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Expanding digital data sources, including social media and online news, provide a low‐cost way to examine human–nature interactions, such as wildlife exploitation. However, the extent to which using such data sources can expand or bias understanding of the distribution and intensity of threats has not been comprehensively assessed. To address this gap, we quantified the geographical and temporal distribution of online sources documenting the hunting and trapping, consumption, or trade of bats (Chiroptera) and compared these with the distribution of studies obtained from a systematic literature search and species listed as threatened by exploitation on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Online records were collected using automated searches of Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Bing and were filtered using machine classification. This yielded 953 relevant social media posts and web pages, encompassing 1099 unique records of bat exploitation from 84 countries. Although the number of records per country was significantly predicted by the number of academic studies per country, online records provided additional locations and more recent records of bat exploitation, including 22 countries not present in academic literature. This demonstrates the value of online resources in providing more complete geographical representation. However, confounding variables can bias the analysis of spatiotemporal trends. Online bat exploitation records showed peaks in 2020 and 2014, after accounting for increases in internet users through time. The second of these peaks could be attributed to the COVID‐19 outbreak, and speculation about the role of bats in its epidemiology, rather than to true changes in exploitation. Overall, our results showed that data from online sources provide additional knowledge on the global extent of wildlife exploitation, which could be used to identify early warnings of emerging threats and pinpoint locations for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Simple Summary: Human activities, such as changing the environmental landscape or developing animal-related tourist attractions and zoos, have greatly increased the interactions between humans and animals. Due to this increase in direct contact between humans and animals, the risk of transmission of infections called zoonoses, meaning originating in animals, has increased. We aim to review how human activities have driven zoonoses and why it is so important to study this topic in order to help develop preventative measures against further zoonotic infections in the public. As humans expand their territories across more and more regions of the planet, activities such as deforestation, urbanization, tourism, wildlife exploitation, and climate change can have drastic consequences for animal movements and animal–human interactions. These events, especially climate change, can also affect the arthropod vectors that are associated with the animals in these scenarios. As the COVID-19 pandemic and other various significant outbreaks throughout the centuries have demonstrated, when animal patterns and human interactions change, so does the exposure of humans to zoonotic pathogens potentially carried by wildlife. With approximately 60% of emerging human pathogens and around 75% of all emerging infectious diseases being categorized as zoonotic, it is of great importance to examine the impact of human activities on the prevalence and transmission of these infectious agents. A better understanding of the impact of human-related factors on zoonotic disease transmission and prevalence can help drive the preventative measures and containment policies necessary to improve public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The present study documents animal welfare concerns associated with a popular form of wildlife tourism: lion cub "petting". With data collected from 49 publicly available videos uploaded by tourists in South Africa, we find that lion cubs in these facilities regularly exhibit stress behaviors, including stereotypies, during tourist interactions. Video analysis shows that cubs in these facilities are subjected to several forms of poor husbandry practices such as being forced to interact outside normal waking hours. These results also suggest that regardless of tourism type—pure entertainment (tourism) or educational or pseudo-training opportunities in animal husbandry for volunteers (voluntourism)—"cub-petting" facilities involve acute negative welfare impacts in addition to the broader harms of normalizing the touching of young lions and perpetuating captive breeding. There is growing concern about captive lion hunting and breeding operations in South Africa, including cub-petting tourism. For the first time, we assess the quality of cub-petting facilities and code the stress behaviors of lion cubs when handled by tourists by analyzing four stress-related behaviors and six indicators of poor husbandry in 49 YouTube videos of tourist–lion cub interactions (from at least 11 South African safari parks, 2008-2019). We also categorized videos as regular tourism vs. voluntourism (tourism under the guise of helping those in need). We found a median of four poor husbandry practices per video, with all but two videos involving very young cubs (under 7 months) and the majority (61%) involving cubs estimated under 3 months old. Two videos claimed to show cubs as young as 9 days old and 1 day old, with their eyes still closed. The lion mother was apparent in only 1 of 49 videos. All but one of the interactions took place during the day, although young cubs are primarily active at night. The majority of videos (77%) showed cubs engaging in at least one stress behavior, and the most common stress behaviors were avoidance and aggression. Comparing voluntourism to regular tourism, we found no difference in instances of poor husbandry or observable stress behaviors (p's > 0.6). These results show that cub-petting operations are characterized by poor cub welfare, including features that are inherently harmful to cub development (e.g., separation from the mother at an early age and forced activity outside normal waking hours). Existing research suggests that many tourists are likely unaware of these negative impacts and may even believe that they are helping the cubs. This analysis provides evidence to the contrary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As humans expand their territories across more and more regions of the planet, activities such as deforestation, urbanization, tourism, wildlife exploitation, and climate change can have drastic consequences for animal movements and animal–human interactions. These events, especially climate change, can also affect the arthropod vectors that are associated with the animals in these scenarios. As the COVID-19 pandemic and other various significant outbreaks throughout the centuries have demonstrated, when animal patterns and human interactions change, so does the exposure of humans to zoonotic pathogens potentially carried by wildlife. With approximately 60% of emerging human pathogens and around 75% of all emerging infectious diseases being categorized as zoonotic, it is of great importance to examine the impact of human activities on the prevalence and transmission of these infectious agents. A better understanding of the impact of human-related factors on zoonotic disease transmission and prevalence can help drive the preventative measures and containment policies necessary to improve public health.

The article explores the use of consumer protection laws to address the problem on pseudo-sanctuaries in the U.S. Topics discussed include the need for transparency in animal exhibition to prevent pseudo-sanctuaries from exploiting animals and from using misleading ethical marketing, the difference between a sanctuary and a pseudo-sanctuary, the problem posed by pseudo-sanctuaries for consumers and the public, and the legal background for consumer protection laws.

Attempts to rationalize Man-Nature conflicts rely on the discussion limits set to the Scientific facts only (value-free science) with no emotion or opinion expressed. The number of examples presented from the field of hunting and fishery demonstrates that Science can model the population mortality or define the sustainable exploitation. However, it will not help to account for the way and reason for killing wild animals. As nowadays Nature is valued in a number of different ways, there is an urgent need to combine the traditionally separated domains of Science and Letters that is being postulated by a number of contemporary conservationists.

Wildlife trade is a multibillion dollar industry that is driving species toward extinction. Of >31,500 terrestrial bird, mammal, amphibian, and squamate reptile species, ~18% (N = 5579) are traded globally. Trade is strongly phylogenetically conserved, and the hotspots of this trade are concentrated in the biologically diverse tropics. Using different assessment approaches, we predict that, owing to their phylogenetic replacement and trait similarity to currently traded species, future trade will affect up to 3196 additional species—totaling 8775 species at risk of extinction from trade. Our assessment underscores the need for a strategic plan to combat trade with policies that are proactive rather than reactive, which is especially important because species can quickly transition from being safe to being endangered as humans continue to harvest and trade across the tree of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas (PAs) in Central Africa provide unprecedented opportunities to maintain ecosystem integrity and safeguard the unique wildlife of one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. However, conflicts exist between wildlife protection, and the needs of human populations adjacent to PAs. Although the use of wildlife resources within PAs is nominally regulated, wildlife exploitation in the areas surrounding parks benefit human nutrition and livelihoods of adjacent populations. In 2013–2014, we interviewed 28% of all known households in 37 villages surrounding the Odzala Kokoua National Park (OKNP), Republic of Congo. We gathered information on bushmeat consumption, income, material assets, and hunter perception of the state of wildlife. We show that bushmeat species (mostly duikers, small monkeys and porcupine) were consumed in 38–48% of meals, and 20–30% of households earned cash from hunting wildlife in most villages; more than any other single source of revenue, except cocoa. Although it remains unknown whether the park was a reservoir for wildlife for areas around the studied villages, we showed that more bushmeat was consumed closer to OKNP. By contrast, income from bushmeat sales in villages closer to markets was greater, and as a corollary, market access and household wealth were positively correlated. Overall, total household income, income from bushmeat sales, travel time, and distance to the OKNP were good predictors of household wealth. Wildlife, although considered more abundant around villages closest to the park, was perceived as generally declining around all village groups. Our results highlight the possible importance of PAs and adjacent areas as reservoirs of wildlife and in maintaining wild meat resources used by the surrounding human populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expanding digital data sources, including social media, online news articles and blogs, provide an opportunity to understand better the context and intensity of human-nature interactions, such as wildlife exploitation. However, online searches encompassing large taxonomic groups can generate vast datasets, which can be overwhelming to filter for relevant content without the use of automated tools. The variety of machine learning models available to researchers, and the need for manually labelled training data with an even balance of labels, can make applying these tools challenging. Here, we implement and evaluate a hierarchical text classification pipeline which brings together three binary classification tasks with increasingly specific relevancy criteria. Crucially, the hierarchical approach facilitates the filtering and structuring of a large dataset, of which relevant sources make up a small proportion. Using this pipeline, we also investigate how the accuracy with which text classifiers identify relevant and irrelevant texts is influenced by the use of different models, training datasets, and the classification task. To evaluate our methods, we collected data from Facebook, Twitter, Google and Bing search engines, with the aim of identifying sources documenting the hunting and persecution of bats (Chiroptera). Overall, the 'state-of-the-art' transformer-based models were able to identify relevant texts with an average accuracy of 90%, with some classifiers achieving accuracy of >95%. Whilst this demonstrates that application of more advanced models can lead to improved accuracy, comparable performance was achieved by simpler models when applied to longer documents and less ambiguous classification tasks. Hence, the benefits from using more computationally expensive models are dependent on the classification context. We also found that stratification of training data, according to the presence of key search terms, improved classification accuracy for less frequent topics within datasets, and therefore improves the applicability of classifiers to future data collection. Overall, whilst our findings reinforce the usefulness of automated tools for facilitating online analyses in conservation and ecology, they also highlight that the effectiveness and appropriateness of such tools is determined by the nature and volume of data collected, the complexity of the classification task, and the computational resources available to researchers. • Developed a hierarchical text classification pipeline for online data collection. • Tested influence of model selection, training data size and augmentation on performance. • Classifier performance improvements achieved from transformer-based BERT model. • Pipeline identified relevant texts with accuracy of >90% and provides dataset for future analysis • Findings can be applied to subsequent online data collection in ecology and conservation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study of values placed on wildlife by Bantu and Yaka Pygmy forest dwellers ( n = 200) in Northern Congo identified and analyzed two wildlife value orientations - 'anthropocentric' and 'biocentric.' The former, strongly displayed across all segments of both societies, was likely motivated by heavy reliance on bushmeat and human-wildlife conflicts, and was linked to attitudes approving the killing of animals for human benefit. The 'biocentric' orientation was more common among formally educated male respondents who do not hunt and positively linked to attitudes favoring conservation. Wildlife management strategies should consider including 1) sustainable local wildlife exploitation, 2) livelihood projects that provide a real alternative to hunting, and 3) human-wildlife conflict mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For Critically Endangered 'species of extreme rarity,' there is an urgent need to clarify the potential survival of remnant populations. Such populations can be difficult to detect using standard field methods. Local ecological knowledge (LEK) represents an important alternative source of information, but anecdotal reports of rare or possibly extinct species can contain uncertainty and error. The Hainan gibbon ( Nomascus hainanus), the world's rarest primate species, is confirmed to only survive as a tiny remnant population in Bawangling National Nature Reserve, China, but unverified gibbon sightings have been reported from other forest areas on Hainan. We conducted a large-scale community interview survey to gather new data on patterns of primate LEK from 709 respondents around seven reserves across Hainan, to investigate the possibility of gibbon survival outside Bawangling and assess whether LEK can provide useful information for conservation management of cryptic remnant populations. Comparative LEK data for gibbons and macaques are consistent with independent data on the relative status of these species across Hainan. Local awareness and experience of gibbons was low across Hainan, including at Bawangling, but we recorded recent anecdotal gibbon reports from most reserves. A follow-up field survey at Limushan Provincial Nature Reserve did not detect gibbons, however, and documented intensive wildlife exploitation within this reserve. All other surveyed landscapes showed some statistically lower levels of respondent awareness, experience, or sighting histories of gibbons compared to Bawangling, and are therefore considered biologically unlikely to support gibbons. Unverified LEK data can provide important insights into the possible status of cryptic remnant populations when assessed carefully and critically in relation to data from known populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Despite the 1989 ivory trade ban, elephants continue to be killed to harvest their tusks for ivory. Since 2008, this poaching has increased to unprecedented levels driven by consumer demand for ivory products. CITES is now considering the development of a legal ivory trade [ 1, 2 ]. The proposal relies on three assumptions: (1) harvest regulation will cease all illegal activities, (2) defined sustainable quotas can be enforced, and (3) we can define meaningful sustainable quotas that come close to the current demand. We know that regulation of harvest does not stop illegal takes. Despite whaling regulation after World War II, illegal whaling continued for decades [ 3 ]. The introduction of wolf culls in the US actually increased poaching activities [ 4 ], and one-off ivory sales in 1999 and 2008 did nothing to halt elephant poaching. Governance issues over the ivory supply chains, including stockpiling, make enforcing quotas challenging, if not impossible [ 5, 6 ]. We have not yet adequately assessed what could be a sustainable ivory yield. To do so, we develop a compartmental model composed of a two-sex age-structured demographic model and an ivory production and harvest model. We applied several offtake and quota strategies to define how much ivory could be sustainably harvested. We found that the sustainability space is very small. Only 100 to 150 kg of ivory could be removed from a reference population of 1,360 elephants, levels well below the current demand. Our study shows that lifting the ivory ban will not address the current poaching challenge. We should instead focus on reducing consumer demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, multiple paternity ( MP) was investigated in three commercially important shark species, common smoothhound Mustelus mustelus, dusky shark Carcharhinus obscurus and scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini occurring in southern Africa. Reduced marker panels of between five and six microsatellite loci were constructed for each species and used to genotype and assess the presence of MP in a total of 60 M. mustelus individuals from six litters, 90 C. obscurus individuals from 14 litters and 54 S. lewini individuals from 13 litters. Analysis in GERUD and COLONY revealed the presence of MP in all three species. Multiple paternities were observed in 67, 35 and 46% of the litters of M. mustelus, C. obscurus and S. lewini, with corresponding average sire size of 1·6, 1·4 and 2·0, respectively. The variation in the rate of MP among the three species is in accordance with previous studies whilst the comparatively high frequency of MP observed for M. mustelus, matches what has previously been reported for shark species demonstrating aggregation behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the discourse used by contemporary circuses to justify their exploitation of nonhuman animals. The circus is undergoing redefinition due to cultural changes, animal welfare concerns, and political legislation. Critical Discourse Analysis is applied to a sample of articles (N = 128) on animals in circuses published in US newspapers and magazines from 2007 to 2012. Analyses revealed that circus discourse attempts to (a) promote the circus as an ecologically important endeavor, (b) minimize the differences between human and nonhuman animals, (c) naturalize culturally induced behavior, (d) assert that captivity is preferable to the wild, and (e) collapse domesticity and wildness. These discursive strategies serve to legitimize, naturalize, and produce consent for the use of nonhuman animals in circuses. Furthermore, circus discourse conceptualizes nature and culture in ways that are ideologically significant and detrimental to the promotion of a conservation mindset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An emerging perspective on Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) in Zimbabwe is that increased authoritarianism in governance has enabled elite capture of wildlife resources and silenced local people's voices. This paper qualifies this perspective, showing how ordinary people continue to raise their concerns about local governance. In the Mbire district, people's interpretations of an upsurge in lion attacks on livestock and people in early 2010 took on a dimension of social commentary on the evolving governance arrangements in the district and beyond. Beneath an apparent human–wildlife conflict lie complex human–human conflicts about access to, and governance of, wildlife resources. Interpretations of the lion attacks built on two distinct epistemologies – a local religious discourse on spirit lions and an ecological one – but invariably construed outsiders as the ones accountable for local problems. This construction of outsiders is also a salient feature of Zimbabwean political discourse. Local voices thus constitute a widely understood discourse of protest. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Mires are characterised by highly specialised and threatened wildlife. One of these mire specialists that has severely declined is the Large Heath ( Coenonympha tullia). However, detailed studies concerning the reasons for the dramatic population loss in central Europe are missing so far. In this paper: (1) we analyse the habitat preferences of adult C. tullia and oviposition site selection with respect to mire type and land use in one of the last German strongholds, and (2) we attempt to disentangle the impacts of land use and climate change on the decline of C. tullia on a national scale across Germany. Abundance of adult C. tullia was clearly affected by mire type and land use. It was highest on managed calcareous fens and lowest on unmanaged transition and raised bogs. The oviposition pattern of C. tullia females was best explained by (1) quantity of potential host plants ( Eriophorum latifolium), (2) vegetation structure, and (3) microclimate. In Germany, C. tullia populations have become extinct in lowlands with a mild and relatively dry climate while most colonies in wet and cold mountain areas have survived. However, there is evidence that habitat loss and habitat deterioration, rather than climate change, are the drivers of the range retraction. To create low-growing vegetation rich in E. latifolium, traditional mowing late in the year and light grazing seem to be suitable management tools. In addition, conservation management should aim to maintain high water levels or restore them, especially to counteract effects of climate change in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: North American fireflies in the genus Photinus are commercially harvested to extract the enzyme luciferase, despite the availability of a synthetic recombinant enzyme. Our goal was to examine the potential effects of harvesting on Photinus population persistence. Using estimated demographic parameters for Photinus, we developed a stochastic simulation population model to understand combined effects of demography, harvest rate, delayed larval development, and environmental stochasticity on population persistence of fireflies. With no harvest and low environmental stochasticity, modeled populations tended to reach carrying capacity. We found that average population size of adult fireflies decreased with increasing harvest rate and increasing environmental stochasticity. At the highest modeled growth rate (λ =2.8) the population failed to persist only when environmental stochasticity was high and harvest rate was ≥60%. Once harvest was introduced, only populations with high growth rates consistently persisted. Long-term, sustainable Photinus harvest rates based on survey data suggest that harvest rates >10% are acceptable only if λ >1.6. Our modeling results suggest that Photinus populations might tolerate low harvest levels, although in the absence of more precise data on vital rates and the amount of environmental stochasticity, the exact level is unknown. To further examine sustainability, harvest rates should be monitored and standardized surveys conducted to document firefly population changes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Over-exploitation of wildlife is a significant threat to global biodiversity, but addressing the sustainability of harvests can be difficult when trade is conducted illegally. The wildlife trade is driven chiefly by consumer demand, largely in developed nations (but increasingly in Asia), and more species are traded to meet international demand for pets than for any other purpose. We surveyed traders of amphibians and reptiles in the Indonesian provinces of Maluku, West Papua and Papua between September 2010 and April 2011. We recorded 5,370 individuals representing 52 species collected solely for the pet trade. At least 44 % were either fully protected or had not been allocated a harvest quota, making their harvest and trade illegal. Approximately half were listed within the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Trade operates via a complex chain, with hunters receiving little income compared to middlemen and exporters. Examination of Indonesian harvest quotas for amphibians and reptiles suggests limited knowledge of species distributions, with quotas often set for species in provinces where they do not occur. Illegal trade is due, partly, to an inadequate understanding of the species being traded and is facilitated by poor monitoring and enforcement at key trade hubs. As a first step to combatting illegal trade, and to better understand the effects of harvest on wild populations, we recommend the need for increased monitoring and enforcement, improving the knowledge base of species traded and educating consumers about the effects their demand for pets has on these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on China's "unconscious power" over Mongolia's environmental security sector. Information is provided on how China's demand for legal and illegal non-renewable resources has created Malaysian dependence on Chinese trade, how Malaysia is too weak politically to enforce or stop harmful environmental activity, and the interdependence of the two nations. Environmental problems that Malaysia faces due to Chinese demand are listed as: the decimation of wildlife populations through illegal trade, desertification caused by large goat populations, and illegal logging.

Abstract: This is the first study to analyse the structure and biological characteristics of Squalus megalops and the impact of fishing on its population in the Northern Hemisphere (central-east Atlantic). The sex ratio (1:2.59) diverged significantly from 1:1 in favour of females. The length at maturity for males and females was 490 and between 634 and 659mm total length, respectively. The lengths at pregnancy and maternity were 661 and 681mm, respectively. S. megalops is an asynchronous breeder in which ovulation, parturition and pregnancy do not take place at a specific time of year. The maximum litter size was six, and the ovulation–gestation period was two years, which is equal to a maximum productivity of 36 offspring per lifetime. The sex ratio of near-term embryos (1:1.15) did not show any significant differences. The mean growth rate of the embryos was 179mm/year in the first year and 47mm/year in the second, indicating a period of gestation of two years. Age estimates ranged between 4 and 26 years for males and 4 and 32 years for females. Males and females of all total lengths were found in the same area and bathymetric strata in different seasons of the year. The estimate of total mortality for females was 0.22year−1 and 0.19year−1 for males. Natural mortality was 0.107years−1 and 0.12years−1 for females and males, respectively. The values for fishing mortality and the exploitation ratio were 0.113years−1 and 0.51 for females and 0.07years−1 and 0.38 for males, respectively. The estimated biological parameters indicate that S. megalops is highly susceptible to overfishing, given the high fishing pressure this species experiences in the central-east Atlantic. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Pelagic fish stocks in the Java Sea have declined since the beginning of the 1990s and are nowadays at the lowest observed level. The fishery exploiting those stocks has essentially been unregulated and historically driven by market demands. This constitutes an ideal example to test the hypothesis of serial depletion of fishing grounds in an open-access fishery. Here we show that different fishing grounds were successively depleted depending on the distance from the harbor and the commercial importance of the species. Closest fishing grounds were depleted first, while the most distant ones where the last to be affected. The spatio-temporal trend in effort showed a decrease for the closest fishing grounds and an increase for the most distant ones over time. To our knowledge, this is the first data driven example of the “serial depletion phenomenon” in harvesting marine resources, where the harvesters successively exploit, deplete and finally abandon traditional fishing grounds with increasing distance from the harbor and economical importance of the species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Exploited reef-associated species in south-eastern Australia have evolved life-history strategies to ensure population persistence through periods that are unsuitable for recruitment. They are characterized by considerable potential longevity (20–50 years), sexual maturation at relatively young ages (2–4 years old) and variable recruitment patterns. The age compositions in landings of the major reef-associated species in this region were used to demonstrate that some species have been subjected to significant age-class truncation. Species with long histories of exploitation had age compositions with relatively few fish greater than 5 years old. It is suggested that the removal of older age classes from the most heavily exploited populations has lowered their resilience to environmental change and that remedial management action may be required to rebuild reserves of older individuals. It is argued that the management options that are most likely to succeed in achieving this objective for populations of offshore reef-associated species include reducing rates of exploitation to very low levels, protecting larger/older fish through regulated maximum length limits and/or changes to gear selectivity and no take marine protected areas. The most appropriate management options will depend on the life-history of the species being considered. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Concern regarding the potential for selective fisheries to degrade desirable characteristics of exploited fish populations is growing worldwide. Although the occurrence of fishery-induced evolution in a wild population has not been irrefutably documented, considerable theoretical and empirical evidence for that possibility exists. Environmental conditions influence survival and growth in many species and may mask comparatively subtle trends induced by selective exploitation, especially given the evolutionarily short time series of data available from many fisheries. Modeling may be the most efficient investigative tool under such conditions. Motivated by public concern that large-mesh gillnet fisheries may be altering Chinook salmon in western Alaska, we constructed a stochastic model of the population dynamics of Chinook salmon. The model contained several individually based components and incorporated size-selective exploitation, assortative mating, size-dependent female fecundity, density-dependent survival, and the heritability of size and age. Substantial reductions in mean size and age were observed under all scenarios. Concurrently reducing directional selection and increasing spawning abundance was most effective in stimulating population recovery. Use of this model has potential to improve our ability to investigate the consequences of selective exploitation and aid development of improved management strategies to more effectively sustain fish and fisheries into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Commercial trade is a major driver of over-exploitation of wild species, but the pattern of demand and how it responds to changes in supply is poorly understood. Here we explore the markets for snakes from Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia to evaluate future exploitation scenarios, identify entry points for conservation and, more generally, to illustrate the value of multi-scale analysis of markets to traded wildlife conservation. In Cambodia, the largest driver of snake exploitation is the domestic trade in snakes as crocodile food. We estimate that farmed crocodiles consume between 2.7 and 12.2 million snakes per year. The market price for crocodiles has been in decline since 2003, which, combined with rising prices for their food, has led to a reduced frequency of feeding and closure of small farms. The large farms that generate a disproportionate amount of the demand for snakes continue to operate in anticipation of future market opportunities, and preferences for snakes could help maintain demand if market prices for crocodiles rise to pre 2003 levels. In the absence of a sustained demand from crocodile farms, it is also possible that alternative markets will develop, such as one for human snack food. The demand for snakes, however, also depends on the availability of substitute resources, principally fish. The substitutability and low price elasticity of demand offers a relatively sustainable form of consumerism. Given the nature of these market drivers, addressing consumer preferences and limiting the protection of snakes to their breeding season are likely to be the most effective tools for conservation. This study highlights the importance of understanding the structure of markets and the behaviour of consumer demand prior to implementing regulations on wildlife hunting and trade. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Unsustainable hunting of wildlife for food empties tropical forests of many species critical to forest maintenance and livelihoods of forest people. Extractive industries, including logging, can accelerate exploitation of wildlife by opening forests to hunters and creating markets for bushmeat. We monitored human demographics, bushmeat supply in markets, and household bushmeat consumption in five logging towns in the northern Republic of Congo. Over 6 years we recorded 29,570 animals in town markets and collected 48,920 household meal records. Development of industrial logging operations led to a 69% increase in the population of logging towns and a 64% increase in bushmeat supply. The immigration of workers, jobseekers, and their families altered hunting patterns and was associated with increased use of wire snares and increased diversity in the species hunted and consumed. Immigrants hunted 72% of all bushmeat, which suggests the short-term benefits of hunting accrue disproportionately to “outsiders” to the detriment of indigenous peoples who have prior, legitimate claims to wildlife resources. Our results suggest that the greatest threat of logging to biodiversity may be the permanent urbanization of frontier forests. Although enforcement of hunting laws and promotion of alternative sources of protein may help curb the pressure on wildlife, the best strategy for biodiversity conservation may be to keep saw mills and the towns that develop around them out of forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As fundamental as emotions may be in our experiences with wildlife, very little research addresses this topic. The following paper provides insight into the emotional responses of conservation volunteers participating on conservation holidays through four ethnographic case-studies. Six common emotional responses were identified: anguish, disappointment, frustration, exhilaration, awe and compassion. These emotional highs and lows shaped the volunteer experience, as the realities of wildlife conservation in South Africa upset the culturally constructed, emotionally appealing vision of African wilderness that the volunteers expected. While the positive emotions associated with idealised expectations of African wildlife provide an ideal basis upon which to commercialise nature conservation, they generate a series of tensions in practice. The paper makes an important empirical contribution to current debates surrounding the economic exploitation of affect, showing how emotions underpin the commercialisation of conservation, both through the configuration of the volunteers’ wildlife experiences and the scope of conservation that is practised. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

All is not well for biodiversity in the tropics. Despite recent debate over the extent of future tropical extinctions and the effectiveness of reserve systems, the continued disappearance of habitat, soaring human population, and loss of vital ecosystem services demand immediate action. This crisis is worrying, given that tropical regions support over two-thirds of all known species and are populated by some of the world's poorest people, who have little recourse to lower environmental-impact lifestyles. Recent evidence has shown that in addition to unabated rates of forest loss coastal development, overexploitation of wildlife, catchment modification, and habitat conversion are threatening human well-being. We argue that the recent technical debate about likely extinctions masks the real issue that, to prevent further loss of irreplaceable tropical biodiversity, we must err on the side of caution. We need to avoid inadvertently supporting political agendas that assume low future extinction rates, because this will result in further destruction of tropical biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the exploitation of wildlife and eradication of black bear in Arkansas. It explains that the oil taken from the fat of black bears is being used by people in the state. The destruction of habitat was among the factors of black bear extirpation in Arkansas. It emphasizes that the mass killing of deer which serve as a food source for the wildcats have played a larger role in mountain lion extermination than direct attacks from men.

Selective harvesting regimes are often implemented because age and sex classes contribute differently to population dynamics and hunters show preferences associated with body size and trophy value. We reviewed the literature on how such cropping regimes affect the demography of the remaining population (here termed demographic side effects ). First, we examined the implications of removing a large proportion of a specific age or sex class. Such harvesting strategies often bias the population sex ratio toward females and reduce the mean age of males, which may consequently delay birth dates, reduce birth synchrony, delay body mass development, and alter offspring sex ratios. Second, we reviewed the side effects associated with the selective removal of relatively few specific individuals, often large trophy males. Such selective harvesting can destabilize social structures and the dominance hierarchy and may cause loss of social knowledge, sexually selected infanticide, habitat changes among reproductive females, and changes in offspring sex ratio. A common feature of many of the reported mechanisms is that they ultimately depress recruitment and in some extreme cases even cause total reproductive collapse. These effects could act additively and destabilize the dynamics of populations, thus having a stronger effect on population growth rate than first anticipated. Although more experimental than observational studies reported demographic side effects, we argue that this may reflect the quite subtle mechanisms involved, which are unlikely to be detected in observational studies without rigorous monitoring regimes. We call for more detailed studies of hunted populations with marked individuals that address how the expression of these effects varies across mating systems, habitats, and with population density. Theoretical models investigating how strongly these effects influence population growth rates are also required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT 1. Plateau zokors, Myospalax fontanierii , are the only subterranean herbivores on the Tibetan plateau of China. Although the population biology of plateau zokors has been studied for many years, the interactions between zokors and plants, especially for the maintenance and structure of ecological communities, have been poorly recognized. In the past, plateau zokors have been traditionally viewed as pests, competitors with cattle, and agents of soil erosion, thus eradication programmes have been carried out by local governments and farmers. Zokors are also widely and heavily exploited for their use in traditional Chinese medicine. 2. Like other fossorial animals, such as pocket gophers Geomys spp. and prairie dogs Cynomys spp. in similar ecosystems, zokors may act to increase local environmental heterogeneity at the landscape level, aid in the formation, aeration and mixing of soil, and enhance infiltration of water into the soil thus curtailing erosion. The changes that zokors cause in the physical environment, vegetation and soil clearly affect the herbivore food web. Equally, plateau zokors also provide a significant food source for many avian and mammalian predators on the plateau. Zokor control leading to depletion of prey and secondary poisoning may therefore present problems for populations of numerous other animals. 3. We highlight the important role plateau zokors play in the Tibetan plateau ecosystem. Plateau zokors should be managed in concert with other comprehensive rangeland treatments to ensure the ecological equilibrium and preservation of native biodiversity, as well as the long-term sustainable use of pastureland by domestic livestock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on data from radio-collared individuals, we present an analysis of the viability of two small populations of the Scandinavian brownbear, Ursus arctos. The northern and southern populations had different demographic characteristics, even though the population growth rate (r) and the demographic variance (sd2) were high in both populations (r = 0.13 and sd2 = 0.180 in the north, and r = 0.15 and sd2 = 0.155 in the south). In the northern population the environmental variance (se2) was not significantly different from 0, whereas in the south se2= 0.003. In the south, this was related to high environmental stochasticity in the survival rate of the youngest animals, which resulted in an increase in survival with age in this population. In contrast, in the north, the probability of survival showed a slight decrease with age. Uncertainties were obtained from the joint distribution of bootstrap replications of r, sd2 and se2. Although the uncertainty in these estimates is quite large, it is unlikely that even relatively small populations (N > 10 females 1 year old) will decline to less than 1 after 100 years. Analysis of the distribution of the critical population size (i.e. the population size where the population's logarithmic growth rate is zero) shows that these brown bear populations must be larger than 3-4 females 1 year or older to secure a positive growthrate. Similarly, if we define a viable population as the population size where the chance of survival is greater than 90% during a periodof 100 years, 8 females 1 year old must be present in the north and 6 females in the south. This high viability of even small brown bear populations is due to high reproductive and survival rates. A relatively small increase in the mortality rate will strongly reduce the viability of even relatively large brown bear populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyze the exploitation of wildlife in a Third World context. In the model there are two agents: an agency managing a habitat area of mixed size and a group of peasants. The agency managing the habitat area has the legal right to exploit the wildlife, while the local people hunt illegally. Introducing the concept of relative harvesting dominance, we demonstrate that the stock utilization depends crucially on the prevailing economic and ecological conditions. It is also shown that the existing property-rights regime appears in different forms depending on these conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recreational and subsistence hunters and anglers consume a wide range of species, including birds, mammals, fish and shellfish, some of which represent significant exposure pathways for environmental toxic agents. This study focuses on the Department of Energy's (DOE'S) Savannah River Site (SRS), a former nuclear weapons production facility in South Carolina. The potential risk of contaminant intake from consuming mourning doves (Zenaida macroura), the most popular United States game bird, was examined under various risk scenarios. For all of these scenarios we used the mean tissue concentration of six metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, selenium, chromium, manganese) and radiocesium,in doves collected on and near SRS. We also estimated risk to a child consuming doves that had the maximum contaminant level. We used thecancer slope factor for radiocesium, the Environmental Protection Agencies Uptake Biokinetic model for lead, and published reference doses for the other metals. As a result of our risk assessments we recommend management of water levels in contaminated reservoirs so that lake bed sediments are not exposed to use by gamebirds and other terrestrial wildlife. Particularly, measures should be taken to insure that the hunting public does not have access to such a site. Our data alsoindicate that doves on popular hunting areas are exposed to excess lead, suggesting that banning lead shot for doves, as has been done for waterfowl, is desirable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financing for logging of tropical moist forests in the Republic of Congo is commonly sought in the form of loans from multilateral development banks. Pressure from nongovernmental conservation organizations and from within the banks themselves has resulted in their beginning to assess the environmental consequences of such loans. We conducted one of the first such assessments of an African Development Bank loan to a logging company. Geographic isolation, resulting transportation costs, and market demands have forced commercial loggers within the Sangha region of Congo to exploit only the most valuable timber. This form of timber extraction destroys an average of 6.8% of the canopy and thus, unlike clear cutting, was expected to have a minimal impact on wildlife populations. Line transect counts showed, however, that primate abundance was exceedingly low in logged forest. We believe this is not a direct consequence of canopy reduction, but results from the extremely intensive market hunting that coincides with timber surveying and extraction. Weapons and hunting camps were common, and logging company vehicles transported primates, duikers and other game daily. Wildlife laws of Congo are openly violated and they are not enforced. While market hunting is clearly facilitated and intensified by the presence of logging concessions, it is the Congo’s highly urbanized population that provides the ever growing demand for meat, a demand not being met through animal husbandry. Thus, although selective logging in the absence of hunting may have only limited adverse effects on wildlife, when the two are combined the consequences are grave for the Sangha region’s wildlife. Loans to logging companies from the African Development Bank should incorporate conditions for ensuring wildlife conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the issues behind the condition of rare species. Standard bioeconomics claimed that wildlife harvests will stop when the expense of locating individuals of a species surpasses the financial gain, thus protecting that species from overexploitation. However, a group of researchers developed a mathematical model to prove that exploitation of such species can have paradoxical result. Moreover, the author discussed the concept of an Allee effect.

Knowledge of demographic aspects of caimans and crocodiles is a very important issue for their conservation. A study was carried out in the Sierpe River, in the South Pacific of Costa Rica, from July 2004 through March 2005, comprising both rainy and dry seasons. Nocturnal visual surveys were conducted using shining flashlights; all the individuals were captured, measured and sexed, using a four ranges classification. During the eight surveys, a total of 58 individuals were captured, 65.51% belonging to class II, and 31.03% to class Ill. Important human explotation has been documented for this population. Differences in male/female ratio and the capture numbers in the study area can be explained by the migration of individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]