Pub Date : 2024-12-03DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110910
Ana Sofia Castro-Fernandes , Ana Catarina Araújo-Fernandes , Patrícia Guedes , José Cassari , Vanessa A. Mata , Natalie Yoh , Ricardo Rocha , Ana Filipa Palmeirim
Land-use change underpins the ongoing biodiversity crisis. Although such impacts are particularly acute across endemic-rich oceanic islands, little is known for afro-tropical islands. Here we assessed insectivorous bat responses to different land-use types of the island of São Tomé, in Central West Africa. Since its human colonization in the mid-15th century, São Tomé lost over 70 % of its native habitat, mostly to shaded and oil palm plantations, agriculture, and urban areas, while part of that was abandoned allowing secondary forests to re-grow. Using passive acoustic monitoring, we surveyed insectivorous bats in 115 sites across each land-use type over one month. We then examined bat species richness and activity, and species-specific activity. Based on 5520 h of recordings, we obtained 19,744 bat passes from five of the six taxa known to occur on the island, three of which are endemics. Both species richness and activity were highest in the four non-forest land-use types, with activity further decreasing with altitude. Species-specific responses corresponded to foraging guild: the forest foragers Hipposideros ruber and Macronycteris thomensis showed higher activity in forests and shaded plantations, the activity of the open-space foragers Chaerephon spp. peaked in urban areas, while that of the edge forager Miniopterus newtoni was highest in oil palm plantations. The island's insectivorous bats are persisting despite land-use change, including island endemics. Maintaining the mosaic of land-use types, including native forests, is likely to help sustain insectivorous bat diversity in this tropical island.
{"title":"Responses of insectivorous bats to different types of land-use in an endemic-rich island in Central West Africa","authors":"Ana Sofia Castro-Fernandes , Ana Catarina Araújo-Fernandes , Patrícia Guedes , José Cassari , Vanessa A. Mata , Natalie Yoh , Ricardo Rocha , Ana Filipa Palmeirim","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110910","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110910","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Land-use change underpins the ongoing biodiversity crisis. Although such impacts are particularly acute across endemic-rich oceanic islands, little is known for afro-tropical islands. Here we assessed insectivorous bat responses to different land-use types of the island of São Tomé, in Central West Africa. Since its human colonization in the mid-15th century, São Tomé lost over 70 % of its native habitat, mostly to shaded and oil palm plantations, agriculture, and urban areas, while part of that was abandoned allowing secondary forests to re-grow. Using passive acoustic monitoring, we surveyed insectivorous bats in 115 sites across each land-use type over one month. We then examined bat species richness and activity, and species-specific activity. Based on 5520 h of recordings, we obtained 19,744 bat passes from five of the six taxa known to occur on the island, three of which are endemics. Both species richness and activity were highest in the four non-forest land-use types, with activity further decreasing with altitude. Species-specific responses corresponded to foraging guild: the forest foragers <em>Hipposideros ruber</em> and <em>Macronycteris thomensis</em> showed higher activity in forests and shaded plantations, the activity of the open-space foragers <em>Chaerephon</em> spp. peaked in urban areas, while that of the edge forager <em>Miniopterus newtoni</em> was highest in oil palm plantations. The island's insectivorous bats are persisting despite land-use change, including island endemics. Maintaining the mosaic of land-use types, including native forests, is likely to help sustain insectivorous bat diversity in this tropical island.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 110910"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142759131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-12-02DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110895
J. Sebastián Barrionuevo , Juan C. Stazzonelli , Ignacio Rojas Paz
We report the rediscovery and the geographic occurrence extension of Telmatobius ceiorum, an endemic frog species from northern Argentina. This marks the first record of T. ceiorum since November 1984. The frogs were observed near the village of Hualinchay, Tucuman Province, at an elevation of 2060 m. The introduction of salmonids across much of its historical range is one of the main threats that may have contributed to the decline of T. ceiorum. Our findings emphasize the need for continued monitoring and conservation efforts for the species, particularly in light of the potential expansion of invasive fish species.
{"title":"Rediscovery of the mountain frog Telmatobius ceiorum (Anura: Telmatobiidae) in Argentina, last seen 40 years ago","authors":"J. Sebastián Barrionuevo , Juan C. Stazzonelli , Ignacio Rojas Paz","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110895","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110895","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We report the rediscovery and the geographic occurrence extension of <em>Telmatobius ceiorum</em>, an endemic frog species from northern Argentina. This marks the first record of <em>T. ceiorum</em> since November 1984. The frogs were observed near the village of Hualinchay, Tucuman Province, at an elevation of 2060 m. The introduction of salmonids across much of its historical range is one of the main threats that may have contributed to the decline of <em>T. ceiorum</em>. Our findings emphasize the need for continued monitoring and conservation efforts for the species, particularly in light of the potential expansion of invasive fish species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 110895"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142759227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-12-02DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110902
James K. McCarthy , Peter J. Bellingham , Insu Jo , Gwen-Aëlle Grelet , Michael Bartlett , Rowan P. Buxton , Alexander J. Fergus , Stuart Fraser , Joanne Peace , Chantal M. Probst , Mahajabeen Padamsee
The spread of invasive plant pathogens is on the rise globally, introducing additional threats to forest ecosystems and their constituent species above those already caused by climate change and other anthropogenic stressors. Austropuccinia psidii is a widespread invasive fungus that infects hundreds of species in the Myrtaceae plant family, causing myrtle rust. It was first detected in New Zealand in 2017, where the threatened endemic tree Lophomyrtus bullata is one of the worst affected hosts. Recent studies have described heavy disease severity on this species but environmental drivers of spatial variation in disease severity have not been explored, including the possible role of edge effects which are prevalent across much of this species' highly fragmented natural range. In this study, we tracked changes in disease incidence and severity across a forest edge gradient over three years. Individuals further from the forest edge, where forest canopies were more intact, forest structure more complex, and with greater understorey humidity, had greater disease severity in the first year of infection. In subsequent years, the influence of edge was no longer evident as myrtle rust severity became more even across the site, but disease was more prevalent in denser L. bullata populations. Only small individuals were asymptomatic across all three years. Since all available myrtle rust control techniques are currently feasible only at small scales, our research implies that their application needs to be as early as possible before infection spreads and across all suitable microclimates, and without bias toward easily accessible forest edges.
{"title":"Environmental drivers of spatial variation in myrtle rust development on a critically endangered tree species","authors":"James K. McCarthy , Peter J. Bellingham , Insu Jo , Gwen-Aëlle Grelet , Michael Bartlett , Rowan P. Buxton , Alexander J. Fergus , Stuart Fraser , Joanne Peace , Chantal M. Probst , Mahajabeen Padamsee","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110902","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110902","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The spread of invasive plant pathogens is on the rise globally, introducing additional threats to forest ecosystems and their constituent species above those already caused by climate change and other anthropogenic stressors. <em>Austropuccinia psidii</em> is a widespread invasive fungus that infects hundreds of species in the Myrtaceae plant family, causing myrtle rust. It was first detected in New Zealand in 2017, where the threatened endemic tree <em>Lophomyrtus bullata</em> is one of the worst affected hosts. Recent studies have described heavy disease severity on this species but environmental drivers of spatial variation in disease severity have not been explored, including the possible role of edge effects which are prevalent across much of this species' highly fragmented natural range. In this study, we tracked changes in disease incidence and severity across a forest edge gradient over three years. Individuals further from the forest edge, where forest canopies were more intact, forest structure more complex, and with greater understorey humidity, had greater disease severity in the first year of infection. In subsequent years, the influence of edge was no longer evident as myrtle rust severity became more even across the site, but disease was more prevalent in denser <em>L. bullata</em> populations. Only small individuals were asymptomatic across all three years. Since all available myrtle rust control techniques are currently feasible only at small scales, our research implies that their application needs to be as early as possible before infection spreads and across all suitable microclimates, and without bias toward easily accessible forest edges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 110902"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142759225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-02DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110891
Anne Mette Lykke , Nanna Rømer , Patrick Gonzalez , Romain Glèlè Kakaï , Habou Rabiou , Kossi Béssan Amegnaglo , Souleymane Ganaba , Bienvenu Sambou , Fatimata Niang , Bruno Herault , Reginald Tang Guuroh , Paulin Ouoba , Jérôme T. Yaméogo , Lassina Traoré , Brice Sinsin , Ogoudje Isidore Amahowe , Signe S. Bay , Thierry D. Houehanou , Laurent G. Houessou , Gérard N. Gouwakinnou , Anders S. Barfod
Tree populations have declined substantially in West Africa in recent decades, raising concerns since trees provide numerous ecosystem goods and services. Regional information on the population status of tree species could guide more effective conservation and regeneration of natural vegetation. Here, we report results of the first regional analysis of tree population structure across the Sahel and Sudan zones, a meta-study of vegetation inventories, including 23,586 individual trees sampled across nine countries. We evaluated current status and forecast future trends of 16 species and one genus of trees of ecological and socio-economic importance. Size class distribution (SCD) reflects the population structure of an individual species and can provide early warning of composition change and population decline. SCD is analysed widely at a local scale, but analysis at a regional scale is needed to detect widespread population changes. Many native species lacked trees in the smaller size classes, implying unsustainable populations and future decline. Some species show sound regeneration at the regional scale, but high variation among sites. Eight species, including Adansonia digitata and Afzelia africana, show regional declines in regeneration and risks of future extirpations. Four of these severely lack regeneration. Protected areas show higher tree regeneration, but protected status did not assure good regeneration. Our results identify priority tree species across West Africa, indicate a more urgent need for conservation and regeneration of native tree species, and highlight the benefit of effective conservation. More widespread protection could increase tree populations, conserving biodiversity, and ecosystem services essential for people's livelihoods.
{"title":"Tree populations show low regeneration of valued species in West Africa","authors":"Anne Mette Lykke , Nanna Rømer , Patrick Gonzalez , Romain Glèlè Kakaï , Habou Rabiou , Kossi Béssan Amegnaglo , Souleymane Ganaba , Bienvenu Sambou , Fatimata Niang , Bruno Herault , Reginald Tang Guuroh , Paulin Ouoba , Jérôme T. Yaméogo , Lassina Traoré , Brice Sinsin , Ogoudje Isidore Amahowe , Signe S. Bay , Thierry D. Houehanou , Laurent G. Houessou , Gérard N. Gouwakinnou , Anders S. Barfod","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110891","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110891","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tree populations have declined substantially in West Africa in recent decades, raising concerns since trees provide numerous ecosystem goods and services. Regional information on the population status of tree species could guide more effective conservation and regeneration of natural vegetation. Here, we report results of the first regional analysis of tree population structure across the Sahel and Sudan zones, a meta-study of vegetation inventories, including 23,586 individual trees sampled across nine countries. We evaluated current status and forecast future trends of 16 species and one genus of trees of ecological and socio-economic importance. Size class distribution (SCD) reflects the population structure of an individual species and can provide early warning of composition change and population decline. SCD is analysed widely at a local scale, but analysis at a regional scale is needed to detect widespread population changes. Many native species lacked trees in the smaller size classes, implying unsustainable populations and future decline. Some species show sound regeneration at the regional scale, but high variation among sites. Eight species, including <em>Adansonia digitata</em> and <em>Afzelia africana</em>, show regional declines in regeneration and risks of future extirpations. Four of these severely lack regeneration. Protected areas show higher tree regeneration, but protected status did not assure good regeneration. Our results identify priority tree species across West Africa, indicate a more urgent need for conservation and regeneration of native tree species, and highlight the benefit of effective conservation. More widespread protection could increase tree populations, conserving biodiversity, and ecosystem services essential for people's livelihoods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 110891"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142759226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110881
Carina Weinhäupl
{"title":"Response to correspondence letter from Bourke et al., (2024)","authors":"Carina Weinhäupl","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110881","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110881","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"300 ","pages":"Article 110881"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142745655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-11-30DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110892
Erin Pichler , Sean D. Connell , Dominic McAfee
Coastal and marine conservation efforts are largely motivated by the ecological benefits of healthy habitats and their ecosystem services. Ecosystem restoration is a human endeavour, yet there is a paucity of research on the well-being benefits that people derive from participating in conservation. Focusing on the coastal communities of southern Australia, we explore the emotional, psychological, and social well-being benefits of participating in coastal conservation activities, and how these interact with ecological grief and anxiety. We surveyed individuals that regularly volunteer in coastal conservation, individuals who regularly use the coastal environment for leisure (recreational fishers), and those that do neither (control group). Our results suggest that engaging in marine conservation or recreational fishing improves social and psychological well-being. Volunteers also self-report better emotional well-being, while fishers do not. Although levels of ecological grief and anxiety were consistent across groups, our findings indicate that volunteering in coastal conservation may remedy the negative impacts on well-being from high levels of ecological anxiety and grief. We show that well-being benefits derived from volunteering are distinct from other nature-based recreational activities. These results illustrate that, for coastal societies, participating in community-led restoration projects provides human well-being benefits that are unique from other coastal activities, yet are seldom documented by conservation research. Recognising the social value of conservation activities is integral to effectively estimating the socio-ecological benefits of ecosystem restoration.
{"title":"Improving human well-being through community-led coastal restoration","authors":"Erin Pichler , Sean D. Connell , Dominic McAfee","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110892","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110892","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coastal and marine conservation efforts are largely motivated by the ecological benefits of healthy habitats and their ecosystem services. Ecosystem restoration is a human endeavour, yet there is a paucity of research on the well-being benefits that people derive from participating in conservation. Focusing on the coastal communities of southern Australia, we explore the emotional, psychological, and social well-being benefits of participating in coastal conservation activities, and how these interact with ecological grief and anxiety. We surveyed individuals that regularly volunteer in coastal conservation, individuals who regularly use the coastal environment for leisure (recreational fishers), and those that do neither (control group). Our results suggest that engaging in marine conservation or recreational fishing improves social and psychological well-being. Volunteers also self-report better emotional well-being, while fishers do not. Although levels of ecological grief and anxiety were consistent across groups, our findings indicate that volunteering in coastal conservation may remedy the negative impacts on well-being from high levels of ecological anxiety and grief. We show that well-being benefits derived from volunteering are distinct from other nature-based recreational activities. These results illustrate that, for coastal societies, participating in community-led restoration projects provides human well-being benefits that are unique from other coastal activities, yet are seldom documented by conservation research. Recognising the social value of conservation activities is integral to effectively estimating the socio-ecological benefits of ecosystem restoration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 110892"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142746401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-11-29DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110884
Brooke McWherter , Zhao Ma , Marian Wahl , Patrick Zollner , Lee A. Humberg , Bryan M. Kluever , Grant N. Burcham
Increasing wildlife tolerance (i.e., “the willingness of an individual to absorb the extra potential or actual costs of living with wildlife”) can reduce human-wildlife conflict (HWC). Previous research shows how socio-cultural and psychological factors shape HWC, focusing on carnivores and charismatic species. Less-charismatic species, particularly non-mammals, have received less attention from both the scholarly and policy-making communities even though they may be socially, culturally, and ecologically important. This paper applies the Wildlife Tolerance Model (WTM) to examine livestock producers' interactions with a less-charismatic avian species, black vultures (Coragyps atratus), in the Midwestern USA, as an example of an emerging HWC in an agricultural landscape. We collected usable survey data from 168 livestock producers in Indiana and Kentucky and used a partial-least squares structural equation model to assess potential drivers of their tolerance of black vultures. Intangible costs (i.e., negative emotions associated with black vultures), utilitarian wildlife value orientations (WVOs), and tendency towards using more severe management actions were significantly associated with reduced tolerance. Intangible benefits (i.e., “non-monetary factors such as stress and fear”) and mutualistic WVOs were significantly associated with increased tolerance. Importantly, tangible costs (i.e., “estimated economic costs associated with livestock losses due to wildlife predation”) were not a significant predictor of black vulture tolerance. This paper highlights the importance of socio-cultural and psychological factors, rather than economic factors, in shaping people's tolerance of a less-charismatic avian species. It demonstrates the utility of WTM as a framework for assessing the economic, socio-cultural, and psychological drivers of less-charismatic avian species.
{"title":"Drivers of agricultural producers' tolerance towards less-charismatic avian species","authors":"Brooke McWherter , Zhao Ma , Marian Wahl , Patrick Zollner , Lee A. Humberg , Bryan M. Kluever , Grant N. Burcham","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110884","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110884","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Increasing wildlife tolerance (i.e., “the willingness of an individual to absorb the extra potential or actual costs of living with wildlife”) can reduce human-wildlife conflict (HWC). Previous research shows how socio-cultural and psychological factors shape HWC, focusing on carnivores and charismatic species. Less-charismatic species, particularly non-mammals, have received less attention from both the scholarly and policy-making communities even though they may be socially, culturally, and ecologically important. This paper applies the Wildlife Tolerance Model (WTM) to examine livestock producers' interactions with a less-charismatic avian species, black vultures (<em>Coragyps atratus</em>), in the Midwestern USA, as an example of an emerging HWC in an agricultural landscape. We collected usable survey data from 168 livestock producers in Indiana and Kentucky and used a partial-least squares structural equation model to assess potential drivers of their tolerance of black vultures. Intangible costs (i.e., negative emotions associated with black vultures), utilitarian wildlife value orientations (WVOs), and tendency towards using more severe management actions were significantly associated with reduced tolerance. Intangible benefits (i.e., “non-monetary factors such as stress and fear”) and mutualistic WVOs were significantly associated with increased tolerance. Importantly, tangible costs (i.e., “estimated economic costs associated with livestock losses due to wildlife predation”) were not a significant predictor of black vulture tolerance. This paper highlights the importance of socio-cultural and psychological factors, rather than economic factors, in shaping people's tolerance of a less-charismatic avian species. It demonstrates the utility of WTM as a framework for assessing the economic, socio-cultural, and psychological drivers of less-charismatic avian species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 110884"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142746398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Climate and environmental changes are dramatically impacting mountain ecosystems, species and livelihoods. Alpine species are contracting as a response to global change and human impacts. Climate refugia are crucial sites for conservation, because they will preserve suitable conditions for biodiversity in the face of climate change. Outdoor recreational activities (skiing in particular) are threatening mountain ecosystems, leading to conflicts with biodiversity. There is therefore a compelling need to investigate the spatial impact of ski resorts on climate refugia, which we evaluate under current and future conditions in the Alps, where those key conservation sites are exposed to human pressure and are often located outside protected areas. This information is key to prevent/reduce the impacts of ski resorts on climate refugia and increase skiing sustainability. Downhill ski-pistes occupy 489,119 ha in the Alps (average elevation 1792 m) and, if their immediate surroundings are also considered, the current overlap with climate refugia reaches 11 %, leading to additional strong fragmentation of high-elevation habitats, impairing connectivity. One out of three of current ski-pistes is associated with a possible impact on climate refugia and this situation will aggravate in the future. Ski-piste distribution will shift upwards (predicted elevational increase 271–609 m) because of climate change, leading to an increase in the overlap between suitable areas for ski-pistes and climate refugia (from 57 % under current conditions to 69 %–72 %). These results highlight the urgent need to preserve climate refugia and the climate-threatened biodiversity they host from environmental alterations caused by unsustainable development.
{"title":"Ski resorts threaten climate refugia for high-elevation biodiversity under current and future conditions in the Alps","authors":"Francesca Roseo , Claudio Celada , Mattia Brambilla","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110890","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110890","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate and environmental changes are dramatically impacting mountain ecosystems, species and livelihoods. Alpine species are contracting as a response to global change and human impacts. Climate refugia are crucial sites for conservation, because they will preserve suitable conditions for biodiversity in the face of climate change. Outdoor recreational activities (skiing in particular) are threatening mountain ecosystems, leading to conflicts with biodiversity. There is therefore a compelling need to investigate the spatial impact of ski resorts on climate refugia, which we evaluate under current and future conditions in the Alps, where those key conservation sites are exposed to human pressure and are often located outside protected areas. This information is key to prevent/reduce the impacts of ski resorts on climate refugia and increase skiing sustainability. Downhill ski-pistes occupy 489,119 ha in the Alps (average elevation 1792 m) and, if their immediate surroundings are also considered, the current overlap with climate refugia reaches 11 %, leading to additional strong fragmentation of high-elevation habitats, impairing connectivity. One out of three of current ski-pistes is associated with a possible impact on climate refugia and this situation will aggravate in the future. Ski-piste distribution will shift upwards (predicted elevational increase 271–609 m) because of climate change, leading to an increase in the overlap between suitable areas for ski-pistes and climate refugia (from 57 % under current conditions to 69 %–72 %). These results highlight the urgent need to preserve climate refugia and the climate-threatened biodiversity they host from environmental alterations caused by unsustainable development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 110890"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142746399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-11-29DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110886
Raimundo Luiz Morais Sousa , Fernando Geraldo de Carvalho , André dos Santos Bragança Gil , Thiago Bernardi Vieira , Thaisa Sala Michelan
Climate change is the main cause of global biodiversity loss and changes in the structure of ecological communities. Species distribution models are an efficient tool for predicting suitable areas for species and their vulnerability to climate change. In this study, we evaluated the impact of precipitation and temperature (factors of climate change) on 12 species of the Cyperaceae family, classified into three groups: aquatic, amphibian, and terrestrial. Our results provide a comprehensive overview of habitat projections for aquatic, amphibian and terrestrial Cyperaceae species in the Amazon biome under current and future scenarios. We highlight significant range losses projected for species such as Scleria amazonica and Cyperus lacustris in the future. The relationship between climate and its influence on species distribution is critical, emphasizing the urgent need to conserve biodiversity in the face of climate change. In the models, protected areas were essential refuges for species under threat, highlighting their crucial role in preventing biodiversity loss. Variables such as temperature and seasonality (rainfall variability) strongly influenced the distribution patterns of Cyperaceae species. Seasonal fluctuations such as extreme droughts can influence water availability and the growth dynamics of hydrophytic plants. Amphibian species adapt to temperature fluctuations and changes in precipitation, while terrestrial plants prefer warmer and rainy regions. Our results emphasize the importance of conservation strategies for Amazonian species. We have also shown that protected areas play an essential role in conserving biodiversity and protecting Cyperaceae species from future changes.
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Pub Date : 2024-11-27DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110889
Lorena Madrigal , Bernardo Yáñez Macías Valadez
International scientific journals periodically publish articles about research which often takes place in the “global South”, nevertheless, the results of this research are frequently authored and conducted mainly by principal investigators from the “global North”. This reality reflects economic and structural disparities resulting from centuries of differential economic growth, extraction, and exploitation. Although scientists from the global North of this generation do not work for empires which are in the process of active colonization, they still have a responsibility to behave in an intellectual non-imperialistic manner. The authors of this paper, both from the global South (one practicing science in the global North), discuss examples in which the practice of field science or its reporting have failed to be inclusive or even respectful of the local investigators or communities. We also discuss examples of inclusive and respectful papers and point to how the authors of these projects behaved differently. We understand that some linguistic or reporting practices might seem benign to those who use or promote them. However, to those of us who are mis-represented by those reports, these words matter and offend. We are taking this opportunity to discuss these issues with our peers and hope for an inclusive and respectful global practice of field science, as well as a better science communication.
{"title":"What Science in the tropics should not be about","authors":"Lorena Madrigal , Bernardo Yáñez Macías Valadez","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110889","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110889","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>International scientific journals periodically publish articles about research which often takes place in the “global South”, nevertheless, the results of this research are frequently authored and conducted mainly by principal investigators from the “global North”. This reality reflects economic and structural disparities resulting from centuries of differential economic growth, extraction, and exploitation. Although scientists from the global North of this generation do not work for empires which are in the process of active colonization, they still have a responsibility to behave in an intellectual non-imperialistic manner. The authors of this paper, both from the global South (one practicing science in the global North), discuss examples in which the practice of field science or its reporting have failed to be inclusive or even respectful of the local investigators or communities. We also discuss examples of inclusive and respectful papers and point to how the authors of these projects behaved differently. We understand that some linguistic or reporting practices might seem benign to those who use or promote them. However, to those of us who are mis-represented by those reports, these words matter and offend. We are taking this opportunity to discuss these issues with our peers and hope for an inclusive and respectful global practice of field science, as well as a better science communication.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 110889"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142723530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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