What Works in Conservation 2021

This book provides an assessment of the effectiveness of 2526 conservation interventions based on summarized scientific evidence. The 2021 edition contains substantial new material on bat conservation, terrestrial mammal conservation and marine and freshwater mammals, thus completing the evidence for all mammal species categories. Other chapters cover practical global conservation of primates, amphibians, bats, birds, forests, peatlands, subtidal benthic invertebrates, shrublands and heathlands, as well as the conservation of European farmland biodiversity and some aspects of enhancing natural pest control, enhancing soil fertility, management of captive animals and control of freshwater invasive species. It contains key results from the summarized evidence for each conservation intervention and an assessment of the effectiveness of each by international expert panels. The accompanying website www.conservationevidence.com describes each of the studies individually, and provides full references. This is the sixth author-approved edition of What Works in Conservation, which is revised on an annual basis

Pan troglodytes (errata version published in 2018)

Assessment Information: Although Pan troglodytes is the most abundant and widespread of the great apes, and many populations exist in protected areas, the declines that have occurred are expected to continue, satisfying the criteria for an Endangered listing (Oates 2006). Due to high levels of poaching, infectious diseases, and loss of habitat and habitat quality caused by expanding human activities, this species is estimated to have experienced a significant population reduction in the past 20–30 years and it is suspected that this reduction will continue for the next 30–40 years. Due to their slow life history and a generation time estimated to be 25 years, Chimpanzee populations cannot sustain high levels of mortality, whether disease-induced or caused by poaching. The maximum population reduction over a three-generation (75 year) period from 1975 to 2050 is suspected to exceed 50%, hence qualifying this taxon as Endangered under criterion A. Although conservation efforts directed at Chimpanzees and other wildlife have increased significantly in recent years, the assumption that population reductions will continue is a precautionary approach based on the rapid growth of human populations in sub-Saharan Africa, continuing poaching for bushmeat, the commercial bushmeat trade, the arrival of industrial agriculture (which requires clearcutting of forest), corruption and lack of law enforcement, lack of capacity and resources, and political instability in some range states. At the same time, zoonosis and disease outbreaks present significant risks; there is, for example, evidence that Ebolavirus will continue to spreadin some parts of the Chimpanzee's geographic range(Walshet al.2005)

Impacts and effects of ocean warming on intertidal rocky habitats.

• Intertidal rocky habitats comprise over 50% of the shorelines of the world, supporting a diversity of marine life and providing extensive ecosystem services worth in the region of US$ 5-10 trillion per year. • They are valuable indicators of the impacts of climate change on the wider marine environment and ecosystems. • Changes in species distributions, abundance and phenology have already been observed around the world in response to recent rapid climate change. • Species-level responses will have considerable ramifications for the structure of communities and trophic interactions, leading to eventual changes in ecosystem functioning (e.g. less primary producing canopy-forming algae in the North-east Atlantic). • Whilst progress is made on the mitigation1 required to achieve goals of a lower-carbon world, much can be done to enhance resilience to climate change. Managing the multitude of other interactive impacts on the marine environment, over which society has greater potential control (e.g. overfishing, invasive non-native species, coastal development, and pollution), will enable adaptation1 in the short and medium term of the next 5-50 years

An Authentication Survey on Retail Seafood Products Sold on the Bulgarian Market Underlines the Need for Upgrading the Traceability System

Economically motivated or accidental species substitutions lead to economic and potential health damage to consumers with a loss of confidence in the fishery supply chain. In the present study, a three-year survey on 199 retail seafood products sold on the Bulgarian market was addressed to assess: (1) product authenticity by molecular identification; (2) trade name compliance to the list of official trade names accepted in the territory; (3) adherence of the list in force to the market supply. DNA barcoding on mitochondrial and nuclear genes was applied for the identification of whitefish (WF), crustaceans (C) and mollusks (cephalopods-MC; gastropods-MG; bivalves-MB) except for Mytilus sp. products for which the analysis was conducted with a previously validated RFLP PCR protocol. Identification at the species level was obtained for 94.5% of the products. Failures in species allocation were reconducted due to low resolution and reliability or the absence of reference sequences. The study highlighted an overall mislabeling rate of 11%. WF showed the highest mislabeling rate (14%), followed by MB (12.5%), MC (10%) and C (7.9%). This evidence emphasized the use of DNA-based methods as tools for seafood authentication. The presence of non-compliant trade names and the ineffectiveness of the list to describe the market species varieties attested to the need to improve seafood labeling and traceability at the national level

Gorilla gorilla

Assessment Information: Justification: Gorilla gorillahas a large geographic range, covering over 700,000 km². The size of the population is currently being evaluated, but thought to be in the order of a few hundred thousand (Strindberg et al. in prep). Only a very small number of Western Gorillas are the G. g. diehli subspecies, therefore this rationale focuses on the G. g. gorilla subspecies. The country of Gabon lost over half its Gorilla population between 1983 and 2000 (Walsh et al. 2003). More recent population declines have been estimated using a predictive model that incorporated survey data collected between 2003 and 2013 across the entire range of Western Lowland Gorillas. The results reveal an 18.75% decline between 2005 and 2013, corresponding to an annual loss of ~2.56% (Strindberg et al. in prep). These population decreases were driven by poaching and disease (Ebolavirus) outbreaks.Despite their abundance and wide geographic range, Western Gorillas qualify as Critically Endangered under criterion A: a population reduction of more than 80% over three generations (one generation is ~22 years). This listing is based on ongoing population losses due to illegal hunting, disease and habitat loss: poaching is intensifying with the expansion of access routes into forests and Zaire Ebolavirus remains a highly significant threat. At a conservative rate of reduction (2.56% per year rather than 4%, calculated from Walsh et al. 2003), the reduction in the Western Gorilla population is predicted to exceed 80% over three generations (i.e., 66 years, 2005-2071). Illegal hunting has not ceased despite intense anti-poaching efforts, and the threat of Ebolavirus has not been removed. In addition, the scale of habitat conversion to industrial agriculture will increase, and the effects of climate change will become more evident.Gorilla gorillathus qualifies as Critically Endangered (A4bcde)

What Works in Conservation 2020

" Is reduced tillage in arable fields beneficial for farmland biodiversity? Is prescribed burning in grasslands beneficial for bird conservation? Does livestock exclusion from degraded peatlands benefit peatland conservation? Is the provision of artificial shelters effective for subtidal benthic invertebrate conservation? Do wind turbine modifications reduce bat fatalities? Does adding topsoil increase the abundance of heathland plants? Are interventions to reduce road impacts on amphibians effective? Do herbicides control invasive parrot's feather? What Works in Conservation has been created to provide practitioners with answers to these and many other questions about practical conservation. This book provides an assessment of the effectiveness of conservation interventions based on summarized scientific evidence. The 2020 edition contains new material on mammals, birds, marine benthic invertebrates, bat conservation and wetlands. Other chapters cover practical global conservation of primates, peatlands, shrublands and heathlands, management of captive animals as well as an extended chapter on control of freshwater invasive species, the global conservation of amphibians, bats, birds and forests, conservation of European farmland biodiversity and some aspects of enhancing natural pest control, enhancing soil fertility and control of freshwater invasive species. It contains key results from the summarized evidence for each conservation intervention and an assessment of the effectiveness of each by international expert panels. The accompanying website www.conservationevidence.com describes each of the studies individually, and provides full references. This is the fifth edition of What Works in Conservation, which is revised on an annual basis. Arcadia, DEFRA, ESRC, MAVA Foundation, NERC, Natural England, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Synchronicity Earth, South West Water and Waitrose Ltd. have generously contributed towards the publication of this volume.

A High School Curriculum in Marine Environmental Issues: The Sea - Use and Abuse Part II

To the Student: As we progress into the 1980\u27s, you will become more aware of a number of marine related environmental issues. Many of these complex marine issues will be decided within the political sphere of our society. These are not isolated issues, but rather complicated ones which impact a wide section of our economic and social lives. The issues we are discussing include: land use (especially in the coastal zone), the city of facilities (e.g. sewer treatment plants, power plants, nuclear power plants), and the drilling for oil and gas and minerals on submerged and continental shelf areas. Port development or revitalization, fisheries and fish processing, and shipping will involved issues that are not merely domestic, but international and hence more complex in scope. The materials provided in this student section are designed to introduce you to some of these complex issues with their far-reaching causes and impacts. These materials will have achieved some level of success, if you, the decision maker of the future, begin to realize some of the depth and degree of involvement these issues share. Consider this study as an introduction and a means of assisting you in an analysis of issues that will be resolved within the near future. May you continue an intensive search for solutions that may not come easily, but will result in an improved environment

Prospects for Rural Regional Development in the De-Agrarianizing Rural Bangladesh.

Ph.D. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2017

Innovative Solutions to Human–Wildlife Conflicts

The mission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Wildlife Services (WS) Program is to provide Federal leadership in managing problems caused by wildlife. The National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) functions as the research arm of WS by providing scientific information on the development of socially acceptable methods for wildlife damage management. As part of WS’ strategic plan to improve the coexistence of people and wildlife, NWRC has identified four strategic program goals: (1) developing methods, (2) providing wildlife services, (3) valuing and investing in people, and (4) enhancing information and communication. WS is dedicated to helping meet the wildlife damage management needs of the United States by building on NWRC’s strengths in these four key areas. This annual research highlights report is structured around these program goals