Leveraging AI to improve evidence synthesis in conservation.

Systematic evidence syntheses (systematic reviews and maps) summarize knowledge and are used to support decisions and policies in a variety of applied fields, from medicine and public health to biodiversity conservation. However, conducting these exercises in conservation is often expensive and slow, which can impede their use and hamper progress in addressing the current biodiversity crisis. With the explosive growth of large language models (LLMs) and other forms of artificial intelligence (AI), we discuss here the promise and perils associated with their use. We conclude that, when judiciously used, AI has the potential to speed up and hopefully improve the process of evidence synthesis, which can be particularly useful for underfunded applied fields, such as conservation science.

A cost-effective approach to identify conservation priority for 30 × 30 biodiversity target on the premise of food security.

There is a growing consensus on expanding protected and conserved areas for biodiversity conservation. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain where to expand conserved areas as well as what appropriate management modalities to choose. Moreover, conserved areas expansion should be balanced with crop-related food security challenges. We developed a framework to identify cost-effective areas for expanding protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), and applied it to China. By combining templates for biodiversity conservation priorities at global scale and the priority conservation areas based on 2413 vertebrates' extinction risk in China, we identified areas with high biodiversity conservation value. We then categorized the priority areas according to human impact, indicating the potential cost of management. As a result of combining the two aspects above, we identified the most cost-effective areas for expanding protected areas and OECMs while excluding both the current and predicted croplands that can be used for food security. The results show that China could expand its protected areas to 22.81 % of the country's land area and establish OECMs in areas accounting for 9.82 % and 17.37 % of the country's land area in a cost-effective approach in two scenarios. In the ambitious scenario, protected and conserved areas would account for a maximum of 40.18 % of terrestrial area, with an average 62.67 % coverage of the 2413 species' suitable habitat. To achieve the goals of protected and conserved areas in Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, countries could apply this framework to identify their protected areas and OECM expansion priorities.

Rural reality contradicts the ethnographic literature-a nationwide survey on folk beliefs and people's affection for the stork in Poland.

BACKGROUND: Due to early synanthropization and ecological and behavioural features, the White Stork Ciconia ciconia became the most cherished of European birds. Rooted in human culture, the species has been well studied; nevertheless, knowledge of people's attitudes and stork-related folk beliefs remain descriptive. Here, we attempt to quantify these issues in the world's largest stronghold of the species, Poland, in the 1950s. METHODS: The study is based on recently discovered, original nationwide survey data from the 1958 International White Stork Census. These materials were gathered to assess the population size, but they also included issues belonging to the humanities. We have worked them up in a quantitative manner, which has resulted in an original approach rarely found in ethnological studies. We aim to propose an original typology of stork-related beliefs, their spread and regional diversity in Poland and the relationship with stork abundance. RESULTS: A sample of 2343 questionnaires revealed that affection towards storks was widespread (91.4% positive responses), more so in eastern Poland. The most frequent beliefs relate to respect for the stork (65%) and prophesies (24%), thereafter parental beliefs (7%) and stork biology (3%). Positive attitudes and the dissemination of beliefs increased with stork densities but were unrelated to the respondents' sex. Utilitarian beliefs outweighed those prioritized in ethnographic studies (e.g. the stork's human origins) or popular today (baby-bringing), and expressed the real concerns of country folk. CONCLUSIONS: The discovery of long-lost data bordering on ethnology and nature conservation and their novel work-up highlights a realistic dimension of the human-nature relationship and provides a benchmark for further interdisciplinary research.

Global drivers of the conservation-invasion paradox.

The conservation-invasion paradox (CIP) refers to a long-term phenomenon wherein species threatened in their native range can sustain viable populations when introduced to other regions. Understanding the drivers of CIP is helpful for conserving threatened species and managing invasive species, which is unfortunately still lacking. We compiled a global data set of 1071 introduction events, including 960 CIP events (successful establishment of threatened species outside its native range) and 111 non-CIP events (unsuccessful establishment of threatened species outside its native range after introduction), involving 174 terrestrial vertebrates. We then tested the relative importance of various predictors at the location, event, and species levels with generalized linear mixed models and model averaging. Successful CIP events occurred across taxonomic groups and biogeographic realms, especially for the mammal group in the Palearctic and Australia. Locations of successful CIP events had fewer native threat factors, especially less climate warming in invaded regions. The probability of a successful CIP event was highest when species introduction efforts were great and there were more local congeners and fewer natural enemies. These results can inform threatened species ex situ conservation and non-native invasive species mitigation.

Causantes mundiales de la paradoja conservación­invasión Resumen La paradoja de conservación­invasión (PCI) se refiere al evento a largo plazo en el que las especies amenazadas en su distribución nativa puedan mantener poblaciones viables cuando se les introduce a otras regiones. Es de mucha ayuda para la conservación de especies amenazadas y el manejo de especies invasoras entender las causantes de la PCI, entendimiento que todavía es escaso. Compilamos un conjunto mundial de datos de 174 vertebrados terrestres en 1071 eventos de introducción, incluyendo 960 eventos de PCI (el establecimiento exitoso de especies amenazadas fuera de su distribución nativa) y 111 eventos no PCI (el fracaso en el establecimiento de especies amenazadas fuera de su distribución nativa después de la introducción). Después analizamos con modelos lineales mixtos generalizados y promedio de modelos la importancia relativa de varios pronosticadores en la localidad, en el evento y a nivel de especie. Los eventos exitosos de PCI ocurrieron en todos los grupos taxonómicos y en todos los reinos biogeográficos, especialmente para los mamíferos del Paleártico y Australia. Las localidades de los eventos exitosos de PCI tuvieron menos factores nativos de amenaza, especialmente un menor calentamiento climático en las regiones invadidas. La probabilidad de que un evento de PCI sea exitoso fue mayor cuando los esfuerzos de introducción fueron mayores y hubo más congéneres locales y menos enemigos naturales. Estos resultados pueden orientar la conservación ex situ de especies y la mitigación de especies invasoras no nativas.

Water Colour Shapes Diving Beetle (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) Assemblages in Urban Ponds.

Dramatic land-use changes in urban landscapes can drive water colour darkening by washing compounds, such as organic matter and iron, from terrestrial ecosystems into urban blue space, consequentially affecting aquatic communities. Here, I studied how pond water colour changes along an urban gradient and how diving beetles (Dytiscidae) respond to the water colour gradient in 11 ponds with fish and 15 ponds without fish in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland. I found that the pond water colour exhibited a non-significant decreasing pattern along the urban gradient, indicating that urbanisation may not necessarily drive brownification in urban ponds. Dytiscid species richness and abundance exhibited significant positive correlations with increasing water colour in ponds with fish but no significant correlation in ponds without fish. Some species, such as Agabus spp. and Dytiscus spp., appeared tolerant to highly coloured water, whereas some species, such as Hyphydrus ovatus and Hygrotus spp., tended to occur in clear water, indicating that brown water may provide dytiscids with prey refuges, but some species are intolerant to brown water. The study highlights the importance of urban pondscape heterogeneity to meet the needs of aquatic invertebrates that prefer different water colours and for the multifunctioning of urban ponds.

Impact of Parthenium hysterophorus L. on floristic diversity in Dhauladhar foothills of Himachal Pradesh.

Parthenium hysterophorus L. has become a weed of global concern owing to its fast expansion and invasive character. In order to study the status of this noxious weed and its impact on floristic diversity in Dhauladhar foothills, the study was conducted during the year 2021-2022 in culturable wastelands of Dhauladhar ranges in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The impact of Parthenium hysterophorus L. on associated species at different altitudes and aspects was observed. Our observations depicted that Parthenium hysterophorus L. has been growing more vigorously in the northern aspect than the southern aspect with the density of 37.78 m-2 and 21.62 m-2, respectively. The highest density of this noxious weed was recorded in the altitudinal range of 600-1200 m (34.32 m-2) while it was not observed beyond 1805 m above sea level. The invasion of Parthenium hysterophorus L. significantly affected the plant density of other species. The descending order of the species as per dominance was observed as Cynodon dactylon, Trifolium repens, Oxalis latifolia, Parthenium hysterophorus L., and Ageratum houstonianum. The average number of species and species density were observed more in non-invaded sites (9.35 and 27.67 m-2) than in invaded sites (7.10 and 20.60 m-2). Species abundance and plant cover were observed more in non-invaded sites (28.73 and 657.90 m2 ha-1) than in invaded sites (22.70 and 322.30 m2 ha-1). Species diversity, richness, and evenness were reported to decline in invaded sites (1.56, 0.95, and 0.81, respectively) with respect to the non-invaded sites (1.94, 1.16, and 0.88, respectively). The study highlights the significant concerns associated with the invasive weed within the plant communities. Understanding its invasive status holds considerable implications for local afforestation initiatives, forest management strategies, and conservation policies. Furthermore, this investigation lays a foundational groundwork for implementing effective measures to get rid of this alien weed.

Systematic challenges and opportunities in insect monitoring: a Global South perspective.

Insect monitoring is pivotal for assessing biodiversity and informing conservation strategies. This study delves into the complex realm of insect monitoring in the Global South-world developing and least-developed countries as identified by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development-highlighting challenges and proposing strategic solutions. An analysis of publications from 1990 to 2024 reveals an imbalance in research contributions between the Global North and South, highlighting disparities in entomological research and the scarcity of taxonomic expertise in the Global South. We discuss the socio-economic factors that exacerbate the issues, including funding disparities, challenges in collaboration, infrastructure deficits, information technology obstacles and the impact of local currency devaluation. In addition, we emphasize the crucial role of environmental factors in shaping insect diversity, particularly in tropical regions facing multiple challenges including climate change, urbanization, pollution and various anthropogenic activities. We also stress the need for entomologists to advocate for ecosystem services provided by insects in addressing environmental issues. To enhance monitoring capacity, we propose strategies such as community engagement, outreach programmes and cultural activities to instill biodiversity appreciation. Further, language inclusivity and social media use are emphasized for effective communication. More collaborations with Global North counterparts, particularly in areas of molecular biology and remote sensing, are suggested for technological advancements. In conclusion, advocating for these strategies-global collaborations, a diverse entomological community and the integration of transverse disciplines-aims to address challenges and foster inclusive, sustainable insect monitoring in the Global South, contributing significantly to biodiversity conservation and overall ecosystem health. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'.

The robustness of phylogenetic diversity indices to extinctions.

Phylogenetic diversity indices provide a formal way to apportion evolutionary history amongst living species. Understanding the properties of these measures is key to determining their applicability in conservation biology settings. In this work, we investigate some questions posed in a recent paper by Fischer et al. (Syst Biol 72(3):606-615, 2023). In that paper, it is shown that under certain extinction scenarios, the ranking of the surviving species by their Fair Proportion index scores may be the complete reverse of their ranking beforehand. Our main results here show that this behaviour extends to a large class of phylogenetic diversity indices, including the Equal-Splits index. We also provide a necessary condition for reversals of Fair Proportion rankings to occur on phylogenetic trees whose edge lengths obey the ultrametric constraint. Specific examples of rooted phylogenetic trees displaying these behaviours are given and the impact of our results on the use of phylogenetic diversity indices more generally is discussed.

Biodiversity dataset and atlas of the special area of conservation Montesinho/Nogueira, Portugal.

Background: The special area of conservation Montesinho/Nogueira (SAC-MN) is a key area for biodiversity conservation in the Iberian Peninsula. Covering an area of approximately 1081 km² in the northeast of Portugal mainland, the SAC-MN is home to a wide range of species, including several endemic and endangered species and priority habitats. Despite its ecological significance and importance for conservation, there is a lack of publicly available biodiversity data, which urges the need to create a comprehensive and up-to-date biodiversity dataset for the SAC-MN. New information: To bridge the knowledge gap on biodiversity in SAC-MN, we undertook a thorough data collection process, including species occurrence records and conservation status information at regional (Portugal) and European levels, from multiple sources. We collected and compiled this information for five major taxonomic groups (amphibians, birds, flora - vascular plants, mammals and reptiles) in SAC-MN, resulting in a total of 31,871 records with 1,312 documented species. In addition, we developed an easy-to-navigate web-based geographic information system (Web GIS). In this article, we present an in-depth report on the process of compiling and preparing data, as well as the development and design of our Web GIS to increase awareness and enhance understanding of the importance of preserving biodiversity in SAC-MN.

Rising Temperatures, Falling Leaves: Predicting the Fate of Cyprus's Endemic Oak under Climate and Land Use Change.

Endemic island species face heightened extinction risk from climate-driven shifts, yet standard models often underestimate threat levels for those like Quercus alnifolia, an iconic Cypriot oak with pre-adaptations to aridity. Through species distribution modelling, we investigated the potential shifts in its distribution under future climate and land-use change scenarios. Our approach uniquely combines dispersal constraints, detailed soil characteristics, hydrological factors, and anticipated soil erosion data, offering a comprehensive assessment of environmental suitability. We quantified the species' sensitivity, exposure, and vulnerability to projected changes, conducting a preliminary IUCN extinction risk assessment according to Criteria A and B. Our projections uniformly predict range reductions, with a median decrease of 67.8% by the 2070s under the most extreme scenarios. Additionally, our research indicates Quercus alnifolia's resilience to diverse erosion conditions and preference for relatively dry climates within a specific annual temperature range. The preliminary IUCN risk assessment designates Quercus alnifolia as Critically Endangered in the future, highlighting the need for focused conservation efforts. Climate and land-use changes are critical threats to the species' survival, emphasising the importance of comprehensive modelling techniques and the urgent requirement for dedicated conservation measures to safeguard this iconic species.

Local environment and fragmentation by drought and damming shape different components of native and non-native fish beta diversity across pool refuges.

Pool refuges are critical for maintaining stream fish diversity in increasingly intermittent streams. Yet, the patterns and drivers of beta diversity of native and non-native fish in pool refuges remain poorly known. Focusing on Mediterranean streams, we decomposed beta diversity of native and non-native fish into richness difference (RichDiff) and species replacement (Repl), and local (LCBD, LCBDRichDiff and LCBDRepl) and species (SCBD) contributions. We assessed the influence of environmental and spatial factors associated with drought and damming fragmentations on beta diversity components and LCBDs, and of local species richness and occupancy on LCBDs and SCBD, respectively. Overall, non-native species showed a more limited occupancy of pool refuges than native fish. RichDiff dominated beta diversity, though it was influenced by drought and damming fragmentations for native fish and local environment for non-native fish. Repl for native fish was slightly influenced by local environment, but for non-native fish was largely driven by drought and damming, albeit with a contribution of local environment as well. LCBD and LCBDRichDiff increased in pools in low order streams for native fish and at low elevations for non-native fish, and with high or low species richness. SCBD was higher for native species with intermediated pool occupancy, but for non-native species with low occupancy. Our results suggest that stream fragmentation may drive native species loss and non-native species replacement in pool refuges, and that environmental filtering may shape non-native species loss. Pools in lower order streams harbouring unique species-rich or species-poor assemblages should be prioritize for conservation and restoration, respectively, and pools at low elevation with unique non-native assemblages should deserve control efforts. We encourage the partitioning of beta diversity and individual analysis of native and non-native fish in intermittent streams, which may be key in stressing the importance of pool refuges in safeguarding native fish diversity.

Global mismatches between threat mapping research effort and the potential of threat abatement actions to reduce extinction risk.

Threat mapping is a necessary tool for identifying and abating direct threats to species in the ongoing extinction crisis. There are known gaps in the threat mapping literature for particular threats and geographic locations, and it remains unclear if the distribution of research effort is appropriately targeted relative to conservation need. We aimed to determine the drivers of threat mapping research effort and to quantify gaps that, if filled, could inform actions with the highest potential to reduce species' extinction risk. We used a negative binomial generalized linear model to analyze research effort as a function of threat abatement potential (quantified as the potential reduction in species extinction risk from abating threats), species richness, land area, and human pressure. The model showed that threat mapping research effort increased by 1.1 to 1.2 times per standardized unit change in threat abatement potential. However, species richness and land area were stronger predictors of research effort overall. The greatest areas of mismatch between research effort and threat abatement potential, receiving disproportionately low research effort, were related to the threats to species of agriculture, aquaculture, and biological resource use across the tropical regions of the Americas, Asia, and Madagascar. Conversely, the threat of linear infrastructure (e.g., roads and rails) across regions, the threat of biological resource use (e.g., hunting or collection) in sub-Saharan Africa, and overall threats in North America and Europe all received disproportionately high research effort. We discuss the range of methodological and sociopolitical factors that may be behind the overall trends and specific areas of mismatch we found. We urge a stronger emphasis on targeting research effort toward those threats and geographic locations where threat abatement activities could make the greatest contribution to reducing global species extinction risk.

Disparidades mundiales entre la investigación sobre el esfuerzo de mapeo de amenazas y la potencial amenaza de las acciones de abatimiento para reducir el riesgo de extinción Resumen El mapeo de amenazas es una herramienta necesaria para identificar y abatir las amenazas directas para las especies en la actual crisis de extinción. Existen vacíos conocidos en la literatura del mapeo de amenazas para amenazas particulares y ubicaciones geográficas, y todavía no está claro si la distribución de los esfuerzos de investigación está enfocada de forma apropiada en relación con las necesidades de conservación. Buscamos determinar los factores que influyen sobre el esfuerzo de investigación del mapeo de amenazas y cuantificar los vacíos que, si se cierran, podrían guiar las acciones con el potencial más alto para reducir el riesgo de extinción de las especies. Usamos un modelo binomial lineal negativo generalizado para analizar el esfuerzo de investigación como función del potencial de abatimiento de amenazas (cuantificado como la reducción potencial en el riesgo de extinción a partir del abatimiento de amenazas), la riqueza de especies, el área del suelo y la presión humana. El modelo mostró que el esfuerzo de investigación del mapeo de amenazas incrementó entre 1.1 y 1.2 veces por unidad estandarizada de cambio en el potencial de abatimiento de amenazas. Sin embargo, la riqueza de especies y el área del suelo fueron pronósticos más sólidos del esfuerzo de investigación generalizado. Las principales áreas de disparidad entre el esfuerzo de investigación y el potencial de abatimiento de amenazas, las cuales reciben un esfuerzo de investigación desproporcionalmente bajo, estuvieron relacionadas con las amenazas para las especies de agricultura, acuacultura y recursos biológicos que se usan en las regiones tropicales de América, Asia y Madagascar. Al contrario, la amenaza de la infraestructura lineal (p. ej.: carreteras y vías férreas) en las regiones, la amenaza del uso de recursos biológicos (p. ej.: caza o recolección) en la África subsahariana y las amenazas generales en América del Norte y en Europa recibieron un esfuerzo de investigación desproporcionalmente alto. Abordamos el rango de factores metodológicos y sociopolíticos que pueden estar detrás de las tendencias generales y las áreas específicas de disparidad que encontramos. Instamos a un mayor énfasis en el enfoque del esfuerzo de investigación hacia aquellas amenazas y ubicaciones geográficas en donde las actividades de abatimiento de amenazas podrían brindar una mayor contribución para reducir el riesgo mundial de extinción de especies.

An assessment of the state of conservation planning in Europe.

Expanding and managing current habitat and species protection measures is at the heart of the European biodiversity strategy. A structured approach is needed to gain insights into such issues is systematic conservation planning, which uses techniques from decision theory to identify places and actions that contribute most effectively to policy objectives given a set of constraints. Yet culturally and historically determined European landscapes make the implementation of any conservation plans challenging, requiring an analysis of synergies and trade-offs before implementation. In this work, we review the scientific literature for evidence of previous conservation planning approaches, highlighting recent advances and success stories. We find that the conceptual characteristics of European conservation planning studies likely reduced their potential in contributing to better-informed decisions. We outline pathways towards improving the uptake of decision theory and multi-criteria conservation planning at various scales, particularly highlighting the need for (a) open data and intuitive tools, (b) the integration of biodiversity-focused conservation planning with multiple objectives, (c) accounting of dynamic ecological processes and functions, and (d) better facilitation of entry-points and co-design practices of conservation planning scenarios with stakeholders. By adopting and improving these practices, European conservation planning might become more actionable and adaptable towards implementable policy outcomes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.

Wildlife ecotoxicology of plant protection products: knowns and unknowns about the impacts of currently used pesticides on terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity.

Agricultural practices are a major cause of the current loss of biodiversity. Among postwar agricultural intensification practices, the use of plant protection products (PPPs) might be one of the prominent drivers of the loss of wildlife diversity in agroecosystems. A collective scientific assessment was performed upon the request of the French Ministries responsible for the Environment, for Agriculture and for Research to review the impacts of PPPs on biodiversity and ecosystem services based on the scientific literature. While the effects of legacy banned PPPs on ecosystems and the underlying mechanisms are well documented, the impacts of current use pesticides (CUPs) on biodiversity have rarely been reviewed. Here, we provide an overview of the available knowledge related to the impacts of PPPs, including biopesticides, on terrestrial vertebrates (i.e. herptiles, birds including raptors, bats and small and large mammals). We focused essentially on CUPs and on endpoints at the subindividual, individual, population and community levels, which ultimately linked with effects on biodiversity. We address both direct toxic effects and indirect effects related to ecological processes and review the existing knowledge about wildlife exposure to PPPs. The effects of PPPs on ecological functions and ecosystem services are discussed, as are the aggravating or mitigating factors. Finally, a synthesis of knowns and unknowns is provided, and we identify priorities to fill gaps in knowledge and perspectives for research and wildlife conservation.

Exploring local perceptions and drivers of engagement in biodiversity monitoring among participants in payments for ecosystem services schemes in southeastern Mexico.

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) are widely applied incentive-based instruments with diverse objectives that increasingly include biodiversity conservation. Yet, there is a gap in understanding of how to best assess and monitor programs' biodiversity outcomes. We examined perceptions and drivers of engagement related to biodiversity monitoring through surveys among current PES participants in 7 communities in Mexico's Selva Lacandona. We conducted workshops among survey participants that included training and field deployment of tools used to monitor biodiversity and land cover, including visual transects, camera traps, acoustic recorders, and forest cover satellite images. We conducted pre- and postworkshop surveys in each community to evaluate changes in respondents' perceptions following exposure to biodiversity monitoring training and related field activities. We also reviewed existing research on participatory environmental management and monitoring approaches. One quarter of current PES participants in the study area participated in our surveys and workshops. The majority stated interest in engaging in diverse activities related to the procedural aspects of biodiversity monitoring (e.g., planning, field data collection, results dissemination) and acknowledged multiple benefits of introducing biodiversity monitoring into PES (e.g., knowledge and capacity building, improved natural resource management, and greater support for conservation). Household economic reliance on PES was positively associated with willingness to engage in monitoring. Technical expertise, time, and monetary constraints were deterrents. Respondents were most interested in monitoring mammals, birds, and plants and using visual transects, camera traps, and forest cover satellite images. Exposure to monitoring enhanced subsequent interest in monitoring by providing respondents with new insights from their communities related to deforestation and species' abundance and diversity. Respondents identified key strengths and weaknesses of applying different monitoring tools, which suggests that deploying multiple tools simultaneously can increase local engagement and produce complementary findings and data. Overall, our findings support the relevance and usefulness of incorporating participatory biodiversity monitoring into PES.

Explorando las percepciones locales y los impulsores de la participación en el monitoreo de la biodiversidad entre participantes de esquemas de pagos por servicios ambientales en el sureste de México Resumen Los pagos por servicios ambientales (PSA) son instrumentos basados en incentivos ampliamente aplicados cuyos diversos objetivos incluyen cada vez más la conservación de la biodiversidad. Sin embargo, existe una brecha en la comprensión de cómo evaluar y monitorear los resultados de los programas en materia de biodiversidad. Examinamos las percepciones y los impulsores de la participación relacionados al monitoreo de la biodiversidad a través de encuestas entre participantes actuales de PSA en siete comunidades de la Selva Lacandona de México. Realizamos talleres entre los participantes de las encuestas que incluyeron capacitación y despliegue en campo de herramientas utilizadas para monitorear la biodiversidad y la cobertura del suelo, incluidos transectos visuales, cámaras trampa, grabadores acústicos e imágenes satelitales de la cobertura forestal. Realizamos encuestas antes y después del taller en cada comunidad para evaluar los cambios en las percepciones de los participantes tras su involucramiento en la capacitación de monitoreo de biodiversidad y las actividades de campo relacionadas. También revisamos la investigación existente sobre enfoques de monitoreo y gestión ambiental participativa. Una cuarta parte de los participantes actuales de PES en el área de estudio participaron en nuestras encuestas y talleres. La mayoría declaró interés en participar en diversas actividades relacionadas con los aspectos procesales del monitoreo de la biodiversidad (por ejemplo, planificación, recopilación de datos de campo, difusión de resultados) y reconoció múltiples beneficios de introducir el monitoreo de la biodiversidad en los PSA (por ejemplo, creación de conocimientos y capacidades, mejora de la gestión de los recursos naturales, y mayor apoyo a la conservación). La dependencia económica de los hogares de los PSA se asoció positivamente con la voluntad de participar en el monitoreo. Los factores inhibidores fueron la experiencia técnica, el tiempo y las limitaciones monetarias. Los encuestados estaban más interesados en monitorear mamíferos, aves y plantas y en utilizar transectos visuales, cámaras trampa e imágenes satelitales de la cubierta forestal. La exposición al monitoreo aumentó el interés posterior en el monitoreo al brindar a los encuestados nuevos conocimientos de sus comunidades relacionados con la deforestación y la abundancia y diversidad de especies. Los encuestados identificaron fortalezas y debilidades clave al aplicar diferentes herramientas de monitoreo, lo que sugiere que implementar múltiples herramientas simultáneamente puede aumentar la participación local y producir hallazgos y datos complementarios. En general, nuestros hallazgos respaldan la relevancia y utilidad de incorporar el monitoreo participativo de la biodiversidad en los PSA.

A standard lexicon of terms for area-based conservation version 1.0.

Target 3 in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) calls for protecting at least 30% of the world's lands and waters in area-based conservation approaches by 2030. This ambitious 30×30 target has spurred great interest among policy makers, practitioners, and researchers in defining and measuring the effectiveness of these types of approaches. But along with this broad interest, there has also been a proliferation of terms and their accompanying abbreviations used to describe different types of conservation areas and their governance, planning, management, and monitoring. The lack of standard terms is hindering the use and assessment of area-based approaches to conserve the world's biodiversity. It is difficult to track progress toward GBF Target 3 or to share learning with other practitioners if different groups of people are using different words to describe the same concept or similar words to talk about different concepts. To address this problem, the International Union for Conservation of Nature's World Commission on Protected Areas commissioned a task force to review existing terms and recommend a standard English-language lexicon for this field based on key criteria. The results were definitions of 37 terms across 6 categories, including types of protected and additional conservation areas (e.g., protected area, additional conservation area), sets of these areas (protected area network, protected area system), their governance and management (governance, rightsholders), assessment (effectiveness, equitability), spatial planning (key biodiversity area), and action planning (value, outcome, objective). Our standard lexicon can provide a common language for people who want to use it and a shared reference point that can be used to translate various terms used by different groups. The common understanding provided by the lexicon can serve as a foundation for collaborative efforts to improve the policies, implementation, assessments, research, and learning about this important set of conservation approaches.

Un léxico estandarizado de términos para la conservación basada en áreas versión 10 Resumen El objetivo 3 del Marco Global para la Biodiversidad de Kunming­Montreal (GBF) establece la protección de al menos el 30% de los suelos y aguas del planeta con estrategias de conservación basada en áreas para el 2030. Este objetivo ambicioso de 30x30 ha provocado un gran interés por definir y medir la eficiencia de este tipo de estrategias entre quienes hacen las políticas, los practicantes y los investigadores. Junto con este interés generalizado también ha habido una proliferación de términos y abreviaciones usados para describir los diferentes tipos de áreas de conservación y su gestión, planeación, manejo y monitoreo. La falta de términos estandarizados dificulta el uso y la evaluación de las estrategias basadas en áreas para conservar la biodiversidad mundial. Es difícil registrar los avances hacia el Objetivo 3 del GBF o compartir el aprendizaje con otros practicantes si diferentes grupos de personas usan diferentes palabras para describir el mismo concepto o palabras similares para hablar de conceptos distintos. Para abordar este problema, la Comisión Mundial de Áreas Protegidas de la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza comisionó un grupo de trabajo para que revise los términos existentes y recomiende un léxico estandarizado en inglés para este campo con base en criterios clave. Como resultado obtuvieron la definición para 37 términos de seis categorías, incluyendo los tipos de área protegida y las áreas adicionales de conservación (p. ej.: área protegida, área adicional de conservación), los conjuntos de estas áreas (p. ej.: red de áreas protegidas, sistema de áreas protegidas), su gestión y manejo (gobernanza, derechohabientes), evaluación (efectividad, equidad), planeación espacial (área clave de biodiversidad) y plan de acción (valor, resultado, objetivo). Nuestro léxico estandarizado puede proporcionar un lenguaje común para la gente que quiera usarlo y una referencia compartida que puede usarse para traducir varios términos que usan los diferentes grupos. El conocimiento común proporcionado por el léxico puede fungir como una base para que los esfuerzos colaborativos mejoren las políticas, implementación, evaluación, investigación y aprendizaje sobre este conjunto importante de estrategias de conservación.

Aquatic connectivity: challenges and solutions in a changing climate.

The challenge of managing aquatic connectivity in a changing climate is exacerbated in the presence of additional anthropogenic stressors, social factors, and economic drivers. Here we discuss these issues in the context of structural and functional connectivity for aquatic biodiversity, specifically fish, in both the freshwater and marine realms. We posit that adaptive management strategies that consider shifting baselines and the socio-ecological implications of climate change will be required to achieve management objectives. The role of renewable energy expansion, particularly hydropower, is critically examined for its impact on connectivity. We advocate for strategic spatial planning that incorporates nature-positive solutions, ensuring climate mitigation efforts are harmonized with biodiversity conservation. We underscore the urgency of integrating robust scientific modelling with stakeholder values to define clear, adaptive management objectives. Finally, we call for innovative monitoring and predictive decision-making tools to navigate the uncertainties inherent in a changing climate, with the goal of ensuring the resilience and sustainability of aquatic ecosystems.

Reptile Identification for Endemic and Invasive Alien Species Using Transfer Learning Approaches.

The Canary Islands are considered a hotspot of biodiversity and have high levels of endemicity, including endemic reptile species. Nowadays, some invasive alien species of reptiles are proliferating with no control in different parts of the territory, creating a dangerous situation for the ecosystems of this archipelago. Despite the fact that the regional authorities have initiated actions to try to control the proliferation of invasive species, the problem has not been solved as it depends on sporadic sightings, and it is impossible to determine when these species appear. Since no studies for automatically identifying certain species of reptiles endemic to the Canary Islands have been found in the current state-of-the-art, from the Signals and Communications Department of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria University (ULPGC), we consider the possibility of developing a detection system based on automatic species recognition using deep learning (DL) techniques. So this research conducts an initial identification study of some species of interest by implementing different neural network models based on transfer learning approaches. This study concludes with a comparison in which the best performance is achieved by integrating the EfficientNetV2B3 base model, which has a mean Accuracy of 98.75%.

Spatiotemporal variability and drivers of water microchemistry in the upper Nu-Salween river: With implications for fish habitat conservation.

Microchemical maps, also known as "chemoscapes", hold immense potential for reconstructing fish habitat utilization and guiding conservation efforts. This approach relies on matching the microchemical composition of fish calcified structures (e.g., otoliths) with the surrounding water's microchemistry. However, applying this method faces a major challenge: a clear understanding of the spatiotemporal variability and drivers of water microchemistry, particularly in vast, free-flowing river ecosystems like the Nu-Salween River, Southeast Asia's longest free-flowing river. We analyzed the spatiotemporal variability and influencing factors of water microchemistry (i.e., Na:Ca, Mg:Ca, Mn:Ca, Cu:Ca, Zn:Ca, Se:Ca, Sr:Ca, and Ba:Ca) in the upper Nu-Salween River, based on a two-year sampling. Five elemental ratios (excluding Na:Ca, Mg:Ca, and Zn:Ca) in water demonstrated significant spatiotemporal variability, with Cu:Ca having the largest spatial variation, and Mn:Ca and Sr:Ca showing the greatest temporal variation. More specifically, four elemental ratios (Cu:Ca, Se:Ca, Sr:Ca, and Ba:Ca), exhibited significant variations along the longitudinal gradient, and Mn:Ca, Cu:Ca, Sr:Ca, and Ba:Ca, showed significant differences between mainstreams and tributaries. Temporally, Mn:Ca, Cu:Ca, and Ba:Ca displayed higher values and variations during the wet season, opposing the seasonal patterns of Na:Ca, Mg:Ca, and Sr:Ca. The four-element (Ba:Ca, Sr:Ca, Mg:Ca, and Mn:Ca) forest model showed the highest classification accuracy of 93%. Linear mixed-effects models showed that spatial factors have the largest influence on the variances in water microchemistry (56.36 ± 28.64%). Our study highlights the feasibility and reliability of utilizing microchemistry to reconstruct fish habitat utilization, thereby unveiling promising avenues for a more accurate understanding of fish life history in large rivers characterized by high heterogeneity in water microchemistry. By proportionally accounting for contribution of different factors to water microchemistry variability and relating them to microchemical composition of fish calcified structures, key fish habitats (e.g., spawning grounds) and migratory routes can be more precisely identified and thus protected.

Land-use change interacts with island biogeography to alter bird community assembly.

Anthropogenic activities have reshaped biodiversity on islands worldwide. However, it remains unclear how island attributes and land-use change interactively shape multiple facets of island biodiversity through community assembly processes. To answer this, we conducted bird surveys in various land-use types (mainly forest and farmland) using transects on 34 oceanic land-bridge islands in the largest archipelago of China. We found that bird species richness increased with island area and decreased with isolation, regardless of the intensity of land-use change. However, forest-dominated habitats exhibited lower richness than farmland-dominated habitats. Island bird assemblages generally comprised species that share more similar traits or evolutionary histories (i.e. functional and/or phylogenetic clustering) than expected if assemblages were randomly assembled. Contrary to our expectations, we observed that bird assemblages in forest-dominated habitats were more clustered on large and close islands, whereas assemblages in farmland-dominated habitats were more clustered on small islands. These contrasting results indicate that land-use change interacts with island biogeography to alter the community assembly of birds on inhabited islands. Our findings emphasize the importance of incorporating human-modified habitats when examining the community assembly of island biota, and further suggest that agricultural landscapes on large islands may play essential roles in protecting countryside island biodiversity.