Informing Snow Measurement Site Selection with Remote Sensing and Local Ecological Knowledge: A Case Study in Oregon

This paper explores the erosion of foraging-related ethnobotanical knowledge in three coastal Mediterranean areas: Gozo Island (Malta), Kasos Island (Greece), and the Castagniccia region of Corsica Island (France). Based on recent ethnobotanical fieldwork between the summer of 2023 and the spring of 2025 in the three study areas, we document the few remaining wild vegetable uses in each region and contextualise the absence of robust LEK linked to plant foraging within broader socio-environmental changes. Our findings show that land abandonment, mass migration, desertification, and the rise of seasonal tourism have contributed to the disintegration of Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK). These forces have severed communities from everyday land-based practices, transforming vibrant ethnobotanical traditions into fragmented memories. We argue that LEK, particularly foraging knowledge, cannot survive in the absence of continuous interaction with the landscape, and that the revival of such practices requires more than nostalgic return, demanding a reconnection with local agro-ecological systems.

This study investigated the coverage and shoot density of Posidonia oceanica seagrass in no-fishing zones, fishing zones, and ports within two Special Environmental Protection Areas (Gökova and Datça Bozburun) in Türkiye that are characterized by intense boating impacts (e.g., anchor damage, mechanical disturbance). The data were collected using information based on diving observations, as well as local ecological knowledge of divers, tour boat owners, and small-scale fishers. The goal was to identify threat factors affecting P. oceanica meadows, evaluate stakeholder observations, interactions, and awareness regarding the species, examine the role of no-fishing zones in its protection, and better understand the potential contributions of stakeholders to its monitoring. Combining ecological metrics with stakeholder perspectives, the present study sought to contribute to the holistic evaluation of P. oceanica in marine protected areas. The results revealed that, in the no-fishing zones of Gökova, the coverage and shoot density of P. oceanica were higher than in the fishing zone, while in Datça Bozburun; furthermore, the coverage and shoot density were found to be relatively high in the fishing zone. Nearly half of the small-scale fishers operating in permitted fishing zones reported that P. oceanica meadows are their preferred fishing habitat. Furthermore, 81% of tour boat owners stated that they anchor in P. oceanica meadows during their tours, with an average of 3 ± 1 anchorages per day. The interviewed stakeholders also reported possessing a strong awareness of the species and being well-positioned to actively contribute to its monitoring. The study concludes with a discussion of management tools needed to protect seagrass meadows in the areas requiring regular monitoring.

Guided by local ecological knowledge: Indigenous fishers’ identify new nesting site of Olive ridley turtles in Car Nicobar Island, Bay of Bengal

Local Ecological Knowledge and forest inventories reveal Afzelia africana Sm. decline in Benin, West Africa

ABSTRACT The ongoing biodiversity crisis is driven primarily by habitat degradation and accelerating climate change, with extreme climatic events increasingly shaping population dynamics across taxa. Detecting and interpreting these effects requires long‐term ecological studies, yet such datasets remain rare, including Africa where biodiversity is high and ecological systems are strongly influenced by climatic variability and human land use. Here we synthesise evidence demonstrating why short‐ and even medium‐term studies often fail to capture the demographic consequences of climate change, especially those driven by rare but severe events such as droughts and floods. Drawing on case studies from temperate and tropical systems—including predator–prey collapses, reptile population crashes and iconic long‐term projects such as Gombe and Amboseli—we show how sustained monitoring has transformed ecological understanding and conservation priorities. We emphasise that Africa's ecological complexity and prevalence of long‐lived species make long‐term, population‐focused research particularly critical. However, funding structures and institutional constraints frequently undermine continuity. To address this gap, we propose an integrative framework combining targeted long‐term ecological research funding, institutional support for data continuity, community‐based monitoring and local ecological knowledge, and the integration of diverse data sources. We argue that long‐term monitoring is not a luxury but a scientific and ethical necessity for effective conservation under rapid environmental change.

Despite their crucial role in livelihoods and commercial activities in coastal communities, numerous artisanal fisheries are often underreported and underestimated because of the absence of proper monitoring programs since they started. This lack of data hinders the assessment of the spatial dynamics and status of the resources these fisheries have targeted over time. This is especially concerning, considering the severe overexploitation faced by many coastal resources. Using tools to assess local ecological knowledge, the present study summarizes the perceptions of artisanal fishers regarding spatial and temporal changes in their fishing grounds across nearshore and offshore coastal environments in Ecuador, South America. From April to September 2023, 1,366 fishers from 22 fishing villages were interviewed about the state of their resources and how their fishing grounds and catches changed over the decades of the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. We employed a semi-quantitative virtual abundance change framework to convert categorical trend values into numerical data and to associate these with the fishing grounds described by each fisher per decade. Almost all fishers interviewed (approximately 99%) indicated that fishing yields have declined significantly, that the number of targeted species has increased, and that their fishing areas have expanded and shifted farther from the coast. Specifically, the overall perceived trends indicate that catches in the 2010s were 30% lower than in the pre-1980s and approximately 59.5% lower than in the 2000s. While there was an important increase in the distance to the port of origin through the decades, the core fishing grounds (where 60–100% of fishers operate) were located near the coast within the first 8 nautical miles. The results of this assessment highlight the importance of collaboration between fishers and scientists in reconstructing the historical dynamics of under-assessed coastal fisheries.

Local ecological knowledge (LEK), cultivated through direct interactions of human communities with their environment, has the potential to utilize customary practices to implement sustainable forest management effectively. Documentation of LEK and farming practices of agroforestry farmers could provide an avenue for preserving forest resources without compromising their forest-dependent livelihoods. This research aimed to identify how the LEK of the Barangay Lalakay agroforestry farmers in Los Baños influences their farming practices in their portion of the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve (MMFR). This was done through participatory mapping activities, which are integrated in household interviews and a focus group discussion, along with key informant interviews involving relevant stakeholders. The data gathered were then analyzed through thematic analysis, and a thematic LEK map was generated based on the findings. At the end of the study, findings show that the LEK of the agroforestry farmers in Barangay Lalakay is influenced by a multitude of factors, including Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems (MCME) technical training sessions, direct interaction with the environment, intergenerational transmission, economic optimization, local innovation, and the history of the community’s settlement in the area. They were also able to demonstrate their ability to adapt to the changing environment through the development of farming system innovations, such as the diversification of crop selections. These innovations are aided by the training sessions provided by MCME, which show the potential for the academic community to enhance LEK. These findings show that integrating LEK in forest land use planning demonstrates a participatory approach in integrated forest management.

The purpose of this study is to examine forest management laws from a local wisdom perspective, with the goal of protecting biodiversity and maintaining the functions of forest ecosystems. Therefore, effective local wisdom legal policies are needed to improve sustainable forest management in Indonesia. A literature review is the research methodology employed to explore literature related to good forest governance and forestry legal policy in Indonesia. The results of this study indicate that the existing legal framework often fails to guarantee the equitable distribution of resources, the recognition of indigenous peoples' rights, substantial public involvement, and skills improvement across all ecosystem components. Due to regulatory uncertainty, tenurial disputes between local communities and indigenous peoples persist, often involving government agencies and businesses, and public involvement remains limited. Awareness and recognition of the inseparable interaction between organisms and their surroundings underscore the importance of traditional ecological knowledge in emphasizing the unity of all elements that live, grow, and develop together on planet Earth. For this reason, a local wisdom legal policy construction model is needed that describes how to care for forests and natural resources connected to the landscape through a Co-management model by synergizing and integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into forest management policies.

Extreme droughts in Southern Zambia have intensified water scarcity, contributing to livelihood disruption, social tensions, and adaptive migration across the Ngwezi River Basin. Although dams and boreholes have been developed through climate-resilience programmes, uncertainty remains regarding the sustainability of these interventions and their integration with community-based governance systems. This study examined the interaction between local water-management practices and formal governance structures using the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) framework. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining household surveys, focus group discussions, and key-informant interviews across upstream, middle-reach, and downstream communities. Quantitative data were analysed using chi-square tests, while qualitative data were thematically analysed to capture institutional, cultural, and hydrological influences on adaptation. The results reveal significant spatial variation in water-management practices across the basin ( p < 0.05). Communities employ diverse strategies, including rainwater harvesting, soil-moisture conservation, crop diversification, and social water-sharing arrangements, reflecting strong local adaptive capacity but limited engagement with formal institutions, particularly the Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA). Participants further indicated that state- and NGO-led interventions often overlook customary governance structures and reinforce inequities in water access. The study concludes that strengthening water security in the Ngwezi River Basin requires hybrid governance arrangements that integrate local ecological knowledge and customary authority into formal IWRM mechanisms through inclusive decision-making and co-management, thereby enhancing resilience, equity, and the long-term sustainability of water resources in Zambia’s semi-arid regions.

BackgroundDespite global investment in studying, protecting, and managing carnivores, species like the clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa (Griffith, 1821), renowned for its elusive nature, remain significantly understudied. There is also insufficient knowledge of clouded leopard research trends in spatial and temporal domains. Additionally, thematic areas of research on this species are not clearly known. This gap in information may hinder the development of effective strategies to address key conservation challenges such as habitat loss, poaching, and illegal trade.MethodsTo bridge these gaps, we systematically reviewed 123 peer-reviewed journal articles published up to December 2022, offering critical insights into the current state of knowledge and identifying future research priorities to inform conservation planning.ResultsThe spatial analysis of clouded leopard research reveals that Thailand (n = 28) dominates the range countries, while the USA (n = 26) dominates non-range countries in terms of research efforts. Temporally, research output has shown a significant increase since 2006, peaking in 2016 (n = 13), with a positive trend in publications (Kendall’s tau = 0.52, P < 0.001). Most studies focused on anatomy and physiology in captive populations (n = 31) and habitat use and distribution in free-ranging populations (n = 23). The studies on the impact of climate change on the clouded leopard and its habitat, alongside feeding ecology, remain scant, necessitating the future research in these areas. Our analysis also revealed that the maximum number of publications employed diagnosis and treatment (26%), followed by camera trapping (24.4%). We recommend integrating local ecological knowledge and monitoring technologies to map the clouded leopard’s corridors, connectivity, and bottleneck sites at the landscape level. A higher number of publications addressed habitat loss and illegal trade as the primary threats to clouded leopard conservation. Effective law enforcement, proper land use, land cover planning, and community engagement are crucial for conserving this species. Moreover, clouded leopard range countries are recommended to develop sustainable financial mechanisms and implement the conservation action plan across the country, which can improve conservation outcomes.

Phenology of fish movements between a mediterranean lagoon and the sea: Insights from acoustic camera and fishers’ local ecological knowledge

Increasing occurrence of the bearded fireworm (Hermodice carunculata) poses a threat for small-scale fisheries in the central Mediterranean Sea.

ABSTRACTPorcupines are the megafauna of Southeast Asia's rodent community and—as such—potentially perform important ecological roles in the rainforest habitats they are common in. We investigated four ecological roles of Malayan porcupines (Hystrix brachyura) and brush‐tailed porcupines (Atherurus macrourus) within the Belum–Temenggor rainforest complex of Peninsular Malaysia. First, camera traps placed at four Malayan porcupine and one brush‐tailed porcupine burrow showed that the burrows were used in varying ways by at least 22 other animal species. These animals shared the burrow, fed on insects at the entrance or possibly investigated the burrows as predators. Second, seedling surveys on top of the burrows, suggested that burrows might also be good microsites for seedling establishment and growth (as found previously in arid and semi‐arid habitats), with a higher species richness and density on the burrows than at control sites. Third, porcupines consumed 80 plant species (identified through Local Ecological Knowledge, or LEK, from the Indigenous community), 65% of which they acted as seed predators for. Fourth, they were seed dispersers of 33% of consumed species—mainly by hoarding—but also dispersed a few species by endozoochory or consuming only the pulp. The dispersed species (identified through LEK) included many megafaunal‐syndrome species, and porcupines also showed high dispersal overlap with elephants (and rats). Hence, as common, megafaunal rodents, porcupines are performing important ecological roles within rainforests. These findings highlight the important, yet overlooked, role of porcupines in maintaining tropical rainforest function, underscoring that their conservation is essential for sustaining tropical biodiversity.

Although climate change may facilitate the spread of invasive alien species (IAS), research assessing this link remains limited. Recognizing suitable habitats where IAS have been introduced is crucial for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. Here, we integrated online, museum, and laboratory occurrence databases with local ecological knowledge (LEK) on IAS fishes from semi-structured interviews and georeferenced social network posts from traditional and recreational fishers to model the habitat-suitability of three voracious IAS Cichlids introduced in the Brazilian part of the Upper Paraguay River Basin (the Pantanal wetland and its tributaries). Our goal was to locate areas (regions, sub-basins, and reservoirs) most at risk from the spread of these IAS fishes in the basin. The findings reveal extensive suitable habitats for these IAS fishes throughout the study basin, currently covering half of the Pantanal wetland and up to 90% of the upstream sub-basins. Under future climate scenarios, these suitable habitats are projected to expand further, encompassing almost the entire Pantanal floodplain. These results highlight a potential IAS Cichlid range expansion in the Pantanal floodplains in the upcoming decades, correlating with common climate change forecasts. We also emphasize the value of integrating ecological niche models (ENMs) along with Citizen Science data to identify high-risk areas during early invasion stages, inform preventive strategies, and support conservation efforts to mitigate the impacts of IAS on native biodiversity.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-30425-3.

Local ecological knowledge to assess gender-based perceptions of the invasion of Pacifastacus leniusculus in a protected area

Abstract The Amazon is renowned for its exceptional biodiversity, which faces significant threats from deforestation. Effective biological monitoring is essential for conservation strategies, but remains challenging in Amazonian remote areas. This study explores the contributions of local ecological knowledge (LEK) to understanding habitat occupancy in the Central Amazon, comparing line‐transect surveys with structured interviews with local people. Sampling targeted 13 fluvial islands and five continuous forest sites, focusing on 10 taxa, including birds, mammals, and reptiles. Interviews provided higher detection ( p = 0.73) and occupancy (ψ = 0.70) probabilities compared to line‐transect ( p = 0.42, ψ = 0.52). The positive correlation between interviews and line‐transect occupancy estimates (0.69; p &lt;.03) suggests the potential to complement traditional surveys with LEK‐based methods. The interviews provided insights into iconic species occupancy, including brown‐throated sloth ( Bradypus variegatus ) and jaguar ( Panthera onca ). The jaguar, brown‐throated sloth and red howler monkey ( Alouatta juara ) demonstrated the highest occupancy probabilities in line‐transects. Similarly, these species also showed the highest detection probabilities in interviews, while the red howler monkey exhibited the highest in line‐transects. We highlight the potential for complementing traditional surveys with LEK‐based approaches to attempt more comprehensive, rapid and cost‐effective biodiversity monitoring, while promoting collaboration with local communities, crucial for conservation efforts in the Amazon and similar remote ecosystems globally.

Implications from centennial changes in Xin’an traditional cherry cultivation system and local traditional ecological knowledge

BackgroundPollination is a complex and biocultural significant ecological process, essential for the reproduction of cultivated and wild plants. In family farming, pollination is crucial due to the economic and cultural dependence on pollinators. This study examines local ecological knowledge about pollination in three localities of northern Patagonia, Argentina.MethodsSemi-structured interviews and participant observation were conducted with 30 family farmers in Villa Llanquín, Río Villegas, and El Manso. The interviews included open- and closed-ended questions about perceptions and practices related to pollination. In addition, free listing and visual stimulus techniques were used to further explore local ecological knowledge. The data were analyzed qualitatively through discourse analysis and quantitatively using indices, descriptive statistics, and generalized linear models to investigate the relationship between LEKP and cultivated area, management practices, seniority, and plant species richness.ResultsSixteen local names were identified to refer to 15 pollinators. The insects with the highest cultural significance index were the honeybee Apis mellifera and bumblebees Bombus spp. About 97% of the farmers recognized the pollination process, and 93% emphasized its importance for horticultural production and the environment. Management practices carried out by farmers were indirect in 67.2% of cases and direct in 32.8%. Both types of practices favor pollinators and promote biodiversity. Finally, the importance of reflexivity and methodological flexibility in ethnobiological work was discussed.Discussion and conclusionThese results underscore the importance of local ecological knowledge in pollinator conservation and biodiversity promotion. This study emphasizes the necessity of contextualized and specific approaches to understand the socioecological dynamics that influence local knowledge.

Climate change deeply impacts plant phenology, mostly in vulnerable high-altitude ecosystems like the Himalaya. This study investigates climate-driven shifts in the flowering phenology of Rhododendron a keystone species and significant bio-indicator to climate warming across a multi-altitudinal gradient (1500-3000 m) in Bageshwar district, Uttarakhand. Combining decadal climate records, attentive field observations (December 2023- October 2024), and invaluable local ecological knowledge from interviews with 150 respondents and a synthesis of recent literature. Analysis revealed a significant mean winter temperature increase of 1.3oC over last few decades in the study area. Results indicate significant advancement in flowering time, especially at lower and mid-altitudes, lower elevations experienced blooming 6-8 weeks earlier. While mid to high elevations showed 3–4-week advancement compared to historical norms. Essentially observation of community independently verified these shifts, with local inhabitants also reporting a perceived decline Rhododendron populations at lower altitudes. These findings underscore the high climate sensitivity of Rhododendron arboreum and highlight profound ecological implications, including potentially phenological mismatches with pollinators and a risk of range contraction. The study emphasizes the urgent need for elevation specific monitoring and targeted conservation strategies of long-term phenological monitoring to protect Himalayan Mountain Biodiversity.