The drivers of the unsustainable consumption of animal products have been researched, but, to date, no studies have specifically examined the interplay between perceptions of biodiversity loss consequences, beliefs in its existence and significance and the consumption of animal skin and fur products. We explore how people’s perceived consequences of biodiversity loss are associated with their consumption preferences and behaviours related to animal fur/skin products in varying scenarios of biodiversity loss beliefs. Applying Bayesian mindsponge framework analytics to a dataset of 535 Vietnamese urban residents (with 85.05% holding an undergraduate or higher degree), we found that, for people viewing biodiversity loss as real and significant, perceived consequences of biodiversity loss were negatively associated with the preference for animal skin/fur products. Conversely, when they viewed biodiversity loss as unreal or real but insignificant, the association was the reverse. Regarding the ownership of skin/fur products, among those who considered biodiversity loss insignificant, perceived consequences of biodiversity loss were correlated with owning more such products. However, for individuals who saw biodiversity loss as a major issue or denied its existence, ownership remained unaffected by perceptions of its consequences. These findings underscore the need for interdisciplinary research in sociocultural and environmental psychology to improve our understanding of the human–nature relationship and inform evidence-based policies integrating science and humanistic values.

Jordan’s mammalian fauna has experienced significant declines due to intensified hunting since the early twentieth century, leading to the extinction of six species and threatening 39% of the remaining species. This research evaluates the evolution of Jordan’s hunting laws across three historical stages – the Ottoman period, the establishment of Jordan and the modern era – highlighting their impacts on mammalian diversity and identifying legislative gaps contributing to species declines. Using Arabic-based legal databases and historical archives, we found that inadequate legal frameworks, political instability, economic pressures and weak enforcement often accelerated species depletion. Notably, the 1957 Hunting Law permitted hunting of vulnerable species with a licence and of predators without a licence, worsening species decline. Although the 1962 Defense Law aimed to protect nature, its expiration hindered progress. The 1966 Hunting Law largely duplicated the 1957 law, perpetuating these problems, and then hunting regulations were absorbed into agricultural law, undermining conservation efforts. Despite these legal shortcomings, Jordan’s modernization vision provides hope for reform, including the potential restoration of the Hunting Law under the Ministry of Environment and incorporating the right to a healthy environment into Jordan’s constitution to help prevent a mass extinction of mammals.

Agricultural intensification has led to significant species losses and has been associated with a decline in ecosystem services provided by insects. In Asia, particularly in Lao PDR (Southeast Asia), biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices such as the production of organic crops have been promoted to address these challenges, although intensification has continued. In this study, we examined beetle community composition in three organic farms (using, for example, manure and compost and not employing synthetic fertilizers and pesticides) and three conventional farms (using, for example, synthetic fertilizers and insecticides) in Vientiane (Lao PDR). Our results indicate that total beetle abundance was similar between farm types, while species richness was greater, predators were over 18 times more abundant and insect pests were 9 times less abundant in organic compared to conventional farms. These findings can inform government organic farming policy in Lao PDR and the promotion of sustainable agriculture in Southeast Asia generally.

Megacities around the world are increasingly confronted with conservation and restoration bottlenecks due to the competing demands of urban expansion and environmental conservation. This study investigates conservation prioritization strategies for balancing biodiversity protection, ecosystem service (ES) supply and landscape connectivity in rapidly urbanizing Beijing. By employing spatially explicit modelling and prioritization scenario techniques, we identify spatially heterogeneous priority zones. We demonstrate that high-value areas for ES supply, particularly carbon storage and water regulation, concentrate primarily in Beijing’s north-western mountainous regions, covering c. 62% of the city’s area. Conversely, critical habitats for threatened species and key connectivity corridors are dispersed, with 22.89% of critical habitats located within urban built-up areas. Gap analysis reveals limited alignment between Beijing’s current ecological security patterns, with only 9.6% coverage of the identified top 10% conservation priority zones, especially within the metropolitan core. The study underscores significant trade-offs among different ecological objectives and multi-criteria conservation strategies. We propose an optimized conservation framework based on zonation analysis to guide targeted landscape planning decisions. This approach provides actionable insights for urban policymakers to achieve comprehensive sustainability, emphasizing the importance of protecting critical ecological areas in both urban and rural landscapes amid ongoing urban expansion.

The elusive southern river otter (Lontra provocax; huillín in Spanish) is critically endangered in the Argentine portion of Tierra del Fuego, and low social awareness may be one of the major threats to its conservation. Our survey of local residents’ knowledge and valuation of the huillín showed that only 14% recognized photographs of the species, almost half did not know that it is endangered and most erroneously thought it was an introduced species. Greater knowledge about the huillín was related to higher respondent education levels. Younger and more knowledgeable residents valued the species more for ecological and relational reasons; its instrumental value was considered least important. More communication should be targeted at older people and groups not directly interacting with nature via informal education methods, including combining positive messages about the huillín and other native species with ongoing outreach efforts warning about biological invasions. Understanding perceptions and valuations of biodiversity can make conservation efforts more effective and inclusive.

Monitoring wildlife populations in vast, remote landscapes poses significant challenges for conservation and management, particularly when studying elusive species that range across inaccessible terrain. Traditional survey methods often prove impractical or insufficient in such environments, necessitating innovative technological solutions. This study evaluates the effectiveness of deep learning for automated Bactrian camel detection in drone imagery across the complex desert terrain of the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Using YOLOv8 and a dataset of 1479 high-resolution drone-captured images of Bactrian camels, we developed and validated an automated detection system. Our model demonstrated strong detection performance with high precision and recall values across different environmental conditions. Scale-aware analysis revealed distinct performance patterns between medium- and small-scale detections, informing optimal drone flight parameters. The system maintained consistent processing efficiency across various batch sizes while preserving detection quality. These findings advance conservation monitoring capabilities for Bactrian camels and other wildlife in remote ecosystems, providing wildlife managers with an efficient tool to track population dynamics and inform conservation strategies in expansive, difficult-to-access habitats.

The Convention on Biological Diversity, ratified by 196 countries including South Korea, aims to protect at least 30% of the world’s land, inland waters and marine areas by 2030 as part of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Beyond increasing protected areas (PAs), promoting biodiversity by protecting different ecosystem types is crucial. We investigated whether South Korea’s PAs evenly cover various ecosystem types. We examined overlaps between the Korean Database of Protected Areas (KDPA) and the Korean adapted Ecosystem Typology (KET) map, which modified the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Ecosystem Typology (GET) three-level ecosystem functional group map based on South Korea’s land cover. Compared to the biogeographical ecoregion map, the KET map provides finer ecological detail on representation within PAs and reveals the under-representation of human-influenced ecosystems; eight human-influenced ecosystem functional groups, including rice paddies and urban and industrial ecosystems that may contribute to biodiversity or cultural value, had <10% protection. The T2.2 deciduous temperate forest type dominates, covering 54.79% of PA area across 18 of 27 PA categories. This concentrated protection has led to up to 24 overlapping PA designations in certain locations. Expanding protection for under-represented ecosystems and diversifying governance could help South Korea align with global biodiversity goals.

Amid China’s goals to reach peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, along with its ecological civilization agenda, the synergy between the digital economy (DE) and environmental quality (EQ) in Chinese cities has become increasingly vital. Using panel data from 285 cities between 2016 and 2021, this study constructs an integrated framework to examine the level of coordinated development between the DE and EQ, measured through the coupling coordination degree (CCD) that captures the strength and harmony of their interaction. It further analyses spatial–temporal heterogeneity and influencing factors. The results reveal: (1) both the DE and EQ have improved steadily, with the CCD rising to a moderate level and showing clear spatial clustering; and (2) economic development, educational investment and industrial upgrading boost the CCD, whereas average years of education and government intervention may hinder it. Additionally, economic development and industrial upgrading have positive spatial spillovers, and a threshold effect of government intervention is observed.

Every private rural property in Brazil must maintain a percentage of its area with conserved native vegetation, establishing a legal reserve area (LRA). This percentage is defined by the Brazilian Federal Law on Protection of Native Vegetation and is 20–80% of the rural property, depending on the political boundary and vegetation formation. However, the Environmental Code of Mato Grosso stipulates that vegetation type determines the LRA percentage in the state of Mato Grosso, considering both vegetation formation and floristic composition. In addition, the state adopts a coarse-scale vegetation map as a reference, despite the existence of a more accurate official map. In this study, we calculated the impacts of these provisions by combining legal interpretation, spatial analysis and ecological reasoning, in accordance with the scientific concepts of ecology, and intersecting official maps from the State Environmental Agency and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, at the scales of 1:1 000 000 and 1:250 000, respectively. A total of 9 045 065 ha could have their LRA requirement reduced from 80% to 35% under Mato Grosso’s legislation, potentially authorizing deforestation in the Amazon, Cerrado and Pantanal, in apparent contradiction to federal law. These findings highlight that issues related to the concepts, classifications and mapping scales for defining native vegetation have significant implications for biodiversity conservation.

As apex predators, giant otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) are susceptible to the bioaccumulation of heavy metals, particularly in regions where gold-mining contributes to mercury (Hg) pollution. This is the broadest-scale study assessing Hg and selenium (Se) concentrations in the Pantanal. Samples from 10 sites across the Pantanal were analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We constructed a two-factor generalized additive model (GAM) to investigate the relationship between Hg concentrations in giant otters and their location along river courses in gold-mining areas. To determine the feasibility of merging the dataset from the present study with the dataset of a previous study carried out by our group during 2016–2017, we included the datasets as a factor in the analysis. The GAM results supported the feasibility of merging the datasets. Additionally, we measured Se concentrations due to their potential to mitigate Hg toxicity. Higher Hg levels were found in otters from watercourses near gold-mining areas, with concentrations decreasing downstream, revealing a contamination gradient and the extensive impact of local pollution on wetlands. The highest Hg concentration was recorded in the Bento Gomes River, within a gold-mining area, whereas otters from unconnected sites exhibited lower Hg levels.

Macrophytes serve as indicators of aquatic ecosystem health and are often employed in monitoring the condition of water bodies. Traditionally, such observations are conducted in situ, but remote sensing offers a cost-effective and scalable alternative. Here, an algorithm for macrophyte detection using satellite data was created; we utilized clustering, with its results serving as target labels for building a machine-learning model. We developed a model for macrophyte identification using reflectance data in the near-infrared band during spring and summer. The derived algorithm, employing Sentinel-2 satellite reflectance data, enables the identification of open water, submerged and floating macrophytes and emergent macrophytes. This approach enhances the efficiency and applicability of macrophyte assessment, bridging the gap between field observations and remote sensing for comprehensive aquatic ecosystem monitoring.

The successful colonization of invasive plants (IPs) may be facilitated by their nutrient release during decomposition, which alters soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, microbial metabolic processes and the diversity of soil microorganisms. This study aimed to examine the effects of co-decomposition of four Asteraceae IPs (Conyza canadensis, Conyza sumatrensis, Erigeron annuus and Solidago canadensis) along a gradient of invasion and a native plant (Pterocypsela laciniata) on decomposition rate, soil physicochemical properties, soil enzyme activities and the diversity of soil bacterial communities (SBCs). Leaves of C. canadensis with heavy invasion and S. canadensis with light and heavy invasion decomposed more slowly than P. laciniata. Leaves of C. canadensis with full invasion decomposed more rapidly than P. laciniata. Pterocypsela laciniata and C. sumatrensis had synergistic effects on each other’s decomposition, whereas P. laciniata and S. canadensis displayed an antagonistic effect. Decomposition of the four IPs increased soil microbial carbon content but reduced soil fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolase activity compared to P. laciniata. Thus, invasion degree and species identity of IPs modulate the effects of the four IPs on the decomposition rate, mixed-effect intensity of co-decomposition, soil microbial carbon content, soil FDA hydrolase activity and SBC structure.

Residents’ attitudes towards wildlife and their management can be crucial in population control. Using a novel approach, we examined East Tennessee residents’ tolerance for American black bears and attitudes towards hunting. Most residents viewed black bears positively, tolerated their presence and preferred seeing them in their area. Attitudes were influenced by concern about future encounters, the values and benefits attributed to bears, prior experiences and perceptions of human–bear conflict and conflict frequency, whereas sociodemographic factors were less influential. Support for regulated hunting was influenced by sociodemographic factors more so than cognitive factors. Our findings suggest opportunities for managers to increase tolerance of black bears among residents through outreach emphasizing the benefits of living with the bears and guidance for avoiding negative encounters. Greater trust in the wildlife agency may result from such outreach, potentially leading to greater levels of tolerance among residents of bear-inhabited areas.