Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Luqian Li, Erqi Xu
Summary: The study shows that land use and climate change have fluctuating effects on ecosystem services in Karst mountains. Climate change has a greater influence on ecosystem services, while land use change mainly affects soil retention and other services. The combined effect is dominated by trade-offs for grain production and synergistic effects for other ecosystem services.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Koen F. Tieskens, Ian A. Smith, Raquel B. Jimenez, Lucy R. Hutyra, M. Patricia Fabian
Summary: This study provides a novel method for assessing the heat mitigation impacts of greenspace. They integrate the ecosystem services framework into environmental health research and use state-of-the-art ecological modeling methods to analyze the supply and demand of cooling ecosystem services. They identify areas of demand-supply mismatch and highlight the importance of prioritizing greenspace interventions based on heat-related demand.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Junzhu Xiao, Fei Song, Fangli Su, Zheyu Shi, Shuang Song
Summary: Ecosystem services are essential for human welfare and sustainable development. This study distinguishes the independent contributions of climate change and land use change to ecosystem services in Liaoning Province, China. The results show that climate change is the main driver of water yield and soil retention, while land use change significantly impacts net primary productivity.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Itxaso Ruiz, Joao Pompeu, Antonio Ruano, Paloma Franco, Stefano Balbi, Maria J. Sanz
Summary: In the face of water scarcity, soil erosion, and declining biodiversity, the Mediterranean basin needs to coordinate the management of its nearly hundred coastal watersheds. We propose an integrated approach using socio-ecologic modeling with Sustainable Land Management (SLM) options at the watershed scale to enhance the functioning of multiple Ecosystem Services (ES). This approach is tested in the Mijares watershed in eastern Spain.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tariq Aziz
Summary: The study finds that the value of ecosystem services in Pakistan increased between 1950 and 2000 due to dam construction and agricultural expansion, but significantly dropped between 2000 and 2015. Future scenarios for 2050, except B2, show a decline in ecosystem service value compared to 2015.
ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Mengqi Wang, Guoping Lei
Summary: Climate change and land use change have significant effects on hydrological ecosystem services, but their relative and cumulative effects in regions with environmental heterogeneity are still unclear. This study examines the spatiotemporal changes of water yield, water purification, and soil retention, and evaluates the contributions of climate change and land use change on these ecosystem services in northeast China.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Walter Leal Filho, Ulisses Miranda Azeiteiro, Abdul-Lateef Balogun, Andreia Faraoni Freitas Setti, Serafino A. R. Mucova, Desalegn Ayal, Edmond Totin, Adeleke Mosunmola Lydia, Felix Kanungwe Kalaba, Nicholas Otienoh Oguge
Summary: Climate change is a major challenge facing societies globally, with Africa being particularly vulnerable. Ecosystems play a crucial role in climate change adaptation processes by providing services that can mitigate the impacts of extreme events and disturbances. Efforts to enhance ecosystem services in Africa may support climate change adaptation initiatives and protect endangered ecosystems.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joyce Yang, Lei Zhao, Keith Oleson
Summary: Urban climates are becoming hotter and drier due to climate change, which increases heat stress. However, the combined impact of urbanization and climate change on humid heat and adaptation is still unclear.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Review
Forestry
Noah T. Shephard, Lana Narine, Yucheng Peng, Adam Maggard
Summary: This article provides an overview of Climate Smart Forestry (CSF) by focusing on loblolly pine plantations in the United States. The main objective of CSF is to increase forest carbon storage to combat climate change. Traditional plantation practices and forest product carbon have played a positive role in increasing carbon storage, but data collection methods need to be improved.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Haihong Qiu, Baoqing Hu, Ze Zhang
Summary: This study on Guangxi province compared multiple intelligent classification algorithms for land cover and found that forests are the most important land use type in the region. The study also revealed a decreasing trend in ecosystem service value in Guangxi, with wetlands and forests decreasing while dryland and construction land are increasing.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Qing Yang, Gengyuan Liu, Marco Casazza, Stefano Dumontet, Zhifeng Yang
Summary: Ecological restoration programs have been beneficial to ecosystem services improvement, but challenges remain in planning and management due to climate change, rapid land use change, and insufficient simulation and identification of thresholds. A new framework is proposed to address these challenges, including attribution analysis, assessment of climate-land use change impacts, simulation of restoration program effects, and threshold identification. Recommendations for future research directions are also provided.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Christian Unterberger, Roland Olschewski
Summary: Forest ecosystems in mountainous regions play a crucial role in providing protection services against disasters. However, there is still limited knowledge about the demand for insurance services provided by forests. Research shows that households are willing to pay a significant amount for forest management that enhances insurance services, which can inform decision making and operationalize the insurance value of ecosystems.
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Carlos A. Guerra, Miguel Berdugo, David J. Eldridge, Nico Eisenhauer, Brajesh K. Singh, Haiying Cui, Sebastian Abades, Fernando D. Alfaro, Adebola R. Bamigboye, Felipe Bastida, Jose L. Blanco-Pastor, Asuncion de los Rios, Jorge Duran, Tine Grebenc, Javier G. Illan, Yu-Rong Liu, Thulani P. Makhalanyane, Steven Mamet, Marco A. Molina-Montenegro, Jose L. Moreno, Arpan Mukherjee, Tina U. Nahberger, Gabriel F. Penaloza-Bojaca, Cesar Plaza, Sergio Pico, Jay Prakash Verma, Ana Rey, Alexandra Rodriguez, Leho Tedersoo, Alberto L. Teixido, Cristian Torres-Diaz, Pankaj Trivedi, Juntao Wang, Ling Wang, Jianyong Wang, Eli Zaady, Xiaobing Zhou, Xin-Quan Zhou, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
Summary: Soils are fundamental for terrestrial ecosystems, but a global assessment of hotspots for soil nature conservation is still lacking, hindering the establishment of conservation priorities. A global field survey identified different ecological dimensions of soils in various regions of the planet, emphasizing the importance of accounting for the multidimensionality of soil for future conservation efforts.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sergey N. Kirpotin, Terry V. Callaghan, Anna M. Peregon, Andrei S. Babenko, Daniil I. Berman, Nina A. Bulakhova, Arysia A. Byzaakay, Tatiana M. Chernykh, Vladislav Chursin, Elena A. Interesova, Sergey P. Gureev, Ivan A. Kerchev, Viacheslav I. Kharuk, Aldynai O. Khovalyg, Leonid A. Kolpashchikov, Svetlana A. Krivets, Zoya N. Kvasnikova, Irina V. Kuzhevskaia, Oleg E. Merzlyakov, Oleg G. Nekhoroshev, Viktor K. Popkov, Andrei I. Pyak, Tatyana O. Valevich, Igor V. Volkov, Irina I. Volkova
Summary: Biological diversity, along with climate change, is the basis and an important indicator of biosphere integrity. Siberia is experiencing rapid climate change, extreme weather, and transformation of land use, leading to impacts on traditional land use by Indigenous People and ecosystem services, with consequences for the economy.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nelson Chanza, Walter Musakwa
Summary: Based on data from rural communities in Zimbabwe, this research investigates the role of indigenous knowledge systems in managing ecosystems and enhancing climate change responses. The study emphasizes the significance of indigenous practices in conservation efforts and the importance of maintaining traditional ecosystem conservation practices. Indigenous communities play a critical role in ecosystem management and adaptation to climate change.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jarrah Wills, John Herbohn, Jessie Wells, Maria Opelia Maranguit Moreno, Angela Ferraren, Jennifer Firn
Summary: Alternative methods for restoring tropical forests have varying impacts on recruitment of understory species, with monoculture plantations showing closely related seedlings and regenerating forests containing distantly related species. Environmental filtering and dispersal limitation play roles in seedling assembly, but human-assisted dispersal can increase trait diversity. Regenerating forests recruit seedlings with high and low mean SLA values, contributing to higher overall diversity. Conservation and reforestation efforts should focus on managing for the recruitment of phylogenetically and functionally distinct species to maximize ecological services and diversity.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuta J. Masuda, Teevrat Garg, Ike Anggraeni, Kristie Ebi, Jennifer Krenz, Edward T. Game, Nicholas H. Wolff, June T. Spector
Summary: Research shows that the accelerating loss of tropical forests has eliminated the cooling services provided by trees in low latitude countries, potentially affecting labor productivity among rural communities and outdoor workers; field experiment demonstrates that worker productivity is 8.22% lower in deforested settings, primarily due to increased work breaks.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Luke A. Parsons, Yuta J. Masuda, Timm Kroeger, Drew Shindell, Nicholas H. Wolff, June T. Spector
Summary: This study examines the impact of humid heat and climate change on labor productivity using a wider range of temperatures and humidity. The research shows that globally, humid heat is associated with significant labor loss, which can have substantial impacts on the global workforce and economy.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jaramar Villarreal-Rosas, Jessie A. Wells, Laura J. Sonter, Hugh P. Possingham, Jonathan R. Rhodes
Summary: Land use change has led to significant declines in ecosystem services globally, impacting different beneficiaries unevenly. This study focused on the Brigalow Belt Bioregion in Australia to assess how land use change affects flood protection for urban residents, rural communities, and the food sector. Results showed net declines in flood protection for all sectors, with urban residents experiencing the greatest impact.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lucas R. Vargas Zeppetello, Susan C. Cook-Patton, Luke A. Parsons, Nicholas H. Wolff, Timm Kroeger, David S. Battisti, Joseph Bettles, June T. Spector, Arjun Balakumar, Yuta J. Masuda
Summary: A new study finds that tropical silvopasture systems can provide significant cooling benefits and help communities adapt to global warming. These systems have the potential to sequester carbon and offer numerous advantages to rural communities. The study shows that trees in pasturelands across Latin America and Africa can provide substantial cooling benefits, and even small-scale farmers can benefit from intensifying silvopasture practices. The research also maps where silvopasture expansion can counteract local temperature increases and help vulnerable communities cope with a warming world.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
M. E. Gilmour, J. Adams, B. A. Block, J. E. Caselle, A. M. Friedlander, E. T. Game, E. L. Hazen, N. D. Holmes, K. D. Lafferty, S. M. Maxwell, D. J. McCauley, E. M. Oleson, K. Pollock, S. A. Shaffer, N. H. Wolff, A. Wegmann
Summary: This study aims to evaluate the benefits of large-scale marine protected areas (MPAs) for nine highly-mobile marine species in the tropics, including assessing current and future range overlap within the MPAs and how well theoretical MPA designs benefit these species. The results show that different species have different requirements for MPA designs, and species habitats will likely contract due to climate change.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Iliana Chollett, Ximena Escovar-Fadul, Steven R. Schill, Aldo Croquer, Adele M. Dixon, Maria Beger, Elizabeth Shaver, Valerie Pietsch McNulty, Nicholas H. Wolff
Summary: Climate change is the greatest threat to ecosystems worldwide. Locating and managing areas that contribute to the survival of key species is crucial for the persistence of ecosystems in the future. This study presents a comprehensive approach that incorporates uncertainty and trade-offs in marine spatial planning, using climate change scenarios and models. It identifies climate priority sites for conservation, improved management, or restoration, and offers a novel methodology to address multiple objectives and uncertainty.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Charles J. Marsh, Yanina V. Sica, Connor J. Burgin, Wendy A. Dorman, Robert C. Anderson, Isabel del Toro Mijares, Jessica G. Vigneron, Vijay Barve, Victoria L. Dombrowik, Michelle Duong, Robert Guralnick, Julie A. Hart, J. Krish Maypole, Kira McCall, Ajay Ranipeta, Anna Schuerkmann, Michael A. Torselli, Thomas Lacher, Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands, Wes Sechrest, Don E. Wilson, Agustin M. Abba, Luis F. Aguirre, Joaquin Arroyo-Cabrales, Diego Astua, Andrew M. Baker, Gill Braulik, Janet K. Braun, Jorge Brito, Peter E. Busher, Santiago F. Burneo, M. Alejandra Camacho, Paolo Cavallini, Elisandra de Almeida Chiquito, Joseph A. Cook, Tamas Cserkesz, Gabor Csorba, Erika Cuellar Soto, Valeria da Cunha Tavares, Tim R. B. Davenport, Thomas Demere, Christiane Denys, Christopher R. Dickman, Mark D. B. Eldridge, Eduardo Fernandez-Duque, Charles M. Francis, Greta Frankham, William L. Franklin, Thales Freitas, J. Anthony Friend, Elizabeth L. Gadsby, Guilherme S. T. Garbino, Philippe Gaubert, Norberto Giannini, Thomas Giarla, Jason S. Gilchrist, Jaime Gongora, Steven M. Goodman, Sharon Gursky-Doyen, Klaus Hacklander, Mark S. Hafner, Melissa Hawkins, Kristofer M. Helgen, Steven Heritage, Arlo Hinckley, Stefan Hintsche, Mary Holden, Kay E. Holekamp, Rodney L. Honeycutt, Brent A. Huffman, Tatyana Humle, Rainer Hutterer, Carlos Ibanez Ulargui, Stephen M. Jackson, Jan Janecka, Mary Janecka, Paula Jenkins, Rimvydas Juskaitis, Javier Juste, Roland Kays, C. William Kilpatrick, Tigga Kingston, John L. Koprowski, Boris Krystufek, Tyrone Lavery, Thomas E. Lee, Yuri L. R. Leite, Roberto Leonan M. Novaes, Burton K. Lim, Andrey Lissovsky, Raquel Lopez-Antonanzas, Adria Lopez-Baucells, Colin D. MacLeod, Fiona G. Maisels, Michael A. Mares, Helene Marsh, Stefano Mattioli, Erik Meijaard, Ara Monadjem, F. Blake Morton, Grace Musser, Tilo Nadler, Ryan W. Norris, Agustina Ojeda, Nicte Ordonez-Garza, Ulyses F. J. Pardinas, Bruce D. Patterson, Ana Pavan, Michael Pennay, Calebe Pereira, Joyce Prado, Helder L. Queiroz, Matthew Richardson, Erin P. Riley, Stephen J. Rossiter, Daniel I. Rubenstein, Dennisse Ruelas, Jorge Salazar-Bravo, Stephanie Schai-Braun, Cody J. Schank, Christoph Schwitzer, Lori K. Sheeran, Myron Shekelle, Georgy Shenbrot, Pipat Soisook, Sergio Solari, Richard Southgate, Mariella Superina, Andrew B. Taber, Mauricio Talebi, Peter Taylor, Thong Vu Dinh, Nelson Ting, Diego G. Tirira, Susan Tsang, Samuel T. Turvey, Raul Valdez, Victor Van Cakenberghe, Geraldine Veron, Janette Wallis, Rod Wells, Danielle Whittaker, Elizabeth A. Williamson, George Wittemyer, John Woinarski, Dietmar Zinner, Nathan S. Upham, Walter Jetz
Summary: This article introduces a database of global mammal species' native range maps, including various tools for integration with other data. These expert maps provide basic information for broad-scale research and conservation.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ralph Trancoso, Jozef Syktus, Alvaro Salazar, Marcus Thatcher, Nathan Toombs, Kenneth Koon-Ho Wong, Erik Meijaard, Douglas Sheil, Clive A. McAlpine
Summary: Tropical deforestation has a significant impact on fire weather risk by increasing temperature, wind speed, and potential evapotranspiration, while decreasing humidity, cloud cover, and precipitation. This highlights the key role of tropical forests in regulating regional climate processes and reducing fire weather risk.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Erik Meijaard, Douglas Sheil, Julie Sherman, Liana Chua, Safwanah Ni'matullah, Kerrie Wilson, Marc Ancrenaz, Darmawan Liswanto, Serge A. Wich, Benoit Goossens, Hjalmar S. Kuehl, Maria Voigt, Yaya Rayadin, Yuyun Kurniawan, Agus Trianto, Dolly Priatna, Graham L. Banes, Emily Massingham, John Payne, Andrew J. Marshall
Summary: This study evaluates the impacts of the Half-Earth and Whole-Earth conservation visions on the conservation of Bornean orangutans. The findings suggest that the Half-Earth approach is comparatively easier to achieve and is projected to result in an orangutan population of around 87% of its current size by 2032. The Whole-Earth approach, on the other hand, may lead to greater forest loss and ape killing, resulting in a prediction of only 44% of the current orangutan population by 2032.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Erik Meijaard, Ehsan Moqanaki
Summary: Social media, including ResearchGate, are increasingly used by the science community to share research outputs and seek feedback, but their ability to measure research interest and impacts reliably is questioned. Despite this, our article on the Eurasian wild pig in Iran received a remarkably high level of interest on ResearchGate, with the number of reads being 1,500 times higher than the average for scientists from American and Asian universities. These reads were likely due to data-gathering processes unrelated to the research details. Regardless, we used this popularity to advocate for conservation research in an understudied region and species.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paul Fergus, Carl Chalmers, Steven Longmore, Serge Wich, Carmen Warmenhove, Jonathan Swart, Thuto Ngongwane, Andre Burger, Jonathan Ledgard, Erik Meijaard
Summary: The biodiversity of our planet is at risk due to negative human actions, such as hunting, overfishing, pollution, and land conversion. Despite efforts and funding, global wildlife populations continue to decline. This paper proposes Interspecies Money, where animals own their own digital money to reward their guardians for conservation services. A trial in South Africa showed that using camera traps and deep learning, it is possible to achieve high accuracy in animal detection and transfer funds between animals and their guardians.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Michela Pacifici, Andrea Cristiano, Maria Lumbierres, Mauro Lucherini, David Mallon, Erik Meijaard, Sergio Solari, Marcelo F. Tognelli, Jerrold L. Belant, Thomas M. Butynski, Drew Cronin, Jean-Pierre d'Huart, Daniele Da Re, Yvonne A. de Jong, Arjun Dheer, Li Fei, Sonia Gallina, John M. Goodrich, Abishek Harihar, Carlos A. Lopez Gonzalez, Sarah R. B. King, Rebecca L. Lewison, Fabiano R. de Melo, Constanza Napolitano, Dede Aulia Rahman, Phillip T. Robinson, Timothy Robinson, Carlo Rondinini, Gono Semiadi, Karen Strier, Mauricio Talebi, William Andrew Taylor, Christine Thiel-Bender, Nelson Ting, Ingrid Wiesel
Summary: This study investigates the impact of habitat degradation on terrestrial mammal species. By comparing historic and current distribution maps for 475 species, we found that 59% of them have less available habitat in their lost ranges, suggesting habitat loss contributed to range declines. Factors like land conversion to rangeland and high livestock density negatively affected habitat availability. Intrinsic traits such as reproductive timing, habitat breadth and medium body size also played a role. The study underscores the need for conservation efforts to mitigate human-induced habitat threats and identifies species that could potentially reclaim lost range if threats are addressed.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Emily Massingham, Erik Meijaard, Marc Ancrenaz, Dino Mika, Julie Sherman, Truly Santika, Lengga Pradipta, Hugh P. Possingham, Angela J. Dean
Summary: Despite decades of conservation management, many orangutan populations are still on the brink of extinction due to habitat loss and direct killings. This study conducted the first quantitative field research in over 10 years to assess the state of killing of orangutans in Kalimantan. The findings suggest that killing is still occurring and conservation projects have not significantly reduced this behavior. Addressing killing of orangutans and its underlying drivers is crucial for improving Bornean orangutan conservation practice.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emily J. Massingham, Kerrie A. Wilson, Erik Meijaard, Marc Ancrenaz, Truly Santika, Rachel Friedman, Hugh P. Possingham, Angela J. Dean
Summary: Public opinion can shape conservation policy-making and implementation, and social factors like wellbeing may influence public opinion about conservation issues. A survey of Indonesian and Malaysian residents revealed that diverse indicators of wellbeing were positively associated with public support for orangutan conservation. However, not all wellbeing indicators were related to conservation support. This study highlights the complexity of the relationship between wellbeing and public opinion and emphasizes the need to consider multidimensional aspects of wellbeing in diverse social and geographic settings.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2023)