Federal Conservation Research Articles

Characterization of bone lesions and bone mineral density of roadkilled wild animals in the Brazilian semi-arid

Highways are one of the anthropogenic factors that have the greatest impact on terrestrial biodiversity. Barriers, depletion effects, and roads are the most common locations of wild animal roadkill, leading to biodiversity loss in wild vertebrates. However, the corpses of these animals can be used as opportunistic samples, an excellent source of information on topics such as population dynamics, which is one of the aims of road ecology. Nonetheless, there are only a few studies on injuries in roadkilled wild animals. Between 2018 and 2021, road monitoring was performed around three Federal Conservation Units in Brazil. Twenty-four animals, including birds, reptiles, and mammals, were collected. This study aims to characterize the lesions in wild animals that were roadkilled on roads in the Brazilian semi-arid region using necropsy and quantitative computed tomography (QCT). Also, the bone mineral density was measured using QCT and compared with the number of lesions and body condition score. Four types of bone lesions were found in 13 different bones, with an average of 3.25 lesions per bird and 3.75 lesions per reptile and mammal, with no statistical difference between the means (p > 0.05). Providing a database on the main injuries found in wild animals that are frequently roadkilled serves as an aid to wildlife rescue and rehabilitation professionals who contribute to the conservation of species. In addition, the data on road ecology serves as a basis for the implementation of mitigation measures against wildlife roadkills, also contributing to the conservation of species.

Role of low-impact-factor journals in conservation implementation.

Academic review, promotion, and tenure processes place a premium on frequent publication in high-impact factor (IF) journals. However, conservation often relies on species-specific information that is unlikely to have the broad appeal needed for high-IF journals. Instead, this information is often distributed in low-IF, taxa- and region-specific journals. This suggests a potential mismatch between the incentives for academic researchers and the scientific needs of conservation implementation. To explore this mismatch, we looked at federal implementation of the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA), which requires the use of the "best available science" to list a species as endangered or threatened and thus receive powerful legal protections. In assessing the relationship between academic sources of this "best available science" and ESA implementation, we looked at the 13,292 sources (e.g., academic journals, books, reports, regulations, personal communications, etc.) cited by the second Obama administration (2012-2016) across all ESA listings. We compared the IFs of all 4836 journals that published peer-reviewed papers cited in these listings against their citation frequency in ESA listings to determine whether a journal's IF varied in proportion with its contribution to federal conservation. Most of the peer-reviewed academic articles referenced in ESA listings came from low-IF or no-IF journals that tended to focus on specific taxa or regions. Although we support continued attention to cutting-edge, multidisciplinary science for its ability to chart new pathways and paradigms, our findings stress the need to value and fund the taxa- and region-specific science that underpins actionable conservation laws.

From Securing the Border to Securing Nature: Homeland Security as an Emerging Environmental Actor in the U.S.–Mexico Borderlands

Hundreds of miles of barriers span the U.S.–Mexico border, not only blocking the migration of people, but also crisscrossing National Parks and Wildlife Refuges and bifurcating important wildlife corridors in the process. Despite their location within federally protected places, the past and present construction of these barriers has progressed unencumbered by federal oversight given the waiver of dozens of environmental regulations. This shift in regulation amid increased border militarization has not been fully evaluated for its environmental effects, as federal conservation agencies tasked with managing public borderlands are increasingly prohibited from studying how barriers will affect the landscape in the long term. This research examines how the state is shaping environmental governance and knowledge politics in the U.S.–Mexico borderlands, an environmentally significant and hyperpoliticized region integral to the maintenance of the United States as an imperial border-making institution. Bringing together theories on political ecologies of the settler colonial state with the racialization of nature, this article demonstrates how (1) the Department of Homeland Security has emerged as an environmental actor produced through a reconfiguration of settler state power; (2) knowledge claims about the environment are produced in ways that elide the ecological consequences of border barriers; and (3) racialized discourses of migrants are codified in environmental governing documents that support increased border militarization. I conclude with a discussion of how settler colonial technologies of environmental governance create new geographies of militarization and conservation in federally protected places along the U.S.–Mexico border.

Aspects of the ecology of Leporinus striatus Kner 1858 as a support for its conservation in a Federal Conservation Unit

This work describes aspects of the ecology and feeding of Leporinus striatus to fill the gap in information about the species in Brazilian rivers. The study area is in the Ipanema National Forest, Iperó/São Paulo, with the Ipanema River as the place where the specimens were collected in its middle and lower reaches. The size ranged from class 9.0 - 9.5 cm to class 11.5 - 12.0 cm, with females being found in all classes. Class 10 - 10.5 was the one with the highest relative frequency, with males being most abundant in the 9.5-10.0 cm length class and females in the 10-10.5 cm length class. The species' diet was composed of autochthonous species, with the most frequent items being insect fragments and plant material. Based on this information, the species was classified as omnivorous. Underwater observations made it possible to verify that the species is gregarious, inhabiting the water column between midwater and the bottom, preferring stretches with currents and rocky substrate. It performs foraging by leaning its body close to the substrate and biting food on solid surfaces. Small groups made up of at least six individuals shared the areas between rocks and branches. We conclude that, to guarantee the preservation of the species, it is crucial to recognize the significant role played by Conservation Units. However, given the aquatic nature of the species studied, its life cycle is intrinsically linked to stretches that extend beyond the limits of the UC. Additionally, the ecological analyses presented in this study reveal that the species relies on the preservation of a healthy river environment that transcends the boundaries of the conversational unit.

Isospora pichororei n. sp. (Chromista: Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from rufous-capped spinetails Synallaxis ruficapilla Vieillot, 1819 (Passeriformes: Furnariidae: Synallaxiinae) in South America

Spinetails are a suboscine passerines of the genus Synallaxis Vieillot, 1818 which have great interest for ornithology, given the wide diversity of 37 species that are distributed throughout the Neotropical region. Despite this wide diversity and distribution, Synallaxis spp. have never been recorded as hosts of coccidian parasites. In this context, the current study describes a new species of Isospora Schneider, 1881 from rufous-capped spinetails Synallaxis ruficapilla Vieillot, 1819 captured in the Itatiaia National Park, which is a federal conservation unit in Southeastern Brazil. The oocysts of Isospora pichororei Genovez-Oliveira & Berto n. sp. are subspheroidal to ovoidal, measuring on average 25 by 21 μm. Micropyle is present, but discrete. Oocyst residuum absent, but one or two polar granules are present. Sporocysts are ellipsoidal with slightly pointed posterior end, measuring on average 17 by 10 μm. Stieda and sub-Stieda bodies are present. Sporocyst residuum is clustered among the vermiform sporozoites, which have striations, refractile bodies and nucleus. This morphology was different from the other Isospora spp. recorded in the host family Furnariidae. Molecular identification was targeted by the amplification and sequencing of a locus of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene. This sequence had the highest similarity of 99.5% with a sequence deposited for Isospora oliveirai Ortúzar-Ferreira & Berto, 2020, which is a coccidian species that parasitizes suboscine tityrids Schiffornis virescens (Lafresnaye, 1838), also in the Itatiaia National Park. Phylogenetic analysis grouped some species in subclades, including I. pichororei with I. oliveirai; however, it was inconclusive in an expectation of parasite-host coevolution. Finally, I. pichororei is established as new to science, being the first description from Synallaxinae and the third description from Furnariidae. Furthermore, this is the first Isospora sp. from the host family Furnariidae to have a molecular supplementation by sequencing a locus of the cox1 gene of the mitochondrial genome.

Understanding landowner participation in the Conservation Reserve Program in the U.S. High Plains region

Understanding the array of financial and non-financial decision-making drivers of private landowners with vulnerable cropland for enrolling in the United States Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is critical for the success and cost-effectiveness of agricultural policies that aim to create long-term agri-environmental security. Following the underpinnings of the Theory of Planned Behavior, we used Structural Equation Modeling to test the predictive validity and impacts of socio-cognitive variables: attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, on landowners’ intent to enroll in CRP. We analyzed mailed survey data of landowners in the western High Plains of the United States, where irrigated agriculture is a major economic activity, and cropland consists of vulnerable wetlands that play a role in recharging the Ogallala Aquifer. Overall, landowners had a positive attitude towards the wetland conservation benefits of CRP enrollment and its benefits of preventing soil erosion and sedimentation. In addition, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavior controls positively influenced landowners’ intentions to (re)enroll in CRP. Among the three predictors, subjective norms had the largest influence. Landowners’ understanding of CRP benefits in improving water quality and availability, and opinions from their neighbors and other landowners were the most significant measured variables affecting their intention to enroll. For enhanced outreach and long-term success, we suggest that policymakers recognize and respond to a range of non-financial motivations to better design programs that represent the conservation benefits of wetlands to leverage their willingness to participate. Furthermore, (re)enrollment acres could be enhanced by understanding local barriers related to landowners’ skills and knowledge and fostering collaboration and coordination among different federal conservation programs in the region.

Copulation record of Tropidurus imbituba (Squamata: Tropiduridae)

Tropidurus imbituba is a lizard with endemic distribution. Data on the species are scarce as it is a new species and has the only known habitat to date. Understanding reproductive aspects is important for their conservation. Thus, the present study presents the first records of the courtship and copulation behavior of T. imbituba. Sampling was carried out in spring 2022 and summer 2023, between September 24, 2022 and March 19, 2023. Monitoring was adapted from the Squamata Reptile Monitoring Protocol in Federal Conservation Units of the Caatinga Biome, following the active search method without time limitation (BANLT), in order to register T. imbituba individuals without any type of physical restraint. The individuals viewed had their coordinates taken with GPS, photographed with a DSLR camera – 65x zoom with a 21 mm ultra-wide angle lens. Viewing was done with the naked eye and with the aid of 8x40 binoculars. In areas with a concentration of lizards, the fixed point methodology was also used for five to 10 minutes, to observe the animals and other important data, where, at opportune moments, filming and photographs of courtship or copulation behavior were recorded.

Bat fauna from the Sooretama Biological Reserve, southeastern Brazil

The Atlantic Forest is one of the world's hotspots of biodiversity, a heterogeneous biome encompassing tropical and subtropical vegetation formations. Its remnants in the state of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil, are mostly within state and federal Conservation Units. The largest Unit is the Sooretama Biological Reserve, which harbors several endemic occurrences of fauna and flora, and is the last refuge of some threatened animal species. Inventories of fauna are essential to know the community composition, and for the elaboration of preservation strategies. We conducted a survey focused on the bat fauna of the Sooretama Reserve, analyzing the trophic guilds and the conservation status of its species. We surveyed online taxonomic databases and the literature, resulting in 402 records from two different scientific collections. These records represent five families, 39 genera, and 57 species of bats, revealing that the Sooretama Biological Reserve has all known bat families in the Atlantic Forest biome. Phyllostomidae was the family with the highest number of species registered, and a majority of species belongs to the aerial insectivorous trophic guild. Four species are registered as “Vulnerable” in state and federal conservation books.

Changes in the landscape, threats, and the struggle of the quilombola communities from Alto Trombetas for their territories

ABSTRACT This study addresses landscape changes in the quilombola territories of the communities Alto Trombetas 1 and 2, on the banks of the Trombetas River. It also points out transformations that have taken place since the creation of federal conservation units and the installation of bauxite mining activities in the region. The production and management of overlaps involves a heterogeneous network of state actors, artifacts, and socio-technical apparatuses that materialize interventions in the landscape, in a web of government bodies, norms, and a discourse favorable to progress and profit. This overlap has made the communities organize themselves against the invasion of their lands and struggle constantly to give visibility to the effects of mining and conservation units. We conclude that the history of questionable interventions from different sectors of the state has compromised the coexistence of quilombola territories with other lives in the region. Also, the lack of monitoring and studies focused on the effects of mining on quilombola communities shows how environmental racism falls upon racialized bodies and territories. However, quilombola communities continue to resist in their ancestral territories.

Factors influencing enrollment of leased cropland in the Conservation Stewardship Program in Kansas

Federal conservation programs in the United States rely on the voluntary participation of farmers and landowners to generate environmental benefits across agricultural landscapes. Understanding factors influencing enrollment of leased cropland is critical since over half of all cropland in the United States is leased. In this paper, we use a unique data set from a survey and choice experiment in Kansas to identify factors that affect enrollment of leased cropland in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Results suggest that farmers’ environmental stewardship attitudes are associated with higher enrollment of leased cropland in the CSP. Fixed cash leases and relationships with landowners described as “business only” are related to lower enrollment in the CSP. Farmers with larger operations and those that rely more heavily on agricultural income are more likely to enroll. Farmers have strong preferences for higher CSP payments, and they dislike contracts that pay landowners a larger proportion of the base program payment. The time required to submit an application and the percentage of the operation that must be enrolled in the CSP contract are negatively related to contract selection. Our study suggests that reinforcing stewardship identities among farmers, encouraging closer tenant-landowner relationships, reducing transaction costs of participation, and relaxing contract requirements may increase enrollment of leased cropland in agri-environmental programs.

Survey of Missouri Landowners to Explore the Potential of Woody Perennials to Integrate Conservation and Production

The state of Missouri, USA offers a unique opportunity for tree planting under several federal conservation programs. However, many landowners remain hesitant to enroll and take land out of agricultural production. This study explores the willingness of landowners to adopt agroforestry systems with food producing tree and shrub species through federal conservation program funding using mail and online surveys. Surveys followed the Dillman Tailored Design Method to collect data on landowners’ farm characteristics, production practices, and land management choices. Survey participants were sampled on a county basis within each of the six major geographic regions of the state. Twelve counties were randomly selected, and surveys were mailed to a proportional sampling of farm addresses gathered from each of the county tax assessor offices. The goal of the survey was to (1) identify landowners’ current land management practices and goals, (2) understand landowners’ perceptions of and preferences for different planting plans for their farm, and (3) capture landowners’ interest in participating in conservation programs to assist in the planting of trees and shrubs on their land. Our analysis of this survey found that landowners are receptive to agroforestry plantings, rating them higher on average than traditional agricultural land management practices. Landowner age, past participation in a conservation program, and presence of marginal land all had significant correlation with willingness to adopt agroforestry. The inclusion of technical assistance or federal conservation funding was found to increase the willingness of landowners to plant multifunctional agroforestry designs.

Opportunities and gaps in conservation incentive programs on California agricultural land

Agricultural incentive programs promote ecosystem health and biodiversity on California working lands and encourage a multitude of conservation goals. The various objectives, environmental impacts, and financial costs of conservation incentive programs are challenging to assess. The ecosystem services framework is a useful tool for identifying tradeoffs between conservation management options. Here, 52 active incentive programs were reviewed to determine the ecosystem services prioritized by each program in California. Next, the top 20 highest funded federal conservation practices were assessed in terms of their ecosystem service impacts. We found that there is a gap between California’s ecosystem services goals and the ecosystem services that are impacted by federal programs, and that the top funded practices are not necessarily the ones that deliver the best benefits in terms of ecosystem services. This study highlights the gaps between conservation goals and outcomes on California agricultural land, as well as the need for regional conservation monitoring to determine the impacts of incentive programs.

A science and management partnership to restore coregonine diversity to the Laurentian Great Lakes

Similar to many freshwater ecosystems, the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America have undergone numerous anthropogenic stressors resulting in considerable loss of biodiversity and habitat. Among Great Lakes fishes, the coregonine sub-family has endured the most extensive declines, including extinction of several species ( Coregonus johannae, C. alpenae, and C. kiyi orientalis) and at least 10 instances of local extirpations of other species ( C. nigripinnis, C. reighardi, C. zenithicus, C. hoyi, and C. artedi) across all 5 lakes, much of which occurred prior to the 1960s owing to overfishing, interactions with non-indigenous species, and habitat loss. Despite these declines, no federal-, provincial-, or state-mandated actions were ever implemented to conserve coregonine diversity, potentially because so much of the coregonine declines occurred prior to the enactment of federal conservation legislation. Possible explanations for inaction since enactment of that legislation include insufficient data on biological vulnerability or threats, unresolved taxonomy, and limited support from the fishery management agencies and their stakeholders prior to the 2000s. In recent decades, however, several fishery management agencies have undertaken efforts to re-introduce coregonine diversity. These efforts helped lead to development of a science-based framework to restore coregonines that was universally endorsed by fishery managers representing eight U.S. states, four U.S. tribal organizations, and the province of ON, Canada, in May 2018. The basin-wide framework is based on principles of conservation biology and adaptive management. We describe details of its key steps, including planning, restoring, and evaluating, while also describing recent implementation efforts to develop methods, improve available resources, and enhance coordination across the basin. Although our paper describes a regional effort to restore native coregonines, our adaptive-management approach could be used by other multi-agency stakeholders seeking to conserve or restore native fishes.

New records of semiaquatic bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Gerromorpha) from the Caatinga biome, Brazil

Semiaquatic bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Gerromorpha) are small to mid-sized insects, currently represented by more than 2,100 known species distributed on all continents, except for Antarctica. So far, 244 species have been recorded from Brazil, but only 63 from the Northeast Region of the country. The relatively small number of species in this region is related to the virtual lack of knowledge on the fauna of the Caatinga, a biome that is distributed essentially throughout this region. We present here new records for 28 species based on material collected in four Federal Conservation Units of the Caatinga biome: Aiuaba Ecological Station (Ceará state), Chapada Diamantina National Park (Bahia state), Catimbau National Park (Pernambuco state), and Serra das Confusões National Park (Piauí state). Moreover, several species are recorded for the first time from at least one of these states: 11 from Bahia, ten from Ceará, two from Pernambuco, and eight from Piauí.

A New Record of a Nonnative Bivalve Species in an Amazonian Environmental Protection Area: What Might Have Happened?

Corbicula fluminea is an Asian mussel that has aggressively invaded freshwater habitats worldwide, causing damage both economically and with the disappearance of native species. In Brazil, this species is present in almost all watersheds, including areas of Federal Conservation Units. In this context, the present work reported the first record of C. fluminea in the Carajás mosaic, Pará, Brazil, a Federal Conservation Area. Collections were made in September and February 2021 and May 2022. In total, 154 specimens of C. fluminea were collected. The size range of the specimens was 16 to 28 mm in shell length and 1.46 to 5.91 g in wet weight. This new record extends the distribution of this species in South America and in the tropical watersheds of Brazil and is the first record in federal protected areas, highlighting the need for large-scale knowledge of the environmental and economic changes that the species can cause.

Variation in Prairie Chub hatch relationships across wet and dry years in the upper Red River basin

AbstractObjectiveThe Prairie Chub Macrhybopsis australis is a poorly studied minnow species endemic to the upper Red River basin and is of both state and federal conservation interest due to uncertainty about its life history and potential listing status. The upper Red River basin of Oklahoma and Texas is a harsh environment where drought and extreme flow events are exacerbated by human alterations. As an assumed pelagic‐broadcast‐spawning minnow, the Prairie Chub is capable of a protracted spawning season and larval fish survival is assumed to be linked to discharge and streamflow variability.MethodsWe systematically collected 2,017 age‐0 Prairie Chub from seven sites (North Fork Red River, Salt Fork Red River, Pease River, Red River, Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River, North Wichita River, and South Wichita River) with variable flow patterns during April–September 2019 and May–August 2020. We used otolith age estimates and back calculations to determine successful spawning dates. We used a hurdle model framework to examine relationships between hatch probability and hatch frequency.ResultHatch probability had a negative relationship with calendar day and declined as calendar day increased. Hatch counts peaked in late June and early July and declined thereafter in 2019 but showed no discernible peak during the spawning season in 2020. Hatch probability during the spawning season increased with relative flow and air temperature. Increased hatch counts were also positively related to discharge variability (CV) for the 10 d prior to hatch dates.ConclusionOur findings indicated that successful hatches had considerable spatial and temporal variability, with some sites contributing minimally to the population during some years. Spatial and temporal variability of hatch probability and hatch frequencies pose a variety of considerations for future conservation and management efforts, particularly given the pending federal listing status of the species.

Utilizing relational values to investigate a federally administered soil conservation programme in the US Northwest

ABSTRACT Federal conservation programmes compensate property owners and farmers for sustained land-use practices which generate ecosystem services, yet enrolling participants can be a challenge. This paper studies that challenge in order to understand what values drive enrolment patterns in the Columbia River basin in the US Northwest, a region designated as a Critical Conservation Area by the US Department of Agriculture. Utilizing a relational values framework, the dynamics of the federally administered Conservation Reserve Program are explored. Findings are revealed through qualitative coding and analysis of semi-structured interviews and visual artefacts from programme participants, government employees and university-affiliated extension knowledge holders. This study concludes that five key relational values inform enrolment in this region beyond monetary reasons: stewardship, care, kinship, responsibility and identity. This paper posits that integrating information regarding relational values into federally administered conservation programmes may lead to more resilient and sustainable social–ecological systems.

Laws matter: a foundational approach to biodiversity conservation in Canada

This perspective essay examines the role of conservation law in contributing to biodiversity decline by exploring how current conservation laws exacerbate the challenges Canada faces. We contend that there are three intertwined foundation-setting functions of conservation law: they codify priorities and values, define and influence acceptable conservation behaviour, and drive the establishment of the institutions, programs, and governance arrangements of today’s conservation regime. We describe these functions and then assess whether conservation laws in Canada are adequately fulfilling the functions. We find that the federal conservation law regime is sub-optimal and likely incapable of halting and reversing the negative biodiversity trends. Based on this, we suggest a set of conservation legislative principles capable of catalyzing change and supporting the transition to a more sustainable conservation future.

Protected areas of Brazil’s coastal- marine system: spatial modeling and conservation planning on biomes – ocean interface

The limits of the six biomes of the Brazilian territory (i.g. Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, Caatinga, Pampa and Pantanal) were recently revised,1 and a new territorial section of the ocean-continent interface, called Marine Coastal System (CMS) was presented. However, despite being a central theme for conservation planning, the spatial relationship between federal conservation units of Brazil (FCU) and CMS remained without integration. In this work we investigate ecological and territorial representativeness of FCU on Brazil's four geopolitical regions with biomes and ocean interface by developing spatial modeling (five models) encompassing a broad biogeographic context. The objective was to determine the spatial relationship between CMS and FCU, through the application of a set of topological and algebraic rules. Maps of spatial distribution of the FCU in the 5 biomes and in the 4 geopolitical regions shows overlapping CMS. The results indicate that among the 63 FCU found by the M_5 model, 51 FCU present a territorial sharing area with 5 biomes: Amazon, Pampa, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga and Cerrado. In the Amazon and Pampa biomes occur the largest area of overlap with the CMS, but the highest concentration of FCU occurs in the Atlantic Forest biome. The CMS area in the Northeastern region presented the highest environmental heterogeneity, and overlaps four biomes, encompassed most of the FCU of the ocean-continent interface, and also evidenced that the lack of integration of both legal concepts and government databases might cause differences on ecological and territorial representativeness of FCU on Brazil's four geopolitical regions with biomes-ocean interface.

Seizing the moment: The opportunity and relevance of the California Conservation Genomics Project to state and federal conservation policy.

Conservation science and environmental regulation are sibling constructs of the latter half of the 20th century, part of a more general awakening to humanity's effect on the natural world in the wake of 2 world wars. Efforts to understand the evolution of biodiversity using the models of population genetics and the data derived from DNA sequencing, paired with legal and political mandates to protect biodiversity through novel laws, regulations, and conventions arose concurrently. The extremely rapid rate of development of new molecular tools to document and compare genetic identities, and the global goal of prioritizing species and habitats for protection are separate enterprises that have benefited from each other, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for each. In this article, we explore how the California Conservation Genomics Project has, and should, contribute to ongoing and future conservation implementation, and how it serves as a model for other geopolitical regions and taxon-oriented conservation efforts. One of our primary conclusions is that conservation genomics can now be applied, at scale, to inform decision-makers and identify regions and their contained species that are most resilient, and most in need of conservation interventions.