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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]

Studies on biological diversity are essential to generate baseline information in natural protected areas. In the present study, we developed a multi-taxonomic inventory in the Sierra del Abra Tanchipa Biosphere Reserve, located northeast of San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Systematic samplings were performed between January 2017 to May 2018, for the taxonomic groups of flora, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. A total of 3 730 records of 683 species were obtained, corresponding to 427 species of flora, 10 of amphibians, 20 of reptiles, 192 of birds, and 34 of mammals, from which 47 species are threatened. The results obtained represent the critical biodiversity that can be found in this natural protected area. The information will be useful for decision-making on the management and conservation of biodiversity in the Sierra Madre Oriental's ecological corridor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recovery of soil spores is a strategy to strengthen in decline or disappeared populations from natural environments. In this work, we analyzed 25 soil samples extracted from a patch of gallery forest in an "albardón" of Punta Lara Reserve, Buenos Aires. The samples were distributed in 50 Petri dishes, 25 exposed to controlled temperature and light and another 25 kept in darkness. To contribute to the identification of gametophytes and sporophytes, spores of the local species were cultured in vitro. In 18 months of trial, the appearance of gametophytes and sporophytes was observed, in a greater proportion those belonging to a dominant species in the community: Doryopteris concolor. Numerous gametophytes and sporophytes from Gastoniella chaerophylla were also obtained, a taxon not found in the "albardón" for two years. The germination index (GI) was estimated and the morphological characteristics of the gametophytes and sporophytes were recorded. This is the first contribution to the knowledge of the spore banks in Argentina, in a protected area where several threats put at risk the survival of native species. The bases to implement methods of ex situ and in situ conservation of native ferns are provided. [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]

Natural protected areas are an important component of sustainability, aimed at preserving a part of the current biodiversity for the future generations. Romania has declared numerous protected areas during the process of joining the European Union, particularly NATURA 2000 sites, but the question is: How effective is the management of sites declared under the pressure of time? In order to answer the question, this study uses data from the competent authorities on the presence of a custodian (with or without a management contract) and of a management plan for each natural protected area. After processing the data to answer each question in a binary manner, the results were mapped and synthesized. Our findings indicate that roughly 50% of the Romanian natural protected areas of benefit upon an effective protection, suggesting that little progress was achieved in the decade succeeding their declaration. Therefore, much hope is placed in the newly created Agency for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Biodiversity responses to land use intensity were investigated at the landscape scale (1 km2 plots). • Bird species richness strongly declined when natural areas covered less than 20% of agricultural areas. Butterfly species richness showed a hump-shaped curve. • Intensively managed permanent grasslands had no positive effect on birds and butterflies. • Biodiversity promotion areas, part of the Swiss Agri-environment scheme, promoted bird and butterfly populations. Abstract Although today there is ample evidence that biodiversity is affected by agricultural land use intensification, little is known about how species respond to different land use intensity gradients at landscape scale. To properly describe the relationship between biodiversity and land use intensity, intensity indicators need to account for land cover, management intensity, and be assessed at landscape scale. The study was conducted in 91 landscapes of 1 km2 in Switzerland. Three different land use intensity indicators were calculated: indicator 1 was defined as the ratio between agricultural and natural area; indicator 2 as the ratio between arable land and permanent grassland; and indicator 3 as the ratio between agricultural area and biodiversity promotion areas (BPA, i.e. wildlife-friendly managed areas under Swiss agri-environment schemes). Species richness and abundance of birds and butterflies were used as biodiversity indicators and trait-based community indices were used to describe bird community changes. Overall, we found that birds were affected by landscape composition and agricultural management, while butterflies were mainly affected by agricultural management. Specifically, from natural (e.g. forest dominated) to agriculture-dominated landscape, bird species richness showed a sharp decrease when 80% or more of the landscape was farmed. Butterfly species richness followed a hump-shaped curve. None of the species groups was significantly correlated with the proportion of arable land versus permanent grassland. Yet species richness of birds and butterflies significantly changed with the proportion of BPA: the lower the proportion of BPA, the lower the observed richness. Finally, when the proportion of agricultural land increased, populations of migratory birds and hedge/tree breeders decreased. We conclude that to further promote farmland biodiversity, natural areas, such as forests, hedges and waterbodies, should cover at least 20% of the agricultural landscapes and the proportion of BPA should be increased. [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]

An ecosystem services-based SWOT analysis is proposed in order to identify and quantify internal and external factors supporting or threatening the conservation effectiveness of protected areas. The proposed approach concerns both the ecological and the social perspective. Strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats were evaluated based on 12 selected environmental and socio-economic indicators for all terrestrial Italian protected areas, belonging to the Natura 2000 network, and for their 5-km buffer area. The indicators, used as criteria within a multi-criteria assessment, include: core area, cost-distance between protected areas, changes in ecosystem services values, intensification of land use, and urbanization. The results were aggregated for three biogeographical regions, Alpine, Continental, and Mediterranean, indicating that Alpine sites have more opportunities and strengths than Continental and Mediterranean sites. The results call attention to where connectivity and land-use changes may have stronger influence on protected areas, in particular, whereas urbanization or intensification of agriculture may hamper conservation goals of protected areas. The proposed SWOT analysis provides helpful information for a multiple scale perspective and for identifying conservation priorities and for defining management strategies to assure biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief research report attempts to introduce a special methodology developed for the environmental analysis of the Black Sea coastal area, part of the spatial plan of the region. The methodology employed GIS to look at biodiversity and threats against it (reflected by biogeographical regions, land cover and use and their changes) and its conservation through natural protected sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild harvesting has taken place over millennia in Africa. However urbanization and cash economies have effectively altered harvesting from being cultural, traditional, and subsistence activities that are part of a rural norm, to being a subculture of commonly illicit activities located primarily within the urban, cash-based, informal economy. This paper focuses on Cape Town, South Africa where high levels of poverty and extensive population growth have led to a rapidly growing informal industry based on the cultural, subsistence, and entrepreneurial harvesting and consumption of products obtained from the local natural environment. Through a process of literature reviews, database analysis, and key informant interviews, a compendium of harvested species was developed, illustrating the breadth of illicit harvesting of products from nature reserves, public open space, and other commonage within the City. The compendium records 448 locally occurring species (198 animals and 250 plants) that are extracted for medicinal, energy, ornamental, sustenance, nursery, and other uses. The sustainability of harvesting is questionable; nearly 70% of all harvested flora and 100% of all collected fauna are either killed or reproductively harmed through the harvesting processes. Furthermore, for the 183 indigenous flora species currently recorded on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, 28% (51) hold assessments ranging from Declining through to Critically Endangered. With respect to the more poorly assessed fauna (46 spp.), approximately 24% (11) have Declining or Threatened status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1993 the Swedish parliament deregulated national forestry policy and established an environmental goal in parallel with the previous, long-standing goal of high wood production. This paper shows how the change occurred in the context of major changes in Swedish environmental policy during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Within a short time, new environmental legislation and the introduction of legal protection for small forest and agricultural habitats of high ecological value reoriented national forestry policy, away from an overriding focus on wood production to an increased awareness of nature conservation and biodiversity preservation. Reflecting a major compromise with the state, forest owners have gained greater freedom to manage their land, but must also improve environmental conditions while achieving high wood production, a policy known as 'freedom under responsibility'. The paper explains how both the parliament and industry supported increased nature conservation and biodiversity to maintain forest health and support the forestry industry, by favouring responsible resource use and not simply protection from human influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of a protected area installs new rules over the use and management of natural resources, modifying how people relate to their environment, as well as the way in which the space is comprehended and constructed. How does this process occur? How does the creation of protected natural areas transform or disrupt territories? The hypothesis that we present in this work is that the creation of protected areas, when it does not include local consensus and negotiation processes, may result in dynamics of deterritorialization, creating what Marc Augé (1993) referred to as non-places. From this perspective, we explain the meagre results both social and environmental of some natural protected areas in Mexico, and propose a vision of conservation focused in places, according to the anthropological connotation of the term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of concrete instances in which conservation and development have been successfully merged has strengthened arguments for strict exclusionist conservation policies. Research has focused more on social cooperation and conflict of different management regimes and less on how these factors actually affect the natural environments they seek to conserve. Consequently, it is still unknown which strategies yield better conservation outcomes? We conducted a meta-analysis of 116 published case studies on common resource management regimes from Africa, south and central America, and southern and Southeast Asia. Using ranked sociodemographic, political, and ecological data, we analyzed the effect of land tenure, population size, social heterogeneity, as well as internally devised resource-management rules and regulations (institutions) on conservation outcome. Although land tenure, population size, and social heterogeneity did not significantly affect conservation outcome, institutions were positively associated with better conservation outcomes. There was also a significant interaction effect between population size and institutions, which implies complex relationships between population size and conservation outcome. Our results suggest that communities managing a common resource can play a significant role in conservation and that institutions lead to management regimes with lower environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationships between humans and nature take multiple forms. This is a fundamental issue in conservation but one that is often neglected, leading to poor conservation outcomes. It is thus imperative that we come to understand better the complex relationships between humans and nature. To do so, we need to examine "nature" and the often assumed dichotomy between humans and nature. We conducted a qualitative social research inquiry to explore the societal relationships with nature in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve in Chile. From the results, we developed a framework that illustrates how different "natures" are created in the three-way relationship among the individual, society, and the physical world. We further discuss the implications of the co-existence of various "natures" in one place. Their explicit consideration bears important potential for improving conservation practice. The framework can then serve as a heuristic tool for uncovering and addressing challenges in other conservation contexts. [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]

There is consensus that payments for biodiversity services are a promising conservation tool, yet the implementation of applied schemes has been lagging behind. This paper explores some reasons why potential biodiversity buyers may hesitate. It describes the case of an unsuccessful attempt to establish a community conservation concession in the village of Setulang (East Kalimantan, Indonesia) to safeguard a biologically valuable area from predatory logging. Potential biodiversity donors did not engage in this payments-for-environmental-services scheme mainly because of their limited time horizon and uneasiness about the conditionality principle. Other complicating factors included overlapping land claims, and the diagnosis of the externality at hand. We conclude that new investment modalities and attitudes are needed if potential biodiversity buyers are to exploit the advantages of this innovative tool. We also provide some tangible recommendations on factors to consider when designing a compensation scheme for conservation at the community level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim With the ever-increasing threats to biodiversity, efforts are being directed towards identifying hotspots of special importance for conservation. In particular, there has been an effort to identify irreplaceable regions that are especially rich in rare species. Areas of transition between ecological systems in which multiple species coincide are expected, almost by definition, to be species-rich. Here, we examine whether this is simply a result of an overlap between two communities in boundary regions, or whether boundary areas also hold concentrations of rare (e.g. range-limited) species. We ask whether an analysis that includes areas of transition may be a useful contribution to the identification of biodiversity centres. Location and methods To address these questions, we examined the relationship between passeriform richness and range size rarity of approximately 2300 bird species in 4889 1° New World grid cells, and the distance of the cells to boundaries between adjacent plant-based ecoregions. Results Areas nearer to boundary regions between ecoregions not only had more bird species, but also scored more highly in terms of species rarity. The range centres of the rarest 10% of species were distributed significantly closer to boundaries between ecoregions than were species in general. This pattern persisted for rarity when we divided the New World into three latitudinal belts and analysed each separately, and when we excluded the Andes. It also persisted when compared with randomly generated ecoregion polygons. Main conclusions The findings of this work suggest that transitional environments harbour many rare species, in addition to high richness. Consequently areas of biotic transition should be highly valued as biodiversity centres and need to be included in future global conservation analyses and decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the practical implications of the biodiversity conservation discourse as cultural policy. It deals with the ways communities, inhabitants and producers living in protected areas can use the biodiversity discourse for the protection of their territory and cultural identity. A comparative analysis is made between the nature reserve of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico, and the extractivist reserve of Chico Mendes in Brasil. In both areas sustainable alternatives and handling programs are being carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive alien species pose a major threat to biodiversity and natural ecosystems globally and negatively affect conservation efforts in protected areas. They can negatively alter biodiversity and ecological regimes and are a financial burden. Because of their negative impacts, it is important to better understand the threat and management of invasive alien species in protected areas (PAs) globally, and to know how these factors have changed over time. We give an update and compare how the threat and management of invasive species has changed in 21 PAs that were analysed as part of the international SCOPE programme on biological invasions in the mid-1980s. Of all the taxa analysed, invasive plants pose the greatest continued threat, and their numbers have increased in 31% of the PAs. Conversely, mammal invasions now represent less of a threat due to effective management in many PAs; 43% of PAs show a decrease in listed invasive alien mammal taxa. Invasions of amphibians, reptiles, and fish have remained stable over the three decades; around half of the PAs show no change for these taxa. Managers of most PAs consider the threat of invasions to be increasing, despite many (55%) PAs having sustained long-term management programmes and 45% having implemented additional ad hoc approaches. We draw on lessons from this analysis to support the future management of biological invasions in conservation areas. In particular, better monitoring and collation of data is needed, followed by increased preventative measures and the promotion of biological control for widespread species. • Invasions and their management were reassessed in 21 protected areas, 30 years after a previous survey as part of the 1980s SCOPE project • Most protected areas assessed are implementing some form of invasive species management, but approaches and inputs differ • Plant invasions are generally worsening and increasing in number, extent and threat over time • The threat of invasion is decreasing for land mammals and is stable for other taxa • Further improvements in monitoring and management of biological invasions in protected areas are needed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial increases in the pace, scale, and effectiveness of conservation will be required to abate the ongoing loss of global biodiversity and simultaneous ecological degradation. Concurrently, the need for conservation to respect inherent human rights, including the rights and title of Indigenous Peoples, is increasingly recognized. Here, we describe the often overlooked role that resurgent Indigenous-led governance could have in driving rapid, socially just increases in conservation. Whereas Indigenous resurgence spans all aspects of governance, we focus on three aspects that highlight both the necessity and nascent potential of supporting resurgent Indigenous-led governance systems as they relate to conservation of lands and seas. Firstly, much of the landscapes and seascapes of conservation interest are within Indigenous territories, so augmenting conservation within them will increasingly not be possible, justified, nor legal without Indigenous consent and partnership. Secondly, resurgent Indigenous governance provides potential for rapidly increasing the spatial coverage of conserved areas. Thirdly, resurgent Indigenous governance provides potential for increased conservation effectiveness. We focus on Canada, a country disproportionately composed of globally significant intact ecosystems and other ecosystems with considerable ecological value, comprised of Indigenous territories, and where Indigenous governments are well-positioned to advance meaningful conservation at a large scale. We discuss broader implications, with Indigenous territories covering large swaths of the globe, including in all five countries (Canada, USA, Australia, Brazil, Russia) whose borders contain the majority of the world's remaining intact landscapes. We offer suggestions for supporting resurgent Indigenous governance to achieve biodiversity conservation that is effective and socially just. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]