Academic Articles May 19

Source: Green light for ‘net zero’ equivalent for nature


The latest academic papers on conservation. If you have a paper that you would like to share, please get in contact with us. Click on the title to follow the link to each article. Please note that some of these articles are behind a paywall.

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Designing effective protected area networks for multiple species

  • Source: Biological Conservation
  • Author(s): Lynda Donaldson, Jonathan Bennie, Robert Wilson, Ilya Maclean
  • Conservation efforts must be targeted strategically because resources are finite. We examine optimal protected area network design strategies for multiple species. Prioritising quality and size is most effective for single species. Enhanced connectivity most effectively ensures persistence of multiple species….

Potential contribution of OECMs to international area-based conservation targets in a biodiversity rich country, Spain

  • Source: Journal for Nature Conservation 
  • Author(s): D. Rodríguez-Rodríguez, A. Sánchez-Espinosa, D. Malak
  • Other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) are new conservation tools intended to complement protected areas (PAs) at achieving effective biodiversity conservation and meeting international area-based targets. However, OECMs have been rarely considered in practical terms until recently. Here, we performed a rapid evaluation on the degree of fulfilment of current area-based international biodiversity targets, post-2020 foreseeable oncoming targets, and ecological targets by considering…

A Paris-like agreement for biodiversity needs IPCC-like science

  • Source: Global Ecology and Conservation
  • Author(s): George Wilhere
  • I present a detailed review of the current state of the science “supporting” Half Earth to show that our current lack of knowledge regarding its potential ecological effects preclude rational, evidence-based judgments about Half Earth. Before it can be adopted through intergovernmental agreement, the science supporting Half Earth should be vetted through an IPCC-like organization…

Resistance of African tropical forests to an extreme climate anomaly

  • Source: PNAS
  • Author(s): Amy Bennett et al.
  • The responses of tropical forests to heat and drought are critical uncertainties in predicting the future impacts of climate change. The 2015–2016 El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) resulted in unprecedented heat and low precipitation across the tropics, including in the very poorly studied African tropical forest region. We assess African forest ENSO responses using on-the-ground measurements…

The potential of secondary forests to restore biodiversity of the lost forests in semi-deciduous West Africa

  • Source: Biological Conservation
  • Author(s): Bienvenu Amani et al.
  • In West Africa, more than 80% of the original forest cover has disappeared due to the exponential growth of human populations in a recurrent search for new agricultural land… Despite the widespread presence of secondary forests of various ages in West African landscapes, little is known about the trajectories of recovery and the environmental factors that influence recovery rates…

Landscape estimates of carrying capacity for grizzly bears using nutritional energy supply for management and conservation planning

  • Source: Journal for Nature Conservation
  • Author(s): Cameron McClelland, Catherine Denny, Terrence Larsen, Gordon Stenhouse, Scott Nielsen
  • Successful recovery and management of threatened and endangered species requires an understanding of the capacity of the available habitat to support the species… In this study, we provide a framework for estimating the carrying capacity of a threatened grizzly bear population in Alberta, Canada…

Characterizing trade at the largest wildlife market of Amazonian Peru

  • Source: Global Ecology and Conservation
  • Author(s): Neil D’Cruze et al.
  • Although it is prohibited in urban markets, the wildlife trade in Peru is poorly monitored, and practiced openly. To identify those species most likely to be affected, we investigated the trade in live wild animals and their derivatives at the Belén Market, and additional smaller open-air markets, which together make Iquitos the largest and most important wildlife trade hubs in the Peruvian Amazon…

Connection to nature is predicted by family values, social norms and personal experiences of nature

  • Source: Global Ecology and Conservation
  • Author(s): R. Oh et al.
  • To achieve broad-based public support for conservation policies and actions, we need to understand what strengthens a person’s connection to nature, since that has been shown to translate into environmentally protective attitudes and behaviour. We conducted a national survey in Singapore…

Diurnal evolution of urban tree temperature at a city scale

  • Source: Scientific Reports
  • Author(s): Thuy Vo, Leiqiu Hu 
  • Despite the importance of urban trees’ surface temperature in assessing micro-climate interactions between trees and the surrounding environment, their diurnal evolution has been largely understudied at a city-wide scale due to a lack of effective thermal observations. We provide the first diurnal analysis of city-scale canopy temperature…

Mapping biodiversity hotspots of fish communities in subtropical streams through environmental DNA

  • Source: Scientific Reports
  • Author(s): Rosetta Blackman et al.
  • Large tropical and subtropical rivers are among the most biodiverse ecosystems worldwide, but also suffer from high anthropogenic pressures. These rivers are hitherto subject to little or no routine biomonitoring, which would be essential for identification of conservation areas of high importance. Here, we use a single environmental DNA multi-site sampling campaign across the 200,000 km2 Chao Phraya river basin, Thailand, to provide key information on fish diversity…

Toward a global strategy for seabird tracking

  • Source: Conservation Letters 
  • Author(s): Alice Bernard, Ana Rodrigues, Victor Cazalis, David Grémillet
  • Electronic tracking technologies revolutionized wildlife ecology, notably for studying the movements of elusive species such as seabirds. Those advances are key to seabird conservation, for example in guiding the design of marine protected areas for this highly threatened group… To optimize future tracking efforts, we performed a global assessment of seabird tracking data…

Priority list of biodiversity metrics to observe from space

  • Source: Nature Ecology & Evolution
  • Author(s): Andrew Skidmore et al.
  • Monitoring global biodiversity from space through remotely sensing geospatial patterns has high potential to add to our knowledge acquired by field observation. Although a framework of essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) is emerging for monitoring biodiversity, its poor alignment with remote sensing products hinders interpolation between field observations. This study compiles a comprehensive, prioritized list of remote sensing biodiversity products that can…

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