An overdue catalyst: Limitations imposed by COVID-19 improved capacity building in community-led environmental education in Madagascar

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus brought many primatology research programs and conservation efforts to a halt. After Madagascar closed its borders during March 2020, many on-site international project leaders and researchers returned to their home countries when their programs were delayed or canceled. Madagascar remained closed to travelers until November 2021, when it reopened to international flights. The 20-month absence of international researchers allowed many local Malagasy program staff, wildlife professionals, and community leaders to step into new leadership roles and responsibilities. Many programs that already had strong Malagasy leadership and meaningful collaborations with local communities flourished, while others either swiftly strengthened these attributes or faced challenges from pandemic-related travel restrictions. Here, we describe how the coronavirus pandemic events of 2020-2021 initiated long-overdue shifts in outdated models of internationally led primate research and education projects in communities living alongside primates at risk of extinction. We discuss the benefits and challenges of pandemic-induced changes within five primatological outreach projects, as well as how we can use these experiences to improve community-led environmental education and conservation awareness in the future.

Partial river flow recovery with forest age is rare in the decades following establishment

Forest regeneration and expansion are occurring in many countries, with 80 million ha established from 2000 to 2012 under the Bonn accord and 17.5 million ha established from 1990 to 2005 according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation. Multiple reviews have linked increasing forest cover with reduced river flow and potentially detrimental effects downstream. Previous reviews have investigated trends in river flow response over time, but the influence of forest age remains uncertain. Partial river flow recovery (towards non-forested conditions) has been reported in decades following forest establishment, but the role of climate in driving these trends has not been explored. Here, we evaluate river flow trends in 43 studies following forest establishment, which provide sufficient information to distinguish the effects of ageing forests from variable climate. Our meta-analysis supports previous findings showing that forestation reduces annual river flow (by 23% after 5 years and 38% after 25 years) with greater reductions in catchments with higher mean annual precipitation, larger increases in forest cover, and which were idle, rather than agricultural land, prior to forestation. The impact of forests on river flow is sensitive to annual precipitation and potential evapotranspiration, but responses are highly variable. Forests affect river flow less when annual precipitation is low, and sensitivity to precipitation decreases as catchment aridity increases. The majority of catchments demonstrated persistent river flow declines after forest establishment. However, nine catchments showed partial flow recovery after an initial decrease, with peak flow reductions at an average age of 15 and across a range of tree species. The mean rate of recovery was 34 mm/year over 5 years. Partial flow recovery with forest age cannot be commonly expected, however, and forestation programmes should take into account that changes to annual river flow are likely to persist for up to five decades.

Human-elephant conflict in western Thailand: Socio-economic drivers and potential mitigation strategies

Understanding human-wildlife conflict is an important first step in the conservation of highly endangered species that can have adverse effects on human communities, such as elephants. To gain insights into variables that shape attitudes toward elephant conservation in Asia, we surveyed 410 households and 46 plantation owners in seven villages around the Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary in western Thailand, an area of high human-elephant conflict. We sought to evaluate how past experiences with elephants (positive or negative), as well as socio-economic variables (age, income level, gender, and employment type) affect attitudes toward elephant conservation and coexistence in this area. In addition, we quantified deterrence methods currently used and identify potential mitigation strategies supported by community members. In general, less supportive attitudes toward elephant conservation and coexistence were held by individuals older than 35 years of age, those who had previously had experienced negative interactions with elephants, those with lower incomes, and those working in the agricultural sector. Conversely, those who had received benefits from living near elephants (e.g., supplemental income or feelings of pride from hosting volunteers or participating in conservation work) had more supportive views of elephant coexistence. Plantation owners reported using a variety of deterrence methods with varying success, with firecrackers being the most commonly utilized method. Community members identified several potentially beneficial mitigation strategies including forest restorations and patrol teams, adding water sources to wild elephant habitat, and education of local school and community groups. Overall, our results highlight the value of community members receiving benefits from living near elephants and suggest that special incentives may be needed for demographic groups disproportionately affected by elephants (e.g. those at lower income levels, those working in agriculture). A combination of these and other approaches will be required if human-elephant coexistence in western Thailand is to be realized.

A global review of past land use, climate, and active vs. passive restoration effects on forest recovery

Global forest restoration targets have been set, yet policy makers and land managers lack guiding principles on how to invest limited resources to achieve them. We conducted a meta-analysis of 166 studies in naturally regenerating and actively restored forests worldwide to answer: (1) To what extent do floral and faunal abundance and diversity and biogeochemical functions recover? (2) Does recovery vary as a function of past land use, time since restoration, forest region, or precipitation? (3) Does active restoration result in more complete or faster recovery than passive restoration? Overall, forests showed a high level of recovery, but the time to recovery depended on the metric type measured, past land use, and region. Abundance recovered quickly and completely, whereas diversity recovered slower in tropical than in temperate forests. Biogeochemical functions recovered more slowly after agriculture than after logging or mining. Formerly logged sites were mostly passively restored and generally recovered quickly. Mined sites were nearly always actively restored using a combination of planting and either soil amendments or recontouring topography, which resulted in rapid recovery of the metrics evaluated. Actively restoring former agricultural land, primarily by planting trees, did not result in consistently faster or more complete recovery than passively restored sites. Our results suggest that simply ending the land use is sufficient for forests to recover in many cases, but more studies are needed that directly compare the value added of active versus passive restoration strategies in the same system. Investments in active restoration should be evaluated relative to the past land use, the natural resilience of the system, and the specific objectives of each project.