A DNA barcode reference library for CITES listed Malagasy Dalbergia species.

On Madagascar, the illegal and unsustainable exploitation and illegal international trade of Dalbergia (rosewood) precious woods remain a serious conservation problem. Members of this genus are at high risk of extinction as a consequence of logging, mining, and slash and burn agriculture. Morphological identification of these Malagasy species is difficult in the absence of flowers and fruits, especially in the case of cut trees, sawn wood, and finished product. In this study, we use molecular barcoding to identify the Dalbergia species with the intent to contribute to the control of their illegal trade. Thirty-six Dalbergia samples representing 12 Malagasy species of which 11 have high commercial value, were collected to test the efficacy of a region of the plastid genome (rbcL) and a nuclear-transcribed ITS for barcoding. These widely used markers, as well as DNA barcoding gaps, "best match" and "best close match" approaches, and the neighbor-joining method were employed. All samples were amplified and sequenced using the two markers. Using a single locus, the "best match" and "best close match" approaches revealed that ITS has high discriminatory power within the tested Malagasy species. The combination of rbcL + ITS revealed 100% species discrimination. This study confirms that ITS alone and in combination with chloroplast barcode rbcL allow non-ambiguous identification for the 12 species studied. The results contribute to the development of DNA barcoding as a useful tool to identify Malagasy Dalbergia and suggest that the approach developed should be expanded to all 56 potentially exploited species in reference to international CITES requirements and the sustainable management of valuable resources.

A review on the processing of functional proteins or peptides derived from fish by-products and their industrial applications.

To understand the production and characteristics of protein hydrolysates pertaining to individual fish species, we selected and analyzed the most important commercial fish species according to the market value based on the Statistics on International Exports of Fishery Commodities by Food and Agriculture Organization. Accordingly, salmon, shrimp, cod, tuna, squid, and herring are marine species with high global value. Peptides obtained from their by-products were predominant in hydrophobic amino acids such as alanine, phenylalanine, methionine, proline, valine, tyrosine, tryptophan, leucine, and isoleucine. Bioactive peptides are short with a length of 2-20 amino acids. They remain inactive when they are within their parent proteins. Low molecular weight (0.3-8 kDa) peptides from hydrolyzed protein are easily digestible, readily absorbed by the body and are water-soluble. The hydrophobic nature contributes to their bioactivity, which facilitates their interactions with the membrane lipid bilayers. Incomplete hydrolysis results in low yields of hydrophobic amino acids. The glycosylation type of the resulting peptide fragment determines the different applications of the hydrolysate. The degree of conservation of the glycosidic residues and the size of the peptides are influenced by the method used to generate these hydrolysates. Therefore, it is crucial to explore inexpensive novel methodologies to generate bioactive peptides. According to the current studies, a unified approach (in silico estimation coupled with peptidomics) can be used for the identification of novel peptides with diverse physiological and technological functions. From an industrial perspective, the reusability of immobilized enzymes and membrane separation techniques (e.g., ultrafiltration) on marine by-products can offer low operating costs and higher yield for large-scale production of bioactive peptides. This review summarizes the production processes and essential characteristics of protein hydrolysates from fish by-products and presents the advances in their application.

Military Activity and Wetland Dependent Wildlife: A Warfare Ecology Perspective.

Wetlands provide unique habitat functions that benefit society by provisioning food, recreation, and ecosystem sustainability. Warfare impacts the habitats of wetland dependent reptiles, amphibians, and birds in both positive and negative ways, and opportunities exist to improve the management of wildlife habitat using a warfare ecology framework. Recent events in Ukraine highlight these relationships as well as provide stimulus to further consider natural resource implications of current events. In response, this commentary highlights both degradational and positive impacts of warfare on wetland fauna during the cyclical preparation, active conflict, and recovery phases. For example, the active conflict phase often initiates ecological disturbance regimes that couple largescale landscape alteration with the potential release of chemicals and other materials into wetlands, leading to reduced reproductive potential and population declines in wetland dependent species (e.g., amphibians, waterfowl) along with decreased overall wetland biodiversity and habitat quality. In contrast, wetland dependent wildlife can benefit from 1) conservation activities occurring on military installations maintained to support training activities and 2) restoration efforts initiated following the cessation of combat. For example, many threatened and endangered reptiles and amphibians find refugia on military lands in the United States and internationally, and international protections for wetland resources (including the Ramsar Convention) have been established to promote their sustainability and wise use. Additional research is needed to improve the protection of valuable wetland dependent by further enhancing ongoing conservation and planning efforts and improving strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of warfare on wetland ecosystems species throughout each phase of the warfare ecology cycle. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;00:0-0. © 2023 SETAC.

Dietary Temperature's Influence on Energy Balance in Humans: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial and Crossover Design.

BACKGROUND: According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system. Water has a characteristically high heat capacity, indicating that the temperature of ingested fluids and meals could contribute to energy homeostasis. Citing the underlying molecular mechanisms, we present a novel hypothesis that states that the temperature of one's food and drink contributes to energy balance and plays a role in the development of obesity. We provide strong associations with certain molecular mechanisms that are activated by heat and correlate them with obesity and a hypothetical trial that could test this hypothesis. We conclude that if meal or drink temperature proves to contribute to energy homeostasis, then depending on its contribution and scale, future clinical trials should attempt to adjust this effect when analyzing data. In addition, previous research and established relationships of disease states with dietary patterns, energy intake, and food component intakes should be revisited. We understand the common assumption that thermal energy in food is absorbed by the body during digestion and dissipated as heat into the environment, not contributing to the energy balance. We challenge this assumption herein, including a proposed study design that would test our hypothesis. OBJECTIVE: This paper hypothesizes that the temperature of ingested foods or fluids influences energy homeostasis through the expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs), especially HSP-70 and HSP-90, which are expressed to a greater extent in obesity and are known to cause deficits in glucose metabolism. METHODS: We provide preliminary evidence supporting our hypothesis that greater dietary temperatures disproportionally induce activation of both intracellular and extracellular HSPs and that these HSPs influence energy balance and contribute to obesity. RESULTS: This trial protocol has not been initiated and funding has not been sought at the time of this publication. CONCLUSIONS: To date, no clinical trials are available regarding the potential effects of meal and fluid temperature on weight status or its confounding effects in data analysis. A potential mechanism is proposed as a basis by which higher temperatures of foods and beverages might influence energy balance via HSP expression. On the basis of the evidence supporting our hypothesis, we propose a clinical trial that will further elucidate these mechanisms. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/42846.

Nations agree on long-sought high seas biodiversity treaty.

Pact sets framework for creating reserves and sharing profits.

The Present and Future of Insect Biodiversity Conservation in the Neotropics: Policy Gaps and Recommendations.

Emerging evidence suggests that insect populations may be declining at local and global scales, threatening the sustainability of the ecosystem services that insects provide. Insect declines are of particular concern in the Neotropics, which holds several of the world's hotspots of insect endemism and diversity. Conservation policies are one way to prevent and mitigate insect declines, yet these policies are usually biased toward vertebrate species. Here, we outline some key policy instruments for biodiversity conservation in the Neotropics and discuss their potential contribution and shortcomings for insect biodiversity conservation. These include species-specific action policies, protected areas and Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs), sectoral policies, biodiversity offsetting, market-based mechanisms, and the international policy instruments that underpin these efforts. We highlight that although these policies can potentially benefit insect biodiversity indirectly, there are avenues in which we could better incorporate the specific needs of insects into policy to mitigate the declines mentioned above. We propose several areas of improvement. Firstly, evaluating the extinction risk of more Neotropical insects to better target at-risk species with species-specific policies and conserve their habitats within area-based interventions. Secondly, alternative pest control methods and enhanced monitoring of insects in a range of land-based production sectors. Thirdly, incorporating measurable and achievable insect conservation targets into international policies and conventions. Finally, we emphasise the important roles of community engagement and enhanced public awareness in achieving these improvements to insect conservation policies.

Identifying climate change refugia for South American biodiversity.

Refugia-based conservation strategies offer long-term effectiveness and minimize uncertainty on strategies for climate change adaptation. Here, we use distribution modelling to identify climate change refugia for 617 terrestrial mammals and quantify the role of protected areas in safeguarding these zones across South America. Moist tropical forests located in high-elevation areas with complex topography concentrated the highest local diversity of species refugia, although regionally important refugia centers were also found elsewhere. Andean Amazon forests were revealed as "Anthropocene museums", hosting climate change refugia for more than half the continental species' pool and up to 87 species locally (17×17 km2 grid cell). The highland zones of the Southern Atlantic Forest also included megadiverse refugia, safeguarding up to 76 species per cell. Almost half of the species that may find refugia in the Atlantic Forest will do so in a single region - the Serra do Mar and Serra do Espinhaço. Most of the refugia highlighted here, however, are not covered by protected areas, which may shelter less than 6% of the total area of climate change refugia, leaving 129 to 237 species with no refugia inside the territorial limits of protected areas of any kind. Those results reveal a dismal scenario on the level of refugia protection in some of the most biodiverse regions of the world. Nonetheless, because refugia areas tend to be located in high-elevation, topographically complex and remote areas, with lower economic pressure, formally protecting them may require a comparatively modest investment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Megadiverse montane forests will work as Anthropocene museums against climate change but are poorly protected in South America.

Corporate Sustainability Development Strategy and Corporate Environmental Governance-The Moderating Role of Corporate Environmental Investments.

Environmental degradation and ecological devastation have become widespread global concerns in recent years as a result of the expansion of the international economy. China's rapid economic development has been accompanied by a sloppy economic growth model that has damaged the local ecological environment. The Chinese government intends to improve the ecological environment by the end of 2020 in an effort to direct and improve these environmental issues. The strictest environmental laws became effective in 2015. In light of this, this research uses panel data analysis to examine the environmental strategy and environmental governance of Chinese corporations. This article analyses 14,512 samples of listed mainland Chinese enterprises from 2015 to 2020. This research investigates the connection between Corporate Sustainability Development Strategy and Corporate Environmental Governance, as well as the moderating effect of Corporate Environmental Investments.

Orchid Micropropagation Using Conventional Semi-Solid and Temporary Immersion Systems: A Review.

Orchids, with their astonishingly stunning flowers, dominate the international floricultural market. They are considered prized assets for commercial applications in pharmaceutical and floricultural industries as they possess high therapeutic properties and superior ornamental values. The alarming depletion of orchid resources due to excessive unregulated commercial collection and mass habitat destruction makes orchid conservation measures an extreme priority. Conventional propagation methods cannot produce adequate number of orchids, which would meet the requirement of these ornamental plants for commercial and conservational purposes. In vitro orchid propagation using semi-solid media offers an outstanding prospect of rapidly producing quality plants on a large scale. However, the semi-solid (SS) system has shortcomings with low multiplication rates and high production costs. Orchid micropropagation using a temporary immersion system (TIS) overcomes the limitations of the SS system by reducing production costs and making scaleup and full automation possible for mass plant production. The current review highlights different aspects of in vitro orchid propagation using SS and TIS and their benefits and drawbacks on rapid plant generation.

Damaging and protective interactions of lichens and biofilms on ceramic dolia and sculptures of the International Museum of Ceramics, Faenza, Italy.

Although ceramic objects are an important part of the worldwide cultural heritage, few investigations on the effects of lithobiontic growth on their outdoor conservation are available in the literature. Many aspects of the interaction between lithobionts and stones are still unknown or strongly debated, as in the case of equilibria between biodeterioration and bioprotection. This paper describes research on the colonization by lithobionts on outdoor ceramic Roman dolia and contemporary sculptures of the International Museum of Ceramics, Faenza (Italy). Accordingly, the study i) characterized the mineralogical composition and petrographic structure of the artworks, ii) performed porosimetric measurements, iii) identified lichen and microbial diversity, iv) elucidated the interaction of the lithobionts with the substrates. Moreover, v) the measurements of variability in stone surface hardness and in water absorption of colonized and uncolonized areas were collected to assess damaging and/or protective effects by the lithobionts. The investigation showed how the biological colonization depends on physical properties of the substrates as well on climatic conditions of environments in which the ceramic artworks are located. The results indicated that lichens Protoparmeliopsis muralis and Lecanora campestris may have a bioprotective effect on ceramics with high total porosity and pores with very small diameters, as they poorly penetrate the substrate, do not negatively affect surface hardness and are able to reduce the amount of absorbed water limiting the water ingress. By contrast, Verrucaria nigrescens, here widely found in association with rock-dwelling fungi, deeply penetrate terracotta causing substrate disaggregation, with negative consequences on surface hardness and water absorption. Accordingly, a careful evaluation of the negative and positive effects of lichens must be carried out before deciding their removal. Regarding biofilms, their barrier efficacy is related to their thickness and composition. Even if thin, they can impact negatively on substrates enhancing the water absorption in comparison to uncolonized parts.

Intraoperative Red Blood Cell Transfusion and Primary Graft Dysfunction After Lung Transplantation.

BACKGROUND: In this international, multicenter study of patients undergoing lung transplantation (LT), we explored the association between the amount of intraoperative packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion and occurrence of primary graft dysfunction (PGD) and associated outcomes. METHODS: The Extracorporeal Life Support in LT Registry includes data on LT recipients from 9 high-volume (>40 transplants/y) transplant centers (2 from Europe, 7 from the United States). Adult patients who underwent bilateral orthotopic lung transplant from January 2016 to January 2020 were included. The primary outcome of interest was the occurrence of grade 3 PGD in the first 72 h after LT. RESULTS: We included 729 patients who underwent bilateral orthotopic lung transplant between January 2016 and November 2020. LT recipient population tertiles based on the amount of intraoperative PRBC transfusion (0, 1-4, and >4 units) were significantly different in terms of diagnosis, age, gender, body mass index, mean pulmonary artery pressure, lung allocation score, hemoglobin, prior chest surgery, preoperative hospitalization, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation requirement. Inverse probability treatment weighting logistic regression showed that intraoperative PRBC transfusion of >4 units was significantly (P < 0.001) associated with grade 3 PGD within 72 h (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 2.2 [1.6-3.1]). Inverse probability treatment weighting analysis excluding patients with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support produced similar findings (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 2.4 [1.7-3.4], P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter, international registry study of LT patients, intraoperative transfusion of >4 units of PRBCs was associated with an increased risk of grade 3 PGD within 72 h. Efforts to improve post-LT outcomes should include perioperative blood conservation measures.

Spatiotemporal differentiation of carbon emissions efficiency and influencing factors: From the perspective of 136 countries.

The severity of the global climate issue is rising, primarily as a result of excessive carbon dioxide emissions. Climate change is a global problem. How to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while promoting social and economic development is a problem that all countries need to face. This study examines global carbon emission efficiency in order to make recommendations for comprehensively improving global carbon emission efficiency. We extend the research scale of carbon emission efficiency from countries, regions, economic belts and sectors to the world, which can show the differences of countries and has theoretical guiding significance for global low-carbon development. This study calculates the carbon emissions efficiency for 136 countries from 2000 to 2019 using the Super-EBM model. The discussion that follows examines the temporal and spatial characteristics of carbon emissions efficiency in 136 countries from the perspective of countries, developed and developing countries, and regions. Finally, the Tobit model is used to comprehensively analyze the factors that affect carbon emissions efficiency. The results show that: (1) There are great differences in carbon emission efficiency among countries and regions. Only a few countries reach the production frontier, mainly in Europe, such as Switzerland, Luxembourg, Iraq, Norway, Denmark and the United Kingdom. The carbon emission efficiency of most countries is not ideal, being mainly concentrated in Asia and Africa, and has not achieved significant improvement over time. Asia has the lowest carbon emission efficiency. Mongolia, Ukraine, Iran, Angola, Belarus and Uzbekistan are the key governance areas for global energy conservation and carbon reduction. (2) Developed countries have the much higher average carbon emission efficiency than developing countries. Combined with the industrial development stages of developed and developing countries, this is in line with the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. The average carbon emission efficiency gap between developing and developed countries shows a trend of "first narrowing and then increasing", which demonstrates that developing countries' reliance on energy input to boost their economies will improve carbon emission efficiency, but only temporarily. (3) Urbanization level, foreign trade and proportion of renewable energy effectively improve the carbon emissions efficiency, while industrial structure and proportion of electricity users have an inhibitory effect on the carbon emissions efficiency. Global low-carbon development should be hastened by strengthening international cooperation, optimizing industrial structure, promoting urbanization and foreign trade, and adjusting the energy structure.

Do soil and water conservation practices influence crop productivity and household welfare? Evidence from rural Nigeria.

One of the most serious challenges threatening agricultural sustainability in Nigeria is land degradation. Although this issue has received little attention, soil and water conservation practices have been identified as a possible pathway out of the potential problems posed by land degradation. Therefore, the central research question that this paper tries to address is the following: Do adoption of soil and water conservation (SWC) practices affect crop productivity and household welfare? This paper uses data collected by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) from maize farmers in rural Nigeria. We usedemploy the propensity score matching (PSM), inverse probability weighting adjusted regression model (IPWRA) approach, and the linear regression with endogenous treatment effect (LRETE) model to incorporate the typologies of SWC practices, and tested how the model affects crop productivity and household welfare. Additionally, multinomial logit was used to estimate the factors influencing the decision to adopt single and multiple SWC practices. The estimates show that education, age of the household head, access to credit, experience of drought, soil fertility, and occupational stress contribute to the decision to adopt SWC practices. The casual effect estimates reveal that both single and multiple adoptions of SWC practices had a positive and significant relationship with the crop productivity and welfare of the adopters. The results show that the adoption of combined SWC practices has a higher impact on crop productivity and welfare than single SWC practices. For instance, the adoption of a combination of three SWC practices was found to increase crop productivity and household welfare by 27.55% and 38.23%, respectively versus 13.91% and 15.11% in the case of single SWC practices. The study suggests that profile-raising agenda and efforts that focus on promoting the adoption of combination of SWC practices should be designed and implemented to enhance crop productivity and hence the welfare of the maize farming households in rural Nigeria.

Is social media the new wet market? Social media platforms facilitate the online sale of bushmeat in West Africa.

Social media provides a platform for wildlife crime syndicates to access a global consumer-driven market. Whilst studies have uncovered the online trade in wildlife, the availability of wild meat (bushmeat) has not been assessed. To investigate the sale of wild meat online, we analysed 563 posts published between 2018 and 2022 from six West African Facebook pages selected using predetermined search criteria. Across 1511 images and 18 videos, we visually identified 25 bushmeat species-level taxa including mammals (six Rodentia, five Artiodactyla, three Carnivora, two Pholidota, one Primate, two Lagomorpha, one Hyracoidea), birds (three Galliformes) and reptiles (two Squamata), predominately advertised as smoked (63%) or fresh (30%) whole carcasses or portions. Among the species identified, 16% feature a status of concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List (Near Threatened to Endangered), 16% are listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES; Appendix I and II) and 24% are either fully or partially protected by local legislation. Images were commonly used as propaganda rather than to display inventory, where additional taxa protected from game hunting in West Africa, such as hornbill, were exclusively listed in captions. The advertisement of these protected and vulnerable species on the surface web indicates weak local and international legislative enforcement. Comparatively, when the same search criteria were applied to the deep web browser Tor no results were generated, reinforcing the idea that bushmeat vendors have no need to hide their activities online. Despite local and international trade restrictions, the taxa advertised feature similarities with bushmeat seizures reported in Europe, alluding to the interconnectedness of the trade facilitated by social media. We conclude that enhanced policy enforcement is essential to combat the online sale of bushmeat and mitigate the potential biodiversity and public health impacts.

Kazakh national dog breed Tazy: What do we know?

The Tazy or Kazakh National sighthound has been officially recognized as the national heritage of Kazakhstan. Comprehensive genetic studies of genetic diversity and population structure that could be used for selection and conservation of this unique dog breed have not been conducted so far. The aim of this study was to determine the genetic structure of the Tazy using microsatellite and SNP markers and to place the breed in the context of the world sighthound breeds. Our results showed that all 19 microsatellite loci examined were polymorphic. The observed number of alleles in the Tazy population varied from 6 (INU030 locus) to 12 (AHT137, REN169D01, AHTh260, AHT121, and FH2054 loci) with a mean of 9.778 alleles per locus. The mean number of effective alleles was 4.869 and ranged from 3.349 f to 4.841. All markers were highly informative (PIC values greater than 0.5) and ranged from 0.543 (REN247M23 locus) to 0.865 (AHT121 locus). The observed and expected heterozygosities in a total population were 0.748 and 0.769 and ranged from 0.746 to 0.750 and 0.656 to 0.769, respectively. Overall, the results confirmed that the Tazy breed has a high level of genetic diversity, no significant inbreeding, and a specific genetic structure. Three gene pools underlie the genetic diversity of the Tazy breed. SNP analysis using the CanineHD SNP array, which contains more than 170,000 SNP markers, showed that the Tazy breed is distinct from other sighthound breeds and genetically related to ancient eastern sighthound breeds sharing the same branch with the Afghan Hound and the Saluki. The results, together with archeological findings, confirm the ancient origin of the breed. The findings can be used for the conservation and international registration of the Tazy dog breed.

Characterizing the trophy hunting debate on Twitter.

Social media is an arena of debate for contentious political and social topics. One conservation topic debated online is the acceptability of trophy hunting - with implications spilling over into national and international policy. Here, we utilise a mixed-methods approach (combining Grounded Theory and quantitative clustering) to identify themes emerging in the trophy hunting debate on Twitter. Our main result is the identification of 12 categories that describe people's stances on trophy hunting. Through examination of commonly co-occurring categories, we define four preliminary anti-trophy hunting archetypes which we term "Activism", "Scientific", "Condemning", and "Objecting" whose opposition to trophy hunting is derived from different moral reasoning. We found few tweets supporting trophy hunting with most tweeters opposing the practice. We also found that the debate was hostile, with 7% of tweets in our sample considered abusive. Online debates can be unproductive, and our findings may be important for stakeholders wishing to effectively engage in the trophy hunting debate on Twitter. More generally, we contend that, as social media is increasingly influential, it is important to formally contextualise public responses to contentious conservation topics to aid communication of conservation evidence and to integrate diverse public perspectives into conservation practice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Functional results after reconstruction with modular tumor endoprostheses in patients with malignant bone tumors.

INTRODUCTION: The functional outcome in patients after limb salvage surgery, and in particular reconstructions with modular tumor endoprostheses, has been the subject of many international series, but only a few publications mention the functionality in a Bulgarian patient group. AIM: The aim of the present study was to analyze the functional outcome in a Bulgarian group of patients with malignant bone tumors that underwent resection and reconstruction with modular tumor endoprostheses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our series consists of 14 patients with malignant bone tumors who underwent limb salvage surgery and reconstruction with modular tumor endoprostheses between February 2012 and January 2021. Staging was done using the AJCC staging system for bone sarcoma. The MSTS score system was used to evaluate the functional results. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 38.5 months (range, 8 to 96). The mean MSTS score for our series was 70%. Distant metastases were found in 4 (28%) patients. Local recurrence occurred in 3 (21%) patients. The most severe late complication was a mechanical failure of the expanding mechanism in 1 patient. CONCLUSIONS: Reconstruction with modular tumor endoprostheses offer superb functionality and improved life quality in patients with primary malignant bone tumors.

Global change impacts on cacti (Cactaceae): current threats, challenges and conservation solutions.

BACKGROUND: The plant family Cactaceae provides some of the most striking examples of adaptive evolution, expressing undeniably the most spectacular New World radiation of succulent plants distributed across arid and semi-arid regions of the Americas. Cacti are widely regarded for their cultural, economic and ecological value, yet they are also recognized as one of the most threatened and endangered taxonomic groups on the planet. SCOPE: This paper reviews current threats to species of cacti that have distributions in arid to semi-arid subtropical regions. Our review primarily focuses on four global change forces: 1) increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, 2) increases in mean annual temperatures and heat waves, 3) increases in the duration, frequency and intensity of droughts, 4) and increases in competition and wildfire frequency from non-native species invasion. We provide a broad range of potential priorities and solutions for stemming the extinction risk of cacti species and populations. CONCLUSIONS: Mitigating ongoing and emerging threats to cacti will require not only strong policy initiatives and international cooperation, but also novel and creative approaches to conservation. These approaches include determining at risk species from climate extremes, enhancing habitat quality following disturbance, approaches and opportunities for ex-situ conservation and restoration, and the potential use of forensic tools for identifying plants that have been illegally removed from the wild and sold on open markets.