Using data for 25,780 species categorized on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, we present an assessment of the status of the world's vertebrates. One-fifth of species are ...classified as Threatened, and we show that this figure is increasing: On average, 52 species of mammals, birds, and amphibians move one category closer to extinction each year. However, this overall pattern conceals the impact of conservation successes, and we show that the rate of deterioration would have been at least one-fifth again as much in the absence of these. Nonetheless, current conservation efforts remain insufficient to offset the main drivers of biodiversity loss in these groups: agricultural expansion, logging, overexploitation, and invasive alien species.
We describe for the first time the underwater sounds of the Mediterranean monk seal; the study was carried out during the 2021 pupping season in an important reproductive area of the species in ...Greece. We defined 18 different call types included in three main categories: harmonic, noisy and pulsative calls. We also described the soundscape of the study area to highlight the anthropogenic disturbance this endangered marine mammal faces in its natural environment. The Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus is one of the most endangered pinnipeds in the world, and is classified as "Endangered" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Any additional knowledge about the species is invaluable to its effective conservation. In the present study, we deployed an autonomous underwater recorder in an important reproductive area of the Mediterranean monk seal in Greece to describe its underwater vocal repertoire. Over the 330 h of continuous recordings, 9231 vocalizations were labelled as potentially produced by Mediterranean monk seals, and 1694 good quality calls were analyzed. We defined 18 call types divided into three main call categories: harmonic, noisy, and pulsative calls. We also described the soundscape in which this endangered species lives and found that human activities around the two main pupping caves had a strong impact on the sonic environment of these seals: the noise level produced by boat traffic was high, and occurred on an hourly (25 to 50 min/hour) and daily basis (10.8 to 16.9 h/day). Such high levels of noise might not only impair the communication of the species, but also impact its survival, as chronic noise can induce physiological stress.
This study successfully established an efficient in vitro propagation system for Paphiopedilum SCBG Huihuang90 via protocorm-like body (PLB) formation from seed-derived calluses, PLB proliferation ...and differentiation, root induction and greenhouse acclimatization. Furthermore, 1/2 Murashige and Skoog (MS) + 0.025 mg/L 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) was suitable for the proliferation of PLBs, and 1/2MS + 10% coconut water (CW, v/v) + 0.5 g/L activated carbon (AC) was suitable for PLB differentiation. PLBs at different developmental stages required different kinds of sugars. This study provided a reference for research on the propagation techniques of other Paphiopedilum.
International cooperation, including through international legal instruments, appears important for the conservation of large carnivores worldwide. This is due to, inter alia, the worrying ...conservation status and population trends of many large carnivore species; the importance of large carnivores for biodiversity conservation at large; their occurrence at low densities, with many populations extending across various countries; and the international nature of particular threats. For the 31 heaviest species in the order Carnivora, this study (i) documents to what extent existing international legal instruments contribute to large carnivore conservation, and (ii) identifies ways of optimizing their contribution in this regard. From this dual perspective, it reviews all global wildlife conservation treaties—Ramsar Wetlands Convention, World Heritage Convention, Convention on Trade in Endangered Species, Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)—and selected regional instruments, using standard international law research methodology. Results indicate that a substantial body of relevant international law already exists, whereas simultaneously there is clear potential for enhancing the contribution of international law to large carnivore conservation. Avenues for pursuing this include promotion of instruments’ effective implementation; clarification of their precise implications for large carnivore conservation; development of formal guidance; expansion of instruments’ scope in terms of species, sites and countries; and creation of new instruments. The CMS and CBD hold particular potential in some of these respects. The experiences being gained under European legal instruments constitute an interesting ‘laboratory’ regarding human coexistence with expanding large carnivore populations and transboundary cooperation at the (sub)population level.
Illegal wildlife trade has reached alarming levels globally, extirpating populations of commercially valuable species. As a driver of biodiversity loss, quantifying illegal harvest is essential for ...conservation and sociopolitical affairs but notoriously difficult. Here we combine field-based carcass monitoring with fine-scale demographic data from an intensively studied wild African elephant population in Samburu, Kenya, to partition mortality into natural and illegal causes. We then expand our analytical framework to model illegal killing rates and population trends of elephants at regional and continental scales using carcass data collected by a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species program. At the intensively monitored site, illegal killing increased markedly after 2008 and was correlated strongly with the local black market ivory price and increased seizures of ivory destined for China. More broadly, results from application to continental data indicated illegal killing levels were unsustainable for the species between 2010 and 2012, peaking to ~8% in 2011 which extrapolates to ~40,000 elephants illegally killed and a probable species reduction of ~3% that year. Preliminary data from 2013 indicate o ver harvesting continued. In contrast to the rest of Africa, our analysis corroborates that Central African forest elephants experienced decline throughout the last decade. These results provide the most comprehensive assessment of illegal ivory harvest to date and confirm that current ivory consumption is not sustainable. Further, our approach provides a powerful basis to determine cryptic mortality and gain understanding of the demography of at-risk species.
Plant communities of two peat-shrub species - Spiraea salicifolia and Potentilla fruticosa were studied in the Rhodope Mts., with emphasis on their use as a resource for the mammals associated with ...them. These shrubs are boreal relicts among the dominant coniferous forests. The field surveys were conducted in the spring-autumn period of 2021-2022. In both study areas, the species composition of the mammals was studied by camera traps for medium and large mammals, and by Sherman live traps for small mammals. The species registered were roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), wild boar (Sus scrofa), pine marten (Martes martes), European hare (Lepus europaeus), red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), bank vole (Myodes glareolus) and yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis). Having in mind that small mammals are vital prey base for avian and mammalian predators, it is not surprising that M. glareolus and A. flavicollis individuals were captured in the habitats that they probably use as shelters. The pine marten inhabits the forests by which the community of P. fruticosa is surrounded, but probably feeds on the rodents in the shrub. In this way, it probably provides it with an alternative to the forest food base and hunting ground. From the presented results, it seems that the L. europaeus uses P. fruticosa shrubs as food. Therefore, the plant communities of the two relict peat-shrub species studied probably provide shelter and food for the mammals. Their importance is established for at least one species of mammal with conservation significance at national and European level - M. martes. Therefore, it is necessary to continue and expand the future monitoring on mammal diversity of these relict communities.
In the past decade Hong Kong's live reef food fish trade (LRFFT) imported 200,000 tons of live fish for human consumption. The substantial demand for LRFF, worth over USD$ 2 billion, contributes to ...over-exploitation of tropical fish species. Here, we evaluate the temporal and species trends in Hong Kong’s LRFFT, testing potential associations with socioeconomic factors (e.g. population size, GDP per capita). LRFF were mainly imported from Southeast Asia with Macau SAR and Mainland China as the major re-export destinations. Both LRFF imports and exports decreased in 2022 in comparison to 2012 despite fluctuations due to global incidents such as COVID-19. The import trend was mainly explained by decreases in Plectropomus leopardus, Epinephelus coioides, E. lanceolatus and aquaculture hybrid groupers. We further identified challenges for LRFFT monitoring, which is tracked by the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong SAR. Broad and nonspecific trading codes are used, lacking key information on specific species, such as common wet market groupers P. maculatus and E. corallicola. Furthermore, endangered species like Cheilinus undulatus are in Hong Kong markets but are missing from LRFF trade data due to under-reporting from fishing vessel declarations and incomprehensive surveys from the local CITES management authority, leading to over 50% import data gaps in half the LRFF species. It is time to call for actions by local policymakers and global seafood networks to strengthen laws for LRFF declarations, survey stakeholders, as well as improve traceability for endangered fish species.
The Rio Doce basin is situated in a biodiversity hotspot, with some fish groups still superficially known. The intense process of habitat loss and water contamination justifies efforts to speed up ...the pace of describing fish species diversity. Herein, we focus on a clade of trichomycterine catfishes, subgenus Psammocambeva, genus Trichomycterus, performing a multigene phylogenetic analysis, which integrated to a comparative morphological analysis corroborates monophyly and relationships of four species complexes. Five new species are recognised and described. Species distribution patterns support the recognition of five areas of endemism for trichomycterines, most of which are well-known biodiversity centres: Serra do Espinhaço, Serra do Brigadeiro, Serra do Caparaó, Serra do Castelo, and upper-middle Rio Doce. Trichomycterine diversity in the Rio Doce basin, with 16 species, of which 15 belong to Psammocambeva, is lower than in the smaller neighbouring Rio Paraíba do Sul basin, with 21 species in five subgenera. Data suggest that species diversification in the former basin is relatively younger, following the initial diversification of Psammocambeva in the Miocene, whereas diversification in the latter basin has been estimated to have occurred during the Oligocene. This study reinforces the importance of naming new taxa and delimitating areas of endemism as primary tools for conservation strategies.
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