Nature Conservation Research最新文献

{"title":"Online trade as a serious additional threat to the Critically Endangered silvery pigeon Columba argentina in Indonesia","authors":"S. Bruslund, Boyd T. C. Leupen, C. Shepherd, S. Nelson","doi":"10.3897/natureconservation.46.80064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.46.80064","url":null,"abstract":"The elusive and Critically Endangered silvery pigeon Columba argentina is only found on small offshore islands in western Indonesia and Malaysia. Historically, trade records have suggested that, in addition to habitat degradation and invasive predators, commercial exploitation could be a threat to the species. The current study confirms this to be the case, with a relatively high volume of silvery pigeons found offered for sale on social media platforms in Indonesia between October and December 2021. The trade numbers (at least 10 individuals) observed within this short period exceeded 20% of the global silvery pigeon population according to the latest Red List assessment, suggesting that actual population numbers may be larger than previously thought but also confirming that trade poses a considerable threat. Some of the recorded posts were in new areas within the species’ presumed range, further suggesting that the population may be slightly larger than hitherto assessed. The reported trade observations are reason for grave concern, particularly given the potential interest of international collectors which could further drive demand and increase prices. Due to the locations of the observed online trade we recommend timely field surveys to confirm the species’ presence and current status, particularly in the Riau-Lingga island group, as well as the development of a species conservation action plan to catalyse local and regional efforts to tackle the current illegal trade and work towards the regulation of international trade.","PeriodicalId":54166,"journal":{"name":"Nature Conservation Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84553153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Conservation biology meets medical science","authors":"D. Schmeller","doi":"10.3897/natureconservation.46.79204","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.46.79204","url":null,"abstract":"In my letter I refer to publications around syndemics, and link them up to other health concepts, calling for a stronger link between medical, social and environmental sciences to advance the global management of pandemic threats. Calling for close collaboration of ecological and conservation sciences with medical sciences is very timely. This letter will raise awareness that concepts like EcoHealth, OneHealth and medical terms such as Syndemics are largely overlapping and that only a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach will move our understanding forward on the inextricable link of human health and environmental health.","PeriodicalId":54166,"journal":{"name":"Nature Conservation Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84521323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dissecting the illegal pangolin trade in China: An insight from seizures data reports","authors":"J. K. Omifolaji, A. Hughes, A. Ibrahim, Jinfeng Zhou, Siyuan Zhang, E. Ikyaagba, Xiaofeng Luan","doi":"10.3897/natureconservation.45.57962","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.45.57962","url":null,"abstract":"Wildlife trafficking poses a major threat to global biodiversity. Species such as pangolins are particularly vulnerable and trade continues almost unabated despite numerous interventions aimed at eradicating illegal wildlife trade. Despite restrictions on the pangolin trade, thousands of pangolins continue to be intercepted annually. We focused on China because of the recent delisting of pangolins from the Chinese pharmacopeia, and their removal from healthcare insurance, despite deeply ingrained traditions of having pangolins for ethno-medicinal use. We collated pangolin interception data from public online media seizure reports to characterize the pangolin trade within China, and found that a total of 326 independent seizures equivalent to 143,130 pangolins (31,676 individuals and 222,908 kg of scale) were reported in 26 provinces. Pangolin domestic seizures are greatest in the southern cities of Dehong, Fangchenggang, and Guangzhou. Also, we found 17 countries within the global pangolins range which were the major source of the pangolin shipments to China. The number of arrests and convictions was much lower than the number of pangolin incidents reported. Our results show a significant increase in the volume of scales and number of live pangolin seizures after amended endangered species law came into effect in 2018, and recorded the highest number of individual pangolin interceptions. China has shown increasing wildlife seizures over time, owing partly to emergent trends in the international wildlife trade as well as increasing global demand for ethnomedicine. The future eradication of illegal wildlife trade in China is dependent not only on stringent border control and offender prosecution but also the; removal of other threatened species from the pharmacopeia and healthcare insurance which includes wildlife derivatives. Furthermore, our work highlights importance of current policy intervention to combat the pangolin trade within China, and the need for further interventions both within China and in export countries.","PeriodicalId":54166,"journal":{"name":"Nature Conservation Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76374301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of methods to estimate the size of Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) scale seizures using species-specific conversion parameters","authors":"Hirusha Randimal Algewatta, P. Perera","doi":"10.3897/natureconservation.46.71109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.46.71109","url":null,"abstract":"The absence of robust species-specific methods to estimate the number of animals in seizures of pangolin scales is a major barrier to effective law enforcement. Therefore, studies focused on developing methods to establish accurate conversion parameters are a priority. This study proposes improved methods to estimate the number of pangolins in the illegal trade to inform law-enforcing authorities. Based on the observations of 25 specimens, Indian pangolins were on average found to possess 511 scales. Three morph-types of scales were identified: broad rhombic (n=411), elongated kite shape (n=69), and folded scales (n=31). The mean dry weight of the three-scale morph-types was 7.5 g, 4.9 g, and 6.2 g. Based on the average frequency and mean dry weight of each scale morph type, the species-specific dry weight of scales for Indian pangolins was 3.6 kg. Accordingly, we propose new and improved methods based on scale morph-type frequencies and species-specific dry weight of scales to estimate the number of Indian pangolins from quantities of scales. Their accuracy was compared with current methods, and the improved methods were found to be more accurate.","PeriodicalId":54166,"journal":{"name":"Nature Conservation Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78754045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morphometric variability of ground beetles Bembidion minimum (Coleoptera, Carabidae): who should change more, males or females?","authors":"Olexandr Parhomenko, V. Langraf, K. Petrovičová, V. Komlyk, V. Brygadyrenko","doi":"10.24189/ncr.2022.008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2022.008","url":null,"abstract":"Morphological variability can be used as an indicator of the state of invertebrate populations. Microevolutionary processes can show up in the morphological differentiation of populations. This includes differences between morphometric characters in the two sexes. The variability of 12 populations of Bembidion minimum (Coleoptera, Carabidae) was assessed by 24 morphometric characteristics and indices in this article. Bembidion minimum is a halophile that lives in ecosystems of Protected Areas in Ukraine (Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, Dniprovsko-Orilskyi Nature Reserve, Ornithological Sanctuary «Bulakhovsky Liman», Regional Landscape Park «Dniprovi Porogy», Samara Forest). The coefficients of variation for males, females, and combined populations of males and females were estimated in the article. The studied populations inhabited different soil and plant conditions and were under the influence of anthropogenic factors of varying intensity. The redundancy analysis shows three clusters. In the first cluster, morphometric characteristics and indices in both males and females were linked to environmental variables (herb layer, salt, composition of soil). The second cluster had morphometric characteristics and indices in both males and females with a link to environmental variables (pH, litter, recreational load, cattle grazing). The third cluster formed morphometric characteristics and indices in both males and females that are not affected by any environmental variables. The coefficient of variation for most of the linear morphometric characteristics of B. minimum (width of head, length of prothorax, width of prothorax, length of elytra and distance between setae on the elytra) for males was significantly lower than for the combined sample of males and females. The variability of width of elytra and length of body was significantly higher for females than for males. The degree of variability of males, females and their combined sample did not significantly differ for nonlinear morphometric characteristics, as well as for the six morphometric indices (body proportions) studied by us. In general, in the 12 studied populations of B. minimum, the coefficient of variation for most of the studied measurements was insignificantly lower in males (CV = 5.59%) than in females (6.10%) or in the combined sample of males and females (6.75%). The lowest variability in populations of B. minimum was found for morphometric indices: CV = 3.89% for males, CV = 3.76% for females, and CV = 3.86% for the combined population (males + females). The absence of differences in the mean values of the coefficient of variation between males, females and the combined sample of males and females for each individual population suggests that both males and females make a relatively equal contribution to the polymorphism of B. minimum populations. An assessment of the morphological variability of invertebrates, and especially the variation of coefficients of linear parameters and morp","PeriodicalId":54166,"journal":{"name":"Nature Conservation Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74719548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Floristic mosaics of the threatened Brazilian campo rupestre","authors":"Dario Caminha-Paiva, V. M. Gomes, Jessica Cunha-Blum, Michel J. P. Alves, D. Rosa, Júlio C. Santiago, D. Negreiros, G. Fernandes","doi":"10.24189/ncr.2022.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2022.004","url":null,"abstract":"The increase in rates of habitat loss requires an understanding of how biodiversity is distributed. Campo rupestre is an old, climatically buffered, and infertile landscape located in Brazil. Considered a biodiversity hotspot, the campo rupestre is mainly threatened by mining activity that requires a large operating area. Campo rupestre is known for its restricted distribution area and high abiotic heterogeneity, which modulates species coexistence and richness. To recognise the association between habitat type and plant communities, we propose to describe the floristic composition of herbaceous and shrub components in four habitats of the campo rupestre comprising quartzite and ferruginous substrate. We classified habitat types by the main surface soil features. In each habitat, we sampled ten 100-m2 plots to access information on the shrub and ten 1-m2 plots for the herbaceous component. Altogether we sampled 153 species, belonging to 38 families. The cluster analysis ordered by Sorensen metric indicates a clear distinction of species composition in the shrub component in the four habitats. However, the floristic composition of the herbaceous component was similar between the four habitats but showed a distinction when contrasting with the substrate type. Our results highlight the local taxonomic distinction between habitat types and substrates, indicating that the ecological distinction among substrate types of the campo rupestre cannot be overlooked in conservation and restoration actions.","PeriodicalId":54166,"journal":{"name":"Nature Conservation Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72761789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fire has short-term negative effects on a super-dominant native fern, Pteridium arachnoideum (Dennstaedtiaceae), in a Brazilian savanna","authors":"F. C. Tibério, R. Xavier, P. Dodonov, D. S. Silva Matos","doi":"10.24189/ncr.2022.027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2022.027","url":null,"abstract":"Although fire occurrence plays a central role in the dominance of the super-dominant bracken fern Pteridium arachnoideum in Neotropical forests, it is unclear whether this applies to the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado), which vegetation is naturally adapted to fire. We assessed fire effects on the aboveground biomass of P. arachnoideum in the Cerrado Ecological Reserve in Central Brazil. We measured frond height, density, standing biomass, and litter biomass before and for two years following a prescribed fire, and also sampled a control site to control for other mortality events and for seasonal variation. The average P. arachnoideum frond height and aboveground biomass decreased over three times in the burnt site 18 months after the fire. The frond density decreased both in the burnt and control site, indicating that this may have been caused in another way than by fire. Conversely, litter biomass decreased shortly after the fire in the burnt site, but returned to pre-fire levels in one year. Possible explanations for the lasting negative effects of fire on the height and biomass of P. arachnoideum include the implementation of the prescribed fire early in the dry season, which likely limited immediate clonal regrowth, and the herbivory by leaf-cutting ants. Nevertheless, the effective clonal growth of P. arachnoideum apparently precluded the fire from having stronger effects and hence this species was not excluded from the site. We conclude that direct and indirect fire effects may cause the decline of P. arachnoideum in Cerrado, so that prescribed fires may be applied as a management strategy in Cerrado sites where this species is super-dominant, ideally in combination with other control measures.","PeriodicalId":54166,"journal":{"name":"Nature Conservation Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72954775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Zoonotic intestinal parasites in free-ranging dogs (Canis lupus familiaris): a risk to public health in a Mexican Protected Area","authors":"Jesús Martínez-Sotelo, J. Sánchez-Jasso, Salvador Ibarra-Zimbrón, P. Sánchez-Nava","doi":"10.24189/ncr.2022.015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2022.015","url":null,"abstract":"Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) have been in contact with humans for thousands of years, playing an important role in societies. Nonetheless, the lack of responsible ownership has contributed to the transition from companion dogs to free-ranging or feral dogs that can be reservoirs of zoonotic parasites. Our goal was to identify zoonotic intestinal parasites in free-ranging dogs in a Mexican Protected Area. A total of 132 scat samples from free-ranging dogs were collected and examined using the Faust flotation technique. We identified a total of nine parasite species, four platyhelminthes, and five nematodes. Eight of nine identified parasite are zoonotic. The most frequent zoonotic parasites are Ancylostoma caninum and Ascaris spp. (19.7% each) followed by Toxascaris leonina (17.4%) and Uncinaria stenocephala (7.6%). The least frequent are Dipylidium caninum (2.2%), Capillaria spp., Hymenolepis diminuta, and Hymenolepis nana (0.75% each). This study provides the first description of intestinal zoonotic parasites richness in free-ranging dogs within a Mexican Protected Area. The presence of zoonotic parasites in canine scats represents a high risk to public health, mainly for the transmission of some species through cutaneous and visceral migrans larvae, especially in infants and kids. We recommend specific measures to prevent, control and mitigate the presence of free-ranging dogs in Protected Areas.","PeriodicalId":54166,"journal":{"name":"Nature Conservation Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87930190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of the climatic factors on the mass flowering dates of Bulbocodium versicolor (Melanthiaceae) at the south-eastern border of its range","authors":"S. Shinkarenko","doi":"10.24189/ncr.2022.028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2022.028","url":null,"abstract":"Under conditions of climate change, phenological studies of vegetation are of particular importance. Most of the current research are carried out in Protected Areas (PAs), network of phenological stations, agricultural lands, nurseries, and botanical gardens. Studies based on remote sensing data do not take into account the species diversity of the vegetation cover. This study is aimed to determine regularities of the timing of Bulbocodium versicolor mass flowering at the southeast border of its range. The studied B. versicolor population is located in the vicinity of the city Volgograd, which makes it available for research. At the same time, the B. versicolor population is under constant anthropogenic pressure. Understanding the phenological features of this species and regularities of the timing of mass flowering (the period of highest vulnerability) will allow us to organise the protection of the B. versicolor population during this period. The study is based on data about the beginning of mass flowering dates, obtained during surveys of 2007–2020 with a possible error of 2–7 days, as well as an archive of weather data of the Volgograd weather station. The average start date of mass flowering is 24 March ± 12 days. The range between the earliest and latest dates exceeds a month. We have found a statistically significant correlation between the start date of B. versicolor mass flowering and the date of snow cover destruction, as well as dates of stable transition of the maximum air temperature over 0°C, and the average daily temperature, over 0°C and over 3°C. Over the period 2007–2020, no statistically significant trends were found for either dates of B. versicolor mass flowering or dates of main meteorological phenomena. Almost every year, after the start of B. versicolor mass flowering, frosts occur on the soil and in the air, and snowfalls take place regularly. This may be one of the factors which cause a lower seed regeneration in this B. versicolor population compared to the ones located northward, since the temperature drop during the flowering period contributes to the depressive state of the B. versicolor population.","PeriodicalId":54166,"journal":{"name":"Nature Conservation Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90565383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fauna and biotopic distribution of weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) of the Zhiguli State Nature Reserve, Russia","authors":"S. V. Dedyukhin","doi":"10.24189/ncr.2022.036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2022.036","url":null,"abstract":"Curculionoidea (hereinafter – weevils) comprises the largest group of phytophagous beetles. They are an integral component of terrestrial and freshwater communities and are associated with a wide range of plants. Therefore, weevils can serve as one of the model taxa for assessing the diversity and specificity of biota, including those in Protected Areas of various ranks. This article is based on the results of original studies (in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2021) and a critical review of literature sources. The species composition was identified, and the characteristics of the weevil fauna of the Zhiguli State Nature Reserve (Samara Region, Russia) was carried out. The weevil fauna of the Zhiguli State Nature Reserve is characterised by a very high species richness and considerable originality. As a result of research, 355 species from five families of this group were identified. Of these, 66 species were recorded for the first time in the Zhiguli State Nature Reserve, including 52 species that were recorded for the first time in the fauna of the Samara Region. In terms of the number of species, the studied fauna considerably exceeds similar faunas of Protected Areas in the forest-steppe of the Southern Urals and is twice as rich as the faunas of Protected Areas of the southern steppe in the Orenburg Region. It is characterised by a complex composition, which is caused by sympatry of species of European, Siberian and Kazakh-Turanian faunas (including narrow endemics of the River Volga Region and a heterogeneous group of relicts), and steppe, nemoral and boreal forms in the study area. In the Zhiguli State Nature Reserve, we distinguished weevil complexes of forb-feather-grass steppes (120 species) and petrophytic steppes (113 species), broad-leaved (117 species) and pine (97 species) forests, floodplain and islands of the River Volga (92 species), as well as ruderal habitats (126 species). Trophically specialised weevil species of the Zhiguli State Nature Reserve are associated with plants from 34 families. The largest number of weevil species were found on Fabaceae (66 species), Asteraceae (39 species) and Brassicaceae (27 species). In general, the weevil fauna of the Zhiguli State Nature Reserve can be considered as a reference for the forest-steppe of the Volga Upland, which confirms its great importance for the preservation of the original natural ecosystems of the Middle Volga Region.","PeriodicalId":54166,"journal":{"name":"Nature Conservation Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74340379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}