The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly modified Earth’s social-ecological systems in many ways; here we study its impacts on human-nature interactions. We conducted an online survey focused on peoples’ relationships with the non-human world during the pandemic and received valid responses from 3,204 adult residents of the state of Vermont (U.S.A.). We analyzed reported changes in outdoor activities and the values associated with human-nature relationships across geographic areas and demographic characteristics. We find that participation increased on average for some activities (foraging, gardening, hiking, jogging, photography and other art, relaxing alone, walking, and watching wildlife), and decreased for others (camping, relaxing with others). The values respondents ranked as more important during the pandemic factored into two groups, which we label as “Nurture and Recreation values” and “Inspiration and Nourishment values.” Using multinomial logistic regression, we found that respondents’ preferences for changes in activity engagement and value factors are statistically associated with some demographic characteristics, including geography, gender, income, and employment status during the pandemic. Our results suggest that nature may play an important role in coping during times of crisis, but that the specific interactions and associated values that people perceive as most important may vary between populations. Our findings emphasize for both emergency and natural resources planning the importance of understanding variation in how and why people interact with and benefit from nature during crises.
Cultural ecosystem services (CES) are some of the most difficult ecosystem services (ES) to characterize and connect to specific ecosystem processes. Given their connections to human emotion, deep meaning, fulfilment and motivation, they are also crucial for human well‐being. Scholars have published hundreds of peer‐reviewed articles addressing CES in myriad ways. In this systematic review, we analyse 232 peer‐reviewed articles on CES and examine how these studies discuss the interaction between CES research and decision‐making. We describe the primary ways that scholars have addressed the relationship between CES and decision‐making, and we characterize each study with respect to how thoroughly its authors attend to the possible applications of their results. We find that 27% of papers discuss connections to decision‐making in general terms, 28% discuss specific connections to decision‐making, and the remainder mention decision‐making links briefly or not at all. We also discuss patterns based on the particular CES studied (e.g. recreation, identity); methods used; change through time; and geographical location of authors and of study sites. We end with reflections on the current state of the interface between CES (and related concepts for approaching the non‐material values associated with ecosystems) and decision‐making, and we discuss future steps to increase connections between CES and decision‐making. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Non-indigenous crayfish pose substantial threats to native species, community structure, and ecosystem function in invaded lakes across the globe. The well-documented range expansion of the rusty crayfish Orconectes rusiicus is an ideal system to study potential relationships between the attributes that contribute to invasive success, and the ways in which non-indigenous species alter invaded systems. In Michigan and northern Wisconsin (U.S.A.) lakes where O. rusiicus is replacing its native congener O. viriiis, it is thought that O. rusticus invasion may account for decreased fish abundance. However, not all of the potential mechanisms that could drive this process have been explored. We examined the hypothesis that O. rusticus are better benthic egg predators than O. viriiis, and tested the prediction that O. rusticus would consume substrate bound fish eggs at a higher rate than its native congener. Support for this hypothesis would suggest that O. rusticus may he able to access a high-energy food source better than O. viriiis, and exert prédation pressures that could limit the abundance of fish species which might otherwise limit crayfish populations through top-down control. In laboratory experiments, we determined that O. rusticus exhibit a positive correlation between feeding rate and carapace length not displayed by O. viriiis, and that larger O. rusticus feed at a higher rate than their native congener. We also found that O. rusticus in laboratory feeding trials engaged in longer feeding events than crayfish foraging in situ in a substrate-spawning fish nest, a factor which could give O. rusticus an advantage in resource competition with its native congener O. viriiis. Collectively, these findings support the hypothesis that 0. rusticus is a better predator of substrate bound fish eggs than O. viriiis, and suggest that direct prédation by crayfish may influence fish reproduction in lakes where O. rusticus replaces O. viriiis. RÉSUMÉLes écrevisses non indigènes représentent un danger substantiel pour les espèces natives, la structure des communautés, et le fonctionnement de l'écosystème dans les lacs envahis autour dû ) globe. L'extension de i'écrevisse Orconectes rusticus bien documentée est un système idéal pour étudier les possibles interrelations entre les paramètres qui contribuent à leur succès invasif, et la manière dont les espèces non indigènes altèrent les systèmes envahis. Dans les lacs du Michigan et du nord du Wisconsin (U.S.A.) où 0. rusiicus remplace sa congénère native O. virilis, on pense que l'invasion par 0. rusticus pourrait expliquer la décroissance de l'abondance de poissons. Cependant, tous les mécanismes potentiels qui pourraient intervenir dans ce processus n'ont pas été explorés. Nous avons examiné l'hypothèse que 0. rusiicus est un meilleur prédateur benthique que O.virilis, et nous avons testé la prédiction que 0. rusticus consumerait le substrat auquel s'attachent les oeufs de poissons à un taux plus élevé que sa congénère native. Le support de cette hypothèse suggérerait que O...
Highlights Fourteen early-career specialists (ECS) share their perspectives on engagement. Challenges in engaging people in ES could limit the influx of new talent. ECS possess perspectives and skills valuable to broadening the reach of ES. Recommendations provide actionable steps for increasing meaningful engagement.
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