National Wildlife Research Articles

Potential exposure of native wildlife to anticoagulant rodenticides in Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain): Evidence from residue analysis of the invasive California Kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae)

Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs), particularly second-generation compounds (SGARs), are extensively used in pest management, impacting non-target wildlife. The California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae), an invasive species in Gran Canaria, is under a control plan involving capture and euthanasia. This research aimed to detect 10 different ARs in these snakes, explore geographical and biometrical factors influencing AR exposure, and assess their potential as sentinel species for raptors, sharing similar foraging habits. Liver samples from 360 snakes, euthanized between 2021 and 2022, were analysed for ARs using LC-MS/MS. Results showed all detected rodenticides were SGARs, except for one instance of diphacinone. Remarkably, 90 % of the snakes tested positive for ARs, with over half exposed to multiple compounds. Brodifacoum was predominant, found in over 90 % of AR-positive snakes, while bromadiolone and difenacoum were also frequently detected but at lower levels. The study revealed that larger snakes and those in certain geographic areas had higher AR concentrations. Snakes in less central or more peripheral areas showed lower levels of these compounds. This suggests a correlation between the snakes' size and distribution with the concentration of ARs in their bodies. The findings indicate that the types and prevalence of ARs in California kingsnakes on Gran Canaria mirror those in the island's raptors. This similarity suggests that the kingsnake could serve as a potential sentinel species for monitoring ARs in the ecosystem. However, further research is necessary to confirm their effectiveness in this role.

Environmental impact of energy imports: Natural resources income and natural gas production profitability in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Countries

Environmental degradation is a pressing global concern, with the energy sector being one of the major contributors to this issue. The environmental impact of energy imports, particularly regarding natural resources income and natural gas production profitability, cannot be ignored. Countries must assess the environmental consequences of their energy choices and take steps to minimize their impact. By transitioning to cleaner and more sustainable energy sources, countries can ensure a better future for the environment and their economies. This study examines the impact of energy imports and natural resources income on environmental degradation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries from 1990 to 2020, using revenue minus the production cost of natural gas and electricity production from renewable sources as moderating variables. Long-run estimates are derived using the Generalized Method of Moments and robust least squares. Our findings elucidate that importing energy from countries specializing in renewable energy can help reduce reliance on fossil fuels. This diversification of energy sources decreases the overall carbon footprint and contributes to a cleaner environment. Natural gas production often involves infrastructure construction, such as drilling rigs and pipelines, which can disrupt natural habitats and wildlife corridors. This destruction of ecosystems can have long-term consequences on biodiversity and ecological balance. The environmental impact of energy imports, particularly related to natural resource income and natural gas production profitability, requires BRICS countries to take proactive measures. These nations can address the environmental challenges associated with their energy demands by implementing policies prioritizing sustainable resource management, carbon pricing, stringent regulation, and investment in research and development. By doing so, they can balance economic growth and environmental sustainability, ensuring a greener future for the BRICS countries.

Free-ranging dogs are seriously threatening Himalayan environment: delineating the high-risk areas for curbing free-ranging dog infestation in the Trans-Himalayan region.

It is becoming more widely recognised that free-ranging dogs, which have a nearly global distribution, threatening native wildlife. Their increasing population and spread to new areas is of growing concern for the long-term viability of wildlife species. Hence, it is imperative to understand the factors responsible for their infestation and map areas where native species are most vulnerable. Using the random forests algorithm, we modelled the free-ranging dog infestation in the Trans-Himalayan region to pinpoint the high-risk areas where free-ranging dogs are threatening the native wildlife species. We found that the likelihood of free-ranging dog occurrence is most in valley regions and up to 4000 m, often in proximity to roads. Our results also indicated that free-ranging dog prefers areas with wildlife near to protected areas. The predictor variables, such as potential evapotranspiration of the coldest quarter, distance to protected areas, elevation, distance to roads, and potential evapotranspiration of the driest quarter, significantly influence the distribution of the free-ranging dogs. We found that within the Ladakh region of the Trans-Himalayan area, the high-risk zones for free-ranging dogs are located in and around Hemis National Park, Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary, and Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. While, in the Lahaul and Spiti region the high-risk areas encompass Pin Valley National Park, Inderkilla National Park, Khirganga National Park, Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary, and several other protected areas. We identified the potentially high-risk areas for implementing strategies to mitigate the possible impact of free-ranging dogs on native wildlife of the Himalayas. Hence, the identified high priority areas can be used for implementing actions for controlling the population growth and further preventing the infestation of the free-ranging dogs into the new areas.

Community Based Conservation on Lubuk Larangan and Conservation Corridor in North Sumatra

Lubuk-larangan or prohibited river is a traditional local wisdom practiced by the community in West and North Sumatra in preserving natural areas particularly fish habitat and river ecosystem. The practice is based on customary and communal deliberation in order to help the villages maintain their communal resources in a sustainable way. The protection brings a positive impact to the ecosystem as well as various wildlife and aquatic biota. By managing the existence of lubuk-larangan, they also will guard the natural ecosystem as well as the dwindling natural habitat. This paper presents a hypothesis that the prohibition of the area may potentially function as a conservation-corridor in facilitating the home range of natural habitats and wildlife accommodation within the conservation area. There are 25 conservation areas in North Sumatra with a total area of approximately 1 million ha. Some areas potentially could become a natural corridor for wildlife. Through this study we put a spot of potential corridor using GIS, by mapping the areas from 0 m of the protected areas such as national park, to up to 5000m to the position of lubuk-larangan. However by obtaining this map can provide legitimacy for communities at the surrounding conservation areas such as Batang Gadis National Park to participate indirectly in taking care of the national park by supporting their own lubuk-larangan. In practice, the community implements an opening ritual that is only held once a year, and fines are imposed for anyone who violates the rules that have been set and agreed upon. The regional government also supports the existence of lubuk-larangan in utilizing natural resources such as local fish in a sustainable manner. Based on our findings, there are 153 lubuk-larangan located at 64 rivers in 5 districts in North Sumatra that can be used as a link between natural life and conservation areas.

Assessing the illegal hunting of native wildlife in China.

Illegal harvesting and trading of wildlife have become major threats to global biodiversity and public health1-3. Although China is widely recognized as an important destination for wildlife illegally obtained abroad4, little attention has been given to illegal hunting within its borders. Here we extracted 9,256 convictions for illegal hunting from a nationwide database of trial verdicts in China spanning January 2014 to March 2020. These convictions involved illegal hunting of 21% (n = 673) of China's amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal species, including 25% of imperilled species in these groups. Sample-based extrapolation indicates that many more species were taken illegally during this period. Larger body mass and range size (for all groups), and proximity to urban markets (for amphibians and birds) increase the probability of a species appearing in the convictions database. Convictions pertained overwhelmingly to illegal hunting for commercial purposes and involved all major habitats across China. A small number of convictions represented most of the animals taken, indicating the existence of large commercial poaching operations. Prefectures closer to urban markets show higher densities of convictions and more individual animals taken. Our results suggest that illegal hunting is a major, overlooked threat to biodiversity throughout China.

Dynamics and determinants of human–hyaena conflicts in the surroundings of a protected area

AbstractHuman–wildlife conflicts (HWC) predominate in areas proximal to wildlife rich protected zones. Whereas herbivore driven HWC is easy to detect, the stealth, nocturnal and predacious nature of carnivores leads to human injury and fatality, livestock depredation and loss of livelihoods in communities proximal to Sengwa Wildlife Research Area (SWRA) in northwest Zimbabwe. This study aimed to: (1) determine the nature of human–hyaena conflicts (HHCs), (2) explore the drivers of HHCs and (3) investigate the spatial and temporal movement patterns of hyaenas in HHC hotspots in areas proximal to SWRA. The results indicated that prevalent HHC types include livestock depredation, property damage, harassment, nuisance and disruption of human movements around SWRA. Locals indicated removal of park fences, human settlement on wildlife migration corridors, increases in hyaena populations, easy stray livestock targets, increased poaching and removal of natural wildlife death carcasses by illegal hunters as key drivers of HHC. Hyaenas have a predetermined non‐seasonal movement pattern following traditional wildlife migration corridors through SWRA into proximal communities. Human–hyaena conflict abatement strategies should be underpinned by indigenous local knowledge of hyaena movement and hunting patterns. Integrating citizen science data and remote sensing techniques aids to track and understand movement and hunting patterns of hyaenas inside and outside of protected areas.

Prevalence and diversity of avian malaria parasites in illegally traded white‐winged parakeets in Peruvian Amazonas

AbstractIllegal or poorly regulated wildlife trade may enhance parasite spread worldwide, leading to pathogen outbreaks and the emergence of diseases affecting native wildlife, domestic animals and humans. The order Psittaciformes has the largest proportion of endangered species among all birds worldwide and is one of the most trafficked taxa in the pet trade. However, despite the large number of parrot species commercialized worldwide, the influence of illegally traded wild birds on the introduction of exotic pathogens is still poorly investigated. Here we molecularly examined the prevalence and genetic diversity of haemosporidian parasites in illegally traded white‐winged parakeets (Brotogeris versicolurus), one of the most trafficked parrots in South America. We found that 18.5% of parakeets harboured Plasmodium relictum GRW04, a highly invasive malaria parasite provoking population decline and even extinctions in native avifauna when established outside its natural range. We also showed that malaria infected birds have lower body condition than uninfected parakeets, revealing the negative effects of malaria on their avian hosts. These outcomes highlight the risk of malaria spill over and disease outbreak in illegally traded wildlife. Our results also reveal epidemiological key concepts in disease transmission, such as the role of poorly studied parrot species as natural reservoir hosts of haemosporidians. These findings stress the importance of enforcing health control regulations and trade policies to fight wildlife trafficking effectively.

CLINICAL AND SUBCLINICAL CYTAUXZOON FELIS INFECTIONS IN DOMESTIC CATS FROM A RECENTLY IDENTIFIED ENDEMIC REGION.

Cytauxzoon felis is a tick-transmitted intraerythrocytic apicomplexan infecting felids in the southeastern and midwestern United States. Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are the natural wildlife reservoir of C. felis, where in enzootic areas prevalence can reach 100%. Domestic cats can be subclinically infected with C. felis or can develop cytauxzoonosis. Two studies have documented the presence of C. felis in domestic cats in Illinois; these studies have shown a limited number of cases submitted to specialty labs. During 2014-2018, we obtained blood samples collected by veterinary staff from 514 cats that were apparently healthy and 74 cats that were suspected of cytauxzoonosis. These samples were screened using a sensitive, nested PCR to detect the presence of C. felis DNA. We herein document frequent occurrences of cytauxzoonosis (8-15 cases/year from 4 veterinary clinics) and 12.5% prevalence of subclinical infections in southern Illinois, a locality showing a sharp increase in cases of cytauxzoonosis. Our results suggest a high risk of cytauxzoonosis in southern Illinois, despite only recently being recognized in the area. We found no specific risk factors for cytauxzoonosis or subclinical infections in this location. In addition, cases of cytauxzoonosis occur every month of the year (with the highest frequency in summer) and therefore tick prevention should be used in domestic cats in enzootic regions throughout the year.

High prevalence of anticoagulant rodenticide exposure in New England Fishers (Pekania pennanti).

Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are increasingly recognized as a threat to non-target species including native wildlife. Fishers (Pekania pennanti) are generally considered deep forest inhabitants that are not expected to have high exposure to ARs. To evaluate the distribution and levels of ARs in fishers, we analyzed liver samples from fisher carcasses (N = 45) opportunistically trapped across Vermont and New Hampshire between 2018 and 2019. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to detect and quantify 11 different ARs in the liver tissue of each fisher at the time of trapping. All but one sample analyzed were positive for exposure to ARs, and 84% were positive for more than one type of AR. The most prevalent ARs detected were diphacinone (96%) and brodifacoum (80%). No samples had detectable levels of coumachlor, coumafuryl, difenacoum, pindone, or warfarin. These results are mostly consistent with findings for fishers in California as well as with a variety of rodent specializing avifauna throughout the Northeast USA but, show a higher prevalence of exposure and a different distribution of AR types than other studies. These results help establish current baseline exposure to ARs in fishers in the Northeast USA and suggest that ARs could pose a threat to wild mesocarnivore species in this region.

Biogeographic distribution and molecular epidemiology of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile in Western Australian soils.

Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile is a leading cause of infectious diarrhea in humans and production animals and can be found in a variety of environmental sources. The prevalence and diversity of multi-locus sequence type clade 5 strains of C. difficile in Australian production animals suggest Australia might be the ancestral home of this lineage of One Health importance. To better understand the role of the environment in the colonization of humans and animals in Australia, it is important to investigate these endemic sources. This study describes the prevalence, molecular epidemiology, and biogeographic distribution of C. difficile in soils of Western Australia. A total of 321 soil samples from remote geographical locations across the eight health regions of Western Australia were screened for C. difficile and isolates characterized by PCR ribotyping and toxin gene profiling. C. difficile was isolated from 31.15% of samples, with the highest prevalence in the Perth Metropolitan Health Region (49.25%, n = 33/67). Overall, 52 different strains [PCR ribotypes (RTs)] were identified, with 14 being novel, and 38% (38/100) of isolates being toxigenic, the most common of which was RT014/020. Five unique novel isolates showed characteristics similar to C. difficile clade 5. This is the first study of C. difficile isolated from soils in Australia. The high prevalence and heterogeneity of C. difficile strains recovered suggest that soils play a role in the survival and environmental dissemination of this organism, and potentially its transmission among native wildlife and production animals, and in community and hospital settings.IMPORTANCEClostridium difficile is a pathogen of One Health importance. To better understand the role of the environment in human and animal colonization/infection, it is critical that autochthonous reservoirs/sources of C. difficile be investigated. This is the first study of C. difficile isolated from soils of Western Australia (WA). Here, the ecology of C. difficile in WA is described by examining the geographic distribution, molecular epidemiology, and diversity of C. difficile isolated from soils across WA.

Wildlife Foxton Trust and One Welfare

The aim of this participatory research was to assist the Wildlife Foxton Trust to achieve its primary mission: to contribute to the wellbeing and flourishing of wildlife in the Foxton area and Aotearoa / New Zealand. The Trust believes in “Education by Example” (Wildlife Foxton Trust, 2023) and engages with local schools to develop and foster an ongoing commitment to the flourishing of native species in the Foxton area and in all of Aotearoa / New Zealand. To facilitate this, the Trust maintains populations of the less ‘glamourous’ native species such as skinks, geckos, fish and insects, which children can observe and learn about. The Trust is also home to several introduced species, such as sulphur-crested cockatoos (Cacatua galerita), a brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and a few non-native lizards, such as an Australian blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua scincoides) and a bearded dragon (Pogona barbata). Education is provided about these exotic animals with an emphasis on those which pose a threat to Aotearoa / New Zealand’s native animals. The objective of this project was to facilitate codevelopment of educational resources and approaches with the Wildlife Foxton Trust staff and visiting schools, which have a focus on promoting care of wildlife in the area. An important aspect of the project was identifying the need for education about the impact of family pets on native wildlife species, and the need for responsible pet ownership to ensure the wellbeing and flourishing of wildlife in the Foxton area and Aotearoa / New Zealand.

Urbanization, climate and species traits shape mammal communities from local to continental scales.

Human-driven environmental changes shape ecological communities from local to global scales. Within cities, landscape-scale patterns and processes and species characteristics generally drive local-scale wildlife diversity. However, cities differ in their structure, species pools, geographies and histories, calling into question the extent to which these drivers of wildlife diversity are predictive at continental scales. In partnership with the Urban Wildlife Information Network, we used occurrence data from 725 sites located across 20 North American cities and a multi-city, multi-species occupancy modelling approach to evaluate the effects of ecoregional characteristics and mammal species traits on the urbanization-diversity relationship. Among 37 native terrestrial mammal species, regional environmental characteristics and species traits influenced within-city effects of urbanization on species occupancy and community composition. Species occupancy and diversity were most negatively related to urbanization in the warmer, less vegetated cities. Additionally, larger-bodied species were most negatively impacted by urbanization across North America. Our results suggest that shifting climate conditions could worsen the effects of urbanization on native wildlife communities, such that conservation strategies should seek to mitigate the combined effects of a warming and urbanizing world.

Recolonizing native wildlife facilitates exotic plant invasion into Singapore's rain forests

AbstractHalting biological invasions and rewilding extirpated native fauna are conservation interventions to bolster biodiversity, species interactions, and ecosystems. These actions are often considered separately and the potential for reintroduced wildlife to facilitate invasive plants has been largely overlooked. Here, we investigated the role of Singapore's recolonizing native wild pigs (Sus scrofa) in facilitating an invasive weed Miconia crenata into tropical rainforests, which are normally highly resistant to invasion. We conducted line‐transect surveys in 11 Singaporean rain forests and used generalized linear mixed models to consider the contribution of pigs' soil disturbances, human forest paths, and other environmental covariates, on the density of M. crenata. We found that M. crenata was more abundant at forest edges and invasion into forest interior was facilitated by pigs, paths, and canopy gaps, but that these effects were all additive, not synergistic (i.e., not multiplicative). These results highlight how modern invasions are driven by multiple disturbances as well as propagule pressure (e.g., urban birds dispersing seeds at forest edges where they establish in pig soil disturbances). Singapore's extensive native forest restoration efforts may have provided plentiful edge and secondary forests that are well suited to pigs and M. crenata, which in turn undermine the aims of fostering later‐successional native plant communities. To prevent negative externalities, we suggest that plant restoration and rewilding projects consider the potential role of wildlife in facilitating non‐native plants, and couple these actions with preliminary screening of unintended consequences and continued monitoring, as well as limiting human‐mediated weed invasion to minimize propagule sources.

Roles for Wildlife in the Development of Place Meanings Ascribed to a Protected Area.

Wildlife play prominent roles in popular images of America's outdoor landscapes, yet our understanding of their contribution to place meanings is not fully developed. Although environmental management agencies have a long history of stewarding wildlife for hunting and fishing, they have been less inclined to prioritize non-consumptive uses such as the contribution of wildlife to sense of place. Given that agencies are increasingly challenged to implement policies that align with citizen priorities, connecting wildlife to sense of place could lead to more effective decisions. Our research explored the plurality of connections that residents made with wildlife in multiple protected areas across the USA region of Interior Alaska. Residents of nine communities were engaged over a five-year period, followed by a thematic analysis of interview data, which resulted in the identification of seven place meaning themes. These themes reflected qualities of the local environment that were appreciated by residents, including: 1) desirable travel destination, 2) distinct sense of community, 3) landscape of subsistence and tradition, 4) landscape of wildlife habitat, 5) natural resources in need of harvesting, 6) rural Alaskan lifestyle, and 7) wildland areas tied to recreation. Native wildlife species-from traditionally charismatic species like moose (Alces alces) to less iconic species such as snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) - were discussed in the context of all seven place meaning themes. Wildlife provided a basis for study participants to interpret landscapes and ascribe meanings to places, thus supporting our argument that shared influences of wildlife and place meanings should be prioritized in environmental planning and management.

Can acoustic indices reflect the characteristics of public recreational behavioral in urban green spaces?

Acoustic indicators serve as an effective means of assessing the quality of urban green space soundscape. The informative, easy accessibility and non-invasive nature of acoustic monitoring renders it an excellent tool for studying the interaction among the natural environment, wildlife, and human activities. Urban green space is essential in the urban ecosystem and constitutes the primary location for public outdoor recreation. However, the existing methods for monitoring public recreational behavior, such as on-site observation, drone observation, or questionnaire interviews, require significant labor or professional expertise. All of these methods have their limitations, so there is still much to be researched in the acoustic indices and recreational behavior. As a result, the potential for using acoustic characteristics to monitor public recreational behavior remains underexplored. To address this gap, this study investigates the potential of 5 widely used acoustic indices and acoustic intensity for monitoring public recreational behavior: Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI), Acoustic Diversity Index (ADI), Acoustic Richness (AR), Normalized Difference Soundscape Index (NDSI), and Power Spectral Density (PSD). Data were collected from 35 monitoring points in urban green spaces during the opening hours (6:00–22:00) to analyze the relationship between these indices and public recreational behavior. The findings indicate that (1) ACI, ADI, and AR daily exhibited multi-peak daily variation characteristics similar to those of public recreational behavior, displaying a “W” shape, while NDSI exhibits opposite variation characteristics; (2) the spatial variation characteristics of ACI, ADI, and AR change in response to the green space, and these changes align with public recreational behavior; (3) the correlation analysis and generalized linear mixed model construction further demonstrate that acoustic indices are effective in capturing the dynamic activities of visitor behavior; and (4) PSD undergoes significant temporal dynamic changes along the frequency gradient, with different frequency intervals reflecting the activity information of different recreational behaviors. In conclusion, this research highlights the effectiveness of using acoustic indices to analyze both the spatial and temporal variation characteristics of public recreational behavior in urban green spaces. The results can provide valuable data support for the enhancement and renovation of urban green spaces.

Interpretive Paradigm: Disclosure of Local Community Concern for the Environment (Study in Alas Purwo National Park Area, Banyuwangi, East Java)

Alas Purwo National Park is a protected national park located in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. The Alas Purwo National Park currently allows for a variety of activities, including tourism and scientific study. In its development, the tourism industry must consider environmental, economic, social, and cultural factors, among others. Additionally, Alas Purwo National Park is a state-protected park, thus environmental sustainability must be considered. The aim of this research was to investigate how people interpret the notion of environmental stewardship. This researcher employed descriptive qualitative methods with primary data sources from informants who are Bedul and Alas Purwo Banyuwangi region residents engaged in economic activities. Determination of informants utilizing semi-structured interviews and open-ended questions based on snowball sampling. The results of the study indicate that the community in Alas Purwo National Park already appreciates the importance of caring for the environment and contributing to its preservation. Moreover, managers always maintain the ecosystem and advise visitors not to harm the native flora and wildlife.

Tourism in a Unique Destination

Tourism in Antarctica has been dynamically developed in recent decades, although it is located in a small geographical part of continent. The main reason that visitors plan a trip to the destination, when the opportunity is given, is the natural landscape and wildlife. In addition, overheating of the planet that causes ice to melt has enhanced the feeling of fear as there is severe environmental concern for the coming years. Space and seasonal exclusions make it even more special and the tourist product which is offered by this continent is expensive and requires a lot of preparation. Tourism activity in such a fragile environment has sparked several reactions in the past, mainly from the scientific community, as it is the main recipient of the negative effects of tourism. Furthermore, organized efforts have been made so that the offered product will promote more environmentally friendly trips that will affect the ecosystem as little as possible.
 The main objective of this research is to analyze this kind of tourism because of the need for new forms. The positive and negative impacts that tourism can have on the environment and the statistics on arrivals and countries of origin of tourists in recent years are analyzed. Moreover, the tourist packages that seem to be in the greatest demand of visitors are presented. The main research question of this paper is whether this destination can host intense tourism activity. Following an extensive bibliographic review, the research makes it clear that the study area cannot support strong tourism activity even though future tourism forecasts report an additional increase in arrivals.

Abundance and Breeding Ecology of Critically Endangered Vultures in Mole National Park, Ghana

ABSTRACT Vultures are among the most threatened species in Africa, with several critically endangered species surviving mainly or only in protected areas. West African vulture declines are correlated with steep losses of natural habitat and mammalian wildlife. Major factors driving vulture extirpations include wildlife trade for traditional medicine, belief-based rituals, and bushmeat. Current data on vulture abundance and breeding ecology are crucial for conservation but lacking in many countries, including Ghana. Between 2020 and 2022, we conducted 761 km of surveys for critically endangered vultures in Mole National Park (Mole NP), a 4840 km2 protected savanna in northern Ghana. Using our count data, we estimated populations of 29–36 Hooded Vultures (Necrosyrtes monachus), 25–73 White-backed Vultures (Gyps africanus), and 3–4 White-headed Vultures (Trigonoceps occipitalis) in the southern region of Mole NP. We also documented 17 occupied vulture nests, including six Hooded Vulture nests, 10 White-backed Vulture nests, and one White-headed Vulture nest. Our findings include the first nest records for Hooded Vultures in Mole NP, the first nest description of White-backed Vultures in Ghana, and the first nest records for White-headed Vultures in Ghana, confirming the importance of Mole NP for conserving critically endangered vultures. Reducing poaching, preventing the killing of vultures for wildlife trade, and protecting vulture habitat and food resources will be paramount to the survival of critically endangered vultures in Ghana and West Africa.

Conservation planning in national parks may benefit from site occupancy and detection estimates of native animal species

Protected areas are the best strategy to conserve native biodiversity around the world. In Southeast Asia, most of the pristine tropical forest habitats are limited to terrestrial protected areas such as national parks and wildlife reserves. Endau Rompin National Park (ERNP) is one of undisturbed biodiversity-hotspots in the southern region of Peninsular Malaysia but surrounded by industrial oil palm plantations and threatened by habitat fragmentation. To date, little is known about the distribution and habitat requirement of wildlife, including those conservation priority species in the ERNP. This study aims to investigate the mammal distribution in the ERNP by estimating the probability of occurrence of a species among sampled sites. At 24 camera-trapping sites, we used passive infrared camera traps to detect the forest wildlife. We estimated wildlife occupancy by using single-season occupancy analysis while considering of imperfect detection and relating it to stand- and landscape-level variables. We detected 26 species of native wild animals in the study area including several conservation priority species such as Asian elephant, Asian tapir, and Malayan tiger. The site occupancy of conservation-priority species attests to ERNP's status as an important regional biodiversity hotspot. The detection probabilities of wildlife species were highly sensitive to specific ecological variables at stand- and landscape-level. Our data indicated that tree canopy cover, forest edges, adjacent human settlements, and riparian habitats (e.g., stream and river) are crucial for the persistence of the native wildlife species. Our results suggest that pristine forest habitat such as those typical to the ERNP are critical for wildlife conservation. We suggest that the stand- and landscape-level ecological variables are considered in the conservation planning to protect the forest biodiversity and ecological integrity of the national park and other terrestrial protected areas in the tropics.

Epidemiological connectivity between humans and animals across an urban landscape.

Urbanization is predicted to be a key driver of disease emergence through human exposure to novel, animal-borne pathogens. However, while we suspect that urban landscapes are primed to expose people to novel animal-borne diseases, evidence for the mechanisms by which this occurs is lacking. To address this, we studied how bacterial genes are shared between wild animals, livestock, and humans (n = 1,428) across Nairobi, Kenya-one of the world's most rapidly developing cities. Applying a multilayer network framework, we show that low biodiversity (of both natural habitat and vertebrate wildlife communities), coupled with livestock management practices and more densely populated urban environments, promotes sharing of Escherichia coli-borne bacterial mobile genetic elements between animals and humans. These results provide empirical support for hypotheses linking resource provision, the biological simplification of urban landscapes, and human and livestock demography to urban dynamics of cross-species pathogen transmission at a landscape scale. Urban areas where high densities of people and livestock live in close association with synanthropes (species such as rodents that are more competent reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens) should be prioritized for disease surveillance and control.