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Individual animals are often given names by humans. For example, names are attributed to domestic animals to acknowledge their closeness to people, some research studies use names to identify differences between individuals in a study group, or zoos often use names to tell stories that attract public or media attention.Publicly naming individual animals can provide opportunities in conservation, but there are also risks. In this perspective we exemplify such opportunities and risks in the context of wildlife reintroductions. We draw on examples and observations from our experience researching Eurasian beaver Castor fiber reintroduction in England, to encourage careful thinking before publicly attributing a name to an individual in reintroduction projects.Naming individuals in reintroduction can: be a low‐cost engagement tool; help people relate to unfamiliar reintroduced species; encourage local ownership of reintroduction projects; enable an effective tool for communicating information about the species and ways to coexist; or support creative or cultural expression.Yet naming individuals in reintroduction could: risk misrepresentation of natural species characteristics; make it challenging to normalise the sense that the reintroduced species is a wild animal; unintentionally imply that humans have ownership or power over the animal; cause distraction from establishing viable populations due to focus on the individual; or result in human investment in individual animals, which may have influence on reintroduction outcomes if that animal later comes to harm or dies (naturally or otherwise).Synthesis and Applications. We argue there is more to the act of naming individuals than may first appear. If considering doing so, we call for careful thought about whether it is appropriate and how to go about it. While we intentionally refrain from concluding whether 'to name or not to name', we call for careful, informative, message framing that takes advantage of the opportunities and is prepared for future circumstances, when naming of individuals does take place. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In anthropogenic landscapes, wildlife reintroductions are likely to result in interactions between people and reintroduced species. People living in the vicinity may have little familiarity with the reintroduced species or associated management, so will need to learn to live with the species in a new state of "Renewed Coexistence." In England, Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) are being reintroduced and U.K. Government agencies are currently considering their national approach to reintroduction and management. Early indications are this will include requirement for "Beaver Management Groups" (BMGs) to engage with local stakeholders. This policy paper reports on qualitative research that captured lessons from the governance of two existing BMGs in Devon (south‐west England), drawing on both a prior study and new interview data. Through the analysis, we identified that BMGs are not a fixed structure, but an adaptive process. This consists of three stages (Formation, Functioning, and Future?), influenced by resource availability and national policy direction. We argue that, where they are used, Species‐specific Management Groups could provide a "front line" for the integration of reintroduced species into modern landscapes, but their role or remit could be scaled back over time and integrated into existing structures or partnerships to reduce pressure on limited resources, as knowledge of reintroduced species (such as beaver) grows and its presence becomes "normalized." There must be sufficient flexibility in forthcoming policy to minimize constraint on the adaptive nature of BMGs and similar groups for other reintroduced species, if they are to facilitate a sustainable coexistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the UK, tree, hedgerow, and woodland (THaW) habitats are key havens for biodiversity and support many related ecosystem services. The UK is entering a period of agricultural policy realignment with respect to natural capital and climate change, meaning that now is a critical time to evaluate the distribution, resilience, and dynamics of THaW habitats. The fine‐grained nature of habitats like hedgerows necessitates mapping of these features at relatively fine spatial resolution—and freely available public archives of airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) data at <2 m spatial resolution offer a means of doing so within UK settings. The high cost of LiDAR prohibits use for regular monitoring of THaW change, but space‐borne sensors such as Sentinel‐1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR at ca. 10 m resolution) can potentially meet this need once baseline distributions are established. We address two aims in this manuscript—(1) to rapidly quantify THaW across UK landscapes using LiDAR data and (2) to monitor canopy change intra‐ and inter‐annually using SAR data. We show that workflows applied to airborne LiDAR data can deliver THaW baselines at 2 m resolution, with positional accuracy of >90%. It was also possible to combine LiDAR mapping data and Sentinel‐1 SAR data to rapidly track canopy change through time (i.e., every 3 months) using, cloud‐based processing via Google Earth Engine. The resultant toolkit is also provided as an open‐access web app. The results highlight that whilst nearly 90% of the tallest trees (above 15 m) are captured within the National Forest Inventory (NFI) database only 50% of THaW with a canopy height range of 3–15 m are recorded. Current estimates of tree distribution neglect these finer‐grained features (i.e., smaller or less contiguous THaW canopies), which we argue will account for a significant proportion of landscape THaW cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For various reasons there has been a recent trend in college and high school calculus courses to de-emphasize teaching the Partial Fraction Decomposition (PFD) as an integration technique. This is regrettable because the Partial Fraction Decomposition is considerably more than an integration technique. It is, in fact, a general purpose tool which crops up naturally in a wide range of applications. The techniques for computing the Partial Fraction Decomposition are numerous to say the least and tend to fall into two categories, general methods which will work for any decomposition and specialized methods which work only for special cases. Unfortunately, the general techniques are often cumbersome and tend to make relatively simple decompositions seem complex, and the specialized techniques, while often very easy to use, tend to proliferate to the point of chaos because there is a lot of variation in the kinds of decompositions that occur. We present an algorithm for computing the Partial Fraction Decomposition that is based on Heaviside's "cover-up" method-possibly the simplest of the known specialized techniques. The "cover-up" method is extended to a general technique which can be used for any decomposition. Our algorithm is simple to use and teach and is usually more efficient than other known algorithms, specialized or general.

We outline the principles of the natural capital approach to decision making and apply these to the contemporary challenge of very significantly expanding woodlands as contribution to attaining net zero emissions of greenhouse gases.Drawing on the case of the UK, we argue that a single focus upon carbon storage alone is likely to overlook the other 'net zero plus' benefits which woodlands can deliver.A review of the literature considers the wide variety of potential benefits which woodlands can provide, together with costs such as foregone alternative land uses.We argue that decision making must consider all of these potential benefits and costs for the right locations to be planted with the right trees.The paper closes by reviewing the decision support systems necessary to incorporate this information into policy and decision making. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widely available 'fish‐finder' echo‐sounding devices are beginning to be used in bathymetric studies to estimate geomorphic change. To date, however, there have been no applications in shallow and complex wetlands, where changes in sediment storage are notoriously dynamic in time and difficult to describe accurately in space. Therefore, in this study, we tested the performance of an 'off‐the‐shelf' fish‐finder for mapping bathymetry in a shallow beaver pond. We tested fish‐finder sonar depth readings against a traditional‐sounding lead‐line method across 21 paired Sampling Points with a minimum depth of 0.31 m and a mean of 0.65 m. Spatial accuracy of the unit was also tested against a differentially corrected Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver. Measured depths to pond bottom from the fish‐finder were on average within 5%, although significantly 0.015 m (SD = 0.034) less than those obtained by the lead‐line method. Spatial accuracy, however, varied greatly compared to the corrected GNSS receiver readings, with a mean discrepancy of 2.7 m (SD = 1.5) but up to 6.2 m. Given the close match of depth readings between the two methods, we conclude that sonar is a suitable, cost‐effective, and less‐intrusive method than existing techniques, even in moderately vegetated shallow waterbodies. Methods do need to be adopted to account for poor spatial precision with 'off‐the‐shelf' fish‐finder models, but this can be rectified with survey design or using a secondary GNSS. Application of this technology will allow rapid one‐off surveys or repeated monitoring of depth, bedform and sediment accumulation in otherwise hard‐to‐access or disturbance‐sensitive wetlands, such as beaver ponds and water treatment or flow attenuation wetlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beavers influence hydrology by constructing woody dams. Using a Before After Control Impact experimental design, we quantified the effects of a beaver dam sequence on the flow regime of a stream in SW England and consider the mechanisms that underpin flow attenuation in beaver wetlands. Rainfall‐driven hydrological events were extracted between 2009 and 2020, for the impacted (n = 612) and control (n = 634) catchments, capturing events 7 years before and 3 years after beaver occupancy, at the impacted site. General additive models were used to describe average hydrograph geometry across all events. After beaver occupancy, Lag times increased by 55.9% in the impacted site and declined by 17.5% in the control catchment. Flow duration curve analysis showed a larger reduction in frequency of high flows, following beaver dam construction, with declines of Q5 exceedance levels of 33% for the impacted catchment and 15% for the control catchment. Using event total rainfall to predict peak flow, five generalized linear models were fitted to test the hypothesis that beaver dams attenuate flow, to a greater degree, with larger storm magnitude. The best performing model showed, with high confidence, that beaver dams attenuated peak flows, with increasing magnitude, up to between 0.5 and 2.5 m3 s−1 for the 94th percentile of event total rainfall; but attenuation beyond the 97th percentile cannot be confidently detected. Increasing flow attenuation, with event magnitude, is attributed to transient floodplain storage in low gradient/profile floodplain valleys that results from an increase in active area of the floodplain. These findings support the assertion that beaver dams attenuate flows. However, with long‐term datasets of extreme hydrological events lacking, it is challenging to predict the effect of beaver dams during extreme events with high precision. Beaver dams will have spatially variable impacts on hydrological processes, requiring further investigation to quantify responses to dams across differing landscapes and scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eddy covariance method is widely used to investigate fluxes of energy, water, and carbon dioxide at landscape scales, providing important information on how ecological systems function. Flux measurements quantify ecosystem responses to environmental perturbations and management strategies, including nature‐based climate‐change mitigation measures. However, due to the high cost of conventional instrumentation, most eddy covariance studies employ a single system, limiting spatial representation to the flux footprint. Insufficient replication may be limiting our understanding of ecosystem behavior. To address this limitation, we deployed eight lower‐cost eddy covariance systems in two clusters around two conventional eddy covariance systems in the Chihuahuan Desert of North America for a period of 2 years. These dryland settings characterized by large temperature variations and relatively low carbon dioxide fluxes represented a challenging setting for eddy covariance. We found very good closure of energy and water balance across all systems (within ±9% of unity). We found very good correspondence between the lower‐cost and conventional systems' fluxes of sensible heat (with concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) of ≥0.87), latent energy (evapotranspiration; CCC ≥ 0.89), and useful correspondence in the net ecosystem exchange ((NEE); with CCC ≥ 0.4) at the daily temporal resolution. Relative to the conventional systems, the low‐frequency systems were characterized by a higher level of random error, particularly in the NEE fluxes. Lower‐cost systems can enable wider deployment affording better replication and sampling of spatiotemporal variability at the expense of greater measurement noise that might be limiting for certain applications. Replicated eddy covariance observations may be useful when addressing gaps in the existing monitoring of critical and underrepresented ecosystems and for measuring areas larger than a single flux footprint. Plain Language Summary: Vegetation around the world is critical to how our planet functions. Plants regulate how sunlight, rain, and even carbon dioxide are used and recycled. In order to learn about plant responses to rain, sunlight, temperature, and climate change, scientists measure the exchanges of water, energy, and carbon between the atmosphere and the land surface. However, the instruments used for these measurements are expensive, so they are only installed in a small number of locations around the entire planet. This is a problem for two reasons: First, these instruments are more common in more wealthy countries giving a distorted view of the world. Second, often only one instrument is installed, meaning we must assume that the area measured is exactly the same as the entire landscape, when this is often not true. To solve this problem, we built a much cheaper version of the instruments, which costs just one‐quarter of the usual price. To test our new instruments, we installed them next to the conventional instruments in two locations. We found strong agreement between our cheaper instruments and the high‐cost ones. This is good because cheaper instruments could be used more widely to improve the measurement of important ecosystems. Key Points: Lower‐cost, low‐frequency eddy covariance (EC) systems yield evapotranspiration and CO2 fluxes that correspond strongly with high‐frequency EC systemsLower‐cost EC systems enable increased spatial sampling and replication, improving confidence in retrieved evapotranspiration and CO2 fluxesLower‐cost EC systems may therefore address the undersampling and spatial biases in existing EC studies and networks [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use changes, landscape modifications and changing climate have resulted in local to regional flood risk increases in recent decades. As an alternative to traditional engineering approaches, there has been a movement towards catchment‐based flood risk management, a subset of which is natural flood management (NFM). NFM aims to enhance flood resilience through the slowing and storing of runoff and flow, based on the restoration and augmentation of hydrological and morphological catchment features. However, despite research highlighting their potential benefits, there is a limited quantity of robust and science‐based empirical evidence on how these structures function in the landscape and their efficacy in reducing flood hazards. To address this knowledge gap and contribute to the growing NFM evidence base, this study evaluates the efficacy of offline water storage ponds for flow attenuation. Two contrasting pond sites in the Tone and Parrett catchment headwaters (SW‐England) were monitored from April 2018 to December 2020 for channel flow, pond volume, and rainfall. Field‐scale, high resolution (1.61 cm spatial support) digital elevation models from Structure‐from‐Motion and manual surveys were collected to quantify pond dynamics and connectivity. A comprehensive, storm definition methodology was developed for event separation, to enable quantification of the impact of pond behaviour on stream flow, across storm hydrographs. Results show that where offline ponds function as designed, with direct pond filling from the channel, peak flow attenuation can reach 7% (maximum event AEP of 83%). Smaller events, where pond filling occurs directly from rainfall or runoff display only a maximum of 3% peak flow reduction (event AEP from 83% –>99%). The ability of ponds to attenuate flow is heavily reliant on sufficient structural conditions for ponds to fill directly from the channel and to drain slowly following event peaks. This study provides an empirical database for future NFM applications, including key criteria for future design and for use as observational data in modelling applications, by upscaling the efficacy of ponds to reduce flood impacts at larger scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural flood management (NFM) methods work with natural processes to reduce flood risk, while often providing additional benefits such as water quality improvement or habitat provision. Increasingly, the activity of an animal--beavers--is recognised to potentially provide flow attenuation, along with multiple benefits for the environment and society, but there can also be associated challenges. We use Q-Methodology to elicit and understand human perspectives of beavers and their potential role in flood management among communities living downstream of beavers at three sites in England (Cornwall, Yorkshire and the Forest of Dean). This is the first time a study has focused on downstream communities as the primary stakeholders. We identify diverse perspectives that exhibit a range of value judgements. We suggest a catchment-based approach to beaver management and public engagement may facilitate deeper recognition of contextual perspectives in decision-making and enable knowledge dissemination with communities. Further, we examine the relationship between beavers and other NFM methods through these perspectives. In doing so we identify features that relate to the unique element of relying on the natural behaviour of beavers for flood management, rather than human flood managers being the primary decision-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐forest ecosystems, dominated by shrubs, grasses and herbaceous plants, provide ecosystem services including carbon sequestration and forage for grazing, and are highly sensitive to climatic changes. Yet these ecosystems are poorly represented in remotely sensed biomass products and are undersampled by in situ monitoring. Current global change threats emphasize the need for new tools to capture biomass change in non‐forest ecosystems at appropriate scales. Here we developed and deployed a new protocol for photogrammetric height using unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) images to test its capability for delivering standardized measurements of biomass across a globally distributed field experiment. We assessed whether canopy height inferred from UAV photogrammetry allows the prediction of aboveground biomass (AGB) across low‐stature plant species by conducting 38 photogrammetric surveys over 741 harvested plots to sample 50 species. We found mean canopy height was strongly predictive of AGB across species, with a median adjusted R2 of 0.87 (ranging from 0.46 to 0.99) and median prediction error from leave‐one‐out cross‐validation of 3.9%. Biomass per‐unit‐of‐height was similar within but different among, plant functional types. We found that photogrammetric reconstructions of canopy height were sensitive to wind speed but not sun elevation during surveys. We demonstrated that our photogrammetric approach produced generalizable measurements across growth forms and environmental settings and yielded accuracies as good as those obtained from in situ approaches. We demonstrate that using a standardized approach for UAV photogrammetry can deliver accurate AGB estimates across a wide range of dynamic and heterogeneous ecosystems. Many academic and land management institutions have the technical capacity to deploy these approaches over extents of 1–10 ha−1. Photogrammetric approaches could provide much‐needed information required to calibrate and validate the vegetation models and satellite‐derived biomass products that are essential to understand vulnerable and understudied non‐forested ecosystems around the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bog asphodel, Narthecium ossifragum, is a flowering plant, commonly found in many wet acidic habitats, including upland blanket bogs where sheep and cattle grazing has been considered as the most feasible economic activity. It can be fatally toxic, especially to lambs, so there is concern that re-establishing blanket bog habitat will increase the distribution and abundance of bog asphodel and thus further threaten the marginal livelihoods of upland livestock farmers. (1) Analysis of vegetation survey data collected pre- and post-restoration from 43 restored shallow peatland sites on Exmoor, an upland area on the northern coast of the UK's southwestern peninsula, showed only a small (4 %) increase in spatial distribution following restoration (rewetting). No increase in bog asphodel abundance was seen at six sites for which pre- and post-restoration percentage cover data were available. Moreover, bog asphodel did not appear post-restoration at any of the 21 sites (48 %) where it had not been recorded pre-restoration. (2) A separate detailed study at one site demonstrated typical bog asphodel phenology and a life history strategy of growing and reproducing very slowly but persisting despite cold, wet and acidic conditions. Therefore, bog asphodel is ecologically unlikely to respond within a decade to any major change in its environment, such as rewetting of the peat. However, bog asphodel on Exmoor does show significant variability in size and in the proportion of plants that flower year on year. (3) While the mechanisms by which bog asphodel exerts its toxic effect when ingested by ruminants have yet to be fully elucidated, the inconsistent pattern of toxicity seen in other parts of the UK and in northern Europe, where bog asphodel poisoning is reported to be a serious economic problem, may be driven by the influence of environmental factors on bog asphodel growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural flood management (NFM), or working with natural processes, is a growing flood risk management method in the UK, Europe and worldwide. However, unlike the current dominant technical flood management, it lacks an established evidence base of flood risk parameters. This lack of evidence base can limit the uptake of NFM as a flood management method. This paper critically evaluates examples of NFM and wider relevant literature in order to identify NFM knowledge gaps and suggest how to overcome these. The UK is used as a microcosm of different environments for diverse examples. The sections include: land cover, land management, landscape interactions and trade-offs, evaluating the wider benefits of NFM and, finally, scaling from plot to catchment. This concludes in a suggested framework for a new approach to NFM research, which encompasses spatial scales, interactions and trade-offs of NFM and consistency of reporting results. Widening the NFM empirical evidence base should be seen as an opportunity for a new approach to flood research through exploring new habitats and new flood resilience methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]