Pub Date : 2026-02-10DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111741
Antje Seebens-Hoyer , Lothar Bach , Henrik Pommeranz , Christian C. Voigt , Volker Runkel , Pius Korner , Petra Bach , Michael Göttsche , Reinhold Hill , Annette Pommeranz , Sandra Vardeh , Tobias Böhme , Matthias Göttsche , Hinrich Matthes
Bats migrating across the open seas are at high risk of colliding with offshore wind turbines. Despite recent advances on how to conduct offshore environmental impact assessments for bats, there is still a lack of standardized methods to estimate the extent of offshore bat migration. We here present a method for estimating the number of migrating bats from long-term acoustic monitoring data collected at remote offshore structures like buoys and platforms. As an example, we apply the method to the German Seas, using ultrasound recordings from multiple offshore structures. We show that high bat migration traffic rates of 1500 bats per km and year, related to a 1 km line perpendicular to the general migration direction, occur closer to the shoreline of the German North Sea. In the German Baltic Sea, bat migration rates ranged from 900 to 4600 bats per km and year. These findings underscore the urgent need to protect migrating bats from collisions with rotating rotor blades of offshore wind turbines in German seas and beyond. Our method may also be suitable for assessing the extent of offshore bat migration in other regions. It provides the opportunity to define threshold values at which protective measures through spatial planning and mitigation measures like curtailment schemes during times of intense offshore migration of bats should be taken.
{"title":"Estimating the traffic rates of bats migrating across the North and Baltic Seas to develop efficient mitigation measures at offshore wind energy facilities","authors":"Antje Seebens-Hoyer , Lothar Bach , Henrik Pommeranz , Christian C. Voigt , Volker Runkel , Pius Korner , Petra Bach , Michael Göttsche , Reinhold Hill , Annette Pommeranz , Sandra Vardeh , Tobias Böhme , Matthias Göttsche , Hinrich Matthes","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111741","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111741","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bats migrating across the open seas are at high risk of colliding with offshore wind turbines. Despite recent advances on how to conduct offshore environmental impact assessments for bats, there is still a lack of standardized methods to estimate the extent of offshore bat migration. We here present a method for estimating the number of migrating bats from long-term acoustic monitoring data collected at remote offshore structures like buoys and platforms. As an example, we apply the method to the German Seas, using ultrasound recordings from multiple offshore structures. We show that high bat migration traffic rates of 1500 bats per km and year, related to a 1 km line perpendicular to the general migration direction, occur closer to the shoreline of the German North Sea. In the German Baltic Sea, bat migration rates ranged from 900 to 4600 bats per km and year. These findings underscore the urgent need to protect migrating bats from collisions with rotating rotor blades of offshore wind turbines in German seas and beyond. Our method may also be suitable for assessing the extent of offshore bat migration in other regions. It provides the opportunity to define threshold values at which protective measures through spatial planning and mitigation measures like curtailment schemes during times of intense offshore migration of bats should be taken.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"316 ","pages":"Article 111741"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146147493","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 : 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111725
Cristian Moyano-Fernández , Manuel García Domínguez
Rewilding is a novel approach aimed at recovering wildlife with minimal human intervention. Despite the philosophical roots of rewilding, the ongoing biodiversity decline motivates some advocates to incorporate emerging technologies, including de-extinction, into conservation efforts. This new artificial management of nature seems ethically counterintuitive according to the philosophy of rewilding. We conducted a scoping review to map how many academic publications addressed rewilding dependence on high tech, and selected a final amount of 37 studies out of 1279. While the search spanned 1999–2024, all included studies were published up to 2014. We found differences in purposes, expectations and ethical stances between each rewilding strategy (Pleistocene, trophic and passive) regarding technological applications. We consider that these disparities in how academic publications understand high-tech rewilding can lead to significant implications on conservation theory, practice and policy, raising up philosophical discussions. From the literature screened, we first categorized four recurrent views identified behind the high-tech rewilding approach (control and domination, ecomodernism, human-nature dualistic or hybrid ontology, and human interventionism) and we discussed them from philosophical analysis; and second, we reviewed five biases and limitations explicitly mentioned in the literature (methodological, economic, political, animal welfare, and anthropocentric). Given the boom of recent publications in academic literature and mass media taking for granted a rewilding based on high tech, there is a need for further research to discern what we mean by rewilding and what are the consequences of each understanding.
{"title":"How high techs change conservation strategies? A scoping review of the philosophical trace behind a rewilding 4.0","authors":"Cristian Moyano-Fernández , Manuel García Domínguez","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111725","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111725","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rewilding is a novel approach aimed at recovering wildlife with minimal human intervention. Despite the philosophical roots of rewilding, the ongoing biodiversity decline motivates some advocates to incorporate emerging technologies, including de-extinction, into conservation efforts. This new artificial management of nature seems ethically counterintuitive according to the philosophy of rewilding. We conducted a scoping review to map how many academic publications addressed rewilding dependence on high tech, and selected a final amount of 37 studies out of 1279. While the search spanned 1999–2024, all included studies were published up to 2014. We found differences in purposes, expectations and ethical stances between each rewilding strategy (Pleistocene, trophic and passive) regarding technological applications. We consider that these disparities in how academic publications understand high-tech rewilding can lead to significant implications on conservation theory, practice and policy, raising up philosophical discussions. From the literature screened, we first categorized four recurrent views identified behind the high-tech rewilding approach (control and domination, ecomodernism, human-nature dualistic or hybrid ontology, and human interventionism) and we discussed them from philosophical analysis; and second, we reviewed five biases and limitations explicitly mentioned in the literature (methodological, economic, political, animal welfare, and anthropocentric). Given the boom of recent publications in academic literature and mass media taking for granted a rewilding based on high tech, there is a need for further research to discern what we mean by rewilding and what are the consequences of each understanding.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"315 ","pages":"Article 111725"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189111","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 : 2026-02-07DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111733
Kai Feng , Kun Tao , Yuedong Wang , Yahan Zhang , Liwei Deng , Jiajun Xu , Wanting Feng , Xue Du , Jing Yuan , Bernard Hugueny , Qidong Wang , Tibor Erős
Fishing bans are widely implemented to promote biodiversity conservation and ecosystem recovery, yet their ecological effects in lake systems remain poorly understood. We conducted a five-year, multi-lake assessment of China's Yangtze River Ten-Year Fishing Ban, one of the world's largest inland fishery closures, using standardized fish and water quality surveys in 24 shallow floodplain lakes before (2019) and mid-ban (2024). This before–after observational evaluation, combined with structural equation models, supports pathways linking fishing bans, nutrient dynamics, and fish community responses, but does not imply unequivocal causation. Analyses of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity revealed that total fish abundance declined post-ban, local richness remained largely stable, and regional richness were heterogeneous, reflecting reduced community size that limits detectability of rare or habitat-specific species. Community evenness increased in many lakes, dominance of eutrophication-adapted functional groups declined, and between-lake beta diversity rose, suggesting greater inter-lake heterogeneity. Phosphorus-related eutrophication metrics improved, whereas nitrogen levels showed no consistent change. These patterns reflect ecosystem reorganization and trade-offs: reductions in harvest and aquaculture nutrient subsidies led to lower productivity/biomass, while community restructuring shifted dominance, evenness, and beta diversity. Lake-specific factors, including area, shoreline complexity, and historical fishing intensity, moderated ecological responses, highlighting context-dependent recovery trajectories. Early-stage recovery may not manifest as higher richness or biomass, but as shifts in community composition, functional dominance, and nutrient dynamics. System-level success can be summarized as simultaneous improvements in water quality, a more balanced distribution of functional groups, and increased differentiation among lakes, even when total fish biomass declines.
{"title":"Evaluating restoration success: Ecosystem-level shifts in lake fish biodiversity consistent with China's fishing ban","authors":"Kai Feng , Kun Tao , Yuedong Wang , Yahan Zhang , Liwei Deng , Jiajun Xu , Wanting Feng , Xue Du , Jing Yuan , Bernard Hugueny , Qidong Wang , Tibor Erős","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111733","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111733","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fishing bans are widely implemented to promote biodiversity conservation and ecosystem recovery, yet their ecological effects in lake systems remain poorly understood. We conducted a five-year, multi-lake assessment of China's Yangtze River Ten-Year Fishing Ban, one of the world's largest inland fishery closures, using standardized fish and water quality surveys in 24 shallow floodplain lakes before (2019) and mid-ban (2024). This before–after observational evaluation, combined with structural equation models, supports pathways linking fishing bans, nutrient dynamics, and fish community responses, but does not imply unequivocal causation. Analyses of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity revealed that total fish abundance declined post-ban, local richness remained largely stable, and regional richness were heterogeneous, reflecting reduced community size that limits detectability of rare or habitat-specific species. Community evenness increased in many lakes, dominance of eutrophication-adapted functional groups declined, and between-lake beta diversity rose, suggesting greater inter-lake heterogeneity. Phosphorus-related eutrophication metrics improved, whereas nitrogen levels showed no consistent change. These patterns reflect ecosystem reorganization and trade-offs: reductions in harvest and aquaculture nutrient subsidies led to lower productivity/biomass, while community restructuring shifted dominance, evenness, and beta diversity. Lake-specific factors, including area, shoreline complexity, and historical fishing intensity, moderated ecological responses, highlighting context-dependent recovery trajectories. Early-stage recovery may not manifest as higher richness or biomass, but as shifts in community composition, functional dominance, and nutrient dynamics. System-level success can be summarized as simultaneous improvements in water quality, a more balanced distribution of functional groups, and increased differentiation among lakes, even when total fish biomass declines.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"315 ","pages":"Article 111733"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189114","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 : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111729
Marko D. Prokić, Branka R. Gavrilović, Jelena P. Gavrić-Čampar, Svetlana G. Despotović, Tijana B. Radovanović, Tamara G. Petrović
Amphibians have evolved under predictable light-dark cycles, with most species relying on darkness for foraging, reproduction, and predator avoidance. Introduction of artificial light at night (ALAN) is rapidly transforming nocturnal environments, creating novel ecological pressures. Despite amphibians being of global conservation concern, with over 40% of species currently threatened, they remain underrepresented in research on light pollution. In this review, we synthesise evidence from 34 studies examining the effects of ALAN on anurans and urodeles across various life stages, habitats, and experimental conditions. Findings indicate that ALAN can modify activity patterns, disrupt larval feeding and predator avoidance, impair reproductive signaling and success, and interfere with endocrine, metabolic, and oxidative physiological processes. Although these effects are highly context-dependent, varying by species, developmental stage, and light characteristics, they can have a profound negative impact on fitness-related traits. We highlight critical knowledge gaps, including limited data on spectral and intensity sensitivities, underlying physiological mechanisms, ecological interactions under natural conditions, and effects across diverse taxa and regions. Addressing these issues is essential for developing effective conservation strategies. Finally, we discuss existing mitigation approaches and the importance of incorporating ALAN into conservation planning to reduce the risk posed by light pollution. Recognising amphibians as sensitive bioindicators of nocturnal ecosystem health highlights their role in guiding broader conservation measures under increasing light pollution.
{"title":"Amphibians under artificial light at night: Current knowledge, conservation challenges and future directions","authors":"Marko D. Prokić, Branka R. Gavrilović, Jelena P. Gavrić-Čampar, Svetlana G. Despotović, Tijana B. Radovanović, Tamara G. Petrović","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111729","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111729","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Amphibians have evolved under predictable light-dark cycles, with most species relying on darkness for foraging, reproduction, and predator avoidance. Introduction of artificial light at night (ALAN) is rapidly transforming nocturnal environments, creating novel ecological pressures. Despite amphibians being of global conservation concern, with over 40% of species currently threatened, they remain underrepresented in research on light pollution. In this review, we synthesise evidence from 34 studies examining the effects of ALAN on anurans and urodeles across various life stages, habitats, and experimental conditions. Findings indicate that ALAN can modify activity patterns, disrupt larval feeding and predator avoidance, impair reproductive signaling and success, and interfere with endocrine, metabolic, and oxidative physiological processes. Although these effects are highly context-dependent, varying by species, developmental stage, and light characteristics, they can have a profound negative impact on fitness-related traits. We highlight critical knowledge gaps, including limited data on spectral and intensity sensitivities, underlying physiological mechanisms, ecological interactions under natural conditions, and effects across diverse taxa and regions. Addressing these issues is essential for developing effective conservation strategies. Finally, we discuss existing mitigation approaches and the importance of incorporating ALAN into conservation planning to reduce the risk posed by light pollution. Recognising amphibians as sensitive bioindicators of nocturnal ecosystem health highlights their role in guiding broader conservation measures under increasing light pollution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"315 ","pages":"Article 111729"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189113","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 : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111723
Sibylle Stoeckli , Sina Helfenberger , Eliane Meier , Eva Knop
To counteract the ongoing biodiversity loss due to intensified agricultural practices, agri-environmental schemes have been introduced in most European countries. A systematic monitoring is needed to optimise their effectiveness in promoting biodiversity. New and automated methods, such as passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), offer a promising alternative to traditional, labour-intensive, and costly methods. However, we know relatively little about whether differences in biodiversity due to land use can be related to differences in acoustic indices, and whether spatio-temporal factors are modifying the relationship. To assess the potential of PAM as an alternative to traditional methods for evaluating the effectiveness of agri-environmental measures, we explored whether bird and grasshopper species richness and insect abundance as grassland diversity indicators are related to the acoustic complexity index and to land use at local scales (e.g., fertilisation), and landscape scales (e.g., percentage of woody structure). We also examined whether these relationships depend on the peak vocalisation activity of the indicator group (morning vs. midday). Local vegetation structure increased insect abundance, which was related to an increased acoustic complexity index at midday. A higher percentage of agri-environmental schemes in the landscape increased bird species diversity, which was related to an increased acoustic complexity index in the morning. Passive acoustic methods to monitor biodiversity and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation measures are a promising tool. This study demonstrates that the acoustic complexity index is able to indirectly show changes in land-use via species richness or abundance. Furthermore we would like to point out that thesuitability depends on the indicator group and its activity patterns.
{"title":"Potential of recording acoustic complexity index to monitor agri-environmental scheme effectiveness in grasslands","authors":"Sibylle Stoeckli , Sina Helfenberger , Eliane Meier , Eva Knop","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111723","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111723","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To counteract the ongoing biodiversity loss due to intensified agricultural practices, agri-environmental schemes have been introduced in most European countries. A systematic monitoring is needed to optimise their effectiveness in promoting biodiversity. New and automated methods, such as passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), offer a promising alternative to traditional, labour-intensive, and costly methods. However, we know relatively little about whether differences in biodiversity due to land use can be related to differences in acoustic indices, and whether spatio-temporal factors are modifying the relationship. To assess the potential of PAM as an alternative to traditional methods for evaluating the effectiveness of agri-environmental measures, we explored whether bird and grasshopper species richness and insect abundance as grassland diversity indicators are related to the acoustic complexity index and to land use at local scales (e.g., fertilisation), and landscape scales (e.g., percentage of woody structure). We also examined whether these relationships depend on the peak vocalisation activity of the indicator group (morning vs. midday). Local vegetation structure increased insect abundance, which was related to an increased acoustic complexity index at midday. A higher percentage of agri-environmental schemes in the landscape increased bird species diversity, which was related to an increased acoustic complexity index in the morning. Passive acoustic methods to monitor biodiversity and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation measures are a promising tool. This study demonstrates that the acoustic complexity index is able to indirectly show changes in land-use via species richness or abundance. Furthermore we would like to point out that thesuitability depends on the indicator group and its activity patterns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"315 ","pages":"Article 111723"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189112","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 : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111730
Miguel de Felipe , Laura Colorado-Pedrero , Claudia Keller , Laura Serrano , Ana C. Andreu , Rosa Arribas , Mamen Ramírez-Soto , Carmen Díaz-Paniagua
Legal protection alone rarely shields wetlands from basin-scale hydrological pressures. Doñana National Park (SW Spain), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has progressively dried due to groundwater overexploitation, but the effects on its diversity have barely been explored. Here we used a snapshot resampling design to survey the park's pond network with standardized fyke nets in 1991–1994 and 2021–2024. We quantified abundance with capture–mark–recapture and assessed distribution changes. Abundance collapsed over three decades: the Mediterranean pond turtle Mauremys leprosa declined from 2805 (95% CI 2691–2937) to 1210 (949–1593) individuals (−56.9%), and the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis from 981 (864–1140) to 254 (186–388) (−74.1%). Distribution contracted sharply for E. orbicularis (−78.6%, from 42 to 9 occupied cells), whereas M. leprosa showed a smaller, non-significant reduction (−27.3%, 33 to 24 cells). Both species are now concentrated in a shrinking subset of long-hydroperiod ponds, indicating loss of functional habitat at landscape scale. These results demonstrate that strict protection has not maintained freshwater habitat quantity or quality in Doñana. Reversing declines requires urgent drastic reductions of groundwater withdrawal, restoring the pond network, and implementing hydrologically explicit monitoring and governance that link biodiversity outcomes to water-use decisions. Because presence–absence masked a > 50% abundance loss in M. leprosa, biodiversity assessments that ignore abundance likely underestimate declines in similarly degraded wetlands. Doñana's case, documented with long-term data, signals the urgent need to align protected-area management with basin-level water allocation to prevent local extinctions of its freshwater-dependent species.
{"title":"Groundwater overexploitation drives freshwater turtle declines in Doñana National Park","authors":"Miguel de Felipe , Laura Colorado-Pedrero , Claudia Keller , Laura Serrano , Ana C. Andreu , Rosa Arribas , Mamen Ramírez-Soto , Carmen Díaz-Paniagua","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111730","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111730","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Legal protection alone rarely shields wetlands from basin-scale hydrological pressures. Doñana National Park (SW Spain), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has progressively dried due to groundwater overexploitation, but the effects on its diversity have barely been explored. Here we used a snapshot resampling design to survey the park's pond network with standardized fyke nets in 1991–1994 and 2021–2024. We quantified abundance with capture–mark–recapture and assessed distribution changes. Abundance collapsed over three decades: the Mediterranean pond turtle <em>Mauremys leprosa</em> declined from 2805 (95% CI 2691–2937) to 1210 (949–1593) individuals (−56.9%), and the European pond turtle <em>Emys orbicularis</em> from 981 (864–1140) to 254 (186–388) (−74.1%). Distribution contracted sharply for <em>E. orbicularis</em> (−78.6%, from 42 to 9 occupied cells), whereas <em>M. leprosa</em> showed a smaller, non-significant reduction (−27.3%, 33 to 24 cells). Both species are now concentrated in a shrinking subset of long-hydroperiod ponds, indicating loss of functional habitat at landscape scale. These results demonstrate that strict protection has not maintained freshwater habitat quantity or quality in Doñana. Reversing declines requires urgent drastic reductions of groundwater withdrawal, restoring the pond network, and implementing hydrologically explicit monitoring and governance that link biodiversity outcomes to water-use decisions. Because presence–absence masked a > 50% abundance loss in <em>M. leprosa</em>, biodiversity assessments that ignore abundance likely underestimate declines in similarly degraded wetlands. Doñana's case, documented with long-term data, signals the urgent need to align protected-area management with basin-level water allocation to prevent local extinctions of its freshwater-dependent species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"315 ","pages":"Article 111730"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146188973","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 : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111726
Ana Benítez-López , Laura Maeso-Pueyo , Carlos A. Martín , Pablo Medrano-Vizcaíno , François Mougeot
Rapid photovoltaic (PV) growth without proper spatial planning may conflict with biodiversity conservation. As a general framework to safeguard threatened species we used ecological niche models (ENMs), a newly developed spatially-explicit layer of PV facilities, and PV power potential maps to identify 1) current and future PV exposure areas, and 2) No-Go areas where PV developments should be avoided due to high conservation value. We apply this framework to two steppe bird species – the pin-tailed and the black-bellied sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata and P. orientalis) – in Spain, where fast PV development is currently underway. We found that the current extent of suitable area was broader for P. orientalis (53k km2) than for P. alchata (38k km2), but this extent may shrink down by 10.1–32.7% (47.8–35.8k km2) and by 44.3–46.9% (21.3 k-20.3 km2), respectively, under future Sustainable and Fossil-fuelled climate change scenarios. The current exposure of sandgrouse distributions and suitable areas to PV facilities ranged between 3.0 and 6.3%, with conflict areas mostly located towards southern, central and north eastern Spain. Yet, range contractions will lead to ca. 98% overlap with areas of high PV potential, with forecasted exposure of 27.3–28.7% for P. alchata and 12.2–16.3% for P. orientalis by 2050. Finally, No-Go areas occupy 23,150 km2, leaving over 280k km2 of high solar power potential for PV development. Our framework allowed the identification of No-Go areas that can effectively guide spatial planning to reconcile PV developments with the effective conservation of Iberian sandgrouse populations and, potentially, other steppe birds, now and in the near future.
{"title":"Current and future exposure of sandgrouse populations to utility-scale photovoltaic power plants within their main European breeding range","authors":"Ana Benítez-López , Laura Maeso-Pueyo , Carlos A. Martín , Pablo Medrano-Vizcaíno , François Mougeot","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111726","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111726","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rapid photovoltaic (PV) growth without proper spatial planning may conflict with biodiversity conservation. As a general framework to safeguard threatened species we used ecological niche models (ENMs), a newly developed spatially-explicit layer of PV facilities, and PV power potential maps to identify 1) current and future PV exposure areas, and 2) No-Go areas where PV developments should be avoided due to high conservation value. We apply this framework to two steppe bird species – the pin-tailed and the black-bellied sandgrouse (<em>Pterocles alchata</em> and <em>P. orientalis</em>) – in Spain, where fast PV development is currently underway. We found that the current extent of suitable area was broader for <em>P. orientalis</em> (53k km<sup>2</sup>) than for <em>P. alchata</em> (38k km<sup>2</sup>), but this extent may shrink down by 10.1–32.7% (47.8–35.8k km<sup>2</sup>) and by 44.3–46.9% (21.3 k-20.3 km<sup>2</sup>), respectively, under future Sustainable and Fossil-fuelled climate change scenarios. The current exposure of sandgrouse distributions and suitable areas to PV facilities ranged between 3.0 and 6.3%, with conflict areas mostly located towards southern, central and north eastern Spain. Yet, range contractions will lead to ca. 98% overlap with areas of high PV potential, with forecasted exposure of 27.3–28.7% for <em>P. alchata</em> and 12.2–16.3% for <em>P. orientalis</em> by 2050. Finally, No-Go areas occupy 23,150 km<sup>2</sup>, leaving over 280k km<sup>2</sup> of high solar power potential for PV development. Our framework allowed the identification of No-Go areas that can effectively guide spatial planning to reconcile PV developments with the effective conservation of Iberian sandgrouse populations and, potentially, other steppe birds, now and in the near future.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"315 ","pages":"Article 111726"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146188972","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}
Wind energy is widely considered to be an integral part in global efforts to mitigate climate change, but its rapid expansion is raising concerns regarding its impacts on biodiversity and specifically soaring birds which rely on the same high-wind landscapes targeted for turbine siting. Understanding how these developments alter space use, movement behaviour, and energy expenditure is critical for mitigating impacts on threatened populations. Here, we combined two decades of telemetry data to evaluate the responses of Cinereous vultures (Aegypius monachus) in a region undergoing substantial wind power plant development. Long-term analyses (2004–2022) revealed pronounced displacement, with population utilization reduced by 85–89% within 200 m of turbines. High-resolution GPS tracking (2016–2021) provided complementary behavioural insights, showing significant reductions in crossing rates, daily flight distances and time spent near turbines once they became operational. We also identified areas of increased vulture activity that overlap with planned wind farms under licensing, suggesting that such sites may represent critical corridors for population movement and should remain undeveloped. Our findings support considering cumulative displacement and potential energetic costs in environmental assessments alongside major existing threats, including poisoning and electrocution. We recommend spatial planning that avoids core movement areas to reconcile renewable energy expansion with the conservation of large soaring raptors.
{"title":"Displacement effects on an endangered cinereous vulture population in a landscape of increasing wind power development","authors":"Anastasios Bounas , Elzbieta Kret , Lavrentis Sidiropoulos , Sylvia Zakkak , Eleftherios Kapsalis , Volen Arkumarev , Dobromir Dobrev , Anton Stamenov , Stoycho Stoychev , Dimitris Vasilakis","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111728","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111728","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wind<!--> <!-->energy is widely considered to be an integral part in global efforts to mitigate climate change, but its rapid expansion is raising concerns regarding its impacts on biodiversity and specifically soaring birds which rely on the same high-wind landscapes targeted for turbine siting. Understanding how these developments alter space use, movement behaviour, and energy expenditure is critical for mitigating impacts on threatened populations. Here, we combined two decades of telemetry data to evaluate the responses of Cinereous vultures (<em>Aegypius monachus</em>) in a region undergoing substantial<!--> <!-->wind power plant development. Long-term analyses (2004–2022) revealed pronounced displacement, with population utilization reduced by 85–89% within 200 m of turbines. High-resolution GPS tracking (2016–2021) provided complementary behavioural insights, showing significant reductions in crossing rates, daily flight distances and time spent near turbines once they became operational. We also identified areas of increased vulture activity that overlap with planned wind farms under licensing, suggesting that such sites may represent critical corridors for population movement and should remain undeveloped. Our findings support considering cumulative displacement and potential energetic costs in environmental assessments alongside major existing threats, including poisoning and electrocution. We recommend spatial planning that avoids core movement areas to reconcile renewable energy expansion with the conservation of large soaring raptors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"315 ","pages":"Article 111728"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078226","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 : 2026-01-30DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111720
Elizabeth K. Orning , Bryan C. Tarbox , Catherine S. Jarnevich , Lindy Garner , James R. Meldrum , Cameron L. Aldridge
Invasive annual grasses (IAG) continue to spread within the sagebrush biome of the western United States, degrading plant communities and wildlife habitat, decreasing forage for ranching livelihoods, and heightening wildfire risk. Effective management of IAGs requires action and long-term strategic planning across the sagebrush biome, but the cumulative effects of IAG treatments over time and space are not well understood, especially over broad extents defined for strategies like the Sagebrush Conservation Design. We developed a simulation model and sampling framework that allow local-scale actions to be ‘scaled up’ to evaluate large-scale regional and biome-wide management strategy outcomes. We worked with natural resource managers and experts to co-develop a spatially explicit state-and-transition simulation model of IAG dynamics in sagebrush landscapes that can be used to evaluate alternative management strategies. We evaluated our framework by contrasting two baseline scenarios in terms of their long-term effects on the sagebrush biome. We show that focusing management efforts on moderate to high IAG cover was effective at reducing full conversion to IAGs but failed to prevent widespread establishment of IAGs in core sagebrush areas, exposing them to increased risk of wildfire and wildlife habitat degradation. The results of our model help quantify the extent of the problem that IAGs pose to sagebrush ecosystems given current knowledge and management efforts. Our framework provides a platform to explore alternative management strategy outcomes and can help managers develop informed conservation plans with realistic expectations for return on investment of resources committed to sagebrush landscapes.
{"title":"A regional simulation modeling framework for evaluating invasive annual grass management across the sagebrush biome","authors":"Elizabeth K. Orning , Bryan C. Tarbox , Catherine S. Jarnevich , Lindy Garner , James R. Meldrum , Cameron L. Aldridge","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111720","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111720","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Invasive annual grasses (IAG) continue to spread within the sagebrush biome of the western United States, degrading plant communities and wildlife habitat, decreasing forage for ranching livelihoods, and heightening wildfire risk. Effective management of IAGs requires action and long-term strategic planning across the sagebrush biome, but the cumulative effects of IAG treatments over time and space are not well understood, especially over broad extents defined for strategies like the Sagebrush Conservation Design. We developed a simulation model and sampling framework that allow local-scale actions to be ‘scaled up’ to evaluate large-scale regional and biome-wide management strategy outcomes. We worked with natural resource managers and experts to co-develop a spatially explicit state-and-transition simulation model of IAG dynamics in sagebrush landscapes that can be used to evaluate alternative management strategies. We evaluated our framework by contrasting two baseline scenarios in terms of their long-term effects on the sagebrush biome. We show that focusing management efforts on moderate to high IAG cover was effective at reducing full conversion to IAGs but failed to prevent widespread establishment of IAGs in core sagebrush areas, exposing them to increased risk of wildfire and wildlife habitat degradation. The results of our model help quantify the extent of the problem that IAGs pose to sagebrush ecosystems given current knowledge and management efforts. Our framework provides a platform to explore alternative management strategy outcomes and can help managers develop informed conservation plans with realistic expectations for return on investment of resources committed to sagebrush landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"315 ","pages":"Article 111720"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078227","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 : 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111721
Ananthanarayanan Sankar , Ryan A. Chisholm
The island nation of Singapore has experienced large-scale habitat loss over the last two centuries, accompanied by unprecedented defaunation. Nevertheless, the remnant forests have seen some recovery in the last 100 years and some species that had previously become extirpated have recolonised and re-established, particularly birds, mammals, and butterflies. Most locally extirpated squamates, being less able to recolonize islands, can only be reintroduced through human-mediated conservation translocation. Some of Singapore's several extirpated squamate species may be more suitable for reintroduction than others. However, there is a lack of objective tools for selecting candidate species for reintroduction. In this paper, we explore the novel application of a mathematical extinction model (MODGEE) to select squamate species for potential reintroduction to Singapore. The extirpation timeline identifies two periods of heightened extirpation rates (around the 1900s and the 2000s). Extirpation rates of 17% (95% CI [1 to 31%]) estimated in squamates were comparatively lower than those previously estimated for birds in Singapore, implying that squamates may be more resilient to habitat degradation. The model identifies three species of squamates that were extirpated recently and would thus experience the least “ecological memory loss” and be better able to reintegrate into a recovering landscape. We identify the Hulk forest gecko, Gekko hulk, as the best candidate for conservation translocation into Singapore from stock populations in Peninsular Malaysia.
{"title":"Where will they come from, when did they go? Squamate extirpations and recoveries in Singapore","authors":"Ananthanarayanan Sankar , Ryan A. Chisholm","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111721","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111721","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The island nation of Singapore has experienced large-scale habitat loss over the last two centuries, accompanied by unprecedented defaunation. Nevertheless, the remnant forests have seen some recovery in the last 100 years and some species that had previously become extirpated have recolonised and re-established, particularly birds, mammals, and butterflies. Most locally extirpated squamates, being less able to recolonize islands, can only be reintroduced through human-mediated conservation translocation. Some of Singapore's several extirpated squamate species may be more suitable for reintroduction than others. However, there is a lack of objective tools for selecting candidate species for reintroduction. In this paper, we explore the novel application of a mathematical extinction model (MODGEE) to select squamate species for potential reintroduction to Singapore. The extirpation timeline identifies two periods of heightened extirpation rates (around the 1900s and the 2000s). Extirpation rates of 17% (95% CI [1 to 31%]) estimated in squamates were comparatively lower than those previously estimated for birds in Singapore, implying that squamates may be more resilient to habitat degradation. The model identifies three species of squamates that were extirpated recently and would thus experience the least “ecological memory loss” and be better able to reintegrate into a recovering landscape. We identify the Hulk forest gecko, <em>Gekko hulk</em>, as the best candidate for conservation translocation into Singapore from stock populations in Peninsular Malaysia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"315 ","pages":"Article 111721"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078346","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}
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