In Hawai’i, ecosystem conservation practitioners are increasingly considering the potential ecohydrological benefits from applied conservation action to mitigate the degrading impacts of runoff on native and restored ecosystems. One determinant of runoff is excess rainfall events where rainfall rates exceed the infiltration capacity of soils. To help understand runoff risks, we calculated the probability of excess rainfall events across the Hawaiian landscape by comparing the probability distributions of projected rainfall frequency and land-cover-specific infiltration capacity. We characterized soil infiltration capacity based on different land cover types (bare soil, grasses, and woody vegetation) and compared them to the frequency of large rainfall events under current and future climate scenarios. We then mapped the potential risk of excess rainfall across the main Hawaiian Islands. Our results show that land cover type has a very large effect on runoff risk as excess rainfall conditions are 234% more likely in bare soil and 75% more likely in grasslands compared to woody forests and shrublands. In contrast, projected shifts in rainfall intensity by end-of-century show little impact on these probabilities and thus, the risk of runoff. This indicates that the probability of excess rainfall is primarily driven by differences in land cover and not by current or potential shifts in rainfall patterns across the Hawaiian landscape. The ability to estimate the risk of potentially ecologically and economically costly runoff based on changes of land cover is useful for managers focused on invasive species control and restoration planning, especially for native and endemic ecosystems unique to the State of Hawai’i.

Assessing species at the regional level for their conservation is a vital first step in identifying and prioritizing species for both ex situ and in situ conservation actions. The complex coastal geomorphology of the Farasan Archipelago gives rise to promontories and bays that fragment the coastal flora. Climate change studies, combined with a case study of anthropogenic land use changes such as urbanization, tourism, and fishing, highlight the threat to the fragmented plant populations. In this study, the regional IUCN categories and criteria have been used to assess the conservation status of twelve targeted taxa of the Farasan Archipelago based on the data collected during field surveys and a literature review. According to our results, six species have been categorized as endangered (EN), four species as vulnerable (VU), and two species as near threatened (NT). Compared to an earlier assessment at the global level, Avicennia marina and Rhizophora mucronata have been re-categorized with a high degree of threat and ten species have been assessed for the first time. An effective action plan for the protection of the coastal zone and inland area biodiversity of the Archipelago is crucial to reduce threats to the islands’ plants.

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In a world increasingly affected by human presence and activities, achieving human–wildlife coexistence has become the goal of many wildlife conservation programs. Coexistence requires an understanding of factors that contribute to human tolerance and acceptance of problematic wildlife. In four communities in Nigeria, we used structured and semi-structured interviews to explore local people’s acceptance of the river hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) at a large reservoir with high human impact and where other conspicuous, damage-causing species are absent. We collected data two years apart to evaluate whether acceptance changed over time. Acceptance was low among respondents (21%). Logistic-regression results showed that attitudes, beliefs related to benefits and risks, behaviors toward hippos, study period, and income source significantly influenced acceptance of hippos. Results from Woolf tests showed that hippo-caused human fatalities most notably modified the observed decline in acceptance between study years. The potential significant impact of rare, yet severe events (in this case, human fatalities) on acceptance of wildlife and thus human–wildlife coexistence was supported in this study, one of few focused on hippo-human relations. For conservation and development interventions to be effective at this site, they should, at a minimum, improve human safety around hippos, emphasize current and potential benefits of hippos, create avenues for off-farm income, and reduce crop losses owing to hippos.

Biodiversity assessment is important for evaluating community conservation status. The haor basin in Sylhet Division represents a transitional zone with high species availability, rare occurrences and endemism. As a result, this study aims to describe the haor-based freshwater fish composition, including habitat, trophic ecology, availability and conservation status. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data on fish samples through focus group discussions, field surveys, and interviews with fisheries stakeholders on a monthly basis. We identified 188 morpho-species, of which 176 were finfish and 12 shellfish, distributed into 15 orders and 42 families where 29%, 42%, 15%, and 14% species were commonly available, moderately available, abundantly available, and rarely available, respectively. Cypriniformes was the dominant order in both total species and small indigenous species identified. Approximately 45.34% of species were riverine, 31.58% floodplain residents, 12.55% estuarine, 2.83% migratory, and 7.69% were exclusively hill stream residents. Carnivores and omnivores were the most dominant trophic groups. A total of 87.76% species were used as food, 12.23% as ornamental and 6.91% as sport fish. Approximately 50 species were threatened (7 critically endangered, 23 endangered and 20 vulnerable) at the national level, most of them belonging to Cypriniformes and Siluriformes. Based on endemism, 16 species were endemic of which Sygnathidae, Cobitidae, Olyridae, Cyprinidae and Balitoridae fell under the threatened category. Minimizing intense fishing efforts, banning indiscriminate fishing and destructive fishing gear, initiating fish sanctuaries and beel nurseries, and implementing eco-friendly modern fishing technology are suggested to conserve the threatened species. This study represents a guideline for assessing the availability and conservation of freshwater fish in the Sylhet belt and serves as a reference for decision-makers in order to allow for the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources within an ecosystem-based framework.

Invasive predators pose a critical threat to native taxa. Body size plays an important role in mediating the interactions of predator and prey. For piscivorous fishes, increased predator body size can be accompanied by the selection of increasingly larger prey or may reflect a mix of small and large prey. Knowledge of such interactions helps determine how predation affects population vital rates. Here, we assessed the predatory effects of invasive Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) on populations of native Rio Grande Sucker (Catostomus plebeius) and Rio Grande Chub (Gila pandora) in streams of the Jemez River watershed (New Mexico, USA). Trout diets were sampled every two weeks during the 2020 growing season. Predator and prey body lengths were measured to examine relationships to better understand patterns of piscivory and quantify the threat Brown Trout pose to populations of Rio Grande Chub and Rio Grande Sucker. Across all streams and sampling dates, 7% of Brown Trout diets contained fish. Predator–prey length relationships reflected a ‘wedge’ pattern, indicating that Brown Trout consumed an increasing range of prey body sizes as they grew larger. Rio Grande Sucker and Rio Grande Chub comprised 46% of consumed fishes. The findings demonstrated that Rio Grande Sucker and Rio Grande Chub experience constant predation over the growing season by Brown Trout. Moreover, our study provides evidence that these invasive predators pose a threat to the viability of Rio Grande Chub and Rio Grande Sucker populations. Conservation efforts to protect these chub and sucker populations must account for and directly address predation by invasive Brown Trout.

Food safety is currently a serious concern due to the health risks associated with food intake, particularly due to heavy metal contamination. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the heavy metals concentration in water and fishes collected from Hakaluki haor, Bangladesh. Three important fish species, Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus cirrhosis, and Labeo calbasu, together with water samples, were analyzed for heavy metals (Pb, Cr, and Cd), respectively. Considering four seasons, namely the monsoon, post-monsoon, winter, and pre-monsoon, a total of 72 fish samples were collected from three fishing stations from June 2017 to May 2018. The results showed that the total mean concentration of metals in water (mg L−1) was found to be in the order of Pb (0.125 ± 0.058) > Cr (0.026 ± 0.012) > Cd (0.001 ± 0.0002) within the maximum permissible limits set by the EU and WHO, except for Pb concentrations. Similarly, the total mean concentrations of Pb in fish (µg g−1) were found in order of L. rohita (0.388 ± 0.291) > Cirrhinus cirrhosus (0.334 ± 0.236) > L. calbasu (0.251 ± 0.117) greater than the maximum permissible limits (0.3 µg g−1) set by FIQC, except for L. calbasu. However, the mean concentrations of Cr and Cd in fish were found to be below the maximum permissible limits of FAO and FIQC, respectively. The quantity of heavy metal contamination in this haor indicates that the situation is worrying for the region’s biota and residents. However, to protect public health and reduce environmental risk, the appropriate authorities should oversee and monitor it with strong hands.

Biodiversity in all its forms has come under threat. The rate of biodiversity loss has attracted global attention, and most governments are trying to put measures into place to reduce the rate of loss. One way to ensure that people are conscious of biodiversity conservation is through education. However, studies on creating awareness for biodiversity conservation have received less attention in the literature. To address this knowledge gap, this study used questionnaires to investigate the role of education in biodiversity conservation in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The study found that environmental education, particularly an awareness of biodiversity conservation, is critical for conserving biodiversity. However, people’s knowledge of biodiversity conservation is too weak or inadequate to motivate them to incorporate biodiversity conservation practices into their daily activities. Furthermore, understanding the importance of biodiversity conservation comes with an increase in age. Increasing education on biodiversity conservation at an early age can help people become more aware of biodiversity conservation as they age, and they can incorporate it into their daily activities to reduce biodiversity loss. The study calls for a revision of the environmental education syllabus at various levels, particularly the basic and SHS levels, including more practical topics to help people change their attitudes and perceptions and incorporate biodiversity into their daily activities.

Pigeons have long been a common nuisance at numerous cultural sites in the Kathmandu Valley. Besides the health, economic and aesthetic issues caused by the pigeon excreta, this waste may also result in damaging effects to the materials used in Nepalese architecture, including metals such as copper and its alloys. This study assessed the impact of pigeon excreta on the metal-based monuments of cultural importance in the Kathmandu Valley. To test the corrosive effects of the excreta, fresh pigeon excreta were collected from three world heritage sites located around the Kathmandu Valley: Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Patan Durbar Squares. Additionally, metal samples, like those used in the monuments (including copper and its alloys bronze and brass), were obtained from metal shops in the surrounding area of Patan Durbar Square. The metal samples were cleaned, weighed, and immersed in pigeon excreta and placed in covered beakers for a duration of 122 days. During this study period, the metal samples were cleaned and weighed at multiple intervals during three designated exposure periods: Short-term duration (<10 days), Medium-term duration (10–42 days) and Long-term duration (42–122 days), to evaluate the degree of corrosion. Analysis of the metal samples showed a significant corrosion loss in copper but not in the alloys bronze and brass, thus indicating a stronger negative impact of pigeon excreta on copper compared to its alloys. Therefore, the use of copper-alloys instead of pure copper in monument renovation could serve as a useful alternative to help minimize the adverse effects of pigeon excreta. These findings provide an important insight in helping to promote the long-term preservation of cultural heritage sites.

The Belai beel serves as an important aquatic resource for the livelihood of the local community of the Gazipur district in Bangladesh. However, water pollution in recent times, mainly from industrial wastes and sewage effluents, may disrupt its aquatic environment. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to assess the potential area of pen fish culture in the Belai beel. The study was performed in the Rajbagan (L1), Kamaria (L2) and Rewla (L3) areas of the Belai beel. Grass carp, silver carp, common carp, catla and rui of 20–30 cm in size were stocked at a rate of 15,000 fish/ha and reared for 150 days in pens installed in the L1, L2 and L3 areas, respectively. The fishes were fed with mustard oil cake and rice bran. Maximum fish production was found in Rewla (12.97 ton/ha/150 days) compared to Rajbagan (8.85 ton/ha/150 days) and Kamaria (10.67 ton/ha/150 days) due to it having comparatively good quality water. There were significant differences in metal ion concentrations (p < 0.05) among the three fish pens. In the Rajbagan area, concentrations of Cd and Cu in the water coming from the industrial effluent canal exceeded the acceptable limit. Results indicated that the Rewla area was better than Rajbagan and Kamaria due to it having relatively good quality water for pen fish culture.