Systematic Conservation Planning as a Tool for the Assessment of Protected Areas Network in Jordan

The present study aims to use systematic conservation planning to analyse and review the national protected areas (PAs) network in Jordan. The analysis included the application of three modules: the environmental risk surface (ERS), the relative biodiversity index (RBI), and the application of Marxan. The methodology was based on using Marxan to achieve solutions for three scenarios for the PAs network. Marxan was applied to the input data, which included vegetation types, distribution of threatened mammals and plants, locations of currently established PAs and other types of designations. The first two scenarios aimed to conserve 4% and 17%, respectively, of each vegetation type, and 10% and 20%, respectively, of the extent of occurrence of threatened mammals and plants. The third scenario aimed to conserve 17% of each vegetation type and 10% of the extent of occurrence of threatened plants and mammals, except for forest and the Hammada vegetation which had the target of 30% and 4%, respectively. The results of the three scenarios indicated that the boundaries of existing reserves should be extended to achieve the conservation targets. Some currently proposed (PAs), such as the Aqaba Mountains, did not appear in any of the solutions for the three scenarios indicating that the inclusion of these sites in the proposed (PAs) network should be reconsidered. All three scenarios highlighted the importance of having conservation areas between the western and eastern parts of the country. Systematic conservation planning is a structured, replicable, transparent, and defensible method for designing PA networks. It allows for finding efficient solutions building on what is currently conserved and minimizing the fragmentation and cost of the proposed solution for conservation areas.

Spatial distribution of invasive species: an extent of occurrence approach

Ecological Risk Assessment faces the challenge of determining the impact of invasive species on biodiversity conservation. Although many statistical methods have emerged in recent years in order to model the evolution of the spatio-temporal distribution of invasive species, the notion of extent of occurrence, formally defined by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, has not been properly handled. In this work, a novel and flexible reconstruction of the extent of occurrence from occurrence data will be established from nonparametric support estimation theory. Mathematically, given a random sample of points from some unknown distribution, we establish a new data-driven method for estimating its probability support S in general dimension. Under the mild geometric assumption that S is $$r-$$ r - convex, the smallest $$r-$$ r - convex set which contains the sample points is the natural estimator. A stochastic algorithm is proposed for determining an optimal estimate of r from the data under regularity conditions on the density function. The performance of this estimator is studied by reconstructing the extent of occurrence of an assemblage of invasive plant species in the Azores archipelago.

Should Veterinary Practitioners Be Concerned about Acanthamoeba Keratitis?

When presented with an animal exhibiting signs of keratitis (inflammation of the cornea), such as impaired vision, mucoid discharges, redness, swelling, and corneal oedema, most veterinarians would think of bacteria, viruses, or fungi as the potential causative agent(s). However, evidence has arisen in recent years of a possible connection between the protozoan Acanthamoeba and keratitis in animals. Acanthamoeba infection is underdiagnosed, but potentially common, in animals. In view of the paucity of evidence regarding Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) in animals, this review has been written to increase awareness of veterinary professionals of the potential threat associated with AK and to stimulate more studies into the extent of occurrence and clinical impact of AK in animals.

Conservation status of native plant hybrids in the British Virgin Islands

Hybridization is an evolutionary event present in the natural world. Several studies suggest that natural hybridization is an important process in plant evolution, creating new genetic combinations which can play a vital role in speciation (Soltis and Soltis 2009, Soltis 2013, Neri et al. 2017, Taylor and Larson 2019). Therefore, it is important to understand and protect naturally occurring hybrids, conserving their ecological novelties and new traits, such as the ability to explore new niches, different from those of the parental species (Soltis 2013, Supple and Shapiro 2018). The British Virgin Islands (BVI) is a UK Overseas Territory situated in the Caribbean biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al. 2000). To date, three natural hybrids are known to occur within this territory: Tillandsia × lineatispica Mez, Anthurium × selloanum K.Koch and Coccoloba krugii × C. uvifera R.A.Howard (Howard 1957, Acevedo-Rodriguez and Strong 2005, Acevedo-Rodriguez and Strong 2012). Tillandsia × lineatispica is endemic to the Puerto Rican Bank, occurring in Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands (USVI) and the British Virgin Islands with an extent of occurrence estimated to be 3,390 km2 and a limited number of locations. The suitable habitat for this hybrid is declining mainly due to the negative impacts of feral ungulates, development for tourism and residential infrastructure and the impact of human-induced wildfires. In addition, it is suspected that the global population does not exceed 10,000 individuals with the largest subpopulation on Beef Island in the BVI thought to have no more than 1,000 mature individuals. This hybrid is therefore evaluated as Vulnerable, based on IUCN Red List Criteria, B1a(iii)+2b(iii) + C2a(i). Anthurium × selloanum is an endemic hybrid to BVI and USVI with a very restricted extent of occurrence which was estimated to range between 103 km2 and 207 km2 and an area of occupancy which was estimated to range between 56 km2 and 188 km2 and a limited number of locations. The suitable habitat of this species is declining mainly due to the negative impacts of feral ungulates, development for tourism and residential infrastructure and the negative impact of recreation activities in protected areas. This species is therefore evaluated as Endangered, based on IUCN Red List Criteria B1a+ b(iii) + B2a+b(iii). Coccoloba krugii × C. uvifera is native to the BVI, USVI, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Anguilla. It is estimated to have an extent of occurrence of 89,412 km2. This value exceeds the threshold for any threatened category. Despite an observed continuing decline of suitable habitat for this species, which is being degraded mainly through ongoing development pressures, this species occurs in more than 10 locations. It is therefore assessed as Least Concern (LC). In this paper, we discuss the conservation status of all the known, naturally occurring, native hybrids in the the British Virgin Islands and we provide distribution data, including new records, from across these hybrid species ranges. Although conservation assessments of hybrids are out of the scope of the published IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee 2019), we use the IUCN Red List Criteria and Categories (version 3.1) to establish an equivalent conservation status of these hybrids and discuss conservation action due to the potential evolutionary importance of these naturally occurring hybrids. These assessments provide the necessary baseline information for prioritising species conservation and making informed management decisions, such as establishing the BVI's Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAS) network (Sanchez et al. 2019).

Assessing spatial dispersion, abundance, and conservation perspectives of Military Macaw Ara militaris populations in Mexico

Summary The preservation of Military Macaw Ara militaris in Mexico required the implementation of a nationwide assessment evaluating its vulnerability using IUCN criteria. With the combined effort of several institutions, the abundance, location, dispersion, habitat availability, and climatic conditions of areas occupied by the species were determined. Although the species’ extent of occurrence is extensive (263,919 km2) only 29% of this constitutes area of occupancy. Published estimates indicate a series of isolated populations containing from four macaws to 215. Macaws occurred in 35 populations in four regions of 16 states containing an estimated 1,563–3,263 macaws; lower than required for long-term viability. Within regions, neighbouring populations were separated by an average of 68 km. The extent of occurrence is heterogeneous, and macaws inhabit areas that differ in elevation, precipitation, temperature, and forest cover. Higher local abundances occur in landscapes where annual precipitation is ≥1,100 mm, and primary forest availability ≥1,800 km2. Although the existence of undetected macaw groups in Mexico is possible, these are likely to contain only small numbers of individuals, as most detected areas with macaws contain less than 40 individuals, and larger concentrations are more likely to be noticed due to their conspicuous behaviour. The species is threatened primarily by its low overall abundance, fragmented distribution, and forest loss around populations with the highest abundance. With the information generated, it is possible to design and implement specific management and conservation strategies at different geographic scales for the recovery and maintenance of the species in Mexico. It is necessary to strengthen collaborative programmes among conservation organizations, government agencies, and local communities in each region of the country to organize and finance community-based actions such as monitoring, habitat restoration, protection from poaching and the creation of a network of conservation corridors and macaw reserves focused on conservation.

Historical and current extent of occurrence of the Caracal Caracal caracal (Schreber, 1776) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in India

This article focuses on the historical and current extent of occurrence of the Caracal Caracal Caracal in India between 1616 and April 2020. We collated 134 reports during this period. Historically, the Caracal was reported in 13 Indian states in nine out of 26 biotic provinces. Since 2001, the Caracal’s presence has been reported in only three states and four biotic provinces, with only two possible viable populations. Before 1947, the Caracal was reported from an area of 793,927km2. Between 1948 and 2000, the Caracal’s reported extent of occurrence in India decreased by 47.99%. From 2001 to 2020, the reported extent of occurrence further decreased by 95.95%, with current presence restricted to 16,709km2, less than 5% of the Caracal’s reported extent of occurrence in the 1948–2000 period.

New Record of a Genus and Species of Odd-Scaled Snake (Serpentes: Xenodermidae) from China

Parafimbrios has been reported in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. In this paper, based on morphological and molecular data, Parafimbrios lao was reported as the first record of a genus and species of odd-scaled snake in China. This record extends the extent of occurrence to 65,000 km2 and the area of occurrence to 20 km2.

A description of the tadpole of the Critically Endangered Botsford’s leaf-litter frog (Leptobrachella botsfordi) with comments on the distribution and conservation status of the species

We describe the tadpole of the Botsford’s leaf-litter frog Leptobrachella botsfordi, a species endemic to Mount Fansipan in northwest Vietnam, for the first time. Tadpoles of this species were found in steep, fast-flowing streams at elevations between 2500–2600 m asl. We also report a previously unknown locality for this species on Mount Fansipan, which increases the species’ known Extent of Occurrence from 8 km2 to 36 km2. Our findings will inform subsequent conservation initiatives for this poorly known and highly threatened species.

Breaking the silence: how shedding light on the bone-skipper fly Thyreophora cynophila (Diptera: Piophilidae) demonstrated it still has a large distribution area in the Pyrenees mountains, France

Thyreophora cynophila (Panzer, 1798) is an iconic species of the European entomofauna. This winter-flying necrophagous fly was considered long extinct in Europe, before being discovered in Spain in 2010 and re-discovered in France in 2020, with a unique locality in Saint-Paul-de-Jarrat (Ariège, southern France). After bringing this species to the attention of people that are active in nature during the winter, including hunters, skilled naturalists, nature lovers and professional naturalists, we gathered seven new occurrence data for this species at six locations on the French flanks of the Pyrenees mountains. Those data considerably extend the known distribution of the species in Europe and allows mapping the first approximate extent of occurrence for this species in France.