New Research on Biodiversity and Nature

A round-up of recent work published in scientific journals

Wildlife farming. Storm-resilient forests. Dryland birds. Natural climate solutions. Tree planting. An influential invasive.

Wildlife farming and illegal wildlife trade: With demand for wildlife products rising, this study looked at whether wildlife farming can be a tool for conservation, sustainable trade and rural livelihoods. Despite some positive examples, it found that wildlife farming is generally harmful. Wild caught specimens are often presented as being captive-bred to avoid trade restrictions. It is also common for wildlife farmers to use wild-caught individuals to boost their captive stocks. The authors recommend policy changes to address these issues and increased support for sustainable wildlife farming that benefits rural communities. Read the full paper in People and Nature.

Diverse forests withstand storms: Across Europe, the number of trees being killed by storms is increasing. Drawing on data from across Europe, this study found that forests with more tree species can better withstand storms than monoculture forests such as pine plantations. The researchers used data from more than 90,000 forest plots in Europe to create a computer model to simulate the dynamics of different types of forests following a storm. Tree diversity increased storm resilience especially in places with extreme climates, such as the hot, dry Mediterranean region and cold, wet northern Scandinavia. Read the press release or the full paper in Functional Ecology.

Most dryland birds are vulnerable to heatwaves: Conservation plans rarely take account of extreme climatic events such as heatwaves, which are becoming more common. In this study, researchers assessed the vulnerability to heatwaves of nearly 1,200 bird species that live in drylands. They estimate that 74 percent of them are vulnerable, with 178 species being highly vulnerable. The main areas with heatwave-vulnerable species are Australia, Southern Africa and Eastern Africa. The authors show that heatwaves are already having impacts on the vulnerable species. They say that while most of these species are today considered non-threatened, that will likely change as heatwaves intensify. Find the full paper in Global Change Biology.

The principles of natural climate solutions: Confusion and controversy about what defines a natural climate solution is delaying action on climate change. This paper presents five key principles for such solutions — saying they must be nature-based, sustainable, climate-additional, measurable, and equitable. They provide another 15 principles for implementing natural climate solutions for meaningful mitigation of climate change. Read the full paper in Nature Communications.

Many tree-planting promoters do not follow best practice: Widespread failure and unintended consequences of tree-planting efforts have led to the production of guidelines on best practice for reforestation. To check on the uptake of these recommendations, the authors of this paper reviewed websites of 99 organizations — mostly in the United States, United Kingdom, European Union — that promote and fund tree-growing projects around the world. Only a quarter of these organizations had measurable, time-bound objectives for tree planting, and only 38 percent reported on benefits local communities have received from trees. The authors question whether long-term benefits are being achieved and call for greater public accountability. Read the full paper in Conservation Letters.

Invasive ant reshapes mammalian predator-prey dynamics: An invasive ant species spreading in Kenya has altered relations between lions and their prey by killing off a native ant species. The native ants live in whistling-thorn trees, which they protect by attacking animals that try to eat the leaves. The tree rewards the ants with nectar and a place to live. When the new ant displaces the old, elephants can eat and damage more trees. This makes lions more visible to their zebra prey, resulting in fewer kills. The lions now target buffalos instead. Read the press release or find the full paper in Science.

In case you missed it, earlier this week I published Nature Beat #13 — full of news, resources, jobs, great stories, and more.

Nature Beat #13

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