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

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

Habitat selection modelling reveals sea turtles use protected areas in greater proportion to their availability

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designated regions to help conserve wildlife but how are they used by the species they protect? In their latest research, Kelsey Roberts and colleagues evaluate the use of these protected areas by sea turtles to help inform better design and management of MPAs. Scientists agree that area-based conservation efforts are key to preserving biodiversity and ecosystems, as well as ocean-based … Continue reading Habitat selection modelling reveals sea turtles use protected areas in greater proportion to their availability

Wildlife conservation modelling and Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes are a way of bringing potential ‘buyers’ and ‘sellers’ of ecosystem services together for a mutually beneficial exchange. In their recently published work, Kragt and colleagues present an ecological model in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic that predicts how community-based patrolling can protect critically endangered species from poaching. Here they show how this model could benefit PES schemes. Laos … Continue reading Wildlife conservation modelling and Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes

BES journal blogs round up: February 2019

February was another busy month across the British Ecological Society blogs. We’ve seen the launch of Special Features on ecological succession and advances in modelling demographic processes, as well as a cross-journal series on rewilding, a look at the physics behind predator and prey size ratios and an exploration of how climate change is affecting penguin interactions. Read on for more highlights. Functional Ecologists – … Continue reading BES journal blogs round up: February 2019

Jaguar habitat use outside protected areas in Central America: accounting for the detection process generates new insights

We’re turning our attention to wide-ranging animals, specifically jaguars of Central America. Lisanne Petracca discusses her recent article, Robust inference on large-scale species habitat use with interview data: The status of jaguars outside protected areas in Central America. The team also share video summaries of their work in English and Spanish.  For wide-ranging animals such as our focal species, the jaguar (Panthera onca), it is … Continue reading Jaguar habitat use outside protected areas in Central America: accounting for the detection process generates new insights

Video: Population density – a new method using remote cameras and radio collars

In this latest post, Jesse Whittington shares insights into new models for monitoring wildlife, including grizzly bears. Don’t forget to watch the video of some bears captured on camera! Whittington and colleagues’ Open Access article, Generalized spatial mark–resight models with an application to grizzly bears is available in the Journal of Applied Ecology. Wildlife managers around the world strive to estimate population abundance and the related … Continue reading Video: Population density – a new method using remote cameras and radio collars

Mapping risk: new method to synthesize spatial data on human and animal use of coastal waters

In this post Erin Ashe discusses a new article from Esther Jones and colleagues ‘Seals and shipping: quantifying population risk and individual exposure to vessel noise‘ An exciting new paper (Jones et al. 2017) outlines a rigorous and widely applicable framework to predict ship noise levels in coastal waters, assess noise exposure for two seal species, and explicitly incorporate these results into risk assessments and … Continue reading Mapping risk: new method to synthesize spatial data on human and animal use of coastal waters

Uncertainty matters in modelling, but it can be overcome if some simple rules are followed

In this post Associate Editor Andre Punt discusses a recent Commentary from E. J. Milner-Gulland and Katriona Shea ‘Embracing uncertainty in applied ecology‘ Models are core to many working in the various fields that constitute applied ecology. However, models can mislead researchers and decision makers if used incorrectly.  Uncertainty is pervasive in applied ecology, and if not handled correctly can lead those using models having … Continue reading Uncertainty matters in modelling, but it can be overcome if some simple rules are followed

Editor’s Choice 54:2 – Optimizing the use of species distribution maps for planning new protected areas

The Editor’s Choice for Issue 54:2 is written by Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi, who is taking part in our Associate Editor mentoring opportunity. The article chosen by the Editors as this issue’s Editor’s choice article is ‘Limitations and trade-offs in the use of species distribution maps for protected area planning‘ by Moreno Di Marco and colleagues. Protected Areas have been the ‘big idea’ of biodiversity conservation over … Continue reading Editor’s Choice 54:2 – Optimizing the use of species distribution maps for planning new protected areas