Biodiversity and Conservation Science News: 2021

27 December 2021

Edward O. Wilson, prominent biologist and author, has died at 92

E. O. Wilson in 2003. Photo credit: Jim Harrison / PLOS

Abstract: "Edward O. Wilson, a prominent biologist and prolific author who help raise global awareness and understanding about biodiversity and conservation, has died. Wilson began his career studying the biology and social structures of ants which led him to develop expansive theories on evolution and humanity’s relationship with the planet. While Wilson’s research was highly influential in scientific circles and won numerous recognitions, he was mostly widely known for his accessible writing, including articles and best-selling books which introduced concepts like biodiversity to the masses. Wilson was an outspoken advocate for global conservation efforts."

17 December 2021

‘Cooling the climate for 10,000 years’: How saving wetlands can help save the world

A cloudberry ripe for the picking in a Scandinavian bog. Image in the public domain.

ABSTRACT: "From the vast frozen mires of the arctic to the peat swamps of Asia: “all wetlands are under threat,” said Jane Madgwick, CEO of Wetlands International. “We’re losing them three times as fast as forests." Peat swamps, or peatlands, are particularly effective at storing carbon, which has accumulated over centuries and even millennia as dead plant matter became trapped in waterlogged soil. But if drained or otherwise damaged, peat quickly turns from carbon sink to carbon source. As nations race to protect and replant forests in an effort to curtail global warming, wetlands experts such as Madgwick are urging leaders to place similar importance on wetland conservation and restoration.

Southeast Asian protected areas are effective in conserving forest cover and forest carbon stocks compared to unprotected areas

ABSTRACT: "Protected areas aim to conserve nature, ecosystem services, and cultural values; however, they have variable success in doing so under high development pressure. Southeast Asian protected areas faced the highest level of human pressure at the turn of the twenty-first century. To estimate their effectiveness in conserving forest cover and forest carbon stocks for 2000–2018, we used statistical matching methods to control for the non-random location of protected areas, to compare protection against a matched counterfactual. We found Southeast Asian protected areas had three times less forest cover loss than similar landscapes without protection. Protected areas that had completed management reporting using the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) conserved significantly more forest cover and forest carbon stocks than those that had not. Management scores were positively associated with the level of carbon emissions avoided, but not the level of forest cover loss avoided. Our study is the first to find that METT scores could predict the level of carbon emissions avoided in protected areas. Given that only 11% of protected areas in Southeast Asia had completed METT surveys, our results illustrate the need to scale-up protected area management effectiveness reporting programs to improve their effectiveness for conserving forests, and for storing and sequestering carbon."

28 September 2021

The first complete map of the world’s shallow tropical coral reefs is here

Abstract: "Scientists have completed the first-ever global, high-resolution map of the world’s shallow tropical coral reefs. When combined with an integrated tool that tracks global coral bleaching events in near-real-time, the new resource provides a comprehensive overview of the trends and changes in global coral reef health. While the completion of the map is an achievement in itself, the scientists behind the Allen Coral Atlas say they hope the new resource will spur action to improve coral reef protection. The new mapping platform is already being used to support conservation projects in more than 30 countries, including designation of marine protected areas and to inform marine spatial plans."

21 September 2021

Sea turtles: Can these great marine migrators navigate rising human threats?

Abstract: "Humanity is quickly crossing critical planetary boundaries that threaten sea turtle populations, their ecosystems and, ultimately, the “safe operating space” for human existence. Sea turtles have survived millions of years, but marathon migrations put them at increasing risk for the additive impacts of adverse anthropogenic activity on land and at sea, including impacts from biodiversity loss, climate change, ocean acidification, land-use change, pollution (especially plastics), and more. The synergistic effects of anthropogenic threats and the return on conservation interventions are largely unknown. But analysts understand that their efforts will need to focus on both nesting beaches and ocean migration routes, while acting on a host of adverse impacts across many of the nine known planetary boundaries. Avoiding extinction will require adaptation by turtles and people, and the evolution of new, innovative conservation practices. Key strategies: boosting populations to weather growing threats, rethinking how humanity fishes, studying turtle life cycles (especially at sea), safeguarding habitat, and deeply engaging local communities."

Pollination advantage of rare plants unveiled

Abstract: "Species diversification results from the balance between the formation of new species (speciation) and the loss of existing ones (extinction). The tremendous proliferation of different life forms on Earth can be attributed to both high rates of speciation and low rates of extinction. Flowering plants — a group called angiosperms — are one of the most diverse groups of non-mobile organism. There are approximately 352,000 plant species, nearly 90% of which depend, to various extents, on insects and other animals for pollination and seed production¹. These animal pollinators have been key to the unstoppable diversification of the angiosperms, starting at least 120 million years ago, with pollinators promoting speciation by acting as potent selection agents for a plethora of flower traits²^,³. Pollinators also aid species persistence by enabling pollen transfer between relatively distant individuals in sparse plant populations⁴. Writing in Nature, Wei et al.⁵ report that, for plant species that flower at the same time, pollinators mediate interactions that might facilitate species coexistence in diverse plant communities."

11 September 2021

Motion 101 passes at IUCN, calls for protecting 50% of Earth’s lands and seas

Abstract: "In the final session of the World Conservation Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on 10 September 2021, an overwhelming majority of delegates approved Motion 101, which calls for the protection of half of Earth’s lands and seas with a minimum of 30% by 2030, recognizing the important role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in preserving nature and the need for measures to respect and honor their rights and interests"

31 August 2021

Using the IUCN Red List to map threats to terrestrial vertebrates at global scale

Abstract: "The Anthropocene is characterized by unparalleled human impact on other species, potentially ushering in the sixth mass extinction. Yet mitigation efforts remain hampered by limited information on the spatial patterns and intensity of the threats driving global biodiversity loss. Here we use expert-derived information from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List on threats to 23,271 species, representing all terrestrial amphibians, birds and mammals, to generate global maps of the six major threats to these groups: agriculture, hunting and trapping, logging, pollution, invasive species, and climate change. Our results show that agriculture and logging are pervasive in the tropics and that hunting and trapping is the most geographically widespread threat to mammals and birds. Additionally, current representations of human pressure underestimate the overall pressure on biodiversity, due to the exclusion of threats such as hunting and climate change. Alarmingly, this is particularly the case in areas of the highest biodiversity importance."

Best practice for protecting pollinators

Abstract: "Public and scientific awareness of the connection between food security and pollination provided by both wild and managed insect species has heightened in recent decades^1,2,3. Yet pollinator conservation has been difficult because it requires policies that intersect biodiversity, land use, agriculture and global trade⁴. Further, global analyses synthesizing information and making recommendations for pollinator conservation must account for diverse perspectives across varying scales, geographies, economies, systems and cultures. Writing in Nature Ecology & Evolution, Dicks and colleagues⁵ offer one approach to understanding how drivers and risks of pollinator decline vary in different parts of the world."

27 August 2021

Grizzly bear DNA maps onto Indigenous language families

Abstract: "The bears and Indigenous humans of coastal British Columbia have more in common than meets the eye. The two have lived side by side for millennia in this densely forested region on the west coast of Canada. But it’s the DNA that really stands out: A new analysis has found that the grizzlies here form three distinct genetic groups, and these groups align closely with the region’s three Indigenous language families."

Climate change threatens to squeeze out Indonesia’s medicinal plants

Abstract: "More than half of medicinal plant species in Indonesia won’t be able to grow in most of their current range by 2050 due to climate change, a new study says. Researchers say medicinal plant species on the islands of New Guinea, Java and Sulawesi will see the largest reduction in distribution area, in part due to sea level rise in these regions. The economic value of medicinal plants in Indonesia, coupled with other threats and a lack of resources for their conservation, makes it urgent that active conservation programs be put in place, the researchers say. Medicinal plants are valuable species not only for personal health but also for their economic value as they are traded by local and Indigenous communities."

Biogeography of acoustic biodiversity of NW Mediterranean coralligenous reefs

Abstract: "Monitoring the biodiversity of key habitats and understanding the drivers across spatial scales is essential for preserving ecosystem functions and associated services. Coralligenous reefs are threatened marine biodiversity hotspots that are challenging to monitor. As fish sounds reflect biodiversity in other habitats, we unveiled the biogeography of coralligenous reef sounds across the north-western Mediterranean using data from 27 sites covering 2000 km and 3 regions over a 3-year period. We assessed how acoustic biodiversity is related to habitat parameters and environmental status. We identified 28 putative fish sound types, which is up to four times as many as recorded in other Mediterranean habitats. 40% of these sounds are not found in other coastal habitats, thus strongly related to coralligenous reefs. Acoustic diversity differed between geographical regions. Ubiquitous sound types were identified, including sounds from top-predator species and others that were more specifically related to the presence of ecosystem engineers (red coral, gorgonians), which are key players in maintaining habitat function. The main determinants of acoustic community composition were depth and percentage coverage of coralligenous outcrops, suggesting that fish-related acoustic communities exhibit bathymetric stratification and are related to benthic reef assemblages. Multivariate analysis also revealed that acoustic communities can reflect different environmental states. This study presents the first large-scale map of acoustic fish biodiversity providing insights into the ichthyofauna that is otherwise difficult to assess because of reduced diving times. It also highlights the potential of passive acoustics in providing new aspects of the correlates of biogeographical patterns of this emblematic habitat relevant for monitoring and conservation."

A meta-analysis reveals edge effects within marine protected areas

Abstract: "Marine protected areas (MPAs) play a leading role in conserving and restoring marine environments. MPAs can benefit both marine populations within their boundaries and external populations owing to a net export of organisms (spillover). However, little is known about variation in performance within MPAs. For example, edge effects may degrade populations within MPAs close to their boundaries. Here we synthesize empirical estimates of 72 taxa of fish and invertebrates to explore spatial patterns across the borders of 27 no-take MPAs. We show that there is a prominent and consistent edge effect that extends approximately 1 km within the MPA, in which population sizes on the border are 60% smaller than those in the core area. Our analysis of cross-boundary population trends suggests that, globally, the smallest 64% of no-take MPAs (those of less than 10 km² in area) may hold only about half (45–56%) of the population size that is implied by their area. MPAs with buffer zones did not display edge effects, suggesting that extending no-take areas beyond the target habitats and managing fishing activities around MPA borders are critical for boosting MPA performance."

A global-scale expert assessment of drivers and risks associated with pollinator decline

Abstract: "Pollinator decline has attracted global attention and substantial efforts are underway to respond through national pollinator strategies and action plans. These policy responses require clarity on what is driving pollinator decline and what risks it generates for society in different parts of the world. Using a formal expert elicitation process, we evaluated the relative regional and global importance of eight drivers of pollinator decline and ten consequent risks to human well-being. Our results indicate that global policy responses should focus on reducing pressure from changes in land cover and configuration, land management and pesticides, as these were considered very important drivers in most regions. We quantify how the importance of drivers and risks from pollinator decline, differ among regions. For example, losing access to managed pollinators was considered a serious risk only for people in North America, whereas yield instability in pollinator-dependent crops was classed as a serious or high risk in four regions but only a moderate risk in Europe and North America. Overall, perceived risks were substantially higher in the Global South. Despite extensive research on pollinator decline, our analysis reveals considerable scientific uncertainty about what this means for human society."