Ant smuggling case highlights legal inconsistencies

New study calls for better legal protection for insects against global trafficking

Anglia Ruskin University

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Authors of a new study are calling for stronger protection of insects in wildlife law, after the conviction of four men in Kenya for smuggling rare ants out of the country highlighted the need for more effective deterrents for criminals.

 

The research, carried out by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Nottingham Trent University and published in the journal Laws, argues that insect trafficking is a growing but overlooked aspect of global environmental crime that is not adequately countered by legal systems – be that through insufficient laws or weak enforcement.

 

The authors urge governments to expand legal protections to include species such as ants, beetles and butterflies.

 

In the case mentioned in the paper, the men were ordered to pay a fine of £5,800 for trying to export ants in test tubes, or face prison. The authors argue that the headlines made by this case when court cases involving wildlife in general are extremely common shows that prosecutions for insect trafficking are notably rare.

 

Insects play a key role in pollination, soil health and biodiversity, yet they are declining in number globally. The authors note that insect trafficking is part of a wider transnational wildlife trade, often driven by demand for exotic pets or collectors’ items. However, their removal from habitats can have a significant impact on ecosystems.

 

Insect trafficking has the potential to introduce non-native species to new places, potentially resulting in them becoming invasive species, destroying habitats of native creatures, competing with them for food, and potentially bringing new diseases to a country.

 

The paper examines the dominance of “charismatic megafauna”, such as elephants and rhinos, in discussion about wildlife crime. The authors argue that this focus marginalises smaller species and influences public and policy priorities.

 

The researchers also call on justice systems to better consider environmental harm and the rights of non-human species. The study recommends a shift from traditional human-centred approaches to “ecological and species justice”, where insects are seen as victims of crime and environmental degradation.

 

The paper puts forward three approaches to reform: strengthening legal enforcement, expanding regulatory frameworks to include NGOs and civil society, and promoting social action through public engagement and education.

 

Co-author Angus Nurse, Professor of Law and Environmental Justice at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: “Despite the scale of this issue, insect trafficking remains under-researched and poorly understood and there is limited data on the methods that criminals use, the markets they look to utilise, and the impacts on species and the ecosystems around them.

 

“Insects play a vital role in these ecosystems, yet they are routinely excluded from conservation policy and legal definitions of wildlife. This anthropocentric bias means species that are less visible or less valued by humans receive little protection, despite their ecological importance.”

 

The full, open-access study can be read here: Insect Trafficking: A Green Criminological Perspective

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Journal

Laws

DOI

10.3390/laws14050074 

Method of Research

Case study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Insect Trafficking: A Green Criminological Perspective

Integrating light and structure: Smarter mapping for fragile wetland ecosystems

Journal of Remote Sensing

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image: 

Overview of the study area. (A) UAV-LiDAR point cloud. (B) UAV hyperspectral images. (C to F) Field measurements.

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Credit: Journal of Remote Sensing

Accurate classification of wetland vegetation is essential for biodiversity conservation and carbon cycle monitoring. This study developed an adaptive ensemble learning (AEL-Stacking) framework that combines hyperspectral and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data captured by UAVs to precisely identify vegetation species in karst wetlands. The approach achieved up to 92.77% accuracy—substantially outperforming traditional models—and revealed how spectral and structural features jointly improve ecosystem mapping and restoration strategies.

Karst wetlands are globally significant ecosystems that regulate water, store carbon, and harbor rich biodiversity. However, the intricate vegetation composition and similar canopy spectra among species hinder accurate remote sensing classification. Traditional field surveys are costly and spatially limited, while multispectral imaging lacks sufficient spectral resolution for species-level mapping. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) provides 3D structural data but struggles with water-surface reflectance and weak signals. Due to these challenges, integrating complementary optical and structural data is necessary to conduct in-depth research on precise vegetation species classification in karst wetlands.

Researchers from the Guilin University of Technology and collaborators published (DOI: 10.34133/remotesensing.0452) their findings in Journal of Remote Sensing on October 16, 2025. The study introduces a UAV-based approach that merges hyperspectral imagery (HSI) and LiDAR point-cloud data through an adaptive ensemble learning stacking (AEL-Stacking) model. This innovative framework not only enhances classification accuracy but also uses local interpretable model-agnostic explanations (LIME) to visualize how each feature contributes to the decision-making process—offering both high precision and interpretability in mapping complex wetland vegetation structures.

The study demonstrated that combining HSI and LiDAR data achieved the highest overall accuracy (87.91%–92.77%), surpassing single-data approaches by up to 9.5%. The AEL-Stacking model, integrating Random Forest, LightGBM, and CatBoost classifiers, outperformed both conventional ensemble and deep-learning (Swin Transformer) algorithms by 0.96%–7.58%. The LiDAR features—especially digital surface model (DSM) variables—were pivotal for distinguishing species with distinct vertical structures, while hyperspectral vegetation indices such as NDVI and blue-edge parameters enhanced recognition of herbaceous species. These results highlight the synergy between optical and structural data in resolving species with overlapping spectral signatures.

Field surveys were conducted in the Huixian Karst Wetland of Guilin, China, one of the country's largest karst wetlands. UAV flights equipped with Headwall Nano-Hyperspec and DJI Zenmuse L1 LiDAR sensors collected over 4,500 hyperspectral images and dense point clouds (208 points/m²). The integrated dataset covered 13 vegetation types, including lotus, miscanthus, and camphor trees. Through recursive feature elimination and correlation analysis, 40 optimal features were selected from more than 600 variables. The AEL-Stacking framework adaptively tuned hyperparameters, selected the best-performing base learner as the meta-model, and validated results using 10-fold cross-validation. LIME analysis revealed DSM and blue spectral bands as the most influential features, with Lotus and Miscanthus achieving classification F1-scores above 0.9. The model significantly reduced misclassification between morphologically similar species, offering detailed vegetation maps critical for ecosystem monitoring.

"Our approach bridges the gap between spectral and structural sensing," said Dr. Bolin Fu, corresponding author. "By combining UAV hyperspectral and LiDAR data through adaptive ensemble learning, we achieved both precision and interpretability in vegetation mapping. The framework not only improves species recognition in complex karst environments but also provides a generalizable tool for ecological monitoring and habitat restoration worldwide".

The team developed the AEL-Stacking model by combining Random Forest, LightGBM, and CatBoost classifiers under a grid-search-optimized adaptive framework. The model used 70% of data for training and 30% for testing, supported by 10-fold cross-validation. Hyperspectral features (e.g., NDVI, EVI, CIg) and LiDAR-derived metrics (e.g., DSM, intensity skewness) were fused into a multidimensional dataset. To interpret results, the LIME algorithm quantified the contribution of each feature and visualized how data variations influenced species classification across multiple vegetation types.

This integrative framework demonstrates a scalable and explainable approach for high-resolution wetland mapping, potentially applicable to forest, grassland, and coastal ecosystems. Future work will focus on integrating multi-temporal UAV observations and satellite data fusion to monitor seasonal vegetation dynamics and climate-driven changes in wetland health. By enhancing the transparency and accuracy of AI-driven ecological models, this research paves the way for smarter environmental management and supports the global agenda for biodiversity conservation and carbon neutrality.

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References

DOI

10.34133/remotesensing.0452

Original Source URL

https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/remotesensing.0452

Funding information

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 42371341), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (grant number 2024GXNSFAA010351), the Innovation Project of Guangxi Graduate Education (grant number YCBZ2024179), and the Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Ecosystem and Bioresource, Ministry of Natural Resources (grant number 2023ZD02).

About Journal of Remote Sensing

The Journal of Remote Sensing, an online-only Open Access journal published in association with AIR-CAS, promotes the theory, science, and technology of remote sensing, as well as interdisciplinary research within earth and information science.

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Journal

Journal of Remote Sensing

DOI

10.34133/remotesensing.0452 

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Combination of UAV Hyperspectral and LiDAR Data for Classifying Karst Wetland Vegetation Species Using the AEL-Stacking and LIME

 

Probiotics can restore gut microbiome in breastfed infants

American Society for Microbiology

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Washington, D.C.—In recent years, scientists have learned that key beneficial infant gut bacteria Bifidobacterium infantis are disappearing from infants in high-resource areas such as the United States and Europe. Now, a new study published in the journal mSphere found that supplementing exclusively breastfed infants with a probiotic, B. infantis EVC001, between 2 and 4 months of age can successfully restore beneficial bacteria in their gut.

“The REMEDI study shows that it’s not too late to restore a healthy gut microbiome in breastfed infants. B. infantis can successfully take hold even after the newborn period,” said corresponding study author Jennifer Smilowitz, Ph.D., assistant professor of Cooperative Extension in the Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis.

A healthy early-life gut microbiome is linked to gut health, immune education and development, and overall infant health. Unlike many probiotics, B. infantis is uniquely adapted to thrive on human milk oligosaccharides, the natural sugars found in breast milk, allowing it to persist rather than simply pass through the gut. 

The researchers conducted the REMEDI study to test whether the benefits they had previously observed in a study on newborns fed B. infantis alongside human milk could be replicated in older, exclusively breastfed infants with more established gut microbiomes that could potentially be resistant to changes. 

The researchers tested how different doses of the B. infantis probiotic (high, medium and low, as well as a placebo) impacted the gut bacteria of exclusively breastfed infants. The infants provided stool samples before, during and after taking the supplement, and the researchers analyzed these to see how their microbiomes responded. The researchers tested whether lower doses of B. infantis, which are commercially available, produced similar effects as the newborn study which used a high dose of the B. infantis probiotic.  

The researchers found that B. infantis could successfully increase beneficial gut bacteria in older, exclusively breastfed infants, even after the newborn period. All doses tested worked, and the beneficial bacteria remained present even after supplementation stopped. 

“These findings suggest that B. infantis supplementation can restore the infant gut even past the newborn stage,” Smilowitz said. “Unlike many probiotics that disappear once supplementation stops, B. infantis was able to take hold and remain in the gut when paired with human milk, which naturally contains the human milk oligosaccharides it needs to grow. This means even short-term supplementation at a range of doses may have lasting benefits for breastfed infants. The finding that all tested doses were effective suggests this approach may be adaptable to real-world settings where access, timing or dose can vary.”
 

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The American Society for Microbiology is one of the largest professional societies dedicated to the life sciences and is composed of over 38,000 scientists and health practitioners. ASM's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.

ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications, educational opportunities and advocacy efforts. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to all audiences.

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Journal

mSphere

 

U.S. Federal EITC has unexpected result, researchers say – it decreases domestic violence

“Even if you don’t care about the human value of reducing this, there are efficiency gains in handling it more effectively - and I think most of us do care about the human element," UConn's David Simon says.

University of Connecticut

Intimate Partner Violence and Income: Quasi-Experimental

Evidence from the Earned Income Tax Credit

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Fifty years since the federal earned income tax credit went into effect and a team of researchers from UConn and City University of New York have identified an unintended benefit of the antipoverty program – a significant reduction in rates of intimate partner violence among unmarried women.

“There’s been enough literature to show that good things happen because of the earned income tax credit, but what was surprising to us is the relatively large effect it has on intimate partner violence,” says UConn’s David Simon, an associate professor of economics and study co-author. “To a low-income family, $1,000 a year is a lot.”

Simon and his colleagues – UConn finance professor Resul Cesur, and Núria Rodríguez-Planas and Jennifer Roff from City University of New York – specifically looked at rates of intimate partner violence, or IPV, since the 1993 expansion of the federal earned income tax credit using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey from 1992 to 2000.

In “Intimate Partner Violence and Income: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from the Earned Income Tax Credit,” published last month in the University of Chicago’s Journal of Law and Economics, they found the credit decreased the prevalence of physical and sexual violence among unmarried, low-educated women by 9.73%. Further, it decreased the counts of such violence by 21%.

“Most policymakers, when they look at the earned income tax credit, they’re thinking about two things: reducing poverty and incentivizing work. It’s very effective at both of those things, but I don’t think decreasing intimate partner violence was on their mind,” Simon says.

The earned income tax credit, or EITC, is a credit for taxpayers who fall below certain income levels and meet certain employment requirements. President Gerald Ford signed it into law in March 1975, and it was significantly expanded under President Bill Clinton as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993.

Generally, it offers $1,000 off a tax payment to the IRS or, in most cases, a refund directly to the taxpayer. Those with children receive higher amounts depending on the number they claim as dependents.

Many states have their own EITC programs, which affect people’s state tax liabilities, but researchers looked only at the federal credit in this study. State programs result in a much smaller financial benefit to the taxpayer, although a person often qualifies for both simultaneously.

Roff and Rodríguez-Planas brought the UConn team into the project after they started thinking about how income levels affect domestic violence. But they knew it wasn’t enough to just look at the relationship between income and IPV, Roff says.

In developing countries, higher income among women can increase rates of domestic violence, as a perpetrator extracts those extra resources from their victim to rebalance power in the home, Roff notes.

Conversely, in other places, a woman’s higher income can bring down the prevalence of domestic violence simply because moving up the socioeconomic ladder includes more education, stable family environments, and other nonmonetary resources that are more accessible, Simon adds.

To strip away those influences, the team settled on using the EITC as a benchmark, which meant their initial query grew into a study of the effects on IPV of employment and income as they relate to the tax credit.

“It’s an established fact that during COVID, there was a big increase in domestic violence: Everybody was stuck at home in one small space and there was the stress of COVID,” Roff says. “So, we started thinking that if the earned income tax credit increases employment, then women simply are outside of the house and not exposed to it anymore, much like the period before and after COVID.”

Couple that with decreased financial stress from the tax credit, in addition to the higher paycheck from the requisite employment to qualify for it, and they noticed measurable declines in IPV, which, according to the study, affects a quarter of women at some point in their lives.

“That’s a huge percent,” Simon says. “We probably all know multiple people who we care about who’ve been through this.”

Ten million women annually are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking, the paper says, noting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the cost amounts to $3.6 trillion, or $103,767 per victimized woman, including the price of medical care, lost productivity, and the criminal justice system.

Researchers estimate that since the EITC’s expansion in 1993, nearly 42,000 fewer women have experience IPV, a benefit of $4.3 billion in 2003 dollars, the study says.

“Intimate partner violence is a widespread and costly social phenomenon,” Simon says. “Even if you don’t care about the human value of reducing this, there are efficiency gains in handling it more effectively - and I think most of us do care about the human element.”

Roff say she and Rodríguez-Planas now are looking at the success of policies specifically targeting IPV, like the national Lethality Assessment Protocol, and are finding they don’t make significantly more gains than what the EITC has done.

“It’s an added bonus of this tax policy,” Roff says of its effect on IPV. “It’s really nice that this has had other beneficial effects outside of its direct targeted plan, which was to reduce poverty and improve family incomes.”

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Journal

Journal of Law and Economics

DOI

10.1086/735360 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Intimate Partner Violence and Income: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from the Earned Income Tax Credit