Carlos Pires-Oliveira ,&nbsp;Alexandra G. Ponette-González ,&nbsp;Kate A. Brauman ,&nbsp;Pedro V. Eisenlohr ,&nbsp;Martina Flörke ,&nbsp;Marco Aurélio Leite Fontes ,&nbsp;Paulo Petry ,&nbsp;Humberto Ribeiro da Rocha","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127192","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127192","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Montane Cloud Forests (MCFs) exhibit distinct hydrological behavior compared to most other forests and are characterized by a very high diversity of restricted-range (endemic) species. They are among the most threatened ecosystems on Earth due to habitat loss and climate change, which jointly undermine their biodiversity and water-provisioning services. Effective conservation planning therefore requires detailed assessments of both their current and projected distribution of MCFs, as well as the ecosystem services they provide. Here, we evaluate the effects of two climate change scenarios, Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 2.6 and 8.5, on the distribution of MCFs across South America and assess potential consequences for water supply to downstream populations. Using an ensemble consensus of eight machine-learning and regression models, we estimate that by 2070 approximately 12% (RCP2.6) and 91% (RCP8.5) of climatically suitable area for MCFs could be lost. These contractions would affect about 27% and 83% of the downstream populations currently benefiting from MCF-regulated water supply, respectively. Only about one-third of MCFs, under both current and future climate conditions, fall within existing protected areas. Our results underscore the urgent need for enhanced conservation and restoration initiatives, coupled with stronger global efforts to mitigate climate change, if these unique headwater ecosystems and their critical services are to persist.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 127192"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790657","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":"Multi-species distribution modeling of big cats in the Chindwin River Watershed of Myanmar","authors":"Theint Thandar Bol ,&nbsp;Min Hein Htike ,&nbsp;Todd K. Fuller ,&nbsp;Saw Htun ,&nbsp;Hla Naing ,&nbsp;Saw Htoo Tha Po ,&nbsp;Timothy O. Randhir","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127169","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127169","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Large felids, including Bengal tigers (<em>Panthera tigris tigris</em>), Indochinese leopards (<em>Panthera pardus delacouri</em>), and Mainland clouded leopards (<em>Neofelis nebulosa</em>) in Southeast Asia, face imminent threats due to overexploitation, habitat destruction, and the adverse impacts of climate change. The Chindwin River Basin (CRB) in Myanmar has witnessed a decline in the populations of these big cats, attributed to deforestation, habitat loss, and illegal wildlife trade. This study addresses a crucial knowledge gap by assessing the combined impact of climate and land use on the distribution of large felids in the CRB. We gathered presence-only GPS points of three felid species through extensive camera trap surveys conducted between 2013 and 2018, primarily in critical areas of Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary, Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park, and Hphonkanrazi Wildlife Sanctuary. Incorporating environmental variables such as altitude, slope, aspect, land cover types, and bioclimatic data, we employed ten algorithms and an ensemble modeling approach to develop Species Distribution Models (SDMs) for the three felid species. Our study observes that suitable habitats for large felids in the CRB are not uniformly distributed. Although protected areas cover a significant portion of suitable habitat (57%), crucial areas outside reserves are indispensable for the survival of these species. Environmental variables, including elevation, slope, land cover types, and human-related activities, influence the distribution patterns. The intricate relationship of felids with river ecosystems emphasizes the necessity for targeted conservation measures along riparian zones. Climate variables, encompassing temperature and precipitation fluctuations, also significantly influence felid distribution. These findings underscore the importance of expanding conservation focus beyond existing protected areas to include key unprotected habitats and future connectivity corridors planning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"89 ","pages":"Article 127169"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145617735","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":"Evaluation on the uninhabited island ecological sensitivity based on unique features, various disturbances, and ecological conditions","authors":"Yuan Chi ,&nbsp;Jingkuan Sun ,&nbsp;Tian Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127118","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127118","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ecological sensitivity in uninhabited islands denotes the susceptibility to degradation and low resilience in ecosystems arising from their unique features and exposure to various disturbances. Evaluating this sensitivity is particularly significant for implementing effective island integrated management strategies. We developed a robust evaluation model incorporating three critical dimensions: unique island features including form, isolation, terrain, and land cover; various disturbances consisting of natural factors such as meteorological, oceanic, geological, and biological influences along with diverse anthropogenic factors; and ecological conditions primarily represented by vegetation and soil characteristics. Through the integration of comprehensive fieldwork and advanced remote sensing data, this model was systematically applied to assess the uninhabited islands within northern China’s Miaodao Archipelago. The results demonstrated clear spatial heterogeneities in ecological sensitivity across two spatial scales. At the broader archipelago scale, quantitative assessments revealed that a majority of islands exhibited medium sensitivity levels, with both island area and distance to inhabited islands showing positive correlations with improved ecological conditions and enhanced disturbance resistance. When examining individual islands at finer scales, zones with medium, high, low, very low, and very high levels of uninhabited island ecosystem status followed a descending order of areas. Comparative analysis indicated that natural stresses exerted substantially greater influence on ecological sensitivity than human activities, with terrain characteristics and plant diversity emerging as the predominant factors driving spatial variance. While human impacts occurred at relatively low intensities overall, they nevertheless produced notable localized effects on sensitivity distribution patterns. These multi-scale spatial variations strongly emphasize the necessity for implementing precisely targeted conservation measures including establishing extensive and continuous ecological monitoring, carefully controlling and optimizing exploitation activities, and conducting scientifically informed ecological restoration projects to maintain uninhabited island ecosystems. The successful application of this evaluation model has conclusively verified its comprehensive nature, unique methodological approach, and ability to capture spatial heterogeneity, while simultaneously demonstrating its strong potential for assessing ecological sensitivity across diverse bedrock uninhabited island ecosystems worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54898,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Nature Conservation","volume":"89 ","pages":"Article 127118"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145267215","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}