Supporting the planning of urban blue-green infrastructure for biodiversity: A multi-scale prioritisation framework

Primary considerations for urban blue-green infrastructure (BGI) encompass sustainable stormwater/urban heat management while biodiversity conservation is often considered an inherent benefit rather than a core planning requirement. However, ecological function of BGI as 'stepping stones' or linear corridors for otherwise fragmented habitats is undisputed. While quantitative approaches for modelling ecological connectivity in conservation planning are well established, mismatches in scope and scale with models that support the planning of BGI makes their adoption and integration difficult across disciplines. Technical complexities have led to ambiguity around circuit and network-based approaches, focal node placement, spatial extents, and resolution. Furthermore, these approaches are often computationally intensive, and considerable gaps remain in their use for identifying local-scale critical "pinch-points" that urban planners may respond to with the integration of BGI interventions that address biodiversity enhancement among other ecosystem services. Here, we present a framework that simplifies and integrates the merits of regional connectivity assessments with a focus on urban areas to prioritise BGI planning interventions while reducing computational demands. Our framework facilitates: (1) modelling potential ecological corridors at a coarse regional scale, (2) prioritising local-scale BGI interventions based on the relative contribution of individual nodes in this regional network, and (3) inferring connectivity hot- and cold-spots for local-scale BGI interventions. We illustrate this in the Swiss lowlands, demonstrating how, compared to previous work, we are able to identify and rank different priority locations across the region for BGI interventions in support of biodiversity enhancement and how their local-scale functional design may be benefited by addressing specific environmental variables.

Linking human impacts to community processes in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems

Human impacts such as habitat loss, climate change and biological invasions are radically altering biodiversity, with greater effects projected into the future. Evidence suggests human impacts may differ substantially between terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, but the reasons for these differences are poorly understood. We propose an integrative approach to explain these differences by linking impacts to four fundamental processes that structure communities: dispersal, speciation, species-level selection and ecological drift. Our goal is to provide process-based insights into why human impacts, and responses to impacts, may differ across ecosystem types using a mechanistic, eco-evolutionary comparative framework. To enable these insights, we review and synthesise (i) how the four processes influence diversity and dynamics in terrestrial versus freshwater communities, specifically whether the relative importance of each process differs among ecosystems, and (ii) the pathways by which human impacts can produce divergent responses across ecosystems, due to differences in the strength of processes among ecosystems we identify. Finally, we highlight research gaps and next steps, and discuss how this approach can provide new insights for conservation. By focusing on the processes that shape diversity in communities, we aim to mechanistically link human impacts to ongoing and future changes in ecosystems.

Reconciling cities with nature: Identifying local Blue-Green Infrastructure interventions for regional biodiversity enhancement

Increasing urbanization degrades quantity, quality, and the functionality of spatial cohesion of natural areas essential to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning worldwide. The uncontrolled pace of building activity and the erosion of blue (i.e., aquatic) and green (i.e., terrestrial) landscape elements threaten existing habitat ranges and movability of wildlife. Local scale measures, such as nature-inspired engineered Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) are emerging mitigation solutions. Originally planned to promote sustainable stormwater management, adaptation to climate change and improved human livability in cities, such instruments offer interesting synergies for biodiversity in support of existing ecological infrastructure. BGI are especially appealing for globally declining amphibians, a rich and diverse vertebrate assemblage sensitive to urbanization. We integrated biological and highly resolved urban-rural land-cover data, ensemble models of habitat suitability, and connectivity models based on circuit theory to improve multi-scale and multi-species protection of core habitats and ecological corridors in the Swiss lowlands. Considering a broad spectrum of amphibian biodiversity, we identified distributions of amphibian biodiversity hotspots and four landscape elements essential to amphibian movability at the regional scale, namely i) forest edges, ii) wet-forest habitats, iii) soils with variable moisture and iv) riparian zones. Our work shows that cities can make a substantial contribution (e.g., up to 15% of urban space in the study area) to wider landscape habitat connectivity. We highlight the importance of planning BGI locally in strategic locations across urban and peri-urban areas to promote the permeability and availability of 'stepping stone' habitats in densely populated landscapes, essential to the maintenance of regional habitat connectivity and thereby enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

11 Pressing Research Questions on How Light Pollution Affects Biodiversity

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is closely associated with modern societies and is rapidly increasing worldwide. A dynamically growing body of literature shows that ALAN poses a serious threat to all levels of biodiversity—from genes to ecosystems. Many “unknowns” remain to be addressed however, before we fully understand the impact of ALAN on biodiversity and can design effective mitigation measures. Here, we distilled the findings of a workshop on the effects of ALAN on biodiversity at the first World Biodiversity Forum in Davos attended by several major research groups in the field from across the globe. We argue that 11 pressing research questions have to be answered to find ways to reduce the impact of ALAN on biodiversity. The questions address fundamental knowledge gaps, ranging from basic challenges on how to standardize light measurements, through the multi-level impacts on biodiversity, to opportunities and challenges for more sustainable use.

Automated flight-interception traps for interval sampling of insects

Recent debates on insect decline require sound assessments on the relative drivers that may negatively impact insect populations. Often, baseline data rely on insect monitorings that integrate catches over long time periods. If, however, effects of time-critical environmental factors (e.g., light pollution) are of interest, higher temporal resolution of insect data is required during very specific time intervals (e.g., between dusk and dawn). Conventional time-critical insect trapping is labour-intensive (manual activation/deactivation) and temporally inaccurate as not all traps can be serviced synchronically at different sites. Also, temporal shifts of environmental conditions (e.g., sunset/sunrise) are not accounted for. We present a battery-driven automated insect flight-interception trap which samples insects during seven user-defined time intervals. A commercially available flight-interception trap is fitted to a turntable containing eight positions, seven of them holding cups and one consisting of a pass-through hole. While the cups sample insects during period of interest, the pass-through hole avoids unwanted sampling during time-intervals not of interest. Comparisons between two manual and two automated traps during 71 nights in 2018 showed no difference in caught insects. A study using 20 automated traps during 104 nights in 2019 proved that the automated flight-interception traps are reliable. The automated trap opens new research and application possibilities as arbitrary insect-sampling intervals can be defined. The trap proves efficient, saving manpower and associated costs as activation/deactivation is required only every seven sampling intervals. In addition, the timing of the traps is accurate, as all traps sample at exactly the same intervals and ensure comparability. The automated trap is low maintenance and robust due to straightforward technical design. It can be controlled manually or via smartphone through a Bluetooth connection. Full construction details are given in Appendices.

Conservation genetics: Linking science with practice

Conservation genetics is a well-established scientific field. However, limited information transfer between science and practice continues to hamper successful implementation of scientific knowledge in conservation practice and management. To mitigate this challenge, we have established a conservation genetics community, which entails an international exchange-and-skills platform related to genetic methods and approaches in conservation management. First, it allows for scientific exchange between researchers during annual conferences. Second, personal contact between conservation professionals and scientists is fostered by organising workshops and by popularising knowledge on conservation genetics methods and approaches in professional journals in national languages. Third, basic information on conservation genetics has been made accessible by publishing an easy-to-read handbook on conservation genetics for practitioners. Fourth, joint projects enabled practitioners and scientists to work closely together from the start of a project in order to establish a tight link between applied questions and scientific background. Fifth, standardised workflows simplifying the implementation of genetic tools in conservation management have been developed. By establishing common language and trust between scientists and practitioners, all these measures help conservation genetics to play a more prominent role in future conservation planning and management.

Enhanced land use datasets and future scenarios of land change for Slovakia

The presented datasets relate to the research article entitled “Land changes in Slovakia: past processes and future directions” [8]. The datasets include the land use and cover (LUC) maps of Slovakia for the years 2006 and 2012 and maps of five future land use scenarios for 2040 developed along the axes of globalisation vs. regionalisation and low vs. high policy intervention (IPCC). Datasets were produced in raster format by combining thematic maps, outputs of models defining particular LUC sector and statistical data taken from European and national predictions of future land change development.The maps have a spatial resolution of 20 m

Landscape genetics as a tool for conservation planning: predicting the effects of landscape change on gene flow

For conservation managers, it is important to know whether landscape changes lead to increasing or decreasing gene flow. Although the discipline of landscape genetics assesses the influence of landscape elements on gene flow, no studies have yet used landscape-genetic models to predict gene flow resulting from landscape change. A species that has already been severely affected by landscape change is the large marsh grasshopper (Stethophyma grossum), which inhabits moist areas in fragmented agricultural landscapes in Switzerland. From transects drawn between all population pairs within maximum dispersal distance (< 3 km), we calculated several measures of landscape composition as well as some measures of habitat configuration. Additionally, a complete sampling of all populations in our study area allowed incorporating measures of population topology. These measures together with the landscape metrics formed the predictor variables in linear models with gene flow as response variable (F(ST) and mean pairwise assignment probability). With a modified leave-one-out cross-validation approach, we selected the model with the highest predictive accuracy. With this model, we predicted gene flow under several landscape-change scenarios, which simulated construction, rezoning or restoration projects, and the establishment of a new population. For some landscape-change scenarios, significant increase or decrease in gene flow was predicted, while for others little change was forecast. Furthermore, we found that the measures of population topology strongly increase model fit in landscape genetic analysis. This study demonstrates the use of predictive landscape-genetic models in conservation and landscape planning.

Balancing forest-regeneration probabilities and maintenance costs in dry grasslands of high conservation priority

Abandonment of agricultural land has resulted in forest regeneration in species-rich dry grasslands across European mountain regions and threatens conservation efforts in this vegetation type. To support national conservation strategies, we used a site-selection algorithm (MARXAN) to find optimum sets of floristic regions (reporting units) that contain grasslands of high conservation priority. We sought optimum sets that would accommodate 136 important dry-grassland species and that would minimize forest regeneration and costs of management needed to forestall predicted forest regeneration. We did not consider other conservation elements of dry grasslands, such as animal species richness, cultural heritage, and changes due to climate change. Optimal sets that included 95-100% of the dry grassland species encompassed an average of 56-59 floristic regions (standard deviation, SD 5). This is about 15% of approximately 400 floristic regions that contain dry-grassland sites and translates to 4800-5300 ha of dry grassland out of a total of approximately 23,000 ha for the entire study area. Projected costs to manage the grasslands in these optimum sets ranged from CHF (Swiss francs) 5.2 to 6.0 million/year. This is only 15-20% of the current total estimated cost of approximately CHF30-45 million/year required if all dry grasslands were to be protected. The grasslands of the optimal sets may be viewed as core sites in a national conservation strategy.

Assessing landscape functions with broad-scale environmental data: insights gained from a prototype development for Europe

We examine the advantages and disadvantages of a methodological framework designed to analyze the poorly understood relationships between the ecosystem properties of large portions of land, and their capacities (stocks) to provide goods and services (flows). These capacities (stocks) are referred to as landscape functions. The core of our assessment is a set of expert- and literature-driven binary links, expressing whether specific land uses or other environmental properties have a supportive or neutral role for given landscape functions. The binary links were applied to the environmental properties of 581 administrative units of Europe with widely differing environmental conditions and this resulted in a spatially explicit landscape function assessment. To check under what circumstances the binary links are able to replace complex interrelations, we compared the landscape function maps with independently generated continent-wide assessments (maps of ecosystem services or environmental parameters/indicators). This rigorous testing revealed that for 9 out of 15 functions the straightforward binary links work satisfactorily and generate plausible geographical patterns. This conclusion holds primarily for production functions. The sensitivity of the nine landscape functions to changes in land use was assessed with four land use scenarios (IPCC SRES). It was found that most European regions maintain their capacity to provide the selected services under any of the four scenarios, although in some cases at other locations within the region. At the proposed continental scale, the selected input parameters are thus valid proxies which can be used to assess the mid-term potential of landscapes to provide goods and services.

Schweizer Wälder und Klimaveränderungen: Vergleich von Simulationen quantitativer Vegetationsmodelle | Swiss forests and climate change: comparison of simulated quantitative vegetation models

Using simulation models various climate change scenarios are described and the possible consequences to forests in Switzerland are discussed. Consequences to be reckoned with range from less acute to serious, e.g., with displacement of species and timberline and, in the long term, with desertification of already dry areas.

[Intascleral silicone prosthesis in the dog: a retrospective study of 22 cases]

Over a period of five years 28 dog eyes were treated by evisceration and implantation of an intrascleral silicone prosthesis. During an average follow-up period of 2.93 years the only complication noted was a mild entropion in one case. The majority of dog owners were satisfied with the cosmetic result. All of them would again opt for this procedure and prefer it to an enucleation. The postoperative management was well tolerated by both animals and owners. After careful preoperative work-up and ruling-out of intraocular neoplasms, evisceration/prosthesis is a simple and practical method to salvage buphthalmic eyes and globes with beginning phthisis bulbi. Intraocular tumors and septic endophthalmitis are the two principal contraindications. In addition, eyes with deep or even perforated corneal ulcers should not be fitted with an intrascleral prosthesis.

[Prolapse of the eyeball in small animals: a retrospective study of 36 cases]

Proptosis of the globe is an ophthalmic emergency, which requires rapid assessment of the situation and immediate medical and surgical therapy. The relevant prognostic signs as well as the medical and surgical management are discussed. A retrospective study of 36 proptosed globes at the Zurich Veterinary School revealed that young animals with a mean age of 5.2 years (dogs) and 4.7 years (cats) are at risk. In the dog both sexes are equally at risk, while tomcats have a higher incidence than females. In ten cases immediate enucleation of the proptosed globe was necessary. The remaining eyes could be replaced. The majority of the repositioned globes were subsequently blind, the cosmetic result, however, was satisfactory according to most owners. Ophthalmic follow-up examinations revealed a large number of long-term damages in repositioned eyes in dogs and cats concerning anterior and posterior segment.