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Biological Conservation
Elsevier Applied Science Publishers
Biological Conservation

Elsevier Applied Science Publishers

0006-3207

Biological Conservation/Journal Biological ConservationSCIAHCIISTP
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    Defining exceptional species—A conceptual framework to expand and advance ex situ conservation of plant diversity beyond conventional seed banking

    Pence V.C.Meyer A.Bruns E.B.Linsky J....
    8页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2021The multiple, complex risks to plant species survival are increasing, and conservation strategies that include ex situ as well as in situ approaches are needed now more than ever. Seed banking (drying at c.15% relative humidity and then storing at ?20 °C) is the most efficient and effective ex situ method for long-term conservation for a majority of plant species. However, some plant species are not amenable to this practice, and such species have been labeled exceptional. Critical limitations to conventional seed banking include: 1) the unavailability of sufficient seed for storage; 2) seeds that are completely intolerant of the drying process (recalcitrant); 3) fully or partially desiccation tolerant seeds that are short-lived or sensitive to storage in a conventional freezer; and 4) seeds exhibiting complex dormancies that significantly hinder post-storage germination. Here we describe species examples to illustrate the key features of these four factors of exceptionality. This definition of exceptionality will provide the foundation for identifying exceptional species and directing resources to the appropriate approaches needed for their conservation. The long-term ex situ conservation of exceptional species will require living collections, as well as technologies involving expertise in cryobiotechnology, seed biology, plant physiology, plant ecology, and horticulture, emphasizing the importance of fully integrating multi-disciplinary conservation actions underpinned by training and knowledge exchange. Given that the number of known exceptional species is anticipated to increase substantially with further research, we call for immediate, concerted, and focused international action to address the conservation needs of the world's exceptional plant species.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Poacher pays? Judges' liability decisions in a mock trial about environmental harm caused by illegal wildlife trade

    Fajrini R.Nichols R.M.Phelps J.
    9页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2022 Elsevier LtdConservation litigation applies environmental liability law to biodiversity conservation contexts—holding parties who harm biodiversity responsible for providing remedies such as restoration, compensation, apologies and investments into education and cultural activities. Many countries have enabling legislation, but these types of lawsuits are rare in most countries and have been infrequently used to protect biodiversity from drivers such as illegal wildlife trade. Yet, these types of cases could be strategically used to provide remedies for cases of egregious harm and help catalyze social change through the power of judicial decisions. The viability of future cases, however, relies heavily on the judges and juries who adjudicate cases. Rather than wait potentially decades for test cases to emerge to help evaluate the success of this strategy, we conducted mock trials and post-trial interviews with Indonesian judges (N = 32), a population that is rarely explored in conservation science. We presented them with a hypothetical civil lawsuit in a case of illegal tiger trade, which sought to hold the defendant liable for providing 11 different remedies to address the harm purportedly caused by their actions. The results show that judges were very amenable to providing remedies in this type of civil lawsuit; for eight of the 11 claims, over 60% of the respondents indicated each claim would be likely to be accepted. The results also highlighted six key themes important in judicial decision-making, which provide insights for practitioners developing future lawsuits. The results suggest a favorable setting for testing real-world application of liability laws to remedy biodiversity harm, which may become an important part of future environmental governance.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Current conservation policies in the UK and Ireland overlook endangered insects and are taxonomically biased towards Lepidoptera

    Duffus N.E.Morimoto J.
    11页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2022 Elsevier LtdInsects provide key ecosystem services for our sustainable future, which rely upon effective conservation policies to protect insect biodiversity. To date, however, we still do not know how effective current conservation policies are for protecting insect biodiversity, opening up the possibility that policies are unfit-for-purpose. Given the considerable debate and public awareness on the potential global decline of insect species, it is important to understand whether or not current policies can protect insect biodiversity. Here, we used IUCN listing of species status and developed a quantitative framework to analyse the potential effectiveness and coverage of current conservation policies pertaining to insect biodiversity in the UK and Ireland. We contrasted this against coverage for a well-known group – mammals – as a benchmark, to find that while the vast majority of the UK mammalian species in the European IUCN red list are directly protected by current policies, insects remain largely unprotected. Moreover, for those insect species that are explicitly protected by current policies, there is a taxonomic bias whereby the majority (>50%) of insect species are Lepidopterans (moths and butterflies), while a minority are Coleopterans (beetles), and none are Hymenopterans (bees, ants, wasps). Similar trends were observed in the UK priority biodiversity lists. Based on our data, we conclude that current biodiversity policies in the UK and Ireland have significant gaps in their protection of insect biodiversity and, there is a taxonomic bias that may skew some conservation efforts toward butterflies and moths. We anticipate that our findings are likely to occur worldwide, highlighting the need for more directive policies to manage and protect insect biodiversity for the sustainability of ecosystem services.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Human disturbance is the most limiting factor driving habitat selection of a large carnivore throughout Continental Europe

    Belotti E.Cerveny J.Bufka L.Bluhm H....
    12页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2022 Elsevier LtdHabitat selection is a multi-scale process driven by trade-offs between benefits, such as resource abundance, and disadvantages, such as the avoidance of risk. The latter includes human disturbances, to which large carnivores, with their large spatial requirements, are especially sensitive. We investigated the ecological processes underlying multi-scale habitat selection of a large carnivore, namely Eurasian lynx, across European landscapes characterized by different levels of human modification. Using a unique dataset of 125 lynx from 9 study sites across Europe, we compared used and available locations within landscape and home-range scales using a novel Mixed Effect randomForest approach, while considering environmental predictors as proxies for human disturbances and environmental resources. At the landscape scale, lynx avoided roads and human settlements, while at the home-range scale natural landscape features associated with shelter and prey abundance were more important. The results showed sex was of relatively low variable importance for lynx's general habitat selection behaviour. We found increasingly homogeneous responses across study sites with finer selection scales, suggesting that study site differences determined coarse selection, while utilization of resources at the finer selection scale was broadly universal. Thereby describing lynx's requirement, if not preference, for heterogeneous forests and shelter from human disturbances and implying that regional differences in coarse-scale selection are driven by availability rather than preference. These results provide crucial information for conserving this species in human-dominated landscapes, as well as for the first time, to our knowledge, generalising habitat selection behaviour of a large carnivore species at a continental scale.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Investigating parasite dynamics of migratory ungulates for sustaining healthy populations: Application to critically-endangered saiga antelopes Saiga tatarica

    Khanyari M.Milner-Gulland E.J.Oyanedel R.Robinson S....
    10页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2022Contact between wild and domestic ungulates is increasing across rangelands, enabling disease co-transmission. Disease management is difficult given uncertainties in complex system behavior, limited empirical data, and logistical obstacles to interventions. We studied gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) transmission in a rangeland shared by both livestock and the critically-endangered migratory saiga antelope, Saiga tatarica, in order to model infection dynamics under current and plausible future scenarios of increasing livestock numbers, climate change and anti-helminth treatments. Our model was parameterised for trichostrongylid GIN – a cause of mortality and morbidity in ungulates globally - using data on observed faecal nematode egg output and host numbers and distribution. Results showed that seasonal saiga migration leads to asymmetry in parasite transmission, with the majority of GIN acquired by saigas in their autumn and winter range through prior pasture contamination from livestock. Consequently, reducing parasite burdens in livestock early in the season in these areas could disproportionately reduce cross-transmission to saigas. Early-season GIN suppression in livestock in the saiga's spring and summer range was predicted to have weaker effect on parasite transmission to saigas but reduces infections during the calving period, potentially increasing population health and resilience at this critical time. Optimally timed treatments could offset the effects of increasing livestock numbers on GIN infection pressure, while climate warming had only marginal impacts on GIN transmission under all scenarios. Our findings could support better understanding and mitigation of factors affecting saiga health and rural livelihoods. Our approach is transferable to other systems, particularly those with migratory hosts.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Gap analysis of exceptional species—Using a global list of exceptional plants to expand strategic ex situ conservation action beyond conventional seed banking

    Bruns E.B.Meyer A.Westwood M.Pritchard H.W....
    9页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2022 The AuthorsWith two in five plant species facing extinction, plant diversity loss demands action that integrates ex situ with in situ conservation approaches. While conservation in seed banks has been widely adopted, this technology cannot be applied to exceptional species, which require alternative approaches. We propose a new conceptual framework, resulting in the creation of a global working Exceptional Status List. Using a semi-automated method to evaluate over 23,000 seed plants, 775 were identified as exceptional, <3% of those predicted to be exceptional. These were further characterized by one or more of four exceptionality factors (EF): Species with desiccation intolerant seeds (EF2, 50%), short-lived seeds (EF3, 36.6%), unavailable seeds (EF1, 12.6%), or deeply dormant seeds (EF4, 3.4%). One quarter of the identified exceptional species are threatened, and the four families with the most exceptional species were Dipterocarpaceae, Arecaceae, Rutaceae, and Fabaceae. Only 20% of plant genera have had even one species assessed for exceptionality. Although 688 exceptional species are in ex situ collections, most were represented by only 1–4 ex situ sites, primarily living plant collections, with very few in cryobanks. This project illustrates the significant gaps in our knowledge of exceptionality and the need for additional input from researchers and practitioners. The Exceptional Status List is provided as a conservation toolkit, to highlight gaps in knowledge and serve as the basis for further input and research, providing the basis for prioritizing goals and developing strategies for action to address the conservation challenges of exceptional plants.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Strategic discarding reduces seabird numbers and contact rates with trawl fishery gears in the Southwest Atlantic

    Kuepfer A.Brickle P.Sherley R.B.Arkhipkin A....
    9页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2022 Elsevier LtdIncidental mortality in trawl fisheries is a serious threat to seabird sustainability. Driven primarily by seabirds attracted to discards, limiting discard discharge through strategic batching is a best practice mitigation measure recommended by the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP). However, studies supporting the efficacy of batch discarding are rare, limited to the south-western Pacific, and assess seabird numbers attending vessels only, not gear contact rates. The effectiveness of batch discarding in areas with different seabird communities, fishery assemblages, and natural prey availability is therefore unknown. Here we quantify both seabird numbers and gear contact rates in response to strategic discard discharge in the Falkland Islands trawl fleet for two high-risk species groups: black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) and giant petrel species (Macronectes spp.). Specifically, we test the effect of three different discharge treatments (zero, batch and continuous discarding) at two vessels. Bird abundance and contact rates were positively related, but zero discarding consistently reduced seabird numbers attending trawlers and eliminated contacts with warp cables and tori-lines. Batching significantly reduced bird abundance and contact rates at the vessel that stored all discards between batches. At the other vessel, however, intermittent release of hashed viscera diminished the mitigation effect. Our findings validate the generality of batch discarding as an effective mitigation measure in trawl fisheries where zero discarding is not possible, whilst highlighting the importance of complete waste storage.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Biodiversity conservation in private forests: Factors driving landowner's attitude

    BaranovskisNikodemus O.Brumelis G.Elferts D....
    18页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2021 Elsevier LtdIn many countries, biodiversity conservation strategies are aimed not only for state land, but also private land. Participation of landowners in conservation programmes can be viewed as a continuum from voluntary by the landowner to force by the existing legislation. The biodiversity conservation system of Latvia represents a case where in certain situations (such as establishment of micro-reserves) strict forest management restrictions can be implemented without acceptance of landowners. This causes conflicts with forest owners, which can negatively affect the success of reaching biodiversity conservation goals. Therefore, we aimed to explore factors driving private forest owner's attitude towards biodiversity conservation in their land. Mixed-mode survey was utilized for gathering information from 386 private forest owners. Ordinal logistic regression (OLS) models were used to analyze relationships between predictor and response variables. Our results suggested that financial dependence on income from forest harvest was the main factor causing negative attitude of landowners towards biodiversity conservation measures for private land of Latvia. This factor was significantly correlated with a forestry background (education, occupation and size of forest land). However, landowner education and general conservation values also influenced landowner willingness to accept conservation measures on private forest land. We highlighted a great potential for voluntary biodiversity conservation mechanisms in Latvia, which could complement existing (regulatory approach based) biodiversity conservation instruments.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Anthropogenic impacts on plant-animal mutualisms: A global synthesis for pollination and seed dispersal

    Teixido A.L.Oliveira P.C.Fuzessy L.F.Gomes I.N....
    12页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2022 Elsevier LtdGlobal anthropogenic changes cause major impacts on species interactions, with cascading effects on ecosystem functioning. Animal-mediated pollination and seed dispersal are major mutualisms associated with distinct stages of plant reproduction. Nevertheless, we lack an integrated assessment on how multiple anthropogenic impacts affect these interrelated mutualisms. Here, we systematically reviewed the effect of the most important global anthropogenic factors (agrochemicals, climate change, fire, fragmentation, hunting, non-native species and urbanization) on pollination and seed dispersal. We evaluated which anthropogenic factors, mutualisms and their combinations have been more frequently investigated, the biogeographic and taxonomic tendencies and the most frequently recorded effects of anthropogenic factors. We show that pollination has been more broadly investigated, that the impacts of the anthropogenic factors on pollination and seed dispersal are biased towards the temperate region and forest biomes and lack representation from some relevant groups, such as mutualistic bats. Moreover, some anthropogenic factors have been more studied for one mutualism type in relation to the other, for instance, agrochemicals and urbanization on plant-pollinator interactions, even though these impacts could also generate direct and cascading effects on frugivores and seed dispersal. The predominance of negative effects observed, especially of climate change on plant-pollinator and non-native species on plant-frugivore interactions deserve special attention. Finally, we identify a gap in empirical studies that simultaneously consider pollination and seed dispersal as integrated components of plant reproduction, and combined anthropogenic factors in the same ecosystem. More integrative studies are needed to better understand the vulnerability of plant-animal mutualisms in a changing world.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier

    Using movement models and systematic conservation planning to inform marine protected area design for a multi-species predator community

    van Zinnicq Bergmann M.P.M.Bond M.E.Papastamatiou Y.P.Guttridge T.L....
    13页
    查看更多>>摘要：? 2022 Elsevier LtdMarine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly applied to regulate fishing and conserve marine biodiversity. Yet, MPAs are often designed without sufficient ecological knowledge of the species they are intended to protect. This is particularly relevant to large and wide-ranging marine predators including many elasmobranchs (sharks and rays), for which region-specific space-use information is limited. Further, uncertainty remains in how to integrate movement datasets with systematic conservation planning frameworks to meet explicit conservation objectives. We addressed these knowledge gaps by combining movement models, constructed from passive acoustic telemetry data for eight elasmobranch species, and systematic conservation planning to investigate the design and adequacy of MPAs in Bimini, The Bahamas. Currently, there is a proposal for a no-take MPA in North Bimini (NBMPA), although it is unclear how this MPA would benefit elasmobranch communities if or when implemented. Our results show that although the NBMPA would contribute to elasmobranch conservation, the supplementation with an additional MPA southwest of Bimini would be necessary to protect important habitats for multiple elasmobranch species. This southwestern area was highlighted as a conservation priority area of both permanent MPA designs as well as seasonal time-area closures, regardless of NBMPA implementation status and conservation targets considered in this study. Our integrative approach also demonstrates its ability to optimize MPA designs for marine predator communities, combining multi-species movement models, constructed from acoustic telemetry datasets that include space-use estimates over multiple years, with MPA optimization tools.
      原文链接:
    • NSTL
    • Elsevier