City sicker? A meta‐analysis of wildlife health and urbanization

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Journal Year: 2019, Volume and Issue: 17(10), P. 575 - 583

Published: Nov. 4, 2019

Urban development can alter resource availability, land use, and community composition, which, in turn, influences wildlife health. Generalizable relationships between health urbanization have yet to be quantified could vary across different measures of among species. We present a phylogenetic meta‐analysis 516 comparisons the toxicant loads, parasitism, body condition, or stress urban non‐urban populations reported 106 studies spanning 81 species 30 countries. found small but significant negative relationship health, driven by considerably higher loads greater parasite abundance, diversity, and/or likelihood infection parasites transmitted through close contact. Invertebrates amphibians were particularly affected, with having physiological than their counterparts. also strong geographic taxonomic bias research effort, highlighting future needs. Our results suggest that some types risks are more pronounced for areas, which important implications conservation.

Language: Английский

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Integrated global assessment of the natural forest carbon potential

Nature, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 624(7990), P. 92 - 101

Published: Nov. 13, 2023

Abstract Forests are a substantial terrestrial carbon sink, but anthropogenic changes in land use and climate have considerably reduced the scale of this system 1 . Remote-sensing estimates to quantify losses from global forests 2–5 characterized by considerable uncertainty we lack comprehensive ground-sourced evaluation benchmark these estimates. Here combine several 6 satellite-derived approaches 2,7,8 evaluate forest potential outside agricultural urban lands. Despite regional variation, predictions demonstrated remarkable consistency at scale, with only 12% difference between At present, storage is markedly under natural potential, total deficit 226 Gt (model range = 151–363 Gt) areas low human footprint. Most (61%, 139 C) existing forests, which ecosystem protection can allow recover maturity. The remaining 39% (87 lies regions been removed or fragmented. Although cannot be substitute for emissions reductions, our results support idea 2,3,9 that conservation, restoration sustainable management diverse offer valuable contributions meeting biodiversity targets.

Language: Английский

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Earth transformed: detailed mapping of global human modification from 1990 to 2017

Earth system science data, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 12(3), P. 1953 - 1972

Published: Sept. 2, 2020

Abstract. Data on the extent, patterns, and trends of human land use are critically important to support global national priorities for conservation sustainable development. To inform these issues, we created a series detailed datasets 1990, 2000, 2010, 2015 evaluate temporal spatial modification terrestrial lands (excluding Antarctica). We found that expansion increase in between 1990 resulted 1.6 M km2 natural lost. The percent change was 15.2 % or 0.6 annually – about 178 daily over 12 ha min−1. Worrisomely, rate loss has increased past 25 years. greatest from occurred Oceania, Asia, Europe, biomes with were mangroves, tropical subtropical moist broadleaf forests, dry forests. also contemporary (∼2017) estimate included additional stressors globally 14.6 18.5 (±0.0013) have been modified an area greater than Russia. Our novel (0.09 resolution), (1990–2015), recent (∼2017), comprehensive (11 stressors, 14 current), robust (using established framework incorporating classification errors parameter uncertainty), strongly validated. believe improved understanding profound transformation wrought by activities provide foundational data amount, rates landscape planning decision-making environmental mitigation, protection, restoration. generated this work available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3963013 (Theobald et al., 2020).

Language: Английский

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Mapping the irrecoverable carbon in Earth’s ecosystems

Nature Sustainability, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 5(1), P. 37 - 46

Published: Nov. 18, 2021

Abstract Avoiding catastrophic climate change requires rapid decarbonization and improved ecosystem stewardship at a planetary scale. The carbon released through the burning of fossil fuels would take millennia to regenerate on Earth. Though timeframe recovery for ecosystems such as peatlands, mangroves old-growth forests is shorter (centuries), this still exceeds time we have remaining avoid worst impacts global warming. There are some natural places that cannot afford lose due their irreplaceable reserves. Here map ‘irrecoverable carbon’ globally identify remains within human purview manage and, if lost, could not be recovered by mid-century, when need reach net-zero emissions impacts. Since 2010, agriculture, logging wildfire caused least 4.0 Gt irrecoverable carbon. world’s 139.1 ± 443.6 faces risks from land-use conversion change. These can reduced proactive protection adaptive management. Currently, 23.0% protected areas 33.6% managed Indigenous peoples local communities. Half Earth’s concentrated just 3.3% its land, highlighting opportunities targeted efforts increase security.

Language: Английский

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Urban Wetlands: A Review on Ecological and Cultural Values

Water, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 13(22), P. 3301 - 3301

Published: Nov. 22, 2021

Wetlands are a critical part of natural environments that offer wide range ecosystem services. In urban areas, wetlands contribute to the livability cities through improving water quality, carbon sequestration, providing habitats for wildlife species, reducing effects heat islands, and creating recreation opportunities. However, maintaining in areas faces many challenges, such as reduction hydrological functions, changed regimes due barriers, contamination by wastewater, habitat loss land-use change, biodiversity entry alien species. this article, we review theoretical background existing studies literature. We provide knowledge on highlight benefits these areas. These include sustainability, biodiversity, social perception, values. also summarize objectives, methodologies, findings reviewed articles five tables. addition, research gaps addressed articles. Our study addresses performing rigorous analysis identify significant open showing path toward future field. further discuss role policymakers stakeholders preserving finally present our conclusions.

Language: Английский

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Enhancing protected areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Ecosystem Services, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 43, P. 101090 - 101090

Published: March 25, 2020

Language: Английский

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Global human influence maps reveal clear opportunities in conserving Earth’s remaining intact terrestrial ecosystems

Global Change Biology, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 26(8), P. 4344 - 4356

Published: June 5, 2020

Abstract Leading up to the Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of Parties 15, there is momentum around setting bold conservation targets. Yet, it remains unclear how much Earth's land area without significant human influence and where this located. We compare four recent global maps influences across land, Anthromes, Global Human Modification, Footprint Low Impact Areas, answer these questions. Despite using various methodologies data, different spatial assessments independently estimate similar percentages terrestrial surface as having very low (20%–34%) (48%–56%) influence. Three out agree 46% non‐permanent ice‐ or snow‐covered However, portions planet are comprised cold (e.g., boreal forests, montane grasslands tundra) arid deserts) landscapes. Only biomes (boreal deserts, temperate coniferous forests have a majority datasets agreeing that at least half their has More concerning, <1% grasslands, tropical dry most datasets, mangroves also identified all datasets. These findings suggest about relatively offers opportunities for proactive actions retain last intact ecosystems planet. though relative abundance ecosystem areas with varies widely by biome, conserving should be high priority before they completely lost.

Language: Английский

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Land Use and Ecological Change: A 12,000-Year History

Annual Review of Environment and Resources, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 46(1), P. 1 - 33

Published: Oct. 18, 2021

Human use of land has been transforming Earth's ecology for millennia. From hunting and foraging to burning the farming industrial agriculture, increasingly intensive human reshaped global patterns biodiversity, ecosystems, landscapes, climate. This review examines recent evidence from archaeology, paleoecology, environmental history, model-based reconstructions that reveal a planet largely transformed by over more than 10,000 years. Although always sustained societies, its ecological consequences are diverse sometimes opposing, both degrading enriching soils, shrinking wild habitats shaping novel ones, causing extinctions some species while propagating domesticating others, emitting absorbing greenhouse gases cause climate change. By ecology, literally paved way Anthropocene. Now, better future depends on strategies can effectively sustain people together with rest terrestrial nature limited land.

Language: Английский

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Functional connectivity of the world’s protected areas

Science, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 376(6597), P. 1101 - 1104

Published: June 2, 2022

Global policies call for connecting protected areas (PAs) to conserve the flow of animals and genes across changing landscapes, yet whether global PA networks currently support animal movement-and where connectivity conservation is most critical-remain largely unknown. In this study, we map functional world's terrestrial PAs quantify national through lens moving mammals. We find that mitigating human footprint may improve more than adding new PAs, although both strategies together maximize benefits. The globally important concentrated mammal movement remain unprotected, with 71% these overlapping biodiversity priority 6% occurring on land moderate high modification. Conservation restoration critical could safeguard while supporting other priorities.

Language: Английский

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More than half of data deficient species predicted to be threatened by extinction

Communications Biology, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 5(1)

Published: Aug. 4, 2022

Abstract The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is essential for practical and theoretical efforts to protect biodiversity. However, species classified as “Data Deficient” (DD) regularly mislead practitioners due their uncertain extinction risk. Here we present machine learning-derived probabilities being threatened by 7699 DD species, comprising 17% the entire spatial datasets. Our predictions suggest that a group may in fact be more than data-sufficient species. We found 85% amphibians are likely extinction, well half many other taxonomic groups, such mammals reptiles. Consequently, our indicate that, amongst others, conservation relevance biodiversity hotspots South America boosted up 20% if were acknowledged. predicted highly variable across taxa regions, implying current List-derived indices priorities biased.

Language: Английский

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