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The trade of elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) in Brazil threatens the country's rich endemic biodiversity. The present study explored the use of DNA-based tools to monitor the Brazilian elasmobranch trade, focusing on their role in identifying processed products and supporting conservation efforts. A systematic search of literature was conducted and included 35 peer-reviewed papers published between 2008 and 2023. A shift from the development of DNA-based tools to direct trade applications has been observed since 2015. Molecular identification challenges, including costly sequencing and limited resources in national databases, were identified along with proposed solutions, such as protocol optimization and exploration of cost-effective alternatives. Biases in trade analysis papers, particularly the lack of research in the Northeast Region of Brazil, and issues with sample sizes were evident. Species identified using DNA-based tools included the critically endangered Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini), which appeared in 46 % of the evaluated papers, followed by the Blue Shark (Prionace glauca), and several others threatened species, such as the critically endangered and endemic Brazilian Guitarfish (Pseudobatos horkelii) and the recently categorized as vulnerable Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon porosus). Other species were reassessed by IUCN, including previously non-threatened species that are now at risk, emphasizing the need for fisheries management, trade monitoring and conservation measures. Our findings highlight the importance of continued genetic monitoring to analyze market trends and adjust legislation, encouraging compliance with frequent inspections to enhance wildlife conservation. We also identified gaps in research and recommended strategies for accurate species identification, broader investigation, and effective management. • Meta-analysis of DNA-based tools for monitoring trade, focusing on Brazil's elasmobranchs • Challenges in molecular identification were identified (e.g., limited database resources). • Brazil comprises 203 elasmobranch species, and 64 were molecularly detected in trade. • 83 % of species detected are threatened (IUCN), including recently updated assessments. • Ten research gaps were outlined, along with recommended practical solutions for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Response and adaptation to the impacts of climate change is a vital and increasing requirement for protected area management. On the ground managers of cultural and natural values in protected places have requested practical guidance on how to undertake climate change impact analysis, vulnerability assessment, and adaptation planning together with enhanced capacity for planning with partners, rightsholders and stakeholders. In this paper we explore how co-development and subsequent testing among World Heritage site managers, Indigenous experts and researchers, produced guidance for assessing, responding to and planning for the impacts of climate change on the diverse values of World Heritage sites in Australia. We draw on the diversity of cultural and natural heritage values associated with the terrestrial, coastal and marine environments in Australian World Heritage sites, and the broad range of institutional contexts in these sites, to highlight considerations of relevance to other protected areas (including other World Heritage sites around the world, Ramsar wetlands and marine protected areas). Our paper highlights that, for climate adaptation planning to become a normal part of management, there is a need for ongoing capacity building, including around the use of climate information to inform adaptation planning and implementation, as well as integrating Indigenous perspectives. Building capacity may involve trial and error, negotiation, sharing, sourcing and interpreting new information, and changes in expectations. It will require novel and more dynamic relationships between partners and stakeholders. Managers should include capacity building for climate adaptation planning and implementation as a specific climate adaptation task in their planning. • We present co-developed and tested climate change guidance for World Heritage. • This guidance is co-authored with Indigenous experts. • There is an ongoing need for capacity building in adaptation planning. • Co-development processes can build capacity and bring together diverse knowledge. • World Heritage is a useful context for understanding climate adaptation planning needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fundamental criterion for listing or delisting species under the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA) is acceptable extinction risk. But what is the meaning of "acceptable risk"? This concept has received little attention in conservation biology, and hence, the purpose of this paper is to explain acceptable risk within the context of the ESA. All complex environmental policy decisions involve trade-offs, and hence, choosing one policy from several policy options entails a comparison of the benefits, costs, and risks of all options. Acceptable-risk problems are decision problems requiring a choice among different policy options, and an acceptable risk is defined as the risk associated with the chosen policy. In general, people will accept the risk imposed by a particular policy when that policy yields sufficient net benefits. The ESA, its legislative history, and implementing regulations clearly state that species listing determinations must be based solely on science and "without reference to possible economic or other impacts" caused by the listing of that species. If economic considerations are prohibited from influencing listing decisions, then risk reduction is not constrained by cost, and therefore, the only rational choice for acceptable extinction risk is zero risk. This outcome, known as a "stopping-point problem", is absurd, and consequently, federal agencies responsible for listing determinations are forced to issue opaque decisions that obscure their true rationale, which in turn, lead to inconsistency and improper political influence. Illustrations of acceptable risk in null hypothesis tests, the United States Clean Air Act, and minimum viable population size are also presented. • Acceptable extinction risk is the main criterion for listing endangered species. • Cost-benefit trade-offs affect policy decisions involving acceptable risk. • U.S. Endangered Species Act has a defect known as the stopping-point problem. • The U.S. ESA's stopping-point problem forces an opaque, incoherent listing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thousands of new species are declared each year, including species with small geographic ranges that are vulnerable to extinction. Using a synthetic control methodology, I show that the declaration of a new species of bird with a small geographic range caused the average annual number of wildlife tourists (birdwatchers) in the two US counties where the species lives to increase by 93.5 % and the annual activity level (number of birdwatching checklists logged) to increase by 143.4 %. Overall, an additional 7323 birdwatching checklists were logged in the three years following the species declaration. Most new wildlife tourists were estimated to live >300 km away but within the same continent. These impacts occurred even though the population of birds now considered a distinct species was already known to science and the new species is visually indistinguishable from a widespread related species. There was no detectable impact on county-level GDP in a tourism-related sector. Wildlife tourism expenditures have the potential to incentivize conservation if tourism benefits are captured locally, but higher visitation rates also place pressure on sensitive ecosystems by increasing the possibility of disturbance to wildlife, destruction of habitat, and wildfires. Measuring the impacts of increased visitation quantitatively can help tourism managers understand the scale of changes in tourism and assess the need to minimize impacts. The results in this paper highlight a need for tourism managers to develop plans for harnessing wildlife tourism dollars at the local level to use for the conservation of newly declared species. • Wildlife tourists responded to a new species of bird by traveling to see it. • The number of birdwatching tourists where the species lives increased by 93.5 %. • The number of citizen science birdwatching checklists increased by 143.4 %. • Most tourists lived >300 km from the home range of the new species. • More tourism may provide conservation opportunities, but also ecological impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation and Development Interventions (CDIs) aim to promote sustainable natural resource use and contribute to both biodiversity conservation (or restoration) and human well-being. Their long-term impact on social-ecological interactions hinges on their transformative potential to achieve sustainability. In this perspective paper, we categorize CDIs based on their strategies for achieving transformative change, empowering decision-makers to guide social-ecological systems towards sustainability. We classify CDIs by their specific dependencies between values, rules, and knowledge systems in decision-making, power relations, and environmental justice in creating transformations. Based on this classification, we identify three 'realms' of CDI: (1) the realm of "management", i.e., interventions for a just and sustainable natural resource use happen at a broad but shallow level through management design and content. Here, formal rules and visible power structures dominate to achieve distributive justice; (2) the realm of "understanding", i.e., interventions that offer a better understanding of knowledge diversity and shedding light on invisible power structures by addressing procedural justice; (3) the realm of "engagement", i.e., interventions that elucidate the underlying human value system and uncover hidden power structures, e.g., by analysing social discourses and thereby deeply engaging with recognitional justice in sustainable natural resource use. This work suggests that CDIs can enhance their capacity to drive transformative change towards promoting sustainable natural resource use by strategically addressing and actively involving all three realms. • Conservation and Development Interventions hold potential to transform social-ecological systems towards sustainability. • This potential hinges upon the interplay of decision-making, power relations, and environmental justice. • We classified three realms within which interventions take place: "management"; "understanding", and "engagement". • Strategically addressing these realms may foster transformative change in sustainable natural resource use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly used in conservation practices, e.g., to prevent poaching or inventory wildlife. Another area of application is using AI to decode animal vocalisations to understand better—and subsequently better protect—the animals. It has already been applied to different species, including various whale species. Whales have complex vocalisations that are used for sexual selection, to coo their young, for echolocation, and as a form of communication. Scientists are deploying underwater microphones (hydrophones), robotic fish, and tags to record whale vocalisation. AI is used to identify whale vocalisation patterns, understand their meaning, and digitally recreate these sounds to communicate with them. Understanding and translating whale vocalisations into something humanly understandable aims at helping to identify their movements to protect them from ship strikes and bycatch and prevent or reduce sonar that interferes with their echolocation. Using AI holds potential benefits, but it also comes with several risks. We describe current projects that use AI to decipher the vocalisations of humpback and sperm whales (Section 3). We introduce six ethical challenges of applying AI to decode whale vocalisations and highlight what needs to be addressed to establish these practices responsibly (Section 4). These challenges are anthropomorphism, privacy rights, cultural and emotional harm to whales, technological solutionism, ineffectiveness for whale conservation, and gender bias. This paper critically evaluates the use of AI to analyse whale vocalisation, concluding that using AI to decode whale vocalisations holds many benefits for whale conservation; however, using AI to try to speak with whales is ethically problematic because of the potential emotional, physical, and cultural harm caused to whales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased occurrence of human-wildlife interactions, due to climate change, land use change, habitat loss, and other anthropogenic impacts, necessitates better mitigation or adaptation. At the same time, developments in conservation ethics are converging on the need to recognize and value both human and non-human values within conservation practice. Better understanding of negative human-wildlife interactions can improve conservation management. In this paper, we interrogate what human-wildlife conflict is, who is involved, why it happens, and how we can better mitigate its occurrence. We describe how centering both human and non-human individuals allows wildlife management to leverage interdisciplinary tools for both better mitigation and ethical practices. We highlight existing interdisciplinary tools such as critical anthropomorphism, personhood, agency, and personality which can be used to conduct individual-based management strategies, as well as other tools that are already used to identify, understand, and monitor individuals. Ultimately, by centering the needs and perspectives of individuals, we assert that a more nuanced understanding of human-wildlife conflict can be achieved, leading to the development of effective and inclusive management strategies. • Each human and animal is distinct, necessitating a focus on addressing the actions of individuals rather than collectives when mitigating HWC. • By valuing and studying individuals, practitioners can understand when and why an interaction is conflict rather than coexistence. • The value of individual humans is undisputed, but studying individual human behavior and motivations can help identify and mitigate HWC. • Valuing non-human individuals allows for important tools for HWC, including wildlife agency, critical anthropomorphism, and animal personhood. • HWC mitigation can be improved by examining and valuing individual human and non-humans in a conflict event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive woody plants can cause profound changes in receiving ecosystems, such as alteration of hydrological and nutrient cycles, retraction of native flora and fauna, and modification of the frequency and intensity of natural disturbances. Prescribed fires could be a useful tool to control or eliminate invasive species; however, they are not yet fully accepted as a management tool in natural ecosystems. We conducted a systematic review to gather information on the use of fire as a tool to control invasive woody species in natural areas around the world. Our work reveals not only the scarcity of reports focusing on the effects of fire on woody plants, but also its uneven distribution across continents and subcontinents. Most studies cover areas less than 10 ha and analyze the effect of a single burn. The frequency and intensity of fires is indicated only in a few cases, despite being a key characteristic for the survival of the plants targeted for control. Almost 80 % of the studies aimed that sought to evaluate the effect of prescribed burning as a control tool for invasive woody species reported positive results in that direction, and most of them explicitly recommended prescribed burning as an effective intervention. We conclude that prescribed fires have high potential for use in invasion management, particularly in fire-adapted ecosystems, and point out some features that, if considered in the works that study the effects of fire, would allow to strengthen the evidence about its value and limitations as a management tool. • A scarcity and unequal distribution of the papers between regions were found. • Most studies cover small areas and analyze the effect of a single burn. • The frequency and intensity of fires are indicated only in a few cases. • Most studies explicitly recommended prescribed burning as an effective intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how perceived social equity (distributional equity, procedural equity, and recognitional equity) affects acceptance of protected areas by local communities. We also consider the consequences of these perceptions on the behaviour of local people in relation to biodiversity conservation. Despite increasing importance being given to social issues in protected area management, there is limited evidence about the effect of perceived equity on local support for conservation initiatives. Questionnaires (mostly face-to-face interviews) were undertaken with 426 households living in and around the Giant Panda National Park, which lies across the Sichuan, Shanxi and Gansu provinces of China. Structural equation modelling revealed that local residents with positive perceptions of procedural and distributional equity were more willing to support conservation and engage in conservation behaviours. Surprisingly, perceived recognitional equity had no effect on acceptance and negatively impacted conservation behaviour. This highlights that, although it is essential to promote recognitional equity, the complexities around this must be considered further. The context (e.g. age, education, village of residence) moderates the relationships between procedural equity, distributional equity and local acceptance. We suggest that, in order to achieve better park-people relationships, in addition to addressing equity concerns, it is also necessary to implement supplementary measures, such as community co-management and benefit sharing with host communities. • Procedural and distributional equity facilitate acceptance of protected areas. • Recognitional equity has an intricate relationship with local support. • Perceived justice tends to be non-linear in relation to local support. • The location of communities influences local pro-conservation behaviours. • There is a need for a better understanding of the equity-acceptance relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Will this paper lead to any measurable impact on biodiversity conservation? In this essay, we examine the relevance of scientific publications for conservation outcomes and propose specific recommendations to encourage procedural reforms in academia. While many conservation scientists dedicate significant effort to making their research accessible and actionable for conservation outcomes, academia often doesn't reward these efforts and can even inhibit them. Universities increasingly promote engaged scholarship, yet few institutions have established formal mechanisms that promote and reward such work. We suggest a new framework to support engaged universities and propose three recommendations for research institutions. Our recommendations are based on 71 interviews of conservation scientists producing actionable science. We recommend that universities: (1) actively support faculty engagement in boundary-spanning work, providing an interface between research and society; (2) meaningfully reward faculty work that makes a genuine impact on efforts to solve real-world problems, beyond academic publications; and (3) use appropriate metrics to recognize the value of impacts on society and contributions to practical conservation outcomes. Universities supporting engaged scholarship have the potential to excel in attracting talented scholars, securing funding, and fostering impactful change. • We provide specific recommendations to reform academia for conservation scientists. • Our recommendations are based on 71 interviews with engaged conservation scientists. • Academic institutions should fully embrace their role of boundary organizations. • Academic institutions should incentivize faculty to tackle real-world challenges. • Scientists' evaluation metrics should reflect real conservation outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine protected areas are 'sites unseen' and hence the human communities that live on and around them often struggle to accept their existence. This paper presents an account of a project that sought to establish what are the most effective modes of community engagement to raise awareness of the ecological integrity and values of, and social license to operate for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), especially those in remote and regional areas. Using a case study of offshore MPAs within the state of South Australia, we argue that conventional modes of community engagement and communication are enhanced by the deployment of virtual and visual modes of communication. Our analysis showed that the use of alternate and visually engaged processes, via the deployment of the 'Fab Five' marine species, enabled us to break the dominant discourse that MPAs are 'us' vs 'them', facilitated a reconciliation between State and Commonwealth MPAs, and created a unique space for cross cultural engagement which cumulatively offered opportunities to build the government's social license for the existence of MPAs, and maintain their enduring benefit for marine conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) in breeding programs to save wild animal species is a relatively new approach to conservation and their ethical implications seem still to be underestimated. However, the ethical evaluation is a decisive step for conservation projects employing ART to address crucial questions like the welfare and life of the animals involved, the survival of the targeted species, the quality and safety of the procedures and the very idea of biodiversity conservation we want to pursue. Balancing the potential benefits of ART with the risks involved requires careful ethical analysis. This paper highlights the increasing role of ART in species conservation and emphasizes the need to address their ethical implications. After discussing the lack of ethical discussion in ART application to wildlife, the contribution outlines an ethical frame to address this gap and introduces an ETHical ASsessment tool (ETHAS) for the ethical self-assessment of ART procedures in vertebrate conservation. The tool allows respondents to highlight ethical aspects to be improved and risks related to the procedure, from its design to each application. The ethical approach to the ART application, relatively novel to wildlife conservation, can contribute to assure the ethical acceptability of conservation programs while favoring discussion and communication among project partners and the integration of ethical aspects in conservation programs. [Display omitted] • Ethical implications of assisted reproduction technologies are still underestimated. • Several ethical aspects should be considered in ARTs application in conservation. • Ethical assessment guarantees project's ethical acceptability and high standards. • Ethical self-assessment highlights ethical aspects to be improved, reducing risks. • Ethical self-assessment promotes communication and inclusive decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting extinctions resulting from ecosystems' regime shifts has long been a focus of biological conservation and ecological management. Mathematical modelling plays a key role in assessing the possibility of such events. Traditionally, however, models focused on long-term, asymptotic behaviour of ecosystems. Meanwhile, the environment is usually non-stationary, which may mean that the long-term behaviour is never observed. Correspondingly, over the last two decades there has been a growing appreciation of the role of transients both in empirical ecology and theoretical studies, in particular in the context of species extinctions. In this paper, we theoretically explore long transients and extinctions occurring in several paradigmatic models of increasing complexity, such as single species, two-species and three-species systems. We consider the population dynamics in a local 'patch', the patch being connected to the rest of the population via density-dependent dispersal. We consider both deterministic and stochastic scenarios. We discover many different patterns of long transient dynamics with quick regime shifts between 'safe' (persistent) dynamics and unsafe ones resulting in extinctions. Remarkably, delayed extinction can occur after thousands of generations of apparently safe population dynamics. We classify transient regimes and reveal their underlying mechanisms. Environmental noise can either shorten transients or can create a new type of a long transient. Our study suggests that not only are long transients ubiquitous, but there is also a great variety of them. The omnipresence of long transients emphasizes the need to account for them in nature conservation programs as well as future theoretical research. • Sudden regime shifts in population dynamics due to long transients are explored using theoretical models • The particularity of the models is density-dependent dispersal of individuals • Various types of transients are observed within wide parameter ranges • Long transients occur both under deterministic and stochastic model settings • Long transients create an extra challenge for ecological forecasting and should be considered by conservation programs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most biodiverse and productive ecosystem in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), coral reefs have supported coastal communities for millennia. Demands for improved management and conservation following rapid development in the 1970s have led to a dramatic growth in science seeking to document and describe the status of regional reefs; however, the role of women in this field remains understudied. Using an explanatory semi-sequential mixed-methods design, in which a systematic review preceded semi-structured interviews, we address this gap by investigating the prevalence and perspectives of women conducting reef science in the GCC. Of the 852 reef-related publications included in the review, the majority (53 %) were exclusively authored by men, with no female authors occurring in the literature until 1985. The six-fold increase in female-inclusive publications that occurred in the subsequent three decades did not eliminate the substantial gender divide in publication output and the senior authorship position. Moreover, over half of published female scientists were researchers from the Global North, while Khaleeji researchers (citizens of GCC nations) were a minority - a trend with implications for knowledge leaks and ineffective conservation efforts. Six themes emerged from the interviews (n = 47): 1) history of female contributions to reef science in the GCC, 2) success factors for scientific productivity, 3) barriers affecting professional practice, 4) author collaboration and credit, 5) growing presence of Khaleeji researchers, 6) parachute and neocolonial science. Our results highlight the need to sustain diverse gender and local voices in research shaping conservation efforts. Considering that the region remains densely populated in coastal zones and dependent on the surrounding marine provinces, member states must propagate greater inclusive and indigenous representation in science to support advancement of reef research and conservation. • First female author in GCC reef-related literature emerged in 1985 • Six-fold increase in female-inclusive papers; gap persists in output and senior roles. • Global North dominance raises concerns for GCC reef conservation. • Mixed-method study unveiled progress and persistent gender challenges in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing concern over climate models that project significant changes in the oceans, with consequences on marine biodiversity and human well-being. However, marine and coastal ecosystems respond differently to climate change-related stressors depending on the ecosystem, species composition and interactions, geomorphologic settings, and spatial distribution, but also on the presence of local stressors interacting cumulatively with climate change-related pressures. Our paper provides a comprehensive review of the current literature about the effects of climate-related pressures on marine and coastal ecosystems and how local stressors affect their resilience. Our work focuses on key marine and coastal ecosystems from three ecoregions: the Caribbean Sea (coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass beds), the Mediterranean Sea (the coral Cladocora caespitosa , maërl beds and seagrass beds) and the North-East Atlantic, which include kelp forests, maërl beds, salt marshes and seagrass beds. This review highlights the need for a more comprehensive, multi-species, and multi-stressors approach to predict better changes at the ecosystem and seascape levels of marine and coastal ecosystems. Nevertheless, there is enough evidence to argue that addressing locally key manageable stressors common to multiple ecosystems, such as nutrient enrichment, coastal development, hydrologic disturbances, anchoring or sedimentation, will reduce the identified adverse effects of climate change. This knowledge is critical for practical conservation actions and coastal and marine spatial management at the ecoregion scale and beyond. • This study reviews the effects of climate change on seven marine coastal habitats. • Climate change-related stressors affect marine and coastal ecosystems. • Few studies tested the cumulative effects of local and global stressors. • Marine ecosystems' tipping points indicate their vulnerability to coastal changes. • Managing local stressors can increase the resilience of marine and coastal ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation of threatened species is essential for achieving sustainable development goals and realizing ecological civilization in China. However, our new survey on endemic threatened angiosperms in the scientific publication database showed that there is still a serious bias in the species' selection and research topics. China's 2117 endemic threatened angiosperm species remain relatively understudied with 41 % of them being not included in any Chinese-language and English-language scientific publications. Furthermore, only 2 % of the 44,383 publications that mention threatened plant species are related to conservation research and over 75 % of them are found behind a paywall. We propose measures to increase and advance conservation research and protection for China's threatened plants, 1) improve long-term and comprehensive research on endemic threatened angiosperms in China, 2) combine conservation research and practices and transfer conservation knowledge to practices timely, 3) promote inter-governmental communication and cooperation, and 4) apply new technologies and methods to conservation studies and practices. • China's conservation and research capacity of plants is improving rapidly. • About half of the endemic threatened angiosperms (ETA) in China have not been studied. • Only 2 % of papers related to ETA pay attention to species conservation. • We need to adjust policies and mentalities to promote the conservation of Chinese plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected Areas (PAs) have been a cornerstone of conservation policy in the past but are generally static and thus might be less useful under climate change as species move away from reserves designated for them. In addition, shifting phenology and habitat alteration due to extreme events could make conditions unviable within PAs for species unable to move. However, several recent papers documented their utility in retaining contracting species, acting as stepping-stones for expanding species of conservation concern and resisting invasion by vagrants. Theoretical studies have suggested a role for both protected area design and management to enable biodiversity to adapt to climate change and implementation of these actions has begun. Here we synthesise case studies of climate change adaptation actions in protected areas from the globally available literature. We found 91 case studies of 114 different actions from 30 countries, mostly within Europe, specifically the UK. Half reported an outcome of actions, however, these were generally either the area restored or protected, or incidental reports of colonisation by desired species, without a description of monitoring before and after action. In addition, 72 % of actions would have been beneficial to biodiversity without the presence of climate change, so transformative action is lacking. Better monitoring and reporting of outcomes are urgently needed to develop the evidence base on which actions are most effective, to enable more reserve managers to take action. Managers also need encouragement to identify transformative actions, perhaps by the use of scenario planning to aid understanding of future uncertainties. • Most recorded climate change adaptation actions for biodiversity on Protected Areas are existing good practise • Reporting of outcomes was reasonably common but did not capture the effectiveness of actions for aiding adaptation • Conservation may be falling behind other sectors in implementing and assessing climate change adaptation actions • Protected Area managers urgently need resources to assess and report meaningful indicators of success [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]