An ideological divide between commodification and wildlife protection continues to undermine efficient and effective conservation in Southern Africa. This Perspective challenges the ‘either–or’ debate, arguing that it creates a governance impasse that is detrimental to the region. Drawing on the Madikwe elephant crisis and the UK’s trophy ban proposal, this analysis traces the roots of this tension to colonial doctrines and current conflicts in international environmental law. Revenue-driven conservation becomes ecologically precarious when financial incentives misalign with biodiversity goals. Conversely, externally imposed protectionist mandates, often rooted in Western ethical sensibilities, systematically undermine community-based conservation by severing vital funding and disregarding local realities. The resolution lies in championing adaptive, hybrid governance models, as exemplified by Namibia’s communal conservancies. Multilateral frameworks, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), must shift towards performance-based, differentiated regulation. Further recommendations include robust sustainable-use certification to bridge consumer and range-state interests, as well as strengthened community tenure and benefit-sharing. Ultimately, conservation success hinges on integrating economic viability, ecological integrity and social equity, reconciling global policy with local realities.

Tropical dry forests (TDFs), which comprise 40% of tropical forests and are most widespread in the Neotropics, remain under-researched. TDFs support high biodiversity and are inhabited by many Indigenous communities, making their degradation a critical socio-environmental problem, yet local drivers of deforestation are overlooked. Mexico holds the largest extent of TDFs, yet these ecosystems face high levels of disturbance and limited protection. This study models the impacts of global environmental change on a TDF in southern Mexico, focusing on land-cover dynamics, biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people. We applied spatially explicit land-cover modelling under three long-term scenarios (Optimistic, Business as Usual and Pessimistic) based on varying rates of change, climate and socioeconomic conditions. Drivers were dynamically updated to reflect plausible trajectories. By overlaying land cover with species distribution data, we identified farming expansion as the primary threat to 35 endemic vertebrate species, 27 of which face a high risk of extinction. This biodiversity loss compromises ecosystem functioning and weakens the resilience of local communities. We recommend integrating conservation with Indigenous participation in sustainable land-use practices, aligned with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to halt species extinction and conserve ecosystems.

Persistent funding shortfalls undermine protected areas (PAs) worldwide, yet few studies analyse these patterns across space and time. We examined funding deficits in 300 Brazilian federal PAs from 2014 to 2023 using spatial Durbin error models. Deficits were measured as the gap between evidence-based minimum management costs and actual spending. We analysed how PA age, size, management group, ecological region, population density and per capita GDP predict deficits, decomposing socioeconomic effects into direct and spillover components. In 2023, 72% of the PAs faced deficits totalling 958 million international dollars, despite a 30% investment increase over the decade. Larger PAs had greater shortfalls; older PAs had smaller ones. Amazon PAs averaged 79.2% deficits versus 27.6% in the Atlantic Forest. No significant difference emerged between management types. Higher population density predicted lower deficits, probably reflecting greater political visibility near urban centres. No direct local GDP effect was detected, but spillovers from neighbouring high-income regions suggest regional prosperity influences PA funding through spatial networks. Funding deteriorated in 2020–2021 amid fiscal contractions and policy shifts, then recovered in 2022–2023. These findings reveal deep structural inequities, particularly in the Amazon, highlighting the need for transparent national PA financing systems.

Industrial development is rapidly altering ecosystems, with consequences for species that are culturally and ecologically important. Indigenous researchers with Swan River First Nation (SRFN) co-produced this research with Western scientists to examine how landscape change influences mammals within their traditional territory in the boreal foothills of Alberta (Canada). Community-identified concerns about declining mammal populations guided the study’s objectives, spatial focus and hypotheses and informed interpretation of the results. Using remote camera traps, we modelled species-specific responses to natural and anthropogenic landscape features. We applied generalized linear models to evaluate competing hypotheses for species occurrence–disturbance relationships. While some species–disturbance relationships matched community observations and patterns from neighbouring regions, others differed. Notably, and consistent with SRFN observations, moose (Alces alces) occurrence declined with increasing road and seismic line density, probably overriding positive effects of patch features. Integrating Indigenous knowledge with the study design and interpretation clarified potential mechanisms underlying declines and strengthened inference for management. These findings demonstrate the value of braiding Indigenous knowledge with ecological data to support conservation and management in rapidly changing landscapes.

Protected areas usually have conservation regulations designed to minimize physical disturbances, yet wildlife within them remains vulnerable to external factors such as noise pollution. We assessed transportation noise in over 2400 protected areas across Norway – Europe’s second least populated country – by overlaying protected area maps with publicly available noise zone data modelled down to 50 dB for Lden (day–evening–night) and Lnight. Road traffic was the dominant noise source. As wildlife can be affected at levels below 50 dB and by short bursts of high noise, we also examined road noise modelled down to 40 dB in two national parks and 15 smaller protected areas, and we conducted field measurements at a Ramsar site to capture peak noise events. Road noise at Lden ≥50 dB impacted 176 (7.1%) areas, increasing to 229 (9.2%) areas when multiple sources were considered; 126 (5.1%) areas were exposed to Lnight road noise. Smaller protected areas were more exposed. Including noise down to 40 dB raised the average affected area from 39.6%/18.6% to 56.6%/45.0% for Lden/Lnight. Field data revealed frequent peak noise events exceeding 80 dB, even at night. We recommend ecologically sensitive noise mapping using lower thresholds and consideration of frequencies inaudible to humans to better inform conservation planning.

Wetland conservation increasingly requires integrated social science approaches, linking environmental education, participatory governance and behaviour change. To address illegal hunting of migratory and rare bird species in northern Iran’s Sorkhrud Wetland, we applied a three-layered intervention model integrating environmental education, social network analysis (SNA) and conservation behaviour change theory. These three layers examined individual cognitive–motivational empowerment, network-level communication and collaboration with collective behavioural outcomes. SNA was conducted before and after the educational intervention to assess shifts in participatory relationships, while principal component analysis evaluated changes in awareness and communication. The intervention between 2022 and 2023 combined semi-structured interviews and participatory workshops with diverse stakeholders (n = 44), including officials, non-governmental organizations, activists, hunters and academics. The results showed increased network density (from 0.22 to 0.55) and reduced centrality (from 0.51 to 0.34), indicating a more inclusive, socially grounded structure. Mediating actors gained influence in raising public awareness of wetland values. This framework demonstrates transferability to other wetlands and natural resources, while the Sorkhrud case provides empirical context. Integrating education-based interventions with network analysis offers internationally relevant insights into participatory conservation strategies. Practically, the framework enhances collaboration and awareness, guiding replication in similar settings.

In spite of contributing to social, economic and cultural well-being, wetlands in the Indian Himalayan Region have seen rapid degradation due to unplanned anthropogenic activities. We analysed spatiotemporal wetland dynamics in Srinagar (1991–2031) using remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems. The future land cover for 2031 was projected using an artificial neural network–multi-layer perceptron and cellular automata model. Change detection in the open water area of Dal Lake and its 2-km peri-lacustrine zone was conducted to identify land-cover transition patterns. Furthermore, wetland landscape pattern changes were quantified using landscape metrics to assess fragmentation and spatial configuration over time. The results reveal that, from 1991 to 2021, wetlands decreased from 16.12 to 7.2 km2, with the open surface water area of Dal Lake and its 2-km peri-lacustrine zone declining from 9.77 to 6.39 km2. The land cover projected for 2031 indicates that the total wetland area may decrease to 5.62 km2. Landscape metrics indicated increasing fragmentation and decreasing contiguity among wetland patches, as revealed by fluctuating shape complexity and aggregation, primarily due to conversions to agricultural land, fallow land and built-up areas.

Tropical forests provide essential ecosystem services (ESs) that sustain local livelihoods, yet rural Amazonian communities – among those most dependent on these services – remain under-represented in empirical valuation studies, limiting the integration of local conservation values into policy design. This study addresses this gap by estimating the willingness to pay (WTP) for ES conservation and the relative economic effort (WTP/income ratio) in two rural communities of the Peruvian Amazon: San Joaquín de Omaguas and Santa Clara de Nanay. Using a dichotomous contingent valuation format, 481 households were surveyed in 2024, and WTP was estimated through logit models following National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) guidelines. The results indicate an average WTP of PEN 3.076 (USD 0.86) per month – equivalent to 0.50% of income – representing a higher relative effort than is typically reported in high-income countries and consistent with the lower bound of values observed in low-income settings. Education, household size and local origin increased WTP, whereas income showed a negative association. These findings align with international evidence showing that education and social-relational values rather than income are the key drivers of WTP in low-income contexts. Despite these efforts, aggregate local contributions would be insufficient to finance conservation actions. Therefore, context-sensitive financial mechanisms – such as community environmental funds, differentiated contribution schemes and external co-financing – are needed to ensure equity and sustainability. This study contributes original empirical evidence from low-income Amazonian communities and highlights the relevance of the WTP/income ratio as a comparative indicator to inform equitable and transparent conservation finance.