Search Results (400)

Introduction: The Touvedo hydropower plant, located on the Lima River 47 km from its mouth, is equipped with a fish lift (2.14 m long × 1.29 m wide × 2.85 m high) on the left bank designed to facilitate fish migration past the dam. This mechanical system attracts fish by means of a guide current, traps them in a water-filled cage, and then lifts and releases them upstream, enabling passage over the dam. Within the framework of the Sustainability Policies from the EDP Group, particularly those related to Environment and Biodiversity, and under the Eel Management Plan, a long-term video-monitoring program has been implemented since 2011 to collect data on the species using the device and to evaluate its effectiveness. Objective: This study aims to present and analyze nine years of video-monitoring data collected across three programs—the “Action Plan for the Optimization of the Fish Lift at the Touvedo Hydroelectric Facility (2011/2014)”, which aimed to diagnose and assess the effectiveness of the fish lift and to define and implement measures needed to optimize its operation; “Video Monitoring of the Touvedo Fish Lift (2017/2020)”, that was carried out as a follow-up to the Action Plan; and more recently, a new video-monitoring project (2021–2024) which was implemented to expand the dataset and validate the patterns observed in the previous studies. Methodology: The fish lift was continuously monitored using an automatic video-recording system, which consists of a video camera installed at the top of the lift to capture images of the trapping cage during the final stage of its ascent, and a server for video storage. The trapping cage is lined with 20 cm × 20 cm white tiles to increase contrast and allow estimation of fish body length. Collected data included the timing of fish passage (day and hour), the number of fish per cycle, species-level identification and the estimated total length of each individual. Results: The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) has remained the dominant species using the lift, and, consistent with observations from Video-Monitoring 1, the Iberian barbel (Luciobarbus bocagei) has become the second most representative species, replacing the northern straight-mouth nase (Pseudochondrostoma duriense), whose proportion has declined. Brown trout (Salmo trutta) showed a slight but continued increase in Video-Monitoring 2, following the decrease recorded in Video-Monitoring 1 compared to the Action Plan. Conclusions: These results highlight the importance of continuing video monitoring of the Touvedo fish lift to assess its operability, confirm the observed passage patterns, determine the success of the implemented improvements, and evaluate the possible need for additional measures. Full article

As a measure to sustain crops, the presence of irrigation, man-made reservoirs has become very common in regions affected by prolonged periods of low rainfall. Although these reservoirs must be provided with minimum safety facilities, it is also very common that animals or, to a much lesser extent, the people in charge of their maintenance, fall into the reservoir. The reservoirs then become, in most cases, a death trap, as, with plastic walls that are impossible to climb, they rarely have ramps to facilitate exit. This article describes the design of a proposed edge-computing module that, using embedded vision, identifies the fall of people and animals in irrigation reservoirs. The module includes 180-degree panoramic cameras with colour night vision capability and an NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano Super. The lack of databases covering the problem to be solved has been addressed by generating synthetic videos showing animals or people falling into irrigation reservoirs. The effectiveness of the training carried out using these synthetic sequences has subsequently been successfully validated using images captured in real-world environments. Full article

Medium-sized felines play an essential role in ecosystems by contributing to the maintenance of ecological dynamics and the balance of biological communities. However, the available information regarding their biology and ecology is limited compared to that of larger felids. This study documents the presence of four medium-sized feline species in the state of Morelos, Mexico, and characterizes the spatial features associated with the distribution of these species. Between 2022 and 2025, camera traps were deployed in northern Morelos within three Protected Natural Areas. With a total sampling effort of 9641 days, we recorded 87 independent occurrences of medium-sized felines. Records of the bobcat were concentrated at higher altitudes, primarily in pine forests, whereas the number of margay records decreased with increasing altitude. The presence of these felines indicates that suitable habitats for this group persist in northern Morelos. Nonetheless, a significant proportion of these records were located near urban areas and roads, highlighting the necessity for monitoring to assess population status and implement appropriate conservation strategies. Full article

Forest conversion from natural forests to secondary forests and plantations has significantly altered wildlife habitats in subtropical regions. However, the drivers of disparities in bird and mammal multidimensional diversity between these forest types remain poorly understood. We analyzed a four-year camera-trapping dataset to compare the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity and community structure of birds and mammals. Our results indicated that forest conversion impacts biodiversity differently across taxa. Birds exhibited higher taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity in secondary forests than in plantations. A similar pattern was also evident for birds among different stand types. However, mammals exhibited considerable taxonomic diversity but showed higher phylogenetic diversity and structure in secondary forests. A similar pattern was also evident for mammals among different stand types. Beta diversity revealed significant differences in bird taxonomic composition and mammal phylogenetic composition between secondary and plantation forests. Furthermore, elevation primarily influenced bird taxonomic diversity, phylogenetic diversity and structure in secondary forests, whereas mammal functional diversity, phylogenetic diversity and structure were more sensitive to elevational changes in both secondary and plantation forests. These findings reveal that birds and mammals respond distinctively to forest conversion. We emphasize that management strategies must be group-specific. For birds, we recommend prioritizing the preservation of secondary forests as biodiversity refugia and transforming structurally simplified plantations into complex habitats by retaining legacy trees and native understory vegetation. For mammals, conservation should prioritize landscape-scale connectivity by protecting continuous forest corridors along altitudinal gradients. Practically, this requires restricting further fragmentation of high-altitude habitats and restoring native vegetation in degraded corridors to facilitate dispersal and maintain the phylogenetic integrity of mammal communities. Full article

Human disturbances, such as habitat destruction and overharvesting, are greatly harming ecosystems and causing significant declines in biodiversity. Although protected areas play a crucial role in conserving terrestrial mammals, nearly non-protected areas (N-PAs) have similar functions, harbor high biodiversity and ecosystem integrity, and deserve to be protected. To identify the conservation value of mammalian species in critical ecosystems within N-PAs, we conducted a camera-trap survey in Luolong County, Tibet, from November 2019 to June 2023, monitoring 159 sites and documenting 25 mammalian species across 28 similar or dissimilar habitats. We found this area was an integrity ecosystem with higher species richness and diversity in scrub and evergreen forests with notable occurrence of herbivores comprising musk deer, chinese serow, woolly hares and carnivores such as the common leopard, snow leopards, red foxes and stone marten. Mammalian species occurrence increased away from human activities. Different habitats and seasons influenced diversity and species interactions. Key findings include species preferences for specific habitats, such as blue sheep on southern slopes during snow, musk deer in mixed forests, and red foxes avoiding alpine meadows. Habitat type, elevation, and human disturbance significantly impacted species distribution and behavior. The study also found that snow leopard activity time negatively correlates with woolly hare, while common leopards are influenced positively by hares and negatively by brown bears. Red foxes are slightly more active near the chinese serow occurrence areas. Other predators and prey, such as eurasian lynx, gray wolves, musk deer and stone martens show specific seasonal and interspecific interactions, with some relationships explaining small portions of variation. Overall, species temporal detection events are interconnected through complex ecological interactions. These findings improve our understanding of habitat hosting for rare species and the balance of endangered prey and predator communities in N-PAs in Tibet, emphasizing their significance for conservation efforts. Full article

The expansion of Eucalyptus plantations has raised concerns about their effects on wildlife, yet the influence of stand-level management on roe deer remains poorly understood. We investigated how plantation management shapes roe deer responses in central Portugal using 375 camera-trap deployments from 2019 and 2020 and four session-specific single-season occupancy models that separated detection probability from site-use probability. Across sessions, stand size was retained mainly in the detection component, indicating that variation in camera-trap sampling coverage influenced detectability more consistently than ecological site use. Support for site-use effects varied among periods, but the strongest result emerged in the 2020 dry season, when site use was lower in reforestation stands than in afforestation stands and temporal responses differed among production regimens. The 2020 wet season also supported a positive effect of time since intervention on site use after accounting for broad spatial structure. By contrast, the 2019 wet season informed detection only, whereas the 2019 dry season showed non-linear relationships weakened by overdispersion and QAICc sensitivity. Overall, our findings indicate that Eucalyptus plantations should not be treated as ecologically uniform systems, because roe deer responses depend on when and how stands are managed, with reforestation representing the most disruptive phase. Full article

To elucidate the mammalian community structure and interspecific relationships within the alpine ecosystem of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, this study was conducted in the Selin co National Nature Reserve for Black-necked Cranes, Tibet. Based on infrared camera monitoring data collected from June 2023 to July 2024, we analyzed mammalian species diversity and their spatial association patterns. A total of 150 infrared cameras were deployed, of which 128 were effectively retrieved, yielding 13,301 effective camera-trap days and 31,170 photographs of mammals. In total, 21 mammal species were recorded, belonging to 5 orders, 9 families, and 17 genera. The species accumulation curve approached an asymptote, indicating adequate sampling effort. Relative abundance analysis showed that Bharal (Pseudois nayaur) was the dominant species (RAI = 13.72), followed by Plateau Pika (Ochotona curzoniae) (RAI = 8.44), Moupin Pika (Ochotona thibetana) (RAI = 5.93), and Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) (RAI = 5.50), while Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) exhibited a moderate abundance level (RAI = 3.69). Significant differences in species diversity were observed among habitat types. Alpine meadow and meadow–desert ecotone exhibited higher diversity indices, whereas alpine desert and alpine bare rock habitats showed lower diversity. Interspecific association analysis identified 30 significant species pairs (p < 0.05), among which positive associations accounted for 93.3% and negative associations for 6.7%. The constructed association network comprised 16 nodes and 30 edges, with Chiru (Pantholops hodgsonii), Snow Leopard, and Red Fox serving as key hub species. Predator–prey pairs exhibited clear spatial coupling, while positive associations among herbivores mainly reflected shared utilization of similar habitat resources. The association structure varied across habitats, being most complex in alpine meadow, whereas no significant associations were detected in alpine desert. Overall, the mammalian community in this region is characterized by “low species richness and high endemism,” with interspecific relationships dominated by positive associations. Habitat heterogeneity plays a critical role in shaping the structure of the association network. These findings provide a scientific basis for biodiversity conservation and alpine ecosystem management on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Full article

This study investigates the influence of inside-trapped water and remedial grouting on the vertical bearing behaviour of suction bucket foundations in sand through 1 g laboratory model tests. The tests were designed to compare the relative responses of different trapped-water and grouting conditions under the same model scale, sand preparation procedure, and loading protocol. Two target trapped-water conditions were considered: a condition without an observable continuous water layer beneath the bucket lid and a condition with an initial trapped-water thickness of approximately 2 cm. These conditions were controlled and verified before loading using the scale attached to the transparent bucket wall and the underwater camera monitoring system. The results show that inside-trapped water modifies the vertical load-transfer path between the bucket lid and the internal soil plug. When a water layer exists beneath the lid, direct lid–soil plug contact is weakened, and the foundation resistance relies more strongly on skirt-side resistance and the resistance mobilized near the bucket rim. Under cyclic vertical loading, the trapped-water case exhibited larger cumulative displacement and a lower post-cyclic bearing response than the no-trapped-water case. The secant cyclic stiffness showed a continuous increase in the no-trapped-water case, whereas a rise-then-fall trend was observed in the trapped-water case, which may be associated with cyclic densification, soil plug disturbance, changes in lid–soil plug contact, and possible local pore pressure development. Remedial grouting filled the trapped-water space beneath the bucket lid and partially restored the lid–soil plug load-transfer path. Under the present model test conditions, the post-cyclic dimensionless bearing capacity of the grouted cases increased by approximately 13–16% relative to the ungrouted trapped-water case. The grouting cases with different bentonite contents showed similar recovery trends within the limited dataset, suggesting that the improvement was mainly related to filling and sealing the trapped-water space rather than to the intrinsic strength of the grout material. Full article

The forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) is a small, nocturnal, arboreal rodent widely distributed across Central and Eastern Europe. Yet, it remains one of the least studied European glirid species, with information on its ecology in southern populations being scarce. This study presents the first systematic investigation of the diel (24 h) activity patterns of D. nitedula in Greece. From March to December 2024, camera traps were deployed on trees facing branches or artificial nest boxes at 26 locations within a 30 ha forest–meadow mosaic in Northern Greece. Based on 958 independent detections at 22 sites, activity was highest at nest boxes and exhibited two nocturnal peaks that were consistent across seasons: a major one around midnight and a secondary one before sunrise. Temporal activity overlap between nest-box cameras and branch-facing cameras was high across all seasons. Activity, measured as the number of independent detections per night, was highest during short, humid nights with low levels of moonlight. Temperature and precipitation were not good predictors of activity levels. These findings confirm that the behavior of D. nitedula is predominantly nocturnal and reveal key environmental drivers shaping its activity in the Mediterranean region. Moreover, this study highlights the value of camera trapping as a non-invasive method for monitoring small arboreal mammals and provides essential baseline data for future ecological and conservation research on this understudied species. Full article

Monitoring both captive animals and wild populations is necessary to ensure adequate animal welfare and wildlife conservation. Existing monitoring tools, e.g., camera traps, enable surveillance, yet analysis can prove time-consuming and labor-intensive if handled manually. The automated nature of machine learning (ML) reduces observer bias and manual workload and improves assessment capacity of behavioral monitoring tools that are often used by staff at zoological institutions. This study investigated the activity and space use of three captive jaguars (Panthera onca) through automated individual recognition, activity tracking, and heatmap visualization using an ML model trained on video footage. In total, 123.8 h of video footage was recorded of the jaguar enclosure in Randers Regnskov, Tropical Zoo. The ML model analyzed all videos containing jaguars from one day. The model achieved satisfactory performance based on its evaluation metrics (mean average precision, recall, precision, and F1-score). The ML model showed repeated movement tracks within specific enclosure areas. The jaguars exhibited significantly more inactive than active behavior and did not seem to exhibit natural bimodal nocturnal or crepuscular hunter activity patterns. It should be stated that, due to the small sample size of only three jaguars and 24 analyzed hours, this study is a proof-of-concept to demonstrate the potential of ML methods as valuable tools for individual recognition, activity tracking, and monitoring of space use to aid in future animal welfare monitoring. Full article

Conservation management of large, multi-species landscapes requires integrating heterogeneous data streams—such as satellite imagery, GPS telemetry, camera traps, bioacoustic sensors, weather stations, and field reports—into a unified model capable of simulating ecosystem dynamics and generating actionable recommendations. This paper proposes a tiered, energy-aware AI architecture for constructing ecosystem digital twins that enables prescriptive, rather than merely descriptive or predictive, landscape-scale conservation management. The framework classifies conservation tasks across three computational tiers: classical machine learning for continuous environmental monitoring and species distribution prediction, deep learning for perception-oriented tasks such as computer vision and bioacoustic analysis, and foundation models for cross-domain synthesis and stakeholder interaction. We apply this architecture to a comprehensive digital twin of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, anchored in the ongoing conservation crisis of the Sublette Pronghorn Herd—a population that crashed from 43,000 to 24,000 animals in a single winter due to compounding severe weather and a Mycoplasma bovis outbreak. We formalize a coupled change model linking population dynamics, forage condition, corridor permeability, winter severity, and disease pressure, and demonstrate how a prescriptive recommendations engine can generate goal-conditioned management actions for the herd’s 165-mile “Path of the Pronghorn” migration corridor. A comparative energy footprint analysis, grounded in hardware-level energy measurements using Intel RAPL instrumentation and the CodeCarbon framework, estimates that the tiered architecture reduces computational energy consumption by approximately 34% relative to a deep-learning-everywhere baseline and by over three orders of magnitude relative to a foundation-model-centric baseline. The architecture provides a replicable blueprint for resource-constrained conservation organizations seeking to deploy AI-powered ecosystem management at landscape scale. Full article

The activity of an Apennine wolf (Canis lupus italicus) family inhabiting the natural reserve Calanchi di Atri in central Italy was monitored during the post-reproductive period (May–October) of two consecutive years (2023–2024), using ten camera trap sites. Detections were classified into adults and pups. Although records cover a limited period and focus on a single pack, they allowed the detection of variations in the spatiotemporal activity of the wolf family. In the first year, wolf activity peaked in summer, with adults frequently supervising pups at rendezvous sites. In the second year, activity by both adults and pups declined significantly and was accompanied by an evident shift in territory use. In addition to potential intrinsic factors, such as individual variability and litter dynamics, these variations may also reflect increased environmental stressors and anthropogenic disturbance. These findings provide insights into how wolves adapt their behavior in human-modified landscapes and highlight the importance of integrating human–wildlife dynamics into conservation and management strategies. Full article

Timely and reliable information on species occurrence and distribution is essential for biodiversity conservation, but conventional surveys are often limited by incomplete spatial coverage, high costs, and infrequent updates. These limitations are particularly relevant for medium- and large-sized mammals, whose distributions may respond rapidly to human disturbance and land-use change. Here, we evaluated the potential of long-term, curated mass-media records to support biodiversity knowledge by analyzing The Eyes of the Secret Land (TESL), a Chinese television program based mainly on infrared camera-trap footage collected across protected areas in China. We extracted mammal records from 1829 episodes broadcast between 2019 and 2024 and compared media-exposed species richness patterns with official provincial biodiversity data using Spearman rank correlation. TESL documented 118 mammal species, including 42 nationally protected and 52 IUCN-threatened species. Media-exposed species richness was positively correlated with official richness at the provincial level (ρ = 0.68, p < 0.001). Generalized linear models identified episode count and latitude as significant predictors of media-exposed species richness. Comparison with IUCN range maps also identified three potential new distribution records. These results demonstrate that curated monitoring footage from a mass-media program can recover broad-scale biodiversity patterns, although inherent taxonomic and spatial biases necessitate cautious interpretation. We propose that curated monitoring footage represents a promising but underutilized supplementary data source for biodiversity assessment and conservation science communication. Full article

The presence of wild species in urban areas is becoming increasingly common. In southern Spain, species such as wild boar cause significant damage and problems in human-dominated environments, such as peri-urban areas, sports facilities, and urban parks. Here, we used camera trapping to monitor the entry rates of ungulates (wild boar and red deer) into three golf courses located in urban areas in southern Spain. The courses are surrounded by hunting estates and other non-urban areas where species are controlled through lethal methods. Wild boars are controlled year-round, and red deer are controlled during specific hunting periods. We tested for differences during periods of normal human activity and periods of the COVID lockdown using generalised linear mixed models. We controlled ungulate raids for 2639 trapping nights, obtaining 1093 wild boar and 225 red deer independent events. During the COVID lockdown, wild boar raids on golf courses decreased significantly. Meanwhile, equivalent deer raids increased significantly during the hunting period. The results indicate that certain urban areas where control by firearms is not permitted—such as golf courses—can function as safe zones for wild species. This reserve effect is related to the structure of the urban habitat and the resources it offers in terms of security and food. Full article

Brazil holds 13% of the global biodiversity; however, agricultural expansion threatens its biomes. Farmers are pivotal for conservation, as 71% of the country’s territory is rural property. A ‘citizen science’ project, which engaged students and farmers to monitor wildlife in forest remnants using camera traps was carried out in a rural municipality located in the Atlantic Forest biome. The endangered species Puma concolor and the invasive species Sus scrofa, alongside other native fauna, were documented in the area. In addition to securing these new records, the project aimed to open dialogs, fight misinformation, and strengthen local partnerships. It highlighted how community-based science can bridge the gap between biodiversity conservation and agricultural production. Full article