Conservation Science and Practice

Conservation strategies for at-risk species can be aided significantly by research on topics such as ecology, life history, and threats, yet research effort is lacking for many species facing elevated extinction risk. Here we investigated whether listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) was associated with research effort for U.S. butterflies, and whether that effort was higher before or after ESA listing. We found that ESA-listed species had significantly more peer-reviewed publications than non-listed species after accounting for species range and taxonomic family. Further, we showed that more papers were published per year after ESA listing than before. These findings confirm that ESA-listed species benefit from greater research attention that can support data-informed conservation efforts. However, the relative scarcity of studies prior to ESA listing, as well as the lack of research for many unlisted, at-risk taxa, underscores the need for proactive, strategic research effort to inform conservation action.

Primates are frequent targets of international conservation efforts, due to their anthropological significance and function as biodiversity conservation flagship species. Afro-Palearctic migratory birds receive considerable conservation attention in their breeding habitats, but much less in their wintering areas. Good wintering habitat conditions are, however, crucial for long-term population viability. Integrating complementary conservation efforts for these taxa may provide substantial co-benefits. Here, we evaluate the spatial, ecological, and conservation congruence between 248 Afro-Palearctic migratory bird and 213 African primate species to identify potential synergies in intercontinental conservation efforts. The wintering areas of 218 migratory bird species overlap with primate ranges. Up to 125 Afro-Palearctic migratory bird species co-occur with at least one primate species locally and highest regional cross-taxon richness occurs in forest-savanna ecotones in West Africa and eastern DRC. Agriculture and hunting threaten both taxa (88-97% of primate and 59-70% of bird species). Several conservation interventions have demonstrated effectiveness for both taxa, particularly habitat protection and hunting reduction. We propose three policy priorities: strengthening cross-taxa monitoring within existing primate research infrastructure, improving the conservation evidence base in the African context, and creating financing synergies that allow conservation investments to simultaneously benefit both taxa.

Governments, civil society organizations and businesses often lack the biodiversity data they need for decision-making and adaptive management, impacting their planning, reporting and performance. We explored the biodiversity data needs of such actors in Colombia, Ghana and Switzerland to identify factors affecting data availability and use. Responses to questionnaire surveys showed that the data types with the biggest gaps between user needs and access were progress on conservation or sustainability actions, species populations, habitat state and ecological risk. The most frequent data blockages related to inadequate resources and organizational capacity. Obstacles significantly associated with a lack of primary data included an absence of organizational biodiversity goals and monitoring systems. Problems accessing habitat quality and species abundance data were associated with data collection methods being unknown or unavailable. Businesses were more likely than other groups to need data on threats, perhaps reflecting the increasing importance of environmental risk to the corporate sector. Businesses are less likely to collect primary data or use secondary data and are significantly more likely to be unclear on what biodiversity indicators to use. Non-business organizations are significantly more likely to be unable to access data because of a lack of funding for data collection, analysis, and use. Our results highlight the need for stakeholders across sectors to work together to find common solutions to build and invest in monitoring capacity that unblocks the flow of biodiversity data.

1.AimThe Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) metric was developed to support setting and measuring progress towards science-based targets for species conservation, in alignment with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The STAR metric quantifies the potential reduction in species global extinction risk achievable through actions to abate threats (START) and restore habitat (STARR). The STAR metric is used across multiple sectors to assess contributions to nature-positive species outcomes and implement action for biodiversity. Here we present a substantially enhanced global estimate of START for terrestrial vertebrates. Developed in response to user demand, this work integrates advancements in methodology and data quality, increased spatial resolution, and addition of reptile species. LocationGlobal Time PeriodCurrent Major taxa studiedTerrestrial vertebrates MethodsSTART was estimated at 1km2 resolution for 9,100 species of threatened and Near Threatened birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, using IUCN Red List assessments (version 2025-1) and area of habitat (AOH) maps generated using an advanced data-driven methodology and satellite-derived land-cover data. AOH maps were validated using a two-stage protocol using species observation data. ResultsThe six countries with the highest estimated START scores, and therefore the largest individual potential to reduce global extinction risk via tackling threats nationally were Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia, Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia (each contributing over 5% of global estimated START). The threat with the greatest individual potential to reduce extinction risk was annual and perennial non-timber crops (21.2% of global START). Main conclusionsTargeted actions to tackle a few high-impact threats in a few discrete locations, and cumulative effort across multiple areas with lower individual potential, are both required to meaningfully reduce species extinction risk through threat abatement. This global scale estimation of START enables consistent scoping of conservation opportunity over large areas and provides the critical initial data to support planning and action.

Through the end of the century, biodiversity is expected to markedly decline around the world due to climate change, habitat loss, and other factors. Because of this, there is an increasing need for more efficient, effective, and collaborative conservation efforts worldwide. While many global and national threat assessment databases exist, they may only have limited utility at regional and local scales where on-the-ground conservation is best implemented. To better identify species risk at a more regional scale, the 14 state fish and wildlife agencies in the northeastern United States worked with taxonomic experts across the Northeast to create the most recent (2023) list of Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need (RSGCN). We compared a preliminary list compiled from global and national datasets to the finalized list after the process documented here. We found that the global and national datasets only identified [~]55% of the 806 species statuses accurately for the region, demonstrating the importance of current local and regional expertise and data. The process of identifying RSGCN for the northeastern U.S. has resulted in specific actionable information leading to beneficial outcomes, such as dedicated funding for regional initiatives, data-sharing, and coordination among regional, state, and local conservation organizations - enabling beneficial conservation outcomes across the region for many of the species and habitats of the region. The methods described may serve as a framework for other regions to help identify conservation targets using the best available and more localized landscape- and watershed-scale information.

Addressing urgent conservation issues, like the drastic declines of North American migratory birds, requires creative, evidence-based, efficient, and collaborative approaches. Over 50% of monitored North American shorebird populations have lost over 50% of their abundance since 1980. To address these declines, we developed a partnership of scientists and practitioners called the Shorebird Science and Conservation Collective (hereinafter "the Collective"). Here, we present this successful case study as an example for others engaged in translational science. The Collective acts as an intermediary whereby dedicated staff collate and analyze data contributions from scientists to support knowledge requests from conservation practitioners. Data contributions from 74 organizations include over 6.7 million shorebird locations forming movement paths of 3,345 individuals representing 36 species tracked across the Americas. We describe the founding and structure of the Collective and conservation activities we supported in our first two years. As the volume of scientific data on animal movements continues to grow, groups like the Collective can be vital liaisons to rapidly integrate and interpret research to support conservation action.

Providing synthetic substitutes is a widely promoted strategy to shift consumer demand away from wildlife products derived from threatened species. Yet, there is little evidence on whether such product substitution interventions effectively prevent illegal or unsustainable harvesting and contribute to the recovery of threatened populations. Drawing on the Furs For Life (FFL) Zambia initiative, which supplied synthetic furs known as "Heritage Furs" to replace leopard skins traditionally worn during Lozi royal ceremonies in Western Zambia, we present an evaluation designed to test both the effects and causal mechanisms of substitution. Guided by the EMMIE framework, commonly used in crime prevention evaluation, we triangulated data from semi-structured questionnaires, law enforcement patrols, court records, camera trap monitoring, and stakeholder interviews conducted between 2018 and 2024. Qualitative analysis using the General Elimination Method was employed to assess plausible alternative explanations for leopard recovery. By 2024, adoption of synthetic furs among leopard fur users exceeded 80 percent, while self-reported ownership of authentic leopard furs declined by 70 percent. At the same time, patrol detections of leopard poaching incidents decreased, and camera trap density estimates increased from an average of 2.7 to 3.8 leopards per 100 square kilometers across the focal landscape. An integrated mechanism of change, derived from stakeholder perspectives, indicates that while substitution reduced demand, concurrent and reinforcing effects of counter-poaching and counter-trafficking operations were critical to leopard recovery. This study provides the first empirical link between a demand reduction initiative based on synthetic substitutes and measurable species population recovery.

Gaps in biodiversity protection occur in Canada due to limited jurisdiction of federal species-at-risk laws and the absence of dedicated legislation in many provinces, including British Columbia (B.C.). While lacking legal protection, B.C. maintains Red, Blue, and Yellow Lists of threatened, special-concern, and secure species, respectively, using a NatureServe ranking system. We compiled historical data on species status in B.C. between 2008 and 2024 from the B.C. Conservation Data Centre. B.C. is home to 5,485 Yellow, 1,116 Blue, 491 Red-listed species. Changes in status over this time period were reported for 967 animal species, with an even split in uplistings (more imperiled) and downlistings (less imperiled). More status changes were reported for plants (2,902), mainly due to updated methodology leading to a lower risk status. Analysing the accompanying explanation for each status change revealed that most changes were non-genuine (e.g., new information, taxonomy, or methodology) rather than genuine (e.g., true changes in population size, range, or threats). Genuine improvements in the status of species in B.C. have been exceedingly rare. This analysis indicates that current laws and regulations have been insufficient to recover species at risk within B.C. Plain-language summaryBritish Columbia is the most biodiverse province in Canada, yet 1,607 species are imperiled in the province. We analysed trends, finding a 16% rise in the number of species at risk since 2008. By analysing the provided explanations, we found that status improvements were mostly "non-genuine", caused by changing methodology and/or new data. Strengthening legal protections is essential to prevent biodiversity loss in the province.

Biological invasions represent a key threat to island ecosystems, with pronounced impacts across environments and economies. The ecological impacts have received substantial focus, but the economic costs have lacked synthesis at spatial and temporal scales. Here we utilise the InvaCost database, the most comprehensive global assessment of published economic costs of invasive species, to assess reported spend by cost types and socioeconomic sectors, and to examine temporal trends in spending, across islands that differ in their political geography - nation states, overseas territories or offshore islands of continental countries. We based this assessment on 1473 unique cost entries comprising 2914 annual costs totalling almost US$100 million in area-corrected costs between 1965-2020. We find that offshore islands of continental countries incur the greatest total and management costs. However, nation states incurred the greatest damage costs whilst substantially financing management actions, and spent an overall greater proportion of their GDP. In contrast, spending within overseas territories was significantly lower in all respects. The most impacted sector was authorities and stakeholders, demonstrating the key role of government in addressing island invasions. Temporal trends revealed continual increases in spending across all island types. This likely reflects ongoing introduction rates globally alongside an increased recognition of the importance of islands as biodiversity hotspots, and an appetite to tackle invasive species at larger and more socially complex scales. However, the high economic costs of invasions on islands substantiates the need to prevent them in order to avoid this dire threat to biodiversity and its burden on limited conservation resources.

To prevent species extinctions, targeted action must focus on areas of threatened biodiversity facing intense human pressures. This objective is even more important in the run-up to 2030, the target date to conserve 30% of lands and waters globally. Conservation Imperatives (unprotected terrestrial sites that harbour rare, range-restricted, and threatened species) are critical to preventing imminent species losses. To prioritize among the 16,825 Conservation Imperatives Sites spanning 1.64 million km2, we ranked each site using a prioritization framework based on four criteria: number of threatened species per site; irreplaceability of the site; the proportion of an ecoregions remaining habitat contained in the site; and conversion pressure. Our approach prioritizes 1,667 sites representing 501,426 km2, or 0.37% of Earths terrestrial surface, most in need of urgent protection, with 87.34% of these sites occurring in 20 countries and in 250 ecoregions. This prioritization directly addresses the concern that protected areas must be targeted to protect endangered species, habitats and populations: 33.46% of the prioritized Conservation Imperatives Sites scored higher in irreplaceability than 90% of existing protected areas. Additionally, 51.53% are within 2.5 km2 of an existing protected area, making extending protection or restoring connectivity more feasible. Targeting conservation actions, especially in this small set of countries and ecoregions identified here, would contribute "high quality" areas for biodiversity as part of reaching the 30% coverage target by 2030.

In this study, we assess how well globally threatened bird species in Latin America are currently represented within existing protected areas, and we identify conservation priority areas for the most under-protected species. We used publicly available data to map the Area of Habitat (AOH) for each of the 149 land birds in South America listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as either Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable (the latter only under criterion D - those with the smallest populations or ranges). We then set two minimum conservation targets for each species: first a population-based target that estimates the proportion of the AOH needed to conserve 1,000 mature individuals (or the total population if smaller) to prevent extinction; and second, an area-based target that estimates the amount of habitat needed to sustain the long-term conservation of each species. The AOH maps were then overlaid with existing protected areas to identify those species that do not yet have their minimum conservation targets met. Using this approach, we identified 10 species that require additional protection to avoid extinction, and a further 54 species that need expanded protection for sustained conservation. Fortunately, the majority of species already met their target. We also ran a prioritization analysis to identify and map the places most important for meeting the goals of the under-protected species. We found that just 661.4 km2 is needed to meet population-based targets for the ten species of greatest concern, and 16,360 km2 is needed to meet area-based targets for all under-protected species combined. These areas represent <0.1% of the regions land area and are mostly concentrated in five countries (Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil). Expanding reserves to cover these areas should result in both improved conservation outcomes and Red List status for these species.

Detection of wildlife mortality events is critical for timely conservation and natural resource management. We present an open-source, web-based decision support tool that queries, aggregates and summarizes participatory science data from iNaturalist to monitor mortality events worldwide. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach using four case studies spanning taxonomic, spatial, and temporal scales. In Canada and the United States, high peaks of bird mortality coincided with zoonotic risk during avian influenza outbreaks. Across Latin America, we detected 75 mortality events of critically endangered species. In California, recorded mammal mortality was associated with human infrastructure, including proximity to roads, and to a lesser extent, the human footprint. Mortality of pumas (Puma concolor) was detected across nine countries, highlighting the need for international cooperation to conserve mobile species. Our tool enables resource managers to flag emerging threats and empowers participatory scientists to monitor and integrate mortality records for conservation.

Area-based conservation remains a pivotal component of global wildlife protection efforts. Mexico hosts a diverse array of area-based approaches, encompassing protected areas (PAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) such as voluntary conservation areas (VCAs) and wildlife management units (UMAs). Indigenous Territories (ITs) also provide heightened conservation potential through traditional ecological knowledge systems. These conservation spaces exhibit significant variations in community involvement, national coverage, and governance. Here, we evaluate the conservation potential of these land management types for 29 terrestrial carnivores, focusing on spatial co-occurrence. We determine areas in Mexico lacking area-based protection and calculate carnivore richness per land management type. Analyzing overlap between land management types and carnivore ranges, we employ heat maps to visualize overlap occurrence and key unprotected areas. We found that across all carnivore ranges, 87% of the area remains unprotected under designated protection areas (PAs & VCAs), decreasing to 65.2% after including non-designated types (ITs and UMAs). We identified several key gaps in the protection estate for Mexican carnivores, most notably on the eastern Mexican coast in the state of Veracruz. Our findings corroborate the importance of including Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in conservation efforts, emphasizing their contributions to the stewardship of Mexican ecosystems. As the global protected area estate continues to expand under the post-2020 global biodiversity targets, and the importance of a well-designed and diverse portfolio of practices for conservation is recognized, the need for collective action, increased collaboration and inclusivity, and effective communication amongst stakeholders becomes necessary for carnivore conservation.

Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) calls for urgent management actions to halt humaninduced extinctions and enable species recovery. However, most Parties face substantial challenges in determining which species require urgent management actions. Here, we present a transparent, standardised protocol that identifies and ranks species most likely to need urgent management actions at the national level, using globally available data from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The protocol integrates four criteria aligned with Target 4: global extinction risk, rate of decline, population or range restriction, and endemism, to generate a national ranked list of species. Species scoring highly on these four criteria, and therefore most in need of urgent management action, are ranked most highly. We applied this method to all 250 countries and territories listed in the IUCN Red List and pilottested national rankings with participants from eight diverse countries. Across pilots, participants reported that the ranked lists were scientifically robust, timesaving, and valuable starting points for national prioritysetting, while stating the importance of national context, and the need for additional technical and financial support for implementation. Our results demonstrate that a sciencebased approach can meaningfully support Parties in identifying species requiring urgent action under Target 4, in a standardised way. With 2030 approaching rapidly, this protocol provides an immediate, practical tool to accelerate progress toward halting extinctions and advancing species recovery.

Threatened species management relies on Ex ante estimates of species responses to different interventions to generate meaningful predictions. Structured expert elicitation is often used to generate these estimates, but comparisons of these expert-predicted outcomes with observed results are rare. This study aims to evaluate the utility of expert elicitation for adaptive management in the New South Wales Saving our Species (SoS) program in Australia by revisiting six species management plans that were generated from bespoke structured elicitation guidelines five years prior. Each species management plan included a defined scope, conceptual model, monitoring indicators and estimated response to management curves under different scenarios. Experts reviewed the conceptual models after five years of management and monitoring and compared the predicted response to management with observed monitoring data. In three of the six case studies, observed outcomes closely matched predictions. Where predictions diverged, factors such as unanticipated new threats and unexpected responses to interventions contributed to discrepancies. However, in all cases, the structured approach provided a clear logic for planning, enabling managers to systematically refine their understanding. The conceptual models and response curves proved valuable for collaboration, communication, and generating hypotheses for unexpected results. This work demonstrates the value of the bespoke guidelines in supporting adaptive management processes, strengthening the knowledge base for threatened species conservation while improving alignment between predictions and real-world outcomes.

There is growing concern, locally and globally, about the health of pollinating insects and their decreasing abundance and diversity. While roads may also be contributing to insect pollinator declines (roads can contribute to habitat fragmentation and habitat destruction), roadsides may provide opportunities for pollinating insect conservation. Yet to use these areas to support local pollinating insects, we need to understand which plants will support wild pollinators, especially of conservation concern. To that end, we researched the potential plant-pollinator networks of three existing seed mixes in western New York (USA) - a roadside seed mix, a pollinator-friendly planting mix, and a lawn seed mix. We used publicly available information and built bipartite graphs to show the resulting networks. The pollinator-friendly seed mix supported the most pollinating insects overall and taxa of conservation concern. Yet the roadside mix, with the same species richness as the lawn seed mix, supported a different network based on the plants in the mix. Our results inform which particular plant species in existing seed mixes in western New York can support wild pollinating insect species of concern in the region. Additionally, our results show potentially how roadside and lawn plantings may be altered to support a broader network of pollinating insects.

Conserving migratory birds effectively requires full annual cycle strategies that identify where on-the-ground efforts can have the greatest impact. Here, we present a hemispheric spatial framework to identify priority areas for 112 migratory bird species across the Americas. Building on full annual cycle prioritizations, we defined finer-scale spatial planning units that reflect differences in migratory and congregational behaviors between shorebirds and landbirds. We compiled population data for each planning unit and focal species and applied conservation planning tools to design area-efficient portfolios of sites and landscapes that secure 10% of each species population within the Americas flyways. The resulting minimum area portfolios include 175 shorebird sites and 80 landbird landscapes optimized to meet the species-specific 10% representation targets across breeding, non-breeding, and passage seasons. We also identified a broader set of complementary solutions, ranked by an importance score, to provide decision-makers with flexible options for strategic resource allocation. This framework provides the scientific foundation for the Americas Flyways Initiative (AFI), which aims to catalyze investment in nature-based solutions and bird-friendly infrastructure to enhance the conservation of migratory birds and strengthen the resilience of the Americas flyways by 2050.

On January 27, 2021, President Biden signed an executive order, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, committing the United States to various goals within his campaigns major climate policy, the Biden Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice. Included in this executive order is a commitment to "conserving at least 30 percent of [the United States] lands and oceans by 2030." This ambitious conservation target signals a promising direction for biodiversity in the United States. However, while the executive order outlines several goals for climate mitigation, the 30x30 target remains vague in its objectives, actions, and implementation strategies for protecting biodiversity. Biodiversity urgently needs effective conservation action, but it remains unclear where and what this 30% target will be applied to. Achieving different climate and biodiversity objectives will require different strategies and, in combination with the associated costs of implementation, will lead to different priority areas for conservation actions. Here, we illustrate what the 30% target could look like across four objectives reflective of the ambitious goals outlined in the executive order. We compile several variations of terrestrial protected area networks guided by these different objectives and examine the trade-offs in costs, ecosystem representation, and climate mitigation potential between each. We find little congruence in priority areas across objectives, emphasizing just how crucial it will be for the Biden administration to develop clear objectives and establish appropriate performance metrics from the outset to maximize both conservation and climate outcomes in support of the 30x30 target. We discuss important considerations that must guide the administrations conservation strategies in order to ensure meaningful conservation outcomes can be achieved over the next decade.

In the context of climate change it is important to keep biodiversity databases up-to-date. This priority generates the need for a metric to assess the concept of up-to-dateness. The objective of this paper is to devise a measure of up-to-dateness for atlas-type biodiversity data. The data input into the algorithm consists of the species, date and grid cell allocation of all available records for a taxon in a region. First, for each grid cell in a region, the median of the date of the most recent record of each species is calculated. Secondly, the median of the median dates for each grid cell yields an overall measure of up-to-dateness. The performance of this algorithm is investigated in relation to databases for six taxa in southern Africa. In June 2021, the up-to-dateness of the databases varied from 41 years for the reptile database to two years for the bird database. The quality of a biodiversity database is a multidimensional concept; up-to-dateness is only one of several dimensions. The paper identifies a need to quantify the rate at which the "value" of a record decays as evidence that a species still occurs at a locality, and suggests an experimental process for doing this. The use of the up-to-dateness index to motivate citizen scientists is discussed.

Over a quarter of species assessed by the IUCN Red List are threatened with extinction. A global commitment to protect 17% of land and 10% of the oceans by 2020 is close to being achieved, but with limited ecological impacts due to its inadequacy and poor enforcement. Here, we reverse-engineer IUCN Red List criteria to generate area-based conservation targets and spatial conservation priorities to minimize the extinction risk of the world terrestrial mammals. We find that approximately 60% of the Earths non-Antarctic land surface would require some form of protection. Our results suggest that global conservation priority schemes, among which the Aichi targets, will be inadequate to secure the persistence of terrestrial mammals. To achieve this goal, international cooperation is required to implement a connected and comprehensive conservation area network, guided by high priority regions outlined in this study.