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Aim: Recent unprecedented efforts to digitise and mobilise biodiversity data have resulted in the generation of 'biodiversity big data', enabling ecological research at scales previously not possible. However, gaps, biases and uncertainties in these data influence analytical outcomes and the validity of scientific research and conservation actions. Here, we estimated tree species inventory completeness globally and identified where future surveys should focus to maximise regional inventories. Location: Global. Methods: We analysed spatial patterns in sampling effort of tree species occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity and Information Facility (GBIF) and estimated global tree species inventory completeness for 100 × 100 km grid cells (sampling units) and ecoregions. We also identified forested areas for future botanical exploration, by examining the spatial overlap between inventory completeness, remaining natural habitat and protected areas and degrees of forest modification by anthropogenic pressure (forest integrity). Results: Spatial patterns in sampling effort and tree species inventory completeness were unevenly distributed around the world. Only 35% of ecoregions and 18% of sampling units can be considered well surveyed, most of which were concentrated in the Global North, including Europe, North America and Australia. Large areas in species‐rich tropical regions, especially in Southeast Asia, remained poorly documented. Moreover, our results showed that many areas with low inventory completeness overlapped with ecoregions retaining less than 50% of natural habitat and protected land area, as well as sampling units with low forest integrity. Main Conclusions: Due to limitations in biodiversity data, simply sampling more will not necessarily lead to increasing knowledge. We illustrated how gaps in these data can be used to improve existing knowledge by identifying priority areas for future surveys. With ongoing anthropogenic impacts and escalating rates of biodiversity loss, limited resources should be allocated to strategically survey regions likely to yield new knowledge and improve biodiversity representativeness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent international agreements have strengthened and expanded commitments to protect and restore native habitats for biodiversity protection ("area‐based biodiversity conservation"). Nevertheless, biodiversity conservation is hindered because how such commitments should be implemented has been strongly debated, which can lead to suboptimal habitat protection decisions. We argue that, despite the debates, there are three essential principles for area‐based biodiversity conservation. These principles are related to habitat geographic coverage, amount, and connectivity. They emerge from evidence that, while large areas of nature are important and must be protected, conservation or restoration of multiple small habitat patches is also critical for global conservation, particularly in regions with high land use. We contend that the many area‐based conservation initiatives expected in the coming decades should follow the principles we identify, regardless of ongoing debates. Considering the importance of biodiversity for maintenance of ecosystem services, we suggest that this would bring widespread societal benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most protected area impact research that uses counterfactuals draws heavily on quantitative methods, data, and knowledge types, making it valuable in producing generalizations but limited in temporal scope, historical detail, and habitat diversity and coverage of ecosystem services. We devised a methodological pluralistic approach, which supports social science qualitative methods, narratives, mixed methods, and interdisciplinarity, to fully unlock the potential of counterfactuals in ensuring a place‐based and detailed understanding of the socioecological context and impacts of protected areas. We applied this approach to derive possible counterfactual conditions for the impact of a montane protected area on 40 years of vegetation change in the Cape Floristic Region—a global biodiversity hotspot and UNESCO World Heritage Site in South Africa. We incorporated diverse methods, knowledge, and information sources, drawing on before–after protected area comparisons for inside and outside the protected area. A significant increase in shrubland vegetation (17–30%) was observed and attributed primarily to a decline in frequent burning for grazing. This also occurred outside the protected area and was driven by socioeconomic drivers and not by concerns over biodiversity conservation or land degradation. Had the protected area not been established the area would have seen intensification of cultivation and increased road networks, buildings, and water storage in dams. Our approach increased historical temporal coverage of socioecological change and contextualized assumptions around causality. Protected area impact evaluation should reengage in place‐based research that fully incorporates pluralism in methodologies for constructing counterfactuals in a way that builds regional and global understanding from the local level upward. We devised 10 key principles for deriving counterfactuals grounded in methodological pluralism, covering aspects of collaboration, cocreation, inter‐ and transdisciplinarity, diverse values and lived experiences, multiple knowledge types, multiple possible causal mechanisms, social science qualitative methods, perceptions, perspectives, and narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated what students learnt about biodiversity, a broad and multi-dimensional concept, challenging to understand, following a visit to a nature reserve. Acknowledging the individual nature of informal learning, we explore Personal Meaning Maps (PMMs) coupled with semi-structured interviews to investigate learning among 13 scouts aged 13–15 years as they participated in a single guided tour to a nature reserve in Mauritius. PMMs were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Adopting a constructivist approach, biodiversity learning was framed along three lenses, namely, 'ecological literacy', 'biodiversity and society' and 'nature and self', recognising that biodiversity is a socio-scientific concept. Following the visit, there was an increase in ecological literacy through an understanding of the importance of biodiversity, conservation measures and endemic species. Participants retained a species-centred view of biodiversity. Students could better critique biodiversity and society issues and displayed a higher appreciation for nature and the intrinsic value of biodiversity. The visit contributed to an enrichment in biodiversity-related vocabulary especially regarding local endemic and extinct species. Prior knowledge determined vocabulary enrichment but not conceptual additions among individual students. We suggest a wider explo ration of PMMs to investigate prior knowledge and subsequent learning during nature reserve visits which can powerfully enhance biodiversity education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insectivores (Eulypotiphla) are a substantial component of Russian forest ecosystems. The parasites of these animals also form an important part of natural biocenoses and act as one of the factors in the formation of biodiversity. The Mordovia Nature Reserve and National Park "Smolny" are large, forested areas located in the center of European Russia. We studied the helminth fauna of insectivores in these protected areas in 2018–2022. In total, using the method of complete helminthological necropsy, we examined 478 individuals of shrews, moles, and hedgehogs and recorded 34 species of parasitic worms, i.e., 8 trematode, 7 cestode, 1 acanthocephalan, and 18 nematode species. The most diverse helminth fauna was found in Sorex araneus (22 species). The composition of helminths in S. isodon (12), Neomys fodiens (9), Sorex minutus, and Erinaceus roumanicus (8 species each) turned out to be less diverse. The lowest species diversity of helminths was observed in Neomys milleri (3) and Talpae europaea (2 species). Taking into account the newly obtained data, we conducted a review of the helminth diversity in shrews, hedgehogs, and moles in the Middle Volga region. According to our literature data, the helminth fauna of insectivores in this region consists of 52 species, including 14 cestodes, 13 trematodes, 22 nematodes, and 3 acanthocephalans. Most of them belong to the Palearctic faunal complex (36 species). The helminth fauna of insectivores in the studied protected areas was compared with the helminth fauna of micromammals in other areas of the Middle Volga region. Our comparative analysis showed a high and average degree of similarity in the helminth fauna within individual species and genera of Eulipotyphla. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Biodiversity research on mountain ecosystems is mainly focused on vertebrates and vascular plants; therefore, we are still far from understanding the general diversity patterns of mountain insects. In this study, we surveyed and recorded butterflies in a typical subtropical mountain in the Chebaling National Nature Reserve, Guangdong Province, China, through grid-based monitoring across the entire region for two years, and then investigated their taxonomic and phylogenetic diversities. The results show that taxonomic diversity played a considerable role in mediating the effects of environmental changes on stability; stochastic processes are dominant in governing the composition of butterfly assemblages; increasing selective pressure mainly caused by abiotic factors enhanced the heterogeneous selection processes at higher elevations; placement trees could improve the accuracy compared to barcode trees in community phylogenetic analyses. Mountain ecosystems harbor evolutionarily unique and exceptionally rich biodiversity, particularly in insects. In this study, we characterized the diversity, community stability, and assembly mechanisms of butterflies on a subtropical mountain in the Chebaling National Nature Reserve, Guangdong Province, China, using grid-based monitoring across the entire region for two years. The results showed that species richness, abundance, and Faith's phylogenetic diversity decreased with increasing elevation; taxonomic diversity played a considerable role in mediating the effects of environmental changes on stability. Moreover, our results showed that stochastic processes are dominant in governing the assembly of butterfly communities across all elevational gradients, with habitats at an elevation of 416–580 m subjected to the strongest stochastic processes, whereas heterogeneous selection processes displayed stronger effects on the assembly of butterfly communities at 744–908 m, 580–744 m, and 908–1072 m, with abiotic factors inferred as the main driving forces. In addition, significant differences were detected between the barcode tree and the placement tree for the calculated β-NTI values at 416–580 m. Overall, this study provides new insights into the effects of environmental change on the stability and assembly of butterflies in Chebaling, which will be beneficial for biodiversity conservation and policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1997 Tanzania has undertaken a process to identify and declare a network of Nature Forest Reserves (NFRs) with high biodiversity values, from within its existing portfolio of national Forest Reserves, with 16 new NFRs declared since 2015. The current network of 22 gazetted NFRs covered 948,871 hectares in 2023. NFRs now cover a range of Tanzanian habitat types, including all main forest types—wet, seasonal, and dry—as well as wetlands and grasslands. NFRs contain at least 178 of Tanzania's 242 endemic vertebrate species, of which at least 50% are threatened with extinction, and 553 Tanzanian endemic plant taxa (species, subspecies, and varieties), of which at least 50% are threatened. NFRs also support 41 single-site endemic vertebrate species and 76 single-site endemic plant taxa. Time series analysis of management effectiveness tracking tool (METT) data shows that NFR management effectiveness is increasing, especially where donor funds have been available. Improved management and investment have resulted in measurable reductions of some critical threats in NFRs. Still, ongoing challenges remain to fully contain issues of illegal logging, charcoal production, firewood, pole-cutting, illegal hunting and snaring of birds and mammals, fire, wildlife trade, and the unpredictable impacts of climate change. Increased tourism, diversified revenue generation and investment schemes, involving communities in management, and stepping up control measures for remaining threats are all required to create a network of economically self-sustaining NFRs able to conserve critical biodiversity values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The network of nature reserves that has been a centrepiece of Ukraine's environmental policy has been devastated by Russian aggression. Violation of their integrity threatens endemic species and irreplaceable ecosystems; indeed, entire ecosystems have been lost; extensive fires, illegal logging, mechanical damage and chemical contamination of the soil cover are responsible for a critical reduction in forest cover, and degradation of the soil and water conservation and recreational functions of the nature reserve fund. Measures are proposed to make the best of a bad situation at the local level, as well as ways to prevent a bigger ecological catastrophe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Brazilian Caatinga is one of the most diverse, seasonally dry, tropical forests of the world and is threatened by strong land use pressure and poor protection. One way of understanding changes in the soil conditions caused by anthropogenic activities is using the nematode assemblages as potential bioindicators. This study analysed changes in nematode communities in three different types of land use (natural forest-CA, natural area with accumulation of salts-SS, and agricultural growing areas, such as cover crops-CC for cattle and fruit trees-IC) in the Caatinga, in the sub-median region of the São Francisco River Valley (SFRV), Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. We recorded a total of 63 262 nematode individuals, representing 42 genera, belonging to 23 families. Nematode abundance, diversity and maturity indices were highest in the CC and lowest in the SS. Among the nematode trophic groups, bacterivores, omnivores + predators and plant parasites were significantly affected by type of land use. Different soil properties were related to the differences in taxonomic composition among the natural and agricultural areas, accounting for 26.6% of the total variation. In general, our results indicate that soil salinisation and desertification in the natural areas, as well as soils subjected to cover crops and fruit tree production, significantly influenced the composition of nematode communities in the São Francisco River Valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postsecondary science faculty face challenges in balancing the engagement of undergraduates and concomitantly ensuring they gain and retain knowledge, either in standard lectures or labs as well as in outdoor activities. Designing on-campus trails with interpretive signs may provide a unique avenue to inform students across majors of local biodiversity and tie in concepts related to ecology, organismal biology, and conservation. In this article, we evaluate the efficacy of course-specific interpretive signs deployed around a small on-campus natural area to engage first-year students. We assessed students' overall engagement level and retention of information conveyed across specific signs via a student-guided nature walk where students examined signs and answered both a pre- and post-activity survey, rated their favorite sign, and provided a short reflection on this outdoor activity. Students' responses indicated that they retained general information on specific signs, most notably regarding reptiles and what types of mammals are found around campus. Overall, students rated this activity as engaging, with 87.7% combined agreeing or strongly agreeing that signs helped them learn about the biodiversity and ecosystems on campus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We develop a unique dataset of 3 SDG indicators at district level in Lao PDR. • We find a positive correlation between poverty and stunting in 2005 and in 2015. • We find a negative correlation between these indicators and natural areas. • There are no significant relations between changes in indicators over time. • Variations between districts highlight the need for subnational analyses of SDGs. Monitoring the status and evolution of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is typically carried out at the national level. However, significant variation can exist within countries, and this may not be captured by aggregate statistics. Here, we develop a unique dataset representing indicators for three SDGs at a district level for Lao PDR. The indicators comprise prevalence of stunting (SDG 2, Zero hunger), poverty headcount (SDG 1, No Poverty), and share of natural area (SDG 15, Life on land) for two moments in time: 2005 and 2015. In both years, we find considerable variation among district-level outcomes for stunting and poverty. We also find that higher stunting and poverty rates are significantly correlated with higher shares of natural land in both years. This is consistent with the common perception of a trade-off between environmental outcomes and socioeconomic wellbeing. The correlation vanishes, however, when we consider changes in poverty, stunting, and natural area over the ten-year study period. This holds as well when we focus on agricultural land instead of natural areas. We observe that most regions show improvements in both stunting and poverty, albeit not always in a statistically significant sense. This points to synergistic development. Similarly, improvements in both indicators are associated with losses in natural areas in all regions, indicating a trade-off. These results suggest that both trade-offs and synergies between SDGs can arise at the district level, but that context and local conditions likely moderate the strength of these interactions. Our results highlight the importance of quantifying and monitoring sustainable development at the detailed subnational level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Translating broad and feasible global priorities into clear space implementation plans at the national level is necessary. • Various benefits can be coordinated simultaneously by combining multiple vulnerability features in prioritization. • The 52.04% region is prioritized in all four scenarios, yielding multiple benefits when protected. • Include more conservation features beyond species diversity to avoid relying solely on it as the criterion. • Grasslands and croplands should be allowed to complement forests in collaborative management measures. To meet the ambitious goals of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, China's spatial implementation plan, which will delineate which areas will be protected, requires clarity at the national level. Prioritizing biodiversity alone, especially when a single species' richness is emphasized, may lead to inadequate conservation strategies, thus making it challenging to meet the requirements of collaborative governance. Here, we provide a spatial conservation prioritization method integrating species, carbon, climate, and anthropogenic vulnerability features. As such, we identified land to prioritize in conservation efforts by constructing different conservation scenarios with different combinations of vulnerability features using Chinese terrestrial ecosystems as an example. We also analyzed the differences in the benefits of different conservation scenarios. The results showed spatial variability in the distribution of land prioritized by the various protection scenarios. The conservation scenario that combined all features best harmonized the benefits and thus avoided an imbalance in conservation caused by an undue focus on one feature. The scenarios covered 73.54% of biodiversity hotspots, 63.17% of vulnerable carbon hotspots, and 80.21% of climate hotspots. We also found that forests had a strong presence in the various configurations of prioritized land, and usually exceeded 50% of the prioritized area. Secondly, cropland accounted for a prominent proportion of prioritized land at approximately 29.72%, and ranked second only to forests. In addition, when accounting for carbon vulnerability as well, the proportion of grasslands in the prioritized land increased by about 3.35 times. This study offers valuable and citable information that may be used to support biodiversity conservation initiatives in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas are crucial for safeguarding biodiversity and mitigating significant threats. However, the effectiveness of protected areas has been debated, particularly regarding their anthropogenic protection's impact on species migration within the current protected area network. To address this issue, we calculated the connectivity between landscape elements (e.g., Core, Patch, and Connector) in China based on the resistance theory, taking the Core with high habitat quality as a source. We found that the landscape connectivity of protected areas in China is 44% of that of the natural habitats (i.e., Core), indicating that the effectiveness of the connected network of protected areas in China requires improvement. Nevertheless, the planning of protected areas in the Yellow River Basin makes landscape connectivity higher than that of natural habitats. In addition, the species abundance in protected areas is lower than that of natural habitats, overall, species abundance increases with habitat quality and landscape connectivity. Our results indicate that the previously protected area planning mainly focused on mammals while overlooking reptiles but reducing landscape connectivity gaps can enhance species abundance. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating landscape connectivity into the effectiveness evaluation system of protected area networks. • The landscape connectivity of protected areas is half that of natural habitat. • Reducing the landscape connectivity gaps can enhance biodiversity. • The previously protected areas planning in China mainly focused on mammals while overlooking reptiles. • An exponential relationship between habitat quality and landscape connectivity in protected areas was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Significant stress reduction correlates with higher biodiversity. • Peri-urban and nature conservation area show faster, greater stress reduction than urban park. • Nature conservation area reduce negative affect but lower positive affect. • Psychological threshold for biodiversity benefits noted, absent in physiological responses. • Genetic preference for biodiversity may remain unaltered by learned experiences. Biodiversity is the essential foundation of ecosystem stability and significantly influences human health. However, the specific impacts of broadly varied biodiversity levels across diverse greenspaces on mental well-being remain unclear. In this randomized controlled trial, immersive virtual reality (VR) auditory-visual simulations, emulating real biodiversity scenarios, were employed to investigate the effect of diverse biodiversity levels on stress and affect. After an induced stress phase, participants (N = 90) were randomly assigned to a ten-minute immersion in one of three settings: urban park, peri -urban park, or nature conservation area. Physiological responses were measured via skin conductance level (SCL) and significant skin conductance responses (nSCR), while psychological responses were evaluated using Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). Additionally, the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS) was employed to evaluate restoration potential. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that immersion in the peri -urban park and nature conservation area was associated with a significantly faster and more substantial decrease in SCL compared to the urban park. nSCR in the nature conservation area remained significantly lower than in the urban park. While immersion in all three natural environments significantly diminished negative affect, the nature conservation scenario was associated with a substantial decline in positive affect and received the lowest rating on the subjective restorativeness. A psychological benefit threshold related to biodiversity was observed, in contrast to the absence of a corresponding physiological threshold. This disparity suggests that an innate genetic affinity for high biodiversity may persists, unaffected by acquired experiences. Our study underscores the stress recovery benefits of high-value ecological environments, thereby fostering an avenue for further investigations into human-ecological health interconnections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We spatially mapped comprehensive human pressure (HP) of China for 2000–2020. • We evaluated HP changes within 1687 nature reserves across four administrative levels. • Low HPs were observed in nature reserves with strict protection levels. • Better management of protected areas is needed in eastern and northeastern China. Protected areas (PAs) are crucial for supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services, but human pressure increasing within PAs, which remain poorly understood, will undermine this. Here, we used the human modification model to map the comprehensive human pressure for China and analyze its changes in nature reserves (NRs, the primary category of PAs in China) during 2000–2020. We found that human pressure within NRs showed decreasing trends with fluctuations, far lower than the whole country. But in eastern and northeastern China, human pressure within NRs has been increasing since 2000. NRs in China can be classified into the national, provincial, prefectural, and county levels, and an individual NR can be further classified into strictly protected core zones, buffer zones allowing limited human use, and experimental zones that examine different land uses. The stricter the management level of the NRs, the lower the human pressure. Our results show substantial progress in China's NRs management, but existing conservation actions are not enough for conservation targets. Strictly conservation areas must be expanded to promote conservation planning and complimented by multi-coordinated regional policy for biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]