Extent of threats to marine fish from the online aquarium trade in the United States.

Bats are an ecologically and taxonomically diverse group accounting for roughly a fifth of mammalian diversity worldwide. Many of the threats bats face (e.g., habitat loss, bushmeat hunting, and climate change) reflect the conservation challenges of our era. However, compared to other mammals and birds, we know significantly less about the population status of most bat species, which makes prioritizing and planning conservation actions challenging. Over a third of bat species assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are considered threatened or data deficient, and well over half of the species have unknown or decreasing population trends. That equals 988 species, or 80% of bats assessed by IUCN, needing conservation or research attention. Delivering conservation to bat species will require sustained efforts to assess population status and trends and address data deficiencies. Successful bat conservation must integrate research and conservation to identify stressors and their solutions and to test the efficacy of actions to stabilize or increase populations. Global and regional networks that connect researchers, conservation practitioners, and local stakeholders to share knowledge, build capacity, and prioritize and coordinate research and conservation efforts, are vital to ensuring sustainable bat populations worldwide.

Plant diversity, conservation significance, and community structure of two protected areas under different governance

Europe has a long tradition of exploiting marine fishes and is promoting marine economic activity through its Blue Growth strategy. This increase in anthropogenic pressure, along with climate change, threatens the biodiversity of fishes and food security. Here, we examine the conservation status of 1,020 species of European marine fishes and identify factors that contribute to their extinction risk. Large fish species (greater than 1.5 m total length) are most at risk; half of these are threatened with extinction, predominantly sharks, rays and sturgeons. This analysis was based on the latest International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) European regional Red List of marine fishes, which was coherent with assessments of the status of fish stocks carried out independently by fisheries management agencies: no species classified by IUCN as threatened were considered sustainable by these agencies. A remarkable geographic divergence in stock status was also evident: in northern Europe, most stocks were not overfished, whereas in the Mediterranean Sea, almost all stocks were overfished. As Europe proceeds with its sustainable Blue Growth agenda, two main issues stand out as needing priority actions in relation to its marine fishes: the conservation of marine fish megafauna and the sustainability of Mediterranean fish stocks. Assessing the conservation status of 1,020 European marine fishes reveals half of large (>1.5 m) fishes are threatened with extinction and stock status diverges geographically: almost all Mediterranean stock is overfished, most northern European stock is not.

Context Biological resource use represents the most common direct threat to biodiversity. Despite this, there is a paucity of comprehensive and overarching data relating to the biological resource use. The global aquarium trade encompasses millions of individual live fishes representing thousands of marine and freshwater species traded on an annual basis. The lack of specific data systems for recording information where fish are exported or imported has resulted in limited accessible trade data. An evaluation of the data-reporting frameworks presently employed by countries engaged in the aquarium trade is warranted to better understand the means by which comprehensive data on the aquarium trade can be made more accessible. Aims This study examines the data-reporting framework of The Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) used to collate aquarium fish import data, and its capacity to inform on the aquarium trade biodiversity imported to Australia. Methods Aquarium import records from 2010–16 were provided by DAWR and used to determine the quantity of individual fishes and consignments imported to Australia. The potential biodiversity of imports was determined from the Australian Government’s List of Permitted Live Freshwater/Marine Fish Suitable for Import 2018 (Number 69, F2017C00079), the legislative document identifying species permitted import to Australia for the aquarium trade. Species permitted import were cross-referenced with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List to address whether the Australian aquarium trade is importing threatened species. Key results A total of 10320 consignments encompassing more than 78.6 million aquarium fishes were imported to Australia between 2010 and 2016. A total of 4628 species of fishes were permitted import to Australia for the aquarium trade with 73 of the marine species (2.0%) and 81 of the freshwater species (7.5%) found to be threatened with some degree of extinction risk. The data-reporting framework for aquarium fish imports offered limited capacity to taxonomically differentiate imports and only 12.5% of all aquarium fishes imported could be identified to species. Conclusions The aquarium fish import records provided by DAWR had limited taxonomic resolution and, consequently, limited capacity to contribute to an improved understanding of the biodiversity imported to Australia for the aquarium fish trade. While more detailed information is available than is presently collated by DAWR, the availability of this information is constrained by the laws around protected information and the resources available to DAWR. Implications Accessible, detailed information on aquarium fish imports is necessary to support comprehensive research capable of addressing threats to biodiversity loss from the aquarium trade. To this end, the means by which Australian aquarium import data can be reported at greater taxonomic resolution under the existing legislative and resource restraints should be explored further.

Risk of impact of marine fishes to fishing and climate change (including ocean acidification) depend on the species' ecological and biological characteristics, as well as their exposure to over-exploitation and climate hazards. These human-induced hazards should be considered concurrently in conservation risk assessment. In this study, we aim to examine the combined contributions of climate change and fishing to the risk of impacts of exploited fishes, and the scope for climate-risk reduction from fisheries management. We combine fuzzy logic expert system with species distribution modeling to assess the extinction risks of climate and fishing impacts of 825 exploited marine fish species across the global ocean. We compare our calculated risk index with extinction risk of marine species assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Our results show that 60% (499 species) of the assessed species are projected to experience very high risk from both overfishing and climate change under a "business-as-usual" scenario (RCP 8.5 with current status of fisheries) by 2050. The risk index is significantly and positively related to level of IUCN extinction risk (ordinal logistic regression, p<0.0001). Furthermore, the regression model predicts species with very high risk index would have at least one in five (>20%) chance of having high extinction risk in the next few decades (equivalent to the IUCN categories of vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered). Areas with more at-risk species to climate change are in tropical and subtropical oceans, while those that are at risk to fishing are distributed more broadly, with higher concentration of at-risk species in North Atlantic and South Pacific Ocean. The number of species with high extinction risk would decrease by 63% under the sustainable fisheries-low emission scenario relative to the "business-as-usual" scenario. This study highlights the substantial opportunities for climate-risk reduction through effective fisheries management.

The eastern alpine bush cricket, Anonconotus italoaustriacus Nadig, 1987, is a grassland species historically present in a few disjunct ranges in north‐eastern Italy and High Tauern in Austria. The species has recently been included in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an endangered species with a decreasing population trend. Information regarding the genetic structure of endangered insect populations and the delineation of evolutionary significant units (ESUs) are nowadays a useful and integral component of many conservation plans. The genetic differentiation of A. italoaustriacus populations was studied through the analysis of four fragments of the mitochondrial DNA in five disjunct populations, covering the entire Italian geographical distribution known for this taxon and partially the Austrian distribution. Results revealed a strong geographical structure among populations and complete absence of gene flow suggesting the need to protect these evolutionary distinct lineages. Divergence time estimation analyses suggested that an ancient separation of bush‐cricket populations occurred approximately 1–1.5 Mya. Since the A. italoaustriacus populations represented genetically differentiated entities, conservation efforts should consider each population as a management unit. Conservation actions, preceded by detailed ecological studies and focused on monitoring, preserving and enlarging the existing habitat patches are thus proposed.

Sea Lions: Overview

Though a third of amphibian species worldwide are thought to be imperiled, existing assessments simply categorize extinction risk, providing little information on the rate of population losses. We conducted the first analysis of the rate of change in the probability that amphibians occupy ponds and other comparable habitat features across the United States. We found that overall occupancy by amphibians declined 3.7% annually from 2002 to 2011. Species that are Red-listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declined an average of 11.6% annually. All subsets of data examined had a declining trend including species in the IUCN Least Concern category. This analysis suggests that amphibian declines may be more widespread and severe than previously realized.

The international system for the classification of protected natural areas developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is intended to provide a common language for the management of these areas. The main objective of this study is to examine the institutional compatibility between different countries and the guidelines proposed by the IUCN. The method used consisted of a comparative analysis of the institutional and legal frameworks in South Africa, Australia, Brazil, China, the United States and Italy. The findings indicate that few countries have adopted the IUCN proposals in their entirety. Some have adapted their laws to the international guidelines, although with various changes, such as differences in the nomenclature used for management categories, while in other countries the legislation diverges substantially from these guidelines. In conclusion, these divergences and incompatibilities make it difficult to exchange experiences at an international level and adopt common strategies for the conservation of natural heritage.

BackgroundWild animals’ meat is extensively consumed in South Africa, being obtained either from ranching, farming or hunting. To test the authenticity of the commercial labels of meat products in the local market, we obtained DNA sequence information from 146 samples (14 beef and 132 game labels) for barcoding cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and partial cytochrome b and mitochondrial fragments. The reliability of species assignments were evaluated using BLAST searches in GenBank, maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis and the character-based method implemented in BLOG. The Kimura-2-parameter intra- and interspecific variation was evaluated for all matched species.ResultsThe combined application of similarity, phylogenetic and character-based methods proved successful in species identification. Game meat samples showed 76.5% substitution, no beef samples were substituted. The substitutions showed a variety of domestic species (cattle, horse, pig, lamb), common game species in the market (kudu, gemsbok, ostrich, impala, springbok), uncommon species in the market (giraffe, waterbuck, bushbuck, duiker, mountain zebra) and extra-continental species (kangaroo). The mountain zebra Equus zebra is an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red listed species. We also detected Damaliscus pygargus, which is composed of two subspecies with one listed by IUCN as ‘near threatened’; however, these mitochondrial fragments were insufficient to distinguish between the subspecies. The genetic distance between African ungulate species often overlaps with within-species distance in cases of recent speciation events, and strong phylogeographic structure determines within-species distances that are similar to the commonly accepted distances between species.ConclusionsThe reliability of commercial labeling of game meat in South Africa is very poor. The extensive substitution of wild game has important implications for conservation and commerce, and for the consumers making decisions on the basis of health, religious beliefs or personal choices.Distance would be a poor indicator for identification of African ungulates species. The efficiency of the character-based method is reliant upon availability of large reference data. The current higher availability of cytochrome b data would make this the marker of choice for African ungulates. The encountered problems of incomplete or erroneous information in databases are discussed.

Giant clams are threatened by overexploitation for human consumption, their valuable shells and the aquarium trade. Consequently, these iconic coral reef megafauna are extinct in some former areas of their range and are included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Now, giant clams are also threatened by rapid environmental change from both a suite of local and regional scale stressors and global change, including climate change, global warming, marine heatwaves and ocean acidification. The interplay between local- to regional-scale and global-scale drivers is likely to cause an array of lethal and sub-lethal effects on giant clams, potentially limiting their depth distribution on coral reefs and decreasing suitable habitat area within natural ranges of species. Global change stressors, pervasive both in unprotected and protected areas, threaten to diminish conservation efforts to date. International efforts urgently need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to avoid lethal and sub-lethal effects of global change on giant clams. Meanwhile, knowledge of giant clam physiological and ecological responses to local-regional and global stressors could play a critical role in conservation strategies of these threatened species through rapid environmental change. Further work on how biological responses translate into habitat requirements as global change progresses, selective breeding for resilience, the capacity for rapid adaptive responses of the giant clam holobiont and valuing tourism potential, including recognizing giant clams as a flagship species for coral reefs, may help improve the prospects of these charismatic megafauna over the coming decades.

In 1996, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) designated southern bluefin tuna as a critically endangered species, which is the highest endangered category of threatened species. Threatened species in IUCN’s Red List is determined based on five quantitative criteria, which are based on precautionary principle for organisms whose populations are not well known. When these criteria are applied directly to a commercially exploited species, it meets the criteria even if it is apparently secure. This section introduces the concept of judgment criteria for endangered species and its concerns. Threatened species is listed if the reduction rate of population size is sufficiently large, irrespective of whatever large population size. This is because for most unexploited threatened species the population size is completely uncertain. Therefore, many marine fish species, including tuna, which are exploited by commercial fishing are listed as threatened species. For many fish species that are commercially exploited, the absolute number of mature individuals and the variance in its yearly reduction rare are often known. Extinction risk depends on the absolute population size, population reduction rate, and its temporal variation. Red List lists many species that are apparently secure, based on the precautionary principle. We propose a method for estimating the extinction risk of tuna based on the variance of the reduction rate. We investigated the sensitivity in the uncertain parameters involved in the models and concluded that tuna is unlikely to be listed as critically endangered but that southern bluefin tuna may be listed as vulnerable. We also propose the probability that the southern bluefin tuna is recovered by the year 2020, which is not optimistic. Finally, we obtain the optimal age-specific fishing policy by using the Lagrange method.

Canada's Species at Risk Act (SARA; 2003) legally established the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) with a mandate to assess the status of wildlife species it considers to be at risk. Species assessed by COSEWIC as at risk are then considered by the federal government for conservation action, including listing on SARA's Schedule I. COSEWIC‘s Marine Fishes Specialist Subcommittee focuses on five groups of high vulnerability: anadromous species, elasmobranchs, long‐lived species, species of large maximum size, and species that have shown severe decline. COSEWIC‘s assessment protocol uses quantitative criteria based on those developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) but also considers life history and other biological information in assigning status. Published assessments cover 61 marine fish species: one extirpated, 14 endangered, 14 threatened, 16 special concern, 7 not at risk, and 9 data deficient. Questioned by some stakeholders, COSEWIC's assessment protocol represents a stable, documented framework that should give consistent results. Assessments show a broad pattern of severe declines across a wide range of species that might be expected to stimulate strong coordinated conservation action. Few marine fish species have been listed on SARA Schedule I. Conservation action for COSEWIC‐assessed species has been strong in some cases but not in others.

Groupers are highly susceptible to human‐induced impacts, making them one of the most threatened fish families globally. Extinction risk assessments are important in endangered threatened species management, however the most comprehensive—the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List—cannot classify approximately one‐third of grouper species due to data deficiency. We used an ordinal analytical approach to model relationships between species‐level traits and extinction risk categories. We found that larger species and those with shallower maximum depths and smaller geographic ranges had higher extinction risk. Using our best fitting model, we classified data deficient grouper species into IUCN's extinction risk categories based on traits. Most of these species were predicted to be of least concern. However, 12% were predicted to be endangered or vulnerable, suggesting that they may be of conservation interest. Importantly, we provide a quantitative method for overcoming data gaps that can be applied to conservation of other species.

Population‐level, historical studies can provide insights on the distribution, abundance and demographic characteristics of imperiled species prior to human exploitation, habitat modification or climate change. These studies provide a baseline for contemporary data, which often shape successful management and recovery. The smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) occupies ~20% of its historical range due to declines driven primarily by mortalities in fisheries and coastal habitat loss over the last century. As a result, they are listed as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and as Endangered federally in the United States (U.S.). Because P. pectinata grow to a large size and have a toothed rostrum, many historical photographs and specimens are archived in natural history collections. Metadata and morphometric data were collected and analysed from P. pectinata photographs (n = 84) and specimens (n = 429) to evaluate temporal changes in average size and historical distribution of five age classes in U.S. waters. Historically, smaller age classes were well‐distributed throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico, while only larger age classes were recorded on the U.S. east coast, north of Florida. All age classes were found in both Florida and Texas historically, but records from Texas decline after the 1980s and remain persistent in Florida, indicative of a strong‐hold for the U.S. population. Regardless of origin, individuals in three of the five age classes were larger on average historically than those observed today. Understanding which age classes used previously occupied areas will help direct habitat restoration efforts and support recovery, especially in the face of climate change. Non‐traditional data sources, such as those used here, may often be the only means of providing historical context to modern research on imperiled species, ultimately guiding restoration and conservation efforts.