Author: Journal of Applied Ecology

Vasthi Alonso Chávez discusses how early detection of the emerald ash borer, responsible for the death of millions of ash trees in the United States, Canada, Russia and Eastern Europe, is essential for effective control.

The growing volume of trade and travel across continents has accelerated the movement and introduction of pests and pathogens into regions outside their native range causing unprecedented ecological and economic impact of these biological invasions.

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB; Agrilus planipennis) is the most destructive pest to ash trees, causing the death of millions of trees in the USA, Canada, Russia, and parts of Eastern Europe. The beetle is spreading westwards from Russia and Ukraine being recently spotted only 17 km from the border with Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, the emerald ash borer has been reported in Texas, about 500 km from the border with Mexico, where there are twelve different species of ash distributed in the north and centre of the country.

The alarming economic impact and widespread ecological devastation caused by this beetle call for proactive measures to prevent its introduction into new regions of North America, the EU and Great Britain where the invasion risk is significant.

Identifying potential entry points

One major concern in Great Britain is the possible introduction of EAB through imported firewood from Eastern Europe. To address this, a comprehensive strategy was developed, integrating entry risk points maps, ash distribution maps, and a model of the EAB lifecycle.

We developed optimised sampling strategies to maximise the probability of detection of EAB within specified timeframes of its’ arrival (2,4 and 8 years) and compared them with ranked entry point strategies that deployed surveillance according to EAB most likely entry pathways.

Stakeholder involvement

Understanding the biosecurity implications of firewood importation involved engaging ash tree stakeholders. Interviews with stakeholders in the GB firewood sector delved into the investigation of how much stakeholders value ash, experiences with ash dieback (ADB), importation practices with a focus on firewood, and attitudes towards biosecurity. Scenario workshops investigated the willingness of landowners to adopt early-detection methods.

Notably, firewood imports are actively inspected, but uncertainties remain about compliance at the source. In terms of voluntary surveillance by stakeholder we found that there is willingness to adopt additional surveillance methods as long as additional financial and technical support becomes available.

Optimising detection strategies

Optimised sampling strategies outperformed ranked entry point strategies, showing a significant improvement in detection probability, especially when optimising for within 8 years of EAB arrival. The optimal spatial distribution of detection devices was influenced by factors such as sensitivity and the timeframe for detection. When detection resources are limited, the advantages of optimising versus using ranked entry point surveillance decrease significantly.

In this work we developed the first surveillance map for potential EAB incursions in GB. This map can be a valuable tool for government agencies and stakeholders involved in EAB biosecurity and surveillance.

Key findings and discussions

1. Model-based optimisation vs. ranked entry points

• Optimisation based strategies significantly improve detection probability over ranked entry point ones, in particular, when optimising for EAB arrival within an 8-year timeframe.
• Optimising for detection within an 8-year timeframe may increase the detection probability, but by then, the beetle may be well established. Optimising for detection within shorter timeframes can result in smaller detection probabilities but prioritising early detection increases the chances of eradication.
• The sensitivity of detection devices influences their optimal spatial distribution.

2. Entry point identification and biosecurity

• Higher certainty of EAB entry points increases detection probability.
• Optimised strategies outperform ranked entry point strategies, especially when entry point certainty is low.

3. Stakeholder engagement and surveillance methods

• Firewood importers are acutely aware of current and increasing biosecurity and environmental legislation related to firewood. However, overseas biosecurity practices may pose some risks. This suggests that, although these pathways are still the most likely source of EAB invasion, this hazard is actively being minimised through regulation and inspections.
• Clear and quantifiable guidance enhances stakeholder engagement.

Looking forward

While this study offers valuable insights into EAB surveillance, there are some limitations, such as the dependence on data from other regions where ash species appear to be more susceptible than European ash (Fraxinus excelsior). Ongoing research and parameter adjustment can further refine the approach as they become available.

As we navigate the threat of the Emerald Ash Borer, a collaborative effort involving various stakeholders, clear communication, and adaptive strategies will be crucial for effective prevention and management.

This approach not only provides a tool to help in the conservation of the ash tree population in GB but also provides a blueprint for GB and other regions subject to this threat as well as other invasive species.

Read the full article “Early detection strategies for invading tree pests: Targeted surveillance and stakeholder perspectives” in Journal of Applied Ecology.

Jonny Ritson talks us through the latest modelling study, conducted alongside colleagues, aiming to determine how suitable future conditions will be for both peat accumulation and Sphagnum survival in the UK.

Bioclimatic envelope models have been used as a tool to map the climate conditions under which specific habitats occur. By defining the conditions suitable for peat formation, for example, we can then use projections of future climate to see how this envelope of suitable conditions might shift or shrink in the future.

The study

Our new analysis shows that the envelope under which blanket bog formation occurs will virtually disappear in England under most realistic future climate projections. While pockets remain in Wales and Scotland, there are still large reductions in the area over which suitable conditions are likely to occur. The Flow Country, for example, despite being in the far north of Scotland, could see a reduction in suitable conditions of between 53 – 68% under the mildest climate change projections or 77 – 87% under the projections more likely to occur given current emission pathways. Only in western Scotland do we see a large-scale continuation of conditions favourable for blanket bog formation.

Additionally, we also modelled the risk of Sphagnum moss die-off events caused by droughts and found this is likely to increase by 44-82% in the future. Sphagnum is considered a keystone genus for peat formation and has been the subject of intense reintroduction programmes throughout UK blanket bogs. Our results focussed on the hummock forming species which are most at risk from drought, and therefore suggest that there may be a shift in prevalence as the more drought tolerant species adapted to living in ‘hollows’ on the bog are more likely to survive. This could have implications for species selection in reintroduction schemes and make the goal of the ‘hummock-hollow’ microtopography considered characteristic of UK blanket bogs difficult to achieve in many areas.

What will happen to UK peat?

This is not to say that UK blanket bogs will simply disappear. Peatlands are, to an extent, resilient systems which have feedback processes that limit the impact of drought, heatwaves and other unfavourable conditions. Even in a completely degraded state, as we have seen in the Peak District where intense pollution from the Industrial Revolution killed off vast areas of peatland vegetation, it can take hundreds of years for significant amounts of peat to be lost.

What our results show is that climate conditions are going to be increasingly challenging for peat formation. Action to increase the resilience of peatlands is needed as quickly as possible before the worst of climate conditions manifest themselves. The dire projections in our analysis could potentially make this easier, however. Climate finance initiatives, such as the UK Peatland Code, generate money for restoration by selling carbon offsets based on avoided emissions from a ‘do nothing’ scenario. Our results suggest that the ‘do nothing’ scenario could be much worse than previously thought, meaning more finance may be available.

Next steps

There is still plenty more to do to understand the resilience of these systems, however. The most pressing question is ‘what does it really mean to be outside the bioclimatic envelope?’. We know that lowered water-tables brought about by drought and drainage typically lead to the loss of carbon from peat, but at what rate will it be lost and what can we do to limit this?

Current restoration efforts have been successful in halting erosion and bringing back vegetation to areas of bare peat but what does future success look like if we no longer have the climatic conditions which created these landscapes in the first place?

Read the full article “Climate change impacts on blanket peatland in Great Britain” in Journal of Applied Ecology.

Chen Huang provides an overview of their investigation into human-wildlife conflict, and explains how research gaps can be turned into opportunities.

Humans and wildlife share the planet, often in proximity. In many parts of the world, villagers see elephants, lions, dolphins, and seabirds as part of their daily lives—much like city dwellers spot starlings feeding in a park. While wildlife is culturally valuable and a tourist attraction, the presence of these animals can lead to significant losses for local farmers, herders, and fishers.

For instance, around 28% of people in Pu’er, Yunnan province of southwest China, suffer losses caused by Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), and large marine predators account for approximately 11% of catch losses in commercial longline fisheries. These losses erode the relationship between local communities and wildlife, often leading to harmful reactions that threaten animal populations. Reducing these losses is essential for peaceful coexistence—a goal emphasized in Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

My journey in human-wildlife conflict research

After four years of studying material science, my passion for nature led me to pursue a career in biodiversity conservation. My first field trip took me to the mountains of Southwest China, a region within a global biodiversity hotspot. I witnessed the hardships faced by villagers due to wildlife-related injuries and losses. A villager shared how an Asiatic black bear tore off his nose, and many expressed frustrations over the impact of wildlife on their crops and livestock. This trip showed me the complexity of conservation in practice: protecting wildlife often mean protecting local communities first.

Over the latter five years, I studied the spatiotemporal patterns of damage caused by Asian elephants and Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) in Yunnan, China, proposing long-term land-use and habitat management strategies. However, these solutions are often difficult to implement, especially in resource-poor regions.

The need for short-term solutions

To address immediate challenges, I’ve shifted my focus to evaluating short-term technical interventions for human-wildlife conflict (see more here and here). Despite the increasing body of literature, there’s still a lack of comprehensive evaluations for these interventions.

Interestingly, some sensory stimuli—like toriline to deter seabirds or reflective ribbons for farmland birds—show promise across multiple animal groups. This suggests a potential for behavioral-based strategies to reduce the damage.

Research findings: Gaps and opportunities

Our study found that most research on interventions is concentrated in wealthier countries like the USA, Australia, and Western Europe, while biodiversity-rich but economically disadvantaged regions remain underrepresented. The evidence for interventions is still limited, with 88 interventions evaluated and an average of only three experiments per intervention. More than half (56%) were tested in just one experiment.

The most evaluated approaches included physical, sound, chemical, and light-based stimuli, while less attention was given to the electricity-physical, electricity magnet, and chemical-physical approaches.

While many interventions showed effectiveness in the contexts where they were tested, their success varied. Of the 88 interventions, 61% had statistically significant evidence of effectiveness, but only five showed consistent performance across multiple experiments. About 10% of marine-focused interventions were counterproductive, highlighting the need for more research in this area.

While some types of stimuli were proved more effective than others, results varied significantly within broad stimulus categories. For example, electric fences and wires were effective in deterring carnivores, while rare earth metals used to deter elasmobranchs were ineffective.

Towards action

We identified two key challenges: the lack of sufficient evidence for interventions, and the limited success of interventions in the marine realm. To tackle human-wildlife conflicts, collective efforts are needed to evaluate and implement nonlethal interventions more widely. These solutions should be aligned with other strategies (e.g., the lethal and operational methods) within a sequential mitigation hierarchy to achieve the best outcomes.

Through cross-animal group research, we hope to support stakeholders in achieving the goals outlined in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, ensuring both wildlife protection and human well-being.

Read the full article “Human–wildlife coexistence needs more evidence-based interventions to reduce the losses of crops, livestock and fishery catches” in Journal of Applied Ecology.

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, we are excited to share a collection of blog posts showcasing the work of some of the BES community. In each post, they discuss their experiences in ecology, as well as what this year’s theme, ‘Accelerate Action’, means to them.

What work do you do?

I’m Professor in Ecology in the School of Biological Sciences at Waipapa Taumata Rau The University of Auckland in Aotearoa New Zealand. As a plant ecophysiology, I am interested in how plants respond to environmental conditions, especially climate change. I also have broader interests in the impacts of climate change on biodiversity.

I teach plant science and global change ecology across all levels of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. I joined the British Ecological Society in 2015 as an Associate Editor for Journal of Applied Ecology and became a Senior Editor two years ago. 

How did you get into ecology?  

Growing up on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in the 1980s and 1990s, I was lucky to have lots of opportunities to spend time in the bush and the ocean. I studied a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology and went on to do Honours and a PhD in marine botany. When I finished my PhD, I had an opportunity to move to land-based research and I’ve been working in forests ever-since. 

Who inspires you?  

There are so many brilliant women and non-binary activists and ecologists I find inspiring, including big names like Greta Thunberg, Jane Goodall and Rachel Carson. But I’m also deeply inspired by anyone who is standing up for things that matter including trans rights, Indigenous rights and climate justice. We need collective action to address our most challenging issues and that takes all of us, especially those with privilege.  

How do you think we could ‘accelerate action’ within ecology and science, to move towards gender equality?  

Sometimes it feels like enough work just to maintain the status quo but there are so many things, big and small we can all be doing to improve gender equality in ecology, science and our broader communities.

Importantly, gender is just one axis of marginalisation. If actions are not designed to address intersectional marginalisation, they will not lead to fully inclusive outcomes.

Professional societies like the BES are well-placed to take action towards equality because they are not incumbered by as many structural barriers. The BES has been providing leadership in equity, diversity and inclusion with a range of policies and actions. I would like to see the BES continue to diversify editorial boards by including more women of colour, women from the Southern Hemisphere and Indigenous researchers. 

In this blog post, Yunhui Liu and team discuss their latest research into the importance of honeybees and wild bees for apple pollination, as well as whether the contribution of wild bees is influenced by increasing numbers of honeybees.

Animal pollination is crucial for sustainable crop production and food security. Although there is a growing reliance on pollinators in crop production, global reports indicate a decline in pollinator diversity. Consequently, honeybees (Apis mellifera) are increasingly utilized in commercial crop production. This raises questions regarding the efficiency of introduced honeybees compared to wild bees, and whether their introduction into cropping systems affects the pollination contributions of wild bees.

To address these questions in the context of apple production, Yunhui Liu and colleagues examined wild bees, honeybees, apple quantity (fruit set), and quality (fruit weight, seed number) across 52 Fuji apple orchards in three major apple producing regions in China.

Both honeybees and wild bees contribute to apple quantity and quantity

Both honeybees and wild bees contributed substantially to apple production or quality across all three production areas in China. On average, with bee pollination, fruit set was 61.80%, fresh weight was 229.11g, and seed number was 6.29 across all three production areas. This resulted in a 995.74% increase in fruit set, a 25.64% increase in fresh weight, and a 63.80% increase in seed number, compared to the exclusion treatment.

Maximum pollination contribution was found at intermediate bee density

A hump-shaped relationship between overall bee activity density with pollination contribution to fruitset(PC_fruitset), apple weight (PC_weight), showed the best pollination contribution at medium level of overall bee activity density (see graph, below).

Similarly, the activity of wild bee and honeybee showed significant effects on PC_fruitset, with the highest values of PC_fruitset found at medium level of both honeybee activity density and wild bee activity density. Meanwhile, the maximum PC_fruitset was achieved with overall ca 16 bees, ca 12 honeybees, but only 8 wild bees, showing that only relatively few wild bees are needed, compared to honeybees.

Interaction between honeybees and wild bees impacts apple pollination contribution

A significant effect of honeybee-wild bee interaction on the PC_fruitset and PC_weight were found. When wild bee activity or species richness is low, introducing more honeybee individuals related to increasing PC_fruitset and PC_weight. However, when wild bee activity density or wild bee species richness is high, introducing more honeybees declined PC_fruitset and PC_weight (see graph, below).

Pollination contributions were always highest when honeybee activity density was at a relatively low level. When the honeybee activity density was low, either high wild bee activity density and species richness was associated with higher pollination contribution than low wild bee activity density or species richness. Particularly, PC_fruitset, which is documenting the pollination success, is reaching highest levels only with intermediate honeybee activity density levels. This result indicated that high levels of wild bee density and intermediate levels of honeybee density might be best for maximum fruit set.

Conclusion

Both honeybees and wild bees contribute to apple pollination and production, but wild bees evidenced much higher pollination efficiency than honeybees. Introducing high density of honeybee colonies appeared to enhance competition with wild bees, decreasing their contribution to pollination. Consequently, an effective pollination service management requires a carefully assessment on the number of honeybee colonies before possible introduction of hives for apple production, in particular when wild bee diversity and density are high. Conserving wild bee diversity is of priority to harness pollination services in apple production, given their high diversity and pollination efficiency.

Read the full article, “Honeybees interfere with wild bees in apple pollination in China” in Journal of Applied Ecology.

Journal of Applied Ecology offers a two-year mentoring opportunity for early career researchers to gain experience of the Associate Editor role. Each mentee works with one of our Senior Editor and also receives on-going support from the Editorial Office. Mentees have a great opportunity to learn more about the peer review process and publishing more widely through handling submissions to the journal.

In 2025, we’re thrilled to be welcoming five Associate Editor mentees to the Journal of Applied Ecology team. You can get to know them below.

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Arman Pili

University of Potsdam

Arman is a quantitative and applied global change ecologist. His research fixation is on developing scientifically defensible, statistically robust, and accessible decision-support tools for biodiversity conservation. His past and current research heavily focuses on understanding, predicting, and responding to current and future risks of biological invasions. Arman is also involved in developing indicators and metrics that use big open biodiversity data to monitor biodiversity. He hopes to expand his research scope into other anthropogenic drivers of global change.

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Álvaro Gaytán

Spanish National Research Council

Álvaro is a community ecologist with a broad interest in plant-based species interactions. His research focuses on forest conservation and how global change drivers —like temperature variations, drought, and exotic pathogens— affect these interactions. By studying these factors, he aims to develop strategies for sustainable forest management and resilience against environmental challenges.

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André Coutinho

Universidade Federal do Paraná

André is interested in the intersection between restoration ecology and functional trait ecology. His research focuses on applying trait-based approaches to enhance the restoration of ecosystem services and biodiversity. Currently, he is developing tools to identify species combinations that can effectively restore carbon, biodiversity, and multifunctionality. Additionally, André studies how species interactions, particularly priority effects, affect succession and community assembly to improve restoration efforts.

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Manvi Sharma

Ashoka University

Manvi is interested in exploring the diversity of traits in both predators and prey, and how biological communities interact and form. By drawing on methods from behavioural, population, and community ecology, she aims to understand how animals exhibit a wide range of responses to the challenges they face. Manvi’s research has focused on carnivore ecology, particularly in the Indian Himalaya, where she uses interdisciplinary approaches to better understand and manage the dynamics between carnivores and human populations.

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Emilio Williams-Subiza

Mountain and Patagonian Steppe Research Centre (CIEMEP)

Emilio is a freshwater ecologist based in Argentina, focused on understanding the causes of biodiversity change in aquatic ecosystems and in its impacts on both ecosystems and society. His research integrates techniques and knowledge from biodiversity science, community ecology, and macroecology to support policies that mitigate the impacts of the biodiversity crisis and global change. He is particularly interested in urban streams, climate change, and biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships.

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For more information on the scheme you can click here and read previous testimonials here. Please note that applications for the 2026 cohort will not open until September 2025.

Authors of a recently published study discuss how their research discovered that seals exhibit avoidance of turbines during operation. This finding is important for industry developers and regulators, as lower numbers of seals close to the turbine reduces the potential for fatal collisions and injuries.

The rise of the tidal energy industry

The marine renewable energy sector is growing rapidly. Offshore wind is well established, and focus is now turning to other sources of energy, in particular wave and tidal. Tidal energy is a predictable resource, in terms of its location, timing and power. There are several designs of tidal turbines on the market, but most resemble a small wind turbine either mounted on the seabed, or floating at the sea surface, and have fast-moving blades that rotate at speeds of over 5m/s.

There is increasing evidence to suggest that marine mammals, including seals, are attracted to areas of high tidal flows for foraging. Therefore, as the industry expands, there is an inevitable overlap with areas used by marine mammals. This overlap raises a pressing question: what are the risks to seals from the rotating blades of tidal turbines? Previous research showed that turbine blades could injure a seal, so the question is whether or not animals show sufficient avoidance of operational turbines and limit the risk of collision between seals and the rotating blades.

New technology to monitor underwater animal movements

To determine how seals respond to such devices and assess the risk of collision, data are required on numbers and behaviour of seals present in close proximity to the turbine. However, due to the difficulty of collecting data in this challenging environment (high flow speeds and underwater), there has been a lack of data on behavioural responses of animals to tidal turbines.

A relatively new continuously is by using multibeam imaging sonars. Sonar, (Sound Navigation and Ranging) works by sending out sound waves and interpreting the echoes that bounce back, working similarly to radar technology. While radar is commonly used above water—sonar is its underwater counterpart. Multibeam imaging sonars allow for high-resolution monitoring of the turbine to take place 24/7, 365 days a year and be used to detect and track ‘targets’ in the data with high spatial accuracy.  

Seal presence around the turbine

To measure the nature and number of interactions between seals and a tidal turbine, two multibeam imaging sonars were mounted on a seabed platform to monitor a tidal turbine located in the Pentland Firth, Scotland, for a year.  

We observed 704 seals swimming close (within ~ 30 m) to the tidal turbine across a full year of monitoring. Analyses showed that seals were less likely to be present during high tidal flows (>2.3 m/s), during hours of daylight, and during the summer months (May-August).

Our findings also revealed a reduction in the numbers of seals around the turbine when it was operating (and the blades would be rotating), which is when risk of injury or mortality caused by a collision would be at its highest. This result combined with seals less likely to be close to the turbine at higher flow speeds (when the turbine is likely to be operating), reduces the risk of collision between seal and turbine.

Our research showed that irrespective of turbine operation, seals were less likely to be present at high flows. When the turbine was operational, there was a further reduction in seal presence of up to 77% indicating that seals are aware of, and avoid, the operating turbine.

Why avoidance matters

These results are important for developers and regulators, as lower numbers of seals close to the turbine at higher flow speeds during operation decreases the potential for fatal collisions and injuries. This, together with the new information on the temporal variation in the presence – over daily and annual cycles – can be used to predict the potential impacts of future tidal turbine developments.

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This work was made possible thanks to the Natural Environment Research Council, the Scottish Government, SAE Renewables and MeyGen. In particular, we thank Fraser Johnson for all his support and guidance throughout the study.

Read the full article, “Seals exhibit localised avoidance of operational tidal turbines” in Journal of Applied Ecology.

Peter Thompson explains how, alongside colleagues, the spatial distribution and interactions of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos), grey wolves (Canis lupus), and humans within the central Canadian Rocky Mountains were monitored and assessed in their latest study.

Human recreation and wildlife

The Bow River Valley in Alberta, Canada is a global hotspot for outdoor recreation, attracting millions of visitors annually to enjoy the spectacular landscapes of the nearby mountain parks. Visitation and outdoor recreation have exploded throughout Provincial and National Parks in and near the Bow Valley. This area is world-renowned for its beauty as well as opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, skiing, and many other recreational pursuits.

Both visitors and locals make extensive and increasing use of the trails in the Bow Valley, many of which were built by users without planning or sanction by local land managers. While enjoying these trails, recreationalists might not realize that they are interrupting movement and habitat security for a diverse array of wildlife that includes bears, wolves, cougars, and other wary species that must navigate an intensifying maze of outdoor recreation, habitat modification, and human development. Large ungulates, including moose, elk, and deer must also adapt to both humans and their infrastructure.

As recently as a few hundred years ago, the Bow Valley looked very different than it does now. This east-west valley connects the prairies to the continental divide, affording wildlife with respite from the rugged, energetically draining terrain of Rocky Mountain slopes. The same travel advantages attracted European settlers to the Bow Valley as an ideal pathway to the west coast. For over 100 years, the valley has supported industrial levels of human movement, first via the mainline of the Canadian Pacific Railway and then via the country-crossing Trans-Canada Highway. Associated industrial and urban development destroyed much of the natural habitat in the valley bottom, pushing wildlife out of the most ecologically productive areas.

The study

Conserving a full community of montane species in the Bow Valley along with the ecological processes on which they depend increasingly requires more information about how human recreation – not just human infrastructure – alters use by other species, particularly wary carnivores. Even when natural areas occur in National Parks or are designated as wildlife corridors or critical habitat patches, there are few to no limits on the density of recreational use by people. Managing this use so that humans and wildlife can coexist in this landscape well into the future requires quantitative methods for measuring the effects of human presence on other species, particularly wariest of the large mammals: grizzly bears and wolves.

Using over one thousand camera traps, we found that human recreation on trails displaces grizzly bears and wolves from their natural habitats even when the trails are hundreds of meters away. Camera traps automatically photograph anything that passes in front of them, making them one of the most efficient and effective monitoring tools for biologists studying large mammals. Our camera traps detected grizzly bears and wolves tens thousands of times each and we related their detection patterns to detections of human recreationalists (of which over one million were photographed).

Findings

Our results show that detection rates of grizzlies and wolves decreased at cameras with more human detections, but also at cameras near other high-use trails. Using statistical models, we were able to quantify the exact strength of this interaction, with the strongest disturbance effects take place within 300 m for grizzlies and 600 m for wolves. In other words, high-use recreational trails in the Bow Valley decrease the quality of more than half a kilometer of surrounding habitat for some species.

Our results illuminate the path forward for achieving coexistence between humans and wildlife in the Bow Valley. We learned that large carnivores need space away from high-use recreational trails to move across their extensive mountain ranges. Our work identifies specific thresholds and targets that can be integrated into land use planning efforts, which can reroute trails sufficiently far away from high-quality wildlife habitat.

It also emphasizes the importance of human behavior in wildlife conservation, and we hope that anyone interested in visiting the Bow Valley understands the importance of following rules and regulations associated with recreation in natural areas. We believe that the Bow Valley has room for humans, bears, wolves, and more, but we all must work together to create a landscape that makes coexistence possible.

Read the full article, “Integrating human trail use in montane landscapes reveals larger zones of human influence for wary carnivores” in Journal of Applied Ecology.

Linking to the recently-published article, Natasha Harrison discusses whether native predators inside ‘predator-free’ havens could be good for the conservation of threatened native prey species.

Predator-free havens

Since their introduction into the Australian landscape following European settlement, feral cats and red foxes have caused prolific population declines among our native fauna. The extinction of Australian mammals makes up more than two thirds of contemporary global mammal extinctions, and predation by foxes and cats is implicated in the majority of these. To protect native mammal populations from relentless predation by these invasive species, conservation managers are turning to predator-free havens – offshore islands or fenced reserves free from invasive predators.

These havens are incredibly effective at insuring populations from threatening processes such as predation, but we are finding that in isolation from predators, havened populations are losing their anti-predator responses (the ability to detect and respond to predators, to avoid being eaten). The loss of these traits is likely to mean that havened populations are unsuitable for reintroduction back into the wild where predators still persist, permanently confining them to the haven.

Anti-predator traits

The loss of these critical traits could be evolutionary – traits that are advantageous in avoiding predators, like vigilance, may disadvantage individuals when competing for limited resources. For example, animals constantly looking over their shoulder for non-existent predators will be last to secure food, mates, and shelter. Over time, vigilance and other anti-predator traits can be selected against because those who allocate more time to these behaviours will have lower survival and reproduction compared to more bold, risk-taking individuals.

The loss of anti-predator traits from havened populations could also be from the loss of learned behaviours as without predators, individuals lack the experience necessary to develop and maintain such responses. In either case, theory predicts that imposing predation pressure inside havens should provide both favourable selective pressures and the appropriate experience necessary to maintain anti-predator traits in our havened populations.

The study

Given that cats and foxes pose such a threat to our native mammals, we wondered whether we could apply a less intense predation pressure from native predators instead. Native predators, such as the chuditch, a small native marsupial carnivore, are smaller (requiring less prey) and only predate animals for food compared to foxes and cats that are known to hunt for fun. We measured anti-predators responses in a havened population of woylies (a small macropod species) that had coexisted with chuditch for 8 years, and compared these to a wild population of woylies.

We explored a variety of traits, including agitation behaviour during handling by humans (assuming those who are more agitated are more motivated to escape from a ‘predator’) and the length of their hind-feet (individuals with bigger feet can take longer leaps and run faster when escaping predators). Where other havened populations isolated from all predators have shown stark differences in these anti-predator traits compared with wild populations, here we detected no differences in anti-predator behaviour and morphology between our wild population, and the havened population with chuditch.

These findings suggest that the presence of chuditch in this haven has maintained anti-predator traits in woylies. While this result is promising, it doesn’t necessarily mean that these woylies will survive in the wild – we are making the assumption here that exposure to chuditch has kept them savvy enough to avoid foxes and cats, even though they have never encountered these predators before.

To test this important assumption, we took woylies from the chuditch-exposed haven, and wild woylies, and released them into an area of suitable bushland where foxes, cats, and chuditch persist. A number of woylies were fitted with VHF radio-collars which allowed us to track them and follow their survival. After 10 months in their new home, we found no differences in the survival rate of the havened and non-havened woylies.

This suggests that the presence of chuditch in the haven has maintained important anti-predator traits in our woylie population, keeping these individuals suitable for release into the wild. This exciting finding provides important evidence to inform the management of havened populations, ensuring that we may reintroduce woylies and other threatened mammals back into areas of their former range, to improve the cultural and ecological health of our landscapes.

Read the full article “Dancing with the devil: Could native predators inside ‘predator-free’ havens be good for the conservation of threatened native prey species?” in Journal of Applied Ecology.

Laura Vedovato introduces readers to a range of remote sensing tools, explaining how they can be applied to topical forests to monitor the effectiveness of restoration efforts. Read more in the original Review article.

Introduction

In recent years, global commitments to forest restoration, like the UN Decade on Restoration and the Global Biodiversity Framework, have highlighted the need for scalable, effective ways to track progress. Yet, monitoring tropical forest restoration is a significant challenge. Tropical forests are complex and dynamic systems, requiring tools that go beyond traditional field surveys to monitor restoration at scale. Remote sensing technologies offer a promising solution, providing a cost-effective way to monitor these ecosystems over time and across vast areas.

Why remote sensing?

Field surveys, while essential, are often limited to small, accessible sites and require significant resources. Remote sensing technology allows us to overcome these limitations, capturing continuous and large-scale data on forest attributes like canopy cover, biodiversity, and biomass. This data is crucial for understanding how well restoration projects are progressing and which practices yield the best results.

Different tools, different insights

Remote sensing tools come in various forms, each offering unique benefits, some of them:

1. High-resolution RGB images: These images, often captured from drones, allow for detailed, high-resolution views of the forest canopy. This can be especially useful in smaller, fragmented restoration sites or for tracking individual tree growth. RGB images enable detailed canopy mapping, structural assessments, and even tree species identification when combined with advanced algorithms.

2. Satellite images: Multispectral and hyperspectral images from satellites, such as those provided by Landsat, can track forest cover changes, detect deforestation, and even estimate vegetation health through indices like NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index).
3. Lidar and radar: These active sensors can penetrate forest canopies to reveal structural information such as tree height and density, allowing us to estimate biomass and observe structural diversity in forest recovery.

Applying remote sensing to restoration

Restoration projects vary widely in their approaches, from natural regeneration to tree planting. Remote sensing can capture the unique structural patterns these methods produce. For instance, canopy height and gaps in the forest can provide clues about biodiversity and successional stages. Using remote sensing, managers can monitor the effects of restoration choices over time and make adjustments as needed.

Challenges and future directions

Remote sensing, while powerful, has its limitations. High-resolution data can be costly and may require specialized expertise to analyse. Yet, new developments in cloud computing and artificial intelligence are making these tools more accessible. These tools allow practitioners to analyse large datasets without needing a supercomputer. Moving forward, partnerships between research centers and private companies can help expand access to these technologies and improve models that estimate carbon storage, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services.

The way forward

As we advance our use of remote sensing for forest restoration, one priority is creating shared databases and open-source tools. These resources can help standardize monitoring across regions and make it easier for practitioners worldwide to track restoration progress. Ultimately, remote sensing offers an efficient, data-driven approach to understanding and supporting tropical forest recovery. This technology not only enhances our ability to meet restoration goals but also promotes sustainable forest management for generations to come.

Read the full article ‘Remote sensing approaches to monitor tropical forest restoration: Current methods and future possibilities’ in Journal of Applied Ecology.