Bats are among the most diverse of all mammalian species and serve as reservoirs of zoonotic viruses responsible for several recent pandemics; new technologies are providing insights into how the unique physiology and lifestyle of bats drive tolerance to virus infection.
A perspective article on stress-test, commonly used in the financial sector, applied to biodiversity conservation and global change.
This paper evaluates the negative impacts of abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) on Indian biodiversity and highlights an urgent necessity to continue building management programs and develop government policies to protect the aquatic environment from it.
This paper highlights the importance of Indigenous burning for maintaining and promoting plant diversity in fire-prone ecosystems.
The paper elucidates the importance of monitoring and integrating conserved areas into area-based conservation efforts to effectively achieve the 30% protection goal by 2030, emphasizing transparency and accountability in tracking changes to protected and conserved areas for maximizing benefits to biodiversity.
This paper supports SDG 15 by highlighting that the effects of loss of biodiversity due to climate change and associated changes in the distribution of venomous snakes will be most pronounced in tropical regions, where extensive land is devoted to agriculture and rearing livestock.
Coral atolls are at risk from rising sea level, what can be done to enhance island buidling processes
Mulwafua and Kamchedzera 2024 found that Malawi's soil laws lack strong priorities for Avoid, Reduce, and Reverse strategies regarding land degradation neutrality, contrasting with Uganda and Germany which incorporate these strategies in their soil-dedicated legal frameworks. By using Roscoe Pound's theory of social engineering, the authors suggest that Malawi's human-centred approach to soil conservation neglects eco-centric and deep ecology perspectives.
Artificial grassland restoration can be an effective method when applied to severely degraded grassland in alpine areas, however, their effects on slope runoff and sediment yield are still unclear. Qian et al., 2024 studied the effects of artificial restoration and degradation on the runoff sediment process in three areas and found that artificial grassland can significantly reduce runoff and sediment yield compared to alpine meadows and severely degraded alpine meadows. The study underscores the importance of plant and soil characteristics in erosion processes, highlighting the effectiveness of artificial grassland in mitigating soil erosion through improved soil conditions and enhanced vegetation coverage, with implications for restoration efforts in alpine regions.
Ginzky 2024 discusses the ongoing legislative process in Germany to amend the soil protection act, addressing climate change, biodiversity maintenance, and other challenges, with the support of the current government. The paper outlines the societal importance of soils, challenges, current legislation shortfalls, proposed regulatory approaches including ongoing EU deliberations, and strategies for gaining political support considering ecological and social services, as well as competing interests.
