Protected Sites Research Articles

CREEK RESTORATION EFFECTS ON TIDAL DYNAMICS IN MANGROVES

Mangroves provide natural buffers between land and sea, protecting both coastal communities and nature as they attenuate waves and stabilize shorelines but also filter terrestrial runoff. Tropical mangroves are also biodiversity hotspots and provide other ecosystem services such as supporting fish and shellfish habitat, accommodating ecotourism and sequestering carbon. Nevertheless, mangrove coasts have become increasingly exposed to changing environmental conditions, a trend that has resulted in a declining mangrove cover on a global scale. At the protected Ramsar site of Lac Bay, Bonaire, large areas of mangroves have been subject to deterioration and tree mortality (Senger et al., 2021). Excessive sediment inputs from the land and mangrove growth have clogged existing creeks and reduced hydrodynamic circulation through the mangrove system. Resulting changes in sedimentation rates, submergence and water quality affect the survival of the inland mangroves in Lac Bay. The (re-)creation of suitable morphological and hydrodynamic conditions is key for mangrove restoration (Friess et al., 2019). This study investigates the potential of creek restoration to increase the hydrodynamic circulation in the mangroves of Lac Bay, thereby accommodating their survival.

Habitat Distribution Pattern of Rare and Endangered Plant Magnolia wufengensis in China under Climate Change

Magnolia wufengensis is a newly discovered rare and endangered species endemic to China. The primary objective of this study is to find the most suitable species distribution models (SDMs) by comparing the different SDMs to predict their habitat distribution for protection and introduction in China under climate change. SDMs are important tools for studying species distribution patterns under climate change, and different SDMs have different simulation effects. Thus, to identify the potential habitat for M. wufengensis currently and in the 2050s (2041–2060) and 2070s (2061–2080) under different climate change scenarios (representative concentration pathways RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0, and RCP8.5) in China, four SDMs, Maxent, GARP, Bioclim, and Domain, were first used to compare the predicted habitat and explore the dominant environmental factors. The four SDMs predicted that the potential habitats were mainly south of 40° N and east of 97° E in China, with a high distribution potential under current climate conditions. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) (0.9479 ± 0.0080) was the highest, and the Kappa value (0.8113 ± 0.0228) of the consistency test and its performance in predicting the potential suitable habitat were the best in the Maxent model. The minimum temperature of the coldest month (−13.36–9.84 °C), mean temperature of the coldest quarter (−6.06–12.66 °C), annual mean temperature (≥4.49 °C), and elevation (0–2803.93 m), were the dominant factors. In the current climate scenario, areas of 46.60 × 104 km2 (4.85%), 122.82 × 104 km2 (12.79%), and 96.36 × 104 km2 (10.03%), which were mainly in central and southeastern China, were predicted to be potential suitable habitats of high, moderate, and low suitability, respectively. The predicted suitable habitats will significantly change by the 2050s (2040–2060) and 2070s (2060–2080), suggesting that M. wufengensis will increase in high-elevation areas and shift northeast with future climate change. The comparison of current and future suitable habitats revealed declines of approximately 4.53%–29.98% in highly suitable habitats and increases of approximately 6.45%–27.09% and 0.77%–21.86% in moderately and lowly suitable habitats, respectively. In summary, these results provide a theoretical basis for the response to climate change, protection, precise introduction, cultivation, and rational site selection of M. wufengensis in the future.

National scale mapping of supply and demand for recreational ecosystem services

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) are often underrepresented in ecosystem service assessments, despite the importance of these benefits. Recreation is often used to represent CES, however identifying, quantifying, and mapping these services continues to be a challenge. In this study, we develop a national CES map predicting recreation demand (e.g. walking, hiking, cycling) for the United Kingdom (UK). Recreation demand is calculated as the number of projected visits for local recreation, estimated using the universal law of human mobility which accounts for the attractiveness of an area. Recreation demand was found to be the greatest in areas surrounding high population centres, compared with protected sites which were deemed more attractive but were in more remote areas. This pattern was most pronounced when evaluating weekly visits, but was still evident where the visit frequency was reduced to annual. In this study, we also evaluate whether this demand is met for recreation by assessing the presence of paths. The mean for met demand (paths present) was 4.5 times greater than unmet demand (paths absent) for yearly visits across the UK. Generally, in the areas of highest demand close to populated centres, paths were present, making 84% of all yearly recreational demand met by path infrastructure. However, paths are lacking from 42% of the UK, with some of these areas coinciding with higher recreation demand, for example in the northeast and parts of Wales. Our study therefore highlights not only where the recreation demand is highest and access should be maintained, but also where demand for recreation exists but the infrastructure including paths are not present, and therefore has the potential to be improved. This information is useful for policy makers and land managers, as it allows areas to be prioritised for the maintenance and improvement of recreation provision under new land management policy.

Aerial insectivorous bat responses to 30 years of forest insularization in a dam-created Amazonian archipelagic landscape

Mega dams result in habitat loss and fragmentation in lowland tropical forests, compromising the diversity and ecosystem functioning in remnant habitat islands. We investigated the structure of aerial insectivorous bat assemblages within insular forest patches created by a vast ∼30-year-old hydropower reservoir and adjacent mainland continuous forests in Central Amazonia. Bats were surveyed using passive bat recorders across 34 sites. We assessed bat assemblage responses to landscape insularization and estimated the contribution of assemblage-wide components of β-diversity. Additionally, we assessed the effects of local vegetation, and both patch and landscape variables on bat species diversity. Continuous forest sites in the mainland retained higher species richness and bat activity compared to islands, leading to divergent species composition between forest sites. Larger islands (>100 ha) and continuous forests tended to share a similar assemblage composition manly drive by species richness differences with a minor contribution of species replacements. Moreover, local vegetation structure, island size, and landscape edge area exerted significant effects on species richness, bat activity, and species composition, with small degraded islands and landscapes dominated by forest edges exhibiting pervasive species loss. Our study highlights the detrimental impacts of forest fragmentation induced by large dams on aerial insectivorous bat assemblages. If new dam projects are inevitable, we recommend the creation of extensive protected areas in land-bridge island systems and their adjacent continuous forests. Those protected sites can minimize the negative impacts of small islands, safeguarding forest quality for forest-dependent bats, which ensures the continuity of their ecosystem services.

Can we have it all? The role of grassland conservation in supporting forage production and plant diversity

ContextA key global challenge is to meet both the growing demand for food and feed while maintaining biodiversity’s supporting functions. Protected grasslands, such as Natura 2000 sites in Europe, may play an important role in harmonising productivity and biodiversity goals. This work contributes to an understanding of the relationship between forage production and plant diversity in protected and non-protected grasslands.ObjectivesWe aimed to identify differences in plant diversity and forage production between protected and non-protected grasslands by assessing the effects of land-use intensity (i.e. mowing, grazing, fertilising) on these variables.MethodsData were available for 95 managed grassland plots (50 × 50 m) in real-managed landscapes. After controlling for site conditions in the analysis, we tested for significant differences between protected and non-protected grasslands and used a multi-group structural equation modelling (SEM) framework to investigate the linkages between land-use intensity, biomass and plant diversity.ResultsIn protected grasslands, plant diversity was significantly higher while forage production was significantly lower. In non-protected grasslands we found significantly higher land-use intensity, particularly in relation to mowing and fertilisation. Grazing intensity did not significantly differ between protected and non-protected grasslands. In non-protected grasslands we found a significant negative association between forage production and plant diversity. However, this effect was not significant in protected grasslands. We also found a negative association between land-use and plant diversity in both grassland types that was related to mowing and fertilising intensity. These two management aspects also influenced the positive association between land-use intensity and forage production. Furthermore, environmental conditions had a positive effect on forage production and a negative effect on plant diversity in protected grasslands.ConclusionsOur results confirm that the protection of grassland sites is successful in achieving higher plant diversity compared to non-protected grasslands and that protected grasslands do not necessarily trade-off with forage production. This is possible under moderate grazing intensities as higher land-use intensity has a negative effect on plant diversity, particularly on rare species. However, forage production is lower in protected sites as it is driven by mowing and fertilisation intensity. Future research needs to further investigate if the nature of these relationships depends on the livestock type or other management practices.

Plasmodium falciparum infection of human erythroblasts induces transcriptional changes associated with dyserythropoiesis

AbstractDuring development down the erythroid lineage, hematopoietic stem cells undergo dramatic changes to cellular morphology and function in response to a complex and tightly regulated program of gene expression. In malaria infection, Plasmodium spp parasites accumulate in the bone marrow parenchyma, and emerging evidence suggests erythroblastic islands are a protective site for parasite development into gametocytes. Although it has been observed that Plasmodium falciparum infection in late-stage erythroblasts can delay terminal erythroid differentiation and enucleation, the mechanism(s) underlying this phenomenon are unknown. Here, we apply RNA sequencing after fluorescence-activated cell sorting of infected erythroblasts to identify transcriptional responses to direct and indirect interaction with P falciparum. Four developmental stages of erythroid cells were analyzed: proerythroblast, basophilic erythroblast, polychromatic erythroblast, and orthochromatic erythroblast. We found extensive transcriptional changes in infected erythroblasts compared with that in uninfected cells in the same culture, including dysregulation of genes involved in erythroid proliferation and developmental processes. Although some indicators of cellular oxidative and proteotoxic stress were common across all stages of erythropoiesis, many responses were specific to cellular processes associated with developmental stage. Together, our results evidence multiple possible avenues by which parasite infection can induce dyserythropoiesis at specific points along the erythroid continuum, advancing our understanding of the molecular determinants of malaria anemia.

Paraquat-induced ferroptosis suppression via NRF2 expression regulation

Paraquat (PQ) is an environmentally friendly and efficient herbicide, but PQ misuse or intentional self-use can cause death through multiple organ damage and can cause acute lung injury. Existing clinical treatments alleviate symptoms but do not significantly improve the mortality rate. Ferroptosis is a type of necrosis that presents in a manner very similar to the cell damage induced by high doses of PQ, but the role of ferroptosis in paraquat-induced lung injury remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of ferroptosis in PQ-induced A549 cell injury and identify the potential mechanisms and critical sites of protection against PQ-induced A549 injury by ferroptosis inhibitors. We found that the ferroptosis inhibitors Ferr-1 and Lip-1 inhibit ferroptosis by attenuating oxidative stress through the upregulation of NRF2 gene expression. The protective role of the ferroptosis inhibitor Dfo was most evident in paraquat-induced cell injury. Dfo inhibited ferroptosis by iron chelation and promoted NRF2 protein level reduction. NRF2 attenuated PQ-induced ferroptosis in A549 cells, mainly through the upregulation of SLC40A1 to encourage the movement of iron to the extracellular side to alleviate iron overload, and the upregulation of SLC7A11 to promote the expression of GPX4 to inhibit lipid peroxidation.

Factors Influencing the Environmental Awareness of Visitors to the Natural Protected Areas on the Island of Tenerife

The research analysed the behaviour of visitors to protected natural sites on the island of Tenerife and described the main characteristics of visitors to these areas. Visitors completed anonymous research questionnaires based on a model that combines the Theory of Planned Behaviour with other elements of behavioural analysis, and using this research tool, the factors influencing visitors' resulting pro-environmental behaviour were analysed. Visitors were also asked how they perceived the situation regarding litter management in the natural sites and how they were influenced by the education provided by the management of the natural park. The research results confirm the importance of the influence of environmental education on people's environmental awareness. It was found that awareness of the consequences of behaviour significantly influences personal norms and attitudes, and these in turn have the greatest impact on the resulting pro-environmental behaviour of visitors. A protected natural area can have an educational role, but it is also important to enable visitors to behave in an environmentally conscious manner, for which the provision of appropriate conditions (sufficient bins, the ability to sort waste, etc.) is needed. The research results also indicated that pro-environmental behaviour is influenced by perceived behavioural control, i.e. how difficult it is for visitors to behave in a certain way in a given environment.

Rapid and continuing regional decline of butterflies in eastern Denmark 1993-2019

Many butterfly populations respond negatively to land-use intensification in human-dominated landscapes. Networks of protected sites have been established with the aim to halt species loss. We undertook annual surveys of all occurrence sites of 22 uncommon butterfly species in eastern Denmark during the period 2014–2019 and compared to a systematic atlas survey done 1989–1993, in order to assess trends in regional occupancy of species. Three out of 22 species went regionally extinct between 1993 and 2015. One species sustained a single population through the study period. Logistic regression for the remaining 18 species showed 10 to be in strong decline from 1993 to 2015, two showed a declining trend and six had stable trends. For all species except one, the declining trend continued 2015–2019. For five species, a sustained strong decline was evident. In 1993, the total count of occurrence sites for all 22 butterfly species was 565, which by 2019 had declined to 158 sites (a 72 % loss over 26 years). From 2015 to 2019 alone, the total count of occurrence sites shrank from 200 to 158 (a 21 % decline over just four years). Legal protection of areas (Natura 2000 and Danish Nature Protection Act §3) was, unexpectedly, not associated with lower probability of local extinction for butterfly population. The observed sustained decline across species suggests an overall low efficiency of the network of protected sites, probably due to a combination of misguided management regimes and payment of extinction debts from the past.

The roles of heating rate, intensity, and duration on the response of corals and their endosymbiotic algae to thermal stress

Anthropogenic ocean warming is one of the biggest threats to marine organisms worldwide. However, it remains unclear how the duration and intensity of thermal anomalies affect organismal stress responses and thermal thresholds. We used detailed tracking of coral endosymbiont and host physiology and dose-response analyses to compare the effects of multiple heating rates, intensities, and exposure durations on two reef-building corals, Acropora hemprichii and Porites lobata, from adjacent sides of a reef (protected vs. exposed) in the Central Red Sea known to differ in high-frequency (< 24 h) temperature variability. Corals were exposed to acute heat exposures (18 h) with four target temperatures (32 °C, 35 °C, 36.5 °C, and 38 °C), versus prolonged heat exposures lasting 7–15 days where temperatures were raised 0.5 and 1.5 °C day−1 to four target temperatures (32 °C, 33.5 °C, 35 °C, and 36.5 °C). In the prolonged experiment, dose-response curves assessing algal endosymbiont Fv/Fm revealed little initial effect of temperature, before an exponential decline above 34 °C for both species. Temperature at time of measurement and degree heating hours above 34 °C (DHH34) were the variables most strongly associated with declines in Fv/Fm. The Fv/Fm thermal thresholds for P. lobata from the high-variability protected site were higher than the exposed site in the faster heating, prolonged heat stress experiment despite minimal differences in endosymbiont density, chlorophyll-a, and host protein between sites. Together, our dose-response analysis revealed complex effects of DHH34, heating rate, and species-specific differences in the influence of local thermal histories shaping thermotolerance limits for these corals.

Genetic diversity of the stag beetle, Lucanus cervus (Insecta, Coleoptera) in Romania based on ND1 mitochondrial sequences

Lucanus cervus (Linnaeus, 1758) is one of the largest Coleoptera species in Europe and one of the most recognizable. It is a saproxylic species living in woodlands and wooded urban habitats and spending its larval stages inside tree trunks below or near soil level, feeding on decaying wood. The stag beetle has a wide distribution covering the entire Europe up to the Ural Mountains. In this paper, we attempted to describe the diversity and genetic structure of L. cervus populations in Romania using the NADH mitochondrial molecular marker. We identified 36 haplotypes arranged in a star-shaped structure with a central haplotype shared by many samples and linked by one or two mutational steps with other 35, represented by 1&amp;ndash;3 samples. This pattern is frequently attributed to populations that have undergone recent range expansion, a phenomenon which is also sustained by the mismatch analysis. The analyzed populations revealed various degrees of genetic diversity. Many populations with relatively high levels of genetic diversity were found outside the Natura 2000 Network Special Areas of Conservation, while some populations included in protected areas proved to have low values of genetic variability. This underlines the need to review the designated protection sites for this species in Romania.

Linking Green Infrastructure Deployment Needs and Agroecosystem Conditions for the Improvement of the Natura2000 Network: Preliminary Investigations in W Mediterranean Europe

Reconnecting natural habitats and improving agroecosystem conditions are strategic targets set by several European policies. In order to combine both of these needs, the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 has triggered new investments in Green Infrastructure (GI), which actually represents a valuable tool to increase ecological connectivity across natural and semi-natural habitats. In particular, GI may benefit the Natura2000 (N2K) network (i.e., the network of protected sites under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives) by reinforcing the node/site number, extent, and distribution and by improving connections between often small and isolated habitat patches. However, there is a lack of knowledge on what the actual needs of GI deployment are for improving the current N2K network, on the distribution of these needs across Europe and on the potential role of agricultural areas in the improvement of the network functionality. Concurrently, especially in SW Europe, there is an ongoing trend toward the homogenisation and intensification of agricultural systems and the combined loss of associated landscape elements, such as natural and semi-natural Small Woody Features (SWF). Although a well-planned network of such elements could support biodiversity and landscape connectivity, thus effectively complementing the N2K network, little evidence is available on their abundance and residual distribution, especially in agricultural areas and at continental/bioregional scales. Therefore, the present work is aimed at (i) identifying different types of territorial units (NUTS3) in W Mediterranean Europe according to current N2K network features, the overall composition of the actual landscape mosaic and the potential natural heterogeneity of the environment and (ii) identifying and spatialising N2K-related GI deployment needs according to a more specific network analysis in terms of nodes (extent of the total protected area) and links (density of residual woody elements in arable land) within the different types of NUTS3. By means of this wide-scale investigation, four different types of GI deployment needs were generalised across the W Mediterranean Europe NUTS3. Overall, the need for connection restoration prevails, followed by the need for the consolidation of node and link conservation, for the creation of new protected sites and for the enlargement of existing N2K sites. Although useful for a preliminary setting, the shortcomings related to summary data at the European level were also highlighted when compared to local-scale information, with the latter being more suitable for identifying and prioritising truly effective GI conservation and restoration actions.

Alternative ecotourism perspectives within the protected conservation sites and farming communities amid environmental degradation and climate change-bound rural exercises

PurposeThis study aims to examine the latent capability of alternative-responsible tourism and ecotourism management in sustainable tourism and rural communities' livelihoods in Musina Municipality in Limpopo Province, South Africa, and benchmark the capability with other African countries amid climate change and environmental degradation dilemmas. Hence, the aforementioned objective coordinates with various agrarian locations elsewhere abroad.Design/methodology/approachLiterature reviews, document reviews, interviews, and focus group discussions were employed to gather data, which was enriched by field observation views. To this end, potential climate change-linked environmental degradation, rural tourism, agricultural, and environmental management issues came to the fore.FindingsEnvironmental degradation poses a possible threat to natural resource management, as evidenced by the rural development, ecotourism and agricultural activities within the study region. Thereupon, environmental degradation supplements the probability of adverse effects from climate change and precarious incomes. According to the research, responsible tourism and ecotourism are vital to promoting sustainability in rural localities.Originality/valueThe plenteous biodiversity of the municipality offers a better scenario for sustainable ecotourism in tandem with agritourism efforts to address the identified ongoing and liability issues. These issues have therefore symbolized the need for an adequate and allied tourism strategy to boost the local people in Musina Municipality and, conceivably, throughout the continent.

Assessing wildfire activity and forest loss in protected areas of the Amazon basin

Wildfires annually burn extensive areas in the Amazonia. Still, more is needed to know about the complex combination of triggering socioeconomic factors and environmental policies that motivate and explain the growing wildfire activity and forest losses. This study assessed wildfire occurrence, exposure, and transmission to natural forests in protected natural areas (n = 438) from 9 countries encompassing 140 million hectares of the Amazon basin. The fire ignitions and burned areas were first detected using remote sensing products from 2001 to 2018. We then conducted a wildfire transmission analysis to determine the neighboring fire source hotspots and land uses associated with human-caused ignitions encroaching on protected areas. Finally, we analyzed the environmental policies to understand the failure of such regulations to prevent the escape of fires burning large areas within protected sites. The results showed that recurrent wildfire hotspots cover a reduced portion but account for the bulk of the burned area. We found that, on average, wildfires burned 86,700 ha yr−1 of natural forests in protected sites, of which 10.5% corresponded to large incoming fires. Savanna and grasslands concentrated 29% and 41% of fire ignitions, where farmers and ranchers use fire periodically to clear extensive grazing properties. However, this high ignition density did not necessarily correlate with burned areas. The lack of a clear understanding of environmental policies and insufficient law enforcement was likely the main reasons for the continuous wildfire transmission to protected forests. The quantitative outcomes provide science-based criteria for detecting the high-priority areas within the Amazon where management efforts could help reverse the growing wildfire risk to protected natural forests.

Impacts of Diffuse Land-Use on Plant Diversity Patterns in the Miombo Woodlands of Western Zambia

Land use is known to influence the diversity of vascular plants in the Miombo woodlands. However, little is known about the interaction between soil and land use in herbaceous and woody species. We compared the diversity of vascular plants at the plot level (20 m × 50 m) and site level for three sites in the Miombo woodlands of western Zambia subject to different levels of intensity classes of diffuse land use (e.g., livestock herbivory and selective timber harvesting). For each of the sites, twenty plots were randomly selected for assessment of species composition of vascular plant species, indicators of land-use intensity, and soil chemistry per plot. We hypothesized that the site with the lowest human impact would have the highest richness and diversity of woody and herbaceous species. At the site level, we found that richness and diversity of woody species were unaffected by land-use intensity, whereas herbaceous species richness was higher for the protected site (28 species on average per 1000 m2) than the two other sites (23 and 21 species on average per 1000 m2). At the plot level, herbaceous species richness was positively associated with woodcutting and soil pH. We interpret the positive effect of woodcutting on herbaceous species richness as the effect of lower competition by the woody component for resources such as water, nutrients, and light. With regard to the absence of any effect of land-use intensity on the richness of woody species, we conclude that in our study areas selective timber harvesting may be at a sustainable level and might even have a positive effect on the diversity of the herbaceous layer.

First report of meadow saffron breaking virus on wild Colchicum autumnale from a stricly protected Natura2000 site at a Hungarian National Park.

In mid-April of 2018 light green to greenish yellow linear stripes (Fig. S1.) were observed on the foliage of meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale) plants - which are native to Hungary - at a strictly protected Natura2000 site maintained by the Duna-Ipoly National Park (DNPI). By autumn, during the flowering season, flower breaking symptoms (Fig. S2.) were noticed, which indicated possible viral infection. With the permit of the Government Office of Pest County and the DNPI, 200 mg leaf sample was collected from one symptomatic plant in spring 2021 and stored at -70 °C until further processing. At the time of the sampling about 2.5 % of the ~ 5000 meadow saffron were symptomatic. Multiplex RT-PCR testing of the sample and an asymptomatic C. autumnale plant for cucumber mosaic virus, tomato spotted wilt virus (Nemes and Salánki 2020) and Nepovirus subgroup-A (Digiaro et al. 2007) gave negative results. The asymptomatic plant also tested negative for potyviruses (Salamon and Palkovics 2005). The asymptomatic (healthy) C. autumnale plant was inoculated with leaf sap of the sample (0.02M Sörensen's phosphate buffer pH 7.2 + 2 % PVP-40 (m/v)) resulting in symptoms of flower breaking in autumn of 2021, and linear stripes on the foliage in spring 2022, identical to symptoms on the originally infected plant. ELISA tests were carried out on the source plants in duplicate using potyvirus-specific MAb PTY1 antibodies (Jordan and Hammond 1991) (Agdia, Elkhart, IN, USA). Absorbance values were 1.519 and 1.530, while the negative controls were 0.003 and 0.007, respectively indicating potyvirus infection of the sample. Molecular tests were carried out on the source and inoculated plant samples in 2022. Total nucleic acid was extracted with the modified CTAB protocol of Xu et al. (2004), and reverse transcription was carried out with Maxima H Minus First Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics UAB, Vilnius, Lithuania) with poly T2 (5'-CGGGGATCCTCGAGAAGCTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT-3') primer (Salamon and Palkovics 2005). PCR amplification was carried out with poty7941 (5'-GGAATTCCCGCGGNAAYAAYAGYGGNCARCC-3') and poly T2 primers as described earlier (Salamon and Palkovics 2005). A PCR product of ~ 1.6 kb was obtained in each case (Fig. S3.), cloned into pGEM®-T Easy vector (Promega, Madison, WI, USA) and transformed into E. coli DH5α strain. The obtained 1642 nucleotide (nt) sequence encompassing the complete coat protein (CP) was determined (Accession No: OP057214). The virus sequence present in the source and inoculated plants shared 100% nt identity. EcoRV digestion of the PCR products yielded two restriction fragments (369/1273 bp), indicating the presence of a single potyvirus in the infected plant tissue (Fig. S3.). BLASTN analysis of the CP cistron revealed highest nt identity (93.91 %) to meadow saffron breaking virus (MSBV) isolate FR GenBank Acc. No.: AY388995. MSBV was first reported in the Alsace region of France at an INRA research station in cultivated meadow saffron plants showing similar symptoms and the disease reached 100% incidence within a year (Poutaraud et al. 2004). Potyviruses are transmitted mechanically and by aphids (Inoue-Nagata et al. 2022). The spread of MSBV could lead to the infection and decline of the population of Colchicum in protected ecosystems. To our knowledge, this is the first report of MSBV on wild meadow saffron plant from a strictly protected Natura2000 site at a Hungarian National Park.

Urban heritage and the four pillars of sustainability: Urban-scale facility management in the World Heritage sites

The discussion addressing sustainability issues of the World Heritage (WH) as cultural sites that holds outstanding universal values (OUV) has started to surface since the adoption of the “Strategic Action Plan for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention 2012-2022”, specifically in the third goal, which states that “heritage protection and conservation should consider present and future environmental, societal, and economic needs.” This goal aligned with the first three pillars of sustainability. After the introduction of “culture” as the fourth pillar of sustainability by UCLG in 2011, the issue of sustainability in the WH sites has drawn global attention. The balance of all four pillars of sustainability within protected sites can potentially be achieved by improving efficiencies through urban-scale facility management (Urban FM). The principles of Urban FM aligned with UNESCO’s recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach, which is a holistic approach to managing historic sites. This study discusses aspects of managing urban-scale facilities in urban heritage areas and aims to shed light on the knowledge of Urban FM at WH sites by employing a literature review approach. The preliminary findings indicate that culture, the fourth pillar of sustainability, was involved and bound to the other three pillars: economic, social, and environmental. Within WH sites, urban-scale facility management needs to be considered seriously to ensure the protection of OUV that efficiently defines the existence of their status as World Heritage.

Crepidium ridleyi (J.J.Sm.) Szlach., a threatened endemic terrestrial orchid of Java: A Maxent modeling to predict the current and future potential distribution

Crepidium ridleyi (J.J.Sm.) Szlach. is one of the endemic terrestrial orchids from Java. Due to rapid development and habitat fragmentation, it faces a severe threat of extinction. In this study, we predict the specific habitat of C. ridleyi within Java Island using the future greenhouse gas emission scenarios of RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 for the years 2050 and 2070. The occurrences were found in protected sites but have yet to be conserved in ex-situ sites. The current and future of this species distribution model comparison showed that habitat suitability is declining, even projecting the extinction in the worst scenario in the far future. Thus, supporting active conservation efforts for this species is strongly advised to protect it from extinction and use it sustainably.

Conservation for sustaining livelihoods: Adaptive co-management of fish no-take zones in the Mekong River

A major challenge in natural resource management in developing countries is to pursue conservation objectives while avoiding negative impacts on local livelihoods. Inland capture fisheries provide opportunities to demonstrate an integration of conservation and livelihood objectives when managed as a social-ecological system. While numerous marine no-take reserves have been found effective for the recovery of fisheries, few well-documented examples exist in the freshwater realm. Research gaps also remain in the role of co-management in balancing various management objectives and resolving conflicts. This paper offers critical reflection on adaptive co-management of fish conservation zones (FCZs) in the Mekong River in Cambodia and its social-ecological outcomes as perceived by local stakeholders. The management approach was found generally effective for the local stakeholders to negotiate between conservation and livelihood objectives at key stages of the implementation, and resolve conflicts; however, the lessons learned were not uniform across all sites. The degree of difficulty in conflict resolution was mainly a function of the fishing dependency of local communities on the protected site, the prevalence of severe poverty in adjacent villages, and the availability of livelihood options other than fishing. Growing stakeholder perception over time, of the FCZs as yielding positive outcomes—for both conservation and livelihood—motivated the local communities to create more FCZs. We argue clear recognition by local stakeholders of the achievements and the fairness in the FCZ management, facilitated through participatory approaches, can improve their acceptance of conservation rules and enhance their effectiveness. However, long-term mechanisms to support these community initiatives technically and financially are needed. Simple yet scientifically robust approaches for tropical freshwater fisheries monitoring, including periodical assessments of indicator species, are also needed to facilitate performance evaluation of specific management measures locally.

Long-term vegetation history of a relict birch forest (Betula pubescens subsp. celtiberica (Rothm. & Vasc.) Rivas Mart.) in the Toledo Mountains (central Iberia). Conservation implications

Understanding ecosystem resilience requires long data series provided by palaeoecological studies, the best tool for reconstructing vegetation dynamics. Here, we analyzed a continuous and well-dated record of pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, macrocharcoal remains, loss-on-ignition and magnetic susceptibility from one of the most singular peatlands in the Toledo Mountains (central Spain), in order to delineate the anthropogenic and/or climate impact on the peatland and the ecosystem’s response. La Ventilla mire is an isolated site of birch woodland dominated by Betula pubescens subsp. celtiberica (Rothm. & Vasc.) Rivas Mart. This mire, acting as a refugium for this species, is located in Cabañeros National Park and is recognized as ‘Special Area of Conservation’ according to Habitats Directive of the Natura 2000 network. We describe major patterns and trends in the development of this palaeorefugium since the mid-Holocene (∼6145 cal BP) and provide historical context for some natural and/or human-induced dynamics. Around 1500 cal BP, the lotic depositional environment with slow moving backwaters developed into a minerotrophic mire. Until the Middle Ages, macroclimate and autogenic succession appear to have been the main drivers of both local and regional development of vegetation. Between 1500 and 500 cal BP, an abrupt decline in birch cover started, coincident with the Visigothic period. The pronounced peaks in the coprophilous fungi record ca. 1000 and 150 cal BP reflect extensive pastoral activities in the area. This study shows how palaeoecological knowledge helps to explain present patterns in the composition of a valuable protected site, which may be used in prioritizing conservation.