Cover stories: escapes from aquaculture

Using the example of sturgeons in the Yangtze River and impacts on the critically endangered Chinese sturgeon, work by Rui-Ting Ju et al. looks into policies around escaping non-native species from aquaculture. The corresponding cover image for issue 57:01 was taken by Ping Zhuang. Sturgeon farming is expanding worldwide due to the overexploitation of wild stocks. In China, the main farmed species are non-native species … Continue reading Cover stories: escapes from aquaculture

Predator and scavenger movements as opportunities for pathogen spread among endangered seabirds

Infectious diseases have recently been acknowledged as an important threat for wild populations, notably seabirds. In order to implement efficient surveillance and management programmes, it is critical to look beyond the sick individuals to identify the individuals or species involved in cryptic epidemiological processes, such as pathogen spread. Amandine Gamble et al. summarise their recent research on the potential role of predators and scavengers in … Continue reading Predator and scavenger movements as opportunities for pathogen spread among endangered seabirds

Comportement alimentaire des prédateurs et charognards et opportunités pour la dissémination d’agents pathogènes

Les maladies infectieuses sont depuis peu reconnues comme une menace importante pour les populations sauvages, notamment les oiseaux marins. Afin de mettre en place des mesures de surveillance et de gestion efficaces, il est essentiel de regarder au-delà de l’animal malade pour pouvoir identifier les individus ou espèces impliqués dans les processus épidémiologiques cryptiques, tels que la dissémination d’agents pathogènes. Amandine Gamble et collaborateurs résument … Continue reading Comportement alimentaire des prédateurs et charognards et opportunités pour la dissémination d’agents pathogènes

How can citizen science help solve environmental crises?

Isabel Bishop (Research Manager) and Toos Van Noordwijk (Science, Policy and Innovation Director) from Earthwatch Europe reflect on discussions from the recent British Ecological Society Annual Meeting about how citizen science can deliver real impact. The session was beautifully captured in the graphic recording above by Holly McKelvey, holly draws.  ‘Citizen science’ and the related terms ‘community science’ and ‘participatory monitoring’ have become buzz words … Continue reading How can citizen science help solve environmental crises?

Spotlight: new insights into forest management

What are some surprising new approaches to restoration in forest landscapes? What are the ecosystem services provided by deer? Can we use salvage logging to prevent future bark beetle outbreaks? These questions and more are answered in our new Spotlight collection, sharing new insights and innovations in forest management. Associate Editor, Julio Louzada brings together the featured articles. The modern tradeoff between the maintenance of … Continue reading Spotlight: new insights into forest management

Editor’s Choice 57:01 – smaller woodlands in an agricultural world

Small but strong. Do we sometimes undervalue the benefits smaller woodlands bring to agricultural landscapes? Associate Editor Marney Isaac presents our first Editor’s Choice article of 2020, High ecosystem service delivery potential of small woodlands in agricultural landscapes, by Alicia Valdés and colleagues. Diversified farming systems result in a heterogeneous landscape that supports a suite of ecosystem services. These include, but are not limited to, … Continue reading Editor’s Choice 57:01 – smaller woodlands in an agricultural world

Why bats matter when it comes to pollination

In their recently published article, Tremlett et al. call for greater management focus for wild bat pollinator populations due to the ecosystem services they provide for valuable crops. Here they share a video of bat feeding in action and explain a little more about their work. *Update March 2020. The corresponding article to this video features as the Editor’s Choice for issue 57:03. Read Associate … Continue reading Why bats matter when it comes to pollination

Wildlife conservation modelling and Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes are a way of bringing potential ‘buyers’ and ‘sellers’ of ecosystem services together for a mutually beneficial exchange. In their recently published work, Kragt and colleagues present an ecological model in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic that predicts how community-based patrolling can protect critically endangered species from poaching. Here they show how this model could benefit PES schemes. Laos … Continue reading Wildlife conservation modelling and Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes

Prevention vs cure for nature

Using the UK as an example, Joseph W. Bull and  E.J. Milner‐Gulland join the BES Policy team and present their new model, designed to simulate prevention and cure tactics for decision makers.  The UK Government’s Environment Bill sets out a decision to legally require most new economic development projects to achieve ‘Biodiversity Net Gain’ – that is, to leave the natural environment better off than … Continue reading Prevention vs cure for nature