Abstract Plant conservation is a global issue fundamental to sustainable development. Botanic gardens serve as critical manifestations of this endeavor, providing spaces for plant–human interactions. Recognizing the direct engagement between plants and daily cultural practices, this study adopts a novel interdisciplinary approach to explore conservation education pathways in botanic gardens through the lens of cultural experience. A case study of Luoyang's peony gardens was conducted using a questionnaire survey (n = 1030 valid samples). Findings reveal that visitors' cultural experiences were structured around four dimensions: scientific knowledge, high culture, popular culture, and person valuing. These dimensions demonstrated direct effects on conservation education enhancement or indirect effects mediated by place identity. This study advocates expanding the conceptualization of human‐plant relationships beyond scientific literacy by fostering conservation engagement through culturally grounded narratives.

Abstract As small (<5.5 kg) native mammals continue to decline throughout northern Australia, there is a critical need to identify the most significant threatening processes and those management actions with the greatest likelihood of alleviating them. Using a structured elicitation process, we sought to identify such management priorities by: (1) reviewing the literature since 2010 to identify a suite of potential drivers of small mammal decline; and (2) estimating the relative impacts of the putative threats and the ability to manage such threats. We reviewed 106 publications, from which we identified 11 threats and 14 threat attributes possibly contributing to the decline of small mammals in the region. From the expert elicitation, we scored and ranked each threat and threat attribute for its severity, geographic scope, potential for mitigation, and uniformity of impact across species. The elicitation suggested that the contemporary threats with the greatest relative impact on native mammals in northwestern Australia are: (1) predation by feral cats; and (2) habitat degradation by feral livestock and by inappropriate fire regimes. Tractable management actions aimed at reducing the density of feral livestock and improving fire regimes are likely to simultaneously reduce predation pressure from feral cats on small mammals and improve the availability of critical resources.

Abstract Wellington's solitary coral, Rhizopsammia wellingtoni, has not been documented since 2006 in the Galápagos Islands, leading to its designation as a critically endangered species by the IUCN due to declining populations and a risk of extinction. We surveyed 12 sites throughout the Galápagos archipelago in July–August 2024 using technical diving with rebreathers and discovered abundant populations of R. wellingtoni living in the mesophotic zone at depths of 50–60 m at three locations. Densities of 2.0, 5.3, and 64.9 corals per square meter were recorded at Cabo Douglas, Cuatro Hermanos, and Guy Fawkes, respectively. Video transects conducted at 10 m depth intervals above 50 m failed to encounter any corals. Size structure varied considerably: 74% of the corals found at the southernmost site of Cuatro Hermanos were large colonies composed of multiple polyps, while 26% were solitary individuals. In contrast, the northernmost site of Guy Fawkes had a predominance of solitary individuals (60%) with larger multi‐corallite colonies accounting for only 40% of corals, suggesting a younger population and high recruitment at this site. Historical records from Tagus Cove, where R. wellingtoni was first described in large abundance and at shallow depth, suggest that the species experienced significant declines between 1976 and 1999—a period that included the anomalously warm 1982–1983 El Niño event, which is attributed to have caused this species to decline to its current distribution. The apparent restriction of current R. wellingtoni populations to depths greater than 50 m where temperature remains below 17°C is consistent with the hypothesis that this species achieved a refuge in depth from exceptional shallow warming during past El Niño events. As the impacts of climate change intensify, further exploration of mesophotic zones using advanced diving methods will be crucial for evaluating potential extinctions and for conserving marine biodiversity.

Abstract Large areas of forest are allocated to commercial logging concessions, some of which are eco‐certified. Theoretically, both holding concessions' rights to log and being eco‐certified can increase or decrease forest loss. Impact estimates are sparse and unsurprisingly mixed for these interventions (that aim to affect forest outcomes, if not always for conservation). We ask if adding different forest sensors, forest outcomes, and variations in forest contexts sheds new light upon the forest impacts of uncertified concessions and eco‐certifications. Using new global data, which include forest degradation, we estimate the forest impacts of these interventions within the Peruvian Amazon, disaggregating across timber regions to allow for heterogeneity in impacts across distinct contexts. Our results confirm that, when averaging across the regions, uncertified logging concessions do not increase deforestation (relative to unintervened forest), consistent with previous findings. Yet, separating regions adds insight for policy and external validity: uncertified concessions yield larger reductions in deforestation rates within the more highly pressured of these three core logging regions. Degradation data provide further insights: uncertified concessions did not shift transitions from forest to degraded status, yet reduced transitions from degraded status to deforested. Eco‐certifications did not reduce deforestation or degradation across contexts or outcomes.

Abstract Wildlife rehabilitation is widely practiced to help injured animals recover and return to the wild, particularly benefiting endangered species that have small local populations. Here, we report the first case of a rehabilitated Ethiopian wolf that was successfully released back in the Simien Mountains. Through this case study, we documented the clinical treatment provided, recovery, and behavior of this individual during captivity, and post‐release monitoring in the wild using a GPS collar. After 51 days of captivity, during which a bone fracture in the hind leg caused by a gunshot was treated, the wolf was released back. After remaining with his pack members for 22 days, the wolf dispersed and settled in an unoccupied territory, where he paired with a female and successfully sired a litter. This study provides important insights on rehabilitation and post‐release monitoring that will inform conservation management of the Ethiopian wolf.

Abstract In order to meet global targets for area‐based conservation, new and innovative models for land protection will be increasingly required to suit different tenure and governance arrangements and to ensure the protected and conserved area estate is representative of the full range of biodiversity. Here we outline innovations in conservation and protection at Gayini, a large wetland restoration project in Australia's Murray‐Darling Basin, where a legally‐binding conservation covenant was co‐developed with the land's Traditional Custodians.

Abstract Experimental evaluation of environmental programs, including those aiming to conserve biodiversity, is rarer than those of social programs. However, there is growing interest in conducting such evaluations in conservation. Randomized control trials (RCTs), in which units are randomly assigned to receive one of two or more treatments, can avoid biases associated with observational designs and provide reliable estimation of program effectiveness. We present a typology of conservation RCTs, which differentiates between interventions that have a direct impact on biodiversity and those where the impact is mediated through changes in human behavior. With a focus on RCTs in behaviorally mediated conservation programs, which have received limited attention, we examine: (1) technical challenges (selection of randomization unit, avoiding interference between units, ensuring excludability and external validity) and solutions, (2) ethical and practical challenges, and (3) incentives that conservation organizations have to run RCTs. We end by summarizing the steps needed for good design and transparent reporting of RCTs. RCTs are not always appropriate, but we believe conservation science and practice would benefit from their wider application. By demystifying RCTs of conservation programs, we hope that this article will serve as a practical, grounded guide to foster broader adoption.

Abstract There is a global call for more efficient voluntary conservation practices. Voluntary conservation requires landowner participation, which may limit conservation efficiency. Here, we evaluated the ecological costs and benefits of a voluntary conservation policy relative to obligatory conservation, two hypothetical scenarios of randomly distributed conservation area networks, and two hypothetical ecologically optimized conservation area networks. The study was based on spatial conservation prioritization maps reflecting the conservation priority of forest in Central Finland. Our results suggest that voluntary conservation area networks can be relatively cost‐efficient with higher nature values and better connectivity compared to a randomly selected conservation area network. Voluntary conservation area networks scored slightly higher nature values than the obligatory conservation area network but suffered from lower connectivity and smaller area size. Quality differences between the voluntary conservation area networks were minor. Our analysis showed that neither of the voluntary conservation area networks achieved its full conservation potential when compared to an ecologically optimized conservation area network. Thus, our results indicate that the societal pursuit of landowner's conservation acceptance, and hence rejection of the systematic conservation planning, has come with a cost of reduced nature values and connectivity in the current conservation area network.

Abstract Estimating the abundance of threatened species can be extremely difficult. This is particularly true in remote regions, where surveys are often expensive and subject to logistical challenges. Where threatened species occur on Indigenous lands, collaborative work between Indigenous people and ecologists who share an interest in the conservation and management of these species may resolve some of these challenges while also meeting additional local objectives. Here, we show the value of integrating two on‐ground methods for non‐invasive genetic sampling of scat to estimate the abundance of the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis), a species highly significant to Indigenous people of central Australia that is threatened with extinction. We compared two on‐ground methods: (1) systematic surveys, designed to be repeatable, stratified, and standardized, and (2) targeted surveys, which focused on areas where bilby sign was present and involved a more flexible and intuitive search technique undertaken collaboratively with local Indigenous people and informed by their knowledge and skills. We compared different combinations of the two methods and different sampling intensities to explore how they affected modeled estimates of bilby abundance, derived by combining information on individual bilby identities (from DNA extracted from scat) with spatially explicit capture–recapture modeling. We found that combining targeted methods for scat collection with systematic sampling provided the best modeled estimates of bilby abundance and improved modeled estimates for lower overall effort than increasing systematic sampling. This approach also allowed for the inclusion of diverse knowledges and approaches to detecting species (scat) presence. By weaving multiple approaches to find and identify bilby scat, we show how collaborative knowledge‐sharing practices can also deliver multiple benefits to Indigenous and science partners.

Abstract It is common for species conservation plans to identify the establishment or maintenance of a “self‐sustaining population” as an objective. However, this statement vaguely conflates different formulations and interpretations of population viability, management costs, and cultural preferences for non‐invasive population management. Hidden value judgments and assumptions about these components can create disagreement and conflict among partners. Thus, although a simple statement about “achieving self‐sustaining populations” can be a powerful strategic vision, evoking important shared values, it will not be effective as an operational objective for conservation decision making. Best practices in decision making emphasize the importance of fundamental objectives that are clear, unambiguous, and operational. Conservation planners may be better served by replacing the self‐sustaining concept with better‐defined fundamental objectives using quantitative statements about viability and clearly laying out ecological, economic, and cultural values.