Author: Journal of Applied Ecology

Conferences and events, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries, The Applied Ecologist community

How wild is wild? Social and cultural considerations when designing nature recovery

Last month, the British Ecological Society’s Rewilding Special Interest Group hosted Rewilding and 30 by 30 at ZSL in London, a one-day symposium on how rewilding can contribute to the global target of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030. Guillemette Gandon is an Associate Programme Officer at the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), where she works on nature-based solutions and … Continue reading How wild is wild? Social and cultural considerations when designing nature recovery

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment
Plain language summaries, Research summaries

Short-term forecasts for better river flows

Rivers around the world are under pressure because we extract water and change river flows. To help protect wildlife, managers release “environmental flows” to support ecosystems. But decisions about how to release environmental flows are often based on long-term predictions, which can be uncertain and hard to test. In this study, we took a different approach: using short-term forecasts to guide decisions. Instead of asking … Continue reading Short-term forecasts for better river flows

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment
Plain language summaries, Research summaries

Is hunting of migratory birds in Europe sustainable? A science-based assessment

Hunting can affect bird populations both by reducing their numbers and by changing how they behave. In Europe, many bird species that can legally be hunted are already in poor conservation status. Under the EU Birds Directive, hunting these species should only take place as part of a management plan that supports their recovery. To do this, it is important to know whether current hunting … Continue reading Is hunting of migratory birds in Europe sustainable? A science-based assessment

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment
Plain language summaries, Research summaries

What Happens When a Harbour Porpoise Encounters a Fishing Net?

Fishing nets set on the seafloor accidentally catch and kill thousands of small whales and dolphins every year. This accidental capture, known as bycatch, is one of the biggest human-caused threats to these animals. In the Baltic Sea, harbour porpoises are particularly affected by bycatch in fishing nets. Although many studies have investigated how well porpoises can detect nets, we still know surprisingly little about … Continue reading What Happens When a Harbour Porpoise Encounters a Fishing Net?

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment
Plain language summaries, Research summaries

Climate-Driven Changes in Habitat Suitability of two keystone species in Dry Afromontane forests of Ethiopia

Mountain forests provide many benefits, including storing carbon, protecting water supplies, reducing soil erosion, and supporting biodiversity. In Ethiopia’s Dry Evergreen Afromontane forests, two tree species – African pencil cedar (Juniperus procera) and African wild olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) – play particularly important ecological and cultural roles. However, rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns can alter where these species can survive in the future. … Continue reading Climate-Driven Changes in Habitat Suitability of two keystone species in Dry Afromontane forests of Ethiopia

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment
Research summaries, Restoration

When does a soft-release actually work? The importance of time in the enclosure in carnivore reintroductions

Reintroducing a carnivore into the wild is never simple. Years of planning, significant resources, and a great deal of careful coordination go into each release. Yet despite all this effort, reintroduced animals do not always settle where we want them to, and understanding why is critical for improving future reintroductions. One of the key decisions managers face when planning a reintroduction is how to release … Continue reading When does a soft-release actually work? The importance of time in the enclosure in carnivore reintroductions

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment
Forests, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Why forest cover around your coffee farm matters? Scaling up bird conservation in Colombia

Whenever you walk through a shade-grown coffee farm in the Colombian Andes, it is easy to feel optimistic about biodiversity. Tall trees form a canopy above the coffee shrubs, birds call from every direction, and the system looks far more “natural” than a monoculture field. For years, this kind of agroforestry has been promoted as a win–win solution for farmers and biodiversity. But how much … Continue reading Why forest cover around your coffee farm matters? Scaling up bird conservation in Colombia

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment
Monitoring and methods, Pathogens and disease, Research summaries

Emerging gastric parasite risks in mountain gorillas: What we found and why it matters

Mountain gorillas are often celebrated as a conservation success story. Their numbers have increased thanks to long-term protection from conservation organisations, park authorities and local communities. However, the remaining two populations live in small, environmentally constrained habitats and recent veterinary records have documented cases of severe gastritis associated with strongylid nematodes in Virunga Massif. This raised an important question for us: are there changes in … Continue reading Emerging gastric parasite risks in mountain gorillas: What we found and why it matters

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment
Coastal and marine, Research summaries

Critically endangered penguins face higher risk of fisheries competition when fish are scarce

The decline of the African penguin The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) population has plummeted by nearly 80% in the past three decades, in part due to competition with the local purse-seine fishery which targets the penguins’ key prey of sardines and anchovies. To understand the role of fisheries in the penguin decline, a fishery closure experiment was conducted between 2008 and 2021 around two pairs … Continue reading Critically endangered penguins face higher risk of fisheries competition when fish are scarce

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment
Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

The landscapes we created hold clues to today’s wildfires

Wildfires are becoming larger, more frequent and more severe in many parts of the world. In Mediterranean-type regions, extreme wildfires that once seemed exceptional now return every year. According to Copernicus data, over 670,000 hectares burned Spain and Portugal in 2025, mostly during August. Nearly 400,000 hectares burned in Spain alone, the largest area since these records began. These extreme events have led many to … Continue reading The landscapes we created hold clues to today’s wildfires

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment