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Blastocystis is an anaerobic protist, commonly inhabiting the intestinal tract of both humans and other animals. Blastocystis is extremely diverse comprising 17 genetically distinct subtypes in mammals and birds. Pathogenicity of this enteric microbe is currently disputed and knowledge regarding its distribution, diversity and zoonotic potential is fragmentary. Most research has focused on Blastocystis from primates, while sampling from other animals remains limited. Herein, we investigated the prevalence and distribution of Blastocystis in animals held within a conservation park in South East England. A total of 118 samples were collected from 27 vertebrate species. The barcoding region of the small-subunit ribosomal RNA was used for molecular identification and subtyping. Forty one per cent of the species were sequence positive for Blastocystis indicating a high prevalence and wide distribution among the animals in the park. Six subtypes were identified, one of which is potentially novel. Moreover, the majority of animals were asymptomatic carriers, suggesting that Blastocystis is not pathogenic in animals. This study provides a thorough investigation of Blastocystis prevalence within a wildlife park in the UK and can be used as a platform for further investigations on the distribution of other eukaryotic gut microbes.

23Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding can identify terrestrial taxa utilising aquatic habitats 24 alongside aquatic communities, but terrestrial species' eDNA dynamics are understudied. We 25 evaluated eDNA metabarcoding for monitoring semi-aquatic and terrestrial mammals, 26 specifically nine species of conservation or management concern, and examined 27 spatiotemporal variation in mammal eDNA signals. We hypothesised eDNA signals would be 28 stronger for semi-aquatic than terrestrial mammals, and at sites where individuals exhibited 29 behaviours. In captivity, we sampled waterbodies at points where behaviours were observed 30 ('directed' sampling) and at equidistant intervals along the shoreline ('stratified' sampling). We 31 surveyed natural ponds (N = 6) where focal species were present using stratified water 32 sampling, camera traps, and field signs. eDNA samples were metabarcoded using vertebrate-33 specific primers. All focal species were detected in captivity. eDNA signal strength did not differ 34 between directed and stratified samples across or within species, between semi-aquatic or 35 terrestrial species, or according to behaviours. eDNA was evenly distributed in artificial 36 waterbodies, but unevenly distributed in natural ponds. Survey methods deployed at natural 37 ponds shared three species detections. Metabarcoding missed badger and red fox recorded by 38 cameras and field signs, but detected small mammals these tools overlooked, e.g. water vole. 39Terrestrial mammal eDNA signals were weaker and detected less frequently than semi-aquatic 40 mammal eDNA signals. eDNA metabarcoding could enhance mammal monitoring through 41 large-scale, multi-species distribution assessment for priority and difficult to survey species, and 42 provide early indication of range expansions or contractions. However, eDNA surveys need high 43 3 spatiotemporal resolution and metabarcoding biases require further investigation before 44 routine implementation. 45 46

Globally, amphibians face many potential threats, including international trade. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the types, levels and dynamics of the amphibian trade at the global scale. This study reviewed the trade in CITES-listed species between 1976 and 2007. Four main trade groups (eggs, skins, meat and individuals) were identified. Trade in amphibian leather focused on Hoplobatrachus tigerinus (5,572 individuals), whereas trade in eggs focused on Ambystoma mexicanum (6,027 eggs). However, for the entire study period , trade in skins and eggs was small compared with trade in meat and live animals. The meat trade was estimated to be worth . USD 111 million, whereas the trade in live animals was estimated to be worth . USD 11.5 million in only three of the genera involved. Trade dynamics have changed as a result of changes in legislation, such as a ban on H. tigerinus exports from Bangladesh for meat. Within the live trade 22 species categorized as either Critically Endangered or Endangered were traded during the study period, and these require greater attention. International trade and potential conservation benefits are affected by countries supplying captive-bred individuals to their domestic markets as this trade goes unrecorded. However, this study only investigated trade in species listed by CITES, and other species may comprise a significant additional component of international trade. The trade in amphibians is dynamic, and changes in both the types of trade and the species concerned were identified over the study period. Conservation concerns have multiplied from issues concerning population depletions to include indirect impacts associated with disease, predation and competition, which requires a reappraisal of data capture and reporting.

IntroductionEnvironmental restoration is a central rhetorical component of debates about sustainability. Whereas the primary motivation for conservation through the 20th century was to preserve elements of`wild nature' from extinction (Adams, 2003), an allied concern was for the restoration of ecosystems degraded by human action [for example, US prairie habitats destroyed by intensive agriculture (Jordan et al, 1987a) or the rehabilitation of polluted industrial land (Bradshaw, 1987;]. In the 1980s and 1990s restoration ecology developed as a branch within ecology. The Society for Ecological Restoration was founded in 1988 and the journals Ecological Restoration in 1981 and Restoration Ecology in 1993. The World Conservation Strategy (IUCN, 1980) drew upon the notion of ecological restoration in its effort to link the previously opposed impulses to preserve and exploit nature through the concept of sustainable development (Adams, 2001). Environmental restoration, preservation, protection, and sustainable utilisation were presented as parallel means of achieving conservation.Restoration ecology has enjoyed expanding commercial and state planning applications (for example, Eden et al, 1999;Jordan et al, 1987b;Perrow and Davy, 2002). It implies the possibility of`win^win' solutions to sustainability dilemmas in spatial planning, whereby negative environmental impacts of developments can be offset or compensated for by habitat creation elsewhere, or by habitat restoration after industrial use has finished. Such approaches (for example, creating biodiverse boating lakes from gravel pits, or recreating chalk downland on former roads made redundant by new motorways) have become commonplace, although they remain controversial (