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In recent years, social prescribing—particularly green prescribing and nature prescriptions—has rapidly gained popularity as a holistic approach to improving health and well-being by connecting individuals with nature-based activities and community support. Due to the unique qualities of protected and conserved areas, they provide irreplaceable benefits to humans. This has prompted many to quickly identify, define, and measure their positive impacts on human health and well-being.

Based on original ethnographic and ethnobotanical research, we share how in the cosmology of Tanna, an island in Vanuatu’s southernmost province of Tafea, the Sun is viewed as a living, interactive being. Our initial interviews explored knowledge and beliefs concerning individual plant species, then subsequent follow-up interviews further explored topics that emerged therefrom. The results of these interviews are a series of oral narratives of the mytho-historical past involving the Sun, and the description of contemporary practices which are influenced by the Sun.

The commitment to protect 30% of the Earth’s terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine areas by 2030 under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework has seen growing attention paid to ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’ (OECMs) to help achieve this target. However, there are a number of misconceptions of OECMs that commonly arise. We explore these misconceptions to aid in ensuring that OECMs are employed to meet their full potential.

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Transoceanic dispersal to far-away islands is an important mechanism for the generation of new species lineages and biotas and has captivated scientists since at least the time of Darwin. Determining whether and how such events occur is challenging, particularly for hypothesized dispersals spanning thousands of kilometers. We addressed the enigmatic occurrence of Fijian iguanas via phylogenomic and biogeographic analyses, providing strong evidence that iguanas rafted >8,000 km from North America as early as the Paleogene.

Based on original ethnographic and ethnobotanical research, we share how in the cosmology of Tanna, an island in Vanuatu’s southernmost province of Tafea, the Sun is viewed as a living, interactive being. Our initial interviews explored knowledge and beliefs concerning individual plant species, then subsequent follow-up interviews further explored topics that emerged therefrom. The results of these interviews are a series of oral narratives of the mytho-historical past involving the Sun, and the description of contemporary practices which are influenced by the Sun.

Insectivorous predators, including birds and bats, play crucial roles in trophic cascades. However, previous research on these cascades has often relied on permanent predator exclosures, which prevent the isolation of specific effects of birds and bats, given their different activity patterns throughout the day. Moreover, limited knowledge exists regarding the variations in individual effects of these predators under different biotic and abiotic conditions, such as changes in elevation.

Many people are familiar with the idea of a protected area—land or water areas set aside and kept as natural as possible, such as national parks and nature reserves. Protected areas are one of the most well-established conservation tools, playing a crucial role in protecting biodiversity. However, they often require significant political will, funding, and enforcement and do not always account for lands and waters that are effectively conserved outside of formal protection.

Predicting coral bleaching events has been key to reef conservation management efforts. Current satellite-based bleaching prediction tools offer effective regional-scale alerts of bleaching risk, but lack reliability at the reef-scale. Bleaching models focus on predicted heat exposure during summer, omitting critical factors that influence heat stress responses and the subsequent coral reef community bleaching severity. The IPCC framework however assesses the susceptibility of a system to be harmed by climate change based on exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is lost due to the increase of urbanisation, and the lack of transfer of this knowledge to younger generations. Aims. The aim of this study was to examine the TEK of the Koiari Indigenous People of Central Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG) concerning the Vanate (Paradisaea raggiana), which is the national bird of PNG. Methods. We used the mixed methods research methodology, specifically the convergent parallel mixed method design with a questionnaire.

Coastal communities in the south Pacific are vulnerable to cyclones which are projected to increase in intensity due to climate change. We conducted a study 2–3 months after a Category 5 tropical cyclone passed through Fiji in 2016 to examine socio-economic impacts from the cyclone and the changes to livelihood strategies of fisheries-dependent communities. Key informant interviews were done in 154 Indigenous Fijian (iTaukei) coastal villages across six provinces.