Conservation Practices Research Articles

Adaptation strategies of paddy farmers to build resilience to climate change in kahama district, Tanzania

The study investigates the adaptation strategies used by the paddy farmers in Kahama District to increase their adaptability to climate change. The study focuses on four main objectives, including changed farming practices, changes in cropping practices, strategies used to adapt to climate change, and desired interventions to improve agricultural production and resilience to climate change. A mixed-methods strategy is used in the study to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. According to the data, paddy farmers in Kahama District have used a number of climate change adaptation strategies. These adaptations include modifications to irrigation techniques, timing adjustments for planting, seed variety changes, and fertilizer treatment adjustments. The study also reveals a change in crop systems, with farmers choosing drought-tolerant cultivars, intercropping, and crop diversification; increased water management practices, increased soil conservation practices, and informed decision-making through the use of climate information services are some of the strategies used by paddy farmers to adapt to climate change. The study also identifies the interventions that farmers want to see implemented, such as enhanced irrigation systems, workshops on climate-resilient farming techniques, access to resilient seed varieties, and dependable weather forecasting and climate information services. These findings show the paddy farmers in the Kahama District's proactive response to the problems posed by climate change and help to better understand the adaptation measures they have used. The study highlights the importance of assisting farmers in advancing their current strategies and knowledge while also attending to their unique requirements. Implementing desired actions, such as expanding climate information services, supplying training and access to robust seed varieties, and enhancing irrigation infrastructure, can significantly increase agricultural productivity and the region's resistance to climate change. For politicians, extension services, and development organizations looking to promote climate change adaptation and sustainable agriculture, these research findings have real-world applications. Paddy farmers' ability to adapt, agricultural output, and livelihood security in the face of climate change problems can all be improved by matching interventions and policies with their recognized needs and goals. Such activities can support attempts to achieve food security and sustainable development in the Kahama District and other areas, as well as the agricultural sector's overall resilience.

The Mediating Role of Positive Emotion in the Nexus of Marketing Strategies and Sustainable Marine Tourism: Study on Coral Reef Conservation Area at Mengiat Beach, Bali

This study investigates the impact of relationship marketing and education-based marketing on sustainable marine tourism, utilizing positive emotion as a mediating factor. Through a quantitative approach and purposive random sampling with 100 respondents, the research underscores the significance of relationship marketing and education-based marketing in shaping positive emotion and its correlation with sustainable marine tourism. Data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed using the Partial Least Square (PLS) method in Smart PLS Version 3.0. Relationship and education-based marketing emerge as critical influencers of positive emotion and contribute positively to sustainable marine tourism. Positive emotion is a crucial mediator, linking emotional experiences to advancing sustainable marine tourism. The study's implications for marketing management emphasize the pivotal role of relationship marketing in cultivating positive customer emotions and its subsequent influence on sustainable marine tourism. Marketing practitioners can leverage these insights by prioritizing personalized engagement strategies and loyalty programs, strengthening emotional connections between tourists and destinations. Integrating educational initiatives, such as partnerships with environmental organizations and awareness campaigns, is essential for promoting marine conservation and sustainable practices. The study emphasizes the necessity of diverse marketing approaches to evoke positive emotional responses, offering practical guidance for marketers to benefit marine conservation efforts and enhance the tourism experience.

Soil management practices can contribute to net carbon neutrality in California

Stabilizing climate requires reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in land or ocean systems. Soil management practices can reduce GHG emissions or sequester atmospheric CO2 into inorganic and organic forms. However, whether soil carbon strategies represent a viable and impactful climate mitigation pathway is uncertain. A specific question concerns the role that land-management practices and soil amendments can play in realizing California’s ambition for carbon neutrality by 2045. Here we examine the carbon flux impacts of soil conservation (i.e., compost, reduced tillage, cover crop) and enhanced silicate rock weathering (EW) practices at different areal extents of implementation in cropland, grassland, and savanna in California under two climate change cases. We show that with implementation areas of 15% or 50% of private cultivated land, grassland, and savanna in California, soil conservation practices alone can contribute 1.40.72.1 % ( −1.8−0.9−2.7 Mt CO2eq y−1) and 4.62.36.9 % ( −6.0−3.0−8.9 Mt CO2eq y−1) of the additional emissions reduction needed (beyond previous targets) to meet the 2045 net neutrality goal (−129.3 Mt CO2eq y−1), respectively, on an average annual basis, including climate uncertainty. Including EW in these scenarios increases the total contributions of management practices to 4.12.55.6 % ( −5.2−3.2−7.3 Mt CO2eq y−1) and 13.58.218.6 % ( −17.5−10.7−24.2 Mt CO2eq y−1), respectively, of this reduction. This highlights that the extent of implementation area is a major factor in determining benefits and that EW has the potential to make a real contribution to net reduction targets. Results are similar across climate cases, indicating that contemporary field data can be used to make future projections. With EW there remains mechanistic uncertainties, however, such as rock dissolution rate and environmental controls on weathering products, which require additional field research to improve understanding of the technological efficacy of this approach for California’s 2045 carbon neutrality goal.

Multitemporal Dynamics of Fuels in Forest Systems Present in the Colombian Orinoco River Basin Forests

In Colombia’s Orinoco, wildfires have a profound impact on ecosystem dynamics, particularly affecting savannas and forest–savanna transitions. Human activities have disrupted the natural fire regime, leading to increased wildfire frequency due to changes in land use, deforestation, and climate change. Despite extensive research on fire monitoring and prediction, the quantification of fuel accumulation, a critical factor in fire incidence, remains inadequately explored. This study addresses this gap by quantifying dead organic material (detritus) accumulation and identifying influencing factors. Using Brown transects across forests with varying fire intensities, we assessed fuel loads and characterized variables related to detritus accumulation over time. Employing factor analysis, principal components analysis, and a generalized linear mixed model, we determined the effects of various factors. Our findings reveal significant variations in biomass accumulation patterns influenced by factors such as thickness, wet and dry mass, density, gravity, porosity, and moisture content. Additionally, a decrease in fuel load over time was attributed to increased precipitation from three La Niña events. These insights enable more accurate fire predictions and inform targeted forest management strategies for fire prevention and mitigation, thereby enhancing our understanding of fire ecology in the Orinoco basin and guiding effective conservation practices.

Interspecies conflict, precarious reasoning, and the gull problem in the Gulf of Maine.

Contemporary conservation science requires mediating conflicts among nonhuman species, but the grounds for favoring one species over another can be unclear. We examined the premises through which wildlife managers picked sides in an interspecies conflict: seabird conservation in the Gulf of Maine (GOM). Managers in the GOM follow a simple narrative dubbed the gull problem. This narrative assumes Larus gulls are overpopulated and unnatural in the region. In turn, these assumptions make gulls an easy target for culling and lethal control when the birds come into conflict with other seabirds, particularly Sterna terns. Surveying historical, natural historical, and ecological evidence, we found no scientific support for the claim that Larus gulls are overpopulated in the GOM. Claims of overpopulation originated from a historical context in which rising gull populations became a nuisance to humans. Further, we found only limited evidence that anthropogenic subsidies make gulls unnatural in the region, especially when compared with anthropogenic subsidies provided for other seabirds. The risks and consequences of leveraging precarious assumptions include cascading plans to cull additional gull populations, obfuscation of more fundamental environmental threats to seabirds, and the looming paradox of gull conservation-even if one is still inclined to protect terns in the GOM. Our close look at the regional history of a conservation practice thus revealed the importance of not only conservation decisions, but also conservation decision-making.

Changes in Land Use and Cover and Their Environmental Impacts in the Cerrado of Mato Grosso Do Sul, Brazil

In Brazilian regional landscapes, the Cerrado has one of the richest flora among the savannas in the world, with a high level of endemism; however, many plant species are threatened with extinction as a consequence of spatio-temporal changes in land use and cover. This study aimed to analyze changes in land use and cover in the upper course of the Ceroula stream basin, located in the Cerrado of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, based on maps of land use and cover in 1985 and 2022, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), precipitation data, and fieldwork. The results indicated that in 1985, forest vegetation was replaced by pasture, and in 2022, in addition to pasture, there was the introduction of soybean monoculture with corn in the off-season, influenced by the international commodities market. These land use and cover alterations, without adequate management and in the absence of conservation practices, led to environmental impacts, such as accelerated linear erosive processes (rill, ravine, and gully). The results may help provide important insights into the dynamics of land use and cover, the consequences of the lack of conservation practices, and the environmental impacts in the Cerrado of Mato Grosso do Sul, contributing to better understanding of the environmental challenges faced in the region and the need to provide subsidies for the development of sustainable management strategies.

Advancing the science and practice of rare plant conservation with the Center for Plant Conservation Reintroduction Database

AbstractPremiseReintroductions or translocations are an increasingly important activity to recover and conserve at‐risk plant species. Yet because many are not published in the scientific literature, learning from previous attempts may often require considerable time and effort. The Center for Plant Conservation Reintroduction Database (CPCRD; https://saveplants.org/reintroduction-database/), a new centralized and standardized repository of U.S.‐based plant reintroductions, aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of accessing data on rare plant reintroductions.MethodsThe CPCRD is the product of multiple efforts to assemble information on rare plant reintroductions in the United States. The database comprises a wealth of standardized data on the key stages of a reintroduction, from the planning and implementation phases, to monitoring and management techniques.ResultsThe CPCRD is a dynamic resource, allowing data contributors to continually update their entries as projects progress. While contributions are ongoing, the CPCRD currently includes 460 projects involving 201 plant taxa, spanning diverse growth forms, ecosystems, and regions.DiscussionThe CPCRD and its well‐documented and monitored projects provide a valuable practical resource for conservation practitioners, and have supported multiple scientific studies and contributed to the internationally recognized Center for Plant Conservation Best Practices Guidelines.

Testing the applicability of the Modelling-Ongrowing Fish farms-Monitoring B (MOM-B) investigation system for assessing benthic habitat quality in the manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum aquaculture areas

The coastal aquaculture areas have been subject to a variety of anthropogenic pressures in recent studies, and reasonable environmental quality assessment is essential for both ecological conservation and production practices. However, there are significant differences between the results produced from various environmental quality assessment regarding the focus of the evaluation and the fundamental methodology. Furthermore, many of these methods are very specific and difficult to adapt to general applications. Here, we utilized the Modelling-Ongrowing fish farms-Monitoring B investigation system (MOM-B), we assessed the benthic habitat quality of benthic bivalve aquaculture areas in the Xiaoqing River estuary located in Laizhou Bay, China. The aim was to validate the accuracy and practicality of this system. The biological, chemical, and sensory parameters of the MOM-B system, temperature, chlorophyll a (Chl-a), food availability, and planktonic larvae were evaluated throughout the investigation area during the summer of 2021. The MOM-B results indicated that the benthic habitat quality in the survey area was good and lightly disturbed, but the quality in the middle tide area began to deteriorate in August, the hottest month of the summer. Environmental factors indicated that the combined effects of high temperatures and fine sedimentation had led to increased environmental stress in the middle tide area. Food availability and population recruitment also suggested that the benthic habitat quality was better in the high tide and low tide areas than in the middle tide area, and more favorable for the survival of Manila clams. The accuracy, sensitivity, and discriminatory ability of the MOM-B system were demonstrated by environmental and biological indicators. This work showed that the MOM-B system is a practical, simple, and sensitive environmental assessment tool that is easy to implement in estuarine and benthic bivalve aquaculture areas. It can be used for long-term continuous monitoring and as an early warning tool for benthic habitat quality.

Web-based diagnostic platform for microorganism-induced deterioration on paper-based cultural relics with iterative training from human feedback

PurposePaper-based artifacts hold significant cultural and social values. However, paper is intrinsically fragile to microorganisms, such as mold, due to its cellulose composition, which can serve as a microorganisms’ nutrient source. Mold not only can damage papers’ structural integrity and pose significant challenges to conservation works but also may subject individuals attending the contaminated artifacts to health risks. Current approaches for strain identification usually require extensive training, prolonged time for analysis, expensive operation costs, and higher risks of secondary damage due to sampling. Thus, in current conservation practices with mold-contaminated artifacts, little pre-screening or strain identification was performed before mold removal, and the cleaning techniques are usually broad-spectrum rather than strain-specific. With deep learning showing promising applications across various domains, this study investigated the feasibility of using a convolutional neural network (CNN) for fast in-situ recognition and classification of mold on paper.MethodsMolds were first non-invasively sampled from ancient Xuan Paper-based Chinese books from the Qing and Ming dynasties. Strains were identified using molecular biology methods and the four most prevalent strains were inoculated on Xuan paper to create mockups for image collection. Microscopic images of the molds as well as their stains situated on paper were collected using a compound microscope and commercial microscope lens for cell phone cameras, which were then used for training CNN models with a transfer learning scheme to perform the classification of mold. To enable involvement and contribution from the research community, a web interface that actuates the process while providing interactive features for users to learn about the information of the classified strain was constructed. Moreover, a feedback functionality in the web interface was embedded for catching potential classification errors, adding additional training images, or introducing new strains, all to refine the generalizability and robustness of the model.Results & ConclusionIn the study, we have constructed a suite of high-confidence classification CNN models for the diagnostic process for mold contamination in conservation. At the same time, a web interface was constructed that allows recurrently refining the model with human feedback through engaging the research community. Overall, the proposed framework opens new avenues for effective and timely identification of mold, thus enabling proactive and targeted mold remediation strategies in conservation.

Thirsty nation: An investigation into water scarcity and public conservation behaviour in Pakistan

AbstractPakistan is on the brink of becoming a water‐scarce country as a result of a peak in population and rapid urbanization. This research investigates the awareness of water scarcity amongst the general public in Pakistan and their behaviour and attitude towards water conservation practices at the household level. The study incorporated the theory of planned behaviour to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon. Households were surveyed in Islamabad Capital City using a quantitative research approach. Descriptive analysis and Fischer's exact test were followed to measure the variables. Results demonstrated a significant awareness regarding water scarcity amongst the residents which influenced positive behaviour and attitudes towards water conservation in the households. Notably, the p‐value for water consumption patterns was found to be highly significant at 0.000 for activities such as laundry, gardening and car washing and less significant at 0.003 for bathing and 0.002 for housecleaning. It is concluded that water use is conditioned by dwelling characteristics and the types of devices employed in the houses. This comprehensive understanding is crucial for developing targeted interventions that resonate with diverse populations worldwide.

A modified co-production framework for improved cross-border collaboration in sustainable forest management and conservation of forest bird populations

The border between Canada and the United States poses jurisdictional challenges when it comes to consistently implementing science-based conservation of forests and their biological communities. Through a partnership with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Boreal Avian Modelling Project, and American Bird Conservancy, we developed a co-production framework to conduct research that will inform forest management practices for bird conservation in the cross-border region of Bird Conservation Region 12. Our framework first responds to the needs of resource managers and other perceived stakeholders, while investing in relationship-building for long term trust as a foundation for future partnerships with Indigenous rights holders and landowners. Our central question was: How can sustainably managed forests create and/or maintain high quality breeding habitat to support forest bird populations that are resilient to climate change? Engaging with experts in Canada and the United States, we found that the main driver for addressing our central question was our limitation in connecting bird population responses to specific forest management practices. We describe how experts are contributing avian count and forest inventory data that researchers will use to produce a requested decision-support tool. We continue to engage with land managers to link forest resource inventory data to specific forest management practices and refine the components of products by including more diverse perspectives.

Public Debt and It’s Impact on Bank Behaviour and Financial Efficiency: Ghana in Perspective

This study explored the impact of public debt on bank behaviour and financial efficiency in Ghana amid rising global and national debt levels exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic repercussions. An exploratory research design employing a quantitative approach was used to analyze the perceptions of 201 banking professionals across Ghana. The study utilized cluster and purposive sampling techniques to ensure a representative sample. Data were collected on banks’ risk-averse behaviour, credit availability, interest rates, and investment decisions in relation to public debt levels, using survey instruments and regression analysis to quantify the impacts. The findings reveal significant concerns among banking professionals regarding the influence of high public debt on conservative lending practices, increased interest rates, reduced credit availability, and adverse effects on banks’ profitability and the financial system’s stability. Regression analysis confirmed a negative relationship between public debt and financial efficiency, indicating that rising public debt levels may hinder the sector’s operational effectiveness. These results underscore the critical need for strategic fiscal management to mitigate the risks associated with high public debt levels on financial stability and development. Policymakers and financial institutions are urged to consider measures that promote financial sector efficiency and sustainable debt levels, including fiscal consolidation strategies, diversification of investment portfolios, and enhancement of risk assessment models. This study contributes to the empirical discourse on the effects of public debt on financial development by providing insights specific to the Ghanaian context, which has been relatively underexplored.

SpAbundance: An R package for single‐species and multi‐species spatially explicit abundance models

Abstract Numerous modelling techniques exist to estimate abundance of plant and animal populations. The most accurate methods account for multiple complexities found in ecological data, such as observational biases, spatial autocorrelation, and species correlations. There is, however, a lack of user‐friendly and computationally efficient software to implement the various models, particularly for large data sets. We developed the spAbundance R package for fitting spatially explicit Bayesian single‐species and multi‐species hierarchical distance sampling models, N‐mixture models, and generalized linear mixed models. The models within the package can account for spatial autocorrelation using Nearest Neighbour Gaussian Processes and accommodate species correlations in multi‐species models using a latent factor approach, which enables model fitting for data sets with large numbers of sites and/or species. We provide three vignettes and three case studies that highlight spAbundance functionality. We used spatially explicit multi‐species distance sampling models to estimate density of 16 bird species in Florida, USA, an N‐mixture model to estimate black‐throated blue warbler (Setophaga caerulescens) abundance in New Hampshire, USA, and a spatial linear mixed model to estimate forest above‐ground biomass across the continental USA. spAbundance provides a user‐friendly, formula‐based interface to fit a variety of univariate and multivariate spatially explicit abundance models. The package serves as a useful tool for ecologists and conservation practitioners to generate improved inference and predictions on the spatial drivers of abundance in populations and communities.

Effective ecological monitoring using passive acoustic sensors: Recommendations for conservation practitioners

AbstractPassive acoustic recorders have emerged as powerful tools for ecological monitoring. However, effective monitoring is not simply an act of recording sounds. To have meaning for conservation and management, acoustic monitoring needs to be properly planned and analyzed to yield high quality information. Here, we provide a set of considerations for the design of an effective acoustic monitoring program. We argue that such a program, has the following attributes: (1) has established appropriate partnerships with landowners, Traditional Owners, researchers, or other relevant stakeholders, (2) is based on clear objectives and questions, (3) is explicit in its target sound signals, (4) has considered in‐field sensor placement for a range of factors, including experimental design, statistical power, background noise, and potential impacts on human privacy and animal disturbance, (5) has a justified recording schedule and periodicity, (6) has methods to process sound data in line with objectives, and (7) has protocols for permanent data storage and access. Acoustic monitoring is increasingly used in large‐scale programs and will be important in addressing global biodiversity targets and new biodiversity markets. It is critical that new monitoring programs are designed to effectively and efficiently capture data that address pertinent and emerging issues in conservation.

Quantifying soil erosion and soil organic carbon conservation services in indian forests: A RUSLE-SDR and GIS-based assessment

Indian forests, having sixteen types of vegetation, provide various ecosystem services. Forests reduce water erosion of soil, reduce floods and conserve low river flow during dry seasons. Present study estimated annual sedimentation, texture, soil organic carbon control service of forests of India using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR) approach through GIS technique along with identifying important drivers responsible for erosion in forests. The soil erosion control service was based on five factors viz., rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, slope, crop management, conservation practice factor and SDR across the various forest dominated river basins. Geo-detector modelling was performed to evaluate environmental drivers responsible for soil erosion. Valuation of soil control service of the India’s forests was estimated based on damage and replacement cost method. Annual soil loss rate was maximum in Tropical Thorn Forest and in Ganga River basin. Maximum sediment control and SOC conservation against the soil erosion control service by India’ forests were due to Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest with a total annual sedimentation control and SOC conservation of 33,056,560 tonnes and 3,31,115.06 tonnes, respectively. The conservative estimate of the economic value of soil conservation service by the forests of India was US$ 535.6 M with an average of 4.40 US$ ha−1 and a maximum share of value for Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest i.e. 294.18 million US$ and average maximum value for Littoral and Swamp Forest (28.91 US$ ha−1). The soil erosion in Tropical and Sub-tropical Forest was influenced by the interactive effects between NDVI and Bulk Density. In contrast, soil erosion in the temperate and alpine area was influenced by anthropogenic activity in combination with climatic factors. Present study accounts the role of India’s forests for the soil conservation service and may provide inputs to implement forest and reservoir management strategies besides providing information for Integrated Watershed management and Catchment Treatment Plans.

Evaluating the Energy Efficiency of Popular US Smartphone Health Care Apps: Comparative Analysis Study Toward Sustainable Health and Nutrition Apps Practices.

The emergence of smartphones has sparked a transformation across multiple fields, with health care being one of the most notable due to the advent of mobile health (mHealth) apps. As mHealth apps have gained popularity, there is a need to understand their energy consumption patterns as an integral part of the evolving landscape of health care technologies. This study aims to identify the key contributors to elevated energy consumption in mHealth apps and suggest methods for their optimization, addressing a significant void in our comprehension of the energy dynamics at play within mHealth apps. Through quantitative comparative analysis of 10 prominent mHealth apps available on Android platforms within the United States, this study examined factors contributing to high energy consumption. The analysis included descriptive statistics, comparative analysis using ANOVA, and regression analysis to examine how certain factors impact energy use and consumption. Observed energy use variances in mHealth apps stemmed from user interactions, features, and underlying technology. Descriptive analysis revealed variability in app energy consumption (150-310 milliwatt-hours), highlighting the influence of user interaction and app complexity. ANOVA verified these findings, indicating the critical role of engagement and functionality. Regression modeling (energy consumption = β₀ + β₁ × notification frequency + β₂ × GPS use + β₃ × app complexity + ε), with statistically significant P values (notification frequency with a P value of .01, GPS use with a P value of .05, and app complexity with a P value of .03), further quantified these bases' effects on energy use. The observed differences in the energy consumption of dietary apps reaffirm the need for a multidisciplinary approach to bring together app developers, end users, and health care experts to foster improved energy conservation practice while achieving a balance between sustainable practice and user experience. More research is needed to better understand how to scale-up consumer engagement to achieve sustainable development goal 12 on responsible consumption and production.

Microsatellites for butterfly conservation: historical challenges, current relevance, and a guide to implementation

We are nearing the 20-year anniversary of a groundbreaking paper which details how microsatellite marker development in Lepidoptera is “extremely difficult for no apparent reason.” How far have we come in these past 20 years? Microsatellites are still the marker of choice in many population genetics studies for their ease of use, high degrees of polymorphism, species-specificity, and low cost. The rise of next-generation sequencing technologies (e.g. 454, Illumina, PacBio, etc.) has greatly advanced our abilities to generate many microsatellite markers per species. In this paper, we summarize the improvements in marker development using next-generation technology. Using case studies, we review the use and implementation of microsatellite markers in different conservation programs. Lastly, we provide a guide to data interpretation of microsatellite data generated for butterflies, with the goal of supporting student researchers and conservation practitioners in evaluating the meaning in their data.

Natural farming negatively influences the growth of Sangyod Muang Phatthalung rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i> L.) but not its grain production or quality in preliminary comparison to conventional farming

Sangyod Muang Phatthalung (SMP) rice is a great source of various nutritional ingredients, but it is only grown in chemical-dependent systems with synthetic fertilizers and insecticides. Farming practices for food security and environmental conservation in the paddy field are highly controversial, but most practices have focused on either chemical-dependent or organic farming. In this study, we compared the growth, yield, quality, phytochemical profiles, and data on grain elements (EDX associated with SEM analysis) of SMP rice along with its production costs when using natural farming (NF) [<i>Azolla</i> and leaf compost applied] with those when using conventional farming (CF) [chemical fertilizer use (18-8-8 and 46-0-0) and high dose fertilizer (HF) as recommended by the supplier (18-4-5, 20-8-20, and 15-15-15)]. Our data show negative results in terms of plant growth and positive results in terms of yield, physical grain qualities, chemical grain qualities, and chemical composition for SMP rice grown under a natural farming system. A total of six important inorganic elements were present in the kernel (C and O) and the aleurone layer (P, K, Mg, and S) of rice grain. This study claims a high performance for natural farming, based on rice yield and quality with decreased production costs and a possible increase in the market price of high-value rice. These findings have significant implications for applying natural farming practices in the context of food security and environmental conservation, without risk to farmers’ finances and health or the agroecosystem.

Extinction selectivity obscures patterns of trait‐dependent endangerment in Columbiformes

AbstractAimUnderstanding how extinction has occurred in the recent past is crucial to unravel its main drivers as well as to implement effective conservation practices to minimize global biodiversity loss. It has long been hypothesized that extinction risk is not randomly distributed among traits of species. However, the actual traits making species more prone to extinction may have been overlooked because already extinct species are often not considered in comparative analyses of extinction risk. We characterized the drivers of extinction in a cosmopolitan bird clade, including Holocene and contemporary extinctions potentially related to human impacts and provided evidence of an ‘extinction selectivity’ in species traits.LocationGlobal.Time periodAnthropocene.Major taxa studiedColumbiformes clade, pigeons and doves.MethodsWe constructed a new phylogenetic hypothesis of the Columbiformes, a cosmopolitan bird clade consisting of 33 recently extinct and 351 extant species. Then, we integrated data on geography, behaviour and morphology to reveal the drivers of extinction risk. We used phylogenetic generalized least square models to test the effect of geography, behaviour and morphology in the risk of extinction and identified differences in the drivers of extinction when including versus excluding recently extinct species.ResultsOur analysis revealed that Columbiformes endemic to islands with ground‐foraging habits, weak flying abilities, migratory behaviour and larger body sizes are more vulnerable to extinction. Our results also show that excluding recently extinct species identifies extinction drivers different from those when including recently extinct species.Main conclusionsOnly by accurately identifying the traits that increase extinction risk we can develop targeted conservation measures that promote the long‐term persistence of threatened species. Extinction selectivity has important implications for the conservation of biological communities and ultimately ecosystem functioning, considering the critical role Columbiformes often play as seed dispersers.

Land-use homogenization reduces the occurrence and diversity of frugivorous birds in a tropical biodiversity hotspot.

Understanding how human-modified landscapes maintain biodiversity and provide ecosystem services is crucial for establishing conservation practices. Given that responses to land-use are species-specific, it is crucial to understand how land-use changes may shape patterns of species diversity and persistence in human-modified landscapes. Here, we used a comprehensive data set on bird distribution from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest to understand how species richness and individual occurrences of frugivorous bird species responded to land-use spatial predictors and, subsequently, assess how ecological traits and phylogeny modulated these responses. Using Bayesian hierarchical modeling, we reveal that the richness of frugivorous birds was positively associated with the amount of native forest and negatively with both agriculture and pasture amount at the landscape scale. Conversely, the effect of these predictors on species occurrence and ecological traits was highly variable and presented a weak phylogenetic signal. Furthermore, land-use homogenization (i.e., the conversion of forest to pasture or agriculture) led to pervasive consequences for forest-dependent bird species, whereas several generalist species thrived in deforested areas, replacing those sensitive to habitat disturbances.