Corcovado National Park (CNP) in Costa Rica is an important destination for ecotourism. However, the effects of increasing human visitation on wildlife needed evaluation and the global COVID-19 pandemic lockdown provided a scenario to test the effects of tourist activity on wildlife presence and activity. We performed a camera trap survey initiated during the COVID-19 lockdown and continuing when tourism resumed (Oct 2020–May 2021). We deployed camera traps on walking trails, including those that remained closed to tourists at all times (control) and those open to tourists after the lockdown was lifted (experimental). With an effort of 2312 trap nights, we assessed the photo rates and diel activity patterns of humans, 11 other species of mammals, and two species of birds. Our results suggest that wildlife species were already habituated to tourists in this area, and thus their behavior and activity did not change after the lockdown was lifted.
Temminck’s pangolin, Smutsia temminckii (Smuts, 1832), faces conservation threats of poaching and trafficking in Zimbabwe. Using a mixed-method approach we assessed the ecology, status, and distribution of Temminck’s pangolin in Hwange National Park (HNP) over May–December 2021. Seven pangolins were recorded through direct sightings, although camera traps deployed did not detect pangolins. Biotic and abiotic factors including rainfall, air temperature, waterholes, digital elevation model, anthills, and Miombo vegetation influence pangolin distribution. The low pangolin numbers recorded in the study either indicate its shy nature or simply reflect its low densities in HNP. Short-term surveys are inconclusive for determining key factors influencing the population, ecology, and distribution of shy species such as Temminck’s pangolin. Long-term future monitoring initiatives integrating ground surveys, citizen science data, and scientific methods like environmental DNA metabarcoding will enhance accurate assessment of pangolin population trends and presence inside and outside of protected areas such as HNP.
Despite intensified media campaigns and heightened emphasis on classroom instruction, recent international research has reported that young people are still failing to acknowledge biodiversity conservation as an issue of high priority. This study assessed students’ knowledge, perception, and attitude toward biodiversity conservation in three Federal Universities offering Wildlife Management course in Southwestern Nigeria. A total of 159 respondents (15% sampling intensity) were surveyed using a structured questionnaire between July and December 2021. The findings revealed that most students had low knowledge of biodiversity conservation. This result is quite shocking given that they were enrolled in wildlife management courses. On the other hand, they had favorable attitudes and perceptions. The result further revealed that students in University of Ibadan had better attitude and perception. We concluded that there is a need to develop and teach programs and curricula that encourage and sustain the interests of wildlife students in biodiversity conservation.
Human-gray wolf conflict over livestock depredation and absence of mitigation measures is a key threat leading to the decline of wolf populations in Pakistan, where gray wolves are endangered. In this study, we collected data from January 2019 to September 2021, and human–wolf conflict and mitigation measures were investigated by interviews with 200 shepherds that were randomly selected from 43 different human settlements. We used binary logistic GLM models to predict landscape features related to gray wolf conflict patterns. Over the 3 years of the study, the gray wolf was responsible for 963 livestock losses and 244.50 million rupees (1,381,388.14 USD) in economic loss in summer, and 798 livestock losses along with 169.31 million rupees (956,608.1356 USD) economic loss in winter for the same 200 shepherds in Shigar valley. Our questionnaires revealed that shepherds hold negative attitudes toward the species when there is inadequate compensation by the several government department.
Although sea turtle flipper tagging is a tenet field technique generating irreplaceable scientific data worldwide since the inception of sea turtle conservation in 1920s along the Great Barrier Reef, the procedure was reported to trigger outbreaks of sea turtle fibropapillomatosis (FP) in 2018. This global environmental impact assessment performed during 2020–2023 meta-analyzed three impacts on sea turtles health and conservation of the presence of visible flipper tags: a risk of clinical expression of FP lesions at the tag insertion point, a deterrent effect of the presence of flipper tags on sea turtle fishing, and a risk of entanglement of sea turtles in fishing gears. This essay concluded that the risk of expression of a FP lesion at the flipper tag insertion point is most probably correlated to a direct inoculation of ChHV5 via infected tagging equipment, and that the risk of entanglement in fishing gears can be mitigated by the choice of metallic flipper tags over plastic flipper tags. This essay also strongly recalls the sea turtle flipper tagging technique represents a remedy to knowledge gaps relevant to climate velocity research and can be a deterrent on sea turtle fishing in a frame of strong partnerships with indigenous people, independently of communities’ socio-cultural backgrounds.