Salomé Jaramillo Gil: Whale shark and ecotourism management

Shortlisted for the 2023 Southwood Prize Salomé Jaramillo Gil talks us through her research, conducted with colleagues, which aimed to predict whale shark abundance. Through results obtained via modelling and photo identification, it is suggested that local authorities apply the model each spring. Ecotourism and conservation Nowadays, ecotourism with wildlife has witnessed unprecedented growth, attracting tourists seeking immersive experiences with nature. However, when ecotourism guidelines … Continue reading Salomé Jaramillo Gil: Whale shark and ecotourism management

Andrea Radici: Looking for winners and losers of marine resources management

Shortlisted for the 2023 Southwood Prize Andrea Radici talks us through his team’s development of a comprehensive metapopulation framework, which provides a tool for assessing area-based management measures aimed at improving fisheries outcomes and describing the spatial distribution of costs and benefits. This can help guide effective spatially-distributed management. Ecosystems and mathematics In Chapter 151 of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, … Continue reading Andrea Radici: Looking for winners and losers of marine resources management

Supporting butterflies within smallholding oil palm plantations

Martina Harianja discusses the latest research into butterfly assemblages detailing how, alongside colleagues, they recorded over 1200 butterflies across 27 different oil palm plantations. Findings suggest that replanting oil palm and choice of mono or polyculture had relatively few effects on butterflies. However, management for specific features in plantations could benefit butterfly assemblages. Continue reading Supporting butterflies within smallholding oil palm plantations

Menyokong rama-rama dalam ladang kelapa sawit pekebun kecil

Martina Harianja membincangkan penyelidikan terkini mengenai perhimpunan rama-rama yang memperincikan bagaimana, bersama rakan sekerja, mereka merekodkan lebih 1200 rama-rama di 27 ladang kelapa sawit yang berbeza. Penemuan menunjukkan bahawa penanaman semula kelapa sawit dan pilihan mono atau polikultur mempunyai sedikit kesan pada rama-rama. Walau bagaimanapun, pengurusan untuk ciri-ciri tertentu di ladang boleh memberi manfaat kepada pemasangan rama-rama. Continue reading Menyokong rama-rama dalam ladang kelapa sawit pekebun kecil

Mendukung kupu-kupu di perkebunan kelapa sawit milik petani kecil

Martina Harianja membahas penelitian terbaru tentang kumpulan kupu-kupu yang merinci bagaimana, bersama rekan-rekannya, mereka mencatat lebih dari 1200 kupu-kupu di 27 perkebunan kelapa sawit yang berbeda. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa peremajaan kelapa sawit dan pilihan mono atau polikultur memiliki efek yang relatif kecil pada kupu-kupu. Namun, manajemen untuk fitur spesifik di perkebunan dapat menguntungkan kumpulan kupu-kupu. Continue reading Mendukung kupu-kupu di perkebunan kelapa sawit milik petani kecil

Humans drive spatial variation in mortality risk for a threatened wolf population in a Canis hybrid zone

John Benson shares recent research, conducted alongside colleagues, which monitored the movement of eastern wolves in Algonquin Provincial Park, Canada. Results suggest that eastern wolves and dispersing canids survive poorly outside of APP, primarily due to human-caused mortality. Thus, expanding the threatened population outside of APP is unlikely under current management conditions. The challenge of human-caused mortality for threatened, hybridizing wolves in Canada When large … Continue reading Humans drive spatial variation in mortality risk for a threatened wolf population in a Canis hybrid zone

Climate challenges in savannas: How herbivore communities chart the course

Dr. Katja Irob summarises their latest study, conducted alongside colleagues, which analysed the impacts of climate change and rangeland management on degradation in Savanna ecosystems of southern Africa. Findings suggest that, in the face of climate uncertainty, farmers’ most effective strategy for securing their livelihoods and ecosystem stability is to integrate browsers and apply management of mixed herbivore communities.  Savannas as hot spots of environmental … Continue reading Climate challenges in savannas: How herbivore communities chart the course

Weather forecasts can help us save migratory birds from collisions with city buildings

In their latest research article, Sara Kross, Katherine Chen, Benjamin Van Doren and colleagues utilise 5 years of bird collision counts in New York City to determine the influence of nocturnal weather conditions and bird migration traffic rates on collisions with buildings. Migration is already a particularly dangerous part of the annual life cycle of many birds, and it’s estimated that collisions with windows kills up … Continue reading Weather forecasts can help us save migratory birds from collisions with city buildings

What butterflies tell us about greenspace management in urban developments

Dr Joseph Cooper, from the British Trust for Ornithology, shares recent research conducted alongside colleagues which saw the development of models. These models provide the foundation through which butterfly abundance could be integrated into an urban biodiversity assessment tool, providing species- and community-level statistics to non-specialists from the urban planning and design sector. The prevailing view on new housing is it is built at the … Continue reading What butterflies tell us about greenspace management in urban developments

Temporal mismatches in flight activity patterns between Pipistrellus kuhlii and Prays oleae in olive farms: Implications for biocontrol services potential

In this blog post José M. Herrera discusses their latest research, conducted alongside co-authors, which looks at the temporal relationship between the nightly activity patterns of the common pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus kuhlii) and the olive fruit moth (Prays oleae). To enhance biocontrol services, they propose increasing the availability of suitable roosting and foraging sites as well as conserving areas of remnant native woodland and scattered … Continue reading Temporal mismatches in flight activity patterns between Pipistrellus kuhlii and Prays oleae in olive farms: Implications for biocontrol services potential