Carbon credit-based policies are important to driving sustainable practices worldwide. These policies have in the past focused mainly on wetlands, forests, and other ecosystems, neglecting agroforestry—which is a climate-smart and agroecological practice. This paper therefore seeks to examine how carbon credit-based policies can drive sustainable agroforestry through an in-depth empirical review of literature. It was found that the most common carbon credit-based policies and schemes are government-led, including the CCER (China Certified Emissions Reduction), ETS (EU Emissions Trading System), and the California Global Warming Solutions Act in the United States of America. These schemes focus on heavy emitters such as transportation, steel, and cement. Carbon credits guiding carbon credit-based policy formulation and implementation are mainly: Credits from avoided emissions (not cutting down trees); credits from reduced emissions (energy-efficient technologies); and credits from removed emissions (tree planting and carbon capture tech). Factoring in these 03 main types of carbon credits into the carbon credit policy framework will drive sustainable agroforestry across the world in general and the developing world in particular, as smallholder agroforestry farmers will be encouraged to practice agroforestry. One of the main stumbling blocks to the practice of agroforestry is the financial cost involved in its establishment and management, which the carbon credit scheme would offset. Besides driving sustainable agroforestry, carbon credit-based policies in the domain of agroforestry would provide other co-benefits such as employment generation; technology transfer; improved energy security and access to energy services; improved livelihoods; improved air, water, or soil quality; and infrastructure development.

Between 2016 and 2017, four oceanographic cruises were carried out in the Perdido Fold Belt area, in the northeastern province of the Gulf of Mexico. Benthic fauna was collected by bottom trawling with a benthic sled at 27 sampling sites, ranging from shallow to abyssal depths. The results obtained with the group of crustaceans are presented, selecting only the trawls representative of the bathyal benthic provinces (200–2000 m) and the abyssal plains (2000–6000 m) for analysis. Thus, 31 trawls with depths of 470 to 3600 m were recorded. The group was represented by 35 families, 72 genera, and 95 species. The lowest abundance/biomass recorded at the sampling sites was 2 org·ha⁻¹/17.67 g·ha⁻¹, while the highest was 400 org·ha⁻¹/5042.62 g·ha⁻¹. The highest species richness (16 species) was found at depths of 470 m, and the lowest (1 species) at 950–1000 m. Consequently, the lowest diversity (0.0 bits·ind⁻¹) was recorded at 950–1000 m and the highest (2.943 bits·ind⁻¹) at 470 m. The dominance of the top 5 species on each cruise reaches more than 50% for each, with 3 species remaining in this classification across all 4 cruises. The similarity given by the Bray-Curtis index associates similar depths. The NMDS (Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling) was used for the species ordinations because it is suitable for non-normal data or data that is discontinuous in scale, and shows most of the species close to the origin of the axes, only the most abundant species or those with the greatest weight are separated at the first crossing, in the rest there is no defined pattern. The sea bottom, as it presents physical conditions of great stability, presents a reduced biodiversity where biotic variables, such as competitive exclusion, resource division, and predation, are essential factors that define the structure and functioning of the communities of mega crustaceans in this area.

The illegal wildlife trade significantly threatens global biodiversity, driving many species toward extinction and disrupting ecosystems. This transnational crime is fueled by high demand for wildlife products such as ivory, rhino horns, and pangolin scales and is exacerbated by weak enforcement and global trade networks. Conservation efforts aim to mitigate this crisis through habitat protection, anti-poaching initiatives, and public awareness campaigns. In recent years, wildlife forensic science has become an important tool in addressing wildlife crimes. By leveraging techniques such as DNA analysis, radiocarbon dating, and histopathology, forensic science aids in species identification, origin tracing, and criminal prosecution. This paper explores the intersection of illegal wildlife trade, conservation strategies, and forensic science, highlighting their synergistic potential to curb wildlife trafficking. Case studies illustrate how forensic evidence has been instrumental in dismantling smuggling operations and informing conservation policies. The paper also addresses challenges such as resource limitations and the need for international collaboration. Strengthening the integration of conservation efforts and forensic science is imperative to protect endangered species and promote biodiversity conservation.

The Natura 2000 network is the main tool established by the European Union for biodiversity conservation. The cornerstones of this natural infrastructure are, actually, represented by the Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and the Zones of Special Protection (ZPS). In the Calabria coastal region, this network is formed by 44 ZSCs widespread along the regional coastline. In this way, most of the Natura 2000 sites are located in continental areas, as 75% of the whole, and every key area includes some natural habitat types. In particular, the greater number of habitats is concentrated in transitional environments, as the case study located in the mouth of the Crati River, including 17 habitat types. However, the geographic distribution of Natura 2000 sites is quite unbalanced because most of the SACs are located in continental landscapes, 75% of the whole, while only 25% are concentrated in coastal regions. This irregular distribution of the network leads to a loss of biodiversity levels from continental to coastal areas. So, the implementation of the Natura 2000 network could be the main tool to connect terrestrial and coastal regions not only for biodiversity conservation but also to improve the social and economic conditions of local people.