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Genetic diversity and population structure can have important implications for the management of threatened species. This is particularly true for small, isolated populations that have experienced significant declines or population bottlenecks. The Norfolk Island green parrot Cyanoramphus cookii is an endangered species at risk of inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity due to its restricted range and the population bottlenecks experienced in recent decades. To assess the severity of inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity in the population we analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for 157 unique genetic samples collected from nestlings and randomly captured adult birds between 2015 and 2022. We also assessed the population for genetic structure, calculated sex ratios, and looked for evidence of past population bottlenecks. Our analysis revealed that 17.83% of individuals sampled were highly inbred (F > 0.125), although expected heterozygosity (HE) did not significantly differ from observed heterozygosity (HO) and the average inbreeding coefficient was low. The estimated effective population size (Ne) was 43.8 and we found no evidence of genetic structure. Demographic simulations provided support for scenarios including multiple population bottlenecks, when compared to those with a single population bottleneck or no past bottlenecks. We discuss the implications of our findings for the future management of the species including any potential attempt to establish an insurance population via translocation. Our study highlights the importance of considering population genetics when determining appropriate management actions for threatened species and the need to assess non-model species on an individual basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable information on population size is fundamental to the management of threatened species. For wild species, mark-recapture methods are a cornerstone of abundance estimation. Here, we show the first application of the close-kin mark-recapture (CKMR) method to a terrestrial species of high conservation value; the Christmas Island flying-fox (CIFF). The CIFF is the island's last remaining native terrestrial mammal and was recently listed as critically endangered. CKMR is a powerful tool for estimating the demographic parameters central to CIFF management and circumvents the complications arising from the species' cryptic nature, mobility, and difficult-to-survey habitat. To this end, we used genetic data from 450 CIFFs captured between 2015 and 2019 to detect kin pairs. We implemented a novel CKMR model that estimates sex-specific abundance, trend, and mortality and accommodates observations from the kin-pair distribution of male reproductive skew and mate persistence. CKMR estimated CIFF total adult female abundance to be approximately 2050 individuals (95% CI (950, 4300)). We showed that on average only 23% of the adult male population contributed to annual reproduction and strong evidence for between-year mate fidelity, an observation not previously quantified for a Pteropus species in the wild. Critically, our population estimates provide the most robust understanding of the status of this critically endangered population, informing immediate and future conservation initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected area (PA) networks have in the past been constructed to include all major habitats, but have often been developed through consideration of only a few indicator taxa or across restricted areas, and rarely account for global climate change. Systematic conservation planning (SCP) aims to improve the efficiency of biodiversity conservation, particularly when addressing internationally agreed protection targets. We apply SCP in Great Britain (GB) using the widest taxonomic coverage to date (4,447 species), compare spatial prioritisation results across 18 taxa and use projected future (2080) distributions to assess the potential impact of climate change on PA network effectiveness. Priority conservation areas were similar among multiple taxa, despite considerable differences in spatial species richness patterns; thus systematic prioritisations based on indicator taxa for which data are widely available are still useful for conservation planning. We found that increasing the number of protected hectads by 2% (to reach the 2020 17% Aichi target) could have a disproportionate positive effect on species protected, with an increase of up to 17% for some taxa. The PA network in GB currently under-represents priority species but, if the potential future distributions under climate change are realised, the proportion of species distributions protected by the current PA network may increase, because many PAs are in northern and higher altitude areas. Optimal locations for new PAs are particularly concentrated in southern and upland areas of GB. This application of SCP shows how a small addition to an existing PA network could have disproportionate benefits for species conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Climate change is a severe threat to biodiversity. Areas with a high variety of microclimates may provide opportunities for species to persist in a changing climate. Objectives: Test the extent to which microclimate is an important determinant of the distribution of a widespread upland passerine, the meadow pipit Anthus pratensis, and whether microclimate becomes an increasingly important determinant of distribution towards the warm edge of the species' range. Methods: We used models of the occurrence of meadow pipits based on data from an extensive survey to identify macroclimate and topographic associations, the latter as proxies of microclimate. We assessed magnitude and direction of the effects of microclimate and whether the magnitude of microclimate effects increases as macroclimate suitability declines. Results: The probability of meadow pipit occurrence is significantly correlated with macroclimate and microclimate. Microclimate accounts for about a third of the variation in occupancy probability and has a stronger effect than macroclimate at all three spatial scales considered. Elevation and topographical wetness index are positively correlated with meadow pipit occurrence, while insolation is negatively correlated. Elevation and macroclimate suitability show a positive interaction, while insolation and macroclimate suitability show a negative interaction. Conclusions: Microclimate substantially influences the distribution of the meadow pipit. For high latitude and upland species such as this, suitable areas on cool slopes could form the focus for conservation protection, as these areas are likely to become increasingly utilised and may remain the only locations occupied in otherwise unsuitable climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Land-use change and habitat fragmentation are well known drivers of biodiversity declines. In forest birds, it has been proposed that landscape change can cause increased predation pressure that leads to population declines or community change. Predation can also have non-lethal effects on prey, such as creating 'landscapes of fear'. However, few studies have simultaneously investigated the relative contribution of regional land-use and local management to creating 'landscapes of fear'. Objectives: To quantify the relative contribution of regional land-use and local management to the 'landscape of fear' in agricultural landscapes. Methods: Bioacoustic recorders were used to quantify Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes alarm call rates in 32 naturally replicated broadleaf woodlands located in heterogeneous agricultural landscapes. Results: Alarm call rates (the probability of an alarm per 10 min of audio) were positively correlated with the amount of agricultural land (arable or pasture) within 500 m of a woodland (effect size of 1) and were higher when livestock were present inside a woodland (effect size of 0.78). The amount of woodland and urban land cover in the landscape also had positive but weak effects on alarm call rates. Woodlands with gamebird management had fewer alarm calls (effect size of − 0.79). Conclusions: We found that measures of both regional land-use and local management contributed to the 'landscape of fear' in agricultural landscapes. To reduce the impact of anthropogenic activities on 'fear' levels (an otherwise natural ecological process), land-managers should consider limiting livestock presence in woodlands and creating traditional 'buffer strips' (small areas of non-farmed land) at the interface between woodland edges and agricultural fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracting sediment cores for palaeoecological and archaeological investigations has occurred extensively across England since the early 20th century. Surprisingly, there has been comparatively little collation of these valuable publications and potential sources of data; for example, a search on the European Pollen Database (1st Aug 2014 edition) found just 118 core sites for the whole of Great Britain. Here, using a combination of systematic meta-searching and knowledge of the unpublished ('grey') literature, we have assembled a meta-database of some 763 sediment cores for palaeoecological records, documented across 273 scientific studies. The majority of these (>90 %) were sediment cores upon which pollen analyses had been performed, but other types of evidence, such as plant macrofossil and faunal records were also identified. We are making this meta-database publicly available, in the hope that it will assist further investigations into Holocene vegetation history, palaeoecology, geoarchaeology and environmental change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microclimate has been known to drive variation in the distribution and abundance of insects for some time. Until recently however, quantification of microclimatic effects has been limited by computing constraints and the availability of fine-scale biological data. Here, we tested fine-scale patterns of persistence/extinction in butterflies and moths against two computed indices of microclimate derived from Digital Elevation Models: a summer solar index, representing fine-scale variation in temperature, and a topographic wetness index, representing fine-scale variation in moisture availability. We found evidence of microclimate effects on persistence in each of four 20 × 20 km British landscapes selected for study (the Brecks, the Broads, Dartmoor, and Exmoor). Broadly, local extinctions occurred more frequently in areas with higher minimum or maximum solar radiation input, while responses to wetness varied with landscape context. This negative response to solar radiation is consistent with a response to climatic warming, wherein grid squares with particularly high minimum or maximum insolation values provided an increasingly adverse microclimate as the climate warmed. The variable response to wetness in different landscapes may have reflected spatially variable trends in precipitation. We suggest that locations in the landscape featuring cooler minimum and/or maximum temperatures could act as refugia from climatic warming, and may therefore have a valuable role in adapting conservation to climatic change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of ecological networks could help reverse the effects of habitat fragmentation on woodland biodiversity in temperate agricultural landscapes. However, efforts to create networks need to be underpinned by clear evidence of the relative efficacy of local (e.g. improving or expanding existing habitat patches) versus landscape-scale actions (e.g. creating new habitat or corridors in the landscape matrix). Using cluster analyses we synthesised the findings of 104 studies, published between 1990 and 2013 focusing on the responses of woodland vascular plant, vertebrate, cryptogam and invertebrate species to local and landscape variables. Species responses (richness, diversity, occurrence) were strongly influenced by patch area, patch characteristics (e.g. stand structure) and isolation (e.g. distance between habitat patches). Patch characteristics were of overriding importance for all species groups, especially cryptogams. Many studies recording significant species responses to patch characteristics did not record significant responses to patch area and vice versa, suggesting that patch area may sometimes act as a surrogate for patch characteristics (i.e. larger patches being of 'better quality'). Ecological continuity was important for vascular plants, but assessed in only a few vertebrate and invertebrate studies. Matrix structure (e.g. presence of corridors) was important for vertebrates, but rarely assessed for other species groups. Actions to develop ecological networks should focus on enhancing the quality and/or size of existing habitat patches and reducing isolation between patches. However, given that very few studies have assessed all local and landscape variables together, further information on the relative impacts of different attributes of ecological networks in temperate agricultural landscapes is urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although good general principles for climate change adaptation in conservation have been developed, it is proving a challenge to translate them into more detailed recommendations for action. To improve our understanding of what adaptation might involve in practice, we investigated how the managers of conservation areas in eastern England are considering climate change. We used a written questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to collect information from managers of a range of different conservation areas. Topics investigated include the impacts of climate change perceived to be of the greatest importance; adaptation goals being set; management actions being carried out to achieve these goals; sources of information used; and perceived barriers to taking action. We identified major themes and issues that were apparent across the sites studied. Specifically, we found ways in which adaptation had been informed by past experience; different strategies relating to whether to accept or resist change; approaches for coping with more variable conditions; ways of taking a large-scale approach and managing sites as networks; some practical examples of aspects of adaptive management; and examples of the role that other sectors can play in both constraining and increasing a conservation area's capacity to adapt. We discuss the relevance of these findings to the growing discussion in conservation about identifying adaptation pathways for different conservation areas and a potential progression from a focus on resilience and incremental change to embracing 'transformation.' Though adaptation will be place-specific, we believe these findings provide useful lessons for future action in both England and other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of adaptation actions in local conservation management is a new and complex task with multiple facets, influenced by factors differing from site to site. A transdisciplinary perspective is therefore required to identify and implement effective solutions. To address this, the International Conference on Managing Protected Areas under Climate Change brought together international scientists, conservation managers, and decision-makers to discuss current experiences with local adaptation of conservation management. This paper summarizes the main issues for implementing adaptation that emerged from the conference. These include a series of conclusions and recommendations on monitoring, sensitivity assessment, current and future management practices, and legal and policy aspects. A range of spatial and temporal scales must be considered in the implementation of climate-adapted management. The adaptation process must be area-specific and consider the ecosystem and the social and economic conditions within and beyond protected area boundaries. However, a strategic overview is also needed: management at each site should be informed by conservation priorities and likely impacts of climate change at regional or even wider scales. Acting across these levels will be a long and continuous process, requiring coordination with actors outside the 'traditional' conservation sector. To achieve this, a range of research, communication, and policy/legal actions is required. We identify a series of important actions that need to be taken at different scales to enable managers of protected sites to adapt successfully to a changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response from the authors of the article "A meta-database of Holocene sediment cores for England: missing data" in the 2015 issue is presented.