Department of Environment and Conservation

ABSTRACT In Hokkaido, Japan, various management measures are being implemented to mitigate human‐brown bear conflicts. To evaluate the effectiveness of these measures, we aimed to estimate the number of nuisance bears as an indicator of conflict based on damage and occurrence reports. For the estimation, we assessed the harmfulness level (Conditions 0–3) of the bears based on information provided in the reports and developed a method to remove duplicate or substantial overcounts of a bear resulting from multiple reports on the same individual. The specified criteria based on the difference in dates and distance were established to identify a single bear associated with multiple reports. By establishing two sets of criteria, one relaxed and one stringent, we estimated the minimum and maximum numbers of nuisance bears. We estimated the number of nuisance individuals annually based on the reports collected from 2009 to 2023 in the Oshima Peninsula, Hokkaido. The total number of nuisance individuals fluctuated between 362 and 495 (maximum) and 163 and 214 (minimum) in the first half of the 2010s. Thereafter, the maximum number of individuals in Condition 0/1 (lower harmfulness) continued to increase, reaching 504 in 2023, whereas the number of individuals in Conditions 2 and 3 remained relatively stable, ranging from 153 in 2015 to 261 in 2018. Establishing a specific criterion to estimate the number of nuisance individuals involved in conflict provides a more valuable evaluation indicator for adaptive management than one that solely relies on the number of occurrences.

The Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) have recently been recognized as a viable tool for conserving biodiversity beyond protected areas. As a new concept, it is essential to evaluate the current knowledge on OECMs and their prospects for conserving biodiversity resources outside protected areas. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on key concepts, including OECMs, governance, and biodiversity, using the Publish or Perish Software Program in Google Scholar. Out of the total 200 articles identified through the keywords, 54 were shortlisted for a comprehensive full-text review. Based on the closeness of the study objectives to our research questions, 27 articles were selected for detailed analysis. As no journal articles related to the OECM in Nepal were found within the set time frame, contemporary policies and legal documents of Nepal were also reviewed. Additionally, to account for the lengthy publication process, a few more recent journal articles were also reviewed. The review revealed that nearly half of the studies (13) focused on global and regional scales, while eight studies were conducted in eight different countries, and two studies in each of three additional countries. Recent studies on the integration of OECM principles in Nepal’s forestry sector policies and practices were also reviewed. Community-led conservation, supported by coordination and collaboration among multilevel governance systems - including both state and non-state actors-has been found effective in conserving biodiversity resources outside protected areas. However, further studies on natural resources governance beyond protected areas are needed to ensure long-term in-situ conservation of biodiversity through the OECM model.

Abstract One Health, Planetary Health, and EcoHealth – there are myriad conceptual frameworks for expanding discussions to move beyond human, animal and plant health, to be inclusive for the health of ecosystems. At present, however, despite its crucial role in the survival of our world, the ocean receives insufficient consideration within these frameworks. Therefore, greater emphasis should be placed on what can be coined One Ocean Health . To this end, we relate the health of the ocean to currently dominant connotations of the concept of health and acknowledge the ocean’s nature as one gigantic, interconnected ecosystem; a common, irreplaceable ocean on which all living things depend, human and non-human, terrestrial and aquatic alike. Recognizing the interconnectedness of ocean and society, and drawing on concepts from medical theory, we advocate for a holistic, co-developed approach to ocean health that integrates not only scientific and policy perspectives but also acknowledges the cultural diversity in the ways in which people relate to the ocean and engage with it. To achieve this, objective and subjective perspectives of what constitutes “diseases” in marine ecosystems need to be considered, while also defining means and normative goals of a “healthy ocean” – always bearing in mind the fact that this is not an end in itself, but remains crucial for the preservation of the planet that we as humans. One Health impact statement This research represents an interdisciplinary reflection on the neglected role of ocean health within the One Health framework. Despite its critical importance, the ocean is often rather absent from discussions from One Health deliberations. We examine how different conceptualizations of what constitutes a “healthy” or “diseased” system influence these debates, and explore the challenges and opportunities for integrating holistic, transdisciplinary views into ocean health via the proposed One Ocean Health perspective. We argue that this perspective further emphasizes the deep interconnectedness of ocean, human and non-human organisms, advocating for enhanced inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange. Recognizing the ocean as a fundamental component of global health is essential to addressing complex environmental and societal challenges, ultimately ensuring a more resilient and sustainable future.

Ensuring a sustainable future for the global ocean requires meaningful dialogue and engagement with society. Around the world, efforts to engage and collaborate with society increasingly emphasise ocean literacy as a potential tool for engaging and educating people on ocean issues. A conceptual measure of people’s awareness, attitudes, and behaviours towards the ocean, ocean literacy has been highlighted as a key objective in recent ocean sustainability agreements and initiatives, including the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. In Australia, research and applied interest in ocean literacy is burgeoning. It is therefore timely to take stock and explore recent work that may inform future pathways towards supporting and engaging society in achieving ocean sustainability. Here, we explore examples of ocean literacy research and practice in Australia, to develop prospective thinking on inter/transdisciplinary approaches for advancing ocean literacy under sustainability objectives. In doing so, we anticipate the next steps for progressing ocean literacy in the Australian context, including supporting ocean learning and education, engaging communities at all levels, fostering cross‐sector collaboration on connecting people to the ocean, and building strong and actionable policy and funding frameworks to ensure long‐term impact. We emphasise the need to collaboratively develop a national ocean literacy strategy to guide and structure these efforts and to establish an Australian ocean literacy coalition to facilitate research, cross‐sector collaboration, and implementation in practice.

Lake George is a closed basin located 50 km north-east of Canberra, in southeastern Australia.  Historical records indicate that lake levels directly reflect precipitation; eight cycles of high water levels (up to 7m depth), interspersed with dry lake conditions, have occurred since 1820 CE. Over longer time scales, shoreline sediments also record phases of high water up to 14m depth in Lake George during the past 15000 years. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) chronologies show multiple high lake phases extending through the Holocene, with a dominant cyclic pattern of c. 2300 y.Here we compare the Holocene lake-level data with astronomical and solar phenomena over the same time period. In particular, we calculate a cyclicity in the Grand Alignments (GAs) of the four Jovian planets of 4628 y and near GAs occurring at 2314 y intervals, the timing of which is coeval with the Lake George filling events. GAs have been observed to align with Grand Minima (GMs) (eg Maunder and Spoerer Minima) in solar activity (sunspots) which produce phases of high galactic cosmic ray flux on Earth. The timing of GMs is obtained by reconstruction of 10Be and 14C fluxes as recorded in terrestrial sediments.  These high fluxes also appear to show a temporal relationship with occurrence of the lake level highs. The recognition of cosmic ray flux episodes, rather than individual GMs, strongly indicates an association between observed solar activity and the high lake levels as preserved in the Lake George sediment archive. The time span 0-9.4ka contains four GM episodes and 13 OSL dated lake levels.  Of the latter, 69% date within the episodes of GM. The evidence suggests that precipitation in the Lake George basin has been associated with Jovian planet grand alignments and near GAs for at least the past 15000 years, and with phases of reduced solar and interplanetary magnetic field  strength and increased GCR flux in the vicinity of the Earth. The study supports the hypothesis that solar activity exhibits the well -known Hallstatt cycle periodicity (2300 yr).  Mechanisms for cause and effect remain subjects for further study.

Global index methods based on aquatic macroinvertebrates are commonly used in bio-indication. However, these global index methods ‎cannot be used to diagnose the real causes of degradation. This study therefore proposes to integrate recent theoretical advances linking the ‎bioecological strategies of organisms (maximum size, life cycle, food type, feeding mode, respiration and locomotion) with disturbances to ‎their environment. Three (03) stations were visited. Sampling was carried out from June 2016 to June 2018. A total of 59 taxa were identified, divided into 35 families, 10 orders and 5 classes. The analysis of the bioecological characteristics of aquatic macroinvertebrates in the ‎studied hydrosystems in central Ivory Coast showed that the Raviart dam is highly disturbed by organic pollution, the Kongobo dam is ‎moderately disturbed by organic pollution and the Allomambo dam is very slightly disturbed by organic pollution‎.

Background The Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) was implemented operationally throughout Australia in September 2022, providing calculation of fire danger forecasts based on peer-reviewed fire behaviour models. The system is modular and allows for ongoing incorporation of new scientific research and improved datasets. Aims Prior to operational implementation of the AFDRS, a Research Prototype (AFDRSRP), described here, was built to test the input data and systems and evaluate the performance and potential outputs. Methods Fire spread models were selected and aligned with fuel types in a process that captured bioregional variation in fuel characteristics. National spatial datasets were created to identify fuel types and fire history in alignment with existing spatial weather forecast layers. Key results The AFDRSRP demonstrated improvements over the McArthur Forest and Grass Fire Danger systems due to its use of improved fire behaviour models, as well as more accurately reflecting the variation in fuels. Conclusions The system design was robust and allowed for the incorporation of updates to the models and datasets prior to implementation of the AFDRS.

Determining species’ distributions is challenging for cryptic species that are difficult to detect using standard techniques. The mallee worm-lizard (Aprasia inaurita Kluge, 1974) is a cryptic reptile in the family Pygopodidae, listed as Endangered in New South Wales. We modelled the species’ potential distribution (Maxent) to improve understanding of the species’ distribution and surveyed potential habitat in the Scotia Mallee region (an area with suitable habitat) from 2018 to 2022, with pitfall traps and artificial refuges (terracotta roof tiles). We completed 11 587 pitfall trap-nights and 3200 tile checks over eight monitoring sessions. Over this period, we detected six vertebrate species (all lizards) using roof tiles and 40 species with pitfall traps, but no mallee worm-lizards. Evaluation of existing records of the mallee worm-lizard from NSW suggested that the state constitutes the north-eastern edge of its continental range, with the species apparently present in low numbers across a wide swathe of south-western NSW. Most records were located within or near to spinifex or porcupine grass (Triodia spp.) communities, on private land. Species distribution modelling provided outputs that are useful for spatial prioritisation of conservation efforts for the species, with region-wide maps showing that much of the Scotia Mallee study area contains potentially suitable habitat for the mallee worm-lizard. However, habitat suitability scores for individual cells in this area were low, in some instances, because of high maximum summer temperatures and soil available water capacity. We anticipate that increasing temperatures associated with climate change may further reduce the suitability of habitat in this area in the future.

Morphological abnormalities in wild animals can be indicators of the underlying health of a population and may be determined through routine photographic surveys. Here, we assess unusual rostrum conditions in Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea) inhabiting South African coastal waters to understand the rate of prevalence of abnormal rostrums and formulate hypotheses on potential causes. Photographic data were collated from systematic boat surveys and opportunistic sightings, obtained between April 1998 and March 2021 in various regions along the South African coast. Overall, 31 unique individuals were found with abnormal rostrum conditions, varying from slight misalignments to severe wounds and/or aberrant morphologies. In most cases, injuries were likely caused by natural events during the animal's life history such as interactions with sharks and/or reef-associated hunting strategies. Mark-recapture data indicated that individuals had survived with these injuries for up to 10 years. This study reports the highest incidence of rostrum abnormalities in the species. As numbers reflect only those that have survived their injuries, they are considered a minimum estimate. A better understanding of the cause(s) of these injuries is important given the endangered status of this species.

Seasonal geophysical cycles strongly influence the activity of life on Earth because they affect environmental conditions like temperature, precipitation and day length. An increase in daylight availability during summer is especially enhanced when animals migrate along a latitudinal gradient. Yet, the question of how day length (i.e. daylight availability) influences the activity patterns of long-distance, latitudinal migrants is still unclear. Here, we ask whether migration provides benefits to long-distance migrants by enabling them to increase their diurnal movement activities due to an increase in daylight availability. To answer this question, we tested whether four vastly different species of long-distance migratory birds-two arctic migrants and two mid-latitude migrants-can capitalise on day length changes by adjusting their daily activity. We quantified the relationship between daily activity (measured using accelerometer data) and day length, and estimated each species' daily activity patterns. In addition, we evaluated the role of day length as an ultimate driver of bird migration. All four species exhibited longer activity periods during days with more daylight hours, showing a strong positive relationship between total daily activity and day length. The slope of this relationship varied between the different species, with activity increasing 1.5-fold on average when migrating from wintering to breeding grounds. Underlying mechanisms of these relationships reveal two distinct patterns of daily activity. Flying foragers showed increasing activity patterns, that is, their daytime activities rose uniformly up to solar noon and decreased until dusk, thereby exhibiting a season-specific activity slope. In contrast, ground foragers showed a constant activity pattern, whereby they immediately increased their activity to a certain level and maintained this level throughout the day. Our study reveals that long days allow birds to prolong their activity and increase their total daily activity. These findings highlight that daylight availability could be an additional ultimate cause of bird migration and act as a selective agent for the evolution of migration.