Ecological restoration is increasingly recognized as essential for combating the biodiversity and climate crises. However, restoration activities can also produce or exacerbate social and environmental injustices. This article explores the extent to which the European Union’s 2024 Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR) enables ‘just ecological restoration’. Drawing on the three dimensions of environmental justice – distributive, recognitional, and procedural – we assess whether the NRR adequately includes justice considerations. Our analysis finds that while the Regulation includes several justice-relevant provisions, many are implicit and lack enforceable guarantees. Disparities in expected costs and benefits raise concerns over distribution, limited safeguards may exclude marginalized communities, and participation mechanisms vary across Member States. The potential of the NRR to foster fair and inclusive restoration depends largely on how Member States implement their national restoration plans and whether the European Commission provides clear guidance and support to ensure socially responsible action.

Roads are essential for social and economic development, but their presence often leads to deforestation, habitat loss, changes in wildlife behaviour and distribution, and loss through collisions with vehicles. In southern Bahia state in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest hotspot, cocoa agroforestry systems are vital in connecting natural fragments and supporting local biodiversity. This study assessed the impacts of a 24 km segment of the BA-262 road, a route linked to the construction of a new port. During May–December 2022, we recorded vertebrate roadkill events and analysed their relationship with traffic volume, identifying high-risk zones. Camera traps and live traps were deployed in forest fragments to evaluate mammal presence near and along the road, comparing species detected near the road with those recorded as roadkill. In total, we documented 243 roadkill events, with amphibians being the group most affected (153 individuals, 63% of the total recorded), followed by reptiles (49, 20%), birds (28, 12%) and mammals (13, 5%). Hotspot analyses revealed nine roadkill clusters. Camera traps along the road recorded 409 images of 21 mammal species from eight orders. Although species richness was unaffected by proximity to the road, relative abundance increased closer to the road. Mammals appeared less affected by the road than other groups, probably because they are mostly active at night, when traffic is lower. This research highlights the ecological impacts of roads on biodiversity-rich areas, underscoring the need for mitigation measures to reduce wildlife mortality and offering insights for future research.

Differences in testes arrangement and length of post-testicular region between Australian specimens of Paraschistorchis seychellesiensis sensu Magro, Cutmore, Carrasson & Cribb, 2023 and the original description of Paraschistorchis seychellesiensis (Toman, 1989) Blend, Karar & Dronen, 2017 from the Indian Ocean have raised a question whether such variations are intraspecific or interspecific variations. To address this, in-depth morphological descriptions and species delimitation analyses were conducted using a combination of comparative morphology, multivariate classification analyses, and host-parasite data. The Australian population of P. seychellesiensis differs from all known species of Paraschistorchis Blend, Karar & Dronen, 2017 by a broad linguiform body, a ventral sucker noticeably smaller than the oral sucker, a subquadrate pharynx that is partly dorsal to the oral sucker, and testes arrangement in a cluster configuration, as well as its distinct spatial clustering within all multivariate classification analyses without any intrusion into the space occupied by another cluster. Furthermore, the distinctive extension of the anterior vitellarium, significant differences in anterior testis/ovary ratios, and egg sizes indicate that Australian and Indian specimens of P. seychellesiensis are two distinct species. The apparent comparatively distant geographic localities, each with distinct ecosystems (Seychelles Islands vs Great Barrier Reef [GBR], Australia), are an interesting outcome of the recognition of separate species. Accordingly, Paraschistorchis australiensis n. sp. is established to accommodate this Australian record. Given the detailed review and newly added data provided herein, we discuss the nature of the excretory vesicle within schistorchiines and amend the key to the recognized species of Paraschistorchis.

Located in the central part of the Western Antarctic Peninsula, the Argentine Islands-Kyiv Peninsula region is a hotspot of moss diversity, with 51 species and one variety currently known. However, no studies have specifically addressed the distribution of rare mosses in this region. Applying the only definition of moss rarity currently available for Antarctica, we identify very rare (one to two unique occurrences) and rare (three to five unique occurrences) moss species in the region and present a biogeographical analysis of their spatial distribution with corresponding maps, based on a comprehensive synthesis of archival published occurrence data. Of the 51 recorded species, 23 were classified as locally very rare or rare. Cape Tuxen, Galindez Island, Darboux Island and Cape Pérez hosted the highest concentrations of rare moss diversity, with eight, seven, seven and six species, respectively. Five rare species were recorded at Petermann Island, four at Booth and Lahille islands and three each at Diorite, ‘Eight’ and Uruguay islands. Additionally, several locations hosted species with unique characteristics, including their only known occurrence in the Antarctic Peninsula or at their known range edge. Very rare and rare species assemblages showed only partial overlap among sites: the four most species-rich sites shared several taxa, but no species occurred at all sites. Uruguay, Diorite and ‘Eight’ islands together represented a full moss species pool of the four most species-rich sites. In addition, some sites supported distinct species not recorded elsewhere in the region. Notwithstanding the limitations of the available survey data, these findings highlight the regional significance of the Argentine Islands-Kyiv Peninsula region within the Western Antarctic Peninsula for moss diversity in terms of the recognized criteria required for developing proposals for formal protection under the Antarctic Treaty.

Protecting biodiversity on the planet through business involvement is a priority for many governments and citizens. To do this requires balancing different social, financial, and ecological objectives with economic output. This editorial questions what is the right way to do this based on considering different forms of capital, such as natural, human, social, manufactured, and financial. This enables renewed interest in the natural environment in terms of business involvement in issues such as climate change and the circular economy.

The Ngezi–Vumawimbi Forest Reserve is the largest remaining patch of natural vegetation on Pemba Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania. In 2024, in collaboration with the Department of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture, Zanzibar, we conducted a baseline biodiversity survey of animal and plant communities. Preliminary results reveal previously unrecognized plant diversity, including species likely new to science that are currently under study. We confirmed the presence of endemic and threatened plant species, and recorded populations of species not previously reported on Pemba Island. We also confirmed the presence of a small population of blue duiker Philantomba monticola, currently under threat from poaching. One of the areas richest in plant diversity is designated for development of a new tourist resort. This would replace most of the Vumawimbi evergreen coastal forest, home to a unique forest type in continental Africa dominated by Intsia bijuga.

Armed conflicts in biodiversity hotspots across Africa significantly threaten conservation efforts. The incursion of armed groups since 2017 in the W–Arly–Pendjari Complex in Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso poses a severe threat to conservation efforts in one of West Africa’s largest transboundary natural World Heritage sites. Local conservation managers often have no clear strategies to address such threats. A better understanding of the key drivers of the armed conflict would help them to respond quickly and effectively using adaptive management approaches. We used the participative Delphi technique to identify the factors driving the conflict, the key players contributing to security threats in the region and the stakeholders who could contribute to solving the conservation issues linked to the security crisis. A panel of 20 experts identified the main drivers of the insecurity to be political, economic and social, especially the vulnerability and marginalization of local communities as a consequence of weak government control and limited resources. Violent extremist groups, particularly Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, pose significant threats to conservation efforts in the region, which our results suggest would be best addressed through military action and regional cooperation to combat terrorism. We recommend that conservation managers adopt a community-focused strategy to reduce the vulnerability of forest-dependent communities and counter local alliances with Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin. Our findings contribute to a wider understanding of how the growing threat of violent extremist groups can negatively affect protected areas and what steps should be taken to counter this.

The rapid spread of non-native perennial grasses across South American savannas poses a growing threat to native plant diversity and ecosystem functioning. They disrupt key ecological processes, including fire regimes, nutrient cycling and plant community dynamics, driving the loss of functional diversity and the homogenization of native vegetation. This review compiles current knowledge on the ecological impacts of the nine most invasive perennial grass species in South American savannas and the challenges faced in controlling them, with a particular emphasis on the Brazilian Cerrado. We examine the mechanisms by which they outcompete native species, alter soil–plant interactions and inhibit natural regeneration. Particular attention is given to the ecological traits that confer competitive advantages to these invasive grasses under conditions of disturbance, increased nutrient availability and climate change. We also evaluate the challenges faced in the ecological restoration of invaded areas and discuss integrated strategies for controlling invasions and promoting the recovery of native species. This synthesis underscores the urgent need to address invasions by non-native grasses through coordinated research, new policies and management efforts aimed to safeguard the long-term biodiversity and ecological resilience of South American savannas.

This study aimed to examine the response of land snails to five land-use types (protected forest, unprotected forest, cocoa plantation, teak plantation, and fallow) in the Lamto Reserve and its surrounding rural area. Snails were sampled monthly and for one year, using a combination of direct search and litter sieving techniques on 20 plots (5 plots of 400m2/land-use type). A total of 5471 individuals belonging to 53 species and 10 families were sampled. Abundance peaked in the protected forest and was lowest in rural land-use types, while species richness was highest in forests and the cacao plantation and lowest in fallow. However, the Shannon index and species composition showed no significant variation, in contrast to evenness. Eighteen of the 53 recorded species were associated with land-use types, mostly in the protected forest. Snail abundance was mainly influenced by canopy cover, soil calcium, and sand content, with a marked seasonal effect peaking during the rainy season. Canopy cover and litter depth emerged as the main determinants of diversity indices. Land-use changes significantly impact snail communities, underscoring the need for balanced conservation land management in tropical ecosystems.

Our collective futures depend on ecological stewardship rooted in both understanding of and care for the complex relationships of forest ecosystems. In particular, nuanced insight into forests’ entwined link with climate change is integral to policies and practices that can mitigate the worst climate impacts and sustain resilient multispecies communities. To this end, we foreground a creative approach to critical data literacies in the context of the biodiversity and climate crises. As part of the project Forest Carbon Futures, we present three explorations into different creative avenues for representing data, which share common aims of exploring the value of storytelling and situatedness in supporting more palpable connections between people, forests, stewardship responsibility, collective agency and more resilient futures. We position this inquiry as a valuable facet within an emerging field of Critical Forest Studies that holds promise in fostering ecologically-attuned understanding and care in relation to forest landscapes. Through interdisciplinary co-inquiry grounded in design and creation methodologies, we offer a constellation of interlinked themes, strategies and insights to inform transformative approaches to environmental education in our current era of ecological disconnect and rampant mis/disinformation.