Agrobiodiversity is declining and urgent actions are needed to reverse the ongoing loss of species and habitats that sustain food production-related ecosystem services. Farmers’ perceptions of agrobiodiversity could provide insights for improving policy designs towards more effective target setting for agrobiodiversity conservation and implementation measures. This scoping review identifies and synthesizes research on European farmers’ perceptions of agrobiodiversity. Using the PRISMA protocol, we identified 43 peer-reviewed scientific articles for qualitative analysis and aggregated these into three themes: 1) multiple agrobiodiversities, 2) agrobiodiversity loss and conservation, and 3) agrobiodiversity in society. The extant literature mainly associates with farmers’ perceptions of observable agrobiodiversity that has a mix of nature-centric and human-centric perspectives. The literature indicates that contradictions often arise from negative interactions or trade-offs between agrobiodiversity and farming when agrobiodiversity hinders farm production. Suggestions for future policies include considering farmers’ place-specific perceptions of agrobiodiversity; developing alternative principles to economically driven policy instruments; and investing in bringing public stakeholders closer to farmers through knowledge transfer and stakeholder collaboration.
For effective conservation of threatened species, accurate data is essential. Given the variable quality of Crowdsourcing Citizen Science (CCS) data, we tested its usability for conservation and implemented a filter to improve its quality. We used data from three threatened species sourced from two online platforms (eBird and WikiAves) and literature. The data were divided into three groups: control, locality, and cleaned. For the cleaned group, we refined the locality group data by removing records with environmental information that differed significantly from the remaining records. Models were built for each group and compared using Extent of Occurrence (EOO), Area of Occupancy (AOO), suitable area, and environmental space parameters. CCS provided most of the accurate data for the three species. Models from the locality group overestimated the environmental space and, consequently, the suitable area. This overestimation was reduced in the cleaned group. Overall, the proposed filter improved model quality. CCS data is crucial for the conservation planning of threatened species if carefully treated to avoid misinformation. The representativeness of CCS data varies with species familiarity and recording difficulty, making it especially important for poorly studied species. The tested filter is useful for data cleaning, complementing existing methods, and providing models for poorly known species.
The Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita) is one of the rarest and most threatened felids in South America, yet its ecology remains poorly understood due to its low detectability and the remote environments it inhabits. This study combined a bibliometric analysis with a systematic review of the scientific literature published between 1998 and 2025 to evaluate research trends and synthesise current knowledge on the species, focusing on its distribution, habitat use, trophic ecology, threats, conservation, and existing knowledge gaps. Literature searches were conducted in the Scopus and SciELO databases following the PRISMA framework, resulting in a final dataset of 66 articles. The results revealed a steady increase in scientific publications over the last decades, particularly in Argentina and Chile, with a strong emphasis on distribution, genetics, and conservation. Available evidence indicates that the distribution of the Andean cat is highly fragmented and closely associated with environmental conditions characteristic of High Andean ecosystems, particularly prey availability and elevation. The review also confirmed a strong trophic association with mountain vizcachas, highlighting a high degree of ecological specialisation. The main threats identified include habitat fragmentation, climate change, road infrastructure expansion, and increasing human activities. Despite the growing body of research, substantial knowledge gaps remain regarding population connectivity, abundance, behaviour, reproduction, and spatial ecology. Addressing these gaps will require strengthened long-term monitoring programmes and the integration of genetic approaches, camera-trapping, and spatial modelling within interdisciplinary research frameworks. Such efforts are essential for improving conservation strategies for Leopardus jacobita across High Andean ecosystems.
Understanding spatial variation in population dynamics is essential for the conservation of narrowly distributed species. For rare taxa with fragmented distributions, regional decline may occur alongside divergent trajectories among local populations, complicating management decisions.We analysed a multi-year monitoring dataset (2016–2022) for Colchicum bulbocodium subsp. versicolor, a strictly protected geophyte restricted to the Subotička peščara in northern Serbia. Using generalized linear mixed models, we quantified temporal trends in site occupancy and abundance across more than one hundred monitored locations. We further evaluated whether climatic variables explained temporal patterns, assessed spatial structure in site-specific abundance trends using Moran’s I, and explored associations between population trajectories and habitat and management characteristics.Site occupancy declined significantly over the monitoring period, indicating regional contraction within the study area. In contrast, abundance dynamics among occupied populations were highly heterogeneous. Random-slope models revealed substantial divergence among sites, with predominantly negative estimated trajectories but considerable variation in their magnitude and direction. Abundance trends were spatially clustered, forming several decline hotspots and a small number of potential refugial areas. Regional climatic indices did not explain the observed temporal patterns. Sites where woody vegetation had been removed tended to exhibit more positive population trajectories, suggesting that vegetation structure and management history contribute to spatial variation in demographic performance.Overall, the regional population appears to be undergoing spatial restructuring rather than uniform decline. Identifying decline hotspots and potential refugial areas provides a practical basis for prioritizing conservation actions within heterogeneous sandy landscapes.
Protected areas play a critical role in maintaining ecosystem services, yet their effectiveness often depends on governance quality and land-use dynamics. This study assessed 16 sustainable-use PAs located within the Central Atlantic Forest Corridor in southern Bahia, Brazil, using geospatial data modeling and proposing the Ecosystem Services Aggregate Index (ESAI) as a tool for diagnostic assessment and management prioritization. Spatial analyses of land use and land cover transitions were conducted from 1992 to 2022 and ecosystem service supply and demand matrices were constructed based on the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services. These matrices were aggregated into an index adjusted to the protected area category under analysis. The results indicated that, over the 30-year period, there was a conversion of native vegetation into agricultural and urban land uses, resulting in losses of coastal strand vegetation (−406 ha) and reductions in forest formations (−75,459 ha). Forest formations were identified as the main providers of ESs, followed by mangroves and coastal strand ecosystems, while urban areas and pastures exhibited high demand and low provisioning capacity. The ESAI revealed a scenario in which 10 out of the 16 PAs are under critical alert (ESAI ≤ 0.10), and six are under high pressure (0.11 ≤ ESAI ≤ 0.30). The absence or ineffectiveness of management instruments was associated with lower ESAI scores, emphasizing that effective governance is essential for maintaining ecosystem functionality. The legal designation of protected status alone does not guarantee ecosystem conservation or the sustainability of ESs. These findings highlight the ESAI’s potential as a diagnostic tool for guiding adaptive management and conservation planning in protected landscapes.
Rewilding is an increasingly adopted ecosystem restoration approach, yet experiences with outcomes of rewilding are limited. The Netherlands, a densely populated Western European country, has assumed a pioneering role in rewilding practices and accommodated rewilding (−related) initiatives over a period of more than 40 years. Reflecting on these developments with a socio-ecological lens, four key insights are synthesised: 1. The flexibility of the term ‘rewilding’ has extensive innovative potential; 2. Societal boundaries have become pivotal in decision-making; 3. Rewilding also has high-gains potential in spaces beyond protected areas; 4. National and cross-national rewilding policies are required.Thinking of the relevance of these insights beyond the Dutch context, we (a) underscore the importance of flexible interpretations and applications of the concept of rewilding; (b) argue that social boundaries are not a hindrance to furthering rewilding but an essential component; (c) support a reorientation from rewilding solely or primarily in nature areas, to rewilding of areas and spaces with (extra) high-gains potential outside designated conservation areas; and (d) ask for cross-sector and cross-national rewilding policies. This way, rewilding moves beyond being a semi-private enterprise, but rather a public concern and even a necessity in addressing environmental crises
Wild mammals and birds face numerous threats, including both legal and illegal shootings that can significantly impact populations. In certain cases, injured animals are found alive and transported to wildlife rehabilitation centres, where they receive specialized veterinary care with the goal of release them back into their natural habitats. During the period from 2010 to 2024, a total of 719 gunshot-injured animals were admitted to 31 wildlife rehabilitation centres across the Czech Republic. Most cases involved birds, with Columbiformes accounting for 34.49% and Accipitriformes for 26.56% of the admissions. Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences (p > 0.05) in the numbers of gunshot-injured animals among species classified as legally huntable game species, non-huntable game species, or those not classified as game under Czech legislation. The majority of cases (80.53%) involved species that are not locally threatened. However, some critically endangered species such as the red kite (Milvus milvus) and peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), endangered species such as the Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), or vulnerable species such as the western marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) were also affected. Many animals either died (40.61%) or had to be euthanized (16.83%), while only a small proportion (11.82%) of gunshot-injured individuals were successfully returned to the wild. Our findings indicate that gunshot injuries are often fatal and underscore the need for research into specific treatment and diagnostic protocols, as well as the importance of understanding the motivations of illegal shooters and promoting education on this issue, whose impact on animal populations remains largely underestimated.
Public conservation funding in Europe is increasingly constrained, making the prioritization of management actions a central challenge. Using EU LIFE projects as a standardized policy framework, we assess the scale, rationale, and empirical support of conservation measures targeting the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis), a species frequently used as a flagship for wetland conservation. Across projects implementing concrete actions, cumulative EU co-financing exceeded €9.5 million, highlighting the need to evaluate how management aligns with demographic evidence. We review the main actions implemented, including habitat restoration, captive breeding, and removal of alien freshwater turtles such as Trachemys scripta, and evaluate their consistency with demographic evidence and cost–effectiveness. While habitat-based interventions are broadly justified and deliver system-level benefits, species-specific measures are often undertaken without clear demographic diagnoses, demonstrated population-level impacts, or long-term evaluation. We identify a recurrent mismatch between perceived threats and evidentiary support, particularly in costly alien turtle eradication programmes. Our analysis does not question the conservation relevance of E. orbicularis or the potential risks posed by biological invasions, but calls for proportionate, hypothesis-driven conservation that reflects the slow population dynamics of native turtles. We further highlight that many LIFE-funded actions remain poorly assessed due to limited post-project monitoring.
Tropical agroecosystems play a key role in conserving biodiversity in fragmented landscapes. This study compares bird diversity and community composition between natural forests and three selected human-modified landscapes in Wayanad region- coffee, cardamom and tea plantations − which are the major cash crops grown in the Western Ghats, India. We aimed to examine how avian community patterns varied across habitat types with different intensities of modifications, thereby assessing the conservation potential of such modified habitats. Our study found 186 species based on field and opportunistic observations during the entire three-year period. Our findings show that plantations supported high bird diversity, with coffee plantations showing the highest diversity among all types. Retaining the existent native tree cover especially in coffee and cardamom plantations is crucial to ensure long term conservation of birds in these plantations which supported more forest-interior species than tea plantations. Further research on birds in tea plantations of Wayanad region is necessary to improve persistence of bird populations in such heavily modified habitats.
Hunting remains a major threat to biodiversity, particularly in tropical and subtropical protected areas. In the Dry Chaco—a region undergoing rapid environmental and social change—understanding the complex motivations behind hunting and the vulnerability of targeted species is essential for effective conservation. This study explores stakeholder perceptions of hunting within three protected areas using two conservation criminology frameworks: one focused on classifying motivations to hunt, and the other on identifying species traits that make them vulnerable. We conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with park rangers, managers, law enforcement agents, and conservation professionals. Respondents identified a wide range of types of local and non-local hunters, and emphasized experiential and subsistence motivations for hunting, including recreation, wild-meat preference, and cultural practices. The most hunted species—grey-brocket deer Mazama gouazoubira, white-lipped peccary Tayassu pecari, and collared peccary Dicotyles tajacu—were perceived as abundant, accessible, and versatile, aligning with key vulnerability traits. While these species were not perceived to be declining, respondents reported significant declines in less-hunted species such as the Chacoan peccary Parachoerus wagneri, jaguar Panthera onca, and tapir Tapirus terrestris, and noted an overall decline in mammal populations over the past decade. Perceptions of increasing hunting pressure were consistent with previous assessments of the Dry Chaco, but varied among protected areas, underscoring contrasting views on the severity of the issue. Our findings highlight the value of integrating stakeholder knowledge with theoretically grounded frameworks to identify both current and emerging threats. This approach offers a replicable model for assessing hunting dynamics in other rapidly changing landscapes and underscores the urgent need for long-term monitoring and adaptive conservation strategies in the Chaco and beyond.
Against the backdrop of global climate change, the long-term effectiveness of protected areas (PAs) as a core tool for biodiversity conservation is under significant challenges. This study proposes a new metric, “buffer time”, to quantify the period during which PAs maintain relatively stable climate conditions despite climate warming. Drawing on principles of kinematics, climate change is conceptualized as a “climate particle” crossing the boundary of a fixed PA. Buffer time is the duration a particle needs to cross the PA. It depends on climate velocity and the PA’s effective distance along the climate shift direction. Using CMIP6 climate model data from four shared socio-economic pathways (SSP1-2.6 to SSP5-8.5) spanning 2000 to 2100, a systematic assessment was conducted for 363 national-level PAs in China. The results show that: (1) the median buffer time of Chinese PAs is only 14.39 years (interquartile range: 6.8–34.2 years), exhibiting a highly right-skewed distribution; buffer times are longer in western high-altitude and arid/semi-arid regions, while significantly shorter in the eastern monsoon region; (2) buffer time is independently shaped by climate scenarios and climate zones (p < 0.001). Climate zones explain more variation, but their interaction is insignificant (p = 1); (3) elasticity analysis demonstrates an asymmetric trade-off between climate velocity and PA size: higher CV (elasticity = − 0.989) harms resilience twice as much as area expansion helps (elasticity = +0.487). This suggests that mitigating climate change is a more effective strategy than merely expanding PAs for maintaining climate stability under climate change. The buffer time model offers a practical tool for adaptive conservation planning. It stresses that the Kunming-Montreal 3030 target must align with deep Paris Agreement emission cuts. Future research would integrate microclimate effects, multidimensional climate variables, and dynamic management strategies. This work shifts conservation evaluation from spatial coverage to temporal resilience. It provides a scientific basis for biodiversity governance under global climate change.
Biological invasions pose the profound ecological threat, disrupting biodiversity, ecosystem functionality, and human livelihoods. Solanum viarum Dunal is an aggressive invasive species that has rapidly expanded across subtropical regions, yet its habitat-specific adaptive mechanisms in forest ecosystems remain insufficiently understood. Although its global spread is well documented, empirical evidence explaining how coordinated shifts in functional traits and ecological strategies support local naturalization across environmental gradients remains limited. This study quantified habitat-driven variation in plant functional traits, CSR ecological strategies (Competitive, Stress-tolerant, and Ruderal), and soil–trait relationships to clarify mechanisms underlying the naturalization success of S. viarum in subtropical forests of Pakistan. Field surveys were conducted across five habitat types, where vegetative, reproductive, and leaf traits were measured alongside key soil properties. Trait variation among habitats was evaluated using analysis of variance with Tukey post hoc tests. Principal component analysis examined trait syndromes, canonical correspondence analysis assessed soil–trait associations, and structural equation modelling quantified direct and indirect relationships among soil conditions, trait composites, and CSR strategies. Plant height was highest in forest interiors, whereas roadside and trail habitats exhibited significantly greater fruit size, seed size, seed number, specific leaf area, and leaf area (p < 0.01). Forest interiors showed higher leaf dry matter content and lower specific leaf area (p < 0.01). Principal component analysis revealed clear habitat clustering driven primarily by leaf economic and reproductive traits. CSR strategies shifted from competitive–stress tolerant dominance in forest interiors to ruderal-inclusive strategies in disturbed habitats. Canonical correspondence analysis explained 24 % of total trait variation, with soil moisture and litter depth showing the strongest associations. Structural modelling demonstrated significant indirect effects of soil conditions on ecological strategies via plant height (p < 0.05), leaf traits (p < 0.05), and reproductive investment (p < 0.001), with reproductive traits reducing competitive dominance (p < 0.001) and increasing ruderal expression (p < 0.01). These coordinated trait and strategy shifts enable persistence in stable habitats and expansion in disturbed environments, providing a foundation for habitat-specific management of S. viarum in subtropical forest ecosystems.
The survival of sea turtle hatchlings on nesting beaches is strongly influenced by anthropogenic factors, particularly light pollution. Artificial light disrupts hatchlings’ natural orientation, as they instinctively seek the brightest point on the horizon to reach the ocean. In March 2023, the Costa Rican Electricity Institute installed 71 red-light lamps in Tortuguero to reduce light-induced disorientation in Chelonia mydas hatchlings. This study assessed the impact of artificial lighting on hatchling orientation along a public beach in Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Using standardized circular arena experiments, we simulated emergence events and analyzed hatchling movement under white and red light conditions during different lunar phases. The V test confirmed that the orientation was significantly clustered toward the seaward direction, with 15 % of hatchlings under white light disoriented toward artificial sources compared to only 5 % under red light. The Watson U2 test further demonstrated significant differences between orientation distributions under white and red light (U2 = 11.86, P < 0.001). Overall, hatchlings exposed to white light showed pronounced disorientation, while those under red light retained a stronger preference for the ocean. These findings highlight the detrimental effects of artificial white light and underscore the value of red-light systems as an effective mitigation strategy for sea turtle conservation and coastal lighting management in critical nesting habitats.
Global insect declines and pronounced spatial and taxonomic sampling biases highlight the need for efficient biodiversity monitoring tools. Indicator species offer a promising solution, yet wild bees remain underexplored in this context. To address this gap, we evaluated the applicability of wild bees as indicators of landscape composition and bee diversity across urban and agricultural environments. Using standardised pan trap sampling, we collected 26,607 wild bees representing 283 species from 32 sites in and around Prague and Brno (Czech Republic), spanning two biogeographical regions. We compared two clustering approaches: a top-down method based on landscape composition and a bottom-up method based on bee community composition. Indicator species were identified for each cluster, and co-occurrence analyses were used to characterise typical wild bee communities. Both approaches produced moderately similar groupings but differed substantially in the indicator species identified. Clustering based on bee abundances yielded more ecologically coherent indicators and clearer differentiation between urban and agricultural landscapes, while capturing effects of habitat composition and regional species pools. Analyses revealed distinct bee communities associated with forests, urban greenspaces, agricultural landscapes, and both urban and agricultural wastelands. Most indicator species were specific to a region, but a select number of species proved effective as indicators on larger scales. Our results demonstrate that selected wild bee species can serve as effective indicators of landscape composition and bee diversity. We recommend bee-based clustering where comprehensive data are available, as it better incorporates species’ ecological requirements and supports efficient monitoring and conservation planning in heterogeneous anthropogenic landscapes.
We developed and tested a plot-based plant indicator scoring approach for Latvia’s results-based agri-environmental grassland pilot scheme, Blooming Meadows. The approach was evaluated through a participatory process in which landowners tested the method, provided feedback on its feasibility and credibility, and suggested improvements. The objective was to assess whether the scoring approach could provide a standardised, field-applicable basis for assessing biodiversity results and differentiating payment levels while remaining understandable and feasible for landowners to use. Using 247 grassland parcels (<5 ha), we evaluated whether ten plots adequately captured indicator-taxa richness, whether detection rates differed before versus after mowing, and how landowners’ observations differed from expert assessments. Participatory evaluation of the scoring approach involved focus groups, workshops, field training, and a questionnaire. On average, the ten-plot approach detected around 80% of the indicator taxa recorded in a more intensive reference survey, indicating adequate sensitivity for scheme requirements. Post-mowing surveys consistently under-detected some taxa, highlighting the need to refine the indicator list. Landowners’ assessments showed generally acceptable agreement with expert assessments, which improved with training but varied among taxa. Landowners valued the learning-by-doing approach and suggested combining systematic plots with a few landowner-selected ‘hotspot’ plots to better reflect within-field heterogeneity. Overall, plot-based monitoring of plant indicator taxa led by landowners appears operationally viable.
