Biodiversity Conservation Planning Research Articles

From national monitoring to transnational indicators: reporting and processing of aquatic biology data under the European Environment Agency’s State of the Environment data flow

Biological monitoring data from aquatic ecosystems are collected from European countries on a yearly basis by the European Environment Agency (EEA) through the Water Information System for Europe (WISE). The WISE-SoE (State of Environment) data flows provide indicators of pressures, states and impacts of surface waters and groundwaters on a pan-European scale. The WISE-2 Biology was established to obtain a harmonised flow of biology data reported annually as Ecological Quality Ratios (EQRs) from European surface waters, as a supplement to the mandatory 6-yearly reporting of ecological status of water bodies for the Water Framework Directive. The purposes of this paper are 1) to describe the compilation of national aquatic biology monitoring data indicators and to inform about the public availability of these data, 2) to give an overview of the reported data and indicate the potential for assessments based on these data, and 3) to illustrate the potential for further use of the underlying species abundance data in biodiversity research and assessment. WISE-2 data are reported for the following biological quality elements: phytoplankton, phytobenthos, macrophytes, macroalgae, angiosperms, benthic invertebrates and fish in rivers, lakes, transitional and/or coastal waters. The EQR values represent the deviation from reference conditions. The final processed and quality-checked data are published in EEA’s database Waterbase - Biology, which currently holds data from more than 13,000 waterbodies in 26 countries from the reporting years 2011–2021. Examples of time series aggregated by geographic regions give an indication of the type of trends that can be obtained from the reported data at the nEQR scale. However, the current results are representative only for certain geographic regions with high coverage of water bodies. Within the European research project EuropaBON (Europa Biodiversity Observation Network), the use of WISE-2 data can be leveraged to support biodiversity policy and conservation planning. EuropaBON’s online database provides an overview of how biodiversity monitoring schemes across Europe flows through different integration nodes, to produce Essential Biodiversity Variables and other policy-relevant indicators. Here, we use the EuropaBON visualisation tool to illustrate the WISE-2 as a European integration node for 157 biology datasets via the national integration nodes.

Designing an Ecological Network in Yichang Central City in China Based on Habitat Quality Assessment

Habitat fragmentation seriously threatens urban biodiversity conservation and ecosystem integrity. Constructing an ecological network and improving the connection level between habitat patches can effectively alleviate the general ecological environmental problems of rapid urban development. In this paper, three focal animal species were selected in the central urban area of Yichang City in China. Based on the habitat quality assessment results of the InVEST model, the ecological network of the three focal species was designed by combining morphological spatial pattern analysis and least-cost path models, and a multi-species comprehensive ecological network of the study area was designed. The consensus identified 31 ecological sources, 64 ecological corridors and 151 ecological nodes. The results can provide support for biodiversity conservation and green space planning in the study area, and also provide a reference for the construction and optimization of ecological networks for biodiversity conservation in urbanized areas.

Tree species composition along environmental and disturbance gradients in tropical sub-montane forests, Tanzania.

Understanding the environmental and disturbance determinants of tree species dominance and community composition in an ecosystem, is important for informing management and conservation decisions, through maintaining or improving the existing forest composition and structure. This study was carried out to quantify the relationship between forest tree composition structure and environmental and disturbance gradients, in a tropical sub-montane forest of Eastern Usambara. Vegetation, environmental, and anthropogenic disturbance data for 58 plots across Amani and Nilo nature forest reserves were obtained. Agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) were used to identify plant communities and analyze the influence of environmental variables and anthropogenic disturbances on tree species and community composition respectively. Four communities were identified and CCA results showed that the variation was significantly related to elevation, pH, Annual mean temperature, temperature seasonality, phosphorus nutrients and pressures from adjacent villages and roads. Likewise, environmental factors (climate, soil and topography) explained the most variation (14.5%) of tree and community composition in relation to disturbance pressure (2.5%). The large and significant variation in tree species and community patterns explained by environmental factors suggests a need for site-specific assessment of environmental properties for biodiversity conservation plans. Similarly, the intensification of human activities and associated impacts on natural environment should be minimized to maintain forest species composition patterns and communities. The findings are useful in guiding in policy interventions that focus on minimizing human disturbances in the forests and could aid in preserving and restoring the functional organization and tree species composition of the sub-tropical montane forests.

Species-level dataset is required for setting biodiversity conservation priorities for freshwater macroinvertebrates in Melbourne streams

Family-level identification of freshwater macroinvertebrates is often used to monitor the health of streams due to the lower cost and higher accuracy of identification compared to identifying species. While data on the presence of families from stream monitoring programs can also be used for biodiversity conservation planning, the ability of family-level datasets to accurately reflect regional biodiversity patterns for freshwater macroinvertebrates in Australia remains untested. This study compares family-level and species-level datasets for freshwater insects identified using morphological features and collected over 16 years from 140 sites in Greater Melbourne, Australia. Similar to the results of other studies, our results show a strong positive relationship between family- and species-level taxon richness. However, using the planning software Marxan to compare conservation priorities in our study region, we found that a data analysis of the family-level dataset underestimated the minimum sampling effort required to accurately reflect species diversity. It also identified sub-optimal conservation priority sites and overlooked regionally rare species. We recommend that aquatic macroinvertebrate monitoring programs aimed at understanding regional biodiversity patterns and conservation priorities should routinely include species-level identification, which is now becoming feasible with advances in molecular methods.

Multi-temporal evaluation and optimization of ecological network in multi-mountainous city

In karst multi-mountainous areas, there are a large number of urban remnant mountains (URMs) in urban built-up areas, which are an important part of urban green space system and have important and unique ecosystem service functions. However, the densifying development inside the city has been leading to the reduction of the number and area of the URMs and the decrease of the connectivity of the urban green space system, resulting in the fragile urban ecological environment. The construction and optimization of ecological network (EN) is an effective way to protect important urban ecological patches and improve the stability of urban green space ecosystem. Taking the central area of Anshun, a typical multi-mountainous city, as the study area, based on the land use data of 2007, 2012 and 2017, the ecological sources were identified by morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and the potential ecological corridors were extracted by the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR), and the ENs of the three periods were identified. 18 ecological sources were selected for each of the three periods, with a total area of 833.67 hm2, 713.25 hm2 and 806.85 hm2, respectively and the intersection area of ecological sources reached 650.58 hm2. The ecological corridors and ecological sources dwindled with time. The Gravity model was used to extract the important EN corridor, the InVEST model was used to quantify the comprehensive habitat quality. The EN was optimized by adding extra ecological sources, mending ecological breakpoints and extracting habitat quality map patches. It is suggested to add 6 ecological sources and 34 ecological corridors, protect ecological nodes and build stepping stone patches. The results of this study could not only provide a scientific and reasonable basis for the ecological protection and the development of ecological protection strategies in the urban central area of Anshun, but also enrich the theoretical research of urban biodiversity conservation planning and ecological restoration practice in multi-mountainous cities.

Climate change reduces the conservation benefits of tropical coastal ecosystems

<h2>Summary</h2> Marine protected areas (MPAs) are among the most effective management responses to human environmental impacts. However, their capacity to sustain biodiversity and associated ecosystem services under climate change is uncertain. Understanding how climate shifts impact ecosystem functioning and socioeconomic well-being is vital for biodiversity conservation and adaptation planning. Here, we show that climate change could render the current MPAs network in 12 nations in the Western Indian Ocean ineffective in supporting conservation and socioeconomic outcomes. Approximately half of the coral reefs and MPAs in countries most at risk of food insecurity will likely experience significant biodiversity losses. Only 4% of reefs and 6% of MPAs were located within areas less likely to experience climate shifts. Biodiversity hotspots for coral and reef fish were generally over-represented in the most at-risk areas. Conservation actions planned to anticipate climate risks can help to maintain biodiversity and socioeconomic benefits.

OECMs in marine capture fisheries: Key implementation issues of governance, management, and biodiversity

The ‘Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measure’ (OECM) concept was first introduced in 2010, by the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP) in the CBD Strategic Plan for Biodiversity conservation 2011–2020. The concept acknowledged that a range of spatial measures other than protected areas were appropriate for reaching Aichi Target 11 spatial conservation coverage. The OECM definition was adopted in 2018 in CBD COP Decision 14/8, which calls on States to mainstream OECMs into economic sectors, to recognize the current biodiversity conservation benefits and co-benefits from their area-based management measures and enhance them as much as possible. In the marine capture fisheries sector, the identification of OECMs is a work in progress and the issues addressed in this paper are key implementation issues that States and fisheries authorities are or will be encountering regarding their governance, management, and biodiversity outcomes. The purpose of the paper is to draw attention to some key OECM implementation issues arising in marine capture fisheries and to suggest possible approaches to address them. The governance issues addressed relate to enabling frameworks, industrial fisheries, legitimate authorities, long-term commitments, cross-sectoral coordination and planning, and contribution to the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework of the CBD. The management issues considered relate to effectiveness in achieving expected outcomes, costs and benefits of OECMs, spatial relations between OECMs and fisheries, and the role of OECMs in the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF). Regarding the significant positive biodiversity outcomes expected from OECMs, issues relate to the type of outcomes expected, their current or intended nature, the level of evidence required, and their relationship to area-based conservation standards.

Making the competitive exclusion principle operational at the biogeographical scale using fuzzy logic

In biogeography the competitive exclusion principle (CEP) has been confirmed in some cases but not in others. This has fueled an unresolved debate between those advocating niche theory or the neutral theory in biodiversity and biogeography. We suggest that this situation mainly arises from the use of crisp logic, where the CEP is defined as either completely true or false. We propose the application of the fuzzy concepts of favorability (the degree to which environmental conditions are propitious for the occurrence of individual species) and favorableness (the degree to which environmental conditions are simultaneously favorable for competing species) to operationalize a fuzzy version of the CEP. Favorability was obtained by performing species distribution models applying favorability functions, while favorableness was derived from the application of the fuzzy intersection between the favorability for competing species. Then we plotted individual favorability values along the gradient of favorableness. Two potentially competing species would coexist in high-favorableness locations, as the demands of both species would be well fulfilled. In locations of low favorableness, the result would be either autecological exclusion of both species or autecological segregation, as abiotic conditions are unfavorable for at least one of the species. Competitive exclusion would occur at the intermediate stretch of the favorableness gradient, as the conditions would be good enough for persistence of each species separately but not enough for permanent coexistence. According to this theoretical framework, the observed probability that a location belongs to the intermediate favorableness area given that the two species co-occur in this location should be lower than expected according to the environmental probability models for the two species. We tested this prediction on published data about the distribution of pairs of native and introduced deer species in Great Britain, using a Bayesian approach. In two thirds of comparisons between a native and an introduced deer species the predictions of the fuzzy CEP were corroborated, which suggests that these are the pairs of species and the specific geographical areas affected by competitive exclusion. This is important both theoretically and for biodiversity conservation planning.

Dogs occupying grassy habitat near protected areas in eastern Madagascar rely on foods from forests

Societal Impact StatementIdentifying where introduced animals fit in a food web relative to each other and to endemic species is key for biodiversity conservation planning. Using a multiproxy study of dog feces from eastern Madagascar, we infer that even dogs that spend time in derived grasslands typically eat forest‐derived foods. Regardless of the time that dogs spend in cleared forest, their impacts are likely concentrated on forest‐dwelling prey. If dogs in forests mostly consume threatened endemic animals (and not other introduced animals such as rats), then the exclusion of dogs from protected forests should be a priority.Summary Introduced predators on islands can help control invasive species yet can also contribute to the extirpation and extinction of endemic taxa. The spread of dogs on Madagascar by ~1000 years ago coincided with the introduction of livestock and spread of grazer‐adapted grasslands, and we help evaluate the extent to which modern dogs are part of novel grassland food webs. To infer dog diet, we identified food remains, where possible, and conducted stable isotope ratio analysis for n = 100 modern dog feces collected in derived grassland at varying distances from protected forest edges around Analamazoatra and Andasibe‐Mantadia National Park in eastern Madagascar. Animal remains in feces and the observed range of fecal δ15N values are consistent with dog meals at multiple trophic levels. However, the observed distribution of fecal δ13C values suggest that few dogs in the study area consumed food derived from open C4 grasslands. Existing data suggest that dogs rely primarily on C3 consumers inhabiting forest biomes (forest‐dwelling animals) for their prey, which may include endemics such as tenrecs, Malagasy rodents, and lemurs and introduced rodents such as rats. These findings indicate that dogs are not confined to the anthropogenic niche defined by grazer‐adapted grasslands, but rather use and impact animal food resources associated with protected forests. Higher resolution study of dog diet and mobility can further clarify the potential for dogs to exploit endemic prey, compete with endemic predators, and spread disease across ecotones.

Population Structure and Spatial Distribution of Tree Species in Lower Montane Forest, Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Northern Thailand

Plant diversity is important for sustainable development, particularly in watershed areas. This study explored tree population and diversity in a lower montane forest (LMF). A 16-ha permanent plot was established in LMF at Huai Kogma sub-watershed, northern Thailand. All trees with a diameter at breast height ≥ 2 cm were tagged, measured, identified, and their coordinates were mapped. The results showed that 220 species in 139 genera from 63 plant families were found. The dominant families based on species numbers and tree density were Fagaceae, Lauraceae, and Theaceae. The most dominant species were Castanopsis acuminatissima, Schima wallichii, Castanopsis armata, and Styrax benzoides. Diameter classes for climax species frequently followed negative exponential distributions, indicating their populations could be maintained into the future. By contrast, pioneer species, such as Macaranga indica, Morus macroura, and Rhus javanica, had discontinuous distribution, and were mostly found in gap areas, indicating successful regeneration may require high light intensity. Spatial distribution patterns based on Morisita’s index showed that most of the selected species had clumped patterns, particularly those in the Fagaceae family, which were predominantly distributed along the mountain ridge. Tree distribution patterns can affect ecological dynamics, thus reinforcing patterns dependent on local interactions such as the abundance of and distance to available resources. Our finding can aid evaluations of forest sustainability, and support the biodiversity conservation plans. In particular, the selection of suitable species for LMF restoration programs where mixed plantings of pioneer and climax species are planned.

Incorporating satellite remote sensing for improving potential habitat simulation of Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce in United Arab Emirates

Predicting the suitable habitat of a species is one of the adequate and enhancing approach in biodiversity conservation planning and implementation. Species habitat distribution is closely linked with environmental factors and bioclimatic variables used as prediction variables in species distribution models (SDMs). Recent application of satellite remote sensing data and the bioclimatic variables has created an advanced way to improve the SDMs performance. In this study, MaxEnt was used to predict species habitat distribution. Our objectives are to assess the application of satellite remote sensing data in predicting the potential habitat suitability of the arid plant species. We have selected Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce (Ghaf), the national tree of the UAE. We have chosen 33 environmental variables along with 90 species occurrences and for the final model simulation we have used three modeling scenarios. MaxEnt results showed that the model simulation with all key variables has substantially improved the potential habitat suitability prediction with a mean Area Under receiver operating Curve (AUC) value of 0.984, indicating a better predictive accuracy in the integration of satellite remote sensing data, edaphic variables and topographic parameters. Model results showed that the spatial proportions of the potential habitat suitability in the UAE consisted of high (2%), medium (6%) and low (9%) habitat suitability classes. The MaxEnt results revealed that precipitation of the coldest quarter (32.5%), NDVI (12.1%) and elevation (8%), had significant contribution to the potential habitat distribution of UAE Ghaf trees. Cold season precipitation is the most significant climate constraint on the habitat distribution. The most habitat suitability of Ghaf tree in the UAE was within a certain range of NDVI, LST, elevation, aspect, and precipitation patterns. This paper finding could be useful for environmental managers for implementing reforestation not only in UAE but also for the entire middle eastern regions with similar hyper arid conditions.

The use of taxonomic families as biological surrogates of the diversity of the Amazonian stream fish

The reliable identification of the fish species found in Amazonian streams requires a considerable investment of both time and resources, which often hampers the biodiversity pattern mapping and conservation planning. This problem can be overcome using biological surrogates such taxonomic families, this would reduce the number of fish to be identified and thus facilitate the development of studies. The present study analyzes the potential of families as surrogates of the fish diversity of Amazonian streams. For this, we verified the degree of congruence between the distribution of species organized by family and the composition of the assemblage in two different spatial scenarios. At the biome scale, we verified the degree of congruence in the fish faunas of 54 streams located within six drainage basins in Brazilian Amazonia. At the regional scale, we compared the data from the basins located on the lowland floodplain and those at higher altitudes. The Cichlidae and Lebiasinidae were identified as potential biological surrogates at both spatial scenarios, demonstrating more than 80% similarity with species matrix in all the analytical approaches. The families Crenuchidae and Hypopomidae were the most congruent with the fish from the floodplain basins, both were more than 80% congruent with the species matrix. In upland basins, Characidae, Gymnotidae and Rivulidae were highly similar to the species matrix, in particular Gymnotidae and Rivulidae with more than 90% similarity. Overall, we can conclude that the biological surrogacy approach is a potentially valuable alternative for species diversity evaluation of Amazonian streams ecosystems, considering the accelerated loss of the diversity of these systems.

Temporal Changes of Fish Diversity and Driver Factors in a National Nature Reserve, China.

Simple SummaryFreshwater-fish diversity declined rapidly due to multiple anthropogenic disturbances. The loss of fish diversity often manifested itself in taxonomic homogenization over time. Knowledge of multi-faceted diversity (i.e., species, functional, and phylogenetic diversity) perspectives is important for biodiversity assessment and conservation planning. The results showed that the diversity of fish has declined from 2008 to 2021, with five species lost over time. We found an overall homogenization trend in the fish fauna of the study area, with a 4% increase in the taxonomic similarity among the rivers. Additionally, we found that the community structure of fish was significantly different among the rivers, and environmental filtering was the main contributor to the phylogenetic diversity of fish in 2008 and 2021. This study provides new insight into the patterns and drivers of fish-biodiversity change in the broader Yangtze River basin and informs management efforts.Freshwater-fish diversity declined rapidly due to multiple anthropogenic disturbances. The loss of fish diversity often manifested itself in taxonomic homogenization over time. Knowledge of multi-faceted diversity (i.e., species, functional, and phylogenetic diversity) perspectives is important for biodiversity assessment and conservation planning. Here, we analyzed the change of the species diversity and phylogenetic diversity of fish in 2008 and 2021 as well as explored the driver factors of the biodiversity patterns in the Lushan National Nature Reserve. The results showed that the species diversity and phylogenetic diversity of fish have declined from 2008 to 2021, with five species lost over time. We found an overall homogenization trend in the fish fauna of the study area, with a 4% increase in taxonomic similarity among the rivers. Additionally, we found that community structure of fish was significantly different among the rivers, and environmental filtering was the main contributor to the phylogenetic diversity of fish in 2008 and 2021. This study provides new insight into the patterns and drivers of fish-biodiversity change in the broader Yangtze River basin and informs management efforts.

Conservation planning integrating natural disturbances: Estimating minimum reserve sizes for an insect disturbance in the boreal forest of eastern Canada.

Large natural disturbances such as insect outbreaks and fire are important processes for biodiversity in forest landscapes. However, few methods exist for incorporating natural disturbances into conservation planning. Intact forest landscapes, such as in the North American boreal forest, can produce large natural disturbance footprints. They also have the potential to support large reserves but size estimates based on natural disturbance are needed to guide reserve design. Historical fire data have been used to estimate minimum dynamic reserves, reserve size estimates based on maintaining natural disturbance dynamics and ensuring resilience to large natural disturbance events. While this has been a significant step towards incorporating natural disturbance into reserve design, managers currently lack guidance on how to apply these concepts in areas where fire is not the dominant natural disturbance. We generalize the minimum dynamic reserve framework to accommodate insect outbreaks and demonstrate the framework in a case study for eastern spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) in the Canadian boreal forest. Our methods use geospatial analysis to identify minimum dynamic reserves based on a set of spatially explicit initial conditions, and simulation models to test for the maintenance of a set of dynamic conditions over time. We found considerable variability in minimum dynamic reserve size depending on the size of historic budworm disturbance events and the spatial patterns of disturbance-prone vegetation types. The minimum dynamic reserve framework provides an approach for incorporating wide-ranging natural disturbances into biodiversity conservation plans for both pro-active planning in intact landscapes, and reactive planning in more developed regions.

Ant Diversity Declines with Increasing Elevation along the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania

Biodiversity patterns along elevational gradients are generally characterised by monotonic decreases or mid-elevational peaks in species richness, while elevational zones may be characterised by distinct assemblages, or higher zones may be subsets of lowland assemblages. Elevational gradients in diversity have been less studied in the Afrotropical region. This study documents ant diversity patterns in three forest types associated with the tropical mountains of Udzungwa; we hypothesise that: (1) ant diversity and activity will show a monotonic decrease from mid-elevation with increasing elevation and (2) that forests associated with different elevations will have a distinct ant assemblage. Pitfall traps were deployed at three targeted elevations (650–800, 800–1400, and 1400–1500 m a.s.l.). Ant species richness declined with increasing elevation from 650 m a.s.l. and formed three elevational assemblages with lower elevation forests having almost twice as many species as sub-montane forests and three times as many as that of the montane forests. In contrast, overall ant activity peaked at 800–1400 m a.s.l. The ant assemblages associated with the lower elevation forest were very distinct, while assemblages associated with the sub-montane and montane forests shared species. Our study reveals valuable and relevant information for biodiversity monitoring and conservation planning as the species associated with each forest type may be used as indicator species for assessing biodiversity responses to climate change and anthropogenic activities on these mountains.

The impact of different road grades on ecological networks in a mega-city Wuhan City, China

The development of road networks over the years has caused serious damage to biodiversity. However, few studies have explored the impact of different road grades on ecological network connectivity, especially at multiple levels and at different dispersal distances. Here, we propose an analytical framework based on the integrated graph theory and the circuit theory method, in order to model the ecological network of virtual species, to evaluate connectivity at the landscape, patch, and corridor levels, and to identify the key patches and key corridors that contribute the most to the maintenance of connectivity. The empirical analysis in this study was performed on six scenarios, which were designed by successively integrating different road grades into the landscape. On this basis, the impact of different road grades on the connectivity, key patches, and key corridors in Wuhan, China, were explored. The results showed that: (1) High-grade roads have a significant impact on landscape-patch-corridor connectivity, while medium-grade roads have a similar degree of impact on patch-level connectivity as high-grade roads do. (2) Species with long dispersal ability (25 km) are susceptible to roads at the landscape and corridor levels; species with low and medium dispersal abilities (10, 15 and 20 km) are vulnerable to roads at the patch levels. (3) The importance of key patches and the resistance of key corridors are significantly increased by the influence of roads, while their spatial distribution changes slightly. This integrated framework contributes to an evaluation of the impacts of different grades road on ecological processes, so as to better provide targeted suggestions for biodiversity conservation and transportation planning.

Biodiversity hotspots and conservation efficiency of a large drainage basin: Distribution patterns of species richness and conservation gaps analysis in the Yangtze River Basin, China

AbstractThe Yangtze River Basin (YRB), a key biodiversity area and a major economic zone in China, the biodiversity of the area is confronted with severe challenges. In this paper, we analyzed species distribution patterns based on a dataset with 18,538 seed plant species to identify hotspots and evaluate conservation effectiveness and gaps of the YRB. We calculated distribution patterns of species richness with the top 5% richness algorithm and complementarity algorithm, and reconstructed a phylogenetic tree and elucidated spatial phylogenetics. There were 214 hotspot grid cells covering only 6.8% of the study region, but containing 88% seed plant species. Then, we conducted correlation analysis on distribution patterns of different algorithms and species categories, which showed moderate or weak correlations between the top 5% richness algorithm and complementary algorithm. Conservation effectiveness analysis indicated there were 116 hotspot grid cells (accounting for 73.6% of the total species) protected by current conservation networks and there are many conservation gaps remaining. Finally, we used the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) to predict suitable habitat areas of threatened species under current and future climate scenarios. Prediction analysis results indicated future expansion of suitable habitat to the southeast, and reduction in the central and western portions of the study area. When we considered anthropogenic areas, the suitable habitat was severely decreased, indicating the importance of optimizing the layout of conservation networks and comprehensive biodiversity conservation planning in the YRB.

Land conversion induced by urbanization leads to taxonomic and functional homogenization of a river macroinvertebrate metacommunity

Conversion of forests to urban land-use in the processes of urbanization is one of the major causes of biotic homogenization (i.e., decline in beta diversity) in freshwater ecosystems, threating ecosystem functioning and services. However, empirical studies exploring urban land-use shaping patterns of taxonomic and functional beta diversities and their components in subtropical urban rivers are limited. Here, by leveraging data for 43 sampling sites from urban and forest rivers in Shenzhen, a megacity showing rapid urbanization, we determined the spatio-temporal dynamics and associated drivers of taxonomic and functional beta diversities of river macroinvertebrates. Our results showed that, from the forest to urban rivers, taxonomic beta diversity (wet: 32.9%; dry: 17.1%) declined more significantly than functional beta diversity (wet: 17.4%; dry: 9.5%) in different seasons. We further found that these compositional changes were largely driven by decreased roles of species/traits replacement. Although replacement was also dominant for taxonomic beta diversity (60.4%–68.4%) in two sets of rivers, richness difference contributed more to functional beta diversity in the urban river (52.6%–60.5%). Both deterministic and stochastic processes simultaneously affected beta diversity, with stochastic processes being more important in the urban (3.0–19.0%) than forest rivers (0.0%–3.0%). Besides, db-RDA and variation partitioning results showed that local-scale environmental variables explained considerably large fractions of variation in beta diversity. We hence recommended that biodiversity conservation should focus on improving and restoring local environmental conditions. Despite no significant seasonal differences in beta diversity were detected in this study, we found that the roles of deterministic (i.e., local-scale and land-use variables) and stochastic processes varied considerately across seasons. This result highlights the viewpoint that urban river biodiversity monitoring should go beyond one-season snapshot surveys. As the ongoing trend of urbanization in developing countries, the findings of this study are relevant in guiding urban river environmental monitoring, biodiversity conservation and land-use planning.

Legal Framework for Pontocaspian Biodiversity Conservation in the Danube Delta (Romania and Ukraine)

The declining biodiversity has upsetting consequences for social and economic development and represents a major concern for humanity. Legal and political framework plays an important role in biodiversity conservation planning, implementation, and coordination of actions. Legal provisions are complex and operate on different levels of governance (from supranational to national), which means that the status of single species or populations may be governed by a set of interacting or even conflicting regulations, with increasing complexity for species that occur across national borders. Romania (EU member state) and Ukraine (non-EU member state) exemplify neighboring countries with different governance systems, which share the same endemic aquatic communities inhabiting the transitional zones between freshwater and marine ecosystems, known regionally as Pontocaspian (PC) biota. These communities include flagship species such as sturgeons and less-known crustaceans and mollusks and are severely threatened as a result of human activities. We assessed the legal basis for the protection of PC biota in the Danube Delta and the effectiveness of current conservation approaches based on a review of legal documents and literature, expert opinion, and practitioner reflections regarding PC biodiversity conservation. We found that PC invertebrate species are not adequately addressed in the current legal documents and that the surrogate approach (where protection of umbrella species results in protection of background species) does not work as there is little overlap between the habitats of sturgeons and PC invertebrate communities. Furthermore, the habitat definitions currently used in legal documents lack the level of detail needed to protect PC habitats that are characterized by specific salinity (brackish) conditions. We finish by sketching out recommendations toward improved legal and political frameworks for effective and efficient conservation of PC invertebrate biota.

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

AbstractThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora.