Category: Research summaries

Invasive species, Research summaries

Ecological Associations of Lantana camara in an East African Savanna Park

Fredrick Ssali, Robert Baluku, Gilbert Drileyo and Moses Muhumuza recount their experience investigating the invasive flowering plant Lantana camara and its impact on common native species in western Uganda. Researchers at the Uganda Wildlife Research and Training Institute (UWRTI) teamed up with scientists from two Ugandan Universities and explored associations between Lantana camara and common native species in Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda. … Continue reading Ecological Associations of Lantana camara in an East African Savanna Park

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Citizen science, Human-wildlife interactions, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

Combining local ecological knowledge with camera traps: African mammal life-history traits and their occurrence in anthropogenic landscapes

Alice Bernard and co-authors describe how they have jointly used local ecological knowledge and camera trap data. With hindsight, they discuss how involving local people in research projects can enhance conservation efforts in the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve (GRBR), South Africa. The Garden Route National Park (GRNP), in the eponym Biosphere Reserve, is one of the only truly unfenced National Parks in South Africa. The … Continue reading Combining local ecological knowledge with camera traps: African mammal life-history traits and their occurrence in anthropogenic landscapes

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Agriculture, Grasslands, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Grassland nature reserves safeguard a high species richness and biomass of grasshoppers

This blog post is also available in German here. Dominik Poniatowski and colleagues describe how they evaluated the environmental drivers of species richness and biomass of grasshoppers in grasslands, comparing this between nature reserves and intensively-used agriculture landscape. Grassland exhibiting low land-use intensity is considered a hotspot of biodiversity in Central Europe. However, particularly since the mid-20th century, grassland land use has often been intensified, … Continue reading Grassland nature reserves safeguard a high species richness and biomass of grasshoppers

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Agriculture, Grasslands, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries, Translation

Naturschutzgebiete mit einem hohen Anteil an Grünland sichern einen hohen Artenreichtum und eine hohe Biomasse von Heuschrecken

Dieser Beitrag ist hier auch auf Englisch verfügbar. Dominik Poniatowski und Kollegen beschreiben, wie sie die Umweltfaktoren des Artenreichtums und der Biomasse von Heuschrecken im Grünland bewertet und dabei zwischen Naturschutzgebieten und intensiv genutzter Agrarlandschaft verglichen haben. Das extensiv genutzte Grünland gilt als Hotspot der Biodiversität in Mitteleuropa. Allerdings wurde insbesondere seit Mitte des letzten Jahrhunderts die Nutzung auf vielen dieser Flächen intensiviert oder das … Continue reading Naturschutzgebiete mit einem hohen Anteil an Grünland sichern einen hohen Artenreichtum und eine hohe Biomasse von Heuschrecken

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Human-wildlife interactions, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

Elephant expressways: Examining multi-scalar elephant connectivity in KAZA

Callie Cho and Robin Naidoo talk us through how, using observed animal movements rather than conventional resistance surface models, a connectivity conservation blueprint for African elephants in the Kavango-Zambezi transfrontier conservation area (KAZA) in southern Africa was produced. This is explored further in the new research article. A key aspect of effective conservation management is understanding landscape connectivity—how easily animals can move between vital resource … Continue reading Elephant expressways: Examining multi-scalar elephant connectivity in KAZA

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Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Using management interventions to help at-risk butterflies in a changing climate

Author Cheryl Schultz talks us through a new study which highlights the importance of active management interventions in helping to buffer effects of climate change, and helping to improve population trends for at-risk butterflies. Where did the idea come from? With extensive coverage in academic and popular publications, the widespread decline of butterflies is well-known. Butterflies face a triumvirate of threats: the cumulative effects of … Continue reading Using management interventions to help at-risk butterflies in a changing climate

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Desert and semi-arid, Monitoring and methods, Plant and soil ecology, Research summaries

Wide-scale rangeland condition monitoring: Measurement of increased vegetation cover following stock removal and conservation management

Angus Retallack explains how, using remote sensing data over a 22-year observation period, vegetation recovery after the removal of livestock and the introduction of conservation-focused management can be assessed. Arid and semi-arid rangelands cover close to 50% of the Earth’s land surface and are relied upon by a diverse range of stakeholders including Indigenous people, pastoralists and environmental conservationists. Sustainable use and conservation of these … Continue reading Wide-scale rangeland condition monitoring: Measurement of increased vegetation cover following stock removal and conservation management

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Agriculture, Plant and soil ecology, Research summaries

Close to the edge: Spatial variation in plant diversity, biomass and floral resources in conventional and agri-environment cereal fields

Laura Sutcliffe discusses her latest study where, alongside colleagues, she investigated the spatial distribution of vascular plant species richness and their contribution to the food web via biomass and flower units in conventional and agri-environment cereal fields. The study: Arable plants Arable plants are usually simply referred to as weeds, reflecting their low status in society and also in biodiversity research. Whilst there is a … Continue reading Close to the edge: Spatial variation in plant diversity, biomass and floral resources in conventional and agri-environment cereal fields

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Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Integrated policies could help solar farms fulfil their climate and ecological potentials

In their latest Policy Direction, authors Fabio Carvalho, Hollie Blaydes and Alona Armstrong highlight key policy implications in relation to solar farm development and operation, and their usage in both addressing climate change and providing ecosystem benefits. Back in April last year, we wrote about the need to gather standardised evidence on the impacts of solar farms on hosting ecosystems to inform industry best practice … Continue reading Integrated policies could help solar farms fulfil their climate and ecological potentials

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Forests, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Salvage logging and subsequent post-windthrow management diminish forest bird communities for two decades

In this blog post, Michał Walesiak shares how increased bird diversity in an area of unmanaged windthrow persisted over a 20-year span in Poland. Natural disturbances in forests, such as hurricanes, fires, bark beetle outbreaks, often evoke negative emotions in people. Many find it hard to believe that hurricanes, fires, bark beetles… may actually bring some benefits to nature, such as increase in biodiversity! This … Continue reading Salvage logging and subsequent post-windthrow management diminish forest bird communities for two decades

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