ABSTRACT The market extinction vortex is a self‐fueled process by which a species is more intensively exploited as it becomes rarer, due to human eagerness to pay for the possession or use of scarce items. We use a long‐term price‐abundance longitudinal monitoring of glass eels in Spain to show that a market extinction vortex is pushing the European eel ( Anguilla anguilla ) to extinction. Glass eel landings increased from the mid‐20th until the late 1970s, to then decline sharply, while glass eel price augmented exponentially along a century (1925–2024). The collapse in glass eel landings was linked to acceleration in the increase of prices, so that the overall value of constantly declining glass eel landings has remained relatively constant. There is an urgent need to avoid perverse market processes related to rarity valuation, ideally establishing limitations or a moratorium on eel commercialization, for the eel to escape this vortex.

ABSTRACTGlobal responses to climate change vary across ecosystems. Identifying coral reefs that can persist despite extreme warming is crucial for guiding research, policy, and management. Resilience frameworks recommend protecting potential reef sanctuaries with specific attributes, including climate avoidance, rapid recovery, or resistance. However, climate‐avoidant reefs are dwindling, and recovery times are lengthening. We propose that resistance should be the cornerstone of reef resilience planning. A literature synthesis reveals that the definition and application of “reef resistance” are highly variable, limiting its effectiveness in management and policy. Over 85% of sources suggest that evolutionary processes contribute to resistance, but there is considerable variability in other cited ecological factors. We highlight a mismatch between implied mechanisms and actual data, with only ∼25% of studies linking resistance to relevant coral adaptation or acclimatization data. To address this, we propose a standardized definition of heat‐resistant reefs based on adaptation and acclimatization principles: reefs characterized by corals whose underlying genetics enable survival beyond previous thermal limits. This approach will enhance the effective allocation of limited resources for measuring, protecting, and managing reefs, as we strive to halt the human‐induced emissions driving their decline.

ABSTRACT The conversion of natural habitats to impervious surfaces in cities affects biotic and abiotic attributes of urban ecosystems. However, detailed information on the gradual influence of impervious surfaces on reproductive output is lacking. Using 5 years of nestbox‐breeding great tit and blue tit data collected across various habitat types within and outside a Central–Eastern European capital city, we quantified the impact of impervious surfaces on avian reproductive success. Impervious surfaces strongly and negatively covaried with the number of fledged young in both species: a 0%–50% increase in impervious surface within 100 m of the nest was associated with 3.56 fewer fledged offspring in great tits (95% CI: −4.85, −2.27) and 2.91 fewer fledged offspring in blue tits (95% CI: −4.26, −1.56), thus halving the reproductive output of two widespread urban species. These results provide benchmark values of avian productivity for ecologists and urban policy makers, and for the management of urban areas.

ABSTRACT Wildlife trade is a key threat to global biodiversity, involving thousands of species and millions of individuals. Global research and policy attention on international wildlife trade has increased in recent years and is represented in key global policy frameworks (e.g., Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework). Yet the dominant focus of research and discussion is on illegal wildlife trade and the use of CITES in managing trade for a subset of species, despite the fact that the majority of species in trade are legal and fall outside the remits of CITES. Furthermore, there is no global mechanism to record what species are traded; current systems only capture subsets of species and regions, with no consistent standards. This hampers our understanding of global trade patterns and limits any understanding of the wider sustainability of international wildlife trade. There is an urgent need to develop and implement policies that capture the full scope of international trade, tools that embed comprehensive and reproducible sustainability assessments, and funding that reflects the telecoupled nature of trade and the inherent wealth imbalance between exporting and importing nations. The adoption of these more holistic approaches is critical for a sustainable future for species in trade and the livelihoods reliant on them.

ABSTRACTWith the Kunming‐Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), the international community has committed to retaining ecosystems of high ecological integrity. Monitoring progress toward this target requires the identification of suitable indicators, but these are not universally recognized. In this study, we analyze available global maps of terrestrial ecological integrity and evaluate their representation of different dimensions of integrity (structure, composition, and function). Although 73% of terrestrial surface holds conservation value according to at least one map, less than 1% of land attains high integrity according to all of them. Solely relying on one indicator map risks overlooking the integrity value of at least 41 million km2 of land, with some key areas for biodiversity conservation inadequately represented by these indicators of integrity. However, when used in combination, complementary dimensions of integrity help identify an area covering 41.1% of the terrestrial surface, two‐thirds requiring urgent conservation action. The synergistic use of existing measures offers considerable potential to guide the implementation of Target 1 of the GBF while supporting more equitable conservation paradigms. Developing robust indicators and understanding the link among different ecological dimensions is essential to protect ecosystems of high ecological integrity in the long term.

ABSTRACT Climate change will have profound and unexpected impacts on biodiversity in the future. These impacts could potentially be mitigated through adaptive and responsive conservation planning, but it remains unclear how adaptation opportunities can be harnessed through careful planning of present‐day activities. Here, we show that the use of flexible conservation strategies that exploit opportunities for climate adaptation can mitigate climate risks without increasing total conservation costs. We estimate the value of allowing flexible delays of conservation investments for protecting habitats of the iconic and threatened koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus ) in eastern Australia. Conservation strategies that have no option to strategically delay investments face significant trade‐offs between minimizing conservation costs and reducing risks in conservation outcomes. These trade‐offs are substantially mitigated by flexible strategies that strategically delay investments into the future when the effects of climate change are likely to be better understood. Strategic delays are shown to mitigate climate risks in inflexible conservation strategies without even increasing conservation costs. These results show that conservation planning that strategically allocates present‐day conservation resources while also allowing the flexibility to shift these resources in the future is much more likely to achieve cost‐effective conservation outcomes in the face of uncertain climate change impacts.

Abstract Empirical data are essential to assess the outcomes of management decisions in the context of adaptive management. We used flyway‐level population indices of a declining game bird to assess population changes after introducing hunting management measures as part of the European Union (EU)‐wide Adaptive Harvest Management mechanism (AHMM). In one flyway, a full hunting ban led to the start of population recovery; numbers increased by 25% in 2 years and the 10‐year population trend improved from “moderate decline” to “stable.” In the other flyway, harvest was only reduced (allegedly by 60% although statistics from key countries were incomplete), and numbers continued to fall (−15% decline). Our study shows positive results of the leading AHMM for a landbird in Europe and provides empirical evidence of the speed of population response and the timeframe needed for change to occur and to be detected. It showcases the successful application of policy mechanisms underpinned by science.

Abstract Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are a cornerstone of 21st‐century area‐based conservation targets. In tropical KBAs, biodiversity is potentially at high risk from climate change, because most species reside within or beneath the canopy, where small increases in temperature can lead to novel climate regimes. We quantify novelty in temperature regimes by modeling hourly temperatures below the forest canopy across tropical KBAs between 1990 and 2019. We find that up to 60% of KBAs with tropical forests have recently transitioned to novel temperature regimes. Nevertheless, 40% of KBAs are providing refuge from novelty, 65% of which are not protected. By conducting the first pan‐tropical analyses of changes in below‐canopy temperature conditions in KBAs, we identify KBAs that are acting as climate refugia and should be considered for expansion of the conservation network in response to the post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework target to conserve 30% of land area by 2030.

Abstract Invasive species are a major cause of biodiversity loss and are notoriously expensive and challenging to manage. We developed a decision‐analytic framework for evaluating invasive species removal strategies, given objectives of maximizing eradication probability and minimizing costs. The framework uses an existing estimation model for spatially referenced removal data—one of the most accessible types of invasive species data—to obtain estimates of population growth rate, movement probability, and detection probability. We use these estimates in simulations to identify Pareto‐efficient strategies—strategies where increases in eradication probability cannot be obtained without increases in cost—from a set of proposed strategies. We applied the framework post hoc to a successful eradication of veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) and identified the potential for substantial improvements in efficiency. Our approach provides managers and policymakers with tools to identify cost‐effective strategies for a range of invasive species using only prior knowledge or data from initial physical removals.