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Conservation, Volume 6, Issue 2

2026 June - 38 articles

Cover Story: Coastal sand dunes are among the most threatened ecosystems along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, particularly in urbanized areas where development, trampling, vehicle access and marine litter have accelerated habitat degradation. This study combines high-resolution UAS photogrammetry, UAV-LiDAR surveys, sedimentological analyses and environmental assessments to investigate two unprotected dune systems in Varna and Burgas. The results reveal substantial habitat loss, fragmentation and increasing anthropogenic pressure, while demonstrating the effectiveness of UAS-LiDAR for detailed dune mapping and conservation planning. The study provides scientific evidence supporting the urgent protection and sustainable management of urban dune habitats along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. View this paper
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Articles (38)

  • Editorial
  • Open Access
638 Views
3 Pages

Conservation: Seven New Journal Sections Established

  • Antoni Margalida,
  • Luca Luiselli,
  • José L. Tella and
  • Shuqing Zhao

In January 2021, the new journal Conservation was launched, creating a platform for the publication of comprehensive reviews, original research articles, communications, case reports, brief reports, commentaries, and other perspectives related to the...

  • Article
  • Open Access
920 Views
24 Pages

Effect of Bioeconomy Integration on the Transition from Traditional Livestock Farming to Circular Farming Models in Greece

  • Stavros Kalogiannidis,
  • Konstantinos Spinthiropoulos,
  • Fotios Chatzitheodoridis,
  • Dimitrios Parris and
  • Angel Valsamopoulos

This study investigates the integration of bioeconomy principles in the Greek livestock sector, framing the transition from conventional farming toward a circular bioeconomy as a strategy for resource conservation and reduced environmental pressure....

  • Article
  • Open Access
655 Views
22 Pages

Contrasting Climatic and Land-Use Scenarios Reveal Divergent Futures for the Mexican Narrow-Mouthed Toad, Amphibia, Microhylidae Hypopachus variolosus (Cope, 1866)

  • Armando Sunny,
  • Laura Gilchrist,
  • Germán Martínez-Alva,
  • Irving Yahan Rojas-Velasco,
  • Alexis Josué Sánchez-Lara,
  • Amanda Solano-Gómez,
  • Liliana Gutierrez-Tovar,
  • Javier Manjarrez,
  • Carmen Zepeda-Gómez and
  • Rene Bolom-Huet
  • + 5 authors

We assessed the current and possible future predicted distributions of the Mexican narrow-mouthed toad, Amphibia, Microhylidae Hypopachus variolosus (Cope, 1866) across its range to evaluate vulnerability under global change. (2) Methods: We integrat...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Concern About Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, Habitat Degradation, and Landscape Change: Latest Advances and Prospects)
  • Article
  • Open Access
940 Views
25 Pages

Socioeconomic Uses and Degradation of the Green Belt Around Greater Lomé (GBGL) in Togo

  • Akouété Galé Ekoué,
  • Salamatou Bilabena,
  • Mohamondou N’djambara,
  • Kossi Adjonou,
  • Katché Komlanvi Akoete,
  • Kossi Hounkpati,
  • Sama Nankpakou,
  • Coffi Aholou,
  • Kouami Kokou and
  • Komi Kossi-Titrikou

Although the green belt around Greater Lomé (GBGL) is a vital ecological buffer, it is currently facing significant degradation. This decline appears to be associated with a combination of various socioeconomic uses by the local community and...

  • Article
  • Open Access
814 Views
32 Pages

Effects of Concentration and Nutrient Solution Volume per Plant on Salt Stress Alleviation in Hydroponic Lettuce

  • Mairton Gomes da Silva,
  • Hans Raj Gheyi,
  • Toshik Iarley da Silva,
  • Luan Silva Sacramento and
  • Glaucia Silva de Jesus Pereira

Developing sustainable strategies for natural resource management and conservation under shifting climatic scenarios is increasingly necessary due to exacerbated abiotic stresses, such as salinity. Under salt stress, several negative effects are obse...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Soil and Water Conservation Strategies: Pathways Toward Sustainable Food Systems and Climate Resilience)
  • Article
  • Open Access
635 Views
27 Pages

Exploring New Conservation Methods: Isolation and Characterization of Algicidal Bacteria from Ornamental Fountains in the Alhambra and Generalife (Granada, Spain)

  • Isabel Calvo-Bayo,
  • Sandy Fillet,
  • Oana A. Cuzman,
  • Lorena Cuberos-Cáceres,
  • Manuel González-del-Valle,
  • Fernando Bolívar-Galiano and
  • Julio Romero-Noguera

Ornamental fountains in the Alhambra and Generalife (Granada, Spain) constitute complex socio-ecological systems where water, stone, and biological communities interact, making them highly vulnerable to biodeterioration caused by phototrophic microor...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,700 Views
19 Pages

Multi-Analytical Characterization of Lime Plaster Technology in Ancient Anuradhapura (2000–1000 Years Old): A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka

  • Dilan Ranaweera,
  • Rohan S. Dassanayake,
  • Arjuna Thantilage,
  • Saranga Diyabalanage and
  • E. V. A. Premalal

This systematic research was conducted as the first comprehensive scientific analysis of ancient lime plaster samples from Anuradhapura, a World Heritage Site in Sri Lanka. Five ancient heritage sites from 1st to 10th Century AD, covering two stupa d...

  • Article
  • Open Access
854 Views
20 Pages

Abandoned, Lost or Otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) and the Perceptions of Vietnamese Fishers

  • Nguyen Van Nguyen,
  • Liem Dang Phan,
  • Alena Mychkova,
  • Thanh Van Do,
  • Tan Sy Pham,
  • Thomas Potempa,
  • Sang Van Vu and
  • Max Ehleben

Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is a global challenge that negatively affects marine ecosystems and fishers’ livelihoods. Survey results from 1864 capture fishers in Vietnam show that the total mass of ALDFG is 82,72...

(This article belongs to the Collection Conservation Biology, Management of Natural Resources, and Protected Areas Policies)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1,452 Views
15 Pages

Human–African Civet (Civettictis civetta) Conflict: Patterns, Drivers, and Conservation Implications in Ethiopia

  • Melese Merewa,
  • Petra Chaloupková,
  • Divyadharshini Shanthakrishnan and
  • Barbora Černá Bolfíková

Human–wildlife conflict research has focused mainly on large mammals, whereas smaller carnivores remain comparatively understudied despite frequent interactions with people. Among them is the African civet (Civettictis civetta (Schreber, 1776))...

  • Review
  • Open Access
850 Views
24 Pages

The accelerating demand for nickel and rare earth elements (REEs) for batteries, renewable energy technologies, and advanced electronics is intensifying pressure on conventional mining, with profound implications for biodiversity, ecosystem integrity...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in Phytomining of Hyperaccumulators for Nickel and Rare Earth Elements Conservation)
  • Article
  • Open Access
733 Views
16 Pages

Wild mushroom harvesting is an activity practiced throughout the United States (U.S.) and holds a place of both cultural and economic importance. Mushroom harvesting on public lands in the U.S. takes two primary forms: (1) commercial harvest (for sal...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,217 Views
19 Pages

Conservation Breeding Success of the Recently Described Southern Stuttering Frog, Mixophyes australis

  • Amber R. Harrison,
  • Jarrad Prangell,
  • Matthew Radnidge and
  • Aimee J. Silla

The Southern Stuttering Frog, Mixophyes australis, is a newly described threatened species endemic to Australia that is suffering severe and ongoing declines. The species is currently presumed extinct from the southern two thirds of its range, primar...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Zoo Conservation as a Bridge to Biodiversity Recovery: Approaches, Perspectives, and Case Studies)
  • Article
  • Open Access
526 Views
41 Pages

Seagrasses are vital ecosystem engineers and habitat architects in coastal environments, with Posidonia oceanica in the Mediterranean playing a crucial role as an indicator of ecological health. As an endemic and vulnerable species, P. oceanica meado...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Aquatic Environment Biodiversity and Conservation: New Technologies, Tools and Practices)
  • Article
  • Open Access
946 Views
23 Pages

The knowledge base for many small vertebrate species remains limited, largely because traditional manual data collection methods often overlook less charismatic species, such as reptiles. To address this, our pilot study harnesses open-source deep le...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
821 Views
19 Pages

Conservation Challenges of Endemic Plant Species Across Altitudinal Gradient in Piatra Craiului National Park (Romania)

  • Claudia Biță-Nicolae,
  • Oliviu Grigore Pop,
  • Maria Mihaela Antofie and
  • Adrian Indreica

The Carpathian Mountains are an important hotspot of European biodiversity, where geological history, climatic diversity, and altitudinal heterogeneity have determined a great diversity and endemism of vascular plants. The study was conducted in the...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Species Diversity and Conservation)
  • Editorial
  • Open Access
1 Citations
776 Views
4 Pages

The world’s food, forest, and agricultural systems are under unprecedented strain [...]

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrating Agroecology and Conservation for Sustainable Local Transformation)
  • Article
  • Open Access
490 Views
17 Pages

The Anatolian Diagonal is a major mountain system in Türkiye, yet its community-level structuring effect on mammalian assemblages remains understudied. This study provides a comprehensive inventory of the mammal fauna in Ağrı Province...

(This article belongs to the Collection Conservation Biology, Management of Natural Resources, and Protected Areas Policies)
  • Article
  • Open Access
685 Views
18 Pages

Herbicides Applied in Olive Groves Causing Loss of Floristic Diversity: The Need for Social and Educational Teaching

  • Ana Cano-Ortiz,
  • José Daniel Sánchez-Martínez,
  • Felipe Leiva Gea and
  • Eusebio Cano

Spain is the world’s leading producer and exporter of olive oil, with Andalusia being the autonomous community with the largest cultivated area. In recent decades, agricultural practices have followed a trend toward maximizing production withou...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,573 Views
23 Pages

Kenya has a long history of both legal and illegal wildlife trade, functioning as a source, consumer, and transit hub within global wildlife markets. Yet, despite its increasing prominence, the scale and composition of Kenya’s captive-bred and...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,294 Views
14 Pages

When Timing Matters: Shedding Light on Mechanisms Underlying Host–Pathogen Dynamics in Freshwater

  • Anke Schwarzenberger,
  • Carla E. Cáceres,
  • Dominik Martin-Creuzburg and
  • Alexander Wacker

Invertebrates possess an innate immune system that acts non-specifically against pathogens and is regulated by the circadian clock. Using the host–parasite system, Daphnia magna and its bacterial parasite Pasteuria ramosa, we investigated day&n...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,446 Views
20 Pages

Phytoremediation and Compost-Assisted Phytoremediation of a Heavy-Metal-Contaminated Soil: A Sustainable Approach Using Waste-Derived Amendments

  • Teodora Alexandra Zotica,
  • Gabriela Ungureanu,
  • Simona Dumitrița Chirilă,
  • Cătălin Dumitrel Balan,
  • Irinel Eugen Popescu,
  • Irina Neta Gostin and
  • Irina Volf

Soils contaminated with heavy metals including cadmium, lead, zinc, copper, and chromium continue to represent a significant environmental issue, particularly in areas affected by industrial activities. In this context, the present study aimed to ass...

  • Review
  • Open Access
817 Views
16 Pages

The Evolution and Scope of Invasive and Non-Invasive Sampling in Terrestrial Mammal Population Genetics: Implications for the Comparability of He, Ho and Fis: A Scientometric Review

  • Jesús Gabriel Ramírez-García,
  • Sandra Patricia Maciel-Torres,
  • Martha Hernández-Rodríguez,
  • Erika Nava-Reyna,
  • Pablo Arenas Baez and
  • Lorenzo Danilo Granados-Rivera

This scientometric review examines the evolution and scope of invasive (blood and tissue) and non-invasive (faeces, hair, and saliva) sampling in terrestrial mammal population genetics, with particular emphasis on the comparability of observed hetero...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conservation and Ecology of Polymorphic Animal Populations)
  • Article
  • Open Access
733 Views
24 Pages

The Andean walnut (Juglans neotropica Diels), locally known as tocte, is a keystone tree species of major socio-ecological importance in South American mountain ecosystems, facing severe anthropogenic pressure associated with genetic erosion, habitat...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Restoration)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1,130 Views
22 Pages

Measurement and Analysis of Spatiotemporal Patterns of Tourist Use Within Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica

  • Juan Diego Araya Vargas,
  • Ana Hernando,
  • Jessica Mata Miranda and
  • Javier Velazquez

Costa Rica is a small country in terms of land area, but it is rich in natural resources and home to between 5 and 6 percent of the world’s biodiversity. The country is a leader in the conservation and sustainable use of protected areas through...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Restoration)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1,795 Views
35 Pages

Unprotected Urban Sand Dunes Under Anthropogenic Pressure and Risk of Habitat Loss: Using UAS–LiDAR Data to Support Conservation Along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast

  • Bogdan Prodanov,
  • Radoslava Bekova,
  • Chavdar Gussev,
  • Magdalena Valcheva,
  • Todor Lambev,
  • Ahinora Baltakova,
  • Julian Popov,
  • Dobroslav Dechev,
  • Lyubomir Rasovski and
  • Liya Radoslavova
  • + 1 author

Coastal beach–dune systems along the Western Black Sea Coast represent geomorphologically complex and ecologically valuable environments that have been increasingly affected by long-term urbanisation and recreational pressure. This study examin...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Aquatic Environment Biodiversity and Conservation: New Technologies, Tools and Practices)
  • Article
  • Open Access
878 Views
22 Pages

Assessing individual animal health is essential for detecting early ecological stress that may scale to population-level impacts. Yet, conventional capture-based methods are invasive and logistically challenging, particularly for large mammals. This...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,299 Views
34 Pages

Urban Trade of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in Kolwezi, DR Congo: Diversity, Livelihoods, and Sustainability Changes

  • John Kikuni Tchowa,
  • Médard Mpanda Mukenza,
  • Dieu-donné N’tambwe Nghonda,
  • François Malaisse,
  • Jean-François Bastin,
  • Yannick Useni Sikuzani,
  • Kouagou Raoul Sambieni,
  • Audry Tshibangu Kazadi,
  • Apollinaire Biloso Moyene and
  • Jan Bogaert

The urban trade in non-timber forest products (NTFPs) plays a key role in sustaining livelihoods in the Global South, while also suggesting potential pressure on resource supply systems. This study provides an integrated analysis of NTFP diversity, m...

(This article belongs to the Topic Conservation at the Crossroads: Forest Ecology, Wildlife Dynamics, and Emerging Challenges for Ecosystem Resilience)
  • Article
  • Open Access
827 Views
17 Pages

In vertebrates, corticosterone and cortisol are glucocorticoid (GC) steroid hormones central to the vertebrate stress response, but their relative contribution depends on context and life history. We used water-borne hormone sampling in lesser sirens...

  • Communication
  • Open Access
1,587 Views
7 Pages

When History Meets Future Challenges: The Case of Pinna nobilis “Early Fishery” in Greek Waters

  • John A. Theodorou,
  • Evangelos Konstantinidis,
  • Dimitrios Tsotsios,
  • Georgios Katselis and
  • Dimitrios K. Moutopoulos

The critically endangered fan mussel Pinna nobilis is under strict protection in the Mediterranean waters and exhibited a documented fishing history in Greece dating back to 19th and early of 20th centuries. The present study examined historical docu...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,190 Views
16 Pages

Fibropapillomatosis, a disease associated with Scutavirus chelonidalpha5, commonly known as Chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5), manifests as benign tumors that impair the motor, visual, and physiological functions of affected sea turtles. In this st...

  • Article
  • Open Access
758 Views
7 Pages

The Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus, has been introduced and dispersed in North American waters, where it has adversely impacted native fishes. We must identify physical/chemical/biological parameters that will target the Round Goby but not have an...

  • Brief Report
  • Open Access
939 Views
9 Pages

Wind energy stands as one of the most technologically mature renewable sources, playing a pivotal role in the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. However, wind farms and associated infrastructures increase collision risk for flying organisms. Imp...

  • Review
  • Open Access
1 Citations
2,026 Views
17 Pages

Toward a Synthetic Theory of Tolerance for Carnivores: Learning from a Half-Century of Research on Attitudes Toward Wolves

  • Jeremy T. Bruskotter,
  • John A. Vucetich,
  • Lisa Naughton-Treves,
  • José Vicente López-Bao,
  • Benjamin Ghasemi,
  • Nicole D. Sintov,
  • Tara L. Teel,
  • Neil H. Carter,
  • L. Mark Elbroch and
  • Adrian Treves

Human intolerance is a critical factor limiting both the distributions and populations of large carnivores. Using gray wolves as a case study, we synthesize a half-century of scholarship with the aims of clarifying the conceptual foundations of &ldqu...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,712 Views
14 Pages

Our knowledge of the marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna), a vulnerable mustelid species, is inadequate and fragmentary. Developing effective conservation strategies is significantly hampered by a lack of information on its distribution and preferred...

  • Article
  • Open Access
4 Citations
1,543 Views
14 Pages

Open-access biodiversity repositories such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) are central to contemporary conservation research, yet their heterogeneous data sources introduce quality issues and spatial sampling biases that may co...

  • Correction
  • Open Access
1,511 Views
1 Page

Correction: Vaca-Cárdenas et al. Floristic Composition of Andean Moorlands and Its Influence on Natural Pasture Productivity: Implications for the Sustainable Management of Alpaca Grazing in Guamote, Ecuador. Conservation 2026, 6, 15

  • Maritza Lucia Vaca-Cárdenas,
  • Julio Mauricio Oleas-Lopez,
  • Santiago Fahureguy Jiménez-Yánez,
  • Freddy Renan Costales Zavala,
  • Pedro Vicente Vaca-Cárdenas,
  • Diego Francisco Cushquicullma-Colcha and
  • Marcelo Eduardo Moscoso-Gómez

The authors would like to make the following correction to the published paper [...]

  • Review
  • Open Access
1,205 Views
14 Pages

Meaningful Experiences in Nature: A Review of Their Role in Shaping Urban Conservation

  • Ayanda G. Masombuka,
  • Engela P. de Crom and
  • Kelly A. Marnewick

This review synthesises the existing literature on meaningful experiences in nature and their potential to shape conservation behaviour in urban protected areas. Empirical evidence suggests that individuals are more likely to engage in environmental...

(This article belongs to the Collection Conservation Biology, Management of Natural Resources, and Protected Areas Policies)
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Conservation - ISSN 2673-7159