Recycling the rain: Exploring forest management practices in a western Mediterranean watershed to recouple the atmospheric and terrestrial water cycle.

Current knowledge of the role that forests play in recycling rainwater has led to the proposal of forest management practices to mitigate desertification in the western Mediterranean basin. Building upon this hypothesis, we present the Mijares watershed in eastern Spain as a detailed case study. We then perform a scientific literature review in the context of the western Mediterranean basin to identify the physical and biophysical uncertainties associated with forest management practices that aim to strengthen the atmospheric and terrestrial components of the water cycle.

Reviewing the science on 50 years of conservation: Knowledge production biases and lessons for practice.

Drawing on 662 studies from 102 countries, we present a systematic review of published empirical studies about site-level biodiversity conservation initiated between 1970 and 2019. Within this sample, we find that knowledge production about the Global South is largely produced by researchers in the Global North, implying a neocolonial power dynamic. We also find evidence of bias in reported ecological outcomes linked to lack of independence in scientific studies, serving to uphold narratives about who should lead conservation.

Diverse values of nature for sustainability.

Twenty-five years since foundational publications on valuing ecosystem services for human well-being, addressing the global biodiversity crisis still implies confronting barriers to incorporating nature's diverse values into decision-making. These barriers include powerful interests supported by current norms and legal rules such as property rights, which determine whose values and which values of nature are acted on. A better understanding of how and why nature is (under)valued is more urgent than ever.