Biodiversity and Conservation

O_LIIndigenous peoples play a central role in biodiversity knowledge and conservation, yet their participation in scientific research remains underrepresented. Understanding how Indigenous peoples, traditional knowledge, and Indigenous territories are portrayed in the scientific literature is essential for developing more equitable and culturally grounded conservation strategies. C_LIO_LIWe conducted a bibliometric analysis of 94 articles on biodiversity conservation in the Amazon, published between 1997 and 2025, indexed in Scopus and Web of Science. We examined temporal trends, geographic distribution, institutional leadership, Indigenous co-authorship, focal ecosystems and taxa, and the main contributions attributed to Indigenous peoples. Indigenous perspectives were integrated into this analysis through a participatory approach. C_LIO_LIScientific production increased after 2010. Research leadership remains concentrated in institutions from the Global North, even though Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru were the most frequently studied countries. Indigenous co-authorship was identified in only 6.4 % of the studies. Most studies focused on plants, mammals, and birds, whereas aquatic environments and groups such as insects, amphibians, and reptiles received comparatively less attention. The main contributions attributed to Indigenous peoples were related to community-based monitoring and management (41.48%) and cultural practices and traditional ecological knowledge (38.19%). C_LIO_LIThese findings show that Indigenous peoples are widely recognized as knowledge holders and conservation actors, but are still rarely included as authors or research partners. Our study highlights persistent geographic, epistemic, and collaborative asymmetries in Amazonian biodiversity research. Conservation science and policy will be stronger, fairer, and more effective when they move beyond documenting Indigenous knowledge towards supporting Indigenous leadership, equitable partnerships, and inclusive co-production of knowledge. C_LI

Natural history collections underpin our understanding of species distributions, yet some historical records remain embedded in modern avifaunal checklists despite limited documentation and no independent verification. One such case concerns the Dusky Parrot Pionus fuscus in Colombia: although reported from specimens collected by Melbourne A. Carriker Jr. in 1942 in the Serrania de Perija, the species has not been observed in the country for nearly eight decades yet continues to be included in national checklists and conservation assessments. We reassessed the validity of this record by applying a multi-evidence framework integrating historic archival reconstruction, specimen-based morphological comparisons, climatic niche analyses, biogeographic limit assessment and contemporary survey-effort data. Historical documentation and morphological evidence based on high-resolution specimen images and associated curatorial records demonstrate that the Carriker specimens correspond to Pionus chalcopterus, not P. fuscus. Climatic niche analyses reveal minimal environmental overlap between P. chalcopterus and P. fuscus, and place the Perija locality within the climatic niche of P. chalcopterus, while regional biogeography and extensive modern birdwatching coverage provide no support for the occurrence of P. fuscus in Perija. Together, these concordant lines of evidence demonstrate that P. fuscus does not occur in Colombia. Our findings support its removal from national bird lists and conservation assessments and highlight how integrated, multi-evidence reassessments of historical records strengthen ornithological baselines, improve biogeographic inference and ensure that conservation priorities rest on verifiable evidence.

BackgroundA structural governance failure sits at the intersection of international biodiversity law and the digital genomics revolution. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) were designed to ensure that countries of biological origin share equitably in commercial benefits from their genetic resources. Critically, these instruments apply exclusively to non-human genetic resources: plants, animals, fungi, and microbiota. Human genetic resources are deliberately excluded from the CBD and Nagoya ABS framework and are governed separately through bioethics instruments, including the World Health Organization (WHO) framework and the Declaration of Helsinki. This study focuses on non-human digital sequence information (DSI), nucleotide and protein sequence data derived from non-human organisms deposited in open-access databases, which underpins industries generating over USD 1.56 trillion in annual revenue. Africa, hosting approximately 25% of global terrestrial species and nine of the worlds 36 biodiversity hotspots, provides a disproportionate share of the genetic resources from which non-human DSI is derived, yet receives negligible monetary returns because digitisation severs the traceability chain that ABS governance requires. Human genomic data is presented here solely as a secondary indicator of Africas broader infrastructure; it does not constitute the legal basis for Africas modelled allocation share under the Cali Fund. ObjectivesThis study systematically characterises (i) Africas non-human biodiversity endowment as the basis for Cali Fund claims; (ii) ABS governance readiness across 54 African Union (AU) member states; (iii) the commercial trajectories of non-human DSI-dependent industries and projected Cali Fund benefit-sharing flows; and (iv) Africas human genomic representation as a secondary infrastructure indicator, explicitly distinguished from the non-human DSI benefit-sharing argument. MethodsA structured evidence synthesis was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 reporting elements, where applicable to a secondary data analysis design. Literature was searched across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and official repositories of the CBD, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The search was restricted to January 2022 - April 2026 to capture post-Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) literature. A total of 412 records were identified before screening; 34 peer-reviewed articles and 19 institutional documents met all inclusion criteria. Quantitative Cali Fund scenario modelling used the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and KPMG (2024) non-human DSI sector revenue baseline (CBD/WGDSI/2/2/Add.2). The 12.5% net profit margin is a cross-sector proxy from that study; actual margins vary by sector. Africas modelled allocation share (20-25%) is the authors analytical construct based on Africas non-human species richness and hotspot share; it is not an internationally agreed formula. ResultsAfricas non-human biodiversity endowment is exceptional: 25% of terrestrial species, nine of 36 biodiversity hotspots, and the worlds second-largest tropical forest system. Non-human DSI from African genetic resources is a critical input to industries generating USD 1.56 trillion annually, yet Africa contributes a marginal and unmeasured fraction of International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC) sequences. As a secondary indicator, 94.48% of genome-wide association study (GWAS) participants as of 2024 were of European ancestry (Corpas et al., 2025); this human genomic data is presented for contextual illustration only and is not the basis for Africas Cali Fund modelled allocation share. Zero African Union member states have enacted legislation explicitly covering non-human DSI in their ABS framework. Africas modelled allocation share ranges from USD 312 million (Scenario A, 20% weight) to USD 5.83 billion (Scenario C, 25% weight) annually. ConclusionsAfrica is among the most biologically rich continents on Earth for non-human life, yet structurally excluded from the benefit-sharing framework the CBD intended to create. The Cali Fund represents the first mechanism capable of correcting this at scale. Realising Africas modelled allocation share requires urgent legislative reform, institutional capacity investment, sequencing infrastructure development, and a coordinated African position at COP17 scheduled in Yerevan, October 2026.

AimHuman land-use has dramatically altered the amount, quality, and connectivity of habitat for species worldwide. Understanding how these changes affect individual species is essential for predicting the overall consequences of land-use change for biodiversity. LocationThe Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. Forest cover on the island increased from about 18 to 45% from the late 1940s to the early 2000s. MethodsUsing data on geographic distributions and functional traits for 454 tree species, we evaluated how gain of potential habitat was related to species-specific climatic associations and life-history strategies. We estimated species-specific potential habitat (climatically suitable and forested) with species distribution models and data on forest cover. We characterized each species niche breadth (the range of environmental conditions it occupies) and niche position (the environmental conditions it prefers) to compare with the conditions in reforested areas. ResultsSpecies with relatively more potential habitat in 1951 (climatically suitable and forested) also had relatively larger gains in potential habitat from 1951 to 2000. Species that tend to occupy conditions different from those common in reforested areas (i.e., more marginal habitats) gained relatively less potential habitat and species with broad environmental niches gained more potential habitat. Additionally, species with relatively acquisitive functional traits gained more suitable habitat than those with relatively conservative traits. Main conclusionsOur results show that Puerto Ricos reforestation preferentially increased habitat for species that (1) already had suitable habitat in the landscape, (2) tolerate a wide range of climatic conditions, and (3) exhibit fast, acquisitive functional strategies. These findings illustrate how land-use change in heterogeneous tropical landscapes can generate non-uniform habitat gains across species, potentially favoring generalist over specialist species and reshaping community composition.

AimOur aim was to study the effects of energy availability and landscape habitat heterogeneity on bird taxonomic and functional gamma-diversity and propose conservation guidelines based on the results. LocationSouthern and Central Finland Time Period2009-2020 Major Taxa StudiedBirds MethodsWe derived biodiversity variables from bird monitoring line transects to assess the effects of latitude, longitude, and landscape composition, configuration, and heterogeneity at multiple spatial scales: 100, 500, 2,000, and 5,000 m. We tested the effects of these landscape metrics on the total community, bird ecological guilds (species richness and abundance), functional diversity, and overall species specialization index. ResultsWe found clear evidence supporting a positive effect of energy (latitude and soil fertility) and habitat amount on bird abundances. Our results also revealed a northward increasing trend in functional diversity and species specialization. Habitat heterogeneity positively affected both bird abundance and species richness. Heterogeneity of land cover types was shown to promote abundances, while functional measure of landscape heterogeneity was positively connected to species richness. Land use with high anthropogenic activities, such as urban areas and cropland, negatively affected forest specialists and species sensitive to human activities. Main ConclusionsEnergy and habitat heterogeneity and amount are major mutually nonexclusive factors shaping bird communities in Finnish landscapes. Nonetheless, certain land use types favour some guilds while excluding others (for example, urbanized areas or cropland favouring open area species while excluding old-growth forest specialists), showing that biodiversity conservation is a matter of specialized landscapes. Furthermore, different measures of landscape heterogeneity demonstrated positive relationships with the studied bird guilds, highlighting the consistency of the species-heterogeneity relationship.

The small mammals in the tropical savannas of northern Australia, have undergone a degree of change in recent decades, best documented in the Northern Territory. Data is limited from northern Queensland and though the same trends are assumed, the topographic and climatic features differ substantially. In this study we examined data systematically collected from 725 sites between 1998-2012 in three bioregions representing a climatic gradient: from semi-arid to monsoon tropical savannas. We investigated via information-theoretic models and model averaging, the relationship between five mammal groupings and three landscape variables (fractional cover green, elevation and vegetation diversity) to elucidate any consistent or different patterns in the mammal fauna. Key patterns included relationships with increasing elevation (critical weight range species richness positively associated with elevation, rodent species richness negatively associated), increasing rodent and dasyurid species richness with vegetation diversity, and lower macropod and dasyurids abundance with increasing fractional cover green. These relationships underscore a need to consider mammal conservation in Queensland with more nuance than in the more topographically inert Northern Territory. Management strategies need to be more attuned to taxonomic and regional differences, to prevent perverse outcomes.

AimFreshwater species face significant challenges from direct and indirect anthropogenic impacts, leading to a global decline in freshwater biodiversity. Protected areas are a key tool for conservation, but their effectiveness in covering freshwater biodiversity remains uncertain. This study assesses the protection coverage of freshwater macroinvertebrates, vertebrates, and macrophytes in Cuba against the 17% and 30% conservation targets set by the Convention on Biological Diversity. LocationCaribbean biodiversity hotspot, including freshwater ecosystems across the Cuban archipelago. MethodsWe analyzed the distribution of 182 freshwater macroinvertebrates, 26 vertebrates, and 19 macrophyte species using an ensemble of four species distribution modeling techniques: Maxent, Boosted Regression Trees (BRT), Random Forest (RF), and Spatial Stream Network (SSN). We evaluated species overlap with Cubas current protected areas and conducted spatial conservation prioritization exercises that (i) included (lock-in) and (ii) excluded (free-choice) existing protected areas. ResultsOur analysis revealed that 41% (90 species) and 71% (161 species) failed to meet the 17% and 30% conservation targets, respectively. Many of the insufficiently protected species are globally threatened or endemic to the Cuban archipelago, heightening their extinction risk. Conservation planning that includes current protected areas requires significantly larger areas to meet the 30% representation target due to redundancy in existing protections. Conversely, excluding current protected areas achieves conservation goals more efficiently with fewer resources. Both approaches highlight the need to improve connectivity, particularly in upstream regions that are often neglected under the current protected area configuration. Main conclusionsFreshwater biodiversity in Cuba is poorly represented within existing protected areas. Meeting the 30% conservation target would require protecting an additional 30-70% of area, with a focus on headwaters and underrepresented taxa. Expanding Cubas National System of Protected Areas (SNAP) to prioritize fresh-water species, particularly endemics, is essential. A spatial conservation planning approach that integrates both lock-in and free-choice strategies can optimize resource use while enhancing connectivity across key rivers and tributaries.

Designing effective spatial management for chondrichthyans (sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras) requires incorporating critical areas, sites essential for population maintenance, such as reproductive and feeding areas. Yet most area-based measures have been developed without consideration of chondrichthyan habitat use. The Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA) initiative has been pivotal in designating priority areas through a rigorous, consultative process. To complement this, our study offers researchers a testable definition for generating robust evidence to strengthen future critical area delineations and related management decisions. We define critical areas using three criteria: 1) relative frequency of use, (2) extended within-year occupancy and (3) repeated use across years. This framework enables objective comparison among candidate sites and is generalisable across different critical area types. The definition builds upon established early-life-stage habitat concepts and applies these to broader life-history functions. The utility of this framework is then demonstrated through a systematic review of contemporary peer-reviewed literature of critical chondrichthyan areas in the European Atlantic. The review highlighted 62 critical areas with Strong evidence and 41 areas of Moderate strength evidence, which informed the European Atlantic ISRA selection process. Research effort was concentrated in inshore areas, particularly around the British Isles and Portugal, with biases towards large, threatened and commercially valuable species, whilst chimaeras were notably underrepresented. Early-life stage areas were most frequently identified, whereas resting areas were rarely documented. Evidence patterns and biases are examined in the context of evolving critical area concepts to advance their development and improve the quality and breadth of future research. By outlining a testable definition, identifying key knowledge gaps, and proposing research and reporting guidelines, this work enhances the consistency, comparability, and spatial coverage of future chondrichthyan habitat research to support its application to conservation planning.

BackgroundHuman-Wildlife Conflict is emerging as one of the most critical conservation and socio-economic challenges in the Ecuadorian Andes, where both rural livelihoods and native fauna are under increasing pressure. Small-scale livestock producers in the region depend almost entirely on a limited number of cattle, meaning that the loss of even a single animal can lead to severe economic hardship. In response, antagonistic actions against wildlife are frequent, further threatening vulnerable species. At the same time, the recent proliferation of feral dogs adds a new dimension to conflict, posing risks to both livestock and native fauna. Despite the growing severity of this conflict, little is known of its drivers, spatial patterns, and socio-ecological consequences. This study seeks to fill that gap by generating insights to inform targeted conservation strategies for community-based mitigation of conflict with spectacled bears and feral dogs. MethodsTo assess the drivers and dynamics of HWC in southern Ecuador, we conducted structured interviews with livestock owners, quantifying the frequency and intensity of conflicts across multiple species and evaluating whether farm composition and management practices predict conflict patterns. ResultsOur results reveal that large carnivores cause significantly higher economic losses than smaller predators; furthermore, feral dogs have emerged as the primary source of financial damage over the past five years. Farms with a greater proportion of forest edge were associated with a higher probability of severe conflict, particularly with large carnivores. ConclusionsThese findings underscore the urgent need for proactive strategies to promote coexistence. Identifying predictive variables of conflict risk is crucial for vulnerability assessments and the design of effective mitigation policies. Controlling feral dog populations is likely to be a critical step in safeguarding both rural human livelihoods and native biodiversity in the Andean landscape.

The choice of appropriate methods to detect species is crucial for biodiversity monitoring. Camera trapping is currently one of the most widely used methods for characterizing mammal communities, although it requires substantial investment in equipment and personnel. In contrast, questionnaires administered to local populations provide a faster and more cost-effective alternative for assessing community composition, but may be influenced by respondent-related biases that compromise data reliability. This study evaluates the concordance between these approaches for characterizing the carnivore community in the Sierra de Segura (Jaen, southern Spain), using Cohens kappa coefficient, while also examining the individual and social factors shaping Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK). We deployed 24 camera-trap stations (144 trap nights) across a 25 km2 area to record carnivore presence. In parallel, we conducted two types of surveys with local residents (n = 103): (i) free-listing and (ii) image-based species recognition, while recording individual and social characteristics of respondents. Free-listing surveys tended to underreport species, whereas image-based surveys showed higher agreement with camera-trap data, although occasionally overestimating species presence. Higher concordance was associated with social factors indicative of closer and prolonged contact with the environment, such as permanent residence and ownership of agricultural land. Mammal communities differed between methods; however, agreement improved when respondents had higher LEK, while species-specific behavioral traits could also influence perception. Our findings demonstrate that image-based questionnaires can provide results comparable to camera trapping when respondents have strong connections to their natural surroundings. These results highlight the importance of both survey design and respondent selection in improving the accuracy of biodiversity monitoring, offering a transferable framework for integrating LEK into conservation protocols across diverse ecosystems. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=126 SRC="FIGDIR/small/720805v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (35K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@d55c34org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1985c66org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1da576aorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1a10ccb_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

Natural forests are increasingly being replaced by plantation forests, highlighting an urgent need to reconcile forest use and biodiversity conservation. Coastal forests serve as refugia for species of conservation concern, but they have been globally replaced by plantations, and conversion remains ongoing. As natural coastal forests become increasingly scarce, opportunities for direct biodiversity comparisons with coastal plantations are also disappearing. This scarcity leads to underestimation of the conservation value of natural coastal forests, while effective management measures to conserve biodiversity within coastal plantations remain poorly developed. By focusing on the largest natural coastal forests in Japan, we assessed whether plantation coastal forests can substitute for natural coastal habitats across multiple taxonomic groups, functional groups, and threatened species. We found that plantations supported bird species richness comparable to natural forests at the community level and for threatened species. Surveyed plantation forests supported 7% of global breeding populations of the endangered Brown Shrike. However, plantations hosted lower forest plant species and higher introduced plant species richness. Plantations also significantly altered coastal zonation patterns in plant communities: forest species distribution shifted seaward, whereas coastal and introduced species shifted landward. Coastal plantations are unlikely to be complete substitutes for natural coastal forests for plant species, yet still have the potential for restoring historically lost coastal forest ecosystems. Confining further plantation activities to landward areas and plantations with low canopy cover will mitigate the negative impacts of plantations and further conserve unique coastal communities where forest and grassland species can coexist. Highlight{checkmark} Coastal forests have been historically disturbed and converted to plantations {checkmark}We test whether coastal plantations can substitute for natural forests across taxa {checkmark}Bird species richness in plantations was comparable to that in natural forests {checkmark}Plant species richness was lower in plantations and zonation patterns were altered {checkmark}Considering zonation patterns can turn plantations into restoration opportunities

West African savannahs provide habitats to diverse species assemblages, yet remain understudied compared to their East and Southern African counterparts. The Niokolo-Koba National Park in southeastern Senegal constitutes one of the largest remaining protected areas in West Africa and supports a mosaic of savannah and forest habitats with a diverse assemblage of medium- and large-sized mammals. Here, we analysed camera-trap data originally collected to monitor predator presence in the northwestern sector of the National Park. We deployed 37 cameras across 37 km{superscript 2} from February 2022 to March 2023, resulting in 13,161 camera-trap-days. We assessed alpha diversity indices and spatiotemporal activity patterns of large and medium-sized mammals across habitat types. Evenness values - the degree to which species abundances are distributed uniformly within a community - were higher in the savannah than in forest habitats, although overall species richness was comparable. In contrast, animal sighting rates were higher in forests than in savannahs. Estimated diel activity mostly corresponded with established species-specific behavioural patterns. Our analyses revealed differential use of certain habitat types across the day, likely driven by spatially segregated sleeping sites and foraging locations. Our results provide a reference for future studies and monitoring efforts and highlight the value of the forest-savannah mosaic for the local species assemblage within the larger ecosystem of Niokolo-Koba National Park.

Semi-aquatic mammals lie at the intersection of several key conservation issues such as wetland deterioration or species invasions, and monitoring their distribution in space and time is essential to inform conservation strategies. However, gathering information about their presence is challenging due to their elusive lifestyle and generally low abundance. The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), a near-threatened and strictly protected species in Europe, is currently recolonizing part of its historical range. Its high conservation interest, combined with a dynamic more commonly associated with range-expanding or invasive species, makes it a particularly compelling case study. Otter monitoring has traditionally relied on scat surveys, but recent environmental DNA (eDNA) and camera-trapping initiatives have emerged offering promising complementary tools. Yet, these approaches have rarely been formally compared, either to one another or across regions. Here, we compared the efficiency of spraint surveys, camera traps, and eDNA for detecting otters, and assessed how their performance varied among four catchments in southern France where the species is known to be present. All three methods provided otter detections with varying efficiency. Scat surveys were the most effective method, with an average detection probability of 0.71 and no strong variability between catchments. Although camera-traps had the lowest detection rate, they provided detections at two of the four sites where no spraint was found, highlighting the complementarity of these two approaches. Detection rates varied greatly between individual cameras rather than between catchments, underscoring sensitivity to camera-placement. eDNA showed important variability between catchments, with detection probabilities differing by roughly sixfold across regions. All in all, our results highlight differences in efficiency between methods and across environmental conditions, and show the value of combining approaches for future monitoring programs.

The ongoing decline in biodiversity highlights the need for understanding the causes of population changes. This study uses 25-year, large-scale monitoring dataset to investigate the influence of climate and landscape structure on the annual population growth rates of 84 bird species across Poland. Our methodological framework involves the spatiotemporal decomposition of these environmental drivers to decouple demographic effects of long-term carrying capacities from the short-term effects of environmental perturbations. Using species-specific demographic models followed by a community-wide meta-analysis, we evaluated how individual species responses scale up to shape community-level dynamics. The results reveal significant variation in species-specific responses to individual drivers. At the community level, our findings suggest that bird populations are mainly regulated by the long-term spatial constraints rather than short-term disturbances. Persistent environmental heterogeneity had the strongest positive demographic effect on birds, followed by temperature, forest dominance over croplands, and precipitation. In contrast, rapid temporal shifts in environmental heterogeneity and precipitation anomalies negatively affected population growth, whereas urbanisation consistently exerted a negative effect across both spatiotemporal dimensions. Our results highlight the significance of protecting existing heterogeneous and ecotonal habitats, as well as the need to incorporate features that enhance habitat heterogeneity into urban development. Article impact statementPreserving heterogeneous habitats is essential for the conservation of bird populations.

O_LITropical dry forests are among the most threatened ecosystems globally, yet the consequences of livestock overgrazing for ant communities remain poorly documented, particularly in the Tumbesian biodiversity hotspot of southwestern Ecuador, where uncontrolled goat grazing constitutes the dominant disturbance agent. C_LIO_LIWe sampled ant communities (Formicidae) across a goat-grazing disturbance gradient in Zapotillo (Loja Province, Ecuador), establishing three disturbance levels (Dense, Semi-dense, and Open Forest) with nine 60 x 60 m plots per level (n = 27) and 486 pitfall traps. Community responses were assessed using abundance-based and presence-absence analyses of morphospecies richness, Hill-number diversity, community composition, beta diversity decomposition, and functional guild structure; vegetation structure was characterized using satellite-derived NDVI. C_LIO_LIWe recorded 47,459 individuals belonging to 22 morphospecies in six subfamilies. Morphospecies richness declined with disturbance (Dense: 19, Semi-dense: 15, Open: 12), with four specialist genera exclusive to Dense Forest. Beta diversity decomposition revealed a shift from turnover-dominated dissimilarity at moderate disturbance to nestedness-dominated dissimilarity at high disturbance, indicating progressive habitat filtering as the dominant community-restructuring process. C_LIO_LICommunity composition differed among disturbance levels (PERMANOVA: F = 4.49, R{superscript 2} = 0.272, p = 0.001) and was correlated with NDVI (r{superscript 2} = 0.341, p = 0.013). Cryptic/soil and Leaf-cutter guilds were nearly eliminated from Open forest while the Opportunist guild expanded markedly, indicating that functional homogenization precedes detectable taxonomic impoverishment. C_LIO_LIOvergrazing drives directional ant diversity loss and biotic homogenization at both taxonomic and functional levels in the Tumbesian dry forest, underscoring the conservation value of intact Dense forest. C_LI

Plants, as structural elements of habitats, contribute greatly to the maintenance of local biodiversity through their biological interactions. In this study we explore whether their rarity, according to Rabinowitzs (1981) three criteria, is related to the richness and diversity of arthropods and other plants they are associated to, in a gypsum-rich steppe. We first analysed whether the geographic abundance and ecological specialisation of 32 characteristic and dominant plant species are related to the diversity (richness and phylogenetic diversity (MPD)) and degree of local specialisation of arthropods associated with them (1,694 taxa). Then, we focused on a non endemic and non specialized plant in the study area (Krascheninnikovia ceratoides) to explore the effect of population size on two types of interactions: aerial arthropods and plant facilitation. Results indicate that: 1) plant species abundance (geographical range) is not related to the richness or MPD of communities of associated arthropods, 2) plant species ecological specialization (edaphic endemisms or gypsophiles) do not contribute differentially to the maintenance of singular arthropod communities, and 3) the community of aerial arthropods and plants interacting with K. ceratoides in a small population are not necessarily less diverse than those in patches of similar size in a large population. Results also revealed that the two plant species with fewer interactions (one rare, one widespread) do show the highest singularity in their interactions with arthropods. Our study illustrates the important contribution of rare plants to the conservation of local biodiversity.

Habitat fragmentation disrupts metapopulation dynamics by altering environmental conditions and constraining demographic processes critical for persistence and recruitment. In the dry Afromontane forests of northern Ethiopia, we investigated how natural and anthropogenic drivers affect seedlings, saplings, and mature tree dynamics of Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata across 34 patches. We used dynamic occurrence models to quantify effects of patch area, altitude, browsing, and disturbance. Our results indicate that high disturbance reduces seedling occurrence probability lower disturbance sites has seedling in 30% of survey plots, high disturbance would bring this down to 10% (median = -1.322, 95% CI: -2.703 to -0.283). Disturbance makes seedling less likely to persist, while large patch size help seedling persists (median = -0.93, 9 5 % CrI -1.87 - -0.02). For mature individuals, disturbance was the only significant predictor of occurrence probability, suggesting greater resistance to environmental and spatial variability compared to earlier life stages. These findings emphasize that while mature trees display resilience, the successful regeneration of Olea europaea is constrained by disturbance, but current level of browsing is not a threat. Management strategies for conservation should prioritise reducing disturbance through community engagement and forest stewardship to enhance regeneration potential and ensure long-term population viability.

Attributes of fire regimes are known to drive habitat suitability for many species in fire-prone environments. Comparatively little is known about how abiotic conditions (e.g. rainfall events, cumulative rainfall, drought) at the time of fire may affect long-term (>2-years) post-fire occurrence. We sought to a) establish whether the post-fire development of heathland habitat for the endangered mallee emu-wren is influenced by rainfall within 12-months before or after the most-recent fire, b) identify the preferred fire-age of heathland vegetation for the mallee emu-wren, and c) map those habitats most likely to support the species across a large reserve ([~]271,000 ha), Ngarkat Conservation Park, from which it has been extirpated. Using historical presence records, collected prior to the extirpation of mallee emu-wrens from the study area, we implemented a random-forest modelling approach to predict relative likelihood of occurrence (considered a proxy for probability of suitable habitat). Rainfall in the 12-months before and after fire had a positive effect on relative likelihood of mallee emu-wren occurrence. The development of high-quality mallee emu-wren habitat required at least 420 mm of rainfall in the 12-months prior to the most recent fire. Only 35% of Ngarkat received rainfall above this threshold prior to the most recent fire. Rainfall in the 12-months after fire positively influenced relative likelihood of mallee emu-wren occurrence, though the effect was less pronounced than pre-fire rainfall. Relative likelihood of mallee emu-wren occurrence peaked 15 years after fire, with an [~]10-year peak time window of relative occurrence (10-20-years). This study highlights that abiotic conditions at the time of fire, particularly rainfall in the 12-months preceding fire, have long-lasting impacts on relative probability of occurrence for this fire-sensitive species. Targeting fire management in ways that maximise post-fire occurrence of the mallee emu-wren - particularly by burning senesced habitat following periods of elevated rainfall - has potential to enhance conservation outcomes. Given the substantial and long-term impact of rainfall around the time of a fire identified in this study, short-term climatic conditions deserve greater attention in a range of ecosystems where managers aim to use fire to manipulate habitat for the benefit of fire-sensitive species.

AimA comprehensive understanding of the spatial distribution of biodiversity is hindered by fragmented datasets, sampling biases, and inconsistent observation protocols. Here, we present a workflow that integrates disparate datasets to produce large scale maps of biodiversity metrics as a basis for management-relevant information tools. We use integrated species distribution modeling (iSDM) to account for sampling biases and disparate data collection techniques, taking advantage of the vast numbers of open datasets available in data aggregators like GBIF. LocationNorway (excluding Svalbard and Jan Mayen) TaxonVascular plants MethodsThe workflow consists of four main steps: data acquisition, data integration, integrated species distribution modelling (iSDM), and the production of derived outputs. Input data include structured surveys, opportunistic observations, and environmental covariates. These are standardised and integrated into a point-processed based iSDM framework to produce species richness maps, associated uncertainties, and sampling effort maps. The outputs are further processed to identify biodiversity hotspots or to summarise species-environment relationships. The workflow used vascular plant data from Norway, combining occurrence-only and presence-absence datasets with environmental covariates. Outputs were generated at a spatial resolution of 500 x 500 meters, balancing accuracy, computational feasibility and relevance for management decisions. High-performance computing resources were utilized for model fitting and predictions. A subset of available data was used to validate the species richness maps. ResultsWe produced detailed maps of species richness, uncertainties and sampling intensity across Norways heterogeneous landscape, incorporating 1218 species in our final results. The species richness patterns highlight patterns consistent with previous mapping efforts. Validation showed an increase in model accuracy when compared to models which did not use an iSDM framework. The workflow highlights limitations in the infrastructure of the currently openly accessible data, particularly the need for more structured presence-absence datasets and standardized metadata. Main conclusionsThis study underscores the potential of workflows that integrate disparate datasets for biodiversity modeling. To maximize accuracy and utility, future efforts should focus on improving data standardization, the publication and collection of more structured data, and fostering data-sharing collaborations. Advances in the workflow itself, including optimising modelling covariates and integrating more comprehensive spatio-temporal aspects, will also increase the relevance of the outputs. These advances will increase our ability to estimate species richness with a precision and accuracy that can reliably inform conservation and management decisions.

The release of tens of millions of common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) across the UK for shooting may pose an ecological risk to native species and sensitive habitats, particularly if the birds move into protected areas (PAs) such as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Areas (SPA), and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The extent of this ecological risk depends on the abundance of pheasants in these sensitive sites, especially if they are attracted there after the shooting season when game management efforts to retain the birds cease. We used relative pheasant abundance measures derived from British Trust for Ornithology bird atlas data from 3793 2km tetrads across four English counties (Berkshire, Cornwall, Devon, and Hertfordshire) to determine if pheasants preferentially disperse into or reside in areas with greater PA coverage. We analysed relative abundance in both the winter shooting season and the breeding season using a Bayesian occupancy-abundance model, controlling for habitat type and diversity. Our results showed a strong influence of habitat on pheasant abundance, consistent with known habitat preferences. However, we found no evidence of a relationship between relative pheasant abundance and the proportion of ecologically relevant PA coverage in a tetrad. This lack of a relationship was consistent across all four counties and across both the winter and breeding seasons. Our finding suggests that common pheasants do not preferentially disperse into or reside in protected areas compared to surrounding, unprotected land, suggesting that the ecological impacts caused by released pheasants are no more likely to occur in protected areas than in non-protected areas.