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The Critically Endangered Cantor's giant softshell turtle Pelochelys cantorii is a freshwater turtle found in South and Southeast Asia. Its population is declining because of habitat destruction and alteration, and hunting for its meat. Data on the species' ecology, behaviour, population size, distribution and threats are limited, and previous surveys undertaken in India have failed to detect individuals in the wild. This lack of data hinders strategic conservation planning. Ecologists and conservationists increasingly utilize local ecological knowledge to determine the status and gain insights into the ecology of threatened and rare species that are difficult to detect in field studies. To examine the historical and current occurrence of Cantor's giant softshell turtle, we conducted community interviews along the Chandragiri River in Kerala, India. With data from these interviews, we identified multiple sites where the species continues to occur. Older respondents and those that used the river for fishing and irrigation were more likely to report sightings of the species. Our findings also improved knowledge about the turtles' seasonal and diel activity patterns. A network of key informants identified through the interviews provided information on turtle bycatch, sightings and nesting. This network is being utilized for the continued monitoring of the species and could help in devising evidence-based management strategies for softshell turtles in India. These methods can also be adopted more widely for other threatened species of freshwater turtles globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accumulation of soluble and cell‐wall bound UV‐absorbing compounds (i.e., flavonoids) in the epidermis and the mesophyll of leaves is a response of plants to UV exposure. These compounds are known to function in UV screening, but they are also of potential value for food quality. One way to non‐destructively monitor UV screening in leaves is by optical methods, from which UVA‐PAM and Dualex instruments stand out. The degree and rapidity to which plants can modulate UV screening in response to fluctuating solar UV conditions is poorly understood. In this study, okra plants were exposed to two solar radiation treatments (near‐ambient UV [+UV] and attenuated UV [−UV]) and the epidermal UV transmittance (TUV; UVA‐PAM) and flavonoid index (Dualex) were measured in the youngest and second youngest mature leaves over three consecutive days and within an individual day. The day‐to‐day (measured near solar noon) and diurnal (over the course of a day) measurements of leaf optical properties indicated that TUV decreased and flavonoid index increased in the adaxial epidermis ~50% until 15:00 CDT then returned close to morning values later in the day. Correlations between UV‐B radiation and TUV and flavonoid index revealed highest values 30 min to 1 h prior to the measurements. These findings indicate that plants can respond quickly to fluctuating solar UV conditions and underlines the importance of the harvest‐time point for health‐promoting compounds in fruit and vegetables. Our findings also indicate that the UVA‐PAM and the Dualex instruments are both suitable instruments to monitor rapid changes in UV screening in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Critically Endangered western long-beaked echidna Zaglossus bruijnii is believed to be distributed throughout the Vogelkop Peninsula in the Indonesian Province of West Papua, but there had formerly been no confirmed sightings of the species since the 1980s. We aimed to establish whether the species survives in this area. Fieldwork was carried out during January–April 2018 in Tambrauw Regency in the north and Teluk Bintuni Regency in the south. Fieldwork involved informal interviews with people, identified through chain referral sampling, who were knowledgeable about local animals and plants. Interviewees were asked about their knowledge of the western long-beaked echidna and if they had encountered them locally. Thirteen interviewees were familiar with the species and we were able to confirm informant records of one individual in Tambrauw Regency and three in Teluk Bintuni Regency. Measurements of the three individual echidnas in Teluk Bintuni Regency corroborated previous descriptions of the species. Interviewees described how echidnas are often seen in the forests around villages, especially during the wet season during January–April, when their foraging signs are easy to distinguish from those of other animals. These four records of the western long-beaked echidna are the first confirmed sightings since the 1980s. They suggest the species persists on the Vogelkop Peninsula, and anecdotal information from the interviewees suggests the species remains common. Nevertheless, detailed systematic surveys are required before any assertion about the status of this species can be made with confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: climate change; ecosystems; human health; Montreal Protocol; stratospheric ozone; sustainability; ultraviolet radiation; UV-B EN climate change ecosystems human health Montreal Protocol stratospheric ozone sustainability ultraviolet radiation UV-B 5681 5683 3 10/19/21 20211115 NES 211115 The Montreal Protocol and its Amendments have been highly effective in protecting the stratospheric ozone layer, preventing global increases in solar ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B; 280-315 nm) at Earth's surface, and reducing global warming. Climate change, ecosystems, human health, Montreal Protocol, stratospheric ozone, sustainability, ultraviolet radiation, UV-B. [Extracted from the article]

These field studies sought to understand the ecological role of UV radiation in influencing plants growing in naturally high UV, alpine environments. Initially, the research in his lab examined the detrimental effects of increased UV-B radiation exposure on photosynthesis and growth (e.g., Dickson & Caldwell, 1978; Sisson & Caldwell, 1976). Soon after his dissertation research was published, Martyn compiled a number of plant UV responses to produce a "generalized" plant action spectrum (Caldwell, 1971) that, for many years, would serve as the standard biological UV spectral weighting function (BSWF) used in plant UV research. [Extracted from the article]

Attempts to link human development and biodiversity conservation goals remain a constant feature of policy and practice related to protected areas (PAs). Underlying these approaches are narratives that simplify assumptions, shaping how interventions are designed and implemented. We examine evidence for five key narratives: 1) conservation is pro-poor; 2) poverty reduction benefits conservation; 3) compensation neutralises costs of conservation; 4) local participation is good for conservation; 5) secure tenure rights for local communities support effective conservation. Through a mixed-method synthesis combining a review of 100 peer-reviewed papers and 25 expert interviews, we examined if and how each narrative is supported or countered by the evidence. The first three narratives are particularly problematic. PAs can reduce material poverty, but exclusion brings substantial local costs to wellbeing, often felt by the poorest. Poverty reduction will not inevitably deliver on conservation goals and trade-offs are common. Compensation (for damage due to human wildlife conflict, or for opportunity costs), is rarely sufficient or commensurate with costs to wellbeing and experienced injustices. There is more support for narratives 4 and 5 on participation and secure tenure rights, highlighting the importance of redistributing power towards Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in successful conservation. In light of the proposed expansion of PAs under the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, we outline implications of our review for the enhancement and implementation of global targets in order to proactively integrate social equity into conservation and the accountability of conservation actors., Competing Interests: Research ethics statementEthical approval was granted by the Departmental Research Ethics Committee of University College London’s Anthropology Department.Consent for publication statementThe authors declare that research participants’ informed consent to publication of findings – including photos, videos and any personal or identifiable information – was secured prior to publication.Conflicts of interest statementThe co-author Elisa Morgera is an Editorial Board Member of this journal the article is published in, UCL Open: Environment, and the article went through the journals standard open peer review processes – all open peer review reports can be read freely online by following the DOI link of this article https://doi.org/10.14324/111.444/ucloe.000050. All other authors declare no conflicts of interest.The co-author Elisa Morgera is an Editorial Board Member of this journal the article is published in, UCL Open: Environment, and the article went through the journals standard open peer review processes – all open peer review reports can be read freely online by following the DOI link of this article https://doi.org/10.14324/111.444/ucloe.000050. All other authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2022 The Authors.)