With the vigorous development of urbanization and rural tourism, the landscape of villages and towns has undergone tremendous changes under the influence of policies and industries. In order to avoid irreversible changes in the local heritage landscape and promote local sustainable development, it is necessary to strengthen the attention and research on the rural recreation landscape. This research examines the value of rural landscape recreation by applying the choice experiment method (CEM) to a suburban area in Sichuan, China. Mixed logit models were adopted in examining tourists’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for rural landscape improvement and preference heterogeneity. An assessment of the rural landscape’s recreational value was made using the compensating surplus calculation method. Results reported are of four important landscape elements: ecological environment, rural life and associated productive landscape, rural housing, and service landscape, ranked by tourists from high-to-low. A major finding of the research is that an increase in rural tourism is dependent upon improvements to landscape elements. The results of this research can provide policymakers with valuable information necessary to develop a successful plan to attract and increase tourism in rural areas of China.

Anthropogenic activities put biodiversity under pressure, adversely affecting the forest ecosystem and wildlife habitats. Habitat disturbance and modification are among the main threats to animal populations in tropical forests. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Grauer’s gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) are continuously threatened through forest encroachment for agricultural expansion, human settlements, new refugee camps, illegal logging, and mining across the country. Moreover, poaching and bushmeat trafficking continuously threaten gorillas’ existence. These drivers increase the proximity of humans and the risk of disease transmission. The emerging and existing zoonotic diseases, including Ebola, are continuously impacting gorillas’ lives. All of these pressures combined are disrupting natural behavior patterns and are leading to the decline in the Grauer’s gorillas’ population. Therefore, this review scrutinizes findings on the anthropogenic pressures on the habitats and survival of Grauer’s gorillas. Also, it is important to engage with people for the shared conservation role and ecotourism to support the conservation of forest biodiversity and Grauer’s gorillas’ habitats, particularly for the Maiko National Park in the DRC.

Prior to the global pandemic, wildlife tourism was increasing rapidly globally but was in the early stages of development in China, where it faces great challenges and opportunities. Women comprise a substantial proportion of the market but their decision-making behavior and their perceptions of risk in wildlife tourism have not yet been explored. This paper explores relationships between risk perception and decision-making in tourism. A survey of female tourists was undertaken at non-captive and semi-captive wildlife sites in western China, as well as through internet website posting, resulting in 415 completed questionnaires. Quantitative methods were used to examine four sequential stages of decision-making in wildlife tourism: destination selection, trip itinerary, travel mode and security assurance, and entertainment consumption. Three dimensions of risk perception in wildlife tourism were identified: physical safety, personal comfort, and quality of experience. Decision-making behavior and risk perceptions are related. Perceived risks greatly impact tourists’ travel mode and security assurance decisions. The higher the perceived risk, the greater the likelihood of female tourists participating in decisions on destination selection, travel methods and other entertainment activities undertaken on their wildlife tourism trips. Concerns regarding personal comfort positively influence destination selection, the trip itinerary, and recreation and consumption decisions. Assurance of acquiring a quality experience influences entertainment consumption decisions. The study contributes to the understanding of risk, decision-making behavior and gender research, and confirms the practical importance of safety considerations at wildlife destinations.

Climate change and biodiversity loss have become increasingly prominent in recent years. To evaluate these two issues, prediction models have been developed on the basis of ecological-niche (or climate-envelope) models. However, the spatial scale and extent of the underlying environmental data are known to affect results. To verify whether the difference in the modelled spatial extent will affect model results, this study uses the MaxEnt model to predict the suitability range of giant pandas in the Min Mountain System (MMS) area through modelling performed (1) at a nationwide scale and (2) at a restricted MMS extent. The results show that, firstly, both models performed well in terms of accuracy. Secondly, extending the modelling extent does help improve the modelling results when the distribution data is incomplete. Thirdly, when environmental information is insufficient, the qualitative analysis should be combined with quantitative analysis to ensure the accuracy and practicality of the research. Finally, when predicting a suitability distribution of giant pandas, the modelling results under different spatial extents can provide management agencies at the various administrative levels with more targeted giant panda protective measures.

Nighttime temperatures in the Afro-alpine zone (>2050 m) of Kahuzi-Biega National Park frequently fall below 5 °C. However, the thermal advantages provided by night nests of Grauer’s gorilla, Gorilla beringei graueri along this elevation gradient have yet to be quantified. From 3 January to 7 January 2025, 80 night nests were located along the Mt. Kahuzi–Biega ridge (2000–2650 m above sea level); 66 with complete data were analyzed. Nest-interior and ambient temperatures were measured using calibrated mercury thermometers, while canopy openness was assessed through sky-facing photographs analyzed with ImageJ. Canopy openness ranged from 18% at 2050 m (dense bamboo) to 83% at 2625 m (open ericaceous scrub), with a mean of 50.5 ± 18.8%. The interiors of the nests consistently exhibited warmer temperatures than the humid ambient air, with a mean temperature difference of 2.03 ± 0.37 °C, ranging from 1.39 to 2.68 °C. Linear mixed-model analysis (n = 66) indicated a significant reduction in thermal buffering correlated with increasing elevation (β = −7.4 × 10⁻⁴ °C m⁻¹, 95% CI −8.9 × 10⁻⁴ to −5.9 × 10⁻⁴, p < 0.001) and greater canopy openness (β = −0.020 °C per %, p < 0.001); fog density and precipitation from the previous night did not exhibit a significant effect. The model explained 78% of the variance in ΔT (marginal R²). Over a 650 m Afro-alpine gradient, Grauer’s gorillas create a 2.0 °C thermal refuge, which decreases by approximately 30% near the summit. This study represents the first quantitative evidence that canopy density can mitigate the elevation penalty for any African great ape. Canopy retention is the only terrestrial mechanism that can mitigate accelerated warming at high altitudes, which is occurring at a rate of +0.45 °C per decade. Without canopy retention, national conservation strategies for the Democratic Republic of Congo must allocate funds for extended energy subsidies at elevations exceeding 2500 m.