Article
Oceanography
Edwin S. Uribe, Andrea Luna-Acosta, Andres Etter
Summary: The study conducted in the Colombian Caribbean for the first time using the Red List of Ecosystems methodology to assess collapse risk for coral ecosystems found that all ecosystem units at the three scales were assessed from vulnerable to critically endangered, proposing practical management recommendations.
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Somaya Magdy M. Ghoraba, Marwa Waseem A. Halmy, Boshra B. Salem, Nadia Badr E. Badr
Summary: The RLE assessment revealed that the sand plain and salt marshes ecosystems on the marine bar are critically endangered due to urban and human activities in the region. The ecosystems are also expected to face disruptions in biotic processes and interactions in the future as a result of slight changes in sea-level and coastal erosions.
REGIONAL STUDIES IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Andrew Luke Skowno, Maphale Stella Monyeki
Summary: South Africa has taken unique measures in ecosystem assessment and protection, developing threat status indicators and integrating a list of threatened ecosystems into the national environmental regulatory framework. Transitioning to the IUCN RLE framework involved technical steps and social legal processes, ensuring understanding and support from the conservation sector in South Africa.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
H. Van Deventer, J. B. Adams, J. F. Durand, R. Grobler, P. L. Grundling, S. Janse van Rensburg, D. Jewitt, B. Kelbe, C. F. MacKay, L. Naidoo, Jeanne L. Nel, L. Pretorius, T. Riddin, L. Van Niekerk
Summary: Africa's range-restricted and transitional subtropical-temperate coastal forested wetlands are facing threats of climate change and human activities. Conservation assessment using IUCN criteria showed that these habitats are critically endangered, with significant loss of area and fragmentation observed. Several faunal species associated with these wetlands are declining, emphasizing the urgent need for conservation efforts.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Victor Cazalis, Luca Santini, Pablo M. Lucas, Manuela Gonzalez-Suarez, Michael Hoffmann, Ana Benitez-Lopez, Michela Pacifici, Aafke M. Schipper, Monika Boehm, Alexander Zizka, Viola Clausnitzer, Carsten Meyer, Martin Jung, Stuart H. M. Butchart, Pedro Cardoso, Giordano Mancini, H. Resit Akcakaya, Bruce E. Young, Guillaume Patoine, Moreno Di Marco
Summary: The usefulness of the IUCN Red List is hindered by the lack of data on 14% of species. This study proposes a reproducible method to help prioritize the reassessment of data-deficient species and provides a list of species likely to have sufficient data, thereby improving the comprehensiveness of the IUCN Red List.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qi Chen, Joris Timmermans, Wen Wen, Peter M. van Bodegom
Summary: Global climate change is projected to amplify drought severity and duration, which could lead to ecosystem collapse. However, the vulnerability of ecosystems to drought has rarely been studied. In this research, a novel approach was used to quantify ecosystem vulnerability and its impact on different ecosystems in Europe. The study found that vulnerabilities differ across ecosystems, with damages increasing with earlier, longer, and more intense droughts. Irrigated croplands are at high risk, responding quickly to droughts, while mixed forests have low vulnerability, responding slowly and with a longer duration. The vulnerability of most ecosystems increases with drought severity. The findings suggest that a wide range of ecosystems will be threatened by intensified droughts in the future.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elin A. Thomas, Aoife Molloy, Nova B. Hanson, Monika Boehm, Mary Seddon, Julia D. Sigwart
Summary: The study shows that 62% of molluscs endemic to hydrothermal vents are under threat, with some species fully protected while others facing threats from deep-sea mining. The relative threat index highlights greater risks at vent fields in the Indian Ocean, while vent sites within established marine protected areas have a higher proportion of species assessed as Least Concern.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Shenglin Jiao, Hua Zhang, Yaofeng Cai, Jianbo Chen, Zhuo Feng, Shuzhong Shen
Summary: In this study, high-resolution PAHs in a non-marine P-T transitional sequence from Southwest China were investigated. The consistent distribution patterns of PAHs and the positive correlation between PAH contents in the whole sequence indicate a common source or process. The increase in PAH ratios during the Late Permian suggests high-temperature wildfire events, while the extremely low PAH contents in the Early Triassic indicate a fuel shortage after mass deforestation and a change in vegetation.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Simone Orsenigo, Giuseppe Fenu, Domenico Gargano, Chiara Montagnani, Thomas Abeli, Alessandro Alessandrini, Gianluigi Bacchetta, Fabrizio Bartolucci, Angelino Carta, Miris Castello, Donatella Cogoni, Fabio Conti, Gianniantonio Domina, Bruno Foggi, Matilde Gennai, Daniela Gigante, Mauro Iberite, Lorenzo Peruzzi, Maria Silvia Pinna, Filippo Prosser, Annalisa Santangelo, Alberto Selvaggi, Adriano Stinca, Mariacristina Villani, Robert P. Wagensommer, Nicoletta Tartaglini, Eugenio Dupre, Carlo Blasi, Graziano Rossi
Summary: Italy possesses a rich natural heritage, but it is under significant pressure. Plants play a crucial role in ecosystem functioning and services. The updated Red List of Italian vascular flora highlights habitat modifications as the primary threat to the Italian flora.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Thomas Dunlop, William Glamore, Stefan Felder
Summary: Traditional solutions to estuarine flood risk management involve static shoreline protection structures, but Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are being considered as alternative measures. However, current NbS guidelines lack technical content bridging ecological and engineering values, focusing more on project implementation and investor frameworks. This study proposes a conceptual approach for integrating ecological and engineering aspects in estuarine ecosystems to establish NbS as self-sustaining ecosystems.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Liping Li, Haining Qin, Eimear Nic Lughadha, Yaomin Zheng, Huawei Wan, Jack Plummer, Melanie-Jayne R. Howes, Huiyuan Liu, Yangming Jiang, Tuo Wang, Huihui Zhao, Zhanfeng Shen, Huiping Huang
Summary: Based on the assessments in 2013 and 2020, a total of 4,088 (10.39%) species of Chinese higher plants are threatened in 2020, with 2,875 (7.31%) considered Near Threatened and 27,593 (70.16%) categorized as Least Concern. The Red List Index showed different patterns in the two years, indicating effective protection for threatened plant species in China. Attention should be given to non-threatened species in the future for conservation purposes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DIGITAL EARTH
(2023)
Review
Agronomy
R. Gowthami, Neelam Sharma, Ruchira Pandey, Anuradha Agrawal
Summary: India has a wide range of medicinal plants that have been widely adopted globally due to their effectiveness, low side effects, and accessibility. However, these plants are facing the threat of extinction, which has led to conservation efforts and the compilation of a list of 84 threatened species. Traditional medicine in India has shown potential in combating diseases, including recent pandemics, making it a valuable resource for researchers and policymakers.
GENETIC RESOURCES AND CROP EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Patrick J. Comer, Jon C. Hak, Patrick McIntyre
Summary: The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems is a global standard for assessing ecosystem risk, and a new framework was used to assess climate change vulnerability of upland ecosystems in the United States.
Article
Ecology
Turgay Dindaroglu
Summary: Full-scale intensive silvicultural activities can deteriorate the fragile structural features of karst ecosystems, but landscape networks can connect degraded habitats effectively. This study used AHP and GIS to identify suitable eco-regions and landscape corridors for reforestation, recommending afforestation for 'best' corridors and rehabilitation for 'poor' corridors in order to enhance the effectiveness of landscape networks in the degraded karst ecosystem.
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Changjun Li, Lixin Zhu, Wen -Tao Li, Daoji Li
Summary: Marine microplastic (MP) pollution is a global environmental issue that has raised concerns. This study aims to summarize the development, key areas of interest, and research deficiencies of MP pollution in seagrass beds through bibliometric analyses and comprehensive data exploration. The findings highlight the ubiquitous presence of MPs in seagrass canopies, sediments, and marine organisms, as well as the lack of research on seagrass species. The study also points out methodological inconsistencies and the need for further analysis of the sources and impacts of MPs in seagrass beds.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Owen F. Price, Katarina Mikac, Nicholas Wilson, Bridget Roberts, Romane H. Critescu, Rachael Gallagher, Justin Mallee, Paul Donatiou, Jonathon Webb, David A. Keith, Michael Letnic, Berin D. W. Mackenzie
Summary: This article introduces a symposium on the impacts of the unprecedented 2019-20 bushfires in south-eastern Australia on biodiversity, summarizing nine presentations and reviewing other field studies. The results show extensive impacts, but higher survival rates than initially reported by the media. However, small populations remain vulnerable to future fires. A comprehensive understanding of the impacts requires more field studies and interpretation in the context of broader fire regimes. The symposium marks an important early step in this understanding.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Katharine L. Senior, Katherine M. Giljohann, Michael A. McCarthy, Luke T. Kelly
Summary: The study found that spatial patterns of planned burning have significant effects on reptile diversity, while mammals do not show clear relationships with fine-scale fire patterns. Retaining unburnt areas and well-connected habitat refuges is crucial for reptile diversity.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mark Burgman, Rafael Chiaravalloti, Fiona Fidler, Yizhong Huan, Marissa McBride, Alexandru Marcoci, Juliet Norman, Ans Vercammen, Bonnie Wintle, Yurong Yu
Summary: Conservation science practitioners face challenges in taking efficient and timely action to protect species, ecosystems, and social-ecological systems, even when data and understanding are lacking. This paper proposes a toolkit for open and pluralistic conservation science, aiming to identify and remedy questionable practices and biases in research.
CONSERVATION LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nicole Shumway, Megan Saunders, Sam Nicol, Richard A. Fuller, Noam Ben-Moshe, Takuya Iwamura, Sun W. Kim, Nicholas J. Murray, James E. M. Watson, Martine Maron
Summary: Biodiversity offsets aim to counterbalance the impacts of development on species and ecosystems. The effectiveness of spatially flexible offsets, located further from the impact area, in achieving no net loss or better ecological outcomes compared to local offsets is uncertain. In the case study of migratory shorebirds, there were insufficient data to draw robust conclusions about the effectiveness and equivalence of distant habitat-based offsets. The potential benefits of spatially flexible offsets need to be evaluated against the increased risks to ensure effective offset placement.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Carmen Galaz Garcia, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Julien Brun, Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer, Trevor Dhu, Nicholas J. Murray, Connor J. Nolan, Taylor H. Ricketts, Heidi M. Sosik, Daniel Sousa, Geoff Willard, Benjamin S. Halpern
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Liubov Volkova, Haruni Krisnawati, Muhammad A. Qirom, Wahyu C. Adinugroho, Rinaldi Imanuddin, Freddy Jontara Hutapea, Michael A. McCarthy, Julian Di Stefano, Christopher J. Weston
Summary: Tropical peat swamp forests are home to diverse plant communities and endangered species. Disturbances such as drainage, logging, and fire threaten these forests. The recovery of tree species from these threats is still not well understood. A study in Central Borneo found that after two to three decades, the richness and diversity of tree species in regenerating peat swamp forests reached similar levels to relatively undisturbed reference forests. However, across landscapes, fires occurring every 50 or 100 years can significantly reduce tree species richness and diversity. The study also identified two groups of tree species, "decreasers" and "increasers," that drove the difference in richness and diversity between disturbed and reference forests.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Melissa A. Karp, Jason S. Link, Max Grezlik, Steve Cadrin, Gavin Fay, Patrick Lynch, Howard Townsend, Richard D. Methot, Grant D. Adams, Kristan Blackhart, Caren Barcelo, Andre Buchheister, Matthew Cieri, David Chagaris, Villy Christensen, J. Kevin Craig, Jonathan Cummings, Matthew D. Damiano, Mark Dickey-Collas, Bjarki Por Elvarsson, Sarah Gaichas, Melissa A. Haltuch, Janne B. Haugen, Daniel Howell, Isaac C. Kaplan, Willem Klajbor, Scott Large, Michelle Masi, Jason McNamee, Brandon Muffley, Sarah Murray, Eva Plaganyi, David Reid, Anna Rindorf, Skyler R. Sagarese, Amy M. Schueller, Robert Thorpe, James T. Thorson, Maciej T. Tomczak, Vanessa Trijoulet, Rudi Voss, Sasa Raicevich
Summary: Multispecies models have been around in fisheries since the 1970s, but their operational use in fishery management is limited. This is surprising given the inherent multispecies nature of species and fleet interactions and the push for ecosystem-based fisheries management. We provide recommendations to address the impediments to the regular operational use of multispecies models.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rebecca E. E. Ginesi, Nicholas R. R. Murray, Robert M. M. Dalgliesh, James Doutch, Emily R. R. Draper
Summary: The pH dependence of perylene bisimide gels is investigated, showing that both the final and starting pH can impact the resulting gel properties. Adjusting the starting pH from 9 to 6 results in different worm-like micelles and gels with different mechanical properties. This highlights the importance of controlling pH for gelation and opens up possibilities for different morphologies and properties.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
J. Kevin Craig, Jason S. Link
Summary: The implementation of ecosystem management requires ecosystem modelling within the context of a natural resource management process. The review of 10 case studies using the Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) modelling platform demonstrates its support for operational resource management. The use of EwE models facilitates decision-making, policy development, and trade-off evaluation in various ecosystems.
FISH AND FISHERIES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nicholas J. Murray
Summary: A new study, using a combination of modelling and data analysis, reveals that wetland losses since 1700 amount to an area approximately the size of India.
Article
Fisheries
Steven J. Cooke, Elizabeth A. Fulton, Warwick H. H. Sauer, Abigail J. Lynch, Jason S. Link, Aaron A. Koning, Joykrushna Jena, Luiz G. M. Silva, Alison J. King, Rachel Kelly, Matthew Osborne, Julia Nakamura, Ann L. Preece, Atsushi Hagiwara, Kerstin Forsberg, Julie B. Kellner, Ilaria Coscia, Sarah Helyar, Manuel Barange, Elizabeth Nyboer, Meryl J. Williams, Ratana Chuenpagdee, Gavin A. Begg, Bronwyn M. Gillanders
Summary: A common goal among fisheries science professionals, stakeholders, and rights holders is to ensure the persistence and resilience of vibrant fish populations and sustainable, equitable fisheries in diverse aquatic ecosystems. The World Fisheries Congress (WFC) provides a global forum to discuss threats, issues, and opportunities facing fish populations and fisheries. The 2021 WFC meeting reflects on progress made in the past 30 years and identifies future needs and opportunities to improve sustainability in the world's fisheries.
REVIEWS IN FISH BIOLOGY AND FISHERIES
(2023)
News Item
Biodiversity Conservation
Yan Xie, Jon Paul Rodriguez
News Item
Biodiversity Conservation
Silvia Alvarez-Clare, Kira Mileham, Jon Paul Rodriguez, Charles R. Knapp
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yimin Ye, Jason M. Link
Summary: Overfishing has severe social, economic, and environmental consequences. The United Nations aims to eliminate global overfishing as part of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, current indicators cannot provide a holistic assessment of fisheries effectiveness. This study develops a comprehensive index that considers inputs, outputs, and ecological implications of fisheries, enabling worldwide spatial-temporal comparisons and identification of areas for targeted policy action.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
M. G. Tozer, C. S. Simpson, D. A. Keith
Summary: Forested wetlands occurring on fluvial sediments are among the most threatened ecosystems in south-east Australia. This study highlights the importance of reviewing and updating the classification of forested wetlands and integrating classification schemes across jurisdictions to support conservation decisions and national conservation assessments.
PACIFIC CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2023)