Africa's forgotten forests: the conservation value of Kenya's Northern coastal forests for large mammals

There are two PFS for this article, one is the original article and the other is an Erratum specifying the errors in the original article.In comparison to other ecosystems in east Africa, the biodiversity of the coastal forests of Kenya’s northern coastline is poorly documented, even in the case of large terrestrial mammals. In response to this, we undertook a systematic survey of the Boni-Dodori forests using four camera trap grids with camera spacing of 2 km covering 300 km2 over 7020 camera trap days. We recorded 37 mammal species and derived camera trap rates and estimated occupancy for 31 medium-to-large terrestrial species, some of which represent range extensions. Remarkably, the critically endangered Aders’ duiker was the most frequently recorded species. A distinctive form of giant sengi and the vulnerable Sokoke bushy-tailed mongoose were also widely distributed and relatively abundant. Other significant records of threatened species included African wild dog, African lion and Pousargues’s monkey. Species richness and relative abundance of all species were higher than that recorded for Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Kenya’s only other large coastal forest, using the same camera trap survey protocol.Keywords: Boni-Dodori forest, coastal forest, camera trapping, mammals, species richness, trap rates, occupanc

9. Management of captive animals

Husbandry interventions for captive breeding amphibians Expert assessors Kay Bradfield, Perth Zoo, Australia Jeff Dawson, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, UK Devin Edmonds, Association Mitsinjo, Madagascar Jonathan Kolby, Honduras Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Center, Honduras Stephanie Jayson, Veterinary Department, Zoological Society of London, UK Daniel Nicholson, Queen Mary University of London, UK Silviu O. Petrovan, Cambridge University, UK and Froglife Trust, UK Jay Redbond, Wi..

Genetic stock identification of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) populations in the southern part of the European range

notes: PMCID: PMC2882343© 2010 Griffiths et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Anadromous migratory fish species such as Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) have significant economic, cultural and ecological importance, but present a complex case for management and conservation due to the range of their migration. Atlantic salmon exist in rivers across the North Atlantic, returning to their river of birth with a high degree of accuracy; however, despite continuing efforts and improvements in in-river conservation, they are in steep decline across their range. Salmon from rivers across Europe migrate along similar routes, where they have, historically, been subject to commercial netting. This mixed stock exploitation has the potential to devastate weak and declining populations where they are exploited indiscriminately. Despite various tagging and marking studies, the effect of marine exploitation and the marine element of the salmon lifecycle in general, remain the "black-box" of salmon management. In a number of Pacific salmonid species and in several regions within the range of the Atlantic salmon, genetic stock identification and mixed stock analysis have been used successfully to quantify exploitation rates and identify the natal origins of fish outside their home waters - to date this has not been attempted for Atlantic salmon in the south of their European range.European Union INTERREG IIIB programme (Atlantic Salmon Arc Project [ASAP], Project No. 040)

Reducing publication delay to improve the efficiency and impact of conservation science.

Evidence-based decision-making is most effective with comprehensive access to scientific studies. If studies face significant publication delays or barriers, the useful information they contain may not reach decision-makers in a timely manner. This represents a potential problem for mission-oriented disciplines where access to the latest data is required to ensure effective actions are undertaken. We sought to analyse the severity of publication delay in conservation science-a field that requires urgent action to prevent the loss of biodiversity. We used the Conservation Evidence database to assess the length of publication delay (time from finishing data collection to publication) in the literature that tests the effectiveness of conservation interventions. From 7,447 peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed studies of conservation interventions published over eleven decades, we find that the raw mean publication delay was 3.2 years (±2SD = 0.1) and varied by conservation subject. A significantly shorter delay was observed for studies focused on Bee Conservation, Sustainable Aquaculture, Management of Captive Animals, Amphibian Conservation, and Control of Freshwater Invasive Species (Estimated Marginal Mean range from 1.4-1.9 years). Publication delay was significantly shorter for the non-peer-reviewed literature (Estimated Marginal Mean delay of 1.9 years ± 0.2) compared to the peer-reviewed literature (i.e., scientific journals; Estimated Marginal Mean delay of 3.0 years ± 0.1). We found publication delay has significantly increased over time (an increase of ~1.2 years from 1912 (1.4 years ± 0.2) to 2020 (2.6 years ± 0.1)), but this change was much weaker and non-significant post-2000s; we found no evidence for any decline. There was also no evidence that studies on more threatened species were subject to a shorter delay-indeed, the contrary was true for mammals, and to a lesser extent for birds. We suggest a range of possible ways in which scientists, funders, publishers, and practitioners can work together to reduce delays at each stage of the publication process

What Works in Conservation 2018

This book provides an assessment of the effectiveness of 1277 conservation interventions based on summarized scientific evidence. The 2018 edition contains new chapters covering 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. Other chapters cover 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

What is the evidence for the effectiveness of husbandry and management interventions for the conservation and welfare of captive animals? A systematic map protocol

Biodiversity is being lost at an alarming rate, much greater than natural background extinction. This crisis has highlighted the potential role of zoos, aquariums and other captive facilities to mitigate the loss of biodiversity, although their ability to do so is sometimes questioned. Amongst other factors, zoos and aquariums have experienced challenges in sustaining viable populations under managed care (i.e. in captivity), identifying appropriate circumstances and approaches for reintroduction, and addressing societal concerns pertaining to the welfare of captive animals. Robust science-based methodologies must be developed and the effects of zoo- and aquarium-based practices assessed, in order to improve captive animal health and welfare, better manage captive populations, and optimise the success of population management and conservation breeding programmes. There is therefore an increasing need for evidence-based husbandry and management of captive animals for conservation. We propose a systematic map of research on husbandry interventions and practices associated with improving the conservation and welfare of captive animals, better managing their breeding, and other related outcomes. This map, which will be freely available to all, will improve our knowledge of the available evidence for both the commonly used and lesser known interventions and practices aiming to improve the welfare and conservation of captive animals, by answering several questions: Which studies have measured the effects of any possible management and/or husbandry interventions/practices on the conservation and welfare of captive animals? Which husbandry interventions/practices and outcomes have been studied, and which ones are lacking published evidence? For the purpose of this map, we will focus on captive animals kept in zoos and aquariums but will consider evidence from other captive environments where appropriate. Here, we provide the protocol outlining the methods designed to identify and collate into a systematic map the available global evidence for the effectiveness of husbandry interventions and practices for the welfare and conservation of captive animals.The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums funded this work

Genetic patterns in forest antelope populations in the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania, as inferred from non-invasive sampling

As for many tropical regions, the evolutionary and demographic status of antelope populations in the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania, are poorly resolved. We employed genetic information from 618 faecal samples to assess the status of forest antelope species in terms of their distribution, intraspecific diversity and population subdivision within the Udzungwa landscape. Most species were detected in the majority of forest fragments, except for Philantomba monticola. Phylogenetic analyses were consistent with traditional taxonomy with the exception of Cephalophus harveyi which was paraphyletic with respect to C. natalensis. There was strong support for three C. harveyi mtDNA clades within the Udzungwa Mountains although nuclear genetic variation did not partition strongly with these maternal lineages. Significant partitioning of genetic variation between sampling areas was detected for all species except the endangered C. spadix. Overall, our results demonstrate the value of non-invasive genetic sampling in studying the distribution and evolution of rarely observed species.Keywords: duikers, suni, Harvey’s duiker, Eastern Arc Mountains, East Afric

9. Management of captive animals

Husbandry interventions for captive breeding amphibians Expert assessors Kay Bradfield, Perth Zoo, Australia Jeff Dawson, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, UK Devin Edmonds, Association Mitsinjo, Madagascar Jonathan Kolby, Honduras Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Center, Honduras Stephanie Jayson, Veterinary Department, Zoological Society of London, UK Daniel Nicholson, Queen Mary University of London, UK ..