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McClanahan TR, Friedlander AM, Wickel J, Graham NAJ, Bruggemann JH, Guillaume MMM, Chabanet P, Porter S, Schleyer MH, Azali MK, Muthiga NA. Testing for concordance between predicted species richness, past prioritization, and marine protected area designations in the western Indian Ocean. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024; 38:e14256. [PMID: 38545935 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Scientific advances in environmental data coverage and machine learning algorithms have improved the ability to make large-scale predictions where data are missing. These advances allowed us to develop a spatially resolved proxy for predicting numbers of tropical nearshore marine taxa. A diverse marine environmental spatial database was used to model numbers of taxa from ∼1000 field sites, and the predictions were applied to all 7039 6.25-km2 reef cells in 9 ecoregions and 11 nations of the western Indian Ocean. Our proxy for total numbers of taxa was based on the positive correlation (r2 = 0.24) of numbers of taxa of hard corals and 5 highly diverse reef fish families. Environmental relationships indicated that the number of fish species was largely influenced by biomass, nearness to people, governance, connectivity, and productivity and that coral taxa were influenced mostly by physicochemical environmental variability. At spatial delineations of province, ecoregion, nation, and strength of spatial clustering, we compared areas of conservation priority based on our total species proxy with those identified in 3 previous priority-setting reports and with the protected area database. Our method identified 119 locations that fit 3 numbers of taxa (hard coral, fish, and their combination) and 4 spatial delineations (nation, ecoregion, province, and reef clustering) criteria. Previous publications on priority setting identified 91 priority locations of which 6 were identified by all reports. We identified 12 locations that fit our 12 criteria and corresponded with 3 previously identified locations, 65 that aligned with at least 1 past report, and 28 that were new locations. Only 34% of the 208 marine protected areas in this province overlapped with identified locations with high numbers of predicted taxa. Differences occurred because past priorities were frequently based on unquantified perceptions of remoteness and preselected priority taxa. Our environment-species proxy and modeling approach can be considered among other important criteria for making conservation decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim R McClanahan
- Global Marine Programs, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Alan M Friedlander
- Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society, Washington, DC, USA
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i, Kāne'ohe, Hawaii, USA
| | | | | | - J Henrich Bruggemann
- UMR 9220 ENTROPIE, Université de La Réunion - IRD - CNRS - IFREMER - UNC, Saint Denis, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, Perpignan, France
| | - Mireille M M Guillaume
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, Perpignan, France
- UMR BOREA, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle - Sorbonne U - CNRS - IRD - UCN - UA, Paris, France
| | - P Chabanet
- UMR 9220 ENTROPIE, Université de La Réunion - IRD - CNRS - IFREMER - UNC, Saint Denis, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, Perpignan, France
| | - Sean Porter
- Oceanographic Research Institute, Durban, South Africa
| | | | - M Kodia Azali
- Global Marine Programs, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - N A Muthiga
- Kenya Marine Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Mombasa, Kenya
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2
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Mouquet N, Langlois J, Casajus N, Auber A, Flandrin U, Guilhaumon F, Loiseau N, McLean M, Receveur A, Stuart Smith RD, Mouillot D. Low human interest for the most at-risk reef fishes worldwide. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj9510. [PMID: 39018399 PMCID: PMC466977 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj9510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
Human interest in biodiversity is essential for effective conservation action but remains poorly quantified at large scales. Here, we investigated human interest for 2408 marine reef fishes using data obtained from online public databases and social media, summarized in two synthetic dimensions, research effort and public attention. Both dimensions are mainly related to geographic range size. Research effort is also linked to fishery importance, while public attention is more related to fish aesthetic value and aquarium trade importance. We also found a strong phylogenetic bias, with certain fish families receiving disproportional research effort and public attention. Most concerningly, species at the highest risk of extinction and those most vulnerable to future climate change tend to receive less research effort and public attention. Our results provide a lens through which examining the societal attention that species garner, with the ultimate goals to improve conservation strategies, research programs, and communication plans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Mouquet
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France
- FRB-CESAB, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Arnaud Auber
- IFREMER, Unité Halieutique Manche Mer du Nord, Laboratoire Ressources Halieutiques, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
| | - Ulysse Flandrin
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Nicolas Loiseau
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Matthew McLean
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403. USA
| | | | - Rick D. Stuart Smith
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - David Mouillot
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 1 rue Descartes, Paris, France
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3
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Tribot AS, Faget D, Changeux T. Nature experiences affect the aesthetic reception of art: The case of paintings depicting aquatic animals. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0303584. [PMID: 39024209 PMCID: PMC11257337 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Art is a promising pathway to raise emotional engagement with nature, while enabling an indirect exposure to nature through aesthetic experience. However, the precise relationships between aesthetic experiences of art and experiences of nature remain unclear. The aim of this observational study is to highlight the effect of nature experiences on the aesthetic reception art, based on Early Modern paintings (16th-18th century). By focusing on marine ecosystems, that are difficult to directly interact with, the results presented are intended to explore whether marine activities and fish consumption affect the aesthetic reception of artworks depicting marine biodiversity. A photo-questionnaire survey based on four paintings has been conducted with 332 French participants with a diverse range of marine practices, fish consumption and artistic sensitivity. Fish consumption and value attributed to fish as food had a significant positive impact on the aesthetic reception, suggesting that taste and food consumption could be considered as a relevant nature aesthetic experience that elicits affective and emotional responses. Results also showed an indirect effect of fishing and diving on the aesthetic reception of paintings whose iconography relates with the observers' experiences. These findings are of particular interest in both environmental psychology and ecological mediation through art. This study brings evidences of the connection between art and nature experiences, and that art could be an innovative way of experiencing nature. Finally, this study also highlights the need to broaden the scope of nature experiences, for instance by including food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Sophie Tribot
- UMR TELEMMe, MMSH, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Daniel Faget
- UMR TELEMMe, MMSH, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Thomas Changeux
- Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO, Campus Luminy - OCEANOMED Bâtiment Méditerranée, Marseille, France
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4
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Mammola S, Adamo M, Antić D, Calevo J, Cancellario T, Cardoso P, Chamberlain D, Chialva M, Durucan F, Fontaneto D, Goncalves D, Martínez A, Santini L, Rubio-Lopez I, Sousa R, Villegas-Rios D, Verdes A, Correia RA. Drivers of species knowledge across the tree of life. eLife 2023; 12:RP88251. [PMID: 37846960 PMCID: PMC10581686 DOI: 10.7554/elife.88251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of biodiversity is unevenly distributed across the Tree of Life. In the long run, such disparity in awareness unbalances our understanding of life on Earth, influencing policy decisions and the allocation of research and conservation funding. We investigated how humans accumulate knowledge of biodiversity by searching for consistent relationships between scientific (number of publications) and societal (number of views in Wikipedia) interest, and species-level morphological, ecological, and sociocultural factors. Across a random selection of 3019 species spanning 29 Phyla/Divisions, we show that sociocultural factors are the most important correlates of scientific and societal interest in biodiversity, including the fact that a species is useful or harmful to humans, has a common name, and is listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Furthermore, large-bodied, broadly distributed, and taxonomically unique species receive more scientific and societal attention, whereas colorfulness and phylogenetic proximity to humans correlate exclusively with societal attention. These results highlight a favoritism toward limited branches of the Tree of Life, and that scientific and societal priorities in biodiversity research broadly align. This suggests that we may be missing out on key species in our research and conservation agenda simply because they are not on our cultural radar.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Mammola
- Molecular Ecology Group (MEG), Water Research Institute (CNR-IRSA), National Research CouncilVerbaniaItaly
- Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research (LIBRe), Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS), University of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- National Biodiversity Future CenterPalermoItaly
| | - Martino Adamo
- National Biodiversity Future CenterPalermoItaly
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of TurinTorinoItaly
| | - Dragan Antić
- University of Belgrade - Faculty of BiologyBelgradeSerbia
| | - Jacopo Calevo
- Royal Botanic GardensLondonUnited Kingdom
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin UniversityPerthAustralia
| | - Tommaso Cancellario
- Molecular Ecology Group (MEG), Water Research Institute (CNR-IRSA), National Research CouncilVerbaniaItaly
| | - Pedro Cardoso
- Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research (LIBRe), Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS), University of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - Dan Chamberlain
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of TurinTorinoItaly
| | - Matteo Chialva
- National Biodiversity Future CenterPalermoItaly
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of TurinTorinoItaly
| | - Furkan Durucan
- Department of Aquaculture, Isparta University of Applied SciencesIspartaTurkey
| | - Diego Fontaneto
- Molecular Ecology Group (MEG), Water Research Institute (CNR-IRSA), National Research CouncilVerbaniaItaly
- National Biodiversity Future CenterPalermoItaly
| | - Duarte Goncalves
- CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of PortoMatosinhosPortugal
| | - Alejandro Martínez
- Molecular Ecology Group (MEG), Water Research Institute (CNR-IRSA), National Research CouncilVerbaniaItaly
| | - Luca Santini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of RomeRomeItaly
| | - Iñigo Rubio-Lopez
- Molecular Ecology Group (MEG), Water Research Institute (CNR-IRSA), National Research CouncilVerbaniaItaly
| | - Ronaldo Sousa
- CBMA – Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of MinhoMinhoPortugal
| | | | - Aida Verdes
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias NaturalesMadridSpain
| | - Ricardo A Correia
- Helsinki Lab of Interdisciplinary Conservation Science (HELICS), Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), University of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- CESAM – Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of AveiroAveiroPortugal
- Biodiversity Unit, University of TurkuTurkuFinland
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5
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Santangeli A, Haukka A, Morris W, Arkkila S, Delhey K, Kempenaers B, Valcu M, Dale J, Lehikoinen A, Mammola S. What drives our aesthetic attraction to birds? NPJ BIODIVERSITY 2023; 2:20. [PMID: 39242702 PMCID: PMC11332239 DOI: 10.1038/s44185-023-00026-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2024]
Abstract
In the Anthropocene, the era when the imprint of humans on nature is pervasive across the planet, it is of utmost importance to understand human relationships with other species. The aesthetics of nature, and of species, is one of the values that plays a role in shaping human-nature relationships. Birds are ubiquitous across the world. The beauty of birds exerts a powerful tug on human emotions, and bird-rich areas attract scores of eco-tourists. People naturally find some birds more beautiful or interesting than others, but we currently lack a global understanding of the specifics of what makes a species aesthetically attractive. Here, we used a global citizen-science database on bird attractiveness covering nearly all extant bird species, to show that there are specific visual features that drive our aesthetic appeal for some bird species over others. First, our aesthetic attraction is highest for smaller birds with specific, vivid colors (e.g., blue and red, and departing from brown-grey) and extreme ornaments (a long crest or tail). Second, our aesthetic attraction is highest for species with broad ranges, possibly because such species may be more familiar to us. The features that make us attracted to a particular bird strongly align with broad human visual aesthetic preferences in modern society. Unveiling the visual features underpinning our aesthetic attraction to birds is a critical step towards optimizing conservation (e.g., via conservation marketing) and education campaigns, and leverage the cultural ecosystem service potential of birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Santangeli
- Animal Demography and Ecology Unit, Institute for Mediterranean Studies (IMEDEA), CSIC-UIB, 07190, Esporles, Spain.
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, Finland.
- The Helsinki Lab of Ornithology, Zoology Unit, The Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Anna Haukka
- The Helsinki Lab of Ornithology, Zoology Unit, The Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - William Morris
- Biodiversity Informatics Unit, Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sarella Arkkila
- The Helsinki Lab of Ornithology, Zoology Unit, The Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kaspar Delhey
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Mihai Valcu
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - James Dale
- School of Natural and Computational Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Aleksi Lehikoinen
- The Helsinki Lab of Ornithology, Zoology Unit, The Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Stefano Mammola
- Molecular Ecology Group (MEG), Water Research Institute (IRSA), National Research Council (CNR), Verbania Pallanza, Italy
- Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research (LIBRe), Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
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6
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Nguyen T, Malina R, Mokas I, Papakonstantinou A, Polyzos O, Vanhove MPM. WASP: the World Archives of Species Perception. Database (Oxford) 2023; 2023:7059526. [PMID: 36852842 PMCID: PMC9972524 DOI: 10.1093/database/baad003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
While human perception can play a role in influencing public support for species conservation, the mechanisms underlying human perception remain poorly understood. Some previous studies on perception have focused on a few specific taxa, which makes the understanding of the public perception of species at large a resource- and time-intensive task. Here, we introduce the World Archives of Species Perception project that consists of an animal survey and a plant survey to construct the first systematic database to study the human perception of the floral and faunal diversity at a global scale. We provide a description of our survey method, species selection, survey implementation and a discussion of the potential uses of our databases in multidisciplinary research. In the animal survey, we cover 1980 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)-evaluated species, representing 25 classes, 192 orders, 1037 families and 1705 genera. In the plant survey, we cover 2000 IUCN-evaluated species, representing 13 classes, 93 orders, 386 families and 1968 genera. Data from the survey will be collected and made available 24 months after the publication of the article. Database URL http://wasp-project.net/.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robert Malina
- Research Group Environmental Economics, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, Hasselt 3500, Belgium
| | - Ilias Mokas
- Research Group Environmental Economics, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, Hasselt 3500, Belgium
| | | | | | - Maarten P M Vanhove
- Research Group Zoology, Biodiversity and Toxicology, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan gebouw D, Diepenbeek 3590, Belgium
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7
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van Tongeren E, Sistri G, Zingaro V, Cini A, Dapporto L, Portera M. Assessing the aesthetic attractivity of European butterflies: A web-based survey protocol. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0283360. [PMID: 37167232 PMCID: PMC10174575 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Aesthetic attractivity stands as an underestimated yet fundamental feature of species in conservation biology, significantly driving disproportionate protection efforts towards charismatic species. Despite the evidence, few attempts sought to precisely quantify the impact of aesthetic attractivity in defining priority of species for conservation actions (e.g. inclusion in International Union for Conservation of Nature red lists and protection lists). This study protocol describes the setting of an online test (available from April 2022 to April 2023 at www.unveiling.eu) designed to i) quantify the aesthetic attractivity to humans of the 496 European butterfly species and ii) identify which features (both in the perceived animal and in the perceiver) influence the aesthetic attractivity of a given butterfly species. The test is divided in 5 sections (personal data, ranking, single morphological features, emotional engagement, dispositional variables) aimed at profiling the relation each participant has with the species examined. In the long-term, evaluating butterflies' aesthetic attractivity could facilitate the critical assessment of current conservation strategies, such as the process of selection of flag and umbrella species by research institutions, environmental associations and Non Governative Organizations. This is expected to provide the much-needed evidence to set up unbiased biodiversity conservation strategies and counteract the selective anthropogenic pressure which favours the extinction of unattractive species, being no or less protected compared to charismatic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elia van Tongeren
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Ginevra Sistri
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Zingaro
- Department of Humanities and Philosophy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Leonardo Dapporto
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Mariagrazia Portera
- Department of Humanities and Philosophy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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