Advances in Wildlife Conservation and Habitat Management in the Anthropocene

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 6061

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Biodiversity Conservation Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81132 Mytilene, Greece
Interests: forest ecology; urban forestry; agro-ecosystem conservation; wildlife conservation; conservation physiology; behavioral ecology; non-invasive methods
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Anthropocene, characterized by significant human impacts on Earth's ecosystems, has introduced a complex array of environmental stressors that significantly challenge traditional approaches to wildlife conservation and habitat management in terrestrial environments. This multifaceted interplay encompasses anthropogenic stressors, such as habitat loss and fragmentation driven by deforestation, urbanization, and infrastructure development. These activities disrupt ecological connectivity and degrade critical habitats, leading to declines in species and their populations and causing significant disruptions in ecosystem functions, affecting ecological processes across multiple scales, from individual species to entire landscapes. Alongside these anthropogenic influences, biotic stressors, including competition for resources (both intraspecific and interspecific) and disease outbreaks, further complicate conservation efforts. Alterations in habitats and shifts in climate patterns can intensify these biotic pressures, facilitating the spread of invasive species and diseases that undermine ecosystem stability, threaten native species, and disrupt community dynamics. Beyond the direct consequences of human activities, terrestrial ecosystems face a complex web of abiotic stressors encompassing large-scale, climate-driven phenomena like wildfires, floods, and droughts, alongside more subtle variations in environmental gradients, such as temperature, water availability, salinity, light, and nutrient availability, all of which can disrupt ecological processes and push species beyond their physiological tolerances, presenting a significant challenge in conservation efforts.

In light of these challenges, advances in ecological monitoring, modeling, and management strategies in wildlife conservation and habitat management are essential in developing effective and adaptive strategies to mitigate the impacts of these complex and interacting stressors and to guide conservation planning in the Anthropocene.

In this Special Issue, we aim to explore and highlight innovative approaches and cutting-edge advancements in wildlife conservation and habitat management in the Anthropocene. We invite submissions from researchers, practitioners, and policymakers encompassing all aspects of this critical field, including theoretical frameworks, experimental studies, and practical applications. Contributions can include original research articles, reviews, short communications, and case studies. We particularly encourage submissions that explore the individual and combined effects of anthropogenic, biotic, and abiotic stressors on wildlife and habitats. By bringing together pioneering research and practical insights, this Special Issue seeks to equip conservation practitioners and policymakers with the necessary knowledge and tools to navigate the complex interplay between anthropogenic, biotic, and abiotic stressors in the context of wildlife conservation and habitat management in terrestrial ecosystems. The featured works will report and advance conservation practices, aligning with the broader scope of the journal, which is to disseminate knowledge and promote sustainable land management and biodiversity conservation.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts directly addressing challenges including, but not limited to, the following themes:

  • Innovative Conservation Methods and Technologies: Papers that showcase new tools, technologies, and methodologies for monitoring, managing, and mitigating the impacts of environmental stressors on wildlife and habitats.
  • Habitat Suitability Modeling under Climate Change: Research employing advanced modeling techniques to evaluate how climate change and other stressors impact habitat suitability. This includes developing and refining models to predict shifts in habitat conditions, species distributions, and ecological interactions and using these insights to inform adaptive conservation and management strategies.
  • Anthropogenic Stressors and their Impact: Investigations into how human activities such as habitat deterioration, urbanization, and infrastructure development are affecting terrestrial wild species and their habitats.
  • Biotic and Abiotic Stressors: Comprehensive analyses of how environmental stressors, such as climate change and disease outbreaks, in combination with human-induced changes, influence ecosystem dynamics and inform conservation strategies.
  • Protected Areas and Habitat Management: Examination of the role and effectiveness of management strategies for protected areas in conserving biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem resilience amid various stressors.
  • Conservation of Keystone and Threatened Species: Studies focused on conservation strategies for keystone species and those listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, addressing specific threats and management approaches.
  • Long-Term Monitoring and Evaluation: Papers focusing on the importance of long-term ecological monitoring and evaluation in understanding trends, assessing conservation outcomes, and adapting management strategies.

We look forward to receiving your research articles and reviews.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Land.

Dr. Yiannis G. Zevgolis
Prof. Dr. Panayiotis G. Dimitrakopoulos
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • innovative technologies
  • advanced monitoring techniques
  • habitat suitability modeling
  • species distribution modeling
  • climate change scenarios
  • anthropogenic, biotic, and abiotic stressors
  • environmental impact assessments
  • invasive species management
  • disease outbreak impacts
  • long-term ecological monitoring
  • protected area effectiveness
  • keystone species conservation
  • threatened species
  • adaptive conservation strategies
  • conservation planning
  • wildlife conservation
  • habitat management

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3613 KiB  
Article
Sexual Body Size Dimorphism in Small Mammals: A Case Study from Lithuania
by Linas Balčiauskas and Laima Balčiauskienė
Biology 2024, 13(12), 1032; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13121032 - 10 Dec 2024
Viewed by 744
Abstract
We assessed the sexual size dimorphism (SSD), analyzing standard morphometric traits in juveniles, subadults, and adults, of 14 species of voles, mice, and shrews in Lithuania on the basis of long-term surveys, updating information published 35 years ago and in the context of [...] Read more.
We assessed the sexual size dimorphism (SSD), analyzing standard morphometric traits in juveniles, subadults, and adults, of 14 species of voles, mice, and shrews in Lithuania on the basis of long-term surveys, updating information published 35 years ago and in the context of data from other countries. ANOVA, t-tests, and a 5% threshold were used in the analyses. Male-biased SSD was observed in Apodemus flavicollis and Alexandromys oeconomus, which was subject to Rensch’s rule, and in three other meadow vole species, with the strongest expression in adult individuals. Female-biased SSD was best expressed in Clethrionomys glareolus and was also identified in four mouse species, although patterns were less consistent across age groups. Shrews and the smallest mouse, Apodemus uralensis, exhibited monomorphic traits. The transition of dimorphism during postnatal development was observed in some species. We present an assessment of SSD in Microtus rossiaemeridionalis and Sicista betulina, the less common small mammals not analyzed in publications by other authors, and provide new baseline data for boreal mid-latitude small mammal species as a foundation for future studies on SSD and its adaptive significance under shifting ecological pressures or climate change. Full article
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13 pages, 4129 KiB  
Article
Estimating an Elephant Population Size Through Local Ecological Knowledge
by Michael Wenborn, Magdalena S. Svensson and Vincent Nijman
Biology 2024, 13(12), 971; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13120971 - 25 Nov 2024
Viewed by 670
Abstract
In planning and monitoring measures to protect wildlife in an area, it is important to have a reliable baseline estimate of population size and trends. There has been minimal published information on a small population of elephants, a keystone and endangered species, in [...] Read more.
In planning and monitoring measures to protect wildlife in an area, it is important to have a reliable baseline estimate of population size and trends. There has been minimal published information on a small population of elephants, a keystone and endangered species, in a large area west of Etosha National Park in Namibia, known locally as the Northern Highlands. It is a highly remote, mountainous area in which it is difficult to count elephants. It is semi-desert, where the protection of wildlife is at increasing risk from climate change events, and research on the elephant population is a priority. We interviewed 34 community game guards in the Northern Highlands, focusing on the number of elephants and distinguishing features in known groups. Based on the collated knowledge, and analysis to reduce double counting of known groups, we estimate that there are between 78 and 212 elephants in the Northern Highlands, with a best estimate of 128. The wide range is an indication of the current uncertainties in the method. However, we conclude that this low-cost method, if adapted based on lessons from this pilot study, would be applicable for longer-term ecological monitoring in areas that have a low population density. Full article
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22 pages, 14839 KiB  
Article
Forecasting Suitable Habitats of the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) in Asia: Insights into the Present and Future Climate Projections Within and Beyond Extant Boundaries
by Imon Abedin, Hilloljyoti Singha, Hye-Eun Kang, Hyun-Woo Kim and Shantanu Kundu
Biology 2024, 13(11), 902; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13110902 - 5 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1238
Abstract
Terrestrial carnivores, such as the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), are ‘vulnerable’ and experiencing significant population declines in mainland Asia. Considering the assessed threats, the IUCN has repetitively revised the range of this felid and now characterized it into four distinct categories [...] Read more.
Terrestrial carnivores, such as the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), are ‘vulnerable’ and experiencing significant population declines in mainland Asia. Considering the assessed threats, the IUCN has repetitively revised the range of this felid and now characterized it into four distinct categories (extant, possibly extant, possibly extinct, and extinct). Although several ecological works have been accomplished on this enigmatic carnivore, the overall view of its habitat suitability, fragmentation, and corridor connectivity in both present and historical ranges is lacking. Thus, achieving this ecological information under present and future climate scenarios is crucial. The model identified merely 44,033 sq. km falling within the extant range (representing 31.66%) and 20,034 sq. km (8.13%) in the possibly extant range. Fascinatingly, within the historical ranges, an additional 15,264 sq. km (6.58%) has been identified as suitable habitat in the possibly extinct range and 14,022 sq. km (2.38%) in the extinct range. Notably, a total of 25,614 sq. km of suitable habitat is found within designated protected areas across the entire range. Nevertheless, climate change is expected to drive habitat loss of up to 41% (overall IUCN range) for N. nebulosa in both present and historical extent, with habitat patches becoming increasingly fragmented. This is reflected in a projected decline in the number of viable habitat patches (NP) by up to 23.29% in the future. This study also identified 18 transboundary biological corridors for N. nebulosa, with Southeast Asian countries expected to experience the most significant declines in corridor connectivity. In contrast, the South Asian countries (Bhutan, Nepal, and India) are projected to maintain relatively higher connectivity in the future. Nevertheless, a substantial decline in overall mean corridor connectivity is projected in the near future due to the impacts of climate change. This study underscores the urgent need for a coordinated and multifaceted conservation strategy for N. nebulosa, focusing on mitigating habitat loss and fragmentation. Practical measures must be implemented to protect the species’ shrinking range, considering its declining corridor networks and heightened vulnerability to inbreeding depression. Moreover, the assessment of habitat suitability both within and beyond the extant range, alongside corridor connectivity measures, provides valuable insights into potential translocation and reintroduction sites for this species. These findings provide a critical foundation for developing a strategic conservation plan tailored to the specific needs of this felid species across South and Southeast Asia, ensuring enhanced climate resilience and mitigating associated threats. Full article
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12 pages, 1023 KiB  
Article
Insights into Population Status and Habitat Patches of Conservation Concern for the Endangered Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) in Nowshera District, Northwestern Pakistan
by Romaan Hayat Khattak, Shakeel Ahmad, Tahir Mehmood, Hongliang Dou, Haiyang Gao, Song Sun and Yan Hua
Biology 2024, 13(9), 727; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13090727 - 16 Sep 2024
Viewed by 2186
Abstract
The Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) stands out among the four surviving species of Asian pangolins, being the sole species present in Pakistan and listed as endangered owing to trafficking and illicit commerce. In the present study, we explored the population status [...] Read more.
The Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) stands out among the four surviving species of Asian pangolins, being the sole species present in Pakistan and listed as endangered owing to trafficking and illicit commerce. In the present study, we explored the population status of the Indian pangolin and the existing suitable habitats in Nowshera district, Pakistan. We employed the line transect method to confirm the species presence and subsequent population estimation. In a survey effort of 156 km2, a total of 56 signs of Indian pangolin were recorded within the research area. Amongst the 56 signs, 46 were burrows (living burrows (53.57%) and feeding burrows (28.57%)). Digging was observed nine (16.07%) times, along with one direct sighting (1.7%). Our results revealed a population estimate of only 29 pangolins in the Nowshera district, with a population density of 0.013 individuals/km2. Later, MaxEnt was applied to the species’ presence points, along with climatic and topographical variables. The MaxEnt model accuracy was good (AUC = 0.811). Of the total area studied, 210 km2 (12.01%) were highly suitable and 238 km2 (13.61%) were moderately suitable habitat for the Indian pangolin. To safeguard the fragile population and habitat of the Indian pangolin, we highly suggest strengthening watch and ward and law enforcement in the study area. By adopting a comprehensive approach that addresses both the direct threats to Indian pangolins and the underlying factors driving their decline, we can effectively protect this endangered species and ensure the preservation of its essential habitats for robust conservation. Full article
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Review

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17 pages, 1599 KiB  
Review
Utilizing Olive Fly Ecology Towards Sustainable Pest Management
by Giorgos Stavrianakis, Efstratios Sentas, Sofia Zafeirelli, Thomas Tscheulin and Thanasis Kizos
Biology 2025, 14(2), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14020125 - 25 Jan 2025
Viewed by 440
Abstract
The olive fly (Bactrocera oleae, OLF) is a major pest of global significance that occurs in places where olive cultivation thrives. This paper highlights the economic and environmental damage caused by OLF infestations, including reduced olive oil yield and quality, disrupted [...] Read more.
The olive fly (Bactrocera oleae, OLF) is a major pest of global significance that occurs in places where olive cultivation thrives. This paper highlights the economic and environmental damage caused by OLF infestations, including reduced olive oil yield and quality, disrupted supply chains, and ecosystem imbalances due to heavy insecticide use. Understanding olive fly ecology is crucial for developing effective control strategies. The review explores the fly’s life cycle, its relationship with olive trees, and how environmental factors like temperature and humidity influence population dynamics. Additionally, studying the role of natural enemies and agricultural practices can pave the way for sustainable control methods that minimize environmental harm. Climate change, intensive cultivation, and the development of resistance to insecticides necessitate a shift towards sustainable practices. This includes exploring alternative control methods like biological control with natural enemies and attract-and-kill strategies. Furthermore, a deeper understanding of OLF ecology, including its response to temperature and its ability to find refuge in diverse landscapes, is critical for predicting outbreaks and implementing effective protection strategies. By employing a holistic approach that integrates ecological knowledge with sustainable control methods, we can ensure the continued viability of olive cultivation, protect the environment, and produce high-quality olive oil. Full article
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