People and crocodilians have engaged in interactions since the earliest human settlements. After many years of escalating non-regulated use, coupled with emerging threats such as habitat modification, environmental pollution, and the exponential growth of human populations, natural crocodilian populations have been pushed to the brink of extinction. To prevent this, various initiatives have implemented strategies to prevent local extinction. Reinforcing wild populations through reintroductions and head-starting programs has been considered the safest approach to recovering crocodilian populations. Subsequently, the concept of sustainability emerged. In the case of many historically exploited crocodilian species, it became evident that rational utilization need not adversely affect population status; on the contrary, there were clear signs of recovery when local communities were involved. In 1990, the broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) was in a critical state due to decades of poaching and the aforementioned threats. In response, the \"Monitoring and restocking program of the broad-snouted caiman for management purposes\", commonly known as Proyecto Yacaré, was established to study population abundance and assess the biological, ecological, and social response to this management methodology. As a result of the eggs\'s harvest, a proportion equivalent to or greater than what would have survived in natural conditions was released into the original habitat where the eggs were collected. The surplus was allocated for leather and meat production with a focus on economic and environmentally sustainable practices, without affecting biodiversity or threats to the managed species. The in situ work carried out by this program has been crucial for the recovery of broad-snouted caiman populations under the \"incentives for conservation\" system, whereby local communities receive benefits for nest identification and egg harvesting. Over time, conservation incentives have become significant contributors to regional economies. This study illustrates how C. latirostris populations increased due to the implementation of egg harvesting by local communities in a natural reserve for management purposes. This population increase was detected through continuous night monitoring and an analysis of the number of nests in the area. Currently, C. latirostris populations have transitioned from being among the most threatened to becoming one of the most abundant throughout their distribution area. Based on the analyzed information, we may affirm that the commercial value of these species is one of the most relevant aspects contributing to the sustainability of these programs, primarily due to the change in perception generated among local communities. Therefore, identifying and controlling factors affecting these programs are fundamental for the conservation of these species.

Inadequate conservation practice affects the sustainable production of agricultural watersheds due to erosion and fertility decline. Understanding soil erosion and implementing site-specific conservation practice could enhance agriculture-based rural development. The study was aimed to document soil erosion problem and soil and water conservation effort. The specific objectives of this study were to assess soil erosion severity, practices to reduce erosion, and determinants of the decision to reduce erosion. Data were collected by interviewing 198 farm household heads, undertaking four focus group discussions, and assessing rill erosion in 10 farm fields in Morayo and Wacho sub-watersheds of southern Ethiopia. Descriptive statistics and binary logit model were applied to analyze the data. Results indicated that many of the farm households, 63% in Morayo and 83% in the Wacho sub-watershed, perceived moderate to severe soil erosion, which is characterized by big rills and small gullies on the farmlands. Rill densities of 231.4 m ha-1 and 84.1 m ha-1 in the Morayo and Wacho sub-watersheds were observed, respectively. The estimated annual soil loss due to rills was 61.2 and 23.4 Mg ha-1 in the Morayo and Wacho sub-watersheds, respectively. The soil erosion from rills alone exceeds the expected tolerable soil erosion (11 tons ha-1 year-1). Due to erosion, about 90% of farmers perceived farmland degradation as described by a progressive decline in crop yield. Farmers used to practice traditional techniques to reduce erosion and government introduced conservation measures such as soil and stone bunds. However, many farmers did not use well-promoted conservation measures such as bunds, which could have negative impact on long-term erosion control effort and sustainable implementation of the conservation options. Among the assessed explanatory variables, educational level, farm distance from home, slope of the cultivated land, and frequency of extension contact were significantly affected (p < 0.05) farmers\' sustainable use of conservation measures. Development planners and policy makers are advised to consider site-specific and innovative approaches to implement conservation measures in sustainable approach in the smallholder crop-livestock mixed agriculture system.

Trade restrictions are often advocated and implemented as measures to protect wild species threatened by overexploitation. However, in some instances, their efficacy has been questioned, notably by governments in the southern African (SADC) region, which tend to favor a sustainable use approach to wildlife management. We conducted a systematic review of published literature guided by the PRISMA process to examine the effectiveness of trade restrictions and directly related control measures in addressing threats to species conservation in the SADC region, with a focus on elephants (Loxodonta sp.), rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum, Diceros bicornis), lions (Panthera leo), and pangolins (Manis sp.). We focused in particular on the direct conservation impact of trade restrictions at species or population level, indirect conservation impact at human behavior or attitude level, and socioeconomic impact on rural livelihoods and well-being and on national economies. Research on these topics was uneven and focused strongly on the effects of trade restrictions and law enforcement on crime-related behavior. Research gaps include socioeconomic impacts of trade restrictions, including effects of international restrictions on local livelihoods and consequent secondary conservation impacts, and evaluations of attempts to disrupt criminal networks. Based on the reviewed impact evidence, the effectiveness of international trade restrictions depends on a range of fully aligned measures in countries of origin, transit, and consumption. For example, our results suggest positive ecological short-term but negative or unknown long-term socioeconomic impacts of domestic restrictions. Based on these findings, key policy requirements include more nuanced approaches to incorporate a range of appropriate measures in range, transit, and consumer countries, that focus on capacity development for early detection and apprehension of incursions inside protected areas; measures for constructive engagement with relevant local communities outside protected areas; and future research to improve understanding of the socioeconomic contribution of wildlife.
Revisión sistemática del impacto de las medidas restrictivas de comercio de vida silvestres sobre la conservación de especies icónicas en el sur de África Resumen Las restricciones comerciales a menudo se promueven e implementan como medidas para proteger a las especies silvestres amenazadas por la sobreexplotación. Sin embargo, en algunas instancias, su eficacia ha sido cuestionada, en particular por gobiernos de la región del sur de África (SADC), que tienden a favorecer un enfoque de uso sustentable para el manejo de la vida silvestre. Realizamos una revisión sistemática de la literatura publicada guiada por el proceso PRISMA para examinar la efectividad de las restricciones comerciales y las medidas de control directamente relacionadas para enfrentar las amenazas a la conservación de especies en la región de la SADC, con un enfoque en elefantes (Loxodonta sp.), rinocerontes (Ceratotherium simum, Diceros bicornis), leones (Panthera leo) y pangolines (Manis sp.). Nos centramos en particular en el impacto directo sobre la conservación de las restricciones comerciales a nivel de especie o población, el impacto indirecto sobre la conservación a nivel de comportamiento o actitud humana, y el impacto socioeconómico en los medios de vida y el bienestar rurales y en las economías nacionales. La investigación sobre estos temas fue desigual y se centró principalmente en los efectos de las restricciones comerciales y la aplicación de la ley en el comportamiento relacionado con el delito. Los vacíos a investigar incluyen los efectos de las restricciones internacionales sobre los medios de vida locales y los consiguientes impactos secundarios en la conservación, y evaluación de los intentos de desarticular las redes criminales. Con base en la revisión de la evidencia del impacto, la efectividad de las restricciones de comercio internacional depende de una gama de medidas totalmente alineadas en los países de origen, tránsito y consumo. Por ejemplo, nuestros resultados sugieren impactos socioeconómicos ecológicos positivos a corto plazo, pero negativos o desconocidos a largo plazo, de las restricciones nacionales. Con base en estos hallazgos, los requisitos clave para la definición de políticas incluyen enfoques más matizados para incorporar una variedad de medidas apropiadas – en los países de origen, tránsito y consumidores – que se centren en el desarrollo de capacidades para la detección temprana y la detención de incursiones dentro de áreas protegidas; medidas para un compromiso constructivo con las comunidades locales relevantes fuera de las áreas protegidas; e investigaciones futuras para mejorar la comprensión de la contribución socioeconómica de la vida silvestre.

We examined the laws and legal provisions governing the commercial trade of terrestrial wild fauna across the trade chain in some of the world\'s megadiverse countries and how these relate to key animal welfare and conservation concerns. Over the past century, an increase in the quantity and complexity of laws related to commercial wildlife trade has been observed in the 11 focal countries examined. Our review identified 95 laws with 560 provisions adopted since 1910 across these countries. Surprisingly, the level of biological diversity in a country does not correlate with the extent of legislation addressing wildlife trade. Moreover, legislation is unevenly distributed across different stages of the wildlife trade chain, with more provisions on extraction and transportation compared to captive management. Notably, animal welfare considerations are relatively underrepresented in legislation related to wildlife trade, despite their broad implications for public health and economies. Urgent legislative action is needed to meet global biodiversity targets and respond to the challenges posed by the growing scale and complexity of the wildlife trade. Recommendations are made to streamline legislation, consider the legal status of wild animals, and address gaps in enforcement mechanisms. We conclude that alignment of national and international regulations is crucial for the effective protection of both wild animal populations and individual animals\' welfare in the context of commercial trade. Further research is needed to assess the effectiveness of existing laws, bridge legal gaps, and address diverse concerns related to wildlife trade, including public health and the rights of local communities.

Fierce international debates rage over whether trophy hunting is socially acceptable, especially when people from the Global North hunt well-known animals in sub-Saharan Africa. We used an online vignette experiment to investigate public perceptions of the acceptability of trophy hunting in sub-Saharan Africa among people who live in urban areas of the USA, UK and South Africa. Acceptability depended on specific attributes of different hunts as well as participants\' characteristics. Zebra hunts were more acceptable than elephant hunts, hunts that would provide meat to local people were more acceptable than hunts in which meat would be left for wildlife, and hunts in which revenues would support wildlife conservation were more acceptable than hunts in which revenues would support either economic development or hunting enterprises. Acceptability was generally lower among participants from the UK and those who more strongly identified as an animal protectionist, but higher among participants with more formal education, who more strongly identified as a hunter, or who would more strongly prioritize people over wild animals. Overall, acceptability was higher when hunts would produce tangible benefits for local people, suggesting that members of three urban publics adopt more pragmatic positions than are typically evident in polarized international debates.

Our representative studies to achieve sustainable use of crude drugs and ensure their stable quality are introduced: comprehensive studies on genetic, chemical, and sometimes pharmacological diversity of Asian medicinal plants including Paeonia lactiflora, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Ephedra spp., Saposhnikovia divaricata, and Curcuma spp., as well as their related crude drugs. (1) For peony root, after genetic and chemical diversity analysis of crude drug samples including white and red peony root in China, the value-added resources with quality similar to red peony root were explored among 61 horticultural P. lactiflora varieties, and two varieties were identified. In addition, an optimized post-harvest processing method, which resulted in high contents of the main active components in the produced root, was developed to promote cultivation and production of brand peony root. (2) Alternative resources of glycyrrhiza, ephedra herb and saposhnikovia root and rhizome of Japanese Pharmacopoeia grade were discovered in eastern Mongolia after field investigation and quality assessment comparing Mongolian plants with Chinese crude drugs. Simultaneously, suitable specimens and prospective regions for cultivation were proposed. (3) Because of the wide distribution and morphological similarities of Curcuma species, classification of some species is debated, which leads to confusion in the use of Curcuma crude drugs. Molecular analyses of the intron length polymorphism (ILP) markers in genes encoding diketide-CoA synthase (DCS) and curcumin synthase (CURS) and trnK sequences, combined with essential oils analysis, were demonstrated as useful for standardization of Curcuma crude drugs. The above studies, representing various facets, can be applied to other crude drugs.

Yellow mombin (Spondias mombin) and Brazil plum (Spondias tuberosa) seeds are byproducts of exploiting their pulp and currently have no relevant food or industrial applications. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical, technological, and functional characteristics of flours obtained from yellow mombin (YMF) and Brazil plum (BPF) residues. The flours presented a high percentage of insoluble fiber (68.8-70.2 g/100 g) and low carbohydrate (2.7-4.0 g/100 g) and caloric (91.9-95.3 kcal) values. The flours showed potential for technological application. In addition, the highest concentration of total phenolic content (31.1-50.2 mg GAE/g) was obtained with 70% acetone, which provided excellent results for antioxidant capacity evaluated by 2,2\'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (81.0%-89.7%) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (60.6%-69.1%) radical scavenging capacity assays. Flour extracts in 70% acetone also exhibited inhibition of α-amylase (63.3%-78.8%) and amyloglucosidase (63.5%-71.0%). The antibacterial study revealed that extracts inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, Burkholderia cepacia, and Burkholderia multivorans. Therefore, this study suggests the use of yellow mombin and Brazil plum residues for different food or industrial applications. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The knowledge gained from this study will open a new approach to add value to yellow mombin and Brazil plum fruit seeds as sources of fiber and bioactive compounds, with promising application in the formulation of functional and nutraceutical products, benefiting both a sustainable environment and a sustainable industry.

While the importance of interdisciplinary approaches is increasingly recognised in conservation, bridging knowledge systems across scales remains a fundamental challenge. Focusing on the Important Plant Areas (IPA) approach, we evaluate how complementing scientific and local knowledge can better inform the conservation of useful plants in Colombia. We worked in three municipalities to investigate knowledge on useful plant richness, species composition and use types, as well as perceptions on area-based plant conservation approaches. Participatory focus groups and ethnobotanical walks-in-the-woods were undertaken with local communities, while scientific data were represented by occurrence records from global data aggregators and digitised collections. A total of 1190 species with human uses were reported. Combining knowledge systems provided the richest understanding of useful plants but the relative contribution of each system varied between study areas, influenced by the history of scientific studies, socio-ecological context and study design. Meanwhile, local perceptions of how conservation areas should be selected differed from global IPA criteria. These results show that working with local communities can improve biological understanding for spatial conservation planning. Additionally, participatory approaches must move beyond community-based conservation and data collection, to inform the design of global conservation programmes.
RESULTS: Si bien la importancia de los enfoques interdisciplinarios se reconoce cada vez más en la conservación, articular los sistemas de conocimiento a través de sus escalas sigue siendo un desafío fundamental. Centrándonos en el enfoque de Áreas Importantes para Plantas (AIP), evaluamos cómo la integración entre conocimiento científico y local puede mejorar la información para la conservación de las plantas útiles en Colombia. Trabajamos en tres municipios para investigar el conocimiento sobre la riqueza de plantas útiles, la composición de especies y los tipos de uso, así como las percepciones sobre los enfoques de conservación de plantas basados en áreas. Se llevaron a cabo grupos de enfoque participativos y caminatas etnobotánicas en el bosque con las comunidades, mientras que los datos científicos se representaron mediante registros de ocurrencia de agregadores de datos globales y colecciones digitalizadas. En total se reportaron 1.190 especies con usos humanos. La combinación de sistemas de conocimiento proporcionó la comprensión más rica de las plantas útiles, pero la contribución relativa de cada sistema varió entre las áreas de estudio, influenciada por la historia de los estudios científicos, el contexto socioecológico y el diseño del estudio. Por otra parte, las percepciones locales sobre cómo se deben seleccionar las áreas de conservación difirieron de los criterios globales de las AIP. Estos resultados muestran que trabajar con las comunidades locales puede mejorar la comprensión biológica para la planificación de la conservación espacial. Además, los enfoques participativos deben ir más allá de la recopilación de datos y la conservación basada en la comunidad, para instruir el diseño de programas de conservación global.

The giant reed (Arundo donax) is a fast-growing plant adapted to different climatic and soil conditions; although its origin is Asian, the species has spread throughout the world. During its development, it consumes three times more water than typical native vegetation and is responsible for changing the landscape of riparian areas; the high biomass productivity and the annual harvest period make this crop an alternative to produce and/or extract industrial bioproducts. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of using giant reed in a bioprocess that produces enzymes by a solid-state fermentation experiment, four fungal species were tested (Aspergillus niger GH1, Aspergillus niger PSH, Trichoderma harzianum, and Rhizopus oryzae); enzyme activities were performed using reported methodologies varying only reaction volumes. The A. niger GH1 and PSH strains were the best adapted to the plant material, A. niger GH1 was capable to produce 4 of the 5 evaluated enzymes (cellulase-endoglucanase (174.39 ± 19.62 U/L), xylanase (1313.31 ± 39.25 U/L), invertase (642.22 ± 23.55 U/L), and polyphenol oxidase (6094.01 ± 306.54) while A. niger PSH was able to produce 3 of the 5 evaluated enzymes (cellulase-endoglucanase (147.09 ± 13.88 U/L), xylanase (1307.76 ± 31.40 U/L), and invertase (603.92 ± 3.14 U/L).

The sustainable use of baby disposable diapers is one of the issues currently being discussed to reduce the undesirable impact on the environment and improve the public\'s understanding of the proper use of diapers. This issue is a step toward promoting a cleaner, greener, and waste-less environment. In this article, the authors discuss options for a viable future for both people and the planet. We believe that it inspire others in the field of sustainable use of diapers as well as future education in this area. In addition, we believe that it will be a motivation for a researchers working in industry to be focused on the production of new, biodegradable baby diapers as well as on recycling baby diapers waste (for example as composite material for a structural and architectural component of the building).