A good deal of research has recently focused on people's commitment to biodiversity conservation by investigating their “willingness-to-pay” (WTP). Because of the public's self-reported preferences ...for species that are more charismatic or similar to humans, conservation programs are often biased toward these species. Our study aimed to explore the determinants of WTP among 10066 participants in a zoo conservation program. The program aims to raise money to support conservation programs and involves donating a sum of money to “adopt” an animal in the zoo. We explored whether participants were influenced by particular scientific characteristics of the animal (IUCN conservation status and phylogenetic distance from humans) or by more affect-related characteristics, such as the charisma of the animal. We found that participants did not choose an animal to adopt because of the endangered status of the species, and did not donate more to endangered species than to other species. Instead, they were more likely to choose a charismatic species. However, surprisingly, those who chose a less charismatic species gave more money on average to the program than those who adopted more charismatic species, suggesting a higher level of commitment among the former. These results therefore suggest that this type of conservation program may not be an effective way of reconnecting people with conservation issues related to endangered species. We therefore advise zoos to communicate more strongly on the level of threat to species and to increase the ratio of endangered over charismatic species in their animal adoption programs.
•People did not donate more to the more endangered species in a conservation program.•Charismatic species were more likely to be chosen.•Monetary donations per person were on average higher for less charismatic species.•Participants donated more money to species that are more similar to humans.
Chiococca insularis (Ridley) C.M.Taylor & M.R.V.Barbosa (Rubiaceae) was described by Henry Nicholas Ridley in 1890, based on a collection he made on the island of Fernando de Noronha (Pernambuco, ...Brazil) in 1887. Since then, this species had not been collected again and has been treated as probably extinct. After 130 years, we discovered two new populations in the southwestern portion of the island, and the conservation status of the species is reassessed. A full description of the species, with previously unseen or unmeasured characters, habitat information and photographs of the plant and environment are provided.
Long-term time series are necessary to better understand population dynamics, assess species’ conservation status, and make management decisions. However, population data are often expensive, ...requiring a lot of time and resources. What is the minimum population time series length required to detect significant trends in abundance? I first present an overview of the theory and past work that has tried to address this question. As a test of these approaches, I then examine 822 populations of vertebrate species. I show that 72% of time series required at least 10 years of continuous monitoring in order to achieve a high level of statistical power. However, the large variability between populations casts doubt on commonly used simple rules of thumb, such as those employed by the IUCN Red List. I argue that statistical power needs to be considered more often in monitoring programs. Short time series are likely underpowered and potentially misleading.
Summary
Uncarina grandidieri
(Baill.) Stapf (Pedaliaceae) is a shrub or small tree endemic to Madagascar, restricted to the southern region in dry spiny forest and bush. It is a very attractive plant ...due to its habit and its remarkable flower which makes it prized by horticulturists and plant enthusiasts. It is described and illustrated here. An overview of the family and the genus is given, with information about its habitat, phenology, cultivation, conservation status and traditional medicinal uses.
Summary
Xyloolaena perrieri
F. Gérard belongs to the Sarcolaenaceae, the largest Madagascar endemic plant family. It is illustrated here, and its habitat and conservation status are discussed. As ...explained below, the spelling of the generic name
Xylolaena
is sometimes preferred over the commonly used
Xyloolaena.
Paphiopedilum × pradhanii, a natural hybrid between P. fairrieanum (subgenus Paphiopedilum, section Ceratopetalum) and P. venustum (subgenus Paphiopedilum, section Barbata), is reported for the ...first time from Bhutan. Detailed geographical distribution, ecology, and conservation status, and dichotomous keys to all Paphiopedilum species found in Bhutan are provided. A brief description of the parents of this hybrid is also provided.
We provide an updated checklist of amphibians and reptiles from Isla María Cleofas, Mexico. This island is located at the Islas Marías Archipelago Biosphere Reserve on the coast of the ...state of Nayarit. The herpetofaunal diversity of Isla María Cleofas has been addressed for over a century; however, the literature is limited just a few scientific explorations and occasional records. In addition, previous herpetofaunal lists contain taxonomic inaccuracies, which are revised here, and recent nomenclatural changes are incorporated. Records of three newly reported species, Lampropeltis polyzona Cope, 1860, Leptophis diplotropis (Günther, 1872) and Tantilla calamarina Cope, 1866, were obtained during our fieldwork. Based on both our field observations and a literature review, the herpetofauna of Isla María Cleofas includes 16 species (two amphibians and 14 reptiles). We also review the conservation status of all species using three independent systems NOM 059-SEMARNAT-2010, IUCN, and environmental vulnerability score (EVS). Finally, we discuss the likely occurrence of evolutionary independent lineages on the island.
Human activity has caused dramatic population declines in many wild species. The resulting bottlenecks have a profound impact on the genetic makeup of a species with unknown consequences for health. ...A key genetic factor for species survival is the evolution of deleterious mutation load, but how bottleneck strength and mutation load interact lacks empirical evidence. We analyze 60 complete genomes of six ibex species and the domestic goat. We show that historic bottlenecks rather than the current conservation status predict levels of genome-wide variation. By analyzing the exceptionally well-characterized population bottlenecks of the once nearly extinct Alpine ibex, we find genomic evidence of concurrent purging of highly deleterious mutations but accumulation of mildly deleterious mutations. This suggests that recolonization bottlenecks induced both relaxed selection and purging, thus reshaping the landscape of deleterious mutation load. Our findings highlight that even populations of ~1000 individuals can accumulate mildly deleterious mutations. Conservation efforts should focus on preventing population declines below such levels to ensure long-term survival of species.
Archaeological and cultural heritage (ACH), one of the core carriers of cultural diversity on our planet, has a direct bearing on the sustainable development of mankind. Documenting and protecting ...ACH is the common responsibility and duty of all humanity. It is governed by UNESCO along with the scientific communities that foster and encourage the use of advanced non-invasive techniques and methods for promoting scientific research into ACH and conservation of ACH sites. The use of remote sensing, a non-destructive tool, is increasingly popular by specialists around the world as it allows fast prospecting and mapping at multiple scales, rapid analysis of multisource datasets, and dynamic monitoring of ACH sites and their surrounding environments. The cost of using remote sensing is lower or even zero in practical applications. In this review, in order to discuss the advantages of airborne and spaceborne remote sensing (ASRS), the principles that make passive (photography, multispectral and hyperspectral) and active (synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and light detection and ranging radar (LiDAR)) imaging techniques suitable for ACH applications are first summarized and pointed out; a review of ASRS and the methodologies used over the past century is then presented together with relevant highlights from well-known research projects. Selected case studies from Mediterranean regions to East Asia illustrate how ASRS can be used effectively to investigate and understand archaeological features at multiple -scales and to monitor and assess the conservation status of cultural heritage sites in the context of sustainable development. An in-depth discussion on the limitations of ASRS and associated remaining challenges is presented along with conclusions and a look at future trends.
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•A review of ACH applications in past 110 years of ASRS is performed.•Different ASRS techniques used for ACH application presented, including photography, spectral imaging, SAR and LiDAR.•Ground-truthing is the key to ASRS in ACH applications.•We finally point out the research trends that require further efforts.
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