Conservation Science and Practice最新文献

{"title":"The effects of conservation easements on bird biodiversity in the Shenandoah and Piedmont regions of Virginia","authors":"Levi Van Sant,&nbsp;Amy E. M. Johnson,&nbsp;Daniel J. Read,&nbsp;Grant M. Connette,&nbsp;Erin T. Shibley","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70019","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Conservation easements—voluntary legal agreements in which a landowner forfeits some development rights in exchange for tax incentives—have become a central part of efforts to limit development in the US. Given the importance of biodiversity conservation on private lands and the rapid growth in conservation easements, they are often celebrated as a win-win scenario. However, there are also increasing questions about the ecological benefits of conservation easements. The kinds of studies necessary to better understand this issue are challenging for several reasons, and there is a special need for more field studies. We draw on a unique cooperative study of bird biodiversity on private lands conducted by Virginia Working Landscapes, a program of the Smithsonian Institution. We compared bird species abundance on private farmland protected by a conservation easement to private farmland not protected by a conservation easement. We estimated a probability of 0.90 that there was a weak positive effect of conservation easements on bird species abundance at the full community level but found no effect on a smaller subset of grassland-obligate birds. However, this relationship varied highly across bird species, with some individual species showing positive or negative associations with easements. We argue that (a) these results support recent calls to promote or mandate specific conservation practices on eased properties; (b) the limitations of publicly available data present significant challenges to assessing the ecological impacts of conservation easements; and (c) given these limitations, researchers should exercise caution when making generalized claims about the effects of conservation easements on biodiversity.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"7 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70019","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143801356","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}

{"title":"Governance-related conservation conflicts in a new UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve","authors":"Ntsu Mokhehle,&nbsp;Falko T. Buschke","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70024","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme promotes culturally appropriate and environmentally sustainable ways to improve human livelihoods. The programme's success depends on alignment between local communities and conservation authorities. In this study, we examine different sources of conservation conflict in Tšehlanyane National Park, the protected area at the core of the newly designated Matšeng Biosphere Reserve (established in 2021), the first in the landlocked Kingdom of Lesotho. Herdsmen, whose livestock used to graze the high-altitude grasslands, now face livestock confiscation and are retaliating with vandalism, arson, and poaching. Using the Nominal Group Technique, a structured group-based method to build consensus, we show that despite locals being broadly receptive to conservation, conflicts arise from governance shortcomings. Local communities acknowledged their role in the conflict through overgrazing, wildfires, encroachment, vandalism, and harvesting while raising issues from park authorities around equitable benefit-sharing, exclusion from conservation initiatives, livestock- and crop-losses caused by wildlife, and restricted human movement. These results suggest that the success of this biosphere reserve hinges on a willingness to grapple with complex issues of politics and governance while recognizing the diversity of different resource users.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"7 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70024","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143801357","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}

{"title":"The quick and the dead: Behavioral plasticity of anti-predator responses in an Endangered mammal","authors":"Natasha D. Harrison,&nbsp;Chloe H. Frick,&nbsp;Adrian F. Wayne,&nbsp;Nicola J. Mitchell,&nbsp;Leonie E. Valentine,&nbsp;Julia C. Wayne,&nbsp;Derek Sandow,&nbsp;Rob Brewster,&nbsp;Ben L. Phillips","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70028","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Populations isolated from predation inside predator-free havens often exhibit a reduction in anti-predator traits. The loss of such traits has a critical bearing on strategic conservation management, and so it is important to understand the basis of trait shift and how anti-predator traits may be retained or restored. We explored plasticity in anti-predator behaviors in an Endangered mammal, the woylie (<i>Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi</i>) at both the individual and population level. We quantified anti-predator responses in individual woylies sourced from either a predator-free haven (havened) or from an indigenous wild population (non-havened) before and after translocation to a site with low densities of introduced predators, providing the first experimental test of anti-predator responses and corresponding survival consequences in this species. Initially, the havened woylies had weak anti-predator responses (lower agitation) compared with non-havened animals. After exposure to predators, apparent survival was lower in the havened cohort compared to the non-havened cohort. Those havened individuals that did survive, however, had stronger anti-predator responses at the end of the study, approaching the level of response shown by their non-havened counterparts. This within-individual shift in behavior provides evidence for behavioral plasticity in this particular trait, suggesting that some aspects of anti-predator behavior may be regained following exposure to predators and that this behavioral flexibility can be advantageous. At the same time, evidence of lower survival in previously havened individuals indicates that fixed differences in other traits remain and likely also contribute to survival. We discuss the implications of these findings for conservation management.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"7 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70028","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143801671","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}

{"title":"Long-term recovery and food web response of benthic macrofauna following cessation of bottom trawling in a marine protected area","authors":"Mattias Sköld,&nbsp;Mats Blomqvist,&nbsp;Clare Bradshaw,&nbsp;Patrik Börjesson,&nbsp;Peter Göransson,&nbsp;Håkan Wennhage","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70037","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The understanding of the depletion of species and communities and recovery following the reduction of pressures is fundamental in conservation biology. The impact of bottom trawl fisheries on benthic communities has been well studied, but there are few studies of the long-term recovery after the cessation of bottom trawling. Here we followed the recovery of the benthic macrofaunal community over 12 years in a large (426 km²) no-take zone (NTZ) area in the south Kattegat after demersal trawling was stopped and compared it to a nearby area where trawling continued. Using multivariate analyses, we found shifts in the community composition. Two species of burrowing brittle stars, <i>Amphiura filiformis</i> and <i>Amphiura chiajei</i>, dominated abundance and biomass and decreased in the closed area (abundance effect size <i>A. filiformis</i> 48%; <i>A. chiajei</i> 45%). In parallel, there was an increase in benthivore flatfish. Stomach contents of the dominating flatfishes matched the availability of benthic prey taxa, and brittle stars were the staple food. Food web effects thus appear to override the decrease in mortality of the dominant macrofauna caused by the cessation of trawling in the NTZ. The recovery response in the species community in the NTZ correlated with the pattern in community composition along a chronic bottom trawling intensity gradient in the same area. This indicates that the recovery of the benthic community is not random but follows a successional pattern that can also be observed in chronic states of disturbance from bottom trawling. This is important information from the perspective of management efforts to restore marine ecosystems from the impact of bottom trawl fisheries, as it indicates that reduced effort may lead to predictable recovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"7 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70037","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143801668","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}

{"title":"Dynamic changes in bat activity over two decades following logging, changing climate, and a severe megafire","authors":"Bradley Law,&nbsp;Amrit Kathuria,&nbsp;Traecey Brassil","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70040","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Forests are important environments for echolocating bats and require careful management to balance timber harvesting with conservation. While there are many studies assessing the impacts of forestry on bats, few consider potential impacts over long periods. We use time series data of bat activity sampled periodically by ultrasonic detectors and traps over 22 years at the forest stand level to model management effects. Our study area was exposed to logging at two intervals, plus thinning of older regrowth and burning by a severe megafire (44 years after initial logging in 1976). Bat activity changed dynamically over the study and in relation to disturbance. The Black Summer fire of 2020 had the largest effect on bat activity, with all forest treatments supporting low activity 10 months post-fire. Prior to that, unlogged coupes supported the highest activity, and this remained relatively stable over time. Coupes of old regrowth had high stem density throughout the study and supported low activity. In contrast, the open space after recent logging of previously unlogged coupes in 1999 supported higher activity than adjacent old regrowth coupes, but lower activity than unlogged coupes. Activity in recently logged coupes decreased when dense regenerating trees dominated but subsequently increased as trees grew taller and a sub-canopy space developed. Wildfire burned the entire surrounding forest in 2020, and 10 months later, bat activity was very low. These dynamic responses highlight the importance of capturing change in communities as forest structure undergoes transformation in response to disturbance. A key implication is that activity in old regrowth coupes did not recover over the subsequent two decades and that unlogged coupes supported high activity, but these effects were less than those of the megafire. The study provides support for ongoing improvement in environmental standards in forestry over the study period, especially increased exclusion zones previously absent in 1976. Ongoing monitoring is required to assess recovery after wildfire.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"7 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70040","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143801669","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}

{"title":"The current status of genetic monitoring in conservation introductions","authors":"Elspeth A. McLennan,&nbsp;Catherine E. Grueber,&nbsp;Katherine Belov,&nbsp;Carolyn J. Hogg","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70036","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Conservation introductions, translocating species beyond their native range, are increasingly necessary. Because genetic diversity is essential for species to respond to novel environments, understanding whether establishing populations can maintain genetic diversity is crucial to the long-term success of conservation introductions. Using a systematic review, we quantified conservation introductions globally and assessed whether genetic monitoring is occurring. We found that, despite extensive discussion, conservation introductions were rare. Of 167 examples, most were performed in North America, Australia, and China, with megadiverse developing nations underrepresented. Plants were disproportionately represented (74%), and climate change was the primary motivator of conservation introductions (40%). Survival and reproduction were the most frequently measured outcomes (71% and 37%, respectively). Ten works (5.9%) reported genetic monitoring, of which only two considered temporal genetic data and showed a worrying trend of rapid negative genetic change post-establishment. With limited genetic evidence, it remains unclear whether conservation introductions can establish self-sustaining populations. As these translocations may be the only option for some species, we recommend conservation practitioners trial conservation introductions with temporal genetic monitoring to assess the maintenance of founding genetic diversity and inbreeding. Only through scientifically derived applications of conservation introductions will we learn how to establish self-sustaining populations in an uncertain future.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"7 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70036","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143801434","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}

{"title":"A global systematic review of the influence of competition on the outcomes of fauna conservation","authors":"Aurelie M. Kanishka,&nbsp;Nick Dexter,&nbsp;Chris R. Dickman,&nbsp;Natasha M. Robinson,&nbsp;David B. Lindenmayer","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70026","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ecosystems typically exhibit resilience to disturbances, yet excessive pressure can disrupt species interactions, resulting in biodiversity loss. Conservation interventions strive to safeguard ecosystems and reinstate vital ecological functions. Competition between animals plays a pivotal role in ecosystem persistence and dynamics, but its significance is often underestimated in conservation research. We conducted a global review that analyzed 147 articles, focusing on the impact of competitive interactions between animals on conservation interventions. We found a tendency for researchers to retrospectively interpret observed patterns of interactions as competitive. Negative outcomes, such as species declines, were frequently associated with competitive interactions. Despite efforts to predict outcomes using characteristics of the competition process, we found no consistent patterns of outcomes based on these characteristics. Our findings underscore the considerable influence that competition may have on conservation outcomes, emphasizing a need for proactive consideration of competition dynamics as part of planning conservation interventions. By integrating animal competition into conservation planning, monitoring, and mitigation efforts, unexpected negative impacts can be minimized, fostering more effective conservation outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"7 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70026","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143801422","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}

{"title":"A climate adaptation menu for North American grasslands","authors":"Jacy S. Bernath-Plaisted,&nbsp;Stephen D. Handler,&nbsp;Marissa Ahlering,&nbsp;Leslie A. Brandt,&nbsp;Scott B. Maresh Nelson,&nbsp;Neal D. Niemuth,&nbsp;Todd Ontl,&nbsp;Courtney L. Peterson,&nbsp;Christine A. Ribic,&nbsp;Delane Strohmeyer,&nbsp;Benjamin Zuckerberg","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70017","url":null,"abstract":"<p>North American grasslands are climate-vulnerable biomes that provide critical ecosystem services and support biodiversity. However, grasslands are often not included in climate policy and treaties, and they are underrepresented in ecological climate-adaptation literature. We synthesized existing knowledge on climate adaptation in North American grasslands to provide resources and guidance for grassland managers facing increasing climate change impacts. We leveraged data from a systematic review and solicited input from management professionals at workshops to create a Grassland Adaptation Menu—a referenced, hierarchical list of specific grassland management tactics nested under broader climate adaptation strategies. Our review revealed that although the number of published studies examining grassland-climate topics is increasing, relatively few provide actionable recommendations for adaptation. Among studies that did make recommendations, landscape-planning principles such as conserving grasslands in future climate refugia and enhancing connectivity were the most frequently recommended practice types, but there were also suggestions for site-level management such as adjustments to fire and grazing, improved seed sourcing and restoration practices, increased heterogeneity and biodiversity, use of assisted migration, and management of microclimate conditions. The Grassland Adaptation Menu incorporates eight general strategies and 32 approaches in a structured format designed to help managers translate concepts into actions.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"7 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70017","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143801754","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}

{"title":"Molecular tracing of the geographical origin of captive Asian small-clawed otters in Japan","authors":"Mayako Fujihara,&nbsp;Akiyuki Suzuki,&nbsp;Worata Klinsawat,&nbsp;Wanlop Chutipong,&nbsp;Cécile Sarabian,&nbsp;Marie Sigaud,&nbsp;Vanessa Gris,&nbsp;Miho Inoue-Murayama","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70010","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The international trade of the Asian small-clawed otter (<i>Aonyx cinereus</i>) for commercial purposes is prohibited by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix I. However, otter smuggling is still rampant, and Japan is among the important destination countries for captive otters whose origins are ambiguous. Our study aims to investigate the geographic origin(s) of Asian small-clawed otters in exotic animal cafés (EACs), zoos/aquariums in Japan, as well as those seized by Japanese customs, by comparing their mitochondrial DNA sequences with those of wild otters in Thailand—a primary trade hub for these animals. We analyzed 1511 bp mitochondrial sequences, including the complete CytB gene and a partial Control Region, in 33 individuals kept in EACs, 43 individuals from zoos/aquariums, and five from Japanese customs seizures, and compared them with the reference sequences from Thailand and neighboring countries. We detected 12 haplotypes among the captive otters in Japan, and the haplotype network was divided into three major groups. Moreover, certain haplotypes found in EACs and seized individuals were also present in wild otters from the southern region of Thailand, which is a suspected poaching hotspot. While more than half (24 of 43) of captive otters in zoos/aquariums share the same haplotypes with their wild counterparts in Thailand, most haplotypes do not match those found in seized and café individuals. According to CITES records, this species has not been imported from Thailand into Japan since 1988. Our findings suggest that most (75%) of seized and captive otters at EACs originated from southern Thailand, likely through illegal trade after this date. Expanding the database of samples from captive otters in Japan and wild otters in their original habitats may help to clarify the trade routes of these animals to the country.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"7 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70010","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143801394","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}

{"title":"Judiciary independence: Why should conservation ecologists care?","authors":"Tamar Keasar,&nbsp;Moshe Coll,&nbsp;Yael Lubin,&nbsp;Michal Segoli,&nbsp;Saskya van Nouhuys,&nbsp;Eric Wajnberg,&nbsp;Alon Tal","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70014","url":null,"abstract":"<p>We discuss the impact of democratic political governance systems on ecological and conservation research, education, and practice, focusing on radical proposed changes to the judicial system in Israel. This judicial reform has already begun to restrict academic freedom and environmental laws, adversely affecting regulatory actions. We are concerned about the weakening enforcement of environmental laws, increased power to polluting industries, future defunding of ecological research and nature conservation programs, reduced cross-border collaborations in ecological research, and restrictions on the academic teaching of ecology and evolution. Concerns related to Israel's unique biodiversity are particularly pressing in light of the constant threats from a rapidly growing population, high development pressures, and frequent military actions. International experience suggests that weakening judicial oversight of government actions in other countries is generating similar threats on a global scale. Therefore, ecologists and conservation biologists should actively be involved in the protection of liberal democracies and judicial independence.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"7 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70014","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143801634","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}