Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniel Goncalves-Souza, Bruno Vilela, Ben Phalan, Ricardo Dobrovolski
Summary: Research shows that protected areas and indigenous lands in Brazil have had a positive impact in avoiding ecosystem destruction, with this effect extending to buffer zones around protected areas. The most effective protected areas are older, larger, located in the Amazon region, and indigenous lands. Despite recent setbacks, the benefits of strengthened protected areas for biodiversity and climate are highlighted.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shuyu Hou, Rui Yang, Yue Cao, Zhicong Zhao, Qinyi Peng, Hao Wang, Yali Si
Summary: Global biodiversity is declining rapidly, and croplands play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation. However, there is a lack of quantitative methods to assess cropland conservation priorities at the national scale. This study proposes a framework for identifying bird species conservation priorities in croplands at a national scale in China and provides policy suggestions based on landscape patterns and species traits.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
R. Travis Belote, Gregory H. Aplet, Anne A. Carlson, Matthew S. Dietz, Allen May, Peter S. McKinley, Marty Schnure, Jeremy Garncarz
Summary: The study found that transitioning from priority pixels to delineated landscapes can aid in developing collaborative conservation plans, particularly for lands with high value in terms of ecological integrity, connectivity, and wildland value.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Jose Maria Cardoso da Silva, Teresa Cristina Albuquerque de Castro Dias, Alan Cavalcanti da Cunha, Helenilza Ferreira Albuquerque Cunha
Summary: The study describes the variation in funding deficits across Brazilian federal PAs and proposes a model to explain this variation. It was found that there is a high proportion of funding deficits in Brazilian PAs, similar to those found in sub-Saharan Africa. New policies and innovative funding mechanisms are needed to bridge the large funding gap in the Brazilian federal PA system.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Antonia E. Matthies, Catherine M. J. Fayet, Louise M. J. O'Connor, Peter H. Verburg
Summary: Agriculture plays a dual role in European biodiversity conservation, providing habitats for many species but also threatening these habitats. The focus is now on preserving agrobiodiversity, which lacks a consistent definition, measurement framework, or spatial indicator. This study compares four agrobiodiversity indicators in Europe and evaluates their sensitivity to land-use change scenarios.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alvise Dabala, Farid Dahdouh-Guebas, Daniel C. Dunn, Jason D. Everett, Catherine E. Lovelock, Jeffrey O. Hanson, Kristine Camille V. Buenafe, Sandra Neubert, Anthony J. Richardson
Summary: Anthropogenic activities pose a threat to global biodiversity and ecosystem services. However, current conservation efforts focus on biodiversity protection and overlook ecosystem services. This study demonstrates the importance of incorporating ecosystem services into protected area design, and highlights the potential benefits of strategic prioritization and coordination of mangrove conservation.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Linda R. Harris, Stephen D. Holness
Summary: Systematic conservation plans are becoming more prevalent as countries strive to identify priorities for meeting international conservation commitments. This study aimed to develop a robust heuristic approach for setting biodiversity targets in marine systematic conservation planning (SCP). The results showed that our heuristic targets outperformed fixed targets in terms of feature representation and cost efficiency. The approach developed in this study can be widely applied and adapted to other contexts.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Andres A. Salazar, Eduardo C. Arellano, Andres Munoz-Saez, Marcelo D. Miranda, Fabiana Oliveira da Silva, Natalia B. Zielonka, Liam P. Crowther, Vinina Silva-Ferreira, Patricia Oliveira-Reboucas, Lynn Dicks
Summary: The study revealed that agriculture expansion in the Sao Francisco Valley of the Caatinga biome in Brazil has led to increased fragmentation of both dense and open Caatinga areas, resulting in a decrease in ecological connectivity. By integrating connectivity indices based on graph theory and human disturbance index, effective conservation of landscape connectivity can be identified among habitat patches.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Luis B. Epele, Marta G. Grech, Luz M. Manzo, Pablo A. Macchi, Virgilio Hermoso, M. Laura Miserendino, Nuria Bonada, Miguel Canedo-Arguelles
Summary: This study prioritizes wetlands in Patagonia based on aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, conservation status, and vulnerability to climate change. High priority wetlands are found to be refuges for rare species, emphasizing the need for their conservation and management.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Pedro J. Bergamo, Marina Wolowski, Leandro R. Tambosi, Edenise Garcia, Kayna Agostini, Lucas A. Garibaldi, Tiffany M. Knight, Eimear Nic Lughadha, Paulo E. A. M. Oliveira, Marcia C. M. Marques, Pietro K. Maruyama, Marcia M. Maues, Alberto K. Oppata, Andre R. Rech, Antonio M. Saraiva, Felipe D. S. Silva, Gizele Sousa, Rodrigo Y. Tsukahara, Isabela G. Varassin, Blandina F. Viana, Leandro Freitas
Summary: Crop pollination is a crucial factor in agricultural production, with varying benefits depending on the level of pollinator-dependent crops and biodiversity. Municipalities with greater crop pollination demand may face vegetation deficit issues, especially in large properties with monocultures. Ecological restoration and vegetation conservation can play a key role in promoting crop productivity and ensuring food security in small properties. Land-use management policies based on legal requirements may successfully enhance agricultural sustainability and crop production.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Liqing Zhang, Junxiang Li
Summary: This study aims to develop a comprehensive approach to identify and prioritize protected areas (PAs) for effective biodiversity conservation. By considering the supply and demand of ecosystem services and landscape connectivity, using systematic conservation planning decision support tools, and estimating conservation costs, spatial prioritization outcomes for PAs were generated.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Angela Nava-Bolanos, David A. Prieto-Torres, Luis Osorio-Olvera, Jorge Soberon, Maria del Coro Arizmendi, Adolfo G. Navarro-Siguenza
Summary: Pollinators are facing declines in diversity and abundance, leading to international concern and the prioritization of pollinator conservation. This study assessed the overlap between the distributions of 815 pollinator species and land-use changes in the southern United States, Mexico, and part of Central America. The study found a strong overlap between pollinator species and areas with human modification, highlighting the need for effective conservation efforts. Current protected areas were found to be insufficient and inefficient in protecting pollinator species, emphasizing the importance of optimizing conservation strategies.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Xuan Dinh Vu, Elmar Csaplovics, Christopher Marrs, Trung Thanh Nguyen
Summary: This study applies the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model to develop criteria and indicators for identifying priority areas for biodiversity conservation in Vietnam. The findings suggest that the factors of Pressure, State, and Response contribute differently to the prioritization of biodiversity conservation, with weights of 41%, 26%, and 33% respectively.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Fabio Balotari-Chiebao, Andrea Santangeli, Sirke Piirainen, Patrik Byholm
Summary: Wind energy can harm bird populations through various means, such as collision mortality and habitat loss. Appropriate site selection based on landscape priorities can effectively mitigate these damages. In this study, we used a Spatial Conservation Prioritisation software to identify priority areas for bird conservation in relation to onshore wind energy in Finland. Our results showed the importance of protecting coastal and adjacent areas, and the need to expand the network of protected areas to safeguard sensitive bird species. Additionally, conflicts between birds and wind energy were found to concentrate in the west coast region, highlighting the importance of careful spatial planning in potentially high conflict areas.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emiliano Donadio, Sebastian Di Martino, Sofia Heinonen
Summary: A foundation is reintroducing native species to restore ecosystems and develop ecotourism.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Thomas Puttker, Renato Crouzeilles, Mauricio Almeida-Gomes, Marina Schmoeller, Daniel Maurenza, Helena Alves-Pinto, Renata Pardini, Marcus V. Vieira, Cristina Banks-Leite, Carlos R. Fonseca, Jean Paul Metzger, Gustavo M. Accacio, Eduardo R. Alexandrino, Camila S. Barros, Juliano A. Bogoni, Danilo Boscolo, Pedro H. S. Brancalion, Adriana A. Bueno, Elaine C. B. Cambui, Gustavo R. Canale, Rui Cerqueira, Ricardo G. Cesar, Gabriel D. Colletta, Ana C. Delciellos, Marianna Dixo, Candelaria Estavillo, Carolina F. Esteves, Fabio Falcao, Fabiano T. Farah, Deborah Faria, Katia M. P. M. B. Ferraz, Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Patricia A. Ferreira, Mauricio E. Graipel, Carlos E. Grelle, Malva I. M. Hernandez, Natalia Ivanauskas, Rudi R. Laps, Inara R. Leal, Marilia M. Lima, Marilia B. Lion, Marcelo Magioli, Luiz F. S. Magnago, Julia R. A. S. Mangueira, Euvaldo Marciano-Jr, Eduardo Mariano-Neto, Marcia C. M. Marques, Sebastiao Martins, Marlla A. Matos, Fabio A. R. Matos, Jeanette Miachir, Jose M. Morante-Filho, Natalie Olifiers, Luiz G. R. Oliveira-Santos, Mateus L. B. Paciencia, Adriano P. Paglia, Marcelo Passamani, Carlos A. Peres, Clarissa M. Pinto Leite, Tiago J. Porto, Luciano C. A. Querido, Luciana C. Reis, Andreia A. Rezende, Dary M. G. Rigueira, Pedro L. B. Rocha, Larissa Rocha-Santos, Ricardo R. Rodrigues, Rafael A. S. Santos, Juliana S. Santos, Maxwell S. Silveira, Marcelo Simonelli, Marcelo Tabarelli, Rodrigo N. Vasconcelos, Blandina F. Viana, Emerson M. Vieira, Jayme A. Prevedello
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Cristian Dambros, Gabriela Zuquim, Gabriel M. Moulatlet, Flavia R. C. Costa, Hanna Tuomisto, Camila C. Ribas, Renato Azevedo, Fabricio Baccaro, Paulo E. D. Bobrowiec, Murilo S. Dias, Thaise Emilio, Helder M. Espirito-Santo, Fernando O. G. Figueiredo, Elizabeth Franklin, Cintia Freitas, Marlon B. Graca, Fernando d'Horta, Rafael P. Leitao, Marina Maximiano, Fernando P. Mendonca, Juliana Menger, Jose W. Morais, Affonso H. N. de Souza, Jorge L. P. Souza, Valeria da C. Tavares, Julio D. do Vale, Eduardo M. Venticinque, Jansen Zuanon, William E. Magnusson
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Carlos Roberto Fonseca, Gustavo B. Paterno, Demetrio L. Guadagnin, Eduardo M. Venticinque, Gerhard E. Overbeck, Gislene Ganade, Jean Paul Metzger, Johannes Kollmann, Johannes Sauer, Marcio Zikan Cardoso, Priscila F. M. Lopes, Rafael S. Oliveira, Valerio D. Pillar, Wolfgang W. Weisser
Summary: Conservation biology aims to identify pressing environmental problems and find solutions. This review found that over the past four decades, there has been an increasing trend in solution-based research, especially in areas like habitat loss and overexploitation. The importance of solution-based research in conservation discourse is becoming more recognized, with significant impacts on conservation practices, public perception, and environmental policies.
PERSPECTIVES IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Eugenia Cordero-Schmidt, Pietro Kiyoshi Maruyama, Juan Carlos Vargas-Mena, Paulino Pereira Oliveira, Francisco de Assis R. Santos, Rodrigo A. Medellin, Bernal Rodriguez-Herrera, Eduardo M. Venticinque
Summary: Seasonal and annual variations of interaction networks between nectarivorous bats and flower species in the Caatinga were described. The study found high levels of interaction overlap among nectar-feeding bats, contributing to ecological generalization. This generalized interaction pattern was consistent across seasons and years.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniel Falster, Rachael Gallagher, Elizabeth H. Wenk, Ian J. Wright, Dony Indiarto, Samuel C. Andrew, Caitlan Baxter, James Lawson, Stuart Allen, Anne Fuchs, Anna Monro, Fonti Kar, Mark A. Adams, Collin W. Ahrens, Matthew Alfonzetti, Tara Angevin, Deborah M. G. Apgaua, Stefan Arndt, Owen K. Atkin, Joe Atkinson, Tony Auld, Andrew Baker, Maria von Balthazar, Anthony Bean, Chris J. Blackman, Keith Bloomfeld, David M. J. S. Bowman, Jason Bragg, Timothy J. Brodribb, Genevieve Buckton, Geof Burrows, Elizabeth Caldwell, James Camac, Raymond Carpenter, JaneA Catford, Gregory R. Cawthray, Lucas A. Cernusak, Gregory Chandler, Alex R. Chapman, David Cheal, Alexander W. Cheesman, Si-Chong Chen, Brendan Choat, Brook Clinton, Peta L. Clode, Helen Coleman, William K. Cornwell, Meredith Cosgrove, Michael Crisp, Erika Cross, Kristine Y. Crous, Saul Cunningham, Timothy Curran, Ellen Curtis, Matthew Daws, Jane L. DeGabriel, Matthew D. Denton, Ning Dong, Pengzhen Du, Honglang Duan, David H. Duncan, Richard P. Duncan, Marco Duretto, John M. Dwyer, Cheryl Edwards, Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez, John R. Evans, Susan E. Everingham, Claire Farrell, Jennifer Firn, Carlos Roberto Fonseca, Ben J. French, Doug Frood, Jennifer L. Funk, Sonya R. Geange, Oula Ghannoum, Sean M. Gleason, Carl R. Gosper, Emma Gray, Philip K. Groom, Saskia Grootemaat, Caroline Gross, Greg Guerin, Lydia Guja, Amy K. Hahs, Matthew Tom Harrison, Patrick E. Hayes, Martin Henery, Dieter Hochuli, Jocelyn Howell, Guomin Huang, Lesley Hughes, John Huisman, Jugoslav Ilic, Ashika Jagdish, Daniel Jin, Gregory Jordan, Enrique Jurado, John Kanowski, Sabine Kasel, Jurgen Kellermann, Belinda Kenny, Michele Kohout, Robert M. Kooyman, Martyna M. Kotowska, Hao Ran Lai, Etienne Laliberte, Hans Lambers, Byron B. Lamont, Robert Lanfear, Frank van Langevelde, Daniel C. Laughlin, Bree-Anne Laugier-kitchener, Susan Laurance, Caroline E. R. Lehmann, Andrea Leigh, Michelle R. Leishman, Tanja Lenz, Brendan Lepschi, James D. Lewis, Felix Lim, Udayangani Liu, Janice Lord, Christopher H. Lusk, Cate Macinnis-Ng, Hannah McPherson, Susana Magallon, Anthony Manea, Andrea Lopez-Martinez, Margaret Mayfeld, James K. McCarthy, Trevor Meers, Marlien van der Merwe, Daniel J. Metcalfe, Per Milberg, Karel Mokany, Angela T. Moles, Ben D. Moore, Nicholas Moore, John W. Morgan, William Morris, Annette Muir, Samantha Munroe, Aine Nicholson, Dean Nicolle, Adrienne B. Nicotra, Ulo Niinemets, Tom North, Andrew O'Reilly-Nugent, Odhran S. O'Sullivan, Brad Oberle, Yusuke Onoda, Mark K. J. Ooi, Colin P. Osborne, Grazyna Paczkowska, Burak Pekin, Caio Guilherme Pereira, Catherine Pickering, Melinda Pickup, Laura J. Pollock, Pieter Poot, Jef R. Powell, SallyA Power, Iain Colin Prentice, Lynda Prior, Suzanne M. Prober, Jennifer Read, Victoria Reynolds, Anna E. Richards, Ben Richardson, Michael L. Roderick, Julieta A. Rosell, Maurizio Rossetto, Barbara Rye, Paul D. Rymer, MichaelA Sams, Gordon Sanson, Herve Sauquet, Susanne Schmidt, Juerg Schoenenberger, Ernst-Detlef Schulze, Kerrie Sendall, Steve Sinclair, Benjamin Smith, Renee Smith, Fiona Soper, Ben Sparrow, Rachel J. Standish, Timothy L. Staples, Ruby Stephens, Christopher Szota, Guy Taseski, Elizabeth Tasker, Freya Thomas, David T. Tissue, Mark G. Tjoelker, David Yue Phin Tng, Felix de Tombeur, Kyle Tomlinson, Neil C. Turner, Erik J. Veneklaas, Susanna Venn, Peter Vesk, Carolyn Vlasveld, Maria S. Vorontsova, Charles A. Warren, Nigel Warwick, Lasantha K. Weerasinghe, Jessie Wells, Mark Westoby, Matthew White, Nicholas S. G. Williams, Jarrah Wills, Peter G. Wilson, Colin Yates, Amy E. Zanne, Graham Zemunik, Kasia Zieminska
Summary: AusTraits is a database compiling values of plant traits for taxa in the Australian flora, encompassing data from various sources and traits ranging from physiological to morphological aspects. It provides curated data and contextual information, serving as a template for similar initiatives globally.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Andre A. Nogueira, Antonio D. Brescovit, Gilmar Perbiche-Neves, Eduardo M. Venticinque
Summary: Beta diversity is high along elevational gradients, with spider communities showing increased dominance at higher elevations. The observed pattern did not align with the proposed elevational division for the region, indicating that lowland spider communities extend into the uplands. Other measures of compositional change also support this pattern, highlighting the importance of protecting montane spider communities in the face of the climate crisis.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Marina Antongiovanni, Eduardo M. Venticinque, Leandro R. Tambosi, Marcelo Matsumoto, Jean Paul Metzger, Carlos Roberto Fonseca
Summary: Restoration actions in the Brazilian Caatinga focused on landscape resilience, connectivity, and biodiversity conservation value, prioritizing areas for conservation of threatened endemic plant species. By integrating multiple criteria, a framework was developed to maximize restoration effectiveness in the region.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Carlos Roberto Fonseca, Martin M. Gossner, Johannes Kollmann, Martin Braendle, Gustavo Brant Paterno
Summary: The question of why sex has evolved and is maintained remains unanswered in evolutionary biology. The Red Queen hypothesis suggests that host lineages facing more intense parasite pressure invest more in sexual reproduction. This study of angiosperms found that hermaphrodite plant species associated with higher insect herbivore diversity evolved flowers with higher allocation towards the male sex, indicating greater outcrossing effort. Long-term herbivory pressure was identified as a key factor driving the selfing-outcrossing gradient in higher plants.
Article
Plant Sciences
Marina Vergara Fagundes, Rafael S. Oliveira, Carlos Roberto Fonseca, Gislene Ganade
Summary: Functional trait combinations of nurse and target plants can predict the strength and sign of facilitation in plant communities. Low SLA nurses interacting with acquisitive targets, and nurses with lower values of leaf partial differential C13 interacting with high root:shoot ratio targets, promote facilitation. Furthermore, root volume of the nurse also contributes to facilitation. This study highlights the importance of functional trait match in understanding plant community assembly rules and promoting ecosystem management and restoration.
Article
Ecology
Maria N. Clerici Hirschfeld, Luiz R. R. Faria, Carlos Roberto Fonseca
Summary: Calls for decolonization in the scientific community exist, with ecology only making superficial progress. To truly decolonize, two gaps need to be addressed: recognition of decolonial theories from the Global South and a deeper analysis of the historical and socioeconomic factors shaping knowledge production and validation in ecology.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Virginia Helen Figueiredo Paixao, Vanessa Gabrielle Nobrega Gomes, Camila Silveira de Souza, Eduardo Martins Venticinque
Summary: This study monitored frugivory interactions on five cacti species in the Brazilian Caatinga dry forest and found that the height of the cacti influenced the types of frugivores involved, resulting in a modular interaction network. The results support the notion that cacti are keystone species in semiarid ecosystems.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Maria Noel C. Hirschfeld, Luiz Roberto R. Faria, Gabriel S. Gil, Carlos Roberto Fonseca
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global crisis in epidemiology, economy, and society. The impact of the pandemic varies due to political and ethical questions, highlighting the importance of historical inequalities in understanding environmental impacts and finding solutions in the post-pandemic world.
ETHNOBIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Joao Vitor Campos-Silva, Carlos A. Peres, Joao Henrique Fernandes Amaral, Hugo Sarmento, Bruce Forsberg, Carlos Roberto Fonseca
Summary: Our study investigates the importance of bottom-up versus top-down drivers of phytoplankton biomass in tropical floodplain lakes. The results show that community-based fisheries management, controlling apex predators, is a strong predictor of phytoplankton biomass in dry seasons, while top-down forces play a significant role in primary productivity in tropical lakes. Management practices should consider both bottom-up and top-down factors to ensure biodiversity protection and sustainable fisheries yields.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2021)