A hallmark of the media publicity surrounding COVID-19 has been the message that land change causes zoonotic diseases to spill over from wild animals to humans. The secondary peer-reviewed literature sends a similar message. However, as indicated in the primary peer-reviewed literature, the complexity of interacting variables involved in zoonotic disease spillover makes it unlikely for such a claim to be universally applicable. The secondary peer-reviewed literature and the mainstream media also differ markedly from the primary peer-reviewed literature in their lack of nuance in messaging about the relationship between land change and spillover risk. We advocate accurate, nuanced messaging for the sake of the local communities at greatest risk from zoonotic disease, for the sake of scientific credibility, and so that proportionate attention may be given to other possible drivers of spillover risk.

Scholars have quantified the impact of the production and consumption of commodities, in particular agricultural commodities, on biodiversity loss. Certification schemes, meanwhile, have been instituted as a means to limit biodiversity loss caused by the production of some of these commodities. This paper clarifies how biodiversity loss can be limited by certification schemes in oil palm and fastwood plantation concessions by applying three methodological approaches to biodiversity assessment. We consider concessions in West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, as an example. We found that certified plantation concessions that are committed to deforestation-free production are limited in their ability to prevent further biodiversity loss, due to the past conversion of forest habitats to plantations. Concession holders can improve forest habitats through corridor development and other measures, which would mitigate, but not prevent, further biodiversity loss. We suggest a broadening of focus from protecting natural habitats within concession areas, to the wider landscape around concessions in collaboration with neighbors. This will require institutional arrangements to enable access to finance and technical expertise.

Biodiversity knowledge is communicated by scientists to policymakers at the biodiversity “science-policy interface” (SPI). Although the biodiversity SPI is the subject of a growing body of literature, gaps in our understanding include the efficacy of mechanisms to bridge the interface, the quality of information exchanged between science and policy, and the inclusivity of stakeholders involved. To improve this understanding, we surveyed an important but under-studied group—biodiversity policymakers and scientific advisors representing their respective countries in negotiations of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). We found that a wide variety of SPI mechanisms were being used. Overall, they were considered to be sufficiently effective, improving over time, and supplied with information of adequate quality. Most respondents, however, agreed that key actors were still missing from the biodiversity SPI.

This chapter contributes to improve an understanding of the effectiveness of different biodiversity science-policy interfaces (SPIs), which play a vital role in navigating policies and actions with sound evidence base. The single comprehensive study that was found to exist, assessed SPIs in terms of their 'features'-goals, structure, process, outputs and outcomes. We conducted a renewed systematic review of 96 SPI studies in terms of these features, but separating outcomes, as a proxy for effectiveness, from other features. Outcomes were considered in terms of their perceived credibility, relevance and legitimacy. SPI studies were found to focus mostly on global scale SPIs, followed by national and regional scale SPIs and few at subnational or local scale. The global emphasis is largely explained by the numerous studies that focused on the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Regionally, the vast majority of studies were European, with a severe shortage of studies, and possibly SPIs themselves, in especially the developing world. Communication at the science-policy interface was found to occur mostly between academia and governments, who were also found to initiate most communication. Certain themes emerged across the different features of effective SPIs, including capacity building, trust building, adaptability and continuity. For inclusive, meaningful and continuous participation in biodiversity SPIs, continuous, scientifically sound and adaptable processes are required. Effective, interdisciplinary SPIs and timely and relevant inputs for policymakers are required to ensure more dynamic, iterative and collaborative interactions between policymakers and other actors.

Effective management of invasive alien species (IAS) requires comprehensive stakeholder engagement and a clear understanding of how people interact with these species. Such interactions are particularly complex in socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS), where local communities and their environment are highly inter-dependent. We reviewed the scientific literature to determine current views of the positive and negative effects of IAS on local communities in SEPLS, with the goals of better understanding interactions between people and IAS, and devising effective management strategies. Of the 105 IAS investigated in the 57 journal papers we found on the topic, 31 species were reported as being purely undesirable for the local communities, while 30 species were reported as purely desirable, and 44 species were both undesirable and desirable. We found that the instrumental value of IAS often constitutes these desirable effects, and that desirable IAS were likely to invite controversy among stakeholders over its management. A common compromise to address such conflicts was to work with stakeholders for the containment of the IAS, while at the same time to retain or amplify its desirable effects on people to ensure their involvement. In the long-run, however, IAS management in SEPLS cannot be exempted from the need for long-term goals and the strategy leading toward them. Such a strategy should devise practical tools, such as stringent risk assessment and black- and white-listing as well as an option to eradicate or replace highly invasive species that fully takes into account different perspectives about IAS.

This review of trends in inland saline lakes of Europe and Central Asia is based on the relevant section of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Regional Assessment Report for Europe and Central Asia (ECA). We assessed the present status of ECA saline lakes and the effects of direct drivers (climate change, land use, pollution, resource exploitation, invasive species) on ecosystem health and biodiversity. We also assessed past, current and future trends using habitat area and degradation, species richness, and endangered species as indicators. No uniform scenario is applicable to saline lakes in the region. The desiccation of the Aral Sea is caused mainly by land use change and water extraction. In the Caspian Sea, river modifications, water pollution, overfishing and poaching, and species invasions have led to a decrease in species richness and have threatened endemic species. Although trends for smaller saline lakes vary, our analysis demonstrates that land use change, over-exploitation, and pollution are more important direct drivers of ecosystem health and biodiversity than climate change. The establishment of baseline biodiversity values for saline lakes is, however, complicated because biodiversity and the food-web structure are variable and depend strongly on salinity. Thus, there is a need to classify the ecological quality, biodiversity and ecosystem services of saline lakes along a salinity gradient. The improvement of water management and reuse of water, conservation measures, and introduction of climate-smart agriculture are basic conditions for the sustainable use of saline lakes in the region.

Owing to the huge number of species observations that can be collected by non-professional scientists, “citizen science” has great potential to contribute to scientific knowledge on invasive alien species (IAS). Citizen science has existed for centuries, but the recent adoption of information and communications technology (ICT) in this field (e.g. web- or mobile application-based interfaces for citizen training and data generation) has led to a massive surge in popularity, mainly due to reduced geographic barriers to citizen participation. Several challenges exist, however, to effectively utilize citizen-generated data for monitoring IAS (or other species of interest) at the global scale. Here, we conducted a systematic analysis of citizen science initiatives collecting IAS data using ICT, hoping to better understand their scientific contributions and challenges, their similarities/differences, and their interconnections. Through a search of the Scopus database, we identified 26 initiatives whose data had been used in scientific publications related to IAS, and based our analyses on these initiatives. The most common scientific uses of these citizen science data were to visualize the spatial distribution of IAS, better understand their behaviour/phenology, and elucidate citizen science data quality issues. To alleviate data quality concerns, most initiatives (19/26) had mechanisms for verifying citizen observations, such as user-submitted photographs. While many initiatives collected similar data parameters for each species observation, only 54% of the initiatives had a practice of data sharing. This lack of data sharing causes fragmentation of the citizen-generated IAS data, and is likely inhibiting the wider usage of the data for scientific studies on IAS involving large geographic scales (e.g. regional or global) and/or broad taxonomic scopes. To reduce this fragmentation and better consolidate the collected citizen science data, finally we provide some general data sharing guidelines for citizen science initiatives as well as individual volunteers.

Forest conservation is a key component of multilateral environmental agreements related to biodiversity conservation (Convention on Biological Diversity; CBD)) and climate change (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; UNFCCC), and ambitious national commitments are essential to the implementation of these agreements. To understand the relationships between developing countries' different forest conservation commitments/policies made under the CBD and UNFCCC, here we proposed a policy screening scenario analysis approach. Two alternative scenarios of future forest changes are generated at the national scale: one based on a country's national biodiversity targets developed for the CBD, and another based on the country's REDD + forest reference level (FRL) developed for the UNFCCC. The proposed scenario analysis allows for estimation of the climate change mitigation and natural forest conservation benefits of selected national biodiversity targets in terms directly relevant to REDD + (Le. in relation to the "baseline" scenario of the FRL). From a literature review of national submissions to the CBD and UNFCCC, we found this scenario analysis is currently feasible for 16 countries. As case studies, we performed the scenario analysis for one country with a deforestation-related target (Cambodia) and one country with a reforestation-related target (Lao FOR) to illustrate the methodology in detail. We found that achieving Cambodia's NBT of reducing natural forest losses by 50% would lead to a reduction of net natural forest losses by 145,767 ha./year and net CO2 emissions by 39,742,511 tons/year (considering above-ground and below-ground biomass), while the achievement of Lao PDA's NBT of increasing forest cover to 70% of the national land area would result in a total of 3,216,588 ha. of net natural forest gains and a total of 836,386,724 tons of avoided CO2 emissions (considering above-ground and below-ground biomass).

1 Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa 2 Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech Republic, and Department of Ecology, Charles University Prague, CZ-128 01 Praha 2, Czech Republic 3Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA 4Section of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA 5Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) Initiative, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, Africa Secretariat, PO Box 16548, Vlaeberg 8018, South Africa

A preliminary investigation of the diversity and density of small mammals in four structurally distinct habitat types in an actively-utilized farming landscape was carried out. We sought to understand how diversity and density are influenced by landscape structure, habitat structure and management decisions. Farmers in the area believe small mammals provide a service as an alternative food source, other than sheep, for predators. We assessed the validity of this reported ecosystem service. A total of 10 species and 219 individuals were recorded during this survey of 3600 trap-nights, with a total trap success rate of 6.1%. Significantly more individuals were caught during the winter than in summer. Vegetation transformation had a negative impact on small mammal diversity Density, diversity and distribution were correlated with vegetation and landscape structural diversity. Management decisions that reduce vegetation structure and cover will have a negative impact on small mammal density and diversity. Ensuring the conservation of small mammals may have the benefit of providing an alternative food source to predators, a valuable ecosystem service to farmers.

African Journal of EcologyVolume 44, Issue 3 p. 417-419 Age determination of two South African Acacia species using ring counts and radiocarbon dating Edmund C. February, Corresponding Author Edmund C. February *E-mail: [email protected] (or [email protected] or [email protected])Search for more papers by this authorAndré D. Mader, André D. Mader Botany Department, University of Cape Town, Private Bag Rondebosch, 7701, South AfricaSearch for more papers by this authorWilliam J. Bond, William J. Bond Botany Department, University of Cape Town, Private Bag Rondebosch, 7701, South AfricaSearch for more papers by this author Edmund C. February, Corresponding Author Edmund C. February *E-mail: [email protected] (or [email protected] or [email protected])Search for more papers by this authorAndré D. Mader, André D. Mader Botany Department, University of Cape Town, Private Bag Rondebosch, 7701, South AfricaSearch for more papers by this authorWilliam J. Bond, William J. Bond Botany Department, University of Cape Town, Private Bag Rondebosch, 7701, South AfricaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 19 July 2006 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2006.00651.xCitations: 5Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat References Argent, R.M., Mcmahon, J.M., Bowler, J.M. & Finlayson, B.L. (2004) The dendrochronological potential of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnhardt (River red gum) from the Barmah forest, Victoria, Australia. Aus. Geogr. Stud. 42, 89–102. Bond, W.J., Smythe, K. & Balfour, D. (2001) Acacia species turnover in space and time in an African savanna. J. Biogeogr. 28, 117–128. February, E.C. (2000) Archaeological charcoal and dendrochronology to reconstruct past environments of southern Africa. S. Afr. J. Sci. 96, 111–116. Gourlay, I.D. (1995) Growth ring characteristics of some African Acacia species. J. Trop. Ecol. 11, 121–140. Gourlay, I.D. & Grime, G.W. (1994) Calcium oxalate crystals in African Acacia species and their analysis by scanning proton microprobe (SPM). IAWA J. 15, 137–148. Gourlay, I.D. & Kanowski, P.J. (1991) Marginal parenchyma bands and crystalliferous chains as indicators of age in African Acacia species. IAWA J. 12, 187–194. Gourlay, I.D., Smith, J.P. & Barnes, R.D. (1996) Wood production in a natural stand of Acacia karroo in Zimbabwe. For. Ecol. Manage. 88, 289–295. Higgins, S.I., Bond, W.J. & Trollope, W. (2000) Fire, resprouting and variability: a recipe for grass-tree coexistence in savanna. J. Ecol. 88, 213–229. Holmes, R.L. (1983) Computer assisted quality control in tree-ring dating and measurement. Tree-Ring Bull. 43, 69–78. Kiyiapi, J.L. (1994) Structure and characteristics of Acacia tortilis woodland on the Njemps flats. Adv. Geoecol. 27, 47–69. Libby, W.F. (1955) Radiocarbon Dating. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA. Lilly, M.A. (1977) An Assessment of the Dendrochronological Potential of Indigenous Tree Species in South Africa. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Occasional Paper 18. Martin, D.M. & Moss, J.M.S. (1997) Age determination of Acacia tortilis (Forsk.) Hayne from northern Kenya. Afr. J. Ecol. 35, 266–277. Sankaran, M., Ratnam, J. & Hanan, N. (2004) Tree-grass coexistence in savannas revisited–insights from an examination of assumptions and mechanisms invoked in existing models. Ecol. Lett. 7, 480–490. Scholes, R.J. & Archer, S.R. (1997) Tree-grass interactions in savannas. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 28, 517–544. Stokes, M.A. & Smiley, T.L. (1968) An Introduction to Tree Ring Dating. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA. Stuiver, M. & Quay, P.D. (1981) Atmospheric 14C changes resulting from fossil fuel CO2 release and cosmic ray flux variability. Earth Planet Sci. Lett. 53, 349–362. Worbes, M., Staschel, R., Roloff, A. & Junk, W.J. (2003) Tree ring analysis reveals age structure, dynamics and wood production of a natural forest stand in Cameroon. For. Ecol. Manage. 173, 105–123. Wyant, J.G. & Reid, R.S. (1992) Determining the age of Acacia tortilis with ring counts for South Turkana, Kenya: a preliminary assessment. Afr. J. Ecol. 30, 176–180. Citing Literature Volume44, Issue3September 2006Pages 417-419 ReferencesRelatedInformation