Southwood Prize 2022: Winner announced for early career researcher award

Journal of Applied Ecology is pleased to announce Paula Prist as the winner of the 2022 Southwood Prize! The award is given to the best article in the journal by an author at the start of their career and was picked from a shortlist of 12 articles.  Winner: Paula Prist Research: Roads and forest edges facilitate yellow fever virus dispersion About the research Much has … Continue reading Southwood Prize 2022: Winner announced for early career researcher award

Douglas Cirino: A distribuição espacial equilibrada das áreas verdes cria paisagens urbanas mais saudáveis

Finalista do Southwood Prize 2022 Este post também está disponível em inglês aqui. Douglas Cirino discute o artigo dele e de colegas de pesquisa que explora como as paisagens urbanas são mais saudáveis aquelas que compartilham o espaço da cidade com a vegetação. São Paulo Ao chegar pela primeira vez em São Paulo, a maior metrópole do mundo fora da Ásia, fiquei chocado com a … Continue reading Douglas Cirino: A distribuição espacial equilibrada das áreas verdes cria paisagens urbanas mais saudáveis

Douglas Cirino: Balanced spatial distribution of green areas creates healthier urban landscapes

Shortlisted for the Southwood Prize 2022 This post is also available in Brazilian Portuguese here. Douglas Cirino discusses his and research colleagues’ article which explores how healthier urban landscapes are those that share city space with greenery. São Paulo Upon arriving in São Paulo, the largest metropolis in the world outside of Asia, I was shocked by the amount of concrete used to build the city. As a … Continue reading Douglas Cirino: Balanced spatial distribution of green areas creates healthier urban landscapes

Mahmood Soofi: Quantifying the relationship between prey density, livestock and illegal killing of leopards

Shortlisted for the Southwood Prize 2022 Mahmood Soofi talks us through his research project which saw him and colleagues use ranger-collected data on illegal leopard killings in Iran and an N-mixture model to quantify relationships between livestock, prey density and illegal killing. Overexploitation and carnivores Overexploitation is one of the major threats to biodiversity in many parts of the world, which is driving many species … Continue reading Mahmood Soofi: Quantifying the relationship between prey density, livestock and illegal killing of leopards

What is the real impact of eco-tourism on the environment?

In this blog post, Andrew Torsney and Yvonne Buckley share findings from their latest research aiming to better understand and identify the drivers of tourism-related impacts on the environment. As we increasingly recognize the ancillary benefits of nature, such as improved mental health, the demand for access to nature is rising. While this presents potential benefits, it also brings conflicts related to environmental management. Research … Continue reading What is the real impact of eco-tourism on the environment?

Multiple incentives to harvest can increase the extinction risk of rare species

Ryan Almeida talks us through recent research on extinction risk with Juan Bonachela and Julie Lockwood. Through a case study on the ground pangolin, or the Smutsia temminckii, the study uses models to consider rare species extinction risk and the rate at which overexploitation occurs. The economics of exploitation Overexploitation, the unsustainable harvest of species from the wild, is recognized as one of the “big … Continue reading Multiple incentives to harvest can increase the extinction risk of rare species

Smart orchard design improves crop pollination

In their new research article, Mina Anders (University of Göttingen, Germany) and colleagues compared the effects of agronomic practices, including agronomic inputs (irrigation and managed honey bees), orchard design without external inputs (spatial orchard structure), and landscape factors on nut production in South African macadamia orchards. The need for sustainable agricultural practices Conventional agricultural intensification causes biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. To reduce these impacts, … Continue reading Smart orchard design improves crop pollination

How can soundscapes enhance recruitment and habitat building on new oyster reef restorations?

Author Dominic McAfee talks us through his and colleagues’ recently published research article which experimented with the use of home-made speakers to boost oyster recruitment at sites throughout Australia. We’ve all, at one time or another, used music as a band aid. Perhaps to mend a broken heart, or to help us through challenging times. And in this regard, it seems we are not alone … Continue reading How can soundscapes enhance recruitment and habitat building on new oyster reef restorations?

M²-gardens to probe the rural landscape

Frederik Gerits discusses their recently published article. Published in Journal of Applied Ecology, the article shows how variation in local land use types influence both biotic (e.g. presence and abundance of predatory arthropods and pollinators) and abiotic parameters (e.g. microclimate variation) in a peri-urban landscape. Our hypothesis is that these influences of landscape composition might further play a role in the resilience of landscapes in … Continue reading M²-gardens to probe the rural landscape

The threat to seabirds and the Barents Sea

Feature photo: The Hornøya cliffs with nesting seabirds, including Kittiwakes, Common Guillemots and possibly Razorbills © Biotope In their latest research, Sam Hodges and colleagues present a novel solution that may help guide ecosystem management practices by predicting the effects of climate change and yearly variation in sea surface temperature on foraging seabird hotspots in the Barents Sea. Seabirds have historically been shown to be … Continue reading The threat to seabirds and the Barents Sea