Conservation Practices Research Articles

Rapid DNA barcoding‐based fern and lycophyte inventories of protected areas—A pilot study to introduce a simple but effective protocol

AbstractRecording inventories of species conserved in protected areas is a key step to evaluate the effectiveness of Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM‐GBF) targets, such as the expansion of protected areas. The application of DNA barcoding facilitates the rapid production of enables to obtain rapid inventories with reduced reliance on taxon experts. These inventories aim not only to confirm existing records but also to minimize gaps in our knowledge of the distribution and taxonomy of species targeted for conservation through the implementation of protected areas. This pilot study introduces a simplified DNA barcoding pipeline as a reliable tool for recording fern and lycophyte species occurring in protected areas. The pipeline emphasizes limited and/or short training requirements, reducing the input required from taxon experts and maximizing shared benefits between conservationists and taxonomists. Despite using a single DNA barcoding region, 78% of the accessions were unambiguously identified to the species level. This applied approach not only confirmed previous records but also identified several previously overlooked species, either as newly recorded species conserved in the protected area or as species new to science. The pilot project effectively documented known species diversity and identified gaps in our taxonomic knowledge by discovering previously unknown and locally rare taxa. This rapid assessment enhances productive exchanges between conservation practitioners and taxon experts, with substantial benefits for both parties.

Roles of mycorrhizal fungi on seed germination of two Chinese medicinal orchids: need or do not need a fungus?

Generally, orchids highly depend on specific fungi for seed germination and subsequent seedling development in nature. For medicinal orchids, obtaining compatible fungi is prerequisite for imitation of wild cultivation and conservation. In this study, the two important traditional Chinese medicinal orchids, Pleione bulbocodioides and Bletilla striata, were studied to screen out effective fungi for seed germination and seedling development. P. bulbocodioides seeds germinated and formed protocorms in all fungal and control treatments, but seedlings only developed in fungal Serendipita officinale (SO) and S. indica (SI) treatments and nutrient-rich medium MS treatment. At 90 days after incubation, the percentages of seedlings were 34.83 ± 3.4% and 27.59 ± 3.5% in SO and SI treatments, which were significantly higher than the MS treatment (18.39 ± 2.0%; all P < 0.05). At this stage, most seedlings in SO and SI treatments bore two leaves (Stage 5), and pelotons inside the basal cells of seedlings were clearly observed. For B. striata, seeds germinated up to seedlings with or without fungus, but seedlings developed rapidly in SI treatment. At 90 days after incubation, the percentage of seedlings in SI treatment reached 77.90 ± 4.1%, but was significantly lower than the nutrient-poor medium OMA treatment (85.18 ± 3.7%; P < 0.01), however, the seedlings in SI treatment were stronger than the seedlings in OMA treatment. The results suggested that P. bulbocodioides rely on compatible fungi for seeds germinated up to seedlings, and fungus SO could effectively promote seed germination and support seedling development; while B. striata can germinate up to seedling without any fungus, but compatible fungus S. indica can greatly speed up seed germination and promote seedling development. We suggest that S. officinale and S. indica fungi can be used in conservation practices or imitation of wild cultivation of these two important medicinal orchids, respectively.

Growth and instability in mungbean production in India

Mungbean is mainly cultivated in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the third important pulse crop of India grown in nearly 18 percent of the total pulse area. The paper delves into the current state of mungbean in India, examining the shift of the area of mungbean across zones and its underlying reasons. The study has been carried out based on secondary data and the data was collected for the period from 1970-71 to 2020- 21. Compound annual growth rate and instability index were computed. The results showed that mungbean area and production declined in the eastern zone but showed considerable growth in the southern zone. Production in all the major states increased with a positive growth rate except Odisha. In Odisha, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh areas have shown higher instability than productivity, but Karnataka, Maharashtra, and all of India’s productivity was found more unstable. Therefore, it is necessary to promote the adoption of conservation practices, harvesting of rainwater by creation of structures like farm ponds as well as to expand irrigation facilities to overcome variability in productivity.

Monitoring the Spatial Distribution of Cover Crops and Tillage Practices Using Machine Learning and Environmental Drivers across Eastern South Dakota

The adoption of conservation agriculture methods, such as conservation tillage and cover cropping, is a viable alternative to conventional farming practices for improving soil health and reducing soil carbon losses. Despite their significance in mitigating climate change, there are very few studies that have assessed the overall spatial distribution of cover crops and tillage practices based on the farm’s pedoclimatic and topographic characteristics. Hence, the primary objective of this study was to use multiple satellite-derived indices and environmental drivers to infer the level of tillage intensity and identify the presence of cover crops in eastern South Dakota (SD). We used a machine learning classifier trained with in situ field samples and environmental drivers acquired from different remote sensing datasets for 2022 and 2023 to map the conservation agriculture practices. Our classification accuracies (>80%) indicate that the employed satellite spectral indices and environmental variables could successfully detect the presence of cover crops and the tillage intensity in the study region. Our analysis revealed that 4% of the corn (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) fields in eastern SD had a cover crop during either the fall of 2022 or the spring of 2023. We also found that environmental factors, specifically seasonal precipitation, growing degree days, and surface texture, significantly impacted the use of conservation practices. The methods developed through this research may provide a viable means for tracking and documenting farmers’ agricultural management techniques. Our study contributes to developing a measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) solution that could help used to monitor various climate-smart agricultural practices.

Resilient riverine social–ecological systems: A new paradigm to meet global conservation targets

AbstractThe United Nations' Convention on Biological Diversity set forth the 30 × 30 target, an agenda for countries to protect at least 30% of their terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine areas by 2030. With &lt;6 years to reach that goal, riverine conservation professionals are faced with the difficult decision of prioritizing which rivers or river segments should be conserved (protected and/or restored). While incorporating resilience into conservation planning is essential for enhancing, restoring, and maintaining the vital riverine ecosystem services (ES) most threatened by climate change and other environmental and human stresses, this paradigm is at odds with traditional conservation approaches that are either opportunistic or reactionary, where only unique and highly visible ecosystems have been prioritized. Barriers to implementing resilience‐based riverine conservation planning include: (1) difficulties in conceptualizing and quantifying resilience; (2) insufficient consideration of the social components of riverine systems; (3) the inapplicability of terrestrial‐only conservation models to aquatic systems; and (4) the traditional ad hoc and opportunistic approach to conservation. To overcome these barriers, we propose a resilience‐based riverine conservation framework that includes: (1) assessing riverine resilience using indicator frameworks; (2) considering rivers as dynamically coupled social–ecological systems; (3) explicitly incorporating terrestrial–aquatic network connectivity into conservation decision‐making; and (4) strategic systems planning using a novel resilience–conservation matrix as a tool. This framework has the potential to transform conservation practices around the globe to more effectively protect river systems and enhance their resilience to climate change and human development.This article is categorized under: Water and Life &gt; Conservation, Management, and Awareness Science of Water &gt; Water and Environmental Change Human Water &gt; Water Governance

Biogeography and Conservation in the Arabian Peninsula: A Present Perspective.

The Arabian Peninsula, with its rugged mountains, wadis, alluvial plains, sand dune deserts, and diverse coastlines, spans over 3 million km2. The Peninsula is situated at the crossroads of Africa and Asia and is a meeting point for diverse biogeographic realms, including the Palearctic, Afrotropical, and Indomalayan regions. This convergence of biogeographic zones has resulted in a remarkably diverse flora and fauna, which is adapted to the harsh and varied climates found throughout the Peninsula. Each of the countries of the Arabian Peninsula are biologically diverse and unique in their own right, but Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Oman are the most diverse in terms of their landforms and biological diversity. The mountainous regions support a cooler and more moderate climate compared to the surrounding lowlands, thus forming unique ecosystems that function as refugia for plant and animal species, and have a high endemism of plant species. The desert ecosystems support a variety of lifeforms that are specially adapted to an extreme arid climate. Due to its long history of human habitation and subsistence agriculture, particularly in the mountainous areas, the Arabian Peninsula possesses unique crop varieties adapted to extreme arid climates, making them important genetic resources for the future in the face of climate change. The Arabian Peninsula, though rich and diverse in its biological diversity, has been greatly affected by human activities, especially in the last 50 years, including urbanization, habitat destruction, overgrazing, and climate change, which pose significant threats to the biodiversity of the region. This review presents the biogeography and background of conservation efforts made in the countries in the Arabian Peninsula and gives the progress made in botanical research and conservation practices throughout the Peninsula.

Spatial heterogeneity of extinction risk for flowering plants in China

Understanding the variability of extinction risk and its potential drivers across different spatial extents is crucial to revealing the underlying processes of biodiversity loss and sustainability. However, in countries with high climatic and topographic heterogeneity, studies on extinction risk are often challenged by complexities associated with extent effects. Here, using 2.02 million fine-grained distribution records and a phylogeny including 27,185 species, we find that the extinction risk of flowering plants in China is spatially concentrated in southwestern China. Our analyses suggest that spatial extinction risks of flowering plants in China may be caused by multiple drivers and are extent dependent. Vegetation structure based on proportion of growth forms is likely the dominant extinction driver at the national extent, followed by climatic and evolutionary drivers. Finer extent analyses indicate that the potential dominant extinction drivers vary across zones and vegetation regions. Despite regional heterogeneity, we detect a geographical continuity potential in extinction drivers, with variation in West China dominated by vegetation structure, South China by climate, and North China by evolution. Our findings highlight that identification of potential extent-dependent drivers of extinction risk is crucial for targeted conservation practice in countries like China.

From water source protection to future village: environmental prefigurative politics and technologies of the self in China’s Qingshan village

ABSTRACT A growing body of research focuses on individual environmental consciousness as an alternative and complement to regulatory and economic policy strategies for sustainable development. However, existing studies failed to explain the complex associations between individual environmental consciousness and conservation practices. This study constructs a framework of environmental prefigurative politics - technologies of the self (EPP-TS) to investigate how the mobilization of technologies of the self can lead to the subjectivization of individual environmental consciousness, thus enabling environmental prefigurative politics to shape specific conservation practices. First, this study argues that a range of technologies of the self, including discursive, incentive, and disciplinary technologies, are mobilized to subjectivize individual environmental consciousness. Second, the subjectivization of individual environmental consciousness prompts and institutionalizes the improvisation of environmental prefigurations, embodying the political imaginaries and power structures that environmental prefigurative politics aspire to realize in society. Third, environmental prefigurative politics also influence the development pathways and situated agency of nature conservation, thereby shaping specific conservation practices. Finally, this study also critiques the environmental prefigurative politics under authoritarian environmentalism, as it also reinforces authoritarian power in subjectivizing individual environmental consciousness.

Fungal necromass contribution to carbon sequestration in global croplands: A meta-analysis of driving factors and conservation practices

Fungal necromass carbon (FNC) contributes significantly to the build-up of soil organic carbon (SOC) by supplying abundant recalcitrant polymeric melanin present in the fungal cell wall. However, the influence of a wide range of conservation practices and associated factors on FNC accumulation and contribution to SOC in global croplands remains unexplored. Here, a meta-analysis was performed using 873 observations across three continents, together with structural equation modeling, to evaluate conservation practices and factors responsible for the enhancement of FNC and SOC. FNC content (8.39 g kg−1) of North American soils was highest compared to FNC content of Asian and European soils. The structural equation models showed a significant (p < 0.05) positive influence of microbial biomass carbon (MBC), soil pH, and clay contents on the accumulation of FNC. Soil C/N ratio and climate factors, however, had only minor influences on FNC accumulation. Notably, the main driver of FNC was MBC, which is mainly influenced by the soil total N and geographic factors in the study areas. Typical 5 cropland practices had significant effect size (p < 0.05) on FNC, leading to an increase of 12 % to 26 %, and the FNC content was greatest under straw amendment (26 %). Fungal necromass accumulation efficiency ranged from 23 % to 45 % depending on cropland practices: non- and reduced tillage was the most efficient (45 %), followed by crop coverage (32 %), straw amendment (30 %), and manure application (27 %), while N fertilization had the lowest efficiency (23 %). We conclude that FNC contributes to over a quarter of SOC, highlighting its major role in enhancing C sequestration worldwide. Conservation practices, particularly non-tillage or reduced tillage, are important to enhance C sequestration from FNC in croplands.

An international perspective on the use of community engagement by conservation practitioners to support the management of inhabited islands

AbstractSuccessful island conservation is critical to achieving global biodiversity targets, but significant gaps remain in our understanding of how to effectively engage island communities in conservation efforts. Social and political factors often play a major role in decision‐making processes on inhabited islands, making effective community engagement critical. To better understand the issue, we conducted an international survey of practitioners across 43 islands to understand how they engage with local communities and which methods they consider to be most effective to support their conservation goals. Most respondents used at least one form of community engagement, many using five or more different methods. Communicative and consultative modes of engagement were most commonly used, which require fewer resources and less intensive participation by the community, while only half used the more demanding collaborative approaches to engagement. Indigenous co‐management was reported by practitioners to be the most effective method for positive engagement and to support conservation outcomes, and was implemented on two‐thirds of islands with an indigenous population. Our study supports the view that practitioners consider community engagement an important part of island conservation management, but that there is a tendency for practitioners to rely on one‐way communication, rather than more resource intensive, collaborative approaches to working with communities. Future research should investigate how the communities themselves perceive different engagement methods to gain the full picture of engagement effectiveness.

Plant diversity conservation issues and challenges: A review

Significant conceptual changes have occurred over the past years in plant conservation, with major methodological advances incorporating modern techniques, technology, and disciplines. The global, national, and regional loss of biodiversity is a multifaceted issue affecting social, economic, organizational, political, scientific, and communicational scenarios. The identification of root causes is key to preventing biodiversity loss. India's diverse ecosystem supports various needs, including food, medicine, clothing, and shelter. Spatial biodiversity assessment is important for prioritizing and monitoring mechanisms and efforts in the context of land use, land cover change, unprecedented overexploitation, uncontrolled pollution, and alien species invasion. Odisha, an eastern Indian state, is rich in natural resources, with tropical moist, and dry deciduous forests covering remote areas of many districts, north-south-western hills, plateaus, and isolated pockets. Conservation efforts have expanded with protected areas, Red Lists, ex-situ facilities, wild plant accessions, and some developed species recovery programs. The conservation community is concerned about how to respond to the continuously depleting bioresources. Conservation prioritization focuses on protecting socioeconomically, medicinally, and environmentally significant species and living communities, regions of high species richness and endemism, and active functional ecosystems. The present review explores how to address sustainable biodiversity conservation practices and natural ecosystems aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals No. 13 and 15.

Integrating social media technology for the awareness of ancient manuscript preservation

Purpose This paper aims to explore opportunities for using social media technology to support the awareness in the digital environment of ancient manuscript preservation, as well as to share Indonesian libraries’ experiences in leveraging those media. Design/methodology/approach This paper relies on a literature review to discuss the implementation of social media platforms for preserving and raising awareness of cultural heritage in the form of ancient manuscripts. This paper also observes how some Indonesian libraries use their social media accounts to preserve and raise awareness of ancient manuscript collections. Findings Social media technology provides opportunities for libraries to help perform their cultural heritage preservation function in various and interesting ways. Multiple Indonesian libraries rely on social media technology to preserve and raise awareness of their ancient manuscript collections. Some of those interesting strategies are uploading posts related to the libraries’ ancient manuscript collections; posting “snapshots” of sections of ancient manuscripts; documenting ancient manuscript conservation practices; documenting the involvement of communities in preserving ancient manuscripts; announcing upcoming events and activities related to ancient manuscript studies; and posting interesting news, information and updates about ancient manuscript collections. Originality/value This paper contributes to the existing literature and empirical studies by providing insights into the adoption of social media technology to help preservation and raise awareness of ancient manuscripts in the digital environment. This paper can help those libraries wanting to use their social media accounts to increase and develop their preservation efforts, especially when it comes to ancient manuscript collections.

Impact of Sustainable Land Management Program on the Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers in Semen Bench District, South West Ethiopia

The Sustainable Land Management Programme was launched in 2008 to address to reduce land degradation, improve land productivity, contribute significantly to adaptation to and mitigation of climate change, to protect of soil erosion, conserve to natural resources, and improve of smallholder farmers&amp;apos; standard of living. The overall objective of the study is to impact of a sustainable land management program in southwest Ethiopia&amp;apos;s Semen Bench district on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. The study used to cross-sectional survey study design. Two Kebeles were purposively selected based on participation and coverage of soil and water conservation practices implemented by sustainable land management program established in the study area. systematic sampling techniques was used to select 124 respondents from the Kebeles household heads. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and independent sample t-test. The study revealed significant differences in maize yield, taro and coffee yields. The results also showed a highly significant difference (p&amp;lt;0.05) in the mean total yearly income of adopter and non-adopter households, at 24,963.8±2783.12 and 14,927.9±2200.2 birr, respectively. It is determined that the implementation of a sustainable land management program enhances agricultural productivity and household income by conserving land resources. To improve household income, crop productivity, and land resource conservation, this study suggests that farmers be incentivized and supported to adopt integrated sustainable land management approaches.

Chemical speciation, reactivity, and long-term burial of sedimentary phosphorus in Green Bay, a seasonally hypoxia-influenced freshwater estuary

Sediment cores were collected along a trophic gradient in Green Bay, a seasonally hypoxia-influenced freshwater estuary in Lake Michigan, to measure various phosphorus (P) species, including exchangeable-P (Ex-P), iron-bound-P (Fe-P), biogenic-apatite and/or CaCO3-associated-P (CFA-P), organic-P (Org-P) and detrital-apatite-P (Detr-P). Although total phosphorus (TP) decreased with increasing depth, different P species exhibited distinct vertical distribution patterns with different post-depositional behaviors. The Ex-P, Fe-P and CFA-P species were identified as potentially bioavailable-P (BAP). Little variation was observed for Org-P and Detr-P species, especially below the upper-active-layer, both serving as the primary sink for P in sediment. Detr-P% decreased consistently from the near river plume station to the open bay in the north. P accumulation rates were estimated at 25.1 mmol-P/m2/yr (779 mg-P/m2/yr) in the south, 10.9 mmol-P/m2/yr (338 mg-P/m2/yr) in the central region, and 8.1 mmol-P/m2/yr (252 mg-P/m2/yr) in the north of Green Bay, showing a decrease in the depth of the upper active layer for P regeneration along the south-north transect. The overall potential P regeneration back into the water column increased from 2.8 mmol-P/m2/yr (87 mg-P/m2/yr) in the south, and 3.3 mmol-P/m2/yr (101 mg-P/m2/yr) in the central region to 5.6 mmol-P/m2/yr (173 mg-P/m2/yr) in the north of the bay, corresponding to P burial efficiencies of ∼89 %, 70 % and 31 % along the trophic gradient. The recent decrease in Detr-P and thus the increase in BAP over the last 2–3 decades could be related to anthropogenic activities, such as damming and implementation of agricultural conservation practices. Conversely, a recent increase in TOC/TOP ratios may reflect the increased extent of trophic status and seasonal hypoxia in bottom waters and enhanced regeneration and recycling of particulate P in Green Bay since the 1960s. New results from this study provide an improved understanding of the linkage between sources, internal cycling, and long-term burial of P in the basin.

Temporal and spatial variation of morphological traits and genetic structure in Phengaris teleius myrmecophilous butterflies following habitat and climate changes three decades after reintroduction

A successful reintroduction of Phengaris teleius performed in the Netherlands by translocating 86 individuals from a Polish metapopulation in 1990 represents a unique opportunity to study changes in butterflies from a source and reintroduced metapopulation after such a common conservation practice. Using multilevel comparisons, we tested morphological and genetic changes that occurred after 30 generations since the reintroduction. We also assessed the climatic and connectivity changes that occurred over time in both metapopulation networks. Unexpectedly, we found more significant morphological changes in the current individuals from the source metapopulation, where both sexes had bigger hindwings with different shapes in comparison to the individuals from the original metapopulation in the year of the reintroduction and the ones from the current reintroduced metapopulation. The butterflies from the Dutch metapopulation also had smaller thorax width compared to the ones from the current source metapopulation. The observed morphological changes can be shaped by various factors like changes in climatic conditions and habitat connectivity. Additionally, the genetic analysis revealed a differentiation between the source and reintroduced metapopulation. We found a loss of half of the allelic richness and a bottleneck effect in the reintroduced metapopulation compared to the current Polish one. Our results show that Phengaris butterflies have the potential to adapt to new habitats and respond to climatic changes despite their complex life cycle. A proper long-term habitat management in reintroduced butterfly metapopulations and habitat restoration are key factors influencing the success of reintroduction.

Increased winter‐killed cover crop seeding rate may not increase soil health outcomes

AbstractImplementing soil conservation practices can begin to restore degraded soils, improve soil health, and increase overall ecosystem services. Cover cropping is an effective strategy to rebuild soil quality through decreased erosion and increased residue inputs, which can help build soil organic matter. Cover crop seeding rate may have a positive relationship with ecosystem services; however, it is unknown whether this is realized at or below the recommended cover crop seeding rate. The goal of this study was to identify the relationship between cover crop seeding rate and soil health biogeochemical measures across the growing season using five oat (Avena sativa L.)–pea (Pisum sativum L.) cover crop treatments of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% the industry standard seeding rate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Research Farm. Soils were tested for soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and microbial measures at winter kill, spring thaw, post‐planting, and succeeding cash crop harvest. Soil measures did not vary among seeding rates, but total ground cover was consistent among treatments due to weed growth. Soil health measures vary seasonally reflecting soil microbial activity. Our study provides initial evidence that soil biogeochemical responses do not respond to increased seeding rate within one growing season when the resulting groundcover—cover crop biomass plus weeds—is consistent across seeding rates, but sampling date can influence the magnitude of soil biological and chemical soil health metrics.

Conserving Evolutionary Potential: Combining Landscape Genomics with Established Methods to Inform Plant Conservation.

Biodiversity conservation requires conserving evolutionary potential-the capacity for wild populations to adapt. Understanding genetic diversity and evolutionary dynamics is critical for informing conservation decisions that enhance adaptability and persistence under environmental change. We review how emerging landscape genomic methods provide plant conservation programs with insights into evolutionary dynamics, including local adaptation and its environmental drivers. Landscape genomic approaches that explore relationships between genomic variation and environments complement rather than replace established population genomic and common garden approaches for assessing adaptive phenotypic variation, population structure, gene flow, and demography. Collectively, these approaches inform conservation actions, including genetic rescue, maladaptation prediction, and assisted gene flow. The greatest on-the-ground impacts from such studies will be realized when conservation practitioners are actively engaged in research and monitoring. Understanding the evolutionary dynamics shaping the genetic diversity of wild plant populations will inform plant conservation decisions that enhance the adaptability and persistence of species in an uncertain future.

Blockchain technology for ecological and environmental applications

This research study examines the use of Blockchain technology for ecological and environmental applications. The study presents a conceptual view aided by a literature survey to identify three major Blockchain themes connecting with the research topic - Transparency and Traceability, Conservation and Incentives, and Data Management and Monitoring. The goal of the study is to use the features offered by Blockchain Technology for sustainability, ecology, and environmental applications. As this research shows, technology can help in conservation and incentive practices such as conservation finance, tokenized rewards for ecosystem services, and rewards for sustainable practices. Blockchain has good data management and monitoring practices that can help secure environmental data, monitor various environmental parameters in real time, and provide a decentralized platform/infrastructure for environmental data analytics. Findings from this study can help environmental practitioners and researchers, research bodies, and Governmental agencies keen to use technology to preserve ecology and the environment and encourage sustainable practices.

Preservation and conservation practices adopted for the management of academic board records in Nigerian polytechnics

Preservation and conservation practices adopted for the management of academic board records in Nigerian polytechnics

Multivocal responses to conservation in Maluku province, Indonesia: Biocultural diversity, protest and management in a zone of ecological transition

The Moluccan islands of eastern Indonesia (Maluku) were amongst the last frontiers to be opened‐up for large‐scale resource extraction and economic development in modern times. The interventions of organized conservation science and local conservation activity are also recent. Yet the area has a complex economic history and historical ecology linked to the spice trade, which itself prompted early scholarly interest in its natural history. Conservation practice since 1980 is shown to be deeply embedded in local political events and cultural contexts, exhibiting a diversity of institutional forms and a 'cacophony' of community voices. We conclude that conservation research and interventions need to pay more attention to historical ecologies, biocultural linkages and distinctively local patterns of conservation activity.