AimClimate change represents one of the main threats to global biodiversity, and such alterations are expected to induce shifts in distribution ranges and diversity patterns. We evaluate if protected areas and forest remnants in the Atlantic Forest in South America (AF) are projected to ensure the taxonomic diversity (TD) and phylogenetic diversity (PD) of non-volant small mammals under scenarios of future climate change.LocationAtlantic Forest (AF), South America.MethodsWe used Species Distribution Modelling (SDMs) through an ensemble approach to assess the potential distribution of 101 species of small mammals using present (1979-2013) and future (2050 and 2070) climate scenarios. We consider optimistic and pessimistic greenhouse gas concentration scenarios (SSP370 and SSP585). We accessed TD through the sum of the suitable areas vs. areas of low or unknown suitability distribution maps for each species and PD using the sum of the branch lengths of a phylogenetic tree spatialised.ResultsOur models suggest that climate change is likely to reduce the suitable climatic areas for small mammals in the AF. The shrinkage in the potential distribution is projected to lead to high loss of TD and PD. The southeastern region of the Atlantic Forest is likely to experience the most pronounced decline in PD, while some small areas in the southern Atlantic Forest are projected to increase PD in the future.Main ConclusionsOur models suggest a strong decline in TD and in PD from biodiversity hotspot regions in the AF under climate change scenarios. Since small mammals have low dispersal ability, and because most of the AF is highly fragmented, it is unlikely that this biome will sustain small mammal biodiversity in the future.

Background and Research Aims Climate change, habitat loss, and fragmentation are the major threats to biodiversity. Montane amphibians are particularly sensitive to these threats. We address the vulnerability of the amphibian community in Colombia using a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (CCVA) and prioritize amphibian species at risk of extinction and in need of conservation actions. Methods We completed two independent spatial analyses to assess species vulnerability in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM), Colombia. First, we calculated the Area of Habitat and the percent of the Area of Habitat under protected area coverage for 19 species. We then examined the breadth of climatic space occupied by 16 species and how this space is predicted to shift under climate scenarios (RCP scenarios 4.5 and 8.5) for 12 General Circulation Models for 2050. We combined these two analyses with trait data related to adaptive capacity, obtained from previous research, to create a combined (correlative-trait) CCVA. Results Our analysis reveals a large reduction in available climatic space under both RCP scenarios by 2050. Our CCVA identified eight high priority species, including three Atelopus species and five within the Serranobatrachus/Tachiramantis complex, with extreme reductions in available climate space under RCP 8.5. The SNSM endemic and range restricted species are at elevated risk of extinction under climate change scenarios, with many moving into a high-risk category of extinction under the RCP 8.5. Given its isolation, the endemic species of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) are threatened by changing climates. Implications for Conservation The information provided in this manuscript used a vulnerability assessment to develop regional strategies for climate change adaptation and conservation. When possible, climate vulnerability must be incorporated into future adaptation and priority planning for the conservation of endemic, threatened montane amphibians, preferably via local management plans.

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White-nose syndrome (WNS) is caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans and has led to the deaths of millions of North American bats since it was first documented in New York in 2006. Since the first cases were recorded, WNS has spread rapidly across North America and is now confirmed or suspected in 40 US states and seven Canadian provinces. Often, the presence of P. destructans is detected in a cave or hibernaculum before signs of WNS manifest in the resident bat population, making presence of the fungus a more reliable assessment of potential epidemic spread than expansion of manifested WNS. An analysis of 43 cave internal climates across the state of Texas revealed a pattern of thermal suitability for P. destructans that correlated significantly with landscape (elevation, lithology) and external climate (mean surface temperature and precipitation). We generated a predictive model to assess the potential spread of P. destructans through Texas karst systems based on external features that correlate with suitable internal climates for fungal growth. Applications of this model to external climatic variables from 2019 showed seasonally varying patterns of suitability for fungal growth in select regions of Texas karst systems. Results from these surveys and models showed that internal climates of Texas caves are likely able to sustain the growth of P. destructans and could cause disease and resulting declines in Texas bats, and act as stepping-stones for the fungus, allowing it to travel southward into Mexican and Central American cave systems. The resulting work will inform researchers and natural resource managers of areas of significant concern to monitor for the spread of WNS.

Aim:Comprehensive, global information on species' occurrences is an essential biodiversity variable and central to a range of applications in ecology, evolution, biogeography and conservation. Expert range maps often represent a species' only available distributional information and play an increasing role in conservation assessments and macroecology. We provide global range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species harmonised to the taxonomy of the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) mobilised from two sources, the Handbook of the Mammals of the World (HMW) and the Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World (CMW). Location:Global. Taxon:All extant mammal species. Methods:Range maps were digitally interpreted, georeferenced, error-checked and subsequently taxonomically aligned between the HMW (6253 species), the CMW (6431 species) and the MDD taxonomies (6362 species). Results:Range maps can be evaluated and visualised in an online map browser at Map of Life (mol.org) and accessed for individual or batch download for non-commercial use. Main conclusion:Expert maps of species' global distributions are limited in their spatial detail and temporal specificity, but form a useful basis for broad-scale characterizations and model-based integration with other data. We provide georeferenced range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species as shapefiles, with species-level metadata and source information packaged together in geodatabase format. Across the three taxonomic sources our maps entail, there are 1784 taxonomic name differences compared to the maps currently available on the IUCN Red List website. The expert maps provided here are harmonised to the MDD taxonomic authority and linked to a community of online tools that will enable transparent future updates and version control.

Given the scale of the current biodiversity loss, setting conservation priorities is essential to direct scarce resources to where they will be most effective. Many prioritization schemes have been described by using a wide range of criteria that vary across taxonomic groups, spatial scales, and ecological, socio-economic, and governance contexts. Currently, there is no single prioritization process applicable to all situations, nor is there a list of agreed metrics. The IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group and the Small Mammal Specialist Group recently performed species prioritization exercises based on a similar approach. The variables used included biological, socio-political, and feasibility criteria. The two exercises contained both common and some unique variables, arranged in a matrix for the target species (29 threatened antelopes and 19 critically endangered Mexican small mammals, respectively). The ASG framework provided a global summary of the antelope priorities, which can be updated and adapted to the national level. The SMSG matrix was applied in a regional workshop to select species for which the likelihood of implementing conservation actions was high and led to conservation action plans being developed for six species. The framework we jointly developed in theory can be applied to other taxa, certainly all mammals and perhaps most vertebrates.

Conservation BiologyVolume 35, Issue 4 p. 1061-1062 LETTER Support for rodent ecology and conservation to advance zoonotic disease research Thomas E. Lacher Jr., Corresponding Author tlacher@tamu.edu orcid.org/0000-0002-2398-3439 Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA Re: Wild, Austin, Texas, USA Correspondence Thomas E. Lacher Jr, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA. Email: tlacher@tamu.eduSearch for more papers by this authorRosalind Kennerley, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Channel Islands, UKSearch for more papers by this authorBarney Long, Re: Wild, Austin, Texas, USASearch for more papers by this authorShelby McCay, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USASearch for more papers by this authorNicolette S. Roach, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA Re: Wild, Austin, Texas, USASearch for more papers by this authorSamuel T. Turvey, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, UKSearch for more papers by this authorRichard P. Young, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Channel Islands, UKSearch for more papers by this author Thomas E. Lacher Jr., Corresponding Author tlacher@tamu.edu orcid.org/0000-0002-2398-3439 Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA Re: Wild, Austin, Texas, USA Correspondence Thomas E. Lacher Jr, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA. Email: tlacher@tamu.eduSearch for more papers by this authorRosalind Kennerley, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Channel Islands, UKSearch for more papers by this authorBarney Long, Re: Wild, Austin, Texas, USASearch for more papers by this authorShelby McCay, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USASearch for more papers by this authorNicolette S. Roach, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA Re: Wild, Austin, Texas, USASearch for more papers by this authorSamuel T. Turvey, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, UKSearch for more papers by this authorRichard P. Young, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Channel Islands, UKSearch for more papers by this author First published: 04 June 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13763 Article impact statement: : Scientific knowledge of basic ecology and conservation science is lacking for rodents, which is critical for zoonotic disease research. Read 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 onEmailFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume35, Issue4August 2021Pages 1061-1062 RelatedInformation

Abstract The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) currently serves as the multilateral environmental framework for protecting biodiversity. Parties to the CBD are required to develop and submit National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and National Reports. These documents serve as the instruments used by governments and stakeholders to identify their priorities, implement, and track progress to the CBD. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has produced biodiversity and conservation knowledge products that are fundamental for tracking the progress of targets such as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. We examined if countries in the Americas are using knowledge products based on IUCN standards to help construct their documents; 234 documents were analyzed for knowledge product keywords. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species was mentioned in 91.8% of keyword‐coded segments. IUCN publications, Protected Areas Categories, Key Biodiversity Areas, the Red List of Ecosystems and World Database on Protected Areas had 8.2% of the remaining segments. Further studies should investigate awareness of knowledge products among national focal points for the CBD to determine their limited use in document development. IUCN knowledge products should continue to form an integral part of future indicators during this critical moment for biodiversity conservation.

One of the key drivers of pollinator declines is land cover change. We documented for the first time the impacts of over three decades of land cover change in Mexico on the plant resources of an endangered migratory pollinator, the Mexican long-nosed bat, Leptonycteris nivalis. This species is considered endangered under national and international criteria due to population declines over 50% in the past 10 years. Pregnant females of this bat species migrate every year following the blooms of Agave spp. from central Mexico to the southern United States; moving pollen over its 1,200 km long migratory corridor and pollinating distant populations of Agave spp. Increases in human populations density and agricultural expansion may be reducing agave habitat over time. The objective of our study is to understand the land cover change trends in the northern range of the bat and identify potential fragmentation patterns in the region. We analyzed changes that occurred in three vegetation types where agaves are found in five time periods 1985, 1993, 2002, 2007 and 2011. The area of the three vegetation types selected was reduced by using only the overlap with potential agave habitat created with ecological niche modeling algorithms to obtain the available agave habitat. We then calculated fragmentation metrics for each period. We found a significant portion of habitat lost mainly due to expansion in agriculture. The total number of patches increased after 1985. Only 9% of the available agave habitat in 2011 is inside the limits of protected areas. We recommend restoring agave populations in depleted areas to help prevent soil erosion and provide multiple socio-economic benefits for the region in the short term, and, in the long-term maintaining foraging resources for nectar-feeding bats.

Understanding the perceptions and management practices of local land users is critical to improve conservation programs and sustainable outcomes. Colombia, one of the most megadiverse countries in the world, is also the third largest global producer of coffee. Cafeteros (rural coffee farmers) produce the majority of Colombian coffee. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM), Colombia, is an isolated mountain on the Caribbean coast and one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. Coffee grows in agroforestry matrices alongside high levels of endemic amphibians. Our goal was to understand (1) the perceptions of cafeteros about biodiversity, and (2) how coffee management practices may impact amphibian conservation in the region. We selected coffee communities that were close to concurrent amphibian research sites, to conduct focus groups. Themes, focused on both conservation and development, emerged from the five focus groups, specifically conservation program design and livelihood constraints. These were broken down into generic categories and subcategories ranging from cafetero knowledge of biodiversity and climate change to socioeconomic constraints. We found that although cafeteros have an inherent appreciation for the landscape and conservation, they require economic support to achieve sustainability goals. We recommend three steps to improve sustainability and equitable practices in the SNSM: (1) alleviate the economic strain on local coffee growers through social and economic government programs; (2) improve distribution of updated technology and coffee processing methods and to farmers; and (3) connect local farmers directly with buyers.

Aim To explore global patterns in spatial aggregations of species richness, vulnerability and data deficiency for Rodentia and Eulipotyphla. To evaluate the adequacy of existing protected area (PA) network for these areas. To provide a focus for local conservation initiatives. Location Global. Methods Total species, globally threatened (GT) species, and Data Deficient (DD) species richness were calculated for a 1 degrees resolution grid. Correspondence analyses between global species richness against GT species richness were performed. To assess PA network adequacy, a correspondence analysis was conducted to identify areas of high richness and GT species richness that have poor protection. Results Six hotspots were identified for GT eulipotyphlans, encompassing 40% of GT species. Three of these contain higher numbers of GT species than would be expected based on their overall species richness. Ten priority regions were identified for GT rodents, which together contain 34% of all GT species. Six contain higher numbers of GT rodent species than would be expected based on their overall species richness. For DD species, 15% of DD eulipotyphlans were represented within three priority regions, whereas 18 were identified for rodents, capturing 53% of all DD species. Areas containing lower numbers of protected GT eulipotyphlan species than expected include Mexico; Cameroonian Highlands; Albertine Rift; Tanzania; Kenya; Ethiopia; western Asia; India; and Sri Lanka. Areas containing lower numbers of protected GT rodent species than expected are Borneo, Sumatra and Sulawesi. Five eulipotyphlans and 44 rodents have ranges which fall completely outside of PAs. Main conclusion Rodentia and Eulipotyphla priority regions should be considered separately to one another and to other mammals. This analysis approach allows us to pinpoint and delineate geographical areas which represent key regions at a global level for rodents and eulipotyphlans, in order to facilitate conservation, field research and capacity building at a local level.

The olfactory capacity in bats and their strong preference for some fruits has led to the development of a forest restoration tool that uses the essential oils of their preferred fruit. The idea is based on the assumption that, once these bats were attracted by olfactory cues from the essential oils to a “new food source,” they would spend a certain amount of time flying around these new food sources. This technique has great potential for natural methods of regeneration assisted by dispersers, increasing arrival of chiropterochoric seeds in areas that otherwise may not be frequently visited by frugivorous bats. Although we developed this technique on Neotropical species, we believe it has the potential to be used around the world to recover degraded forests. Here, we explore parallels between New (Phyllostomidae) and Old World (Pteropodidae) seed dispersing bats to support this proposal. Review data showed that Cynopterus, Pteropus, and Rousettus seem to be the closest functional genera to those (Artibeus, Carollia, Sturnira) tested in the Neotropical region, based on their wide distribution, diet diversity and great consumption of Ficus - whose oils are known to attract fruit bats. Experiments need to be designed to further develop the technique to apply it to the Old World and contribute to the restoration of degraded forests.

The Convention on Biological Diversity’s post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework will probably include a goal to stabilize and restore the status of species. Its delivery would be facilitated by making the actions required to halt and reverse species loss spatially explicit. Here, we develop a species threat abatement and restoration (STAR) metric that is scalable across species, threats and geographies. STAR quantifies the contributions that abating threats and restoring habitats in specific places offer towards reducing extinction risk. While every nation can contribute towards halting biodiversity loss, Indonesia, Colombia, Mexico, Madagascar and Brazil combined have stewardship over 31% of total STAR values for terrestrial amphibians, birds and mammals. Among actions, sustainable crop production and forestry dominate, contributing 41% of total STAR values for these taxonomic groups. Key Biodiversity Areas cover 9% of the terrestrial surface but capture 47% of STAR values. STAR could support governmental and non-state actors in quantifying their contributions to meeting science-based species targets within the framework.

Summary Creating landscapes with connectivity is vital for protecting biodiversity and meeting the environmental targets embedded in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with connectivity specifically mentioned in Target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity Aichi Targets. Costa Rica created the National Biological Corridor Program (NBCP) in 2006 to enhance connectivity among protected areas. Targeted investments of payments for environmental services (PES) are the main tools used within the designated biological corridors. We conducted spatially explicit analyses to determine whether Costa Rica’s NBCP, using PES, enhanced landscape connectivity within the Paso de las Nubes Biological Corridor. We conducted landscape modelling in order to determine the connectivity held within PES’s properties by developing connectivity resistance surfaces and electrical current models. The results indicate that PES properties established after the NBCP contributed more to areas with intermediate values of connectivity and less to areas with high connectivity values as compared to properties before the NBCP. Although overall connectivity within the corridor has decreased since NBCP establishment, our results confirm the importance of PES properties for landscape connectivity, but emphasize the need for spatially targeted PES in order to improve viable paths of landscape connectivity among protected areas. Future targeted PES investments could contribute greatly to meeting connectivity goals.

The Cerrado Biome is considered one of the most important savanna biomes in the world, due to its high species richness, endemism, and source of multiple valuable ecosystem services. The Cerrado landscape is diverse, with a mixture of open grasslands, shrub lands, open woodland, and closed canopy woodlands as the dominant ecosystems. The region also harbors ecologically important habitats more restricted in area, such as gallery forests, tropical dry forests, marshes, palm groves, and high elevation rocky grasslands, all of these important contributors to the overall diversity of the region. Many of Brazil's most important rivers originate in the Cerrado highlands and plateaus. The Cerrado also is home to a diverse and evolutionary distinctive flora and fauna, with multiple major sub-regions each with distinctive plant and animal species. Some of the diversity is evolutionarily quite old. The Cerrado has recently become a focal region for the expansion of Brazilian agriculture, and vast areas have been modified in the past 50 years. In addition, the population in the region has grown dramatically of the past five decades, placing additional demands on water resources. Although there are a number of important protected areas, the region is still under protected and more conservation effort needs to be applied to the protection of the biodiversity of the Cerrado in order to save this unique global resource.

Climate change is altering agricultural production and ecosystems around the world. Future projections indicate that additional change is expected in the coming decades, forcing individuals and communities to respond and adapt. Current research efforts typically examine climate change effects and possible adaptations but fail to integrate agriculture and ecosystems. This failure to jointly consider these systems and associated externalities may underestimate climate change impacts or cause adaptation implementation surprises, such as causing adaptation status of some groups or ecosystems to be worsened. This work describes and motivates reasons why ecosystems and agriculture adaptation require an integrated analytical approach. Synthesis of current literature and examples from Texas are used to explain concepts and current challenges. Texas is chosen because of its high agricultural output that is produced in close interrelationship with the surrounding semi-arid ecosystem. We conclude that future effect and adaptation analyses would be wise to jointly consider ecosystems and agriculture. Existing paradigms and useful methodology can be transplanted from the sustainable agriculture and ecosystem service literature to explore alternatives for climate adaptation and incentivization of private agriculturalists and consumers. Researchers are encouraged to adopt integrated modeling as a means to avoid implementation challenges and surprises when formulating and implementing adaptation.

The Global Mammal Assessment (GMA) evaluates the risk of extinction for all species of mammals, providing important data on their status to national and global conservation agencies and conventions. We assessed all of the species of Brazilian rodents as part of the GMA activities of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) Small Mammal Specialist Group. A total of 234 species were evaluated against the IUCN Red List Criteria and placed into one of eight categories. Although rodents do not have elevated extinction risk compared to mammals as a whole, several families of caviomorph rodents have high levels of either threat, data deficiency, or both. The family Echimyidae has a large number of species and one-third of those either are species of conservation concern or data deficient. The family Ctenomyidae also is of concern in this regard. There are also strong geographic patterns to threat and poor knowledge. The focal areas for conservation effort are the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, and for Data Deficient species Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Amazonia, in particular the eastern Amazon. The results highlight the need for targeted field research and the application of ecological and spatial data to the development of conservation actions.

Over 70% of land in the tropics is in some form of agricultural matrix which poses a threat to biodiversity. In Colombia, montane regions are dominated by varying intensities of agriculture and high levels of biodiversity and endemism. Globally, Colombia has the second largest number of amphibian species and is also the third largest coffee producer. Our study region, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM), has high levels of amphibian endemism (38% and 10 threatened endemics) and is the fourth largest coffee growing region in Colombia. The SNSM rises from the sea to 5,775 m in just 42 km, with a direct overlap between coffee and amphibian habitat occurring across 600–1,800 m. We examined how land cover and elevation (from 800 to 3,700 m asl) influenced amphibian community structure, species richness, and abundance. We conducted surveys from September 2017 to July 2018 at 35 transects across five major land cover types: forest, ecotone, páramo, pasture, and shade coffee. In total, we recorded 19 species (366 individuals; 16 endemic species). Land cover was the main determinant of amphibian community structure, while the interaction between elevation and land cover was the main determinant of species richness and abundance. Forest and ecotone contained 73% of overall richness (14 species) with one species found exclusively in ecotone and three exclusively in forest. Pasture and coffee supported 42% (8 species) of species with only two species found exclusively at these land cover types. Shade coffee had low species richness and abundance and we detected just one endemic species in this land cover. The preservation of ecotone, transitional degraded habitat that occurs between two or more types of contiguous land cover types, represents an opportunity to safeguard microhabitats and microclimates. Conservation in the region should be collaborative and include private landowners, NGO’s, government agencies, and academics. Conservation actions should prioritize protecting extant natural habitat, restoring degraded habitats, increasing the heterogeneity of production systems, and improving landscape connectivity and watershed health. To achieve those actions, local communities will require economic incentives to maintain forest cover and reduce the contamination of streams through agricultural runoff.

The Caatinga is a large semi-arid biome located entirely within the northeastern quadrat of Brazil. It is a region with patterns of anomalous precipitation, and with occasional multi-year droughts, which has earned it the label the "Polygon of Drought." This has affected the adaptations of species within the region as well as the livelihoods of human populations. The major ecosystem types within the Caatinga biome include open canopy thorn scrub woodlands on shallow soils with an abundance of cactus, taller semi-arid forests on sedimentary soils, and tall deciduous and semi-deciduous forests on more nutrient rich substrates. The Caatinga also has a varied topography or small rocky ranges and plateaus. Caatinga biodiversity was once thought to be species poor with low levels of endemism, but recent research has demonstrated a rich flora and fauna with high levels of endemism. The Caatinga, however is highly threatened by poor land use practices and expanding large-scale development, resulting in growing rates of deforestation. This is exacerbated in times of drought, resulting in very low indicators of human development. Although a number of important protected areas currently exist in the Caatinga, they represent a small proportion of the biome and are poorly interconnected.