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International cooperation, including through international legal instruments, appears important for the conservation of large carnivores worldwide. This is due to, inter alia, the worrying conservation status and population trends of many large carnivore species; the importance of large carnivores for biodiversity conservation at large; their occurrence at low densities, with many populations extending across various countries; and the international nature of particular threats. For the 31 heaviest species in the order Carnivora, this study (i) documents to what extent existing international legal instruments contribute to large carnivore conservation, and (ii) identifies ways of optimizing their contribution in this regard. From this dual perspective, it reviews all global wildlife conservation treaties—Ramsar Wetlands Convention, World Heritage Convention, Convention on Trade in Endangered Species, Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)—and selected regional instruments, using standard international law research methodology. Results indicate that a substantial body of relevant international law already exists, whereas simultaneously there is clear potential for enhancing the contribution of international law to large carnivore conservation. Avenues for pursuing this include promotion of instruments’ effective implementation; clarification of their precise implications for large carnivore conservation; development of formal guidance; expansion of instruments’ scope in terms of species, sites and countries; and creation of new instruments. The CMS and CBD hold particular potential in some of these respects. The experiences being gained under European legal instruments constitute an interesting ‘laboratory’ regarding human coexistence with expanding large carnivore populations and transboundary cooperation at the (sub)population level.

Free‐ranging domestic cats Felis catus, from owned pets to feral cats, impact biodiversity through predation, fear effects, competition, disease and hybridization. Scientific knowledge regarding these impacts has recently increased, making it timely to assess the role of nature conservation legislation in this connection. We do so with particular regard to the obligations of governments around the world under international wildlife law. First, we provide an overview of current knowledge, based on a literature review, concerning the ways in which domestic cats impact wildlife; the resulting effects on native species’ populations and ecosystems; and available strategies for addressing these issues. In light of this knowledge, using standard legal research methodology, we then identify and interpret relevant legal instruments, with a particular focus on international wildlife treaties. Lastly, we identify and assess factors that may influence the implementation of relevant obligations. The outcomes of this analysis indicate that numerous legal obligations of relevance to free‐ranging domestic cats already apply under global treaties such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on Migratory Species and World Heritage Convention, and a range of regional legal instruments for biodiversity conservation. Of particular significance are obligations concerning (a) invasive alien species; (b) protected areas and (c) protected species. Many national authorities around the world are currently required, under international law, to adopt and implement policies aimed at preventing, reducing or eliminating the biodiversity impacts of free‐ranging domestic cats, in particular by (a) removing feral and other unowned cats from the landscape to the greatest extent possible and (b) restricting the outdoor access of owned cats. Factors that can influence or impair the application of these obligations include considerations of feasibility, scientific uncertainty, the interests of cat owners and the (perceived) interests of domestic cats themselves. Even if such factors may to some extent explain why many authorities have hitherto failed to take effective action to address the threats posed by free‐ranging domestic cats, from a legal perspective these factors provide little ground for justifying non‐compliance with international wildlife law. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. Resumen en español Los gatos domésticos y su impacto en la biodiversidad: un punto débil en la aplicación del derecho de conservación de la naturaleza Los gatos domésticos Felis catus en el exterior, ya se trate de las mascotas o de los gatos asilvestrados, afectan a la biodiversidad a través de la depredación, perturbación, competición, enfermedades e hibridación. El conocimiento científico con respecto a estos impactos ha aumentado recientemente, lo que hace oportuno evaluar el papel de la legislación de la protección ambiental al respecto. Hacemos esto prestando particular atención a los acuerdos internacionales sobre la conservación de la fauna y flora silvestres. En primer lugar, basándonos en una revisión de la bibliografía existente, ofrecemos una visión general de los conocimientos actuales, respecto a las formas en las que los gatos domésticos repercuten en la naturaleza; los efectos resultantes en las poblaciones de especies autóctonas y ecosistemas; y estrategias disponibles para abordar estas cuestiones. En segundo lugar, a la vista de estos conocimientos, y utilizando la metodología de investigación jurídica estándar, identificamos e interpretamos los instrumentos legales relevantes, enfocándonos particularmente en los tratados internacionales sobre la conservación de la naturaleza. Finalmente, identificamos y analizamos los factores que puedan influir en la implementación de las obligaciones relevantes. Los resultados de este análisis indican que numerosas obligaciones legales de importancia en cuanto a los gatos domésticos en el exterior ya son aplicables bajo tratados globales tales como el Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica, el Convenio sobre las Especies Migratorias y el Convenio sobre el Patrimonio Mundial, y una amplia gama de instrumentos legales regionales para la conservación de la naturaleza. Son de particular importancia las obligaciones que conciernen a (i) especies exóticas invasoras; (ii) áreas protegidas; y (iii) especies protegidas. Muchas autoridades nacionales alrededor del mundo están actualmente obligadas, bajo el derecho internacional, a adoptar e implementar medidas destinadas a la prevención, reducción o eliminación de los impactos que los gatos domésticos causan a la biodiversidad, en particular mediante (i) la eliminación del entorno de los gatos asilvestrados y otros gatos sin dueño en la mayor medida posible y (ii) la restricción del acceso al exterior de los gatos con dueño. La aplicación de estas obligaciones puede verse afectada o perjudicada por distintos factores, entre los cuales se incluyen consideraciones de viabilidad, incertidumbre científica, los intereses de los dueños de los gatos, y los intereses (actuales o percibidos) de los gatos mismos. Aunque tales factores puedan explicar en cierta medida por qué muchas autoridades hasta ahora no han tomado medidas efectivas para hacer frente a las amenazas que plantean los gatos domésticos para la biodiversidad, desde una perspectiva legal estos factores generalmente no justifican el incumplimiento de la vigente legislación de la fauna y flora silvestres. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Large wild herbivore species are important to ecosystems and human societies, but many of them are threatened and in decline. International wildlife treaties have a role to play in arresting and reversing these declines. This paper provides a global overview and analysis of relevant legal instruments and their roles regarding the conservation of the 73 largest terrestrial herbivores, i.e., those with a body mass of ≥ 100 kg. Outcomes reveal both significant positive contributions and shortcomings of the Ramsar Wetlands Convention, the World Heritage Convention, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the Convention on Migratory Species and its subsidiary instruments, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and a range of regional and bilateral treaties. Maximizing the potential of these treaties, and attaining their objectives regarding the conservation and restoration of large herbivores, requires substantial increases in funding and political will. Even before such game-changing increases occur, however, it remains worthwhile to seek and use the many opportunities that exist within the current international legal framework for enhancing the conservation of the world’s largest herbivores.

Highly migratory species (e.g. sharks, tunas, turtles, cetaceans) present unique conservation management challenges due to their wide-ranging movements. Consequently, the extent to which management areas protect habitats for highly migratory species is often unknown. Within the southeast region of the USA’s exclusive economic zone, highly migratory sharks are target and/or bycatch species in pelagic and bottom longline fisheries. Here, we developed maximum entropy habitat suitability models for great hammerhead sharks Sphyrna mokarran, tiger sharks Galeocerdo cuvier, and bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas within the southeast region based on satellite tag (n = 96) and remotely sensed environmental data. Modeled highly suitable habitats were compared to longline gear management areas to determine what proportion of these habitats are protected from, and vulnerable to, longline fisheries. The percentages of highly suitable habitats overlapping with longline management areas varied by species and season (78% warm, 36% cool season for great hammerhead sharks; 48% warm, 79% cool for tiger sharks; and 2% warm, 100% cool for bull sharks). Highly suitable great hammerhead and tiger shark habitats were relatively well protected from pelagic longline fisheries yet vulnerable to bottom longline fisheries. Additionally, both species were vulnerable to pelagic and bottom longline fisheries off southwestern Florida; thus, extending gear restrictions to this area may benefit both species. Bull shark highly suitable habitats were only well protected from longline gear during the cool season. These results demonstrate how habitat suitability modeling can be used to help assess the efficacy of spatial management strategies and inform conservation plans for highly migratory species.

Wetlands, globally, face significant threats from human activities, and waterbirds, as key indicators of wetland health, are essential to maintaining ecological balance. Any long-term conservation measures should prioritize coordinated habitat preservation, wetland restoration, and sustainable management practices involving local communities. Monitoring and analyzing waterbird population trends are critical for understanding restoration, conservation, and management practices. The present study was carried out in five bird sanctuaries Chitrangudi, Kanjirankulam (Ramsar sites), Therthangal, Sakkarakottai, and Mel-Kel Selvanoor of Tamil Nadu, Southeast coast of India, over one year (April 2022 to March 2023). Monthly surveys using direct and block methods, with additional fortnightly visits during the breeding season, were conducted from vantage points to record species diversity, nesting activity, and conservation threats. Assessments of the residential status, national status (SOIB), and Convention for Migratory species (CMS) status were done along with the alpha and beta biodiversity profiles, principal component analysis, Pearson correlation and other statistical methods performed to assess breeding waterbirds community structure. Threats to the breeding waterbirds were categorised into high, medium, and low impacts based on degree of severity and irreversibility. The avifaunal checklist revealed a diversity of waterbird species utilizing the sanctuaries for breeding. Notable findings include two Near-Threatened species like, Asian Woolly-necked Stork and Spot-billed Pelican , where Asian Woolly-necked Stork recorded only in Therthangal Bird Sanctuary. Avifauna of each sanctuary with breeding waterbirds in parenthesis is as follows: Chitragundi 122 (13); Mel-Kel Selvanoor 117 (19); Therthangal 96 (23); Sakkarakottai 116 (17) and Kanjirankulam 123 (14). The breeding activity (incubation in nests) was from November to February except for Glossy Ibis and Oriental Darter whose breeding started in December; Spot-billed Duck and Knob-billed Duck breed only during January and February. Among the 131 species recorded from all the sanctuaries, 78% were resident birds; 27% were breeding waterbirds, and 21% were Winter visitors. The SOIB and CMS statuses underscore the necessity of implementing effective conservation measures to protect breeding habitats amid anthropogenic pressures. Water unavailability and nest tree unavailability in the sanctuaries are found to be the high degree threats to breeding waterbirds than others. This research provides critical baseline data for the forest department's future wetland management plans.

This review documents the current state of knowledge and gaps therein, as determined through a survey of published research on relevant topics, regarding the potential impacts of offshore oil production platforms (OPP) on the biology of highly migratory fish species (HMS) which include tunas, swordfish, billfishes, and oceanic sharks. There is a limited amount of published research directly related to HMS and OPPs. This may be due to the relatively recent offshore expansion of the industry and of studies. Most studies have focused on structure-associated species such as rockfishes and snappers. Within the U.S. exclusive economic zone, the most probable areas of interaction between HMS and OPPs occur in the Gulf of Mexico. This report focuses primarily upon this region, while noting that HMS roam the majority of the world’s oceans and may interact with petroleum infrastructure in many other locations. With such large stock boundaries it is unlikely that HMS interactions with OPPs will have a significant impact at the stock level, however, there could be impacts at local or regional levels.

Large carnivores have extensive spatial requirements, with ranges that often span geopolitical borders. Consequently, management of transboundary populations is subject to several political jurisdictions, often with heterogeneity in conservation challenges. In continental Asia there are four threatened leopard subspecies with transboundary populations spanning 23 countries: the Persian Panthera pardus saxicolor, Indochinese P. pardus delacouri, Arabian P. pardus nimr and Amur P. pardus orientalis leopards. We reviewed the status of these subspecies and examined the challenges to, and opportunities for, their conservation. The Amur and Indochinese leopards have the majority (58–100%) of their remaining range in borderlands, and the Persian and Arabian leopards have 23–26% of their remaining ranges in borderlands. Overall, in 18 of 23 countries the majority of the remaining leopard range is in borderlands, and thus in most countries conservation of these subspecies is dependent on transboundary collaboration. However, we found only two transboundary initiatives for Asian leopards. Overall, we highlighted three key transboundary landscapes in regions that are of high importance for the survival of these subspecies. Recent listing of the leopard in the Bonn Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals is important, but more international collaboration is needed to conserve these subspecies. We provide a spatial framework with which range countries and international agencies could establish transboundary cooperation for conserving threatened leopards in Asia.

Understanding the basic life history patterns of highly migratory species is important for effective management. For sea turtles, evidence of developmental biogeography and discrete life stage residency provides key information for understanding resource use and population threats and defining conservation priorities. Resolving gaps in these knowledge areas is not straightforward, however. Inaccessible habitats, low survivorship, late maturity ages, and technology limitations all complicate monitoring individuals continuously throughout their life span. Here, we expand on previous studies and document a near-complete tissue record in the ultimate posterior marginal scutes of hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) carapace. Stable isotope analysis (SIA) of ventral scute surfaces reveals differences between three geographically isolated populations in the Pacific and Atlantic basins. Additionally, sequential sampling and SIA along growth line contours of sectioned scutes reveals developmental movements. Perhaps surprisingly, no clear or general patterns emerge. Bivariate isotope data (stable carbon, δ13C, and nitrogen δ15N) indicate that only one of six Central Pacific hawksbills showed a distinct ontogenetic shift. And while all three Western Pacific individuals showed evidence of ontogenetic shifts, these individuals had three unique patterns. We summarize regional stable isotope values for common hawksbill foraging items, discuss drivers of regional nitrogen structure, and make recommendations for future study.

Albacore (Thunnus alalunga) support an economically valuable global fishery, but surprisingly little is known about the population structure of this highly migratory species. Physical tagging data suggest that Albacore from the North and South Pacific Ocean are separate stocks, but results from previous genetic studies did not support this two stock hypothesis. In addition, observed biological differences among juveniles suggest that there may be population substructure in the North Pacific. We used double‐digest restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing to assess population structure among 308 Albacore caught in 12 sample areas across the Pacific Ocean (10 North, 2 South). Since Albacore are highly migratory and spawning areas are unknown, sample groups were not assumed to be equivalent to populations and the genetic data were analyzed iteratively. We tested for putatively adaptive differences among groups and for genetic variation associated with sex. Results indicated that Albacore in the North and South Pacific can be distinguished using 84 putatively adaptive loci, but not using the remaining 12,788 presumed neutral sites. However, two individuals likely represent F1 hybrids between the North and South Pacific populations, and 43 Albacore potentially exhibit lower degrees of mixed ancestry. In addition, four or five cross‐hemisphere migrants were potentially identified. No genetic evidence was found for population substructure within the North Pacific, and no loci appeared to distinguish males from females. Potential functions for the putatively adaptive loci were identified, but an annotated Albacore genome is required for further exploration. Future research should try to locate spawning areas so that life history, demography, and genetic population structure can be linked and spatiotemporal patterns can be investigated.

Dynamic ocean management (DOM) is a critical approach for protecting highly migratory species amid environmental variability and change. We conducted an adapted systematic review to assess how animal movement and environmental data are used in DOM applications, identifying key data traits, barriers, and research priorities. Animal tag data inform initial assessments of species distributions, development of habitat models, near real‐time model inputs, and iterative model evaluation for dynamic management. In documented examples, effective translation of scientific insights into dynamic management products has resulted from early communication between researchers and stakeholders, integration of environmental and fisheries‐dependent data into advanced habitat modeling approaches, and reformatting of outputs for interdisciplinary needs. However, challenges persist around data gaps, science‐policy translation, and technical capacity limitations. Our findings highlight the importance of intentional, collaborative data collection, translation, and sharing to enable dynamic, climate‐resilient management of migratory species. We demonstrate DOM's adaptability and provide guidance for researchers and practitioners to contribute and use impactful data that informs responsive management decision‐making. We identify dynamic ocean management data needs and barriers, offering guidance for collaborative, climate‐resilient conservation efforts.