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Ecosystem change is an everyday reality, and assessment of its ability to provide men with products and services of the ecosystem (fresh water, climate, soil fertility, etc.), which are necessary for human welfare, is an urgent applied issue. The question as to "whether changes in the loss of biological diversity will affect the functioning of local ecosystems" is attracting increasing attention. In this first paper, we consider modern approaches to ecosystem monitoring. The concept of historical and novel ecosystems, ecosystem resilience, threshold effects, theory-driven restoration, and social–ecological considerations are reviewed. The principles of indication, requirements for indicators, possibilities, and prospects for the use of small mammals as indicators of the dynamics of local ecosystems are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Papers including articles that are produced because of the activities of LifeWatch ERIC, in the context of its second implementation period (2022 - 2026) and through the implementation of its new Strategic Working Plan, are published in this special collection. The articles include data papers, papers describing the development and functioning of analytical services and papers describing any other research outcome, produced either by LifeWatch ERIC or by any collaboration with any other ERIC, Research Infrastructure, global aggregator or other legal entity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possibility of analyzing the general and functional diversity of the ecosystem is considered, as is unambiguous interpretation of the results obtained based on our work experience and previously obtained data. The prospects for studying small mammals without removal from the wild are discussed. We discuss distinguishing in a sample the resident component, which makes it possible to characterize local resource flows, and the nonresident component, dependent on the state of the territory as a whole. A description of the capture–mark–recapture protocol, methods for assessing spatial activity, calculating the density of the resident population per unit area, and the completeness of species richness estimate is provided. The estimates of animal numbers per unit of trapping effort in pooled sample, the population density of residents, and the index of the nonresident flow are compared. The possibility of analyzing the resource flows in "historical," "novel," and "hybrid" ecosystems, as well as using data to analyze the resilience of the ecosystem and detect the threshold point, is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the cultivation of extensive green roofs (EGRs), substrate composition is a key aspect together with the evaluation of suitable recycled materials. Recycling materials as amendments can improve the establishment of a self-sustainable EGR, thus providing ecosystem services and benefits from a circular economy and climate change perspective. This study investigates the effects of compost and paper sludge on water retention, substrate temperature attenuation and plant diversity in an EGR experiment. The substrates were composed of tephra (V), compost (C) and paper sludge (P) as follows: VC, as control, VPC and VP. Herbaceous species with different ecological functionality (succulents, annuals, perennials, legumes, geophytes) were sown and/or transplanted with no cultivation inputs. Plant community composition -abundance- and diversity-richness-, substrate water retention and temperature were analyzed. The VPC and VC had the same average substrate temperature, with values lower than VP. The water retention capacity was higher in VC, thanks to the presence of compost. The substrate with paper sludge (VPC and VP) showed the highest species diversity. The VPC substrate was the best compromise for EGR temperature mitigation and plant diversity improvement. Plant functional types in EGRs can be increased, and thus the biodiversity, by modulating the quality and percentage of amendments. The substrate composition can also affect water retention and substrate temperature. In addition, the use of recycling paper sludge in growing media is a winning strategy to reduce waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review, part funded by Network Rail Ltd (UK), considers the role of transportation corridors in habitat connectivity within temperate climates, through verge habitat, surrounding matrix, movement along and across the corridor, the wider landscape context and management practices. PICO terms were developed for the bibliographic search on 15/11/22 using Web of Science (all databases), yielding 168 studies for review. The risk of bias was minimised by excluding non-peer reviewed papers. Large and exotic taxa were excluded due to a focus on temperate zones, as were studies on invasive species and climate change where the primary focus was not ecological connectivity. Emergent themes were used to structure the paper. Results indicate that transportation corridors have significant potential for habitat connectivity, especially for generalist and open-specialist species, which favour early to mid-successional habitats. However, physiology is a key determinant in dispersal ability. Vegetation management should consider representative communities rather than individual species. Gaps exist in the range of taxa studied, understanding of seasonal variations and lifecycle stages supported in verges, survival factors such as predation and disease and changes to community structure. Rail environments are under-represented and there is limited knowledge on the relative impacts of vegetation management regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses how 'criticality' is negotiated in the global policy frameworks on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and re-conceptualised in Vietnamese ESD policymaking. Taking the context of Viet Nam, this paper reflects on what constitutes criticality in education in the light of cultural and historical contexts of the education systems. The comparative perspective helps explore whether (1) universal or decontextualised 'criticality' exists or (2) whether 'criticality' is culturally negotiated based on the premise that educational imaginaries of societal formation and transformation are historically and contextually embedded and contingent. In addition, this paper connects the ongoing debate on the critical potential of ESD within the field of environmental education (EE) research to comparative education research by highlighting both what a comparative perspective might offer to EE research and what recent developments in EE research might contribute to comparative education research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the intrinsic and instrumental value of corals, and coral reefs, from the epistemological perspectives of Western conservation biologists and Pacific coastal fishers. It uses data on local language names ('folk taxonomies') from several language groups to understand the salience, or perceived value, of corals and coral reef fishes for the speakers of those languages. In all of the folk taxonomies examined, there are very few local language names for corals or reef-associated fishes in the most species-rich families (gobies, blennies, damselfishes, and butterflyfishes). This is interesting particularly because one of the primary rationales for Western conservation interest in Indo-Pacific coral reefs is the 'cumulative intrinsic value' of the large number of biological species associated with these ecosystems, irrespective of their other values, including fishery production. The 'weight' of this cumulative intrinsic value underpins a moral mandate for transnational conservation intervention, typically in the form of marine protected areas, most of which impose a short- to medium-term economic cost on people who are already very poor. The related and widely used Western cultural construct of 'iconic' is also investigated. The paper examines various implications of the large differences between Western scientific and Pacific Islander attributions of value to corals and coral reef ecosystems, including in the context of their importance for fishery production and food (or nutrition) security. I also discuss the apparent lack of (a) reflexivity about the social construction of science and (b) curiosity about the environmental knowledge and values of Indo-Pacific coastal fishers, among many in the Western transnational conservation community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One common renewable energy source for substituting fossil sources is photovoltaic (PV) systems. However, installing PV systems in agricultural areas can lead to competition with other land uses. These projects, therefore, often encounter problems with social acceptance in affected communities. Especially from the perspective of nature conservation targets, conflicts can arise. These potential differences are still under-researched but represent important knowledge for the societally broadly accepted design of such facilities and their contribution to energy transformation. In this paper, we investigate the perspectives of nature conservationists on PV in the region of Brandenburg, Germany. We comparatively analyse attitudes towards ground-mounted photovoltaics (GM-PV) and agrophotovoltaics (APV). APV combines energy supply and agricultural production on the same land and could thus be a possible solution for mitigating land-use conflicts. Results: We investigated the degree of local acceptability and positive and negative influencing factors through a qualitative text analysis of ten interviews with local representatives and position papers by Nature Conservation Associations. Our findings show a growing consensus around basic assumptions of the need for renewable energies, the prioritised support for PV systems on rooftops over the installation on agricultural land (GM-PV and APV), and the necessity for PV systems to be compatible with nature conservation objectives. Regarding specific site decisions on agricultural land, we find diverging attitudes when comparing the content of position papers and the responses of interviewees. The interviewees advocate taking into account local interests and specific regional conditions, the effects of PV systems on the local environment, and the need for distributional justice. Large-scale plants are locally less accepted than smaller ones and there is a more open attitude towards the expansion of APV than of GM-PV on agricultural land. However, a range of concerns regarding consequences for landscape and biodiversity persists, and further research and clarification is required to address these issues. Conclusions: We conclude that basic ecological standards and the demands of local stakeholders and interest groups should be taken into account when planning, implementing and reviewing PV projects in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the efforts to combat climate change and the biodiversity crisis, an interest in nature-based solutions (NbS) has been growing. Although there have been diverse discussions on NbS, it is still insufficient to find a quantitative evaluation of the global research trends in which field and to what extent NbS has been studied. In this regard, this study employed latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic modeling and keyword analysis to quantitatively evaluate the research trends of NbS. Among research papers on NbS searched on SCOPUS, 2,625 studies (2009-2022) were analyzed by LDA. As a result, NbS-related articles were classified into seven topics (i.e., Urban governance, Urban green infrastructure, Wastewater treatment, Coastal protection, Flood mitigation, Carbon sequestration, and Sustainable agriculture). Of these, the urban and water-related topics accounted for the largest proportion. In contrast, the carbon sequestration and sustainable agriculture topics accounted for a smaller proportion, but the proportion significantly increased over time. As a result of keyword analysis, the frequency of urban and water keywords remained high. In contrast, the frequency of climate change and carbon keywords was low and has recently increased. In the keyword network, the co-occurrence frequency and connection of urban and water keywords were initially high. Still, over time, keywords related to climate change and carbon increased similarly to those related to urban and water. The findings of this study imply that NbS has mainly focused on urban and water-related researches. Still, climate change and carbon-related researches may also be actively handled in relation to NbS in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity is in rapid decline globally with agriculture being one of the leading causes. Within agricultural landscapes, some features provide a benefit to biodiversity that is disproportionate to their spatial area. An interesting example is artificial ponds–or farm dams–which can support a large variety of taxa. Here, we present a global review of farm dam research related to biodiversity conservation objectives to provide an overview of the topics, key research insights, and the characteristics of current research. We used a three-stage process to screen literature and identified 104 relevant papers across 27 countries encompassing studies of 13 different taxa. Most of the studies were short-term (less than 5 years) with small sample sizes (less than 20 sites). Of the 104 papers, 88 were focussed primarily on ecological outcomes, such as species richness or abundance, and 15 on primary production outcomes, such as crop and livestock yield, despite addressing or measuring ecological metrics. Only one study measured both ecological and primary production outcomes. Studies frequently examined how the features of dams (79 studies) and attributes of the surrounding landscape (47 studies) impact particular species and communities. Terrestrial mammals (1 study) were under-represented in the literature with macrophytes (28 studies), macroinvertebrates (26 studies), and amphibians (19 studies) receiving the most attention. Our results reveal a growing trend towards recognizing farm dams as habitats for various taxa, including amphibians, beetles, dragonflies, and other macroinvertebrates within agricultural environments. Significant knowledge gaps exist in understanding how dam age, invasive species, and effective management practices impact the biodiversity conservation values of farm dams. Future research should emphasize enhancing biodiversity by collaborating with landholders to increase habitat through strategic vegetation planning, minimizing runoff and nutrient inflow, and restricting stock access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the immense amount of infrastructure in cities, the introduction of vegetation into these constructions is expected to play a critical role in reducing the heat island effect, in mitigating the effects of climate change, and in supporting habitat connectivity and associated biodiversity. Although there is the perception that these solutions can improve the biodiversity of cities, their real value is still unclear. This paper focuses on two aspects of urban greening: green roofs and green walls. It provides a systematic review on biodiversity present in green roofs and walls, through an exhaustive worldwide literature analysis. Arthropods, bats, and birds were the three taxonomic groups analyzed in the papers included in our review. We observed a strong increase in the number of recent publications, thus demonstrating a growing interest in this topic. In summary, we found that green roofs/walls offered additional opportunities for plants and animals to thrive in urban environments because of habitat creation and greater spatial connectivity. In addition, the enhancement of other ecosystem services such as stormwater management and heat island mitigation was noted. By incorporating green features into urban design and planning, cities can support biodiversity while also improving the overall sustainability and livability of urban spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has risen in popularity as a genetically-based method to enumerate species in natural ecosystems, and it is well positioned to be integrated into biodiversity monitoring and conservation initiatives. While the field has made great strides in methodological development, it has largely avoided discussion of its potential inequitable social outcomes. In this paper, we argue that the social asymmetries of eDNA are under-addressed precisely because of how it is framed and valued by powerful actors who may benefit from the technology's proliferation. We use a framework of representational rhetorics to articulate the discursive process by which the biodiversity crisis is distilled into problems of data-deficiency and inefficiency in scientific articles such that eDNA offers the exact corresponding technological solution. This framing helps justify eDNA's implementation in local, global, and corporate spheres, despite the methodology's uncertainties and limitations. It may also enable future inequitable outcomes through sidelining other forms of biodiversity knowledge and enclosing biodiversity information through processes of genetic commodification and privatization. We engage with critiques of neoliberal conservation, big data, and (biodiversity) genomics made by political ecologists and feminist science and technology studies scholars to help reorient the eDNA field towards more equity-oriented discursive practices and implementations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of People & Nature is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Human well-being, human development and peaceful coexistence require healthy ecosystems and ecosystem services. The complex interlinkages between water security and biodiversity are crucial for sustainable development. Biodiversity plays a crucial role in regulating the nutrient cycle and water and mitigating the impacts of climate change. However, the increasing demand for water due to population growth, urbanization, and economic development poses a threat to both water security and biodiversity. The need for a holistic approach to water security, which includes the protection of aquatic biodiversity, is emphasized. Understanding their interconnectedness is vital for effective environmental management. Employing an ecosystem-based approach, the paper investigates the interlinkages between water security and biodiversity in Sub-Himalayan Jammu City as the city faces significant challenges in maintaining water and biodiversity security due to varied anthropogenic and natural factors. The study provides a comprehensive overview of the current water security and biodiversity status in Jammu City. The study explores the role of ecosystem services in promoting water security, such as water purification, flood regulation, and habitat provision, while examining the issue of land use changes. Moreover, it investigates how preserving and restoring biodiversity can enhance ecosystem resilience and contribute to sustainable water management practices. The study highlights the need for a paradigm shift towards ecosystem-based approaches to develop more sustainable and resilient water management strategies in Jammu City while safeguarding its rich biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographical Indications (GIs) are collective rights granted to a group of producers in a limited geographical area. One of the rationales of GI protection is biodiversity conservation which is rapidly being advanced. However, if the GI fails to value the terroir associated with it, it can risk erosion of bio(cultural)diversity. In this paper, taking lessons from such experiences, we argue for activating producers' rights in discussions on biodiversity conservation through GIs and for the systematic inclusion of environmental law, which is considered relevant by the producers, in the GI specification. The rationale of sustainability and sustainable development and the integration of the capabilities approach to IP governance is part of our theoretical underpinnings for such an argument. Given the relationship between these concepts, we first explain biodiversity conservation and then situate the role of GIs in this context. Finally, we also differentiate between third-party certifications and eco-labels and GIs. The role of the former can be useful but limited as GIs offer a better opportunity to include producers' own views. We support our arguments throughout the paper using various examples from secondary empirical research. In practice, we argue for making GI laws, including designing of GI specifications, in a manner that producers' participation is included by design. Considerations of bio(cultural)diversity should be, by design, a part of GIs to increase their efficiency in fulfilling this rationale of protection. This calls for more interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary engagement from GI scholars as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous communities worldwide have cultivated and preserved invaluable ecological knowledge on biodiversity conservation long before the formalisation of scientific inquiry. Rooted in familial intimacy with nature and an acute ability to discern subtle micro-changes, these communities profoundly understand the patterns and processes shaping their natural world. In Nigeria, a nation boasting diverse indigenous peoples and rich biodiversity, this unique knowledge system finds limited recognition within the current legal framework on biodiversity conservation. In response to the persistent decline of biodiversity within and beyond protected areas in the country, the paper argues for a shift grounded in integrating indigenous ecological knowledge(I.E.K) into the existing laws and policies on biodiversity conservation. The findings of this paper demonstrate the need for a transformative change- one demanding a fundamental reorganisation in the design, implementation, and enforcement of biodiversity policies in the country to prioritise the rights and agency of indigenous peoples and local communities in biodiversity policies. It submits that by acknowledging and incorporating indigenous knowledge into legal frameworks, the country can effectively combat biodiversity loss and foster a more inclusive, sustainable approach that aligns with the vision of the country and the global conservation goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic habitat loss is widely recognized as a primary environmental concern. By contrast, debates on the effects of habitat fragmentation persist. To facilitate overcoming these debates, here we: (i) review the state of the literature on habitat fragmentation, finding widespread confusion and stigma; (ii) identify consequences of this for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management; and (iii) suggest ways in which research can move forward to resolve these problems. Confusion is evident from the 25 most‐cited fragmentation articles published between 2017 and 2021. These articles use five distinct concepts of habitat fragmentation, only one of which clearly distinguishes habitat fragmentation from habitat area and other factors ('fragmentation per se'). Stigmatization is evident from our new findings that fragmentation papers are more charged with negative sentiments when compared to papers from other subfields in the environmental sciences, and that fragmentation papers with more negative sentiments are cited more. While most empirical studies of habitat fragmentation per se find neutral or positive effects on species and biodiversity outcomes, which implies that small habitat patches have a high cumulative value, confusion and stigma in reporting and discussing such results have led to suboptimal habitat protection policy. For example, government agencies, conservation organizations, and land trusts impose minimum habitat patch sizes on habitat protection. Given the high cumulative value of small patches, such policies mean that many opportunities for conservation are being missed. Our review highlights the importance of reducing confusion and stigma in habitat fragmentation research. To this end, we propose implementing study designs in which multiple sample landscapes are selected across independent gradients of habitat amount and fragmentation, measured as patch density. We show that such designs are possible for forest habitat across Earth's biomes. As such study designs are adopted, and as language becomes more precise, we expect that confusion and stigma in habitat fragmentation research will dissipate. We also expect important breakthroughs in understanding the situations where effects of habitat fragmentation per se are neutral, positive, or negative, and the reasons for these differences. Ultimately this will improve efficacy of area‐based conservation policies, to the benefit of biodiversity and people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, global attention to forest ecological environment, carbon, wood yield, and biodiversity has been increasing, which requires forest managers to make reasonable forest planning in time and space to meet the needs of multiobjectives and multi-resources. In this study, the resources of business units in Northeast China were analyzed, and the FPS-ATLAS model was established. A multi-objective decision supporting spatial forest planning scheme for 16629.53 ha of forest in Jingouling forest farm of Wangqing Forestry Bureau in Jilin Province was proposed. In this paper, the volume growth model of six forest types was established, and the carbon storage model was introduced to show the total carbon, biomass carbon, dissolved organic carbon, and total soil carbon of the ecosystem. The dynamic change in carbon during the whole planning period has achieved good results. After 20 time periods, the total soil carbon increased to 7,627,208 Mg (+6.63%), the total ecosystem carbon increased to 14,889,876 Mg (+27.51%), the biomass carbon increased to 5,362,779 Mg (+59.70%), and the dissolved organic carbon increased to 9,531,906 Mg (+14.59%). The purpose of this article is to achieve dynamic management of forest resources, meet multiple constraint settings, achieve multiple management objectives, harvest wood products, and ensure the ecological and social functions of forests so that forests ultimately achieve the ideal state of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governance of the ocean and its biodiversity is deeply entangled within social, political and cultural histories. The evolution of marine science has been subject to similar influences, and we (the authors) consider these factors to create, embed and reinforce knowledge hierarchies in ocean governance processes and associated research that set societal patterns of prioritisation and exclusion. Such knowledge hierarchies have constructed dominant Western-oriented knowledge systems as 'rational' and 'objective' approaches to environmental governance in contrast to non-Western knowledge systems and have led to a dominance of natural (normal) sciences over centralised biodiversity governance. The extraction and incorporation of traditional knowledge into the Western-oriented scientific canon through myriad historical and contemporary processes in ocean biodiversity governance often reproduce knowledge hierarchies, do not benefit knowledge holders and are often considered incomplete, inappropriate or absent. As we address current ocean biodiversity and conservation challenges, researchers must be aware of the history of knowledge extraction, impositions and assumptions within their fields. Researchers must also actively acknowledge and address these histories in their work to avoid marginalisation and support ethical, empathetic, and rigorous knowledge production that meets the needs of society. In this paper, through a development of the concept of knowledge hierarchies, we explore case studies of research diverse in geography and discipline ranging from action research in Namibia, the application of arts-based methodologies in legal proceedings to research focused at an international level, and the concept of ocean literacies, all of which are located under the umbrella of a project specifically targeting transformative ocean governance. It becomes evident that knowledge hierarchies are multi-layered, perpetuating, and often reproduced even when attempting to address hierarchies through such methods as the integration or 'bringing together' of diverse knowledge systems. Effective change will therefore require sensitive and multi-faceted approaches to knowledge hierarchies, including processes of embracing discomfort, which will be important to work with, as well as through. While there will be continued tensions between hierarchies, it is a sine qua non that researchers need to build a commitment to understanding where powers lie, rather than ignoring such imbalances or, similarly, by idealising approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dugesiana is the property of Universidad de Guadalajara and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The invasion of non-native species (NNS) is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity loss and represents a major problem in the Mediterranean Sea. Although many recent EU policies and directives address this problem and numerous scientific papers have been published, the available data remains scattered and incomplete. In 2021, the World Register of Introduced Marine Species (WRiMS), a newly established database, was launched but has not yet undergone systematic analysis. This study performed a thorough examination of the NNS documented in the WRiMS database within the Mediterranean Sea (International Hydrographic Organization Sea Area). Our findings revealed that the majority of species in the WRiMS database for the Mediterranean are classified as "unspecified" or "uncertain", with only 79 species labeled as "invasive" and 13 as "of concern". The number of recorded animal species exceeds that of plants, and most species belong to the phyla Chordata and Mollusca. Callinectes sapidus and Fistularia commersonii were the most frequently recorded species in the WRiMS for the Mediterranean. Although there exists some data on the impact of NNS and the vectors of their introduction, the information remains incomplete and requires further scientific research. The synthesized and summarized data in the supplement can be valuable input for a range of management decisions and for guiding further scientific research concerning NNS invasions in the Mediterranean Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Internationale Bildungsforschung und Entwicklungspädagogik is the property of Waxmann Verlag GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Evaluation of river water quality is one of the most important aspects of water resource assessment. River Umtrew (Digaru), which originated in Meghalaya and runs down to Assam plains before merging with the mighty Brahmaputra, is one of the main drainage systems of this region. Using some physical, chemical and biological indicators of river water, the current study attempted to assesses its environmental integrity. The current study provides a clear image of the health of the river, as well as differences in the river's pollution levels at various locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doing co-design and co-production is challenging, resource intensive, and outcomes do not always translate into action. Evaluations of processes are needed to identify what enables and constrains 'co' efforts. This paper draws on the findings of an evaluation of a co-design process undertaken by Aotearoa New Zealand's Biological Heritage National Science Challenge, Ngā Koiora Tuku Iho (BHNSC) in 2019. The independent evaluation, commissioned by the BHNSC, draws on process observations and 25 semi-structured interviews with BHNSC leaders and process participants. In this paper, we present key insights from the evaluation through the application of co-production quality assessment principles and a knowledge governance conceptual framework. Our analysis identifies the BHNSC's values as a critical factor in its journey to conduct a process that would foster collaboration between mātauranga Māori and Western science knowledge systems and deliver impact-focused biodiversity and biosecurity research. We propose an additional principle for assessing the quality of co-production processes: values-inspired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U.K. food system exhibits strong unsustainability indicators across multiple dimensions, both in terms of food and nutritional insecurity and in terms of adverse climate change, biodiversity, and physical resource impacts. These indices of an unsustainable and inequitable social metabolism are the result of capitalist agriculture and society in general and, more specifically, of neoliberal and austerity policies adopted with vigour since the global financial crisis. The causal, capitalistic, and, latterly, more neoliberal bases of the U.K. food system are delineated in the first section of the paper. These bases are then detailed in terms of their impacts in exacerbating climate change, biodiversity (and resource) decline and loss, and food and nutritional insecurity. The political narratives and policy frameworks available to dissemble, mitigate, or, more rarely, to address (resolve) these impacts are then delineated. It is argued that the only policy framework available that strongly integrates food security (social equity) with ecological sustainability is political agroecology and an accompanying degrowth strategy. The final section of the paper details what political agroecology and degrowth might entail for the U.K. food system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater wetlands are the wetland ecosystems surrounded by freshwater, which are at the interface of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, and are rich in ecological composition and function. Biodiversity in freshwater wetlands plays a key role in maintaining the stability of their habitat functions. Due to anthropogenic interference and global change, the biodiversity of freshwater wetlands decreases, which in turn destroys the habitat function of freshwater wetlands and leads to serious degradation of wetlands. An in-depth understanding of the effects of biodiversity on the stability of habitat function and its regulation in freshwater wetlands is crucial for wetland conservation. Therefore, this paper reviews the environmental drivers of habitat function stability in freshwater wetlands, explores the effects of plant diversity and microbial diversity on habitat function stability, reveals the impacts and mechanisms of habitat changes on biodiversity, and further proposes an outlook for freshwater wetland research. This paper provides an important reference for freshwater wetland conservation and its habitat function enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a use-case conducted within the ENVRI FAIR project, examining challenges and opportunities in deploying FAIR-aligned (ensuring Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability) scientific name-matching services across Environmental Research Infrastructures (RIs). Six services were tested using various name variations, revealing inconsistencies in match types, status reporting and handling of canonical forms and typos. These diversities pose challenges for RI data pipelines and interoperability. The paper underscores the importance of standardised tools, enhanced communication, training, collaboration and shared resources. Addressing these needs can facilitate more effective FAIR implementation within the ENVRI community and biodiversity research. This, in turn, will empower RIs to seamlessly integrate and leverage scientific names, unlocking the full potential of their data for research and policy implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is necessary for national parks to exert multiple forms of influence. One innovative function of national parks is leisure and recreation. By optimizing the recreation function, national parks can enhance public participation and tourists' willingness to pay to achieve sustainable development. This paper surveys 435 tourists in Wuyishan National Park with a discrete choice experiment, applies mixed logit models to explore their preferences for recreational attributes from three dimensions and analyzes the heterogeneity. The findings indicate that attributes such as the number of concession activities, transportation variety, the density of recreational facilities, biodiversity, sightseeing zone and combined ticket fee significantly impact tourists' willingness to pay. Higher-educated, younger and willing-to-revisit tourists are more likely to pay for the park and hope to optimize the facilities and activities. The estimated recreational value of the park is RMB 164.51 (about USD 22.75) per person. Here, heterogeneity exist: higher-educated tourists ask for lager sightseeing zone, younger ones prefer more diverse activities and those who are willing to revisit incline to variety means of transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper will summarise the methodology, the scientific outcomes, and the potential for generalisation of the model of a project that studied cohabitation between human inhabitants and liminal species (in the present case, corvids) in Tartu, Estonia, from October 2021 to July 2023, with a comparative field study in Paris, France. It will present the context and goals of using a semiotic model to map interspecific cohabitation, expose what kind of data can be used to feed the model in a relevant way and how it was done in the case of this project. This paper will present how the model diagnosed issues in cohabitation, both from material nuisances and cultural aspects, insisting on the concept of "hostile minority" that emerged from the study. It will discuss the importance of problem-solving in interspecific cohabitation, what the model suggested regarding this aspect, how this tool can be generalised to a large variety of cases and why it should be used this way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive Green Roofs (EGRs) are nature-based solutions that provide several environmental, health, social, and economic benefits. This review of about 1430 scientific papers, based on the five Ws, When, Where, Why, Who, and Which, aims to understand how interest in these important green infrastructures originated and developed, as well as the nature of such academic research. Special attention was paid to the way researchers approached plant selection. Furthermore, this review made a detailed quantitative evaluation of the growth in interest for such green infrastructures within the scientific literature, which began mainly in Europe around the middle of the last century before spreading to America and Asia, growing rapidly during recent decades. The main impulse behind the study of EGRs came from the fields of engineering and architecture, especially on the themes of thermal mitigation and runoff reduction. In decreasing order, we found the categories aimed at ecological and environmental issues, substrate, and pollution reduction. We also found little evidence of collaboration between different disciplines, with the result that botanical features generally receive little attention. Despite the ecological benefits of plants, not enough attention has been given to them in the literature, and their study and selection are often limited to Sedum species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As a result of the ten years (2012-2022) work under the critical revision of the genera of Reticulariaceae, a set of papers was published. Collection data of hundreds of specimens, used as a material for these studies, were provided as supplements of corresponding papers, but remained unpublished in biodiversity databases. New information: Here, we represent an occurrence dataset "Barcoded Reticulariaceae of the World", published in GBIF. It includes data on 523 myxomycete collections (including 36 types) gathered from five continents and spanning 24 countries. The dataset encompasses 43 distinct species and one subspecies of myxomycetes, including rare, endemic, and recently-described taxa. Species included to the database mainly belong to the genera Alwisia, Lycogala, Reticularia, Siphoptychium, Thecotubifera and Tubifera (Reticulariaceae), but as well Lindbladia and Licaethalium (Cribrariaceae). Nearly all of the research material, with the exception of several old collections, underwent molecular barcoding, primarily involving the 18S rDNA gene, but also the elongation factor 1α gene and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. For those sequences that are stored in the NCBI GenBank, accession numbers are provided in the dataset. Newly-described species make up a significant part of the studied herbarium collections; many of them can be characterised as common for their region. A particularly high level of taxonomic novelty is observed in Australia, which may be explained by the endemism of the local myxomycete biota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While numerous Marine Protected Areas (MPA) have been created in the last decades, their effectiveness must be assessed in the context of the country's biodiversity conservation policies and must be verified by local observations. Currently, the observations of local stakeholders, such as those from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academics, government civil servants, journalists, and fishers, are not considered in any MPA database. The Sea Around Us has added observations from local stakeholders to address this gap, adding their perspectives to its reconstructed fisheries catch database, and to at least one MPA in each country's Exclusive Economic Zone. It is important to pursue and incentivize stakeholder knowledge sharing to achieve a better understanding of the current level of marine protection, as this information is a valuable addition to the existing MPA databases. To address this gap, we demonstrated that personal emails containing a one-question questionnaire about the fishing levels in an MPA are an excellent way to gather data from local stakeholders, and that this works especially well for respondents in NGOs, academia, and governments. Of the stakeholders who replied to our personalized email, 66% provided us with the fishing level of the MPA that we asked for. The paper also presents how to access this information through the Sea Around Us website, which details in anonymized form the most common fishing levels for each selected MPA, as perceived or observed by different local stakeholder groups. This information is a unique and novel addition to a website that is concerned with marine conservation and contributes to a more accurate and inclusive discourse around MPAs. This information also helps to identify the gaps that need to be addressed to turn 'paper parks' (i.e., MPAs that are legally designated but not effective) into effective MPAs, which can contribute to climate-resilient 'blue economies'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological advancements in biological monitoring have facilitated the study of insect communities at unprecedented spatial scales. The progress allows more comprehensive coverage of the diversity within a given area while minimizing disturbance and reducing the need for extensive human labour. Compared with traditional methods, these novel technologies offer the opportunity to examine biological patterns that were previously beyond our reach. However, to address the pressing scientific inquiries of the future, data must be easily accessible, interoperable and reusable for the global research community. Biodiversity information standards and platforms provide the necessary infrastructure to standardize and share biodiversity data. This paper explores the possibilities and prerequisites of publishing insect data obtained through novel monitoring methods through GBIF, the most comprehensive global biodiversity data infrastructure. We describe the essential components of metadata standards and existing data standards for occurrence data on insects, including data extensions. By addressing the current opportunities, limitations, and future development of GBIF's publishing framework, we hope to encourage researchers to both share data and contribute to the further development of biodiversity data standards and publishing models. Wider commitments to open data initiatives will promote data interoperability and support cross-disciplinary scientific research and key policy indicators. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests are crucial in supporting biodiversity and providing ecosystem services. Understanding forest biodiversity dynamics under different management strategies and climate change scenarios is essential for effective conservation and management. This paper introduces the Forest Biodiversity Dynamics Prototype Digital Twin (pDT), integrating forest and biodiversity models to predict the effects of management options on forest ecosystems. The primary objective is to identify optimal management strategies that promote biodiversity, focusing on conservation and adaptation to different climate conditions. We start with the case of Finnish forests and bird species and plan to expand to include more European countries and a variety of species as the pDT is further developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance, a cornerstone of environmental health for thriving biodiversity and undisturbed natural processes. This balance is crucial for the sustainability of ecosystems, directly influencing human health, biodiversity, and the overall quality of our natural environment. WWTPs contribute to this equilibrium by efficiently removing pollutants and harmful substances from wastewater, thus averting the degradation of water bodies that are essential for numerous ecological processes. WWTPs encompass multiple stages of wastewater and sludge treatment and are significant energy consumers globally, especially in secondary treatment, particularly the activated sludge method which is the most common method. With an upcoming directive from the European Union aiming to reduce energy consumption in WWTPs, this paper focuses on a literature review examining global practices implemented across all stages of WWTP treatment processes. It summarizes the key points of each study, focusing primarily on the outcomes of each application. This document concludes with an in-depth review of each study and provides general conclusions for each group of studies. The objective is to identify methods that have effectively reduced energy consumption and enhanced the overall energy efficiency of WWTPs. The main conclusions indicate that the studies encompass a wide range of applications that achieve significant reductions in energy consumption. However, additional testing of these applications in more diverse operating environments through trials could further enhance their reliability and increase acceptance among WWTP operators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural resources of a country, including ichthyofauna, constitute a vital aspect of its national heritage. Fish populations are threatened with loss of biodiversity as a result of human activity (anthropopressure), resulting in water pollution, habitat destruction and overfishing. Additionally, the escalating threat is exacerbated by climate change, primarily manifested in periodic reservoir and watercourse desiccation. Genetic variability of captive is also threated as fish raised in hatcheries are susceptible to bacterial and viral diseases. Therefore, methodologies for fish sperm cryopreservation aimed at safeguarding the gene pool of both natural and captive fish populations assume paramount importance for their conservation and mitigation of irreversible losses, particularly crucial in light of increasing ecological disasters. This paper offers an overview of cryopreservation research in Poland, tracing back to early initiatives in the 1970s concerning carp (Cyprinus carpio) semen and culminating in recent advancements, where standardized cryopreservation methodologies were developed. We delve into the freezing results of semen of various fish species, encompassing both wild specimens like whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) and lake minnows (Eupallasella percnurus), and farmed species such as sturgeons, carp, and numerous salmonid species. Additionally, we delineate projects that support such endeavors. Recent milestones in the establishment of fish sperm cryobanks in Poland catering to both wild and farmed species, including carp and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) - the most economically significant fish in Poland were presented. We also expound on the implementation of cryopreserved semen from sex-reversed rainbow trout in hatchery practices. Furthermore, we discuss significant challenges pertaining to sperm banking, particularly concerning funding and the practical utilization of cryostored semen samples for egg fertilization under hatchery conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on the failure to account for the value of standing tropical forests, and of ecosystem services in general, in economic decision-making. This blindness to the values of nature has led to overexploitation, degradation and destruction of tropical forests, which, in turn, has also significantly contributed to greenhouse gas emissions. Forest conservation and restoration has a critical role to play in the fight against climate change and brings a vast array of additional benefits, from security in water, energy, food, health and livelihoods to maintaining biodiversity itself as a core component of our living planet. As first Minister of Environment and Energy under President Oscar Arias (1986–1990), I brought these views into societal decision-making in Costa Rica and here I briefly describe how. This article is part of the theme issue 'Bringing nature into decision-making'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Testate amoebae are a polyphyletic group of unicellular eukaryotic organisms that are characterised by a rigid shell and inhabit mostly freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. They are particularly abundant in peatlands, especially in Sphagnum-dominated biotopes. Peatland hydrology is the most important influence on testate amoebae communities. The good preservation of the shells in peat deposits and their response to hydrological regime changes are the principles for palaeohydrological reconstructions. Any changes in the water balance of mires should be expected to have far-reaching effects on biogeochemical cycles, productivity, carbon dioxide and methane exchange. New information: This paper presents a dataset (Darwin Core Archive -- DwC-A) on the distribution of Sphagnum-dwelling testate amoebae in nine mires located in the forest-steppe subzone of the East European Plane. The dataset includes information about 86 taxa belonging to 29 genera and contains 3,123 occurrences of 49,874 individuals. The following environmental variables are provided: microtopography, oxidising and reducing potential, total mineralisation, substrate temperature, acidity, substrate wetness and water table depth. These data might be used for biogeographical and palaeoecological studies, including quantitative reconstructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bukidnon, situated in the Philippines, boasts rich biodiversity owing to its diverse ecosystems, including forests, grasslands, and agricultural lands. However, rapid urbanization, agricultural expansion, deforestation, land selling and conversion and mining activities have significantly impacted its biodiversity. This paper examines the current status of biodiversity in Bukidnon, identifies key conservation challenges, and proposes strategies for sustainable development that prioritize biodiversity conservation. Drawing upon existing literature and case studies, this research underscores the importance of integrating conservation efforts with socioeconomic development initiatives to achieve long-term sustainability in Bukidnon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of research on the dendroflora of the Natural Monument (NM) "Stari park" in Temerin, Serbia. The park's natural values are intricately linked to the characteristics of its dendrofloristic elements, i.e. the large dimensions and age of its trees. To gain insight into changes in diversity, the flora recorded in 2004 and 2022 was compared. In 2022, a field study was conducted to provide a detailed dendroflora analysis, including taxonomic analysis, species origin analysis, assessment of the presence of autochthonous, allochthonous, and invasive species, as well as the biological spectrum. Although Celtis occidentalis L. remained the most represented species eighteen years later, its percentage decreased from 34% to 21%. This decline can be attributed to the emergence of new dominant species such as Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl. (15%), Ulmus effusa Willd. (13%), and Acer platanoides L. (9%). These four species now collectively constitute 58% of the trees in the park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SNAPSHOT USA is a multicontributor, long‐term camera trap survey designed to survey mammals across the United States. Participants are recruited through community networks and directly through a website application (https://www.snapshot-usa.org/). The growing Snapshot dataset is useful, for example, for tracking wildlife population responses to land use, land cover, and climate changes across spatial and temporal scales. Here we present the SNAPSHOT USA 2021 dataset, the third national camera trap survey across the US. Data were collected across 109 camera trap arrays and included 1711 camera sites. The total effort equaled 71,519 camera trap nights and resulted in 172,507 sequences of animal observations. Sampling effort varied among camera trap arrays, with a minimum of 126 camera trap nights, a maximum of 3355 nights, a median 546 nights, and a mean 656 ± 431 nights. This third dataset comprises 51 camera trap arrays that were surveyed during 2019, 2020, and 2021, along with 71 camera trap arrays that were surveyed in 2020 and 2021. All raw data and accompanying metadata are stored on Wildlife Insights (https://www.wildlifeinsights.org/), and are publicly available upon acceptance of the data papers. SNAPSHOT USA aims to sample multiple ecoregions in the United States with adequate representation of each ecoregion according to its relative size. Currently, the relative density of camera trap arrays varies by an order of magnitude for the various ecoregions (0.22–5.9 arrays per 100,000 km2), emphasizing the need to increase sampling effort by further recruiting and retaining contributors. There are no copyright restrictions on these data. We request that authors cite this paper when using these data, or a subset of these data, for publication. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth system science indicates the existence of planetary boundaries. Several of these ecological limits have been transgressed, raising serious human rights concerns. Concurrently, persistent poverty and significant economic disparities continue to challenge societies and human rights law and scholarship. How to reform economies to respect planetary boundaries and at the same time address deprivation and socio-economic inequalities is the subject of a rich 'degrowth' literature. Surprisingly, this literature received minimal attention from human rights scholarship. Building upon Raworth's influential concept of Doughnut Economics, this paper aims to bridge this gap by investigating whether human rights can encompass ecological limits (outer circle of the doughnut) and how these limits relate to social priorities embodied in human rights law (inner circle of the doughnut). To do so, the paper is structured along two sub-sections. The first section examines the relevance of core planetary boundaries, particularly biosphere integrity and climate change, within the context of human rights law. In the second section, the paper addresses the relationship between the inner and outer circle of doughnut economics from a human rights perspective. Drawing on critical literature, the article problematizes the 'growth paradigm' in human rights practice but also offers alternative readings. In this final part of the article, the author demonstrates how central doctrines of ESC rights, such as progressive realization and non-retrogression, could be interpreted in a way agnostic of economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Botanical living collections within botanical gardens are a crucial global asset for plant diversity. Special attention should be directed towards dendrological collections due to their significant contribution to biodiversity conservation, support for scientific inquiry, enhancement of educational initiatives, and engagement of the public. Introducing plants, particularly woody species, poses a significant challenge in botanical science, one that is addressed through botanical gardens and arboretums. The establishment and development of dendrological collections in botanical gardens provide a means to comprehensively represent diverse plant species from various biogeographical regions and continents. The current paper presents, for the first time, the establishment, development, status, and future perspective of dendrological collections at the Yerevan Botanical Garden, particularly in relation to the introduction of woody plants in Armenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mediterranean pastoral systems are providers of a wide array of Nature’s Contribution to People (NCP). They are ‘complex systems’ characterized by limited resources and socio-economic dynamics currently threatened by climate and social changes. Despite a growing number of scientific articles dealing with NCP, there is a high risk that the existing literature has left out the complexity of such systems. In the light of ongoing social, economic, and climatic changes in the Mediterranean basin, neglecting the complexity of pastoral systems can lead to significant research biases, missing the priorities affecting the stability and continuity of such systems. A combination of frameworks of analysis provided by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services was applied to understand if and to what extent the complexity of Mediterranean pastoral systems has been considered in the available literature. Most of the 126 papers report studies conducted in the European Union zone (102 papers), with the majority in Spain (50). Fewer studies have been conducted in the Middle East (15 papers) and Africa zones (9 papers). Despite results confirming the importance of pastoral systems as providers of NCP, most of the eligible papers focused on regulating NCP. A lack of a multisectoral approach and integration of knowledge suggests that the complexity of Mediterranean pastoral systems has been overlooked by researchers. The creation of ‘hybrid knowledge’ bridging the expertise of different stakeholders could be the key ingredient to properly address the complexity of Mediterranean pastoral systems.Highlights: Mediterranean (Med) pastoral systems are providers of NCP Literature on Med-pastoral systems is focused on regulating NCP Literature on Med-pastoral systems is biased towards EU The complexity of Med-pastoral systems is overlooked in the literature Med-pastoral systems require a multiscale, multisectoral, and integrated analysis [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The digitization of herbarium collections is an important process that allows access to sometimes huge amounts of data that can be used in various natural sciences. In recent years, the collections of one of the thirty oldest herbariums in the world—the herbarium of the Jagiellonian University—have been digitized. This paper presents the resources of the economically very important Amaranthaceae family, which include 8801 herbarium sheets. They were analyzed in taxonomic, geographical, historical, and functional terms. Herbaria constitute a form of documentation, store and secure comparative material, as well as constitute an extra original gene bank. They are an invaluable database among others for the biological, ethnobotanical and agricultural sciences. The digitization of herbarium collections significantly facilitates access to archival materials; however, searching them is still time-consuming. Therefore, our work aims to analyze the herbarium collection of 8801 sheets for specimens representing the economically important family Amaranthaceae (Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae clade) deposited the oldest herbarium in Poland, the herbarium of the Jagiellonian University (KRA). These specimens have been collected from almost all the continents in dozens of countries for over 200 years. The analyses conducted, including the taxonomic coverage, geographical characteristics and origin, temporal coverage and utility importance of representative species, present the discussed resources in a more accessible way and may become a more attractive form for scientists potentially interested in more advanced research work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]