Conservation Science and Practice最新文献

{"title":"A framework for balancing extinction risk between source and recipient populations: Translocation-based recovery of American martens","authors":"Carly M. Wikston,&nbsp;John D. Erb,&nbsp;Jonathan H. Gilbert,&nbsp;Jonathan N. Pauli","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70356","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70356","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Translocations are increasingly used for species recovery but are often performed without considering the impact to both recipient and source populations. Imperiled species often occur in networks of sub-populations each contributing to connectivity, viability, and persistence, and balancing translocation benefits for recipient populations against the risks to source populations will support broad conservation goals. To demonstrate this, we assessed the extinction risk and population recovery potential of two American marten (<i>Martes americana)</i> populations that share a history of translocation events. To assess viability of both populations under future translocation actions, we quantified vital rates and populated demographic matrix models to project both populations forward 50 years under 16 different scenarios. The source population was predicted to be resistant to declines under temporally dispersed translocation schedules involving &lt;100 adult females in total; however, the recipient population requires 50–100 adult females to reduce extinction risk and &gt;100 to approach recovery. Thus, a single source population may be sufficient to reduce extinction risk but cannot promote recovery of the recipient population, and alternative management actions may be necessary. Our work highlights the importance of considering both source and recipient populations and provides an analytical decision-making framework to guide sustainable translocation programming.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"8 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70356","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148699852","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":"Defining ecologically realistic biodiversity offset multipliers with the response-based habitat hectare assessment of biodiversity gains (REHAB)","authors":"Joel Jalkanen,&nbsp;Eini Nieminen,&nbsp;Aapo Ahola,&nbsp;Emma Luoma,&nbsp;Minna Pekkonen,&nbsp;Panu Halme,&nbsp;Janne S. Kotiaho,&nbsp;Heini Kujala","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70355","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70355","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In biodiversity offsetting, balancing biodiversity losses with gains can be achieved by using multipliers that define the ratio between the magnitude of biodiversity loss and the area required to deliver equivalent biodiversity gains. Although there is broad scientific consensus that multipliers should be calibrated to deliver no net loss or a net gain for biodiversity, they are often applied without quantitative assessment of the ecological outcomes of offset actions. Here we operationalize the “Response-based Habitat Hectare Assessment of Biodiversity Gains” (REHAB), a framework where multipliers are informed by an understanding of habitat-specific ecological responses to offset action. To support Finland's national biodiversity offsetting scheme, we harnessed the knowledge of 111 experts to compile ecological attributes and condition matrices for all 388 Finnish habitat types and derive 346 offset action multipliers that represent ecological response functions for 216 habitat type-specific offset actions including restoration, management and passive recovery. Our analysis reveals substantial variation in response-functions, resulting in offset multipliers between 1.3 and 4000 across offset actions and habitat types. We find that the fixed multipliers commonly used in offset schemes would result in net loss in 60% of the cases if action–habitat specific responses were not considered. This variability underscores that fixed multipliers cannot deliver reliable biodiversity outcomes and should be avoided in offsetting schemes. The REHAB framework has already been integrated into Finland's national offsetting policy. Other potential areas of application include informing ecosystem restoration planning and assessing biodiversity gains linked to credit issuance in emerging nature-credit markets.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"8 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70355","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148699915","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":"Examining the efficacy of a sanctuary to protect sharks in the Galapagos Marine Reserve","authors":"Leah R. Gerber,&nbsp;Alex R. Hearn,&nbsp;Camila Guerrero Pineda,&nbsp;E. Paola Sangolquí","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70359","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70359","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In 2016, Ecuador established a no-take marine sanctuary in the northern portion of the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR), ostensibly to protect sharks. Arguably because of this, experimental longlining was permitted in the rest of the reserve as part of a compensation package to local fishers. Considering this agreement and very low bycatch rates inside the GMR, we question the efficacy of creating a large no-take area in the existing reserve. To examine the potential efficacy of alternative management strategies to protect sharks, we constructed a stage-structured demographic model for three shark species (scalloped hammerhead [<i>Sphyrna lewini</i>], blacktip [<i>Carcharhinus limbatus</i>], and silky [<i>Carcharhinus falciformis</i>]). We used the model to evaluate the efficacy of mortality reduction based on a spatial management approach and a hypothetical alternative bycatch mitigation scenario. We found that when adult dispersal rates were high, the sanctuary scenario generated lower absolute changes in the population growth rate than the bycatch mitigation scenario. Our results show bycatch reduction strategies likely have a higher conservation impact compared to the establishment of a sanctuary inside a reserve where sharks are already legally protected. With this case study, our work underscores the promising role of demographic models in informing management decisions for marine conservation.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"8 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70359","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148699819","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":"Fewer devil rays in the sea: Evidence of declining mobulid populations off India's coast","authors":"Mayuri Chopra,&nbsp;Gwilym Rowlands,&nbsp;Guy M. W. Stevens,&nbsp;Daniel Fernando,&nbsp;Mohanraj T.,&nbsp;Betty J. L. Laglbauer,&nbsp;Divya Karnad,&nbsp;Katrina J. Davis","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70352","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70352","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Manta and devil rays (collectively, mobulids) are circumglobal, planktivorous pelagic rays. Mobulids are declining globally due to targeted and non-targeted capture. However, limited and inaccurate data have hindered species-specific fishery trend assessments, especially in data-limited fisheries where unregulated bycatch and low monitoring make assessments challenging. Assessing mobulid fishery trends is becoming critical due to intensifying fishing pressure, to understand population declines and guide protective measures. We used a combination of morphometric, demographic, and fishery metrics to assess how the population status of mobulids has changed temporally in India, the largest fishing nation for these species globally. Our results suggest a decline in <i>Mobula mobular</i>, <i>Mobula tarapacana</i>, <i>Mobula birostris</i>, and <i>Mobula thurstoni</i> populations between 2013 and 2023, and age-class truncation in <i>M. mobular</i> populations since 2013. These population declines have occurred alongside increasing fishing pressure, suggesting overfishing is responsible. This study is the first to use multiannual data to empirically assess changes in mobulid populations in India, reinforcing the need to include all mobulid species in India's no-take national legislation. Our research approach can be applied to other data-limited systems, demonstrating that alternative data can effectively assess population status even when reliable total catch data are unavailable, a common challenge worldwide.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"8 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70352","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148699979","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 impacts of different visitor management strategies on wildlife activity in a popular desert nature reserve","authors":"Yuval Zukerman,&nbsp;Tania Bird,&nbsp;Oded Berger-Tal","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70342","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70342","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Water sources in desert ecosystems are critical for wildlife survival, but they may also attract thousands of visitors, creating potential conflicts between humans and wildlife. Effective management strategies are essential to support human-wildlife coexistence in these fragile arid environments, allowing for sustainable tourism while minimizing human impact. However, data on wildlife responses to visitors and on the effectiveness of management strategies remain limited. In this study, we evaluated two management approaches: limiting visitor numbers and establishing visitor-free zones. We placed six camera traps around water pools in a highly visited nature reserve in a hyper-arid region. Cameras were set in both accessible and restricted areas during the summer of 2023. A temporary closure of the reserve following a tragic rockfall provided a unique opportunity to assess the effects of reduced visitation. Our findings revealed species-specific responses to visitor presence. Nubian ibex (<i>Capra nubiana</i>) reduced activity when more visitors were present, but only in accessible zones. Red foxes (<i>Vulpes vulpes</i>) increased activity in high-visitor areas. Rock hyraxes (<i>Procavia capensis</i>) preferred restricted zones regardless of visitor numbers, while Blanford's foxes (<i>Vulpes cana</i>) reduced activity with increased human presence regardless of the location. Arabian wolves (<i>Canis lupus arabs</i>) and Indian crested porcupines (<i>Hystrix indica</i>) showed little or no response. Despite these varied patterns, most species preferred drinking in areas with fewer visitors. These results highlight the importance of combining management strategies to protect a broad range of species. At the same time, they emphasize the need to clearly define conservation targets in nature reserves to guide and prioritize effective management actions accordingly.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"8 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70342","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148699821","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":"Translocation of livestock-raiding lions under specific conditions can mitigate conflict","authors":"Willem D. Briers-Louw,&nbsp;João Almeida,&nbsp;Carlos Lopes Pereira,&nbsp;Hugo Pereira,&nbsp;Hagnésio Chiponde,&nbsp;Peter Lindsey,&nbsp;Tamar Kendon,&nbsp;Dário Ngalijuane,&nbsp;Holly Rosier,&nbsp;Jo Taylor,&nbsp;Ellery Worth,&nbsp;Marnus Roodbol,&nbsp;Eugenio Manhiça,&nbsp;David Gaynor,&nbsp;Alison Leslie,&nbsp;Vincent N. Naude","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70339","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70339","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Human–wildlife conflict continues to threaten the persistence of large carnivores, with livestock depredation by lions (<i>Panthera leo</i>) often resulting in lethal control. Translocation is widely dismissed as ineffective, yet few empirical assessments have tested its efficacy under favorable ecological and management conditions. We report on “reactive” (<i>n</i> = 4) and “strategic” (<i>n</i> = 5) translocations of livestock-raiding lions within Mozambique between 2020 and 2024. Based on our criteria, none of the reactive translocations were confirmed as successful outcomes; 50% failed outright due to conflict lions returning to their capture sites and resuming livestock depredation, with 25% considered partially successful and 25% unknown. In contrast, four of five strategic translocations (80%) clearly met criteria for success: absence of homing, stable range establishment, survival for at least a year, and no livestock depredation. These translocated lions integrated into resident populations and, in two cases, bred successfully, producing at least 35 cubs. Our findings suggest that, under more favorable conditions—including lower livestock densities, higher prey availability, lower resident lion densities, larger area size, and appropriate release strategies—translocation may help mitigate conflict and contribute to lion recovery. We encourage a more nuanced approach toward decision-making around relocating stock-raiding large carnivores, highlighting several key conditions that may improve the practice and policy around this conservation-driven intervention.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"8 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70339","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148700032","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":"Are we there yet? Reliable occupancy modeling from AI-labeled trail camera data","authors":"Mohamed Khalil Meliane,&nbsp;Joseph M. Guthrie,&nbsp;E. Hance Ellington","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70367","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70367","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Computer vision is increasingly adopted to automate wildlife image classification, but its ecological reliability remains largely untested. We evaluated SpeciesNet, a global wildlife classifier on widespread mammal species of Florida, USA: the white-tailed deer (<i>Odocoileus virginianus</i>), wild pig (<i>Sus scrofa</i>), coyote (<i>Canis latrans</i>) and bobcat (<i>Lynx rufus</i>). While conventional computer-vision evaluation scores were high (e.g., F1 = 98.2% for the white-tailed deer), they masked species-specific false-positive rates (FPRs) that drove bias in downstream occupancy estimates. The white-tailed deer with FPR = 0.14% produced the largest divergence from the human-labeled data, whereas bobcat, with a lower F1 (94.5%) but FPR = 0.01%, yielded near-identical estimates. We show that FPRs, not conventional metrics like F1-scores, are key factors for occupancy estimate accuracy when using standard models. Our findings highlight the limitations of conventional performance metrics when evaluating AI tools for ecological applications and the need of false-positive-adequate methods as AI-classifiers gain popularity. Our analysis shows that false-positive-informed occupancy models quickly outperform standard models as FPRs increase. Standard models still retain an advantage at low false positive rates (&lt;0.35% in our simulation conditions) most notably when detection probability is low. The benefits of false-positive occupancy models are highest for species with low occupancy (ψ = 0.3) where false positives are more likely to randomly occur in unoccupied sites. Given that currently available species classifiers likely yield FPRs higher than 0.34%, our analysis indicates that false-positive-informed occupancy models would outperform standard occupancy models in analyses using partially human-verified AI-labeled data.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"8 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70367","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148700007","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":"An effective model for community-based conservation around authorized fishing settlements inside a devolved Wildlife Management Area in southern Tanzania","authors":"Lily M. Duggan,&nbsp;Lucia J. Tarimo,&nbsp;Katrina A. Walsh,&nbsp;Deogratius R. Kavishe,&nbsp;Ramiro D. Crego,&nbsp;Manase Elisa,&nbsp;Felister Mombo,&nbsp;Fidelma Butler,&nbsp;Gerry F. Killeen","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70290","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70290","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) represent a relatively new model for devolved, locally led conservation in Tanzania, wherein local villages set aside part of their land for wildlife conservation and manage that resource collectively. In this way, stakeholder communities can collectively leverage economic and social benefits from income-generating activities like tourism. This study examines the relationship between community-defined land use plans and <i>de facto</i> land use practices, and the influence of the latter on the relative abundance and distribution of large wild mammals across the Ifakara-Lupiro-Mangula (ILUMA) WMA, which acts as a key buffer zone between Nyerere National Park and adjacent stakeholder villages. All observed signs of wildlife, livestock and human activity were recorded across 32 locations inside ILUMA, and in the permanent settlements and national park nearby. Across much of ILUMA, wherever agreed land use plans were not adhered to, widespread cattle herding and land clearing for agriculture were associated with reductions in wildlife richness and biodiversity and overall ecosystem integrity. Although human settlement was generally associated with reduced natural ecosystem integrity, some exceptions illustrate how sustainable livelihoods for local people based on well-managed natural resource harvesting practices may enhance conservation effectiveness. The lands surrounding three authorized human settlements within the WMA, in which fishing was the primary permitted livelihood and local communities frequently collaborated with the WMA management, had remarkably intact natural vegetation cover with abundant terrestrial wildlife populations. Correspondingly, the best conserved parts of the WMA included those closest to the national park boundary to the east, and also these authorized fishing villages along the riverbank to the north, where compliance with agreed land use plans was most rigorous. This example illustrates how devolved conservation areas may conditionally host resident local communities undertaking selective natural resource extraction activities and collaborate with them to achieve enhanced conservation effectiveness.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"8 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70290","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533001","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":"Reimagining artificial intelligence applications for Indigenous-led community-based wildlife monitoring: Insights from biodiversity surveys in the Warddeken Indigenous protected area in northern Australia","authors":"Cara E. Penton,&nbsp;Jennifer Mairi Macdonald,&nbsp;Suzanna Nabulwad,&nbsp;Tahnee Nabulwad,&nbsp;Recain Nabarlambarl,&nbsp;Sarah Nabarlambarl-Billis,&nbsp;Asheena Guymala,&nbsp;Aspelita Guymala,&nbsp;Ashelina Guymala,&nbsp;Alexandria Nabulwad,&nbsp;Maureen Namarnyilk,&nbsp;Erica Smith,&nbsp;Celina Ernst,&nbsp;Ella-Monique Mason,&nbsp;Alys Stevens,&nbsp;Deborah Nabarlambarl,&nbsp;Catherine J. Robinson","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70331","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70331","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Although conservation science and practice increasingly rely on Artificial Intelligence (AI) wildlife monitoring tools, there is also growing recognition that effective and inclusive conservation depends on collaboration with Indigenous communities. Yet, approaches to guide how AI tools and insights can support Indigenous-led community-based monitoring (ICBM) goals remain underexplored. In this paper, we draw on insights from the Indigenous-led <i>Mayh</i> wildlife ICBM program in Australia's Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area to highlight how the implementation of AI and data-management tools can support language revitalization and clan-based ICBM goals and ensure AI does not undermine local Indigenous governance and stewardship systems. We show why and how AI–ICBM partnerships need to be framed as ongoing collaborations that enable culturally situated decision-making, empower Indigenous communities to guide technology development in ways that respect and align with values, support intergenerational knowledge transfer, and reimagine kin relationships between people, country, data, and animals.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"8 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70331","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148532805","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":"Reducing variability in habitat condition assessments is critical if nature-market metrics are to represent true biodiversity change","authors":"Ivonne Salamanca Leon,&nbsp;Tyler Hallman,&nbsp;Julia Baker,&nbsp;Ben Benatt,&nbsp;Eleanor Warren-Thomas,&nbsp;Julia P. G. Jones","doi":"10.1111/csp2.70297","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70297","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The need for standardized metrics for measuring losses and gains in biodiversity has resulted in many countries and private sector initiatives looking to adapt England's Statutory Biodiversity Metric for mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). BNG requires a minimum 10% uplift in biodiversity units out of infrastructure development, and the number of biodiversity units depends in part on field-based habitat condition assessments. We carried out simulations to explore the influence of uncertainty in condition assessments and found that there is inherent variability that introduces bias, even when a habitat's true condition remains unchanged. To explore likely real-world variability, we used an online test targeting ecologists (<i>n</i> = 155) involved in BNG assessments and follow-up interviews with a sub-set of respondents (<i>n</i> = 21). In our online test, BNG ecologists were more likely to correctly assess habitats in poor condition than in good condition. Depending on the scenario and habitat, assessment variability could be significant enough to lead to a reported 10% uplift in biodiversity units even if there is no uplift. We acknowledge that our online test might not capture all true variability, but our findings underpin the focus on training and support for ecologists to reduce variability and more detailed industry guidance to ensure that BNG legislation in England delivers for nature. It is key to recognize the role of habitat condition assessment for the metric to measure true change and when adapted elsewhere.</p>","PeriodicalId":51337,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Science and Practice","volume":"8 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.70297","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148532948","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}