Framework for strategic wind farm site prioritisation based on modelled wolf reproduction habitat in Croatia

In order to meet carbon reduction targets, many nations are greatly expanding their wind power capacity. However, wind farm infrastructure potentially harms wildlife, and we must therefore find ways to balance clean energy demands with the need to protect wildlife. Wide-ranging carnivores live at low density and are particularly susceptible to disturbance from infrastructure development, so are a particular concern in this respect. We focused on Croatia, which holds an important population of wolves and is currently planning to construct many new wind farms. Specifically, we sought to identify an optimal subset of planned wind farms that would meet energy targets while minimising potential impact on wolves. A suitability model for wolf breeding habitat was carried out using Maxent, based on six environmental variables and 31 reproduction site locations collected between 1997 and 2015. Wind farms were prioritised using Marxan to find the optimal trade-off between energy capacity and overlap with critical wolf reproduction habitat. The habitat suitability model predictions were consistent with the current knowledge: probability of wolf breeding site presence increased with distance to settlements, distance to farmland and distance to roads and decreased with distance to forest. Spatial optimisation showed that it would be possible to meet current energy targets with only 31% of currently proposed wind farms, selected in a way that reduces the potential ecological cost (overall predicted wolf breeding site presence within wind farm sites) by 91%. This is a highly efficient outcome, demonstrating the value of this approach for prioritising infrastructure development based on its potential impact on wide-ranging wildlife species

Anthropogenic food resources sustain wolves in conflict scenarios of Western Iran

The feeding ecology of gray wolves has been investigated extensively worldwide. Despite previous studies on food habits of wolves in Asia and Iran, none has focused on the diet of the species in a scenario of depleted of wild prey and with recent records of attacks on humans. Here, we combined telemetry methods and scat analysis to study the diet of wolves in areas of Hamadan province, Iran, where medium to large wild prey is almost absent. Between October 2015 and March 2017, we studied the feeding behavior (by identifying feeding sites through clusters of GPS locations) of three wolves fitted with GPS collars, belonging to different wolf packs. We also collected and analyzed 110 wolf scats during the same period within the same areas. Overall, we investigated 850 clusters of GPS locations in the field, and identified 312 feeding sites. Most feeding clusters were linked to dumpsites and poultry farms around villages. We found 142 and 170 events of predatory (kill sites) and scavenging behavior, respectively. Prey composition based on kill sites was comprised of 74.6% livestock, 19.7% lagomorphs, 3.5% dogs, 1.4% red fox, and 0.7% golden jackal. Similarly, prey composition based on scavenging clusters was comprised of 79.9% livestock, 10.6% red fox, and 9.4% golden jackal. Scat analysis, however, indicated that livestock (34.3%), garbage (23.7%), poultry (16.0%), and European hare (15.4%) were the most frequent food items. We discuss the role of anthropogenic food sources in a context where agonistic wolf-human encounters occur recurrently, and suggest management guidelines regarding illegal dumping of animal carcasses and garbage dumpsites, in order to minimize wolf-human negative interactions.Peer Reviewe

Policy analysis: Top-down dilution of conservation commitments in Europe: An example using breeding site protection for wolves

In Europe, decision-making power related to biodiversity conservation has been partly, and voluntarily, relinquished by countries to superior levels. In this hierarchical top-down scenario, the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive grant protection to a considerable number of taxa, and determine underlying conservation actions at (sub)national levels. The protection mandates emanating from these legal instruments are expected to be transferred effectively to lower levels, adapting general obligations to species-specific contexts. We assessed the implementation of general obligations from international agreements through local regulations, using as illustrative example the European requirement of protecting the breeding sites of protected species, and the conservation of grey wolves (Canis lupus) in Europe. After reviewing 43 wolf management and conservation plans across Europe, only 14% of wolf plans contained management guidelines issued to avoid wolf breeding site destruction or disturbance (this figure was 52% in the case of North America, n = 25 wolf plans). In Europe, we found only seven actions or guidelines designed to ensure breeding site protection/availability for wolves (from six countries). None of the plans contained a comprehensive set of measures to preserve breeding sites or guarantee their availability. Our results suggest that transposition of general obligations from international agreements into local legislation systems may be a critical point of weakness in the biodiversity conservation policy process. We recommend additional scrutiny to ensure that ambitious conservation goals are not diluted, but enforced, along its way from high-tier laws to local regulations, in accordance with the letter and spirit of international agreements.Peer Reviewe

Phylogeny of the Neotropical sages (Salvia subg. Calosphace; Lamiaceae) and insights into pollinator and area shifts

Salvia subg. Calosphace (Lamiaceae, Lamiales) is a highly diverse clade endemic to the New World. The phylogenetic relationships of Calosphace have been previously investigated using DNA sequences of nuclear ITS region and plastid psbA–trnH intergenic spacer, but the resulting trees lack resolution and support for many clades. The present paper reassesses the phylogenetic relationships of subgenus Calosphace, including a broader taxon sampling, with a special focus on representing previously unsampled sections, and using an additional plastid marker (trnL–trnF region). Our results show increased resolution and overall patterns of support, recovering ten main clades. Within core Calosphace, the most inclusive of these main clades, 17 new subclades were identified. Of the 42 sections for which more than one species was analysed, only 12 are monophyletic. Our biogeographical analysis identified at least twelve migrations to South America from Mexican and Central American lineages, in agreement with previous suggestions of multiple origins of South American Calosphace diversity. This analysis also confirmed a colonization of the Antilles by Andean lineages. The reconstruction of ancestral states of pollination syndromes showed multiple shifts to ornithophily from melittophily and one reversal to the latter.Fil: Fragoso-Martínez, Itzi. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Martínez-Gordillo, Martha. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Salazar, Gerardo A.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Sazatornil, Federico David. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Jenks, Aaron A.. Berkeley University; Estados UnidosFil: García Peña, María del Rosario. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Barrera-Aveleida, Giovanna. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Benitez Vieyra, Santiago Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Magallón, Susana. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Cornejo-Tenorio, Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Granados Mendoza, Carolina. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Méxic