0000000001328061
AUTHOR
Nicola Arcilla
Climate change and habitat management implications for a declining grassland songbird in the North American Great Plains
Accelerating climate change is affecting species worldwide, and is expected to have impacts on more than half of North American bird species. Some of the most rapidly declining birds in continental North America include those in the Great Plains, which are considered particularly vulnerable to climate-induced range contractions and shifts. Although grassland bird responses to habitat management are well-documented, less is known about their population responses to climate change and its interactions with their breeding habitat. We evaluated how climate and habitat management parameters influenced the abundance of Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), a declining Neotropical migratory…
Conservation from the bottom up: drawing inspiration from human-nature connections
Increasing exploitation and commodification of the world’s species and natural systems threaten biological diversity as well as human cultural diversity. Approximately 1000 known species and an estimated half of the world’s languages have gone extinct over the last 500 years. Increasing human populations and impacts may threaten 30-50% of remaining species within the next several decades, and many extant languages are in danger of extinction, illustrating how the fates of both biological and human cultural diversity may be entwined. We explore challenges and opportunities to stem this tide of homogenization using cultural traditions that have conservation implications. We highlight case stu…
Evidence for the critical importance of anti-poaching patrols to protect African wildlife
Tropical forests are on the front lines of the current global extinction crisis, and effective conservation strategies are crucial to prevent continued wildlife declines and extinctions. The establishment and maintenance of protected areas have constituted a primary strategy to safeguard wildlife against anthropogenic threats including overhunting and habitat destruction and degradation. Empirical research is critical for determining their effectiveness. Part of West Africa's Upper Guinea Forests biodiversity hotspot, protected areas in Ghana include both Wildlife Protected Areas (WPAs) and Forest Reserves (FRs) where all hunting is prohibited. Their management differs in that WPAs feature …