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Various anthropogenic disturbances, such as urbanization, agricultural production, and infrastructure development, are contributing to global and regional ecosystem degradation. However, comprehensive quantitative assessment methods for evaluating regional-scale anthropogenic impacts remain insufficient. This study introduces a comprehensive assessment framework based on ecological integrity (EI) derived from the landscape condition model (LCM), combined with commonality analysis and other quantitative methods. This framework was applied to the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region in North China to assess the spatio-temporal variations and spatial aggregation of EI, identify the major drivers of EI degradation, and determine the formation mechanisms of resultant EI patterns. The anthropogenic impacts, as measured by EI, exhibit significant spatial and aggregation heterogeneity across functional zones. This heterogeneity, along with the observed temporal variations (2000–2022), is attributed to diverse anthropogenic disturbances within intricate biophysical and socioeconomic contexts. This framework can indirectly improve the R2 of multiple linear regression models related to EI by identifying grassland and cropland as suppressor variables to enhance the predictive capacity of other variables. Consequently, this framework enables decision-makers to accurately identify major drivers of EI degradation, such as road construction and urbanization, and understand the combined effects of major drivers and suppressor variables on the resultant EI patterns. Lastly, within specific policy contexts, this framework offers several management implications for mitigating anthropogenic threats to EI, including effectively regulating urbanization and restoring forest landscapes. This framework provides fundamental support for anthropogenic impact assessment and management strategy design at a regional scale.

Chemical integrity plays a crucial role in maintaining the ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems. Despite its significance, assessments of ecological integrity often prioritize biological evaluations, leading to infrequent and inadequate scrutiny of chemical integrity. Additionally, a comprehensive framework for separately assessing chemical integrity has not been established. To address this issue, we established a new index for evaluating chemical integrity, achieved through indicator screening, normalization, and weight assignment. Combined with the threshold indicator taxa analysis (TITAN) and Pearson correlation analysis, main evaluation indicators and their indicator species were identified and the corresponding response threshold was determined. These thresholds were then applied to improve the normalization method, with weights determined by indicator species proportions. This index was applied to evaluate the chemical integrity of the Huai River Basin, which is one of the largest basins in China. The results indicated that ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), nitrate nitrogen (NO2-N), pH, and turbidity (Turb) were identified as the core parameters for evaluating chemical integrity. The conventional normalization method (max–min normalization) led to overestimation of the assessment results, whereas improved normalization method based on ecological threshold yielded better and more reasonable results. This study provided a reference for the selection of appropriate indicators and improvement of normalization method to better assess chemical integrity. And it would become a useful tool for monitoring and rehabilitating the chemical integrity in such basins.

The loss of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is caused mainly by intensive agricultural production, especially livestock farms. However, certain farms that favor biodiversity attempt to decrease this loss, and the biodiversity hosted by these farms needs to be assessed. To this end, certain methods assess integrated variables of the overall state of an ecosystem. Among them, the “rewilding score” is based on assessing human forcing (i.e. inputs used in the ecosystem and products exported from the ecosystem) and ecological integrity to consider short-term and long-term effects of human activities on ecosystems. This study aimed to adapt the rewilding score for cattle-oriented farms, apply the method, and compare its results to observed biodiversity in order to discuss the relevance of the adapted rewilding score for assessing the biodiversity potential of livestock farms. Two adapted rewilding scores were tested with seven farms by combining one assessment of human forcing with two approaches for estimating ecological integrity. Biodiversity indices based on bird species inventories were calculated and compared to the adapted rewilding scores. Their moderate correlations with the adapted rewilding scores (r = 0.54–0.69) supported using this score to assess one type of biodiversity potential of agroecosystems. Nonetheless, the correlation between the adapted rewilding score and biodiversity remains to be confirmed by using biodiversity indices for other taxonomic groups and for a larger set of farms. This method could be used as a decision aid by farmers or as a tool to help governments calculate subsidies by considering short-term and long-term effects of livestock farms on biodiversity.

[Display omitted] • Introduce an EI-based framework for assessing regional-scale human impacts. • Identify major drivers of EI degradation at a regional scale. • Analyze the combined effects of major drivers and suppressors on EI patterns. • Provide strategies for mitigating human impacts within specific policy contexts. Various anthropogenic disturbances, such as urbanization, agricultural production, and infrastructure development, are contributing to global and regional ecosystem degradation. However, comprehensive quantitative assessment methods for evaluating regional-scale anthropogenic impacts remain insufficient. This study introduces a comprehensive assessment framework based on ecological integrity (EI) derived from the landscape condition model (LCM), combined with commonality analysis and other quantitative methods. This framework was applied to the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region in North China to assess the spatio-temporal variations and spatial aggregation of EI, identify the major drivers of EI degradation, and determine the formation mechanisms of resultant EI patterns. The anthropogenic impacts, as measured by EI, exhibit significant spatial and aggregation heterogeneity across functional zones. This heterogeneity, along with the observed temporal variations (2000–2022), is attributed to diverse anthropogenic disturbances within intricate biophysical and socioeconomic contexts. This framework can indirectly improve the R2 of multiple linear regression models related to EI by identifying grassland and cropland as suppressor variables to enhance the predictive capacity of other variables. Consequently, this framework enables decision-makers to accurately identify major drivers of EI degradation, such as road construction and urbanization, and understand the combined effects of major drivers and suppressor variables on the resultant EI patterns. Lastly, within specific policy contexts, this framework offers several management implications for mitigating anthropogenic threats to EI, including effectively regulating urbanization and restoring forest landscapes. This framework provides fundamental support for anthropogenic impact assessment and management strategy design at a regional scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pressure-based cropland condition reflects patterns of relative bird species richness. • The proportion of semi-natural areas is the most important condition variable. • The proportion of maize is more important than average parcel size. • Model goodness and variable importance vary spatially. As the world is struggling to halt the rapid decline of biodiversity, the assessment and mapping of ecosystem condition is getting ever increasing attention. Croplands are artificial ecosystems, but as they occupy a large portion of land, they significantly influence biodiversity. Yet, there is a knowledge gap about their suitability to support and maintain wildlife on a national scale. Large-scale condition mapping is meant to address this gap; the good condition of croplands includes their ability to support biodiversity. However, the lack of suitable databases is often a challenge when creating such maps. As there is a strong causal relation between pressures on the ecosystem and its condition, pressure indicators can be used as proxies to approximate condition when more direct indicators are lacking. The validation of condition maps based on pressure proxies is a key but challenging step. In this study, we tested a previously designed pressure-based cropland condition map for Hungary using bird census data. Besides validating the composite condition indicator, we also tested some key elements of the mapping process, such as the choice of variables and thresholds. Using multiple comparisons of means by Tukey's contrast and Random Forest modelling, we examined the relationship of (1) the continuous pressure-based cropland condition variables, (2) their rescaled, ordinal version (called sub-indicators), and (3) the composite cropland condition indicator (sum of the sub-indicators) with a biodiversity measure, the standardised relative richness of characteristic farmland bird species (rRRCS). To get a picture of the spatial patterns of the examined relationships across Hungary, individual Random Forest models were constructed for all the spatial units of the bird census database, using focal analysis with a 30 km radius moving window. We found significant differences in the mean rRRCS for nearly all sub-indicator categories, signifying that the literature-derived thresholds were mostly sound. Categories with higher (better) condition scores had higher mean rRRCS; the differences are significant in the mid-range but not in the extreme categories, indicating a need for a meaningful simplification of the categories. The goodness-of-fit (R2) of the Random Forest models was found to be high, but it is spatially heterogeneous (ranged from 0.69 to 0.89, with a median value of 0.81), similarly to the variable importance. The proportion of semi-natural areas proved to be the most important condition variable. The proportion of maize and alfalfa were more important than parcel size. Our results show that condition maps based on pressure proxies can reflect patterns of biodiversity surprisingly well. They also highlight the spatial context dependence of the uncertainty of condition maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ecological stress is brought into the framework of ecosystem health assessment in karst area. • Landscape configuration and socio-economic factors are the main driving factors of ecosystem health pattern in karst regions. • The relationship between EHI and its driving factors in karst region is spatiotemporal heterogeneity at county scale. Accurately evaluating the degree of ecosystem health and comprehending its drivers are of crucial importance for ecosystem management and restoration in fragile ecoregions. Adopting an ecosystem stress perspective, this investigation scientifically diagnosed ecosystem health in Guizhou Province, a typical karst fragile ecological area, by developing a "Vigor-Organization-Resilience-Stress" (VORS) regional ecosystem health assessment framework. The principal driving factors and their spatio-temporal heterogeneity influencing ecosystem health in karst regions were investigated using geographic detectors and geographically and temporally weighted regression. Our findings indicated that: (1) The ecosystem health in Guizhou province presents a spatial distribution pattern of lower in the western region and higher in the eastern region, and the average ecosystem health index (EHI) in 2000, 2010 and 2020 is 0.194, 0.246 and 0.254 respectively, indicating that the overall ecosystem health level in Guizhou province has improved with the passage of time. (2) The spatiotemporal variation of ecosystem stress in Guizhou Province is substantial; the pressure associated with land use is projected to increase, whereas the intensity of stress attributed to rocky desertification and soil erosion is anticipated to diminish over time. (3) The primary determinants influencing the health of ecosystems in karst environments are the social and economic elements. These factors progressively amplify their effect on ecosystem health as time passes. The new assessment framework we have established includes ecosystem integrity and ecological threats faced by the ecosystem, which provides a new perspective for understanding the complex internal characteristics of karst areas and the coupling relationship between human and natural ecosystems. The results of this study can provide scientific reference for land use and ecological management policies in fragile ecological areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Understory herbaceous communities accounted for 51.2% of the total community species richness. • USHC species composition, diversity, biomass, and nutrient characteristics varied widely. • USHC was significantly influenced by topography and soil factors. • USHC species diversity was largely determined by altitude, soil water content, and total carbon content. Forest ecosystems, especially within biodiversity hotspots, heavily rely on the often-overlooked understory herbaceous communities (USHC) for their structural integrity and ecological functions. Because of their modest stature, these communities have garnered insufficient attention from researchers. Therefore, in this study attention is focused on USHC, which attempts to fill this research gap. To achieve this, we established 105 sample plots in 2022 within forest ecosystems situated in the biodiversity hotspot of southwest China. Our investigation unveiled a rich biodiversity tapestry, identifying 424 plant species from 108 families and 284 genera. Notable were the 217 herbaceous species identified in the understory layer, representing 67 families and 163 genera. These understory herbaceous species accounted for 51.2 % of the overall species count. Through a detailed analysis, the sample plots were categorized into eight distinct communities using a two-way indicator species analysis. These communities exhibited diverse variations in species composition, diversity, biomass, and nutrient characteristics. Notably, community I (Eucalyptus robusta Smith + Rubus corchorifolius L. f. + Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb.), V (Camptotheca acuminata Decne + Rubus parkeri Hance + Iris tectorum Maxim), VIII (Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco + Viburnum dilatatum Thunb. + Cyclosorus interruptus (Willd.) H. Ito) stood out for their exceptional species diversity and productivity. Moreover, correlation analyses highlighted the substantial impact of topographic and soil factors on USHC. Altitude, soil water content, and total carbon content emerged as the primary determinants of species diversity. Biomass demonstrated close associations with total soil carbon and nitrogen. Furthermore, the nutrient characteristics displayed significant correlations with soil nutrient contents. These findings underscore the critical importance of prioritizing USHC attention in forest conservation and management strategies within biodiversity hotspots. The implications strongly advocate for the inclusion of these communities in planning and decision-making processes, emphasizing their pivotal role in maintaining structural and functional diversity in ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the concern for biodiversity conservation and ecological sustainability, the traditional method of assessing conservation management based on single elements such as timber production, stand structure, and forest area is no longer applicable. Especially for China, where the primary goal of national park conservation management is to “protect and maintain the authenticity and integrity of natural ecosystems”, it is necessary to construct a set of indicators that can comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of natural ecosystem conservation management. Therefore, in this study, we take Jiuzhaigou and Giant Panda National Park, in Sichuan, China, as examples, and construct a set of ecological integrity evaluation indices system from the perspective of attributes of forest ecosystems. Initially, we screened the candidate indicators based on the coefficient of variation, distribution range, and redundancy analysis and identified 16 indicators as the evaluation indices of ecological integrity. Next, the model fit and the interrelationship of the components of the ecological integrity model were verified using a combination of structural equation modeling and actual data. The model validation results showed that: (1) CMIN/DF = 1.66, RMSEA = 0.058, GFI = 0.954, and other model fit metrics have reached the best reference standard, indicating that the ecological integrity model overall fit is high. (2) In the parameter estimation results of the model observed and latent variables, the ecological integrity model explained 96%, 85% and 89% of the variance in species composition, stand structure and ecological processes, respectively, indicating that the evaluation indices selected can effectively predict the ecological integrity of forests. In addition, we used the factor loadings in the structural equation model to calculate the weights of the indices and used the weighted sum to calculate the ecological integrity. A one-way ANOVA was conducted to compare the differences among the ecological integrity of forests of different origins, forest types and life forms. The relative importance and linear regression were used to elucidate the main factors affecting forest ecological integrity. The results showed that (1) except for the scrub community, the mean value of forest ecological integrity was >0.45, which was in the middle-to-upper level. (2) the ecological integrity of forests of different origins and different forest types showed a changing pattern: natural forest > plantation forest, mixed forest > pure forest. (3) Stand age and elevation strongly influenced the ecological integrity of forests, with relative contribution rates of 64.54% and 11.88%, respectively.

Despite its detrimental effects on ecosystems, the broad-spectrum antibiotic nitrofurazone is extensively used in the aquaculture industry worldwide. However, the impacts of nitrofurazone toxicity on ecological integrity are still unclear. In this study, a community-based bioassay was used to evaluate the toxicity of nitrofurazone to periphytic ciliates in a concentration gradient using five treatments (0, 1, 2, 4 and 8 mg l−1). The periphytic ciliate communities were collected from coastal waters of the Yellow Sea near the mouth of Jiaozhou Bay at Qingdao, in northern China. After exposure to nitrofurazone, these communities showed toxicity dynamics like high variability in species composition. Species richness and total abundance decreased in a dose-dependent manner, with total abundance dropping sharply at the 8 mg l−1 concentration of nitrofurazone. Multivariate analyses demonstrated variations in the patterns of community structure driven by nitrofurazone toxicity, and these patterns differed significantly depending on the nitrofurazone concentration (P

[Display omitted] • Spatial-temporal distribution and the drivers of water conservation in plateau lakeside city. • High response relationship between water conservation and drought events. • The development of plateau lakeside city can be balanced with water conservation. Urban progression influences water conservation by altering surface characteristics and local climate regimes, potentially posing significant risks to water sustainability and ecological integrity. Since 2015, the Chinese government has championed a new development philosophy aimed at promoting harmonious coexistence between human and nature. Based on the green connotation of the new development philosophy, this study simulated the spatial and temporal distribution of water conservation in five plateau lakeside cities (Plateau Lakeside City-PLC: Dianchi Lake Basin-DCB, Fuxian Lake Basin-FXB, Erhai Lake Basin-EHB, Qilu Lake Basin-QLB and Xingyun Lake Basin-XYB), established a comprehensive framework of indicators affecting water conservation, and quantified the changes in the drivers of water conservation. The results indicated that, except for DCB, the spatial distribution of water conservation in PLC exhibits similarity, but overall demonstrates a declining trend over time. The average importance of the factors in the PLC was weighed using Geodetector's q value. The most critical factors affecting water conservation in PLC included climate change (precipitation: q_ PRE =0.66; evaporation: q_ ET =0.57) and land cover (q_ LC =0.45). In addition, the topography (slope: q_ SLOPE =0.39; elevation: q_ DEM =0.43), vegetation coverage (q_ NDVI =0.30), and soil (plant available water content: q_ PAWC =0.38; root restricting layer depth: q_ ROOT =0.18) were influential factors followed climate change and land cover. Among the social factors, population density (q_ POP =0.37) has a small impact on water conservation, while economic activities and human-related land activities (q_ CROP ,q_ NTL, and q_ CITY are all less than 0.1) do not show a significant impact, due to the government's implementation of the new development philosophy, which balances development and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Functional traits determine the ecosystem's service delivery potential. • This study uses a trait-based approach for Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem services. • Key traits: plant height, specific leaf area, and root length. • Ecosystem service delivery potential is higher in low saline zone, stable over time. • Findings aid in conservation strategies and sustainable mangrove management. An ecosystem's potential to deliver goods and services, primarily determined by the functional traits of the species, is crucial for assessing its health and conservation value. This study uses a trait-based approach to evaluate the spatial and temporal variation in the ecosystem services delivery potentials (ESDPs) of the Sundarbans mangrove. We analyzed abundance data from 81 permanent sample plots (PSPs), spread over different saline zones, collected between 1986 and 2014, paired with species-specific plant functional traits. Seventeen traits were examined, with species-level data sourced from secondary literature, linking traits to ecosystem services. Study revealed that plant height, specific leaf area, and root length are key traits for assessing ESDPs. The Sundarbans' ESDPs varied spatially across different saline zones but remained stable over time. Notably, ESDPs were significantly higher in low saline zones compared to ESDPs in high saline zones. This spatial variation is partly explained by differences in plant species composition among saline zones and the relatively stable species composition over time. Results from mixed effect models showed that PSP as a random factor for all four models is attributed to the nested effect. The study highlights the value of functional traits in ecosystem service assessments, providing a robust method to predict how changes in biodiversity and environmental conditions affect service delivery. The observed trend of decreasing ESDPs with increasing salinity offers insights into the potential impacts of sea-level rise on mangrove forest functions. These findings are essential for developing conservation strategies and policies to preserve the Sundarbans' ecological integrity and support local livelihoods. This research advocates for a trait-based framework as a critical tool for the sustainable management of mangrove ecosystems globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We identify how changes in Canada's CEA policy landscape impact CEA research. • We analyzed and compared Canada's 2012 CEA and 2019 IAA policies and guidelines. • We systematically review CEA research in Canada's forest ecosystem. • We found few research considered indigenous and public engagement. • We recommend training to provide researchers with the tools for comprehensive CEA. Cumulative effects assessment (CEA), as a subset of environmental impact assessment, has been used over the past half-century to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic and natural processes on the integrity of forest ecosystems. In 2019, the Canadian federal government launched the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) and the Practitioner's Guide to Federal Impact Assessment to replace the 2012 Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) and the Practitioner's Guide. The new act emphasizes, among other issues, the need for CEA research to actively engage Indigenous communities and the public and apply a gender-based analysis (GBA) plus framework in their assessment. This paper aims to identify how cumulative effects research in Canadian forestry has progressed over time and how it aligns with federal government guidelines under the Impact Assessment Act of 2019. Through a systematic review of CEA research in Canada since 1992 and a document analysis, we examine the conduct of CEA research and compare the 2012 CEAA and the 2019 IAA and their respective practitioners' guides to identify key similarities and differences and establish the influence of the 2019 IAA on CEA research. This accounts for how adaptive CEA research in Canada is to the changing landscape, specifically in measuring and addressing the impacts of disturbances on different interest groups. While much of CEA research followed the impact identification and reporting requirements of the 2012 CEAA and 2019 IAA, few research projects, particularly those written after 2019, paid much attention to Indigenous and public participation, while none considered GBA Plus in their analysis. This is despite the availability of GBA Plus, Indigenous, and public engagement guidelines and resources identified in the 2019 practitioners guide. We recommend active engagement between federal regulatory agencies and industry to ensure that industry and researchers have the proper training and resources to facilitate more meaningful consideration and integration of GBA Plus, including Indigenous and public engagement processes in their CEA research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Isotopic diversity metrics were useful in describing the structure of the food web. • Isotopic similarity metrics described resource use in spatial–temporal context. • Spatial patterns in food webs were more evident than seasonal patterns. • Seasonal patterns were only evident at site with the highest food web complexity. • Isotopic and diversity metrics allowed to assess integrity of estuarine ecosystems. Threatened benthic ecosystems need urgent tools for effective bioassessment and relevant management. EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) obligates member states to achieve GES (Good Environmental Status) for 11 descriptors of environmental state (MSFD; 2008/56/EC). From all of the descriptors, D4 that focuses on Food Webs is the most functional-oriented indicator, but also the most challenging to implement due to our limited knowledge on benthic interactions. Particularly, it is still unclear how spatially and temporally regulated abiotic variables determine the entire benthic food webs, and which benthic food web attributes best respond to these spatially and temporally derived environmental variations. To fill this gap, we measured the natural isotopic ratios (δ13C and δ15N) of macrobenthic organisms and their food sources and build twelve food web topologies across three distinct sites (Navigator, Gambia, Tróia) in summer and winter during two consecutive years. To assess these food web topologies, we applied isotopic metrics, further integrated with univariate and multivariate analysis to find food web-based indicators that best respond to these spatial and temporal variability. We found clear spatial patterns associated to an increase in primary production and quantity and quality of organic matter (OM). Sites with higher organic load and less quality OM (Navigator and Gambia) had simpler food webs, likely associated to high abundance of opportunistic meiobenthic species. Site located inside protected area (Tróia) with high quality OM had the most complex food web characterized by high diversity of specialist consumers that used more efficiently available resources. Similarity metrics were valuable complementary tool that helped to further disentangle the causes of spatial variability, in this case distinguishing between two food webs (Navigator and Gambia) that had similar structures but different resource utilization. The temporal patterns were not so evident than the spatial patterns, although significant differences were reported between sampling occasions for the same metrics (maximum trophic position and the percentage of carnivores and omnivores, p < 0.05). The most complex Tróiás food web demonstrated greater responsiveness in capturing temporal differences in resource use, suggesting that more complex food webs are better equipped to reflect temporal variability. The integration of isotopic metrics complemented with multivariate and univariate analyses proved to be an important tool for the analysis of different aspects of the benthic food web complexity in a spatial–temporal context providing a promising approach to assess the functional integrity of the estuarine ecosystems, especially in the context of the descriptor 4 within MSFD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Priority setting is key to improving the efficiency of regional ecosystem management. • Multi-scenario to ensure hierarchical protection of ecological corridors. • 158 arterial corridors form the backbone of the ecological network. • Complexity science theory is instructive for ecological corridors conservation. Ecological corridors, as a key component of ecological networks (EN), can strengthen linkages between ecological sources and effectively prevent further fragmentation and loss of regional habitats. Understanding the structure of ecological corridors and exploring their resilience in different scenarios can facilitate the understanding on the flows of energy and materials between ecological sources that can contribute to landscape conservation and restoration. In this study, the agro-pastoral ecotone of the North Yinshan Mountain was used as an example to conduct the landscape EN analysis with corridors as the focus. Random attack, overgrazing and urban sprawl, incremental optimization, and arterial corridors conservation scenarios were constructed. Network cascade failure simulations are introduced to explore the stability of EN under four scenarios. Among them, 12 new ecological corridors were optimized at 9 nodes, and 158 arterial corridors connected the 159 ecological sources to form the backbone of the EN. Both the arterial corridors conservation scheme and the optimization scheme of additional edges play important roles in maintaining the resilience of the EN. This provides scientific decisions for the categorization and conservation of ecological corridors to ensure the ecological integrity of functional landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The ecological connectivity analytical framework based on the ES supply and demand process was constructed; • Spatial distribution of ES supply, demand was mapped, and supply–demand status for the key four ESs was analyzed. • By decomposing the spatial process of ESs flow,the key ecological land as the ecological source was identified. • The ecological connectivity network that can meet human demand for ESs and maintains ecosystem integrity was constructed. Protecting ecosystem integrity and maintaining ecosystem service (ES) supply–demand process through ecological connectivity (EC) is crucial for achieving sustainable development of metropolitan area. Currently, EC research focuses more on the combination of protecting the ES supply and maintaining ecosystem integrity, and less on effectively meeting human needs. To bridge this gap, we integrated the theory of ES supply–demand process, connectivity research methods to form a demand-oriented EC research framework, and conducted empirical research on the Wuhan metropolitan area (WHA). Firstly, we evaluated the supply–demand matches status of the key four ESs; And then, from the aspects of flow quantity, flow direction, flow boundary, and allocation principles, the spatial process of ESs flow were decomposed, and the ecological sources that meet demand while supporting the ESs supply–demand process were identified; Finally, based on the comprehensive resistance surface, connected corridors and important strategic points that are crucial for ecological protection were extracted, and an EC network was constructed. The results were the following:(1) the supply and demand of the key ESs in the study area showed a significant spatial mismatch, especially for water conservation (WC) and carbon sequestration (CS); (2)55 ecological sources, 84 ecological corridors and 25 strategic points were identified, and a stable structurally EC network was constructed; (3) The ecological sources were also crucial for ESs supply while meeting human demand and supporting the spatial process of ESs supply–demand. This research is beneficial for deepening the understanding of the supply–demand status of ESs, and providing a support for ecological lands protection planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Introduced multi-tiered method to identify ecological protection priority areas. • Incorporated ecological lands with excellent ecosystem integrity into EPPAs. • The width of ecological corridors was identified based on the proportion of land use. • Aggregate Polygons tool was utilized to aggregate fragmented areas. • An ecological protection method was developed for medium-sized city. Identifying ecological protection priority areas (EPPAs) in municipal areas is essential for accurate ecological restoration and ensuring sustainable regional development. Xianyang represents a typical medium-sized city that is currently grappling with the dual challenges of ecological restoration and urban development. This study employed a multi-criteria method to evaluate ecological importance, considering both ecosystem services and ecological vulnerability. Based on this, ecological corridors and pinch points that enhance ecological connectivity were delineated using the circuit theory. Subsequently, the integrity of ecosystems is assessed from structural and functional perspectives to ensure their health and stability. With the support of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, the three important areas for ecological protection were integrated to designate EPPAs. The results showed that: (1) the extremely important area spans 1956.44 km2, primarily made up of forests and grasslands. (2) There were found to be 19 ecological sources, 26 ecological corridors, and 23 ecological pinch points. (3) With excellent ecosystem integrity, the region was dominated by eco-lands, which accounted for 2692.71 km2. (4) In the end, this study identified 3328.83 km2 of EPPAs, 32.65 % of the study area. These are primarily located in the northern mountains and major watersheds. Human activities are found as the most important factor for the overall spatial variations in the area. A multi-level framework was developed to establish a continuous, comprehensive, and systematic method for identifying EPPAs, thereby enhancing ecological restoration, protection, and the sustainable use of regional ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Establish an ecosystem service function assessment system applicable to high mountain and deep valley areas. • The refined valuation will help to accurately protect ecosystems in areas with complex topography. • EWM can be well applied to weight the study area with large spatial heterogeneity. • The southern part of the study area is more ecologically important than the northern part. Refined evaluation of ecosystem service functions in deep valleys in high mountain areas is an important means of precise protection of ecosystems. As the population continues to increase, human needs and demands on ecosystems continue to increase, and deep valleys in high mountain areas with good ecological integrity face the risk of development, it is urgent to balance protection and development and carry out precise protection of ecosystems. Based on the principles of typicality, specificity, feasibility and sustainability, this paper constructs an evaluation system for the ecosystem service function of the alpine deep valley area, consisting of 12 indicators from four aspects: Regulating functions, Provisioning functions, Supporting functions and Cultural functions. The Entropy Weight method was used to assign the weights of the relevant indicators in a hierarchical manner, and to complete the evaluation of the importance of ecosystem service functions and the importance zoning of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that: the importance of the ecosystem service functions of the Southeast Tibetan Plateau gradually decreases from southwest to northeast; the extremely important area is mainly distributed in the forest ecosystems with good originality and integrity in the south, accounting for 2.61% of the total area of the region, which needs to focus on ecological protection; the slightly important area is mainly distributed in the northern high altitude area with low vegetation cover and weak soil and water conservation capacity and grassland ecosystem, accounting for 58.89% of the total area of the region, which can be prioritized for development. The results of the study provide new ideas for precise protection of ecosystems and resolution of conflicts between ecological protection and development, as well as for the planning of functional areas for ecosystem services in deep valleys of high mountains, and also provide scientific references for regional sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Pioneered comprehensive analysis of Tuchola Forest fragmentation via PALSAR and Dynamic World datasets. • Devised Weight of Evidence model to map susceptibility to fragmentation accurately. • Identified key drivers of forest fragmentation including proximity to croplands, tree age and height, wind speed, and vegetation water content. Forest ecosystems, vital for maintaining global biodiversity and ecological balance, are increasingly threatened by fragmentation. This study addresses the critical issue in the Tuchola Forest of Poland, examining the effects of natural and human factors on forest fragmentation. Our objective was to identify the most suitable dataset for monitoring forest fragmentation from 2015 to 2020, ascertain the primary drivers of fragmentation, and map the areas at high risk. Utilizing the PALSAR (25 m resolution) and Dynamic World (10 m resolution) datasets, we discovered PALSAR's enhanced ability to detect changes in forest structure, particularly evident after a significant windstorm in 2017. This dataset proved crucial in highlighting the escalating trend of forest fragmentation, reinforcing its importance for environmental monitoring and policy formulation. Our analysis identified key factors influencing fragmentation, such as proximity to croplands, tree height and age, wind speed, and vegetation water content, with areas near croplands and having younger, shorter trees being most susceptible. Employing a Weight-of-Evidence (WOE) Bayesian modeling technique, we mapped forest fragmentation susceptibility, demonstrating our methodology's effectiveness through high accuracy validation (AUC of 0.82 and Kappa Index of 0.68). Our innovative approach in mapping susceptibility to fragmentation, especially after extreme weather events, marks a pioneering contribution in Poland. This research advances the understanding of forest fragmentation dynamics and offers a scalable model for global application, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted conservation strategies to preserve the integrity of forest ecosystems amidst climatic risk and anthropogenic pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The spatial data analysis model and machine learning algorithm were comprehensively applied at the town scale. • Interannual variation in the ESV first decreased and then increased; LUI and elevation were the most important drivers. • There was a negative spatial effect between the ESV and CUI; average CCD of the ESV and CUI is increasing. Urbanization is a key factor that threatens the stability of ecosystem services (ESs), which are crucial for maintaining ecological security and enhancing human quality of life. Gaining insight into the spatiotemporal differentiation of the ecosystem service value (ESV) and its coupling relationship with urbanization is a key issue in promoting sustainable regional development. We employed various algorithms, including the improved equivalence factor method, random forest model, mixed geographically and temporally weighted regression model, and coupling coordination degree (CCD) model, to reveal the spatiotemporal evolution of the ESV and its driving mechanisms in the Lanzhou-Xining urban agglomeration (LXUA) from 1980 to 2020. In addition, we explored the coupling relationship between ESV and the combined urbanization index (CUI). The results showed the following: (1) From 1980 to 2020, the interannual variation in ESV first decreased and then increased, with an increase of 230 million yuan/annum in 2020 compared to that of 1980. Spatially, the ESV exhibits a distribution pattern of high in the south and low in the north, and high in the west and low in the east. (2) Land use intensity (LUI) and elevation contributed degree values exceeding 20% to the ESV and were the most important drivers of the ESV. (3) From 1980 to 2020, the average CCD values of the ESV and CUI transitioned from being severely unbalanced (0.19) to being slightly balanced (0.42). There was a negative spatial correlation between the ESV and CUI, with each cluster type was distributed discretely in space. Our study emphasizes that in areas characterized by robust ecosystem integrity and a high ESV, the increase in LUI was constitutes the main reason for the decline in the ESV. The findings of this study can provide a scientific basis for the coordinated development of ESVs and urbanization in the LXUA and other cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Enhancement of the indicator "forest connectivity" included in the EU Nature Restoration Law. • Quantitative assessment of the enhanced indicator. • Analysis across various analysis/observation scales. • Implications for assessment questions. • Implementation in open-source software package. Forests are vital for sustaining biodiversity and regulating climate. However, the fragmentation of these critical ecosystems poses a serious threat to their ecological integrity and the myriad of organisms they support. In this paper we compare the degree of forest connectivity derived via the traditional approach of using a binary forest cover map with a new approach using a grayscale tree cover density map. Because connectivity is scale-dependent, the comparison is repeated for a series of analysis scales. We find that exploiting the additional information on tree cover density improves the precision of forest connectivity estimates. The degree of connectivity was on average 21% lower when using the tree cover density map compared to using the binary forest cover map. Additional benefits of using tree cover density maps are the detection and quantification of subtle temporal changes (gains and losses) and a more refined assessment of hotspots in forest connectivity that cannot be detected with binary maps. Improved assessment and monitoring capabilities can be instrumental to enhancing the design and assessing the efficacy of landscape management and restoration policies to improve forest connectivity. The generic conceptual approach is exemplified using the 2018 Copernicus Tree Cover Density dataset with all assessment tools available in open-source software packages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Revolutionizing National Park zoning in China with keystone species. • Habitat suitability of 16 wildlife in Kunlun area exhibits heterogeneity with MaxEnt. • KMNP's boundary and functional zoning were optimized, outperforming the selected area. National parks in China play a vital role in preserving biodiversity, protecting endangered species, maintaining ecological balance, and promoting sustainable development amid global biodiversity decline. Boundary delimitation and functional zoning within these parks are crucial for preserving ecosystem integrity and species diversity. In the case study of Kunlun Mountains National Park (KMNP, Qinghai section), an extensive wildlife background survey yielded 4,523 occurrence records (3,921 after optimization) for 16 nationally protected wildlife species. Using the ecological niche model, this study aimed to explore the boundary range, functional zoning, and protection gap areas within KMNP by simulating the suitable spatial distribution of wildlife species, taking into account their protection and endangered statuses. The findings indicated that the primary habitat for key protected species in KMNP mainly occupied meadow and steppe in terms of vegetation types, along with grassland and unused land in terms of land use types, with average annual precipitation from 200 mm to 400 mm, elevations ranging from 4,100 m to 4,700 m, and average annual temperatures from −4.5℃ to −2℃. The suitable distribution of different wildlife species in the Kunlun Mountains area showed variations, mainly concentrated in the southwestern, central, and southeastern regions. The optimized KMNP covered around 49,800 km2, a 16.3 % reduction from the selected area, with the core protection zone at 16,300 km2 and the general control zone at 33,200 km2. The suitability of 93.75 % (15/16) species within the core protection area of KMNP was higher comparing to the optimized area, selected area, and Mangya-Golmud-Dulan area, indicating that the boundary delimitation and functional zoning of KMNP were highly rational. The boundary range and functional zoning method developed in this study provide a crucial scientific foundation for KMNP's conservation and management, and valuable guidance for national park construction, ecosystem preservation, biodiversity conservation, and the promotion of key species' reproduction and survival on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with promising future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• SDG15 indicators of forest extent are complemented with those of forest quality. • Indicators include naturalness, forest structure, fragmentation, and connectivity. • High quality forests were lost faster than forest extent during 2002–2021. • Indicators of forest quality improve SDG15 reporting. The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goal 15, termed Life on Land, is monitored by indicators and sub-indicators that largely deal with forest extent. In countries with structurally complex and species-rich forests, indicators and sub-indicators of forest quality are also needed to effectively monitor and sustain ecological integrity. The goal of the paper is to demonstrate the use of complementary sub-indicators of forest quality for SDG15 reporting and conservation planning. Our objective is to apply these sub-indicators within Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru and evaluate spatial patterns and trends over time as a basis for revealing how the results complement the official indicators of forest extent and forest extent in protected areas in informing conservation. The sub-indicators of forest quality quantify naturalness, riparian forest, forest structure and integrity, forest fragmentation, and forest connectivity. We quantified change during 2000–2021 in these metrics and highlighted insights gained from the complementary sub-indicators of forest quality relative to the official sub-indicators based on forest extent, Forests covered about 60–70% of the forested ecoregions in each country in 2000 and this proportion declined in all three countries by approximately 4% by 2021. Only a subset of the forested area was of high forest quality. Natural forests represented about 40% of forests in Colombian and Ecuador in 2000 and 50% in Peru. Those proportions declined: by 6.3% in Colombia, 6.5% in Ecuador, and 3.4% in Peru. Even less of the forested area was Core Forest in 2013; less than 28% among countries. During 2013–2021, the proportion of forest that was Core decreased by 2.3% in Colombia, 4.5% in Ecuador, and 6.7% in Peru. Connected Forests were about 17–22% of forests among the countries in 2013 and declined 10.4% in Colombia, 1.6% in Ecuador, and 3.8% in Peru by 2021. Forests high in forest structure were 10–18% of forests in 2012 among the countries and increased by 1.1–2% by 2021. Forests of high integrity were 7–13% of forests in 2012 and increased by1.4–2% by 2021. Riparian forests represented less than about 7–9% among the countries and declined by 0.6–1.3% by 2021. Thus, the area of highly quality forest across the countries was substantially less than full forest extent and high-quality forest declined at a higher rate than forest extent during 2000–2021. Forest structure and integrity did increase slightly over this time period. Our results for trends in forest naturalness, riparian association, within stand structure, fragmentation, and connectivity demonstrate how consideration of forest quality provides a much stronger basis for evaluating success in meeting SDG15 targets than consideration of forest extent alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposed a new method to assess chemical integrity in a high human-disturbed basin. • Ecological threshold was applied to improve the normalization method. • Evaluation indicators were selected since great impacts on aquatic organisms. Chemical integrity plays a crucial role in maintaining the ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems. Despite its significance, assessments of ecological integrity often prioritize biological evaluations, leading to infrequent and inadequate scrutiny of chemical integrity. Additionally, a comprehensive framework for separately assessing chemical integrity has not been established. To address this issue, we established a new index for evaluating chemical integrity, achieved through indicator screening, normalization, and weight assignment. Combined with the threshold indicator taxa analysis (TITAN) and Pearson correlation analysis, main evaluation indicators and their indicator species were identified and the corresponding response threshold was determined. These thresholds were then applied to improve the normalization method, with weights determined by indicator species proportions. This index was applied to evaluate the chemical integrity of the Huai River Basin, which is one of the largest basins in China. The results indicated that ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 -N), nitrate nitrogen (NO 2 -N), pH, and turbidity (Turb) were identified as the core parameters for evaluating chemical integrity. The conventional normalization method (max–min normalization) led to overestimation of the assessment results, whereas improved normalization method based on ecological threshold yielded better and more reasonable results. This study provided a reference for the selection of appropriate indicators and improvement of normalization method to better assess chemical integrity. And it would become a useful tool for monitoring and rehabilitating the chemical integrity in such basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fish metrics respond consistently to anthropic land cover proportion in the catchment. • Geo-climatic variables induce the most noticeable responses on fish metrics. • Agricultural land cover induces a gradual effect on fish community metrics. • Metrics show an abrupt non-linear response at low values of urban land proportion. Efficient community indices and indicators are crucial for the adequate management and design of measures ensuring the ecosystem integrity. In this study we analyse the shape, sign and strength of the response of some biotic integrity indices and indicators of structure and function of fish communities along geo-climatic and human pressures gradients at catchment scale. To that purpose, >300 sites all over the Iberian Peninsula were characterized at the catchment scale by means of two anthropogenic drivers (agricultural and urban land proportion) and seven natural environmental descriptors covering geographical and climatic aspects. Regarding to fish-based metrics, a set of the most frequently used in stream health assessment studies have been selected, including taxonomic classic indicators, size related indicators and also recent multimetric indices created in the European context (WFD). We applied boosted regression trees that allow estimating the sign and strength of the response as well as considering non-linearity and impact thresholds. Our results show that the jointly contribution of anthropic drivers was lower than geo-climatic drivers. For most of indices and indicators, one single land cover contributed more markedly to the total deviance explained than the other, and they responded rather consistently to land-use variables, i.e., most of them responded negatively to the increase of anthropic use in the catchment. Size diversity, Fish Region Index (FRI) and maximum weight were those more sensible to agriculture land, while EFI+, mean weight, distinctness and FRI were those more sensitive to urban land. Regarding the shape of the response, urban land proportion affects normally at extremely low values, while agriculture land proportion induces smoother changes on a wider range. Our results may have practical implications, such as the selection of an efficient array of fish-based metrics to be included in ecological assessment and monitoring programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Discharging nutrient-rich multisource effluents degraded Lake Burullus's ecosystem. • Burullus's zooplankton composition changes indicate disruption in biotic processes. • Recent land use changes in Lake Burullus may raise the probability of collapse risk. The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) assessment is a new powerful scheme that identifies ecosystems that are at risk of collapse due to global environmental changes, which can help any mitigation actions aimed at conserving and rescuing these natural ecosystems. The current study applied RLE assessment protocol on Lake Burullus ecosystem, a highly productive wetland ecosystem, Ramsar site and International Bird Area (IBA) of Egypt. A conceptual model of the key ecosystem processes for Burullus wetland was constructed. The application of RLE followed the standard protocol for the first four criteria; (A) declines in distribution, (B) restricted distribution, (C) degradation of the abiotic components, and (D) regarding the assessment of the disruption of biotic processes and interactions. However, data were insufficient for assessing Criterion (E) that entails conducting quantitative estimates of the risk of collapse. Multi-date satellite images were obtained and processed to estimate the changes in the spatial distribution under criteria (A) and (B) of the study area. For evaluating Criteria (C) and (D), long-term data were collected from literature and previous works to cover the time frame of the assessment as much as possible. The results from the RLE assessment revealed that the status of the ecosystem is Critically Endangered (CR), which was attributed to various types of threats that caused degradation of the natural quality and integrity of the ecosystem. Although the RLE assessment provides a coherent approach for identifying ecosystems vulnerable to human-induced changes; data insufficiency can be an impediment for the efficient application of the RLE assessment. Remotely-sensed data can help in derivation of suitable spectral indicators of the status of the ecosystems structure and functioning that might overcome some of the challenges of data adequacy and relevance to the RLE assessment especially for the understudied and data-deficient ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rapid assessment methods provide an intermediate scale of assessment that is cost-effective, efficient, and ecologically meaningful. • We apply a rapid ecological integrity assessment method across multiple watersheds, and regions in the United States. • Our multi-metric approach evaluates multiple ecological factors, including landscape context (landscape, buffer) and on-site condition (vegetation, hydrology, soil). • Twelve metrics were minimally redundant and have good discriminatory power in response to a gradient of stressors. • Landscape and buffer metrics provide important insights into the on-site condition of wetlands. Many ecological monitoring and assessment programs include rapid assessment methods that employ indicators or metrics to track the degree of divergence of ecosystem condition from reference conditions. Although these rapid assessment methods use a combination of metrics to rate overall ecological condition, they rarely include tests of either the merits of the component metrics being assessed or the method of aggregating the metrics into an overall rating. We used a conceptual model of ecological integrity for wetlands and field data to select and test 15 rapid assessment indicators (using specific metrics) across a spectrum of major ecological factors or MEFs (landscape, buffer, vegetation, hydrology, soil). We applied these metrics to 220 wetland sites across six states (Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Washington), using two assessment area (AA) approaches: 106 sites used 0.5 ha point-based AAs; 114 sites used variable-sized polygon-based AAs. We statistically tested metric ratings and factor scores for their discriminatory power (DP) in relation to a stressor index using the Kruskal-Wallis test, and for redundancy using Spearman rank correlation and scattergrams. Of the 15 metrics, 12 had good or strong DP and were not redundant. Across all metrics, only two pairs (vegetation pair and buffer pair) were strongly correlated. The soil metric had the lowest DP, but it was among the least redundant of any metric. The DP of buffer metrics was lower for point-based approaches than for polygon-based approaches because the buffer for point-based AAs often included additional wetland area. Aggregating individual metrics into MEF scores (e.g., vegetation, hydrology, soil), primary factors scores (Landscape Context, on-site Condition) and overall ecological integrity ratings, either maintained or improved the interpretability of the ratings. Our analyses support the use of 12 rapid field-based metrics, spanning Landscape Context and on-site Condition, to assess the ecological integrity of wetlands. Although tested here for wetlands, the models and metrics are also being applied to upland terrestrial ecosystems. Our findings confirm the merits of our rapid assessment method in providing an intermediate level of assessment that is efficient and ecologically meaningful, within states and across watersheds and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The first attempt to assess freshwater bodies in the west of Gaziantep basin based on diatoms. • A total of 70 species of benthic diatoms from 17 water bodies were listed. • Diatom-environment relationship was evaluated by multivariate approaches. • Nutrients and heavy metals played important roles in the distribution of diatom. • Trophic index Turkey could be a useful tool for the bioassessment of running water quality. The biological assessment of surface water quality is becoming more important to evaluate the deterioration of aquatic ecosystems and to accomplish environmental sustainability since the implementation of EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). This study as the first attempt was organized to evaluate the ecological status of 17 freshwater bodies in the West of Gaziantep catchment by using diatom metrics. A total of 70 diatom assemblages were identified during the present study. The first two axes of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) explained 0.962 and 0.945 of diatom assemblages–environment correlations for streams and reservoirs, respectively. According to the CCA, nutrients (e.g., P-PO 4 and N-NO 3) and metal ions (e.g. Cr, Ni, Pb, and Cu) strongly affected the distribution of diatom assemblages among the water bodies. Among the studied surface waters, Karanlık stream had the highest scores of 3.30, 3.39, and 2.39 due to the TIT–Trophic Index Turkey, TI–Trophic Index, and EPI-D–Eutrophication and/or Pollution Index-Diatom, respectively. The results indicated that this stream had a bad ecological condition when the EPI-D showed a poor condition. The occurrence of pollution-tolerant taxa, associated with high nutrients and electrical conductivity (EC), confirmed the ecological conditions of this stream. On the other hand, Çınarlı (TIT = 2.23) and Yamaçoba (TIT = 1.96) streams were of good ecological condition and had relatively low EC and nutrients. The presence of pollution-sensitive species in Çınarlı and Yamaçoba streams (Meridion circulare, Cymbella affinis, Halamphora veneta, and Cymbella excisa) endorsed the ecological status of it. The loading of organic and inorganic nutrients from livestock farming, agricultural land-use, and settlements could impact the water quality of the sampling stations in this catchment. The present study emphasized the importance of the evaluation of ecological integrity based on the biological and chemical characteristics of ecosystems. Diatom indices were used herein reflected efficient results for the separation of the ecological conditions of the sampled stations. Ecological preferences and occurrences of diatom assemblages and the significant positive correlation criterion with P-PO4 confirmed the suitability of TIT for assessing the ecological status of the sampling stations. All of these results suggest that the ecological status of water bodies should be evaluated due to the indices developed in their ecoregions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract Conservationists and protected area managers spend millions in establishing and maintaining protected areas every year. However, many studies revealed that the design and coverage of protected areas are still inadequate in representing key biodiversity features, are insufficient in the management approach to address the threats and pressures and have a low level of ecological integrity because of the increasing levels of environmental degradation. There is strong evidence of different anthropogenic pressures that deteriorate the effectiveness of existing protected areas, structurally, compositionally and functionally. Hence, the evaluation of a protected area's effectiveness is very crucial in maintaining long-term biodiversity conservation. Different evaluations have been carried out to assess the effectiveness of protected areas but focus only on certain issues or a single component. Current effectiveness evaluations still inadequately incorporate important criteria to make the evaluation of protected areas more comprehensive. Therefore, this paper will first focus on reviewing the current conditions and threats towards biodiversity conservation in tropical protected areas. Then, there will be a discussion on the relationship between the threats that cause issues with the effectiveness of protected areas. From issues that influence protected areas, the criteria or components that are crucial in developing the consolidated index model are identified. The main objective of this paper is to propose a consolidated index model that integrates the components of design and planning, ecological integrity and management to assess the conservation effectiveness of individual terrestrial protected areas in tropical regions. Hence, this paper presents the first step to develop a consolidated index model that can be implemented by park managers to assess conservation effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Adjusted FQAI can be employed successfully for evaluating arid ecosystems ecological condition. • Adjusted FQAI signals anthropogenic disturbance in arid ecosystems more than the other variants of floristic quality indices. • The anthropogenic disturbance index provide a quantitative measure to relatively compare disturbance levels among sites. • The use of multiple bioindicators in site assessments is key for comprehensive appraisal of ecological conditions. Abstract Northwestern coastal desert of Egypt is under pressure of human-induced changes due urban sprawl and agricultural practices leading to negative impacts on existing natural habitats. Assessing the impact of land-use changes on the ecological integrity is crucial for management and conservation efforts in the region. Floristic quality (FQ) assessment indices are important bioassessment tools that can be used to evaluate how anthropogenic changes may influence vegetation quality, species composition and environmental integrity. The approach is primarily stationed on floristic composition and disturbance tolerance at study sites. The objectives of this study were to: 1) study how anthropogenic disturbances due to land use/cover changes in the northwestern coastal desert affected its ecological quality as indicated by FQ indices; and 2) to evaluate the use of FQ indices as tools for characterizing anthropogenic disturbance among the habitats of Mediterranean desert ecosystem. Stands representing the main habitats were surveyed during 2011 through 2015 and data were compared to historic data collected before the developmental activities. The study revealed a trend of decline with time in the floristic quality of the study area as was indicated by floristic quality measures used (mean coefficient of conservatism, FQAI, and adjusted FQAI). Similar trend of decline in native and perennial species richness, and increase in non-native and annual species richness was observed for the period investigated from 1980s to time. At the habitat level, similar trend of decline in the floristic quality was observed, with the current time attaining the least values of FQ indices for all the habitats. The anthropogenic disturbance index (ADI) was developed in the current study as a quantitative measure of the level of disturbance and as an indicator to evaluate site's ecological condition. The ADI exhibited significant negative relationship with the FQ indices, revealing that it can be recognized as useful index of anthropogenic disturbance that would complement the use of FQ indices in evaluating site ecological condition. The high association between ADI and the adjusted FQAI compared to the FQAI, confirms that the former signals the level of disturbance better than later. Although the adjusted FQAI has been developed and used in assessing vegetation quality of wetland, the current study revealed that it can be employed successfully for assessing and monitoring changes in vegetation quality and ecological integrity of deserts and arid ecosystems. For full and comprehensive evaluation of site's ecological condition, the use of multiple bioindicators is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Fast and robust assessment of ecosystem integrity in an Index. • Integrate qualitative and quantitative measures in agroecosystem evaluation. • Numeric and visual results of the assessment. • Correlation between index values and other environmental variables. Abstract Environmental assessment of agricultural production systems is an increasing concern within the international community. When evaluation involves biodiversity indicators, as richness or diversity in certain taxa or their roles in ecosystems, the participation of specialists is required to identify, classify and interpret diversity at the level of species, communities and ecosystems. Due to costs and time demand, this can be an important obstacle when a widespread use of these assessments is needed to contribute to policy making and evaluation, field management decision-making or implementation of a specific technology. We developed a new index that combines different environmental characteristics which can be evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively with a basic training, can be implemented quickly and each index component is directly associated with key aspects for the assessment of ecosystem capacity to sustain wildlife and ecosystem services. The Ecosystem Integrity Index (EII) evaluates the status of a specific ecosystem under agricultural use, referred to an optimal condition that must be established for the ecoregion. Its application involves a qualitative and quantitative visual evaluation considering four components: vegetation structure, plant species, soil and riparian areas. Each component is valued on a 0–5 scale, where 5 is the best possible condition. EII is a simple and robust tool for evaluating and monitoring integrity of agroecosystems and the primary validation demonstrates good correlation with other environmental variables such as wildlife diversity and soil organic carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Positive associations between low effort and high effort wetland assessment methods. • Links between landscape setting and the wetland plant community. • Low and high effort assessments methods measure similar wetland attributes. Abstract The United States Environmental Protection Agency delegates to States and Tribes primary responsibility for monitoring the condition of wetlands under their jurisdiction, and suggests that wetland assessment be performed in a buildable process deemed the 1-2-3 framework. Level One assessment uses remotely-sensed data, Level Two uses a checklist of site attributes during a single visit, and Level Three includes effortful field surveys of biotic and water quality indicators. We used 16 accepted wetland assessment metrics that varied in levels of effort to evaluate the ecological integrity of 71 palustrine wetlands in New York State, including wetlands with a broad range of disturbance histories. We detected significant correlations across multiple levels and within levels, which indicates that these metrics, regardless of effort, are measuring similar attributes of wetlands. Most metrics also successfully distinguished between three wetland disturbance groups: natural, restored, and Area of Concern. The implication of this finding is that the landscape setting (as assessed by Level One) is linked to the biotic wetland community (as assessed by Level Three), and can be used to predict the ecological condition of a wetland using less complex methods. The relationships did have limits, however, indicating that some metrics either cannot be substituted or may not be as effective as previously thought at evaluating ecological condition of palustrine wetlands. The positive associations among the Levels indicate that it is possible to efficiently and validly evaluate and monitor wetlands using the 1-2-3 framework with appropriately selected indicator metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • There a high environmental synchrony. • There a low populational synchrony. • The spatial distance was not related to the synchrony. • Synchrony change according to the reservoir construction phases. • Synchronous/asynchronous populations have potential applications in biomonitoring. Abstract The escalating demand for energy and the strong political and economic pressure to explore the Amazon's hydroelectric potential has led to the increase of hydroelectric reservoirs in the region. Reservoirs are artificial ecosystems that modify the structure of biological populations. Evaluating the spatial synchrony of populations and environmental variables in the development of reservoirs may reveal determinant factors and processes operating in these ecosystems. This may help understand the impacts, optimize monitoring systems and develop strategies to improve and maintain the ecological integrity (or stability) of these environments. In this study, we evaluated the spatial synchrony in zooplankton populations and limnological environmental variables during the implementation of a hydroelectric reservoir in the Amazon region, on the border of the states of Pará and Amapá. Synchrony was determined by mean cross-correlation between the pairs of points for each variable, followed by Mantel test to investigate its influencing factors. We observed spatial synchronous values for both population and limnological environmental variables. However, we could not identify the mechanisms that are operating, indicating that more than one factor may be influencing the ecosystem dynamics. Population synchrony increased after impoundment. Population synchrony may be associated with some limnological variables, such as the ones related to the amounts of nutrients, whereas environmental synchrony can be related to extrinsic factors, such as climatic variation, not tested this study. In order to increase the understanding of the mechanisms operating over population and environmental dynamics, we suggest that, besides evaluating limnological environmental variables and spatial synchrony, analyses should include meteorological and landscape data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • We review approaches to the assessment of ecological condition and conservation management of large floodplain rivers. • The review highlights research gaps and emphasizes the importance of developing more holistic indicators of ecosystem condition. • Indicators that better reflect landscape level changes in structure and functioning of floodplain rivers are needed. • Studies that distinguish the role of different river floodplain habitat types in ecosystem services provision are needed. • More effective spatial conservation prioritization tools are needed at the river floodplain scale. Abstract Large floodplain rivers (LFRs) are currently threatened by high levels of human alteration, and utilization is expected to grow. Assessments to determine ecological condition should address the specific environmental features of these unique ecosystems, while conservation management requires balancing maintenance of good ecological condition with the ecosystem services provided by LFRs. However, a systematic evaluation of the scientific literature on assessment of ecological condition of LFRs and trade-offs to guide conservation management is currently lacking. Here, we reviewed 153 peer reviewed scientific articles to characterize methodological patterns and trends and identify knowledge gaps in the assessment of LFRs. Our review revealed that most approaches used classical biotic indices for assessing ecological condition of LFRs. However, the number of articles specifically addressing the peculiarities of LFRs was low. Many studies used watershed level surveys and assessed samples from small streams to large rivers using the same methodological protocol. Most studies evaluated the status of main stem river habitats only, indicating large knowledge gaps with respect to the diversity of river-floodplain habitat types or lateral connectivity. Studies related to management were oriented toward specific rehabilitation actions rather than broader conservation of LFRs. Papers relating to ecosystem services of LFRs were especially few. Most importantly, these studies did not distinguish the different functional units of river-floodplain habitat types (e.g. eupotamon, parapotamon) and their role in ecosystem services provision. Overall, the number of articles was too low for meaningful analyses of the relationships and tradeoffs between biodiversity conservation, maintaining ecological condition, and use of ecosystem services in LFRs. Our review highlights research gaps and emphasizes the importance of developing more holistic indicators of ecosystem condition, which better reflect landscape level changes in structure and functioning of LFRs. As human use of water and land increases, the need to develop more effective spatial conservation prioritization tools becomes more important. Empirical research in this field can aid in solving conflicts between socio-economic demands for ecosystem services and nature conservation of LFRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Forest cover maps were produced based on Landsat images from 1970s to 2010s. • Forest loss and fragmentation were evaluated through landscape metrics. • The Amazon floodplain shows an east-to-west gradient of forest cover depletion caused mainly by anthropogenic factors. • The gradient follows the pace of human occupation and public policies of the region. • Ecosystem integrity may be compromised in the eastern regions of the floodplain. Abstract This article analyzes the process of forest cover depletion over the last 40 years at three landscapes distributed along the Amazon floodplain. To this end, we created multi-temporal forest cover maps based on time series of Landsat images, and then analyzed the forest cover dynamics through landscape metrics. Based on landscape analyzes and bibliographic information, we assessed the degree of forest depletion of each landscape and made inferences regarding the main drives of forest changes and their impacts on ecosystem integrity. Results show the existence of an east-to-west gradient of forest depletion that varies in time and space along the floodplain of the Solimões/Amazonas River, and provides evidence that it is a response to the history of human occupation and public policies. The most degraded landscapes are located on the eastern region, where forest depletion degree indicates substantial damage to biodiversity and ecosystem services. The study increases the scarce knowledge about the dynamics of the floodplain forest over the last decades, allows a deeper understanding of the human influence on the floodplain ecosystem, and supports further studies on the impacts of forest loss and fragmentation on biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being in the Amazon floodplain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The ecological status of three urban rivers in Haikou City, China, was assessed. • TP, DO, COD, TN, and turbidity were critical parameters for developing the WQI min. • Phytoplankton density, Chl- a , biomass, and Margalef were selected to develop P-IBI. • WQI min and P-IBI results were consistent, reflecting spatial and temporal changes. • The water quality of the rivers varies from "low" to "moderate" The urban rivers, Changwang, Meishe, and Wuyuan, are vital water resources in Haikou City, China. However, pollution from various anthropogenic activities negatively impacts their ecological status. This study aimed to develop and compare the performance of a minimum water quality index (WQI min) and phytoplankton index of biotic integrity (P-IBI) in assessing the rivers' ecological status for protection purposes. Samples were collected and analyzed seasonally from March to December 2019. The results revealed that TP, DO, COD, TN, and turbidity were critical for developing the WQI min. The WQI min values showed no significant spatial and seasonal differences. Thus, it rated the rivers "moderate," with the highest and lowest WQI min values in winter and summer. The P-IBI was developed using phytoplankton density, Chl- a , biomass, and Margalef richness. Notably, the P-IBI values differed significantly at seasonal but not spatial scales. It rated Changwang and Wuyuan "moderate," whereas Meishe was "low." Moreover, Autumn and summer had the highest and lowest P-IBI values. Interestingly, the P-IBI demonstrated that parameters such as COD, TN, NH 4 +-N, EC, pH, turbidity, and temperature decreased with improving water quality, while water transparency increased with improved water quality. The WQI min and P-IBI assessment results were consistent. The indices showed that summer had poor water quality than other seasons. In addition, the indices negatively correlated with the trophic level index (TLI). In contrast, the P-IBI ratings were significantly lower than WQI min at spatial and seasonal scales. Hence, this study suggests that WQI min and P-IBI can effectively assess the ecological conditions of the rivers and that the critical parameters and metrics for their development might vary in different regions. In addition, P-IBI may provide stricter standards than WQI min for water quality assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Spatial metrics analysis can quantify environmental heterogeneity. • Bare patch areas can be used as an important indicator of Kobresia pasture degradation. • The spatial turnover of plant species increases with total edge length of bare patches. • Bare patch area led to a decrease in forb and an increase in grass in the richness proportion along the degradation of Kobresia pastures. The Kobresia pasture in the Tibetan Plateau, as the world's largest and most unique pastoral alpine ecosystem, is undergoing severe degradation, visible in the formation of bare patches. Characteristics of bare patches in Kobresia pastures are regarded as indicators of the fragmentation and degradation of the alpine landscapes. Here, we used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)-based low-elevation remote sensing to monitor 72 study sites in the eastern Tibetan Plateau for identifying the spatial patterns of bare patches of Kobresia pasture degradation on regional scale. We conducted field surveys of species composition, quantified fragmentation caused by bare patches using four landscape indices (patch area, total edge length, shape index and splitting index, representing the patch area, length of the edge, shape, and dispersion of the bare patches, respectively), then modeled the response of plant species richness and productivity at the scale of 50 × 50 m to the Kobresia pasture fragmentation process. Our results indicated that species richness and biomass production decreased significantly with each increasing bare patch index. The total edge length of bare patches increased the spatial turnover of plant species. Although bare patch area significantly decreased the species richness of plant communities, it led to a decrease in forb richness and an increase in grass richness along the degradation of Kobresia pastures. Bare patch areas, as the most easily accessible and highly accurate parameter by UAV-based low-elevation remote sensing, significantly related to the decrease in species richness and productivity, and mainly explained the changes in functional group composition. For assessing the ecological integrity of grassland functionality (plant species diversity and above-ground productivity), bare patch area can be used as an important indicator of Kobresia pasture degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Livestock production is a major driver of biodiversity loss. • Cattle-oriented farms may favor biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. • We adapted and applied the rewilding score to assess biodiversity on seven farms. • Adapted rewilding score was moderately correlated with observed avian biodiversity. • Adapted rewilding score may allow assessment of the biodiversity potential of farms. The loss of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is caused mainly by intensive agricultural production, especially livestock farms. However, certain farms that favor biodiversity attempt to decrease this loss, and the biodiversity hosted by these farms needs to be assessed. To this end, certain methods assess integrated variables of the overall state of an ecosystem. Among them, the "rewilding score" is based on assessing human forcing (i.e. inputs used in the ecosystem and products exported from the ecosystem) and ecological integrity to consider short-term and long-term effects of human activities on ecosystems. This study aimed to adapt the rewilding score for cattle-oriented farms, apply the method, and compare its results to observed biodiversity in order to discuss the relevance of the adapted rewilding score for assessing the biodiversity potential of livestock farms. Two adapted rewilding scores were tested with seven farms by combining one assessment of human forcing with two approaches for estimating ecological integrity. Biodiversity indices based on bird species inventories were calculated and compared to the adapted rewilding scores. Their moderate correlations with the adapted rewilding scores (r = 0.54–0.69) supported using this score to assess one type of biodiversity potential of agroecosystems. Nonetheless, the correlation between the adapted rewilding score and biodiversity remains to be confirmed by using biodiversity indices for other taxonomic groups and for a larger set of farms. This method could be used as a decision aid by farmers or as a tool to help governments calculate subsidies by considering short-term and long-term effects of livestock farms on biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ecological suitability methodologies for estuarine habitats are presented. • Habitats for ecologically and socially important species are characterized. • Ecological and social weighting factors are developed and applied. • Results can be reported for defined spatial units and at the estuarine scale. • Ecological suitability measures can inform cumulative restoration assessments. Ecosystem management requires a systematic, holistic approach that considers ecological and social outcomes. Effective restoration practices promote a balance of ecological and social goals by addressing ecological integrity, efficiently maximizing benefits while minimizing investment, and encompassing collaborative stakeholder engagement. Socio-ecological assessments can inform adaptive management and be utilized to prioritize restoration activities and monitor restoration effectiveness. In estuarine systems, socio-ecological assessments should evaluate the ability of habitats to support both ecologically and locally important species. The composite measure presented utilizes a combination of ecological and social measures to characterize ecological suitability for individual and multiple Gulf of Mexico estuarine species. The ecological suitability value (ES) for a given spatial unit is based on a suite of biophysical measures of the quality and extent of suitable habitat for each species, the species' trophic importance in a food web context, and the importance of each species in relation to stakeholder values and benefits. ES values for individual spatial units can be aggregated to estimate the distribution of ecological suitability at the estuarine scale. The ES values are calculated using examples for each step in the process. The information provided by ecological suitability characterizations can support restoration prioritization decisions for Gulf of Mexico estuaries and can provide a baseline measure to gauge restoration effectiveness over time to inform cumulative restoration assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Framework for wetland assessments in the Midwestern United States. • Novel amphibian based IBI (hereafter aIBI) for the assessment of seasonal wetlands. • aIBI is a better assessment metric of wetlands than species richness. • 4–5 surveys distributed throughout the spring and summer are required. • "Rapid" assessments require performance evaluation. A primary response to the Clean Water Act has been the development of numerous indices of biotic integrity (IBI) using various taxonomic groups to assess the condition of water bodies in the United States. The IBI is a frequently used approach for assessing the ecological integrity of streams; however, it is less commonly applied to wetland systems, despite the scientific and policy needs to assess wetland condition and develop ecological performance goals for wetland monitoring, creation, and restoration. Although a great deal of attention has been given to wetland acreage due to the "no net loss" policy over the past two decades, much less attention has been given to the ecological integrity of these same wetlands. To assess wetland health and function, regulatory agencies and land managers need clear performance standards that are based on the ecology of wetland organisms. To address this need, we sampled 242 wetlands distributed across 45 managed properties in Illinois, U.S.A. over three years (2012–2014) for adult and larval amphibians (12 samples per wetland). Amphibian assemblages make up critical ecological components of many wetland ecosystems and are considered useful bioindicators of environmental change because they are sensitive to various forms of environmental and habitat alteration. We developed an amphibian-based IBI (hereafter aIBI) for the assessment of seasonal wetlands and optimal sampling strategies to best quantify these wetlands (i.e., assessment of time and effort). The aIBI applied a conservation coefficient to all species captured; conservation coefficients were developed through a survey of amphibian experts (n = 16). We captured 25 amphibian species with an average of 7.11 amphibian species (range 1–13) per site. Using the species occurrence data collected from both dipnet and minnow trap surveys over 12 survey periods, we assessed the average percent error in the estimation of aIBIs and species richness. Our results show that a wetland can be accurately evaluated with amphibians in one field season, but that multiple samples during that field season will be necessary. We show that 4–5 surveys using multiple methods distributed throughout the spring and summer are required. This level of effort may be incongruent with existing definitions of 'rapid assessment', but it is the necessary level of effort needed to confidently and accurately evaluate wetlands using amphibians as an indicator taxon. Additionally, aIBI provides a more robust framework to assess wetland integrity compared to simple species richness or other similar methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Diversity-predictor associations differed between species groups and ecoregions. • Annual average and seasonality in temperature and precipitation and human footprint were the strongest predictors. • Lower explained diversity variances in the mesic than xeric ecoregions. • Curbing human impacts destabilizing long-term climate regimes is vital to terrestrial mammal conservation efforts. Understanding the interactions between abiotic (environmental and anthropogenic) factors and species diversity and distribution patterns is fundamental to improving the ecological representativeness of biodiversity management tools such as protected areas (PAs). However, significant knowledge gaps remain about how species' ecological and evolutionary opportunities are associated with abiotic factors, especially in biodiversity-rich but economically ill-equipped countries such as Kenya. Here, we explored the interactions of terrestrial mammal diversity patterns and abiotic factors across species groups and ecoregions in Kenya. We coupled data on terrestrial mammal occurrences, phylogeny, functional traits, and environmental predictors in Kenya to derive multiple diversity indices, encompassing species richness and phylogenetic and functional richness, and mean pairwise and nearest taxon distances. We explored the interactions of these indices with several abiotic factors using multivariate regression analyses while adjusting for spatial autocorrelation. The results showed weak correlations between species richness versus the phylogenetic and functional diversity indices. The best-fit models explained variable proportions of diversity indices between species groups and ecoregions and consistently retained annual temperature and precipitation averages and seasonality and human footprint as the strongest predictors. Compared to the species-poor xeric northern and eastern Kenya regions, the predictors had weak associations with diversity variances in the species-rich mesic western and central Kenya regions, similar to focal species groups compared to ordinal classifications and the combined species pool. These findings illustrate that climate and human footprint interplay determine multiple facets of terrestrial mammal diversity patterns in Kenya. Accordingly, curbing human activities degrading long-term climatic regimes is vital to ensuring the ecological integrity of terrestrial mammal communities and should be integrated into biodiversity management frameworks. For a holistic representation of critical conservation areas, biodiversity managements should also prioritize terrestrial mammal phylogenetic and functional attributes besides species richness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Unique database of 1005 lesser weever stings on a beach in the summer of 2014. • The 0.3% of bathers stung shows a more common problem than reported by the literature. • Ecological factors explained 45.5% of the variability of lesser weever stings. • An empirical model provides precautionary advice to minimise the risk for beachgoers. Abstract Many marine species, including anemones, snails, jellyfish, coral and fish, are venomous to humans, causing serious injuries or even death. Most of these animals live in warm, shallow waters, which increase the chances of an encounter with them. The majority of these interactions with humans are accidental; however, it is not well known under which circumstances (if any) these encounters are more likely to happen. A smart-city initiative was launched for A Lanzada beach (NW Spain) in the summer of 2014. As part of this initiative, lifeguards collated data on all incidents occurring on the beach, including the stings of Echiichthys vipera , the lesser weever. Additionally, a number of environmental parameters were monitored. Using this unique information, statistical models were developed to evaluate under which environmental conditions beach users would be more prone to be stung by lesser weevers. The optimal model showed that stings were more likely at the southern end of this 2.7 km long beach, pointing to differences in sediment composition along the beach as a key factor. Moreover, warmer seawater and higher air temperature increased the chances of being stung. Furthermore, stings increased at low tide and decreased under strong meridional wind conditions. Finally, the number of stings increased with beach occupation up to a levelling-off point. These outcomes suggest that a combination of fish behaviour and favourable climate conditions for beachgoers increases the chances of suffering an accidental encounter with E. vipera. Our results, based on basic environmental information, constitute a simple tool that could be used to provide precautionary advice to beach users to avoid accidental encounters with the lesser weever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical forests are the storehouse of both ecosystem services and biodiversity but the interlinkages between these two components of ecosystems are yet to be fully explored. We utilized expert opinion to assess the key and multiple ecosystem services, and biodiversity in a tropical landscape. We found that key and multiple ecosystem services supply varies across the landscape and that forest disturbances reduce the capacity to supply those ecosystem services. We also found that a spatial congruence is likely to occurs between high-potential biodiversity and high-potential global climate regulation ecosystem service in the intact rainforest areas while a spatial divergence is likely to occurs in the sclerophyll and other disturbed and low tree abundance forested areas. Overall in a tropical forested landscape, a spatial congruence between high-potential multiple ecosystem services supply and high-potential biodiversity values is likely to occurs provided that the multiple ecosystem services are forest-based. Along with conserving relatively intact forests, management intervention priorities should focus on increasing tree abundance both in non-tree vegetated land cover areas and within disturbed forested areas to increase the high-potential multiple ecosystem services supply at the landscape level. A careful selection of multiple ecosystem services is required to integrate both high-potential multiple ecosystem services and high-potential biodiversity in tropical forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is an important driver of changes in land cover in the Mediterranean Basin and it is likely to impact the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ES). The most significant land cover changes occur in the peri-urban zone, but little is known about how these changes affect the ES supply. For eight European and four North African cities, we have quantified changes in peri-urban land cover, for periods of sixteen years (1990–2006) in the Northern African, and twenty-two years (1990–2012) in the European cities, respectively. Using an expert-based method, we derived quantitative estimates of the dynamics in the supply of twenty-seven ES. The nature of land cover changes slightly differed between European and North African Mediterranean cities, but overall it increased in urban areas and decreased in agricultural land. The capacity of the peri-urban areas of Mediterranean cities to supply ES generally reduced over the last 20–30 years. For nine ES the potential supply actually increased for all four North African cities and three out of the eight European cities. Across all cities, the ES timber, wood fuel and religious and spiritual experience increased. Given the expected increase of urban population in the Mediterranean Basin and the current knowledge of ES deficits in urban areas, the overall decrease in ES supply capacity of peri-urban areas is a risk for human well-being in the Mediterranean and poses a serious challenge for the Sustainable Development Goals in the Mediterranean basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many habitat resources fluctuate in availability due to natural environmental variability and anthropogenic influences. These fluctuations pose challenges to organisms attempting to move from one habitat patch to another, and also pose challenges to detecting and managing factors impacting landscape connectivity. Our understanding of these relationships is further hampered by lack of precedence on how to quantify dynamic connectivity. The ephemeral freshwater wetlands of the southern Great Plains of the USA (playas) form a dynamic habitat network that serves as a case study of these challenges and allows us to propose a suite of connectivity metrics to monitor changes in network topology and evaluate the management importance of individual wetlands. We used satellite imagery to examine inundation patterns of >7000 playas in a 29,083 km 2 portion of Texas on 80 dates from 1984 to 2011. Based on historic locations of playa basins, approximately 85% of playas (particularly those ≤10 ha) have lost the capacity to hold water even during regionally wet times, resulting in a ∼69% reduction of surface water area. These losses were associated with proximity to cropland, with total cropland acreage increasing by 0.07–17.34% of county land area during our focal time span in 10 of the 14 counties in our study area. We examined connectivity at wetland and whole-network scales to determine effects of playa losses on network topology and thus on connectivity. We evaluated 11 metrics for this purpose, which quantified the number of wet playas present on each date, their degree of connectedness, their clustering, path redundancy within the network, overall network topology, the importance of individual playas in various roles, and the size of a single playa that would provide equivalent connectivity (amount of reachable habitat) as in the actual network. Topology has thinned over the past three decades with playa losses, reflected in increasing graph density, average path length, degree of connectivity for highly linked hubs, and average number of cutpoints. Similarly, graph diameter is currently less than half of the historic potential maximum, and the equivalent connected area has declined by over 23% since 1984 (and by over 82% relative to historic values). These patterns suggest that path redundancy through the network has declined such that dispersers currently have fewer connectivity options compared to a few decades ago. Relatively high transitivity scores indicate that the playa network is still populated with a large (but diminishing) number of wetlands, and the dwindling surface water present in the remaining playas is not compensating for playa losses over time. Average coalescence distances are currently higher than the dispersal capacity of many organisms, meaning that the playa network is fragmented such that only an extremely vagile disperser (capable of moving at least 18–45 km) would be able to traverse the landscape via the remaining wetlands, even if all were wet simultaneously. These findings illustrate the importance of using multiple indicators in assaying dynamic connectivity and provides a framework of possible metrics to use for monitoring and assessment of any dynamic habitat network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial connectivity has long been recognized as a key process for sustaining healthy ecosystems and robust ecosystem services. However, system-level metrics that capture environmentally significant aspects of connectivity at appropriate temporal and spatial scales have not previously been identified. Using a major industrial harbour adjacent to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef as a test case, we developed a consistent and comprehensive set of connectivity indicators associated with waterborne dispersal that transparently relate to water quality, spread of contaminants, and potential for recruitment of planktonic larvae to nursery habitats. Results indicate all measures of connectivity are variable across management zones and likely to influence water quality and breeding success at these scales. Connectivity indicators also reveal environmental and ecological trade-offs. For example, while reduced flushing of creeks and estuaries may negatively impact local water quality, it can benefit ecological connectivity through more effective upstream transport of larvae to nursery habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water use and agricultural practices in the Mediterranean area are unsustainable. The situation is worsened by the increased frequency of droughts and floods, as well as desertification and soil depletion, associated with climate change. The aim of Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) is to foster an integrated programme of sustainable food production and water provision in the framework of the water-energy-food nexus. A monitoring tool developed under PRIMA is based on the Sustainable Development Goals, two of which are specifically dedicated to food security (SDG 2) and sustainable management of water (SDG 6). The 12 indicators that have been chosen to be monitored in the Mediterranean area are: Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI); population overweight (%); land use (%); GHG emissions (total and AFOLU)(tCO 2e ); cereal yield (kg/ha); agriculture value added (US$/worker); fertilizer consumption (kg/ha arable land ); crop water productivity (kg/m 3 ); annual freshwater withdrawal for agriculture (%); population served using with safely managed water service (rural, %); population served using with safely managed sanitation (rural, %); amount of agricultural residues used for energy purposes (t). Datasets for these indicators are collected by international bodies such as the World Bank, WHO, FAO and UNFCCC; recent series are available for almost all Mediterranean countries and are constantly updated. The aim of the proposed monitoring tool is to keep track of the impact generated in by PRIMA research and innovation projects Mediterranean countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multimetric indices are considered a low-cost and rapid means of assessing ecological integrity in streams. The present study aimed to develop and validate multimetric indices that permit evaluation of reduced impact logging (RIL) effects on the ecological integrity of streams in the Eastern Amazon. We sampled 47 stream sites, 13 of them in reference areas and 11 in conventional logging (CL) areas, which were used to develop indices. The remaining 23 stream sites were sampled in RIL areas and used for validation of the developed indices. In each stream site we measured metrics relating to habitat structure and ecological features of fish assemblages, which were used to develop a habitat integrity index (HII), biotic integrity index (BII), and a general multimeric index (GMI). The values of the indices obtained for the RIL areas were compared and tested both in relation to the values observed in the reference and CL areas, and in relation to temporal gradients (i.e. time since logging) in RIL areas. All developed indices differed between RIL and CL, however only the HII differed between RIL and reference areas. We also detected a decrease in the GMI in recently logged RIL areas compared with streams in older RIL areas. The lack of distinction in GMI and BII indices between reference and RIL areas demonstrates the benefits of RIL practices for fish assemblages compared to conventional logging methods. However, the intermediate values obtained from these indices in RIL areas for all developed indices, the distinction of HII between reference and RIL, and the temporal variation of GMI in RIL areas can be considered as an important warning regards the possible impacts of RIL practices on ecological integrity in Amazonian streams. In summary, the multimetric indices were shown to be good indicators of ecological integrity in Amazonian streams subject to RIL. Even where the deleterious effects of logging are controlled by technical guidelines, indices presented a high sensitivity to anthropogenic disturbance, reinforcing their value as tools to evaluate and monitor ecological integrity of streams in human-modified tropical landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Stream ecosystems can provide important services to city inhabitants and sustain biodiversity. • Urbanization can affect biodiversity, impacting ecosystem services provision. • The influence between urbanization, stream biodiversity and ecosystem services was assessed. • Aquatic biota influence positively the supply of Provisioning and Regulating services. • Conservation of the urban stream ecosystems is crucial for the sustainability of cities. River and stream ecosystems within cities can provide important Ecosystem Services (ES) to urban population along with the maintenance of biodiversity. Increasing urbanization with land use change can affect biodiversity, impacting ES provision, but the relationships between biota and ES are complex and poorly understood. This study aims to explore relationships between aquatic biodiversity (communities' composition and structure), urbanization and ES provided by urban streams. Nine streams were surveyed within a city area (up to 8 km of the city centre) focusing on common biological indicators (i.e., macroinvertebrates and diatoms), as well as several indicators of Provisioning (N = 7), Regulation (N = 14) and Cultural (N = 23) services for this type of ecosystem. Urban stream sampling sites were also assessed in terms of their urbanization degree, according to the surrounding imperviousness area (IMD). Pearson correlations showed trends of negative relationships between IMD and both Provisioning and Regulating services. Yet, urbanization effects on the biota seemed to be mitigated due to enhanced hidromorphological site features. The community structure and composition of invertebrates and diatoms was differently associated to ES (BIOENV analysis). Whereas macroinvertebrate communities related specifically with Provisioning and Regulating indicators, the diatom responded just to regulating indicators. Overall, this study showed that aquatic biodiversity is linkable with ES provided by urban streams, and such relationship depends on specific ES indicators mainly for Provisioning and Regulating services. Additionally, macroinvertebrate communities can be used as a suitable indicator for the potential of streams in supplying Provisioning and Regulating ecosystem services. This shows that their indicator value goes beyond their known potential as indicators of structural and functional integrity of river ecosystems. These results also reinforce the need to protect nature associated to running water ecosystems in urbanized areas, as they provide green and blue solutions for the sustainability of cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across the country, degradation of freshwater wetlands has prompted a need for science-based methods for assessing and monitoring wetland condition. Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) is an assessment that measures the health of an ecosystem. FQA is based on resilience values called Coefficients of Conservatism (C-values), preassigned to each plant species. The method has proven to signal human disturbance in most wetland types, but is understudied in forested wetlands. We compared FQA scores and Ecological Integrity Assessment (EIA) scores (Level 2) of 11 red maple − Sphagnum basin swamps (RMSBS) of New Hampshire and 12 red maple swamps (RMS) of southern Maine to test the hypothesis that FQA signals human disturbance in forested wetlands. EIA did not distinguish RMSMS from RMS, however Mean C, Cover Weighted Mean C (wC), and FQI did. In RMSBS, wC showed the strongest positive correlation with EIA scores. In RMS, Mean C showed the strongest positive correlation with EIA scores. For all sites combined, wC and Mean C were significantly correlated with EIA scores. Meaningful relationships were not observed between FQI or wFQI and EIA scores. The results indicate that Mean C and wC offer a reliable metrics for the evaluation of forested wetlands in northern New England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological indicators that evaluate the status and trends of mammalian apex predators are necessary for monitoring the ecological integrity of landscapes. Several nation-wide spatial indicators that describe the status of apex predators after habitat transformation have been developed for México. These spatial indicators show the condition of the remnant natural landscape for maintaining the complexity of predator-prey interactions and habitat selection and use. The indicators were obtained using the concept of ecological integrity, that characterize the landscape based upon manifest and latent variables of naturalness, stability and self-organization, according with the measures of spatial distribution of species and natural habitat. When the current status is evaluated for individual species of apex predators, all species showed less than 50% of their distribution areas with a high degree of ecological integrity. Neotropical predators (such as jaguars and ocelots) are more threatened by the transformation of natural habitat, than their counterparts in Nearctic regions (e.g., bears, cougars, bobcats, and coyotes), which showed nonetheless, a high amount of their distribution areas with a high proportion of degraded habitat. The indicators allowed evaluating the status of still extant top predators in the landscape and their habitat condition within major ecoregions in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]