Pub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-02-21DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2024.12.002
Alice J. Twomey , Jayden Hyman , Karlina Indraswari , Maximilian Kotz , Courtney L. Morgans , Kevin R. Bairos-Novak
Conservation challenges are often intertwined with complex geopolitical challenges such as climate change and economic development, that cannot be solved through traditional single-discipline approaches. Whilst the benefits of transdisciplinary approaches are widely acknowledged, the integration of such approaches in conservation research and practice remains limited, underscoring a significant gap in current efforts to address global biodiversity and sustainability challenges. Early career researchers (ECRs) are ideally positioned to embrace and advance such approaches; however, the transition to transdisciplinary research results in many challenges for ECRs, from navigating the complexities of interdisciplinary collaborations to establishing a transdisciplinary research career. Drawing on the insights from our own journeys as transdisciplinary researchers, we outline key obstacles we have encountered and propose a set of actionable recommendations. These guidelines aim to support ECRs in overcoming the barriers to transdisciplinary work, facilitating the broader application of these approaches in environmental conservation and beyond, and fostering a more integrated and effective response to global conservation challenges.
{"title":"From silos to solutions: Navigating transdisciplinary conservation research for early career researchers","authors":"Alice J. Twomey , Jayden Hyman , Karlina Indraswari , Maximilian Kotz , Courtney L. Morgans , Kevin R. Bairos-Novak","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.12.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.12.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conservation challenges are often intertwined with complex geopolitical challenges such as climate change and economic development, that cannot be solved through traditional single-discipline approaches. Whilst the benefits of transdisciplinary approaches are widely acknowledged, the integration of such approaches in conservation research and practice remains limited, underscoring a significant gap in current efforts to address global biodiversity and sustainability challenges. Early career researchers (ECRs) are ideally positioned to embrace and advance such approaches; however, the transition to transdisciplinary research results in many challenges for ECRs, from navigating the complexities of interdisciplinary collaborations to establishing a transdisciplinary research career. Drawing on the insights from our own journeys as transdisciplinary researchers, we outline key obstacles we have encountered and propose a set of actionable recommendations. These guidelines aim to support ECRs in overcoming the barriers to transdisciplinary work, facilitating the broader application of these approaches in environmental conservation and beyond, and fostering a more integrated and effective response to global conservation challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"23 1","pages":"Pages 26-31"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2024-12-18DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2024.12.003
Norma I. Díaz , Paulo Corti
Written historical sources are crucial for understanding wildlife species’ environmental requirements, spatial and temporal dynamics, and guiding conservation strategies. Such records include accounts from a diverse array of sources, including explorers, settlers, missionaries, naturalists, hunters, and military parties, along with manuscripts and gazettes. However, such data is affected by inherent gaps, biases, and limitations. Here we examine the weaknesses of such data that can lead to distorted interpretations of long-term changes in species distributions and their ecological requirements. Despite this awareness, efforts to document these weaknesses are limited. To prevent incorrect conclusions and misunderstandings, it is essential to critically assess and quantify the quality of the data before utilizing it. To bridge this gap and maximize utility, we present a seven-step process for data evaluation and use.
{"title":"Ensuring the quality of historical data for wildlife conservation: A methodological framework","authors":"Norma I. Díaz , Paulo Corti","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.12.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.12.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Written historical sources are crucial for understanding wildlife species’ environmental requirements, spatial and temporal dynamics, and guiding conservation strategies. Such records include accounts from a diverse array of sources, including explorers, settlers, missionaries, naturalists, hunters, and military parties, along with manuscripts and gazettes. However, such data is affected by inherent gaps, biases, and limitations. Here we examine the weaknesses of such data that can lead to distorted interpretations of long-term changes in species distributions and their ecological requirements. Despite this awareness, efforts to document these weaknesses are limited. To prevent incorrect conclusions and misunderstandings, it is essential to critically assess and quantify the quality of the data before utilizing it. To bridge this gap and maximize utility, we present a seven-step process for data evaluation and use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"23 1","pages":"Pages 32-38"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 : 2024-10-01Epub Date: 2024-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2024.11.004
Jean Paul Metzger , Carlos Joly , Gerd Sparovek , Renata Pardini , Patricia Ruggiero , Gabriela di Giulio , Cristina Azevedo , Danilo Boscolo , Pedro H.S. Brancalion , Helena Carrascosa , Raquel Carvalho , Luciana Schwandner Ferreira , Alexandre Gerard , Camila Hohlenwerger , Alexandre Igari , Pedro Medrado Krainovic , Eduardo Freitas Moreira , Nathalia Nascimento , Juliana Ortega , Marco Aurelio Nalon , Rafael B. Chaves
Interdisciplinary synthesis research has been promoting significant advances in expanding academic knowledge. However, its application to address social-ecological problems poses challenges, typical of transdisciplinary research and co-production initiatives. Based on the experience of seven working groups from a Brazilian synthesis nucleus dedicated to co-producing social-ecological public policies, we present eight learnings to strengthen transdisciplinary syntheses. Those syntheses require flexibility in the working group dynamics to facilitate collaborative work, with frequent and short meetings held in easily accessible locations (1). They also require flexibility to shape different trajectories, depending on demand urgency, data and knowledge availability (2). Flexibility is also required to adjust to political circumstances, acknowledging that there are trade-offs between responding to urgent political needs and creating novel ideas, knowledge and outputs (3). In addition, the creation of formal institutions, particularly, formal engagement at the science-policy interface (4) and creating formal platforms for disseminating non-academic outputs (5) are key to stimulate the involvement of policy-makers and scientists in collaborative transdisciplinary syntheses. Symmetrical, horizontal interactions within a two-way science-policy linkage (6), alongside collective reflexivity on bridging diverse knowledge, skills, and authorities (7) are crucial for aligning academic knowledge with policy practices. Active involvement of individuals skilled in both scientific research and policy-making, who act as knowledge brokers, further strengthens this alignment. Finally, attention to create positive interactions and transparently communicating help to build trust among participants (8). These adjustments can enhance the potential of transdisciplinary syntheses to generate actionable knowledge at the science-policy interface.
{"title":"Guiding transdisciplinary synthesis processes for social-ecological policy decisions","authors":"Jean Paul Metzger , Carlos Joly , Gerd Sparovek , Renata Pardini , Patricia Ruggiero , Gabriela di Giulio , Cristina Azevedo , Danilo Boscolo , Pedro H.S. Brancalion , Helena Carrascosa , Raquel Carvalho , Luciana Schwandner Ferreira , Alexandre Gerard , Camila Hohlenwerger , Alexandre Igari , Pedro Medrado Krainovic , Eduardo Freitas Moreira , Nathalia Nascimento , Juliana Ortega , Marco Aurelio Nalon , Rafael B. Chaves","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.11.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.11.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Interdisciplinary synthesis research has been promoting significant advances in expanding academic knowledge. However, its application to address social-ecological problems poses challenges, typical of transdisciplinary research and co-production initiatives. Based on the experience of seven working groups from a Brazilian synthesis nucleus dedicated to co-producing social-ecological public policies, we present eight learnings to strengthen transdisciplinary syntheses. Those syntheses require flexibility in the working group dynamics to facilitate collaborative work, with frequent and short meetings held in easily accessible locations (1). They also require flexibility to shape different trajectories, depending on demand urgency, data and knowledge availability (2). Flexibility is also required to adjust to political circumstances, acknowledging that there are trade-offs between responding to urgent political needs and creating novel ideas, knowledge and outputs (3). In addition, the creation of formal institutions, particularly, formal engagement at the science-policy interface (4) and creating formal platforms for disseminating non-academic outputs (5) are key to stimulate the involvement of policy-makers and scientists in collaborative transdisciplinary syntheses. Symmetrical, horizontal interactions within a two-way science-policy linkage (6), alongside collective reflexivity on bridging diverse knowledge, skills, and authorities (7) are crucial for aligning academic knowledge with policy practices. Active involvement of individuals skilled in both scientific research and policy-making, who act as knowledge brokers, further strengthens this alignment. Finally, attention to create positive interactions and transparently communicating help to build trust among participants (8). These adjustments can enhance the potential of transdisciplinary syntheses to generate actionable knowledge at the science-policy interface.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"22 4","pages":"Pages 315-327"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143268879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 : 2024-10-01Epub Date: 2024-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2024.11.005
Romina Cardozo , Ricardo B. Machado
Species lead to a complex and dynamic environment affected by external processes. Better understanding the importance of these factors is particularly urgent for the world’s tropical dry forest, which is understudied, highly threatened and rapidly disappearing. Building on a unique, field-based bird community dataset, we used multivariate analysis and generalized linear models to test the effects of climate and vegetation structure on bird composition and richness in forest corridors. Our analyses revealed the importance of forest corridors that not only connect the landscape but may facilitate the movement of species, having a high potential for management and connectivity planning. We found significant differences in bird communities to environmental changes when focusing on all birds or when analyzing dry-forest birds only. For all birds, composition revealed preferences of habitat. Birds of open habitats were positively associated with canopy openness, temperature, and relative humidity, while birds to avoid open habitats were positively associated with higher canopy density. The most important variables explaining variations of dry-forest birds were understory and canopy density. Richness increases with temperature for the entire community, yet higher temperatures during the day decrease bird activity. Overall, we showed that bird composition differences were associated with canopy changes, yet richness increased with understory cover. Likewise, our study highlights the importance of maintaining a microenvironment based on local requirements for composition or richness. Moreover, the conservation strategies should be consistent to those requirements to promote the viability of corridors uses that potentially connect the landscape.
{"title":"Bird communities in the Dry Chaco of South America: vegetation structure and climate effects","authors":"Romina Cardozo , Ricardo B. Machado","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.11.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.11.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Species lead to a complex and dynamic environment affected by external processes. Better understanding the importance of these factors is particularly urgent for the world’s tropical dry forest, which is understudied, highly threatened and rapidly disappearing. Building on a unique, field-based bird community dataset, we used multivariate analysis and generalized linear models to test the effects of climate and vegetation structure on bird composition and richness in forest corridors. Our analyses revealed the importance of forest corridors that not only connect the landscape but may facilitate the movement of species, having a high potential for management and connectivity planning. We found significant differences in bird communities to environmental changes when focusing on all birds or when analyzing dry-forest birds only. For all birds, composition revealed preferences of habitat. Birds of open habitats were positively associated with canopy openness, temperature, and relative humidity, while birds to avoid open habitats were positively associated with higher canopy density. The most important variables explaining variations of dry-forest birds were understory and canopy density. Richness increases with temperature for the entire community, yet higher temperatures during the day decrease bird activity. Overall, we showed that bird composition differences were associated with canopy changes, yet richness increased with understory cover. Likewise, our study highlights the importance of maintaining a microenvironment based on local requirements for composition or richness. Moreover, the conservation strategies should be consistent to those requirements to promote the viability of corridors uses that potentially connect the landscape.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"22 4","pages":"Pages 374-383"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143268204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 : 2024-10-01Epub Date: 2024-11-19DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2024.11.002
Juan David González-Trujillo , Magda R. Escobar-Alba , David E. Lara , Juan E. Carvajal-C
The high tropical mountains are renowned for their exceptional biodiversity, which plays a pivotal role in sustaining local communities and their economies. Nevertheless, these regions are confronted with considerable challenges, primarily due to the threat of invasive species, which is further compounded by the impacts of climate change. Here, we investigated the current and future distribution of invasive plant species in the tropical Andes, focusing on Páramos – ecosystems that provide essential water services to people. Species distribution modeling was used to assess the current and future suitability of 11 of the most harmful invasive species under low (SSP126), moderate (SSP370), and intense (SSP585) carbon emission scenarios. Our projections show that between 18% and 60% of the tropical mountain area (480,000 km2) is currently suitable for the establishment of at least one species. Additionally, projections indicate that this area could expand by 2–4 % by the mid-century, depending on the climate change scenario. This expansion could potentially make 500–3000 km2 of the Páramo extent suitable for up to five invasive species. Overall, our study provides relevant information for targeted management actions, such as manual removal and restoration, which are essential for limiting the expansion of invasive species to more suitable areas.
{"title":"Mapping the threat: projecting invasive plant distribution in the tropical Andes under climate change","authors":"Juan David González-Trujillo , Magda R. Escobar-Alba , David E. Lara , Juan E. Carvajal-C","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.11.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.11.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The high tropical mountains are renowned for their exceptional biodiversity, which plays a pivotal role in sustaining local communities and their economies. Nevertheless, these regions are confronted with considerable challenges, primarily due to the threat of invasive species, which is further compounded by the impacts of climate change. Here, we investigated the current and future distribution of invasive plant species in the tropical Andes, focusing on Páramos – ecosystems that provide essential water services to people. Species distribution modeling was used to assess the current and future suitability of 11 of the most harmful invasive species under low (SSP126), moderate (SSP370), and intense (SSP585) carbon emission scenarios. Our projections show that between 18% and 60% of the tropical mountain area (480,000 km<sup>2</sup>) is currently suitable for the establishment of at least one species. Additionally, projections indicate that this area could expand by 2–4 % by the mid-century, depending on the climate change scenario. This expansion could potentially make 500–3000 km<sup>2</sup> of the Páramo extent suitable for up to five invasive species. Overall, our study provides relevant information for targeted management actions, such as manual removal and restoration, which are essential for limiting the expansion of invasive species to more suitable areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"22 4","pages":"Pages 348-357"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143268882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 : 2024-10-01Epub Date: 2024-11-20DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2024.10.001
Ulises Balza , Samanta Dodino , Sergio A. Lambertucci , Alejandro Kusch , Andrea Raya-Rey
Vultures are among the most endangered bird species, and changes in their feeding habits due to human activities pose a significant threat to their survival. We studied aspects of the trophic ecology of Andean Condors (Vultur gryphus) in Tierra del Fuego, an archipelago in the southernmost part of its distribution, and compared it with other six sampling sites across Argentina. We estimated the isotopic niche width, the trophic position, and the extent of marine input on condors at a large spatial scale. Andean Condors in Tierra del Fuego exhibit a unique and substantial reliance on marine food webs, which matches the known historical trophic interactions of the species. In contrast to continental Patagonia, the marine trophic input was not homogeneous among individuals, but structured in two groups along the terrestrial – marine gradient. Marine carrion provided by sea lions, seabirds and stranded cetaceans should be monitored since they can be relevant for the long-term persistence of Andean condors in the area. Moreover, the link of condors with the ocean would also include the movement of marine inputs to terrestrial environments. As most condor samples were obtained in protected areas in the terrestrial-marine interphase, this further emphasizes the importance of preserving these areas in the face of environmental change to conserve not only the species and its landscape but also specific trophic interactions.
{"title":"Maintenance of a scavenger ancient food web in insular remote areas","authors":"Ulises Balza , Samanta Dodino , Sergio A. Lambertucci , Alejandro Kusch , Andrea Raya-Rey","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.10.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.10.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vultures are among the most endangered bird species, and changes in their feeding habits due to human activities pose a significant threat to their survival. We studied aspects of the trophic ecology of Andean Condors (<em>Vultur gryphus</em>) in Tierra del Fuego, an archipelago in the southernmost part of its distribution, and compared it with other six sampling sites across Argentina. We estimated the isotopic niche width, the trophic position, and the extent of marine input on condors at a large spatial scale. Andean Condors in Tierra del Fuego exhibit a unique and substantial reliance on marine food webs, which matches the known historical trophic interactions of the species. In contrast to continental Patagonia, the marine trophic input was not homogeneous among individuals, but structured in two groups along the terrestrial – marine gradient. Marine carrion provided by sea lions, seabirds and stranded cetaceans should be monitored since they can be relevant for the long-term persistence of Andean condors in the area. Moreover, the link of condors with the ocean would also include the movement of marine inputs to terrestrial environments. As most condor samples were obtained in protected areas in the terrestrial-marine interphase, this further emphasizes the importance of preserving these areas in the face of environmental change to conserve not only the species and its landscape but also specific trophic interactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"22 4","pages":"Pages 367-373"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143268203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 : 2024-10-01Epub Date: 2024-11-07DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2024.10.002
Vanesa Bejarano Alegre , Claudia Zukeran Kanda , Júlia Emi de Faria Oshima , Bernardo Brandão Niebuhr , Ronaldo Gonçalves Morato , Jeffrey J Thompson , Luca Börger , Milton Cezar Ribeiro
Human-caused habitat loss and fragmentation have significantly impacted the natural environments of large carnivores, altering their movement patterns and increasing risks such as hunting and road collisions. This study aims to understand the movement of jaguars (Panthera onca) through forests, agriculture of varying patch sizes, their distances to these structures, and roads and drainages. By analyzing movement speed, revisits, time spent inside these structures, and the timing of the last visit, data from 54 GPS-tagged jaguars in South America reveal a pronounced tendency to revisit the edges of these landscape variables. Additionally, jaguars showed a stronger affinity for natural areas, spending more time in large forest patches and reducing their speed in natural drainages. Areas with extensive agriculture had fewer revisits, and jaguars moved faster near roads. These results demonstrate the level of tolerance and the dangers this species faces in a landscape with anthropogenic aspects. This comprehensive assessment of movement patterns and landscape use provides valuable insights into how landscape structure influences habitat preference and mobility rates, which is crucial for future jaguar conservation and management strategies.
{"title":"Jaguar at the Edge: movement patterns in human-altered landscapes","authors":"Vanesa Bejarano Alegre , Claudia Zukeran Kanda , Júlia Emi de Faria Oshima , Bernardo Brandão Niebuhr , Ronaldo Gonçalves Morato , Jeffrey J Thompson , Luca Börger , Milton Cezar Ribeiro","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.10.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.10.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human-caused habitat loss and fragmentation have significantly impacted the natural environments of large carnivores, altering their movement patterns and increasing risks such as hunting and road collisions. This study aims to understand the movement of jaguars (<em>Panthera onca</em>) through forests, agriculture of varying patch sizes, their distances to these structures, and roads and drainages. By analyzing movement speed, revisits, time spent inside these structures, and the timing of the last visit, data from 54 GPS-tagged jaguars in South America reveal a pronounced tendency to revisit the edges of these landscape variables. Additionally, jaguars showed a stronger affinity for natural areas, spending more time in large forest patches and reducing their speed in natural drainages. Areas with extensive agriculture had fewer revisits, and jaguars moved faster near roads. These results demonstrate the level of tolerance and the dangers this species faces in a landscape with anthropogenic aspects. This comprehensive assessment of movement patterns and landscape use provides valuable insights into how landscape structure influences habitat preference and mobility rates, which is crucial for future jaguar conservation and management strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"22 4","pages":"Pages 358-366"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143268883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 : 2024-10-01Epub Date: 2024-11-05DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2024.09.002
Juan Andrés Figueroa-Alvarez , Rubén Ortega-Álvarez , Robert H. Manson , Vinicio J. Sosa , Leopoldo D. Vázquez-Reyes , Israel Medina Mena , Leonel Bautista Bautista
Improving management practices in coffee agroecosystems to achieve sustainability is required to counter the current anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity. Identifying the specific habitat characteristics that determine the occupancy of insectivorous birds in coffee farms can represent an effective tool to improve management practices and bird conservation with minimal effort from coffee growers, thus fostering sustainability. To explore this, we modeled the occupancy of six functional groups of birds associated with the insect pest control in response to seven habitat characteristics of interest for bird conservation and coffee habitat management. In general, our results indicate that occupancy probability was correlated with habitat characteristics describing increased vegetation structure across the landscape. Epiphytes strongly influenced all studied functional groups. Most groups were also positively related with herb and shrub cover. However, contrary to our predictions, coffee dominance increased the occupancy of most insectivores, possibly due to the diverse vegetation structure and organic management practices of coffee farms. To provide management recommendations, we identified critical values for each habitat characteristic where the occupancy of most functional groups was benefited. These management recommendations sought to benefit species associated with key ecosystem services, thus possibly improving both conservation and production outcomes.
{"title":"Insectivorous birds and potential pest control services: An occupancy study of functional groups in a coffee landscape in Oaxaca, Mexico","authors":"Juan Andrés Figueroa-Alvarez , Rubén Ortega-Álvarez , Robert H. Manson , Vinicio J. Sosa , Leopoldo D. Vázquez-Reyes , Israel Medina Mena , Leonel Bautista Bautista","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.09.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.09.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Improving management practices in coffee agroecosystems to achieve sustainability is required to counter the current anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity. Identifying the specific habitat characteristics that determine the occupancy of insectivorous birds in coffee farms can represent an effective tool to improve management practices and bird conservation with minimal effort from coffee growers, thus fostering sustainability. To explore this, we modeled the occupancy of six functional groups of birds associated with the insect pest control in response to seven habitat characteristics of interest for bird conservation and coffee habitat management. In general, our results indicate that occupancy probability was correlated with habitat characteristics describing increased vegetation structure across the landscape. Epiphytes strongly influenced all studied functional groups. Most groups were also positively related with herb and shrub cover. However, contrary to our predictions, coffee dominance increased the occupancy of most insectivores, possibly due to the diverse vegetation structure and organic management practices of coffee farms. To provide management recommendations, we identified critical values for each habitat characteristic where the occupancy of most functional groups was benefited. These management recommendations sought to benefit species associated with key ecosystem services, thus possibly improving both conservation and production outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"22 4","pages":"Pages 331-341"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143268881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 : 2024-10-01Epub Date: 2024-11-20DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2024.11.001
Gerhard E. Overbeck , Valério D. Pillar
Inadequate terminology, in particular the use of the term ‘Forest Code’ for the main conservation law and of the term ‘deforestation’ for loss of all types of ecosystems, in the conservation debate in Brazil confuses the public and risks jeopardizing conservation goals. We urge scientists, conservationists and government agencies to use adequate terminology as not to reinforce already existing biases in conservation and to better inform the public about the need to conserve all types of ecosystems.
{"title":"Forest-biased terminology does not help to include open ecosystems in conservation policies","authors":"Gerhard E. Overbeck , Valério D. Pillar","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.11.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2024.11.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Inadequate terminology, in particular the use of the term ‘Forest Code’ for the main conservation law and of the term ‘deforestation’ for loss of all types of ecosystems, in the conservation debate in Brazil confuses the public and risks jeopardizing conservation goals. We urge scientists, conservationists and government agencies to use adequate terminology as not to reinforce already existing biases in conservation and to better inform the public about the need to conserve all types of ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"22 4","pages":"Pages 328-330"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143268880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 : 2024-10-01Epub Date: 2024-11-19DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2024.11.003
Pamela González-del-Pliego , Núria Galiana , Juan David González-Trujillo , Frederico Mestre , Miguel Bastos Araújo , Vinicius A.G. Bastazini
Biotic interactions are a critical element for the functioning and the stability of ecosystems, yet anthropogenic pressures can significantly disrupt these networks of interacting species. While species-focused conservation is central to most conservation policy, it is also vital to identify the interactions at risk and the ones that play a disproportionate role in glueing communities together. Here we assess the importance of species for ecological network integrity and the risk of loss of interactions that is brought by species loss in a global predator-prey network comprising 877 mammal species. We calculated the importance of species and their interactions using network centrality analyses. The risk of loss of interactions was determined by quantifying the extinction risk of each pair of interacting species. Additionally, we examined whether specific traits or phylogenetic history influenced both extinction risk and species importance. We found that extinction risk is unrelated to species’ importance in the network. We also showed that the most important interactions are at least partially at risk of being lost. Moreover, important and threatened species showed higher ecological distinctiveness, but similar low evolutionary distinctiveness. We emphasise that conservation strategies should consider the contributions of both threatened and non-threatened species to ecological networks, acknowledging the vital roles they play for ecosystem stability and function.
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