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1. Threat management priorities for conserving Antarctic biodiversity

   https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001921  

   Lee, Jasmine R. ; Terauds, Aleks ; Carwardine, Josie ; Shaw, Justine D. ; Fuller, Richard A. ; Possingham, Hugh P. ; Chown, Steven L. ; Convey, Peter ; Gilbert, Neil ; Hughes, Kevin A. ; et al ( December 2022 , PLOS Biology)

   Tanentzap, Andrew J. (Ed.)

   Antarctic terrestrial biodiversity faces multiple threats, from invasive species to climate change. Yet no large-scale assessments of threat management strategies exist. Applying a structured participatory approach, we demonstrate that existing conservation efforts are insufficient in a changing world, estimating that 65% (at best 37%, at worst 97%) of native terrestrial taxa and land-associated seabirds are likely to decline by 2100 under current trajectories. Emperor penguins are identified as the most vulnerable taxon, followed by other seabirds and dry soil nematodes. We find that implementing 10 key threat management strategies in parallel, at an estimated present-day equivalent annual cost of US$23 million, could benefit up to 84% of Antarctic taxa. Climate change is identified as the most pervasive threat to Antarctic biodiversity and influencing global policy to effectively limit climate change is the most beneficial conservation strategy. However, minimising impacts of human activities and improved planning and management of new infrastructure projects are cost-effective and will help to minimise regional threats. Simultaneous global and regional efforts are critical to secure Antarctic biodiversity for future generations. 

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2. Mapping the planet’s critical areas for biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43832-9  

   Neugarten, Rachel A. ; Chaplin-Kramer, Rebecca ; Sharp, Richard P. ; Schuster, Richard ; Strimas-Mackey, Matthew ; Roehrdanz, Patrick R. ; Mulligan, Mark ; van Soesbergen, Arnout ; Hole, David ; Kennedy, Christina M. ; et al ( January 2024 , Nature Communications)

   Meeting global commitments to conservation, climate, and sustainable development requires consideration of synergies and tradeoffs among targets. We evaluate the spatial congruence of ecosystems providing globally high levels of nature’s contributions to people, biodiversity, and areas with high development potential across several sectors. We find that conserving approximately half of global land area through protection or sustainable management could provide 90% of the current levels of ten of nature’s contributions to people and meet minimum representation targets for 26,709 terrestrial vertebrate species. This finding supports recent commitments by national governments under the Global Biodiversity Framework to conserve at least 30% of global lands and waters, and proposals to conserve half of the Earth. More than one-third of areas required for conserving nature’s contributions to people and species are also highly suitable for agriculture, renewable energy, oil and gas, mining, or urban expansion. This indicates potential conflicts among conservation, climate and development goals.

    

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3. Scaling Biodiversity Conservation Efforts: An Examination of the Relationship Between Global Biodiversity Targets and Local Plans

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2021.752387  

   Pierce, Jennifer Rae ; Drill, Sabrina ; Halder, Michael D. ; Tan, Mika Mei ; Tiwari, Anushri ; López Guijosa, Pablo A. ( November 2021 , Frontiers in Conservation Science)

   Cities have a critical role to play in meeting global-scale biodiversity targets. Urban socio-ecological systems connect human and ecological well-being. The outsized impact of cities reaches well-beyond their geographic borders through cultural, ecological, and economic interactions. Although cities account for just 2% of the earth's surface, they host over half of the human population and are responsible for 75% of consumption. The Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and others have acknowledged the important role cities can play in achieving global targets. In response, at least 110 cities have produced plans focused on biodiversity, but we do not know the extent to which these city plans align with global targets or what role they play in achieving these targets. Here, we explore the relationship between global biodiversity conservation targets and local biodiversity plans to identify how elements at the two scales align or diverge. We compared the CBD Strategic Plan 2011–2020 (Aichi Targets) with 44 local biodiversity plans (often called LBSAPs) from cities around the world. We analyzed more than 2,800 actions from the local plans to measure the relationship with these global targets. Our results show how local approaches to biodiversity conservation can inform post-2020 global frameworks to improve coordination between global and local scale processes. We identify actions particular to the local scale that are critical to conserve global biodiversity and suggest a framework for improved coordination between actors at different scales that address their respective roles and spheres of influence. 

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4. Operation mercury: Impacts of national‐level armed forces intervention and anticorruption strategy on artisanal gold mining and water quality in the Peruvian Amazon

   https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12978  

   Dethier, Evan N. ; Silman, Miles R. ; Fernandez, Luis E. ; Espejo, Jorge Caballero ; Alqahtani, Sarra ; Pauca, Paúl ; Lutz, David A. ( September 2023 , Conservation Letters)

   Artisanal and small‐scale gold mining (ASGM), a wealth‐generating industry in many regions, is nonetheless a global challenge for governance and a threat to biodiversity, public health, and ecosystem integrity. In 2019, the Peruvian government mobilized a targeted, large‐scale armed intervention against illegal ASGM, which has caused deforestation and water resource degradation in this Tropical Biodiversity Hotspot. Before the intervention, the extent of waterbodies created by mining (mining ponds) was increasing by 33%–90%/year; after, they decreased by 4%–5%/year in targeted zones. Mining activity indicators showed 70%–90% abandonment. New mining activity accelerated in nearby areas outside the targeted area (pond area increases: 42%–83%; deforestation increases +3–5 km²/year). Far from intervention zones, mining remained stable during the study period. Our analysis demonstrates that targeted, large‐scale government intervention can have positive effects on conservation by stopping illegal mining activity and shifting it to permitted areas, thereby setting the stage for governance. Continued conservation efforts must further address the impacts of informal mining while (1) limiting environmental degradation by legal mining; (2) remediating former mining areas to reduce erosion and enable reforestation or alternative uses of the landscape; and (3) sustaining such efforts, as some miners began to return to intervention areas when enforcement relaxed in 2022.

    

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5. Media myopia distorts public interest in US invasive plants

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-023-03101-8  

   Woodworth, Elena ; Tian, Amy ; Blair, Kaleigh ; Pullen, Jamie ; Lefcheck, Jonathan S. ; Parker, John D. ( June 2023 , Biological Invasions)

   Introduced invasive plants are a major environmental problem, but public interest in invasive plants is generally considered low compared to climate change and threatened flagship species, hindering support for effective management and policy. To understand what does drive public interest in invasive plants in the US, we investigated Google Trends search data from 2010 to 2020 for 209 introduced plant species found in the continental US. Using a phylogenetically-controlled structural equation model, we investigated three hypothesized drivers of interest: (1) plant abundance as quantified by national and state-level occurrence records in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, (2) four key plant traits that might influence plant conspicuousness to the general public: ornamental use, human health risks, monoculture formation, and plants with positive economic value, and (3) media coverage, in particular the volume and sentiment of news articles over the same 10-year period. Public search interest was highest for the most abundant introduced species and those with human health risks, but significantly lower for ornamentals. News coverage was mostly negatively toned and disproportionately focused on a relatively small group of widespread invasive species, with significantly lower and more positively-worded coverage of ornamentals. Ultimately, we suggest that a narrow emphasis on a few highly covered ‘notorious’ invasive plant species, with lower and more positive coverage of ornamental introduced species, could send mixed messages and weaken public awareness of the threats of biological invasions. However, the generally strong linkages between public search interest and media coverage of invasive plants suggests ample opportunity to improve messaging and increase public awareness.

    

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