The search for novelty continues for rewilding

We agree wholeheartedly with Derham et al. that the term rewilding requires explicit explanation, and that the refinement of new terms is fundamental to scientific advancement – hence our determined, but ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to identify the unique elements of rewilding that distinguish it from restoration (Hayward et al., 2019). We fail to understand why Derham et al. claim that scientific progress would grind to a halt if all definitions were concrete, complete and universally accepted. There are many definitions of scientific terms that similarly require refinement, and these improve our understanding of processes and theories, rather than hinder scientific progress through confusion. Indeed, we highlighted the problems associated with poorly defined language that led to the creation of clearly defined terms in the reintroduction and statistical fields (Hayward et al., 2019). Yet Derham et al.' reference two more definitions of rewilding (in Jepson's (2019) optimistic narrative and Corlett's (2016) proposal to ignore historical states) that, coupled with the Australian version of rewilding that emphasises small mammals in fenced, urban areas (Sweeney et al., in press), just increase the degree of confusion about what is unique about rewilding compared to restoration. This is particularly true when these versions reference existing definitions that are explicitly linked to restoration. For example, Dietl et al. (2015) use rewilding, under the umbrella of restoration, for reconstructing current ecosystems using the fossil record and extinct species replacements, potentially leading to the phrase Pleistocene rewilding restoration, where restoration would suffice.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/biocon2020-08-01hj2019Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog

Snapshot Safari: A large-scale collaborative to monitor Africa's remarkable biodiversity

CITATION: Pardo, L. E. et al. 2021. Snapshot Safari: A large-scale collaborative to monitor Africa's remarkable biodiversity. South African Journal of Science, 117(1/2). doi:10.17159/sajs.2021/8134.The original publication is available at https://www.sajs.co.za/Nature is experiencing degradation and extinction rates never recorded before in the history of Earth. Consequently, continuous large-scale monitoring programmes are critical, not only to provide insights into population trends but also to aid in understanding factors associated with altering population dynamics at various temporal and spatial scales. Continuous monitoring is important not only for tracking rare or threatened species but also to detect the increase of potentially invasive species, and the trends in the populations of common species, which in some regions are declining even more rapidly than are rare species.https://www.sajs.co.za/article/view/8134Publisher’s versio