By Emma Sinnett, 13th January 2025
The latest issue of Oryx includes two editorials highlighting the work of conservationist Bill Adams, as he steps down from the Editorial Board of Oryx after more than 25 years. In Homo conservationensis Bill considers how the changing world of conservation has been reflected in the pages of Oryx since its first issue in 1950, and in a separate piece Julia Jones and E.J. Milner-Gulland reflect on Bill’s extraordinary body of work and how it has profoundly influenced conservation science.
The thematic focus of this issue is on plant conservation, with 10 articles examining a wide range of topics. Botanic gardens play a crucial role in the preservation and restoration of threatened plant species, and two articles focus on their contributions: one on the diversity and optimization of the Cactaceae collection of the Rio de Janeiro Botanic Garden, and the other on the conservation of Rhododendron diversity in botanic gardens. Further articles in the section share insights on the conservation biology of insular species in Greece and of a threatened medicinal species in China, the conservation status of rediscovered and newly discovered species in Rwanda, Colombia, Argentina and Tanzania, the merits of traditional and automated conservation assessments for plants, and the potential influence of climate change on an Endangered magnolia in China.
The issue also includes a Briefly section with a spotlight on plants, a host of Conservation News items and three book reviews! Find out more about the issue’s content, including our Editor’s picks, below:
Editor’s picks
- Homo conservationensis – Adams
- Bill Adams’ scholarship has profoundly changed the way conservationists see the world – Jones & Milner-Gulland
- Conservation biology of three threatened Limonium species endemic to Zakynthos Island (Ionian Islands, Greece) – Valli et al.
- Exploring links between socio-ecological systems and psychological distress: a case study in rural Uganda – Pienkowski et al.
Limonium korakonisicum on the coast of Zakynthos. This endemic species is found exclusively in a single location in the Korakonisi area and is classified as Critically Endangered according to IUCN criteria (see Valli et al.). Photo: Anna-Thalassini Valli .
Plant conservation
- Cacti in distress: how to enhance ex situ conservation strategies through living collections –Almeida et al.
- Rhododendron diversity conservation in global botanic gardens: a case study of Maddenia species – Hu et al.
- Conservation biology of three threatened Limonium species endemic to Zakynthos Island (Ionian Islands, Greece) – Valli et al.
- Rediscovery of the waterlily Nymphaea thermarum Fisch. in Rwanda – Abeli et al.
- Rediscovery of the Neotropical orchid Porroglossum parsonsii and recommendations for its conservation – Parra-Sanchez et al.
- Lost and found: the rediscovery of the lost fern species Asplenium achalense (Aspleniaceae) and assessment of its conservation status – Arana et al.
- Conservation status of newly discovered subpopulations of two globally threatened tree species in the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania – Ndangalasi & Cordeiro
- Comparing traditional and automated conservation assessments for Himalayan species of Buddleja – Gurung et al.
- Population age structure and conservation status of Ferula sinkiangensis (Apiaceae) in Xinjiang, China – Liu et al.
- Current conservation status and potential distribution under climate change of Michelia lacei, a Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations in Yunnan, China – Liu et al.
Buddleja delavayi, a perrenial shrub distributed in sparse montane forests and moist broad-leaved forests on hillsides in Dali, Yunnan. Following traditional and automated conservation assessments, Gurung et al. recommend B. delavayi should be categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Behind the cover
The cover illustrates the cactus Echinopsis calochlora, native to Bolivia and Brazil, flowering in the Rio de Janeiro Botanic Garden. In the lead article Almeida et al. evaluate the diversity of the Cactaceae collection of the Garden, recommending strategic actions to enhance its conservation value. The collection contains 156 cacti species that naturally occur in Brazil, including 43 species categorized as threatened on the Brazilian Red List and 57 categorized as threatened on the IUCN Red List.
The cactus Echinopsis calochlora, native to Bolivia and Brazil, flowering in the Rio de Janeiro Botanic Garden. Photo: Alexandre Machado.
Editorials
Homo conservationensis – Bill Adams
Stepping down from the Editorial Board after more than 25 years, Bill considers how the changing world of conservation has been reflected in the pages of Oryx since its first issue in 1950. He notes that while there have been big changes in some areas, in others, little progress has been made. For example, although much more attention is now being given to the social dimensions of conservation (formerly, most papers were about wildlife and people appeared mainly as threats), charismatic mammals continue to dominate much conservation research.
In highlighting both progress and the considerable work still to be done, Bill urges us to be better conservationists.
‘If I am allowed one last observation, it is about how Homo conservationensis writes, and for whom. … the clipped, passive–aggressive style of academic writing often serves, as Latin did for medieval clerics, to distance ordinary people. Yet conservation depends on such people utterly, both conservationists on the ground, and the many other individuals, communities and interest groups affected by what they think, say and do.’
Bill Adams’ scholarship has profoundly changed the way conservationists see the world – Julia Jones & E.J. Milner-Gulland
Julia Jones and E.J. Milner-Gulland reflect on Bill Adams’ extraordinary body of work while also introducing a new audience to his writing. From his extensive and varied back catalogue they highlight some key pieces that illustrate the breadth of his thinking and emphasize four key lessons that shine through.
‘As ever, Bill continues to look over the horizon, at the way conservation is changing, or needs to change. Conservation scholars, policy makers and practitioners will all benefit from Bill’s continued insights as society navigates the huge environmental challenges we face.’
Other content
- Exploring links between socio-ecological systems and psychological distress: a case study in rural Uganda – Pienkowski et al.
- Reproductive populations of the Critically Endangered bat Phyllonycteris aphylla at two new locations in Jamaica – Oelbaum et al.
- Multi-stakeholder identification and prioritization of human–tiger conflict reduction measures in Chitwan National Park, Nepal – Dhungana et al.
- First insights into the spatio-temporal ecology of sympatric large carnivores in Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal – Horion et al.
Phyllonycteris aphylla emerging from the Lake-Side Bat Exit, Green Grotto Caves, St. Ann Parish, Jamaica. The pale colour, pink forearms and legs are characteristic of the species. Find out more in Oelbaum et al.’s research and blog. Photo: Sherri and Brock Fenton.
Conservation news
- New BGCI report on the importance of botanic gardens in tackling the illegal plant trade – Smith
- Conservation Leadership Programme 2024 Team Awards announced – Tointon
- Decline of the Critically Endangered Tonkin snub-nosed monkey in Quan Ba forest, Vietnam – Maheshwari et al.
- Saving the Ryukyu rabbit tick Haemaphysalis pentalagi – Kwak et al.
- IUCN Species Survival Commission Wild Tulip Specialist Group established – Wilson & Sultangaziev
- IUCN Species Survival Commission Amphibian Specialist Group launches Eastern Asian Salamander Task Force – Borzée et al.
- New IUCN Species Survival Commission Wild Parrot Specialist Group – Latas et al.
- New National Species Specialist Group in Nigeria – Ivande et al.
- Center for Species Survival Nigeria launches programme of work – Danmallam et al.
- Biodiversity, renewable energy and maritime spatial planning in Europe: should offshore wind farms be located in marine protected areas? – Stephenson
- Collaborative national satellite event of World Species Congress for conservation in Indonesia – Felicity et al.
- Wildlife under siege in the Mexican Maya Forest – Reyna-Hurtado
- Ecology of the National Key Protected Wild Plants in the Xinjiang Region, China – Jiancheng
- Finding Staphylea shweliensis, a long-lost Critically Endangered plant species of China – Li et al.
An Endangered Baird’s tapir Tapirus bairdii in an ephemeral pond beside the road in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (see Reyna-Hurtado et al.). Photo: Gustavo Costa.
Book reviews
- A beaver, eight bears and an extinct auk: species books are back
- Hunt for the Shadow Wolf: The Lost History of Wolves in Britain and the Myths and Stories that Surround Them
- Corporate Nature: An Insider’s Ethnography of Global Conservation
Header image: Asplenium achalense Hieron. (Aspleniaceae), a fern endemic to north-west and central Argentina. Photo: Marcelo Arana.
