Background: Initiated in 1971, the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) aims to establish a scientific basis for strengthening the relationship between humans and the environment, recognizing humanity as an integral part of nature. Its core vehicle, the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, has expanded to 785 reserves across 142 countries. Following the momentum of four world congresses held in Minsk, Seville, Madrid, and Lima, the Hangzhou Action Plan emerged. 

Methods & Results: This paper systematically elaborates on the evolution of the Man and the Biosphere Programme and provides an interpretation of its latest UNESCO MAB Hangzhou Strategic Action Plan. The plan is structured into three parts: background, action targets, and monitoring and evaluation. Its main body contains 34 action targets focusing on three major areas: supporting global environmental protection and sustainable development agendas, strengthening the construction and development of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and advancing toward a sustainable future for humanity. Action Targets 1–13 translate global commitments such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework into local action by safeguarding ecosystem integrity, expanding ecological restoration, and ensuring species and genetic diversity. Action Targets 14–26 reinforce the institutional, financial, and social foundations of the network through resource mobilization, inclusive governance, knowledge sharing, and international cooperation. Finally, Action Targets 27–34 focus on strengthening scientific research, adaptive governance, and global collaboration, ensuring that biosphere reserves serve as engines of innovation and education worldwide. Compared with the Madrid Action Plan and the Lima Action Plan, the Hangzhou Action Plan demonstrates stronger integration with global frameworks, places greater emphasis on equity, rights, and operational feasibility, and highlights financing and partnerships as core pillars. Despite challenges such as balancing conservation and development, addressing climate change, and coping with uneven resources, the plan points the way toward a sustainable future of harmony between people and nature through enhanced partnerships, mainstreaming climate adaptation strategies, and promoting digital transformation.

Aims: In September 2025, the 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves of UNESCO will take place in Hangzhou, China. The decadal Congress will establish a new global action plan for the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, namely “Hangzhou MAB Strategic Action Plan”, to re-anchor the mission of MAB in addressing global challenges in biodiversity and sustainable development, and to specify the roles of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR). This article aims to provide insight on the relevance of MAB’s mission and offer suggestions for future actions, as complementary input toward the global preparation of this strategic MAB document. 

Methods: The priorities for action are identified on the author’s long-term involvement in MAB and WNBR since early 1990s, through direct experience in developing MAB research projects, thematic and regional biosphere networks and the formulation of global strategic plans in UNESCO. Consideration is given to the needs and challenges in established global biodiversity and sustainable development agreements where MAB and WNBR may make contribution. 

Results: The article outlines the current main difficulties encountered in global biodiversity and sustainability agenda, including the stagnation in many SDGs, and provides views on the main underlying causes. It recalls the initial mission setting of MAB and stresses the historical responsibility of MAB as a long-standing intergovernmental scientific programme to drive change and enable progress. MAB community must stand on the front to address global challenges and be scientifically inspiring and institutionally dynamic. Arrangements should be made to call and review, on a routine basis, the most pertinent scientific questions for MAB and WNBR, in order to build new consensus for cooperation. The article further suggests six areas for new MAB research and action: (1) biosphere integrity and resilience; (2) studies on interactions between biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and social sciences, building on UNESCO's parallel long-term scientific programs; (3) the components in biosphere so far less studied but may potentially be more significant especially in connection with climate change and social economic development; (4) ecosystem restoration, natural recovery and ecological reconstruction; (5) green economies and sustainable livelihoods for communities living within and around biosphere reserves; (6) the development of digital twin of biosphere as new platform for future scientific research, assessment, monitoring and for design and simulation of various management scenarios for WNBR sites. The needs for MAB Programme and WNBR to further enhance its partnership is discussed, particularly concerning the partnership with relevant international conventions and programmes, with the science programmes of UNESCO. It further calls for attention regarding partnership with local governance mechanisms where Biosphere Reserves are located, as such partnership is currently weak but critical for MAB and WNBR to become effectively connected to the diverse and real national and local development contexts. 

Conclusions: Amid growing global challenges, the MAB Programme plays a vital role in advancing sustainability. Despite progress in research and actions, biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and climate change remain critical. The WNBR provides model sites for learning and testing sustainable development strategies and should be considered as a global infrastructure for sustainability. Future priorities for MAB and WNBR include enhancing interdisciplinary research on biosphere integrity and resilience, Earth system interactions, ecological restoration, green economy, and digital biosphere technologies. Strengthening partnerships with multilateral environmental agreements and UNESCO’s science programs is essential. A much-improved engagement with local governments through structured dialogue mechanisms can support place-based conservation and development. At this pivotal moment of history, MAB must mobilize global scientific capacities and policy networks to harmonize the relations of humans and the biosphere.

Background: The World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR), established under the framework of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, plays a key role in linking biodiversity conservation with sustainable development. However, the ecological representativeness and conservation effectiveness of the network remain uneven across the Global South and the Global North. Existing knowledge gaps persist in systematically comparing their performance in habitat protection and spatial coverage of priority biodiversity areas. This study provided a global assessment of the ecological outcomes and spatial representativeness of 759 biosphere reserves, with a particular focus on South–North differences. 

Results: Analysis of habitat quality data from 1992 to 2020 and three global conservation priority layers—Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs), and Centres of Plant Diversity (CPDs)—show that although habitat quality has generally declined over the past three decades, the rate of decline has slowed in the past ten years. Habitat conditions in the Global North have remained more stable and at higher levels than those in the Global South. The coverage of KBAs, EBAs, and CPDs by biosphere reserves reached 11.91%, 9.76%, and 9.52%, respectively, all notably higher than the expected random coverage of 4.83%. 

Problems & Prospects: Despite these positive signals, significant spatial gaps persist in ecologically critical regions—such as tropical mountains and islands—particularly within the Global South. These disparities highlight structural imbalances in monitoring capacity, conservation financing, and institutional support between the Global North and South. Looking ahead, the Hangzhou Strategic Action Plan (2026–2035) and the Hangzhou Declaration, adopted at the 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, provide an important guidance for enhancing regional collaboration, improving governance capacity, and optimizing network design. Building a more representative, equitable, and adaptive global conservation framework will depend on addressing these South–North differences and advancing the collaborative potential of the WNBR.

Background & Aims: World Biosphere Reserves are designated demonstration areas that aim to showcase and promote a balanced relationship between humans and the biosphere, while exploring pathways for harmonious coexistence between human societies and natural ecosystems. China currently has 34 World Biosphere Reserves. However, there remains a lack of comprehensive and systematic research at the national level regarding how these reserves can effectively drive the coordinated development of human society and ecological conservation. Additionally, it is unclear whether the logistic support functions of protected areas contribute meaningfully to fostering sustainable human-nature relationships within these reserves. 

Methods: This study integrated comprehensive spatial data from all 34 World Biosphere Reserves in China and their associated protected areas. By combining human footprint indicators, ecological remote sensing datasets to calculate ecosystem quality index, as well as trend detection methods including Theil-Sen Median slope estimation and Mann-Kendall analysis, the study evaluated the relationship between human social development and natural ecological protection at a 1 km × 1 km pixel resolution within these reserves. 

Results: Linear regression results indicated that ecosystem quality across China’s 34 World Biosphere Reserves increased from 2010 to 2020, although the trend was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). In contrast, human footprint exhibited a statistically significant upward trend during the same period (P < 0.05). Within these reserves, 10% of the pixel units demonstrated significant changes in human-nature relationships, with coordination interactions accounting for the largest proportion (7.22%), particularly evident in seven reserves including Jinggangshan and Bogedafeng, etc. Furthermore, a lower coverage ratio of protected areas within a world biosphere reserve, a larger total area of the world biosphere reserve, and a longer duration since its designation as a world biosphere reserve are all associated with enhanced coordination between human development and ecological conservation. 

Conclusion: With the upcoming Fifth World Congress of Biosphere Reserves to be held in Hangzhou, China in September 2025, this study offers robust scientific support for understanding the role of China’s World Biosphere Reserves in advancing harmonious development between human society and nature. Furthermore, it provides valuable insights and references for future global research and sustainable management of World Biosphere Reserves.

Aims: This study analyzes changes in species composition, stand structure, and diversity of Jiulianshan evergreen broad-leaved forests over 14 years following the 2008 southern snow disaster, revealing post-disaster community dynamics to inform forest restoration and sustainable management. 

Method: Based on two phytosociological surveys (2008 and 2022) in a 4 ha evergreen broad-leaved forest plot in Jiulianshan, Jiangxi Province. We classified trees into three growth stages (saplings: 1 cm≤DBH<5 cm; treelets: 5 cm≤DBH<10 cm; adults trees: DBH≥10 cm) to examine post-snow community dynamics. 

Results: The results revealed 13308 woody plants (47 families, 87 genera, 185 species) in 2008, which increased to 17116 individuals (41 families, 76 genera, 178 species) by 2022. From 2008 to 2022, increased by 39.4% for saplings, 9.7% for treelets, and 4.4% for adults trees, while basal area increased by 23.1%, 14.3%, and 3.7%, respectively. In 2022, overall species richness, as well as species richness and the Shannon-Wiener index at the sapling stage, were significantly higher than in 2008. In 2022, the number of rare species at the sapling stage decreased compared to 2008 (61 vs. 76 species), while common species increased (40 vs. 46 species). In 2022, the mean DBH at sapling stage significantly decreased compared to 2008, while mean tree height across all growth stages showed a significant increase. From 2008 to 2022, the importance values of pioneer species increased in sapling and treelet stages, while those of shade-tolerant species increased in the adult tree stage. 

Conclusion: From 2008 to 2022, the evergreen broad-leaved forest community exhibited a recovery trend after snow disaster disturbance, with a significant increase in sapling abundance and species richness serving as key drivers of regeneration. Despite increased overall diversity, the reduction in mean DBH indicates long-term impacts of the snow disaster. Following the snow disaster, the release of resources such as light and space increased pioneer species richness at the sapling stage, yet the community shifted toward greater dominance of shade-tolerant species.

Aims: Understanding how urbanization alters the structure and function of aquatic communities is essential for assessing urban river environments and conserving biodiversity. Macroinvertebrates play a crucial role in maintaining the functions and integrity of river ecosystems, yet the ecological drivers and mechanisms through which urbanization influences their functional diversity remain poorly understood.

Methods: In 2019, macroinvertebrate samples were collected during both the wet and dry seasons from 62 sites distributed across five major watersheds in Shenzhen, covering a gradient of urbanization intensity. Taxonomic and functional diversity was quantified using species richness and the RaoQ index, respectively. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare these two diversity indices between urban and suburban rivers. Furthermore, multivariate stepwise regression analysis was performed to identify key environmental factors shaping macroinvertebrate taxonomic and functional diversity. Finally, variation partitioning was applied to assess the relative contributions of local physical environmental conditions, water chemistry variables, and land-use factors.

Results: Taxonomic and functional diversity were consistently higher in suburban rivers (with lower levels of urbanization) than in urban rivers (with higher levels of urbanization) during both the wet and dry seasons. This disparity was more pronounced during the wet season, suggesting that urbanization exerts stronger impacts on macroinvertebrate diversity during periods of higher water flow. In contrast, functional redundancy was higher in urban rivers than in their suburban counterparts. Stepwise regression and variance partitioning analyses revealed that land-use, local physical environmental factors, and water chemistry variables collectively accounted for 37%–57% of the variation in taxonomic and functional diversity. However, the relative influence of these ecological factors varied depending on the biodiversity dimension and the season. Among them, local physical environmental and water chemistry variables emerged as the primary drivers (explaining 5%–22% of the variation), followed by land-use variables (2%–4%). Specifically, water chemistry variables—such as permanganate index and conductivity—had the greatest influence on taxonomic and functional diversity during the dry season, whereas local physical variables—such as substrate composition and water depth—played a more significant role in shaping functional diversity during the wet season.

Conclusions: Urbanization significantly reduces the taxonomic and functional diversity of river macroinvertebrates, primarily through changes in local environmental conditions. The lower taxonomic and functional diversity, coupled with higher functional redundancy observed in urban rivers, suggests more homogeneous macroinvertebrate community compositions in these systems. The findings of this study enhance our understanding of the processes and mechanisms underlying the decline of aquatic ecosystem functioning caused by urbanization, and provide a scientific basis for biodiversity conservation and land-use planning in the rivers of Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao.

Aims: The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) was once widely distributed across China but has become nearly extinct due to severe habitat destruction and overhunting in recent history. Fortunately, recent studies have shown that Eurasian otters have reappeared on several islands in Zhejiang Province. Among these, Jintang Island stands out for its relatively high frequency of otter sightings, despite the presence of both natural and human-dominated environments. This study aims to investigate how Eurasian otters adapt to human disturbances in urban environments and their ecological interactions with sympatric species on Jintang Island. 

Methods: This study deployed 100 camera traps across Jintang Island from March 2022 to February 2024. To investigate the adaptation of Eurasian otters to human disturbance on the island and their coexistence with sympatric species, we used the kernel density method to estimate the diel activity patterns and temporal overlap of all species based on independent detections from camera traps. Pianka’s niche overlap index was then used to quantify spatial interactions between otters and sympatric species (i.e., rodents, shrews, Siberian weasel, water deer, cats, dogs, and other livestock and poultry). Additionally, we conducted Spearman correlation analyses to explore the relationships between Eurasian otters, sympatric species, and human presence across all camera trap sites. The significance of these correlations was assessed using P-values. 

Results: The camera traps recorded a total of 13,969 effective camera days, yielding 9,214 independent detections. The results showed that Eurasian otters on Jintang Island exhibit strong nocturnal activity patterns and experience significant temporal overlap (Δ > 0.60) with most local sympatric species. Among sympatric species pairs, otters showed low spatial overlap with Siberian weasels, rodents, shrews, dogs, and other livestock and poultry (Pianka’s index < 0.3). The lowest spatial overlap was recorded between otters and water deer (Pianka’s index = 0.02), with a significantly negative Spearman rank correlation. In contrast, the temporal overlap between Eurasian otters and human activities was extremely low (Δ = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.14–0.19), whereas their spatial overlap was the highest among all species (Pianka’s index = 0.430), accompanied by a highly significant Spearman rank correlation (P < 0.001). Notably, electrofishing events predominantly occurred during otter active hours, showing a high overlap (Δ = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.67–0.91), posing a significant threat to otter conservation. 

Conclusion: These findings reveal the activity patterns and adaptive strategies of Eurasian otters in response to human disturbances on Jintang Island. The study enhances our understanding of the mechanisms behind the coexistence of otters with both humans and sympatric species in human-dominated landscapes. It also provides valuable insights and recommendations for the conservation of Eurasian otters on coastal islands amidst ongoing urbanization.

Aims: Carnivores play a crucial role in maintaining the structural and functional stability of ecosystems. Investigating the mechanisms that allow their sympatric coexistence is critical for understanding community assembly and biodiversity maintenance. This study explores temporal niche differentiation among sympatric carnivores. 

Method: From November 2020 to May 2024, we conducted long-term camera-trap monitoring of carnivores in the Shanxi Lishan National Nature Reserve. We analyzed the diel activity patterns of three species—North China leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis), leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), and masked palm civet (Paguma larvata)—using kernel density estimation to compare their circadian activity rhythms. We also assessed how lunar cycles influenced activity intensity. 

Results: The North China leopard showed significant seasonal variation in diel activity patterns (P = 0.01), demonstrating partial diurnality in the cold season (Jacobs’ selectivity index, JSI = 0.28) but a more random temporal distribution of activity in the warm season (r = 0.06, P = 0.78). The leopard cat showed no significant seasonal differences in diel activity levels or patterns (P > 0.05), with high overlap between seasonal daily activity curves (Δ = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.71–0.92). The leopard cat and masked palm civet did not differ significantly in diel activity patterns (P > 0.05; Δ = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.82–0.93); both were primarily nocturnal. However, their activity levels and patterns differed significantly from those of the North China leopard across all seasons (P < 0.05). The civet was recorded only six times during the cold season, indicating seasonal temporal-niche differentiation relative to the leopard cat. In terms of diel activity selection, the civet exhibited a stronger preference for nocturnal activity (JSI > 0.65) than the leopard cat (JSI > 0.55) and showed some avoidance of crepuscular periods (−0.43 < JSI < −0.23). Regarding lunar-cycle effects on activity intensity, no significant differences were observed among the three species across the five lunar phases during the warm season (P > 0.05). In the cold season, however, both the North China leopard and the leopard cat exhibited significant lunar-phase-dependent variation in activity intensity (North China leopard: χ² = 10.84, P = 0.03; leopard cat: χ² = 13.09, P = 0.01). Specifically, the leopard increased nocturnal activity during the full and waning moon phases, whereas the leopard cat exhibited signs of lunar avoidance. 

Conclusion: These findings provide fundamental insights into the mechanisms of species coexistence among carnivores and offer a scientific basis for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management in the Lishan region of Shanxi Province.

Aims: Human disturbance strongly influences wildlife survival and distribution. Reproduction, a critical and vulnerable stage in the Urban Black-Crowned Night Heron’s life cycle, is particularly sensitive to external stressors, especially human activity. Urbanization, one of the major forms of disturbance, can force birds to adjust nest-site selection in order to mitigate adverse impacts. However, such behavioral responses often vary with changes in the intensity of disturbance. Previous studies, relying mainly on single time points or widely spaced observations, have frequently overlooked these continuous, dynamic adjustments. 

Methods: During the 2023 breeding season, we conducted high-frequency, continuous monitoring of nest sites and breeding behaviors of Black-crowned Night Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) on the Ecological Island of East China Normal University’s Minhang Campus in Shanghai. We recorded changes in nest integrity and heron behaviors to examine responses to varying levels of human disturbance. 

Results: Nest distance from the pedestrian path decreased as human disturbance lessened. Similarly, average nest height declined under reduced disturbance. However, breeding success showed no significant correlation with disturbance intensity, nest distance from paths, nest height, or tree species used for nesting. 

Conclusion: Black-crowned Night Herons appear to mitigate human disturbance primarily through nest-site selection during the breeding season. These findings provide useful insights for the development of conservation strategies for urban birds during reproduction.

Aims: Precipitation is one of the pivotal parameters for the desert ecosystems. Analyzing the diversity and stability of soil microbial communities across precipitation gradients would provide crucial insights into the environmental adaptability of the desert bacteria. 

Methods: Seventy-five soil samples (0-10 cm depth) were collected from deserts at the southern margin of the Tarim Basin, spanning a mean annual precipitation (MAP) gradient from 26.26 to 91.43 mm. Through high-throughput sequencing and co-occurrence network modeling, we compared soil bacterial community diversity and stability. 

Results: The results indicate that: (1) different precipitation conditions significantly affected the composition, diversity and community structure of desert soil bacteria at the southern margin of the Tarim Basin. Pseudomonadota, Actinomycetota, Bacteroidota, Bacillota and Gemmatimonadota were the dominant phyla of bacterial communities. Despite the higher relative abundance of specific bacteria, the composition and diversity of the whole soil bacterial communities were more similar to those of common bacteria communities and significantly different from those of specific bacteria communities. (2) The desert soil bacteria at the southern margin of the Tarim Basin are mainly cooperative. The key bacteria belong to S0134_terrestrial_group, Motococcus and Bacillus, etc. The stability of co-occurrence network is influenced by precipitation. Sufficient precipitation can improve the stability of soil bacterial co-occurrence network, while precipitation frequency has a stronger correlation. 

Conclusion: Bacterial composition and diversity in desert soils at the southern margin of the Tarim Basin are governed by soil moisture and saline-alkaline constraints, with cooperative interactions dominating microbial networks, while the precipitation frequency is significantly correlated with the stability of soil bacterial community. These results help to understand how desert ecosystems respond to their environment.

Aims: To investigate the gut bacterial community structure and diversity of six economically important cyprinid species (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Parabramis pekinensis, Aristichthys nobilis, Culter alburnus, Carassius auratus, Megalobrama amlycephala) in the Nanhai Wetland of Baotou. Specifically, this study aimed to explore correlations between gut bacteria and host growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and dietary niche to provide a theoretical basis for healthy aquaculture and disease prevention. 

Methods: High-throughput sequencing technology was employed to systematically analyze the gut bacteria across six cyprinid fish species. Additionally, we investigated their correlations with host growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and dietary niche. Key methods included: alpha diversity analysis, beta diversity analysis, and community composition analysis. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) was employed to identify significantly differential microbes across groups. Correlation analysis was conducted using redundancy analysis (RDA) and Spearman correlation heatmaps. 

Results: A total of 1,051,137 valid sequences were obtained, which were divided into 11,164 OTUs (Operational Taxonomic Units). Based on the minimum number of reads (45813) of all samples, 11108 OTUs were retained for subsequent statistical analysis, among which these OTUs belonged to 37 phyla and 1,005 genera. Microbial community composition analysis revealed that all six Cyprinidae fish species shared a core gut microbiota, with Pseudomonadota, Fusobacteriota, and Actinomycetota identified as the dominant phyla, while Cetobacterium and Rothia emerged as the dominant genera. The results suggest that Cyprinidae fish share a core gut microbiota, which is likely functionally conserved in processes such as short-chain fatty acid production, vitamin synthesis, and energy metabolism. Nevertheless, significant interspecific divergence was detected. There were significant differences among the gut bacterial structure of the six cyprinid fish species using the methods of principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA), indicating species-specific characteristics, meaning that the gut bacterial communities of different fish species possess unique compositional features. At the phylum level, LEfSe analysis identified significant enrichment of Cyanobacteriota in Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, consistent with its filter-feeding ecological habit in the upper water layer, reflecting host adaptation to specific food sources. At the genus level, 20 significantly differential bacterial genera were identified, such as Methylobacterium_Methylorubrum, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, and Cyanobium sp. PCC 6307 in Hypophthalmichthys molitrix; Plesiomonas in Aristichthys nobilis; and Candidatus_Competibacter in Carassius auratus, all of which are closely associated with host ecological habits. Moreover, the gut bacterial community structure was significantly correlated with host growth performance, antioxidant indicators, and dietary niche using correlation analysis. Specifically, growth-related parameters including condition factor (R^²=0.731, p=0.001), sex (R^²=0.595, p=0.002), age (R^²=0.530, p=0.003), and viscerosomatic index (R^²=0.453, p=0.013) sequentially exerted significant effects on gut bacterial structure, with four key bacterial genera (e.g., Sphingomonas, Algoriphagus, and Acinetobacter) identified as critical correlates. In terms of antioxidant capacity, DPPH radical scavenging activity (R^²=0.700, p=0.001) and H₂O₂ content (R^²=0.690, p=0.001) were the primary determinants of microbial community composition, linked to ten functional genera, including Vibrio, Aeromonas, and Plesiomonas. Meanwhile, six bacterial genera were identified as significantly associated with distinct feeding niches, including  Marivivens, Acinetobacter, and Candidatus_Competibacter, were also identified. 

Conclusion: The results demonstrated that Cyprinidae fish shared a core gut microbiota, which exhibited functional conservation in fundamental metabolic processes, while species-specific bacteria synergistically regulated host nutrient metabolism, oxidative stress responses, and growth-related physiological processes to enhance their adaptation to specific environmental conditions. These findings provide a scientific experimental basis for wetland fish resource management and precision fish farming.

Aims: To systematically examine soil viral community composition and assess their carbon metabolic functional potential across urban wetland ecosystems. 

Methods: Taking the five types of sample plots, including trees, shrubs and grasslands, shrub grassland, reed marsh, shoals and ponds distributed widely in Xixi National Wetland in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province as the research objects. This study investigates soil viral diversity patterns and carbon metabolic gene composition across these five habitats using virus metagenomic sequencing coupled with bioinformatics analysis. 

Results：There were significant differences in virus richness and diversity among the five habitat types (P<0.05), with hierarchical rankings as follows: shrub grassland> trees, shrubs and grasslands> reed marsh >shoals>ponds; The structural equation modeling analysis showed that this spatial pattern was predominantly mainly driven by soil physico-chemical properties, with the order of effect value was pH>soil moisture>SOC≈TN>soil temperature. The contribution of comprehensive effect value of virus host and virus diversity was in the order of TN>SOC>soil temperature, and the direct effect of virus host on virus diversity was the strongest (effect value=0.87); A total of 158 unique carbohydrate transport and metabolism (G) genes were identified, including 13 distinct carbohydrate active enzyme (CAZyme) families. Among these glycosyltransferases accounted for the highest proportion (65.8%), indicating that soil viruses may play an important role in wetland carbon cycling through glycosylation-mediated processes. 

Conclusion: The diversity of soil viruses in Xixi Wetland exhibits significant spatial heterogeneity. This distribution pattern is closely linked to variations in soil physical and chemical properties (especially the key factors such as SOC, TN and soil water content). A total of 158 distinct functional genes associated with carbohydrate transport and metabolism (G) were identified across sampled regions, including approximately 13 CAZyme genes. These genes contribute to wetland carbon cycling processes through regulating the metabolic pathways of host microorganisms.

Aims: Monitoring and conserving wetland waterbirds is crucial for biodiversity and wetland protection. With the widespread application of computer-vision techniques, bird image detection using deep-learning models has become an important tool for bird conservation. However, real wetland monitoring images often contain complex backgrounds, inter-class feature similarity, foreground occlusion, and large target-scale variation, which impair detection performance. 

Methods: To address these challenges, we built a dataset (Bird111) comprising 27,030 images of 111 waterbird species from the Nanhaizi Wetland, Inner Mongolia, and we propose a wetland waterbird detection algorithm based on YOLO-DAS. First, a DAT deformable-attention mechanism is integrated to adaptively focus on important image regions, improving the network’s feature-extraction ability and reducing the influence of complex backgrounds and similar features. Second, adaptive spatial feature fusion (ASFF) is applied to filter conflicting multi-scale feature information, enhancing scale invariance and the model’s responsiveness to multiscale bird targets. Finally, the SlideLoss loss function is introduced to increase emphasis on difficult samples during training and to improve detection of small and occluded targets. 

Results: Experiments show that the YOLO-DAS model achieves the best detection performance on the Bird111 dataset compared with other mainstream methods. Mean precision, recall, and mean average precision improved by 4.0%, 2.4%, and 2.9%, respectively, relative to the baseline model. The model also generalized well to public datasets (CUB-200-2011, Birdsnap, and NABirds). 

Conclusion: The YOLO-DAS model proposed here can effectively improve detection of small or occluded birds in complex backgrounds, and provides a practical technical approach for multi-scale bird detection in wetland monitoring.

The Jilong Valley in Tibet harbors rich biodiversity, with pollination networks primarily mediated by pollinators playing a crucial role in maintaining the stability of local ecosystems. To more efficiently monitor the composition and dynamics of pollination networks in this region, as well as the dietary composition of key pollinator species, this study aims to construct a chloroplast genome database of flowering plants in Jilong Valley for molecular identification of pollen plant species. First, based on data from the Chinese Virtual Herbarium, we compiled a checklist of flowering plant species in Jilong Town during the blooming season from June to November. Chloroplast genome sequences for species on this checklist were retrieved from the NCBI public database when available, and de novo assembly and annotation were performed for nine additional plant species using high-throughput sequencing data. Among these, three species are endemic to Tibet, including Thalictrum reniforme, Caragana sukiensis, Roscoea auriculata (Near Threatened). Subsequently, 64 protein-coding genes (PCGs) from each species were extracted and concatenated to serve as reference sequences for the database. The preliminary chloroplast genome database for flowering plants comprises 419 species. The establishment of this database will provide crucial reference data to support molecular identification of the dietary diversity and pollination preferences of pollinating insects in Jilong Valley.

Background: Ecosystem restoration is a key strategy for achieving ecological civilization and sustainability. Using the Yangtze River Basin as a representative case, this review synthesizes the evolution of China’s ecosystem restoration achievements and challenges over the past five decades. 

Results: We identify three major phases: Ecological problem prevention and control, ecosystem function-oriented restoration, and the current shift toward system-level restoration emphasizing native ecosystems and biodiversity. While China has made significant progress in halting degradation and recovering flagship species, current practices face four major challenges: An overemphasis on functional goals, limited integration of multiple objectives, a mismatch between natural geography and restoration strategies, and a lack of robust scientific assessment and monitoring systems. 

Perspectives: In response, we propose a comprehensive restoration framework centered on biodiversity recovery and ecological integrity reconstruction. It includes a preparation phase involving the identification of restoration stress factors and the differentiation of restoration goals; an implementation phase comprising the formulation and evaluation of ecological restoration strategies based on scientific monitoring, the maintenance of a multi-stakeholder collaboration mechanism, and diversified funding support; as well as a dynamic adjustment mechanism integrating climate adaptation strategies and the implementation of adaptive management. This review provides scientific and policy insights to support the Yangtze River Protection Strategy and contribute to restoration efforts in China.

Endangered aquatic species face greater survival challenges than their terrestrial counterparts under increasing pressures from global climate change and human activities in marine and freshwater ecosystems. Accurate data on population size, density, distribution, and dynamics are critical for effective conservation, yet traditional field surveys suffer from limitations such as high labor demands, subjective biases, and low efficiency due to the rarity and cryptic nature of these species. Moreover, conventional methods often disturb both target organisms and their habitats. Environmental DNA (eDNA) technology addresses these challenges by detecting species-specific DNA fragments in water samples, enabling non-invasive monitoring of presence, distribution, and abundance. This review examines eDNA applications for tracking endangered aquatic species, including population distribution, abundance, biomass, and life-history traits, while outlining the technical workflow, key steps, and current limitations. The discussion aims to advance both methodological and theoretical frameworks for conserving these vulnerable or endangered species.

Background & Aims: This paper provides a detailed theoretical basis for changing the disciplinary name of “Ethnobotany” in Chinese from “民族植物学(Minzu Zhiwuxue)” to “人文植物学(Renwen Zhiwuxue).” From 1980s, Ethnobotany, translated as “民族植物学(Minzu Zhiwuxue)” in China, has undergone significant development and has made important contributions in the fields such as conservation of biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge, traditional medicine, plant taxonomy, economic botany and plant resource development and utilization, as well as sustainable agriculture. However, as the discipline gains increasing impacts in China, widespread confusion and misconceptions about its Chinese name have hindered the development of the discipline and the dissemination of knowledge on biocultural diversity. Especially in the context of forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, cultural and national identity have become increasingly important. The term labeled with “民族(ethno-)” exacerbate cultural division and limit its scope. 

Perspective: A retrospective analysis of ethnobotanical evolution reveals that the discipline, both globally and in China, has consistently transcended specific ethnic confines, moving beyond ethnic limitations to propel traditional botanical knowledge from localized cultural practices toward a shared ecological wisdom of humanity. Therefore, we propose “人文植物学(Renwen Zhiwuxue)” as the official Chinese rendering of “Ethnobotany” to enhance its humanistic universality, bridge academic and public understanding, and better reflect cultural integrity and shared ecological responsibility. Thereby it will contribute to the conservation and utilization of plant diversity in China, as well as exploration and dissemination of China’s rich and profound plant culture. 

Future prospects: To explore plant culture, study traditional knowledge associated with plant diversity, and reveal the relationship between humans and plants, we have to rely on ethnobotany. The proposal of “人文植物学(Renwen Zhiwxue)” as a renewed and appropriate translation for the discipline not only addresses the limitations of the previous term “民族植物学(Minzu Zhiwuxue)”. It will also reflect contemporary demands for interdisciplinary research, scientific communication, and cultural identity. To select exemplary cases of Chinese plant culture and constructing a discourse system for Ethnobotany in China, it will provide strong scientific support for China’s implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The modern history of Chinese botany takes 1950 as a crucial turning point, marking the reorganization of previous research institutions under the newly established Chinese Academy of Sciences and the advent of a new era in botanical science. This article chronicles the developments before 1950, beginning with the establishment of the first biology department at a national university by Chi Ping and Hsen-Hsu Hu in 1921. Subsequently, several research institutes were founded, primarily dedicated to the collection and taxonomic study of Chinese flora. These efforts laid the foundation for the compilation of the Flora of China. This historical overview illustrates how Chinese botany, under the leadership of prominent figures, evolved from its inception to a period of flourishing development, and then declined under the impact of war.