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
Ernest F. Asamoah, Linda J. Beaumont, Joseph M. Maina
Summary: The study indicates that more than a quarter of the world's protected areas will experience high rates of climate change and land-use change by 2050. Changes are expected to occur more often in tropical moist and grassland biomes, which are currently home to diverse species of animals and plants. The findings can inform spatially adaptive natural resource management to achieve sustainable development and biodiversity goals.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mohamed I. Bakarr
Summary: In order to protect nature, African parks need to contribute to human well-being, overcome threats, and secure reliable funding sources. The first Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) held in Rwanda reaffirmed the importance of protected and conserved areas (PCAs) in safeguarding wildlife and biodiversity on the continent. This paper discusses how African countries can address the needs of making PCAs people centered, advancing integrated approaches to tackle biodiversity loss, and promoting sustainable and innovative financing for PCAs.
CONSERVATION LETTERS
(2023)
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
Environmental Sciences
Shawan Chowdhury, Shofiul Alam, Mahzabin Muzahid Labi, Nahla Khan, Md Rokonuzzaman, Dipto Biswas, Tasmia Tahea, Sharif A. Mukul, Richard A. Fuller
Summary: The biodiversity in South Asian Protected Areas (PAs) is facing a wide range of anthropogenic threats, with research biased towards India and focusing mainly on species distribution. Most PAs are very small and have not yet reached international biodiversity targets.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nawal Shrestha, Xiaoting Xu, Jiahui Meng, Zhiheng Wang
Summary: Protected areas (PAs) play a crucial role in conservation efforts, but their effectiveness is debated. A multidimensional framework was proposed in this study to assess PA vulnerability and identify areas suitable for expansion. Nearly 10% of threatened PAs and around one-fifth of PAs with climate and anthropogenic vulnerabilities were identified in China, with high climate instability in species vulnerability hotspots.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
A. Brennan, R. Naidoo, L. Greenstreet, Z. Mehrabi, N. Ramankutty, C. Kremen
Summary: This study maps the functional connectivity of the world's terrestrial protected areas (PAs) and quantifies national PA connectivity through the lens of mammal movement. It finds that mitigating human footprint may improve connectivity more than adding new PAs. The most important areas for mammal movement globally are currently unprotected, and their conservation and restoration can support other global conservation priorities.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maren Pauly, Will Crosse, Joshua Tosteson
Summary: This study analyzed the economic drivers of deforestation in Cambodia and the effectiveness of REDD+ projects compared to protected areas. The findings indicate that Economic Land Concessions were the main driver of deforestation in Cambodia, and REDD+ projects offered greater protection against deforestation than adjacent protected areas, likely due to increased funding for targeted community activities and rigorous monitoring and enforcement.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jorge Antonio Gomez . Diaz, Andres Lira-Noriega, Fabricio Villalobos
Summary: This study assessed the effectiveness of the current protected area system and identified priority conservation areas for expanding the network in central Veracruz, Mexico. Using distribution models and conservation planning tools, the study proposed declaring new protected areas that would double the existing protected surface. These priority areas have higher species richness, carbon stock values, natural vegetation cover, and lower human impact.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND WORLD ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Rachel Palfrey, Johan A. Oldekop, George Holmes
Summary: Private protected areas make significant contributions to biodiversity conservation and connectivity of protected area networks, but they are currently underrecognized and lack sufficient resources.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hongbo Yang, Andres Vina, Julie Ann Winkler, Min Gon Chung, Qiongyu Huang, Yue Dou, William J. McShea, Melissa Songer, Jindong Zhang, Jianguo Liu
Summary: The majority of protected areas contribute to preventing forest loss, but only 30.5% of forest loss in these areas have been prevented. Protected areas with higher rates of forest loss in their surrounding regions, located at lower elevations, near cities with higher agricultural productivity, and with fewer human uses permission were better able to prevent forest loss.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sonia Llorente-Culebras, Richard J. Ladle, Ana M. C. Santos
Summary: One of the main strategies to reduce global loss of biodiversity is the establishment of protected areas. However, biodiversity knowledge is biased taxonomically and geographically, and there are shortfalls and biases in the research conducted in protected areas. Reducing these biases and shortfalls is essential for more effective use of limited conservation resources.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Wenyuan Jiang, Shuanglin Jiang
Summary: Facing the challenge of biodiversity conservation, China faces the major challenge of building a scientific and effective regulatory system. The evolution of protection regulations has resulted in a more comprehensive policy and legal framework, integrating protected areas and spatial planning. Suggestions for enhancing current reforms are proposed.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Haowei Mu, Xuecao Li, Xiaoping Du, Jianxi Huang, Wei Su, Tengyun Hu, Yanan Wen, Peiyi Yin, Yuan Han, Fei Xue
Summary: This study developed a framework to evaluate light pollution status in global protected areas using global nighttime light time series data. The study found that global light pollution is mainly distributed within the range of 30 degrees N and 60 degrees N, including Europe, North America, and East Asia. Japan and the United States of America had opposite trends in nighttime light intensity due to well-planned ecological conservation policies and declining population growth.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Tsegaye T. Gatiso, Lars Kulik, Mona Bachmann, Aletta Bonn, Lukas Boesch, Dustin Eirdosh, Andreas Freytag, Susan Hanisch, Marco Heurich, Tenekwetche Sop, Karsten Wesche, Marten Winter, Hjalmar S. Kuehl
Summary: Despite favorable socio-economic context and high conservation efforts, protected areas have limited effectiveness in halting biodiversity loss. Increasing conservation efforts may be necessary, but the diminishing marginal returns principle implies that even greater efforts and resources would be needed as protected areas approach zero biodiversity loss. Adopting core design principles that consider the social-ecological contexts of protected areas could help overcome the observed hurdles of limited effectiveness and better integrate them into sustainable development efforts.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2022)
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Carmela Marangi, Angela Martiradonna, Stefania Ragni
Summary: Controlling and planning the removal of invasive species is of great importance in natural resource management. By combining population dynamics models with optimization procedures, an effective allocation of resources can be achieved. In this study, we propose a parabolic optimal control model that incorporates external forces to improve the accuracy of the model. We also introduce a novel numerical procedure to reduce computational costs.
APPLIED MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ana Paula Portela, Isabelle Durance, Cristiana Vieira, Joao Honrado
Summary: The need to understand the impact of communities on ecosystem functioning and services in riparian ecosystems has been highlighted by environmental changes and biodiversity loss. This study used the response-effect trait framework to link drivers, traits, ecosystem functions, and services in riparian ecosystems and assessed their sensitivity to environmental changes. The findings suggest that riparian plant communities can propagate the effects of environmental changes to ecosystem functioning and services, highlighting the importance of managing these ecosystems for sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Valeria Tomaselli, Francesca Mantino, Cristina Tarantino, Giuseppe Albanese, Maria Adamo
Summary: The wetlands in the Capitanata Zone Umide of the Apulia Region, Italy, are an important part of the Mediterranean wetland system, but they have been facing increasing anthropogenic pressures in recent decades. This study analyzes the changes in the area between 2010 and 2020 and identifies agriculture practices and changes in water flow pattern as the main driving forces affecting the wetlands. Different management strategies have led to varying levels of conservation.
WETLANDS ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cristina Tarantino, Mariella Aquilino, Rocco Labadessa, Maria Adamo
Summary: We propose evaluating the effectiveness of protected areas by using a time series of the SDG 15.1.2 indicator to quantify the presence of grassland ecosystem in Murgia Alta, Italy. Remote sensing imagery from 1990 to 2021 was used to extract grassland cover mappings and compute the SDG 15.1.2 indicator. The study found a significant reduction in grassland presence from 1990 to 2004, followed by stability, indicating the effectiveness of protection actions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Saverio Sciandrello, Salvatore Cambria, Gianpietro Giusso del Galdo, Pietro Minissale, Marta Puglisi, Gianmarco Tavilla, Valeria Tomaselli
Summary: In order to conserve endangered plant species, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of their habitats. Urtica rupestris Guss. (Urticaceae) is a rare endemic plant species found on shady cliffs in southern-eastern Sicily. Due to human activities, the natural habitats have been fragmented, leading to the decline and disappearance of several plant species. This study analyzes vegetation plots to characterize the floristic composition of the U. rupestris community, and proposes new risk status and habitat designation for its long-term conservation. The establishment of a new association, Urtico rupestris-Adiantetum capilli-veneris, is also described.
Review
Plant Sciences
Rita Accogli, Valeria Tomaselli, Paolo Direnzo, Enrico Vito Perrino, Giuseppe Albanese, Marcella Urbano, Gaetano Laghetti
Summary: The Mediterranean basin is home to numerous wild edible species used for food and medicine by humans for centuries. Many of these species grow in saline conditions, particularly near coastal areas. This article provides an overview of the most important halophyte species traditionally gathered by rural communities in southern Italy, including information on their ecology, traditional uses, medicinal properties, marketing, and cultivation attempts. These species also have potential as a new cash crop for marginal marshlands.
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Fasma Diele, Ilenia Luiso, Carmela Marangi, Angela Martiradonna
Summary: Soil carbon modeling is crucial to evaluate changes in the Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) index. Existing literature mainly focuses on the stability and resilience of SOC steady states, but lacks information on transient dynamics. In this study, the concept of generalized reactivity (g-reactivity) is used to analyze different models and trace the transient dynamics of SOC indicators. The impact of increased temperatures on the stability of carbon steady states and SOC-reactivity is compared using data from Alta Murgia National Park.
APPLIED MATHEMATICAL MODELLING
(2023)
Review
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Yaowu Wang, Sander Mucher, Wensheng Wang, Leifeng Guo, Lammert Kooistra
Summary: Within precision livestock farming, three-dimensional computer vision is used to improve growth monitoring in cattle management. This systematic review investigates the implementation of three-dimensional computer vision in cattle growth management by collecting and analyzing 47 eligible studies. The results show that the body measurements assessment task contributes to other three-dimensional cattle growth tasks, and the most frequently applied approach for three-dimensional data acquisition is using Kinect sensors fixed at nadirs to obtain dorsal features. This review provides insights into three-dimensional computer vision in cattle growth management and discusses the potential of building an automatic and successive three-dimensional multi-task cattle growth monitoring management system.
COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS IN AGRICULTURE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bruno Marcos, Joao Goncalves, Domingo Alcaraz-Segura, Mario Cunha, Joao P. Honrado
Summary: This study proposes a satellite-based approach to assess ecosystem resilience to wildfires based on post-fire trajectories of four key functional dimensions of ecosystems related to carbon, water, and energy exchanges. The study used MODIS data for 2000-2018 to analyze trajectories after the 2005 wildfires in NW Iberian Peninsula. The approach successfully depicted key features of post-fire processes of ecosystem functioning at different timeframes and has promising implications for post-fire ecosystem management.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
S. A. L. V. A. T. O. R. E. Brullo, C. R. I. S. T. I. A. N. Brullo, S. A. L. V. A. T. O. R. E. Cambria, P. I. E. T. R. O. Minissale, S. A. V. E. R. I. O. Sciandrello, G. I. U. S. E. P. P. E. Siracusa, G. I. A. N. M. A. R. C. O. Tavilla, V. A. L. E. R. I. A. Tomaselli, Gianpietro Giusso Del Galdo
Summary: Based on herbarium and field investigations, this study examines the taxonomic status of Solenopsis laurentia, a hygrophilous species of the Campanulaceae family, showing a Mediterranean distribution. Five subspecies were recognized based on morphological and nomenclatural studies conducted on living populations from various Italian localities. Detailed descriptions, illustrations, micromorphology analysis, taxonomical relationships, distribution, conservation status, and nomenclatural notes were provided for each subspecies.
Article
Mathematics
Vsevolod Bohaienko, Fasma Diele, Carmela Marangi, Cristiano Tamborrino, Sebastian Aleksandrowicz, Edyta Wozniak
Summary: A new fractional q-order variation of the RothC model is introduced in this article. A computational method based on the discretization of the analytic solution and the finite-difference technique is suggested, and the stability results for the latter are provided. The accuracy of the scheme is confirmed through numerical testing, demonstrating a better match between simulated and actual data compared to the traditional integer-order model.
Article
Environmental Studies
Gianmarco Tavilla, Arthur Lamoliere, James Gabarretta, Vincent Attard, Jonathan Henwood, Darrin T. Stevens, Gianpietro Giusso del Galdo, Pietro Minissale, Veronica Ranno, Maria Adamo, Valeria Tomaselli, Saverio Sciandrello, Sandro Lanfranco
Summary: This study evaluated the halophilous vegetation diversity of a wetland in Malta and found that climate change poses a threat to the wetland and drives changes in the ecological fingerprint of the vegetation. The results and methodology of this study are significant for improving the management and planning of the protected area.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Giovanni Spampinato, Valeria Tomaselli, Luigi Forte, Sandro Strumia, Adriano Stinca, Antonio Croce, Simonetta Fascetti, Leonardo Rosati, Romeo Di Pietro, Francesca Mantino, Valentina Lucia Astrid Laface, Carmelo Maria Musarella
Summary: The 92/43/EEC Habitats Directive is an important EU legal tool for nature conservation, listing phytosociology-based habitat types. This study presents and describes neglected habitat types in southern Italy, proposing 8 new types and 13 subtypes. Detailed information on ecology, distribution, species composition, threats, and conservation status is provided for each proposed new habitat type, along with distribution maps and phytosociological tables.
RENDICONTI LINCEI-SCIENZE FISICHE E NATURALI
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hosea Opedes, Michiel van Eupen, Caspar Muecher, Jantiene Baartman, Frank Mugagga
Summary: Land use changes are the result of interactions between different factors. Land use models help stakeholders understand and predict these changes, supporting natural resource conservation. This study used historical data and a land use change model to project future land use changes on Mount Elgon. The results showed that agriculture and low-stocked tropical high forest will be the dominant land cover classes in the future.
JOURNAL FOR NATURE CONSERVATION
(2023)
