Priority Areas For Conservation Research Articles

Identifying priority areas for biodiversity conservation based on Marxan and InVEST model

Identifying priority areas for biodiversity conservation based on Marxan and InVEST model

Riparian areas as a conservation priority under climate change

Identifying climatic refugia is important for long-term conservation planning under climate change. Riparian areas have the potential to provide climatic refugia for wildlife, but literature remains limited, especially for plants. This study was conducted with the purpose of identifying climatic refugia of plant biodiversity in the portion of the Mekong River Basin located in Xishuangbanna, China. We first predicted the current and future (2050s and 2070s) potential distribution of 50 threatened woody species in Xishuangbanna by using an ensemble of small models, then stacked the predictions for individual species to derive spatial biodiversity patterns within each 10 × 10 km grid cell. We then identified the top 17 % of the areas for spatial biodiversity patterns as biodiversity hotspots, with climatic refugia defined as areas that remained as biodiversity hotspots over time. Stepwise regression and linear correlation were applied to analyze the environmental correlations with spatial biodiversity patterns and the relationships between climatic refugia and river distribution, respectively. Our results showed potential upward and northward shifts in threatened woody species, with range contractions and expansions predicted. The spatial biodiversity patterns shift from southeast to northwest, and were influenced by temperature, precipitation, and elevation heterogeneity. Climatic refugia under climate change were related closely to river distribution in Xishuangbanna, with riparian areas identified that could provide climatic refugia. These refugial zones are recommended as priority conservation areas for mitigating the impacts of climate change on biodiversity. Our study confirmed that riparian areas could act as climatic refugia for plants and emphasizes the conservation prioritization of riparian areas within river basins for protecting biodiversity under climate change.

Conservation priorities for global marine biodiversity across multiple dimensions.

Marine biodiversity plays important roles in ocean ecosystem services and has substantial economic value. Species diversity, genetic diversity and phylogenetic diversity, which reflect the number, evolutionary potential and evolutionary history of species in ecosystem functioning, are three important dimensions of biodiversity. Marine-protected areas have been demonstrated as an effective area-based tool for protecting marine biodiversity, but only 2.8% of the ocean has been fully protected. It is urgent to identify global conservation priority areas and percentage of the ocean across multiple dimensions of biodiversity based on Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Here, we investigate the spatial distribution of marine genetic and phylogenetic diversity using 80 075 mitochondrial DNA barcode sequences from 4316 species and a newly constructed phylogenetic tree of 8166 species. We identify that the Central Indo-Pacific Ocean, Central Pacific Ocean and Western Indian Ocean harbor high levels of biodiversity across three dimensions of biodiversity, which could be designated as conservation priority areas. We also find that strategically protecting ∼22% of the ocean would allow us to reach the target of conserving ∼95% of currently known taxonomic, genetic and phylogenetic diversity. Our study provides insights into the spatial distribution pattern of multiple marine diversities and the findings would help to design comprehensive conservation schemes for global marine biodiversity.

Determining baselines and trends of Eastern chimpanzees and forest elephants in a Central African protected area after civil strife

Protected areas are crucial to safeguard Sub-Saharan Africa’s extraordinary and abundant megafauna. In many of these areas, instability has derailed conservation efforts and impeded adequate wildlife monitoring. Discovered in 2004, Eastern chimpanzees are found in the Central Uele Basin in northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) within the Bili-Uéré Protected Areas Complex (BUPAC), the largest contiguous protected area in the country. BUPAC is threatened by habitat destruction, mining, wild meat trade, and insecurity. BUPAC chimpanzees are part of the largest remaining continuous population of the species in Africa; they are also being behaviourally unique. Forest elephants were frequent in the 1960′s in the BUPAC but have declined significantly up to 2004–2007. We used line transects to estimate Eastern chimpanzee and forest elephant density in the BUPAC core area in 2016 and 2019 and compared these with the 2004–2007 surveys. A total of 37 and 137 two km long line transects were systematically placed in 5,841 km2 and 6,176 km2 survey areas in 2016 and 2019, respectively. We found that chimpanzee density did not change during the two survey periods but indicators for forest elephant density decreased eight-fold. Human activities were detected mainly along the core area periphery in both survey years, where they overlapped with centres of animal activity. The stable high density of chimpanzees is a positive outcome for the core BUPAC. However, despite being a conservation priority area that has received relatively intensified protection, declining forest elephant numbers are likely to reflect the high number of human conflict hotspots in vicinity as well as the increasing human population density around the core area. We propose by elevating the core area to National Park whilst strengthening on the ground enforcement and management structures as well as legal measures against poaching might ensure the long-term survival of such an important area in Africa.

Recognizing the equity implications of restoration priority maps

A growing number of studies seek to identify global priority areas for conservation and restoration. These studies often produce maps that highlight the benefits of concentrating such activity in the tropics. However, the potential equity implications of using these prioritization exercises to guide global policy are less often explored and articulated. We highlight those equity issues by examining a widely publicized restoration priority map as an illustrative case. This map is based on a prioritization analysis that sought to identify places where restoration of agricultural land might provide the greatest biodiversity and carbon sequestration benefits at the lowest cost. First, we calculate the proportion of agricultural land in countries around the world that the map classifies as a top 15% restoration priority. A regression analysis shows that this map prioritizes restoration in countries where displacing agriculture may be most detrimental to livelihoods: countries that are poorer, more populated, more economically unequal, less food secure, and that employ more people in agriculture. Second, we show through another regression analysis that a similar pattern appears sub-nationally within the tropics: 5 km × 5 km parcels of land in the tropics that are less economically developed or more populated are more likely to be top 15% restoration priorities. In other words, equity concerns persist at a subnational scale even after putting aside comparisons between the tropics and the Global North. Restorative activity may be beneficial or harmful to local livelihoods depending on its conceptualization, implementation, and management. Our findings underline a need for prioritization exercises to better attend to the risks of concentrating potentially negative livelihood impacts in vulnerable regions. We join other scholars calling for greater integration of social data into restoration science.

The biogeographic and floristic importance of Djebel Antar (Western Saharan Atlas) for regional biodiversity protection

ABSTRACT The north western Atlas Mountains (Béchar region) act as refugia for relict populations of many species which highlights their interest as priority areas for conservation. Further work since the beginning of the last century has been difficult because of restricted access in a military area with long-standing border conflicts. This paper aims to analyse the temporal dynamics of the vegetation communities, to assess the floristic diversity of one of those isolated djebels, Djebel Antar, and to contribute to the knowledge of the conservation status of the species found. Surveys from 1925,1951 (published data) and 2017 (fieldwork) were interpreted and investigations were carried out on honey harvesting, production, and marketing in the Benzireg area to better understand and contribute to the development of beekeeping. A high proportion of endemic and very rare species was found. A tendency towards the homogenisation of the flora was detected with a decrease in plant diversity. Beekeeping is being tested as a means of enhancing biodiversity and contributing to the fight against vegetation degradation by reducing pastoral pressure. Djebel Antar retains its function as a refuge for biodiversity and may play an important role in conservation measures.

Future spatial modeling of vegetation in the Central Atlantic Forest Corridor, Brazil

Tropical forests stand out among forest domains, due to their wide diversity of flora and fauna. However, these areas concentrate a large number of the forest fires that occur annually on the planet. In this context, the present study performs spatial modeling of the normalized multi-band drought index (NMDI) in the Central Atlantic Forest Corridor during past (2001-2020) and future (2021-2040) periods to identify the relationship between drought and forest fires. Fire foci data, soil moisture, and data from the MOD09A1 product were used to obtain the NMDI. Rainfall and mean air temperature data from the past and for different future scenarios (SSP126 and SSP585) were also used. The autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA) was used for modeling the NMDI. The results found indicate a recurrence of fire in the CAFC during the period of 2001–2020. Future data indicate reductions in rainfall and an increase in temperature in the CAFC area. The NMDI data indicate that the central region of the corridor is the driest and, among the priority areas for conservation, the Ilha do Lameirão Municipal ecological station has the lowest index values. Future modeling indicates the drought intensifying in the coming years in the corridor area. The CAFC is an extremely important area for the maintenance of Atlantic Forest remnants; however, this area continues to suffer disturbances and without the adoption of public policies, these disturbances could compromise the conservation of natural resources.

Choice of prioritization method impacts recommendations for climate‐informed bird conservation in the United States

Climate‐informed spatial planning is urgently needed to guide initiatives aimed at both conserving biodiversity as a whole (e.g. protection of 30% of lands and waters by 2030) and recovering North American avifauna in particular. Various methods for prioritizing conservation areas exist, yet alternative methods may direct managers to different lands for protection, and thus varying recommendations for meeting area‐based targets. Here, we used bird species distribution models and landcover projections to systematically evaluate two widely used methods for prioritizing areas most likely to facilitate the persistence of multiple species under climate change: 1) in situ macrorefugia, identified as areas of high predicted species retention; and 2) complementarity‐based optimizations, identified using the Zonation conservation planning software. For 17 biogeographical groups in the continental United States, we compared priority areas for bird conservation derived from these two alternatives with respect to their spatial distributions and consensus (i.e. overlap), expected conservation outcomes (e.g. species and functional diversity), predicted climate change exposure, habitat characteristics, landscape configurations and degree of formal protection. Spatial distributions of priority areas differed by biogeographical group and method, with 40.5% consensus on average across groups. Consensus was extensive within mountainous and coastal regions, and limited at high latitudes (e.g. Alaska) and in flat, interior regions (e.g. grasslands). As expected, complementarity‐based optimizations more efficiently represented species than retention‐based in situ macrorefugia, especially for forest groups, and had greater overall biodiversity value and better habitat condition. Conversely, in situ macrorefugia encompassed higher elevations and larger contiguous patches and were expected to experience less winter‐season warming. Formal protection averaged < 50% across biogeographical groups, regardless of prioritization method. Our findings illustrate the value of complementarity‐based optimizations for bird conservation under climate change. More broadly, comparing approaches for prioritizing areas for long‐term species persistence can reveal critical trade‐offs in recommendations for climate‐informed protected area planning.

Ecological relevance of non-perennial rivers for the conservation of terrestrial and aquatic communities.

River conservation efforts traditionally focus on perennial watercourses (i.e., those that do not dry) and their associated aquatic biodiversity. However, most of the global river network is not perennial and thus supports both aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity. We assessed the conservation value of nonperennial rivers and streams (NPRS) in one of Europe's driest regions based on aquatic (macroinvertebrates, diatoms) and terrestrial (riparian plants, birds, and carabid beetles) community data. We mapped the distribution of taxa at 90 locations and across wide environmental gradients. Using the systematic planning tool Marxan, we identified priority conservation sites under 2 scenarios: aquatic taxa alone or aquatic and terrestrial taxa together. We explored how environmental factors (runoff, flow intermittence, elevation, salinity, anthropogenic impact) influenced Marxan's site selection frequency. The NPRS were selected more frequently (over 13% on average) than perennial rivers when both aquatic and terrestrial taxa were considered, suggesting that NPRS have a high conservation value at the catchment scale. We detected an underrepresentation of terrestrial taxa (8.4-10.6% terrestrial vs. 0.5-1.1% aquatic taxa were unrepresented in most Marxan solutions) when priority sites were identified based exclusively on aquatic biodiversity, which points to a low surrogacy value of aquatic taxa for terrestrial taxa. Runoff explained site selection when focusing on aquatic taxa (all best-fitting models included runoff, r2 =0.26-0.27), whereas elevation, salinity, and flow intermittence were more important when considering both groups. In both cases, site selection frequency declined as anthropogenic impact increased. Our results highlight the need to integrate terrestrial and aquatic communities when identifying priority areas for conservation in catchments with NPRS. This is key to overcoming drawbacks of traditional assessments based only on aquatic taxa and to ensure the conservation of NPRS, especially as NPRS become more prevalent worldwide due to climate change and increasing water demands.

Characterizing the distribution of the critically endangered estuarine pipefish (Syngnathus watermeyeri) across its range using environmental DNA

AbstractThe effective management of rare and threatened species, especially in areas where population sizes have diminished, relies on knowledge of their population size, threats, and distribution. Robust mapping of distribution presents a particular challenge in aquatic environments for cryptic species, especially those with low abundance. Environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches can offer improved detection rates of many rare and threatened species when compared with traditional sampling approaches. In this study, we developed and optimized a targeted eDNA assay for the critically endangered estuarine pipefish (Syngnathus watermeyeri). eDNA sampling and seine netting were undertaken at 39 sites across the historical range of S. watermeyeri in the Eastern Cape of South Africa in 2019. At each site, five water samples were collected for eDNA analysis (n = 195) along with three seine netting hauls (n = 117). Habitat and environmental data were collected at each location to explore what physical and biotic parameters might correlate with pipefish presence/absence. We successfully detected S. watermeyeri in two estuaries (Kariega and Bushmans) using both survey methods. Importantly, the positive detection rate of eDNA (66.7%) was four times that of seine netting (16.7%), highlighting the value of eDNA as a monitoring tool for rare and cryptic species. Null detections in the Kasouga, East Kleinemonde, and West Kleinemonde estuaries add to the growing body of evidence that the estuarine pipefish has been extirpated from these locations and is now only found in two estuarine systems. The occurrence of S. watermeyeri was found to be highly dependent on the cover of submerged macrophytes such as Zostera capensis (eelgrass). By providing a more complete picture of the conservation status of this critically endangered species, this work facilitates the development of a long‐term monitoring program and the identification of priority conservation areas.

A framework for identifying bird conservation priority areas in croplands at national level

Global biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate, and the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework requires each country to fulfill the conservation targets in biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning. Croplands provide habitat and food for many species, making them crucial for biodiversity conservation in addition to food production. Assessing conservation priorities in cropland is a prerequisite to allocate conservation resources and plan actions for better conservation outcomes. Yet quantitative methods to assess cropland conservation priority for biodiversity conservation at a national scale are still lacking. We proposed a framework for identifying the conservation priority in cropland for bird species at a national scale and applied the framework in China. We calculated the suitable habitat for each species and used a complementarity-based approach to designate the irreplaceable conservation priority areas considering richness, threatened level, and conservation percentage targets. We identified cropland taking up 6.76% of China's land area as a bird conservation priority, partially covering the suitable habitat of all the study species. By analyzing the landscape pattern of the priority areas and species' foraging traits, we provided policy-making suggestions according to area-specific characteristics. This framework can be used to identify priority areas for large-scale biodiversity conservation for different countries.

A novel approach for the identification of conservation priority areas in mountainous regions based on balancing multiple ecosystem services – A case study in the Hengduan Mountain region

The identification of conservation priority areas (CPAs) based on multiple ecosystem services (ESs) is a prerequisite and important basis for decision-makers in implementing regional ecological restoration. However, the trade-offs between different services pose great challenges to determining the locations of priority areas. Based on the identification and assessment of key ESs in the Hengduan Mountain region from 2000 to 2020, a multicriteria ordered weighted average (OWA) method was used to balance the conflicts among different services and determine the location of CPAs. The results indicated that the optimal CPAs in the Hengduan Mountain region totaled 89,699 km2, accounting for 20.30% of the study area, and were located mainly in the southwestern and eastern regions. Moreover, the OWA method balanced the trade-offs among multiple services. In the four CPA scenarios that protected each service exclusively, the protection efficiency (PE) of each respective service was greater, but the PE of the remaining three services was always smaller than the corresponding PEs in the optimal scenario. The comprehensive PE of the optimal CPA scenario was 1.27, and the PE values of net primary productivity, water yield, soil conservation, and cultural service were 1.45, 1.20, 1.08, and 1.39, respectively. The CPA determination method in this study can provide a scientific blueprint for regional ecological restoration and the determination of the CPAs in other regions.

Microhabitat use and selection by Pristidactylus scapulatus (Squamata Leiosauridae) in the Puna region of the Central Andes in Argentina

Understanding a species use of space is important as it provides information about the potential resources available in its habitat. The objective of this work was to evaluate the use and selection of microhabitat as it relates to availability for Pristidactylus scapulatus in the Puna region of the Central Andes in Argentina. The work was carried out at Quebrada de La Puerta in the province of San Juan and data recorded for the species included microhabitat use and availability according to established categories. To assess microhabitat selection, we applied a design of usage vs availability and calculated the Manly index to obtain a function of resource selection. The species utilised the rock microhabitat in greater proportion with respect to its availability, and in lesser measure utilised shrub and bare soil, whereas it rejected the use of cactus and dead leaves substrate. The Manly index showed that the selection of rock substrate was significant with respect to the other microhabitats. We conclude that this population of P. scapulatus has clearly saxicolous habits, though it is necessary to be aware of other aspects of its natural history to truly understand how its microhabitat selection relates to feeding or reproduction in hostile environments like the Puna. In this way we contribute to the scarce existing knowledge of its biology and we provide an information basis for the creation of future priority areas for conservation and for habitat management plans in Puna environments.

Conservation prioritization through combined approach of umbrella species selection, occupancy estimation, habitat suitability and connectivity analysis of kingfisher: A study from an internationally important wetland complex (Ramsar site) in India

Assessment of occupancy status, as well as projection of suitable habitats and connectivity of wetland indicator species, and thereby identification of potential conservation umbrella and projection of conservation priority areas are often considered important for wetland conservation. Kingfishers are wetland indicators and suffer from habitat degradation due to world-wide destruction of wetlands. Therefore, they can be considered potential candidates for conservation intervention. The present knowledge about the spatial distribution of suitable areas and habitat connectivity of kingfishers at a landscape level is non-existent. We conducted extensive surveys and recorded four kingfisher species in East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW; Ramsar site No. 1208; ∼125 km2). The occupancy estimates were highest for White-throated kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis, WTK), followed by common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis, CK), stork-billed kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis, SBK) and lowest for pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis, PK). WTK has the highest amount of suitable areas followed by CK, PK and SBK. The spatial overlap of suitable habitats showed that SBK is the potential umbrella species and therefore provides conservation benefits to other kingfisher species and eventually to the EKW. In addition to water areas, emergent vegetation, crop lands and tree cover are other important habitats for kingfishers. The connectivity analyses revealed that suitable habitats were disjunct and are under various anthropogenic threats. Therefore, we need to protect suitable habitats and connectivity between them. Finally, we identified conservation priority areas. Conservation intervention on these high priority zones will not only be beneficial for kingfishers, but also for other avifauna having similar resource requirements as well as the wetland parse.

A before−after assessment of the response of mammals to tourism in a Brazilian national park

AbstractWorldwide, nature-based tourism is becoming more popular and important economically. However, there is still debate regarding its impact on wildlife in protected areas. We conducted a quasi-experimental study to investigate the effects of tourism on the mammal community of Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park, a priority area for conservation in Brazil. We used camera traps to survey tourist and non-tourist trails during 2011–2017, encompassing periods before and after tourism started in the Park. We used four metrics for assessment: species richness, probability of using trails, activity levels and daily activity patterns. After tourism began in the Park there was no significant change in species richness and the probability of using tourist trails either increased or remained stable for five of the six species assessed. The rock cavyKerodon rupestriswas the only species to be displaced from tourist areas and to show reduced overall activity on tourist trails after tourism began. The ocelotLeopardus pardalisshowed reduced diurnal activity on tourist trails, an indication of temporal adjustment. Overall, our results show that the initial years of visitation at the Park had limited negative impacts on the target mammal species, supporting the possibility of accommodating tourism activity and effective conservation of wildlife in the region. However, it is essential to continue monitoring in the Park because of the expected growth in tourism and potential time lags in responses of species.

A review of two decades of government support for managing alien plant invasions in South Africa

Large sums of money are spent globally on invasive alien plant control projects, but their effectiveness in the medium to long term is seldom reported. Here we review the cost, extent and effectiveness of the management of plant invasions by South Africa's “Working for Water” program between 1998 and 2020. We use a broad framework of indicators for assessing the inputs, outputs, and outcomes of alien plant control interventions at a national level. Our study is based on (1) spatially explicit data on efforts that targeted selected sites and species for control; (2) surveys of the extent of invasion; and (3) case studies of control effectiveness. An average of ZAR310 million (adjusted to 2020 values) was spent annually, creating the equivalent of 8113 full-time jobs, with expenditure rising rapidly between 1998 and 2003 and again between 2009 and 2015, dropping more recently. Control efforts were directed at 178 species, with 15 taxa receiving two thirds of the total expenditure. Control was conducted on ~76,000 sites covering 2.7 million ha, which is ~14 % of the estimated invaded area. Over a quarter of the control was not in priority areas for biodiversity and/or water conservation. The effectiveness of control operations has not been monitored regularly, but a few studies at local scales have found reductions in alien plant cover, and it is likely that “Working for Water” has had a role in limiting invasion. Nonetheless, national surveys suggest that plant invasions have continued to grow—the problem is too large to expect that control can be achieved everywhere. We recommend that, to bring plant invasions under control at priority sites, a national strategy should be based on conservation triage, focussing on clearly defined priority sites, improving planning and monitoring, and increasing operational efficiency.

Geographic Variation in the Species Composition of Parrotfish (Labridae: Scarini) in the South China Sea

Since parrotfish in coral reefs are involved in key ecological processes, this study compiled species presence-absence data across 51 sites in the South China Sea to identify and explore the distribution and relationship between species and large-scale factors. A total of 50 species of parrotfish were recorded during the compilation, of which Scarus ghobban Forsskål, 1775 was the most common and widespread. The Nansha Islands, having a vast area of coral reefs and great proximity away from human interference, had the highest abundance with 41 species. Nestedness analysis indicated that the parrotfish community had statistically significant nested patterns in the South China Sea, and the Nansha Islands were the topmost site for the nested matrix rank. Scleractinian coral species richness and log(reef area) both had a significant effect on the site nested matrix rank (p < 0.05), which supports the habitat nestedness hypothesis in the South China Sea. Compared with browsers and excavators, scrapers were determined to be the most important functional group composition, while browsers had a greater contribution to the species nested matrix rank. A linear regression model showed that parrotfish species’ richness increased with increasing longitude, scleractinian coral species richness, and reef area. Longitudinal variations in the parrotfish species richness were related to its distance from the biodiversity hotspot in the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Parrotfish were mainly distributed in the temperature range of 26–29 °C, similar to the optimum temperature for coral growth. The Nansha Islands should be considered biodiversity conservation priority areas for the conservation of parrotfish in degraded coral reef habitats, particularly in the context of increasing natural variability and anthropogenic disturbances.

Hunting of hunted: an ensemble modeling approach to evaluate suitable habitats for caracals in India

BackgroundLarge-scale hunting and various anthropogenic pressures in the recent past have pushed the Asiatic caracal (Caracal caracal schmitzi), an elusive medium-sized and locally threatened felid species towards local extinction in India. Though widely distributed historically, it has been sparsely reported from several regions of central and northern states in India till twentieth century. Later, the species distribution became confined only to the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, which have had reported sightings in the twenty-first century. In order to highlight the potentially suitable habitats for Asiatic caracals in India, we targeted forth-filtering of the spatial model ensemble by creating and utilizing the validated and spatially thinned species presence information (n = 69) and related ecological variables (aridity, NDVI, precipitation seasonality, temperature seasonality, terrain ruggedness), filtered with anthropological variable (nightlight).ResultsOut of eight spatial prediction models, the two most parsimonious models, Random Forest (AUC 0.91) and MaxEnt (AUC 0.89) were weighted and ensembled. The ensemble model indicated several clustered habitats, covering 1207.83 km2 areas in Kachchh (Gujarat), Aravalli mountains (Rajasthan), Malwa plateau (Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh), and Bundelkhand region (Madhya Pradesh) as potentially suitable habitats for caracals. Output probabilities of pixels were further regressed with converted vegetation height data within selected highly potential habitats, i.e., Ranthambore Kuno Landscape (RKL) (suitability ~ 0.44 + 0.03(vegetation height) **, R2 = 0.27). The regression model inferred a significant positive relation between vegetation height and habitat suitability, hence the lowest ordinal class out of three classes of converted vegetation height was masked out from the RKL, which yielded in an area of 567 km2 as potentially highly suitable habitats for caracals, which can be further proposed as survey areas and conservation priority areas for caracals.ConclusionThe study charts out the small pockets of landscape in and around dryland protected areas, suitable for caracal in the Indian context, which need attention for landscape conservation.

Analysis of Susceptibility to Degradation of Water Ecosystem Services as a Tool for Land Use Planning: a Case Study in a Small Brazilian Watershed.

Mapping priority areas for environmental conservation and restoration is essential to informing policy formulation and decision-making. This study proposes a methodology based on multicriteria analysis and on-site assessment to develop environmental zoning that enhances the provision of water ecosystem services (WES) from Brazil's Água Quente River Basin. Integrated analysis of multiple criteria enabled identification of degrees of susceptibility to degradation, assessment of effects of land-use changes between 1990 and 2020, and validation of the study's methodology via field protocol. The results indicated that the spatial and temporal patterns of WES susceptibility to degradation varied little within the study area with the most critical levels occurring primarily in the Agua Quente's floodplain, where there are sandy textured soils and coverage with a low degree of soil protection. Zoning analysis designates 40% of the basin`s area as consolidated use, 28% for environmental conservation, 19% as anthropic use, and 13% for environmental restoration. Field analysis indicates that the occurrence of degraded areas and pollution by solid waste and urban effluents are relevant factors that affect the basin's water resources. Linear regression analysis indicated a good fit between the data modeled by the multicriteria analysis and those observed on-site (R² = 0.6 p < 0.05). The study's method is effective and its structure can be used in other river basins, as its approach is simple and flexible and can be readily adjusted to fit the characteristics of the study site.

Global patterns in endemicity and vulnerability of soil fungi.

Fungi are highly diverse organisms, which provide multiple ecosystem services. However, compared with charismatic animals and plants, the distribution patterns and conservation needs of fungi have been little explored. Here, we examined endemicity patterns, global change vulnerability and conservation priority areas for functional groups of soil fungi based on six global surveys using a high-resolution, long-read metabarcoding approach. We found that the endemicity of all fungi and most functional groups peaks in tropical habitats, including Amazonia, Yucatan, West-Central Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Caledonia, with a negligible island effect compared with plants and animals. We also found that fungi are predominantly vulnerable to drought, heat and land-cover change, particularly in dry tropical regions with high human population density. Fungal conservation areas of highest priority include herbaceous wetlands, tropical forests, and woodlands. We stress that more attention should be focused on the conservation of fungi, especially root symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi in tropical regions as well as unicellular early-diverging groups and macrofungi in general. Given the low overlap between the endemicity of fungi and macroorganisms, but high conservation needs in both groups, detailed analyses on distribution and conservation requirements are warranted for other microorganisms and soil organisms.