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Making timely management decisions is often hindered by uncertainty. Monitoring reduces two key types of uncertainty. First, it serves to reduce structural uncertainty of how the system works and provides support for expectations of how a system works. Second, it serves to reduce parametric uncertainty of the drivers of system dynamics. By combining monitoring data and quantitative models, we can reduce structural and parametric uncertainty. To demonstrate this, we focus on the Shenandoah salamander (Plethodon shenandoah), a United States Federally Endangered Species. Early work suggested that P. shenandoah extinction risk results from competition with a conspecific (Plethodon cinereus). However, more recent work has found equivocal support for this claim, instead suggesting that abiotic factors, such as moisture and temperature, drive P. shenandoah persistence. Using long-term monitoring data, we find that while competition may play a part in P. shenandoah extinction risk, measures of surface moisture are better predictors of occupancy dynamics. Further, we find decreased detection rates of P. shenandoah when P. cinereus is present, suggesting a conflation of detection probability with actual competition, which cautions against making inference from unadjusted observations of occurrence. Using multiple lines of inquiry allows for more robust understanding of system drivers in the face of high uncertainty, increasing opportunities to manage extinction risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary conservation science requires mediating conflicts among nonhuman species, but the grounds for favoring one species over another can be unclear. We examined the premises through which wildlife managers picked sides in an interspecies conflict: seabird conservation in the Gulf of Maine (GOM). Managers in the GOM follow a simple narrative dubbed the gull problem. This narrative assumes Larus gulls are overpopulated and unnatural in the region. In turn, these assumptions make gulls an easy target for culling and lethal control when the birds come into conflict with other seabirds, particularly Sterna terns. Surveying historical, natural historical, and ecological evidence, we found no scientific support for the claim that Larus gulls are overpopulated in the GOM. Claims of overpopulation originated from a historical context in which rising gull populations became a nuisance to humans. Further, we found only limited evidence that anthropogenic subsidies make gulls unnatural in the region, especially when compared with anthropogenic subsidies provided for other seabirds. The risks and consequences of leveraging precarious assumptions include cascading plans to cull additional gull populations, obfuscation of more fundamental environmental threats to seabirds, and the looming paradox of gull conservation—even if one is still inclined to protect terns in the GOM. Our close look at the regional history of a conservation practice thus revealed the importance of not only conservation decisions, but also conservation decision‐making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive plants threaten natural areas, yet Acadia National Park, Maine, USA has been successful in managing invasive plant populations for over three decades. However, rapid environmental change and increasing pressure from encroaching invasive plants may adversely affect the success of ongoing management. This article presents an overview of invasive plant management in Acadia National Park, highlighting lessons learned in over 30 years of active management. Acadia provides a valuable case study for other protected areas, sharing many features with protected areas globally. We offer recommendations for protected area managers in the face of rapid environmental change. Deliberate and continuous management actions by park resource staff starting in the late 1980s and expanding in the mid‐2000s have resulted in extremely low incidence of invasion within Acadia. This success has resulted from effort centred around a science‐based and adaptive approach to management, early detection, and rapid response. Strong partnerships have ensured the continuation of this work. Park staff continue to reduce invasive species populations to <1% cover, monitor managed areas to track treatment success, and re‐treat upon reinvasion. However, total eradication is rare and continued management of new and re‐invasions is expensive and challenging. Maintaining effective invasive plant management is likely to become more difficult as climate change interacts with other stressors in protected areas. Synthesis and applications: Responding to these changes requires articulating desired and realistic future conditions for resources in protected areas, then using actions such as invasive plant removal and native plant revegetation to achieve goals. Long‐term management through a flexible experimental approach is critical to successful invasive plant management. Both Western and Indigenous science are needed to inform responses to the multiple and interacting global change stressors, and management is needed to advance scientific understanding of ecosystem and species responses to change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science is critical for learning and adaptation of policy and governance systems. Increasingly, science is produced in the context of a science enterprise: a complex, polycentric institutional arrangement featuring multiple science forums and actors. The characteristics of these polycentric systems can influence whether and to what extent science supports policy‐relevant learning. Limited research, however, has examined how science enterprises function as polycentric systems and how they can be governed to support learning. Using a survey of actors involved in the science enterprise of the California Delta, we integrate the collective learning framework and ecology of games framework to analyze individual‐ and forum‐level drivers of perceived learning across the adaptive management cycle. The results suggest that social drivers such as leadership, trust, and engagement are most highly correlated with perceived learning. While science enterprise actors often perceive administrative and financial resource limitations, those constraints are less important for learning than social drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Indigenous lands are increasingly recognized for their critical role in biodiversity conservation. However, concerns persist about the sustainability of hunting practices within these territories. This study investigates the long‐term impact of Indigenous hunting practices on wildlife populations in the Cofán territory of Zábalo, Ecuador. We employed line transect surveys to estimate wildlife densities over three periods (2001–2003, 2006–2009, and 2018), focusing on 16 species that are integral to local livelihoods and subject to community management. Our results indicate generally stable or increasing populations for most species, particularly in nonhunted areas, where spatial restrictions are enforced. The Cofán's ability to sustainably manage relations between humans and wildlife is largely attributable to their adaptive management system, which includes species‐specific regulations and spatial zoning, and is realized through community decision‐making, knowledge sharing, and an ethos of care. These findings demonstrate that Indigenous stewardship can effectively sustain biodiversity in complex biocultural systems. The study underscores the importance of integrating Indigenous knowledge with scientific approaches to achieve long‐term conservation goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urgency to restore ecosystems amid climate change and biodiversity loss has led to widespread engagement in habitat restoration projects. However, many projects fall short of their goals, highlighting the need for innovation. We use a case study at our university to explore how the integration of habitat restoration into university curricula might address some of the major challenges to long‐term restoration success. We demonstrate how integration with university activities could help address three key challenges in restoration: insufficient planning and monitoring, limited community engagement, and lack of long‐term funding. Our approach demonstrates how involving students and faculty in restoration projects can enhance adaptive management by including these efforts in science curricula, foster community participation through volunteer engagement, and reduce costs through volunteer efforts and collaboration with campus entities. These findings suggest that universities can play a vital role in advancing ecological restoration, benefiting both society and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Validated predictions of wildlife population density would be very useful for managers of overabundant wildlife and their effects on biodiversity. In this study such predictions were generated by modelling population dynamics of 18 non‐culled populations of Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) across small biodiversity conservation reserves in Canberra. Predictions were validated using three analyses of independent, out‐of‐sample, data from 11 populations which were non‐culled or culled. Association (analysis 1) showed observed and predicted densities were significantly positively correlated (R2 = 0.79, P = 0.045, n = 5) with unbiased slope and y intercept for non‐culled populations, though observed and predicted densities of culled populations were unrelated (R2 = 0.32, P = 0.24, n = 6). Coverage (analysis 2) showed predicted densities were within the 95% confidence interval of observed densities in five of five non‐culled populations and four of six culled populations, with one underestimate and one overestimate in the latter group. Bias (analysis 3) showed the mean bias (=observed – predicted) was 0.18 (±0.23 SE) kangaroos/ha for non‐culled and 0.08 (±0.23 SE) for culled populations. The results have been used to adjust kangaroo management approaches in Canberra as part of adaptive management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Many conservation problems remain intractable because of conflicting views between policymakers, managers, researchers, conservationists and community stakeholders. Novel approaches to resolving these conflicts are required to achieve conservation outcomes that are more broadly acceptable. The conservation and management of K'gari wongari (Fraser Island's Dingoes) is emblematic of such a situation. Here we describe the successful implementation of a novel approach to advancing one such formerly intractable issue – assessing the genetic health and status of the island's Dingoes to resolve latent conflicts and assist protected area managers with their conservation activities. We developed a participatory, independent approach centred on community workshops to identify research priorities, expert workshops to identify appropriate research methods, then the commissioning of independent scientific research to address community priorities in accordance with the experts' suggested methods. The overall aim of the project was to provide managers with robust and policy‐ready information on the genetic health and status of the Dingoes – information that also met community expectations and was widely supported by subject matter experts. The participatory approach of the project achieved this aim and was completed successfully and satisfactorily for all involved despite the occurrence of some expected challenges and necessary compromises. Here we describe the background to the problem, how the project was designed, the key challenges the project faced during implementation, and the key learnings from the exercise, thereby highlighting its innovative features as a participatory conflict resolution process. This process could be applied to advance other conservation problems hampered by conflicting stakeholder views. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas and biological corridors play a crucial role in conserving biodiversity and promoting connectivity between habitat patches. Bhutan, known as a stronghold for tigers (Panthera tigris), has dedicated a significant portion of its land to a network of protected areas and biological corridors. However, these areas face risks from illegal activities, posing challenges for their management. To address this, the Department of Forests & Park Services in Bhutan deployed an adaptive management framework, informed by the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool in 2016 in the Divisional Forest Office, Sarpang, an important corridor area outside of official protected area boundaries. This study analyses 5 years of data (2017–2021) recorded through a monitoring tool to assess changes in ranger activities and on‐ground observations. The results show improved data availability, increased patrol effort, enhanced monitoring of wildlife, and a reduction in threat detection over time. Furthermore, camera trap surveys targeting tigers reveal a potential increase in the number of individual tigers utilizing the corridor since the adoption of the tool and other management actions. These findings highlight the effectiveness of these efforts in a critical wildlife corridor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the link between climatic factors on one hand, such as climate change and low frequency climate oscillation indices, and the occurrence and magnitude of heat waves on the other hand, and given the impact of heat waves on mortality, these climatic factors could provide some predictive skill for mortality. We propose a new model, the Mortality-Duration-Frequency (MDF) relationship, to relate the intensity of an extreme summer mortality event to its duration and frequency. The MDF model takes into account the non-stationarities observed in the mortality data through covariates by integrating information concerning climate change through the time trend and climate variability through climate oscillation indices. The proposed approach was applied to all-cause mortality data from 1983 to 2018 in the metropolitan regions of Quebec and Montreal in eastern Canada. In all cases, models introducing covariates lead to a substantial improvement in the goodness-of-fit in comparison to stationary models without covariates. Climate change signal is more important than climate variability signal in explaining maximum summer mortality. However, climate indices successfully explain a part of the interannual variability in the maximum summer mortality. Overall, the best models are obtained with the time trend and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) used as covariates. No country has yet integrated teleconnection information in their heat-health watch and warning systems or adaptation plans. MDF modeling has the potential to be useful to public health managers for the planning and management of health services. It allows predicting future MDF curves for adaptive management using the values of the covariates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of transboundary aquifers across the Americas faces significant challenges, especially as climate change and population growth intensify groundwater stress. Groundwater use has increased to support domestic, industrial, and agricultural demands but has been extracted through unregulated withdrawals, leading to the severe degradation of aquifer health and transboundary frictions. This study focuses on how hydro-diplomacy can accelerate the adaptive governance of shared groundwater resources in three key regions: Canada–USA, USA–Mexico, and Mexico–Guatemala–Belize. We utilized a mixed methodology by integrating a transect approach, borrowed from ecology, into the field of geopolitics. To compare the hydro-diplomatic relations and groundwater governance across a continental gradient in the Americas, we conducted a literature review and employed the TWINS conflict–cooperation matrix to evaluate governance frameworks and hydro-diplomatic interactions across time. Our findings demonstrate that hydro-diplomacy plays a pivotal role in expediting agreements, fostering transboundary data sharing, and supporting participatory governance models. In particular, the presence of supranational bodies such as the International Joint Commission (IJC) between Canada and the USA has been effective in maintaining long-term collaboration through social learning and technical cooperation. Meanwhile, in regions like Mexico–Guatemala–Belize, the absence of robust institutions has hindered progress, with limited financial and knowledge-sharing networks. This study highlights the need for improved cross-border cooperation mechanisms and the establishment of common monitoring protocols to better manage aquifer resources under the pressures of climate change. The results support the development of more adaptive transboundary groundwater management strategies aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.5.2 and call for broader geopolitical cooperation to address the complexities of groundwater governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct and indirect human disturbances present major challenges to sustainable management of dryland rivers, impacting upon their role as critical lifelines in arid and semiarid regions. This paper presents an overview of changing human–river relations, knowledges and practices in the management of dryland rivers in western India over the last 4500 years. In ancient times, traditional knowledges underpinned local water harvesting techniques that worked with nature. Subsequent imposition of external values and knowledge frameworks in colonial times applied a command‐and‐control ethos that asserted human authority over rivers. Postindependence, development programmes in the second half of the 21st century further accentuated this legacy, with profound implications for river health. Discipline‐bound approaches to river restoration in recent decades have failed to address these concerns. Using the Sabarmati catchment (~20,000 km2) as a case study, we develop a holistic, transdisciplinary approach that integrates traditional place‐based knowledges and practices alongside scientific understandings and the generative potential of Big Data to show how a plural knowledges model can support proactive and precautionary approaches to sustainable river management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring threatened species is essential for understanding their conservation needs and developing effective recovery strategies. However, designing and implementing monitoring programs can be challenging in resource‐constrained environments, where conservation practitioners must balance the need for detailed information with limited resources. We present a case study focusing on the design of a range‐wide monitoring program for the Endangered rufous scrub‐bird (Atrichornis rufescens) in the mountain forests of eastern Australia. We first developed a ‘wish list’ of monitoring questions and then trialed the methods needed for answering them using sequence of pilot studies. We implemented a phased approach comprising (i) a study of whether individuals could be identified by their songs, (ii) identification of a ‘core range’ using species distribution models to refine the search area, and (iii) a trial of the efficacy of a preferred feasible monitoring approach. We offer a practical pathway for designing question‐driven monitoring programs for threatened species. Our study highlights the importance of clarifying explicit monitoring goals and tailoring methods to suit species' ecological and life history characteristics. By following this systematic approach, conservation efforts can obtain valuable information for effective management, even with limited resources and prevailing uncertainty about species ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In India, there are 626 non‐native invasive fish species (NIFS), with 16 becoming invasive in inland waters, adversely impacting native biodiversity, and fisheries by altering the abundance of NIFS in commercial catches. Scientific findings highlight that the movement of NIFS interacts with agricultural activities and the evolving environment, facilitating their spread and establishment. The scenario of NIFS invasion disrupts biological communities, ecosystem services and fisherfolk livelihoods. Despite the implementation of existed guidelines, issues related to NIFS have persisted and escalated over time scale putting increased pressure on indigenous aquatic biological resources in inland waters. This paper suggests the need of framing a new management plans, guidelines and regulatory policies to control NIFS invasions, protecting riverine fish biodiversity and ecosystem services. Proposed management strategies include functional response (FR) and adaptive response (AR)‐based approaches, which are discussed to address NIFS management in inland waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accelerating impact of climate change on golf course conditions has led to a significant increase in pesticide dependency, underscoring the importance of innovative management strategies. The shift from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) to the latest CMIP6 phase has drawn the attention of professionals, including engineers, decision makers, and golf course managers. This study evaluates how climate projections from CMIP6, using Canadian Earth System Models (CanESM2 and CanESM5), impact pesticide application trends on Quebec's golf courses. Through the comparison of temperature and precipitation projections, it was found that a more substantial decline in precipitation is exhibited by CanESM2 compared to CanESM5, while the latter projects higher temperature increases. A comparison between historical and projected pesticide use revealed that, in most scenarios and projected periods, the projected pesticide use was substantially higher, surpassing past usage levels. Additionally, in comparing the two climate change models, CanESM2 consistently projected higher pesticide use across various scenarios and projected periods, except for RCP2.6, which was 27% lower than SSP1-2.6 in the second projected period (PP2). For all commonly used pesticides, the projected usage levels in every projected period, according to climate change models, surpass historical levels. When comparing the two climate models, CanESM5 consistently forecasted greater pesticide use for fungicides, with a difference ranging from 65% to 222%, and for herbicides, with a difference ranging from 114% to 247%, across all projected periods. In contrast, insecticides, growth regulators, and rodenticides displayed higher AAIR values in CanESM2 during PP1 and PP3, showing a difference of 28% to 35.6%. However, CanESM5 again projected higher values in PP2, with a difference of 1.5% to 14%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tonga's Special Management Areas (SMAs) have been widely supported by the people of Tonga as a successful approach to the comanagement of their fisheries and marine resources. However, due to the dominant focus on expansion of the program over recent years, challenges remain for the effective and consistent monitoring and evaluation needed to understand program impacts. This review compiles all known ecological, fisheries, and socio-economic monitoring and evaluation reports related to Tonga's Special Management Areas from 2010 onwards. A total of 25 projects with available reports were identified, with most examining ecological (42%) and socio-economic (42%) aspects of SMAs, whereas reporting on SMA fisheries data (e.g. catch) was limited to five available projects. Most studies also represented 'baseline' ecological and socio-economic surveys of SMAs during implementation. Only three studies have assessed the ecological impact of SMAs post intervention, and only one of these incorporated 'follow-up' surveys at a second time point. Among these, impacts remain mixed, with some SMAs resulting in larger and more abundant fish, but others showing no impact. Other monitoring challenges include no gender disaggregation of data, no monitoring of gleaning, haphazard monitoring by communities, and general concerns of cost, fit for purpose, and overinvestment. Although the limited available ecological data indicates that SMAs can increase fish size and abundance in some cases, rationalised, more efficient, and targeted monitoring is required to better understand and strengthen the functioning of SMAs and inform community and government management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptively managing marine protected areas (MPAs) requires accurately assessing whether established MPAs are achieving their goals of protecting and conserving biomass, especially for harvested populations. Ecological MPA assessments commonly compare inside of the MPA to a reference point outside of and/or before implementation (i.e., calculating "response ratios"). Yet, MPAs are not simple ecological experiments; by design, protected populations interact with those outside, and population dynamic responses can be nonlinear. This complicates assessment interpretations. Here, we used a two‐patch population model to explore how MPA response ratios (outside–inside, before–after, and before–after‐control‐impact [BACI]) for fished populations behave under different conditions, like whether the population is receiving a sustainable larval supply or if it is declining despite protection from harvest. We then conducted a Bayesian evaluation of MPA effects on fish and invertebrate populations based on data collected from 82 published studies on 264 no‐take MPAs worldwide, using the results of an earlier global meta‐analysis as priors. We considered the effects of calculating different summary metrics on these results, drawing on the theoretical insights from our population model as a comparative framework. We demonstrate that not all response ratio comparison types provide the same information: For example, outside–inside and BACI comparisons can fail to detect population decline within MPAs, whereas before–after comparisons likely detect that pattern. Considering these limitations, we nonetheless found that MPAs globally are producing positive outcomes, with on average greater biomass, density, and organism size within their boundaries than reference sites. However, only a small portion of studies (18 of 82) provided the temporal data necessary to determine that protection, on average, has led to increased abundance of populations within MPAs over time. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering the underlying system dynamics when assessing MPA effects. Assuming that large outside–inside or BACI response ratios always reflect large and net positive conservation effects may lead to misleading conclusions, we recommend that: (1) when assessing specific MPA effects, empirical findings be considered alongside theoretical knowledge relevant to that MPA system, and (2) management should respond to the local conditions and outcomes, rather than a blanket expectation for positive MPA effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the purse seine, handline and pole and line catches at PPS (Samudera Fishing Port Kendari) specifically targeting skipjack and yellowfin tuna in the Banda Sea. Although there has been a rise in tuna output over the past two years, the examination of fish size in September until November revealed substantial fluctuation. Additionally, the implementation of the moratorium policy had a detrimental effect. Ensuring the sustainability of fisheries in the Banda Sea, particularly for large pelagic fish like skipjack and yellowfin tuna, necessitates the implementation of adaptive management and selective fishing practices, with a particular focus on enforcing mesh size regulations. The aims of this study were to examine the patterns of tuna fisheries landing at PPS, specifically focusing on the sorts of catches made using purse seine, handline, and pole and line fishing methods. Additionally, the study aimed to assess the length frequency distribution of Thunnus albacares caught using purse seine, handline, and pole and line fishing gear. The methodology offers a thorough framework for evaluating the sustainability of Thunnus albacares fisheries in PPS Kendari. Policymakers can develop effective management plans for long-term resource sustainability by assessing catch composition, productivity, and size distribution across various fishing gears. The analysis of this study conducted in September-November 2023 revealed that the fish catches varied in size, ranging from 13 cmFL to 124 cmFL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of urban systems that allow growth while also maximising ecosystem services is identified as an important priority for creating a Good Anthropocene. An ecosystem service (ES)-based approach to landscape interventions maximises the provision of ESs, and in doing so, repairs and reinforces threatened ecological planetary boundaries. As an urbanising planet, cities are critical frontiers of human interaction with these planetary boundaries, and therefore a critical arena for ES-based intervention. Globally, the predominant pattern of urbanisation is dedensification, an outwardly expanding trend where cities are growing in physical extent at a higher rate than their population growth. We therefore require spatially explicit tools capable of reconciling dedensification and Good Anthropocene visions. We propose a methodology that integrates agroecology and urbanisation and is focussed specifically on the supply of targeted regulating ESs. This 'Agroecology for the City' differs from conventional urban agriculture discourse and its preoccupation with food security. Our research interest is agroecological farm systems' (AFSs) capacity to provide critical life support services in a spatially effective manner to urban systems. Our recent research introduced a new GIS-based model (ESMAX) and a spatial agroecology approach that identified AFS configurations at a 1 ha scale which maximised the supply of three regulating ESs, as well as multifunctional performance across all three ESs combined. In the present research, we apply this process at a larger scale, with 1 ha and 4 ha AFS parcels being integrated with a real-world 200 ha peri-urban residential development. The AFS parcels and built-up areas are configured differently to maximise the supply of ESs identified as critical by the local community. We found that arrangements with AFS parcels interspersed evenly with built-up areas provided the best multifunctionality across the four ESs tested. This supports pathways for a Good Anthropocene that work with the global urbanising reality of dedensification and underpin the need for a hybrid science of rural/urban systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptive forest management gains importance as climate and disturbance regimes continue to change. Norway spruce monocultures are particularly vulnerable to those changes. Thus, there is a strong demand to convert pure spruce stands toward better adapted forest ecosystems. Silver fir has similar wood properties as Norway spruce, but is less vulnerable to droughts. Yet, little is known how to efficiently admix silver fir into Norway spruce monocultures. We analyzed seedling abundance in mature Norway spruce monocultures 1 year after soil scarification and silver fir seeding in a relatively dry region of southern Germany. Our objectives were to study the effect of soil scarification and seeding on regeneration density and to identify drivers of seedling abundance. We collected data on regeneration, forest structure, as well as soil and light conditions at 103 scarified and 25 untreated control plots. We used non-parametric independence tests to compare scarified and untreated plots. Subsequently, we used boosted regression trees to investigate the drivers of seedling abundance. Norway spruce strongly benefited from soil scarification (P  < .001), with seedling numbers even exceeding those of silver fir. Both species thrived in soils with high plant available water capacity. In contrast, seedling numbers were overall negatively affected by light. Moreover, we found a higher density of silver fir regeneration at greater distance from neighboring trees and in soils devoid of carbonate. Our study indicates that water, not light, is the limiting factor for both Norway spruce and silver fir seedlings in the study region. Seeding silver fir will likely be most effective underneath an intact canopy on deep, fine-textured soils without carbonate, while maximizing the distance to Norway spruce trees. In conclusion, silver fir seeding can be optimized to become an effective adaptive measure to diversify Norway spruce monocultures, and thus to create more resistant and resilient forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Indigenous people influenced fire in Australia's deserts for millennia, until colonisation interrupted traditional fire practices. Many groups are reinvigorating those practices to achieve inter-linked biodiversity, cultural, and social benefits. Contemporary fire management integrates modern planning and delivery approaches with cultural process. However, deserts have changed since colonisation (e.g. invasive species, biodiversity loss, climate change) and fire-management outcomes for Country are less certain. Some Indigenous groups are integrating scientific methods into their programs, to examine biodiversity outcomes and refine management. Aims. Karajarri and Ngurrara Traditional Owners wanted to understand how fire affects Kuwi (mammals, reptiles) on their Country, to guide fire management. Karajarri and Ngurrara Rangers worked together on this project, exchanging skills and knowledge with each other, and with scientists. Methods. We established 32 monitoring sites at four locations on Karajarri and Ngurrara Country. We undertook 11 survey trips from 2018 to 2022, gathering data from 81 site visits. Using Landsat satellite imagery we described fire patterns around each site, focussing on seral stage (as defined by Traditional Owners), patch size, and seral diversity at small (500 m), medium (1 km), and large (5 km) spatial scales. Results. There were 378 mammal captures (11 species) and 3392 reptile captures (66 species). Mammal species richness and captures were lowest in Wuntara (recently burnt) and highest in Nyirrinyanu (mature) spinifex. Mammal species richness increased with seral diversity within 1 km around the trapping site. Reptile species richness and captures were unaffected by seral stage. However, many species were caught significantly more often in specific seral stages. Neither reptile richness nor capture rate were related to patch size or seral diversity. Conclusions. Retaining a mix of seral stages can maintain diverse reptile and mammal assemblages. The management challenge will be increasing the extent of mature/long-unburnt spinifex, currently the rarest seral stage. Ranger fire management has already reduced mean fire size by 40–52%, and further reductions are possible. Implications. Our work improves the understanding of fire effects on northern desert fauna, guides management, provides important ecological information from a little-studied region of Australia's deserts, and increases the recognition of Indigenous conservation management of Country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical sheep farming in the Patagonian drylands has led to reduced grass cover, soil erosion, and shrub encroachment, compromising ecosystem function. Effective restoration requires managing shrub cover, bare soil, and patch connectivity through various strategies. This study evaluates rehabilitation interventions in a grass-steppe ecosystem, comparing grazed and ungrazed areas. Over three years, we tested the following: (a) mechanical shrub cutting with biomass redistribution, and (b) enhancing patch connectivity with Pinus spp. branch piles, alongside controls, in eighteen 5 m × 5 m plots invaded by Mulinum spinosum. Half of the plots were fenced to exclude grazing, resulting in six treatment combinations. We monitored soil properties, vegetation cover, and species composition. The treatments explained twice as much of the variation in community composition as the annual climatic variations (0.26 vs. 0.13). Livestock exclusion increased perennial grass cover more than the grazed plots did (2.14 vs. 1.42 times the initial measure). All treatments reduced the amount of bare soil except the grazed controls. Shrub cutting, especially with grazing, increased the lasting litter coverage by 5–10% and decreased the bare soil equivalently. Organic matter increased except in the non-intervened interpatches (0.95 times). The enclosures with cut shrubs trapped erodible particles, showing a 5% increase. Our study highlights that grazing destabilizes communities, while enclosures stabilize them, with interventions improving soil fertility and mitigating erosion.

Abstract Agricultural Heritage Systems (AHS) are pivotal in preserving rich agricultural production experience and traditional culture, as well as in maintaining biodiversity and promoting sustainable development in agriculture and rural economies. However, climate change poses significant threats to these systems, such as ecological degradation, biodiversity loss, and shifts in agricultural production patterns. This study, grounded in theories of information asymmetry and bounded rationality, constructs evolutionary game models for adaptive management of AHS under market mechanisms and government guidance. By employing stability analysis and numerical simulation with Delay Differential Equations (DDE) that consider historical delays, and through sensitivity analysis, this research delves into the strategic evolutionary outcomes of stakeholders under various scenarios. It aims to provide theoretical insights and policy recommendations for the dynamic protection and adaptive management of AHS in the face of climate change. The findings indicate that the public goods nature of AHS, alongside externalities and information asymmetry, leads to market failure. Sole reliance on autonomous actions by farmers and meteorological departments is insufficient for optimal resource allocation and effective protection. Government intervention, through regulatory and incentive measures, can effectively mitigate market failures and steer adaptive management of AHS towards efficiency and sustainability. Moreover, the study identifies key factors for adaptive management, such as enhancing stakeholders’ initial willingness to participate, reducing the costs of adapting to climate change, optimizing cooperative benefit distribution mechanisms, and increasing the profitability of resource cooperation. Sensitivity analysis of government subsidies and penalty mechanisms further reveals the complex and critical role these policy tools play in fostering stakeholder engagement. Based on these findings, the study recommends enhancing initial participation willingness, controlling transformation costs to alleviate economic burdens, optimizing benefit distribution mechanisms to boost cooperative resource profitability, and establishing dynamic subsidy and penalty mechanisms for optimal resource allocation. The theoretical and practical contributions of this research lie in applying theories of information asymmetry and bounded rationality to the adaptive management of AHS under climate change, enriching the theoretical framework in this field, and providing scientific decision-making support for policymakers. By demonstrating an effective path for AHS protection through combined government and market mechanisms in the context of global climate change, this research holds significant theoretical and practical implications for enhancing the efficiency of adaptive management of AHS, protecting, and inheriting valuable agricultural cultural heritage.

Conservation monitoring is paramount for the gathering of information on species and populations in need of conservation actions. However, monitoring of the mountain bongo Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci, a Critically Endangered antelope endemic to Kenya, has hitherto been limited to surveillance (i.e. focused on persistence of the species in particular areas), thus limiting the information that could be retrieved on the status and trends of these populations. Using a newly developed identification system, we implemented robust design mark–recapture using existing camera-trap records of four wild subpopulations of the bongo. We provide data on sex and age structure and the first estimates of population size in the wild. Males and calves seem to be suffering higher mortality than females, and only two of the four monitored populations include adults of both sexes and calves. The combined size of these two breeding populations is estimated to be 29–50. Our findings confirm the critical situation of the mountain bongo in the wild and highlight the need for conservation actions to reinforce the wild populations for the long-term conservation of this antelope.

Uncertainty, complexity, and dynamic changes present challenges for conservation and natural resource management. Evidence-based approaches grounded in reliable information and rigorous analysis can enhance the navigation of the uncertainties and trade-offs inherent in conservation problems. This study highlights the importance of collaborative efforts and evidence-based decision-making, specifically implementing the Resilience-Experimentalist school of adaptive management (RE-ARM), which emphasizes stakeholder involvement, shared understanding, and experimentation. Our goal was to develop an adaptive management framework to reduce the uncertainty around the use of prescribed fire to manage the habitat for eastern black rails (Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis) and mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula) in saltmarshes of the Gulf of Mexico. Supported by discussions at a series of workshops, we used a value of information analysis to select a fire management hypothesis to test, developed an influence diagram to represent the system under fire management, used the influence diagram to develop a Bayesian decision network (BDN), and conducted a power analysis to guide management experiments and monitoring. Value of information analysis identified fire return interval as the critical uncertainty. Our BDN provided valuable insight into how managers believe prescribed fire influences vegetation characteristics and how vegetation influences both eastern black rail occupancy and mottled duck abundance. The results of the power analysis indicated that a standard occupancy modeling framework was more useful to compare 2- and 5-year fire return intervals for black rails than two alternative designs (removal and conditional). Our BDN can be used to predict the probability of achieving the desirable vegetative response to increase the occupancy probability of black rails and abundance of mottled ducks, and monitoring data can be used to update the BDN (learn) and improve best management practices for prescribed burns (adapt). Linking the value of information, BDNs, and power analysis enhances our understanding of the system, improves management decision-making, and builds trust among scientists, interested parties, and decision-makers. This approach lays the groundwork for knowledge co-production and adaptive management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In the era of digital transformation, businesses must innovate and adapt to sustain a competitive edge. This dynamic environment compels a reevaluation of traditional management practices, highlighting the need for highly flexible systems. Flexibility, defined as the ability to adapt organizational resources, processes, and strategies in response to environmental changes such as rapid technological advancements, is crucial. Our systematic review of 47 studies investigates how digital transformation influences performance measurement systems across various industries and global contexts. We found that digital transformation fosters the dynamism and adaptability of these systems. This study integrates strategic, organizational, and information systems flexibility concepts that are essential for effective adaptation and resilience. Our findings underscore the shifts towards decision-making agility, inclusivity, and sustainability, stressing the significant role of human resources in adapting to digital imperatives. We advocate for a comprehensive approach that fosters digital literacy, upholds ethical standards, promotes continuous skill development, and enhances strategic adaptability. Practical implications suggest integrating digital technologies into performance strategies, utilizing real-time metrics for agile decision-making and emphasizing ethical and sustainable practices to improve transparency and stakeholder trust. These strategies are crucial for optimizing performance in the digital age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical sheep farming in the Patagonian drylands has led to reduced grass cover, soil erosion, and shrub encroachment, compromising ecosystem function. Effective restoration requires managing shrub cover, bare soil, and patch connectivity through various strategies. This study evaluates rehabilitation interventions in a grass-steppe ecosystem, comparing grazed and ungrazed areas. Over three years, we tested the following: (a) mechanical shrub cutting with biomass redistribution, and (b) enhancing patch connectivity with Pinus spp. branch piles, alongside controls, in eighteen 5 m × 5 m plots invaded by Mulinum spinosum. Half of the plots were fenced to exclude grazing, resulting in six treatment combinations. We monitored soil properties, vegetation cover, and species composition. The treatments explained twice as much of the variation in community composition as the annual climatic variations (0.26 vs. 0.13). Livestock exclusion increased perennial grass cover more than the grazed plots did (2.14 vs. 1.42 times the initial measure). All treatments reduced the amount of bare soil except the grazed controls. Shrub cutting, especially with grazing, increased the lasting litter coverage by 5–10% and decreased the bare soil equivalently. Organic matter increased except in the non-intervened interpatches (0.95 times). The enclosures with cut shrubs trapped erodible particles, showing a 5% increase. Our study highlights that grazing destabilizes communities, while enclosures stabilize them, with interventions improving soil fertility and mitigating erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptive management in arid and semi-arid regions of Patagonia, Argentina, requires a thorough understanding of vegetative dynamics, which can be obtained via rangeland assessment and monitoring. These practices are essential for decision-making to prevent environmental degradation, especially in the light of drought aggravated by climate change. In turn, most methods used to evaluate rangelands focus on data obtained from field measurements and vegetation classifications based on remote sensing data. One of the most frequent problems is that field-based rangeland assessments, based on field measurements, turn out to be expensive because they require high efforts in data collection and additionally fail to accumulate a large amount of data over time. However, satellite data series have been available for more than 20 years, which nowadays makes it possible to analyze the variation over time of vegetation productivity, and at the same time, minimize the costs. This study aimed to compare and evaluate the complementarity of information between two classification systems based on: (a) vegetation productivity dynamics derived from remote sensing data, which we have termed Rangeland Functional Archetypes, and (b) geomorphological features and field data at a farm level. We discuss the complementarity of information that can enhance rangeland assessments applied to Patagonian pastoral systems. In particular, we emphasize the opportunities to redesign management plans aimed at including dynamics and changes in time of vegetation productivity as a classificatory factor and not solely as a descriptive variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In areas where science is quite incomplete, such as in the deployment and use of new environmental water reserves, it might be reasonable to expect that managers will be learning 'on the job' or 'learning by doing' as they seek to apply best available science to decision making. Similarly, it might be expected that the public would have some empathy for the challenges facing environmental managers with incomplete data on which to base decisions. However, there is also a contrasting body of literature that shows the preferences of the public and voters for certainty in outcomes. This article reviews the status of adaptive management in the context of using water to bolster environmental outcomes. We also report the results of a discrete choice experiment where respondents were asked to assign a value to adaptive management undertaken by water managers. The article reports the difficulties of developing an attribute along these lines and the challenges of encouraging the public to engage with the concept and place a value on it. This provides a platform for considering what this means more generally for environmental interventions and the acceptance of environmental policies where ecological outcomes are frequently uncertain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the development of a sustainable tourism management model in Lampung Province, Indonesia, emphasizing stakeholder participation, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The research utilizes an exploratory qualitative approach to identify and reconstruct an adaptive co-management model that enables stakeholders to share responsibilities and learn collaboratively within the tourism sector. The study's findings offer insights into the importance of adaptive participation and provide a foundation for future policy and practice in sustainable tourism management. The outcome involves redesigning adaptive co-management models, emphasizing a continuous process that allows stakeholders to collaboratively assume responsibilities within a framework where they can pursue their objectives, identify shared interests, gain insights from their institutions and methods, and adjust them for future iterations. At the same time, similar to adaptive management, the emphasis remains on experiential learning, recognizing the variety of knowledge systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban green infrastructure (UGI) is pivotal in reconciling biodiversity conservation with sustainable urban development through adaptive management approaches. This paper introduces a comprehensive conceptual framework integrating ecological principles, urban planning strategies, and adaptive management methodologies to nurture resilient and biodiverse urban landscapes. The essence of UGI lies in its capacity to bolster ecological connectivity, restore ecosystem functions, and provide habitats for diverse flora and fauna within urban settings. Fundamental principles governing UGI design underscore its multifunctionality, connectivity, diversity, and accessibility, emphasizing the importance of adaptive management marked by its iterative and participatory nature. Despite challenges posed by urbanization, such as habitat loss, pollution, and climate change, UGI interventions offer promising avenues for enhancing habitat quality, connectivity, and ecosystem resilience. Global case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of UGI in biodiversity conservation, leveraging initiatives like green roofs, urban forests, and community gardens. UGI significantly contributes to sustainable urban development by offering diverse ecosystem services across various domains. Adaptive management is critical for effective UGI planning and implementation, ensuring flexibility amidst evolving environmental conditions. However, UGI encounters hurdles, including funding constraints, institutional fragmentation, and equity issues. Addressing these challenges necessitates innovative financing mechanisms, community involvement, and policy innovations. UGI presents a transformative pathway towards fostering resilient, biodiverse, and sustainable urban landscapes, imperative for cities to thrive in the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rangeland assessment in the arid and semi-arid regions of Patagonia, Argentina, is a key tool both in livestock management and in environmental evaluations and monitoring of complex processes such as desertification and the impact of climate change. Although most rangeland assessment methods have assigned efforts to data resolution (field assessment plots) or information extension (landscape-scale classifications using remote sensing), the temporal variation of the vegetation has received less attention. It can be argued that the reasons for this deficit respond to the cost of carrying out field evaluations over time and/or to the short series of satellite data available until a couple of decades ago. However, a current advantage is that there are already more than 20 years of satellite data series, which opens up new possibilities to guide greater efforts in the study of the dynamics, that is, the temporal and spatiotemporal variability of the vegetation productivity. Our objective was to evaluate the application of a vegetation functional classification method, analyzing the complementation of information between structural and functional aspects of rangelands at a farm scale. In particular, we compared the results obtained by a classification of landscape units and physiognomy of vegetation and the results of a classification with a characterization of the dynamics of the vegetation productivity from the protocol that we have called Rangeland Functional Archetypes. The results emphasize the need to incorporate the dynamics of vegetation productivity as a classifying factor and not as a dependent variable of a previously defined structural classification. We discuss the potential and future steps to move forward in the integration of both approaches at the farm scale in the livestock systems of Patagonia, as a tool for a complementary structural and functional assessment of rangelands, oriented towards planning and adaptive management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing expansion of wolf (Canis lupus) populations in Europe has led to a growing demand for up‐to‐date abundance estimates. Non‐invasive genetic sampling (NGS) is now widely used to monitor wolves, as it allows individual identification and abundance estimation without physically capturing individuals. However, NGS is resource‐intensive, partly due to the elusive behaviour and wide distribution of wolves, as well as the cost of DNA analyses. Optimisation of sampling strategies is therefore a requirement for the long‐term sustainability of wolf monitoring programs. Using data from the 2020–2021 Italian Alpine wolf monitoring, we investigate how (i) reducing the number of samples genotyped, (ii) reducing the number of transects, and (iii) reducing the number of repetitions of each search transect impacted spatial capture‐recapture population size estimates. Our study revealed that a 25% reduction in the number of transects or, alternatively, a 50% reduction in the maximum number of repetitions yielded abundance estimates comparable to those obtained using the entire dataset. These modifications would result in a 2046 km reduction in total transect length and 19,628 km reduction in total distance searched. Further reducing the number of transects resulted in up to 15% lower and up to 17% less precise abundance estimates. Reducing only the number of genotyped samples led to higher (5%) and less precise (20%) abundance estimates. Randomly subsampling genotyped samples reduced the number of detections per individual, whereas subsampling search transects resulted in a less pronounced decrease in both the total number of detections and individuals detected. Our work shows how it is possible to optimise wolf monitoring by reducing search effort while maintaining the quality of abundance estimates, by adopting a modelling framework that uses a first survey dataset. We further provide general guidelines on how to optimise sampling effort when using spatial capture‐recapture in large‐scale monitoring programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is an attempt to characterize the significance of different micro-habitats in the context of habitat quality, complex food-web within and surrounding environs of the Asan Conservation reserve wetland in outer Himalayan tract. The unceasing nutrient-rich water flow supports vegetation growth and the occurrence of biological elements at different trophic levels of the food chain supply. A mix of swamp-marsh, shallow and deep water, floating, and terrestrial vegetation make it a good environmental setup to meet various life-cycle needs of the migratory and resident birds. Four dominant biotic groups: primary producers and consumers at different trophic levels such as butterflies, amphibians, and birds were studied. We used two-season IRS LISS IV satellite data of 2016 for characterizing the micro-habitat of the wetland. The analyses of water quality for pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, and total soil organic content indicates that these are within permissible limits for the survival of larvae, prey, and predators species to complete their lifecycle. The unique ecological setup formed by the permanent source of flowing and stagnant water, natural and semi-natural vegetation, the mosaic of tree-grassland-marsh-swamp land, seasonal crops, prey species, etc. and the presence of peripheral vegetation are some of the ecological niceties and reasons for attracting a large number of migratory birds. Habitat used by birds, amphibians, and butterflies in the core wetland and adjacent ecosystems were characterized. We recommend adaptive scientific management for maintaining 'Hemi marsh' in the ratio of 60:40 between the water and vegetation, controlling water pollution and eutrophication, and fixing of dredging policy after thorough studies on the soil benthic fauna before and after desilting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main authorities and practitioners face crucial challenges in safeguarding wildlife and conservation areas due to massive direct anthropogenic disturbances, such as illegal logging, habitat conversion into human development areas, and wildlife poaching. Therefore, measuring the effectiveness of wildlife and habitat protection is essential for wider conservation intervention. This study aimed to examine patrol effectiveness using measurable effort and parameters of SMART-based data collection in Rimbang Baling and Bukit Betabuh, Sumatra. We conducted a series of planned SMART-based data collections in designated patrol blocks of Rimbang Baling from 2014 to 2018. We implemented catch per unit effort (CPUE) measurement by the number of detected illegal activities and then a generalized linear model (GLM) to assess the relationship between patrol efforts and threat numbers. This study covered 209 patrols within 2,129 patrol days, 13,153.05 patrol hours, and 14,864 km. The CPUE value decreased from 0.381 to 0.191. Our GLM showed that patrol efforts significantly reduced threat numbers. This study provides new knowledge regarding SMART-based data collection and its ability to increase the effectiveness of patrols in promoting better protection and threat reduction in conservation areas in Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Field Ornithology is the property of Resilience Alliance and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Adaptive management, a process of planning, implementing, and evaluating management strategies, is often recommended for monitoring ecological systems. However, few examples of successful implementation and retrospective case studies exist. We provide a case study of adaptively managing hatchery-assisted protection and recovery for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and winter steelhead trout (O. mykiss) during and after the removal of two large mainstem dams in the Elwha River, WA. We summarize key aspects of the monitoring and adaptive management plan over the last decade and highlight successes, challenges, and complications during the plan's implementation. The Elwha Monitoring and Adaptive Management Guidelines included a trigger-based system for moving through four phases of recovery that included preservation, recolonization, local adaptation, and viable natural population, each with differing levels of hatchery production as the management actions. The monitoring component of the plan has been very successful, providing critical data to guide management actions that otherwise may not have occurred and, opportunistically, provided data for other native species in the Elwha River. Implementing adaptive management provided mixed results and was at times hindered by divergent management goals among project partners, the inflexibility of the Endangered Species Act regulatory requirements as implemented for this project, and conflicting information among guidance documents. We learned that some metrics and triggers in the plan were ill-defined or too difficult to measure in the field. In some cases, the performance indicators and/or triggers were successfully modified to incorporate what was learned; however, in other cases, we were unable to revise the values due to differing opinions among partners. The ability to reach consensus on revised triggers appeared to be influenced by the recovery trajectory of the species involved. The implemented adaptive management strategy resulted in substantial collaboration and learning, which resulted in revised management strategies, but was imperfect. Sufficient long-term funding is necessary to implement a well-designed monitoring program and could benefit from including a defined leadership position to shepherd and facilitate a multi-stakeholder adaptive management program. Additionally, incorporating adaptive management into legally binding conditions under the Endangered Species Act is feasible, but requires substantial pre-planning in close coordination with regulatory agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Ongoing learning is essential for freshwater ecosystem management, but there is limited documentation of successful integration into management. Aims: We aimed to increase learning-related understanding required for effective adaptive management of water for the environment, in water-stressed and contested river systems. Methods: We developed a learning approach (requisite learning) for managing water for the environment, demonstrated with real-world examples from the Macquarie River and Marshes, Australia. Key results: Four co-existing, interdependent learning types enable effective management of water for the environment: (1) 'adjusting routines', (2) 'adaptive assessment', (3) 'changing practice', and (4) 'transforming governance', exemplified by using management of water for the environment for the Macquarie River and Marshes. To enable and improve requisite learning, stakeholder social learning, and flexibility in governance arrangements, must develop. Conclusions: Ongoing learning is essential for effective adaptive management. Understanding what requisite learning is and how capacity can be improved, will help achieve outcomes required of managing water for the environment. Implications: Effective management of water for the environment is essential, transparently delivering environmental outcomes and accounting for decision-making. To do this, we need to improve explicit learning understanding by nurturing learning mandates and champions, fostering social learning, increasing flexibility in governance arrangements, and institutionalising learning. We developed a learning approach for managing water for the environment, globally, as learning is essential for effective and successful management. This learning approach is exemplified using the Macquarie River and Marshes in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia. To improve ongoing learning in managing water for the environment, we recommend institutionalising learning, increasing flexibility in governance arrangements, fostering social-learning capacity, and developing explicit learning understanding by nurturing learning mandates and champions. This article belongs to the collection Environmental Flows in Northern Murray–Darling Basin: what we know about the science and management after a decade of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs) are often static and fail to reflect the dynamic realities of marine ecosystems. Marine ecosystems are characterized by their embodiment of constant change, which is further amplified by anthropogenic stressors, particularly climate change. ABMTs and MPAs are, however, premised on an implicit assumption of environmental equilibrium as their boundaries and management framework are often fixed and difficult to adjust. This article seeks to lay bare the tension between static conservation strategies and the deeply and inherently dynamic nature of marine ecosystems. It further seeks to advance the notion of dynamic ABMTs, proposing an integrated conceptualization of ABMT governance, one that is more apt to respond to the type of challenges that the dynamism of complex marine ecosystems presents. Dynamism, in this context, is broadly construed as encompassing three dimensions: spatial, with fluid and adjustable conservation measures; normative, denoting a volatile and adaptive management framework that utilizes ecological and management thresholds as an initiator for adaptive, timely, and prospective approaches to enhance management outcomes; and institutional, i.e., sufficiently flexible and dynamic institutional machinery overseeing ABMT implementation. Following a comprehensive conceptualization of dynamic ABMTs, the article addresses the question whether the legal frameworks governing the ocean can sustain such a dynamic mode of ocean governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural Heritage Systems (AHS) are pivotal in preserving rich agricultural production experience and traditional culture, as well as in maintaining biodiversity and promoting sustainable development in agriculture and rural economies. However, climate change poses significant threats to these systems, such as ecological degradation, biodiversity loss, and shifts in agricultural production patterns. This study, grounded in theories of information asymmetry and bounded rationality, constructs evolutionary game models for adaptive management of AHS under market mechanisms and government guidance. By employing stability analysis and numerical simulation with Delay Differential Equations (DDE) that consider historical delays, and through sensitivity analysis, this research delves into the strategic evolutionary outcomes of stakeholders under various scenarios. It aims to provide theoretical insights and policy recommendations for the dynamic protection and adaptive management of AHS in the face of climate change. The findings indicate that the public goods nature of AHS, alongside externalities and information asymmetry, leads to market failure. Sole reliance on autonomous actions by farmers and meteorological departments is insufficient for optimal resource allocation and effective protection. Government intervention, through regulatory and incentive measures, can effectively mitigate market failures and steer adaptive management of AHS towards efficiency and sustainability. Moreover, the study identifies key factors for adaptive management, such as enhancing stakeholders' initial willingness to participate, reducing the costs of adapting to climate change, optimizing cooperative benefit distribution mechanisms, and increasing the profitability of resource cooperation. Sensitivity analysis of government subsidies and penalty mechanisms further reveals the complex and critical role these policy tools play in fostering stakeholder engagement. Based on these findings, the study recommends enhancing initial participation willingness, controlling transformation costs to alleviate economic burdens, optimizing benefit distribution mechanisms to boost cooperative resource profitability, and establishing dynamic subsidy and penalty mechanisms for optimal resource allocation. The theoretical and practical contributions of this research lie in applying theories of information asymmetry and bounded rationality to the adaptive management of AHS under climate change, enriching the theoretical framework in this field, and providing scientific decision-making support for policymakers. By demonstrating an effective path for AHS protection through combined government and market mechanisms in the context of global climate change, this research holds significant theoretical and practical implications for enhancing the efficiency of adaptive management of AHS, protecting, and inheriting valuable agricultural cultural heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transboundary waters account for a significant portion of global freshwater resources, yet their management is often challenging. The Nile River basin faces significant challenges owing to the complex history and unique context of the basin. Examining the experience of other transboundary basins can offer insights for the effective management of the Nile waters. This paper aims to extract contextual lessons for the Nile from global transboundary water management practices. To that end, we performed a scoping literature search to identify well-researched transboundary water management practices from across the world, selected key case studies, and analyzed their management practices. We discussed the context of the Nile and organized the unique challenges of the basin in five themes, and we discussed how global experiences could provide valuable insights for the Nile basin within each theme. Trust building, the need for equitable water use frameworks, a strong river basin organization, the nuanced role of external actors, and the impact of broader political context were major themes that emerged from the analysis of the Nile context. Within each theme, we presented experiences from multiple basins to inform transboundary water management in the Nile basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation monitoring is paramount for the gathering of information on species and populations in need of conservation actions. However, monitoring of the mountain bongo Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci , a Critically Endangered antelope endemic to Kenya, has hitherto been limited to surveillance (i.e. focused on persistence of the species in particular areas), thus limiting the information that could be retrieved on the status and trends of these populations. Using a newly developed identification system, we implemented robust design mark–recapture using existing camera-trap records of four wild subpopulations of the bongo. We provide data on sex and age structure and the first estimates of population size in the wild. Males and calves seem to be suffering higher mortality than females, and only two of the four monitored populations include adults of both sexes and calves. The combined size of these two breeding populations is estimated to be 29–50. Our findings confirm the critical situation of the mountain bongo in the wild and highlight the need for conservation actions to reinforce the wild populations for the long-term conservation of this antelope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau plays an important role as an ecological security barrier for China and the world, where the ecological environment has generally improved in recent years. Nevertheless, the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau still faces management challenges in dealing with the three relationships, namely, key problems and coordinated governance, natural recovery and artificial restoration, and high-quality development and high-level protection. This study proposes the application of "Nature-based Solutions" for adaptive management, including the implementation of ecological protection and restoration planning based on the "three-scale framework", the ecological protection and restoration projects adaptation management under climate change and human disturbance based on quantitative ecological monitoring, assessment and early warning data, and the participation of local communities in ecological protection and restoration based on stakeholder synergy governance. Thus, the nature-based optimization and management on integrated ecological conservation and restoration of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau can be realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision science emphasizes necessary elements required for robust decision‐making. By incorporating decision science principles, frameworks, and tools, it has been demonstrated that decision‐makers can increase the chances of achieving conservation aims. Setting measurable objectives, clearly documenting assumptions about the impact of available actions on a specific threat or problem, explicitly considering constraints, exploring and characterizing uncertainty, and structured deliberation on trade‐offs have been identified as key elements of successful decision‐making. We quantify the extent to which these five elements were utilized in published examples of decision making in conservation in both academic and conservation practice between 2009 and 2018. We found that less than 50% of identified examples included all five elements, with differences in the degree of decision science applied across five commonly used decision support approaches: adaptive management (AM), systematic conservation planning (SCP), structured decision making (SDM), multi‐criteria decision analysis, and cost‐effectiveness analysis. Example applications that utilized the SDM framework were limited in numbers but used on average more than 50% of the five key elements we considered. Although SCP and AM constituted the majority of examples, they were more prevalent in academic studies rather than management applications. SCP and AM examples were widespread in protected area planning, threat abatement, and restoration. Strong geographic bias exists in documented conservation activities that deploy all five decision science elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a comprehensive study on the similarities and differences between infectious disease control in public health and various population management approaches, including fisheries resource management, wildlife management, and integrated pest management in agriculture. We aim to identify key strategies, and potential synergies that can contribute to the development of population management strategies within these domains. For example, scientists provide options but leave policy making itself to stakeholders, choose monitoring indicators with as little time lag or change thresholds between increasing and decreasing phases to account for time lag, consider economic feasibility, and clarify accountability, which are common to all fields. There are many elements to incorporate methods from other fields while making use of the accumulation gained in each field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological restoration often focuses on short‐term intervention efforts with the goal of creating restored ecosystems that do not require continuous human maintenance. Here, we ask: Do short‐term restoration efforts result in self‐sustaining native assemblages, or do these restored ecosystems require long‐term management to prevent reinvasion of exotic species? We address this question using restored vernal pool wetlands in coastal California. Restoration efforts in vernal pool ecosystems are often hindered because many restored vernal pools exist within a grassland matrix that is highly invaded by exotic annual grasses and forbs. To test whether restored pools experienced reinvasion, we assessed plant species abundance and diversity at varying times after intensive weeding had ceased. The central bottom of pools, where inundation duration is the longest, showed stable or even increasing native cover and no trends in exotic abundance over time. However, exotic cover and richness increased in the upland edges of the pools, where drier conditions allow exotic grasses from the surrounding unrestored grassland to grow. Our findings indicate that edges of restored ecosystems are susceptible to invasion over time, but that this depends on abiotic and biotic conditions within the ecosystem, such as pool shape and landscape matrix, that can potentially be manipulated through initial planning (e.g., constructing circular pools) and long‐term management (e.g., annual weeding). Our findings highlight the importance of ongoing monitoring and adaptive management and support a paradigm shift away from short‐term interventions and toward viewing restoration as a longstanding relationship with the land that may require continuous human management.

Abstract Protected areas and biological corridors play a crucial role in conserving biodiversity and promoting connectivity between habitat patches. Bhutan, known as a stronghold for tigers (Panthera tigris), has dedicated a significant portion of its land to a network of protected areas and biological corridors. However, these areas face risks from illegal activities, posing challenges for their management. To address this, the Department of Forests & Park Services in Bhutan deployed an adaptive management framework, informed by the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool in 2016 in the Divisional Forest Office, Sarpang, an important corridor area outside of official protected area boundaries. This study analyses 5 years of data (2017–2021) recorded through a monitoring tool to assess changes in ranger activities and on‐ground observations. The results show improved data availability, increased patrol effort, enhanced monitoring of wildlife, and a reduction in threat detection over time. Furthermore, camera trap surveys targeting tigers reveal a potential increase in the number of individual tigers utilizing the corridor since the adoption of the tool and other management actions. These findings highlight the effectiveness of these efforts in a critical wildlife corridor.

Heterogeneous landscape environments can lead to varying effectiveness of ecological restoration techniques (ERT). Distinguishing heterogeneous landscapes for adaptive management in ecological engineering projects is key to maximizing their ecological benefits. This paper conducted a quantitative analysis of the effectiveness of different ERTs in the Effect Zone of the China-Nepal Highway. The study firstly divided the China-Nepal Highway Effect Zone into seven ecoregions using the SKATER spatial clustering algorithm. Seven spatial-physical factors, including annual average rainfall (RAIN), annual average temperature (TEMP), vegetation supply water index (VSWI), altitude, relief ratio (RR), slope (S), soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TP), and total phosphorus (TP), are used for analysis, and watersheds are used as the smallest clustering unit. Secondly, an index system for evaluating the effectiveness of different ERTs was constructed, and the entropy weight method was used to determine the weight of each indicator. Furthermore, four evaluation methods, RSR, TOPSIS, VIKOR and FCE, were used to conduct a fuzzy Borda combined evaluation of the effectiveness of different ERTs at distinct ecoregions. The results suggest that the varying resilience of different ecoregions is likely the major reason in causing the differences in the effectiveness of ERTs. Lastly, we constructed an adaptive management system for ecological engineering projects along the China-Nepal Highway based on the spatial suitability of ERTs in each ecoregion.