Search Results (27)

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve (OWR) in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo represents both a biodiversity hotspot and the ancestral homeland of the Indigenous Mbuti and Efe peoples, whose livelihoods and knowledge systems are closely tied to forest resources. This study investigates how Indigenous knowledge and practices contribute to sustainable resource management under conditions of rapid socio-cultural transformation. A mixed-methods approach was applied, combining socio-demographic surveys (n = 80), focus group discussions, floristic inventories, and statistical analyses (ANOVA, logistic regressions, chi-square, MCA). Results show that hunting, fishing, gathering, and honey harvesting remain central livelihood activities, governed by customary taboos and restrictions that act as de facto ecological regulations. Agriculture, recently introduced through intercultural exchange with neighboring Bantu populations, complements rather than replaces traditional practices and demonstrates emerging agroecological hybridization. Nevertheless, evidence of biodiversity decline (including local disappearance of species such as Dioscorea spp.), erosion of intergenerational knowledge transmission, and increased reliance on monetary income indicate vulnerabilities. Multiple Correspondence Analysis revealed a highly structured socio-ecological gradient (98.5% variance explained; Cronbach’s α = 0.977), indicating that perceptions of environmental change are strongly coupled with demographic identity and livelihood strategies. Floristic inventories confirmed significant differences in species abundance across camps (ANOVA, p < 0.001), highlighting site-specific pressures and the protective effect of persistent customary norms. The findings underscore the resilience and adaptability of Indigenous Peoples but also their exposure to ecological and cultural disruptions. We conclude that formal recognition of Indigenous institutions and integration of their knowledge systems into co-management frameworks are essential to strengthen ecological resilience, secure Indigenous rights, and align conservation policies with global biodiversity and climate agendas. Full article

Internationally, introduced invasive species inflict incalculable damage on native species and primary production. In New Zealand, wallabies, which were introduced from Australia, are damaging the native and agricultural environments, and their range is spreading. As a first step towards the long-term goal of eradicating wallabies from New Zealand, the Tipu Mātoro National Wallaby Eradication Programme has the immediate goal of restricting wallabies to containment areas designated in regional pest management plans and to eliminate outlier populations by 2025. The success of this strategy is put at risk if people catch wallabies and release them outside the containment areas. We sought to characterise the motivations, beliefs, and attitudes of members of the public who might engage in this illegal behaviour by surveying members of the New Zealand public. We discovered that a very small proportion of the public supported the illegal catch-and-release of wallabies. Respondents, including hunters, that supported catch-and-release believed that wallabies create economic benefits and do not severely damage the environment. They also believed that hunting helps control wallaby numbers. These results yielded a variety of specific policy implications required to reduce catch-and-release behaviour. Full article

The Aquila Optimizer (AO) is a novel and efficient optimization algorithm inspired by the hunting and searching behavior of Aquila. However, the AO faces limitations when tackling high-dimensional and complex optimization problems due to insufficient search capabilities and a tendency to prematurely converge to local optima, which restricts its overall performance. To address these challenges, this study proposes the Multi-Strategy Aquila Optimizer (MSAO) by integrating multiple enhancement techniques. Firstly, the MSAO introduces a random sub-dimension update mechanism, significantly enhancing its exploration capacity in high-dimensional spaces. Secondly, it incorporates memory strategy and dream-sharing strategy from the Dream Optimization Algorithm (DOA), thereby achieving a balance between global exploration and local exploitation. Additionally, the MSAO employs adaptive parameter and dynamic opposition-based learning to further refine the AO’s original update rules, making them more suitable for a multi-strategy collaborative framework. In the experiment, the MSAO outperform eight state-of-the-art algorithms, including CEC-winning and enhanced AO variants, achieving the best optimization results on 55%, 69%, 69%, and 72% of the benchmark functions, respectively, which demonstrates its outstanding performance. Furthermore, ablation experiments validate the independent contributions of each proposed strategy, and the application of MSAO to five engineering problems confirms its strong practical value and potential for broader adoption. Full article

Human cultural complexity did not arise in a vacuum. This study employs agent-based modeling (ABM) and ecological modeling perspectives, combined with reinforcement-learning techniques, to investigate whether conditions that allowed for the lower spoilage of stored food, often associated with colder climates and abundant large fauna, might have indirectly fostered the emergence of cultural complexity. Specifically, we developed a mathematical framework to capture how spoilage rates, yield levels, resource management skills, and cultural activities interact within a multi-agent system. Under the restrictive constraints, we proved that lower spoilage and adequate yields reduced the frequency of hunting, freeing time for cultural pursuits. We then implemented a reinforcement-learning simulation to validate these predictions by training agents in different $(Y,p)$ environments, where Y is the yield and p is the probability of daily spoilage. Our regression analysis and visualizations showed strong correlations between stable conditions with lower spoilage and higher levels of cultural investment. While we do not claim to replicate prehistoric social realities directly, our findings highlight the potential of ABM and ecological modeling to illuminate how environmental factors influence the allocation of time to complex cultural activities. This work offers a computationally grounded perspective that bridges humanistic inquiries into the origins of culture with formal agent-based methods. Full article

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on adolescents’ physical activity, sports involvement, and feelings of loneliness remain inadequately understood. This study aimed to explore the shifts in leisure-time physical activity, sports participation, and loneliness among adolescents before and during the pandemic, positing that the pandemic has led to decreased physical activity and sports engagement, as well as heightened loneliness, where more active adolescents experience lower loneliness levels. This study included a prior four-year follow-up cohort from the same region two decades earlier to explore the existence of typical longitudinal aging effects in a cohort not affected by the pandemic. Methods: Prospective and longitudinal data from two cohorts of the Young-HUNT Study two decades apart involving adolescents aged 13–19 years were utilized. The controls were as follows: Cohort 1 from the Young-HUNT1 (YH1) Survey included 2399 adolescents with follow-up in the Young-HUNT2 (YH2) Survey four years later. Cohort 2 included the Young-HUNT4 (YH4) Survey (2017–2019) of 8066 adolescents, with a subset of 1565 participants followed up in the Young-HUNT COVID Survey (YHC) (2021) after exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions. Changes over time were assessed using McNemar’s tests and dependent sample T-tests, while multinomial logistic regression modeled within-individual changes in loneliness, adjusting for age, gender, and other factors. Results: The findings revealed a significant decline in physical activity and sports participation in both cohorts from early to late adolescence. Additionally, there was a considerable increase in reported loneliness, more after exposure to the pandemic and especially among girls, but without any difference in historical initial levels (between cohorts). Inactive adolescents faced a greater risk of increased loneliness, while those participating in sports had a lower risk of loneliness. Physically inactive boys had a higher risk of loneliness compared with physically active boys at both time points in Cohort 2, which was higher than in the control Cohort 1. There was no historical difference between initial assessments. Conclusion: Adolescents experienced a significant decrease in physical activity and sports participation, along with increased loneliness, from early to late adolescence. Given the protective benefits of physical activity against loneliness and the negative longitudinal trends observed, public health initiatives should focus on increasing physical activity and reducing sports drop-out rates among adolescents to combat rising loneliness. Full article

Conflicts between human populations and Nile crocodiles are widespread with crocodiles posing significant threats to fisherfolk and riverine communities across r-Saharan Africa. Hundreds of deadly attacks take place annually, and mortality rates may range from 50% to 100%. Attitudes and perceptions towards crocodiles were studied using structured questionnaires among fisherfolk along the River Nile and the Sudd wetlands in South Sudan. Local communities used crocodiles for their meat and skin/leather trades. The meat is regarded to enhance longevity, sexual potency, and protection against witchcraft. Crocodiles are perceived as a main threat to lives and livelihoods as they restrict people’s freedom of movement along water bodies, attack livestock and humans, and devastate fishing equipment. To assess whether responses were influenced by the intensity of crocodile threats, published data on fatal crocodile attacks on humans and livestock were analysed using Generalised Linear Models (GLMs). This analysis indicated a direct link between the number of crocodile attacks and human attitudes. Crocodiles were generally feared and hated, and there was the agreement of the need to destroy breeding habitats. However, some attitudes were complex and nuanced as highlighted by the agreement of local communities on the need to destroy Nile Crocodile breeding habitats on the one hand and the need to establish crocodile sanctuaries as the the preferred strategy to mitigate risks and conflict on the other hand. There is a need for the creation of a crocodile sanctuary in the Sudd wetlands to minimise the risks of illegal hunting and to buffer the increasing pressure on crocodiles due to human population growth and economic upturn after the civil war. Full article

Wolves are highly mobile predators and can disperse across a variety of habitats and over long distances. However, less is known about dispersal capabilities across water and among islands. The biogeography of island systems fosters spatially structured local populations, and their degree of connectivity may influence the dynamics and long-term viability of the regional population. We sought to quantify wolf dispersal rate, distance, and dispersal sex bias throughout Prince of Wales Island, a 6670 km² island in southeast Alaska, and the surrounding islands that constitute the wildlife management unit (9025 km²). We also investigated patterns of dispersal in relation to hunting and trapping intensity and wolf population density. We used DNA data collected during 2012–2021 long-term monitoring efforts and genotyped 811 wolves, 144 of which (18%) were dispersers. Annual dispersal rates were 9–23% and had a weakly positive relationship with wolf density. Wolves dispersed 41.9 km on average (SD = 23.7 km), and males and females did not disperse at different rates. Of the dispersing wolves, 107 died, and the majority (n = 81) died before they were able to settle. The leading manner of death was trapping (97% of mortalities), and wolves tended to disperse from areas with low harvest density to areas where harvest density was relatively higher. Dispersal occurred both to and from small islands and the larger Prince of Wales Island, indicating bidirectional as opposed to asymmetrical movement, and the genetic overlap of wolf groups demonstrates connectivity throughout this naturally patchy system. Island ecosystems have different predator–prey dynamics and recolonization processes than large, intact systems due to their isolation and restricted sizes; thus, a better understanding of the degree of population connectivity including dispersal patterns among islands in the Prince of Wales archipelago could help inform the management and research strategies of these wolves. Full article

Nowadays, genetic research methods play an important role in animal population studies. Since 2009, genetic material from Latvian wolf specimens obtained through hunting has been systematically gathered. This study, spanning until 2021, scrutinizes the consequences of regulated wolf hunting on population genetic metrics, kinship dynamics, and social organization. We employed 16 autosomal microsatellites to investigate relationships between full siblings and parent–offspring pairs. Our analysis encompassed expected and observed heterozygosity, inbreeding coefficients, allelic diversity, genetic distance and differentiation, mean pairwise relatedness, and the number of migrants per generation. The Latvian wolf population demonstrated robust genetic diversity with minimal inbreeding, maintaining stable allelic diversity and high heterozygosity over time and it is not fragmented. Our findings reveal the persistence of conventional wolf pack structures and enduring kinship groups. However, the study also underscores the adverse effects of intensified hunting pressure, leading to breeder loss, pack disruption, territorial displacement, and the premature dispersal of juvenile wolves. Full article

Wild edible fruits from the forest have often been regarded as poverty food; however, there has been a notable shift in recent years as these wild edible fruits have gained increasing recognition for their significance in global food security, especially in agricultural societies such as Senegal. This paper contributes to the debate on how the forest plays a role in diets and nutrition security using the example of wild fruit (Baobab) found in the Boundou Region in Senegal. The livelihood strategies of people in this region have been subject to external influences, such as climate shock and restrictions enforced as the area became a protected area in 2009. These external influences have resulted in the loss of pasture use and the prohibition of hunting. Restriction of access to these previous commons (pasture, wildlife) diminishes the resilience of the local population. However, a new alternative of seasonal usage of wild fruit, specifically baobab, for commercial purposes has emerged as everybody in the community has unrestricted access to collecting these wild edible fruits within the protected area, which is uncommon in other protected areas. The commodification and commercialization of these wild fruits bring essential cash income to many households, thereby improving food security. Full article

African swine fever (ASF) is a fatal disease of suids that was detected in wild boar in Belgium in September 2018. The measures implemented to stop the spread and eliminate the African swine fever virus consisted of creating restriction zones, organising efficient search and removal of carcasses, constructing wire fences, and depopulating wild boar in the area surrounding the infected zone. The ASF management zone included the infected and the white zones and covered 1106 km² from which 7077 wild boar have been removed. A total of 5338 wild boars have been qPCR-tested and 833 have been detected ASF-positive. The search effort amounted to 60,631 h with a main focus on the infected zone (88%). A total of 277 km of fences have been set up. The main cause of mortality in the infected zone was the virus itself, while hunting, trapping, and night shooting were used together to reduce the wild boar density in the surrounding white zones. After continuous dispersion of the virus until March 2019, the epidemic wave stopped, and the last fresh positive case was discovered in August 2019. Hence, Belgium was declared free of the disease in November 2020. Full article

The diet and breeding success of Eagle Owls (Bubo bubo) have been suggested to vary at different latitudes. However, it is still unclear whether and how these relationships exist at lower latitudes outside of Europe. We therefore studied the diet and breeding success of Eagle Owls during four breeding seasons at 14 nests in the Judea region, Israel. Of a total of 9461 prey items were identified; mammals (N = 6896, 35 species; 72.89%, biomass 62.3%) and birds (N = 2255, 55 species, 23.83%; biomass 36.0%) predominated the prey-base. We found that the gradient of diversity of the mammalian prey decreased from west to east; and avian prey increased from east to west. The index of species diversity, H’ for all prey, had no relationship with breeding success. The prey-base of the Eagle Owls helped identify the changes in geographic distributions of several species. Marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna), especially threatened, appear to be relatively abundant, as are brown rats (Ratttus norvegicus) which were previously considered to be restricted to the coastal regions. In addition to Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus), the Eagle Owls also preyed on nine different species of insectivorous bats, several of which appear to have enlarged their geographic distribution within Israel. The Eagle Owl’s diet emphasizes its generalist foraging habits, but pairs may be species-specific specialists. This adaptation is especially important in a fast-developing and congested country like Israel, because a generalist hunting strategy probably allows the species to subsist in the region. Full article

The restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic obliged the French Society for Medicinal Chemistry (Société de chimie thérapeutique) and the French Microbiology Society (Société Française de Microbiologie) to organize their joint autumn symposium (entitled “On the hunt for next-generation antimicrobial agents”) online on 9–10 December 2021. The meeting attracted more than 200 researchers from France and abroad with interests in drug discovery, antimicrobial resistance, medicinal chemistry, and related disciplines. This review summarizes the 13 invited keynote lectures. The symposium generated high-level scientific dialogue on the most recent advances in combating antimicrobial resistance. The University of Lille, the Institut Pasteur de Lille, the journal Pharmaceuticals, Oxeltis, and INCATE, sponsored the event. Full article

Following the European Union’s restriction on antibiotic growth promoters, research on enhancing gut health has been accelerated. As the poultry industry is facing issues that were previously managed by antimicrobial growth promoters, the hunt for the best remedies continues to find suitable alternatives. Simultaneously, social pressure is mounting to reduce the usage of antibiotics and replace them with other feed additives. Consumers believe a number of accessible options to be safe, with phytogenics playing a crucial role. This review describes how the use of fennel seeds could be beneficial for poultry. An overview of the broad chemical diversity of fennel is presented together with their physicochemical and biological properties. According to investigations, fennel seeds have a variety of biological effects in birds, including improved performance, higher immune cell proliferation, reduced oxidative stress, and boosted antibody titers against infectious diseases. The efficacy of poultry outcomes is determined by the stage and age of the plants, the extraction process, the geographical location, the chicken species, management techniques, and the concentrations administered. The present review focuses on the effects of fennel seeds as a feed additive on poultry growth, carcass quality, blood biochemistry, antioxidant activity, immunity, and microbiological aspects. Full article

This research focuses on the historical demise of Hawaiian avifauna due to hunting by ancient Polynesians. Numerous documents, published since the early 1800s, were scrutinized and evaluated; these provided information on bird hunting and traditional Hawaiian practices. Hawaiians used birds as sources of feathers and food. Feathers were important symbols of power for Polynesians; in Hawai’i, feathers were more highly prized than other types of property. Feathers used for crafts were obtained from at least 24 bird species, however, the golden feathers of ‘ō‘ō and mamo birds made them primary targets for birdhunters; both birds became extinct by the late 1800s. Feathers were utilized for many items, including ‘ahu‘ula [cloaks], mahiole [war helmets], and kāhili [standards]. Most garments utilized a considerable number of feathers; a cloak for Kamehameha consumed the golden feathers of 80,000 mamo birds. Bird meat was an important food item for native Hawaiians. It is believed that most birds were killed after being plucked; historical sources mention ~30 bird species were consumed. The ‘ua‘u (Pterodroma sandwichensis), a currently endangered seabird, was ruthlessly hunted and avidly eaten. Its current geographical range is just a minute fraction of its former one; now, ‘ua‘us are largely restricted to inaccessible cliffs at Haleakalā Crater (Maui). Full article

Sustainable wildlife management (SWM) is based on a synergy of traditional/local knowledge, advances in scientific knowledge, and fast-evolving economic and social circumstances. A widely accepted cornerstone of SWM globally is that conservation and utilization need to be effectively integrated, emphasizing the benefits humans can derive from biodiversity, thereby further encouraging people to protect and value wildlife though its management. However, with demand from biological resources growing at an unprecedented rate and the emergence of social media, conservationists must respond quickly to new challenges and conflicts associated with species management and public policy. For example, the rise of the “Compassionate Conservation” (CC) movement, fueled by social marketing and media, which promotes the welfare of individual animals, has introduced a set of challenges for conventional conservation management as it opposes most or all forms of wildlife utilization and hunting. CC advocates are increasingly influential at global and national policy levels; hence, it is imperative that conservationists are informed and aware of the future challenges from a rapidly changing global society. In this paper, we report the findings of a large semi-structured questionnaire in China which investigated the attitude of the urban public toward sustainable wildlife management (SWM) and wildlife conservation across a range of issues and identified the key socio-economic and demographic factor drivers for those attitudes. The survey was conducted from November 2018 to October 2020, across 15 cities randomly selected among China’s seven administrative geographic regions. The survey was initially conducted through face-to-face interviews, but later, due to COVID-19 restrictions, was completed via online questionnaires. A Likert seven-point scale method was used to score the public’s degree of agreement or disagreement for each question; a multivariate stepwise linear regression method was used to analyze whether the overall attitude of the respondents toward SWM and wildlife conservation was affected by their demographic characteristics; and a classification and regression tree (CART) was used to conduct an in-depth analysis of the issues with negative scores in the questionnaire, so as to understand how the respondents’ demographic characteristics affected the public’s attitude about such issues, which could supplement results obtained from the multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis. The results show that the public are broadly supportive of SWM, but only moderately so. On issues of “Animal Welfare and Rights,” “Wildlife Utilization and Captive Breeding,” and “Trophy Hunting”, the core concerns of the “Compassionate Conservation” movement and the overall public view are more antagonistic to conventional SWM. We also find specific demographic characteristics significantly influence attitudes about SWM, with vegetarians, those with religious beliefs, and with lower educational standards demonstrating weaker support for SWM. For younger people, “Animal Welfare and Rights” is a special concern, hence, we identify this as a key issue to be addressed for SWM and conservation in the future. Our research suggests that conservation organisations may need to adapt their management aims and practices to avoid direct conflict with the rising tide of animal rights sentiment, especially among the young. Furthermore, significant investment will be required to promote science-based conservation in social marketing on all social media platforms to help educate and engage the public with the science behind conservation management. Full article