Non-protected Areas Research Articles

The socioeconomic and environmental niche of protected areas reveals global conservation gaps and opportunities

The global network of protected areas has rapidly expanded in the past decade and is expected to cover at least 30% of land and sea by 2030 to halt biodiversity erosion. Yet, the distribution of protected areas is highly heterogeneous on Earth and the social-environmental preconditions enabling or hindering protected area establishment remain poorly understood. Here, using fourteen socioeconomic and environmental factors, we characterize the multidimensional niche of terrestrial and marine protected areas, which we use to accurately establish, at the global scale, whether a particular location has preconditions favourable for paestablishment. We reveal that protected areas, particularly the most restrictive ones, over-aggregate where human development and the number of non-governmental organizations are high. Based on the spatial distribution of vertebrates and the likelihood to convert non-protected areas into strictly protected areas, we identify ‘potential’ versus ‘unrealistic’ conservation gains on land and sea, which we define as areas of high vertebrate diversity that are, respectively, favourable and unfavourable to protected area establishment. Where protected areas are unrealistic, alternative strategies such as other effective area-based conservation measures or privately protected areas, could deliver conservation outcomes.

Latitudinal gradients of biodiversity and ecosystem services in protected and non-protected oak forest areas can inform climate smart conservation

Adaptive governance of areas set aside for future protection of biodiversity, sustainable production, and recreation requires knowledge about whether and how effects of area protection are modulated by climate change and redistribution of species. To investigate this, we compare biodiversity of plants (assessed using vegetation plots) and arthropods (collected with Malaise traps, analyzed using metabarcoding) and productivity (tree growth, determined using dendrochronology) in protected and non-protected oak (Quercus spp.) forests along a latitudinal gradient (55.6 °N – 60.8 °N) in Sweden. We also compare historical, recent and projected future climate in the region. In contrast to established global latitudinal diversity gradients, species richness of plants and arthropods increased northwards, possibly reflecting recent climate-induced community redistributions, but neither was higher in protected than in non-protected areas, nor associated with contemporary ground temperature. Species composition of arthropods also did not differ between protected and non-protected areas. Arthropod biomass increased with latitude, suggesting that the magnitude of cascading effects mediated via their roles as pollinators, herbivores, and prey for other trophic levels, varies geographically and will change with a moving climate. Annual growth rate of oaks (an ecosystem service in the form of biomass increase and carbon sequestration) was independent of latitude and did not differ between protected and non-protected areas. Our findings question the efficacy of contemporary designation and management of protected oak forests, and emphasize that development and implementation of modified climate smart conservation strategies is needed to safeguard ecosystem functioning, biodiversity, and recreational values of protected forest areas against future challenges.

Microbial communities and high trophic level nematodes in protected argan soil show strong suppressive effect against Meloidogyne spp.

In many agroecosystems, soil suppressiveness to root knot nematodes (RKN) is of great interest in defining the biological agents controlling population density, especially with growing concerns about the environmental and human health impacts of chemicals. In this study, we evaluated the suppressiveness to Meloidogyne spp. in two land use soils: a protected argan soil from the Souss Massa National Park (SMNP), Morocco, and a conventional soil from an adjacent non-protected area. Using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, we characterized the fungal and bacterial communities in these soils for the first time. Nematodes belonging to different trophic guilds were also analyzed to further understand ecological factors that enable suppressive organisms to function and persist in the soil. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse with tomato plants grown in untreated and autoclaved soils, each inoculated with 800 Meloidogyne infective juveniles (J2). We found that omnivore-predator nematode abundance, structure, and maturity indices were higher in the protected soil indicating the presence of a well-structured soil food web and a stable ecosystem. After sixty-seven days, RKN population density and gall index were reduced by 79.6 % and 81.5 % in the protected soil, respectively. 50 % autoclaved protected soil was also suppressive, but not 75 % and totally autoclaved soil. In contrast, conventional soil amplified the RKN population by 1319 %. More than 6770 bacterial and 558 fungal taxa were detected in this study, with Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Mortierellales, Orbiliales, Agaricales, Diversisporales, and Pleosporales being consistently associated with RKN suppression. We found that fungal diversity was higher in SMNP-protected soil. In conclusion, soil protection enhances soil ecosystem resilience and that protected argan soils can serve as a valuable source of biological agents for the sustainable management of phytoparasitic nematodes.

Linking soil health and carbon dynamics to conservation measures: Evidence from nematode communities in Souss-Massa National Park, Morocco

Global environmental policies have effectively designated 17 % of the Earth's surface as protected areas and implemented robust measures to address climate change. However, the importance of soils as critical reservoirs of biodiversity and carbon is often overlooked in global policy making. In the present study, we used nematodes as indicators to assess the impact of conservation strategies on soil food web connectance. We explored nematode metabolic footprints and their carbon budget, and evaluated soil health by identifying factors that influence nematode functional diversity. We collected 180 soil samples from three zones in the Souss Massa National Park in Morocco: transitional zone (organic cropping and grazing activities), buffer zone (grazing activity), core zone (strictly protected area), and a nearby intensively farmed non-protected area. We noted a consistent decline in diversity within all trophic groups from the core zone (56 taxa) to the non-protected zone (18 taxa). A notable increase in total nematode abundance and herbivore diversity was observed in the organic soils of the transitional zone. In contrast, nematode abundance and diversity were lower in non-protected zones. Meloidogyne, a sedentary endoparasite, was prevalent in conventional crops outside the park but was not reported within the park. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium were the major soil parameters affecting nematode food webs. The functional metabolic footprints of nematodes were enhanced by nature conservation, highlighting the crucial role of nematodes in generating carbon influxes in protected areas. Our results show that 3.11× 1012 nematodes (with a total biomass of 330.47 tonnes) inhabit surface soils across the park, which is 14.38 times greater than the same area in the non-protected zone. Daily production and storage of biomass and carbon budget were 43.85 and 48.93 % higher in the park top soils than in the non-protected zone, respectively. This knowledge is significant for decision makers when formulating nature conservation programs, planning sustainable land use strategies, and addressing the challenges of rising CO2 emissions.

Impact of Nutrient Enrichment on Community Structure and Co-Occurrence Networks of Coral Symbiotic Microbiota in Duncanopsammia peltata: Zooxanthellae, Bacteria, and Archaea.

Symbiotic microorganisms in reef-building corals, including algae, bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses, play critical roles in the adaptation of coral hosts to adverse environmental conditions. However, their adaptation and functional relationships in nutrient-rich environments have yet to be fully explored. This study investigated Duncanopsammia peltata and the surrounding seawater and sediments from protected and non-protected areas in the summer and winter in Dongshan Bay. High-throughput sequencing was used to characterize community changes, co-occurrence patterns, and factors influencing symbiotic coral microorganisms (zooxanthellae, bacteria, and archaea) in different environments. The results showed that nutrient enrichment in the protected and non-protected areas was the greatest in December, followed by the non-protected area in August. In contrast, the August protected area had the lowest nutrient enrichment. Significant differences were found in the composition of the bacterial and archaeal communities in seawater and sediments from different regions. Among the coral symbiotic microorganisms, the main dominant species of zooxanthellae is the C1 subspecies (42.22-56.35%). The dominant phyla of bacteria were Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidota. Only in the August protected area did a large number (41.98%) of SAR324_cladeMarine_group_B exist. The August protected and non-protected areas and December protected and non-protected areas contained beneficial bacteria as biomarkers. They were Nisaea, Spiroplasma, Endozoicomonas, and Bacillus. No pathogenic bacteria appeared in the protected area in August. The dominant phylum in Archaea was Crenarchaeota. These symbiotic coral microorganisms' relative abundances and compositions vary with environmental changes. The enrichment of dissolved inorganic nitrogen in environmental media is a key factor affecting the composition of coral microbial communities. Co-occurrence analysis showed that nutrient enrichment under anthropogenic disturbances enhanced the interactions between coral symbiotic microorganisms. These findings improve our understanding of the adaptations of coral holobionts to various nutritional environments.

Understanding typhoon-induced vegetation loss and potential ecosystem disservices from land use zonings perspective in high-density Hong Kong

While cities are embracing nature through urban greening and nature conservation, vegetation in typhoon-prone cities is facing stress from intense typhoon disturbances. Limited studies have investigated vegetation loss and its potential ecosystem disservices in the aftermath of typhoons from a land use zoning perspective. Therefore, we (1) compared vegetation losses from three 2023 category 3–4 typhoons in Hong Kong across all land uses in protected and non-protected areas, (2) identified hot spots and cold spots, and (3) weighed the annual average daily traffic and urban volumetric density with vegetation loss rates to generate a Disservice Risk Index for analysis. Results suggest that vegetation loss rate in non-protected areas was higher (7.23%) than in protected areas (1.57%). Within protected areas, country parks had the lowest loss rate (0.11%) and the highest percentage of cold spots (79.4%). In contrast, transportation land use has the highest loss rate of 18.04% and the highest percentage of hot spots (17.9%) within non-protected areas. Ecosystem disservices are potentially more adverse in the city center, which requires immediate preventive measures. This study provides timely urban greening and conservation implications for typhoon-prone cities to allocate vegetation that maximizes ecosystem services while minimizing disservices under frequent typhoon disturbances.

Identifying wild boar (Sus scrofa) crop damage hotspots to mitigate human-wild boar conflicts in northern Iran

Conflict between wild boars and humans, and the ensuing economic losses has been a global challenge for government authorities and conservation biologists for over a decade. Understanding the interplay of ecological and anthropogenic factors driving human–wild boar conflicts is paramount for formulating effective strategies to address this challenge. This study employed species distribution modeling (SDM) to predict the extent and distribution of wild boar damage risk in Taleghan, Iran, where crop cultivation and livestock rearing represent the primary livelihood activities for the local communities. Our analyses revealed that 7.7 % of the overall study area is at high risk of wild boar crop damage. The area of high risk is proportionally smaller in the no-hunting zone (1.6 %) compared to the non-protected zone (14.8 %). Also, the areas at high risk were significantly lower within the no-hunting (1200 ha) area than in non-protected area (9500 ha). The most important determinants of the occurrence of high wild boar damage are presence of orchards (30.7 %), rangeland density (24.4 %), distance to human settlements (19.4 %), and slope (10.7 %). This study successfully mapped wild boar damage risk in northern Iran. The results suggest that areas with gentle slopes, heterogeneous landscapes featuring dense vegetation (i.e., orchards and rangelands) and human settlements with sparse road networks are at the highest risk of wild boar damage. The resulting map of conflict hotspots offers a concise visualization of conflict patterns across the landscape, facilitating prioritization and development of conflict mitigation measures for areas that require immediate attention.

Essential contribution of habitats in non-protected areas to climate-driven species migration in China

Given the reality of climate-driven migration, the net effectiveness of existing spatially fixed protected areas (PAs) to biodiversity conservation is expected to decline, while the potential of non-PA habitats (non-PAs, i.e., natural, altered, or artificial ecosystems that are not formally designated as PAs) for biodiversity conservation is gaining attention. However, the contribution of non-PAs to biodiversity conservation remains poorly understood. With the aim of comprehensively assessing the effectiveness of non-PAs as transient refugia and steppingstones during future climate-change-induced migration of species in China, a six-metric integrated framework was applied and statistics of these metrics for PAs and non-PAs are compared. Results reveal that, a greater area of non-PAs have a low velocity of climate change (VoCC) compared to that of PAs, and can therefore serve as temporary refugia for species. The disappearing climate index (DCI) and novel climate index (NCI) results show that some 17% of the subdivided climate classes within the PAs have changed. However, the displacement index (DI) results imply that nearly half (48.98%) of the PAs need non-PAs to provide transient refugia for climate-driven migration of species in PAs. The higher ratio of effective steppingstones measured using the climate corridor score (CCS) and landscape current flow (LCF) further emphasizes that non-PAs play a more significant role as steppingstones for climate-driven migration than do PAs in terms of both their structural and functional connectivity. Our research further demonstrates that a conservation approach that improves connectivity among PAs and considers Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) is essential for long-term biodiversity adaptation to climate change.

Unveiling interconnectedness between marine protected and non‐protected areas in Tanzania: Insights from barred mudskipper (Periophthalmus argentilineatus) population genetic structure

AbstractMarine protected areas (MPAs) are globally recognised for their role in safeguarding marine fisheries from the detrimental impacts of human activities and climate change. Tanzania, in alignment with global conservation efforts, has designated 18 MPAs and plans to establish four more in the Southwestern Indian Ocean. However, a critical challenge arises from the lack of a thorough understanding of genetic connectivity between populations in MPAs and non‐protected areas (NPAs). To address this, 151 mitochondrial D‐loop sequences (357 base pairs) of Barred mudskipper (Periophthalmus argentilineatus) were analysed to assess genetic connectivity between MPAs and NPAs in Tanzania. The findings revealed a low and insignificant index of genetic differentiation (FST = −0.0046, p > 0.05) between populations in MPAs and NPAs. Furthermore, haplotypes from both MPAs and NPAs did not cluster based on their geographical origins, with over 9 haplotypes shared between these areas. Additionally, the measured haplotype and nucleotide diversities did not differ significantly between MPAs and NPAs (p > 0.05). However, MPAs showed a significantly higher number of private haplotypes compared to NPAs (p < 0.05). These findings suggest high genetic interconnectedness between populations in MPAs and NPAs, underlining the importance of existing MPAs in preserving local genetic diversity and their potential to replenish depleted NPAs. However, realising the full potential of this interconnectedness necessitates stringent enforcement of sustainable fishing practices to alleviate pressure on fish stocks. It also requires the protection of critical habitats that serve as corridors for fish dispersal, facilitating interconnectedness between MPAs and NPAs.

Analysis of Priority Conservation Areas Using Habitat Quality Models and MaxEnt Models.

This study investigated core habitat areas for yellow-throated martens (Martes flavigula) and leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis), two endangered forest species sensitive to habitat fragmentation in Korea. Overlaying the InVEST-HQ and MaxEnt models, priority conservation areas were identified by analyzing gaps in currently protected areas. The InVEST-HQ model showed that habitat quality ranged from 0 to 0.86 on a scale from 0 to 1, and the majority of the most suitable areas on the Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map, designated as grade 1, were derived correctly. The MaxEnt model analysis accurately captured the ecological characteristics of the yellow-throated marten and the leopard cat and identified probable regions of occurrence. We analyzed the most suitable yellow-throated marten and leopard cat habitats by superimposing the two results. Gap analysis determined gaps in existing protected areas and identified priority conservation areas. The core area (14.7%) was mainly distributed in forests such as the Baekdudaegan Mountains Reserve in regions such as Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam, and Gangwon; 12.9% was outside protected areas, and only 1.8% was protected. The overlap results between protected and non-protected areas were compared with different land use types. Conservation priority areas were identified as those with more than 95% forest cover, offering an appropriate habitat for the two species. These findings can be used to identify priority conservation areas through objective habitat analysis and as a basis for protected area designation and assessment of endangered species habitat conservation, thereby contributing to biodiversity and ecosystem conservation.

Detection of mainland Kedah’s shoreline changes (2013-2020); a case study

Abstract Shoreline erosion and accretion are natural processes that involve the gradual change in the shape and position of coastlines due to the movement of water, sediment, and geological factors. These processes have significant implications for coastal environments, ecosystems, and human activities. Therefore, it is essential to frequently assess the shoreline changes for effective coastal management, sustainable development, and safeguarding valuable ecosystems. In the present study, shoreline condition along mainland Kedah (109 km) was investigated through remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) techniques. The assessment was performed over the period of 7 years (2013 and 2020) by analysing the satellite images captured by Landsat-8 satellite Operational Land Imager (OLI) at 15 m resolution. Preprocessing was established by performing image geometric correction and registration. Next, the Support Vector Machines (SVMs) toolbox was used for image classification to define the water and non-water fields. Later, the shoreline was extracted from the classified images and overlaid in a geodetic base in ArcGIS software to detect shoreline changes. The results showed that the majority of mainland Kedah’s shoreline did not experience extensive erosion or accretion at which 54% of the shoreline (58.8 km) was found to be stable. Erosion was observed at 6 locations with a total length of 10.1 km (9% of the total shoreline length) which was mainly concentrated in the non-protected areas. On the other hand, shoreline accretion was observed at 19 locations with a total length of 40.1 km (37% of the total length). It is worth highlighting that the erosion areas were concentrated in the southern part of the coastline, while the accretion areas were distributed between the middle part and the north side of mainland Kedah’s shoreline.

An avifaunal checklist of the Bani Wildlife Sanctuary, Jammu & Kashmir, India

Protected areas are important for biodiversity conservation as they offer suitable habitats and protection from anthropogenic activities that harm wildlife. Establishing additional protected areas such as National parks, Wildlife sanctuaries, and Biosphere reserves reduces the threat to a species compared to non-protected areas. Before designating an area as protected, it’s crucial to identify which species are threatened and require urgent conservation efforts. The present study was undertaken in the Bani Wildlife Sanctuary, which falls in the western Himalayas, from March 2021 to February 2022 to compile an avifaunal checklist of the sanctuary. The checklist was created by conducting systematic field surveys and opportunistic bird sightings. A total of 135 bird species belonging to 45 families were recorded during the present study. The family Muscicapidae, represented by 17 species, dominates the list. Our study confirmed that the Bani Wildlife Sanctuary supports a rich avifaunal community with three species Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus, Cheer Pheasant Catreus wallichi, and Bearded Vulture Gypus barbatus classified as Threatened in the global Red List by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Sustainable management of predatory fish affected by an Allee effect through marine protected areas and taxation

Ecological balance and stable economic development are crucial for the fishery. This study proposes a predator–prey system for marine communities, where the growth of predators follows the Allee effect and takes into account the rapid fluctuations in resource prices caused by supply and demand. The system predicts the existence of catastrophic equilibrium, which may lead to the extinction of prey, consequently leading to the extinction of predators, but fishing efforts remain high. Marine protected areas are established near fishing areas to avoid such situations. Fish migrate rapidly between these two areas and are only harvested in the nonprotected areas. A three-dimensional simplified model is derived by applying variable aggregation to describe the variation of global variables on a slow time scale. To seek conditions to avoid species extinction and maintain sustainable fishing activities, the existence of positive equilibrium points and their local stability are explored based on the simplified model. Moreover, the long-term impact of establishing marine protected areas and levying taxes based on unit catch on fishery dynamics is studied, and the optimal tax policy is obtained by applying Pontryagin’s maximum principle. The theoretical analysis and numerical examples of this study demonstrate the comprehensive effectiveness of increasing the proportion of marine protected areas and controlling taxes on the sustainable development of fishery.

A Benchmark Data Set for Long-Term Monitoring in the eLTER Site Gesäuse-Johnsbachtal

This paper gives an overview over all currently available data sets for the European Long-term Ecosystem Research (eLTER) monitoring site Gesäuse-Johnsbachtal. The site is part of the LTSER platform Eisenwurzen in the Alps of the province of Styria, Austria. It contains both protected (National Park Gesäuse) and non-protected areas (Johnsbachtal). Although the main research focus of the eLTER monitoring site Gesäuse-Johnsbachtal is on inland surface running waters, forests and other wooded land, the eLTER whole system (WAILS) approach was followed in regard to the data selection, systematically screening all available data in regard to its suitability as eLTER’s Standard Observations (SOs). Thus, data from all system strata was included, incorporating Geosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Biosphere and Sociosphere. In the WAILS approach these SOs are key data for a whole system approach towards long term ecosystem research. Altogether, 54 data sets have been collected for the eLTER monitoring site Gesäuse-Johnsbachtal and included in the Dynamical Ecological Information Management System – Site and Data Registry (DEIMS-SDR), which is the eLTER data platform. The presented work provides all these data sets through dedicated data repositories for FAIR use. This paper gives an overview on all compiled data sets and their main properties. Additionally, the available data are evaluated in a concluding gap analysis with regard to the needed observation data according to WAILS, followed by an outlook on how to fill these gaps.

Leopard density and determinants of space use in a farming landscape in South Africa

Protected areas are traditionally the foundation of conservation strategy, but land not formally protected is of particular importance for the conservation of large carnivores because of their typically wide-ranging nature. In South Africa, leopard (Panthera pardus) population decreases are thought to be occurring in areas of human development and intense negative interactions, but research is biased towards protected areas, with quantitative information on population sizes and trends in non-protected areas severely lacking. Using Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture and occupancy techniques including 10 environmental and anthropogenic covariates, we analysed camera trap data from commercial farmland in South Africa where negative human-wildlife interactions are reported to be high. Our findings demonstrate that leopards persist at a moderate density (2.21 /100 km2) and exhibit signs of avoidance from areas where lethal control measures are implemented. This suggests leopards have the potential to navigate mixed mosaic landscapes effectively, enhancing their chances of long-term survival and coexistence with humans. Mixed mosaics of agriculture that include crops, game and livestock farming should be encouraged and, providing lethal control is not ubiquitous in the landscape, chains of safer spaces should permit vital landscape connectivity. However, continuing to promote non-lethal mitigation techniques remains vital.

Species richness and ecological connectivity of the mammal communities in urban and peri-urban areas at Mexico City

Urban expansion has emerged as a pervasive driver of biodiversity loss in Mexican cities due to shifts in landscape composition and configuration. Hence, the preservation of forest cover, green spaces and isolated trees assume a critical role in conserving the biodiversity within urban areas. We compared mammal assemblages across 520 sites in Mexico City examining the impact of local vegetation and site characteristics (e.g., patch size, isolation distance) on diversity patterns. Then, we used a generalized linear model to evaluate the relationship between mammal assemblages (including both alpha and beta diversities) and the level of structural and functional connectivity across the landscape. We collected 5,063 records of 38 species from the sampled sites. Mammalian richness ranged from 1 to 9 spp./site, and the mean of taxonomic and functional (Functional Distance [MFD]) alpha diversities were 1.9 ± 1.3 spp./site and 0.41 ± 0.60 MFD/site, respectively. The average size of habitat fragments was 0.41 hectares, and the percent forest cover per site ranged from 0.5 to 100%. Both species and functional alpha diversities were different among the land-use and vegetation types (including protected vs. non-protected areas). There was a clear distinction (β value > 0.40) in species composition across the landscape, which was positively related to geographical distance and negatively related to connectivity between sites. We identified four main patches especially important to connectivity across the city and argue that conserving them is critical for restoring key components of biodiversity and ecosystem services in urban and peri-urban areas of Mexico City.

Two decades of clear-cutting threats in the Brazilian Amazonian protected areas around the Jirau, Santo Antônio, and Belo Monte large dams

Deforestation rates in the Amazon have markedly increased in the last few years, affecting non-protected and protected areas (PAs). Brazil is a hotspot of Protected Area Downgrading, Downsizing, and Degazettement (PADDD) events, with most events associated with infrastructure projects. Despite the threats dams impose on PAs, there is a knowledge gap in assessing deforestation in PAs around large dams in the Amazon. This study investigates how deforestation affects Biodiversity Protection Areas (BioPAs) and Indigenous Lands around the Jirau and Santo Antônio (JSA) dams (Madeira River, Rondônia) and Belo Monte dam (Xingu River, Pará) in the Brazilian Amazon. We compared clear-cutting between PAs and control areas and the annual rates of forest change between pre-dam and post-dam periods. We discussed deforestation-related factors (e.g., PADDD events and the presence of management plans or councils). Our results show an increase in deforestation after the operation of the dams when environmental control from licensing agencies decreases and other political and economic factors are in practice. Indigenous Lands experienced a significant increase in deforestation around the Belo Monte dam, which is associated with the demarcation process and land conflicts. Surrounding the JSA dams, sustainable use BioPAs showed high deforestation rates, and 27 PADDD events were reported, four directly related to dams. In addition to dams, deforestation was associated with the crisis of Brazilian democracy and the weakening of environmental policies. In conclusion, the weak environmental control from environmental licensing agencies during dam operation and PADDD events have contributed to increased deforestation rates and additional stresses in the Amazon.

Composition and Conservation Status of Avifauna in Urban Non-protected Important Bird Area (IBA) Site of Western India

Kumbharwada wetland, an Important Bird Area (IBA) component in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India, is a crucial wintering ground for migratory birds. Long-term monitoring of the avian community over a period of long time-frame is an excellent way to examine the health of this IBA site and thus provide an important ground to foster the conservation of birds in the region and management of this wetland. Given this consideration, field surveys were carried out from December 2020 to May 2023, following point count method to study the avian species richness in the study area. A total of 204 bird species belonging to 20 orders and 56 families are recorded, of which 85 species are migratory and 119 are resident. Anatidae is the most species-rich avian family (16 species). Highest number of species was recorded in the month of January (165 species in 2021 and 163 species in 2022). This wetland supports 107 (52.45%) wetland-associated species and 97 (47.55%) terrestrial species of birds. Twelve species are considered as Near Threatened, four species as Vulnerable and one species (Aquila nipalensis) as Endangered in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Four species (Sterna aurantia, Mycteria leucocephala, Phoeniconaias minor, and Threskiornis melanocephalus) with globally declining trend, are commonly seen in the study area, which shows that the wetland is a crucial habitat for bird species with high conservation priorities. Industrialization, encroachment, discharge of sewage water and chemical effluents, high-tension powerlines, stray dogs, and expansion of exotic vegetation remained the major threats to the habitat and avian community.

How Effective Is Environmental Protection for Ensuring the Vitality of Wild Orchid Species? A Case Study of a Protected Area in Italy.

Orchids are among the plants most threatened by anthropic impact and environmental changes. Therefore, all known orchid species are protected in several countries by regional, national and international legislation. Several studies have cast doubts on the effectiveness of legislation to ensure the protection of wild orchids. We assessed the vitality of four orchid populations in a coastal area in Northern Italy, by monitoring the vegetative and reproductive traits of the orchid populations growing both in the protected sites comprising the Natura 2000 network, and in non-protected sites. We also monitored the level of environmental threat to orchid vitality. The early-flowering deceptive species (Ophrys sphegodes and Anacamptis morio) exhibited high vegetative vitality and experienced similar levels of environmental threat in the protected and non-protected areas. However, their reproductive success was strongly jeopardized, probably by a failed pollination that impeded the fruit set. The late-flowering, partially or totally rewarding species (Anacamptis pyramidalis and Anacamptis coriophora) were more strongly impacted by spring mowing and ungulate herbivory and alien species. Only for A. coriophora were the herbivory and alien species invasions lower at the protected vs. non-protected sites, which ensured a higher population vitality at the protected sites. We conclude that the environmental protection in our study area is ineffective for preserving orchids without targeted actions against specific environmental threats.

A multitaxonomic assessment of Natura 2000 effectiveness across European biogeographic regions.

The Natura 2000 (N2K) protected area (PA) network is a crucial tool to limit biodiversity loss in Europe. Despite covering 18% of the European Union's (EU) land area, its effectiveness at conserving biodiversity across taxa and biogeographic regions remains uncertain. Testing this effectiveness is, however, difficult because it requires considering the nonrandom location of PAs, and many possible confounding factors. We used propensity score matching and accounted for the confounding effects of biogeographic regions, terrain ruggedness, and land cover to assess the effectiveness of N2K PAs on the distribution of 1769 species of conservation priority in the EU's Birds and Habitats Directives, including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, arthropods, fishes, mollusks, and vascular and nonvascular plants. We compared alpha, beta, and gamma diversity between matched selections of protected and unprotected areas across EU's biogeographic regions with generalized linear models, generalized mixed models, and nonparametric tests for paired samples, respectively, for each taxonomic group and for the entire set of species. PAs in N2K hosted significantly more priority species than unprotected land, but this difference was not consistent across biogeographic regions or taxa. Total alpha diversity and alpha diversity of amphibians, arthropods, birds, mammals, and vascular plants were significantly higher inside PAs than outside, except in the Boreal biogeographical region. Beta diversity was in general significantly higher inside N2K PAs than outside. Similarly, gamma diversity had the highest values inside PAs, with some exceptions in Boreal and Atlantic regions. The planned expansion of the N2K network, as dictated by the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, should therefore target areas in the southern part of the Boreal region where species diversity of amphibians, arthropods, birds, mammals, and vascular plants is high and species are currently underrepresented in N2K.