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Extreme weather events are likely to increase in the coming decades which may have severe consequences on biodiversity. As conservation funding is limited, identifying priority areas for conservation of species prone to climatic impacts may improve the benefit of conservation investments. As part of its Biodiversity Action Plan, China is carrying out an initiative to evaluate new threats from climatic impacts by 2030 in Priority Areas for Biodiversity Conservation (PABCs). Focusing on floods, which are exhibiting an increasing trend in recent decades in the country, we generated information for such an initiative. We investigated contemporary flood exposure and species internal refugia for all amphibians, birds, and mammals within the 32 terrestrial PABCs of China. Amphibians comprised the greatest number of species at significant flood exposure followed by mammals and birds (~ 90%, ~ 81%, ~ 52% of the total species richness in the country, respectively). However, availability of flood-free internal refugia > 10% and ≤ 25% was found for ~ 15% mammals, ~ 29% birds and ~ 1% amphibians. Large areas within PABCs are highly exposed to floods. Species in these areas possessing traits that contribute sensitivity and low adaptability to flood disturbance are the ones expected to face negative delayed effects from past exposure, or to possess less resilience to future impacts, including human activities. In the face of multiple threats we call for implementation of cost-effective strategies that strengthen ongoing conservation actions in flood-prone areas and refugia (e.g., landscape connectivity, habitat restoration, afforestation) to better assist in the allocation of limited resources for protecting vulnerable species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is our ninth annual horizon scan to identify emerging issues that we believe could affect global biological diversity, natural capital and ecosystem services, and conservation efforts. Our diverse and international team, with expertise in horizon scanning, science communication, as well as conservation science, practice, and policy, reviewed 117 potential issues. We identified the 15 that may have the greatest positive or negative effects but are not yet well recognised by the global conservation community. Themes among these topics include new mechanisms driving the emergence and geographic expansion of diseases, innovative biotechnologies, reassessments of global change, and the development of strategic infrastructure to facilitate global economic priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

We present the results of our eighth annual horizon scan of emerging issues likely to affect global biological diversity, the environment, and conservation efforts in the future. The potential effects of these novel issues might not yet be fully recognized or understood by the global conservation community, and the issues can be regarded as both opportunities and risks. A diverse international team with collective expertise in horizon scanning, science communication, and conservation research, practice, and policy reviewed 100 potential issues and identified 15 that qualified as emerging, with potential substantial global effects. These issues include new developments in energy storage and fuel production, sand extraction, potential solutions to combat coral bleaching and invasive marine species, and blockchain technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]