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In Finland, Woodland Key Habitats (WKH’s) are protected by the Finnish Forest Act. The Act defines the habitats included, and the Finnish Forest Centre has created interpretation recommendations for forestry professionals. New amendment of the Act was introduced in 2014 including new requirements related to the WKH’s: they must be small-sized or have minor forestry importance. Followingly, a new interpretation recommendation was written in 2018 aiming to clarify the previously subjective legislation, but it initiated new requirements for the habitats. In this study, we examined spatial data of WKH stream habitats during the years 2018–2021. We found that 5643 hectares of riparian WKH sites were removed from the Finnish Forest Centre’s data during 2018–2021. Our results show that the reason for removal varied and that in many cases, it was impossible to conclude. The results also showed that many current sites do not fulfil the requirements of the law or its interpretation. The contrast between current sites not fulfilling and removed sites fulfilling the requirements shows how problematic the law and its interpretation are in practice, challenging the protection of forest biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery highlights the extent of illegal deforestation in protected areas for the biodiverse humid forest of central Madagascar. The ultra‐high‐resolution (<10‐cm pixel) images enable the creation of detailed forest 3D base maps and provide the means to quantify forest stand losses. To help communities safeguard their forests, local non‐governmental organisations can use UAV maps in combination with weekly deforestation alerts to facilitate an immediate on‐ground response that significantly restricts illegal activity. Integrating ultra‐high‐resolution UAV mapping and coarse‐resolution freely available satellite imagery should have much wider applications in Madagascar and the humid tropics for community‐based conservation. Summary: This study of the Ambohimahamasina humid forest shows that small UAVs offer a detailed (<10‐cm pixel), rapid and cost‐effective solution to provide maps of detailed deforestation patterns not visible in satellite imagery.Calculating forest extent and volume are valuable ways to rapidly assess forest losses and prioritise areas for ground patrols. The use of 3‐dimensional measurements for above ground carbon estimates indicate how, in the future, these metrics could be used to calculate carbon payments for conservation programs.By combining UAV and free satellite imagery, an effective alert system has been developed that supports community initiatives in the protection of their natural forest resources.The wealth of ultra‐high‐resolution UAV data collected in this study provides insights into forest dynamics, supports local community forest management, and has the potential to measure the value of the forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Madagascar is acclaimed for its floral and faunal endemism and biodiversity. Among the island nation's most emblematic fauna are its native mammalian carnivores; they are members of the threatened and endemic Eupleridae family. The Corridor of Marojejy, Anjanaharibe‐Sud Special Reserve, Tsaratanana (COMATSA) is a newly protected corridor system that faces deforestation and lacks detailed assessments of its native carnivore community. We deployed 44 motion‐activated trail cameras to identify which terrestrial carnivores are found within the rainforest corridor landscape of COMATSA‐Sud and Marojejy National Park, and to examine carnivore occupancy, relative activity and the impacts of habitat edge. Our sampling array operated from October 20, 2021, to February 10, 2022 (113 days) and confirmed the presence of four species in Eupleridae: Cryptoprocta ferox, Fossa fossana, Galidia elegans, and Galidictis fasciata, as well as a non‐native carnivore species: Canis familiaris. We show that carnivore occurrences significantly increase with distance to forest edges. We discuss the negative impacts of forest loss on native carnivores and highlight the threats posed by the non‐native carnivore C. familiaris. Our findings spotlight faunal detections across the corridor and indicate that fewer native carnivores are found in the corridor compared to nearby protected areas, suggesting that deforestation correlates with a skewed distribution of carnivore detections. Based on our data, we provide management recommendations for the protection of the forest corridor and its endemic faunal community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Forest trees, particularly at a young age in afforestation, are susceptible to bark gnawing by herbivorous rodents such as voles. Few preventive measures for vole damage exist, although mowing to control herbaceous vegetation is often suggested. However, no empirical evidence supports the claim that mowing prevents or inhibits rodent damage to seedlings in a forest ecosystem. We examined the effects of single mowing applications on rodent population dynamics and the amount of damage they cause. The study was conducted at 34 randomly selected European beech forest plantations in Poland, with half manually mowed in late summer. In each plantation, we monitored the population dynamics of small rodents every 2 months from December 2019 to April 2021, and/or measured the level of damage to tree saplings monthly. RESULTS: The amount of damage followed a clear seasonal pattern with peaks in late autumn ranging from 0 to 40% of saplings per plantation. Mowing did not alter the pattern of population dynamics of small rodents (including voles and mice) on the plantations, nor did it reduce sapling damage caused by rodents. Additionally, herbaceous vegetation cover had no significant effect on the damage intensity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that mowing is ineffective in preventing tree damage by small rodents in forest plantations; therefore, we do not recommend it as a forestry practice. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intricate relationship between economic growth, environmental quality, and energy consumption has been extensively debated and studied on a global scale. The impacts of ecological quality on economic growth have been observed to be both positive and negative, particularly about human health as a result of pollutant emissions. It is essential to examine the compatibility between economic growth and environmental improvement, particularly through the reduction of emissions. This study aimed to investigate the connection between economic growth in forested areas and the corresponding impact on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Nepal (Rose and Fisher, 1970). The analysis utilized time series data from 1990 to 2020, employing the dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) method. The DOLS results demonstrated a positive and statistically significant relationship between economic growth and CO2 emissions (Shafik and Bandyopadhyay, 1992). Specifically, an increase of Rs. 10 million in gross domestic product (GDP) corresponded to a 0.6112 kiloton increase in CO2 emissions. In contrast, the long‐term coefficient for forested areas exhibited a substantial association, indicating that a reduction of one square kilometer of forested area (deforestation) resulted in an increase of 68.37 kilotons in CO2 emissions in Nepal. These findings accentuate the divergent effects of economic progress and deforestation on carbon emissions in Nepal, with GDP growth contributing to a greater increase in emissions. Therefore, the implementation of effective strategies and economic measures, such as afforestation and reforestation, forest protection, sustainable forest management, and mechanisms like REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation plus), can play a vital role in mitigating carbon emissions while simultaneously addressing deforestation and ensuring long‐term economic progress in Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance forest health and quality in Beijing's mountainous areas and strengthen their role as ecological barriers, this research takes Mentougou District as a case study and utilizes data from Beijing's 9th Forest Resources Survey. Through methods such as field data collection, literature review, and on-site investigations, the study systematically analyzes and evaluates the current status, resource changes, and existing issues in forest management within Mentougou. Based on these analyses and considering factors like regional functional positioning, forest resource structure, management level, and socio-economic conditions, the study proposes strategies for mountain forest management in four aspects: classification-based forest management, ecological restoration, forest protection, and multi-functional forest resource utilization. These strategies provide scientific foundations and theoretical support for sustainable forest development and healthy forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the main predictors of species' extinction risk while accounting for the effects of spatial and phylogenetic structures in the data is key to preventing species loss in tropical forests through adequate conservation practices. We recorded 22 705 precise geographical locations of primate occurrence across four major geographic realms (Neotropics, mainland Africa, Madagascar and Asia) to assess predictors of threat status using a novel Bayesian spatio-phylogenetic approach. We estimated the relative contributions of fixed factors (forest amount, body mass, home range, diel activity, locomotion, evolutionary distinctiveness and climatic instability) and random factors (space and phylogeny) to primate extinction risk. Precipitation instability increased the extinction risk in the Neotropics but decreased it in mainland Africa and Madagascar. Forest amount was negatively associated with extinction risk in all realms except Madagascar. Body mass increased the extinction risk in the Neotropics and Madagascar, whereas home range increased the extinction risk in mainland Africa and decreased it in Asia. Evolutionary distinctiveness negatively influenced extinction risk only in mainland Africa. Our findings highlight the importance of climate change mitigation and forest protection strategies. Increasing the protection of large primates and reducing hunting are also essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poplar tree is one of the most important tree species in wood production and protective forest construction. The poplar artificial forest cultivation is ranked first in the world. Current severe drought and typical abiotic stress under global warming can pose a great challenge to the production of wood raw materials and the protection of forest resources. A series of planting strategies (such as the identification of water-deficient plants) have been used to cultivate the poplar species of high drought tolerance against drought stress. These approaches are required for the rapid observation and analysis of the growth status of poplar saplings, in order to execute irrigation decisions or drought-resistant variety screening. Previous research has focused mainly on the detection of drought stress, where the macroscopic morphology of plants can be classified to predict the drought level. Only a few studies have been focused on the digital expression of water deficiency symptoms in plants. Alternatively, the water content of plants has been directly predicted using relatively complex and expensive sensing devices. In this article, a low-cost machine vision was adopted to realize the lant phenotyping of poplar saplings under drought stress. Firstly, an extraction framework of the poplar skeleton was proposed to identify the individual leaves and key nodes inside the plant using the YOLOv8-pose detection model, in order to extract the overall morphological and structural information of the plant. Secondly, the few-shot learning techniques were introduced, including the training dataset expansion (or considered as an automatic synthesis for datasets) using minimal manual annotation. The annotated leaves and stems were extracted from the images, and then added into a ‘component pool’. New images of the poplar plant were also selected randomly. All the individual leaves and the key points were detected (including the leaf tip, connection point between blade and petiole, and connection point between the petiole and the trunk). Among them, the few-shot learning was trained using 600 synthetic poplar images with only 10 manually annotated samples. Thirdly, the angles of the main vein and petiole in each leaf were calculated from the skeleton information of the poplar sapling. Furthermore, the frequency distribution vector was converted (ranges from -90° to 90°, with an interval of 10°) for the artificial intelligence-based modeling. Finally, partial least square discrimination analysis (PLSDA), support vector machine (SVM), multilayer perception (MLP), and convolutional neural network (CNN) classifiers were compared to evaluate the drought stress level. The optimal model was selected for the final drought-stress grading. The results showed that the YOLOv8-pose model with the few-shot learning performed the best in the leaf recognition and key point extraction tasks, where the mean average precision with 0.5 as the threshold for intersection over union (mAP50) values were 0.798 and 0.914, respectively. The effectiveness and reliability few-shot learning-based YOLOv8-pose model were also validated using an independent test dataset composed of real samples and accurate manual annotations. Meanwhile, the manual annotation cost was significantly reduced for YOLOv8-pose model training. Subsequently, the classification model with one-dimensional CNN and leaf angle frequency distribution was superior in the drought stress grading task, with the highest classification accuracy of 0.850. In addition, the improved models shared relatively small parameters (model size less than 7 MB) with high speed. Low-cost computing can be realized in cloud service platforms with limited sources or embedded systems (such as Nvidia Jetson series devices). The phenotyping can also provide new technical support to identify the water-deficient poplar saplings and screen the drought-resistant plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets or similar devices are becoming increasingly important as measurement devices in forestry due to their advanced sensors, including RGB cameras and LiDAR systems. This review examines the current state of applications of mobile devices for measuring biometric characteristics of individual trees and presents technologies, applications, measurement accuracy and implementation barriers. Passive sensors, such as RGB cameras have proven their potential for 3D reconstruction and analysing point clouds that improve single tree-level information collection. Active sensors with LiDAR-equipped smartphones provide precise quantitative measurements but are limited by specific hardware requirements. The combination of passive and active sensing techniques has shown significant potential for comprehensive data collection. The methods of data collection, both physical and digital, significantly affect the accuracy and reproducibility of measurements. Applications such as ForestScanner and TRESTIMATM have automated the measurement of tree characteristics and simplified data collection. However, environmental conditions and sensor limitations pose a challenge. There are also computational obstacles, as many methods require significant post-processing. The review highlights the advances in mobile device-based forestry applications and emphasizes the need for standardized protocols and cross-device benchmarking. Future research should focus on developing robust algorithms and cost-effective solutions to improve measurement accuracy and accessibility. While mobile devices offer significant potential for forest surveying, overcoming the above-mentioned challenges is critical to optimizing their application in forest management and protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transformation of natural habitats for farming is a major driver of tropical biodiversity loss. To mitigate impacts, two alternatives are promoted: intensifying agriculture to offset protected areas (land sparing) or integrating wildlife‐friendly habitats within farmland (land sharing). In the montane and dry tropics, phylogenetic and functional diversity, which underpin evolutionary values and the provision of ecosystem functioning and services, are best protected by land sparing. A key question is how these components of biodiversity are best conserved in the more stable environments of lowland moist tropical forests.Focusing on cattle farming within the Colombian Amazon, we investigated how the occupancy of 280 bird species varies between forest and pasture spanning gradients of wildlife‐friendly features. We then simulated scenarios of land‐sparing and land‐sharing farming to predict impacts on phylogenetic and functional diversity metrics.Predicted metrics differed marginally between forest and pasture. However, community assembly varied significantly. Wildlife‐friendly pastures were inadequate for most forest‐dependent species, while phylogenetic and functional diversity indices showed minimal variation across gradients of wildlife‐friendly features.Land sparing consistently retained higher levels of Faith's phylogenetic diversity (~30%), functional richness (~20%) and evolutionarily distinct lineages (~40%) than land sharing, and did so across a range of landscape sizes. Securing forest protection through land‐sparing practices remains superior for conserving overall community phylogenetic and functional diversity than land sharing.Synthesis and applications: To minimise the loss of avian phylogenetic diversity and functional traits from farming in the Amazon, it is imperative to protect large blocks of undisturbed and regenerating forests. The intensification required within existing farmlands to make space for spared lands while meeting agricultural demand needs to be sustainable, avoiding long‐term negative impacts on soil quality and other ecosystem services. Policies need to secure the delivery of both actions simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land cover changes in mountainous areas due to silvo-pastoral abandonment can affect soil stability, especially on steep slopes. In addition, the increase in rainfall intensity in recent decades requires re-assessing landslide susceptibility and vegetation management for soil protection. This study was carried out using the software SlideforMAP in the Mt. Nerone massif (central Italy) to assess (i) the effects of land cover changes on slope stability over the past 70 years (1954–2021) and (ii) the role of actual vegetation cover during intense rainfall events. The study area has undergone a significant change in vegetation cover over the years, with a reduction in mainly pastures (−80%) and croplands (−22%) land cover classes in favor of broadleaf forests (+64%). We simulated twelve scenarios, combining land cover conditions and rainfall intensities, and analyzed the landslide failure probability results. Vegetation cover significantly increased the slope stability, up to three to four times compared to the unvegetated areas (29%, 68%, and 89%, respectively, in the no cover, 1954, and 2021 scenarios). The current land cover provided protection against landslide susceptibility, even during extreme rainfall events, for different return periods. The 30-year return period was a critical condition for a significant stability reduction. In addition, forest species provide different mitigation effects due to their root system features. The results showed that species with deep root systems, such as oaks, provide more effective slope stability than other species, such as pines. This study helps to quantify the mitigation effects of vegetation cover and suggests that physically based probabilistic models can be used at the regional scale to detect the areas prone to failure and the triggering of rainfall-induced shallow landslides. This approach can be important in land planning and management to mitigate risks in mountainous regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European spongy moth, Lymantria dispar dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), originating from Eurasia, is found in Europe, Africa, and North America. Its polyphagous larvae infest deciduous and coniferous trees, causing severe damage during mass outbreak years. Thus, it is listed as one of the top 100 invasive alien species worldwide. The management and containment of this pest vary significantly between Europe and North America, with North America exhibiting a more robust response regarding the containment of the outbreaks. This study evaluates the current state of the European Union (EU-27) forests' legal, political and cooperative protection frameworks concerning L. dispar dispar. We identified active and potential new stakeholders to assess the level of national and international collaboration in forest protection. We conducted a SWOT analysis to propose new strategies and solutions, aiming for enhanced cooperation in protecting EU forests from L. dispar dispar outbreaks. Our findings highlight the potential of new monitoring and reporting technologies and the importance of increased social and political awareness through social media and public campaigns. These measures would enable more centralized and coordinated efforts among member states. A few of the most significant results in each category of SWOT analysis are as follows: for strengths, a well-established network of EU and national stakeholders exists; for opportunities, emerging innovative technologies, such as IoT, AI, and 5G, are transforming our approach to forest protection; for weaknesses, there is a lack of informed choices regarding proactive measures to contain the outbreak due to a lack of centralized EU coordination and the inefficiencies of national state policies. Finally, the numerous threats to the well-being of EU forests competing for the attention of institutions and relevant stakeholders is by far one of the most important parameters regarding the threats to the EU's forest protection. The study advocates for a unified, technologically advanced approach to manage and mitigate L. dispar dispar impacts in European forests, emphasizing the need for strengthened international cooperation and the strategic implementation of innovative solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of Internet technology, the channels for the public to participate in forest protection and ecological construction have been expanded. In China, virtual forest realization projects have successfully heightened environmental awareness among the public. However, these projects have also faced a "green gap", characterized by a substantial disconnect between environmental intentions and actual participation behaviors. Based on 69 articles about virtual forest realization projects in China, this paper aims to reveal the roots of the intention–behavior gap, influencing factors, and potential mitigation strategies. Our findings indicate the following: (1) While virtual forest realization initiatives have made progress, they still face multiple challenges such as governmental inefficiencies and platform traffic bottlenecks. (2) The factors influencing public participation in virtual forest realization projects can generally be categorized into three types: external situational factors, internal psychological factors, and demographic variables. Initially, external influences like online word-of-mouth and gamified platforms played a crucial role in attracting the public. Over time, internal factors such as public trust in the platform and perceived enjoyment have become more prominent. Inconsistent findings regarding demographic variables suggest a need for further research. (3) Current solutions primarily focus on macro policies and have not fully addressed existing challenges. This study reveals the reasons and influencing factors of the intention–behavior gap, with the goal of offering valuable insights for future public engagement and project optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shelter forest systems in the sandy areas mainly comprise farmland shelter forests (FSF) and windbreak and sand-fixing forests (WSF). Through a questionnaire survey of farmers in the oasis–desert transition zone of the windy desert areas of the Hexi Corridor in China, a perception assessment model of farmers' perception of the status quo and ecosystem service function of shelter forests was constructed, and the willingness of farmers to pay for shelter forest construction and protection was measured. Influencing factors for the farmers' perception of shelter forests were analyzed by a multiple regression analysis. The results showed problems with pests and diseases all present in FSF and WSF, the destruction of farmland in FSF, and water scarcity in WSF. Farmers evaluated the ecological role of shelter forests as the most obvious in windbreak and sand fixation; intermediate in the four ecological roles of leisure and recreation, agricultural production, a sense of locality, and climate regulation; and the smallest in soil improvement. Nearly 95% of farmers are willing to donate funds to shelter forest construction and protection, and the average amount the farmers were willing to pay was CNY 54.30 per year. Willingness to pay, annual household income, gender, environmental experience, age, and interview area have significant effects on farmers' perception of shelter forests. Finally, in this paper, we recommend increasing motivation through government financial support and training for farmers to address pests and diseases, water security, and the destruction of farmland in shelter forests to ensure healthy and sustainable growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitigating and avoiding social unrest caused by ecological forest restoration is a key factor in the coordinated development of forests and society. Forests, which are intricately linked with society, serve as a vital source of timber, non-timber forest products, and ecosystem services. Ecological forest restoration projects must carefully consider the relationship between forests and society to promote their coordinated development. As a key implementation area for the Natural Forest Resource Protection Project, the state-owned forest regions in Northeast China have experienced a crisis regarding harvestable resources and social unrest caused by protection policies and are currently innovating in policies and practices to mitigate social unrest. This study focuses on the history of natural forest resource conservation projects in China's state-owned forest areas as a case study for empirical research, aiming to provide insights into ecological restoration models that foster harmony between forests and society. The empirical analyses reveal the following findings: (1) As a result of strict protection, natural forest resources on state-owned land have transitioned from providing timber to ecosystem services and non-timber products. (2) The strict logging ban policy has led to severe resource shortages; from 2000 to 2020, for every 10,000 cubic meter decrease in timber harvest, the per capita output in state-owned forest areas has dropped by more than CNY 500 (approximately USD 70). (3) Proactive ecological restoration can effectively alleviate social unrest; from 2000 to 2020, for every additional 10,000 hectares of forest tending, the average wage increased by more than CNY 900 (approximately USD 127). (4) Regional transformation can effectively generate a buffer effect to mitigate social unrest caused by strict forest protection policies and leverage the beneficial resources produced by ecological forest restoration to develop new drivers of economic growth. By systematically reviewing the comprehensive implementation of the NFPP, this paper's findings provide insights into ecological restoration strategies that promote the harmonious development of forests and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the stability and sensitivity of land ecosystems to climate change is vital for exploring nature-based solutions. However, the underlying mechanisms governing ecosystem stability and sensitivity, especially in regions with overlapping ecological projects, remain unclear. based on Mann-Kendall, stability analysis method, and multiple regression method, this study quantified the stability and sensitivity of gross primary productivity (GPP) to climate variables [temperature, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), soil moisture, and radiation] in China from 1982 to 2019. Our findings revealed the following: (1) GPP demonstrated an increased trend with lower stability in Eastern regions, whereas a decreasing trend with higher stability was observed in Western and Southwest China. Notably, the stability of GPP was highest (74.58%) in areas with five overlapping ecological projects: Grain to Green, Natural Forest Resource Protection Project, Three-River Ecological Conservation and Restoration Project, Return Grazing to Grassland Project, and Three-North Shelter Forestation Project. (2) In regions with minimal or no overlapping ecological projects, temperature and radiation jointly dominated GPP variations. In contrast, water-related factors (VPD and soil moisture) significantly affected GPP in areas with multiple overlapping ecological projects. (3) In the southwestern and northeastern regions, GPP exhibited the highest sensitivity to climate change, whereas, in the eastern coastal areas and Tibet, GPP showed low sensitivity to climate change. In the Loess Plateau, where five ecological projects overlap extensively, carbon sinks primarily demonstrate a monotonic increasing trend, high stability, and low sensitivity to climate change. This study aimed to assess the stability of the land ecosystems and delineate their sensitivity to climate changes, thereby laying the groundwork for understanding ecosystem resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpine natural heritage sites hold significant value due to their unique global resources. Studying land cover changes in these areas is crucial for maintaining and preserving multiple their values. This study takes Kalajun-Kuerdening, one of the components of Xinjiang Tianshan World Natural Heritage Site, as an example to analyze land cover changes and their driving factors in alpine heritage sites. Highlights include: (1) Between 1994 and 2023, Forest and Grassland increased by 55.96 km2 and 18.16 km2, with notable forest growth from 2007 to 2017. Trends in Forest changes align with forest protection policies, and a substantial amount of Bareland converted to Grassland indicates an increase in vegetation cover. (2) Elevation, precipitation, temperature, and evapotranspiration are key drivers of land cover changes, as validated by Random Forest algorithm and Geodetector model. (3) Favorable conditions for Grassland to Forest transition include annual precipitation between 275 and 375 mm, annual temperature between −2 and 3 °C, annual evapotranspiration between 580 and 750 mm, elevation between 1800 and 2600 m, and aspect between 0 to 110° and 220 to 259.9°. Continuous monitoring of land cover changes and their driving factors in mountain heritage sites contributes to the protection of the ecological environment and provides data and information support for addressing climate change, resource management, and policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical Rainforests in Peninsular Malaysia have a very important role in social, economic, and ecological development locally and transnationally. During the British colonial period, the forests in Peninsular Malaysia were heavily exploited until the idea of conservation came into existence to avoid the depletion of forest resources in the future. The colonial government subsequently established the Forestry Department by designating certain areas as forest reserves. However, after Independence, these forest areas continued to remain under threat to the extent that it has resulted in a decline in forest cover in addition to damage, fragmentation, and degradation of forests in favour of government policies that prioritized economic development. The rush for economic growth has created a conflict between forest stakeholders, particularly the state government and environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs). The objective of this paper is to present the role of ENGOs related to issues in deforestation and forest protection efforts within Endau-Rompin between 1970 where the Endau- Rompin controversy began until the establishment of Endau-Rompin State Park (Pahang) in 2000. This study used a qualitative approach, that is primary sources such as Parliamentary Hansard and newspapers, and secondary sources such as books and journal articles. In addition, field research was carried out through the observation of forest-related activities organized by several ENGOs. The findings of the study showed that one of the most critical roles of ENGOs in dealing with the issue of deforestation is to prevent activities that damage the forest, especially legal activities that involve decisions made by the state government. The involvement and role of ENGOs can only delay or prolong the process of losing forest cover. This happens because the state government has authority over the land (forest) matters according to the Federal Constitution which cannot be disputed from a legal point of view. The efforts to save the forest can only depend on the political will on whether the state government wants to address or ignore the concerns voiced by ENGOs in issues related to deforestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The distribution and biology of Protaetia fieberi (Kraatz, 1880) (Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) in European Russia were investigated. This species is reliably known from 26 regions. The limiting factors that prevent the spread to the north, south, and southeast of European Russia have been identified. Within its range, the species inhabits deciduous and mixed forests of various types. The species also inhabits anthropogenic forest ecosystems. In forests, the species adheres to the upper tiers of the forest. Adults feed on the leaking sap on trunks and less often on flowering plants. Seasonal dynamics is characterized by highs from the third decade of June to the second decade of July. The status of the species is being discussed. Studies on saproxylic species of Coleoptera have garnered significant attention due to the rarity of some of them. To investigate the distribution and biology of Protaetia fieberi (Kraatz, 1880) (Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) in European Russia, we analyzed data from 16 regions collected between 2018 and 2024. This species has been reliably recorded in 26 regions. We describe the species' distribution area boundaries and discuss limiting factors that inhibit its spread to the north, south, and southeast of European Russia. The primary limiting factor is the lack of suitable biotopes. Within its distribution, Protaetia fieberi prefers deciduous and mixed forests of various types. These habitats include both old-growth forest ecosystems and secondary forests that have regenerated following logging. The species also inhabits man-made forest ecosystems, such as field protection forest belts, old parks, and gardens. In forest ecosystems, Protaetia fieberi tends to occupy the upper levels and is rarely found on the ground layer. Conversely, in open areas such as glades, the species is more commonly found at ground level. This distribution pattern is linked to the adults' feeding preferences, which include consuming sap on tree trunks in forests and feeding on flowering plants in open ecosystems. The seasonal activity of Protaetia fieberi peaks from the third decade of June to the second decade of July. It is hypothesized that the perceived rarity of Protaetia fieberi in research samples is due to the specific baiting methods used, with beer traps being the most effective. The status of the species is re-evaluated in light of new data, suggesting that Protaetia fieberi is common rather than rare in European Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A better understanding of the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of rainfall erosivity and effects of extreme rainfall events on soil erosion is the basis for improved water resource planning, protection, and ecological restoration in the Qinling Mountains. Using long-term daily precipitation data from 19 national standard meteorological stations from 1957 to 2018, the spatiotemporal variation trend of rainfall erosivity was explored. A linear regression analysis method was used to detect trends in rainfall erosivity. The spatial pattern of rainfall erosivity, which is based on annual, seasonal, and extreme rainfall indices, was analyzed via a geospatial interpolation method. Effects of natural factors and human activities on soil erosion at different stages were examined via the double cumulative curve method. The average annual rainfall erosivity in the Shangluo area is 2306 MJ mm ha−1 h−1 year−1 and generally displays a gradual decreasing trend from southeast to northwest. Over the last 60 years, the annual R exhibited a nonsignificant increasing trend (p > 0.05). Overall, rainfall erosivity showed a phased trend with an increasing trend after 2000. Rainfall erosivity from June to September accounts for 78.5% of the annual total, while the annual R is mainly determined by a few rainfall events during the year. RX1d and RX5d account for 20–40% and 60–80%, respectively, of the total annual R and are likely to result in severe soil erosion in sloping cultivated land areas, agricultural lands, and dirt roads with continued climate change. Implementation of the National Natural Forest Protection Project and the 'Grain for Green' Project significantly reduced the intensity and scope of soil erosion in the area. This study aids in understanding the ecohydrological processes and soil erosion and sediment transport characteristics in the Qinling Mountains and promotes water resource protection and management along the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese government has undertaken a significant forest restoration project, leading to a notable increase in forested areas. Despite this achievement, there is uncertainty regarding its impact on wildlife protection. To assess this, we utilized high-resolution remote sensing data to gather information on land use, bioclimatic conditions, geography, and human activity. This information was used to model and analyze changes in suitable habitats for Chinese endemic brown-eared pheasants over the past 30 years to determine the effects of the forest restoration project on wildlife habitats. Our analysis revealed that although the suitable habitat area for the brown-eared pheasant has expanded, the increased forested area did not influence their distribution. Our study also found that increasing elevation and decreasing grassland area in landscape patches promoted the distribution of brown-eared pheasants. Furthermore, the annual variation of the min temperature of coldest month and annual precipitation is an important factor affecting the suitable habitat distribution of brown-eared pheasants. Research showed that the suitable habitat of brown-eared pheasant is seriously fragmented, and the connectivity between habitats should be strengthened in the future. Based on our findings, we believe that existing forest restoration project policies cannot effectively protect wildlife due to neglecting key environmental factors at the landscape scale. Therefore, we recommend developing refined land use management policies at the landscape level to guide future ecological protection and biodiversity conservation. These findings significantly affect policy and future research on wildlife protection and forest restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Afrotropics are experiencing some of the fastest urbanisation rates on the planet but the impact of city growth on their rich and unique biodiversity remains understudied, especially compared to natural baselines. Little is also known about how introduced species influence β‐diversity in these contexts, and how patterns coincide with native ranges of species. Here we investigated how tree assemblages of the endemic‐rich Afrotropical island of São Tomé differed between urban, rural and natural zones. These were primarily characterised by urban greenspaces, shade plantations, and old‐growth forests, respectively. Based on 81 transects, we assessed biodiversity metrics of endemic, native and introduced species. Tree abundance and species richness were highest in the natural zone, where the composition was most different from the urban zone. The tree community of the rural zone was the most uneven and had the least variation among transects, representing the lowest β‐diversity. The urban zone was dominated by introduced species (57.7%), while the natural zone hosted almost exclusively native species (93.3%), including many endemics (26.1%). The biogeographic realms that species originated from were particularly diverse in the urban zone, with few species from the Afrotropics. In contrast to native and endemic trees, introduced trees were clearly associated with urban and rural expansion, as they were much more abundant and species‐rich in these zones than in the natural zone, facilitating biotic homogenisation. These findings highlight how urban and rural environments are affecting the native tree flora of São Tomé, and the need for conservation measures geared towards globally threatened and endemic tree species. Importantly, these require the protection of natural forests, despite the rising land demands for settlements and agriculture. Ultimately, such action to conserve endemic trees will contribute to global efforts to prevent further biodiversity declines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asymmetric timber trade between least-developed countries with large forest resources but backward processing industries and emerging economies has led to an uneven distribution of value in international timber commodity chains. Selling their raw timber with no domestic value added contributes little to socio-economic development and is associated with high rates of deforestation. The Lao PDR has served as a raw timber frontier for advanced timber industries in neighboring countries, leading to forest loss and related environmental problems. In response, since 2015, the Lao government has adopted drastic policy measures to end forest degradation and upgrade its timber industry (e.g., log export ban). Using teak as an example, our study provides empirical ex-post evidence on the effectiveness of state-imposed timber industry upgrading policies. The study relies on expert interviews with key policy actors at national and local levels, as well as an enterprise survey and cluster analysis conducted in Xayyabouly province. These drastic policies had far-reaching implications for the structure of the timber industry and the configuration of the timber value chain and rural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The first study on the diversity of plant species of locally protected forests patches in Inhambane Province, southern Mozambique. • Vepris myrei (Rutaceae) dominated a quadrat and it is simultaneously a near endemic and endangered tree species. • Dolichandrone alba (Bignoniaceae) dominated a quadrat and it is simultaneously a near endemic and vulnerable tree species. • Communities and their local heritage practices play a fundamental role in safeguarding plant diversity in non-officially protected forests. This study presents the vegetation composition of two forests, Chitanga and Mafai in Inhambane Province, Mozambique, which are protected by local communities. Plant diversity, forest structure and the existence of threatened plant species are assessed. This is the first biological study carried out in locally protected forests in Inhambane Province. Plant species were recorded in twelve 20 m × 20 m plots. A total of 952 plants from 151 species, 166 genera and 30 families were identified. 50 plant species occurred in both forests; 64 were only recorded in Chitanga; and 37 were unique to Mafai. In both forests, plant communities were dominated by the Fabaceae and Malvaceae families. Statistical analysis on the number of plants, genera, stand density, stand basal area, species richness, Shannon diversity, Inverse Simpson, and Piélou evenness indices shows that on average Chitanga is similar to Mafai. Both forests host near endemic and red listed plant species (Cissampelos hirta, Dolichandrone alba, Diospyros inhacaesis, Hyperacanthus microphyllus, Paropsia braunii, Synaptolepis oliveriana, and Vepris myrei). The study is significant in demonstrating the biological richness of locally protected forests. It illustrates how locally organised protection through customary laws plays an important role in the biodiversity and conservation status of non-formally protected areas. Inventories of other heritage forests in Inhambane province and Mozambique are recommended for the future firstly, as a means of providing botanical data and, secondly, as a means of supporting the formal adoption of heritage forest as conservation areas in a manner that does not alienate the communities safeguarding the forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest fire is a severe natural disaster, which leads to the destruction of forest ecology. At present, fire detection technology represented by convolutional neural network is widely used in forest resource protection, which can realize rapid analysis. However, in forest flame and smoke detection tasks, due to continuous expansion of the target range, a better detection effect cannot be achieved. This paper proposes an improved YOLOX method for multi-scale forest fire detection. This method proposes a novel feature pyramid model to reduce the information loss of high-level forest fire feature maps and enhance the representation ability of feature pyramids. Moreover, the method applies a small object data augmentation strategy to enrich the forest fire dataset, making it more suitable for the actual forest fire scene. According to the experimental results, the mAP of the model proposed in this paper reaches 79.64%, which is about 4.89% higher than the baseline network YOLOX. The method improves the accuracy of forest fire detection, reduces false alarms, and is suitable for real scenarios of forest fires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Journal of Wildland Fire Science is the property of Journal of Wildland Fire Science Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Forests provide invaluable ecosystem services, including critical services such as climate regulation. Increasing rates of deforestation in Brazil, home of some of the world's largest and most ecologically diverse tropical forests, poses several threats to businesses; companies face the challenge of intensified physical risks, stringent regulations, and pressure from investors and consumers demanding low‐carbon investment and product practices. This study investigated a sample of 232 listed Brazilian companies to understand their awareness of the forest agenda and commitment to forest protection. Although most companies are aware of forest‐related issues, risk management and impact monitoring are lacking. This analysis provides qualitative insights into listed Brazilian companies' perceptions of forest‐related issues, demonstrating the need to raise risk awareness and increase engagement. The study findings suggest that regulatory measures can leverage corporate disclosure of forest engagement, encouraging risk reduction and maximizing opportunities aligned with the climate agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Comprehensive Commercial Logging Ban Policy in all natural forests (CCLBP) as the strictest forest conservation measure brings uncertainty to the income of farmers engaged in forest land management. Therefore, clarifying the impact and heterogeneity of the CCLBP on farmers' income has become a significant issue of current concern. Based on county-level panel data from China covering the period 2000–2020, this study uses Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD) to identify the impact of the CCLBP on farmers' income. The empirical results show that (1) the CCLBP has a significantly positive effect on farmers' income, with the policy leading to an increase in farmers' income of approximately RMB 411–582; (2) the impact of the CCLBP on farmers' income exhibits regional heterogeneity, with significant positive effects observed in Hebei, Shandong, Hubei, and Shaanxi, significant negative effects observed in Guangxi, and insignificant effects observed in other provinces; and (3) the CCLBP not only promotes the development of non-agricultural industries and labor mobility but also effectively reduces capital outflow, thereby increasing farmers' income. This study contributes to the understanding of the underlying mechanisms between the CCLBP and farmers' income, and it has significant practical implications for promoting the increase in farmers' income, narrowing the income gap among farmers, and achieving common prosperity. It can also provide valuable insights and guidance for global forest protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research proposes an optimized method for identifying high-quality vegetation areas, with a focus on forest ecosystems, using an improved Vegetation Health Index (VHI). The study introduces the Land Cover Vegetation Health Index (LCVHI), which integrates the Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) and the Temperature Condition Index (TCI) with land cover data. Utilizing MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) satellite imagery and Google Earth Engine (GEE), the study assesses the impact of land cover changes on vegetation health, with particular attention to forested areas. The application of the LCVHI demonstrates that forests exhibit a VHI approximately 25% higher than that of croplands, and wetlands show an 18% higher index compared to grasslands. Analysis of data from 2012 to 2022 in Hubei Province, China, reveals an overall upward trend in vegetation health, highlighting the effectiveness of environmental protection and forest management measures. Different land cover types, including forests, wetlands, and grasslands, significantly impact vegetation health, with forests and wetlands contributing most positively. These findings provide important scientific evidence for regional and global ecological management strategies, supporting the development of forest conservation policies and sustainable land use practices. The research results offer valuable insights into the effective management of regional ecological dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damage caused by cloven-hoofed game and wild animals is a serious problem in Slovakia and neighboring countries. In 2022, the damage to forests in Slovakia was estimated at a level of almost EUR 2.9 million. Despite several implemented measures, the situation is so severe that successfully restoring some trees in some heavily attacked stands is impossible. This paper deals with the preventive elimination of damage caused by red deer in forest stands by the biological method of applying tannin-based mineral licks. Specifically, licks containing tannin obtained from the edible chestnut were used for testing. Several positive effects are attributed to tannins in developing livestock and animal fitness status. To date, however, the question of using tannins as biological agents for the possible protection of forest stands has not been addressed. Therefore, red deer damage was assessed at two localities with similar natural conditions in the central part of the Western Carpathians to explore such a possibility. After the initial sample measurement of the bark-stripping damage caused by the red deer in the autumn, mineral licks with tannin were placed in one selected study area over the winter. The levels of and differences in forest damage by deer between areas with the application of licks with tannin and without tannin were detected in spring of the following year. In the location treated with tannin, the number of damaged sample plots decreased, and the mean plot damage did not increase (no statistically significant differences were registered in mean plot damage between autumn and spring). Meanwhile, in the control location, the total amount of bark-stripped area doubled, mainly due to a statistically significant increase in mean plot damage between autumn and spring. Based on this, we conclude that tannin had a significant preventive effect and considerably reduced the extent of bark stripping. Such promising results indicate that tannin licks can effectively mitigate the problem of bark-stripping damage in areas heavily attacked by red deer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting forest cover change (FCC) and screening development scenarios are crucial for ecological resilience. However, quantitative evaluations of prioritizing forest change scenarios are limited. Here, we took five shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs) representing potential global changes, namely SSP1: sustainability, SSP2: middle of the road, SSP3: regional rivalry, SSP4: inequality, and SSP5: fossil-fueled development, which were constructed by integrated assessment and climate models. We modeled them with the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) and constructed a multi-dimensional landscape connectivity index (MLCI) employing forest landscape connectivity (FLC) indices to assess forest development in Fujian Province, Southeast China. The MLCI visualized by radar charts was based on five metrics, including forest patch size (class area (CA), number (patch density (PD), isolation (landscape division index (DIVISION), aggregation (mean nearest-neighbor index (ENN_MN), and connectance index, (CONNECT). The results indicate that FC will remain above 61.4% until 2030, with growth observed in SSP1 and SSP4. Particularly, FC in SSP4 substantially increased, converted from cropland (1140.809 km2) and grassland (645.741 km2). SSP4 has the largest MLCI values and demonstrates significant enhancements in forest landscape integrity, with CA, ENN_MN and CONNECT increasing greatly. Our study offers valuable approaches to and insights into forest protection and restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, forest fires have been occurring frequently around the globe, affected by extreme weather and dry climate, causing serious economic losses and environmental pollution. In this context, timely detection of forest fire smoke is crucial for realizing real-time early warning of fires. However, fire and smoke from forest fires can spread to cover large areas and may affect distant areas. In this paper, a lightweight joint forest fire and smoke detection network, SmokeFireNet, is proposed, which employs ShuffleNetV2 as the backbone for efficient feature extraction, effectively addressing the computational efficiency challenges of traditional methods. To integrate multi-scale information and enhance the semantic feature extraction capability, a feature pyramid network (FPN) and path aggregation network (PAN) are introduced in this paper. In addition, the FPN network is optimized by a lightweight DySample upsampling operator. The model also incorporates efficient channel attention (ECA), which can pay more attention to the detection of forest fires and smoke regions while suppressing irrelevant features. Finally, by embedding the receptive field block (RFB), the model further improves its ability to understand contextual information and capture detailed features of fire and smoke, thus improving the overall detection accuracy. The experimental results show that SmokeFireNet is better than other mainstream target detection algorithms in terms of average APall of 86.2%, FPS of 114, and GFLOPs of 8.4, and provides effective technical support for forest fire prevention work in terms of average precision, frame rate, and computational complexity. In the future, the SmokeFireNet model is expected to play a greater role in the field of forest fire prevention and make a greater contribution to the protection of forest resources and the ecological environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Forest fires are a recurring problem in areas of natural forests and reforestation, causing the loss of large areas of vegetation, resulting in economic and environmental damage. The reduction of fire occurrences must be based on prevention, detection, and combat, with rapid detection being a decisive factor in firefighting. The objective of this study is to present an integrated approach using operational research and geographic information system (GIS) technology to optimize the spatial coverage of conventional observation towers in areas at risk of forest fires. The study area is the Vale Nature Reserve (VNR), located in the north part of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The locations of forest fire risk (FFR) that were used as input in the mathematical programming model were defined, and then visibility analyses were performed by varying the height of the fire towers under eight scenarios. The mathematical model efficiently positioned the fire towers, allowing for optimized planning based on resource limitations and efficiency sensitivity analyses by increasing the number of towers in the scenarios. The proposed methodology provides a simple and robust analysis tool for the decision maker by allowing numerous combinations to be evaluated in a short time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leopards (Panthera pardus), as versatile carnivores, play a crucial role in ecosystem stability. However, their survival is threatened by habitat loss and poaching. Accurate population estimates are vital for effective conservation decisions, but precise data are often lacking. This study was conducted to assess the population dynamics and suitable habitats of leopards in two important urban landscapes of central India, namely, Indore and Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, from September 2021 to May 2022. The camera trap mark-recapture technique was employed to estimate leopard populations, and the maximum entropy (Maxent)-based habitat suitability model was used to assess suitable habitats for leopards in these urban areas. Substantial leopard populations were identified in both urban landscapes: 23.0 ± 4.8 in Indore and 17.6 ± 5.4 in Jabalpur, despite high human density, with forested areas within and around these cities serving as vital habitats. The habitat suitability analysis highlighted critical factors influencing leopard distribution, including temperature, precipitation, and the human footprint. This research underscores the importance of conservation measures to protect these habitats and preserve their ecological balance. The findings provide essential insights for wildlife conservation and urban planning, emphasizing the need to prioritize the protection of existing forest patches and the mitigation of human‒wildlife conflicts. This study contributes to understanding the intricate relationship between urban development and wildlife conservation in central India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the absence of forest ecosystem time series data, monitoring proxies such as the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) can inform the capacity of forests to provide ecosystem services. We used MODIS-derived EVI at 250 m and 16-day resolution and Breaks for Additive and Seasonal Trend (BFAST) algorithms to monitor forest EVI changes (breaks and trends) in and around the Algonquin Provincial Park (Ontario, Canada) from 2003 to 2022. We found that relatively little change occurred in forest EVI pixels and that most of the change occurred in non-protected forest areas. Only 5.3% (12,348) of forest pixels experienced one or more EVI breaks and 27.8% showed detectable EVI trends. Most breaks were negative (11,969, 75.3%; positive breaks: 3935, 24.7%) with a median magnitude of change of −755.5 (median positive magnitude: 722.6). A peak of negative breaks (2487, 21%) occurred in the year 2013 while no clear peak was seen among positive breaks. Most breaks (negative and positive) and trends occurred in the eastern region of the study area. Boosted regression trees revealed that the most important predictors of the magnitude of change were forest age, summer droughts, and warm winters. These were among the most important variables that explained the magnitude of negative (R2 = 0.639) and positive breaks (R2 = 0.352). Forest composition and protection status were only marginally important. Future work should focus on assessing spatial clusters of EVI breaks and trends to understand local drivers of forest vegetation health and their potential relation to forest ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding plant community characteristics, distributions, and environmental relationships is crucial for sustainable forest management. Thus, this study examined the relationships between plant community composition and topographic and soil variables within the Arjo-Diga forest. Vegetation data were collected from 72 nested plots (30 × 30 m2 and 2 × 2 m2) systematically laid along nine transects spaced 300 to 700 m apart. Environmental variables, including soil properties and anthropogenic disturbance, were recorded within each main plot. Agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) using R software were employed to identify distinct plant community types and examine their relationships with environmental factors. The Shannon‒Wiener diversity index was calculated to quantify and compare species diversity among the identified community types. The analysis revealed five distinct plant community types: 1: Maesa lanceolata-Ehretia cymosa, 2: Trichilia dregeana-Flacourtia indica, 3: Acacia abyssinica-Millettia ferruginea, 4: Combretum collinum-Croton macrostachyus, and 5: Terminalia macroptera-Piliostigma thonningii. The CCA results highlighted the significant influence (p < 0.05) of altitude, CEC, TN, and disturbance on species distribution and plant community formation. The findings indicate that variation in plant communities is closely associated with altitude, TN, and CEC, as well as with disturbance factors such as human interventions, with elevation being the most influential factor. Based on these findings, it is recommended that conservation plans consider the effects of human interventions to address the challenges in conserving forests in the future. Additionally, further research efforts should focus on mitigating disturbance factors and understanding the environmental variables that affect forests to improve their protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In primates, mixed species associations are not common occurrences, and have been linked to both ecological and anthropogenic factors. We present camera‐trapping records of a mixed association between two primates, the Hatinh langur (Trachypithecus hatinhensis) and red‐shanked douc (Pygathrix nemaeus) and discuss possible hypotheses for this occurrence. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of such an association in the wild of these two threatened primates, and thus contributes to our limited ecological knowledge of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The aims of this study are to investigate the soil mechanical composition and ecological effect under the protection forest of sandy land near Qehan Dry Salt Lake, and to provide scientific and technological support for local protection forest construction and sandy land management. [Methods] The soil samples of 0 20 cm were collected in inter-belt root neck and under canopy of two protection forests. Tamarix chinensis and Haloxylon ammodendron on the southern edge of Qehan Dry Salt Lake. The mechanical composition of soil samples was measured by laser particle sizer. And the average particle size, standard deviation, skewness., peak state and fractal dimension were calculated and analyzed. [Results] (1) The soil mechanical composition is mainly composed of sand particles, compared to bare sand (CK), the total contents of clay and silt increased by 5.19%, 0.59% 20.44% and 1.53%, 3.93% 4.32% in Tamarix chinensis and Haloxylon ammodendron (inter-belt, root neck and under canopy), respectively, with the most pronounced performance under canopy. (2) Soil sort ability was poor under shelterbelts, with a positive skewness towards a narrower tips the fractal dimensions was between 2.13~2.70. higher under both shelterbelt canopies than between strips and root necks and the overall particle size tended towards finer particles compared to CK. (3) Soil particle size frequencies revealed low slopes at all locations in the shelterbelts, indicating that the particle size class richness of both shelterbelts was better than those in the control. [Conclusion] The particle size parameters and sub-dimensional values reflect the improvement of the local sandy land by the two protected forests, with the trend of fine-grained soil under the red willow protection forest more obvious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subtropical region of China possesses abundant forest resources and features a mountainous terrain. Under the implementation of policies such as natural forest protection, the Grain for Green Project, and other initiatives since the beginning of the 21st century, coupled with climate change, the forest resources in this region have undergone significant changes compared to historical periods. In addition, forest resources distributing mainly in mountainous areas also implies that these changes may vary significantly with elevation. To explore the spatiotemporal dynamics of forest distribution in subtropical China since 2000, especially the trend of changes with elevation, we analyzed the data from two land cover products focusing on forest cover and forest types. We used a hierarchical approach, in which coarse-classification forest cover data with relatively small uncertainties impose constraints on forest type data with larger uncertainties, to achieve a reasonable balance between obtaining more details and reducing data uncertainty. We first divided the forest cover data into 'unchanged' and 'changed' categories. With the constraints by the forest cover results, we further analyzed the 'unchanged' and 'changed' forest types. The results indicated that, since the implementation of ecological engineering and management policies, 54% of the area in the subtropical region had maintained unchanged forest cover attributes over the past 20 years, which implied the good state of ecological environment. The results also showed that dynamic conversions existed in the long term between forests and lands for essential production needs like croplands. The elevational variations of forest cover suggested that the dominant changes came from the conversion between forests and croplands in low-elevation regions below 700 m, the conversion between forests and shrublands in mid-elevation regions of 700–1500 m, and the conversion between forests and grasslands in high-elevation regions above 2000 m. In the regions with unchanged forest cover, 96% exhibited unchanged forest types as well. Evergreen broad-leaved forests (EBF) were most widely distributed below 1700 m, while evergreen needle-leaved forests (ENF) dominated above 1700 m. There was still a large area of ENF and EBF undergoing dynamic conversions from/to transitional forest types such as mosaic of tree, shrub, and herbaceous cover (T-S-H) and mosaic of natural vegetation and cropland (NV-CRO). ENF almost unidirectionally transformed into T-S-H in low-elevation regions below 1000 m, and transformed from NV-CRO in mid- and high-elevation regions above 1000 m. EBF experienced an areal decrease and transformed into T-S-H in low-elevation regions, but the areal increase in mid- to low-elevation regions mainly transformed from NV-CRO. These variations with elevation may involve the impacts of specific human activities and climate change, and will provide a vertical dimension of information and perspectives for an in-depth exploration of the evolving ecosystem services of forest resources in subtropical China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Christophe Boesch, a pioneer in primatology, passed away suddenly on January 14, 2024. His dedication to understanding and protecting chimpanzee societies has inspired research and conservation efforts worldwide. Boesch conducted groundbreaking research on nut-cracking behavior and hunting behavior in chimpanzees, and his studies supported the idea that chimpanzees are cultural beings. He established the Taï Chimpanzee Project and the Ozouga chimpanzee field site, resulting in numerous scientific publications and documentaries. Boesch also played a crucial role in chimpanzee conservation, founding the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation and advocating for the establishment of national parks in West Africa. His legacy will continue through his field sites and the work of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation. [Extracted from the article]

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Increasing income is the main interest of farmers in establishing highly productive and sustainable coffee agroforestry. Since the program in Batutegi Lampung Province has been facing a limitation of physical capital (PC), to increase the income (INC), it is urgent to stimulate the capacity of social capital (SC). In this context, it is important to elucidate the role of extension participation (ROLE) to build better capacity of SC in amplifying the whole productivity. This study aims to analyze a) the direct effect of PC, SC, and ROLE on INC, and b) PC and SC on ROLE, as well as c) the indirect effect of ROLE (as a mediating variable) for PS and SC in increasing INC. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is applied at a 95% confidence level. The PC indicator is land ownership. The elements of norms, trust, and networks are indicators for SC. The three ROLE indicators are participation in extension on forest protection, agroforestry techniques, and post-harvest. Income sources from coffee beans and NTFPs are an indicator of INC. Data collection was carried out in AprilJune 2020 by conducting interviews with 98 HKm holders. The results suggest: a) the direct effect on ROLE by PC is sluggish (p-value = 0.112) but by SC is very significant (pvalue = 0.000); b) the direct effect on INC by PC or SC is blunt (not significant), whereas by ROLE is significant with p-value = 0.740, 0.123, and 0.000, respectively; and c) the indirect effect on INC by PC remains sluggish although mediated by ROLE (p-value = 0.188) but significant by SC (p-value = 0.000). The implications, for instance, are that to ensure that HKm holders can leave protected forest areas voluntarily and survive outside forest areas when their concession rights expire, the FMU should prioritize enhancing their knowledge and skills to combat decreasing returns in agroforestry production rather than enlarging land allotment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use change drives the ecosystem service value (ESV) to some extent. Investigating the impact of land use distribution patterns under different scenarios on ESV is crucial for optimizing land spatial utilization in tropical island regions. This study employs a combination of multi-objective programming (MOP) and the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model to simulate and predict the spatial distribution of land use in Hainan Island for the year 2030 under three scenarios: natural development, ecological protection priority, and tourism development priority. The ESV for these scenarios is then assessed to provide insights into the sustainable economic, social, and ecological development of tropical island regions. The results indicate the following: (1) Between 2010 and 2020, forest land was the dominant land use type in Hainan Island, accounting for 63% of the total area, followed by arable land. Land use changes were characterized mainly by increases in built-up land and grass land, which increased by 497.13 km2 and 18.87 km2, respectively, with decreases in other types. The largest area of land conversion was from forest land, which was predominantly converted to built-up land and arable land, measuring 259.97 km2 and 174.49 km2, respectively. (2) The PLUS model was used to simulate land use changes in Hainan Island, achieving a Kappa coefficient of 0.88 and an overall accuracy of 0.94, indicating a high consistency between the simulation results and actual data. (3) The ecological protection priority scenario yielded the highest ecosystem service values (CNY 72.052 billion), while the values under other scenarios decreased compared to 2020. The natural development scenario saw a decrease of CNY 1.821 billion, and the tourism development priority scenario saw a decrease of CNY 0.595 billion. Spatially, the ecological protection priority scenario also showed the greatest increase in areas with high ecosystem service values, particularly due to an increase in forest land area, which contributed to an overall increase in the ecosystem service values of the study area. This study offers a scientific foundation and a decision-making reference for selecting priority scenarios for tourism development on Hainan Island, aimed at supporting its future sustainable development. It emphasizes the protection of forest resources, the promotion of greening initiatives, and the achievement of a balance between ecological preservation and tourism activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Infestations have persisted following a sudden and intense outbreak of the bark beetle Orthotomicus erosus along the Croatian coast, necessitating a continuous battle against this pest. A recommended protective action is the utilization of pheromone traps for population surveillance. Previous monitoring efforts have recorded an exceptionally high capture rate of natural enemies using pheromone traps; these traps inadvertently prevented natural enemies from fulfilling their essential role in controlling bark beetle populations. To address and significantly diminish instances of this unintended capture, our study designed a modification to the Theysohn-type pheromone trap by integrating a metal mesh within the trapping container. An experimental setup was established in Marjan Forest Park, situated on a peninsula bordered by the sea on three sides and partly by the city of Split. For monitoring purposes, unmodified standard pheromone traps were deployed at the onset of a significant O. erosus outbreak in Croatia in 2018. Catch data from 2020 to 2022 show a marked decrease in the bark beetle population, indicating a shift toward a latent phase. In 2022, modified traps were integrated into the existing monitoring setup, consisting of 10 pairs, to evaluate whether modifications to the traps could significantly reduce the capture of the bark beetle's natural enemies, specifically Temnoscheila caerulea, Thanasimus formicarius, and Aulonium ruficorne. The objective is to offer recommendations for forestry practices on employing pheromone traps with minimal disturbance to the ecological equilibrium. Our findings indicate that the modifications to the traps markedly decreased the capture of natural predators, particularly T. caerulea, which was the predominant predatory insect found in the traps. Simultaneously, captures of the target species, all bark beetles in the trap, were marginally reduced. This decrease in the capture rates of the target bark beetle species, O. erosus, is not considered problematic when pheromone traps are utilized primarily for monitoring purposes. The modifications to the traps significantly reduced the capture of common bark beetle predators, thereby facilitating a more balanced strategy in forest protection efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil nitrogen (N) mineralization typically governs the availability and movement of soil N. Understanding how factors, especially functional genes, affect N transformations is essential for the protection and restoration of forest ecosystems. To uncover the underlying mechanisms driving soil N mineralization, this study investigated the effects of edaphic environments, substrates, and soil microbial assemblages on net soil N mineralization in boreal forests. Field studies were conducted in five representative forests: Larix principis-rupprechtii forest (LF), Betula platyphylla forest (BF), mixed forest of Larix principis-rupprechtii and Betula platyphylla (MF), Picea asperata forest (SF), and Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica forest (MPF). Results showed that soil N mineralization rates (Rmin) differed significantly among forests, with the highest rate in BF (p < 0.05). Soil properties and microbial assemblages accounted for over 50% of the variability in N mineralization. This study indicated that soil environmental factors influenced N mineralization through their regulatory impact on microbial assemblages. Compared with microbial community assemblages (α-diversity, Shannon and Richness), functional genes assemblages were the most important indexes to regulate N mineralization. It was thus determined that microbial functional genes controlled N mineralization in boreal forests. This study clarified the mechanisms of N mineralization and provided a mechanistic understanding to enhance biogeochemical models for forecasting soil N availability, alongside aiding species diversity conservation and fragile ecosystem revitalization in boreal forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]