三种丙烯菊酯系列产品的光解和水解稳定性

研究了富右旋反式丙烯菊菌、Es-生物丙烯菊菌、右旋丙烯菊菌3种丙烯菊菌系列农药在水体中的光解以及不同温度1pH条件水体中的水解作用。结果表明，在500w氙灯下，3种菊菌类农药在水溶液中的光解均呈一级动力学反应，3种农药的光解半衰期分别为1．以，1．37和1．51h；在25℃的酸性水溶液中，3种农药的水解速率很慢，半衰期均大于162d；水温的升高与碱性的增强均能加速水解过程。在50℃的碱性水溶液中，3种农药的光解半衰期分别为0．21，0．22和0．18d。虽然3种丙烯菊酯异构体含量不同，但其光解、水解特性没有显著差别。本文对有关水解机理也作了初步分析。     

溴氟菊酯的光解,水解与土壤降解

在实验室测定了溴氟菊酯的光解、不同ｐＨ条件下的水解以及在太湖水稻土、江西红壤与东北黑土等３种不同土壤中的降解。试验结果表明：在３００Ｗ低压汞灯下，溴氟菊酯的水相溶液与其石油醚相溶液中的光解均呈二级反应动力学方程，光解半衰期分别为１３．７与９．４ｍｉｎ；在ｐＨ为５，７，９的缓冲溶液中其水解半衰期分别为１５．６，８．３与４．２ｄ；在３种不同土壤中的降解半衰期为４．８￣８．８ｄ。     

溴氟菊酯的光解、水解与土壤降解

在实验室测定了溴氟菊酯的光解、不同ｐＨ条件下的水解以及在太湖水稻土、江西红壤与东北黑土等３种不同土壤中的降解。试验结果表明：在３００Ｗ低压汞灯下，溴氟菊酯的水相溶液与其石油醚相济液中的光解均呈二级反应动力学方程，光解半衰期分别为１３．７与９．４ｍｉｎ；在ｐＨ为５，７，９的缓冲溶液中其水解半衰期分别为１５．６，８．３与４．２ｄ；在３种不同土壤中的降解半衰期为４．８～８．８ｄ。     

4种非农用农药的降解和吸附特性及多介质环境行为模拟

采用室内模拟试验,系统研究生物烯丙菊酯、反式氯氰菊酯、多杀霉素和甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐4种非农用农药的水解、光解和吸附特性,并采用EQC模型模拟4种非农用农药在多介质环境中的归宿和迁移通量。结果表明,在25℃,pH值分别为4、7和9条件下,生物烯丙菊酯的水解半衰期分别为77.00、57.80和4.41 d,反式氯氰菊酯的水解半衰期分别为180、40.80和5.64 d,多杀霉素的水解半衰期分别为180、180和6.03 d,甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐的水解半衰期分别为180、180和46.20 d;温度越高,pH值越大,4种非农用农药水解速率就越快。氙灯照射下,反式氯氰菊酯、生物烯丙菊酯、甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐和多杀霉素的光解半衰期分别为0.100、0.738、1.720和6.130 h,其分子结构和理化性质是重要影响因素。4种非农用农药在江西红壤、太湖水稻土和东北黑土中的吸附规律均能较好地用Freundlich方程进行描述,土壤pH值、有机质含量、阳离子交换量和水溶解度是影响其在土壤中迁移的主要因素。根据EQC模型评估结果,稳态平衡非流动条件下土壤相是反式氯氰菊酯、多杀霉素和甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐最大的贮存库,残留量超过95.0%;生物烯丙菊酯在土壤相、水体相和大气相中的质量分数分别为70.1%、18.2%和10.8%。     

3种三唑类杀菌剂的环境降解特性

为了掌握三唑类杀菌剂在环境中的行为归趋,评价其在环境中的风险,采用室内模拟试验,对氟环唑、戊唑醇和粉唑醇3种三唑类杀菌剂在不同温度和p H值水体、不同类型土壤以及氙灯光照条件下的降解特性展开研究。结果表明:在4 000 lx、紫外强度25μW·cm-2的人工光源氙灯条件下,氟环唑、戊唑醇和粉唑醇的光解半衰期分别为0.68、2.35和9.30 h,氟环唑和戊唑醇属于易光解农药,粉唑醇为中等光解农药;在25℃,p H值为4.0、7.0和9.0条件下,氟环唑的水解半衰期分别为120、131和151 d,戊唑醇的水解半衰期分别为257、198和187 d,粉唑醇的水解半衰期分别为204、182和182 d,3种杀菌剂水解特性差异与水体p H值和农药本身结构相关;氟环唑、戊唑醇和粉唑醇在江西红壤、太湖水稻土和东北黑土中的降解半衰期分别为58.2~72.9、182~365和102~161 d,3种土壤中降解速率从大到小依次为东北黑土、太湖水稻土和江西红壤。3种农药在水体和土壤中的滞留期较长,建议关注其在环境中的污染影响,对其使用和残留状况进行跟踪监测。     

毒草胺在环境中的降解特性研究

毒草胺是一种被广泛应用的农药,其在环境中的降解特性备受关注。文章采用室内模拟试验方法,研究了毒草胺的光解、水解及土壤降解特性。研究结果表明,毒草胺在光强为2 370l x、紫外强度为13.5μW.cm-2的人工光源氙灯条件下,光解半衰期为2.5 h,较易光解。25℃时在pH值为5.0、7.0和9.0的缓冲水溶液中,降解半衰期分别为147.5、173.3和239.0 d;50℃时半衰期分别为15.2、27.0和42.3 d,结果显示温度对其降解速率影响较大,温度增加,水解速率明显加快,水解半衰期降低约6~10倍。该药在江西红壤中降解半衰期为46.5 d,在太湖水稻土、东北黑土中降解半衰期分别为6.4和7.9 d,比较容易降解,主要为微生物降解。结果表明毒草胺在水体中具有一定的稳定性,尤其在避光条件下难以降解。但在土壤中,比较容易被微生物降解。     

丁虫腈在环境中的降解特性

采用室内模拟试验研究丁虫腈在水体中的光解、水解及其在3种不同类型土壤中的降解特性。结果表明,丁虫腈在酸性和中性条件下比较稳定,不易水解,而在碱性条件下水解较快,在50℃、pH值为9．0的缓冲溶液中降解半衰期为26．7d。通过对水解产物的鉴定,推断丁虫腈的水解机理为碱催化水解。在[光]照度为2500lx、紫外强度为25I．LW·cm-2的人工光源氙灯条件下,丁虫腈的降解半衰期为1．5h,主要降解产物为氟虫腈。丁虫腈在太湖水稻土、江西红壤和陕西潮土中培养180d后均未发生明显降解,表明该农药在土壤中较难降解。     

自然条件下水中三环唑、氟环唑和苯醚甲环唑的非生物降解及其影响因素

研究了室外条件下河水和海水中三环唑、氟环唑和苯醚甲环唑的非生物降解(光解和水解)行为,并考察了室内条件下硝酸盐、腐殖酸和颗粒物对光解的影响.结果表明,3种目标农药在水环境中的非生物降解(光解和水解)动力学符合一级动力学模型.在厦门夏季室外条件下(平均气温25—32℃),河水中三环唑、氟环唑和苯醚甲环唑的非生物降解半衰期(t1/2)分别为17.6—49.8 d、25.6—90.5 d、16.5—42.6 d,光解t1/2分别为19.9—73.6 d、28.0—131.8 d、17.6—50.5 d,水解t1/2分别为154.0 d、288.8 d、271.8 d;海水中三环唑、氟环唑和苯醚甲环唑的非生物降解t1/2分别为22.8—48.1 d、74.8—93.8 d、37.2—48.4 d,光解t1/2分别为34.1—160.6 d、113.4—163.8 d、87.4—193.0 d,水解t1/2分别为68.6 d、219.7 d、64.6 d.目标农药的光解在非生物降解中占主导地位,河水中的光解速率普遍快于海水.pH升高促进三环唑和苯醚甲环唑的水解,但抑制氟环唑的水解.室内实验发现,硝酸盐抑制目标农药的光解,腐殖酸抑制氟环唑和苯醚甲环唑的光解,但促进三环唑的光解;河水中的颗粒物抑制目标农药的光解,但海水中的颗粒物却能促进目标农药的光解.总体而言,水环境中3种唑类农药的降解半衰期都较长,在实际水环境中的存在状况和毒理效应值得进一步研究.     

乙草胺、丁草胺和异丙甲草胺在室外天然水中的非生物降解及其影响因素

在亚热带冬、夏两季室外自然光照和温度条件下,研究了环境浓度下乙草胺、丁草胺和异丙甲草胺在河水和海水基底中的非生物降解(水解+光解)行为,并结合室内实验研究了非生物降解的影响因素.室外实验结果表明,冬季(气温12.30—26.98℃,平均17.47℃)乙草胺、丁草胺和异丙甲草胺在河水中的非生物降解半衰期(t1/2)为64—131 d、水解t1/2为105—346 d、光解t1/2为159—410 d,海水中非生物降解t1/2为89—193 d、水解t1/2为77—277 d、光解t1/2为417—630 d;夏季(气温20.77—30.37℃,平均27.22℃)3种目标农药在河水中非生物降解t1/2为4—20 d、水解t1/2为7—54 d、光解t1/2为7—32 d,海水中非生物降解t1/2为10—50 d、水解t1/2为23—67 d、光解t1/2为17—192 d.目标农药在海水中的残留持久性远高于河水;超纯水条件下,光解在目标农药的非生物降解中占主导地位;河水中的光解速率快于海水.室内实验发现,硝酸盐促进了3种目标农药的水解,同时对乙草胺和丁草胺的光解也起到促进作用;p H升高促进了异丙甲草胺的水解和光解速率,但是抑制了丁草胺的水解和乙草胺、丁草胺的光解;腐殖质添加浓度为10 mg·L-1和20 mg·L-1时促进了3种目标农药的水解,但在浓度达30 mg·L-1时则抑制了乙草胺的水解及异丙甲草胺的光解.总体而言,3种目标农药在实际水环境中的降解半衰期均较长,其降解机理和毒性效应值得进一步研究.     

甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐的降解性研究

采用室内模拟试验方法,测定了甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐在水体中光解、水解及其在东北黑土、江西红壤和太湖水稻土3种不同类型土壤中的降解特性,结果发现:在光[照]度为2 370 lx、紫外辐[射]照度为13.5μW·cm-2的人工光源氙灯条件下,甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐较易光解,半衰期为1.73 h;25℃时甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐在pH 5.0、7.0条件下较难水解,推测其半衰期大于1a,而在pH 9.0条件下较易水解,半衰期为45.3 d,温度升高能加快其水解速率;甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐在江西红壤、太湖水稻土和东北黑土中的降解半衰期分别为16.3、91.2和41.5 d,其在土壤中的降解主要为微生物降解,降解速率与土壤有机质含量有关.     

Environmental change and normalization of cash crop systems in Africa: preventing agrarian change in West Africa cocoa

ABSTRACT

In recent years, environmental and demographic crises have often been associated with increasing hunger and poverty in agrarian societies. The potential of such crisis to play a positive role in the evolution of agriculture and agricultural societies has been overlooked. Environmental crises such as deforestation for example (in a production where forestland is a production factor) are points of resource alteration that require corresponding alterations in farming systems. Normalization occurs when farmers are induced to defy such signals indicating the need to diversify and instead choose to continue along their existing path regardless of the changing resource endowment. In the absence is replacement of the vital production factor such continuity has to be paid for.     

Acid Orange 7 degradation using methane as the sole carbon source and electron donor

• AO7 degradation was coupled with anaerobic methane oxidation. • Higher concentration of AO7 inhibited the degradation. • The maximum removal rate of AO7 reached 280 mg/(L·d) in HfMBR. • ANME-2d dominated the microbial community in both batch reactor and HfMBR. • ANME-2d alone or synergistic with the partner bacteria played a significant role. Azo dyes are widely applied in the textile industry but are not entirely consumed during the dyeing process and can thus be discharged to the environment in wastewater. However, azo dyes can be degraded using various electron donors, and in this paper, Acid Orange 7 (AO7) degradation performance is investigated using methane (CH₄) as the sole electron donor. Methane has multiple sources and is readily available and inexpensive. Experiments using ¹³C-labeled isotopes showed that AO7 degradation was coupled with anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) and, subsequently, affected by the initial concentrations of AO7. Higher concentrations of AO7 could inhibit the activity of microorganisms, which was confirmed by the long-term performance of AO7 degradation, with maximum removal rates of 8.94 mg/(L·d) in a batch reactor and 280 mg/(L·d) in a hollow fiber membrane bioreactor (HfMBR). High-throughput sequencing using 16S rRNA genes showed that Candidatus Methanoperedens, affiliated to ANME-2d, dominated the microbial community in the batch reactor and HfMBR. Additionally, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria bacteria (Phenylobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Geothermobacter) improved after AO7 degradation. This outcome suggested that ANME-2d alone, or acting synergistically with partner bacteria, played a key role in the process of AO7 degradation coupled with AOM.     

Effects of Population Size on Singing Behavior of a Rare Duetting Songbird

Although the genetic and ecological effects of population declines in endangered species have been well studied, little is known of the social consequences. Changes in signaling behavior may result in disrupted communication and affect both reproductive and conflict‐resolution activities. The North Island Kōkako (Callaeas wilsoni) is an endangered, duetting (i.e., alternating, coordinated singing by mated pairs) songbird endemic to New Zealand temperate rain forests. Scattered populations (approximately 1500 individuals in 13 surviving and 11 translocated populations) in isolated conservation areas of different sizes have been rescued from extirpation and are currently recovering. We examined key song attributes of the Kōkako to assess whether population size or growth rate are related to song complexity, the reduction of which may compromise effective communication. We analyzed song repertoire size and phrase‐type sharing (i.e., Jaccard index of similarity), vocal performance (singing rates, song switching rates, and diversity of phrase types), and song syntactical characteristics (i.e., unpredictability in sequences of phrase types) in surviving and translocated populations (populations of approximately 19–250 territorial individuals). Population size was positively correlated with a population's song repertoire, song diversity, and switching of song phrase types and negatively correlated with shared phrase types and variation in syntactical structure of songs. Population growth rate correlated positively with pair repertoire size, population repertoire size, and singing rates during song bouts. As for solo‐singing species in fragmented landscapes, songs in the fragmented populations of Kōkako appear to be undergoing microevolution as occurs in island colonization events. Our results suggest that vocal changes in small populations could affect population establishment and growth, particularly in multiple‐source translocations. We believe measurement of vocal behavior could be used as a supplement to periodic population censuses to allow more frequent monitoring of population size. Efectos de la Conducta de Canto sobre el Tamaño Poblacional de una Ave Canora Rara     

Major shifts in Amazon wildlife populations from recent intensification of floods and drought

In the western Amazon Basin, recent intensification of river‐level cycles has increased flooding during the wet seasons and decreased precipitation during the dry season. Greater than normal floods occurred in 2009 and in all years from 2011 to 2015 during high‐water seasons, and a drought occurred during the 2010 low‐water season. During these years, we surveyed populations of terrestrial, arboreal, and aquatic wildlife in a seasonally flooded Amazonian forest in the Loreto region of Peru (99,780 km²) to study the effects of intensification of natural climatic fluctuations on wildlife populations and in turn effects on resource use by local people. Shifts in fish and terrestrial mammal populations occurred during consecutive years of high floods and the drought of 2010. As floods intensified, terrestrial mammal populations decreased by 95%. Fish, waterfowl, and otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) abundances increased during years of intensive floods, whereas river dolphin and caiman populations had stable abundances. Arboreal species, including, macaws, game birds, primates, felids, and other arboreal mammals had stable populations and were not affected directly by high floods. The drought of 2010 had the opposite effect: fish, waterfowl, and dolphin populations decreased, and populations of terrestrial and arboreal species remained stable. Ungulates and large rodents are important sources of food and income for local people, and large declines in these animals has shifted resource use of people living in the flooded forests away from hunting to a greater reliance on fish.     

Participatory monitoring to connect local and global priorities for forest restoration

New global initiatives to restore forest landscapes present an unparalleled opportunity to reverse deforestation and forest degradation. Participatory monitoring could play a crucial role in providing accountability, generating local buy in, and catalyzing learning in monitoring systems that need scalability and adaptability to a range of local sites. We synthesized current knowledge from literature searches and interviews to provide lessons for the development of a scalable, multisite participatory monitoring system. Studies show that local people can collect accurate data on forest change, drivers of change, threats to reforestation, and biophysical and socioeconomic impacts that remote sensing cannot. They can do this at one‐third the cost of professionals. Successful participatory monitoring systems collect information on a few simple indicators, respond to local priorities, provide appropriate incentives for participation, and catalyze learning and decision making based on frequent analyses and multilevel interactions with other stakeholders. Participatory monitoring could provide a framework for linking global, national, and local needs, aspirations, and capacities for forest restoration.     

Understanding implications of consumer behavior for wildlife farming and sustainable wildlife trade

Unsustainable wildlife trade affects biodiversity and the livelihoods of communities dependent upon those resources. Wildlife farming has been proposed to promote sustainable trade, but characterizing markets and understanding consumer behavior remain neglected but essential steps in the design and evaluation of such operations. We used sea turtle trade in the Cayman Islands, where turtles have been farm raised for human consumption for almost 50 years, as a case study to explore consumer preferences toward wild‐sourced (illegal) and farmed (legal) products and potential conservation implications. Combining methods innovatively (including indirect questioning and choice experiments), we conducted a nationwide trade assessment through in‐person interviews from September to December 2014. Households were randomly selected using disproportionate stratified sampling, and responses were weighted based on district population size. We approached 597 individuals, of which 37 (6.2%) refused to participate. Although 30% of households had consumed turtle in the previous 12 months, the purchase and consumption of wild products was rare (e.g., 64–742 resident households consumed wild turtle meat [i.e., 0.3–3.5% of households] but represented a large threat to wild turtles in the area due to their reduced populations). Differences among groups of consumers were marked, as identified through choice experiments, and price and source of product played important roles in their decisions. Despite the long‐term practice of farming turtles, 13.5% of consumers showed a strong preference for wild products, which demonstrates the limitations of wildlife farming as a single tool for sustainable wildlife trade. By using a combination of indirect questioning, choice experiments, and sales data to investigate demand for wildlife products, we obtained insights about consumer behavior that can be used to develop conservation‐demand‐focused initiatives. Lack of data from long‐term social–ecological assessments hinders the evaluation of and learning from wildlife farming. This information is key to understanding under which conditions different interventions (e.g., bans, wildlife farming, social marketing) are likely to succeed.     

Biofluorescence as a survey tool for cryptic marine species

As ecosystems come under increasing anthropogenic pressure, rare species face the highest risk of extinction. Paradoxically, data necessary to evaluate the conservation status of rare species are often lacking because of the challenges of detecting species with low abundance. One group of fishes subject to this undersampling bias are those with cryptic body patterns. Twenty‐one percent of cryptic fish species assessed for their extinction risk (International Union for Conservation of Nature [IUCN]) are data deficient. We developed a nondestructive method for surveying cryptically patterned marine fishes based on the presence of biofluorescence (underwater biofluorescence census, UBC). Blue LED torches were used to investigate how widespread biofluorescence was in cryptic reef fishes in the Coral Triangle region. The effectiveness of UBC to generate abundance data was tested on a data‐deficient pygmy seahorse species (Hippocampus bargibanti) and compared with data obtained from standard underwater visual census (UVC) surveys. We recorded 95 reef fish species displaying biofluorescence, 73 of which had not been previously described as biofluorescent. Of those fish with cryptic patterns, 87% were biofluorescent compared with 9% for noncryptic fishes. The probability of species displaying biofluorescence was 70.9 times greater for cryptic species than for noncryptic species. Almost twice the number of H. bargibanti was counted using the UBC compared with UVC. For 2 triplefin species (Ucla xenogrammus, Enneapterygius tutuilae), the abundance detected with UBC was triple that detected with UVC. The UBC method was effective at finding cryptic species that would otherwise be difficult to detect and thus will reduce interobserver variability inherent to UVC surveys. Biofluorescence is ubiquitous in cryptic fishes, making this method applicable across a wide range of species. Data collected using UBC could be used with multiple IUCN criteria to assess the extinction risk of cryptic species. Adopting this technique will enhance researchers’ ability to survey cryptic species and facilitate management and conservation of cryptic marine species.     

Effects of Illegal Harvest of Eggs on the Population Decline of Leatherback Turtles in Las Baulas Marine National Park,Costa Rica

Abstract: Within 19 years the nesting population of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) at Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas declined from 1500 turtles nesting per year to about 100. We analyzed the effects of fishery bycatch and illegal harvesting (poaching) of eggs on this population. We modeled the population response to different levels of egg harvest (90, 75, 50, and 25%) and the effect of eradicating poaching at different times during the population decline. We compared effects of 90% poaching with those of 20% adult mortality because both of these processes were present in the population at Las Baulas. There was a stepwise decline in number of nesting turtles at all levels of egg harvest. Extirpation times for different levels of poaching ranged from 45 to 282 years. The nesting population declined more slowly and survived longer with 20% adult mortality (146 years) than it did with 90% poaching (45 years). Time that elapsed until poaching stopped determined the average population size at which the population stabilized, ranging from 90 to 420 nesting turtles. Our model predicted that saving clutches lost naturally would restore the population when adult mortality rates were low and would contribute more to population recovery when there were short remigration intervals between nesting seasons and a large proportion of natural loss of clutches. Because the model indicated that poaching was the most important cause of the leatherback decline at Las Baulas, protecting nests on the beach and protecting the beach from development are critical for survival of this population. Nevertheless, the model predicted that current high mortality rates of adults will prevent population recovery. Therefore, protection of the beach habitat and nests must be continued and fishery bycatch must be reduced to save this population.     

Effect of hybridization with genome exclusion on extinction risk

Human‐induced habitat changes may lead to the breakdown of reproductive barriers between distantly related species. This phenomenon may result in fertile first‐generation hybrids (F₁) that exclude the genome of one parental species during gametogenesis, thus disabling introgression. The species extinction risk associated with hybridization with genome exclusion is largely underappreciated because the phenomenon produces only F₁ hybrid phenotype, leading to the misconception that hybrids are sterile and potentially of minor conservation concern. We used a simulation model that integrates the main genetic, demographic, and ecological processes to examine the dynamics of hybridization with genome exclusion. We showed that this mode of hybridization may lead to extremely rapid extinction when the process of genome exclusion is unbalanced between the interbreeding species and when the hybridization rate is not negligible. The coexistence of parental species was possible in some cases of asymmetrical genome exclusion, but show this equilibrium was highly vulnerable to environmental variation. Expanding the exclusive habitat of the species at risk allowed its persistence. Our results highlight the extent of possible extinction risk due to hybridization with genome exclusion and suggest habitat management as a promising conservation strategy. In anticipation of serious threats to biodiversity due to hybridization with genome exclusion, we recommend a detailed assessment of the reproductive status of hybrids in conservation programs. We suggest such assessments include the inspection of genetic content in hybrid gametes.     

Managing conflicts between economic activities and threatened migratory marine species toward creating a multiobjective blue economy

Harnessing the economic potential of the oceans is key to combating poverty, enhancing food security, and strengthening economies. But the concomitant risk of intensified resource extraction to migratory species is worrying given these species contribute to important ecological processes, often underpin alternative livelihoods, and are mostly already threatened. We thus sought to quantify the potential conflict between key economic activities (5 fisheries and hydrocarbon exploitation) and sea turtle migration corridors in a region with rapid economic development: southern and eastern Africa. We satellite tracked the movement of 20 loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and 14 leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) turtles during their postnesting migrations. We used movement‐based kernel density estimation to identify migration corridors for each species. We overlaid these corridors on maps of the distribution and intensity of economic activities, quantified the extent of overlap and threat posed by each activity on each species, and compared the effects of activities. These results were compared with annual bycatch rates in the respective fisheries. Both species’ 3 corridors overlapped most with longline fishing, but the effect was worse for leatherbacks: their bycatch rates of approximately 1500/year were substantial relative to the regional population size of <100 nesting females/annum. This bycatch rate is likely slowing population growth. Artisanal fisheries may be of greater concern for loggerheads than for leatherbacks, but the population appears to be withstanding the high bycatch rates because it is increasing exponentially. The hydrocarbon industry currently has a moderately low impact on both species, but mining in key areas (e.g., Southern Mozambique) may undermine >50 years of conservation, potentially affecting >80% of loggerheads, 33% of the (critically endangered) leatherbacks, and their nesting beaches. We support establishing blue economies (i.e., generating wealth from the ocean), but oceans need to be carefully zoned and responsibly managed in both space and time to achieve economic (resource extraction), ecological (conservation, maintenance of processes), and social (maintenance of alternative livelihood opportunities, alleviate poverty) objectives.