Accessing local knowledge to identify where species of conservation concern occur in a tropical forest landscape

Previously Unrecorded Invasive Species and the Unsatisfying Knowledge of Turtle Communities in Northern Vietnam

According to the IUCN, Southeast Asia is the area of the world with the highest number of threatened turtle species. The current status of chelonians is particularly catastrophic in Vietnam. However, there is still a lack of field data to unambiguously support this fact for a few species. To better understand the freshwater turtle diversity and eventually undertake efficient conservation actions, we conducted surveys with local fishers using standardized questionnaires in two independent river systems in northern Vietnam. A total of 112 questionnaires were administered to as many fishers in April and October 2022. We directly observed four sympatric freshwater species (Pelodiscus sinensis, Palea steindachneri, Mauremys sinensis and Sacalia quadriocellata) in Lao Cai and Yen Bai provinces, and two species (Pelodiscus sinensis and Palea steindachneri) in Bac Giang, Hai Duong, Thai Binh, and Hung Yen provinces. Based on the interviews, we added as possible the presence of two other species (Rafetus swinhoei and Pelochelys cantorii) in each of the two study areas. Moreover, we recorded for the first time in Vietnam, two wild individuals of an invasive alien species, the Common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), confirming that the distribution and ecology of turtle species in Vietnam is poorly understood. Furthermore, recent photos (year 2019) of a 38 kg softshell turtle, possibly attributable to Rafetus swinhoei, were recorded from a restaurant in the area. In conclusion, interviews with local fishers have been found to be useful for exploring the likely presence and the local distribution of the various turtle species.

Does land use and land cover affect adult communities of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT)? A systematic review with meta-analysis

We conducted a systematic review to better understand this gap and analyzed i) in which global regions are studies usually conducted, ii) the taxon studied, iii) sampling methods and iv) how authors collaborated in these studies. We also tested the relationship between different types of land use and land cover and adult EPT communities using a meta-analysis. We searched for relevant articles on the website Web of Science, using specific words related to the subject. We found 454 papers and selected 31 of them for the scientometric analysis, as they were in accordance with our objectives, and eight for the meta-analysis. Among this subset, we observed that study areas and collaborations among authors were largely restricted to a few countries in Europe and North America. Most studies used the group Trichoptera, probably due to its diversity and the longevity of the adults compared to other groups. Light traps were the most common sampling method, most likely due to their efficiency in capturing flying insects with nocturnal habits. The greatest differences in adult EPT communities were found between open areas (moorland and prairie) and forest areas. This result indicated that the conversion of forest habitats into open areas negatively impacts adult EPT communities. Our systematic review can be an important tool to help researchers choose appropriate collection methods and taxonomic groups to work with in studies on impacts of land use change on adult EPT communities.

The Floodplain Forests of the Mamberamo Basin, Papua, Indonesia (Western New Guinea): Vegetation, Soils, and Local Use

New Guinea is the world’s largest, most speciose, and most culturally rich tropical island, and the little-studied Mamberamo Basin of Papua (Indonesian New Guinea) is recognised among the region’s most-important areas for biological diversity. Here, we examined the floodplain forests in the indigenous territory of Papasena, within the Mamberamo-Foja Wildlife Reserve in the Mamberamo Basin. As part of a training activity with local researchers, students, and civil servants, and with the permission and assistance of the local people, we employed various methods including the field surveys detailed here. We used variable-area tree plots, transects for non-trees and soil sampling, and local informants to document 17 plots: four in old-growth dryland forest, five in old-growth swamp forests (two seasonally flooded and three permanently wet including one dominated by sago, Metroxylon sagu Rottb.), five in secondary forest (fallows), and three in gardens (two in swamps and one on dryland). In total, we measured 475 trees over 10 cm in diameter at 1.3 m (dbh). The swamp forests had high local basal areas (highest value 45.1 m2 ha−1) but relatively low statures (20 m but with emergent trees over 40 m). In total, 422 morphospecies from 247 genera and 89 different families were distinguished. These included 138 tree species and 284 non-tree plant species. A quarter (105) of the morphospecies lacked species-level identifications. The woody families Rubiaceae, Araceae, Moraceae, and Euphorbiaceae were especially diverse, with 20 or more morphospecies each. Tree richness was highest in dryland forest (plot 7 having 28 species in 40 stems over 10 cm dbh) with more variation in the flooded forests. Non-tree vegetation showed similar patterns ranging from 65 species in one 40-by-5 m primary forest plot to just 5 in one seasonally flooded forest plot. The local people identified many plants as useful. Among trees, at least 59 species were useful for construction (the most common use), while, for non-trees, medicinal uses were most frequent. Inceptisols dominated (12 plots), followed by Ultisols and Entisols (3 and 2 plots, respectively). Drainage appeared poor and nutrient availability low, while land-suitability criteria implied little potential for crops aside from sago. We discuss the implication of local practises and more recent developments that may threaten the conservation of these floodplain systems. We underline the key role of local people in the oversight and protection of these ecosystems.

Local Spatialized Knowledge of Threats to Forest Conservation in Ghana's High Forest Zone

Although deforestation rates are declining, protected forest areas remain under threat. While the importance of spatialized ('mapped') community knowledge for conservation planning is acknowledged in scientific literature, the integration of such knowledge in forest governance and conservation planning remains scarce, particularly in Ghana. This paper aims to make clear how participatory spatial knowledge tools and geographic information systems can be used to assess the threats to forest conservation in Ghana's high forest zone. The results show that holders of spatial community-embedded knowledge not only sketch-mapped the location and spatial distribution of the threats to forest conservation in the forest reserves, but also provided information on the actors they perceived to be causing such threats. Such information is not available in forest inventories conducted by the responsible government agencies, but is needed to focus conservation strategies and make them more effective. Maps with the anticipated condition of the forest in 10 years' time furthermore provided insights which can help governance actors to deal with the underlying drivers of forest degradation. This suggests that local spatialized knowledge needs to be integrated into the institutional arrangements for the governance of forested landscapes, and that such governance cannot be effective without the inclusion of local people's knowledge. Due consideration is however to be given to the conditions that ensure that spatialized knowledge production and its use in landscape management decision-making occurs in an inclusive manner.

Convergences and divergences between scientific and Indigenous and Local Knowledge contribute to inform carnivore conservation

There is increasing recognition that diverse knowledge systems can work in mutually enriching ways and that Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK) can enhance biodiversity conservation. However, studies using scientific knowledge and ILK in a complementary manner, and acknowledging convergent and especially divergent insights have remained limited. In this study, we contrasted proxies of abundances and trends of threatened and conflict-prone carnivores (caracal, cheetah, jackal, lion, leopard, spotted hyaena, striped hyaena) derived separately from scientific knowledge and ILK. We conducted camera trapping, track surveys and semi-structured interviews with local pastoralists from northern Kenya. We found convergences highlighting the need for conservation action and divergences suggesting scientific ecological sampling limitations or underlying socio-psychological phenomena. Overall, our study shows that complementing scientific knowledge and ILK as separate sources of information and opening up space for discrepancies can enrich our understanding of the status and trends of carnivores, as well as recognizing human-carnivore relationships.

Locomotion Study of Bekantan (Nasalis larvatus)

The locomotion system in the primate is developed and diverged following the pressure of the environment. To survive, each species of primate will push their locomotor’s evolution to accommodate their foraging activities. Generally, the primate locomotion system is classified into vertical clinging and leaping (such as Tarsius), quadrupedalism (such as guenon), brachiation (such as gibbon), and bipedalism (human). Classification is usually based on the intermembral index, the ratio between the arm and leg length in percentage. The intermembral index of bekantan is about 90 on average; means the arm length is 90% of leg length. Based on the intermembral index, bekantan's locomotion system is hindlimb dominated gait and supposed to be quadrupedal terrestrial. However, in their natural habitat, bekantan spend their daily activities mostly on the trees. Terrestrial and arboreal movements were observed during foraging. Arboreal movements of bekantan are dominant where the forest canopy is remaining good. On the other hand, in open areas and where they have adapted to human existence, quadrupedal terrestrial behaviors will be dominant during foraging. Further observation in various areas is still needed to strengthen the type of locomotion system of bekantan.

Bridging conservation science and traditional knowledge of wild animals: The need for expert guidance and inclusion of local knowledge holders

Many people call for strengthening knowledge co-production between academic science and indigenous and local knowledge systems. A major barrier to cooperation seems to be a lack of experience regarding where and how traditional knowledge can be found and obtained. Our key question was whether the expert judgment of academic zoologists or a feature-based linear model is better at predicting the observed level of local familiarity with wild animal species. Neither the zoologists nor the model proved sufficiently accurate (70 and 60%, respectively), with the inaccuracy probably resulting from inadequate knowledge of the local ecological and cultural specificities of the species. This indicates that more knowledge is likely to come from local knowledge than zoologists would expect. Accuracy of targeting the relevant species for knowledge co-production could be improved through specific understanding of the local culture, provided by experts who study traditional zoological knowledge and by local knowledge holders themselves.

Can Community Members Identify Tropical Tree Species for REDD+ Carbon and Biodiversity Measurements?

Biodiversity conservation is a required co-benefit of REDD+. Biodiversity monitoring is therefore needed, yet in most areas it will be constrained by limitations in the available human professional and financial resources. REDD+ programs that use forest plots for biomass monitoring may be able to take advantage of the same data for detecting changes in the tree diversity, using the richness and abundance of canopy trees as a proxy for biodiversity. If local community members are already assessing the above-ground biomass in a representative network of forest vegetation plots, it may require minimal further effort to collect data on the diversity of trees. We compare community members and trained scientists’ data on tree diversity in permanent vegetation plots in montane forest in Yunnan, China. We show that local community members here can collect tree diversity data of comparable quality to trained botanists, at one third the cost. Without access to herbaria, identification guides or the Internet, community members could provide the ethno-taxonomical names for 95% of 1071 trees in 60 vegetation plots. Moreover, we show that the community-led survey spent 89% of the expenses at village level as opposed to 23% of funds in the monitoring by botanists. In participatory REDD+ programs in areas where community members demonstrate great knowledge of forest trees, community-based collection of tree diversity data can be a cost-effective approach for obtaining tree diversity information.

The role of local knowledge and traditional extraction practices in the management of giant earthworms in Brazil

The giant earthworm, Rhinodrilus alatus (Righi 1971), has been captured in the southeastern Brazilian Cerrado biome for approximately 80 years and used as bait for amateur fishing throughout Brazil. Local knowledge and traditional extraction practices are crucial for the establishment of management strategies for the species because, although its extraction involves conflicts and social and environmental impacts, the species is one of the major sources of income for approximately 3,000 people, especially for members of an Afro-descendant community that has approximately 2,000 inhabitants. Participatory tools, such as seasonal calendar, transect walks and participatory maps, were individually or collectively used with extractors and traders (former extractors), and 129 semi-structured and unstructured interviews were conducted with the same individuals between 2005 and 2012. The capture of Rhinodrilus alatus was observed in different seasons and areas of occurrence of the species in 17 municipalities, where this giant earthworm is the only species extracted for trade. All information obtained was verified by community members in 17 meetings. The extractors have an extensive knowledge of the life history, behavior, distribution, and possible impacts of climate change on the species. Different capture techniques, which have different impacts, are used during the dry and rainy seasons and are passed by the extractors through the generations. Local knowledge contributed to the establishment of agreements for the use of capture techniques that have less impact, to the expansion of scientific knowledge and the reassessment of the conservation status of Rhinodrilus alatus. The present study may serve as an example for management projects for other giant earthworm species in other regions of Brazil and in other countries.