Coral reefs in Indonesia’s Spermonde Archipelago are under pressure from both natural and anthropogenic activities. Researchers from Hasanuddin University assessed reef conditions across three islands using underwater photography and drone surveys, while also gathering local perspectives on reef conditions and restoration. They found greater live coral cover in clearer waters but limited community readiness to participate in conservation efforts, suggesting that training and institutional support could strengthen local communities’ role in protecting these natural treasures.

A new global review of observed climate change impacts on plant communities reveals major gaps in where and how we monitor some of the world's most climate-vulnerable ecosystems.

Mediterranean-type ecosystems occur in just five regions of the world: the Mediterranean Basin, California, central Chile, southwestern Australia and South Africa, and are recognised as among the terrestrial ecosystems particularly vulnerable to climate change. Yet a new systematic review finds that our understanding of how their plant communities are actually responding to ongoing climate change is surprisingly uneven. 

Researchers from the University of Cape Town and the South African Environmental Observation Network reviewed the scientific literature documenting observed climate change impacts on plant communities across all five of the world's Mediterranean-type ecosystems. The study, published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence, was led by Hana Petersen, with Ryan Blanchard and Jasper Slingsby.