Tiger populations are declining globally, and depletion of major ungulate prey is an important contributing factor. To better understand factors affecting prey distribution in Thailand’s Western Forest Complex (WEFCOM), we conducted sign surveys for gaur (Bos gaurus), banteng (Bos javanicus), and sambar (Rusa unicolor) along 3517 1-km transects and used occupancy models to identify important covariates

Human disturbance to wildlife is on the rise and disturbance management is a key activity in conservation. Although disturbance can be controlled with relative ease in nature reserves that are properly resourced and managed by employed staff, most reserves do not fall into this category, and most wildlife exists outside managed reserves entirely. Thus, developing and demonstrating the effectiveness

Kawthoolei (defined as all Karen National Union administrative areas and encompassing Karen State, Myanmar), a global hotspot for biodiversity, is increasingly under threat due to deforestation, mining, human population growth, indiscriminate burning, and infrastructure development. Pinpointing biodiversity hotspots to focus conservation efforts is integral given the limited funding and capacity of

IUCN guidelines state that public support for conservation projects should be garnered prior to any ‘on the ground’ activities taking place, as public knowledge and support, both passive and / or active, can influence greatly the success of a species reintroduction. This study investigated the effectiveness of generating public support within a zoo setting for a conservation species reintroduction

Agri-environment schemes directly focused on bird conservation have been implemented in agropastoral Mediterranean drylands aiming to guide the design of agricultural landscapes to enhance biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. In this study, by linking agricultural intensification indicators with the richness of grassland specialist birds (RGSB), we aimed to perform a preliminary assessment

Protected areas (PAs) are crucial to the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Moreover, the creation, management, and efficiency of PAs are associated with the historical geography (the type of PA and number of PAs over the years), bioclimatic sufficiency, and informetric factors (number of papers and number of hits on the internet). These variables vary across the PA network, and combining

Spontaneous hybridization in ex situ conservation facilities could potentially contaminate endangered plant species destined for the reintroduction into the wild. Despite the general recognition of the importance of such danger, studies exploring the consequences of hybridization including subsequent performance of the hybrids in comparison to the original species are rare. The aim of the present study

A number of factors contribute to the process of amphibian decline, among them population fragmentation and road-kills. In this work we evaluated the effects of a road that separates the hibernation area of the Fire Salamander population from their breeding site on the demography and movement behavior. For that we monitored the population for four years using transects along the road and along a river

Wildlife trade is considered one of the most significant pathways for the spread of exotic species, as it is present worldwide and crosses abiotic and biotic barriers. In this sense, identifying potential invaders before they are introduced and analyzing the ecological implications of possible escapes of captive species to the wild is an important issue for preventing invasive species impacts. In Brazil

The decline of bees and other invertebrate pollinators is cause for global concern, with modern intensive agriculture identified as a key driver. Government-run agri-environment schemes (AES) have the potential to restore the local landscape to benefit bees. Bee abundance, species richness and foraged plants were surveyed over a season on 18 farms in Shropshire, UK, classified into three treatment

Wolf predation on domestic animals is a main reason for human-wolf conflict throughout the global range of wolves (Canis lupus). We conducted research in Daursky State Nature Biosphere Reserve and Valley of Dzeren Nature Refuge to evaluate the extent of wolf-livestock conflict. We documented 64 cases of livestock predation by wolves between 2015 and 2019 and analyzed the patterns of conflicts and people’s

Facing the loss of biodiversity caused by landscape fragmentation, implementation of ecological networks to connect habitats is an important biodiversity conservation issue. It is necessary to develop easily reproducible methods to identify and prioritize actions to maintain or restore ecological corridors. To date, several competing methods are used with recurrent debate on which is best and if expert-based

Cattle grazing usually has negative effects on wildlife. We studied the effects of cattle on the patterns of habitat use and diel activity of three neotropical herbivores, capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), gray brocket (Mazama gouazoubira) and marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) across the savannas of northeastern Argentina. We conducted a camera-trap survey with 234 stations in three habitat types

Sacred natural sites are the unique landforms protected and worshiped by local communities for cultural or religious purposes. Although the traditionally-managed sites are suggested to have potential in contributing towards biodiversity conservation, few studies have examined the effectiveness of such sites on the protection of animal diversity. In this study, we used large and medium-sized mammals

While many initiatives, studies and projects are focusing only on modelling wildlife connectivity movement, coordinated efforts should help to deliver adaptative solutions for the on-the-ground needs, while helping the planners and involving communities in landscape protection. Multispecies spatial models and maps allow the generalisation of findings across more significant regions and provide insights

Invasion pathways and invasion-related lags are critical to understand the invasion process and to manage invasive species. The challenge of dealing with introduced populations increases when charismatic species are involved, such as the case of invasive squirrels. In this study, we integrate previous information into a comprehensive description of the invasion process of Callosciurus erythraeus in

The Nature Needs Half (NNH) movement aims to protect 50 % of the earth. That said protected area designation usually neglects freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity. We assessed protection of the surface area of lakes, length of river reaches, habitat area of fish and odonate species within the terrestrial-focused protected areas of Bhutan that meets NNH target. We categorised percentage protection

Wildlife rehabilitation is an increasingly important and global practice, aiming towards advancements in animal welfare and species conservation. Although there are ongoing discussions on the benefits and limitations of wildlife rehabilitation, there is a general agreement on the importance of wildlife rehabilitation on improving the welfare of wild animals and identifying threats to wildlife. Determining

The floodplains of brackish coastal lagoons are subject to a highly dynamic hydrological regimen mainly due to their intermittent connection with the ocean. Coastal lagoons generally support fisheries, while livestock ranching and human settlements are found in the floodplain. Therefore, it is common practice to artificially open the sand barrier to avoid floods and manage fish stocks. Saltmarsh species

The Canga ecosystem, in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon, is a biodiversity and endemism hotspot as well a potential resource for iron mining, raising conflicts between conservation and economic development. Here, we collected data from 60 randomly selected points in the Canga ecosystem in the Carajás National Forest, Brazil, to analyze the spatial patterns of Ipomoea cavalcantei occurrence in different

Protected areas are one of the main tools for the restoration of degraded ecosystems and the conservation of biodiversity. The lessons learned from the failure or success of conservation plans can be used to improve ecosystem conservation projects. This study examines the ecological success and social acceptance of Khabr National Park, Iran. Ecologically, the vertical and horizontal structures and

The design of effective strategies for the conservation and management of threatened narrow-range species requires basic knowledge on their geographic distribution and abundance. When such knowledge is lacking, modelling techniques can provide an opportunity to acquire basic information and incorporate it immediately into conservation programs. This study used ecological niche modelling to map the

The only self-sustaining population of endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) requires a network of conservation lands for wintering along the Texas Gulf Coast (USA), so that this increasing population can reach downlisting under the Endangered Species Act (1000 birds). We identify locations providing the highest quality and most sustainable wintering habitat for these whooping cranes through

The popularity of the Common Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) as a pet has contributed to its global occurrence as an invasive alien species. Early detection and control of alien I. iguana populations is necessary to prevent the need for large and financially demanding eradication actions. Here, we first collated information from digital footage and interviews regarding sightings of free roaming I. iguana

The negative impacts of international wildlife trafficking are well known, and such negative impacts can be even more pronounced for insular species. This dynamic market needs close monitoring, and when novel species appear in the commercial trade, relevant authorities should be able to react to reduce negative impacts on wild populations. Here we describe a novel case where an insular endemic population

A controversial, multifaceted debate surrounds the trade in commercially captive-bred (farmed) lion skeletons. A prominent topic relates to relative preferences for tiger and lion bone in Asian consumer countries. To contribute preliminary information on this subject we conducted the first quantitative study to assess the consumer preferences of the urban public in China and Vietnam for lion versus

Cyanea superba (Cham.) A. Gray subsp. superba is endemic to the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands, and a member of the Campanulaceae family. Cyanea superba subsp. superba was listed endangered on Sept. 11, 1991, and the last in situ plant died in 2002. It is suspected to have been pollinated by nectar-feeding birds and dispersed by frugivorous birds in the past. The U.S. Army’s natural resources

We hypothesize that the presence of cattle should increase environmental heterogeneity and therefore maintain more diverse bird communities. Therefore, we analyzed the changes in the structure of vegetation and diversity of bird species that inhabit the fluvial forests in the Delta region of the Paraná River in relation to the different cattle raising management (islands with cattle, islands without

Biodiversity offsets are used internationally to compensate for impacts on the environment, but research on the effectiveness of this instrument in conserving biodiversity is scarce. Conservation banking under the US Endangered Species Act is a long established and strictly regulated offsetting program. An analysis of the implementation of this program can hold implications for biodiversity banking

This study assessed black rat predation on artificial nests in relation to restoration undertaken in the Macaronesian laurel forest in São Miguel Island, Azores, evaluating three different points: nest predation rate; rodent relative abundance; and abundance of invertebrates, flowers and fruits. In general, artificial nest predation increased after habitat restoration, and significant differences were

Ecological habitat connectivity, human disturbances, and habitat availability are strongly related to each other for distribution and abundance of species. In Varjin protected area, Iran, habitat loss due to human pressures is the main factor in the rapid decline of Ovis orientalis (wild sheep) population. In this research, we proposed a framework to analyze the connectivity of the mountainous landscape

Conflicting priorities for livestock grazing management in the context of rare plant conservation are common worldwide, especially in semiarid and arid ecosystems, where open-range livestock grazing is a primary land use. Detailed information on the interaction between livestock impacts and rare plant demography would facilitate improved management, yet this information is most often not available

Grazing by herds of herbivores modifies plant communities in different ways, depending on the herbivore species. Horse grazing is already known to be effective in increasing plant diversity and maintaining herbaceous vegetation, creating different types of patches and thus ensuring spatial heterogeneity. On an artificial embankment at the Donzère-Mondragon hydroelectric facility in the Rhône Valley

A reintroduction attempt of Eriocaulon heleocharioides Satake (Eriocaulaceae)—an annual amphibious herb species that is extinct in the wild—has been conducted in its last natural habitat from 2009. Unfortunately, this in-situ conservation measure has failed, probably due to environmental and genetic constraints related to long-term ex-situ cultivation. To evaluate the ex-situ conserved population and

Protected areas are one of the most effective tools for nature conservation. Consequently, almost all countries have agreed to set increasingly demanding goals for the expansion of their protected area systems. However, there is a large disparity among countries, and research on the cultural drivers of differences remains quite unexplored. Here, we analyze the relationship between the protected extent

The freshwater tucuxi (Sotalia flluviatilis) and the Amazon River dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) are endemic to the Amazon-Orinoco river basin. Their conservation is hindered by human disturbance and uncertainty about total population size and distribution. In this study, we used rapid assessment questionnaires to identify threats to river dolphins in Peru and to identify priority areas for their further

Worldwide, MPA practitioners are increasing adopting evidence-based management over anecdote and intuition. One of the most commonly promoted approaches is to monitor the status and trends of performance indicators and modify management when the status of an indicator is inconsistent with a target. But the challenge with indicator-based approaches is interpretation in the absence of an experimental

Land-use changes, both in terms of land abandonment and intensification, have led to fragmentation and loss of traditional agricultural habitats. Extensive grazing is among the forms of land use that have undergone the greatest changes. This represents one of the main threats to biodiversity; consequently, a comprehensive overview about the impacts on the biodiversity of changes that are happening

Geodiversity is a concept that seeks to address the relatively under-valued importance of abiotic diversity in conservation and sustainability science. In this short communication we argue that the antiquity of geodiversity makes it uniquely valuable and it is imperative that global geodiversity is factored in alongside biodiversity for conservation research and praxis. The conceptualization of geodiversity

Macroecological analyses capture the widespread nature of wild mammal range contractions and population declines globally, with Neotropical rainforests particularly vulnerable. Yet there is a paucity of basic population biology data capturing local empirically observed population changes. We generated species-specific and aggregated temporal trends in populations of terrestrial mammals in Cusuco National

For successful protected area (PA) management, it is essential to understand residents’ perceptions during the early phases of the designation process. However, most studies on residents’ perceptions have been conducted after PA designation due to the lack of researcher–policymaker cooperation. In this study, we reveal residents’ perceptions before the PA designation of Japan’s Amami Islands as a national

Erica turgida, a small unassuming pink bushy heath species was listed as ‘Extinct in the Wild’ in 1996. It was last seen in habitat at Kenilworth Racecourse by South African botanist, Elsie Esterhuizen who made an herbarium collection and gave material for propagation to Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. It once occurred in small patches on the lowlands around the city of Cape Town now commonly known

Exclosure management is becoming a common approach to rehabilitate and increase net biomass productivity of extremely degraded areas in Northern Ethiopia. However, the effect of age of exclosures on vegetation and soil property of communal lands is not yet well studied. In this study, the effect of land exclusion and age of exclosure on plant species richness, diversity, density and dominance, herbaceous

The endemic Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile forms meadows of great ecological importance that are presently under elevated anthropogenic pressures. In this study, a model of citizens’ observatory has been translated into practice to observe and monitor the health status of the Site of Community Importance, the Posidonia oceanica meadow named San Vito-Barletta extending along the

Assessments of the role that small (<500 km2) protected areas play in conservation of large carnivores in landscapes where the species are persecuted are scarce. Using camera-trap sampling we estimated puma (Puma concolor) population abundance, site use intensity, and relative abundance of prey in Lihué Calel National Park (320 km2) and two neighboring livestock ranches in central Argentina. We concurrently

The decline of farmland and grassland biodiversity is one the major conservation concerns nowadays. The European roller is a secondary cavity nester species typically inhabiting grasslands and farmlands. It has suffered large declines both in size and range of the population since the 1960s, but this negative trend has been reversed in several countries by applying direct conservation actions. As part

Like many Caribbean coastal ecosystems, the Simpson Bay Lagoon in Saint Martin suffers from heavy development, wastewater pollution, and overexploitation. These pressures have severely degraded its ecological integrity, causing significant environmental impact as well as negative socio-economic consequences. Local livelihoods depend on important ecosystem services provided by the Simpson Bay Lagoon

The deterioration of conservation status of ecosystems, loss of habitats and extinction of species call for actions to halt these negative processes. The starting point is to determine the threat status of specific nature components which may be achieved, for example, by the development of red lists. This paper presents the current threat status of natural habitats listed in Annex I to the Habitats

Trail networks are common infrastructure in protected areas for visitors to exercise, connect with nature, and learn about natural and cultural resources. However, there are concerns that the presence and construction of trails affect the quality of wildlife habitats, extending human disturbance into secluded areas. In this study, we developed a before-after control-impact experimental design to investigate

Trophic cascade theories such as the ‘behaviourally-mediated trophic cascade hypothesis’ (BMTCH), have mainstreamed as ecological tools for conserving biodiversity and restoring ecosystems. The BMTCH relies on indirect negative effects of large carnivores through suppression of mesocarnivore activity and habitat use. Importantly, effects of top carnivores on mesocarnivores varies over time and space

In Katanga (southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo), the flora of copper and cobalt deposits is highly threatened by mining. Until mining activity ceases and restoration can take place, seed banking is one of the strategies to be considered for the conservation of these metallophytes of which 32 are strict endemics. In the tropics, however, many species have recalcitrant (desiccation-sensitive)

The Majella National Park in Italy, through its ex situ plant conservation facilities (seed bank, botanical gardens and nurseries) plays an important role in preventing biodiversity loss, especially those rare and endemic species. Among the various conservation strategies, the Park developed a useful way to increase ex situ collections through a nursery chain and selling/giving indigenous species to

In Southeast Asia, the Annamite mountains and Central Vietnam lowlands are two of the most prioritized areas for preventing the extinction of large populations of phasianids. Ground-feeding birds in Southeast Asia may be going extinct, both inside and outside the protected areas, due to habitat loss and poaching, especially, snaring. Being endemic to the mainland of Southeast Asia, the crested argus

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) requires that trade in species, including orchids, listed on Appendix II be authorised only if the level of export is not detrimental to their survival in natural environments. This paper describes how existing guidelines for a “non-detriment finding” (NDF) were adapted to provide a protocol for Jamaican orchids

Biodiversity is decreasing at an alarming rate, and it is therefore important to set ambitious targets and to explore innovative tools, such as de-extinction, to protect and recover species. However, it is also essential that risks associated with innovative tools, such as release of proxies for extinct species into the wild, be carefully evaluated. Risks associated with such releases parallel those

Ungulates are key elements that modulate the type and direction of ecosystem services in Mediterranean environments. Our main objective is to synthesize the provision of ecosystem services in forests, shrublands and woodlands dominated by ungulates (wildlife or livestock) in Mediterranean environments. To achieve this objective, we performed a systematic semi-quantitative review (n = 262 studies) across

Amphibian conservation in farming landscapes can be advanced through understanding of the social and ecological contexts. There are very few studies which combines habitat use studies on amphibians with socio-economic drivers of land use change. The goals of this study are: (i) to document the temporary pond loss in a traditional pasture due to land abandonment (period of 2009-2018 and 2019), (ii)

Amphibians are very diverse, widely distributed, and the most endangered class of vertebrates. As with other taxa, effective conservation of amphibians needs to be supported by detailed scientific knowledge. However, species rich and broadly distributed taxa are typically characterized by high variability in research effort. Our objective was therefore to understand which factors (ecological and cultural)

A brief account of the initiatives undertaken to bring about the re-introduction of the extinct in the wild British endemic grass Bromus interruptus are given. The process has seen various set-backs and failures over a c.20-year period from which lessons have been learnt. Re-introductions have been attempted at 11 locations in 8 hectads within the former range, at only four is the plant extant; in