101
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Butchart SH, Clarke M, Smith RJ, Sykes RE, Scharlemann JP, Harfoot M, Buchanan GM, Angulo A, Balmford A, Bertzky B, Brooks TM, Carpenter KE, Comeros-Raynal MT, Cornell J, Ficetola GF, Fishpool LD, Fuller RA, Geldmann J, Harwell H, Hilton-Taylor C, Hoffmann M, Joolia A, Joppa L, Kingston N, May I, Milam A, Polidoro B, Ralph G, Richman N, Rondinini C, Segan DB, Skolnik B, Spalding MD, Stuart SN, Symes A, Taylor J, Visconti P, Watson JE, Wood L, Burgess ND. Shortfalls and Solutions for Meeting National and Global Conservation Area Targets. Conserv Lett 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 293] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Martin Clarke
- BirdLife International; Wellbrook Court; Cambridge CB3 0NA UK
| | - Robert J. Smith
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation; University of Kent; Canterbury CT2 7NR UK
| | - Rachel E. Sykes
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation; University of Kent; Canterbury CT2 7NR UK
| | | | - Mike Harfoot
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre; 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL UK
- Microsoft Research Computational Science Laboratory; 21 Station Road Cambridge CB1 FB UK
| | - Graeme M. Buchanan
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; RSPB Scotland; 2 Lochside View, Edinburgh Park Edinburgh EH12 9DH UK
| | - Ariadne Angulo
- International Union for Conservation of Nature; Rue Mauverney 28 1196 Gland Switzerland
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Bastian Bertzky
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre; 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL UK
- European Commission; Joint Research Centre (JRC); Via Enrico Fermi 2749 21027 Ispra (VA) Italy
| | - Thomas M. Brooks
- International Union for Conservation of Nature; Rue Mauverney 28 1196 Gland Switzerland
- World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF); University of the Philippines Los Baños; Laguna 4031 Philippines
- School of Geography and Environmental Studies; University of Tasmania; Hobart TAS 7001 Australia
| | - Kent E. Carpenter
- IUCN Marine Biodiversity Unit, Department of Biological Sciences; Old Dominion University; Norfolk VA 23529 USA
| | - Mia T. Comeros-Raynal
- IUCN Marine Biodiversity Unit, Department of Biological Sciences; Old Dominion University; Norfolk VA 23529 USA
| | - John Cornell
- BirdLife International; Wellbrook Court; Cambridge CB3 0NA UK
| | - G. Francesco Ficetola
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine (LECA); Université Grenoble-Alpes; F-38000 Grenoble France
| | | | - Richard A. Fuller
- School of Biological Sciences; University of Queensland; St Lucia QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Jonas Geldmann
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark; University of Copenhagen; Universitetsparken 15 DK-2100 Copenhagen E Denmark
| | - Heather Harwell
- IUCN Marine Biodiversity Unit, Department of Biological Sciences; Old Dominion University; Norfolk VA 23529 USA
- Department of Organismal and Environmental Biology; Christopher Newport University; Newport News VA 23606 USA
| | - Craig Hilton-Taylor
- International Union for Conservation of Nature; 219c Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB30DL UK
| | - Michael Hoffmann
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre; 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL UK
- International Union for Conservation of Nature; Rue Mauverney 28 1196 Gland Switzerland
| | - Ackbar Joolia
- International Union for Conservation of Nature; 219c Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB30DL UK
| | - Lucas Joppa
- Microsoft Research Computational Science Laboratory; 21 Station Road Cambridge CB1 FB UK
| | - Naomi Kingston
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre; 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL UK
| | - Ian May
- BirdLife International; Wellbrook Court; Cambridge CB3 0NA UK
| | - Amy Milam
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre; 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL UK
| | - Beth Polidoro
- IUCN Marine Biodiversity Unit, Department of Biological Sciences; Old Dominion University; Norfolk VA 23529 USA
- New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences; Arizona State University; Phoenix AZ 85069 USA
| | - Gina Ralph
- IUCN Marine Biodiversity Unit, Department of Biological Sciences; Old Dominion University; Norfolk VA 23529 USA
| | - Nadia Richman
- Institute of Zoology; Zoological Society of London; Regent's Park London NW1 4RY UK
| | - Carlo Rondinini
- Global Mammal Assessment Program, Department of Biology and Biotechnologies; Sapienza University of Rome; Viale dell'Università 32 00185 Roma Italy
| | - Daniel B. Segan
- Global Conservation Program; Wildlife Conservation Society; Bronx NY 10460 USA
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management; University of Queensland; St Lucia QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Benjamin Skolnik
- American Bird Conservancy; P.O. Box 249, 4249 Loudoun Avenue The Plains VA 20198-2237 USA
| | - Mark D. Spalding
- The Nature Conservancy and Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Simon N. Stuart
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre; 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL UK
- International Union for Conservation of Nature; Rue Mauverney 28 1196 Gland Switzerland
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry; University of Bath; Bath BA2 7AY UK
- Al Ain Zoo; P.O. Box 45553 Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
| | - Andy Symes
- BirdLife International; Wellbrook Court; Cambridge CB3 0NA UK
| | - Joseph Taylor
- BirdLife International; Wellbrook Court; Cambridge CB3 0NA UK
| | - Piero Visconti
- Microsoft Research Computational Science Laboratory; 21 Station Road Cambridge CB1 FB UK
| | - James E.M. Watson
- Global Conservation Program; Wildlife Conservation Society; Bronx NY 10460 USA
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management; University of Queensland; St Lucia QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Louisa Wood
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre; 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL UK
- Department of Geography; University of Cambridge; Downing Place Cambridge CB2 3EN UK
| | - Neil D. Burgess
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre; 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL UK
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark; University of Copenhagen; Universitetsparken 15 DK-2100 Copenhagen E Denmark
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102
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Whisson DA, Holland GJ, Kelly TR. Persistence of a threatened species in a modified alpine resort environment: the broad-toothed rat. J Mammal 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyu016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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103
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Tali BA, Ganie AH, Nawchoo IA, Wani AA, Reshi ZA. Assessment of threat status of selected endemic medicinal plants using IUCN regional guidelines: A case study from Kashmir Himalaya. J Nat Conserv 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2014.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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104
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Aslan C, Holmes N, Tershy B, Spatz D, Croll DA. Benefits to poorly studied taxa of conservation of bird and mammal diversity on islands. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2015; 29:133-142. [PMID: 25065901 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2013] [Accepted: 04/07/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Protected area delineation and conservation action are urgently needed on marine islands, but the potential biodiversity benefits of these activities can be difficult to assess due to lack of species diversity information for lesser known taxa. We used linear mixed effects modeling and simple spatial analyses to investigate whether conservation activities based on the diversity of well-known insular taxa (birds and mammals) are likely to also capture the diversity of lesser known taxa (reptiles, amphibians, vascular land plants, ants, land snails, butterflies, and tenebrionid beetles). We assembled total, threatened, and endemic diversity data for both well-known and lesser known taxa and combined these with physical island biogeography characteristics for 1190 islands from 109 archipelagos. Among physical island biogeography factors, island area was the best indicator of diversity of both well-known and little-known taxa. Among taxonomic factors, total mammal species richness was the best indicator of total diversity of lesser known taxa, and the combination of threatened mammal and threatened bird diversity was the best indicator of lesser known endemic richness. The results of other intertaxon diversity comparisons were highly variable, however. Based on our results, we suggest that protecting islands above a certain minimum threshold area may be the most efficient use of conservation resources. For example, using our island database, if the threshold were set at 10 km(2) and the smallest 10% of islands greater than this threshold were protected, 119 islands would be protected. The islands would range in size from 10 to 29 km(2) and would include 268 lesser known species endemic to a single island, along with 11 bird and mammal species endemic to a single island. Our results suggest that for islands of equivalent size, prioritization based on total or threatened bird and mammal diversity may also capture opportunities to protect lesser known species endemic to islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Aslan
- Conservation Education and Science Department, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ, 85743, U.S.A..
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105
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The performance and potential of protected areas. Nature 2014; 515:67-73. [PMID: 25373676 DOI: 10.1038/nature13947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 643] [Impact Index Per Article: 64.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2014] [Accepted: 06/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Originally conceived to conserve iconic landscapes and wildlife, protected areas are now expected to achieve an increasingly diverse set of conservation, social and economic objectives. The amount of land and sea designated as formally protected has markedly increased over the past century, but there is still a major shortfall in political commitments to enhance the coverage and effectiveness of protected areas. Financial support for protected areas is dwarfed by the benefits that they provide, but these returns depend on effective management. A step change involving increased recognition, funding, planning and enforcement is urgently needed if protected areas are going to fulfil their potential.
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106
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Dinerstein E, Baccini A, Anderson M, Fiske G, Wikramanayake E, McLaughlin D, Powell G, Olson D, Joshi A. Guiding Agricultural Expansion to Spare Tropical Forests. Conserv Lett 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Eric Dinerstein
- Biodiversity and Wildlife Solutions Program; RESOLVE; 1255 23 St., NW Washington DC 20037 USA
- Senior Fellow, World Resources Institute; 10 G St. Suite 800 Washington DC 20002 USA
| | | | - Michael Anderson
- World Wildlife Fund-US; 1250 24th St., NW Washington DC 20037 USA
| | - Greg Fiske
- Woods Hole Research Center; 149 Woods Hole Road; Falmouth MA 02540 USA
| | - Eric Wikramanayake
- Biodiversity and Wildlife Solutions Program; RESOLVE; 1255 23 St., NW Washington DC 20037 USA
- World Wildlife Fund-US; 1250 24th St., NW Washington DC 20037 USA
| | - David McLaughlin
- Markets Program; World Wildlife Fund-US; 1250 24th St., NW Washington DC 20037 USA
| | - George Powell
- World Wildlife Fund-US; 1250 24th St., NW Washington DC 20037 USA
| | - David Olson
- Biodiversity and Wildlife Solutions Program; RESOLVE; 1255 23 St., NW Washington DC 20037 USA
- Conservation Earth Consulting, www.conservationearthconsulting.com
- Senior Fellow, World Resources Institute; 10 G St. Suite 800 Washington DC 20002 USA
| | - Anup Joshi
- Conservation Biology Program; University of Minnesota; St. Paul MN 55108 USA
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107
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Mason THE, Stephens PA, Apollonio M, Willis SG. Predicting potential responses to future climate in an alpine ungulate: interspecific interactions exceed climate effects. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2014; 20:3872-3882. [PMID: 24957266 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2014] [Accepted: 04/17/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The altitudinal shifts of many montane populations are lagging behind climate change. Understanding habitual, daily behavioural rhythms, and their climatic and environmental influences, could shed light on the constraints on long-term upslope range-shifts. In addition, behavioural rhythms can be affected by interspecific interactions, which can ameliorate or exacerbate climate-driven effects on ecology. Here, we investigate the relative influences of ambient temperature and an interaction with domestic sheep (Ovis aries) on the altitude use and activity budgets of a mountain ungulate, the Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra). Chamois moved upslope when it was hotter but this effect was modest compared to that of the presence of sheep, to which they reacted by moving 89-103 m upslope, into an entirely novel altitudinal range. Across the European Alps, a range-shift of this magnitude corresponds to a 46% decrease in the availability of suitable foraging habitat. This highlights the importance of understanding how factors such as competition and disturbance shape a given species' realised niche when predicting potential future responses to change. Furthermore, it exposes the potential for manipulations of species interactions to ameliorate the impacts of climate change, in this case by the careful management of livestock. Such manipulations could be particularly appropriate for species where competition or disturbance already strongly restricts their available niche. Our results also reveal the potential role of behavioural flexibility in responses to climate change. Chamois reduced their activity when it was warmer, which could explain their modest altitudinal migrations. Considering this behavioural flexibility, our model predicts a small 15-30 m upslope shift by 2100 in response to climate change, less than 4% of the altitudinal shift that would be predicted using a traditional species distribution model-type approach (SDM), which assumes that species' behaviour remains unchanged as climate changes. Behavioural modifications could strongly affect how species respond to a changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom H E Mason
- School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
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108
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Rodrigues ASL, Brooks TM, Butchart SHM, Chanson J, Cox N, Hoffmann M, Stuart SN. Spatially explicit trends in the global conservation status of vertebrates. PLoS One 2014; 9:e113934. [PMID: 25426636 PMCID: PMC4245261 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2014] [Accepted: 11/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The world's governments have committed to preventing the extinction of threatened species and improving their conservation status by 2020. However, biodiversity is not evenly distributed across space, and neither are the drivers of its decline, and so different regions face very different challenges. Here, we quantify the contribution of regions and countries towards recent global trends in vertebrate conservation status (as measured by the Red List Index), to guide action towards the 2020 target. We found that>50% of the global deterioration in the conservation status of birds, mammals and amphibians is concentrated in <1% of the surface area, 39/1098 ecoregions (4%) and eight/195 countries (4%) – Australia, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, and the United States. These countries hold a third of global diversity in these vertebrate groups, partially explaining why they concentrate most of the losses. Yet, other megadiverse countries – most notably Brazil (responsible for 10% of species but just 1% of deterioration), plus India and Madagascar – performed better in conserving their share of global vertebrate diversity. Very few countries, mostly island nations (e.g. Cook Islands, Fiji, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Tonga), have achieved net improvements. Per capita wealth does not explain these patterns, with two of the richest countries – United States and Australia – fairing conspicuously poorly. Different countries were affected by different combinations of threats. Reducing global rates of biodiversity loss will require investment in the regions and countries with the highest responsibility for the world's biodiversity, focusing on conserving those species and areas most in peril and on reducing the drivers with the highest impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana S. L. Rodrigues
- Centre d′Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS UMR5175, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Thomas M. Brooks
- IUCN, 28 rue Mauverney, CH-1196, Gland, Switzerland
- World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna 4031, Philippines
- School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart TAS 7001, Australia
| | - Stuart H. M. Butchart
- BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge, CB3 0NA, United Kingdom
| | | | - Neil Cox
- IUCN, 28 rue Mauverney, CH-1196, Gland, Switzerland
- Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive Ste 500, Arlington, VA, 22202, United States of America
| | - Michael Hoffmann
- IUCN, 28 rue Mauverney, CH-1196, Gland, Switzerland
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, United Kingdom
| | - Simon N. Stuart
- IUCN, 28 rue Mauverney, CH-1196, Gland, Switzerland
- Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive Ste 500, Arlington, VA, 22202, United States of America
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, United Kingdom
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
- Al Ain Zoo, P.O. Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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109
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Han X, Smyth RL, Young BE, Brooks TM, Sánchez de Lozada A, Bubb P, Butchart SHM, Larsen FW, Hamilton H, Hansen MC, Turner WR. A biodiversity indicators dashboard: addressing challenges to monitoring progress towards the Aichi biodiversity targets using disaggregated global data. PLoS One 2014; 9:e112046. [PMID: 25409183 PMCID: PMC4237332 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2014] [Accepted: 10/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Recognizing the imperiled status of biodiversity and its benefit to human well-being, the world's governments committed in 2010 to take effective and urgent action to halt biodiversity loss through the Convention on Biological Diversity's "Aichi Targets". These targets, and many conservation programs, require monitoring to assess progress toward specific goals. However, comprehensive and easily understood information on biodiversity trends at appropriate spatial scales is often not available to the policy makers, managers, and scientists who require it. We surveyed conservation stakeholders in three geographically diverse regions of critical biodiversity concern (the Tropical Andes, the African Great Lakes, and the Greater Mekong) and found high demand for biodiversity indicator information but uneven availability. To begin to address this need, we present a biodiversity "dashboard"--a visualization of biodiversity indicators designed to enable tracking of biodiversity and conservation performance data in a clear, user-friendly format. This builds on previous, more conceptual, indicator work to create an operationalized online interface communicating multiple indicators at multiple spatial scales. We structured this dashboard around the Pressure-State-Response-Benefit framework, selecting four indicators to measure pressure on biodiversity (deforestation rate), state of species (Red List Index), conservation response (protection of key biodiversity areas), and benefits to human populations (freshwater provision). Disaggregating global data, we present dashboard maps and graphics for the three regions surveyed and their component countries. These visualizations provide charts showing regional and national trends and lay the foundation for a web-enabled, interactive biodiversity indicators dashboard. This new tool can help track progress toward the Aichi Targets, support national monitoring and reporting, and inform outcome-based policy-making for the protection of natural resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuemei Han
- NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Regan L. Smyth
- NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Bruce E. Young
- NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Thomas M. Brooks
- NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
- International Union for Conservation of Nature, Gland, Switzerland
- World Agroforestry Center, International Center for Research in Agroforestry, University of Philippines, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines
- School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | | | - Philip Bubb
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Frank W. Larsen
- European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Healy Hamilton
- NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Matthew C. Hansen
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Will R. Turner
- Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
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110
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Gorman CE, Potts BM, Schweitzer JA, Bailey JK. Shifts in species interactions due to the evolution of functional differences between endemics and non-endemics: an endemic syndrome hypothesis. PLoS One 2014; 9:e111190. [PMID: 25340402 PMCID: PMC4207777 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2014] [Accepted: 09/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Species ranges have been shifting since the Pleistocene, whereby fragmentation, isolation, and the subsequent reduction in gene flow have resulted in local adaptation of novel genotypes and the repeated evolution of endemic species. While there is a wide body of literature focused on understanding endemic species, very few studies empirically test whether or not the evolution of endemics results in unique function or ecological differences relative to their widespread congeners; in particular while controlling for environmental variation. Using a common garden composed of 15 Eucalyptus species within the subgenus Symphyomyrtus (9 endemic to Tasmania, 6 non-endemic), here we hypothesize and show that endemic species are functionally and ecologically different from non-endemics. Compared to non-endemics, endemic Eucalyptus species have a unique suite of functional plant traits that have extended effects on herbivores. We found that while endemics occupy many diverse habitats, they share similar functional traits potentially resulting in an endemic syndrome of traits. This study provides one of the first empirical datasets analyzing the functional differences between endemics and non-endemics in a common garden setting, and establishes a foundation for additional studies of endemic/non-endemic dynamics that will be essential for understanding global biodiversity in the midst of rapid species extinctions and range shifts as a consequence of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney E. Gorman
- Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Brad M. Potts
- School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Jennifer A. Schweitzer
- Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Joseph K. Bailey
- Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
- School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
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111
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Zancolli G, Rödel MO, Steffan-Dewenter I, Storfer A. Comparative landscape genetics of two river frog species occurring at different elevations on Mount Kilimanjaro. Mol Ecol 2014; 23:4989-5002. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.12921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2014] [Revised: 09/07/2014] [Accepted: 09/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Zancolli
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology; Biocentre; University of Würzburg; Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
- School of Biological Sciences; Washington State University; Pullman WA 99164 USA
| | - Mark-Oliver Rödel
- Museum für Naturkunde; Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science; Invalidenstr. 43 10115 Berlin Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB); Berlin Germany
| | - Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology; Biocentre; University of Würzburg; Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
| | - Andrew Storfer
- School of Biological Sciences; Washington State University; Pullman WA 99164 USA
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112
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Platts PJ, Garcia RA, Hof C, Foden W, Hansen LA, Rahbek C, Burgess ND. Conservation implications of omitting narrow-ranging taxa from species distribution models, now and in the future. DIVERS DISTRIB 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Philip J. Platts
- Environment Department; University of York; Heslington YO10 5DD York UK
| | - Raquel A. Garcia
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate; Natural History Museum of Denmark; University of Copenhagen; Copenhagen Denmark
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology; National Museum of Natural Sciences; CSIC; Calle José Gutierrez Abascal; 28006 Madrid Spain
- Rui Nabeiro Biodiversity Chair; University of Évora; CIBIO; Largo dos Colegiais 7000 Évora Portugal
| | - Christian Hof
- Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) & Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung; Senckenberganlage 25 60325 Frankfurt Germany
| | - Wendy Foden
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; 2050 Johannesburg South Africa
- Climate Change Specialist Group; IUCN Species Survival Commission; Gland Switzerland
| | - Louis A. Hansen
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate; Natural History Museum of Denmark; University of Copenhagen; Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Carsten Rahbek
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate; Natural History Museum of Denmark; University of Copenhagen; Copenhagen Denmark
- Department of Life Sciences; Faculty of Natural Sciences; Imperial College London; Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road Ascot SL5 7PY Berkshire UK
| | - Neil D. Burgess
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate; Natural History Museum of Denmark; University of Copenhagen; Copenhagen Denmark
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre; 219 Huntingdon Road CB3 0DL Cambridge UK
- World Wildlife Fund-US; 1250 24th Street NW Washington 20037 DC USA
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113
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Coetzee BWT, Gaston KJ, Chown SL. Local scale comparisons of biodiversity as a test for global protected area ecological performance: a meta-analysis. PLoS One 2014; 9:e105824. [PMID: 25162620 PMCID: PMC4146549 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2014] [Accepted: 07/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial protected areas (PAs) are cornerstones of global biodiversity conservation. Their efficacy in terms of maintaining biodiversity is, however, much debated. Studies to date have been unable to provide a general answer as to PA conservation efficacy because of their typically restricted geographic and/or taxonomic focus, or qualitative approaches focusing on proxies for biodiversity, such as deforestation. Given the rarity of historical data to enable comparisons of biodiversity before/after PA establishment, many smaller scale studies over the past 30 years have directly compared biodiversity inside PAs to that of surrounding areas, which provides one measure of PA ecological performance. Here we use a meta-analysis of such studies (N = 86) to test if PAs contain higher biodiversity values than surrounding areas, and so assess their contribution to determining PA efficacy. We find that PAs generally have higher abundances of individual species, higher assemblage abundances, and higher species richness values compared with alternative land uses. Local scale studies in combination thus show that PAs retain more biodiversity than alternative land use areas. Nonetheless, much variation is present in the effect sizes, which underscores the context-specificity of PA efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard W. T. Coetzee
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kevin J. Gaston
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Steven L. Chown
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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114
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Jenkins RKB, Tognelli MF, Bowles P, Cox N, Brown JL, Chan L, Andreone F, Andriamazava A, Andriantsimanarilafy RR, Anjeriniaina M, Bora P, Brady LD, Hantalalaina EF, Glaw F, Griffiths RA, Hilton-Taylor C, Hoffmann M, Katariya V, Rabibisoa NH, Rafanomezantsoa J, Rakotomalala D, Rakotondravony H, Rakotondrazafy NA, Ralambonirainy J, Ramanamanjato JB, Randriamahazo H, Randrianantoandro JC, Randrianasolo HH, Randrianirina JE, Randrianizahana H, Raselimanana AP, Rasolohery A, Ratsoavina FM, Raxworthy CJ, Robsomanitrandrasana E, Rollande F, van Dijk PP, Yoder AD, Vences M. Extinction risks and the conservation of Madagascar's reptiles. PLoS One 2014; 9:e100173. [PMID: 25111137 PMCID: PMC4128600 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0100173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2013] [Accepted: 05/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background An understanding of the conservation status of Madagascar's endemic reptile species is needed to underpin conservation planning and priority setting in this global biodiversity hotspot, and to complement existing information on the island's mammals, birds and amphibians. We report here on the first systematic assessment of the extinction risk of endemic and native non-marine Malagasy snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises. Methodology/Principal Findings Species range maps from The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species were analysed to determine patterns in the distribution of threatened reptile species. These data, in addition to information on threats, were used to identify priority areas and actions for conservation. Thirty-nine percent of the data-sufficient Malagasy reptiles in our analyses are threatened with extinction. Areas in the north, west and south-east were identified as having more threatened species than expected and are therefore conservation priorities. Habitat degradation caused by wood harvesting and non-timber crops was the most pervasive threat. The direct removal of reptiles for international trade and human consumption threatened relatively few species, but were the primary threats for tortoises. Nine threatened reptile species are endemic to recently created protected areas. Conclusions/Significance With a few alarming exceptions, the threatened endemic reptiles of Madagascar occur within the national network of protected areas, including some taxa that are only found in new protected areas. Threats to these species, however, operate inside and outside protected area boundaries. This analysis has identified priority sites for reptile conservation and completes the conservation assessment of terrestrial vertebrates in Madagascar which will facilitate conservation planning, monitoring and wise-decision making. In sharp contrast with the amphibians, there is significant reptile diversity and regional endemism in the southern and western regions of Madagascar and this study highlights the importance of these arid regions to conserving the island's biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marcelo F. Tognelli
- IUCN/CI Biodiversity Assessment Unit, Betty & Gordon Moore Center for Science & Oceans, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
- IUCN Global Species Programme, Gland, Switzerland
| | - Philip Bowles
- IUCN/CI Biodiversity Assessment Unit, Betty & Gordon Moore Center for Science & Oceans, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
- IUCN Global Species Programme, Gland, Switzerland
| | - Neil Cox
- IUCN/CI Biodiversity Assessment Unit, Betty & Gordon Moore Center for Science & Oceans, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
- IUCN Global Species Programme, Gland, Switzerland
| | - Jason L. Brown
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Lauren Chan
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- W. M. Keck Science Department of Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, California, United States of America
| | | | - Alain Andriamazava
- Ligue pour la Protection de la Nature à Madagascar, Lot 313 Cité Civil Ambohipo, Antaninarenina, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | | | - Mirana Anjeriniaina
- WWF Madagascar and West Indian Ocean Programme Office, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Parfait Bora
- Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Lee D. Brady
- Calumma Ecological Services, Dunkirk, Faversham, Kent, United Kingdom
| | - Elisoa F. Hantalalaina
- Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Frank Glaw
- Zoologische Staatssammlung München, München, Germany
| | - Richard A. Griffiths
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | | | - Michael Hoffmann
- IUCN/CI Biodiversity Assessment Unit, Betty & Gordon Moore Center for Science & Oceans, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
- IUCN Species Survival Commission, Gland, Switzerland
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Nirhy H. Rabibisoa
- Département de Zoologie et Ecologie, Faculté des Sciences Campus Ambondrona, Mahajanga, Madagascar
| | - Jeannot Rafanomezantsoa
- Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | | | - Hery Rakotondravony
- Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Ny A. Rakotondrazafy
- Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Fanomezana M. Ratsoavina
- Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
- Technical University of Braunschweig, Zoological Institute, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Christopher J. Raxworthy
- Herpetology Department, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, United States of America
| | | | - Finoana Rollande
- Conservation International, Villa Hajanirina, Ankorahotra, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Peter P. van Dijk
- IUCN/CI Biodiversity Assessment Unit, Betty & Gordon Moore Center for Science & Oceans, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Anne D. Yoder
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Miguel Vences
- Technical University of Braunschweig, Zoological Institute, Braunschweig, Germany
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115
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Schmeller DS, Evans D, Lin YP, Henle K. The national responsibility approach to setting conservation priorities—Recommendations for its use. J Nat Conserv 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2014.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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116
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Pool TK, Grenouillet G, Villéger S. Species contribute differently to the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic alpha and beta diversity of freshwater fish communities. DIVERS DISTRIB 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas K. Pool
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB); UPS; CNRS; UMR5174; Université de Toulouse; 31062 Toulouse France
| | - Gaël Grenouillet
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB); UPS; CNRS; UMR5174; Université de Toulouse; 31062 Toulouse France
| | - Sébastien Villéger
- Laboratoire Écologie des Systèmes Marins Côtiers (ECOSYM); CNRS; IRD; IFREMER; Université Montpellier 2; Place Eugène Bataillon 34095 Montpellier France
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117
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Venter O, Fuller RA, Segan DB, Carwardine J, Brooks T, Butchart SHM, Di Marco M, Iwamura T, Joseph L, O'Grady D, Possingham HP, Rondinini C, Smith RJ, Venter M, Watson JEM. Targeting global protected area expansion for imperiled biodiversity. PLoS Biol 2014; 12:e1001891. [PMID: 24960185 PMCID: PMC4068989 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 212] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2014] [Accepted: 05/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Meeting international targets for expanding protected areas could simultaneously contribute to species conservation, but only if the distribution of threatened species informs the future establishment of protected areas. Governments have agreed to expand the global protected area network from 13% to 17% of the world's land surface by 2020 (Aichi target 11) and to prevent the further loss of known threatened species (Aichi target 12). These targets are interdependent, as protected areas can stem biodiversity loss when strategically located and effectively managed. However, the global protected area estate is currently biased toward locations that are cheap to protect and away from important areas for biodiversity. Here we use data on the distribution of protected areas and threatened terrestrial birds, mammals, and amphibians to assess current and possible future coverage of these species under the convention. We discover that 17% of the 4,118 threatened vertebrates are not found in a single protected area and that fully 85% are not adequately covered (i.e., to a level consistent with their likely persistence). Using systematic conservation planning, we show that expanding protected areas to reach 17% coverage by protecting the cheapest land, even if ecoregionally representative, would increase the number of threatened vertebrates covered by only 6%. However, the nonlinear relationship between the cost of acquiring land and species coverage means that fivefold more threatened vertebrates could be adequately covered for only 1.5 times the cost of the cheapest solution, if cost efficiency and threatened vertebrates are both incorporated into protected area decision making. These results are robust to known errors in the vertebrate range maps. The Convention on Biological Diversity targets may stimulate major expansion of the global protected area estate. If this expansion is to secure a future for imperiled species, new protected areas must be sited more strategically than is presently the case. Under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), governments have agreed to ambitious targets for expanding the global protected area network that could drive the greatest surge in new protected areas in history. They have also agreed to arrest the decline of known threatened species. However, existing protected areas perform poorly for coverage of threatened species, with only 15% of threatened vertebrates being adequately represented. Moreover, we find that if future protected area expansion continues in a business-as-usual fashion, threatened species coverage will increase only marginally. This is because low-cost priorities for meeting the CBD targets have little overlap with priorities for threatened species coverage. Here we propose a method for averting this outcome, by linking threatened species coverage to protected area expansion. Our analyses clearly demonstrate that considerable increases in protected area coverage of species could be achieved at minimal additional cost. Exploiting this opportunity will require directly linking the CBD targets on protected areas and threatened species, thereby formalizing the interdependence of these key commitments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Venter
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science and the School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Richard A. Fuller
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Daniel B. Segan
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Josie Carwardine
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Ecosystem Sciences, EcoSci Precinct, Dutton Pk, Australia
| | - Thomas Brooks
- International Union for Conservation of Nature, Gland, Switzerland
- World Agroforestry Center, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines
- School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | | | - Moreno Di Marco
- Global Mammal Assessment Program, Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Takuya Iwamura
- Department of Biology and Department of Environmental Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Liana Joseph
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Damien O'Grady
- Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
| | - Hugh P. Possingham
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, United Kingdom
| | - Carlo Rondinini
- Global Mammal Assessment Program, Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Robert J. Smith
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Michelle Venter
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science and the School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
| | - James E. M. Watson
- Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, New York, United States of America
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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118
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Pimm SL, Jenkins CN, Abell R, Brooks TM, Gittleman JL, Joppa LN, Raven PH, Roberts CM, Sexton JO. The biodiversity of species and their rates of extinction, distribution, and protection. Science 2014; 344:1246752. [PMID: 24876501 DOI: 10.1126/science.1246752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1108] [Impact Index Per Article: 110.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies clarify where the most vulnerable species live, where and how humanity changes the planet, and how this drives extinctions. We assess key statistics about species, their distribution, and their status. Most are undescribed. Those we know best have large geographical ranges and are often common within them. Most known species have small ranges. The numbers of small-ranged species are increasing quickly, even in well-known taxa. They are geographically concentrated and are disproportionately likely to be threatened or already extinct. Current rates of extinction are about 1000 times the likely background rate of extinction. Future rates depend on many factors and are poised to increase. Although there has been rapid progress in developing protected areas, such efforts are not ecologically representative, nor do they optimally protect biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- S L Pimm
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Box 90328, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
| | - C N Jenkins
- Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Rodovia Dom Pedro I, km 47, Caixa Postal 47, Nazaré Paulista SP, 12960-000, Brazil
| | - R Abell
- Post Office Box 402 Haverford, PA 19041, USA
| | - T M Brooks
- International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN, 28 Rue Mauverney, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland
| | - J L Gittleman
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - L N Joppa
- Microsoft Research, 21 Station Road, Cambridge, CB1 2FB, UK
| | - P H Raven
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Post Office Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299, USA
| | - C M Roberts
- Environment Department, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - J O Sexton
- Global Land Cover Facility, Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
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119
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Chenot J, Affre L, Passetti A, Buisson E. Consequences of iceplant (Carpobrotus) invasion on the vegetation and seed bank structure on a Mediterranean island: response elements for their local eradication. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/12538078.2014.910473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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120
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Campos FS, Trindade-Filho J, Brito D, Llorente GA, Solé M. The efficiency of indicator groups for the conservation of amphibians in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Ecol Evol 2014; 4:2505-14. [PMID: 25360282 PMCID: PMC4203294 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2013] [Revised: 03/05/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The adequate selection of indicator groups of biodiversity is an important aspect of the systematic conservation planning. However, these assessments differ in the spatial scales, in the methods used and in the groups considered to accomplish this task, which generally produces contradictory results. The quantification of the spatial congruence between species richness and complementarity among different taxonomic groups is a fundamental step to identify potential indicator groups. Using a constructive approach, the main purposes of this study were to evaluate the performance and efficiency of eight potential indicator groups representing amphibian diversity in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Data on the geographic range of amphibian species that occur in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest were overlapped to the full geographic extent of the biome, which was divided into a regular equal-area grid. Optimization routines based on the concept of complementarily were applied to verify the performance of each indicator group selected in relation to the representativeness of the amphibians in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest as a whole, which were solved by the algorithm “simulated annealing,” through the use of the software MARXAN. Some indicator groups were substantially more effective than others in regard to the representation of the taxonomic groups assessed, which was confirmed by the high significance of the data (F = 312.76; P < 0.01). Leiuperidae was considered as the best indicator group among the families analyzed, as it showed a good performance, representing 71% of amphibian species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (i.e., 290 species), which may be associated with the diffuse geographic distribution of their species. In this sense, this study promotes understanding of how the diversity standards of amphibians can be informative for systematic conservation planning on a regional scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Siqueira Campos
- Departament de Biologia Animal (Vertebrats), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona Barcelona, ES-08028, Spain ; CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil Brasília, DF, 70040-020, Brazil ; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz Ilhéus, BA, 45662-000, Brazil
| | - Joaquim Trindade-Filho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Evolução, Universidade Federal de Goiás Goiânia, GO, 74001-970, Brazil
| | - Daniel Brito
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz Ilhéus, BA, 45662-000, Brazil ; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Evolução, Universidade Federal de Goiás Goiânia, GO, 74001-970, Brazil
| | - Gustavo A Llorente
- Departament de Biologia Animal (Vertebrats), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona Barcelona, ES-08028, Spain
| | - Mirco Solé
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz Ilhéus, BA, 45662-000, Brazil
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121
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Will protection of 17% of land by 2020 be enough to safeguard biodiversity and critical ecosystem services? ORYX 2014. [DOI: 10.1017/s0030605313001348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractTo stem the loss of biodiversity and ensure continued provision of essential ecosystem services world leaders adopted the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets in 2010, to be fulfilled by 2020. One key target (Target 11) prescribes an expansion of the global protected area system to at least 17% of land surface and 10% of oceans by 2020. Given that these targets are predominantly based on political feasibility rather than scientific evidence, it remains unclear whether fulfilment of Target 11 will suffice to safeguard biodiversity and ensure continued provision of essential ecosystem services. Despite many data gaps, in particular for ecosystem services, we can use existing global data to estimate the required protected area on land for biodiversity (a minimum of c. 17%) and biomass carbon storage (a minimum of c. 7–14% additional area to protect 75–90% of the unprotected carbon stock), which illustrates that the target of 17% of land will probably fall short in meeting these goals. As crossing thresholds or tipping points in ecosystems could trigger non-linear, abrupt change in delivery of ecosystem services, we need a science-driven understanding of how much protected, intact nature is needed to avoid unforeseen transgression of planetary boundaries.
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122
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Courchamp F, Hoffmann BD, Russell JC, Leclerc C, Bellard C. Climate change, sea-level rise, and conservation: keeping island biodiversity afloat. Trends Ecol Evol 2014; 29:127-30. [PMID: 24486005 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2014.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2013] [Revised: 01/06/2014] [Accepted: 01/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Island conservation programs have been spectacularly successful over the past five decades, yet they generally do not account for impacts of climate change. Here, we argue that the full spectrum of climate change, especially sea-level rise and loss of suitable climatic conditions, should be rapidly integrated into island biodiversity research and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franck Courchamp
- Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, UMR CNRS 8079, University of Paris Sud, Orsay Cedex 91405, France.
| | | | - James C Russell
- University of Auckland, School of Biological Sciences and Department of Statistics, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Camille Leclerc
- Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, UMR CNRS 8079, University of Paris Sud, Orsay Cedex 91405, France
| | - Céline Bellard
- Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, UMR CNRS 8079, University of Paris Sud, Orsay Cedex 91405, France
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123
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Will DJ, Campbell KJ, Holmes ND. Using digital data collection tools to improve overall cost-efficiency and provide timely analysis for decision making during invasive species eradication campaigns. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2014. [DOI: 10.1071/wr13178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context
Worldwide, invasive vertebrate eradication campaigns are increasing in scale and complexity, requiring improved decision making tools to achieve and validate success. For managers of these campaigns, gaining access to timely summaries of field data can increase cost-efficiency and the likelihood of success, particularly for successive control-event style eradications. Conventional data collection techniques can be time intensive and burdensome to process. Recent advances in digital tools can reduce the time required to collect and process field information. Through timely analysis, efficiently collected data can inform decision making for managers both tactically, such as where to prioritise search effort, and strategically, such as when to transition from the eradication phase to confirmation monitoring.
Aims
We highlighted the advantages of using digital data collection tools, particularly the potential for reduced project costs through a decrease in effort and the ability to increase eradication efficiency by enabling explicit data-informed decision making.
Methods
We designed and utilised digital data collection tools, relational databases and a suite of analyses during two different eradication campaigns to inform management decisions: a feral cat eradication utilising trapping, and a rodent eradication using bait stations.
Key results
By using digital data collection during a 2-year long cat eradication, we experienced an 89% reduction in data collection effort and an estimated USD42 845 reduction in total costs compared with conventional paper methods. During a 2-month rodent bait station eradication, we experienced an 84% reduction in data collection effort and an estimated USD4525 increase in total costs.
Conclusions
Despite high initial capital costs, digital data collection systems provide increasing economics as the duration and scale of the campaign increases. Initial investments can be recouped by reusing equipment and software on subsequent projects, making digital data collection more cost-effective for programs contemplating multiple eradications.
Implications
With proper pre-planning, digital data collection systems can be integrated with quantitative models that generate timely forecasts of the effort required to remove all target animals and estimate the probability that eradication has been achieved to a desired level of confidence, thus improving decision making power and further reducing total project costs.
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124
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Le Saout S, Hoffmann M, Shi Y, Hughes A, Bernard C, Brooks TM, Bertzky B, Butchart SHM, Stuart SN, Badman T, Rodrigues ASL. Conservation. Protected areas and effective biodiversity conservation. Science 2013; 342:803-5. [PMID: 24233709 DOI: 10.1126/science.1239268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Soizic Le Saout
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE-CNRS UMR5175, 34293 Montpellier, France
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125
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Zancolli G, Steffan-Dewenter I, Rödel MO. Amphibian diversity on the roof of Africa: unveiling the effects of habitat degradation, altitude and biogeography. DIVERS DISTRIB 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Zancolli
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology; Biocentre; University of Würzburg; Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
| | - Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology; Biocentre; University of Würzburg; Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
| | - Mark-Oliver Rödel
- Museum für Naturkunde; Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity; Invalidenstr. 43 10115 Berlin Germany
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126
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Ayllón D, Nicola GG, Elvira B, Parra I, Almodóvar A. Thermal carrying capacity for a thermally-sensitive species at the warmest edge of its range. PLoS One 2013; 8:e81354. [PMID: 24282584 PMCID: PMC3840006 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2013] [Accepted: 10/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic environmental change is causing unprecedented rates of population extirpation and altering the setting of range limits for many species. Significant population declines may occur however before any reduction in range is observed. Determining and modelling the factors driving population size and trends is consequently critical to predict trajectories of change and future extinction risk. We tracked during 12 years 51 populations of a cold-water fish species (brown trout Salmo trutta) living along a temperature gradient at the warmest thermal edge of its range. We developed a carrying capacity model in which maximum population size is limited by physical habitat conditions and regulated through territoriality. We first tested whether population numbers were driven by carrying capacity dynamics and then targeted on establishing (1) the temperature thresholds beyond which population numbers switch from being physical habitat- to temperature-limited; and (2) the rate at which carrying capacity declines with temperature within limiting thermal ranges. Carrying capacity along with emergent density-dependent responses explained up to 76% of spatio-temporal density variability of juveniles and adults but only 50% of young-of-the-year's. By contrast, young-of-the-year trout were highly sensitive to thermal conditions, their performance declining with temperature at a higher rate than older life stages, and disruptions being triggered at lower temperature thresholds. Results suggest that limiting temperature effects were progressively stronger with increasing anthropogenic disturbance. There was however a critical threshold, matching the incipient thermal limit for survival, beyond which realized density was always below potential numbers irrespective of disturbance intensity. We additionally found a lower threshold, matching the thermal limit for feeding, beyond which even unaltered populations declined. We predict that most of our study populations may become extinct by 2100, depicting the gloomy fate of thermally-sensitive species occurring at thermal range margins under limited potential for adaptation and dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Ayllón
- Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Graciela G. Nicola
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain
| | - Benigno Elvira
- Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene Parra
- Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Almodóvar
- Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Weigelt P, Jetz W, Kreft H. Bioclimatic and physical characterization of the world's islands. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:15307-12. [PMID: 24003123 PMCID: PMC3780862 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1306309110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Earth's islands harbor a distinct, yet highly threatened, biological and cultural diversity that has been shaped by geographic isolation and unique environments. Island systems are key natural laboratories for testing theory in ecology and evolution. However, despite their potential usefulness for research, a quantitative description of island environments and an environmental classification are still lacking. Here, we prepare a standardized dataset and perform a comprehensive global environmental characterization for 17,883 of the world's marine islands >1 km(2) (∼98% of total island area). We consider area, temperature, precipitation, seasonality in temperature and precipitation, past climate change velocity, elevation, isolation, and past connectivity--key island characteristics and drivers of ecosystem processes. We find that islands are significantly cooler, wetter, and less seasonal than mainlands. Constrained by their limited area, they show less elevational heterogeneity. Wet temperate climates are more prevalent on islands, whereas desert climates are comparatively rare. We use ordination and clustering to characterize islands in multidimensional environmental space and to delimit island ecoregions, which provides unique insights into the environmental configuration and diversity of the world's islands. Combining ordination and classification together with global environmental data in a common framework opens up avenues for a more integrative use of islands in biogeography, macroecology, and conservation. To showcase possible applications of the presented data, we predict vascular plant species richness for all 17,883 islands based on statistically derived environment-richness relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Weigelt
- Biodiversity, Macroecology and Conservation Biogeography Group, University of Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany; and
| | - Walter Jetz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Holger Kreft
- Biodiversity, Macroecology and Conservation Biogeography Group, University of Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany; and
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128
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Abstract
AbstractPriority Primate Areas are identified in Tanzania, mainland Africa's most important country for conservation of primates, on the basis of occupancy by globally rare, Red-Listed and range-restricted primate species and subspecies. We provide a comprehensive list and regional assessment of Tanzania's primate taxa, using IUCN Red List criteria, as well as the first national inventory of primates for 62 sites. The Priority Primate Areas, encompassing 102,513 km2, include nine national parks, one conservation area, seven game reserves, six nature reserves, 34 forest reserves and five areas with no official protection status. Primate species were evaluated and ranked on the basis of irreplaceability and vulnerability, using a combination of established and original criteria, resulting in a primate Taxon Conservation Score. Sites were ranked on the basis of summed primate scores. The majority (71%) of Priority Primate Areas are also Important Bird Areas (IBAs), or part of an IBA. Critical subsets of sites were derived through complementarity analyses. Adequate protection of just nine sites, including six national parks (Kilimanjaro, Kitulo, Mahale, Saadani, Udzungwa and Jozani-Chwaka Bay), one nature reserve (Kilombero) and two forest reserves (Minziro and Mgambo), totalling 8,679 km2, would protect all 27 of Tanzania's primate species. The addition of three forest reserves (Rondo, Kilulu Hill and Ngezi) and two game reserves (Grumeti and Biharamulo), results in a list of 14 Priority Primate Areas covering 10,561 km2 (1.1% of Tanzania's total land area), whose conservation would ensure the protection of all 43 of Tanzania's species and subspecies of primates.
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129
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Wetzel FT, Beissmann H, Penn DJ, Jetz W. Vulnerability of terrestrial island vertebrates to projected sea-level rise. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2013; 19:2058-2070. [PMID: 23504764 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2012] [Accepted: 02/06/2013] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Sea-level rise (SLR) from global warming may have severe consequences for biodiversity; however, a baseline, broad-scale assessment of the potential consequences of SLR for island biodiversity is lacking. Here, we quantify area loss for over 12 900 islands and over 3000 terrestrial vertebrates in the Pacific and Southeast Asia under three different SLR scenarios (1 m, 3 m and 6 m). We used very fine-grained elevation information, which offered >100 times greater spatial detail than previous analyses and allowed us to evaluate thousands of hitherto not assessed small islands. Depending on the SLR scenario, we estimate that 15-62% of islands in our study region will be completely inundated and 19-24% will lose 50-99% of their area. Overall, we project that between 1% and 9% of the total island area in our study region may be lost. We find that Pacific species are 2-3 times more vulnerable than those in the Indomalayan or Australasian region and risk losing 4-22% of range area (1-6 m SLR). Species already listed as threatened by IUCN are particularly vulnerable compared with non-threatened species. Under a simple area loss-species loss proportionality assumption, we estimate that 37 island group endemic species in this region risk complete inundation of their current global distribution in the 1 m SLR scenario that is widely anticipated for this century (and 118 species under 3 m SLR). Our analysis provides a first, broad-scale estimate of the potential consequences of SLR for island biodiversity and our findings confirm that islands are extremely vulnerable to sea-level rise even within this century.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian T Wetzel
- Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine, Savoyenstraße 1a, Vienna, Austria.
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130
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Rondinini C, Di Marco M, Visconti P, Butchart SH, Boitani L. Update or Outdate: Long-Term Viability of the IUCN Red List. Conserv Lett 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Rondinini
- Global Mammal Assessment program, Department of Biology and Biotechnologies; Sapienza Università di Roma, Viale dell'Università 32; I-00185 Rome Italy
| | - Moreno Di Marco
- Global Mammal Assessment program, Department of Biology and Biotechnologies; Sapienza Università di Roma, Viale dell'Università 32; I-00185 Rome Italy
| | - Piero Visconti
- Computational Science Laboratory; Microsoft Research; 21 Station Road Cambridge CB1 2FB UK
| | - Stuart H.M. Butchart
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre; 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL UK
- BirdLife International; Wellbrook Court; Cambridge CB3 0NA UK
| | - Luigi Boitani
- Global Mammal Assessment program, Department of Biology and Biotechnologies; Sapienza Università di Roma, Viale dell'Università 32; I-00185 Rome Italy
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131
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Sato JJ. Phylogeographic and Feeding Ecological Effects on the Mustelid Faunal Assemblages in Japan. ANIMAL SYSTEMATICS, EVOLUTION AND DIVERSITY 2013. [DOI: 10.5635/ased.2013.29.2.99] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
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132
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Pilgrim JD, Brownlie S, Ekstrom JMM, Gardner TA, von Hase A, Kate KT, Savy CE, Stephens RTT, Temple HJ, Treweek J, Ussher GT, Ward G. A process for assessing the offsetability of biodiversity impacts. Conserv Lett 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- John D. Pilgrim
- The Biodiversity Consultancy; 72 Trumpington Street; Cambridge; CB2 1RR; UK
| | - Susie Brownlie
- de Villiers Brownlie Associates; 21 Menin Avenue; Claremont; 7708; South Africa
| | | | - Toby A. Gardner
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street; Cambridge; CB2 3EJ; UK
| | - Amrei von Hase
- Forest Trends; 1203 19th Street NW 4th Floor; Washington; DC; 20036; USA
| | - Kerry ten Kate
- Forest Trends; 1203 19th Street NW 4th Floor; Washington; DC; 20036; USA
| | - Conrad E. Savy
- Center for Environmental Leadership in Business; Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive; Suite 500; Arlington; VA; 22202; USA
| | | | - Helen J. Temple
- The Biodiversity Consultancy; 72 Trumpington Street; Cambridge; CB2 1RR; UK
| | - Jo Treweek
- Treweek Environmental Consultants; Chancery Cottage; Kentisbeare; Cullompton; Devon; EX15 2DS; UK
| | - Graham T. Ussher
- Tonkin & Taylor Ltd,; PO Box 5271; Wellesley Street; Auckland 1141; New Zealand
| | - Gerri Ward
- Department of Conservation; 18-32 Manners St; Wellington 6011; New Zealand
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133
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Affiliation(s)
- Phyllis Kanki
- , Department of Immunology and Infectious, Harvard School of Public Health, Huntington Avenue 651, Boston, 02115 Massachusetts USA
| | - Darrell Jay Grimes
- , Department of Coastal Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, East Beach Drive 703, Ocean Springs, 39564 Mississippi USA
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134
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135
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Freudenberger L, Hobson PR, Schluck M, Ibisch PL. A global map of the functionality of terrestrial ecosystems. ECOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2012.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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136
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de Lima RF, Dallimer M, Atkinson PW, Barlow J. Biodiversity and land-use change: understanding the complex responses of an endemic-rich bird assemblage. DIVERS DISTRIB 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Martin Dallimer
- Forest & Landscape and Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate; University of Copenhagen; Rolighedsvej 23; DK-1958; Frederiksberg C; Denmark
| | | | - Jos Barlow
- Lancaster Environment Centre; Lancaster University; Lancaster; LA1 4YQ; UK
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137
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Global patterns and drivers of avian extinctions at the species and subspecies level. PLoS One 2012; 7:e47080. [PMID: 23056586 PMCID: PMC3466226 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2012] [Accepted: 09/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds have long fascinated scientists and travellers, so their distribution and abundance through time have been better documented than those of other organisms. Many bird species are known to have gone extinct, but information on subspecies extinctions has never been synthesised comprehensively. We reviewed the timing, spatial patterns, trends and causes of avian extinctions on a global scale, identifying 279 ultrataxa (141 monotypic species and 138 subspecies of polytypic species) that have gone extinct since 1500. Species extinctions peaked in the early 20th century, then fell until the mid 20th century, and have subsequently accelerated. However, extinctions of ultrataxa peaked in the second half of the 20th century. This trend reflects a consistent decline in the rate of extinctions on islands since the beginning of the 20th century, but an acceleration in the extinction rate on continents. Most losses (78.7% of species and 63.0% of subspecies) occurred on oceanic islands. Geographic foci of extinctions include the Hawaiian Islands (36 taxa), mainland Australia and islands (29 taxa), the Mascarene Islands (27 taxa), New Zealand (22 taxa) and French Polynesia (19 taxa). The major proximate drivers of extinction for both species and subspecies are invasive alien species (58.2% and 50.7% of species and subspecies, respectively), hunting (52.4% and 18.8%) and agriculture, including non-timber crops and livestock farming (14.9% and 31.9%). In general, the distribution and drivers of subspecific extinctions are similar to those for species extinctions. However, our finding that, when subspecies are considered, the extinction rate has accelerated in recent decades is both novel and alarming.
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138
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Global forecasts of urban expansion to 2030 and direct impacts on biodiversity and carbon pools. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012. [PMID: 22988086 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1211658109.] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Urban land-cover change threatens biodiversity and affects ecosystem productivity through loss of habitat, biomass, and carbon storage. However, despite projections that world urban populations will increase to nearly 5 billion by 2030, little is known about future locations, magnitudes, and rates of urban expansion. Here we develop spatially explicit probabilistic forecasts of global urban land-cover change and explore the direct impacts on biodiversity hotspots and tropical carbon biomass. If current trends in population density continue and all areas with high probabilities of urban expansion undergo change, then by 2030, urban land cover will increase by 1.2 million km(2), nearly tripling the global urban land area circa 2000. This increase would result in considerable loss of habitats in key biodiversity hotspots, with the highest rates of forecasted urban growth to take place in regions that were relatively undisturbed by urban development in 2000: the Eastern Afromontane, the Guinean Forests of West Africa, and the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka hotspots. Within the pan-tropics, loss in vegetation biomass from areas with high probability of urban expansion is estimated to be 1.38 PgC (0.05 PgC yr(-1)), equal to ∼5% of emissions from tropical deforestation and land-use change. Although urbanization is often considered a local issue, the aggregate global impacts of projected urban expansion will require significant policy changes to affect future growth trajectories to minimize global biodiversity and vegetation carbon losses.
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139
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Global forecasts of urban expansion to 2030 and direct impacts on biodiversity and carbon pools. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:16083-8. [PMID: 22988086 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1211658109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1126] [Impact Index Per Article: 93.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Urban land-cover change threatens biodiversity and affects ecosystem productivity through loss of habitat, biomass, and carbon storage. However, despite projections that world urban populations will increase to nearly 5 billion by 2030, little is known about future locations, magnitudes, and rates of urban expansion. Here we develop spatially explicit probabilistic forecasts of global urban land-cover change and explore the direct impacts on biodiversity hotspots and tropical carbon biomass. If current trends in population density continue and all areas with high probabilities of urban expansion undergo change, then by 2030, urban land cover will increase by 1.2 million km(2), nearly tripling the global urban land area circa 2000. This increase would result in considerable loss of habitats in key biodiversity hotspots, with the highest rates of forecasted urban growth to take place in regions that were relatively undisturbed by urban development in 2000: the Eastern Afromontane, the Guinean Forests of West Africa, and the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka hotspots. Within the pan-tropics, loss in vegetation biomass from areas with high probability of urban expansion is estimated to be 1.38 PgC (0.05 PgC yr(-1)), equal to ∼5% of emissions from tropical deforestation and land-use change. Although urbanization is often considered a local issue, the aggregate global impacts of projected urban expansion will require significant policy changes to affect future growth trajectories to minimize global biodiversity and vegetation carbon losses.
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140
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Larsen FW, Turner WR, Brooks TM. Conserving critical sites for biodiversity provides disproportionate benefits to people. PLoS One 2012; 7:e36971. [PMID: 22666337 PMCID: PMC3364245 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2011] [Accepted: 04/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Protecting natural habitats in priority areas is essential to halt the loss of biodiversity. Yet whether these benefits for biodiversity also yield benefits for human well-being remains controversial. Here we assess the potential human well-being benefits of safeguarding a global network of sites identified as top priorities for the conservation of threatened species. Conserving these sites would yield benefits--in terms of a) climate change mitigation through avoidance of CO(2) emissions from deforestation; b) freshwater services to downstream human populations; c) retention of option value; and d) benefits to maintenance of human cultural diversity--significantly exceeding those anticipated from randomly selected sites within the same countries and ecoregions. Results suggest that safeguarding sites important for biodiversity conservation provides substantial benefits to human well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank W Larsen
- Science & Knowledge Division, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America.
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141
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Lacher TE, Boitani L, da Fonseca GA. The IUCN global assessments: partnerships, collaboration and data sharing for biodiversity science and policy. Conserv Lett 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263x.2012.00249.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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142
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Butchart SHM, Scharlemann JPW, Evans MI, Quader S, Aricò S, Arinaitwe J, Balman M, Bennun LA, Bertzky B, Besançon C, Boucher TM, Brooks TM, Burfield IJ, Burgess ND, Chan S, Clay RP, Crosby MJ, Davidson NC, De Silva N, Devenish C, Dutson GCL, Fernández DFDZ, Fishpool LDC, Fitzgerald C, Foster M, Heath MF, Hockings M, Hoffmann M, Knox D, Larsen FW, Lamoreux JF, Loucks C, May I, Millett J, Molloy D, Morling P, Parr M, Ricketts TH, Seddon N, Skolnik B, Stuart SN, Upgren A, Woodley S. Protecting important sites for biodiversity contributes to meeting global conservation targets. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32529. [PMID: 22457717 PMCID: PMC3310057 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 198] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2011] [Accepted: 01/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Protected areas (PAs) are a cornerstone of conservation efforts and now cover nearly 13% of the world's land surface, with the world's governments committed to expand this to 17%. However, as biodiversity continues to decline, the effectiveness of PAs in reducing the extinction risk of species remains largely untested. We analyzed PA coverage and trends in species' extinction risk at globally significant sites for conserving birds (10,993 Important Bird Areas, IBAs) and highly threatened vertebrates and conifers (588 Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, AZEs) (referred to collectively hereafter as ‘important sites’). Species occurring in important sites with greater PA coverage experienced smaller increases in extinction risk over recent decades: the increase was half as large for bird species with>50% of the IBAs at which they occur completely covered by PAs, and a third lower for birds, mammals and amphibians restricted to protected AZEs (compared with unprotected or partially protected sites). Globally, half of the important sites for biodiversity conservation remain unprotected (49% of IBAs, 51% of AZEs). While PA coverage of important sites has increased over time, the proportion of PA area covering important sites, as opposed to less important land, has declined (by 0.45–1.14% annually since 1950 for IBAs and 0.79–1.49% annually for AZEs). Thus, while appropriately located PAs may slow the rate at which species are driven towards extinction, recent PA network expansion has under-represented important sites. We conclude that better targeted expansion of PA networks would help to improve biodiversity trends.
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143
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Brace S, Barnes I, Powell A, Pearson R, Woolaver LG, Thomas MG, Turvey ST. Population history of the Hispaniolan hutia Plagiodontia aedium (Rodentia: Capromyidae): testing the model of ancient differentiation on a geotectonically complex Caribbean island. Mol Ecol 2012; 21:2239-53. [PMID: 22404699 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2012.05514.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Hispaniola is a geotectonically complex island consisting of two palaeo-islands that docked c. 10 Ma, with a further geological boundary subdividing the southern palaeo-island into eastern and western regions. All three regions have been isolated by marine barriers during the late Cenozoic and possess biogeographically distinct terrestrial biotas. However, there is currently little evidence to indicate whether Hispaniolan mammals show distributional patterns reflecting this geotectonic history, as the island's endemic land mammal fauna is now almost entirely extinct. We obtained samples of Hispaniolan hutia (Plagiodontia aedium), one of the two surviving Hispaniolan land mammal species, through fieldwork and historical museum collections from seven localities distributed across all three of the island's biogeographic regions. Phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome b) reveals a pattern of historical allopatric lineage divergence in this species, with the spatial distribution of three distinct hutia lineages biogeographically consistent with the island's geotectonic history. Coalescent modelling, approximate Bayesian computation and approximate Bayes factor analyses support our phylogenetic inferences, indicating near-complete genetic isolation of these biogeographically separate populations and differing estimates of their effective population sizes. Spatial congruence of hutia lineage divergence is not however matched by temporal congruence with divergences in other Hispaniolan taxa or major events in Hispaniola's geotectonic history; divergence between northern and southern hutia lineages dates to c. 0.6 Ma, significantly later than the unification of the palaeo-islands. The three allopatric Plagiodontia populations should all be treated as distinct management units for conservation, with particular attention required for the northern population (low haplotype diversity) and the south-western population (high haplotype diversity but highly threatened).
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Affiliation(s)
- Selina Brace
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
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144
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Van Allen BG, Dunham AE, Asquith CM, Rudolf VHW. Life history predicts risk of species decline in a stochastic world. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:2691-7. [PMID: 22398172 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding what traits determine the extinction risk of species has been a long-standing challenge. Natural populations increasingly experience reductions in habitat and population size concurrent with increasing novel environmental variation owing to anthropogenic disturbance and climate change. Recent studies show that a species risk of decline towards extinction is often non-random across species with different life histories. We propose that species with life histories in which all stage-specific vital rates are more evenly important to population growth rate may be less likely to decline towards extinction under these pressures. To test our prediction, we modelled declines in population growth rates under simulated stochastic disturbance to the vital rates of 105 species taken from the literature. Populations with more equally important vital rates, determined using elasticity analysis, declined more slowly across a gradient of increasing simulated environmental variation. Furthermore, higher evenness of elasticity was significantly correlated with a reduced chance of listing as Threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. The relative importance of life-history traits of diverse species can help us infer how natural assemblages will be affected by novel anthropogenic and climatic disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin G Van Allen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA.
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145
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Di Marco M, Cardillo M, Possingham HP, Wilson KA, Blomberg SP, Boitani L, Rondinini C. A novel approach for global mammal extinction risk reduction. Conserv Lett 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263x.2011.00219.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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146
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Rondinini C, Rodrigues ASL, Boitani L. The key elements of a comprehensive global mammal conservation strategy. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2012; 366:2591-7. [PMID: 21844038 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2011.0111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A global strategy is necessary to achieve the level of coordination, synergy and therefore optimization of resources to achieve the broad goal of conserving mammals worldwide. Key elements for the development of such a strategy include: an institutional subject that owns the strategy; broad conservation goals, quantitative targets derived from them and appropriate indicators; data on the distribution of species, their threats, the cost-effectiveness of conservation actions; and a set of methods for the identification of conservation priorities. Previous global mammal research investigated phylogeny, extinction risk, and the species and areas that should be regarded as global conservation priorities. This theme issue presents new key elements: an updated Red List Index, a new list of evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species, new high-resolution mammal distribution models, a global connectivity analysis and scenarios of future mammal distribution based on climate and land-cover change. Area prioritization schemes account for mammalian phylogeny, governance and cost-benefit of measures to abate habitat loss. Three discussion papers lay the foundations for the development of a global unifying mammal conservation strategy, which should not be further deterred by the knowledge gaps still existing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Rondinini
- Global Mammal Assessment programme, Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza Università di Roma, Viale dell'Università 32, 00185 Rome, Italy.
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147
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Gratwicke B, Lovejoy TE, Wildt DE. Will Amphibians Croak under the Endangered Species Act? Bioscience 2012. [DOI: 10.1525/bio.2012.62.2.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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148
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Baylis M, Risley C. Climate Change Effects on Infectious Diseases. Infect Dis (Lond) 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2463-0_524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
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149
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Buchanan GM, Donald PF, Butchart SHM. Identifying priority areas for conservation: a global assessment for forest-dependent birds. PLoS One 2011; 6:e29080. [PMID: 22205998 PMCID: PMC3242781 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2011] [Accepted: 11/21/2011] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Limited resources are available to address the world's growing environmental problems, requiring conservationists to identify priority sites for action. Using new distribution maps for all of the world's forest-dependent birds (60.6% of all bird species), we quantify the contribution of remaining forest to conserving global avian biodiversity. For each of the world's partly or wholly forested 5-km cells, we estimated an impact score of its contribution to the distribution of all the forest bird species estimated to occur within it, and so is proportional to the impact on the conservation status of the world's forest-dependent birds were the forest it contains lost. The distribution of scores was highly skewed, a very small proportion of cells having scores several orders of magnitude above the global mean. Ecoregions containing the highest values of this score included relatively species-poor islands such as Hawaii and Palau, the relatively species-rich islands of Indonesia and the Philippines, and the megadiverse Atlantic Forests and northern Andes of South America. Ecoregions with high impact scores and high deforestation rates (2000-2005) included montane forests in Cameroon and the Eastern Arc of Tanzania, although deforestation data were not available for all ecoregions. Ecoregions with high impact scores, high rates of recent deforestation and low coverage by the protected area network included Indonesia's Seram rain forests and the moist forests of Trinidad and Tobago. Key sites in these ecoregions represent some of the most urgent priorities for expansion of the global protected areas network to meet Convention on Biological Diversity targets to increase the proportion of land formally protected to 17% by 2020. Areas with high impact scores, rapid deforestation, low protection and high carbon storage values may represent significant opportunities for both biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation, for example through Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) initiatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graeme M Buchanan
- The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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150
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Darwall WRT, Holland RA, Smith KG, Allen D, Brooks EGE, Katarya V, Pollock CM, Shi Y, Clausnitzer V, Cumberlidge N, Cuttelod A, Dijkstra KDB, Diop MD, García N, Seddon MB, Skelton PH, Snoeks J, Tweddle D, Vié JC. Implications of bias in conservation research and investment for freshwater species. Conserv Lett 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263x.2011.00202.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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