Category: Research summaries

Careers, Freshwater, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

Kieran Gething: Predicting invertebrate richness and rarity in aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems

Shortlisted for the Georgina Mace Prize 2022 In their latest research, Kieran Gething and colleagues use a citizen science habitat survey to predict the richness and rarity of invertebrate communities in frequently inundated river sediments in order to guide monitoring and management of these dynamic habitats. River channels and their surrounding areas are dynamic ecosystems in which the extent of water varies in space and … Continue reading Kieran Gething: Predicting invertebrate richness and rarity in aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems

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Coastal and marine, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

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?

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Careers, Invasive species, Practitioners, Research summaries, Urban ecosystems

Luke Potgieter: Prioritizing sites to manage invasive aliens in urban ecosystems

Shortlisted for the Georgina Mace Prize 2022 In their latest research article, Luke Potgieter and colleagues developed a strategic, spatial prioritization approach for identifying sites most vulnerable to new or expanding terrestrial non-native plant invasions in urban landscapes. Cities have historically been under-studied in ecology and have not seen sufficient development of conservation and biodiversity management policy. This dearth of urban-focused applied ecology and conservation … Continue reading Luke Potgieter: Prioritizing sites to manage invasive aliens in urban ecosystems

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Human-wildlife interactions, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

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

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied Ecology1 Comment
Forests, Policy, Practitioners, Research summaries

Effective knowledge exchange in forestry: What is it and what’s effective?

Co-authors Jenna Hutchen and MJ Robertson discuss how their latest research in interdisciplinary forest science led to a typology of Knowledge Exchange practices. Managing forests is not as simple as growing or cutting down trees. Global forest management is the complex interplay of government policies and directives, cultural and spiritual values, stakeholder perspectives, and efforts from both industry and conservationists to maintain ecological functions of … Continue reading Effective knowledge exchange in forestry: What is it and what’s effective?

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Agriculture, Human-wildlife interactions, Pollinators, Research summaries

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

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied Ecology3 Comments
Coastal and marine, Human-wildlife interactions, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

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?

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Monitoring and methods, Practitioners, Research summaries, Urban ecosystems

FAR-sighted conservation: Facing the inevitability of ongoing environmental change

Chris Thomas and colleagues describe their latest Perspective article outlining a new framework – Facilitate-Accept-Resist (FAR) – that operationalizes conservation decision-making in a way that leads to greater adoption of positive biodiversity change. Conservation is in a bind. The biological world is changing, and so are our human priorities. When we declare a nature reserve on the basis of a particular species, for example, is … Continue reading FAR-sighted conservation: Facing the inevitability of ongoing environmental change

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Agriculture, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

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

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Coastal and marine, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

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

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