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Species decline and community structure disruption of urban forest patches have been widely considered, but their mechanisms underlying rapid urbanization have not been fully studied. Here, a 3-year investigation of birds was conducted in 30 forest patches along an urban-suburban gradient of Wuhan, a rapidly urbanizing megacity in central China. Effects of urbanization and vegetation on the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversities of specialists, generalists, and total birds were separately tested. The results showed that the taxonomic diversity of total birds and generalists increased with habitat complexity, and remained highest with a moderate degree of urbanization, while that of specialists increased with increasing patch area size. Functional diversity of total birds and generalists increased with increasing habitat complexity and proportion of fruity plants and rapidly increased when patch area exceeded a threshold (c.a., 80 ha), whereas that of specialists positively correlated with the proportion of fruity plants. Phylogenetic diversities of all three groups of birds were positively correlated to habitat complexity and proportion of fruity plants, and generalists increased with plant diversity and rapidly increased when patch area exceeded the same threshold. These results suggest that high habitat complexity and moderate urbanization could maintain a high diversity of birds, and there was a small-island effect of patch area on bird diversity. Specialists were more dependent on fruity plants and more sensitive to urbanization. To sustain bird diversity, moderate urbanization, threshold of patch area, vegetation complexity and abundance of fruity plants should be integrated into urban forest planning and ecological-based management. • Bird diversity was tested in 30 forest patches in an urbanizing megacity for 3-yr. • Moderate urbanization and high habitat complexity maintained more birds. • Specialists in urban forests were more dependent on fruity plants than generalists. • Patch area showed a small-island effect on birds, with a size threshold of 80 ha. • Forest area and vegetation complexity are critical in urban forest planning/mgmt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In fast-developing regions, rapid coastal urbanization has led to considerable transformation of both landscapes and seascapes, with various adverse implications for species dependent on inshore habitats. As reliable estimates of vital demographic rates reflect the population-level responses to stressors, rigorous quantification of these parameters is central to assessing the consequences of human-induced environmental change. As a case-in-point, we quantified the reproductive parameters and calf survivorship of an obligatory inshore delphinid, the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), in the anthropogenic seascape of Hong Kong prior and during two consecutive large-scale coastal infrastructure projects. Our 8-year photo-ID mark-recapture dataset was examined with both frequentist and Bayesian techniques. The reproductive output of female dolphins worsened significantly following the onset of construction activities, eventually declining alarmingly close to zero. Annual recruitment rate followed a similar trajectory. Concurrently, calf survival rates (pooled across the study period) were low, with <60% of newborns surviving the first 3-month and <46% surviving their first year of life. Both mean crude birth rate (~0.03) and annual recruitment rate (~0.02) were among the lowest reported for coastal delphinids to date. Cumulatively, all of this slows population recruitment and increases population susceptibility to stochastic events. We conclude that natural factors alone are not likely to cause such critically low demographic rates, underscoring the vulnerability of obligatory inshore species to growing anthropogenic pressure and habitat loss in fast-changing coastal seas. We emphasize the need for proactive (instead of reactive) conservation based on reliable sentinel model system and wise use of the precautionary principle. • Continuous large-scale coastal development affected reproductive dynamics of inshore dolphins. • Birth rates declined drastically, nearing zero after 5-years of severe anthropogenic pressure. • Calf survival rates dropped to among the lowest seen in coastal delphinids. • Extremely slow recruitment impedes recovery of the already threatened population. • We emphasize the susceptibility of obligatory inshore species to rapid large-scale habitat degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most biodiverse and productive ecosystem in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), coral reefs have supported coastal communities for millennia. Demands for improved management and conservation following rapid development in the 1970s have led to a dramatic growth in science seeking to document and describe the status of regional reefs; however, the role of women in this field remains understudied. Using an explanatory semi-sequential mixed-methods design, in which a systematic review preceded semi-structured interviews, we address this gap by investigating the prevalence and perspectives of women conducting reef science in the GCC. Of the 852 reef-related publications included in the review, the majority (53 %) were exclusively authored by men, with no female authors occurring in the literature until 1985. The six-fold increase in female-inclusive publications that occurred in the subsequent three decades did not eliminate the substantial gender divide in publication output and the senior authorship position. Moreover, over half of published female scientists were researchers from the Global North, while Khaleeji researchers (citizens of GCC nations) were a minority - a trend with implications for knowledge leaks and ineffective conservation efforts. Six themes emerged from the interviews (n = 47): 1) history of female contributions to reef science in the GCC, 2) success factors for scientific productivity, 3) barriers affecting professional practice, 4) author collaboration and credit, 5) growing presence of Khaleeji researchers, 6) parachute and neocolonial science. Our results highlight the need to sustain diverse gender and local voices in research shaping conservation efforts. Considering that the region remains densely populated in coastal zones and dependent on the surrounding marine provinces, member states must propagate greater inclusive and indigenous representation in science to support advancement of reef research and conservation. • First female author in GCC reef-related literature emerged in 1985 • Six-fold increase in female-inclusive papers; gap persists in output and senior roles. • Global North dominance raises concerns for GCC reef conservation. • Mixed-method study unveiled progress and persistent gender challenges in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Over the last century, numbers of wild tigers (Panthera tigris) have crashed, while human populations have boomed. Here we investigate future trajectories of human population within tiger range through analysis of the shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs). These five pathways describe urban, rural and total population distributions by decade through 2100, based on plausible but contrasting scenarios of economic, education, migration, and urbanization policy. In 2010 approximately 57 million people lived in regions defined as "tiger conservation landscapes" (or TCLs); 8% of sympatric people lived in towns and cities that occupied 4% of tiger range. We show that tigers could share these same geographies with as few as 40 million (30% decline compared to 2010) or as many as 106 million people (an increase of 85%) by 2100. Those populations could be as much as 64%, or as little as 17%, urbanized, depending on the pathway. Urban areas are likely to expand, displacing between 6 and 22% of tiger's current range, depending on how urban growth is managed. Human population density thresholds compatible with tigers vary by region, from 140 persons/km2 in the Indian subcontinent, to 10 persons/km2 in the Russian Far East and northern China. SSP3, a future where nations indulge regional rivalries, would make conservation more difficult, whereas SSP1, with a focus on well-managed urbanization and education, could help relieve pressures. Tigers are a conservation-reliant species and will likely remain so through the 21st century, therefore we suggest coupling continued site-level protection with efforts to develop constituencies for conservation in Asia's burgeoning cities. Highlights • In 2010 57 million people lived in tiger range with between 3000 and 4000 wild tigers. • By 2100 <40 million or >106 million people may share tiger range. • Different population scenarios depend on the course of the demographic transition. • Urban areas will continue to expand including in landscapes critical for tigers. • Conservation must engage with people in towns and cities to save tigers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization has become an area of crucial concern in conservation, owing to urban infrastructure impacts on natural ecosystems. Urban infrastructures are often poor surrogates for natural habitats, and a diversity of eco-engineering approaches has been trialed to enhance their ecological value. Marinas are among the most common human-made infrastructures found on the shoreline, and cause substantial habitat destruction within the sheltered coastal areas previously used as nursery grounds by many fish species. The present study aimed at testing the suitability of installing artificial habitats (Biohut®) in marinas to reinforce the nursery function of the Marchica coastal lagoon, which historically hosts many species of juvenile groupers, including the endangered dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus . Our hypothesis – that artificial habitats, by increasing habitat complexity, enhance the ecological value of a marina – was strongly supported by our results. The Biohuts hosted a high relative density of juvenile dusky and comb groupers in comparison with natural habitats. They can, therefore, be considered as a reservoir for juvenile groupers, including the endangered dusky grouper, and are suitable to reinforce the nursery function of this coastal lagoon. Subsequently, Biohuts can act as a ready-made nursery area to support the creation of small marine reserves that can reinforce the grouper population re-colonization along the coast of North Africa, which is considered to be the region from which the individuals populating the north western Mediterranean originated, and thus provide for long-term recovery of the endangered dusky grouper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most countries have committed to protect 17% of their terrestrial area by 2020 through Aichi Target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity, with a focus on protecting areas of particular importance for biodiversity. This means national-scale spatial conservation prioritisations are needed to help meet this target and guide broader conservation and land-use policy development. However, to ensure these assessments are adopted by policy makers, they must also consider national priorities. This situation is exemplified by Guyana, a corner of Amazonia that couples high biodiversity with low economic development. In recent years activities that threaten biodiversity conservation have increased, and consequently, protected areas are evermore critical to achieving the Aichi targets. Here we undertake a cost-effective approach to protected area planning in Guyana that accounts for in-country conditions. To do this we conducted a stakeholder-led spatial conservation prioritisation based on meeting targets for 17 vegetation types and 329 vertebrate species, while minimising opportunity costs for forestry, mining, agriculture and urbanisation. Our analysis identifies 3 million ha of priority areas for conservation, helping inform government plans to double the current protected area network from 8.5 to 17%. As part of this, we also develop a new technique to prioritise engagement with local communities whose lands are identified as important to conservation. Our study both provides a scientifically robust, politically acceptable protected area expansion strategy for Guyana, and illustrates the importance of conservation planning at the country-scale to translate international commitments into national action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization affects the occurrence, abundance and distribution of pollinators worldwide. Although urban green spaces support many pollinators, global estimates of urban pollinator diversity are still lacking. Here, we present a global overview of urban pollinators, characterizing the most frequently recorded species and functional groups, as well as the types of urban green spaces where these pollinators were most frequently recorded. A systematic review of the literature revealed a total of 11,560 pollinator records in urban green areas. These comprised 3148 species from 255 cities in 46 countries, with more than half of the studies (~67 %) carried out in non-tropical cities. Hymenoptera was the main pollinator group recorded, especially bees, followed by Lepidoptera and Diptera worldwide. However, birds were more commonly reported in tropical than non-tropical regions, highlighting their importance as pollinators in the tropics. The most frequently recorded species were social and generalist bees, including invasive and managed species. Hence, while some bees may be able to persist in urban areas, other groups may face challenges that need to be considered when planning urban pollinator conservation. Considering the urban habitat types where pollinators were sampled, university campuses and gardens were the most common types investigated in tropical and non-tropical regions, respectively. These results may reflect regional differences in urban landscape characteristics, as well as a research bias caused by greater investment in urban ecology research in non-tropical countries. Our review synthetizes the diversity of urban pollinators worldwide and highlights the gaps and challenges in promoting their conservation more inclusively. [Display omitted] • 11,560 records of 3148 pollinator species, in 255 cities from 46 countries • Urban green spaces favor generalist and social bees. • Diptera and Lepidoptera were also important groups of pollinators. • Tropical and non-tropical regions differ in pollinators and urban habitats studied. • Bird pollinators were more often recorded in tropical urban areas than non-tropical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization dramatically modifies natural landscapes, fragments previously intact habitats, and is spreading rapidly, making it one of the leading causes of worldwide biodiversity decline. We studied the impact of urbanization on the occupancy of breeding birds in the Great Trinity Forest in Dallas, TX, the largest urban forest in the United States. The matrix of habitat surrounding the Great Trinity Forest varies from highly urbanized industrial landscapes to more rural areas. Between May 15th and July 15th of 2018, 2019, and 2020 we surveyed 404 5-ha plots for forest birds, recording 4274 observations representing 49 species. We used time-to-detection to model avian occupancy in 17 species while accounting for false absences. We found that the avian community responded to anthropogenic impacts of urbanization in the matrix in diverse ways. Urbanization intensity had the largest negative impact on avian occupancy and best explained observed patterns of urban avoidance from previous studies. Occupancy of species with low vocal frequency was negatively impacted by continuous anthropogenic noise from automobile traffic, while a broader group of species was negatively impacted by intermittent noise from airplane traffic. Occupancy exhibited both positive and negative responses to increased feral hog activity. To maintain diverse bird communities in forest fragments with a heavily urbanized matrix, it may be necessary to maintain large habitat tracts and mitigate for the indirect effects of the matrix like noise and invasive species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apex predators are critical to ecological function, however their life history traits are often not conducive to survival in urban environments. While this can result in the loss of some apex predators, others are able to inhabit and utilize urban environments. Understanding predator resource requirements and the factors driving their distribution is often difficult due to their cryptic nature, however, this understanding is essential, given the current rate of urban expansion. In this research we use a threatened apex predator, the powerful owl ( Ninox strenua ) as a case study. Specifically, we aim to (1) develop a Species Distribution Model (SDM) to ascertain environmental variables driving habitat suitability across an urban gradient (2) determine fine scale spatial movements of powerful owls using GPS telemetry; (3) validate the SDM against collected GPS movement data; and (4) evaluate habitat predicted by the SDM against current reserve systems to establish whether they are adequate for the future protection of this species. We used MaxEnt and citizen science data to produce SDMs that predicted habitat suitability for powerful owls and identified the environmental variables driving habitat across the landscape. Fine-scale spatial movements for urban powerful owls, gained via GPS telemetry, were used to establish home-range sizes, validate models and assess the fit of telemetry data against SDM predictions. Rivers, vegetation (particularly dense tree cover) and distance to riparian areas were the ecological variables driving predicted habitat for powerful owls across the urban gradient. There was a strong relationship between habitat predicted by the SDM and the fine scale movements of powerful owls in urbanized environments. Home-ranges within this urban study were notably smaller than previous estimates established for forested environments. The powerful owls in our study were also shown to utilize considerable amounts of habitat outside of the reserve system. This has severe conservation implications because it is often the space outside of reserves that are at most risk from urban intensification. Conservation of the powerful owl in urban environments, therefore, needs to focus on both habitat management within existing reserves, and on establishing clear vegetation management strategies in the surrounding urban matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widespread urbanization leads to environmental changes and affects avian populations. We provided artificial nest sites in the form of plastic tubes placed in earth embankments and compared the breeding parameters to those in natural nest sites of the endemic Cyprus Wheatear ( Oenanthe cypriaca ). We hypothesized that the loss of semi-natural habitats, in which Cyprus Wheatear have coevolved with agriculturists, could be offset by the provision of alternative nest sites. We found that breeding parameters like clutch size (4.7; 95% CL: 4.6–4.9), the number of nestlings (4.0; 3.7–4.3), fledglings (3.5; 3.2–3.9) and overall breeding success (82.2%; 73.7–89.0) did not differ between natural and artificial nest sites. Average occupancy of artificial nest sites was only 6.1% (5.4–6.7) but at present, the Cyprus Wheatear population appears to be resilient with high reproductive output and survival. The study showed that the endemic Cyprus Wheatear readily adapts to alternative, artificial nest sites, and their reproductive output is similar to individuals nesting in natural sites. Considering novel approaches to sustain future populations of endemic species are crucial in the face of a fast-changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characteristics of buildings and land cover surrounding buildings influence the number of bird-window collisions, yet little is known about whether bird-window collisions are associated with urbanization at large spatial scales. We initiated a continent-wide study in North America to assess how bird-window collision mortality is influenced by building characteristics, landscaping around buildings, and regional urbanization. In autumn 2014, researchers at 40 sites (N = 281 buildings) used standardized protocols to document collision mortality of birds, evaluate building characteristics, and measure local land cover and regional urbanization. Overall, 324 bird carcasses were observed (range = 0–34 per site) representing 71 species. Consistent with previous studies, we found that building size had a strong positive effect on bird-window collision mortality, but the strength of the effect on mortality depended on regional urbanization. The positive relationship between collision mortality and building size was greatest at large buildings in regions of low urbanization, locally extensive lawns, and low-density structures. Collision mortality was consistently low for small buildings, regardless of large-scale urbanization. The mechanisms shaping broad-scale variation in collision mortality during seasonal migration may be related to habitat selection at a hierarchy of scales and behavioral divergence between urban and rural bird populations. These results suggest that collision prevention measures should be prioritized at large buildings in regions of low urbanization throughout North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring how land-use changes affect the availability of resources for threatened species is critical for conservation policy and management. Combining demographic population models with models of food supply provides a means of quantifying the relative effects of land-use change and life-history characteristics on population viability. However, few phenomenological population models explicitly link demography to food supply, probably because of the lack of sufficient quantitative data necessary to estimate them. We synthesized detailed demographic and food resource data to model future population size and extinction risk of the endangered Carnaby's cockatoo Calyptorhynchus latirostris under potential land-use scenarios in a rapidly expanding urban region. Carnaby's cockatoo relies primarily on the annual seed crops of native Banksia spp. woodlands and introduced Pinus pinaster plantations. Population viability analysis was combined with estimates of food resources and a daily ration model to estimate carrying capacity, predict the number of birds that could be supported in the region, and the extinction risk. Assuming no changes in the extent or quality of breeding habitat, and current breeding or survival rates, the most important factor currently limiting population growth for Carnaby's cockatoo is adult survival rate, whereas population size is limited by recurring bottlenecks in food availability resulting from a trend of resource depletion combined with large variability in annual seed production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past 40 years witnessed a boom of protected areas (PAs) in China. To date, China has established 11 types of PAs, whose conservation objectives vary from protecting biodiversity and geological features, preserving scenic landscapes and seascapes, to restoring and maintaining ecosystem services. Covering over 17% of the land and 3.5% of the marine territory of China, the PAs have had beneficial effects on conservation in this country. However, the success of these PAs is largely restricted by ecological gaps in PA structure, defects of the management system, and is also negatively influenced by local development and urbanization driven by a growing economy. To improve the conservation efficiency of China's PAs, we suggest structural adjustment based on integrative research, practical strategies to alleviate administrative conflicts, increased engagement of local communities, transparent allocation of conservation funding, strengthened supervision and penalty mechanisms for destructive activities, and improved large-scale designation to coordinate demands of conservation and socioeconomic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban areas impact wildlife populations through multiple pathways, notably habitat fragmentation and degradation. Wildlife can respond to development and other human-driven environmental change at multiple scales, from the individual to the population level, ultimately driving biodiversity patterns and processes in built and adjacent natural landscapes. However, multiple scales of space use are rarely considered in an integrated framework. Focusing on bobcats, a species associated with intermediate sensitivity to development, we explored factors affecting multi-scale space use and population density across San Diego County, a region in southern California characterized by a pronounced development gradient. We used remote camera data and GPS collar data in an integrated spatial capture-recapture + resource selection function approach. At the individual scale, bobcats selected against developed areas, while at the population level, bobcat densities were higher in habitat patches surrounded by development, suggesting that bobcat populations in these areas may be experiencing home range pile-up, a manifestation of the fence effect. Our results provide an integrated multi-scale view of the impacts of human-modified landscapes on wildlife, confirming that research on space use at the individual and population levels should be considered jointly to advance understanding of the mechanisms driving wildlife response to development. This approach has promise to improve conservation and management efforts for urban wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterizing the distribution of threats facing species is a crucial, first step toward designing effective conservation strategy. The last comprehensive analysis of threats facing rare plants in the United States was conducted nearly 20 years ago. Here we systematically analyze the threats facing 2733 rare and vulnerable plants in the US using textual analysis of the most comprehensive database available. In the continental US plants are most commonly threatened by outdoor recreation (affecting 35% of species), especially from off-road vehicles (19%) and hiking and related activities (13%). The next-most common threats are from livestock (33%), residential development (28%), non-native invasives (27%), and roads (21%). In Hawaii invasives threaten 95% of species followed by increases in fire intensity/frequency (26%) then livestock (19%). Multivariate analyses indicate threats do not form distinct “syndromes” (clusters of threats) but rather a single “mega-syndrome” with high degrees of overlap between most threats. We also compared the prevalence of threats to the distribution of research effort. Nearly 75% of threats are understudied relative to their prevalence, including five of the six most common threats while a few rare threats (missing species like pollinators; pathogens; logging; climate-induced ecosystem movement; and crop-based agriculture) receive most of the attention. In comparison to a benchmark assessment from 1998 (Wilcove et al. BioScience 48:607-615) we find little difference in threat prevalence, though temporal trends suggest increasing frequency of nearly all threats. Overall rare plants in the US are affected by a dense network of threats across which research attention is disproportionately directed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal lagoons provide key habitat for a wide range of biota but are often degraded by intense urbanization pressures. Insectivorous bats use these highly productive ecosystems and are likely to be impacted by their decline in quality. We compared bat activity and richness and invertebrate biomass and richness across a gradient of lagoon quality (9 lagoons) in the Greater Sydney region, Australia to determine the extent to which bats and their prey were impacted by lagoon degradation. Bats were more diverse and 19 times more active at higher quality lagoons. The trawling bat, Myotis macropus , was absent from all low quality lagoons, but these lagoons were used by other species such as Miniopterus schreibersii oceanensis . Invertebrate richness and biomass did not differ significantly across lagoon quality. We examined potential mechanisms of insectivorous bat decline at degraded lagoons by measuring toxic metal concentrations in bat fur, invertebrates and sediment. Lead and zinc were detected at environmentally significant levels in the sediments of lower quality lagoons. Furthermore, lead concentrations were 6 times the lowest observable adverse effects level for small mammals in the hair of one individual M. macropus . The present study demonstrates that coastal lagoons support a rich bat community, but ongoing development and pollution of these habitats is likely to negatively impact on insectivorous bat species, especially trawling species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife can be viewed as a renewable resource at ecologically viable levels, but illicit consumption is a major threat to global biodiversity. Using data from crime cases is an emerging new tool for assessing the motives and drivers of wildlife offenders. This approach can be used with behavior change frameworks to devise more effective conservation strategies. We used data from 20,145 online judgments published between 2014 and 2019 to determine the spatial distribution of different wildlife crime and illegal consumption patterns across China, and used multiscale modeling to test the effects of socioeconomic, geographic, and demographic correlates. The results indicated that geographic indicators and agricultural practices had a broad and positive impact on wildlife consumption, implying wildlife availability was a powerful incentive for wildlife crimes. In addition, urbanization and industrial structure were regionally sensitive in predicting convictions for wild meat, traditional medicine, and human-nature conflicts. Given the socioeconomic transformation in modern China, we predict that functional approaches of wildlife utilization will decrease in the coming years, but the illegal consumption characterized by financial and spiritual demand is unlikely to diminish. As a response, the prevention strategy should strengthen law enforcement on non-functional consumption and enhance nature education campaigns among youths across the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barriers to animal movement can isolate populations, impacting their genetic diversity, susceptibility to disease, and access to resources. Barriers to movement may be caused by artificial light, which is known to disrupt bird, sea turtle, and bat behavior, but few studies have experimentally investigated the effects of artificial light on movement for a suite of terrestrial vertebrates. Therefore, we studied the effect of ecological light pollution on animal usage of a bridge under-road passage structure. On a weekly basis, sections of the structure were subjected to different light treatments including no light added, followed by a Reference period when lights were off in all the structure sections. Sand track data revealed use by 23 mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, nine of which had > 30 tracks for species-level analysis. Columbia black-tailed deer ( Odocoileus hemionus columbianus ) traversed under unlit bridge sections much less when neighboring sections were lit compared to when none were, suggesting avoidance due to any nearby presence of artificial light. Similarly, deer mouse ( Peromyscus maniculatus ) and opossum ( Didelphis virginiana ) track paths were less frequent in the lit sections than the ambient. Crossing was correlated with temporal or spatial factors but not light for three of the other species. These findings suggest that artificial light may be reducing habitat connectivity for some species though not providing a strong barrier for others. Such information is needed to inform mitigation of habitat fragmentation in the face of expanding urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban environments are increasingly acknowledged as a priority for biodiversity conservation. Birds in particular are capable of persisting, and sometimes thriving, in cities and towns globally. However, the process of urbanization results in the loss of many bird species due to the resulting changes in habitat conditions. Urban expansion and densification present a threat to both urban bird biodiversity and bird conservation more broadly. Australian urban areas, including suburban and peri-urban areas, currently support moderate bird species richness, but the rapidly changing urban landscape threatens these communities. Unfortunately, many bird species' population trends are not actively studied, resulting in a poor understanding of species persistence in urban environments. Here, we used bird survey data from long-running citizen science databases in a Bayesian List Length Analysis to determine changes in bird species prevalence (the probability of observing a species in a given survey event) over time in Australia's four most populous urban regions. We found that introduced species, historically prominent in Australian urban bird communities, are decreasing in prevalence in all four regions, while a small group of native urban exploiters are becoming more prevalent. Our results also show that many species perceived to be "iconic" or "common" are experiencing declines in prevalence in urban areas, highlighting the importance of monitoring and conservation action in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanisation often has profound impacts on ecological processes. Management of these impacts is central to urban conservation efforts. We used data from 6591 individually ringed weaver birds from 42 ringing locations to investigate the influence that the urban matrix, as well as patch isolation, size and quality, had on weaver bird movement between ringing locations in Cape Town, a growing city within a global biodiversity hotspot. Distance-based linear models revealed that proximity to other sites was the dominant predictor of weaver movement while the site variables (wetland size and bird abundance) had a limited and inconclusive influence. Once the variation explained by the proximity and site variables had been accounted for, the composition of the surrounding urban matrix, the length of the least cost path between wetlands, and the presence of rivers as potential movement corridors (measured at three spatial scales) all had little influence on weaver movement. Analysis of the weaver bird movement-wetland network using social network analysis showed that the network is simple, clustered, and non-random, with relatively high vulnerability to node loss and some indication of preferential attachment (i.e., increased use of more used sites). Since proximity (site isolation) is the dominant influence on weaver movements, and the network is already sparse, further wetland loss is likely to reduce population viability. Our results match the predictions of classical theory and suggest that patch management will matter more for wetland passerines than matrix management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private gardens are an important food source and refuge for animals in urban areas because they represent a large part of the green space. It has been shown that garden management regime (water use, floral composition) may impact the species they shelter. However, due to access restrictions, lack of regulations and the difficulty of data collection on private property, the impact of management practices and in particular pesticide use has seldom been assessed in private gardens. Using data collected in the framework of a nationwide participatory monitoring scheme in France, we assess here, for the first time, the effect of private garden management on two important groups of flower-visiting insects, i.e. butterflies and bumblebees, at a large scale. We show that the correlation between butterfly and bumblebee abundance and use of insecticides and herbicides is negative, whereas the use of Bordeaux mixture (fungicide approved for organic use), fungicides and anti-slugs is positively correlated with butterfly and bumblebee abundance. We hypothesize that herbicides have an indirect negative impact on insects by limiting the amount of available resources, and that the Bordeaux mixture, fungicides and slug repellants have an indirect positive impact on these insects by fostering healthier plants, probably offering higher level of resources to pollinators. Moreover, we show that the impact of pesticides varies according to the landscape, the negative effect of insecticides being more important in highly urbanized areas. Overall, our results show that gardener practices can have a positive impact on flower-visiting insects, even in a highly anthropized, urban landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roads in urbanized areas can impact carnivore populations by constraining their movements and increasing mortality. Bobcats ( Lynx rufus ) are felids capable of living in urban environments, but are sensitive to habitat fragmentation and, thus, useful indicators of landscape connectivity; in particular, bobcat habitat selection, movement, and mortality may be affected by roads. We analyzed movement patterns of 52 bobcats in southern California in three study sites and investigated: (1) how bobcats responded to two types of roads within their home ranges; (2) how they placed their home ranges with respect to roads within the study area; and (3) whether male and female bobcats differed in their behavioral responses to roads. Within home ranges, primary and secondary roads did not influence movements, but bobcats more frequently crossed secondary roads when road densities were higher within their home ranges, thus increasing mortality risk. However, road densities within each study site were several times higher than road densities within home ranges, suggesting bobcats selected against roaded areas in home-range placement. Male home ranges bordering roads were smaller than home ranges for other males, but male home ranges containing roads were larger than those without roads. Male bobcats also were more likely to cross roads than females, potentially reflecting larger male home range sizes. Our results suggest roads have important impacts on urban bobcats, with stronger effects on males than females, and continued efforts to mitigate the effects of roads on carnivores and other fragmentation-sensitive species would help promote connectivity conservation in urban systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscape structure is important for shaping the abundance and distribution of amphibians, but prior studies of landscape effects have been species or ecosystem-specific. Using a large-scale, citizen science-generated database, we examined the effects of habitat composition, road disturbance, and habitat split (i.e. the isolation of wetland from forest by intervening land use) on the distribution and richness of frogs and toads in the eastern and central United States. Undergraduates from nine biology and environmental science courses collated occupancy data and characterized landscape structure at 1617 sampling locations from the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program. Our analysis revealed that anuran species richness and individual species distributions were consistently constrained by both road density and traffic volume. In contrast, developed land around wetlands had small, or even positive effects on anuran species richness and distributions after controlling for road effects. Effects of upland habitat composition varied among species, and habitat split had only weak effects on species richness or individual species distributions. Mechanisms underlying road effects on amphibians involve direct mortality, behavioral barriers to movement, and reduction in the quality of roadside habitats. Our results suggest that the negative effects of roads on amphibians occur across broad geographic regions, affecting even common species, and they underscore the importance of developing effective strategies to mitigate the impacts of roads on amphibian populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widening gap between humans and nature, driven by urbanization, seems to be an indisputable fact in the modern world. Such a gap may breed apathy towards environmental concerns and wildlife, which would not bode well for the future of biodiversity conservation. However, the consequences of the decline in physical contact with nature are poorly understood, especially in China, which is urbanizing faster than any other country. In this study, we aimed to understand how contact with nature affects children's propensity for biophilia and biophobia, and their conservation attitudes. Fifteen schools with different degrees of urbanization were selected and 1119 pupils aged 9-10 filled out questionnaires. The students reported how frequently they engaged in fifteen outdoor activities, and these scores were summed together to produce a measurement of their contact with nature. The participants were shown twelve specimens of common wild animals in order to examine their biophilia and biophobia, and their willingness to conserve animals. We found children from urban schools had less contact with nature than those from rural schools, although this result was only marginally significant because of one outlying rural school. The children's contact with nature was significantly positively related to their biophilia and negatively related to their biophobia. Children's biophilia, in turn, significantly affected their willingness to conserve animals, and, to a lesser extent, their general attitudes about conservation. As a whole, the study suggests that contact with nature may enhance children's willingness to support animal conservation indirectly by nurturing biophilic attitudes to wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human history on the Korean Peninsula has left natural resource managers with a number of serious challenges regarding the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. The Korean Peninsula covers 222,403 km² and contains a mountainous interior, many islands, and biodiversity-rich coastal and marine areas. Biodiversity on the peninsula is not well documented, especially in North Korea, but the peninsula is estimated to host at least 100,000 species, and perhaps manyfold more. Roughly 6% of species identified to date are endemic, and among vertebrate species in South Korea, 29% of mammals, 14% of birds, 23% of freshwater fishes, 48% of reptiles, and 60% of amphibians are estimated to be at risk of extinction or have been extirpated from the peninsula. The situation is likely worse in North Korea. Species still occurring on the Korean Peninsula have survived near total deforestation of the landscape, heavy fishing, pollution, and, in South Korea, a period of rapid urbanization since the end of the Korean War in 1953. Conservation challenges are particularly dire in North Korea, where environmental degradation has impaired the country's ability to sustain agriculture, clean air and water, and other fundamental ecosystem services. Conservation faces significant challenges in South Korea, too, given the country's goal to continue to develop one of the world's most advanced and urbanized economies. Natural resource managers in both North and South Korea are pursuing large-scale restoration of forests, wetlands, lakes and rivers, and coastlines as a primary conservation strategy. In addition, South Korea is aggressively developing a "green economy" and is hosting international environmental meetings, attempting to take a leadership role as a convener of innovative thinking in conservation. North and South Korea are also implementing more common land protection techniques, such as the creation of national parks and other protected areas. These protected areas include the exceptional case of the 100,000-ha (250 km × 4 km) Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that forms the border between North and South Korea. The DMZ was not created for conservation reasons, but has provided an important refuge for many species. Other well-known protected areas include Jeju Island and Baekdu Daegan Mountain, both of which host many species important for conservation. Together, these conservation actions show promise and may allow the Korean Peninsula to preserve its biodiversity and regain some of its important ecosystem services. South Korea, in particular, provides an example for attempting to balance economic development and conservation in an area with a long history of human exploitation. North Korea is much farther behind in its conservation efforts, but is now beginning planning for large-scale restoration projects, which if implemented may help reverse its long trend of environmental degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscape transformation associated with urbanization is one of the most damaging and pervasive impacts humans have on natural ecosystems. The response of species to increasing urbanization has become a major focus of research globally. Powerful owls (Ninox strenua) are a top-order predator the have been shown to reside in urban environments, but increasing urbanization has also been demonstrated to significantly reduce available habitat. In this paper we use species distribution models established for key food and nesting resources of powerful owls across an urban-forest gradient to constrain habitat predictions from a previously developed powerful owl species distribution model. This multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach allowed us to investigate the impacts of urbanization on potential powerful owl habitat when challenged with food and nesting requirements. As powerful owls only use tree cavities for nesting we propose that the cue for settlement in an area is associated with the presence of habitat and food and as such breeding requirements may be disconnected from settlement requirements. Our results demonstrate that incorporation of a general prey resource (at least one group of arboreal marsupials) as a cue for settlement does not reduce the amount of available habitat for powerful owls substantially. Further constraining the model with a tree cavity resource, however, leads to a substantial reduction in powerful owl habitat in the urban and urban fringe environments. If a diverse prey resource (two or more groups of arboreal marsupials) is used as the cue for settlement, this sees a substantial reduction in available habitat in urban environments. Incorporation of tree cavities into this model does not reduce the available habitat for powerful owls substantially. We propose that powerful owls do not need a diverse prey base for survival, and that breeding resources are unlikely to be a cue for settlement. As such, we argue in this paper that increasing urbanization has the potential to create an ecological trap for powerful owls as there is a significant difference between habitat capable of supporting powerful owls, and habitat in which owls can breed. Management of powerful owls in urban environments will be difficult, but this research highlights the potential for the use of nest boxes to enhance the breeding activities in increasingly urbanized environments. Replacement of this critical resource may be able to reverse any potential ecological trap that is occurring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We contrast the beef and land market as drivers of deforestation for pasture. [•] We examine land cover and socioeconomic indicators from 2000 to 2009 in Amazonia. [•] Cattle and pastures increased, beef prices were stable, ranching revenue plummeted. [•] The region became more urbanized and invested more in infrastructure. [•] Road improvement promoted pastures by increasing urbanization and market access. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] With economic growth slowing and environmental degradation unchecked, China’s leaders face critical policy problems. [•] Domestic stressors – ecosystem degradation; food; energy; water; urbanization and climate change – are driving changes. [•] Measured against adaptive capacity standards, the government is weak at solving complex, cross-cutting problems. [•] Along with environmental reforms, China must address issues of fundamental governance and institutional capacity. [•] China can make progress by placing environmental and social concerns on par with economic growth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Global anthropogenic changes cause major impacts on species interactions, with cascading effects on ecosystem functioning. Animal-mediated pollination and seed dispersal are major mutualisms associated with distinct stages of plant reproduction. Nevertheless, we lack an integrated assessment on how multiple anthropogenic impacts affect these interrelated mutualisms. Here, we systematically reviewed the effect of the most important global anthropogenic factors (agrochemicals, climate change, fire, fragmentation, hunting, non-native species and urbanization) on pollination and seed dispersal. We evaluated which anthropogenic factors, mutualisms and their combinations have been more frequently investigated, the biogeographic and taxonomic tendencies and the most frequently recorded effects of anthropogenic factors. We show that pollination has been more broadly investigated, that the impacts of the anthropogenic factors on pollination and seed dispersal are biased towards the temperate region and forest biomes and lack representation from some relevant groups, such as mutualistic bats. Moreover, some anthropogenic factors have been more studied for one mutualism type in relation to the other, for instance, agrochemicals and urbanization on plant-pollinator interactions, even though these impacts could also generate direct and cascading effects on frugivores and seed dispersal. The predominance of negative effects observed, especially of climate change on plant-pollinator and non-native species on plant-frugivore interactions deserve special attention. Finally, we identify a gap in empirical studies that simultaneously consider pollination and seed dispersal as integrated components of plant reproduction, and combined anthropogenic factors in the same ecosystem. More integrative studies are needed to better understand the vulnerability of plant-animal mutualisms in a changing world. • Plant-pollinator mutualism is more studied than plant-frugivore mutualism. • Studies with bats as mutualistic partners are scarce. • Negative effects of anthropogenic factors on both mutualisms are predominant. • Climate change impacts mostly on pollination and non-native species on seed dispersal. • More integrative studies considering multiple anthropogenic factors are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parrots, and their fundamental role in the ecosystems played by the gradient of antagonistic-mutualistic interactions with plant communities, are currently under threat by anthropic activities. We reviewed scientific knowledge of antagonistic-mutualistic interaction between parrot and plant species, focusing on two key global change drivers: urbanization and species introduction. For this, we analyzed the state of knowledge on plant-parrot interactions considering their origin (native or non-native), and the environment type (natural, anthropic/non-urban and anthropic/urban) where interactions were studied. We analyzed 149 articles studying interactions between 126 parrot species and 1758 plant species. Most of these articles focused on the role of parrots as predators, as dispersers and/or pollinators, though very few studies focused on the net result of more than one interaction simultaneously. Articles focused mostly on native parrots interacting with native plants; although this changed with the environment type, single studies did not compare such differences. In natural and non-urban anthropic environments native parrots interacted mostly with native species. In urban areas both native and non-native parrots interacted with plants of both origins. We, here, provide recommendations based on our results and highlight important knowledge gaps to be filled related to interactions between parrot-plant along the antagonistic-mutualistic gradient, focusing on non-native species, and anthropic environments. Understanding the full range of the ecological interactions of parrots, and how they are affected by anthropic activities, will provide us with crucial information about the functioning of the environments they live in, which is also essential for the design of effective conservation strategies. • Parrot studies do not consider generally the gradient of antagonist-mutualist interactions. • Main plant-parrot interactions studied involve native species in natural environment. • Few available studies on plant-parrot interactions among non-native species, and in novel ecosystems • Knowledge on antagonist-mutualist gradients is needed to understand the role of parrots in ecosystem. • Understanding the impact of urbanization on plant-parrot interactions is needed for parrot conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We tested the effect of spatial attributes of urban plant patches on parasitoids. [•] We analyzed parasitism rates of a leaf miner from its diverse parasitoid assemblage. [•] Parasitism rates increased at increasing patch size and decreasing patch isolation. [•] Plant patch effects on parasitism were mediated by changes in parasitoid richness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Two native birds respond differently to urbanization: Pacific wrens decrease while Bewick’s wrens increase. [•] Bewick’s wrens appear to limit the abundance of Pacific wrens by aggressive, interspecific territorial defense. [•] Interspecific aggression and dramatic habitat changes during urbanization synergistically reduce Pacific wren abundance. [•] As urbanization alters land cover, ecological communities shift and new biotic interactions may threaten sensitive species. [•] Studies of organisms pre-, during and post-urbanization offer insight into mechanisms driving human impacts on native species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In contrast to the well-documented changes in avian community structure in urbanizing areas, the demographic consequences of urbanization remain less understood. As such, we examined the extent to which an urbanizing landscape matrix affected avian reproductive performance in forests. From 2001 to 2011, we studied five songbird species in 19 forested sites in Ohio, USA and monitored 4264 natural nests to determine rates of daily nest survival and brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). We also tracked the annual number of fledglings produced by color-banded pairs of two focal species, the synanthropic northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis, n =974 breeding pairs between 2003 and 2011) and the urban-avoiding Acadian flycatcher (Empidonax virescens, n =350 breeding pairs between 2001 and 2011). Over the 10-year period, neither daily nest survival nor brood parasitism rates in remnant forests were consistently related to the amount of urbanization in the surrounding landscape matrix for focal species, with the sole exception of Acadian flycatcher for which the percentage of nests with brood parasitism increased with urbanization. Annual reproductive output of cardinals was comparable across the rural–urban gradient, but Acadian flycatchers produced fewer fledglings as urbanization increased. These findings demonstrate that urban-associated patterns of annual reproduction cannot necessarily be inferred from nest survival data alone. Moreover, we show that avian community changes are not the simple consequence of nest predation. Understanding ecological processes that operate within metropolitan areas is critical if we are to conserve biological diversity on our urbanizing planet. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Habitat loss from urban development threatens native plant populations in many regions of the world. In addition to direct plant mortality, urban intensification potentially impacts pollinator communities and in turn disrupts the pollination mutualisms that are critical to the viability of native plant populations. We placed standardized flowering plant arrays into woodlands along a gradient of increasing urban land use to simultaneously quantify landscape-scale and local-scale effects on pollinators and on reproduction of two spring ephemeral wildflowers (Claytonia virginica and Polemonium reptans) in woodland fragments in the Mid-Atlantic Region of North America. Greater pollinator abundance and associated diversity significantly reduced the degree of pollen limitation, demonstrating that pollinator populations are critical to successful pollination of these plant populations. However, landscape-scale habitat loss did not reduce pollinator abundance or diversity. Habitat loss at the landscape scale therefore does not appear to drive changes in pollination in this woodland system. Rather, local-scale habitat characteristics were more important, with pollinators being more abundant in brighter woodland patches for one plant species, and in larger patches for the other species. Because we found abundant pollinators and adequate pollination even in isolated, urban woodland fragments, our results are encouraging for the conservation of both plants and pollinators in urban landscapes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Various anthropogenic pressures, including habitat loss, threaten reptile populations worldwide. Riparian zones are critical habitat for many reptile species, but these habitats are also frequently modified by anthropogenic activities. Our study investigated the effects of two riparian habitat modifications – damming and urbanization – on overall and species-specific reptile occupancy patterns. We used time-constrained search techniques to compile encounter histories for 28 reptile species at 21 different sites along the Broad and Pacolet Rivers of South Carolina. Using a hierarchical Bayesian analysis, we modeled reptile occupancy responses to a site’s distance upstream from dam, distance downstream from dam, and percent urban land use. The mean occupancy response by the reptile community indicated that reptile occupancy and species richness were maximized when sites were farther upstream from dams. Species-specific occupancy estimates showed a similar trend of lower occupancy immediately upstream from dams. Although the mean occupancy response of the reptile community was positively related to distance downstream from dams, the occupancy response to distance downstream varied among species. Percent urban land use had little effect on the occupancy response of the reptile community or individual species. Our results indicate that the conditions of impoundments and subsequent degradation of the riparian zones upstream from dams may not provide suitable habitat for a number of reptile species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As the pace of urbanization accelerates, the conservation of urban biodiversity emerges as a rising concern. Urban ecological research has revealed that some green areas in cities can harbor a rich diversity of species that can be enhanced by certain landscape- and local-scale structural planning variables. However, while most studies have been conducted in large greenspaces (e.g., parks, remnants), less effort was made to understand which variables influence biodiversity within small green patches and the efficiency of management practices has been seldom investigated. Here, we explore how management practices interplayed with landscape and structural variables to influence the diversity of plants, birds, butterflies and other pollinating insects in small public gardens (0.5–2.0ha) in the center of a large metropolis (Paris, France). Small public gardens hosted significant common biodiversity and the ones that employed a conservation program (i.e., differential management) supported a higher diversity of all taxa and less urbanophile communities of birds and butterflies. Local-scale and management variables were more important in enhancing biodiversity than landscape-scale variables. Specifically, lawns rich in wild plants attracted many pollinators and bird richness increased with tree cover. Pesticides had a negative effect on bird richness, while a higher diversity of habitats and soils (i.e. mulching, peat) increased the diversity of all four taxa. We also found that bird richness could serve as a reasonable surrogate for butterflies and other pollinators. Our results highlight how planning and managing public gardens in the center of a large metropolis can benefit biodiversity, regardless of spatial context. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Despite expanding urban areas and increased awareness of urbanization impacts on wildlife, trends in urban wildlife studies have not been evaluated systematically. We performed a thorough assessment of such research, evaluating urban wildlife publications from 16 leading journals in animal behavior, conservation, ecology, general science, landscape ecology, and wildlife biology from 1971 to 2010. Using a systematic review process, we quantified trends in urban wildlife research over time and in different scientific fields, and also assessed author affiliations, geographic and taxonomic focus, research topics, and study site types. In general, rates of publication for urban wildlife research have been increasing, although still remain low (<2% of publication volume) considering urban growth and its impacts on biodiversity are accelerating globally. Landscape ecology and wildlife biology journals, followed by conservation journals, published the highest percentage of urban wildlife publications, whereas such studies were rare in animal behavior, ecology, and general science journals. Academics were first-authors on ca. 75% of urban wildlife publications, whereas research directed by government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private industry were less common, with little evidence of temporal shifts in these patterns. The majority of urban research studied birds or mammals, and nearly all was conducted in North America, Europe, or Australia, as expected given expansive urban development and associated research focus. Animal behavior was the most common scientific topic in urban wildlife research, followed by conservation, landscape ecology, wildlife management, and population ecology. While suburban and exurban development have been recently identified as an important issue, we found no evidence that research in these study systems has increased. Author affiliation, geographic location, taxonomic focus, and research topics of urban wildlife studies were generally similar to those conducted in non-urban systems, although avian studies were more common, and African and community ecology studies less common, in urban compared to non-urban areas. We suggest that the most critical gaps for urban wildlife researchers are in rapidly urbanizing areas in South America, Africa, and Asia, and on understudied taxa such as herpetiles, fish, and arthropods. Research conducted on multiple taxa and across continents is also rare, but will be necessary for global understanding of ecological dynamics of urban systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Plant colour has not been specifically considered as part of biological diversity. The absence of visual attributes in discussions of biodiversity and its conservation appears to have arisen due to the confinement of conservation to the disciplinary territory of science and to the protection of species. This essay draws attention to the need to consider colour as an aspect of biological diversity in need of protection and management. It focuses on the colour of plants which we see, and what plant colour means to us as a representation of local place or biogeographical region; it is not concerned with the visual abilities of the human eye. The distinctiveness of the colours of regional plant species and changes in plant colour in landscapes undergoing urbanisation are discussed. Plant colour as an aspect of visual diversity needs to be considered for conservation as a component of the diversity of biogeographic regions, and visual diversity acknowledged in ecology as an important aspect of biology not just worthy of conservation, but helpful to conservation ambitions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Bird species of cultivated landscapes have been declining dramatically for decades. The main cause for this decline is intensified agricultural practice. At the same time, worldwide urbanisation increases and has severe impacts on land use. Urban wastelands, i.e., unused land within urban agglomerations, are known to provide habitat for endangered animals, but to date systematic research on birds is rare. We aim at assessing environmental characteristics of urban wastelands that meet the requirements of rare and declining bird species. In the city of Berlin, Germany, we surveyed birds on 55 wasteland sites dominated by sparse vegetation. Our analysis includes quantitative measurements of residential human density and degree of sealing at different spatial scales, a detailed vegetation mapping, and data on human intrusion. Boosted regression trees were used to model the occurrence of eight bird Species of European Conservation concern (SPEC). Overall we found 12 SPEC species; for eight data were sufficient to built models. Our findings reveal that the occurrence of endangered bird species depends most strongly on area size and vegetation structure and to a lesser extent on the composition of the urban matrix. On-site features accounted for roughly two third of the explained variance and degree of urbanisation in the surroundings for the remaining one third. Intrusion of humans or dogs had no measurable negative effect on species occurrence. As a rule of thumb, plots above 5ha harbour SPEC species, those above 7ha are valuable for several sensitive open-land bird species. We show that wasteland habitats have potential for nature conservation that should be considered by urban planners and landscape architects. Knowledge about crucial habitat features (few trees and shrubs, sparse vegetation) enables us to create and maintain urban green spaces that enhance protection of rare and declining species. Urban wastelands may not have the potential to fully compensate for changes and population declines outside urban areas, but they may help to offset the loss of biodiversity in the countryside. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Multiple processes are increasingly recognized as being responsible for species’ extinctions. We evaluated population extinctions between 1930 and 1998 for the endangered Quino checkerspot (Euphydryas editha quino) butterfly relative to agricultural history, human population growth, climate variability, topographical diversity, and wildflower abundance. Overall agricultural land use was calculated for extinct and extant populations based upon cultivation and grazing intensities averaged across five time periods reflecting distinct agricultural practices from 1769 to present. Extinct populations were associated with a history of more intensive agriculture and greater human population growth at time of extinction. A long history of intensive livestock grazing was the strongest agricultural predictor of extinction. Based upon historic vegetation maps, extinct butterfly populations were typically isolated from other known populations by 1930, and in landscapes fragmented by cultivation and development. Precipitation and topographical variability were not important predictors of extinction. Wildflower host plants and nectar sources have declined across the butterfly’s range because of invasive plants and habitat loss. The proportion of years considered average or abundant in wildflowers declined significantly during extinction periods. The Quino checkerspot has shifted in distribution from the coast into foothills and mountains. Newly discovered higher elevation populations experience more precipitation and are buffered from drought. Efforts to conserve Quino checkerspot are enhanced by understanding that the butterfly’s decline and shifting distribution is a complex multi-scale process related to agricultural history, human population growth, climate variability, and wildflower decline. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Wetlands are biologically important elements of landscapes and among the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. On the island of Mauritius, many remaining wetlands are being rapidly converted and fragmented by intense land-use demands. We surveyed 209 coastal wetlands on Mauritius to assess their biophysical attributes, land-use activities, and patterns of disturbance, to help identify factors that threaten wetland biodiversity. Most wetlands exhibited severe edge-related disturbances and more than half were fragmented. Plant species richness was highest in larger, unfragmented wetlands and lower in wetlands with degraded margins. Urban wetlands were smaller and more likely to be fragmented than those adjoining other land uses such as grazing and agriculture. Flooding of urban homes and infrastructure was more likely to occur near fragmented than natural wetlands. Ongoing wetland decline in Mauritius not only contributes to the loss of local biodiversity but reduces the larger ecosystem role these habitats play in regulating surface water and protecting adjacent marine habitats. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: During the course of the 20th century many changes took place in the area encompassing Israel and the Palestinian Authority (hereafter Israel; ca. 28,000km2): the human population grew from ca. 650,000 inhabitants during 1900–1903 () to ca. 10 million in 2008, i.e. a 16-fold increase. This population increase was accompanied by an increase in land use for human needs – agriculture, aquaculture, forestry, construction of buildings and roads, etc., and a dramatic rise in the standard of living. Here we compare the status (distribution and abundance) of the 227 bird species that are breeding or have bred in Israel from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. For each species we documented the environmental factors presumed to have affected it, and examined the effects of taxonomic order, body mass, diet, world and local distribution and nest location on the status of the avifauna. We found that 73.6% of the bird species breeding in Israel had undergone a change in their status during the studied period. While several of the examined factors were significantly related to the observed changes, some of them were also interrelated to some degree, making it difficult to single out the factor responsible for a particular change. The main reasons for the changes were nonetheless assessed as habitat change, introduction of invasive species and poisoning. Habitat change had many forms, most of which are related to agriculture, including irrigation, aquaculture and construction of water reservoirs; but also included afforestation, preservation of the natural forest, urbanization, gardening and the introduction of exotic plants. Habitat change was responsible for a population decline in 64 species and population increase in 62 species. Thirteen species, mostly Falconiformes, were impacted by poisoning. Sixteen invasive species, all of tropical origin, were introduced, of which seven were Psittaciformes. Although changes occurred throughout the country, the birds inhabiting the Mediterranean region were more affected than those inhabiting the desert region, reflecting the denser human population in the former region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Effective conservation planning requires an understanding of species–habitat relationships across a diverse array of taxa, yet many studies typically focus on conspicuous fauna. Using systematic acoustic surveys, we examine the response of insectivorous bat species to urbanization and quantify species–habitat relationships to classify species in terms of their tolerance or sensitivity. Surveys were conducted in Sydney, Australia, during spring–summer of 2008 in 29 defined 25km2 landscapes, across various land uses. We quantified bat–habitat relationships using local and landscape scale variables. We recorded 17 taxa across the urban gradient, with substantial variation in the tolerance and sensitivity of each species. The density of houses, landscape geology, the amount of bushland (ha) exclusively on fertile geologies and moth biomass were the most frequent predictors of individual activity, explaining more than 60% of variation in activity for some species. Importantly, the area of bushland on poorer soils was not a good predictor, highlighting the need for caution when interpreting results of large scale studies which do not account for variations in habitat productivity. Species-specific differences existed, although the majority of the assemblage was considered to be urban-sensitive. Many of these sensitive species were most active in fertile suburban habitats, with an average of 12–28% bushland cover within 5km. Our study demonstrates the necessity to elucidate species-specific habitat relationships, and suggests bats would benefit from the conservation of productive suburban bushland remnants and riparian habitats, while improving connectivity to these areas via the maintenance of tree cover across the matrix. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Turkey (Türkiye) lies at the nexus of Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. Turkey’s location, mountains, and its encirclement by three seas have resulted in high terrestrial, fresh water, and marine biodiversity. Most of Turkey’s land area is covered by one of three biodiversity hotspots (Caucasus, Irano-Anatolian, and Mediterranean). Of over 9000 known native vascular plant species, one third are endemic. Turkey faces a significant challenge with regard to biodiversity and associated conservation challenges due to limited research and lack of translation into other languages of existing material. Addressing this gap is increasingly relevant as Turkey’s biodiversity faces severe and growing threats, especially from government and business interests. Turkey ranks 140th out of 163 countries in biodiversity and habitat conservation. Millennia of human activities have dramatically changed the original land and sea ecosystems of Anatolia, one of the earliest loci of human civilization. Nevertheless, the greatest threats to biodiversity have occurred since 1950, particularly in the past decade. Although Turkey’s total forest area increased by 5.9% since 1973, endemic-rich Mediterranean maquis, grasslands, coastal areas, wetlands, and rivers are disappearing, while overgrazing and rampant erosion degrade steppes and rangelands. The current “developmentalist obsession”, particularly regarding water use, threatens to eliminate much of what remains, while forcing large-scale migration from rural areas to the cities. According to current plans, Turkey’s rivers and streams will be dammed with almost 4000 dams, diversions, and hydroelectric power plants for power, irrigation, and drinking water by 2023. Unchecked urbanization, dam construction, draining of wetlands, poaching, and excessive irrigation are the most widespread threats to biodiversity. This paper aims to survey what is known about Turkey’s biodiversity, to identify the areas where research is needed, and to identify and address the conservation challenges that Turkey faces today. Preserving Turkey’s remaining biodiversity will necessitate immediate action, international attention, greater support for Turkey’s developing conservation capacity, and the expansion of a nascent Turkish conservation ethic. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: City governments are fundamental to implement international environmental agreements, such as the convention on biological diversity (CBD). Even though many of them are not directly involved in the negotiation of international agreements, which are signed by national governments, most of those agreements are in fact implemented at the city level. The importance of city governance to tackle the challenges of biodiversity loss has increased as urban population has grown enormously in the last decades, particularly in developing countries. The way cities are designed, planned and governed influences the magnitude of their direct and indirect impacts on biodiversity. This paper analyzes the relationship between cities, local governance and biodiversity. Initially, we examine the relationships between cities and biodiversity by looking at the major influences cities have on biodiversity loss or conservation within and outside the city boundaries, as well as the benefits of biodiversity conservation to cities, such as the provision of ecosystem services. The paper then moves to understand what are the main urban processes and governance mechanisms that can be improved to make cities effective to implement the directives of the CBD. Urbanization creates new challenges for biodiversity conservation. As a large part of the world’s population moves from rural to urban areas, there are changes in the link between human activities and biodiversity, and consequently to the way we should think biodiversity conservation policies. However, scarce attention has been given to understand how to make cities more biodiversity friendly, both within the urban fabric, but particularly in faraway places. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Urbanization is a leading cause of species endangerment in the United States; however, certain species thrive in urban habitats. The loss of key predators or the addition of new predators in urban areas could alter the structure of urban communities. A reduction in nest predation is hypothesized to explain the high density of urban birds, yet urban areas typically have increased populations of avian nest predators. The loss of important nest predators in urban habitats, prey switching of urban predators, or successful nest defense against avian nest predators could explain this urban nest predator paradox. To assess these hypotheses I compared nest predation rates of Northern mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) in parking lots and residential neighborhoods to populations in pastures and wildlife preserves during 2007–2009 in Florida, USA and placed video cameras on a subset of nests in 2008–2009. Data do not support the hypothesis that urban nest predation rates are consistently lower than non-urban nest predation rates. Of the 56 nest predation events recorded, cats were the dominant urban predator and Cooper’s hawks (Accipiter cooperii) were the dominant non-urban predator. There was no evidence for a loss of important nest predators in urban habitats; however, prey switching by Cooper’s hawks likely occurred. There was also indirect evidence for the importance of nest defense. Furthermore, some of the cats recorded as nest predators in residential neighborhoods were owned cats and all but one cat predation event occurred at night. To reduce nest predation rates, cat owners should keep their cats indoors at night. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Land protection has become increasingly common, and global land protection is now greater than 12%. Prediction of future protected area expansion are uncertain, and depend on understanding the factors that have to date explained the historical pattern and geographic variation in protected area (PA) establishment. We test four major perspectives on factors limiting or facilitating PA creation, differentiating between strict PAs and multiple-use PAs where some resource extraction is permitted. Richer countries had a greater amount of land protection and were more likely to create strict PAs, supporting the view of land protection as an economic amenity, although the magnitude of this effect declines in recent decades. There are also significant differences in amount of protection by political structure, with independent countries tending to protect more land, and education, with countries with high levels of primary education tending to protect more. However, countries with substantial previous protection tend to do less protection and create proportionally fewer strict and more multiple-use PAs. Scenarios of future socioeconomic and political conditions suggest that on balance the amount of protection should increase in many countries, driven by economic prosperity, and by 2030 global land protection is forecast to reach 15–29%. The limiting factor in land protection varies among countries, and sub-Saharan African countries in particular will remain a very hard place for land protection because of low per-capita GDP. Overall, however, more land protection may occur in the next 20years than has occurred in the previous 20years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Previous studies deduced negative effects of urbanization on insect conservation from decline in species richness with increasing built-up areas. This is the first study that investigates insect extinction determined by urbanization using a long-time temporal data set from hidden literature data and museum collections. Analyses were conducted for four insect groups in urban Rome: butterflies, coprophagous scarabaeids, non-coprophagous scarabaeids and tenebrionids. A reconstruction of extinction trends from 1885 to 1999 indicates impressive declines in species richness, with differences according to the ecological characteristics of each insect group. Results obtained in this study suggest that insect conservation programs should involve a thorough assessment of which species of conservation concern benefit from green spaces in urban areas, and then the identification of important sites and appropriate measures for population management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The ecological processes responsible for the spatial assemblages of breeding bird communities in urban landscapes are more and more investigated. Indeed, understanding these processes is imperative to plan relevant management policies. We investigated breeding bird communities on 67 patches in the suburbs of Paris, France. We examined the role of patch characteristics and geographic distance between patches in determining similarity between bird assemblages. To do this, we proposed a new SØrensen similarity index based on estimators of change in community composition taking into account the detection probability of species. The patch occupancy by sedentary and migratory species was also estimated to compare their sensitivity to urbanization. Patches close to each other supported more similar bird assemblages, suggesting an effect of the spatial distribution of patches on bird dispersal and a posteriori on local community composition. Accounting for spatial location of patches, bird assemblage similarity was related to the similarity of the surrounding level of urbanization but not to the similarity of patch size or to the similarity of patch vegetation. The mean estimated occupancy rate of sedentary species was higher than that of migratory species in the whole study area. While sedentary species occupied patches surrounded by both moderate and high levels of urbanization, migratory ones primarily occupied patches surrounded by moderate levels of urbanization. Human choices in degrees, styles, and extent of urbanization, including designation and design of patches within an urban matrix, affect the composition of local bird communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Impacts of urbanization on ecological systems are expected to increase during the 21st century, and identifying which species may not survive under urban constraints is of practical importance to conservation biology. I study whether a species’ biogeographic origin might be a useful predictor of vulnerability to urban pressures, and if this depends on the geographic scale of the study. By means of multivariate ordination analyses and computer intensive, Monte Carlo simulation techniques, I study the patterns of zoogeographical affinity (a proxy for biogeographic origin) of passerine birds living in 14 non-urban (NU) and 11 urban (U) sites throughout Mexico, a biodiversity rich and urbanizing country between the Nearctic and Neotropical Regions; at a regional scale, I also study differences between NU and U sites in the state of Puebla, in the ‘Temperate Sierras’ ecoregion. Differences in zoogeographical affinities between NU and U sites were statistically significant, and were mainly caused by changes in the number of neotropical and nearctic species. In terms of the ‘equivalent number of zoogeographical classes’, a useful measure of zoogeographical diversity, bird assemblages in urban settings were less diverse than those simulated by random drawings from the corresponding species pools. In fact, urbanization seems to be provoking the selective removal of neotropical and endemic species from urban assemblages, whereas at the same time retaining more-than-expected nearctic (temperate) species; birds with nearctic affinities could be successful candidates to ‘urban exploiters’ in the study case. At a landscape scale, results suggest that urbanization is creating holes in the geographic range of both neotropical passerines and birds endemic to Mexico, which are selectively removed by the urban filter, and can be identified as those more heavily threatened by urbanization if proactive strategies to conserve biodiversity in urban ecosystems are not implemented. Among other reasons for the observed patterns, the tropical niche conservatism is invoked as an explanation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]