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Wind power plays a vital role in global climate action and plans for new turbines in the Baltic Sea region are underway. However, it is crucial not to overlook the environmental impact on wildlife, which can be difficult to quantify, especially in elusive and hard-to-track species. One of these species is the white-tailed eagle, a conservation success story that faces a significant collision risk with rotor blades, particularly as turbines are being constructed in its coastal habitats. To assess the effect of wind turbines on survival of territorial adults, we genotyped DNA from adult feathers collected at nests between 2010 and 2022. By tracking individuals across years, we measured survival and breeding dispersal in relation to wind turbine presence. Turbines within a 5 km radius of nests were found to reduce annual survival rates by 7.6 %, while resighting probability and breeding dispersal probability were unaffected. The proportion of territories exposed to wind turbines is currently low (4–5 %), mainly because recent construction sites have been further inland. However, future projections suggest an increase in territory exposure, indicating potential for population-level risks. This highlights the need for substantial safety buffers around nest sites (preferably >5 km) to protect the breeding white-tailed eagle population. Currently, a comprehensive understanding of the large-scale impact on the Baltic Sea white-tailed eagle population is lacking. As wind power expands, it is necessary to consider its impact on wildlife and we recommend conducting ongoing environmental assessments to monitor and adapt conservation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetland area and condition are declining globally despite their importance to climate change mitigation and biodiversity. Introduced ungulate species are contributing to the global decline. Their impacts on wetlands are widespread and varied, however poorly understood. We summarise global impacts of introduced unmanaged and domesticated ungulates on wetlands highlighting potential outcomes of their removal. We place an emphasis on Australia due to the disproportionate impacts of ungulates on wetlands and potential for emerging carbon and biodiversity markets to incentivise private investment in wetland conservation and restoration. Our Systematic Literature Review assessed impacts of cattle, pigs, horses, deer, buffalo, sheep, camels, and other ungulates on wetlands. There were 372 relevant resources from 35 countries, with highest representation from Australia and the United States. The majority related to cattle (29 %) and pigs (19 %). More impacts were reported in freshwater wetlands (51 %) than marine (19 %). A quarter of studies related to riparian habitats. Ungulate impacts varied geographically and among climates. More studies reported soil damage, weed dispersal, decreased vegetation cover, and woody vegetation suppression than neutral or positive changes in these metrics. Decreases in richness and abundance of native flora and fauna were more frequently reported than increases. Of 33 studies reporting wetland carbon impacts, 24 reported increased CO 2 emissions due to loss of soil carbon or vegetation biomass. Ungulate exclusion from wetlands could enhance carbon stocks and biodiversity, however further studies comparing wetland typologies and carbon dynamics are needed to quantify levels of enhancement given differences in ungulate species and environments. • Wetlands are declining despite their importance for climate change and biodiversity. • Impacts of feral and domesticated ungulates on wetlands vary by ecology, region, climate, and wetland type. • Ungulates damage soils and reduce ground cover, which may increase carbon emissions. • Reported ungulate impacts on flora and fauna are most often negative, but effects depend on taxa and region. • Control of ungulates in wetlands may support wetland conservation and restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind power is a rapidly growing source of energy worldwide. It is crucial for climate change mitigation, but it also accelerates the degradation of biodiversity through habitat loss and the displacement of wildlife. To understand the extent of displacement and reasons for observations where no displacement is reported, we conducted a systematic review of birds, bats, and terrestrial mammals. Eighty-four peer-reviewed studies of onshore wind power yielded 160 distinct displacement distances, termed cases. For birds, bats, and mammals, 63 %, 72 %, and 67 % of cases respectively reported displacement. Cranes (3/3 cases), owls (2/2), and semi-domestic reindeer (6/6) showed consistent displacement on average up to 5 km. Gallinaceus birds showed displacement on average up to 5 km, but in 7/18 cases reported to show "no displacement". Bats were displaced on average up to 1 km in 21/29 cases. Waterfowl (6/7 cases), raptors (24/30), passerines (16/32) and waders (8/19) were displaced on average up to 500 m. Observations of no displacement were suggested to result from methodological deficiencies, species-specific characteristics, and habitat conditions favorable for certain species after wind power development. Displacement-induced population decline could be mitigated by situating wind power in low-quality habitats, minimizing the small-scale habitat loss and collisions, and creating high-quality habitats to compensate for habitat loss. This review provides information on distance thresholds that can be employed in the design of future wind energy projects. However, most studies assessed the effects of turbine towers of <100 m high, while considerably larger turbines are being built today. • 63 %, 72 %, and 67 % of bird, bat, and mammal cases respectively reported displacement. • Cranes, owls and semi-domestic reindeer were displaced on average up to 5 km. • Bats were displaced on average up to 1 km in 21 out of 29 cases. • Findings of no displacement resulted from methodology, species, and environment. • Information on displacement helps to mitigate the effects of wind power on wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loss of tropical forests represents a major threat to biodiversity. With accelerating deforestation in large parts of the Amazon, the Guiana Shield region, with its large expanse of closed forest cover, has the potential to play a crucial role in both climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. However, the region is now facing increasing deforestation pressures, primarily from artisanal gold mining activities concentrated in the nation of Guyana. To identify areas of Guyana at the highest risk of deforestation over the next 25 years, we employed a spatio-temporal modelling approach that accounted for the stochastic and contagious nature of deforestation. Our model predicted a 9 % net decrease in total forest cover by 2043. While the primary drivers of deforestation were mining and human settlements, protected areas were shown to reduce the probability of deforestation. Therefore, we assessed the potential impact of a proposed expansion of the protected area network in Guyana, on forest loss, carbon stocks and habitat loss for the country's most threatened forest vertebrates. Establishing the proposed protected areas would reduce forest loss by 17 %, predicted habitat losses by an average of 1.9 % per vertebrate group, and aboveground carbon emissions by 466,968 t over the next 25 years. These findings highlight the utility of using predictive models to identify areas at risk of future deforestation, which can contribute to the development of effective strategies against tropical forest loss, biodiversity loss and climate change. • Used spatio-temporal modelling to predict 9% decrease in forest in Guyana by 2043, driven by mining and human settlements. • Proposed protected areas can cut forest loss by 17%, habitat losses by 1.9% per taxa group & carbon emissions by 466,968 t. • Findings highlight how predictive models can aid in strategies against forest loss, biodiversity decline, and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification and protection of important areas to improve connectivity in support of biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation, and Indigenous Rights has been a key aspect in the Convention on Biological Diversity 's policymaking for over two decades. Target 3 of the recently adopted Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework reiterated this need, calling on nations to conserve 30 % of terrestrial and marine areas by 2030 through "well-connected" and equitably governed systems of protected and conserved areas, among other considerations. In response to this call, Canada has initiated and amplified a new National Program for Ecological Corridors to enable collaborative efforts to protect and restore ecological connectivity across the country. Using multiple methods, including a literature review and a combination of interviews and workshops with conservation stakeholders, seven enabling conditions to support the effective and equitable implementation of the program were identified. These enabling conditions encompass respectful and meaningful engagement of and inclusion of Indigenous Peoples; establishing high-level commitment and vision, consistent with international and national biodiversity conservation and climate change commitments, supported by predictable, sustained funding and enabling legislation; and developing an appropriately scaled national corridor vision and supporting criteria and indicators to effectively monitor and communicate outcomes for biodiversity and people. Supporting mechanisms and strategies are detailed that can be used to effectively enable a national corridor program in Canada, providing early lessons learned and next steps for consideration by the wider global conservation community who are also striving to meet their own biodiversity and climate change adaptation goals. [Display omitted] • Ecological corridors support biodiversity and climate change mitigation and adaptation. • Corridor programs must engage, respect, and advance Indigenous rights and leadership. • Successful implementation requires sustained financial and institutional supports. • Strong leadership, partnerships, co-governance, and co-management are essential. • Place-based biodiversity and social benefits of corridors should be communicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests play a key role in climate change mitigation, adaptation and delivery of a range of ecosystem services. There is increasing evidence for impacts of climate and other drivers on plant community change, and fragmented habitats are predicted to be much less resilient to negative impacts on biodiversity and other services. Within Europe, Scotland's native forests are highly fragmented and now cover 4% of the land after many centuries of degradation and loss, but little is known about how their species composition has changed. We recorded long-term vegetation change (from resurvey data) and examined the relationships with climate, pollutant deposition and grazing as key drivers of change, focusing on four forest types: pine, ash, acid- and base-rich oak-birch. All four forest types showed dynamic compositional change during 30–50 years between surveys, with increased species richness and decreased diversity. There was no evidence for homogenisation - the opposite was the case for all except pine (no change). Analyses indicate significant and varied climate, pollution and grazing impacts; NHy deposition showed the most frequent association with species compositional changes. Notable species changes include increases in pteridophytes and declines in forb cover, and a doubling in frequency and cover of Fagus sylvatica between surveys. Our findings suggest a possible extinction debt, with many more species declining than increasing between surveys. This trajectory of change and our other findings indicate a pressing need for mitigation management to reduce the risks of future species losses, with forest expansion planning explicitly considering spatial location in relation to existing native forest and those plant species identified as most at risk. • Species composition in Scotland's native forests has changed over 30–50 years. • Increased species richness, decreased diversity and increased heterogeneity • Strong increases in pteridophytes, Fagus sylvatica and declines in forbs • Interactive effects of climate, pollution and grazing • Findings indicate a possible extinction-debt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Worldwide reforestation has been recommended as a landscape restoration strategy to mitigate climate change in areas where the climate can sustain forest. This approach may threaten grassland ecosystems of unique biodiversity as such policies are based on the false assumption that most grasslands are man-made. Here, we use multiple lines of evidence (palaeoecological, pedological, phylogenetic, palaeontological) from Central Eastern Europe and show that various types of grasslands have persisted in this area throughout the postglacial i.e., the past 11,700 years. A warm and dry climate, frequent fires, herbivore pressure and early Neolithic settlements kept forests open until widespread forest clearance beginning 4000 to 3000 years ago. Closed forest cover has been the exception for the last two million years. This long-term persistence has likely contributed to the high biodiversity of these grasslands. Consequently, we call for a more cautious prioritisation of the protection of what may be erroneously considered natural, i.e. forests, by many environmental specialists and managers. Instead we provide a new framework for a better understanding of the evolution and persistence of different grassland types and their biodiversity, so that grasslands can be better understood, valued and conserved. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • We prove a new framework for understanding long-term dynamics of grasslands. • This framework facilitates the identification of ancient grasslands worldwide. • Evidence of the long-term grassland continuity in potential forest areas • Grassland continuity explains the high current species richness of this ecosystem. • Better classification highlights the importance of this overlooked environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Private lands provide important habitat for biodiversity and are critical to many conservation efforts. With increasing awareness of the importance of private lands, a broad suite of strategies to engage landowners in conservation is emerging. The success of these strategies is contingent on a skilled workforce of conservation practitioners that can scale-up these efforts and meet both ecological and livelihood objectives. Although professional capacity building is an acknowledged priority in the conservation community, the knowledge and experience of conservation practitioners (e.g., individuals working at land trusts and government agencies) has not been widely assessed. Here, we surveyed practitioners in the United States to gauge their familiarity with seven approaches to private lands conservation in different landscape contexts. Most practitioners were familiar with only two conservation tools, conservation easements and direct payment programs (e.g., Farm Bill programs), and familiarity varied among different types of organizations. Although these tools were perceived to restrict residential development and restore habitat, respectively, they had limited reported impact on climate change mitigation or relevance to urban areas. Widespread reliance on just two tools also raises important questions about the vulnerability of private lands conservation efforts to political and institutional changes and the ability to meet multiple conservation objectives in a world undergoing rapid climate and land use change. We argue for targeted efforts to enhance the professional capacity of conservation practitioners to expand the toolbox and achieve multiple conservation goals on diverse private lands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite widespread evidence of climate change as a threat to biodiversity, multiple studies have suggested that government agencies are not adequately addressing this threat to imperiled species. We assessed climate sensitivity for all 197 animal species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) with ranges overlapping the US and its territories. Sensitivity was determined by eight independent factors: temperature, hydrology, disturbance, isolation, injurious species, chemistry, phenology, and obligate relationships. We also reviewed documents by agencies that implement the ESA to determine whether climate change is identified as a threat to the species and/or included in management planning. We found that 99.5 % of species were sensitive to at least one factor, and the agencies considered climate change as a threat to 91 % of species, but planned management actions to address climate sensitivity for just 40 %. This adds to previous findings from an analysis of endangered animals, revealing that shortcomings persist in US imperiled species climate planning. • Almost all U.S. threatened animal species are sensitive to climate change. • U.S. agency assessment of climate change vulnerability is increasing. • Most recovery plans for threatened U.S. animals fail to account for climate change. • Assisted migration of threatened species is possible under the ESA, but unused. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global biodiversity is projected to further decline under a wide range of future socio-economic development pathways, even in sustainability-oriented scenarios. This raises the question how biodiversity can be put on a path to recovery, the core challenge for the implementation of the CBD Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. We designed two ambitious global conservation strategies, 'Half Earth' (HE) and 'Sharing the Planet' (SP), and evaluated their ability to restore terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity and to provide nature's contributions to people (NCP), while also limiting global warming below 2 degrees and ensuring food security. We applied the integrated assessment framework IMAGE with the GLOBIO biodiversity model, using the 'Middle of the Road' Shared Socio-economic Pathway (SSP2) with its projected human population growth as baseline. We found that the HE strategy performs generally better for terrestrial biodiversity (biodiversity intactness (MSA), Area of Habitat, Living Planet Index, Red List Index) in currently still natural regions. The SP strategy yields more improvements for biodiversity in human-used areas, for freshwater biodiversity and for regulating NCP (pest control, pollination, erosion control, water quality). However, both strategies were insufficient to restore biodiversity and corresponded with considerable increases in food security risks and global temperature. Only when we combined the conservation strategies with a portfolio of 'integrated sustainability measures', including climate change mitigation and reductions of food waste and animal product consumption, our scenarios resulted in a restoration of biodiversity and NCP while keeping global warming below two degrees and food security risks below the baseline projection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Action to address biodiversity declines and climate change must be taken on farmland which covers half of all habitable land on Earth. European governments have predominantly invested in agri-environment schemes (AES) which pay farmers to change their management to the benefit of the environment. We conducted the first UK-based comparison of the cost-effectiveness of this approach with an alternative strategy of land purchase where organisations are contracted to manage government-owned land for nature. We took a novel approach to estimating the costs of paying farmers in an AES to create and manage habitat using results from a choice experiment conducted amongst 118 arable farmers in England. We estimated the costs of land purchase, and its subsequent management, based on the literature. Given equal annual spend, we estimated the benefit delivered by each strategy for a suite of environmental outcomes (bullfinches, lapwings, yellowhammers and climate mitigation) and explored how relative cost-effectiveness varied with budget, discount rate and timescale. We found AES were more cost-effective if budgets for environmental policies do not increase and where the environmental outcome is expected to decline rapidly without action in the next 50 years. However, if budgets were to increase considerably to reflect the scale of the biodiversity and climate crises, land purchase would deliver more biodiversity and climate mitigation in the longer term. The cost-effectiveness of the land-purchase strategy was sensitive to fluctuations in land prices which presents a challenge to policymaking which also must consider the impacts on farming communities of large-scale changes in land ownership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extension of forest area is a globally accepted tool to offset CO 2 emissions from deforestation and the combustion of fossil fuels. The common assumption is that in addition to the perceived climate benefits increasing forest area will also support biodiversity, thus making afforestation a “win-win scenario”. Based on the existing scientific evidences, we show that joined climate and biodiversity benefits are strongly context-dependent and that the outcome of afforestation is often highly questionable. In Europe, grasslands managed at low intensity contribute substantially to biodiversity conservation and carbon storage. However, many of these grasslands have been lost due to abandonment and subsequent spontaneous succession towards woody vegetation, or due to land use intensification. Moreover, grasslands are the ecosystems most often deliberately afforested in the context of EU carbon-centered policies that may thus counteract biodiversity conservation programmes. By reviewing the main EU policies targeting forests and grasslands, we found a striking ambivalence between policies and funding schemes addressing grassland conservation on the one hand (e.g. Habitats Directive, green payments within the Common Agricultural Policy) and those supporting afforestation on the other (e.g. rural development funds). We suggest three measures towards a better harmonization of the European Union policies that target forest and grassland ecosystems: (1) promoting the alignment of the decisions taken across different policy sectors; (2) focusing on the whole range of ecosystem services and biodiversity issues rather than on carbon management only; (3) valuing systems managed at low-intensity for their multifunctionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As compared to temperate and boreal forests, the majority of tropical forests are biodiverse, structurally-complex and high-functioning ecosystems, yet their potential attributes are vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances and environmental factors. Here, we hypothesize that the biological, structural and functional attributes of tropical forests respond to water-related climatic and soil nutrient-related factors. Thus, we quantified 27 forest attributes and 20 environmental factors across 189 plots of Sri Lankan tropical forests. Our results suggest that environmental conditions were characterized by both water-related and temperature-related factors, and as such, both coarse-textured and compacted-structured soils determined soil conditions. Forest conditions were characterized by high species-functional diversity, structural complexity and aboveground biomass-related functions. We found strong positive effects of water-related climatic factors (particularly mean annual precipitation) followed by temperature-related climatic factors (i.e., growing degree days) but negligible positive to negative effects of textured-related (i.e., gravel contents) and nutrient-related (i.e., bulk density) soil factors on most of the biological, structural and functional attributes. Overall the biodiversity and carbon stocks of Sri Lankan tropical forests are likely to increase with water-energy balance and improved soil conditions, and thus, studied forests could offset a substantial quantity of anthropogenic carbon emissions to achieve carbon neutrality which can have both regional and global significance if protected from anthropogenic disturbances. Broadly, this study suggests that conservation practices should consider multiple environmental and biotic attributes of the tropical forests during forest management which can have a win-win situation for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. [Display omitted] • The world's tropical forests are highly biodiverse but sensitive to drought. • Climate and soil regulated the forest attributes of Sri Lankan tropical forests. • Biodiversity and carbon stocks of the Sri Lankan tropical forests are likely to be increased with water-energy balance if conserved. • Sri Lankan forests could offset anthropogenic carbon emissions to achieve carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing CO 2 emissions progressively moves up on national and international political agendas. Hopes for "carbon neutrality" heavily rely on renewable energies, especially wind and solar. However, actions against climate change are not at zero cost and can exert large negative environmental and social impacts. The land footprints of wind, solar and hydropower are dozens to hundreds of times larger than other alternatives to fossil fuels, such as nuclear power. However, evidence-based calls to seriously consider nuclear power as part of the energy mix needed to get rid of fossil fuels are systematically ignored, as nuclear energy has been progressively ruled out from the energy transition debate, particularly in most advanced economies. Since first reports on the topic, habitat degradation still ranks as the largest driver of biodiversity loss (e.g. a 68% decrease in vertebrate populations since 1970), contributing between 4 and 14 times more than climate change. Climate action is a Sustainable Development Goal that must be addressed without compromising other Agenda 2030 targets, such as preserving biodiversity. Halting habitat degradation while fighting against climate change will require to seriously re-consider the inclusion of nuclear power into the energy mix for a truly sustainable development, particularly considering that the global energy demand has no signs of slowing down. Otherwise, we risk to degrade what is left of our already decimated nature in the name of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bird mortality due to collisions with wind turbines is one of the major ecological concerns associated with wind farms. Data on the factors influencing collision risk and bird fatality are sparse and lack integration. This baseline information is critical to the development and implementation of effective mitigation measures and, therefore, is considered a priority research topic. Through an extensive literature review (we compiled 217 documents and include 111 in this paper), we identify and summarize the wide range of factors influencing bird collisions with wind turbines and the available mitigation strategies. Factors contributing to collision risk are grouped according to species characteristics (morphology, sensorial perception, phenology, behavior or abundance), site (landscape, flight paths, food availability and weather) and wind farm features (turbine type and configuration, and lighting). Bird collision risk results from complex interactions between these factors. Due to this complexity, no simple formula can be broadly applied in terms of mitigation strategies. The best mitigation option may involve a combination of more than one measure, adapted to the specificities of each site, wind farm and target species. Assessments during project development and turbine curtailment during operation have been presented as promising strategies in the literature, but need further investigation. Priority areas for future research are: (1) further development of the methodologies used to predict impacts when planning a new facility; (2) assessment of the effectiveness of existing minimization techniques; and (3) identification of new mitigation approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation is predominantly an exercise in trying to change human behaviour – whether that of consumers whose choices drive unsustainable resource use, of land managers clearing natural habitats, or of policymakers failing to deliver on environmental commitments. Yet conservation research and practice have made only limited use of recent advances in behavioural science, including more novel behaviour change interventions. Instead conservationists mostly still rely on traditional behaviour change interventions – education, regulation and material incentivisation – largely without applying recent insights from behavioural science about how to improve such approaches. This paper explores how behavioural science could be more widely and powerfully applied in biodiversity conservation. We consider the diverse cast of actors involved in conservation problems and the resulting breadth of behaviour change that conservationists might want to achieve. Drawing on health research, we present a catalogue of types of interventions for changing behaviour, considering both novel, standalone interventions and the enhancement of more traditional conservation interventions. We outline a framework for setting priorities among interventions based on their likely impact, using ideas developed for climate change mitigation. We caution that, despite its promise, behavioural science is not a silver bullet for conservation. The effects of interventions aimed at changing behaviour can be modest, temporary, and context-dependent in ways that are as-yet poorly understood. We therefore close with a call for interventions to be tested and the findings widely disseminated to enable researchers and practitioners to build a much-needed evidence base on the effectiveness and limitations of these tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing climate mitigation while meeting global electrification goals will require major transitions from fossil-fuel dependence to large-scale renewable energy deployment. However, renewables require significant land assets per unit energy and could come at high cost to ecosystems, creating potential conflicts between global climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. Here, we explore the potential biodiversity implications of alternative future global electrification pathways as depicted under the Shared Socioeconomic Scenarios (SSPs), i.e., alternative trends in societal development. We examined the intersection of high-resolution estimates of global energy densities for ten renewable and conventional technologies with global richness data to estimate technology-specific biodiversity footprints (species per GWh), whereas a Cumulative Biodiversity Impact (CBI) score was used to assess land and biodiversity outcomes of alternative scenarios. Downscaled electricity generation scenarios (2020−2100) were also constrained by alternative land conservation and energy development policies. Unexpectedly, variation among SSPs did not exhibit a clear tradeoff between global climate mitigation and CBI. Rather, CBIs were an outcome of total infrastructure development to meet electricity demand (from population growth and GDP) and the total magnitude of renewable energy development and storage technologies. Renewables assembled along a spectrum from land sharing to sparing. At the land sharing end, biomass-powered electricity from dedicated crops contributed the most to biodiversity impacts due to low energy density, whereas land-sparing technologies (solar) caused more-intense land degradation, but in smaller areas. Our results suggest that local land conservation practices and strategies promoting energy diversification could have greater implications for future biodiversity conflicts than global socioeconomic drivers. • Energy transitions for climate mitigation may incur tradeoffs with biodiversity. • Alternative electrification and land conservation scenarios were assessed. • SSP 5 (high energy) had highest biodiversity impact whereas SSP 3 had lowest. • Highest impacts from large biomass, solar, wind, and hydropower expansion • Land conservation policy more important to conservation than global socioeconomics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining coral reef ecosystems is a social imperative, because so many people depend on coral reefs for food production, shoreline protection, and livelihoods. The survival of reefs this century, however, is threatened by the mounting effects of climate change. Climate mitigation is the foremost and essential action to prevent coral reef ecosystem collapse. Without it, reefs will become extremely diminished within the next 20–30 years. Even with strong climate mitigation, however, existing conservation measures such as marine protected areas and fisheries management are no longer sufficient to sustain the ecosystem and many additional and innovative actions to increase reef resilience must also be taken. In this paper we assess the suite of protections and actions in terms of their potential to be effective according to a set of criteria that include effectiveness, readiness, co-benefits and disbenefits. Even with the best scientific innovation, saving coral reefs will require a well-funded, well-designed, and rapidly executed strategy with political and social commitments at the level of other grand challenges. • Coral reef ecosystems will continue to decline significantly and globally. • Climate mitigation is an essential but insufficient action to conserve reefs. • Coral adaptation to warming will only be effective under low emission scenarios. • Reef protection and innovations to increase coral resilience need rapid development. • Saving coral reefs requires effort and funding on par with other grand challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change affects life at global scales and across systems but is of special concern in areas that are disproportionately rich in biological diversity and uniqueness. Using a meta-analytical approach, we analysed >8000 risk projections of the projected impact of climate change on 273 areas of exceptional biodiversity, including terrestrial and marine environments. We found that climate change is projected to negatively impact all assessed areas, but endemic species are consistently more adversely impacted. Terrestrial endemics are projected to be 2.7 and 10 times more impacted than non-endemic natives and introduced species respectively, the latter being overall unaffected by climate change. We defined a high risk of extinction as a loss of >80% due to climate change alone. Of endemic species, 34% and 46% in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and 100% and 84% of island and mountain species were projected to face high extinction risk respectively. A doubling of warming is projected to disproportionately increase extinction risks for endemic and non-endemic native species. Thus, reducing extinction risks requires both adaptation responses in biodiversity rich-spots and enhanced climate change mitigation. • Climate change is projected to negatively impact 273 biodiversity-rich areas globally. • Risks are 3 and 10 times more for endemic than native and introduced species. • Introduced species may be unaffected or benefit from climate change. • 34% of land and 54% of marine endemic's, risk extinction. • 100% of island, 84% of mountain species risk extinction due to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global decline in invertebrate diversity requires urgent conservation interventions. However, identifying priority conservation areas for invertebrates remains a significant challenge. We hypothesized that aligning the conservation of invertebrate biodiversity with climate change mitigation ofer offers a solution. As both soil carbon storage and invertebrate biodiversity are positively influenced by plant diversity and productivity, a positive correlation can also be expected between SOC and invertebrate biodiversity. Drawing on >10,000 invertebrate observations organized into functional groups, and site-specific soil organic Carbon (SOC) measurements from Patagonia, the Peruvian Andes, and montane tropical rainforest, we examined the role of climate, soil, topographical position and land use for prediction of invertebrate biodiversity. We found that taxonomic and functional invertebrate diversity and abundance closely correlate with SOC stocks within ecosystems. Topographical position of sites, which was partly associated with SOC, was also important, whereas land use was of subordinate importance. We conclude that recent advances in predicting and mapping SOC can guide the identification of habitats within landscapes with high biodiversity and conservation value for invertebrates. Our findings stress the importance of linking global climate change mitigation initiatives that aim to preserve and restore SOC to efforts aimed at improving the conservation of invertebrates and the ecosystem services they provide, for the realization of mutual climate and biodiversity benefits. • Identifying habitats with high invertebrate biodiversity is challenging due to the abundance and diversity of the group. • Identifying areas that need to be prioritised in conservation planning is thus a serious challenge. • Within landscapes the sites holding the highest biodiversity values tend to be those where soil carbon is highest. • This offers opportunities to consolidate global SOC preservation efforts with the conservation of invertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The twin pressures of climate change and biodiversity loss mean that it is imperative to manage land in ways that benefit carbon storage and biodiversity conservation. We focus on a set of UK habitats of recognised conservation value, first quantifying the carbon stored in the vegetation and top 30 cm of soil in these areas. We estimate that these areas store 0.55 gigatonnes of carbon in vegetation and soil to a depth of 30 cm, approximately 30% of the UK terrestrial carbon store to a similar depth, on 20% of the land area. Most of these high carbon, high conservation value habitats are in upland areas, with particularly notable extents and mass of carbon in Scotland. In their current condition, we estimate these areas to exert a net sequestration effect of more than 8 million tonnes of CO 2 equivalents per year. Furthermore, restoration of these habitats from their current, generally poor condition could result in an extra 6–7 million tonnes of CO 2 equivalents per year, in the context of the UK's total emissions of 455.9 million tonnes CO 2eq in 2017. Restoration of degraded bogs would avoid significant annual emissions (currently negating significant sequestration by woodlands and coastal habitats) and should be a particular priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fate of humans and insects intertwine, especially through the medium of plants. Global environmental change, including land transformation and contamination, is causing concerning insect diversity loss, articulated in the companion review Scientists ' warning to humanity on insect extinctions. Yet, despite a sound philosophical foundation, recognized ethical values, and scientific evidence, globally we are performing poorly at instigating effective insect conservation. As insects are a major component of the tapestry of life, insect conservation would do well to integrate better with overall biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. This also involves popularizing insects, especially through use of iconic species, through more media coverage, and more inclusive education. Insect conservationists need to liaise better with decision makers, stakeholders, and land managers, especially at the conceptually familiar scale of the landscape. Enough evidence is now available, and synthesized here, which illustrates that multiple strategies work at local levels towards saving insects. We now need to expand these locally-crafted strategies globally. Tangible actions include ensuring maintenance of biotic complexity, especially through improving temporal and spatial heterogeneity, functional connectivity, and metapopulation dynamics, while maintaining unique habitats, across landscape mosaics, as well as instigating better communication. Key is to have more expansive sustainable agriculture and forestry, improved regulation and prevention of environmental risks, and greater recognition of protected areas alongside agro-ecology in novel landscapes. Future-proofing insect diversity is now critical, with the benefits far reaching, including continued provision of valuable ecosystem services and the conservation of a rich and impressive component of Earth's biodiversity. • Human and insect well-being intertwine. • Philosophical, psychological, and scientific basis of insect conservation is robust. • Solutions are available for averting further insect decline. • Effective localized principles and solutions must now be actioned globally. • Engaging civil society on the value of insects for human well-being is urgent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving equitable and sustainable development that supports climate change mitigation targets and avoids biodiversity loss remains a leading, and intractable challenge in many tropical countries. Sectorial thinking – focusing on just one aspect of the problem or system – is increasingly understood to be inadequate to address linked social-ecological challenges. Holistic approaches that incorporate diverse stakeholders across scales, sectors, and knowledge systems are gaining prominence for addressing complex problems. Such 'integrated landscape approaches' have received renewed momentum and interest from the research, donor and practitioner communities, and have been subsumed in international conventions related to climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development. However, implementation efforts and tangible evaluation of progress continues to lag behind conceptual development. Failure of landscape approaches to adequately engage diverse stakeholders—in design, implementation and evaluation—is a contributing factor to their poor performance. Here we draw on consultation workshops, advances in the literature, and our collective experience to identify key constraints and opportunities to better engage stakeholders in tropical landscape decision-making processes. Specifically, we ask: (1) what are the key challenges related to effectively engaging multiple stakeholders in integrated landscape approaches and (2) what lessons can be learned from practitioners, and how can these lessons serve as opportunities to avoid duplicating future research efforts or repeating past perceptions of underperformance. We present our findings within three broad categories: (i) navigating complexity, (ii) overcoming siloed thinking, and (iii) incentivizing behavioral change; thus providing a useful starting point for overcoming inherent challenges associated with engaging stakeholders in landscape approaches. • Engagement benefits from boundary support and independent facilitation to integrate expert and community experiences. • Co-produced theories of change enhance shared understanding of desired outcomes and measurable process indicators. • Incentive structures generate variable responses and therefore must be carefully contextualized. • Participatory modeling makes assumptions explicit, enabling transparent decision-making. • Forecasting exercises enhance knowledge, capacity and empathy by exposing actors to diverse perspectives. • Locally relevant people-based strategies are crucial to secure meaningful and long-term engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]