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Exotic plant invasions threaten biodiversity and are costly to farmers. Land use is a major pathway promoting the spread of exotic plant species; however, little is known about the processes underlying the success of exotic plants in tropical agricultural landscapes. Focussing on the heterogeneous smallholder landscapes of north‐eastern Madagascar, we studied exotic plants of understorey communities across a land‐use intensity gradient from unburned lands (old‐growth forests, forest fragments and forest‐derived vanilla agroforests) to burned ones (fallow‐derived vanilla agroforests, woody fallows and herbaceous fallows).We quantified the absolute species richness, abundance and cover of exotic plants across land‐use types and their proportional contribution to community richness, abundance and cover as indicators of exotic plant invasion. We tested for the effects of land‐use parameters, namely land‐use history, canopy closure and landscape‐level forest cover, on exotic plants. Additionally, we tested whether the phylogenetic relatedness between exotic and native species in the same plot affected invasion success, testing Darwin's naturalisation and pre‐adaptation hypotheses.All indicators of exotic plant invasion were lowest in old‐growth forests and forest fragments and highest in fallow‐derived vanilla agroforests, woody fallows and herbaceous fallows. Absolute and proportional exotic richness were negatively affected by canopy closure, and landscapes with high forest cover had lower proportions of exotic plant richness. High phylogenetic relatedness between exotics and natives was associated with lower proportional richness but higher proportions of exotics in abundance and cover. However, individual exotic species showed contrasting responses to land‐use parameters and relatedness to natives.Synthesis and applications: Our results indicate that maintaining unburned lands, land‐use types with dense canopies and landscapes with high forest cover prevents the spread of exotic plants within the agricultural landscapes of north‐eastern Madagascar. Supporting Darwin's pre‐adaptation hypothesis, exotic plants that are phylogenetically closely related to native plants are more likely to become successful invaders in terms of abundance and cover. Nevertheless, individual species show different responses to land‐use changes and phylogenetic relatedness. Therefore, land‐use decisions and management choices can be tailored to limit the spread of exotic species and to preserve native plants in this global biodiversity hotspot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bird conservation depends on robust data on the densities of and threats to each species, and an understanding of the choices and incentives of bird hunters. This first comprehensive study of bird hunting and its effects in Madagascar uses 8 years of data on 87 bird species to determine bird densities and hunting pressure, incentives, choices, methods, spatial variation, and sustainability on the Masoala Peninsula of Madagascar. We find that bird hunting is common, affecting human wellbeing and, for some species, long‐term population viability. Hunters caught more abundant species of lower trophic levels and consumers preferred the flavor of abundant granivores and nectarivores, while they disliked carnivores, scavengers, and species with common cultural proscriptions. Wealth increased species selectivity among consumers, whereas food insecurity increased hunting pressure overall. Projected and documented declines in at least three species are concerning, qualifying at least two for increased IUCN threatened species categories. We provide novel, data‐driven assessments of hunting's threat to Madagascar's birds, identify key species of concern, and suggest both species‐ and consumer‐specific conservation actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shifting cultivation remains an important land system in many tropical landscapes, but transitions away from shifting cultivation are increasingly common. So far, our knowledge on the social–economic and environmental drivers and consequences of such shifting cultivation transitions is incomplete, focusing on certain transitions, drivers, consequences or regions.Here, we use an archetype approach, validated through systematically identified literature, to describe eight archetypes encompassing the transitions from shifting cultivation to (1) perennial plantation crops, (2) permanent agroforestry, (3) regrown secondary forest, (4) permanent non‐perennial crops, (5) pasture, (6) wood plantation, (7) non‐cultivated non‐forested land and (8) restored secondary forest (ordered in decreasing prevalence).We then discuss social–economic and environmental factors favouring and disfavouring each archetype. This reveals that higher expected land rents, resulting from increased market access, crop price surges, secure land tenure and state interventions, are the main drivers of archetypical transitions to perennial plantation crops, permanent agroforestry, permanent non‐perennial crops and wood plantation. The prioritisation of other activities, both on‐ and off‐farm, favours transitions to regrown secondary forest and non‐cultivated non‐forested land, depending on plot‐level environmental conditions. Active forest restoration is typically implemented through state or NGO interventions.Turning to the consequences of archetypical transitions for biodiversity, the environment and livelihoods, we find that positive environmental outcomes prevail for transitions to permanent agroforestry, regrown secondary forest and restored secondary forest. Negative environmental outcomes dominate for four typically economically profitable transitions to perennial plantation crops, permanent non‐perennial crops, pasture and wood plantation. Non‐income‐related social–economic outcomes are heterogeneous within all archetypes and highly context‐dependent.Our archetype analysis shows that shifting cultivation transitions are diverse in themselves, in their drivers and their consequences. This calls for a critical and contextualised appraisal of the continuation of shifting cultivation, as well as the transition away from it, when designing land system policies that work for people and nature. 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]

This article considers the ruined megalith of St Peter's, Cardross, an abandoned Catholic seminary. Widely regarded as an architectural masterpiece, it was erected in the mid‐1960s when the minority Catholic community of Scotland was staunch and optimistic. Its decline and eventual dereliction reflect the crisis of faith experienced by its congregation and the besmirching of the ideal of the Catholic priesthood by sexual scandal. The idealism and optimism that informed Scottish Catholic subjecthood in the past have recently seen their allegiance transferred to political nationalism. This article deploys the classic anthropological theory of ritual and some recent political and philosophical writing to distil insights into emptiness as a phenomenon of modernity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of tropical forests into agriculture reduces biodiversity dramatically. However, species might differ in their responses, depending on their habitat specialisation and geographic origin. In this study, we assess how butterfly assemblages differ between old‐growth forests, forest fragments, forest‐derived vanilla agroforests, fallow‐derived vanilla agroforests, woody fallows, herbaceous fallows, and rice paddies in Madagascar.We recorded 88 butterfly species, of which 65 species are endemic to Madagascar. Land‐use types with woody vegetation sustained many endemic (mean: 6.8 species) and forest butterfly species (mean: 4.8 species). Rice paddies and herbaceous fallows were richer in open‐land species (mean: 7.6 species) and poorer in forest species (mean: 1.7 species) compared to other land‐use types. Compared to herbaceous fallows, fallow‐derived vanilla agroforests hosted more endemic (+164%) and forest (+239%) species. Richness of open‐land species in forest‐derived vanilla agroforests was six times higher than in forest fragments.Overall, 27% of species occurred exclusively in one land‐use type and 19% of all species when old‐growth forests were excluded. We found the highest number of exclusive species in forest‐derived vanilla agroforests.We conclude that all studied land‐use types contribute to butterfly conservation in our study region. Especially the woody vegetation in forest fragments, vanilla agroforests, and woody fallows supports a high butterfly diversity and is pivotal for maintaining a broad diversity of forest butterflies in the agricultural matrix. Our study highlights the importance of preserving the diversity of small‐scale land‐use types, including agroforestry, forests and fallow land in this tropical biodiversity hotspot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Such forests typically have lower bird diversity than less disturbed primary forests - which may themselves lose species (Stouffer et al., 2021) - suggesting shifting baseline syndrome and an overestimated value of forest-derived agroforests for bird diversity. Keywords: agroecology; cacao; conservation; review; meta-analysis; forest degradation; forest-derived agroforest; open-land-derived agroforest; ornithology; agrobosque derivado de bosque; agrobosque derivado de campo abierto; agroecología; conservación; degradación forestal; ornitología; ; ; ; ; ; ; EN agroecology cacao conservation review meta-analysis forest degradation forest-derived agroforest open-land-derived agroforest ornithology agrobosque derivado de bosque agrobosque derivado de campo abierto agroecología conservación degradación forestal ornitología 1 7 7 08/01/22 20220801 NES 220801 INTRODUCTION A careful baseline choice is pivotal for studies on the effect of land-system change on biodiversity. Thus, we built a linear mixed effect model to determine the difference between the 3 land systems (forest-derived agroforest, open-land-derived agroforest, and open land) and forests with the metareg function in the R package metafor 3.0.2 (Viechtbauer, 2010) with the study key as a random effect. Specifically, comparing forest-derived agroforests with old-growth forests as well as selectively logged or secondary forests could give a more nuanced picture of the value of agroforests for biodiversity, possibly showing that they are less diverse than old-growth forests but comparable to logged or secondary forests. [Extracted from the article]

Aim: North‐eastern Madagascar is a hotspot of plant diversity, but vanilla and rice farming are driving land‐use change, including slash‐and‐burn management. It still remains unknown how land‐use change and land‐use history affect richness and composition of endemic, native and exotic herbaceous plant species. Location: North‐eastern Madagascar. Methods: We assessed herbaceous plants along a land‐use intensification gradient ranging from unburned land‐use types (i.e. old‐growth forest, forest fragment and forest‐derived vanilla agroforest) to burned land‐use types (i.e. fallow‐derived vanilla agroforest, woody fallow and herbaceous fallow) and rice paddy. We compared land‐use types and analysed the effects of land‐use history, canopy closure and landscape forest cover on species richness. Additionally, we analysed species compositional changes across land‐use types. Results: Across 80 plots, we found 355 plant species (180 native non‐endemics, 57 exotics, 60 endemics and 58 species of unknown origin). Native and exotic species richness increased with increasing land‐use intensity, whereas endemics decreased. Unburned land‐use types had higher endemic species richness (4.28 ± 0.37 [mean ± SE]) than burned ones (2.4 ± 0.21). Exotic and native species richness, but not endemics, decreased with increasing canopy closure. Increasing landscape forest cover reduced exotic, but not native or endemic richness. Species composition of old‐growth forests was unique compared to all other land uses and forest‐derived, not fallow‐derived vanilla agroforests, had a similar endemic species composition to forest fragments. Main conclusions: Our results indicate that old‐growth forests and forest fragments are indispensable for maintaining endemic herbaceous plants. We further show that the land‐use history of agroforests should be considered in conservation policy. In forest‐derived vanilla agroforests, management incentives are needed to halt loss of canopy closure, thereby maintaining or even enhancing endemics. In conclusion, considering species origin (endemic, native and exotic) and composition is essential for the identification of suitable management practices to avoid irreversible species loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Predation can take unexpected turns. For instance, various invertebrate species—most commonly spiders—may prey on vertebrates. Here, we report one observation of a spider (Sparassidae, Damastes sp.) feeding on an amphibian (Hyperoliidae, Heterixalus andrakata) inside a retreat in northeastern Madagascar. To our knowledge, this is the second report of vertebrate predation by spiders in Madagascar. Three additional observations of retreats built by the same spider species show that the spiders built similar retreats and were hiding at the rear end of the retreat. The retreats were built by weaving two green leaves together which were still attached to the tree. We speculate from the observations, that the retreat serves as a targeted trap that deceives frogs seeking shelter during daytime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Question: In human‐modified tropical landscapes, agroforestry is considered a promising land use to reconcile biodiversity conservation with production goals. The role of agroforests regarding conservation may be strongly influenced by land‐use history; however, few studies have explicitly investigated this. We therefore tested the importance of land‐use history for habitat structure and tree diversity in vanilla agroforests situated in a human‐modified tropical landscape. Location: Smallholder mosaic landscape of northeastern Madagascar. Methods: We studied tree stand structure, diversity and composition in vanilla agroforests of contrasting land‐use history, old‐growth forests, forest fragments and woody fallows after slash‐and‐burn agriculture, which all contribute to the smallholder mosaic landscape of northeastern Madagascar. The vanilla agroforests were either derived directly from forest or otherwise from woody fallows after slash‐and‐burn agriculture. Results: Land‐use history strongly influenced tree species diversity and composition in vanilla agroforests and also affected stand structure. Forest‐derived agroforests maintained high levels of tree species diversity and differed in community composition from fallow‐derived agroforests, which had relatively low levels of tree diversity. Additionally, forest‐derived vanilla agroforests harboured a significantly higher percentage of endemic species than fallow‐derived agroforests, and forest‐derived agroforests also shared many species with old‐growth forests and forest fragments. Fallow‐derived vanilla agroforests harboured a lower percentage of endemic species than woody fallows. Conclusion: Considering the land‐use history of agroforests is important to unfold their full potential as elements in a multifunctional human‐modified landscape. Forest‐derived agroforests are an alternative to forest conversion through slash‐and‐burn agriculture and have the potential to sustain high levels of species diversity and important habitat structures. In contrast, fallow‐derived agroforests regain stand structure on degraded historically forested land and thereby have the potential to increase canopy cover and connectivity at the landscape scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land‐use change is the most important driver of biodiversity loss worldwide and particularly so in the tropics, where natural habitats are transformed into large‐scale monocultures or heterogeneous landscape mosaics of largely unknown conservation value. Using birds as an indicator taxon, we evaluated the conservation value of a landscape mosaic in northeastern Madagascar, a biodiversity hotspot and the center of global vanilla production. We assessed bird species richness and composition by conducting point counts across seven prevalent land‐use types (forest‐ and fallow‐derived vanilla agroforests, woody and herbaceous fallow that are part of a shifting cultivation system, rice paddy, forest fragment and contiguous old‐growth forest). We find that old‐growth forest had the highest species richness, driven by a high share of endemics. Species richness and community composition in forest‐derived vanilla agroforest were similar to forest fragment, whereas fallow‐derived vanilla agroforest was most comparable to woody fallow. The open land‐use types herbaceous fallow and rice paddy had fewest species. Across forest fragments, vanilla agroforests, and woody fallows, endemic bird species richness was positively correlated to landscape‐scale forest cover. We conclude that both fallow‐ and forest‐derived vanilla agroforests play an important but contrasting role for bird conservation: Fallow‐derived agroforests are less valuable but take fallow land out of the shifting cultivation cycle, possibly preventing further degradation. Conversely, forest‐derived agroforests contribute to forest degradation but may avoid total loss of tree cover from forest fragments. Considering the land‐use history of agroforests may thus be a promising avenue for future research beyond the case of vanilla. Abstract in Malagasay is available with online material [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroforestry is widely promoted as a potential solution to address multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Zero Hunger, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, and Life on Land. Nonetheless, agroforests in the tropics often result from direct forest conversions, displacing rapidly vanishing and highly biodiverse forests with large carbon stocks, causing undesirable trade‐offs. Scientists thus debate whether the promotion of agroforestry in tropical landscapes is a sensible policy. So far, this debate typically fails to consider land‐use history, that is, whether an agroforest is derived from forest or from open land. Indeed, 57% of papers which we systematically reviewed did not describe the land‐use history of focal agroforestry systems. We further find that forest‐derived agroforestry supports higher biodiversity than open‐land‐derived agroforestry but essentially represents a degradation of forest, whereas open‐land‐derived agroforestry rehabilitates formerly forested open land. Based on a conceptual framework, we recommend to (a) promote agroforestry on suitable open land, (b) maintain tree cover in existing forest‐derived agroforests, and (c) conserve remaining forests. Land‐use history should be incorporated into land‐use policy to avoid incentivizing forest degradation and to harness the potential of agroforestry for ecosystem services and biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the book "Villages on Stage: Folklore and Nationalism in the Republic of Moldova" by Jennifer R. Cash.

The article reviews the book "Housing the New Russia" by Jane R. Zavisca.