views and stories from the front lines of conservation Conservation International is helping recover a savanna habitat nearly twice the size of Manhattan Among its remarkable wildlife are giant anteaters © BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group (TIG) A giant anteater strolls along the forest edge “Our goal was always to have the restoration area follow the watershed,” said Mark Wishnie “We envisioned it as a wildlife corridor connecting existing patches of protected Cerrado forest.” Giant anteaters can be seen shuffling along between the rows of towering eucalyptus and rheas — giant ostrich-like birds — often graze on the fringes of the forest birds of all shapes and sizes are flocking back to the property from colorful parrots and darting hummingbirds to powerful hawks Birds of all shapes and sizes are finding habitat in the newly restored forest The presence of so many species stems from an unlikely partnership between conservationists and timber operators “The good news is that as more wildlife returns they can help accelerate restoration,” he said Species like tapirs are using the newly restored wildlife corridor Capybaras are known as "ecosystem engineers," shaping habitats by grazing and clearing channels along riverbanks Will McCarry is the content director at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? Sign up for email updates. Also, please consider supporting our critical work UFC 304: EDWARDS vs MUHAMMAD 2 tickets go on sale from 10 a.m. BST on Friday, June 7 via Ticketmaster. Fight Club members can purchase tickets early at 9 a.m whilst fans who register their early interest will gain priority access at 10 a.m Reigning welterweight champion Leon Edwards (22-3 Jamaica) will once again defend his title on home turf after defeating Kamaru Usman in London in March 2023 Edwards is undefeated in his last 13 bouts (12-0-0 including a dominant title defence over Colby Covington in December United States) has risen to the top of the welterweight rankings having remained undefeated for the past five years and he looks to continue his impressive five bout win streak with his most recent being an impressive decision victory over Gilbert Burns in May 2023 Known for his immense cardio and constant pressure Muhammad holds five wins by knockout and one via submission Get Your Tickets Here England) is one of the most exciting athletes on the UFC roster including a first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich to claim the interim heavyweight title in November 2023 Aspinall’s lone UFC loss was via injury against Blaydes in London in July 2022 and the Mancunian will be looking to level the score in front of a home crowd for his first title defence United States) is known for his dominant fighting style he stopped Jailton Almeida in his tracks and made it 13 wins in his last 17 bouts Visit UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage Go Through All The Heavyweight Title Winners In UFC History "Mean Machine" Looks To Put Together A Win Streak Starting Saturday At UFC 275 Dana White's Contender Series Returns As Prospective Fighters Fight For A UFC Contract In Front Of UFC President Dana Get A Closer Look At The Two Men On The Marquee At UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Imavov In Louisville Brazil will restore 22 million hectares of land in what’s being called “the largest restoration commitment ever made by a single nation.” “We are a country of forests,” said Rachel Biderman director of the World Resources Institute (WRI) Brazil “The national strategy for the restoration of forests and degraded areas positions Brazil as one of the global leaders in the development of a forest economy.” Brazil plans to rehabilitate 12 million hectares of forest land that is degraded or deforested The balance of the area will be restored and developed through the country’s Low-Carbon Agriculture Plan for crops Brazil made the plan public at the UN Conference on Biodiversity in Cancún The announcement follows a recent escalation in deforestation of the country with the most rainforest on Earth Despite substantial declines from peaks in the mid 1990s and in 2004 Brazil’s national space research institute indicates that deforestation between mid 2015 and 2016 reached the highest levels seen since 2008 The data indicate a 75 percent increase in deforestation levels between 2012 and 2016 Much of it occurred in the states of Mato Grosso important areas for beef and soy production “Brazil is once again demonstrating global leadership with its ambitious restoration announcement in Cancún,” Biderman said in a statement “Restoring 22 million hectares –an area larger than Uruguay – will absorb huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions generate clean and plentiful water and boost agricultural productivity.” more productive landscapes will generate new jobs and boost Brazil’s economy Brazil’s Ministries of Environment and Agriculture teamed up to put together the deal economic and material – to be internationally competitive improving technical knowledge and creating jobs.” Other organizations hope that Brazil is only the first of many countries to make such a commitment “Brazil’s restoration commitment represents a model of success for other nations The commitment is made jointly by the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment ranchers and conservationists,” said Miguel Calmon senior manager for landscape restoration knowledge at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature “Brazil’s announcement sends an important signal to the international community: ‘We are serious about improving the productivity of our land while fighting climate change,’” Calmon said The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa as protected areas become battlegrounds over history and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins and trying to forge a path forward […] Metrics details Leishmania infantum chagasi causes visceral leishmaniasis (VL); it is transmitted by the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis that injects saliva and parasites into the host's skin during a blood meal Chickens represent an important blood source for sand flies and their presence in the endemic area is often cited as a risk factor for VL transmission the role of chickens in VL epidemiology has not been well defined we tested if chicken antibodies against Lu longipalpis salivary gland sonicate (SGS) could be used as markers of exposure to sand fly bites All naturally exposed chickens in a VL endemic area in Brazil developed anti-SGS IgY antibodies longipalpis recombinant salivary proteins rLJM17 and rLJM11 were also able to detect anti-SGS IgY antibodies these results show that chickens can be used to monitor the presence of Lu longipalpis in the peri-domiciliary area in VL endemic regions Although probing human immune responses to sand fly saliva may be a useful epidemiological marker of exposure obtaining blood samples from the human population in the endemic areas may face cultural resistance Evaluating the anti-sand fly saliva response of animals living in the peridomicile may be an easier and more advantageous approach we investigate the possibility of using chickens as sentinel animals to identify areas of intense exposure to the vector we also report the possibility of using recombinant Lu longipalpis salivary proteins as surrogates for sand-fly saliva Anti-SGS antibody response of chickens naturally exposed to sand fly bites in an VL endemic area Chickens (n = 40) were naturally exposed to sand fly bites for 8 months and their sera were obtained prior to exposure and every 2 months thereafter (A) ELISAs were used to evaluate the chicken anti-Lu Each point represents the mean of the duplicate values for the same chicken serum with a standard deviation lower than 20% The cut-off value (dotted line) was established from ROC curves by comparison of the reactivity values from chicken serum exposed and not exposed to sand flies bites The data for the antibody levels at different times were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn's post test for multiple comparisons.*** longipalpis SGS proteins recognized with a pool (n = 5) of sera from chickens naturally exposed to sand fly bites The numbers at the top of each line indicate the months of exposure of the chickens to sand fly bites Sera from chickens experimentally immunized were used as positive controls (CTR+) Molecular weight markers are represented in kDa (left) The table on the right indicates the molecular weight of protein recognized by these sera every two months during 8 months longipalpis SGS among chickens exposed to other hematophagous arthropod vectors Pool of sera (n = 3) from chickens exposed to triatomines (Triatoma dimidiata Rhodnius pallescens or Rhodnius prolixus) (T) and Ae aegipty (A) bites were tested for cross-reactivity with total Lu Sera of chickens from a non-endemic area were used as negative controls (CTR-) and sera from chickens experimentally immunized against Lu longipalpis SGS were used as positive controls (CTR+) Seroconversion of chickens naturally exposed to sand fly bites to Lu (A) Chicken sera (n = 30) were tested by ELISA for the presence of anti-Lu longipalpis SGS (A) or anti-recombinant protein IgY antibodies (B and C) before and after eight months of natural exposure to sand fly bites in an endemic area of VL The data show the mean and standard error of the mean of duplicate values with a standard deviation lower than 20% The cut-off value for samples is indicated (dotted line) Cut-off was calculated by comparison of the reactivity values from each group with exposed chicken and unexposed chicken sera tested in Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis The antibody levels at different times were compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank paired test (B) Sera from chickens naturally exposed to sand fly bites (n = 40) were tested by ELISA and the IgY antibody levels (OD) against Lu longipalpis SGS or rLJM11 salivary protein were correlated Data were analyzed using the Spearman test longipalpis saliva is immunogenic for chickens in a VL endemic area All naturally exposed chickens developed anti-SGS IgY antibodies in a remarkably homogenous response considering that they are outbred animals and that exposure in a natural setting is expected to lead to immunization with different doses This situation probably results from the continuous exposure to sand fly bites we have also shown that these proteins are antigenic in chickens sera from chickens kept in non-endemic areas (negative control) did not cross-react despite being exposed to other insect bites only rLJM11 was capable of reproducing the serological results obtained with whole Lu this result opens the possibility of monitoring exposure to Lu longipalpis bites in chickens reared close to human houses This monitoring could be used as a tool for detecting areas of sand fly exposure in endemic regions which may help in directing control efforts against VL chickens may still be useful as sentinel animals for VL since they are able to indicate exposure to the vector chickens are not natural hosts for Leishmania and they do not increase the availability of parasites for sand fly infection when used as sentinel animals compared to other animals such as dogs is also another advantage when considering them as sentinel animals Seroconversion in chickens may be indicative of the locality where they have been exposed as they do not usually move long distances from their houses our data suggest that recombinant LJM11 may be used to monitor the exposure of chickens to phlebotomine bites longipalpis sand flies (Cavunge strain captured at Cavunge in Bahia northeastern Brazil) were reared at the Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz (Salvador Adult sand flies were offered cotton containing 10% sucrose solution Salivary glands from 3 to 10 day old adult female flies were dissected and stored in groups of 20 pairs in 20 μl Hepes 10 mM pH 7.0 Salivary glands were kept at −75°C until needed when they were disrupted by ultrasonication within 1.5 ml conical tubes Tubes were centrifuged at 10,000 g for 2 min and the resultant supernatant (salivary gland sonicate - SGS) was used for the studies Three unexposed chickens (Gallus gallus) (25 weeks old) were obtained from a commercial breeder longipalpis salivary gland sonicate (SGS) consisted of three injections of 50 μg of laboratory-reared Lu SGS was resuspended in 500 μl of pH 7.4 phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) mixed with an equal volume of complete Freund's adjuvant (SIGMA) The mixture was thoroughly emulsified and was administered intramuscularly into the chicken's pectoral muscle the same dose of SGS was emulsified in incomplete Freund's adjuvant (SIGMA) Injections were performed at 15 day intervals Blood was collected from the wing vein immediately before each immunization and 15 days after the third immunization All experimental procedures were approved and conducted according to the Brazilian Committee on the Ethics of Animal Experiments of the FIOCRUZ (Permit Number: 028/2011) Chickens (Gallus gallus) (25 weeks old) were obtained from a commercial breeder and were used as sentinel chickens in a VL endemic area (Cavunge) Forty naive chickens were pooled into five groups (n = 8) and each group was randomly distributed in five different houses Chickens were maintained for eight months and serum samples were obtained bimonthly from each chicken longipalpis SGS (equivalent to 5 pairs of salivary glands/ml; approximately 5 μg protein/ml) or with 1 μg recombinant protein/ml in carbonate buffer (NaHCO3 0.45 M the plates were blocked for 1 hour at 37°C with PBS-0.05% Tween plus 5% non-fat milk Sera were diluted 1:100 with PBS-0.05% Tween and incubated overnight at 4°C the wells were incubated with anti-IgY alkaline-phosphatase-conjugated antibody (SIGMA the reaction was developed for 30 minutes with a chromogenic solution of p-nitrophenylphosphate in sodium carbonate buffer pH 9.6 with 1 mg/ml of MgCl2 and read at an optical density of 405 nm (OD) The concentrations of saliva or recombinant proteins used were determined in a dose- response experiment to evaluate an optimal signal without loss of specificity (data not shown) Cut-off was determined by the mean plus three standard deviations of the OD with chicken sera from a non-endemic area following Receiver-Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis Salivary glands (40 pairs approximately equivalent to 40 mg total protein) were run on a 4–20% Tris-glycine gel (Invitrogen) nitrocellulose membrane was blocked with 3% (w/v) nonfat dry milk in Tris-buffered saline-0.05% Tween (TBS-T) the membrane was placed on a mini-protean II multiscreen apparatus (Bio-Rad CA) and different lanes were incubated with chicken serum (1:10) for 2 h at room temperature the membrane was incubated with anti-chicken IgY alkaline phosphatase-conjugated antibody (1:1,000; Sigma Membranes were developed by addition of Western Blue stabilized substrate for alkaline phosphatase (Promega) and the reaction was stopped by washing the membrane with deionized water Data regarding anti-saliva IgY antibody levels before and after seroconversion were compared by Wilcoxon signed rank paired test Kruskal-Wallis with Dunn's post test was used for multiple comparisons Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used for determining cut-off values and for comparing the performance of the recombinant proteins in relation to SGS Correlation between values of SGS and those of LJM11 were performed by Spearman test All tests were performed using GraphPad software Prism 5.0 (GraphPad Prism Inc. Leishmaniasis: current situation and new perspectives An urban outbreak of visceral leishmaniasis in Natal Lutzomyia longipalpis and the eco-epidemiology of American visceral leishmaniasis with particular reference to Brazil: a review Phlebotominae) and urbanization of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil Experimental and field investigations on the role of birds as hosts of Leishmania infantum Animal Reservoirs of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Bihar Fonte alimentar sangüínea e a peridomiciliação de Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva Temporal connections between Culex tarsalis abundance and transmission of western equine encephalomyelitis virus in California Sentinel chicken seroconversions track tangential transmission of West Nile virus to humans in the greater Los Angeles area of California Persistence of mosquito-borne viruses in Kern County Detection of chicken antibodies to mosquito salivary gland antigens by enzyme immunoassay Feeding preference of the sand flies Lutzomyia umbratilis and L Phlebotominae) in an urban forest patch in the city of Manaus [Feeding preference of sand flies in the Amazon Chicken house as a resting site of sandflies in Rio de Janeiro Risk factors associated with asymptomatic infection by Leishmania chagasi in north-east Brazil Role of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus) in the epidemiology of urban visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil Chicken blood provides a suitable meal for the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis and does not inhibit Leishmania development in the gut Using recombinant proteins from Lutzomyia longipalpis saliva to estimate human vector exposure in visceral Leishmaniasis endemic areas The invertebrate growth factor/CECR1 subfamily of adenosine deaminase proteins Identification of the most abundant secreted proteins from the salivary glands of the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis Seroconversion against Lutzomyia longipalpis saliva concurrent with the development of anti-Leishmania chagasi delayed-type hypersensitivity Antibodies against Lutzomyia longipalpis saliva in the fox Cerdocyon thous and the sylvatic cycle of Leishmania chagasi Discovery of markers of exposure specific to bites of Lutzomyia longipalpis the vector of Leishmania infantum chagasi in Latin America Toward a description of the sialome of the adult female mosquito Aedes aegypti IgM-antibody responses of chickens to salivary antigens of Triatoma infestans as early biomarkers for low-level infestation of triatomines Antibody responses of domestic animals to salivary antigens of Triatoma infestans as biomarkers for low-level infestation of triatomines Changes in Amounts of Total Salivary Gland Proteins of Lutzomyia longipalpis(Diptera: Psychodidae) According to Age and Diet Salivary proteins and glycoproteins in phlebotomine sandflies of various species Saliva of Lutzomyia longipalpis sibling species differs in its composition and capacity to enhance leishmaniasis Inflammatory cell infiltration and high antibody production in BALB/c mice caused by natural exposure to Lutzomyia longipalpis bites Human immune response to sand fly salivary gland antigens: a useful epidemiological marker Download references We gratefully acknowledge the technical assistance of Mr Edvaldo Passos with the sand fly colony and Edna Oliveira Santos in the endemic area Jesus Valenzuela for providing the sand fly saliva recombinant antigens and Mr Gilmar Ribeiro for providing sera from chickens exposed to Aedes aegypti or to triatomine bites This work was supported by CNPq and FAPESB The funders had no role in the study design decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript UK for their English language editing services Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ) Salvador Brazil Instituto de Investigação em Imunologia (iii) Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia (INCT) All authors conceived and designed the experiments authors participated in critical discussion of the manuscript and approved the final The authors declare no competing financial interests This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ Download citation Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Translational Research newsletter — top stories in biotechnology 2016 (ENS) – In a move that aligns the interests of conservationists Brazil’s Ministries of Agriculture and the Environment have pledged to jointly restore and promote sustainable agriculture across 22 million hectares of degraded land this is the largest restoration commitment ever made by a single nation Environment Minister Jose Sarney Filho and Blairo Maggi announced these plans at the 13th Conference of the Parties on Biological Diversity as part of the UN Conference on Biodiversity The Brazilian officials promised to restore 12 million hectares of deforested and degraded forest land by 2030 through forest restoration The government will implement five million hectares of integrated crop livestock and forest management by 2030 through Brazil’s low-carbon agriculture program the government said it aims to restore five million hectares of degraded pasture land by 2020 for a total of roughly 22 million hectares that will be restored The commitment results in doubling of the hectares committed to Initiative 20×20 a country-led effort to restore 20 million hectares of degraded areas in Latin America and the Caribbean by 2020 “Brazil’s adherence shows that the two ministries are aligned and working together to promote sustainable development in Brazil as was verified in the ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.” Both ministers say the initiatives reinforce national priorities in the areas of water and food security has worked to bring about land restoration in Brazil “Brazil is once again demonstrating global leadership with its ambitious restoration announcement in Cancún “Restoring 22 million hectares – an area larger than Uruguay – will absorb huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions generate clean and plentiful water and boost agricultural productivity,” Biderman said “It is first and foremost a win for the Brazilian people,” she said “They “will benefit from new jobs and increased economic growth as restoration brings vitality back to under-performing landscapes.” by increasing the functionality of degraded lands is a smart approach to advance Brazil’s environmental agricultural and development objectives,” Biderman believes Brazil’s restoration of 12 million hectares of forest landscapes will deliver economic benefits from forestry as well as promoting biodiversity and water management The commitment of five million hectares of integrated crop livestock and forest management will boost agricultural productivity while reducing emissions Brazil’s ranchers and cattle industry will also benefit from increased productivity and sustainability through five million hectares of pasture land restoration the IUCN’s Senior Manager for Landscape Restoration Knowledge The commitment provides a way for Brazil to accrue what Calmon called “huge emissions savings” for the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Climate Agreement “Brazil’s announcement sends an important signal to the international community: ‘We are serious about improving the productivity of our land while fighting climate change.'” he said “They deserve our congratulations and support as they work to achieve their ambitious goals.” Brazil will enjoy the support of the international community with this contribution to the Bonn Challenge and New York Declaration on Forests – partnerships that aim to restore 150 million hectares of deforested and degraded land by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030 Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2016. All rights reserved. Giraffes Now Listed as ‘Vulnerable’ to Extinction Deadly Indonesian Earthquake Displaces Thousands