Drought in Scotland? Projections affect specialist habitats and species

Fairlie Kirkpatrick Baird from NatureScot discusses their latest research that reveals the increasing risk of extreme drought in Scotland and how that may affect key habitats and their species. One of the first things that comes to mind when people think of Scotland, alongside the beautiful mountains and the Loch Ness Monster, is the terrible weather. Scotland is famously wet, and as Highlanders we agree … Continue reading Drought in Scotland? Projections affect specialist habitats and species

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

Counting the ghosts of the mountains: sampling snow leopard populations at large spatial scales

Effective management of large carnivores requires robust monitoring at all scales. In their latest research, Manvi Sharma and colleagues describe the first systematic effort at estimating snow leopard populations at a large regional scale. The high-altitude mountains of the Himalaya are important habitats for unique flora and fauna adapted to these regions. The most charming of these species that has taken home here is the … Continue reading Counting the ghosts of the mountains: sampling snow leopard populations at large spatial scales

Calling all seabirds: restoring long-lost colonies on Desecheo Island

Lead author Jose Luis Herrera-Giraldo describes his team’s latest study using fake birds and loudspeakers to help conservationists restore the long-lost seabird colony of Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico. For scientists and conservationists, life on Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge in Puerto Rico is harsh with the islands’ rugged terrain, blazing hot sun beating down year-round, and fire ant. But for seabirds the island is paradise – … Continue reading Calling all seabirds: restoring long-lost colonies on Desecheo Island

Repatriating solitary felids: the case for seeking homes for conflict-borne leopards in southern Africa

Photo © Vasti Botha Translocating large carnivores to reduce human-wildlife conflict have historically failed, but recent improvements in satellite technology have enabled better monitoring and success. In their latest research, Power et al. report on the outcomes of repatriating 16 leopards across a South African province. Leopards need little introduction. These large felids are ubiquitous across Africa and large parts of Asia. However, being so … Continue reading Repatriating solitary felids: the case for seeking homes for conflict-borne leopards in southern Africa