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Environmental change and biodiversity loss are but two of the complex challenges facing conservation practitioners and policy makers. Relevant and robust scientific knowledge is critical for providing decision-makers with the actionable evidence needed to inform conservation decisions. In the Anthropocene, science that leads to meaningful improvements in biodiversity conservation, restoration and management is desperately needed. Conservation Physiology has emerged as a discipline that is well-positioned to identify the mechanisms underpinning population declines, predict responses to environmental change and test different in situ and ex situ conservation interventions for diverse taxa and ecosystems. Here we present a consensus list of 10 priority research themes. Within each theme we identify specific research questions (100 in total), answers to which will address conservation problems and should improve the management of biological resources. The themes frame a set of research questions related to the following: (i) adaptation and phenotypic plasticity; (ii) human-induced environmental change; (iii) human-wildlife interactions; (iv) invasive species; (v) methods, biomarkers and monitoring; (vi) policy, engagement and communication; (vii) pollution; (viii) restoration actions; (ix) threatened species; and (x) urban systems. The themes and questions will hopefully guide and inspire researchers while also helping to demonstrate to practitioners and policy makers the many ways in which physiology can help to support their decisions.

Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) spawn on gravel and cobble in the littoral zone of lakes that may become degraded by the presence of fine sediments and decomposing organic matter. Substrate size and composition have been identified as important variables for nest site selection by male smallmouth bass. We tested whether ‘cleaning’ substrate by removing sediment with a pressure washer would increase the number of bass nests or the average total length (mm) of nesting smallmouth bass in selected areas of Big Rideau Lake, Ontario, Canada the following year using a before-after control-impact design. Treatment was not a significant predictor of nest abundance or average male length. Considering the strength of the experimental design it is reasonable to conclude that this intervention failed to enhance spawning substrate for smallmouth bass. Understanding the factors that maintain productive spawning sites for smallmouth bass is important to restoration effectiveness and determining where habitat enhancement will provide the greatest benefits.

Anthropogenic waterways and canal systems have been part of the cultural and natural landscape for thousands for years. As of the late 20th century, more than 63 000 km of canals exist worldwide as transport routes for navigation, many with barriers (e.g., locks, dams) that fragment the system and decrease connectivity. Fragmentation alone can have negative implications for freshwater biodiversity; by isolating populations and communities, other human-mediated disturbances associated with canals like poor water quality and invasive species can exacerbate these negative effects. As such, the capacity of these interconnected freshwater systems to support biodiversity is continuously degrading at a global level. One critical, highly complex issue that unites canals worldwide is the challenge of governing these systems in a holistic, unified way to both protect biodiversity and preserve historical elements. Managing historic canals involves multiple objectives across many agencies and stakeholders, often with different or conflicting objectives. Here, we use the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Site of Canada, as a case study to demonstrate the importance of considering canals as social-ecological systems for effective and efficient governance. Historic canals are integrated systems of both humans (social) and the environment (ecological), linked by mutual feedbacks and coevolution, and must be managed as such to achieve conservation goals while maintaining commemorative integrity. We discuss the history of the Rideau Canal and its current governance, biodiversity in the waterway, different threats and issues (user conflicts, aquatic pollution, shoreline development, water management, species at risk, and invasive species), and conclude by outlining ways to address the challenges of managing it as a coupled social-ecological system. We present different research needs and opportunities that would enable better management, though above all, we propose a shift from the current governance structure--which at best can be considered 'patchwork'--to a coordinated, multi-scalar and multi-stakeholder governance regime such that the Rideau Canal can be maintained for its historical integrity without compromising biodiversity conservation. Given that canals are now pervasive worldwide, this article is not only topical to the Rideau Canal, but also to other waterways in Canada and beyond. Key words: social-ecological system, adaptive governance, resilience, biodiversity conservation, aquatic connectivity. Les voies navigables et les systemes de canaux anthropiques font partie du paysage culturel et naturel depuis des milliers d'annees. a la fin du 20 (e) siecle, plus de 63 000 km de canaux existent dans le monde comme voies de transport pour la navigation, dont beaucoup comportent des barrieres (par exemple, des ecluses, des barrages) qui fragmentent le systeme et reduisent la connectivite. La fragmentation a elle seule peut avoir des repercussions negatives sur la biodiversite des eaux douces; en isolant les populations et les communautes, d'autres perturbations d'origine humaine associees aux canaux, comme la mauvaise qualite de l'eau et la presence d'especes envahissantes, peuvent exacerber ces effets negatifs. Ainsi, la capacite de ces systemes d'eau douce interconnectes a soutenir la biodiversite se degrade continuellement a l'echelle mondiale. Un probleme crucial et tres complexe qui unit les canaux a travers le monde est le defi de gerer ces systemes de maniere holistique et unifiee afin de proteger la biodiversite et de preserver les elements historiques. La gestion des canaux historiques implique des objectifs multiples entre de nombreuses agences et parties prenantes, qui ont souvent des objectifs differents ou contradictoires. Les auteurs utilisent ici le canal Rideau, site du patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO et site historique national du Canada, comme etude de cas pour demontrer l'importance de considerer les canaux comme des systemes socioecologiques pour une gouvernance efficace et efficiente. Les canaux historiques sont des systemes integres a la fois de l'humain (social) et de l'environnement (ecologique), lies par des retroactions mutuelles et une coevolution, et ils doivent etre geres comme tels pour atteindre les objectifs de conservation tout en maintenant leur integrite commemorative. Les auteurs discutent de l'histoire du canal Rideau et de sa gouvernance actuelle, de la biodiversite de la voie navigable, des differentes menaces et preoccupations (conflits entre utilisateurs, pollution aquatique, amenagement des rives, gestion de l'eau, especes en peril et especes envahissantes), et ils concluent en decrivant des moyens de relever les defis de sa gestion en tant que systeme socioecologique couple. Ils presentent differents besoins et possibilites de recherche qui permettraient une meilleure gestion, mais surtout, ils proposent de passer de la structure de gouvernance actuelle--qui, au mieux, peut etre consideree comme une << mosaique >>--a un regime de gouvernance coordonne, multiscalaire, et multiacteurs, de sorte que le canal Rideau puisse etre maintenu dans son integrite historique sans compromettre la conservation de la biodiversite. Puisque les canaux sont desormais omnipresents dans le monde entier, cet article n'est pas seulement d'actualite pour le canal Rideau, mais aussi pour d'autres voies navigables au Canada et ailleurs dans le monde. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : systeme socioecologique, gouvernance adaptative, resilience, conservation de la biodiversite, connectivite aquatique., Introduction For thousands of years, humans have modified natural waterways (e.g., lakes, rivers) and created others where they did not exist. The first canals constructed were done so by Mesopotamians [...]

Conservation priorities and legal protections are often based on confirmed species occurrences. However, imperfect detection is likely the norm in biological surveys, resulting in negative consequences for conservation. Focusing on threatened species in the US and Canada, we show that detectability information appears to be lacking for most species that are conservation priorities. Although more research on species detection is needed, detectability estimates are important for many immediate decisions. Thus, we recommend: (1) estimating and accounting for detectability and designing rigorous surveys when confirming presence or absence is crucial. Otherwise, absence in surveys should be considered suggestive only and critical habitat should be managed even if species presences are unconfirmed. (2) When directly estimating detectability is prohibitively difficult, indirect estimates should be explored, for example through expert elicitation or trait‐based predictors. (3) Detectability should be explicitly incorporated into decisions to ensure that surveys and management actions are directed where they have the greatest potential benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulated waterways, interconnected by navigation barriers (locks and dams), are uniquely difficult to manage, given interest in enabling native species connectivity while minimizing invasions. Canada's historic Rideau Canal Waterway, a 202 km navigable route located in eastern Ontario and connected by 24 lockstations, embodies this challenge. The lock(s) and water-control dam that compose each lockstation may respectively offer a connectivity pathway, though to what extent is unclear. We used acoustic telemetry (native largemouth bass (Micropterus nigricans) and northern pike (Esox lucius), and invasive common carp (Cyprinus carpio); n = 224) to evaluate fish connectivity relative to lock operations and environmental data over three years (2019–2021). Thirty-five passages by 23 native fishes were recorded, with 49% of passages through locks. No common carp passages were detected; movements indicate that they favour higher flow areas downstream of dams, regions with no pathway upstream. Most passages were downstream and, of concern to obligate upstream migrators, we found that multi-flight and higher-lift locks appear impassable to upstream movements. Our results suggest that these lockstations limit, but not entirely restrict, connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures have had unanticipated effects on ecosystems and biodiversity. Conservation physiology and its mechanistic underpinnings are well positioned to generate robust data to inform the extent to which the Anthropause has benefited biodiversity through alterations in disturbance-, pollution- and climate change-related emissions. The conservation physiology toolbox includes sensitive biomarkers and tools that can be used both retroactively (e.g. to reconstruct stress in wildlife before, during and after lockdown measures) and proactively (e.g. future viral waves) to understand the physiological consequences of the pandemic. The pandemic has also created new risks to ecosystems and biodiversity through extensive use of various antimicrobial products (e.g. hand cleansers, sprays) and plastic medical waste. Conservation physiology can be used to identify regulatory thresholds for those products. Moreover, given that COVID-19 is zoonotic, there is also opportunity for conservation physiologists to work closely with experts in conservation medicine and human health on strategies that will reduce the likelihood of future pandemics (e.g. what conditions enable disease development and pathogen transfer) while embracing the One Health concept. The conservation physiology community has also been impacted directly by COVID-19 with interruptions in research, training and networking (e.g. conferences). Because this is a nascent discipline, it will be particularly important to support early career researchers and ensure that there are recruitment pathways for the next generation of conservation physiologists while creating a diverse and inclusive community. We remain hopeful for the future and in particular the ability of the conservation physiology community to deliver relevant, solutions-oriented science to guide decision makers particularly during the important post-COVID transition and economic recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater biodiversity is in a state of crisis. The recent development of a global emergency recovery plan to "bend the curve" for freshwater biodiversity lacks the necessary details for implementation in a regional context. Using Canada as an example, we describe a toolbox intended to equip decision-makers and practitioners with evidence-based tools for addressing threats to freshwater biodiversity. The toolbox includes two rubric-based scoring tools to inform users about the level of the reliability (e.g., transparent methods, critical appraisal) and relevancy to Canadian freshwater systems (e.g., habitat, species) of an evidence synthesis. Those scoring tools were applied to 259 evidence syntheses, also included in the toolbox, across fifty freshwater management actions. Habitat Creation, Invasive Species Removal, and Revegetation were found to have reliable evidence syntheses but there remain several actions for which the syntheses are not robust and where the evidence base is unreliable. We suggest the need for more rigorously conducted empirical tests of freshwater management actions, further evidence synthesis, and clearer conveyance of implications for decision-makers and practitioners. Decision-makers and practitioners should use the two scoring tools on syntheses outside this project and tailor them to their regions. Given the global interest in addressing the freshwater biodiversity crisis and the necessity to engage and empower decision-makers and practitioners on a regional basis, we anticipate this toolbox will serve as a model for regions beyond Canada. Future studies to understand if and how the toolbox is used will be needed to make refinements and ensure it benefits freshwater biodiversity. • Current management of freshwater ecosystems fails to address the global freshwater biodiversity crisis • Evidence syntheses and reviews are a valuable resource to decision-makers and practitioners for informing conservation actions • The toolbox consists of over 250 freshwater management evidence syntheses, scored based on the included appraisal tools • Syntheses demonstrate a poor systematic review conduct but show a strong potential for regional relevance and applicability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]