Bioluminescent diversity and ecotourism potential in the Juréia-Itatins Ecological Station, integrating conservation and sustainable development

Conservation of tree phylogenetic diversity in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: Dry habitats matter

Background: Environmental degradation in the Asia-Pacific region, driven by rapid urbanization, deforestation, overfishing, and unsustainable resource use, threatens biodiversity and local livelihoods. Community-based Conservation (CBC) initiatives play a crucial role in addressing these challenges while advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), and SDG 14 (life below water). Methods: This study uses a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to analyze the contribution of local communities to sustainable development in Asia-Pacific, focusing on air conservation, renewable energy, urban aspirations, and marine conservation. Data were obtained from verified journals and reports (2011–2023), analyzed thematically to identify challenges, successful strategies, and opportunities in community-based initiatives. Findings: CBC initiatives have demonstrated success in improving environmental conditions and socio-economic well-being. Local communities effectively leverage their ecological knowledge to implement conservation strategies, leading to better resource management and ecosystem restoration. However, financial and technical constraints remain key challenges to the scalability and long-term sustainability of these projects. Conclusion: Addressing financial and technical barriers is essential for expanding CBC initiatives. Strengthening policy integration and multi-level governance—through collaboration between local communities, national governments, and international organizations—can enhance institutionalization and long-term sustainability. These efforts are critical for promoting resilience against climate change and other environmental threats in the Asia-Pacific region. Novelty/Originality of this article: This study highlights the intersection of traditional ecological knowledge and modern conservation strategies in CBC initiatives. It underscores the importance of policy integration and multi-level governance in ensuring the success and scalability of community-driven conservation efforts, contributing to sustainable development and climate resilience in the Asia-Pacific region.

Ecosystems in protected areas (PAs) are facing new challenges from light pollution. Timely assessment of light pollution in protected areas and exploration of its characteristics are positively valuable for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. As the province with the largest number of nature reserves and the richest biodiversity in China, Guangdong’s protected areas have faced more severe light pollution threats in recent years along with rapid urbanization. Hence, in this study, the temporal trends and spatial distribution of light pollution changes, the correlation between light pollution and human activities, and the sensitive distance induced by light pollution in PAs of Guangdong Province from 2000 to 2018 were analyzed based on nighttime light (NTL) remote sensing data, land-use data, and POI data. The results show that: (1) Overall, the light pollution within the PAs increased significantly in these years, with the mean value of NTL (MNTL) increasing from 8.04 to 15.21 nanoWatt/cm2/sr. The number of PAs affected by light pollution was 900 in 2018, accounting for 83% of the total. (2) From the perspective of spatial distribution, the PAs in the Pearl River Delta suffered from the highest intensity of light pollution. Specifically, the MNTL of PAs within the Pearl River Delta was 5.8 times and 2.8 times higher than that in northern Guangdong in 2000 and 2018, respectively. (3) There is a significant correlation between human activities and NTL in PAs within 100 km, and the most sensitive distance is within 40 km, especially the sensitivity within 20 km is much higher than that between 30–40 km. The findings of this study will provide a reference for the implementation of external lighting control and guidance measures to mitigate light pollution in protected areas in Guangdong Province.

Protected areas (PAs) with natural, ecological, and cultural value play important roles related to biological processes, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Over the past four decades, the spatial range and intensity of light pollution in China has experienced an unprecedented increase. Few studies have been documented on the light pollution across PAs in China, especially in regions that provide a greater amount of important biodiversity conservation. Here, nighttime light satellite images from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Operational Linescan System (DMSP-OLS) were selected to characterize light pollution trends across PAs using nighttime light indexes and hot spot analysis, and then the light pollution changes in PAs were classified. Furthermore, the causes of light pollution changes in PAs were determined using high-resolution satellite images and statistical data. The results showed the following: (1) Approximately 57.30% of PAs had an increasing trend from 1992 to 2012, and these PAs were mainly located in the eastern region, the central region, and a small part of the western region of China. Hot spot analysis showed that the patterns of change for the total night light and night light mean had spatial agglomeration characteristics; (2) The PAs affected by light pollution changes were divided into eight classes, of which PAs with stable trends accounted for 41%, and PAs with high increasing trends accounted for 10%. PAs that had high increasing trends with low density accounted for the smallest amount, i.e., only 1%; (3) The factors influencing light pollution changes in PAs included the distance to urban areas, mineral exploitation, and tourism development and the migration of residents. Finally, based on the status of light pollution encroachment into PAs, strategies to control light pollution and enhance the sustainable development of PAs are recommended.

To Achieve Big Wins for Terrestrial Conservation, Prioritize Protection of Ecoregions Closest to Meeting Targets

Africa's protected areas are brightening at night: A long-term light pollution monitor based on nighttime light imagery

Light pollution is a rapidly growing environmental challenge, with the global brightness of the night sky increasing by an average of 9.6% per year. This study assessed the ecological impact of artificial light at night (ALAN) on protected areas in Poland, including all 23 national and 125 landscape parks, from 2012 to 2023. Based on VIIRS satellite radiance data and modelled sky surface brightness (Sa), we developed and applied the Ecological Light Pollution (ELP) scale, which classifies areas into four classes of ecological impact: strong (ELP-A), pronounced (ELP-B), noticeable (ELP-C), and weak or none (ELP-D). The analysis revealed that 38.5% of protected areas are affected by artificial skyglow at levels classified as ELP-B or ELP-C. Under cloudy conditions, which intensify light pollution effects, 22% of national parks and 41.8% of landscape parks fell into these classes. Notably, Wielkopolski National Park exhibited the most pronounced impact (ELP-B) even under clear skies, primarily due to its proximity to the Poznań metropolitan area. In contrast, Bieszczadzki and Białowieski National Parks recorded near-natural darkness (ELP-D). These light pollution effects can disrupt nocturnal species’ behaviour, reduce biodiversity, and degrade opportunities for dark-sky tourism. The findings emphasise the need for targeted mitigation, including stricter outdoor lighting regulations, formal dark-sky protection zones, and public education to preserve protected areas’ ecological integrity and tourism potential.

It was an August afternoon in 2003 when the lights went out on Broadway, and for that matter, throughout most of the Northeast, Midwest, and Ontario—a power blackout left 50 million customers in the dark overnight. Despite complaints about the inconveniences, the stranded commuters, and the food spoilage in restaurants and markets, many city dwellers were also awed; as evening came on, they gazed upward, and between the dark skyscrapers they could see something amazing—the starry night sky. The New York Times reported spontaneous stargazing gatherings in the usually electrified cities of the Northeast.

trialspecies,therelativemeritsofdifferentapproachesto ensure the long-term persistence of those species remain highly contentious. Most would agree, however, that both establishing protected areas and exercising some form of restraint on extraction of forest resources are among the most effective of all viable conservation measures. Deforestation, wildfires, logging, and hunting are among the leading drivers of species losses in tropical forests, and de facto or de jure protection from these threats can be conferred by either effective enforcement of regulations or physical remoteness. Attempts to assess conservation success of protected areasatlargescaleshaverestedprimarilyonconventional use of remote sensing to quantify spatial or temporal differences in rates of change in land cover due to deforestation and wildfires, rather than on empirical demographic or community-level metrics (Gaston et al. 2008). Q2 However, the former approaches fail to detect most types of subcanopy anthropogenic disturbances that also result, directly or indirectly, in species losses (Peres et al. 2006). Moreover, the effects of habitat loss and degradation on population extirpations and declines are nonlinear, so vegetation cover alone is rarely a robust proxy for the viability of terrestrial biotas. Remotesensing data show vast tracts of apparently intact tropical forests, but in reality levels of hunting and other forms of extraction in these areas are often unsustainable (Peres & Lake 2003). Fundamental questions yet to be answered include whether ostensibly intact protected areas retain full complements of forest species and how the extent of cryptic patterns of disturbance is related to human population density in both protected and unprotected areas. I considered the global to regional emergence of sustainable-use reserves, emphasizing the world’s largest tropical forest region, Amazonia. Sustainable-use reserves often have intermediate levels of disturbance, so I examined the degree of use of natural resources by resident communities and used human population density as a proxy for level of extraction. In both protected and unprotected areas, I also estimated responses of game vertebrate assemblages to hunting on the basis of the relative biomassextractedfromasubsetoftheforestfauna.Iused analysesofcovariance(ANCOVA)toexaminetheassociationbetweenhumandensityandgamebiomassharvested across different reserve categories. Finally, I considered the long-term capacity of sustainable-use forest reserves to maintain populations of all resident species.

The natural nighttime light environment of the earth has been significantly transformed by human activities. Such “light pollution” has a profound influence on ecosystems. Protected areas (PAs) play key ecological functions and are only effective at low light pollution levels or without any light pollution. In China, with rapid population growth and high urbanization rates, light pollution in PAs continues to aggravate and threaten a number of ecosystems. We used calibrated nighttime light images to study spatial-temporal changes in light pollution in China’s PAs from 1992 to 2012 by classifying light pollution into three levels (moderate, medium, and strong). The results showed that in China’s PAs, the area subject to light pollution increased by about 1.79 times, with a significant increase in the intensity of artificial light. The changes in light pollution exhibited significant regional differences. In the eastern developed regions, light pollution was more significant than that in other regions and the situation in East China was the most severe. In the Qinghai-Tibet, although light pollution was less significant, the area subject to light pollution increased significantly over the evaluated period. Factors influencing light pollution were also analyzed. Light pollution in a PA is influenced by both human activities and its own characteristics.

Light pollution as an ecological edge effect: Landscape ecological analysis of light pollution in protected areas in Korea

Habitat loss and degradation is threatening mammals worldwide. Therefore, Protected Areas (PA) are of utmost importance to preserve biodiversity. Their effectiveness, however, depends on some management strategies such as buffer zones, which prevent/mitigate the impact of external threats and might increase the amount of available habitat for wildlife existing within reserves. Nevertheless, how intensively terrestrial mammals use buffer zones remains little studied, particularly in the Neotropical region. Aiming to analyse the use of a buffer zone (5 km wide) by medium and large-sized mammals, we modelled the occupancy probabilities of five species of conservation concern including local (interior and buffer zone) as a site covariate, simultaneously controlling for imperfect detection. Data collection was made with camera traps from April to September 2013 in a 9000 ha Cerrado PA (“interior”) and in its surrounding area (39721.41 ha; “buffer zone”). This PA (Jataí Ecological Station) is immersed in a landscape where sugarcane plantations predominate in the northeastern of the state of São Paulo. We also conducted an inventory to compare the number and composition of species between interior and buffer zone. A total of 31 mammal species (26 natives) was recorded via camera traps and active search for sightings, vocalizations, tracks and signs. Occupancy estimates for Myrmecophaga tridactyla, Leopardus pardalis and Pecari tajacu were numerically higher in interior. On the other hand, Chrysocyon brachyurus had the highest occupancy in buffer zone, while the largest predator, Puma concolor, used both areas similarly. However, as the confidence intervals (95%) overlapped, the differences in occupancy probabilities between interior and buffer were weak for all these species. Additionally, regarding only the species recorded by cameras, the observed and estimated richness were similar between interior and buffer zone of the PA. Our data demonstrated that the buffer zone is indeed used by medium and large-sized mammals, including conservation-dependent ones. The lack of enforcement of current legislation regarding buffer zones is therefore a real threat for mammals, even when protection is guaranteed in the interior of protected areas.

Changes in light pollution in the Pan-Third Pole's protected areas from 1992 to 2021

Introduction. Every year industrial development and economic growth make light pollution worsen on a global scale. It is a well-known fact that artificial outdoor lighting causes destruction of wildlife habitat, impacts circadian rhythms of all living beings, disrupts animal behavior and leads to medical disorders of humans. Over the last decade scientists switched their focus from artificial sky glow over large cities to light pollution of rural landscapes, protected areas and roadways. 
 The purpose of this paper consists in assessing night-time light emissions over Chernivtsi Region as well as over city of Chernivtsi using satellite measurements.
 Methods. Measurements of night-time light emissions were obtained with the help of GIS web application Radiance Light Trends and the light trends analysis tool. The application allows examination of changes in light pollution across selected areas since 1992 and performs time-series analysis with fitting an exponential curve into the data set.
 Results. The trend in light emissions observed by satellites for Chernivtsi Region indicated brightening at the rate of 2.45 % per year from 1992 to 2014, and 2.93 % per year from 2014 to 2021. The marked increase in the intensity of atmospheric light pollution over Chernivtsi Region is largely attributable to urban expansion of district centers, national & international routes and resort complexes. At the same time, the spatial pattern of the light environment over city of Chernivtsi indicated a nearly constant level of aggregate annual light radiance for the last 8 years. A large irregularly shaped "light spot" was detected on the territory of the Prut-Siret interfluve. It crosses the region from the northwest to the southeast and covers the regional center with its suburbs and the national highway H-10. The night light radiance constitutes 47.49∙10-9 mW/cm2 sr in the center of the spot and more than 1∙10-9 mW/cm2 sr at its edges. The highest level of light pollution in Chernivtsi Region was registered in January, and the lowest – in March. Night-time light emission over two most illuminated highways remains relatively constant regardless of the season.
 Conclusion. The study highlights that despite low population and low economic activity, rural landscapes demonstrate a trend towards increasing brightness of the night sky. The findings provide a quantitative reference for light pollution management in the region and for further research in the area.

Protected areas are typically considered a cornerstone of conservation programs and play a fundamental role in protecting natural areas and biodiversity. Human-driven land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes lead to habitat loss and biodiversity loss inside protected areas, impairing their effectiveness. However, the global dynamics of habitat quality and habitat degradation in protected areas remain unclear. We used the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model based on global annual remotely sensed data to examine the spatial and temporal trends in habitat quality and degradation in global terrestrial protected areas. Habitat quality represented the ability of habitats to provide suitable conditions for the persistence of individuals and populations, and habitat degradation represented the impacts on habitats from human-driven LULC changes in the surrounding landscape. Based on a linear mixed-effects modeling method, we also explored the relationship between habitat degradation trends and protected area characteristics, biophysical factors, and socioeconomic factors. Habitat quality declined by 0.005 (0.6%) and habitat degradation increased by 0.002 (11%) from 1992 to 2020 globally, and similar trends occurred even in remote or restrictively managed protected areas. Habitat degradation was attributed primarily to nonirrigated cropland (62%) and urbanization (27%) in 2020. Increases in elevation, gross domestic production per capita, and human population density and decreases in agricultural suitability were associated with accelerated habitat degradation. Our results suggest that human-induced LULC changes have expanded from already-exploited areas into relatively undisturbed areas, and that in wealthy countries in particular, degradation is related to rapid urbanization and increasing demand for agricultural products.