Conservation Action Tracker: A tool to identify and monitor conservation actions for tree species.

Premise: The GlobalTree Portal, hosted by Botanic Gardens Conservation International, provides access to information on the approximately 58,000 tree species worldwide. Included in the GlobalTree Portal is the Conservation Action Tracker, a dynamic and collaborative database to identify and monitor conservation actions for tree species globally. Methods: The Conservation Action Tracker collates conservation action information at the species level, including species recovery/action plans, ex situ collections, propagation protocols, in situ management, species protection policy, and education/awareness campaigns. Results: To date, the Conservation Action Tracker contains conservation action information for 4126 tree species, including 2161 threatened species, of which 659 are classified as Vulnerable, 783 as Endangered, and 719 as Critically Endangered. It covers conservation action information for at least one tree species in every country; however, more information is needed for 89% of Vulnerable, 87% of Endangered, and 77% of Critically Endangered tree species. Discussion: Monitoring species conservation actions can support the prioritization and scaling up of conservation practices by sharing knowledge, increasing collaboration, enabling the identification of conservation gaps, and making the information available to be used by decision-makers. Tracking conservation actions at the species level is, therefore, essential to guide future conservation efforts. Increasing the amount of data in the Conservation Action Tracker will improve the tool's ability to guide future conservation efforts and avoid the extinction of tree species.

Assessing the sustainability of yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) harvest.

Sustainable wildlife management is necessary to guarantee the viability of source populations; but it is rarely practiced in the tropics. The yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) has long been harvested for its leather. Since 2002 its harvest has operated under a management program in northeastern Argentina, which relies on adaptive management practices, that limit the minimum body length permitted for harvesting, the number of active hunters and the length of hunting seasons. Here we investigated the effects of yellow anaconda harvest on its demography based on 2002-2019 data and show that exploitation levels are sustainable. The gradual reduction in annual hunting effort, due to a decrease in the number of hunters and hunting season duration, reduced the total number of anacondas harvested. Conversely, captures per unit effort increased across the study period. The body size of anacondas was not influenced by the harvesting, and more females than males were caught. We also found that a decrease in mean temperature positively influenced anaconda harvest and the capture of giant individuals. Because sustainable use is a powerful tool for conservation, and anacondas are widespread in South America, these discoveries are highly applicable to other species and regions.

Severe conservation risks of roads on apex predators.

The global expansion of road networks threatens apex predator conservation and ecosystem functioning. This occurs through wildlife-vehicle collisions, habitat loss and fragmentation, reduced genetic connectivity and increased poaching. We reviewed road impacts on 36 apex predator species and assessed their risk from current roads based on road exposure and species vulnerability. Our findings reveal all apex predators are exposed to road impacts. Eight of the ten species with the highest risk occur in Asia, although other high-risk species are present in the Americas, Africa and Europe. The sloth bear suffers the highest risk of all apex predators, followed by the tiger and dhole. Based on species risk from roads, we propose a widely applicable method to assess the potential impact of future roads on apex predators. We applied this method to proposed road developments in three areas: the Brazilian Amazon, Africa, and Nepal, to locate high-impact road segments. Roughly 500 protected areas will be intersected by these roads, threatening core apex predator habitats. We advocate the need for rigorous road development planning to apply effective mitigation measures as an urgent priority and to avoid construction in wilderness areas and predator strongholds.

Substrate influences human removal of freshwater turtle nests in the eastern Brazilian Amazon.

Substrate type determines nesting success and fitness in turtles and is a critical consideration for nesting area protection and restoration. Here, we evaluated the effect of substrate on nest removal by humans in the eastern Brazilian Amazon. We analyzed substrate composition and fate of 216 P. unifilis nests along 88 km of rivers. River segment and substrate type were the most important predictors of nest removal by humans. We found up to 36% lower removal of nests in fine sand and experimental results support the hypothesis that wind more often obscures tracks of nesting females in substrates with more (>66%) fine sand. Our findings are useful for informing the restoration of artificial nesting areas across the Amazon, as nesting area substrates should be selected not only to maintain hatchling sex ratios, but also to minimize nest removal by humans.