Conservation Science

It is often assumed that protected areas can serve as steppingstone habitats, but there are several factors that may impede successful range shifts among protected areas.

Kimberley Miner spoke with CNN about her research on potential hazards of thawing permafrost, from ancient organisms to hazardous waste.

“Across my research career, I have studied the adaptations, behaviors, and ecology of animals that are widely misunderstood and often vilified,” she writes. “Like me, all of these species fail to fit into many of western science’s rigid boxes and are thus misunderstood, yet have developed adaptations, strategies, and resilience to navigate their worlds."

Human–wildlife interactions (HWIs) are pervasive, and future global change will exacerbate negative outcomes. The authors present an expansion to the traditional conflict-coexistence framing of HWIs.

“If you remove dudleya or if you remove other plants… you can have erosion which otherwise essentially destroys the habitat,” Nick Jensen said.

Their book chapter is a review of what progress has been made in this field since the AZA published social science research recommendations in 2010.

Naomi Fraga wrote on Twitter: "I am so incredibly grateful for this California rain, but I am also anticipating the inevitable... The dreaded conversations about the "superbloom". You might be saying, what the heck Naomi, you are a botanist, don't you love superblooms?"

Mark Elbroch published an op-ed in the New York Times on his research pinpointing landscapes large enough to sustain cougars in the Eastern United States. He writes:

Amphibians have been devastated by a chytrid fungus pandemic. Andrea Adams immunized California red-legged frogs in Yosemite to give them a fighting chance at survival, with surprising results.