Great Conservation Value Research Articles

ФИТОЦЕНОТИЧЕСКАЯ И СОЗОЛОГИЧЕСКАЯ ОЦЕНКА БУКОВЫХ ЛЕСОВ ДАГЕСТАНА

The paper presents the results of assessing the phytocenotic and sozological significance of the beech forests of Dagestan, which have been preserved in the study area since the tertiary period in a depleted and transformed form. Occupying a fairly large area, they perform functions that maintain balance in the ecoregion of the Eastern Caucasus. In addition, the beech forests of Dagestan are rich in hyrkanian and colchian relict and endemic elements, rare protected species. Based on the geobotanical description of seventy-three trial plots in various physical and geographical areas of Dagestan using the ecological and phytocenotic method, nineteen associations were identified, to identify the environmental value of which a system of criteria for determining the environmental significance of associations was applied. It was revealed that the greatest conservation value (P4) is represented by associations growing in the lowland and foothill parts: Fagetum taxosoilexosum (area less than 1 ha), Fagetum qercoso-euphorbosum, represented by insignificant in derivatives of hyrkan forests and Fagetum taxoso-varioherbosum, extremely rare throughout the interrupted strip of beech forests of foothill Dagestan. Such associations of foothill beech forests as Fagetum nudum, Fagetum compositum loniceroso-varioherbosum, Fagetum sambucoso-efemeroso-filicosum, and Fagetum efemer-oso-varioherbosum, which also occupy relatively small areas, have a high conservation value (P3). The associations Fagetum compositum fruticoso-varioherbosum, Fagetum compositum carpinoso-varioherbosum, Fagetum filicosum, Fagetum festucosum, and Fagetum rubosum are classified as communities with an average conservation value of P2. All associations of beech forests of the foot-hills of Dagestan are subject to reduction of areas under the influence of high anthropogenic load: logging, cattle grazing, economic development of the territory. In subalpine beech forests, the asso-ciations Fagetum filicoso-varioherbosum and Fagetum myrtilloso-varioherbosum — P3 are of high conservation value. Communities with average values of conservation value (P2) include the following associations: Fagetum fruticoso-filicoso-varioherbosum, Fagetum compositum varioherbosum, Fagetum compositum filicoso-varioherbosum. Associations Fagetum festucosa-varioherbosum, Fagetum compositum festucoso-vatioherbosum are classified as communities with low conservation value-P1. In this area, there is no reduction in areas due to the inaccessibility of forest areas for timber harvesting.

Large‐scale α‐diversity patterns in plants and ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) indicate a high biodiversity conservation value of China's restored temperate forest landscapes

AbstractAimFollowing the near‐complete destruction of China's forest ecosystems during the 20th century, recent reforestation programmes have created large‐scale mosaics of protected secondary and plantation forests. These restored forests are often assumed to have limited biodiversity conservation value, but large‐scale evaluations of their diversity are lacking. In our study, we compared α‐diversity and species dissimilarity patterns of vascular plants and ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in restored secondary and plantation forests to remnant mature forests across north‐eastern temperate China. We also assessed functional traits of beetles and cross‐taxon diversity links to evaluate differences in ecosystem functioning among forest types.Location. Northeast China.MethodsVascular plant and ground beetle assemblages were recorded in 159 temperate forest plots. The α‐diversity and species compositional dissimilarity of these taxa and the functional traits of beetles were compared between plantation, secondary and mature forest ecosystems.ResultsHerbaceous plant species richness peaked in mature forests, while carabid and woody plant diversity did not differ between forest types. Species dissimilarity of carabids was lowest in mature forests and highest in plantation forests. Mature forest contained the highest proportion of carnivorous beetles and secondary forests of large‐bodied carabids. Carabid diversity and woody plant species richness were positively correlated in mature forests, but not in secondary or plantation forests.Main conclusionsWhile China's mature forests show a great conservation value in harbouring highly diverse herbaceous plant assemblages and an abundance of distinct invertebrate trait groups such as small predatory carabids, China's restored temperate forests also support a high diversity of woody plants and carabids. Overall, our findings offer an encouraging conservation message for biodiversity conservation in China and demonstrate the importance of policy measures that ensure effective long‐term protection of both, China's remnant mature forests, but also its new forest ecosystems.

Assessing the conservation value of nature reserves: terrestrial birds in Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) Provincial Reserve, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Existing networks of nature reserves contain a biased sample of biodiversity. In Patagonia Argentina, most nature reserves focus their protection objectives on a particular ecosystem, geoform or scenic value, and usually are located in inaccessible areas. However, unique species or assemblages could inhabit less protected ecosystems, areas or habitats, which could be threatened depending of management. In this study, we assessed the conservation value of different ecosystem types and areas (fjords) in Isla de los Estados Provincial Reserve (RPIE, Argentina), using birds as study case. We chose three fjords (east, central and west) and five ecosystems types (forests at low and high elevation, open-lands at low and high elevation, and sea coasts). Bird's assemblage richness, density, biomass, trophic level, migratory status, and use of strata per ecosystems and fjords were characterized in 75 points (3 fjords × 5 ecosystems × 5 replicates) and evaluated using ANOVA and multivariate methods. Also, Shannon (H') and Pielou (J) indices were estimated for fjords and ecosystems. Passerine was the most abundant group, being mainly residents, omnivorous and carnivorous-scavenger, and they were observed mainly flying or in the canopy. Assemblage structure and function varied with ecosystem types, with higher richness and biomass in coasts and open-lands than in other ecosystems, but with greater density in forests. Multivariate analyses showed conspicuous groups for forests and coast sampling units, with significant differences among all ecosystem types except between low and high forests. Also, east fjord significantly differed in density and biomass from the others, but west fjord also differed in structure, function and bird assemblage. We conclude that greater conservation value must be assigned to ecosystem types or areas inhabited by threatened species (as open-lands at high elevation) and highest richness and variety of use of strata (as sea coasts). However, bird assemblage patterns have particularities in less valuable ecosystems and areas, which also justify their importance for conservation, or at least, prescriptions of low impact uses and activities in the management planning. Nature reserves are opportunities to preserve endemic species, habitats or areas of special interest, as low latitude or unique isolated landscape communities, and ecosystems underrepresented in the network of local, regional or world protected areas.

Roadside verges and cemeteries: Comparative analysis of anthropogenic orchid habitats in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Several important habitats have become threatened in the last few centuries in the Mediterranean Basin due to major changes adopted in land‐use practices. The consequent loss of natural and seminatural orchid habitats leads to the appreciation of small anthropogenic habitats, such as cemeteries and roadside verges. Colonization of cemeteries and roadside verges by orchids has long been known, but no study to date compared the suitability of these two anthropogenic habitats for orchids. Therefore, in this paper our aim was to survey cemeteries and roadside verges and to compare these two habitats regarding their role in conserving Mediterranean terrestrial orchids. We conducted field surveys in three Mediterranean islands, Cyprus, Crete, and Lesbos, where both cemeteries and roadside verges were sampled on a geographically representative scale. We found a total of almost 7,000 orchid individuals, belonging to 77 species in the two anthropogenic habitat types. Roadside verges hosted significantly more individuals than cemeteries in Crete and Lesbos, and significantly more species across all three islands. Our results suggest that although cemeteries have a great potential conservation value in other parts of the world, intensive maintenance practices that characterized cemeteries in these three islands renders them unable to sustain valuable plant communities. On the other hand, roadside verges play a prominent role in the conservation of Mediterranean orchids in Cyprus and Greece. The pioneer status of roadside verges facilitates their fast colonization, while roads serve as ecological corridors in fragmented landscapes.

An Empirical Study on the Effect of Energy Saving Measures Against Hospital Energy Consumption

Building energy consumption accounts for a relatively large proportion in the energy consumption structure of our country, while hospital buildings are the most expensive ones in public buildings. Therefore, hospital building energy efficiency research has great significance and value for energy conservation, emission reduction, saving public expenditure and improving public efficiency. Based on the survey data of 4 third-grade class-A hospitals in Xi'an, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of hospital energy saving measures on hospital energy consumption. The results show that input in medical equipment, public facilities transformation, energy saving technology in the surrounding wall and energy consumption management in hospitals have a significant impact on hospital energy consumption.

Phoretic mites associated to Bombus pauloensis and Bombus bellicosus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from Uruguay

Bumble bees (Bombus spp.), considered as important angiosperm pollinators, harbor several mite species associated with their nests. In the present study, 403 bumble bees – B. pauloensis (n = 285) and B. bellicosus (n = 118) – were surveyed at five departments from Uruguay: Canelones, Colonia, Montevideo, Florida and Soriano. The mite species Kuzinia spp. Pneumolaelaps longanalis, P. longipilus, Scutacarus acarorum, and Tyrophagus putrescentiae were found associated with both bumble bee species. At least one mite was present on 30% of the bumble bees. We compared the mite prevalence, abundance, intensity and Simpson’s diversity index between bumble bee species and castes. Bumble bee caste was the most influential factor on mite presence, and also on the composition of the phoretic mite community. The assemblages described here could be relevant for future studies focusing on potential threatens for native bumble bees. In combination with a pathogen screening, this data could be proposed as a relevant approach for monitoring native pollinators, especially in areas where they are threatened. The establishment of descriptive indices for threatened and healthy populations would be then of great value for species conservation.

Larger gains from improved management over sparing–sharing for tropical forests

Tropical forests are globally important for both biodiversity conservation and the production of economically valuable wood products. To deliver both simultaneously, two contrasting approaches have been suggested: one partitions forests (sparing); the other integrates both objectives in the same location (sharing). To date, the ‘sparing or sharing’ debate has focused on agricultural landscapes, with scant attention paid to forest management. We explore the delivery of biodiversity and wood products in a continuum of sparing-to-sharing scenarios, using spatial optimization with set economic returns in East Kalimantan, Indonesia—a biodiversity hotspot. We found that neither sparing nor sharing extremes are optimal, although the greatest conservation value was attained towards the sparing end of the continuum. Critically, improved management strategies, such as reduced-impact logging, provided larger conservation gains than altering the balance between sparing and sharing, particularly for endangered species. Ultimately, debating sparing versus sharing has limited value while larger gains remain from improving forest management. To achieve both biodiversity conservation and timber production in tropical forests, this modelling study finds that improved management has much more impact than the choice between sparing forests or sharing forest land for both purposes.

The component parts of the first nominated Natural Heritage site for the Republic of Serbia

Natural World Heritage site of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe (Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Ukraine) aims to protect some of the last remnants of the natural and close-to-natural beech forests and to depict the beech postglacial spread throughout Europe. The Republic of Serbia is among 10 European countries to nominate extension components of this Pan-European World Heritage property, enhancing the representation of the Outstanding Universal Value by adding significant values to the existing property. This paper presents the characteristics of the nominated Serbian components, which include some notable pure-stand and mixed beech forests of great scientific and conservation value, protected by the strict protection regime for several decades as the integral parts of the Kopaonik, Tara and Fruska gora National Parks. Prepared nomination was submitted in January 2020 and is to result with the first Natural World Heritage property for the Republic of Serbia, thus strengthening the protection of individual sites and increasing awareness on their natural values.

Крупномасштабная геоботаническая карта Тузлинской косы и острова Тузла (Керченский пролив)

During an ecological expertise the vegetation of Tuzla Spit and Tuzla Island, located in the middle part of the Kerch Strait (Fig. 1), was studied. This area is unique in terms of biological diversity and a presence of rare species (Ermolaeva et al., 2018). The study is based on 150 geobotanical relevés. Field data, topographic maps, and high-resolution satellite images were used in the vegetation mapping. The total area of the study is 383 hectares. There are the following hierarchical levels in the legend to the vegetation map: types of vegetation and classes of associations. A mapping unit is an association described according to the Braun-Blanquet system (Braun-Blanquet, 1964). The highest divisions of the legend are the types of vegetation: aquatic, coastal-aquatic, halophytic, psammophytic, steppe; they are given according to the ecological-phytocoenotic classification. Within the types of vegetation, classes of associations are given according to the ecological-floristic classification. 26 main numbers of the legend display the vegetation cover on the map. Geobotanical map reflects the state of vegetation in 2015 (Fig. 2). The vegetation of the island is heterogeneous. Plant communities as narrow stripes replace each other depending on the degree of moisture, salinity and orography. The sea currents have a great influence on the vegetation. In the southern part of the Taman Bay, suspension flows are directed from the South to the North and round the island, which leads to the “washing-up” of the southeastern part of the island represented by shallow waters and estuaries. It is occupied mainly by halophytic vegetation, the main dominants of plant communities are Juncus maritimus, Phragmites australis, Puccinellia distans, Bassia hirsuta, Salicornia pe­rennans, S. prostrata, Suaeda salsa, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Elytrigia elongata, Tripolium vulgare. The northwestern part of the strait is occupied by the area of jet streams of suspensions coming from the North to the South from the Sea of Azov. This caused the accumulation of sand-shell material in the northern and northwestern parts of the island forming raised areas co­vered by psammophytic and steppe communities. The main dominant species here are Crambe maritima var. pontica, Cakile euxina, Eryngium maritimum, Lactuca tatarica, Salsola tragus, Leymus sabulosus, Artemisia arenaria, Gypsophila perfoliata. As a result of the transport crossing construction, the vegetation cover was heavily transformed. The vegetation map of Tuzla Spit and Island for 2019 shows the changes that have occurred — the drainage of the territory and the reduction of the vegetated area (Fig. 3). Distribution of weed species, in particular Ambrosia artemisiifolia, is noted. The remained vegetation in the southern part of the Tuzla Spit and the southern part of the Tuzla Island has a great nature conservation value; there are unique plant communities and rare plant species listed in the Red books of different ranks (Red..., 2007, 2008, 2015): Cakile euxina, Crambe maritime, Glaucium flavum, Euphorbia paralias, E. peplis, Eryngium mari­timum, Astrodaucus littoralis, Asparagus maritimus, Centaurea arenaria, Argusia sibirica, Astragalus varius, Verbascum pinnatifidum, Leymus racemosus subsp. sabulosus, Secale sylvestre. There is an obvious need to organize a specially protected natural area in these areas.

Development of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers in Medicago ruthenica and their application for evaluating outcrossing fertility under open-pollination conditions

Medicago ruthenica is a perennial leguminous plant with great economic value for forage production and soil conservation in northern China. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers are a major molecular tool for genetic and genomic research that have been extensively developed and used in major crops. However, few are available in M. ruthenica, an important cool-season forage species in China. Using transcriptome data, we developed 213 polymorphic SSR markers. Additionally, we used these markers to quantify selfing and outcrossing rates of M. ruthenica plants under field conditions. The outcrossing rate was calculated to be 75.9%. The first large set of codominant markers developed for M. ruthenica and knowledge of its outcrossing behavior should be highly valuable for molecular and traditional biological research.

Spectral Characteristics of Chemically Weathered Sandstones in the Yungang Grottoes, China

ABSTRACTMany of the sandstones at cultural heritage sites around the world are susceptible to chemical weathering, and long-term monitoring of the chemical weathering would be of great value for heritage conservation and would also provide reference data for environmental protection policies and projects. Reflectance spectroscopy is a potential tool for monitoring sandstone weathering due to its non-destructive characteristics. In this paper, we present the results of an investigation into the reflectance spectra of sandstones at the Yungang Grottoes, China, where the sandstones are variously fresh, calcite-dissolved, or argillitic-altered. We found several spectral absorptions, including those at 490, 675, 900, 1410, 1918, 2205, 2330, 2350, and 2380 nm. The absorptions at 490, 675, and 900 nm are related to hematite cement, while that at 2330 nm is associated with calcite cement. The absorptions at 1410, 2205, 2350, and 2380 nm are induced by the Al–OH vibration of kaolinite, and that at 1918 nm is related to crystal water. The calcite-dissolved sandstones have lower absorption intensities at 2330 nm than fresh sandstones, and the argillitic-altered sandstones have lower absorption intensities at 490, 675, and 900 nm than the fresh sandstones. In the 1st-derivative reflectance plots, the absorption peaks at ∼1400 nm shift towards shorter wavelengths with increasing kaolinite contents. The spectral features of the fresh, calcite-dissolved, and argillitic-altered sandstones are all different, and this means they can be distinguished spectroscopically, which demonstrates the usefulness of reflectance spectroscopy for the long-term monitoring of sandstone weathering in the Yungang Grottoes.

Environmental drivers of plant community assembly in Isla de los Estados at Southern Atlantic Ocean

The comprehensive assessment of environmental gradients influencing species assemblages is important for implementing new conservation strategies under climate change. This study aims to determine the multi-scale effect of altitudinal and longitudinal gradients as drivers of richness and plant community assembly in mountain landscapes of Isla de los Estados (Argentina) to identify areas with greater conservation value in Southern Patagonia. We chose three fjords across the island that extends from West to East and we categorized landscapes into four ecosystem types according to their vegetation type (forests and open-lands) and elevation (lower lands, 0–100 m.a.s.l. and upper lands, 300–400 m.a.s.l.). Forest structure, soil cover (woody debris, rocky outcrop and bare soil) and vegetation cover (vascular and non-vascular), including richness and growthforms (trees, shrubs, prostrate and erect herbs, tussock and rhizomatous grasses, ferns and inferior plants) were measured in 60 sampling areas (3 fjords × 2 vegetation types × 2 elevations × 5 replicates). ANOVAs and multivariate methods were used to analyse heterogeneity in forest structure, plant richness, and life-form. In addition, species richness and the Simpson’s diversity index were calculated to understand plant assembly at multiple-scales (α, β and γ). Our results showed that environmental gradients (altitudinal and longitudinal) are more important drivers of change of ecosystem type than forest spatial structure. Furthermore, forest structure significantly varied with altitudinal and longitudinal gradients affecting most of the studied variables. A greater similarity (in richness and cover) between open-lands of lower and higher elevations was detected, as well as between forests. Fjords showed a West-East gradient, where the western and center fjords were more closely related to each other than to the eastern fjord. A multi-scale diversity approach may play central role in improving our understanding the main environmental drivers of richness and plant community assembly in these forests, both theoretical and empirical, and may be used to identify the spatial scale at which ecosystem types have greater conservation value. This study indicates that for southern forest conservation at regional level, efforts must cover all environmental gradients, including the different vegetation types to assure ful conservation of all the species assemblages.

Staying cool: preadaptation to temperate climates required for colonising tropical alpine-like environments.

Plant species tend to retain their ancestral ecology, responding to temporal, geographic and climatic changes by tracking suitable habitats rather than adapting to novel conditions. Nevertheless, transitions into different environments or biomes still seem to be common. Especially intriguing are the tropical alpine-like areas found on only the highest mountainous regions surrounded by tropical environments. Tropical mountains are hotspots of biodiversity, often with striking degrees of endemism at higher elevations. On these mountains, steep environmental gradients and high habitat heterogeneity within small spaces coincide with astounding species diversity of great conservation value. The analysis presented here shows that the importance of in situ speciation in tropical alpine-like areas has been underestimated. Additionally and contrary to widely held opinion, the impact of dispersal from other regions with alpine-like environments is relatively minor compared to that of immigration from other biomes with a temperate (but not alpine-like) climate. This suggests that establishment in tropical alpine-like regions is favoured by preadaptation to a temperate, especially aseasonal, freezing regime such as the cool temperate climate regions in the Tropics. Furthermore, emigration out of an alpine-like environment is generally rare, suggesting that alpine-like environments – at least tropical ones – are species sinks.

New insights on Lepidoptera of Southern Italy with description of the male of Coenotephria antonii Hausmann 2011 (Lepidoptera)

Southern Italy is of particular biogeographic interest due to the location at the center of the Mediterranean Basin and its great environmental heterogeneity. Despite the faunistic interest of this territory, many insect taxa are still little investigated. Among insects, Lepidoptera have a relatively well known fauna, significantly increased in recent years, but there are still some gaps of knowledge in several habitats. The aim of this work was to contribute to the knowledge of the Macrolepidoptera of Southern Italy, focusing our study in Calabria, and to offer some thoughts on the role played by the Mediterranean mountain forests for the biodiversity conservation. Samplings were carried out in three mountainous areas of Calabria (Pollino Massif, Sila Massif and Serre Mountains) in May-November 2015 and in April-November 2016, using UV-LED light traps. We found ten species of high faunistic interest. Three species, <em>Nebula</em> <em>senectaria</em>, <em>Perizoma lugdunaria</em> and <em>Acasis</em> <em>appensata</em>, were for the first time recorded from Southern Italy, while seven were for the first time recorded from Calabria: <em>Coenotephria antonii, Thera obeliscata, Triphosa dubitata, Trichopteryx carpinata, Asteroscopus sphinx, Lithophane semibrunnea</em> and <em>Sideridis reticulata</em>. Of great interest was the discovery of the first male certainly attributable to Coenotephria antonii, endemic of Southern Italy, here described for the first time. The results exposed confirm that the fauna of Southern Italy is of great conservation value, hosting endemisms and several relict populations of European and Asiatic species with differentiated genetic lineages highly vulnerable to the climate change expected for the coming decades.

Spatial distribution of insect indicator taxa as a basis for peat bog conservation planning

Peat bogs are highly endangered ecosystems worldwide. In the Western Balkans, they represent fragmented habitat patches, where insect diversity and implications for the habitat loss are poorly known. Carabid beetles and ants, widely used environmental indicators, were sampled by pitfall trapping in the largest and oldest Croatian peat bog and at its edges. We found that tyrphobiontic—bog specialist—species were absent in both taxonomic groups, which is likely due to biogeographical limitation for dispersal of these species into this region. With this study, tyrphophilous—typical of bogs—species have been recognised as environmental indicators in the Western Balkans peat bogs. Assemblages of both taxa were strongly affected by specific conditions in the peat bog – high soil moisture and Sphagnum moss dominance, showing that edges are more favourable habitats for both taxa. Overall, carabid beetle activity density was significantly higher at the edge than at the peat bog, while species richness increased for both taxa at the edge, but not significantly. Spatial distribution of tyrphophilous species differed between studied taxa, with ants being more abundant in the peat bog, and carabid beetles at the edge. Additionally, some stenotopic and globally endangered species preferred edges. Occurrence of tyrphophilous and globally endangered species highlights the great conservation value of peat bog habitats in the Western Balkans. However, successional changes in vegetation are changing hydrological conditions of the peat bog. Here we suggest active conservation measures to preserve these unique soil invertebrate zoocoenoses.

A global problem requires a global multifaceted solution

A global problem requires a global multifaceted solution

The last frontiers of wilderness: Tracking loss of intact forest landscapes from 2000 to 2013.

An intact forest landscape (IFL) is a seamless mosaic of forest and naturally treeless ecosystems with no remotely detected signs of human activity and a minimum area of 500 km2. IFLs are critical for stabilizing terrestrial carbon storage, harboring biodiversity, regulating hydrological regimes, and providing other ecosystem functions. Although the remaining IFLs comprise only 20% of tropical forest area, they account for 40% of the total aboveground tropical forest carbon. We show that global IFL extent has been reduced by 7.2% since the year 2000. An increasing rate of global IFL area reduction was found, largely driven by the tripling of IFL tropical forest loss in 2011-2013 compared to that in 2001-2003. Industrial logging, agricultural expansion, fire, and mining/resource extraction were the primary causes of IFL area reduction. Protected areas (International Union for Conservation of Nature categories I to III) were found to have a positive effect in slowing the reduction of IFL area from timber harvesting but were less effective in limiting agricultural expansion. The certification of logging concessions under responsible management had a negligible impact on slowing IFL fragmentation in the Congo Basin. Fragmentation of IFLs by logging and establishment of roads and other infrastructure initiates a cascade of changes that lead to landscape transformation and loss of conservation values. Given that only 12% of the global IFL area is protected, our results illustrate the need for planning and investment in carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation efforts that target the most valuable remaining forests, as identified using the IFL approach.

Alignment between values of dryland pastoralists and conservation needs for small mammals.

Policies for conservation outside protected areas, such as those designed to address the decline in Australian mammals, will not result in net improvements unless they address barriers to proenvironmental behavior. We used a mixed-methods approach to explore potential value-action gaps (disconnects between values and subsequent action) for small mammal conservation behaviors among pastoralists in dryland Australia. Using semistructured surveys and open-ended interviews (n = 43), we explored values toward small mammals; uptake of a range of current and intended actions that may provide benefit to small mammals; and potential perceived barriers to their uptake. Pastoralists assigned great conservation value to small mammals; over 80% (n = 36) agreed to strongly agreed that small mammals on their property were important. These values did not translate into stated willingness to engage in voluntary cessation of wild-dog control (r2 = 0.187, p = 0.142, n = 43). However, assigning great conservation value to small mammals was strongly related to stated voluntary willingness to engage in the proenvironmental behavior most likely to result in benefits to small mammals: cat and fox control (r2 = 0.558, p = 0.000, n = 43). There was no significant difference between stated voluntarily and incentivized willingness to engage in cat and fox control (p = 0.862, n = 43). The high levels of willingness to engage in voluntary cat and fox control highlight a potential entry point for addressing Australia's mammal declines because the engagement of pastoralists in conservation programs targeting cat and fox control is unlikely to be prevented by attitudinal constraints. Qualitative data suggest there is likely a subpopulation of pastoralists who value small mammals but do not wish to engage in formal conservation programs due to relational barriers with potential implementers. A long-term commitment to engagement with pastoralists by implementers will thus be necessary for conservation success. On-property cat and fox control programs that build and leverage trust, shared goals, collaboration, and shared learning experiences between stakeholders and that explicitly recognize the complexity of small mammal dynamics and the property-level ecological knowledge of pastoralists are more likely to gain traction.

Germination of <i>Afrocarpus usambarensis and Podocarpus milanjianus</i> seeds in Sango Bay, Uganda

Sango Bay is a unique forest ecosystem, comprising swamp forests which are of great conservation value. It has been degraded for a long time by overharvesting of Afrocarpus usambarensis and Podocarpus milanjianus. Although these species produce seeds, regeneration in the forests has been poor, thus causing concern about the sustainability of the species. The objective of this study was to evaluate germination of seeds of these two species in the nursery for on-farm planting. Seed germination of A. usambarensis and P. milanjianus was evaluated between March 1999 and December 2003. Fourty eight nursery beds were constructed and each sown with 100 seeds. Seeds were subjected to eight pre-treatments and six watering levels. Afrocarpus usambarensis seeds had a mean germination of 45% and P. milanjianus seeds had 23%, under the same conditions. Seeds of A. usambarensis took 35-55 days to germinate, compared to 30-48 days for P. milanjianus. A combination of watering with 10 litres twice a day and soaking in hot water for 24 hours resulted in the highest germination percentage for both species.Keywords: Afrocarpus usambarensis, Podocarpus milanjianus, seed germination

Genomic diversity and geographical structure of the Pyrenean desman

The Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) is a small semi-aquatic mammal endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. The species has recently experienced a strong decline and some of its populations are severely threatened with extinction. To help in the preservation of this species, it is critical to understand its genetic structure and main evolutionary units, as these may have specific local adaptations and could be of great conservation value. Sequencing reduced representation libraries (ddRAD) from 26 specimens selected from across its entire range, we obtained around 45,000 loci per specimen and 1185 single nucleotide polymorphisms. Heterozygosity varied substantially among individuals from different areas. Interestingly, specimens from the southeastern Pyrenees had some of the lowest proportions of heterozygous positions inferred from genome-wide data in mammals so far. In addition, we estimated a tree reflecting genomic divergence, performed a principal component analysis, and carried out a Bayesian analysis of the population structure. Combined evidence supported the existence of five distinct genomic clusters largely coincident with the main mountain ranges where the species occurs, with few specimens presenting relevant admixture levels. There was good correspondence between these populations and the mitochondrial lineages detected in a previous study, yet substantial differences in some areas demonstrate the importance of performing genomic analysis to reveal the whole population history. Although the analysis of further specimens is necessary to better characterize the distribution of the different evolutionary units, the distinctive geographical structure of this species revealed by the genomic data should be considered in future conservation plans.