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Although protected areas (PAs) are designed to safeguard natural ecosystems from anthropic modifications, many PAs worldwide are subjected to numerous human-induced impacts. We evaluated whether the establishment of PAs in the Upper Paraná River floodplain region could reduce anthropic landscape changes and whether there is a difference in protection when using different PA restriction categories. We analyzed the overall landscape dynamics using 30 years of land-use time series data and evaluated the change intensity via a partial land-use intensity analysis. Despite the increasing landscape anthropization, the PAs seemed to relieve the general change process, protecting natural areas mainly from agricultural expansion. Concerning the degree of use restriction, more restricted protection led to less human-induced changes. Finally, accessing PA effectiveness is a multidisciplinary challenge for researchers; however, this knowledge is crucial to avoid misunderstandings or poorly crafted public policies or decisions that may harm the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintenance operations in regulated rivers are often implemented as preventive measure to maintain wide, smooth channels and to limit the risk of flooding. By clearing vegetation, removing roots and lowering sediment bar elevation, these works can recreate pioneer habitats and related plant communities. Using a before‐after‐control‐impact design with monitoring of riparian vegetation over 10 years, we evaluated the effects of fluvial maintenance works on plant richness and composition in an island complex located in a Nature Reserve along the Middle Loire River. Our results showed that artificial rejuvenation operations had a significant short‐term negative effect on richness. However, in the few years following the work, the riparian communities established on the rejuvenated island became more diverse, with a large proportion of annual plants, contributing to the increased species pool of the Nature Reserve. In addition, we found that temporal changes in species richness were strongly influenced by hydrological conditions, with a peak in biodiversity observed during prolonged summer low water. This highlights the importance of considering flow variations to more accurately assess the ecological benefit of restoration operations on riparian vegetation. Overall, as successional stages were more advanced at the island complex scale, fluvial maintenance works have allowed the recreation of sandy pioneer habitats exposed to flooding. These habitats have promoted the establishment of species‐rich communities without favoring the installation of invasive alien species. From this view, the maintenance works have increased the mosaic of habitats within the Nature Reserve and have restored environmental conditions favorable to early‐successional species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Action at local scales is needed to reduce documented declines in global biodiversity. Agricultural land constitutes 6.8% of the surface area of Canada, including more than 20 million hectares of grazing pasture alone, providing habitat to many species at risk of extinction. In Canada, where a voluntary stewardship approach is the main strategy for species at risk conservation on privately owned and managed lands, the challenge is to create conservation programs that maximize participation. We reviewed research on voluntary conservation programs on agricultural lands from five Canadian provinces to understand which approaches were most effective in maximizing participation. The objective of this paper is to contribute to policy development for conservation on private lands in Canada. We highlight common themes from all five regions. Key findings include the value of establishing a local delivery agent for the program, and the importance of designing the program to be in alignment with existing agricultural operations. Private landowners may build trust with local program managers, and are more open to making subtle adjustments to their land management rather than major changes. We conclude with eight recommendations to support the development of high impact species at risk stewardship programs on agricultural lands in Canada. Key Messages: The use of a local program delivery agency that engages in meaningful, long‐term stakeholder engagement and collaboration builds trust and encourages participation.Land managers appreciate flexible and collaborative program design that aligns with current agricultural land management.Stable, long‐term organizational funding and strong financial incentives for land managers are key. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ideal aim of rewilding is to restore natural processes to create ‘selfwilled’ ecosystems involving the creation of large areas of habitat subject to stochastic disturbance, connected by favorable corridors for species to disperse along. Reversion of arable farmland to grassland and scrub habitats on Black Bourn Valley nature reserve in Suffolk (south-east England) through non-intervention allowed succession to occur largely unmanaged. Fields in the early stages of rewilding (4–14 years) are found at Black Bourn Valley, while pond creation has been extensive since 2010, creating water edge habitat and heterogeneity to the re-establishing grassland. Monitoring of Orthoptera revealed statistical evidence that species diversity/richness and field grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus (Thunberg, 1815), meadow grasshopper Pseudochorthippus parallelus (Zetterstedt, 1821), common groundhopper Tetrix undulata (Sowerby, 1806) and slender groundhopper Tetrix subulata (Linnaeus, 1758) were in higher abundance in fields ≥8 years since arable cropping ceased compared to those 4 years post reversion. Fields ≥8 years old were probably favorable due to the presence of microhabitats for basking and egg-laying orthopterans that included ant hills, sparsely vegetated pond edge and open swards with an abundance of fine-leaved grasses (Agrostis and Festuca spp.) and a low abundance of leaf litter. Lagomorph grazing by wild brown hare Lepus europaeus and rabbit Oryctoloagus cuniculus was critical in maintaining exposed soil for Orthoptera in the older fields, while deer paths appeared to create microhabitats that may be utilized by Orthoptera. We postulate that rewilding schemes on arable farmland should use a Rewilding Max approach and avoid the frequent usage of domestic livestock, relying on wild lagomorph and ungulate grazers to maintain an open mosaic habitat structure with only intermittent cattle, horse, or sheep grazing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Altillanura is a unique ecosystem within the Colombian Llanos, characterized by well-drained savannas and extensive riparian forests. The Altillanura harbors a rich assemblage of species, largely understudied and currently under threat by large-scale and unplanned agribusiness. Moreover, the number of public protected areas in the Colombian Llanos, particularly in the Altillanura, is insufficient to conserve the threatened habitats and species. Therefore, conservation efforts by private reserves are crucial for the protection of the region's biodiversity. Here we present the first species list of the Tomogrande, a private nature reserve and scientific research field station in the municipality of Santa Rosalía, Vichada, Colombia. After ten years of ongoing research, we have recorded 299 species of plants, 189 species of birds, and 47 species of mammals. Compared to other private nature reserves in Vichada and the Tuparro National Park, the largest protected area in the region, Tomogrande makes a substantial contribution to the conservation of all three taxonomic groups. We advocate that better landscape planning and sustainable practices should become mandatory in the Altillanura to protect its biodiversity and the livelihoods of all stakeholders that inhabit this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using socioecological concepts and within a historical biodiversity conservation context, this research study reviews the main interactions between human communities and protected natural areas (PNAs) to describe their different stages over time and assess the implications arising from climate change. The review suggests that both society and governments have raised awareness and interest regarding the importance of biodiversity conservation. The interactions of human communities in these areas have had different effects on biodiversity use, management, and conservation. Local communities have historically developed traditional uses of natural resources that allow them to remain over time and conserve them. Thus, the interest in PNAs as a conservation instrument has increased worldwide. Regarding climate change, this study found evidence indicating that PNAs may act as buffer barriers to prevent biodiversity loss and mitigate the impacts of extreme events; nevertheless, a great variation can be expected. The magnitude of the impacts on human communities, levels of vulnerability, and resilience capacity of PNAs facing climate change (CC) rely on many factors, such as location, extent, composition, management, and ecology of a given protected area. Therefore, the new scenarios that CC may bring are challenging current systematic conservation planning and traditional management methods of the natural resources that are vital for people. Finally, the authors suggest that society is increasingly aware of PNAs as one of the best tools humans have to prevent biodiversity loss, and potentially buffer the effects of CC. These increases in social awareness of biodiversity conservation importance and PNAs are gratifying and spread optimism about the future that next generations may face. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's mangroves provide important habitat for many endangered fish species, but, there has been little research upon the diversity and the distribution of fish species within mangroves habitats. To compile an inventory of fish fauna in this field, a total of 14 ichthyological surveys were conducted in Zhanjiang Mangrove during different seasons between August 2016 and December 2019. A total of 208 fish species have identified belonging to 18 orders, 69 families and 142 genera from Zhanjiang Mangroves National Nature Reserve, the largest mangrove habitat in China. Of these 17 species are listed as threatened species in the IUCN Red List. Our research indicates that nonnative species, overfishing, and pollution from aquaculture have severely threatened the fish biodiversity of the mangrove habitat in Zhanjiang. To better protect native biodiversity and fisheries, specific measures and management strategies should be adopted and enforced. This study recommends management approaches to better protect, sustain and manage fisheries and fish biodiversity in Zhanjiang mangrove habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private conservation lands are essential for protecting biodiversity, but few national‐level studies have assessed their coverage and the legal frameworks that support them. Here, we review the legal mechanisms enabling conservation on private lands in Brazil and evaluate these lands' potential to reinforce the national protected area system. We found that conserving native vegetation on private lands is the most important mechanism to protect biodiversity in five out of the six Brazilian biomes. Because Brazil has a law that mandates landowners to set aside conservation areas, remnants of native vegetation were protected rather than converted to other land uses in areas of old economic frontiers. These remnants can be the cornerstones of effective regional conservation systems. Still, upgrading these remnants to privately protected areas and integrating these privately protected areas into the national protected area system remains a challenge. We suggest that the Brazilian experience provides important lessons on how other countries can design innovative policies to recognize and expand private land conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We investigate how the interplay between culture and policy incentives affects farmers' biodiversity conservation behavior. • We exploit a unique natural experiment with farmers of two distinct cultures under the same agri-environmental policy reform. • We are able to causally identify the interaction of culture and agri-environmental policy. • We find systematic behavioral differences in biodiversity conservation between farmers from the two cultures. • The culture-driven differences in biodiversity conservation decreased when monetary incentives increased. Farmers' behavior towards sustainable agricultural production is key to reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture and conserving biodiversity. We investigate the causal effect of culture on pro-environmental behaviors of farmers, and how policy instruments interact with culture to influence behavior. We exploit a unique natural experiment in Switzerland, which consists of two parts. First, there is an inner-Swiss cultural border between German- and French-speaking farmers who share the same natural environment, economy, and institutions, but differ culturally in their norms and values. Second, we exploit the effects of an agri-environmental policy reform that increased the monetary incentives to enroll land into biodiversity conservation. Using a spatial difference-in-discontinuities design and panel census data of all Swiss farms between 2010 and 2017, we show the following findings: Before the reform, farmers on the French-speaking side of the cultural border systematically enrolled less land into biodiversity conservation, compared to the German-speaking side. With increased monetary incentives following the policy reform in 2014, the French-speaking farmers enrolled relatively more additional land than the German-speaking farmers, shrinking the discontinuity. These findings indicate that while there exist cultural differences in pro-environmental behaviors, increased monetary incentives can reduce the importance of cultural differences. We discuss the implications for policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preserving ecosystems of high ecological integrity is a crucial target in Biodiversity Strategies, also serving the 10 % target of strict land protection in the European Union (EU). We recommend roadless mapping to delineate wilderness and monitor progress against loss in natural areas. We mapped Greece's roadless land and assessed its ecological attributes. It accounted for 6.1 % of Greece and comprised 451 roadless sites of size over 1 km2: 389 roadless areas and 62 fully roadless islands. Roadless sites occurred in mountains and islands, were undeveloped (no artificial land), undisturbed (no major pressures, <1 % agricultural activity, low Human Influence Index), and natural (>99 % of natural and seminatural vegetation cover, 68 % of their extent in the Natura 2000 network). They also lay in a wilderness continuum of low landscape fragmentation index. Most roadless sites (302) were larger than 10 km2. Larger roadless areas occurred more in higher mountains and steeper terrains, had a lower Human Influence Index and a better Natura 2000 coverage. Roadless sites demonstrated a buffering capacity against naturalness loss and fires (2.5 times lower percentage of burnt land than the national average) but were vulnerable to Renewable Energy Sources deployment, particularly wind farms (33 % of roadless areas might be affected). In support of a roadless policy we suggest using roadless sites to delimit the strictly protected zones in the EU (and Greece), to map primary-old-growth forests, and pinpoint new candidate protected areas. We strongly recommend revisiting the REPowerEU plan to define roadless sites as non-go-to areas for relevant infrastructure deployments. [Display omitted] • Roadlessness is a shortcut to wilderness. • Roadless sites cover 6.1 % of Greece and occur mainly in mountains and islands. • They buffer naturalness loss and fires but are threatened by renewables deployment. • Delimitation of roadless sites as non-go-to areas for renewables infrastructures • Roadless areas should be strictly protected under the EU Biodiversity Strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Criteria and indicators for location of Natura 2000 are presented. • Connectivity of Natura 2000 spaces is essential for their conservation. • Improvement of connectivity of protected areas is assessed with MSPA and PC indices. • Assessment of connectivity is necessary for management and conservation of Natura 2000 Network. The aim of the Natura 2000 Network is to ensure the conservation of habitats and species in their natural areas of distribution. Connectivity is an essential part of this conservation. For this purpose, a value map of importance for biodiversity (V.I.B) was generated proposing 4 levels of protection and overlapped with the Natura 2000 network. New boundaries for the zoning are proposed adding 1.600.000 ha. Two connectivity indices (MSPA and PC) are calculated in the 4 different scenarios. With these indices it is possible to know the number of existing nuclei and connectors in each of the scenarios. New boundaries cover more areas of interest for biodiversity as well as zones of great importance in relation to connectivity. We propose a uniform method that can be extrapolated to any European territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing climate mitigation while meeting global electrification goals will require major transitions from fossil-fuel dependence to large-scale renewable energy deployment. However, renewables require significant land assets per unit energy and could come at high cost to ecosystems, creating potential conflicts between global climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. Here, we explore the potential biodiversity implications of alternative future global electrification pathways as depicted under the Shared Socioeconomic Scenarios (SSPs), i.e., alternative trends in societal development. We examined the intersection of high-resolution estimates of global energy densities for ten renewable and conventional technologies with global richness data to estimate technology-specific biodiversity footprints (species per GWh), whereas a Cumulative Biodiversity Impact (CBI) score was used to assess land and biodiversity outcomes of alternative scenarios. Downscaled electricity generation scenarios (2020−2100) were also constrained by alternative land conservation and energy development policies. Unexpectedly, variation among SSPs did not exhibit a clear tradeoff between global climate mitigation and CBI. Rather, CBIs were an outcome of total infrastructure development to meet electricity demand (from population growth and GDP) and the total magnitude of renewable energy development and storage technologies. Renewables assembled along a spectrum from land sharing to sparing. At the land sharing end, biomass-powered electricity from dedicated crops contributed the most to biodiversity impacts due to low energy density, whereas land-sparing technologies (solar) caused more-intense land degradation, but in smaller areas. Our results suggest that local land conservation practices and strategies promoting energy diversification could have greater implications for future biodiversity conflicts than global socioeconomic drivers. • Energy transitions for climate mitigation may incur tradeoffs with biodiversity. • Alternative electrification and land conservation scenarios were assessed. • SSP 5 (high energy) had highest biodiversity impact whereas SSP 3 had lowest. • Highest impacts from large biomass, solar, wind, and hydropower expansion • Land conservation policy more important to conservation than global socioeconomics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minimising the environmental impacts of biofuel production is an urgent global challenge. Over the next decade, increased demand for sugarcane-based ethanol in Brazil could result in over one million hectares of the nation's native forest and grassland being replaced directly by sugarcane or indirectly by displaced crops and pastureland. Here we integrate future ethanol demand scenarios in Brazil within a spatially-explicit planning framework aimed at minimising impacts of ethanol-driven agricultural expansion on aboveground carbon stocks and 453 species of immediate conservation concern. We show that ethanol-driven agricultural expansion that is blind to carbon and biodiversity values would release 44.9 million tonnes of CO 2 equivalent (MtCO 2 eq), and would impact habitat for at least 273 species. When compared to this conservation-blind scenario, agricultural expansion that avoids carbon and biodiversity values would reduce emissions by 87% (5.8 MtCO 2 eq) and would avoid impacts on habitat for 113 species. These findings are immediately relevant to policy makers seeking to guide ethanol-driven land-use change away from important environmental areas in Brazil. Our planning methodology can also be extended to other natural areas at risk of bioenergy-driven agricultural expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]