Systematic review of conservation interventions to promote voluntary behavior change

Understanding human behavior is vital to developing interventions that effectively lead to proenvironmental behavior change, whether the focus is at the individual or societal level. However, interventions in many fields have historically lacked robust forms of evaluation, which makes it hard to be confident that these conservation interventions have successfully helped protect the environment. We conducted a systematic review to assess how effective nonpecuniary and nonregulatory interventions have been in changing environmental behavior. We applied the Office of Health Assessment and Translation systematic review methodology. We started with more than 300,000 papers and reports returned by our search terms and after critical appraisal of quality identified 128 individual studies that merited inclusion in the review. We classified interventions by thematic area, type of intervention, the number of times audiences were exposed to interventions, and the length of time interventions ran. Most studies reported a positive effect (n = 96). The next most common outcome was no effect (n = 28). Few studies reported negative (n = 1) or mixed (n = 3) effects. Education, prompts, and feedback interventions resulted in positive behavior change. Combining multiple interventions was the most effective. Neither exposure duration nor frequency affected the likelihood of desired behavioral change. Comparatively few studies tested the effects of voluntary interventions on non-Western populations (n = 17) or measured actual ecological outcome behavior (n = 1). Similarly, few studies examined conservation devices (e.g., energy-efficient stoves) (n = 9) and demonstrations (e.g., modeling the desired behavior) (n = 5). There is a clear need to both improve the quality of the impact evaluation conducted and the reporting standards for intervention results.     

Effect of the veterinary ionophore monensin on the structure and activity of a tropical soil bacterial community

Abstract

Monensin (MON) is a coccidiostat used as a growth promoter that can reach the environment through fertilization with manure from farm animals. To verify whether field-relevant concentrations of this drug negatively influence the structure and activity of tropical soil bacteria, plate counts, CO₂ efflux measurements, phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) and community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) profiles were obtained for soil microcosms exposed to 1 or 10?mg kg^?1 of MON across 11?days. Although 53% (1?mg kg^?1) to 40% (10?mg kg^?1) of the MON concentrations added to the microcosms dissipated within 5?days, a subtle concentration-dependent decrease in the number of culturable bacteria (<1 log CFU g^?1), reduced (?20 to ?30%) or exacerbated (+25%) soil CO₂ effluxes, a marked shift of non-bacterial fatty acids, and altered respiration of amines (1.22-fold decrease) and polymers (1.70-fold increase) were noted in some of the treatments. These results suggest that MON quickly killed some microorganisms and that the surviving populations were selected and metabolically stimulated. Consequently, MON should be monitored in agronomic and environmental systems as part of One Health efforts.     

Bird conservation and the land sharing-sparing continuum in farmland-dominated landscapes of lowland England

Empirical evidence from many regions suggests that most species would be least negatively affected if human food demand were met through high-yield agricultural production and conservation of nonfarm ecosystems (land sparing), rather than through wildlife-friendly farming over a larger area (land sharing). However, repeated glaciation and a long history of agriculture may lead to different results in regions such as western Europe. We compared the consequences of land sparing and land sharing on breeding bird species in 2 lowland regions of England, The Fens, with 101 species, and Salisbury Plain, with 83. We derived density–yield responses for each species and then estimated regional population size under regional food production strategies, including land sharing and land sparing, a range of intermediate strategies, and a novel mixed strategy. In both regions, more species achieved maximum regional population size under land sparing than land sharing. In The Fens, the majority of birds were loser species (estimated to have smaller populations under all food production strategies than in the preagricultural baseline scenario), whereas in Salisbury Plain the majority were winners (smaller populations in the preagricultural baseline scenario). Loser species overwhelmingly achieved maximum regional population size under land sparing, whereas winner species achieved maximum regional population size under either land sharing or an intermediate strategy, highlighting the importance of defining which groups of species are the target of conservation. A novel 3-compartment strategy (combining high-yield farming, natural habitat, and low-yield farming) often performed better than either land sharing or land sparing. Our results support intermediate or 3-compartment land-sparing strategies to maximize bird populations across lowland agricultural landscapes. To deliver conservation outcomes, any shift toward land sparing must, however, ensure yield increases are sustainable in the long term, do not entail increased negative effects on surrounding areas, and are linked to allocation of land for nature.     

Episodic targeting aggression and the histories of Lemur social groups

Summary Periodically, members of captive Lemur social groups target others for intense aggression. Over periods of several days, weeks, and sometimes months, one to three lemurs persistently follow and attack one or two particular group mates until the targets no longer associate with their group. Episodic targeting aggression is nonrandom with regard to time of year, group size and sex ratio, and the kinship, age, and gender of targets. The vast majority of episodes observed over the past 18 years at the Duke University Primate Center (DUPC) has occurred between like-sex adolescents and adults in conjunction with estrous cycling or infant births and most often after groups have reached apparent critical sizes. When unrelated adults have shared group membership, members of one family have almost invariably first targeted members of the other. In several groups, entire matrilines have gradually been evicted by members of another across periods of several years. When non-relatives have been absent, lemurs have evicted relatives that had previously formed separate subgroups. Episodic targeting aggression has been documented at the DUPC in over a dozen different social groups, comprising three different species. The phenomenon occurs repeatedly in groups held in a variety of large outdoor runs as well as in outdoor enclosures providing naturalistic space and physical structure. More-over, an appreciable number of recent observations in Madagascar suggest that the patterns we have documented well represent the phenomenon as it occurs in the wild. Targeting aggression based on group size, sex ratio, kinship and gender has been reported for no other primate taxon. We suggest that episodic targeting aggression reflects heretofore undescribed tactics in reproductive competition that may characterize many lemurid and indriid taxa. As such, the phenomenon has broad implications for the structure of lemur social groups and populations. Provisional models of the social dynamics and histories of Lemur social groups are presented for evaluation during upcoming field work.     

Effects of movement and eating on chemosensory tongue-flicking and on labial-licking in the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius)

Summary Two forms of lingual protrusion, tongueflicking and labial-licking, were differentially affected by combinations of movement and eating conditions in a eublepharid gecko (Eublepharis macularius). Tongue-flicking, in which the tongue contacts substrates beyond the lizard's body, occurred at increased rates during locomotion and during locomotion was significantly more frequent after eating than in a baseline condition. Labial-licking, in which a protruded portion of the tongue touches the labial, mental or rostral scales that surround the mouth, increased after eating. Unlike tongue-flick rates, by far the highest labial-lick rates were observed in stationary lizards after eating. The elevated tongue-flicking rates during movement after eating may be a manifestation of a postingestive chemosensory search for prey. In addition to grooming, several possible chemosensory functions of labial-licking are discussed, including gustatory sampling, sampling prey chemicals on the labials for transfer to the vomeronasal system, and redistribution of chemicals on the tongue to enhance transfer. It is suggested that labial-licking might help motionless lizards maintain vigilance for visual prey stimuli associated with the specific chemical prey cues. Another possible explanation for the increased labial-lick rate while motionless after eating is that prey chemicals induce tongue-flicking, but that the distance protruded is lessened and the tongue does not contact environmental substrates. Tongue-flicking while stationary is unlikely to lead to detection of additional prey and might incur detection by the lizard's predators or prey.     

Lead exposure in Saudi Arabia from the use of traditional cosmetics and medical remedies

Twenty Henna samples were collected and analysed for lead by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry after a microwave acid digestion procedure. The mean lead concentration was 5.50 g g^–1, with a range from 1.29 g g^–1 to 16.48 g g^–1. The data did not show a high concentration of lead in these samples. However, if we take into account the popular use of henna, the cumulative effects of prolonged exposure to low lead especially in children cannot be ruled out.     

Transmission,plasticity and the molecular identification of cyanobacterial symbionts in the Red Sea sponge <Emphasis Type="Italic">Diacarnus erythraenus</Emphasis>

Cyanobacterial symbionts in the sponge Diacarnus erythraenus from the Red Sea were identified in both adult sponges and their larvae by 16S rDNA sequencing. A single cyanobacterial type was found in all samples. This cyanobacterial type is closely related to other sponge cyanobacterial symbionts. The cyanobacterial rDNA, together with the morphological analysis by electron and fluorescence microscopy, provided evidence for vertical transmission of the symbionts in this sponge. In addition, we show phenotypic plasticity of the symbionts inside the sponge, probably as a result of variability in light availability inside the sponge tissue. Finally, the reproduction of Diacarnus erythraenus is also described.Matan Oren, Laura Steindler have contributed equally to the work.