Conservation MDPI

New Cover Paper: Assessing the Impact of the World Conservation Strategy After 45 Years
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/6/3/101

The 1980 World Conservation Strategy—jointly created by IUCN, WWF and UNEP—was the first major global environmental strategy. What did it achieve? A new assessment finds:

✅ We have become good at setting up institutions to manage the environment.
❌ But most conservation ambitions of 1980 remain unfulfilled—and some things have got much worse.
🌍 Protected area establishment is the only outcome exceeding expectations, yet it remains deeply flawed.
⚠️ Climate change was barely mentioned.

Key lesson for post-2030 conservation targets: realistic, detailed targets work better than vague, ambitious ones.

Read the cover article: [link]

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

https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/6/2/51

Keywords: ; ; ; ; frequency of use; visitor density

Abstract: 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 tourism, which is considered a pillar of the national economy and has become one of the most important activities for generating revenue. However, like any other activity, it can exert pressure on the environment in which it takes place, making it essential to analyze and understand how protected areas are used to implement effective management strategies. This study evaluates the frequency of tourism-related use of Corcovado National Park, considering the implementation of three key elements: 1. the frequency with which companies use the park for their tourism activities, 2. visitor density per kilometer by ranger station, and 3. the frequency of trail use based on voluntary geographic information. The research enabled the collection, analysis, and visualization of data using GIS, which facilitated the identification of tourism usage patterns by highlighting the most visited areas and establishing correlations regarding visitor density within the protected area. Among the most significant findings are sites that may be experiencing increased tourism pressure, offering the possibility of managing usage restrictions in specific areas of each station. Spatial analysis has identified areas with lower visitor concentrations, which can be leveraged to promote new attractions and disperse tourist flow throughout the park, thereby reducing pressure on the ecosystem.

Measurement and Analysis of Spatiotemporal Patterns of Tourist Use Within Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica 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 tourism, which is considered a pillar of the national...

🌲Large-Scale Post-Storm Salvage Logging Shows Transient Effects on Vegetation in Managed Hemiboreal Forest, Resembling Those of Conventional Wood Harvesting in the Long Term

https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/6/1/23

Keywords: salvage logging; ; ; ; edge effect

🧐Abstract: The eastern Baltic region is rich in hemiboreal forests, which are both commercially important and provide habitats for rare and/or endangered forest-dwelling species, which are sensitive to accelerating climatic changes. Under the intensifying climatic disturbances that are stressing forests worldwide, sanitary logging is a widely used harvesting technique for the mitigation of commercial losses. The effects of salvage logging on the biodiversity of forests remain ambiguous due to the larger scale and higher intensity of timber harvesting, which can alter the recovery of stands and succession of their vegetation. Furthermore, EU legislation is increasingly emphasizing conservation/restoration and mandating its implementation. The recovery of ecosystems, and hence the biodiversity of disturbed managed forests, can take several decades to centuries, depending on the site conditions. Long-term (~60 years, four remeasurements) changes in the composition and structure of vegetation, as an indicator of overall health and nutrient cycling, were studied in conventionally managed hemiboreal forests. Potential forest transformation (paludification) risks associated with large-scale logging were assessed in mixed coniferous stands in the Baltics, Latvia. Following logging, the stands were conventionally managed, including artificial regeneration. According to ground cover vegetation, 50 years was the period for the disturbance effects to start subsiding, as a dynamic equilibrium was reached and the canopies of regenerating trees were closing. A gradual decrease in moisture levels in the middle parts of salvage-logged areas, and later at their edges, indicated that the stands have escaped paludification, likely as the climate has been warming. Distance from the edge of the salvage-logged areas had a secondary effect on ground cover vegetation recovery after storms, alleviating concerns about the explicit negative impact of the scale of harvesting. Thus, in managed seminatural forest landscapes with a historically small to moderate scale of anthropogenic disturbance, salvage logging at a scale locally deemed as large had a transient effect in the Baltics. This indicates successful regeneration of the forest ecosystem over a timeframe shorter than the conventional rotation period, suggesting overall conservation efficiency of conventionally managed forests. Accordingly, salvage logging can be sustainable in terms of biodiversity and forest continuity in the long run under traditional management, as environmental changes accelerate.

Large-Scale Post-Storm Salvage Logging Shows Transient Effects on Vegetation in Managed Hemiboreal Forest, Resembling Those of Conventional Wood Harvesting in the Long Term The eastern Baltic region is rich in hemiboreal forests, which are both commercially important and provide habitats for rare and/or endangered forest-dwelling species, which are sensitive to accelerating climatic changes. Under the intensifying climatic disturbances that are stressing forests worldw...

👥Motivation and Personal Engagement with Biodiversity

https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/6/1/25 #

Keywords: ; ; ;

🧐Abstract: Increasing community awareness of, and engagement in, biodiversity and nature are key elements in many environmental conservation strategies. However, the public may take little or no action to protect biodiversity even though they may feel a strong sense of concern about its decline. This suggests that, although members of the public may be cognitively and affectively engaged with conserving biodiversity, this engagement does not necessarily translate into behavioural engagement and support for environmental policies. We hypothesised that the association between cognitive and affective engagement with conserving biodiversity on the one hand, and conservation behaviour on the other, depends on the relevance and importance of conserving biodiversity with respect to personal needs. Using a survey of the New Zealand public (n = 1000) we found that engagement with biodiversity was associated with the personal relevance and needs-based importance of conserving biodiversity. Importantly, using conditional process analysis, we found that involvement moderates the link between cognitive and affective engagement and conservation behaviour with the link strengthening as involvement intensifies. These findings help to explain why cognitive and affective engagement with conserving biodiversity do not translate inevitably into behavioural engagement with conserving biodiversity and support for environmental policies. The implication is that, to stimulate action, knowledge and sentiment must be accompanied by the perception that action to protect biodiversity will contribute in significant ways to meeting personal needs.

Motivation and Personal Engagement with Biodiversity Increasing community awareness of, and engagement in, biodiversity and nature are key elements in many environmental conservation strategies. However, the public may take little or no action to protect biodiversity even though they may feel a strong sense of concern about its decline. This suggests....

Discover ICARS 2027 on the new Sciforum platform:
https://brnw.ch/21x4DA6

Rome awaits.

After a successful first edition, the next chapter begins in the Eternal City.

From 9-11 June 2027, the global remote sensing community will gather for three days of new ideas, fresh perspectives, and meaningful connections at ICARS 2027.

Discover ICARS 2027 on the new Sciforum platform:
https://brnw.ch/21x4DA6

🌲Stand Structure, Carbon Pools, and Biodiversity Relationships in Temperate Forests of Southern Quebec, Canada: A Multi-Taxon Analysis

https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/6/1/26

Keywords: ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Abstract: Reconciling carbon (C) sequestration with biodiversity conservation remains a key challenge for sustainable forest management, as C–biodiversity relationships vary across taxa and contexts. We evaluated how botanical composition, forest structure, C pools, and land use predict species richness of insects, birds, and bats across mature temperate forests in southern Québec, Canada. Generalized linear models were fitted for insects and birds, while bat data were analyzed descriptively due to low and uneven richness. Botanical composition and forest structure were the most consistent predictors across groups. Insects responded strongly to vegetation structure and C allocation, with richness decreasing with shrub density and mineral soil C but increasing with the soil:above-ground C ratio and distance from infrastructure. Bird richness increased with herbaceous cover and wetland area, emphasizing the value of open and moist habitats. Across taxa, C pools acted as secondary but complementary predictors. Based on observational analyses, our results show that C–biodiversity relationships are compartment-specific and taxon-sensitive, and suggest that maintaining structural complexity, diverse vegetation strata, wetland habitats, and soil C pools may help align biodiversity conservation with C sequestration objectives in temperate forests.

Stand Structure, Carbon Pools, and Biodiversity Relationships in Temperate Forests of Southern Quebec, Canada: A Multi-Taxon Analysis Reconciling carbon (C) sequestration with biodiversity conservation remains a key challenge for sustainable forest management, as C–biodiversity relationships vary across taxa and contexts. We evaluated how botanical composition, forest structure, C pools, and land use predict species richness of ...

🌍 That’s a wrap on IOCEA 2026! 🎉

🌍 That’s a wrap on IOCEA 2026! 🎉

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made IOCEA 2026 a success, including our authors, speakers, attendees, Session Chairs, Scientific Committee members, and Event Chairs.

With more than 250 abstracts, eight sessions, and researchers and professionals joining us from around the world, IOCEA 2026 was a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas and connect with the scientific community while exploring the latest research in Earth Science.

We are grateful for your contributions, engagement, and support throughout the conference.

💙 Thank you for being part of IOCEA 2026! We look forward to staying connected and welcoming you to our future events.

🐻Vocal and Non-Vocal Communication of American Black Bears (Ursus americanus): Implications for Conservation

https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/6/1/17

Keywords: ; ; ; intentionality; gestures; ; ; ; ;

🧐Abstract: To establish the best approach for conserving a species, it is necessary to understand the biology of that species. To better understand the behavior of American black bears (Ursus americanus), we observed 246 black bears for 7950 h in nature over a 24-year period to quantify how the bears communicated. Black bears communicated using several different behaviors. These included thirteen types of vocalizations, eight olfactory behaviors, eight marking behaviors, sixteen different body postures and gestures constituting their body language, and various emotional expressions. Some behaviors appeared to be automatic, including facial expression, ear movements, some forms of body language, the intensity of various vocalizations, and various moans. Other behaviors appeared to be intentional, including mechanically generated sounds and actions that could be used to bluff or deceive, such as the chomping of teeth, huffing, swatting, false charging, and various vocalizations. The conservation of black bears can be improved by establishing management strategies that take into account the vocal and non-vocal communication of the bears. Conflicts and negative encounters between humans and bears can be reduced through behavioral modifications by humans based on our new understanding of the communication system of bears. Knowledge of the communication system of the black bear provides a basis for improved conservation through the non-lethal management of bears involved in bear–human conflicts.

Vocal and Non-Vocal Communication of American Black Bears (Ursus americanus): Implications for Conservation To establish the best approach for conserving a species, it is necessary to understand the biology of that species. To better understand the behavior of American black bears (Ursus americanus), we observed 246 black bears for 7950 h in nature over a 24-year period to quantify how the bears communica...

📍 Promoting Conservation in Granada, Spain

We are pleased to share that Dr. Margalida, 𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳-𝘪𝘯-𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧 of 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 is attending the 27th Spanish and 8th Iberian Congress of Ornithology, held in Granada from 2–6 September 2026.

👏 We are grateful for our 𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳-𝘪𝘯-𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧's continued support in increasing the journal's visibility and fostering new collaborations.

📩 We warmly invite researchers to consider Conservation MDPI as a venue for their future submissions.

🎉Excited to welcome Dr. Armando Macali to Conservation as our new Editorial Board Member!

His rich experience in marine biodiversity, marine invertebrates and biological invasions will greatly benefit our journal🔬

More information can click the link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/conservation/editors
Recruiting Editorial Board Members for Conservation!
https://www.mdpi.com/about/announcements/8728