With the continuous growth of internet usage, Google Trends has emerged as a source of information to investigate how social trends evolve over time. Knowing how the level of interest in conservation topics—approximated using Google search volume—varies over time can help support targeted conservation science communication. However, the evolution of search volume over time and the mechanisms that drive peaks in searches are poorly understood. We conducted time series analyses on Google search data from 2004 to 2013 to investigate: (i) whether interests in selected conservation topics have declined and (ii) the effect of news reporting and academic publishing on search volume. Although trends were sensitive to the term used as benchmark, we did not find that public interest towards conservation topics such as climate change, ecosystem services, deforestation, orangutan, invasive species and habitat loss was declining. We found, however, a robust downward trend for endangered species and an upward trend for ecosystem services. The quantity of news articles was related to patterns in Google search volume, whereas the number of research articles was not a good predictor but lagged behind Google search volume, indicating the role of news in the transfer of conservation science to the public.

Harmful non-indigenous species (NIS) impose great economic and environmental impacts globally, but little is known about their impacts in Southeast Asia. Lack of knowledge of the magnitude of the problem hinders the allocation of appropriate resources for NIS prevention and management. We used benefit-cost analysis embedded in a Monte-Carlo simulation model and analysed economic and environmental impacts of NIS in the region to estimate the total burden of NIS in Southeast Asia. The total annual loss caused by NIS to agriculture, human health and the environment in Southeast Asia is estimated to be US$33.5 billion (5th and 95th percentile US$25.8–39.8 billion). Losses and costs to the agricultural sector are estimated to be nearly 90% of the total (US$23.4–33.9 billion), while the annual costs associated with human health and the environment are US$1.85 billion (US$1.4–2.5 billion) and US$2.1 billion (US$0.9–3.3 billion), respectively, although these estimates are based on conservative assumptions. We demonstrate that the economic and environmental impacts of NIS in low and middle-income regions can be considerable and that further measures, such as the adoption of regional risk assessment protocols to inform decisions on prevention and control of NIS in Southeast Asia, could be beneficial.

ABSTRACT. The environmental and socioeconomic interactions between distant regions of the world ("telecoupling") are dramatically increasing. Telecoupling brings about new challenges and opportunities to biodiversity conservation that are of a larger magnitude and of a faster pace than ever observed before. Our understanding of the dynamics and leverage points of this telecoupled world is however limited. It is thus important to take stock of what we know and what we still need to know to formulate effective biodiversity conservation policies with telecoupling increasing. We identify the challenges and opportunities for biodiversity conservation brought about by the world's telecoupling in international trade and information by new technologies. Challenges are presented by the high demands for agricultural and wildlife products by high-income and emerging economies, putting pressure on land protection, management and incentive-based conservation interventions. Opportunities are brought about by the strength of telecoupled information flows that can generate strong pressure on multinationals and governments to adopt sustainable practices. Examples of these opportunities are zero-deforestation pledges and the increase in the number of certification schemes in key agricultural commodities. Conservation practitioners need to adopt a global perspective on telecoupling and focus on the new conservation opportunities represented by shaping the social norms of affluent consumers in emerging and high-income economies.

The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) believes that open access contributes to its mission of reducing hunger and poverty, and improving human nutrition in the tropics through research aimed at increasing the eco-efficiency of agriculture.CIAT is committed to creating and sharing knowledge and information openly and globally. We do this through collaborative research as well as through the open sharing of our data, tools, and publications. Citation:Wyckhuys, Kris A.; Bentley, Jeff W.; Lie, Rico; Nghiem,Le Thi Phuong; Fredrix, Marjon. 2017. Maximizing farm-level uptake and diffusion of biological control innovations in today's digital era. BioControl .63 (1) disregarded. In this study, we conduct a retrospective analysis of the extent to which social 39 science facets have been incorporated into biological control research over the past 25 years. 40Next, we critically examine various biological control forms, concepts and technologies using a 41'diffusion of innovations' framework, and identify elements that hamper their diffusion and 42 farm-level uptake. Lastly, we introduce effective observation-based learning strategies, such as African subsistence farmers to control key pests on sorghum and maize (Cook et al., 2007). 128The biggest stumbling block for conservation biological control is that 'from the viewpoint of on insect biological control was consolidated by using the search terms (("biological control" OR 149 "natural enem*") AND ("insect*" OR "arthropod")). These search terms were defined by the 150 authors. Within this set, we ran the following additional queries: 151  (("farmer" OR "stakeholder" OR "public") NOT "public health")), for studies that make 152 reference to end-users; 153 8  (("gender" OR "women" OR "woman")), for studies that make reference to gender-154 aspects (solely of target adopters, and not insects); 155  (("intergeneration*" OR "youth" OR ("young" AND "age") OR "children")) , for studies 156 that take into account age of target adopters, or include youngsters; 157  (("knowledge" OR "innovation" OR "information") AND ("diffusion" OR "transfer" OR 158"dissemination" OR "training")), for manuscripts that allude to knowledge transfer; parasitism by minute hymenopterans or the action of entomo-pathogens, are difficult to observe. 256But, rather surprisingly, farmers were also entirely unaware of insect predation by social wasps; 257 conspicuous and active caterpillar-hunters that are omnipresent in local fields. Wasps (e.g., 258Polybia spp.; Hymenoptera: Vespidae) typically nest under the porch roof of rural homes, and fly Farmer knowledge of pests and natural enemies can be seen as a matrix that compares the 295 "culturally important" with the "ease (or difficulty) of observation" (Bentley, 1992 and explain the best that modern science has to offer, drawing upon logic and analogies (e.g. 325"insects mate, just like other animals") and using animations, diagrams, and photos. 326There may be no local knowledge at all for the culturally unimportant and dif...

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