Reconciling livestock production, wild herbivore conservation and human well-being remains a persistent challenge in rangeland management. Conventional approaches have largely pursued these objectives through separate production and conservation strategies, reinforcing a production–conservation trade-off while overlooking the ecological and institutional processes linking them. This narrative review synthesises literature identified through Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect across diverse rangeland systems globally. It examines the roles of institutional and governance arrangements, landscape management, and ecosystem functioning in livestock–wild herbivore coexistence. The synthesis identifies a recurring management disconnect between livestock production and wild herbivore conservation in rangeland systems experiencing conflict and degradation. The review therefore proposes Functional Systems Integration (FSI) as a conceptual framework for managing livestock production and wild herbivore conservation within a shared social–ecological system. FSI brings together institutions, spatial planning, and ecosystem processes to support coordinated governance and landscape connectivity while pursuing production, conservation, and livelihood goals. It shifts the focus of rangeland management towards sustaining the processes that underpin multifunctional landscapes. FSI remains a conceptual framework rather than a validated management model, and its applicability requires empirical testing across contrasting rangeland contexts. Two priorities are identified for advancing FSI from concept to practice: testing mechanisms for FSI governance, assessment, and monitoring in integrated livestock–wild herbivore systems, and developing measurable indicators across its institutional, spatial, and ecological dimensions.
The Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensis) is a critically endangered species and one of the least studied among the eight extant pangolin species from Asia and Africa. Methodologies in conservation genetics, such as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) barcoding and genomic analysis, render relevant and crucial information for addressing uncertainties in species identification and supporting evidence in wildlife forensics. In this perspective paper, we examine the application of molecular genetics in studying the Philippine pangolin and its comparative assessment of efficiency and effectiveness for conservation outcomes. We argue that the application of conservation genetics should translate into Philippine pangolin conservation outcomes through expanding the unit of analysis from the molecular to the landscape level, integrating adaptive and complementary research methods, and developing or strengthening of strategic multi-sectoral collaboration.
Co-occurring biological and linguistic (cultural) diversity provides opportunities to coordinate conservation of these two phenomena in a world rapidly losing both. This essay explores the potential for integrated conservation of biodiversity and cultural diversity in Canada, a nation with vast tracts of natural habitat and a strong Indigenous presence. The paper focuses on 35 localities deemed globally significant by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): Natural World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, and Global Geoparks. These sites cover less than 5
Abstract Incubation temperature plays a key role in sea turtle embryonic development through influencing developmental rate, hatchling phenotype, and temperature-dependent sex determination. We quantified nest and adjacent sand temperatures and examined their relationships with incubation duration, reproductive success, and hatchling performance in olive ridley sea turtles ( Lepidochelys olivacea ), during the 2020–2021 nesting season at the Songor Ramsar Site and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Ada Foah, Ghana. Temperature loggers were deployed within seven nests and in paired sand locations approximately 2 m from each nest at equivalent depth. Loggers were set to record temperatures at 15-min intervals throughout the incubation period. Nest and sand temperatures were similar during early incubation but diverged later in development, with nest temperatures becoming consistently higher than sand temperatures beginning around incubation day 17 and remaining elevated through hatching. Mean nest temperatures ranged from 30.7 to 33.3 °C (mean ± SD = 32.4 ± 0.8 °C) and were strongly negatively correlated with incubation duration ( r = − 0.88), indicating accelerated development in warmer nests. Relationships between nest temperature and hatching success or emergence success were weak and highly variable among nests. Nest temperature showed a moderate association with hatchling locomotor performance. Although hatchling sex ratios were not measured directly, nest temperatures exceeded pivotal thresholds for olive ridley turtles during a substantial portion of the thermosensitive period, suggesting a predicted female-biased hatchling sex ratio.
Mining is considered a driver of economic growth, though often at the expense of the natural environment. In developing countries and biodiversity hotspots such as the Philippines, it is crucial to promote sustainability that balances socio-economic and environmental development. In this study, we analysed two online posts regarding open-pit mining in Davao Oriental, Philippines, particularly those operating near the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary (MHRWS), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We examined 481 unique social media comments through reflexive thematic analysis. The online posts sparked public discussions themed as community voice and protest (n = 139), governance and accountability (n = 107), environmental degradation (n = 94), calls for action and hope (n = 55), social and health impacts (n = 20), and economic and livelihood impacts (n = 15). Drawing from these results, we developed the RESPECT framework as a community-based action model for ecological regeneration, accountable governance, sustainable livelihood, stakeholder collaboration, and environmental stewardship in mining-affected landscapes. Guided by Social Representations Theory (SRT), we posit that social media discussions are shaped by shared meanings about mining. These collective expressions guide public policy and social action aimed at advancing natural resource management and biodiversity conservation. Key mining stakeholders must incorporate public sentiments into their development plans to promote inclusion, equity, and sustainability in mining areas. There is a need to utilise social media channels to advocate for environmental protection and biodiversity conservation. We recommend institutionalising the RESPECT framework to re-evaluate and re-imagine Davao Oriental’s mining sector.
