Conservation Biology最新文献

{"title":"Relative importance of traits, climate, and threats to extinction risk in salamanders","authors":"Jiang Wang,&nbsp;Chuanwu Chen,&nbsp;Yuyang Zhang,&nbsp;Yanping Wang","doi":"10.1111/cobi.70281","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cobi.70281","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Caudata (salamanders) is a highly threatened taxonomic group with over 60% of species estimated to be threatened. However, the species traits and extrinsic factors underlying their population decline and high extinction risk remain unclear. We conducted the first global comparative analysis to investigate which factors are associated with an increased risk of decline and extinction in salamanders. We addressed the following questions: Is extinction risk randomly distributed among salamander families, and if not, which families contain more threatened species than would be expected by chance; which species traits and extrinsic factors are important in determining the extinction risk in salamanders; and are the key factors for population decline consistent with those for extinction risk in salamanders? To determine which ecological characteristics and extrinsic factors best predict extinction risk and population decline in salamanders, we employed phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) models and phylogenetic logistic regression (PGLM) models, respectively. Threatened salamanders were nonrandomly distributed across nine families, among which Cryptobranchidae and Hynobiidae contained significantly more threatened species than expected. Key predictors of salamander extinction risk were breeding strategy, geographic range size, minimum elevation, human threat index, and protected area coverage. Although geographic range size, climate change, and human threats were the most important predictors of salamander extinction risk and population decline, the effect of geographic range size was the opposite between the PGLS and PGLM models. Our results suggest that priority management should focus on extinction-prone families, particularly Cryptobranchidae and Hynobiidae, and salamanders with small range sizes and sensitivity to human disturbance or climate instability.</p>","PeriodicalId":10689,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Biology","volume":"40 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147721922","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}

{"title":"Delayed plant genetic responses to forest edge dynamics and their conservation implications","authors":"Lore Hostens,&nbsp;Christophe Metsu,&nbsp;Elissar Alam,&nbsp;Kasper Van Acker,&nbsp;Gerrit Peeters,&nbsp;Sander de Beer,&nbsp;Yannick Gansemans,&nbsp;Eugenija Kupcinskiene,&nbsp;Lina Jociene,&nbsp;Edvina Krokaite-Kudakiene,&nbsp;Jolina Paulssen,&nbsp;Leonie Mazalla,&nbsp;Martin Diekmann,&nbsp;Timo Conradi,&nbsp;Sarah Plößner,&nbsp;Balázs Deák,&nbsp;Orsolya Valkó,&nbsp;Réka Fekete,&nbsp;Anna Orczewska,&nbsp;Per-Ola Hedwall,&nbsp;Jörg Brunet,&nbsp;Siyu Huang,&nbsp;Jannis Till Feigs,&nbsp;Tobias Naaf,&nbsp;Monika Wulf,&nbsp;Jan Plue,&nbsp;Jaan Liira,&nbsp;Dieter Deforce,&nbsp;Filip Van Nieuwerburgh,&nbsp;Pieter De Frenne,&nbsp;Filip Vandelook,&nbsp;Koenraad Van Meerbeek,&nbsp;Olivier Honnay,&nbsp;Hanne De Kort","doi":"10.1111/cobi.70297","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cobi.70297","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding genetic responses to forest dynamics is essential for predicting the long-term viability of understory plant populations and for developing effective conservation strategies. We investigated genetic extinction debt and colonization credit in broad-leaved enchanter's nightshade (<i>Circaea lutetiana</i>), a clonal forest understory species, across its European range. Using pooled genotype-by-sequencing data from 40 forest edge and core populations, we examined to what extent population size, latitude, and historical changes in forest configuration may predict genetic diversity. Historical forest configuration profoundly shaped present-day genetic diversity. Long-established forest edge populations exhibited significantly reduced allelic richness (−9%) compared with core populations, indicating the partial payoff of a genetic extinction debt. In contrast, populations from recently established forest edges maintained allelic richness similar to core populations, suggesting delayed population genetic responses to land-use changes. Finally, populations established in areas that were afforested during the past 250 years exhibited lower allelic richness (−10%) than historical forest core populations, indicating a delay in genetic recovery and thus a potential genetic colonization credit. Our results highlight that <i>C. lutetiana</i> populations are not at equilibrium with the current forest configuration, underscoring the role of lagged genetic responses across very long periods. Population size, and to a lesser extent connectivity, further mediated genetic diversity, with smaller, isolated populations being particularly vulnerable to genetic erosion. Given the limited research on delayed evolution in forest understory species, our results improve understanding of extinction risk dynamics and underscore the need for history-informed restoration efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":10689,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Biology","volume":"40 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147728546","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}

{"title":"Making conservation inclusive and count through globally important agricultural heritage systems as possible other effective area-based conservation measures","authors":"Xuan Guo,&nbsp;Siyuan He,&nbsp;Qingwen Min","doi":"10.1111/cobi.70317","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cobi.70317","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Protected areas (PAs) are critical to mitigation of drastic biodiversity decline and habitat loss. Despite considerable global progress in PAs, future efforts need to overcome persistent challenges related to coverage and effectiveness. With limited capacity for expansion of PAs, achieving the targets of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) will depend on other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). Such measures deliver effective and sustained biodiversity conservation outside of PAs. Globally important agricultural heritage systems (GIAHS) are institutionally conserved traditional agricultural landscapes (TAL) that support local livelihoods while conserving agrobiodiversity and resident wild biodiversity. Thus, GIAHS represent a promising yet underutilized model for advancing OECMs agenda. To explore this potential, drawing on a synthesis of peer‑reviewed literature, policy documents, and case studies, we examined the foundations of OECMs, considered the distinctive advantages of GIAHS for achieving global conservation targets, and devised policy and practical strategies for leveraging GIAHS as potential OECMs. First, we found that OECMs can enhance ecological representation and connectivity across broader landscapes and that their inclusive and flexible nature creates opportunities for diverse landscapes to contribute to conservation, including TAL, which are inherently sustainable and multifunctional. Second, the conservation contributions of GIAHS, spanning biodiversity maintenance, ecosystem service provision, and landscape connectivity, provide practical criteria for prioritizing future conserved areas. The synergistic management and biocultural approaches inherent to GIAHS offer models for effective conservation strategies. Finally, conservation outcomes of GIAHS closely align with the outcome-based framework of OECMs. To translate this alignment into action, priorities must include strengthening policy and legal strategies and enhancing the evidence base.</p>","PeriodicalId":10689,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Biology","volume":"40 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148257665","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}

{"title":"Role of funders in embedding tests in conservation practice","authors":"Rebecca K. Smith,&nbsp;Nancy Ockendon,&nbsp;Nida Al-Fulaij,&nbsp;Alessandro Badalotti,&nbsp;Rachel Beattie,&nbsp;James Byrne,&nbsp;Sophia Cooke,&nbsp;Tiago de Zoeten,&nbsp;Winifred F. Frick,&nbsp;Stephan M. Funk,&nbsp;Douglas Gibbs,&nbsp;Lauren Gupta,&nbsp;Tatiana Hendrix,&nbsp;Becky Holmes,&nbsp;Nicola Johnstone,&nbsp;James Kinghorn,&nbsp;Simon Mickleburgh,&nbsp;Florence Miller,&nbsp;Matthew Muir,&nbsp;Jacob R. Owens,&nbsp;Danni Parks,&nbsp;Victoria Reilly-Pinion,&nbsp;Hannah Reid,&nbsp;Kevin Seely,&nbsp;Julien Semelin,&nbsp;Taylor Shaw,&nbsp;Ruth D. Swetnam,&nbsp;Lisa Wheeler,&nbsp;William J. Sutherland","doi":"10.1111/cobi.70309","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cobi.70309","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Effective conservation practice requires decisions based on reliable and relevant evidence, but significant gaps in the evidence base exist. Incorporating well-designed tests of the effectiveness of interventions for biodiversity in conservation projects is one of the best ways to scale up the rate of evidence generation. Funders of conservation projects are uniquely positioned to support and incentivize such tests as part of the grant-making process. Using a structured process, as 25 conservation funders and members of Conservation Evidence, we identified means of improving the effectiveness of the work funded through the support of enhanced evidence generation. We identified 11 approaches through which funders can support embedding testing, ranging from encouraging inclusion of a test in the project proposal, to designating separate funds for incorporating a test, to supporting an external testing unit to provide training and advice. The appropriate approaches vary depending on the scale, process, and type of funding. Barriers to supporting testing and potential solutions were discussed, barriers such as a lack of skills to check tests are appropriate and well designed and the additional time needed to develop, implement, and see outcomes of tests and differing types of projects. By encouraging testing of actions as part of conservation practice (where appropriate), funders will ultimately facilitate a stronger evidence base for more effective decision-making and better outcomes for nature and society.</p>","PeriodicalId":10689,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Biology","volume":"40 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cobi.70309","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147834803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Risks of concealing environmental degradation","authors":"Matt W. Hayward,&nbsp;Kaya Klop-Toker,&nbsp;Salim Momtaz,&nbsp;Eliza Payne,&nbsp;Louisa Rebec,&nbsp;Robert J. Scanlon,&nbsp;Craig M. Shuttleworth,&nbsp;Nick Valentine,&nbsp;Andrea S. Griffin","doi":"10.1111/cobi.70311","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cobi.70311","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Current practice seeks to conceal the visual impact of land-use change (i.e., development). Six percent of development impact assessments in Australia and 14% of the World Bank's assessments recommend visual impact mitigation. This mitigation results in, for example, vegetated buffer strips alongside cleared agricultural areas and earthen mounds that block environmental degradation from view. These measures make living alongside such development more palatable, but they conceal its negative effects from the general public. The scale of the problem is global with evidence of mandated regulatory drivers for concealment from around the world. These mitigation measures limit the emotional impact of development on people, reducing their likelihood of implementing pro-environmental actions. It is important for the populace to see the scale of human impacts on the environment to increase the likelihood of pro-environmental behaviors and decisions that will help ease the crises facing the environment. We recommend overtly exposing the public to environmental degradation to improve understanding of environmental impacts, increase environmental knowledge, trigger pro-environmental emotions and actions, and help recalibrate people's understanding of biodiversity loss. Policies and research into the effect of creative public imagery designed to improve communication into environmental destruction while minimizing habituation are important, and ensuring that the “greening” of gray infrastructure yields genuine biodiversity benefits is also critical.</p>","PeriodicalId":10689,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Biology","volume":"40 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cobi.70311","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147873382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling seed germination data to meet biodiversity conservation needs in the Mediterranean","authors":"Diana María Cruz-Tejada,&nbsp;Efisio Mattana,&nbsp;Angelino Carta","doi":"10.1111/cobi.70329","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cobi.70329","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Seed-based conservation and restoration programs rely on sound knowledge in fundamental seed biology. However, the adequacy of current data on seed germination to meet biodiversity conservation needs remains largely unexplored. We assessed germination data availability and quality for 1495 Mediterranean species of conservation and restoration interest to determine how much germination information is currently available; whether existing data meet the requirements for thermal germination risk assessment; and which species or ecological features help explain current data gaps. To this end, we used phylogenetic logistic regressions and assessed the adequacy of the available data by modeling the species’ seed germination thermal responses. Germination data were available for 31% of species but adequate for thermal modeling for only 9% of them. Species with data were mainly ecologically widely distributed, produced physiologically dormant seeds, including species suitable for restoration, and had traditional uses. Thermal risk was not phylogenetically clustered, but it was linked to habitat, with species from forests and scrubland exhibiting higher thermal risk. Based on our results, we devised a framework to support conservation and restoration efforts that includes steps to improve data availability (e.g., data gap analysis) and to classify species according to their vulnerability to climate warming. These steps will help distinguish between species that are potentially suitable for restoration programs and those that should be prioritized for conservation and demonstrate how germination information can be modeled and translated into thermal risk assessments to support seed-based conservation and restoration programs.</p>","PeriodicalId":10689,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Biology","volume":"40 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cobi.70329","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147970955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating fossil data in ecological niche models to improve predictions of future habitat of Caribbean corals","authors":"Claire. M. Williams,&nbsp;Fernando Machado-Stredel,&nbsp;Rowan C. Martindale,&nbsp;Corinne E. Myers","doi":"10.1111/cobi.70323","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cobi.70323","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ecological niche models (ENMs) are used to assess the abiotic preferences of species by linking their occurrences to the environmental conditions in which they live. We developed a fossil-informed ENM framework that integrates mid-Holocene and modern occurrences to test niche stability and reconstruct abiotic niche characteristics for four critical reef-building Caribbean coral species (elkhorn coral [<i>Acropora palmata</i>], staghorn coral [<i>Acropora cervicornis</i>], boulder brain coral [<i>Colpophyllia natans</i>], and mustard hill coral [<i>Porites astreoides</i>]). Given evidence of niche stability, we used fossil-improved niche estimates to predict area and location of habitat for future climate scenarios in 2050 and 2100. We built species distribution models with environmental predictors and compared models trained with modern-only versus combined fossil and modern occurrences to evaluate differences in niche breadth, model performance, and projected habitat distributions under future climate scenarios. Including mid-Holocene fossil data in ENMs broadened niche estimates, resulting in a larger area of predicted habitat than models based solely on modern data (up to 114,559 km² more in 2100). Although our models showed that suitable habitats existed for most corals in 2100, the amount declined dramatically (45–100% decrease in area from the present day), there was a significant restriction of lower latitude habitat suitability, and marine protected areas did not overlap the majority of predicted future suitable habitat (8–20% overlap by 2100). Fossil-informed models expanded niche estimates in environmental space and incorporated environmental conditions not represented in modern data, resulting in broader projections of future habitat. Our results suggest that actions to reduce emissions and expand protected areas in the northern Caribbean are imperative to prevent significant degradation and that using fossil occurrences in niche estimation can improve the reliability of conservation forecasting, an approach that is transferable across taxa and regions.</p>","PeriodicalId":10689,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Biology","volume":"40 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cobi.70323","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147927322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimating the total mortality of seabirds following a marine heat wave","authors":"Jennifer L. Lavers,&nbsp;William Fulton,&nbsp;Silke Stuckenbrock,&nbsp;Alexander L. Bond","doi":"10.1111/cobi.70273","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cobi.70273","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Marine heat waves detrimentally affect a range of marine species, including seabirds, and are increasing in frequency and severity. When thousands of dead seabirds wash up on beaches, the public becomes concerned. However, the number of dead birds recorded on beaches is only a fraction of the total mortality; most birds perish at sea. As a result, estimates of total mortality are scarce, and this impedes the ability to determine how such mortality events affect populations. Community science programs can greatly enhance the geographic or temporal scale of studies, which can be critical when mortalities or changes take place over large distances or many months. Using three community science data repositories, we examined the number and composition of seabirds found dead on beaches in eastern Australia during the 2023–2024 marine heat wave. Mortality estimation models developed for other sectors were refined using measures of searcher efficiency and carcass persistence for beach-washed birds. Total mortality of sable shearwaters (<i>Ardenna carneipes</i>) and short-tailed shearwaters (<i>Ardenna tenuirostris</i>) was &gt;13,900 and &gt;608,000, respectively. The loss of these birds, in total more than 629,000 individuals, highlights the increasingly perilous marine environment in which many marine species now exist.</p>","PeriodicalId":10689,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Biology","volume":"40 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cobi.70273","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147764926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Insights from three decades of IUCN Red List assessments catalyzing shark, ray, and chimaera conservation","authors":"Brittany Finucci,&nbsp;Cassandra L. Rigby,&nbsp;Nicholas K. Dulvy,&nbsp;Rachel D. Cavanagh,&nbsp;Sarah Fowler,&nbsp;Lucy R. Harrison,&nbsp;Julia M. Lawson,&nbsp;Riley Pollom,&nbsp;Colin A. Simpfendorfer,&nbsp;Rachel H. L. Walls,&nbsp;Rima W. Jabado","doi":"10.1111/cobi.70349","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cobi.70349","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is a critical measure of global aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity status. It is also the basis for the Red List Index, which tracks extinction risk over time. Sharks, rays, and chimaeras (Chondrichthyes) have now been comprehensively assessed twice (1996–2011 and 2012–2021) with hindcast assessments from 1970 onward, yielding an unprecedented extinction risk trajectory for an aquatic vertebrate class. The three-decade success of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Shark Specialist Group (SSG) in providing updated and evidence-based assessments stems from sustained and coordinated activities by SSG members. We examined how a community of dedicated experts organized to fill gaps in key information to inform Red List assessments. From this evaluation, we identified six key lessons related to membership, taxonomic changes, implementation of the precautionary approach, information prioritization, assessment standardization, and policy efforts. However, existing challenges, including resource constraints and assessment discrepancies at different spatial scales, need to be addressed to ensure Red List assessments stay on pace with advances in conservation. With the second global assessment of chondrichthyans completed, it is appropriate to reflect on the evolution of the SSG and its achievements over three decades to highlight new tools and approaches to red listing and to identify priorities for the immediate future that are also applicable to other aquatic taxa with limited data, slow life histories, and exposure to high levels of fishing.</p>","PeriodicalId":10689,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Biology","volume":"40 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cobi.70349","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148351210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reevaluating introduced herbivores in conservation","authors":"Jonas Trepel,&nbsp;Robert Buitenwerf,&nbsp;Kristy Ferraro,&nbsp;Elizabeth le Roux,&nbsp;Erick Lundgren,&nbsp;Brian Maitner,&nbsp;Tanya Strydom,&nbsp;Jens-Christian Svenning,&nbsp;Matthew R. Kerr","doi":"10.1111/cobi.70328","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cobi.70328","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;The impacts of non-native species are the subject of enduring controversy in conservation research and policy. This debate has renewed relevance in light of rewilding approaches that introduce or reintroduce herbivores to restore trophic complexity. However, because large herbivores inherently have strong effects, recent work has warned that the “harms of introduced large herbivores outweigh their benefits” (Bescond-Michel et al., &lt;span&gt;2025&lt;/span&gt;; Nogués-Bravo et al., &lt;span&gt;2016&lt;/span&gt;; Nores et al., &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;). We argue that such conclusions are conceptually and methodologically flawed, particularly because they conflate the predictable consequences of herbivory with harmfulness attributed to a species' non-native status. Without assessing whether effects of non-native herbivores differ from those of native herbivores, these approaches risk depicting the fundamental process of herbivory as problematic. This can misinform conservation and restoration efforts at a time when herbivores, native or introduced, are increasingly recognized as essential for sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem function (Lundgren et al., &lt;span&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;; Malhi et al., &lt;span&gt;2016&lt;/span&gt;; Pringle et al., &lt;span&gt;2023&lt;/span&gt;; Smith et al., &lt;span&gt;2016&lt;/span&gt;; Svenning et al., &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;; Trepel et al., &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT and EICAT+) (Kumschick et al., &lt;span&gt;2020&lt;/span&gt;; Vimercati et al., &lt;span&gt;2022&lt;/span&gt;) uses vote-counting methods to categorize non-native species based on their effects on native species' fitness and abundance (Kumschick et al., &lt;span&gt;2020&lt;/span&gt;). We argue that using these classifications to determine whether “harms” outweigh “benefits” (Bescond-Michel et al., &lt;span&gt;2025&lt;/span&gt;) lacks ecological foundation. All terrestrial animals eat, move, and reproduce. Inevitably, eating reduces the abundance of food resources, and movement alters surroundings. Yet, EICAT classifies these predictable ecological processes as “negative impacts”. By this logic, every living animal has negative effects on the species it consumes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Moreover, there is little focus in the literature on the positive and neutral impacts of non-native species (Vimercati et al., &lt;span&gt;2022&lt;/span&gt;), and studies on the impacts of introduced species frequently frame non-native species as harmful regardless of their actual impacts (Pereyra et al., &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;). Even though EICAT+ allows recording of positive effects, it is difficult to see how these biases will not result in a circularity: using reports that are biased toward negative impacts of introduced herbivores to confirm that introduced herbivores have negative effects.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Treating ecological processes as inherently harmful ignores their role in maintaining biodiversity. Ecological theory predicts that so-called negative effects are often precisely what sustains biodiversity. In fact, p","PeriodicalId":10689,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Biology","volume":"40 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cobi.70328","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147867122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}